Monday, October 31, 2016

New Poll Shows Latest FBI Announcement Having No Effect On White House Race


More polling info indicates the recent letter from FBI Director James Comey to Congress about possible new emails "pertinent" to Hillary Clinton aren't affecting the presidential race.

From NBC News:

The NBC News|SurveyMonkey Weekly Election Tracking Poll showed Clinton with a 6-point lead over Trump in the days prior to the Comey news.

When looking at the data for Saturday and Sunday only, her lead remained the same — 47 percent to Trump’s 41 percent. The poll was conducted online from October 24 through October 30. Questions about Comey’s announcement were included on October 29 and October 30.

Results for the entire week of the tracking poll show that in a four-way match-up, Clinton enjoys 47 percent support among likely voters, while Trump holds onto 41 percent support. Gary Johnson drops a single point to 6 percent support, and Jill Stein has 3 percent support. In a two-way race, Clinton enjoys a 7-point lead over Trump, with 51 percent support compared to Trump’s 44 percent.

Bolding is mine.

Just Because: Trans Model Laith Ashley


Trans male model Laith Ashley killed at last week's Marco Marco Fashion Show at LA Style 2016 in Los Angeles

The fashion show featured lots of transgender and drag models who worked the runway, but the one who stole the show was former Attitude Magazine cover model Laith Ashley.

Click below to watch Ashley strut his impressive stuff.


Poll: Comey's Email Announcement Shows Little Impact On White House Race


The latest Politico/Morning Consult poll show Democrat Hillary Clinton leading Republican Donald Trump 46% to 43% in a two-way race, and 42% to 39% in a four-way race, with Libertarian nominee Gary Johnson at 7% and the Green Party’s Jill Stein at 5%.

The poll was conducted after FBI Director James Comey announced the discovery of new emails that might pertain to the former secretary of state's private server using an online panel of 1,772 likely voters on Saturday and Sunday, beginning one day after Comey's announcement.

CNN Cuts Ties To DNC Chair Donna Brazile

DNC chair Donna Brazile
CNN has severed all ties with DNC chair Donna Brazile after the latest WikiLeaks email dump seems to show Brazile sharing debate questions with the Clinton campaign.

CNN says it is "completely uncomfortable" in continuing with Brazile as a political contributor in light of the hacked emails, and as such, Brazile has resigned her position with CNN.

Via Politico:

Hacked emails posted by WikiLeaks show Brazile, whose CNN contract was suspended when she became interim DNC chair over the summer, sharing with the Clinton campaign a question that would be posed to Hillary Clinton before the March CNN Democratic debate in Flint, and sharing with the campaign a possible question prior to a CNN town hall also in March.

In a statement, CNN spokeswoman Lauren Pratapas said that on Oct. 14, the network accepted Brazile's resignation.

"On October 14th, CNN accepted Donna Brazile’s resignation as a CNN contributor. (Her deal had previously been suspended in July when she became the interim head of the DNC.) CNN never gave Brazile access to any questions, prep material, attendee list, background information or meetings in advance of a town hall or debate. We are completely uncomfortable with what we have learned about her interactions with the Clinton campaign while she was a CNN contributor," Pratapas said.

A CNN employee, speaking on background, suggested Brazile may have met the woman who was supposed to pose the question about lead poisoning during a service event planned the day before the debate.

Nevada: Democratic Voters Lead In Early Voting By 34K


As of this Halloween morning, registered Democratic voters showing up at the polls lead registered Republicans by 34,186, according to the Nevada Secretary of State website.

Washoe County, considered a bellwether, shows Dems with 2,500 lead, which is almost twice what it was in 2012.

From Nevada political expert Jon Ralston:

Dems are up 15 points in Clark (it was 16 in 2012), which is a point above registration, and that firewall is going to get to 60,000-plus, unless something strange happens. I repeat: Trump appears to have no path here, but the Senate race is not quite over yet.

Statewide turnout is now 31 percent of all voters -- Democrats are at 34.6 percent, Republicans at 33.9 percent and others at 23 percent. The Republicans actually have a slight turnout lead in Clark -- 34.9 percent to 34.3 percent, showing why that 142,000 Democratic registration lead matters. The Democratic turnout edge in Washoe is nearly 4 points (37-33).

