But wait just a dang minute - they think maybe New Jersey is being invaded? How sure are we that Orson Welles is still dead?
Showing posts with label rubes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label rubes. Show all posts
Dec 15, 2024
Oct 7, 2024
Here We Go Again
Hey, MAGA - instead of swallowing a buncha stupid bullshit about "bad gubmint stealin' muh money to pay for illegal immigrants" (or whatever fucked up lies you're buying into today), maybe you could try looking to the coin-operated politicians you've been voting for.
Hurricane Milton reaches Category 5 strength on approach to Florida
The storm is expected to produce a devasting surge along Florida’s west coast, which could include the Tampa Bay area. Some decrease in strength is forecast ahead of landfall.
Milton, a top-tier Category 5 hurricane over the Gulf of Mexico, is intensifying at breakneck speed as it churns toward the west coast of Florida. The storm is expected to make landfall Wednesday or early Thursday as a “large and powerful hurricane,” according to the National Hurricane Center. It is predicted to produce a potentially devastating ocean surge over 10 feet in some areas, including perhaps in flood-prone Tampa Bay.
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Since Sunday night, the storm’s rate of strengthening has reached extreme levels — its intensity leaping from a Category 1 to 5. The storm’s peak winds Monday midday were up to 160 mph, a 70 mph increase in 12 hours.
The Hurricane Center described the storm’s rate of intensification as “remarkable.” The explosive development has occurred over record-warm waters in the Gulf, with the extreme warmth linked to human-caused climate change.
Milton is the strongest hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico since Michael in 2018 and is poised to become even stronger until a very gradual weakening trend commences Tuesday. It is the strongest Gulf of Mexico hurricane this late in the year since at least 1966. Milton is one of only seven hurricanes on record to increase from Category 1 to 5 in 24 hours and did so at the second-fastest rate.
Only 48 to 60 hours remain before Milton is set to arrive in Florida. Landfall now looks to be Wednesday afternoon or evening, and the storm — despite some weakening — is anticipated to remain a major hurricane with winds around 120 mph when it strikes the state’s west coast.
Moreover, Milton’s wind field will expand, meaning the storm will more efficiently be able to pile water against the coastline. The National Hurricane Center is warning of a surge of 5 to 10 feet along much of the Gulf Coast of Florida’s peninsula, with locally up to 8 to 12 feet — including in Tampa Bay.
Depending on Milton’s exact track, Tampa could find itself in the most dangerous part of the hurricane. The vulnerable coastal city could suffer billions of dollars in damage in a worst-case-scenario track, which is a possible outcome. Some neighborhoods would be entirely inundated and inaccessible. Ongoing evacuations are expected to be the most expansive in Florida since Hurricane Irma struck in 2017.
It’s important to note that subtle shifts of only 5 to 10 miles in track will have an enormous bearing on surge outcomes. While it’s impossible to outline exactly who will see the worst surge at this point, a devastating surge is virtually a certainty somewhere along Florida’s west coast.
A storm surge watch is in effect from the southern tip of the Everglades to the mouth of the Suwanee River in the Big Bend. That includes Tampa Bay and Charlotte Harbor — the latter a region that was ravaged by Hurricane Ian in late September 2022.
In addition, Milton will bring destructive winds — perhaps gusting over 100 mph at the coastline — as well as flooding rains and the risk of a few tornadoes. Hurricane watches span the southern part of Florida’s Big Bend, ravaged by Helene less than two weeks ago, to just south of Marco Island.
Tropical alerts for Hurricane Milton.
Widespread power outages are probable in Florida’s interior and even as far away as the state’s east coast and could affect cities such as Orlando and Daytona Beach — in addition to Tampa, Fort Myers and Sarasota.
Late Monday morning, the storm was centered about 130 miles west-northwest of the northern tip of Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula and 720 miles southwest of Tampa, headed to the east-southeast at 9 mph. The storm is expected to take a turn to the northeast Tuesday.
On satellite, the storm also exhibited an ominous “enveloped eyewall lightning” signature. Hurricanes only produce lightning when they’re strengthening, usually quickly. The entire eyewall, or innermost ring of ferocious winds, has been sparking hundreds of lightning strikes — a portent of a top-tier storm. The Hurricane Hunters even encountered hail when entering the eyewall from the northwest.
Milton is expected to affect some of the same areas that experienced a destructive surge from Helene, representing a major setback for recovery efforts. Parts of Florida’s west coast already saw a 5- to 7-foot storm surge and are in the process of removing debris and sand left over from Helene.
What are the areas most threatened by this storm?
The Tampa Bay to Fort Myers corridor is at greatest risk from the storm. Milton will be arriving from the west, a highly unusual trajectory for hurricanes. Since 1850, there are no records of any Category 2 or greater hurricanes originating from the west and passing within 60 miles of Tampa. Milton’s trajectory will prime it to be a major surge producer.
Surge will be a hazard near and south of the center, but could be an issue along much of Florida’s west coast. Where the southern eyewall makes landfall, a surge of 8 to 12 feet is possible.
Within the eyewall, winds gusting over 100 mph at the coastline are possible. Within a county or two along the coast, gusts of 80 to 90 mph are likely. Even far inland, places such as Lakeland and Orlando might see gusts of 75 mph — maybe more. That will result in widespread power outages. Based on current modeling, winds of 70 mph might reach all the way south to Lake Okeechobee.
Heavy rains are ongoing across South Florida now due to the moisture preceding Milton’s arrival. That moisture is pooling along a stalled front. Milton itself will bring a widespread 6 to 8 inches of rain, with localized 12-inch totals, across central and north central Florida. Some inland flooding is possible.
When and where will landfall probably occur?
The most likely landfall location is between New Port Richey, about 40 miles north of Tampa Bay, and North Port or Cape Coral, Fla., just to the north of Fort Myers, but shifts in the track are possible. It’s important to remember that hurricane impacts reach far beyond the center. The most dangerous conditions from wind and surge will be found near and just south of where the center crosses the coast.
Conditions will begin to deteriorate late Tuesday. Heavy rains will become more widespread, but the worst of the winds will probably hold off until Wednesday. Especially by midday Wednesday, an abrupt uptick in destructive winds is probable near where the storm comes ashore. The worst winds will come only two or three hours before Milton’s landfall and will arrive abruptly.
How large and intense will the storm be at landfall?
Milton is a small storm. Hurricane-force winds only reach outward some 30 miles from the center. Small, compact storms are more sensitive to fluctuations in strength, which is why Milton has been able to strengthen so fast.
The storm will be expanding as it interacts with nontropical weather systems and begins to feel the effects of the mid-latitude jet stream. Even though maximum winds will come down Tuesday night and Wednesday, the area affected by hurricane-force winds may triple. That will increase the area susceptible to downed trees, wires and power outages.
Uncertainty is unusually high with regard to Milton’s landfall strength. Even if the storm weakens to a Category 3, as predicted by the Hurricane Center, it will be coming down from a Category 5. And if weakening is more gradual than expected, a storm stronger than a Category 3 can’t be ruled out.
Dry air near the coast of Florida could also weaken the storm more than models suggest, but that is a low likelihood.
Could areas affected by Helene be hit again?
Computer models forecast Milton to generally to follow a course farther south than Helene, which should spare the Southern Appalachians from serious impacts. Little or no rain or wind from the storm should reach the western Carolinas.
