RELIGIOUS COERCION, TOURBILLONS, INANITIES & DISINHIBITION

Steve Schmidt on his The Warning blog hosted by Substack, writes, “George Washington did not have the insight to realize that all men are created equal, despite fighting for a cause that declared it an unalienable truth. That said, he certainly had the foresight to see the danger of political parties to warp patriotism into tribalism. In his farewell address on September 17, 1796, he said this:

‘However [political parties] may now and then answer popular ends, they are likely in the course of time and things, to become potent engines, by which cunning, ambitious, and unprincipled men will be enabled to subvert power of the people and to usurp for themselves the reins of government, destroying afterwards the very engines which have lifted them to unjust dominion, as they accuse entire peoples of stealing and eating their neighbors pets.'”

Okay, okay…he didn’t say that last part nor did Schmidt write it, but Washington COULD have, had he given his farewell speech in 2024. Schmidt says, “the quote that defines a generation (‘They’re eating dogs!’), and an era that is exhausted, stale, ludicrous and coming to an end. Someday, someone somewhere is going to closely examine the inanity that occurred on CNN during the two hours that preceded the debate (with Kamala Harris) during which Trump psychologically decomposed on national television, and realize the scale of idiocies dressed up as commentary describing he greatest threat to freedom in America since 1860. Trump is most certainly an unserious man, but he is covered by a bevy of unserious people whose smugness blinds them to the reality that they make MAGA grow by fertilizing fascism with so much curiosity, wonder, and detachment. Standing for the proposition that what is cannot be, is as delusional as the fulminations from the deranged gentleman foaming at the mouth about immigrants eating dogs.”  Schmidt accuses CNN in the hours leading up to the debate of heralding Trump as Muhammad Ali incarnate, with Harris being mocked as an empty vessel. MAGA VP candidate, JD Vance, had claimed that Haitian migrants were “causing chaos all over Springfield, Ohio,” by abducting and eating pets, so naturally the former president spouted that charge during the debate. Cue up the bomb threats by crazies toward schools and public buildings in Springfield!

Schmidt takes Ohio Governor Mike DeWine to task over an editorial he wrote defending Battlefield Springfield and its residents, with Schmidt’s calling his piece a struggle between the lie and truth. DeWine describes how he was born in the town, tells of his familiarity with businesses, churches and events, and mentions a rich history of providing refuge for the oppressed and being a place of opportunity, and how it hit tough times in the ’80s and ’90s. He feels Springfield has a very bright future, praising the Haitians who arrived there to make their dreams come true…the American story. He expresses his disappointment that it is now the epicenter of vitriol over the national immigration policy, but here is where DeWine veers off-track according to Schmidt. “Understanding what has happened is materially and significantly different from how it happened, no matter what the event may be. Why is DeWine willing to tell the truth about what is happening…the people being smeared, but afraid to tell the truth about how it happened and why it happened?” he asks. DeWine writes, “As a supporter of former President Donald Trump and Senator JD Vance, I am saddened by how they and others continue to repeat claims that lack evidence and disparage the legal migrants living in Springfield. This rhetoric hurts the city and its people, and it hurts those who have spent their lives here.” Schmidt goes for the jugular, “Come again? Repeating claims? That’s what happened? Really? Why won’t Mike DeWine tell the truth about Donald Trump and JD Vance?…a career public servant, a governor, a father of eight, grandfather of 28, great-grandfather of one, husband of 56 years…in his last years of public life, pushing 80 years old, and not defending his hometown from the men assaulting it? What does Trump have on him?”

Schmidt says that DeWine’s choice is common and typical, a perfect specimen of a fascist apologist…a little man in a job too big for him when courage is in retreat and viciousness is the only virtue that matters within a party led by a rapist and criminal promising retribution, revenge, and violent mass arrests and deportations against his enemies…a hollow man kneeling to a vicious man. If we ever want to know what really happened in Springfield, and everything that mattered in ten years of MAGA, read DeWine’s essay. National Review’s editor-in-chief, Rich Lowry, explains: “Banking on evil is the strategy, and Mike DeWine has played his part. He is an appeaser and a weakling.”

On Fox News’ Media Buzz program, Democratic strategist Tim Hogan pointed out that Biden’s Homeland Security removed a higher percentage of arrested border crossers in its first two years than the Trump administration did in its last two. “You had Karl Rove on this network yesterday talking about the numbers on immigration. Yes, it’s still an advantage for Trump, but that is sliding away from him in some battleground states…in Arizona. But also, nationally, so I think it is smart to go at some of his advantages, and also, when he talks about the issue, sometimes he slips into lunacy,” he charged. “Lunacy?” questioned host Howard Kurtz. Hogan reminded Kurtz, “We saw it during the debate where he’s talking about losing cats and dogs.” Kurtz had to admit, “Well, yeah, and that one I can’t defend.”

