Today's Chart

Which is actually another tweet, but anyway - be reassured, but don't be happy and don't get cocky.  GOTV and put as many Blues in office as possible.

CLINTON still leads in our polls-plus model, which adjusts for Trump's convention bounce. https://t.co/zo8rbYw56E pic.twitter.com/J0G2D5PHxK

— Nate Silver (@NateSilver538) July 25, 2016

John Oliver

Worth Noting

Es la economía, estúpido

Today's Tweet

Look, it says it right here in the Declaration of Independence:

"Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Hat Penis." pic.twitter.com/DjpGl39Uay

— JB4Realz (@JB4Realz) July 22, 2016

Worth Considering

The more we convince ourselves that it's a big scary world; that we live in a country falling into lawlessness and chaos; that the system is corrupt; that there's danger at every turn -- the more we allow ourselves to be spooked (for good reason or otherwise), the more likely we are to be stampeded into the arms of whoever is running as the Daddy-State-Law-n-Order candidate.  Sound familiar?

I'm not saying everything's peachy - don't gimme that False Dichotomy bullshit - I am going to say that when things aren't as good as they should be, there's change in the air and politicians can smell it, and they'll pimp that up in order to get the crowd moving so they can shift power from one thing or person to some other thing or person. This is about power because it's always about power.

So at the risk of putting myself up for Mr Wishy-Washy: some things are OK but not nearly as good as they oughta be, while some things are pretty bad, but not nearly as bad as some politicians (and their surrogates and their fans) need us to believe they are. 

The real point is that we've been here before.

So let's try a little harder not fuck it up this time.

Today's Pix

Oops

Tim Kaine has been praising the Trans Pacific Partnership and has been pushing hard to get it approved. Job killer!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 23, 2016

Trade means jobs, but trade also means security. The time has come for all of us to urge the swift adoption of the Trans Pacific Partnership

— Governor Mike Pence (@GovPenceIN) September 8, 2014

So yeah, OK, Pence's tweet was a coupla years ago, and maybe he's changed his mind, and maybe pixies will fly outa my ass and make the world conform to the liking of a rich legacy fuck like Donald Trump.

The guy has no sense of anything but his own instant gratification. 

hat tip = Politicus

America Was Great?

Today's Quote

Lovecraftian

hat tip = Bob & Chez

Today's Tweet

Remember this one next week, when the Right Radicals are all spluttering about whatever stoopid thing they pull outa their asses about Bill or Chelsey or "politicizing family" or blah blah blah.

I like imaging what certain Trump supporters would say if HillaryClinton accepted the Dem nomination with her 5 kids by 3 different men.

— John Fugelsang (@JohnFugelsang) July 23, 2016

And BTW - is John Fugelsang a fucking genius or what?

Quick View

And like Bob & Chez say, "Don't get happy, Liberals".  We get complacent, and Trump could win this thing.  Don't ever forget that the Press Poodles have a job to do that only includes "finding and reporting the truth" as an item on the list that comes well after "boost audience numbers" and "enhance revenue".   

False Equivalence + False Dichotomy = Both Sides = Dramatic Tension = Horse Race = Stay tuned, folks - you don't wanna miss a single exciting episode.

Never forget that very smart people spend billions of dollars every year on advertising because propaganda works.

Without substantial support from Capitol Hill, Hillary gets stonewalled just like Obama. So I'm gonna put away my misgivings and my suspicions for just long enough to vote for every fucking Democrat I can find.  

The point of the GOP strategy is to lock us into a Stockholm Syndrome kinda thing where we'll do whatever they want us to do if they'll just stop fucking it all up.

Get your asses out there and make it work.

Things Change

A few shots of acceptance speeches from fairly recent conventions

GW Bush 2000

McCain 2008

Obama 2008

Romney 2012

And then this

Today's Quote

Trump's acceptance speech gave the impression of an America so bleak and depressing, that Melania started to plagiarize a suicide note. --Bill Maher

I Am Bad Man

"Ask not vaht country do for you. Ask vaht you do for rich husband. And remember, jewelry up front every time is how to beat pre-nup."

--Melania Trump