Never interfere with an enemy who is in the process of destroying himself.
Napoleon Bonaparte
It would seem former Vice President Joe Biden is taking that advice to heart. His public appearances have been few and far between the last three months, or so. The White House has denounced what it refers to as his, "basement campaign," while claiming Biden's people are desperate to keep him from speaking to reporters and crowds because of his penchant for misspeaking and blurting out gaffes.
There might be a small grain of truth to that, because Mr. Biden has been known to insert his foot into his mouth on occasion. However, the truth is probably two fold. First, unlike Big Don, Biden and his campaign realize the nation is in the middle of a deadly pandemic and the body count continues to grow. You really can't criticize the President for holding contagion ridden rallies if you're doing it too. Second, considering what Mr. Trump has said, done, and not done since January the old Corsican's adage is spot on advice.
And right now, in the last eight national polls, Biden's current strategy appears to be working.
RealClearPolitics put together this compilation:
June, 17--Biden 50--Trump 41 per Economist/YouGov
June, 17--Biden 51--Trump 41 per CNBC/Change Research
June, 18--Biden 49--Trump 41 per Quinnipiac
June, 18--Biden 50--Trump 38 per Fox News
June, 23--Biden 56--Trump 44 per Harvard/Harris
June, 24--Biden 49--Trump 41 per Economist/YouGov
June, 24--Biden 50--Trump 36 per NYT/Siena
June, 25--Biden 47--Trump 38 per CNBC
Of course, as we learned four years ago, polling is not an exact science. Toward the end of the 2016 campaign Hillary Clinton had the lead in 10 different polls. There are a couple of differences between then and now though. As Delaware Online reports, Clinton's lead in eight of those polls was by four points, or less, some within the margin of error. Plus she was only at 50% in one of them. Still she won the popular vote, but lost because she didn't carry key electoral states like Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Florida, and North Carolina--a couple of them by a whisker.
This news has not gone over well with The Big Orange Guy. The June surveys are, he says, suppression polls, meant to convince his supporters the cause is lost so they will lose hope, stay home, and not contribute to his campaign. It is all part of the nefarious deep state, mainstream media plot to destroy his presidency.
According to Trump, his campaign's internal polling shows him in a comfortable lead--everywhere. He has yet to reveal those numbers, but he assures us they are real. You know, just like he assured us the crowd at his inauguration was the largest in the history of all presidential inaugurations.
Meanwhile our man in the Oval Office plows forward through the storm just like Captain Queeg in Wouk's, "The Caine Mutiny." His only advantage over the demented commander in the novel being his officers refuse to question his orders while nearly a third of his crew believes every increasingly bizarre thing he says.
A lot is going to happen between now and November. Even more might happen afterward given Trump's disregard for the constitution, the law in general, and his propensity for litigation. Not to mention how the crazed and desperate loons in camo, aloha shirts, and pink polos with all those guns could react if he loses.
Yes things could get more than weird in the days following the election, but one thing is for sure right now. The lying and corrupt fucker is in huge trouble and he, more than anyone else, knows it.
sic vita est
6-30-20
Tuesday, June 30, 2020
Saturday, June 27, 2020
Mike Says We Are Flattening the Curve While New COVID Cases Sky Rocket and Don Worries About Monuments
...we have done just that, we slowed the spread, we flattened the curve, and we saved lives.
Vice President Mike Pence speaking about the COVID-19 pandemic
Really?
Yesterday the United States recorded 42,266 new cases of COVID-19. That brings the grand total to 2,511,453. The 42,000 plus figure is a single day record for new cases in this country. It seems that in truth there is no flattening. In fact there isn't even a curve, just one giant spike headed toward the stratosphere.
We probably shouldn't blame ol' Mike for fudging the situation. After all he has a boss who is busy trying get everyone's attention off of disease and on to more productive things, like crazed anarchists, violent radical leftists, and the wanton destruction of Confederate monuments. You know, people who he and his base want gassed and beaten mercilessly.
Yes, Donald Trump has moved on, possibly because he has the attention span of a five year old on a sugar rush, but probably because he couldn't con his way out of a pandemic. One that has not only killed 126,924 Americans, but destroyed the economy he was basing his re-election campaign on. Indeed, ignore it, act as if it no longer exists, then plow on, blaming Obama and Biden for everything up to and including the defeat of George Armstrong Custer at the Little Big Horn.
He did more than hint at that train of thought in Tulsa a week ago when he told the crowd he had instructed his people to slow down the testing in order to depress the number of new cases. The press was stunned by the declaration. The balls to the wall Trump supporters breathing in all the COVID rich air seemed puzzled by it. The response from that Always Trump crowd was at best muted.
The following day a White House spokesperson said the president was kidding. On Monday Trump told the media, he never kids. Later in the week he claimed he was being sarcastic.
Ah yes, there is nothing quite like unwavering and concise leadership during a time of crisis.
Yesterday when asked about testing, Pence added to the confusion by saying, "It's almost inarguable that more testing is generating more cases." Yeah, yeah and fewer pregnancy tests lead to fewer pregnancies right? This stuff could be straight out of George Orwell's "1984," except it lacks the brains.
Meanwhile a couple of GOP governors who think Don and Mike are just great are starting to understand that all the go out and do what ever you want shit isn't working. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and Texas' Greg Abbott re-opened their states then watched their populations utterly ignore their suggestions about social distancing and wearing masks. As a result yesterday alone new cases in Texas jumped by 5,700 and in Florida they increased by over 9,500.
Today both DeSantis and Abbott closed all the bars in their states, but neither made wearing a mask mandatory while in public. Hey, you can only take things so far before the boys in camo show up at your front door, armed to the teeth, accusing you of being a Nazi, or worse, a democrat.
