As the Trump Administration veterans turn against Trump:

Terrified of a second Trump term. But not enough to hide in a bunker. https://t.co/Q6ojOAWbzb

— Miles Taylor (@MilesTaylorUSA) August 17, 2020

“Magical authorities.” It’s simultaneously laughable that an adult would claim such authorities, and horrifying that anyone, anyone at all, would vote for this deeply deluded man.

From a group email. The accompanying note was Be sure to watch all the way to the end credits.

If we had a metric for spontaneous creativity, I wonder if it would have increased measurably since the pandemic started.

Sunsets on other worlds and even stars:

More here.

Stolen from The Weekly Dish’s VFYW contest – thanks to Chris Bodenner, I think. I had not heard of the Chinese ghost cities:

Bad planning? Leaders’ prestige? I wonder about the environmental costs.

Only watch if you want a glimpse into the far right GOPers spouting what they’ve read on right wing websites:

For the Republican primary in Minnesota’s District 7:

Ya gotta wonder if hugging President Trump was a good idea for Collis, but otherwise it’s a cute commercial.

And, no, I don’t know who won the right to challenge Colin Peterson (D-MN), one of the more conservative Democrats in Congress.

Michael Jackson in the wrong genre:

A lovely mocking has occurred:

My Arts Editor tells me this is an old standard. I think it’s great.

Pharrell William’s Freedom:

After a day of attending to personal matters, with the background worries about the pandemic, the racial justice vs President Trump tragedy, and wondering how to rescue those who, despite all the evidence of his vast incompetence, are still Trump supporters from their terrible misjudgment – yes, I know, that’s terribly arrogant – I found myself remembering this video. Yes, it’s years old, maybe everyone’s seen it, but it has a life and vividness and even droll humor that reminds me that hope can still be right around the corner.

Sure, his Happy video is fun as well, but I think the overt seriousness of Freedom makes it more memorable, and more apropos of the times.

An impressive résumé and introduction, even if you don’t live in Louisiana.

I’m running for United States Senate because Louisiana and our country are at a crossroads, and Washington’s political games are only making us sick. It’s time to take a new road, and I hope you’ll join me: https://t.co/lI336iVf9K #lasen #lagov pic.twitter.com/G4sxAWS7J4

— Adrian Perkins (@PerkinsforLA) July 22, 2020

I think this is effective. It doesn’t attack any of his opponents, it presents himself as a highly competent and effective person who has experience as the public service bug. That’s the first step to getting elected. The Republican incumbent, Bill Cassidy, is running for reelection, and it’s worth remembering this:

Cassidy was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 2014, defeating incumbent Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.) and becoming the first Republican to hold the seat since 1883. [Ballotpedia]

If Perkins makes it out of the primary – and it appears to be a jungle primary – he may be a more formidable opponent than Cassidy is expecting in the current political climate.

Caught this from last night’s Late Show:

The video is different, but this was a clear, moral, and clarion call to return to what might be called the moral core of values: honesty, respect for real truth, by talking about what happens when we abandon them.

And it’s lovely music. Neither of us had ever listened to the Chicks before, and my Arts Editor was favorably impressed by the lead singer. In form, it’s a fusion of different styles, expertly done.

It’s more than just music.

One of the great slug-fests:

Joe Biden’s campaign puts together a near-genius ad for Texas:

This is important for a couple of reasons:

1. Trump isn’t mentioned. By not doing so, straight-up politics is pushed out of the limelight. This is an appeal to the emotions that the campaign thinks many people are feeling as hospitals fill up and businesses close down, and it focuses people on the candidate who is offering leadership, and takes the focus off the candidate who’s just putzing around in the background and randomly thumping his chest. This is a video about compassion and competency.
2. By not focusing on Trump, it gives the viewers the opportunity to think about other Texas Republicans, such as their local representative, who is up for reelection in November, or Senator Cornyn (R), also up for reelection, who inserted his foot in his mouth yesterday concerning children catching Covid-19, or even their Governor Abbot and Lt. Governor Patrick, both Republicans, but they are not up for reelection until 2022. Once again, Biden offers compassion and competency; all the Republicans have urged a quick return to opening the economy, a course of action that has put a lot of people in the hospital, and Texas, a big state that should probably be broken up for Covid-19 measurement purposes, in the top ten for daily new cases of Covid-19 per capita.
3. Biden gets to use his trademark reputation for bringing people together. We all know that sometimes he’s worked with unsavory sorts, but his ability to work with any reasonable person is gaining appeal in a country that’s long been tearing apart along partisan lines.
4. Finally, he may have forty years in government service, and, sure, maybe the partisan trolls will try to make him out to be a denizen of the swamp – but forty years of service is forty years of experience, and the drooping polls for Republicans across the boards suggest Americans have decided to dump their long-time date with freaking amateurs and try out experience and professionalism for a chance. Former Speaker Ryan (R-WI) once expressed confidence that experts weren’t necessary to run a country, but I think independents and moderate conservatives have run out of patience with that bit of right-fringe nonsense. This ad reminds us of Biden’s length of service, and, without mentioning Trump once, offers that experience. He doesn’t engage in magical thinking, unlike Trump. He’s told us that things will be tough. But he’s a realist, and maybe Americans have had enough.
5. This will force the Republicans to defend a State they may have regarded as secure. From the Texas Tribune:
   

   There have been a series of polls in recent weeks finding a tight contest between Biden and President Donald Trump in historically red Texas.

   One poll released Sunday found Biden leading Trump by 5 percentage points among likely voters, while another survey that came out the same day gave Trump a 1-point lead among likely voters, well within the margin of error.

   That has to be shocking for Texas Republicans.

Look for more effective ads from Biden’s campaign. Someone sure did this one right.

From The Lincoln Project:

Wow. The rapid change in scenes really knocks the senses reeling, doesn’t it? And the Russian narration is quite menacing.

You may think you know the situation, but here’s Kimberly Latrice Jones to set you straight.

When you live by the water …

Here’s the Gizmodo story.

I typically do not have the patience for a 20 minute video. But here I am, twenty minutes of watching…

Brain feeling limber? It’s been twisting into pretzels just for fun? Try this on for size.

And they do this every year.

More from last January’s Wara Art Festival here.

Amazingly straight-faced:

Just When We Don’t Need To Go To Work – just have a little patience.

This is fun:

And you get to learn a bit.

Or perhaps me on getting pizza: