TODAY'S RAMBLINGS Sure, it's been fun focusing on what I wear at home, but I return us now to the real world.
As you know, one of my biggest gripes with the Republican party is that they don't offer much in the way of policy proposals, but instead seek and retain power via division, gerrymandering, and name-calling.
Lately, however, it's gotten worse. I believe Republicans in Congress (and elsewhere) have and continue to reveal themselves for who and what they actually are. Here are some examples.
(I will GLADLY print, without comment and anonymously if you prefer, some other side to this.)
2020 Election Certification - Post-Insurrection Return with me to the night of January 6, 2021. The Capitol had been cleared, secured, and both houses of Congress met to certify the election. But do you know what? Despite zero evidence of fraud or any other voting irregularities AND after having the peaceful transfer of power disrupted by a treasonous mob, these people voted AGAINST certification.
This wrongful act alone sowed doubt in many Republican voters' minds that the 2020 election was somehow stolen. Which it wasn't. So why did they do this, and damage our country so?
Impeachment #2 Many, myself included, were hopeful a violent attack by Trump cultists on the US Capitol might just break the fever. Maybe now mainstream Republicans and their leaders would stand up to Trump, and hold him accountable. Mind you, all or nearly all Republicans denounced (and continue to denounce) Trump when the microphones were off. I really thought having a gallows standing by whilst a mob chanted "Hang Mike Pence" would have done the trick.
Uh, no. The House quickly brought a single and simple Article of Impeachment against Trump as a response to his obvious role in the January 6th insurrection. Per the Constitution, a trial was held, with the Senate as jury. From Wikipedia:
At the conclusion of the trial, the Senate voted 57–43 to convict Trump of inciting insurrection, falling 10 votes short of the two-thirds majority required by the Constitution, and Trump was therefore acquitted. Seven Republican senators joined all Democratic and independent senators in voting to convict Trump, the largest bipartisan vote for an impeachment conviction of a U.S. president or former U.S. president.
After the vote on the acquittal, Mitch McConnell said there was no doubt that Trump is practically and morally responsible for inciting the events at the Capitol, but he voted against conviction due to his interpretation of the United States Constitution.
"Profiles In Courage" it wasn't. When given the opportunity to move their party beyond Trump, only 7 of 50 Republican Senators voted to convict him for his obvious role in the January 6 insurrection.
Or: 43 Senators voted to acquit Trump
Or: only 17 of 50 Republican Senators needed to put country above Party
Or. if 10 more had found a backbone, Trump would have been out of the picture, permanently.
But only 7 of 50 did the honest and correct thing.
Today's Republican Party Trump's mainstream Republican party enablers allowed him to fuck around with our country's most sacred principles. That probably should have been enough. But it was not, and apparently, is not, enough.
Because during this month alone, with a chance to enact into law some fundamental things - things a majority of Americans are at least OK with - today's Republican party refused. Here's a summary.
209 House Republicans voted against codifying the legality of abortion
205 House Republicans voted against codifying the legality of interstate travel (!) for women seeking abortions
195 House Republicans voted against codifying the legality of contraception
157 House Republicans voted against codifying the legality of same-sex marriage
157 House Republicans voted against codifying the legality of interracial marriage
(Oh, and did I mention the continuous Republican refusal to even get started on addressing Climate Change?)
Folks, it is 2022, and there is no putting the genie back in the bottle. Gay people aren't going away. Other races aren't going away. People having sex isn't going away. And no, not even trans people are going away.
That's not woke talk. That's reality talk.
FROM THE UNWASHED MASSES Hunter Deuce, for one, has an answer for Climate Change. Shocker, it's a hippie van, but at least it's electric. He shared with me VW's new ID.Buzz van:
I like it, but WTF is up with the name? I guess "Get Off My Lawn" was taken? In all seriousness, I am a big VW guy, but not a Chevrolet one, nor do I typically favor SUVs. But having driven a gas-powered Blazer for two weeks last year in Tupper Lake and being favorably impressed, this upcoming Chevy Blazer EV caught my eye. I'd tone down the boy-racer options, but still:
Fun fact: GM CEO Mary Barra is on the record as saying that GM will make more electric vehicles than any other company by 2025. If nothing else, look how easy it was for them to emphasize "EV" in their logo:
Thank you to any one that is reading this newsletter.
KLUF Right Now, I'd like one particular political party in America to cut the bullshit.
In case that doesn't happen, here is my beyond-Diamond Certified, personally curated Van Halen playlist (their 34 best songs!) to divert our attention from the madness of it all.
