Over the weekend you surely could not have missed the Ft. Dodge gymnasium video of pathetic Trump attempting to get ahead of the “golden showers” story that many say is about to drop. Trump apparently went out of his way to assure those present that he doesn’t even like “golden showers.” So there you have it.
There was a major slap down on Twitter of one Trump defender on a thread I was following which was good to see. The Trump defender attempted to say Trump didn’t say it only to be shouted down by folks who were actually present at the event. Oops.
But why wallow in the mire? Let’s look on the bright side today. Here’s some cheery news. Happy Monday!
Just a note to say hope you all have a fun and meaningful Thanksgiving this week.
To get political for just a moment, it is obvious that Biden’s economic policies are working and working very well.
Inflation has been contained to a great degree especially in comparison to the rest of the world where it rages on. Thanksgiving meals are much more affordable and the cost to get where you are going is down dramatically.
More Americans are working than ever and their pay is actually outpacing inflation. The policy change from trickle down to bottom up is having a great affect in America. Democrats where they can are changing policy to favor workers. Where they can’t, they do what they can to keep corporate power at bay until common sense Americans return them to power to work for the common citizen.
Next year will be literally the most important election in the US. On one hand we will have a Party that wants to end democracy itself. They also will do nothing about the overwhelming issue, global warming, that is gearing up to cause more pain and damage as it goes unchecked.
There will also be issues of how the common American can throw off the yoke of corporate control of every part of their lives to achieve a degree of freedom never before seen.
It will be your choice. Those who wish to control your life will do anything and everything to keep control. It will be up to you. Is freedom worth your time and effort? Because you know the forces of control will be out in full force.
November 14th, 1960 Ruby Bridges makes history as she integrated William Frantz Elementary School in New Orleans, La. She was 6 years old.
Now – a bit older – Ms. Bridges will be honored as a National Women’s Hall of Fame honoree next year. She will be inducted with tennis star Serena Williams. Take some time and learn about Ruby Bridges life. A truly inspirational person at the age of 6, she is very deserving of the honor.
Sadly 63 years ago it looked like someday the racism would only be a bad memory. Thanks to Trump, racism is still a huge problem as we sit for yet another Thanksgiving meal.
Man, it just don’t quit anymore, does it?
A) Averting a government shutdown, the US House and Senate passed funding bills that use what new style of funding?
B) Speaking of food, what Asian country announced Friday that they will ban the eating of dog meat by 2027?
C) What former federal judge who retired from the bench when her brother was selected as president died Monday?
D) Let’s do some Thanksgiving questions. What small city is known as “the pumpkin capital of the US” mostly because they a pumpkin canning plant in the city?
E) MAGA US senators made some effort to end the block on senate confirmations of military promotions headed by what MAGA senator last week?
F) Friday a court order stopped the sales of what very questionable nutritional supplements that broadcasts a huge amount of commercials?
G) It was announced Friday that what former First Lady had entered hospice care?
H) President Biden and China’s President Xi met for several hours in what west coast American city?
I) Why were both Biden and Xi in that city last week?
J) Ever wonder how many actual people watch Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in NYC? According to Macy’s Stores how many watched in person last year?
K) What’s the name of that US representative from New York that might be kicked out after Thanksgiving?
L) Backyard gardeners got a big help as what federal agency updated “plant hardiness zones” for the first time in ten years?
M) What branch of government announced a new code of ethics for themselves Monday after months of stories of ethics violations in the media?
N) What US Senator threatened to fight a witness during a senate committee hearing Tuesday?
O) Also Tuesday what US Representative was accused of punching a fellow Representative in the ribs?
P) Trump has been roundly criticized for calling his enemies “vermin” in a statement that drew comparisons to what easier 20th century politician?
Q) Now you see him, now you don’t. What MAGA presidential candidate dropped out of the race on live TV last Sunday?
R) The QAnon Shaman is back and running for congress in what state?
S) What Native American served as a translator between native Americans and Pilgrims?
T) It is looking like Rishi Sunak’s government in the UK is very shaky. Sunk fired his Home Secretary and brought in what former Prime Minister?
The report shows that Santos stole money from his campaign and blatantly lied to his supporters in order to enrich himself.
