Sunday Funday: Vote Tuesday Edition

Posted on November 4, 2018 by Dave Bradley

Image (1) I-think-I-voted.jpg for post 12932

Let me be the 9 millionth to remind you to vote Tuesday. Of course that is only if you haven’t voted once or more already. So be sure to vote, but only one to a customer.

Like many I truly hope the outcome is much better than two years ago. Not sure I am over the shock yet. Let’s just say that life hasn’t been the same since.

America is just on a constant daily alert anymore, isn’t it?

  1. What huge dairy company announced they would no longer support Iowa congressman Steve King due to his extreme right views?
  1. They are coming! They are coming! How far away are the migrants that Dear Leader is freaking out about from the southern US border?
  1. How many US Army troops has Dear Leader said he will use to meet these migrants?
  1. Following their World Series victory, what team is up in the air on whether they will visit the White House?
  1. What medium size Kansas city is making national news for moving its one polling place a mile outside of city limits for Tuesday’s election?
  1. Despite pleas from local officials, Dear Leader went ahead with his plans to visit what city that was the scene of an anti-Semitic massacre last Saturday?
  1. NASA’s Kepler space telescope ran out of fuel and will no longer be able to continue its mission to do what?
  1. Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds was peripherally caught up in the white supremacist flap because her campaign co-chair is who?
  1. A federal judge Friday denied Dear Leader’s attempt to stop discovery in a lawsuit involving what clause of the constitution?
  1. 80 years ago next weekend on Nov. 9 & 10, 1938 what incident occurred in Germany that is being remembered in today’s more outwardly bigoted US?
  1. The head of the Center for Disease Control (CDC) said his agency is immediately ready to study what if congress appropriates the money?
  1. Dear Leader said he would end birthright citizenship by executive order, thus claiming that he had the ability to override what amendment?
  1. Getting down in the dirt Dear Leader declared what gubernatorial candidate to be a “thief”?
  1. The targeted candidate in the previous question responded by saying “Never wrestle with a “ what?
  1. What singer threatened to sue Dear Leader if Dear Leader continued to use his song at campaign rallies?
  1. Among people knocking doors for Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams were what 2 very well known celebrities?
  1. Mobster Whitey Bulger died in prison last week. How did he die?
  1. Native Americans in what state were once again stopped in their effort block the state’s voter id law that appears to be tailored to keep them from voting?
  1. The world’s tallest statue, The Statue of Unity, was unveiled in what country last week?
  1. In a comedy of errors that seemed like a movie, two right wing operatives claimed to have a statement from a woman claiming she was sexually harassed by what major person in the news?

@JohnFugelsang 

“Perhaps if we all just started referring to Climate Change as ‘desperate Honduran refugees on foot at the Mexico/Guatemala border’ the president might take the threat seriously “

Answers:

  1. Land O’ Lakes
  1. 1000 miles or so
  1. 15,000 for what will probably be maybe a couple thousand refugees
  1. Boston Red Sox
  1. Dodge City 27,000 people 
  1. Pittsburgh
  1. Identify planets in the universe
  1. Steve King
  1. Emoluments clause
  1. Kristallnacht (night of the broken glass)
  1. Gun injuries and deaths
  1. The 14th
  1. Andrew Gillum of Florida
  1. Pig 
  1. Pharell Williams 
  1. Will Farrell and Oprah Winfrey
  1. He was beaten to death by fellow inmates who claimed he had ratted on them decades ago
  1. North Dakota
  1. India
  1. Special Counsel Robert Mueller. It was so bad, one of the operatives held a news conference with his pants unzipped.

Andy Borowitz

“If the Constitution prevented me from doing one or two things, I’d chalk that up to bad luck,” Trump said. “But when literally everything I want to do is magically a violation of the Constitution, that’s very unfair and bad treatment.”

Posted in #trumpresistance, Blog for Iowa, Humor | Comments Off on Sunday Funday: Vote Tuesday Edition

What Is This Woman Thinking?

