Open Thread for November 6, 2021

 Posted by at 6:51 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Nov 062021
 

Yesterday, another quiet day, thankfully.

Cartoon –

Short Takes –

The 19th – A Duchess and a senator go to dinner
Quote – In a furious dash to ensure a universal paid leave policy — however small — makes it into the final version of a care package weaving its way through Congress, the Democratic legislators who have advocated for the policy for years are trying everything — including working with the Duchess of Sussex.
Click through for how this happened. I have nor forgiven Gillibramd, but if this helps get it done, that may help. (Incidentally, SOME people are capable of rising above “I’ve got mine” and work to help others.)

Wonkette – Special Counsel John Durham Arrests Russian Pee Tape Man For TERRIBLE LIES!
Quote – We’re sorry, but does any of that rise to the level of “lied to FBI about secret negotiations with Russian government”? We are just asking, because we are unclear on what the standards are here in Wonderland.
Click through for story. I don’t know what else you’d expect from a “Special Prosecutor” appointed by Bill Barr. Couldn’t (and shouldn’t) he be replaced with a real person?

The Hill – Democrats ramp up filibuster talks after voting rights setback
Quote – After months of trying to give space for bipartisan discussions on election legislation, Democrats are planning internal talks about what, if any, rules changes they’ll be able to get through on their own. Those ideas include smaller shifts on nominations or amendments. But altering the filibuster — particularly when it comes to elections bills — is getting the most attention.
Click through for more – I should bloody well hope the filibuster’s abolishment is getting discussed!

Food for Thought –

Democracy for America and Robert Reich want you to sign (and share) this petition (and I don’t know why you wouldn’t want to.)

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Video Thread 10/23/2021

 Posted by at 12:24 pm  Open Thread, Politics
Oct 232021
 

Glenn Kirschner – Any Member of Congress Who Votes AGAINST Holding Bannon in Contempt, Aids/Abets Steve Bannon’s Crime (Answer: All but 9)

MSNBC – Rep. Schiff ‘Surprised’ 9 Republicans Voted To Hold Bannon In Criminal Contempt

Thom Hartmann – Could Harris Use Nixon Playbook To Break Filibuster?

Robert Reich – America is on Strike

Now This News – Elementary School Teachers Surprise Colleague With New Car. (This is the kind of community Beau wirks at making heppen.)

Kitten Refuses to Share Her New Puppy Sister with Anyone

Beau – Let’s talk about paternity leave…. (Just put this beside the article about Cawthorn in Tuesday’s (10/19) Open Thread…)

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Open Thread for October 21, 2021

 Posted by at 7:00 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Oct 212021
 

Yesterday, It was pretty quiet. I got to do some knitting and even play at some games a little. Nice.

Cartoon –

Short Takes –

The New Yorker (Borowitz Report) – El Chapo Refuses to Share a Prison Cell with Steve Bannon
Quote – The ex-kingpin said that, although he had not heard of any plans to house Bannon in his prison cell, he was speaking “out of an abundance of caution.”… El Chapo’s sentiments have been echoed by the nation’s prison population, two million of whom have signed a petition refusing to share their cells with Bannon.
Click through. Oh, Andy, that’s so disappointing!

AL dot com – A murdered Alabama woman’s wedding ring was sold at auction. The Missouri man who bought it won’t sell to her grieving family.
Quote – “This fella was wanting to buy the ring back,’’ Blaker said. “I bought it fair and square. He thinks I should let him have and him send me the money,’’ Blaker said. “I don’t trust anybody anymore. I’ve been screwed around on deals like this.” Blaker said they didn’t initially agree on the price. Stanton called him again. “He was preying on my sympathy I guess and said, ‘Well that was my wife’s wedding ring,’’’ Blaker said. “I said, ‘Well, I’ve changed my mind. I don’t want to get rid of anything.’’
Click through for tragic story. Speaking pf people with hearts of stone ….

The Daily Beast – Joe Manchin Isn’t Moved by Dem Attacks—He’s Emboldened By Them
Quote – And it’s exactly these big moments—when Sanders and like-minded Democrats express their endless frustration with Manchin—that help him burnish the gadfly credentials needed for a Democrat to survive in a state that went for Donald Trump in 2020 by 38 points. So, despite visits from angry kayakers, millions of dollars spent on ad campaigns pressuring him, thousands of calls to his office, and countless meetings with various constituents, Manchin has so far not budged a dollar on the Democrats’ signature legislation. If anything, he’s doubled down.
Click through for details. And now he may be thinking about turning Republican (he denies this.)

