Matt Gaetz, Tulsi Gabbard, RFK, Jr., etc. All purposely shocking picks.

It’s one thing to promise a shake-up, but we need to be aware that this shake-up—this “change”—is all in the service of having the right sheep in place so Trump can move about freely and be the point man for a larger movement’s intentions.

What we see happening, in one sense, is truly remarkable. Anyone with ears to hear was told about the Heritage Foundation and the influence it’s had on Republican politics. What we see now is its plan apparently taking shape, coming together.

They most certainly have anticipated resistance from Democrats, and the exposed Trojan Horse is poised.

I’m beginning to think that Trump voters used inflation and the pocketbook as an excuse—they actually like the idea of a dictator, as long as he’s their dictator who has their interests in mind and doesn’t run them over, too.

Well, buckle up, buttercups. Chances are it wouldn’t work that way.

To hear Rachel Maddow tell it, we’re watching a slow-motion car wreck. There’s an air of inevitability. The Republicans, unless they develop a spine, are going to appease their supreme leader and let him get all his WTF appointments while Congress is on an unscheduled, i.e. suspiciously timed—forced—recess.

Maddow views this as a test—Trump will demand that the House and Senate scoot out of town, first and foremost just to see if they’ll do it. Then he’ll know a bit more about any resistance to the Project 2025 plan, and he can make numerous recess appointments.

This is being said out loud. Everyone is familiar with the script. It’s merely now a matter of whether or not everyone follows it.

One has to hope that they won’t. The Dems still have time to do what they can to Trump-proof things—or is it more Heritage Foundation-proof—before January 20. We’ll see how much they can get to, and if it even matters.

There’s something to be said for having an expansive vocabulary, along with the style and know-how to put it all together, weave a tapestry of well-placed words and phrases that get down to business.

This would come in handy when trying to plum the shallow depths of Donald Trump. It’s too easy to just go off on him and utilize the usual reactive verbiage that makes one sound as ignorant as he is. I feel like this is what I do most of the time.

I wish I could speak in more measured tones when it comes to Trump, but when I read an article in which someone is trying to do that, attempting to be more reasonable and balanced with their language, I find myself wishing they were somehow less disciplined and more colorful. The sweet spot might be a combination of restraint and intensity, yielding cutting commentary that leaves the reader wanting more.

Trump somehow continues to evoke such raw emotion that I sometimes find it difficult to get the words down fast enough, and I end up saying things that could be said in a more concise manner. Oh well… this is our lot when someone like Trump finds ways to hang around and force himself into every conversation. He’s an omnipresent bore and someone who infuriates, because he can’t get enough of himself.

And maybe this is what’s so frustrating– he seems to be able to take any kind of attention and convert it to energy.

Maybe we should just start ignoring him.

They don’t like the guy, but they voted for him, because they thought he would do a better job than Kamala.

Because he’s a guy?

Basically, the only thing I’ve learned about politics over the years is that candidates will say just about anything in order to get votes. Trump has elevated this tactic to a whole other level, mixing in his “folksy(?)” shtick with a particularly galling brand of ignorance and coarseness that, apparently, many find endearing and… real?

It’s worked the opposite on me. I can’t listen to or watch the man anymore. I long ago saw and heard all I needed to see and hear. Trump has given himself permission to spew the venom that others write for him, while he, unplugged, is a sad excuse for such a high-profile leader when it comes to uttering anything of import and substance.

It’s really all one can expect from someone who’s no student of history, someone who doubles down on his ignorance and wears his hubris like a favorite suit.

The over-arching question when the history books are updated should be, “How on earth did he get so far?”

*Mr. Barnum, or whoever said it

Coffee, quiet, and the opportunity to write.

These are the things I treasure about my morning routine. After all the years of doing this, I still think it’s the allure of caffeine that gets me out of bed in the morning, though the chance to express myself runs a close second.

What I write means little to anyone but me, but it feels good to move thoughts from brain to keyboard. I wish, though, that my command of the English language was showing signs of…  signs of what?!  

The process of brain to keyboard seems to be getting interrupted more than it used to.

Trump and his enablers should be reviled, not respected, and certainly not encouraged. How could we muster anything more than disparagement when his reason for being is simply to take revenge and create chaos?

How could so many be so deceived for so long?

Trump doesn’t want to fix anything. His only vision is one of self-enrichment. He doesn’t want to help anyone but himself. He might be sly as a fox, but I wouldn’t give him even that much “credit.”

He’s draining us and he doesn’t care. He’s willing to tear down what Hamilton and Jefferson and Franklin and the rest created and equipped at great risk. Trump is oblivious to where we’ve come from or where we’re headed. He doesn’t know a thing about true courage or risking one’s life for something honorable.

