"Trending Well" Vs. "Trending Poorly"

By Baxter

Wow, this map is really shocking. We knew that a lot of states were lagging behind ours (New York), but we had no idea it was this bad.

America should never forgive Benedict Donald and his merry band of haters for failing to institute a national response to the coronavirus epidemic. Had they done that — implemented the Defense Production Act, created a national testing system, and modeled good behavior like wearing masks, washing hands and social distancing — instead of shirking responsibility and urging states to reopen too quickly, the United States would be in a much different place today.

And an American passport would still be worth something. Now, nobody wants us to visit them. What irony, considering how Benedict Donald bleated about preventing people from crossing the border into the US from Mexico.

This is our personal beef with Trump — that his inaction on COVID has prevented us from going to Canada. But many more Americans have more serious complaints — like, they weren't able to be with their elderly relatives who were dying.

The nation will endure a ton of PTSD from Trump. Let's just hope we can put an end to him on November 3, and celebrate that end on January 20. We cats PURR.

"There Is Progress On The Other Side"

By Sniffles

This was John Lewis's last public appearance — visiting Black Lives Matter Plaza in Washington, DC. The photographer who was asked to record it brought along his wife and small daughter. What an experience. What a privilege, for everyone who was there that day.

The photographer said he would tell his daughter when she grew up that there is always hope, if Americans who care can endure the hardships and challenges that John Lewis did. We'd like to think that Congressman Lewis took comfort and inspiration from the assertiveness that DC Mayor Muriel Bowser showed, when she had the words that Donald Trump hates painted on the street that leads to the White House.

That is badassery to the nth degree — which Lewis obviously loved ("good trouble"), and which mayors across the country have emulated since Bowser took that first, audacious step.

Yes, John Lewis took comfort in the fact that many white people across the country have marched in support of BLM. But we also need to pause for a moment to salute Muriel Bowser, a persistent woman who set the mayoral standard in 2020. Good job, MB! We cats PURR.

Death By Trump Rally

Herman Cain sent this tweet to promote the then-upcoming — and, eventually, disastrous — Trump rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, which, as we all know, Cain attended without a mask. So now people are not only "fed up," they're dead. (And Cain's not the only one.)

A friend has suggested a new campaign slogan for Benedict Donald. "Trump/Pence: Would it kill you to support them?" We cats PURR.

Lest We Furr-get: The '88 Comparison Tanks

By Hubie and Bertie

As if Democrats weren't spooked enough by the hideous memories of 2016, pundits and tweeps are now bringing up the specter of 1988. That year, after a successful convention, Democratic Presidential nominee Michael Dukakis led then-Vice President George H.W. Bush in national polls by 17 points.

OMG, they scream, Joe Biden's leading Trump, but what if....?!?!?!?

Raising the Dukakis debacle is a fair point. But it happens to be one to which we cats have plenty of responses. Here's a short (or maybe not so short) list of why 2020 is not 1988.

Polling today is much more sophisticated, and there are many more polls to average together and cancel out the outliers.

Team Dukakis was running against Lee Atwater and his merry band of vicious campaign cutthroats who pioneered their craft during the Reagan era. Today, except for Atwater — who died of brain cancer in 1991 — every one of those guys is a Never Trumper working to defeat Benedict Donald via The Lincoln Project and other noble ventures. (P.S.: Atwater also apologized for his behavior before his death. Just sayin'.)

Bill Stepien is no Lee Atwater, not with the embarrassing Chris Christie for President campaign on his resume. And the demoted Brad "Weird Beard" Parscale is not even a Bill Stepien.

Michael Dukakis had no Dukakis precedent (i.e., nominated Democrat blowing a huge lead) to scare him. Team Biden has 1988 and 2016 to motivate them every day, and disturb their dreams every night. Overconfidence will not be their problem.

Nobody likes Trump. Even he says it. Thirty-two years ago, there were actually people who liked George H.W. Bush.

Bush had a relatively popular Ronald Reagan to vouch for his character. Trump has a bunch of clowns and Looney Tunes to vouch for his. And he certainly can't turn to the last Republican President for a hearty endorsement.

Dukakis was trying to forge a limited path to 270 electoral votes after Democrats had gotten obliterated in 1980 and 1984. Biden has many more, and wider, paths today. And Republicans have lost the popular vote in five of the last six elections.

Finally, Joe Biden is not getting into a tank. We cats PURR.

A Chyron For The Ages

By Miss Kubelik

Aside from the fact that he's a raging sociopathic narcissist, we cats couldn't imagine what inspired Benedict Donald to indulge in this pathetic public display of self-pity at the same time the COVID-19 death toll crossed 150,000. But he did.

