More "News Wheel of Fortune"

With Pat Sajak newly retired, it’s bedlam at the ole Spinning Wheel, so I’ll step up with my ongoing audition for the News Wheel of Fortune. There have been a lot of stories from the last month upon which I haven’t been able to comment. So let's give the wheel a spin and see what comes up.

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Republicans went from not having a platform to having one and it’s still the same platform: Whatever TFG says it is. While they did try to soften their abortion stance, we have to remember that this is a political document, intended to get them elected. What they’re actually going to do is another matter. (See Project 2025.) So, minimized or not, abortion is still in danger of a national prohibition if Republicans regain power. Watch what they do, not what they say.

Let’s take another spin.

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Somewhere, a photo editor suggested that the famed “bloody-faced fist pump” shot might be considered partisan and probably shouldn’t be used by unbiased outlets. So naturally, Fox “News” takes umbrage because the whole point of what they do is biased towards gathering and maintaining conservative power. They’re basically making the editor’s point in that the shot has become iconic in Republican circles and to use it is to endorse TFG. This shows why you can’t take Fox seriously as a news organization.

And speaking of Fox “News” distorting a story, consider:

Ooh, this looks bad for the VP and nominee. The lead sentence of the article: “MSNBC host Symone Sanders-Townsend suggested she had a bad experience working for her ex-boss, Vice President Kamala Harris.”

Uh-oh, we could have a new scandal here. But then, the article goes on to talk about how hard it is to represent a woman in politics because of how much abuse gets thrown her way from misogynistic haters. That’s not at all what the headline implies and it’s just one more way Fox “News” skews their coverage. They know that far more people skim the headlines than read the article, so why not leave the masses with the impression that Madame K is a bitch to work for. Never trust anything with a Fox byline. Oh, and there’s more!

This is the same deal, only in print, made possible now that the founder of conservative “news” outlet Sinclair Broadcasting bought ownership in the Baltimore Sun.

The headline screams that a major donor is abandoning Harris. The actual story says that the guy already gave the Biden/Harris campaign a million bucks, which they can keep, but he’s not giving them anymore. Shit, after a donation like that, I’d be done too. That is NOT a lack of support, it’s a statement of prior support. But they framed it as a blow to the Dems in the headline, again knowing that it would leave a lasting impression on more people than those who read the story. Conservatives game the system at every opportunity! OK, that was three stories for one spin. Let’s spin again:

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Herein lies one of the major differences between modern Republicans and Democrats. When a Dem fucks up, he’s out of the club. Have you seen or heard any stories about Dems denying the guy took bribes (in gold bars), saying his trial was rigged, that there was no influence peddling or any other excuse? No, you didn’t because we don’t play that shit. All you saw were calls for him to resign. He got caught and was proven guilty, so he’s gone. That’s how it is and how it should be. We don’t want crooks like this tarnishing the brand. Let’s spin again:

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Boy, talk about a way to get people angry at you, try suggesting that childless people should be treated as second-class citizens. What a maroon, as Bugs would say. They should get on their knees and thank childless people for continuing to fund things like public education, even though they only get the peripheral benefit from it having a less ignorant population. And while they’re at it, thank us for picking up that slack at work when they go on maternity or paternity leave and dump all their work on their single or childless friends. I’m not saying they shouldn’t have leave, but how about a little something for the effort here?

And how smart is it to alienate the nation’s cat ladies not to mention one of the biggest social forces in the country, the Swifties, by smearing their idol, the Single Cat Lady in Chief? This guy looks like a bigger boob with every news cycle. If they ever had a chance to peel off some of the Swiftie votes, it’s gone now. Somewhere, there’s a countdown going, ticking down to when this putz gets replaced on the ticket by Governor Nikki. We’ll spin again:

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And there it is, my friend. TFG is finally speaking the unspeakable truth about his intentions if he were to win in November. I know his handlers are trying desperately to spin this as a joke, but we all know that this guy doesn’t joke. He smears. And this wasn’t a smear, it was a statement. It’s what he thinks because we also know he has less filter than a carton of old Pall Mall reds. He knows exactly what’s in Project 2025 and he’s behind it all the way, no matter how hard he tries to distance himself from it. It just keeps creeping back.