However, Milton could seriously affect some parts of Florida that are still recovering from Helene, including parts of the Big Bend and much of the west coast.
The potential storm surge generated by Milton in the Tampa Bay Area could be twice as large as Helene’s. However, this worst-case surge scenario could be avoided if the storm veers to the south or north.
If Milton makes landfall north of Tampa Bay, it could mean another blow for the Big Bend area while also producing some heavy rain and strong winds in southern Georgia and the eastern Carolinas, which were affected by Helene. However, Milton’s effects on Georgia will probably be less severe than Helene’s.
a) They don't give a fuck about you, and...
b) They're the ones stealing from you in order to keep you ignorant, poor, and feeling grateful they don't fuck you over even more than they already have by lying to you about Climate Change
What's happening now is exactly what the science guys have been telling us would happen, you stupid fucking rubes.
And now, here comes another'n.
And I've already seen at least one fantasy tweet about how something must be up with that whole "weather weapons" thing cuz no hurricane has ever just appeared outa nowhere in the Gulf of Mexico like that, and blah blah blah.
Sweet screamin' Jesus - you have to try to get your heads out of your asses. Please.
The storm is expected to produce a devasting surge along Florida’s west coast, which could include the Tampa Bay area. Some decrease in strength is forecast ahead of landfall.
Milton, a top-tier Category 5 hurricane over the Gulf of Mexico, is intensifying at breakneck speed as it churns toward the west coast of Florida. The storm is expected to make landfall Wednesday or early Thursday as a “large and powerful hurricane,” according to the National Hurricane Center. It is predicted to produce a potentially devastating ocean surge over 10 feet in some areas, including perhaps in flood-prone Tampa Bay.
Want to know how your actions can help make a difference for our planet? Sign up for the Climate Coach newsletter, in your inbox every Tuesday and Thursday.
Since Sunday night, the storm’s rate of strengthening has reached extreme levels — its intensity leaping from a Category 1 to 5. The storm’s peak winds Monday midday were up to 160 mph, a 70 mph increase in 12 hours.
The Hurricane Center described the storm’s rate of intensification as “remarkable.” The explosive development has occurred over record-warm waters in the Gulf, with the extreme warmth linked to human-caused climate change.
Milton is the strongest hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico since Michael in 2018 and is poised to become even stronger until a very gradual weakening trend commences Tuesday. It is the strongest Gulf of Mexico hurricane this late in the year since at least 1966. Milton is one of only seven hurricanes on record to increase from Category 1 to 5 in 24 hours and did so at the second-fastest rate.
Only 48 to 60 hours remain before Milton is set to arrive in Florida. Landfall now looks to be Wednesday afternoon or evening, and the storm — despite some weakening — is anticipated to remain a major hurricane with winds around 120 mph when it strikes the state’s west coast.
Moreover, Milton’s wind field will expand, meaning the storm will more efficiently be able to pile water against the coastline. The National Hurricane Center is warning of a surge of 5 to 10 feet along much of the Gulf Coast of Florida’s peninsula, with locally up to 8 to 12 feet — including in Tampa Bay.
Depending on Milton’s exact track, Tampa could find itself in the most dangerous part of the hurricane. The vulnerable coastal city could suffer billions of dollars in damage in a worst-case-scenario track, which is a possible outcome. Some neighborhoods would be entirely inundated and inaccessible. Ongoing evacuations are expected to be the most expansive in Florida since Hurricane Irma struck in 2017.
It’s important to note that subtle shifts of only 5 to 10 miles in track will have an enormous bearing on surge outcomes. While it’s impossible to outline exactly who will see the worst surge at this point, a devastating surge is virtually a certainty somewhere along Florida’s west coast.
A storm surge watch is in effect from the southern tip of the Everglades to the mouth of the Suwanee River in the Big Bend. That includes Tampa Bay and Charlotte Harbor — the latter a region that was ravaged by Hurricane Ian in late September 2022.
In addition, Milton will bring destructive winds — perhaps gusting over 100 mph at the coastline — as well as flooding rains and the risk of a few tornadoes. Hurricane watches span the southern part of Florida’s Big Bend, ravaged by Helene less than two weeks ago, to just south of Marco Island.
Tropical alerts for Hurricane Milton.
Widespread power outages are probable in Florida’s interior and even as far away as the state’s east coast and could affect cities such as Orlando and Daytona Beach — in addition to Tampa, Fort Myers and Sarasota.
Late Monday morning, the storm was centered about 130 miles west-northwest of the northern tip of Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula and 720 miles southwest of Tampa, headed to the east-southeast at 9 mph. The storm is expected to take a turn to the northeast Tuesday.
On satellite, the storm also exhibited an ominous “enveloped eyewall lightning” signature. Hurricanes only produce lightning when they’re strengthening, usually quickly. The entire eyewall, or innermost ring of ferocious winds, has been sparking hundreds of lightning strikes — a portent of a top-tier storm. The Hurricane Hunters even encountered hail when entering the eyewall from the northwest.
Milton is expected to affect some of the same areas that experienced a destructive surge from Helene, representing a major setback for recovery efforts. Parts of Florida’s west coast already saw a 5- to 7-foot storm surge and are in the process of removing debris and sand left over from Helene.
What are the areas most threatened by this storm?
The Tampa Bay to Fort Myers corridor is at greatest risk from the storm. Milton will be arriving from the west, a highly unusual trajectory for hurricanes. Since 1850, there are no records of any Category 2 or greater hurricanes originating from the west and passing within 60 miles of Tampa. Milton’s trajectory will prime it to be a major surge producer.
Surge will be a hazard near and south of the center, but could be an issue along much of Florida’s west coast. Where the southern eyewall makes landfall, a surge of 8 to 12 feet is possible.
Within the eyewall, winds gusting over 100 mph at the coastline are possible. Within a county or two along the coast, gusts of 80 to 90 mph are likely. Even far inland, places such as Lakeland and Orlando might see gusts of 75 mph — maybe more. That will result in widespread power outages. Based on current modeling, winds of 70 mph might reach all the way south to Lake Okeechobee.
Heavy rains are ongoing across South Florida now due to the moisture preceding Milton’s arrival. That moisture is pooling along a stalled front. Milton itself will bring a widespread 6 to 8 inches of rain, with localized 12-inch totals, across central and north central Florida. Some inland flooding is possible.
When and where will landfall probably occur?
When will conditions deteriorate and become dangerous?
The most likely landfall location is between New Port Richey, about 40 miles north of Tampa Bay, and North Port or Cape Coral, Fla., just to the north of Fort Myers, but shifts in the track are possible. It’s important to remember that hurricane impacts reach far beyond the center. The most dangerous conditions from wind and surge will be found near and just south of where the center crosses the coast.
Conditions will begin to deteriorate late Tuesday. Heavy rains will become more widespread, but the worst of the winds will probably hold off until Wednesday. Especially by midday Wednesday, an abrupt uptick in destructive winds is probable near where the storm comes ashore. The worst winds will come only two or three hours before Milton’s landfall and will arrive abruptly.
How large and intense will the storm be at landfall?
Milton is a small storm. Hurricane-force winds only reach outward some 30 miles from the center. Small, compact storms are more sensitive to fluctuations in strength, which is why Milton has been able to strengthen so fast.