Maybe he saw this news from the Nate Silver kids over at FiveThirtyEight: "Voters Are Starting to Doubt Trump's Re-election Chances: Voter expectations and election betting markets suggest that Americans increasingly view Joe Biden as at least an even bet to win in November. None of this means Biden will actually defeat Trump, but these shifts do suggest that the conventional wisdom is catching up to what the state and national election polls have been telling us about the race...these indicators are all starting to coalesce around the idea that Trump is a real underdog to win reelection."

Except — gosh, Trump doesn't read articles like this. And his aides don't show him unfavorable polls. In fact, they make up sunshiney ones. So who knows why he was one step away from eating worms today?

Two thoughts on Biden's current lead: 1) Polls aren't predictions — they're information. 2) As burned as we all feel by 2016, one election does not negate current data. We cats will take it, and we PURR.

A President Was There Anyway.

"No, I won't be going, no," Trump told reporters when asked if he would pay respects to John Lewis Monday or Tuesday at the Capitol.

—USA Today

"Welcome To Sherwood, Milady"

Well, everyone, it looks like we cats won't be able to wish Olivia de Havilland a happy 105th birthday in 2021. That makes us sad. It was always good to know that she was still around (after outliving frequent co-star Errol Flynn for an astonishing 61 years). But we have the movies. We'll always admire her — for her craft, of course, and for her tenacity in fighting evildoers (like Jack Warner). We cats PURR.

Some More Good News

Crescent Street in downtown Montreal will be pedestrian-only until early fall. We cats approve, and we'd love to take a stroll there — if only Canada would allow us back in. Please?

Nikki Haley Pass

By Zamboni

How will Republicans recover from their subservience to Donald Trump? One of our favorite pundits has for years predicted that they would split into two parties — the traditionalists and the Know-Nothings — but that was before 2020. Now their utter destruction seems so imminent that we're not sure. Please, tell us — who besides impotent 60-year-old white guys would vote for a party that supported this?

Yes, "suburban housewives" across America will not look kindly on Trumpian storm troopers tear-gassing and manhandling the Portland, Oregon, Wall of Moms.

Meanwhile, leading lights (or lowlights) in the erstwhile Party of Lincoln are jockeying for position. Either they're deluded into thinking that Benedict Donald will coast to a glorious second term, or they're calculating how they can pick up the pieces in time for 2024. It's unclear. But certain folks are trying to stake out some territory. Nikki Haley, for example, has decided to suck up to Trump — apparently believing that she has a built-in GOP constituency, to which she just needs to add a sprinkling of the MAGA haters.

Sorry to rain on your parade, Nikki, but you are going to be the Jeb Bush of 2024. You'll get some fawning inside-the-Beltway media coverage about how you're the natural heir for the "reasonable" Republican Party. But that won't be enough. After a decorous interval of surface politeness, the Tom Cottons and the Ben Sasses and the Josh Hawleys and the Donald Trump Jrs. of the world — bloodthirsty extremists all — will savage you with Ted Yoho-type misogyny, abetted by a MAGA base still furious that you lowered the Confederate flag in South Carolina.

Nobody in the tattered GOP will be buying what Nikki Haley will be selling. Especially since it'll be tainted by her support of the guy who allowed storm troopers to beat up Portland moms. We cats HISS.

UPDATE: Bill Kristol is predicting that Benedict Donald, desperate to shake up the race, will dump Mike Pence in favor of Haley on or around August 15. How would the other GOP contenders feel about Nikki getting handed the inside lane for 2024? Is that why Josh Hawley is suddenly drawing a line in the sand about Roe? Or why Tom Cotton is bleating about slavery? Stay tuned.

Red Panda Rescue!

Looking for a little good news this Friday? Seek no more: A red panda that had escaped from the Columbus Zoo was found hiding in a tree. And looking mighty cheerful about it all! We cats PURR.

Follow The $$$

By Baxter

It's suspicious that Benedict Donald would have suddenly come to Jesus on the whole you-can't-hold-a-Republican-convention-during-the-coronavirus thing. After pooh-poohing the pandemic for so long and continuing to remain oblivious to the deaths of 140,000 Americans, why should the well-being of several thousand Republican delegates matter to him? He didn't care about it when he yanked the RNC from North Carolina, and surely he doesn't care about it now.

Nope, the Jacksonville cancellation has to be all about money. They were having trouble raising it, you know.

It would be hard enough to (no pun intended) turn on a dime and try to fundraise for a hastily relocated confab in a few short, brutal weeks — when planning for, and funding, national party conventions typically take months and years. It's even more difficult when Florida's doughy-faced Republican Governor, pissy about a former aide he doesn't like running the Jacksonville pitches, makes it clear he doesn't want her to succeed. Add to all that the doubts about security and the overwhelming unhappiness in the country for all things Benedict Donald, and you end up with empty coffers.