The truth is Trump screwed the pooch back in February and even March. He had no clue how truly deadly the virus was and how quickly it could spread. In the end, because of his complete disdain for science, he might not have even wanted to know. In his mind it was just another impediment to his re-election--another attempt by the main stream media and the deep state to sabotage his presidency.
That's what you get when you have a president who views everything through a lens which is entirely focused on himself and not the people who he is supposed to lead and serve.
sic vita est
6-27-20
Vice President Mike Pence speaking about the COVID-19 pandemic
Really?
Yesterday the United States recorded 42,266 new cases of COVID-19. That brings the grand total to 2,511,453. The 42,000 plus figure is a single day record for new cases in this country. It seems that in truth there is no flattening. In fact there isn't even a curve, just one giant spike headed toward the stratosphere.
We probably shouldn't blame ol' Mike for fudging the situation. After all he has a boss who is busy trying get everyone's attention off of disease and on to more productive things, like crazed anarchists, violent radical leftists, and the wanton destruction of Confederate monuments. You know, people who he and his base want gassed and beaten mercilessly.
Yes, Donald Trump has moved on, possibly because he has the attention span of a five year old on a sugar rush, but probably because he couldn't con his way out of a pandemic. One that has not only killed 126,924 Americans, but destroyed the economy he was basing his re-election campaign on. Indeed, ignore it, act as if it no longer exists, then plow on, blaming Obama and Biden for everything up to and including the defeat of George Armstrong Custer at the Little Big Horn.
He did more than hint at that train of thought in Tulsa a week ago when he told the crowd he had instructed his people to slow down the testing in order to depress the number of new cases. The press was stunned by the declaration. The balls to the wall Trump supporters breathing in all the COVID rich air seemed puzzled by it. The response from that Always Trump crowd was at best muted.
The following day a White House spokesperson said the president was kidding. On Monday Trump told the media, he never kids. Later in the week he claimed he was being sarcastic.
Ah yes, there is nothing quite like unwavering and concise leadership during a time of crisis.
Yesterday when asked about testing, Pence added to the confusion by saying, "It's almost inarguable that more testing is generating more cases." Yeah, yeah and fewer pregnancy tests lead to fewer pregnancies right? This stuff could be straight out of George Orwell's "1984," except it lacks the brains.
Meanwhile a couple of GOP governors who think Don and Mike are just great are starting to understand that all the go out and do what ever you want shit isn't working. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and Texas' Greg Abbott re-opened their states then watched their populations utterly ignore their suggestions about social distancing and wearing masks. As a result yesterday alone new cases in Texas jumped by 5,700 and in Florida they increased by over 9,500.
Today both DeSantis and Abbott closed all the bars in their states, but neither made wearing a mask mandatory while in public. Hey, you can only take things so far before the boys in camo show up at your front door, armed to the teeth, accusing you of being a Nazi, or worse, a democrat.
The truth is Trump screwed the pooch back in February and even March. He had no clue how truly deadly the virus was and how quickly it could spread. In the end, because of his complete disdain for science, he might not have even wanted to know. In his mind it was just another impediment to his re-election--another attempt by the main stream media and the deep state to sabotage his presidency.
That's what you get when you have a president who views everything through a lens which is entirely focused on himself and not the people who he is supposed to lead and serve.
sic vita est
6-27-20
Monday, June 22, 2020
The Big Oops in Tulsa
The late Dizzy Dean once said, "It ain't bragging if you can do it." Unfortunately for Donald Trump his campaign suckered him into a lot of bragging last week which he couldn't back up. Inspired by their own hubris, but dealing with some faulty stats, all sorts of wankers working for El Presidente predicted vast numbers of people would show up in Tulsa for his big, "Back on the Road Again," extravaganza.
One million over the top Trump supporters they said. So many they constructed an outdoor concert type venue where the overflow from the BOK Center could seeTrump's speech on giant screens. So many that The Big Orange Guy was scheduled to make a second appearance after finishing inside to rev up those who hadn't been able cram themselves into the arena. The President was convinced enough of a huge turnout he cajoled the Tulsa mayor into calling off a curfew in the immediate area around the BOK arena before and after the rally.
Oops.
Well these things happen. On Sunday the Tulsa Fire Marshal's office estimated the actual crowd inside the night before was at just under 6,200, which is a little less than a third of the seats available. The disaster was so profound the Secret Service began dismantling the outdoor set up before Trump even arrived. TV talking heads were amazed when they realized there wasn't any sort of mass scrum of MAGAs left milling around outside within a short time after security threw open the doors. The paltry numbers moved one wag on Twitter to note those hearty fools who had been in line outside the arena since the Monday before could have stayed home, or in their hotel rooms, had lunch, and still gotten in with plenty of time and space to spare.
Trump campaign manager, Brad Parscale began issuing excuses as soon as the event started. He first contended demonstrators had blocked entrances to the BOK Center preventing Trump supporters from attending. Then he blamed, who else, the media for overblowing the whole COVID thing, "creating an atmosphere of fear," which lowered the number of attendees.
Reports are demonstrators blocked one of several entrances for about 15 minutes after almost everyone was already inside. As far as overblowing the COVID pandemic it had become obvious by mid-week the number of new cases in Oklahoma was spiking at a rate which was far outdistancing anything the state saw during Governor Kevin Stitt's semi-lock down. The icing on that foul cake was when news broke six of Trump's advance people who had been in town for days tested positive for COVID. That's not overblowing anything. It is simply the facts.
It also didn't help that a 51 year old grandmother in Ft. Dodge, Iowa had gone on TikTok a couple of weeks earlier urging people to apply for tickets then not go. Her request went viral and quickly racked up over two million views. Mary Jo Laupp had been incensed about the timing of the rally--the original date was June 19th, or Juneteenth, black freedom day. Using her idea requests poured in, inflating the numbers.
