Search Results for: drinking liberally

Oh my God, I almost forgot… today’s election day! Guess I better post my endorsements….

King County Executive: Ron Sims

Hmm… now let’s see. On the one hand we have Ron Sims, an experienced executive who has led our county to AAA bond ratings from all three major credit agencies, reduced growth in health care costs for county employees to a rate dramatically lower than state or national averages, and has been a proven leader on civil rights, workers’ rights, gay rights and the environment. And on the other hand we have David Irons Jr., a resume inflating, staff abusing, tool throwing, mother beating liar, who isn’t qualified to manage his own anger, let alone a $3.4 billion government.

Now I know that there are a lot of you out there who are pissed off at Ron for some decision or another, or who have bought into the Republicans’ bullshit propaganda campaign to depict KC Elections as a whorehouse of corruption and incompetence… but let’s be honest… in an emergency… should the big one hit or an avian flu pandemic strike… who would you rather have in charge? Sims, an experienced county executive, or Irons, an experienced, um… mechanic? (Come on… I bet even some of you diehard Republicans get the willies thinking of Irons making life and death decisions.)

Of course there’s also the Green candidate, Gentry Lange, a man who has made his name campaigning against black box voting machines… exactly the kind of voting technology King County doesn’t use. Sure, Lange’s a nice guy, and I agree with the Greens on the vast majority of issues… but he’s certainly not qualified to be executive, and this race is simply still too damn tight to afford the self-indulgence of casting a protest vote for a spoiler.

So please, don’t be an asshole. Unless you really want Irons in office, vote for Sims.

King County Council: Gentry Lange

I mean really… who the hell cares? There isn’t a competitive race in the lot, so if you really feel the urge to cast a protest vote in this election, write in Gentry Lange. Or you can do what I would do, and just vote for the Democrat.

Seattle Mayor: Al Runte

Perhaps if we had a stronger City Council to keep him in check, I wouldn’t be so turned off by Mayor Paul Allen Greg Nickels and his strong arm tactics. And perhaps if he was a little more of an executive and a little less of a politician, I wouldn’t be so distrustful of his agenda. And perhaps if he had stopped by Drinking Liberally for a cold ale and some heated conversation, he could have cajoled a vote out of me… but Nickels didn’t, and Al Runte did (on a number of occasions), and so Professor Runte gets my vote.

No, I don’t think Runte has much chance of winning (though I think Nickels is going to be embarrassed by the relatively close results), so I guess this is kinda-sorta a protest vote. But there are a couple of huge differences between casting a protest vote for Runte in the mayor’s race, and casting one for Lange in the executive’s race. First of all, I think Runte is actually qualified to serve as mayor. Second, Runte couldn’t possibly play the role of spoiler, since if he spoils the election for Nickels, it means Runte wins. And I can live with that.

Seattle County Council: Conlin, Drago, Licata and Pelz

This was really a tough one for me, as my favorite incumbent is the only one I’m not endorsing: Richard McIver. It’s just that McIver is the only one who’s actually drawn a tough opponent.

As I wrote in my primary endorsement, Dwight Pelz can be a bit of an asshole. But he’s our asshole, and we desperately need someone like Pelz on the council to occasionally get in Nickel’s face. (And he’s stopped by Drinking Liberally a couple times, so that works in Dwight’s favor too.)

As for Conlin, Drago and Licata, none of their opponents have made the case to toss them out.

Port Commission: Molloy, Hara and Jolley

But mostly Molloy. Great guy, well intentioned, and a dedicated reformer.

Coming next… Initiatives: Yes on 901, No on everything else

This post is mostly directed at my friends in the media, because I want to set the record straight before editorialists and columnists start chiming in. Yesterday, David Irons Jr. responded to his family’s devastating allegations by charging that this was a dirty trick orchestrated by the Sims campaign, a meme Dori Monson joyously pounded for two hours yesterday… and I want to categorically deny this in the strongest terms possible. If this was a dirty trick, it was my dirty trick… and nobody, nobody tells me what to write. (Which I suppose explains why nobody pays me either.) And so, here is the genesis of this story, in excruciating detail.

