Three Things We Learned on Tuesday

We learned three things yesterday.

The first was that Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, is a pretty good con artist when he wants to be. He had promised to deliver The Great October Surprise in the wee hours of Tuesday morning. The word was his revelations would have a direct impact on the United States presidential election. He shifted the venue of the press conference at the last moment due to what was called, "specific information." No one knows what that information was, but there is no doubt the right wing minions interpreted it as the discovery of a Clinton team of snipers on the prowl.

All the anticipation drove thousands, if not millions, of Trumpists to either stay up late, or rise early so they could witness what they assumed would be the downfall of Hillary Rodham Clinton.

The salivating was intense enough it moved the head of The Trump Thug Brigade, Roger Stone to tweet on Saturday, "@Hillary Clinton is done." Alex Jones, the minister of Don's, Department of Conspiracies was so giddy he broadcast the press conference live. Before it began he told his audience, "It will be historic and the Clintons will be devastated." He went further by claiming he was so excited he was worried his heart wouldn't be able to stand it.

It turned out the entire show was, as the Daily Dot described, an extended WikiLeaks infomercial. In fact Assange chided the faithful who were watching by saying if his organization had a major announcement they wouldn't do it at 3am. He did, however, offer viewers 40% off on various books written by himself and others who run the questionable enterprise.

Of course this doesn't mean Assange won't release some sort of email, or document down the line that will make the hot to trot Clinton haters happy. But, he did guarantee himself a much smaller and more skeptical audience when he does.

Next was the announcement the Trump campaign is forming a fact checking group called, 'The Big League Truth Team." In order to counter groups like, PolitiFact and FactCheck.org--you know, the non partisan outfits who expose El Don's never ending torrent of lies--the Trump brain trust has begun to recruit grass root supporters as, "fact checkers."

Well, sort of.

The Big League Truth Team site offers these instructions, "Thank you for joining the team. We have serious work to do. Before, during, and after each debate we will send you messages we need for you to spread online. Use Twitter, Facebook, email, and any other tool you have to spread what we send you online. Sometimes we'll text you and sometimes we'll email you. Be ready! We can't fight both the media and Hillary without your help. We're counting on you. That's all for now. Remember the debate schedule. Plan ahead. Be ready."

Yes, that's right. The Trump campaign is going to fact check the Trump himself. They just need a social media network to get their odious version of the truth out there.

Finally, last night, we had Tim Kaine. His debate delivery immediately begged the question, was the man on speed? Let's face it, when it comes to interrupting people he made Donald Trump look like a rank amateur.

At least when he did talk over, not just Mike Pence, but the moderator, he was telling the truth--something Trump has yet to do. Most of  Kaine's rat-a-tat-tat attacks cited Trump's wildest bullshit word for word. It was stuff the big orange guy has said time and time again on camera and therefore, in every sense of the word, is undeniable.

That is unless you're Governor Pence. He denied it all by calmly, yea, serenely, shaking his head as each verifiable, on tape, quote came spilling forth. It was if he had gone to some safe room in his mind where every repugnant and foul thing his running mate has ever spewed simply never happened.

It was either the greatest display of transcendental meditation ever witnessed, or the most despicable sell out to evil a self described Christian has publicly committed.

In the end, it was probably both.

Whatever the case, the next stop for this magical mystery tour is St. Louis on Sunday evening.

Hey, be there, or be square.



10-5-16