Dale will be back!

A MOTION TO VACATE THE COURTROOM FOR COKES AND HAMBERDERS
Reporter Olivia Beavers of Politico posted a report last week that a sub-group of the House Freedom Caucus activated its Floor Action Response Team (F.A.R.T.) to thwart any attempts by associates of Speaker Mike Johnson from making moves to diminish the Caucus’ power…this coming prior to the key votes on foreign aid to Israel, Taiwan, and Ukraine. Calls for Johnson’s removal from his Speaker’s position in the debate leading up to the aid vote was precipitated by Marjorie Taylor Greene who has since been joined by a handful of other disgruntled House members who are decidedly in the minority at this point. Of the $95 billion, $61billion will go to Kyiv, $9 billion of which is in the form of “forgivable loans.” Kentucky’s Representative, Thomas Massie, one of the ‘F.A.R.T.’ supporters has asked Johnson to resign, as his team works to monitor the chamber to block any sudden rule changes by the GOP leadership which might lead to a reduction in power of the Freedom Caucus through raising the vote threshold governing removal of a House Speaker. Johnson has said he would attempt no changes to the ‘motion to vacate’ rule, as did Kevin McCarthy when he held that post…but his concession is likely to be in vain as his position is very tenuous. Author and former House Republican, Denver Riggleman, responded to Beavers’ post, “Actually, I have a source that tells me it’s the ‘Wrong Every Time Floor Action Response Team,’ a loud and slippery crew. Beware.” A New Yorker, ‘BrooklynDad_Defiant,’ posted, “House Republicans have just formed a Floor Action Response Team in order to fend off silent but deadly attempts to curb their influence. Total clown show, folks.” MSNBC contributor, Charlie Sykes, added his post: “Beyond parody.”

Finding no humor in the House’s new team formation will be those sitting in the courtroom of Judge Juan Merchan, where one flatulent sleepyhead, Donald J. Trump, is being tried for falsifying business records to conceal hush-money payments to Stormy Daniels as part of his strategy to influence voters in the 2016 presidential election. The former president has appeared to be dozing off several times during the trial, but Jimmy Kimmel is convinced that his attorneys are tranquilizing him to knock back his outbursts, with Judge Merchan having to caution the defense team on one occasion to instruct their client to remain quiet as prospective jurors were being questioned. Stephen Colbert couldn’t hold back with his comments, saying, “Yesterday, Trump fell asleep during the proceedings. He took a little ‘white power’ nap. But today he was sharp, focused but he fell asleep again. And in a totally unrelated story, there’s a national Adderall shortage. No relation. Trump must have snoozed for awhile because the court sketch artist had time to draw him. Well, I think we have a new mascot for Celestial Seasonings: Sleepy Crime Tea.” Social media jumped on the bandwagon with new nicknames: ‘Sleepy Don’ and ‘Don Snoreleone’…where’s the MyPillow guy when he’s really needed? JoJoFromJerz posts: “Honestly, let him sleep. Wheel him into a fake Oval Office on the back nine of Trump National Golf Course, tell him he’s president, hand him a Diet Coke and a “hamberder,” play a nature video, quietly close the door, and walk away.”

Defendant Trump dozed off intermittently during the first two days of his criminal trial, and though this could land him in prison, ending his political ambitions, he doesn’t show an interest, or understand what’s occurring, a sign of worsening senility? Day number three saw him pulling out his cell phone to check messages, prompting an attorney to stop him, which earned him a glaring look of annoyance. Trump will only continue to show his defiance, since it will have a magical ending for him in his thinking, but this immature behavior only points to mental incompetence. The Don is not one to sit around for eight hours at a time on public view, a very boring sentence for the candidate who does a rally speech, then disappears to tally the money flowing into his coffers as the highlight of his day. Unable to focus or stay awake, even forgetting that a trial is in progress, is what most clinical observers would expect from a patient with severe dementia, or is it too much posting of his rants on Truth Social until the early hours?

Bocha Blue posts on The Palmer Report that he sees something terribly wrong with Trump’s hair. At first, he thought it could only be his imagination, but a Morning Joe segment validated his concern about Trump’s appearance…verbal gaffes aside. Trump’s vanity is well known, always wanting to look ‘spiffy,’ but now DJT’s hair is beginning to “look worse than Matt Gaetz’s.” The Morning Joe panel calls the usual hair color ‘Carrot Orange.’ Blue now terms it as a cross of “orange algae coupled with bits of baby food…our insurrectionist has invented a new color.” He says Trump has taken his hair color to new heights, but hasn’t noticed how horrible it looks…looking harsh, an unbecoming color that makes him look old. The only advantage being that this newly named “Algae Orange‘ “might match his orange prison jumpsuit.” Porn star, Stormy Daniels, in the recent documentary entitled, ‘Stormy,’ tells Seth Rogan about a conversation she once had with Trump regarding his hair. He told her about a Samson-and-Delilah-like dream from which he concluded that his power rested in his hair, and losing it would mean a loss of power and stature, a superstition he still observes quite obviously.

Speaking of mental incompetence, Aldous J. Pennyfarthing writes that Trump’s first campaign ruined everyone’s mental health for a full decade, while claiming he hired “only the best people” for his administration…which translates to hiring the best in his estimation, only to fire them almost immediately. Or, keeping them around long enough for them to realize the president was a dangerous affront to democracy, resulting in a departure and becoming unqualified “losers” to their former boss. Of course, as everyone knows by now, Trump’s greatest weaknesses are compassion and generosity of spirit, so he simple couldn’t help himself at hiring awful, unqualified losers who were begging him for a job. Pennyfarthing says, “Unfortunately, when you make over your party to appeal strictly to lowlifes, your applicant pool becomes pretty shallow, and the dose of chlorine needed to disinfect it could melt the eyeballs out of every skull within a 15-mile radius.”

Which brings up the subject of GOP vetting as revealed by a HuffPost article: A DJT county campaign chair in New Hampshire lost his job as a police officer after threatening to kill colleagues in a shooting spree, to murder the department chief and rape the chief’s wife, simply as retaliation for his suspension over a relationship with a high school girl…Trump’s kind of guy? Ten years later, this guy, Jonathan Stone, currently a second-term state rep, was picked as Trump’s Sullivan County chair in June 2023, because he gifted Trump an inscribed AR-15 assault rifle at a 2016 campaign stop. Aldous J. comments, “Just a few bad apples? Well, no…sadly, this is kind of a pattern. Ever since Sarah Palin made addlepated-ignorance great again, Republicans have been trying to extra hard to separate the wheat from the chaff, but unfortunately, they tend to throw out both the wheat and the chaff, keeping Herschel Walker instead. In other words, when it comes to vetting candidates, employees, and county campaign chairs, Republicans are simply awful, and arguably getting awful-er. It should have been clear from the outset that Walker was a terrible candidate, but apparently no one knew his Georgia Senate campaign wasn’t the only abortion he’d been financing.”

Continuing, we can consider “New York Representative George Santos, the biggest vetting fail in American political history…if you disregard Trump himself. The Jew-ISH congressman was a font of scandals and controversies, all of which slipped under the GOP’s glowing red Eye of Sauron. And, we can’t forget the current Hitler-quoting Lt. Governor of North Carolina and gubernatorial hopeful, Mark Robinson, who never saw a forced birth he didn’t like. Robinson and wife, Yolanda, have filed for bankruptcy three times since 1998, and failed to file income taxes for years 1998 to 2002. Next up is Montana’s GOP senatorial candidate, Tim Sheehy, who lied to a national park ranger about the origin of a bullet wound in his arm, claiming it was a war wound. Sheehy was fined in 2015 for discharging a gun in Glacier National Park after a hospital reported his injury to law enforcement, about which he claimed his Colt .45 had accidentally discharged when it fell to the ground. Later, he told the Washington Post he sustained the wound in Afghanistan as a Navy Seal in 2012, but failed to report it in fears that it may have come from ‘friendly fire’ that would spark an investigation of his platoon. He deserves the Purple Chickenheart medal.”

It has now come to light that Texas Representative Ronny Jackson (former White House doctor who concluded that Trump could live to age 200, with a better diet, or by eating Kentucky Fried Chicken & Donuts Sandwiches, acknowledged to be a superfood chock-full of antioxidants) allegedly over-prescribed meds during his DC tenure with Trump. Sleeping/wakefulness medications were freely handed out, precipitating a power struggle with another physician, resulting in decimated morale in the Medical Unit. Jackson is also facing allegations that he drank on the job, but evidently that didn’t stop his boss from nominating him to head the Department of Veterans Affairs, from which he withdrew after charges of inadequate vetting for the position. CNN is suggesting a pattern of deliberate negligence, one example being that Representative John Ratcliffe in 2019 withdrew from consideration as Trump’s director of national intelligence over concerns that he was dangerously unqualified, having exaggerated portions of his résumé. So, what does Trump do? According to Pennyfarthing, “In 2020, Trump would renominate Ratcliffe – who remained dangerously unqualified – and he skated through on a party-line vote.”

It didn’t matter to Trump that his administration had failed to perform even a cursory vetting of Ratcliffe, or any nominee, and that he made announcements without the participation of any adults…besides, that kind of work was best left up to the enemy of the people…the press! Trump explained to a reporter that he likes to disclose a name to journalists, who then do background checks, saving “a lot of money” for the government, as they uncover embarrassing details about the nominee, who then slinks away into hiding. Pennyfarthing concludes, “Of course, the half-assed vetting goes way, way back to the OG GOP embarrassment, Sarah Palin, who announced shortly after becoming John McCain’s running mate that her unwed teenage daughter was pregnant, très gauche to 2000s-era Republicans! The McCain camp had also somehow failed to discover before it was too late that her head was stuffed with newspapers – ALL OF THEM! So what does that tell us? That the party that elevated Donald Trump is lazy, irredeemable, and a really horrible judge of character? Well, yeah. But also: They don’t seem to care much about any of that. After all, what are they going to do? Hire sane, qualified people? If they did that, they wouldn’t be Republicans, now would they?”

And, just for clarification…as Trump recently stated in a New Hampshire speech, “Which is incapable of salvin’ even the swollest, smallest problem. We are an institute in a powerful death penalty. We will put this on. And they calmly walk to us see, and ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding. They’ve only got 17 seconds to figure this whole thing out. Bomp. Okay. Missile launch, psheem, pfoom.” Sounds akin to the anonymous haiku: “Haikus are easy. But sometimes they don’t make sense. Refrigerator.” We have just over six months to arrive at our own sense of clarity.

REPENTANCE STILL STANDING ON THE PRECIPICE OF 1864

Well…seems that most of us are still standing after Georgia’s Marjorie Taylor Greene warned after the 4.8 magnitude earthquake centered in New Jersey was a warning from God for our citizens to “repent,” whatever that means. Mentioning the upcoming eclipse, she said, “God is sending America strong signs to tell us to repent…earthquakes and eclipses and many more things to come. I pray that our country listens.” While earthquakes are still unpredictable, we have all been informed about common occurrences of eclipses long before they happen. Her faith, and reliance on conspiracy theories explains complex or tragic events for her, a self-described “Christian Nationalist” who calls anyone who doesn’t agree with her an “America and God-hater.” The Southern Poverty Law Center has called out “white Christian Nationalism” as extremism that stands against Muslims, the LGBTQ+ community, and other minority groups. Greene’s current temper tantrum is directed at House Speaker Johnson for dealing with Democrats on the budget, and over his waffling on the US aid to Ukraine issue, prompting her to file a motion to vacate the speaker’s chair, and throwing the House into turmoil once again. ‘House Screamer’ Marge compared Johnson to Senate Minority Leader McConnell, saying, “People are fed up with Republicans that say one thing and turn around and literally join the flock and just continue the same old crap everybody’s tired of…Johnson has turned into Mitch’s twin, and worse, he’s a Democrat. There’s not even any daylight between him and Nancy Pelosi at this point.” Whew! Last week’s meeting between Johnson and former president Trump at Mar-a-Lago may cause her to repent and temper her tantrum after Trump praised the speaker’s efforts. As for ousting Johnson from his speaker position, Representative Matt Gaetz cautioned that in doing so, “We may end up with a Democrat in that slot,” recalling the difficulty in landing Johnson in the spot. And, Greene could never qualify for the position, as much as she probably desires…indeed, who could possibly fill the ‘screamer’ position? Marge may not be the dumbest person on the planet, but she’s probably glad that Lauren Boebert is still standing.

Actually, a non-office holder who would certainly qualify for that ‘screamer’ title would be comedian Roseanne Barr who distinguished herself recently at a Mar-a-Lago fund raiser for Arizona’s senatorial candidate, Kari Lake. Facing the camera and holding her glass of wine, she said to college students in particular, “Hey, Old Row, how are you doing? I’m here at Mar-a-Lago supporting Kari Lake, and it was a fantastic evening. And our Trump is here being the DJ, and I’ve just danced and everyone’s amazed. So, I’m just saying to you, please drop out of college, because it’s going to ruin your lives. Do me a favor, drop out, they don’t teach you nothing good. Email me, or Twitter me, or whatever you want, call me and I’ll help your with your life, but you gotta get out of college ’cause it isn’t nothing but devil-worshiping, baby-blood-drinking Democrat donors. Love ya.” Ms Barr is known for her support of QAnon and delving into political conspiracies, especially the alleged secret plot by the ‘deep state’ and a cabal of Satan-worshiping pedophiles opposing Trump. It is known that Barr dropped out of school at age 17, and about the same time she sustained a traumatic brain injury from being hit by a car which led to her hospitalization in a Utah mental health facility for several months. In 2012, she went after the Green Party’s presidential nomination and eventually received votes from the Peace and Freedom Party. Upon Trump’s entry into the 2016 presidential race, she supported him, saying, “I think we would be so lucky if Trump won. Because then it wouldn’t be Hillary. I like Trump because he financed his own campaign. That’s the only way he could have gotten the nomination. Because nobody wants a president who isn’t from Yale or Harvard and in the club.” Barr was fired from her self-titled ABC network show in 2018 after posting a racist tweet about former Obama administration official Valerie Jarrett, and last year she had a YouTube podcast pulled for screaming hate speech about Jews and the Holocaust. Maybe she can get an endorsement from Marjorie Taylor Greene’s Peach and Freestone Party now.

