Author: Randy Slovacek

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Florida: Mail-In Ballots Have Already Surpassed Primary Vote Total

From Newsweek:

Recent statistics from the Florida Division of Elections have revealed that more people already voted by mail in the 2020 general election than did in the August 2020 primaries. The numbers also show that more Democrats have sent in their ballots than Republicans.

The figures from the Division of Elections website showed that of the more than 2 million mail-in voting ballots sent in, about 49 percent of them were from Democrats. About 30 percent of the ballots submitted were from Republicans, and approximately 20 percent were from people with other party affiliations or no party affiliation.

As of Saturday morning, 2,423,573 people had sent in ballots, with about 1,190,508 of them Democrats and 730,123 of them Republicans. The number just surpasses the 2,342,751 people who voted by mail in the primaries in August.

According to Politico, this is the first time ever at this stage of a general election, Democrats here are outvoting Republicans in the Sunshine state. That said, let this serve as inspiration for you to get out and VOTE!

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Beach Club Fined After Guests Get Busy In See-Through Pool

Mantamar Beach Club, which is my favorite place to spend my days when visiting Puerto Vallarta, was fined after a video clip of two men getting busy in an elevated see-through pool went viral. The adults-only resort, which is predominantly a gay destination but very straight-friendly, had to pay a fine of 22,179.60 pesos — the equivalent of just over a thousand US dollars, according to the Mazatlan Post. Local ordinances prohibit sexual activity in private places that are visible to the public.

I’ve been there many, many times and never seen out-and-out sex in the pool but there’s always a first. I’m of a mind that the beach club shouldn’t have been fined for guests poor behavior. The guests should have been the ones to suffer the consequences. If you’ve seen headlines about this incident, don’t let it dissuade you from going. It’s the best beach club in PV – great food, great views, great service.

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Lara Trump Declares Biden Has ‘Cognitive Decline’ After Mocking Stutter

CNN’s Jake Tapper and Lara Trump (screen capture)
During an interview on CNN on Sunday morning, Donald Trump’s daughter-in-law Lara Trump denied ever mocking former Vice President Joe Biden who has struggled with a stutter his whole life. Ms. Trump tried to say that she “had absolutely no idea” that Biden had ever struggled with a stutter, but then declared that Biden’s speech patterns were indicative of cognitive decline. CNN’s Jake Tapper quickly pointed out that lots of folks have diagnosed her father-in-law from a distance as having his own decline and noted she has no background to do the same to Biden. Tapper finally gave up on the segment as Eric Trump’s wife continued to toss a word salad trying to defend her attacks on Biden.

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News Round-Up: October 17, 2020

Bette Davis in ‘All About Eve’
Some news items you might have missed: • Washington Blade: Paying homage to the iconic film All About Eve on its 70th anniversary. • Out Movies: Coming to Amazon Prime this Thanksgiving – “In 1973, teenaged Beth Bledsoe (Sophia Lillis) leaves her rural Southern hometown to study at New York University where her beloved Uncle Frank (Paul Bettany) is a revered literature professor. She soon discovers that Frank is gay, and living with his longtime partner Walid “Wally” Nadeem (Peter Macdissi) — an arrangement that he has kept secret for years. After the sudden death of Frank’s father — Beth’s grandfather — Frank is forced to reluctantly return home for the funeral with Beth in tow, and to finally face a long-buried trauma that he has spent his entire adult life running away from.”

• Roll Call: Former Rep. Duncan Hunter, who was convicted of misusing campaign funds, will serve his 11-month federal prison sentence at Federal Correctional Institute La Tuna in Anthony, Texas. • Kenneth in the 212: Catch up on the latest in LGBTQ publications including the photography of Jim Jordan on the cover of Numero Homme: • Instinct Magazine: Celebrating LGBTQ owned businesses – Rich Ferreira and Gabe Zichermann who created the delicious Two Spoons Creamery. • Election 2020: Sometimes political donations can be an interesting measure of voter enthusiasm. Check out some 3rd quarter fundraising reports from some contentious Senate races. In every case, the higher number belongs to the Democratic challenger. #ThingsThatMakeYouGoHmm

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Biden Campaign: Do Not Rely On Polls, Do Not Become ‘Complacent’ #VOTE

Former Vice President Joe Biden (via Instagram)
The Biden campaign is asking supporters to not let current polling results lull them into a false sense of security that the race is over. From the Washington Post:

In a memo obtained by The Washington Post, Biden campaign manager Jen O’Malley Dillon urged supporters to “campaign like we’re trailing” heading into the final weeks of the election.

“We cannot become complacent because the very searing truth is that Donald Trump can still win this race, and every indication we have shows that this thing is going to come down to the wire,” Dillon wrote.

Dillon encouraged supporters to use 2016 as a reminder that polling can be wrong and that it all comes down to who can secure the 270 electoral votes needed to win the presidency. While Hillary Clinton won the popular vote in 2016, reflecting national polls, Trump won an electoral college victory by winning several Midwestern states that previously had gone to the Democrats. In key battleground states, Dillon wrote, the “race is far closer than some of the punditry we’re seeing on Twitter and on TV would suggest.”