The storm will be expanding as it interacts with nontropical weather systems and begins to feel the effects of the mid-latitude jet stream. Even though maximum winds will come down Tuesday night and Wednesday, the area affected by hurricane-force winds may triple. That will increase the area susceptible to downed trees, wires and power outages.
Uncertainty is unusually high with regard to Milton’s landfall strength. Even if the storm weakens to a Category 3, as predicted by the Hurricane Center, it will be coming down from a Category 5. And if weakening is more gradual than expected, a storm stronger than a Category 3 can’t be ruled out.
Dry air near the coast of Florida could also weaken the storm more than models suggest, but that is a low likelihood.
Could areas affected by Helene be hit again?
Computer models forecast Milton to generally to follow a course farther south than Helene, which should spare the Southern Appalachians from serious impacts. Little or no rain or wind from the storm should reach the western Carolinas.
However, Milton could seriously affect some parts of Florida that are still recovering from Helene, including parts of the Big Bend and much of the west coast.
The potential storm surge generated by Milton in the Tampa Bay Area could be twice as large as Helene’s. However, this worst-case surge scenario could be avoided if the storm veers to the south or north.
If Milton makes landfall north of Tampa Bay, it could mean another blow for the Big Bend area while also producing some heavy rain and strong winds in southern Georgia and the eastern Carolinas, which were affected by Helene. However, Milton’s effects on Georgia will probably be less severe than Helene’s.
Jun 24, 2024
Dear MAGA
Remember when you donated money to build the wall, and a lot of people figured you were being kinda racist?
Yeah - uhh - those guys played you for a fool, and stole that money - which means you were being kinda stoopid, too.
Jan 22, 2024
🚨 Breaking 🚨
Researches have established a direct link
between kids getting measles
and their parents being dumbass gullible rubes
Dec 11, 2023
Today's MAGA Dolt
Another 'Law-n-Order-Strict-Constitutionalist' Republican voter
saying she puts Trump above the law.
Sep 21, 2023
Today's Lame AF Trump Shit
MAGArubes apparently just can't stop fantasizing about - and fetishizing - that guy.
Sep 9, 2023
Slippage
Seems like all the hangers-on are still trying to play it on the straight with Trump - even after he's demonstrated consistently that he has no intention of repaying their loyalty - because they're absolutely sure they've sold him on the idea that they need to stick together (?)
And it doesn't matter if his reciprocation makes his own position better or worse. It's just a matter of whatever fucked up notion he has in his head at any given time.
There's something wrong with these people. They all act like rubes.
Aug 15, 2023
Hypocrisy Check
Tanya Chutkan's appointment to the federal bench was confirmed in the US Senate by a unanimous vote.
IMO, Republicans who bitch about Trump being tried in DC, or who whine about him being persecuted by a vengeful Biden administration - or whatever shit they pull outa their asses during any given wingnut media show - are fully in favor of burning Trump to the water line, but they have to be cute about it. They can't afford to lose the support of those rubes, so they pretend to be outraged. It's all they've got.
Aug 3, 2023
Thinking
- There
- are
- no
- simple
- 10-word
- answers
- to
- the
- important
- questions
There's a floor to how simply the truth can be stated, and still be the truth.
Falsehoods don't have that. There is no limit to how simple an idea can be when it doesn't have to conform to reality.
Aug 1, 2023
One Plus One
I generally look for stories about two things that may seem disparate, but when taken together, could be interlocked, and cause something to happen that becomes obvious only in retrospect.
Trump committee nearly broke and other key takeaways from campaign filings
Reports filed show that some of Trump’s fundraising committees are spending about as much as they are taking in amid legal expenses
Donald Trump’s joint fundraising committee raised $53.9 million during the first half of this year for his presidential campaign — an enviable haul that speaks to the enthusiasm of his donors and dwarfs the sums raised by his GOP rivals.
But Trump’s political committees are burning through cash as he grapples with his mounting legal bills, according to campaign disclosures filed with the Federal Election Commission Monday night. Here are a few takeaways from the new disclosures filed with the FEC:
Trump’s leadership PAC drains its cash
Trump remains in a commanding position, with a New York Times/Siena College poll released Monday showing the former president leading the field with the backing of 54 percent of likely Republican voters. But reports filed on Monday show that some of his committees are spending about as much money as they are taking in. Though his joint fundraising committee raised $53.9 million over the first six months of the year, it spent more than $52 million over the same period, the reports show.
Trump’s Save America leadership PAC, which had more than $100 million at the beginning of last year, now has about $3.6 million in cash on hand after it became the vehicle used to pay millions of dollars in legal bills for the former president, his aides and his associates. As Trump fights federal and state investigations, his advisers have told The Washington Post that the PAC has been handling the legal bills for almost anyone drawn into the investigations if they ask Trump and his advisers for help.
Trump’s team is moving money to ease their financial strain
Trump’s legal entanglements are putting a considerable strain on his war chest, which has been bolstered by scores of small-dollar donors across the country — many of whom share his view that he is being unfairly persecuted by his political opponents. A portion of the money raised by the Trump campaign’s joint fundraising committee goes to the Save America leadership PAC. Earlier this year, Trump’s advisers upped the percentage of each contribution that is directed to the leadership PAC giving them more leverage to pay bills.
The reports filed on Monday night show Trump officials moving money among the different fundraising entities in his orbit to ease that financial strain. The Save America leadership PAC recently asked for a refund on a large contribution the group had previously made to another PAC supporting Trump. That development was first reported by the New York Times.
Monday night’s filings show that Trump’s super PAC, Make America Great Again Inc., reported that it had raised more than $13 million over the first six months of this year and had about $30 million in cash on hand at the end of the reporting period.
But the group issued a $12.2 million refund to the Save America leadership PAC, which was reflected on the mid-year report.
DeSantis super PAC leads outside groups in cash on hand
The super PACs supporting the 2024 GOP presidential candidates were required to file their mid-year reports to the FEC by midnight on Monday — offering a more in-depth look at the top financial backers of the White House hopefuls and a few hints about which groups may be well funded enough to help their candidates go the distance in the battle for the nomination.
The super PAC supporting Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Never Back Down, boasted nearly $97 million in cash on hand at the end of June to support its expansive field and advertising program as DeSantis tries to reboot his struggling campaign. The outside group has taken on many of the duties that would normally be shouldered by the campaign. Much of the $130 million that the group raised from the beginning of the year came from an $82.5 million transfer from the governor’s former Florida political operation that allowed it to build a team of more than 121 people and a contract workforce of about 240 canvassers who work out of 11 offices across the country.
A super PAC supporting Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina reported raising $19.3 million with about $15 million in cash on hand.
The sums raised by the super PACs supporting lower-polling candidates like former vice president Mike Pence and former New Jersey governor Chris Christie were far lower, reflecting the difficulty they may face in the months ahead. The group backing Pence, Committed to America PAC, raised about $2.7 million and has about $1.8 million in cash on hand. The Tell It Like it Is super PAC supporting Christie raised more than $5.8 million and had about $5.5 million in cash on hand at the end of the period.
‘Strategy consulting’ fees for Melania Trump’s former stylist
Though Trump’s growing legal jeopardy has contributed to a strain on cash for the Save America PAC that has been handling many of his legal bills, that committee still found the funds to pay Melania Trump’s former stylist. The committee reported payments of $108,000 to designer Herve Pierre Braillard for “strategy consulting” during the first six months of this year.