Just how successful her effort was is up to speculation. Ms Laupp estimates her followers ate up 10,000 tickets. However, according to media outlets, Trump's people who were using the requests to determine not just attendance, but build a massive emailing list for donations and propaganda purposes became suspicious. They started checking the voting history of applicants. The reports are saying by the middle of last week they knew at least 300,000 ticket requests were bogus, even though they still kept using the figure of one million to describe the size of the expected crowd. The feeling among the campaign staff must have been, Hey, no one will be able tell the difference between 700,000 and a million so fuck it.
The truth behind the meager number in the BOK Center Saturday night was due to a combination of things. First, COVID-19 probably did come into play. Right now Oklahoma is a far deadlier place than it was in March, April, or May and people know it. Indeed, why fight the crush in what amounts to a giant fog of potential disease when you can stay at home and watch the harangue on television? Second, it wasn't the demonstrators who were actually near the site, but the threat of demonstrations which probably deterred many. Let's face it, as crazy and bellicose as Trump supporters can act, a huge portion of them don't want any part of a real confrontation with the other side.
Right now stories of angst and anger among Trump, his family, and staffers are emerging. Knowing Big Don, Brad Parscale should start dusting off the old resume because he is going to be looking for a new job shortly. In addition there is talk of moving future rallies either outdoors, or to smaller arenas. And, just to make sure the white folks don't get all nervous again, to rural areas where, "demonstrators," are few and far between.
Yes, Saturday in Tulsa wasn't the restart Don Trump wanted. By the time he exited the plane back in Washington he appeared to be nothing more than a tired old man who had suffered through an incredibly rough day.
Well, Don, welcome to the new reality you've created. We're glad to see, for at least a moment, you're enjoying it as much as the rest of us are.
6-22-20
One million over the top Trump supporters they said. So many they constructed an outdoor concert type venue where the overflow from the BOK Center could seeTrump's speech on giant screens. So many that The Big Orange Guy was scheduled to make a second appearance after finishing inside to rev up those who hadn't been able cram themselves into the arena. The President was convinced enough of a huge turnout he cajoled the Tulsa mayor into calling off a curfew in the immediate area around the BOK arena before and after the rally.
Oops.
Well these things happen. On Sunday the Tulsa Fire Marshal's office estimated the actual crowd inside the night before was at just under 6,200, which is a little less than a third of the seats available. The disaster was so profound the Secret Service began dismantling the outdoor set up before Trump even arrived. TV talking heads were amazed when they realized there wasn't any sort of mass scrum of MAGAs left milling around outside within a short time after security threw open the doors. The paltry numbers moved one wag on Twitter to note those hearty fools who had been in line outside the arena since the Monday before could have stayed home, or in their hotel rooms, had lunch, and still gotten in with plenty of time and space to spare.
Trump campaign manager, Brad Parscale began issuing excuses as soon as the event started. He first contended demonstrators had blocked entrances to the BOK Center preventing Trump supporters from attending. Then he blamed, who else, the media for overblowing the whole COVID thing, "creating an atmosphere of fear," which lowered the number of attendees.
Reports are demonstrators blocked one of several entrances for about 15 minutes after almost everyone was already inside. As far as overblowing the COVID pandemic it had become obvious by mid-week the number of new cases in Oklahoma was spiking at a rate which was far outdistancing anything the state saw during Governor Kevin Stitt's semi-lock down. The icing on that foul cake was when news broke six of Trump's advance people who had been in town for days tested positive for COVID. That's not overblowing anything. It is simply the facts.
It also didn't help that a 51 year old grandmother in Ft. Dodge, Iowa had gone on TikTok a couple of weeks earlier urging people to apply for tickets then not go. Her request went viral and quickly racked up over two million views. Mary Jo Laupp had been incensed about the timing of the rally--the original date was June 19th, or Juneteenth, black freedom day. Using her idea requests poured in, inflating the numbers.
Just how successful her effort was is up to speculation. Ms Laupp estimates her followers ate up 10,000 tickets. However, according to media outlets, Trump's people who were using the requests to determine not just attendance, but build a massive emailing list for donations and propaganda purposes became suspicious. They started checking the voting history of applicants. The reports are saying by the middle of last week they knew at least 300,000 ticket requests were bogus, even though they still kept using the figure of one million to describe the size of the expected crowd. The feeling among the campaign staff must have been, Hey, no one will be able tell the difference between 700,000 and a million so fuck it.
The truth behind the meager number in the BOK Center Saturday night was due to a combination of things. First, COVID-19 probably did come into play. Right now Oklahoma is a far deadlier place than it was in March, April, or May and people know it. Indeed, why fight the crush in what amounts to a giant fog of potential disease when you can stay at home and watch the harangue on television? Second, it wasn't the demonstrators who were actually near the site, but the threat of demonstrations which probably deterred many. Let's face it, as crazy and bellicose as Trump supporters can act, a huge portion of them don't want any part of a real confrontation with the other side.
Right now stories of angst and anger among Trump, his family, and staffers are emerging. Knowing Big Don, Brad Parscale should start dusting off the old resume because he is going to be looking for a new job shortly. In addition there is talk of moving future rallies either outdoors, or to smaller arenas. And, just to make sure the white folks don't get all nervous again, to rural areas where, "demonstrators," are few and far between.
Yes, Saturday in Tulsa wasn't the restart Don Trump wanted. By the time he exited the plane back in Washington he appeared to be nothing more than a tired old man who had suffered through an incredibly rough day.
