It seems that if this is the practice in most states that it would be easy to change over to mail in voting for remaining primaries and the general election by simply sending everyone eligible a mail in ballot instead of a sample ballot.

In what state(s) do they send everyone a sample ballot? Has any state ever actually done that?

I think the so-called Me, too! whatever has gone way too far! She's accusing him of digital rape!!!!!!?????

That's how they're characterizing it... yep, and it won't surprise you that it's a bunch of Bernie Sanders supporters and she's a Bernie supporter and seems to be a Vladimir Putin lover... except she denies that now and has deleted all her published articles... excerpt:

And like most women across the world, I like President Putin… a lot, his shirt on or shirt off.

Most women across the world? Is she nuts? This is truly one of those times a curse word applies... so choose your own expletive.

And, I'm done with y'all on this issue.

I hear you.

i'm not saying it's at all likely, just that it's possible.

My post wasn't meant in any way as a rebuttal to yours, but since you asked: Possible? That a victim would praise her attacker for nearly three decades and then suddenly characterize him as digitally raping her? No. Victims don't generally praise their attackers. This woman is a bullshit artist. Full stop.

if we discount the possibility just because it looks suspicious, then we risk having the same done in return, no?

We risk having our new claim of alleged sexual assault of nearly 30 years ago that we've suddenly decided to characterize as "digital rape" after multiple decades of praising our "old boss" for his work?

One would hope so... since it's this type of revisionist history BS that causes genuine victims of sexual assault to be discounted and ignored.

The paper trail is good, too.

April 18, 2020

Be there!

i think the mainstream media have been burned enough times by russian disinformation campaigns that if the story is an active measure rather than a legitimate complaint they'll make it widely known.

JL

you don't think it's possible that there was some consensual hanky-panky going on and there was miscommunication about what was consented to?

JL

Sounds as though you believe the Democratic House of Representatives and Republican Senate could come to some kind of agreement ... .

No. I'm talking about existing statute, not new legislation. That it goes to the speaker of the House is specified in the presidential succession act of 1947.

Some things in this life of ours are impossible.

I think the so-called Me, too! whatever has gone way too far! She's accusing him of digital rape!!!!!!?????

Oh, man. HA! Yeah, no wonder I haven't heard about her. And, I won't hear about her. And, I better not ever hear about it in the headlining pieces above these comments sections either or that will be the end.

And, I'm done with y'all on this issue.

What could be a better way to get people talking about something other than the people that died as a result of Perez and Biden not delaying the primaries.

It sure seems to be working here.

Dear GOD, why are you repeating this massively ignorant accusation that has no basis in reality? Tell me again how Biden or Perez had the authority to delay the states from holding THEIR primaries? Because you are claiming that they COULD have delayed the primaries that cost....hmmmmm, remind us all just how many people died as a result of their voting?

Even for someone as delusional as you, this is a doozy!

i'm not saying it's at all likely, just that it's possible. if we discount the possibility just because it looks suspicious, then we risk having the same done in return, no?

JL

No, Joshua, it is not possible that Dan is right.

The facts depict a woman who worked for Joe Biden a total of approximately 9 months who has changed her story from actually praising Joe Biden's work for nearly three decades until only very recently making accusations in April 2019 when several women accused Joe of unwanted touching their neck. Recently, she's changed her story and accused Joe of "digital rape." In other words: Seems like ridiculous BS where the story keeps changing.

She leaves a paper trail of inconsistencies... so judge for yourselves:

https://medium.com/@eddiekrassenstein/evidence-casts-doubt-on-tara-reades-sexual-assault-allegations-of-joe-biden-e4cb3ee38460

There are lots of links in the article to keep you busy for hours if you're bored and curious.

Bottom line: The facts don't support her brand new claims, and there's some weird stuff in there.

Sounds as though ordinary law kicks in.

Sounds as though you believe the Democratic House of Representatives and Republican Senate could come to some kind of agreement regarding an extension for Trump/Pence -- when the House has already impeached Trump -- or to name someone outside the line of succession to become POTUS.

