Dopplegangers?

Is Jeremy Corbin the Bernie Sanders of the UK? At the very least, he's an old-fogey pain in the ass who refuses to accept reality. Sounds kinda familiar. We cats HISS.

Counterpunch

By Baxter

We cats hate to be superficial or anything, but we hope that someone will tell Secretary Clinton and Senator Warren that they shouldn't both wear blue at the same campaign event.

That said, on the more substantive side, we wholeheartedly approve of today's speeches in Cincinnati. What fun! We just love the way Senator Warren leveled Donald Drumpf, who oh so richly deserves it.

And as you'd expect, Pundit World is consumed with tons of Warren-for-VP questions. We actually believe that Hillary will not ask Warren to join the ticket. Rather, we're thinking that Elizabeth Warren will deliver the nominating speech at the Democratic National Convention. It would be must-see TV. We cats PURR.

Supreme Contempt / Supreme Happiness

By Miss Kubelik

Oh, darn. We cats were so looking forward to seeing Transvaginal Bob McDonnell hauled off to the hoosegow. But now we guess we'll have to wait — maybe forever.

Two big points of consolation, however:

First, did you notice? Chief Justice Roberts's opinion was simply dripping with disdain for the antics of Transvaginal Bob and his greedy, grasping cheerleader wife. "There is no doubt that this case is distasteful; it may be worse than that. But our concern is not with tawdry tales of Ferraris, Rolexes, and ball gowns," he wrote.

Second — and much more important — if given the choice to have Transvaginal Bob reprieved and the reproductive freedom of the women of Texas affirmed, we'll definitely take the latter. Especially since it's the very Constitutional right that Transvaginal Bob worked so hard to restrict when he was abusing the Commonwealth of Virginia as its Governor. We cats PURR.

We Love A Parade

By Zamboni

Here's what we cats know: After the assault weapons ban was passed in 1994, gun death rates dropped — especially gun death rates among police officers, which declined to nothing. So we can't understand why Republicans in Congress would, on principle, be against another ban — except, of course, that they're all paid shills of the NRA.

So we think this banner at today's Gay Pride parade in New York is entirely appropriate. Let's call 'em like we see 'em.

And it looks like Secretary Clinton was having a good time. Maybe she saw this morning's poll from ABC News and The Washington Post. We cats PURR.

Donald Trump Can't Read This (Or Any Other) Electoral Map

By Sniffles

Donald Drumpf, who didn't even know what Brexit was just a few weeks ago, has pronounced it "a great thing." He seems to think that with the markets tumbling and the pound down, he'll get more visitors to his Scottish golf course. What he's forgetting is that the value of that course just dropped five to 10 percent.

We also wonder if Drumpf realizes that he's currently visiting a country that likes the EU, hates him, and will probably revisit independence from the UK very soon. But knowing him, we kinda doubt that he does.

So congratulations, David Cameron. Now you know what Rancid Pieface, Mitt Romney, John McCain, Jeb! Bush, Scott Walker, Baby Marco Rubio and the rest of the GOP clowns have painfully learned: This is what can happen when you decide to appease your haters. We cats HISS.

Going Full Palin

By Baxter

Once again, Donald Drumpf proves himself to be the master of detail, not.

Remember back in 2008, when Katie Couric asked the famous quitter from Alaska what Supreme Court decisions she disagreed with? And no fair citing Roe v. Wade. The famous quitter, who by then was running to be a heartbeat away from the Presidency, whiffed. "I'll try to find ya some and I'll bring 'em to ya."

The 2016 version of the famous quitter is the presumptive Republican nominee, Donald Drumpf. Before heading off to Scotland to look over his golf courses (thus losing a further two days of organizing and fund raising), Drumpf gave an interview to Lester Holt, and immediately starting screaming about how Hillary Clinton's private email server had been hacked.

Holt asked how Drumpf knew that. Whoops.

"I think I read that and I heard it and somebody that also gave me that information," Drumpf stammered. When Holt asked for the proof, Drumpf said, "I will report back to you. I'll give it to you."

(We hope Holt starts a countdown clock to hold Drumpf to this promise. NBC News could put a little graphic in the lower right-hand corner of the screen: "X days since Donald Trump promised evidence of Hillary getting hacked.")

