Mr. Robinson's Neighborhood: Donald Trump's Greatest Crime

 If Wikipedia is right, this shit is actually true.

S.H.

Back in North Carolina the republican candidate for Governor is a guy named Mark Robinson. He isn't new to politics there. Right now he is the sitting Lt. Governor and the reason why the Governor, Roy Cooper says he withdrew his name from Kamala Harris' short list of Vice Presidential picks. It would seem, like many states, North Carolina law says while the Governor is out of state, as in campaigning, the Lt. Governor assumes all the power, legislative and otherwise of the Governor. Because of that law, Roy Cooper didn't want to leave Mark Robinson in charge for any extended amount of time. 

Given the Lt. Governor's political and rhetorical history Mr. Cooper's reasoning is not only sound, but entirely justified.

Mark Robinson says that years ago he read a book written by conservative radio personality Rush Limbaugh. After putting the book down Robinson claims, "I found out I was conservative and had always been." Yeah, well, there are conservatives and then there are people like Mark Robinson.

 In 2019 Brother Robinson said this about the issue of abortion, "It's about killing children because you weren't responsible enough to keep your skirt down, or your pants up...because you felt like getting your groove thing on...you want to kill that child so your life can go on being on easy street and you can keep running to the club every Friday night." In 2021 he addressed a church congregation and told them, "I don't care whether you just got pregnant. I don't care if you're 24 hours pregnant. If you kill that young'un it is murder. You got blood on your hands."

Such is the nature of 21st century conservatism. And for those wondering about the whole hypocrisy thing, yes, Mark Robinson admits that in the 1980's he knocked up his future wife and paid for her to have an abortion. 

As one can guess Mark Robinson doesn't like a lot of things, or people. He once claimed the Marvel Comics character, Black Panther was, "created by an agnostic Jew." For good measure he added that the movie version of the superhero was produced by, "Satanic Marxists." Just to make sure you know what he really thinks the Lt. Governor once posted on his Facebook account, " This foolishness about Hitler disarming MILLIONS of Jews and then marching them off to concentration camps is hogwash."  

So tell us, Mark, what do you think about the gay community? In 2016 he posted, "Homosexuality is STILL an abdominal sin and I WILL NOT join in celebrating gay pride." Five years later he referred to, "transgenderism and homosexuality," as filth. To drive home his point he told another church congregation, " And yes, I called it filth. And if you don't like I called it filth, come and see me and I'll explain it to you."  

Previously Mr. Robinson has told us, "The only thing worse than a woman who doesn't know her place is a man who doesn't know his." Then, on the same subject, there is my favorite quote of his, "I absolutely want to go back to the America where women couldn't vote." 

Oh yes, that will be an easy sell from coast to coast.  

Mark Robinson is black, which shouldn't make any difference at all. It might though, when you consider that in the past he has referred to his fellow African Americans who support democrats as, "muddle headed negroes," apes," and "monkeys." He has also claimed Michelle Obama is a man, but that's so common among right wing fringe types now days it's hardly worth mentioning.

Of course, the problem is while Lt. Governor Mark Robinson could and should be considered on the far right fringe his brand of politics has propelled him into the office he now holds. Not to mention getting him into the race for the highest office in a major swing state. In 2020 when he ran, he received 51.63% of the vote. In other words more than five out of every 10 voters in North Carolina thought he was just aces.

Now, what is scarier? Mark Robinson, or the majority who agreed with him that we need to, "...get back to the America where women couldn't vote?"

Donald Trump's greatest crime is one he will never even get charged with. He has convinced millions of people in this republic and the media to treat horror shows like the grotesque politics of Mark Robinson as if it is normal. 

The latest polls show Robinson trailing democrat, Josh Stein by eight points, but as we've all learned over the last eight years polls can't be trusted. 

But hey, at least we can hope.

8-28-24

The Democrats Party Hearty as Kamala Harris has the Fat Old Degenerate on the Run

 You'll never be able to say the democrats don't know how to throw a party. Their convention opened in Chicago on Mondy and over those next four days the good times rolled. In fact, the enthusiasm was so wildly intense those running the event didn't seem to care if people at home could stay up late enough to hear the keynote speeches, or not. How else can you describe it when on Monday, President Joe Biden didn't start talking until well after 11pm Eastern Time. 

His starting time Monday night was pushed back so often the Fox News propagandists even began to claim democrats were either insulting Biden, or attempting to hide him from a prime time audience due to his mental deterioration. The party leadership disproved that theory when over the next two nights former President Barack Obama and the Vice Presidential nominee, Tim Walz didn't start until after 11pm either. 

