From the GREAT STATE OF MAINE…
There's A Lesson in Here Somewhere
The Siena College ("Go, Fighting Saints!") Research Institute is out with a brand-new survey of 157 presidential scholars, and the results are, as usual, fun to spend a few minutes presidenting over. In terms of overall greatness, this year's top five are Washington, FDR, Lincoln, FDR's cousin Teddy, and Jefferson. Obama fares quite well, while Lord Dampnut finds himself wallowing in the primordial ooze with James Buchanan and Andrew Johnson.
At the very bottom of the survey, the participants are asked to rate our most recent presidents on their performance (i.e right direction/wrong direction, on a 100-point scale) in the areas of domestic policy, foreign policy, human rights, and "the quality of our democracy." The contrast between the last four presidents---going back 25 years---is stark (and I can’t imagine Trump’s numbers improving, given all the anvils that’ll be dropping on his head over the next 22 months). These are the “right direction” scores for each:
|
Domestic |
Foreign |
Human rights |
Democracy |
CLinton (D) |
91 |
71 |
83 |
62 |
Bush II (R) |
15 |
11 |
27 |
30 |
Obama (D) |
74 |
60 |
85 |
79 |
Trump (R) |
15 |
15 |
8 |
8 |
The lesson here (for me, anyway): for the sake of progress and the health of our nation, the Electoral College and the conservatives on the Supreme Court can’t be booted fast enough.
Cheers and Jeers starts below the fold... [Swoosh!!] RIGHTNOW! [Gong!!]
Cheers and Jeers for Tuesday, February 19, 2019
Note: Today’s National Emergency password, to be used at all checkpoints and outposts, is: “I.P. Daily.” I’m getting this niggling feeling that the Department of Homeland Security isn’t taking this National Emergency thing seriously.
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By the Numbers:
Days 'til Mardi Gras: 14
Days 'til Bockfest Cincinnati: 10
Number of same-sex couples in Japan who are suing the government for the right to marry: 13
Amount Amazon.com will likely pay in taxes this year: $0
Year when the San Francisco Mint stopped producing coins for general circulation, leaving only the Denver and Philly Mints to do it: 1954
Number of miles the Opportunity rover drove over the Martian surface during its 15-year run: 28
Number of wheelies it popped during that time: 3,297
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NEW Tuesday feature! "Packin' for Philadelphia!"
Brought to you by the 2019 Netroots Nation Convention in Philadelphia, July 11-13. A quick reminder that proposals for panel sessions, speakers and training workshops are due by next Monday, February 25th. Compete details at this link. There's an informational webinar this Wednesday afternoon if you need help. The sign-up link is here. And with that having been said, please enjoy these Philadelphia Fun Facts!
» Philly is known as the Mural Capital of the Country, with over 2,000 gigantic art pieces.
» Philadelphia has more public art than any other city in the United States.
» From 1943-1949, the Philles were called the Philadelphia Blue Jays.
» One-in-six American doctors received their education in Philadelphia.
» City Hall is the largest municipal building in the country.
» The Liberty Bell, Constitution, and Independence Hall all use the spelling "Pensylvania," which was the accurate way to spell the state name in the early years of the country.
Thuh mor yoo knooooow…..
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Puppy Pic of the Day: Good timing, with St. Patty's less than a month away…
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CHEERS to Great Moments in BOOM!!! The NRA had it all. Power! Money! Free Coffee in the Break Room! They seemed invincible. My, how things change. Now they're more like The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight, thanks to a wave of negative public approval, supporters getting booted from public office, slumping gun sales, those darn Parkland kids, and House Democrats who now get to pick which rocks to look under:
A pair of House Democrats are launching a new probe of what they called the “complex web of relationships” between members of the National Rifle Association and Russian individuals with close ties to the Kremlin. […]
“We are disturbed by the lack of transparency the NRA has demonstrated surrounding the December 2015 trip to Moscow,” wrote [Rep. Ted] Lieu and [Rep. Kathleen] Rice on Feb.15. “Furthermore, we are concerned that this extends to other allegations that have been made against the organization as it relates to Russia.”
Citing what they called the NRA’s “unusually close relationship” with the Trump campaign, as well as its record spending in support of then-candidate Donald Trump, Lieu and Rice ultimately questioned whether the Kremlin might have used the NRA to funnel foreign money into the U.S. election system. […]
The December 2015 trip, which involved meetings with senior Kremlin officials, has attracted increased scrutiny in the wake of the arrest and guilty plea to conspiracy charges of gun rights activist and alleged Russian agent Maria Butina, who was involved in planning the trip. Her alleged efforts to infiltrate the NRA as part of a covert influence operation in the United States have come to light in court filings by U.S. prosecutors.
The nation's #1 "gun safety" organization shoots itself in the foot. RIP, irony. You had a good run.