Food for Thought – This ought to be the last word on Mayor Pete and Chasten:

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Video Thread 10/19/2021

 Posted by at 11:55 am  Open Thread, Politics
Oct 192021
 

Glenn Kirschner – NY Judge Orders Trump to Testify at a Deposition on Monday, October 18-What Could Possibly Go Wrong

Don Winslow – #JoeManchinSenatorForSale. Gotta say, Don doesn’t mince words.

The Lincoln Project – Morph

CNN – Acosta Reminds Us That Trump Knows He Is A Snake

MSNBC – Mother Of Ahmaud Arbery: We Will Get Justice For Ahmaud

Now This News – Defense Sec. Lloyd Austin Remembers Colin Powell

Beau – Let’s talk about prices and supply chains….

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Video Thread for 8/19/21

 Posted by at 12:20 pm  Open Thread, Politics
Aug 192021
 

Maybe we need to nake a category forRepublicans who are so insane and destructive that their familie turn on them.  Besides Trump** and Paul Gosar, there’s Steve Miller, and now Laura Ingraham (see Meidas Touch video below).  And I’m sure I’m missing some.

Glenn Kirschner – Why Are The Criminal Trials For Insurrection Defendants Being Set Well Out Into 2022? Here’s Why

Meidas Touch – Laura Ingraham and Dinesh D’Souza OUTED Gay Students at Dartmouth, Leading to Suicide, Allegedly

The Lincoln Project – Monster Trump Rally

The Ring of Fire – MyPillow CEO Trashes Right Wing Media Outlet After His Cyber Symposium Flopped – So funny – TC always used to say TruthOut was so far left it made him look conservative. I always found them good on facts but not so much on opinion. I still get their newsletter. TruNews, on the other hand, is a projec of Rick Wiles, who has been certifiably nuts for years, maybe decades.

MSNBC – Rep. Hakeem Jeffries Recounts Jan. 6 Moment When The ‘Jackets Came Off’

So, the Liberal Redneck is on Patreon and wants to share an excerpt of a review he did for them

Beau – Let’s talk about me giving dating advice….

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Open Thread for August 16, 2021

 Posted by at 7:03 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Aug 162021
 

Yesterday I was pretty well behind with everything. I did learn that Mitch got back from his trip safely, but he now cannot get in to PP. So it may be a while before we hear from him. But he’s fine. Does anyone else here know anything about Apple/Mac systems and Safari? If so, would you consider allowing me to send your email to Mitch? If you aren’t getting my emails weekly, the “Contact me” link under “Other Links” on the bottom right, second to last section, above “WordPress.org links, now comes to me. If your email client is not set to pop up, right-click on it, select “copy email address,” and then paste it into your address line. I don’t swear that will work in every browser, but hopefully it will. If it doesn’t, you could leae a comment and let me know it’s OK – you don’t have to put your address in the comment, as WordPress will record your email in a place that only Administrators can see.

Cartoon –

There’s a typo in it – it was 11 seconds, not 0.11.

Short Takes –

Democratic Underground – Mary Trump: the most cogent description ever of our current peril as a democracy
Quote – McConnell is the greatest traitor to this country since Robert E. Lee (with the difference that McConnell has been trying to take our country down from within). He has always been expert at using existing rules and procedures in ways they weren’t intended to be used, and yet—whether it was denying Merrick Garland a hearing, pushing through Amy Coney Barrett’s confirmation, or ending the filibuster as it applied to Supreme Court nominees but employing it to block legislation that would expand voting rights—his anti-democratic maneuvers have been performed within the bounds of the system.
Click through for the rest, and then, if you like, click through again to the meta-source.

