A COUPLE DAYS UNTIL THE 2022 MIDTERM ELECTIONS - A THOUGHT OR TWO REGARDING DESPAIR

 With the midterm election just a couple days away I think we'll take this post in a slightly different direction and talk about despair for a moment.

If one is paying attention to the polls it would appear that people are more than willing to sacrifice their rights and personal freedoms under the illusions that letting the GOP retake Congress would improve the economy. Some of the mainstream poles have even suggested that women have calmed down since the dogs ruling from SCOTUS in late June and are more concerned about gas prices and the cost of groceries they are trying to protect bodily autonomy or the right to make decisions what to do with pregnancy.  As a result, a lot of people who lean democratic are freaking out and assuming the election news is all bleak. It's important to realize that the midterms are still not set in stone until every vote is counted but that does little to assuage people who are doom scrolling and in a constant state of worry after witnessing the last six or so years.

Should people despair just yet? I would suggest being cautious but don't assume that it's hopeless just yet. Having said that, I want to briefly look out why people might despair at a time like this.

Imagine you're a person that leans liberal living in a conservative state. Be it because of family emergency, job transfer, or simply can't afford to move. In that scenario it's likely that a person might be in a situation surrounded by people with opposing points of view. If we were still in normal times that might be fine. However, given that a good chunk of the Coupublicans are trying to downplay the coup attempt that happened on January 6th 2021 and many of those are still claiming the stolen from the Mad Fuhrer of Mar-A-Lago, we are currently in a time where that becomes a lot more stressful. If someone ne lives in a city in said state it may seem a little less bleak because it's a little bit easier to find like-minded people. But what about those people who may be in rural areas or  in the outer suburbs/exhurbs?

For people who have to exist in those areas the despair might be a little more existential. We're talking about areas where bring me up the actual history of this country, especially when it comes to race, is seen seen and attacked us being divisive. The sort of areas where there's a tendency to downplay the events of January 6, 2021 rather than address what really went on and is going on today to some degree. The places where where someone who might not be MAGA risks being silenced parlance by those around them who have drank that particular non-carbonated drink mix. It is in situations like that, where someone who might lean left could feel increasingly isolated - especially in the aftermath of how most people in those areas reacted to the pandemic- and feel they have to suffer in silence or pretend that nothing is wrong while many of the people around them spout out rhetoric that can be easily disproved and seems to have more and more anti-democratic leanings. It is a not scenario where I can see it being easy to fall into despair.

It would be easy to say that these people need just to find organizations are interested in and and volunteer for them (and I'm not necessarily talking about working with the local chapter of the Democrats). This is good advice good advice, but it's easier to follow if you're in a city or even an inner-ring suburb then for people living in rural areas who might have to drive a relatively significant distance to find these organizations. Add to this the fact that even in the age of the internet it's not always easy to find organizations that will think global and act local.

So how should these people react in the face of current poll numbers lovers and the possible fear created by "poll watchers" that are more likely to act on misinformation than actual facts? Should they be scared?

It's okay to be scared, or even feel overwhelmed. However you have to put that in the back of your mind and cash your vote anyway.  As I said before, vpting isn't only thing we need to do to help make this a better place. In fact it's the bare minimum in what we can do. For some people though it might be the only thing they're able to do at the moment because of work schedules, family commitments and the like.

So outside of voting how should we deal with the feelings of despair and being overwhelmed over the next couple days? Breathe and take the polls with a container of salt. Remember that while they might be right (it would be dishonest not to consider that) they have also been wrong in the past and might be wrong this year. If you have friends they're on the fence but might lean against the GOP who haven't voted yet talk with them and let them know what's at stake. If it all just boils down to perceptions on the economy let them know that there is no free enterprise under an authoritarian state.

Well something like this take care of all of the pre-election despair right now? Not all of it, but regardless of what happens the fight will continue. It just might get a hell of a lot more dire and bleak if the group of election deniers and conspiracy theorists controlling much of the GOP manages to win. 

ONE WEEK, OKAY SIX DAYS ACTUALLY BUT YOU GET THE IDEA, UNTIL THE 2022 MIDTERMS

 Hey!  I was hoping to get this post done and online yesterday. However, oversleeping and recovering form finishing up another project had me needing a break.  With that in mind, let’s get to another post regarding the midterms next week. 

This time around I want to focus on how people should take into account when looking at polls, the news, et al.  I admit this likely only touches the surface but I hope this helps some people who may be freaking out right now.  As the mainstream media reports poll gaps closing and how things are razor thin in some key states, it’s easy to worry and think that all is lost.  However, since it’s not always that simple, I feel it could help to offer a few tips on how to react to the hell-ride that the midterms are being presented as.

First of all – BREATHE.  I cannot stress this enough.  Being close to hyperventilating and freaking out is perfectly understandable. However, it can also be the worst thing you can do.  Take a deep breath and take a step back.  Assess things quickly. The polls don’t always tell the whole story (we’ll get to that shortly) and constantly checking the news when they’re recycling the same talking points might actually be meant to keep you afraid and thinking your vote (if you haven’t voted already) doesn’t matter so why bother.  Instead, take a breath, think for a moment or two and figure out the next step to take.

