1/. Most interesting article from Thom Hartmann - how and why Kamala is winning....
When President Joe Biden was running for reelection, his main pitch was about the danger Donald Trump represented to American democracy and peace in the world. Now that Kamala Harris is the Democratic nominee, she’s shifted the emphasis of the campaign away from that danger and onto the opportunities that lay before Americans if we can just elect enough Democrats to bring them into reality.
The recent and dramatic swing in the polls is probably mostly driven by Biden stepping down and Harris stepping up, showing the nation she’s fully capable of running a campaign and the country. But it also reflects her shift in strategy.
Every moment of every day, we’re always doing one of two things: moving toward pleasure or moving away from pain. Mentally and emotionally we never stand still; we are always either moving toward something we want or moving away from something we fear or would prefer to avoid. https://hartmannreport.com/p/pleasure-vs-pain-how-kamala-harris-cdd?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=302288&post_id=147594741&utm_campaign=email-post-title&isFreemail=true&r=2cwgv&triedRedirect=true&utm_medium=email
2/. Lawrence O'Donnell is pissed - at the reporters that participated in the Trump press conference sham......
An excellent three minutes......
3/. Tom Tomorrow summarises the week.....
4/. Bob Lefsetz flies JSX...and yes you've never heard of this airline. Actually flies into Florida.
It’s so much more civilized!
It’s not quite like flying private, but you’re much less worn out and you end up with so much more time. You can fly and get right back to work.
Assuming JSX flies where you want to. And that’s not many places.
It used to just be a west coast thing, but now there are flights from the New York metropolitan area to Florida, and I’d recommend you try it.
https://lefsetz.com/wordpress/2024/08/09/jsx/
Here's where they fly.....it says Miami, but it's actually Opa Locka airport....
5/. Word salad time....
This is the way we need to do it.....laugh at the bastard Trump....most amusing!
6/. Trump and the Republicans plan to steal this coming election.....and they have procedures in place to do it....
There wasn’t anything particularly controversial about Georgia’s presidential primary in March this year. Donald Trump won the Republican contest – picking up a little more than 400,000 more votes than Nikki Haley, who had long dropped out of the race.
Nonetheless, two Republicans on the five-person Fulton county election board refused to certify the election.
Julie Adams and Michael Heekin didn’t point to specific irregularities. Instead, they said they needed more information from election administrators, like chain-of-custody documents for ballots. Adams and Heekin were outvoted.
But it didn’t end there. In May, Adams, who is a part of an election activist network founded by Cleta Mitchell, voted against certifying another Georgia primary election. Again, despite no irregularities, she said she needed more information. With the backing of a group closely aligned with Donald Trump, Adams had also recently sued the Fulton county board, asking a judge to declare that she and other commissioners could choose not to certify the election.
7/. Here's a song for you - Nick Offernan gives us some thoughts on our politics today.....
Amusing, especially if you are tone deaf.....singer he ain't.....
8/. Really, really interesting story about the Democratic party over the last 20ish years, and how we have
completely discounted the achievements of the Obama administration.....
Jonathan Chait makes a good case for Obama....
When she came forward as the Democratic Party’s presumptive presidential nominee this summer, Kamala Harris offered what has become a standard tribute to the man who had anointed her. “Joe Biden’s legacy of accomplishment over the past three years is unmatched in modern history,” she said. “In one term, he has already surpassed the legacy of most presidents who served two terms in office.”
Within Biden’s party, it has become settled wisdom that he is “the most legislatively successful president since LBJ” (Democratic strategist Bob Shrum) or perhaps even “since the New Deal” (Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer). Comparisons to FDR and LBJ are also casually thrown around in mainstream organs like Politico (“In the long run, his first two years may be remembered as akin to LBJ when it comes to moving his agenda through Congress”) and the New York Times (“a roster of achievement that surpasses Bill Clinton and Barack Obama”).
9/. The Lincoln Project makes some good ads.....this one is titled "Weird"...
10/. Just think - four weeks ago we were looking at a second Trump term - but Kamala has broken the spell.....
“It’ll begin to end when the act gets tired and the audience starts walking out,” Warren Beatty, a perspicacious observer, told me eight years ago, in the early summer of 2016, when Donald Trumphad just secured the Republican nomination.
At the time, Trump was calling in for hours to enraptured TV talk show hosts jacking up their ratings. It was a cocaine trade. In return he snorted $5bn in free media – more than all the other candidates combined. When Trump launched The Apprentice in 2004, a tightly edited fantasy of the six-time bankrupt as king of the heap, he had long been dismissed as a loser and bore in New York. His charade was popcorn fare for out-of-towners. Who knew that the fake reality show’s ultimate winner, announced years after its cancellation, would be JD Vance?
