Wednesday Stuff

It's hard to imagine why Franklin Graham is this big of an idiot – well, on second thought, maybe it isn’t that hard after all, as noted here (and of course, as far as Graham is concerned, only Democratic presidents have affairs – oh, really? And I would agree with this too)..



…oh, and by the way, fuck you and your “prayers,” Sen. Mr. Elaine Chao (here)…

2 teens are dead, 17 injured after shooting at Marshall County High School in Kentucky pic.twitter.com/qDzLPDki6w

— NowThis (@nowthisnews) January 23, 2018

Update 1/25/18: Nail. Hammer. Head.

...and just how much of a monster would you have to be to take away water from someone trying to live in a desert? Maybe it's just as well that I don't know (here)...



Update: Jesus wept (the REAL one, I mean)...

…and I need a bit of a laugh, and I think Jimmy Kimmel provides one here against the backdrop of our latest idiocy from Generalissimo Trump…



…and RIP Ursula K. LeGuin; scarily prescient words from a great, legendary writer in the clip (I always thought "The Lathe of Heaven" was particularly trippy)…



…and here’s a bit of a mellow number for our Birds as they fly north, as it were, for Super Bowl LII.

Tuesday Stuff

No, I didn’t like the “cave” (you may argue) by the U.S. Senate Dems on the budget deal, but they got about a 3-week reprieve at least. And no, I don’t trust Sen. Mr. Elaine Chao to NOT “move the football” again when those three weeks are up.

And when it comes to Bob Casey in PA, yes, it was disappointing (here). However, he will likely run against former Hazelton mayor (and notorious immigration demagogue) Lou Barletta to defend his seat, and Casey made what was a somewhat unfortunate but necessary (IMHO) political calculation.

However, if there’s no action on February 8th (with March 5th the date that the likely deportations of the DREAMers will begin, as noted here), then shut down everything for real. For as long as it takes.

Besides, why the hell should we try to negotiate in good faith with life forms capable of this garbage?...

This disturbing Trump ad says Democrats' views on immigration make them 'complicit' in murder pic.twitter.com/T3o5XuyvHH

— NowThis (@nowthisnews) January 23, 2018

…and yeah, it looks like Repug U.S. House Rep Patrick Meehan is just another “do as I say, not as I do,” “Family values” Republican (here)…



Update 1/26/18: As it should be (actually, if you follow the Al Franken standard, he should be gone right now)...

…and gee, didn’t we just mention the Repug U.S. House Rep from PA-07 (here)? And leave it to that Repug puke of a spokesman from the wpix link to blame an “activist court” when, of course, the ruling didn’t go the way he wanted (here...and OF COURSE they’ll appeal to the High Court of Hangin’ Judge JR)…

What do you see when you look at this? A bird? A flower? Or democracy disappearing? End #Gerrymandering. Visit https://t.co/xAC7FvkAfS pic.twitter.com/EptFYXSvJn

— Fair Districts PA (@FairDistrictsPA) January 20, 2018

…and kudos to these women artists standing up in opposition to the Gropenfuhrer…

These women are using art to reflect on the first year of Trump's presidency pic.twitter.com/5E6qEbucwo

— NowThis (@nowthisnews) January 21, 2018

…and I now give you the latest installment of “This Day in Doomsy History” (more or less) from 1/24/11, which is just a reminder that, despite everything going on in our wretched political climate, made poisonous by the Repugs and their acolytes…yes Virginia, there STILL is a war without end going on in Afghanistan (and given this update, I have a question: Do you HONESTLY trust our Treasonous, Tiny Handed Orange Dictator to actually KNOW WHAT HE’S DOING in that area of the world in particular?)…



…and here’s another “green” tune for our Super Bowl-bound Iggles.

Monday Stuff

I would say that, at one of the marches yesterday, Cher was pretty “woke”; we all need to be that way too (mildly NSFW)…

'If you want a job done right, get a woman' — listen to Cher's incredible speech at the #WomensMarch2018 pic.twitter.com/SEwJhKwMoh

— NowThis (@nowthisnews) January 22, 2018

…and though the Sunday morning gab fests apparently ignored the marches (here), Joy Reid didn’t of course, to her credit (great commentary yet again by Jennifer Rubin, believe it or not, at about 6:30)…



…and wow, I honestly didn’t know the Repug U.S. Senator Tom Cotton was this big of a snow flake…



…and this may be the first time I’ve featured a video from Benjamin Dixon of Ring of Fire, but I think he’s spot-on here when it comes to race issues in this country…



…and here’s another reminder about how much better we all would be under single payer from Sen. Bernie Sanders (just grab a fistful of valium, go lie down in a corner and take a nice, long nap, “Saint Orrin”)…

Did you know that universal health care systems like Canada's are less expensive than the wasteful, bureaucratic system in America? pic.twitter.com/07COIe64DM

— Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) January 22, 2018

…and there was a time when I thought it was nothing but a bad joke to talk about the Philadelphia Eagles and the Super Bowl, but lo and behold, they punched their ticket yesterday. Awesome! And congratulations!

