Friday, June 30, 2017

This 'N That, Friday Edition

Some terms you might find useful:

Tuits:


Related image










I boxed up 293 tuits and mailed them to Washington yesterday, one for each Republican in Congress.  The box was labeled "Trump's Agenda."  The enclosed card read, "Hurry up and get a round tuit."  I'm still waiting.


*****

Fox Hat:

Back in 2016, when the NYTimes revealed that Hillary Clinton operated a private email server through Platte River Network in Denver, Colorado, many people responded with unsolicited advice about clothing accessories made from animal fur.  I found their response nonsensical.  Plus, the reference to animal fur was sure to offend PETA.

I got the same clothing advice upon mention of Obama's post-presidential retreat to an island once owned by Marlon Brando in the South Seas ... and again in reference to Bill Clinton's flights to a place called "Orgy Island" with Jeff Epstein.  Fox hat, my friends responded, or something to that effect.  It was a head-scratcher.  Why the reference to clothing?  It made no sense ...

... until now:


Meh, geography.

*****

Chicken Coup:

Definition:  an attempt by some members of Congress to drive Trump out of office without admitting their complicity in the effort, an act undertaken mostly by those Republicans whose only means of getting re-elected is the pay-for-play system of modern politics, which Trump opposes, all the while masquerading as his friends and allies.

Democrats, of course, are more obvious in their efforts.  So are their media acolytes.

Trump's response:  Tweets and results.

Prediction:  Trump, again and again.

*****

Esses and Aahs

When confronted by certain words that appear to be misspelled, brush up on proper pronunciation before sounding them out phonetically.  Nouns, particularly. Ignore, for instance, Obama's reference to the Marine Corps as the Marine Corpse, whether he meant it or not.  Pronounce corps as core and coup as coo.  Also, remember that Arkansas is pronounced Arkansah and Des Moines as Deh Moyne.  Weird, I know.  It's a French thing.


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Doppelganger:

I know what you're thinking but, no, that's not what it means.  You have a dirty mind.

Doppelganger is a German term that refers to a look-alike or otherwise ghostly visage of you.  An artificial twin, basically.

Walt Disney World is creating an animatronic replica of Trump for display in its Hall of Presidents. You know, one of those automated figures that looks and talks like the original.  The mechanical figure can be referred to as a doppelganger ... much as the word witch comes to mind when you think of Hillary on a broom.  As I mentioned last Friday, words such as doppelganger make the user sound smart, which is why I use it.

So anyway, back to my point.  When Disney creates Trump's doppelganger, what words should come out of his mouth?  I'm thinking ... Why not a recitation of his tweets? Such classics as:
  • I have never seen a thin person drinking Diet Coke.
  • @ariannahuff is unattractive both inside and out.  I fully understand why her former husband left her for a man - he made a good decision.
  • Pervert alert. @RepWeiner is back on twitter. All girls under the age of 18, block him immediately.
  • James Comey better hope there are no "tapes" of our conversations ...

Once you pass the Trump doppelganger, you will get to Obama's doppelganger, who on cue will lift his right arm and announce:
  • You didn't build that.
  • We need to redistribute your wealth.
  • You can keep your health plan ... and your doctor.
  • Your healthcare costs will go down by an average of $2,500.
  • I've been to all 53 states.
  • There's not a smidgen of evidence that the IRS did anything wrong.
  • I've drawn a red line in Syria.
  • Hillary didn't compromise our national security.
  • I ... uh ... er ... uh ... I ... uh ... uh.  Can someone please re-start my teleprompter?

Thursday, June 22, 2017

This 'N That, Friday Edition

This year's Nobel Prize in the category of political fiction goes to ... drum roll ... the Washington Post. Looks like the WaPo needs to find some different anonymous sources, or at least some evidence than can be verified.  The old sources and claims haven't worked out so well.  Jeff Bezos' penchant for entrepreneurial creativity has taken his staff's journalism to a new level.  You can read about it here.