We all should have known eight years ago that Sarah Palin was just the first of her kind. What we didn't expect was that the whole Republican establishment would be stupid enough to let another Palin steal their party out from under them. Although we cats are not sad that it portends sure disaster for the GOP, we still HISS.

Occupy Ryan

By Miss Kubelik

John Lewis knows that when the need is dire, when injustice is great, when people are suffering and dying, you don't stand idly by.

You organize boycotts. You register people to vote. You march across a bridge. You march on Washington. And finally, when you're part of the power structure of Washington yourself, you sit in.

In the words of Martin Luther King: "Non-cooperation with evil is as much a moral obligation as is cooperation with good." We cats PURR.

Sitting In For No Fly, No Buy

By Zamboni

There are plenty of things to be disgusted about today. Baby Marco jumping back into the Florida Senate race. The Drumpf campaign's "full frontal assault" language against Hillary Clinton. (Women voters reeling from stories of campus rape: Please take note.) Republicans trying to squirm out of putting Harriet Tubman on the twenty. Revolting stories, all.

But we're thrilled about the demonstration that's going on in the House of Representatives. Expand background checks? Deny terrorists weapons of mass destruction? Let's get Paul Ryan and the Republicans on record. It's a great day to be a Democrat!

You know what else? Thanks to John Lewis and his fellow Democrats from both houses of Congress, Donald Drumpf's silly "assault" on our 2016 nominee is getting a mere fraction of the coverage he normally would. We cats PURR.

Scots, The Brave

By Sniffles

What a coincidence. Just when Donald Drumpf's campaign seems to be flagging, today's topic du jour is: flags.

We are tickled to report that when Drumpf flies to Scotland this weekend — something that the already shell-shocked GOP is scratching its head about — he will be greeted by the Mexican bandera.

Property owners who are neighbors of Drumpf's Aberdeen golf course are flying the flag of Mexico on their homes.

"It’s just to show solidarity with the Mexican people," one flag-flyer said, "and everyone else that Trump has derided, insulted and intimidated."

It's the perfect just deserts for the guy whose supporters wrap themselves in the Stars and Bars, don'tcha think? We cats PURR.

Child's Play

By Baxter

It's another eventful (and lost) day for the Donald Drumpf campaign, and another instance of Republicans, ha, ha, not speaking English so good. "There was no animosity between Paul [Manafort] and I," fired campaign manager Corey Lewandowski insisted erroneously (in more ways than one). Why do these anti-immigrant people abuse the rules of grammar so?

But back to the floundering Drumpfs. In addition to all the coverage of the Lewandowski sacking, The Washington Post has this handy round-up of the many reasons that Team Trump is in deep political trouble. It's recommended reading all around — as much for the political talking-head class as for the voters (lest the talking heads try to suggest that this simple cosmetic change is the end of the slide).

One more thing that struck us today: Numerous reports assert that it was intense lobbying from Trump's adult children that led him to fire Mr. Thug.

So we guess we're all supposed to assume that aside from himself, when it comes to his Presidential campaign Donald Trump relies most on the political judgment and smarts of Ivanka, Eric and Donald, Jr. Hmmmm: Weren't those the very children who missed the New York state voter registration deadline? Some smarts. We cats PURR.

Absolute Idiot

By Miss Kubelik

We realize that Paul Ryan is not having a good day/week/month, but we're still going to take him to task for a grammatical goof.

Ryan, who is making a continuous fool of himself over Donald Trump, has acknowledged today that some of his desperate fellow Republicans are scheming out a way not to nominate Trump in Cleveland next month, and that as convention chairman he would not interfere.

And then Ryan said of Trump: "I get that this is a very strange situation. He’s a very unique nominee."

No, Paul Ryan! You cannot modify an absolute adjective like "unique." We cats HISS.

"Why Are You Going To Put Up A Statue For The Losing Side?"

By Zamboni

Good question. But we fear that the answer lies in the fact that the South seems to have won the mythology battle. (No thanks to you, D.W. Griffith.)

Still and all, things do change — and a year to the day that a bowl-headed jackass killed nine people in a Charleston, South Carolina, church, the Confederate flag is still under siege.

We cats say, good. Besides, in what other country would the emblem of rebellion be as honored as the Stars and Bars are in certain quarters today? Please. The Confederacy was a traitorous rebellion against the United States of America. What more needs to be said?

