Sunday Funday: Walz Asks The Question Edition

Posted on October 6, 2024 by Dave Bradley

Democrats really enjoyed this debate moment when Governor Walz asked that most important question (2:38)

Ummm – Shady JD – should DonOLD have led an insurrection against our government? That seems kind of treasonous. And why for gawd’s sake isn’t he in jail because as evidenced by January 6th, he is a clear and present danger to our country? Makes me think of this:

Attacking Kamala Harris’s intelligence after getting completely rolled by her for two hours in a debate seems to be a pretty low-IQ strategy. – Heath Mayo

Apparently Trump was so incoherent during an interview scheduled to run on CBS Monday that his handlers cancelled the interview. Funny how that whole age question on corporate media disappeared after President Biden stepped aside. I think it is way past time to discuss it once more.

A) Economic hellscape? The jobs report for September showed up Friday with how many new jobs created?

B) Surprise, Surprise. What Florida voter has weighed in with her support for women being in charge of their own health care including access to abortion?

C) Out in Mesa County, Colorado, a long running court process comes to an end with county clerk Tina Peters being found guilty and being given what sentence?

D) In that case, Peters was a true believer in what theory so she tampered with county election equipment to prove her point?

E) In addition to jobs, the economic report Friday showed that wages compared inflation in what way?

F) Tuesday October 1 saw a new president take the reins in Mexico. What is the name of Mexico’s new leader?

G) The New Mexican leader took over from what highly popular president?

H) In the medical front, Canada is dealing with a small outbreak of salmonella with what little sometimes household pet at the center of the outbreak?

I) In Germany and Rwanda, officials are hoping they acted fast enough to contain an often fatal disease called Marburg disease which cause what organs to bleed?

J) Iowa’s AG Brenna Bird has joined a lawsuit against Massachusetts concerning Massachusetts laws on how producers of what raise their product?

K) Workers at what Cedar Rapids milling company went on strike Tuesday for more money and for respect?

L) Dock workers went on strike Tuesday in a move that may have affected the election. That was averted when what happened Thursday?

M) Thanks to RW social media, people began to do what – something they often do in the face of a disaster?

N) Speaking of disasters, DonOLD Trump was embarrassed as he lied about the FEMA response to what disaster?

O) Jimmy Carter reached 100 years of age Tuesday. How many other presidents lived past 90?

P) What two politicians appeared before a friendly crowd in front of the building where the Republican Party was founded in Ripon, Wisconsin  Thursday?

Q) Special Prosecutor Jack Smith filed a document refuting that Trump was acting in an official capacity on January 6th, 2021 in response to a decision by what constitutional body?

R) Here in Iowa, the Cook Report which rates political races moved which two districts from “lean R” to “toss-up” Thursday?

S) DonOLD Trump owes over $1 million going back as far as 2016 to various cities for what?

T) Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds said she wait until after the election to name her new what?

Based on Jack Smith’s latest filing it’s obvious that Trump will go to prison if he loses the election. This is what makes him so dangerous, folks. He will say and do anything to stay out of jail. Anything. – Liam Nissan

Answers:

A) 254,000. Also the unemployment average went down. All in all a very robust report! 

B) Melania Trump 

C) 9 years in prison. FYI Peters is 69 years old

D) that the 2020 election was stolen

E) Wages went up at 4% rate while inflation was at 2%. So workers gained a bit

F) Claudia Steinbaum

G) AMLO – Andrés Manuel López Obrador

H) the Gekko

I) eyes. Much worse than ebola. Officials are doing all they can to contain it

J) Massachusetts passed a law against sell pork from pigs raised in confinement operations

K) Cargill

L) an agreement was reached pending approval. So dockworkers were back on the job Friday

M) hoarding toilet paper. Strange reaction since toilet paper is made and shipped within our borders. Do you know anyone who uses imported TP?

N) Hurricane Helene. Biden and Harris have garnered praise for their response including pre-deployment of equipment

O) 5 – They are Herbert Hoover (90), John Adams (90), Ronald Reagan (93), Gerald Ford (93), and George H.W. Bush (94).

P) Democratic Presidential candidate Kamala Harris and former Republican congress member Liz Cheney

Q) SCOTUS which said a president would be immune from prosecution when acting in an official capacity

R) Ia-01 (Bohannan v. Miller-Meeks) and Ia-03 (Baccam v. Nunn)

S) Charges for expenses those cities for incurred due to trump campaign appearances.

