New Hero

Mayor Ted Wheeler of Portland, Oregon, said it plainly this weekend: Benedict Donald needs to go away. Addressing Trump directly is also a nice touch (which Joe Biden did as well, in his terrific speech this afternoon). We cats PURR.

Bad Ad.

By Sniffles

Joe Biden put out a powerful statement today that basically reminded America that Benedict Donald is the same guy who took out this 1989 ad against the (later proven innocent) Central Park Five.

Thirty-one years later, the nation knows that the ad was a piece of crap, and so is the person who paid for it. Problem is, that person is the current occupant of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. And just like back in the day, he's tossing gasoline on a national fire — and now, armed yahoos in pickup trucks flying Trump flags are heading into places like Portland, Oregon, to shoot people.

"What does President Trump think will happen when he continues to insist on fanning the flames of hate and division in our society and using the politics of fear to whip up his supporters?" Biden asked. "The job of the President is to lower the temperature... Donald Trump has been President for almost four years. The temperature in the country is higher, tensions run stronger, divisions run deeper. And all of us are less safe because Donald Trump can't do the job of the American President."

Expect more of this tomorrow, when Biden travels to Pennsylvania for a speech — or maybe we should say, when Biden holds an event and continues to act more like a President that the cretin who currently is.

We all just have to hang on until we can end this nightmare on November 3. In the meantime, in the words of a favorite tweep: "This [statement] is exactly right by Biden. It's also exactly what polls show most Americans think, and only people who spend too much time on [social media] don't realize this. Fortunately for Democrats, Biden is not one of them and consistently speaks for the country instead of Twitter." We cats PURR.

Here's What We Can Do

By Hubie and Bertie

Maybe you've heard that the office of the Director of National Intelligence has stopped briefing Congress on election interference? This is the kind of thing that happens in an autocracy.

Thankfully, the United States is not an autocracy — yet. But since Congressional Republicans appear to be okay with protecting Trump and the Russians, here's what we all need to do.

Call your member of Congress. Every message that hits members' voice mailboxes tells them their chances of winning re-election. The phone number is (202) 224-3121. You will reach the US Capitol operator, so just ask for your member by name. When you reach the office, be polite. Tell them you want the DNI to brief Congress on Russia's attack on this election.

Also, find your Congressperson's and both your Senators' USPS addresses. They take written letters very seriously in an election year. If you can, send a fax as well. Those count, too.

If you live near your Representative's or Senator's office (state, district or DC), walk in. Be polite and well-dressed. Inform the staff you want to leave a personal message: You want Russian election attacks briefed to Congress and our elections to be protected. This will matter to staff.

Then, write a letter to the editor in your local newspaper. Say that you want Russia's attacks on democracy investigated, but that it appears that some elected officials are derelict in their duty. (Hint, hint.) Campaign staff will absolutely see those, and local media will likely cover the issue more.

The most important point here is that all politics is local. Your member of Congress wants to keep his/her job, and so does his or her district staff. If you're in a swing district, you'll have even more sway. But even if you're not (like us), they know that in a blue tsunami year, anything can happen. Get your vote heard. We cats PURR.

42, Gone At 43

 

Advice of the day: African-American friends, we know you don't trust the medical establishment. You have good reasons. But please, insist on getting screened for cancer. We love and need you. Thank you!

Hairball Hacking Time

By Miss Kubelik

Everyone who has the White House on his or her résumé, as we cats do, was appalled at what happened on the South Lawn last night. And every American should be, too.

Trumpy tweeps, particularly the FOX "News" crew, tried to claim today that it was A-OK for Trump to use the White House as his political backdrop because Joe Biden had accepted his nomination "from his house." Except that Joe Biden didn't — he spoke from the Chase Center in Wilmington. And Joe Biden would never dream of sullying the Executive Mansion with huge Biden-Harris signs.

But here's the most important point, and media, please take note: What Benedict Donald's been doing is not a "blurring of the lines" thing. It's a violation of everything the United States stands for. We do not have a king. It is not l'etat c'est moi. The White House belongs to the American people, even those who didn't vote for its current occupant. It does not belong to that current occupant, no matter who he/she is.

