LOL. Only the clown car that is the Trump family could make a mediocrity like DeSantis look good. Compared to the Trump boys, mere baseline competence itself is enough. But I remain highly skeptical the GOP establishment can successfully thread the Trump --> DeSantis needle with the base.
I agree — DeSantis isn’t the stuff of a cult leader like Tubby. Ron is cruel and ruthless, but he doesn’t have the narcissistic warp drive that TFG has. DeSantis will dazzle the Chris Cillizzas but I doubt that will be enough to turn out vote of the gibbering, drooling MAGAts that populated The Donald’s rallies.
On the other hand, the “moderate” conservatives will vote for Boots. It may come down to his appeal to swing voters.
I do prefer the Latin, and pronounce it in the classical style, with the hard ‘c’ and the ‘ae’ like ‘eye’, as we were taught in high school.
I floated a Latin nickname for Trump a while back, but I’m no influencer, so it never got any traction and its time is past: Manicula, or Little Gloves.
Agreed, although Cillizza is probably still dazzled by the pull-a-penny-out-of-your-ear trick, LOL. About 15% of the voters in this country are *hardcore* Trump supporters, it’s a true cult of personality. For some of these people the devotion to Trump has become their entire identities, they have built entire communities and friendships based on fealty to Trump. Even if Trump loses two-thirds of that 15% in 2024 – and that estimate is high -- to DeSantis or whoever, that still leaves Trump with at least 5% of voters staunchly in his camp.
So if Trump runs third party, or tells these people to write him in on their ballots, or tells them to stay home, Republicans are in big, big trouble. It’s amazing that the GOP doesn’t seem to fully grasp the bargain they made when they backed Trump, and doesn’t seem to recognize who and what they are dealing with -- Trump will burn everything down to save his own ego.
And yeah, one theory is the GOP could nominate a more moderate-sounding conservative and make up for losing those hard core Trump voters with swing voters/Independents. And they will probably do that – in 8 to 12 years. But DeSantis is NOT that moderate-sounding conservative, and the GOP are not going to be able to get their rabid, red-meat base to go for ANY moderate candidate as soon as 2024.
Nov 15, 2022·edited Nov 15, 2022Liked by Roy Edroso
"Cillizza-dazzler" needs to become a thing. For stupid political stunts that a five year old could see through. "Yeah, that's a real Cillizza-dazzler."
True that. We won vitally important battles in 2022 -- especially in terms of state elections even more than the Senate/House races -- but the war rages on. Too soon to say whether this was a reprieve or the beginning of a larger victory.
It's like three days into the war, and the Russians still haven't taken Kiev. Which turns out to be the most important development of the war, the thing that didn't happen, but all it buys the Ukrainians is the chance to keep on fighting and dying.
No doubt. Their lives now have MEANING. I've seen the signs and the symptoms in other contexts. True Believers are beholden to no one but their lord/savior/guru/shaman/grifter, whom they love or fear or both, and who can do no wrong even when they do wrong. It's a miracle, I tell ya!
I remember an interview Michael Krasny did of a former acolyte of some bible-pounding outfit. She spoke with a kind of fierce clarity about the mission. The point she made was that she and her former people were driven to complete their soul-saving task because if they didn't, god would destroy THEM. If one believes that way, it's hard to wander off that path, I bet.
Hard to imagine any of these mooks doing anything of real value. They plot and scheme, jockey for position and try to grow their influence.None of which are any kind of work. It's as if the Kardashians were closing down your local schools or starting a nuclear war somewhere( which I guess is pretty consequential now that I think about it)
I wonder what Rittenhouse would think about being a continuing character in one man's ongoing satirical summation of modern times.
If anyone needs more proof that a large portion of the GOP are truly ghoulish freaks, you need only look at Blake Masters. Who thought running this guy was a good idea? Have you seen this guy? Every sane woman looks at him and sees the creepy neighbor who pushily volunteers to drag her garbage can out to the curb, then within days she's getting unwanted flower deliveries, followed by vaguely threatening letters pushed through the mail slot, until she's forced to move under cover of night.
Have you seen Rick Scott or Ted Cruz? They've got a whole Ghoulish Freak Caucus. Once you've elected Bat Boy and the Zodiac Killer, why stop there? We should just be glad Dahmer is dead, he could have challenged Ron Johnson in the Republican primary and won.
