We Survived Another Election

They’re pretty much done counting votes from the mid-terms, and with everything said and done, we have won much more than we lost. No side ever gets everything they want, but I’ll happily take these results (although it would be a big letdown if the highly unqualified, dumb-as-a-dirty sock, lying carpetbagger Herschel Walker somehow managed to squeak out a victory over Rafael Warnock in their Georgia senate runoff).

No “red wave”, Democrats stay in charge of the Senate, election-denying nuts lose in pretty much every race of consequence, Donald (Littlefinger) Trump’s hand-picked candidates way underperform. Poor Littlefinger is labeled a loser, even by some Republicans, and Fox “News”, the New York Post, and the Wall Street Journal turn on him. Sucks to be Littlefinger right now.

But, to the surprise of absolutely no one, Littlefinger announced he would be running for POTUS in ’24. In a long, boring, rambling screed (oops, that’s redundant when referencing a Littlefinger speech) he reminded us of his greatness and assured us he would pull us out of the depths of hell that Joe Biden has consigned us to.

Now, I just have a few questions about that. 1. How could a suspect in multiple crimes, including inciting an insurrection against the United States, trying to overturn the results of a free and fair election, strong-arming a state official to “find” enough votes to make him the winner of that state, being in illegal possession of numerous classified documents, and much more, even remotely be considered to be a serious candidate?! 2. How could a major political Party in the United States continue to overwhelmingly support such a person?

By all rights, Littlefinger should be hiding in a spider hole, similar to the one Saddam Hussien was found in. It speaks to the depravity of the current Republican Party, including Party leaders, elected officials, and regular voters, that he walks the streets with impunity and is still the most popular person in the Party. Gross and disgusting.

The biggest disappointment in these midterms is that the Dems lost the House. History and a couple of other things said they would lose, and probably lose big. Still, I was hoping for a miracle, especially after the Dems performed so much better than expected that the race couldn’t be called for more than a week after the election.

The silver lining is that, with a much slimmer majority than expected, the next Speaker, most likely the underwhelming and overmatched Kevin McCarthy, is going to have a totally dysfunctional caucus. There are so many Far Right nutcases in the caucus that they’ll gum up the works for the whole lot of them. It could be very entertaining.

Of course, much of the next two years in the House is going to be all about Benghazi-style “investigations”. Let’s hope the American people see through this hyper-partisan nonsense and realize what really drives the modern Republican Party is faux outrage, revenge, thirst for power and a desire to turn the clock back to a time when women and minorities “knew their place” and the LGBQT community was safely hidden and locked away in the closet.

Face it, the Republican Party is full of pathetic. small-minded men and women who defended a man who was credibly accused by over 20 women of sexual assault and was even caught on tape admitting such assaults, they ignored his serial lying and bullying and being surrounded by numerous advisors/appointees that were convicted of crimes, who defended him when he was caught trying to extort a foreign head-of-state, who supported his lies about election fraud, who downplayed and defended his role in an insurrection against the United States and his attempt to overturn a free and fair election.

Just last week Littlefinger had dinner at his private club with notorious anti-Semitic racists who spew crazy conspiracy theories and gets pushback, which was tepid at best, from very few Republicans. And most don’t even have the fortitude to mention his name. They just say something like, “I don’t believe it’s ever a good idea to have dinner with known racists and anti-Semites”. Gee, a real bold stand there, let’s send a letter to the Nobel Prize nominating committee.

So, what’s going to happen between now and the next election in ’24? I have some hopes and thoughts, perhaps that will be addressed in the next post.

Littlefinger and Melania dine with the Prime minister of Japan and his wife at Mar-A-Lago while he was POTUS. Since Littlefinger has to always be the center of attention, this is no doubt the highest-profile table at the club and surely the same table he hosted his racist anti-Semitic friends for dinner last week. And is it just me, or is it more than a little weird that an ex-POTUS resides at a private club that has hundreds of members and eats many of his meals surrounded by these members? Although on the bright side for Littlefinger, when he finally is convicted and sent to the Big House, he will be used to eating his meals surrounded by hundreds of folks of similar ilk.

Senate candidate, ex-football player, and apparently also ex-MMA fighter, Herschel Walker. Most senators have pretty big egos, which would be at least somewhat deflated if this highly unqualified buffoon joined their ranks. I mean, if Lindsay Graham or Ted Cruz tried to put on the dog by bragging that they’re a United States Senator, to bring them down a peg or two all one would have to do is shrug and say, “So is Herschel Walker”.

Littlefinger and his two recent dinner guests. The one on the left has a long history of being a truly awful person and won’t be named here because he’ll probably change his name before this post is finished. The one on the right also won’t be named here because he’s an inconsequential punk who will someday get his comeuppance. The fact that these horrid dirtbags are in the orbit of the guy in the middle tells you all you need to know about him.

The opening to the spider hole where Saddam Hussien was found. When things finally get too hot for Littlefinger will he disappear into one of these? If he does it will undoubtedly be gold-plated and be the best spider hole ever, everybody says it, people can’t believe what a fantastic spider hole it is. Finding him shouldn’t be too difficult. Someone will have to bring him supplies, I recommend putting a GPS tracking device on Lindsay Graham and Ted Cruz.

Lock Him Up!

Donald Trump is a one-man crime wave. What he’s costing various governmental agencies in investigations, and eventually in prosecutions, is more than the gross domestic spending of half the countries in the United Nations. Say what you will about the guy, but who else on earth can wreak so much carnage on law and order?!

As a reminder, here’s a list of his (alleged) crimes (these are just off the top of my head, so this list is no doubt incomplete; I’m probably not only leaving some out, there are surely crimes he’s committed that have yet to come to light. And I use the word “alleged” with a wink).

1. Inciting an insurrection against the United States of America on January 6, 2021; 2. attempting to overturn the results of a free and fair presidential election; 3. shaking down the Secretary of State of Georgia to “find” enough votes to make him the winner of that state; 4. obstruction of justice in the Mueller report; 5. taking government documents, including top secrets, to his home in Mar-a-Lago (and most likely to some of his other properties); 6. lying to the FBI about having returned all of those documents; 7. ignoring a subpoena to return those documents; 8. corporate tax fraud; 9. campaign finance fraud (paying off Stormy Daniels and one other to keep quiet during the 2016 presidential election); 10. witness tampering (his PAC is allegedly paying the legal fees of potential witnesses against him. And he has surely contacted potential witnesses to discourage their participation in investigations); 11. continuing to lie about the 2020 election (this may not be a prosecutable crime, but it should be, it is doing grave harm to our democracy). 12. sexual assault (not only have 20+ women accused him of this, he was caught on tape bragging about it). 13. shaking down a foreign leader to harm his political opponent; 14. using the Department of Justice to go after his political enemies.

