Morning thoughts on the State of the Union, the lack of urgency by Democratic leadership, and how replacing "Trump" with "the Kremlin" in headlines always makes sense
It's the Gish Gallup...they've been doing this for a long time. They've now adapted it to prolonged statements where the speaker can't be interrupted. Named in1994, it was first used by a creationist. It represents the same process as a fast talkin' used car salesman. The GOP/trumpers are becoming a protected species...they don't really do this in general public audiences because the town halls, as an example, show there can be a serious range of hostile responses. As Josie Wales said, "Does it remove stains?" And that was a benign response.
"The Gish gallop is a rhetorical technique in which a person in a debate attempts to overwhelm an opponent by presenting an excessive number of arguments, with no regard for their accuracy or strength, with a rapidity that makes it impossible for the opponent to address them in the time available." wiki
About a year ago, I wrote a slender book, Our Best America, and did not, at that time, believe that Trump could ever be elected again. We have had many wise leaders that I referenced in the book. Trump will never be in that number. billserle .com.
I hate to click “ like,” as I know you’re truth telling. All the signs are there. But some days are harder than others, to accept this is the $h!t path we’re on.
But when trump got re-elected after his last disastrous term & Jan. 6th to boot, I became convinced more Americans than not, have become both lazy, ignorant/ stupid OR musk assisted in somehow stealing the election with the assistance of his brown shirted “boys.” I can’t prove the latter, but sadly there appears to be mounting evidence of the former. Too many people watching wretched housewife’s being mean to each other in some city, USA. Or the privileged Kardashian’s going off about something trivial,( to most of us) rocking their world. ( Yes, I’m a channel surfer & when I’ve stumbled on one of these fake “ reality” tv shows, it’s like a train or car wreck. You have to stop transfixed for a moment, that these things make up prime time tv viewing, while the world is burning down around us.) And yes, I’ve believed Trump was putin’s puppet for decades. Putins in it for the long game.
Putin may well be thinking “long game “ but he looks unwell, as Russians death toll mounts…denizens are quietly gathering and becoming more aware and angered, while living in poverty Bonnie!
I hope so, Patrick, but people have been saying that for years. Although he will die at some point, because we all do. Today would be a great day for Vlad to take a dirt nap!
What, you think that a universally loathed asshole, who stopped campaigning, who said he didn't need anyone to vote, who was boring even true believers out of his smaller and smaller rallies, who was driving around with a garbage truck a few days before the Election, and who later told us cheating was done on his behalf, only won PA and the other states because the DOGE cavalry came in? I don't know, Bonnie. That sounds as improbable as a mobbed-up real estate guy who was cultivated by the KGB 40 years ago, laundered money for the Russian mob for years, made several visits to Moscow and had a gay ol' time there, was married to not one but two Iron Curtain wives, was bailed out of debt with Russian money, was helped by Russia in all three elections, and is now actively working for Putin's interests is somehow a Kremlin asset. I mean, who could believe such a thing?
Couldn't agree more with you Greg. I too can't look or listen to him. The scariest part is that EVERYBODY, as I anticipated but didn't want to be true, including whole countries (the Prime Minister of New Zealand just recalled his ambassador to Great Britain for what can only be called a mild rebuke of Trump's "judgment", if it can even be called that.), is acquiescing to this madman whether out of fear or just plain cravenness. Not sleeping very well these days!
It's all insane. There ARE promising signs in Europe. France, Germany, Britain know the deal. Baltics and Poland, Finland, Sweden oppose RU. The US bowing out makes them stronger, which is what we need.
But even the best case is more nukes, and armies massing on the Continent.
Brilliant piece, exceptional idea Greg! It’s long past time for our duly elected leaders, to grow spines…speak truth, while executing some measure of defiance!!
Hmm…I watched the first part of a documentary about Hemingway this morning on PBS. They kept emphasizing how many head injuries he had throughout his life. And also what a brilliant writer he could be depending on his mood. And also what a racist womanizer he could be depending on his mood. I watched it right before I read what you wrote here and noticed they had their respective careers/lives in the same approximate time period.
I was waiting for you to say your mom turned around and said "shut the fuck up and leave this sacred place." Now that would have made my day, but I understand her restraint. I hope she was thinking it though. :)
At the end of the Oval office Zelenskyy debacle, 4547 said that the meeting makes great TV. We are living through a reality show, also for many unlike the two sitting behind your mom, living hell. Democrats need to understand this.
