The GOP is a Mess

Well, it's official.

The GOP is a mess.

"Clean-up on the GOP aisle!"

As the House GOP FINALLY passed a Continuing Resolution to fund the government until January/February and headed off to their Thanksgiving break (thanks to support from, I'm guessing, disgusted and disbelieving Democrats), it's time to see where, exactly, the "Grand Old Party" now stands.

And it ain't pretty.

Regarding the House of Representatives, where the GOP holds a majority, some have called their current tenure a "clown car," while others have offered a challenge on the floor to "explain to me one material, meaningful, significant thing the Republican majority has done." 

And these comments, amazingly (and tellingly) are from their own members!

Seemingly forever bogged down in the morass of Speaker drama, it took 15 votes (and numerous back-door dealings) for long-time favored candidate Kevin McCarthy to earn enough votes to take the gavel, only to have it wrenched away from him--the first time that ever happened in the history of Congress-- just nine months later. And, for three weeks--as wars around the world raged and domestic issues such as inflation consumed the minds of the voting public--the GOP floundered, trotting out Speaker candidate after candidate--Jordan, Emmer, Scalise--who weren't able to secure enough votes despite having received their own caucus's recommendation.

Let that sink in.

GOP members met, debated, and, after careful consideration, voted to advance their recommended choices for Speaker. And, then, time after time, decided, "Eh, maybe not."

And it's only gotten worse since then.

It turns out (as highlighted in an article by the Huffington Post), this Republican-led House has passed only 21 bills this session--the fewest this deep into a session in more than 90 years--that include world-changing imperatives such as minting a commemorative coin and naming government offices after people. And then, FINALLY passing a resolution to continue to fund the government.

And, believe it or not, the mess has STILL gotten worse.

On Tuesday, GOP Rep. Tim Burchett, was "sucker punched" in the kidney by former Speaker Kevin McCarthy.

Fighting for you!

Coincidentally(?), Burchett was one of the House GOP who voted to oust McCarthy from the Speakership. 

In his own defense, however, McCarthy--who, as Speaker, had been second in succession to become US President--proclaimed, "If I kidney punched someone, they would be on the ground."

And, later in the day, a Senate hearing included panel member Oklahoma Senator Markwayne Mullin (yes, that's his name) challenging a witness to a fight right there in the chamber.

In Mullin's defense, he later said, "This isn't anything new. Andrew Jackson challenged nine people to a duel when he was President (my note: Jackson served from 1829-1837), and he also knocked one guy out at a White House dinner. There's been canings before in the Senate, too. Maybe we should bring some of that back."

The caning Mullin refers to took place in 1856, when a pro-slavery Representative attacked (and bloodied) an abolitionist one. 

If this isn't a mess, then I don't know what is.

Well, come to think of it, it IS even worse.

The GOP-led House is spending much of their "effort," not on important issues, but on trying to pin impeachment on anyone in Biden's administration (that of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas was already voted down). The current "investigation" into Biden's own "misdoings" has yielded a $200,000 check to Biden from his brother for a "loan repayment" (notably, when Biden wasn't in office). If the GOP actually cared about facts, though, um, they'd note that the same subpoenaed bank records list a $200,000 check Biden loaned to his brother six weeks earlier.

Interestingly enough, the head of that "investigative" committee, Representative Jim Comer, apparently loaned his own brother some $200,000. When Comer was questioned about it, he called Democratic Representative Jared Moskowitz a "liar" and, for some reason, a "Smurf."

Say hi to the new GOP! 

So, that's where the GOP is.

Of course, their presumptive nominee to run for President in 2024 is a twice-impeached, four-time-indicted-facing-91-felony-charges, sexual-assaulting, defaming, fraudulent businessman from Florida.

So, um, yeah, that's a mess.

And there doesn't seem to be one GOP member in their own house/House that is capable of cleaning it up.

Trump's Ship Sinking Fast

Like rats leaving a sinking ship, today was greeted by yet another Trump lawyer voluntarily diving into the drink as Capt. Trump and the SS Donald continue to take on water. 

Jenna Ellis--part of Trump's "elite strike force" of attorneys, as well as wingman to the unhinged and disgraced (and, as of yet, unflipped) Rudy Giuliani as they gallivanted throughout the countryside sharing fanciful tales of supposed manipulated ballots and imaginary voter intimidation--pleaded guilty this morning in Fulton County, GA, to a FELONY count of aiding and abetting false statements and writings.

It's just another delicious development in the RICO case of Fani Willis (well, for fans of democracy), as she peels off Trump's co-defendants one-by-one for their testimony to get Trump, the leader of the "big lie," the massive conspiracy to defraud Americans and employing his own avenues to illegally stay in power (so far 4 of 19 co-defendants have copped a plea for reduced sentences in exchange for testimony--Trump Chief of Staff Mark Meadows and Rudy Giuliani have got to be considering taking that dive, as well).

