I was not at all surprised that Trump had to haul out the big bomb today, and tweet about delaying the election. This was a sign of nothing but pure desperation. If Trump thought that he was winning, he would call for the election tomorrow. But today proved once and for all what a total loser Trump really is.
The bad news started early, and just kept coming. First, the new unemployment numbers showed another increase in first time claims, with more than 50 million unemployed in the last 19 weeks. And then, his own Department of Commerce came out with numbers that showed that the Gross Domestic Product, the principal benchmark for domestic economic growth, had fallen off a cliff, losing 33%. This is a disaster because while Trump and his economic nitwits had projected a loss in the 2nd quarter, followed by a rocket ship 3rd quarter, this number means firing that rocket from the deck of the Titanic.
But both of those paled in significance with what was happening at the same time at Ebenezer Church in Atlanta. Civil rights icon John Lewis was being laid to rest, after a week of honors and a final farewell tour of the places most important in his life. And at that funeral service were, not one, not two, but three different former American Presidents, each eager to share their fond remembrances of their interactions with Lewis. And that was the mother of all nightmare scenarios for Trump.
William Jefferson Clinton. Looking every bit as stable, friendly, and approachable as any regular member of Ebenezer, with that southern charm that plays so well, to this day. He spoke glowingly of his time with Lewis, and praised the man he knew for what he was.
George Walker Bush. A lifelong Republican, while he freely admitted his ideological and political difference with Lewis, he nonetheless lionized Lewis and the principles that the man stood for, including racial equality and the right of every American to vote. He was honest and sincere, and well received.
And then there was Barack Hussein Obama. A man who said that Lewis himself inspired Obama to activism and public service, who hugged Lewis on Inauguration day, and told him “This is your day too, John. Obama was the only one to indirectly attack Trump for his administrations attempts to roll back everything that Lewis spent his life building, but forget about that for the moment.
Three former Presidents. Two Democratic, and one Republican. And all symbolizing one thing. Normalcy. All three if them represent everything that Americans have come to expect from a Commander in Chief. Clinton and Obama are two of the most popular Democratic Presidents since FDR. And Bush, the lone Republican, may be seen as the last of a dying breed. A Republican President with heart, good intentions, and morals and integrity.
And what happens next? Well, current President Donald Trump shambles out behind the White House briefing room podium, his tie slanted, throws out a bunch of happy horseshit about his administrations successful combating of the coronavirus, and rails against free elections. The comparison couldn’t be more stark.
Because waiting in the wings, and appearing more and more frequently all the time, is another pain in the ass that personified everything that Americans envision when they think of a President, Joe Biden. Even non Trombie GOP voters who voted for Trump out of party loyalty can only look at Bush and pine for a return to normalcy, some sense of balance. All of which Trump is incapable of providing. And for soft Democrats and independents, the choice is now only more stark.
Once again, Trump screwed up. He shot his wad too early with the Ukraine, and neutered it as a campaign issue. Now, he’s shooting his wad too early again, allowing activists to show for 95 days how reliable and safe mail in voting is. But he had no choice. The heat was on, and it was all he had left. And his own party, both House and Senate, has come out and kiboshed the plan before it could even take off. Better luck next time, fool.
To know the future, look to the past.before the insanity of the 2020 election, relive the insanity of the 2016 GOP primary campaign, and the general election, to see how we got to where we are. Copies of President Evil, and the sequel, President Evil II, A Clodwork Orange are available as e-books on Amazon, at the links above. Catch up before the upcoming release of the third book in the trilogy, President Evil III: All The Presidents Fen
Follow me on Twitter at @RealMurfster35
A distraction that didn’t work. But I think he will keep on trying it again and again.
And more is coming, Murf. Overshadowed in all the hubbub was the failure of Maxwell’s final appeal to keep sealed evidence from a settled case that way. The initial transcripts are pointing to a direct connection between her procurement ops and Mar-A-Lago. Buckle up.
But dersh kept his tightie whities on!
Yeeah, and the moons made outta Swiss Cheese!
Nah, he was going commando!
Most of this was stuff available before, though with fewer names.
Oh, it’s just surface extractions so far, P J. More is coming.
Bareshark, I can’t wait for THAT episode of the Rocky Horror Donald Show!
And it was the bottom of the 9th with the Democrats ahead 2 to 1 . There were no outs until asshole stepped up to the plate. It was a great game. Almost like my Red Sox beating the yankees!
Murf, I always enjoy reading your work, and I’m in agreement with you 99% of the time. However, I have to speak up when you refer to George W. Bush as “A Republican President with heart, good intentions, and morals and integrity.” Where were you from the stolen election in 2000, which began Bush’s crime spree, to the end of his presidency, when our economy almost crashed? George W. Bush was responsible for the greatest debacle in the history of American foreign policy: the invasion of Iraq. He legalized torture, unwarranted surveillance of American citizens, started the endless war in Afghanistan and did so many objectionable things that are too numerous to list here. Nowhere do I find any evidence of “heart, good intentions, and morals and integrity.” Instead I find cowardice, arrogance, stupidity, perfidy and genuine evil. I find this attempt to rehabilitate W’s image extremely objectionable, with the rationale being that he looks good compared to Trump. What a low bar. Right now Charlie Manson looks good compared to Trump. Enough of this lionizing a genuine war criminal. Go back and do your homework.
I had the same instant disagreement about G.W. never being a POTUS with heart, good intentions, morals and integrity. In addition to all the reasons mentioned – Bush will be remembered with disdain by me for his 2001 & 2003 10+ trillion dollar tax giveaways to the extremely rich and large multi-national corporations. These were sold as a con to regular Americans as a way to improve economic growth because this $ would be re-invested into the US economy and would supposedly “pay for itself”. Instead, most of the money ended up in overseas tax shelters also created during the G.W. Bush administration. This led to a massively ballooning of our US deficit and US debt and ultimately contributed to a rise in income inequality between the very rich and everyone else. This tax cut for the richest along with Bush’s relaxing of finance laws which crashed the economy paved the way for the ignorant to gamble & take a chance on Trump. Both G.W. and Trump are GOP-Nazis.
Forgive him if you can, Steve, as I certainly have. The current conventional wisdom in our circles is that W was better than Trump, which is objectively true (to the point where the Bush family should write a thank you note to whatever prison Trump winds up in). But I do not forget and, unlike Murf, I do not forgive W. His blunders and his subordinates’ power lust and greed made Trump possible. Indeed, no one major political figure is arguably more responsible for making the horrors of the last four years possible.