Last night the democrats finally got their timing right, although, thanks to Bill Clinton it was closer than it should have been. The party nominee for President, Kamala Harris got to the stage a little before 10;:30pm Eastern. She finished well after 11. No one in the hall seemed to care though and by the time Ms. Harris was done talking a lot of people watching from home didn't either. 

To put it simply, Kamala Harris nailed it. 

The former District Attorney looked into the eyes of the jury, presented her qualifications and outlined her case. She then vigorously prosecuted the felon--a term she seemed to relish using--and finally, made her closing argument. The crowd, which had been raucous all evening went berserk with joy and exuberance.

Indeed, hope had been renewed and the skies had cleared. In that moment as red, white and blue balloons cascaded down and American flags waved throughout the delegates, it finally felt like a second Trump term wasn't inevitable. That's right baby, Kamala Harris kicked Donald Trump's ass and now she has the fat old degenerate on the run. 

Trump, himself, proved just as much. He apparently was desperately posting nonsense on social media during the Harris speech. Immediately after she was done he was on the phone and on the air with the Fox News talking heads demanding they allow him to respond to the address--in other words,the man was frantic for attention. Unfortunately for The Big Orange Guy after a few minutes Fox abruptly pulled the plug on him in order to get to their regular programming. 

Yes, it looks like Fox News has come to the decision Greg Gutfeld is better for their ratings than Donald Trump. They might have been right. Especially when you consider the former President spent much of the phone call telling everyone it is his campaign and not Harris' which has the momentum, that her speech contained a lot of, "complaints," and then spun into a rant about democrats kicking Joe Biden out of the party. 

No doubt the execs at Fox felt broadcasting insane lies are one thing, but broadcasting reruns of insane lies are another. 

After watching that convention it is easy to be overly optimistic. (Democrats even managed to turn the roll call of state and territorial delegations into a mini-rock concert for God's sake.) However, the 2024 presidential campaign is now a dead heat and an all out sprint for the finish line. Trump is a cornered beast and that makes him even more dangerous than before. He is already calling Kamala Harris' father a Marxist and the candidate herself at Communist. He is posting AI generated images along with outrageous captions on social media and his lies about what is happening in this country are growing more racist and xenophobic every day. His never-ending drumbeat of chaos and doom is powerful. In far too many bars and churches fear, homophobia, and misogyny are easy sells and Trump knows it. The outcome in a handful of precincts in places like Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin could determine the election one way or the other. 

And as hard as it is to admit it during the current euphoria Kamala Harris is vulnerable. Trump even touched on it during his demented phone call last night. Mainly, why is the Vice President promising to fix stuff she and Joe Biden have already had three and a half years to fix? (My killing immigration reform doesn't count, it's the other stuff.)  J.D. Vance has made that point also. We can be certain he will go there again before this is over.

The election is going to be a close run thing. Earlier this year I felt that even though Biden had screwed up the debate he could survive if he ran a perfect campaign through election day. Obviously, he felt that way too, but understood he couldn't, so he dropped out. The truth is, while Kamala Harris hasn't fucked up yet her campaign has to remain flawless also. Or, to put it into football terms, you can have all the momentum in the world, but if you fumble the ball it is gone in an instant. 

8-23-24

A Weird Week in Oklahoma Politics: Ryan Walters Goes One Step Beyond

 Oklahoma State Superintendent of Public Education, Ryan Walters wakes up every day with two things on his mind. The first is how to get his face in front of as many cameras as possible. The second is making sure public schools in Oklahoma and the Oklahoma State Department of Education are run, His Way. He is quite adept at the first thing. You can't watch local news in this state without seeing his scruffy mug making excuses for his behavior. Unfortunately, when it comes to the second, His Way isn't always, The Legal Way. In fact, one can make the argument many times it isn't even close. 

One of Brother Walters' favorite moves is to hold up federal and state funding to districts. There has been some debate as to why he does this--it's not like they're OSDE monies--however, one has to suspect he is letting those districts know if they don't do it, His Way as far a he is concerned their students can go dumpster diving for their next lunch. Now, though, Walters' hubris driven extortion scams might have taken him to the edge of disaster.

Media reports surfaced last week that Walters and his OSDE toadies were denying districts money appropriated by the legislature for upgrades in school security systems. Now, Oklahoma republicans don't mind screwing over public school kids when it comes to academics and after school programs, but none of them want to take the rap for another Uvalde, TX style school massacre. After the news of the funding delay broke, it didn't take long for the excrement to hit the fan.