I cannot fathom what type of pure insanity would possess them to pass any such agreement out of the House when the Speaker of the House is a Democrat who would take charge on January 20 sans such agreement and could have prepared Executive Orders at the ready to enact upon signature in order to reverse the entire Trump fiasco with a few strokes of a pen.

So... Donald Trump will no longer be president on January 20 unless Congress agrees to a change (no way in Hell) or unless he is reelected via the Electoral College that barely put him in office by less than 80,000 votes dispersed across three states.

of course it's possible, however unlikely we may believe it to be. and on that count i'm probably closer to your opinion than dan's.

JL

in that respect, we must acknowledge that the mainstream media are being more cautious than they were in the past with other public figures.

Of course, we must. But, that doesn't give the media or anyone else the right to fabricate things out of whole cloth … which is precisely what some of them are doing with Biden.

while it is possible that reade is fabricating allegations in service of russia and their chosen candidates, it is also possible that dan is right and there was a real incident of mistaken intentions back in 1992 (or whenever it was).

in that respect, we must acknowledge that the mainstream media are being more cautious than they were in the past with other public figures.

JL

I think my use has been appropriate and am pointing out the inconsistency of those that find my use inappropriate.

on the question of what is and is not appropriate on this blog, there is only one opinion that matters, and it isn't yours.

as liz has tried to gently point out, and as kick has not-so-gently pointed out, this is CW's space, and it is his decision. CW has been incredibly tolerant of your dissent where the use of profanity is concerned, but even he has his limits. if you want to comment about him in your own space, you can say anything you want. on his space, what he says goes.

"you don't bust in your friend's house and start telling him what's what"
~samuel l. jackson ('jules'), pulp fiction

Have some pie or people die. (FIFY)

those deaths could have been prevented if only more people stayed home and had pie instead of going out and infecting others.

JL

Put that in your pipe and smoke it!

Is this where your country is? Because, that is just a lot of moose poop.

On the issue pertaining to Biden and the allegations, do intentions matter?

I think in every case I heard of, including the 'hair-sniffing' case … hair-sniffing!!!??? … y'all will give me a freakin' break on that one … Biden was in the process of giving encouragement or empathy, or the like, to the ladies.

Yeah, I know … I better brace myself. :(

There is no way that any of this can be compared to anything that is remotely akin to sexual anything!

The reason Biden was selected to be president Obama's running mate had everything to do with the expertise he would bring to the Obama administration and the key role he would play with respect to policymaking, domestically and internationally.

Just to be clear, you know.

A lot of how Biden got to be vice president in the first place had to do with the idea that he would help Obama appeal to the kind of voters — older, less educated white Northerners who aren’t evangelical Christians — who we know eventually ended up defecting to Trump.

These voters didn’t identify with the GOP of the George W. Bush era and certainly didn’t love Republicans’ regressive economic policies. But they also don’t particularly identify with the self-consciously woke brand of liberalism practiced in big cosmopolitan metro areas. For the purposes of winning votes from this cohort, the fact that Biden’s 2008 primary campaign was continually derailed by racist gaffes probably made him a strong running mate. To voters confused — and at times angered — by shifting cultural norms, the fact that Obama would elevate an old white guy who clearly wasn’t up to speed on all the latest PC thinking was a powerful demonstration that he was one of the good ones.
https://www.vox.com/2019/4/2/18290345/joe-biden-lucy-flores-amy-lappos

Sounds as though ordinary law kicks in. Here's the relevant text from Amendment XX:
the Congress may by law provide for the case wherein neither a President elect nor a Vice President elect shall have qualified, declaring who shall then act as President, or the manner in which one who is to act shall be selected, and such person shall act accordingly until a President or Vice President shall have qualified.

So? That doesn't make any difference. Anyone who objects to sexual assault per se wasn't going to vote for Trump anyway. A scandal is important as a political weapon, in our system, and that doesn't depend on the wielder caring about the issue. People who see no great difference between the major-party candidates are less likely to vote. That's a loss of votes for the Democratic side, relative to what they would have been if we'd found another Obama to nominate.

Trump wouldn't have to bring it up himself. There are plenty of proxies. But he can. None of his supporters would have any problem with the hypocrisy.

[36]
Who is this woman and why don't I know about her!?