Finally, The New York Times has come to its senses, with the editorial board endorsing Kamala Harris for president, claiming that Trump’s “first term was a warning and that a second term would be much more damaging and divisive” than his first stint. Kamala is described as a “dedicated public servant” with “a set of thoughtful plans to help American families,” with the November election being about something “more foundational” than two candidates’ competing visions for the country. The editorial board concludes, “It is about whether we invite into the highest office in the land a man who has revealed, unmistakably, that he will degrade the values, defy the norms and dismantle the institutions that have made our country strong,” adding, “It is hard to imagine a candidate more unworthy to serve as president of the United States than Donald Trump,” a man who “has proven himself morally unfit for an office that asks its occupant to put the good of the nation above self-interest.” The Times says, “He rambles, he repeats himself, he roams from thought to thought…some of them hard to understand, some them unfinished, some of them factually fantastical. He voices outlandish claims that seem to be made up out of whole cloth. He digresses into bizarre tangents about golf, about sharks, about his own ‘beautiful body.’ He relishes ‘a great day in Louisiana’ after actually spending a day in Georgia. He expresses fear that North Korea is ‘trying to kill me’ when he presumably means Iran. As late as last month, Mr. Trump was still speaking as if he were running against President Biden, five weeks after Biden’s withdrawal from the race.” In an interview, he vividly recounted how the audience at his debate with VP Harris was on his side…“they went crazy.” Only problem being it was in an empty hall…no audience to go crazy or otherwise!

A computer analysis conducted by The New York Times in cooperation with ChatGPT reveals that Trump speeches now drone on for 82 minutes on average, compared to 45 minutes in 2016, and proportionately, he uses 13% more all-or-nothing terms like “always” and “never” than in 2016. In the same vein, he uses 32% more negative words than positive words currently, as compared to his first run for office, an indicator of cognitive change; plus, he uses swearwords 69% more often, a trend experts would call ‘disinhibition.’ His comparing Joe Biden’s physique in a bathing suit to that of Cary Grant’s at the same age? Let’s not go there, and let’s skip his claim about his own body – “You have never seen a body so beautiful.” His expertise on any subject is his pride and joy, being well-versed on “nuclear” because “my uncle…yada, yada yada…” Claiming that Venezuelan gangs are arming themselves “with MK-47s…I know that gun very well” since “I’ve become an expert on guns.” Probably meant AK-47s, you think? A Times reporter is annoyed that “it’s not possible to really cover him because he challenges news media process daily, has for years. The systems were not built to deal with somebody who says things that are not true as often as he does or speaks as incoherently as he often does.”

Jon Shore, who identifies himself as a psychotherapist, asks on Quora, “Does Trump’s peddling $100,000 gold and diamond watches make him more relatable to the middle class?” Jon has looked over the website for the Trump watches, reading the fine print, and doing some research, which has led him to these conclusions: The watches don’t exist at this moment; watches not guaranteed to look like product in the photos (for illustration purposes only); watches aren’t returnable; not Swiss made, Chinese made; sold by a fake company in Sheridan, WY, a lawyer’s office from which Trump tchotchkes are hawked, along with sex toys and various other products by unnamed companies; and, watches shipped worldwide. So, if you want to send Donald Trump $100,000, order as many as you wish…doesn’t matter if the product is real, fake or non-existent…just send lots of money. Shore is calling it a typical Trump scam. He doesn’t have to disclose buyers, whether they are Russian oligarchs, Saudi princes or even Elon Musk…it’s simply ‘personal funds’ for unlimited campaign cash. Where’s the Justice Department when you need…oh yeah, never mind!

