Email of the Week (v21)

I know I've got an in-box full of emails from the Biden team, now the Biden-Harris team, and I thought about incorporating pieces of those in today's post.

But then, there was that lawsuit filed by the NYS AG, Tish James, seeking to put an end to the NRA, and as expected, there was a reaction from the man at the center of it all, Wayne LaPierre.

The lawsuit alleges Mr. LaPierre spent hundreds of thousands of the organization’s dollars on private plane trips, visiting the Bahamas “by private air charter at least eight times” in three years, according to a summary of the suit. He and his family were often allegedly “gifted the use of a 107-foot yacht” by an NRA vendor and he spent more than $3.6 million on travel consultants, including luxury black cars, over two years. He also is said to have secured a post-employment contract without board approval worth more than $17 million.

(For his part, LaPierre apparently argued that he needed to go to the Bahamas on a 107-foot yacht complete with a gourmet chef and two Jet-skis for “security” reasons. He doesn’t need a bigger boat, but he damn sure needs a better alibi.)

And, it should be noted, there was really no surprise about the lawsuit - the investigation had been well-publicized long before James announced her decision. Similarly, there's been ample time for LaPierre to draft the mother of all emails to recruit people like me.

So, without further ado (and without fact-checking the claims included in it), here's your email of the week:

The radical fringe of our country – now openly supported and cheered by anti-gun politicians, elites, and the media – is working to tear America down and tear our nation apart.

Our cities have fallen under a cloud of violence, mayhem, and destruction. Crime rates are soaring.

JOIN NRA!

Anti-gun politicians are shuttering gun shops and doing everything in their power to deny law-abiding Americans our Right to Keep and Bear Arms – and at the same time, ordering the police to stand down in the face of criminal violence.

This is nothing more than a disgusting, brazen attempt by gun-ban politicians to shackle freedom and leave regular, law-abiding Americans defenseless.

And now, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and Attorney General Letitia James just launched yet another attack in their war on our freedom – one they’ve been plotting and planning for years.

THEY ARE SUING TO FORCE NRA TO CLOSE OUR DOORS FOREVER.

JOIN NRA!

Even on the campaign trail when she ran for office, Letitia James made it clear that she hated the NRA and everything we stand for.

She vowed that, if elected, she’d use the full power of the Attorney General’s office to silence our voice – even claiming that NRA isn’t a charitable organization but a “terrorist” one instead.

The fact is, NRA is the oldest and most effective civil rights organization in America – representing millions of law-abiding citizens from all walks of life.

JOIN NRA!

But according to Letitia James, NRA members are “terrorists” because we support a freedom enshrined in our Constitution that she personally despises and wants to eradicate from the face of the earth.

And now, she’s deployed the full power of the Attorney General’s office to take down the NRA – with a lawsuit to revoke our New York corporate charter that’s been in effect since 1871 and dissolve our Association.

JOIN NRA!

This isn’t politics as usual. It’s a vendetta – by despotic government officials who believe their power entitles them to muzzle and destroy opposing views.

They’re inspired by pure contempt for the law, and by an unbridled and burning hatred for the NRA.

They know that the minute NRA closes its doors for the last time, our nation’s first and most important line of defense for the Second Amendment will be gone forever.

Make no mistake. NRA is fighting back with every ounce of legal strength we can muster. And others have joined us – even the ACLU – because they know that if the government can weaponize its power to shut down the NRA, it can shut down any organization in America.

But we can’t win this fight without you.

That's why I'm asking you to join the National Rifle Association TODAY.

This weaponization of government power is like something you’d expect to see in Communist China – NOT in the United States of America.

JOIN NRA!

This isn’t simply a fight for the continued existence of the NRA. It’s a fight for the continued existence of American freedom as we know it.

This is a fight for the Right-to-Carry permit in your pocket that you’re sure to lose if and when NRA goes out of business.

This is a fight for the guns in your safe that are certain to be banned and confiscated if NRA is forced to shut down.

And this is a fight for your God-given right to protect your life and your loved ones against violent criminals – who will still have their illegal guns long after you hear that knock at your door.

So please, join NRA today. Add your VOICE, your VOTE, and your MEMBERSHIP to our FIGHT.

JOIN NRA!

Let’s not allow Andrew Cuomo and Letitia James to shutter and silence our great NRA fighting machine that’s done so much for freedom’s cause. Let’s not allow Cuomo and James to destroy our right to peaceably join together under the NRA banner to fight for the Constitutional rights we cherish.

And let’s not allow Cuomo and James to weaponize government – and turn this nation into a place where those in power can shut down any organization or silence any voice they disagree with.

If we win this battle, we will score the biggest victory for freedom in the history of the NRA – and make a mark on the Second Amendment and the First Amendment that will be remembered for generations.

JOIN NRA!

That's why it's important for you to join NRA today. And when you join, you'll receive a $15 or more discount on your dues, valuable members-only benefits, plus a FREE GIFT of your choice.

But the best benefit of all is leading the fight to save your Right to Keep and Bear Arms...a fight we can't win without you.

So PLEASE, let me hear from you today.

We need to fight back against this attack like we’re fighting for the Declaration of Independence and our freedom – because it’s ALL on the line.

In Liberty,

Wayne LaPierre
Executive Vice President

Wondering on Wednesday (v220)

Ready... Set... Wonder!

Well, no more wondering on who will be Papa Joe Biden's running mate: it's California Senator Kamala Harris. I think she was the most logical choice, and I'm glad we're no longer "hanging here, glued to the floor," like a defensive player in a college basketball game, waiting for the announcement. And if you're wondering, I'm not the originator of the hanging/glued image; rather, that's one of the classic lines from the late Joel Mareiniss, a sportscaster in my neck of the woods back in the day. 

