In one universe, Joe Biden is president, the unemployment rate is under four percent and has been for 21 straight months, the economy added 216,000 jobs in December, the homicide rate nationally is down 13 percent over the last year, the stock market just reached a record high, the Federal Reserve sees inflation easing more than a full percentage point over the next year and indicates that it will hold interest rates steady, and next month, a recalcitrant Congress is expected to be dragged kicking and screaming into not shutting down the government.
Let’s do talk about DeSantis. He cannot be easy to live with and it seems like his little wifey, who has a Miss America pageantry smile, is the same. Is Ron not stiff as a board? He is totally awkward in front of audiences and/or the media. I think his campaigners must have told him he has to smile more. So he ends up looking like a fool with a Howdy Doody smile. But that is what DeSantis is...a fool, a dunce. He and his boyfriend from Texas, are just plain mean and hateful. They deserve the wrath of their voters and I pray we see their powers stripped.
I live in DeSantistan, well put. That idiot went after Disney, what a maroon!!! Lifts on his shoes, and a Barbie wife who would only fly private air. We hate him here and applaud his demise.
Parallel universe is so right. I heard an interview this morning on BBC-NPR with a primary voter in NH who said (paraphrasing) - that he was supporting the Melon Felon because the MF was only one who wasn't corrupt. Only hisself spends his OWN money on his campaign whereas the MF's opponents use other people's money. Alternative Reality doesn't even begin to cover it.
It is nuts. If trump says it, his supporters believe it. Everything trump says is self-serving. Everything he accuses President Biden of, he's doing or has done. All of these people who really believe the lies. Surreal.
In what universe is EVERYTHING, whether best or worst, smallest or biggest “in the history of our country?” The overuse of that statement is more proof that the very low IQ Donnie has to keep saying it as a space filler because there is nothing worthwhile coming out of his piehole. As has been said in the past, everything he says or does indicates that he is unfit to serve.
The Biden White House is celebrating the end of the DeSantis campaign. When Haley drops out they will be jumping for joy because the only candidate left will be the one they are guaranteed to defeat.
Regarding the following, “and next month, a recalcitrant Congress is expected to be dragged kicking and screaming into not shutting down the government.” it doesn’t help clarity to say that this is about a “recalcitrant Congress,“ when it is about a “recalcitrant Republican majority in the House.” And, actually, it’s not that they are recalcitrant, but that they have a clear vision, which they are seeking to execute, of wrecking, the United States government. They are not “stubborn,“ but intent on a goal, which is contrary to the interests of most Americans.
I don’t think the slender Rethug majority actually understands what it is actually doing. The consequences, I mean. They don’t see beyond the ends of their noses. They want what they want… NOW! They want to please their baying, mostly ignorant electorate and they want to get re-elected. That fits demagoguery to a T: go for the quick, easy, pleasing answers. It’s like going for dessert without the main meal, which may contain some things, good for you in the long run, that you don’t like. A kid with his spinach.
This is why you have to love Mr. T.: his unwillingness to take a stand. <No emojis available here.> Truly, he is aces at poking our baser angels, of which there are far too many these days, and I'm feeling awash in feathers.
As for DeSantis, I figured him out a while ago, having researched his history. I may have written this elsewhere, but for people who do not follow me around, the story is this. Bottom line: he's from the wrong side of the tracks. Though graduating two top Ivies (Yale University/Harvard Law School) *he* felt he didn't fit in. His father was a Nielson meter reader, he was short, had bad skin, a bad voice, no social skills, and a very large chip on his shoulder. (In fact, I take a whack at him in an upcoming AIR MAIL Weekly.)
Mr. T. also updates us on Trump's madman stream of consciousness. This crap is painful to read. I'd almost prefer the loon at Hyde Park Corner who's telling the crowd he is Jesus. There is also, in this post, the perfect descriptor of a man whose looks are wildly out of sync with his politics: "White bread & mayo Mike Johnson." But there's still time for him to get the face he deserves. (Right now, Paul Gosar is wearing it.)