Well, Don, welcome to the new reality you've created. We're glad to see, for at least a moment, you're enjoying it as much as the rest of us are.
6-22-20
Friday, June 19, 2020
The Way Trump Rolls
Fingers are starting to point in Tulsa as time for Donald Trump's big hoodoo rally grows close. According to the Tulsa World, Mayor G.T. Bynum is claiming he wasn't, "in the loop," during the early set up for the event. Bynum told The World the first he heard of the rally is when the BOK Center management company called him up to see if the city would spring for police protection.
Bynum also told the paper the contract with the city allows the management company, ASM Global, to book whatever event they want and short of declaring a state of emergency there is nothing he, the Mayor, can do to stop it.
ASM Global on the other hand issued a statement yesterday saying they had been waiting on Bynum to issue the order of civil emergency. It appeared to be a none too subtle hint they would love for him to give them an excuse to get out of their contract with the Trump campaign. The Mayor did finally declare an emergency, but it had nothing to do with cancelling the rally. Instead Bynum imposed a curfew in the immediate area around the BOK Center, then had his police department clear out all the Trump fans who had been camping on the sidewalks around the place since Monday.
Bynum said the move was necessary because his office had received intel from his PD and other law enforcement agencies, "that shows that individuals from organized groups who have been involved in destructive, or violent behavior in other states are planning to travel to The City of Tulsa for purposes of causing unrest in and around the rally."
Ah, the old Visigoths from the outside ploy. Tulsa has seen this before. During the 1921 race massacre rumors of hundreds of black reinforcements arriving by rail from Muskogee prompted the raging white mob to open fire on a Frisco passenger train. The riders, none of them black, or having any idea what was happening, were forced to take cover on the floors of their Pullman rail cars.
This morning, Big Don, as always perfectly unaware of what is going on, hit Twitter with a post which read, "Big lines already forming in Tulsa. My campaign hasn't started yet. It starts Saturday night in Oklahoma!"
It didn't take long for someone to clue the President in on Bynum's declaration though. In another tweet a little later Trump wrote, "Any protestors, agitators, looters, or lowlifes who are going to Oklahoma please understand you will not be treated like you have been in New York, Seattle, or Minneapolis. It will be a much different scene!"
Governor Kevin Stitt, who is from Tulsa, is taking the possibility of trouble as seriously as G.T. Bynum. Local media outlets are saying he has activated 250 National Guard troops who will be armed in full riot gear just in case Mr. Trump wants to take another outdoor photo op stroll.
Meanwhile, no one is listening to the Executive Director of the Tulsa County Health Department, Bruce Dart. From day one he has been pleading for the rally to be, "postponed." Today he is quoted in USA Today as saying, "I know so many people are over COVID, but COVID is not over. It's transmitting very efficiently in our community."
He's right. Yesterday in Oklahoma a state high of 450 new cases were reported including 80 plus in Tulsa alone. In response to the growing numbers a group of lawyers are petitioning the Oklahoma Supreme Court today to get the rally stopped unless someone, either ASM Global, or the Trump campaign, can guarantee social distancing will be observed and the wearing of masks is mandatory Saturday night.
In addition, ASM Global claims they have sent a letter to the campaign asking for a detailed plan of the safety measures it will take. The campaign issued a statement which said it is, "studying," the letter, which means they have no plan other than offering masks at the door and promising to take everyone's temperature before they are allowed in. Well that and they're having all attendees abide by a waiver saying if they do come down with the disease they can't sue Trump, or the campaign.
Finally ASM Global has another problem. Reports are most of its employees who work such events are refusing to be there. Other reports say their places will be taken by 200 Trump volunteers. You know people who have no idea what they're doing.
Yes, the term cluster fuck does seem to apply here. Of course, given what has gone on during Trump's three plus years of running things we shouldn't have expected anything else. It is, after all, the way he rolls.
sic vita est
6-19-20
Bynum also told the paper the contract with the city allows the management company, ASM Global, to book whatever event they want and short of declaring a state of emergency there is nothing he, the Mayor, can do to stop it.
ASM Global on the other hand issued a statement yesterday saying they had been waiting on Bynum to issue the order of civil emergency. It appeared to be a none too subtle hint they would love for him to give them an excuse to get out of their contract with the Trump campaign. The Mayor did finally declare an emergency, but it had nothing to do with cancelling the rally. Instead Bynum imposed a curfew in the immediate area around the BOK Center, then had his police department clear out all the Trump fans who had been camping on the sidewalks around the place since Monday.
Bynum said the move was necessary because his office had received intel from his PD and other law enforcement agencies, "that shows that individuals from organized groups who have been involved in destructive, or violent behavior in other states are planning to travel to The City of Tulsa for purposes of causing unrest in and around the rally."
Ah, the old Visigoths from the outside ploy. Tulsa has seen this before. During the 1921 race massacre rumors of hundreds of black reinforcements arriving by rail from Muskogee prompted the raging white mob to open fire on a Frisco passenger train. The riders, none of them black, or having any idea what was happening, were forced to take cover on the floors of their Pullman rail cars.
This morning, Big Don, as always perfectly unaware of what is going on, hit Twitter with a post which read, "Big lines already forming in Tulsa. My campaign hasn't started yet. It starts Saturday night in Oklahoma!"
It didn't take long for someone to clue the President in on Bynum's declaration though. In another tweet a little later Trump wrote, "Any protestors, agitators, looters, or lowlifes who are going to Oklahoma please understand you will not be treated like you have been in New York, Seattle, or Minneapolis. It will be a much different scene!"
Governor Kevin Stitt, who is from Tulsa, is taking the possibility of trouble as seriously as G.T. Bynum. Local media outlets are saying he has activated 250 National Guard troops who will be armed in full riot gear just in case Mr. Trump wants to take another outdoor photo op stroll.