Next – KEEP THE DOOM SCROLLING TO A MINIMUM. It’s easy to keep your eyes glued to the news like the election is a horserace in your free time and freak out. The mainstream media, whether they want to admit it or not, gives the right wing a wide berth and is more than willing to take their messaging and run with it.  But, as I said earlier, it isn’t the whole story.  Polls have been wrong in the past (remember when the majority of then predicted that Hillary Clinton would easily win the 2016 Presidential election) and as the 2020 election shows, we might not have the whole picture even as November 8^th turns to November 9^th and beyond. 

As a friend of mine in Los Angeles pointed out on social media – if you already voted doom scrolling is worthless. Instead focus on getting people out to the polls who haven’t voted yet and encourage others to do the same.  If you haven’t voted yet, make a plan and make sure you’re able to cast your ballot.  Focusing on the prize rather than the potential and possible obstacles to the prize can possibly do more good than doom scrolling and freaking out.

With this in mind let’s get to the next point: THE POLLS DON’T TELL THE WHOLE STORY:.  This should be obvious to anyone who remembers 2016 where the man we’d later come to know as the Mad Fuhrer of Mar-A-Lago had a less than 20% approval rating on election day yet somehow won the electoral vote and defeated Hillary Clinton.  In some cases this is because polls and surveys often rely on landlines (or at least used to) and don’t generally talk to people with cell phones (this may have changed given the decrease in people with land lines).  In other cases it’s because people generally try to avoid taking those surveys which leaves to room wide open for what I’m about to say.

SOMETIMES PEOPLE FLAT OUT LIE WHEN TAKING A SURVEY. Some have suggested it’s because those people who supported the Mad Fuhrer, either in 2016, 2020, or now, voters might not want their neighbors to know who they’re voting for. That;’s a possibility though one I doubt given how the MAGA crowd likes to shout from the rooftops.  Instead I want to throw this out there – they may be lying on purpose. 

Think about it. You suddenly see Democrats who, while remembering how the GOP was like under the Mad Fuhrer, who suddenly lean towards the GOP because of the economy and are willing to let their rights go away in the process. Sure it’s entirely possible there may be some low information voters like that (i.e.: those who vote a party line because their parents did et al).  But, even with that, there’s still a lot of anger over SCOTUS overturning Roe alone as well as the possible threats to a number of other rights and the coup attempt of January 6, 2021 that makes this more of an outlier than a solid movement.

Instead I think it may be likely that a lot of people who were going to vote for the GOP anyway may lie to pollsters and claim to be Democrats for the purposes of political dirty tricks. Not everyone may have done this (and yes, there’s a chance that those on the other side might do this as well) but there are some people on the right who follow bad faith actors be they pundits, politicians, and the like and have learned that keeping your side in power is the only thing and that any step they take is justified in the process. 

As a result this line of thinking could lead to people lying to pollsters in order to keep the other side scared and thinking that all is hopeless.  So, take this into account whenever you see the poll results – espeacilly as razor thin as most of them have been recently.

In addition, THINK SEVERAL STEPS AHEAD.  As I said in a previous post I don’t know how the election next week is going to go and neither do you.  Therefore it’s important to remember that voting alone doesn’t end this battle.  The fight will continue regardless of who wins next week.  If the GOP wins the fight will be steeper and a lot more bleak (yes it’s true that the GOP is becoming more and more fascist adjacent and a lot of people will be on the chopping block if they regain control of Congress).  However, don’t think that is the right wing loses that they’ll try and understand where their neighbors, friends, and family members who lean left are coming from and try to reach common ground.  In the past the right wing has gotten more extreme regardless of their outcome  - add extremist conspiracy theory garbage from groups we won’t name here to the mix and the fight will continue regardless. 

Ultimately though there’s one thing to mention – if you haven’t done so already VOTE. 

Right now it’s easy to look at the polls and think that all hope is lost. It’s even possible to fall into despair and think that, since they paint the election as already done, then there’s no point in voting.  This is understandable but one should remember that if you don’t vote then the other side wins. 

I know there’s no guarantee that one’s side will win the election, especially when factoring in the voter suppression laws that the GOP has pushed for since 2020. However assuming that all is lost means that you will almost definitely lose.  The only thing that matters now is for as many people to vote as possible and overpower the GOP’s plans.  It will be a little more difficult now than two years ago but it needs to be done.

As a friend of mine shared on social media – if you’ve already voted early limit the doom scrolling and get your friends and family members out to vote.  If you haven’t voted yet make a plan to do so  and make sure your ballot is cast.  As I said earlier in this post we might not know the results on election night but, regardless of what happens, the fight will continue. 

Just remember that, if you care about reproductive freedom LGBTQ rights and want voting to be more accessible (not harder) the side that’s not trying to marginalize people and try and make certain rights illegal on a Federal level will make the fight easier than if the Coupublicans win. 

Keep that in mind when you vote and vote your conscience.

TWO WEEKS TIL THE MIDTERM ELECTIONS - SOME THOUGHTS

Tuesday October 25, 2022....

As I type this we are two weeks away from the 2022 midterm elections here in the United States. As it stands now things still seem to be up in the air where what was at first thought to be a victory for the Coupublican's to win back at least one of the houses of Congress got put in Jeopardy after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade over the summer but I might have a chance of getting back to that again.