LBJ's "Daisy" Girl Is Back 52 Years Later Warning Of A Trump Presidency


Monique Corzilius Luiz, who appeared in the infamous LBJ "Daisy" nuclear campaign ad 52 years ago, is back in a new Hillary Clinton spot highlighting Donald Trump's tempestuous temperament and the dangers of a Trump presidency.

From the Washington Post:

Hillary Clinton opened the last full week of campaigning Monday with a television advertisement revisiting the famous 1964 “Daisy” ad about nuclear weapons, an attempt to shift the presidential election back to a comparison with Donald Trump after a renewed FBI inquiry roiled her campaign.

The new ad features the same woman who, as a small girl, plucked petals from a flower in the original one, which was aimed at Republican presidential nominee Barry Goldwater. The new one returns to a frequent Clinton theme this year - the claim that Trump is reckless and unfit to be commander in chief. The national security comparison has been one of Clinton’s strongest advantages over the Republican businessman in an election she remains favored to win.

The original “Daisy” ad, officially titled “Peace, Little Girl,” famously only aired once, on NBC, on Sept. 7, 1964.



Here's the original 1964 spot:

I Feel Personally Desecrated Looking At This Photo


Campaigning in Colorado for two days, Republican Donald Trump took to the stage at a rally carrying an upside-down LGBT flag with the poorly written type, "LGBTs for TRUMP."

While he has often said on the campaign trail he would be better for "the gays" than Hillary Clinton, he has also made it clear he would nominate Supreme Court justices who would overturn the right of same-sex couples to marry.

He would also legalize the right of businesses to discriminate against LGBTs.

The look on his face says it all.

Sunday, October 30, 2016

Trump Supporter: "Put The Camera On Us, Queer!"


The charming crowd at a Donald Trump rally in Las Vegas today.

Note the one man (with possibly his son at his side) who screams at the media, "Put the camera on us, queer!"

#TrumpNation



Meanwhile, Democrat Hillary Clinton was speaking to a huge LGBTQ crowd in Wilton Manors, Florida:



You do the math, kids.

Fox News' Judge Jeanine Pirro Outraged Over Comey's Mishandling Of Email-Gate


Hell has frozen over.

Fox News' Judge Jeanine Pirro, one of Hillary Clinton's biggest political enemies, is taking Clinton's side on the timing of FBI/Email announcement based on Judge Pirro's own personal experience in a similar situation.


Sen. Harry Reid Accuses FBI Director Of Violating Hatch Act

Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid
Wow - Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid goes full Hatch Act on FBI Director James Comey over his vague, innuendo-filled announcement Friday that "new" Clinton - related emails may have been found on a laptop shared by Huma Abedin and her estranged husband.

Via NBC News:
On Sunday, Democratic Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid scolded Comey as well, saying in a letter that he "demonstrated a disturbing double standard for the treatment of sensitive information, with what appears to be clear intent to aid one political party over another."

Reid added that his office determined that Comey may have violated the Hatch Act, which bars government officials from using their authority to influence elections.

Check out the letter from Sen. Reid to Comey below (click to enlarge):

Hillary Clinton Addresses Huge LGBTQ Rally In Wilton Manors


Hillary Clinton spoke at a packed and raucous LGBTQ rally this afternoon at the Manor Complex in Wilton Manors, Florida.

In advance of the event,  the Clinton campaign said, “She will participate in the Community in Unity rally in Broward County, where she will lay out her agenda for an America that is stronger together, that would support the LGBT community in South Florida and across the country.”

From the Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel:

Activists have been planning the LGBT community event for most of the last week, but didn’t learn until Saturday afternoon that Clinton would be the headliner. The Clinton campaign said she would discuss her agenda “that would support the LGBT community in South Florida and across the country.” Local organizers designed the event to encourage early voting. The venue, a nightclub called the Manor Complex, 2345 Wilton Drive, is just down the street from a Broward County early voting site.