Oho...thank you for that little gem: "But there is still time for him to get the face.....(Right now Paul Gosar is wearing it)" Priceless. Thanks for the guffaw. Gosar goes about with the bitterly sour expression of a man who has bitten into a particularly noxious unripe lime.
I live in DeSantistan, what a sideshow. Hearing him go after Woke was so pitiful we died laughing here...then he offers that slavery was basically a jobs training program...mini Trump with a real education, sort of!
Excellent and interesting post. Once again, the politics of resentment. It’s a very powerful motivator and should NOT be underestimated. It informed Hitler (a rejected artist). It informs Ronnie Dee (feeling out of place socially at an Ivy League school… I attended one and knew a classmate whose resentments grew every year… and he’s still angry. And — surprise, surprise— he’s an avid Trumper). And it informs Trump, who is burning with resentment bc the real, mostly hidden NYC social elite, which Donald craves to be part of, loathes and rejects him.
"What was the deal with DeSantis and his hatred if the media?"
It was the same strategy used by Donald Trump and it came out of the Roy Cohn playbook.
I have a friend who has worked in commercial real estate in NYC his entire life. He is one of many I know who have been telling me that Trump has intimated that he had sex with Ivanka when she was a minor, not that it would have been a good thing otherwise, for decades. When Trump won the election in 2016 he called me and said, "Watch, the first thing he will do is attack the media, then federal law enforcement, then the intelligence services. He attacks those who can hurt him so that when they reveal his illegal and unethical practices it looks like retaliation."
That's exactly what he learned as a child while bouncing on the knee of Uncle Roy.
All exactly true, and Ronnie Dee was trying his best to imitate daddy Trump in every way, including trashing the media. As if that might… what…. endear him to Trump? Pathetic doesn’t even begin to describe Ronnie of the White Boots.
They started off as parallel universes, but I wonder if we can continue to call them that, since they seem to be veering off in different directions at exponentially increasing speeds, one towards reality, the other towards a fantastical world in which its inhabitants will believe anything an orange turd tells them. And the portal between the two becomes more unstable every day.
Which is why I have created my own parallel universe, in what the French call “la France profonde”, surrounded by nothing but grape vines and grazing sheep. OK, yes, I'm gloating, but it's so much less agitating to observe these disturbance in the cosmos from afar.
One parallel universe that Bannon and Stone and others of their ilk tried to create is the “Deep State.” As if it’s some sort of cabal that meets in secret and really pulls the levers. The GOP ‘s other parallel universe is like Islam’s world of milk and honey and 27 virgins… or is it 17? A carefree Shangri-La of white males calling the shots, compliant little wives, low or no taxes, unfettered free enterprise, etc. A land that doesn’t exist.
I strongly (*strongly*) urge reading "War for Eternity," about Bannon's core ideological beliefs, which mesh with those of Alexsandr Dugin, the Russian mystic who has advised Putin.
I'd say that the side of the parallel which you describe as "veering off" (call it Trumplandia) more resembles famous Lombard Street in San Francisco, "the crookedest street in the world," with its eight hairpin curves in a few short blocks.
Well, as the comments trail off on what those universes might be, do not forget that a cult is a cult. It is not a separate universe. It is a poison pustule on the face of reality. Don't be standing too close when it blows.
I'm hoping . . . that the whitestream media are covering this ad nauseam because it seems so strange to them, and therefore "newsworthy." Do any of them know what's at stake here? They piss me off even more than the people who didn't realize democracy was in trouble until Trump was elected.
Sorry. I know politics (Parlor Tricks in Pogo land) is dirty some times. I'll try to keep my comments away from meal time. At least on the Leftist Coast.