And the Trumpsters just filed a financial report that showed how much a badly managed event could cost them: The star-crossed Tulsa rally, which Brad Parscale touted as a million-MAGAts strong — but which only pulled 6,200 people — cost $2.2 million. That's about $350 a person — a lot more than Ivanka Trump's skeevy handbags are fetching online these days. (Plus they must have taken a YUGE hit on all the Trumpy swag they were hoping to sell to those "overflow crowds." But nobody is talking about that.)

Benedict Donald's merry band of traitors knew that they couldn't afford another messy money-loser, so they pulled the plug. It's not about health. It's about (lack of) wealth. We cats HISS.

Delays That Will Live In Infamy

By Sniffles

Joe Biden's use of the term "quit" in his campaign messages — as in, "Trump has quit on this country" — is a shrewd choice. You don't have to read niece Mary's best-selling expose to know that in the family formerly known as Drumpf, "quit" was definitely a four-letter word. They ostracized the star-crossed Fred Jr. for "quitting on" the demonic Fred Sr.'s business ambitions.

So keep at it, Joe! It will drive Trump crazy.

Benedict Donald is trying mighty hard, all of a sudden, to disprove his quittiness. He's back at the White House lectern, giving coronavirus "briefings," except without any of the scientists who are the ones we really need to hear. And according to the media, he has a "new tone" — if by that, they mean tediously reading from a prepared script and ending sentences in all the wrong places. Aside from making news by sending good wishes to accused child sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell (who surely must have some dirt on him), Trump announced that his task force was developing a plan for dealing with the pandemic.

"Developing a plan"? Now? Think about this for a second.

COVID-19 first surfaced in China in November. The first cases to appear in the US happened in January. And then things started accelerating: The coronavirus made frequent appearances in the Presidential Daily Brief in both January and February. And we all know what's happened since — in March, April, May, June and most of July.

The historical equivalent would be if FDR had gone in front of Congress — not in December of 1941, but, instead, in June of 1942 — and promised he would have a declaration of war against the Empire of Japan... well, pretty darn soon.

Calling Biden's speechwriters: Maybe you need to tweak his copy, because Trump never engaged with the virus to begin with. You can't quit if you don't even start, can you? We cats HISS.

Just What The Doctor Ordered

Just when we think we're going to explode in frustration, Randy Rainbow comes along and makes us grin. We cats PURR.

Tidbits And Cat Treats: Unsurprising News Edition

By Hubie and Bertie

Gosh! Who would have imagined that a workplace environment helmed by Roger Ailes would be hostile and toxic toward women? And that you could get handcuffed, stripped and raped by a FOX "News" anchor? Color us not surprised. (And does this explain Tucker Carlson's sudden "fishing trip"?)

Here are some other news items that merit major eye-rolls.

How shocking that when Benedict Donald decides to finally be a mask maven — 140,000 deaths too late — he makes it about him. And that Lady Lindsey would cheer him on.

And zounds! — Senate Republicans and the White House are not on the same page about school openings and payroll tax cuts. Do we think some folks on the GOP side realize those are terrible ideas? On that note, was it surprising to see that Trump didn't learn a thing from the John-McCain-flag-at-half-staff flap and lowered the White House flag for John Lewis for all of 12 hours?

Finally (although we could go on like this forever), is anybody stunned that the sheriff in Duval County, Florida, doubts that the Republican hatefest in Jacksonville next month can be held safely? Of course it can't. Does Benedict Donald care? Of course he doesn't. We cat HISS.

Nice Touch.

The Robert E. Lee statue in Richmond, Virginia. We cats PURR.

(PHOTO: Alex Criqui)

Complicity

"

"The Polish writer Jacek Trznadel has described what it felt like, in Stalinist Poland, to be a loud advocate for the regime and to doubt it at the same time.

"'I was shouting from a tribune at some university meeting in Wrocław, and simultaneously felt panicked at the thought of myself shouting. I told myself I was trying to convince [the crowd] by shouting, but in reality I was trying to convince myself.'

"For some people, loud advocacy of Trump helps to cover up the deep doubt and even shame they feel about their support for Trump. It’s not enough to express tepid approval of a President who is corrupting the White House and destroying America’s alliances and inflicting economic catastrophe on the country: You have to shout if you want to convince yourself as well as others. You have to exaggerate your feelings if you are to make them believable."

—Anne Applebaum, The Atlantic, July 16, 2020

"No Ordinary Time"

Eighty years ago today, Eleanor Roosevelt became the first First Lady to address a major party convention. That's a milestone in itself, but what she said was even more important. Her speech solidified the Democratic Party behind FDR for a third term — and guaranteed that America would benefit from his leadership in World War II. We cats PURR.

