Adrastos, Campaign Notes, Fog Of Scandal, Law/Justice, Political Crack, Stupid Republican Tricks

Censure The Dirty Octet

I’m calling them the Dirty Octet because I called the original group The Dirty Dozen as a sort of homage to my countrymen who were in that great action movie: John Cassavetes and Maybe Cousin Telly Savalas. It’s easy to imagine Telly’s character, Archer Maggot, as one of the dipshit seditionists who stormed the Capitol on Twelfth Night.

That’s right I used the S word: Sedition, which requires action or force. That happened with the Twelfth Night White Riot. Mercifully, many of the dipshit rioters bragged about their exploits on social media, so there were a wave of arrests this weekend. If it were a movie it could be called, The Deep State Strikes Back.

The speakers at the Trump rally including the Impeached Insult Comedian could arguably be charged with inciting a seditious riot, but that’s unlikely to apply to members of Congress who did not speak at the rally. Voting for a challenge to electoral college results is inadvisable, but it *is* authorized by law. Besides, Democrats filed electoral college challenges in 2000, 2004, and 2016. I don’t think of Barbara Boxer and Maxine Waters as seditionists and neither should anyone else.

Expulsion is highly unlikely, but there *is* a sanction available to punish those members who voted to overturn results AFTER the riot: CENSURE. It’s much stronger than it sounds. I realize it’s hard to shame the shameless but censure would put them in the company of Joe McCarthy who is currently rotting in hell. I suspect Tailgunner Joe’s hell is booze and camera-free.

It was surprising that Ron Johnson and Kelly Loeffler did not vote to overturn the results. Johnson is one of the stupidest members of the senate and Loeffler ran a shameless, mendacious, and conspiracy riddled campaign, but they declined to join the Dirty Octet after having been members of the Dirty Dozen. Please listen for the sound of one hand clapping…

Speaking of the shameless and the stupid: John Neely Kennedy is officially more shameless than Loefller and Tuberville is stupider than Johnson. I once thought that Ron Johnson’s status as the stupidest senator was unassailable. Tuberville done trumped him. Tommy Tuberville replacing Doug Jones is as big a downgrade as Ron Johnson replacing Russ Feingold. Oy just oy.

The notion of censure applies to the 138 House GOPers who voted with the Dirty Octet. If the House GOP had any sense, Kevin McCarthy and Steve Scalise would lose their leaderships roles. Unfortunately, House Republicans are insensate.

I just dropped by to vent. The Saints are playing da Bears in a playoff game later today at the Superdome, so it’s time to turn my attention to more pleasant matters.

Jan 07 2021

6 Comments

Adrastos, Bigotry, Campaign Notes, Congress, Fog Of Scandal, Political Crack, Race, Stupid Republican Tricks, The Darnold

The Dipshit Uprising

The Trump regime began knee deep in Stupid Watergate, they’re going out after having incited the Dipshit Uprising thereby casting a pall over Twelfth Night and my first King Cake of the season. It harshed my Georgia, Georgia, Georgia buzz as well. It was, however, more memorable than the fakakata election challenge mishigas event that bookended the riot.

That’s right, riot. Make that white riot as the only people of color on the scene were members of congress, the media, and law enforcement. It was white privilege gone haywire as well as a massive security failure. It’s clear that if the rioters had been carrying BLM banners and posters instead of Trump flags they would have been repelled with force and hundreds would have been arrested, not 52. That’s right, only 52 were arrested as if it were an Advent calendar, not a riot. Make that white rioters staging a Dipshit Uprising.

Once they stormed the Capitol, the scene inside looked like Bourbon Street on New Year’s Day. All that was lacking were booze and school colors waved by Sugar Bowl attendees: Roll Tide; How About Dem Dogs. Instead, they were clad in MAGA red and camo green and brown.

The rioters milled about taking selfies, opening desks on the Senate floor, and otherwise occupying themselves as if they’d just fallen off the proverbial turnip truck. In the immortal words of Randy Newman, “They’re rednecks. Don’t know their ass from a hole in the ground.”

I was relieved that nobody relieved themselves as they ransacked offices. I halfway expected one of them to take a shit in Speaker Pelosi’s office. That would have given an entirely new meaning to the term news dump. Gross but true.

I used that scatological analogy because the whole day was disgusting and sickening. From the rioters to the president* and his sycophants who incited them it was a shitty day for America. It exposed the stupidity and short-sightedness of the Trumpers and their dear leader. Anyone with a lick of sense knows that the Kaiser of Chaos and his political henchmen are lying about electoral fraud. Of course, the participants in the Dipshit Uprising probably think that lick of sense is part of Ivanka’s fragrance line…

Where do we go from here? I may have derided the idea of an instant impeachment or last minute 25th Amendment invocation the other day, but after the white riot a legal way to remove President* Pennywise from office is imperative. Pence seems to have taken charge after his rupture with his boss, but an informal ouster isn’t good enough. Lawlessness should be combatted by the rule of law.

No one should praise Pence or Moscow Mitch for their realization that the Kaiser of Chaos is a monster. The headline of a thumbsucker by the WaPo’s Ashley Parker sums it up neatly:

Pence and McConnell defy Trump — after years of subservience

There’s a special place in hell for those who have enabled this evil fucker in his lies and crimes against the public good. The names of Josh Hawley, Ted Cruz, and all those who voted to challenge the Arizona results should never be forgotten including the Gret Stet contingent of Senator John Neely Kennedy and Congressmen Scalise, Higgins, and Johnson. They can all go fuck themselves.

It’s time for the MSM to stop calling the Trumpist wing of the GOP conservative. They’re not conservatives, they’re rightist radicals who have brought shame on themselves and their party. All to assuage the ego of a petulant and mentally ill criminal. They can all go fuck themselves.

The last word goes to Frank Zappa and the Mothers:

Jan 06 2021

Adrastos, Campaign Notes, Fog Of History, Political Crack, Television, Twitter

Blue Sky

I planned ahead for this post, even dropping a hint on the tweeter tube:

Since I expect both seats to go to the same party, I’ve picked different Allman Bros songs depending on who wins. Stay tuned. https://t.co/gUidaCBTKR

— Shecky (@Adrastosno) January 6, 2021

And the winner is Blue Sky since Warnock and Ossoff won their races. The alternative was a song that, along with Louie Louie, I used to request at every rock concert I attended in my wayward youth: Whipping Post.

David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler must feel like they’re tied to the Whipping Post this morning. They should have won their races, especially Perdue who is well-known in the Peach State and has won elections before. Loeffler is an awful person who ran a terrible campaign. For some reason, Gov. Kemp thought she’d be a formidable candidate partially because she was a semi-moderate GOPer before selling her soul to Trump. She should demand a refund instead of a recount.

This tweet from the former Republican strategist who ran Mitt Romney’s 2012 campaign nails Loeffler to the Whipping Post:

As someone who in past years has had to listen to major donor Kelly Loeffler going off on how the Republican party was way too conservative, it’s hard to express the depth of her nothingness. She makes Martha McSally look like Margaret Thatcher

— stuart stevens (@stuartpstevens) January 6, 2021

I never thought I’d post anything by Matt Drudge, but this made me laugh:

Congratulations #Warnock on the historic win! GOP should have run the real @AnnCoulter not someone who was trying to ridiculously look and sound like her #Loeffler pic.twitter.com/ifPeqmW8cM

— MATT DRUDGE (@DRUDGE) January 6, 2021

Jon Ossoff had the tougher task this time around, but Reverend Doctor Senator Raphael Warnock has to run again in 2022. The good news is that Stacey Abrams is gearing up for a grudge rematch against Brian Kemp, which will boost Warnock’s chances. It was a bad year for Kemp: he tried his best to please the Impeached Insult Comedian but wound up on the latter’s shit list for refusing to risk going to jail for him. That makes him a slacker Trumper much like Vice President Pence or former AG Bill Barr.

Warnock ran ahead of his Democratic colleague all night for a variety of reasons: Loeffler’s attack on his church, wealthy black Republican ticket splitters, and the overall awfulness and fakery of the wealthiest woman in the US Senate. Make that wealthiest short-term senator. I wonder if she still plans to posture and pose at the fakakta election challenge mishigas event later today. Stay tuned.

As always, I watched the returns on MSNBC. In large part to watch the antics of Steve Kornacki who never sits down and seems to have the bladder of a camel. I’m glad they turned Kornacki’s producer Adam into a character last night, so it doesn’t look like Steve is a lunatic talking to himself.

This Kornacki-related tweet by TV writer and former New Orleanian Matt Brennan was one of the winners of the evening:

Steve and Adam are the new Regis and Gelman

— Matt Brennan (@thefilmgoer) January 6, 2021

Since I’m talking Kornacki and posting tweets, here’s another one from little old me:

It’s election night in Georgia, Georgia, Georgia: pic.twitter.com/sK1aUiuqqm

— Shecky (@Adrastosno) January 5, 2021

I admit to having a case of the heebie jeebies when Perdue led by over 100K votes. By the time I went to sleep it was clear that Ossoff would eke out a win. His current lead is bigger than Biden’s margin, which was good enough to win. I should have calmed myself by remembering the election nights in which New Orleans’ votes were out and Mary Landrieu narrowly trailed her Republican opponent before winning.

Since this post has degenerated into a tweet fest, here’s one for and from the history books:

Leo Frank, 31-year-old president of the Atlanta chapter of B’nai B’rith, was lynched in Marietta, Georgia, 105 years ago last summer, causing many fellow Jews to leave the state. This is one important backstory of Jon Ossoff’s campaign to become a U.S. Senator tonight. pic.twitter.com/pjO6YwCP8c

— Michael Beschloss (@BeschlossDC) January 6, 2021

Jon Ossoff became the first Jewish senator from the Peach State and RDS Warnock became the first black Southern senator to enter the senate via election since Reconstruction. South Carolina’s Tim Scott was appointed before winning his seat; something Kelly Loeffler tried and failed to do. Heh, heh, heh. Democratic Senate, baby.

The spirit of John Lewis pervaded election night:

You just know he's proud pic.twitter.com/264as3fTYU

— Parker Butler (@parkerbutler10) January 6, 2021

It was a long night and it’s going to be a long day of yelling at Josh Hawley, Ted Cruz, and John Neely Kennedy as they suck up to the Sore Loser In Chief. Like yesterday, it will turn out to be a good day for democracy when this preposterous and futile challenge fails.

The last word is obvious. It goes to the Allman Brothers Band:

Jan 05 2021

4 Comments

Adrastos, Campaign Notes, Congress, Political Crack

The Cracked Crystal Ball

I’m not sure if you can hang up a crystal ball but if you can, I did so after getting the 2016 election wrong. I tried to stay out of the election prediction biz, but I backslid this year by hoping for a repeat of the 1980 election in reverse. At least I got the presidential election outcome right, but it was a substantial Biden win instead of a landslide and a minor disaster in House and Senate races.

That was a long-winded way of saying I have no idea who will win the double-barreled Georgia Senate run-off today. I know who I’m pulling for: Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock. As to the outcome, I will be avidly watching the returns but do not pretend to know who will win. I wouldn’t predict it even if I were an expert on Peach State politics, which I am not.

At least I know who I’m rooting for. The Impeached Insult Comedian isn’t quite sure. His rally last night was yet another celebration of grievances and himself. He barely mentioned Perdue and Loeffler even though both have placed their souls into a blind trust controlled by him. Trump spent more time bashing Georgians Brian Kemp and Raffi than praising the plutocratic Senators he was supposedly there to support. Thanks, Donald.

In normal times, the two Georgia GOPers would triumph in the run-off. The open primary system is designed to help Republicans and harm Democrats, especially Black Democrats. Low turnout is the goal. But Ossoff and Warnock have been something of a dream team. The combination of the young Jewish guy who worked for John Lewis and the pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church has proved to be a formidable one. Every time the media mentions where Warnock does his pastoring, they mention Martin Luther King Jr. Talk about a win-win situation.

Then there’s the Abrams factor. The only person with a bigger grudge against Brian Kemp and Raffi than President* Pennywise is Stacey Abrams. Since her narrow defeat in the voter suppression rich 2018 governor’s race, she’s been organizing the hell out of the Peach State. It paid off for Joe Biden in November and, hopefully, will help Ossoff and Warnock win today.

The likely 2022 grudge rematch between Kemp and Abrams is apt to be the most exciting Governor’s race since Edwards-Vitter in the Gret Stet of Louisiana back in 2015. Stay tuned.

Texas Congressman Chip Roy weighed in on the Georgia runoff last night:

Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) suggested Monday night that there would be dire consequences if GOP incumbents Sens. Kelly Loeffler (R-GA) and David Perdue (R-GA) lose the Georgia Senate runoffs on Tuesday, which would give Democrats control of the chamber.

“What happens tomorrow in Georgia…if we have a Democratically controlled Senate, we’re now basically at full-scale hot conflict in this country,” Roy told Fox News host Tucker Carlson. “Whereas right now we’re in a cold civil war.”

A Texas expression comes to mind. In fact, I memed it back in 2018 when Trump went to Texas to campaign for Ted Cruz:

Talk is cheap, especially threats of violence. Remember all the blood that was supposed to flow if Trump lost? There have been some droplets but no buckets. I’m not expecting any on Twelfth Night. Uh oh, that sounded like a prediction. So much for the cracked crystal ball.

The last word goes to the Toasters and Van Morrison with variations on the same theme:

Jan 04 2021

1 Comment

Adrastos, Campaign Notes, Fog Of Scandal, Law/Justice, Political Crack, The Darnold

Another Perfect Phone Call

I listened to the latest perfect phone call. It’s an hour of my life I’ll never reclaim. Instead of filing it in a dead letter file where it belongs, I have a few thoughts about it and the entire fakakata election challenge mishigas. You know it’s bad when I go double Yiddish. Oy just oy.

Trump started out by throwing statistics at Raffi and his mouthpiece, Ryan. (Raffi & Ryan sounds like the title of a local kids show.) It’s a pity that none of them were true. My personal favorite was the idea that 5000 dead people voted. Raffi said it was two. Both voted for Trump.

While delusional on the facts, the Impeached Insult Comedian didn’t sound as crazy as he often does on the stump. The bloodthirsty crowds bring out his inner lunatic. Instead, it was a sales pitch. The hard sell. It didn’t work because Raffi and Ryan are unwilling to go to jail for Trump.

The latest perfect phone call may well violate state and federal law. I’ll leave the amateur/back seat lawyering to others. The recording was an exercise in evidence preservation by Raffi and Ryan. The WaPo was attacked for the 4-minute excerpt they originally posted, so they released the entire fakakta recording thereby robbing me of 62 minutes of my life.

As always, there was a lot of nonsense about the latest perfect call on social media. Some called Trump’s Georgia GOP adversaries heroic, which is almost as delusional as the Kaiser of Chaos himself. Repeat after me: They do not want to go to jail for the mad king. Raffi and Brian Kemp are both associated with voter suppression efforts, but they’re licked and they know it.

The entire fakakata election challenge mishigas is an exercise in futility. Let me count the ways:

It failed in the courts a grand total of 60 times. Some of the filings by Trump’s legal team were not even spellchecked. Judges hate typos.
The congressional challenge is doomed to fail. It should be deplored and denounced but it should not be overdramatized. Repeat after me: It’s sycophancy, not sedition. Such a challenge is allowed by the constitution and an 1882 law, which makes it legal but unwise. It’s fueled by 2 guys who want to be president so badly that they misplaced their law degrees. Even fellow wingnut presidential aspirant Tom Cotton thinks this is a rotten idea. The bottom line is that they don’t have the votes to prevail.

My favorite post-phone call social media moments involved the folks who demanded President* Pennywise’s immediate removal or impeachment. Say what? The evil fucker will be gone in 16 days. There’s instant analysis and instant pudding but there’s no such thing as instant impeachment.

As to the 25th Amendment, that’s up to the executive branch. The chances that Trump’s cabinet of stooges will invoke it are slim and none. And slim just made an offer on a mansion in Florida to be close to the Kaiser of Chaos in exile.

I am constantly amazed by the endless references to the 25th Amendment. The emergency removal provisions were an afterthought, which is why they’re so hard to invoke, even harder than impeachment. The Amendment’s primary purpose was to prevent a vacancy in the vice presidency, which has happened 16 times totaling 38 years. 19th Century Veeps had a habit of dying in office: It happened 8 times. And John C. Calhoun resigned and went home to the Palmetto State.

