The Deep State, the Administrative State, and the State of Hysteria

One of the ways in which Der Furor was able twice to capture the presidency was by playing to  conservative anger over the so-called Deep State - a hypothetical unauthorized secret network of powerful individuals and agencies that operate independently of properly elected political leaders to pursue their own agendas and goals - a sort-of modern day Illuminati. 

The Deep State concept is related to another term, the Administrative State, which refers to the array of executive branch agencies at all levels which have the power and authority to write, interpret, and enforce their own regulations.

The Deep State is a mainstay of GOP politics, useful in explaining why their social and economic policies don't work by pinning blame on a shadowy cabal of rogue bureaucrats*, and of books and films eager to mine new sources of villainy for their heroes to fight. The Administrative State is also a focus of conservative anger, equally useful for explaining their policy failures, but without the added bonus of baked-in evildoers seeking world domination. 

The Administrative State is a result of the expansion of government and the complexity of the world over the years. As the federal government grew in size and complexity, ever-larger bureaucracies staffed with subject matter specialists were needed to carry out the responsibilities assigned by Congress ... including the authority (as we noted above) to write, interpret, and enforce their own regulations within the parameters authorized in legislation.

For conservatives who are by nature disdainful of regulations imposed by tyrannical governments™ they do not control, the Administrative State is an anathema to be opposed at all costs. Regulations imposed by government agencies, they argue, are infringements on personal freedoms and are invalid unless specifically approved by Congress as the directly-elected representatives of the people - not by faceless bureaucrats™ answerable to no one.

When last I checked, there were 535 elected members of Congress (435 Representatives and 100 Senators), who have in recent years been unable to do as fundamental a constitutionally-mandated function as publish a budget ... indeed, they have been unable to do little more than adjourn to prevent having to vote on releasing the dreaded Epstein Files™, propose renaming the Kennedy Center Opera House after Melania Trump, pass gigantic pieces of legislation that they regret and immediately begin un-legislating, and steadfastly resist anything proposed by the opposition party ...

The Deep State doesn't exist except in the fever dreams of conspiracy believers. The Administrative State does. And as the Republican party races to dismantle it, eliminating the experts and specialists who have kept us safe, healthy, and protected from abuse of the law, we won't be long in regretting its loss.

Have a good day. More thoughts tomorrow.

Bilbo

* Who are also satanist Democrats, pedophiles, and baby eaters.

What "Weaponization of Government" Actually Looks Like

During the first of Der Furor's stints in the presidency, and throughout the administration of Joe Biden, the endlessly-repeated fever dream of the GOP and the farthest-right orbits of the conservative world was that the federal government had been "weaponized" against them ... that the Biden Justice Department was constantly seeking every possible opportunity to bring down the full weight of the government on the heads of innocent Americans guilty only of opposing the "radical left lunatics" ... as opposed to, say, innocently storming and damaging the Capitol Building and killing several people in the process. 

When they regained power, the Republicans promptly established the United States House Judiciary Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government, under the leadership of firebrand Ohio Representative Jim Jordan, to drill down and prove that the perfidious Democrats had "weaponized" the government against them. By the time the subcommittee was disbanded at the end of the the Congressional session, it had published a report that was long on innuendo and woefully innocent of actual evidence of the alleged weaponization. Proving "weaponization" of the government against conservatives was also a prime focus of the House Oversight and Accountability Committee (also known as the Oversight and Government Reform Committee) under Kentucky Representative James Comer, which relentlessly - if fruitlessly - tried to find evidence of wrongdoing by the Biden administration.

When Der Furor returned to the presidency, one of his first acts was to revitalize the search for the weaponization not found earlier. On his first day in office, Der Furor issued Royal Decree Executive Order 14147, Ending the Weaponization of the Federal Government*. He would, by gawd, find the evidence no one had found before.

What has happened since then has shone a light on the actual weaponization of the power of government against opponents and critics.