Meanwhile, no one is listening to the Executive Director of the Tulsa County Health Department, Bruce Dart. From day one he has been pleading for the rally to be, "postponed." Today he is quoted in USA Today as saying, "I know so many people are over COVID, but COVID is not over. It's transmitting very efficiently in our community."
He's right. Yesterday in Oklahoma a state high of 450 new cases were reported including 80 plus in Tulsa alone. In response to the growing numbers a group of lawyers are petitioning the Oklahoma Supreme Court today to get the rally stopped unless someone, either ASM Global, or the Trump campaign, can guarantee social distancing will be observed and the wearing of masks is mandatory Saturday night.
In addition, ASM Global claims they have sent a letter to the campaign asking for a detailed plan of the safety measures it will take. The campaign issued a statement which said it is, "studying," the letter, which means they have no plan other than offering masks at the door and promising to take everyone's temperature before they are allowed in. Well that and they're having all attendees abide by a waiver saying if they do come down with the disease they can't sue Trump, or the campaign.
Finally ASM Global has another problem. Reports are most of its employees who work such events are refusing to be there. Other reports say their places will be taken by 200 Trump volunteers. You know people who have no idea what they're doing.
Yes, the term cluster fuck does seem to apply here. Of course, given what has gone on during Trump's three plus years of running things we shouldn't have expected anything else. It is, after all, the way he rolls.
sic vita est
6-19-20
Monday, June 15, 2020
Saturday Night in Tulsa: The Big Orange Guy, Demonstrations Outside, and COVID-19 Inside
According to his staff, Don Trump shifted his Tulsa political rally from June 19th to the 20th out of respect for the African American observance of Juneteenth, black independence day. We know that's a lie, because after dealing with El Don all this time--it seems like centuries now--it is common knowledge he doesn't respect anything.
No, this minor shift in dates, although a little surprising, has more to do with tactics and personal safety than respect. The Greenwood District of Tulsa, the site of the most deadly racial pogrom in American history, is planning major festivities on the 19th. That means thousands, if not tens of thousands, of black folks will be gathering just north of downtown and the BOK Center. Given what has happened lately in places like Minneapolis, Louisville, and Atlanta it doesn't take a genius to figure out all those attending the Juneteenth celebration aren't going to be in the mood to put up with nearly 20,000 screaming white fascists celebrating Trump's version of old fashioned law and order.
Not that Trump particularly cares about his supporters, but a full blown repeat of the battle of Ft. Wagner, complete with confederate battle flags, simply isn't the greatest campaign optic. Neither is an apocalyptic race war, which could be triggered by such an event. Obviously, Stephen Miller, the architect behind the reopening of Trump's mass rallies, realized it.
Besides who knows how many crazed thugs on both ends of the political spectrum are flooding into Tulsa even as these words are being typed. You know, people who don't give a shit if it is the 19th, or the 20th, they just want to rumble. Yes, because of the nature of recent civic unrest it wouldn't be surprising if Oklahoma's Governor, Kevin Stitt has units of the National Guard standing close by in places like Sapulpa, or Sand Springs.
Of course that's all speculative at the moment, but what isn't is the dark cloud of COVID-19 which hovers over everything. The President's campaign has been vigorously pointing out Oklahoma is one of the most, "open," states in the nation. The Big Orange Guy himself has said the state, "has done a very good job," containing the virus.
The stats might make it seem so, but only if you only compare the raw numbers in Oklahoma to other areas, like New York and California.
At the moment, Oklahoma has recorded, 8,417 confirmed cases of COVID-19. However, if you put the progression of the disease on a graph it rises from the bottom left corner to the top right at an unwavering 45 degree angle. There isn't a dip, or even a small plateau present. Since the number of ill is increasing without a pause, the word, "containing" seems a tad misleading, if not an outright lie.
Tulsa County, where Oklahoma's first official Coronavirus case was reported, currently confirms 1,653 people have come down with COVID-19. Yesterday the county health department announced that number includes 128 new cases in the last 24 hours. In other words there are signs the number of infected people in Tulsa is beginning to spike even before 20,000 shouting and chanting morons cram into the BOK Center for a rally which is politically unnecessary.
Hey, let's face it, Oklahoma isn't a swing state. Trump won here in 2016 with over 65% of the vote. He carried every county, including Tulsa. In fact the last time the state voted for a democratic nominee was in 1964 when Lyndon Johnson beat Barry Goldwater.
Indeed, this whole grotesque display Saturday night won't be because Trump feels there is a danger Oklahoma will swing blue, he just needs his massive ego stroked by a rabid mob. The truth is the campaign probably picked Tulsa not only because of the huge venue, but they felt the likelyhood of mass anti Trump demonstrations would be minimal thanks to Oklahoma's pedigree as a solid red state. Then his people, probably Miller, fucked up by scheduling the rally on exactly the wrong date.
Right now we know there will be demonstrations in the streets, we just don't know how large, or intense. We also know that along with Donald John Trump the Coronavirus will be in the building. The only question remaining at this moment is which will wreck more havoc.
6-15-20
No, this minor shift in dates, although a little surprising, has more to do with tactics and personal safety than respect. The Greenwood District of Tulsa, the site of the most deadly racial pogrom in American history, is planning major festivities on the 19th. That means thousands, if not tens of thousands, of black folks will be gathering just north of downtown and the BOK Center. Given what has happened lately in places like Minneapolis, Louisville, and Atlanta it doesn't take a genius to figure out all those attending the Juneteenth celebration aren't going to be in the mood to put up with nearly 20,000 screaming white fascists celebrating Trump's version of old fashioned law and order.
