Let's Just Listen To Music

OK, I hate to come back for a Wednesday post to talk politics again but after the downer of a post on Monday, I feel compelled to put down some words of encouragement.

Or try to.  

 

Thanks to political analyst  Shawna Presley Vercher (AKA “the Political Fixer”) for providing some context and much needed perspective.

There has been a surge of polls commissioned by the Republican Party.  Pollsters for these surveys will contort themselves into knots to provide positive results for Donald Trump by manipulating demographics and sample sizes. Think of it has “jerrymandering” for pollsters. One pollster in Pennsylvania arrived at a Trump victory by eliminating non-white voters.  

The upshot is a commiserate surge in headlines about Trump leading in this state or that demographic where he had previously been behind.

And national polls that provide an average or aggregate of polls that had Kamala Harris by a larger margin are now tighter.   

That's not to say there not real problems for Harris going into the final weeks before the election.  Apparently men are still leaning towards Trump despite Sam Elliot telling them to get off the same old fucking broken road, be a MAN and vote for a woman, god damn it! (See this post here for that video.)  

Shawna Presley Vercher relays accounts from pollsters from who have spoken with women who have confided they are going to vote for Kamala Harris but please don't tell their husbands.    

What the hell? Really? 

Yeah, I could see that happening.

Sadly, I can also still see Donald Trump winning come November.

Despite Vercher's attempts to hold my hand and assure me things are not as bad as they seem, I am still worried there are more stupid people than non stupid people in this country. 

This Saturday, Li'l Donnie held a rally at Coachella in California. The parking lot was several miles from the actual location of the rally. Trump paid for buses to bring people from the parking lot to the rally.

What he did NOT pay for were buses to take them back.  

Hundreds, even thousands of MAGA heads were left alone in the cold dark desert miles from their cars.  

They took to social media to complain.... about the obvious conspiracy by Democrats to take away the return buses.  

You gotta be fucking kidding me!  

By the way, Trump pulled a similar stunt to rally goers in Omaha, Nebraska in 2020 in the middle of winter. He paid for transport to the rally.  He did not spring for the return trip. 

But the Trump faithful remain convinced it's not his fault. 

On Monday, things got weird even by Trump standards. 

 At a town hall event in Pennsylvania on Monday, Trump took a few questions about the economy and housing and gave the same damn answer to both: “We’re going to drill, baby, drill! We’re going to get the energy down. When the energy comes down, prices are going to come down.” 

Which is kind of true but it's not quite that simple. 

The United States is already the leading producer of oil in the world. 

Then a couple of people fainted who required medical attention and Trump appeared to grow bored with the town hall format.

Li'l Donnie declared “Let’s not do any more questions. Let’s just listen to music! Who the hell wants to hear questions?” 

After dedicating Schubert’s “Ave Maria” to the father of a service member who died in Iraq, Trump just stood in one place, swaying on stage, occassionally fist-pumping to supporters while songs from Sinead O’Connor, Leonard Cohen, Elvis Presley, Guns N’ Roses, the Village People and others played.

Most people looked at this and wondered, is Donald Trump finally having that slide into dementia we've been expecting for years now?

As Mary Trump put, "This is the Republican candidate for President of the United States losing his goddamn mind."

Or to look at it another way, per Trump spokes demon Steven Cheung, "Something very special is happening in Pennsylvania right now at the Trump townhall. @realDonaldTrump is unlike any politician in history, and it's great!"   

And this after Trump declared over the weekend that the greatest threat to America is not China or Russia but it's own citizens, "the enemy within", those who do not agree with him or support him, suggesting the National Guard or the Army might be needed to fight this enemy. 

Well, that's some serious fascist shit there folks!  

Or if you're the white Christian Nationalist male who forms the core of his unholy MAGA cult...

Well, that's some serious ass kicking shit there folks! 

This weekend at Coachella, Trump was joined on stage by a celebrity supporter, actor Dennis Quaid.  

Turns out Randy is not the only crazy Quaid in the family.

Immediately I was worried about Dennis's son, Jack! The guy who plays what may be favorite version of Superman can't be in this corner with dear old dad! 

He isn't, that goodness! He's definitely on board to support Kamala Harris so I'm glad to hear that.

But damn Donald Trump to hell for separating another father and son. 

I am trying to remain hopeful.  I do have some sense the current zeitgeist of our nation is leaning towards Kamala Harris and Tim Walz.  

But is it enough? 

I'm going to be worrying about this all the way through to November 5th.  

And living in a state of terror for the four years that follow?

I can't stop stressing.

Let's just listen to music.

Taking us out is my favorite live performance by U2 of "Where the Streets Have No Name".  (U2 will never be on Trump's playlist!)