Flyer for the event:

ThinkProgress's Judd Legum "Fixes" Comey Letter


In light of the "low on substance, high on innuendo" letter from FBI Director James Comey to members of Congress regarding the discovery of emails which might (or might not) be significant in the FBI's investigation into Hillary Clinton's emails, Judd Legum of ThinkProgress helped Mr. Comey out and tweaked the now infamous letter to be more accurate.

Saturday, October 29, 2016

This Week In LGBT News - Will & Grace, Aston, & Daddy The Movie


Kick back and listen in as I recap several of the top LGBT stories of the week including:

• Pansexual music artist Aston dropped her new dance single "Circles" this week

• Update to the tragic story of Tyler Clementi, the Rutgers University freshman who committed suicide after cyber bullying by his college roommate.

• HIV history gets a rewrite as the myth of "Patient Zero" is debunked

• The U.S. Supreme Court agrees to hear an important transgender rights case

• Rumors swirl about a possible Will & Grace reboot, plus Sean Hayes apologizes to LGBT community for not coming out sooner

• Randy's interview with hunky Bear City / DADDY film star Gerald McCullouch

And much more!

FBI: Newly Discovered Emails Were Not Sent To Or From Clinton

FBI Director James Comey
FBI investigators, looking into former Congressman Anthony Weiner's "sexting" scandal, realized that his now-estranged wife Huma Abedin had shared use of a laptop computer. And it turns out, Abedin occasionally used the laptop to email.

Director James Comey took the very unusual tact of writing a letter to members of Congress to let them know of the discovery, and insinuated that some of the emails may (or may not) be of any significance to the Hillary Clinton email case. 

From the L.A. Times:

The emails were not to or from Clinton, and contained information that appeared to be more of what agents had already uncovered, the official said, but in an abundance of caution, they felt they needed to further scrutinize them.

Because Comey had told Congress that the FBI had finished investigating Clinton’s server, he felt he needed to let lawmakers know that agents were looking into the case again in light of the recent discovery, the official said.

Speaking briefly to reporters after an event in Des Moines on Friday, Clinton called on Comey to release more information. She said neither she nor her campaign staff was contacted by the FBI and noted twice that the bureau communicated only with Republican congressional investigators, though Democratic lawmakers also said they were informed by the agency.

"The American people deserve to get the full and complete facts immediately," she said.

The decision to send a letter updating Congress while an investigation is ongoing breaks decades of longstanding Federal practice to not comment on ongoing investigations, or discuss details of concluded investigations.

An anonymous Justice Department official told The New Yorker:

“You don’t do this,” one former senior Justice Department official exclaimed. “It’s aberrational. It violates decades of practice.” The reason, according to the former official, who asked not to be identified because of ongoing cases involving the department, “is because it impugns the integrity and reputation of the candidate, even though there’s no finding by a court, or in this instance even an indictment.”

Nevada: Democrats Lead By 30K+ In Early Voting


Nevada Democrats continue to lead by a healthy margin, over 30K,  at the polls after the first week of early voting.

Nevada early voting totals to date through Friday, October 28, 2016, via the Nevada Secretary of State website:

In-person early voting - Democrats - 150,014
In-person early voting - Republicans - 119,368 (-30,646)
In-person early voting - Other - 65,916

Absent / Mail-in ballots - Democrats - 16,840
Absent / Mail-in ballots - Republicans - 18,978 (+2,138)
Absent / Mail0in ballots - Other - 8,598

Total Democrats - 166,854
Total Republicans - 138,346 (-28,508)
Total Other - 74,514

Naked Cubs Pitcher Jake Arrieta Explains The Art Of Pitching


Woofy (and naked) Chicago Cubs pitcher Jake Arrieta explains the mechanics of pitching.

From the ESPN Body Issue.

Hillary Clinton's 272 EV Firewall


Time for Dems to freak out again in the aftermath of the latest "email scandal that isn't really a scandal" whipped up by FBI Director James Comey.

But as Matt Rettenmund at Boy Culture points out, Clinton has a solid firewall of at least 272 electoral votes. Look at that map - do you really think she's not going to win at least all the blue states above?

That's without Florida, Ohio, North Carolina, Nevada and Iowa.

I'm still thinking she takes Nevada and North Carolina, which is another 21 EVs.  Just saying...

