A Bright New Frabjous Day
The most amusing thing I heard last week was a possible-apocryphal story about a toddler who complained that all Mommy and Daddy wanted to do anymore was "watch the Map Show on television." But finally, after staring at that map all week long, on Saturday morning we all got the good news, as both Pennsylvania and Nevada were called for Joe Biden. Whether or not a news organization had called Arizona suddenly didn't even matter, because Biden was over the top with or without it. And 75 million people (and still counting) breathed the first big sigh of relief they have in four very long years, as the "Map Show" came to a glorious end. Donald Trump's presidency is not quite over yet, but the end is now clearly in sight.
Trump instantly became the two biggest things he truly hates: a loser, and irrelevant. No longer do we have to even care what he tweeted overnight when we wake up in the morning. Who cares what lunatic conspiracy theory he's ranting about now? Because it's almost over. It just doesn't matter that much anymore.
It's like a gigantic weight has been lifted. For the next four years, we will have a sane and non-psychopathic human being as president. No longer will parents have to explain to small children why the leader of our country is allowed to get away with embarrassing and degrading tweets that would get any of them kicked off Twitter in a heartbeat. No longer will science be held hostage to politics. No longer will the entire federal government ever have to contort itself to explain why what Trump said is somehow reality (when it so clearly is not).
Instead, even people within Trump's inner ranks are now admitting that all the lawsuits they're currently filing are no more than a sad attempt to make Trump feel better about losing. That's nothing short of pathetic, when you think about it. Trump is using the American legal system as nothing short of a security blanket. Actual lawsuits are being filed (and promptly laughed out of court) for the sole purpose of making President Linus Van Pelt feel better. About losing. Linus, at least, would have had a relevant Bible quote for the situation (probably something from the Old Testament), but that's obviously beyond Trump's meager abilities.
Trump has actually been pretty subdued -- for Trump -- ever since Election Day. He's ripped out a few deranged tweets, and given two equally-deranged appearances before the cameras, but that's not even par for Trump's course, really. It's been almost a week, after all. Twitter is mercilessly slapping on warning labels and blocking Trump's conspiratorial tweets with abandon. Jim Carrey called Trump the one thing he hates on Saturday Night Live -- a "loo-oo-oo-oo--ooooser." And Trump didn't even bother to explode in a rant against him. For Trump, this is indeed pretty subdued. He fired Mike Esper today, just to make himself feel better, but at this point it hardly matters. He can purge his inner ranks to his heart's content, but it really only means they'll miss two extra months' pay, since Joe Biden will be sweeping all of them into history's dustbin very soon now.
Joe Biden is already looking pretty presidential, by way of contrast. He gave a victory speech (finally!) on Saturday night that went over well, and then this morning he announced the formation of his COVID-19 transition task force, so he'll have a solid and detailed plan in place when he takes office in January. Even if Trump fires Dr. Anthony Fauci, he'll have a place to go, in other words. Biden did -- in one announcement -- what the nation has been desperately hoping for from Donald Trump since about February. Biden is assembling the experts, creating a plan of action, and preparing to deploy the full might of the federal government to fight this pandemic as competently as humanly possible. This plan will not take into account which party the governor of each state is from, because politics has no place in such an emergency. In short, Biden showed more competent leadership in one announcement than Trump has shown in nine whole months. And this was just the introductory announcement, mind you.
Biden will no doubt continue to act and be presidential in his upcoming statements to the press, and the entire focus of the political world is going to be on things like his cabinet choices and what executive orders he's going to sign on his first day in office (to instantly overturn all the worst ones Trump has issued during his single term). America won't immediately get back to normal, but we're at least now headed towards normalcy instead of further and further away from it. That's a welcome change indeed.
Meanwhile, it's a pretty safe assumption that Trump will continue to throw tantrums (both public and private) about his loss. But less and less attention will be paid. Trump will no longer be able to magically make himself the lead story on the news each night with a single tweet. Instead, people are just going to start shrugging their shoulders and saying: "Whatever...."
