User-Supported News Commentary Hosted by Craig Crawford
Sunday Summer
Nothing like the Bossa Nova for a warm August Sunday morning. I found this play list and am halfway through it. Very enjoyable
Enjoy, Jack
96 thoughts on “Sunday Summer”
I’d like a clip of one-trick pony, Orange Adolf, bloviating “bah” to this song.
One of my favorite songs since about 1990.
Here is the amazing Caetano Veloso this summer.
jack – Great choice! I know what I’ll be listening to today. There’s a compilation of music from Brazil called Belize Tropicale; I have a CD from about 1990, but it’s available on all digital platforms.
FBI raids US home of Russian-born analyst who advised Trump in 2016
Dimitri Simes, whose name appeared prominently in Mueller report, ‘puzzled and concerned’ by raid in Virginia
“After meeting Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner at a luncheon in honor of Henry Kissinger in March 2016, Simes began providing the Trump campaign with informal counsel on foreign policy, including advising on a speech Trump gave envisioning greater cooperation with Russia.
Simes and the Center for the National Interest featured prominently in the Mueller report, which cleared them of any wrongdoing. Around the same time, Simes underwent a Senate finance committee investigation into his contacts with Russian Central Bank official Alexander Torshin and Maria Butina, who was sentenced to 18 months in prison for trying to infiltrate US conservative groups before the 2016 election.
Last year, Simes moderated a conversation with Russian president Vladimir Putin at the St Petersburg international economic forum. And in June, Simes participated in a closed-door meeting with Putin, the state-owned Russian news agency Tass reported.”
Cool vibe for enjoying another fine poll. Thanks Jack.
Her first lead outside the margin of error. Same lead that got Biden 305 electoral college votes.
Far-right influencers turn against Trump campaign
Hard-right provocateurs take aim at how the former president’s aides are positioning him for the November vote — though not at the Republican candidate himself.
Angry MAGAts target campaign staff about the meltdown – they’ll never accept their emperor is naked
Ms Swinette Dowd has a ridiculous and obtuse Headline.
“Dems are delighted but a coup is still a coup.”
A Twitter-Person answers:
schanzerdavid
Apparently @maureendowd
doesn’t know what a coup is. “Coup” = sudden, violent, and unlawful seizure of power. The replacement of Biden was not violent, unlawful or a seizure of power.
Here’s what was on Pumpkin’s mind after 2am, more gibberish, unclear what he’s referring to..
Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump Aug 18, 2024, 2:14 AM
Here we go! The stupid people are at it again! The same people that gave you Afghanistan, the most embarrassing moment in U.S. HISTORY! Comrade Kamala’s Father was a Marxist Economics Professor. Is this really what we want for our Country? It would be the END OF AMERICA!
thanks Jack… not very warm here… but I like it that way.
today’s meme…
because so many here are fans…
Jack, Just beautiful Thank you.
Add in some more bossa nova for the days
Rene
Love the fourth doctor since he was my first Who.
I guess bossa nova translates as “new bossa”.
Well, google says New Wave.
Attribution: DOG GIVES POLITICAL OPINION by Randall Enos, Easton, CT
4th Doctor = only Doctor
(tubi has all classic Doctor Who seasons free with ads fyi)
On October 23, 2023, Governor Tim Walz of Minnesota received an urgent text from his wife, Gwen. It wasn’t about her. Or their daughter, Hope. Or their son, Gus.
It was about their dog.
“Scout locked himself in our bedroom somehow,” she wrote. “There is no key.”
The governor reacted with a question mark. Then, he screenshotted their conversation and posted it to X. “This damn dog,” he tweeted.
In 2017, Tim Walz made Gus a promise. If he won the election for Minnesota governor the following year, the family could get a dog. A high-wire and stressful campaign season unfolded over the next several months. But despite the craziness, his son didn’t forget. (He wasn’t the type: Several years before, he delivered a detailed PowerPoint presentation on why they should get a cat. “To be honest, the fight for the cat was one of Gus’s premier projects,” Walz told reporters at the time. “Sold my wife.”)
Walz won the election in November 2018 with 53.8% of the vote. His children congratulated their father…and then came to collect their prize.
Nine months after his January inauguration, Walz scheduled a press conference. The reason? “After months of searching, planning, and dodging questions, the Governor is prepared to make good on a promise he made to his most demanding constituents: his kids,” read the statement. On Thursday, September 5, at 4 p.m., he introduced Minnesotans to their First Puppy: a three-month-old Labrador retriever mix named Scout.
Before Scout was the First Dog of Minnesota, he was Gene, an abandoned rescue. At 11 weeks old, someone left him and his nine littermates on the side of a rural road in Oklahoma. Many had crawled down and gotten stuck in a ravine right before a rainstorm. A woman named Kathy discovered them. With the help of her son, she coaxed them all out before the area flooded. They knew if they didn’t get them all out now, they never would.
The litter was taken in by the Minnesota-based nonprofit Midwest Animal Rescue and Services. One by one, they gave each one a temporary name. One male in particular—described by MARS to Vogue as “very calm, slightly nervous, and well behaved”—was called Gene.
They posted an adoption listing for Gene online. Within several days, MARS had an application from the Walz family. They rechristened him as Scout. “I’m proud that Minnesota’s First Dog is a rescue dog, and I hope Scout—who has been a very good boy—serves as a reminder for Minnesotans that there are a lot of pups waiting to be adopted,” the governor said at the time.