One can only hope the hamhanded, ham-faced Ron DeSantis and his "innovative new way" of running a campaign will take him off the stage permanently for any future national political aspirations. The media of all ranges has been absolutely brutal about him. He's unlikable at a high level even on a good day, which he rarely has. And then puts up a fake Churchill quote in parting, honestly, he does nothing to make anyone come close to liking him, much less thinking he might be in a White House other than a miniature rendering for four to eight years, considering voters have pretty much gone bonkers on the right as well so you never know exactly what is going to ring their bell. Bye, Ron. Go home. See if they still like you there. Most of them supported Trump so seems like you go back to a mixed bag pretty much. Good.
I love that "white bread and mayo" description. Wonder if he realizes that his tenure may among the shortest ever, and not due to MTG. The way his caucus numbers are moving, Hakeem may become the next Speaker before long. May we hope.
In my view the mainstream media has given a crazy amount of support to DeSantis by pretending he was ever in the running. One year ago it was crystal clear that Trump would be the nominee. By treating it as a contested primary, in which anyone else had a chance- DeSantis in the spring and summer, Vivek (!) in the few weeks after the first debate, and Nikki this winter- the media gave insane amount of airtime to something that wasn't real, at the cost of what is real - the stats you present in the first paragraph of this post.
I just had a thought (prediction?) germaine to this discussion. Like Blanche in "Streetcar," I think the Trump show is going to end with a doctor leading him away from a public event. Long overdue.
Let’s do talk about DeSantis. He cannot be easy to live with and it seems like his little wifey, who has a Miss America pageantry smile, is the same. Is Ron not stiff as a board? He is totally awkward in front of audiences and/or the media. I think his campaigners must have told him he has to smile more. So he ends up looking like a fool with a Howdy Doody smile. But that is what DeSantis is...a fool, a dunce. He and his boyfriend from Texas, are just plain mean and hateful. They deserve the wrath of their voters and I pray we see their powers stripped.
I live in DeSantistan, well put. That idiot went after Disney, what a maroon!!! Lifts on his shoes, and a Barbie wife who would only fly private air. We hate him here and applaud his demise.
Parallel universe is so right. I heard an interview this morning on BBC-NPR with a primary voter in NH who said (paraphrasing) - that he was supporting the Melon Felon because the MF was only one who wasn't corrupt. Only hisself spends his OWN money on his campaign whereas the MF's opponents use other people's money. Alternative Reality doesn't even begin to cover it.
It is nuts. If trump says it, his supporters believe it. Everything trump says is self-serving. Everything he accuses President Biden of, he's doing or has done. All of these people who really believe the lies. Surreal.
Surreal is the perfect description. I feel like I'm living in some really bad remake of the movie "Idiocracy".
Deplorables...don't get me started!
Bless their hearts...
In what universe is EVERYTHING, whether best or worst, smallest or biggest “in the history of our country?” The overuse of that statement is more proof that the very low IQ Donnie has to keep saying it as a space filler because there is nothing worthwhile coming out of his piehole. As has been said in the past, everything he says or does indicates that he is unfit to serve.
The Biden White House is celebrating the end of the DeSantis campaign. When Haley drops out they will be jumping for joy because the only candidate left will be the one they are guaranteed to defeat.
"Guaranteed?" I hope this is not the same guarantee Hillary Clinton relied on in 2016.
That was somebody else, not me. This one is in the bag.
Fingers, legs, eyes are all crossed for this to be the case.
To answer your question in as PG-rated a way as possible, in the universe of a man (among many) who is, ahem, concerned about the size of his shroom.
Regarding the following, “and next month, a recalcitrant Congress is expected to be dragged kicking and screaming into not shutting down the government.” it doesn’t help clarity to say that this is about a “recalcitrant Congress,“ when it is about a “recalcitrant Republican majority in the House.” And, actually, it’s not that they are recalcitrant, but that they have a clear vision, which they are seeking to execute, of wrecking, the United States government. They are not “stubborn,“ but intent on a goal, which is contrary to the interests of most Americans.
