Friday Talking Points -- Be Afraid. Be Very Afraid.
Our subtitle today is an apt summation of the Republican Party midterm campaign message, in full. That's what they're running on, led by our Snowflake-in-Chief, Donald Trump. Fear. Naked, undiluted fear. "Be afraid!" they warn their voters. "Be very afraid!"
Be afraid of penniless refugees who are walking thousands of miles to legally make an asylum claim. That word bears repeating: legally. Because you won't hear it much from the GOP. To them, it's an "invasion." An invasion that demands sending more U.S. soldiers to the Mexican border at any time in the past century. More soldiers than are still fighting in Afghanistan or Iraq or Syria. Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis, (supposedly one of the "adults in the room") has gone along with this political nonsense, much to his diminishment. When the soldiers get to the border, they'll be firing live weapons at anyone who dares to throw a rock at them, Trump promises, and locking everyone up in tent cities (or "refugee camps," to give them their proper title). Oh, and don't forget to be afraid that the migrants are disease-ridden, full of "strong young men" who happen to be brown, and that they probably have some ISIS members among them. Also, be afraid that George Soros is paying for it all, for some inexplicable reason. Even Soros getting a pipe bomb in the mail has not dialed down the hatred and fear directed at him from the president on down.
Be afraid of Democrats who will raise everyone's taxes, destroy Medicare, hurt people with pre-existing conditions, and throw the borders open wide. How they're going to do any of that with a Republican in the White House is never fully explained, of course. If Trump's afraid of them, that's good enough -- all voters should be afraid of them. Be afraid of a black man becoming governor of Florida, or a black woman becoming governor of Georgia. Be afraid of illegal immigrants who will rape and murder you in the night, because that is what they do. Also, be afraid (or, better yet, start actively hating) the media, just because. And, of course, as always, be very afraid of Nancy Pelosi.
What voters shouldn't be afraid of, according to Republicans, is people who send bombs through the mail to the president's political enemies, or people who pick up high-powered guns and decide to kill as many Jews in a synagogue as possible. Because they were probably Democratic "false-flag" operations anyway.
This is Donald Trump's Republican Party. This is the Republican Party of the twenty-first century. Not since the days of the Civil Rights movement has racism and racial fearmongering been such a central part of American politics. Trump this week released a web ad that could be described as "the Willie Horton ad, on steroids," which warned that Democrats gleefully allowed into the country a man who was proud he had murdered two cops. The fact that he probably re-entered the United States during the George W. Bush administration was not mentioned in the ad, of course, because Democrats are always to blame for everything bad that ever happens, period, facts be damned.
Trump has set this tone, almost singlehandedly. We say "almost" because astonishingly enough there are Republicans who are even more blatantly racist than Trump in their campaigns. Like the guy in New Jersey who sent out a campaign mailer picturing his opponent (a Jew) as an evil, money-grubbing crazy person. Or Steve King, who never fails to excel in this regard (King went so far this week that the Republican Congressional Campaign Committee -- the group responsible for electing as many Republicans to the House as possible -- strongly rebuked him for his "white supremacy" views and actions).
Months back, Trump decided that being virulently anti-immigrant had worked so well for him in his own election that it was the ticket to winning his first midterm as well. Since that point, Trump has put his white supporters on a diet of nothing but red meat, which he tosses out in ever-increasing doses.
Throughout this blizzard of fear, Democrats have admirably stayed focused. This was best exemplified this week by a tweet Senator Brian Schatz sent out, on one of the pressing issues of the day (the day in question being Hallowe'en): "Candy corn is disgusting and they are trying to take away your healthcare." Now, that's how to get back on subject, folks!
Fighting the avalanche of lies just on the healthcare issue alone has been exhausting, but necessary. Republicans are just flat-out lying that they are the ones who care about people with pre-existing conditions (spoiler alert: they're not). Republican candidates -- for the first time since the Tea Party's rise -- are having to deal with the fact that Obamacare is now more popular than they are.
