Vote. Vote. Vote.

By Zamboni

We cats need Donald Trump out of our lives. All nine of them.

Although some in Pundit World are positing that Benedict Donald's unhinged performance last night was a nefarious ruse to turn people off and suppress the vote, we expect the exact opposite: Americans realize anew that they want this guy to get permanently lost, and they will turn out in droves to make it happen.

Which is not to say that the Cleveland nightmare wasn't dispiriting. We cats started the evening with a Zoom event featuring Howard Dean, who is campaigning for our Democratic Congressional candidate here in NY-21. Heaven. And then a few hours later, the TV had to go off because Trump's behavior was so — stressful. It's unpleasant to watch an abuser in action. We don't know how Joe Biden was able to stay calm through it all, but it's one of the reasons he'll be a good President.

Here's the deal: The only way we're going to be able to never look at this Trump monster's face or hear his voice again is to vote against him in such large numbers that his dream of contesting the election will be dashed forever. Make your plan to vote. Do it early. If you're voting by mail or absentee, put your ballot in a drop-box instead of mailing it. And if you're voting in person, know what you'll do if Proud Boys or other Trump thugs show up and try to intimidate you. Sadly, after last night, that's something we all have to think about. We cats HISS.

(IMAGE: Meanwhile, Biden is on a whistle-stop tour of Ohio and Pennsylvania. Sometimes it's good to remember that there exists a thing called the Politics Of Joy.)

Donald, Fasten Your Seat Belt

Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger is not someone you'd think to automatically include in the typical Democratic demographic. Neither are the Airline Pilots (although they're a union). This makes Sully's new ad all the more powerful. We hope it haunts Benedict Donald into tonight's first debate — along with all that pesky new New York Times stuff. We cats PURR.

Tidbits And Cat Treats: September Surprises Edition

By Baxter

The Washington Post has endorsed Joe Biden for President, not waiting until the debates or even the month of October. After all, what would be the point? As the editorial board declares in its first paragraphs: "In order to expel the worst President of modern times, many voters might be willing to vote for almost anybody. Fortunately, to oust Trump in 2020, voters do not have to lower their standards."

In short, it's been another red-letter day for Benedict Donald. The Trump tax story that The New York Times broke late yesterday afternoon has dominated the day, except maybe for that viral bodycam video of Brad "Weird Beard" Parscale being taken down and handcuffed by cops in his Fort Lauderdale neighborhood. (See above.) It just makes you wonder: How many Trumpsters have been hauled off to the proverbial hoosegow so far? And how many more will be?

Here are a few other things we're following/thinking about.

The Trump campaign is canceling TV ad schedules that had been booked in Iowa and Ohio for September 29-October 5. Neither of those states are in the bag for them at the moment. Bet they could use some of those millions that Weird Beard skimmed away — or the zillions that the RNC and related entities funneled to Trump properties. And why are they canceling ad buys when Trump said he would write a $100 million check to level the playing field? HAHAHAHA

Last week, Dave Wasserman of the Cook Political Report tweeted a list of red counties across the country that he thought Biden had a chance to turn blue. Maricopa County in Arizona was top of the list, no surprise. But Butte County, California, home to the secessionist nutjobs? Seminole County in Florida? That would be a huge red flag for the GOP. Kent County, Michigan? That's Justin Amash's territory. If Trump loses Kent, he can't win the state. Note to Dave: Please revisit your list after the Times story has had a few days to sink in.

Finally, on Sunday afternoon — before the Times published its scoop — NBC/Marist had Biden up by nine in Michigan and 10 in Wisconsin. CBS/YouGov had Biden up by two in North Carolina. We can't wait to see updates once voters digest how much more money they've paid Uncle Sam than Benedict Donald has. (And if you want to calculate it quickly, you can do so courtesy of this handy tool from the Biden campaign. They sure are quick on the draw! We cats PURR.)

Tidbits And Cat Treats: Trump's Taxes Edition

By Sniffles

We just spent 30 minutes reading the New York Times scoop about Benedict Donald's taxes and how he's $421 million in the hole and $100 million of personally guaranteed loans is coming due in 2022 and he only paid $750 in taxes in 2016 and 2017. There's more, but if we told you everything, this post would never end.

Our furry little heads are spinning, but we can share a few thoughts.

Did Trump move to South Florida because of the state's bankruptcy laws? In Florida, your creditors cannot take your house (or your horse, if you've got one). So he can't lose Mar-a-Bad-Taste in a bankruptcy court. But maybe Bill de Blasio can foreclose on Trump Tower for nonpayment of taxes. It's a thought, Mr. Mayor.

Did Vladimir Putin engineer this? A crazy idea, yes, but run with it for a minute. Not that he gave the tax returns directly to the Times. (The guy used to head the Russian CIA, so name your method. DeutscheBank may be involved.) The bottom line is that Putin can read American polls. He knows Trump is going down, and that he's lost enough of the military and law enforcement that he can't stage a coup. So Putin needs to discredit him post-January-20 so he can groom his next puppet. Tom Cotton? Josh Hawley? The mind reels.