The fakakata election challenge mishigas is doomed to fail. The Twelfth Night challenge does not have the votes. It’s a clear loser in the House and Senate Dems only need 3 Republican votes for it to fail there. It’s an outlier and a freak show just like the entire fakakta Trump presidency*. It should be treated with disdain and disgust. Instead, let’s focus on tomorrow’s Senate run-off in which the Democrats have a chance of winning both seats. Go Team Blue.

Since President* Pennywise is Georgia bound today, the last word goes to the Allman Brothers Band with a song that is not on Eat A Peach:

Jan 04 2021

6 Comments

Campaign Notes, COVID-19, Free Republic, The Darnold, Tommy T

Today on Tommy T’s Obsession with the Freeperati – Great White Nope edition

Well, folks – looks like the Freeperati have their backs against the wall for sure.

Fortunately, they have the man who can never say no to The Darnold, waiting to pull that rabbit out of the shat for them – MIKE (mommy told me not to cum) PENCE!!!!

LEGAL FILING — Mike Pence refused to sign on to plan to overturn election…
Citizen Free Press ^ | 12/30/2020 | Kane

Posted on 12/30/2020, 7:06:48 PM by Beave Meister

Lawyers representing Louie Gohmert and a group of Arizona Republicans disclosed in a court filing Tuesday that Vice President Pence rejected their request to join their attempt to block electors.

Gohmert and 11 GOP “alternate” electors from Arizona filed suit against Pence on Monday in an attempt to argue that the vice president has sole authority to determine which presidential electors Congress will count when it certifies the results of the election. The suit essentially asks the court to grant Pence the authority on Jan. 6 to overrule the results in swing states such as Arizona and have Congress count only pro-Trump electors.

In new court filings made public Tuesday, the plaintiffs disclosed that they had reached out to Pence before filing their suit in an attempt to join forces but that their talks did not reach any kind of agreement.

“In the teleconference, Plaintiffs’ counsel made a meaningful attempt to resolve the underlying legal issues by agreement, including advising the Vice President’s counsel that Plaintiffs intended to seek immediate injunctive relief in the event the parties did not agree,” lawyers for Gohmert and the electors said in the filing. “Those discussions were not successful in reaching an agreement and this lawsuit was filed.”

***************

I have a bad feeling in my gut about this. Pence is our last line of defense…

1 posted on 12/30/2020, 7:06:48 PM by Beave Meister

Oops.

To: Beave Meister

I think Pence was one of the leaks all along at this point.

10 posted on 12/30/2020, 7:15:14 PM by ZULU (Impeach John Roberts for corruption. SOROS IS “SPARTACUS” BOOKER’S LANISTA.)

Mike Pence – derp state operative! (I told you that circle of trust would eventually shrink down to only The Darnold and a few of the Freepers)

To: Beave Meister

Pence was never going to do anything to upset the Deep State.

25 posted on 12/30/2020, 7:26:14 PM by ducttape45 (“Righteousness exalteth a nation; but sin is a reproach to any people.” Proverbs 14:34)

I’m getting a feeling here…..

To: ClearCase_guy

Pence is Swamp. Half of his staff who have left have become never-Trumpers.

34 posted on 12/30/2020, 7:33:03 PM by Reverend Wright (Biden is like Robert Mueller: a senile frontman for radical left interests)

To: Beave Meister

I knew it. I knew this guy could not be trusted to do the right thing. He’s a weakling.

53 posted on 12/30/2020, 7:55:29 PM by Robert DeLong

To: Jonty30

So he’s looking after his own interests rather than the constitution and the people who had this election stolen from them.

Sqwew him. I’m going back to being a Palin fan.

78 posted on 12/30/2020, 8:41:28 PM by Kevmo (I’m in a slow motion Red Dawn reality TV show. The tree of liberty is thirsty.)

To: Mr. K

I think the election is gone, and the March on the 6th is for naught, but I’ll be there..we are grasping at straws now..slim pickins

96 posted on 12/30/2020, 10:23:35 PM by aces (and )

More good news after the Read More-a-lago!

Continue reading →

Tagged Clown shoes, Free Republic, Freeperati, Freepers, Freeperville, Right-wing nutcases, The Darnold, the stupid it burns, Tommy T, Wingnuts

Dec 14 2020

3 Comments

Adrastos, Campaign Notes, Congress, Fog Of History, Fog Of Scandal, Law/Justice, Legal Docket, Political Crack, Supreme Court, The Darnold

Sycophancy, Not Sedition

I dislike criticizing people with whom I usually agree. I prefer to aim my fire at the other side, especially since it’s currently overpopulated by sycophantic Trumpers. In this instance, it’s the rhetorical overreaction to the futile Texas Twisted election case that leads me to criticize some of my fellow liberals. I suspect my views will be unpopular with many. So be it.

I’m on the record as believing that COUP is the wrong word to describe Trump’s doomed attempt to steal the election. It’s a con, not a coup. It’s one of Team Trump’s most successful fundraising gambits ever. It’s also a vivid illustration of why wingnuts like to “own the libs.” It’s so damn easy. One of the few things they’re good at is trolling. My ironclad first rule of internet interaction is DO NOT FEED THE TROLL.

A new word is in use by those devoted to rhetorical overkill in the post-election period: SEDITION. The Attorney General of Pennsylvania, Josh Shapiro, described the Texas Twisted suit as such in his brief to SCOTUS. Others have applied the word to the 126 GOP Congresscritters who supported this idiotic and baseless election challenge. I disagree, it’s sycophancy, not sedition.

My objection to the loaded word sedition is based on our historical experience. Its first major use occurred during the partisan slagging match between Federalists and Jeffersonian Republicans over the French Revolution. The former supported it and the latter sided with the British in their opposition. This split resulted in the justly infamous Alien and Sedition Acts, which were a massive First Amendment violation. To his credit, President Adams had qualms about the Acts, but still signed them into law. That led to the second president becoming the first to lose re-election.

We’ll skip the War of the Rebellion as the secessionist South was clearly seditious and move on to some 20th Century examples. The word sedition was slathered over every form of “disloyalty” during the post-Great War Red Scare as well as during the McCarthy period. It popped up occasionally during the anti-Vietnam War protests and was uttered on several occasions by Dick Cheney during the Iraq War.

In our national experience, the word sedition has been applied to suppress unpopular, usually left-wing speech. I am not eager to see it used by the left in overreaction to Trump’s post-election con. Do anti-Trumpers really want to keep company with A. Mitchell Palmer and Tailgunner Joe McCarthy? I certainly do not.

The 126 House GOPers who supported the fakakta Texas Twisted suit were motivated by sycophancy, not sedition. It’s the fear of a primary challenge or the desire to curry favor with President* Pennywise that led them to sign on to Gret Stet Congressman Mike Johnson’s stupid petition. I refuse to dignify it by calling it a filing.

There are many who want to punish the House 126 in some way. They will clearly not be prosecuted since it involves speech, not overt actions. Some want Speaker Pelosi to refuse to seat the 126 using the 14^th Amendment as a rationale. In theory, that’s possible but it would be unwise in the extreme. Nancy Smash is too smart to go there. The result of such a refusal would be the disenfranchisement of approximately 94 million Americans. (The current ratio of voters per district is 747,000.)

Refusing to seat the 126 would open a second front in this ridiculous cold war between Democrats and Republicans. It would cede the high ground to the latter as they could scream about their constituents being disenfranchised. This notion is first cousin to the “led the red states secede” group. For obvious reasons, I disagree with this damn fool notion as it would banish millions of people of color and me from the Union. What happened in first in Virginia then Georgia proves that red states can evolve, especially those with large black populations.

For those desperate for the House to punish the 126, a less incendiary idea is to censure the ringleader, Congressman Mike Johnson. His actions take the Gret out of the Gret Stet of Louisiana and he’s not even the worst member of our delegation. This is also unlikely to happen, but it wouldn’t have the effect of needlessly turning the 2020 election into another 1876. There’s a clear victor in this election as will be ratified by the electors today.

There’s a public health crisis in this country and Congress needs to take a page out of Bill Clinton’s impeachment playbook. Every time he was asked about impeachment, he’d say something to the effect of “I’m not focused on that. I’m doing the work I was elected to do by the American people.” For the first time, there’s some hope on the COVID front. Vaccine distribution and relief for the American people is what Congress should focus on, not 126 sycophantic House GOPers.