I have a great JPG of a pair of clown shoes that would fit all the guys mentioned in this piece, but unfortunately the interface doesn't allow me to attach it. 😀 more's the pity.
Yep, Kyle Rittenhouse is the key to the Republicans not losing the youth vote by a two-to-one margin next time. With Kyle out there in front, the Republicans will be on track to... um... lose the youth vote by a two-to-one margin.
Guys like Kyle are the reason a whole generation has had active-shooter drills every year from kindergarten through high school. Maybe they'll be drawn to him out of feelings of nostalgia?
The town where I spent my elementary years was an early entrant on the list of infamous school shooting sites (long after I left). There is no other reason the name of the town would be familiar to much of anyone who did not live nearby. But most everyone in America knows...which is why I feel a particular linkage to the despair of folks in those other towns with now-familiar names...
Are active shooter drill really any different than the atom bomb drills I had as a kid? Sure the drill is different but the basic reason is pretty much the same. Parents afraid of things out of there control.
But don't worry, they're making BIG gains with the Hispanics! Who they are now... uh... losing by a two-to-one margin. Hey, I think I'm seeing a pattern here.
[DeSANTIS pulls a chair over, sits with his hands tented down between his thighs.]
The Trump Handgina! I guess since DeSantis already does Trump's air concertina and rhythmic hand pump stealing Trump's signature sit mode is right on target. Well done!
Kerri Lake came up with an interesting hand gesture for "drive a stake through the heart of the McCain machine", since it seems like she won't have much use for it now in her new role as formerly-employed TV personality, it might be available for rental by other Republicans.
Republicans who think DeSantis is the answer remind me of that bit in Bull Durham where Kevin Costner goes off on Tim Robbins: "You don't NEED a Blaupunkt Quadrophonic, what you NEED is a curve ball!"
I just don't see how you run a 21st-century political party without any idea of what government should do for people - or any agreement within your party that government should actually do ANYTHING for people. Without that, what do you have to offer? All that's left is the clown show, and DeSantis with his "groomers in the schools" nonsense is every bit as much a clown as Trump, perhaps moreso.
Nov 15, 2022·edited Nov 15, 2022Liked by Roy Edroso
Simple question: If you had to live your whole life only according to the precepts of one movie, which movie would it be? You could do a lot worse than Bull Durham.
I think they now view the government as a kind of finishing school where you learn how to look good, project confidence, and say the proper things, so you can then proceed to lobbying, speeches, FAUX commentating, and, in the case of King Toad, endless political rallies.
The fact that the right has made a celebrity out of non-medic Kyller Kyle is pretty much an indictment of how low they've sunk. It's like if back in the 80s they had had the CEO of Union Carbide on a speaking tour after Bhopal. Fucking ghouls.
The Union Carbide guy didn't do his own killing, so he loses macho points. And the right made a celebrity of a guy who tried to be a murderer in the 80s; remember Bernhard Goetz?
I'd forgotten about him! Yeah, as long as you've murdered the "right" people -- Black and brown, liberals, protesters, etc. etc. you get to wear the mantle of hero on the Right.
Time for me to make sure my voice to text app recognizes "Machiavellian".
LOL. Only the clown car that is the Trump family could make a mediocrity like DeSantis look good. Compared to the Trump boys, mere baseline competence itself is enough. But I remain highly skeptical the GOP establishment can successfully thread the Trump --> DeSantis needle with the base.
I agree — DeSantis isn’t the stuff of a cult leader like Tubby. Ron is cruel and ruthless, but he doesn’t have the narcissistic warp drive that TFG has. DeSantis will dazzle the Chris Cillizzas but I doubt that will be enough to turn out vote of the gibbering, drooling MAGAts that populated The Donald’s rallies.
On the other hand, the “moderate” conservatives will vote for Boots. It may come down to his appeal to swing voters.
Excuse me, that's *Little* Boots, or Caligula, if you prefer the original Latin.
I do prefer the Latin, and pronounce it in the classical style, with the hard ‘c’ and the ‘ae’ like ‘eye’, as we were taught in high school.
I floated a Latin nickname for Trump a while back, but I’m no influencer, so it never got any traction and its time is past: Manicula, or Little Gloves.
You win.
Manicula: The Little Hands of Fate
Agreed, although Cillizza is probably still dazzled by the pull-a-penny-out-of-your-ear trick, LOL. About 15% of the voters in this country are *hardcore* Trump supporters, it’s a true cult of personality. For some of these people the devotion to Trump has become their entire identities, they have built entire communities and friendships based on fealty to Trump. Even if Trump loses two-thirds of that 15% in 2024 – and that estimate is high -- to DeSantis or whoever, that still leaves Trump with at least 5% of voters staunchly in his camp.
