TWGB: Cold Courtrooms and Old Farts

 

You are supposed to pity Trump at this point, the miserable wretch that he is, made to sit by his enemies in a freezing cold courtroom morning until night. But is the room literally cold, or just figuratively cold--a place where being faced with people who truly don't care for his demeanor, his policies or anything else about him say that pretty much to his face, where he is obliged to say nothing? I can certainly imagine a few reasons for a little shiver down his back. 

It's not that Trump doesn't have friends in low places, like Fox News, who won't help him try to tamper with the jury--he does. It's that Trump want to thuggishly take care of business himself and be seen like the mob boss he thinks he is, instead of being told to put his phone away like a naughty school child. It's realizing that racking up gag order violations may cost him his freedom--and if he doesn't like the temperature of a courtroom--? It's the pull of his overstimulated ID--needing to erupt in wrath, vs. his wounded narcissistic ego. 

But at least he has the political party he took over to keep him warm. And funded! For one thing, his campaign is definitely going to do more spending at his various properties. I guess he's always sort of done that--but this time it might just be ringing some bells regarding potential FEC violations. 

Does it look bad? Do I need to tell you if something looks bad in TrumpWorld, it probably is bad? 

And of course, there's the MAGA political candidates--his people! And if they want a piece of his coattails (which I insist are those of an unraveled bolero), they will need to kick back 5% of the takings. 

The Mayorkas Impeachment was Mercy-Killed

 

JUST IN: The Senate has killed a second article of impeachment against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, ending the House GOP-led efforts to oust him https://t.co/rQYK9hn0cb

— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) April 17, 2024

Republicans can say whatever they like about precedent and whether the vote has an impact on future impeachments (I say this just means they shouldn't be proposed frivolously without an actual crime or misdemeanor--and for a bad precedent, they can look to the two times they failed to convict Trump of things he absolutely did).

Democrats just spared the absolutely backwards dog and pony show that they were going to put on. Honestly, it was a gift. Now very valued House GOP stalwarts can get on with important business like spreading Russian propaganda, talking about "space lasers" and holding "Appliance Week". 

 

Kari Lake, the Armor of God, and the Filter of Vaseline

 

Kari Lake called on her supporters in Arizona to arm themselves ahead of an “intense” period leading up to the election. “We are going to put on the armor of God, and maybe strap on a Glock on the side of us just in case.” The crowd roared its approval.https://t.co/otBB7H2mkK

— Chris Cameron (@ChrisCameronNYT) April 17, 2024

Having spent something like a year and 3/4ths insisting she actually won the contest for AZ governor and only appeared to have lost due to voter fraud rather than conspicuous own goals like eschewing the support of "John McCain Republicans", has now decided to show a more moderate side by (checks notes) suggesting holy war and armed conflict: 

It is not the first time Ms. Lake has alluded to armed conflict with her and her supporters. Last year, she said: “If you want to get to President Trump, you are going to have go through me, and you are going to have to go through 75 million Americans just like me. And I’m going to tell you, most of us are card-carrying members of the N.R.A.,” referring to the National Rifle Association. She added, “That’s not a threat — that’s a public service announcement.”

Her voice is just one in a rising chorus of violent, authoritarian or otherwise aggressive political rhetoric from Mr. Trump and his allies. The former president shared a video late last month featuring an image of President Biden, his Democratic rival, hogtied. He has also said that migrants are “poisoning the blood of our country” and described his political opponents last year as “vermin” who needed to be “rooted out.”

I don't know about the John McCain Republicans, but this is a very familiar and tragic theme to Gabrielle Giffords Democrats. It is also a grave concern for AZ elections officials. And I think it is doubtful she will back off based on her previous history with such language and associations. Lake's true flaws are too big to airbrush away. She is a reckless demagogue. 

 

TWGB: Been Caught Sleeping?