If I wanted to be a member of a party of dick wavers and screamers, I’d be a Republican. I prefer to follow the lead of the incoming Democratic president Joe Biden and be prepared to fight off substantive challenges and shrug off the rest. It’s time for the MSM and the public to expel Donald Trump from their heads. He’s the past. He’s just a troll demanding to be fed. Stop giving him the attention he desperately needs.

Repeat after me: DO NOT FEED THE TROLL.

The last word goes to Mr. Spock:

Dec 13 2020

3 Comments

Campaign Notes, Free Republic, JOEY B SHARK, Stupid Republican Tricks, Supreme Court, The Darnold, Tommy T

Today on Tommy T’s Obsession with the Freeperati – “STOP – in the name of lawve” edition

So, Freepers – how did that that Ken Pax-Man Supreme Court lawsuit that was going to save The Darnold even better than a Sidney Powell Kraken work out for ya?

SCOTUS Denies Texas
legalinsurrection.com ^ | 12/11/2020 | Staff

Posted on 12/11/2020, 5:37:10 PM by jroehl

Fox news:

155, ORIG. TEXAS V. PENNSYLVANIA, ET AL. The State of Texas’s motion for leave to file a bill of complaint is denied for lack of standing under Article III of the Constitution. Texas has not demonstrated a judicially cognizable interest in the manner in which another State conducts its elections. All other pending motions are dismissed as moot. Statement of Justice Alito, with whom Justice Thomas joins: In my view, we do not have discretion to deny the filing of a bill of complaint in a case that falls within our original jurisdiction. See Arizona v. California, 589 U. S. ___ (Feb. 24, 2020) (Thomas, J., dissenting). I would therefore grant the motion to file the bill of complaint but would not grant other relief, and I express no view on any other issue.

1 posted on 12/11/2020, 5:37:10 PM by jroehl

To: jroehl

That’s it then

2 posted on 12/11/2020, 5:37:58 PM by Mmogamer (I refudiate the lamestream media, leftists and their prevaricutions.)

Pretty much, yeah.

To: jroehl

Damn them!

3 posted on 12/11/2020, 5:38:13 PM by Texan

To: jroehl

Then we no longer have a Constitution.

8 posted on 12/11/2020, 5:39:09 PM by Ben Hecks (Don’t Google it – Duck it!)

Nope – I just had a look – it’s still right there in the Rotunda at the National Archives. Where were you looking?

Under your bed?

To: PghBaldy

Just elect Perdue and the lovely Kelly Loeffler. That will fix everything.

22 posted on 12/11/2020, 5:41:20 PM by lodi90

To: jroehl

To Hell with these black robed demons. It is time to water the tree of liberty.

24 posted on 12/11/2020, 5:41:33 PM by diplomatic_immunity

With the blood of “patriots”? I agree completely. Just lean over the nearest tree and open up your veins.

To: o2bfree

Quite believable, actually. Too many keep denying the impact of the Deep State. People were told Trump would never be allowed to be re-elected by the Deep State. No one should be surprised that’s where we’re headed.

35 posted on 12/11/2020, 5:42:30 PM by CatOwner

Well, it’s official.

Everyone except The Darnold is now the Derp State. Took a while, but you finally got there.

To: jroehl

How the heck is this even possible?!?!

Um – one state can’t dictate election terms to any other state? I know it’s a shocker….

One thing for certain I will not be voting again, it’s just not worth it!

36 posted on 12/11/2020, 5:42:36 PM by existentially_kuffer

Promises, promises.

To: jroehl

Lawless country. I want a divorce. Irreconcilable differences.

40 posted on 12/11/2020, 5:42:53 PM by rigelkentaurus

Works for me. Of course, you know she’ll get everything, including your house and car, child support (for all the children torn from their parents’ arms at the border), and a restraining order preventing you from coming any closer than the ten-mile offshore limit…

To: jroehl

The Soap BoxThe Ballot Box

The Jury Box~~<———you are here~~

The Cartridge Box<———you are here – fire at will

54 posted on 12/11/2020, 5:44:22 PM by rockrr ( Everything is different now…)

Which one’s Will?

To: jroehl

Actually, I predicted that the matter of standing would block this case from consideration.My fellow Freepers, while I acknowledge the moral righteousness here and also acknowledge that “no standing” is a typical judicial dodge to avoid making controversial rulings, we have to ask ourselves if one state really has standing to sue over how another state runs its business.

Common sense and morality are not necessarily the basis on how The Law works.

70 posted on 12/11/2020, 5:45:39 PM by Lysandru

To: Mmogamer

No use following laws Should be open season on Commie Dems

74 posted on 12/11/2020, 5:46:03 PM by Renegade

Feel free to try it, shit-for-brains. But you’ll do nothing, just like you didn’t do anything the last ten times you threatened to grab a gun and start shooting.

To: jroehl

Civil war… the only solution left. Time to mobilize and resist the criminal US Government.

82 posted on 12/11/2020, 5:46:42 PM by DesertRhino (Dog is man’s best friend, and moslems hate dogs. Add that up. …. )

WOLVERINES !!!! Mount UP!!!

To: jroehl

OK, well, I don’t know about anyone else, but as for me – I’m going to war.- Mike out.

83 posted on 12/11/2020, 5:46:44 PM by grobdriver (BUILD KATE’S WALL!)

You’re not going anywhere, you blithering buffoon – except to bed to cry yourself to sleep.

To: alternatives?

Sorry, you’re right. It was the three Trump appointees who stabbed us in the back. So now I do believe that “Justice” Kavanaugh, whom we all fought so hard for to less than no avail, did in fact rape that woman.

99 posted on 12/11/2020, 5:48:10 PM by laconic

Welcome to the party, moron.

More after the “more” thingy

Continue reading →

Tagged Clown shoes, Free Republic, Freeperati, Freepers, Freeperville, Kraken, Right-wing nutcases, the stupid it burns, Tommy T, Wingnuts

Dec 11 2020

1 Comment

Adrastos, Campaign Notes, Fog Of Scandal, Law/Justice, Legal Docket, Political Crack, Supreme Court, The Darnold

Texas Twisted: I Told You So

I’ve felt more like a lawyer in the last week than I have in years. Watching the hysteria on the left over the preposterous Texas election case has driven me crazy. It never had a chance. It was a bad joke concocted by someone with no sense of humor. And now it’s over. I told you so.

In a blunt and to the point order, the Supreme Court unanimously rejected this fakakta case tonight. 7 justices didn’t want to hear it. Alito and Thomas would have heard it on procedural grounds but were unwilling to lift a finger to help their fellow wing nuts. It’s over. I told you so.

I eagerly await the Impeached Insult Comedian’s meltdown. I cannot wait to hear him accuse Gorsuch, Kavanaugh, and Barrett of disloyalty. He thought that by nominating them, he owned them like Vito Corleone after he granted the undertaker Bonasera’s wedding day request. Handing him the election was the service he expected from them. A little evidence would have helped. I told you so.

People on my side of the fence need to forget the process and focus on the result. It doesn’t matter how many state AGs and Congresscritters sycophantically followed Trump off the cliff like lemmings. It’s over. They can go fuck themselves.

The media needs to kick its Trump addiction. He’s the past. He’s just a loudmouth sore loser whose words should bear no weight whatsoever. It’s over. He can go fuck himself.

Just in case my title isn’t clear enough, the last word goes to Gore Vidal:

Dec 09 2020

3 Comments

Adrastos, Campaign Notes, Fog Of Scandal, Political Crack, Television, The Darnold

More Perfect Phone Calls

I don’t recall why Eddie Albert had to climb a telephone pole to talk on the phone in Green Acres. I suspect it made no sense whatsoever but what did on that daffy sitcom? It was, however, a helluva recurring sight gag.

The Impeached Insult Comedian is on the phone a lot of late. Apparently, he has a lot of time on his hands after losing the election. His extended post-defeat hissy fit includes improper and illegal phone calls to officials in Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Georgia. The purpose is to get them to help him steal the election. You know it’s not going well when the cartoon villain who is Governor of Georgia turns him down. Imagine not wanting to go to jail for Donald Trump. What a fucking RINO.

Whatever the opposite of a bleeding heart is, Pat Toomey is it. He spoke out against Trump’s perfect Pennsylvania phone call:

Sen. Pat Toomey (R-PA) on Tuesday called out President Trump for his “completely unacceptable” attempt at persuading state lawmakers to overturn Pennsylvania’s election results that handed President-elect Joe Biden a win in the battleground state.