PolitiZoom – WATCH: COVID ‘Shedding’ Theory Is More Deranged Than You Can Possibly Imagine
Quote – It is astonishing to me that as a species we have done remarkable things like send mankind into outer space. We’ve built technological marvels. We’ve extended life expectancy and the quality of life with surgical procedures and medicinal interventions of one kind or another. We’ve invented communication devices and transportation that were beyond imagining a century ago. Yet despite all that, there are people who listen to this level of ignorant witchcraft fear mongering and believe it to be true. “Don’t go near the vaccinated. They’ll contaminate you. They’ll shed on you.” Shed how? Hair, skin, cooties? Frankly, I’d rather listen to tales of witchcraft and sorcery than this non-intellectual make believe hooey.
Click through for story. I could go on quite a rant here, but I’ll restrain myself.

Washington Examiner – Rachel Maddow reports sign of life in Georgia criminal investigation of Trump 2020 election efforts
Quote – Prosecutors began the investigation in February, following Trump’s call to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, in which he asked the official to “find” the 11,780 votes sufficient to reverse his loss. Maddow told her audience on Friday that she had an “exclusive” with new information regarding a top official at the Justice Department that will help the process move forward.
Click through for story, and then through again to Maddow Blog if you like.

Food for Thought –

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Video Thread for 8/14/21

 Posted by at 11:46 am  Open Thread, Politics
Aug 142021
 

I’ll spare you the Pillow Guy clips and the one about exploding green birds.

Glenn Kirschner – MSNBC Daily Piece – DOJ Officials Thwarted Trump’s Coup. Next Step: A Criminal Investigation

Meidas Touch – WTF: LAX Police Chief CONFIRMS Existence of POLICE GANGS! (And this is why we need more Larry Keasners.)

No Dem Left Behind and Richard Ojeda – Winning Over Rural Americ

This is a presentation of Egberto Willies – I edited out the spoiler at the beginning but not the discussion at the end after the punch line. Egberto’s no fool, but sometimes I tthink he over-explains.

PBS – Dr. Fauci explains booster shots and the delta variant’s threat to children – I’m thinking this would be me (no, not the “children” part) but it’s borderline.

Cracked – If Megachurches Were Honest (“Cracked” is a competitor of “MAD” magazine – or maybe a supplement to it)

Let’s talk about personal responsibility in today’s world…. (LOL of course we know this and mck “the party of personal responsibility.” But Beau has his own ways of communicating.)

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Open Thread for August 12, 2021

 Posted by at 7:07 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Aug 122021
 

Yesterday it was cooler again.That and tha fact I went into it with more and better sleep than i have been getting lately ade it a good day right from the start. And then, I filled up the Short Takes quite early and even have a head start on tomorrow. So I spent some quality time untangling tangled yarns /s. OK, that really isn’t quality time … but it’s good to have it done.

Cartoon –

Short Takes –

Second Nexus – Dems Hilariously Troll GOP Senator by Unanimously Voting for His Petty Infrastructure Amendment
Quote – Once the bill was brought to debate, the first amendment offered came from Republican Senator John Barrasso of Wyoming, who proceeded to rail against the Green New Deal—an ambitious climate policy overhaul championed by progressives as the only viable option to significantly curb the climate crisis…. [Bernie] Sanders told Barrasso: “As a supporter of the Green New Deal, I have no problem voting for this amendment because it has nothing to do with the Green New Deal.”
Click through for giggles. This is from George Takei, though it may have been published elsewhere.

The 19th – Cuomo’s exit puts two women in New York’s highest offices
Quote – Lt. Gov Kathy Hochul will soon become New York’s first woman governor, ushering in a historic first for women’s political leadership at the state level. New York state Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins is next in line to replace Hochul as lieutenant governor. She would be the first Black woman to serve in the role in New York — and her appointment to the position would mark the first time in U.S. history that a state has been led by a woman governor and a woman lieutenant governor. Stewart-Cousins was already the first woman Senate majority leader in the state’s history.
Click through for story. Talk about unintended consequences (which apparently aren’t always bad). Who knew Andy Borowitz was a prophet (in the colloquial sense)?

Crooks and liars – YouTube Suspends Rand Paul For 7 Days Over Mask Disinfo
Quote – Senator Rand Paul, who has already had COVID, used an online video to attack Dr. Fauci and all CDC guidelines regarding masks. That got him kicked off YouTube for a week.
Click through for the rest. I guess after you suspend a former President, suspending a Senator comes easier. (Also, Marjorie’s off Twitter for a week.)

Food for Thought –

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