As a tribute, I’m planning to feature songs with “green” in the title over the next two weeks; we’ll see how far I get with that (this first selection you can also consider a tribute to Kinks bassist Jim Rodford…RIP).

Saturday Stuff

I’m a little surprised to hear Rachel Maddow apparently unable to explain the shutdown (try this), and when I think of the ruinous reign of the “Gropenfuhrer,” the word “remarkable” definitely doesn’t come to mind - nice report on last year’s women’s marches, though…



Update: Way too damn funny (here)...

…and here is more Maddow, as it were, on trying to figure out just what the hell happened to all of the money from last year’s inauguration…



…and Stephen Colbert reflects on the one-year anniversary of the reign of Generalissimo Trump (he’ll likely remain as long as we have a Republican-led Congress…hint, hint)…



…and I felt like hearing this tune after reading about this nonsense from “the old gray lady” – GMAFB!

Friday Stuff

For more information, click here - and leave it to Philadelphia's conservative newspaper of record to spread a "story" about security concerns, as noted here; in response, I give you this and this.

Yeah, I think Shep Smith is pretty spot-on here about the potential for a government shutdown (see here, here, here and here – how many damn times do we have to go down this road?)…



…and I’m not one bit surprised to hear that the NRA is being investigated for funneling “dark money” into the Trump campaign (and once again, Citizens United remains “the gift that keeps on giving”)…



…and once again, if Generalissimo Trump had a “D” after his name instead of the magic “R,” he’d be wearing an orange jumpsuit by now breaking up slabs on a rock pile (paying hush money to a porn actress, and forming a Delaware LLC to do it apparently as noted here – typical Trumpster move)…



…and yeah, I like the “girther” movement thing – funny (in the scheme of things, not the most important matter I know, but I suppose it’s a bit of comic relief; apparently those doctors serve at the pleasure of the president too – again, not that the physical stuff matters as much, but I don’t believe it either)…



…and David Pakman tells us that U.S. Netherlands Rep Pete Hoekstra was outed for talking more BS about Terra! Terra! Terra! (and yeah, kudos to the Dutch press for following up, unlike our corporate media overall)…



…and I think this is an appropriate tune for the upcoming marches. on Sunday.

Thursday Stuff

Seth Meyers goes over some recent news stuff, including the potential for another government shut down under a Republican congress (and yeah, I know the Nielsen/”shithole” stuff is a bit old by now, but I didn’t know about Patrick Leahy and the placard guy - love the “pong” clip)…



…and yeah, good one by Repug U.S. Senator Joni Ernst of Iowa to defend our Tiny Handed Orange Dictator, earning some thoroughly deserved derision…



…and oh yes (as Sam Seder alluded to), we do so love our kids, don’t we…

Billionaires got their tax breaks last month, but for 113 days health insurance for 9 million children has been hanging in the balance. pic.twitter.com/JOaVF3O4N4

— Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) January 17, 2018

…and here’s another good argument for moving to a clean energy economy…

It’s official: Fracking is among the least sustainable forms of energy production pic.twitter.com/QGI7ql14Ab

— NowThis (@nowthisnews) January 17, 2018

…and David Cay Johnston talks about what’s going on with the Gropenfuhrer’s regime “behind the scenes” with government agencies, using the word “termites” – that’s just great, isn’t it (and in a related story, as they say, I thought this was a great column)...



…and I guess you can consider this a “I know we’re still in the middle of winter, but God, I wish it were over and the nice weather was here right now” song.

Wednesday Stuff

Apparently Dem U.S. Senator Cory Booker lit up DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen over DACA yesterday, and rightly so, over all of the “shithole” stuff from Generalissimo Trump; this is a small sample…

You would think that Trump’s Secretary of Homeland Security might have met with a single Dreamer before planning to throw 800,000 of them out of the country. pic.twitter.com/oK5pphjQUF

— Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) January 16, 2018

…and here is more on how you’re supposed to treat a “Trumpster”…

This is what resisting Trump looks like pic.twitter.com/E30v10SUBZ

— NowThis (@nowthisnews) January 16, 2018

…and apparently, Dark Lord Bannon will continue to testify despite his ridiculous attempt to claim secrecy based on executive privilege, or something (and by the way, props to Michael Schmidt of the NYT for rebounding, if you will, in his reporting after that stoo-pid fluff interview with our Treasonous, Tiny Handed Orange Dictator...and speaking of "the old gray lady," OMFG! - I thought this was a good response)…



…and pride definitely goeth before a fall, certainly in the case of Repug MO governor Eric Greitens (NSFW – more here...more here)…



Update 2/22/18: Justice...