It is now four days from when the polls will close. We're in the homestretch now. Which is why today's column is nothing short of a plea to every thinking voter out there to counter the lies, propaganda, and fear of the Republican midterm campaign. There's only one way to put a serious damper on all of the craziness, and that is to elect so many Democrats next Tuesday that Trump will be forced to realize how many people disagree with his dark vision of the future.
We won't say "this is the most important election of our lives," simply because we've heard that refrain so often in the past (pretty much every election cycle, if memory serves). But it is beyond doubt that this is indeed a watershed election cycle. We can chart a course away from Trump and Trumpism next Tuesday, or we can watch it consume everything that used to be decent and good in American politics. That's a stark choice. And an important one.
Because of the seriousness of getting out and voting this week, we are not going to hand out any awards to Democrats. If there ever was a time to pull together, that time is now. Every Democrat on every ballot is the Most Impressive Democrat Of The Week this week, in other words.
We are also going to pre-empt our talking points segment to provide our answer to Trump's fearmongering. Call it our "I am afraid" speech. Because we are actually afraid -- just not of the things Trump is telling us to fear.
Volume 507 (11/2/18)
OK, we realize that we are not Oprah Winfrey. Unlike Mike Pence, we are humble enough not to go toe to toe with Oprah. She said it best this week, campaigning for Stacey Abrams, who could become the first African-American woman ever elected governor in America, by stating that anyone who ever had any ancestor who was denied the right to vote would be shaming their family and their heritage by not voting. She's right, and that group includes each and every one of us, no matter the color of our skin. It wasn't just black people who were denied the franchise in American history, after all. How many of us have a family tree which only boasts property owners back when they were the only ones who could vote? More obviously, how many of us have women ancestors? It's been less than a century since they were allowed to vote, after all. All of us are covered by Oprah's statement, in fact. And she's right -- all of us need to honor their memory by going out and voting next Tuesday.
So, as we said, we cannot hope to compete with Oprah's inspirational language, but we did feel it necessary to explain exactly why absolutely nothing under the sun will keep us from casting our ballot this time around. So here is our fear-inspired election rant for the 2018 midterms. And here's hoping a solid majority of people feel the same way.
My fear-filled midterm election rant
Donald Trump and the Republican Party have decided on a single message to inspire their voters. That message is: "Be afraid. Be very afraid."
I have to say, this has indeed inspired me to cast my ballot, come Hell or high water. Because I do fear for my country right now. I am afraid of what it has become. Which is why I'm going to vote for every Democrat on the ballot, in fact.
I am very afraid -- of a president who does nothing but stoke fear, constantly and consistently.
I am very afraid -- of the dark and evil forces Trump is unleashing and mainstreaming. These attitudes have always been with us, but for the last 50 years it has been all but unacceptable for any leader to give voice to them. That has now changed, for the worse. By declaring himself a foe of "political correctness," what Trump has actually done is make it acceptable for politicians to be boorish, insulting, demeaning, and crude. That's not a role model for our children. That's not something anyone should aspire to being. Which is what makes me fear it.
I am very afraid -- that one party is doing everything within its power to suppress the votes of millions of Americans. They are so afraid of what the true majority thinks of them that they will stoop to disenfranchising voters to remain in power. From "purges" of the voter rolls, to passing laws making it all but impossible for some minorities to vote, to refusing to upgrade voting machines that actively switch people's votes, to accepting voting machines that do not provide paper records (making a physical recount completely impossible), to yanking polling places from minority neighborhoods to make it much harder to cast a ballot, to refusing to step down as a state's primary election official while running for governor, to flat-out lying about non-existent hordes of illegal voters, the Republican Party has over and over again shown nothing but naked contempt for the idea that every citizen's vote is sacred and should be protected. Republicans only want their voters to be able to easily cast their ballots. Other voters should be shamelessly and blatantly suppressed. That, to me, is un-American in the extreme.
I am very afraid -- of a political party that now seems to be based upon conspiracy theories. I am afraid when this party ignores facts and evidence in favor of wild-eyed insanity that used to be relegated to those wearing tinfoil hats. I am afraid for the truth, to put it properly.
