Yup, Even in Maine
Got a fundraising letter over the weekend from the campaign of our fabulous Democratic governor Janet Mills. She has a lot to boast about, and that's how she could've started it. But following two very brief paragraphs of "this is a competitive race…we simply can't afford to lose" boilerplate, guess what the first issue is?
With the news that the U.S. Supreme Court has overturned Roe v. Wade, the stakes of this race for governor have never been higher.
Let me be clear: I will not allow an extreme political agenda to roll back access to reproductive health care. Maine will not go backward on abortion rights—not now, not ever.
Continued...
(Their bold, below.)
Both as attorney general and as governor, I have fought to protect the reproductive rights of Maine people, but one election can change the course of history in this state, and if we don't win here, my opponent Paul LePage could join his Republican colleagues across the country in dismantling reproductive rights.
In 2018, when asked about overturning Roe, Paul LePage said, "Let's do it."
And before going into the final donation ask, Gov. Mills' final appeal circles back:
Remember, abortion rights are on the line. LePage confirmed he is staunchly anti-choice and suggested that if lawmakers sent him a bill restricting or eliminating access to safe and legal abortion, he would support it.
Let me say it plainly: Reproductive rights for Maine people and hanging in the balance if we don't win this election.
Other issues mentioned include climate change, health care costs, education, and LGBTQ rights. But abortion is front and center, as I expect it will be in campaign and fundraising messaging across the country over the next three months.
For what it's worth, everyone in my sphere up here believes Janet Mills has had a more-than-solid first term. Lots of accomplishments, no scandals, and a welcome no-drama style...the exact opposite of her pig-headed challenger, who left Maine after his second term, became an official Florida resident, and now wants to be a Mainer again. I think I can safely rate this race: Likely D.
And now, our feature presentation...
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Cheers and Jeers for Monday, August 8, 2022
Note: Today is World Cat Day. Here...open your gifs and purr.
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By the Numbers:
Days 'til the midterm elections: 92
Days 'til the Iowa State Fair in The Moines: 3
Minimum amount by which U.S. carbon emissions would be cut, relative to 2005 levels, by 2030 under provisions in the Schumer-Manchin Inflation Reduction Act: 40%
Per-barrel price of crude oil as of Friday: $90
Number of current or former Louisville cops arrested by the FBI for using false information to obtain the search warrant that led to Breonna Taylor's killing: 4
Lifetime production of honey by a worker bee: 1/12th teaspoon
Shelf life of a fast-food ketchup packet: 6 months
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Puppy Pic of the Day: I don’t know what we need more of now, the endless happiness or the freaking rain…
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CHEERS to speaking softly and carrying a big pen. Or, I'm guessing, lots of regular-size pens so President Biden can sign this week's bills one...l-e-t-t-e-r…at a time, and then pass them around to the folks who had a hand in getting them passed. Here's the doings this week in the Rose Garden:
Monday Biden signs the PACT Act. This is the multi-billion-dollar bill that "expands VA health care and benefits for Veterans exposed to burn pits and other toxic substances." It's also the bill that Republicans like Ted Cruz briefly derailed to "punish" Democrats for having the gall to introduce the Inflation Reduction Act, a moment of tactical dumb-dumb that backfired spectacularly.
Tuesday Biden signs the CHIPS and Science Act. This is the bill that says, hey, maybe we shouldn’t let China make all the semiconductors in the world—maybe, just maybe, we should make some of our own. Great idea! The C&SA will "surge production of American-made semiconductors, tackle supply chain vulnerabilities to make more goods in America, revitalize America’s scientific research and technological leadership, and strengthen America’s economic and national security at home and abroad." It does not, however, bring back the Choco Taco. But no legislation is perfect.
TBD Biden signs the Schumer-Manchin Inflation Reduction Act??? This is the wild card. And as significant as the above two are, this is essentially—Shhh, don’t tell anybody, especially Joe Manchin—the Build Back Better bill that's the cornerstone of the Biden presidency. It will "make a historic down payment on deficit reduction to fight inflation, invest in domestic energy production and manufacturing, and reduce carbon emissions by roughly 40 percent by 2030…and finally allow Medicare to negotiate for prescription drug prices and extend the expanded Affordable Care Act program for three years." The bill achieved final passage in the Senate yesterday, but not before votes were taken on 2,349,947 amendments and 297 procedural votes to get it over the finish line. That's what I love about American democracy: the elegant simplicity of it.
Also on the schedule of the president (who over the weekend tested negative for his bout of "rebound covid"): traveling to Kentucky with Jill to see the damage done to the state. And not just by Rand Paul and Mitch McConnell, but also the floods.