Tara Reade. Partly, presumably, it's because you only read reputable sources: the major media mostly aren't sufficiently satisfied with their investigation to cover it.
https://www.salon.com/2020/03/31/a-woman-accuses-joe-biden-of-sexual-assault-and-all-hell-breaks-loose-online-heres-what-we-know/

Partly, it's that it's lost in the noise. There are less-extreme accusations from Lucy Flores, Caitlyn Caruso, and D.J. Hill -- stuff that's problematic but wouldn't necessarily be disqualifying. And there are outright bum-rap incidents, where a single frame from a video appears to show something completely different from what the full video actually shows, for example. Those are the stories that spread most effectively, because they generate polarizing discussion.

My impression is that Biden truly believes that of course there is such a thing as normal social touch that doesn't require any consent from the person being touched: for example, if you need to get someone's attention in a noisy place, it's perfectly ok to tap them on the shoulder. And he believes that, because he has never intentionally gone beyond the boundaries, there's no real problem, nothing for him to apologize for. His understanding of where the boundaries are is within the normal range, but it's well toward the touchy end.

That covers all the other cases, but not Tara Reade. With Tara Reade, it sounds as though he thought she was interested in him, so he made a move, and he stopped when she didn't respond favorably.

If I'm reading it right, this will drive a wedge right through the middle of Democratic thinking on consent. He does regard women as people, fully human, equal to men -- not as mere objects that exist for men's gratification. He didn't intend any wrongdoing. For a lot of people, that's good enough. For a lot of people, though, it isn't. You need actual consent before you touch someone sexually, and you have to have it whenever they consider the touch sexual even if you don't. It's not good enough to just say "actus non facit reum nisi mens sit rea".

GT's use of colorful language was appropriate, because it was directed at a public figure who it is reasonable to believe has earned it. this is different from responding to a [mis]perceived slight by cursing out the owner of the blog on which your permission to write is growing ever more tenuous.

You have been fairly warned by the owner of this blog... to refrain from using bad language in the comments sections of this blog because you don't seem to understand what and where and when and in what context colourful language should be used in the comments sections of this blog.
~liz

chill out and have some pie
~me

Great post, GT.

Is it just me, or does the back-to-back firing of Crozier and the ICIG on Friday seem like a huge message... along with oral and written communication flailing attempts at revisionist history, of course.

So... if one person here thinks Crozier was not looking out for the wellbeing of his crew and ship, well, they better do some 'splaining.

I know, right!? Anyone found trying to help people by attempting to disseminate facts and therefore exposing the prattling and driveling of Hair Dick Tater will be dealt with accordingly.

TL/DR a leader saves lives and prevents a major catasrophy, the trumpistration punishes him, but somehow cannot find the time nor the energy to help the states that make up this union... and claims his has been the best. Great fucking job trumpie...I guess it takes alot less time and energy to be vindictive and petty VS. compassionate and caring.

Very well said. :)

Let me tell you the feeling I'm starting to get, just based on reading this particular blog.

Well, just so you know, the current -- operative word to your left -- data don't portend that outcome at all. In fact, the states Trump won in 2016 by a sliver are all currently projected to flip, flip, flip back to blue and toss in an Arizona flip. Obviously, things can change, like multiple unemployment numbers that'll be off the charts coming in May 2020. Count on it.

I think Americans would be wise to prepare themselves that there are a lot of things that have just been permanently changed by this pandemic and that life as we knew it in so many ways has been altered and shall remain that way, but I digress and that is an altogether different subject that would be interesting to discuss later... just how much our lives have been changed permanently by this -- in so many ways that will definitely affect our economy and the jobs in America that are now likely permanently gone and aren't coming back.

Trump will be re-elected, if there is an election at all. And, I don't even want to think about all that it means.

There will be an election; if there isn't one, the 20th amendment to the United States Constitution states that the current president's four-year term ends at noon on January 20. Precisely at that time, Trump and Pence will no longer be President and Vice President, and as such, constitutional rules of succession kick in and the Speaker of the House would be sworn in as POTUS until an election was held. That's Pelosi... the GOP's worst nightmare. So you needn't worry about an election not being held. It's on. Donald Trump will no longer be president on January 20 unless Congress agrees to a change (no way in Hell) or unless he is reelected via the Electoral College that barely put him in office by less than 80,000 votes dispersed across three states.