Toomey’s condemnation of Trump comes amid the sitting president’s refusal to concede and most congressional Republicans refusing to recognize Biden as President-elect as they egg on Trump’s flailing legal battles contesting the legitimacy of the election process.

In an interview with the Philadelphia Inquirer on Tuesday, Toomey said that he “had a very pleasant conversation” with Biden in a phone call last week as he congratulated the President-elect and discussed some areas where they might be able to cooperate, such as on international trade.

It shouldn’t be a newsflash that a GOPer admits that Biden won and Trump lost, but it is. Fucking RINO.

We all make mistakes. I’ve made more than my share, but I try not to repeat the same mistakes. This is a lesson that President* Pennywise has never learned. It was a perfect phone call with the hapless Ukrainian president that led to his impeachment, after all. What a maroon.

The Kaiser of Chaos thinks he can pardon his way out of anything, but that power expires at the stroke of noon on January 20, 2021 whether he’s willing to admit it or not. What he thinks is irrelevant. He lied his way through his term, but he cannot lie his way into a second one.

Donald should hang up the phone and STFU.

The last word goes to ELO:

Dec 07 2020

Adrastos, Campaign Notes, COVID-19

Who Says Rudy Isn’t Powerful?

Team Trump may be 1-36 in the courtroom, but the artist formerly known as Mayor Combover is a powerhouse in reverse:

Arizona’s entire legislature will be closed this week after Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani, who socialized with GOP state lawmakers mask-less several times last week while trying to overturn President-elect Joe Biden’s victory, tested positive for COVID-19 on Sunday.

The Arizona Capitol Times obtained an email from the Senate Chief of staff Wendy Baldo informing all senators that “due to COVID-19 concerns and out of an abundance of caution,” the chamber would be closed the entire week.

House Chief of Staff Michael Hunter also told lawmakers that the House building would be closed for a week starting Monday, per multiple local news outlets.

Giuliani’s diagnosis came less than a week after he and fellow Trump campaign lawyer Jenna Ellis spoke at informal hearing in Phoenix on November 30 with nine GOP lawmakers on the committee who were holding the hearing, which attempted to falsely “prove” that the election results were fraudulent. Other Republicans were also reportedly seen in the audience. Giuliani did not wear a mask, and neither did many of the GOP lawmakers in attendance.

The attorney then had a private meeting with Republican leaders on the following day.

On Sunday, Trump announced that Giuliani had tested positive for the coronavirus. The lawyer confirmed his diagnosis later that night, tweeting he was “getting great care and feeling good.”

Giuliani, who is at high risk for the virus due to his age of 76, was taken to Georgetown University Medical Center for treatment, according to the New York Times and ABC News.

I ordinarily wouldn’t make fun of someone who just checked into the hospital but there’s an exception to every rule. Make that a loophole since this involves Trump’s head shyster. He’s also the man who puts mouth into mouthpiece.

It’s hard to nail down the exact number of Trump associates who have tested positive but it’s north of 50 and may be as high as 100. It’s what happens when you sneer at this lethal virus. Here are two numbers we have a firmer handle on: 14,600,000 and 282,000. Those are the total number of American COVID cases and the number of deaths as of this writing. Thanks, Donald.

Everything President* Pennywise touches turns to shit. The same goes for Rudy Giuliani. They’re both malevolent clowns playing on the public’s fears. Their clownish behavior regarding the pandemic shouldn’t be funny but it is. I apologize for my sick sense of humor but it’s keeping me sane in these crazy times.

I’ve long thought that Graham Nash’s King Midas In Reverse is a brilliant song. It applies to many situations. This is one of them. The last word goes to The Hollies:

Dec 07 2020

2 Comments

Campaign Notes, Free Republic, Tommy T

Today on Tommy T’s Obsession with the Freeperati – “Me golden idol is tarnished” redux edition 2

Oh dear.

Every time the Freeperati turn to a new hero, the previous one kicks them in the ass.

I’m loving it!

First, a little reminder of how much Freepers once loved them some Billy Goat Gruff :

William Barr — mic drop moment — BOOM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4KzSNZVl40E&feature=youtu.be&t=8227 ^ | July 27, 2020 | William Barr

Posted on 7/28/2020, 3:32:11 PM by edwinland

Without a doubt the best and most hilarious answer to a question in the 231 year history of the United States Congress.

1 posted on 7/28/2020, 3:32:11 PM by edwinland

To: edwinland

Bill Barr was awesome today. Freakin’ love this guy. And what a scary reminder of what constitutes today’s Democrat party, i.e., race-baiters and insane, foaming-at-the-mouth liberals (e.g., that guy with an Italian name from, I think, Rhode Island).

7 posted on 7/28/2020, 3:38:59 PM by irishjuggler

Ah, memories….

Barr: No evidence of fraud that’d change election outcome AP via Seatle Times ^ | Dec. 1, 2020 | MICHAEL BALSAMO Posted on 12/1/2020, 1:23:07 PM by proust

WASHINGTON (AP) — Attorney General William Barr said Tuesday the Justice Department has not uncovered evidence of widespread voter fraud that would change the outcome of the 2020 presidential election.

1 posted on 12/1/2020, 1:23:07 PM by proust

To: proust

WTH!!!

6 posted on 12/1/2020, 1:24:59 PM by Perseverando (Antifa, BLM, Libs, Progs, Islamonazis, Statists, Commies, DemoKKKrats: It’s a Godlessness disorder.)

Barr is compromised and scared.

Another spineless waste of oxygen

7 posted on 12/1/2020, 1:25:03 PM by BuckeyeGOP ( )

To: proust

9 posted on 12/1/2020, 1:25:30 PM by Seruzawa (TANSTAAFL!)

To: proust

So….I guess that seals the deal. FBI & CIA are enemies of Trump. What’s the point of any of this? 😡

11 posted on 12/1/2020, 1:25:45 PM by Jrabbit

To: proust

Oh THERE he is! Useless POS stays silent during the legal fight of our Republic’s life.

Now driving the nail in the coffin of Trump’s rightful second term.

Beyond disgusted. Knifing Trump in the back.

20 posted on 12/1/2020, 1:27:07 PM by VictoryGal (Never give up, never surrender! )

Sounded better in the original German.

To: proust

Trump is alone, except for us.

17 posted on 12/1/2020, 1:26:42 PM by libh8er

Not true.

He still has Rudy Giuliani

(edited to add : “Not any more, he doesn’t!”)

To: proust

“Trust Sessions. Trust Barr.”

And whoever Pedo Joe selects as attorney general? I’ll trust him as much as I do these two pathetic losers.

37 posted on 12/1/2020, 1:29:06 PM by Responsibility2nd (I will not rest until the American People have the honest vote count they deserve. DJT 11-07-20)

To: OKSooner

… and Trump picked both Sessions and Barr so there’s that.

49 posted on 12/1/2020, 1:30:02 PM by plain talk

To: proust

What I would post would get me banned!!!!!!!!!!!!

69 posted on 12/1/2020, 1:35:55 PM by Freedom56v2 (Republicans will get the government they deserve if they do nothing :()

That reminds me. Remember last week when I mentioned saving entire threads instead of just bookmarking them, so I can undo what the moderators do?

Follow me below the fold for the thread that didn’t get away!

Continue reading →

Tagged Clown shoes, Free Republic, Freeperati, Freepers, Freeperville, Right-wing nutcases, the stupid it burns, Tommy T, Wingnuts

Dec 04 2020

Adrastos, Campaign Notes, Political Crack, Stupid Republican Tricks

Peach State Political Potpourri For $600, Alex

I make no pretense to being an expert on Peach State politics but it’s the center of the political universe until January 5th so I’m going to write about it anyway. When did ignorance ever stop a pundit? I’m a few steps up from ignorant, which is more than you say about Chuck Todd. And he claims to be an expert on everything. They should change the name of his Sunday show from Meet The Press to Meet The Moron. Tim Russert weeps.

Let’s cut this peach into slices to make it more edible. We’ll skip the Edible complex jokes…

Fraud Exported From Florida, Florida, Florida: There’s a guy in Florida telling people they should register to vote in Georgia. He wants to save the Senate for Chinless Mitch. Of course, what he’s advocating is illegal, illegal, illegal.