And memo to Donald Drumpf: Don't think you can reverse this tide. Whatever supporters of yours who are middle-aged white men with a high-school education and (probably) an opioid addiction — well, they're either going to be dead soon, or too incapacitated to participate in the electoral process. Should we cats PURR? We're thinking that Thomas Jefferson would say, probably not.

Lest We Furrget: 40+ Years After Nixon, The GOP Is Breaking Apart

By Sniffles

Happy Watergate Break-In Day, everyone. We cats were tempted to compare Richard Nixon with Donald Trump and observe how well Nixon stacks up (after all, he created the Environmental Protection Agency). But we can't take our eyes off the train wreck that is today's Republican Party — one that we think would appall even Tricky Dick.

Perhaps no GOP figure embodies the angst that the "Party of Lincoln" is enduring these days than Paul Ryan, who is busily, desperately, trying to have it both ways on Republicanism and Donald Trump. Hot on the heels of calling Trump's behavior "textbook racism," Ryan today refused to demand that his Capitol Hill colleagues fall into line behind the party's nominee. "The last thing I would do is tell anybody to do something that's contrary to their conscience," he said.

Goodness gracious. Do you think that, a year ago, when Donald Trump was riding that escalator down to the small, rounded-up crowd that his carnival barkers enticed into Trump Tower, that the Republican bright lights ever envisioned themselves in the position they're in today? Could they have imagined that their Speaker of the House would be saddled with a cartoonish buffoon for a nominee, and telling his members to vote "their conscience"?

So it's little wonder that we're seeing news stories about GOP delegates plotting and scheming to deny Trump the nomination. With all this going on, we figured we'd better check in on our right-wing friends over at Free Republic, to see if their blood pressure was up.

Was it ever! Here are some choice words the Freepers have for Paul Ryan and his concern for "conscience":

"This BASTARD NEEDS TO GO!!!!! TRUMP needs to move the convention cut ties [sic] with these BASTARDS and MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!!!!"

"When does Ryan make his pitch to be Hillary’s VP?"

"CANTORIZE YOUR WEASEL, WISCONSIN!"

"The SOB. I am so regretful I voted for him and Romney."

"Ryan is worse then Mitt. Both are low life jerks."

"The RNC is dead to me. They need to stop this sh-- or they will suffer massive losses in the next election all the way down to dogcatcher."

"Boehner was an improvement to this clown."

"Paul Ryan is literally spitting in the faces of Republican voters across the country, and is seemingly determined to hand the election to Hillary Clinton."

Sounds good to us! We cats PURR.

Words Matter

By Baxter

We cats are of two minds about this post, because it's a scary subject. And while we don't want to give any more screen space to whackjobs than is necessary, we feel an obligation to point out dangerous rhetoric.

Today in Britain, a Labour MP was shot to death in broad daylight. She was a vocal supporter of allowing more Middle Eastern refugees into the UK. Coincidentally, the anti-European Union campaign in Britain had just unveiled this poster, which implies that a UK that elects to remain in the EU will soon be overwhelmed by hordes of the great unwashed. Even before the MP's murder, the poster was generating a ton of pushback.

Now, everyone's in shock to hear not just that the MP was slaughtered but that the killer shouted "Put Britain first" as he did it.

Perhaps the most eloquent statement on these events has come from Alex Massie of The Spectator, who wrote:

"When you encourage rage you cannot then feign surprise when people become enraged. You cannot turn around and say, ‘Mate, you weren’t supposed to take it so seriously. It’s just a game, just a ploy, a strategy for winning votes.’

"When you shout BREAKING POINT over and over again, you don’t get to be surprised when someone breaks. When you present politics as a matter of life and death, as a question of national survival, don’t be surprised if someone takes you at your word."

This is resonating with us in an unsettling way. Why? Because Donald Drumpf has spent the last few days saying that President Obama sympathizes with terrorists, and John McCain has had to walk back a statement that Obama is "directly responsible" for the mass shooting in Orlando.

Goodness gracious. We hope the Secret Service is on alert. In the meantime, we cats HISS and SNARL.

Silence = Assent

By Miss Kubelik

We cats applaud Connecticut Congressman Jim Hines, who walked out of Paul Ryan's fake-y moment of silence for the Orlando shooting victims (leaving Ryan to face Hines's fellow Democrats, who were screaming furiously for new gun-control bills).