On March 13th, President Trump declared a national emergency for the coronavirus in this country — an action that took the response out of local and state hands and gave all authority to respond to the emergency to the federal government.

Exactly! Friday the 13th, the day President Pathological Liar and the Fox News talking heads did a complete 180-degree turn and decided to stop portraying Trump as the victim of a "Democrat hoax" designed to de facto impeach Poor Donald and then began explaining how they always took the virus seriously and never referred to it as a "hoax."

At first I thought it was because Trump feared that if they failed it would be seen as being his fault — which is not untrue. Still, Trump should put an experienced person in this roll, and that person could take the blame for any criticisms that his administration faces.

Right... so what they didn't blame on Barack Obama could then easily be blamed on Mike "smoking doesn't kill Pence." I was originally under the impression this was the plan, but it seems Daffy Donald just can't shut his mouth.

Did you see that insane news conference Saturday where Donald again implores Americans to take a questionable off-label drug regimen? "What have you got to lose? Take it"... "try it," Donald says in sotto voce; so creepy it made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. Maybe he's right and it helps; maybe it doesn't because the results are skewed:

Some of the research — and confusion — stems from Professor Didier Raoult in France, whose work has resulted in both enthusiasm and skepticism around the medicines. In a Los Angeles Times column, writer Michael Hiltzik outlined flaws. In one of Raoult's studies, for example, six patients dropped out in the first six days; those patients either died, were transferred to the ICU, couldn't tolerate the drug, or dropped for another reason.

"Those six results, however, were not included in the results, meaning that Raoult 'cured' only 100% of those who didn’t get sicker, die, or leave the study," Hiltzik wrote.

https://www.fiercepharma.com/pharma/europe-locks-down-chloroquine-scripts-as-researchers-china-report-positive-controlled-covid

What do you have to lose? Your life. Why on Earth would a POTUS instruct Americans to ingest Plaquenil® (brand name) -- a drug prescribed for lupus and rheumatoid arthritis -- before its efficacy has actually been determined by the FDA? Why not wait for the results of the FDA-approved clinical trials before you repeatedly encourage Americans to pop pills? Just saying.

Sadly, I realized that I had it completely backwards. It wasn’t failure that Trump was worried about, he never accepts responsibility for anything...why would he suddenly start now??? No, it’s the possibility that they will do a great job and the public cheers the job that they do that keeps Trump from putting any competent person in this role — he WANTS the cheers all to himself!

Yep. It's the memory hole dump and the Trump rewrite, setting himself up to take credit for whatever goes right and mete out blame for whatever goes wrong to anyone else not named Trump. Unfortunately for Donald and the MAGA useful idiots, they have already spent months spewing heavily documented words like "hoax," "common cold," "flu," "decidedly non-serious," etc., and claiming it would down to near zero in a couple days and ridiculing and anyone who dared to speak the facts on the ground... and now here we are.

What Trump should fear most is people finding out that he’s ordered federal suppliers to cancel deliveries of much needed supplies to states that have not showered his every move with praise.

Wouldn't surprise me a bit. There's already been a whistleblower at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that complained more than a dozen workers who received the first Americans evacuated from Wuhan, China, lacked proper training and protective gear to prevent coronavirus infection.

The whistleblower's report states that staff were sent into quarantined areas without PPE and training, putting themselves and the American public in danger. These Americans were evacuated from Wuhan and the majority taken to military bases in California... where not coincidentally the first case of community acquired coronavirus was confirmed by the CDC weeks later, and now here we are.

The whistleblower also reported that when the staff raised safety concerns to their superiors, they were admonished, accused of not being team players and had their emotional stability and mental health questioned.

I can tell you from firsthand knowledge that keeping your mouth shut is emphasized ad nauseam in federal communications, and believe me when I tell you that the Thursday firing of Captain Crozier and Friday firing of the CIA watchdog were reminders to employees what happens if you deign to disseminate the truth about the facts on the ground. It ain't pretty.