Consider the following royal decrees executive orders (EOs) cast down from Olympus by Der Furor**:

EO 14250: Addressing Risks From WilmerHale - accusing the law firm (among other things) of "engag(ing) in obvious partisan representations to achieve political ends, support(ing) efforts to discriminate on the basis of race, back(ing) the obstruction of efforts to prevent illegal aliens from committing horrific crimes and trafficking deadly drugs within our borders, and further(ing) the degradation of the quality of American elections, including by supporting efforts designed to enable noncitizens to vote."

 

EO 14246: Addressing Risks From Jenner & Block - accusing the law firm of (among other things) "engag(ing) in obvious partisan representations to achieve political ends, support(ing) attacks against women and children based on a refusal to accept the biological reality of sex, and back(ing) the obstruction of efforts to prevent illegal aliens from committing horrific crimes and trafficking deadly drugs within our borders."

 

EO 14237: Addressing Risks From Paul Weiss - accusing the law firm of (among other things) "hir(ing) unethical attorney Mark Pomerantz, who had previously left Paul Weiss to join the Manhattan District Attorney's office solely to manufacture a prosecution against me and who, according to his co-workers, unethically led witnesses in ways designed to implicate me. After being unable to convince even Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg that a fraud case was feasible, Pomerantz engaged in a media campaign to gin up support for this unwarranted prosecution."

 

EO 14230: Addressing Risks From Perkins Coie LLP - accusing the law firm of (among other things) "undermining democratic elections, the integrity of our courts, and honest law enforcement, [and] racially discriminat(ing) against its own attorneys and staff, and against applicants."

President Donald J. Trump Addresses Risks Associated with Miles Taylor - in which Der Furor accuses Mr Taylor of being "a bad-faith actor who weaponized and abused his government position, prioritizing his own ambition, personal notoriety, and monetary gain over fidelity to his constitutional oath."

 

President Donald J. Trump Addresses Risks from Chris Krebs and Government Censorship - which accuses Mr Krebs by name of being "a significant bad-faith actor who weaponized and abused his government authority" through his leadership of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA).

 

Let's look at this for just a moment, shall we?

 

The President of the United States has issued royal decrees executive orders specifically targeting law firms and individuals against which he has a personal grudge, the EO targeting Paul Weiss being the most obviously blatant ("solely to manufacture a prosecution against me," "unethically led witnesses in ways designed to implicate me"). Mr Krebs' offense was to deny Der Furor's insistence that the 2020 presidential election had been rigged, while Mr Taylor is accused of spreading "falsehoods" and "false narratives" about Der Furor through his writings.

If you're looking for evidence of the "weaponization" of government power against individuals, you now have some spectacularly clear examples. The President of the United States has unilaterally directed specific punitive actions against specific individuals and against law firms guilty of representing clients who have angered Der Furor. Worse, some of the targeted law firms have caved to the pressure, agreeing (in the very definition of "a deal with the devil") to provide millions of dollars of pro bono work on issues near and dear to Der Furor's heart (assuming that a "heart" can actually be found). 

There are dozens of other examples of instances where Der Furor has stripped security clearances from individuals who have angered him, denied White House press access to the Associated Press because it has not wholeheartedly embraced his rebranding of the "Gulf of America," and taken other petulant actions which advance his petty grievances ... while his rudderless mismanagement of the economy threatens both the livelihood of Americans and the entire international economy.

It's interesting, but not surprising, that Republican members of Congress in positions of responsibility (I'm looking at you, Jim Jordan and James Comer) have turned a willfully blind eye to this outrageous, blatantly illegal, unconstitutional, and immoral abuse of the power of government. Today's GOP observes the Wizard of Id's version of the Golden Rule: Whoever has the gold, makes the rules.

If you are a full-throated supporter of Der Furor's frighteningly un-American, self-serving actions, there's another quote you should note, this often-cited one from long-form history podcaster Dan Carlin: Imagine all that power in the hands of someone you loathe. When the President of the United States gets around to turning his sights on you, your America won't seem quite so great.

Have a good day. Hope the most powerful person in America doesn't decide to turn the whole weight of the federal government against you and yours.

More thoughts coming.