As should be clear from reading my post, the impetus for the piece was Joni Balter’s column, which left the writer in me searching for the narrative behind her concise phrase “different family matter.” Balter’s description struck me as a sort of inside joke — a wink and a nod that those in the know would instantly get — but I had never paid much attention to county politics before I stumbled into blogging last year, and so like most of her readers, I had no context. I knew next to nothing about Irons’ past races — I didn’t even know who Brian Derdowski was when I was introduced to him last year.

It was Steve Zemke — the longtime activist, “Whoops” slayer, and fellow Eyman opponent with whom I frequently whine about politics — who first suggested that I should talk to Brian for some background on Irons. It was Steve who dug out Brian’s phone number from the depths of his well stocked rolodex.

As Brian explained on Dori’s show yesterday, I went to him with some broad questions, not really sure where the story was going, and he was more than happy to give me a history of the 1999 campaign, culminating in the Irons/Master Builders smear the night before the absentee ballots dropped. In pursuing this story, I heard some scuttlebutt from council staffers and others about Irons reputation for having an abusive temper, and when I asked Brian for details about the family split, he insisted that this was a story that I would have to get directly from the family… and that he was pretty sure they would be eager to share it with me.

Brian gave me Di Irons’ number, who in turn put me in touch with her parents. Not only did they share the details of their sad and painful story, they expressed disappointment that Balter had not shared it with the public after they had told it to her.

That is the genesis of my post. Nobody pushed it to me. Nobody fed me any easy information. I did some of that journalistic stuff that I really don’t like to do (it’s too much damn work), and that’s how I got the story. To imply otherwise is not only wrong, it diminishes the effort I put into a detailed, 3300-word piece.

Yesterday, Dori made a big deal about Sims campaign spokesman Christian Sinderman telling the Seattle Times on October 14 that “we’re almost in full mudslinging mode.” Oh gimme a break, Dori. Most of you in the media know Christian, and he may be a lot of things, but he’s not stupid. Do you really think his intention was to proudly proclaim that the Sims campaign was about to sling mud? When I read that quote, I just assumed he was talking about the Irons’ campaign. Didn’t you?

When Dori asked if I had been in contact with Christian, I almost replied “no”, which would have been easier and less confusing… but after a momentary stammer I remembered that I had in fact emailed with Christian recently, and had probably mentioned I was working on the story. After Dori’s show I checked my email log, and on Oct 10th, I received a brief email from Christian (my first since May) titled “how are you?” It was a brief catch-up note; he asked me about the Mike Brown story and another unrelated matter… and he also mentioned that he heard I had talked to Di. I replied to all aspects of the email, but on the subject at hand I wrote:

My conversations with the Irons family continue. Yes… an amazingly screwed up family… and I can’t believe the MSM has no interest. David Irons is a pathological liar with a violent temper, but apparently, real journalists like Joni Balter don’t feel this addresses his character sufficiently that voters should be made aware.

To this I got no reply.

How did Christian know I had talked to Di? A lot of people knew I had talked to Di. I was asking around, looking for others to corroborate Irons reputation as a raging bullshitter… you know, interviewing people and stuff… what all you reporters do. And I’m sure I blabbed at the last two Drinking Liberally gatherings, so a bunch of other bloggers and politicos knew what was coming too.

Those of you who know me, also know that I am… well… a bit chatty. I like to talk. It can be tough to get me off the phone. I work from home, where my dog is a crappy conversationalist (“squirrels” this, “dog park” that) and my cat is constantly telling me to kill people. (Bad kitty!) It can get lonely. So I talk.

Anyway, on October 12 I sent another email to Christian, giving him a heads up that a source of mine at Brigadoon.com had also been talking to a reporter from a major media outlet (you know who you are) and that a story should be forthcoming on Irons’ business dealings. Christian replied that the campaign was about to run ads on Brigadoon.

Then on October 18, I sent Christian an email telling him I was preparing to post “Part One of my Irons piece” and asking for his help in confirming the name of some Eastside developer Janet C. had mentioned. (Yes… I had no idea who Skip Rowley was.) But at the same time, I also emailed and phoned the Irons campaign with a list of allegations, asking for comment… so they got the same heads up.

That was the extent of our conversation.

