Morning Politocadoes!

The President continues to be kept alive by a cocktail of medicines, steroids, and pure spite that help fight off the Coronavirus infection. These methods are of course not available to the likes of you or me, at least not without being put severely into debt. But hey, them’s the brakes. Socialized medicine is only for our betters, the ones what lead us. Ah piffle.

The first Vice Presidential debate was held between Vice President Mike Pence and Senator Kamala Harris last night. Harris’ team was mocked for requesting plexiglass barriers between the two candidates. “If Sen. Harris wants to use a fortress around herself, have at it,” said Pence team spokesman Katie Miller. Cool and good that the leader of the Coronavirus task force takes the concern so lightly during the President’s own battle with the virus, or the super spreader event that he himself created. I guess if Pence himself isn’t sick then it’s no need for alarm?

The moderator, as per friggin’ usual, was useless. Pence talked over her regularly, Harris heeded her concerns, and while she tried to get her points in, Pence droned on and on not letting anyone getting a word in edgewise in the moments after the contestants were supposed to shut up. He continued his patented gas-lighting calm, easy demeanor as he railroaded over questions, dodged concerns about how the government handled Covid, or how the President wasn’t likely to agree to a peaceful transfer of power!

Nevertheless, we must never count Kamala Harris out. Despite the nonsense Pence threw out, Harris was right there waiting to throw it back in his face. I especially liked when she was asked about Court Packing and she, tactfully, informed him that not only was holding off on appointing a new Supreme Court Justice something Republicans did in 2016, it’s also something that Abraham Lincoln did (something Pence ought to know as it was part of his thesis in college), and it’s something that shows a sense of unity and not desperation in the government. She was waiting for it and she earned that shit.

That’s not saying Pence did badly, of course. He couldn’t have. He’s an important white man, he can ignore whatever rules were put in place apparently! What’s terrifying about Pence is he can say the shit they spew and he’ll say it like he believes it. What concerns me is that there are an awful lot of people in this country who want someone with a smooth, soft voice to tell them to go ahead and fall asleep and not worry about all of the horrors our country needs to address. And tragically, someone like Pence exists in this administration, a heartbeat away from the Oval Office…which is currently occupied by an immuno-compromised Covid patient.

Say! When is that next Presidential debate? Next week?

So! As Veep hopeful Kamala Harris said we all need to vote! Please please please check your registration status either with your state or local elections boards or over at vote.org.

Welcome to Thursday! Please be excellent to each other in the comments. The Mayor McSquirrel Rule remains in effect. As the protests continue, please be safe, dress non-descriptively, avoid wearing contacts if you wear them normally, and keep your phones on you. As the Covid-19 pandemic continues, please continue to maintain social distancing measures, wear masks in public areas, and practices sanitation policies as circumstances dictate.

Worried about getting your vote suppressed by the awful, awful people running our government? Check out NPR’s guide to vote by mail!

https://www.npr.org/2020/08/07/900210406/the-most-important-mail-youll-ever-send-a-ballot