Scout settled in well to the Governor’s Mansion in St. Paul. He played frisbee in the backyard with the governor. He drove with his family to Dairy Queen for Pup Cups. He frequently snuck cat food from the bowls of his feline sibling Afton, and later Honey. Oh, and he ate his dad’s glasses before a COVID-19 press briefing. (The Walz family tells Vogue that if Scout had a motto, it would be: “If I can reach it, I can eat it.”)
In 2023, the Minnesota Governor’s Residence needed repairs. So the Walzes leased Eastcliff, the official residence of the president of the University of Minnesota. That’s where Scout really got into trouble. He had no problem opening doors at his old house. But when trying to get out of the bedroom at his new one, he accidentally turned a lock and trapped himself inside. (Or at least that’s the theory: “We still don’t know how he did it,” the family says.) As the Walzes panicked about how to get him out, Scout snoozed away soundly on the bed, only waking after workers climbed a ladder and broke through an open window.
A year later, the Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris chose Tim Walz as her running mate. As soon as the announcement broke, Matt Nelson, the man behind the wildly popular Instagram account WeRateDogs, said he was flooded with notifications about Scout. “I believe we were tagged in [or] sent this tweet no less than 200 times in the minutes after it was posted,” he says. So he reposted it on his account—and it quickly went viral among his four million-plus followers.
Nelson wasn’t surprised. Walz, a former school teacher and high school football coach, felt relatable and familiar to many Americans. His tweets about Scout only furthered that perception: “It is simply a guy having a very human, normal reaction to something their dog did. For most of my audience, they can see their dog doing what Scout did and they can see themselves saying ‘this damn dog’ in response,” he says. But Nelson also believes it showcases something else: his character. “He’s a rescue,” he notes. “I’ve been in this dog internet space for nearly a decade, and I can say that there are few better subtle indicators of character than choosing to adopt an animal in need of a home.”
But even if Scout is technically a rescue, the Walzes do want to make something clear: “He rescued us as much as we rescued him,” they say.
Below, the Walz family and Scout answer Vogue’s Dogue questionnaire.
Walz Family
Vogue: What is your dog’s best quality?
He’s a gentle giant, but he’s just a big softie.
[continues]
Today’s Harris-Walz western PA bus tour waiting for Kamala and Coach at Pittsburgh airport.
“On This Day: 19th Amendment ratified giving women the vote. In 1920, the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, guaranteeing women the right to vote, was ratified by Tennessee, giving it the two-thirds majority of state ratification necessary to make it the law of the land. The law took effect eight days later.”
North Carolina GOP Candidate Wants to ‘Go Back to the America Where Women Couldn’t Vote’
* Songs from Broadway’s “Suffs”
*
loser hangout! 🎉
At that event, Bill White, a Trump donor and longtime friend of the former president, had gone around the room asking high-profile Georgia GOP donors and officials if anyone could “go make the peace with Brian Kemp,” according to a person in the room. Among those in attendance were former Sen. Kelly Loeffler and her husband, Jeffrey Sprecher; Lt. Gov. Burt Jones and his father, Bill, former Sen. David Perdue; former Trump aide Nick Ayers; and others.
MAJOR BREAKING NEWS via THE ASSOCIATED PRESS: US-Sanctioned Chechen Warlord Says “He Received a Cybertruck From Elon Musk” That He Will Now Deploy in Ukraine Against US-Backed Troops—and Incredibly, Tesla *Still* Hasn’t Returned a Call From the AP About
Chechen warlord invites Musk to Russia after he’s filmed driving machine-gun mounted Cybertruck
“Ok, which one of us is going to talk him [bandleader] into letting Brian [sax man] back in the band. Brian’ll just have to eat a buncha bowls of shit, thass all …..but what the hell? A job’s a job”.
Ain’t it the truth?
Trump just posted this on X. His crazy rants are now showing up there, reaching 90 million users.
That’s weird.
There used to be a kid like that in high school.
This is more bizarre than weird. And creepy. Definitely creepy.
Trump just posted this on X.
lol red is the color he picked
we blue, baby 😎
…looks like they bought Barron a midjourney subscription, don’t look to closely at that AI
Watching Sunday shows. Kudos to the Harris campaign for baiting Trump and Republicans into defending corporate price gouging!
US-Sanctioned Chechen Warlord Says “He Received a Cybertruck From Elon Musk”
immigrant crime
He might wind up like Tiberius. More than Marius, I mean. You know, steal all the money your boats can hold and just go hang out on Capris with the Minnows. Get y’self a Luca Brazi and kkkick back.
That’s whatcha get sometimes when your guys bump off the messiah like that and all.
Where does he think Putin comes from?
They are all so stupid not to see the irony.
I thought red was his color.
I can’t do memes but there’s one going around with the red Maga hat saying It’s Over.
i’m kinda afraid of these evil billionaires, guys, not gonna lie
Musk has a higher net worth than the GDP of most countries
Miriam Adelson donated $215 million to trump and GOP legal defense funds, you know, to cover all their law-breaking
New details on the DNC’s themes and speakers:
Monday: “For the People” — President Biden, Dr. Jill Biden, Secretary Clinton, Chicago Mayor Johnson.
Tuesday: “A Bold Vision for America’s Future” — President Obama, Second Gentleman Emhoff, Illinois Gov. Pritzker.
Wednesday: “A Fight for Our Freedoms” — Gov. Walz, President Clinton, Speaker Emerita Pelosi.