Uh, isn’t that what Trump did and is still doing?
Answers:
A) “Laddered” budget bills
B) South Korea
C) Maryann Trump
D) Morton, Illinois (been there in the fall – it reeks of pumpkin spice)
E) Tommy Tuberville of Alabama
F) Balance of Nature
G) Rosalyn Carter
H) San Francisco
I) Both were in attendance for an APEC meeting
J) 3.5 million
K) George Santos
L) the Department of Agriculture
M) the Supreme Court
N) Markwayne Mullins of Oklahoma
O) Kevin McCarthy
P) Adolf Hitler
Q) Tim Scott
R) Arizona –wonder if he will have a problem with that insurrection thing?
S) Squanto
T) David Cameron – elections are due by Jan. 28, 2025
For the first time in 40 years the US economy is growing faster than China’s.America is moving forward, under President Biden’s leadership. – Truckersvote
Unlike all the chaos and lack of action by the controlling MAGA Party in the US House, Christina Bohannan will work for Iowans – 40 seconds:
Late summer and early fall brought us some interesting visuals. MAGA Party members breaking promises left and right. MAGA Party members gong at each other with real malevolence. MAGAs splitting their party and throwing their leadership out on their ears.
We watched as the MAGA Party Party split into the far far right and the even more extremist right wing. We watched as Kevin McCarthy got tossed and was replaced by a man who has a very tenuous link to reality.
During the ebb and flow of these various machinations we have seen a few MAGAs not do what they are told only to be attacked by their peers or be warned of a possible primary attack from the really, really far right. It is almost as if the MAGA Party has become a rather outrageous “reality competition” TV show.
This week the reality competition known as MAGA Party opened an episode in little old Iowa. In Iowa’s first district, the incumbent congress member must have stepped over some invisible line drawn by the very extremist right wing and earned herself a primary opponent.
I have no idea what invisible line Marionette Miller-Meeks crossed but somehow she now has a primary opponent.
Has she not been loyal enough to Trump?
Did she not deny Biden won loudly enough?
Was her step off the beaten path to not vote for Jim Jordan for Speaker a step too far?
Is she not anti-abortion enough or not anti-contraception enough?
The way the MAGA Party is splintering these days in could have been any of these or some other trivial slight to the MAGA apparatchik. Whatever, usually a MAGA doesn’t draw a primary opponent without some reason.
Miller-Meeks’ opponent is a person named David Pautsch from Davenport. Just briefly reading his biography from the QC Times this weekwe see that Mr. Pautsch has been deeply involved in religious endeavors most of his life.
This looks like a classic extreme right versus very extreme right match. My suspicion is that the primary will be fought on extreme right turf. Therefore when either candidate runs for the general election they will have to change their personna for the general voting public.
It will be interesting to see Miller-Meeks trying to run on her record since she has almost none. For three years she has been nearly invisible in Washington. Seems like the only notice she has gotten has come recently when she slightly veered from what she was told to do.
By towing the party line, Miller-Meeks has pretty much done nothing for her constituents. For that matter the MAGA Party has done little but try to stop any movement in congress, Miller-Meeks has been right on board with that. She seldom even answers emails or calls, at least in anecdotal experience of district citizens.
In case you have forgotten, Christina Bohannan is Miller-Meeks announced Democratic opponent so far. Bohannan used the occasion of Pautsch’s announcement to hype her own campaign:
Dave, I just got word that another far-right extremist is jumping in the race against Mariannette Miller-Meeks. Take a look for yourself:
Right after I launched for Congress, pollsters rated Iowa’s 1st congressional district as more competitive than originally thought.
Now, as Miller-Meeks and her new opponent try to out-MAGA each other, it’s crystal clear to me that Republicans in IA-01 are incredibly vulnerable. Even her own party is disappointed in Miller-Meeks’ abysmal record.
Things are looking good for us, Dave, but we still have our work cut out for us to stand out in a crowd.
Still, I’m prepared for the challenge. We can win this and give Iowa the Democratic representation it deserves. But it’ll only happen if we all mobilize early and often against Mariannette Miller-Meeks and the far-right.