Hi, Russ! Glad to "see" you're doing well. :)

I'm not able to read that but it would certainly make sense if this involved some sort of Russian propaganda effort. That's the only thing that would make sense, in fact ...

Who is this woman and why don't I know about her!?

She's an ex-staffer of Joe Biden who is a Bernie Sanders supporter who has very recently decided to change her decades old "Biden touched me in 1993" story into a "Biden sexually assaulted me in 1993" story.

https://www.salon.com/2020/03/31/a-woman-accuses-joe-biden-of-sexual-assault-and-all-hell-breaks-loose-online-heres-what-we-know/

I haven't read any posts beyond EM's question... so if the link above to a piece that does a "deep dive" into the subject is a repeated link, my apologies in advance.

Interesting to note: The name of Putin -- as in Vladimir -- appears multiple times in the article. The accuser was apparently a huge fan of Putin's on social media but has recently "changed her mind" about that too.

That's one of many reasons why teaching is so hard.

He not only gave up his certain promotion to admiral, he saved the lives of his crew and prevented a major catastrophy from happening to his ship.

I have been to commands that have had the "triad" removed for "lack of confidence" and this is not one of them....

You do not get a send off like this if you are a bad leader....

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/video/news/video-2144630/Video-USS-Roosevelt-crew-salutes-Captain-Crozier-leaves-ship.html

TL/DR a leader saves lives and prevents a major catasrophy, the trumpistration punishes him, but somehow cannot find the time nor the energy to help the states that make up this union... and claims his has been the best. Great fucking job trumpie...I guess it takes alot less time and energy to be vindictive and petty VS. compassionate and caring.

Biden's campaigns for president have been rejected by the American people for a number of reasons. If they reject him on the basis of these allegations, then I could say with great confidence that the American people deserve at least four more years of Trump.

Of course, I wouldn't say that because another day of Trump would be bad for the rest of us out in the world.

I had to follow nypoet22’s link to find anything on this story. The woman worked for Biden for 9 months in 1992-93. I don’t think the press — other than Fox News — will give this much attention.

Trump will be re-elected, if there is an election at all. And, I don't even want to think about all that it means.

GREAT article! Spot on!

Does anyone else feel like we are seeing a repeat of Katrina when it comes to how Republican presidencies handle emergencies? Blaming the mayor and governors for not being able to handle the emergency properly to explain the federal government’s failure to respond seems to be the Republican’s playbook for these situations.

On March 13th, President Trump declared a national emergency for the coronavirus in this country — an action that took the response out of local and state hands and gave all authority to respond to the emergency to the federal government.

We have no one truly in charge of combating this emergency thanks to Trump’s fragile ego. Trump has placed just about everyone around him “in charge” at one point or the other, but they still have to run every step they want to make by Trump to get his approval.

At first I thought it was because Trump feared that if they failed it would be seen as being his fault — which is not untrue. Still, Trump should put an experienced person in this roll, and that person could take the blame for any criticisms that his administration faces.

Sadly, I realized that I had it completely backwards. It wasn’t failure that Trump was worried about, he never accepts responsibility for anything...why would he suddenly start now??? No, it’s the possibility that they will do a great job and the public cheers the job that they do that keeps Trump from putting any competent person in this role — he WANTS the cheers all to himself!

Trump freaked out when Pelosi announced she was starting a bi-partisan committee to investigate the administration’s handling of this epidemic — and for good reason! Trump keeps touting how great the administration is handling everything, but no one actually believes that is true. The supply chain is in chaos, as states are pit against each other, the federal government, and foreign governments in their bids to get medical supplies. The pentagon has sat holding 2000 ventilators for two weeks because no one at FEMA will tell them where they need to go.

What Trump should fear most is people finding out that he’s ordered federal suppliers to cancel deliveries of much needed supplies to states that have not showered his every move with praise. Michigan’s Governor said that she was told by medical suppliers that her state’s orders had been canceled by the federal government.

That and the fact that he’s allowed companies to price gouge the most needed supplies and then refused to put “America First” by allowing companies to ignore our countries’ needs and instead send ventilators and PPE equipment to foreign countries willing to pay their outrageous prices. Trump’s refusal to put the DPA into action allows companies based here to ignore our needs and allows them to set the prices for their much needed products. GREED FIRST! As long as they make money, they don’t care how many die.

