Original spreader of misinformation dies

Rush Limbaugh, the original misinformation spreader on the right, has died at the age of 70 from lung cancer. 

Limbaugh who spent his conservative life duping "the low-information voter" - his words, not mine - into believing that the right wing in this country are the victims. He made these Republicans believe that they were the aggrieved parties of affirmative action, social security, Medicare and Medicaid, unemployment insurance, the Affordable Care Act and alike, and scapegoated blacks, Hispanics, women and any other group you could think of to lead "conservatives" to believe that these marginalized groups are the reason that they are not successful in life. 

The reality is that the Republican Party as an institution and the right wing have made it a certainty that all Americans, white, black, Hispanic, women, and everyone else was doomed to failure because of their support for corporations and fossil fuels. It is Limbaugh's, and by extension the right's, thinking that has kept people down. The GOP wants to cut social security and Medicare, but will hand out billions of dollars per year in corporate welfare to fossil fuel companies that make billions. Look it up.

They are still doing it. As recently as 2017, the Republican Party, who was in complete control of the government at the time (House, Senate and Presidency), passed the biggest corporate welfare bill in American history to corporations so they could buy back stocks, but are reluctant to give the taxpayers (all of us) $2,000 of our own money back. How dare they.     

There is no question that Rush Limbaugh used his platform to promote racism and sexism. You can listen to him in his own words, but it is the lies that he spread on that nationally syndicated show for decades, which reached 43 million listeners at its peak, that might have been his most destructive contribution to American life. 

I don't wish ill on anyone, but he has fostered a safe space for people to truly foment hate for the "other" through his broadcasts. His show, and I listened everyday for over 2 years because I had a boss that like to stew in that bile, perpetuated the idea that you should hate democrats like Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama because they were evil. 

Much of the Republican agenda does not appeal to me, especially these culture wars they like to talk about all the time, but I try for the most part to stick to the "policies" I disagree and why they don't work. I try not to refer to Republicans as evil, unless I am referring to Donald Trump, because he is the epitome of that word as was evident by his failure to ever gain 50 percent of support for his job approval for even one day of his presidency. His dereliction of duty led to the deaths of hundreds of thousands, and worse of all, it was on purpose for the most part.

Limbaugh, the mouthpiece of this "us against them" mentality can probably be best summarized in the following video. Listen to Limbaugh's listener's devotion to the rhetoric that has been drilled in to him over decades.

Limbaugh has spent years indoctrinating the right wing, and telling them that they should be mad, but his party had complete control of the government for two years and passed a tax-cut for the wealthy that further put this country in debt and what else? Limbaugh's listeners should be mad, but they should be mad at Republican Party. 

The Republican Party told us for years that if we deport everyone, than everything will be okay. President Obama deported more people than any other administration, and that didn't solve the diddo heads problems. Republicans told us that if we simply repealed Obamacare everything would be fine, but when given the first opportunity to do so, they couldn't come up with a better plan. They are not interested in governing, but instead just determined to maintain power. Be mad at that Limbaugh voter. 

In his last few years of life, Limbaugh spent his time in full support of the nation's most corrosive, destructive, and corrupt President. Not surprising to me, but now he has a lot to answer for before God. Good luck Mr. Limbaugh.   

It's time!

Evan McMullin, who ran as an independent candidate for President in 2016, speaks in great detail about the summit that many former Republicans and current moderate Republicans had recently which focused on creating a possible third party to fight the extremism that currently makes up the bulk of the GOP.

At this summit the idea was floated that a third, center-right, presumably conservative, party could be formed or possibly a faction within the current GOP that would battle the extremist element of the party. McMullin, in the video, goes into great detail about the possibilities of both options.   

 

Not that McMullin is asking, but I am of the opinion that it is indeed time for a Conservative Party. It would be nice to have a center right conservative party that again fights for fiscal conservatism (discipline), free trade, lower taxes when possible, a strong national defense, and limited regulations on business. But also regulate business enough so that they don't run amuck on the environment or on its employees. It needs to resemble more of Dwight Eisenhower, Teddy Roosevelt or Ronald Reagan's GOP. 