Opinion
Admit it, GOP. Trump’s legal woes make him an unviable candidate.
The revelation that Donald Trump’s political action committee spent more than $40 million on legal fees in the first half of 2023 does more than cast doubt on the former president’s ability to run a competitive primary campaign. It provides yet another reason why Republican voters should reject his candidacy if he does not drop out first.
Running for president requires more than charisma and a few rallies. It requires time and money — and lots of it. Candidates must constantly be on the road stumping for votes. They also need support from the modern apparatus that places digital and television ads and identifies persuadable voters that can cast ballots for them.
This is especially true when running against an incumbent who can count on a united party for support. President Biden, along with the national Democratic Party and its state counterparts, will raise billions of dollars to crush whoever rises as his opponent. In 2020, Biden’s campaign and affiliated outside groups spent $1.6 billion while the Democratic National Committee and state and local parties spent another $1 billion. A cash-strapped candidate would not stand a chance against this onslaught.
Then there’s the time factor. Let’s assume, for the sake of argument, that prosecutors are filing bogus charges to wound Trump politically. He might be able to beat all of those raps, either at trial or on appeal. But he would still have to manage his defense in at least two, and perhaps as many as four, major criminal cases. He has prodigious energy, especially for a 77-year-old man. But even he can’t be in five places at the same time.
Trump can theoretically solve his cash problem. He is reportedly considering a legal defense fund that would finance his team of lawyers. If he can raise money for that without cannibalizing his campaign fundraising, he might still be able to raise enough to be competitive. But that’s a big if.
Nothing can solve his time problem. He will have to attend a series of pretrial hearings over the next few months, and that’s the least of his concerns. A criminal defendant has to manage his defense team on a regular basis as it searches for evidence to win an acquittal. Consider Edward Gurney, the Florida senator who resigned in 1974 rather than run for reelection while simultaneously fighting a single criminal indictment. It’s unreasonable to think Trump will risk his own conviction to campaign.
This will strike many, if not most, Republicans as unfair. Whatever one thinks of Trump, it is clear he has suffered more harassment and vitriol from political opponents than just about any recent major figure. Democrats and their allies have been relentlessly hounding him since he became the GOP nominee in 2016. He certainly exacerbated his situation with his often over-the-top, pugnacious ripostes, but he has had a political bull’s eye on his back for years.
But fair doesn’t count in politics. Facts do, and it is a fact that Trump is already hamstrung by his legal charges, which are only going to get worse.
Trump insists he won’t drop out, but that doesn’t mean he’s locked in. As the financial and legal pressure ratchets upward, even a man of his colossal ego and willpower might eventually decide to save his own skin rather than press his luck.
If he doesn’t, Republican primary voters will have to decide whether they want to risk nominating a man who can’t campaign for himself. Trump acolytes might point to Biden’s campaign in 2020, much of which was conducted from his basement, as proof that someone can win without actively hustling for votes (although that would force them to acknowledge that Biden did in fact win). But that was during the pandemic, when all candidates — including Trump — were limited by covid-19 restrictions.
Biden might be old, but he’s certainly capable of making a few campaign appearances each week. Imagine what independent voters will think when they see that alongside coverage of Trump sitting in a courtroom for days at a time.
MAGA die-hards should be rooting for Trump to drop out sooner rather than later. If so, establishment-leaning Republicans such as Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp and Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin might reconsider their decisions not to enter the race. If they do join the field, they would splinter the establishment even further, giving Trump the chance to endorse a clear MAGA alternative. That person would likely vault to the front of the pack overnight and inherit Trump’s base.
Trump’s famous catchphrase on his show “The Apprentice” was “You’re fired.” In politics, though, the voters are the boss. If Trump won’t quit on his own, Republican voters should show him the door.
Or, in this case, two related things that seem to indicate the near-inevitability of an event, but could easily mean just the opposite - especially considering the upside-down-ed-ness of these Nazi MAGA Daddy State assholes.
(WaPo 1) Trump committee nearly broke and other key takeaways from campaign filings
(WaPo 2) Opinion
Admit it, GOP. Trump’s legal woes make him an unviable candidate.
Reports filed show that some of Trump’s fundraising committees are spending about as much as they are taking in amid legal expenses
- plus -
Admit it, GOP. Trump’s legal woes make him an unviable candidate.
Normal people might think those two things have to mean Trump will keep sliding, and be out of the race pretty soon.
And we can hope for that to become more than a possibility. The Country Club Republicans can't be happy with the prospect of getting their asses kicked continually for the next several cycles as they refuse to stop playing their shitty little thread-the-needle game.
ie: "No, we love plutocracy - plutocracy is what we're all about. We simply haven't found the right Plutocrat-in-Chief yet. But don't let the rubes in on that, OK?"
The problem there is that the rubes hate the Country Clubbers so much, they've convinced themselves that Trump is actually on their side - like some weird fantasy version of the FDR-type traitor-to-his-class that they can call their own.
Knowing what we know about their tendency to embrace and internalize every shitty aspect anybody has ever ascribed to their character, we have to assume they'll do whatever it takes to be good little Cult45 devotees.
Trump committee nearly broke and other key takeaways from campaign filings
Reports filed show that some of Trump’s fundraising committees are spending about as much as they are taking in amid legal expenses
Donald Trump’s joint fundraising committee raised $53.9 million during the first half of this year for his presidential campaign — an enviable haul that speaks to the enthusiasm of his donors and dwarfs the sums raised by his GOP rivals.
But Trump’s political committees are burning through cash as he grapples with his mounting legal bills, according to campaign disclosures filed with the Federal Election Commission Monday night. Here are a few takeaways from the new disclosures filed with the FEC:
Trump’s leadership PAC drains its cash
Trump remains in a commanding position, with a New York Times/Siena College poll released Monday showing the former president leading the field with the backing of 54 percent of likely Republican voters. But reports filed on Monday show that some of his committees are spending about as much money as they are taking in. Though his joint fundraising committee raised $53.9 million over the first six months of the year, it spent more than $52 million over the same period, the reports show.
Trump’s Save America leadership PAC, which had more than $100 million at the beginning of last year, now has about $3.6 million in cash on hand after it became the vehicle used to pay millions of dollars in legal bills for the former president, his aides and his associates. As Trump fights federal and state investigations, his advisers have told The Washington Post that the PAC has been handling the legal bills for almost anyone drawn into the investigations if they ask Trump and his advisers for help.
Trump’s team is moving money to ease their financial strain
Trump’s legal entanglements are putting a considerable strain on his war chest, which has been bolstered by scores of small-dollar donors across the country — many of whom share his view that he is being unfairly persecuted by his political opponents. A portion of the money raised by the Trump campaign’s joint fundraising committee goes to the Save America leadership PAC. Earlier this year, Trump’s advisers upped the percentage of each contribution that is directed to the leadership PAC giving them more leverage to pay bills.
The reports filed on Monday night show Trump officials moving money among the different fundraising entities in his orbit to ease that financial strain. The Save America leadership PAC recently asked for a refund on a large contribution the group had previously made to another PAC supporting Trump. That development was first reported by the New York Times.
Monday night’s filings show that Trump’s super PAC, Make America Great Again Inc., reported that it had raised more than $13 million over the first six months of this year and had about $30 million in cash on hand at the end of the reporting period.