With no heavenly, or MTG, retribution following the big eclipse event, Stephen Colbert made light of news coverage of the celestial happening. A CNN broadcast ran the chyron “Animals at Dallas Zoo react to total solar eclipse,” about which Colbert joked, “Thank you, CNN. That is news you can use. I wish they’d give more animal takes on current events. I want to see “Breaking: Ringtail lemur reacts to RFK Jr.’s VP pick.” An item about an ostrich laying an egg brought his response: “No offense but laying an egg is one of the things that ostriches do. Not sure if that’s news. Call me when an ostrich poaches an egg.” He then called out FoxNews for having “the dumbest coverage of this event.” The cable news channel declared that immigrants were dressing in dark clothing and using the eclipse to sneak across the US-Mexico border. “They won’t get another opportunity like that until tonight,” Colbert smirked. Of course our former president had to be called out for running a fan-base-created ad of a photo-enlarged Trump head slowly eclipsing the sun, making the occurrence “all about him.”

Another made-to-order event for citizen Trump popped up at a Chick-fil-A restaurant in Atlanta last week, all arranged by Michaelah Montgomery, a conservative activist and founder of Conserve the Culture. The organization recruits and educates college students and young alumni at Atlanta’s historically Black colleges and universities, mainly Morehouse and Spelman Colleges, which have turned out many prominent and influential graduates, as well as Clark Atlanta University and Morris Brown College both of which have been strongholds pre-dating the Civil Rights era. The area is noted for supporting Democrats, and the GOP is making a thrust to win Black support based on Trump’s messages criticizing Biden’s economic and immigration policies. The campaign’s playing on racial stereotypes, emphasizing Trump’s $399 sneakers, and stressing the many felonious charges against Trump, has offended the African American community from which support is needed. Michaelah Montgomery says, “People find it hard to believe that there are young Black people who would have loved the opportunity to meet Trump,” and she moved quickly upon finding that he would visit the Vine City neighborhood during a fund raiser. Notifying a group of like-minded students, she found interest in gathering at Chick-fil-A to meet the president’s entourage, and she is offended by the media’s depiction of the meeting as a coincidence.

Bill White, a businessman and friend of Trump felt the entire day was a success and bodes well for events across the country aimed at Black voters. Jasmine Harris of the Biden campaign criticized the restaurant meet-up, saying, “Thinking Black voters relate to Donald Trump because he spent twenty minutes handing out freebies at a fast food restaurant is yet another insult to our intelligence – and perfect example of just how disingenuous Trump’s outreach to voters continues to be.” Nevertheless, the ostentatious visit was not met with accolades by students on campus, or in the local community, while Montgomery denounced the criticisms of those she had brought together for the gathering. “They are claiming that the students made a mockery of their institutions and saying that they are disrespecting their ancestors. It is really, really bad,” she lamented. Trump’s argument that he is a victim of political persecution has culminated in his comparing himself to the likes of Nelson Mandela, Alexei Navalny, and Jesus, with his comment, “And a lot of people said that’s why the Black people like me, because they have been hurt so badly and discriminated against, and they actually viewed me as I’m being discriminated against. It’s been pretty amazing but possibly, maybe, there’s something there.” Bryan Tyler Cohen’s website, @Advocacy, reports, “A video of a Trump supporter who hugged the presumptive Republican nominee and shouted out support during a visit to an Atlanta Chick-fil-A turned out to be a Republican operative according to social media posts reviewed by Meidas Touch: ‘Nothing about Trump and his campaign is authentic. Every event is carefully set up ahead of time and staged. They all fit into the same pattern every single time. On every road trip to an event or rally, the campaign sets up an excursion to a fast food restaurant either before or after his speech. It is all supposed to craft an image that there is a groundswell of spontaneous support for Trump from the grassroots. But it’s all staged.’ Well, color us shocked, folks.” And we shouldn’t be shocked that he ordered 30 milkshakes for patrons and promised food, but no mention about whether he actually bought and paid for any of it…the last time he made a big fuss about paying for people’s food at a restaurant he didn’t.

Social media comments were quick to appear, with one posting, “How much do we bet that he walked out without paying??” Another wrote, “Better enjoy ’cause I heard prison food sucks.” Gen-Z celebrity Jake Paul was promoting his upcoming celebrity boxing match with former heavyweight champ, Mike Tyson, saying during an interview, “I’m probably gonna be at Chick-fil-A with Mr. Trump trying to gain weight for this fight.” One social media poster remarked, “Must be serious…He broke out the regular Coke and what could be cocktail sauce, which I think throws stronger than regular ketchup.” Former Trump employee Cassidy Hutchinson has said that Trump’s peculiar preference for Heinz glass ketchup bottles is linked to his fear of being poisoned, using the small bottles because he wants to hear his server make the small popping noise as the cap comes off. Some observers have noted that Trump has a fitter figure of late, with one commenting that, “Ozempic does wonders.” And speaking of wonders, even Stevie Wonder can see that everything Trump touches turns to crap despite his King Midas fixation.

Claiming the Outrageous Trophy last week was the state of Arizona as the state Supreme Court revived a near-total abortion ban from 1864, when only White men could vote, slavery was not fully abolished (slavery was disallowed in Arizona and it was illegal to entice Black people to leave the state to be sold into slavery), most women couldn’t own property, and the age of consent was only nine-years old. We can only conclude that ban was adopted in the dark of night since there were no light bulbs in existence, which offers no excuse for the way our current US Supreme Court is operating, as an aside. For instance, Justice Alito for the majority wrote in overturning Roe v. Wade, “Roe’s failure even to note the overwhelming consensus of state laws in effect in 1868 is striking.” Laws from the 1860s in our states and territories, as was Arizona at the time, were enacted decades before the suffrage movement was even a glimmer; however, those precedents led the Supremes to the “inescapable conclusion…that a right to abortion is not deeply rooted in the Nation’s history and traditions.” Therefore, the Court concluded with the Dobbs v. Jackson decision, in overturning Roe v. Wade, that the 1970s idea that women shouid have certain rights harkened back to the 1860s giving the states jurisdiction…leaving a patchwork of abortion-rights states and abortion-ban states. So, Arizona’s knuckle-dragger Republican-appointed Supreme Court concluded the old law is valid because the state legislature “has never affirmatively created a right to, or independently authorized, elective abortion.” Democratic governor, Katie Hobbs, citing the decision as “a dark day for Arizona” called on the Republican-led and -controlled legislature to repeal the 1864 law, but both state House and Senate leaders are both supporters of the old law, being active in the court case. The Civil War era law would ban nearly all abortions, except to save the life of the mother, carrying a prison sentence for abortion providers, although the state’s Democratic attorney general issued a statement saying it would not be enforced…despite the court’s ruling that it “is now enforceable.”

The law as written reads: “[E]very person who shall administer or cause to be administered or taken, any medicinal substances, or shall use or cause to be used any instruments whatever, with the intention to procure the miscarriage of any woman then being with child, and shall be thereof duly convicted, shall be punished by imprisonment in the Territorial prison for a term not less than two years nor more than five years: Provided, that no physician shall be affected by the last clause of this section, who in the discharge of his professional duties deems it necessary to produce the miscarriage of any woman in order to save her life.” So wait a sec! “Imprisonment in the Territorial prison?” Consider that Arizona is now a STATE! And the former location of the territorial prison is now a STATE PARK! Does that mean prisoners will be provided with a tent or perhaps a small RV, with privileges at the park store for supplies, and maybe a can of bear spray per month?

President Lincoln signed the act creating the Arizona territory in 1863, appointing judges to administer it, one of whom was native New Yorker William T. Howell. The appointed governor, John Goodwin, saw that the territory’s laws, based on those of New Mexico, weren’t adequate, so ended up appointing Howell to write laws and procedures with the assistance of Coles Bashford, a former Wisconsin governor. Toward the end of 1864, the Howell Code came into existence, now the bane for 21st century womanhood in Arizona. Other parts of Howell’s output point to a legal framework for a frontier territory…such as sanctions for refusing to join a posse and rules governing citizen’s arrests. One section establishes a process for holding elected officials accountable where third parties can level accusations of misconduct against office holders, forcing them to appear at a hearing. Barring admission, a jury can be assembled, possibly ending in a trial that forces the person from office. Now we’re talkin’ – let’s see how long that one remains in effect! You can take your 1864 and….

Perhaps Philip Bump of The Washington Post says it best: “It isn’t that the law is old that makes it a dubious fit for the moment. After all, the Bill of Rights is old and it contains rules and guidelines that deserve to be maintained. Instead, the point is that the Howell Code was a product of its time and its time’s morality, a point that is made more obvious when considering other elements of the law that clearly do not conform to 2024 beliefs.” Time for the courts to repent!

HEADS SOMEPLACE OTHER THAN IN THIS GAME…SPLIFFICATED?

The presumptive GOP presidential candidate, Donald J. Trump, is still catching flak for his posting of the video on Truth Social, of a pickup truck’s tailgate with the image of President Biden hog-tied, gagged, and lying in the bed of the truck, in his continuing subtle hints of violence against his detractors. Michael Steele, former chair of the RNC, warned of what’s to come with the cast of characters Trump is assembling for his return to the presidency and a return to power. Steele says, “All hell’s gonna break loose. This is all in and the team will be out and about enforcing a strategy that will take no prisoners and I don’t think people really appreciate exactly what we are going to be in for.” The former president is reportedly talking to Corey Lewandowski and Paul Manafort who advised him in his 2016 campaign, in addition to campaign consultant Roger Stone who earned a pardon from Trump upon his exit from the Oval Office in 2021. Steele chides Democrats who are “still walking around with their heads someplace other than in this game,” despite the fact that The Don has told us exactly what he wants to do in his second term where he will declare his absolute power. Roger Stone has been a frequent visitor to Mar-a-Lago, as has Paul Manafort who is expected to set up rules control of the GOP convention to ensure a smooth flow with no slippages, or unwanted nominations and controversies.

The state of Ohio threatens to hog-tie Biden with a conflict in the late scheduling of the Democratic Party convention on August 19. According to Ohio Secretary of State, Frank LaRose, a state statute requires certification of candidates nominated by party conventions by August 7, which would be on or before the ninetieth day before the day of the general election. LaRose failed to mention that the RNC in 2020 held its nominating convention in late August of that year in the letter sent to his state’s Democratic Party which read, “I am left to conclude that the Democratic National Committee must either move up its nominating convention, or the Ohio General Assembly must act by May 9, 2024 to create an exception to this statutory requirement.” In a recent opinion piece, Secretary LaRose criticized “cravenly partisan” officials who sought to keep Trump off their state ballots for inciting the J6 insurrection in DC, and warning that the US Supreme Court’s overruling of the Colorado’s Supreme Court’s attempt to disqualify Trump from that state’s ballot did not go far enough because it still allows secretaries of state to block candidates. He wrote, “Fortunately, the US Supreme Court put its foot down on the abuses of authority, but the matter remains unresolved as it relates to non-federal candidates.” The Biden-Harris campaign reports, “We’re monitoring the situation in Ohio and we’re confident that Joe Biden will be on the ballot in all 50 states.”

In his radio interview with conservative host Hugh Hewitt, Trump insinuated that Biden uses cocaine, referring to the president’s State of the Union speech when he delivered a notable, fiery message to the nation and before Congress. Trump accused Biden of being “higher than a kite,” and called for him to be “drug-tested” before he will even consider having a debate prior to the election. A baggie of cocaine was discovered in a heavily-trafficked area at the White House last year, and Trump is pointing fingers at both Hunter and his dad as the culprits, though the Secret Service found no evidence linking it to anyone. Hewitt asked Trump if he believes Biden is open to a debate, to which he replied, “I don’t think so, but I hope he does…I think something is going on there, because he was all jacked up at the start of the SOU speech, and did a poor job, and by the end, he was fading fast. There’s something going on there. I want a drug test.” Biden has said that a debate would depend on the former president’s “behavior,” recalling that Trump also asked for a Biden drug test prior to their debates in 2020. RNC chair, Lara Trump, said on Newsmax, “Joe Biden needs to be asked multiple questions about a whole host of different things going on in this country and around the world. He has a lot of answers to give the American people. I can only assume he doesn’t have the answers to the questions that he will be asked.”