Of the three major "gets" (so far) in terms of the case's witnesses--which includes Kraken attorney Sidney Powell and fake-slate-architect attorney Kenneth Chesebro--Ellis is arguably the weakest link. Powell (pleading guilty to six misdemeanor conspiracy charges) was with Trump in a December 18, 2020, Oval Office meeting as he considered seizing voting machines--and the next day she contacted a company to do just that; Chesebro's infamous memos outlined the steps needed to get Pence to accept the fake slates of Trump electors on January 6. Ellis was more of a constant voice propping up false claims in the media as well as in "hearings" in battleground states that paraded out "witnesses" who shared their impressions of fraud that may have occurred (Giuliani later admitted in court, when push came to shove, he wasn't actually alleging fraud, but rather promoting the idea that it could have happened).

Ellis now claims that she was an innocent, spreading the lies only because she trusted her fellow, more seasoned attorneys.

As such, Ellis isn't the biggest rat on Trump's ship, by any means. But each time Fani Willis's office can get one more known player to plead guilty to being part of a conspiracy, it helps lay the foundation for the feasibility of a LARGER conspiracy, promoted by a larger known player--Donald J. Trump.

With the RICO charges, that's what Willis is aiming for--convicting the "captain" of the conspiracy.

And you can expect more rats to abandon the SS Donald as the water continues to rise.

Ineptitude, Thy Name is Trump

Trump's legal teams can be summed up in one word: 

Inept. 

Time after time, the lawyers representing Trump are, well, terrible.

Former Trump "fixer" Michael Cohen is now a convicted felon. 

Trump's "Kraken" team of head lawyer (and now public disgrace) Rudy Giuliani and fellow schemers Sydney Powell, Lin Wood, and Jenna Ellis, et al.--which Rudy and conservative "media" called the "Dream Team"--all face criminal indictments.

And the mention of the "Kraken" merely conjures up images of Giuliani pushing fantastical election conspiracies from a parking lot next to a sex shop or with bulging eyes and hair dye running down his face.

Just yesterday, another great example of that ineptitude was on display. A New York judge ruled Trump and his company liable for fraud because they jacked up values of Trump properties to obtain more favorable loans.

  .

Take, for a prime example, the valuation of Trump's Mar-a-Lago, Trump's crown jewel and primary residence. Trump valued it at between $400-600 million dollars, which doesn't seem a stretch in that Forbes valued it at about $350 million (based on real estate values and money brought in) in 2022 (although, fyi, the property was valued at under $30 million for tax purposes). All Trump's team had to do was make a case it was worth a little more than the Forbes estimate.

They failed miserably. 

Instead of even proving a $350 million value, the judge decided Trump's crown jewel was worth only between $18-28 million dollars (consistent with that assessed value for tax purposes), remarking that "a discrepancy of this order of magnitude, by a real estate developer sizing up his own living space of decades, can only be considered fraud."

Yikes.

And, of course, such stunning failure of his personally chosen lawyers certainly reflects upon Trump and his judgment itself, don't you think?

Regarding his fraud/overvaluation liability, Trump has said his team will appeal.

I wouldn't hold my breath, if I were Trump.

And, with the previously-demonstrated "prowess" by his legal teams, I don't think I'd be holding out too much hope for my criminal trials, either. 

Trump's New NFT?

Can Biden Win?

Can Joe Biden win another term?

Um, maybe. Depends on a couple things: 1) Issue perception 2) Donald Trump

1) Biden will win no matter what if Democrats can change public perception on three big issues: a) inflation b) immigration c) Biden's age/competence.

a) Inflation is perceived as out-of-control, even though it's still largely a reaction to difficulties with supplies and the labor market (and the world response) thanks to Covid. Overall, inflation is expected to slow even more in the coming months. Most people don't realize that at the end of August, it was 3.7%, down from 7% two years prior (on its way, hopefully, to the "sweet spot" of 2% or so). 

Dems should continue to emphasize downward trends.

b) Perception also sees undocumented immigration as rampant. Just because the GOP hasn't been able to find evidence to back their impeachment threats against Homeland Security's Alejandro Mayorkas, doesn't mean it's not a problem. It's not because of fentanyl smuggling (the vast majority which comes via US citizen smugglers through ports of entry--not through migrants and illegal border crossings), and it's not because of the fictional "open border" nonsense Republicans decry, but numbers are up. 

Democrats need to frame it as a solution to our labor shortage--highlighting the noble immigrant plight of those coming to our country in decades past looking for a better life for their families. 