Posted on November 3, 2018 by Dave Bradley

video 30 seconds:

It is not my custom to run an ad for a Republican candidate but this one just cries out for analysis. It would be hard to do analysis without viewing the object to be analyzed. So forgive me.

There is an awful lot packed into the 30 seconds of this message. A person needs to have a basic understanding of the underlying Privatized Medicaid issue that has been a huge issue in Iowa since it was unilaterally implemented by former Governor Terry Branstad in 2016. 

Basing his reasoning on the old Republican canard that “private business can do anything better than government” Branstad handed the running of Iowa’s $5 billion per year Medicaid program over to private business to run. However, where the state was running the program for about 3% overhead that would go up a little bit – to 15% or so. So in order to make it worthwhile the new MCO companies would need to at least come up with a way to make their own costs back.

As far as we know that has yet come to pass. The administration has yet to provide any real auditing that shows just what is going on with the privatized Medicaid. Claims are all over the place. State Auditor Mary Mosiman claimed her office would perform a definitive audit, but that has failed to happen. That failure is not surprising considering it may contain some very bad news for her party just prior to the 2018 election.

One thing does appear to be pretty apparent about the Medicaid privatization: services have deteriorated to the customer who are Iowa’s poorest and most vulnerable citizens. Stories abound of cuts to services around the state. We have even experienced it in our family. Along with deteriorating services, providers are being paid at lower rates and very late if they are paid at all. Meanwhile the MCOs have received hefty raises for their “management.”

Medicaid privatization has been front and center in the Iowa gubernatorial campaign. Republican Kim Reynolds claims there is little wrong with the current state of privatized Medicaid in Iowa. Her challenger Fred Hubbell has promised to bring the management of Medicaid back to the state to manage.

So in order to illustrate how good Republicans believe the privatized management has been they have this 30 second commercial to show that a young mother would trust he most precious asset – he child – to a Medicaid system with privatized management. When I first saw this, I thought “this is a joke, right?” Unfortunately it isn’t and Kim Reynolds wants Iowans to believe that the leaders of these privatized companies would make better decisions about the health care of that little boy than would some “government.” 

One must remember at this point that a major focus for these privatized companies is to cut costs of the Medicaid system. There are only a few ways to do that. One is to cut services. As noted before that is being done across the state and there have been some dire consequences including death.  

Other ways to cut costs is to cut payments for services or simply not pay. This was also noted above. This making it difficult for many providers to stay in business. See a synopsis of Medicaid problems in Iowa here.  

So as we watch this 30 second sound bite we note that the crux of the message is “don’t trust government to do anything right, they only screw things up.” In the case of Medicaid, no one was really complaining until Branstad decided that private business needed a big cut of that Medicaid b budget for ‘managing’ – something the state was already doing fairly well. The management companies are nearly up to taking 20% of the $5billion that was meant to be used for patient care. That is nearly$1 billion folks.

So the first message is “don’t trust government.” My observations have been that most of the reason we don’t trust government is that Republicans with their message of “government doesn’t work” must cause government not to work when they have the reins of power.  Expect that to happen to Medicare and Social Security as soon as they can get their hands on it.

The implied message when “government run health care” is bashed is that the CEO of some private company cares more about health care decisions for her child. Really? When the CEO’s pay and stock price depends on him or her doing what they can to make big profits. You seriously think they give a crap about some kid when they stand to make a bigger bonus? No, I don’t think so either. 

The other implied message is that “government” is some thing that we are removed from as citizens. As much as Republicans have pushed this BS line for decades the truth is that government is you and me. As such we have input through our representatives which should also include the governor. Over the years formal processes have been set up just so access is available. This was mostly done under Democrats by the way. 

So you and I are the government. We have input through our votes and through various means of access that have been set up for that purpose. 

Let us now compare that to the access you have to a private company. Can you call the CEO and complain? Good luck. Even if you could do you think he or she would care about your complaint? Their contract is not with you. Your complaint can be buried deep and forgotten. Any other formalized methods of access in the private system? Maybe if you are a stockholder. How about going through the government? Well why not just eliminate the “going through” part and return the control of public funds to the public?