Republicans Are So Bad At This

By Miss Kubelik

We cats hope that John Lewis lies in state in the Capitol Rotunda, and that some sort of funeral (with masks and social distancing) can be held. If it is, we hope that Joe Biden beams in by video, because we want him to stay healthy.

Meanwhile, tributes to John Lewis are pouring in from Americans who knew, loved, admired, respected and cherished him. Oh, and from Republicans, too. They're not doing very well.

Baby Marco Rubio tweeted this photo of himself with... the late Maryland Congressman Elijah Cummings.

Benedict Donald couldn't wait to head out to the golf course, so he said nothing personally. But later, some obviously-home-schooled White House flunky tweeted on Trump's behalf that "Melania and I send our prayers to he and his family." GACK!

Acting DHS Secretary Chad Wolf tweeted that because of Lewis, "America is a more just place" — hours after, indulging his inner Pinochet, he sent anonymous storm troopers into Portland, Oregon, to disappear protesters.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, a former member of Congress, was asked to comment on Lewis at a coronavirus press conference today. After much head-tilting and fidgeting, DeSantis replied, "Do you have a question about the topic at hand?"

Despicable. But at least DeSantis hasn't had the bill to restore the Voting Rights Act sitting on his desk for 225 days — like Mitch McConnell, who shamelessly put out a Lewis statement anyway.

Simple human decency: a bridge too far for Republicans. We cats HISS.

Let's Rename That Bridge

America has lost a giant today. Click here.

Tidbits And Cat Treats: Got To Win Edition

By Zamboni

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has announced that she's receiving chemotherapy for a recurrence of her liver cancer, unrelated to her recent hospitalization. "My most recent scan on July 7 indicated a significant reduction of the liver lesions and no new disease," she said. "I am tolerating chemotherapy well and am encouraged by the success of my current treatment.

"I have often said I would remain a member of the Court as long as I can do the job full steam. I remain fully able to do that."

RBG may be (please God) smacking down cancer again, but she's giving the rest of America a heart attack.

The country would not be able to stand another Supreme Court vacancy before Election Day. We're going through enough already, so even the thought of it is tail-raising. As if nearly 140,000 dead Americans and a ruined economy aren't reasons enough to run the Trumpsters out of town, Justice Ginsburg's health issues are a gut-wrenching reminder that we absolutely must, must, must, must win in November.

On that note, though, a few positive news items:

Joe Biden has raised a ton of money in the last couple of months, and has narrowed the fundraising gap between him and Benedict Donald to $50 million. He's gotten major gifts from people like Laurene Powell Jobs, Jeffrey Katzenberg and — gasp! — Meg Whitman. But still, $50 million behind is $50 million behind, right? Not necessarily. When you consider how much money the Trumpsters have had to spend lately in states they should already have locked up, the two campaigns are basically tied. And P.S.: One of them is ahead of the other by double digits. (People like to give to winners.)

The Lincoln Project is launching Operation Grant in Ohio, a grassroots organizing and advertising campaign to deny Benedict Donald the Buckeye State. This is grand news — not just because they're right that if Trump loses Ohio, he loses, but because it's sure to get under his very thin skin. However, may we make a suggestion? It would also be swell if the Lincoln lads would target Iowa. It's a state that flipped from Obama to Trump, and we'd love to get it back — and the Joni Ernst Senate race is a hot one that Democrats can win. You've also got a couple of House seats we can flip (and one we need to defend). And it's cheaper to advertise there. Think about it, Rick/John/Bill/et. al.

Finally, our Trumpy Republican Congresswoman, Elise Stefanik, is between a Stone and a hard place: Convicted felon Roger is yapping that she and Kevin McCarthy lobbied against the commutation of his sentence. Stefanik is denying this. But these days, who are you gonna believe — Elise or Roger? Either way, this story is going to make Stefanik no friends: It reminds Democrats and anti-Trumpers how disgusting she is, and the MAGA crowd is going to be mad. We cats PURR.

A Way Out

By Baxter

The other day we were talking to a friend in Canada who told us we might not be able to cross the border again "until you get a new President."

Eek! Election Day is four and a half months off, and Inauguration Day, six. Will we really not see Montreal again until the snow falls?

Maybe not. After all, why should Canada open its border to us if we don't have our act together? COVID cases are out of control, deaths are rising, our hospitals are jam-packed and our supplies are running low — all because Benedict Donald tried to wish it all away, refused to implement the Defense Production Act, politicized safety measures instead of championing them, and hollowed out or decapitated the departments and agencies who could best respond. And there's nobody in the Administration who's capable of making Trump step aside so he or she can do the right thing.

So January it may be. But can the country last that long? Seriously. It feels like the United States of America is at its breaking point (or will be soon, when parents can't send their children to school). There's only so much sheltering, so many lost jobs, and so many solitary deaths in ICUs that we can take.