Ryan gaveled them down — but since Omar Mateen easily bought an AR-15 after being on the FBI's terrorist watch list, Ryan and Mitch McConnell might have to face up to the NRA this time. At least, we hope.

Meanwhile, Republicans are trying to extend a different yet equally hypocritical moment of silence from now until November. They're frantically trying not to react to the unhinged bombast of Donald Trump.

"I’m not going to be commenting on the presidential candidates today," McConnell said. "I don’t know that I really have a lot to say," added Trump running-mate-wannabe Bob Corker. "I have no interest in providing play-by-play color commentary," waffled the normally loquacious Rafael Cruz, Jr.

Can they keep this up for five months? It really doesn't matter. Because not speaking out is an endorsement of everything Trump says and everything he does.

Are they for him, or against him? Trying to retreat into cowardly silence means a definite "for." Keep asking, journalists. We cats HISS.

Not Pleased With This.

By Zamboni

We cats were on sensory overload, what with all the awful and bizarre news headlines crossing our screens. From the Orlando massacre, to frustrated Democrats rioting against Paul Ryan on the floor of the House, to Donald Drumpf continuing to embarrass himself (and make life difficult for his fellow Republicans), to Russkies hacking the DNC — well, the stories were simply cascading on us. We were wringing our paws, wondering how to pick what to discuss next.

And then we saw this, and knew that we couldn't pass it up. Some homophobic Baptist minister in California says he's glad that the 49 Orlando victims are dead? Woo hoo, if Jesus hadn't already risen from the grave, he'd be spinning in it.

"I wish the government would round [the homosexuals] all up, put them up against a firing wall, put a firing squad in front of them, and blow their brains out," this jackass said in his Sunday "sermon" — missing the obvious fact that Omar Mateen basically did exactly that.

That's it! No more Christians allowed into America! These people are dangerous. We cats HISS.

Orlando, By Lin-Manuel Miranda

We chase the melodies that seem to find us
Until they’re finished songs and start to play
When senseless acts of tragedy remind us
That nothing here is promised, not one day.
This show is proof that history remembers
We lived through times when hate and fear seemed stronger;
We rise and fall and light from dying embers, remembrances that hope and love last longer
And love is love is love is love is love is love is love is love cannot be killed or swept aside.

This Almost Makes Up For Putting George Will In "The Roosevelts"

By Sniffles

So where is The Worst Person Who's Ever Lived, and why is he being silent? Surely George W. Bush has no love for Donald Drumpf, who is demonstrating for the nation and the world how not to behave in the wake of a national tragedy.

When Drumpf wasn't patting himself on the back for "being right" and making the deaths of nearly 50 people — you guessed it — all about him, he was quickly sailing over the rhetorical top, calling for mosques to be policed and implying that President Obama, who's a closet Muslim don'tcha know, is secretly cheering for terrorists.

We cats, of course, despise The Worst Person. We believe that one of the worst mistakes of his Presidency was to order Americans to go shopping and visit Disney World instead of serving the country after the attacks of September 11. But at least he made a point of defending Islam. "We are not at war with Islam," he said. "We are at war with people who have perverted Islam."

It's pretty sad that the current presumptive Republican nominee is making George W. Bush look like a statesman. But is Bush also a coward? After all the insults Donald Drumpf has hurled his family's way, why wouldn't Bush come out and blast Drumpf for his latest anti-Muslim idiocies? It's mind-boggling.

It's a good thing America can rely on historian Ken Burns to call Drumpf out, because boy, did he ever. In his Stanford University commencement address yesterday, Burns called Drumpf "an infantile, bullying man," and said:

"Fight against, no matter your political persuasion, the dictatorial tendences of the candidate with zero experience in the much-maligned but subtle art of governance; who is against lots of things, but doesn't seem to be for anything, offering only bombastic and contradictory promises, and terrifying Orwellian statements; a person who easily lies, creating an environment where the truth doesn't seem to matter; who has never demonstrated any interest in anyone or anything but himself and his own enrichment."

Ken Burns, go to the head of the class. We cats PURR.

News You Won't See Today

Former Ohio Governor and Senator George Voinovich, faced with the prospect of embracing Donald Drumpf at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, has decided he'd rather be dead.