Trump will indeed make a few final headlines, when he finally gets around to realizing he has lost and that no amount of flailing around on the floor and screaming is going to change it. He'll likely begin issuing a tidal wave of pardons, starting with (perhaps) himself and (definitely) all his family members. He will also almost certainly pardon all his cronies and minions who went to jail -- but didn't turn on Trump. Michael Cohen, however, probably won't be one of them.
Donald Trump is fading, even within the Republican Party. Mitch McConnell is now exactly what he's always wanted to be -- the most powerful Republican in Washington. The real focus within the GOP is going to shift very soon now to all the 2024 hopefuls. My educated guess is that there will probably be at least two dozen Republicans who throw their hat in the presidential ring. Many of them will prudently wait until at least after the 2022 midterms to fully engage in the race, but you can already see a few others who have essentially started their 2024 campaigns (Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, and possibly Lindsey Graham). For now, they're staunchly defending Trump's conspiracy theories. For now. But pretty soon they'll be running solely for themselves.
We all woke up yesterday to a bright new day. No longer will America be continually embarrassed by our own president. No longer will presidential ego be the most important variable in any policy equation. Viciousness and mean-spiritedness are about to exit the Oval Office for good. In their place we will all have decency and stability instead. Biden's campaign started with a big idea, and he'll now be able to work every day to achieve it: restoring the soul of America. And that is indeed a much brighter future to contemplate than another four years like the last four.
The best commentary I've read on how the majority of the country felt Saturday morning when Pennsylvania went blue came from one of the commenters on my site. Here's the whole stanza from the quoted poem (Lewis Carroll's "Jabberwocky"), because I can't think of a better way to end today's column:
"And hast thou slain the Jabberwock?
Come to my arms, my beamish boy!
O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!"
He chortled in his joy.
-- Chris Weigant
Follow Chris on Twitter: @ChrisWeigant
Hadn't even seen this story when I wrote this:
"Fox News cuts away from Kayleigh McEnany news conference after she alleges vote fraud with no evidence"
The title really says it all. Neil Cavuto cut away from the presser less than a minute after it started.
O frabjous day...
-CW
I don't care what Trump now says, tweets or does, either. But, I can't help thinking about the 70+ million Americans who voted for him and who are taking their cues from him and other Republicans regarding a "stolen election".
Is this just a phase they're going through and half the country will eventually come around to accepting the outcome once more congressional Republicans and Republican governors do the same and are able to persuade their voters?
I have my doubts about that.
It was very reassuring, though, to see that president Bush made a statement congratulating Biden and saying that the outcome of this election was CLEAR.
In fact, this statement from a former Republican president was all the trigger that was required for signing off on letting the transition go ahead in terms of money, space, and the all important access to federal agencies, according to an expert on presidential transitions.
All I can say at this point is, thank the gods, best of luck getting through the next few months, and the very best wishes for the first term of a Biden presidency.
That last bit was an absolute joy to tap out, I have to admit. :)
Chris[1],
Now, THAT is excellent news. :-)
come on donald, quack for me.
Trump:
https://123emoji.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/sticker-38-15.png
In desperate times, the good Lord looks over the flock and chooses one man to inspire the multitudes, one man to accomplish the impossible, one man to offer hope where there is only hopelessness. Who are we to judge the wisdom of the Almighty? He chooses His servants to fit His plan and when He chooses a servant from among the flock and gifts him with talents, it is a grave sin to reject the Lord’s choice.
Satan is a worthy adversary and we must understand his tactics and schemes. Satan wants to be the hero of the day, instead of God, and it appears that Democrats, socialists, feminists, anarchists, celebrities, environmentalists and other socially rebellious people would rather serve and honor Satan than God. Convincing Americans to believe and defend demonstrably false ideas is Satan’s greatest triumph.