So if Trump runs third party, or tells these people to write him in on their ballots, or tells them to stay home, Republicans are in big, big trouble. It’s amazing that the GOP doesn’t seem to fully grasp the bargain they made when they backed Trump, and doesn’t seem to recognize who and what they are dealing with -- Trump will burn everything down to save his own ego.
And yeah, one theory is the GOP could nominate a more moderate-sounding conservative and make up for losing those hard core Trump voters with swing voters/Independents. And they will probably do that – in 8 to 12 years. But DeSantis is NOT that moderate-sounding conservative, and the GOP are not going to be able to get their rabid, red-meat base to go for ANY moderate candidate as soon as 2024.
"Cillizza-dazzler" needs to become a thing. For stupid political stunts that a five year old could see through. "Yeah, that's a real Cillizza-dazzler."
Five year-old? Oh, you mean ten Friedman Units.
"...they will probably do that – in 8 to 12 years." Maybe, if democracy survives. Which is an even bigger "if."
True that. We won vitally important battles in 2022 -- especially in terms of state elections even more than the Senate/House races -- but the war rages on. Too soon to say whether this was a reprieve or the beginning of a larger victory.
It's like three days into the war, and the Russians still haven't taken Kiev. Which turns out to be the most important development of the war, the thing that didn't happen, but all it buys the Ukrainians is the chance to keep on fighting and dying.
On the other hand, there's no equivalent for the MAGAs to the Russians, who are forced to keep dying or run away...
"Russia. Love it or leave it" is a thing that is happening, but the MAGAs have not yet taken that bait.
That thing about his camp followers...
The Dead had deadheads; he has meatheads.
I'm certain I can do better than that^^^, but it's early out here...
No, that's fine!
"they have built entire communities and friendships based on fealty to Trump"
God, that's depressing.
Jordan Klepper has a new podcast about conspiracy theories, he claims these Q idiots are having the time of their lives.
No doubt. Their lives now have MEANING. I've seen the signs and the symptoms in other contexts. True Believers are beholden to no one but their lord/savior/guru/shaman/grifter, whom they love or fear or both, and who can do no wrong even when they do wrong. It's a miracle, I tell ya!
I remember an interview Michael Krasny did of a former acolyte of some bible-pounding outfit. She spoke with a kind of fierce clarity about the mission. The point she made was that she and her former people were driven to complete their soul-saving task because if they didn't, god would destroy THEM. If one believes that way, it's hard to wander off that path, I bet.
Hard to imagine any of these mooks doing anything of real value. They plot and scheme, jockey for position and try to grow their influence.None of which are any kind of work. It's as if the Kardashians were closing down your local schools or starting a nuclear war somewhere( which I guess is pretty consequential now that I think about it)
I wonder what Rittenhouse would think about being a continuing character in one man's ongoing satirical summation of modern times.
Chock-full of Fredos, not a Michael in sight.
If anyone needs more proof that a large portion of the GOP are truly ghoulish freaks, you need only look at Blake Masters. Who thought running this guy was a good idea? Have you seen this guy? Every sane woman looks at him and sees the creepy neighbor who pushily volunteers to drag her garbage can out to the curb, then within days she's getting unwanted flower deliveries, followed by vaguely threatening letters pushed through the mail slot, until she's forced to move under cover of night.
Have you seen Rick Scott or Ted Cruz? They've got a whole Ghoulish Freak Caucus. Once you've elected Bat Boy and the Zodiac Killer, why stop there? We should just be glad Dahmer is dead, he could have challenged Ron Johnson in the Republican primary and won.
Dahmer's appetites don't align with mine, but maybe a certain subset of cheddarheads might develop a taste...
Hearted because this whole thing demands it, but an additional well-deserved OOF for the Rittenhouse dilemma.
I think you're right to recognize DeSantis' oafish persona as real as the calculatingly dim-bulbedness exterior of some of our finest GOP luminairies.
I have a great JPG of a pair of clown shoes that would fit all the guys mentioned in this piece, but unfortunately the interface doesn't allow me to attach it. 😀 more's the pity.
Would be a good addition, but DAMN, those are some sharp shoes up there^^^.