This Florida Man’s name is Bill Price, and he claims to be a lawyer. He’s such a bad lawyer that he should join the Trump defense team. Price is not a very good liar either:

A bizarre, hilarious and maddening story out of Georgia. A Florida Republican lawyer from Bay County, Florida is caught on tape encouraging Florida Republicans to claim phony residence in Georgia to vote in the run-offs. He says he’s registering at the address of his brother who lives in Georgia. When local reporter Nicole Carr asked the lawyer, Bill Price, about the video he said that it was all a joke and that of course he didn’t make a bogus registration at his brother’s address.

But she checked and he had registered. Now Price is being investigated for vote fraud by the Georgia Secretary of State’s office.

After the joke excuse didn’t pan out Price apparently changed his story and insisted that he made the fraudulent registrations to prove how susceptible Georgia’s voting system was to fraud.

I wonder if Florida Man Price is hoping to be invited to one of the super-spreader Christmas parties at the White House.

Vote Against The Crook, It’s Important: This is a variation on the legendary bumper sticker that popped up on cars in the Gret Stet of Louisiana during the Edwards-Duke runoff election in 1991. In its current iteration, it’s aimed at Senator and Day Trader David Perdue:

Perdue has made up close to a third of all Senate trades reported since 2014, the year he came into office. He traded stocks, bonds, and funds about 2,600 times in six years — equal to the combined trading volume of the next five most-active traders in the Senate. While there’s no evidence that Perdue traded on nonpublic information, which is a potential crime, there are new ethical questions surrounding his decision to trade where he legislates. On close to 30 occasions during his time on the Senate cybersecurity panel, Perdue bought and sold stock in a cybersecurity firm that signed a $30 million contract in his home state of Georgia. And as a member of the Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs subcommittee, Perdue bought and sold shares of several firms that the body oversaw, including JPMorgan Chase and Bank of America.

Perdue was one of a handful of lawmakers accused in March of using intelligence from Senate hearings to inform their financial decisions. (Perdue’s fellow Georgia senator, Kelly Loeffler, has also faced allegations of using nonpublic information she gleaned as a senator to inform her investment strategy.) The most notable red flag involves a stock purchase in a company that makes medical equipment on the same day that senators received a classified briefing on the coronavirus. (Perdue has denied attending the session.) And in February, just before Pfizer announced its intention to develop a COVID vaccine, he purchased $245,000 in stocks in the pharmaceutical company. He also sold up to $165,000 in stocks of the casino firm Caesar Entertainment prior to the shutdown and economic crash. Last week, the Times reported that the Department of Justice questioned him over his prolific trading, but apparently cleared him of wrongdoing.

The same sort of trading shenanigans got North Carolina Senator Richard Burr in deep shit. For some reason, insider trading is frowned upon in many circles.

I should have said crooks because Kelly Loeffler is just as shady, but her insider trades aren’t as well documented as those of Perdue.

The Anti-GOTV Movement: The lunatic fringe is *still* urging Trumpers not to vote in the runoff. I’m down with that. That system is deeply corrupt, and Brian Kemp is a secret commie who’s out to get the Impeached Insult Comedian. #sarcasm

The Georgia election official who scorched President* Pennywise for not repudiating his nuttier followers had this to say about the anti-GOTV movement:

“Who the heck knows. I mean, it’s Looney Tunes,” Sterling said, before calling Trump out for his 46-minute screed filled with unfounded voter fraud claims. “The President’s literally coming to Georgia to campaign for the same two senators that his two former lawyers who are filing lawsuits to contest the election, with the same claims that the President made in his very long 46-minute video yesterday that have already been debunked.”

Did he say Looney Tunes? Cue Daffy and Bugs:

The Kaiser of Chaos will be “campaigning for” Perdue and Loeffler this weekend. I put “campaigning for” in air quote because I expect that he’ll talk about himself and how he’s been wronged. There should be a new chant just for Donald: SHUT HIM UP. SHUT HIM UP.

That concludes this foray into Peach State politics. Once again, the last word goes to the Allman Brothers Band. It’s dedicated to Senators Perdue and Loeffler who, hopefully, Georgians will vote out next month:

Nov 25 2020

Adrastos, Campaign Notes, Film, Fog Of Scandal, Political Crack, Stupid Republican Tricks

Dumb, Dumber, Trumper

It’s no secret that I have contempt for the dimmer and more gullible Trump supporters around the country. It may not be nice, but the feeling is real. The MSM still seems fascinated with what makes Trumpers tick. The elite media is primarily an urban East Coast thing so they regard rural Trumpers as exotic creatures like Kaspar Hauser. I regard them as bitter people whose hobby is “owning the libs.” I’m not for sale. They can fuck off.

Perhaps the weirdest manifestation of extreme Trumpism is playing out in Georgia. President* Pennywise’s supporters have bought his spin about election fraud and some are threatening to boycott the Georgia senate runoff races. I am not making this up.

Aaron Rupar of Vox has an extended report on this imbecility:

Democrats can take control of the US Senate if both Rev. Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff defeat Republican incumbents Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue in the upcoming runoffs. But Trump has been hurting his party’s cause by attacking two state Republican officials — Gov. Brian Kemp and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, a Republican Trump has demeaned as a “RINO,” or Republican in name only — for their supposed involvement in a far-fetched scheme to throw the state’s presidential election for Joe Biden. (In reality, both Raffensperger and Kemp are Trump supporters.)

<SNIP>

The notion that Trump fans should boycott the Georgia runoffs as a form of punishment for establishment Republicans has resonated beyond Parler. At a “Stop the Steal” rally held in Georgia over the weekend, for instance, a speaker was cheered while he attacked Raffensperger and Kemp as “traitors” and said, “Any Republican who allows this to happen is complicit and we will finish you! … We will do whatever it takes to completely destroy the Republican Party.” (Trump tweeted his support for the rally.)

Please boycott. It could have the same effect as disgruntled Berners voting for Jill Stein in 2016. Make it so, Trumpers, make it so.

It’s unclear just how many Trumpers are this stupid but as the runoffs appear to be as tight as a tick it could make a difference.

This extreme stupidity has the virtue of giving me a post title that evokes the stupid/funny Farrelly Brothers movie Dumb and Dumber.

That image is a bit too classy for the worst Trumpers. Let’s try a messier one:

I should apologize for that gross image, but I won’t since my taste for lowbrow slapstick humor is well-established. Nyuk, nyuk, nyuk.

I hope Georgia Trumpers do NOT come to their senses and continue to be Dumb, Dumber, Trumper and pay heed to these billboards:

For the second time today, Little Feat gets the last word:

We’re counting on you, Atlanta. Vote your crooked plutocratic senators out.

Nov 23 2020

3 Comments

Adrastos, Bigotry, Campaign Notes, Diary, Language, Political Crack, Race, The Darnold

Words Matter

I’ve been having a back-and-forth argument with some friends over the word coup and whether the antics of Rudy and other Trumpers constitute a coup d’état or golpe de estado. This is NOT a coup, it’s an extended tantrum. Why? Because words matter.

I’m a writer with a law degree so it shouldn’t surprise anyone that I’m a stickler for precise language unless puns are involved. Then all bets are off.

I grew up on the Encyclopedia Britannica. Here’s its definition:

Coup d’état, also called coup, the sudden, violent overthrow of an existing government by a small group. The chief prerequisite for a coup is control of all or part of the armed forces, the police, and other military elements. Unlike a revolution, which is usually achieved by large numbers of people working for basic social, economic, and political change, a coup is a change in power from the top that merely results in the abrupt replacement of leading government personnel. A coup rarely alters a nation’s fundamental social and economic policies, nor does it significantly redistribute power among competing political groups.

There are other sloppier definitions out there, but this is the one I adhere to even if that sounds sticky.

As far as I’m concerned, no military involvement means that it’s not a coup. Neither the military nor security forces are involved in Trump’s attempt to subvert and steal the 2020 presidential election something for which we should be profoundly grateful.

There’s another reason that I’m adamantly opposed to a sloppier definition of the word coup: it elevates and dignifies a presidential* hissy fit and gives it some gravitas. This doomed attempt to steal the election is farcical unless you’re a right-wing conspiracy buff. Anything led by Rudy Giuliani is doomed to fail. He hasn’t succeeded at anything since he left Gracie Mansion other than making money. Remember his 2008 presidential campaign? Neither do I.