A distinctive and anachronistic feature of the Trump watch is the use of a tourbillon (a French word for ‘whirlwind’), an 18th century invention used for improving timekeeping accuracy by suspending the components in a rotating cage, therefore counteracting the effects of gravity. The device is no longer functionally necessary with advances existing in today’s watches. But Swiss brands such as Patek Phillipe and Audemars Piguet have used them for years to signify status and success, with their brands costing $250,000 plus, so Trump is touting his watches as “not just any watch; it is one of the best watches made.” TAG Heuer offers one of its versions for less than $25K, and Seagull Watch Company in China sells one for around $1,700. Vintage-watch dealer, Mike Nouveau, calculated the value of some of the watch’s parts, coming up with a reckoning far below the retail price of $100K, saying that any company can order a tourbillon off the shelf and stick it in their watch. The 200 grams of gold and the 100 diamonds might give the Trump watch an added value of $16K, and with fabrication added, the final cost to make each is probably between $20K and $30K. The timepiece’s movement is actually Swiss-made by Olivier Mory of OM Mechanics but the company making the purchase will be producing the final product elsewhere, with Mory not concerned about his movements being used by a brand tied to Trump. He remarked, “I don’t have to be interested by a foreign politician…I don’t see any reason to be ashamed as movement producer. The US political system is like coming from another planet.” Only with if Trump’s name is on the dial face!

The real border crisis in America raised its ugly head last week…the one between church and state…when Oklahoma Superintendent of Schools, Ryan Walters, submitted a request for $3M from the Department of Education to buy 55,000 Bibles for placement in the state’s classrooms. Not only is he pushing Bibles, he’s mounting a scheme to enrich Donald Trump with taxpayer dollars. Seems that the requirements laid down by Walters fit only the Trump-endorsed ‘God Bless the USA Bible’ which raised cries of ‘corruption and manipulation.’ The Oklahoma Watch reported on a fresh wave of criticism in several areas, one of which pounced on the former president’s grifting, in particular with Bibles. Broad efforts have been ongoing by Christian nationalist organizers to assert themselves into the state GOP, encouraging that taxpayer monies be spent to place religious books in public school classrooms. The vendors who bid on the contract for the classroom Bibles must specifically provide the King James Version, with Old and New Testaments, must include copies of the Pledge of Allegiance, Declaration of Independence, US Constitution, and the Bill of Rights, with a binding of leather or leather-like material. One vendor carries 2,900 Bibles, but none fit the specs…only one fills the bill…Lee Greenwood’s God Bless the USA Bible, endorsed by Donald Trump, who gets a fee for lending his name to the cesspool. Superintendent Walters said, “We are going to be so proud here in Oklahoma to be the first state in the country to bring the Bible back to every single classroom and every state should be doing this…President Trump praised our efforts. President Trump has been a leader on this issue.” Well, gaaaahly, gee whiz! Why would that be? Prior to the Trump Bible issue, civil rights groups had spent months sounding the alarm over Walters’ push to mandate Christian teachings in public schools.

Rachel Laser, president and CEO of Americans United, released a statement saying, “Oklahoma taxpayers should not be forced to bankroll Superintendent Walters’ Christian nationalist agenda. His latest scheme is a transparent, unlawful effort to indoctrinate and religiously coerce public school students. Not on our watch. Public schools are not Sunday schools.” Experts are warning that contract specifications might actually represent a breach of state law, since they seem to target only one edition of the Bible…the Greenwood/Trump publication. “It appears to me that this bid is anything but competitive,” former state Attorney General Drew Edmondson told The Oklahoman newspaper. “It adds to the basic specification other requirements that have nothing to do with the text. The special binding and inclusion of government documents will exclude almost all bidders. If the bid specs exclude most bidders unnecessarily, I would consider that a violation.” The Atlantic’s David Graham calls the situation “incredible grift,” and Talking Points Memo’s Josh Marshall declared it “somewhere between hilarious and grotesque.”  While you’re at it, why not go for the watches too, Oklahoma? Those tourbillons will fit right into your very essence!

The Nebraska GOP’s sneaky attack to change their electoral voting system from a 2/3 split among their five electors to a winner-take-all rule was thwarted last week, which will likely give one vote to Kamala Harris instead of all five to Trump in November’s election. The state legislature couldn’t manage to get the votes together for inclusion of a heavily Democratic district into their MAGA cesspool, which could give Harris a bit of an edge in the final Electoral College result. Republicans still have a month to figure out their next attack plan.

North Carolina’s governor’s race lays scattered in ruins since the revelations about ‘Black Nazi’ and Lt. Governor Mark Robinson’s past adventures on porn sites, and his posting of inappropriate comments popping up to derail his gubernatorial candidacy. Several of his campaign staffers promptly resigned, but since then several conservative donors are now wondering how money was spent, especially since his campaign had been lagging behind so badly. The New York Times reports that the departure of chief consultant Conrad Pogorzelski, and finance director Heather Whillier has led to increased scrutiny of the campaign’s expenses, with Pogorzelski taking around $2M and Whillier’s group being paid $1.3M from the coffers which reported $15.8M on hand at July’s end. Former chair of the University of North Carolina, Harry Smith, admitted that he contributed $6,400, expressing regret that he had donated to Robinson with whom he wasn’t very impressed with from the start, as he confessed that Josh Stein will get his vote anyway. Panic took over the state’s GOP with the developments, and some members of Robinson’s team sought help from the Trump campaign to convince their candidate to drop out of the race. Of course it was too late to remove the Lt. Governor’s name from the ballot, and military ballots and overseas voter ballots were already in the pipeline; besides, who would stand in his place as a candidate? Plus, the Trump campaign had no comment, and even Donald Trump being asked for comment by a reporter, only brought his standard reply, “I know nothing about the situation.” He obviously felt he didn’t need to get into another hot mess.