Remember how Moose & Squirrel delayed moving to the White House so she could force Benedict Donald to renegotiate their prenup? Whatever she got him to agree to, it's probably mostly worthless now. Count the silverware and the towels at noon on January 20.

Meanwhile, on the non-tax-return front, Brad "Weird Beard" Parscale has Baker Acted himself into a South Florida hospital after apparently threatening to shoot himself. We want to know why Weird Beard, who supposedly was making so much money from the Trump campaign, would want to do such a thing. What did the campaign manager know, and when did he know it? And is Vladimir Putin involved?

Finally, we turn to a Republican for the best smackdown comment on Trump's taxes (although Jason Kander's "He's broke, he lives in our house, and he's been stealing from us" wasn't bad). As David Frum observes: "It says right in the prayerbook that Yom Kippur is the day that God smites deceivers, wrongdoers and criminals." We know there's more to come, but for now, 'nuff said. We cats PURR.

Seen In...Almost Anywhere In America

 

We don't know where this is, but it's great! It makes us PURR.

"I Feel Sorry For Americans"

 

 

"...[T]hat the president of the United States, the very country that shepherded the birth of Germany’s own peaceful democracy after the defeat of the Third Reich, was wavering on the sanctity of the electoral process has been met with disbelief and dismay...

"The diminution of the United States’ global image began before the pandemic, as Trump administration officials snubbed international accords and embraced an America First policy. Now, though, its reputation seems to be in free-fall...

"'We used to look to the US for democratic governance inspiration,' said Eduardo Bohórquez, the director of Transparency International Mexico. 'Sadly, this is not the case anymore.

"'Being "great" is simply not enough,' he added."

—The New York Times, September 25, 2020

Final RBG Image Of The Day

Republican leaders Mitch McConnell and Kevin McCarthy couldn't be bothered to show up today to pay their respects to the first woman to lie in state in the US Capitol. But the Bidens were there. People across America took note — especially women. We cats PURR.

RBG Image Of The Day, Video Version

 

 

Bryant Johnson, Ruth Bader Ginsburg's personal trainer, paid a special tribute to her today. We cats need some Kleenex, and we PURR.

RBG Image Of The Day, Part III

Seen in downtown Saratoga Springs this morning: Note the RBG-themed sign in the back. Many drivers honked in support. We cats PURR.

RBG Image Of The Day, Part II

Historic note: Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg will be the first woman to lie in state in the US Capitol. Also the first member of the Jewish faith. Incredible but true. We cats salute her.

RBG Image Of The Day

And yes, Benedict Donald and Moose & Squirrel were booed and chanted off the steps of the Supreme Court. #VoteHimOut. We cats PURR.

(PHOTO: Alex Brandon, Reuters)

"Ye Are Many — They Are Few."

Today we cats are turning over the blog to Asha Rangappa — lawyer, former FBI agent, senior lecturer at Yale University's Jackson Institute for Global Affairs, and political-legal commentator on cable news. This is from her Twitter feed.

"It is important to take note and be prepared for the unprecedented actions Trump says he intends to take after the election. But it is also important not to allow his wishful reality to become the reality. To do that, consider Trump's psychological POV right now.

"Every time Trump spouts this kind of garbage, he is revealing that he is terrified. Ab. So. Lute. Ly. Terrified. His existential fear is losing. And he knows that there is a very good chance he is going to lose. And he can't do a damn thing about it. He will be a loser.

"Remember that in pretty much every instance Trump has faced like this in the past, he's had an exit strategy. He walks away. But he can't get out of the election. He's like a mail-order bride who has to go through with it. Except in his case, if he loses, he may end up in jail. 

"This situation is like the coronavirus. He understands the reality, he knows he can't escape it, so his only option is to create an alternate reality. Reality, however, caught up with him with COVID. So it is up to you to make sure the same happens with the election. 

"...An important way to empower ourselves, in addition to voting, is for commentators and media to manage expectations. To wit: We have a process in place for elections. That process will be followed, whether he likes it or not. Every vote will be counted. Due to the high volume of mail-in votes, there will be delay in reaching a final result, which is proof that our process is working.

"Empirical research shows that lies travel faster than the truth, especially on social media. Therefore, the [message that the process is working] needs to saturate the information space, by everyone, starting now. Also, we will have a peaceful transfer of power, as we have for 231 years. Pass it on.

"Finally, this is a government of the people, by the people, for the people. As long as the Constitution exists, we have peaceful means to resolve disputes — like our judiciary — and our voice. We retain the power of peaceful protest.

"In short, this is a reminder that what Trump says is not a fait accompli. His goal is to sap you of hope. He does not have the power to do that. Don't let him. He is weak and afraid. You are not."

(For more inspiration, Rangappa suggests we all read Percy Bysshe Shelley's "The Masque of Anarchy." How can we argue against rising like lions after slumber? We cats PURR.)

