It’s About the Supreme Court, Stupid!

Just for a second, push aside the fact that Donald Trump is a compulsive liar, whose policies mostly benefit the rich…

Probably the biggest issue at stake in the election is the Supreme Court.

A Trump presidency will cement a conservative majority for at least the next thirty years. This is the court that brought such great democracy busting policies as:

  • Trump Absolute Immunity – Now we have a King who cannot be prosecuted for his actions.
  • Citizen United – This allows wealthy businesses to dump tons of cash into elections.
  • Shelby County v. Holder – Which gutted the Voter’s Rights Act

Those are just policies that affect democracy. We have not even mentioned issues like abortion, the environment, gun safety, etc.

If Trump gets elected, his rise to power will affect our country for at least a full generation. And not in a good way.

Are You a Patriot?

If you vote for an insurrectionist, are you a patriot? Should the insurrectionist even be on the ballot? Do you even deserve the right to vote for them?

Jack Smith’s case was laid out in full view this week. It is a 165 page summary of evidence, largely supported by Trump loyalists, that presents a damning picture of a weak and scared Trump who is desperately trying to cling to power. The major reason the case has not been heard yet has been due to the long delays imposed by the Supreme Court. (A conspiracy theorist might postulate that the Supreme Court intentionally attempted to push the case past the election.)

Some people don’t care about democracy. They are fine if the country burns to ashes, as long as their “guy” wins. I suggest that if you fall into that camp, then find a country that doesn’t have its foundation in democratic values and move there. Russia and Hungry come to mind. You don’t belong in the USA if you are that anti-American.

Democracy is fragile and we are on the precipice of its collapse. With a rigged Supreme Court (thanks to Mitch McConnel!) making kings of presidents, we now have a scenario where one man can conduct any unconstitutional action with total legal immunity, as long as they claim it is an “official” act. This is a green light to completely shred our Constitution.

It only takes a toehold to bring about a sweeping fundamental change in the way our country operates. This happened in Hungry and Gaza. Once the balance of power tips, a dictator will ensure that it never goes back.

This is the fundamental reason that conservative Republicans like Liz Cheney are voting for Kamala Harris.

Shady Vance’s chilling response during the debate when asked if he thought Chump lost the election, or his comments that he would not have certified the 2020 election are horrifying. Make no mistake, if Vance is the next VP, then there is absolutely no guarantee that he will certify a free and fair election won by a Democrat, even with no proof to support his actions. And that can continue with future VPs as well.

I have to hand it to Chump. He figured out how to subvert democracy. Even if Harris wins this election, the playbook is out there for the next dictator to use.

Fasten your seatbelts, it might be a bumpy ride.

Widespread Voter Fraud Discovered!

A concerted effort to undermine democracy and overthrow the will of the people has been exposed.

  • Was this by ballot stuffing/harvesting? No.
  • Undocumented people voting? No.
  • Voting machines flipping votes? No.

This action was found to be highly organized and funded, and sought to shift the outcome of the upcoming election.

How does this operation work? (Sadly, it is still in effect today.)

  1. Create a mass disinformation campaign that claims voter fraud is occurring on a massive scale. Provide absolutely no proof to substantiate the claims. It’s just a lie.
  2. Use that lie to impose restrictions and make it harder for legitimate citizens to vote. Sew distrust and create barriers to separate voters from their right to vote. Disenfranchise as many Democrats as possible in an effort to steal the election.
  3. Create court cases in battleground states to challenge the results of free and fair elections.
  4. Sew distrust and unrest among Americans. Discourage them from voting, because Republicans lose when everyone votes, due to their unpopular policies.
  5. Watch democracy crumble.

Compare and Contrast

There has been a lot of commentary about the presidential debate last week. Certainly, Chump lived up to his assigned namesake; Harris exposed him for the fool that he is.

A lot of people have focused on specific statements, but my favorite part was seen, not heard.

Let’s take a second to zoom in on the infamous, “They’re eating the dogs…” comment.

I find the juxtaposition between an extremely serious Donald Chump making an absurd and outlandish claim, and the split-screen window of Kamala Harris laughing it off with the reaction from a good bar joke, to be priceless. I think it sums up the whole debate.

Here is the clip on YouTube for your amusement.

Donald Trump is a RINO

The old saying is “If it walks like a duck and talks like a duck, it’s a duck.”

