Tag: Joe Biden

Seven Things I Love: Inauguration Day (1/21/2021 – Special Edition)

I am going to guess I’ll be adding to this in the future but I want to get this posted this afternoon so I’m going to stop here…

1. This Celebration in Kamala Harris’ Ancestral Village – I believe I lived in India in my last life so this makes my heart swell.

2. This Poem Read by the Youngest Inaugural Poet in History – Amanda Gorman finished writing this poem immediately following the Capitol riots.

3. These Coats – I’m not ashamed to say it, I will always notice pretty things. What the First Lady wears (and so will what the Vice President and first families wear too) has always had a significant impact on fashion. Here’s a Town & Country article on the best coats at the Inauguration. Here’s an article on Dr. Biden’s inauguration outfit. Here’s an article about Vice President Harris’ ensemble. And here’s an article about what Michelle Obama was wearing.

Second Spouse, Doug Emhoff, Vice President Kamala Harris, First Lady, Dr. Jill Biden, and President Joseph R. Biden
Emma Emhoff, Kamala Harris’ step-daughter stole the show with her coat.

4. This Performance by Lady Gaga Singing the National Anthem – Gaga did NOT disappoint. I had already been teary-eyed by openly weeping by the end of this.

https://twitter.com/CBSNews/status/1351933239133405184?s=20

And JLo’s performance was beautiful!

5. This Unfamiliar Act of Humility – looking forward to all of us acting more kindly, respectfully, generously, humanely, and with humility. Everyone knows you must lead by example.

6. This Field of Flags – between the pandemic and the potential risk of domestic terrorism there couldn’t be many people in attendance at this Inauguration so an installation of flags represented those who could not be present. The flags represent every state (with Washington D.C.) and territory including American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Here’s a time-lapse video of the installation of the flags.

Flags are placed on the National Mall, looking towards the Washington Monument, and the Lincoln Memorial, ahead of the inauguration of
President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, Monday, Jan. 18, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) (Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)
Approximately 191,500 US flags cover part of the National Mall and represent the American people who are
unable to travel to Washington, DC for the inauguration. JOE RAEDLE/GETTY

7. This 93-year-old Inauguration Announcer – no explanation necessary.

8. I wasn’t going to include this but just had to.
Good night, good bye, and good riddance.

A POEM FOR THE END by Sheila Dershowitz

Good night loon,
Good night goon,
Good night nastiest man in the room.
Good night lies,
Good night spies,
Good night rants and alibis.
Good night twitter,
Good night tweets.
Good night all those crazy bleats.
Good night red hats,
Good night cruel chants,
Good night sniveling syncophants.
Good night wall,
Good night cages,
Good night endless midnight rages.
Good night fine people on both sides,
Good night losers, good night suckers,
Good night evil nasty fuckers.
Good night Ivanka
Good night Jared,
Good night Barron, we hardly knew ya.
Good night thief,
Good night grief,
Good night cruel and callous chief.
Good night fake news,
And Fox and friends,
This is how the nightmare ends.
Good night at last.
It’s time to go,
The American people told you so.

Goodnight Loon: A Poem For The End found on Crooks and Liars

9. And let’s end with the President’s Inaugural Speech – which Fox News’ Chris Wallace called the “best inaugural address” he’s ever heard.

10. One last one. The First Tweet from the @POTUS Account…. under new management. A significantly different demeanor from the previous @POTUS user, n’est ce pas?

[Updated – have to add this, from the Late Show with Stephen Colbert.

Seven Things I Love (11-7-2020): Biden/Harris Special Edition

Congratulations to President-Elect Joe Biden and to Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris, the first female Vice President as well as the first person of color to serve as Vice President. The world is going to be a better place come 2021!

FILE – In this Aug. 12, 2020, file photo, Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden and his running mate Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., pass each other as Harris moves to the podium to speak during a campaign event at Alexis Dupont High School in Wilmington, Del. Harris made history Saturday, Nov. 7, as the first Black woman elected as vice president of the United States, shattering barriers that have kept men — almost all of them white — entrenched at the highest levels of American politics for more than two centuries. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)

1. These Celebrations Around the World for Joe Biden & Kamala Harris’ Victory

Church Bells Ringing in Paris…

https://youtu.be/sKaudOz0kYU

New York City…

Photos… (there are more at the AP News website, click on the photo for the link.)