Friday, October 28, 2016

Tony Award Winner Leslie Odom Jr. Sings Sara Bareilles' Ode To This Election - "Seriously"


When public radio show This American Life asked singer-songwriter Sara Bareilles to write a song envisioning the subtext of our outgoing President Barack Obama as he views this election cycle, and specifically Donald Trump's 'deplorable' behavior, Miss B delivered in spades.

Titled “Seriously”, Tony Award winner Leslie Odom Jr. for Hamilton provides the depth, acuity and appropriate irony. Watch below.

Text of the song:

Let’s start with hope
I threw it in the middle like a skipping stone
The ripples won, son of a gun
Some would not have thought so
But I stand here Commander in Chief
And I take that seriously

But along the way
A rogue ripple turned tidal wave
In reaction to what I tried to do
A rebirth of a nation’s hatred
Red, white and blue
Is black in there too?
Seriously?

One man
Rewriting the book on bad behavior
Maybe cheats the neighbors
Feels he gets what they pay for
We can’t
Pat him on the back and send him on through
No man’s ignorance will ever be his virtue

Is this the best we can be?
Seriously?

Let’s talk of fear
And why I don’t bring it in here
It’s a dangerous word, it spooks the herd
And we all bleed in the stampede
Fear makes a false friend indeed
And I take it seriously

So hear me now
Before the truth gets drowned out
By a demagogue flexing
A demagogue flexing
He’s history repeating

Angry?
Am I angry?
You ask am I angry?
And I’m at a loss for words
After all we’ve done
Every battle hard won
Every hair gone gray
In the name of this place
In a history plagued
With incredible mistakes
Still I pledge my allegiance to these
United divided States
Seriously

Let’s end with “why?”
It’s a question I
Want to ask of us as a populace
Why not take our time or the weight of this story
Seriously?



News Round-Up: October 28, 2016


Some news stories you may have missed.:

• NBC is considering a Will & Grace revival!

• Talk about dying on the Vine! Twitter is pulling the plug on it's six-second cousin.

• GLAAD says it's time we adopt the acronym LGBTQ versus the current LGBT when referring to the community.

• The U.S. Supreme Court will hear the case of a Virginia transgender student over the right to use bathrooms that align with his gender identity.

• Jennifer Lopez will star in a live TV production of BYE BYE BIRDIE for NBC.

• Raven-Symoné leaving ‘The View’ for ‘That’s So Raven’ spinoff

Campaign Ad Celebrates Female Pioneers In Politics


From USA Today:

A new ad from a political action committee is focused on the possibility of Hillary Clinton making history as the first woman president of the United States.

The ad — titled Man Smart (Woman Smarter) and featuring the song of the same name — opens with a shot of Michelle Obama and her quote: "So much history yet to be made." It then rolls through a "who's who" of pioneers in women's political history including the first woman Supreme Court Justice, Sandra Day O'Connor, the first woman vice presidential candidate, Geraldine Ferraro, the first woman Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, and the first African-American woman secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice.

The ad then pauses on a still of an open presidential lectern in the White House with the words "It's time" suspended above. Next, we see a black-and-white still of a smiling Clinton. "Vote Hillary. #FirstWoman," the ad concludes.

FBI Announces Emails That "Appear To Be Pertinent" To Clinton Email Case

Anthony Weiner and estranged wife Huma Abedin
FBI Director James Comey sent a brief letter to select members of Congress to inform them that, in the process of investigating former Congressman Anthony Weiner's "sexting" scandal, emails potentially related to Hillary Clinton have been discovered.
Weiner is married to Huma Abedin, a longtime aide to Clinton. Apparently, the laptop used by Weiner to send inappropriate texts to a teenage girl was also used occasionally at home by Abedin.

According to one federal official the emails in question number in the thousands.

From the New York Times:

In a letter to Congress, the F.B.I. director, James B. Comey, said that emails had surfaced in an unrelated case, and that they “appear to be pertinent to the investigation.”

Mr. Comey said the F.B.I. was taking steps to “determine whether they contain classified information, as well as to assess their importance to our investigation.” He said he did not know how long it would take to review the emails, or whether the new information was significant.