As pundits and political scientists have their predictions of what might happen in 2 weeks I have to admit that I'm not sure who's going to win the election. If you're being honest neither do you.

Part of the current feeling that the Coupublicans could win at least one of the houses of Congress lies traditional political reasons dumb that the incumbent party in the White House always loses at least one of the houses of Congress in the midterm election. They're also citing recent polls that claimed that the economy is the most pressing issue for American voters Ball by crime abortion being third or fourth depending on who you ask. Establishing pundits are using this as proof of it being a horse race while some people in the GOP kind of hoping that it depresses enough potential Democratic voters that they stay home on Election Day, that's making their Victory a self-fulfilling prophecy.

The problem with this line of thinking, especially when it comes to the polls, is that the recent polls are almost all within the margin of error (except for one that predicted a win or lose margin of 11 seats, making it an outlier). Because of the margins of error, and the fact that these polls rely on likely voters, I find myself in agreement with journalist and YouTuber Beau of the Fifth Column when he says the outcome of the midterms just depends how many unlikely voters did they need to go out and vote when they normally wouldn't. With this in mind it really does go down to motivate more of the unlikely voters to the boat and what issues they'll vote on.

This could mean the news for the Democrats given their positions and  policies tend to be more popular with everyday people then the GOP policies are.  However, there tends to be a belief among a lot of people (fueled In part by the corporate media narrative) that the coupublicans would be better for the economy. While looking at the actual data makes this a little far-fetched the belief persists.

This leads us to a dark horse theory amongst the current political wisdom. Michael Moore stated and continues to predict the Democrats will keep control of both houses of Congress come the midterms, fighting the number of women angry over losing their reproductive rights as well as increasing number of young people finally able to vote in their first election.  While some people in the mainstream media are calling Moore's statements wishful thinking it should be noted that Moore was one of the few people in 2016 to protect that Hillary Clinton would lose the election. He didn't want it to happen (and even did a special presentation to try and get out the vote for the Democrats) but he, unfortunately.  turned out to be right. Yes there is no guarantee that he'll be correct this time. Still, Michael Moore does tend to have more of a sense of what the average person wants or is seeking out then a lot of mainstream political pundits.

What do I think about that? I'm not certain. I do believe that a lot of people who can get pregnant are pissed off about losing the right to control their own bodies and make health decisions for themselves. However, I also know that too many people in suburbia (especially white moderates) might not like the Coupublicans stances on social conservatism and culture war issues but may be perfectly willing to give up their own rights and freedoms under the belief that the GOP will lower taxes and that culture war issues will never affect them. Some of these people may still be on the fence but may have a hard time being convinced that it can affect them as election day nears

The reality of the midterm elections is simple. The winner will be whichever side gets more people to vote. While the GOP normally goes out to vote in every election (and has some on their side willing to try and prevent others from voting via voter suppression laws and the light to prevent turn out) there is one factor where are the Coupublicans may have overestimated. Mainly their attacks on women, minorities,  and LGBTQ people and issues may piss off a lot of people to the point where they'll be willing to vote in a midterm they normally wouldn't. 

 It is here where I feel a little bit of hope. Even with that though, it's still up to people to get out there and vote. 

 While voting isn't the only way to achieve social change in this country it is one of the simplest and the one that most of us are expected to do (yet yet some of the people and parties in power want to actually make that more difficult). If those who are able to vote who disagree with current political wisdom are willing to brave the lines at the polls and make their voices heard with their vote, people who want a better world it have a step towards getting there. 

MIDTERM ELECTION THOUGHTS 23 DAYS OUT

 Sunday October 16, 2022.

We are roughly a little over three weeks from the 2022 midterm elections here in the United States. Things are up in the air as what many thought should have been an easy victory for the GOP was thrown asunder in June when the Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade, removing bodily autonomy from those who can get pregnant; making a little over half the u.s. population second-class citizens in the process.  While this has managed to energize Democrats giving them something they can appeal to independents and more moderate voters over it has left common political wisdom up in the air.

As for the Coupublicans, candidates highly endorsed by the Mad Fuhrer (Now Currently in Exile @) Mar-A-Lago seem to be edging further and further towards enabling fascism. A majority of GOP voters polled refused to accept that the Mad Fuhrer lost the election in 2020, claiming that voting machines and "illegal voters" stole the election from the former electoral vote winner. Conservative politicians are increasingly relying on culture war issues that target LGBTQ people as well as racial minorities as a way to keep their base angry rather than work with Democrats to try and improve the lives of their constituents.  Add to the sense that the more extreme of the GOP politicians would rather settle scores for their dear leader the work on the issues that affect our lives and you get a feeling that, if they win in November, this country could go down a dark and dire path.

In the meantime, the right-wing media as well as politicians gaslight the rest of us. They claim the overturn of Roe isn't that big of a deal even though we're already seeing scenarios a scary and deadly as those feminists warned us would happen if abortion  is outlawed while they claim that those who can't get pregnant can merely travel to a state where the procedure is legal they don't take into account the costs that could prohibit many from doing so. They also refuse to acknowledged they fully plan on trying to introduce a federal abortion ban if they get a chance. Add to this some pharmacist are refusing to sell people contraception and we're beginning to see a certain segment of one religion being imposed on us more and more.

