From the GREAT STATE OF MAINE…
I’m Not Just Polling Your Leg
With the exception of that one mad scientist in Albuquerque whose time travel experiment succeeded beyond his wildest dreams, the first quarter of 2019 is behind us. And that means it's C&J number-crunching time. Every few months we revisit the results of recent C&J polls to give you a retro-snapshot of just what the hell "you people" were thinking between January and March. Please note that these polls are not affiliated with actual professional pollsters, who are far less reliable than Daily Kos voters. Total number of votes are in parentheseseseses. Amazing unanimity in this batch...
• 96 percent of you support the Background Checks Act (H.R. 8), which would significantly expand requirements for background checks on gun purchases. (3,866)
• 34% gave money to a Democratic presidential candidate during the first quarter. (2,747)
• As for Elizabeth Warren's proposed two percent "wealth tax" on assets over $50 million, and three percent on assets over $1 billion, 95% believe it's a fine idea. (4,294)
• 95% thought Stacey Abrams' response was more inspiring than Trump's State of the Union address. (3,091)
• As for the Green New Deal championed by Sen. Ed Markey and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, 69% view it very favorably, while 23% view it somewhat favorably. (4,671)
• Only 11% of you thought you'd ever see Great Britain go off the rails as self-destructively as it has over its exit from the European Union. (2,921)
• 25% don't believe President Trump's audacious plan to shoot off fireworks on the fourth of July in Washington, D.C. will gain traction in this polarized climate. (3,718)
• As for the new Democratic majority in the House, 51% of you think they're doing an "excellent" job, while 39% rate them "good." (3,305)
• Only 4% believe John McCain should've sent President Trump a thank-you card for giving him permission to have a funeral. 22% said, no, it would just encourage Trump to demand thank-yous from all deceased politicians. (3,551)
• Regarding whether or not you support Sen. Kamala Harris's campaign promise to give teachers an average $13,500 pay raise, 74% of you say absolutely, while 18% lean yes. (3,101)
As always, we bow to your superior ability to have opinions on stuff.
Cheers and Jeers starts below the fold... [Swoosh!!] RIGHTNOW! [Gong!!]
Cheers and Jeers for Monday, April 8, 2019
Note: One fish, two fish, green fish…[Blam!]…blue fish gun cleaning accident.
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By the Numbers:
Days 'til Easter: 13
Days `til the Texas Crawfish and Music Festival in Old Town Spring: 19
Percent of Americans who support and do not support, respectively, the Republican tax plan passed in 2017, according to a Pew poll: 36%, 49%
Percent of voters surveyed by Gallup who prioritize environmental protection over economic policies, the highest since 2000: 65%
Number of nations whose spacecraft have orbited the moon, with Israel's Beresheet craft being the latest: 7
Date on which Beresheet will touch down on the moon: 4/11/19
Rank of Amazon founder Jeff Bezo's ex-wife MacKenzie Bezos on the list of wealthiest women in the world, now that the divorce settlement is final: #4
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Puppy Pic of the Day: "Two moms, one litter…"
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CHEERS to going where the White House Correspondents Association fears to tread. Boy, what a bunch of scaredy cats. Not only has bravest human on the planet (just ask him) President Trump backed out of attending the annual dinner and roast later this month, but the WHCA nixed having a comedian headliner at all. (I think the replacement entertainment is Joe Lieberman reading from The Chronicles of the Friedman Unit.) So last year's brickbat thrower Michelle Wolf decided to toss some early barbs anyway, via the Power of Women luncheon in New York City:
"Fox is news the same way cauliflower is pizza crust: it’s a shitty substitute [and] disturbingly white.”
“Jeff Zucker is, of course, the president of CNN, who hates Trump so much he only gives him and his surrogates all of the airtime.”
"Mitch McConnell might not be able to keep his neck from covering his body, but he sure can stop women from choosing what to do with theirs.”
“Who knows? Maybe 2020 will be different. We have more women running for president than in any other time in American history, so let’s show them as much support as possible, before eventually giving up and rallying behind Joe Biden. When we’re behind him, he can’t touch us.”
That should tide us over until Samantha Bee gives us all the reason we need to avoid the WHCA dinner when she airs her NOT the White House Correspondents Dinner April 27th on TBS. Not that we needed a reason. It's just good to have one. Especially on the off chance you end up in front of Judge Judy.
CHEERS to stuffing another hat in a ring so crowded it's close to snapping like the corset I was wearing last week that suddenly flew across the room and knocked our Picasso off the wall. Sensing that the current roster of 932 candidates in the Democratic primary just didn’t offer enough variety, another caped crusader entered the 2020 race late last week. Let's check out his vitals:
Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH)
Hails from: Niles, in northeast Ohio. (My home state, so points for that!)
Age on inauguration day 2021: 47
Primary campaign theme: "Our future is now"
Education fun fact: B.A. in political science from Bowling Green University; JD from Franklin Pierce Law Center at the University of New Hampshire
Official website: TimRyanforAmerica.com
Strengths: Hails from a critical swing state; as a "moderate" white male he might have some traction in rust belt states.