A worker puts up an advertising billboard for a recruiting company, featuring what resembles US President Donald Trump, in Zagreb, Croatia, Saturday, Nov. 7, 2020. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)

World Leaders React To Joe Biden Beating Donald Trump: ā€œIt’s Time To Get Back To Building Bridges, Not Wallsā€

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, second from left, sits between British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, left, and German Chancellor Angela Merkel as they take part in a meeting at the G7 Summit in Biarritz, France, Monday, Aug. 26, 2019. Gesturing at right is French President Emmanuel Macron. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press via AP)

There are a few more world reactions here. They will bring tears to your eyes. I’ve seen people write – “Welcome back America.” The first time I saw it I completely lost it.

[Updated, since the celebrations have continued on for a second day I added a few more!]

This made me weep, gave me goosebumps, my heart swelled, a whole series of emotions…

This tweet by the Mayor of Paris, Anne Hildago. She is one of the first people to say, “Welcome back America!”

And in Ireland they continue to celebrate their favorite great-great-grandson.

The Secretary General of NATO

2. This Clever Video with a few tweaks to Avengers: Endgame. I didn’t expect it to make me weepy.

3. This Political Journalist, Steve Kornacki – America’s election night crush. Yep, nerds are dreamy.

[Updated] And if you want to see him in action one more time (or like me, more than one more time; I will just keep watching this whenever I need a Kornacki fix)…

4. This Video of our new PRESIDENT-ELECT, Joe Biden – anyone who can watch this and not see Joe as being a most empathetic and compassionate man is seriously brainwashed and/or messed up. If you don’t know the story behind the video click here.

5. This CNN New Commentator, Van Jones – who broke down in tears when it was finally announced that Joe Biden was the winner of the Presidential Election.

“It’s easier to be a dad this morning. It’s easier to tell your kids, ‘Character matters, being a good person matters,'” Jones said. “And it’s easier for a whole lot of people. If you’re Muslim in this country, you don’t have to worry that the president doesn’t what you here. If you’re an immigrant, you don’t have to worry if the president is happy your baby has been snatched away.”

Through heavy tears, Jones said, “This is vindication for a lot of people who really have suffered. ‘I can’t breathe.” That was not just George Floyd. There were a lot of people who felt like they couldn’t breathe.”

He added, “This is a big deal; for us to get some peace and have a reset. Being a good man matters. I want my son to look at this. It is a good day for this county. I am sorry for the people who lost, but for most, this is a good day.”

6. This Electoral Map by the French newspaper, Le Monde – so much smarter in terms of giving a real visual for the vote distribution.

7. This Samantha Bee video, the one we have been waiting for…

Yeah, can’t stop at seven today….

8. This Joyful Video Compilation….

9. This Lincoln Project Video

10. This Video Filmed by Kamala’s Husband, Doug of Kamala talking with Joe right after she found out that the election had been called for Joe.

And here are Doug and Kamala right after Kamala received the news that she is now the FIRST FEMALE VICE PRESIDENT in US History. (It’ll be nice to have regular, normal people back in the White House.)

11. This Clip from Tonight’s Joe Biden Speech, Introduced by Kamala Harris – man, those fireworks.

[Update] 13. This SNL monologue by Dave Chappelle

Also, the SNL Cold Open which I’ve watched three times so far…

[Update] 14. This Historic Der Spiegel Magazine Cover...

[Update] 15. This Twitter Post (I adore Eddie Marsan.)

[Update] 16. This Group Hug

[Update] 17. This Bride and Groom, who had the most EPIC wedding day ever!

https://youtu.be/XRkrIF54FQU

[Update] 18. This Infographic

[Update] 19. This Episode of Last Week Tonight With John Oliver



Seven+ Things I Love (9-7-2020): VOTER EDITION

(Sorry guys, had to go over seven things this week.
There were just too many things to include.
Pour yourself a cup of tea, this is a long one!)

