Winners And Losers

So Hasan Minhaj did pretty well at the White House Correspondents' Dinner, and the Not the White House Correspondents' Dinner did even better (see above).

Which means the only losers of the night were that orange-faced jackass and his half-empty arena in Pennsylvania. We cats PURR.

Tired Of Holding Her Breath Until She Turns Blue, Ileana Quits

By Sniffles

We cats have nine lives, so we easily remember when Claude Pepper represented South Florida in Congress. Then, going on 30 years ago or so, Claude checked out, and the district went Republican. Today, we learned that Democrats have an opportunity to snatch it back.

That's because Ileana Ros-Lehtinen has decided to call it a day. She's issued the usual bland statements that impart no information. So we're left to speculate, which we now will freely do.

At first we thought Ros-Lehtinen's timing most odd. Why leave now? Everything is beautiful! Her party is in total control, and its new leader is Making America Great Again. He's draining the swamp, and just had the bestest, mostest incredible-est, first 100 days ever. What gives?

But, ohhhhh, right, then we remembered.

Ileana Ros-Lehtinen is very pro LGBT rights. She has a transgender child. And her grandparents on her mother's side were Sephardic Jews. Knowing those two things — and knowing that she represents heavily Jewish areas of Miami-Dade County — we wonder how she feels about the Republican Party's overt and shameless embrace of anti-Semitism and homophobia. (We were already curious about how the Havana-born Ros-Lehtinen deals with the GOP's hostility to Hispanics and immigrants.)

Perhaps Ileana is leaving Congress because she's decided she's had enough of her Trump-y party. But with the alt-right's ascendancy in the GOP, isn't this exactly the time for a tough, experienced legislator like her to stay — and fight to protect the tattered remains of Republican moderation?

Will anyone ask her these questions? We cats wait and watch.

"Now You Know What It's Like To Be A Minority," Very Good

By Baxter

Okay, so we cats have been relentlessly on the record as hating the White House Correspondents' Dinner. We still do, and we always will. The mentally ill person who currently sits at the desk in the Oval Office has not inspired us to love it more.

But we have to take a moment to salute the previously hapless headliner of the evening, who appears to have faked us all out by doing a totally okay job: Hasan Minhaj.

"Even the President is not beyond the reach of the First Amendment," Minhaj said tonight. "Donald Trump doesn't care about free speech. In four hours, Donald Trump will be tweeting about how bad Hasan Minhaj bombed at this dinner, and he'll be doing it completely sober. And that's his right, and I'm proud that all of us are here to defend that right."

Let's at least thank the idiot at 1600 Pennsylvania for lighting a fire under the next generation of intrepid journalists, shall we? We cats PURR.

Facts The GOP Can't Erase

By Miss Kubelik

Republicans sure try to bury the truth, don't they? Their latest egregious foray into denial: taking down the pages related to climate change from the EPA's website. But clear-thinking Americans continue to resist. Here are the deleted pages, saved.

Nice try, Republicans. But there are always cracks where the light gets in. We cats HISS.

Laws And Orders

By Zamboni

Where are all the Republicans who screamed about President Obama's alleged "abuse" of executive orders? We cats are just wondering, seeing as how the 70-year-old manchild in the Oval Office has been signing so many of them.

As usual, the GOP's hypocrisy on stuff they think Democrats can't do but they can is breathtaking. If they're not busy applauding Drumpf's executive orders, they're crickets in the woods. Anyone want to call them out on that? (Mr. Former President, we're looking at you.)

The other thing we're wondering is why you have to resort to doing executive orders when you control all three branches of government. (The stolen Supreme Court seat gives them the judiciary.) Don't these people know how to pass laws?

Guess not! Just more proof that people who hate government have no clue how to govern. We cats HISS.

"Who Knew That Governing Would Be So Complicated And Difficult?"

By Sniffles

We did. Because public policy, folks.

If Lyndon Johnson could rise from the grave, he would tell you that major legislation — the kind that defines Presidencies for generations — is the result of hard work, long-time relationships, arm twisting and compromise. Always, always compromise.

And in the results, nobility can ensue — often, on both sides of the argument.

This is something that Paul Ryan and you-know-who do not know or understand. And, we think, never will. We cats HISS and PURR at the same time.

(IMAGE): "The Johnson Treatment," slightly updated.

He's A Chip Off The Old Block (Not Bloc)

By Baxter

When the 2016 Russian fraud, oops, US Presidential election occurred, one of our first thoughts — after we were revived with smelling salts, of course — was that Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau could possibly find himself in worldwide ascent as The Ultimate Anti-Trump.

After all, he's a North American leader with global sensibilities: He's inherently concerned about climate change, welcomes refugees from around the world, and is wildly young — or maybe just seems that way — and so helps represent the newer generations who are gamely accepting the damaged torch that we're passing to them.

Our hunch has been borne out so far by the deft way Justin has handled the walking, talking disaster that is Donald Trump. He started out by forestalling the ridiculous Trump handshake, and since then has apparently schooled the idiot manchild on topics like NAFTA. Or so we thought. We agree with expert observers that with Trump, it's hard to tell what's feinting and posturing and what's reality. Like any brutal dictator strongman, don'tcha know.

That extra added note of uncertainty on the American side is, we think, a plus for Justin. The more he can seem like a reasonable, thoughtful head of government, the better for us all. Because despite the sentiments of the anti-government folk in the US (Grover Norquist, we're looking at you), the world seems to want rationality, robustness and stability in its governments. We find it hard to disagree.

And yes, it's a plus that he's cute. He's not our type, but hey — that's okay. We love him just the same (like we loved his dad). We cats PURR.

Hate Is Not Great

By Miss Kubelik

Okay, we cats are going to wade into this hate-speech-free-speech conversation just once and be done with it. Mainly because we're amazed at how, even after all these years, a certain forthright former Vermont Governor we admire manages to get both the right wingers and the liberal losers upset.

Ready? Here goes: We cats actually do not believe that hate speech is protected by the Constitution. Mainly because so much of it provokes mayhem, violence and terror. (Picture your garden-variety cross burning, for example. And goodness knows the right wingers are all up in arms about terrorists — except when it comes to domestic terror wielded against Americans of color.)

But the hate-speech/free speech question shouldn't even be up for discussion, and for that we blame today's repulsive parade of alt-right spewers of venom, like Alex Jones, Milos Yiannopoulos, Ann Coulter — and, of course, their loudest, most influential disgorger of insults and vitriol, Donald Trump. See, it used to be that speech of their ilk was simply not tolerated in the public square. Now, sadly, they've pushed the envelope enough that it is — in some quarters.

Which brings us to the good news: Hate is not accepted everywhere. And so that's why the Coulters of the world scream "First Amendment" so fast when their speeches are canceled and their book deals get yanked. They refuse to accept that they've violated the boundaries of polite society. (And boy, they sure are whiners about it, aren't they?)

It's the same lesson that Ivanka Trump learned when she was booed in Germany the other day. Actions have consequences. Words have consequences. There is still a question of what the market will bear — and when the market's decided you're unbearable, all the First Amendment rights in the world won't save you. We cats HISS and PURR at the same time.

We Couldn't Say It Better: What The Wall Is About

"It is simply impossible to overstate the symbolic importance both the wall and the idea that Mexico would pay for it had in 2016. Everything about Trump was embodied within it: the xenophobia, the vision of a world of threats and danger, the belief that complex problems have easy solutions, and most of all, the desire to stand tall and humiliate others, which was so critical to voters who felt beaten down and humiliated themselves.

"That’s why the preposterous notion that Mexico would pay for the wall was so critical: not because we need Mexico’s money, but because forcing it to pay would be an act of dominance, making it kneel before us, open up its wallets and pay us for its own abasement."

—Paul Waldman, The Washington Post, April 25, 2017

Tidbits And Cat Treats: "Them's Fightin' Words" Edition

By Zamboni

We cats have left the DC area and are busy sniffing around our new digs in the Empire State while our humans unpack boxes. Are we glad to be up here? You bet: We just saw this headline in our former hometown paper: "April on track to be warmest on record in Washington." So while we curl up on a fuzzy blanket on this pleasant, 50-degree New York spring day, here are some developments we've been following.

Top story: Ann Coulter and the student group that invited her to UC Berkeley is all upset that her Nuremberg rally, oops, we mean speaking engagement was canceled. And while the university may have staved off a campus riot for now, punches over free speech are being thrown left and right in cyberspace. We cats don't know what all the controversy is about. By routinely inciting violence, Coulter is — according to the Supreme Court — a walking, talking fighting word. (Not to mention someone who "systemically denies others their humanity.")

Next story: The reappearance of a very different kind of public speaker. President Obama surfaced in Chicago today and steered clear of all mentions of Trump. When we cats heard that, we tuned out. Jeez, guy — this frightening manchild in the Oval Office is completely dismantling your policies and you have nothing to say? Not even about the cretinous Republican Congress? Call us when you decide to fight for your legacy.