Freepers: Knee-Jerks, Or Just Jerks?

By Baxter

We cats are having a hard time picturing "President Trump" comforting the nation after a mass shooting. But we did a quick survey of Trump's supporters over at Free Republic, and here are just a few of their comments about what happened in Orlando this morning. Read 'em and weep.

"The globalists will use Islam to take our guns. This is their plan."

"It’s time to round up the Muslims in America and put them in camps for our own safety."

"What about the Muslim brotherhood working in the White Hut right now!"

"Perhaps gays will now start buying guns."

"Gay club? Barry will have a news conference this matters to him."

"For the most part, gays support Islamists because they view them as fellow outsiders. For the most part, gays, like most people, are idiots."

"Since we have this stupid thing called 'hate crime' now, I could see them classifying it that way."

"CLOSE ALL MOSQUES. MOSLUMS [sic] OUT!!!!!

Numbers

By Miss Kubelik

Being sophisticated political observers, we cats know that the only Presidential polls that really count are battleground and other state polls, since it's the Electoral College that hands over the keys to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. But it's still fun to see the recent string of national polls in which Donald Drumpf is drooping.

Reuters/Ipsos, IDB/TPP, and Republican pollsters from Rasmussen and FOX "News" are all showing Hillary Clinton up over Drumpf by anywhere between three and eight points — reflecting pretty healthy swings over previous polls that had Drumpf slightly leading and Democrats reaching for the defibrillators. It appears these new polls were taken after Drumpf's huge "Mexican-judge" meltdown and before Hillary's history-making celebration on Tuesday.

A few thoughts are in order.

1. The most interesting results are Rasmussen's, since Rasmussen is never right.

2. No one can predict turnout in November, so whatever sample these polls are using is probably wrong. At the same time, though, we know that it's not the polls that are reliable — it's the trends. And we're sure these polls aren't yet capturing the full impact of the Judge Curiel blowback.

3. The next round of polling will also reflect Tuesday's Clinton tsunami and yesterday's big day of Democratic unity.

4. Rest assured that these polls are being circulated at Willard Mitt Romney's big GOP-elite confab in Utah today. It would be fun to be in the same room with the likes of Rancid Pieface, Bill Kristol, Erick Erickson and Hugh Hewitt when they see these numbers.

5. Now is the time for Democrats across the country to pour it on in key states — like Hillary and Obama are doing next week in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Put the likely-Dem states away immediately, get aggressive about putting states like Georgia and Arizona either in play or on the margins, and move another round of states, like Colorado and Nevada, from the lean-blue to safe-blue column before Labor Day. And be fearless about putting Senate races in North Carolina, Indiana, Arizona and Iowa into play as top Democratic pickups.

Other than all that, ignore these polls. We cats PURR.

Windows On The (Brave New) World

By Zamboni

One of the most distinguished residents of Washington National Cathedral's burial crypt is Woodrow Wilson — 28th President of the United States, and a Democrat.

We cats are also honest and forthright bloggers, and will add that Wilson was pretty much a horrible racist — something that folks have become more aware of recently.

Wilson is an endlessly fascinating figure, the subject of one of the greatest political biographies ever written. But he was a son of the South and pretty shameless about it. He also thought that fellow Southerner D.W. Griffith's "Birth of a Nation" was a great film, so need we say more?

Now the National Cathedral has decided to do something that Wilson would abhor, and which we cats think is just swell: remove the Confederate battle flag from its stained-glass windows. Fabulous! We've always wondered why a house of worship styled as a "national" cathedral should feature symbols of our country's most devastating armed insurrection, which cost the United States 600,000 lives. Just sayin'.

Of course, our right-wing friends over at Free Republic are probably screaming that the world is too politically correct, and that history and heritage are being erased. Nope. What's happening here is that a major part of America's shameful past is no longer to be enshrined in a place whose purpose is to encourage tolerance and love.

Sorry, Woodrow. But if this act by the National Cathedral inspires more people to buy When the Cheering Stopped, we cats are happy to oblige. And we PURR.

No Coat

By Sniffles

Renee Elmers was the first member of Congress to receive an endorsement from Donald Drumpf. Yesterday, Renee Ellmers lost her Republican primary. Whoops!