Anyway - on the Harris decision, one of the big wonderings, which I've seen repeatedly over the past few hours, is the question of how the Trump team will attack: do they go the misogynist route, or the racist route? Now, I know for most people that wouldn't be a hard choice at all - it would be neither - but we're not dealing with "most people" here, are we? 

Here's a cautionary note that folks working for the president might want to consider, from an article from Reuters, which suggested Harris may be an "elusive target" for the Trumpeters.  

More concerning for Trump: Attacks that could appear sexist or racist against the first Black woman on a major party ticket in U.S. history could complicate his campaign’s effort to shore up his standing among suburban women, a critical voting bloc he must win back in order to get re-elected, strategists on both sides say.

According to this article from Vanity Fair Hive, others thing that Mrs. Suburban Housewife might succumb to Trump tactics, particularly if he attacks Harris well.

Other Trumpworld insiders are thrilled at the opportunity to define Harris as a radical leftist, a portrayal echoed Tuesday night on Fox News. “She’s going to help with the base, and that’s where it ends,” a Trump adviser predicted. “She’ll scare the shit out of suburban women. How great is this?” Trump has taken to stoking fears that a Biden victory will fuel unrest in “Democrat-run cities,” a barely disguised racist appeal that he picked up again on Wednesday morning following the Harris announcement. “The ‘suburban housewife’ will be voting for me,” he tweeted. The adviser added that Biden would soon regret choosing a high-wattage running mate. “This is not Mike Pence to Donald Trump or Joe Biden to Obama. Kamala is going to be the candidate. She’ll be constantly overshadowing him. In three to four weeks, Biden is going to realize he made a dumb move.” 

One thing upon which no wondering will be spent? How "nasty" this is going to get. It's already getting that way. I'll just say that the fact-checkers at Facebook and Twitter and Instagram better load up on covfefe and hydroxy and hamberders and whatever else suits their fancy, because I sense there'll be a whole bigly lot of blocking going on, going on.

What else do we have to wonder about? Football. Will there be college football this fall, or not until the spring, or not at all? Will the NFL get their season underway, as planned? And what about the kneeling - if someone kneels during the national anthem, will there be presidential hell to pay? Will we be called upon to boycott pro teams and their sponsors? And what on earth will happen the remaining Power 5 Conferences decide to follow the Big 10 and the Pac 12 and punt, as it were? As of now, it's still a go for the others, but who knows where things'll stand later.

Moving on to QAnon - something I honestly NEVER anticipated typing - it seems we'll have an honest to goodness supporter of the conspiracy theorists in the House come January. As noted in this NPR story,

Marjorie Taylor Greene, a construction executive, won 57% of the vote in Georgia's heavily-Republican 14th Congressional District, handily defeating neurosurgeon John Cowan, who had pitched himself as, "All of the conservative, none of the embarrassment."

Nice pitch there, by Cowan - too bad it apparently was way too far out of the strike zone for voters in the district. I wonder, do the rest of the Republicans agree with him on that? Well, it seems even House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy does; according to his spox, he found Greene's views "appalling."  But, on the other hand,

President Trump congratulated Greene on Wednesday morning, calling her a "future Republican Star" who is "strong on everything."

Like, you know, conspiracy theories and hate and stuff. And speaking of conspiracy theorists and hate and stuff, here's Alex Jones harassing people working at a park in Austin. You can wonder on your own about him. And wonder what that coveted suburban woman demographic thinks of him attacking their children...

One more crazy thing? It appears that Kanye West, the Birthday Party candidate for president, met recently with Jared Kushner, the president's daughter's husband. I wonder, do you think they were talking about cake? I mean, Ivanka's got a birthday coming up in a few months...

And finally, I'll leave you with a prediction - because everyone's predicting Trump/Pence will win (or Biden/Harris will), or that the polls are right (or wrong), or that it will rain (or not) or that something else will happen (or it won't). A friend, who's not a fan of either Trump or Biden, asked me last night whether Harris would still get to be the VP when Biden gets the hook at the Democratic National Convention. When I asked for clarification, here's what he said, in part.

It's 2020 - something crazy's going to happen last minute to completely change everything... 

And you know what I'm wondering?  What. If. He's. Right?

The pandemic... bubonic plague... murder hornets... Megxit and Brexit... A nearly 3,000 point drop in the Dow...  Cancelled Olympics... 20,000,000 million Americans unemployed... UFO videos... SpaceX Dragon... lots more weird stuff this year, already, as well.

So, what if he's right?  We'll find out next week.

What are you wondering about?

Sunday School 8/9/20: Extra Credit

Yesterday, in Sunday School, we heard from three of the key negotiators who were unable or unwilling to come up with another COVID-19 stimulus plan: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, and Senate Minority Leader.

Also wandering around the lecture hall? Peter Navarro and Larry Kudlow, two cheerleaders for the Trump team. I refuse to cover Navarro anymore, and am on the kusp of kicking Kudlow to the kurb, but I bit the bullet one more time on him. But first, the Senate's #2 Dem, Dick Durbin, talked with Chuck Todd on MTP. Let's listen in.

Todd asked if there's any potential progress, including the possibility that the White House would "move to the middle" on anything. Durbin said that the Dems have already done that, coming down from $3.4T requested in the HEROES Act to around $2T now, so the Rs should do the same and come up to $2T from their original $1T. 

The legality of the president's executive orders, Durbin said, is a "moral dilemma."

We want unemployed people to receive benefits. We never wanted them cut off at all. So, I'm not going to suggest that we run out to court at this point... There'll be some challenges. This country club fix suggested by the president is going to be a cut in the unemployment benefits for 30 million Americans. It's either going to be cut from 600 to 400 or from 600 to zero, where it is right now, if the president's executive orders don't stand. You know, the bottom line is this: These people are not lazy people. We have five unemployed Americans for every available job.