Tidbits And Cat Treats: It's Darkest Right Before It Goes Completely Black Edition

By Hubie and Bertie

It's fitting to quote a joke that was a favorite of John McCain's in our headline today. Because his widow has endorsed Joe Biden for President. You know how they used to say "Country First"? John McCain certainly didn't follow that when he picked Sarah Palin as his running mate. But Cindy McCain is following it now.

Lots happening in the news today, so we'll just post a grab-bag of furry observations.

Here's a small fact that illustrates the state of the 2020 Senate races: When Dr. Al Gross is interviewed live on the Morning Schmoes, it's practically the middle of the night, Alaska time. Gross isn't running as a Democrat, but he'll caucus with us, so this race is super-interesting, to say the least. And the $3 million he just received after RBG died will go a long, long way in the Last Frontier.

The mask-hating, Trump-loving Republican Governor of Missouri has COVID-19 — hard on the heels of a former Nashville city council member who said the pandemic was a hoax and who is, now, most decidedly dead. (From COVID, of course. He was only 57.) Why do people want to mess with this virus? We'll never understand.

Anthony Fauci finally told Rand Paul to shove it today, and it was pretty great. Watch the video and you can be sure of one thing: Rand Paul was the kind of doctor who never listened to his patients. 

Benedict Donald is a racist and an anti-Semite. But we knew that already, right?

More disappointment from Louisville tonight, for Black Lives Matter and everyone who supports them. Let's hope the Breonna Taylor demonstrations stay peaceful, especially since Trump thugs are wandering the streets trying to stir things up.

Finally, things are so upsetting these days that not even a barrel full of red pandas can make it right. So we have a suggestion: Spend a little time doing something that has absolutely nothing to do with the news. Today we attended a Zoom tour of a new couture exhibition at the McCord Museum in Montreal. Most therapeutic! We cats PURR.

(PHOTO: Lots of black dresses in the McCord's Christian Dior exhibit. It seems appropriate in the week after we lost RBG.)

Seen On Social Media

Where our humans live, yard signs are not allowed. However, Joe and Kamala just got added to their cars. So we stand ready to assist if this story ever happens in our neighborhood:

"Today our doorbell rang and on the other side was a young black woman traveling by herself, who was locked out of her rental car without her phone, wallet, keys, purse, everything. My husband worked to help her get the rental car company to send some help, and we both stood outside with her for an hour, waiting for AAA.

"She shared that when she knew she needed help, she chose to knock on our door for one reason: our Biden-Harris yard sign. (As she said, 'Specifically, the Harris part.') She said she knew there were kind people inside.

"I wish more people understood what it feels like to be worried about knocking on a door for help. And I'm glad we were home! Maybe we can share this story to place a light in the window (and a sign in your yard)."

A Hitch For Mitch

By Miss Kubelik

We cats had a horrible thought today: What if Moscow Mitch doesn't care about losing the Senate?

Dude is almost 80. What if he thinks, "Heck, I've delivered 200 judges and three Supreme Court justices — my work here is done"?

It's possible, although when you consider that McConnell outpaces nearly everyone in the GOP when it comes to delightfully wielding nefarious power, maybe he does care after all.

Assuming he does, then, let's take a look at what the $100 million that the Democrats raked in this weekend might do to McConnell's Senate Super PAC's decisions. The principle of the Allocation of Scarce Resources is soon to come into play. Some GOP Senate candidate is going to have to lose the game of musical money.

McConnell might figure that if he lets go of Arizona (where Mark Kelly is pounding Martha McSally), North Carolina (where Cal Cunningham's ahead of Thom Tillis) — or even Iowa, which has Democrat Theresa Greenfield leading Joni Ernst by three — the Republicans can win them back in six years. A more interesting thought would be Mississippi, though. A poll just came out showing Democrat Mike Espy a point in front of the execrable Cindy Hyde-Smith, surprising as it may seem.

But you'd have to figure that Espy would be more moderate than other potential Democratic Senate winners, simply by virtue of the state he would represent. So Mitch wouldn't lose too much by cutting Hyde-Smith loose. On the other hand, Mitch wouldn't save much money either, because Mississippi is dirt-cheap to campaign in compared to, say, North Carolina or Arizona. See how all these factors can work together to drive Mitch crazy? So maybe Mississippi is not the first GOP Senate race to get the heave-ho.

All things considered, we'd have to predict Cory Gardner in Colorado. For practical as well as appearances' sake, Mitch won't want to ditch Arizona or Iowa or even Susan Collins in Maine — Trump might need that extra Electoral Vote in ME-02, and it would look bad to abandon those three states outright. But Colorado? Possibly. John Hickenlooper leads by five, the state is pretty pricey campaign-wise, and Trump is about to write it off soon. Mitch might even figure that Colorado is lost to the GOP for a generation.

It's not a lost cause for them, but when you factor in all the dicey situations in other states, we think that Gardner could be the first to go. We'll let you know if we guessed right. We cats PURR.