Strange that Biden’s accuser suddenly changed her story to include far worse details than she shared the last time she came forward with accusations. It’s almost as if she did not get the response that she had hoped for the first time she made allegations, so she hopes these new details will provide her with the results she longs for.

Biden is more touchy-feely than some people are comfortable with —which is why almost all of those who have spoken out against him have said that Biden did not make overt sexual advances towards them. We are now getting a “grab them by the pussy”- like story against Biden...something that doesn’t fit his personality or even the MO of the accusations made against Biden in the past.

Just based on how dramatic of a change in their legal seriousness that her allegations have undergone, I doubt any prosecutor would give her much attention until after they run an investigation into her private life and finances. It sounds like something Trump has done in the past many times; Biden not so much!

... aaaand, don't forget that a majority of those polled during the Senate impeachment trial wanted witnesses and wanted Trump's removal.

Trump never tried to reach the 56% of Americans who don't support him.

And this doesn't consider how many Americans will DIE due to his incompetence.

So, keep watching Faux News or OANN and keep believing that Cheetogod is going to win in a landslide. In fact, such a landslide that you probably don't need to bother voting.

dsws wrote:

"A lot can change in seven months. The sexual-assault and sexual-harrassment allegations against the Democratic nominee for president could get widespread attention, for example.

In fact, I think that's nearly certain to happen."

Are you kidding? Trump has tons of sexual assault victims, at least one rape accuser and paid off two um, models, to hide evidence of extramarital booty. And unless you think the Access Hollywood tape is "fake news" it's pretty clear that this is an issue Trump doesn't want to bring up.

i agree, the allegations against biden will definitely have to be addressed. and i'm certain the skill with which he addresses them will bear on whether or not he becomes the next president. the economist has a pretty good article on the subject.

https://www.economist.com/united-states/2020/04/04/how-to-weigh-an-allegation-of-assault-against-joe-biden

What was the purpose of your post and what on earth are you talking about?

This! Exactly this!

When they're not appreciative to me, they're not appreciative to the Army Corps, they're not appreciative to FEMA, it's not right. I say, 'Mike, don't call the governor of Washington; you're wasting your time with him. Don't call the woman in Michigan. It doesn't make any difference what happens.' You know what I say: 'If they don't treat you right, I don't call.' He's a different type of person; he'll call quietly anyway.
~ Donald Trump

Takes me back to the impeachment hearings and the analogy made by Pam Karlan in her testimony in December 2019, where she explained in no uncertain terms why Trump's action of withholding aid to Ukraine in exchange for a quid pro quo were an infinitely impeachable offense:

Imagine living in a part of Louisiana or Texas that's prone to devastating hurricanes and flooding. What would you think if you lived there and your governor asked for a meeting with the president to discuss getting disaster aid that Congress has provided for? What would you think if that president said, 'I would like you to do us a favor? I'll meet with you, and send the disaster relief, once you brand my opponent a criminal.'

Wouldn't you know in your gut that such a president has abused his office? That he'd betrayed the national interest, and that he was trying to corrupt the electoral process? I believe the evidentiary record shows wrongful acts on those scale here.
~ Pam Karlan

And here we are now, with Trump responding to states depending on their use to him politically/personally and refusing to respond to certain other states unless he can get that quid pro quo he demands. #Pathetic

In view of modern definitions, we'll likely need to modify that terminology to read "All male property owners in possession of a penis . . ."

Anybody that wants a test can get a test. That's what the bottom line is.... Anybody right now and yesterday -- anybody that needs a test gets a test. We -- they're there. They have the tests. And the tests are beautiful. Anybody that needs a test gets a test.
-- Donald Trump, March 6

Wait, what!?

Well now, looky there. A commenter had an idea that made its way above the comments section, and they neither asked nor trolled to make it happen. *grin*

And if that turns out not to be "The Biggest Lie of 2020," God help us all for what is... because we're only one quarter in with three quarters to go, and the goalposts never stop moving.

"Dems want to ensure that every eligible voter . . .etc"

I totally agree, but we may differ slightly on that "eligible" part. Eligibility should be defined as "All male property owners over the age of 40", everybody in agreement??

