Yeah, last was a most righteous ass kicking of the GOP all right. But until I heard a late breaking statistic on Joy Reid’s The Reid Out, I had no idea of just how righteous the ass kicking was. And since I’ve written on the subject repeatedly before, I wanted to make sure to update you on this.
Since 2016, the normal body politic of this country has been swarmed over by a bunch of far right political chiggers and nits trying to nibble and bite us into political submission. Far right whack jobs like Moms for Freedom, and The 1776 Project started spring up all over like crabgrass. You couldn’t show up at a school or library board without having these Froot-Loops popping up in front of microphones in the back of the room and looking like they just put two Alka Seltzer tablets in their mouths. Some of the meetings got so out of hand that the police had to show up to restore order and escort board members to their cars.
Just like with the original Tea Party Rebellion, this was no organic grassroots uprising, it was a very specifically created and funded astroturf enterprise brought about by nobody other than Steve Two Shirts Bannon. As part of his attempts to deconstruct the government, he used his trash for cash podcasts to get far right whack jobs to not only obstruct these meetings, he wanted them to run for and get elected to these boards. This would give the MAGA movement a farm team to train success stories for later higher offices.
And it worked. Bannon has a natural gutter instinct when it comes to underground tactics. People, unless they have a personal stake such as kids, tend to ignore local elections like school boards and library boards. Random MAGA lunatics started showing up on these boards, and the easily expected mayhem and madness ensued. But because it was localized, for the most part nobody noticed. In fact, they were so successful in one southern Florida GOP county organization, it’s now a wholly owned subsidiary of The Loud Toys.
But because they’re basically slobbering Trombies at heart, and as brain dead as Traitor Tot, they had to start licking their nuts in public, Mental midgets like Moms for Freedom didn’t just celebrate their successes, they open bragged about their anti trans, anti gay, anti black history victories, and promising more by raising dark money to back even more far right bedwetters and mouth breathers in even more districts! and openly bragged about what they would do.
Which is what made the 2023 off year elections such a stunning success. Because it turned out to be a vivid electoral master class in why only the dumbest of the dumb sh*ts Say the quiet part out loud. They may as well have been running on an anti abortion platforms.
In one local community in Florida, both the local school board as well as the local library board were completely voted out and replaced. In Michigan, voters statewide did an electoral spring cleaning with a 55 gallon drum of Clorox to school and library boards. In Pennsylvania not a single far right Bannonite either got elected, or retained his seat. And the American Federation of Teachers reported that nationwide, a whopping 70% of far right candidates either failed to get elected, or were turfed out by voters.
These results are important for several reasons. First, it shows that abortion and democracy aren’t the only major motivating issues in the upcoming 2024 election. Parents want their children and grandchildren to be able to read whatever goddamn book they want, they want their progeny to get honest history lessons, and they want their minority, gay, and trans kids to get the same respect as The Cool Kids do. And they’re already fully motivated and engaged.
Second, it shows the almost brain dead stupidity of arrogant GOP legislators. Perfect example. Florida Governor Ron Deathsantis, whose self proclaimed Free state of Florida, more accurately described as the fact free state if Florida is a poster child. Maybe the GOP’s super majorities in the House and Senate can ram through whatever ideological drivel they want down the throats of their constituents, but sooner or later, they’re going to have to run for reelection. And the off year election results show an ill wind blowing.
Most importantly it’s a resounding defeat for Bannon and Trumpism. There’s a good reason why seasoned incumbents of both parties would rather retire from their seats than lose a bid for reelection. They can always run for another spot later, when the odds are better, but losing an incumbent seat is the next thing to the kiss of death. And all these flaming muckbills were supposed to be MAGA’s farm team for bigger and better things down the road. And instead they’re just back on the farm, mucking out the pig wallow and stables.
This is why I don’t mind spending the time to dig a little deeper. This is information that probably less than 10% of you had heard, or gave much thought to if you did hear it. But when it’s explained in real life terms, the logic and importance becomes crystal clear. Remember, it only takes a branch load of blown down snowflakes to start an avalanche.
I thank you for the privilege of your time.
Thanks Joseph for the update. Living in fear of IDEAS found in books makes them fragile as glass.
Oh, I forgot something Thom Hartmann covered about nazi book burning. The first was aimed at the trans and gay community even before he got around to everyone else.
I fear Bannon will see the same thing you did. In fact there are signs he’s already done so and has been spreading the word. Moms for Liberty chapters have been shutting up and not seeking endorsements in some places, as well as trying to scrub evidence of their even having been active! Like the Klan has done they are temporarily sliming back under their rocks but they are still going to be there and ready to emerge.
This is a situation where a Democrat with deep pockets needs to get with the DNC pronto and provide a template for county level Democrats/Democratic organizers to immediately start cataloging ads, pamphlets, flyers and social media postings of these people. Before they can scrub their history. That way when they try to re-emerge from under their rocks and do David Duke style makeovers we’ll have the evidence of who they REALLY are. And with it drive them back under their rocks. And again, log away the proof that they tried to alter their personae to trick people. So they, or their pals can’t once again get as far as they got before the recent elections.
We had an off year election here in MN and In Mounds View where I live we managed to keep the crazies out of office and off the school boards! YAY for Mounds View!!