American Crisis Unfolding
Along with just about everyone else, this humble spirit fears that he’s spent too much time writing about Donald Trump. Unfortunately, the man provides an almost bottomless pit of material, and he’s getting worse as the election approaches. No one looks forward to the country “getting past” Trump more than I do, but until then. […]
Trump Violates Hallowed Ground
Given that Donald Trump violates everything and everybody, most especially women, it’s not very surprising that he and his campaign staff violated the hallowed ground of Arlington National Cemetery. Trump using the 13 fallen heroes and their grief-stricken parents to score political points is once again a new low for the former president. His behavior […]
Trump’s Greatest Hits
Despite what his advisers tell him, Trump refuses to abandon his tried-and-true (if always false) play list—which primarily centers on drumming up irrational fear and hatred of the “other.” From the start, Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign regularly highlighted stories about migrant crime, using pictures of Black and brown men who have immigrated to the U.S. […]
Freedom!
No matter what happens in November, the Democrats finally have a viable candidate in Kamala Harris. After the frustration of feeling powerless to stop Donald Trump from winning back the presidency, at least now it’s a fair fight—people are energized and volunteering, money is flowing into the campaign, and states are in play that looked […]
Yes, We Have Work to Do
This humble spirit would like to join the crowd in commending President Biden on passing the torch. Even avid Biden supporters should acknowledge that what we saw wasn’t a “bad debate”; it was a sad and painful display of significant cognitive decline. On the chance that he defeated Trump, the odds of which were getting […]
The Second (Third) American Revolution
Kevin Roberts, president of the far-right-wing Heritage Foundation, the organization responsible for the equally far-right-wing “Project 2025” announced last week on Steve Bannon’s War Room webcast (after Bannon was finally sent off to jail) that “We are in the process of the second American Revolution, which will remain bloodless if the left allows it to […]
“Trumponomics”
Presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump has suggested enacting a foolhardy and frightening fiscal policy that one commentator has aptly dubbed “Trumponomics.” “Bidenomics,” which is serving to reduce America’s economic inequality, has suffered from bad branding and poor communications, but Trumponomics would most certainly be a disaster that increases economic inequality—and very possibly destroys America’s economy. […]
Billionaires’ Retribution
It’s both shameful and depressing how many billionaires, including much of the Silicon Valley crowd, have been “coming back” to Donald Trump in recent weeks, regardless of his 34 felony convictions in the Stormy Daniels hush money trial or fascist-like threats of “retribution.” With Nicki Haley having fallen by the wayside and Trump becoming the […]
Feeling Helpless to Stop Trump
Will anyone do anything to stop Donald Trump from becoming president again? Journalists and commentators have been regurgitating the threat he poses to our democracy for months, but inevitably addressing the same limited audience and talking mostly to themselves, helpless in the face of impending disaster. When I say “anyone,” I’m referring to the Democrats […]
Stormy Daniels and Cricket the Dog
Two events in the news last week highlight MAGA’s ugly machismo tendencies, its pent-up anger and readiness to engage in violence: ambitious up-and-comer Kristi Noem, Governor of South Dakota, shooting her dog, Cricket; quickly followed by more information than most of us cared to know about Donald Trump’s affair with adult movie actress Stormy Daniels. […]
Conspiracy Against Democracy
This humble spirit hates to sound like a wacko QAnon conspiracy theorist, but that’s how I’m feeling lately. I’m not so concerned that everything is “rigged” (although it most certainly is for working-class Americans these days), but rather America feels like a white Christian nationalist nightmare combining Invasion of the Body Snatchers and The Handmaid’s […]
Make America 1864 Again
An abortion ban dating back to 1864? Are you kidding me?! That’s only a year after this former Confederate officer lost his life fighting (on the wrong side) in the Civil War. Back then our knowledge of medicine was so limited that army doctors didn’t even know enough to sterilize their knife before starting the […]
Snake Oil Salesman… in Chief
Surely you’ve already heard all about it, but it’s impossible not to comment on the aspiring snake oil salesman in chief. Donald Trump was, is, and always will be America’s greatest snake oil salesman, and in his vulgar way, as American as apple pie. As if his gold high-top sneakers weren’t enough, Trump is now […]
Nibbling at the Edges
How did the Democratic Party become the party of college educated “elites”? What happened to the party of the American middle class, the working people? That’s what it used to be and should be again. Unfortunately, MAGAs and too many swing voters don’t see it that way. Democrats not only have a messaging problem, but […]
MAGAs Defining “America”
The Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) always contains disturbing revelations, but this year they outdid themselves. As a sample, right-wing activist Jack Posobiec opened the Conference by declaring: “Welcome to the end of democracy. We are here to overthrow it completely. We didn’t get all the way there on January 6, but we will endeavor […]
White Christian Existential Panic
Lately it’s hard to ignore MAGAs’ dangerous attraction to white, male authoritarian rulers. What the hell?! Donald Trump and other prominent MAGAs, including House Speaker Johnson and “media personality” Tucker Carlson, are delighting in reverence for Russia’s authoritarian dictator, Vladimir Putin, seemingly unfazed by his continued war in Ukraine or his murder of Alexi Navalny. […]
Civil War at the Border
As someone who lost his life fighting (on the wrong side, of course) in the American Civil War, your humble spirit humbly suggests that MAGAs should stop calling for another “civil war” every time they open their mouths. Like Southerners who seceded from the Union back in 1861, if they’re not careful, they might get […]
The World Economic Forum
Committed to improving the state of the world? Who do those people at Davos think they’re fooling? The only world most of them want to improve is their own! If you’ve read even a few of my journal entries, it should be fairly clear this humble spirit hates Donald Trump and disparage his MAGA “base” […]
New Year’s Realizations
As unrealistic as they may be, your humble spirit has some heartfelt wishes for 2024. Wishes for Donald Trump and MAGA: Putting aside the obvious—such as Trump not getting reelected and/or his MAGA base no longer believing his lies—in no particular order, here are some New Year’s resolutions, or rather New Year’s realizations, that Trump’s […]
Happy New Year!
This humble spirit has been hovering about the earth for well over 150 years now and I can hardly recall a grimmer holiday season or a glummer prognosis for the new year, either here in America or around the globe. In preparation for what is to come, however, I thought it might prove instructive to […]