*****


In regard to the war between the political aisles,  I notice that snarky and mean-spirited comments come from both sides of the aisle.  It's as true for Obama as is now is for Trump.  Many conservatives still despise "Obozo" and his frowning companion "Assquatch," while the progressive side accuses Trump of incest and his wife of turning tricks.  That's just how politics work on the sidelines. Only difference is, Trump folks have a much better sense of humor than their progressive counterparts. Take Ajit Pai for example.  He's the new head of the FCC.  Progressives don't like him, and they're not afraid to say so. Watch how he handles such criticism:



That's not to say all Trump supporters can laugh at their critics.  Some can't.  They take the criticism seriously, and it makes them feel guilty.  Like this steel-worker from Pennsylvania:





*****


In case you don't keep up with the news, there was an election this past Tuesday in Georgia's 6th Congressional district.  Here's how it worked out:


Image result for hollywood celebrities handel victory


Pajamas and hot cocoa, anyone?


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Speaking of ominous and droopy-eyed signs, it looks like Gen Z is breaking for Trump:

new national survey by My College Options and the Hispanic Heritage Foundation gathered info from a whopping 50,000 "Generation Z" high school students ages 14 to 18 to gauge their political attitudes on the 2016 election. In what will surely be a surprise to the older generations yelling at Gen Z to get off our lawns, the survey found that a majority identify as Republican.
While all these kids will be able to vote in the 2020 election, let's take first-time voters alone to start. The survey found that 46 percent of the 18-year-olds surveyed voted for Trump; just 31 percent went for Hillary Clinton. Sure, 6 percent said they "would choose not to vote in this election," but just 11 percent went third party.
The survey, which began in September 2016 and continued through the election, found that 73 percent of respondents are engaged or "somewhat engaged" in politics. And among the entire group of first-time voters, the economy was the top issue (44 percent), followed by education (39 percent), gun rights (28 percent) and health care (18 percent). Nearly half (47 percent) said they get their news from social media sites or online news sites.

Here's how Bill Mitchell explains it:


h/t: Last Refuge

Tuesday, June 20, 2017

Hump Day Haute

Georgia voters went to the ballot box on Tuesday.  The sixth congressional district in the Atlanta area was up for grabs. It was Dem v Rep -- Ossoff v Handel -- to replace congressman Tom Price.  It turned out to be the most expensive Democratic congressional race in history, something to the tune of $30 million pouring in from Democrat organizations nationwide. Jon Ossoff, aka Pajama Boy, was their candidate.  Democrats desperately needed a win.  A symbolic smackdown of Trump was the plan.  Money was not an object, even obscene amounts of campaign money. Democrats wanted to show that Americans disapprove of Trump and all he stands for.  To make their point, they invested an historic sum to convince you Georgians to vote for this mensch:

Image result for pajama boy

Yes, him.  Seriously.  Mr. Smirky Lips with the notched eyebrows and condescending gaze.

Then election day came and weather happened.  Heavy rains fell in the afternoon.  Some feared it would dampen voter turnout.  Democrat precincts got the worst of it.  Who says God lacks a sense of humor?

I'm still laughing my Ossoff at the results.  Handel won easily, 52% to 47%.  Hardest hit was CNN. No victory yet for Democrats in this years special elections.  Georgia was their last great hope.

Friday, June 16, 2017

Just for Kicks and Giggles

Okay, time for a show of hands.

Raise your hand if you believe that Donald Trump, Reince Priebus, Steve Bannon, Jeff Sessions, Rod Rosenstein, et al were blindsided by news that Bob Mueller had a prior and perhaps close personal affiliation with James Comey before Mueller was hired as special counsel?

Keep your hand up if you believe it never dawned on them that Mueller might give Comey the benefit of the doubt whenever possible.

Keep your hand up if you believe the Trump administration never talked with Mueller about a potential conflict-of-interest before selecting him as Special Counsel.