Not that Trump particularly cares about his supporters, but a full blown repeat of the battle of Ft. Wagner, complete with confederate battle flags, simply isn't the greatest campaign optic. Neither is an apocalyptic race war, which could be triggered by such an event. Obviously, Stephen Miller, the architect behind the reopening of Trump's mass rallies, realized it.
Besides who knows how many crazed thugs on both ends of the political spectrum are flooding into Tulsa even as these words are being typed. You know, people who don't give a shit if it is the 19th, or the 20th, they just want to rumble. Yes, because of the nature of recent civic unrest it wouldn't be surprising if Oklahoma's Governor, Kevin Stitt has units of the National Guard standing close by in places like Sapulpa, or Sand Springs.
Of course that's all speculative at the moment, but what isn't is the dark cloud of COVID-19 which hovers over everything. The President's campaign has been vigorously pointing out Oklahoma is one of the most, "open," states in the nation. The Big Orange Guy himself has said the state, "has done a very good job," containing the virus.
The stats might make it seem so, but only if you only compare the raw numbers in Oklahoma to other areas, like New York and California.
At the moment, Oklahoma has recorded, 8,417 confirmed cases of COVID-19. However, if you put the progression of the disease on a graph it rises from the bottom left corner to the top right at an unwavering 45 degree angle. There isn't a dip, or even a small plateau present. Since the number of ill is increasing without a pause, the word, "containing" seems a tad misleading, if not an outright lie.
Tulsa County, where Oklahoma's first official Coronavirus case was reported, currently confirms 1,653 people have come down with COVID-19. Yesterday the county health department announced that number includes 128 new cases in the last 24 hours. In other words there are signs the number of infected people in Tulsa is beginning to spike even before 20,000 shouting and chanting morons cram into the BOK Center for a rally which is politically unnecessary.
Hey, let's face it, Oklahoma isn't a swing state. Trump won here in 2016 with over 65% of the vote. He carried every county, including Tulsa. In fact the last time the state voted for a democratic nominee was in 1964 when Lyndon Johnson beat Barry Goldwater.
Indeed, this whole grotesque display Saturday night won't be because Trump feels there is a danger Oklahoma will swing blue, he just needs his massive ego stroked by a rabid mob. The truth is the campaign probably picked Tulsa not only because of the huge venue, but they felt the likelyhood of mass anti Trump demonstrations would be minimal thanks to Oklahoma's pedigree as a solid red state. Then his people, probably Miller, fucked up by scheduling the rally on exactly the wrong date.
Right now we know there will be demonstrations in the streets, we just don't know how large, or intense. We also know that along with Donald John Trump the Coronavirus will be in the building. The only question remaining at this moment is which will wreck more havoc.
6-15-20
Friday, June 12, 2020
Buckle Up Buttercup: The Wrong Person in the Wrong Place, at the Wrong Time Next Week
Next Friday won't be the first time Donald Trump has visited Oklahoma, or Tulsa. A few years ago candidate Trump showed up at the Oklahoma state fairgrounds in Oklahoma City. He even had a super secret meeting with top dollar donors in Norman at the home of former Oklahoma football coach, Barry Switzer's daughter. His Tulsa rally in 2016 was held at the Oral Roberts University Mabee Center in the south end of town--not far from the world famous Southern Hills Country Club. In other words, his type of neighborhood.
How amazingly distant those events four years ago can seem. Perhaps it's because as corrupt and savage as Trump's campaign was then it can't even compare to what his presidency has turned out to be.
And, of course, in 2016, the economy was still growing and there wasn't a deadly virus running amok from sea to shining sea and beyond. Plus, police forces through out the land weren't committing well documented acts of violence comparable to those perpetrated by Herr Hitler's Brown Shirts.
A week from today Mr. Trump is scheduled to appear at Tulsa's gaudy jewel, the BOK Center. It is a big time venue which seats 19,000 plus. It is also located in downtown, mere blocks from two places which are suspected to be the sites of unmarked mass graves of African Americans who were murdered during the 1921 Greenwood massacre--the most devastating pogrom in the history of the republic. Not to mention within walking distance of the terrible killing field itself.
The day of his appearance is significant to the African American population. June, 19th, or Juneteenth is considered the date of black independence. It is the day slaves in Galveston, TX finally found out they were no longer owned by their masters and there wasn't a thing those masters could do about it. The celebration, as so many do, went national after a while. In fact next Friday in the modern Greenwood district there are major activities planned to commemorate it.
Given the date, which will fall less than three weeks after the 99th anniversary of the Greenwood horror and the locale it wouldn't be unusual for a sitting President, or big league candidate to show up to make a pitch for votes. You know President's like Jack Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, or even one or both of the Bush boys.
Don Trump feels all kinds of inappropriate though. I mean it might just be me, but a guy who has spent the last couple of weeks calling Black Lives Matter protesters criminals and thugs while praising cops who have gassed and beaten them seems like the wrong person in the wrong place, at the wrong time.
Let's face it, it doesn't help that The Big Orange Guy has, on one occasion, called white nationalists, "fine people," and another, armed white gangs of self styled militia types, "good people who should be listened to."
Then we get to the normal yokels who show up at his rallies. They are almost 100% white. In addition many of them like to carry confederate flags while spouting conspiracy theories that almost always involve Barack H. Obama, America's first black president.
Which begs the question, are all of Don Trump's white supporters racist? Maybe not, but it is a pretty sure bet all white racists are.
According to the media the Tulsa rally could well be the spot where El Don makes a national appeal for racial unity and reconciliation. It is a speech which has been conspicuously missing ever since George Floyd was murdered and the demonstrations began. The content of the speech is a tad suspect, however, since the notoriously xenophobic Stephen Miller is reportedly writing it. It's also being reported Miller picked the city and date for Trump's, Fuck the virus, we're back on the road again, address.
