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.

Let The Games Begin

By Hubie and Bertie

Well, it's Labor Day! The official end to summer and beginning of the fall campaign season. But as all of us know, electioneering for the midterms has been in full swing for some time now. Yard signs are out, debates are being booked or ducked, and polls are coming thick and fast. (A word to the wise: Treat many of the polls you see with healthy skepticism. Lots of bogus ones are floating around. Maybe stick to analysis by seasoned pros like Larry Sabato and Charlie Cook.)

We've also had a dicey incident recently at the Canfield Fair outside of Youngstown, Ohio: An armed man rushed Democratic gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton, injuring several bystanders. (Acton is fine.) It turns out that the suspect is the brother of a big Vivek Ramaswamy donor, who had to resign a previous job with GOP Senator John Husted's campaign when journalists surfaced his criminal history of — you guessed it — sexual misconduct with a minor.

(JFC, these Republican pedophiles are everywhere. All those QAnon accusations against Democrats were pure projection.)

Before all this happened, Acton chatted up Democratic activist Simon Rosenberg at a Democratic fundraising event in Washington last week. "Simon," she told him, "I think there is something happening out there with people that goes beyond their economic struggles and higher costs. People are crying at my events, breaking down and crying in public. Sherrod Brown tells me he's never seen so many people cry at events as he is seeing this year."

We cats have a theory about that. Voters know that these midterms are our last chance to save our democracy, and it's damn scary. The best antidote that we can think of is to just to keep our noses to the grindstone and get as many people to the polls as we possibly can. Taking action is a good remedy for anxiety. 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)

Check, Check, And Recheck Your Registration

By Baxter

It's almost Labor Day, which marks what used to be the official start of the fall campaign season, when TV ads would start airing and rallies and events would really begin to crank up.

Everything is different now — campaigns know no start and no end. But we're entering the meaty part of the Desperate Donald Danger Zone.

The Trumpsters and Republicans know they're deep in dirtied cat litter for the midterms and beyond. Voters are furious about gas and grocery prices, the needless war in Iran, the neglect of our soldiers and sailors, the snatching of innocent people off the streets, and the raping of our national parks. Republican candidates across the country are weak, lazy, and/or bad campaigners (looking at you, Ken Paxton), and they're trying to fend off challenges from strong, confident Democrats. Turnout for the primaries and special elections since Trump started wrecking the country has soared. Just about the only thing the GOP has in its favor is its war chest, but even money can't beat determined voters (just ask Elon Musk about that Supreme Court race in Wisconsin).

So, they've ratcheted up their suppression tactics — remove mail-in voting, or drop-boxes where they can't erase it. Threaten to put ICE at polling places. And now comes this news from Texas: More than one million people on the voter rolls have been "suspended."

"The designation, which means that the voter's county doesn’t know their address or thinks they’ve moved, doesn’t stop people from voting in November’s midterm elections, but it does make the process more difficult," The New Republic explains. "If a voter shows up on Election Day and their registration is suspended, they have to fill out a statement of residenc” form, and if they’ve moved to a new county, they’ll either be required to vote in their old one or be given a provisional ballot."

Our first reaction was, wow, Gregg Abbott must really be worried. But this has to be stopped.

Texans, you have until October 5 to check your registration and correct it if there are any problems. Visit VoteTexas.gov, call 800-252-VOTE, or email elections@sos.texas.gov today.

And everybody else? Check your registration anyway, even if you live in a blue state, and especially if you live in a red one. And keep checking, up until the deadline in your state to register for the midterms. Click here. We cats HISS and PURR at the same time.

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.

De Adder Du Jour (1)

(IMAGE: Michael de Adder, deAdder.net)

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.

Canada Hates Us, And That's Not Good

By Miss Kubelik

It's pretty amazing how things have worked out politically in Canada since Benedict Donald manged to convince 77 million Americans to vote for him in 2024. (We're assuming that some buyers' remorse has set in since then... but to be honest, we're not sure.)