Chump frequently calls people who don’t agree with him or his positions a “RINO.” The term stands for Republican in Name Only.

Recently, there has been a steady drip of old-school, conservative Republicans who have either come out in support of Kamala Harris, or have withheld support for Donald.

Endorsing Harris

  • Former Vice President Dick Cheny
  • Former Rep. Liz Cheny
  • Former Rep. Adam Kinzinger
  • Jimmy McCain (John McCain’s son)
  • Olivia Troye (national security issues for Vice President Mike Pence)
  • Anthony Scaramucci (Former White House Communications Director under Trump)
  • Stephanie Grisham (Former White House press secretary under Trump and chief of staff to first lady Melania Trump)
  • Former Georgia Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan

Refuse to Endorse Trump

What’s the point of this list? When you have old-school, conservative Republicans like Dick Cheny and Mitt Romney (who are true Republicans) soundly rejecting Trump, it begs the question:

Is Trump an actual Republican, or is he just a RINO?

The Big Lie

I have touched on the false claims of election fraud, as well as the fact that Chump lies to all of us on a daily basis, but today I want to “drill, baby, drill” deep into the Big Lie.

There is truth and there is opinion. They are very different concepts, but in politics, people conflate the two regularly. Chump has repeatedly claimed, and still does, that the 2020 election was stolen. That is his opinion, not fact.

The fact is that the 2020 election was fair, and accurately represented the will of the American people. That is the truth.

There is no proof otherwise.

All the bullshit conspiracy theories like bamboo ballots, mass voter fraud, election machines that magically change votes, poll workers dumping ballots, etc., have all been either disproved or rejected in a court of law. They just did not happen. They were lies.

Rudy Giuliani famously said to Republican Arizona House Speaker Rusty Bowers “We’ve got lots of theories, we just don’t have the evidence”

And just because some jerk yells these lies into a microphone in an attempt to convince you otherwise, it still does not make them true.

Nov 6, 2024 – The Morning After

What happens if Trump loses the 2024 election, and again insists that the election was stolen?

He lost the first election and perpetrated a lie that resulted in violence at the Capitol. That lie went on to fuel hatred and dissent across our land.

This is tantamount to yelling “Fire” in a crowded theater. (Which by the way is illegal.) Chump thrives on the chaos and discord. He has no regard for collateral damage or the harm of innocent people who don’t fit his narrative.

His supporters, having believed that the election was stolen twice, will not accept the results peacefully. Civil war, anyone? Trump is a desperate animal. His lawsuits require him to get elected, otherwise he is certain to be held accountable for his many crimes.

Make no mistake. Chump is a criminal in the first degree.

When the Republicans talk about voter fraud please understand that they are the ones committing the fraud. Their voter suppression, intimidation, and disenfranchisement actions are clear. They are rigging the election in their favor because they know they can’t win legitimately. Conservative Republican Adam Kinzinger (a Romney Republican) stated it clearly and succinctly when he said that Republicans need to come up with ideas that the people want.

Trump infamously said, ” I am your retribution.” His followers want retribution for the first “stolen” election. They want blood. And they will not accept another loss. What are they going to do when Chump falsely claims that this next election is stolen?

What will happen the morning after Trump loses again?

Trump Dishonors Dead Veterans

I didn’t think he was actually this stupid, but last week Donald decided to turn Arlington National Cemetery, where our most decorated war heroes have been laid to rest, into a cheap campaign photo shoot.

First, apologies for the inane actions of our insensitive and moronic single-term president, who is currently watching his poll numbers slip away. What he did is an absolute disgrace.

Second, what he did was illegal. When an official tried to stop it, she was physically pushed out of the way and verbally assaulted. Add more insult to injury. But Trump has proven over and over again that he has no respect for laws that apply to him. Besides losing virtually all his lawsuits (business fraud, sexual assault, claims of a stolen election, etc.) his campaign just ignores artists’ rights. Basically, Chump does does what he wants, regardless of whether it is ethical or legal.

Trump’s video message was about the Afghanistan withdrawal. We should keep in mind that the withdrawal was negotiated by Trump with the Taliban. As McMaster points out, Trump had a very active part in the Afghanistan withdrawal.