Thursday: “For Our Future” — Vice President Harris accepts the nomination.
The billionaires ain’t fuckin around.
One of the billionaires’ main problems is that they have to keep dickin around with a bunch of idiot republicans. lol
Ozy’s Interlude.
I met a traveller from an antique land,
Who said—“Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert. . . . Near them, on the sand,
Half sunk a shattered visage lies, whose frown,
And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,
The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed;
And on the pedestal, these words appear:
My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings;
Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal Wreck, boundless and bare
The lone and level sands stretch far away
Miriam Adelson donated $215 million to trump and GOP legal defense funds, you know, to cover all their law-breaking
I don’t know what happened to the good doctor. I guess money is what happened to her.
…at least i know how much a Presidential Medal of Freedom costs, if i ever want one
Mmmm, couldn’t Harris sue him for defamation or something?
Honestly, I wondered why he was posting a pic of Tulsi Gabbard until I saw “Chicago” in the background. Lipschitz!
“Mark Cuban Accuses Musk Of Algorithm Bias On X; Tesla CEO’s Response? ‘He Is A Giant Poop’
“Shark Tank billionaire Mark Cuban and X owner Elon Musk have exchanged sharp words following Cuban’s accusations that Musk manipulated the micro blogging site’s algorithm to favor his personal preferences, aiming to influence political discourse ahead of the elections.”
“Cuban claimed that since acquiring X in 2022, Musk has altered the platform’s algorithms to favor right-leaning profiles. “When you go on X, you see a preponderance of right-leaning people,” Cuban remarked, suggesting that Musk’s personal biases might be shaping the content users see.”
“[Jon] Stewart echoed Cuban’s sentiment, sharing his own experiences of encountering such profiles on the platform. “I’ve never clicked on any of these f****** things,” Stewart said, expressing frustration with the content surfacing in his feed. Cuban responded by explaining the nature of algorithms, indicating that those in control of the algorithm set the parameters to reflect their desired outcomes.”
Taylor Swift & Mark Cuban v All Other Wanker Billionaires
Kamala and Coach are arriving Pittsburgh now for bus tour…
‘A New Way Forward’ is their main theme for sure. Only signage at this bus rally. But crowd still chanting “We’re not going back”. Think they like that better
Yep
Scouting 3 rural counties for a used car for my granddaughter yesterday, I saw 3 for her to check out, but I began counting Trump-Vance yard signs. Williams, Henry, and Fulton counties, Ohio. On my 70 miles excursion, I saw 29 Trump-Vance signs, and one solitary Harris-Walz yard sign. What in holy hell do rural people think Trump has in mind to help them?
“We’re not going back” gives everyone a common enemy, but it also puts a bit of an orange filter on things. There’s a lot of energy.
“A New Way Forward” cuts off his oxygen.
Let folks go to what gives them energy. Let the slogan do what can for whomever it can.
Looking forward to tomorrow!
Dex – One neighbor has a bunch of MAGAt flags, but most just have one and/or a yard sign.
Nothing on this property but trees, but there was once a bumper sticker attached to the fridge with a magnetic chip clip. Then it was in a kitchen drawer. Not sure where it was out after that, but probably not in the garbage where it belongs.
I’m wondering if those with only an American flag are making an anti-tRUMPsky statement but quietly so as to not rile up the others.
facebook marketplace is the best place to find a used car, got mine that way
gotta helluva deal too
kinda jealous of your acreage, BiD. Mars and Jupiter have been dancing together lately and the moonset this morning was awesome
lol there’s the overly-long tie again 😆
First stop Harris-Walz bus tour is in Rochester PA — live in 10 minutes..
“On my 70 miles excursion, I saw 29 Trump-Vance signs, and one solitary Harris-Walz yard sign. What in holy hell do rural people think …..”
Dex, they think if they display anything NOT magaT their property, if not their life, would be in danger. too many youthful idiots wondering around the countryside armed to the teeth lusting for something to shoot at.
Walz speaking now at link above, Kamala next
worth watching from today’s Inside with Jen Psaki:
West Wing stars Martin Sheen, AKA President Bartlet, and Mary McCormack, AKA Deputy National Security Adviser Kate Harper discuss the momentum behind the Harris campaign and new book “What’s Next: A Backstage Pass to The West Wing, Its Cast and Crew, and Its Enduring Legacy of Service.”
She is changing up her stump speech a bit today. Some new language about those who think “strength is about beating people down. I say strength and leadership is about building people up”.
‘A New Way Forward’ is their main theme for sure. Only signage at this bus rally. But crowd still chanting “We’re not going back”. Think they like that better
Craig
They should go with the crowd, and quit listening to echo chamber of advisors who “know what is best” That is what cost Hillary the 2016 election, too many high paid gunslinger advisors.
BTW, I also like Walz’s slogan, “It is none of your damn business” or something like that.
Jack
This is solid professional messaging. By having a repetitious stump speech you can drive coverage by adding a few new lines that become the lead. That “beating down and building up” language is what the TV reporters I saw focused on.
I like the way these posts pop up on social media which ask questions like:
“Worst president ever?”
They always ask as if it were at all possible it could be anyone but him. lol
Jamie
I’ve been enjoying your Bossa Nova album. It goes good with Sunday afternoon chores. I’ve been repotting some seedling fox glove for fall planting. The secret to foxgloves is to plant some every year. They are biennials so you only get one bloom. These seedlings probably won’t bloom next year, but the following year I should have a couple of beautiful foxglove beds.