With the prospect of at least the Democratic Party in congress continuing the process of putting some ethics rules and punishments for violations of those rules into effect, The US Supreme Court made some window dressing moves Monday to try to fool some of the people some of the time.
Specifically they are attempting to fool Democrats in Congress who would really like to see SCOTUS have to adhere to some code of conduct and if they do not, pay some price. The only threat SCOTUS justices have now is a completely empty threat of impeachement which will probably never happen.
Rachel Maddow talks about what institutions can stop misbehaviors. Starting at @5:50 Maddow brings Trump and his total lack of ethics into her discussion. The discussion on Trump ends @the 9 minute mark.(Total time 19 minutes):
The relevance for Iowa looms large. In two months Iowa will be the focus of national and international news as the first contest in the MAGA Party’s process to choose their presidential nominee for 2024. This is a process that the former president and current 91 count indictee plus multiple sexual abuse lawsuit target has pretty much led in a large way.
Now the MAGA Party looms as the major obstacle that the United States has between it and having a criminal or potential criminal running for president. As the first in line to stand up for ethics, Iowans must stand up and say (to quote John Boehner) “Not just NO! but “HELL NO!”” Will Iowans do the right thing and repudiate Trumpism?
For right now the prospect is slim. Iowans who once had a reputation for hard headed common sense are now almost the very caricature of the rural bumpkin being slickered by the flim-flam huckster from the city. Just like the carnival barker of old, Trump sells his brand of snake oil and then skips town two steps ahead of the local police.
In his wake he leaves believers who can’t see through his BS even though he has soaked nearly every dime from their families. Once again Trump makes promises he has no intention of fulfilling or even remembering.
So MAGA Iowans have two months to show the country if they will be the bastion of institutional resistance to turning the country over to the criminal element that is Trump or will they be the dupes that show that the huckster can make fools of people who once had a reputation of not jumping at the shiny baubles before they buy.
Unfortunately, the choices that the MAGA Party is offering are Trump, the flim-flam man and the nearly nameless others who are little more than wannabe Trumps. If Trump himself is not the choice, then a candidate who wants to act like Trump probably will be.
The one candidate who has acted – and I use that word on purpose – like he actually opposes Trump has been Chris Christie. Yet when Christie was governor of New Jersey, he had a real problem using his power to get retribution against a mayor in Fort Lee, New Jersey. Christie was also a Trump sycophant until Trump rejected Christie forcefully.
Even if Iowa MAGAs wanted to make a statement, they have little choice, The very best thing Iowa MAGAs could do for their country would be to write “None Of the Above” on their ballots and start all over. I doubt that will happen.
Instead, I fear we can expect the slow moving coup with the aim of ending democracy in the US to take yet another step forward in Iowa in January. Then on to Trump’s ultimate goal of replacing the rule of law with the cult of personality.
And once the rule of law is gone the extreme right SCOTUS justices won’t have to worry about ethics. They will only have to worry about being properly loyal to the leader.
Let’s be honest, how many of us actually take the time to watch President Biden’s remarks? I’m guilty just like everyone else. It is easier most of the time to just go with what the media reports.
The downside of this is they decide what is important (to them). They tend to report only their preferred snippets of information. And all of the media outlets, miraculously, report the very same snippets. And then they go on to (mis)characterize what was said in a way that is beneficial to keeping the controversy going (their lifeblood). They do this for everything, not just Biden. I’m talking mostly cable news, but regular broadcast news as well and national media, sometimes including newspapers like WaPo and NYT.
Cable media in particular seem to enjoy a good Biden bashing narrative, which I believe is an attempt on their part to appear smart and cynical and to make sure Trump stays relevant so they don’t run out of easy work. As Paul Krugman said on MSNBC last week to the seeming consternation of Ari Melber, (paraphrasing from memory here) every time the media says something positive about something the Biden administration did they always follow it with a but… and then end with something negative and alarming that they say could happen. He’s right. Every. Single. Time. Don’t believe me or Paul Krugman, watch for yourself and notice. To Ari’s credit he did not become too defensive.
I get that some people have issues with Biden for this or that reason. He has been in public life for 50 years, and there are things he has said or done in the past that I was not happy with either.