The Hubbell – Hart campaign has a much more realistic take on the current Medicaid CRISIS in Iowa: (2 minutes)

A question to the woman in the Reynolds video – are you still willing to bet the life of your child on a for profit company making good decisions that may cut their profit? I sure as hell wouldn’t!

One question to Kim Reynolds (be honest now) – With what you have seen of the Medicaid administration by the MCOs would you be willing to put you care and that of your children and grand-children in their hands? I would be very surprised if you answered “Yes.” I surely wouldn’t.

Vote for Hubbell and Hart and bring control of Medicaid back where it belongs. And put the public back into the public’s business.

Posted in #trumpresistance, 2018 Election Campaign, Blog for Iowa, Kim Reynolds, Republican Policy | Tagged , | 2 Comments

What We Voted For

Posted on November 3, 2018 by Dave Bradley

We voted early. We voted for the following:

We voted for sensible gun laws, and against the current armed to the teeth environment.

We voted for equal treatment for all Americans no matter the sex, color, religion (or lack of religion) or sexual preference of the citizen.

We voted for sensible immigration laws.

We voted for conservationists that will be focused on keeping our air and water clean so that we and other animals and plants may survive on this planet.

We voted for politicians that take responsibility for their actions, not for ones that refuse to be held accountable when things go wrong.

We voted for candidates who believe in reality and not for those who espouse an “alternative truth.”

We voted for candidates who believe in science that can be repeated and can be used to reliably predict what actions will bring what results.

We voted for those who believe that human caused global warming is a fast coming crisis and are willing to do something about it.

We voted for candidates who believe in fair taxation based on income levels.

We voted for those who understand that the huge income inequality in this country will be cause for civil unrest.

We voted for those who believe that quality public education is one of the best investments a society can make.

We voted for those who believe that access to health care must be a bedrock principal of our society. 

We voted for candidates who believe that it is the hopes and ambitions of all citizens that has driven this country, not for candidates that espouse hate and fear.

We voted for candidates that believe that jobs should pay a living wage.

We voted for candidates who put the good of all ahead of the wishes of a few huge donors.

We voted for restoring a democracy and against the plutocracy that has taken over this country.

We voted for country that honors its treaties, works with its allies and stands up countries that wish to do us harm.

We voted for those who believe diplomacy is the best way to deal internationally instead of threats to our friends and kowtowing to our enemies.

We voted for those who believe that women should be in charge of their own bodies.

To sum all this up in a few short words, we voted for Democratic candidates across the board. The past two years, no matter what the issue, have awakened in us a new respect for those who build through hope and ambition with respect for all humanity and all life on earth rather than those who lead with the dark forces of hate and fear.

Fear and hatred take us backward. Hope and ambition take us forward. We have major problems that can’t be ignored any longer. The most critical of these is the rapidly changing climate. Those who lead though hate and fear are in no way equipped to deal with the reality that will be coming.

Posted in #trumpresistance, 2018 Election Campaign, Blog for Iowa | Comments Off on What We Voted For

Will IA-04 Be The Political Shot Heard Round The World?

Posted on November 2, 2018 by Trish Nelson

And now a word from Ed Fallon

Dear Friends,

I’m encouraged that, more than ever, people are taking seriously the importance of voting. To those who still feel it doesn’t matter, let me share this story:

When I was a state representative, I sat between two lawmakers who were excellent colleagues. Both were attentive to their constituents and accomplished important work at the Iowa Statehouse. Becky Reynolds-Knight sat to my right. Out of 11,732 votes cast in the 1996 general election, Becky won by only 146 votes. To my left sat Bill Witt, who won his first election in 1992 by only 17 votes out of a total of 12,793 cast!

So, is every vote important? Ask Bill and Becky. Better yet, ask Al Gore, who as the Democratic candidate for president in 2000, lost Florida’s electoral votes by only 537 votes out of almost six million cast in Florida — and over 50 million cast nationwide.

Yup. Every vote matters. Every election matters — and this election matters more than most. The problems confounding America — climate change, money in politics, immigration, gun violence, health care, foreign policy, and more — have grown worse and seemingly intractable.