I lay this all out in excruciatingly boring detail, because I want my friends in the press to understand, that if any of you give even a hint of credence at all to Irons’ entirely unsupported assertion that this story originated with Sims campaign, you will be calling me a liar. This part of the story is not one of those he said/she said things… I have presented a detailed report of this story from start to finish, and I trust Steve, Brian, Di, and Janet C. will back me up… whereas David Jr. has pulled his allegation right out of his ass. If any of you lay even a hint of blame on Ron Sims, you better headline the piece “Goldy is a Liar”, because that is essentially what you will be writing.

I may be a lot of things. Maybe I’m a muckraker and a blowhard and an aggressive partisan. But I am not a liar. I’ve worked very hard to overcome the overly solemn institutional reaction to my horse’s ass initiative, and the irreverent domain name that is its legacy. Throughout the election contest I was consistently right on the facts, and both my legal and statistical analyses were proven at trial to be dead on target. And rather than dwelling on past glories (like some bloggers) I have worked hard to up my relevance by breaking important story’s like the Mike Brown fiasco, and now the Irons family feud. For those reporters and editorialists who haven’t met me, go talk to your colleagues who have. I’ve earned my credibility.

And finally, who better to vouch for my character than my own mother, who left the following comment in the contentious thread on the post in question:

Goldy has been so busy researching and writing this blog that he hasn’t had time to talk to his own mother (me) so I decided to read it to see what my son was up to. As a Mom it makes me very nervous for him, to know that in his quest to uncover the truth, Goldy is making enemies as well as converts. I know that my son is not being paid or mentored by any one or any group. (I wish he were for he could use the money) It is his inherent morality, sense of fairness, and determination that in this democracy people should really know who and what they are voting for that drives him. Love, Mom

I can’t really blame Irons for trying to spin this into a story about a Sim’s dirty trick… it’s really the only political option he has to deal with this very damaging story. But this spin just isn’t true. This is his parents story, which I broke through my own initiative and volition. I’m a blogger. That’s what we do.

It is very hard for any executive to win a third term, and Ron Sims is no exception. After nine years in office, Sims has made so many decisions that he’s bound to have pissed off all of us at one time or another. And sometimes, voters just get tired of the incumbent. Hell… even Mario Cuomo, one of the greatest statesmen of the past few decades, was eventually turned out of office by a vastly inferior opponent.

David Irons’ strategy was clear. He left himself undefined, so that voters, tired of Sims, could project onto Irons what they wanted to see. Republican… businessman… “strong” like iron… maybe that’s good enough for a lot of voters itching for a change.

But the risk in leaving yourself undefined, is that somebody might do it for you.

David Jr.’s own mother and father say that he is an ill-tempered liar, who lacks the experience, qualifications and intellect to run this county. So here’s a tip to my friends in the media: if you question the parents’ description of their son, I suggest you talk to some current and former council staffers, and try to persuade them to go on the record.

And we haven’t even started to talk about Brigadoon.com yet.

King County Executive Ron Sims has rejected proposals by Southwest and Alaska Airlines to fly passenger service out of Boeing Field. Sims had originally been enthusiastic about exploring the Southwest proposal, arguing that consumers would ultimately benefit from cheaper airfares. But when evaluating the Southwest and Alaska proposals together, it quickly became apparent that the county airport could not support the higher traffic while meeting the impact criteria he had set forth.

“I have said all along that I would not endorse any proposal from any airline if it led to significant traffic and noise impacts,” Sims said.

Sims had also promised that he would never approve a deal that required taxpayer subsidies. According to Sims spokesperson Sandeep Kaushik, a preliminary analysis had suggested that Southwest might be able to operate up to 85 flights a day while meeting FAA noise regulations, and with little or no road improvements in the area. But once the Alaska proposal came in on September 30, the calculus changed. The two proposals combined would have operated 185 daily flights from 16 gates, requiring substantial road improvements and generating significantly more noise.

After receiving legal advice that the county must give both proposals equal consideration, county transportation staff concluded last Friday that it was impossible to open Boeing Field to passenger traffic while meeting Sims’ criteria. Sims was formally briefed at a meeting yesterday, in which staff stepped him through the analysis, and laid out the costs that would be required to proceed with due diligence… including an Economic Impact Analysis and a half-million dollar Environmental Impact Study. Sims decided that it was pointless to proceed with the time and expense of continuing to study the proposals when it seemed exceedingly unlikely that either would be approved in the end.

