How To Achieve Mass Appeal Without Telling The Truth

Americans are jaded.

Over the last couple of decades game shows have radically evolved to compete for an audience on TV.

Each new show had to push the crazy envelope a little more to keep audiences coming back.

The Price Is Right has been replaced by Naked and Afraid.

Traditional news has morphed into free-for-all partisan political propaganda war where the Left jousts with the Right nightly.

When Americans get bored bad things can happen. 

That's what happened when social media latched onto our addiction-prone brains. 

A portal opened up for every conspiracy in the world to the delight of trolls and people looking for action. Good. Bad. Or indifferent.

Reality could be challenged. Truth smothered in millions of lies spewing from characters that live in alternate universes like QAnon.

When Trump came to power he embodied all that was wrong with people. 

That didn't matter.

Suddenly politics had been elevated to not just high entertainment, but also a blood sport.

To achieve mass appeal Trump attracted attention by defying the world around him and saying things no American president had ever uttered before.

He was such a novelty and his way of telling lies were more novel than the truth. Who cared about the truth? It was boring.

People's favorite reality star turned POTUS captured the Republican Party and reduced it to a clown show following the ringmaster's demented orders.

In many cases the more extreme the lie, the more arousing it can be. It. Becomes. Sexy.

Media outlets like Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram, encourages the crazies into getting in a social-validation feedback loop that is fertile soil for conspiracies.

Like the ancient Romans, millions of Americans want to see life-and-death extremes in society where the victor takes all.

Stuck In An Age of Heroes and Hypocrites Vying For The Nation's Soul

Far from an Age of Enlightenment: The Age of Reason, 21st century America is showing cracks in the foundation of our democratic society.

Unbelievable as it may sound, people are increasingly questioning reality. Politicians are telling the masses not to believe what they see or hear, unless it comes from Trump.

The nation is so polarized that lies become people's truths in a bizarre twist of partisanship gone batshit crazy.

Trump and his minions tried to steal the election last year and failed. But that didn't stop them from denying the reality of Biden's legitimacy.

The Republican Party/aka the Party of Trump, has chosen one man to be leader for life. By resurrecting Trump's putrid presidency his followers believe they're saving America from a long list of enemies ranging from Communists to liberals.

I've watched heroes - like Republican lawmakers in Georgia stand up to Trump and his acolytes as they tried to disenfranchise the state's voters with blatant lies.

I've watched a slew of hypocrites in both political parties, as lawmakers seek to stay in office by whatever means becomes available.

It's particularly irksome to watch lawmakers like Sen. Lindsey Graham flat-out lie (with videos available proving he lied), and he still gets a pass from the right-wingers that have infected the GOP.

If anything, Graham was just polishing his conspiracy disinformation creds to stay in good standing with the cult of Trump.

This is the first time in my 70-years that I'm this concerned about the demise of democracy and being forced to live in an authoritarian state.

The thought is inconceivable. But not impossible. Millions of Americans are attacking our electoral system and living in a state of denial who their president really is.

That's a breeding ground for another civil war that can only end in a loss for all Americans and our republic. 

The number one threat to America is domestic terrorists (particularly White Supremacists), and our former president who doesn't believe in reality, choosing instead to further false narratives to stay in power.

As a military veteran who fought for this country, my disappointment in the current challenge the nation faces, is vast and without precedent. 

My fervent wish before I die is for my children, grandchildren, and future generations to spend their lives free in a democracy.

Looking For Excellent Opinion Articles? Here's 2 Powerful Ones For Your Consideration

(Today I have two Op Ed articles so impressive I'm giving up my usual space to share them.)

The first piece was written by Lucian K. Truscott IV, and was published on June 19th, 2021 in Salon.

Donald Trump and the new Lost Cause

Lies are a denomination of power. The bigger the lie, the more power it represents. Right now in this country, we are being treated daily to the Big Lie that Donald Trump was the true winner of the presidential election of 2020, and the only reason he's not in the White House right now is because the election was stolen from him.

You may have noticed that the people pushing the Big Lie today are very good at it.

This is because many of them have been pushing an even bigger Big Lie for most of their lives: the lie of the Lost Cause, that the Civil War wasn't really fought over the disgraceful secession of the Southern states and slavery, it was instead a noble cause fought for the "honor" of the South, and that slavery itself wasn't bad or immoral, because enslaved people were happy workers living much better lives than they would have lived where they came from in Africa.

