Cindy Can Run But She Cannot Hyde (Smith)

 

This is a really good ad. The Senate race in Mississippi — yep, Mississippi — hasn't been on anyone's radar until recently, when things really began to go south for the Republicans. Now, with terrible news on the economy breaking 20 days out, the GOP must truly be losing their damn minds. We cats PURR.

Here's To Leo Batting A Thousand

 

Pope Leo had a cancerous nodule removed from his lung this week. We cats are not really into popes, but the last two have been a breath of fresh air. And Leo, the first American pontiff, tends to annoy the Trumpsters. So let's think good thoughts for him — at the very least, so we can continue with the baseball memes. We cats PURR.

Randy Rainbow Is A Doll

 

The source material is not our favorite Frank Loesser song (although we adore him), but this parody is still one of Randy Rainbow's best! (Aren't they all?) We cats PURR.

Hey, Where'd Everybody Go?

 

Here's something Canadians can be thankful for today: When Ukrainian drones knocked out the Yandex Russian data centers, most of the Alberta separatists disappeared from social media (as well as a good chunk of Pierre Poilievre's Conservative tweeters and skeeters). Kind of makes you think, doesn't it? We cats PURR.

It's The Midterms, And Democrats Are Cookin'

By Hubie and Bertie

This Canadian Thanksgiving, we cats are grateful for the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), which destroyed a large number of Russian-backed bot farms over the last few days. The Ukrainians shut down huge networks that push pro-Russian narratives about the war — and about our politics here at home. Twitter and Bluesky peeps have noticed a sudden dearth of bots in their feeds. Nice work, SBU!

No wonder Benedict Donald, Vlad Putin's biggest fan, is so mad.

It's unclear how long the bots will be offline, but everyone should enjoy the silence while it lasts. It gives us more time and head space to prepare for November 3. The midterms are underway, with early voting beginning in eight more states this week:

• October 13 — Georgia and Idaho
• October 14 — Iowa, Rhode Island, and Tennessee
• October 15 — North Carolina
• October 17 — Massachusetts and Nevada

And don't forget that October 17 is also No Kings Day! Plan to attend an early-voting-themed rally near you!

Meanwhile, here are a couple of handy tips for what to watch out for on Election Night.

First, keep your eye on Virginia, where the Trumpsters are playing defense in some key Congressional races, even though the Democrats' redistricting plan got tossed by the courts. Governor Abigail Spanberger told reporter Scott MacFarlane, "We are on a strong path to flipping multiple seats. I say: three. On a great night, it could be four." Why? Hispanic voters are furious at Trump, so watch for returns from VA-01 and VA-02 early in the evening (polls in Virginia close at 7 PM).

Another poll closure to note will be in the Florida Panhandle, which votes ruby-red. It's also in Central time, so if the clock strikes 8 PM Eastern and the networks don't instantly call the Senate race for Ashley Moody, Republicans will be having a bad night in Florida.

Finally, it'll be fun to see what happens in NJ-07, which was without a Congressman for months this year when Tom Kean, Jr. went AWOL. Sabato's Crystal Ball has moved the race from a "Toss-Up" to "Leans Democratic." Polls close in New Jersey at 8 PM. We cats PURR.

(IMAGE: Dignity, always dignity.)

Now, That's The Christmas Spirit!

By Miss Kubelik

There's a chance — not a big one, but a chance — that Trump and the white supremacist Hegseth back down on their pledge to livestream the execution of Nidal Nasan on December 3. Mostly because so much of what they say/pledge/bleat turns out to be utter nonsense. So pace your outrage accordingly.

But if they go forward with it, the whole national-security argument seems the most potent. Nidal is in a wheelchair, but even if he weren't, to be shot in front of the world by a firing squad will just serve to make him an uber-martyr — and the terrorists that the Trumpsters claim to be so against are thrilled to have martyrs. Are we right?

And if not national security, then, goodness gracious — how unseemly to be livestreaming an execution just when the holiday shopping season is underway, when Hanukkah starts the very next day, and when people are probably watching "A Charlie Brown Christmas" on TV. Chestnuts roasting on an open fire, not. Is this what we've become?

Our first thought was that not only are we losing to Iran, we're becoming Iran. But now we're thinking of Brenton Tarrant, the Christchurch mosque shooter, who not only killed 51 people but livestreamed it on Facebook. Our Secretary of Defense is no better than Tarrant in his bloodthirstiness. Great.

Our other thought was that Albert Camus had it right when he mused on capital punishment in "Reflections on the Guillotine." His argument was that the death penalty was no deterrent unless it was carried out in public. But who wants to live in a society in which people are executed in public? That's something for the North Koreas, Saudi Arabias, Afghanistan — and Iran. Not the United States. We cats HISS.

(IMAGE: Brenton Tarrant, Christchurch mosque killer, who received, by the way, a life sentence without parole.)

Oh, Blake! (The Sequel)

By Zamboni

We cats didn't expect to be back on the Blake Gendebien beat so soon, but the online politicos are agog today about a new Siena poll that shows him leading the unappealing Sticker Mule CEO Anthony Constantino for Congress in NY-21, 46 percent to 42 percent. (Blake's on the left in the image above.)

This poll is within the margin of error, but it just adds to the pileup of headlines painting dire pictures for the Republicans in the run-up to the midterms. Elise "Elsie" Stefanik's would-be GOP successor running behind his Democratic opponent ranks right up there with other bad tidings for the Trumpsters — like the fact that there's a competitive Senate race in Kansas, of all places, or that Cook Political Report just shifted 18 more House ratings (including NY-21) the Democrats' way.