Even if it hasn't, sentiments north of our border have changed — and solidified. Sad to say that Canadians' view of the US has turned decidedly for the worse. They don't want to buy our booze, visit Florida, or cross into Michigan, Maine, or New York State to go shopping. And now, with this week's collapse in trade talks, Prime Minister Mark Carney has made it very clear how his countrymen feel about America under the sway of Benedict Donald and his hateful minions.

"We’ve recognized from the start that America has changed," Carney said today. "We recognize that sometimes, its signature is written in pencil. We cannot accept what they offered, and we will not give what they asked." Thank you, Prime Minister, for your bold words.

Since January 2025, we cats have not understood why Canada should be forced to deal with American assholes on trade, defense, or any other issues. Yep, times have been kinda tense before — Diefenbaker and JFK were not the best of friends, for example. But the relationship between our two countries has never been as strained as it is now.

Why should Canada have to negotiate with a jailbird and an Epstein pal? But maybe that's just us. We live for the day when President Ossoff can appoint somebody to the post in Ottawa who can repair relations. Whoever it is will have a lot of work to do. We cats HISS. 

Palmetto State Pitfalls

By Zamboni

Well! Trouble in GOP/Trump world. Former South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford has endorsed Rep. Ralph Norman over appointed-Senator Darline Graham Nordone in the Republican runoff.

"As much as I would like to honor tradition and old friendships, the stakes are simply too high as our nation really is at a financial tipping point," Sanford said on social media. He posted it hours before Benedict Donald was set to appear at a campaign event for Nordone. (And gosh, Donald looked sweaty and awful at that rally — just like a guy who's on an endorsement losing streak.)

Is it too early in the midterms to declare that we cats would rather be us than them? Maybe so, because who knows what shenanigans Trump will try to pull between now and November. Still and all, the polls we've seen, and the struggles that the Republicans are dealing with, are too enticing to ignore. Let's take heart from them, but still keep our noses to the grindstone: Register absolutely everyone you know, and then get out the vote, in early voting and on Election Day. We cats PURR.

(IMAGE: Jacquelyn Martin, AP)

Tidbits And Cat Treats: More GOP Travails Edition

By Sniffles

Big primary day yesterday, among other events. Here are some news items that have gotten our attention today.

Darline Graham Nordone may have made a fatal mistake in last night's South Carolina Senate debate ("I'm not that informed on national security"). Now everyone's knickers are in a twist about it. But the reason for the uproar is unclear. If Nordone's just going to be a Trump cipher in the Senate, why does she need to know anything about policy? She's supposed to just show up and vote any way Trump wants. Still, with this gaffe she's suddenly looking more like the placeholder that fate initially meant her to be.

People are agog at Angie Nixon's primary win in Florida — or, should we say, Alex Vindman's surprise but apparently deserved loss — but what really got our attention was Alaska, where there's a much more competitive Senate race. Democrat Mary Peltola was the leading vote-getter in that ranked-choice primary, beating incumbent Republican Senator Dan Sullivan by six percent. (The top four candidates will advance — root for the other Dan Sullivan to make the cut!) The Republicans also are shut out of the governor's race — incredible. With 80 percent of the vote in, we'll keep tabs on this one.

Donald's endorsements are getting less and less valuable on the Republican side. Three of his candidates lost yesterday: Megan Degenfelder in Wyoming, and Catalina Lauf and Cory Mills in Florida. Did Natalie have the heart to break it to him? LOL

Finally, US debt has officially hit $40 trillion. If any Reagan Republicans are still around, this news will have them hacking up endless hairballs. And as for all those GOP think tanks that screamed about the horrors of budget deficits and debt for two generations — and who now bend the knee to Trump? Shame on them, and on the mainstream media for platforming them for all these years. We cats HISS.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Kiss And Make Up

By Zamboni

Republicans must be so disappointed about the speed at which Democrats coalesced around their candidates in Michigan today. The winner in yesterday's Senate primary would not have been our first choice, but although Haley Stevens ended up making it a race, it was probably better for the sake of the party that Abdul El-Sayed pulled it out. As we learned to our dismay in 2016 and 2024, Bernie Bros (and Broettes) are not dependable in a general election.