I remain convinced that the purpose of this extended political tantrum is to cause chaos and confusion and provide the Trumpers with a stab in the back narrative that they can use to explain away their defeat. That’s why I call Trump the Kaiser of Chaos.

I’m also exasperated with the MSM’s lazy use of language in other areas. The best example is the phrase the “Latin Vote.” The MSM is currently puzzled by why Biden did well with Latin voters in Arizona and not Florida. D’oh: they’re different groups from different places. They’re mostly Mexican in Arizona but Cuban, Venezuelan, and Central American in South Florida. When Cuban emigrees landed in Miami during the waning days of the Jim Crow era they were treated like white people. They still think of themselves as white, not brown. That’s why neither Marco Rubio nor Ted Cruz identify with minority groups. Blame Fidel.

This particular word game is a sign of media sloth and soft bigotry. When I was young, the punditocracy focused on how candidates did with various European ethnic and religious groups. They didn’t lump Italians, Greeks, Poles, Jews, and Slavs together because they had different interests, values, and religious affiliations. Clearly race had something to do with the avoidance of groupthink.

The same logic should be applied to the “Latin Vote” today. There is no monolithic Latin voting bloc much as the media and politicians wish that there were. Oversimplification is the enemy of clarity.

The last word goes to Stephen Stills:

Nov 20 2020

2 Comments

Adrastos, Campaign Notes, Law/Justice, Legal Docket, Political Crack, Stupid Republican Tricks, The Darnold

Team Trump’s Michigan Hail Mary Pass

Some people lost their shit yesterday over Team Trump’s Michigan Hail Mary pass. I did not. It’s another harebrained scheme from the mad mind of the artist formerly known as Mayor Combover. Rudy is in the saddle again, which means more meddling and “perfect phone calls” instigated by the Man Who Got Trump Impeached.

I missed Rudy’s meltdown press conference. When I read about it my chin hit the desk: there was talk of funding from “Hugo Chavez communists.” The Venezuelan dictator died in 2013. And that wasn’t even the craziest thing brought up by the Trump “legal” team. Oy, just oy.

Then there’s Rudy’s hair dye flop sweat. People tend to perspire heavily when they lie but I’ve never seen black hair dye roll down someone’s face before. Now we know why Rudy wants to be paid $20K a day. He wants to get a professional dye job and stop dyeing his own hair. Like President* Pennywise, Rudy is a vain and shallow motherfucker. Dude, you’re bald and 76 years old. Nobody thinks you have black hair anymore. What a maroon.

The Michigan gambit is a desperation move that’s doomed: it’s more of a Fail Mary than a Hail Mary pass. It will inevitably land in court where Team Trump will lose again. They’re something like 0-28 in post-election court cases. The move is really designed to blow smoke and create chaos and confusion. That’s why I call Rudy’s master, the Kaiser of Chaos.

Additionally, in the unlikely event this move worked they would need it to work in Pennsylvania as well as a third state. If Michigan and Pennsylvania fall the electoral vote count remains Biden 270 Trump 268. If one state could tip the balance of power, I’d be more concerned. But three states? Never gonna happen, my friend.

If you don’t believe me, here’s a Michigan-centric quote from a WaPo article by Philip Rucker, Amy Gardner, and Josh Dawsey:

The president’s allies have said that if the board deadlocks, the legislature could choose to ignore Biden’s popular-vote win and seat Trump electors. But experts say such a move would be on shaky legal ground. And multiple election lawyers have said that scenario is unlikely for several reasons. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat, has the power to fire members of the canvassing board and appoint interim replacements without legislative approval. And Democrats are highly likely to file suit in the event the board deadlocks, because state law directs the board to follow the popular vote in its decision to certify.

“I can’t tell you all the different actions [Republicans] are contemplating, but I implore people to put country over party and do the will of the people — respect the law, and see through that the will of the people is reflected in our electors and not play games with this fundamental part of our democracy,” Whitmer said at a news conference Thursday.

Nov 20 2020

3 Comments

Adrastos, Campaign Notes, Guest Post, New Orleans, Political Crack, Ryne Hancock

Guest Post: The Price Of Reading The Room Is Free

My friend Ryne Hancock is back. He brings his feud with what used to be called “limousine liberals” to First Draft. They’re the same people Athenae calls purity ponies. In this instance, they’re mostly white middle to upper middle class post-Katrina transplants who live in downtown New Orleans. Their elitism bugs the living shit out of Ryne who is a young Black man from Memphis, Tennessee.

It’s time for me to step aside and present Ryne’s righteous rant.

-Adrastos

The Price Of Reading The Room Is Free by Ryne Hancock

For months, one of the people that lived in my complex was a cougar that arrived from the Florida Panhandle. Tan and somewhat attractive, I figured she would be a cool person to be neighbors with, as opposed to the old black guy that constantly talks to himself in my building.

Instead it was anything but.

From the moment she arrived she complained about everything. In fact, when the hotels were filled with evacuees from Lake Charles, she complained about their attitudes.

There was also the time she got a job working at Tulane University and immediately demanded that she get better hours three weeks into getting the job.

The powers that be at the university then rewarded her with a 5 pm-2 am shift.

This line of thinking could be applied to people like the Justice Democrats and Sunshine Movement.

Much like my former neighbor, they use all their energy to complain when things don’t go their way, especially when all throughout the process they refused to get on board with endorsing Biden as well as run purity tests on everyone that didn’t conform to their beliefs.

They’re that relative who complains about you serving Chek soft drinks instead of Coca Cola. That relative who gets mad with people drinking Miller Lite and not craft beers.

“Oh you’re not drinking craft beer? How very poor of you!!!”

Criticize their God and Savior Bernie Sanders and the DSA, whose local chapter is basically 80% of the comedy community in New Orleans, and you get a lot of terms such as “sellout” & “corporate democrat” hurled your way.

And god help you if you criticize AOC, which if we’re being real, is basically every annoying gentrifier in the Maringy or Bywater, you’re labeled as a racist or even worse, a misogynist.

That’s the whole sum of the Justice Democrats and Sunshine Movement.

Instead of reading the room and picking justified fights (translation: the GOP) they’re taking credit for delivering the White House to Biden and managing to shitcan on Biden.

“We voted for you so do our bidding,” they’re screaming from the mountaintops.

First, you didn’t do shit. Your little performative progressive movement shitcanned on Biden & Kamala. And when it became apparent, he was going to be the nominee, you became brave by saying “Settle For Biden”.

Secondly, black women, the most loyal base in the Democratic Party, delivered the White House to Biden, not a bunch of latte-sipping performative allies that are focused more on making headlines than actually picking justifiable fights.

And lastly, if it weren’t for your movement, Mississippi would have been governed by Jim Hood. Alabama would have been governed by Walt Maddox. Florida could have had Andrew Gillium as governor.

But because of your movement and the buzzwords that come with it, those states have shoddy executive leadership.

Don’t get me wrong, the Democratic Party does need some fixing. It’s not perfect.

But the constant shitcanning a party that you allegedly belong to is not going to help your movement or this country in the long run.

Nov 19 2020

Adrastos, Campaign Notes, Political Crack, The Darnold

The Trumpiest Firing Ever

Image by Michael F.

President Pennywise’s schedule continues to be blissfully free of public events. Perhaps he’s shamed by his defeat. That was an obvious joke, he’s the most shameless person on the planet. He should, however, be embarrassed by the antics launched on his behalf by a gaggle of incompetent lawyers led by the artist formerly known as Mayor Combover. Rudy made his first appearance in federal court in 28 years this week. It did not go well.

In between plotting to steal the election, President* Pennywise has been busy firing people. It’s all about payback for people who have crossed him or his team in some way. It’s also about his ongoing desire to disrupt the government. Disrupt is Silicon Valley-ese for destroy.

The Trumpiest firing ever was that of Chris Krebs head of cyber security at Homeland Security. Krebs was a non-political expert hired to handle *all* aspects of cyber security including election stuff. By all account, Krebs was easily the best appointment ever made by the Current Occupant. He was competent and honest and spoke out in support of the late election as bug and fraud-free. That’s why he had to go.

The Krebs firing checks all the boxes:

Fired By Tweet: ✔

“Disloyal”: ✔

Honest: ✔

Competent: ✔

Knowledgeable: ✔

Trump misspoke when he said he’d hire the best people. He meant that he’d fire the best people.