Trump continues to rail against his legal troubles, particularly after the New York judge scheduled his hush money trial to start on April 15, and in spite of his efforts to postpone the case. His characterization of the scheduling is “election interference” that should not be allowed during a campaign season. Calling the cases against him “ridiculous” and “a shame,” he said, “I don’t know how you can have a trial that’s going on right in the middle of an election. Not fair. It’s not fair at all,” as he blamed President Biden, with no evidence, for pushing the trials forward while taking away as much money as possible from the campaign funds. Trump maintains he has “no problem testifying” in a trial, even as it’s being appealed by his attorneys. Reporters asked if a conviction would derail his reelection bid, with the former president suggesting it could have a positive effect. “It could also make me more popular, because the people know it’s a scam,” which brought forth a Biden campaign statement calling Trump “weak and desperate.” Biden campaign spokesperson, James Singer, commented, “His campaign can’t raise money, he is uninterested in campaigning outside his country club, and every time he opens his mouth, he pushes moderate and suburban voters away with his dangerous agenda. America deserves better than a feeble, confused, and tired Donald Trump.”

MAGA propagandist, Charlie Kirk, of Turning Point USA, refusing to admit that women can think for themselves, has an interesting theory on why young women tend to vote Democratic …birth control pills cause brain damage! To a crowd at a recent church event streamed on Rumble, the far-right web site, he claims the pill “increases depression, anxiety…and suicidal ideation. It creates very angry and bitter young ladies and young women which manifests itself into a political party that is the bitter party. I mean, the Democrat Party is all about ‘bring us your bitterness and, you know, we’ll give you free stuff.” This from a MAGAt whose entire pitch is bitterness! Research shows that the pill affects half a percent, or 1 in 200 women, so Kirk’s bad math demonstrates why he dropped out of community college…sorry, Charlie, your figures are nothing but a MAGA lie! However, these same lies are a part of a disinformation campaign financed by billionaire Peter Thiel, whose teams of messengers falsely claim that hormonal birth control “tricked our bodies into dysfunction and pain,” which according to doctors, is precipitating a health care crisis in fearful women now seeking valid medical advice. MAGA leaders don’t care for birth control as it gives women freedom and opportunities…or as ‘Kinky’ Friedman’s song asserts, “Get your biscuits in the oven and your buns in bed!” Kirk and his cohorts are only recapping a typical right-wing deceit of being chivalrous, with the underlying message being that women don’t have the mental capacity to handle freedom, and male control would make them happy.

The angry male population realizes that they have a hard sell, politically and legally, so to hide their sadism, it’s touted as “protecting women” from health risks. The fake science rule book used for decades regarding abortion, with mandatory waiting periods and fallacious claims for ‘medically necessary restrictions’ is mostly fabricated nonsense, but anti-choice advocates are not giving up on their “alternative facts.” US Supreme Court MAGA mouthpieces, Alito and Thomas, are digging into the Victorian Era legislation of the Comstock Act, an 1873 anti-sex law that was never repealed and hasn’t been enforced in decades. Revival of this law is being loudly bandied about in right-wing circles, as a way for a re-elected Donald Trump to unilaterally ban abortion without having too ask GOP congress members to take an unpopular vote to ban abortion. This all-encompassing act ignores details regarding health and safety, as it bans abortion and many aspects of human sexuality from contraception to nudes in art, and forbids shipment of every “obscene, lewd, lasciviousness, indecent, filthy, vile article, matter, thing, device, or substance.” All sex education was outlawed, even for married couples…and no sharing of information! So long Michaelangelo, James Joyce and Anais Nin!

Misogynist Anthony Comstock, responsible for the Act, operated in the same mode as Charlie Kirk does at present. Comstock liked to brag about how many women he had driven to suicide in prosecuting them for aiding others to get reproductive health care or explaining the mechanics of sex to newlyweds; indeed, he gloried in his claim that he had forced 15 women to take their lives within the first five years of the bill’s existence. MAGAts are hesitant to give Comstock much glory, instead expressing a false concern about imaginary damage caused by the pill taken by women who are too dim-witted to be trusted to make rational decisions. Right wingers want women to be punished, which reflects their fears that women are managing quite well with freedom and equality in reality. Male fear and anger is being borne out in the streets of New York City with women being punched in the face at random, an alarming occurrence which may or not be coordinated assaults. The assailants are men of varying races and ages, the victims mostly young and attractive who were just going about their business, talking to friends, reading books or viewing their cell phones. And that may be the impetus for the attack: the angry man is indignant that he isn’t the subject of the woman’s gaze, so he gives her no choice but to look at him, in fear…how dare she concentrate on something apart from his wonderfulness! Simply a tidal wave unleashed by Donald Trump and his MAGA base! MAGA misogynists are having a hissy fit as they attempt to recapture male dominance, but the fear is that women aren’t buckling under to the bullying as they are supposed to do…women owe them nothing for their maleness! This male aggressiveness is pathetic and scary, a last gasp of macho men who are unable to justify their sexism except through thuggish behavior…and women aren’t knuckling under.

On the Palmer Report, Bocha Blue writes that the Trump campaign team is rattled that the female electorate cannot stand Donald Trump, and their candidate continues to make himself even more repulsive, discarding any chance he has to make changes. A recent Quinnipiac poll shows that female voters are crumbling away from the former president, with almost 60% favoring Biden. In the 2020 election, Biden got 55% of the women’s vote, so we are seeking a shift, in all likelihood, from attitudes over abortion and IVF. Blue sees Trump’s support falling even further as the New York criminal trial exposes (so to speak) the Don’s reported liaison with porn star, Stormy Daniels, after Melania had just given birth to Barron. The campaign team fears that further erosion may occur with Evangelical women who won’t be happy about his infidelity…naah, that ain’t gonna happen…the Orange Messiah must have a reasonable explanation? He is making his misogynistic situation even worse by attacking Fani Willis, E. Jean Carroll and Letitia James as his bullying continues on Truth Social, prompting Blue to say, “He might as well be wearing a t-shirt that says, ‘Women Don’t Matter To Me.’” In his arrogance, Trump is ignoring his advisors which may cost him dearly in November…yep, keep chasing those women…away!

And speaking of turned-off females, Melania Trump turned up at a campaign fundraiser in Palm Beach at the home of billionaire John Paulson on Saturday after being a no-show at a Friday event where she was to receive a “Child Advocacy Award.” Her husband accepted the award on her behalf. Some weighed in with their observations that she was “checking the clock”a and had little interest in being at the Saturday event, looking as if “she’s in a hostage video. Blink twice if you need help.” Mike Sington, Senior Executive at NBCUniversal, posted a photo of the Trump couple, writing, “Melania Trump looks thrilled as ever to be with Donald Trump at his fundraiser in Florida last night.” This marks the second public appearance by the former first-lady on the campaign trail, which reportedly raked in over $50M for the Trump coffers. “It took three Democrat presidents to raise $25M, and one president to raise over $50M, Donald J. Trump,” said spokesperson Danielle Alvarez in her statement afterwards. Around 100 wealthy guests showed, paying $250,000 each to be on the “host committee” and up to $824,000 each to serve as “chairman” and earning a seat at Trump’s table at dinner. No word from the fly on the wall who was busy eating ketchup, with no concern about helping his bottom line or protecting democracy.

Luckily, Lauren Boebert wasn’t invited to the fundraiser, and she may be short-changed for all future events after her behavior at a December event headlined by Trump, according to CNN. The servers refused to“bring her any more alcohol” as she had obviously been “over-served,” as in blitzed, tanked, whiffed, or splifficated. Her attempts to take selfies with Trump finally caused his security detail to intervene, telling her to knock it off. CNN’s Kasie Hunt reported, “This is how it went down and I want to remind viewers here that this came a few months after she got in trouble and had to apologize for her conduct at a Denver theater performance of Beetlejuice, getting kicked out for vaping and being loud, all on security footage. There was much than vaping!” MAGATs seem to have lost control of this woman…look on the good side, perhaps.

Dateline March 18, 2024

NUCLEAR CODES AND RAGIN’ BEDLAM IN THE PIT OF FIRE

‘Ragin’ Cajun’ James Carville is still undoubtedly dodging the slings and arrows of Democratic Party honchos, and women in particular. In a recent not-politically correct interview with New York Times columnist, Maureen Dowd, the freewheeling, outspoken Democratic strategist declared that “preachy females” are driving some men from the Democratic side who feel they aren’t being acknowledged by the feminine, ‘woke’ messaging. Carville feels the condescension is telling men “Don’t drink beer, watch football, or eat hamburgers…but eat your peas.” He takes offense that “party elites” are putting too much emphasis on the power of women, in particular women of color, in deciding election outcomes…“well, 48% of voters are males…where’s the consideration?” He has concern about the electorate pointing to President Biden’s age and the low approval ratings, but he has nothing but praise for the incumbent, saying, “He is tenacious, has had a real life, and doesn’t have an iota of elitism. When I look at these polling numbers, it’s like walking in on your grandma naked. You can’t get that image out of your mind.” Carville is noted for his marriage to the Republican assistant and consultant to President George W. Bush and VP Dick Cheney, Mary Matalin, who founded Threshold Editions, a conservative publishing imprint of Simon and Schuster. Matalin is currently on the syndicated radio show, Both Sides Now with Huffington and Matalin, aired on 120 stations each weekend. A couple of preachy women, without question.

Pundits are theorizing which major party presidential campaign will be hurt most by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. since he has now chosen Nicole Shanahan as his third-party  running mate. Shanahan is an unknown, but her selection will now allow Kennedy to be placed on the ballot in those states that require a complete ticket for ballot access. There will be much legal maneuvering and signature-gathering in other states to qualify for the ballot, a time-consuming and expensive process, but Shanahan’s wealth will undoubtedly be a factor as they go forward. She has spent extravagantly on Kennedy’s campaign already, footing the bill for the much-criticized Super Bowl ad that used JFK’s imagery from the 1960 presidential campaign. So far, only the states of Utah, New Hampshire and Hawaii will have RFK, Jr. on their ballots, and the 15,000 signatures he collected in Nevada may be for nought, since he didn’t have a VP candidate’s name on the filing document…back to square one according to the Nevada secretary of state. This doesn’t seem to show the sort of diligence and efficiency needed in a presidential administration, and Aldous J. Pennyfarthing asks, “How will he navigate his inevitable first-term measles crisis if he can’t even get his ballot signatures right? You can’t mix the measles kids with the polio kids…It would be medieval medical malpractice. And bedlam. Let’s not forget bedlam.”

St. Patrick’s Day saw the beginning of Biden’s counteroffensive with a photo-op picturing dozens of the Kennedy clan with the president to show their support. RFK, Jr. has downplayed his family’s passionate support for Joe Biden, saying that only a small percentage of his kin think he’s an irresponsible threat to democracy and the health of every last human being on the planet, according to Pennyfarthing. In an interview with Chris Cuomo, Kennedy claimed the photo showed only a small percentage of the family, and they are smiling only because they got to visit the White House, a visit facilitated by him he added, taking credit where none is warranted.

Running mate Shanahan is an East Bay philanthropist and patent attorney, described by Kennedy as a “brilliant scientist” and a “fierce warrior mom,” and his choice was made, in part, for her ability to “identify abuses in our government,” saying she has been “battle-tested” and “overcame every daunting obstacle” to achieve “the American dream.” One of her ‘obstacles’ was her five-year marriage to Google co-founder, Sergey Brin, reportedly severed after her affair with Elon Musk, but which left her with a hefty portfolio of investments, now benefitting Kennedy’s ailing campaign for the foreseeable future. Not to be discounted is the MAGA-backed bankrolling of the campaign for Trump’s advantage. Super PAC, Clear Choice, is attempting to expose ties to Trumpism, including videos of Kennedy saying he’s “proud” that Trump “likes” him, while showing his advocacy of conspiracy theories, his opposition to vaccines, and a history of anti-Black, anti-LGBTQ, and anti-Semitic remarks. Matt Bennett, of public affairs group Third Way, says, “RFK, Jr. and Nicole Shanahan have only one chance of seeing the inside of the Oval Office: if Trump wins and invites them in to say ‘thank you.'”

Chris Devine, co-author of the book ‘Do Running Mates Matter?’ said the choice of Shanahan “is not a pick that bodes well for his campaign. This was an opportunity for him to demonstrate that he could pull together an experienced team with broad appeal, and he hasn’t done that.” Democrats worry that Shanahan will attract some voters because she is a young 38 years old, and a bi-racial woman. She is described as having vague, eccentric political ideas, having bounced from support of Marianne Williamson to Pete Buttigieg to Joe Biden in 2020, and initially criticized Kennedy when he announced his candidacy. She once told The New York Times, “I do think that the increase of vaccine-related injuries is very alarming, and I do think we need to understand the screening mechanisms.” Aldous J. Pennyfarthing is eagerly awaiting word on whether Nicole Shanahan has all her shots.

The big news splash of Easter Week was provided by Mr. Trump when he launched an ad campaign for his newest grift…selling Bibles! Even though his dorky Truth Social going public netted him close to $4B…on paper, at least…he keeps coming up with goofy marketing ideas. His Bible is unique, in that it features Lee Greenwood’s patriotic anthem, ‘God Bless the USA,’ plus copies of the US Constitution, and the Declaration of Independence…and as Hunter writes on Daily Kos, if YOUR Bible doesn’t have those attributes, “you’re probably going straight to Hell, because Jesus isn’t going to put up with it.” This Christian Nationalist-themed book goes for $60 and includes a special note emphasizing that “GodBlessTheUSABible.com is not owned, managed or controlled by Donald J. Trump, The Trump Organization, CIC Ventures LLC or any of their respective principals or affiliates.” It’s a bit shady but it doesn’t say that Trump is NOT getting a portions of the proceeds, but using his name, likeness and image is never free for anyone. Hunter says, “You could give this guy all the money in the world, and he’d still be staring into the camera, droning out a Krusty the Clown-level endorsement of a Trump-branded steak, or bottled water or godawful shoes.” The ballyhooed “handwritten” chorus of Greenwood’s hit song may be written in Sharpie, so beware!