Weaknesses: Spews generic gobbledygook like "we have a real shot at uniting again—to restore the dignity of work and the feasibility of the American Dream"; voted against the Do-Not-Call registry; campaign web site doesn’t list a single policy proposal; shares a last name with the previous Speaker of the House whose name I can’t even say without throwing up.
Baby-kissing ability, based on latest reviews on Toddler Yelp: 7.2/10
Tim joins Kamala, Pete, Cory, Wayne, Elizabeth, Beto, Bernie, Tulsi, Julian, John, Andrew, Kirsten, Jay, Marianne, Amy, and John#2 in their quest to be the lucky duck who has the honor of chasing the Trump crime syndicate out of Washington. For those of you keeping score, that's 11 men and 6 women, including five candidates of color and a gay war veteran. This is not your father's Democratic party. Finally.
JEERS to red state blues. The trickle-down "experiments in democracy" were a total failure in ultra-conservative Kansas and Oklahoma. And not to be outdone, West Virginia is now following suit---except this time with "help" from their lord and savior Donald "I Will Bring Back All The Coal Jobs" Trump---with the same predictable results:
West Virginia's poverty rate climbed to 19.1 percent last year from 17.9 percent, making it just one of four states with a poverty rate above 18 percent.
Coal "is a potent message," but it overlooks the reality of West Virginia's economy, said Sean O'Leary, senior policy analyst of the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy, a nonpartisan think tank. "The growth we've had is in low-wage industries. Folks who find jobs haven't found jobs that keep them out of poverty." […]
West Virginia's dismal trends point to an economic issue that's impacting states across the country: Workers at the bottom of the pay scale aren't benefiting from the growing economy.
But I'm sure that in 2020 the fine people of the Mountain State will take a clear-eyed inventory of their present economic situation, realize they've been scammed, and vote their interests accordingly.*
* Disclaimer: But only in their parallel universe.
CHEERS to a fine FLOTUS. Happy Birthday to the late Betty Ford on what would be her 101st birthday. She gained fame in an era that many Americans can vaguely remember---namely, a time when the GOP had a smattering of class. But even then, she was a persistent thorn in her party's side:
Throughout her husband's term in office, she maintained high approval ratings, though some on the far-right of her own Republican Party strongly opposed her on more liberal social issues.
Betty Ford was noted for raising breast cancer awareness with her 1974 mastectomy and was a passionate supporter for the Equal Rights Amendment.
Pro-choice on abortion and a leader inthe Women's Movement, she gained fame as one of the most candid first ladies inhistory, commenting on every hot button issue of the time from sex to drugs.
Her most enduring legacy, of course, is the Betty Ford Center. Sadly, the center doesn't have a wing for candy corn addicts like me. But I'm happy to say my self-administered Charms Blow Pop replacement therapy seems to be holding. One day at a time.
CHEERS to a life lived by the numbers. Sad news: the world has lost another pop culture icon. Dan Robbins, the guy who invented the paint-by-numbers set, died at 93:
Robbins came up with the idea for paint-by-numbers photos in the 1940s while working for the Palmer Paint Company in Detroit.
He remembered hearing that Leonardo de Vinci would use numbered backgrounds for his students and decided to try it. By 1955, the company was selling 20 million kits a year. Sales dropped sharply within a few years.
According to family members, he'll be buried in his favorite #8 suit.
CHEERS to escaping hell in a hand basket. On April 8, 1766, the first fire escape was patented---it consisted of a wicker basket lowered by a pulley and chain. Of course they've evolved a lot since then. The new fire escape baskets have streaming video and a cup holder.
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Ten years ago in C&J: April 8, 2009
JEERS to your liberal media, hard at work. No doubt the members of the cocktail-weenie circuit in D.C. are patting themselves on the back for gathering in their star chamber and choosing such a reliable conformist to be the new Dean of TV Journalism:
On Meet the Press, David Gregory repeatedly asked General Motors CEO Fritz Henderson about cutting union benefits or jobs, but did not ask Henderson a single question about creating fuel efficient or environmentally friendly cars.
Well done, David. Now, if you'll go after the liberal bloggers next we'll add a new wing to your Nantucket beach house.
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And just one more…
CHEERS to the birthday beastmaster. Happy birthday this week to Jim Fowler, the guy who always---so the myth goes---had to do the dirty work on Wild Kingdom while Marlin Perkins sat in the truck drinking whiskey sours. Fowler was a childhood icon of mine, and I can still hear the "Ka-chunk ka-chunk" of the TV channel changer on Sunday evenings. He's a smart guy:
"Almost all of the social tragedies occurring around the world today are caused by ignoring the basic biological laws of nature ... The quicker we humans learn that saving open space and wildlife is critical to our welfare and quality of life, maybe we'll start thinking of doing something about it."
As far as I know, he's still active. (Here's his TED talk from late 2015). And though he aimed to save and protect animals, he killed in one arena. Namely, Carson's comedy sanctuary:
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Happy 87th birthday, Jim. And blessings on your camels or whatever creature you happen to be wrangling at the moment.
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
"The only genuinely scary thing about this Cheers and Jeers is the possibility that a couple decades from now, some may convince themselves that it is a classic. "
---Peter Sobcynski
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