Mr. Trump seized on the F.B.I. action on Friday at a rally in New Hampshire. To cheers of “lock her up” from his supporters, Mr. Trump said: “Hillary Clinton’s corruption is on a scale we have never seen before. We must not let her take her criminal scheme into the Oval Office.”

After deriding the F.B.I. for weeks as inept and corrupt, Mr. Trump went on to praise the law enforcement agency.

“I have great respect for the fact that the F.B.I. and the D.O.J. are now willing to have the courage to right the horrible mistake that they made,” Mr. Trump said, referring also to the Department of Justice. “This was a grave miscarriage of justice that the American people fully understand. It is everybody’s hope that it is about to be corrected.”

While this all sounds delightfully scandalous for Trump and company, the truth is we don't know what is contained in these emails. There's no apparent crime here in that Clinton wasn't "hiding" these emails.

In that all of Clinton's aides' email have already been examined, this "new" batch of communications could all be duplicates of what's already been examined.

Trump is already announcing "corruption" and "criminal schemes" when in fact, Clinton nor her campaign were not in possession of these emails.

As Pete Williams of NBC News reported just now, the e-mails Comey announced today were NOT originally withheld by Clinton or campaign. Williams says that one FBI source told him, "I don't sense alarm bells going on within the FBI and the Justice Dept."

Williams, who is not a pundit but a respected straight-up journalist, has more information than any other reporter. According to Williams, the recently discovered emails are not from Hillary Clinton.

What is odd is that Comey shares so little info about the emails. And by doing so, he creates more questions and angst than answers.

Clearly, he was trying to be transparent by announcing the discovery of the emails. Had he waited until after the election, it would have appeared politically motivated.

But by offering so little info (three short paragraphs) it opens the door to a lot of speculation based on no facts.

What should happen quickly, for all Americans, is that he come forward and clarify what it is the FBI believes they have discovered.

You can read FBI Director Comey's full letter here.

See NBC News Pete Williams report below:



UPDATE: Hillary Clinton addressed the newly discovered emails immediately, calling on the FBI to release all info regarding the emails as soon as possible.

New Music: Aston "Circles"


I think the title "Circles" is very appropriate for the state of things here at The Randy Report as we feel like the last two weeks of the election cycle seem set on a constant "spin" cycle.

"Circles" is the lead single from LGBTQ ally and self-described pansexual Aston's self-titled debut EP.

Sonically, the dance track sounds like the love child of an early Madonna groove that went on a date with classic Bananarama. Pop-y, bright, loose and airy - the vocals and production keep the vibe light and fun.

Via Aston's official website:

The road to her debut EP was a long and winding one, from the little girl who posed like Marilyn Monroe in the mirror, sang along to Celine Dion and danced to MC Hammer on the TV to a rebellious teenage bride whose ambitions had to take a back seat when the father of her child was sent to prison, leaving Aston to step up and raise her daughter alone.

Those experiences are captured in the high-energy dance-floor beats and rhythms of her music, the self-penned “Freak (Dance with Me),” which expresses her freewheeling views of sexual liberation in its menage a trois scenario: “There’s two boys with one girl/She doesn’t know what to think/But by the end of the night/I bet they’ll turn her into a freak.”

“I never knew how to identify myself until I saw the definition of pansexual,” she says about her own sexual orientation. “It is the word that would best describe me. I don’t look at a person’s gender, gender identity, appearance, age or race. It’s all about the quality of their internal spirit.”

Songs like “Miss Me,” “Need U ASAP” and the tribal percussive “Pulse” ooze sexuality and urge people to free their libidos, taking away the shame of desire and instead, celebrating it. “Smells Like Love,” which starts as a piano ballad before segueing into a feverish ode to animal attraction, is a tribute to her love of Disney, a nod to The Lion King’s “Can You Feel The Love Tonight?” Bullied in school for her overt sexuality, Aston is committed to speaking out against that kind of activity and is a vocal supporter of LBGTQ causes.

Currently available on iTunes. You can catch the lyric video for "Circles" below.

GDP Grows By 2.9% - Biggest Gain Since 2014


Donald Trump can rant and rave all he wants to about how "disastrous" and "terrible" the U.S. economy is and how we are headed in the wrong direction, but the facts suggest otherwise.