The Lost Cause was — or still is, because it lives today across a broad swath of America — the foundational ethos of racism and was used to perpetuate the racial crimes of the Jim Crow era, when Black Americans in the South were stripped of the right to vote and segregated from whites and subjected to the pernicious political and social discriminatory practices of white supremacy. (Read the rest here)

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This second Op Ed was written by Jack Shafer, Politico's senior media writer.

The Simple Remedy for Jan. 6 Trutherism

Just because Arizona Republican Rep. Paul Gosar voted against establishing a commission to investigate the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol doesn’t mean he’s not ready to use the power of his office to stage an inquiry into the topic by other means. 

This week, Gosar, a Donald Trump ally, all but donned a Sherlockian deerstalker hat and wrapped himself in a houndstooth cape in his pursuit of Jan. 6 truth as he cross-examined FBI Director Christopher Wray during a House Oversight Committee hearing.

Gosar claimed that protester Ashli Babbitt had been “executed” by a policeman who had been “lying in wait” for her and demanded to know why her killer had not been named. Did Wray know Babbitt was unarmed? Would Wray approve the release of all surveillance recordings from the Capitol? 

The release of all surveillance recordings of the suspected pipe bomber, not just clips? Wray backpedaled—the Babbitt killing wasn’t his case, nor did he control the Capitol tapes, and as for the pipe bomber, he offered that release only a clip was consistent with protecting the integrity of the investigation. 

But Gosar wasn’t really looking for answers as much as he was attempting to portray a governmental cover-up of Jan. 6. (Read the rest here)

I'll be back Monday with my usual posts. Enjoy and be safe.

Guest Post: Journalist Exposes GOP Underhanded Tactics To Push Unpopular Policies

From Business Insider - June 18th, 2021

By Eoin Higgins

The GOP is winning more battles than a minority party with an unpopular platform should. 

But they aren't paying as high of a political price because Republican lawmakers around the country are hiding their unpopular agenda behind confusing technicalities and baffling legalese.

Republicans are using obfuscation tactics to lead Americans to believe that laws are in place when they actually aren't, that gridlock in Washington is an unshakable truth rather than a parliamentary strategy, and that voting in the country is far harder than it is.

Republicans pass laws they know will never stand up in court, because the message of its passage is likely to change behavior even if the law ultimately falls. 

These officials pontificate self-importantly about the necessity of keeping parliamentary tradition and rules in place, and then turn around and break them whenever it's convenient. 

The GOP deploys whatever means are necessary to bend and even outright break the political rules of engagement.

READ THE REST OF THE STORY HERE

Editor's Note: I seldom run opinion pieces by others, but this one was so outstanding I had to share.

A Gaggle Of Morons In The News

Morons in the wrong places is just a fact of life. 

Lawyers, and politicians are two professions that are overrun by gaggles of morons.

Let's look at some examples:

Ted Cruz posted a video of himself pledging allegiance to a flag on Flag Day suggesting there's been attacks by unseen forces trying to do away with it.

There hasn't of course. Instead of worrying about the power grid crisis in Texas, Teddy is trying to stir up controversy out of whole cloth.

It reminded me of when he decided to go to Cancun for a vacation while his constituents froze their asses off!

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Found out today that moron Mark Meadows, Trump's chief of staff, tried to get the DOJ to look into at least one conspiracy theory later dubbed Italygate after the 2020 election was over.

To briefly summarize; the theory held that people connected to the Italian defense firm Leonardo used satellites to change the vote counts in the 2020 election from Trump to Biden.

Just to be sure both Reuters and USA Today fact-checked the conspiracy theory around the time Meadows emailed it to the DOJ.

To no one's surprise it was a baseless claim.

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Back to the Lone Star state we have Gov. Greg Abbott a moron for all seasons.

He's spending tax-payers money - $250 million - to start funding a wall at the state's border with Mexico.

Once again a moron is putting politics above reality with tax-payer money that should go towards shoring up the fragile power grid.

Right now sweaty Texans are being told to pull their bootstraps up and don't use their electric power for anything if they can help it.

Sad.

__________________________

A Florida town with morons in charge passed an anti-homeless law that prohibits lying down in parks. A homeless man called the police on a family having a picnic. The family was escorted away.