And he said "this urban legend, which I say is an urban lie, about people sitting at home bingeing on Netflix and eating chocolate-covered cherries," simply is not happening He's talked with these folks, who he described as "desperate to get back to work." He noted that 70% of folks who have gone back to work have done so with wages less than unemployment was paying.

So, this notion that they're lazy and if they tried a little harder, they'd find jobs just doesn't work.

Durbin also pointed out that there are "20 Republican senators" who won't go for even a penny at this point, and that he sees a leadership gap there.

And we have Mitch McConnell, the Republican leader, who is not even attending negotiating sessions. He's stayed out. His chair is empty. Same thing with Kevin McCarthy, the House Republicans’ (leader).

Durbin argued that actually "doing something directly about the coronavirus" is more important than unemployment. 

...this notion that you're going to have the same instant results of testing that (the president) does with his White House visitors or Major League Baseball does overnight, that isn't the real world out here. The people are waiting in line for testing, and they're waiting for results from 5-12 days, which makes them almost pointless. That is a priority for us. Testing to deal with coronavirus is key to opening the economy and opening our schools.

That's the part that seems to be missing from what's being delivered, or considered: people want a way to safely return to work, to get kids back in school, to shop, to dine out - in effect, to really reopen the country.

Sunday School 8/9/20

Can I tell you, my head hurts?

Seriously, watching these classroom sessions today was painful, for a host of reasons, not the least of which is that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer are not the best interviews on the planet. But I did it, I did, and I'm going to share just a little bit from each of them.

First up? Pelosi and Dana Bash on CNN's State of the Union. First off, Pelosi said she agrees with Sen. Ben Sasse (R-NE) who apparently suggested that the president's executive orders, announced from his golf course in New Jersey, are "constitutional slop" - but even though her "constitutional advisors tell (her) they're absurdly unconstitutional," she's more interested in addressing the needs of the American people than in suing over the EOs. And she's hopeful they can resume negotiations.

And that's why we said we will come down a trillion, not that we cut out any of our priorities, but we shorten the length of time in which they would be in effect. And next year, we can extend them again... But we will come down a trillion, you go up a trillion, we will find our common ground here. Let's go to the table.

Bash wondered why Pelosi and the rest of them weren't working all weekend, but Pelosi said the offer is on the table to come back when the other guys want to put up some more money. And specifically on the $600 extra unemployment, Pelosi agreed that she didn't want to back off the $600, but that wasn't the reason for the stalemate.

We're at a stalemate because the Republicans have, from the start, never understood the gravity of the situation that we are in. They have called it a hoax. They have called it -- their -- delay, denial, extortion of this pandemic. And we cannot open our economy or open until -- our schools safely unless we address the pandemic. So, the basic thing is, they have ignored that. The problem has grown. And it has become an enormous economic problem.

Moving on to Mnuchin and Chris Wallace on Fox News Sunday. Mnuchin said that the president's first choice was that a deal be negotiated with the Dems but when that didn't happen, Mnuchin and Mark Meadows told Trump he had to move forward with executive action so that he could "help American workers and American people."

As to any additional negotiations, Mnuchin said he told both the Speaker and Minority Leader that "any time they have a new proposal" he's willing to listen.

But let me just say, you're right, we agreed with the Democrats. We both want to send more checks to the American workers. We want to send more PPP to those hardest hit businesses. We've said, let's pass legislation on the things that we agree on and knock these off one at a time. And they've refused to do that until they get their trillion dollars for the states.

And, he said, he "spoke to many governors" recently and that

We offered more money for the states. They still have 150 billion from last time. Most of them haven't even used half the money. The governors are saying, we need more money for education. We need help. And the president said, we'll give it to you, but not a trillion dollars.

On the payroll tax cut and Trump saying he'd like to cut the payroll tax if he's re-elected, which led the Dems to say he's going to cut Social Security and Medicare, since that's what the payroll tax funds.  Mnuchin says that's not the case.

There would be an automatic contribution from the general fund to those trust funds. The president, in no way, wants to harm those trust funds. So they'd be reimbursed just as they've always been in the past when we've done these types of things... And you just have a transfer from the general fund. 

And he reiterated that the Dems want to "bail out some states that were poorly managed" with their giant aid to state and local governments. But, he said,

We can deal with in January, if there's ongoing issues, we can pass more legislation. This will be the fifth bill. We don't have to get everything done at once. What we should do is get things done for the American public now, come back for another bill afterwards.

Confident, isn't he?

Finally, Schumer and George Stephanopoulos on This Week. Schumer said the Executive Orders "described in one word, could be paltry; in three words, unworkable, weak, and far too narrow." Using the unemployment benefit EO as an example, he said

...this is an unworkable plan. Most states will take months to implement it, because it's brand-new. It's sort of put together with spit and paste... And, to boot, it depletes the hurricane trust fund to defer this money -- to pay for this money, at a time when we're at the height of hurricane season. So, it makes no sense.

He was equally fond of the payroll tax deferral, it seems. He said that some companies will continue withholding the money because "they don't want their employees to be stuck with a huge bill in December." So - no money pumped into the economy, and he also said that money won't be put into the Social Security and Medicare trust funds, so you better watch out if Trump is re-elected.

Finally, on election interference and new warnings from the Intelligence Community (China's rooting for Biden, Russia's rooting for Trump, and Iran is "also looking for opportunities), Schumer focused on Russia.

...  it is absolutely true that Russia is trying to interfere from public information and public statements. And we are trying, we Democrats are trying to stop it in the defense bill. We want to put tough sanctions on Russia, both before they do something and even more so, Chris Van Hollen, has a bill, bipartisan, I believe this with Marco Rubio to stop it. Trump is resisting. Why does Donald Trump not want to stop Russia from interfering in this election? You have to ask that question. It’s the wellspring of our democracy.