I am very afraid -- of a president who is nothing short of a pathological liar. By one count, Donald Trump has now uttered 6,420 lies in his first 649 days in office. That's ten lies a day, but it has gotten much worse recently. In September, Trump uttered or tweeted 599 lies -- an average of about 20 per day. He kicked off October by lying an astonishing 84 times in one day. For the month of October -- and not even counting Hallowe'en -- Trump spewed 1,104 lies.
I am very afraid -- not just of Trump lying his face off at every opportunity, but of what he chooses to lie about. As the New York Times pointed out recently:
In the past couple of weeks alone, the president has spoken of riots that have not happened, claimed deals that have not been reached, cited jobs that have not been created and spun dark conspiracies that have no apparent basis in reality. He has pulled figures seemingly out of thin air, rewritten history and contradicted his own past comments.... [E]ven some in Mr. Trump's orbit acknowledge that this campaign season has brought out a torrent of untruths that, they worry, distracts from a record he should be proud to outline factually.
I am very afraid -- of a Republican Party who has lost its moral compass entirely, in fawning subservience to Trump. How many of Trump's lies have been called out by his fellow Republicans? Precious few. When they are -- as when Paul Ryan recently reacted to Trump's statement that he could overturn the 14th Amendment by executive order by stating: "he cannot do that" -- Trump lights into them like a bandsaw. The entire Republican Party now cowers in fear and blindly accepts whatever Trump tells them is the new reality. Facts be damned -- if Trump says it, it's good enough for them!
I am very afraid -- that the public will buy some of these Republican lies. The biggest one in this election season is the downright laughable claim that Republicans will somehow protect people with pre-existing conditions from losing their insurance. This is just ridiculous on its face. Republicans have proven -- by over 70 votes in Congress, and by a lawsuit currently in federal court -- that they will stop at nothing to repeal each and every piece of Obamacare, including protections for pre-existing conditions. But now Obamacare is popular, so they stand there and claim that up is down and black is white. Republican after Republican has cut weepy ads promising voters that they would never cut protections for people with pre-existing conditions, even while their own votes and their own lawsuit says otherwise. I am afraid that some voters will actually believe this damned lie, and not realize which party truly is protecting the most vulnerable.
I am very afraid -- that the progress of women and people of color in this country is now at greater risk than any time I've been alive. With Trump's fratboy pick for the Supreme Court holding an enormous grudge towards all Democrats, America simply cannot be confident in the impartiality of the highest court in the land any more. Who knows what important rights will be overturned in the next few years? I sincerely hope women and minorities also share my fears enough to motivate them to go vote on Tuesday no matter what, because this election could impact their future in profound ways.
I am very afraid -- of Trump administration officials who have been using their high office to do nothing short of rob the American people in various and creative ways. Trump promised he'd "drain the swamp" but he has installed nothing but a pack of swampy alligators as his highest advisors. Trump hasn't done one thing to drain the swamp, he's actually shamelessly expanding it.
I am very afraid -- of an economic team that has nothing but contempt for working Americans' interests. Larry Kudlow was just quoted saying that the federal minimum wage "is a terrible idea." Apparently he's fine with workers being paid two bucks an hour -- or maybe just fifty cents an hour -- because he has no earthly concept what life is like for those on the bottom of the economic ladder. Such naked contempt and ignorance is to be feared by all.
I am very afraid -- that Republicans stoking the divisions in America will win out over people who still believe in America's national motto: E Pluribus Unum. "Out of many, one." That's a concept that I have believed in my entire life, and I have never seen it more under attack than now. Because Trump and his Republican henchmen (and henchwomen, to be fair) are telling their base not just to be afraid of external forces, but also to be afraid of their neighbors. Our motto is not E Pluribus Duo, because our Founding Fathers wanted our nation to be one, not two warring camps. But in Trump's world, everything is "us versus them." I sincerely want to believe we are better than this. But I am afraid that we may not prove to be.
I am very afraid -- of a president who probably doesn't even know what E Pluribus Unum means, but who still has no concept whatsoever of the constitutional constraints placed upon him. He thinks he can overturn a constitutional amendment by signing a piece of paper. He thinks the Justice Department should be acting as his own personal lawyers, protecting him from any negative consequences of his past actions. Trump doesn't even seem to understand that Congress cannot pass a tax cut bill when it is not actually in session. Trump has so little understanding of the way the federal government works that he gets downright petulant when he is stopped from issuing royal proclamations that change reality more to his liking. I have disliked and disagreed with Republican presidents before in my life, but I have never been fearful that they simply had no idea what was contained in the U.S. Constitution. That should scare everybody, really.
