Democrats

Things Gotta Breathe

Fandango17 Comments

60BACCE3-A1AA-433E-BA95-5BA54AA4AC67During an interview with Stephen Colbert, Jon Stewart, with respect to the wearing of masks and maintaining social distancing, said, “The politicization of basic hygiene has been one of the more surprising aspects of the pandemic.”

He’s right. COVID-19 cases have surged in recent weeks, yet even in the face of emerging evidence showing that wearing face coverings can slow the transmission of COVID-19, the ridiculous debate over whether to require face coverings in public has become increasingly politicized.

A recent Quinnipiac University poll showed overwhelming support among Democrats for mask wearing, but a little more than one-third of Republicans feel the same. Why is that?

Sorry, that was another rhetorical question. We all know why that is.

In the meantime, this reason for not wearing a mask, which took place at a public hearing in Palm Beach, Florida, is a hilarious case of, um, oversharing.

When They Go Low, Kick ‘em in the Nuts

Fandango56 Comments

Bill Maher has suggested that the Democrats need to fight as dirty as the Republicans do. The Dems are too nice, he says. They follow all the traditional rules of politics. The Republicans, on the other hand, lie and cheat and make their own rules. And they play by their own dirty rules.

So Maher and his Real Time with Bill Maher staff put together this commercial that they think the Dems should air. And you know what? I couldn’t agree more! It’s time for the Dems to start playing by their own rules too. Otherwise, America is fucked!

Who Won The Week? 11/10/19

Fandango13 Comments

10CC3057-4EEA-4C80-B8C1-700C0FC6C906It’s time for another Who Won the Week prompt. The idea behind Who Won the Week is for you to select who you think “won” this past week. Your selection can be anyone or anything — politicians, celebrities, athletes, authors, bloggers, your friends or family members, books, movies, TV shows, businesses, organizations, whatever.

I will be posting this prompt on Sunday mornings (my time). If you want to participate, write your own post designating who you think won the week and why you think they deserve your nod. Then link back to this post and tag you post with FWWTW.

My pick for this week is The Equal Rights Amendment.

What is the Equal Rights Amendment, you ask? That’s an excellent question. The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) is a proposed amendment to the United States Constitution designed to guarantee equal legal rights for all American citizens regardless of sex. It seeks to end the legal distinctions between men and women in terms of divorce, property, employment, and other matters. No brainer, right?

The ERA was originally introduced in Congress in December 1923 — nearly a century ago. In order for the ERA to be added to the U.S. Constitution, it must be ratified by 38 of the 50 states. Right now, 37 states have ratified the ERA, although five state legislatures (Idaho, Kentucky, Nebraska, Tennessee, and South Dakota) voted to revoke their ERA ratifications. But it remains an unresolved legal question as to whether a state can revoke its ratification of a federal constitutional amendment.

So why do I think the Equal Rights Amendment won the week? This past Tuesday, the elections in Virginia turned that state blue. Democrats won control of Virginia’s legislature and it has a Democratic governor. The incoming state legislators have expressed their intent to hold a vote on ratification, and, if passed, it would make Virginia the 38th state to ratify the amendment, if the five revoked ratifications are included.

Further action from Congress may be required before the ERA can be admitted as a constitutional amendment, but after 97 years since the ERA was first introduced in Congress, America may finally end the legal distinctions between men and women. It’s about fucking time.

And now it’s your turn, folks. Who (or what) do you think won the week?

Seriously, Mr. President?

Fandango6 Comments

0D35AD3F-49C5-401A-8273-2D2D63834733In an interview with Breitbart News, the President of the United States seems to have threatened violence if Democrats don’t support him.

Claiming that his opponents are treating him unfairly, he praised the toughness and strength of his supporters and predicted that these “tough” supporters will, at some point, end their restraint.

Here is what he said:

“So here’s the thing — it’s so terrible what’s happening. You know, the left plays a tougher game, it’s very funny. I actually think that the people on the right are tougher, but they don’t play it tougher. Okay? I can tell you I have the support of the police, the support of the military, the support of the Bikers for Trump – I have the tough people, but they don’t play it tough — until they go to a certain point, and then it would be very bad, very bad.”

I don’t know how to interpret Trump’s words to be anything but a not-so-subtle threat of violence. Things could get “tough” for Democrats — and maybe for the left in general — he suggested, if they don’t play ball with him.

Is there any other possible way to interpret what he said? Or is this just another case of Trump bluster?

The Continental Divide

Fandango18 Comments

2DAE690D-23F7-43BD-A08C-8F1E1D04FCCEAmerica continues to be a nation divided, and with yesterday’s midterm elections, it now has a Congress divided.

The good news is that, despite gerrymandering that heavily favors Republican candidates in GOP-controlled states, voter suppression efforts, and a series of “glitches” with voting machines, Democrats have regained control of the US House of Representatives, a body that more closely reflects the will of the American people.

But Republicans strengthened their thin majority in the US Senate. For the record, Democratic Senatorial candidates across the board amassed about nine million more votes than did Republican candidates, but because there are more red states than blue ones, and because, with the exception of states like Texas and Florida, most Republican strongholds are more rural states, Republicans held the Senate.

Of course, our demented, clueless president, in another delusional tweet, has claimed victory in “this great Midterm Election,” and calls anything that contradicts his assessment “FAKE NEWS.”C0F69BD4-2741-4685-A3A1-96A3668DC9D9So it wasn’t the “blue tsunami” many Democrats were hoping for, but at least the Republican stranglehold in Congress has been busted.

Unfortunately, confirming nominations for the Supreme Court and other federal judgeships is exclusively the purview of the Senate, so we can expect a continued movement to the far right with respect to the judiciary.

That said, I’m hoping that the Democratic House will impose some checks and balances on Donald Trump, will be more aggressive when it comes to supporting Mueller in his investigations to the 2016 presidential election and possible collusion between Trump and Russia, and will take steps to insure future election integrity, will protect healthcare, Medicare, Social Security, women’s reproductive rights, LGBT rights, and will restore critical environmental protections.

In other words, I’m cautiously optimistic.