Gettysburg Address?

 Viral Musings:  Just another day in COVID America, more deaths, more infections, particularly in children, and more denial from the top.  Trump held a virus press conference where he spent most of his time attacking Democrats and bragging about the performance of the stock market because with him it’s always about the markets and rarely about the disease.  The plot twist in what was really just another boring campaign speech occurred when Trump was whisked off of his podium by a member of the Secret Service, a protective move done following the shooting of a threatening 51 year old man way outside the multi fenced White House perimeter by a member of his protection team. Less than ten minutes after he was swooped away Trump returned from his protective cocoon and without missing a beat went on about the markets.  He again deflected any assertion that Russia was interfering in the upcoming election, saying instead that the real interference was coming from the Democrats and their push for all that mail-in voting that he’s trying to disrupt, especially if the voters in question are likely to cast their votes for Biden.  When asked by his favorite faux reporter OANN’s Chanel Rion about the possibility of former Obama national security advisor Susan Rice being selected as Biden’s VP pick, Trump brought up those “lovebirds” Strzok and Page and accused Obama of treason.  He asserted that the reason that he’d had to go with executive actions instead of legislation to “solve” the current coronavirus financial woes was because of those difficult Democrats Nancy and Chuck and admitted that his promise to sign another executive action at some point in the future mandating health insurance companies to cover pre-existing conditions already covered under Obamacare was just a way to make the gullible populace believe that Republicans are as interested in their health care as the Democrats. Spoiler alert, they’re not.  He also claimed that all the governors were onboard to provide their $100 share of the $400 supplemental unemployment insurance amount promised in his executive action but that he would wave the co-payment for those who couldn’t particularly for key swing states like Ohio, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Arizona, convenient since Ohio’s Governor DeWine has already said that he doesn’t have the money to make the $100 payment.  When asked if he should be fired for mishandling the coronavirus pandemic, a reference to a tweet he sent calling for Obama to resign after just one US person died from Ebola, Trump pivoted to a riff about the 1918 flu pandemic, the one that he consistently misdates, he said and appears to truly believe that it ended WW II. So much for that Ivy League education he likes to brag about. 

 

Politics Unusual:  The Biden VP countdown is in its final hours.  Reports are that he will be announcing his pick by midweek which means by tomorrow, maybe.  There’s been lots of outside the box speculation, including a report that Michigan’s Governor Gretchen Whitmer flew in for an in person interview over the weekend and another report overnight that a private plane transporting a certain ex-Mayor from Indiana had touched down near Biden’s Delaware beach home last night.  In all likelihood, neither one of them is the pick, in fact, it’s not even clear that that Buttigieg was on that private plane unless of course Biden plans to announce his cabinet at the same time that he announces his VP selection?  Though we don’t yet know Biden’s plans in that regard, the speaker list for next week’s virtual convention is taking shape, included are a number of the usual luminaries, both Clintons and both Obamas, Senators Sanders and Warren and some newbies like Congresswoman AOC and former Ohio Republican Governor Kasich. On the acceptance speech front Trump says that he’s narrowed his choices to either the White House or Gettysburg because he’s done more for Black people than any other president, even Lincoln? By the way primary season isn’t over yet.  Today is primary day in Connecticut, Vermont,  Wisconsin, Georgia, where voters get to decide whether to nominate a Q anon candidate as their Republican choice, and Minnesota, where squad member Ilhan Omar is facing off against challenger Anton Melton-Meaux.  Massachusetts’ primary where incumbent Democratic Senator Ed Markey appears to be in a dead heat with his challenger Congressman Joe Kennedy doesn’t take place until September 1.   

 

Et Cetera:  To no one’s surprise Trump is now attacking Republican Senator Ben Sasse, calling him a RINO for having the nerve to question the constitutionality of his weekend executive actions. Sasse, with his primary behind him, has found his voice again so he responded to the RINO accusation with a rather lengthy tweet/note reminding Trump that we have a Constitution but not a king.  Apparently Wisconsin Republican Senator Ron Johnson hasn’t gotten that message, he’s still acting like an obsequious jester, he responded to criticism of his Senate Homeland committee’s investigation into all things Ukraine and Bidens by releasing a long diatribe of his own, defending his investigation and his actions.  However his inclusion of information provided by questionable, Russian controlled Ukrainian sources did nothing to burnish his credibility. He also issued a subpoena demanding that FBI Director Wray provide him with a trove of documents related to the origins of the Russia probe because it’s that kind of year.  And lastly this morning it was reported that the Russians have approved a COVID vaccine, it hasn’t been adequately tested but Vlad says it’s good to go.  Eric or Don Jr, who do you think Trump sends to “try” it first?