And so today, Sims announced that he had rejected both proposals.

Personally, I’m glad Sims nixed the deals. I live near Boeing Field, and for purely selfish NIMBY reasons I didn’t relish the thought of increased traffic. I am also relieved to eliminate this issue from the current election debate, as it seemed likely that it might hurt Sims at the polls.

But I think it is important to reiterate in the wake of the issue’s demise, that Sims had never endorsed the Southwest proposal… he had merely expressed enthusiasm about studying it. As I reported last week, even in the midst of a wonkish policy debate at Drinking Liberally, Sims repeated his mantra:

The gist of Sims argument is that the Southwest deal would be good for consumers, while adding jobs to South Seattle. He wants to study the proposal, but would only approve it if noise abatement and traffic concerns can be adequately addressed with no public subsidy.

And the gist of Sims decision to reject the proposal was his conclusion that noise abatement and traffic concerns cannot be adequately addressed without public subsidy.

Now I’m guessing that the more cynical amongst you might dismiss the background information I provided, and accuse Sims of merely bowing to political pressure, and to that I say… so what? No doubt Sims heard from many constituents who were unhappy or even angry about the potential impact increased flight traffic would have on their Seattle neighborhoods. I know for a fact that he heard from me and other unabashed Democrats last week at DL. If public opposition helped influence his decision, that’s a good thing, right? We want our elected officials to listen to voters.

But one thing I’m confident Sims didn’t do was bow to political pressure from the Port Commission or Alaska Airlines or Southwest Airlines lobbyist (and former Sims’ staffer) Tim Hatley. Josh Feit in The Stranger tries to make a big deal over Sims reaction to being questioned about Hatley during his meeting before the editorial board, but this is just a load of something about nothing.

First of all, say what you want about Ron Sims, but I have never seen anybody seriously allege that he has ever used his office to line the pockets of himself, his friends or his family. Disagree with him on policy, criticize him on execution, despise him on ideology… but this is a man who entered public life for all the right reasons. If Sims took offense at efforts to insinuate Hatley’s lobbying into something sleazy, well… he had every reason. (Oh… and Josh… Hatley was hired to lobby reluctant members of the County Council, not Sims. Think about it… why spend your money lobbying the one guy who has expressed enthusiasm about considering the proposal?)

Second, while Sims was not at liberty to comment because he had yet to be formally briefed by staff, he was already aware that they had concluded the proposals could not meet his criteria… before he went before the editorial board last Friday. So I think that puts Sims’ reaction in its proper context… he was essentially accused of being unduly influenced by a lobbyist in favor of a deal that he knew he would likely soon kill.

Personally, I buy the story I previously laid out — that Sims found it pointless to pursue an expensive study of a proposal that clearly wasn’t viable — but whatever the motive I applaud his decision. Southwest came to him with a deal that promised to benefit both consumers and the county, and Sims enthusiastically proceeded to conduct due diligence. In the end, the numbers just didn’t work out, and so he rejected the proposal, based on the criteria that he set forth when the news first broke.

No scandal, no backtracking, no shady dealmaking. Just the sort of tough decision a county executive must make every day, regardless of the political consequences.

Last night’s Drinking Liberally was quite a gathering. A large crowd showed up to meet King County Executive Ron Sims and pepper him with questions on everything from light rail to avian flu… and Sims enthusiastically threw himself into the debate. And Sims wasn’t the only candidate in attendance; both Dwight Pelz and Al Runte distinguished themselves by being the first politicians to actually make a return visit… though when I congratulated Runte on this feat, the retired history professor objected to being labeled a politician.

Sorry Al… that’s the sort of mud people are going to sling at you when you run for office.

One of my favorite moments of the night was an extended and contentious back and forth between Sims and a DL regular on the merits of Southwest Airlines controversial proposal to move to Boeing Field. Personally, I oppose the Southwest deal, mostly for my own selfish, NIMBY reasons. (I live near Boeing Field, and don’t particularly welcome the extra road or air traffic.) But what struck me most was the vigor with which Sims argued his position, not just with a constituent, but with a supporter. Sims already had this guy’s vote, and he knew it. And yet he not only dove into the debate with the passionate abandon of… well… just some guy at DL… he clearly had a great time doing it.