The Wall Street Journal's headline: "U.S. Economy Roars Back, Grew 2.9% in Third Quarter - Growth rate was the fastest recorded in two years"

Reuters: "Wall St. rises amid robust GDP data"

More from USA Today:

The economy bounced back from a prolonged slump in the third quarter as exports surged, businesses replenished depleted stocks and consumer spending picked up moderately.

The nation’s gross domestic product, the value of all goods and services produced in the economy, increased at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 2.9%, the Commerce Department said Friday, the biggest gain in two years. Economists surveyed by Bloomberg had forecast 2.6% growth.

Additionally, exports surged by 10% helping to close the trade gap.

Thursday, October 27, 2016

Tweet Of The Day: Billy Baldwin

Trump Is Tired Of Campaigning - "Cancel The Election And Just Give It To Trump"

Support Hillary, Meet Cher - Click Here To Do Both

https://www.hillaryclinton.com/events/tickets/qxujee6dxlc4opxh/?raiser=657885


(h/t Boy Culture)

New York Times Gives Hillary Clinton 92% Chance Of Winning White House

Image via the New York Times Upshot

The New York Times' Upshot gives Hillary Clinton a 92% chance of winning the White House.

Additionally, a Quinnipiac University poll of swing-states shows Clinton tied with Trump at 44% in Iowa, and trailing by just 1 point in Georgia at 43%.

To underscore those numbers - Hillary has never really dominated in Iowa and Trump was ahead there by 7 a month ago. And Georgia is such a ruby-red state you have to wonder what's up that Hillary is within one point of Trump there.

Amazing.

All that said, I need all you shiny, happy people to get out and vote for my girl, Hillary Clinton.

Do not take winning for granted - GO VOTE!

Radio Show: Director/Actor Gerald McCullouch Chats On His Acclaimed Film DADDY


Had a great time interviewing director/actor Gerald McCullouch last night on my BlogTalkRadio show.  You have checked out some of my recent episodes, yes? :)

As I mention during the radio chat, having Gerald on the show is like Christmas for a me cause he's just a great guest.

As an actor, Gerald ("Bones," "NCIS," "House") is recognized around the world for his 10 seasons as Bobby Dawson on “CSI," as well as his critically praised portrayal of "Roger" in the Bear City movies.

Thanks to the global and diverse fan bases of “CSI” and the Bear City movies, he was honored as one of the 100 most compelling people in OUT Magazine’s “OUT 100," and featured in The New York Daily News, LA Daily News, The New York Post, US Weekly and The Advocate, among others.

Gerald dropped by to chat on his new indie film, DADDY, and the upcoming BEAR CITY 3.

The DVD of DADDY was recently released, and is packed with lots of fun extras, which we talk about at length. Interesting to see scenes Gerald cut or which songs he swapped out for the right tone of a scene. You can get the DVD from Amazon by clicking here. 
Gerald originated the role of "Colin" in the NYC world premiere stage production of DADDY and produced the critically acclaimed West Coast premiere, in which he also starred, receiving rave reviews.

Critics raved about DADDY The Movie. Here are a few quotes from critics:

CIFF: “Funny, erotic, and heart-tugging DADDY explores what a hot, beautiful mess friendship and loyalty are and how to age gracefully while kicking and screaming.”

The Film Reel: “It’s hard to say that the film is anything but wonderful…outstanding.. very powerful and filled with emotion…a fantastic film.”

Zone Culture: "Nothing short of miraculous… credit must be given to the talent of the Via-McCullouch team for making one of the most touching, heartwarming and believable friendships in the history of gay movies.”

Progressive Pulse: “Wonderful and beautiful performances…an impressive directorial debut.”

More info on Gerald at www.gerald.biz

Listen to my fun chat with the hunky, handsome Gerald below.


No, Donald Trump, There's No Voter Fraud In Texas


Republican Donald Trump announced on Thursday that he's hearing about rampant voter fraud at the polls in Texas.

In the end, it turns out one voter didn't know how to review their own ballot.



Even the Tarrant County Republican chairman didn't buy into the Trumpster's hyperbole.

From Politico:

According to Snopes, “Reports are not flooding in from across Texas about vote switching.”