The Bible rollout was timed for Easter, though buyers will have a four to six week wait due to “high order volume.” Public responses have called the Trump endorsement “sacrilege,” “heresy,” and “borderline offensive” while citing lessons from the Bible that suggest taking advantage of people’s faith for money should be condemned. Originally, the ‘GBTUSA’ Bible was published in 2021, with HarperCollins passing on the chance to be publisher. EliteSource Pro, is the current marketing company, which has yet to comment. The media was quick to jump on this rollout: on The Tonight Show, Jimmy Fallon joked that Trump’s Bible venture is like former VP Pence trying to sell the erotic novel, ‘Fifty Shades of Grey;‘ MSNBC’S Nicolle Wallace said, “This is also a fraud. I mean, if he were selling waterbeds or condoms, fine.” Wallace then pulled up a 2015 clip in which Trump refused to name a verse from his “favorite book,” and claimed that he liked the Old and New Testaments “probably equal.” Wallace’s guest commentator, Democratic strategist, Basil Smikle, questioned how in one breath the Bible could be Trump’s favorite book and in another, he’s keeping “speeches of Adolf Hitler on his bedside.” “Probably equal!” Wallace declares.

Smikle observes that this Bible hawking “mimics the behavior of a televangelist,” and those in his political base are funding his lifestyle…not sending him to the White House, but to the golf course. Trump’s niece, Mary, tweeted that, “He’s never prayed in his life…if that were a real Bible, it would burst into a ball of flame.” Joy Behar of The View commented, “The last time he was on his knees, he was picking up a french fry.” Saturday Night Live’s cold open, with James Austin Johnson playing Trump, noted, “It’s Easter…the time of year when I compare myself to Jesus Christ. That’s just the thing I do now and people seem to be okay with it. I’m gonna keep doing it. And if you think that this is a bad look, imagine how weird it would be if I started selling Bibles. Well, I’m selling Bibles, this beautiful Bible made from 100% Bible.” Johnson ended the bit with the Lord’s Prayer: “Our father who are in heaven. Hallowed, beep, beep, beep, bing, bing, bing bong, trespass, daily bread…” SNL’s Weekend Update co-anchor, Colin Jost, commented, “This Bible is mostly the same, but Trump’s version ends with Jesus’ disciples storming Jerusalem to overturn the results of the crucifixion.” Jost made note that Lee Greenwood’s ‘God Bless the USA’ lyrics were included, “And, I assume, God’s letter of resignation.” And, The Borowitz Report divulges that the first printing of Trump’s Bible hit a snag when it was found to include stolen nuclear codes, the error appearing in the book of Genesis, where Noah starts shouting random numbers for no reason as he loads animals into the ark. Borowitz reports, “Trump is furious that he has to take the nuclear codes out of the Bible…it’s the only part he’s read.”

Dateline March 18, 2024

GRIFTING ALONG TOWARD TAKING THE LONG VIEW

ATTENTION, ATTENTION…cleanup needed on the fifty-yard line! Robert Harrington writes that RFK, Jr.’s consideration of Jets football quarterback Aaron Rodgers (jersey number 12) for his VP selection has prompted a sudden outpouring of denials regarding Rodgers being an outspoken, rightwing anti-vaxxer, a conspiracy theorist who lied about his own COVID-19 vaccine status in order to stay on the playing field. Harrington calls the former Green Bay Packers player “the poster boy for ignorance, routinely playing the victim in the vaccine debate for the losing and loser side. What’s more and worst of all, it was recently revealed that Aaron Rodgers was and might still be a supporter of one of the vilest, most disgusting and – above all – most inhumane conspiracy theories yet devised by the perverted mind of wretched fools. Rodgers was, and might be, a Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting denier.” While he denies being a proponent of the Alex Jones promoted belief, CNN reporter Pamela Brown reveals that Rodgers accosted her in 2013, verbally attacking her and the network for supporting the “Sandy Hook lie.” Harrington believes the Jets missed a bet by not retiring jersey number 12 after quarterback Joe ‘Broadway Joe’ Namath left the team, and being worn today by one who wears it in “ignominy, in disgrace, and without distinction.”  Kennedy says he will announce his running-mate candidate’s name on March 26…the other name in the hopper being that of former wrestler, and  Reform Party governor of Minnesota from 1999 to 2003, Jesse Ventura. What excitement…get your popcorn and a beverage of your choice ready to go! Don’t forget the sponges and towels for cleanup!

Donald Trump is still grifting along, his latest endeavor being the takeover of the Republican National Committee by handpicking the new co-chairs, daughter-in-law Lara Trump, and attorney Michael Whatley, former chair of the North Carolina GOP. After the takeover, about sixty staffers were terminated, as new appointees began to fill the vacant positions, one of whom was Trump attorney, election denier, and classified documents concealer, Christina Bobb. Newly-hired attorneys will focus on “election-related reports,” code words for conspiracy theories. This signals that Palm Beach, Florida is the new location for the GOP’s finance and digital teams which will be “functionally fused into” Trump’s own campaign. Tellingly, Lara has pledged “every single penny” of the Committee’s cash will now be spent on Trump alone, no other Republican candidate should seek funds, so suck it up GOPers! A Mike Luckovich cartoon accurately portrays Lara Trump welcoming donors to contribute to buckets of cash labeled ‘Campaign to Pay Trump’s Legal Bills,’ ‘Campaign to Pay Trump’s Living Expenses,’ ‘Campaign to Pay Trump’s Financial Judgements,’ and ‘Campaign to Pay Trump Family Expenses.’ At least a half billion dollars should be an easy take, you think?

The former president has taken over an organization that is close to being broke, with only $8 million cash on hand after raising $87 million in 2023, but maybe his army of attorneys will now get paid to save his criminal empire from ruin. Rudy G., are you paying attention? Hunter writes on Daily Kos, “Trump isn’t just a grifter. He is a vampire. He spends his life attempting to squeeze people for whatever dimes he can, whether it be through sales of mail-order meat or bottled water, or the right to live in large buildings with his name plastered across them in the largest possible letters. It’s not enough for the RNC to function as his personal campaign arm. He wants all the money he can get, and installing Lara is the best way to ensure the RNC won’t think twice about forking over even more cash for his bills. And Republican voters? They seem just fine with it. They couldn’t be a more willing group of suckers.” Of course, this points to what we might expect from a Trump presidency…absolute control, quick and callous ruthlessness, and heartless retribution for those who are “disloyal.” We will be able to vote in his fake democracy, but the election will be predetermined just like Putin’s weekend victory in Russia, gleaning 88% of the ‘vote.’

On the Late Show, Stephen Colbert’s assessment of Lara Trump’s selection as a co-chair aimed at her lack of ‘credentials‘ to run a major party organization. He commented on RNC member Beth Bloch’s proclamation, “God does not call the qualified, he qualifies the called,” by saying, “Sure, Lara Trump may not be qualified, she may not have experience doing things, but she has done what no one thought possible: she married Eric Trump.”Late Night’s Seth Meyers jumped on Donald Trump’s reference to himself as “Honest Don,” as opposed to “Crooked Joe Biden,” saying, “At this point, I gotta believe even he’s being sarcastic. Nobody puts ‘honest’ in front of their name. If there’s a place called ‘Honest Don’s’ in your hometown, it’s either a used car dealership or a pawn shop. Maybe a pizza place…but not the good one.”

Aldous J. Pennyfarthing asks, “Hey, wanna join an exclusive secret club? First, you’ll have to answer a few questions: Are you a woman? Are you LGBTQ+? Are you something other than a ‘real’ Christian (i.e., Mormon, Christian Scientist, Jehovah’s Witness, or White, Hetero, Gun-Totin,’ Prosperity-Gospelin,’ God forbid – Muslim, Jewish, Hindu, or atheist? Do you hyphenate your heritage? Do you lack the wealth and/or clout to usher in a ‘US Constitutional order brought much closer to its origins after about a century of…corruption and undermining by progressivism?” Just move along if any of those questions brought a ‘yes’ answer. Aldous suggests you start your own club, but don’t call it the Society for American Civic Renewal…that name is taken, chump! A suggested name is the ‘Naive Liberal Simps Soon to Be Crushed Beneath the Blood-soaked Truck Treads of American Civic Renewal.’  Talking Points Media reporter, Josh Kovensky, examined the SACR’s truly bizarre membership criteria  and the group’s vision for the country: “The group…tries to downplay its controversial views, saying it is merely another in a long line of fraternal organizations attempting to foster civic engagement.”

The man who incorporated the national umbrella group is an Indiana shampoo tycoon, Charles Haywood, who refers to himself as ‘maximum leader,’ blogging about Rhodesian anti-guerilla tactics and how the dystopian fiction novel, The Camp of the Saints, is a must-read, and is a vision of America’s present as a latter-day ancient Rome. This crumbling, decadent empire that could soon be replaced by a Christian theocracy, a group that demands faithfulness, virtue, and ‘alignment,’ which it describes as ‘deference to and acceptance of the wisdom of our American and European Christian forbears in the political realm, a traditional understanding of patriarchal leadership in the household, and acceptance of traditional Natural Law in ethics more broadly.’ More practically, members must be able to contribute either influence, capability, or wealth in helping further its goals. Further, one must answer questions regarding politics, religion, a Trump presidency, household dynamics, and involvement in church community.

SACR’s core mission is revealed as wishing to create a mini-state within a state, composed entirely of Protestant, Catholic, and Orthodox Christian men, explicitly patriarchal, and celebrating the use of force and existence of authority. In referencing the founding fathers, America’s first principles, and patriotism, democracy is hardly mentioned. Pennyfarthing refers to a podcast in which Haywood discusses ‘caesarism’ and the idea of an American strongman to get the country back on track, while “wholeheartedly” calling for a national divorce. Haywood wrote on his blog, “The goal of the Left was always total expropriation of White people and then, if at all possible, their extermination, a goal made explicit by many powerful people in 2020. How, given this history, should White Americans respond? Facing possibilities involving violence would include more-or-less open warfare with the federal government, or some subset or remnant of it. At this moment I preside over what amounts to a extended, quite sizable, compound, which when complete will be impervious to anything but direct organized military attack. It requires a group of men to make it work…what I call ‘shooters’” Pennyfarthing concludes, “So there you go. Yet another kooky fringe group hopes to turn the calendar back to the days when women couldn’t vote, or decide for themselves whether to give birth, or avoid being ruled over by wealthy Christian warlords.” Upon reading a right-wing Christian’s protest sign, “If you don’t teach your child to obey Jesus, the devil will teach them evolution, sexuality, psychology, and witchcraft,” that awkward moment makes Satan the reasonable choice.

From Arundhati Roy’s novel, The Ministry of Utmost Happiness, The Landlord chapter: “Normality in our part of the world is a bit like a boiled egg: its humdrum surface conceals at its heart a yolk of egregious violence. It is our constant anxiety about that violence, our memory of its past labours and our dread of its future manifestations, that lays down the rules for how a people as complex and diverse as we are continue to coexist – continue to live together, tolerate each other, and from time to time, murder one another. As long as the centre holds, as long as the yolk doesn’t run, we’ll be fine. In moments of crisis, it helps to take the long view.”  Does America need to take the long view? Only time will tell.

Dateline March 13, 2024

FIAT JUSTITIA RUAT CAELUM VS. MOM ON THE BRINK

Last week was quite notable with Biden’s State of the Union speech to Congress, with a followup cooking show immediately following, by the junior Republican senator from Alabama, Katie Britt. In what was supposed to be a rebuttal to Biden’s address, Katie proceeded to give a breathless, whispery message in which food recipes were evidently revealed in coded speech, reminiscent of Donald Trump’s recent insistence that “languages are coming into this country” that no one speaks. As ‘The Daily Show‘ revealed, “As a way to familiarize himself with these new languages, Trump is working some of the new words into his everyday vocabulary. Linguists say it’s only a matter of time before Trump becomes fluent so that he can dehumanize these new populations in a language they can understand.” So we can only assume that Senator Britt has taken up the mantle of the presumptive GOP nominee’s ‘Rosetta Stone‘-like instructor, or that of a ‘Babbel‘ tutor. The Alabama senator claims she was speaking from her immaculate kitchen, in her infomercial-like address, like any decent, God-fearing Republican woman would do, as she fought off flop-sweat, nervousness, and stretching the truth, i.e., lying. Her theatrical, creepy, campy speech was compared by many observers as a reading for a ‘Mom On The Brink‘ tryout, with some appealing for donations to their local arts programs in light of her wretched acting.