Final story: Goodness gracious — are we aware that there's a special House election runoff in Georgia this June? How could we not be, since we receive constant fundraising emails from Democrat Jon Ossoff? (Four Five just today.) No, we're not complaining — Ossoff is running hard, particularly when it comes to his field operations. Now there's a guy who knows how to fight. We cats PURR.

Your Remedy

By Sniffles

Wow, things are looking really dismal today, aren't they? Marine Le Pen finishes a close second in France, Chechnya is arresting and torturing guys for being gay, and Arkansas has gone on its killing spree after all. You know what we cats prescribe when the news is this depressing? A dose of Red Panda! RPs always make us PURR.

Sign Language

Here are some clever signs from today's March for Science. Funny how even in this age of social media, words and pictures that people write and draw on cardboard still matter.

She's Bigger Than All Of Them

Since an admired fellow blogger has already exactly captured our feeling about the trailer trash who mocked Hillary Clinton's official portrait on a recent visit to the White House, we will simply say that we agree wholeheartedly with him that Trumpsters are childish fools — and, instead of reposting the idiotic trio's antics again, will merely publish the portrait itself. We cats HISS and PURR at the same time.

Transitions

By Baxter

Funny how a local special election in a bellwether county in a purple state can bring out the Democrats, post-Trump. Despite being outspent by Republicans six to one, Democrat Jacqueline Smith was elected Circuit Court Clerk in Prince William County yesterday.

We cats are thrilled about this for two reasons. One is that as we are about to exchange our residency in Virginia for New York, voting for Jacqueline Smith was almost literally the last thing we did before heading out of town. And, second, since the PWC Republicans are disgustingly Trump-y and anti-Muslim (just like their national party these days), it feels good to smack them down.

And of course the reason we had this special election in the first place is because Republican Michele McQuigg — who refused to fire her deputy clerk after he made Muslim-phobic remarks in 2014 — checked out in February. No word on whether yesterday's results left her spinning in her grave.

So as we settle into our new home in the Empire State, we'd like to salute good old PWC and say thanks for the memories. Not to mention sending us out on a good note! We cats PURR.

All, too, will bear in mind this sacred principle, that though the will of the majority is in all cases to prevail, that will to be rightful must be reasonable; that the minority possess their equal rights, which equal law must protect, and to violate would be oppression.
Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/t/thomasjeff135371.htm

that though the will of the majority is in all cases to prevail, that will to be rightful must be reasonable; that the minority possess their equal rights, which equal law must protect, and to violate would be oppression.
Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/t/thomasjeff135371.html

All, too, will bear in mind this sacred principle, that though the will of the majority is in all cases to prevail, that will to be rightful must be reasonable; that the minority possess their equal rights, which equal law must protect, and to violate would be oppression.
Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/t/thomasjeff135371

A Quickie: Great Sign From Yesterday's Tax Protests

People are so clever! We cats PURR.

Calling All Millennials: Make Sensenbrenner Eat His Words

By Miss Kubelik

Here is precisely why the Democratic Party needs to capture millennials' and other youngish voters' party loyalty forever: The GOP doesn't understand them.

Or the world, for that matter.

Listen to 74-year-old Congressman James Sensenbrenner (R-WI) on the topic of online privacy: "Nobody’s got to use the Internet...I don’t think it’s my job to tell you that you cannot get advertising for your information being sold."

What planet is this guy living on? Nobody needs to be online? Will he claim next that nobody has to drive a car — that we could all easily choose a horse and buggy instead?

Guess that explains why Sensenbrenner voted against the FCC's privacy rules. He's as expert about the Internet as he is about, say, dieting and nutrition. We cats HISS.

Stop! In The Name Of Love

By Zamboni

Since we were kittens, we cats have always been concerned about what the rest of the world thought about the United States of America. The international community matters to us. After all, we're all in this together. And we will either sink or swim together.

So we are pleased that, on this Good Friday night — when Christians celebrate their Messiah's own execution — at least six of the eight prisoners scheduled to die in Arkansas's upcoming capital-punishment spree have been granted stays.

When we first heard about this Arkansas story, we got wildly depressed. Oh, great, we thought: Not only is our country now headed by a narcissistic manchild, one of our states is going on a murderous tear, planning to kill eight death-row prisoners in 11 days. What must the rest of the world think of us?