They’re challenging for sure, but not intractable. True, Democratic leaders have sometimes failed in the past. But the current impasse is the fault of this reactionary Republican Congress and administration, who have proven inept at solving any of America’s most pressing problems while digging the hole deeper on many issues.

In Iowa, Republicans controlling the Statehouse have been worse than inept. In fact, the Republican trifecta at the State Capitol has been embarrassingly successful at enacting all sorts of draconian policies, too many to list here, several of which are so bad they’re being challenged in the courts.

Voters sometimes support a divided legislature or Congress. I get that. I understand the urge to split one’s ticket, hoping that Democratic control of one chamber and Republican control of the other will lead to a more thoughtful, cooperative approach to policy making.

Maybe that works sometimes. But that’s not the medicine for what ails Iowa and America today. Divided chambers will accomplish nothing. A new wave of Democratic leaders is rising, bringing a fresh perspective that’s resonating with voters. Let’s give them a chance to govern. To do that, Democrats need to control the House and Senate at both the state and federal level.

Across Iowa’s Fourth District — home of unabashed white supremacist Congressman Steve King — a veritable tidal wave of change is poised to shake things up. Democrats have fielded good candidates against King in the past, but I never felt any could dethrone him.

This year, I’m confident that King’s Democratic challenger, J.D. Scholten, can and will defeat King. Scholten — propelled by growing discontent with King’s voting record and litany of inflammatory comments — is running an impressive campaign fueled by hard work and intelligent, articulate stands on key issues. It doesn’t hurt that Scholten has raised more money than King, most of it from the grassroots.

It also helps Scholten that businesses who supported King in the past (Land O’Lakes, Purina, Intel Corp.) and a growing list of Republican elected officials are finally speaking out against King.

J.D. Scholten

If you’re supporting one or more candidates with time and money, thank you. But take time to help J.D., too. His defeat of Steve King will land a promising, progressive Iowan in Washington, D.C. and send a message that reactionaries like Steve King don’t speak for Iowa and are no longer entitled to positions of political power.

Over the next five days, l’ll continue to reach out personally to the hundreds of independents and Republicans I know in the Fourth District and encourage them to vote for J.D. Scholten. I suspect nearly every Iowan reading this blog knows people in the Fourth District. Call or write these voters. Stress that, on an election ballot with so many important races, what happens in the Fourth District is critical.

How critical? If Scholten defeats King, it would be 2018’s political shot heard round the world.

Listen to the Fallon Forum live Mondays, 11:00-12:00 noon CT on La Reina KDLF 96.5 FM and 1260 AM (central Iowa). Add your voice to the conversation by calling (515) 528-8122.

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Trump Stoking Cold Civil War

Posted on November 1, 2018 by Trish Nelson

Steve Schmidt:  “Forty percent of the country has opted into an alternate reality. We have to wake up and understand the danger this means to all of us…  [The synagogue shooter]  was radicalized by Fox News, by talk radio, and a right wing propaganda machine that is as sophisticated as it is deadly. Just as we see young, displaced, evil or sick or just plain losers radicalized by ISIS we are seeing the same thing now in the United States, people being radicalized by the rightwing propaganda industry.”

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American Employers Exploit Undocumented Workers For Profit

Posted on October 31, 2018 by Trish Nelson

photo: Badger Herald

Contributed by Joel Wells

American employers face almost no risk when hiring undocumented workers and pocket higher profits when they do.

This affects the economy of every state in the nation, including Iowa. According to the Pew Research Center report published 3 November 2016, there are an estimated 40,000 undocumented workers in Iowa. According to the Austin Business Journal 6 November 2017, Texas is home to about 1.65 million undocumented immigrants. People working below minimum wage affect all of us, especially those in direct economic competition– they have the most to lose.

Undocumented workers are being actively recruited by US companies who face minimal or non-existent penalties for circumventing fair wage laws and safety standards, driving a “race to the bottom.” The loser is the American worker, forced to labor below a living wage without a culture of safety or job protection. But the Republican leadership doesn’t care about working Americans; they only care about protecting plutocrats and lining their own pockets.