Odds are the speech will have little to do with unity, reconciliation, or healing. Instead it will be a marathon harangue during which Don Trump will endlessly brag about all the great stuff he has done for black communities nation wide. A theme something along the lines of, Hey, I've done more for you people than anyone. Now vote for me.
The killing of George Floyd justifiably appears to be the final straw for many. Even though he is now in the ground emotions are still raw and the wounds are deep. So much so God only knows what sort of armed presence will be deployed by the Mayor and Governor around the BOK Center on Juneteenth. Or worse, across the railroad tracks on the north side of Tulsa.
The one thing we do know is there will be demonstrations. What we don't know is how ol' Bunker Don, his crowd, and the cops will react to them. We are going to find out though.
Buckle up, buttercup. It is going to be a long Friday in Tulsa next week.
6-12-20
How amazingly distant those events four years ago can seem. Perhaps it's because as corrupt and savage as Trump's campaign was then it can't even compare to what his presidency has turned out to be.
And, of course, in 2016, the economy was still growing and there wasn't a deadly virus running amok from sea to shining sea and beyond. Plus, police forces through out the land weren't committing well documented acts of violence comparable to those perpetrated by Herr Hitler's Brown Shirts.
A week from today Mr. Trump is scheduled to appear at Tulsa's gaudy jewel, the BOK Center. It is a big time venue which seats 19,000 plus. It is also located in downtown, mere blocks from two places which are suspected to be the sites of unmarked mass graves of African Americans who were murdered during the 1921 Greenwood massacre--the most devastating pogrom in the history of the republic. Not to mention within walking distance of the terrible killing field itself.
The day of his appearance is significant to the African American population. June, 19th, or Juneteenth is considered the date of black independence. It is the day slaves in Galveston, TX finally found out they were no longer owned by their masters and there wasn't a thing those masters could do about it. The celebration, as so many do, went national after a while. In fact next Friday in the modern Greenwood district there are major activities planned to commemorate it.
Given the date, which will fall less than three weeks after the 99th anniversary of the Greenwood horror and the locale it wouldn't be unusual for a sitting President, or big league candidate to show up to make a pitch for votes. You know President's like Jack Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, or even one or both of the Bush boys.
Don Trump feels all kinds of inappropriate though. I mean it might just be me, but a guy who has spent the last couple of weeks calling Black Lives Matter protesters criminals and thugs while praising cops who have gassed and beaten them seems like the wrong person in the wrong place, at the wrong time.
Let's face it, it doesn't help that The Big Orange Guy has, on one occasion, called white nationalists, "fine people," and another, armed white gangs of self styled militia types, "good people who should be listened to."
Then we get to the normal yokels who show up at his rallies. They are almost 100% white. In addition many of them like to carry confederate flags while spouting conspiracy theories that almost always involve Barack H. Obama, America's first black president.
Which begs the question, are all of Don Trump's white supporters racist? Maybe not, but it is a pretty sure bet all white racists are.
According to the media the Tulsa rally could well be the spot where El Don makes a national appeal for racial unity and reconciliation. It is a speech which has been conspicuously missing ever since George Floyd was murdered and the demonstrations began. The content of the speech is a tad suspect, however, since the notoriously xenophobic Stephen Miller is reportedly writing it. It's also being reported Miller picked the city and date for Trump's, Fuck the virus, we're back on the road again, address.
Odds are the speech will have little to do with unity, reconciliation, or healing. Instead it will be a marathon harangue during which Don Trump will endlessly brag about all the great stuff he has done for black communities nation wide. A theme something along the lines of, Hey, I've done more for you people than anyone. Now vote for me.
The killing of George Floyd justifiably appears to be the final straw for many. Even though he is now in the ground emotions are still raw and the wounds are deep. So much so God only knows what sort of armed presence will be deployed by the Mayor and Governor around the BOK Center on Juneteenth. Or worse, across the railroad tracks on the north side of Tulsa.
The one thing we do know is there will be demonstrations. What we don't know is how ol' Bunker Don, his crowd, and the cops will react to them. We are going to find out though.
Buckle up, buttercup. It is going to be a long Friday in Tulsa next week.
6-12-20
Sunday, June 7, 2020
Texas Republicans Blame It All on George--Both Of Them
Here we go. According to the publication, "Texas Tribune," around 12 county GOP chairs in that state have been, let's say, expressing their opinions about the current state of race relations in this country.
The Tribune reports several of the chair people have been posting on Facebook that the protests in response to the murder of George Floyd have been largely financed by another guy named George. That would be, George Soros, the Jewish billionaire who the uber right loves to blame for everything.
Just to prove how far down the rabbit hole the party of Lincoln has gone, the county chairs also posted they believed the killing was, "staged," in order to hurt Donald Trump's re-election chances. Not surprisingly none of the merry band chose to explain how the, "staging," was accomplished, or if Mr. Floyd was in on the plot. If he was the outcome was, without a doubt, not what he expected.
Despite the vagueness of the details regarding this intricate subterfuge, each and every man and woman chair is sure of who is behind it. The Tribune says Freestone County chair, Doug Sanford, the aptly named GOP chairperson of Hays County, Russell Hayter, and Jamie Durham the chair of Foard County, all shared a post of a fake ad which read, "Get paid to be a Professional Anarchist," The ad also promises Soros will pay $200 to each person, "who takes action."
Lynne Teinert of Shackelford County put out a photo of Soros along with the words, "The pandemic isn't working. Start the race wars." Cindy Weatherby posted a list of questions which included, "Can someone really not breathe when someone kneels on his neck and is the victim really able to speak for considerable periods of time if he can't breathe?"