Meanwhile, the so-called Democratic "establishment" prevailed in other races. US Rep. Wesley Bell beat former Rep. Cori Bush (again) in Missouri's first Congressional District. It wasn't close: 70.7 percent to 25.8 percent. Shannon Taylor won in Virginia's first CD with 53 percent of the vote, while former Rep. Elaine Luria waltzed to victory in the second CD with 80 percent. And Rep. Don Beyer defeated Mo Seifeldein in VA-08. We are noting these wins even if the media don't.

Back in Michigan, Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson romped to victory in the Democratic gubernatorial primary with 84.6 percent of the vote. She will headline a party unity event on Friday in Detroit, with El-Sayed, Stevens, Governor Gretchen Whitmer, Mallory McMorrow, and special guest and famous Michigan resident Pete Buttigieg (above). We cats are looking forward to it, and we PURR.

Tidbits And Cat Treats: Republican Troubles Edition

By Baxter

We've had our usual firehose of news these last few days. Here are a few items to help us all sort through the chaos.

How many pundits smugly said not too long ago that the 2026 Senate map was way too big a climb for the Democrats? All of them, right? Well, now we're seeing language like this: "Senate Republicans say they see Trump as a growing political liability as they try to hang on to control of the Senate in the 2026 midterm elections" (emphasis ours). The list of seats the GOP is worried about is a fun read — it includes Alaska, Ohio, Maine, and even Nebraska. Wow! What a difference 18 months of Donald Disasters make.

Former Rep. Kay Granger (R-TX) has finally crossed the Rainbow Bridge. She's the House member who didn't show up for votes for ages and whose staff ultimately admitted was in an ALF memory care unit — presciently similar to Tom Kean Jr.'s and Mitch McConnell's recent disappearing acts. We know this is a broken record, but can you imagine if a Democrat tried to pull that off?

Looks like Congressman Max Miller isn't the only abusive personality on the Republican side of the aisle. The House Ethics Committee lowered the boom today on Chuck Edwards of North Carolina for creating a hostile and harassing work environment. "A member of Congress should not single out a staffer and isolate them from other staff, make frequent comments regarding that person’s appearance and weight, send messages in the middle of the night, text staff deeply personal and seemingly romantic thoughts, intrude on personal occasions without invitation, pay for personal vacations, and spend thousands of dollars on gifts," the committee said. Ew. (The good news is that Sabato's Crystal Ball has moved Edwards's race from "Leans Republican" to "Toss-Up.")

Finally, it's not clear why Jeanine Pirro left a White House meeting dragging a white box this afternoon. Joke of the day: That's a pretty big box of wine (but maybe not for her). We cats PURR.

Cat Fight! Miller Versus Moreno(s)

By Sniffles

Wow, Max Miller is such a creep. He launched a video on Twitter today after his former father-in-law, Republican Senator Bernie Moreno, said he should resign from Congress. But if Max thought the video would tamp down the allegations that he's a serial abuser, hoo-boy.

No way you can watch and not see a guy who throws boiling water at you, holds a gun to your head, and breaks your toddler's collarbone. (He also suffers from Michele Bachmann Syndrome — a baffling inability to look straight into the camera.) It's skin-crawl time.

But somebody said, "Great job, Max, let's post it." And the interwebs promptly blew up. "This is classic abuser tactic." "Was the point to make him look even more guilty? If so, mission accomplished." "All I heard was 'Why did you make me hurt you?'" "The video will be used in Social Work/Family Violence seminars to establish what a perpetrator of domestic violence looks and sounds like." And on and on.

Jeez. At least Ted Bundy was charming.

So here we are, with Miller and Bernie Moreno trading insults on social media, and Ohio Republicans caught in a bind. They have until Wednesday, August 5 to replace Miller on the ballot, but Miller vows to stay in. Good. We cats would like nothing more than to have this repulsive dude asking for Ohioans' votes in a district that Democrats are targeting — and for him to be publicly feuding with Bernie Moreno all the way to November 3. (When Moreno's not busy F-bombing Tony Fauci, that is.) We cats PURR.