But sadly, some Democrats now feel perfectly free to risk hurting the electoral chances of the person who is responsible for democracy living to see another day by defeating Donald Trump. They think it is just fine to call for the man who made it so Donald Trump is no longer our president, to step down. That takes a lot of chutzpah if you ask me.
I think these guys are just jealous because Biden is smarter than they are. Not coincidentally, he is also still a pretty cool guy even at 80, with a lot of kick-ass energy which we are seeing now and are going to see more of during the campaign. He’s not just sitting around opining on Twitter like his critics. Biden is going to win (if we don’t botch it). He’s the only one who can win in my opinion. So certain people who are vying for attention need to chill and help re-elect Joe Biden. I back up my opinion with this corroboration:
Where Julie Gammack tells David Axelrod to “STFU.” Love her!
So I digress. If you can, watch and share Biden’s live remarks. See for yourself how he’s doing. He’s still sharp. In my view he is doing a better job than anyone else could and sometimes being 80 years old is a plus, not a negative.
Cable news is not subject to the same regulations as your local over-the-publicly-owned-airwaves broadcast station. So there’s nothing the FCC can do about this just like there’s nothing they can do about Fox News. Consider voting for members of congress who understand the need to move forward on reforming our dangerously dysfunctional media, which in its current state is unsustainable.
“Univision, the nation’s largest Spanish-language network, has decided to cancel ad-buys by the Biden campaign in Nevada, Arizona, Pennsylvania, & Florida after Trump met with their executives last week.” (at Mar-a-Lago)
“…some journalists inside Univision… think that the past week has demonstrated the heavy hand of their new corporate bosses. The Mexican media company Grupo Televisa, which merged with Univision in 2021.”
“Univision also canceled a booking with Biden’s Hispanic Media Director Maca Casado to respond to the Trump interview after it aired on the network’s late news broadcast, according to people familiar with the details, who like others spoke on the condition of anonymity for this article because they were not authorized to speak publicly.”
Univision said they are only doing it for the Trump interview and they said they will also not allow Trump to run ads during a Biden interview. The article reports that the White House said nothing has been scheduled yet and they have not been offered a one-hour interview in prime time. So we’ll see.
And if you are still reading you are probably interested in media, so here is a good link at NPR titled, The truth is there’s little the government can do about lies on cable. (Little a likely euphemism for nothing).
Yesterday President Biden announced six billion dollars in new investments from the Inflation Reduction Act and the bipartisan infrastructure law to make communities across the country more resilient to climate change. Last year natural disasters cost $178 billion dollars. Fifteen minutes of Biden explaining details about what his administration is doing to fight climate change is worth the watch.
While the media daily reports non-stop Trump trash talk and sensationalizes and pollutes the political discourse, distracting us all from what really matters, our Democratic president is doing his job. His message was hope filled and centered on accomplishments and goals.
“None of this is inevitable. Solutions are within reach. We need to keep at it. We have the tools to do it.”
James Carville explains Mike Johnson to the national press because “they don’t know a effing thing about him.” Carville explains the development of Johnson “beyond the vapid crap you get in the press.”
Veterans for Peace Chapter 161 with special guest David Swanson, honor Armistice Day in Iowa City on the ped mall with song, speeches and bell ringing.
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Governor Kim Keynolds: (515) 281-5211 U.S. Capitol Switchboard: (202) 224-3121 Iowa Members of Congress - Rep. Randy Feenstra (R) - Rep. Ashley Hinson (R) - Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R) - Rep. Zach Nunn (R) Iowa US Senators - Senator Joni Ernst (R) - Senator Charles Grassley (R)
Over the weekend you surely could not have missed the Ft. Dodge gymnasium video of pathetic Trump attempting to get ahead of the “golden showers” story that many say is about to drop. Trump apparently went out of his way to assure those present that he doesn’t even like “golden showers.” So there you have it.
Rant alert…
Yesterday President Biden announced six billion dollars in new investments from the Inflation Reduction Act and the bipartisan infrastructure law to make communities across the country more resilient to climate change. Last year natural disasters cost $178 billion dollars. Fifteen minutes of Biden explaining details about what his administration is doing to fight climate change is worth the watch.
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