An Office in DC - February 2025

INTERVIEWER: Well, don'tcha wanna get the libs?

MATT: Weh-hell yeah I wanna get em.

INTERVIEWER: Well how much do wanna get the libs?

MATT: Well, I'd say a lot. Only thing is, this whole deal with a background check and security clearance, and whatever. I uhh . . . I had some problem in the past with the. . . . look things got a little uhh, spicy with the . . .

INTERVIEWER: (chuckling to himself - cutting MAtt off) Matt Matt Matt. Weren't you . . . there? I mean on January 6th?

MATT: (far off look) I mean. Yeah, I was there.

INTERVIEWER: I heard you went into the Capitol.

MATT: Okay I was in the Capitol but only for a minute or two.

INTERVIEWER: (leans in) That's all the clearance you'll ever need with us. Welcome to the team.

MATT: Well hot damn!

INTERVIEWER: Welcome aboard, Matt! We'll get some paperwork for ya, but welcome to the FBI. You'll be co-ordinating urban response teams. The title is Mid-Atlantic Bureau Chief. How do you feel about Philly?

MATT: Hate it.

INTERVIEWER: Great. Me too. (pushes intercom, speaking into it) Send them in sure, yeah. (Door opens, enter Steve)

INTERVIEWER: (back to Matt) Lemme guess, I think you might know-

MATT: Easy Steeeeeeeeeve!!!

STEVE: Psychoooooooooo!!!

Frail White Dotard Stuggles to Disrobe

Wow. Just wow. In case you need a reminder that "there is no bottom" with these MAGAt-types, you can check out the coverage of the unbelievably racist "comedian" at El Drumpfo's rally last night at NYC's Madison Square Garden. Previously I had never heard of this so-called "comedian," who is obviously a complete chode, and whose name does not merit mention. Now I wish I never had. These people are . . . I mean you know it's bad when even GOP Senators are Tweeting out "this does not reflect GOP values." Except yes it does. Yes it does a lot.

El Drumpfo very likely "October surprised himself," with this Nazi-palooza, so I guess theoretically there could be an upside-?! Still, no doubt, to all of these knuckle-dragging magat neanderthals, "Liberals are mad, so it was a great rally."

I found some levity in well-past his sell-by-date Hulk Hogan trying so very hard to do the "rip the shirt off" shtick he has been doing since the '80's, which is about the last decade in which he was relevant. If there's a better metaphor for El Drumpfo's 2024 campaign than an older white guy trying and failing to do something he used to be able to accomplish, please send it my way.

These are stressful times. But I suspect there will be some laughs along the way, as the election concludes. Remember Giuliani's glory-soaked appearance at "the Four Seasons" in the aftermath of Election 2020? Golden.

I guess no one told El Drumpfo there are about half-a-million Puerto Ricans in Pennsylvania. These jagbags always clap the loudest, when their team scores an own-goal. I'm serious. The thing that got me the most about Giuliani's appearance at the "Four Seasons . . . . . . Landscaping Company" in Philadelphia back in 2020, was that when I went to a conservative website - there was a huge front page article about how SUCCESSFUL it was, how forceful and full of piss-and-vinegar Giuliani was that day, even as the media (finally) called the election for Biden, and he was live on camera reacting. Yes, their heads really are that far up their own asses.

This Great Article About the Hidden Privileges of Trumpism Nails It

Trump's 'respectable' voters lie about his plans (and crimes) to dodge accountability for supporting those things

How fascism rises: Trump voters who claim he won't act on his violent promises aren't gullible. They're just lying to deflect from their support for those things.

Hunter Lazzaro at my new favorite website, UnchartedBlue.com

October 15, 2024 . 9:37 AM 10 min read

. . . What is more likely? That Trump's better-heeled supporters think he is just blowing smoke when he calls, over and over, for retributions and violence against his political opponents, against protesters, and against migrants? Or is it that they know full well he means all those things, and they like those things, and they want him to do those things—but also know that there would be serious social repercussions for saying that out loud?

The fabulously wealthy people who support Trump know what they're getting; they're not confused over it. From Silicon Valley cryptolords to the stalwart far-right backers of the Heritage Foundation and other think tanks, they want deregulation and they don't want to pay taxes—and they don't give a flying damn what happens to the rest of the country, so long as they get it.