Undocumented workers are used as slave labor in a slave economy. They have no enforceable rights, living conditions are often deplorable, employers can intimidate them without repercussion and force them to work in unsafe conditions. These workers cannot object if they are paid starvation wages– if they get paid– and face termination without cause. They have no protection from industrial predators.

Meanwhile those who employ them know they are not citizens and also know they face no penalties for hiring them. Let me repeat: there is no incentive not to hire them. If employers were penalized adequately (or at all) these workers would not be here. This is why in the United States there are over 11 million undocumented workers. California alone has more than 2 million farm laborers yet 1.5 million are undocumented. This article appeared in Bloomberg on March 2rd, 2018:

“Of the state’s more than 2 million farm laborers, 1.5 million are undocumented, according to Tom Nassif, President of the Western Growers Association, a 92-year-old industry group representing farmers in California, Arizona, Colorado and New Mexico. Although Nassif and the association have supported Trump since the early days of his campaign, he says the raids and decades-old immigration policy for farm workers are harming the industry and state economy.”

If people are angry at undocumented workers, that anger is misdirected. Undocumented workers would not be here if they did not have a job! The anger should be directed at those that hire them, fueling the illegal migration of cut price labor by cut throat, antilabor conglomerates. If the explosion of undocumented workers needs to be stopped, stop employers from hiring them. There is no need for a wall! If there was a law that treated these employers the same as drug dealers there would be no undocumented workers in the US. Put the offending employers in jail for a substantial period of time and confiscate their businesses. We need to stop rewarding practices that hurt us.

Undocumented workers are people, too. As humans with innate dignity, they deserve the chance to work for an honest wage and the opportunity to prove their merit, just like those of us born north of the Rio Grande. Minimum federally enforced wages should be established for the skill, trade, experience, and environment appropriately. Stronger worker safety, workers’ rights, and employment standards as required by the United States Department of Labor need to be strengthened, implemented, and enforced.

Everyone should play by the rules, not just the American worker. Those that cheat should be brought to justice.

Joel Wells is a progressive Democrat and economic conservative. He obtained a PhD from the University of Iowa and worked at Kirkwood Community College teaching and as a program coordinator in industrial technology for 25 years. He spent 14 years teaching and working in the Middle East. He is now semi-retired working as a mechanical integrity consultant for companies in the United States.

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Zach Wahls On Midwestern Values, Family, Community

Posted on October 30, 2018 by Trish Nelson

Reprinted with permission from the Fall 2018 issue of  The Prairie Progressive, Iowa’s oldest progressive newsletter.

Our Midwestern values instill in us what family and community is all about. Growing up with lesbian parents during the 1990s and early 2000s, I learned at an early age what it feels like to be left out or left behind. I remember watching Republican politicians point the finger at families like mine, trying to pit us against each other while they spent trillions on wars in the Middle East and cut taxes for the wealthy. I know what it feels like to know there are people with power out to get you and your family.

I decided to run for the Iowa Senate because I knew that there were a whole lot of people feeling that way right now in our state and our country. And after knocking on thousands of doors, I have heard first-hand from too many Iowans who feel like their government isn’t on the side of their family or their community. Where Iowa used to lead, instead we’re falling behind. If you only look at the rankings of U.S. News and World Report or the topline unemployment rate, you might be able to convince yourself things in Iowa are rosy. But that doesn’t hold up if you take a serious look.

Once you actually start talking with folks, you’ll hear that health care, education, and workers’ rights are being eroded in our state. Our social foundation is being taken apart brick by brick. That’s why our community needs a champion who will stand up for our values at this all-hands-on-deck moment for the future of our state — and that’s why I’m running to succeed Senator Bob Dvorsky in the Iowa Senate.

From my testimony before the Iowa House in defense of marriage equality in 2011 to co-founding and leading Scouts for Equality, the national campaign that helped successfully end decades of discrimination in the Boy Scouts of America, I have a proven track record of doing the work and bringing people together. I don’t back down from tough fights. I’m willing to speak truth to power.