This was not the run-of-the-mill retail politics all candidates must master in order to win — though Sims is good at that sort of stuff too. This was an expression of joy from a man who clearly loves diving into the nitty-gritty of politics and policy.

In case you’re interested, the gist of Sims argument is that the Southwest deal would be good for consumers, while adding jobs to South Seattle. He wants to study the proposal, but would only approve it if noise abatement and traffic concerns can be adequately addressed with no public subsidy… a stance that he repeats in Bruce Ramsey’s column in today’s Seattle Times. Sims also points out the irony of him being attacked by members of the business community for considering such a free market proposal.

“I thought government’s role was to establish infrastructure so that wealth could be made by the private sector,” Sims says. “This is so anti-free enterprise.” He pauses for a moment. “I’m a Democrat,” he says. “For the first time in my political life I’m unabashedly on the free-enterprise side and being criticized by the people who are supposed to be on that side.”

Ramsey for his part, is consistent in his pro-business stance:

The Southwest offer is the real thing. And in keeping his door open to real competition, rivalry and choice, Ron Sims is on the side of the traveling public.

Agreed. While I sure hope Sims eventually shuts that door, it’s hard to blame him for opening it in the first place.

I get a lot of requests to trade links, most of which I ignore, but if you really want to catch my attention, here are a few tips. First, write really great stuff. Consistently. Maybe I’m weird, but I like great stuff. Second, nag me incessantly. I simply don’t have time to visit all of my favorite blogs on a daily basis, so don’t assume I’ve seen your latest post. If it’s something you think I’d be interested in, drop me an email and let me know. And third, drop by Drinking Liberally and buy me a beer. I’ll feel a little guilty and indebted, and might think kindly of you the next time I update my blogroll. (But no promises.)

And then there’s brown-nosing. For example, take Darryl at Hominid Views, one of the recent additions to my blogroll. He writes great stuff, emails me frequently to tell me about the great stuff he’s written, and regularly shows up at Drinking Liberally to buy me a beer. What a guy. And then he goes out and earns extra brownie points today with an excellent bit of brown-nosing: “Goldy topples Brown!”

Keep up the great work Darryl. (And keep pouring those beers.)

As Friday’s filing deadline approaches, I’d like to take a moment to categorically deny rumors that I plan to challenge Dave Irons in the Republican primary for King County Executive. Those rumors were irresponsibly started by me, last night at Drinking Liberally, and are utterly ridiculous… considering the cost of the filing fee.

So I just want to make it absolutely clear, that I will not enter the race… unless somebody comes up with $1,653.05 by the Friday, 4:30 p.m. filing deadline.

But while Irons apparently won’t benefit from a stiff primary challenge, according to the Seattle Weekly, Safeco CEO Mike McGavick may have some competition in the Republican primary after all.

While the state Republican party establishment moved quickly to coronate McGavick as the GOP challenger to Cantwell, former KIRO-TV anchor Susan Hutchison had pollsters in the field checking out her prospects against Cantwell. … Hutchison describes herself as a “moderate Republican” who lives in Seattle and sends her children to public school. She has not decided whether to run for Senate. Would she oppose McGavick for the GOP nomination? Says Hutchison, “I am not competitive, but I am pragmatic.” Says Republican political consultant Brett Bader : “Susan wouldn’t shy away from a tough fight.”

A “moderate Republican” huh? Isn’t that just another way of saying “Democrat”…?

In another hotly contested race that is sure to capture the imagination of several people, one of my favorite local bloggers, Carl over at Washington State Political Report is mulling over a run for an open seat on King County Cemetery District #1 (Vashon Island). As we all know, Cemetery District is a political stepping stone to the highly coveted Weed Control District. Best of luck Carl as you start a promising political career.

And finally, a big round of applause to HA regular Richard Pope for finally screwing up the courage to run for public office. Richard will be challenging 20-year incumbent Patricia Davis for Position No. 4. Despite the fact that I disagree with almost everything he writes in the comment threads — and quite frankly, I find him a little nutty — Richard strikes me as smart and honest and incorruptible… and so he has earned my official HA endorsement. (There… that should put the final nail in his political ambitions.)

