Embrace Me, My Sweet Embraceable You

By Sniffles

Speaking of feeling worried about the upcoming midterms, we cats ran across a possible solution: Go to a Democratic rally and ask the candidate or featured speaker for a hug.

"At stop after stop on his latest Southern swing over Labor Day weekend, Governor Gavin Newsom leaned into the anxiety and exhaustion Democrats have been carrying through the Trump era," POLITICO reports. "In North Charleston, a young woman in the front row held up a sign reading HOLD ME! Newsom walked over mid-speech and obliged."

An interesting approach to mental distress. We'd particularly like to try this at a Jon Ossoff event. We cats PURR.

Spotted In Seattle

"The biggest story on planet Earth, this day and every day, is that the President of the United States is seriously unwell and allowed to continue in office — unfit, untethered, and unchecked." (Until November 3rd, that is.)

You Tell 'Em, Tarrant County

By Zamboni

Another dispatch from the Republicans-Are-Scared-and-Desperate Department: Tarrant County, Texas, near Dallas-Fort Worth, has reduced the number of their polling places for the midterms from 316 to 224.

But the Tarrant County Commissioners' Court got an earful from the public first. People stepped up to give the commissioners many pieces of their minds, and they were pretty eloquent about it.

"People have fought and died for the right to vote."

"You're on the wrong side of history. You're dishonoring what it means to be an American, and more than that, you're losing your humanity."

"I'd love to know what you all think our tax dollars are for. They are to serve us, and I can't think of a better use of taxpayer money than to encourage and support the democratic process."

And the piece de resistance: "Nothing you can do can stop us from removing you in November."

All this pushback helped. The original plan was to reduce the county's Election Day polling places by half. In the end, they settled on 30 percent. Still not great, but proof that if you try to tell people they can't vote, they'll walk over broken glass to do it. We cats PURR.

(IMAGE: [Democracy Docket]:Tarrant County Commissioner Alisha Simmons and Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico speak at the University of Texas Arlington, August 30, 2026)

"Farther Below, Lake Ontario Takes In What Lake Erie Can Send Her"

MapQuest is getting in on the fun: If you'd like to rename Lake Ontario yourself, just click here. We cats PURR.

Tidbits And Cat Treats: 2026 Electoral Update Edition

By Sniffles

We cats are headed to Quebec tomorrow, and we hope they let us in. (KIDDING — of course they will, but we wouldn't blame them if they were a bit surly. If they are, we'll just speak French with a good accent.)

Meanwhile, we have a few observations about elections around the US of A.

South Carolina — It was a little surprising, after her silly gaffe the other night, that the Republican Senate runoff was called pretty early for Darline Nordone (we refuse to call her Graham). But while the MSM is portraying her victory as a Benedict Donald triumph, we're not convinced. Trump had to haul his fat ass down to Myrtle Beach to campaign for her, and — although we know the Republicans have more money than God — they still had to spend almost a million dollars on a GOTV phone bank. In South Carolina! Oh, Mary, please.

By the way, if you're ready to send some love to Democratic candidate Dr. Annie Andrews, click here.

Michigan — Abdul El-Sayed would not have been our choice for Senate nominee for Gary Peters's seat, but too bad, he won. We've also been encouraged by the way he's bringing it to Trump and the Republicans. First, his relentless focus on Benedict Donald is very smart. But also, his recent appearance on Fox "News" with Jesse Watters has received universally good reviews. Even Watters himself admitted he liked him. What's not to like about a guy who asks if you're circumcised?

Here's a link to El-Sayed's website if you're of a mind to contribute.

Texas — All righty then, we all know that James Talarico is running rings around Ken Paxton, raising a ton of money (which he'll need, by the way), while Paxton is vacationing in the UK and running a lackluster campaign. But other things are happening in Texas, too. Sabato's Crystal Ball has changed the governor's race from "Safe Republican" to "Likely Republican," mostly because of Democratic energy and voters' potential weariness with their multi-term guv. But get a load of TX-15.

That's a Trumpy district — plus-18 in 2024 — but the Democrat, Tejano music star Bobby Pulido, is leading incumbent Republican Monica De La Cruz by five points. This is South Texas, folks. Sabato's Crystal Ball has moved the race from "Leans Republican" to "Toss-Up."

Exciting! You can send Bobby some support by clicking here.

These are just three races around the country where Republicans are wringing their hands and in some cases spending unexpected money. Thanks to Trump, the GOP has similar dilemmas in places like Ohio, Nebraska, Kansas, Alaska, Virginia, Iowa, Maine... the list goes on. We'll keep you updated, but right now, going into Labor Day weekend soon, we're liking where the Democrats are. We cats PURR.

Don't Tell Donald

"Today, we remember an American original and a wonderful friend. Dolly, we will always love you!"

—The Jimmy Carter Presidential Library

Picking Fights With Canada Makes You A Loser

We don't often agree with Ontario Premier Doug Ford, but today's an exception. Translation: After he said that Trump was a bully who would "take your lunch money one day," he said that Trump would "take your toque off your head the next day." You're welcome. We cats PURR.