But the group issued a $12.2 million refund to the Save America leadership PAC, which was reflected on the mid-year report.
DeSantis super PAC leads outside groups in cash on hand
The super PACs supporting the 2024 GOP presidential candidates were required to file their mid-year reports to the FEC by midnight on Monday — offering a more in-depth look at the top financial backers of the White House hopefuls and a few hints about which groups may be well funded enough to help their candidates go the distance in the battle for the nomination.
The super PAC supporting Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Never Back Down, boasted nearly $97 million in cash on hand at the end of June to support its expansive field and advertising program as DeSantis tries to reboot his struggling campaign. The outside group has taken on many of the duties that would normally be shouldered by the campaign. Much of the $130 million that the group raised from the beginning of the year came from an $82.5 million transfer from the governor’s former Florida political operation that allowed it to build a team of more than 121 people and a contract workforce of about 240 canvassers who work out of 11 offices across the country.
A super PAC supporting Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina reported raising $19.3 million with about $15 million in cash on hand.
The sums raised by the super PACs supporting lower-polling candidates like former vice president Mike Pence and former New Jersey governor Chris Christie were far lower, reflecting the difficulty they may face in the months ahead. The group backing Pence, Committed to America PAC, raised about $2.7 million and has about $1.8 million in cash on hand. The Tell It Like it Is super PAC supporting Christie raised more than $5.8 million and had about $5.5 million in cash on hand at the end of the period.
‘Strategy consulting’ fees for Melania Trump’s former stylist
Though Trump’s growing legal jeopardy has contributed to a strain on cash for the Save America PAC that has been handling many of his legal bills, that committee still found the funds to pay Melania Trump’s former stylist. The committee reported payments of $108,000 to designer Herve Pierre Braillard for “strategy consulting” during the first six months of this year.
Opinion
Admit it, GOP. Trump’s legal woes make him an unviable candidate.
The revelation that Donald Trump’s political action committee spent more than $40 million on legal fees in the first half of 2023 does more than cast doubt on the former president’s ability to run a competitive primary campaign. It provides yet another reason why Republican voters should reject his candidacy if he does not drop out first.
Running for president requires more than charisma and a few rallies. It requires time and money — and lots of it. Candidates must constantly be on the road stumping for votes. They also need support from the modern apparatus that places digital and television ads and identifies persuadable voters that can cast ballots for them.
This is especially true when running against an incumbent who can count on a united party for support. President Biden, along with the national Democratic Party and its state counterparts, will raise billions of dollars to crush whoever rises as his opponent. In 2020, Biden’s campaign and affiliated outside groups spent $1.6 billion while the Democratic National Committee and state and local parties spent another $1 billion. A cash-strapped candidate would not stand a chance against this onslaught.
Then there’s the time factor. Let’s assume, for the sake of argument, that prosecutors are filing bogus charges to wound Trump politically. He might be able to beat all of those raps, either at trial or on appeal. But he would still have to manage his defense in at least two, and perhaps as many as four, major criminal cases. He has prodigious energy, especially for a 77-year-old man. But even he can’t be in five places at the same time.
Trump can theoretically solve his cash problem. He is reportedly considering a legal defense fund that would finance his team of lawyers. If he can raise money for that without cannibalizing his campaign fundraising, he might still be able to raise enough to be competitive. But that’s a big if.
Nothing can solve his time problem. He will have to attend a series of pretrial hearings over the next few months, and that’s the least of his concerns. A criminal defendant has to manage his defense team on a regular basis as it searches for evidence to win an acquittal. Consider Edward Gurney, the Florida senator who resigned in 1974 rather than run for reelection while simultaneously fighting a single criminal indictment. It’s unreasonable to think Trump will risk his own conviction to campaign.
This will strike many, if not most, Republicans as unfair. Whatever one thinks of Trump, it is clear he has suffered more harassment and vitriol from political opponents than just about any recent major figure. Democrats and their allies have been relentlessly hounding him since he became the GOP nominee in 2016. He certainly exacerbated his situation with his often over-the-top, pugnacious ripostes, but he has had a political bull’s eye on his back for years.
But fair doesn’t count in politics. Facts do, and it is a fact that Trump is already hamstrung by his legal charges, which are only going to get worse.
Trump insists he won’t drop out, but that doesn’t mean he’s locked in. As the financial and legal pressure ratchets upward, even a man of his colossal ego and willpower might eventually decide to save his own skin rather than press his luck.
If he doesn’t, Republican primary voters will have to decide whether they want to risk nominating a man who can’t campaign for himself. Trump acolytes might point to Biden’s campaign in 2020, much of which was conducted from his basement, as proof that someone can win without actively hustling for votes (although that would force them to acknowledge that Biden did in fact win). But that was during the pandemic, when all candidates — including Trump — were limited by covid-19 restrictions.
Biden might be old, but he’s certainly capable of making a few campaign appearances each week. Imagine what independent voters will think when they see that alongside coverage of Trump sitting in a courtroom for days at a time.
MAGA die-hards should be rooting for Trump to drop out sooner rather than later. If so, establishment-leaning Republicans such as Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp and Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin might reconsider their decisions not to enter the race. If they do join the field, they would splinter the establishment even further, giving Trump the chance to endorse a clear MAGA alternative. That person would likely vault to the front of the pack overnight and inherit Trump’s base.
Trump’s famous catchphrase on his show “The Apprentice” was “You’re fired.” In politics, though, the voters are the boss. If Trump won’t quit on his own, Republican voters should show him the door.
⬆︎
Jul 20, 2023
Small Town
This is only about half-baked, so feel free to skip over the holes, or fill the holes with something that makes sense to you, or ignore it all, or whatever.
Yeehaw and away we go
But it needed to be "updated" - I guess.
One thing about that "small town" message is that it's code for "Don't let people gather in large groups - keep them separated into small groups so they don't get the chance to figure out how we're fucking them all with their pants on. We can't hold on to power if we can't hold sway over the rabble, and if the groups are small enough, we only need a few aggressively loud-mouthed jerks to keep everybody in line."
- Pol Pot emptied out the cities.
- Mao emptied out the cities.
- Kim Jong Un emptied out the cities.
When a guy like Trump gets up and yells Make America Great Again, he's invoking an image of a mostly agrarian economy (from a good hundred years ago), when the populous was just well-enough divided between rural and urban to keep fresh food in the markets, and to make sure the bankers and robber barons had ready supplies of mansions, private rail cars and liveried servants.
But most of all, it's a good way for middle class Boomer slobs to soothe their own egos, and to rationalize having a monumentally shitty attitude towards "others" who "don't want to work any more", while pretending they're living a kinder gentler lifestyle that they remember Grandma & Grandpa talking about.
In the standard narcissistic narrative, you can be the Hero or the Victim, but you're never the Culprit or the Accomplice.
So I got off on this little rant because of the Jason Aldean thing (Try That In A Small Town), but I won't put that piece of crap on here. I'm sure it'll be played at every redneck rally, and NASCAR event, and on 4th of July, and the company picnic, and and and. They're not going to miss you with it.
I'm looking forward to the time when even the rubes don't want to hear it anymore - like "Boot In Your Ass" and "Proud To Be An American".
Me, I prefer a song that gives us a truer look at those small town values.