CHEERS to Janet Mills: Super Governor! The hits just keep on comin' as our new Democratic head of the executive branch continues carving up her teabagger predecessor's crappy policies and tossing 'em in the dumpster. A trifecta of change from last week alone:
Education: School districts across Maine got good news Friday when the state released increased funding projections to reflect Gov. Janet Mills’ $41.3 million addition to education funds in the first year of her proposed biennial budget. … Mills’ $8 billion budget proposal would add $126 million in funding for K-12 education over the two-year budget.
Green Energy: Gov. Janet Mills has signed an executive order effectively ending a moratorium on wind turbine permits issued by her predecessor, Gov. Paul LePage. … “It is time for Maine to send a positive signal to renewable energy investors and innovators---‘We welcome you,'” Mills said in a statement.
The Opioid Crisis: Gov. Janet Mills signed an executive order Wednesday outlining immediate steps her administration will take to combat an opioid crisis…[including]: purchasing 35,000 doses of the overdose-reversing drug naloxone, or Narcan, and distributing them throughout the state; integrating medication-assisted treatment into the criminal justice system, including jails and prisons; and creating a statewide network of 250 recovery coaches, including 10 full-time coaches assigned to hospital emergency rooms, who will guide people as they navigate their own struggle with substance use disorder.
One small quibble: I'm a little disappointed that she hasn’t rescued a kitten from a tree or used her super-ice-breath powers to put out a house fire yet. But it's early. I assume she's building up to it.
JEERS to really bad ideas from really good presidents. On February 19, 1942, President Roosevelt signed the order that would lead to the "relocation" (read: forced detention) of Japanese Americans and Japanese nationals living here. How do we know it was a really, really bad decision? Because nutcase Michelle Malkin thinks it was a really, really good decision. Case closed.
CHEERS to a young women with 20/20 perspective. A secret Facebook page purportedly belonging to Malia Obama surfaced yesterday. While it's not known if this is her writing or not, her banner pic shows she's definitely living in the reality-based world:
The resistance is strong with this one.
CHEERS to today's edition of Uh, Yeah, We Know. Courtesy of The Friendly Atheist:
Most of the higher-ups in the Roman Catholic Church are gay, making the Vatican one of the world’s largest homosexual communities, according to a gay French author.
Frederic Martel accuses Catholic bishops of rabid hypocrisy. He also says it’s all linked to the current crisis in the Catholic Church.
This has been today's edition of Uh, Yeah, We Know.
JEERS to slowpokery. On February 19, 1986, the Senate approved a treaty that said genocide---y'know like the Syria kind that’s still happening---was unacceptable.
The [UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of Genocide] was approved on a vote of 83-11. Written as a reaction to the Holocaust of World War II, the pact makes it an international crime to kill or injure members of national, racial, ethnic or religious groups. It has been approved by 96 other nations. […]
Author Elie Wiesel, chairman of the U.S.Holocaust memorial council, said, ″This is a historic event for America. It signals to the world how committed the people of the United States are to human rights.″
What's really amazing is that the treaty was first introduced in 1949...and was signed 37 years after the pact had first been offered up for ratification. Or, as the current Senate under Mitch McConnell would call it: the speed of light.
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Ten years ago in C&J: February 19, 2009
WHAT THE...??? to brawling loons. Well, here's something I never thought I'd see: Pat Robertson fighting with Rush Limbaugh over Barack Obama. I'm not ready to brace for the apocalypse yet, but after this I'm at least gonna start sleeping with my boots on.
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And just one more…
CHEERS to Self-evident Truths---Part 297 in our 33,974-part series. There's simply no argument on this one: When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie, that’s amore. And tonight you're really gonna get an eyeful because it’s gonna be really close. Yes, it's a rare "Apocalyptic Jazz-Hands Snow Super Moon” moon, and we hope you're prepared to be dazzled:
It is called the snow moon due to typical snowfall during this time of year. Heavy snowfall is also the reason for its alternative and more grim name, the “hunger moon.”
The moon will technically reach peak fullness next Tuesday morning, Feb. 19, 2019, at 10:54 a.m. EST, but won’t be visible to most in the U.S. at that time. Instead, you will have to wait for moonrise, which will occur between 5:30 and 6:30 p.m. local time (for precise timing go here). If you are hoping to capture a good “super moon” photo, catching the moonrise is your best bet. Due to an optical illusion, the moon appears larger to us the closer it is to the horizon.
Usual full-moon drill: if skies are clear, get yer butt out in the back yard, look up, think of Neil Armstrong, and give him a wink. (Or, if you’re a werewolf, an “Arooooooooo!!!”)
Have a tolerable Tuesday. Floor's open...What are you cheering and jeering about today?
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Today's Shameless C&J Testimonial
"Every day is a good day when you're floating in the C&J kiddie pool. Your whole life you spend walking around Earth and then all of a sudden you get to splash like you've dreamed of."
---Astronaut Anne McClain
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