1. Supermajority – “A community for women who want to work together to build economic and political power, organize for gender equity, and transform this country.”

I signed up for Supermajority a while ago and it’s fabulous – provides a lot of interesting and useful information. But as the election draws nearer they are kicking it into high gear. Last week a friend of mine (who is also a member) posted on Facebook that she had signed up as Supermajority Supermajor, a leadership program to help get out the vote. I immediately signed up too. This upcoming election is the most important election of my lifetime, and as you all know, I’m not being melodramatic.

I’m scheduled for a few online training sessions this coming week and after that I’ll be texting, calling, writing letters, and helping to recruit poll workers. All things I can safely do from my home!

There are a lot of organizations helping to get out the vote but I like this one because of its focus is on women, particularly women of color. If you aren’t already signed up for something consider joining right now!

Also, the leadership at Supermajority is a wonderfully diverse group of women (and two men) that includes one of my heroes, Cecile Richards.

2. Protect the Results – they are “building a coalition of voters ready to mobilize if Donald Trump refuses to accept the results of the 2020 presidential election.

I don’t know if my fear of things going badly after the election is an irrational fear being promoted by the “liberal media” but based on everything I have been reading and seeing, I don’t think….

Oh hell, it’s primarily due to this: when Kayleigh McEnany, the White House Press Secretary (who clearly has had a few too many cult initiation sessions for the Church of Trump) was asked, “Is the president saying if he doesn’t win this election, that he will not accept the results unless he wins?ā€ She responded, ā€œThe president has always said he’ll see what happens and make a determination in the aftermath. It’s the same thing he said last November.ā€

W……T……F. That’s not the way you answer that question.

By the way, this was preceded by:

ā€œThe president said this week the only way we lose this election is if the election is rigged,ā€ a reporter asked McEnany at a briefing Wednesday. ā€œIt begs the question: Does the president believe there’s any circumstance under which he can lose the election fairly?ā€

ā€œThe president believes he’s done a great job for the American people, and he believes that will show in November,ā€ McEnany responded. ā€œHe believes that voter fraud is real, in line with what we see all across the country, particularly with mail-in ballots which are prone to fraud.”

McEnany: Trump will ā€˜see what happens’ before accepting the results of the election: Washington Post, August 19, 2020 https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/08/19/mcenany-trump-will-see-what-happens-before-accepting-results-election/

Bernie Sanders is the latest in a string of respected and long-standing government officials, both former and current, who have voiced concerns about Trump possibly not conceding if he loses the election.

Last week on the Samantha Bee’s show they had a segment on this exact topic. The video clip is below and it’s where I heard about Protect the Results. I suggest you watch this, it includes discussions with a few experts including Rosa Brooks who led the ‘Transition Integrity Project,’ a group of current and former senior government and campaign leaders, academics, journalists, polling experts and former federal and state government officials formed out of concern about potential disruptions toĀ 2020 United States presidential electionĀ and transition by the RNC. They ran multiple war-game scenarios to see what would happen depending on various outcomes of the election and, well, it wasn’t pretty.

3. The Cast of the Princess Bride (and Patton Oswald) – the cast and director of one of the most beloved films ever made – Cary Elwes, Robin Wright, Carol Kane, Chris Sarandon, Mandy Patinkin, Wallace Shawn, Billy Crystal, and Rob Reiner – are going to have a reunion where they will do a table reading of the script of ‘The Princess Bride’ and answer questions sent in by attendees, moderated by the wonderful Patton Oswald. This is being done to raise money for the Democratic Party of Wisconsin, which we all know is one of the major battleground states for the upcoming election. Kudos to them for using their fame for good! I’ve made my donation, registered and even sent in a question. You can go to this link to make a donation. You;ll receive an email acknowledging your donation (you can donate any amount!) and it will include a link that says “Get access to the event URL here.” Click on that to actually register for the event itself and you’ll get the URL so you can watch everything on Sunday, September 13th at 6 pm. SO EXCITED!!!

