Half-Baked
So, the far-right press -- after ignoring Trump's many transgressions (which is the polite term) that included two impeachments, 16 accusations of sexual abuse, 500,000 dead from ignoring COVID, 295 golf trips to Trump properties that cost American taxpayers $141 million, colluding with Russian and acquiescing to Vladimir Putin, and much more -- at yesterday's press briefing questioned why Vice President Harris went to a bakery on a trip to Chicago!
Imagine how outraged they'd have been if she had also been wearing a tan suit.
But that's today's Republican Party -- amid a pandemic where 573,000 Americans have died and we now lead the world in vaccination, the economy collapsed and business is moving to reopen, corporate America responding to voter suppression laws, a murder trial over racial discrimination being broadcast live to the nation and more, the GOP issues that outrage them are Dr. Seuss, Mr. Potato Head and going to the bakery.
That's what the Republican Party has. That's what they can run on. That's what they want to offer to lead America. And the truth is that that's not too far off. Every Republican voted against the American Rescue Plan Bill -- that around three-quarters of Americans supported. Every Republican has said they will not vote for President Biden's infrastructure bill and make a specific issue of how wasteful it supposedly is by pointing to the money that would be given to elderly healthcare facilitates -- something that 76% of all Americans support.
So, that's what the GOP has. Not even smoke-and-mirrors, but so much smoke that you can't even see the mirrors. Just two days ago, because so many CEOs were speaking out against voter suppression bills, Republican Party minority leader Mitch McConnell tried to say with a straight face that CES and corporations should stay out of politics -- never mind that he himself lead the GOP passing a $2 trillion tax break for the most wealthy and corporations, that the foundation of the GOP for generations has been "We're (supposedly) good for business," that his own wife in the Trump cabinet was reprimanded by an official government watchdog for abusing regulations and helping her family corporation for millions of dollars. And never mind that McConnell's statement would mean no Republican, including himself, should ever accept even a penny in donations from a CEO or corporate pack. And the hilarious thing is that only two days later, someone on his staff (or perhaps it was some CEO who has McConnell in his pocket) reminded the GOP minority leader of this latter fact, and he gave a rushed mea culpa --
"I didn't say that very artfully yesterday day," he tried covering himself. "They're certainly entitled to be involved in politics. They are. My principal complaint is they didn't read the darn bill,"
There, of course, was nothing "Not artful" about it. It wasn't a slip of the tongue, he said it bluntly and repeatedly, and said it as clear as he said anything. CEOs and corporations should stay out of politics. Because politics is not what they do. Not only was his "principal complaint" not that they didn't read the darn bill, it wasn't any part of his complaint. Because otherwise he would still be complaining about Delta and Coca-Cola criticisms of the voter suppression bills despite having read them. But he wasn't. He didn't say a word about that.
Because he has nothing. Because the Republican Party has nothing.
Happily, the best part of the story is that Press Secretary had a great reply to the question from New York Post reporter Steven Nelson.
Said Psaki, "She got a snack. I think she's allowed to do that."
Actually, and happily, being Jen Psaki, she didn't make that her full answer, but gave the snarky, idiotic question far more than its due and answered in great, substantive detail, which turned a wonderful answering into thoughtful, professional, informative in-your-face slam.
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