…and when it comes to Democrats as a whole, this is the stuff that I worry about, truth be told; give the damn keys to the metaphorical car to Bernie and let him call the shots, because the national party as a whole is clueless…as much as the Repugs screw up, it seems like ”team D” on the national level NEVER knows what to do in response (NSFW…oh, and as Atrios sez, love and kisses once more for the bankruptcy bill, Joe)…



…and I was remiss in not noting the passing of music producer Rick Hall a couple of weeks ago, who worked with Aretha Franklin and many other acts, including this guy, and this tune in particular.

Tuesday Stuff

Seth Meyers talks about Generalissimo Trump and racism (and yeah, Rand Paul really is that stoo-pid…I also think the Fix Noise segment with the Barbie doll “news” person feeding that line to Repug senator Bill Cassidy was unintentionally hilarious)…



…and gee, isn’t it just so nice how Big Pharma is giving us the metaphorical middle finger raised on high in light of those grotesque tax cuts? Yep, they really are trying to kill us (makes me recall the story of this brave lady from another era; Google thalidomide kids to find out how the UK and other countries suffered – yep, there are some things that it’s up to government to do and some things that it’s up to the private sector to do…back then, though, more people actually knew the difference)…



…oh, and by the way, what country am I living in again?...

Upsetting footage shows the emotional moment a man was ripped away from his family by ICE after spending 30 years in the U.S. pic.twitter.com/g8osfX45KK

— NowThis (@nowthisnews) January 16, 2018

…and I give you another installment of “This Day In Doomsy History” from 1/16/08 (yep, Irving’s Boy was wrong ten years ago, to say nothing of now also, but as noted here, he continues to be treated with undue deference, including by that “liberal” MSNBC network)…



…and RIP Dolores O’Riordan of The Cranberries…



…and since today marked the swearing-in of new New Jersey Gov (and Dem) Phil Murphy (here), that means that today also marks the end of the abusive tenure of Governor Bully; I thought we could sing this one to him as he fades (hopefully) into the obscurity he completely deserves.

Monday Stuff

Rev. Al talks to Dem Congressman John Lewis about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and how we must fight on to build on Dr. King’s momentous work on behalf of social and racial justice…



…and to give us an idea of just how much work still needs to be done, Kyle K. tells us about the Repug Kansas lawmaker who said that black people can’t handle marijuana because of their genetics – just say “oops” and get out (NSFW)…



…and here is Dr. King’s speech at the Barratt Junior High School in South Philadelphia from October 26, 1967, with the theme of “what is your life’s blueprint?”…



…and I may play this song once or twice a year, but I think it’s definitely appropriate for today.

Friday Stuff

Yeah, I think this sure sez it...

‘These are shocking and shameful comments from the President of the United States. Sorry, but there’s no other word one can use but “racist.”’ — United Nations spokesman condemns Trump’s ‘shithole’ comment pic.twitter.com/K50OvAgVPQ

— NowThis (@nowthisnews) January 12, 2018

…and I realize that, as much as Number 45’s conduct is foul and disgusting – and it is that – it’s also a bit counterproductive to analyze the garbage from this human stain which is meant more as a distraction from his other utterly abominable behavior (here), but sometimes what he says and does is so terrible that we have no choice but to do so (NSFW)…



…and Lawrence O’Donnell talks to Karine Jean-Pierre of MoveOn.org, Nicholas Kristof and Brian Klaas about this awfulness…



...and speaking of racism...

Decades ago, the FBI targeted Black activists who were fighting for equality — now, this sad chapter of history is repeating itself pic.twitter.com/NmY5Li7YBS

— NowThis (@nowthisnews) January 10, 2018

…and kudos to the Bernie Sanders state for telling our immunity gnome AG Jeff Sessions what he can do with his marijuana purge (NSFW)…



…and given the particularly repugnant garbage from the Gropenfuhrer and his pals, I think I’m in need of more of a “palate cleanser,” if you will, than usual, and I hope this (going from the ridiculous to the sublime) will suffice; the selection commemorates the 90th anniversary of the first U.S. concert appearance by Vladimir Horowitz (here), quite possibly the greatest concert pianist of all time – hope you enjoy this bit of culture.

Thursday Stuff

So presidential, right?

