The On-Crack Ass Clown for December, 2022

Today marks our last opportunity to heap shame and dishonor upon an ass clown before we slam the door on the disastrous year of 2022. In the two weeks since we last presented an Ass Clown Award I have considered dozens of potential recipients, but one has exceeded all others for despicable ass clownery during a traditionally happy and holy holiday season. Ladies and Gentlemen, Dear Readers, the tinfoil and toilet paper crown denoting

The On-Crack Ass Clown for December, 2022

is presented to

Texas Governor Greg Abbott

This is Governor Abbott's second award, the first being the Right-Cheek Award shared with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis in September 2021. Today's award recognizes Governor Abbott's latest act of inhumane political ass-clownery: his shipment of several busloads of South American migrants who were unceremoniously dumped on the street in front of Vice President Harris's residence at the Naval Observatory in Washington on a bitterly cold Christmas Eve night, many wearing only the light clothing in which they were expelled from Texas.

This was the latest in a series of actions in which Abbott and other border state governors loaded illegal migrants onto buses (or, in the case of De Santis, airplanes) and shipped them to other cities in order to make a crude and inhumane political point about the social and economic burden these persons place on their states*. 

While no one denies that the nation's legal immigration system is hopelessly broken, neither Republicans nor Democrats see a political advantage in reforming it, viewing it as a useful brickbat with which to score cheap political points by exploiting human suffering. As far as I can tell, the only serious attempt to define a rational update to the immigration system in the last twenty years has been the one I have repeatedly proposed (for example, here). Governor Abbott's shamelessly cruel and hypocritical Christmas Eve stunt is only the most recent in a long series of ugly moves, and puts to lie his pious invocations of the Bible** during the holiday season.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Dear Readers, the final awardee of 2022, the On-Crack Ass Clown for December, is Texas Governor Greg Abbott. I'd say more, but I'm already overcome with disgust.

Have a good day. Come back tomorrow for the final Cartoon Saturday of the year ... more thoughts then.

Bilbo

* There is, indeed, a horrendous immigration crisis at the border, it needs to be solved with thoughtful and effective legislation ... not despicable and shameful stunts.

** He's not alone ... throughout the holiday season, the GOP writ large and many Republican members of Congress have tweeted dozens of hypocritically pious Biblical verses crazily at variance with their demonstrated behavior. Best emetic ever.

P. S. - Time's running out to vote for the Ass Clown of the Year for 2022 ... voting ends tomorrow night at 11:59 PM! The top three vote-getters as of 5:45 this morning are:

In third place, erratic billionaire Elon Musk, with 550 votes;

In second place, Ohio "Representative" Jim Jordan, with 575 votes; and, 

In a strong first place with a nearly insurmountable lead, Texas Governor Greg Abbott, with 1650 votes.

Let your voice be heard - vote now!! Results will be announced in this space on January 1st.

B.