Gardening is life, plan for the future, take what God/fate and nature give you and make the best of it.
Jack
I like “The rent’s TOO DAMN HIGH!”
Dubya was worse
ain’t tryna find out how a 2nd infinite term would effect the rankings though
Craig
‘A New Way Forward’ awkward, too intellectual, which means you have to explain it, which means it doesn’t work. It doesn’t hit you in the guts. It is not obvious. As GW Plunkitt would say obviously done by a college boy not a politician.
“beating down and building up” is much better, it is gutsier, it reaches the wavering voter on an instinctual level and reminds them that Trump “ain’t one of us” and he never will be.
Jack
Last week I went to my boat which is on the far cliff of the middle of nowhere. Since 2015 much of the journey in Virginia was marked with a wall of sfb signage. They leave the stuff up after election until it is rotted away. This year much less, perhaps a tenth of what was prior. I expect over the next weeks to see more as the hate grows. One notable thing is there are no regular yard signs. The ones that are up are the three by five type.
Walz continues to be so damn good at this. He speaks Swing Voter better than anyone on either ticket:
“Some of us who have less hair are old enough to remember when you could go to Thanksgiving or watch a Steelers game with your relatives and not complain about politics the whole time. We shared a commitment to democracy. We don’t call each other names. This campaign is a chance to bring out that joy, turn the page, and look to the future”
Along with our slogan discussion I’ll add one of the best I’ve heard in a long time, the one that made Gretchen Whitmer governor: “Fix the damn roads”.
She described the inspiration came from the answer so many voters gave her when asked what they needed most. She must have fixed the damn roads because she got re-elected and her approval ratings are among the highest in the country.
BB
Just commenting as you probably know this
3×5 signs are usually placed there by well financed campaigns. Along the road side they are much cheaper than billboards and more effective too, imo. Few individuals will do it on their own. But many supporters will allow signs to be placed on their property. It only takes one in a prominent place to say this neighborhood is solid Trump, even if the rest of the neighborhood votes a straight Democratic ticket
Jack
“Fix the damn roads”.
Now that one Plunkitt would approve. lol, Fix the potholes and haul off the garbage and the voters will allow you to steal all the money you can carry.
Jack
Yeah, Dubya and Orange Lurch; throw in Reagan and I guess you gotta real horse race. What a cherce.
Mmm, that big, infrastructure package was, in part, meant to “fix the damned roads.”
Ya probably don’t want to use that if you also want to talk about Biden’s accomplishments.
Another new line in her stump speech: “Anybody who is all about beating down other people is a coward”
She snuck “pervert” in there too. Well done.
Said Harris: “This campaign is about a recognition that, frankly, over the last several years, there’s been this kind of perversion that has taken place, I think … which is to suggest that the measure of the strength of a leader is based on who you beat down. When what we know is the real and true measure of the strength of a leader is based on who you lift up.”
Looks like folks in Pennsylvania (aka North Carolina LoL) got tired of hearing Orange Adolf wax lunatic and left the rally early. Those who stayed until the bitter end were either paid or are too lost to help.
I see road improvements all over the Mid-Atlantic at a pace I had not seen in the last fifteen years. The changes are not advertised. Much of this is like President Biden, understated and not wanting to make a lot of noise. Locally the changes to the railroad infrastructure is so important for moving people and goods, but you never hear about those.
Trump just posted this
Like JD would be anything other than a couch potato for his four years.
— Sen. JD VANCE (R-Ohio) on Harris, on “Fox News Sunday”: “The American people just don’t buy the idea that Kamala Harris, who has been vice president for three and a half years, is somehow going to tackle the inflation crisis in a way tomorrow that she hasn’t for the past 1,300 days. Giving Kamala Harris control over inflation policy … it’s like giving JEFFREY EPSTEIN control over human trafficking policy.”
What’s that you were saying about true Republicans, Craig?
they’re all trash
Lindsey thinks they all need to just “get out and campaign for the guy”
(Note to the conservative reader: Craig thinks you’re redeemable. i know better.)
Orange Adolf IS “one of the monsters.”
He sexually assaulted E Jean Carrol.
She was somebody’s daughter.
JD might not want to bring Jeffrey Epstein into the conversation. After all, his running mate went on the Lolita Express with Jeff.
Here is a kick for those of us old enough to remember the Seventies, Future Shock, Alvin Toffler. I am watching Avanti with everyday man Jack Lemon and it was in the scene where Lemon is observing what his relative was doing and reading before his death.
“But if you talk to a lot of us, we’re already doing things. There’s a huge regenerative movement here in the Americas by choice, not my mandate. I think that is the main thing that matters in politics — that we get to choose. We’re not being mandated to choose.”
Ha! By choice, not mandate. Big words from someone who plans to support Orange Adolf. Iowa. Idiots. Out. Walking. Around.
MAGAt-Russo-Republicans lack self-awareness, reasoning ability, and basic human decency.
Bink (or whomever) was right. We need to run like we’re far, far behind. Run past the finish line.
Sturge posted a quote from Mark Hamill saying we should run “like we’re 30 pts behind”, and i actually disagree with that
i feel it’s irresponsible to ignore reality, and if Dems are indeed up, they need to start going after vulnerable GOP-held congressional seats, there are people in those districts and states that don’t deserve to be represented by anti-social political arsonists
i’m done with Kumbayah bullshit until all prominent Republicans disavow their evil, racist candidate
Endorse Kamala, and i’ll get my fucking guitar and lead the chorus
taking a break, save my country ✌️
I’ve thought it over and have concluded I do not care what happens to him, only what happens to the American people as the result of his perfidy.