So, since the newest polls are showing that Biden is on his way to becoming President by acclamation, we have a proposal: When Americans have finally decided they've had enough, Trump and Pence must both resign so Speaker Nancy Pelosi can step in as interim President. She can set into motion everything that has to happen — everything that Trump and Pence have resisted — to beat the coronavirus. Then she can pass the baton to the duly elected President Biden in January. It's a lovely thought. We cats PURR.

The Going Gets Tough, And Biden Goes To Texas

By Sniffles

Probably the most important thing Joe Biden did today was release his plan to combat climate change. But he's gotten the most attention for this ad, which he's airing in Texas — a state Democrats haven't carried for President since 1976.

As pundits smarter than we are have pointed out, the very fact that Biden can plausibly advertise in Texas in the first place is a five-alarm fire bell for the Trumpsters. The icing on the cake: The ad's very good. It doesn't even mention Benedict Donald, because it doesn't have to.

Even if Biden doesn't win the Lone Star state, there are other races there that a strong Biden showing could help swing, like John Cornyn's. So this is money well spent — and better yet, Biden can afford to spend it. We cats PURR.

Perfect!

These little furry guys always cheer us up when the chips are down — so this made us grin like Cheshire cats. And having the players attach tails to their uniforms is a great idea! We cats PURR.

Texas And Tiers

By Hubie and Bertie

As the polls continue to look up for Joe Biden, Democrats are urging him to expand the map — as in, spend money in states that might not be crucial to getting him to 270 but that would be icing on a delicious Electoral College cake.

It's tempting, because we want to elect as many Democrats as possible down-ballot, as well as completely repudiate Benedict Donald and all vestiges of Trumpism. So rest assured that Team Biden is observing the landscape and making decisions even as we blog.

Texas figures largely in these conversations. A recent Dallas Morning News poll puts Biden up over Trump there by five points. What's not to love?

Still, the Biden campaign is handling things cautiously. They want to nail down five of the big six battlegrounds — Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Arizona, North Carolina and Florida — before they throw precious resources at the Lone Star State. But surely they're not ruling out runs in the following second- and third-tier states:

• Second Tier: Texas, Georgia, Ohio and Iowa
• Third Tier: Missouri, Montana, Alaska, Kansas and Nebraska-02 (Nebraska is quirky)

If 2020 is indeed a blue tsunami election (or even just a wave), any resources that Team Biden puts into light-red states today won't matter anywhere near as much as resources they dedicate in October, when the national mood may be different (or even worse for Trump). So we're okay with the Biden camp proceeding gingerly for now — at least through the two party conventions, whatever form they end up taking.

But if the national and state numbers at the end of August are where they are today (or better for Democrats), then Biden probably needs to add another tier of states, and then some. Added bonus: The third-tier opportunity states, with the exception of Missouri, are all inexpensive to campaign in. We cats PURR.

Rain Delay

By Miss Kubelik

We cats live in upstate New York, along the northward trend of the Hudson Valley and into the Adirondack mountains — the part of the country most beloved by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

And tonight, that region is in the cone of Tropical Storm Fay. Along with New York City and southern New England, we'll probably get drenching rains as Fay works her way into the Canadian Maritime provinces. Life has been worse.

But although coastal New Hampshire is not in the path of Fay, Benedict Donald has canceled his "show" there tomorrow night. Really?

Our first reaction: No way it's the weather. After Tulsa, and after the low-energy performance Donald gave in South Dakota last weekend, the Trumpsters must be cancelling the Portsmouth event for another reason — right?

And then we saw this from Lincoln Project member John Weaver: "My many NH friends say lack of enthusiasm is behind cancellation of the Super Spreader @realDonaldTrump 'rally'...." YEAH!

We'll all find out the truth eventually — but yes, we can confirm: While we're in the path of Tropical Storm Fay, Portsmouth, New Hampshire, can breathe a sigh of relief. In more ways than one. We cats PURR.

Swamp Creatures

By Zamboni

The Benedict Donald administration has been taking a lot of actions lately that indicate they know they're heading for the exits.

Firing inspectors general and prosecutors?  Commuting the prison sentence of Roger Stone? They all point to the inescapable fact that Election Day is coming and their days are numbered. They're trying to cram as many abuses in as they can before the American people give them the boot.

It's also, we're sorry to say, a signal to any yet-to-be-indicted co-conspirators: We've got your back. Just hang in there until noon on January 20, 2021, and you'll be okay.

We cats are not legal beagles (egad, no!), but we believe that attorney Daniel Goldman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence is right when he says: "Hundreds of federal prosecutors will undoubtedly be thinking about resigning this weekend. Perhaps the fact that the election is only four months away keeps them in their jobs. But every one of them knows they are witnessing unprecedented corruption in the White House." We cats HISS.

