January 1, Congressional Candidates Running in Trump’s Shadow

This Day In History | 1813

The United States gets its nickname, Uncle Sam. The name is linked to Samuel Wilson, a meat packer from Troy, New York, who supplied barrels of beef to the United States Army during the War of 1812. Wilson (1766-1854) stamped the barrels with “U.S.” for the United States, but soldiers began referring to the grub as “Uncle Sam’s.”

Good Morning Middle Americans, 

Happy Labor Day. And we hope everyone able to read this is able to enjoy Labor Day. Maybe you are thanking God you still have a job during this pandemic. Maybe you are grateful you have the day off from your job and get to spend some extra time with your family. You might be aware that Labor Day is a celebration of organized labor, and the contributions laborers have made to the U.S. economy. You might not be surprised to learn that Oregon was the first state in the U.S. to celebrate Labor Day. It became a federal holiday in 1894. Meanwhile, Portland Oregon continues to simmer after 100 days of violent protests and destruction. The labor movement has always been a bastion of the left. But the left wing radicals we see in Portland, who want to “burn it all down” are no friends of labor. They are not allies to the women and men who just want to show up to work and make an honest living to support their families. That same goes for the BLM protestors who shouted down dinners in Rochester, New York. These people are not looking for change. They are not trying to convince us they are right. They are trying to intimidate us into doing what they want. So enjoy your bar-b-ques today, but be aware of what’s at stake. (sorry bad dad joke). Seriously, take the news seriously, but don’t take yourself too seriously. 

Read all about it. 

-Fraser Dixon. 

Trump Looms Large Over Congressional Campaigns

(AP) – The battle for control of Congress is solidifying into a race about President Donald Trump, as Republicans hitch their fortunes to their party’s leader and Democrats position themselves as a bulwark against him — and as partners in a potential Joe Biden White House.

So far, voters are signaling they want to finish the job they started in 2018 by installing Democrats for House majority control. Now, they’re on track to potentially do the same in the Senate.

Find out more here

Democrats are leading in the polls. Time for Them to Panic.

(NBC News) – The summer is coming to the close of an even-numbered year and Democrats are up in the polls, which means it’s time for them to freak out about the upcoming election.

Democrats are nothing if not a self-doubting bunch, and the 2016 election left such a psychic scar that many in the party are now conditioned to assume they’ll somehow blow it again and snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.

Nominee Joe Biden continues to lead President Donald Trump in every battleground state, and Trump’s “law and order” message doesn’t seem to be working. But some recent polls showing the race tightening a bit were enough to send liberals’ blood pressure soaring along with Google searches for “Joe Biden lose” in blue states like Maryland and California.

Get the latest here

San Fran Govt Offices Keep Gyms Open, Crush Private Gym Owners

(NBC Bay Area) – For months, the city of San Francisco health order has prevented local gyms from opening its doors, but some city-owned gyms have been back open for months and are allowing city employees to use them, crushing private gym owners. 

“It’s shocking, it’s infuriating,” said Daniele Rabkin from Crossfit Golden Gate. 

She said she has done everything she can to keep her gym on Sutter Street alive.

“It just demonstrates that there seems to be some kind of a double standard between what city employees are allowed to do and what the residents of San Francisco are allowed to do,” said Dave Karraker, owner of MX3 Fitness in the Castro.

Read more here

Ex-NRA Insider Speaks Out: Gun Owners Should be ‘Horrified’ by What I Saw

(ABC News) – A former high-ranking official within the National Rifle Association is breaking ranks with the powerful gun lobby, publishing a book that accuses its leaders of decades worth of mismanagement and fraud that he says has left the organization in a state of financial and moral disarray.

In an exclusive interview with ABC News Chief Justice Correspondent Pierre Thomas, Joshua Powell, who formerly served as chief of staff to longtime NRA CEO Wayne LaPierre, said the lawsuit filed by New York Attorney General Letitia James seeking to dissolve the NRA for an array of “illegal conduct” merely scratches the surface of a much deeper culture of corruption.

Find out more here

Son Sells 28 Years of Birthday Whisky to Buy First Home

(BBC) – Matthew Robson, from Taunton, was born in 1992 and over the course of his life his father Pete has spent about £5,000 on 28 bottles of Macallan single malt.

The collection is now worth more than £40,000 and has been put up for sale.

The 28-year-old said it “probably wasn’t” the best gift for a young boy but with “strict instructions never to open them” they had become a nest egg.

Learn more here