I am very afraid -- that Democratic voters will be complacent on Election Day. "We've got this one sewn up," is a dangerous concept, right now. Because that directly leads to another thought: "The blue wave will take care of everything, so I don't need to go vote." This is going to be a close election in all kinds of states and districts. Your vote counts, period. Do not assume everyone else will win the day for you -- get out there and vote like your lives depend on it!
I am very afraid -- that young voters and Latino voters and African-American voters will think that this election is somehow not important enough to show up at the polls and cast a vote. How can any sane individual think "there's no difference between the parties" after all the hatred and fear and vitriol from Trump and his fellow Republicans this election cycle? Democratic voters usually sit out midterm elections, but to do so this time around would be disastrous for the future of our country. If you know someone who may or may not vote, then drive them to the polls yourself on Election Day! Don't let them get away with sitting this one out!
Yes, I am very afraid. Not of the things that Donald Trump tells me to be afraid of, because they are either lies or just downright ridiculous. But I am afraid that too many American voters will be fearful of his phantom menaces and nonexistent dangers. This is nothing new, it bears pointing out. Fully five hundred years ago, Niccolò Machiavelli warned us of this phenomenon. He stated that, in politics, fear was a much safer and more effective political tactic for a leader than love. Now, I am 100 percent certain that Donald Trump has never actually read The Prince, but he certainly knows the truth of this passage, that's for sure.
So I am afraid for the future of our country -- especially the next two years of it. But the only way to combat this fear is by going out and casting my ballot next Tuesday. For every Democrat on the ticket, from senator and governor right on down to dog catcher. The Republican Party has been utterly co-opted by Donald Trump. There is not even a shell of its former self. The party that billed itself as the most moral (and most moralizing, for that matter) for the past 40 years or more is now the party of pure expediency. "The means justifies the ends" is their new motto. It used to stand against what it called "moral relativism" and for the absolute good over absolute evil. It can no longer make any such claim. Republicans have sat silent while our political norms and ethical standards have been trampled into the mud by a shameless demagogue. The once-proud Republican Party has become nothing short of a cult of personality. That is dangerous, and everyone should fear it, because historically such situations do not end well.
My one remaining fear is what Donald Trump will do if faced with a major midterm loss. Will he just fly off the handle and start thrashing about in a paroxysm of destruction? The very fact that this fear exists is instructive, because I've never feared this sort of thing before in my entire life.
But the only way I can combat all these fears is by voting. And by urging everyone else who shares any or all of these fears to do the same, next Tuesday. The blue wave will not appear if we stay home and sit this election out. So get out and vote, please. To paraphrase Franklin Delano Roosevelt: The only thing we have to fear is the fearmonger himself.
-- Chris Weigant
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Cross-posted at: Democratic Underground
Chris: your rant vividly expresses my thoughts on election night 2016. Everything you listed was in the cards from the second Tiny took office.
Polls are looking pretty good for Tuesday on a number of fronts - but the possibility of accumulated dirty tricks raises concerns. When you have the people running for office (who are also scumbags) actually in control of the mechanisms of voting - like Kemp and Kobach - concern is warranted. Etc. But if we manage to overcome all the voter suppression efforts and prevail - if we get the House, a bunch of state offices and maybe the Senate, we can start turning the ship of state around.
I'll be canvassing all weekend.
Tiny has reportedly mooted the idea of announcing Dems cheated if Repubs lose the House. So the next chapter is going to be a different challenge, but still a challenge. A better challenge, though.
4 days to go.
CW - I prefer the more NYC "Donny Two-Scoops" to "Snowflake In-Chief."
Paula - I'll be out canvassing too.
C.W. You think you're on thin ice. I watched the Bannon 'Munk Debate' this evening. Bannon sees a lame-duck congress as nothing more than the end of the global populist movement as he sees it. He's no fool, he knows that without a mandate, Trump comes off as a clown, he also knows the economic climate is ripe for a downturn.