Secret Service finds protecting Trump is extraordinarily challenging
Trump’s team has complained in the wake of an assassination attempt that earlier requests for additional resources had been denied, while agency officials say he receives a heavier level of security than any other former president.
I also read that he had his own private (mob?) security, even after he had security detail a decade ago. He just wants to whine.
The assassination attempt that wasn’t.
No scar. No PTSD. Nobody talking.
No investigation in the news.
Nothing.
Now that is weird.
Bink – Not saying not to campaign down ballot, just that we should look at running beyond the finish line like competitive runners do. No pulling up too soon. No taking a lead in polls for granted.
i gotchu, a small quibble, we all pretty much on the same page
The gop nominee is making me angry, which is exactly what he wants- everyone angry. i gotta be smart enough not to be his pawn and a conduit for anger, but it’s not about me, it’s about all of us, and about all the people of color in my community that work very hard, all day, every day, some of them walking to work on the sidewalk to pay the rent on some shitty 2-bedroom apartment while privileged people in luxury cars 5 feet away flip each other off for not going fast enough. It’s enough. We have to move on.
So, pick up my slack if you’d like, Craig wants all of your help, your local DNC office will give you something to do like licking stamps or making calls if you want to do more, stay positive but not oblivious, focused but with good humor. There’s a tsunami of dirty money coming to wash us all away, but if we link arms and take a deep breath, we can all stay afloat.
We can do this. You can help.
🫡
How do we get the MSM to focus on the dangerous policies of Republicans? How do we get them to show Adolf’s lies and gaffs, and not just a quick snippet of teleprompter-driven semi-lucidity? It’s like the media is on the side of the fascists.
They think by appearing “equal,” they’re being “fair.” As any parent can tell you, fair and equal are not necessarily the same.
Local friend of mine, The Rev Dr Johnny Mac
Sturg – Did you ever hear of a band called Free Beer & Chicken?
Didn’t hear of them but awhile back there was a band around here called “The Collard Peoples” who used to serve collards and red rice with sausage at midnight.
Pretty good idea but I think I’d rather just have a nice omelette station.
I’d like a clip of one-trick pony, Orange Adolf, bloviating “bah” to this song.
One of my favorite songs since about 1990.
Here is the amazing Caetano Veloso this summer.
jack – Great choice! I know what I’ll be listening to today. There’s a compilation of music from Brazil called Belize Tropicale; I have a CD from about 1990, but it’s available on all digital platforms.
Sergio Mendes and Brazil ’66 – just to add to the tones of today
Last night Mr Bink added the the story of the raid on the Russian and his rappahanock ranch.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/aug/16/fbi-raid-dmitri-simes-trump
“After meeting Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner at a luncheon in honor of Henry Kissinger in March 2016, Simes began providing the Trump campaign with informal counsel on foreign policy, including advising on a speech Trump gave envisioning greater cooperation with Russia.
Simes and the Center for the National Interest featured prominently in the Mueller report, which cleared them of any wrongdoing. Around the same time, Simes underwent a Senate finance committee investigation into his contacts with Russian Central Bank official Alexander Torshin and Maria Butina, who was sentenced to 18 months in prison for trying to infiltrate US conservative groups before the 2016 election.
Last year, Simes moderated a conversation with Russian president Vladimir Putin at the St Petersburg international economic forum. And in June, Simes participated in a closed-door meeting with Putin, the state-owned Russian news agency Tass reported.”
Cool vibe for enjoying another fine poll. Thanks Jack.
Her first lead outside the margin of error. Same lead that got Biden 305 electoral college votes.
Far-right influencers turn against Trump campaign
Hard-right provocateurs take aim at how the former president’s aides are positioning him for the November vote — though not at the Republican candidate himself.
free link…
https://wapo.st/4cynVPn
Angry MAGAts target campaign staff about the meltdown – they’ll never accept their emperor is naked
Ms Swinette Dowd has a ridiculous and obtuse Headline.
“Dems are delighted but a coup is still a coup.”
A Twitter-Person answers:
schanzerdavid
Apparently
@maureendowd
doesn’t know what a coup is. “Coup” = sudden, violent, and unlawful seizure of power. The replacement of Biden was not violent, unlawful or a seizure of power.
Here’s what was on Pumpkin’s mind after 2am, more gibberish, unclear what he’s referring to..
Donald J. Trump
@realDonaldTrump
Aug 18, 2024, 2:14 AM
thanks Jack… not very warm here… but I like it that way.
today’s meme…
because so many here are fans…
Jack, Just beautiful Thank you.
Add in some more bossa nova for the days
Rene
Love the fourth doctor since he was my first Who.
I guess bossa nova translates as “new bossa”.
Well, google says New Wave.
Attribution: DOG GIVES POLITICAL OPINION by Randall Enos, Easton, CT
4th Doctor = only Doctor
(tubi has all classic Doctor Who seasons free with ads fyi)
speaking of dogs
Scout Walz Is Man’s (And Maybe America’s) Best Friend | Vogue
Today’s Harris-Walz western PA bus tour waiting for Kamala and Coach at Pittsburgh airport.