Bunnies For Biden

 

Furry faces unite! We cats PURR.

Tzadik Dies, Democrats Deluged

By Zamboni

Well, folks, ActBlue has raked in more than $100 million since we all learned we'd lost RBG. But they reported that amount three whole hours ago. Can they hit $150 million by the end of today?

Imagine the impact on the Presidential race if all that money were directed to states where it's really cheap to advertise and campaign. States like Kansas, Maine, Alaska and Montana. You could win them all, just with the money raised this weekend. You could probably also throw in Iowa and Mississippi.

So Team Trump will have to recalibrate their calendar. When will they decide to stop throwing good money after bad and start pulling up stakes? They'll probably abandon all but one of the states Hillary carried and which they thought they could flip: Minnesota, New Hampshire, Maine, Nevada, Colorado or New Mexico. Maybe they'll stay in Minnesota or Nevada for appearances' sake. (Buying ad time in Minnesota also buys you western Wisconsin.)

Of the remaining states, Michigan is probably the first one they'll have to cut loose, followed by Arizona or maybe even Pennsylvania.

By mid-October, the vast majority of Trump campaign resources will have to be piled into Florida. Which means it will be a great time for Biden to try to kidnap Ohio and Iowa.

Maybe that's why Trump seemed so tentative at his "show" in North Carolina last night? We figured that after the RBG news, he'd be full of beans. Instead he was speaking plaintively about losing — and Team Biden had a delicious response.

Next up: What all this Democratic money will mean for the Senate races. In the meantime, it's worth noting that the amount of RBG money that's flowed in will vastly exceed the amount that was raised in the wake of Susan Collins's vote for Biff the Rapist, which everyone thought at the time was absolutely yuge. We cats PURR.

Sand Beach, Maine

Yesterday, only their side was voting on the Supreme Court. Now, our side is, too. And we outnumber them. We cats PURR.

Tidbits And Cat Treats: RBG Fallout Edition

By Baxter

When his rival Irving G. Thalberg died suddenly in 1936, MGM studio chief Louis B. Mayer is said to have smirked, "Isn't God good to me?"

Benedict Donald might be feeling the same way, if he weren't such an atheist. (He worships only himself.) But despite that, and despite any other Trumpsters feeling lucky with the death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Mitch McConnell's path ahead seems as fraught with peril as with opportunity. Here's a very long explanation if you have the time (and the stomach) for it. In the meantime, a few observations:

Thinking Republicans (if there are any) must realize that losing RBG is an earthquake that they'll not easily survive. Act Blue is reporting more than $45 million* in donations from last night alone. Peak hour: between 9 and 10, as the Ginsburg news was starting to hit and sink in. This $45 million includes about $10 million to "Get Mitch or Die Trying," which funnels money to Democrats in 13 key Senate races, like Colorado, Maine and North Carolina.

AOC has just posted a video aimed at progressives, urging them to vote for Joe Biden at all costs. "It's not about whether you agree with him," she says. "It's a vote to let our democracy live another day." AOC continues to impress.

Just for the record, here's what Lady Lindsey said back in 2016: "I want you to use my words against me. If there's a Republican President and a [Supreme Court] vacancy occurs in the last year of the first term, you can say, 'Lindsey Graham said let's let the next President, whoever it might be, make that nomination.'"

There's an angry crowd gathering outside Mitch McConnell's home. Stay peaceful and noisy, folks.

Finally, the US has officially passed 200,000 coronavirus deaths. Which means, at this rate, there could be 250,000 dead and 10 million infected by Election Day. The Supreme Court fight is the perfect way to distract Americans from that, isn't it? On the other hand, with those casualties and the economy in the tank, how could the White House and Senate Republicans spend even one second worrying about a judicial appointment? As noted, there is peril as well as opportunity. We cats HISS and PURR at the same time.

*UPDATE: Bloomberg News reports that Act Blue donations are $56 million and counting now.

RIP, RBG

By Sniffles

This is the event we cats have feared ever since the Republicans added Biff the Rapist to the Supreme Court. But now we're thinking it will be the catalyst that will remove Trump.

Did you see the lines of people waiting to vote in Virginia today? Two hours plus — all because folks didn't trust their ballots getting in by mail, and didn't want Benedict Donald to be able to falsely claim victory on Election Night.

Now, those lines, in Virginia and across the nation, just got longer. We cannot allow this horrible President to have three Supreme Court nominations. And maybe we won't. Vote early.

Meanwhile, take it from us: The Senate Republicans did not want this to happen. They were so banking on going along with Benedict Donald without a lot of people noticing that when they heard the news tonight, we're sure they were throwing up.

This is the monkey wrench that Cory Gardner, Martha McSally, and most especially, Susan Collins, were dreading in the run-up to Election Day. Take it from us, they are NOT happy. (And if you want to send some money to Amy McGrath, Mitch McConnell's opponent, click here.)