I don’t understand why there are U. S. Senate Democrats out there who may yet sign off on a spending bill without a DACA fix (here), but apparently that is the case; this tells us more about the DACA fight for those trying to stay in this country (with typical Repug and Trumpian garbage thrown in of course)…



…and TMR and Sam Seder quite rightly IMHO go after Dana Bash over whitewashing Trump and DACA (tired of our corporate media trying to legitimize Repug stupidity; stop talking about the f*cking OPTICS and TRY TO DISCUSS ACTUAL SUBSTANCE IF YOU CAN!)…



...and here is more on corporate tax cuts vs. layoffs (repetitive I know, but it NEEDS to be repeated)…

Remember when CEOs said they'd create thousands of jobs if we gave them massive tax cuts? Well, AT&T, Comcast and Pfizer just laid off hundreds of workers right after the Republicans passed their pathetic tax bill. pic.twitter.com/1916Gyndvz

— Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) January 11, 2018

Update 1/12/18: Uh, yep.

Update 1/15/18: And as if we needed more evidence...

…and another plutocrat scumbag from this regime of frauds and unindicted criminals has been named by our Tiny Handed Delusional Profane Orange Dictator as HHS Secretary, and that nominee would be Alex Azar (here)…

President Trump said he'd stand up to Big Pharma — then he nominated an ex-pharma Health Secretary who dramatically raised drug prices 🙃 pic.twitter.com/QV6LNyniva

— NowThis (@nowthisnews) January 11, 2018

…and it should be noted that Bri-Fi has a declared Dem challenger in PA-08, and that would be Rachel Reddick (an intro video follows, and to her credit, she goes right after the Gropenfuhrer and the brother of Mikey the Beloved…damn, I like this ad!...and I guess she's made waves already, since Bucks County's most infamous fourth estate troll is after her, as noted here...see, as far as Mullane is concerned, only REPUBLICANS are allowed to switch parties)…



...and if there were a theme song for the foul, fetid Trump era, I wonder if this might be it?

Wednesday Stuff

I have to say that I got a kick out of this item from PA’s own Dem U.S. Rep Brendan Boyle here, with more here (could have spent some more time on it as opposed to those idiotic clips of our Tiny-Handed Orange Dictator…oh, and when it comes to Generalissimo Trump and Wharton, I give you this)...



…and Darrell Issa gone too? Gee, looks like it’s time once more for this clip from Ari Melber and Martin Bashir…



…and I thought this was a great analysis by Former Clinton Labor Secretary Robert Reich of what a typical joke it is for Dear Leader to claim any credit whatsoever for supposedly investing in U.S. workers in the Boeing “deal”; this should be shown in a steady rotation on every basic cable channel in this country - a radio ad wouldn't be a bad idea either...

The real way to make our workforce more competitive and boost wages is to invest more in the education and skills of American workers, not massive tax cuts for the rich and corporations. pic.twitter.com/z4a84de9lv

— Robert Reich (@RBReich) January 8, 2018

…and (as if we needed one) here is yet another example of the “do as I say, not as I do” Trumpsters in action (and more Ryan Zinke nonsense is here)…

Trump’s Secretary of the Interior used wildfire prevention funds to go on helicopter joyrides pic.twitter.com/S2gtXvZ06S

— NowThis (@nowthisnews) January 9, 2018

…and speaking of outdoors stuff, it looks like the EPA under Scott Pruitt is literally trying to kill us…

Trump's EPA is allowing a pesticide used in nerve gas to be sprayed on your food pic.twitter.com/42QowiZcol

— NowThis (@nowthisnews) January 9, 2018

…and Jim Croce would have been 75 today; with all of the winter stuff getting splattered on our vehicles, I have a feeling that the people employed in the bidness noted in this song are pretty busy these days (with Maury Muehleisen as always, truly an unsung figure).

Tuesday Stuff

Try imagining the spewing, sputtering wingnut outrage if this video had featured Number 44 instead of Generalissimo Trump; it would be in a steady hourly rotation on “The US Pravda Network” (which also featured this recently)…

Does President Trump actually know the words to the national anthem? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/SxAb8ynZjv

— NowThis (@nowthisnews) January 9, 2018

…and gee, somehow this doesn’t sound very “Comcastic” to me (typical, though...more evidence that stock market gains, by themselves, don't mean jack as an economic indicator)…



...and I thought this was another great “A” block from Rachel Maddow about what former U.S. Senator and one-time presidential candidate Mike Gravel did to help get the word out about the Pentagon Papers and how that could be a precedent for the Fusion GPS stuff (and here is an update – kudos to Di-Fi; maybe it was to help stave off her primary challenger, but props to her for doing good)…



…and I give you the first 2018 installment of “This Day In Doomsy History” from 1/9/12; Sam Seder tells us of Hosni Mubarak Walker’s assault in Wisconsin on employee and family benefits in the name of “reform”…get ready to hear this garbage again this year given the Dickensian tax scam the “party of Lincoln” in Congress passed last year, signed into law by our Treasonous, National-Anthem-Forgetting, Tiny-Handed, Delusional Orange Dictator (mildly NSFW)…



…and I hope the lady who was abused in this video sues everyone in this decrepit backwater for lots of money because of this (here - and yeah, the "stop resisting" thing is another cop trick to try and hurt you or, more precisely, beat your brains out)…



…and the prior clip puts me in the mood to hear this song; this version of it is 40 years old now, believe it or not.