And the not necessarily wealthy but still well-heeled Trump supporters that brush off Trump's promised and actual inflicted violence are not all innocent gullibles either; these were the sort of people who participated in Trump's Jan. 6, 2021 coup attempt, standing just behind the militia members who attacked police officers in order to allow the rest of the crowd to walk through the barricades and into the closed Capitol.

The whole article reminds me of the bizarre, surreal, unforgettable video I saw within a day or two of the insurrection on 1/6/21. The video was taken during the evening of 1.6, as things had quieted down, BEFORE Pelosi, Schumer and Pence decided to get on with the proceeding and finalize the election that night - the most consequential and critical decision of the whole debacle in my opinion, and one which I will forever credit Pelosi, Schumer, and even Pence for landing on. In the video, were hundreds of magats thronging the atrium, bar and lounge of a posh DC hotel, sharing drinks, having meals, and all a-hubbub about their big day in the Capitol. It was a sea of red hats and El Drumpfo merch, with a great many of them glued to their cell phones. SEVERAL times since then, I have tried to find the video, but it's gone down the e-hole. I really wish I could show it to you here.

At any rate, the main thing is that these people thought they were going to start a revolution, then go out for appetizers and a few drinks at the hotel afterward. As bizarre as that footage is, in a way it was reassuring. These aren't desperate rebels with nothing to lose. THEY'RE COS-PLAYING, and because they're predominantly white and privileged, many of them will get away with it. The moment anti-fascist forces, whether government-aligned or more homegrown, start really shooting back, let's just say uhhh . . . engagement in the MAGA movement is going to drop.

You Probably Didn't Hear . . . .

. . . that:

Holy Shit! Just This Week, El Drumpfo Called A 2020 Attack On U.S. Soldiers "A Very Nice Thing."

El Drumpfo was responding to a reporter's question in Milwaukee just a couple of days ago, and the exchange went like this:

Reporter: “do you believe that you should have been tougher on Iran after they had launched ballistic missiles in 2020 on US forces in Iraq, leaving more than a hundred US soldiers injured?” . . .

El Drumpfo: . . . they had to do that, and I thought it was a very nice thing.”

Ahem, excuse me,

Let me be clear. The Former President of the United States . . . who is running for re-election RIGHT NOW. . . stated that an Iranian missile attack on American soldiers was: "a very nice thing." In the same rambling, incoherent presser, he ALSO suggested that injuries 100+ U.S. soldiers experienced were mere "headaches."

WTAF??????????

This happened in the last 72 hours. So, here's my question . . . why are you hearing this just now, from me?

The traditional legacy media is so, so, dead - deceased, buried, with its ashes scattered to the far ends of the Earth. Guy wants to be President, but he calls an attack on his own soldiers "a very nice thing." Like, I get it . . . I know we live in crazy times. But how is this NOT news?

Are we doomed? Yes, maybe!

The brain trust at CNN thinks it's a fine and profitable idea to give El Drumpfo an hour long primetime slot next week, for a "town hall" style meeting with a friendly group of MAGA voters from New Hampshire, and no actual journalists with their pesky questions and the like. The whole "Attempting a Violent Coup to Overthrow Democracy in America" thing was apparently not a deal-breaker. Besides, that was hundreds of news cycles ago.

UPDATE: OK as a correction it looks like an actual journalist, one with an anti-Trump pedigree, is moderating. Not asking questions, but moderating.

Two years ago . . .

. . . maniacs from the rabid right assaulted the nation's capitol in an effort to end democracy in America, while their hero, the former White House occupant, spent three hours doing absolutely nothing to end the carnage. Five people died, and 140 capitol police officers were injured. Even after a violent insurrection that could have threatened their actual lives, a great majority of the GOP House members, that same night, voted to overturn the election results, on the basis of Absolutely No Evidence That Ever Actually Stood Up In Any Court In the Land.

Today, that same GOoPer House Caucus, after 11 tries, STILL hasn't been able to do the One Damned Thing That Has to Happen First, in order to have a functional House of Representatives - pick a Speaker. So in some ways, the assault on democracy continues. Take a good look USofA - THIS is what the GOP has to offer you: shitshow "democracy" and extreme dysfunction. The January 6th insurrection continues in a different form.