There surely are others, among them money laundering and conspiring with a foreign government, but we’ll leave it at an even fourteen for now.

With a record like this, plus all of his manifest lying, bullying, divisiveness, corruption, pettiness, narcissism, lack of ethics and morals, immaturity, and general horridness, how can he still be the leader and most popular person in the Republican Party??!! Who are the tens of millions of people that still support and believe in this putrid human being?! And what does it say about their character? The only thing I can come up with is that it is a cult, and members of that cult are deeply flawed human beings. Feel free to offer other reasons for this truly mind-boggling phenomenon.

Trump should be a source of ridicule and embarrassment to Republicans. And now he is embracing and promoting QAnon for Gawd’s sake! With all of this baggage, Trump should have zero chance of getting the Republican nomination, much less again becoming POTUS. And while, IMO, his chance of winning in 2024 is close to zero, it is not zero. For this the blame goes not only to his delusional cult, but also to the Electoral College. Even though Joe Biden won the popular vote by more than 7 million votes, if you flip a total of about 150,000+/- votes in several swing states Trump would have won! So, while there’s no way in a million years Trump could win a majority of the votes, that damn outdated and unfair Electoral College gives him the slimmest of chances to win if he’s the Republican nominee.

I was listening to a news talk station the other day and the host was asking how Trump supporters could still support Trump after he embraced and promoted QAnon. So this guy texts the host and says it’s because he’s more afraid of Democrats! Proving Republican propaganda works on these fools.

Remember when Barack Obama was going to take away everyone’s guns? And lock up his political enemies in gulags? And end freedom of religion? And turn this country into a communist State? And indoctrinate schoolchildren with “leftist ideology”? And then make those schoolchildren join the workforce as young as age 10? And allow an abortion for even a healthy fetus right up until the day the baby is born? And refuse to give up power at the end of his second term, turning the presidency into a dictatorship?

Forget the fact that everyone still has their guns, no gulags exist, no political prisoners were ever taken, everyone can still worship whatever religion they care to, we’re still a democracy, there’s been no indoctrination of schoolchildren or forcing them to work, infanticide is still a crime, and President Obama graciously turned the White House over to Trump and went back to being a regular civilian at the end of his term.

All that doesn’t matter. They still believe Joe Biden and any other Democrat elected POTUS will/would do all of the things they believed Obama would do. It’s insanity. Congratulations Fox “News” and Right Wing talk radio, your propaganda and brainwashing has been extremely effective and successful.

Doanld J. Trump; if you should see this horrid little person, do not approach or confront him, he is a dangerous criminal! Get to a spot safely away from him and call 911 immediately!!!

A QAnon rally; horrid-little-man-trump is now embracing and promoting the certifiably crazy and dangerous rants of these losers and morons. But sure, be afraid of Democrats. After all, look at what the dangerous Joe Biden has done in just two years (partial list): restored dignity, respect, and civility to the Presidency; the American Rescue Plan was passed and signed; the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law was passed and signed; appointed the first African-American woman to the Supreme Court; expanded the Affordable Care Act; the CHIPS and Science Act was passed and signed; the Inflation Reduction Act was passed and signed; the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act was passed and signed. And let’s not forget, no firings, forced resignations, indictments, or convictions of Cabinet members, other top officials, or anyone else in JB’s orbit. Shocking and very dangerous stuff, indeed!

The Trump Nightmare Won’t Go Away

Trump is a never-ending nightmare for everyone but his moronic supporters and Republican politicians. Every time we think, “this has got to be the thing that finally takes him down”, his fat, ugly orange skull pops up out of the sludge of the toxic sewer he inhabits.

When I first heard that the FBI had executed a search warrant on his Mar-a-Lago home and office, my heart skipped a beat, my joy endorphins kicked in, and everything seemed right with the world.

FINALLY, real, concrete actions were being taken against this serial criminal! FINALLY, some of his crimes would be exposed and prosecutions would follow. FINALLY, his cult of supporters and shameless, soulless Republican politicians who only pretend to support him so they can exploit his base, will realize this a bad guy who does not deserve adulation and support.

Not so fast. Trump immediately cast himself a victim and blamed the FBI, the Justice Department, Joe Biden, the Deep State, and Gawd knows who/what else. As he’s done his whole life, he blamed anyone and everything but himself. His base instinctively followed suit. Then the unethical, cowardly, soulless Republican politicians joined the fray. Led by the typical weasels like Cruz, Rubio, McCarthy, Graham, and many others, they all fell in line with Trump. They lied about and besmirched the FBI, the Justice Department, Merrick Garland and others.

Of course, none of these Republicans knew the facts of the case. But they don’t care about evidence or facts. They saw an opportunity to score points with Trump and his base while at the same time trying to paint Democrats as lawless and corrupt.

This will rile up our voters to come to the polls in November! So what if what I’m doing is sleazy, corrupt and unethical! So what if it’s based on lies and helps a potentially serious criminal act go unpunished! It may help ME get re-elected! It may help MY Party win back the majority, which means more power for ME!

Once again, Liz Cheney was one of the few Republicans with the proper perspective on the issue. She implored her fellow Republicans to stop maligning the integrity and motives of the FBI. She rightly said that their inflammatory rhetoric was “sickening” and was going to get agents killed. I’m quite sure her honest and ethical words fell on deaf ears.

So, what has been the fall-out for Trump for his criminal act of illegally taking highly classified documents out of the White House, storing them in an unsecure area, and doing Gawd-knows-what with them? Before I reveal the answer, remember, we are currently living in Bizarro America. Up is down, in is out, black is white, and Trump is an honest, ethical good Samaritan who only cares about the well-being of his fellow Americans.

The answer to the question of what the fall-out is to Trump’s latest potential criminality is that he is more popular than before the seizure of the documents! And many experts think this locks up his Republican nomination for POTUS in 2024!!

You’ve GOT to be kidding me!!!