The truth is that we are in a hard time right now, and the only way through it is to work through it together. That’s what family and community are all about: working through the hard times so we can enjoy the good ones. I know we can fix our health care system, fund our K12 schools and reverse cuts to our higher education system, restore collective bargaining rights for working families, raise wages, clean up our water, and enact common sense gun safety reforms.

With so much work to do, I understand how these fights can seem overwhelming, but what’s in the way is the way. Together, we can win these legislative battles and make lives better for the everyday men and women and children of Iowa. But we can’t win these fights alone. Our community needs a Senator who will continue to support Democrats across southeastern Iowan and the rest of the state. I know I can be that leader because I’ve already done it. As an advocate with our state’s LGBTQ rights organization, I helped to protect marriage equality in our state, traveling all over Iowa having tough conversations.

This election is going to define the future of Iowa for generations to come. We all know that the 2016 election was a huge shock for our state and our country. But we are the ones who will determine if 2016, and what has happened since, was a shocking aberration or if this is our new normal. It’s up to us.

Please visit zachwahlsforiowa.com to join the campaign for Iowa’s future.

— Zach Wahls is the Democratic nominee for Iowa Senate District 37

Prairie Dog

The Prairie Progressive is  funded entirely by reader subscription,  available only in hard copy for $12/yr.  Send check to PP, Box 1945, Iowa City 52244.

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How To Decide What Judges To Vote For

Posted on October 29, 2018 by Trish Nelson

Most voters do not encounter judges in their day to day life.  So when November comes and it’s time to vote, what to do about the judges up for retention on the ballot?  Maybe you’ve never even heard their names.  Turns out there is a tool that you can use to inform your vote.  It is called the 2018 Judicial Performance Review by the Iowa State Bar Association.  Judges are evaluated and rated by attorneys on the following criteria:

  • Perception of factual issues
  • Punctuality for court proceedings
  • Attentiveness to evidence and arguments
  • Management and control of the courtroom
  • Temperament and demeanor
  • Clarity and quality of written opinions
  • Promptness of rulings and decisions
  • Avoids undue personal observations or criticisms of litigants, judges and lawyers from bench or in written opinions.
  • Decides cases on basis of applicable law and fact, not affected by outside influence.
  • Is courteous and patient with litigants, lawyers and court personnel.
  • Treats people equally regardless of race, gender, age, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, socio-economic status or disability.

Voters can look up judges by district. Counties are listed so you can determine which judicial district you reside in.   To find out who will be on your ballot when you go to vote and how they scored on the 2018 Judicial Performance Review, click on the link below.  Happy voting!

Click to access 2018_Judicial_Performance_Re.pdf

The Iowa State Bar Association
625 East Court Avenue
Des Moines, Iowa 50309
(515) 243-3179
www.iowabar.org

 

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Some Of FDR’s Best

Posted on October 28, 2018 by Dave Bradley

“I welcome their hatred” (3 minutes)

Second Bill Of rights speech 2 minutes:

First inaugural speech (20 minutes)

FDR’s speeches are still quite relevant today. Maybe even more than ever as we have Dear Leader hobnobbing with our enemies while kicking our allies to the curb, while at home doing all he can to cut the safety net and allow our own citizens to suffer.

We still need a second Bill Of Rights. The power of organized money has never been as powerful as it is today with control of all branches of the federal government and most state governments.

Great ideas never die.

Posted in #trumpresistance, 2018 Election Campaign, Blog for Iowa | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Some Of FDR’s Best

Sunday Funday: The Season Of Ghosties And Ghoulies Edition

Posted on October 28, 2018 by Dave Bradley

Sometimes you just have to step away and recharge for the final run. Thank goodness Halloween comes this time of year. This is a time when life moves indoors and our imaginations are allowed to expand as night grow longer, colder and darker. Halloween begins what an old friend used to call the “season of spirits.” The “season of sprits” culminates in early January as we see the days begin to grow longer. Not warmer, but longer.

