Feeling relief mixed with rage? Here's how you can send Platner a message: Make a contribution to the Maine Democratic Party. They'll be holding a special nominating convention over the next couple of weeks and could use the support. Click here. We cats PURR.
PS: While you're there, you can also sign up for the Muskie Lobster Bake on July 19! We cats PURR again.
One of things that has been most politically frustrating about the pandemic (aside from everything) is that the President and the Vice President (ours, not the former guys) were highly responsible and wore masks. We never begrudged them doing the right thing — in fact, we applauded it. But both Joe Biden and Kamala Harris have wonderful smiles, and we missed them.
Well, miss them no more. Today, among the vaccinated, the masks came off at the White House. Hooray! We just hope that people are smart enough to understand when they still need to wear them. "The relaxation of masking does not apply to airplanes, buses, trains and other public transportation, to healthcare settings, or where state or local restrictions still require them," said the head of the CDC.
So here in New York State, with about 41 percent of the population vaccinated, wearing a mask will still be a thing. We'll be keeping them in every jacket pocket and in our cars for, probably, months to come. And when flu season rolls around, they'll come popping out again. They're just really effective.
America owes a debt POTUS and VPOTUS for their leadership on this. It sure beats chugging down bleach and shining flashlights up your ass, doesn't it? We cats PURR.
(PHOTO: Evan Vucci, Associated Press)
Lots of gaslighting going on today. Alarmed by Joe Biden's high poll numbers and his address to the nation last night — in which he appeared to be reasonable, warm, empathetic, intelligent, focused, realistic and other-directed — the right wing and the Trumpsters are trying to gin up a "thank Trump for the vaccine" campaign.
While the news media seem to be somewhat buying in, the Twittersphere is not. Many tweeps are noting that the Pfizer vaccine was not part of Operation Warp Speed: Unlike Moderna or Astra-Zeneca, Pfizer did not accept federal funding to develop their shot. But the MAGA crowd is hoping people don't understand the fine print.
Want to anti-gaslight? It comes down to a couple of things:
First, if America needs to thank anybody, it's the scientists. You know, those folks whom Benedict Donald didn't miss an opportunity to belittle, contradict, marginalize, humiliate and disparage. They delivered on the vaccine despite all of that.
Second, America then needs to thank Team Biden. They not only ramped up an effective vaccine development and delivery system, they did it 1) after realizing that the Trumps had nothing, and 2) after having been denied a proper Presidential transition. Amazing!
You know what? It's good to have people in charge who understand how government works — because then it can work for everybody. This is the difference between having people in power who don't believe in government, and having people in power who do. We prefer the latter. We cats PURR.
P.S. The Hemingway quote was "Many are strong at the broken places," from A Farewell to Arms. Perfect.
It's been a year of pandemicky-ness, can you believe it? On this night in 2020 we cats were in Montreal, hanging out with thousands of other concert-goers at the Place des Arts. Nobody had a mask, nobody was social distancing. It seems like centuries ago.
But now we have a new President, leading an Administration of really sharp people who are actually trying to end this nightmare — unlike the previous crew with their deadly combination of incompetence and malevolence. And speaking of POTUSes, here are four Formers who want you to get your vaccine. Notice who's missing!
One of them is George W. Bush — ugh, hairball time. But the other three, and their First Ladies? They're cat's meows. We cats PURR.
You've got to love that Defense Production Act — when a President has the brains enough to use it.
Joe Biden has the brains. (Benedict Donald didn't.) Biden has also called upon FEMA, the National Guard, and other resources of the federal government to get the COVID-19 vaccines produced and distributed. Today, he announced that the country will be able to vaccinate everyone by the end of May, two months ahead of schedule.
See? Americans can get stuff done when we put our minds to it! In the age of COVID, you really do want to hear the words "I'm from the government, and I'm here to help." (Sorry, Ronald Reagan, wherever in Hell you are.)