I don’t think the slender Rethug majority actually understands what it is actually doing. The consequences, I mean. They don’t see beyond the ends of their noses. They want what they want… NOW! They want to please their baying, mostly ignorant electorate and they want to get re-elected. That fits demagoguery to a T: go for the quick, easy, pleasing answers. It’s like going for dessert without the main meal, which may contain some things, good for you in the long run, that you don’t like. A kid with his spinach.
This is why you have to love Mr. T.: his unwillingness to take a stand. <No emojis available here.> Truly, he is aces at poking our baser angels, of which there are far too many these days, and I'm feeling awash in feathers.
As for DeSantis, I figured him out a while ago, having researched his history. I may have written this elsewhere, but for people who do not follow me around, the story is this. Bottom line: he's from the wrong side of the tracks. Though graduating two top Ivies (Yale University/Harvard Law School) *he* felt he didn't fit in. His father was a Nielson meter reader, he was short, had bad skin, a bad voice, no social skills, and a very large chip on his shoulder. (In fact, I take a whack at him in an upcoming AIR MAIL Weekly.)
Mr. T. also updates us on Trump's madman stream of consciousness. This crap is painful to read. I'd almost prefer the loon at Hyde Park Corner who's telling the crowd he is Jesus. There is also, in this post, the perfect descriptor of a man whose looks are wildly out of sync with his politics: "White bread & mayo Mike Johnson." But there's still time for him to get the face he deserves. (Right now, Paul Gosar is wearing it.)
Oho...thank you for that little gem: "But there is still time for him to get the face.....(Right now Paul Gosar is wearing it)" Priceless. Thanks for the guffaw. Gosar goes about with the bitterly sour expression of a man who has bitten into a particularly noxious unripe lime.
I see Gosar’s face as the physical expression of a neurological situation. Truly, he is off.
I live in DeSantistan, what a sideshow. Hearing him go after Woke was so pitiful we died laughing here...then he offers that slavery was basically a jobs training program...mini Trump with a real education, sort of!
It is a bizarre experience for those of us who are sane - and especially if we previously lived in a normal place. (I came from Boston.)
Excellent and interesting post. Once again, the politics of resentment. It’s a very powerful motivator and should NOT be underestimated. It informed Hitler (a rejected artist). It informs Ronnie Dee (feeling out of place socially at an Ivy League school… I attended one and knew a classmate whose resentments grew every year… and he’s still angry. And — surprise, surprise— he’s an avid Trumper). And it informs Trump, who is burning with resentment bc the real, mostly hidden NYC social elite, which Donald craves to be part of, loathes and rejects him.
"What was the deal with DeSantis and his hatred if the media?"
It was the same strategy used by Donald Trump and it came out of the Roy Cohn playbook.
I have a friend who has worked in commercial real estate in NYC his entire life. He is one of many I know who have been telling me that Trump has intimated that he had sex with Ivanka when she was a minor, not that it would have been a good thing otherwise, for decades. When Trump won the election in 2016 he called me and said, "Watch, the first thing he will do is attack the media, then federal law enforcement, then the intelligence services. He attacks those who can hurt him so that when they reveal his illegal and unethical practices it looks like retaliation."
That's exactly what he learned as a child while bouncing on the knee of Uncle Roy.
All exactly true, and Ronnie Dee was trying his best to imitate daddy Trump in every way, including trashing the media. As if that might… what…. endear him to Trump? Pathetic doesn’t even begin to describe Ronnie of the White Boots.
They started off as parallel universes, but I wonder if we can continue to call them that, since they seem to be veering off in different directions at exponentially increasing speeds, one towards reality, the other towards a fantastical world in which its inhabitants will believe anything an orange turd tells them. And the portal between the two becomes more unstable every day.
Which is why I have created my own parallel universe, in what the French call “la France profonde”, surrounded by nothing but grape vines and grazing sheep. OK, yes, I'm gloating, but it's so much less agitating to observe these disturbance in the cosmos from afar.