Republican legislator Mark McBride demanded that Oklahoma House Speaker, Charles McCall begin an impeachment investigation of Ryan Walters. A letter was signed by nearly two dozen republican members of the house agreeing with him. Walters immediately went to the media, appearing on two OKC TV stations last week alone. His claim was his department was simply attempting to make sure the disbursement of the funds was done in a legal manner. As soon as he receives a decision, he said, the money would be handed out. That's right, we don't give a rat's ass about open meeting laws, or open records requests, not to mention questionable spending for personal promotion, but when it comes to school security, by God, we're going to make sure all the i's are dotted and the t's are crossed.  

Last Monday, McCall said he would not begin an impeachment investigation of Walters unless 51 house republicans asked him to do so. On Thursday, however, he gave the green light for an investigation of not Walters, per se, but rather the entire OSDE by the Legislative Office of Fiscal Transparency. 

This did not sit well with Superintendent Walters. Friday afternoon, he called the press together at the doors leading into the house chamber in the capitol. Then things got a tad, outré. Walters claimed McCall was launching a political attack on him solely because the Speaker wants to run for governor in 2026 and he, Ryan Walters would be his chief opposition. In short, McCall, the guy who saved his ass just days before, is now pulling a political hit job for purely selfish reasons. Then the Superintendent of Oklahoma's Public School System went one step beyond. He demanded the Oklahoma House of Representatives and Charles McCall begin impeachment proceedings against him at once--as in tomorrow. Let's go you woke RINO bastards, he was saying, take your best shot.

Long time Oklahoma politico, Mike Turpin speculated what might have gone wrong with the wiring in Ryan Walters' brain. Maybe, he said, we've just witnessed an act of political suicide. Or perhaps Walters is so scared of his department being investigated he is desperately trying to provoke the House into ditching its investigation, which might turn up something really damaging, in favor of a willy nilly rush to impeach him on charges he knows he can beat. Whatever the case Turpin feels Ryan Walters as, "embraced victimhood." 

Well, they all do don't they. From Trump on down all these right wing strong man wannabes sling shot back and forth between being an arrogant bully with no regard for law, or decency to some type of poor, persecuted, misunderstood, upholder of truth, justice and family values. It is their well known, Modus Operandi.

To top off the week, Walters continued to call Bixby, OK school Superintendent, Rob Miller a liar after a local TV reporter had asked him if name calling was contributing to the turmoil in the system. Later that afternoon, to prove it doesn't, Miller sued Walters citing two counts of defamation. He is demanding $75,000 in compensation. It is unknown at this time whether Mr. Walters will claim, Superintendent immunity, or a chunk of school district funds will be, let's say, redirected.   

Yes, it was a weird week in Oklahoma. Some might even call it surreal. But hey, it isn't every day in American politics you get to see a completely dysfunctional elected official get sued then call for his own impeachment because it might get him off the hook for God only knows what sort of terrible felonies. 

Who says this isn't a great state?

8-18-24

Donald Trump Goes All Fat Elvis

 My old friend John Wooley is a journalist, author, and radio personality who occasionally produces and appears in movies and documentaries. Recently he told me another pal of his had referred the 2024 version of Donald Trump to, "Fat Elvis." You know, that old bloated Elvis singing ancient tunes on a Las Vegas stage to an equally ancient audience who seems to be slowly disappearing. 

Both John and his buddy have a point. During this Presidential campaign, has Donald Trump said, or done anything that would win him the votes of someone who voted for Joe Biden four years ago? Has Donald Trump wowed any new audiences? Does he have any new admirers, any fresh blood in the cult? Or is he simply playing to the same crowd, attempting moves he simply can't pull off anymore thanks to far too many prescription drugs and peanut butter, banana, and bacon sandwiches?  

At this moment in August, all the evidence points to no as the answer. In a matter of less than three weeks a moribund democratic party and campaign has come alive with enthusiasm, excitement, and growing confidence. The polls are starting to turn toward Kamala Harris. She is now the one drawing the huge wildly cheering crowds. Her rallies are the ones now being covered by the media and talked about with awe. Suddenly, it is Kamala Harris who represents politics in a new and inspirational way.

Meanwhile, Fat Elvis is standing in front of the same crowd, singing the same old shit over and over and over. The Lincoln Project's Rick Wilson put it this way, "I think it is time for his care givers at Mar A Lago to start getting Grandpa Donald into bed earlier at night, because he's not capable of being President." 