Five weeks after he clinched his nomination, June 7 was not a good day for Drumpf — especially when you add Hillary's second rock-'em-sock-'em stemwinder in less than a week and Donald's own deflated performance in front of... how many people? About 12?

"I understand the responsibility of carrying the mantle, and I will never, ever let you down," he said, sounding like he had been paddled. What major-party presumptive nominee has ever had to give a speech like that?

The nonexistent Drumpf coattails also showed up in California, which he had earlier boasted he would carry in the fall: The Golden State's GOP failed to land a candidate in the top-two contest to succeed retiring Senator Barbara Boxer. (Congrats, Kamala Harris and Loretta Sanchez!)

Memo to Kelly Ayotte, Ron Johnson, Mark Kirk, Rob Portman, Pat Toomey and whatever hapless Republican vies for Baby Marco's Senate seat: You may want to take note.

Memo to Roy Blunt, Richard Burr, Charles Grassley and John McCain: Don't be so sure of yourselves. We cats PURR.

The Front Page

Two New York newspapers — proving in a nutshell why we Democratic cats are so happy we're Us and not Them.

Looks Like She's Made It

By Baxter

The Associated Press is reporting that Hillary Clinton has enough delegates to secure the Democratic nomination for President. Let us all pause to observe this important moment in American history, please.

And just as a sidebar, let's also marvel at the irony of Bernie Sanders — who is bleating that if only the super delegates change their minds, they'll put him over the top instead. This, from the same guy who's always bitched about how "undemocratic" the super delegates are. We cats PURR and HISS at the same time.

Will The GOP Throw Trump The Hell Out?

By Miss Kubelik

It's been five weeks since Donald Drumpf clinched the Republican nomination — and once again, we cats must observe the precious time and resources he's been wasting.

But Drumpf is not wasting them as we assumed he would: sitting around Mar-A-Lago in his pajamas, getting his orange tan reapplied, and tweeting. No, he's doing something far more destructive than nothing.

And we all know what that is, don't we? The last we looked, POLITICO had seven headlines about Drumpf's attack on US District Judge Gonzalo Curiel, the nation's newest famous Hoosier. And since Drumpf has doubled down on his racist broadside in a call with campaign surrogates, this story is now officially out of control.

So we're wondering a few things.

First, how quickly did Drumpf surrogates Jan Brewer, Pam Bondi and Scott Brown hang up from the conference call and frantically dial one another up, saying, "OMFG"? How soon will it be before one of them quits the campaign with a lame excuse?

Second, how long is the RNC willing to devote scarce resources — organizational, fundraising, GOTV, campaign management — on Drumpf clean-up? Every day that Rancid Pieface and his minions have to reach out to conservative Hispanics to keep them on board, or talk to nervous moneybags who fear throwing good dollars after bad, is time ill spent for them.

Finally, what are the chances that some Republican will have the guts to stand up and say, "Folks, we simply cannot nominate this man"? It's a long time until Cleveland. Things could happen. (We're thinking rule changes.) In the meantime, the GOP is looking a lot like the janitor from Peabody's Improbable History — except, in this case, sweeping up elephant dung. We cats PURR.

"Shocked, Shocked"

By Zamboni

We cats are heartened by the fact that journalists are finally holding Donald Drumpf's and the Republicans' feet to the fire on Drumpf's outrageous behavior. Since Drumpf shows no signs of changing, we assume that reporters are going to be kept very busy until November.

But they're still letting some ridiculous statements go by unchallenged. At least, we're unaware that anyone has questioned Paul Ryan about his assertion that Drumpf's attack on Judge Gonzalo Curiel "was out of left field for my mind."

Is Ryan serious? Last we looked it up, "out of left field" means "unexpected" and "strange." Anyone who has watched and listened to Donald Drumpf over the past year could not possibly be surprised at the racist broadside he's leveled against Judge Curiel.

Do Drumpf's Curiel comments cross a very big line? Yes. Do they further disqualify him from the Presidency? For sure. But coming from Drumpf, are they "unexpected"? No way. Sorry, Paul, but we're not buying what you're selling.

This is what Paul Ryan's life is going to be like for the next five months. We don't envy him, but like all Republicans, he's made his bed — and we still think his golly-gosh-isn't-that-awful bit is pretty lame. We cats HISS.