As for the Supreme Court it appears they may be taking all the keys that could probably allow states to control how elections are conducted. While it seems harmless enough on the surface, States with GOP Governors and/or legislators are increasingly willing to consider not accepting election results don't fit the outcome they want. When mixed with voter suppression efforts and possible intimidation at the polls in November and we have a very scary mix that could bring the game against the will of the people.

And it's not just abortion rights either. Coupublicans have hinted that they want SCOTUS to overtun the ruling that legalized same sex marriage, with some politicians even calling for allowing states to imprison people for sodomy.  In addition, there are signs that the right wing wants to strip away the right os people to use contraception as well.  While Coupublican politicians and right wing pundits gaslight us by saying this can't happen, what we've seen coming from states that have re-criminalized the right of pregnant people to get an abortion where women almost have to practically die to get abortions needed to save a woman's life because doctors and hospitals don't know how to respond in a time where the hard right caught the car and allowed laws based on horrible theory to get passed a lot of us know to expect if the Coupublicans regain control of Congress.

As for the candidates themselves, some of the key races are really too close to call. This is true even if some of the candidates endorsed by the Mad Fuhrer seem to be embracing white supremacy, making christianity the national religion in spite of the First Amendment saying they can't, or just seem to be plain incompetent. Whether this is due to polarization, the fact most people don't how time to study politics deeply, or just blind faith it's hard to tell at this point (though it's likely a mixture of the three). Either way we're at a scary time right now.

It's easy at this point, especially if you live in a red state, to fall into despair and throw up your hands thinking you can't make a difference. However, well there's no guarantee what will happen at the polls in a few weeks, just giving up and letting them steamroll over your civil liberties is a guarantee that you can't make a difference.

A few people I know feel that SCOTUS overturning Roe was lighting a tinderbox, that into angered enough women to get out and vote out the GOP in a landslide this fall. While I want to believe this is correct I'm not so certain. I worried that some people who may not be extremely right wing on social issues they still vote for the GOP out of fear of rising taxes. In addition there are still a number women who would gladly vote against their own interests in the they'll never need what they're voting against ( thinking they'll never need an abortion for example or or if they did that there's will be the exception but other people who need it should be punished for it). Add to it the fact that a lot of people are kept too busy with their employment to study the issues and things really could go either way.

So what to do now? First up we all have to vote. While it's far from the only thing that can be done right now the first necessary step is for those of us that oppose the Coupublican agenda in all its forms the show up and overpower the right-wing assholes at the voting booth. The Coupublicans are going to do their damnedest to suppress the vote and tried to stay in power by any means necessary (note how the supposed "pro life" boaters suddenly don't care about GA Senate candidate Herschel Walker supposedly paying for several abortions despite wanting it completely outlawed as an example). Yes sometimes you're voting for least shitty of the bunch but on one side wants to get away with a coup or force an extremely narrow definition of christianity down our throats (like too many Coupublicans seem to want to) then we might have to suck it up and make sure the right wing loses.

In addition, we're going to have to take to the streets and make our voices heard to the best of our legal ability. The Republicans are not going to give up they're sick plan for a one-party system (Karl Rove had a vision for the GOP to be a permanent supermajority during the Dubya years and the party seems hell-bent on making that so) and seems willing to stop at nothing to get it. This has to be countered and fought every step of the way politically. It means calling both sides on the carpet when needed but knowing where the true danger really is right now.  This is far from a complete look at what's at stake but it's a relatively good capsulisation of how things stand and what needs to be done.

So who do I think is going to win in November? I don't know ( and I have little hope doubt the good white Christian folks in the red state Heartland are going to do the right thing on jack shit). However, I want to be proven wrong and I really do hope that the people predicting that the GOP will go down in flames politically like the Hindenburg are right.

Whether that happens or not is up to me and you, so vote. 

LINDSEY'S BAN: THE SHOCKING ELECTION CAMPAIGN TWIST THAT SURPRISES NO-ONE AND WHY

 Sen. Lindsey Graham just cxouldn't help himself, could he?

As August gave way and September began he decided to get some publicity for himself by announcing he was sponsoring an abortion ban on the Federal level.  While he claimed it would outlaw the procedure after 15 weeks everyone knows this is a back door way to get abortion outlawed on the national level.  

Almost immediately the mainstream media pretended to be shocked by Graham's announcement, claiming that it took the Coupublicans by surprise as they head towards the midterm elections in November.  In a normal climate this may have been something the GOP would shout from the rooftops but they learned after the SCOTUS overturned Roe v Wade back at the end of June caused so much blow back and anger that trying to regulate what people who can get pregnant can do with their bodies might not be the big election gold star they thought.  As such  conservative insiders are trying to get politicians to backpedal on their pro forced childbirth policies and support in hopes of fooling enough moderates to vote for them in a couple of months.  What Graham's statement did was take an issue that was already motivating and angering Democrats and independents and put it up front for them to capitalize on.  

We won't go over the ban itself (though it appears Graham and his ilk might not propose it until after the election (probably next term, depending on the election results since the 50-50 split in the Senate  means it's unlikely to gain 60 votes and almost definitely won't be made exempt from the filibuster).  But ther are a couple questions that I want to briefly discuss.