Jeannie C Riley - Harper Valley PTA
Jul 7, 2023
It's Not "Theory"
It's not a theory. It doesn't even rise to the level of hypothesis. It's idle speculation. It's purely conjecture. It's a fantasy. It's made up - sometimes on the spot - and it's junk. It's low-level bullshit designed to appeal to gullible rubes with inadequate mental horsepower, in order to bilk them out of their money, and to get them lined up to follow a particular ideology. Because money and power always always always go together.
What I need is for people (lookin' at you, Press Poodles) to start identifying all this shit as Junk Think. Conspiracy Fantasy. Almost anything you care to name it, but not "theory", goddammit.
Members of Michael Protzman’s conspiracy cult abandoned their families and spent their life savings to follow him to Trump rallies around the country.
The leader of a QAnon cult who convinced thousands of people that former president John F. Kennedy and his son JFK, Jr. are still alive has died, VICE News can exclusively report.
Michael Protzman, 60, died last Friday in the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota a week after an accident at the Meadow Valley Motocross track in Millville, Minnesota. Protzman’s death was confirmed to VICE News in a phone call with the Minnesota Department of Health.
Protzman died as a result of “multiple blunt force injuries” after he “lost control of his dirt bike” according to a report from the Southern Minnesota Regional Medical Examiner’s Office, which was obtained by VICE News.
Protzman, who was known to his followers as Negative 48, was from Federal Way in Washington State and owned a demolition company prior to his emergence as a QAnon guru in early 2021.
Protzman rose to notoriety in 2021, when the Telegram channel he ran garnered tens of thousands of followers. In that channel, Protzman mixed QAnon conspiracies with a bastardized version of Gematria, a Jewish numerology system, which he claimed to be able to use to predict the future.
Protzman gained national attention in November 2021 when he convinced hundreds of his followers to travel from all across the U.S. to Dallas, where he claimed that JFK and JFK Jr. would reappear at Dealey Plaza, on the spot where JFK was assassinated in 1963.
When that didn’t happen, Protzman’s conspiracies simply changed, and over the next 18 months he would alter and change his predictions to suit his needs and keep his followers on board. Ultimately he claimed that he was in direct contact with former President Donald Trump and that Trump was in fact JFK Jr. in disguise.
After the Dallas gathering, Protzman spent 18 months crisscrossing the U.S., attending multiple Trump rallies. He was accompanied by a rotating band of followers, whom he ordered to cover his accommodation and food costs.
Numerous followers abandoned their families and spent their life savings following Protzman.
“She left her children for this and doesn't even care,” Katy Garner, whose sister fell under Protzman’s spell, told VICE News in 2021.
“She is missing birthdays and holidays for this. She truly believes this is all real and we are the crazy ones for trying to get her to come home. But she won’t, I don’t believe she will ever come back from this. We are in mourning.”
“Protzman impacted the lives of so many families in such a negative way, families were torn apart, many members lost their assets due to following him,” an open-source researcher going by the name ‘Karma,’ who has tracked this cult closely since its inception, told VICE News. “Some of these families will never be the same. I do hope those that followed him, reach out to their families and make amends.”
After his accident two weeks ago, details about Protzman’s condition were tightly controlled by his inner circle of half a dozen followers. While they initially told followers in an online chat that Protzman had a “potential brain injury” and told them to pray for him, the inner circle has refused to answer any follow up questions about his condition.
The inner circle shut down comments on his channels and in at least one case, kicked a follower out of their Truth Social group after they asked a question about Protzman’s condition this week.
Shelly Mullinax, who was one of Protzman’s earliest followers but had a falling out with him and other members of the group last year, remains convinced of the conspiracies Protzman concocted about JFK. She believes his death is all part of the plan.
“If that was the plan that God had for him, I know that everything is going to be revealed soon,” Mullinax told VICE News on Wednesday.
Mullinax said that in recent days someone in her group had claimed Protzman “was taken out” but she dismissed that.
She did however claim that the person who died was in fact just one version of Michael Protzman, “the evil version” and that the good Michael Protzman—who is in fact JFK Jr. in a mask—is still alive and well.
VICE News spoke to several family members of Protzman’s followers and all said that their loved ones have dismissed the news of Protzman’s death as fake. In another Telegram channel populated with Protzman’s followers, one admin wrote that they would be removing all posts regarding his death “until we have absolute verification.”
In one case however, one of Protzmans’ followers has put her name forward as a potential replacement leader of the group. “They killed Michael Protzman’s character so I take over Negative48 crew, follow me,” the follower wrote on Facebook.
“Protzman’s death won’t change anything right away, I believe new conspiracies surrounding his death will evolve,” Karma said. “But I do think his followers will dwindle and move on to other influencers over time.”
Ad Busters:
Jul 5, 2023
Today's MAGAt
Yup. Before the COVID vax, there were no strokes, no heart attacks, no deep vein thrombosis, no clot-related organ failure or pregnancy problems at all. Ever.
And, oh yeah - don't forget - everybody bled to death when they got even a minor cut or puncture wound, cuz - you know - no blood clotting.
I know, I know, she was just being a little over-the-top.
So maybe we can chalk it up to the very standard propaganda technique of Generalization.
Or maybe it's the obvious ...
That's probably not the case either.
Most of these Twitterati jagoffs are not stupid. But they are manipulative hucksters who play to an audience of rubes they don't respect, who either are actually that stupid and they swallow every little turd that floats by, or they're pretending it's just a big joke to get the Libs all riled up so as to keep all of us distracted while they're busy strip-mining everything from this and the next world - which they think makes them oh so gosh-darned clever. Wink wink nudge nudge. All the way to the bank. Fuck 'em if they can't take a joke.
And never mind the middling probability that an awful lot of the big "influencers" on Twitter (and other social media platforms) are either bots themselves, or have had their popularity way over-inflated because of bots created specifically for the purpose of Band Wagon propaganda.
Whoa - it just now occurred to me that "social media" can be abbreviated as: S/M.
Coincidence? 🤨
Jan 28, 2023
Our Misadventures In Bucolia
... summary of work by Katherine J. Cramer, who attributes rural resentment to perceptions that rural areas are ignored by policymakers, don’t get their fair share of resources and are disrespected by “city folks.”
As it happens, all three perceptions are largely wrong. ...
Can Anything Be Done to Assuage Rural Rage?
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Rural resentment has become a central fact of American politics — in particular, a pillar of support for the rise of right-wing extremism. As the Republican Party has moved ever further into MAGAland, it has lost votes among educated suburban voters; but this has been offset by a drastic rightward shift in rural areas, which in some places has gone so far that the Democrats who remain face intimidation and are afraid to reveal their party affiliation.
But is this shift permanent? Can anything be done to assuage rural rage?
The answer will depend on two things: whether it’s possible to improve rural lives and restore rural communities, and whether the voters in these communities will give politicians credit for any improvements that do take place.
This week my colleague Thomas B. Edsall surveyed research on the rural Republican shift. I was struck by his summary of work by Katherine J. Cramer, who attributes rural resentment to perceptions that rural areas are ignored by policymakers, don’t get their fair share of resources and are disrespected by “city folks.”
As it happens, all three perceptions are largely wrong. I’m sure that my saying this will generate a tidal wave of hate mail, and lecturing rural Americans about policy reality isn’t going to move their votes. Nonetheless, it’s important to get our facts straight.
The truth is that ever since the New Deal rural America has received special treatment from policymakers. It’s not just farm subsidies, which ballooned under Donald Trump to the point where they accounted for around 40 percent of total farm income. Rural America also benefits from special programs that support housing, utilities and business in general.