11/. John Oliver devoted his whole show to RFK Jr, and boy is he a twisted nut job......
As always Oliver does excellent comedic reporting.....
12/. Well written, but depressing story about our civilization - read it, and it really makes you think ......
Every empire in the history of civilization has collapsed.
The Roman Empire, the Mongol Empire, the Ottoman Empire.
Each of them seemed unconquerable and immutable in their time.
But due to wars and internal instability, they each fell, sometimes swiftly and dramatically.
There is no reason to think our current global empire will be any different.
Entire civilisations have disappeared. https://medium.com/the-springboard/were-witnessing-the-fall-of-the-biggest-empire-in-history-f197fc4deb8b
13/. Seven takeaways from the Olympics....interesting article....
One of the refrains you hear every Olympics is some variation of “All of you loving [name of sport], let’s channel that fandom into watching [name of sport] year-round. This isn’t just an every-four-years sport!” With all due respect to these athletes and the staggering amount of work they put in to reach the absolute apex of their chosen field, this notion misunderstands the entire point of the Olympics. For two weeks, these sports are riveting, hypnotic, emotional, and even transcendent; we cheer and scream and cry and invest portions of our very soul into watching them. Then those two weeks end and we commence forgetting all about them. This is baked into the Games themselves. The Olympics are popular because you don’t have to dedicate yourself to them; they captivate us for a fortnight and then they go away. By the time they return, you’ll be ready and eager to watch them again. (The next Games, Milan’s Winter Olympics, won’t arrive until February 2026, and who knows where the hell we’ll all be by then?) Just don’t expect to remember what happened at the last one. That is, after all, the whole point.
14/. Trump [or is it Adolph] gets some bad news, and doesn't take it well.....
Clever parody.....
15/. Own a Condo in Florida? You may be screwed with the new rules kicking in this year......
After five decades working as a teacher and school administrator, Janet Stone envisioned a relaxing retirement in her condo overlooking Florida’s Atlantic coast.
Instead, she’s gone back to work teaching preschoolers with disabilities and living with her son in Las Vegas to pay off a $100,000 bill from her condo association — her portion of a multimillion-dollar project to replace the 53-year-old building’s deteriorating concrete.
“I shouldn’t say it, but it really sucks to work every day and not have a cent and have to wonder, ‘Can I afford groceries this week?’” said Stone, who purchased her condo in Ormond Beach, Florida, for $400,000 in 2021. “Every penny I make goes towards that concrete restoration.”
16/. You read this story and wonder - how can this travesty be happening in America?
After 30 years in jail, Brian Scott Lorenz thought he might be going home. Last summer, an Erie County judge threw out his conviction in a 1993 murder that had set off a raft of accusations involving bad cops, famous killers and prosecutorial misconduct.
Nearly a year later, the crime is still unsolved and Mr. Lorenz remains behind bars.
In 1994, Mr. Lorenz and a co-defendant were found guilty of the savage slaying of a young mother, Deborah Meindl, in the Buffalo suburb of Tonawanda. Last August, a state judge set aside the conviction, citing DNA taken from the crime scene that did not match either defendant and the fact that prosecutors had not revealed evidence to the defense.
But the Erie County district attorney’s office continues to appeal the overturned convictions, raising the prospect of a second trial despite a paucity of physical evidence or potential prosecution witnesses. And the district attorney has successfully fought efforts to release Mr. Lorenz, who has spent more than half his life behind bars for a crime he insists he did not commit.
17/. The Times lists the 50 best movies on Netflix
The sheer volume of films on Netflix — and the site’s less than ideal interface — can make finding a genuinely great movie there a difficult task. To help, we’ve plucked out the 50 best films currently streaming on the service in the United States, updated regularly as titles come and go. And as a bonus, we link to more great movies on Netflix within many of our write-ups below. (Note: Streaming services sometimes remove titles or change starting dates without giving notic.....some really good ones you've never heard of.....
18/. Remember Jan 6?
Of course you do, so here is a documentary about it from PBS Frontline, "Democracy On Trial".
This is especially relevant because there will almost certainly be a rerun after Trump loses this year....
Today's oldies joke
Bob, a 65-year-old, extremely wealthy widower, strolls into the Country Club with a stunning 25-year-old blonde by his side.
Her beauty and charm leave everyone in the room speechless.
She clings to Bob’s arm, hanging on his every word as if he’s the most fascinating man in the world.
His buddies at the club are in shock.
They pull him aside and ask, "Bob, how'd you land a girlfriend like that?"
Bob grins and says, "Girlfriend? She's my wife!"