T) Lieutenant Governor. I am willing to bet few can name her former Lt. Governor (including Kim herself)

What’s breathtaking about Vance is that he tells a personal story of govt helping him out – food stamps, grandmother’s social security, GI Bill funding his college. But he stands for taking all that away. – Edward Luce 

Finally a small reminder of what a Trump presidency using Project 2025 could do: 1 minute:

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Reminder: Health Care Is Still An Issue

Posted on October 5, 2024 by Dave Bradley

British guess cost of US Health care (5 minutes)

Note this video is 4 years old:

The corporate media pretty much sets the agenda for our elections. Understanding that “corporate” media is also a nice way of saying that the media is controlled by leadership that bends a knee to the Republican (now MAGA) Party. 

The agenda that the corporate media has set for this year includes 1) making immigrants into a super evil entity in this country 2) misogyny (Hatred of women) 3) ignoring DonOLD Trump’s criminal background and 4) the make-believe tales that MAGAs invent out of whole cloth that corporate media features to divert from real issues.

So I want to remind readers that there are real issues. Two issues in particular have been almost completely ignored and subsumed by the corporate media I guess in an attempt to avoid bringing them up because MAGAs are so awful on them. One is health care that I will say a few things on today. The other is climate change which I will discuss tomorrow.

I was reminded this week of what a gawd-awful system of health care the USA has. As I have said before we get half the care of other countries at more than twice the price. In health care the USA is in a class by itself in what I would call a fourth world country.

We pay for a Rolls Royce and get a Yugo. The US does not really have a system. It is more of bunch of disconnected entities that do not function together. Rather than a holistic approach to a person in medical need it is much more of a series of mechanics specializing in a single part or system. And then there are the payments for those services that are another structure outside but attached to the health care system.

The US has arrived at this state due to some untouchable political issues that politicians have been exploiting for centuries. One is of course racism. Using disinformation and misinformation since the first ships with slaves came from Africa racism has colored many political decisions in this country. One of course is who “deserves” health care.

Another force in creating this god-awful mess is religion. Once again we have people who is worthy of getting health care and whether a certain procedure fits within a given religion’s doctrines. For example, no abortions in Catholic hospitals. 

One other stopper is the recognition by the MAGA Party that if Americans were able to get universal health care, then MAGAs would have a hard time winning any election at any level. Thus stopping any upgrade to health care is at the top of any MAGA playbook. 

Finally and probably most significant is money, especially these days the role of “insurance.” These days some bureaucrat sitting in a corner office makes decisions on whether a procedure will be done or not. Often the most significant question to be answered by the bureaucrat is the insurance company’s financial position and not the patient’s health or the doctor’s statements.

That is probably the worst part of the situation, but there is also the role of the specialist and whether or not they will take insurance or government sponsored coverage. Just to add to that there is also the variety of doctors specializing in eyes or teeth who are not covered by insurance. For an individual, it is overwhelming.

An individual these days almost fears a trip to the doctor’s office for fear that something will be uncovered that will wipe out their life savings despite having medical insurance as some bureaucrat decided to procedure wasn’t needed or wasn’t covered. So the choice is lose your life savings or maybe your life.

I could expand on the above scenario forever. Many reading this no doubt have their own horror story of having to make a decision for themselves or their child. Whatever the case we have to ask ourselves – why in a political system where we (the people) supposedly are the ones who decide what we can do for ourselves – do we put up with such an antiquated, expensive system?

We have the power to change it. Even though health care as a specific topic is not on the ballot this year, you can be assured that it is on the candidates for office issues list. And it is not hard to figure out who is on what side. Democrats are on the side of creating a universal health care system that will save us huge money while delivering vastly better outcomes.

MAGAs on the other hand, are greatly in favor of our current antiquated system that wastes money, discriminates, and puts huge, huge returns in the pockets of insurance companies that have nothing to do with your health outcome. But they do have a lot to do with access to the system and your monetary outcome.

It only makes sense that America upgrade its health system to be the best in the world. We can do it if we want to. And that begins by voting for Democrats this fall from the White House to the court house. From Kamala Harris to your local legislator.

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Revealing What Kind Of A State We Are

Posted on October 5, 2024 by Dave Bradley

1 minute – the Lincoln project:

 

My wife and I were discussing the state of the presidential race as the Jack Smith evidence bomb was being revealed on the cable newser we were watching. What we were mulling over was how nearly half of America’s voting public could cast a vote for a wannabe dictator without batting an eye.