This heartening development is only slightly tempered by the terrible news that two red states, Texas and Mississippi, are opening up and lifting all mask requirements — an incredibly stupid thing to do as variants of the coronavirus continue to spread. The GOP's desire to kill its own voters is unfathomable. But maybe in Texas Governor Greg Abbott's case, he's seen how well that's worked in Florida for Ron DeSantis's Presidential aspirations.
Gosh, the Republican 2024 field is crowded. And we don't even know if Benedict Donald will be in it or not. (Our prediction: Not.) But speaking of Trump, we're coming up fast on the one-year anniversary of his infamous March 6 appearance at the CDC, when he said that "anybody" who wanted a coronavirus test could get one — a massive lie about a situation that Team Biden is still working hard to fix. There's always a ton of crap to clean up after Republican Administrations, but cleaning up after this one makes the aftermath of the 2008 financial meltdown look like a cakewalk. We cats HISS.
(IMAGE: City of New York on Twitter)
Amid all the stories about Washington being in lockdown, like a war zone, and overrun with the National Guard... somehow, this happened.
Nearly 200,000 flags were planted on the Mall and spectacularly illuminated for the first time last night. They'll stand in for all the people who would have attended the 2021 Inauguration in normal times, and will honor some of the 400,000 Americans whom Benedict Donald and his hapless Administration have managed to kill with COVID.
You can't help wondering what Trump thinks when he sees something like this. He'll certainly get a bird's-eye view when he travels before first light tomorrow to Andrews AFB for his 8 a.m. "autocrat's adieu."
A lot of attention has gone to the disgruntled Trumpsters and Q-crazies, but we hold firm to our theory that the country is a lot less divided than the pollsters portray. After all, we've had the horror that was Benedict Donald to unite us. We cats PURR.
No red carpet, no military bands, no 21-gun salute — just a clever parody of "Seasons of Love" from the musical Rent. We cats PURR.
Joe Biden has wanted to be President for at least 30 years if not more. On Wednesday, he'll finally get his wish —but this Inauguration isn't going to be like Inaugurations past.
We're in a pandemic. So we already knew there would be major differences. No big crowds at the swearing in, no throngs lining the parade route, no Inaugural Balls. That already was a bit of a shame — a kind of aw, shucks moment when you realize that Joe and Jill won't get to dance that big first dance, and Jill won't have a gown to donate to the Smithsonian's First Ladies hall.
On the other hand, Joe and Jill are grownups who have been around the Washington block quite a few times. So you knew they'd roll with it.
But the person whose seat Biden is taking in the the Oval Office is not normal. Already a mobster and traitor, Donald Trump is also a deeply damaged sociopath and narcissist. So he never called Biden to concede, never hosted him for the symbolic outgoing-incoming Presidential visit, and — to put it mildly — never cooperated with the transition. (We won't get into inciting violence and undermining democracy.) He never placed the traditional phone call to invite the Bidens to stay at Blair House on Inauguration Eve (the State Department did it). Coffee at the White House on Inauguration morning is obviously out. And who thinks he'll leave a note in the drawer of the Resolute Desk, wishing Biden well?
The good news? Joe Biden doesn't care about any of this. And neither do we. All we ask is for our new President and Vice President get safely sworn in on Wednesday. The rest is gravy. (Or tuna.) We cats PURR.
Every time we check the news, we see more stories about Trump mob members getting arrested. Yay! And as you can see from this (slightly altered for grins) "wanted" poster, the FBI is working hard to haul even more Trumpy reprobates off to the hoosegow.
The one we're really looking forward to is Lauren Boebert, the nutcase freshman Congresswoman from Colorado who not only is facing protests and recall petitions back home in her (quite conservative) district, but who could be in hot water for the January 6 insurrection itself. Tweeps are urging law enforcement to confirm (or disprove) that the pink-hatted woman with a bullhorn who directed rioters through a broken Capitol window was Boebert's mother — to whom the new member had allegedly given a thorough tour of the building just the day before.