They’ll be joined by spouses, Doug Emhoff and Gwen Walz, travel across the Ohio Valley region before flying to Chicago for the DNC!.. https://apnews.com/article/harris-walz-bus-tour-campaign-pennsylvania-2fa74e23e4cd21218f61f6c6595a577c
The Democratic National Convention is here. Here’s how to watch it…
https://apnews.com/article/democratic-national-convention-how-to-watch-709e7ef3f35dee364d2e8bd0e13a6690
https://www.upi.com/Top_News/2024/08/18/On-This-Day-19th-Amendment-ratified-giving-women-the-vote/8321723915167/
“On This Day: 19th Amendment ratified giving women the vote. In 1920, the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, guaranteeing women the right to vote, was ratified by Tennessee, giving it the two-thirds majority of state ratification necessary to make it the law of the land. The law took effect eight days later.”
https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2024/08/jd-vance-women-weird-voting-peter-thiel.html
JD’s billionaire benefactor thinks his world is worse because women vote.
https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/north-carolina-gop-candidate-mark-robinson-wants-america-where-women-could-not-vote-1234982773/
North Carolina GOP Candidate Wants to ‘Go Back to the America Where Women Couldn’t Vote’
* Songs from Broadway’s “Suffs”
*
loser hangout! 🎉
https://www.politico.com/news/2024/08/18/trump-kemp-feud-georgia-00174471
“Hey, you losers wanna hangout and scheme?”
“Sure! We’re not doing anything else!”
SethAbramson
MAJOR BREAKING NEWS via THE ASSOCIATED PRESS: US-Sanctioned Chechen Warlord Says “He Received a Cybertruck From Elon Musk” That He Will Now Deploy in Ukraine Against US-Backed Troops—and Incredibly, Tesla *Still* Hasn’t Returned a Call From the AP About
Muks and rush ya
https://apnews.com/article/russia-chechnya-kadyrov-cybertruck-musk-33b123d4bd7fe0036e80952026a54a74
Chechen warlord invites Musk to Russia after he’s filmed driving machine-gun mounted Cybertruck
“Ok, which one of us is going to talk him [bandleader] into letting Brian [sax man] back in the band. Brian’ll just have to eat a buncha bowls of shit, thass all …..but what the hell? A job’s a job”.
Ain’t it the truth?
Trump just posted this on X. His crazy rants are now showing up there, reaching 90 million users.
That’s weird.
There used to be a kid like that in high school.
This is more bizarre than weird. And creepy. Definitely creepy.
lol red is the color he picked
we blue, baby 😎
…looks like they bought Barron a midjourney subscription, don’t look to closely at that AI
Watching Sunday shows. Kudos to the Harris campaign for baiting Trump and Republicans into defending corporate price gouging!
immigrant crime
He might wind up like Tiberius. More than Marius, I mean. You know, steal all the money your boats can hold and just go hang out on Capris with the Minnows. Get y’self a Luca Brazi and kkkick back.
That’s whatcha get sometimes when your guys bump off the messiah like that and all.
Where does he think Putin comes from?
They are all so stupid not to see the irony.
I thought red was his color.
I can’t do memes but there’s one going around with the red Maga hat saying It’s Over.
i’m kinda afraid of these evil billionaires, guys, not gonna lie
Musk has a higher net worth than the GDP of most countries
Miriam Adelson donated $215 million to trump and GOP legal defense funds, you know, to cover all their law-breaking
New details on the DNC’s themes and speakers:
Monday: “For the People” — President Biden, Dr. Jill Biden, Secretary Clinton, Chicago Mayor Johnson.
Tuesday: “A Bold Vision for America’s Future” — President Obama, Second Gentleman Emhoff, Illinois Gov. Pritzker.
Wednesday: “A Fight for Our Freedoms” — Gov. Walz, President Clinton, Speaker Emerita Pelosi.
Thursday: “For Our Future” — Vice President Harris accepts the nomination.
The billionaires ain’t fuckin around.
One of the billionaires’ main problems is that they have to keep dickin around with a bunch of idiot republicans. lol
Ozy’s Interlude.
I met a traveller from an antique land,
Who said—“Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert. . . . Near them, on the sand,
Half sunk a shattered visage lies, whose frown,
And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,
The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed;
And on the pedestal, these words appear:
My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings;
Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal Wreck, boundless and bare
The lone and level sands stretch far away
I don’t know what happened to the good doctor. I guess money is what happened to her.
…at least i know how much a Presidential Medal of Freedom costs, if i ever want one
Mmmm, couldn’t Harris sue him for defamation or something?
Honestly, I wondered why he was posting a pic of Tulsi Gabbard until I saw “Chicago” in the background. Lipschitz!
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/mark-cuban-accuses-musk-of-algorithm-bias-on-x-tesla-ceos-response-he-is-a-giant-poop/articleshow/112560155.cms
“Mark Cuban Accuses Musk Of Algorithm Bias On X; Tesla CEO’s Response? ‘He Is A Giant Poop’
“Shark Tank billionaire Mark Cuban and X owner Elon Musk have exchanged sharp words following Cuban’s accusations that Musk manipulated the micro blogging site’s algorithm to favor his personal preferences, aiming to influence political discourse ahead of the elections.”
“Cuban claimed that since acquiring X in 2022, Musk has altered the platform’s algorithms to favor right-leaning profiles. “When you go on X, you see a preponderance of right-leaning people,” Cuban remarked, suggesting that Musk’s personal biases might be shaping the content users see.”