Bilbo

* In the words of the royal decree executive order, "The American people have witnessed the previous administration engage in a systematic campaign against its perceived political opponents, weaponizing the legal force of numerous Federal law enforcement agencies and the Intelligence Community against those perceived political opponents in the form of investigations, prosecutions, civil enforcement actions, and other related actions. These actions appear oriented more toward inflicting political pain than toward pursuing actual justice or legitimate governmental objectives. Many of these activities appear to be inconsistent with the Constitution and/or the laws of the United States ..." Sounds to me exactly like what we're seeing now.

** A complete list of royal decrees executive orders published in the Federal Register can be found here. The whole list of Der Furor's fulminations, including those not yet on the Federal Register, can be found here. Don't read unless you want to be depressed and disgusted.

Semantic Bleaching

I ran across an interesting linguistic term the other day that I hadn’t heard in a long time: semantic bleaching. In brief, it refers to the decrease in intensity of the meaning of a word over time.

For instance, when you say that somethng is awesome, as many people do in today’s usage, you mean that it’s wonderful or especially desireable. But the original, literal meaning of awesome means “inspiring dread, fear, or terror.” Over time, awesome has been semantically bleached into a far less intense term.

It occurs to me that Der Furor and his minions have semantically bleached a great many important words in today’s political and social communication. For instance:

Legal once meant “permitted by law.” As semantically bleached by the current administration, it means “permitted because we say it’s permitted.” 

Constitutional used to mean “conducted in accordance with the principles of the Constitution,” whereas it has been semantically bleached to mean, “conducted in accordance with the principles of the Constitution as interpreted to meet the evolving requirements of the administration.” 

Presidential once meant, “having a bearing or demeanor befitting a president; dignified and confident; demonstrating gravitas and reassuring competence.” After semantic bleaching, it means, “pompous and overbearing; delighting in the exercise of unchallenged power and the ability to harm opponents without consequence.”

Evidence was once defined as, “the available body of facts or information indicating whether a belief or proposition is true or valid.” Semantically bleached to meet the needs of Der Furor and his followers, it means, “something we don’t need to show because if you had any intelligence at all, you’d know we were right.”

Anti-Semitism originally meant, “hatred or prejudice toward or discrimination against Jews.” In the semantically-bleached form commonly used by the current administration, it means, “(1) failure to unquestioningly support the actions of the current government of Israel” or “(2) a convenient excuse to limit free speech rights on college campuses and deport undesirable persons from the United States.” 

And finally, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion once meant, “a set of organizational frameworks that seek to promote the fair treatment and full participation of all people, particularly groups who have historically been underrepresented or subject to discrimnination based on identity or disability.” When semantic bleaching is applied, it means, “discrimination against white men.”

George Orwell created “Newspeak” as the official language of the world of “1984.” Der Furor didn’t need to create a new language for his world of 2025 … all he had to do was engage in semantic bleaching to twist the language to meet his needs.

Have a good day. Use the right words, but understand the hidden meanings.

More thoughts coming.

Bilbo

January 6th

On this date in 2021, a howling mob of Der Furor's supporters stormed the United States Capitol in an attempt to disrupt the certification of the 2020 presidential election. The entire nation watched on live television as a huge riot overwhelmed police, resulted in five deaths, hundreds of injuries, and millions of dollars in damage to the Capitol Building, and, in the end, failed to stop the counting of electoral votes and the certification of Joe Biden's victory.

Since that time, Der Furor and his supporters - including spineless Republican members of Congress who cowered in their hiding places during the riot, have worked tirelessly to rewrite and whitewash the events of that day. They claim the rioters who smashed windows in the Capitol and smeared feces on its walls, sprayed police officers with bear spray and beat them with American flags, were nothing more than simple tourists enjoying a visit. They claim that evidence the riot was a "peaceful protest" was ignored and then destroyed. They attempt to picture the members of the House Select Committee that investigated the insurrection as "thugs." They claim that rioters responsible for wild vandalism and violence convicted of their crimes and sentenced to prison for their behavior are "political prisoners."

And in just two weeks, Der Furor - the man who even now refuses to acknowledge his loss of the 2020 election, the man who inflamed a violent mob and sent it to the Capitol, the man who whines about being persecuted while he pursues vengeance against those who defend the truth - will once again take the oath of office he has already defiled. He has pledged to pardon rioters who were arrested, tried, convicted, and  imprisoned "on day one."