The Kaiser of Chaos will brook no dissent even though he usually babbles like a brook. He’s too busy pouting to speak publicly. So much for his being a macho man. What sort of macho man spends an hour on hair and makeup every morning?

Chris Krebs is perhaps the first person to leave the Trump administration with his reputation enhanced. Getting fired is not as bad as people think it is, especially when you’re fired by Donald Trump in his role as First Arsonist.

The last word goes to Los Lobos:

Nov 18 2020

3 Comments

Adrastos, Campaign Notes, Congress, Political Crack, Stupid Republican Tricks

Georgia, Georgia, Georgia

With two senate seats up for grabs, Georgia is the center of the political universe. Democrats Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock seem to have the wind at their backs as GOPers keep making embarrassing, for them but delightful to me, mistakes.

In a conference call leaked to the WaPo Senator David Perdue mused about the double-edged sword that is President Pennywise’s support:

Perdue noted later that he had confronted an “anti-Trump vote in Georgia” in the first round of voting and said the runoff is about getting “enough conservative Republicans out to vote” in the Atlanta suburbs and elsewhere who might have opposed the president’s reelection.

“I’m talking about people that may have voted for Biden but now may come back and vote for us because there was an anti-Trump vote in Georgia,” Perdue said. “And we think some of those people, particularly in the suburbs, may come back to us. And I’m hopeful of that.”

Pandering to President* Pennywise is what led to the bizarre letter from Perdue and Loeffler demanding the resignation of Republican Secretary of State, Brad Raffensperger. It turns out that Raffi (not to be confused with the children’s entertainer, I just don’t want to type his name out repeatedly) is an honest man who is determined to do his job. How did the Georgia GOP fuck up and elected an honest man to replace that election stealing motherfucker Brian Kemp? Donald Trump is not amused, and neither is Lindsey Graham.

Senate Republicans are so desperate to hang on to their majority that Little Lindsey called Raffi to lobby him to ditch a raft of legally cast ballots. Typically, senators do not meddle in elections in neighboring states. Raffi politely told the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee to butt out. Graham has denied the content of the conversation, but Raffi has a witness. Oops. Graham went on to claim that he’d spoken to the Arizona and Nevada Secretaries of State, but he was lying. Anyone surprised? The big surprise in this story is that Raffi is an honest man.

Little Lindsey is full of himself after winning a decisive re-election victory against a well-funded opponent. He can’t let go of his Trump sycophancy but he’s attaching himself more firmly to the Turtle. Fundamentally, Graham is a symbiont who needs a stronger host to survive. For years, he was John McCain’s sidekick, then attached himself to Donald Trump. He’s such a weak character that it wouldn’t surprise me if Lindsey offers to caddy for Joe Biden after he becomes the Oval One.

I’ll be checking in on Georgia from time-to-time before the January 5th runoff, which is the day before Twelfth Night. That means I can eat King Cake in celebration if things go well in Georgia, Georgia, Georgia. That was a lie: I’ll be eating King Cake the next day notwithstanding the election results. Lying appears to be contagious in 2020. I can’t imagine why.

Stacey Abrams is revving up the mighty New Georgia Project turnout machine that turned the Peach State blue in the presidential race. Ms. Abrams has rightfully been praised for her efforts. Some would like to give her the keys to the political kingdom. I agree with the praise but have a hunch that she’s gearing up for a grudge rematch with Brian Kemp in 2022.

The post title is, of course, based on the late Tim Russert’s 2000 admonition: Florida, Florida, Florida. I had a bit of fun with the featured image and used the cover of the Allman Brothers Band’s Eat A Peach album. Here’s hoping things will be politically peachy in the Peach State.

The last word goes to the Allman Brothers with a song that’s not on Eat A Peach:

Nov 16 2020

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Adrastos, Campaign Notes, COVID-19, Diary, Fog Of Scandal, Political Crack, Sports, The Darnold

It’s All Over But The Pouting

Image by Michael F.

I’m still batting away coup chatter like a cat with a cornered cockroach. If someone wants to claim there’s a coup, I tune them out. I’m not even sure if many people who use the term even know what a coup really is. It’s certainly not what’s going on right now, which is driven by presidential * payback, petulance, and pouting.

Here’s what’s going on right now: President* Pennywise is pouting. One man’s petulant refusal to accept reality is slowing down the transition of power. Making matters worse are his GOP enablers. That’s the real problem right now, not a golpe de estado, which is Spanish for coup d’état. A real coup would make us all golpe, I mean, gulp…

President* Pennywise walked up to the edge of admitting defeat last weekend but couldn’t quite get there. A concession would be nice and good sportsmanship, but this guy is never going to concede. He’s incapable of doing the right thing. It’s not in his DNA. Instead, he pouts.

I have long thought that playing team sports is good for the participant even if they’re no good at the sport. I was a terrible Little League baseball player and an even worse church league basketball player. In fact, my father was the Holy Cross church hoops coach and he taught us the virtue of good sportsmanship and the vice of sore loserdom.

Trump claims to have been the best high school baseball player in New York state in his day but it taught him nothing about being a good sport. His claim is, of course, a lie. He played ball against future Hall of Famers Jim Palmer and Rod Carew. I think they were a smidgen better than the Impeached Insult Comedian. The only thing this asshole could have led the league in was trash talking. That he’s good at. And he excels at pouting.

Back to the transition. It’s being blocked by the Trump regime’s GSA honcho, Emily Murphy. She’s trying to score points with the boss when he only has 65 days left in office. She’s going to be replaced by Team Biden after this stunt, so she might as well go out in a blaze of glory by authorizing the full-blown transition required by law. Trump would fire her, but such a firing might help her employment prospects after the Kaiser of Chaos is out of office.

Perhaps a musical interlude will encourage Emily Murphy to do the right and legal thing:

The pandemic is the main reason the transition is so important. Team Biden is concerned that Trumpist recalcitrance will make the distribution of any vaccines problematic. Incoming White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain put it this way:

“We now have the possibility — we need to see if it gets approved — of a vaccine starting perhaps in December, January,” Klain said, appearing to refer to Pfizer’s recent announcement that early, independently reviewed data suggests that its COVID-19 vaccine is more than 90 percent effective in preventing infections. “There are people at HHS making plans to implement that vaccine. Our experts need to talk to those people as soon as possible so nothing drops in this change of power we’re going to have on January 20th.”

Klain stressed the urgency for Biden’s transition team to get the ascertainment from Trump’s GSA chief so that it can begin its plans to address the COVID-19 pandemic.

“What we really want to see this week is the General Services Administration issue that ascertainment, so we can start to do the kinds of things you and I talked about a few minutes ago,” Klain said. “Meet with these vaccine officials, kind of get the intelligence briefings for the president-elect, the vice president-elect. That’s really the measure of how this is moving forward this week, I think.”

Unfortunately, neither Trump nor his party gives a rat’s ass. The GOP is the party of COVID denialism, which is not a good place to be as the virus surges. They seem to think that, like Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz, if they click their heels together three times COVID will magically disappear. Freedom, man.

I think that Trump and other GOP bigwigs should be forced to wear this hat seen on last week’s Shark Tank:

There’s no doubt that COVID denialism and false claims of a rigged election are hurting the country. It’s what they do. Everything Team Trump has done since day one has hurt the country. They’ve graduated from owning the liberals to reckless disregard for human life during the pandemic. In many states, reckless disregard = manslaughter. That’s some serious shit. The GOP should care but they don’t. Freedom, man.

At some point the transition will kick into high gear, a rising body count may force the GSA’s hand. As to President* Pennywise, he can go fuck himself. All his lies and conspiracy theories don’t change the fact that he lost the election.

Putting Rudy Giuliani is charge of the post-election litigation is a sign of desperation. They haven’t won a single court case and the Million MAGA March flopped. So much for the civil war and coup chatter. The MAGA Maggots are pussies. They should grab themselves.

This whole mishigas reminds me of the venerable expression: It’s all over but the shouting. The Trumpified version is: It’s all over but the pouting.

The last word goes to Bobby Womack & Bill Withers, The Rolling Stones, and Grateful Dead:

	Peter Adrastos Athas on All About Elise
	Susan Kelly Caldwell on All About Elise
	Susan Kelly Caldwell on All About Elise
	Tommy T on Spot The Tourist
	Tommy T on Spot The Tourist

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Georgia, Georgia, Georgia

It’s All Over But The Pouting