I got another one of those nasty emails yesterday warning me that there will be a price to pay for my “perfidy” (they get extra credit for vocabulary). Well, I hate to put off the inevitable, so as a public service to my self-appointed inquisitors, I thought I’d share my busy schedule for the coming week.

Saturday, May 21, 3:45pm — I’ll be at the Bellingham Grassroots & Independent Media Conference, joining a panel discussion on blogging. Other panelists include Natasha Chart of Pacific Views and fellow Drinking Liberally beer-buddy Lee Rosenberg of Blog Reload.

May 23-25 (Mon. thru Wed.), 3:15pm — I’ll be joining my good friend Stefan on the John Carlson Show (570-KVI), to discuss the day’s developments coming out of the election contest trial in Chelan County Superior Court. I expect we’ll both report positive developments for our respective sides… but my pronouncements will be made with greater conviction.

Tuesday, May 24, 6-8:30pm — “Is traditional media obsolete?” That’s the question they’ll be asking at the International Association of Business Communicators Seattle chapter’s annual Media Evening, at the Gordon-Biersch Brewpub (Pacific Place). Apart from dinner (and I assume, beer) the evening includes a kind of “media relations speed dating” in which media participants will switch tables with each dinner course to discuss “critical communication questions” with the attendees. “Media/Journalist” participants will include Ken Schram of KOMO-TV, George Erb of the Puget Sound Business Journal, and… me. Non-members are welcome to attend, but it will cost you $45.

I also expect I’ll be on the Kirby Wilbur Show again sometime next week to discuss the election contest trial. And Kirby’s promised me I’ll also get the opportunity to needle him about the gas tax recall initiative.

Just a reminder that the Seattle chapter of Drinking Liberally meets again tonight (and every Tuesday,) 8PM, at the Montlake Ale House, 2307 24th Avenue E. I can’t make it tonight, but I’ll pop open a PBR at home in a show of solidarity.

Also, The Olympian will be holding a live chat with WA Speaker of the House Frank Chopp, tomorrow at noon. If you have a question for Frank, you can submit it here.

Mayor Pete Buttigieg guest hosts the Jimmy Kimmel Show.

Now This: Here’s why this Seattle millionaire CEO wants to be taxed more.

Roll Call: Congressional hits and misses of the week (sans coronavirus content!).

We’re All Gonna DIE!

• Stephen: Трамп hasn’t been tested for coronavirus despite possible exposure, and refuses to take precautions
• WaPo: Fact checking The Dotard’s address to the nation about coronavirus
• Trevor: Coronavirus misinformation & toilet paper panic
• Seth Meyers: Trump addresses the nation on the coronavirus pandemic
• Now This: Трамп keeps pretending coronavirus is no big deal
• Bill Maher: Surreal time
• Jimmy Kimmel: The 5 Stages of coronavirus
• Stephen: Neil deGrasse Tyson on coronavirus—Will people listen to science?
• Conan: Трамп downplays coronavirus
• Vice News: The Dotard wants to make sure you know who’s to blame for the coronavirus
• The Daily Show: PANDUMBIC (the official trailer):

• Trevor: Трамп’s coronavirus address, blooper reel included
• Lauren Mayer: There’s plenty of toilet paper for everyone
• Now This: Hillary Clinton defends Obama Admin from Трамп Theories, coronavirus blame
• Stephen: Dr. Sanjay Gupta—The U.S. failed to have coronavirus tests ready for the public
• WIRED: Could mass quarantines in the U.S. work?—Health expert explains what you need to know.
• Seth Meyers: Markets plunge as a lifelong scam artist lies about coronavirus response
• The Late Show: The UW’s corona express
• Samantha Bee: Coronavirus is not an excuse to be racist
• Now This: FAUX News coverage of coronavirus vs. ebola
• Stephen: Rep. Matt Gaetz forced to self-quarantine on Air Force One with The Dotard on board
• WaPo: What the 1918 influenza pandemic can teach us about the coronavirus outbreak
• Trevor: Combatting coronavirus with “social distancing”
• Seth Meyers: Трамп contradicts experts as coronavirus is declared a pandemic
• Rachel Maddow: Infection rate charts forecast steep rise in US coronavirus cases
• Jimmy Fallon: Coronavirus fact vs. fiction
• Mark Fiore: The healthiest man on the planet.
• Mother Jones: Watch Трамп’s coronavirus hypocrisy in two simple clips
• The Late Show: Coming to a port near you—The bug boat
• Stephen: Daily life is changing for millions of Americans as coronavirus crisis grows
• Chris Hayes: How Трамп’s mistakes made coronavirus worse
• Daily Show: PANDUMBIC 2 (The sequel):