In terms of resources, major federal programs disproportionately benefit rural areas, in part because such areas have a disproportionate number of seniors receiving Social Security and Medicare. But even means-tested programs — programs that Republicans often disparage as “welfare” — tilt rural. Notably, at this point rural Americans are more likely than urban Americans to be on Medicaid and receive food stamps.
And because rural America is poorer than urban America, it pays much less per person in federal taxes, so in practice major metropolitan areas hugely subsidize the countryside. These subsidies don’t just support incomes; they support economies: Government and the so-called health care and social assistance sector each employ more people in rural America than agriculture, and what do you think pays for those jobs?
What about rural perceptions of being disrespected? Well, many people have negative views about people with different lifestyles; that’s human nature. There is, however, an unwritten rule in American politics that it’s OK for politicians to seek rural votes by insulting big cities and their residents, but it would be unforgivable for urban politicians to return the favor. “I have to go to New York City soon,” tweeted J.D. Vance during his senatorial campaign. “I have heard it’s disgusting and violent there.” Can you imagine, say, Chuck Schumer saying something similar about rural Ohio, even as a joke?
So the ostensible justifications for rural resentment don’t withstand scrutiny — but that doesn’t mean things are fine. A changing economy has increasingly favored metropolitan areas with large college-educated work forces over small towns. The rural working-age population has been declining, leaving seniors behind. Rural men in their prime working years are much more likely than their metropolitan counterparts to not be working. Rural woes are real.
Ironically, however, the policy agenda of the party most rural voters support would make things even worse, slashing the safety-net programs these voters depend on. And Democrats shouldn’t be afraid to point this out.
But can they also have a positive agenda for rural renewal? As The Washington Post’s Greg Sargent recently pointed out, the infrastructure spending bills enacted under President Biden, while primarily intended to address climate change, will also create large numbers of blue-collar jobs in rural areas and small cities. They are, in practice, a form of the “place-based industrial policy” some economists have urged to fight America’s growing geographic disparities.
Will they work? The economic forces that have been hollowing out rural America are deep and not easily countered. But it’s certainly worth trying.
But even if these policies improve rural fortunes, will Democrats get any credit? It’s easy to be cynical. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the new governor of Arkansas, has pledged to get the “bureaucratic tyrants” of Washington “out of your wallets”; in 2019 the federal government spent almost twice as much in Arkansas as it collected in taxes, de facto providing the average Arkansas resident with $5,500 in aid. So even if Democratic policies greatly improve rural lives, will rural voters notice?
Still, anything that helps reverse rural America’s decline would be a good thing in itself. And maybe, just maybe, reducing the heartland’s economic desperation will also help reverse its political radicalization.
Oct 17, 2022
What Hath Fox Wrought
She makes the point that we all have to understand, and internalize, and get used to: The rubes will line up - by the millions - and vote the way they're told to vote.
Desi Lydic - The Daily Show on Comedy Central
May 29, 2022
A Civil Society
Trump is actually still the president, but is somehow unable or unwilling to do things he says he's going to do, and he is absolutely not, in any way, responsible for anything bad that's happening, while taking full credit for all things good.
Come to think about it, that's pretty much the way things were when he was in office, so yeah - maybe these idiots are right(?) There's a scary thought.
Feb 24, 2022
Today's WTF
Basically: "I don't know what Critical Race Theory is, but lemme tell you what it is."
"The majority of white Americans consider themselves sincerely committed to justice for the Negro. They believe that American society is essentially hospitable to fair play and to steady growth toward a middle-class Utopia embodying racial harmony ... unfortunately, this is a fantasy of self deception and comfortable vanity." --MLK
Feb 20, 2022
It's A Setup
I realize all this is starting to sound a little Q-ish, but sometimes, paranoia is not an unreasonable thing.
Don't look for peace and tranquility in the months ahead.
I think AstroTurf goons fully intend to disrupt everything in a continuation of a Brown-Shirt style campaign to destabilize democracies.
There are likely good reasons we've seen the Flu Trux Klan rallies here and in Canada and in Europe, while there's been nothing at the US/Mexico border.
I think the instigators (and the participants) are actively avoiding making common cause with any brown people because this ain't about justice or freedom or anything good for anyone but the Daddy Staters, and it's hard to maintain any traction with the rubes if you suddenly go all inclusive and woke and shit.
The "conservative" brand is all about exclusivity and elimination.
What do Republicans and Right-Wingers hate most?
1. Being called racist2. Brown people
Sep 29, 2021
Today's Tweet
I realize these boneheads don't do a lot of thinking, but even aside from the fact that "magnetic" doesn't pertain to non-ferrous materials, if you're into "researching" these things, wouldn't you at least stop and wonder about the intermittency of it? Sometimes it sticks and sometimes it don't - sometimes it sticks for a while and then it don't - sometimes it don't stick at first but then it do... Seriously - WTAF?
This woman claims that sprayed “smart dust” is magnetizing her body. pic.twitter.com/1I44GLUJuZ
— PatriotTakes 🇺🇸 (@patriottakes) September 28, 2021
Feb 4, 2021
The GQP
NYT is in classic Press Poodle form with this one.
In her Georgia district, voters saw Ms. Greene as a conservative voice that would be impossible to ignore. Now the revelation of past social media posts has unsettled some who backed her.
"Some"
Billy Martin does not care much for politicians. But the retired teacher and coach liked what he heard from Marjorie Taylor Greene, who promised to arrive in Washington as a defiant force, intent on rattling the establishment.
For his community in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, which he believed had long been overlooked, Ms. Greene had a voice that was impossible to ignore.
But in recent weeks, it has also been impossible to ignore the torrent of troubling social media posts and videos in which Ms. Greene had endorsed violent behavior, including executing Democratic leaders, and spread an array of conspiracy theories, including that the Sept. 11 terrorist attack on the Pentagon and the massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., were hoaxes.
“Sometimes people say things they regret, speak before they think,” Mr. Martin said as he got in his pickup in downtown Summerville, a town of 4,300 people represented by Ms. Greene, a Republican who was elected to Congress in November in an unopposed race that drew national attention because of her promotion of the pro-Trump movement QAnon.
He found her posts and statements puzzling. Still, he added, he was not sure what to believe. “I don’t think they treat you fairly anymore,” Mr. Martin said, referring to the news media and Democratic politicians.
As Democrats push to strip Ms. Greene of committee assignments and as some Republicans condemn her statements, she has argued that the resistance confronting her only “strengthens my base of support at home and across the country.”
To some degree, that was true, as her most fervent supporters saw in the treatment of Ms. Greene a reminder of all that they loathed about Washington. But in a congressional district proud of its ranking as one of the most conservative in the country, voters drawn to her unapologetic intensity were now also brushing the limits of their support.
“It’s embarrassing,” Ashley Shelton, a stay-at-home mother who voted for Ms. Greene, said of the controversy. She thought former President Donald J. Trump would serve another term and saw Ms. Greene as “a backup, a comfort.”
“I think she’s kind of a loose cannon,” Ms. Shelton said before paraphrasing a line from the Old Testament: “The wise are the quiet ones,” she said. “The more she opens her mouth, the less evidence of her wisdom.”