But Pulaski County circuit judge Wendell Griffen issued a temporary restraining order, and sanity has briefly reigned. Maybe we can all pretend that the US has not sunk into the abyss of idiotic depravity. Maybe.

In the meantime: Sorry, Asa Hutchinson. You won't be able to preside over the most unprecedented series of executions by a state ever. Does that make you sad? If so, too bad. We're relieved that although the US may be dropping huge bombs on Afghanistan — and pricking the ego of that other nuclear-armed child-narcissist in North Korea — at least this bloodthirsty plan in Arkansas appears to have hit a snag. Clinging to civilization, we cats PURR.

(IMAGE: "Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life." Kind of tough to do these days, but we cats are trying.)

Living In Denial

By Sniffles

Hey, Jewish members of the GOP: We cats want to know if you're enjoying the way your Trumpy White House treats you.

How many offensive-to-the-Chosen remarks has the gaggle of bigots at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue made since they took power January 20? We've lost count, but we're wondering when people like the guys at this website are going to wake up.

Heck, we're not even Jewish, and it's very clear to us that:

If Trump, Bannon, Spicer & Co. believe that Adolf Hitler did not use gas on his "own people," then obviously they agree with Adolf that the Jews of Germany (and Poland and France and Austria, etc.) were not, um, people.

The Trumpsters' penchant for making careless, insensitive and revolting statements on occasions important to Jews (Passover, Holocaust Remembrance Day) is very telling.

Sean Spicer's latest outrage is right on the heels of Marine Le Pen's recent exoneration of French collaborators. With everything piling up so horrifically — and with the White House so silent — would Jared Kushner care to comment?

Happy Passover, Jewish Republicans. We cats HISS.

(IMAGE: Easy Company liberates the Kaufering IV "Holocaust center" in HBO's Band of Brothers)

A Taste Of His Own Rx

By Baxter

At least repulsive Republican Congressman Joe Wilson held a town hall — unlike his cowardly GOP colleagues.

But we're particularly glad he did because it meant he got payback for his egregious behavior at President Obama's joint address to Congress back in 2009.

Gosh, has it really been eight years? It feels like a hundred. Especially when you consider how much lower the Republicans have sunk since then — refusing to support the stimulus, voting against healthcare reform, shirking their Constitutional duties, and pretty much blocking anything and everything Barack Obama wanted to do.

But unlike President Obama, Joe Wilson really does lie — this time, about women's rights. Four years ago, he voted against extending the Violence Against Women Act. We cats HISS.

United Breaks Passengers

By Miss Kubelik

Whew, we cats are really glad we don't work in the public relations department of United Airlines. Things were bad enough a couple of weeks ago, when the Interwebs erupted over the girls who weren't allowed to fly wearing leggings. But this incident at O'Hare yesterday — sheesh, every corporate communicator's worst nightmare.

Kinda makes the days when United baggage handlers smashed guitars seem quaint, doesn't it?

So, yes, like the rest of the world — which thanks to this story is probably ignoring Syria, Neil Gorsuch's stolen SCOTUS seat, creepy Robert Bentley's resignation and dead bats in salads — we are mesmerized by United's awfulness and wish the company nothing but ill.

But we have to point out that what this poor passenger suffered at the hands of Chicago's Finest is precisely the kind of treatment African Americans have to endure from cops every day. Just sayin'. We cats HISS.

#Vimy100

By Zamboni

Since Americans never observe milestone anniversaries that are important for other countries, we cats thought we'd take a moment to mention that Canada, Britain and France are commemorating the Battle of Vimy Ridge, which started 100 years ago today.

Canada raised a striking memorial to the battle (a decisive victory over Germany) and to all Canadian dead in World War I, which was unveiled by (gurk!) King Edward VIII in 1936. We're happy to report that the full monument, which we think has an interesting resemblance to the Twin Towers, survived the Nazi occupation of France and World War II.

So on a day that we're wondering whether our government will outlast its own Nazi occupation, we cats send our best wishes to Canada and to all who are participating in the ceremonies at Vimy this afternoon. (And yes, for those of you on perennial Hunk Patrol, both Justin and Prince Harry are there. We cats PURR.)

Stealing Isn't Just For Baseball

So the Republicans got their Supreme Court justice today. But he will forever have an asterisk next to his name. We cats HISS.

"La Meute"? More Like "La Merde"

By Sniffles

We cats never cease to be amazed by the paranoia among white men who are slowly realizing they're Yesterday's News.