Keep your hand up if you think Mueller's selection -- made a day after Comey's acknowledged leak to the NY Times -- was a knee-jerk reaction by Rod Rosenstein and the Trump administration.

Keep your hand up if you think Mueller is corrupt and will do all he can to bring Trump down.

Keep your hand up if you think such a thing would never dawn on Trump before Mueller's appointment.

Keep your hand up if you think Rod Rosenstein, Never-Trumpers, and Obama/Clinton minions in the Deep State pulled the wool over the eyes of Trump, Bannon, Sessions and all of Trump's loyal inner circle in order to inject a prejudiced Mueller into the Get Trump Russia investigation.

Keep your hand up if you believe Trump's counselors vehemently opposed Mueller's selection but somehow have managed to keep quiet about it -- and not leak it to the press -- from then to now.

Keep your hand up if you believe Trump and his inner circle are stupid.

Keep your hand up if you believe you are not stupid.

Those of you who never raised your hand can leave the room.

For those with your hands still up, I have only one more question:  When you saw that goat caught head-first in the fence last night, did you or did you not ... ?   It's okay.  The goat forgives you.


*****

If you're Donald Trump, the conversation goes something like this:

We are investigating you for a possible violation of the IRS code.  

Is it serious?

We hope so.

What law do you think I have broken?

We don't know.

What evidence do you have?

None yet.  

None?

It's an open investigation.  We'll be looking at your tax returns for the next three years. We believe something may turn up.

May?

No, that was last month.

That's how much sense it makes.


This 'n That - Friday Edition

You meet certain people who make you feel like … well … like this:



It doesn’t matter how young or old one is.  Inspiration helps.  Think about being that peron.


*****

What to do if your team holds a losing hand but you don't want to fold?  Well, if you're a member of Congress, there's only one thing you can do.  You call for a Congressional hearing into the bad hand you've been dealt.  If that won't get you out of the hand, nothing will.  Plus, you get six months of face time on TV with zero consequences for anyone.  That's how Feinstein decided to handle the revelation that former AG Loretta Lynch directed James Comey to find Hillary Clinton innocent of federal crimes for her felonious use of a private email server while Secretary of State.  Here's the old pro doing her Washington two-step:




It would be funny if it weren't so sad.  Retire you much.

BTW, Mitch McConnell used a Senate maneuver that allows the proposed healthcare bill to be voted on without debate.  A simple up-down vote.  Clair McCaskill thinks this is horrible, given that the bill affects 1/6 of the American economy.  Question to McCaskill:   Why is there a health care law that impacts 1/6 of our economy? Might it have anything to do with your passage of Obamacare?  Or can you even think that far back?

h/t:  Palafox

*****


You knew it was coming.  It was a Gay Pride parade until the marchers walked into a Black Lives Matter protest, which was moving straight toward them.  Things went downhill from there.



Good luck to Democrats as they seek to solidify their base.  Victims arguing over whose victimhood is worse.  It's like herding cats.

h/t: Daily Wire

*****


An older couple, both widowed, date for six months and then contemplate marriage.  He invites her to dinner so they can discuss the details.  After the meal, he raises the topic of living arrangements ... estate planning ... banks accounts ... furniture ... and the future disposition of assets.  All issues are resolved to their mutual satisfaction.  Toward the end, he asks the most intimate question of all.

My dear, how often do you prefer sex?

Infrequently, she replies.

Lowering the glasses on his nose, he peers above them and asks:  Is that one word, or two?


*****

I hear Megyn Kelly is tanking over at NCB.  Not that anyone watches her anymore, which may have something to do with her ratings.  She started her NBC debut with a bombshell interview of Vladimir Putin, with bombed when he basically trolled her on air and laughed at her ignorance.  He had reason to mock her.  Her stupid questions were ... well ... stupid .. a case of the Peter Principle writ large. Now, two interviews later, she has dropped 42 points in the ratings.  Guess she should have stuck with FOX a while longer.  But egos are a hard thing to keep in check.  Oh, well, at one point she had pretty hair, a pleasant smile and was nice to look at. That's what happens when you take yourself too seriously and think you are better than you are.  She should never have tangled with Trump back in the primaries.



