Temperatures rising
New York gubernatorial candidates of the far left and the farther left debated last week, but what was the most important subject in the run-up to the debate? Temperature of the room.
It seems incumbent Gov. Andrew Cuomo had dictated the chosen location, television station, format and time when a minimum of people would be watching. But his Democratic primary opponent, actress Cynthia Nixon, wanted her say on the temperature of the room. He apparently prefers the room to feel like “a meat locker,” but she wanted the thermostat set at 76 degrees.
Work environments, after all, according to Nixon’s campaign senior advisor, are “notoriously sexist.”
Despite the brouhaha, Nixon’s campaign said she’d be there no matter what.
“Cynthia will debate Governor Cuomo backwards and in high heels if she has to,” it was reported. Nixon herself told Refinery29: “I’ll debate the governor in a parka if I have to because the people of New York deserve a debate, and insurgent, female candidates have a right to make their voices heard.”
It’ll be a cold day in November if either one of them is elected. Unfortunately, it’s usually cold in November, especially in New York.
My way or no way
Many businesses make it a habit to give campaign contributions in certain races to both Republican and Democratic candidates. It’s what the California hamburger chain In-N-Out did in the past and has been in the process of doing this year. But that’s not good enough for California Democratic Party Chairman Eric Bauman. He took to Twitter to suggest a boycott of the restaurants.
“Et tu In-N-Out?” he wrote last week. “Tens of thousands of dollars donated to the California Republican Party it’s time to #BoycottInNOut – let Trump and his cronies support these creeps perhaps animal style!”
For the uninitiated, “animal style” is an In-N-Out burger with a number of extras added to it.
In 2016 and 2017, according to Los Angeles Magazine, the chain gave the state Republican party a total of $60,000 for “general party expenses.” But this year, according to Forbes, it contributed $50,000 to Californians for Jobs and a Strong Economy, a “political action committee that supports business-friendly Democratic candidates.” Last week, according to a Twitter posting of a public filing by a freelance journalist, it gave the state GOP $25,000, which triggered Bauman’s reaction.
We hope In-N-Out fans in California and five other Western states where the restaurants are located reply to such a ridiculous request by making the next month the chain’s biggest ever.
Nothing to see here
Imagine for a moment that the Obama presidential administration was in office, and economic growth estimates were revised up, stocks set records and consumer confidence zoomed ahead. Would you expect to see any of that news on ABC, CBS or NBC evening news programs? Of course you would – with exclamation points and fawning praise.
When those stories occurred during the administration of Donald Trump Aug. 27-29, none of the three said a word on their broadcasts.
CNN was little better, reporting that the announcement of a potential trade deal with Mexico sent the S&P 500 and Nasdaq indexes to “all-time highs.” It did not mention the Dow Jones Industrial Average hit its highest point since Feb. 1.
Both CBS and NBC mentioned the tentative trade deal with Mexico, but neither tied in the record stock numbers. Meanwhile, three Hispanic media outlets gave the trade deal and the stock prices a combined 36 seconds.
The announcement of consumer confidence at an 18-year high one day and a revision of second-quarter economic growth to an astounding 4.2 percent the next got no peep out of the big three or the Hispanic media.
It’s no wonder the networks have so little credibility.
An ‘individual’ tragedy
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) had in mind to honor some “individuals” who recently perished in a rollover truck crash.
The organization requested the Maine Department of Transportation erect a 5-foot tombstone to the deceased in Brunswick.
The Maine DOT said no.
The “individuals” were lobsters.
“Countless sensitive crustaceans experienced an agonizing death when this truck rolled over and their bodies came crashing down onto the highway,” PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman said. “PETA hopes to pay tribute to these individuals who didn’t want to die with a memorial urging people to help prevent future suffering by keeping lobsters and all other animals off their plates.”
The marker would have read: “In Memory of Lobsters Who Suffered and Died at This Spot,” PETA said. It also would have encouraged people to “Try Vegan.”
The wreck occurred when a Cozy Harbor Seafood truck, carrying nearly 70 crates of lobsters (7,000 pounds), rolled over on Route 1. Some of the lobsters were crushed.
After the denial by the Maine DOT, PETA said it now would request the “nearest permissible location for the memorial.”
Gee, an organization frees animal crackers from their cages on the side of boxes and thinks it can do anything.