Effective opposition means doing things that catch a viewer's eye. Leaving the house chamber almost half empty for the Joint Meeting is good TV and delivers a bigger message than words on a sign or a few shout outs no one can hear. Perhaps the new, invisible DNC chair should be replaced by a Survivor producer. Just about anything he/she does will be better than the Dems feeble if not non existent current opposition.
It pains me to say it but SNL cold open skits need to be the Democrats answer to all the bullshit flowing from the imbecile, Elon the Musk and the Republican Party. Every time Elon spouts more insanity, let's have Mike Myers counter it. Dems strategists need to be sourced from Kimmel's writers room. James Carville is the closest thing Dems have to effective opposition and he falls well short of what is needed.
Amen, I say Amen, as he makes the sign of the cross and exits, stage left.
I agree about Carville. The crusty ole LSU fart directs campaigns and the like...he is not the upfront guy, seldom has been. But he has great clarity about the situation, the danger points and the action points, and shouldn't be dismissed.
There are only a few Democrats that are effective against Trump and his liars - and they attack him directly, personally and politically. That's AOC and Jasmine Crockett. The rest - except for Goldman, Whitehouse, Schiff and a couple more - are huddled in the cloak room awaiting a chance that will never come. At least they could be a Greek Chorus for the effective ones.
We need some screenwriters to write scathing plays...at least an act or two...and satires that burn up trump's 'credibility' with his cult...that's the point of attack. Write it from the cult's point of view but turn the knife at the end. It's not like there's a lack of personal flaws and history, lies and betrayals. BTW how does the cult come up with so many millions so readily - who do they think they are, Deutsche Bank?
We will always lose the money battle...libertarians give because of ROI; we rely on cultivating non-asshole billionaires, which is like looking for water on Mars. And all the money from organized crime is limitless.
Didn't Carville advise us to sit back and watch Trump destroy himself? Come on. The generals are always fighting the last war.
You're onto something, Old Man. Trump watches all that stuff and it upsets him. Meghan McCarthy doing Sean Spicer meant Spicer had to go. And going back, Tina Fay singlehandedly took down Palin.
It IS a reality show. Pete Hegseth is The Bachelor. Kristi Noem in combat gear? Fear Factor. And of course all of them are Traitors.
Your mom sounds a lot like mine. DO NOT get in her way when she goes to church. DO NOT make her park in a different spot. And most certainly DO NOT talk about politics while in the sacred space. Due to the last adherence, she now has a Trump-voting acquaintance that she sees every week at church but WILL NOT engage her in any political talk. Although probably not the main point of the story with your mom, my mom strictly believes in the separation of church and state, as do I. The few times I've gone to pick her up after Mass, when I had to actually go inside the church, I was a bit offended by the American flag on the altar. It doesn't belong there; nor does a cross at a state house, or, gods forbid, the Ten Commandments carved in stone outside a courthouse. Ugh! Time and place.
In addition to all of the things you've mentioned in the Ramble, I've also noticed lately, a bit of government propaganda seeping into our consciousness. Paid for by the Department of Homeland Security, Kristi Noam, the dog murderer, comes on with an American flag background, naturally, and explains that if you're in the country illegally, "we will find you and we will deport you, and you can NEVER come back. But if you leave now, you MAY, one day, after going through the proper, legal channels, be able to live in the United States, and join in the American Dream." I've seen this bit on network news shows, so unless it's being microtargeted, it's being shown nationwide. I also saw it TWICE during the local late newscast last night, probably aimed specifically at Chicago. It's some of the worst fear mongering I've ever seen, AND they're spending OUR money to do it. I guess this little bit of wasteful spending escaped Elon's DOGE slaughter. Interesting, that.
I wish I had better things to talk about and think about than all of this bullshit, but here we are, AGAIN. And what stops this? Every step that we'd normally take to try and stop something like this ends with Trump lackeys ready to do his bidding. I also read this morning at WIRED, that employees at the Social Security Administration have had their internet access curtailed by who knows who. They no longer have access to WIRED.com, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and apparently even FoxNews.com, and Breitbart. So, as we try to have a satisfactory weekend, think about that. There is a "deep state" who is curtailing internet access to a government agency for fear of what they'll read during the workday. There is also an excellent argument over there that DOGE is now the deep state, as if it was all planned years ago, with all the fear mongering over THAT being the "proof" anyone needs that the Trump administration isn't and couldn't possibly be, the "deep state."