IKR? Wish I had a grift that would cover those!
I notice your subhead no longer proclaims "hundreds of subscribers"...are you about to break into the thousands? If so, we deserve all the credit.
Or have we driven everybody away yet? That's on you, not us.
Anyway, those boots need a home!
They always fiddle with the header. Numbers have been steady. For which you all have my thanks -- please pass it around!
'Fiddle with the header' reads ominously like 'We need a new logo!'
Yep, Kyle Rittenhouse is the key to the Republicans not losing the youth vote by a two-to-one margin next time. With Kyle out there in front, the Republicans will be on track to... um... lose the youth vote by a two-to-one margin.
Maybe even 2.5-3 : 1!
Guys like Kyle are the reason a whole generation has had active-shooter drills every year from kindergarten through high school. Maybe they'll be drawn to him out of feelings of nostalgia?
Oof.
The town where I spent my elementary years was an early entrant on the list of infamous school shooting sites (long after I left). There is no other reason the name of the town would be familiar to much of anyone who did not live nearby. But most everyone in America knows...which is why I feel a particular linkage to the despair of folks in those other towns with now-familiar names...
Are active shooter drill really any different than the atom bomb drills I had as a kid? Sure the drill is different but the basic reason is pretty much the same. Parents afraid of things out of there control.
I dunno. I had one of those drills in the 60's, and we were pretty near a NORAD site. How often do the shooter drills occur?
But don't worry, they're making BIG gains with the Hispanics! Who they are now... uh... losing by a two-to-one margin. Hey, I think I'm seeing a pattern here.
[DeSANTIS pulls a chair over, sits with his hands tented down between his thighs.]
The Trump Handgina! I guess since DeSantis already does Trump's air concertina and rhythmic hand pump stealing Trump's signature sit mode is right on target. Well done!
Kerri Lake came up with an interesting hand gesture for "drive a stake through the heart of the McCain machine", since it seems like she won't have much use for it now in her new role as formerly-employed TV personality, it might be available for rental by other Republicans.
This must be some new interpretation of the term 'personality' with which I was previously unfamiliar.
Formerly employed bag of mostly water?
Oh, Kerri has LOADS of personality, just wait til you get a look at her new YouTube channel, "Kerri's Klavern".
Feels like just about the right landing place for her, after she slagged the entire industry that previously employed her.
Oh, stop! The giggling is getting too loud in my tiny little apartment.
A Always/B Be/G Grifting
Given what DeSantis has done in and to Florida, I can't help thinking about what happened to Huey Long.
Republicans who think DeSantis is the answer remind me of that bit in Bull Durham where Kevin Costner goes off on Tim Robbins: "You don't NEED a Blaupunkt Quadrophonic, what you NEED is a curve ball!"
I just don't see how you run a 21st-century political party without any idea of what government should do for people - or any agreement within your party that government should actually do ANYTHING for people. Without that, what do you have to offer? All that's left is the clown show, and DeSantis with his "groomers in the schools" nonsense is every bit as much a clown as Trump, perhaps moreso.
2 marks for invoking Costner v. Meat
Simple question: If you had to live your whole life only according to the precepts of one movie, which movie would it be? You could do a lot worse than Bull Durham.
I dunno...been a long time, but I remember parts of A Thousand Clowns with fondness...
The reason he was born a human being, and not a chair!
I think they now view the government as a kind of finishing school where you learn how to look good, project confidence, and say the proper things, so you can then proceed to lobbying, speeches, FAUX commentating, and, in the case of King Toad, endless political rallies.
"celebrity murderer KYLE RITTENHOUSE"
Is this Roy's head-nod to GM's edifying vocative post yesterday? Enquiring minds, an' all 'at...
GM?
What's good for Grouchy Medievalist is good for the U.S.A.
Was gonna say...
GM might make a good Game Master too, but Grouchy Medievalist is job enough already.
The fact that the right has made a celebrity out of non-medic Kyller Kyle is pretty much an indictment of how low they've sunk. It's like if back in the 80s they had had the CEO of Union Carbide on a speaking tour after Bhopal. Fucking ghouls.
The Union Carbide guy didn't do his own killing, so he loses macho points. And the right made a celebrity of a guy who tried to be a murderer in the 80s; remember Bernhard Goetz?
I'd forgotten about him! Yeah, as long as you've murdered the "right" people -- Black and brown, liberals, protesters, etc. etc. you get to wear the mantle of hero on the Right.