Of course, while highly disturbing, that’s just the short-term fallout. The good news is that as more information comes out about the classified materials in Trump’s possession and his exposure to criminal charges, the overwhelming support he received from the soulless Republican politicians is already starting to wane. Remember, they always think of themselves first, last, and always and if they perceive that supporting Trump in this will have a negative effect on them, they’ll change their tune in a New York minute. Most of them hate Trump anyway, so they’ll support him only when it’s to their political advantage.

Longer-term, the overwhelming amount of Trump’s criminality along with good old-fashioned karma has got to result in his getting exactly what he deserves, which I believe includes multiple felony convictions.

When the long Trump nightmare is finally over, America will still have its fair share of problems. All of our disputes and disagreements won’t magically disappear. In his wake, Trump will undoubtedly leave behind plenty of collateral damage. To what degree I can’t say, but eventually we will be a better, stronger, more unified and kinder country without his toxic and disruptive presence.

Let’s hope that day comes much sooner than later.

Bizarro America; I can think of other adjectives to call America as she currently stands, but I’ll be nice and leave it at Bizzarro.

Mike Pence; this guy is too much. After Trump put him in harms way and refused to help him on January 6th, and even said he deserved whatever he got that day, this smarmy toad gave a full-throated, bullshit defense of Trump while attacking the FBI and Justice Department. That further proves what I stated in a previous post about his actions on January 6th–while he ended up doing the right thing that day, he looked into every nook and cranny to try and find a way to do Trump’s bidding and only did the right thing when he realized he had no other option.

Attorney General Merrick Garland; all unbiased observers agree, he is a man of intelligence and integrity. To see the corrupt, unethical, deceitful Trump and his sycophants impugn his honesty and character is truly sickening. I’m sure AG Garland lets that stuff role off his back, but it will feel like sweet revenge for the rest of us when he puts Trump in his proper place: Leavenworth Prison.

It wasn’t a “raid”, it was a legal execution of a search warrant. But of course, Trump told several lies about the action and his moronic cult bought every word of it. Then the immoral Republican politicians piled on and parroted Trump’s attacks on the FBI, Justice Department, et al. Now there are death threats against all who participated in the legal execution of the warrant, including FBI agents. If anyone is attacked by Trump’s wacko supporters, Trump and all of his Republican enablers will have blood on their hands and should be held accountable.

Roe v Insurrection

Choosing a topic to write about is sometimes easy and sometimes hard. Right now, two topics dominate my interest, the horrendous Roe decision by the Supreme Court and the January 6 Committee investigating the Trump-led treasonous insurrection. Since I can be as indecisive as a 10-year-old choosing an ice cream flavor at Baskin-Robbins, this post will have some of both.

Now, the sharp-eyed among you may have noticed a subtle difference in the above paragraph. It is no longer the “Trump-inspired” insurrection. The January 6th hearings in the House has now made it crystal-clear it is the “Trump-led” insurrection.

The hearings have established that Trump was part of the planning, part of the organizing, and he led the troops into battle. Not leading into battle like Mel Gibson as William Wallace in ‘Braveheart’ (although, like Mel, he did paint his face, he just chose orange over blue). But in his speech on the Ellipse, he ordered them into battle, marching on the Capitol, and said he would be there with them, which whipped them into a fervor. And now we know he really did want to go down to the Capitol and he definitely knew he was sending an armed mob!

The only reason he didn’t go down there was that saner heads in the Secret Service prevented him. That action by the Secret Service probably saved him from being convicted in his impeachment trial, as enough of those weak-kneed, deplorable Republican senators would have had no choice but to vote to convict. You almost wish the Secret Service had said, ‘yes sir, let’s go down there, might be kind of interesting’.

But it’s now been established that he was in meetings discussing January 6, his words and tweets brought the troops to D.C. on that day, he ordered them into battle, and then did absolutely nothing to stop the onslaught for hours while the siege was underway.

He did nothing while his extremely loyal Vice-President had to escape to a safe location to keep from possibly being assassinated. Same with Senators and Congresspeople. It’s a minor miracle that only five people died and none were elected representatives or their staff (BTW, five dead?! should manslaughter charges be considered for anyone responsible for planning, inspiring, and leading the insurrection?).

As the walls are closing in, Trump is doing what he’s done his whole pathetic life: he and his allies are looking for a scapegoat for his criminal actions. It looks like it’s the turn of Mark Meadows, Trump’s Chief-of-Staff, to take the fall for him. Like many before him, Meadows was a loyal sycophant to Trump, which, when times get tough, means absolutely nothing to Trump.

Of course, with Trump, loyalty is a one-way street, it all flows his way. The hideous little cretin will throw Meadows under the bus and repeatedly back up over him in order to try and save his own sorry orange skin. However, Meadows is not an innocent bystander, and deserves whatever he gets, no tears will be shed from this corner for him. My hope is that he turns on Trump and makes it easier for Attorney General Merrick Garland to do a double takedown.

There’s a primetime hearing of the January 6 Committee this week and surely even more evidence of Trump’s guilt in the events of the day will be presented. I’ll be tuning in and cheering on the Committee, hoping they make it impossible for Merrick Garland not to bring the most serious charges possible against Trump and his henchmen.

OK, on to Roe… oh damn, look at the time. I was going to be brief on the treasonous insurrection and move on to Roe but it got away from me, will try again next time.

Trump stormtrooper, Stephen Ayres; speaking for most of the insurrectionist’s, he testified that he came to D.C. on January 6th because Trump asked his supporters to come, he stormed the Capitol because Trump told him to (and said he’d be there with them), he only left the Capitol hours after entering because Trump tweeted for them to do so, and also said he would have left the Capitol hours earlier if Trump had told them to.

Chief-of-Staff Mark Meadows; he’s an unethical creep like most in Trump’s orbit and appears to be the next scapegoat for Trump. He should have listened when his Momma told him, “Don’t get in bed with skunks”.

Mel Gibson as William Wallace; perhaps Mel will wear a fat suit and paint his face orange to portray The Orange Mob Boss in the movie about his downfall.

A Hero Testifies

I indicated at the end of my last post that I would probably tackle the Supreme Courts horrendous Roe decision in my next post. Well, something came up so Roe, and other terrible SC decisions, will have to wait until the next post.