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I hope you found these tidbits amusing. I could have gone on forever, but all good things must come to an end.

The Crazies Are Ready To Snap: Feds Warn QAnon Followers May Resort To Violence

QAnon adherents are growing impatient.

When their so-called "Storm" - also known as the Jan.6 insurrection attempt-  didn't turn out some followers left the fold in frustration.

The supposed reckoning of Trump's enemies, where they'd be tried and executed, simply didn't happen. In reality, there was never a chance that it would happen.

But when you have a cult like QAnon with followers who believe they are out to expose a cabal of Satan-worshipping cannibals operating a child sex trafficking ring, it's hard to reason with them.

The wackaloons are waging a war against the so-called "deep state" and doing their best to prop up "The Big Lie."

A new federal intelligence report released yesterday warns that QAnon nuts could target Democrats and other political opponents for more violence as the movement's false prophecies don't come true.

The report predicts that while some QAnon adherents will pull back, others "will likely begin to believe they can no longer 'trust the plan' referenced in QAnon posts."

When that happens and followers feel they have an obligation to change from serving as "digital soldiers" towards engaging in real world violence, it could become real ugly.

The report summarizes factors that will contribute to QAnon's long-term durability:

-"The COVID-19 pandemic,

-Social media companies allowing posts about conspiracy theories,

-Societal polarization in the country,

-and the frequency and content of pro-QAnon statements by public individuals who feature prominently in core QAnon narratives."

The next false narrative by "Q," is that Trump will become president again in August. There's a lot of jacked-up followers who are counting on that to happen.

When it doesn't happen because it's impossible, a lot of those disappointed loons may lash out violently. 

We know they're capable of it because twenty "Q" morons were arrested and charged in the Jan. 6 coup attempt.

Hopefully federal authorities will be ready this time.

Republican Lawmakers Forsake Constituents In Bid To Hold On To Power

The already severely damaged Republican Party has decided to "cross the Rubicon" and ignore the will of the majority of their own voters.

States with GOP legislative majorities are busy creating laws to keep themselves in power without regard to their constituents.

To illustrate this point Trump puppet Rand Paul claims that democracy "goes against our history." A dubious assertion to put it mildly.

What's happening is GOP lawmakers are increasingly feeling frustrated by voters' expressed will.

So now the new strategy is to argue that the will of the voters was never what America was about (!).

A prime example is Missouri state Rep. Justin Hill who was part of a legislative majority to oppose expanding Medicare in the state.

Despite the fact, last year voters in the state approved an expansion of Medicaid eligibility by a 6-point margin, with 82,000 more votes in support of the measure, Hill and his fellow cronies quashed it by not funding it.

Hill also introduced a measure in the legislature to challenge the results of the presidential election - not in Missouri but in six states that were the focus of the Trump campaign.

How corrupt is Hill? Consider that he missed his own swearing-in in January because it fell on the 6th - and he was at the Capitol urging rioters to attack.

The GOP's new emphasis on winning isn't simply about trying to work the refs or bending the rules to suit political ends. 

It's about changing the rules at the outset in order to make a rejection of the popular will something that's part of the legalized process.

We're seeing that now in other states that are working on restricting people's rights to vote.

To sum up this new assault against voting rights, Hill spoke for the Republican degenerates when he claimed, "Even though my constituents voted for this lie, I'm going to protect them," he told reporters. "I am proud to stand against the will of the people."

Enough said.

Trump Spied On Members of Congress Conducting Presidential Oversight

Maybe we ought to call it #CorruptionGate. 

Or #SpiesForTrump.

It wasn't that long ago the former reality star and president was telling Americans that the Obama administration was spying on him.

Trump shed crocodile tears at rallies claiming the Democrats were after him and had bugged Trump Tower during the 2016 presidential campaign.

What really happened is another story. 

Trump set the Department of Justice on a witch hunt to dig up dirt on members of Congress and their staff. Even a minor from one family.

In pursuit of leaks of classified information about contacts between Trump associates and Russia, the DOJ subpoenaed Apple for data from the accounts of Democrats on the House Intelligence Committee.

The story gets more sinister. The prosecutors also secured a gag order against Apple, preventing it from informing customers their metadata had been seized. The order was recently lifted, and that's how this story got out.