This Conservative Party could work assuming it focuses on these core ideologies of the old Republican Party, but ditches the insane culture war aspects of the modern GOP/QAnon cult. There is a real call for a fiscally conservative party that doesn't spend all its time fighting gay rights, scapegoating immigrants for all of America's problems, and bashing science while also promoting conspiracy theories. Finally, this party must focus on equality for all Americans regardless of race, and that means ending this GOP talking point that there is massive election fraud under every rock. This party must also avoid shoving Christianity down everyone's throat. I am all for Christianity, but in accordance with our founding ideals, religion and government should remain separate. Everyone in this country should be free to worship as they see fit regardless of religious affiliation.

The formation of such a party would lead to initial losses for both the current GOP and this Conservative Party, but this is necessary in order to eliminate the craziness that currently dominates the Republican Party. 

This new party would need to focus on getting funding from corporations that have cut their ties with the current tin-foil-hat-wearing members of the Republican Party, and run conservative candidates in the old mold of Reagan, Eisenhower, Roosevelt etc. in all the red states for senate and red congressional districts regardless of state. They should not oppose the Republican candidates in primaries because that is just a waste of time and money, but should instead get on the ballot to divert votes away from these Republican candidates that have lost their minds. This is how you purge the party on insanity. Simply running candidates against these nut jobs in Republican primaries will not work. Bill Weld and others tried that in 2020 when they ran against Trump in the primaries and averaged only 10-15 percent of the Republican vote, and we were still left with Trump as the only conservative choice.

If this conservative party instead helped moderate Democrats win in red states for one cycle, maybe the party could again find its footing. As long as the likes of Lindsey Graham, Mitch McConnell, Ted Cruz and Josh Hawley keep winning re-election, there is no incentive for them to change or for the Republican Party to change. These candidates must be defeated in order to send the message that this craziness within the party will not be tolerated.

It is time!

The Republican cowards strike again

The cowards that make up the Republican Party, the bulk of the GOP, voted again to let former President Donald Trump walk on the charges of impeachment for a second time. Trump, who was as guilty as sin of inciting an insurrection, had 43 sycophantic, feckless weaklings vote to let this scumbag, drenched in the blood on the five people who died on January 6th, to skate again. 

All this vote does is give future President's the precedent to contest elections, lie through their teeth, and incite their supporters to go and attack their enemies. The Republican Party, minus the seven Senators who voted to convict, has made this country weaker today. 

Here is how your senators voted in today's removal vote. Those that chose to support this seditious former President, disgraced Don, should be voted out as soon as the law allows. They do not believe in democracy, and thus have no business leading ours.

It was expected that the Republicans would piss on the U.S. Constitution for the millionth time today during this regrettable Trump era and subsequently this trial, but I was overcome by anger when I saw these cowards say not guilty out load. It is the equivalent, that if, after the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center, an entire political party came out and tried to deny that it was Bin Laden and his organization who was responsible. 

The anger experienced watching those videos of the attack on our Capitol on January 6, 2021, is the same anger felt on September 11th. However, this time the nation was not fuming against foreign terrorists, but instead had to come to grips with the fact that it was our own "countrymen" perpetrating this attack on the seat of democracy. 

It is unimaginable that our own politicians refuse to hold the leader of this coup attempt to account. He led the insurrection, and because these losers were afraid of a primary challenge, they gave this life-long criminal yet another free pass. Another get out of jail free card. Another opportunity to claim he did nothing wrong and that he was acquitted.

Immediately after receiving his latest pass from the Republican Party, Trump released a statement he clearly did not write because there is a number of words in it he doesn't even know how to pronounce, let-alone, spell. In this statement he threatens America that we are not done with this monster. 

Trump's full statement

As was predictable, he said that "this has been yet another phase of the greatest witch hunt in the history of our country." He clearly dictated that part of the statement, because he speaks in that hyperbolic way. "No President has ever gone through anything like it."

He also goes on to mention that he received 75 million votes, "the highest number ever for a sitting President," but omits the fact that Biden received 7 million more than Dumbo Donald. 

Finally he concludes with this threat. "Our historic, patriotic and beautiful movement ... has only just begun. In the months ahead I have much to share with you, and I look forward to continuing our incredible journey together." 

So if this maniacal sociopath returns and finishes the job of destroying our democracy, remember it is those 43 cowardly Republicans who are to blame for refusing to put an end to this tragic moment in history for good.