Going into the debate, a Toronto crowd, a decidedly left-leaning mob, to be sure, voted 28-72% against Bannon and his premise, after an hour and a half he had turned that into a 57-43% resolution.
I see now why many people see Bannon and his band of populists as a force to be reckoned with. One thing that's certain is, both sides of the midterms know what's at stake on Tuesday...
GTFO and vote.
LL&P
[2] TS: Hope your canvassing goes well -- My recent outings have been encouraging!
Paula-4
I'm in a Republican gerrymandered district, the suburbs and rural parts will probably elect a Republican congressman. My legs are being used to help prospects further down the electoral food chain. I'm going to the inner city, some of it deep into 35 years of decay, but a few historic blocks are on their way back. Many teachers, active or retired. Five mansions in various states of restoration. One is French Revival.
I watched the first half of the Munk debate, and was disappointed in Frum. Why would they choose a Bush government insider to combat populism? We already saw that the regular Republican message is outdated - we saw it in 2008, again in 2012, and in the 2016 Republican primaries.
If they wanted to debate populism, then have two populists - Bernie representing liberal populism, best seen in Scandinavian countries, vs. Bannon representing national populism as represented by Trump.
Bannon is right that there is a lot of middle and lower class discontent, but he places the blame on government institutions, whereas I would contend that we should be looking at inequality and the vacuuming of wealth upwards.
The average Trump supporter isn't angry about the Iraq war, and neither are they angry about Fed liquidity - these are Bannon's battles, not theirs. They are angry because they see their future and the future of their kids being, at best, the same as it is today.
They are angry and fearful for their station in society, and fear and anger are easy to exploit by the next demagogue in line. Look at all the systems that build wealth and distribute it and you will see that capitalism with strong restraints to counter its negative effects (e.g. buying power, the tragedy of the commons, winner-takes-all) has delivered the wealthiest and happiest societies humans have ever created on a large scale.
The populism of Steve Bannon is the latest smoke screen by the very wealthy to ensure that they can buy politicians, grab an even bigger share of the wealth, and evade as many costs as they can (such as taxes). Bannon may believe his "power-to-the-people" message, but he is either a fool or a knave - the people he helps to power have only one thing on their minds - grabbing as much money as they can from the people to enrich themselves.
I am afraid that all my time and effort dedicated to pie might be wasted.
Please, please, please pay attention to me so i can talk some more about pie?
[6]...and ya, Frum was ineffectual. Stammering out tired establishment rhetoric, nervously playing to a crowd he had on the way in and humourlessly trying to vie with Bannon's obvious Trumpism with silly one point retorts.
One thing I took away from the experience was; anyone who went in thinking there was a great schism between the administration and Bannonism should think twice. The crowd laughed aloud every time Bannon fed them a 'FOX-like' alternate fact..."Trump isn't a racist"--"the economy is all down to Trump's business acumen"--"Trump is about the working man and not the elites", so on and so on. Bannon realised early on that he was in front of a left-leaning, erudite crowd, why else truck the obvious lies, if not to stir up the discussion in the hope to win over the crowd with light-hearted acquiescence.
All that being said, I wouldn't have reversed my views based on what was said. Both men fell short in making a case for any other system over the one I now enjoy. It's a well made point that Bernie Sanders has been pushing a version of left-wing populism, the difference between Sanders and Bannon though is, Sanders' version of populism is inclusive. Bannon left me in no doubt that right-wing populism can only breed in a divisive society, one where the politicians can have a foil for their followers to blame for their supposed woe and disenfranchisement.
GTFO and vote.
LL&P
[12] And don't forget to provide evidence- maybe a pie chart?
That's worth a rim shot (cf. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9CdVTCDdEwI ) right there.
Frum was and is no match for Bannon. Someone needed to drive a wedge into the narrow edge between the two sides of the populist coin, which Bannon framed by his "tomorrow belongs to me" version, and the alternative that he branded with the well-tested scare term "socialism." Someone needed to describe government in the liberal democratic tradition that is empowered to deliver popular social protections and initiatives along with policies to enhance the infrastructures of the common good.