This is what Republicans are defending: a guy who intends to install himself as a dictator by any means necessary and stay there for life. After replacing everyone at Justice with his lackeys and reconfiguring the military…

…who’s to say he doesn’t disband Congress? With his own law enforcement operation, lacking civil laws to keep him in check, and a Congress to impeach, we’ll be stuck with him until he has a massive heart attack. Or someone comes along who’s a better shot than that jagoff from PA. Who knows what damage he’s prepared to inflict on the country before then, or how much of the US Treasury he and his enablers will be able to loot?

That’s it for our show tonight, go forth with your eyes open, engage your mind, and believe nothing you hear from the conservative media (which is basically everything now).

Now one last spin, just for shits and giggles:

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This is a picture from the intro to this year’s MLB All-Star Week Home Run Derby. Is it me, or does this look like they’re in the Hunger Games? It’s like suddenly a siren is going to sound and they’ll all start hitting each other with bats. Which would be no doubt more entertaining than the Home Run Derby.

Where's Selina Kyle?

Another weekend, another blockbuster political news story. As I’m sure you’ve heard by now, President Biden is stepping down from his re-election campaign in favor of his VP, Kamala Harris. Naturally, the media sideshow kicked into overdrive, as well as the nonsense from MAGA World.

First off, I want to say how happy I am that the top Dems have seemed to come together over supporting Harris’ run for the top spot. The last thing I wanted to see was a messy public fight over who gets the nod. I understand it can still happen at the convention, but only if enough people are dissatisfied with the new ticket. I think there may be a few attention-seeking troublemakers out there but they’ll be voted down swiftly in favor of the appearance of a unified party.

Harris is the one in position as the Veep; this is what she’s there for and everyone who voted for Biden in the primaries knew that she is part of the deal. As far as I’m concerned, she’s already been approved.

Removing her now would be disastrous and seen as a slap toward women and people of color, whom the Democrats are already accused of taking for granted. And as I (and many others) have pointed out before, she should be able to use the Biden/Harris campaign fund, assuming the Republicans can’t find one of their lackey judges to find a way to declare it illegal.

But it should be made clear by Democrats everywhere: at this point, the past doesn’t matter. What was, was and what will be is what we need to determine. All eyes ahead for the job we need to do, to prevent fascism from taking over our government.

As for the sideshow, the Republicans do not disappoint. TFG actually started whining about how the GOP already laid out money on preparations to beat Biden and it’s not fair that the money has now gone to waste.

HA! I’m dyin’ here.

Maybe if their money went toward promoting Republican positions to persuade people that their ideas are best, they wouldn’t be in this mess. But because their platform is toxic to all but the rich, racist, and evangelical, all they have left is smears, insults, and disinformation. And we’re supposed to care that they’re stuck with millions of dollars worth of “Let's Go Brandon” merch?

It’s not like they’re unprepared to start the smear war on Kamala. In fact, they’ve already started.

The thing to remember about this entirely bogus charge (of being a homewrecker and sleeping her way to political power) is that the reality is that she dated a guy who had been legally separated for a couple of years. In no way did she wreck anyone’s home. But details like that don’t matter to the Repubs, who never pass up a chance to slut-shame a woman who dares to seek office.

They’re also breaking out the AI deep fakes.

I heard this referred to on the radio this morning by my local morning show, who repeated the quote in mocking tones. They neglected to mention that the quote was faked, which three minutes’ worth of research would have made clear.

And when they can’t libel their way into office, they work the system.

I don’t know what “experts” think the Dems won’t face legal challenges to putting Harris on the ballot. Dems face legal challenges just by getting up in the morning. What I presume this headline means is that the charges are dubious. But then, that hasn’t stopped Republicans so far. Lately, they’ve won one dubious case after another, all the way up to the illegitimate Supreme Court. So I’m waiting to see how they’re going to make it illegal for Harris to use money earmarked for Biden and Harris. But as I’ve said, this is all they’ve got. When they can’t win on ideas, they have nothing left but to game the system.

And it’s not just campaign funds, they’re already ginning up election fraud charges, months before the election. From the Baltimore Sun last Wednesday:

“If we don’t win, it’s rigged. If we do win, it is fair and square. Heads I win, tails you lose.”

