Dem
47
GOP
53
Boy, has the news piled up this week:
Obama Nation: Yesterday, Barack and Michelle Obama, adhering to a tradition started by Harry Truman in under the auspices of the 1955 Presidential Libraries Act, formally dedicated the Obamas' presidential library. In his speech, the former president said his library was a symbol of core American values, including "a belief in the peaceful transfer of power," "no one is above the law" and "character, honesty, integrity, kindness, compassion, sense of duty, and honor, those things matter."
Our Take: Perhaps Obama had someone specific in mind when he was speaking—hard to tell. The occupants of the presidential box, incidentally, were the Man of the Hour and his wife, along with Joe and Jill Biden, George W. and Laura Bush and Bill and Hillary Clinton. Do you see anyone who should have been invited, but is missing from the list? Us either.
People Who Shouldn't Be Governor, Part I: There are now two lawsuits challenging Sen. Tommy Tuberville's (R-AL) right to run for governor in Alabama, on the basis that he has not lived in Alabama for the 7 years required by state law.
Our Take: This is probably accurate, but very hard to prove. That said, we tend to think residency laws are stupid. If the people want to elect a resident of Mars to represent them, why shouldn't they be able to do so?
People Who Shouldn't Be Governor, Part II: The newest quallity poll of the Minnesota gubernatorial race says that the candidate who is leading the Republican primary field is... MyPillow guy Mike Lindell. He's got the backing of 27% of Minnesota Republicans, as compared to 22% for Speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives Lisa Demuth and 17% for entrepreneur Kendall Qualls.
Our Take: If Lindell actually wins the nomination, Democratic pooh-bahs AND late-night comedy writers will both get down on their knees and thank the deity of their choice.
A Bombshell!: We saw at least a dozen outlets refer to this news as a "bombshell" (see here for one example). It turns out, as The Washington Post first reported, that Donald Trump's ballroom will indeed use taxpayer money, with only about half the funds coming from corporate
bribe-payersdonors.Our Take: A bombshell? Really? You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means. Is there anyone who actually thought that no taxpayer dollars would be used? The only bombshell here is that taxpayers are (allegedly) only on the hook for half the cost. We would have guessed something more like 95%.
Baghdad Joe: In a performance reminiscent of Sean Spicer's first press conference as White House Press Secretary, RNC Chair Joe Gruters declared that the UFC event held on the White House lawn drew a larger audience than this year's Super Bowl. This is not exactly true; the Super Bowl 125.6 million viewers, while the viewership for the UFC event was announced yesterday, and it was about 7 million people.
Our Take: Actually, 7 million people is very solid for a UFC event, especially since they are streaming-only. However, the staff mathematician advises us that 7 million is a shade less than 125.6 million. Maybe if Dana White had hired Bad Bunny to do the halftime show at the UFC event.
It's Kind of Official: The final tallies have not been released yet, but Democratic Socialist Janeese Lewis George (D) remains steady at about 53% of the mayoral vote in Washington, DC, while her nearest competitor, Kenyan R. McDuffie, conceded yesterday. So, Lewis George is going to be the next mayor in the District.
Our Take: Lewis George is about to become pretty famous, either as one of the faces of the resistance, or as the mayor whose town was put under de facto martial law by Donald Trump because the election results hurt his fee fees, or both.
Back to Work: After 117 days spent dealing with an as-yet-unknown medical issue. Rep. Tom Kean Jr. (D-NJ) said he will return to work on June 30.
Our Take: Will he explain to his constituents why he missed nearly 4 months of work? And if he doesn't, can he hope to hold on to his seat? Your guess is as good as ours.
Penis Crimes Don't Pay: Jackson Lahmeyer, the pastor and would-be Representative from Oklahoma who got caught sexting a woman who is not his wife has dropped out of the runoff that was triggered when no candidate cleared 50% in Tuesday's primary election.
Our Take: Lahmeyer's goose was cooked anyhow, so he fell on his sword (no, not that one) for the red team. Now, Republicans can criticize Democratic sexter and would-be U.S. Senator from Maine Graham Platner with a clear conscience.
We're in touch, so you'll be in touch. (Z & A)