One thing we both agreed on was that the state of the former Republican Party in this country is truly sad. In among their various office holders, candidates, party officials and various water carriers there are only a handful who have stood up to the Trump lying machine and said “NO” to them.

Recently there have been quite a few addition of former Trump staffers who have come out and said that Trump is not fit for office. For the most part, however, MAGA party members have remained loyal to the Liar in Chief. As we discussed this the only reason we could come up with is that the followers are much more interested in votes or power than they are interested in truth and doing the correct thing.

So far as I know, up until just very recently about the only names that were floated as people who stood up to Trump were Liz Cheney, Adam Kissinger, the Arizona House Speaker Rusty Bowers (I think) and Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger. In a party of tens of millions that is one damn short list.

There are probably a few more that some of you can name, but the point is that those who stand for reality, our system of government and our judicial system should well be over half of the former Republican Party. Instead it is only a handful of people who have had to withstand constant death threats and harassment for standing for the truth.

Democrats had no problem seeing through Trump’s criminal activity and calling it out. From the courthouse to the White House, Democratic leaders have been standing up to the criminality. 

All this to bring up what may be the most important unspoken issue of this campaign: leaders ability to assess situations and come up with responses to the reality of those situations. The MAGA Party currently lives in a make-believe world with constantly changing stories made to fit their refusal to deal with reality.

Outside of the few people mentioned above there simply are no MAGA party members who deal with reality. That means that by voting for congressional candidates such as Miller-Meeks, Ashley Hinson, Zack Nunn and Randy Feenstra you will be voting for people who do not deal with reality.

Iowa’s congress members live in the fear that they make a misstep, Trump will turn on them and they will be out in a second like Cheney and Kissinger. Iowa should be represented by members who have the courage of their convictions. They must also be represented by members who deal in reality instead of the make believe world that DonOLD Trump lives in.

Iowa was once well known for its common sense. Iowa was once known as being very fair in its policies and in its solutions to problems. Under the leadership of Kim Reynolds and now Steve King acolyte Brenna Bird, Iowa is now among the most extreme of states rubbing elbows with former confederate states very comfortably. It is sad to see the extremist right turn Iowa has made in the past two decades.

The upcoming election will tell us where Iowa stands these days. Do we cast our lot with those who reside in a make-believe world headed by a wannabe dictator? Or does Iowa return to a sensible state with common sense picking leaders that deal with reality. 

Voting for Democratic Congressional candidates Christina Bohannan, Sarah Corkery, Lannon Baccam and Ryan Melton will signal to the country that Iowa is ready to regain their former standing as a state that can handle reality and will choose leaders with good old common sense.

Don’t forget the down ballot either. Iowa’s MAGA legislators are among the worst in following the make-believe world of DonOLD Trump. Be sure to vote for Democrats who will once again  bring reality and common sense back to Des Moines.

Then we can set our sights on removing the country’s most disliked governor in 2026. Plus it will be a good time to bring in an attorney general who deals in reality to replace the current Steve King clone who makes  a mockery of Iowa’s laws.

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Liz Cheney Campaigns For Kamala Harris In Wisconsin

Posted on October 4, 2024 by Trish Nelson

Photo: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

“As a conservative, as a patriot, as a mother, as someone who reveres our constitution, I am honored to join her in this urgent cause.”  – Liz Cheney

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Will Iowa Voters Protest Six-Week Abortion Ban?

Posted on October 3, 2024 by Trish Nelson

Iowans for Health Liberty is “a coalition of Iowans who support the rights of patients to choose the care that is best for them.”  They are endorsing candidates for the Iowa legislature.  Check out this list before you vote.  Follow Iowans for Health Liberty on Facebook  Twitter  Instagram. Donate here

https://www.desmoinesregister.com
— A PAC is funneling money toward candidates running for seats in the state Legislature after Iowa’s 6-week abortion ban.

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Miller-Meeks Let Farm Bill Expire

Posted on October 2, 2024 by Trish Nelson

From our inbox:

Miller-Meeks Lets Farm Bill Expire (Again) To Focus on Her Campaign

The Farm Bill is expiring today (Sept. 30) after Mariannette Miller-Meeks left Washington for the next month to prioritize her campaign. Miller-Meeks should have passed a new five year Farm Bill a year ago – instead, she let it expire for nearly 50 days last year and has failed to pass a new one yet again.

