(Sorry, I don’t use the term MAGAt). The Corona virus has no politics and doesn’t care what QAnon says or if Donnie is still in the White House.

I fear that some people are going to learn hard lessons the same way their lateral ancestors learned about Yellow Fever, Cholera, and Smallpox. Unfortunately they can spread it to the rest of us.

And their ailing friends and loved ones can say: “Oh, Magoo! You’ve done it again!“

It’s a habit that all too many people form in primary school: they’ll vote for the guy they think is the most popular because he’s popular and they think it will make them popular too, whether or not Mr. Popularity will be good to them or not. I’m afraid that it’s a trait all too deeply ingrained into our primate psychology, and that too many people resort to the idea first rather than doing a little cogitation before they vote.

This life lesson remains true even if right-wingers don’t like Maya Angelou.

the Republican voters were in Texas this year. Were they all really ready to come out and strike a blow against us Devil-horned and cloven-hoofed “Libruls” or did they decide that they wouldn’t have to work that hard this go-round?

I think it’s likely that the long-foreseen but never actualized Blue Wave may finally have happened, but we won’t know until the Lone Star State’s votes are counted.

Early voting had started Tuesday morning here in Travis County, Texas and I decided to risk it on Wednesday. Voter turnout was high enough in my part of Austin that I had to wait about an hour or so before I could cast my ballot. Most of my wait was outdoors, often under shade trees and the breeze reducing the chances for catching the bug. I only spent the last 7 to 20 minutes indoors and I was masked up and gloved.

I haven’t checked figures for today’s turnout, but if this trend continues, I believe that Texas branch of Club Pachyderm may have The rudest surprise they’ve had in years.

That couldn’t happen to a more deserving bunch.

I am a Texas-born-and-raised non-Floridian Anglo. Like many Democrats, I am disturbed by the lack of voter enthusiasm for Joe Biden.

Despite my unease, I think at least some folks at Biden’s campaign headquarters are trying. Comparing Donnie to the long, Sorry line of Latin-American strongmen was a clever move that I doubt previous campaigns ever thought of (it’s also a valid comparison, BTW).

Still, I think there is one more issue that Democrats and progressives ought to use when appealing to Latino voters: Donnie is a Vendepatria.


I don’t doubt that most American-born Latinos are as fiercely patriotic as Bubba and Becky Lou. So are naturalized Latino immigrants. All of us put love of country first and ferociously oppose handing it over to greed heads and foreign interests. We all agree on country first.

Does Donald Trump. I don’t think he does, and it’s a point we should also hammer home. They might not understand it at Mer a Lago, but the rest of us do.

Let’s not pull our punches.

Edit: Vendepatria means seller (out) of the homeland.

than it is to the old Soviet Union’s Communist Party. But it’s not a fashionable thing for an American observer to say anywhere on the American political spectrum.

One that ought to give a hard jolt to at least some of the Republicans and Independents who’ve reflexively voted Republican over the years.

Yeah, yeah, I’ve heard progressives stand up and growl when they see or hear video of Ronald Wilson What’s-his-name (You know, the guy who narrated Death Valley Days) appears on the screen. This is all well and good, it shows your progressive principles and all, BUT

For gosh sakes, people, that ad isn’t written to target us. That ad is written for right-wingers who are still capable of partially overcoming cognitive dissonance and who still try to practice at least some compassion.

That ad probably won’t click with the majority of Trumpies. OTOH, it can very well peel away enough Republican voters for decency to win in November.

Except that the risks of going to see Jerry Garcia’s band were far less. OK, you might get busted for grass (or run out), your tickets might be bogus, you might get sunburn (if the concert was held outside during daylight), you MIGHT get Mono (if you encountered the right fellow-deadhead), but you didn’t risk catching an airborne virus that could kill ya.

Old-style Kremlinology may be the only resource we’ll have for determine Orange Julius’ real state of health. If. Father Pence is seen entering the WH with a tape measure, we might be able to guess that change might be afoot.