No "Gym" Jordan: Real Americans Believe in Science and Facts!

Because he hasn't been in the news enough to satisfy his fragile ego lately Jim "Gym" Jordan made another one of his stupid proclamations during Labor Day weekend.

Spewing his bullshit on X Jordan wrote: The Left is desperate for COVID to come back. Real America says No Way!"

That prompted the dumbest Americans (MAGA) in the country to make comments like "We're done with it!" and "I won't comply."

New flash! You can't just ignore a deadly virus like COVID because it doesn't care what you think. You could die anyway. 

Proclaiming that they won't comply with proven measures of protection against the deadly virus just shows how stupid these science deniers are.

Jordan just resurrected one of the worst conspiracies that have come out of the Trump regime to get some national attention. 

His reference to resisting mask mandates and vaccines is just a fever dream that won't go away as long as there are morons like him to perpetrate the conspiracy.

It was heartening to see the feedback from both sides of the aisle questioning Jordan's outlandish claim - that anyone would desire COVID's return.

A Trump-supporting Registered Nurse replied: "Why would anyone want COVID back? People died. That's sick."

And.

"Are you really this inanely stupid, or do you just dismiss your constituents as this inanely stupid?" political commentator Keith Olbermann asked on the thread.

During a holiday where Americans are celebrating our labor history with bar-b-ques and traveling, we have a sick MAGA toady trying to harsh everyone's high with lies concerning a health challenge that is re-surfacing in the country today.

As it stands, enjoy your weekend. Jordan will face justice some day for his role as a wrestling coach at Ohio State and his part in Trump's coup efforts.

Americans Are Mocking Trump's Mug Shot that He Took to the Bank

A fool and his money are not always easily separated despite the proverb that claims otherwise.

That Trump is as dumb as a rock is a given, but he still manages to make wine from vinegar when fundraising.

His now infamous mug shot made his campaign about $10 million dollars. It's also earned him the scorn of a nation that doesn't believe a presidential candidate should be making money when he's been indicted on 91 felony charges in four separate criminal indictments.

I'm impressed by the deep stupidity of both Trump and his cult. They've managed to create an alternative reality that is fact free. But it's certainly good for laughs.

So, you have a photo of Trump proudly holding up a tee shirt with the logo - Never Surrender.

Take a second look at that $34 dollar tee shirt he's touting on his Truth Social website. It's a photo of him surrendering to the Fulton County court system! What's with that? Doesn't Trump and his minions understand that he had to really surrender to authorities?

Pundits on X, formerly known as Twitter, had a field day with Trump's tee shirt grift.

- "Buy your Never Surrender tee shirt of me literally surrendering. Act now!!" one wag suggested.

- "He's like one of those guys outside a concert selling the knockoff tour t-shirts," another pundit said.

-  "Remember, that picture was only taken *because* he literally surrendered to law enforcement," another person wrote.

- "Rock bottom: A former President of the United States hawking tee shirts online. Wow. Just wow," said another person.

- "Who's going to sell the upcoming photo of Trump in his orange jumpsuit? I don't think it will be him," another commentator noted.

- "What billionaire sells tee shirts and begs for money from poor people?" one outraged pundit asked.

As it stands, perhaps the saddest part of this latest grift is that those who can't afford to shell out money are doing it and not even realizing the irony in their actions.

Congress is Where Politicians Go to Retire

It's time we quit kidding ourselves.

When a politician becomes a senator or member of the House of Representatives their main goal is to stay until they retire or die.

No one believes that malarkey about them wanting to serve the American people. Or the sacrifices they supposedly made for their country. 

That's not what we see. We, the people, see lawmakers led around by their noses by special interest groups. There are three lobbyists for every member of Congress. The only thing they serve is their own interests.

The Republicans and the Democrats are both guilty of having members that probably should be in retirement homes instead of making laws that affect over 320,000 million lives.

Two examples:

Republicans have a situation with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell because he's having brain freezes. 

Two have happened in front of news cameras this month as he was taking questions from reporters. They happened after he took a fall and got a concussion last month.

McConnell is 81 years old and hasn't been in the best of health in recent years. If he were a bus driver that demands real-time responses the company would insist he get a medical examination.

His handlers say he's fine. And maybe they'll have a doctor check up on him. After all, the Capitol Hill doctor said he was clear to work. Anyone who witnessed the two incidents knows that Mitch's once sharp mind is turning to mush.

Meanwhile the Republican party is paralyzed with indecision. What to do about their leader? So far, the consensus is that if they have to wheel him around in a moveable lectern (think Saturday Night Live's episode where Sarah Huckabee Sanders went after the pressroom reporters in a motorized lectern) they will do it.

The Democrats geriatric champion is 90-year-old Senator Dianne Feinstein who is tied with Sen. Chuck Grassley for the oldest member in Congress.