4. Penzeys Spices – If you are a Penzeys’ fan you are already aware of the advocacy that they have been doing over the past three and half-plus years. They decided to take a stand fairly early on and have not been shy at all about declaring their opposition to the person occupying the White House.

Just one example of the sort of thing they’ve been doing – recently they offered “Get Out the Vote” supply kits – totally awesome.

Another cool thing though unrelated to voting, Penzeys has a store in Kenosha but it is some distance from where the protesting and turmoil is/was going on. Bill Penzey, not at all unexpected, wrote to his customers in support of the BLM protesters. As usual received a flood of kudos mixed with a little bit of criticism from a few of his customers. (If you look at their Facebook page, especially at the posts from 2017, you’ll see hundreds of supportive comments on every one of his posts interspersed with a negative comment here and there such as “I will never shop at Penzeys again.” He clearly is having no problems business-wise with his decision to oppose the “president.”)

Penzey said that someone wrote to him “that you would be singing a different tune if it was your store being looted.” In order to show that he wouldn’t be “singing a different tune” (and to put his money where his mouth is) he decided to loot his own store! He took a photo of the inventory that day and then gave away that exact amount of inventory to community organizations that could benefit from the donation. He asked people to make recommendations to community groups/organizations that could benefit from the donation and in just a few days had received over 5,000 messages! Be sure to support Penzey’s! Not only is it a local business but they are clearly socially aware and awesome!

5. The Milwaukee Bucks (and the sports teams which followed suit, not just in the NBA but in other leagues as well) – the Bucks was the first team to take a stand and protest the Jacob Black shooting by sitting out for a playoffs game. This led to other teams joining them, not only other NBA teams but teams in the WNBA, the MLS, NFL, MLB, NHL, and CFB. Ultimately the Bucks actions led to a negotiation between the NBA and the players union on several things including using the arenas for polling places for the November 3rd election. Bravo Milwaukee Bucks!

(AP Photo/Ashley Landis, Pool)  SOURCE: Ashley Landis

6. The Lincoln Project – is a political action committee (PAC) that was formed in late 2019 but several current and former Republicans, one of the most well-known being George Conway, Kellyanne Conway’s husband. Recently both George & Kellyanne quit their positions to focus on their family after their daughter, Claudia, made a very public announcement that she was seeking emancipation. This family has the most complicated home life – you have the (now) former senior counselor to the “president” married to one of the leading “Never-Trumpers” and their kid appears to be as far left as one can be. And yet, although she says that her mother’s job has ruined her life and while criticizing her father (though I would have thought she’d be happy he’s against Trump) she still says, ā€œThey are the most generous, most well-educated people I have ever met. I look up to them and want nothing but success and good fortune for them. They are my parents and that trumps all — no pun intended.ā€  C-O-M-P-L-I-C-A-T-E-D.

Here’s an example of the kind of work that the Lincoln Project is doing. They are prolific, sometimes having more than one video released in a day. And the quality is exceptional. I think they may have some Hollywood people helping them out.

And this one, which just brings tears to my eyes. Compare this man to the person currently occupying the White House. If we don’t have Joe Biden as president, well, I don’t know what I will do.

Don Winslow Films produces similar videos that are also pretty good.

7. Old Navy – Old Navy is paying its employees to staff polling places on election day. As I’m sure you’re aware, there has been a massive shortage of poll workers due to the pandemic. Most poll workers are retirees and therefore are at-risk from COVID-19 so the people that normally work the polls are bowing out leaving municipalities across the country short-handed.

To give you an idea of what kind of problems this could cause, the State of Wisconsin chose to hold its in-person primary elections IN APRIL (right in the middle of when most states had issued shelter-in-place orders) and the republican controlled legislature refused to allow them to be postponed. The municipality that was most greatly affected was Milwaukee. Normally Milwaukee would have had 180 polling sites but they ended up with only FIVE. That led to very long waits and long lines and increased the risk of people who went to the polls. Here’s an article that explains why Milwaukee ended up with so many fewer polling sites than Madison.