Despite being a detriment to GOP prospects up and down the statewide ballot, Robinson says he is standing pat, so far, all in the face of critics blaming the party for getting into this fiasco. With many Republican leaders touting his candidacy, and Trump’s promise of an endorsement, they blundered ahead, with the national party looking the other way in spite of the many unseemly comments Robinson had uttered publicly. Robinson was probably vetted to a point, but his awfulness was accepted because he was a new, diverse, and magnetic voice for the North Carolina party. Party stalwarts who knew of his weaknesses, about some of his baggage, were horrified at Trump’s pledge for an endorsement, knowing they were rendered impotent to speak out against this apparent rising star. State treasurer, Dale Folwell, says, “Robinson was selected by former president Trump and other party officials who elevated him, and those officials and their consultants did know, should have known, or didn’t want to know about Robinson’s flaws. The party I joined nearly fifty years ago was based on conservatism, common sense, courtesy, humanity, humility, and ethics…not counterfeit conservatives like Mark Robinson who think they can build our party by people who to hate.” With Robinson’s vow to remain in the race, the state GOP concluded the damage had been done, end of conversation.

Another politician has fallen into his own trap, this time a Democrat; New York City Mayor Eric Adams was indicted last week on five federal charges of bribery, fraud, corruption and soliciting illegal foreign campaign donations. As Jimmy Fallon said on ‘The Tonight Show,’ “Its’ always fun when the city mimics the exact plot of the ‘Batman’ movie.” Adams is accused of accepting over $100K worth of free plane tickets and hotel stays from wealthy Turkish nationals and a government official. Fallon joked, “Adams insisted that he’s innocent and made it clear that he has no intention of resigning…unless ‘someone wants to give me $100K to go away. And then maybe we’ll talk about it.'”

Then, we have the case of GOP Mayor Doug Diny of Wausau, WI, who contracted right-wing-bird fever, then dressed up as a maintenance man…hard hat, work gloves, and Department of Public Works Department jacket, and perhaps steel-toed boots…so he could remove a ballot drop box outside the city hall. Moved it to his office for security! Right!..a guarantee to securely reduce the number of ballot box locations for those exercising their voting rights! Mayor Doug said, “I’m a staff member…nothing nefarious going on here…I’m hoping for a good result.” Your Groucho eyebrows, glasses, nose and mustache are slipping down your face, sir. Diny says the city clerk should have sought permission from the city council before situating the box, even after the state Supreme Court had just ruled in July that city clerks were the decision makers for best accessibility for the voting public. Of course, Mr. Vigilante Mayor feels that the best solution is to use a dolly to wheel the offending ballot box into his office closet…make those voters appreciate the value of the vote. Diny is now under criminal investigation in Marathon County, his act being a felony for impeding “the free exercise of the franchise at an election” – due to ignorance, ineptitude, or obtuseness? You choose.

Or, how about Portage County Ohio Sheriff Bruce D. Zuchowski who asked his followers on Facebook to “write down” the address of those who place Harris-Walz campaign signs on their front lawns, in order for him to drop off any undocumented immigrants, or “Illegal Human Locusts” in his words, who turn up. “They’ll need a place to live, so we’ll have addresses of their new families who support their arrival,” he says. Trump won Portage County in 2020, but recent polling points to thousands who support Harris-Walz, undoubtedly to the complete consternation of Sheriff Z.