Every President has understood that, until now. The fact that Trump rushed to violate that, and that so many Republicans were willing to go along with it, is sickening.

We used to think Benedict Donald wanted to be Vladimir Putin, but we were wrong. He wants to be a freaking czar. (When it comes to interior decoration, et. al, he's got the taste of one.) Word of warning to Trump and all his complicit minions: There are no more Russian czars, and there's a reason for that. We cats HISS.

Prebutting In

By Zamboni

What's the chance of rain in DC tonight? Could the skies possibly open and drench all the maskless fools who are gathered on the South Lawn in violation of federal law? Or have we used up all our God points with Hurricane Laura knocking down that Confederate statue in Louisiana?

The Trumpsters are betting too much on the rape of American pageantry. In a few days and weeks, tonight's sh*tshow at the White House will be a fading memory, as parents across the country try to send their kids to school. In too many places, in-person learning will have to be suspended as more and more COVID cases pop up, and chaos will ensue. Heck, chaos is already here. We cats don't have kittens, but it's not difficult to imagine how furious and frustrated Americans with school-age kids will be. (Hint: They won't be taking it out on Joe Biden.)

But there's one thing you can predict about tonight: With her blistering prebuttal speech today, Kamala Harris burrowed deeply under Benedict Donald's thin skin, raising the chances that he'll abandon the teleprompter, go off the rails and call her "nasty" and worse. Check the headlines tomorrow and see. In the meantime, we cats give Senator Harris an ankle rub, and we PURR.

"Build Bark Better"

Okay, yes, it's "National Dog Day" (we cats are not amused), but this is pretty cute. We're good sports, so we'll give it a PURR.

Completely Predictable

 Kyle Rittenhouse, the Kenosha shooter, attended a Trump rally in January, because of course he did.

High Volume, Low Substance

By Baxter

Contrary to the old saw "It's all over but the shouting," the Republicans kicked off their whatever-it-is convention with a lot of... well, shouting. (Is that why Gavin Newsom divorced Kimberly Guilfoyle so many moons ago? She was breaking his eardrums? Thankfully, Americans are taking up the #GuilfoyleChallenge.)

Republicans also have no party platform this year beyond fealty to Benedict Donald. We knew the GOP was on its last legs, but that's pretty astonishing. They have no plans for the pandemic, for getting the economy back on track and people back to work, for anything. They're not even pretending. That rumble that folks in Springfield, Illinois, are feeling is Abraham Lincoln, spinning in his grave.

Meanwhile, Joe Biden has put out plans for the economy, race relations, clean energy, healthcare, education, and yes, the pandemic — plus more. They're all here.

Democrats are taking democracy seriously and giving voters the respect they deserve. Maybe that's why they got three million more viewers on their convention's first night than the Trumpsters did. We cats PURR.

(IMAGE: Michael de Adder)

Inauspicious Start, Part Deux

By Sniffles

Is it just us, or is the day going badly for Benedict Donald?

New York Attorney General Tish James is after Eric Trump's testimony on the Trump Foundation — by subpoena, if necessary.

California Congresswoman Katie Porter got Postmaster General Louis DeJoy to admit that he doesn't know the cost of mailing a post card.

The Conway family is blowing up.

Joe Biden just received his first newspaper endorsement of the general election, from the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

In response to the horrific shooting of Jacob Blake, Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers is calling a special session of the state legislature on policing accountability. (Just because you look like Wally Cox's first cousin doesn't mean you aren't tough.)

Looks like Jerry Falwell really won't be able to campaign for Trump-Poonce this fall.

A judge has sided with the Florida teachers union and has granted a temporary injunction against Ron DeSantis's order to reopen schools, safety be damned.

Somebody yelled "Monkey!" when Trump mentioned President Obama in his "acceptance speech." In case you thought African-American voters weren't already motivated to turn out...

We may have to update this later. Meanwhile, we cats PURR.