NY-21 hasn't elected a Democrat to the House since Bill Owens's re-election in 2012. It's tempting to view the Siena poll as symbolic of Trump's toxicity, but there are a number of reasons for this.

The Republicans had a messy primary. MAGAt Constantino ran against Assemblyman Robert Smullen, the establishment's choice, and went after him as you'd imagine any Trumpster would do. Things got so nasty that at one point, Smullen refused to shake Constantino's hand at an event. (Bad look.) Defamation lawsuits were flying. Some have declined to endorse Mr. Sticker Mule, with the Conservative Party (yes, New York is weird) leaving their ballot line blank rather than support him.

Constantino is volatile and unserious. Which is a polite way of saying that he behaves just like the malevolent Toddler-in-Chief. For example, the last time a poll showed him trailing Gendebien in the race, Constantino threatened to sue the pollster, SurveyUSA, and sic the FCC on the poll's sponsor, NewsChannel 13 in Albany. This is not the way a sensible grown-up conducts himself.

People are tired of the shtick. Polls and races across the country have shown voters' weariness with Benedict Donald and his entire road show of fear, chaos, and division. Constantino embodies all that.

Trump's trade war with Canada is killing the North Country. Constantino supports Donald's ridiculous tariffs, which is an incredibly stupid position to take in a district that views Canada as a neighbor and essential economic partner. But Constantino worships at the altar of Trump.

Blake Gendebien is a good candidate. Like other Democrats — like Adam Hamilton in Kansas — Blake is a thoughtful, non-bombastic person who listens to voters and addresses their concerns. He opposes the Trump policies that raise prices on NY-21's farmers and businesses. All of which means that even if he weren't leading Sticker Mule Man in the polls, we'd still be writing postcards for him. We cats PURR.

Palling Around With Jeffrey

By Baxter

We cats have kept our eyes on the continuing scandalous swirl around Bard College president Leon Botstein, who has stubbornly tried to limit the damage to his privileged life ever since he got ensnared in the Epstein files. Botstein's relationship with Epstein, which Botsein has insisted was just related to cultivating the pedophile as a donor, has been coming out in dribs and drabs. Now, though, we might just be at the definitive drib and drab.

"A powerful Democratic lawmaker" — that would be Jamie Raskin — "has called for a criminal investigation into former Bard College president Leon Botstein after Congressional investigators uncovered an email from Botstein to accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein in which he says Botstein asked if a young woman was 'for me, or are you keeping her for yourself?'

"The latest development appears to have triggered the immediate resignation of Botstein from all Bard-affiliated positions, including his professorship and roles in Bard’s music programs," The Guardian reported. "Botstein had led the college for 50 years and only recently stepped down as president."

Incredible. The Bard community has tried mightily to brush over Bostein's Epstein allegations, allowing him to "retire" from his college presidency, but keep his cushy on-campus housing and his position as Bard's orchestral conductor, among other perks. Why, oh why, do institutions cloak and protect their evildoers? And oh, by the way, the offending email had been initially redacted by the Department of Justice. So throw them into the mix — because, of course, all Epstein roads inevitably lead to Benedict Donald, right?

Well, at least this latest outrage has made Leon give up all his Bard goodies, and now (with any luck) he may be facing criminal indictment. Maybe Tish James can spare a few minutes from her Cornell investigation to look into it? Meanwhile, we cats are pleased to see Botstein get some kind of comeuppance, and that makes us PURR.

Oh, Blake!

By Sniffles

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee recently added New York's 21st district to its "Red to Blue" list — which means they think it's winnable, and worth dumping some money into. And why not? The Republican candidate, Anthony Constantino, has become so alarmed over recent polls that he's accusing Democrat Blake Gendebien of illegal garbage dumping — on his own dairy farm.

How does he know? He hired a private detective company from Saratoga Springs to survey the Gendebien property in St. Lawrence County with video-taking drones. What Constantino neglected to mention is that the Department of Environmental Conservation has already said that Gendebien has done nothing wrong. "Six-dollar diesel is making farming hard enough without this weirdo drone stalking my home and business," Blake said. “I’ve already been cleared here.”

So, Blake Gendebien's farm wouldn't pass the Martha Stewart* neatness test? No working farm would. The fake outrage needs to stop because, as Gendebien has pointed out, it just shows how little Constantino knows about farming (which a lot of NY-21 voters do).

We're also not sure how Constantino's drone video "exposé" lowers the cost of gas and groceries. Will any enterprising journalist ask him that question? We cats HISS and PURR at the same time.

*Martha writes picture books about gracious living. She says that nothing else matters if you can do a nice dried floral arrangement.

Shrinkage

 

By Hubie and Bertie

We cats love this photo pair, mostly because inflatables should be banned from planet Earth. But it's also a potential metaphor for the state of the Republican Party.

Larry Sabato from the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia has flagged a new Gallup poll of party identification: For the third quarter of 2026, respondents who identified with the Democratic Party led those who aligned with the GOP, 50 percent to 39 percent.

"Pay attention to this one," he says. "Plus-eleven D for party ID = largest Dem lead since early 2009 (Obama inauguration).

"Gallup is not just another poll; it’s the gold standard."

Sabato refuses, though, to predict that the midterms will wipe out the Republican Party for now and ever, which is sad, because we're convinced that the only way the country will be saved is if the GOP is destroyed and rebuilt — think 1850s-style stuff. Kind of like how colleges need to completely root out fraternities from their campuses. Just our $0.02. We cats HISS and PURR at the same time.