So, what came up? Cassidy Hutchinson. Cassidy was an aide to White House Chief of staff Mark Meadows and had an office right down the hallway from the oval office. She had a front row seat to the goings on in the White House. While I’d like to get away from the subject of the 45th POTUS, Cassidy’s testimony was too compelling and important to ignore. So, indulge me in another rant featuring The Orange Mob Boss (TOMB).

Most readers no doubt watched the testimony or have read in-depth stories of it, so I won’t give a blow-by-blow account of it, just my observations and what I believe/hope will be the consequences of it.

First off, while I indicated in the last post that it is my belief that TOMB has very little chance of once again occupying the White House, after Cassidy’s testimony I believe that chance has shriveled more than the Wicked Witch of the West after Dorothy threw water on her. She painted a picture of an unhinged, cruel, out of control, selfish, mendacious, petulant person that surely had republicans squirming in their chairs while doing spit-takes with their afternoon martini’s.

Cassidy Hutchinson’s testimony was not only an insider’s account of what really went on in and around January 6, it was a game-changer. While other testimony the January 6 committee has shown has been riveting and important, I believe this is the one that will make the most indelible impression and take away any doubt that the Department of Justice must investigate and prosecute TOMB and his allies in their roles surrounding the Capitol insurrection.

Cassidy’s testimony, while eye-opening and shocking to many, is not a surprise to any of us who know and see the true TOMB. We’re not shocked that he would throw his lunch against the wall, breaking porcelain dishes, or lunging at and grabbing Secret Service agents who are keeping him from carrying out his worst impulses, or wanting to allow armed insurgents into his rally venue so television would show a packed house, or not caring that those armed insurgents may harm others, because he knew they wouldn’t harm him. Most importantly, we weren’t shocked that TOMB wanted to go to the Capitol with the angry, armed mob, where he could have further inflamed them.

We also weren’t shocked that he refused to send protection to his extremely loyal vice president, whose life was in danger, or that he believed that perhaps the vice president deserved harm because he “didn’t have the courage” to participate in TOMB’s lie and his effort to stop the constitutionally mandated count of the Electoral College. We weren’t shocked that Cassidy believed TOMB’s election fraud claims were a lie because we know the same thing. We weren’t shocked TOMB’s chief of staff and personal lawyer asked for pardons or that TOMB’s allies have engaged in witness tampering, no doubt at the behest of TOMB.

The country owes Cassidy Hutchinson a HUGE debt of gratitude for having the courage and fortitude to come forward and tell the world what she saw, heard, and knew about TOMB and January 6. She will be vilified, harassed, and lied about by supporters of TOMB. In fact, it’s already started. And of course, right on cue, TOMB piled on before her testimony was even finished. He even pulled out a TOMB classic-“I hardly knew her”. Oh puh-leeze! An attractive 25-year-old woman?! You know TOMB was slobbering all over the poor girl! (Here’s TOMB testifying at his latest divorce: Sir, tell us about your relationship with Marla Maples. Who? Marla Maples. Hmm, name sounds familiar. Sir, she’s your wife. Oh yeah. I hardly know her).

The country not only owes gratitude to Cassidy and the others who have come forward to testify, the country owes them action. Cassidy testified that Mark Meadows and Rudy Guliani asked TOMB for pardons. We know republican lawmakers and others did the same. Mike Flynn, John Eastman and others took the fifth. Steve Bannon and others defied subpoenas. These are not the actions of innocent people.

While taking legal action is the right and noble thing that the country owes to itself, we especially owe it to Cassidy and the others who have done the right and courageous thing by stepping forward and testifying. We need to bring to justice all who are complicit in trying to destroy our democracy by fraudulently keeping The Orange Mob Boss in power. If we don’t, it would be a betrayal to Cassidy and the other loyal Americans who have stepped up and done the right thing, some at great personal peril. Now it’s the Justice Departments turn to follow their lead with bold and courageous action.

Cassidy Hutchinson; Is she a hero? She was threatened/warned not to talk to the January 6 committee by TOMB associates. She surely was told by her lawyers that she would be ostracized by many and receive death threats if she testified. Yet, she bravely appeared and told the committee what she knew about events surrounding January 6th. She’s been vilified, harassed, and lied about as a result. IMO, she’s the poster person for what’s best about America and yes, she’s a hero.

The Orange Mob Boss; things are closing in on this criminal and his world is getting smaller. Question: what’s the only difference between this guy and Tony Soprano? Answer: Loyalty goes both ways with Tony. TOMB refused to send help for his extremely loyal VP, Mike Pence, and indicated he deserved to be hanged by the angry mob at the Capitol. Mike’s offense? He refused to defy the constitution and commit treason for TOMB.

Mike Pence; his unwavering loyalty to an unethical, corrupt, lying bully was rewarded with the bully throwing him to the wolves and saying he deserved it. While no one deserves such treatment, Pence knew what TOMB was and yet went to work for him and continued to dutifully defend each and every despicable act and action perpetrated by TOMB. Sorry Mike, you get no sympathy from this corner. And BTW, IMO Mike doesn’t deserve the hero title. While he did the right thing on January 6 (and should be appreciated for that), it appears he looked through every nook and cranny to try and find a loophole so he could possibly do TOMB’s bidding on that fateful day. It was only when he saw that he realistically had no other option did he finally decide to defy TOMB and do the constitutionally correct thing.

Attorney General Merrick Garland; His Justice Department must prosecute The Orange Mob Boss and his associates. Yes, it’s not a slam dunk decision because it would be unprecedented, prosecuting a former President and political rival of the sitting President. But you know what is also unprecedented? A sitting President who loses re-election and refuses to participate in the peaceful transfer of power; a sitting President who fraudulently claims election fraud and incites armed mobs to storm the United States Capitol in order to stop the constitutionally mandated count of Electoral College votes; a sitting President who refuses to send aid to his own Vice-President and other legislators who lives were in danger; a former President whose associates participate in witness tampering at his behest; a former President who continues to lie about election fraud, convincing tens of millions of his followers, many of whom are heavily armed and chomping at the bit for rebellion, that we have an illegitimate President.

The Orange Menace is Still Lurking

Donald Trump is guilty of multiple crimes, and of course should be prosecuted for those crimes (because that’s what happens when criminals are caught, they are prosecuted, duh). But here is the biggest reason Trump should be prosecuted: if he’s not, he could become POTUS once more. It’s a longshot, yes, but so was his becoming POTUS the first time.

And what makes me think he could possibly win again? Two words, “Rusty Bowers”.