Georgia has been gripped by a political tug of war, as the once reliably Republican state was won by President Biden in November, the first Democrat to do so in nearly three decades. And last month, the state’s two Republican senators were replaced by Democrats, tilting control of the Senate to that party.
Ms. Greene’s district represents the other end of the rope — a largely white and rural corner of the state dominated by Republicans. Sprawled across a dozen counties, the 14th Congressional District reaches from the outer suburbs of Atlanta to the outskirts of Chattanooga.
Despite her promotion of conspiracy theories during the tightly contested primary and runoff, Republicans said Ms. Greene gained traction by hewing to core conservative themes — defending gun rights, opposing immigration and supporting Mr. Trump. She covered a lot of ground, too, sometimes attending as many as five campaign events in a day.
“A lot of people here feel like they really know her,” said Luke Martin, a local prosecutor and chairman of the Republican Party in Floyd County, which is in her district. “They’ve met her. They’ve spoken with her. She never talked about that stuff. It’s kind of confusing to a lot of people. The person they think they know is not this person.”
The recent cascade of past social media posts, which also included a conspiracy theory that a space laser controlled by Jewish financiers started a California wildfire, Luke Martin said, has weakened her support. “You can’t justify it,” he said of her statements and social media activity. “It’s indefensible.”
But local Democrats contend that Republicans should not have been surprised. Some have written letters to the editor of newspapers in the district calling for her to step down.
“I didn’t think she was fit for office back then,” John Lugthart, who wrote one of the letters published in The Daily Citizen-News in Dalton, said of his opinions of Ms. Greene during the election. “More and more has come out, and my hope is that many others in our district now realize she’s not the one to represent us.”
Others, having long been resigned to the minority position held by Democrats in the region, said they hoped an infusion of energy in the party could bolster its chances in the next election.
But emotion filled Teresa Rich’s voice as she stood outside the radiator shop she owns with her husband, bemoaning the way Ms. Greene has been treated and the failure of other Republicans to adequately defend her.
“I love her,” she said of Ms. Greene, describing her as a fighter taking on the political establishment. “She fought them. If the party was like it was supposed to be, she wouldn’t be in a corner by herself.”
Billy Martin does not care much for politicians. But the retired teacher and coach liked what he heard from Marjorie Taylor Greene, who promised to arrive in Washington as a defiant force, intent on rattling the establishment.
For his community in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, which he believed had long been overlooked, Ms. Greene had a voice that was impossible to ignore.
But in recent weeks, it has also been impossible to ignore the torrent of troubling social media posts and videos in which Ms. Greene had endorsed violent behavior, including executing Democratic leaders, and spread an array of conspiracy theories, including that the Sept. 11 terrorist attack on the Pentagon and the massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., were hoaxes.
“Sometimes people say things they regret, speak before they think,” Mr. Martin said as he got in his pickup in downtown Summerville, a town of 4,300 people represented by Ms. Greene, a Republican who was elected to Congress in November in an unopposed race that drew national attention because of her promotion of the pro-Trump movement QAnon.
He found her posts and statements puzzling. Still, he added, he was not sure what to believe. “I don’t think they treat you fairly anymore,” Mr. Martin said, referring to the news media and Democratic politicians.
As Democrats push to strip Ms. Greene of committee assignments and as some Republicans condemn her statements, she has argued that the resistance confronting her only “strengthens my base of support at home and across the country.”
To some degree, that was true, as her most fervent supporters saw in the treatment of Ms. Greene a reminder of all that they loathed about Washington. But in a congressional district proud of its ranking as one of the most conservative in the country, voters drawn to her unapologetic intensity were now also brushing the limits of their support.
“It’s embarrassing,” Ashley Shelton, a stay-at-home mother who voted for Ms. Greene, said of the controversy. She thought former President Donald J. Trump would serve another term and saw Ms. Greene as “a backup, a comfort.”
“I think she’s kind of a loose cannon,” Ms. Shelton said before paraphrasing a line from the Old Testament: “The wise are the quiet ones,” she said. “The more she opens her mouth, the less evidence of her wisdom.”
Georgia has been gripped by a political tug of war, as the once reliably Republican state was won by President Biden in November, the first Democrat to do so in nearly three decades. And last month, the state’s two Republican senators were replaced by Democrats, tilting control of the Senate to that party.
Ms. Greene’s district represents the other end of the rope — a largely white and rural corner of the state dominated by Republicans. Sprawled across a dozen counties, the 14th Congressional District reaches from the outer suburbs of Atlanta to the outskirts of Chattanooga.
Despite her promotion of conspiracy theories during the tightly contested primary and runoff, Republicans said Ms. Greene gained traction by hewing to core conservative themes — defending gun rights, opposing immigration and supporting Mr. Trump. She covered a lot of ground, too, sometimes attending as many as five campaign events in a day.
“A lot of people here feel like they really know her,” said Luke Martin, a local prosecutor and chairman of the Republican Party in Floyd County, which is in her district. “They’ve met her. They’ve spoken with her. She never talked about that stuff. It’s kind of confusing to a lot of people. The person they think they know is not this person.”
The recent cascade of past social media posts, which also included a conspiracy theory that a space laser controlled by Jewish financiers started a California wildfire, Luke Martin said, has weakened her support. “You can’t justify it,” he said of her statements and social media activity. “It’s indefensible.”
But local Democrats contend that Republicans should not have been surprised. Some have written letters to the editor of newspapers in the district calling for her to step down.
“I didn’t think she was fit for office back then,” John Lugthart, who wrote one of the letters published in The Daily Citizen-News in Dalton, said of his opinions of Ms. Greene during the election. “More and more has come out, and my hope is that many others in our district now realize she’s not the one to represent us.”
Others, having long been resigned to the minority position held by Democrats in the region, said they hoped an infusion of energy in the party could bolster its chances in the next election.
But emotion filled Teresa Rich’s voice as she stood outside the radiator shop she owns with her husband, bemoaning the way Ms. Greene has been treated and the failure of other Republicans to adequately defend her.
“I love her,” she said of Ms. Greene, describing her as a fighter taking on the political establishment. “She fought them. If the party was like it was supposed to be, she wouldn’t be in a corner by herself.”
"Leadership" in the GQP is practically nonexistent. And when you've cultivated a base of voters with lies about women and minorities and "real America" and all the other shit they've been peddling for 50 years, you can't feign surprise to find out the people who're determined to step into leadership roles are as crazed as a buncha scorpions with heat stroke.
Like Driftglass says:
"I'm shocked - shocked - to find the Republican Party is filled with Republicans".
Crafty manipulators like MTGreene get elected by idiot voters who can't figure out what a lie sounds like because that's what the Party and Dumfux News have been drumming into everybody's heads for decades.
Unfortunately, we can't really tell anymore if MTGreene is the crafty cynical manipulator I think she is, or if she's dumb-as-a-fuckin'-stump like her idiot supporters.
And after NYT spills their ink all over this thing, their style book comes shining through - they still try to shoehorn some kind of middle ground into it - a safe place for them to land. They managed to put 4 whole sentences in the piece that sound critical to the rubes, but the rest of it pulls up way short of telling those rubes that we really really really need them to get their heads outa their asses "Cuz you're not fucking it all up just for yourselves, morons. The rest of us have to live with your stoopid fuckin' decisions too".
But hey - at least some of them are starting to get a little uncomfortable with some of the Qrazy shit.
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