I listened to the debate (and hat tip to Canuck for the reference), and Frum sounded, for the most part, as convincing as a poly sci 101 part time instructor. By any objective measure of debate, Bannon mopped the floor with him, and the final polling result showed that.
And, yes, by "tomorrow belongs to me" populism, I mean in this sense: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=29Mg6Gfh9Co .
about 138 million people voted in 2016, while about 186 million had pie. you do the math. you'll note that on a pie chart of reasons why people didn't vote, they're all pie.
https://img.washingtonpost.com/blogs/ezra-klein/files/2012/11/why-not-vote.jpg
LB...I would have posted it earlier, but I didn't. I wasn't sure how widespread the coverage was until the preamble, when the dozy mediator pointed out it was on FB and CPAC in the US, it occurred to me some might find it as interesting as I.
GTFO and vote.
LL&P
I'm short on time so I'll cut to the chase: Great column, CW! :)
Paula [1]
TS [2]
Me three! Busy weekend. :)
neilm
6
Nailed it. :)
Don Harris
7|8|9
Blah, blah, blah.
JL
10|11
I am afraid that all my time and effort dedicated to pie might be wasted.
So the pie isn't perfect? Cut it into wedges. Stay in control, and never panic. ~ Martha Stewart
Please, please, please pay attention to me so i can talk some more about pie?
The answer to your not question is pizza pie. :)
Pies vs. Lies
I will take JL's pies over Don's lies every single time. :)
Paula, Kick
Saturday was the perfect day to mobilize the vote - warm, with a deep blue sky. I lucked out again and was assigned another route with lots of architectural interest, this time single family homes built in the 1920s. Every house was unique, if small by today's standards. The quality of design, materials and craftsmanship was incredible...decorative arches, high peaked roofs, bedroom balconies, stucco and fancy pattern brickwork. Architects of the day must have been plentiful and cheap.
Unlike last weekend, most of the properties I visited were well preserved and well maintained, although half the doorbells didn't work. Most inner city owners have a dog who barks when you knock, which is functionally about the same as doorbell. I had a lot of friendly conversations doing my bit.
The media needs to start showing more footage from Trump’s rallies. More specifically, they need to stop showing when Trump makes outrageous race-whistle comments and instead show Trump’s incoherent babbling that leaves even his most ardent supporters in the crowd scratching their heads and looking bewildered!
The media shows the 3 or 4 minutes of Trump speaking coherently, and while it’s usually him saying something that is offensive in some way or repeating one of his “go-to” lies, but we are all used to seeing this from Trump. What people do not normally see is Trump offering up his babbling word salad to the world.
Trump’s mental state still should be a point of concern for everyone. Can you imagine how effective the N.Y. Times front page headline of “?????” could be? The press would simply be accurately reporting how Trump typically communicates and asking if anyone knows what he is actually saying!
Trump was obviously shaken enough when his mental stability was questioned to have the White House physician release those ridiculous physical results. We know that Trump isn’t going to be shamed out of office because of his misdeeds, but even his base supporters don’t want a president who is mentally unfit.
@don,
that's the spirit! make america pie again!
JL
As the campaign goes into the final days I notice Trump's skin tone is more orange,his reverse raccoon eyes are whiter, and his hair is poofier than ever. It is easily the worst political make-up since Nixon. Trump looks freakishly more and more like his own mother. If a professional stylist is doing this it is malpractice. If Trump is applying his own make-up, well where does he find the time, what with all the tweeting, golfing and cable news?
[24] TS: On both Saturday and Sunday my husband and I canvassed in working-class neighborhoods. Lots of people not home, but those who were were friendly and prepared to vote. Some had already voted early.
In Akron there are plenty of places to vote, many within walking distance. Summit County delivered the numbers for HRC - hopefully we'll do the same by end of day tomorrow.
The neighborhood you were in sounds like mine - the houses were all built by the same developer in the late 1920's-30's and they're chock-full of charm and interesting architectural details. Some are perfect, some need work and some will be pulled down.