I can't write about DOGE, because I may say something I will later regret. But I hate those smirky kids and their apartheid Nazi boss more than I've ever hated anyone ever.
So much of MAGA is performance. One of the only pleasant surprises about the Redux is that they haven't leaned into rounding up "immigrants" as hard as I feared they would. Not that ICE isn't running around terrorizing communities like Ivan the Terrible's Oprichniks. But I was afraid we'd have hundreds of thousands of people in camps by now. Instead, Elon has poured Liquid Plumbr down the throat of the nation and it's eating us from within. Fun times!
The only news I watch is the 7-8am morning news on WGN. I saw that ridiculous “commercial” the other morning. “You’re NEVER coming back!” barked the scaremonger. I actually laughed at how stupid these people are! I realize that they are trying to create fear, but I hope that instead this invokes more RIGHTEOUS ANGER!
During our trip to St. Petersburg in 2019 some asked our guide what Russian's do for news. He replied they have over 100 channels for news, however they call it propaganda.
I love this and would subscribe to any paper that did this.
It would be great, right? The media is such a fail.
"all offense all the time" -- they got that right! It's offensive.
It's the Gish Gallup...they've been doing this for a long time. They've now adapted it to prolonged statements where the speaker can't be interrupted. Named in1994, it was first used by a creationist. It represents the same process as a fast talkin' used car salesman. The GOP/trumpers are becoming a protected species...they don't really do this in general public audiences because the town halls, as an example, show there can be a serious range of hostile responses. As Josie Wales said, "Does it remove stains?" And that was a benign response.
"The Gish gallop is a rhetorical technique in which a person in a debate attempts to overwhelm an opponent by presenting an excessive number of arguments, with no regard for their accuracy or strength, with a rapidity that makes it impossible for the opponent to address them in the time available." wiki
"Gish Gallup" is a fancy way of saying "being a loudmouthed, insufferable, lying asshole."
Absolutely.
You are spot on Greg about Trump and Musk being Putin’s puppets. Hillary was right when she said it in 2016. I love your mom too!
Thanks, Helen!
So right, Greg. Keep on keeping on.
About a year ago, I wrote a slender book, Our Best America, and did not, at that time, believe that Trump could ever be elected again. We have had many wise leaders that I referenced in the book. Trump will never be in that number. billserle .com.
Thanks, Bill.
Every day I shake my head at least once, wondering how we got to this point -- even though I know damn well how.
I hate to click “ like,” as I know you’re truth telling. All the signs are there. But some days are harder than others, to accept this is the $h!t path we’re on.
But when trump got re-elected after his last disastrous term & Jan. 6th to boot, I became convinced more Americans than not, have become both lazy, ignorant/ stupid OR musk assisted in somehow stealing the election with the assistance of his brown shirted “boys.” I can’t prove the latter, but sadly there appears to be mounting evidence of the former. Too many people watching wretched housewife’s being mean to each other in some city, USA. Or the privileged Kardashian’s going off about something trivial,( to most of us) rocking their world. ( Yes, I’m a channel surfer & when I’ve stumbled on one of these fake “ reality” tv shows, it’s like a train or car wreck. You have to stop transfixed for a moment, that these things make up prime time tv viewing, while the world is burning down around us.) And yes, I’ve believed Trump was putin’s puppet for decades. Putins in it for the long game.
Putin may well be thinking “long game “ but he looks unwell, as Russians death toll mounts…denizens are quietly gathering and becoming more aware and angered, while living in poverty Bonnie!
I hope so, Patrick, but people have been saying that for years. Although he will die at some point, because we all do. Today would be a great day for Vlad to take a dirt nap!
What, you think that a universally loathed asshole, who stopped campaigning, who said he didn't need anyone to vote, who was boring even true believers out of his smaller and smaller rallies, who was driving around with a garbage truck a few days before the Election, and who later told us cheating was done on his behalf, only won PA and the other states because the DOGE cavalry came in? I don't know, Bonnie. That sounds as improbable as a mobbed-up real estate guy who was cultivated by the KGB 40 years ago, laundered money for the Russian mob for years, made several visits to Moscow and had a gay ol' time there, was married to not one but two Iron Curtain wives, was bailed out of debt with Russian money, was helped by Russia in all three elections, and is now actively working for Putin's interests is somehow a Kremlin asset. I mean, who could believe such a thing?
