I hope you read yesterday's essay by Liam O'Mara, professor of the history of ideas and Riverside County congressional candidate about the intersection fascism and Trumpism. A few hours later, Politico Magazine published a similar essay by author (On Fascism: 12 Lessons from American History) Matthew MacWilliams, Trump Is an Authoritarian. So Are Millions of Americans.
Trump is still telling his simpleminded supporters that-- even as the U.S. hurtles towards a quarter million COVID-deaths-- there's really no problem at all. "It affects elderly people, elderly people with heart problems and other problems. That’s what it really affects," he said yesterday. And on Fox a day before, he said "We’ve done a phenomenal job, not just a good job, a phenomenal job" and said he deserves an A+ for his efforts.
Do you ever get a call soliciting money for some kind of police benevolent association? I do-- frequently. I always hang up. It's different from the way I treat other phone solicitors who slip through my security net. For the others I either speak in a really low voice so they have to press their ear against the phone to hear me-- and then blow a high-decibel coast guard whistle into the phone-- or I let loose with the most incredibly ugly stream of curses imaginable, so ugly that I unsalted and frighten myself.
Just Beneath The Surface by Nancy OhanianLOL!I know I'm always complaining how Inside-the-Beltway political writers are overly cautious and weeks behind in their prognosticatin'. Well... National Journal's Josh Kraushaar surprised me this week: Prepare For A Biden Landslide.
Actual enemy of the peopleEvery now and then, I mention that this Belway reporter or that Beltway reporter is really nothing but a piece of runny dog shit. Sydney Ember is one of those and when I started writing about what a worthless scumbag she was I thought she was a he. It's hard to get away with calling a woman a worthless scumbag-- even if she obviously is one-- but no one objects much when it's a male.
I had such a nice response to the post Thursday night about how The Clash-- and specifically The Clampdown from London Calling influenced Beto's life that I decided to ask other political leaders if music was important to them or if they had any favorite artists or songs or albums. Beto still uses "The Clampdown" when he walks out on the stage at his events and... well, just watch this.
A few weeks ago a media outlet in London used a few seconds of an interview I did with Paul Simenon of The Clash and I got a $260 or so royalty payment. I donated it to the Bernie Sanders campaign. It makes me sad that Beto's not running for the Texas Senate seat in 2020. If he changes his mind and does I'll send him the same amount.