Oh, well.  Buh-bye Megyn




Monday, June 12, 2017

The Clinton Coup d'Etat is not Working as Planned

Are we in the midst of a coup d'etat to remove Donald Trump as President?  I don't mean a military coup, obviously, but something just as seditious.  It sure seems that way.

The groundwork for the coup looks to have been laid with the claim of Russian interference in the 2016 Presidential election.  The claim has never been shown to have affected voters.  Or voting machines.  And no one has offered an explanation for how the Russians failed so miserably in areas that Hillary was expected to win handily, and did win as expected, along both the east and west coasts.  Are those folks too brain dead to be influenced by competing ideas?  I guess so.  Anyway, I'm still waiting for something definitive beyond Russian influence over RT and social media, coupled with manufactured digital signature versions of emails from "Guccifer 2."  Seriously? That's all our IT can come up with?  Social media programming and an imaginary person called "Guccifer 2?"  I would have expected more.

Anyway, the Russia meme proved successful not only with Hillary's base but also with the MSM, who found the accusation quite elastic, given the many ways it can be spun.  It appears the meme originated when internal polling suggested that Hillary might lose the election -- a shocking prospect -- or else was invented to explain the wikileaks of DNC emails, or both.  Curiously, the Obama administration hyped the Russia angle prior to the election but didn't find it troubling enough to do anything about it. Hillary knew otherwise.  If that f***ing bast**d wins, we'll all hang by nooses, she reportedly screamed within earshot of NBC crew members.  Who knew she was a prophet?  Then came November 8, the day all hell broke loose.  At this point, the Russia meme became a full-throated accusation, unleashed in force, announced as an incontrovertible fact, with the added twist that Trump or his campaign had been conspiring with the Russians all along to steal the election. You know the story.  It's been beaten into our heads for the past six months.  I won't belabor it further.

Then came Thursday, July 8, 2017.  The Russia diatribe had reached a fevered pitch.  Comey was to testify before the Senate Intelligence Committee.  Over a six month period, the Russia meme had morphed from voting machine manipulation to social media propaganda to Trump campaign collusion to Trump's direct attempt to obstruct justice. A malleable concept indeed.

Trump is going down, his opponents gloated on Thursday morning.  Comey will tell it like it is.  And he did, sort of.  His supporters were caught off guard.  It seems he told too much, none of it good for him or them.  Of course, members of the Senate Intelligence Committee knew otherwise -- as probably did the media --  since they already knew Trump was not under investigation by the FBI. But they tried to look concerned anyway.

What ended up happening this past Thursday was the political equivalent of the Battle of Gettysburg, only the outcome was reversed.  In this new Civil War, the Union is none other than the vastly superior and deeply entrenched Army of the Potomac -- comprised of the military-industrial complex, energy and telecommunications conglomerates, Wall Street, wealthy aristocrats, Hollywood and the MSM -- all orchestrated by the Clinton Machine.  Most Republicans and almost all Democrats in Congress are allied with the Union.  After all, that's where the money comes from that keeps them in office. The modern Rebel adversary is Donald Trump, who leads his undermanned and outgunned troops in Pickett's charge.  As the smoke clears, we discover that Trump has won the day.  The consequences are momentous.  His victory marks a turning point in the war.