Katie was hard to track for some, as she shifted from happy to laughing, from tearful to angry, out-Struthering Sally Struthers who we remember from her TV appeals for donations a few years ago to help starving African kids. Longtime GOP operatives, right-leaning pollsters, conservative Capitol Hill staffers, MAGA attorneys, and even some members of Trump’s campaign torched Britt’s absurdly over-dramatic rebuttal. A GOP consultant rated Biden’s speech over Katie’s, and a House congressional aide termed her remarks “cringeworthy” and predicted correctly that it would be a ‘Saturday Night Live‘ skit. Charlie Kirk wrote on Xwitter, “I’m sure Katie Britt is a sweet mom and person, but this speech is not what we need. Joe Biden just declared war on the American right and Katie Britt is talking likes she’s hosting a cooking show whispering about how Democrats ‘don’t get it.'” Radio host Jesse Kelly wrote that Britt’s rebuttal was not what he’d “prefer out of the GOP response, but there’s no question Katie Britt has mastered the ultimate weapon…the fake cry. That’s a seasoned pro right there.” Business Insider interviews a Republican staffer who compared it to a high school freshman speech. “She thinks she’s really killing it. But it’s comical, like ‘Saturday Night Live’ quality,” he offered. “Everyone’s losing it. It’s one of our biggest disasters ever,” another said. Alyssa Farah Griffin, a Trump White House advisor, posted on Xwitter, “I do not understand the decision to put her in a KITCHEN for one of the most important speeches she’s ever given…bizarre. Women can be both wives and mothers and also stateswomen. So to put her in a kitchen, not in front of a podium or in the Senate chamber…fell very flat and was confusing to some women.” Luke Russert on MSNBC posted, “Looks like it’s written to be chopped up into 100 different social media quips.” Steve Schmidt, on The Warning, shared that the rebuttal was “historic for its strange and astonishing tone, filled with crocodile tears and fear-mongering.” Bill Palmer on The Palmer Report posted, “These days there simply are no rising stars within the Republican Party, only creepy weirdos and Trump loyalists and extremists, and well, morons like Katie Britt.”

Daily Beast columnist, David Rothkopf, wrote, “This is ‘Handmaid’s Tale’ coming to life,” referencing Margaret Atwood’s dystopian novel. During Britt’s speech, someone edited her Wikipedia page, saying she is “a member of ‘The Handmaid’s Tale,’ and not one of the good ones.” New York Magazine’s Ed Kilgore noted, the substance of Britt’s speech “was right out of the Donald Trump American Carnage repertoire, treating the condition of the country as a vast hells cape of rampaging immigrants, blighted commutes, and terrified, impoverished families.” For this we can thank Stephen Miller for his contribution as a Trump speech writer, as they fight for environmental degradation, privatized healthcare, and education/Social Security cuts and draconian rollbacks of fundamental freedoms. Britt said in her rebuttal that sexual assault is the worst thing that can happen to a woman as she encourages American women to vote for a convicted sexual predator. She misrepresented the truth about sex trafficking by Mexican cartels, attributing one incident to Biden’s presidency, though it occurred during George W. Bush’s tenure, and in Guadalajara, not in the US.

‘Saturday Night Live‘ chose Scarlett Johansson to mock Katie Britt in their cold opening, and from a spotless kitchen set, she told us, “Good evening America, my name is Katie Britt, and I have the honor of serving the people of the great state of Alabama. But tonight, I’ll be auditioning for the part of ‘scary mom.’ I’ll be performing an original monologue called ‘This Country is Hell.’ You see, I’m not just a senator. I’m a wife, a mother, and the craziest bitch in the Target parking lot. First and foremost, I’m a mom, and like any mom, I’m going to do a pivot out of nowhere into a shockingly violent story about sex trafficking. Rest assured, every detail about it is real except the year, where it took place, and who was president when it happened.” Johansson started hawking a bejeweled cross necklace, a la the QVC channel, that “goes with anything, and you can wear it from da’ church to da’ club.” Continuing, she says, “You know, my husband Wesley and I spend a lot of time in this kitchen – worrying. Kitchens are where families have the hard conversations like the one we’ll have now about how mommy freaked out the entire country. It’s like I tell my kids every night: We are steeped in the blood of patriots in a castle made of bones. Goodnight kids!” Johansson concluded with mimicking Senator Britt’s words, “The American people who are struggling right now, know this: We hear you. We see you. We smell you. We’re inside your kitchen right now looking through your fridge. And what’s this on the top shelf? Migrants!”

While Donald Trump may be considering adding Katie Britt to his list of possible running mates, HBO’s Bill Maher recently earned some ridicule from the former president on his Truth Social media platform, being unhappy with quips regarding the “Supreme Court’s delay” of Trump’s trials. “Bill Maher is the worst! He never got it, and never will. Bad ratings, a big fail on CNN shot, major case of TRUMP DERANGEMENT SYNDROME.” Maher’s “failure” of a show is now in its 22nd season. Trump says, “Not worth the watch!” but he seems to be checking it out himself. Maher’s monologue mentioned the numerous trials facing Trump, noting that some polls show him losing the election if convicted in any of the cases, adding that his defense lawyers are doing all they can to delay the proceedings. “And when I say ‘his defense lawyers,’ I mean the Supreme Court,” Maher explained, calling the claim that former presidents are immune from prosecution “ridiculous.” “They’re just trying to run out the clock. This is so typical of that court: always protecting the baby,” Maher said of Trump’s immaturity. Maher also joked that Trump wouldn’t acknowledge Leap Day, surmising that it’s only a ‘woke plot‘ to make Black History Month a day longer.

Attorney George Conway writes that the US Supreme Court’s decision in Trump v Anderson, which unanimously reversed the Colorado Supreme Court’s decision barring Trump from being on the state’s presidential-primary ballot, wasn’t decided on its merits, resulting in an utterly flimsy legal argument. He says, “Law is never perfect, and never will be. Trump’s brazen example to end constitutional democracy in America should have been the textbook example of the sort of behavior that would lead to someone being barred from holding public office under the Fourteenth Amendment. But it was not to be, and never was to be.” Conway believed the Colorado decision was unimpeachably correct, but did not imagine that the high court was likely to agree, nor could he find a single person willing to wager the Supremes would uphold the ruling. The pessimism arose not from legal reasoning, but understanding that it was too much to expect in this political context, by applying the Constitution in the manner the Court normally should: by impartially examining the text, historical contexts, and letting the chips fall. He says it may be noble-minded of him, sitting in the cheap seats, to offer his favorite Latin legal maxim, Fiat justitia ruat caelum – “Let justice be done though the heavens may fall.” The decisions of the justices are obviously affected by their perception of what public reaction may be. He concedes that he gave the Court more credit than was warranted, having previously written, “…the people who think the Court is going to reverse no matter what…may well be right.” However, he had convinced himself that if the decision was reversed, the High Court would come up with a stronger opinion than was forthcoming. And the fact that the unsigned per curiam opinion, signifying there was not a stronger opinion to provide, makes it painfully, embarrassingly clear that no justice wanted to put their names to it. Conway feels that the justices made up a holding that “utterly unmoored from the text or history of the provision it was interpreting, Section 3 of the Fourteenth Amendment. That bottom-line holding: ‘States have no power to enforce Section 3 with respect to federal offices, especially the Presidency.’ The Court’s four women justices who wrote separate concurrences seemed to agree with at least this statement of the holding, as far as the presidency is concerned.”

Conway explains further, “But here’s the problem. The Fourteenth Amendment does not say that. It could have, but it doesn’t. It says, in Section 5, ‘Congress shall have the power, to enforce, by appropriate legislation, the provisions of this article,’ meaning all of the provisions of the Fourteenth Amendment. But just because Congress has the power to enact legislation to enforce the Fourteenth Amendment’s various provisions – which include, most notably, the guarantee of ‘the equal protection of the laws’ in Section 1 – doesn’t mean that state officials, of federal or state judiciaries, are disempowered to apply the Fourteenth Amendment. To the contrary, because the Constitution is the supreme law of the land, they have a duty to do that. State officials and state courts have an obligation not to ‘deny to any person within [the state’s] jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws,’ regardless of what Congress does or doesn’t do.” In Conway’s estimation, Section 3 may require some congressional action to be enforced, in some circumstances, but in the end they carved out Section 3, without any textual or clear historical basis to do so. His article is worth reading in its entirety, and is searchable. Who do we appeal to after a High Court decision? The voters need to get involved!

Despite the profusion of whining from the throat of Citizen Trump, Charles Sykes in the Washington Post writes, “A federal judge has declared him liable for rape. He faces paying a half-billion dollars in legal judgements for fraud and defamation. Twice impeached, then defeated for reelection, he has been charged with 91 felonies. He has been arrested and his mug shot published; he will spend much of the year in and out of courtrooms. On the campaign trail, his rambling speeches are gaffe-ridden and prone to malapropisms and meltdowns. In a normal universe, this would not be the description of a fortunate man. But we do not live in that universe, and we must consider the very real – and infuriating – possibility that Donald J. Trump is the single luckiest politician who ever lived.” Sykes says we have watched for almost ten years as Trump trips, dodges, totters, oversteps traps, all the while thinking: finally! THIS is it! Only to watch him escape again, and again. After recounting his list ofTrump’s close calls, Sykes continues, “It must feel almost providential to Trump that his rise to power has also coincided with the downfall of much of the traditional fact-based media, as well as the emergence of just the sort of alternative-reality information silos that he needed to shape his narrative and platform his bluster, bombast and fakery…has anyone ever been so lucky?”

Rex Huppke posted in USA Today, “The US Supreme Court ruled in favor of Donald Trump on Monday, affirming what those of us who’ve studied the Constitution already knew: each president is entitled to one free insurrection.” Colorado sued to remove him from the state’s primary ballot, claiming that the former president and current criminal defendant had engaged in insurrection, something he quite clearly did, and, by his ongoing denial of the 2020 presidential election results, continues to do to this day. He has been nothing if not insurrection-y.” Rex believes the Supremes must have viewed the Constitution and spotted a hard-to-read footnote, smudged by aging parchment or whatnot, clearly stating: “Each president shall be granted one insurrection free of consequences on a case-by-case basis. Upon the fomenting of a sixth insurrection, the president shall be awarded one foot-long turkey and Virginia ham sandwich.” Sure, the “Constitution doesn’t say WHO should enforce the Fourteenth Amendment, so the Court decided that it ‘rests with Congress and not the States,’ which is sort of the opposite direction took with abortion rights, saying that issue is up to the states and the federal government can pound sand.” We can agree with Huppke’s statement, “Those justices sure do keep us on our toes! I’m sure the nation’s highest court will be much harder on him after the second insurrection, but this one’s a freebie. Rules are rules. Sort of.”

Speaking of Sykes‘ mention of the downfall of the traditional fact-based media, Andrea Junker posted, “The fact that we know more about Fani Willis’ and Nathan Wade’s relationship than about the crimes committed by Ginni and Clarence Thomas shows exactly what is terribly wrong in today’s political mainstream media.”

Dateline March 4, 2024

SUCKING UP A FAIT ACCOMPLI FOR SELF-PRESERVATION 

Kerry Eleveld in a Daily Kos post says Mitch McConnell’s announcement that he will step away from his Senate leadership position in November, “…may seem like a passing of the baton by a physically frail 82-year-old man, but is in truth, a death rattle of the so-called establishment wing of the Republican Party.” McConnell has had several public health occurrences since the concussion suffered in a fall back in 2023, and his stepping down is not totally unexpected, though long overdue. Upon Donald Trump’s winning the presidency, Mitch thought he could control The Don, using him as a tool to pack the Supreme Court with conservative extremists, and pass the 2017 tax cuts to boost the fortunes of America’s wealthiest. Joyfully, the Speaker checked off those goals on his list, but he failed to notice his party was being stolen from him by the MAGA horde, and by 2020 he fully realized that his GOP majority in the Senate needed help from the MAGA base to hold power…to no avail in the end thanks to the Georgia election results. Eleveld believes Mitch misread the tea leaves, convinced that Trump would fade after the January 6 riot, with agreement from Bob Woodward and Robert Costa in their book, ‘Peril.’ Sensing a trend to a party no longer dominated by Trump, McConnell said, “Sucking up to Donald Trump is not a strategy that works.”

Whoops! And who turned out to be one of the biggest sucker-uppers? Why, Moscow Mitch, of course. House Democrats impeached Trump with only seven days left in his term, so Mitch jumps on the bandwagon by delaying the Senate impeachment phase until AFTER January 20, 2021, only to have the White House and Senate then controlled by Democrats, with VP Kamala Harris holding the tie breaker voting cudgel. He never lent a hand to get the country through the Trump nightmare, assuming that semi-sane Republicans would follow the Democratic lead, and as Mitch said to two Kentucky confidants, “The Democrats are going to take care of the son of a bitch for us.” He was quoted in saying that Trump was “practically and morally responsible” for the J6 Insurrection, but never used his influence to convict Trump, and as we know, ended up voting for acquittal. Moving his attention to the 2022 midterm election, the GOP had several opportunities to land seats, with history suggesting that Democrats were doomed to failure. “The only place I can see Trump and me actually at loggerheads would be if he gets behind some clown who clearly can’t win. To have a chance of getting the Senate back, you have to have the most electable candidates possible,” he cautioned. But October 2021 sees Mitch endorsing Georgia’s Herschel Walker, football star, as “the only one who can unite the party, defeat Senator Warnock, and help us take back the Senate,” even after encouraging Walker to take his ball and go home. That election effort ended in a losing GOP campaign alongside other Trump endorsees, picking up not a single seat in the so-called ‘red wave‘ while also losing the open seat effort in Pennsylvania.

So, Trump’s fait accompli in the MAGA takeover of the GOP is nearly done, with his march to the Republican presidential nomination all but sewn up. His ownership of the RNC, ousting Ronna McDaniel, and fighting hard to see his daughter-in-law move into her position eminent. The less Mitch McConnell has led, his followers became less capable of being led; consequently, they are embracing MAGA policy tenets, adopting MAGA tactics, leaving the caucus more ungovernable. Eleveld sums it up with, “When McConnell steps aside later this year, he will leave behind a conference, an institution, and a party in disarray – and he will be complicit in having either actively or passively gutted the integrity of all three.”