We're soaking in it.

El Drumpfo is now the GOoPers' problem

El Drumpfo has announced for 2024, but it's quite clear that this time Jabba the Hutt is not paying attention to the chain that could easily be wrapped around his neck. El Drumpfo has been demoted from being the humanity's problem and America's problem, to being the GOoPers' problem, and I'm here for it. The RepubliCon elites keep saying "no more Trump" and "it's time to move on," but it really seems A LOT like a decisive chunk of the base isn't listening. I suspect he will be the nominee in 2024. Gee I wonder who would win, El Drumpfo or Biden.

Sure the current GOP will continue to run the board in places like Idaho, and Wyoming, and Mississippi, and probably Florida. But nationally, the party attached itself to El Drumpfo at the nutsack, and it's really hard for me to see how they win elections with him, or without him, unless he actually finally does one bump of meth too many, or eats one cheeseburger too many, and finally does the one duty he can't delay by abusing the courts. This dye was cast in 2016 when they all got in line like good little toadies, afraid that the Orange One would say mean things about them. Since then, it was ALWAYS going to end like this. Cowardly ending for a bunch of cowards, and that's just how it is. The schadenfreude is going to be amazing.

We're soaking in it.

Maybe we're already in WW III and we don't quite realize it. It's global, but it's not the same type of "shooting war" we're used to, except for in Ukraine. MAGAts here in the USofA have more in common with Putinistas in Russia and Bolsonaristas in Brazil, than they do with other Americans who are not MAGAts. The new type of war is supra-national (?extra-national?) and it's basically a struggle between those who like democracy, and those who just want the power, regardless of how they get it. Autocrats and bootlickers worldwide flock to the Trumps, the Putins, the Bolsonaros and Melonis, and Brexit-eers, while those who believe in democracy find local groups that are fighting that fight on their own turf. The autocrats running Beijing, and Brasilia, and Moscow, are all in kahoots - they are friends and business partners. Can the resistance to these forces say the same?

Remembrance of a Year Ago

This time a year ago was the worst of times, with no "best of times" to go with it. COVID cases were at an all-time high here in Illinois, the vaccine was still more or less a rumor on the winds of some day, El Drumpfo and his army of orc-people cult-devotees were going ape-shit all over social media with paranoid delusions of stolen votes, even while none of the "evidence" that was ever presented was of the "will stand up in court" variety, as they lost case after case after case; the insurrection of 1-6-21 was already being presaged by its organizers and the Regime as they called for a protest that would be quote "wild" unquote . . . things were decidedly very Not Good here in the USofA during the agonizingly long Election process, through the Holidays and thereafter. I have been remembering sleepless nights, doomscrolling, etc. At least it got me feeling creativish.

November 29th, 2020

You can have your own home. You can have your own business. You can have your own friends, and lovers, and interests. But you may not have your own reality. Sorry. Nope. Reality has to be shared with others.

So, on a day, when the whole world says: "The sky is blue today," you DON'T get to just get to come back with: "Nyuh uh - it's orange. And what is blue? And what is orange anyway? Can ANYONE really tell the difference between blue and orange nowadays anymore? Who's to say what is blue, and what is orange?" You can *try* to play little games with people's heads, and *try* to sow doubt as to the blueness and orangeness of things. You may even really believe that that blue-appearing sky over your head is somehow in fact orange. But at the end of the day, blue is blue. And orange is orange, and they don't much care either way about human head games you might play.

So-Called quote "acquittal" unquote

I don't feel good about today's so-called acquittal but I can't act all shocked and surprised. It's a political trial requiring a super-majority way beyond anything like what the Dems have in the Senate. This is nothing like a court of law with a judge, etc. I was a bit shook by the way the prospect of witnesses emerged, and then vanished in a puff of smoke, but it seems like some of the reportage jumped the gun there a little too. One way or another, everyone watching closely knew this day was coming. I fear the Dems may have blown the chance to inflict maximum political damage, in the short run, but the truth is that the midterms are so far away, in political time-scale, that it's really hard to say how anything happening now would truly play out by then.