Let me leave the military metaphor and switch to one that has more the smell of truth.  With Comey out, the Clinton machine and the Deep State lose the sewer lid that once kept their stench beneath the street. A vile miasma now wafts up into public consciousness.  Trump is the one who removed the lid by removing Comey. He knew that Comey guarded secrets beneath the street. Trump had to work in that sewer for most of his professional career. He knew what games had to be played to buy properties, acquire zoning approvals, get permitting, cut through red tape and get special permissions, yadayada. You never get something for nothing in the political world he lived in.  Everyone has their hand out for one kind of kickback or another. Trump knew many of the sewer rats by name, and others by reputation.  He knew their appetites and their habitat. And they knew that he knew how things work in that dark and cavernous pit.  He also knew they would try to drag him into the cesspool and drown him if there was any way possible.  Why? Because Trump didn't need handouts from them.  He didn't need the stench or the filth.  He was neither a sycophant nor a beggar.  That made him dangerous.  Comey's job was to get him.  But get him by the book ... under cover of law.  It looks better that way.

To survive and win, Trump's first yuge step would require him to remove the sewer cover and let America get a whiff of what's down there.  Trump was raised on the streets of New York City.  He knows which alleys lead to trouble.  And he's a fighter.  He can punch and counter-punch. He seems to have adopted Teddy Roosevelt's advice to talk softly and carry a big stick. only Trump's not so good at talking softly.  Did I mention he's a New Yorker?  Fight though he will, he also understands the art of the deal. Big deals require patience and planning.  Knee-jerk reactions aren't helpful unless they are strategic and part of a larger strategy.  We just saw one play out this past Thursday.

Trump knew that with Comey in office, his best efforts to challenge corruption would be deflected, stalled, manipulated or ignored. Just think back over the past two years.  Comey made sure the Clinton Foundation investigation didn't go anywhere.  He made sure whistleblower Dennis Montgomery did not get a hearing at the FBI.  He made sure the Clinton email scandal, the Huma Abedin laptop revelation, the CrowdStrike server fiasco, and other sewer leaks were capped and sealed. And, of course, Loretta Lynch did her part at the DOJ, entrusting prosecutorial powers to James Comey while ensuring that aiders and abettors were immunized in advance of Congressional investigation.  But Comey proved too clever by half.  He walked out of the Congressional hearing with his reputation in tatters.  Trump now leaves Gettysburg and marches on Washington.  It may take a while, but I believe he will get there.  As he said on the campaign trail in 2016 to a crowd of eager supporters, Sorry to keep you waiting, folks.  It's complicated business.

Interestingly, it appears that even the Obama people are turning on the Clinton machine in public Here's Van Jones.  Curiously missing from his diatribe against the DNC and the Clinton Presidential campaign is any reference to Russia:




In the main, Democrats are lurching farther and farther left.  How else to hold onto their coalition of aggrieved victims, misfits, underachievers and malcontents?  The lurch left includes a taxonomy of words and gestures that reveal the deeper workings of their heart.  It's not good when your Democrat senator from NY drops f-bombs in public, the head of your party's national committee claims that Republicans don't give a s**t about people  and California's state Democratic Chairman leads attendees in a chant of F*** Donald Trump as others join the mantra and raise a middle finger. Profanity-laced tirades are the last refuge of losers.  Classy?  No.  Adult?  Hardly.  Desperate?  Yes.

The war is not over.  But a major victory has been won -- a victory that may prove decisive in the end.  Until then, expect the wounded to fight more tenaciously than ever, if only out of despair.  This war isn't just about political careers and reputations.  Those folks are but pawns on the Washington chess board.  More importantly, it is about trillions of dollars at stake by those vested in the Deep State machine.  They want Trump gone by any acceptable means.  And they are determined to get it done.  Comey was the way to get it done, they believed.  Keep the drip, drip, drip of Russia, collusion, and obstruction going forward -- and have the media feed that beast 24/7 -- until finally Trump trips himself and falls into the cesspool.  That was the plan.  It failed.

Citizens must remain vigilant.  And stay involved.  Still, today is Sunday, a day of rest.  The Lion in the White House -- the one with the golden mane -- has eaten well this past week and now is licking his paws.  He will rest this evening.  Then he will rise tomorrow and hunt again.  Trust me, it's his nature.  It's all about winning for America.