He said he believes that the information should be declassified and shared with the American public, as Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) has suggested.  And, before the interview ended, he tossed this out to us, the American people.

And they should know one other thing, that these hearings that Johnson and Graham are doing are -- some of it is now, now it’s public, is based on false Russian intelligence about Joe Biden. In other words, false Russian reports about Joe Biden. They should be ashamed of themselves for what they’re doing, letting the Russians manipulate them and us, the American people, or tried to manipulate us.

Consider yourself warned.

Stay safe - continue following the rules - and look for some extra credit tomorrow, if you can take it.

See you around the virtual campus. 

In Case You Missed it (v48)

Gather around, friends - it's time for your recap of last week's posts.

Sunday School brought us classrooms full of experts, including Dr. Deborah Birx and Admiral Giroir on the pandemic, and Neel Kashkari on the economy.

While Birx tried to convince us she's not just a stooge for the president (that's getting harder for her to do, although he did turn on her last week, so maybe there's still hope), Giroir invited the president's wrath himself, with comments about the Trump's favorite prescription.

...hydroxychloroquine needs to be prescribed by a physician. There may be circumstances, I don't know what they are, where a physician may prescribe it for an individual. But I think most physicians and prescribers are evidence-based and they're not influenced by whatever is on Twitter or anything else. And the evidence just doesn't show that hydroxychloroquine is effective right now. I think we need to move on from that and talk about what is effective.

That would be hand-washing, mask-wearing, social distancing, and the like. And some better treatment protocols, too. But not hydroxychloroquine.

My favorite prescription, other than a well-timed glass of wine?  More cowbell.

For your Sunday School Extra Credit, we checked in with three women on the Biden veepstakes short list - Stacey Abrams, Sen. Tammy Duckworth, and Rep. Karen Bass.  The latter is getting a huge push from a lot of Dems and Sanders fans alike, saying she's the one who can unify the party.

She's also the one who, just four short years ago, said that the death of Fidel Castro was a "great loss to the Cuban people." Four years ago, not forty years ago when she was a teenager and first started traveling to Cuba.  She's smarter now, smart enough to recognize that her comments were not consistent with what America stands for.

Do I know an awful lot more now? Do I understand that the Castro regime did not have the same freedoms as we do in the United States, was a brutal regime? They don't have freedom of press, freedom of protest -- which was kind of ironic because when I went in my youth, the majority of us that were there were antiwar activists. We were protesting against police abuse and understood then and now that the Cuban people did not have the same freedoms.

...So my perspective has definitely developed over time. 

One can only hope. But one can also see the Trump/Pence ads writing themselves if Rep. Bass is Biden's choice.

When it was time for Wondering on Wednesday, there was more than enough head-scratching to go around. We had some nonsense from Mike Pompeo, who really could be the poster child for my Irony Board posts, and we had an interesting story about Mark Meadows, the current chief of staff for the president, and what he'd rather do than negotiate with Congressional leaders. We are seeing the fruits of that right now, of course, because #winning, or something.

And, we had this.

Republican operatives in several states are working to get Kanye West on the ballot... anyone else wondering why they're wasting their time? And do they really think that any significant number of people are going to throw their vote away and color in the little circle by his name?  And aren't the Rs the people trying to convince us they're concerned about the dreadful state of mental health care in the US? 

I'll let you wonder on that one all the way to the ballot box.

In a time when practically every day brings a reason to rant and rave about one thing or another, Thursday had me shouting into the wind about what I consider to be a ridiculous and self-serving move by my Attorney General, NY's Tish James, to sue to dissolve the NRA.

Because nobody, other than a Democrat, would attack a GOP-favorite organization, less than three months before a massively consequential election, surely setting off a backlash against Dems up and down the ballot, across the country? Who, other than a Democrat, can be so tone-deaf?

It's worse because it's New York against the country. It's the most hated blue state attacking gun owners, for Pete's sake. Even if that's not her intention, it's like attacking Santa Claus AND not saying Merry Christmas anymore AND stealing Easter eggs and Halloween candy from little children in red states, all rolled into one, and streaming it live on Disney+.

This is the stupidest thing to come out of New York since Donald Trump.

NY Strong? Uh no. NY stupid? NY Selfish? NY epitome of why people hate the Dems? Um, yep.

And finally, last week's TGIF was a really good one. No, not because I'm biased - because all of the stories were good stories. Among the examples? How people responded to the horrific explosion in Beirut, including the nurse who grabbed three newborns - after being knocked unconscious herself. The photographer who got the image we've all seen talked about his shot.

"I noticed the nurse's calm, which contrasted the surrounding atmosphere just one meter away, he explained. “However, the nurse looked like she possessed a hidden force that gave her self-control and the ability to save those children. People stand out amidst these violent and dark and evil circumstances and this nurse was up to the task," he added. 

That's all we had last week; you are now officially caught up on the full and veritable pastiche.

I'll be back later with Sunday School.

TGIF 8/7/20

How about we have an all 'good week list' post to close out the week - sound good?

First up, the devastating explosion in Beirut, which caused so much pain and heartbreak, but there was also much kindness and love at the same time.  There have been many compelling images in the aftermath, one of which was of the nurse holding three newborns.

According to the story relayed by the photographer and published on Nurse.org, the nurse had been knocked unconscious by the blast and when she came to, her first thought was of the patients. She grabbed the three babies and carried them around with her, keeping them safe.

"I noticed the nurse's calm, which contrasted the surrounding atmosphere just one meter away, he explained. “However, the nurse looked like she possessed a hidden force that gave her self-control and the ability to save those children. People stand out amidst these violent and dark and evil circumstances and this nurse was up to the task," he added. 