There was civil unrest and riots in Heaven and God cast Lucifer out of Heaven. God created Hell for Lucifer and the fallen angels in order to contain their evil. Leftists have followed Lucifer in rebellion and consequently God has, at intervals, had to enlarge Hell to accommodate the multitudes of unbelievers. The righteous will perceive the beauty of Divine law and order as they peer with contempt into the depths of Hell from Heaven at the burning bodies and hear the weeping and wailing of the damned, tormented with fire and brimstone for all eternity. Their consciousness shall be ever aware of their torment. They shall cry, “My punishment is greater than I can bear”, but bear it they must, as the torment waxes worse and worse with the passing of the ages.
God is love.
Michele "Smash" Bachmann
The End is near.
Thanks, JFC. Thanks very much. For bringing Twitter into my world. ;)
I thought this was a place of refuge from all of that nonsense ...
[9] was meant in response to [6], just to be clear. :)
Chris
He'll likely begin issuing a tidal wave of pardons, starting with (perhaps) himself and (definitely) all his family members.
Oh, I do hope Trump tries to pardon himself and his collective spawn. There isn't a Court in America that could interpret a "self-awarded presidential and/or family get out of jail free card" for crimes as yet uncharged as the original intent of the pardon power granted to the President of the United States in the Constitution:
*
Donald Trump was impeached for actions he implemented and undertook in cooperation with accomplices both foreign and domestic in attempt to disqualify his most feared political opponent, which candidate he rightly feared facing.
So how could a president thusly situated be lawfully pardoned -- by himself or anyone else -- for crimes as yet uncharged that could involve said related actions -- or the concealment thereof -- for which he was most definitely impeached? Interesting question for the Courts; I cannot fathom why on Earth they'd bestow upon the president the power to relieve them of their own.
Thoughts to ponder. :)
*
Awesome.
Say it with poetry:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZJEI4TNMro
LizM [8] [9]
They say Jesus will find you wherever you go
But when He'll come looking for you, they don't know
Warren Zevon
Yeah, well, just don't be posting any more Michele Bachmann stuff around here, okay? I thought I'd seen the last of her a long time ago ...
You must be joking. I can't keep top shelf performance art like that to myself.
BTW - I don't have a Twitter account. I don't really like it much either. That's just where Right Wing Watch posted the video.
Kick [11]
Trump doesn't have to pardon anyone. He just has to resign in January and let Pence do it for him.
You must be joking. I can't keep top shelf performance art like that to myself.
True enough. :)
Well said, CW!!!!
I only wish your concluding phrase about what we will now have, "decency and stability" (in place of viciousness and mean-spiritedness) had included the word 'competence', but hey, we can't have everything, right?
Here is just a little reminder that tomorrow night, live from the stage at the Empire Theatre, Classic Albums Live will perform, cut for cut, note for note, U2 The Joshua Tree.
The Empire Theatre will be open for 50 people to attend in-person in physical distanced seating AND it will be live streamed online as well, with donations greatly appreciated.
Here are CAL doing Who's Next by the Who last month - it was a great show!
https://vimeo.com/470649798
Oh, and here is the link for the concert tomorrow night!
https://theempiretheatre.com/live/classic-albums-live-u2-joshua-tree/
[6] Oh, good grief. People would be happier on the whole if they let go all delusion.
I still blame god and her earthly protuberances for allowing gullibility into the human narrative.
A prayer and a porkie pie will never replace probity as the nucleus of the human spirit.
This is where I reach for popcorn whenever right-wing dogmatists get to beaking off about their moral compass. There probably isn't a single god-knob within the Beltway that thinks Trump and his band of long-suffering lawyers have a snowballs chance with all the frivolous shit. All the religious sloganeering these hypocrites can muster for this Trumpian lie won't count for wet leg at the end of the day. I'm convinced people of faith are so comfy with telling whatever lie works because they pin all their eternal aspirations on the thinnest of premise's, why not add another brick of Kush to the fire, one can only get so stoned. I stumbled across a post on Facebook whose message was as simple as it was asinine; " If there's a gentile loving God, I know Trump will win this election and justice will prevail. "
Well, there isn't and she won't. It saved me the time explaining the finer details of the periodic table and its total command over all things everywhere always.