As Japanese Naval Marshal Yamamoto said after Pearl Harbor: "I fear we have awakened a sleeping giant, and filled him with a terrible resolve." It's possible that Ruth Bader Ginsburg's death six weeks before Election Day was her best revenge. We cats salute her — for this and for her storied career, and we PURR.

Early Birds And Worms

By Hubie and Bertie

The saying should be "Early cats get the tuna," but never mind. We have something important to share today.

If you're upset about the feds stockpiling weapons of war to clear protesters from Lafayette Park — if you're offended by Bill Barr threatening to criminally charge the Mayor of Seattle for nothing — if the idea of Benedict Donald shoving his tongue down your throat makes you gag — you're sure as heck gonna vote for Biden-Harris this fall.

What's freaking people out, however, is the nightmare scenario of Trump claiming victory on Election Night without the mail-in and absentee ballots being counted, after which the country dissolves into chaos.

Want to help prevent that? Vote early.

At least 40 states and the District of Columbia offer some form of early voting — including crucial battleground states like Arizona, Florida, Iowa, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Wisconsin. Click here to find links to your state's board of elections for details, and make a plan to vote.

That plan to vote early should include any precautions you want to take vis-a-vis the coronavirus pandemic that Team Trump refuses to control. (Part of the reason they're neglecting to do that, of course, is to make you afraid to exercise your franchise. Don't let them intimidate you.) Wear a mask, think about a face shield and gloves, bring an already-marked-up sample ballot, whatever ID you need, wipes, and your own pen. Whatever it takes, make it a part of your plan.

We have one chance at getting Trump out, folks. If we don't, America is doomed. Let's do this. We cats PURR.

Coup De Maine

By Miss Kubelik

Well, team, here we are again, still in the great state of Maine. Specifically, in the second Congressional District, which — as you can see — is pretty darn big, geographically. Many prominent Mainers have represented it in Congress, including Margaret Chase Smith before she became a Senator. Today its Congressman is Democrat Jared Golden.

Maine CD2 is also making some polling news today: Quinnipiac's latest sample of likely voters there has Joe Biden beating Benedict Donald by nine points, 53 to 44 percent.

This rumbled through the Beltway punditocracy like an earthquake because like Nebraska, Maine adopts the Congressional district approach to awarding Electoral College votes. The winner in each CD gets one electoral vote, and then the statewide winner gets another two. So winning in Maine's (or Nebraska's) second CD can give a Presidential candidate an extra EV, potentially crucial in a tight race.

In 2016, Trump won Maine CD2 by 10 points, 51 to 41. So this is a swing in the Democratic direction of 20 points. Pretty amazing — until you realize that Maine, demographically speaking, is the oldest state in the nation. And between COVID-19 and his threats to Social Security and Medicare, Benedict Donald has been bleeding senior support like crazy. (Heck, even in The Villages in Florida.)

We'd love to see how things are polling in Nebraska CD2. We cats PURR.

P.S. Another Republican suffering in the polls is beleaguered Senator Susan Collins. Quinnipiac has her down 12 points to Democrat Sara Gideon. As we've noted earlier, the Millinocket wedding disaster could be playing into Collins's woes. It's pretty clear that the selfish couple and their foolish guests were following directives from Donald Trump, not Governor Janet Mills. We cats HISS and PURR at the same time.

Death Cult

By Zamboni

We cats have watched Benedict Donald's recent rallies with a horror tempered only by the knowledge that the idiots putting themselves at risk for COVID-19 are all Trump fans (and maybe they'll be too sick, or too dead, to vote in November).

We sincerely hope that in three weeks or so, some intrepid journalists will follow up in the Trump rally cities, checking the coronavirus numbers and the mortality rates. There probably won't be another death as high-profile as Herman Cain's after Tulsa, but the overall data should be enough to assess how much of a super-spreader event each rally was.

This is possible because reporters have tracked other confabs that incredibly stupid people have held in defiance of science. Like last month's wedding in Millinocket, Maine, which now is responsible for 176 sick people and seven deaths. The dead people weren't even at the wedding itself. (And as you can guess, Millinocket is in Susan Collins's old Congressional District, ME-02. Just saying.)

If the same algorithm from the Maine wedding were to apply to Benedict Donald's event in Hendersonville, Nevada, for example, it would equate to 15,000 COVID-19 positives and 700 deaths.

There's an old saying in politics that you should never interfere when your opponent is destroying himself. But do you interfere when your opponent is killing his own supporters? And how is it possible that we're even having to ask this question? We cats HISS.

Good Signs

Pity all of us who live in developments that forbid yard signs. We can't indulge in fun like this — either commercially produced (top), or brilliantly homemade (bottom). Still, we cats PURR.

Sunday Night Randy

By Baxter

Did you know that Joe Biden has been President for the last three-and-a-half years? What else can you think when you see a tweet from Ronna ROMNEY McDaniel that says:

"Joe Biden can't run from his disastrous record responding to the coronavirus. The truth hurts, Joe!"