Also related to Beirut, I saw an image of Rio de Janeiro's famous Christ the Redeemer statue overlaid with a projection of the Lebanese flag; there's also one of French president Emmanuel Macron hugging a Beirut resident.

What else was on the good news list this week? Well, did you hear about the two little girls - sisters aged 9 and 11 - who started a business after coming up with a sweet treat?

In June, using a special recipe they developed for cheesecake-filled ice cream cones, Zyaire and Char’Les launched their dessert business, Little Sistas Treats.

Their mom mentioned what the girls were doing to the owners of Sugar Sisters Bakery and asked if maybe her daughters could come in and see what their future could be like. It took a while, but the Little Sistas eventually met the Sugar Sisters. You can be sure this story has a sweet ending!

There's so much more good week list stuff out there; here's a sampling:

• Buck the dog, lost and then rescued by firefighters battling the Apple fire;
• the nearly 50-year effort to return an escaped convict to jail; 
• educators like this one, doing everything possible to make kids comfortable returning to school during a pandemic.

And finally, because I can, I leave you with this touching moment, when a groom turns to see his bride, in her gown, for the first time. It's a good one, I promise!

TGIF, everyone - hope you had a good week, and a great weekend!

Ranting and Raving (v7): Leave it to a Dem

You have got to be freaking kidding me. Seriously.

Today, 89 days from the most consequential presidential election in memory, the New York State Attorney General decided to drop a bomb on things by suing to dissolve the National Rifle Association.

Honestly? You simply cannot make this stuff up. From the Wall Street Journal article linked above,

The extraordinary move against the nation’s largest gun-rights group comes after an 18-month investigation by Ms. James. As a nonprofit registered in New York since its founding in 1871, the NRA is regulated by the attorney general’s office. 

The suit alleges that longtime CEO Wayne LaPierre and three other top officials “instituted a culture of self-dealing, mismanagement, and negligent oversight at the NRA,” failed to properly manage the organization’s money and violated numerous state and federal laws, according to a news release announcing the complaint.

I. Just. Can't. Even.

This is the election equivalent of Patrick Mahomes handing off to a 49ers defender on purpose, and then refusing to chase him down, allowing the Super Bowl-winning touchdown to be scored against Kansas City. Seriously. If Tish James were an athlete instead of a politician, she'd be thrown off her team, publicly accused of cheating to help the other team win, investigated by her league (and by more than on state Attorney General). She'd join the 1919 Chicago Black Sox in perpetual ignominy.

People thought James Comey's announcement about the FBI investigation of Hillary Clinton's emails in July 2016 was interference? Some think that his subsequent letter to Congress at the end of October was the quantifiable straw that broke the camel's back on  her election chances? This is ALL of that, and worse.

It's worse because it's New York against the country. It's the most hated blue state attacking gun owners, for Pete's sake. Even if that's not her intention, it's like attacking Santa Claus AND not saying Merry Christmas anymore AND stealing Easter eggs and Halloween candy from little children in red states, all rolled into one, and streaming it live on Disney+.

This is the stupidest thing to come out of New York since Donald Trump.

There's ZERO urgency with this - absolutely zero.  I don't care that she spent 18 months investigating, I really don't.

I've spent more than enough time reading articles about it, all of the sordid details and the infighting and chest-clutching being done in the organization over all of this nonsense, and it's definitely nonsense, and it's a definitely a swamp and all of that, but good grief - 89 days before the election, an election in which the Dems are already under attack by people pretending that the most extreme anti-gun people in the party are the mainstream of the party?

Seriously? Seriously? What the actual hell???

When the Dog-whistler in Chief has been saying, for MONTHS that the Dems are going to take away people's guns and erase the 2nd Amendment - you know, like it's a Confederate soldier on a papier mache pedestal in Richmond or something - and NOW Tish James pulls this out of her...hat?

As long as I live, I will never cease to be amazed by the ability of educated Democrats to shoot themselves in the foot - and the other foot, and the knee, and the other knee. It's as reliable as the sun coming up tomorrow that, at the WORST possible time, a Dem will do something stupid, unnecessary, and self-serving - it's guaranteed.

Here's what James said:

The NRA’s influence has been so powerful that the organization went unchecked for decades while top executives funneled millions into their own pockets,” Ms. James said in the press release. “The NRA is fraught with fraud and abuse, which is why, today, we seek to dissolve the NRA, because no organization is above the law.”

If you ask me, what that REALLY means is something along the lines of

The Governor's influence has been so powerful that attention to him went unchecked for weeks and months while he made daily appearances  talking about the pandemic, and multiple appearances on his brother's national cable show, and I don't have that kind of access or a famous brother who can help me out so today, we seek to dissolve the undivided attention on the governor by doing something so brazen that people won't have a choice but to talk about it. And me. And me! 

Tell me it's not that. Convince me, I dare you. I've got time.

And I'll ask you this: If it isn't that, what is it?  What possible other explanation is there for pulling something like this, this close to this election?

Donald Trump has been known to say that he could shoot someone in the middle of Fifth Avenue and none of his supporters would leave him. Well, Tish James just shot the Biden campaign in the middle of the forehead.

Don't believe me?  Wait for the polls.

Wait for the polls.

Wondering on Wednesday (v219)

Ready... Set... Wonder!

Let's get right to the wondering, shall we?

Am I the only one wondering what's up with Mike Pompeo?  On the one hand, he's all over folks in Hong Kong for postponing the Legislative Council elections, saying in a statement that "there's no valid reason" for the one-year delay, and that Beijing "has no intention of upholding the commitments it made" both to the people of Hong Kong and the UK under the treaty between the countries.