Do not forget what actually happened that day. Read the Report of the January 6th investigation and look at the evidence for yourselves, and do it soon, before a GOP-controlled Congress moves to bury it. Do not allow Der Furor and his besotted followers to, in the words of Washington Post opinion writer Margaret Sullivan, "go full Orwell" on all of us.

Remember what actually happened before your eyes on January 6th, 2021 ... and what could easily happen again if we let it.

Have a good day. Defend democracy against those who would take it away from you.

More thoughts coming.

Bilbo

Time to Revisit Immigration Policy ... Yet Again

Those of you who have been with me for any length of time will remember that, unlike anyone in Congress, I have actually proposed what I believe is a perfectly legal and workable plan to reform our long-broken immigration system. This is because I have no political axe to grind and, consequently, no need to use immigration reform as a cudgel with which to beat my political opponents. I won't bore you again up front with my detailed plan, but if you haven't seen it before or if you're interested in reviewing it again or sending a copy to your elected reprehensives, you can find the latest version (dating to February, 2017) at the end of this post.

Now, before those of you with a more conservative political outlook start raging at me for being an open-borders, America-hating, commie pinko ratbastard, you should know a few things:

(1) America does not have "open borders." What we have are a set of antiquated laws which no longer are appropriate to the economic and political situation that drives millions of people to seek a better life in America ... even as other countries warn their citizens that America can be a dangerous place to visit.

(2) No one in any elected position of responsibility advocates "open borders." What they do advocate is better control over our borders and a thorough review and update of our immigration and asylum policies, although they strongly disagree on how to accomplish those things. 

(3) If you advocate building a giant wall along the Mexican border as the best way to keep undesirable people out, you ought to take note of how well other attempts to keep people out with walls worked out: the Great Wall of China, Hadrian's Wall between England and Scotland, and the Berlin Wall (with which I have personal experience), did not succeed in eliminating invasions. Money wasted on walls would be better spent on expanding immigration and asylum courts and improving the integration of legal immigrants into American society.

Discussing immigration reform is a lot like discussing gun control ... it's pretty much useless since both sides see no room for or desire to compromise. Nevertheless, I'll keep trying. As a retiree, I have lots of time to waste when I'm not gardening, baking, or sitting on the deck with a glass of wine, reading a good book.

Have a good day. See below for my proposed immigration reform plan, and leave comments if you think you can improve on it. More thoughts coming. 

Bilbo

Proposed Comprehensive Compromise Immigration Reform Plan

February, 2017

First, Congress enacts legislation to create a new category of immigration status – the “Provisional Resident Alien (PRA)” – and designate the status with a new form of ID card – let’s call it a “Blue Card.” Anyone who is in the United States illegally as of the date of enactment will have a grace period of six months to register for PRA status and obtain a Blue Card without fear of arrest, imprisonment, or deportation on any immigration violation charge.  They would, of course, be subject to arrest for outstanding criminal violations unrelated to their immigration status.

A person registering as a PRA must pay a fee of $100 per person or $500 per family (whichever is less) for the privilege of obtaining that status. This fee does two things: it levies a fine for having broken the law in the first place, and it partially funds the cost of the new program.  It provides something for those who oppose blanket amnesty, because it imposes a penalty, albeit a modest one, for the willful violation of the law. Many churches and immigrant rights organizations will object to the fine because they think it’s either unfair or too much for poor immigrants to pay; in this case, individuals or organizations who object to making the illegals pay the fine could be offered the opportunity to pay it on behalf those who, for whatever reason, can’t or won’t pay it themselves.

Once a person has been granted PRA status, they will be required to obtain a valid social security number, and will be entitled to the same rights, privileges, and social services as other legal immigrants; in exchange, they will be required to obey all laws, pay all taxes, enroll in basic English classes, and otherwise act as responsible members of American society.  They will have the protection of labor laws which require payment of the minimum wage, and with a legal status, will no longer be subject to exploitation by shady employers.