Seriously, folks, that's it: That's what they got. Benedict Donald is on tape with Bob Woodward saying back in January and February that the virus was gonna be bad, you can breathe it in, etc. And their response is to pretend that Biden's in the White House and it's all his fault. In the words of George Conway: "Are you insane?"

Someday, the world will return to some semblance of normal. Meanwhile, here's Randy Rainbow's latest. We cats PURR.

Happy Couple

By Sniffles

So much bad news in the headlines tonight: raging fires in California, Oregon and Washington, Americans everywhere disobeying COVID restrictions, Trumpsters with guns threatening violence after the election. Sometimes it seems like there aren't enough red pandas in the world to cheer us up.

But then we ran across this photo of Senator Kamala Harris and Doug Emhoff, and thought it was swell. Check out those Chucks!

Fun trivia fact: If Biden-Harris win, Emhoff would not only be the first person of the male persuasion to be married to a Vice President, he would be the first Jewish person to be same. (Hadassah Lieberman didn't make it.)

We have 51 days to make Doug Emhoff America's first Second Gentleman. Let's get to work. We cats PURR.

RVAT Shows How It's Done

By Hubie and Bertie

Not only does Donald Trump make Richard Nixon look good, he's making the nation yearn for the poetry of Ronald Reagan.

Which of course was always a script that the former B-list movie actor merely recited. But here's what's extra-delicious: What is the likelihood that Reagan's words here were written by Peggy Noonan?

Noonan is not a Lincoln Lass or otherwise an anti-Trumpette. In fact, some of her recent columns have been as critical of Joe Biden as they are semi-supportive of Trump.

So the fact that her words may be used to agitate against the GOP standard-bearer is doubly satisfying. And yes, in addition to that, this is a great ad. We cats PURR.

Donald Trump SO Needs To Go Away

By Miss Kubelik

It's another 9/11 anniversary, and here is Joe Biden, behaving like a President — while the current occupant of the Oval Office forgot the words to the Pledge of Allegiance and accused his opponent of drug use. Real 9/11 behavior, right?

Meanwhile, Biden delivered beer to firefighters in Pennsylvania and, in New York, met a 90-year-old woman whose son died on September 11. Biden is also a bereaved parent. "It never goes away, does it?" he asked her, and handed her a white rose.

Pardon us cats while we take a moment to compose ourselves.

This day being what it is, we won't get too political (you know how we hate to do that). But let's observe that this is a day on which we not only honor all the dead, but especially the first responders — police, Port Authority employees, firefighters, EMTs, etc. They ran to help, and so many of them died. They are all heroes.

Fast-forward to the coronavirus pandemic. The Woodward tapes have made it clear that Donald Trump knew how deadly the virus was. So we should all understand that, by "downplaying" the pandemic, as he put it, Trump was saying he didn't give a damn about the first responders of COVID: the doctors, nurses, ER teams, and a ton of other hospital staff across the country who have been on the front lines for six months now.

We are sick of this terrible Trump person — this corrupt grifter who has looted the federal government and violated its laws and, on top of all that, has killed nearly 200,000 Americans with his negligence and incompetence. We cannot wait to get to the polls and vote him out. We want a President who knows how to behave. Who knows how to feel empathy. Who understands the rule of law. Who will put an army of competent people to work, fixing everything Trump trashed. And yes, who wears an incredibly well-tailored suit. We cats PURR.

Pence Pardon Prediction

By Zamboni

Remember when Gerald Ford pardoned Richard Nixon back in 1974? Boy, were we cats mad! Nixon had obstructed justice, violated the Constitution, abused his power, and, by resigning, escaped impeachment — and now, he wouldn't ever truly pay for his crimes. Contrary to what a lot of pundits were saying at the time, the Nixon pardon was proof that the American system just didn't work.

Ford paid for it two years later, though. It was one of several reasons he lost the election in 1976 — others being that Ronald Reagan mortally wounded him at the Republican Convention and that, in a general-election debate with Jimmy Carter, Ford insisted that Poland was not under Soviet domination. Jeez, talk about gaffes.

Remembering this as vividly as we do makes us wonder about the rumors that daily fly on Twitter. If Benedict Donald loses to Joe Biden this November, tweeps aver, he will resign before Inauguration Day, and Mike Pence will pardon him. People are sure about this because Pence is such a flunky and toady, a fact of which we were reminded just yesterday by the upcoming Bob Woodward book.

Would Pence actually do it? He wants to run for President in 2024, and if he only (GACK!) was POTUS for a few weeks during the transition, constitutionally he could serve two full terms if elected. With the GOP completely taken over by the Trumpsters, including at the state party level, he couldn't afford not to let Donald off. (Plus, as noted above, he's a flunky and a toady.) To refuse to issue a pardon would be political suicide in the sick cult that passes for today's Republican Party.