Monday Stuff

(Oh, and here’s another “hot take” that I don’t expect anyone to care about; I don’t know what Oprah Winfrey said at the Golden Globes last night, but dear Lord, can we PLEASE dispense with the notion that she should run for president as a result? Haven’t we already screwed ourselves over by electing someone famous because we see them on TV?)

Update 1/9/18: Nail. Hammer. Head. (even though I like "Dave" :-)

I realize it takes a lot for a Repug to actually do the right thing, and it usually involves money, but though I have a lot of issues with Sen. Cory Gardner of Colorado, he definitely stood up to our “immunity gnome” of an Attorney General here…



...and kudos to this Nevada woman standing up to Sessions also - all the best...

This woman with stage 4 cancer who relies on medical marijuana is coming for Jeff Sessions pic.twitter.com/yBsdTkoDhG

— NowThis (@nowthisnews) January 6, 2018

…and if this isn’t a reason to do something about climate change, I don’t know what is…

Climate change could cause the end of chocolate by 2050 pic.twitter.com/ukkb1de5rv

— NowThis (@nowthisnews) January 4, 2018

…and gee, I guess I’d better dust off my VHS copy of “The Atomic Café” and watch it again, huh (for the return of "duck and cover" apparently – so much winning!)…

The CDC wants Americans to be ready for nuclear war pic.twitter.com/x03cy4Nfkw

— NowThis (@nowthisnews) January 6, 2018

…and Farron Cousins provides us details on the “puke funnel,” as Atrios might call it, from The Daily Tucker and Fix Noise right to the Gropenfuhrer himself (think HRC and Emails, blah blah blah - more idiocy is here…)…



…and David Bowie would have been 71 today; I think this is an apropos tune for Generalissimo Trump.

Saturday Stuff

Kudos to Jimmy Kimmel for holding Generalissimo Trump up for the ridicule he deserves here; as people smarter than I have already said, if the Trumpsters were looking for ways to avoid publicity for the book, this wasn’t the way to do it (and “Fifty Shades of Orange” - hilarious)…



…and I thought this was a great “A” block from Rachel Maddow about how the Repugs on Capitol Hill have done all they can to blow up any possibility of investigating #StableGenius and his pals for the likely crime of collusion with a hostile foreign power in our election two years ago - leave it Huckleberry Graham and Grassley to go after the only person who did the right thing in this mess…



…and as Kyle K. tells us, the typical political suspects want doctors to force-drug-test you…figures (NSFW)…



…and here is the latest in another country pursuing common sense clean energy initiatives, as opposed to us of course…

This city runs entirely on electric buses pic.twitter.com/kMQmrprlaC

— NowThis (@nowthisnews) January 3, 2018

…and here are more patriotic millionaires (“beacon of greed” for sure)…

Mr. Trump, listen to these Patriotic Millionaires who want their taxes raised, not cut. pic.twitter.com/heoPX7VWkV

— Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) January 4, 2018

…and I’m sorry it took a while to get around to this great tune from Little Steven (has kind of a “Southside Johnny” feel to it, which is cool).

Friday Stuff

John and Cenk of TYT provide analysis of the new book “Fire and Fury” by Michael Wolff, about the back-story stuff with Generalissimo Trump; the segment mainly has to do with the stuff about Steve Bannon (NSFW – great analysis by Cenk in particular…and in a related story, I was amused by this)…



…and there’s a little repetition between this segment with Stephen Colbert and the prior clip, though I think the explanation of how Number 45 really didn’t want to be preznit is a choice item in particular…



…and it looks like Trump’s “immunity gnome” had a bit of a show down with these DOJ interns – typical stupid dig at Berkeley and other snarkiness from this utter mistake of an AG; if Tricky Dick were alive, he would be snarling in approval...and concerning that typical Sessions lie about how the Trumpsters supposedly aren’t cozy with the private prison industry (and why the hell is that still a “thing” anyway?), I give you this……

Watch these DOJ interns school Jeff Sessions on his marijuana, guns and transgender policies — right to his face pic.twitter.com/fzGHpVVLv2

— NowThis (@nowthisnews) January 4, 2018

…and kudos to Iceland for getting serious about equal pay for equal work here…

Iceland just became the first country in the world to make it illegal to pay men more than women. In the United States in 2016, black women made 62.5 cents on the dollar compared to white men and hispanic women made 54.4 cents. That is a disgrace. pic.twitter.com/y2sxSWYVrm

— Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) January 3, 2018

…and as noted here, last Wednesday was the 80th anniversary of the founding of the March of Dimes (and don’t even goddamn think about it NOW OR EVER, wingnuts!...clip is from last June)…



…and last New Year’s Day was the 60th birthday of none other than Grandmaster Flash – belated best wishes; hope it was a bangin’ time, so to speak.