At his most recent rallies Donald Trump has dragged out insults he began using against republican opponents in the 2016 primaries. Harris is a low IQ individual, he's said. Joe Biden is smarter than her, he has claimed. In addition he has fallen back on the thinly veiled racism which first put him into the political spotlight. She used to claim she was Indian, then she suddenly became black. I didn't know she was black for years, he said. Then he told another crowd, the democrats wanted to get rid of her, but they couldn't because it would be politically incorrect. He added later that night, There is about nine different ways to pronounce her name and I don't care if I get any of them right. 

Is there anything in all that which would make you say to yourself, "Boy I screwed up four years ago, I'm now going to vote for Donald Trump now."

I didn't think so.

The only new track we've heard from Mr. Trump lately is his growing insistence that when Kamala Harris replaced Joe Biden at the head of the ticket, it was somehow unconstitutional. Suspicions are growing that by doing so he is laying the groundwork to contest the results of the election if he loses--which is now a distinct possibility. 

That's right members of the Supreme Court, not only was the election stolen for a second time, but Kamala Harris can't be President because it is unconstitutional for democrats to call backsies. 

And just to prove this version of Fat Elvis is, All Shook Up, Trump has doubled down on his claim Joe Biden will demand democrats give him the nomination at their convention. He told a recent crowd, "I've been told Joe Biden is going to go into that room and tell them, I want my Presidency back." He insisted Mr. Biden would accomplish this feat by challenging he, Donald Trump to another debate. 

It would seem that while Fat Elvis' mental capacities have diminished, his ego has not.

The Harris-Walz campaign still has its work cut out for it. The road to the election is full of land minds and ambushes. Any sort of major screw up could cost it dearly. However right now it has Fat Elvis on the run. 

And that same old Fat Elvis act has finally grown stale and tiresome. As B.B. King once sang, "The Thrill is Gone." 

Luckily for the nation though, if you look around, you'll find it whenever and wherever Kamala Harris speaks.

8-11-24

Donald Trump Proves It Once and For All

 What are the chances that Crooked Joe Biden, the WORST President in the history of the U.S., whose Presidency was unconstitutionally STOLEN from him by Kamabla Harris, Barrack Hussein Obama, Crazy Nancy Pelosi, Shifty Adam Schiff, Cryin' Chuck Schumer, and others on the lunatic Left, CRASHES the Democratic National Convention and tries to take back the Nomination, beginning with challenging me to another DEBATE. He feels he made a historically tragic mistake by handing over the U.S. Presidency, a COUP, to the people in the world he most hates and he wants it back NOW!!!

Donald John Trump, the former President and current republican nominee for the highest office in the land, yesterday on social media.

Hey, don't blame me for the spelling, grammar, and odd ball, random, use of caps. That's what Don Trump said and exactly how he wrote it. I would never selectively edit a madman. Doing so would dilute the crystalline purity of his insanity.

Reaction to Mr. Trump's post, as can be imagined, was swift. George Conway addressed a social media post to Trump's two eldest sons and his political advisors which read, "Are you guys going to get this guy the help he so obviously needs, or are all you there just to cash his checks?"

Former MSNBC host Mehdi Hasan wrote, in part, "We make so much fun of Trump and his insane posts that we all just gloss over his open bigotry. He manages to be both Islamophobic ('HUSSEIN') and antiemetic ('Shifty') at the same time and we all just ignore it."

My personal favorite though came from the former editor in chief of the conservative outlet, Bulwark, Charlie Sykes. He responded with, "Can we just say it? The guy is frigging nuts." 

Brother Sykes has a point. Donald Trump's rant wasn't one of those late-night senior moments we've all grown accustomed to. You know, one of the Adderall/caffeine/insomnia fueled Sundowner Syndrome episodes that gave us the cryptic, "Covfefe," message. No, Trump's post yesterday showed up on social media at around 4:30 PM EST, hours before Kamala Harris and her new running mate, Tim Walz hit the stage in Philadelphia.

A few moments after the first round of gibberish, Trump followed up with, "This is the most Radical Left duo in American history." He then added, darkly, "There has never been anything like it and there never will be again." Saying something like, "there will never be again," wouldn't mean much coming from someone else, but from a man who recently promised his, "beautiful Christians," if he is elected in November they won't ever have to vote again--a guy who at least twice has said he wants to be President for life--the words become a tad ominous. Especially when you consider the Supreme Court just ruled a sitting President can't be prosecuted for whacking a political opponent, or two as long as it is an, "official act of office." 

