What's the Buzz

 I though yesterday was going to be the end of the hot days, well, I was wrong.  Today's going to be hot, too.  Mid 90s (F) again, with once again the threat of possible thunderstorms this afternoon.  This is pretty standard August weather..

Because it is going to be so hot again today, I'm going to gamble and hang at least some of my laundry out on the rack to dry.  Those high temps will evaporate the moisture rapidly, and my clothes will have that fresh, clean scent.  

Our new store manager arrived yesterday, and when he saw me, he gave me a big hug.  We've known each other for over 15 years, and as I've said, he worked to get promoted and I was happy where I was.  While this does give me some access to his ear, I don't expect to be his confidante.  Though I will admit to being more than a little pleased that the Assistant Manager who gave me the difficult time was standing behind me watching the two of us talk.  He smiled bigly.  It doesn't hurt to have him believe his new manager my be sympathetic to my complaints, should I have a few.

And then I saw this:

I just read that JD Vance is the Sarah Palin of Dan Quayles.  

Of course, there's a lot buzz going around about RFK finding a dead bear cub alongside the road, tossing into his car thinking he might take it home and cook it.  This man needs to watch what he says to reporters on video.  His following up that comment by telling the reporter he changed his mind and dumped the body in Central Park went over just as poorly.  His then pondering aloud, "I wonder if that's where I got my brain worm?" is not a hallmark of sanity. 

And the buzz is that Kamala's chosen her Vice President, and that he knows.  The buzz should be about how well she and her team know how to play the media.  I don't doubt that decision was reached sometime ago, but it pays for her to create tension.  She wants people sitting on the edge of their seats, and that's what they're doing.  Thank you Main Stream Media for making this headline news that takes the attention away from the Orange Anus.  Every second he's not in the headlines is like a bamboo sliver under his fingernails.  This is also a good indicator of how united the Democrats have become.  Everyone is on the team.  This is proven by the VP candidates who are constantly mocking and deriding both Vance and Trump.  They will keep this up and other voices will be joining in.  We are a movement that is growing daily.  

Taking one for the Team

So, yesterday I called Corporate HR to cancel my insurance since my Medicare payments begin on November 1.  I ended up getting cranky.  You see, I can't cancel until the day "my life changing event happens," and even then there will be 2 more monthly deductions.  I was told not to worry, I'd be reimbursed.  And, as I said, I got cranky.  When you get hired, and sign up for insurance, it starts to get deducted on you very first check.  I did apologize to the woman I was speaking to, noting that she was dealing with the limitations corporate had saddled her with, and that she was really only following a policy set by someone else.
I did some bench presses this AM - which is pretty much all that I can do.  Walking is great, I'm told - on an average I walk the equivalent of 3 miles per day... in the store.  Anything that exercises my core muscles is evidently out of bounds until this hernia gets fixed.   Shit.
I also had the oil changed in my car yesterday... and there's a spot on the tailgate where the paint has chipped off, not big, about an inch long and a quarter inch wide.  I was told that they sell touch-up paint... and that made me cranky, I mean the car is only 18 months old, paint shouldn't be chipping off.
Oh, and John Kelly gave an emotional speech about the death of his son in combat.  I hate to be the cynical one, but my feeling is that he took a hit for the team.  He opened up a painful wound in order for people to feel sorry for the Idiot Jerk in the White House.  Unfortunately he lost me when he said he was "stunned" to hear this woman's Congresswoman was in the room when she received the call.  Excuse me, but how many people were in the room with the Idiot Jerk when he placed the call?  How many people were actually listening to what Kelly believes was a "private" conversation.  Was there, perhaps, a photographer there to document this "private" moment?  Wouldn't surprise me, you know?  To get the proof, so to speak.  I can even imagine photos and videos showing up in campaign ads.
Will the Idiot Jerk get a slight boost in the polls because of Kelly's speech?  Perhaps among Republicans.  Mostly, I think not.  People realize just what kind of self-serving asshole the Idiot Jerk is, that any compassion he shows is totally ego driven.  When he complained how other presidents hadn't made those difficult calls, he did so, not because he knew they were emotionally draining, rather that's the sort of thing he dumped on a secretary, someone who might actually care.

The sad lesson Kelly Ayotte is learning

The legislation on background checks for those wanting to purchase firearms failed, I was not surprised, even though, from what I've read, a large majority of Americans would prefer them.  However, there have been interesting results as a result of the vote.  Some Republicans have found their  poll numbers dropping, Kelly Ayotte from New Hampshire is one of them.  A few days ago she held a previously scheduled town hall and came face to face with those disgruntled voters who put her into office.  It was not a good day for her because she was forced to defend her vote.  I've seen videos of her standing there, water bottle clasped to her chest as though it might offer her some protection, and felt somewhat sad for her, but only somewhat.  As a public official, she was voted into office to represent the people of New Hampshire, not the Republican Party.  I don't care if you're a Democrat or a Republican, you are in Washington to represent the people of your state.  You need to give them your allegiance.  You are their voice.  You are their vote.  This is what makes a good politician.

Kelly Ayotee, good senator or good Republican?

I understand that on the day of this town hall Ms Ayotte showed up with a Power  Point to explain her vote.  Bad idea; if you need to rely on a Power Point to explain yourself then you've made a mistake.  She was not voted into office to be a loyal Republican.  She is in the United States Senate to represent the majority of the people of New Hampshire; sometimes this means acting like an Independent and voting against the party line.  She is learning a sad lesson and a good one.  The people who elected you are not cows easily led by the nose, they will not always low quietly while you present a Power Point.  They have minds and wants and needs, and most importantly they have beliefs and opinions and votes.  The sad lesson Ms Ayotte is learning?  The voices of the people of New Hampshire are the ones which count.  When they whisper in her ear, she needs to listen.