Saturday, June 10, 2017

Random Thoughts

Is it just me, or do you hate YouTube videos narrated by synthetic voices as much as I do?  They seem to have been programmed by someone trying to imitate the Japanese-Norwegian dialect of an ESL graduate, replete with annoying pauses after every three syllables. You know the one's I'm talking about. They sound like this:  Today it ... was revealed ... that Pre-si-dent Don ... ald Trump ... tweet-ed about ... Sen-a-tor Chuck ... Schumer ....  The phrase "Breaking News" or "Bombshell" is often in the title.  But the only thing breaking is the flow of the voice-over.  Plus, I dislike writers who insert fancy foreign phrases in place of simple English.  They think it makes them sound sophisticated, but it doesn't.  Those are just two of my bete noires.

*****

I enjoy Scott Adams' blog.  He created the Dilbert cartoon you've seen for years in the comic section of your newspaper.  He hypes himself as an expert in persuasion.  Based on his entries, I believe he has reason to brag.  He's insightful.  The only gripe I have is that his entries tend to get repetitive after a while.  Still, he's good at hitting the target.

*****

Did James Comey strike a plea deal with Mueller prior to his testimony on Thursday?  It's an interesting question.  Some of the questions Comey was asked at the hearing seemed orchestrated, such as whether he might have leaked info to the press, to which he stunningly admitted he had done, on purpose at that, and with the intent of getting a special prosecutor appointed who would investigate an issue that Comey himself admitted was not an issue -- namely, that Trump colluded with Russia and then obstructed a criminal investigation into a crime that hasn't yet been committed! Comey also outed Loretta Lynch on the Hillary email investigation, which, curiously enough, draws Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama into the crosshairs.  Payback is hell, isn't it?

Just how much does Donald Trump know? He seems to be playing three-dimensional chess with people who only know Chinese checkers.  Did Trump discover that the Green Room in the White House had been bugged?  Consider this quote from Time magazine in February of this year, in regard to Trump's renovations in the White House:
But few rooms have changed so much so fast as his dining room, where he often eats his lunch amid stacks of newspapers and briefing sheets. A few weeks back, the President ordered a gutting of the room. “We found gold behind the walls, which I always knew. Renovations are grand,” he says.... 
Hmm.  Gold behind the walls?  And then came this tweet from President Trump back in May, after he fired Comey:



What gold did Trump discover?  Did he find something hidden in those walls that Comey knew about but didn't tell?  Something that required a FISA court order based on a false dossier?  Was intelligence being gathered on behalf of Obama and Hillary, or on behalf of an FBI director who understood how the game is played?  I don't know.  Trump seems to know things we don't know. And he seems to be putting people on notice that the ruse is over.  Listen:


Folks, this is high drama.  Comey painted himself into a corner with his testimony on Thursday. There may be no escape for him, short of a pardon, though that pardon may not extend to his lawyer "friend" at Columbia Law School, who now has gone missing.  If such is the case, the Clinton network will begin to unravel before our eyes, and sooner than anyone expected.

Did I mention that Trump and Bannon are both admirers of Sun-tzu's Art of War?  If the Clinton/Obama cabal cannot bring him down, Trump will bring them down.  And he will do it before they even know what hit them.  That's the Sun-tzu version.  The battle between Trump and his adversaries is a fight to the finish.  Only one person will be left standing.  My money is on Trump. Trump understands Sun-tzu cover to cover.  So does Bannon. People wonder why Trump likes Bannon so much.  It's all about the art of war.  Alinsky should have read it.  As an aside, just because you don't hear much about Jeff Sessions these days doesn't mean he is idling away his time at the DOJ.  He's been busy.  And Washington's power players are sweating bullets.  Many are cutting their losses, Republicans as well as Democrats, looking to cover their backsides as the Trump train picks up speed.  This could get ugly.

Not that the media wants you to connect these dots.  Their version reads "President Trump went out and hit some balls today."  What they will not tell you is that he wasn't golfing.

h/t:  Sundance