A sobering Frank Rich column, and he's worried....there's five months to go....
A protester takes a knee in front of San Jose Police officers on May 29. Photo: Dai Sugano/MediaNews Group/The Mercury News via Getty Images
Most weeks, New York Magazine writer-at-large Frank Rich speaks with contributor Alex Carp about the biggest stories in politics and culture. Today, national unrest since the death of George Floyd.
The nationwide protests following the death of George Floyd in police custody have continued for a week, with no end in sight. Are we, as some journalists, historians, and politicians have suggested, at a crossroads of American democracy?
When James Clyburn, the 79-year-old South Carolina congressman, described America as being at a “crossroads” in an interview with CNN’s Anderson Cooper on Tuesday, his tone was matter-of-fact.
2/ Read the first line of this Times story,and let's hope so...
Does the Republican Party have a death wish?
Its most prominent leaders — particularly President Trump and Senator Mitch McConnell, the majority leader — have dug themselves into positions that defy all conventional rules of electoral survival. In an election year, even ideologically extreme politicians should try to do popular things and avoid doing unpopular things — if for no other reason than so that they can resume pursuing their extreme goals after Election Day.
3/ This is amusing....from the Daily Show, Trump's posture....
4/ Per the first line, let's hope so but when a rat is cornered that's when he becomes really dangerous...
We are in the Götterdämmerung now, the final phase of the Trump era. We began with the axis of adults that imperfectly constrained him. We then entered the age of hubris and action during which he systematically rid himself of the adults and was free to follow his whims. The third phase was the reckoning as he began to bump up against the contradictions of his own approach, on China and Iran in particular. Now we have finally arrived at the long-feared crisis and unraveling.
5/ If only....if only.....
6/ What's going to happen to and with the Trumpies after November....good article from Prospect.Org
President Trump may continue to dominate the news, but he’s having an awfully hard time persuading the public of anything. He rails at governors who imposed strict lockdown orders to deal with the coronavirus pandemic, yet those governors have become far more popular than he is. He urges us all to resume normal economic and social activity, yet polls show most Americans still wary and in no hurry to rush out to share each other’s droplets. He cries that voting by mail is fraudulent, yet state after state—including many run by Republicans—is expanding
7/ We're not a nice race of people....good animation.....
8/ Trump is obsessed with the Dow, but as this story says it's become a measure of the inequality
of our society.....disconnected from 90% of the country....
In early March, as it became clear that the coronavirus pandemic really wasn’t a hoax but was about to upend American life, I started texting my friend Paul, an investment adviser, about the stock market. Although I worked briefly on Wall Street before succumbing to the wealth and prestige of a career in journalism, I couldn’t claim any particular financial expertise. But that didn’t stop me from burdening Paul with my predictions.
9/ Another great ad from the Lincoln Project - "Flag Of Treason"....30 powerful seconds...
10/ Umair worries we may be way down the road to fascism.....if Trump is re-elected, we're toast...
11/ The REAL picture from the photo op.....
12/ Ever heard of Joe Rogan? Me neither, but he's a huge podcast media star.....interesting story...
When I saw the news that the king of all podcasting, Joe Rogan, had inked a deal with Spotify for his widely popular show I texted to congratulate him on getting crazy rich. How rich?
“Weirdly richer,” he replied. “Like it doesn’t register. Seems fake.”
According to The Wall Street Journal, the deal could amount to more than $100 million, a number that
Rogan doesn’t want to discuss. “It feels gross,” he told me Thursday night. “Especially right now, when people can’t work.”
13/ Tom Tomorrow talks to a Trumpie....
14/ We're just at the beginning of how hunger is affecting our country.....
A record number of Americans face hunger this year as the catastrophic economic fallout caused by the coronavirus pandemic looks set to leave tens of millions of people unable to buy enough food to feed their families.
Nationwide, the demand for aid at food banks and pantries has soared since the virus forced the economy to be shutdown, resulting in more than 40m new unemployment benefit claims, according to the latest figures.
As a result, an estimated one in four children, the equivalent of 18 million minors, could need food aid this year – a 63% increase compared to 2018.
15/ This really is the way they think.....
16/ The Democratic Party may be shooting itself in the foot again....
hese are bleak days for America’s progressive movement. The Democratic primary process handed the party’s nomination to the candidate with the most conservative record. Corporate-friendly politicians like the New York governor, Andrew Cuomo, are using the pandemic to brandish their images and install billionaires to run things. Progressive lawmakers in Congress are being steamrolled, even by their own party’s leadership. And a recession is battering the state and local budgets that fund progressive priorities like education and the social safety net.