 

Maybe other things happened at Trump's first day of his first criminal trial, but the apparently most notable thing was that he appeared to nod off a few times. This prompted the ever-loving internet to change his nickname from Don Poorleone to Don Snoreleone (The Nodfather!), some wags to ponder if Trump wasn't loaded up with Xanax to keep from going ape, and Trump to give the stankeye to Maggie Haberman, who was the one who caught him whispering to his chest hairs. It's a pretty bad look for Trump, who once murdered Jeb Bush with the term "low-energy" and whose worst nickname for President Biden was, of all things, "Sleepy Joe".

The idea of a "sedated Trump" really doesn't seem too out of the realm of possibility to me--he's already skating on thin ice with multiple violations of his gag order and was apprised today that a courtroom outburst could result in a contempt arrest. His contempt hearing for the gag order violation is next week (between the $175 million bond hearing and the SCOTUS immunity argument). Trump's usual combativeness will NOT be an asset, here. (Buying popcorn for the Sandoval bit, tho'. As I understand it, that's where the court determines the kinds of Trump's shitty behavior that he can and can't be hit with in cross during the trial. I'm probably super-over-simplifying because IANAL.) 

I'm sure the Trump faithful will insist that, like Daniel in the lion's den. he was relying on the power of prayer. Or something. They are pretty good at making myths to deal with the paradoxes of TrumpWorld. 

Chris Sununu Shows his Ass

 

Chris Sununu’s smug arrogance is one of the more annoying things in American politics today https://t.co/jZDB2SIHVo

— Adam Kinzinger (Slava Ukraini) 🇺🇸🇺🇦🇮🇱 (@AdamKinzinger) April 14, 2024

"Smug arrogance" is one way to say "weaponized cowardice".  To the degree Sununu is smug--he thinks he has threaded some complicated needle and straddled the razor wire fence of disagreeing with Trump but supporting him with no undue damage to his scrotum. 

I beg to differ. Sununu thinks this because he is a numbnuts who hasn't felt his balls for a long time and is smug because he thinks he has done enough to appease the Trumperati without getting blowback for previous criticisms. What he has actually done is shown his whole ass, and we can view the scar that reveals where his spine was surgically removed, thus leaving him with no neck to speak of and a head only kept somewhat level by a collar around his little kitten neck marked "Trump's Baby Kitten."

We Support Our Allies

 

To make a connection that I've certainly made before, while Iran has launched Shaheds in the direction of Israel, those same weapons are used by Russia in Ukraine. I still see the connection of the particular date that Hamas made their horrific terrorist attack on Israel with a certain anniversary. My feeling about our support for Israel and Ukraine is that they are a part of the same war against western-style democracy, and we support our allies, even if we do not always agree with them. I don't think that's unreasonable. This is simply what we must do to demonstrate our word as a nation means something. 

President Biden has made clear that he supports our allies. Republicans, who have dithered and lied and used assorted rationales for holding up aid to Ukraine and Israel and Taiwan, now want to say things escalated, somehow, some way, because of something to do with this administration. 

I don't actually even beg their pardon to hear them repeat what they no doubt will--it's obscene. They have literally demonstrated the weakness of this country by way of their being hyperpartisan obstructionists standing in the way of progress because they see it as a "win" for Joe Biden. While our actual allies could and are suffering harm. 

I Never Thought of it As a Property Issue

 

The Louisiana Supreme Court ruled that priests have an absolute "property right" not to be sued for sexually abusing children https://t.co/ipSlulmZok

— philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) April 12, 2024

I always thought that whoever would hurt one of these, the least of God's children, it were better a millstone were around their neck--so why not a civil payment which is only rendering unto Caesar that which is Caesar's? And also--rendering unto the community the price of violating the community's trust--making meaningful restitution.  After all, for what was done to any of His children, was that not also done unto God? And isn't the payment for that more severe? Is repentance not a part of forgiveness? Should one avoid recognizing a great wrong? 

How is there supposed to be forgiveness without repentance?