Maybe other companies will follow Old Navy’s lead and do the same thing. Having employees go work the polls and/or giving them the day off to go vote would be an incredibly good thing to do for the nation and it wouldn’t be bad for their public image either (aka free marketing.)

8. Mrs. Fred Rogers – Joanne Rogers doesn’t mince words when talking about the “leader of our country.” She is most definitely not a fan, mostly because of his lying and his character. I think that this is something that I find most astonishing, how so many people who claim to be Christians can support him. Talk about selling your soul to the devil.

9. Fact Checking – if I hadn’t been a librarian this would have been my other dream job.

FactCheck.org – this site is a project of the Annenberg Public Policy Center which is a center of study for public policy at the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania. It describes itself as a “consumer advocate for voters that aims to reduce the level of deception and confusion in U.S. politics”. It is primarily funded by the Annenberg Foundation, which is a family foundation that funds non-profits in the US and around the world. Their primary focus is in educational television on Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) as well as programs in science and the arts.

Snopes – one of the “oldest fact checking sites,” Snopes was originally called “Urban Legends Reference Page” and was founded in 1994 by David & Barbara Mikkelson. The amazing thing is that because it’s been around so long and because so many people reference it as the to go place to check whether something is legitimate AND most likely because it is a couple at the helm, there are all sorts of conspiracy theories flying around about the Mikkelsons themselves. It’s gotten so bad that even other fact checking sites had to fact check them.

Ad Fontes Interactive Media Bias Chart – the Ad Fontes Media Bias Chart has a rather complicated methodology for how it ranks the various media outlets. If you want to see how it is done you can read about it here. I have used this one for years because one of my family members constantly sends me things from sources I’ve never heard of. I am able to send him back information saying this is where this media outlet is located on the Media Bias Chart. At one point I told him I would only believe things from the Associated Press and Reuters which were the two news sources most highly rated as being least biased/most accurate. That worked for a bit but eventually even those because “too left-leaning” and “fake news” for him. Right out of the fascist handbook.

Media Bias/Fact Check – I’ve been using this site a bit more because, well frankly, the Media Bias Chart started to charge money to download the static chart and the interactive chart of it isn’t as easy to use. This site is funded mostly through ads and memberships and donations. It was founded by Dave Van Zandt, an academic administrator and law professor. Plus it gives a bit more detail than the Ad Fontes Media Bias Chart.

10. Republican Voters Against Trump – While waiting for the next Chef Kobe video, I spend a lot of time on this YouTube channel. It helps me know that the entire country hasn’t gone insane. It’s one video after another like this….

They also had these two very important videos…

11. Walter Shaub – the former Director of United States of Government Ethics resigned fairly early after Trump’s regime, I mean term began, in July of 2017. His resignation was primarily due to Trump’s refusal to divest his businesses and the administration’s delaying in disclosing ethics waivers for appointees. That seems so long ago and so mild compared to what he does now. Walter’s personal Twitter account has been a sanctuary for those of us who felt that our country was going mad. I know for myself, it was always assuring to see someone I know to be of such high moral standards freaking out over the same things I was.

https://twitter.com/waltshaub/status/1299162605345550336

12. Voter Accessories – Get out the Vote bling!

This VOTE ID Bracelet – from Kris Nations, this beautiful bracelet is inspired by the 100th anniversary of the passage of the 19th amendment which guarantees and protects women’s constitutional right to vote. And 50% of the purchase price goes to When We All Vote, a non-profit “working to ensure that every single eligible voter is registered and ready to vote in the 2020 elections.” (I am totally ordering one for myself. I will wear it all year round because we should already be reminded of the importance of voting and celebrate the accomplishments of the Suffragettes. Course if things don’t go well in November I may feel differently.)
$48 for the sterling silver (the 18K gold vermeil are sold out.)