Take this elegant guy, who obviously just stepped out of a Noël Coward play. He lives in rural Quebec, about 90 minutes north of the province's historic, walled capital — and he'd probably like to build a few walls himself. See, he's head of a group called "La Meute," French for "wolfpack," and he spends his days fretting about Sharia law. The wolfpack guys don't want any mosques in their neighborhoods or face veils on women.

Sharia law? In Quebec? We think not. The last we checked, there was a crucifix on the wall of the National Assembly, and we'd bet a boatload of tuna that it's still there.

Groups like La Meute bother us for a number of reasons. First, they help create a hostile environment in which all sorts of nasty things can happen. (Remember that the six people who were killed at a mosque in Quebec City a couple of months ago were Muslims, not white Christians.) And their language is disturbingly close to hate groups that, sadly, we Americans know too well. La Meute might as well just change the "c" to a "k" when they divvy their members into geographic "clans."

And finally, they insist on creating a problem where none exists. We cats are as fond of secularism as the next liberal, but let us repeat what we've said before: A open and multicultural democracy can easily tolerate a variety of religions and the silly dress that often goes with them. We cats HISS.

He Got A Better Reception At "Hamilton"

By Baxter

Chalk up another epic flop by this hapless administration of traitors and fools: The briefly anticipated resurrection of the dead "American Health Care Act" is now dead itself.

"Hopes of reviving the Republicans' failed healthcare plan surged briefly on Tuesday when Vice President Mike Pence came to Capitol Hill in an attempt to forge a new compromise that could somehow pass the House of Representatives," The Guardian reported dryly. "But the late-night talks between Pence and members of competing factions of the House Republican caucus stalled, and no deal was reached."

Gee, what happened? We thought Mr. Gay-Hating Hoosier was supposed to be best buddies with the GOP caucus — especially since he'd served in the House before he went on to become Governor of Indiana. So why wasn't he able to broker a deal with his old pals? Lame!

Apparently Pence's pre-existing condition as a Republican member of Congress had no impact — so add this latest fiasco to the growing list of Trumpster fails: Muslim bans, unpaid-for border walls and booted National Security Advisers. We cats HISS and PURR at the same time.

P.S.: Here's a thought... Maybe Pence had to woo some female members of the Republican caucus over dinner last night, and his wife wasn't available to chaperone?

Opening Day

By Miss Kubelik

So, what's the record for banners like this unfurling at major-league baseball games less than 100 days into a Presidency? Because we think the Trumpsters have just broken it.

You know, if Trump is mad at the Washington Nationals about this, he can always send them home. Montreal would happily welcome them back. And it would make us cats PURR.

Lying In Their Beds

By Zamboni

We cats are having a hard time getting all worked up about voters in Trumpland who are about to be seriously screwed by the vulgarian they looked at last fall and thought, "Yeah, that's my President."

Senior centers, after-school programs, Meals on Wheels, and more will vanish in red states like Oklahoma if the heartless Republicans in the White House and on Capitol Hill get their way. Oh, well! Just for the record, we Democrats didn't vote for all that. We Democrats voted to let red-staters keep their programs and services, because we believe in providing for people and lifting all boats.

You know what the icing on the cake would be? If Oklahoma gets rocked by a serious earthquake — thanks to fracking; there's nothing more important than "energy independence," you know — and all the Trump voters there lose their homes. Then who will help them?

We're not sure what social services will be left after the Trump crowd in DC gets finished with ravaging the country. But we do know one thing: If those poor, stricken folks from Oklahoma can get themselves to Gander, Newfoundland, they'll be well taken care of. We cats HISS.

(PHOTO: "Mommy, there's nothing to eat. Why did you and Daddy vote for Trump?")

Maybe Alan Grayson Was Right

By Sniffles

So let's get this straight: The US is in the grip of an unprecedented opioid epidemic. It's killing more people than AIDS did at its height — and claiming more victims than cars and guns. The folks who OD are mostly white people. And one of the regions that's suffering the most is the Rust Belt.

Hello, Trump voters.

In spite of all this, though, Republican Governor Scott Walker of Wisconsin says that people should take drug tests before they can get Medicaid. Incredible.

It boggles our minds why the Republicans want to help their supporters die early. But that seems to be what they what. We cats HISS.

Meet The "My Cats Are Democrats" Board Of Directors

Sorry, just kidding. As the Internet knows, this is actually the meeting of the GOP Policy Group on Feline Healthcare. Happy April Fool's Day!