Thursday Stuff

So it looks like “Saint Orrin” Hatch is going to cash out retire after having played a pivotal role in passing the Repugs’ utterly ruinous tax bill gleefully signed into law by Generalissimo Trump (clearing the way for "Mittens," who I believe will be just as big of a total fraud); yes, tell me again what a Godly man Hatch supposedly is for doing his best to steal health care and increase the tax burden for millions in this country - makes me recall this revealing moment where he's held to account by Dem Senator Claire McCaskill…

This senator ripped Republicans for trying to rush their health care bill without a hearing pic.twitter.com/i7yKtNNOMt

— NowThis (@nowthisnews) June 9, 2017

…my personal Hatch favorite moment (one of them, anyway) was this one when he sponsored an amendment to what became known as “Obamacare” for a state with the letter “U” in the name (umm, want to me MORE obvious that you’re a total fraud? More here.)…



…and the prior clip showed some legislative shenanigans by Repug Sen. Chuck Grassley on health care reform years ago, and this shows that he’s up to the same nonsense, this time on the question of making the so-called “Steele Dossier” public…



…and I thought this was a great clip brought to us from Sen. Bernie Sanders about just how much the stock market is rigged in favor of the “one percent”…

Don't be fooled by Trump when he talks about boosts to the stock market from his tax plan. That money is going to the wealthy and large corporations. pic.twitter.com/ps6VBeaPlj

— Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) January 3, 2018

…and I definitely wanted to include this before January 21st…

The #resistance continues in 2018 — here are all the marches you can attend in the upcoming year pic.twitter.com/O5GM9oOUGa

— NowThis (@nowthisnews) January 1, 2018

…and given yesterday’s Carlos Maza clip about the comedians, I’m probably about a day late with this video, but here it is anyway.

Wednesday Stuff

I know we’re a few days into 2018, but I don’t think it’s too late to revisit a couple of clips featuring folks who were prominent last year, including those whose job it is to find humor somehow amidst all of this madness (NSFW)…

This year, late-night comedians often did a better job covering the Trump administration than serious news networks did. pic.twitter.com/YhTnxyBG2F

— Vox (@voxdotcom) December 30, 2017

…including Jimmy Kimmel, featured in both this clip and the one that precedes it (and when it comes to news trends in 2017 that I personally would like to see disappear, I think Hunter at Daily Kos nails it here)…

These are some of 2017's biggest heroes pic.twitter.com/hOCBHsHAv0

— NowThis (@nowthisnews) January 1, 2018

…and Michael Brooks of The Majority Report talks about a recent interview with former DEA agent David Schiller, who talks about what he alleges was drug maker McKesson's role in the opioid crisis...



…and I thought this was a nice segment of former VP Joe Biden discussing what this country, despite all of the garbage from the “party of Lincoln,” is SUPPOSED to be all about…

It took only one word for Joe Biden to summarize what truly makes America great pic.twitter.com/znPYYNCoxg

— NowThis (@nowthisnews) January 3, 2018

...and with the weather particularly cold in these parts, you may hear something like this from the usual suspects, as it were...



…and I thought I’d update my musical selections to start the year with something more current, and I settled on this neat tune.

Sunday Stuff

Joy Reid talks with Michael Beschloss about this horrible recent interview given by Generalissimo Trump with Michael Schmidt of the New York Times (more here, here, and here)…



…and I have to admit that I’m still pondering these recent words from Howard Dean about the Democratic Party fielding younger political candidates (here); yes, I think he has a point, but I wonder if some of this isn’t to keep people like Bernie quiet – yes, he’s in his 70s, but so is Dear Leader, remember? And I believe that when Bernie talks, his supporters don’t hear a septuagenarian…they hear someone speaking to the issues that matter to them (and I don't believe that Dean included Elizabeth Warren in the list of potential candidates; if so, I think that's an interesting omission)…

If Congress does not get its act together, we're going to have 800,000 bright young people with no legal status who will be subject to deportation and thrown out of the only country they have ever known. We must protect the DREAMers and move them towards citizenship. pic.twitter.com/owIUzkw3My

— Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) December 29, 2017

…and I think Kyle has some of the names of the Koch Brothers messed up (Bill?), but yeah, I think that video of the Koch son is beyond parody…can’t blame Kyle for being a bit flummoxed here (NSFW)…



