all in all, a good day

 Mitch McConnell no longer majority leader and republicans no longer majority in either House or Senate.

Donnie loses last hope in electoral scheme of stealing election.

Donnie's authoritarian burning of the Reichstag thwarted with republicans now forced to take sides and opportunistic Republicans objecting to Biden's winning count of electors exposed for their insane fealty to a mad man. 

UL basketball beats VA tech.

All in all, a pretty good day!

a Democratic Senate strategy

 why doesn't Biden pick a republican senator for a cabinet post from one of the 37 states where the governor appoints a person to fill that vacancy?  I know its been done before.

It needs to be a state with a democratic governor with republican senator(s) like say, Kentucky.  It wouldn't work with McConnell, but it might with that mental lightweight, Rand Paul, who reminds me of Little Lord Fauntleroy.  Paul would make a wonderful leader in a cabinet post where he could do little or no harm, but would inflate his oversized ego.  Maybe transportation, where he could replace Ms. McConnell.  What could that hurt?

Then Andy Beshear could appoint John Yarmuth as the new senator from Kentucky and we gain a Democratic Senate seat.  Depending on what happens in the Georgia runoffs, it might help change the Senate composition or even strengthen a Democratic majority.

please America, help Donald return to profit in November

“It cost me billions of dollars to become president,” he said at a White House briefing Sunday evening that was, ostensibly, about the coronavirus response. He felt so proud of the sacrifice he’d gladly and selflessly made that he repeated the sentiment four more times. “I will saythat it cost me billions of dollars to be president and especially with all the money I could have made for the last three, four years.”

Donald Trump headed to Viet Nam, 50 years later....

Apparently, his bone spurs are in remission.

the mind of Donald Trump

trump tweeted, "So sorry to hear the news about Jeff Bozo being taken down by a competitor ...."   That, in a nutshell (or nutjob) is how he thinks:  The National Enquirer is a "competitor" to the Washington Post.  No wonder he is so confused about "fake news."
From the tabloid that regularly tells us that Elvis  is still alive we learn that our President cannot distinguish between fake news and the real stuff.
The National Enquirer did out the infidelity of John Edwards, but the Washington Post caused the ouster of  President Nixon.  The two stories are in entirely different leagues, to anyone with a brain.
Which, apparently, doesn't include Donald Trump.  What a moron!

The Scare-a van is coming! Hide all the women!

I hope we're all trembling now, now that the caravan is only a thousand miles away! 
Fox News thinks some members may have smallpox, a disease that the fake news and world health organization says was eradicated decades ago.
But no matter, these dark people are coming to infect us, coming to take our jobs and our lives!
MS13 and terrorists!
Be real scared and vote for our great protector, even tho he's not on the ballot!  who needs health care when they are already murdered?

No, Joe Biden. Please don't.

There is increasing talk of Joe Biden in 2020.  He'll only be what, 80 or 90 then.
Does the Democratic Party really have no one under 60 with appeal and fresh ideas.  When Hillary decided to run in 2016 I shuddered.  What was her vision?  I mean, other than the first woman president?
Joe Biden is a good person, but he is a representative of the past.  Can we just try someone from the future?  It sorta worked in 2008.

uh, oh. the countdown begins......

The FBI raids on the offices and hotel of Michael Cohen are a dark cloud headed for Commander Bone Spurs.  If Trump is the target, it must be remembered that attorney/client privilege does not cover a situation where the lawyer assists a client in ongoing criminal activity.
That the FBI proceeded, and had enough information to get a republican prosecutor to ask for and receive a republican judge to issue a search warrant does not bode well for our president. 
One would think that, under these circumstances, there must be clear evidence of a crime.  Stay tuned.....

the babbling idiot known as The Donald

this is a quote from yesterday:

"We’ve been very tough on Russia, frankly. But I will say that if we got along with Russia, that would be a good thing, not a bad thing.  It’s possible we won’t. We’re going to find out whether or not we do. But if we could all get along, that would be great. And that includes China, and that includes many other countries. But we’ll see what happens. Only time will tell. But nobody has been tougher on Russia. But getting along with Russia would be a good thing, not a bad thing. And just about everybody agrees to that, except very stupid people. OK."

Everybody on board with that?

It just gets curiouser and curiouser....