Initial PRA status would be valid for five years.  At the end of this period, the individual must report to the immigration authorities with proof of employment, proof of a clean police record (no felonies), and proof that taxes have been paid.  If these conditions are met, the individual may either extend the PRA status for another five years, or apply for citizenship.  Citizenship is not automatic – it will still have to be earned through the same naturalization process completed by many millions of legal immigrants throughout our history, with the clock for all associated requirements starting at the end of the PRA period, regardless of how long the individual has already been in the country.  This protects the interests of those who have weathered the legal immigration process by preventing previously-illegal immigrants in PRA status from “jumping the line” for quick citizenship.

On the date the grace period for PRA status applications ends, anyone still present illegally in the country will become liable for arrest and deportation.  Because the great majority of previously-illegal immigrants will have taken advantage of the opportunity to legalize their status by becoming PRAs, those remaining in an illegal status will probably be those with criminal records.  Immigration authorities can then proceed to concentrate on this much smaller number of more dangerous criminals.

On the date the law is enacted, most immigration enforcement agents would immediately transfer to border security duty to crack down on new illegal immigration. Border security will be severely stiffened and those caught attempting illegal entry to the country will be summarily deported after being photographed and fingerprinted. Facilitation of illegal immigration (whether by “coyotes” who help smuggle illegals across the border or by those who knowingly employ illegals) will be made a felony, as will a second illegal immigration attempt.

On the date the grace period for PRA registration ends, a set of very steep fines and jail sentences goes into effect for businesses and individuals hiring persons who are in the country illegally (without a Green or Blue Card).  This will help to remove the economic incentive for businesses to support illegal immigration.

Employers would be responsible for reporting to the immigration authorities any change in the employment status of a PRA. If a person in PRA status is fired from a job or becomes unemployed and has not acquired a new job within 30 days, his or her status is revoked and he or she must leave the country until otherwise eligible to apply for legal immigration in the future.

The 14th Amendment to the Constitution states that "All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside." This means that children born within the United States - even to those who are here illegally - are US citizens, even though their parents may not be. If we as a nation wish to change the birthright citizenship status of children born in the future to illegal immigrant parents, the relevant part of the Fourteenth Amendment would have to be amended, perhaps to read,

"All persons born in the territory of the United States to parents who are citizens thereof, or to those who have attained citizenship through lawful naturalization, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside."

This would, of course, require passage of an appropriate Constitutional amendment, but it would remove a legal issue that complicates immigration and citizenship questions.

Regardless, although children born in the US to illegal immigrant parents are citizens under the Constitution, the parents of those children would be required to obtain PRA status just like any other illegal immigrant.

This takes care of those who are in the country illegally today. But comprehensive immigration reform must also address the need for a responsive program to allow unskilled, low-wage workers to enter the country to take jobs that might otherwise go unfilled. PRA status can be used for these persons, too. Businesses would project their labor requirements, and the State Department would make an appropriate number of specialized visas available to meet the need.  Immigrants would then apply at the US embassy or consulate in their home country for PRA status covering any period of time from six months to five years, and need only maintain a job and pay taxes in order to maintain their status.  At the end of five years, they would also have the opportunity to apply for citizenship under the same rules as any other person in PRA status.

This plan won’t please everyone, but that’s the nature of a compromise, and the ability to compromise is what has been missing from political discourse in this country for too long.  The advantages of this plan are:

1. It offers a way to legitimize the persons already here illegally (who, after all, are too numerous and well-protected to be rounded up and deported), but imposes a fine on them as a condition of legalizing their status (i.e., no reward for having broken the law in the first place).

2. It funds itself, in part, through the fines collected from those applying for PRA status.

3. It provides resources for increased border security by freeing up immigration agents who otherwise spend their days fruitlessly hunting down illegals.

4. It provides a pathway for low-wage workers to legally enter the country and take advantage of economic opportunities not available to them at home, while contributing to the US economy in taxes.

5. It removes the incentive for businesses to hire and exploit illegal immigrants who cannot seek their rights for fear of exposure and deportation.

6. It does not, of itself, provide the “path to citizenship” that is a red line for hard core opponents of immigration reform.