First, was this really a surprise?  The media framing is trying to paint this like Graham just sprung this out of nowhere in hopes that Dems would run scared. This is a possibility.  However, I'm leaning a little more to what YouTuber Beau of the Fifth Column brought up - that this could be intentional as an attempt to show the ban as a compromise in order to fool moderates and independents who may otherwise vote for the GOP.  The reason I lean that way is that nothing in the American right wing seems to happen by chance so odds are good that someone high up in the GOP approved this, got LIndsey Graham on board and is pretending to be shocked in hopes this will own the libs.

Liberals, of course,  aren't shocked by this.  IN fact they've expected something like this ever since the leaked opinion back in May suggested that SCOTUS might be wanting to take away rights and liberties for some people.  The only unexpected part was the gift of this going down so close to the midterms.

Which leads us to the next question: should Democrats jump on this and point out every Coupublican politicians' pro forced childbirth stance (as well as more recent efforts to hide them)?  OF COURSE.  The Dobbs ruling a couple months back allowed Dems to shine a light on the other side and their hypocrisy.  If they're smart they should keep on this point like a dog with a nice meaty bone and make sure nobody is uncertain of where the GOP lies on this.  

I know some people are thinking that the rush to ban abortion will automatically motivate women to the polls and help to bring about a blue tidal wave that makes the Coupuiblicans a small minority.  While I hope they're right I also know that the right wing loves to lie, cheat, and steal to get what they want - especially in elections since many are still pretending to be outraged over 2020,  As such we have to remember that there will likely be attempts to suppress the vote as well as higher output.  Add to this the white conservative women who are pro forced childbirth and will thorw the rights of their own under the bus to keep thier side in power and we can't be too careful when it comes to how this will play out.

Because of that people who want to make sure abortion access is protected (along with other issues of reproductive freedom and reproductive justice) need to make sure they can vote and that their vote is accepted.  The Coupublicans will do whatever they can to try and stop the other side from winning so voting and fighting back politically against their noise is important now, in November, and afterwards.

There's a lot in the air right now but Graham's little press conference should be seen as a door for those who aren't Coupublicans to drive home what the GOP is now and make sure people realize it before the election goes down.

THE RAID ON MAR-A-LAGO.: TWO WEEKS ON

 

Monday August 8, 2022.  It looked to be a normal day in the race towards the midterm elections this November. The Mad Fuhrer of Mar-A-Lago had given a headlining speech a CPAC that appeared to be embracing the leanings towards something at least fascism adjacent (if not outright fascist) and, while taking some hits as the January 6 House Select Committee that proved he likely helped plan the 2021 attempt to overturn the 2020 Presidential election, still didn’t appear to be in a situation facing anything near accountability.  On the other side The Biden administration was about to announce the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act, a wide ranging (though far from perfect) bill that would finally give the Democrats a win on passing some of their agenda before the midterms. For the rest of us it’s going to work or families getting kids ready for school or college while maybe taking in some last summer vacation plans.  Then the news broke……

 By the time the day ended we all learned that Mar-A-Lago (the current home of former electoral vote winner The Mad Fuhrer of Mar-A-Lago) had been raided by the FBI.  It came out of nowhere and took people across the political spectrum by surprise.  Almost instantly supporters of the Mad Fuhrer claimed that this was sheer Federal government overreach with some even claiming it was political in nature targeting the person many consider the be the Coupublican nominee for President in the 2024 election.  On the other side there were some random people who may have delighted in this but most people were in shock since, even as some Democrats in Congress as well as various online petitions were urging the DOJ to charge the Mad Fuhrer, nobody expected this to go down when they got up on this early August Monday morning.

What was even more up in the air was the debate for the reason the DOJ had the FBI search Mar-A-Lago that day.  The early official story had to do with the former electoral vote winner’s refusal to still hand over to  NARA (National Archive and Records Administration) every box of documents related to his time in office. These documents were supposed to be archived before he left office and yet ended up missing with some reports of him possibly flushing documents he didn’t like down the toilet of the White House while in power. 

There were people across the political spectrum that weren’t entirely sold on the documents as a rationale for the search and seizure of documents at Mar-A-Lago.  On the right wing there was the usual excuses for the Mad Fuhrer claiming it’s a political attack and that Merrick Garland acting on Biden’s orders that we’ll briefly go over later.  Sources on the left were skeptical mainly because we didn’t know what documents were seized with some speculating that it might have been tied in to what happened on January 6, 2001 and the Mad Fuhrer’s role in it. While, in retrospect, it seems slightly misguided, the fact that nobody knew what documents the FBI took back from Mar-A-Lago  (or what they were about) it’s understandable that people might think that.

What we didn’t expect was news breaking around the mid to late evening hours on August 11 (three days after the raid) that there were reports of nuclear documents may have been among the files taken from Mar-A-Lago. It was especially telling given that one commentator on CNN stated that “unless nuclear codes” were found in the documents the raid was sure to “backfire” on the Biden administration.  While we still aren’t certain that there were the infamous nuclear codes (something no former President should have once they leave office) in his possession at Mar-A-Lago, there were documents at least as sensitive as the codes that could launch a nuclear weapon were in the residence of someone who had no business having them anywhere near him since Biden was inaugurated in late January 2021.             