A year plus into this presidency and things get more weird.  Last night at a town hall type meeting the Donald proposed arming teachers, then this morning he denied it.  Apparently, he originally suggested arming about 20% of teachers, but had second thoughts and overruled himself.
I think what we are seeing is his dementia being accelerated by the Mueller investigation and its increasing pressure on him.
I would think that by now his hard core supporters would be having second thoughts, but it has to be some sort of psychological manifestation which prevents one from recognizing the fact that he or she has made a terrible mistake, and instead of owning up to it, doubles down.
Time will tell.

The dumpster fire rages.

Salon had this today on our President being interviewed by a talk show yesterday.  He was asked about his claim that Obama had wiretapped him:

Things got heated on Sunday when John Dickerson of CBS’s “Face the Nation” broached the subject.
After asking whether Trump stood by his claim, the president replied “I don’t stand by anything. I just — you can take it the way you want. I think our side’s been proven very strongly. And everybody’s talking about it. And frankly it should be discussed. I think that is a very big surveillance of our citizens. I think it’s a very big topic. And it’s a topic that should be number one. And we should find out what the hell is going on.”

As Dickerson pressed him on the subject, Trump became increasingly irate.  At one point Dickerson observed that Trump shouldn’t want his claim to be dismissed as “fake news,” prompting the president to reply, “You don’t have to ask me. You don’t have to ask me.”
When Dickerson asked why, the president shot back, “Because I have my own opinions. You can have your own opinions.”
After Dickerson pointed out that Trump’s opinions carry more weight because he is the President of the United States, Trump simply replied, “Okay, it’s enough. Thank you. Thank you very much.”
In the original tweets, Trump accused Obama of “McCarthyism” by wiretapping Trump Tower. He also referred to him as a “bad (or sick) guy!”

Without any evidence whatsoever, he thinks his side has been "proven very strongly."

“When you get zero from the other side —"

“When you get zero from the other side — they let us down because they’re hurting the people,” Mr. Trump said.  Where has this man been the last eight years?  oh, the irony...........

Donald Trump and the power of imagination

This is our president's explanation from yesterday as to how he found out he was wiretapped by that Kenyan Muslim guy, Barak Obama:

Trump: Well, I’ve been reading about things. I read in, I think it was Jan. 20^th, a New York Times article where they were talking about wiretapping. There was an article. I think they used that exact term. I read other things. I watched your friend Bret Baier the day previous where he was talking about certain very complex sets of things happening, and wiretapping. I said, wait a minute, there’s a lot of wiretapping being talked about. I’ve been seeing a lot of things. Now, for the most part, I’m not going to discuss it, because we have it before the committee and we will be submitting things before the committee very soon that hasn’t been submitted as of yet. But it’s potentially a very serious situation.

…

Carlson: Why not wait to tweet about it until you can prove it? Don’t you devalue your words when you can’t provide evidence?

Trump: Well, because the New York Times wrote about it. Not that I respect the New York Times. I call it the failing New York Times. But they did write on Jan. 20th using the word wiretap. Other people have come out with…

Carlson: Right, but you’re the president. You have the ability to gather all the evidence you want.

Trump: I do. I do. But I think that frankly we have a lot right now. And I think if you watch—if you watched the Bret Baier and what he was saying and what he was talking about and how he mentioned the word “wiretap,” you would feel very confident that you could mention the name. He mentioned it. And other people have mentioned it. But if you take a look at some of the things written about wiretapping and eavesdropping… and don’t forget I say wiretapping, those words were in quotes. That really covers—because wiretapping is pretty old-fashioned stuff—but that really covers surveillance and many other things. And nobody ever talks about the fact that it was in quotes, but that’s a very important thing. But wire tape covers a lot of different things. I think you’re going to find some very interesting items coming to the forefront over the next two weeks.

