Tuesday Stuff

David Pakman tells us that Our Ochre Abomination wants potential Repug voters to “pretend I’m on the ballot” in November – WORKS FOR ME!!...I can’t imagine what kind of a mental defective you have to be to ONLY vote if Combover Caligula is running (which he can’t now), but we know there are millions of life forms that fall into that category...also, I’d forgotten about that beyond ridiculous mid-term convention the “party of Lincoln” is planning for Dallas in a couple of weeks – you know what? They should go for it and keep reminding everybody how entitled and out of touch they really are...Pakman is right that the strategy that makes sense is to “localize” everything – of course, that also brings up the question to me of “why the $#@! haven’t you idiots actually addressed our problems” (directed towards the party in power), but that’s just me I guess.

And of course, when Pakman talks about vulnerable Repugs, that includes this guy...



...and this report from CBC News tells us that those stinking tariffs could put Canadian liquor producers “on ice,” including one company part owned by Dan Aykroyd...as one producer notes, a 50 percent tariff basically reduces its profit to zero...we learn that more bottles of Crown Royal are sold in Texas than all of Canada, which isn’t surprising to yours truly (I’d be drinking heavily also if, God forbid, I resided in the Lone Star State)...



...and when it comes to our cattle ranchers, it looks like this scheme to import beef from God knows where is backfiring (big surprise – not!), with ranchers claiming that beef prices aren’t the biggest issue; the big problem is the price of fuel that gets passed down to consumers (I would also say a big problem is voters in farm country casting their ballots for Repugs, but that’s another matter I know)...Cantaloupe Capone's decision to import “mystery meat” is basically stabbing our cattle ranchers in the back...this also encourages looking at other nutrition options besides beef, which, for the consumer, isn’t a bad idea I believe, though I don’t think we should tell our ranchers to kick rocks, despite what were likely some wrong-headed votes by those people...the rancher interviewed is probably spot-on about Brazilian meat packer JBS calling the shots (and apparently, our dairy industry is also getting hammered since they feel the effects of all this trade madness as well)...



...and while we rightly pay tribute to Dolly Parton and her legacy of giving selflessly, Belle reminds us about the “R” team cutting funds for Parton’s book program, where free books were sent to kids under 5, particularly in Indiana and Missouri (more here)...



...and I thought this was another catchy little number from Jesse Welles...



...and I’m still deciding how much I actually like this newer tune...I wouldn’t recommend dancing like this around 12th and Norris and a lot of other spots in Philly, and probably a lot of spots in NJ as well.

Monday Stuff

Jesse Dollemore informs us that Repugs are abandoning Don The Con as they seek re-election...color me (not) shocked, but it looks like the sheeple in the Repug rank and file are FINALLY realizing just how much they’ve been played by Our Treasonous Orange Pustule...glad the men in Iowa and Texas came around, but it definitely should not have taken this utter mess to get them to vote for their self-interest (or act like they will) instead of “oh, we have to keep the gays and the trannies out of women’s sports” (which basically isn’t a thing) and “we have to make sure kids don’t get bottom surgery to change their gender” (which DEFINITELY isn’t a thing); I know there are other dog whistles out there, but I’m not going to acknowledge them because there’s no point...Jesse is spot-on in saying that elections are won and lost by independents; I wish it were by the “D” team, but that’s just the reality...he’s also right that the “party of Lincoln” knows these godawful polling numbers for sure (NSFW/H)...



...and speaking of polling, Kyle Kulinski lets us know that voters were asked about our support of Israel (is “Bibi” and his awful regime committing a genocide, should the U.S. sanction Israel, and the numbers are as bad as you’d expect...and yes, I know Dems, for the most part, were polled, so these results aren’t that surprising)...I’ll be honest; there are times I could do without some of Kyle’s hyperbole (that’s what I think it is anyway), but when it comes to Hakeem Jeffries, I’m there for all of it...I’m afraid Kyle is also right about the act we’re going to get from these centrist Dems about “oh, Netanyahu has to be reined in”...yeah, he’s PART of the problem, but it’s MUCH BIGGER than that (and I have a problem when I see Christian priests and nuns knocked down and spat upon by West Bank settlers)...NSFW/H again...



...and this Majority Report clip features NY Repug Mike Lawler bragging about kicking people off healthcare...oh, Lawler’s party “strengthened” Medicaid by – all together now – “rooting out waste, fraud and abuse”...also, as far as that nematode Jesse Watters is concerned, I realize, being a millionaire TV pundit, he doesn’t give a damn about the debt incurred by doctors, but I’m sure they’re comped to some degree by pharma companies to help pay that off in order to push certain meds (and no, that shouldn’t be happening, and I’m not trying to criticize doctors, just acknowledging the “through the looking glass” health care system in this country)...also, the “employer pays for health care” model is a dinosaur from post-World War II that we’re leaving behind, which on balance may be a good thing (but not if there’s no reliable substitute)...not familiar with the “functional unemployment” issue; I’ll have to look into that...to be honest, I get a little fed up with these people at TMR and their lazy takes at times; Lord knows I have issues with the national Dems, but the ONE THING I’ll give them credit for is that they’re pretty consistent about wanting to restore ACA credits and Medicare (acknowledged somewhat by Matt Lech...I’d like to see M4A also, but whining about it won’t get anything done)...I also believed it was proved awhile back that the “Somali Medicare fraud in Minnesota” thing was utter BS, which, again, is rich coming from the political party behind this.

Oh, and here are a couple of other notes:

Anyone here illegally is unable to get SNAP or Medicaid as noted here (Lawler’s first lie).

Also, 10 million people may lose Medicaid coverage because of work requirements as noted here (oh, and the requirements are due to go into effect next January, when the elections will be over – how con-vee-nient)...

On top of that, I realize jackals like Lawler don’t care if people have medical conditions that don’t allow them to “work, volunteer or go to school” (here).

Here is the clip (also NSFW/H)...



...and I know the ICE shooting in Biddeford, Maine is behind the news cycle a bit, but I still think the fallout matters, and John Iadarola at Demcoracy Watch tells us about it...apparently there are protests also aimed at “Disappointed” Susan Collins over it as well (about freaking time)...definitely like John’s sarcasm aimed at Collins as “the woman that trusted Brett Kavanaugh”...good also for John to remind everyone that Collins voted to give ICE $38 billion, with a “b”...on a somewhat related matter, I guess we’ll see actual charges filed against Graham Platner (over the admittedly bad allegations that forced him to drop out) at around the same time that we’ll see proof of life from “Weekend at Bernie’s” McConnell...more ICE garbage is here...

...and it looks like our northern neighbors are continuing to stand up to that lumpy orange sack of trans fats, prejudice and idiocy...



...and RIP boomer-era one-hit wonder and TV star Shelley Fabares.