Also, color us skeptical about Wesley Beeler of Front Royal, Virginia, who was arrested yesterday at a security checkpoint with faked Inaugural credentials, an unlicensed gun and 500 rounds of unregistered ammunition. "I got lost," he said tearfully. God, these Trumpsters are snowflakes.
With all these crazy people running around and feeling emboldened — and we haven't even gotten through whatever is supposed to happen at state capitals tomorrow — we hope Team Biden will follow the suggestion of Larry Sabato and move the Inauguration into the Rotunda. Safety is paramount, of course — but far from being a retreat from the terrorists, a move into a space recently besmirched by MAGA scum would actually be a reaffirmation that the Capitol belongs to Americans who believe in and support the Constitution. We cats PURR.
One of the first acts of the new Congress should be to pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, to thank Black people for saving America.
And yes, they should get those $2,000 checks done, too. But right now, we're overcome with the thought that a country that was on the verge of turning into an autocracy has been rescued by folks who, for centuries, it has treated like dirt. Thanks to them, it looks like Team Biden will be able to get their Cabinet nominations confirmed without delay and go straight to work — on the pandemic, the economy, racial injustice, climate change, infrastructure, and all the other things that desperately need to get done. (And maybe we can undo a few of those right-wing judgeships, too. We'll see.)
At the same time, though, it's also enraging to see what's happening outside the Capitol building right now: MAGAts breaching the barriers and fighting with Capitol Police. House office buildings being evacuated. Yes, they're making fools of themselves — and inside, the seditious sh*tshow, because of Georgia, is leaking a lot of air from its balloon. But you just know that if that crowd of angry rioting Trumpsters were Black, they'd be riddled with tear gas and bullets.
That disturbing fact is probably not something the Biden Administration can fix in four years. But good heavens, America, we need to start somewhere. Maybe Stacey Abrams can show us the way. We cats PURR.
The first four-day weekend of the 2020 holiday season is ending, and we're heading into another three-day workweek before the next long weekend kicks in. We cats have a few thoughts.
Benedict Donald apparently has signed the COVID relief-slash-stimulus bill into law tonight, but only after needlessly inflicting anxiety and suffering on millions of Americans over Christmas. This whole episode has been a searing reminder of how deeply mentally ill Donald Trump is. If he really cared about giving his desperate constituents $2,000 instead of $600, he could exert his mighty influence over the Republican Party and urge Congress to pass another bill. But of course he won't.
Bernie Sanders has been whining about Joe Biden's Cabinet appointments. They're not lefty enough, he thinks. We rarely weigh in on Bernie's nonsense, but this time we have to say something. Well, two somethings: First, Biden's appointees have to be competent fixers of everything that the Trumpsters have broken. Second, the Cabinet should represent America, not the Democratic Party. Buzz off, Bernard.
The Nashville Christmas Day bomber has been identified, and it seems he's a sixtysomething white guy who was on a suicide mission. But it's unclear why. You have to have your suspicions, though, since Trump has said absolutely nothing about the event — kind of like when he says nothing about stuff Vladimir Putin does. Still, after we saw Petula Clark trending, we're glad that it's because the bomber was playing "Downtown" from his RV before he blew up and that Clark isn't dead.
Finally, as we enter the final three and a half weeks of the nightmare that is Trump — hoping to get through with our democracy only battered and not shattered — let's all resolve that we won't relax and disengage after the Georgia Senate runoffs and after Inauguration Day 2021. In fact, we can't ever relax again. As our incoming Vice President has said, "Democracy is only as strong as our willingness to fight for it. Keep fighting for it each and every day." We cats PURR.
In a letter they released yesterday, nearly 200 corporate CEOs called for Benedict Donald to, um, paint or get off the ladder. "Every day that an orderly Presidential transition process is delayed, our democracy grows weaker in the eyes of our own citizens and the nation’s stature on the global stage is diminished," the letter said. Soon after, the walking, talking Thanksgiving Day parade balloon known as Emily Murphy grudgingly released GSA funds and granted government informational access to the Biden team.