The Real Donald Trump

The trial of former President of the United States Donald Trump, the only President to ever be impeached twice, is nearing its conclusion, and this trial has reignited the trauma of January 6, 2021 in a big way for many Americans.

Despite being guilty as sin of inciting that mob, and helping to lead an insurrection, Trump is very likely to be acquitted again because of the weak and feckless, so-called leaders that currently make up the Republican Party. Despite overwhelming evidence, the likes of Lindsey Graham, Ted Cruz, Josh Hawley, Mike Lee, Ron Johnson, and the like, are afraid to convict Trump and vote to ensure that he will never hold federal office again.  

As much as there is to say about the guilt of Trump, and through their silence, his accomplices, this post was not meant to highlight that part of the Senate trial. This will actually focus on just how disgusting and despicable Trump is as a human being and how quickly he turned on the vile retches that he incited to attack the Capitol, kill police and then, in less than a week, threw them directly under the bus.

Trump would not have survived where I grew up because in my neighborhood, "snitches get stitches," and you never sell out or rat on your friends, and Trump would be the first to sell you out to get a better deal. It's all about him.

This post looks primarily at Trump's words on January 6, and how quickly he turned on those poorly educated saps and terrorists he coerced into attacking the Capitol. First we will look at Trump's speech to the mob before they became the mob. Most of the people who attended that event probably thought it was just going to be another Trump rally where they could hoot and holler, and complain about the so-called evil Democrats and then go home, but Trump had other ideas.

Below is the end result of Trump's months of wild rhetoric which included lies of election fraud and the idea that he had been cheated. The ultimate snowflake-in-chief, crying again about how HE, it's all about him, was treated unfairly.

Here are the facts, Trump has never won the popular vote. He spent three months getting his supporters to believe the big lie, and then in this 28-minute tirade on January 6, he worked these maniacal terrorists into a rage and then unleashed them on the U.S. Capitol. What you are about to see is graphic and disturbing. 

Two hours after these domestic insurrectionists stormed the Capitol looking to hang Mike Pence and Nancy Pelosi, and started beating the police officers they claimed to love and respect, Trump released this minute-long video basically saying go home. But the video kept the big lie alive. He calls these terrorists very special people and goes on to say how much they are loved by him.   

Around 6 eastern time, Trump sends out a tweet on social media that says, what do you expect? He basically excuses the rioters at the Capitol. "What do you expect," he said. "when you have an election stolen." He also goes on to say in that same tweet that this is a day we should remember, not with disgust, but with reverence.  

His glee about what the rioters did vanished in less than a week however. Once he saw the reaction to that violent attempted overthrow of the U.S. Capitol and the U.S. Constitutional Democracy, he released this video on January 13, 2021, where he throws those "very special people" that he claimed to love under a 747-sized bus. Make no mistake. They deserve it. They deserve everything that is coming to them. But to watch this worthless, soulless loser incite these people and then discard them is pretty disturbing.  

Finally some of the Trump rioters who stormed the Capitol that day asked Donald Trump for a pardon, like Jenna Ryan, who still doesn't think she did anything wrong. All I can say, is laugh out loud. Trump didn't pardon Ryan or any of the other terrorists with her that day. Why? Because he never cared about you Jenna or any of his stupid supporters. You were just a means to an end for this sociopath. She is upset because she was "following the President's orders" but keep that in mind as you navigate prison!

#MAGA

Taylor-Greene embodies the modern GOP

Marjorie Taylor-Greene, the face of the modern Grand Old Party, has been stripped of her committee assignments in a bi-partisan vote on Thursday in the House of Representatives. The vote stripping Taylor-Greene of her Budget and Education Committee assignments included 11 Republican members and stood at 230-199 when it was gaveled. 

The Republican Party, which has been the epitome of cowardice in the last five years at least, had a chance to prevent this vote, but minority leader Kevin McCarthy proved once again to be a feckless weakling. McCarthy decided not to handle this situation internally like Republicans did when they stripped former Iowa congressmen Steve King of his committee assignments for his controversial statements regarding white supremacy. King's unhinged statements, as bad as they were, pale in comparison to Taylor-Greene's beliefs.  Democrats gave McCarthy and Republicans the opportunity to handle this internally but they were to busy attacking one of the last few sane Republicans in the caucus, Liz Cheney, for having the gall to vote to impeach Donald Trump. 