Donald Trump is being obliged to play his concertina as he enters the stage at his rallies, since most musicians have protested his non-pernitted use of their recordings. He feels disadvantaged that he doesn’t play the guitar, but since he regularly claims that he is “greater than Elvis…the greatest of all time,” and draws bigger crowds, he won’t be buying one soon…though perhaps selling autographed instruments may be on the horizon as he attempts to grift every dollar from the pockets of his base. His latest grift is selling $100K watches, joining the trove of non-fungible tokens, Bibles, or your choice of assassination-themed or gold sneakers. As JD Vance says, “People can’t afford to buy eggs today!” – but maybe they can scrape up a few thou for a Trump tchotchke. And the watches may be appropriate in Senator Marco Rubio’s eyes, who in 2016 suggested Trump would be “selling watches in Manhattan” absent his father’s fortune. Former RNC chair Michael Steele excoriated the former president as a “two-bit huckster,” and Republicans Against Trump mocked him as “truly a man of the people.” Yep, a man of the people who needs their money to fund his failing campaign, pay his legal fees and shore up Truth Social! In all fairness, he is offering a “Fight, Fight, Fight” version of the watch for only $499, which features on the back an image of Trump with his fist in the air ala the post-assassination photograph…but it’s not political he claims.

On his show, Jimmy Kimmel blasted “Trump’s brand crap to sell to his lemmings,” dubbing the watch “Ro-Lex Luthor.” He played the commercial ad for the watch line, to which he responded, “Trump time, by the way, is five to seven years or four with good behavior.” Kimmel didn’t give Melania a break after her appearance on Fox News to promote her upcoming memoir release. “We now see Melania on the same schedule as Punxsutawney Phil, since rarely does Fox News allow a brunette to appear on their shows,” he jabbed. The book, ‘Melania,’ sits atop the Amazon.com best-seller list for pre-orders as doubting-Thomases speculate how many have been purchased by the Trump Crime Syndicate to manipulate the publicity prior to the release date. Kimmel then switched to Rudy Giuliani who was just disbarred from practicing law in Washington, DC, suggesting a New York City mayor opening might be arising soon now that he needs a new gig, especially with current Mayor Eric Adams‘ tenure looking pretty iffy. Kimmel said Democrats are hinting that Adams should step down with his new legal troubles, but encouragingly, “Republicans are urging him to run for governor of North Carolina.” In a poke at Donald Trump who called Kimmel “one of the dumbest human beings ever…what a dope,” he responded with, “Isn’t that sweet…he’s confusing me with one of his sons again!” The Tonight Show’s Jimmy Fallon also got in on the watch grift, saying, “Your can tell it’s a Trump watch because of the tiny hands. Also, if you try to set it to military time, it says, ‘Sorry, I have bone spurs.'”

Two election prognosticators have joined the heated social media posts on their presidential election predictions, in the midst of the many polling result that appear on a daily basis. American University professor Allan Lichtman, who has gained notoriety by correctly predicting nine of the last ten elections, using his ’13 Keys’ method. Political pollster Nate Silver, founder of website Five Thirty Eight, now known as 538, is questioning Lichtman’s readings of his own numbers, saying his keys clearly favor Trump instead of Harris-Walz as he has previously indicated. Silver asks if Lichtman is being “totally arbitrary,” with Lichtman responding that Silver “doesn’t have the faintest idea how to turn the keys.” Silver says that although the Democratic ticket leads national polls by nearly three points, but Trump-Vance have a 56.2% chance of winning the Electoral College. Lichtman maintains that Silver is not a historian or political scientist, and has no academic credentials, while touting their opposing views on Obama’s 2010 re-election. Silver hit back at Lichtman on X with, “He is comically overconfident and doesn’t own up to the subjectivities in his method.” as the X audience cheered on the shouting match. Capitol Forum reporter Paul McCleod commented, “If you don’t know what they’re talking about this whole exchange looks like two wizards bickering.”

A data scientist from Northwestern University, Thomas Miller, has developed a model that uses info from political betting sites rather than polls, outperforming those using multiple voter surveys in three 2020 contests. Miller contends that political betting sites are best at “predicting the wisdom of the crowd,” with polling data being backward-looking. The betting sites have a steady stream of investors, thus a better measure of future outcomes. “It’s gone from a drastic landslide in Trump’s direction to a drastic landslide for Harris,” according to Miller, who adds that it would take an equally dramatic shift in Trump’s favor for the former president to move back into contention…as things stand now it appears as if Harris will win big in November. Shawn Tully, in a Fortune piece, writes: “Miller’s view merits close attention for two basic reasons. First, it’s based on numbers-crunching that’s arguably a lot more scientific than the voter surveys cited in charting the contest’s trajectory, and second, he achieved pinpoint accuracy four years ago.” So there we have it…jump on the winning bandwagon and leave the clown car in the dust!

Tim Walz posted a short video from his campaign stop at H&H Soul Food in Macon, Georgia last week, the main subject being a wall sign that reads, “Mind your own biscuits and life will be gravy.” Serve us up, Tim!