“Although rumors of ‘vote switching’ in Texas are rampant, we found only one case in which a report was investigated, and it was found to be unsubstantiated,” the rumor researching website said.

The Republican presidential nominee is likely referring to an allegation from a woman who posted on Facebook this week that she voted for Republicans up and down the ballot, though the summary of her votes showed that the Hillary Clinton-Tim Kaine ticket was checked, too.

“I tried to go back and change and could not get it to work,” the woman, who voted in Texas, said. “I asked for help from one of the workers and she couldn't get it to go back either. It took a second election person to get the machine to where I could correct the vote to a straight ticket.”

The woman urged voters to “double check your selections before you cast your vote!”

According to election officials, however, the problem was likely a “voter error,” not a sign of election rigging.

Tim O’Hare, chair of the Tarrant County Republican Party, told a local CBS affiliate that voters are inadvertently changing their votes by incorrectly turning the machine’s wheel to change the page.

“We don’t think there’s fraud inside the machine or software glitches,” he said.

Commercial Highlights Transgender Stress Using Public Bathrooms


This simple but effective deodorant commercial explains the stress most transgender women experience every time they use a public bathroom.

Kudos to Secret for getting this right.

Most conversations about "bathroom rights" center on innocent young girls encountering a trans woman in a bathroom and not knowing how they'll respond.

This spot gives us a peek from the other side of the encounter.


Pennsylvania: Hillary Clinton Leads By +7


Democrat Hillary Clinton continues to hold a solid 7 point lead in the battleground state of Pennsylvania according to the latest Siena College poll, conducted for The New York Times’ “Upshot."

The survey indicates Clinton ahead of Trump 46% - 39%.

Libertarian Gary Johnson is down in the single digits with 6%, and Green Party nominee Jill Stein lags at 3%.

The poll was conducted Oct. 23-25.

Wednesday, October 26, 2016

New AP/GfK Polls Shows Hillary Clinton With 14 Point Lead


The Associated Press is reporting results of a new national Associated Press-GfK poll giving Democrat Hillary Clinton a huge lead over Republican Donald Trump.

Overall, the poll shows Clinton leading Trump nationally by a staggering 14 percentage points among likely voters, 51-37. While that is one of her largest margins among recent national surveys, most show the former secretary of state with a substantial national lead over the billionaire businessman.

The AP-GfK poll finds that Clinton has secured the support of 90 percent of likely Democratic voters, and also has the backing of 15 percent of more moderate Republicans. Just 79 percent of all Republicans surveyed say they are voting for their party's nominee.

With voting already underway in 37 states, Trump's opportunities to overtake Clinton are quickly evaporating — and voters appear to know it. The AP-GfK poll found that 74 percent of likely voters believe Clinton will win, up from 63 percent in September.

To be fair and to show you how widely these things can swing, a new Fox News poll shows Clinton only THREE points ahead of Trump - 44% / 41% respectively.

So, it's wise to take all these polls with a grain of salt. I suggest looking at an averaging of good polls like you get at FiveThirtyEight.

USA Today/Suffolk University Poll: Hillary Clinton Leads Trump By 9 Points


The latest USA TODAY/Suffolk University poll shows Democrat Hillary Clinton has a 9 point lead over her Republican challenger, Donald Trump.

Here's the numbers breakdown: Clinton 47%, Trump 38%, Gary Johnson 4% and Jill Stein 2%.

USA Today notes that, as historically happens, the third party support has dropped sharply as Election Day grows closer.

RealClearPolitics currently shows Clinton with an average 5 point lead over Trump.

FiveThirtyEight shows Clinton currently has an 84% chance of winning the White House.


Megyn Kelly Slaps Back At Newt Gingrich


In a raucous back and forth between Fox News' Megyn Kelly and serial adulterer Newt Gingrich last night, Gingrich demanded that Kelly call Bill Clinton a "sexual predator" and informed her she was "fascinated with sex."

From NPR:

"You are fascinated with sex, and you don't care about public policy," Gingrich said.

Kelly replied, "Me, really?"

Gingrich: "That's what I get out of watching you tonight."