Excellent essay Greg, and spot on.
Thanks, John!
Couldn't agree more with you Greg. I too can't look or listen to him. The scariest part is that EVERYBODY, as I anticipated but didn't want to be true, including whole countries (the Prime Minister of New Zealand just recalled his ambassador to Great Britain for what can only be called a mild rebuke of Trump's "judgment", if it can even be called that.), is acquiescing to this madman whether out of fear or just plain cravenness. Not sleeping very well these days!
It's all insane. There ARE promising signs in Europe. France, Germany, Britain know the deal. Baltics and Poland, Finland, Sweden oppose RU. The US bowing out makes them stronger, which is what we need.
But even the best case is more nukes, and armies massing on the Continent.
my older sister, a college-educated Trump voter, thinks he’s ‘funny.’
I told her, ‘not if you’re on the receiving end.’
Well, I mean, he's a clown. Does she think Elon is funny? Mae Musk is the only person who thinks Elon is funny.
But seriously: great response by you. FAFO can't come fast enough.
Brilliant piece, exceptional idea Greg! It’s long past time for our duly elected leaders, to grow spines…speak truth, while executing some measure of defiance!!
Thanks, Patrick. As Hemingway said, "Isn't it pretty to think so?"
Hmm…I watched the first part of a documentary about Hemingway this morning on PBS. They kept emphasizing how many head injuries he had throughout his life. And also what a brilliant writer he could be depending on his mood. And also what a racist womanizer he could be depending on his mood. I watched it right before I read what you wrote here and noticed they had their respective careers/lives in the same approximate time period.
Thank You, Greg. Insightful as always.
Thanks, Meemaw!
I was waiting for you to say your mom turned around and said "shut the fuck up and leave this sacred place." Now that would have made my day, but I understand her restraint. I hope she was thinking it though. :)
Nah, not in church. She just gave them the Evil Eye.
The Kremlin-in-the-Oval's latest bright idea is to abandon NORAD.
Thus handing first nuclear strike capability to Russia.
We'd be snatching cold war defeat out of the jaws of a long-standing victory, just to spite Canada.
We should have taken out the Russians ourselves after the invasion. We pay for the conservatism of the Dems.
At the end of the Oval office Zelenskyy debacle, 4547 said that the meeting makes great TV. We are living through a reality show, also for many unlike the two sitting behind your mom, living hell. Democrats need to understand this.
Effective opposition means doing things that catch a viewer's eye. Leaving the house chamber almost half empty for the Joint Meeting is good TV and delivers a bigger message than words on a sign or a few shout outs no one can hear. Perhaps the new, invisible DNC chair should be replaced by a Survivor producer. Just about anything he/she does will be better than the Dems feeble if not non existent current opposition.
It pains me to say it but SNL cold open skits need to be the Democrats answer to all the bullshit flowing from the imbecile, Elon the Musk and the Republican Party. Every time Elon spouts more insanity, let's have Mike Myers counter it. Dems strategists need to be sourced from Kimmel's writers room. James Carville is the closest thing Dems have to effective opposition and he falls well short of what is needed.
Amen, I say Amen, as he makes the sign of the cross and exits, stage left.
I agree about Carville. The crusty ole LSU fart directs campaigns and the like...he is not the upfront guy, seldom has been. But he has great clarity about the situation, the danger points and the action points, and shouldn't be dismissed.
There are only a few Democrats that are effective against Trump and his liars - and they attack him directly, personally and politically. That's AOC and Jasmine Crockett. The rest - except for Goldman, Whitehouse, Schiff and a couple more - are huddled in the cloak room awaiting a chance that will never come. At least they could be a Greek Chorus for the effective ones.
We need some screenwriters to write scathing plays...at least an act or two...and satires that burn up trump's 'credibility' with his cult...that's the point of attack. Write it from the cult's point of view but turn the knife at the end. It's not like there's a lack of personal flaws and history, lies and betrayals. BTW how does the cult come up with so many millions so readily - who do they think they are, Deutsche Bank?