A word of caution, though: The Trump voter represents an ever-shrinking slice of the electorate, thanks to, among other factors, the disastrous handling of the COVID pandemic, the "losers and suckers" scandal, and the plain fact that Trump's alienated thousands of non-base voters nearly every day of his Presidency. A GOP-nominated Mike Pence would need to woo voters far beyond MAGA in the fall of '24. In our view, Bob Woodward just ensured that that will never happen.

In short, with 200,000 Americans dead and Trump's "downplaying it" bragging to Woodward, the window for the Trump-resigns-Pence-pardons scenario has probably closed. Once again, it all comes down to tapes, doesn't it? We cats HISS and PURR at the same time.

Tidbits And Cat Treats: Donald Trump Is A Mass Murderer Edition

 

By Baxter

Do you personally know anyone who's been killed by the current President of the United States? Because that's what today's Bob Woodward revelations boil down to. We cats will address the journalistic aspects of this latest Trumpian disaster in another post. Meanwhile, here are some thoughts.

"Panic," LOL. Did America panic when Pearl Harbor was attacked? During the Cuban Missile Crisis? On 9/11? The only person who was panicking about the pandemic was Benedict Donald — plus the flunkies and minions and Republican US Senators who are all complicit in his crime against humanity. "Panic," ridiculous.

A key scene from Darkest Hour popped into our furry heads today. With Britain about to be invaded by Nazi Germany, King George VI tells Winston Churchill: "Go to the people. Let them instruct you... but tell them the truth, unvarnished. If invasion is imminent, if our troops in France are lost, they must be prepared." Pity that Benedict Donald didn't think of buying a ticket on the Washington Metro and hear what DC riders had to say.

Dan Coats, Jim Mattis, John Kelly, Rex Tillerson, and especially, Mike Pence all need to be hauled off to the hoosegow.

A braggy and obviously insecure Trump let the cat out of the bag to Bob Woodward about a secret US nuclear weapons system. That's bad enough. But don't assume he didn't tell Vladimir Putin about it at that private Helsinki meeting they had. (Remember, he confiscated the interpreter's notes.)

So yes, the Woodward book contains about 12 more impeachable offenses. Many of them won't move people because they won't feel affected personally. But this virus is a different story. It's had an impact on literally everyone in America, and we can't imagine that people will forgive Trump for this. In the meantime, Team Biden and all of us who support them should keep our noses to the grindstone, work the phones, give money, and above all, get folks to the polls.

Speaking of which, here's a silver lining: At least these revelations hit before early voting starts. Let the Trump firing begin. We cats PURR.

Incapable Of Embarrassment

 

By Sniffles

Ever wonder who those idiots are standing behind Benedict Donald, holding signs and giving thumbs' up while he drones on like a fool? Wonder no more. They're paid actors.

And on this day after Labor Day, it's doubtful that those people belong to a union, like SAG. We're envisioning non-college whites (with African-Americans sprinkled in here and there) who are desperate for some cash — but not the $15-an-hour minimum wage, which the Republican Party opposes — to make ends meet during a pandemic that Benedict Donald refuses to control.

If anything symbolizes the state of America under Trump more than that crazy sinking boat parade in Texas over the weekend, this would be it. Fake crowds for a fake President, who all of his life has cloaked his fakery with even more fakery. We cats HISS.

The "Biden Basement" Campaign Is Looking Pretty Smart

By Hubie and Bertie

Happy Labor Day, and happy Official Start to the Fall Presidential Campaign. For some reason Benedict Donald held a holiday-weekend press conference today. He must still be feeling nervous about the "losers and suckers" story in The Atlantic. He should be.

Meanwhile, The Washington Post avers that the only election-outcome scenario they gamed out that didn't end in violence and/or a Constitutional crisis was a Biden landslide. So let's all work on that, please.

Funny that Brad "Weird Beard" Parscale (remember him?) used to call the Trump campaign an "unstoppable juggernaut." Not only has Brad been sent to the woodshed, right now the Trumpsters are looking like anything but. Money-wise, they're in trouble: Biden-Harris raised $365 million in August alone, and Trump-Pence has been wasting big bucks — $800 million! — on Benedict Donald's legal fees (hmmm), dumb Super Bowl ads, luxury travel (among other things) for Weird Beard, and much, much more. Even now, with Parscale's successor Bill Stepien tightening belts and going dark on TV, Trump is yammering away about competing for deep-blue states like New York. We say, let him waste the money.

Trump's Empire State pipe dream is even more absurd when you realize how other states that Weird Beard had vowed to flip are sliding way out of reach. Take New Mexico, for example: After all the Trumpy blustering about turning it red, Benedict Donald is 15 points behind Biden there now. They'll probably have to kiss not just the state goodbye but also its 2nd Congressional District, which they lost in a squeaker in 2018. Since the Electoral College is a zero-sum game, letting go of New Mexico means that the noose will be tightening around the Trumpsters elsewhere on the map.

Trump's desperation is only going to increase if Biden continues to hold a comfortable path to 270 EVs, and additional reasonable paths to more. Add in his money woes — unprecedented for an incumbent — and anything could happen. Brace yourselves! We cats PURR.