For now, Trump is the only President to be impeached twice, and the only President to have a bipartisan vote for conviction in the in Senate - twice. He is the only President to lose the popular vote twic.e He has amassed 50% of the impeachment trials ever in American history. Corporate America is fleeing him like he is a the Virus itself. A competent administration rules the White House, the GOP is eating itself alive, and who knows what the future holds? We abide.

Don't even plan on that $600, America-with-COVID, and a near-Depression going on. UPDATED!

UPDATE:

Not sure what it all means yet, but I am $600 worth of pleased (not $2k worth of pleased) to report that this post did not age well. With no real explanations, (but trust me, it will almost certainly amount to "right decision, wrong reasons,") El Drumpfo did indeed sign the pared down, smaller stimulus bill Sunday evening. So I am somewhat pleased to say the rest of this post turns out mostly wrong.

For that $600 to hit your direct deposit account, it would require Trump and Moscow Mitch McConnell, two national leaders of the same party, to come together for the betterment of the country. In any other government this would be an absolute no-brainer, but this the rotting husk of what was once called the GOP, we're talking about. So, no, you can't even have $600, or a moratorium on evictions, or anything like that. Trump is at war with McConnell, with impossible demands that even Moscow Mitch himself couldn't confer on *resident Trump, no matter HOW badly he might wish he could (i.e. - make my "lost the election" problem go away). McConnell can't do it. So therefore, Trump must go to war with all of him. Moscow Mitch is the public enemy of President F**face, and that is what matters now, not whether you can eat next month, or have a roof.

Any 2nd round may not even be coming until February or March now, or maybe never if the GOP holds the Senate. As it stands, nothing will be coming down the pipeline at all, until Mitch finds some way to placate Trump. A recent analysis I read suggests that El Drumpfo really does believe there is some "one weird trick" The SCOTUS, or the GOP Senate, or some swing state Governor or Secretary of State, or legislature or the military could try to pull to eliminate his (as it was humorously put): "nagging problem of having lost the election." McConnell can't fix it. Pence can't do it. The military can't do it. The judiciary couldn't AND wouldn't do it. GOP Governors and Secretaries of State in swing states couldn't do it, and wouldn't! The state legislatures couldn't do it. There is essentially nothing any of these people can do without risking serious jail time, and they're not risking jail time for Trump, and even if they did, it still likely wouldn't work. But El Drumpfo's mind doesn't operate on that plane of reality. "They're not trying hard enough! They're holding out on him! Surely there is *SOMETHING* they can do!" Actually there really isn't, so how is McConnell gonna get Trump on board to sign something? I'm not sure I see it happening.

Whew.

IT'S A GIANT PLOT INVOLVING DEAD HUGO CHAVEZ AND MILLIONS OF FRAUDULENT VOTES BEING CAST. THEY ARE JUST SO CLEVER AND INTELLIGENT AND INGENIUS THAT EVEN THOUGH MILLIONS OF FRAUDLENT VOTES ARE INVOLVED IN AN INTERNATIONAL GLOBALIST CONSPIRACY WITH THOUSANDS OF PLAYERS, THERE JUST HAPPENS TO BE ABSOLUTELY NO EVIDENCE WHATSOEVER THAT WILL ACTUALLY STAND UP IN A COURT OF LAW! ahem . . .

**

For some strange reason, *shrugs,* the above did not work on the American people . . . this time. (Though it definitely worked with an alarming number of Republicans). With Michigan certified in glorious anticlimax, Pennsylvania essentially a done deal, and that insane person at the GSA finally convinced . . . outrageously, and despicably two weeks late . . . to do the *only* part of her job that matters . . . Election 2020 is finally over.** This has been true since the Tulsa Rally, but from here on out it's all fizzles, and no bangs.

We are stuck with right wing terrorism regardless. That was always going to be the case. I worry that some of it may have metastasized into something a little more "organized." A lot of disparate far-right connections have been made over the last few years. They are mostly dumb, but there are always one or two who may have some smarts, and savvy. If they find a communicator who can half-way seem "reasonable" to more suburban or even urban voters, and less like a guy who's on meth, we'll be right back where we started, and the lower brush has been cleared for a more successful coup or autogolpe.