Speaking of gunsels, dimwits, and dunsels, I really enjoyed Guliani's presser at the Four Season's lawn maintenance, dildo emporium and mortuary service. The sweet irony that Trump's advocates channelled their inner Borat to find the ideal place to announce their moral indignation on his behalf. In all honesty, when I think of Trump, dildo's, assorted recreational rubber phallus and mortuaries always seem to coalesce effortlessly, as if they could without an eye being batted.
Sorry about the religi-rant, it was too early in the day for me to cope with, I'm useless until something is rolled and smoked that diverts my attention from bible-babble... Now if Faceballs and Twatter want to censor anything, I can suggest a starting point and can add censure at no extra cost.
LL&P
I hope it's clear to everyone that the text in [6] is actually my translation of Michele speaking in tongues.
Clear as mud!
I'm kidding ... it was pretty clear. :)
I took some classes in Snakehandlerese when I moved to KY so that I could understand the natives.
BTW - Since Housewives of Coronavirus has been cancelled, I was channel surfing last night and I came across a televangelism program called Wretched TV. It lived up to the name. That level of honesty from grifters was bewildering. Could it be a new trend?
Maybe Short Fingers will name his channel Suckers TV.
at the intersection of sex and death lies lawn care.
You guys should take your show on the road!
:-)
You know what I'm gonna miss most about Trump?
The funny way he always tried to outline the shape of a women whenever he was speaking from the presidential podium.
Seriously! Check it out. :)
[23]
I apologise again, I was going on the assumption it was a lampoon, such affrontery wouldn't go unpunished by me were it common enough to be seen as a trend.
That shit is like listening to your ten-year-old lie about breaking a porch window when you had to duck or get hit by the ball... Fingernails, long, unnecessarily sharpened fingernails down a blackboard.
My neighbour has a 'No smoking' sign on his front door, we don't. I have a 'religious bullshit-free zone-leave the lord outside' sign on mine. Everyone does.
Religion is a species of mental disability that can be cured long before is disables the reasoning centre of the brain. Keep it away from your kids, it clears up in the gene pool within a generation.
[28] That's a tough one.
I can't think of a single thing that evokes nostalgia in me from the Trumpian era, the last few days have felt like the 'meds' have finally kicked in and the noisy fucking crazy guy in my head has been silenced.
Trump represents everything loathsome about the 'Ugly American' stereotype, on Meth. Vainly coiffed to overdone, impossibly vain, loud, overbearingly pushy and brash without any perception that others want him killed painfully and removed.
LL&P
JTC,
I knew that you knew that I was having fun, but when I looked at it again, I realized that it looked like I was actually attributing those specific words to her. She's insane on a much grander scale that what I wrote.
And, so is Mike Pompeo, apparently. I mean, insane doesn't seem to cover it. He was never right for the State department but he is really out of his mind and element.
You got that right. We still haven't hit rock bottom as difficult as that is to believe.
insane doesn't seem to cover it
Nope. You forgot the word troll.
I think we may need a new vocabulary for this crew.
Nice to see Biden taking this all in stride - he's been there, done that with regard to being prepared to transition.
Loved that big Biden smile and semi-chuckle with just the mention of Pompeo's name ... twice, for effect. :)
By the way, the word "chortle" made its first appearance to the world in the line you quoted. Carroll made it up, apparently as a blend of "chuckle" and "snort," and the word stuck.
The Trumpanzees are threatening to cancel Tucker Carlson now. Didn't they get the memo? Cancel culture is a PC thing. Donald is stirring that pot of Flavor Aid.