Alexander Bolton writes in The Hill, “The race to replace Senate Republican Leader McConnell is laying bare the power struggle between pro-Trump and anti-Trump Republicans in the Senate. GOP lawmakers aligned closely with the former president are urging any candidate to succeed McConnell to embrace Trump. Other Republican senators want McConnell’s successor to keep a healthy distance from the controversial former president.” After the 2020 election, the bitter fallout between Mitch and Donny left the party in an awkward position with tensions between the two still a nagging problem. Trumper Tommy Tuberville, senator of Alabama, wants to elect a vocal Trump supporter, while others see Trump’s 2020 loss being impacted by his inability to get behind strong candidates in the last midterm voting. Senator Mitt Romney sees Trump’s Senate endorsers acting out of fear, or political “self-preservation.” The two leading prospects for Mitch’s replacement, John Thune of South Dakota, and John Cornyn of Texas, have had changeable relationships with Trump over the years, both designated as ‘RINOs‘ by the former president. Cornyn questions Trump’s strength in beating Biden, telling the press, “I think President Trump’s time has passed him by. I don’t think Trump understands that when you run in a general election, you have to appeal to voters beyond your base.”

Robert Reich writes, “He (McConnell) will be remembered as one of the most dangerous politicians in living memory. He helped transform the Republican Party into a cult, worshipping at the altar of authoritarianism. He’s damaged our country in ways that may take a generation to undo. Like Trump, McConnell hasn’t been just a garden-variety bad public official. He’s been a truly awful public official. McConnell has always put party above America. Remember when he said his most important goal as Senate leader was to make Barack Obama a one-term president? The fact he hasn’t always kissed Trump’s backside has infuriated the former furor-in-chief. So who’s worse? It’s a tough call. Trump defaced and defiled the presidency, but no person has done more in recent years to undermine the functioning of the US government than McConnell.” Reich enumerates the ways in which he sees McConnell’s desecrations: 1) Refusal to consider Obama’s Supreme Court choice, Merrick Garland; 2) Rammed through confirmation of Trump’s court choices; 3) Tax cuts for corporations and the wealthy, raising government debt; 4) Doing almost everything Vladimir Putin and Trump wanted him to do – hence, ‘Moscow Mitch‘ was born; 5) Blocked bi-partisan background checks for gun sales; 6) Secured a right-wing takeover of the US federal court system, empowering conservatives to shape laws on climate, reproductive rights, voting rights, and other issues affecting millions of citizens. Mitch’s consistent ratings from Kentuckians are low, for sacrificing the state to the GOP agenda. Money for school construction was shifted to emergency funding for Trump’s border wall, and funding for black lung disease to affected coal miners, who after a bus trip to DC to plead for restoration of funds were turned away after sixty-seconds, with his refusal to help. Reich speculates that Ohio Senator and LapDog J.D. Vance will fit the bill to fit into Mitch’s shoes, “being sufficiently young and telegenic enough to hawk authoritarianism to the gullible public, and being so unprincipled and ambitious that he’ll flush democracy down the toilet to promote Trump and himself.”

Florida’s Senator Rick Scott has made no announcement to seek the Senate GOP leadership role, likely remembering his poor showing in a previous attempt to oust McConnell, who gave him a 27-vote-margin trouncing. But Aldous J. Pennyfarthing has made some observations on the Medicare fraudster, and his support for criminal officeholders. “Medicare fraudster and US Senator Rick Scott is doing his bit for the destruction of liberal democracy, claiming that he’d vote insurrectionist, self-described crotch-grabber and judge-described sexual assaulter, business fraud (alleged!), top secret documents thief, and semi-ambulant absurdity Donald Trump – even if Trump is convicted of a crime. Because the only way to halt the raging national crime wave that exists entirely in Republicans’ minds is to elect a criminal to the highest office in the land. The Republican Party, which once swaddled itself in principled opposition to Soviet aggression, has become a wholly owned subsidiary of Vladimir Putin’s vodka- and evil-marinated brain, and all Putin had to do was compromise one debauched reality TV star. Normally, you have to buy a $325 cameo to get Rudy Giuliani to do embarrassing tricks for you, but Putin got his services for free. Watching old-guard Republicans morph into humiliated wads of protoplasm in utter thrall to a Flamin’ Hot Cheeto Demon would be really offing funny if the stakes for Western democracy weren’t so high. In an impromptu interview with CNN’s Manu Raju, Scott said he’d absolutely support Trump as the party’s nominee, even if he’s convicted in one or more of the four felony cases he currently faces. And Scott – who, again, was responsible for one of the worst Medicare frauds in history – is standing by his answer. After all, even if the GOP nominated Nikki Haley, surely Democrats would dredge up something on her that’s equally as picayune as Trump’s deadly attempted coup, 91 felony charges, colossal business fraud judgement, massive defamation/sexual abuse judgement, wholesale betrayal of a domestic ally, and weird series of speeches that sound increasingly like Hitler screaming lunch orders through a glitchy Arby’s drive-thru intercom. ‘I think any of our nominees, they’re going to try to go after for something, so I support Trump,’ Scott bravely intoned. Really? Haley’s pretty awful, but mostly in ways Republicans love. Unless she’s vowing to crack down on rampant Medicare fraud, it’s hard to imagine why Scott would prefer Trump over her. Unless he’s a soulless, craven Jell-O salad, that is.”

Two prominences showed up at the Texas-Mexico border recently, one a concerned and compassionate individual who happens to be the current President of the US, the other a man-child, spouting bizarre rants about migrants in his speech in Eagle Pass, Texas. The blustering former president, Donald Trump, fumed away, saying, “Nobody can explain to me how allowing millions of people from places unknown, from countries unknown, who don’t speak languages. We have languages coming into our country. We have nobody that even speaks those languages. They’re truly foreign languages. Nobody speaks them, and they are pouring into our country, and they’re bringing with them tremendous problems, including medical problems, as you know.” Wow! Let’s put that indecipherable fulmination to rest and divert our attention to a phrase in Amanda Gorman’s poem, ‘What We Carry‘: “Language is a life craft. Yes, language is a life raft,” recently recited on ‘The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,’ with instrumental accompaniment by world-renowned cellist Jan Vogler. Writer and newsman, Dan Rather, was so taken by the performance he wants the words on his t-shirt. The poem appears in Gorman’s book of poems, ‘Call Us What We Carry‘ as she explores the “we” further in her writing, which she calls an “occasional book.” In her poem, ‘Call Us,’ she writes: “We are not me – we are we. Call us what we carry,” from which the book title is derived. Her now well-known poem read at President Biden’s inauguration, ‘The Hill We Climb,’ is the final poem in her printed collection. Kevin Young, in the The New Yorker magazine, writes, “Good poems capture a moment and sustain it. In an era as urgent as ours, many poems strive for timelessness precisely by being timely. Poetry can preserve the fleeting present, encircle the past, and help envision alternative futures. When Amanda Gorman read her poem at the 2021 Inaugural, she became both the inheritor of a long tradition and a herald of something new…As Gorman acknowledged this country’s contested history, and its contemporary tumult, her invocation of the plural pronoun “we” reminded us that, for good or literal ill, our lives are connected. Hers was an invitation to move forward together.”  Can ‘we’ do it? ‘We’ have to give it a shot!

Dateline February 26

GRAB ‘EM BY THE PROPERTY!

The Democrats, and President Biden, are growing increasingly frustrated with his portrayal in the media with their concerns about the 81-year-old’s age and his ability to execute another four years in the Oval Office. During the 2020 presidential election run-up, Donald Trump was unrelenting in his criticism that Biden was “too old” yet is unconcerned that he himself has reached that same “old” age. Reporters are quick to fixate on Biden’s verbal slips, while soft-pedaling Trump’s slips, outright lies, and non-sensical ramblings, while waiting for the rabbit to pop out of a hat. It’s show-time! Democratic strategist, Jon Reinish, says, “The more this campaign and the more this White House takes the gloves off and gets aggressive, the better off they are. There have been many instances on many tough issues where they’ve been behind the ball and have not been nearly as sharp, nearly as persuasive or nearly as aggressive as they could have been.” In light of Biden’s poor approval ratings and concerns about his ability to serve, a dramatic pushback from the president’s team against the negativity might help build up a sense of Biden’s strength, Reinish said, adding that he hopes “it’s not too late” to start such maneuvers.

In the DOJ’s investigation of Biden’s purloined classified documents case, Special Counsel Robert Hur released a tedious and lengthy summation that concluded the President would face no charges for the mishandled items from his senatorial and vice-presidential years. But Hur felt that he had to color outside the lines, devoting what he thought important by covering Biden’s struggle to remember during his questioning, which the White House immediately took issue with, especially since there were no charges. Senior adviser for the Biden campaign, TJ Ducklo, criticized the media for “gratuitous and sensationalist attacks on the President’s age” after Trump suggested he’d be fine with Russian invasions of NATO countries who failed to contribute their share to cover defense obligations. Americans deserve “a press corps who cover his candidacy, his comments, and his policy positions with the seriousness and ferocity this moment requires,” Ducklo responded.

The President held a press conference following Robert Hur’s stinging judgement that Biden was a “well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory,” to defend his age and ability at recall. He fired back with, “I’m well-meaning, and I’m an elderly man, and I know what the hell I’m doing.” But he then went on to confuse the Egyptian President as the “president of Mexico,” which let some air out of his balloon, with the verbal slip drawing even more scrutiny. Todd Belt, director of George Washington University’s graduate political management program says, “I think the president overestimates his ability to handle the press at times.” Biden’s news conferences stand at an average of 11 per year, while Trump’s averaged 22, during which he confronted and harangued reporters about releasing “fake news.” The current administration has attempted to build a press relationship, avoiding aggressive criticism of the coverage. As a side note, President Obama averaged about 20 press outings per year during his terms in office.

Esquire’s Charlie Pierce confesses that he has been willing to grant Attorney General Merrick Garland a bit of latitude, but the Robert Hur hatchet job on the president was the final straw, and he must go, he concludes. Talk radio, Fox News, and any MAGA monster will rant about Biden’s politicization of the Department of Justice, how it’s prosecuting/persecuting honest, God-fearing citizens, and making a complete mockery of the Constitution; but, the AG in his timidity and determination to be “apolitical” has failed to do the very thing he was appointed to do – pursue justice and accountability charges The Nation magazine. The former president should have been prosecuted years ago, right out of the gate following the swearing-in ceremonies in 2021, but hesitation has brought us to the current dilemmas.

Pierce believes Special Counsel Jack Smith shouldn’t have been a solution, that the Attorney General and the FBI should have been on the case the minute Garland walked into his office…a crisis is a terrible thing to waste. Pierce asks us to imagine quick actions and investigations which would have found many in DC the objects of 14th Amendment prosecution. He compares this laxity to the rapid response of the Republican administration after 9/11 to absolve George W. Bush and his lackeys of blame for ignoring the attack warnings they had received, blindly forcing the country to get behind the war footing because ‘terrorists‘ were on the loose. Charlie calls out Democrats for being “the adults in the room” while allowing Republicans to act like privileged children. “They need to express genuine outrage when the situation merits it, in contrast to the staged hissy fits Republicans do by reflex,” he contends. Further, he thinks, “It is long past time to stop giving the GOP the benefit of the doubt on anything. Don’t appeal to their better nature – they may not have one.”

As for Garland, if he steps down now, imagine the circus that would be initiated in the halls of government, with Republicans shouting “lawfare!” to amplify accusations of weaponization of the DOJ, their term for warring against political opponents using the law. Of course, the GOP would launch their own campaign to preemptively neutralize any nominee, with the press corps meekly calling any move to hold Republicans to account as ‘divisive.’ Pierce goes on, “Bending over backwards to be seen as reasonable when dealing with unreasonable people is not an effective strategy. We need to do better. A DEMOCRATIC attorney general prepared to take some heat from the press at the risk of being seen as partisan would be a nice change – and can we find someone besides a Republican to head up the FBI while we are at it?”

Marjorie Taylor Greene would gladly head up any ‘neutralization campaign,’ which she would designate as ‘eradication’ no doubt. Steve Schmidt on his ‘The Warning’ blog calls her out for using the term in her menacing statement about candidate Nikki Haley, “Not only do [Republicans] support President Trump, we support his policies. And any Republican that isn’t willing to adapt these policies, we’re completely eradicating from the party. So, it’s up to Nikki Haley what she does.” Steve says, “Eradication is a word typically applied to vermin, like rats or an infestation of termites or bedbugs. Certainly, it doesn’t seem particularly tolerant of different points of view. Does it seem strange that Marjorie Taylor Greene wants to shrink the party into a smaller, purer instrument of loyalty to Donald Trump for Trump in the name of Trump? Shouldn’t there be a question asked about intention to the people who have become completely hostile to freedom of conscience, speech and expression what they might do with power? Might they seek to stifle speech and intimidate? Might they threaten retribution? Might they act in the threat? How would they act? These question is matter a great deal in this moment. Americans have a great deal of time to ponder our way of life, which is deeply attached to several core precepts. Among them, that ‘we the people’ pick our leaders, and not the other way around. Eradication. It’s an unusual choice. It seems ominous.” A quote from H.L. Mencken is certainly ominous – “As democracy is perfected, the office of president represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people. On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their hearts’s desire at last and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron.”