These bastards are shameless. But they don’t care. Winning fixes everything.

The next round of intrigue revolves around who may be the new VP. I’ve seen several sources suggest nominating a moderate Republican, which is so “rose-colored-glasses” dopey that it defies credibility. Harris’ VP will be the one presiding over a Senate counting the electoral votes. Why would we put someone in a position to sabotage the election who will be susceptible to GOP pressure to monkey with the procedural mechanics (again)? No, it has to be a Dem who will be a reliable blue vote in what is sure to be a narrow majority for either party. That vote could be all that stands between a new Democratic Supreme Court justice or several years of stalemate. Democrats need to stop apologizing for being Democrats and act like they believe in what the party stands for.

Unfortunately, the one I think would be best as a VP choice, AZ Senator Mark Kelly, should not be considered due to other considerations, namely that we can’t afford to lose the seat in Arizona. We can’t trust that the GOP state process would put another Democrat in the seat or even allow a fair electin. So I don’t want to see any sitting Senator getting the nod. Leave it to governors, House, or Cabinet members.

Speaking of the latter, I think Pete Buttigieg would do a terrific job. Just watch conservative brains go into meltdown every time he goes on Fox “News” and cleans house. But I am conflicted because putting together a ticket with a Black/Asian woman and a gay man would send the backlash into overdrive. On one hand, I think anyone whose vote would be lost by a candidate being gay isn’t voting Democratic anyway, so why not? But on the other hand, the heat is going to be turned up so high on this, it may be the only thing the politically uninterested hear about it and swing the Independents to TFG.

So I’m sure it will be something to behold, as the media runs wild on this horserace within the horserace, rather than just waiting to see it play out. Now that they’ve got Biden’s pelt on the wall, they no doubt have a taste for adding another.

Lastly, I just want to point out that Joe Biden has been a tremendous president. He got more done with less Congressional support than anyone could have hoped for. Insulin capping, getting top drugs into anti-price gouging programs, getting roads and bridges fixed, taming COVID, lowering temperatures with our allies, supporting Ukraine in their war against annihilation, shoring up the electoral counting process, growing the economy, and so much more; he did all of it with a narrow majority or split Congress. It was a masterful job and he deserves to be appreciated.

Ear's Donny!

Let’s see, what is there to talk about this week? Anything big happen over the weekend? Oh yeah, I remember… someone finally took a shot at TFG!

For me, this story and my reactions unfolded in stages. First I saw a blurb on Facebook as I was scrolling, saying shots were fired at a Trump rally. I figured there were potshots in the distance and they hustled the Hustler off stage.

A few minutes later, Sweetpea got a call from her brother, saying someone shot at TFG. My response was, “Come on, I’m sure it’s nothing… if it was, it would be all over the news.”

I stopped myself there because I realized I had the Orioles game on TV and all hell could be breaking loose and they wouldn’t stop coverage of the O’s and Yanks game, so I flipped on NBC.

Oh, OK, this is for real.

It was good that my brother-in-law made the call from home or else my first worry would have been wondering if he was the shooter. The dude is one of the few who’s more left-wing militant than I am.

Within minutes, I saw an instant replay of the incident and began to plot my next blog post. Eventually, there would be several more versions as the story developed.

First off, I thought there was a good chance it was faked. I’m sure Donny T wouldn’t volunteer for the William Tell treatment, but he could have ducked and squeezed a ketchup packet over his ear. I bet he’s got a pocketful of those.

But it looked pretty real and when I heard them start interviewing witnesses and they described seeing a shooter on a nearby rooftop, I thought, The Russians!

It would be a perfect Russian psyop. They get one of their Putin-loyalist snipers in place by greasing some local authorities and having him wing TFG. If this were taking place in Russia, the shooter would probably end up falling off the roof, but here, they just let the Secret Service snipers do their thing.

And the move would be perfect, hitting multiple boxes:

·         TFG gets to pose as a tough guy.

·         TFG garners massive sympathy (definitely from MAGAs, maybe a few independents. Many Dems sorry they missed.)

·         This is cover for every incident of future violence generated by MAGA.

·         Republicans get to play the victim card, which is their favorite move. (Because yeah, the richest echelon of the country and members of a massive organized religion are all victims.)