Oliver!

 

By Baxter

So this is the best funeral urn we've ever seen. Jazz legend Oliver Jones was honored with a public viewing at Montreal's Hall of Honor yesterday, and if we cats had been in town, we would have tried to attend.

Jones's touch on the keyboard was special and gentle — hard to describe. You just have to listen to it. He championed other jazz musicians' careers, as Oscar Peterson and Daisy Peterson Sweeney championed his. And he knew that the best way to keep jazz going was to nurture up-and-coming talent.

It was good to see Montreal's mayor attend Jones's tribute at City Hall, because he was truly a cultural icon of a vibrant, international metropolis. Oliver, your gift will live forever. We cats PURR.

(IMAGES: Evan Buhler, Montreal Gazette)

De Adder Du Jour: Darline Edition

 

(IMAGE: Michael de Adder, deadder.net)

Elvis Is Still In The Building

No, not that Elvis — he died in 1977. This Elvis. Bill Clinton turned 80 today. Happy birthday, Mr. President! We cats PURR.

The Method Behind The Mention

By Hubie and Bertie

We're not trying to turn this into a Jon Ossoff blog, honest! But the Senator from Georgia keeps popping up in the headlines — at least until today's primary results start rolling in.

This is completely okay, by the way. Ossoff is so easy on the eyes that it's totes cool to have more opportunities to post more photos of him. And the fact that he's driving the Trumpsters crazy is a real bonus.

According to Rick Wilson, Ossoff's "Natalie" speech on Sunday "put the White House into a screaming panic." Adam Kinzinger observed that Team Donald was "big maddddd." The right-wing media have kept up the rending of garments and gnashing of teeth — maybe because Ossoff has followed up by making the rounds on TV to expound further on his now-famous Natalie Name-Check. (Seems like kind of an overreaction to us, but then, everything is a veiled confession with these folks.)

People are speculating that Ossoff is laying the groundwork for a 2028 run for President. But as we (and he) have pointed out before, November 2026 and his Senate re-election come first.

Meanwhile, though, we think that 2028 aside, Ossoff's "Natalie" comment was brilliant for another reason: It was the way to break through the flooded zone and get the attention of low-information voters who may not realize how much Benedict Donald has corrupted and defiled the Presidency — and how much that corruption and defilement endangers the country. Mention a young, attractive blonde, and people will notice. Nice going, Senator. We cats PURR.

For Your Viewing Pleasure: Jon Ossoff's "Travel With Natalie" Speech

 

By Miss Kubelik

All the speculation about Senator Jon Ossoff running for President in 2028 is fun, but we cats prefer not to indulge at this point. First, we need to get him re-elected to the Senate in November. Second, Democrats have a deep bench, with lots of folks interested in making a run. But we will confess that Ossoff is currently our favorite.

The excitement around him is palpable. And he was mentored by the late, great John Lewis. That's enough for us.

Some in the corporate media appear to be heading for the fainting couch over a few of Ossoff's comments. Ridiculous and maddening. People are sick of Trump and hungry for a fighter. Besides, what has Donald been doing for the last 10 years? Belittling and insulting people and giving them stupid names. Are any journalists noting that while Trump can dish it out, he sure can't take it? Probably not, but Trump's thin-skinned response is still pretty amusing. We cats PURR.

De Adder Du Jour: Wheels

  

(IMAGE: Michael de Adder, deadder.net)

Constantino's Behind, Elsie's AWOL

By Baxter

The Congressional campaign of Sticker Mule CEO Anthony Constantino — not to mention the candidate himself — is very unhappy with a recent poll from Survey USA and WNYT Channel 13 that shows Democrat Blake Gendebien four points ahead of Constantino in NY-21.

Wait! Red alert! NY-21 is Elise "Elsie" Stefanik's near-solid-Republican district. The Democrat is ahead? Wow! No wonder the DCCC recently added the district to its strategic "Red to Blue" list for 2026.

Meanwhile, Team Constantino is busy attacking the poll.

"This should be illegal and WNYT13 should be swiftly reprimanded by the FCC to the fullest extent possible,” Constantino tweeted. “This 'story' is a clear violation of journalistic ethics and (an) example of rampant political corruption." Former Stefanik campaign aide Alex deGrasse, now working for Constantino, huffed that the poll was "completely fraudulent" and a "scam." A scam!

Oh, sigh. They're so desperate and dumb. Survey USA is a leans-Republican polling firm — no friend to Democrats. But since Channel 13 is one of the local stations not owned by a right-wing broadcast group, that seems to explain Constantino's bleating about finking them out to the FCC. Even though it's extraordinarily silly.

So, where's Elsie? Why isn't she out campaigning for her party's nominee? Was she a secret Robert Smullen supporter in the primary? Has she lost interest? Will any intrepid reporter even bother to ask her about all this? Yeah, right. We cats HISS and PURR at the same time.

Missed The Solar Eclipse? Here You Go.