For decades, the Hong Kong people have repeatedly demonstrated their desire and ability to hold free and fair elections. We urge Hong Kong authorities to reconsider their decision. The elections should be held as close to the September 6 date as possible and in a manner that reflects the will and aspirations of the Hong Kong people. If they aren’t, then regrettably Hong Kong will continue its march toward becoming just another Communist-run city in China.

Meanwhile, when asked about his boss's comments about potentially delaying the US elections, here's what he had to say in response to questions from Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) during his visit to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee a few days back. As you read this, remember he's a Harvard Law grad, in addition to being a Trump enabler.

I'm not going to enter a legal judgement on the fly this morning. In the end, the DOJ, others, will make that legal determination... 

I can't imagine any other Secretary of State not just simply saying "we will have our elections on time, as we do every year, as required under our Constitution." And equally, I wonder why it is that he couldn't bring himself to say that.

Speaking of Trump enablers, there's a great Dana Milbank piece in the WaPo about Mark Meadows, Trump's 4th Chief of Staff.  Among the highlights? Well, there's this:

During his seven years in Congress, he developed an unsurpassed reputation for blowing things up and making sure bills didn’t pass. But he has virtually no experience at getting things done.

And there was the part about Meadows perhaps being "bored" with the negotiations and saying "he’d be happy to have Trump take executive actions instead," which is a fabulous idea, don't you think? I won't spend any time wondering if anyone thinks I'm being serious, but I do wonder why I have such a hard time remembering who it was who said he only hires the best people?  

Republican operatives in several states are working to get Kanye West on the ballot... anyone else wondering why they're wasting their time? And do they really think that any significant number of people are going to throw their vote away and color in the little circle by his name?  And aren't the Rs the people trying to convince us they're concerned about the dreadful state of mental health care in the US? 

I'll leave you with a fabulous good news story - this one's a keeper. A little girl, named Meena, abandoned in a basket as a baby, later adopted, now a teenager, learns about all the senior dogs that don't get adopted - and decides to do something about it.  I only wonder here what else she's going to accomplish in life? 

That's enough for this week. What are you wondering about?

Sunday School 8/2/20: Extra Credit

In our Sunday School post, we heard from Dr Birx, Admiral Giroir, and Neel Kashkari, chair of the Minneapolis Fed. 

For your Extra Credit this week, we'll hear from three women reported to be on Papa Joe's short list for veep: Stacey Abrams, Rep. Karen Bass (D-CA), who was in two classrooms, and Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL). We'll take them in that order

Abrams talked with Dana Bash on CNN's SOTU; their conversation started with a question on what Abrams thought of the president suggesting that the election be delayed.

...he's attempting to distract us from his failed leadership. But -- invoking the notion that we cannot hold an election cuts against hundreds of years of history. We had elections during the Civil War, during the Spanish Flu. And we can have an election this time. Absentee ballots work, as he admits. And it's the exact same thing as mail-in ballots, vote by mail. It's all the same job. And the job that he has is to make certain that we have a Postal Service that can actually deliver the votes to our elections officials... 

On whether Abrams is worried the president won't accept the results:

 I'm not worried about that. What I'm worried about is that we will not be able to effectively count the votes of every eligible American, because he's doing his best to undermine our confidence in the process. But, worse, he's doing his best to actually steal the vote by undermining the Postal Service knowing that, at this point, more than 40 percent of Americans are likely to use some form of early voting, including vote by mail. And, as we know, we're not yet in the second wave of the pandemic. That means we have to be prepared, and that means we have to have a Postal Service that's working, but we also need the HEROES Act passed, so that cash-strapped states like Arkansas, like Georgia, like North Carolina, like Wisconsin can scale up an deliver an election that is worthy of America.

On whether she's still in the running to be veep:

I leave it to the Biden vetting team to answer questions about who's in the running. But we know that whomever Joe Biden picks will be a good partner to help us turn this country around, restore the soul of America, and build back better. That's what we need. 

On whether she'd be disappointed if it was not her and also not anther African-American:

I have said time and again I believe that Joe Biden is going to pick the right partner for himself, because he's the only person who's done this job. And while I believe that diversity is incredibly important, and I think it is an absolute good to see a continued changing of the face of what leadership looks like in America, I look to Joe Biden to pick the right partner for himself in the moment that we have before us, which is one of an economic crisis, a public health crisis, and a crisis of justice. And I think he's the person who will not take anyone for granted. And I look forward to working with him to make sure he's elected.

Rep. Bass, the chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, appeared on Meet the Press with Chuck Todd, but his questions were poorly worded, almost as if he had never interviewed a potential vice president before. You can read the transcript if you like, but here's a sampling:

Let me ask this. I know nobody runs for the vice presidency and that, you know, people shy away from that. But let me ask you the question this way. Why'd you decide to go through this vetting process?

Is there something about the post itself that is appealing to you if you did end up as vice president of the United States? 

Let me ask you this. Why haven't you considered running for president before? And by agreeing to this, I know it doesn't mean you want to run for president in the future, -- but a lot of people certainly think you will. 

Sunday School 8/2/20

Here are your highlights from Sunday morning classrooms.

First up? Dana Bash and Dr. Deborah Birx on CNN's State of the Union, starting with whether we're in a new phase of the virus.

What we are seeing today is different from March and April. It is extraordinarily widespread. It's into the rural as equal (to) urban areas. And to everybody who lives in a rural area, you are not immune or protected from this virus. And that is why we keep saying, no matter where you live in America, you need to wear a mask and socially distance, do the personal hygiene pieces... This epidemic right now is different, and it's wide -- it's more widespread. 

On whether we need a federal government 'reset'; it's been suggested by folks at Johns Hopkins, who said "The United States is not currently on course to get control of the epidemic. It's time to reset." 