Ship Happens.

 

At least four boats at a Benedict Donald boat parade in Texas sank today, and one caught fire. A living and breathing metaphor for all things Trump! We cats PURR.

And Speaking Of Baseball...

It occurs to us cats that Donald Trump is not only against American soldiers who died in war, he's against America's pastime. So why should he be re-elected? We cats HISS.

Lest We Furr-get: Tom Terrific

By Miss Kubelik

Tom Seaver died the other day. We cats are not from New York, and we didn't grow up as Mets fans, but we saw this photo when it was originally published. It helped us understand for the first time what baseball could mean to people.

And what New York could mean to Americans, too. We remember the Life magazine caption: "Nobody talks about the Yankees anymore."

Tom Seaver made this possible — and therefore, since he had such an influence on a major memory from our kittenhood, we feel sad that he's gone. We cats salute him, and we PURR.

A Star, Not A "Sucker"

 

"Petty Officer Michael Kempel was a member of Company M patrolling just north of Liberty Bride in Quang Nam Province, Republic of Vietnam. When his platoon unknowingly entered an enemy minefield, the point Marine stepped on a hidden mine. The resulting explosion critically wounded the point Marine and seriously wounded several other Marines.

"With total disregard for his safety, knowing there were other mines in the vicinity, Petty Officer Kempel moved to the front of the platoon to provide aid to the wounded Marines. As he neared the seriously wounded point Marine, Hospital Corpsman Second Class Kempel stepped on another hidden mine, suffering multiple critical wounds from the explosion.

"Ignoring his wounds, Petty Officer Kempel crawled to the point Marine and attempted to render medical aid until he succumbed to his wounds. His resolute effort throughout the engagement was a source of inspiration to all who observed him.

"By his outstanding professional skill, fortitude in the face of enemy fire, and unfaltering dedication to duty, Hospital Corpsman Second Class Kempel's actions reflect the highest credit upon himself and the US Naval Service."

—Silver Star Citation for Michael R. Kempel (KIA)

No Bottom To Trump's Barrel

"Trump has been, for the duration of his Presidency, fixated on staging military parades, but only of a certain sort. In a 2018 White House planning meeting for such an event, Trump asked his staff not to include wounded veterans, on grounds that spectators would feel uncomfortable in the presence of amputees. 'Nobody wants to see that,' he said."

—"Trump: Americans Who Died in War Are 'Losers' and 'Suckers,'" The Atlantic, September 3, 2020

Big Haul.

By Zamboni

At one point yesterday, CNN was reporting that the Biden campaign was going to report it had raised $310 million in the month of August. Now, that sounds impressive, since the previous record for monthly fundraising was Benedict Donald's $165 million in July. But we were a little deflated, because we'd seen reports that it was going to be closer to $350 million.

Well, team, the numbers are in: 365 MILLION DOLLARS. Just for August. Mostly in small-dollar donations. Somebody fetch the smelling salts, please, because we've fainted.

Biden said today that a lot of the money will go toward "counter[ing] the lies that are being told by Trump's campaign and ‘Swift Boaters’ out there." And he's right. But it will also buy a lot of TV in many swing states. We sure hope, too, that Biden-Harris will look at the Senate map and make investments in places like Georgia, Kansas, Iowa, Montana, Mississippi, South Carolina and Texas. Maybe Joe and Kamala can pull a few Democratic Senatorial candidates across the finish line (and vice versa) in those states.

In the meantime, $365 million in grassroots money is a huge rebuke to the Kochs, Adelsons and Schwarzmans of the world — moneybags who care more about tax cuts and judges than a livable planet, human rights, the rule of law, etc., etc. We cats PURR.

Doing Their Homework

By Baxter

We cats were "at" an event with Preet Bharara tonight. Okay, it was a fundraiser on Zoom. But Preet had some important things to say, which we're happy to pass along.

People tend to call every Presidential election "the most important of our lifetimes," Preet observed. But this time, he says, it's definitely true. Thing is, though, we need not just to win the Presidency. We need a blue Senate and a bluer House of Representatives.

So last month, Preet put his enterprising 15- and 17-year-old sons to work. Every day, they picked a House race from across the country to recommend for contributions and support. And every day, for each selected race, Preet ponied up $500 and tweeted to his followers to support the Democrat in that race.

Most excellently, the other day Bharara boys selected the Democratic Congressional candidate here in New York-21, Tedra Cobb. How would you not want to support Tedra, they wondered, when her opponent, Republican Congresswoman Elise Stefanik, said that Benedict Donald was doing "a good job on the pandemic"? (Note: To date, 184,000 Americans have died from COVID-19.)

Even better, you can find all of the boys' selected candidates on their website, Housework2020.org. Peruse this list and see who you'd like to throw a few bucks at this fall. They make it so easy for you, with links and everything! We cats salute all the Bhararas, and we PURR.