But THIS roller coaster is sliding in to the station, for now, folks. The Transition of power will begin in earnest, the Trumpies will slowly dissolve out of the White House, and an imperfect, but earnest, and competent administration will take over, with the biggest mess any President has inherited at LEAST since the Depression. If nothing else, Biden has experience and contacts. Maybe he IS that guy for the Moment.

At the very least, we can rest assured that . . hey! (checks date) in less than two months, we will not be worried about what the sitting President of the United States is tweeting.

**98% confidence

Ha Ha "admitting defeat. . . ."

Enjoy the "He won . . . " tweet, folks. El Drumpfo will never make that mistake again. This is as close as we will ever get to admitting he lost, an accidental slip-up in the bravado of invincibility; shit-posted early in the morning. That's outrageous and terrifying in a way, but the Constitution in no way requires a concession speech. El Drumpfo will surely try to ratf**k the Biden team on the way out; they have already made that clear. But there is a competent administration coming in, and an experienced one.

Deep breaths, people. We will probably make it to Jan 20.

My friends Meaghan and Shoebocks down in Louisville had a scary incident in their neighborhood last night with an apparently high-on-meth guy running into their yard threatening to kill people, and screaming the N-word. He was chased off and disappeared and everyone's fine. But it occurred to me that THAT is what their "coup" or their "civil war" is gonna look like. Random. Sporadic. Scary and violent. But at the end of the day pointless and not signifying much. This is their "plan" for coup d'état / Civil War. It's the same plan as always: none. Same plan they had for winning this election: none; for governing: none. Their "plan" looks like marginal crazies on meth doing the sort of pointless acting out that marginal crazies on meth do. Yes, they're scary and violent - and I am quite certain some people will get hurt. Obviously I'm so glad my friends in Louisville are fine, but there there isn't some mastermind pulling all these strings. There's no plan here on other than: rely on the marginal crazies to help us overturn democracy.

Dems and the Biden people may not be as progressive as I'd like, but they do at least have a plan.

That's why I encourage my friends who are understandably VERY anxious about things like coups or civil wars, to try ramping down our OWN worst fear/ruminations. Look at what's happening on the ground right now. The Trumpies' window to somehow "cure" Election 2020 for themselves has closed. America is waking up to envision a new President soon, and a significant majority like what they see. Conservative America is mad and depressed right now, but a few of the wiser heads are already no doubt salivating at their prospects for 2022. They can try again next time.

World's Saddest Presser Viewed as "Instant Classic" at RedState

Trump Campaign Ends With Saddest Press Conference at Four Seasons Total Landscaping

Rudy Giuliani shouting outside an adult store is exactly how we saw this ending.

By Chelsea Steiner at TheMarySue.com

For over a year now, Donald Trump has bragged that he will refuse to accept the results of the 2020 election if he loses. He has threatened lawsuits, lied about voter fraud, and discouraged voting by mail. Now that he’s officially lost, he’s sent his sycophants to filed multiple lawsuits demanding recounts in several states, all of which have been rejected.

Now, Rudy Giuliani and his legal henchman have given a press conference at the Four Seasons … Total Landscaping company. In a hilarious mistake, Donald Trump announced on Twitter that the press conference would be held at the luxury hotel in Philadelphia, when in fact it was held at a small landscaping company next door to . . . [wait for it] . . . an adult bookstore and a crematorium. It’s a gaffe so absurd that it honestly sounds like a joke.

Watch the video, if you like things that are fun and good. The details of this thing are too delicious, too layered and ridiculous, to explore entirely in one post. (At one point during the presser, Giuliani is INFORMED that the Election has been called.)

There is so much to unpack with this portion of our recent drama, not the least of which was that instead of happening at the Four Seasons Hotel, as *resident Trump had tweeted it would, the presser occurred at Four Seasons Total Landscape in some dusky, industrial sector of Philly, which neighbors once again . . . an adult book store and a crematorium.

Personally my favorite part is when Giuliani says: "The networks don't decide elections. Courts do." The American people are not mentioned.

Curious about the state of right wing mindframes, I sullied myself with a mainstream conservative website - Redstate. (Won't Link - they're just awful). There is an article there suggesting that this moment was an "Instant Classic," and it’s quite popular. As in, a lot of people at RedState think this looked GOOD, on Rudy Giuliani, and that "the fight for Election 2020" goes on . . . which, no it does not! That was their very popular take: "Giuliani was on fire during this press conference." Just another reminder that we live in different realities. They have not accepted reality, at least not yet.