One parallel universe that Bannon and Stone and others of their ilk tried to create is the “Deep State.” As if it’s some sort of cabal that meets in secret and really pulls the levers. The GOP ‘s other parallel universe is like Islam’s world of milk and honey and 27 virgins… or is it 17? A carefree Shangri-La of white males calling the shots, compliant little wives, low or no taxes, unfettered free enterprise, etc. A land that doesn’t exist.
I strongly (*strongly*) urge reading "War for Eternity," about Bannon's core ideological beliefs, which mesh with those of Alexsandr Dugin, the Russian mystic who has advised Putin.
Thanx. Deluged with reading material just now but will seek this out.
Can we join you?
Yes! All readers of LKT4 welcome, we'll start a commune and call it Truscottville. 🤗
I’m already packed. And...I’ve learned to travel with carry-on! So I won’t take up much space!
"Truscottville" is way Amurrican. How about Beaumont-sur-Truscott, a nod to the wonderful movie "DIrty Rotten Scoundrels."
I'd say that the side of the parallel which you describe as "veering off" (call it Trumplandia) more resembles famous Lombard Street in San Francisco, "the crookedest street in the world," with its eight hairpin curves in a few short blocks.
Well, as the comments trail off on what those universes might be, do not forget that a cult is a cult. It is not a separate universe. It is a poison pustule on the face of reality. Don't be standing too close when it blows.
I'm hoping . . . that the whitestream media are covering this ad nauseam because it seems so strange to them, and therefore "newsworthy." Do any of them know what's at stake here? They piss me off even more than the people who didn't realize democracy was in trouble until Trump was elected.
Rick Wilson's video post this morning might lift your spirits. He is always worth keeping up with.
Couldn't find it -- everything on his X/Twitter feed is older than that. Will try again later.
His Substack. I'm a longtime subscriber. Worth every penny. One bottle of cheap wine a month costs a lot more.
eyeew...that is a repulsive mental image you just created.
An apt image nevertheless. No worse than what Jeff Tiedrich would call them.
Well, I had just eaten...any other time I would heartily agree.
Sorry. I know politics (Parlor Tricks in Pogo land) is dirty some times. I'll try to keep my comments away from meal time. At least on the Leftist Coast.
🤣😏
One can only hope the hamhanded, ham-faced Ron DeSantis and his "innovative new way" of running a campaign will take him off the stage permanently for any future national political aspirations. The media of all ranges has been absolutely brutal about him. He's unlikable at a high level even on a good day, which he rarely has. And then puts up a fake Churchill quote in parting, honestly, he does nothing to make anyone come close to liking him, much less thinking he might be in a White House other than a miniature rendering for four to eight years, considering voters have pretty much gone bonkers on the right as well so you never know exactly what is going to ring their bell. Bye, Ron. Go home. See if they still like you there. Most of them supported Trump so seems like you go back to a mixed bag pretty much. Good.
Now we have him back here in DeSantistan...The Horror!
Their side of the parallel universe is dictated by Putin. All roads lead to Putin.
I love that "white bread and mayo" description. Wonder if he realizes that his tenure may among the shortest ever, and not due to MTG. The way his caucus numbers are moving, Hakeem may become the next Speaker before long. May we hope.
MAY GOD HELP WE-THE-PEOPLE!
In my view the mainstream media has given a crazy amount of support to DeSantis by pretending he was ever in the running. One year ago it was crystal clear that Trump would be the nominee. By treating it as a contested primary, in which anyone else had a chance- DeSantis in the spring and summer, Vivek (!) in the few weeks after the first debate, and Nikki this winter- the media gave insane amount of airtime to something that wasn't real, at the cost of what is real - the stats you present in the first paragraph of this post.
I just had a thought (prediction?) germaine to this discussion. Like Blanche in "Streetcar," I think the Trump show is going to end with a doctor leading him away from a public event. Long overdue.
I don't understand it either. The only reason I can see is that the Confederacy wants it's revenge after 159 years.
When I'm not working, I'm trying really, really hard to persuade myself that the U.S. citizenry can be trusted to do the right thing.