…and what the hell – I might as well close the year with another installment of Hasan Piker vs. Ben Shapiro, because why not (NSFW again...and I still think it’s unintentionally funny to hear men talk about abortion – if we got pregnant instead of women, there would be so many “morning after” pills on the market you wouldn’t be able to turn around without seeing an ad for at least one of them, and in Maxim Magazine and on ESPN of course.)…

Instead of a year end review @HasanTheHun delivers another takedown exposing the dumb arguments @BenShapiro fans love. pic.twitter.com/Pc7vE5MkEm

— Cenk Uygur (@cenkuygur) December 29, 2017

…and when it comes to milestones, I know I’ve recognized some notable departures, but let’s now recognize the opposite, and that would be the recent 70th birthday of Jeff Lynne…



…and every year, it gets more and more challenging to do this – I wish I had a nickel when I thought to myself, “Hey, I’d like to do a blog post like I used to do on this subject instead of putting up a video instead,” but that’s pretty much impossible anymore; if circumstances ever change somehow and I CAN do that again, I certainly will. And sometimes, I barely have time to find the video for the topic I want, but fortunately, there is usually someone on our side of the political spectrum doing that and I can find something.

Now as always, all I’m trying to do here is promote informed dialogue somehow, however imperfectly I go about trying to do that.

And with that boring “meta” stuff out of the way, I’d like to thank anyone who has spent any time at this site whatsoever over the past year, and I wish you all good things in 2018, a year in which we will have our work cut out for us like never before, but also one where we could reap huge rewards too. It’s up to us (a theme echoed in the birthday video for Patti Smith to close out 2017).

Friday Stuff

If nothing else, 2017 turned out to be a good year for these women in politics (we need many more – hate to say this, but collectively as a gender, men have blown it in this arena)…

These women politicians from around the world made their mark in 2017 pic.twitter.com/NNFoh4FkF2

— NowThis (@nowthisnews) December 28, 2017

…and “purge” the Justice Department? Like, in those movies? And alleging a “deep state” conspiracy? And $84 million in allegedly illegal campaign contributions to Hillary Clinton (here)? Damn, just how big of a wackadoodle is this Francis Rooney character anyway?

Fortunately, as noted here, it looks like Rooney has at least 2 declared Democratic Party challengers for next year (more here)…

WATCH: GOP Rep. Francis Rooney calls for 'purge' of FBI, accuses some in the agency of being a part of the 'deep state' pic.twitter.com/kkJTBPFeui

— MSNBC (@MSNBC) December 26, 2017

…and Sam Seder talks to Rooney’s fellow wingnut U.S. House Rep Kevin Brady, who typically tries to tell us fairy tales about the utterly ruinous tax bill passed by his party and signed into law by the Gropenfuhrer (more here)…



…and Cenk and Ana of TYT discuss former President Obama’s warning about getting too wrapped up in social media (yes, I've read a lot of the wingnutosphere sites and tried to unpackage their BS, but I'm sorry - I don't see an equivalency, though we lefties are hardly perfect; besides, the answer is independent, objective journalism, and Obama was my guy, but he wasn't innocent when it came to going after whistle blowers)...



…and I’ve recently recalled Chuck Berry and Butch Trucks/Gregg Allman in videos to recognize their passing this year, but as far as I’m concerned, the loss of Tom Petty was the most shocking of all…



…and since 2017 is almost done, I should wrap up my informal retrospective of sorts for the year 1967 (not sure if I want to do this next year or not), and I should probably end this with the granddaddy of a tune from the most popular recording of the year (and for years beyond that).

Thursday Stuff

Boy, am I going to be laughing my ass off at our Tiny Handed Treasonous Orange Delusional Dictator while he's carted off to the gray bar hotel without a pot to piss in…

Trump is straight up mocking the American citizens who disagree with him pic.twitter.com/Lj1KIxIIwS

— NowThis (@nowthisnews) December 11, 2017

...and we should give thanks that people such as the Rev. Dr. William Barber are in our midst...