Then on Friday came a new level of shock for a week that had already taken a lot of people by surprise when it comes to current events. After a request was filed by Attorney General Garland to unseal documents related to the raid (calling the Mad Fuhrer’s bluff), it was released to the public. In it was then learned that not only was the Mad Fuhrer (Now Currently in Exile @) Mar-A-Lago under investigation for keeping classified documents but also for possible obstruction of justice.  This seemed within what people were expecting.  What wasn’t expected was learning that the Mad Fuhrer (Now Current in Exile @) Mar-A-Lago was being investigated for reported violations of the Espionage Act.

Yes, you read that right. The former leader of the U.S. is being investigated for violating the Espionage Act.  Since things are still ongoing there’s a lot we don’t know.  What we are aware of from the subpoena and from what we’ve learned about the raid is telling indeed.

 Shortly after the raid it was revealed that the FBI seized 11 sets of comments in various stages of classification.  Several of them were labeled “top Secret” with one labeled “Top Secret/SCI”  The latter means it should only be seen in a secure classified location – something Mar-A-Lago doesn’t qualify as by a long shot. In fact one former reality show contestant who was invited to Mar-A-Lago bragged on social media that he basically was allowed almost everywhere and that Secret Service didn't seem too concerned about it. If true, does that sound like a place where one would feel comfortable about storing top secret documents?

The Mad Fuhrer almost immediately went on a varying degree of crying about his so-called persecution and that he['s being targeted because the Democrats fear running against him in 2024, using some variation of this over the past two weeks.  He's also appeared on news sources sympathetic to him and claimed that the anger is the worst he's ever seen in this country (while ignoring the fact he helped intensity a good shitload of it) and that something bad will happen in this country if the Department Of Justice et al go after him.  His minions have taken his talking points  and spun them with the two main ones being that the Mad Fuhrer is being targeted as a political hit by the Biden Administration and that "if the FBI can target him than they can target any of us and that all Americans should be alarmed.:"  Both sound semi rational on the surface but they're both bullshit.,  

First, the Mad Fuhrer lost the election and shouldn't have those documents in the first place.  They were supposed to be archived by NARA as part of the leaving process. but, since he sulked off to Florida when the coup attempt didn't go his way, a lot of what should've happened in those last few weeks didn't happen.  Also, one of his lawyers said a while back after 15 boxes of documents were returned to the government that there were no more Top Secret documents at Mar-A-Lago - they fucking lied. It also makes the reports that the Mad Fuhrer had a standing order that declassified any document he took home to be bullshit (his administration  actually made mishandling some documents a felony). 

 As for the Biden administration I agree with E.J.Dionne (whom I normally think is way too moderate) that Biden et al wanted to focus to be on the Inflation Reduction Act which finally got passed by both Houses of Congress and was about to be signed into law.  Being somewhere close to getting some issues on Biden's agenda somewhere close to realized would be the thing they want to focus on. The FBI raid knocked that down a bit on the media focus, which means a lot of people hear about the raid but maybe not so much about the IR Act,.  Reports are a lot of Democrats in Congress were shocked by the raid as well, meaning it's unlikely that they all got together to make this raid happen right after the Mad Fuhrer came off of CPAC full of adoration over him seeming to even lean further towards fascist like thoughts and policies.  

As for the "if the Mad Fuhrer can be raided by the FBI then they can go after any American" talking point, those pushing this overlook the FBI's COINTELPRO program of the 1960s which targeted civil rights, feminist, and anti war groups with disinformation, spying,misinformation to destroy people's lives, and even some allegations of them engaging in assassinations.  The right wing overlooks this either because they are totally unaware of this or, more likely, because those the FBI went after were those people and groups they disagreed with and opposed.  By exploiting the poor teaching of history in American schools and how many people don't know history, they can ignite fear amongst those who drunk the Mad Fuhrer (Now Currently in Exile @) Mar-A-Lago's non carbonated drink mix who see what they want to see and fail to see what obviously has happened with January 6, 2021, The Mad Fuhrer keeping documents he shouldn't have had, and the like.

This leaves us to now.  The Mad Fuhrer is still occasionally spouting off how he's being persecuted and some are suggesting he held those papers as leverage to possibly threaten to sell to other countries if he gets charged.  While that is conjecture what we do know is that this story is far from over and that, unless the Mad Fuhrer is held to some accountability, he will only be emboldened and keep taking things farther until him or his fans try another coup attempt.  

As those of us who remember the January 6 2021 coup attempt can attest to - This needs to be stopped before that even becomes an option again.

LIFE IN POST ROE MUR'KA: THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND WHERE THIS COULD LEAD

 As I type this it has been about a month and a half since the Supreme Court of the United States overturned Roe v Wade, thus taking away what was a constitutional right ( in this case, the right of those who can get pregnant to be able to have and access an abortion if a pregnancy is unwanted or if their life is in danger) on a federal level from over half the country's population. A number of states (almost all ran by Coupublicans) had trigger laws that automatically went into effect making the procedure illegal while other states pushed through abortion bans in as quick a time as possible, regardless of what the aftermath may be.  In the time since the situation women (as well as trans men and non binary people who can get pregnant) find themselves in when it comes to their health has become the shit show that reproductive freedom and reproductive justice advocates predicted it would with storied of women who end up in medically induced comas or, in one case dead, because their pregnancies either were ecotopic or they had a condition that would make carrying a fetus to term life threatening or fatal. There's also the case of a 10 year old girl in Ohio who was raped and had to cross state lines to get an abortion not being believed by the right wing media and the doctor being targeted by the same asshats when it was proven true.  It doesn't take a lot of searching online to see how the right wing's pro forced childbirth agenda is causing havoc and problems for actual people.  