• Jimmy Kimmel: The Dotard Трамп is terrified of getting coronavirus
• Now This: Fact-checking Трамп’s coronavirus Oval Office address
• Jimmy Fallon: Coronavirus state of emergencies, cheap flights and cancellations
• Trevor: Bill de Blasio—Confronting the coronavirus outbreak in New York City
• Stephen: The Dotard golfs while markets tumble and health officials rush to produce coronavirus tests
• Sky New: COVID-19 is ‘much, much worse than Ebola’
• Conan: Embark on a coronavirus-free solo cruise
• The Late Show: Introducing Boston hand sanitizer
• Trevor: Coronavirus impacts Tom Hanks, the NBA and monkeys in Thailand
• Stephen: Трамп, who has been exposed to coronavirus, tries to reassure the public that he’s in control

Vice News: This woman survived a mass shooting and is working to prevent the next one.

John Oliver: Sheriffs.

The Dotard Трамп and Other Life-long Scam Artists:

• Seth Meyers: Трамп’s family profits off policy meant to help low-income communities
• Robert Reich: Will The Dotard Трамп get reelected?
• Now This: Who is Mike Pence?
• Bill Maher: Ass kisser of the month:

• Daily Show: Трамп’s best words—Bracket edition
• Full Frontal: Don’t mess with Texas—The Longhorn state’s tussle with Trump’s border wall.

Now This: Here is what the world would look like with no oceans.

The Atlantic: The world without giraffes

Jimmy Kimmel: The week in unnecessary censorship.

Twenty-Twenty Vision:

• Stephen: Joe Biden threatens to fight a pro-gun voter in Detroit
• SNL Weekend Update: Biden is the front runner.
• Full Frontal: Holding out for a super Tuesday hero—Part 2
• James Corden: An old white guy won Tuesday’s primaries
• Bill Maher: Rachel Bitecofer—Election whisperer
• Stephen: Biden’s big Tuesday night
• Full Frontal: Holding out for a super Tuesday hero—Part 3
• Trevor: Biden wins big and beefs with a union worker
• Stephen: Dr. Sanjay Gupta—The 2020 campaign must change shape in light of the pandemic

Vox: How San Francisco erased a neighborhood.

Samantha Bee: America’s gig-based economy gets zero stars.

Last week’s Friday Night Multimedia Extravaganza can be found here.

Highlights of the Loretta Lynch’s confirmation hearing.

Thom: The real deficit that the GOP doesn’t talk about.

Mental Floss: 17 crazy hair myths.

White House: Precision medicine:

Maddow with a nice Fox story.

Thom: The Good, The Bad, and The Very, Very Ugly.

David Pakman: Obama has reduced Bushes’ $1.4 trillion deficit by 75%.

$889 Million:

• Young Turks: Koch plan to spend almost a billion to buy the 2016 elections.
• Jon: Your next President…Johnny actual Cash.
• Ann Telnaes: The Koch Brothers and $889 million free speech dollars.
• Larry Wilmore: Dark Money
• David Pakman: Koch Brother’s intend to buy the 2016 elections.
• Young Turks: Candidates drop to their knees to please the Koch brothers
• Sam Seder: The Koch brother’s puppet for 2016

Thom: The Right’s home schooling conspiracy.

David Pakman: ObamaCare will cost 20% less than was originally projected:

Mark Fiore: King Abdullah, Royal pain.

Mental Floss: 24 cheese name origins.

Thom: More Good, Bad, and Very, Very Ugly.