It's a welcome development — although a little depressing that it took the business world to shake the Trumpsters loose, not the votes of 80+ million Americans or a conviction that the well-being of the country was at stake. But it was also a handy reminder that an idea that's been floated for Benedict Donald's post-White-House life — making highly paid speeches at corporate events — is a ridiculous notion.
Had Benedict Donald not behaved like a democracy-destroying spoiled toddler in the last few weeks, there was maybe an outside chance that some company would book him, despite his previous perfidy and corruption. But now he's even more radioactive, which means:
1. What company is going to want to deal with the inevitable backlash? Think boycotts of their products, and protests from their communities and maybe even their own employees. Their sales, marketing and branding teams will be shaking in their boots at the prospect.
2. Donald Trump doesn't make speeches. He rambles through stream-of-consciousness nonsense with no syntax, tosses around accusations and assertions without evidence, and can't stand at the lectern for five minutes without insulting somebody. Who wants that for the keynote at their annual meeting?
3. By the time any such opportunities roll around, if they do, who knows what physical, mental or legal shape Trump will be in? He could be debilitated by a post-COVID episode — and/or have Tish James or Cy Vance hauling him off to the courtroom or, it is devoutly to be hoped, the hoosegow.
4. Even if he were not sick with something or under indictment, Trump will no longer have access to Air Force One. So he'd have to take his stupid purple plane out of mothballs and fly less conveniently from, we guess, West Palm Beach. He also famously does not like to travel to places that are too far away to let him sleep at night in his own bed. Would he only accept bookings in red states in the Eastern time zone, then? It's hard to picture him putting up with it all.
So scratch the corporate-speaking fantasy. Maybe he'll write that "score-settling" book that people keep talking about instead — except that he doesn't read, can't write, and may have a hard time finding another Tony Schwartz to pen something bearable. We cats HISS and PURR at the same time.
(IMAGE: Larry, Chief Mouser at No. 10 Downing Street. We hear he gives a great speech.)
What a week! Our humans thought on Tuesday night that they might have to change their citizenship, but we cats always knew Joe would win. (That's because we're superior creatures, of course.) But with all the excitement, we needed a quiet Sunday to rest up and take stock. Here are a few thoughts we've been entertaining as we finish off the champagne.
Joe Biden has so much to do — end the pandemic, fix the economy, fight climate change, ensure racial justice, rebuild the government. But we hope the item at the top of Jill Biden's to-do list will be restoring the Jacqueline Kennedy Rose Garden. We can assign that to her, right? And of course the Bidens need to take down that damn wall around the White House. Good times are coming back.
Predictions: Moose & Squirrel, with Lurch in tow, are gone as soon as Lurch's DC school goes on winter break. There will be no niceties, like inviting Biden for a chat, or having both Bidens over for coffee before the swearing-in. Trump himself will have left Washington by New Year's — maybe earlier. Our only question is whether he'll continue to hold superspreader events around the country as long as Air Force One is available. We wouldn't put it past him.
Politically, one of Biden's most important decisions is who will take the reins at the DNC. We need someone who will relentlessly implement a 50-state strategy, like Howard Dean did back in 2006. Maybe that person is Jen O'Malley Dillon. Maybe it's Mayor Pete. But whoever leads us, we Democrats have to be bold and badass, lest we hand the House to Kevin McCarthy in 2022. That means we have to look at all the states where Trump came in under 55%, and turn them into Democratic strongholds. We have to recruit 2022 candidates for Ohio and Iowa now. We must expand the map — and not end up playing defense the way we did in 2010. Just our $0.02.
Finally, historian Michael Beschloss scared us to death last night — imagining a future
with a re-elected Benedict Donald, a Republican Senate, a right-wing
Supreme Court and tons of conservative judges. It would have been the
end of American democracy. So with Biden-Harris in the bag, the job before us now is clear: Win those January Senate runoffs in Georgia, our newly blue-y state. After all, as John McCain once said, "We are all Georgians now." (Get it?) We cats PURR.