She fell in her home and went to the hospital for a short time during the first week of August.

Before that, she had trouble with shingles. She was hospitalized in San Francisco in March and treated for shingles. She's been basically communicating with her staff who are carrying her workload as much as possible.

There have been uncomfortable conversations among her peers about how her advanced age and cognitive abilities are hurting the party. Every time she has to take a medical absence Democrats get more nervous.

So, there you have it. Two examples of members in Congress who should have retired at least a decade ago.

What is the age demographic of Congress?

The median age of voting House lawmakers is 57.9 years down from 58.9 in the last Congress which can be seen as progress for younger members.

The new Senate's (the 118th) median age, on the other hand, is 65.3 years, up from 64.8 years. At the rate they're going the median age for senators will increase in the next Congress (119th). Nearly 25% of Congress is older than 70 right now.

-----------------------------------------------------------

Related story: Congress is older than ever. It hasn't always been this way.

-----------------------------------------------------------

It should be obvious that 70-year-olds and upward aren't going to be as sharp mentally as someone in their 50s or early 60s. Maybe there should be a mandatory cognitive test as a working requirement when members reach a certain age.

When politicians accuse people of ageism when it comes to being concerned about mental abilities, they're missing the point.

As it stands, growing old is natural. There's no shame in not being at the top of your game. That day will come for us all. And when it does, we should accept it.

Project 2025: Conservatives Plan for Authoritarian Regime if Trump is Re-elected

Dozens of right-wing organizations are busy boasting about dismantling the government and what things will look like in America if Trump defies the odds and gets re-elected president.

Their dystopian view for the future is being funded by the Heritage Foundation and fueled by Trump and his cult.

Here's their plan:

The groups have merged into a coalition called "Project 2025" a far-reaching effort to essentially form a government in waiting for Trump's return.

Project 2025 has a nearly 1,000-page handbook for an "army" of Americans who want to destroy our civic structure and reshape it into an authoritarian state with a lifetime leader.

They intend to disable the current government bureaucracy by firing as many as 50,000 federal workers. 

Project 2025 conservatives want to gut the "Administrative state" from within by ousting federal employees they believe are standing in the way of Trump's agenda and replacing them with like-minded officials more eager to do Trump's bidding without question.

"The president Day One will be a wrecking ball for the administrative state," bragged Russ Vought, a former Trump official involved in the effort and president of the conservative Center for Renewing America.

A return to the political spoils system

In the bad old days of 19th century patronage this all would be par for the course. Watching it unfold in the 21st century shows how little progress this country has made in politics.

Trump wants to bring back an executive order he made - Schedule F - while in the White House that reclassified tens of thousands of the 2 million federal employees as essentially at-will workers who could be fired more easily.

When Biden came into office, he immediately rescinded the executive order.

Historical note: The civil service was overhauled during President Carter's administration in an attempt to ensure a professional workforce and end political bias dating back for over a hundred years.

Project 2025 plans on a "top to bottom overhaul" of the Department of Justice, particularly curbing its independence and ending FBI efforts to combat the spread of misinformation.

It even calls for stepped-up prosecution of anyone providing or distributing abortion pills by mail.

The group plans to make the Pentagon "abolish" its recent diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, what the project calls the "woke" agenda, and reinstating service members discharged for refusing the COVID-19 vaccine.

Two of the things I find most chilling is the "reexamining" of the tradition of providing workspace for the press corps, and ensuring the White House counsel is "Deeply committed" to Trump's agenda.

These authoritarian fever dreams are just some of the things the GOP has in store when their messiah returns. If he returns. Which is unlikely when you consider the four felony indictments he faces.

The Heritage coalition has taken their recruitment efforts on the road to fill federal jobs by inviting them to be trained in government operations. 

As it stands, that's how crazy these people are forming a shadow government that will never see the light of day.

Republicans Better Start Looking for Another Presidential Candidate Before it's Too Late

Let's set the table.

The main dish is Trump ala mode and is being served up in four criminal trials in state and federal courts.

Halloween may start early for Trump (Oct. 23) and his 18 co-defendants who tried to overthrow the state's voter choices in the 2020 election if Fulton County DA Fani Willis gets her way.

Four criminal indictments. Two state and two federal cases with a total of 91 felony counts face Trump while he's also running for president. Odds are he is not going to beat every indictment. More than likely he'll be convicted in at least two of them.

And that's before everyone votes in November 2024. In other words, he'll be a convicted felon running for the highest office in the land by that time.

The last time I looked that's not exactly a positive endorsement for the leader of the free world.

I realize the Republican party is full of gutless Trump minions willing to throw their own lives and credibility away to follow their supreme leader but at some point, they are going to be forced to look at reality and see his presidency isn't likely in the real world.