Anyone who’s been watching the House hearings on the January 6 insurrection knows who Rusty Bowers is. He provided damning testimony against Trump, detailing how he was pressured by Rudy Guliani, and other Trump henchpersons, to allow Arizona to send an alternate slate of electors to Congress to certify Trump as the winner of Arizona (Bowers is Arizona House Speaker). Rusty is a conservative republican who is obviously very religious. Not my cup of tea, but whatever.

It seems that Rusty did the right thing and rebuffed the pressure from Trump and his henchmen because he felt he would be going against the Constitution. That’s a good thing. But why was this important to Rusty? Because he believes the Constitution was “divinely inspired”. In other words, the Founding Fathers were guided by God in drafting the Constitution.

Now, whenever I hear someone invoke God or Jesus or their religion when they’ve decided to do the right thing, I think, “hmm, so if they didn’t believe in God/Jesus/religion they perhaps wouldn’t have done the right thing”? E.g., let’s say you’re walking down the street and you see a wallet full of cash fall out of a woman’s purse. Do you hesitate and think about what to do? Do you only return it to the woman because you think, “Jesus may be watching and He would want/expect me to return it”? Or do you return it simply because it’s the right and honest thing to do?

So I’m thinking, did Rusty Bowers only do the right thing because he believes that’s what God would have wanted? Listening to his testimony, I’m thinking if he didn’t believe God was watching, he just may have gone along with the unethical, corrupt, illegal, unconstitutional scheme. And I have reason to believe that’s exactly what he would have done. And what’s that reason? Because after seeing that unethical, corrupt, illegal, unconstitutional scheme, Rusty Bowers said that if Donald Trump is the Republican nominee for President in 2024, he will vote for him. Huh?!

And that’s why I believe Donald Trump could possibly win in 2024.

There are tens of millions of Rusty Bowers out there. They see the corruption, they see the illegality, they see the unconstitutionality, they see the lying, but whatever their thought processes are, they are willing to put it all aside and support the person behind it. Evangelical Christians may be Trump’s biggest voting bloc. These are not good, moral, honorable people. They think they are, but they’re most definitely not. They tend to only do the right thing when they think God or someone is looking.

And since God hasn’t publicly taken a position on the 2024 election, most of them will pull the lever for Trump if he’s on the ballot. Many of them will justify the vote by saying they prayed on it and were guided by God in their decision.

Thankfully, Trump’s chances are diminishing by the day. The January 6 hearings are pummeling him. The Justice Dept. seems to finally be taking action. The authorities in Georgia are taking seriously his attempted shakedown of their Sec. of State, Brad Raffensberger. There are other investigations. Trump has more lives than a cat, so I won’t totally count him out yet, but IMHO, there’s a better chance of Rusty Bowers smiting God than Trump occupying the Oval Office again. Praise Jesus.

As I was writing the above, the shameful Roe decision came down. I know everyone who might be reading this is as angry and upset about it as I am. Probably my next post will tackle that subject. For now, I’ll just say Trump’s Supreme Court appointees are disgraceful liars and Susan Collins is dumb as a Proud Boy for believing them.

Lastly, this is my first post in years (my how time flies!). Had a little trouble getting my blog back up and running and have no idea if anyone will even see this.

When I stopped, I seemed to be only writing about Trump and frankly, I got burned out on the subject. Then I got out of the habit of writing and it just kind of fell by the wayside. Throw in the disruption of Covid, and voila, years go by without a post.

Whether or not anyone reads it, I’m going to try and write something, hopefully on a similar schedule as before, which admittedly was rather haphazard.

Rusty Bowers; while he did the right thing re Trump, would he have done so if he didn’t believe the Constitution was “divinely inspired”? Evidence suggests he wouldn’t have. To me, he’s a typical bible-thumping “Christian” whose holier-than-thou belief system makes him do the right thing only some of the time. Come on Rusty, you’d vote for an immoral, unethical, corrupt, mendacious, autocratic, sleazy narcissist?! Why? Because he might put more Christian jihadists on the Supreme Court?!

Former POTUS Donald Trump; an evil, awful human being. IMO, it’s HIGHLY unlikely he’ll ever get close to the White House again. But because of people like Rusty Bowers, I can’t 100% rule it out.

Election workers Wandrea “Shaye” Moss and her mother, Ruby Freeman; what Trump did to these two women is truly evil. Trump called out by name these two ordinary, hard-working election workers and lied about them, saying they fraudulently added votes for Joe Biden in Georgia. He made the lives of these average Americans a living hell because of his lies and corrupt intent to stay in power. But Trump’s a psychopath, and psychopaths have zero empathy for other human beings.

Post-Election Deception

To any of the 80+ million Americans who watched and witnessed Donald Trump’s words and actions over the prior four years with their eyes wide open, his post-election words and actions come as no surprise. We know him to be a vile, venal, corrupt, unethical, dishonest, mendacious, narcissistic sociopath who cares about nothing or no one but himself. His post-election treasonous behavior just locks in and confirms what we already knew.

Yes, treasonous. Here’s the dictionary definition of treason: noun 1.the offense of acting to overthrow one’s government or to harm or kill it’s sovereign. 2. a violation of allegiance to one’s sovereign or to one’s state. 3. the betrayal of a trust or confidence; breach of faith; treachery.

Based on the above definition he’s exhibiting a classic, textbook case of treason by trying to overturn the results of America’s free and fair election through fraud, deceit, and coercion. He’s acting to overthrow the legal government headed by Joe Biden which would take power 1/20/21; this shows he has no allegiance to the state; and it’s a betrayal of a trust or confidence of his sworn oath of office, which is also a breach of faith, and treachery. Textbook.

This shameless criminal doesn’t even try to hide it anymore. In Michigan, a state he lost by over 150,000 votes, he first called the Republican officials in Michigan’s largest county who were responsible for voting to certify the results of the votes, and tried to have them vote against certification. When that didn’t work he summoned the Republican heads of Michigan’s Legislature to the White House to pressure them to get their Party to disregard the vote of the people and to appoint their own slate of electors to vote for Trump in the Electoral College. At the same time his lawyers were filing baseless lawsuits claiming fraud and Democratic cheating in the election.