Goodbye, Goya?

By Baxter

In previous lives, we cats lived many years in Miami, which means that we developed an affinity for Goya foods. Our humans, in fact, pride themselves on having mastered the preparation of Goya yellow rice — with just the right combination of olive oil, the perfect pan, and the right flame on our Thermador range.

Alas, it appears we must kick all this into the basura can. "We are all truly blessed to have a leader like President Trump," said Goya CEO Robert Unanue in the Rose Garden the other day.

WHUT!?!?! No way! All those boxes of rice and cans of black bean soup must now be shunned? Apparently, yes — since a furious backlash is now underway. And, as you'd expect, there's a furious backlash to the furious backlash. Thus goeth the modern American cancel culture.

We cats have decided to stay out of the line of fire. After all, our humans have multiple boxes of Goya rice in the pantry, and we need to see how all this plays out. But Ana Navarro probably had the best response to the brouhaha: "Hell," she tweeted, "I never thought I'd see the day when a bunch of Trump-loving, immigrant-bashing, build-a-wall-to-keep-the-brown-invasion-out nationalist types would be out there fighting in defnse of frijoles and adobo." We cats PURR.

Stone'd

By Sniffles

It was always pretty clear that Benedict Donald was never going to let Roger Stone go to prison. Hence the commutation of Stone's sentence on a Friday night, when the White House assumes no one will notice. How interesting that one of Trump's 2016 battle cries was "Drain the swamp!" Consider the swamp not drained.

On the other hand, what does this say about the fact that Paul Manafort is still incarcerated?

We cats expected this Stone outcome, so we were already trying to figure out if it was too Inside Baseball to matter to suburban (and other) voters. Our conclusion was that if folks didn't know all the ins and outs of the Stone saga, they would still recognize a storyline that reeked of corruption when they saw it.

So, take another three points off Trump's approval rating, when we get around to polling on it. Benedict Donald has decided he'd rather lose in November than the country find out the dirt that Stone has on him.

Ironically, all the Trump garbage will come out in the end — after, and perhaps well after, Joe Biden wins the Electoral College by 279 (Cook Political Report's rather conservative estimate). The perfidy and depravity will be almost too much for the country to comprehend. It just makes us wonder how people like Roger Stone, and Donald Trump, will manage to live their post-presidential lives without unending torture and harassment. We cats HISS.

Bad Day For Donald

By Hubie and Bertie

Just this past Tuesday, we speculated that the sneak peeks into Niece Mary's anti-Donald memoir could cause Trump to lose the week — something he could ill afford to do with the clock ticking down to Election Day. Now, we know for sure that he has: Not only did the Supreme Court rule against him this morning (with Justices Biff and Not-Merrick joining the majority), but "Black Lives Matter" started appearing on Fifth Avenue (right in front of you-know-where).

The SCOTUS decision means that the chances of Trump being prosecuted in New York after he leaves office just went up faster than COVID cases in the Sun Belt. This is mildly alarming when you realize that Benedict Donald now has triple/quadruple/quintuple the incentive to never leave the White House. He must have speed-dialed his buddy Vladimir for election-interference help as soon as he got the news.

This scares us more than anything. It's already clear that most of the country hates Trump and wants him gone — and with the ham-handed way the Trumpsters are handling the coronavirus pandemic and the economy (the 202-year-old retailer Brooks Brothers just declared bankruptcy), the chances are pretty good that they'll keep hating him come November 3. But the idea of our creaky and vulnerable electoral system being hacked by Trump-loving bad actors is terrifying.

We need to find something to take our minds off all this. How about a tropical storm? We cats HISS.

Everything's Relative

By Miss Kubelik

One of the most irritating aspects of the Trump mismanagement of the coronavirus pandemic is that although the situation is improving in Canada, it's so bad here in the US that there's no incentive for Canada to open its border to us. We're going through withdrawal!

We realize that that's nothing compared to gasping for weeks on a ventilator, but it would be enough to make us vote to throw Trump's ass out of office in November (if, of course, we weren't already going to do so). Which makes us wonder how all the Americans whose European trips have been scuttled feel.

The True North is a lot more strong and free than we are right now. We cats are happy for them, but otherwise we HISS.

Hot Off The Press

By Zamboni

Here is former GOP operative and current Lincoln Project lad Rick Wilson, getting his first look at the Mary Trump tell-all that her wretched family tried to stop.

We're not planning to buy it, even though it could be a nifty way to irritate Benedict Donald. But all the juicy bits will be reported in the press anyway, and a nice person we follow on Twitter is thinking about live-tweeting it as she reads. Fun!