This Madewell Vote Unisex Graphic Tee (40% of the purchase price goes to the ACLU!) $39.50

This Vote Rhinestone Bobby Pin – I LOVE this! According to MyDomaine, “This sparkly rhinestone hair clip represents an important partnership between stylist Justine Marjan, the brand Kitsch, and theĀ When We All VoteĀ organization, which encourages people who haven’t yet registered to get out and vote. For just $29, this sparkly statement accessory can be yours. Wear it proudly between now and election day, and feel good about the cause you’re supporting along the way.”—Melanie Berliet, General Manager

These READ THINK VOTE socks – Portion of sales from each Get PoLITical collection purchase will be donated to PEN America and theirĀ Free Speech 2020Ā campaign. $12

This V-O-T-E Necklace from ByChari – I’m sure you all heard Michelle Obama give her inspiring speech at the Democratic National Convention. Well, if you are like me, in between listening to everyone, you can’t help but notice all the wonderful details like this necklace Michelle was wearing (or that the letters on the shelves behind Elizabeth Warren spelled out B L M.) Well, not surprisingly this is from a black-owned business called ByChari and you can get it in gold, silver or rose gold. If you really want to make an investment, you can even have the letters be in diamonds! I would LOVE one of these. $295-$1260

This Vote Necklace – course if you don’t want to drop so much money on a VOTE necklace and at the same time want to support a cause, there is this option from Uncommon Goods for $50. $5 from every sale goes to the League of Women Voters.

This Vote Tote from ClareV – Again, via MyDomaine, “This blue cotton tote by Clare V. reads ‘I Vote, You Vote, She Votes, We Vote, They Vote’ in a lovely French script. While it’s an easy way to advocate for voter participation, part of the bag’s proceeds are also donated to When We All Vote—a nonprofit organization co-chaired by Michelle Obama, Tom Hanks, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and Janelle Monae, among others—so you can feel good about the fact that your money is being funneled into worthy grassroots campaigns around the U.S.”—Chelsea Stuart, Senior Lifestyle Editor $25

This “Let People Vote” Pin from the ACLU – don’t think I have to say anything about this. $13

This VOTE Mask – Via MyDomaine, “I’m a big believer in the power of positive peer pressure when it comes to voting, and I can’t think of a better way to remind everyone of their civic duty than by wearing this mask when I leave the house. It’s from a collaboration between Resistance By Design and Stacey Abrams’sĀ Fair Fight Organization, and a portion of the proceeds from each sale will be donated to the Southern Center for Human Rights.”—Karli Bendlin, Email Editor

I think we all need to do whatever we can to make sure that everyone we know gets out and votes in this election. Make sure your friends and family members have requested their ballots. And besides voting for Joe Biden, we need to also be voting for Democrats across the board, not just in the presidential election. Because change isn’t going to happen if we still have a republican controlled Senate or republican controlled legislatures across the country.

We’ve have six years of republican control – in our Senate and ten years in our State Legislatures and Governorships and look where we are. And if you’re argument is, well it’s because of the pandemic and it isn’t fair to judge, the fact is, we should have been much better prepared and we would have been, if the current president hadn’t reversed a lot of things that had been put in place to deal with emergencies because he didn’t think they were necessary and he was looking for things to pay for his tax cuts.

(Side rant – And were those tax cuts so important? We can look at it now and now that they weren’t, especially when we see who benefitted the most:

IRS data on the 2018 tax season released in May 2019 shows that savings for taxpayers were uneven. For example, the average refund was $90 higher, nationally, in 2018 than 2017. But the taxpayers who saw the largest refund increases had anĀ adjusted gross incomeĀ (AGI) of at least $200,000. Tax returns showing an AGI of less than $100,000 paid less income tax overall, but returns with an AGI just above $100,000 (many middle-class families) owed more tax, on average. Note that this AGI is per tax return, not per taxpayer: A married couple where each spouse has a salary of $65,000 could very well have an AGI of just above $100,000 if they file jointly.

Who Benefited Most From the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act?: Middle-class Americans saw mixed results by Derek Silva, published March 17, 2020 on policygenius.com

We also know that businesses didn’t actually use the tax cuts they way they were intended, to invest in employees and the business. Instead they used it for buybacks, which helps shareholders and the company.)

Oh, I’m adding this John Oliver at the end, because he’s awesome and this is a great episode and you need to watch this if you haven’t seen it yet.


Have a FANTASTIC week!