·         They can fund-raise off of this forever. Imagine the possibilities… They can make a plaster mold of his damaged ear to be used in creating anything from candles to cookie molds, to desktop fidget toys. “For just $50 a month, you can bend the President’s ear.”

·         And regardless of what they find out about the shooter, they will ultimately blame the Democrats.

A Russian troll farm couldn’t have dreamed it up any better. And it would explain why such a pampered prince, who hasn’t stared danger in the face since he came home to Melania after the Stormy Daniels case broke, was so ready to start throwing tough-guy poses amid the Secret Service dogpile.

(I figure that he is so ego-driven that he can’t accept being shielded and protected (especially by a woman) because it would make him look weak and scared, so he went into instant Ego Recovery Mode.)

I admit that for an instant, I hoped for something more serious. But only for an instant.  At the moment, there are more good reasons to see him remain alive.

·         If he’s killed, he becomes a martyr for the cause, an updated flag to wave at every uprising and polling place takeover.

·         Project 2025 moves on anyway, only with someone more skilled at the wheel, someone who WILL take steps to protect future Republican rule, and not just his own. Someone capable who will do much more damage to the Republic than a consistent fuckup and repeat loser.

·         I want to see him pay for the atrocities he’s inflicted on the nation. Instant death is too easy on him.

So, by Monday morning, it came out that the shooter was some sad sack from outside Pittsburgh, a high school outcast with his daddy’s AR-15. A registered Republican who also threw a few bucks to ActBlue. He left no social media presence or “manifesto.” Could be he just wanted the notoriety that goes with Suicide by Secret Service.

And yes, Republicans are blaming the Democrats. Always.

It’s especially nauseating to see this group, whose default plan is the death threat, cry about the mean old Left being so doggone violent.

It also seems that TFG took this opportunity to cement one of his lackeys in place with his VP pick, JD Vance R-OH, in case something else happens. It reminds me of a scene in the 90s classic TV show, The West Wing. The VP has resigned, the president has to be removed because his daughter has been kidnapped and he’s under duress, so the Speaker of the House has to step in as president. Played by the old “pre-diet” John Goodman, he says something like, “We have to name a Vice President immediately because as you may have noticed, I’m about one prime rib away from a massive heart attack.”

But I digress. (I loved that show))

Ultimately, I think this was just another loner-wolf doing something that only makes sense to him; maybe trying to impress Taylor Swift instead of Jodie Foster.

Maybe it will turn out to be more complicated than it looks, but I doubt it. There will be many investigations into how this schlub with a rifle got so close to a former president/current presidential candidate. So far the Secret Service and local cops are blaming each other. Eventually, it will get untangled, as well as the shooter's background. I think it’s an Occam’s Razor kind of thing, where the simplest explanation is probably the correct one. Shit happens and #45 has a horseshoe up his ass.

Either way, Republicans will milk this thing like a chocolate-milk-bearing cow outside a defunct Dairy Queen, until they’ve squeezed out every last bit of delicious outrage and then spewed venom all over everyone else.

USA! USA!

What Liberal Media?

That’s the old conservative fallback, right? Blame everything negative you hear about Republicans on the “liberal media.”

The thing is, the “liberal media” doesn’t exist, if it ever really did in the first place.

Once upon a time, broadcast media tried to be fair. The Fairness Doctrine required that for every news bit that slanted one way, (or featured sources from one side) there had to be an opposing view to balance it out. For the most part, the national news outlets tried to play it down the middle… report on what happened without taking sides.

The Fairness Doctrine applied because these private networks were using public airways, so they not only had to be fair but they had to devote a certain amount of hours to public interest issues (which were usually buried on weekend mornings, (before cartoons came on, even) or the middle of the night.

News shows weren’t broadcast for ratings; they were like loss leaders*. They were required to produce these news shows so they didn’t let ratings drive the show’s direction.

*Loss leader is a retail term meaning an item a store puts on sale and doesn’t worry if they don’t make money on it, or even lose money, the point is to bring people in the door and sell them something else.

Watergate seemed to change that and every time there was bad news about the Republican scandal, Republican operatives blamed the “liberal media.” It became an easy excuse.