Shaking Up The World

By Sniffles

How prescient was Muhammad Ali? Years ago, he made a statement about the United States that could have been uttered today. In fact, we think that's partly why President Obama cited it in his eloquent statement on Ali's death:

"I am America. I am the part you won’t recognize. But get used to me — black, confident, cocky; my name, not yours; my religion, not yours; my goals, my own. Get used to me."

How exciting that the nation that a bunch of property-owning white guys founded in the 18th century could keep being reborn 240 years later. We cats PURR.

Drumpf On The Ropes (At Least, For Now)

By Baxter

Donald Drumpf had already had a horrible week. But to have it capped off by the death of Muhammad Ali, which interrupted his Friday-night appearance on Jimmy Kimmel — mid-sentence, apparently — is almost too delicious for words.

We cats find it entirely appropriate that the nation's most famous African-American convert to Islam should shut Donald Drumpf up — at least, for a little while.

We also think that Ali would have appreciated the concept of conserving one's energies. He certainly did that in the ring. And what is politics but the allocation of scarce resources in a compressed time frame? Not too different from a boxing match, actually.

And if you believe that the two most precious resources in a Presidential campaign are the candidate's 1) time, and 2) credibility, then Donald Drumpf is in a deep, deep hole.

For what has Drumpf done since the Indiana primary, but fritter away precious moments on the electoral clock? For five weeks, he's failed to rally the party troops, has gone out of his way to annoy the GOP establishment, and has picked unnecessary fights with the press. And in the course of all that, he's behaved more outrageously than ever — damaging any credibility he might have had with voters who haven't paid much attention but who are just tuning in.

Add Hillary Clinton's masterful Drumpf drubbing on Thursday, and we'd say that the presumptive Republican nominee has serious problems. How do we know? Well, have you heard a chorus of Republicans defending him from Hillary's attack? Um, no. The silence is deafening.

Our benchmark for the 2016 election has always been whether we would rather trade places with the Republicans. And oh, goodness gracious: We are so glad we're us instead of them. We cats PURR.

Under His Skin

Just imagine if any of the passengers in the GOP's 2016 Presidential clown car had had the guts to say what Hillary Clinton said today. We cats PURR.

Yes, Paul Ryan, You ARE Playing Word Games

By Miss Kubelik

Paul Ryan didn't exactly endorse Donald Trump today. He said he'll "be voting" for him. Which is something no one can ever check.

And he tweeted the news, natch. Much easier — no pesky questions that way. But here are just a few:

When is the official endorsement? Will they appear together at a Trump "show"? Will Ryan be on the podium in Cleveland, raising arms with Trump and his VP in a show of unity? Will he make sure that the Republican Congressional Campaign Committee and the Trump campaign join forces to save the House? Will he hit the Sunday-morning talk show circuit to talk up the entire Republican ticket, top to bottom? Will there be a Ryan-Trump office in Racine and Janesville this fall?

And a billion other queries, which, by the way, Republicans have always asked of Democrats when they want to join them at the hip to their Presidential nominee. We cats HISS.

Causing A Fuhrer

By Zamboni

When is Trump too much? At what point does he cross the ultimate line of lines, and become unacceptable to everyone except white male teabags and the deluded bikers of Rolling Thunder?

For many in the legal community, it was his attack on the judge in the Trump University case. For some Republicans, it was his disparagement of John McCain. And for a whole ton of people who are rushing to register so they can vote against him, it was way back on the very first day he announced, when he called Mexican immigrants "rapists."

We cats find it hard to pinpoint a moment for ourselves, but it was probably when New York Times reporters Maggie Haberman and Ashley Parker asked Trump for a comment on a story they were writing about his campaign's organizational travails.

Standard journalistic procedure, right? Not to Trump. "You two wouldn’t know how to write a good story about me if you tried — dream on," he said via email. The Times, to its credit, printed it.

We cats honestly do not expect America to lose its mind and elect this, um, person. But we are concerned that young people just starting to get exposed to and/or interested in Presidential politics will think that his behavior is normal.

Which explains why so many of us political junkies are looking like the audience at Mel Brooks's famous faux-musical. You know the one — about that German dictator whose name pundits are invoking more and more? Although it probably won't be "Springtime" for Donald Trump in 2016, it's good to be vigilant anyway. We cats HISS and PURR at the same time.