 

The beauty of the fall colors gives way to the slumber and darkness of autumn and winter. For one night we see kids of all ages dressed in fun costumes around the neighborhoods of Iowa and the country. One of the more recent additions to the lore of Halloween is folks who light their house up and bring them life with song. Just on the off chance you have never seen one of these videos, here we go:

Well. Just in time for Halloween things go nuts.

  1. What group of people is the administration trying to define out of existence?
  1. The end of the week was dominated by news of pipe bombs mailed throughout the country. Who was the target of the first reported pipe bomb?
  1. Nov. 11th will be the 100th anniversary of the armistice to end WWI. Who does our Dear Leader plan to meet with on that day?
  1. In a gubernatorial debate in Florida candidate Andrew Gillum said of what opponent “racists believe you are racist”?
  1. The Department of Homeland Security is moving army troops to the US border with what country?
  1. Claiming it was OK for kids to dress in “blackface” cost what TV host her network job and show last week?
  1. In a similar vein a lobbyist for what soup company lost his cushy job for tweeting conspiracy theories about George Soros?
  1. Despite little chance of ever passing, Dear Leader unveiled a very narrow plan for lowering the price of some what?
  1. In a case that may come up in the Russian election meddling case, SCOTUS blocked a deposition from what cabinet member in the Census Citizenship Question case?
  1. Chuck Grassley made some strange moves this week. In one he said Iowans should vote for Reynolds because what might happen to him (Grassley)?
  1. In another move Grassley referred lawyer Michael Avenatti and his client Julie Swetnick to the DOJ for investigation for doing what?
  1. The son of what late Washington Post reporter was forced to have his picture taken shaking the hand of Saudi Prince Mohammad bin Salman?
  1. What former Supreme Court Justice announced that they had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease?
  1. In a move that may bring back the threat of nuclear war, Dear Leader announced his intention to withdraw from a nuclear treaty with what country?
  1. The longest sea bridge in the world (55km long) opened last week between China and what island city?
  1. Cat 5 typhoon Yutu became one of the strongest storm to ever hit US land when it hit what island Wednesday?
  1. Migrants originating in what country fleeing violence are crossing what country while enduring extreme heat?
  1. One ticket in what state had the winning numbers for the largest lottery jackpot ever in US history?
  1. The Museum of the Bible (Washington DC) removed what artifacts when they were discovered to be fakes?
  1. In the Florida gubernatorial debate which candidate declared Dear Leader to be a positive role model for children?

Xtra credit) Which candidate for Georgia governor has had over 340,000 voters purged from the voter roles for no valid reasons?

 

@JohnFugelsang on Twitter

“Perhaps if we all just started referring to Climate Change as ‘desperate Honduran refugees on foot at the Mexico/Guatemala border’ the president might take the threat seriously.”

Answers:

  1. Transgender people
  1. George Soros
  1. Vladimir Putin – remember,  Dear Leader’s parade was cancelled
  1. Ron DeSantis
  1. Mexico to meet the refugees with devastating force
  1. Megan Kelly
  1. Campbell’s Soup
  1. Drugs
  1. Wilbur Ross
  1. With his age he may leave the senate and need to have the governor name a replacement (what better reason to vote for Hubbell?)
  1. Making materially false statements. This despite evidence that Bret Kavanaugh did the same.
  1. Jamal Khassoggi whose death was supposedly ordered by the prince
  1. Sandra Day O’Conner
  1. Russia
  1. Hong Kong
  1. Saipan in the Northern Mariannas
  1. Honduras
  1. South Carolina
  1. Artists of the Dead Sea Scrolls were shown to be fake
  1. Ron DeSantis

Xtra credit) Brian Kemp – Georgia’s current secretary of state

Andy Borowitz

“White House Staff Nervously Checking If Trump Retweeted Anything by Bombing Suspect”

HAPPY HALLOWEEN AND STAY SAFE!

Oh and a happy SAMHAIN!

Posted in #trumpresistance, Blog for Iowa, Humor | Comments Off on Sunday Funday: The Season Of Ghosties And Ghoulies Edition