Well, I think the federal government reset about five to six weeks ago, when we saw this starting to happen across the South. And that is why we have done these very -- rather than generic federal framework, we have gone to very specific state and local, city by city, county by county, showing out which counties and which cities are under a particular threat and what mitigation has to be done.

On whether it's possible we could see 300,000 deaths by the end of the year, as has been suggested by former FDA head Scott Gottlieb:

-- you know, public health is called public health because it has a public component. And we need all of the public to help us get control of this virus. If we still are going to parties at home, even though the bars are closed, if we are creating interactions where we know it's not safe, because there's multiple people there, and you don't have masks on, and you're not socially distanced, you can assume...  It's not super-spreading individuals. It's super-spreading events. And we need to stop those. We definitely need to take more precautions.

I think I have to agree with many who've suggested that she's converted from scientist to apologist and cheerleader for the administration. Either that, or she's been learning howto not answer questions from Mike Pence.

Over in NBC's Meet the Press classroom, Chuck Todd and Adm. Brett Giroir, the testing guy for the White House Coronavirus Task Force, chatted about things, including whether we're "ever going to be able to get this testing strategy right":

...we've increased our testing by 32,000%. We're completing over 80% of our tests within three days, almost 90%t within five days. Of course, we're going to improve that. We're continuing to improve that. By September, we'll have over 23 million point-of-care tests, so we are improving that. But I do want to get the opportunity to put testing in context. And I think that's very important. How we use it, how we rely on it, and how we fix the outbreak right now by using testing selectively the way we're doing it in all the southern states.

On whether we're doing selective testing (based on defined risk or symptom criteria, rather than "if you want a test, you can get a test") because we don't have capacity, and if that's the case, why aren't we using the Defense Production Act (DPA):

We look every day for opportunities to use the DPA or other investments. And when it's possible to do that, we do that... The DPA is not a magic wand. It can't create something out of nothing. It can be used as an effective tool, and that's the way we're doing it. But testing is a part of the strategy. We don't test our way out of this. We do smart policies with testing as an adjunct... And you know what that is. Wear a mask, avoid crowded indoor places, use good hygiene, and avoid crowds. And if we do those things, that will reduce the overall outbreak to levels that will go down significantly. And that's what we're seeing across the South.

On whether the Task Force is recommending "partial shutdowns" in the red zone states:

 ...both for the red zone states and the emerging yellow states, we have really good data now... that if you do simple measures like avoid the indoor crowded places, and a lot of times that are indoor bars, but you can't have a hundred people at your house either. Do less indoor dining, because that's another place. Wearing a mask is incredibly important, but we have to have like 85% or 90% of individuals wearing a mask and avoiding crowds. That is essentially -- gives you the same outcome as a complete shutdown. 

And on whether hydroxychloroquine is a danger to public health:

... at first hydroxychloroquine looked very promising. There were not the definitive studies. At this point in time, there has been five randomized controlled, placebo-controlled trials that do not show any benefit to hydroxychloroquine. So, at this point in time, we don't recommend that as a treatment. There's no evidence to show that it is... Right now, hydroxychloroquine, I can't recommend that.

...hydroxychloroquine needs to be prescribed by a physician. There may be circumstances, I don't know what they are, where a physician may prescribe it for an individual. But I think most physicians and prescribers are evidence-based and they're not influenced by whatever is on Twitter or anything else. And the evidence just doesn't show that hydroxychloroquine is effective right now. I think we need to move on from that and talk about what is effective.

That would be hand-washing, mask-wearing, social distancing, and the like. And some better treatment protocols, too. But not hydroxychloroquine.

And our last drop in? That was the Face the Nation hall, where John Dickerson talked with Neel Kashkari, the head of the Minneapolis Fed, where the first question was what Kashkari saw inside the horrible Q2 GDP numbers:

The US personal savings rate has taken off. Before the crisis, it was around 8%. Now it's around 20%. Now, let me tell you what's going on. Those of us who are fortunate enough to still have our jobs, we're saving a lot more money because we're not going to restaurants or movie theaters or vacations. That actually means we have a lot more resources as a country to support those who've been laid off. And so while historically we would worry about racking up too much debt, we're generating this savings ourselves. That means Congress has the resources to support those who are most hurting.

On whether racking up debt will be something we have to deal with eventually: 

It's simply not an issue because we're not having to go abroad to fund these extra- the extra money for the CARES Act or whatever is to come. So that provides a lot of relief right now. And if you look over the long term, our inflation has been very low. Inflation continues to be low. Inflation expectations continue to drift lower. Right now, the US can fund itself at very, very low rates. Congress should use this opportunity to support the American people and the American economy. I'm not worried about it. We- if we get the economy growing, we will be able to pay off the debt.

On whether he's seen any evidence that supports the Republican argument that the $600 bonus unemployment is keeping people at home instead of working:

Well, not right now, not when 20 million people are out of work relative to February. There's just so many fewer jobs than there are workers available. At some point it'll be an issue. When we get the unemployment rate eventually back down to 5% and we want to get it back down to 4% or 3.5% where it was before, yes, that disincentive to work becomes material. But right now, it's simply not a factor in the macro economy that we have in the US because we have so many millions of Americans out of work.

On what role fear plays in Kashkari's assessment of our economic behavior, particularly given our consumer-driven economy:

Oh, fear's a huge factor. You can see this around the world. Some countries that didn't lock down officially based on public policy had a similar economic response because their own citizens were afraid and they said, no, I'm not taking that risk. I'm going to shelter at home. And so we all - many of your viewers, the American people, are paying close attention to what's happening to the virus. And you're seeing a similar economic behavior around the country, regardless of local public policy.