“[Jon] Stewart echoed Cuban’s sentiment, sharing his own experiences of encountering such profiles on the platform. “I’ve never clicked on any of these f****** things,” Stewart said, expressing frustration with the content surfacing in his feed. Cuban responded by explaining the nature of algorithms, indicating that those in control of the algorithm set the parameters to reflect their desired outcomes.”
Taylor Swift & Mark Cuban v All Other Wanker Billionaires
Kamala and Coach are arriving Pittsburgh now for bus tour…
‘A New Way Forward’ is their main theme for sure. Only signage at this bus rally. But crowd still chanting “We’re not going back”. Think they like that better
Yep
Scouting 3 rural counties for a used car for my granddaughter yesterday, I saw 3 for her to check out, but I began counting Trump-Vance yard signs. Williams, Henry, and Fulton counties, Ohio. On my 70 miles excursion, I saw 29 Trump-Vance signs, and one solitary Harris-Walz yard sign. What in holy hell do rural people think Trump has in mind to help them?
“We’re not going back” gives everyone a common enemy, but it also puts a bit of an orange filter on things. There’s a lot of energy.
“A New Way Forward” cuts off his oxygen.
Let folks go to what gives them energy. Let the slogan do what can for whomever it can.
Looking forward to tomorrow!
Dex – One neighbor has a bunch of MAGAt flags, but most just have one and/or a yard sign.
Nothing on this property but trees, but there was once a bumper sticker attached to the fridge with a magnetic chip clip. Then it was in a kitchen drawer. Not sure where it was out after that, but probably not in the garbage where it belongs.
I’m wondering if those with only an American flag are making an anti-tRUMPsky statement but quietly so as to not rile up the others.
facebook marketplace is the best place to find a used car, got mine that way
gotta helluva deal too
kinda jealous of your acreage, BiD. Mars and Jupiter have been dancing together lately and the moonset this morning was awesome
lol there’s the overly-long tie again 😆
First stop Harris-Walz bus tour is in Rochester PA — live in 10 minutes..
“On my 70 miles excursion, I saw 29 Trump-Vance signs, and one solitary Harris-Walz yard sign. What in holy hell do rural people think …..”
Dex, they think if they display anything NOT magaT their property, if not their life, would be in danger. too many youthful idiots wondering around the countryside armed to the teeth lusting for something to shoot at.
Walz speaking now at link above, Kamala next
worth watching from today’s Inside with Jen Psaki:
‘I’ve never seen that before’: Martin Sheen gets emotional watching scene from The West Wing (msnbc.com)
West Wing stars Martin Sheen, AKA President Bartlet, and Mary McCormack, AKA Deputy National Security Adviser Kate Harper discuss the momentum behind the Harris campaign and new book “What’s Next: A Backstage Pass to The West Wing, Its Cast and Crew, and Its Enduring Legacy of Service.”
She is changing up her stump speech a bit today. Some new language about those who think “strength is about beating people down. I say strength and leadership is about building people up”.
Craig
They should go with the crowd, and quit listening to echo chamber of advisors who “know what is best” That is what cost Hillary the 2016 election, too many high paid gunslinger advisors.
BTW, I also like Walz’s slogan, “It is none of your damn business” or something like that.
Jack
This is solid professional messaging. By having a repetitious stump speech you can drive coverage by adding a few new lines that become the lead. That “beating down and building up” language is what the TV reporters I saw focused on.
I like the way these posts pop up on social media which ask questions like:
“Worst president ever?”
They always ask as if it were at all possible it could be anyone but him. lol
Jamie
I’ve been enjoying your Bossa Nova album. It goes good with Sunday afternoon chores. I’ve been repotting some seedling fox glove for fall planting. The secret to foxgloves is to plant some every year. They are biennials so you only get one bloom. These seedlings probably won’t bloom next year, but the following year I should have a couple of beautiful foxglove beds.
Gardening is life, plan for the future, take what God/fate and nature give you and make the best of it.
Jack
I like “The rent’s TOO DAMN HIGH!”
Dubya was worse
ain’t tryna find out how a 2nd infinite term would effect the rankings though
Craig
‘A New Way Forward’ awkward, too intellectual, which means you have to explain it, which means it doesn’t work. It doesn’t hit you in the guts. It is not obvious. As GW Plunkitt would say obviously done by a college boy not a politician.
“beating down and building up” is much better, it is gutsier, it reaches the wavering voter on an instinctual level and reminds them that Trump “ain’t one of us” and he never will be.
Jack
Last week I went to my boat which is on the far cliff of the middle of nowhere. Since 2015 much of the journey in Virginia was marked with a wall of sfb signage. They leave the stuff up after election until it is rotted away. This year much less, perhaps a tenth of what was prior. I expect over the next weeks to see more as the hate grows. One notable thing is there are no regular yard signs. The ones that are up are the three by five type.
Walz continues to be so damn good at this. He speaks Swing Voter better than anyone on either ticket:
VIDEO.. https://x.com/KamalaHQ/status/1825253912640712992?t=v3CtntrTbW2aC5UiVbE7FA&s=19
Along with our slogan discussion I’ll add one of the best I’ve heard in a long time, the one that made Gretchen Whitmer governor: “Fix the damn roads”.
She described the inspiration came from the answer so many voters gave her when asked what they needed most. She must have fixed the damn roads because she got re-elected and her approval ratings are among the highest in the country.