C'mon! Isn't there any sane members that don't lick Trump's boots every morning? Seriously, you cowards need to make a move now before it's too late.

What will you do when Trump gets disqualified to be on the ballot in a state or multiple states, which will likely happen when he loses the Jan. 6 trial?

His primary wins will shackle the GOP into a toxic relationship unless the party starts seriously looking for an alternative to his Orangeness.

C'mon! Conservative think tanks and state party leaders need to circle the wagons and look for someone who isn't a convicted criminal and having trouble getting on state ballots if they want to give their flock a choice.

Don't ask me who that would be? If I had to take a wild guess, I'd say Nikki Haley.

The Republican party still has a chance to pick someone other than Trump. There're more primaries ahead and things could change as Trump's court battles wage on.

As it stands, this is a warning to the GOP that time is running out to find a viable candidate. Break out the smelling salts and take a deep whiff and wake up!

They're Doing it Again: House Republicans Plan on Holding the Country Hostage

Trump's real defense team is in the House of Representatives as GOP members look for ways to target the criminal investigations against him by using the annual appropriations process to hold the country hostage.

Their diabolic plan, introduced by crazy Andrew Clyde (R-GA) is to introduce a pair of amendments that will prohibit funding from being used for the prosecution of any major presidential candidate ahead of the 2024 election.

Can you say red herring? How about pure bullshit soaked in malicious lies and topped off with a healthy helping of hypocrisy?

The measures will come up before the Commerce, Justice, Science, and related agencies appropriations bill. It's one of 12 spending bills that Congress must pass ahead of a Sept. 30 deadline to fund the government.

Shamelessly using terrorist threats against our justice system, the House Freedom Caucus clowns are pulling out all of the stops in an effort to keep Trump out of jail for his numerous crimes.

What they're doing is overt election interference designed to undermine both our Republic and our fair system of justice.

The irony of a full-on MAGA member (Clyde) in Congress claiming it's imperative for Congress to use its power of the purse to "protect the integrity of elections" and prohibit prosecutors from coming after top presidential candidates is as thick as a brick.

It's still too early to know the specific language for the amendments because they haven't been drafted yet. It's also not clear if all the House Republicans will back it.

Clyde's warning was a symbolic shot across the bow to the American people. When the House Appropriations Committee reconvenes for its CJS markup in September they are prepared to shut down the government to get their demands and take the heat off of Trump.

To be concise, the House Freedom Caucus has vowed not to support a stopgap spending measure unless it is tied to a number of policy wins.

It's all or nothing for MAGA lawmakers who have no qualms about making millions of Americans suffer until their corrupt demands are met. 

By defunding Trump prosecutions House extremists will be violating their oaths of office. Not that it seems to matter anymore.

As it stands, seeing how lawmakers aren't returning to Washington until Sept. 12, that only leaves 18 days until the Republican party is going to bring our economy to a halt and cause financial hardships for millions of Americans. The prognosis looks bleak.  

Trump's Biggest Grift Yet Capitalizes on His Criminality - Who Says Crime Doesn't Pay?

How much sense does it make when an indicted criminal can make money off of being booked and charged with multiple felonies - including trying to overturn the election results in Georgia?

It doesn't make sense. It's all wrong.

But Trump has turned all four of his criminal indictments into record-breaking fundraiser hauls. His last one in Fulton County Georgia was his biggest grift to date by raising $7.1 million in 24 hours after getting his mug shot. 

Imagine if Al Capone had a savvy group of media influencers that were publicity wise and could muddy the waters of the investigation against him with conspiracies.

Would he have gone to prison? Would he have gotten away with blatant verbal attacks against state persecutors like Trump does? Would the Chicago mob boss have made money off of his mug shot back then? I doubt it.

Yet in the world we live in now a mob boss backed by a cult can damn near get away with anything because of his wealth and dark connections with elite extremists who want to destroy our democracy and turn the country into an authoritarian state.

Who says crime doesn't pay?

Trump is parlaying 91 felony charges into a cottage industry. He's raised nearly $20 million in the last three weeks.

His campaign is also being powered by merchandize (shirts, posters, bumper stickers and beverage coolers to name some) on his online grift site.

The site's landing page includes his now infamous mug shot and asks supporters to "make a contribution to evict Crooked Joe Biden from The White House and SAVE AMERICA during this dark chapter in our nation's history."

Oh! The irony! It's a dark chapter alright with Trump threatening our freedoms by tearing up the Constitution if he gets back in office.

This latest grift is Trump's greatest at this point in his life. It's the culmination of decades of cheating and lying his way to the top of the dung pile.

As it stands, Trump will always hold a unique position in the history of American crimes by being the only former president with a mug shot.