This Barely Counts as News These Days

Uh oh!

Police report of suicide threat by former Trump campaign manager includes domestic abuse allegations

The VERY Liberal Bezos-owned Washington Post somehow decided this was news**.

Brad Parscale, who managed President Trump’s campaign for nearly 2½ years until he was demoted in July, was hospitalized for his own safety after threatening suicide while holding a handgun during a confrontation with his wife at his Florida home, local police said Monday.

Parscale’s wife, Candice, called authorities shortly before 4 p.m. Sunday to report that he had loaded a gun in front of her, prompting her to flee the house out of fear for her safety. She told police that Parscale was still inside the house with multiple guns, that he had made several threats of suicide and that she feared he might attempt to take his own life. Parscale was ultimately transported to Broward Health Medical Center under the Baker Act, a Florida law that allows authorities to detain a person they think poses a danger to themselves.

Fort Lauderdale Police Department reports from the incident reveal a grim and troubling picture of Trump’s former campaign manager. His wife said Parscale had been drinking heavily, had been physically abusive toward her, and had been stressed and making suicidal comments for weeks. She also told police that he “suffers from PTSD,” or post-traumatic stress disorder, without elaborating.

Can you imagine what the media would have done if one of Hillary Clinton's, Barack Obama's, or Joe Biden's top deputies, or CAMPAIGN MANAGERS, was involved in a gun incident that was linked to domestic abuse claims and suicide threats? You KNOW we live the Crazy Times because this little news story has long since slunk off the back page to the very bottom of our collective consciousness.

Let's be clear. Something like this would represent all the nails-in-the-coffin for a Democratic politician's campaign. If this person had been Hillary's, or Obama's, or Biden's campaign manager, it would CERTAINLY have been treated as "a reflection on the candidate" by the mainstream media, and that candidate would complete toast. No "October Surprise" would be needed or necessary. The entire month of October would have been consumed ONLY by this story.

Don't ever let anyone tell you the corporate media is "liberal." It's he most insidious, most effective, and possibly the biggest lie, ever told.

** for one day

Does it matter if you're winning Electoral Chess, when your opponent is playing a different game?

I try to feel hopeful. There are overwhelming numbers of polls showing Team Sanity winning the country by big margins, and the swing states as well. Honestly, for someone who voted Bernie, and even sent him money, I have been fairly impressed with Biden's operation thus far, which HAS been moving leftward, IMO. "Lay low, let Trump keep punching himself in the privates, since he's going to suck all the air out of the coverage, anyway." A few weeks of "Where's Joe?" memes notwithstanding, this is actually the smart move. Winning the Senate seems likely now, where once it was a longshot.

But I can't help but feel disquieted, too. Team Trump and the GOP more generally seem to have totally abandoned the field in terms of the whole: "winning an election by having a better argument for the American people" thing. They're speaking only to their most hardcore supporters. While the Trump/GOP tanks with Independents, women, and suburban voters, and that seems like a good thing for sanity in America, it bothers me that they seem to be playing a different game, entirely. Biden and Democratic leadership focus on "winning an election." Trump and the GOP focus on "maintaining power at all possible costs, election or none." What this looks like is desperate maneuvers to to stop non-Republicans from voting - attacks on the USPS, and purposefully-fomented (still low-level) chaos in Democratic cities. Biden and national Democratic leadership may be clearly outplaying the GOP in electoral chess, but that may not matter that much if Team Trump prefers to hone its "whack-a-voter" chops while ignoring the chess game entirely.

I don't know what's going to happen, and anyone who says they do is a liar. But I do believe the next five months may be the most important five months in the USofA since at LEAST World War II. Activate, energize, volunteer, donate, whatever the hell you can. It's all hands on deck time, folks. We need to be in voting booth, in the streets, and in the halls of power too. It's time to drive a stake through the heart of the vampire.