While I had planned to write about these things I do see them covered fairly well elsewhere so I;m going to take a different tack on the subject. This was supposed to close out the new print issue but certain surprise events caused a shake up there so this is off to the blog.  With that in mind let's explore LIFE IN POST ROE MUR'KA: THE GOOD, THE BAD, THE UGLY, AND THE PLAIN SCARY.

THE GOOD
This goes to the state of Kansas, where voters turned out against a proposed amendment that would say people don't have a constitutional right to an abortion in said state, thus allowing legislators to push laws to make it illegal in Kansas too.  Written confusingly (in this case voting no was protecting the right to choose for those who can get pregnant) and planned for a vote not even in the midterms but during a primary election in a midterm election year those trying to force this upon people were counting on low voter turnout and confusing language to get their way.  If SCOTUS hadn't of jumped the gun by overturning Roe, they might have succeeded.

Instead, people were angry enough to get out to vote in numbers few expected otherwise.  Add to this (for full disclosure) the confusing manner in which the law was written (I think in hopes they could confused people into voting their rights away if they weren't paying attention) and this law was widely kicked to the curb across the political spectrum.  Yes, even a good chunk of GOP voters sent this down in flames.  

To tell the truth I was expecting this to go the other way in part due to voter suppression efforts on the GOP side, the confusing language of the bill, and primary election turnout expectations,  The fact that Kansas did the right thing is a sigh of relief and hopefully a blueprint for voters and the left to fight for and expand their rights in the upcoming elections.

THE BAD

This goes out to the bad faith arguments on the pro forced childbirth side given when challenged on certain things.  From heads of pro forced childbirth organizations claiming that street lights in DC are powered by aborted fetuses to claims that the treatment for ecotopic pregnancy isn't an abortion when the procedure is an abortion , there's a tendency top shift goal posts to deflect from the aftermath of their side getting what they want, even though the majority of Americans don't want this.  Add to this one politicians' attempt to claim abortion and infanticide are one in the same by trying to gotcha reproductive justice advocates over a question over whether babies can be terminated after they're born and when called on the question's stupidity and bad faith casing refusing to let up.  This last example is especially heinous since this guy knows there's a difference between the two  (anyone who understands basic pregnancy cycles and how the law works can see this) and is trying to gibe raw meat to his base as he faces re-election.  

Expect to see more of this bullshit in the next couple of years (abetted by the corporate owned mainstream media who often refuses to push back on arguments anyone who thinks about it for more than five minutes can see are made in bad faith) since in the blow back from this (and their plans for a national ban - we all know these asshats are planned for this now) along with the gaslighting that those in red states can simply travel to a state where abortion is legal despite knowing that i take resources and time to travel to another state and that some states are planning vigilante style laws to sue those helping someone who leaves a states for this procedure or wants to force their laws onto doctors in other states to stop residents from states where it's illegal from getting an abortion (this will effect poor to lower middle class people the most since everyone knows the upper middle class and the wealthy will likely be able to travel for this with little interference [especially if its a family member or a mistress of a pro forced childbirth right wing politician).

WHERE THIS COULD LEAD

 The ugly part here is that while the mainstream media is gaslighting people that are reminding the people that this is merely the start, people in the pro forced childbirth movement are already working on plans to make contraception illegal (even for married couples). Justice  Thomas even suggested doing so in his argument for overturning Roe.  Meanwhile,there are hints that same sex marriage and LGBTQIA rights will be under attack next and that more rights may be taken away regardless of the views of the American people. Hell, one or two people in Congress have even suggested that states should be able to outlaw interracial marriage as "states rights."  

The gaslighting is especially nauseating because people either try to claim that SCOTUS is just leaving this to the states (while ignoring that some of these pro forced childbirth states are trying to prevent those who can get pregnant (yes, the majority of people who get pregnant are women, but some trans men and non binary people can as well) form being able to travel to get it done. 

The fact that other rights may be in the cross-hairs as some sort of sick christian supremacist fantasy also pays no account to how this will affect gay couples in red states or interracial couples if it gets to that point.  Will their marriages be grandfathered and allowed but not new ones? Will they automatically be divorced by state decree? What if a couple can't afford to move?  The fact that those wanting to push this bullshit never give this any thought shows that being cruel is the feature here and that any claims from the right wing that all lives matters is bullshit. A fact made especially poignant when reports emerge of pro choice protests having trucks rammed through them or some asshat deciding to just scream at and physically assault protesters.

SO IS THIS THE END OF THE LINE

Of course not.  However, things are complicated now for obvious reasons.  Because of this we have to acknowledge that this upcoming election is important and we need to vote out any asshole that thinks overturning Roe was a good thing.  We also have to remember that politicians usually won't do anything unless there's pressure form the people to make them act. While it will seem like an uphill battle this is ture now more than evee.

THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY ESTABLISHMENT'S CURRENT FRAMING OF THE COUPUBLICANS IS CONCERNING TO SAY THE LEAST (OR A FEW THOUGHTS ON WHY THEY SHOULD STOP COWERING AND FIGHT)

 It's June 23, 2022 as I type this. We are just slightly over four months away from the 2022 midterm election - and the the Democratic party mainstream appears to be hanging on by a thread.

Decades of catering to the middle of the road Road White soccer moms in the suburbs instead of the people who historically make up their base have created a situation where the party has largely failed to gain that vote and has partially damaged the power of Labor teachers and civil rights organizations that decades ago made up their base. As a result, mainstream wisdom is predicting a big win for the Coupublicans this November with third-party winning either one or both houses of Congress in the process.

Meanwhile, on a variety of issues, establishment Democrats appear to be playing from behind when it comes to messaging.  From the various culture war issues that the American right-wing seems to rely on this bread and butter even issues of the economy and energy issues the dumb seem to accept the right-wing messaging spread through the corporate own mainstream media rather than go out and create their own or fight back.

Part of this lies in the fact that the democratic party establishment manage to hold on to what power they had through constant appealing to the center instead of standing on what they're supposed to stand for. While this strategy was successful in earning money from wealthy donors it also gave the party at appearance of being wishy-washy and wimpy in the eyes of many people.

So what does this have to do with the Democratic party establishment today? Even as they're facing a crucial midterm election establishment Dems sing to go out their way to point out a difference between who they call "typical Republicans" and the Mad Fuhrer (Now currently in Exile @) Mar-A-Lago. On the surface it is an old political ploy play in a way to get votes On The Other Side by claiming they're not like the guy at the top of the ticket. While an approach like this may have worked somewhat in the past it is a dangerous road to go down to in an age of political polarization like the last twenty or so years.

In the 2016 election, for example, this approach almost cost them the Senate as a number of GOP voters either voted for Biden or left the top of the ticket blank but still voted for Coupublicans in the Senate and House races. On the surface right now it appears they're going to try the same tactic for the 2022 midterms.

What the strategy leaves out is that, to varying degrees, each of our two major political parties how shockingly different attitudes towards the other one. Establishment Democrats have often gone on record claiming the need for a strong opposition party; an understandable point but one seemingly at odds with the current political climate. Mainstream Coupublican politics, meanwhile, has gotten increasingly wrapped up in conspiracy theories such as QANON and the like and as such have been feeding the worst amongst them (and their supposed belief that all Democrats are a satanic cabal who do sick things to children [all without any actual concrete proof] and need to be wiped off the face of the Earth). As you can see, the two parties are not the same when it comes to how they regard each other.  One is showing respect to the other in a dignified way and the other is increasing engaged (either out of a sincere belief or in bad faith messaging to gain votes) with bad faith based arguments that dehumanize their political opposition and appear to be edging closer and closer to being fascism adjacent.  It also means that the Democratic party establishment I may be blind to the fact that these conspiracies are somewhat of an existential threat and and they can't be reasoned with.

So what do the Democrats need to do? First up they need to fight and fight hard against the Coupublicans instead of hoping to chip away at a few of their votes. Now is not the time to try and claim that the average person in the opposition party can be reasoned with and is not as extreme ask the guy who led them for 5 plus years (especially since many of them either hope to vote for him again or are looking at someone equally as extreme such as Florida Gov. Ron Desantis, for example). They need to try and get has many of the Dems in office as possible and not cave when it turns out an establishment Dem loses a primary or something like that.

It's not that the Democratic party establishment is incapable of fighting. In fact, they can be quite vicious when they need to be. Unfortunately, they are more likely to be aggressive when fighting progressives on their side(such as the Congresspeople involved in what's called The Squad or Sen. Bernie Sanders (I know Bernie's technically an independent but it still qualifies)) than their political enemies on the other party that are way more willing to go for the throat. If they really want to win that shit has to stop, they need to focus some of that anger they spew towards non moderates on their side and aim it at the Republicans. More often than just during a campaign ad a month before election.

At this point the good news is nothing is absolutely certain. The January 6th select Congressional committee hearings actually found the domes leading on the issue rather than catching up with right-wing framing in regards to the coup attempt year-and-a-half ago. While there is no guarantee that this will win over those few moderate Republicans left (who appear to be getting more and more rare by the minute) it has managed to put on the map pure Earth than there was during the first hearing a couple weeks back (according to polls a majority of Americans claim to want the Mad Fuhrer prosecuted for his role leading up to the January 6th coup attempt). But there is still four months until the midterm elections and a lot can change between now and then.

What is true when all is said and done is that the Democratic party establishment needs to stop its constant catering to the middle and fight like hell to make sure they went in November.  The fact that the progressives in the HOuse and Senate the Dems often tend to attack in one way or another were the ones fighting hardest to try and make President Biden'[s agenda happen while "moderates" such as Senators Joe Machin (WV) or Kyrsten Sinema (AZ) do almost more damage to Biden than the GOP does a lot of times is proof that they need to get the courage and adapt to changing political times.  If that means speaking to more and doing things for more average people than their  wealthy donors they need to take that step.

It's up to them to do so. Nobody else can do it for them. While I cannot see how the midterms will turn out I can say that if the Coupublicans when one or both houses of Congress then this country's future will be very bleak indeed.