The Reagan Administration eventually got rid of the Fairness Doctrine, which gave rise to Fox “News” and started the slow march to the shop-by-brand version of news we have now.

TV news and newspapers dwelled on the juicy Clinton hearings, lingered over every tawdry detail, and hounded him until he was out of office. But when certain outlets questioned the wisdom of the Iraq War, suddenly they were the “liberal media” again. The same applied any time the media didn’t get in bed with the latest GOP illusionary scandal, like the Birther thing or the Tan Suit incident, et al. I clearly remember Republicans denigrating the “liberal media” for ignoring these “vital” stories.

Over time, media ownership has consolidated into a mere several major players, and each one is part of a vast conglomeration. Are they still out there working hard for the common man? Hell no. They have their own goals now, which always boil down to “mo money, mo power” for themselves. What we now have are conservative media outlets masquerading in liberal sheep’s clothing. NY Times, Washington Post, CNN, and all the Big Three networks, are owned or operated by Republican-leaning overseers.

If I had a subscription, I’d cancel it too, or at least register my condemnation.

In 2024 the “liberal media” is an illusion; nothing more than a quick cover conservatives slap on the occasional bad news story that can’t be ignored. (Despite the craters full of legitimate bad news stories that are completely ignored.) News is no longer about “truth,” or “benefitting society.” It’s about circulation and ad sales in print media and eyeballs in broadcast media. The stories are only tools to get you to pay attention.

I’m seeing it all play out in real time, here in Baltimore, after the sale of the once-respected Baltimore Sun to the owner of Sinclair Media. His stated goal is to make it like the local Fox News channel (that he also runs.) While stories still appear addressing both sides of the aisle, there is a pronounced bias toward conservative-driven storylines.  Take a look at this page from yesterday’s Sun:

This is the spot where the national news goes. Notice how all three stories benefit Republicans:

·         Dems call for Biden to step down

·         Negative analysis of Biden’s ABC interview

·         Trump wins another delay in his documents trial.

Do you know what you don’t see? Anything about Project 2025 or the new corollary, Agenda 47.

Some of these may merely be “stated goals” and not necessarily part of the original document.

Nor do you see any analysis of the garbage that spews forth from TFG during any of his campaign appearances.

I don’t mind calling out my guys on their problems, but when you ignore the other side’s foibles, you are no longer a news outlet, but a shill, a cheap shill hiding a no-pants wizard behind a curtain.

There should be daily updates on Project 2025. After all, it’s only the end of our democratic system of government. SCOTUS already took us halfway there with the advent of the imperial president. Maybe they already know the fix is in on this election and they are trying to avoid being in the crosshairs when TFG starts looking for heretics to prosecute.

The November election is our first “last chance” to stave off government by oligarchy, for the rich, by the rich. If we’re ever going to get a fair shake, we have to start shaking now, no matter who is running against TFG. The last 50 years of progress are about to be flushed down the crapper in favor of a White Christian Male ruling class. (And I’m a White Heathen Male and I’m more Christian in practice than any of these bloodless fuckers.)

We need to get our shit together, stop clutching our pearls over Joe Biden, and unite against the common opponent. Several very good outlets have already demonstrated that trying to come up with a replacement in this time frame is a no-win proposition on logistics alone. It would take from now until November just to settle on a name. And if that name isn’t Kamala, start funding the campaign from scratch.

Our literal futures rest on this next election. Social Security, Medicare, the EPA, Dept. of Education, Reproductive Freedom, contraception, and so much more, it’s all on the line. The rich and the religious wingnuts want all that gone.

And we’re quibbling about someone older and slower than he used to be? Old Joe got more done than any president with a split Congress should have been able to. And he’s old right now and things are running fine (more or less.)

We need to focus on what’s truly important and stop watching the sideshow being peddled by the “liberal media.”

Apocalypse Pretty Soon

Well, our vacation was quite fine, thank you very much for asking. We visited Ocean City MD for the week and sat on the beach or by the pool every day, read a couple books, and visited various bars and restaurants. Then between 7:30 and 8:00, we’d adjourn to our balcony to have some drinks, play some music, and watch the sun set over the bay.

Best show in town!

Wednesday night we got to watch a storm roll in, which gave us quite a different show.