His friends are floored but can’t resist asking, "How on earth did you convince her to marry you?" Bob leans in with a sly smile and says, "I lied about my age."
They nod knowingly. "Ah, you told her you were 50?"
Bob chuckles and replies, "Nope, I told her I was 90.
Today's sexy joke....
With a very seductive voice the woman asked her husband, “Have you ever seen Twenty Dollars all crumpled up?”
She gave him a sexy little smile, unbuttoned the top 3 or 4 buttons of her blouse, and slowly reached down into the cleavage created
by a soft, silky push-up bra, and pulled out a crumpled 20 Dollar bill.
He took the crumpled Twenty Dollar bill from her and smiled approvingly.
She then asked him, “Have you ever seen Fifty Dollars all crumpled up?” “Uh… no, I haven’t,” he said, with an anxious tone in his voice.
She gave him another sexy little smile, pulled up her skirt, and seductively reached into her tight, sheer panties…
and pulled out a crumpled Fifty Dollar bill.
He took the crumpled Fifty Dollar bill, and started breathing a little quicker with anticipation.
“Now,” she said, “have you ever seen $50,000 Dollars all crumpled up?”
He said “No!”trying to hide his arousal.
She said….. “Check the garage.”
Today's hotel joke
A Hotel guest calls the front desk and the clerk answers, "May I help you?"
The man says, "Yes, I'm in room 858. You need to send someone to my room immediately.
I'm having an argument with my wife and she says she's going to jump out the window."
The desk clerk says, "I'm sorry sir, but that's a personal matter."
The man replies, "Listen you idiot. The window won't open... and that's a maintenance matter."
Today's sports jokes
"Last year we couldn't win at home and we were losing on the road. My failure as a coach was that I couldn't think of anyplace else to play."
- Harry Neale, professional hockey coach
"Blind people come to the ballpark just to listen to him pitch."
- Reggie Jackson commenting on Tom Seaver
"I'm working as hard as I can to get my life and my cash to run out at the same time. If I can just die after lunch Tuesday, everything will
be perfect."
- Doug Sanders, professional golfer
"All the fat guys watch me and say to their wives, 'See, there's a fat guy doing okay. Bring me another beer.'"
- Mickey Lolich, Detroit Tigers Pitcher
"I found out that it's not good to talk about my troubles. Eighty percent of the people who hear them don't care and the other twenty percent are glad you're having them."
- Tommy LaSorda, LA Dodgers manager
"My knees look like they lost a knife fight with a midget."
- E.J. Holub, Kansas City Chiefs linebacker regarding his 12 knee operations
"My theory is that if you buy an ice-cream cone and make it hit your mouth, you can learn to play tennis. If you stick it on your forehead, your chances aren't as good."
- Vic Braden, tennis instructor
"I don't know. I only played there for nine years."
- Walt Garrison, Dallas Cowboys fullback when asked if Tom Landry ever smiles
"We were tipping off our plays. Whenever we broke from the huddle, three backs were laughing and one was pale as a ghost."
- John Breen, Houston Oilers
"The film looks suspiciously like the game itself."
- Bum Phillips, New Orleans Saints, after viewing a lopsided loss to the Atlanta Falcons
"When I'm on the road, my greatest ambition is to get a standing boo."
- Al Hrabosky, major league relief pitcher
"I have discovered in 20 years of moving around the ball park, that the knowledge of the game is usually in inverse proportion to the price of the seats."
- Bill Veeck, Chicago White Sox owner
"Because if it didn't work out, I didn't want to blow the whole day."
- Paul Horning, Green Bay Packers running back on why his marriage ceremony was before noon.
"I have a lifetime contract. That means I can't be fired during the third quarter if we're ahead and moving the ball."
- Lou Holtz ,Arkansas/Minnesota/Notre Dame/South Carolina football coach
"I won't know until my barber tells me on Monday."
- Knute Rockne, when asked why Notre Dame had lost a game
"I tell him 'Attaway to hit, George.'"
- Jim Frey, K.C. Royals manager when asked what advice he gives George Brett on hitting
"I learned a long time ago that 'minor surgery' is when they do the operation on someone else, not you."
- Bill Walton, Portland Trail Blazers
"The only difference between me and General Custer is that I have to watch the films on Sunday."
- Rick Venturi, Northwestern football coach
Today's flight attendant joke
A businessman in the first class cabin decided to chat up the
drop dead gorgeous flight attendant:
“What is your name?”
Flight Attendant: “Angela Benz, sir”
Businessman: “Lovely name ... any relation to Mercedes Benz?”
Flight Attendant: “Yes sir, very close”
Businessman: “How close?”
Flight Attendant: “Same price".
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