time for the bench

Sara, you are always welcome, of course!!! You make me smile!!!

Andrea, I appreciate any honest feedback. Winning an election requires a lot of sacrifice...and it also requires funding. Unfortunately, the people/organizations with huge resources get undue influence in this system. This aspect of campaign finance is rather sad.

Charmaine, thanks....I try to develop some humor for situations that strike me as interesting. It's funny that I could have a lot to say and sometimes nothing. However, I will be back when the inspiration cometh!

Nette, many of us are hoping for that. We have a lying cult leader on one side (who followers stick to no matter what) and someone incapable of explaining things simply on the other. It's quite strange and awful to watch.

Daniel, my thinking exactly! We could be in big trouble, but we don't really know how this is all going to play out. We have a lot of arrogance to get through. It's all rather incredible to watch. I like your comment as it is out of our hands now.

Nette, thanks for the support. The pride and arrogance displayed by political leaders does not serve us well. Hopefully, some sanity will prevail (but I have a doubt).

Tom, I agree with what you say. He seems to be approachable and will consider ideas presented. However, it is time for a younger face....and I don't mean just three years younger. We're at a very significant cross road in our history. It will be very interesting to see what happens. Eventually, there is a time to give up on one's career!!

Newsome never impeached. I promise you. Trump impeached twice then acquitted. No worries I'll help with the facts.

Newsom? The guy who got recalled a few years ago and could be again for gross dereliction of duty? Duke, you must be barking mad! If California is your idea of what America should be then you must really hate your country.

Anaya, I had never heard the term Gish gallop until a couple of days ago seeing it mentioned in a newsletter by Heather Cox Richardson. It was a revelation really. Governor Newsom would be fine with me. We know he can think clearly and could debunk the orange fool. Yes, Guiliani did a number of disgraceful things in pursuit of money and power. He never had the orange teflon coating.

The problem with Liz is that she is supposedly a Republican. I've heard many Democrats sing her praise. My advice is offer it to her. I've known when I first saw her that she'd be pres some day. It is a choose your poison moment.

Hilda, I'm amused by your comment and smiling. At least basketball is a team sport unlike golf, so maybe he does. I would settle for Liz Chaney as the democratic candidate for president since she has both honor and courage. Nothing else matters that much right now. If Biden steps aside, that would entitle him to some enhanced standing for putting the country before himself. However, there's no hope for the orange self-centered liar. Hope that makes you smile!

IE, thanks for the comment and for what you say. Politicians are strange indeed. We do need a lot more decision-making based on science and truth rather than having these fools unable to tell the truth in an understandable way or tell us other than what they think we would like to hear (for votes). All rather odd and we will pay in the end!

Thanks SO. I understand anyone who refrains from this arena. It may get some people riled up and attract some negative comments. Many of us have concerns for what we see developing step by step here. The march toward autocracy is speeding up. The result of this election might allow restoration of some sanity.

SP, I really love how you catch all the nuances of word choice. There was one more in there in the second stanza that if you missed others would certainly not notice!!! So, I modified it slightly to make it more evident. It does seem as though the chorus asking for Joe to step aside is growing, but since he has the delegates, it remains to be seen what he will do. It could have a large impact on his legacy and the course of future events. More people seem to be saying he can't win if he runs each day.

Susan, Thanks. We say these things with a bit of a heavy heart, but it would be the right thing to do at this point. I try to inject a little humor into the fray!

Jan, yes....I think we should have two new candidates as well. However, let's see if we even get one new one!

Keith, Since when are peaceful demonstrations you don't agree with a bad thing? Your comment below indicates selectivity of rights for different people depending on their political beliefs. The constitution protects free speech for all. That's why the police don't solicit your political affiliation when they respond to a call for service nor should they. Officers take an oath to uphold the constitution and to serve and protect everyone. We need someone better than the binary choice that we currently have.

Sicknick had a stroke the next day so to say he died as a result of the protest is a long bow to draw. The two suicides days after is also a convenient supposition. They would have killed themselves regardless. After all, they had been dealing with BLM for 18 months. Policing in Democrat America is a stressful job. It’s a bit rich for you as a defender of Biden to keep raising law and order after what we saw for 18 months after the George Floyd circus and the whole defunding the police rubbish. Notice Democrat politicians don’t want to defund their own protection but want to defund yours.

Keith, yes a protester was shot and killed trying to breach the capital and potentially harm elected officials. It would have been better if she had peacefully surrendered as commanded by the police. This is what we do in a law and ordered state where we support the police. BTW, the following individuals in law enforcement died as a result of the insurrection on Jan 6: Officer Brian D. Sicknick of the Capitol Police, who was attacked by the mob, died on Jan. 7. Officer Jeffrey Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department killed himself after the attack. Officer Howard S. Liebengood of the Capitol Police also died by suicide four days afterward.

No one has been charged with insurrection. That’s a media beat-up term. No police officer was killed, but a protestor was unnecessarily shot and killed. I agree facts are important.

Keith, I am willing to continue to discuss the election with you and will stick to that topic and the facts. The actual definition of insurrection is, "a violent uprising against an authority or government." You can claim Jan 6th was not that, but the justice department and courts disagree. Some police officers were injured or died as a result of that attack on the election certification and Trump considers the insurrectionists who committed crimes to help him as deserving pardons. Is that how we support the police and rule of law in a Trump administration?

Jan 6 was no insurrection. There were tens of thousands who marched that day and a few thousand pissed-off agitators went too far. I consider the 18 months of rioting and looting by BLM and Antifa the Democrats cheered on as more of an insurrection and threat to democracy. Polls have shown that a significant amount of people would not have voted for Biden if they knew the Hunter laptop story was true. That alone cost Trump the election. Remember Biden only won by less than 150,000 votes in a handful of swing states. That was blatant election interference by the media and Big Tech. Add to that all the mail-in shenanigans and rule changes under the cloak of covid and yeah, I believe the election was stolen.

Keith, I can see why you like DT. Let's just take one of your points--Trump as a threat to democracy. Was January 6th a threat to democracy? Did DT do anything else to try to steal the election? In fact, DT thinks and has said that winning is more important than anything. He can't accept loss and even though all the US courts hearing legal challenges to the 2020 election ruled against Trump, he still maintains the election was stolen. So, let me ask you this one question, do you believe the election was stolen? Since you obviously believe in law and order, is it OK not to acknowledge the rule of law from a separate but equal branch of government? On a side note, did you watch the video or read the poem? I am suggesting Biden should step aside. It would be nice if we got two new candidates!

I don’t remember America descending into the dark ages under Trump. Quite the opposite. I don’t remember any threat to democracy under his presidency. That’s all media BS. You would rather vote for Joe, a mentally deficient incompetent old crook who presided over the Afghanistan debacle, the border invasion, rampant inflation, two new wars, climate zealotry, defunding the police, transgender ideology and CRT pushed on our kids? You may hate Trump but his policies are better and smarter than those clowns in the White House

Thanks Keith, I think you are right in that politicians often use facts without historical context, which results in distortion of reality on both sides. However, many reasonable people note that DT has no limit to out and out lying for his own gain. I would be the first to admit Biden has made many mistakes in policy. We have a system of law in this country and DT threatens the rule of law and order. That is where I am coming from.