Over the last two years, Miller-Meeks has done nothing to pass a new five year Farm Bill, putting 84,900 farms and 14,890 dairy jobs in Iowa at risk of missing out on critical monthly payments.

Iowa families will also pay the price – failure to pass a new Farm Bill could cost U.S. taxpayers nearly $20 billion dollars and more than double the price of milk at grocery stores.

September 30, 2024

PAID FOR BY DCCC. DCCC.ORG. NOT AUTHORIZED BY ANY CANDIDATE OR CANDIDATE’S COMMITTEE.

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Ann Selzer on Iowa Press

Posted on October 1, 2024 by Trish Nelson

In this episode of Iowa Press, Ann Selzer talks about the latest Iowa poll and the “spectacular changes” in the way the electorate is thinking.

Erin Murphy can’t believe the numbers and begs Selzer to say it isn’t so.

Meanwhile Dave Price speaks for the “haters.”

Selzer reminds that it always comes down to turnout.

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Important Information For Iowa Voters

Posted on September 30, 2024 by Trish Nelson

Early voting in Iowa starts October 16. It is recommended to make a plan to vote.

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Thwaites Glacier: A Real Threat

Posted on September 29, 2024 by Dave Bradley

7 minutes:

As America goes through another inane presidential cycle with media concentrating on the horse race and the “He said, She said” blaming, real serious threats slowly mount past a point where they can be stopped.

The Trump campaign makes its bones on lies against pretty much any and all “others” – women, Jews, Haitians, Muslims and now you can even add Catholics to the mix – in an effort to divide the country while ignoring real imminent danger caused by human activity. 

We are talking climate change and the increasingly uninhabitable planet we have created for ourselves. Scientists tell us there is still time to reverse some of the worst effects of climate change but we must start taking action now and it must be drastic.

We know what will happen based on studies by scientists and what climate history has told us. Previous predictions have warned us of increasingly hot weather, bigger stronger storms with much more rain and rising oceans. So far they have only been wrong on how soon we will see these effects. The effects are happening much earlier than anticipated.

In the past few years climate scientists have focused much attention on an Antarctic glacier called the Thwaites Glacier. The Thwaites Glacier is also known as the “Doomsday Glacier” among scientists because when it finally melts it will be one of the leading indicators of doomsday on our planet. Remember folks there is no Planet B. Right now this is the only planet we have to live on.

Just to remind you – I hope you have given some consideration to the consequences of climate change when you vote – here are some excerpts from the highly regarded Scientific American concerning the effects of the Doomsday Glacier:   

At the bottom of the Earth sits a massive bowl of ice you may know as the West Antarctic ice sheet. Each day, the ocean laps away at its base, slowly eroding the glaciers that line its rim. When they inevitably give in, the sea will begin to fill the basin, claiming the ice for its own and flooding coastlines around the world.

Thwaites Glacier is one of the bulwarks guarding against the collapse of this critical ice sheet, most of which rests below sea level and holds enough ice to raise the ocean by 3.3 meters, or almost 11 feet. Unfortunately, this frosty Goliath, the size of Florida, is also one of the world’s most unstable and fastest-melting glaciers. While glaciologists knew its rate of ice loss was dire, they recently discovered that it’s exposed to far more warming water than previously believed. In a study published last week, scientists using satellite imagery and hydraulic modeling found that warming tidal currents are permeating the massive block of ice at depths as great as 3.7 miles, causing “vigorous melting.”

Thwaites Glacier, often dubbed the “Doomsday Glacier,” already accounts for 4 percent of the planet’s sea level rise and loses 50 billion tons of ice annually. When it collapses, it could raise oceans worldwide by 65 centimeters, or just over 2 feet. “It doesn’t sound like a lot, but if you think of how much ocean water we have in the world, that’s a huge volume,” said Dow.

<< snip >>

As climate change drives global temperatures ever higher, glaciers and ice sheets in polar and mountainous regions inevitably melt. The water and dislodged ice flows into the oceans, causing them to rise. Since 1880, global sea levels have climbed roughly 9 inches, and any sudden increase could be catastrophic for coastal cities like New York, Mumbai, and Shanghai. Low-lying countries like the Marshall Islands and Tuvalu could be submerged entirely.  

Let me add that the Thwaites Glacier is only a leading indicator. Water locked up in glaciers around the world is being released in similar fashion adding to the rising oceans. And of course as the ice melts, temperatures rise which in turn allows the atmosphere to hold more water.