CHEERS to a whole lotta workin' goin' on. New jobs numbers out last Friday from the Bureau of Working Stiffs, and guess what, folks? Joe Biden got us out of our jobs recession faster than any other dip since 1981. The 528,000 new ones added in July look like this on the Calculated Risk dig-our-way-out-of-hell chart (we're the red line):
The "Official" unemployment rate is down a tenth of a point at 3.5 percent. Worth noting that the professionals who are hired to predict jobs reports were off by 214,000 for July, and a combined 28,000 for May and June. Amazingly, they still have their jobs.
JEERS to stupid Republican tricks. Forty-nine years ago today, on August 8, 1973, Vice President Spiro Agnew called accusations that he took kickbacks as governor of Maryland "damned lies." He maintained his innocence until October 10, when he issued another statement: "Oh, you meant those kickbacks? Why didn't you say so? I quit. Goodbye!" Meanwhile, on this date in 1974, Agnew's boss Richard Nixon resigned in disgrace. Watch him yuk it up as he prepares to deliver his resignation speech.
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They made such a lovely awful couple.
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BRIEF SANITY BREAK
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END BRIEF SANITY BREAK
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CHEERS to honoring our casualties. 240 years ago this week, George Washington created the Purple Heart, a decoration bestowing honor on soldiers wounded during their service to our country. The recipient, said Washington, "has given of his blood in the defense of his homeland and shall forever be revered by his fellow countrymen." It only took Republicans 222 years to dishonor, tarnish and abuse it at the 2004 Republican convention as a way to mock John Kerry's own Purple Hearts (and another 13 for Trump to carry on the tradition):
John Kerry eventually became our globe-trottiest Secretary of State—the most distinguished member of the president's cabinet who, among other things, achieved the impossible by successfully negotiating a multi-nation nuclear-limitation agreement with Iran. The pre-MAGA-cult teabaggers who so callously wore those Purple Heart band-aids are now walking billboards for Absorbine Jr and Life Alert bracelets. Sorry…no medals for wounds sustained while engaging in combat with your prostate at 3am, Gramps.
CHEERS to shoveling, shoveling, and more shoveling. The New Hampshire-based tree bark readers at the Farmer's Almanac are out with their winter forecast—their 204th if you believe what you read in the Farmer's Almanac. You can check out your region's outlook here. Here in New England—which is neither new nor England—it looks like we may be forced to wear long pants in a few months:
Also in the forecast: a 100% chance of idiots shouting "Global cooling!" at the sighting of the first snowflake. (Take your heart pills, Senator Inhofe—you know how excited you get.)
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Ten years ago in C&J: August 8, 2012
CHEERS to pride in your POTUS. For those of you keeping score (and isn’t that what we're taught life's all about?), all of the living ex-presidents from the Democratic party will play a supporting role at the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte. None of the living ex-presidents from the Republican party will play a supporting role—or any role at all—at the Republican National Convention in Tampa. From what I hear, George Bush Sr. is too frail to be there, and George Bush Jr. is too fail to be there.
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And just one more…
CHEERS to site #1. Hope you remembered to raise a glass to the internet Saturday—the 31st anniversary of the first web site. As The Independent wrote on the 25th:
It was British computer scientist Sir Tim Berners-Lee who gave birth to the idea while working at a Swiss physics laboratory in 1989.
The first server was launched publicly, two years later, on August 6, 1991. Sir Tim originally developed the web to meet the demand for information-sharing between physicists in universities and institutes around the world.
Thanks, Tim, for giving Hamsters everywhere a place to dance.
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By late 1993, there were more than 500 known web servers, and the world wide web accounted for 1% of internet traffic. Two decades later, there were an estimated 630 million websites online.
It’s well over a billion sites now. You can see that first web page in all its geeky glory here. Today the United States ranks 20th in terms of overall internet speed and 20-somethingth in mobile internet speed, which is pretty embarrassing. (The Democratic infrastructure bill signed by President Biden will improve that.) But anyway…on behalf of the porn industry, pootie lovers, Tik Tokking teens, non-fungible token peddlers, conspiracy theory sub-sub-sub-sub-redditers, and all five million widows of Nigerian foreign ministers who desperately want to give you millions of dollars if you'll just give them your bank account number, America would just like to say…
[Buffering…]
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...TY LOL.
Have a tolerable Monday. Floor's open...What are you cheering and jeering about today?
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Today's Shameless C&J Testimonial
"Simon. Simon. Simon. Simon, sir, listen now, I’ve been polite to you, but I expect a little bit of respect in return. You know where we are? This is the Cheers and Jeers kiddie pool, and you need to be more respectful. I am going to call on Bill in Portland Maine."
—National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby
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