We cats witnessed the amazing eclipse in April of 2024, but we still wish we could have seen the one today. Let's PURR anyway.

Carted Away

The whole world is laughing at us, including our friends — that is, when they're not petitioning their government to expel our ambassador. Nice work, Trumpsters. We cats HISS.

(IMAGE: Mike Luckovich, Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

How Unpopular Is Donald? Very Unpopular.

By Sniffles

There's a satisfying symmetry in the results of two recent Democratic primaries in the Midwest. In Michigan, Bernie Bro Abdul El-Sayed defeated a so-called "establishment" candidate, Haley Stevens, while in Wisconsin, the "normie" David Crowley beat the progressive-but-non-Bernie-endorsed Francesca Hong. Both races were unexpectedly close, and both ended with Democrats coming together in unity. Nice!

Meanwhile, in Trump World, things aren't going so hot. Donald-endorsed candidates Andy Ogles (Tennessee), Amir Hassan (Michigan), and Mike "MyPillow" Lindell (Minnesota) all got beat in their respective races — with Lindell refusing to concede, which is great. Darline Graham Nordone in South Carolina fell well short of avoiding a runoff. She has to face bonkers Rep. Ralph Norman on August 25.

These were GOP primaries, so it's interesting that Benedict Donald's blessing didn't help candidates coast to victory. And the Republicans who did win will come up against strong headwinds in November, headed by Trump's simply terrible poll numbers. Check out the latest results from The Economist, whose tracker lands him at minus-27 net approval.

Trump has a positive rating in only three states: West Virginia, Wyoming, and Idaho (see above).

But what really worries Republicans is Trump's underwater approval in states that have key House, Senate and gubernatorial races this year: states like Maine, where's he's minus-31, Minnesota (-42), Michigan (-27), Georgia (-31), Wisconsin (-28), Iowa (-24), Texas (-22), Arizona (-23), Alaska (-18), and Nevada (-27). We cats are proud to note that here in New York, Trump is down by minus-36. 

How bad is it for them? Well, there's about 12 weeks left until Election Day. For Trump to pull even in Iowa, for instance, he'd have to move up two points per week, every week. He'd have to improve three points a week to be even in New York. He'd have to move 1.5 points each week to catch up in Alaska. Ain't gonna happen. Somebody get Mike Johnson and John Thune some smelling salts. We cats PURR.

Sending Good Thoughts

We cats PURR.

That Long National Nightmare

By Hubie and Bertie

We cats have been around for a while, which means that we vividly remember August 9, 1974, when Richard Nixon resigned the Presidency, gave that weird malignant-narcissist speech, and left the White House — after which Gerald Ford was sworn in as President. What a day.

Sadly, it must be pointed out that the thing that did Nixon in was his comment on the White House tapes about telling the CIA to keep the FBI from investigating Watergate. "Don't go any further into this case, period!" That smoking gun alone was able to torch Nixon's presidency — as it should have. It was clear obstruction of justice.

Now, 52 years later, we have a Watergate-and-beyond Trump scandal every single day. And nothing happens. The Trumpsters are very good at "flooding the zone" with a firehose of outrages. But if the Democrats take control of the House and/or the Senate — which is growing increasingly likely — there will be some hell to pay.

There has to be, actually. Back in 1974, Republicans had enough respect for the Constitution to march down to the White House and tell Nixon his goose was cooked. Today's Republicans wouldn't even bother. Which means that Barry Goldwater, John Rhodes, and Hugh Scott are all spinning in their graves. We cats HISS and PURR at the same time.

Cracking Up

By Miss Kubelik

On top of all their other troubles, the Republicans' Senate contenders are suffering from the Bad Candidate-Bad Campaign Syndrome.

We already know that Mike Collins in Georgia and Michael Whatley in North Carolina are — because they're both getting their asses whooped in the polls by Jon Ossoff and Roy Cooper. (And they're getting wiped out by the Democrats money-raising-wise, too.) And certainly Ken Paxton, the most toxic and corrupt candidate the GOP could have ever nominated in Texas, has been driving Republicans to drink as he vacations in London with his mistress and stonewalls questions about his 15 zillion-dollar properties. (Man of the people, that.)

Aside from those guys, you could credibly add to the list Ashley Moody of Florida, Dan Sullivan of Alaska, and Ohio's Jon Husted. All have been running lackluster efforts, or have been surprised at the strength of their Democratic opponent, or both. In the case of Darline Graham Nordone in South Carolina, her late entry and name change are weird, and polls show she's not a lock for the GOP nomination in next Tuesday's primary. Nebraska's Pete Ricketts has his own problems, running against an Independent, Dan Osborn (Democrat Cindy Burbank dropped out of the race to give Osborn a clear shot).

So, yeah, not a good situation for them. And on the House side? Check out what district the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee just added to its "In Play" list: Elise "Elsie" Stefanik's own NY-21! The DCCC thinks that the bombastic and repugnant Anthony Constantino is volatile and silly enough to give a thoughtful listener like dairy farmer Blake Gendenbien a chance. We cats agree, and we PURR.