Jimmy Kimmel, on one of his shows last fall says of Trump and his gang, “The Chicken McNuggets are coming home to roost, aren’t they? The rats are jumping off the Spray-tanic. The big beautiful walls are closing in – somewhere up there, I have to believe John McCain is smiling. You know. he likes people who don’t get caught.” Kimmel couldn’t hold back after Trump’s recent $355M civil fraud ruling, saying, “It will be a refreshing to see a woman grabbing his assets for a change. I’ll tell you something. When you’re attorney general they let you do it. You don’t even ask. You just seize. You grab ’em by the property.” Immediately, Trump having nothing better to do, attacked Kimmel as a “loser.” On Truth Social he posted, “They could get a far more talented person, who would also get better ratings, for 5% of what they are paying this Loser.” Kimmel then expressed his delight that he had “caught the attention of America’s most famous tangerine. I got to say that is a hell of a way to find out you’re not going to be somebody’s running mate. He has no idea how delighted I am by something like this. I’m going to try to enjoy it, because he probably won’t be able to do this when they take away his phone in prison, so I’m going to really, like, soak it in.”

Trump and his two fraud-prince sons are appealing Judge Arthur Engoron’s decision in the New York civil fraud case, which fined the three heavily and barred them from leadership roles, with independent officials monitoring their companies. Alina Habba, the Trump attorney in the case, issued a statement, “We trust that the Appellate Division will overturn this egregious fine and take the necessary steps to restore the public faith in New York’s legal system.” The appeal is headed for the First Judicial Department Appellate Division, where the Trump Crime Family hopes to see their sins justified, after Judge Engoron declined to delay enforcement of his decision. “You have failed to explain, much less justify, any basis for a stay. I am confident that the Appellate Division will protect your appellate rights,” Engoron responded. The Don is responsible for paying additional interest on the fine if it is upheld, and New York attorney, Letitia James, updates the amount each day on Xwitter. Ka-ching, ka-ching!

Bad news from Trump’s hometown newspaper, The Palm Beach Post…they endorsed Joe Biden in a recent editorial. They expressed to readers their grave concern about the prospect of a second Trump term, asserting that the “nation would have much to fear,” urging undecided voters to reassess events involving Trump with a fresh perspective, as they cited Newsweek’s reporting on Friday, February 23. Highlighted were the two New York cases: the civil fraud suit, and the E. Jean Carroll defamation case. The P.B. Post’s Biden endorsement brings to the fore, the extent to which the ex-president’s standing has eroded in his own Mar–a-Lago neighborhood…time to vacate for E. Jean Carroll’s occupancy?

Jackie Calmes in her LA Times column, pinpoints her observations of changes in Trump’s rallies, where once they consisted of “brash rowdiness” but have now dissolved into self-pity. “These aren’t rallies anymore. They’re pity-parties.” she maintains. Poor, poor, pitiful Trump. Lord, have mercy! Calmes says where once spectators showed up to hear about “a better future,” now there’s only a gaggle of Trumpers who emit “constant catcalls, boos, and their own favorite profanities.” Trump is trolling for pity, and dollars, as he spreads his gloom and doom, as he “saps the crowd’s energy.” His ramblings and verbal garbage are hard to follow, and he has become a constant embarrassment to the larger audiences he once attracted, yet the GOP holds his banner high! Pity!

If you vote for a man who said windmills cause cancer, used a Sharpie to change the track of a hurricane, asked to nuke hurricanes, autographed Bibles, saluted a North Korean general, stared at the sun twice, believed there were airplanes in the Revolutionary War, and suggested that bleach was a COVID cure, your opinion of Joe Biden’s sanity is laughably irrelevant. And remember, the same people who think Obama is a Muslim, think Trump is a Christian!

Dateline February 19

SNITCHING SWIFTIES SELLOUT SNEAKERS

The Washington Post’s Rick Reilly writes, “Are you bummed you weren’t around when the Stasi ruled? Do you wish you could’ve been one of Mao Zedong’s millions of neighborhood snitches? Maybe watch the Red Guards drag off your least favorite aunt? Not to worry, the bad old days are back – thanks to Nextdoor.com.” Rick says all you gotta do is sign up, log in and start profiling everyone on your block…Black guy on the corner with a backpack…call the cops! Girl going door-to-door selling cookies to raise money for a high school trip? Alert the snitches! Fiftyish White man driving a luxury car, doesn’t go to work? Call the IRS…and stay vigilant! Trifling Halloween candy hand-outs? Alert, alert, alert! Rick reports reading of a vegan couple complaining about the smell of their neighbor’s barbecue invading their “meat-free radius,” and asks, “Is there a kale-free radius?” He says there’s no butting-out, only butting-in, as he tells of a post about a “slow moving vehicle following the school bus every morning.” Only a newspaper carrier following the same route…can never be certain that the carrier won’t bounce the daily off of some kid’s head, but with sparsity of pages in today’s tabloids who would notice? Rick concludes that entertainment ends and lunacy begins if we don’t take notice that we live in a country with more guns than people, and pulling into the wrong driveway can put a bullet through a windshield, and the person to fear is not the guy in the hoodie but the person behind the keyboard of a computer or tablet. Douglas Adams wrote in ‘The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy,’ “In the beginning the Universe was created. This has made a lot of people very angry and has been widely regarded as a bad move.” Now is the time to cheer up those individuals!

“Your Honor, in an effort to insure a fair trial, we move for a change of venue to the defendant’s imagination,” said Trump’s attorneys and most of the GOP. Needless to say, that hasn’t worked in any of the former president’s cases, so last week he got another shot across the bow in Judge Arthur Engoron’s 92-page decision dealing a blow to the Trump Crime Family’s business operation. New York Attorney General Letitia James brought the suit against Trump in 2022 for falsely altering his net worth on key financial statements for tax and insurance advantages. The fraudulent documents were used in securing loans and making deals, and the final decision was Engoron’s since there was no jury involved. The $354M in penalties was below what the AG had initially sought, but both Trump sons were also fined over $4M each, and former CFO Allen Weisellberg was dinged for a mil. Donald Trump will owe over a half-billion big ones with interest added to the fine, and the meter is still running at the rate of one million per week…try to change venue on that one, Donny-boy! The meter is still running on the E. Jean Carroll case with no appeal being filed, so somebody needs to start making some decisions on disposition of properties on this runaway train.

Stories abound of the cavalry coming to the rescue with a crowdfunding setup, but the reality is that Trump’s MAGA base throughout the election cycle has not pitched in an amount that would pay off more than just a fraction of these gigantic court penalties, just barely staying above the bills for payouts to those legal teams who are getting some payment. Liar Trump, being deeply in debt, likely never had the $400M in cash that he once claimed, at least for any length of time, since the money comes in and goes right out the door at month’s end. Some have speculated that he might borrow against his properties to avoid asset forfeiture, but he has no equity in them, so what bank is going to sink more money into Trump’s empire, especially in light of his current status? With no money, he can’t write checks to cover his debts; consequently, he won’t be able to put money in escrow accounts to appeal the court decisions, so seizure of assets seems to be on the table. Besides, meals in prison are pretty inexpensive, along with the free room. After the fraud verdict was out, the MAGA base actually started a GoFundMe account to bail their Golden Boy out of trouble, which led to questions of whether the GFM terms of service would permit such an endeavor. Putting that concern aside, the loyalists managed to raise $84K within 24 hours…about .01% of Trump’s court debts to date, and only 6,547+ more days to make it all go away.

But, wait! Trump probably thinks he has an ace in the hole with this one…becoming a Sneakerhead! He showed up at Philadelphia’s Sneaker Con to hawk a pair of gold, custom, Trump-branded, limited edition high-top sneakers for only $399 a pair, and it’s reported that an autographed pair went to a winning bidder for only $9000. The high-top, branded as the “Never Surrender High Top Sneaker” is part of the line which includes the white and gold athletic fit, “POTUS 45” for $199, and the red athletic “T-Red Wave,” also for $199. The Gettrumpsneakers.com website announced early on that the 1,000 pairs of “Never Surrender” kicks were sold out, with “at least 10” bearing the former prez’s autograph. A licensing agreement with 45Footwear/CIC Ventures gives the company the right to use his name, image, and likeness, with no money going to his presidential campaign. Alas, we’re probably too late to own a pair since the site claimed they were to be available for only three days with a limit to buyers of three pairs. But, they may still have 45Footwear’s Trump branded fragrances – ‘Victory 47 Cologne’ and ‘Victory 47 Perfume’, with a price tag of $99.

Trump was mostly oblivious to the boos amid the mixed and emotional reactions from the attendees when he came on stage, saying, “Wow, lot of emotion. There’s a lot of emotion in this room.” Speaking for about ten minutes, he said, “They have lines going all around the block. They’ve never seen anything like this one.” Yeah, probably in the entire history of the planet…you could check Wikipedia! Chants of “USA, USA, USA” could be heard by a small group, and Sneaker Con later faced a lot of backlash for giving the candidate a venue for his remarks. The organization addressed the controversy with a post on social media saying, “Sneaker Con’s mission is to support and promote sneaker culture through our worldwide live events and digital platforms. We are thankful and appreciative of the sneaker community, and recognize individuals who generate awareness and authentic sneaker related engagement toward our community.” And they will never find a sneakier sneakerhead than Donald J. Trump. It should be noted that CIC Ventures is the same company that made the Trump NFT trading cards, but we all know with certainty that his only successful business is selling hats to morons.

Trump’s former attorney, Michael Cohen, raises a red flag in light of his former boss’ growing debts, saying he’s “for sale,” in his need to raise loads of cash over a short period of time. The cash-strapped ex-president would be willing to sell sensitive government information to which he had access, both before and after his term was over, according to Cohen. “He doesn’t care about America, and I say this not to be hyperbolic. I say this as fact, knowing him for as long as I’ve known him. He will sell that information to anyone, because he doesn’t care about anyone or anything other than himself,” Cohen explains. Trump’s onetime national security advisor, John Bolton, believes foreign autocrats could take advantage of him in this situation, which demonstrates “why he is not fit for office.”

Trucker, Chicago Ray, is organizing his fellow-trucking buddies to start refusing loads destined for New York City in a protest over the court’s ruling handed down last week in Trump’s fraud case. He claims to have “at least” ten drivers who will join him in this action, and Trump is raising a fist toward their efforts. “Such an honor to have so many Great Patriots on the side of FREEDOM!” was posted to Truth Social media platform, along with Trump’s whine, “Joe Biden’s Unfair and Dangerous Weaponization of Law Enforcement is a serious threat to Democracy. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!” Canadian truckers in 2022 organized a “People’s Convoy” when they converged on Washington, DC to voice opposition to COVID-19 mandates, but that turned out to be a bust. Early in February, “God’s Army Truck Convoy/The Take Our Border Back Convoy,” began its drive though the southern states to rally in several border cities, but it was a slow starter, failing to pick up any significant numbers on the journey. The organizers claimed at least 700,000 people would attend, after the publicity on Tucker Carlson’s podcast and Alex Jone’s InfoWars, however, it was reported only about fifty cars, trucks, and RVs arrived at destination Dripping Springs, Texas. The group did manage to raise $157,000 online, with no explanation or plan for distribution. The orange-hued blonde in the back is waving his hand energetically, if you hadn’t noticed!

Trump attorney, Alina Habba, is no longer involved in the E. Jean Carroll case, having been a total disaster for her client who will bring on a new legal team to appeal his $83.3M defeat. Morning Joe Scarborough and co-host, Mika Brzesinski, discussed this change on their show, with Joe in quasi-seriousness asking, “Wonder why?” which brought forth laughter from Mika and the crew. Mika cautioned, “Try to keep a straight face,” with Joe’s counter, “No, I mean, she’s very angry. They took away her coloring books! There was a color-by-number thing on how to be a lawyer when you grow up, and the judge took them away!” The panel wondered why she was ever on the case, since Trump historically had bad lawyers who at least knew their way around a courtroom; ironically, she is still in the employ of Trump, being a voice for his reelection. She was simply a cut-out in the courtroom where The Donald basically was his own defense, proving the old adage that one who represents himself has a fool for a client.

Aldous J. Pennyfarthing says, “If you ever find yourself in legal peril, you might want to consider hiring Alina Habba as your attorney, but only if you’re on trial for dropping a house on a witch, otherwise you will be in for a rude awakening. With Trump facing loads of legal peril, Habba’s job was to go on TV to convince millions of people who are already sure he’s innocent, and the heap of criminal and civil accusations against him were all meticulously curated by a sitting president who’s nothing but a listless amalgam of advanced dementia symptoms. If somehow she had managed to score him a hard-bristled toothbrush for his weekly prison urinal cleanings, that would have been gravy.” Aldous J. adds, “Trump has exhausted every listing in the ‘law’ section of the Yellow Pages and was forced to move on to the ‘lawn and garden’ section. Hey, if anyone still uses the Yellow Pages, it’s Trump.”

On HBO’s ‘Real Time,’ host Bill Maher joked, “Taylor Swift won the Super Bowl. Swift drives MAGA Nation crazy because one thing they cannot stand is a blonde billionaire with a cult following. Trump is running around the country trying to balance his busy schedule with all the primaries and four trials going…today he had to do his makeup in the car.” Referencing the upcoming trial involving hush money paid to porn star Stormy Daniels, Maher quipped, “Only Trump could pay hush money to someone who was too embarrassed to talk about it to begin with.” The Don’s efforts to stall and delay his court appearances, according to Maher, is the same tactic Melania uses in the bedroom, and he criticizes Trump for sending her a valentine message in a fundraising letter to his supporters. Maher deplores this election cycle with, “This is going to be a long and grueling and mostly pointless campaign since everyone knows which of the two elderly candidates they prefer to barely tolerate…the one who can’t walk upstairs, or the one who can’t walk down ramps. That’s where we are. Can we please not make it even more tedious than it already is? I don’t want to hear any more about how somehow Joe Biden has the energy to completely destroy America, even though the can’t open a package of nuts with his teeth.”