All of which means that although it's only Tuesday, it's possible that Trump has already lost the week. There is a finite number of weeks left to make up the ground he's lost this year — 17, to be exact, until Election Day. To get back into a tie with Joe Biden, he'd have to gain back one-half of one percent a week, every week. To accomplish that each week for four months straight is already unheard of. Niece Mary is doing her part to make it more difficult.

However, nothing in the new Trump book will be surprising. The world already knows that Benedict Donald long ago knocked George W. Bush off his perch as The Worst Person Who's Ever Lived. But it just reminds us why we're seeing so many videos on social media of Trumpy people being hateful and ugly — because their idol is hateful and ugly, and monkey see, monkey do. (The latest is a Costco shopper in Florida, a white guy in a super-patriot T-shirt who threatened an elderly customer after she suggested he follow Costco rules and wear a mask. Dude was videoed, identified, and promptly fired.)

The schadenfreude is pleasant, but it would be so nice not to see any more incidents like that in our Twitter feed. We're sick and tired of the Trumpsters, and we HISS.

Tearing Down Statues, Tearing Trump Out

By Baxter

Now who's erasing history? After a weekend that Benedict Donald spent carping and moaning about people pulling down Confederate statues and monuments, FOX "News" has just had to apologize for cutting Trump out of this photo with Jeffrey Epstein. "We regret the error," they said blandly, as if copping to a spelling mistake.

(Curiously, they left Melania in. Hmmmm.)

We didn't think there could be anything more ridiculous than a dude from Queens screaming about Southern "heritage," but FOX is giving it the old college try. It would be funnier if the whole Epstein saga, with its underage rape and festering corruption, weren't so serious. It's at the top of the list of "Things About Trump That We'll Find Out Later And That Will Make Us Hack Up Endless Hairballs." Like that creepy video of Trump and Epstein partying at Mar-a-Lago in 1992 — we have no idea why that hasn't gotten more attention.

FOX said the photo crop was a whoopsie, but please. This entire cast of Trump characters — its White House, political appointees, departments and agencies, media enablers, and run-of-the-mill MAGAts who insist on denying reality — spend their days fomenting, and wallowing in, obfuscations and lies. Surely one of the factors that will drive Americans to the voting booth in November will be a mad desire to return to honesty and transparency. We can't wait.

In the meantime, let's all brace ourselves: The release of Mary Trump's book has been moved up. We cats HISS and PURR at that same time.

A Public Health Announcement From Ringo Starr

And remember, in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make. We cats PURR.

Flags

By Sniffles

Do you participate in the website "Next Door"? We cats have found it helpful, both in Northern Virginia and here in Upstate New York. It's neighbors talking to other neighbors, recommending small business owners, connecting with each other for landscapers, dog walkers, baby sitters, house cleaners, etc. America at its best, yes?

Tonight, though, someone on our local Next Door thread has complained that his Trump flag had been stolen. "Have good video," the Trumpster threatened. "Bring it back tonight and we won't turn [the video] over to the police."

To which we cats responded, "Suggestion: Fly the American flag instead."

We won't bore you with the responses, but be assured that most of them came down on the side of the Stars and Stripes. We're having a subdued Independence Day, what with the pandemic and all. But we're also sensing that folks are waiting — not just for a non-pandemicky Fourth of July, but for a Fourth that can boast a President who's a normal human being (instead of a sociopath).

The Trumpsters may not like to hear this, but the American flag encompasses everybody who lives under it — black, white, brown, native, immigrant, male, female, gay, straight, cis, trans, whatever. The story of the United States can be boiled down to two words: "Who's next?" What group of people will be next enfolded in the rights that are guaranteed by the Constitution? We all must work very hard to keep expanding that list. In the meantime, we cats PURR.

The Times Really Seem To Be Changin'

By Hubie and Bertie

Is it Christmas in July? Is that the reason we're seeing the anti-racism movement in America continue to gain so much symbolic steam?

Yes, all of it needs to be followed up with life-changing, meaty legislation — police and criminal justice reform, new anti-discrimination laws, and an end to voter suppression — but that probably won't be possible until we have a Democratic President and a Democratic Congress (November, please come soon). In the meantime, though, we can do something about symbols. And we are, in a big way.

This week, the city of Richmond removed a prominent statue of Confederate General Stonewall Jackson while a crowd cheered in a pouring rain. Next up is surely Robert E. Lee, whose likeness Virginia Governor Ralph Northam was ready to take out until a Richmond judge stopped him with an injunction. Well, now that judge has recused himself from the case — a civil action brought by a descendant of the monument's creators. We feel like we know where this is going.

And Benedict Donald can scream and yell and spew coronavirus all he wants at Mount Rushmore tonight. While nobody's going to dynamite Gutzon Borglum's mountain any time soon, less-majestic monuments are crashing down all across America — one, in fact, in Trump's current city of residence, Washington, DC.