And that’s just Michigan. He was also pulling shenanigans and filing baseless, empty lawsuits in several other swing states. E.g., in Georgia he attacked the Republican Secretary of State because he wouldn’t cheat and overturn the popular vote and make Trump the winner. He continues to attack the SOS, Brad Raffensperger, and has started including the Republican Governor, Brian Kemp, in his unhinged attack on democracy, stating that Kemp should illegally override Raffensperger and award Trump Georgia’s electoral college votes. This is so outrageous that even Gov. Kemp, a reliable Trump toadie in the past, refuses to participate in the crime.

My disdain for Donald J. Trump is limitless. My guess is that most of the 80 million Americans who voted for Joe Biden share my disdain for Trump. But my disdain is almost as great for those elected Republican officials who encourage, cover for, and enable Trump’s worst qualities and actions. One example of this are the Republican Pennsylvania Legislators who recently held a Kangaroo Court style hearing in a hotel conference room to try and figure out a way to overturn the will of the Pennsylvania voters and illegally award Pennsylvania’s 20 electoral college votes to Trump. Of course the deranged Rudy Giuliani and other lawyers from Trump’s bumbling shitshow of a legal team were there. One would hope that Pennsylvania voters remember this attempted coup when those Legislators are up for re-election.

Also distressing, and disdain-inducing, is the silence coming from most Congressional Republicans. These elected officials should be forcefully standing up and defending our democracy from the scandalous attacks on it from Trump and his cohorts. Their cowardly, unpatriotic silence is allowing tens of millions of Americans to continue to believe this was a rigged election, putting our democracy at risk and further dividing the country. The rest of the world is looking at us and either laughing or sadly shaking their head, seeing the great United States look more like a Banana Republic than the great democratic ideal that sets the tone for democracies all over the world. And all of this is making Vladimir Putin a very happy man.

So what should be done with Trump, Giuliani and all the others who actively tried to undermine and overturn the Presidential election? IMO, an investigation into these crimes needs to be opened no later than 1/21/21. The evidence against these traitors is abundant and manifest. Let’s use the Nuremburg trials for the Nazi’s as a template and hold these scoundrels accountable for their actions. Not only to punish them for their crimes, but to deter any future wanna-be despots from committing the same crimes. Because the next “Trump” might be smarter, with better lawyers than Giuliani and his gang that can’t shoot straight. The next “Trump” might have unethical allies in key positions in multiple swing states, willing to do his bidding. The next “Trump” might have corrupt Federal Judges willing to make dubious rulings in his favor.

The United States of America dodged a bullet this time but she is not bullet-proof. That is why she needs to ensure that a gun is never again pointed at her head by a would-be tyrant trying to make her his bitch. Now is the time for the United States to send a clear message: Try to overthrow our democracy and you will pay a STEEP price.

President-elect Joe Biden; despite Donald Trump criminally trying to overturn a free and fair election, Joe Biden will be sworn in as POTUS at noon on 1/20/21.

Co-conspiritors Donald Trump and Rudy Giuliani; many smart, reputable lawyers either dumped Trump or refused to work with him, so he was stuck with the loyal but hapless Rudy G. IMO they’ve committed crimes that should put them in prison for a very long time.

Senator Mitch McConnell; as the top ranking Republican in Congress, for the good of the country and as an example to other elected Republicans, he should be forcefully speaking out about the false claims of fraud and vote-stealing being made by Trump and his sycophants. His silence is cowardly, a betrayal of his oath of office, and a betrayal to the United States of America. And that goes for all elected Republicans who are either encouraging Trump or sitting idly by while he commits his crimes.

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger; Mr. Raffensperger is proof that there are honest elected officials and honest Republicans willing to follow the rules and laws and do the work of the people, not the work of one powerful, corrupt politician in his Party. Unfortunately, Mr. Raffensperger is proving to be a rare commodity in todays Republican Party.

A Venal Embarrassment

Tuesday nights Presidential debate could be described many ways, but it could not be described as ‘Presidential’. That’s because there is nothing ‘Presidential’ about the person currently holding the office of President of the United States. And because the ‘President’ made a mockery of the evening while embarrassing and diminishing the United States in the eyes of its citizens and the rest of the world.

Donald J. Trump has been a corrupt, unethical, lying, incompetent disaster as POTUS, and all of those attributes were manifest in his ‘debate’ performance. This man MUST be voted out of office so the United States can once again have a Leader with compassion, empathy, honesty, integrity, and competence. So people around the world will once again respect our country and look to the United States for leadership and direction. So we can rejoin alliances and treaties that make the world better and safer. So we can once again follow what science tells us rather than what the rancid gut of the ‘President’ tells him.

If I were Joe Biden I would say no more debates for me. If you were a boxer and fought a guy who had horseshoes in his gloves, hit below the belt, and hit you when you were turned around walking back to your corner, would you fight him again? Trump is a liar, cheater, bully, and blowhard who ignores all the rules.

Being tough and aggressive in a debate is expected. Being able to take a punch and then counterpunch is the mark of a good debater. But there’s no upside to fighting a dirty rotten scoundrel. His ‘fans’ won’t mind his shenanigans and claim he is just being ‘strong’, and that’s just who he is. If you try to stay above the fray, some people will say you’re showing weakness. If you get in the gutter with the scoundrel, some people will claim you’re also nothing but a scoundrel yourself for stooping to the scoundrels level. So there’s no winning.

Joe missed a couple of golden opportunities to hit Trump, possibly because he was distracted by Trump’s low blows and nastiness, but I thought he was fairly adroit in handling all of the muck and trash Trump was throwing out. But why go through that again?! Trump sullies and disgraces almost everything he touches or is associated with, why take another chance that he will do that to you, especially when there’s little possible upside for your participation?

Trump provided many low moments during the night, but two particularly stood out to me. One was when he refused to denounce/disavow white supremacy, specifically the Proud Boys, instead saying they should ‘stand back’ and ‘stand by’, whatever the hell that means. The Proud Boys celebrated what he said, so if his goal was to mollify them, mission accomplished.

The other particularly low moment was when the moderator, Chris Wallace, asked both candidates about the upcoming election. He asked something about if they would wait until the results were certified before declaring victory and then honoring the results. Joe Biden said he would while Trump went off on one of his wild-eyed tangents, muddying the waters while refusing to say what he might do.