We will always lose the money battle...libertarians give because of ROI; we rely on cultivating non-asshole billionaires, which is like looking for water on Mars. And all the money from organized crime is limitless.
Didn't Carville advise us to sit back and watch Trump destroy himself? Come on. The generals are always fighting the last war.
You're onto something, Old Man. Trump watches all that stuff and it upsets him. Meghan McCarthy doing Sean Spicer meant Spicer had to go. And going back, Tina Fay singlehandedly took down Palin.
It IS a reality show. Pete Hegseth is The Bachelor. Kristi Noem in combat gear? Fear Factor. And of course all of them are Traitors.
So sad when we have to denigrate ourselves by having late night show writer's room staff effectively counter the party in power. We are where we are!
Your mom sounds a lot like mine. DO NOT get in her way when she goes to church. DO NOT make her park in a different spot. And most certainly DO NOT talk about politics while in the sacred space. Due to the last adherence, she now has a Trump-voting acquaintance that she sees every week at church but WILL NOT engage her in any political talk. Although probably not the main point of the story with your mom, my mom strictly believes in the separation of church and state, as do I. The few times I've gone to pick her up after Mass, when I had to actually go inside the church, I was a bit offended by the American flag on the altar. It doesn't belong there; nor does a cross at a state house, or, gods forbid, the Ten Commandments carved in stone outside a courthouse. Ugh! Time and place.
In addition to all of the things you've mentioned in the Ramble, I've also noticed lately, a bit of government propaganda seeping into our consciousness. Paid for by the Department of Homeland Security, Kristi Noam, the dog murderer, comes on with an American flag background, naturally, and explains that if you're in the country illegally, "we will find you and we will deport you, and you can NEVER come back. But if you leave now, you MAY, one day, after going through the proper, legal channels, be able to live in the United States, and join in the American Dream." I've seen this bit on network news shows, so unless it's being microtargeted, it's being shown nationwide. I also saw it TWICE during the local late newscast last night, probably aimed specifically at Chicago. It's some of the worst fear mongering I've ever seen, AND they're spending OUR money to do it. I guess this little bit of wasteful spending escaped Elon's DOGE slaughter. Interesting, that.
I wish I had better things to talk about and think about than all of this bullshit, but here we are, AGAIN. And what stops this? Every step that we'd normally take to try and stop something like this ends with Trump lackeys ready to do his bidding. I also read this morning at WIRED, that employees at the Social Security Administration have had their internet access curtailed by who knows who. They no longer have access to WIRED.com, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and apparently even FoxNews.com, and Breitbart. So, as we try to have a satisfactory weekend, think about that. There is a "deep state" who is curtailing internet access to a government agency for fear of what they'll read during the workday. There is also an excellent argument over there that DOGE is now the deep state, as if it was all planned years ago, with all the fear mongering over THAT being the "proof" anyone needs that the Trump administration isn't and couldn't possibly be, the "deep state."
Found a one minute version of Kristi Noam's propaganda video. NOW WITH MORE FEAR!!: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUqvuLDWAjA
https://www.wired.com/story/social-security-workers-arent-allowed-to-read-this-story/
https://www.wired.com/story/doge-is-the-deep-state/
I can't write about DOGE, because I may say something I will later regret. But I hate those smirky kids and their apartheid Nazi boss more than I've ever hated anyone ever.
So much of MAGA is performance. One of the only pleasant surprises about the Redux is that they haven't leaned into rounding up "immigrants" as hard as I feared they would. Not that ICE isn't running around terrorizing communities like Ivan the Terrible's Oprichniks. But I was afraid we'd have hundreds of thousands of people in camps by now. Instead, Elon has poured Liquid Plumbr down the throat of the nation and it's eating us from within. Fun times!
Kristi Noem is such a fucking joke.
The only news I watch is the 7-8am morning news on WGN. I saw that ridiculous “commercial” the other morning. “You’re NEVER coming back!” barked the scaremonger. I actually laughed at how stupid these people are! I realize that they are trying to create fear, but I hope that instead this invokes more RIGHTEOUS ANGER!
During our trip to St. Petersburg in 2019 some asked our guide what Russian's do for news. He replied they have over 100 channels for news, however they call it propaganda.
[nods sadly]