He’s a shitpouch, a twit, a distraction, and we have to endure his cluelessness and vanity and incompetence until early 2029, if he lasts that long.

Congrats, MAGA Nation. You’ve outdone yourself. 

The fossil fuel industry must be happier than a hog in excrement right now. They’ve got their man coming back to the White house, so they can look forward to favorable treatment for the next four years, while many of the rest of us can look on as we fight uphill and go ever further down the path of ruin with decreasing chances of turning things around.

Accelerated global warming is the challenge of our time, and Trump still thinks it’s a hoax.

He and his fossil fuel gravy train buddies will have blood on their hands unless this slow-rolling excuse factory suddenly has a change of heart and can be convinced that it’s in their best interest to shift gears and get behind renewables or some other yet-unharnessed and less harmful sources of energy.

Exxon and the rest are the replacement villains for R.J. Reynolds and their partners in crime. The main difference would be one of scale: a sick planet with billions instead of millions of ruined lives, directly attributable to hubris, stubbornness, deception, and spectacular greed.   

There has to be discernment when it comes to “shaking things up” and needed change. There has to be discernment when it comes to nominating people for leadership roles in a President’s cabinet and other high-profile assignments.

The current batch of Trump nominees makes it appear that this responsibility is not being taken seriously, that there is no discernment or sober judgment involved here, just flippancy.

It’s simply, as many keep saying, loyalty. All that matters is loyalty.

When loyalty is Trait #1, we get Elon Musk and Kristi Noem and Matt Gaetz and RFK, Jr. and a former Fox News Weekend host—fish out of water, every single one. In over their heads, and any other relevant metaphors and similes one can think of.

But they’re all willing to toe the line when it comes to praising Donald Trump, along with sharing his penchant for vengeance and aimless wandering.

It’s still very difficult to take Donald Trump seriously, yet we must.

I was reading an article from USA Today, written by an offended Republican who took exception to the rhetoric of the left and the “elites” who constantly badmouth Trump voters for being, basically, stupid and short-sighted. This person was truly merciless in their critique, unleashing a cathartic tongue lashing and pretty much saying that 75 million people can’t be wrong, or can’t all be stupid, and we liberal crybabies need to come to terms with the fact that Republicans have control of all three branches of government for a reason, that reason being that good ol’ conservatism—fiscal, moral, religious—is the only way to go.

The trouble with that argument, besides being presumptuous and unduly cocky, is that he or she targets the many millions who voted for Harris as all liberal elitists who make it their mission in life to look down their noses at anyone who voted for Trump and holds conservative views. Agreed, the critique from Democratic officials and late-night TV hosts and MSNBC pundits could be perceived as insensitive and demeaning, but there’s enough of those things to go around, and it’s too fruitless to try and discern who started it… as if we don’t have a pretty good idea.

Anyway, I read most of the article and became cognizant of a growing pit in my stomach because this person’s language and reasoning were beginning to grate on me. The argument started sounding familiar, and I began wondering why it bothered me so much.

While I consider myself to be closely aligned to the late-night hosts and MSNBC pundits and Democratic officials, I don’t necessarily find their cheap shots and what might be perceived as an air of superiority to be a helpful strategy when it comes to countering the looming nightmare of Trumpism. But I also find the thin-skinned indignance of this USA Today contributor to be exactly why I never put much stock in his or her or anyone else’s similar arguments.

It’s a shallow argument at best, because conservative pundits, this one included, seem incapable of ever moving beyond their own tendency to make assumptions and label people, along with a stubborn defensiveness and unwavering opinion that the Trump brand of conservatism—or whatever he’s peddling—is the only way to go, the only way to think and operate in the world.

One person’s “elitism” and far left liberalism is another’s understanding that humans and human societies are complex beings and entities.

Not only that, but when it comes to legislation and Supreme Court rulings, the Bible cannot hold as prominent a place as conservatives believe it should. This, to me, seems what’s always humming in the background—conservatism inseparable from religious conservatism, which is permeating our culture and unduly influencing the decision-making process for Republicans, or whatever the party of Trump has become.

There’s a part of me that’s still thinking, “Maybe things won’t be as bad as we think. Maybe Trump will surprise us and the next four years won’t be as bad as his previous four.” I still dare to hold out for that possibility, even as I see the caliber of Cabinet picks and that the House and Senate are now both red…

Who am I kidding?

This is gonna be a slog, folks. It’s gonna get noisy and ugly, because Trump is getting older and all he wants is to tend to his grievances and work on his enemies list. He’s a patsy, he’s a child, he’s putty in The Heritage Foundation’s hands, among others, and unless a bunch of people find ways to stand up to this machine, America is going to be rendered unrecognizable. We’ve gone and given permission to a guy whose overriding goal in life is to get even.

Oh, and that stock market bump will be a short-lived phenomenon.

Kudos, America.