thependulumswings

There is never a supply chain shortage of news that gives us pause.  Nuggets follow.

1. In the “City That Care Forgot” the advice and the adult beverages were flowing yesterday.  As Lent begins, some Mardi Gras partygoers in the Big Easy shared ideas for what President Biden could sacrifice for the 40-day observance.  “His presidency,” one woman visiting from Virginia said.
2. Can’t almost all of us agree that the optic of Biden following Zelenskyy around like a puppy yesterday contrasted with the black toxic cloud above East Palestine, OH will be used repeatedly by his Republican opposition in 2024?  You can hear Trump. Make America Great Again.
3. That assumes of course that Biden will run.  He says he is and he says he’ll announce it soon.  Father Time is aggressive and progressive.  Most polls show nearly 3/4ths of all Americans think he should not run.  That’s a significant hurdle.
4. Of course, if Trump gains the Republican nomination many of those three-fourths will recalibrate how they feel about old Joe.  We’ve said before, Trump running is Biden’s ticket to another four.
5. Smart folks in the DNC should plan an exit strategy for Biden.  Smart folks in the RNC should plan a do not enter strategy for Trump.
6. Why is Ukraine’s war our war and our money used to fight it?  If you say it’s for freedom, democracy, or it’s the right thing to do it’s not.  Ukraine is not a democracy.  And, it’s as crooked as it gets.
7. Twitter types are typing “every day we are getting closer to WW3.”  Elon Musk tweeted back, “For sure.”  Maybe.  There is a long way to go to get there.  There was until yesterday.  The saber-rattling continues to escalate.  Putin suspended his country’s nuclear treaty with us in a speech yesterday.
8. Back to the train derailment, Pete Buttigieg told a local tv station yesterday that he is “still planning to come to Ohio at some point, but he cannot say when.”  It’s only 18 days and counting.  Ohio is a major piece of the electoral college national puzzle.  Trump visits today.  Pete’s tenure as Secretary of Transportation is captured perfectly by this train wreck, unfortunately.  Hey, but at least we have diversity.
9. There is no truth to the rumor that Ilhan Omar withdrew support for East Palestine after learning that it’s actually in America.
10. In the last 10 months, the median price for a home in San Franciso plunged by nearly 33%.  Why?  Interest rates maybe.  Bad publicity probably.  When homelessness goes up, nearby home prices go down.  It’s an ugly fact and an ugly problem.

There’s a remodeling/hammer joke somewhere in nugget #10.  But, for Lent, we’ve given up senseless satirical attacks on the unsuspecting.

No, we haven’t.