Holding a Trump rally with a captive posthumous audience (which gives the impression that all the fallen soldiers at the cemetery supported him) may seem like a great idea to a short-sighted, inconsiderate moron, but it is a horrible and inconsiderate action. Chump visited fallen Marine Sgt. Nicole Gee’s grave for the photo op. Her mother-in-law would probably be rightfully upset if a Democratic politician posed in front of her family’s grave, and used the imagery for a campaign ad. If this sounds cold and insensitive, it is. And that just drives home the point about the gravity of Trump’s actions.

For the record, I could not find any information on Sgt. Gee’s political affiliation. It’s her mother-in-law who has been most vocal. Her actual parents appear to be silent about the whole ordeal. At best, they would all agree with Chump’s actions. At worst…

There is a thin line between being a maverick and an asshole. It’s clear that Donald has crossed that line.

Weird, by Nick Anderson

Hats off to Nick Anderson at Reform Austin for probably one of the most insightful and humorous political cartoons ever created.

(If you don’t get the bear reference, then check out this clip)

https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/donald-trump-hannibal-lecter-timeline-1235070008/This cartoon drives home the point that crazy attracts crazy. And just when you think things couldn’t get weirder with Donald grabbing women by their “pussy” (Trump’s word, not mine), COVID bleach advice, Hannibal Lecter adoration, sharks, toilet flushing complaints, crowd size obsessions, J.D. Vance (who is a total dumpster fire in his own right and the epitome of a failed VP candidate), self-proclaimed stable genius who confuses a basic cognitive test with an IQ test, The Deep State, etc…in rolls Kennedy to complete the picture.

And at deadline, Tulsi Gabbard jumped on the crazy bus too.

This would be great fiction if it were not true. Some people thrive on all the drama.

But we have a country to run.

Trump: Flip Flopper in Chief

Trump moves from saying “Kennedy is a Radical Left Democrat, and always will be!!!” to now saying “”I like him a lot, I respect him a lot.”

You can’t have it both ways Donald, unless you now like and respect “Radical left democrats.”

The level of bullshit that comes out of Trump’s mouth is truly impressive.

America needs a president who holds firm on their convictions and their grasp of reality. Not someone who flip flops with the wind.

What Trump Did Not Do…

Trump Did Not…

Create an infrastructure bill that created American jobs, fixed roads & bridges, extended communication systems, bolstered transportation options, cleaned up polluted areas, and made a strong commitment to fighting climate change. (Biden delivered the infrastructure package that Trump only promised.)

Bring down the cost of insulin for Medicare patients to $35. (Biden would have extended it to all Americans, but the Republicans narrowed it to just Medicare patients.)

Discharge student loans for the folks who were struggling the most. (Biden’s student debt relief did.)

Bring critical microchip manufacturing back to the USA from China, securing our technical supply chain and increasing American jobs. (Biden’s CHIPS and Science Act did.)

Support the Ukrainians. (His praise of Putin is downright weird and scary.)

Provide much-needed financial relief for American middle and lower-class families. Increased health care coverage for low income people. (Biden’s Build Back Better did.)

Provide green energy tax breaks for homeowners.

Reaffirm our status and partnership as a world power with our allies. (Remember this total asshole move by Trump as he pushed aside another NATO member and stood in the spotlight?)

Oversaw the highest stock market levels ever. (Thanks, Joe!)

Trump Tried To…

Kick 24,000,000 people off of health care by attempting to kill the Affordable Care Act. Although promised, there was no, nor is there still, an alternate plan to the ACA.

Suggest that bleach should be injected into COVID patients. Lol, his stable genius on full display.

Trump Succeeded at:

Giving a huge tax cut to the wealthiest Americans while branding it as a tax cut for the middle class. (I didn’t feel it in my paycheck, did you?)

A strong commitment to fossil fuels and increasing the effect of climate change. Drill baby, drill is a recipe for climate disaster.

Successfully delayed the peaceful transfer of power by rallying an angry mob to storm the Capitol on January 6th, 2021, and stop the election certification. (There was support by Trump to hang Mike Pence that day.)

Repealed a woman’s right to choose, overturning 50 years of settled law. (According to Trump, only States, not patients should decide their treatment options, even if the outcome may result in the pregnant woman’s death.)

Added over $7.8 trillion dollars to the deficit. (To put these numbers in perspective, one million dollars is to one trillion dollars like a single penny is to $10,000. That’s a hell of a lot of millions!)

Ripped refugee children from their mothers and fathers, and locked them up in cages. (Who would Jesus cage?)

Effectively neutered the EPA and the Department of Education, and damaged the United States Postal Service.