This in turn creates the changes in climate that make for higher rainfalls and flooding or contrarily, little rainfall and drought.

We need leadership that will take on real problems, not the fantasies that the demented MAGA imagination creates. Climate change is a real problem that we still have time to work on. Kamala Harris and Democrats in congress and in state legislatures will address these problems. We all know Trump and the MAGAs will have their hands out for a “tip” from polluters, as the SCOTUS described bribes last term.

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Sunday Funday: Smell Test Edition

Posted on September 29, 2024 by Dave Bradley

Robert Reich on Trump economics (4.5 minutes:)

I have been reading that there is some concern over whether the current first district congress member, Marionette Miller-Meeks, actually lives in the district or not. While we all like to think OUR congress member should reside in OUR district I don’t believe they have to.

I seem to recall a Minnesota congressman from the Duluth area whose wife got a professorship in Pittsburgh, Pa. He kept his seat after he moved to Pittsburgh. And the good people of Duluth tossed his ass out the next election. You have the power to remove faulty congress members. Miller-Meeks seat is not a heritage and in my humble opinion she is definitely faulty. This just doesn’t pass the ever famous smell test.

We need some fall! And an end to political commercials! We will try to throw in some old time autumn questions this round.

A) Must be something in the water in NYC. Who got indicted on numerous felonies Thursday in NYC?

B) Were #1! Hey, it was reported this week that Iowa produced more of this than any other state?

C) Justice may be on the horizon! A judge in the Sandy Hook disinformation case ruled that whose assets will be sold off in November to satisfy the $1 B settlement against him?

D) House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries reminds us that last Friday was the 30th anniversary of the introduction of what disastrous Republican document of policy positions?

E) Fall means delicious apples. Can you remember the real name of the guy known as Johnny Appleseed who planted apple seeds as he wandered across the US?

F) As DonOLD Trump paints a dystopian picture of the US, how did crime statistics gathered by the FBI come in this week?

G) Inflation stats were released Friday. How did inflation for August fare against the Federal Reserve’s goal of 2%?

H) Who was named Rookie of the Year in the WNBA this week?

I)  Next Tuesday night (October 1) Americans will see what leaders engage in a debate?

J) What fall month sees the birth of more babies than any other month?

K) Despite continuing revelations of more inflammatory comments and having his staff quit, Mark Robinson continues his campaign for governor of what state?

L) What SE Asian country recognized same-sex marriages last week?

M) In a truly unexpected move what nation has committed to increasing oil production by December?

N) On the eve of the start of a defamation lawsuit that could end the company, what RW newser settled out of court with Smartmatic Election?

O) What town in Illinois is considered (by someone) to be the pumpkin capital of the world?

P) DonOLD threatened what midwestern based company with a 200% tariff if they moved some production to Mexico?

Q) A tenth death has been assigned to a listeria outbreak caused by deli meat from what company?

R) Democrats care! Democrats in the House bailed out MAGAs on what issue last week?

S) In California the Attorney General has sued Exxon for misleading the state on what practice?

T) The blue light dims. Last week it was announced that the final store in what once mighty chain will lock its door in Bridgehampton, NY on October 20th?

The Trump justices invented presidential immunity, and then didn’t even carve out treason. – Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse

Note: in a speech last week Trump (a man accused of many rapes) said

“You will no longer be abandoned, lonely or scared. You will no longer be in danger. … You will no longer have anxiety from all of the problems our country has today,” Trump said. “You will be protected, and I will be your protector.”

Answers:

A) The Mayor, Eric Adams

B) hog manure

C) Alex Jones

D) “The Contract On America” this year’s version is “Project 2025”

E) John Chapman

F) crime down often by double digits almost across the board. 

G) inflation came in at 2.2% so they hit it. Way to go Biden / Harris

H) Caitlin Clark

I) VP candidates Tim Walz and JD Vance

J) September

K) North Carolina

L) Thailand

M) Saudi Arabia

N) NewsMax

O) Morton, Illinois – they do have a fun pumpkin fest every September

P) John Deere

Q) Boar’s Head

R) keeping the government open

S) recycling of plastics. This could be very interesting

T) Kmart

There are now 16 “centibillionaires” worth $100 billion or more.

These individuals have grown $414 billion richer this year alone, and are worth a collective $2.4 trillion.

16 people…

Once again: It’s not radical to tax the rich. It’s radical to allow this level of extreme wealth concentration to continue. – Robert Reich

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