17/ Another great ad from a Republican group against Trump. Which makes you think - where are the Democrat's ads?
18/ Some good 2020 movies are streaming....from the Times movie critics...
Theaters closed in March because of the pandemic, and studios delayed the release of several much-anticipated films till the fall or even 2021. So you’d think there might not be much to recommend so far this year. But our chief critics, Manohla Dargis and A.O. Scott, are having none of that: they are championing several movies that hit theaters before the shutdown or were released online afterward.
19/ Clint Eastwood is 90 this month, so Rolling Stone pays tribute to his movies and Eastwood as a Director....yes we hate his politics, but he's an
icon, a great movie star and an accomplished Director.......
“I’m never be a Laurence Olivier,” Clint Eastwood said, back in 1971. “With my physical type and legato personality, I’ll never play certain parts. But I still can do things that have some quality.”
That he could. There have been numerous new Oliviers over the years, but there has only been one Eastwood.
Todays redneck joke
Dearest Redneck Son,
I’m writing this slow because I know you can’t read fast. We don’t live where we did when you left home. Your Dad read in the newspaper that most accidents happen within 20 miles of your home, so we moved. I won’t be able to send you the address because the last North Carolina family that lived here took the house numbers when they moved so they wouldn’t have to change their address.
This place is really nice. It even has a washing machine. I’m not sure it works so well, though. Last week, I put a load of clothes in and pulled the chain. We haven’t seen them since. The weather isn’t bad here. It only rained twice last week: the first time for three days and the second time for four days.
About that coat you wanted me to send: your Uncle Billy Bob said it would be too heavy to send in the mail with the buttons on, so we cut them off and put them in the pockets. Bubba locked his keys in the car yesterday. We were really worried because it took him two hours to get me and your father out.
Your sister had a baby this morning, but I haven’t found out what it is yet so I don’t know if you are an aunt or uncle. Uncle Bobby Ray fell into a whiskey vat last week. Some men tried to pull him out, but he fought them off and drowned. We had him cremated. He burned for three days.
Three of your friends went off a bridge in a pickup truck. Butch was driving. He rolled down the window and swam to safety. Your other two friends were in the back. They drowned because they couldn’t get the tailgate down. There isn’t much more news at this time. Nothing much out of the normal has happened.
Your Favorite Aunt,
Mom
Todays religious joke...
A man has been lost and walking in the desert for about two weeks.
One hot day, he sees the home of a missionary.
Tired and weak, he crawls up to the house and collapses on the doorstep.
The missionary finds him and nurses him back to health.
Feeling better, the man asks the missionary for directions to the nearest town.
On his way out the backdoor, he sees this horse.
He goes back into the house and asks the missionary:
“Could I borrow your horse and give it back when I reach the town?”
The missionary says:
“Sure but there is a special thing about this horse. You have to say ‘Thank God’ to make it go and ‘Amen’ to make it stop.”
Not paying much attention, the man answers: “Sure, ok.”
So he gets on the horse and says:
“Thank God,” and the horse starts walking.
Then he says: “Thank God, thank God,” and the horse starts trotting.
Feeling really brave, the man says: “Thank God, thank God, thank God, thank God, thank God,” and the horse just takes off.
Pretty soon he sees this cliff coming up and he’s doing everything he can to make the horse stop.
“Whoa, stop, hold on!”
Finally, he remembers: “Amen!”
The horse stops four centimetres from the cliff.
Then the man leans back in the saddle and says:
“Thank God.”
Todays old lady joke...
An elderly woman driving along at speed passed over a bridge only to find a cop with a radar gun on the other side lying in wait:
The cop pulled her over, walked up to the car with that classic patronizing smirk and asked,
“What’s your hurry?”
She replied. “I’m late for work.”
“Oh yeah.” Said the cop, ‘what do you do?”
“I’m a R*ctum Stretcher.” She responded.
The cop stammered. “A what?”
“A R*ctum Stretcher!”
“And just what does a r*ctum stretcher do?”
“Well.” She said.
“I start by inserting one finger in the r*ctum, then work my way up to two fingers, then three, then four, then with my whole hand in I work from side to side until I can get both hands in and then I slowly, but surely stretch it, until it’s about 6 feet”
“And just what the hell do you do with a 6-foot a*sehole?” He asked.
“You give him a radar gun and park him behind a bridge!”
Todays teacher joke...
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