FAKE ELECTORS DIGGING INTO THE LOOPHOLES OF DEMOCRACY

Robert Harrington, like many of us, is making a shaky effort to keep all of Trump’s criminal charges in the four jurisdictions straight in his head…91 criminal charges in all, with a constantly shifting on-again-off-again scheduler’s nightmare. He has devised for himself, a mnemonic to provide some order, though Trump’s defense continues to make it all topsy-turvy to keep everyone off-balance. His memory aid is the acronym, DIGS, to represent Trump’s Documents (stolen classifieds), Insurrection (January 6, 2021), Georgia (election interference), and Stormy (hush money) cases, and as he conjectures, “As in, Donald Trump DIGS his own grave.”

Harrington believes if Trump had put his ego aside and accepted his election defeat, and moved on to Mar-a-Lago minus the boxes of loot, the Stormy Daniels case would have blown over, and he would now be free of all his headaches…though E. Jean Carroll was waiting in the wings with a competent legal team to bash him in dramatic fashion. Harrington believes the COVID contagion could have been a gift to Trump had he handled it properly, but the “stupidity of this stable genius” failed to recognize and evaluate it to his advantage. “Person, Woman, Man, Camera, TV” cognition didn’t come to his rescue, so he got “Documents, Insurrection, Georgia, Stormy.” Robert ends his piece with, “Donald Trump DIGS graves like nobody else, and he’s going to keep doing it until that blessed day when he finally DIGS his own grave, and lies in it. And nobody lies like Donald Trump.”

The new book released this past week, ‘How to Steal a Presidential Election’ by Harvard law professor Lawrence Lessig and Matthew Seligman of the constitutional law center at Stanford, states that, “We are in a profoundly dangerous moment. This is a catastrophic year, and the odds are not in our favor.” Tracing Donald Trump’s assault on democracy with the Big Lie, which was frightful enough, but what lies ahead, the two authors say, is even more troubling. Lessig’s reputation as a leading thinker on possibilities of corruption in public institutions is one of respect, and his probing into the vulnerabilities leaving our democracy open to attack by authoritarians is a blunt warning that, “We are convinced that an informed and intelligent effort to undermine the results of a close, free and fair election could work in America – if the rules governing our presidential elections are not changed.”

Prior to Trump’s stolen-election lies, both Lessig and Seligman concocted a class at Harvard law school designated as ‘Wargaming 2020,’ where they examined the possibility of hacking a presidential election to send a losing candidate to the Oval Office – after which their conclusion is that the US had dodged a bullet. “We discovered that Trump didn’t really understand what he could have done. There were obvious moves he and his team could have made, but they didn’t take them. Overturning an election by insurrection was the dumbest thing they could have possibly done. No court would ever allow the election to be decided by force of bayonets,” Lessig says. After repeating the wargaming exercise for their new book, Lessig has less confidence that another insurrection-type assault would end well. With Trump doing well in primaries to this point, he is certain that the former prez is willing to do much more than we saw through his term, and 2021’s riot, having had four years to conduct their own war-games, with more sophistication. Lessing believes, “Trump didn’t understand how to undo governmental structures. Now he’s well-trained, he knows exactly what he needs to do.”

The three Lessig/Seligman war-games situations are characterized by, 1) the ‘faithless electors,’ delegates chosen by parties to fairly represent the winning candidate in each state under terms of the electoral college – who then renounce their pledges and back the losing candidate; 2) the ‘rogue governor’ of a state who decides to flip the results of the election, which Lessig believes is the greatest long-term threat; and 3) which causes sleepless nights for Lessig, the ‘rogue legislature.’ He is not optimistic that Congress will be able to do anything in time, and can only hope that the infrastructure holds up as it did in the last election. The book offers a host of proposed changes to both federal and state laws for the purpose of closing loopholes, which are not intended to be partisan.

Lessig says of himself and his co-author, “Neither of us have anything against the conservative movement in the US, as expressed in the traditional Republican party,” but the “disengagement from the basic premise of democratic politics – if you win, you win, if you lose, you go home,” is not observed by a number of Americans who still believe the 2020 election was stolen, against all evidence, and that is frightening. “Many Trump supporters have the sense that anything is justified, and that’s terrifying. Trump is denying every single core democratic norm, and yet his support continues to grow. That too is astonishing and terrifying.”

The Supreme Court case, Chiafolo vs Washington, decided in 2020, says that states have the ability to enforce an elector’s pledge in presidential elections, whereby electors were fined $1,000 for not voting for the nominees of their party in the state of Washington, casting their votes for Colin Powell instead of Hillary Clinton and Tim Kaine. A MAGA-dominated legislature could wreak havoc by going rogue, prompting Lessig to warn, “That’s a kind of opened hole that is going to be very hard to close in time.” A case in point lies in Arizona, where a lawmaker who signed on to be a ‘fake elector‘ for Trump, has introduced a bill that would allow members of the statehouse to overturn future election results that they don’t like. The bill sponsored by state Senator Anthony Kern (Senate Concurrent Resolution 1014) seeks to bypass wholly the popular vote, giving the legislature absolute power to control Arizona’s electoral college votes, disenfranchising millions of the state’s voters. The bill reads, “It is the responsibility of the Arizona Secretary of State to certify elections, including elections for President of the United States, but the sole authority to appoint presidential electors is granted to the Legislature,” concluding, “The Legislature, and no other official, shall appoint presidential electors in accordance with the United States Constitution.”

Sam Paisley, national press secretary for the Democratic Legislative Committee, said, “This is a full sound-the-alarm moment for American democracy. Arizona Republicans are attacking the most essential tenet of our elections: that the people decide their representatives…this latest attempt to remove the will of the people from the presidential selection process is one of the gravest threats to democracy we’ve seen yet.” Senator Kern failed to respond to requests for comments, but has said he was unable to serve in the military during Desert Storm, having two sons to raise as a single dad; he has a degree in business administration, is self-employed and owns a private investigation business; he has been involved in the Block Watch Program, and started the City of Phoenix Employees for Christ organization in 1995. As a former code enforcement officer in the City of El Mirage, he was fired for lying to a supervisor about a lost tablet computer. His name appears on the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office ‘Brady List,’ which is a database of police employees known for credibility issues. Sam Paisley describes Arizona’s Republican caucus as “a hotbed of MAGA extremism,” and Kern makes no secret of his affinity for that cause, having attended the January 6, 2021 rally, using campaign cash to pay airfare and hotel accommodations.

On his TV show, Jimmy Kimmel brought up former Fox News host, Tucker (Useful Idiot) Carlson and his visit to Russia to conduct an interview with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Though Tuck has his own streaming platform, Tucker Carlson Network, Kimmel notes that, “Tucker Carlson still doesn’t have a job. He’s in Moscow. House-hunting, I hope.” An unimpressed Kimmel said of Putin,“He’s a murderer, he’s a war criminal, he hates America, he hates everything America stands for, he’s a liar and a propagandist, but Tuck thinks we need to hear him out.” Playing a clip of Carlson claiming he wants to get Putin’s view since he’s “involved in this conflict with Ukraine,” Kimmel blasted, “I love ‘involved in this conflict’…it’s like saying that in ‘Jaws,’ the great white shark was ‘involved in biting.’ It takes two to be eaten, you know.”

CNN’s Oiver Darcy called the interview “propaganda victory for Putin,” with a silent Carlson giving the president free-rein to manipulate his deceptive version of the history between the two countries. Carlson has ‘erroneously‘ stated that US media haven’t attempted to interview Putin, but many journalists have revealed that repeated requests to do so have been denied by Putin. Clarissa Ward, chief international correspondent for CNN explained, “What you see from watching the first 45 minutes of this, is that it was clear from the very beginning that Carlson did not have control,” being unable to hold a credible dialog with the strongman. Conditions laid down at the outset placed editorial control with the Russian government, alongside Carlson’s agreement he would broadcast the interview in its entirety. In the end, the interview was released to Tuck only after the Kremlin censored many of the questions, and any comment made by Carlson not appreciated by Putin. Though Carlson and Putin have differing reasons for hating America, Tuck fills the role of ‘useful idiot’ for the Russians, earning many kudos on Russian state TV directed at the populace. We can bet that Mr. Trump is eyeing this ‘useful idiot’ with interest after his sojourn in Moscow, so don’t be surprised when VP selection time arrives and we see Tucker Carlson’s name listed in the ‘select few’ for consideration.

It’s a good bet that Mike ‘My Pillow’ Lindell won’t be on any MAGA lists ever again since he’s been crashing and burning, lost in his conspiracy fantasies and The Big Lie of 2020. He always seems to be ‘just a couple of weeks’ away from delivering his proof of the victory that Trump lost to the deep state, but still has nothing to show for it after three years. Friends claim that he’s broke, having lost his focus on his pillow business, and is now hawking socks, bottle cleaners, and a lion painting! With the Feds seizure of his phone with a search warrant several weeks ago, it appears that he is party to a federal criminal investigation. So, as Bill Palmer’s blog predicts, Lindell will soon be hauled away in either handcuffs or a straitjacket…sleep well, Mikey!

Rudy Giuliani disclosed in bankruptcy court that Trump’s 2020 campaign and the Republican National Committee are on the hook to him for $2M in unpaid legal fees, NOT Trump himself…that’s right Rudy – keep that door open just a bit in case your SOS reaches Toupee Orange in a weak moment! Rudy maintains he was paid in part for expenses, but not for his sterling legal work, and is now facing “a major financial hit,” with his law license in suspension. Ted Goodman, an adviser for the disgraced NYC mayor, wrote that poor Rudy has “earned everything he has in life through honest, hard work. The American people are waking up to the abhorrent weaponization of our justice system for partisan political gain, and the fact that we are here today is just another example of this great injustice.” Might we suggest that Mr. G. rescue himself with some honest, hard work by selling socks and bottle cleaners?

The Washington Post has revealed that Trump is ‘absolutely livid and deeply worried’ that Attorney General Letitia James is destroying his ‘family’s brand and inheritance’ earmarked for his children, in the ongoing New York fraud case. To make matters worse for dear ol’ Dad, Ivanka has made her choice to ‘step away’ from defending her father due to the ‘stinging scrutiny’ that his jump into politics has brought to their criminal family operation. A Trump insider told the Post that “Everything about the case makes him angry – including that it’s hurting the children, striking at his identity and the family and what he’s been able to build over years and years and years.” The report reveals that “Trump’s children have not been involved in his current bid for the presidency” because they are attempting to “cool off” and distance themselves from all the criminal trials. And because the presidency proved to be so painful for the family with endless subpoenas, legal bills, investigations, testimonies, bad press, and being in the limelight constantly, they are now wary of lurking enemies, becoming paranoid that accountability is at hand. Socks, bottle cleaners, and Daddy’s leftover non-fungible trading cards, that’s the ticket…got it kids?

The Las Vegas Super Bowl’s Sunday telecast raised the hackles of another family…the Kennedy clan. American Values 2024, a super PAC backing Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s presidential run, produced a campaign spot which mimicked an ad for John F. Kennedy’s 1960 presidential effort, using the same jingle and a black and white, small screen TV moodiness. While RFK Jr. also posted the ad on Xwitter, he later posted an apology after cousin Bobby Shriver forcefully criticized the presentation, saying that his mother and the late president’s sister, Eunice Kennedy Shriver, “would be appalled in light of his health care views.” Junior said, “I’m so sorry if the Super Bowl advertisement caused anyone in my family pain. The ad was created and aired by the American Values Super PAC without any involvement or approval from my campaign. FEC rules prohibit Super PACs from consulting with me or my staff. I love you all. God bless you.” His anti-vax philosophy grates on many observers, and especially his family which has been at odds with him for years.

Press secretary Stefanie Spear had a different take on the $7M ad, telling CBS News, “We are pleasantly surprised and grateful to the American Values PAC for running the ad where more than 100 million Americans got to see that RFK Jr. is running as an independent candidate for president of the US.” Speechwriter for the late Senator Ted Kennedy, Robert Shrum, posted his statement that the ad was “plagiarism,” adding, “Bobby, you’re no John Kennedy. Instead you are a Trump ally.” It’s telling that the ad remained at the top of Jr.’s website on Monday morning.

Another dominant advertiser on CBS’s Super Bowl presentation was Anheuser-Busch’s Bud Light, trying to regain a foothold after getting involved in the culture war by brief sponsorship of Dylan Mulvaney, a transgender woman, which resulted in a heavy backlash from its legion of customers. Last October the Ultimate Fighting Championship organization faced its own backlash after signing a $100M+ six-year contract with Bud Light. So how did UFC President Dana White attempt to solve this dilemma? Of course, she reached out to Donald Trump, asking him to provide some positivity to the situation. And, he obliged her by posting on his Truth Social site that consumers should give the brewer a “second chance.” He wrote, “The Bud Light ad was a mistake of epic proportions, and for that a very big price was paid, but Anheuser-Busch is not a Woke company.” He also posted a few bits of relevant information about the company…likely coming from White. Certainly he wasn’t influenced by the fact that he owns close to $5M of Anheuser-Busch InBev stock…ya think? Had Trump appeared as a contestant on his TV show, ‘The Apprentice,’ he surely would have had to fire himself!