Kelly: "You know what, Mr. Speaker? I'm not fascinated by sex, but I am fascinated by the protection of women and understanding what we're getting in the oval office ... "

Gingrich then brought up former President Bill Clinton, saying he will be "back in the East Wing [of the White House], because, after all, you are worried about sexual predators," an apparent reference to Clinton's affair with intern Monica Lewinsky, which led to impeachment charges against Clinton while Gingrich was speaker.

Gingrich challenged Kelly. "I just want to hear you use the words 'Bill Clinton, sexual predator.' I dare you. Say 'Bill Clinton, sexual predator.' "

Kelly responded that her program had covered allegations against the former president, before adding that "he's not on the ticket."

Kelly then noted that the program was running out of time. "We're going to have to leave it at that, and you can take your anger issues and spend some time working on them, Mr. Speaker. Thanks for being here."

Watch the heated exchange below:

Nevada: Democrats Have 24K Lead After 4 Days Of Early Voting


After four days of early voting in Nevada, the Secretary of State website shows Democrats opening a wide lead in voting.

When you combine in-person voting with returned mail-in ballots, the Democrats come in with 104,305 statewide.

The Republicans are down by 24,585 ballots with 79,720 registered GOPers getting their votes in so far.

Campaign Ad: "Example"


In what could very well be Hillary Clinton's closing argument in her run for the White House, the Clinton campaign released this new spot,  narrated by Morgan Freeman and titled "Example," highlighting the candidates' differences in tone, temperament and readiness to lead the United States.

The question posed is, which candidate is "knowledgeable and steady," and which is "unprepared and reckless?"

Chris Cuomo To Rudy Giuliani: "You're In Trumpland"


Rudy Giuliani is like a pig in shit as he conflates and obfuscates any and all possible conspiracy theories concerning Hillary Clinton in this interview with CNN's Chris Cuomo.

He's clearly living for all the attention he's getting as a Trump surrogate.

From Mediaite:

“I mean Rudy! I have looked up to you my entire life because you’re so accurate,” said Cuomo as the exchange got heated. “And all of a sudden you’re in Trumpland, and the facts are all over the place.” As Giuliani dug deeper into the rabbit hole to make his case, Cuomo asserted, “You’re not even close to connecting anything yet. You’re not close.”

Giuliani pivoted at one point to slam Cuomo and, presumably, CNN for their treatment of the GOP nominee, saying “You guys are so darn unfair to Trump!” Cuomo appeared incredulous with just how loose and fast Giuliani has become when it comes to the facts of a case.

Lady Gaga Joins James Corden For Carpool Karaoke


Lady Gaga, who only recently received her drivers license, is the latest superstar to join in the James Corden’s "The Late Late Show" Carpool Karaoke fun.

Along the way, the way the duo sing through Gaga classics like ”Perfect Illusion”, “Edge of Glory”, “Bad Romance”, “Born This Way”, “Poker Face”, and “Million Reasons”.

The banter includes her upcoming appearance at the Super Bowl, the story behind writing the lyrics of “Bad Romance”, her famous collection of Michael Jackson’s clothing, even a parade of her past costumes including the "meat dress."



Tuesday, October 25, 2016

News Round-Up: October 25, 2016

Pita Taufatofua

Some news stories you may have missed:

• Tonagan Olympian Pita Taufatofua is still dancing in our dreams.

• Sen. Marco Rubio booed off the stage by Hispanic crowd at a campaign stop in Orlando, Florida.

• Professional d*ck Sean Hannity promises to fly Obama and family to Kenya on the condition they "can't come back."

• The Cook Political Report predicts Democrats will regain control of the U.S. Senate by picking up 5-7 seats this election cycle.

• In a blow to the RNC, the Trump campaign says it's done with high-dollar fundraising events. "We've kind of wound down."

The Real O'Neals "Kenny" gets ready to celebrate his first Halloween as an openly gay teen - "The Gay Super Bowl!"

Ellen's Hunky "Fool-Proof" Method Of Predicting World Series Champs


The World Series is coming up, so Ellen turned to her foolproof (and shirtless) method to predict the winner. Will it be the Chicago Cubs or the Cleveland Indians?

Just for the record - I'm pulling for the Cubs. Give me an underdog and great costumes :)