Go look at this book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00A73FI8O/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1
The house-plans in there are all over my neighborhood!
TS/Paula:
There is a great podcast that dives into the "Sears Homes" that people bought and built.
https://99percentinvisible.org/episode/the-house-that-came-in-the-mail/
BTW, if you are looking for an interesting podcast, 99% Invisible is one of my favorites.
I think that, in the end this midterms will be remembered most for the return of Obama to the campaign trail, where he is still decidedly alpha.
We've gotten a vicarious thrill, I admit, to see what a hypothetical match-up between arguably the two most charismatic men in America would be like.
And it's pretty much as I expected. Obama effortlessly mocks Trump, reminding his audiences that Trump's current success didn't come from Trump himself: "Where did that start?" he asks delighted crowds, and reminds them that the economy created more jobs during his last two years in office than have been created during Trump's first two.
Trump decided to make 'the caravan' his piñata for the midterms, even going so far as to move troops to the Mexican border. But his staff clearly has other ideas, writing a 'closing argument' Op-ed on the Fox website for Trump that doesn't mention the border or the Caravan at all. It does, however, include this gem of historical distortion:
"If House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., take control of Congress, they will drag America back into the economic abyss we struggled so hard to climb out of.
..which is premised on such a big fat lie that it boggles the mind: it's exactly the opposite of the truth! (Did Miller write this?) Pelosi, you might remember, was instrumental in getting the programs passed that dragged us out of the actual economic abyss that the Republicans left us in exactly ten years ago.
This is what Obama does. He reminds us of the truth. He's our witness, and at present the most effective reality-check we have. I'm sure that this will be his swan-song, at least in this mode: next year a worthy opponent to Trump must arise from the Democratic ranks to lead a new offensive, and I can only hope that whoever it is, is watching and learning from Obama's Master Class in both mastery and class.
More on sears homes:
http://www.searshomes.org/index.php/tag/california-kit-homes/
Don Harris
26
Nice of you to concentrate your usual bullshit into it's basic substance.
Wrong again, Don. That was an indication on my part that I believe the author of this blog you endeavor to hijack near daily so perfectly defined the substance of your posts as "blah blah blah." CW's definition of your comments was so dead on accurate that I believe it bears frequent and regular repeating.
Also:
.
TS
24
Sounds awesome. :)
Pi? Did someone say pi? Well, let me then add:
3.1415926535897932384626433832795028841971693993751058209749
445923078164062862089986280348253421170679821480865132823066470938446095505822317253594081284811174502841027019385211055596446229489549303819644288109756659334461284756482337867831652712019091456485669234603486104543266482133936072602491412737245870066063155881748815209209628292540917153643678925903600113305305488204665213841469519415116094330572703657595919530921861173819326117931051185480744623799627495673518857527248912279381830119491...
And that's a fact, at least approximately so.
Russ
25
I was wondering if it was just me or if anyone else thought Trump's word salad is getting worse.
Trump was obviously shaken enough when his mental stability was questioned to have the White House physician release those ridiculous physical results.
Poor Trump. He's still livid at Jon Tester for telling the truth about Dr. Jackson. Trump was gunning for Tester hard in Montana... the lies getting so crazy that it's an obvious con to all but those deeply indoctrinated into the Trump cult.
We know that Trump isn’t going to be shamed out of office because of his misdeeds, but even his base supporters don’t want a president who is mentally unfit.
Many of them seem to not care one whit whether or not he's a pathological liar; however, it does seem that some of them are catching on. Then there are the others who genuinely believe his pathological illness is a shrewd political/business strategy when it's nothing more than the usual modus operandi of a con artist who's spent decades lying shamelessly in order to separate people from their money and in search of anything that will fill his unquenchable thirst for fame. Sad.
Fans of Sears kit houses:
One of the houses I canvased is a confirmed Sears kit house - a Mansfield (brick) model to be exact. A few others on my amble are probables. There are about 75 surviving Sears Houses within the current city limits. The owners of the Mansfield weren't home....I know this because my adventure was data directed by a smart phone app....which worked pretty well and certainy beats map/clipboard/pencil.
[34] neilm: thanks for the Sears home links!