How Low Can You Go?

When I woke up yesterday morning and, while still in bed and bleary, put on the news, I saw Dr. Anthony Fauci being questioned by an indignant Rand Paul, I couldn’t figure out why they had an old clip on.  Then I realized, ohhhh, this is…today?????

After unclenching my teeth and corpuscles, I muted the sound, switched to another channel, checked back later, saw the bombastic Ron Johnson trying so very hard but failing miserably to seem smart, muted the sound again and got up to get ready for the morning.

As I read later in the day that Rand Paul wants the DOJ to press charges against Dr. Fauci, I was trying to figure out what I would write about the total, galled disdain I had for the hearing over MAGOPs in the Senate sinking to new depths, even by their standards, trying to shred the reputation of a man who dedicated over half-a-century to government service protecting the health and well-being of Americans, and helped save the lives of countless tens of millions of Americans (and perhaps hundreds of millions around the world) during the COVID pandemic.  And I realized there was only one proper response.

Nothing.

Anything more only gives their words and actions credibility.  It’s not a case of ignoring them, but giving them no substance. And besides, their efforts got shredded and debunked all day by actual medical experts and analysts.

Instead, I thought a better use of my time was to point out a personal correction of sorts.

For a while, I’ve been writing that Trump has a 34% approval.  While many recent polls had him very lower in the upper 30’s, I’d seen enough polls at 34% and seen enough polls of the public’s reactions to specific issues below even that, that I thought the polls with him around 38% were too high, and that the margin-of-error likely kicked in to make the actual number lower. 

It was a guess, of course.  Based purely on perception.  And also, based on polls that – with Trump doing something repugnant every day, sometimes every hour – were likely out of date, even if “recent.”  In fact, just the other day, a new poll showed Trump’s approval drop to 38%, the lowest that poll had had – and I said to a friend that I noticed the date on the polling ended a week ago, “and so much has happened since even then,” and that I suspected the number would be even lower today.  Still, though, it was just a guess. Based purely on perception.

But I have to say now that I must adjust my long-held number.  That’s because a new CNN/SSRS poll was released yesterday, and is now the most current numbers we have.  And they showed Trump’s approval to now actually be 32%.

So, we’re going with that.

So, while Senate MAGOPs desperately try to find a way to contort themselves in their angst-ridden past because they’re small-souled, venal people who have nothing to offer in the present, I’m fine watching Trump sink them and his entire enabling party every day.  Sometimes by the hour.

So, 32% it is.

How low can you go?

I’m waiting for it to hit the 20's.  I’m greedy in that way.

The Daily Stewart This Week

If you didn't see Jon Stewart's Monday hosting of The Daily Show, his Main Story was -- from the prospective of a professional stand-up comic -- analyzing Trump's comedy monologue at the White House Correspondents Dinner. All that needs be said is that it was hilarious. A Must Watch.

As a bonus, his guest was CNN senior White House correspondent Kaitlan Collins, who (of course) among other things was a target of Trump in his speech...and throughout much of his time in office. So, her interview with Stewart is wonderful. Not that she's funny -- she isn't, she handles it all, impressively, like a true professional. But Stewart is, again, on fire with his humor, generally playing off her and her good-natured seriousness, clearly understanding what she was getting into when she agreed to be the guest.

In Case of Fire: Yell "Commie!"

I find it fascinating – from a tone-deaf perspective – that MAGOP officials have no qualms trying to paint Democrats as “communists,” without clearly having any idea what communism is and without the slightest evidence that those they are trying to smear have done or said anything that has anything to do with communism (which is about the state ownership of business that controls the production and distribution of material, and a classless society) – yet are outraged (outraged, I say!!) if their party is called “fascist,” despite that it actually does follow, quite literally, the core tenets of fascism.

(There are three such key principles.  One is a push to discredit or eliminate any opposition sources of authority and leadership, including public trust in elections.  The second is an intense use of xenophobia and overt reliance on patriotism to demonize foreigners or those who are different.  And third is the authorized use of force and brutality Sound familiar?)

Tone-deaf, yes, but not even remotely surprising.  After all, this is what the then-Republican Party has been doing for the past 70 years, starting with McCarthyism, the Blacklist and the House Committee on Un-American Activities.  (And shockingly, considering that during these past 70 years, many of which when Democrats controlled the White House, Senate and House of Representatives, the United States did not become communist.)

It’s understandable for two reasons why this has cropped up recently as a dittohead issue for the MAGOP. 

The first is because several candidates who identify themselves as Democratic Socialists have won primaries and general elections this cycle and because the platform of the Democratic Socialist Party has become public.

To start with, a Democratic Socialist is not the same as being communist, nor even socialist.  There’s that pesky first word, “Democratic.”  And words really do matter.  A Democratic Socialist is no more a socialist than a hot dog is a breed of canine.  A Democratic Socialist is someone who, yes, supports many socialist programs (which include, by the way, Social Security, Medicare, public transit, agricultural subsidies, the U.S. military and more), but operated under the system of democracy.

And as for the Democratic Socialist Party platform – yes, it was pretty lunatic, with positions like getting rid of the Senate and rewriting the U.S. Constitution).  But – not only are neither of those crazy things communistic, just loopy, I’m not aware of any Democratic Socialist currently in office or who is a candidate on a Democratic Party ticket who supports those issues.  I suspect that few MAGOPs could even tell you any positions that are in their own party platform.  (Though, in fairness, not getting involved in unnecessary foreign wars is one of them, and their party’s leaders had no problem ignoring that.)

And the second reason for MAGOPs to have started trying to make an issue of Democrats supposedly being commies is because they’re being crushed in the polls, the public hates their handling of almost all policies, and they have next to nothing else to run on.

By the way, it’s also worth noting that Trump has literally taken actions that are far more communist than anything the most far-left Democratic Socialist in office or running has ever merely just uttered.  This starts with Trump having the government buy ownership in multiple businesses and becoming part-owners.  As Fortune magazine noted –

“The Trump administration has invested roughly $26.7 billion across 30 equity or quasi-equity deals, headlined by a 9.9% stake in chipmaker Intel that’s now worth $42 billion. 

Others include $400 million into rare-earth miner MP Materials…the “golden share” in U.S. Steel retained as a condition of its sale to Japan’s Nippon Steel; or the flurry of stakes in quantum computing firms.

But this isn’t really about the Democratic Party being commie.  It isn’t and never has been.  Nor are Democratic Socialists the core of the Democratic Party.  Nor are the socialists or commies.

As much as anything, this is about the MAGOP being panicked.  And actually being fascist.  I wrote about this initially back on April 9, 2018 – and then updated it here on Nov 15, 2021.  So, this is old news.  Been there, done that.

And I understand that MAGOPs hate being called fascist – either because they don’t know what fascism actually is, or do know but just don’t like being called fascist.  But then, who would?  Even, it turns out, fascists.

Pro Tip:  If you don't like being called a fascist, then don't act like one, or don't support those who are.  It's really that simple.

As the Chad Mitchell sang in Michael Brown’s song written 64 years ago in 1962 –