On the Road to 2016:

• Maddow does Letterman to laugh at 2016 candidates.
• Young Turks: Sarah Palin teleprompts herself into a reality war with FAUX News
• Young Turks: More fur flies in the Sarah Palin, Bill-O-The-Clown war.
• David Pakman: Sarah Palin lashes out a FAUX News.
• Maddow: What if Hillary doesn’t run?
• Jon on Sarah et al.
• James Rustad: Jesus loves me this I know; ’cause Rick Perry tells me so.
• Pap and Thom: Will Perry do some time in the Pokey?
• Sam Seder and Cliff Schecter: Who can win what in the primary?
• Chris Christie falls out of a chair.
• David Pakman: Mike Huckabee says something idiotic about school prayer and school violence
• Sam Seder: Mike Huckabee’s “Trashy NY Women” comment
• Alex Wagner: Mitt’s a no-go
• Young Turks: The Mittster gives his fans a sad
• Sam Seder and Cliff Schecter: Why Mitt Romney dropped out.

Roll Call: Congressional hits and misses of the week.

Richard Muller: I was wrong on climate change.

David Pakman: DUI State Senator claims he can drive drunk and be privileged from arrest.

New Territory in the Republican War on Women™:

• Michael Brooks: Louie Goober, “Republican ‘Females’ Send the Wrong Message!”.
• Sam Seder and Cliff Schecter: Republicans try to hide their disgusting women’s health politics

Thom: GOP turns Medicaid expansion over to banksters.

David Pakman: Thanks to Republicans, Obama’s approval keeps increasing.

White House: West Wing Week.

Super What???

• Jon: PSI–New England.
• Ed: The ad everyone will be talking about.

Maddow: Five U.S.Pipelines Rupture in January.

Thom: Even more Good, Bad, and Very, Very Ugly.

Matt Binder: Politifact finds FAUX News lies more than ever:

Grandpa McCain to protesters: “Get outta here you low life scum”.

Last week’s Friday Night Multimedia Extravaganza can be found here.

Tricked you with the headline, didn’t I?  No, it’s not the hippie-bearded Darryl Holman I was talking about, but actress (and activist) Darryl Hannah who joined us at the Living Liberally event upstairs at the “Big Tent,” the blogger facility a few blocks from the Pepsi Center.

Yeah, that’s right, I could be blogging about tonight’s program at the convention, but instead I’m drinking a beer, watching a couple of standup comics.  Deal with it.

I was listening to some music, when iTunes automatically played the next file in the cue: an old episode of Podcasting Liberally from June 6, 2006, with me, Molly, Will, Carl, Ed Murray, Dan Savage and Eli Sanders. It was kinda a blast, and I especially enjoyed listening to us make our presidential predictions. (Hey Will… how’d Mark Warner work out for you?) Feeling nostalgic? Tune in and enjoy the fun:

[audio:https://horsesass.org/wp-content/uploads/drinking-liberally-june-6-2006.mp3]

[FYI, I believe this was recorded the day before 710-KIRO offered me my show.]

Wrestling greats Ron “King County Executive” Sims and Rev. Ken “the Jews killed Christ” Hutcherson lock horns tonight in a steel cage match at the Key Arena. Um… okay… it’s really just a debate, and it’s taking place in the staid environs of Seattle’s Town Hall. But I expect some rhetorical body slamming nonetheless.

Tickets are $5.00 at the door; fireworks start at 7:30 pm.

Rev. Hutcherson has been one of the most vocal opponents of legislation extending anti-discrimination protections to gays and lesbians, and when Sims joined us this week on Podcasting Liberally, we asked him why he was willing to take on such a pompous, blowhard. Lamenting Hutcherson’s efforts to co-opt a civil rights movement that “people lost their lives over,” Sims said that it was simply time for him to sit across the table and take Hutcherson on:

“He’s trying to steal a movement and limit its effects, and that’s just so wrong.”

Yes it is.

Hutcherson reportedly has a habit of playing the race card when he finds himself on the losing end of an argument, but as Will shockingly learned during our podcast, he’s going to have a tough time doing that against Sims:

“He’s going to argue he’s black, and last time I looked in the mirror, I am too.”

Here’s my debating tip to Sims: you’re first question to Hutcherson should be to ask him how his boycott is going, and then as he fumbles for an answer… hit him over the head with a folding chair. I’m ready to rumble!