Epistemological Crevasses and the Scourge of "Alternate Reality"

With regards the whole "did he float injecting household disinfectant into the lungs or didn't he now?" kerfluffle, I gotta say I am impressed by the nationally co-ordinated Army of Trump Whisperers, gaslighting the whole country all at once, "Never mind what you heard and saw! This is what he really meant. . . " First it was: "he didn't say that," even the though the video clearly shows him floating the notion of "looking into it," with "it" being injecting household disinfectants into the lungs. Then it was: "he was joking. He was being sarcastic," to which nearly the All of Non-GOoPer America was like: "what kind of monster jokes about something like this at a time like this?"

For the last time. Yes, our so-called quote "President" unquote definitely DID float the idea of somehow ingesting or injecting the same household disinfectants that kill the virus when used around the house. As usual, he was just baselessly speculating on unsubstantiable and unsubstantiated bullshit that is completely divorced from reality. That is all he ever brings to the table: talking out his ass. And then 2/3rds of the Trump Whisperers go onto: "just watch the video!" Almost like a dare. And then we watch the video, and we're like: "Yup he's suggesting we ingest household cleaners or at least look into it." Trump Whisperers: you cannot gaslight all of the country when there's video. Just shut up.

Then there's this . . .

‘Significant Increase’ in Calls to Illinois Poison Control After Trump Disinfectant Remarks

Citing a “significant increase” in calls to the Illinois Poison Control Center, Illinois Department of Public Health Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike is urging state residents not to ingest cleaning chemicals as a treatment for coronavirus.

“There has been a significant increase in calls to the Illinois Poison Control Center in association with exposure to cleaning agents (since Thursday),” she said.

The warning comes after President Donald Trump appeared to suggest injecting disinfectants to treat people with coronavirus.

I don't want to get to deeply into the psychology, sobriety, and/or mental acuity of someone who would actually take the so-called quote "President's" unquote medical advice to at least "look into" ingesting household cleaners, much less actually take the plunge and do it. I'm not prepared to trod that dark path. Seriously, I really recommend NOT listening to the El Drumpfo - about anything really.

A Failure on Every Level

This is BEYOND infuriating.

TRUMP SAYS WIDESPREAD CORONAVIRUS TESTING 'WOULD NEVER HAPPEN' AND ISN'T NEEDED TO REOPEN COUNTRY

BY ANDREW FEINBERG at Newsweek ON 4/9/20 AT 8:26 PM

President Donald Trump on Thursday said a widespread COVID-19 testing program to assess whether workers can safely return to their workplaces is "never going to happen" in the United States.

As he addressed reporters during the daily White House Coronavirus Task Force briefing, Trump touted the fact that 2 million Americans had been tested for the virus as a "milestone" in the U.S. fight against the global pandemic caused by SARS-Cov-2.

The 2 million tests that have been administered so far represents a high water mark after weeks of problems in obtaining and administering tests caused by the Trump administration's rejection of a test developed by the World Health Organization. However, that number means only .61 percent of the 330 million U.S. population has been tested for COVID-19.

Every Single Fucking Expert says we utterly, entirely, and with 100% certainty will NEVER be able to return to normal until we have enacted widespread testing to know how who has it, and, just as importantly, who does not. IT'S THE MOST BASIC THING IMAGINABLE. Let's be clear. This asshole is saying what Italy did, what South Korea did . . . we're not capable of it. "Can't be done." I don't get all flag-wavey and patriotic all that often, but that is the most "un-American" attitude I can imagine: "We're not capable. We can't do it."

Post-Mueller Testimony Thoughts

The testimony itself that I've seen thus far was a bit less circumspect than I actually expected, so I thought Mueller would pull even more punches. I think the media and an unfortunate chunk of my own lefty friends-base thought that Mueller would tear off his suit, and start blasting the GOP into puffs of blood and smoke with his laser-eyes. Anything less than that, and well, "disappointment." IDK. Every single fu**ing time these clowns in the media and the GOoPers say "It's over and we don't have to talk about this Russia stuff anymore," it turns out that it's NOT over, and we are on to a new chapter. It's hard to see what will happen today, but when I saw that bauble-eyed bubble-head Andrea Martin affirming to balloon-face Chuck Todd that: "this was indeed an epilogue to the whole scandal" I got a feeling of gladness deep in my soul. My first thought was: "these clueless sock puppets are going to be just as wrong as usual."

Be like Adam Schiff, my friends.