Stacked the court with conservative justices who do not represent the religious, political, and ideology of the majority of the American people. (For example, Catholics make up about 22% of the US population, but the Supreme Court is about 78% Caltholic (7 of 9 justices identify as Catholic.)

Trump’s Border Policy Disaster

Make no mistake. Trump has blood on his hands on the border issue.

Trump has been a complete disaster on the issue of border policy. Separating families, kids in cages, Title 42 which denied legal due process to innocent refugees, the murdering, raping, and kidnapping of an estimated 10,000 innocents by forcing them to be returned to their tormentors in Mexico, etc. The list goes on. They are the most un-Christlike actions that I can imagine.

In Trump’s America, the Statue of Liberty should be returned to France. Let’s not forget that if you are not Native American, then you too are an immigrant.

The political right has created real fear from a false narrative about “Migrant Crime” solely for political gain. Most all asylum seekers are normal, hard working people. Everyday Americans actually have higher crime statistics than migrants. Every time Trump talks of criminals being sent to our country en masse, he is just full of shit.

Oh and by the way, border crossings are currently at a multiyear low and are trending downward.

Burying the Lead…

But the biggest, most unforgivable action that Trump has made was in the derailing of a bipartisan border bill that could be in effect at this very moment. Our border could be in much better shape if it wasn’t being used as a political chess piece that Trump is willing to sacrifice.

Let that sink in. Trump is responsible for failing to improve the border situation, solely for political gain. He really doesn’t care about the border, it’s just a talking point for him.

And if you choose to buy into the false narrative of migrant crime and the influx of murderers, then yes, Trump has blood on his tiny, little hands.

A Bald-Faced Liar

These days, American’s outsource their truth. What news organization do you trust? What clergy, comedian, political pundit, etc., do you select to define your truth? Are you even in conflict with their views?

Sure, all politicians lie to one extent or another. That’s expected. Weasel-words and half truths are the part of the game. It’s the spin that matters.

Trump takes it to the next level. When faced with the facts, he knows that repeating a lie will eventually make it true for his followers.

Trump has repeatedly stated easily disputable and unproven lies.

Crowd sizes? Trump recently implied that his Jan 6th crowd size was similar to Martin Luther King’s I Have a Dream crowd. Why is Trump so fascinated with crowd size? Overcompensating for something?

Mexico Will Pay for the Border Wall – Nope, they didn’t.

The Deep State – Anyone or anything that disagrees with Trump is labeled the Deep State. There is no proof it does, or has ever existed. But the agenda of Project 2025 seeks to create one. Read about Article F.

The Path of Hurricane DorianJust a little sharpie line will increase the path to include Alabama.

The 2020 Election was Stolen. There is no evidence of widespread voter fraud, and an variety of judges (some Trump appointed) evaluated and dismissed the 62 lawsuits that Trump brought to prove his claims.

These are just a few examples. There are literally thousands like these. Trump spouts out lies at a staggering rate. It’s not normal, and clearly indicative of some pathology.

Trump’s falsehoods can be easily dismissed just by looking at the evidence. If you outsource your truth to Trump, you will have to accept his outright lies. Sadly, many do.

Where Trump Crossed the Line

We can disagree about politics. Abortion, LGBTQ rights, how we spend money, what wars we support…no problem there. But we cannot support a president who crossed the line and actively attempted to undermine the peaceful transfer of power. This single act posed an existential threat to our democracy.

On January 6th, 2021, Donald Trump did just that.

The founders of our great nation (wrongfully) assumed that the president would play by the rules. Would not be a criminal. Would faithfully support the constitution and the principles that our country was founded on. And when the Civil War arrived, it became apparent that guardrails needed to be put in place to protect our fragile democracy.

Section 3 of the Fourteenth Amendment was born.

No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice-President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any State, who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any State legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any State, to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof. But Congress may by a vote of two-thirds of each House, remove such disability.

It’s that simple. Case closed.

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Something’s wrong here. Something’s really wrong. Can’t have happened. And we fight. We fight like Hell and if you don’t fight like Hell, you’re not going to have a country anymore.

-Donald Trump on Jan 6th 2021, seconds before sending the crowd to storm the Capitol.

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“My first acts as your next President will be to Close the Border, DRILL, BABY, DRILL, and Free January 6 Hostages being wrongfully imprisoned!”

Trump post on Truth Social, March 11, 2024