Looks like it was a decent night for Democrats, including one who seems OK with being labeled a Democratic Socialist. The ‘S’ word is still anathema in some circles, but I’m not sure why. We’ve lived with a brand of socialism since at least the mid-1930s, and most of us seem OK with that.

The longstanding mindset that takes exception to it does so on the basis of capitalism as religion, of “how things used to be” in the frontier days, when a white man was a white man and there weren’t any handouts, before expansion and population increases and diversity, along with money-grubbing schemers who don’t think twice about tanking the economy if they can come up with things like credit default swaps and anything else that preys on misfortune, manipulates the system, and keeps coffers filled and lifestyles intact.

Donald Trump and most Republicans deserve a decisive trouncing. They’ve shown us nothing but self-interest and a cold-hearted blindness to the human condition. Trump and the rest can rail all they want against Mr. Mamdani and other Democrats who have now prevailed in elections they couldn’t sway or corrupt with their fear-mongering and moronic threats.

I hope this means the good guys are gaining some momentum. They soon must find ways to follow through on some of their promises.

It’s a sort of weighty hollowness—the daily realization at some point after waking that Donald Trump is still POTUS. We awaken to a daily nightmare where an old, angry man child with skewed priorities abuses his privileges and neglects his responsibilities and carries out someone else’s agenda.

It’s heavy, because most of us know by now that in order to move beyond this stifling malaise, we need to fight, put ourselves out there and risk catching the eye and feeling the wrath of an irrational adolescent who has no room in his heart, no capacity to empathize, no real desire to govern with a thought for what used to be certain ideals and hopes and expectations.

With each new day, I feel more inclined to believe that Donald is just a punch-drunk loser standing on the deck of a ship in the middle of a storm-tossed sea, trying to keep his balance, trying to stay focused on what matters most to him: total control, bricks and mortar and gold chandeliers, and crushing his enemies, who become more numerous by the day.

Football is a violent game. Duh. Yesterday, I watched a player for Iowa State take a huge hit, stand up for a couple seconds, then collapse on the field. I’ve never heard a quieter stadium.

That’s what gets me—both teams, and the fans in the stands, keep vigil for the fallen gladiator, feel relieved when they see any sign indicating that the player is conscious and maybe paralysis has been avoided. Then the sanctioned mayhem that sometimes approaches art form must resume.

I’ve always been amazed that so many people at so many levels still want to participate in this… sport? Gotta prove oneself somehow, I guess, join the fray, risk it all for a chance to get laid, for a shot at fame, and opportunities to hit people.

This isn’t serious governance. It’s slash and burn, in-your-face idiocy. It’s distraction and cover-up, 24/7. It’s so bad and so negligent that it sometimes feels like a sick joke, like it can’t possibly be happening. Like who could be this ignorant, and so willing to carry through on the next cold-hearted, ill-advised thing?

Half the country has given permission, though, apparently deceived into thinking that Trump was actually capable, or some sort of miracle worker sent from God.

What brand of Christianity cultivates such gullibility and blindness?

What a useless prick. While many indicators trend poorly, he’s worried about his image, he’s pissed at someone about a picture or a magazine cover or a derogatory comment. He’s such a weakling, his priorities are so skewed that he worries more about his damned ballroom than about any relevant indicator of health or sickness in this country. A robust DJIA will only get him so far.

He’s got an administration full of whack jobs and lightweights, all beholden to him (imagine that—this time around, the main quality he looked for in filling positions was loyalty to him!). Nobody offers reality checks or speaks truth to him. They just burrow further up his ass.

Looking at the headlines this morning, it’s apparent that a storm is coming, and it’s coming for every sector of our economy, every aspect of our life together. Nothing is going to be left unscathed by the total failure of the Trump administration to take its job seriously.

The sham passing as strategy is obviously to portray the current shutdown as the Democrats’ fault, which is the furthest thing from the truth. No doubt, it’s a political hot potato, but the reality is that Republicans have lost their minds. They insist on draconian cuts to programs that millions of people depend on. Sure, they can offer up drivel, like those people are lazy, or most of them are illegal immigrants, or “This is America. Everyone strives and makes their own way!” But in reality, they are all out to lunch, intentionally clueless.

They can cast aspersions and throw numbers around until the cows come home, but most of us don’t need numbers anymore. We’re totally familiar with cold-hearted incompetence when we see it, and Trump has been the poster child for it since 2016. Actually, well before that.

And one more thing: he’s losin’ it.

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