Federal Express, the title sponsor of the stadium in DC, has asked the Washington football team to change its name. Under pressure from this and other developments, once-defiant team owner Dan Snyder appears willing to "review" the situation and — eventually, it's said — propose a new name and mascot. This latest bombshell follows the recent removal of a marker commemorating George Preston Marshall, former team owner and virulent racist. What were we saying about Christmas in July? We call this an issue that is snowballing.

So we'll pay little attention to the scattered, empty words of Donald Trump in South Dakota tonight, and instead hang on tight to the continued, hopeful signs that America is at last growing up. Hey, if the NFL can change, anybody can. (And we keep saying that if someone hires Colin Kaepernick, we non-football fans will sit down, pop a brewski and watch.) We cats PURR.

All Those Nicknames Come Home To Roost

By Miss Kubelik

If Donald Trump is famous for nothing else, it's for inventing nicknames for his enemies. Some have stuck, some haven't. But they're shorthand for his particular brand of hate-filled politics.

Now, the tables may have turned.

Faithful My Cats readers know that we've been using the nickname "Benedict Donald" for Trump for some time now. We like to think that we invented it, and, secretly, we've been wondering why it hasn't caught on. We've tweeted it and everything!

Apparently, it just needed an organization like VoteVets, which has more than 205,000 followers, to make a Fourth of July video. So today, "Benedict Donald" took off.

That's fine by us. Happy Independence Day, everyone. We cats PURR.

No-Brain Cain

By Zamboni

Today is July 2, which means that it was 12 days ago that 6,200 morons gathered — without masks or social distancing — for Benedict Donald's flop of a "show" in Tulsa, Oklahoma. They say that after the coronavirus infects you, symptoms can show up in about two weeks.

And guess what? Herman Cain, who stupidly attended the Tulsa rally without protection, is in the hospital now with COVID-19. See how that works? Thoughts and prayers, Hermie.

Meanwhile, just to the south, Texas is exploding with COVID. They're up to 175,000 cases, around 8,000 a day. It's so bad that right-wing Governor Greg Abbott has now ordered everyone in counties that have more than 20 coronavirus cases to wear face masks in public. (Yes, there are plenty of loopholes in his order, but it's quite a one-eighty from before — when Abbott actively forbade localities from mandating masks themselves.)

As if that weren't enough, the Texas Republican Party will hold its 2020 state convention July 16-18 in Houston, which has the highest number of coronavirus cases (and deaths) in the Lone Star State. The county parties have been meeting since spring. Between those county conventions, Houston and the Trump COVID-fest in Tulsa, the Republicans are hosting a bunch of super-duper spreaders.

They are all idiots, and Herman Cain is just the latest example. Do Republicans not understand that their supporters can't vote for them if they're dead? On the other hand, if that's the way they want it, we won't stand in their way. We cats HISS.

These Lads At The Lincoln Project Are Good At What They Do.

Like us, the Lincoln Project team obviously remembers that back in 2016, Mike Pence (gesturing at Trump) urged America to vote for "this good man." This ad rubs that in his silly face. We cats PURR.

Two Birthdays And An Ad Buy

By Baxter

We cats had a momentary scare this morning when we saw Olivia de Havilland trending on Twitter. We're still reeling from the news about Carl Reiner — was it possible we'd lost Olivia, too?

And then we remembered: It's her birthday. Happy 104th, Dame O!

July 1 is also Canada Day, so we're wishing our Canadian friends a wonderful, socially distant 153rd. Meanwhile, on this side of the border, we're grappling with so much news that we're on sensory overload (coronavirus, Black Lives Matter, the economy, you name it). So we've decided to just focus on one topic for now: Trump in the dumps.

How deep in the dumps? One measure is their recent $18 million advertising buy in Ohio. It's part of an overall $80 million buy that also includes Arizona, Florida, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin — all states where Trump is under water. The Ohio expenditure is the second-biggest in the group, after Florida.

It's amazing. Shouldn't a triumphant Benedict Donald be focusing on expanding the map? Instead, he's playing defense, and in Ohio, that's pretty shocking. Trump won the Buckeye State by eight points in 2016! And the Trumpsters had been boasting that they'd not only hold their wins but also look to flip states like New Mexico, Colorado, New Hampshire and Minnesota in 2020. How embarrassing.

The Trump campaign has a lot of money — but the rules of allocation of scarce resources still apply. Having to defend states they won in blowouts last time around means there's that much less cash left to spend on picking up others. And Joe Biden, who's been fundraising well lately, has additional help from groups like The Lincoln Project, Republican Voters Against Trump and VoteVets.

Maybe Brad "Weird Beard" Parscale should fear for his job after all. And maybe, if Dame Olivia survives to celebrate her 105th, she'll do so with a different crowd in the White House. We cats PURR.