We decided to pull the chairs in behind the sliding door and watch the rain pour from our nice, dry, room. Sweetpea’s idea. And that kept the chairs dry for the next morning.

The trip wasn’t without incident though. I had some trouble checking in because the room I ordered and what they received were two different things. I went around and around with the front desk people but to no avail. They explained that if I hadn’t used a travel site to book the room, they’d have the leeway to at least reimburse me for the downgrade on the room. (I used my bank’s travel site to get extra travel points. I won’t be doing that again.)

But the main tragedy was when we wheeled our bags and supplies into our room with the hotel cart. As we hit the bump between the carpeted hallway and our room’s tiled floor, the bag containing two unopened 1.75L bottles of vodka fell off and one of them smashed. Oh, the humanity!

The other tragedy was Thursday night when we watched the debate. Damn, was THAT ever a let-down. I thought Joe would show a little more life than that… I kept waiting for him to use his favorite debate tactic where he lures you in by speaking softly, then BAM, he’s thundering with outrage and raining verbal bombs. But it never showed up.

Meanwhile, TFG was his usual self. It’s no wonder he famously refuses to prepare for debates. There’s no reason for any prep at all. He just spews forth about how everything he did was great and whatever Biden did was the worst of all time, and lob baseless accusations. It’s the kind of thing any kid on the playground can do. There’s no need to remember facts or statistics when you just make shit up! And who cares about what questions the moderators ask when you don’t intend to answer them in the first place. The MAGAs would rather see him look forceful in telling lies than quietly telling the truth.

I came to learn the next day that what TFG did is known as a "Gish Gallop."

If that isn't the very definition of what TFG does during debates and interviews, I don't know what is.

In addition to his stutter and a cold, Biden had to carry the burden of remembering actual facts and figures. Bringing up data like that upon demand in front of the nation is not an easy thing for anyone to do, let alone an octogenarian.

But what really bugged me was that there was so much meat left on the table. There were some great arguments and rebuttals to be made but he never brought them up, no matter how loudly I was yelling them at the TV.

To that end, Sweetpea wished she’d packed a tranquilizer gun to use on me as I paced around the room. I just couldn’t sit still as I saw all the headlines for the week being written about how the President froze up or mumbled, with hardly a mention of the fact-free blithering from the challenger.

While I really wished Biden’s showing was better, I take comfort in the fact that face-to-face debates have nothing to do with being president. It’s really just a campaign appearance.

Presidents don’t sit down to have a standardized debate with foreign leaders, or even the domestic ones. They all get together, experts and advisers present information, the President discusses it with everyone and he gives direction on what he’d like as the next course of action.

He’s already done the job for three and a half years and I think his performance has been wildly underrated. The fact that Democrats have gotten as much as they have, (with things like the infrastructure bill) with a split Congress is nothing short of miraculous. I have every confidence he can do the job; he just won’t necessarily look flashy while doing it.

And if the stakes couldn’t get any higher, today the Supreme Court issued its latest travesty in finding that the President has at least partial immunity on actions taken while in office. This decision destroys the last shred of impartiality the high court might have claimed and creates a King out of what is supposed to be a public servant. The platitude that no man is above the law has been decimated for generations, thanks to The Federalist Society and their willing proxies, the Republican Party.

Even schoolchildren know that rules have to be applied equally or else it’s “no fair.” And this is exactly how TFG considers the concept of fairness… if he’s not allowed to stomp on the rules and do whatever he wants, it’s somehow “unfair” to him.

I’m sure there will be more in-depth analysis to come and I’m hoping this decision is not as bad as it seems at the outset. But I don’t think there can be any clearer signal that Republicans have to be stopped NOW, and resoundingly. It’s not just TFG, it’s the whole team. Nothing that they seek benefits the non-rich, the non-evangelical, and non-sexist/racist/xenophobic. And they’re not going to change until the People demand it.

And even then, they’ll just hide their intentions again and run on some other populist message that doesn’t cost anything to the donor class.

Adding to attacking reproductive freedom, overturning reasonable healthcare access, cutting Social Security and every other safety net program, opposing drug price negotiation for Medicare, and tax cuts for the rich, Democrats need to hang this new thing around their Republican opponents’ necks and call them out at every opportunity.

A stuttering president is the least of this country’s problems.