This new drama has exposed another layer of corruption under the Trump regime. Some are saying this is the worst thing Trump did while POTUS.

Frankly, I disagree. His coup attempt is pretty high up there to me. But here's the thing; there's going to be more revelations uncovered in the weeks, months and years to come.

Trump's relationship with AG Bill Barr as his personal attack dog is already well established.

What happened - and never should have - is Trump used his presidential powers to target the legislative branch, and his personal enemies. This flagrant abuse of presidential power is appalling and frightening.

The guardrails of democracy barely survived four years under Trump's authoritarian regime. I seriously doubt it would have survived were he re-elected.

Happy Birthday Donny! Trump's Personal PAC Continues To Sucker Donors

Since Trump's minions put together a personal PAC for the former president, he's been leeching from his loyal followers.

The PAC, Save America Trump is constantly dunning supporters for money. The whole mission of his putrid PAC is to maintain a steady source of income while his actual businesses are failing.

Donors are asked to cough up money with all kinds of lame excuses for why the disgraced billionaire(?) needs it.

The latest - and perhaps greatest - of these ridiculous reasons for giving money to Trump to spend as he sees fit is...

The PAC's latest announcement; "Let's SURPRISE Trump "with a record breaking fundraising day" by making an EXTRA donation to his Orangeness.

The way the shady "opt in" scheme is designed the website automatically ticks a box saying the follower would make an extra donation in June in the same amount they give monthly, as a present for Trump's birthday on June 14th.

Save America has few restrictions on how the donated money should be spent. 

To be clear, It is NOT affiliated in any way with the Republican Party. This is a cult thing. There's no other way to explain it.

The grift is working. Trump has already managed to suck $85 million hard-earned dollars into his PAC piggybank. 

Trump's two idiot sons and daughter are urging the sheep to send money before a certain deadline - "Hurry" one message encouraged,"...there's only an hour left!"

As I watch the orange Kool aid drinkers gladly contributing to Trump's corrupt agendas, I must grudgingly admit he's the most prolific Con Man in history. Not just in the USA, but the rest of the world.

Trump's Assault Against Media Organizations Was Worse Than You Thought

Trump's four-year run assaulting media organizations that didn't deify him was more insidious than most Americans realized.

Beyond Trump's well-known battles with the press before becoming president, his disastrous reign brought the power of the presidency against mainstream media organizations and journalists in general.

Recent reports have exposed just how far Trump abused the office to go after his so-called enemy... the fake press. 

That meant years of meritless lawsuits and investigating individual journalists he wanted to get dirt on the sly.

The Justice Department recently notified reporters at CNN, The Washington Post and The New York Times that personal records had been seized by Trump's DOJ under Bill Barr.

This public confirmation of Trump's corruption adds to the enormity of the damage he did to our democracy. Trying to steal an election on his way out was his swan song.

Leaders of CNN, The New York Times and The Washington Post are scheduled to meet on Monday with AG Merrick Garland to clear the air.

Garland already announced he WOULD NOT demand journalist's records in leak investigations. 

That'll in itself will be a first for a DOJ that has historically had a bad habit of letting presidents get away with nearly everything.

It's one small step for democracy and for the freedom of the press. At least it's a start.

Here's Why the Super Rich Get Away With Paying No Taxes

If there was ever any doubt how privileged the super rich in America are it's been erased with a leak from the IRS showing people like Jeff Bezos, and Bill Gates, don't pay taxes like you and I do.

While the IRS is busy looking for the perp who blew the whistle on the super-rich's taxes, nothing is going to come from revealing what people already knew.

If you're rich enough to belong to the wealthy stratosphere of Americans that don't get taxed the last thing you want to hear about is tax reform.

But is that even possible? With Republicans siding with the super-rich any reform bills are dead upon arrival.

What we have is a US tax code favoring the wealthiest, and little desire among lawmakers to change things in Congress.

The irony is all those "see-no-evil" lawmakers are NOT representing the average American who put them in office.

With our current tax codes the wealthy are insulated from the reality the rest of us face.

As long as the super-rich are able to keep bribing corrupt lawmakers with massive donations there's no way things are going to change.

The average American lives in one America where everyone isn't treated equally, and the one percenters live in another more exclusive America where money is their god.

Until American voters wise up and get rid of the parasites in Congress, the super-rich are running the country.