Yes! A totally deserved MIDOTW, in my opinion... I would even say Most Impressive Democrat of the Month. Although the six Bay Area counties had issued their joint stay-at-home orders on March 16, I still believe Gavin Newsom was the catalyst for the decisive actions taken all over the State of California because it was Newsom who started the ball rolling on March 15 when he ordered the isolation at home of all residents 65 years and older and additionally ordered the closure of nightclubs, wineries and bars, and the purchase by the state of hotels in order to facilitate the shelter of California's homeless. Upon these orders by Newsome, the ripple effect began to occur across America.

While I have no idea how many cities/counties followed suit to protect their citizens because of the decisive actions of Governor Newsome, I can tell you that in my county, we've been ordered to stay at home since March 23 -- just 4 days after Newsome's order -- and running through April 30 when they'll decide whether or not to further extend it.

Great choice, CW. What Newsome has done is a huge game changer... one that history will show was a "BFD."

Has Newsome's decisive action in the absence of leadership at the federal level saved thousands of Americans? You bet your life.

Would a county in Texas have instituted stay-at-home orders as early as they did were it not for Governor Newsome? Don't bet on it.

Once upon a time there was a tavern
Where we used to raise a glass or two
Remember how we laughed away the hours
And dreamed of all the great things we would do

Those were the days my friend
We thought they'd never end
We'd sing and dance forever and a day
We'd live the life we choose
We'd fight and never lose
For we were young and sure to have our way.
La la la la...

Then the busy years went rushing by us
We lost our starry notions on the way
If by chance I'd see you in the tavern
We'd smile at one another and we'd say

Those were the days my friend
We thought they'd never end
We'd sing and dance forever and a day
We'd live the life we choose
We'd fight and never lose
Those were the days, oh yes those were the days
La la la la...

Just tonight I stood before the tavern
Nothing seemed the way it used to be
In the glass I saw a strange reflection
Was that lonely woman really me

Those were the days my friend
We thought they'd never end
We'd sing and dance forever and a day
We'd live the life we choose
We'd fight and never lose
Those were the days, oh yes those were the days
La la la la...

Through the door there came familiar laughter
I saw your face and heard you call my name
Oh my friend we're older but no wiser
For in our hearts the dreams are still the same

Those were the days my friend
We thought they'd never end
We'd sing and dance forever and a day
We'd live the life we choose
We'd fight and never lose
Those were the days, oh yes those were the days
La la la la...

* No U S state has implemented anything approaching the restrictions on movement and productivity of Italy.
* No U S state has implemented - nor even has the capacity for - comprehensive testing.

Note the steeply-upward trend only in the last couple of weeks, longer after Trump's statement. (Thanks, Chris, for reminding us of the date.)

And no surprise that no U S state has implemented comprehensive testing. A friend in Arkansas works for the police department of her city. She says that 2 police officers have COVID-19. Despite that, only officers and staff who exhibit symptoms are getting tested.

In fact, I think that's nearly certain to happen.

Capt. Brett Crozier's Thursday firing from his post as captain of the carrier Theodore Roosevelt sent shocks far beyond the defense community. Videos shot from the carrier and shared to social media showed Crozier departing to applause as sailors chanted his name.

https://www.military.com/daily-news/2020/04/03/petition-reinstate-fired-carrier-captain-goes-viral-lawmakers-call-probe.html

This captain put his career on the line in order to save the lives of those under his command, and Trump’s ego couldn’t handle it.

Governments of countries in the developing world are responding to this crisis in a more intelligent way that the Trump administration.

Americans really do need to take things into their own hands and follow the recommendations of the WHO. If the world's only superpower comes out of this crisis in one piece, it will be despite a lack of enlightened leadership at the top.

The actions put in place by Governor Newsom are the actions that will ultimately let us get ahead of and in control of this virus which is indicative of up-wing leadership.

Love to see it!

He said in a very dismissive manner, we'll look into that later. Period.

He really doesn't care about anyone.

He said it wasn't going to happen because that's how cheating happens … people need to show up in person and SHOW THEIR VOTER ID. (Trump's emphasis, not mine)

I couldn't believe it.