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New Music: Faultlines “Rain”

Ashley Morgan, John Flanagan, Todd McCool in “Rain” (screen capture)
Ashley Morgan and John Flanagan, of the folk-pop duo Faultlines, are causing a political storm with the re-release of their anti-Trump song, “Rain,” the first single from their next full album, Bittersweet Revival. “Rain” focuses its spotlight on the threat to women’s, LGBTQ, and immigrant rights. “As we are approaching the 2020 election, it’s so important to remind everyone that we cannot endure four more years,” says John Flanagan. “Donald Trump is not a president for the majority minority of America. We want to encourage everyone to get out and vote.” “I honestly wake up every morning and think there’s no way it can get worse than this,” Ashley Morgan reflects from her Los Angeles home. “Then I read the news and sure enough, it gets worse. I truly don’t understand how this man became our president when all he does is encourage violence, white supremacy, fear, and hatred.” Their unique brand of folk is a mashup of modern pop and roots country. Interestingly, the duo has become known for their signature three-part harmonies.  To achieve their sound, they rotate between two talented guitarists, Sean Beck and Todd McCool (who sings the third verse of “Rain”). “Rain” is available on all major digital platforms.

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John Kelly On Trump: ‘The Most Flawed Person I Have Ever Met’

Former White House Chief of Staff John Kelly (screen capture)
A new report set to air Sunday night says former White House chief of staff, retired Marine Gen. John Kelly, has told friends that President Donald Trump “is the most flawed person” he’s ever known. From CNN:

“The depths of his dishonesty is just astounding to me. The dishonesty, the transactional nature of every relationship, though it’s more pathetic than anything else. He is the most flawed person I have ever met in my life,” the retired Marine general has told friends, CNN has learned.

The reporting comes from a new CNN special to air Sunday night, “The Insiders: A Warning from Former Trump Officials,” in which former senior administration officials — including former national security adviser John Bolton, former Health and Human Services scientist Rick Bright and former Department of Homeland Security general counsel John Mitnick — explain why they think the President is unfit for office.

Kelly’s sentiments about the President’s transactional nature and dishonesty have been shared by other former members of the Trump administration who also appear in the special.

Olivia Troye, a former top adviser to Vice President Mike Pence, has said the President knew about the impact the coronavirus pandemic would have on the US by mid-February, but that “he didn’t want to hear it, because his biggest concern was that we were in an election year.”

Miles Taylor, a former DHS chief of staff who now serves as a CNN contributor, has asserted Trump essentially calls individuals within the federal government who disagree with him “deep state.”

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Chris Christie On Cavalier Coronavirus Attitude: “I Was Wrong”

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who participated in Donald Trump’s preparation before the first presidential debate (after which it was discovered Trump was coronavirus+), shares with USA Today the remorse he feels for not wearing a face mask amid the COVID-19 pandemic after he was diagnosed with the virus and had to be hospitalized for a week. From USA Today:

Former Gov. Chris Christie said Thursday he was “wrong” not to wear a mask in the days before testing positive for COVID-19, but that he felt at that time that he was in a “safe zone” because of frequent testing.

Having spent a week being treated for the disease caused by the coronavirus – in an intensive care unit – Christie said he had a chance for greater reflection about his actions and the virus.

“It is something to take very seriously. The ramifications are wildly random and potentially deadly,” Christie said in a statement, first reported by the New York Times. “No one should be happy to get the virus and no one should be cavalier about being infected or infecting others.” 

“I was wrong,” Christie said.

Christie shares that he was given access to “extraordinary treatments,” including the anti-viral Remdesivir and a cocktail by the pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly. He concluded those factors, which are not available to you nor I, “contributed to my good health today.”

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Halloween Costumes: This Cookie Monster Has His Eye On A Snack

Ray (left) and Zed (right) try out some sexy Halloween costumes (All images via Grindr)
Grindr asked real-life YouTube couple Zed and Ray to share some early Halloween fun by trying on some pretty sexy costumes in advance of the October 31 holiday. First up, the men serve up some Sesame Street realness as Cookie Monster and a Cookie snack. Ray is clearly feeling the vibe telling Zed (who looks snack AF), “I’m really ready to eat. Can I bite you?” Next up, the guys are an updated take on Cher and Dionne from the movie Clueless. Trust and believe, these guys do NOT wear polyester hair. “As if!” We knew some Disney characters had to be in the mix and sure enough, check out this sassy version of Jasmine and Aladdin. The men laugh as they try out a few lines from the animated film after scoping each other out: “A whole new world!!” Ray and Zed bring some swagger to Tigger and Pooh as Zed keeps telling Ray, “I really like this one on you.” Zed’s Pooh knows some honey when he sees it. The wonderful thing about Tiggers is Tiggers are wonderful things. A shirtless take on Troll dolls puts the men in a party mood as the guys don huge colorful wigs and face glitter. “Give me a Troll kiss,” says Zed, and Ray leans in for the smooch. There’s more in the clip, so hit the play button below. And make sure you hang in until the end to see which costumes the guys vibe with. You can follow Ray and Zed on YouTube here and on Instagram here.