So fear is a huge driver, and that's why they need to have confidence that they will be safe, their families will be safe, their kids will be safe. And until we have that real confidence, not just wishful thinking, but in the data, real evidence that it's safe, we're not going to have a meaningful economic recovery.

Do you agree? At some point, do we just need to stop being afraid? And what data will it take for us to get there? Kids going back to school safely?  I'm not sure... 

Whether you're afraid or not, be sure you're doing your part, and remember what Admiral Giroir says:

Wear a mask, avoid crowded indoor places, use good hygiene, and avoid crowds. 

Stay safe; I'll see you around the virtual campus. 

In Case You Missed It (v47)

Grab your cuppa - it's time for a recap of last week's posts.

I devoted the entire Sunday School entry to hearing from the president's 4th Chief of Staff (quick - can you name the first three? Answers at the end of the post). And it wasn't easy - I mean, I never thought I'd say this, but I much preferred listening to his predecessor than I do listening to Meadows.

He told us how much the administration is doing about election interference from China, Russia and Iran, something the intelligence community warned us about. "Trump's doing a lot, a lot more than the previous administration," investing "hundreds of millions of dollars" and he signed off on "two different legislative actions...to make sure that election integrity is - is important." 

Not only that, but he also said, "We've been willing to work with secretaries of states of every -- of all 50 states as we look at that and the territories to make sure that their systems have the needed resources for the integrity to be there and so that we can count on that."

Well, goody for them, that they've "been willing to work with" all 50 states.  I mean, in any other administration, not immediately doing that would be a dereliction of duty, but this is the 'be nice to me or you're screwed' administration, so I guess we should give them a participation medal or something.

Among the guest lecturers featured in our Sunday School Extra Credit post? Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, who was pretty upbeat about the Republican's plan and about working with the Dems to get something done.  There will be a plan announced on Monday, he said. 

...we do have an entire plan, it's a trillion dollars. And let me just remind everybody that of the $3 trillion we've already passed, we have about a trillion to a trillion and a half still left to put into the economy. So these are very, very large amount of money, working with Congress to support this. And what Mark Meadows was saying is that within the trillion-dollar package, there are certain things that have time frames that are bigger priority, so we could look at doing an entire deal, we could also look at doing parts... we can move very quickly with the Democrats on these issues. We've moved quickly before and I see no reason why we can't move quickly again. And if there are issues that take longer, we'll -- we'll deal with those as well. 

And while they're pushing to spend another trillion bucks or three, which is what the House passed - back in May (that bill having sat on The Grim Reaper's desk waiting for the Rs to get off their fannies and figure out what #IMPOTUS wants before they put anything on the table) - is anyone else thinking about the trillion-and-a-half still sitting on the table, and what that was supposed to be used for, and why it hasn't, and if it isn't needed, why don't we just use that money do help people out here? Mnuchin wasn't asked that question, darn it. 

On Tuesday, I reported out the results of my survey on corporate political speech and its impact on consumer choices in a Poll Watch entry. Among the findings? 

I asked whether people had stopped doing business with a company, started doing business with a company, or decided to never do business with a company because of corporate political speech. 

• 63% of respondents said they have stopped being a customer,
• 26% said that they have become a customer, and
• 68% have chosen never to do business with a company because of political speech.

The survey also told what my friends think is the most important corporate political speech issue - can you guess what it is? 

When it came time for Wondering on Wednesday, like many others I was frustrated with the lack of action on the Republicans' COVID relief bill, or stimulus bill, or whatever you want to call it.  I think I've said this before, but being retired and on a fixed income, we are much less economically disadvantaged than people who are unable to work because their business is closed, or because they are not able to work at home, and so on.  But our better circumstances don't mitigate my outrage at stupid stuff, like that gets shoved into these bills once everyone finally agrees to act.  For example, 

How, I wonder, is putting up a new FBI headquarters, across the street from the president's emoluments hotel a component of the HEALS Act, the latest stimulus package from the White House and Senate Republicans? I know that many of the senators are against that $1.75B provision, and that the president insisted it get added to the bill, but really? How does that help with testing, or PPE, or contact tracing, or people making their rent, or getting schools open, or anything else?  

And don't start with me -- I know the HEROES Act, passed months ago by the House, has more than enough porky stuff too, but this is just one more example of the president attempting to feather his own nest, or at least make his nest attractive for feathering.  I'm getting tired of it - really tired.  

I'm getting really tired of all of it, honestly. And all of them. 

Thursday was a pass day - we were supposed to have gone to our favorite restaurant for some socially-distanced outside dining with our favorite people. but a family member was advised to get a COVID-19 test and we had spent some pretty well socially-distanced time with him, so dinner was cancelled and so was writing. (And yes - we're several days into him not having his test results... #MAGAMA).

Among the things on my mind as I was building the TGIF post for your good week/bad week list-making was dealing with the claim from the Fearmonger-in-Chief and other Trumpeters (including Snitty Snitty Bill Barr) think that a foreign government is going to interject fraudulent paper ballots into our election in November.  

I'm trying to picture that level of interference, not only because there will be thousands of different ballots in use in November, gathering votes for everything from dog catcher to president, that would have to be perfectly replicated, and be assigned to actual registered voters who have signatures on file, in the correct jurisdiction... So, is it common sense, or an attempt to sow seeds of doubt in our election processes?

I'm guessing the latter, but as you know, I'm cynical about this White House.

So, that's your full and veritable pastiche for last week. Oh - yes - almost forgot to give you the first three Trump Chiefs of Staff: 

• Reince Priebus (January 20, 2017 - July 31, 2017)
• General John Kelly (July 31, 2017 - January 2, 2019)
• Mick Mulvaney (January 2, 2019 – March 6, 2020)

If you remembered Priebus, give yourself a high five. I had to look that up.

 I'll be back later with today's Sunday School.