And Biden needs to embrace the immigration problem. He needs to visit the border. He needs to continually address it and present border policies, framing it as a problem squarely on the shoulders of Congress. 

c) Many people equate Biden's age with competence. Many perceive Biden as old and feeble. Well, he is the oldest President we've ever had (although, at 80, Biden now is exactly the age Trump would be if he were to start another term). And, yes, Biden has had more than his share of gaffes. Biden's lack of interviews and press conferences makes people think he's avoiding them because his responses (and response time) leave something to be desired. Although Trump's innumerable Twitter/X misspellings and recent admonitions about Biden leading us into World War 2 (um, which happened 79 years ago) aren't exactly impressive.

The best way to combat this is to get out there. Meet with the press. Have public rallies. Engage in difficult interviews. To be honest, with Biden the (as of yet) unchallenged incumbent, I don't envision Biden's team pushing for such measures because I don't think that THEY think he'd shine doing so.

There's one more factor to determine if Biden can win: Will Trump be his opponent?

2) If Trump is the GOP nominee--with his grievances, his baggage, and his criminal indictments--Biden WILL win. 

The challenge here, however, is that I don't think Trump will be the nominee. If someone else takes the GOP nomination, and the three issues mentioned here aren't adequately addressed, Biden will have a very difficult task.

But I don't think Biden will continue his run for the White House. I've believed for months that he won't be the nominee (my choice to win has been Gavin Newsom).

So, can Biden win another term? Absolutely. 

Unless he's NOT running against Donald Trump. 

Then, it's anyone's guess. 

ADDENDUM: This poll JUST came out (9/24) and highlights these same perceptions of Biden's shortcomings (and the Democrats better do something about it): Troubles for Biden not just his age in reelection campaign: POLL (yahoo.com) 

Um, U Can't Impeach w/o a Crime

Representative Jamie Raskin issued a press release today that absolutely eviscerates the GOP's Biden impeachment push (you can read his INCREDIBLE assessment here).

The main point: many of the GOP witnesses said they didn't see/think that President Biden had anything to do with Hunter's business dealings. 

And, hmmm, there are absolutely ZERO documents that connect those dealings to the current President.

Even my home state's Trump lap dog--and fake-elector go-between--Ron Johnson (who led a GOP investigative committee about Biden last year) has a couple lines devoted to him in Raskin's release: 

• Sen. Ron Johnson conceded that Republicans have not found any "direct evidence" or "hard proof" of wrongdoing by President Biden.

(you can read the 87-page report--with not one scintilla of Biden wrongdoing--here)

Boy, I bet Trump wishes HIS cases were as evidence-free as this.

And, still, the messed-up, morally-bankrupt, Trump-fearing GOP seems determined to push ahead with a sham impeachment. Unbelievable.

THIS is what the Grand Old Party is reduced to--continuing to do the twisted bidding of its dark overlord, Donald J. Trump.

2024, here we come!

ADDENDUM: Since this post, the intrepid-do-gooders of this committee have found what they claim is evidence of Biden receiving millions in bribes: documented loan paybacks from his brother, and three installments totaling less than $5000 connected to helping his son make payments on his truck.

Uh-oh, Donald...

Proud Boys seditionist Enrique Tarrio was just sentenced to 22 years in prison for his role in the January 6 plot to prevent the certification of the 2020 Presidential vote--AND HE WASN'T EVEN IN THE CAPITOL THAT DAY!

Which really has got to make Donald Trump think, as well. I mean, Trump probably hoped to use the "But I wasn't even in the Capitol that day!" defense (in addition to the "Free Speech/Presidential Immunity/I'm Great" defenses he's also trying to cook up).

But a jury found Tarrio guilty, and a judge sentenced him to more than two decades in prison.

And Tarrio wasn't even the mastermind of the plot.

Jack Smith has got to be licking his chops.

And Trump should be shaking in his boots.

Celebrate Labor (Day)

 Another Labor Day arrives--burgers on the grill, ice-cold beverages in hand, kids enjoying their last summer freedom before school.

And it's to celebrate labor and the contributions of countless laborers that built this country. And unions helped many of them receive fair pay, hours, benefits. I'm a proud union member, as is my wife, sibling, father, etc. Unions aren't just a "Democrat" thing, it's a nationwide thing, something that has provided fairness to those countless workers whether or not they were officially represented by a union. Many of the things we take for granted in the workplace were/are in place because of unions. 

So, this Labor Day Weekend, I'll take a moment to reflect on my gratitude for those who work to keep this country strong, and I'll consider my gratitude, as well, for the unions that helped us all.

Time to pop a cold one. I think your burger's done.

Happy Labor Day!