BB
Just commenting as you probably know this
3×5 signs are usually placed there by well financed campaigns. Along the road side they are much cheaper than billboards and more effective too, imo. Few individuals will do it on their own. But many supporters will allow signs to be placed on their property. It only takes one in a prominent place to say this neighborhood is solid Trump, even if the rest of the neighborhood votes a straight Democratic ticket
Jack
“Fix the damn roads”.
Now that one Plunkitt would approve. lol, Fix the potholes and haul off the garbage and the voters will allow you to steal all the money you can carry.
Jack
Harris campaign TikToks talking to kids. “I don’t like mean people”.. https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZP815nveB/
“I don’t like sadistic psychopaths.”
Yeah, Dubya and Orange Lurch; throw in Reagan and I guess you gotta real horse race. What a cherce.
Mmm, that big, infrastructure package was, in part, meant to “fix the damned roads.”
Ya probably don’t want to use that if you also want to talk about Biden’s accomplishments.
Another new line in her stump speech: “Anybody who is all about beating down other people is a coward”
She snuck “pervert” in there too. Well done.
Looks like folks in Pennsylvania (aka North Carolina LoL) got tired of hearing Orange Adolf wax lunatic and left the rally early. Those who stayed until the bitter end were either paid or are too lost to help.
I see road improvements all over the Mid-Atlantic at a pace I had not seen in the last fifteen years. The changes are not advertised. Much of this is like President Biden, understated and not wanting to make a lot of noise. Locally the changes to the railroad infrastructure is so important for moving people and goods, but you never hear about those.
Trump just posted this
Like JD would be anything other than a couch potato for his four years.
https://www.politico.com/playbook
Like she said: pervert.
What’s that you were saying about true Republicans, Craig?
they’re all trash
Lindsey thinks they all need to just “get out and campaign for the guy”
(Note to the conservative reader: Craig thinks you’re redeemable. i know better.)
Orange Adolf IS “one of the monsters.”
He sexually assaulted E Jean Carrol.
She was somebody’s daughter.
JD might not want to bring Jeffrey Epstein into the conversation. After all, his running mate went on the Lolita Express with Jeff.
Here is a kick for those of us old enough to remember the Seventies, Future Shock, Alvin Toffler. I am watching Avanti with everyday man Jack Lemon and it was in the scene where Lemon is observing what his relative was doing and reading before his death.
https://www.cnn.com/2024/08/18/politics/iowa-republicans-trump-2024/index.html
“But if you talk to a lot of us, we’re already doing things. There’s a huge regenerative movement here in the Americas by choice, not my mandate. I think that is the main thing that matters in politics — that we get to choose. We’re not being mandated to choose.”
Ha! By choice, not mandate. Big words from someone who plans to support Orange Adolf. Iowa. Idiots. Out. Walking. Around.
MAGAt-Russo-Republicans lack self-awareness, reasoning ability, and basic human decency.
Bink (or whomever) was right. We need to run like we’re far, far behind. Run past the finish line.
Sturge posted a quote from Mark Hamill saying we should run “like we’re 30 pts behind”, and i actually disagree with that
i feel it’s irresponsible to ignore reality, and if Dems are indeed up, they need to start going after vulnerable GOP-held congressional seats, there are people in those districts and states that don’t deserve to be represented by anti-social political arsonists
i’m done with Kumbayah bullshit until all prominent Republicans disavow their evil, racist candidate
Endorse Kamala, and i’ll get my fucking guitar and lead the chorus
taking a break, save my country ✌️
I’ve thought it over and have concluded I do not care what happens to him, only what happens to the American people as the result of his perfidy.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/08/19/trump-secret-service-assassination-security/
I also read that he had his own private (mob?) security, even after he had security detail a decade ago. He just wants to whine.
The assassination attempt that wasn’t.
No scar. No PTSD. Nobody talking.
No investigation in the news.
Nothing.
Now that is weird.
Bink – Not saying not to campaign down ballot, just that we should look at running beyond the finish line like competitive runners do. No pulling up too soon. No taking a lead in polls for granted.
i gotchu, a small quibble, we all pretty much on the same page
The gop nominee is making me angry, which is exactly what he wants- everyone angry. i gotta be smart enough not to be his pawn and a conduit for anger, but it’s not about me, it’s about all of us, and about all the people of color in my community that work very hard, all day, every day, some of them walking to work on the sidewalk to pay the rent on some shitty 2-bedroom apartment while privileged people in luxury cars 5 feet away flip each other off for not going fast enough. It’s enough. We have to move on.
So, pick up my slack if you’d like, Craig wants all of your help, your local DNC office will give you something to do like licking stamps or making calls if you want to do more, stay positive but not oblivious, focused but with good humor. There’s a tsunami of dirty money coming to wash us all away, but if we link arms and take a deep breath, we can all stay afloat.
We can do this. You can help.
🫡
How do we get the MSM to focus on the dangerous policies of Republicans? How do we get them to show Adolf’s lies and gaffs, and not just a quick snippet of teleprompter-driven semi-lucidity? It’s like the media is on the side of the fascists.
They think by appearing “equal,” they’re being “fair.” As any parent can tell you, fair and equal are not necessarily the same.
Local friend of mine, The Rev Dr Johnny Mac
Sturg – Did you ever hear of a band called Free Beer & Chicken?
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=LXqyo3xoDBQ
The Rev
Didn’t hear of them but awhile back there was a band around here called “The Collard Peoples” who used to serve collards and red rice with sausage at midnight.
Pretty good idea but I think I’d rather just have a nice omelette station.
Gwen Walz is just amazing, too!
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