What did Tucker do? Utter the words president-elect Biden!?
Better than that.
“How do we fix it and bring the country together? How do we make it America you want to live in? The only answer, the only solution is honesty. Let’s all stop lying. Lying about everything that matters, every day of our lives.”
I doubt his sincerity, but it followed KayLie McEnany's lie conference.
Really!? Hmmmm ...
Don Harris
16
"Meet the new boss
same ac the old boss
we were liberated from the foe, that's all."
-the Who
Poor Don seemingly has nothing else to say besides the utter asinine beliefs of his that:
* Parties same.
* Money bad.
"Nothing will fundamentally change."
-Joe Biden
Joe Biden was right about you, Don; nothing will fundamentally change about you because your worn out two arguments are nonsensical bullshit, as is your repetitive weak delivery. My point there is that anyone can quote anybody out of context to fit their agenda du jour.
Bill Maher provided a perfect example of the disconnect from reality we find here when he asked what is wrong with the 70+ million delusional people that voted for Trump.
Not content to take Joe Biden's words out of context to peddle his regular spew, Don attempts a twofer. Nice try... but epic fail.
*
Perhaps I was just paying attention, but I'm not sure how you watched that episode of "Real Time" and came away with the idea that Bill Maher was a great mouthpiece for your agenda... he isn't even close. His point was exactly the opposite of your redundant prattling and spew.
No matter how much you want it to, it really doesn't make a difference if the poison is mixed in with Koolaid or Hawaiian Punch.
I will stipulate to the undisputable fact that you are hands down the board expert on Kool-Aid, Hawaiian Punch, unicorns that fart rainbows, pixies that frolic in the meadow (props to CW), and fairy tales about purity and trolls. :)
Bleyd
17
Trump doesn't have to pardon anyone. He just has to resign in January and let Pence do it for him.
What kind of fool with any political ambition would pardon a president who was lawfully impeached? And who will pardon Pence?
As I said (emphasis added):
*
So how does Pence or anyone else pardon Donald Trump for crimes as yet uncharged that might involve issues for which he was impeached? The Constitution worded as it is grants the president pardon power "except in cases of impeachment."
It's 2020 and high time the president's absolute power to pardon was challenged. I would like to read a Court's ruling regarding an impeached president having the power to absolve himself, his family, and his coconspirators of wrongdoing for crimes for which they have yet to be indicted. :)
James T Canuck
22
Sorry about the religi-rant.
Nice rant, though. :)
John From Censornati
23
I hope it's clear to everyone that the text in [6] is actually my translation of Michele speaking in tongues.
Smash the delusion. ;)
John From Censornati
25
Heh.
Elizabeth Miller
28
You know what I'm gonna miss most about Trump?
The constant lies and gaslighting of America? No?
The funny way he always tried to outline the shape of a women whenever he was speaking from the presidential podium.
Even during his coronavirus pressers?
Seriously! Check it out. :)
Okay.
*
Explains a lot about Trump. #Pathetic
I told ya!
:)
Why do people believe that Trump is going to be handing out pardons like crazy? That would require Trump to think about or care for someone other than himself -- something he never did in the past four years, so why you would expect to see it happen now is beyond me!
Trump is going to be sullen and angry at the world from now on. He’s not going to be concerned about helping others; he’ll be far too busy lashing out at everyone he can! Trump will only feel better if he knows others are hurting like he is. Trump will pardon himself and maybe, just maybe, some of his family members (sorry, Tiffany!), but I don’t see him being concerned about anyone else. They lost him the election, after all.
Weigantia
About that pardoning himself and his family: None of his family has been charged with any crimes. Trump hasn't been charged with any crimes. An impeached president pardoning himself and family?
A pardon is an admission of committing criminal acts to which you confess your guilt, and once pardoned for those crimes, a person waives their rights under the Fifth Amendment. Trump would then have no choice but to testify regarding said issues.