Since George Floyd is dead, the only logical response to Ms. Weatherby's question is, well, yeah. However, my personal favorite among her queries is "Why did the kneeling officer appear completely cool and calm, as if he was posing for the camera?"
Here is a thought. Maybe he is a racist ghoul on a power trip with no notion he'd be held accountable?
Then we have LaDonna Oliver, the chair of Reeves County who shared this bon mot, "People are trying to turn George Floyd into a saint, but he was a brutal criminal." In an interview with The Tribune, Oliver expanded on her post. "I said he was no angel. My concern is all the rioting and people not knowing what is going on, making something so huge about it. There are more important issues of people dying, or being killed. Nobody cries about the abortions. The police were wrong, but from what I've seen on his medical records he was high on drugs."
Just to make sure the county chair persons aren't lonely Texas Agriculture Commissioner, Sid Miller posted another photo of Soros along with the text, "Start the race war."
Of course this crazed nonsense isn't confined completely to Texas. Minneapolis Police union chief Bob Kroll wrote a letter to his membership complaining the media is not covering Floyd's, "violent criminal history." He also concluded the demonstrations are the result of, "a terrorist network."
George Floyd did five years for assault and robbery. He had also been convicted of theft with a firearm and drug possession. He had done his time and moved to Minneapolis in order to restart his life and put all that behind him. In the moments before he died he was suspected of trying to pass a bad $20 bill. He hadn't been charged with either that offense, or anything else in the Twin Cities area when he was initially handcuffed.
Floyd's past record had nothing to do with what happened in Minneapolis. It is highly doubtful the cool and calm Derek Chauvin even knew of Floyd's history before he crushed his knee down onto his neck for nearly nine minutes. Not to mention there is that whole, innocent until proven guilty thing, but obviously Officer Chauvin considered it non applicable in the case of George Floyd.
Yes, there are a lot of yokels out there who want to blame this entire nightmare on Floyd himself and George Soros. But from the commissioners in Texas to the union head in Minneapolis, and even down to a belligerent bike rider on a trail in Maryland this is on all of them. Their racism, overt, or tacit, is what led to the death of George Floyd. Their racism is what has put hundreds of thousands in the streets.
sic vita est
6-7-20
The Tribune reports several of the chair people have been posting on Facebook that the protests in response to the murder of George Floyd have been largely financed by another guy named George. That would be, George Soros, the Jewish billionaire who the uber right loves to blame for everything.
Just to prove how far down the rabbit hole the party of Lincoln has gone, the county chairs also posted they believed the killing was, "staged," in order to hurt Donald Trump's re-election chances. Not surprisingly none of the merry band chose to explain how the, "staging," was accomplished, or if Mr. Floyd was in on the plot. If he was the outcome was, without a doubt, not what he expected.
Despite the vagueness of the details regarding this intricate subterfuge, each and every man and woman chair is sure of who is behind it. The Tribune says Freestone County chair, Doug Sanford, the aptly named GOP chairperson of Hays County, Russell Hayter, and Jamie Durham the chair of Foard County, all shared a post of a fake ad which read, "Get paid to be a Professional Anarchist," The ad also promises Soros will pay $200 to each person, "who takes action."
Lynne Teinert of Shackelford County put out a photo of Soros along with the words, "The pandemic isn't working. Start the race wars." Cindy Weatherby posted a list of questions which included, "Can someone really not breathe when someone kneels on his neck and is the victim really able to speak for considerable periods of time if he can't breathe?"
Since George Floyd is dead, the only logical response to Ms. Weatherby's question is, well, yeah. However, my personal favorite among her queries is "Why did the kneeling officer appear completely cool and calm, as if he was posing for the camera?"
Here is a thought. Maybe he is a racist ghoul on a power trip with no notion he'd be held accountable?
Then we have LaDonna Oliver, the chair of Reeves County who shared this bon mot, "People are trying to turn George Floyd into a saint, but he was a brutal criminal." In an interview with The Tribune, Oliver expanded on her post. "I said he was no angel. My concern is all the rioting and people not knowing what is going on, making something so huge about it. There are more important issues of people dying, or being killed. Nobody cries about the abortions. The police were wrong, but from what I've seen on his medical records he was high on drugs."
Just to make sure the county chair persons aren't lonely Texas Agriculture Commissioner, Sid Miller posted another photo of Soros along with the text, "Start the race war."
Of course this crazed nonsense isn't confined completely to Texas. Minneapolis Police union chief Bob Kroll wrote a letter to his membership complaining the media is not covering Floyd's, "violent criminal history." He also concluded the demonstrations are the result of, "a terrorist network."
George Floyd did five years for assault and robbery. He had also been convicted of theft with a firearm and drug possession. He had done his time and moved to Minneapolis in order to restart his life and put all that behind him. In the moments before he died he was suspected of trying to pass a bad $20 bill. He hadn't been charged with either that offense, or anything else in the Twin Cities area when he was initially handcuffed.
Floyd's past record had nothing to do with what happened in Minneapolis. It is highly doubtful the cool and calm Derek Chauvin even knew of Floyd's history before he crushed his knee down onto his neck for nearly nine minutes. Not to mention there is that whole, innocent until proven guilty thing, but obviously Officer Chauvin considered it non applicable in the case of George Floyd.
Yes, there are a lot of yokels out there who want to blame this entire nightmare on Floyd himself and George Soros. But from the commissioners in Texas to the union head in Minneapolis, and even down to a belligerent bike rider on a trail in Maryland this is on all of them. Their racism, overt, or tacit, is what led to the death of George Floyd. Their racism is what has put hundreds of thousands in the streets.
sic vita est
6-7-20
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