Ah yes, in one moment we see him raving like some schizophrenic street person. Then we catch a glimpse of a deposed and exiled despot, desperate not just for a return to power, but for revenge. Or, as he told a crowd once, "I am your retribution!" Given what we've learned since that speech we now know he wasn't speaking to his followers that day; he was talking to a mirror.

Ladies and gentlemen, Donald Trump has just proven once and for all he has succumbed to profound mental illness. Or, to put in lay terms, the motherfucker has gone bat shit crazy.

And, quite frankly, the only house he should be allowed to occupy is the one labeled, Chock Full o Nuts.  

sic vita est

8-7-24

Ryan Walters Invents the Law

 Once you are convinced God is on your side, you are capable of justifying every sort of crime imaginable.

The late science fiction author, Mike McQuay

That certainly seems to be the case with Ryan Walters who is the current Superintendent of the Oklahoma State Board of Education. As has been noted previously, Brother Walters in waging a personal crusade to remake the Oklahoma Public School System into Christian Nationalist academies. Included in the curriculum would be revisions of history, civics, and, one presumes, science which would make the Inner Party of George Orwell's Oceania proud.

To achieve this goal, Ryan Walters has to eviscerate the powers and historical rights of local school boards to manage their own affairs and set their own curriculum. Anyone objecting to his personal vision of what public education should be and how it should be controlled must be, dealt with.

That includes teachers, unions, state legislators, students, judges, and members of the public. Not to mention the local media, especially those who question his run amok spending of taxpayer money to fund his relentless campaign of personal promotion.

We can now include State Senator, Mary Boren on that list. Wednesday, Boren attempted to attend a state board executive meeting--which is allowed by state law. She was denied entry and immediately complained to the state AG's office. It had ruled in mid July she could show up at executive sessions, but Walters and his merry band of fanatics have never let legal shit get in their way before, so they simply acted as if they didn't know the ruling existed--despite an email sent to each of them, explaining it.  After the meeting Walters told reporters, "I've got left wing democrats like Mary that want to come in and make it where we can't remove pedophiles from the classrooms. That's what she is wanting to do. She's wanting to disrupt the process." 

Earlier in the week, Bixby School Superintendent, Rob Miller posted on social media school districts had still not received their allocations of Title 1 federal funding. Ryan Walters responded with, "He's a liar, I mean he's really a true embarrassment. He knows every year when he gets Title 1 funds in. Rob is a clown and a liar, so he knows that he's an embarrassment." 

Ah yes, our man Ryan Walters is always quite the professional.

Well, when you have grand plans like he does, sometimes you can get a bit snippy at all those woke liberals in charge of Oklahoma. 

You know, like the people running the districts who insist that they, not the State Board of Education are in charge of local curriculums. A little fact the AG has also ruled on in their favor. However Walters has plowed on, insisting his mandate that bibles be in every state classroom and taught in history classes as the inspiration for and the foundation of the American republic is, The Law.

He has issued dark warnings that any teacher refusing to use the bible as a text book will be de-certified for breaking, The Law. That it isn't The Law at all, it's just him saying it is, doesn't matter. Legislature? Governor? Who needs those leftist bastards? We are talking about doing the work of our Lord and Savior, Don...oops...Jesus Christ. 

Actually there has been a law, passed by the legislature and signed by Oklahoma's last democratic governor, Brad Henry which states the bible can be taught in public schools under certain strict conditions. It has to be an elective course exploring characters, stories, and poetry found there in a historical context only. It can't, however, be taught to promote Christianity over other religious traditions, or to the exclusions of those traditions. In addition, state funds cannot be used to pay for any religious text, or texts or iconography. (Republican legislators tried to pass a constitutional amendment changing that last part in 2016. It was resoundingly rejected by the voters of this state on the same day 65.3% of them cast their ballots for Donald J. Trump)   

So much for Walters' plan to use state money to pay for all those bibles in the classrooms. 

Of course, as we know, minor things, like the will of the people, have never stopped fascists like Ryan Walters. He's already promised to go to the U.S. Supreme Court with his proposal to use state money to pay for a Catholic charter school. Going there to argue election results are unconstitutional doesn't seem that far fetched for a man of his political bent and ambitions.

Indeed. At the Oklahoma State Board of Education the law seems to be whatever Ryan Walters says it is. Or, as Senator Mary Boren said, "He invents the law the way he wants it to be and proceeds accordingly." 

That's right, baby. Whether we like it or not, Ryan Walters is going to make our kids and grandkids be good, and just like him.

8-3-24