Provided below is just a taste of some of Taylor-Greene's most deranged musings in her own words.  

Taylor-Greene is the embodiment of the modern GOP. They do not present facts, but instead ask questions and let you make up the rest as you go along. That is right out of the Trump playbook. Trump never presented facts either, but would couch his lies by saying things like, "a lot of people are saying," or "I'm just asking the question." In her own words, Taylor-Greene admits that she doesn't know who Q is but says this mysterious person is a patriot for sure. How can you call someone a patriot when you don't know anything about them? Insane on its face. 

However, her unhinged thoughts are not limited to the above video. She has posted stuff on Facebook and twitter that is just as crazy if not more so. Here are some of the highlights. 

1. She called Nancy Pelosi a traitor in a video and in the same video said that the penalty for treason is death, hinting that Pelosi should get the death penalty. She has also liked Facebook posts that said Pelosi should be executed. 

2. During her campaign, a poster/ad was produced with Taylor-Greene holding an AR-15 and pointing it at members of the so-called squad - Democratic members of the House of Representatives, which all happen to be women of color.

3. She has called both Sandy Hook and Parkland school shootings false flag events, suggesting that the people killed during those massacres were not really dead, and that these were orchestrated as a way for the government to pass more stringent gun laws.

- NOTE: The Sandy Hook part of this is by far the most offensive of her deranged thoughts to me. I remember when 20 of those six- and seven-year-old babies were killed along with six of their heroic teachers and principal. I also remember when that sociopath Alex Jones (Infowars) claimed that they were child actors. Then Taylor-Greene lends additional oxygen to that red-faced loser, Jones, by also suggesting that the loss of these families was not real. BEYOND SICK and TWISTED.

4. She claims there is no evidence of one of the terrorist planes on September 11, 2001 hitting the Pentagon.      

5. She claims that members of our government and the Hollywood "elites", her word not mine, are worshipping Satan and eating babies. 

6. She holds anti-Semitic and Islamophobic views. She has claimed that the California wildfires were started by a secret Jewish space laser, and that George Soros was behind the aforementioned Satan worshipping and soul cooking. She also called the elections of Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib, a Muslim invasion of our government. Representative Omar said she received death threats as a result this statement and earlier-mentioned meme - where she was one of the targeted women as was Tlaib.   

7. Taylor-Greene believes that the Las Vegas shooter Stephen Paddock, who killed 61 people and injured more than 800, was not a lone wolf but suggests that he was part of a conspiracy to make conservatives at said concert fearful. She goes on to claim that this was a way to get those people to be afraid and to give up their guns.

8. She has claimed the Clinton's were part of the Satanic cabal, but that they were also responsible for countless murders - including the death of John Kennedy Jr.

This list goes on and on, but the reality is that this women is clearly unhinged, and has no business serving in any position of authority, but alas the 14th congressional district in Georgia overwhelmingly put this nut in office despite being given a more moderate Republican choice - a local doctor name John Cowan. But the modern Republican Party has no interest in electing strong fiscal conservative voices anymore. They have instead become the party of crackpots like Taylor-Greene. And the proof of this again came Wednesday when McCarthy refused to take action from within and again on Thursday when the bulk of the Republican House members refused to strip Taylor-Greene of her committee assignments.   

Greene tried to defend some of her previous statements and beliefs in an address to the House of Representatives prior to Thursday's vote, but it fell flat for the most part. She never apologized for her statements and instead blamed the media for the dangerous rhetoric in this country. She even tried to put QAnon and the mainstream press on equal footing when it comes to blame. Like any of the self-proclaimed tough Republicans who are going to kick some ass and take some names, when confronted, they play the victimized snowflake and cry about cancel culture. You can see her speech in its entirety below:  

Taylor-Greene, who has now been reduced to a do-nothing member of Congress, has scheduled a press conference for Friday morning - a few hours from now. You can fully expect Taylor-Greene, who is using this to raise millions of dollars so far, to cry foul, and about cancel culture and how she is the "poor" victim in all this. I am telling you this because this modern GOP is very predictable. I'm sure that as I am writing this, FOX and OAN and alike have been pounding the airwaves with the woe-is-me rhetoric.