‘When you’re willing to push a reform that will hurt poor people, and hurt public schools, and hurt children, and health care, you are resisting, not listening to the voice of God.’ — Rev. Dr. William J Barber is calling out Republican congresspeople for their tax plan hypocrisy pic.twitter.com/PZtds6ae7E

— NowThis (@nowthisnews) December 26, 2017

…and kudos to everyone standing up in response to that terrible tax bill (now a law of course), including Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Ady Barkan…

GOP donors are popping champagne over the #GOPTaxScam tonight. It’s shameful – and people are right to be angry. To everyone who made their voices heard: Thank you. Stay in this fight – we need you. pic.twitter.com/IGI03EuZT6

— Elizabeth Warren (@SenWarren) December 20, 2017

...and returning to the Russia stuff, Joy Reid, sitting in for Rachel Maddow, tells us the history of our former ol’ buddy Vlad Putin’s antics in trying to re-assert his country's dominance, discussing with reporter Del Quentin Wilber of the Murdoch Street Journal (you can detect Reid trying to lure Wilber into talking about collaboration between the Russians and pro-Trump media and politicians, but Wilber didn’t go for it – not a criticism of anyone, just an observation…this presents more testimony to the fact that Louie Gohmert remains the stupidest life form in the entire universe; Robert Mueller has more integrity in his cuticle than Gohmert has in his entire body)…



...and I think it's hilarious sometimes when the truth actually sneaks out...

A newspaper accidentally printed this Walmart ad that says the retail giant screws people over pic.twitter.com/WHE4qbm5Qz

— NowThis (@nowthisnews) December 27, 2017

…and I’m trying to include some videos here from some particularly prominent musicians who left us during the prior year, and with that in mind, it should be noted that both Butch Trucks and Gregg Allman departed in 2017, so I think that calls for hearing this tune once more.

Wednesday Stuff

Looks like former Sixer Charles Barkley once again spoke truth on the GOP tax scam (and of course, leave it to the ESPN announcer to more or less laugh it off); following that, Joy Reid talks to former Reaganite Bruce Bartlett, who has definitely seen the light – he makes a good point that the Repugs are slobbering all over Generalissimo Trump because they don’t want an “ultra-right” primary opponent…paging Dean Malik vs. Bri-Fi on that one)…



…and speaking of guns, kudos to NY Gov Andrew Cuomo for this, as Kyle K. points out (I have issues with Cuomo on other matters, but I think he’s spot-on here when it comes to keeping guns out of the hands of domestic abusers…NSFW)…



…and leave it to Dave Chappelle to cut right to the heart of the matter when it comes to supporters of the Gropenfuhrer (very NSFW)…



…and with the prior clip in mind, I give you the latest installment of “This Day In Doomsy History” (more or less) from 12/26/13, in which unemployed workers got the shaft from congressional Republicans this time of the year; of course, now, it’s them and damn near everybody else (here and here)…



…and gosh, it looks like Preznit Tiny Handed Orange Treasonous Egomaniac may have a melt down over the invitation his predecessor will likely receive to next spring’s royal wedding in the UK – pass the popcorn…

The UK is worried Trump will throw a temper tantrum if Obama is invited to the Royal Wedding and he isn't pic.twitter.com/wJmtvwb3cy

— NowThis (@nowthisnews) December 27, 2017

…and I’m not 100 percent sure of how I’m going to finish up the year when it comes to video selections, but I should remind us that, among other notables, we lost Chuck Berry this year – I didn’t get to this video when I featured others by Berry in a tribute, so please allow me to do so now.

Tuesday Stuff

I automatically like this better than the Madonna cover – actually, I like almost anything better than the Madonna cover…

“Mueller Baby” is the impeachment carol we’ve been waiting for pic.twitter.com/KwQAFHhFjn

— NowThis (@nowthisnews) December 25, 2017

…and boy, I’d love to disagree with this, but sorry, I can’t…

America’s real religion is still greed. #Resist #Materialism #MerryChristmas pic.twitter.com/oUjyRGy9y8

— Bill Maher (@billmaher) December 24, 2017

…and here is some welcome news as the year winds down…

The world’s largest artificial sun is being used to find clean energy solutions pic.twitter.com/YvT2QXWRy3

— NowThis (@nowthisnews) December 24, 2017

…and yeah, Heaven forbid that anyone note that Special Counsel Robert Mueller is a Republican, huh (NSFW)…



…oh, and it looks like Preznit Tiny-Handed Orange Egomaniac is apologizing for the way he has acted…well, then again, maybe not…



…and I can’t conclude the seasonal selections without this number also.

Merry Christmas 2017

Merry Christmas to one and all; here are some closing seasonal tunes beginning with a number from 1967.

Sunday Stuff

Seth Meyers tells us of the utterly disgusting, servile compliance by the “party of Lincoln” to Generalissimo Trump, who continues to behave exactly as he did during the campaign (no, actually, I take that back – if anything, he’s worse)…



…and I think it’s absolutely hilarious that Tennessee Republicans are actually using sunshine laws as a supposed rationale to fight the removal of Confederate statues (but a typically stupid tactic all the same, I realize)…

Two Confederate statues were removed from public parks in Memphis—now Republicans are calling for an investigation into the decision pic.twitter.com/6yXuXtArKr

— NowThis (@nowthisnews) December 22, 2017

…and we’re winding down with the holiday selections – here are 4 more.