This is where things get dangerous. I fully expect, once all votes are counted, Biden will win. But with all of the mail-in votes because of the pandemic, results won’t be known on election day but Trump will still declare victory and, with his evil minions, sow chaos and confusion. They will try to stop the counting. They will file lawsuit after lawsuit. They’ll put their propaganda machines, like Fox “News”, into overdrive. They’ll try to get the decision on who won out of the Electoral College and into the hands of either the states or the courts, whichever they think gives them the best chance of prevailing. And with armed groups like the Proud Boys and others, Trump and his soulless enablers will get people killed.

Trump even admitted he may get the decision to the courts, saying that’s why it was imperative to get Amy Coney Barrett on the Supreme Court before the election. Dastardly deeds will be done to steal the election and, who knows, unless Biden wins in a landslide, they may succeed. But even if they don’t succeed it will sow more discord and division in the country, making it harder for Joe Biden to govern.

It’s Trump nature, if he’s going to suffer a loss, to make as many others as possible suffer also. He is a perverse, petty little man who loves to see anyone he perceives as the opposition suffer, and misery loves company. And one would be hard-pressed to find a more miserable human being than Donald J. Trump.

Some of the Proud Boys; note the white supremacy signal some of them are displaying. What kind of a Presidential candidate has people like this as part of their base? And why don’t ‘normal’ Republicans/Trump supporters ask themselves, “Why am I supporting the same guy as these reprehensible people?”

Treachery, Inc.

“A lifetime appointment that could dramatically impact individual freedoms and change the direction of the court for at least a generation is too important to get bogged down in politics. The American people shouldn’t be denied a voice”.-Senator C. Grassley, R-Iowa, 2016.

“I believe the best thing for the country is to trust the American people to weigh in on who should make a lifetime appointment that could reshape the Supreme Court for generations”.-Senator R. Portman, R-Ohio, 2016.

Numerous Republicans made similar statements to the two noted above in 2016 when the Senate Majority Leader, the villainous Mitch McConnell, refused to even hold hearings for President Obama’s Supreme Court nominee, Merrick Garland. That nomination was made 8+ months before the election, before we even knew who would be on either the Democratic or Republican ticket. Now, a little over one month before the 2020 election, McConnell, with the aid of his Republican co-conspirators, wants to rush through a third lifetime nomination from the most incompetent, corrupt, unethical, dishonest President in America’s history. And to add insult to injury, that person would replace the iconic and legendary Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

Can they be stopped? Honestly, I have my doubts. Nancy Pelosi says she has some arrows in her quiver and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has been making some noises. Personally, I’ve been calling Senate offices and reminding them that, based on their OWN WORDS, they would be BETRAYING the American people if they did not allow the winner of the Presidential race to nominate the next SC Justice. I’ve also increased my donations to Dem candidates.

But, right now, it looks like Moscow Mitch has the damn votes. Even Mitt Romney, citing some bullshit about precedent and the constitution and the same Party having control of the Presidency and the Senate, has said he wouldn’t block a confirmation vote. At least Mitt gets out of being called a lying, shameless hypocrite since he wasn’t a senator in 2016 when the repubs blocked Obama’s pick. Can’t prove it, but pretty damn sure that if Mitt had been a senator in 2016 he would also have repeated the repub party line, “Blah, blah, blah, we have to leave it up to the American people, blah, blah, blah”. Funny how, when what’s best for the American people doesn’t suit their needs, the American people get crapped on by Republicans.

Let’s face it, Republican Senators are shameless, dishonest, lying, unethical hypocrites. Thus, we really shouldn’t be surprised that they’re falling in line behind the criminal in the White House. After all, these are the same scoundrels who acquitted the manifestly guilty Grifter-in-Chief in his impeachment trial, while allowing no witness testimony. They’re a bottomless pit of treachery.

I don’t know if she’s considering it, but one of those arrows in Nancy’s quiver is shutting down the government. A spending Bill is due soon and if there’s no agreement, the government will shut down. If she can trick the Stable Genius to again take credit for a government shutdown, perhaps it would be worthwhile. But with an election coming up and being in the middle of a pandemic I don’t see it happening, even if Orange Boi was dumb enough to again own it.

My guess is it’s going to take some good luck on our side to stop the Republican thievery. Perhaps some disqualifying information comes out on the nominee during the confirmation hearings. Perhaps a minor crisis that prevents the hearings from happening. Maybe even the nominee, halfway through the hearings, having a guilty conscious about her role in the treachery of the Republicans, withdraws from consideration (hey, I can dream can’t I?).

Speaking of Republican treachery, you know they are going to pull out all the stops between now and November 3rd. Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson any day now is going to drop the results of a bogus “investigation” his Senate Committee did involving Joe and Hunter Biden and Ukraine. It’s a political hit job with the sole purpose of making Joe Biden appear corrupt to help Orange Boi’s campaign. Let’s hope it backfires on Johnson, Orange Boi and the Repubs.

Another phony “investigation” will be coming from Attorney General and loathsome Trump bootlicker, Bill Barr. He’s wasting taxpayer money on another partisan political hit job, this one on the origins of the FBI’s Russian meddling investigation. Whatever the “investigation” uncovers, you can be sure Barr will twist it to make the Obama Administration, and by extension, Biden, look bad. Bill Barr deserves to share a cell in Leavenworth Prison with Bunker Boi.

While things may look bleak right now, remember, the worm turns. I’m very optimistic about what the results of the upcoming election will be. As far as the Supreme Court, stuff happens. Conservatives may soon be rejoicing with a 6-3 majority, but Clarence Thomas is in his 70’s and overweight. His retirement or death with Biden as POTUS returns it to 5-4, with Roberts already showing he will sometimes side with the centrists/liberals.

Other Justices, while younger, are not immune from accidents or disease. Not that I’m wishing any of them ill, but to be brutally honest I would be hard-pressed to shed a tear if Samuel Alito dropped dead of a heart attack.

My point being, when one side is on top of the world and thinks they have it made, the world often has different ideas. So take comfort that, even if the Repubs do lie and cheat their way to a 6-3 majority in the Supreme Court, their celebration could very well be short-lived.

Legendary Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, aka The Notorious RBG; she knew what kind of a man Donald Trump is and you know she fought like hell to live long enough that he wouldn’t have a chance to name her replacement. It appears she came up just a little bit short and she’s surely rolling over in her coffin seeing the kerfuffle her death has caused. She deserved so much better.

Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi; you have my 100% support Nancy, but unfortunately I think those arrows in your quiver come with rubber tips. Hope I’m wrong and one of the arrows pierces the Repub wet dream of getting a third Bunker Boi nominee on the Supreme Court

Republican Senator Lindsay Graham; he has a lot of competition but is there a more sleazy, slimy, disingenuous, lying, unethical, dishonest Republican Senator? At least twice, once in the Senate Chambers and once in front of an audience, he said there would not be consideration of a SC nominee in 2020 once the presidential campaigning had started. Took about 8 seconds after the death of RBG for him to go back on his word. Please South Carolina, do the country a favor and vote this dirtbag out of office.

Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito; he and Clarence Thomas are probably the most conservative of the justices. They’re also the oldest conservatives, both in their 70’s. If one or both died while Joe Biden or another Dem was POTUS, I wouldn’t cheer their death, but I would cheer the fact that a conservative would be replaced by a centrist/liberal on the SC.

Republican Senator Mitt Romney; while his stance on the current SC situation is disappointing, he does get credit for his impeachment vote and occasional criticism of Cadet Bone Spurs. While the competition is extremely weak, he does get my vote for least odious Republican Senator.

Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski; she and Susan Collins were the only two repub senators who said they wouldn’t confirm a SC nominee before the election. I don’t give them props though because they knew Moscow Mitch could afford to lose 3 votes and still get the nomination through. They’ve pulled this stunt before to make themselves look reasonable and moderate, most assuredly with Moscow Mitch’s approval. More telling, neither one had the courage to vote to convict the guilty-as-hell Bounty Boi.

Salon Crime Absurdity

Breaking News! There have been reports that Nancy Pelosi got her hair styled at a salon in San Francisco! And briefly removed her mask!! This blog is sending a team of reporters over to S.F. to get the shocking details on this breaking story and will report our findings as soon as we figure out how low Trumpian propaganda can go or NEVER, whichever comes first.

Among a long list of scurrilous actions and transgressions by Orange Boi he is now telling people to break the law and vote twice, yet the big news story is the Speaker of the House of Representatives got her hair styled at a closed salon?! Please. I’m sure Orange Boi’s propaganda arm, Fox “News”, played it up like it was the crime of the century. Their various shows undoubtedly devoted their whole hour to it with breathless reporting and head-shaking commentary. Give me a freakin’ break.

First off, who released the security camera video? Must have been the salon owner. What was her or his motivation? Hatred of Nancy? Publicity for their salon? Profit by selling it to Fox? Whatever, it was unethical and under-handed and I hope they face negative consequences.

Did Nancy Pelosi get special treatment? Probably. But I don’t know and I don’t care. Why? Because, she deserves special treatment. Speaker Pelosi is no Average Jane, she is second in the line of succession to become President of the United States of America. She is the leader of the House of Representatives, the second or third most powerful person in the country, the co-leader of one of the two major Party’s in this country (until JB becomes POTUS and takes unequivocal top-dog status). She has enormous responsibilities and duties. She holds weekly news conferences and is constantly on television and being photographed. I think Speaker Pelosi deserves to look her best when putting herself out there for the American people. And if that means bending the rules to get her hair styled, Jimmy crack corn and I don’t care.

To the people who say she shouldn’t be treated any different than the average American, I have news for them: like any Speaker of the House, she already is. She gets round-the-clock security protection, flies on government planes, has the biggest and best office in the Capitol, and many other perquisites that go along with this most important and stressful job. When the Average Jane has to negotiate/deal with Mitch McConnell, Orange Boi, and Orange Boi’s minions, while regularly appearing on tv, then, perhaps, I’ll change my tune.

And how sexist is this bellowing and complaining about a woman getting her hair styled?! Orange Boi’s embarrassing and ridiculous hairdo is done daily, as is Mike Pence’s (have you ever seen Pence’s hair a nanometer longer or shorter day to day?). And Moscow Mitch and the rest of ’em don’t exactly look like a bunch of homeless beggars from missing haircuts (unlike your intrepid blogger).

As noted above, Orange Boi is now telling his supporters to vote twice, by mailing in their ballot and then going to their polling place and voting again. Not only would that be breaking the law, but by telling his supporters this is what they should do, Orange Boi is also breaking the law.

This Criminal-in-Chief is obviously trying to sow chaos and confusion in the election. Just unbelievable that a POTUS would act this way. And of course this is just one of many of his scurrilous actions. The willful ignorance of his cult-like followers and the turning a blind eye by his enablers in the Republican Party is a shame that will live in infamy.

Will the story that came out Friday about Orange Boi calling those killed in war “losers” and “suckers” make a difference to these people? It absolutely should, but don’t count on it. It is shameful and dispiriting that this person is Commander-in-Chief. It is equally shameful and dispiriting that so many Americans continue to support this reprehensible sociopath.

Lastly, a comment on the Republican National Convention. I only watched parts of the first two days before the gag reflex kicked in from all the lying and sucking up to Orange Boi and I couldn’t watch anymore. I knew we were in for a doozy when the very first speaker on Monday, a nurse from somewhere in the South, extravagantly praised Orange Boi for his handling of the pandemic and ended her flight of fantasy by making it sound like Orange Boi invented telemedicine to get us through until it’s safe to return to in-person doctor visits. I decided to watch more believable fiction and turned the channel to reruns of Lost In Space.

I did see parts of Orange Boi’s speech in news reports and had four takeaways: 1. Terrible orator, he just drones on and on, 2. It looked like Orange Boi and that podium needed to get a private room. 3. Very few masks in the packed-together audience, 4. In his unprecedented and unethical use of the White House as a backdrop for a purely political event, he pointed back at it and said something like, “we have it and they don’t”, reinforcing what a douche he is.

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi; she gets her hair styled at a closed salon and briefly removes her mask and the Right tries to make it the crime of the century, while their maskless leader is a walking, talking Criminal Enterprise.

VP Mike Pence showing the finger he uses when Orange Boi demands he give him a prostate exam. Have you noticed his hair is exactly the same day in and day out? The prevailing theory is that Mother cuts a millimeter off each strand of hair every morning while Mikey takes his bubble-bath.

Orange Boi and the podium; he was leaning into that thing like he was backstage at the Miss Universe Pageant. Word is the podium felt “dirty” and “disgusting” and is considering its legal options.

The cast from the original “Lost In Space” television series. This show had more believable fiction than the balderdash they were peddling at the 2020 Republican National Convention