Syndicated columnist Mark Shields on the Newshour last Friday told a story about the value of presidential credibility.  He said that during the Cuban missile crisis President Kennedy sent his secretary of state to France to drum up international support for a blockade.  Dean Rusk ? tells Charles Degaulle about the U2 photos of the missile sites and says that he's authorized to show him the secret pictures.  Charles Degaulle says he doesn't need  to look at them because he believes Kennedy.
Can you imagine if it were Trump instead?  No matter what you think of his performance on the job, it is without question that Donald Trump has zero credibility.  None.

that's why she had to be corrected

“She was warned. She was given an explanation. Nevertheless, she persisted”

Im speaking with myself, number one, because I have a very good brain and I’ve said a lot of things.

and there you have it, the wisdom of Donald Trump.

why I can't stand Hillary-but will vote for her

On the day she became the presumptive nominee for the Democratic Presidency, Hillary Clinton was interviewed by Judy Woodruff of PBS Newshour.  Early in the interview, Judy asked her about the Sanders race and the enthusiasm of his followers.  Her response was first to point out that she had won more votes than Bernie and that her supporters were enthusiastic too.
So, given the chance to be magnanimous and ease the transition, she just couldn't bring herself to do it.  What would it have cost her to just say he had some great ideas, or that she welcomed his people or whatever?  Nope, lets just rub his nose in it.
A few questions later, the conversation turned to Libya and her support of intervention there.  Turns out, our involvement was a "presidential decision."
There you go, in the first couple of minutes, she gloats over her win, absolves herself of any responsibility for Libya and throws Obama under the bus.
What arrogance.  
here is a link:

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/after-historic-victory-clinton-talks-great-threat-of-trump/

on motorcycling

I've been wanting to put down some thoughts on motorcycle riding.  Some unwritten rules that I am slowly learning.
WHY WE RIDE
As most car (cage) drivers know, motorcyclists ride because we want to race every car, truck, bicycle, horse and buggy, EVERYTHING OUT THERE.  And the cagers are up to the challenge.
Personally, I especially want to race all old and decrepit vehicles.  If it smokes badly, if it looks like a wheel is about to fall off, whatever.  That's the kind of car I want pulling along side of me at 50+ miles an hour, right before it cuts in front of me in my lane, and, hopefully, then slams on the brakes, helping me test my brakes.
On a four lane road, once the car has passed you, it can swerve somewhat into your lane in order to alert you that it does not respect the integrity of your lane.  I think its akin to a dog peeing on a landmark to delineate its territory.
ON APPROACHING A CAGER ON TWO LANE ROAD
when you're approaching an oncoming 4(or more) wheeled vehicle on a two lane road, the cager has the right to determine how much room you get, especially if there is no center line.  If there is a center line, the cager is entitled to at least two feet of your lane.  Sometimes more.
more later....

Donald F...king Trump

Wow!!! the presumptive Republican Presidential nominee is a short fingered, thin-skinned vulgarian blowhard ignoramus who seems to know nothing about the Constitution, including separation of powers, difference between a "bill" (legislative act) and "order" (judicial act), full faith and credit of US debt, but also world politics, world finance and world history.  And his followers don't care.
His ignorance is breathtaking.  and then some.
I should also begin by saying that I am no fan of Hillary Clinton.  I think she is tone deaf (we left the White House flat broke!), opportunistic, non-progressive, uninspiring, too close to Wall Street and has a host of other shortcomings, and she comes at a time when our country truly needs some fresh blood.  I don't think she killed Vince Foster or that she was responsible for Bengazhi.  
I don't know if many of the ideas of Bernie Sanders were actually doable, but he does seem to inspire the younger crowds, and if our country keeps going in its present direction those voters will be necessary for a future course correction.
I will vote for Hillary if she is the Democratic nominee and will watch with interest the continual unraveling of the Republican party.  It is particularly interesting to note the number of Republicans who are now endorsing the Donald, especially in light of the fact that those attributes as outlined in paragraph one, above, are on constant display for all to see.
It demonstrates clearly that those Republican officials who are endorsing him care more about their party than they do our country.  Period.  And that deserves some serious consideration.

Why does Metro Animal Services need a "communication specialist?"

I note in Saturday's news that a statement was issued by the communication specialist for Louisville Metro Animal Services.  What the hell is that?
Are they trying to teach the dogs to talk or is the department so badly mismanaged that they need a devoted spin doctor?  Why doesn't Metro government take the money used to pay a "communications specialist" and divert it to improving the lives of the animals there?
We live in a crazy ass time.

Fear. Resentment. Anger.

The three foundations of the Republican party.  Watching the  Republican Primary Debates is quite a spectacle.  Each of the contestants trying to out-scare the next.  Videos of babies being aborted; ISIS at our border; Mexicans crossing the border;  economy in freefall;  And Obama is doing nothing.
We had the war in Iraq won under W, then Obama inexplicably pulls the troops out.
Only Donald Trump (or maybe Ted Cruz) can protect us!