7. It recognizes the reality that there are children of illegal immigrants who are, by virtue of being born in the United States, citizens, and requires the parents of those children to legitimize their status.

The downside of this plan is, of course, that prices on some goods will rise as a result of the improved status of low-wage, formerly illegal immigrants.  We’ll pay more for the produce picked by immigrants who are finally being paid a decent wage, and the services provided by those who no longer live in the shadows and earn meager wages.  But I believe that in the long run, this plan represents a good start toward a stronger America and a better life for those who would share in its dream.

"Commitment to America"

This past week, with much fanfare, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and House Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik released the GOP's program for the coming midterm elections and beyond. Titled "Commitment to America," it is a one-page flyer that is long on stirring, yet vague language and short on specifics of action, and echoes the much-ballyhooed, quickly ignored, and long forgotten "Contract with America" drafted by Newt Gingrich in 1994. As historian Heather Cox Richardson noted in her "Letter from an American" on September 23rd, it reflects the thoughts of George Orwell in his famous essay "Politics and the English Language." In that essay, Orwell noted that

"The political dialects to be found in pamphlets, leading articles, manifestos, White papers and the speeches of undersecretaries do, of course, vary from party to party, but they are all alike in that one almost never finds in them a fresh, vivid, homemade turn of speech. When one watches some tired hack on the platform mechanically repeating the familiar phrases ... one often has a curious feeling that one is not watching a live human being but some kind of dummy: a feeling which suddenly becomes stronger at moments when the light catches the speaker's spectacles and turns them into blank discs which seem to have no eyes behind them."

and further,

"In our time, political speech and writing are largely the defence of the indefensible ... Thus political language has to consist largely of euphemism, question-begging and sheer cloudy vagueness."

Granted, the political platforms of both parties* tend to be vague, pompous, and quickly discarded upon the assumption of power. Nevertheless, the language of the GOP's "Commitment to America" soars to new levels of hypocrisy and balderdash.

The document proposes four aims: "An Economy That's Strong," "A Nation That's Safe," "A Future That's Built on Freedom," and "A Government That's Accountable." Let's look at them in some detail ...

1. "An Economy That's Strong." Everything noted in this section is already being done by the Biden Administration. One looks in vain for anything the GOP would do differently.

2. "A Nation That's Safe." While the document says the GOP will "secure the border and combat illegal immigration," it fails to note that the GOP has done nothing to address the nation's outdated immigration and asylum laws that contribute to the mess. It also notes that people must have "legal status" to get a job ... which is already the law. It "support(s) 200,000 more police officers through recruiting bonuses," but does not offer suggestions on how this would be paid for**. And it endorses "peace through strength with our allies," although the previous GOP administration did its best to undermine the NATO that is now proving to be a bulwark against Russian aggression beyond Ukraine. I don't know about you, but I feel a lot safer without Der Furor and his sycophants in the driver's seat.

3. "A Future That's Built on Freedom***." "Freedom" is a word much used by a party that seems more intent on taking freedoms away. GOP policies on education, such as they are, are utterly absurd, and essentially empower parents to decide what their children will learn based on their own political, social, and religious biases, rather than what children need to know to survive and thrive in today's world ... the simple fact that stupidly dangerous inanities like Q-Anon have a strong following argues for more and better education. The document wants to "achieve longer, healthier lives for Americans," but ignores the GOP's history of attempting to kill the Affordable Care Act while keeping the cost of health care (prescription drugs in particular) the highest in the developed world, well beyond the reach of many lower-income Americans. And the final part of this section, "Confront Big Tech and Demand Fairness," is clearly designed to punish technology firms for cracking down on hate speech and demanding even a modicum of online honesty and accuracy. Looking at the behavior of the GOP around the country, it is clear that the concept of "freedom" applies only to those citizens of the proper race, ethnicity, political orientation, and religion.

4. "A Government That's Accountable." This is particularly rich, given the frantic attempts by the GOP to evade accountability for the storming of the Capitol on January 6th, 2021, ongoing GOP attempts to undermine public confidence in the electoral process and deny the results of the 2020 election, and closing Republican ranks to protect Der Furor from accountability for the theft of sensitive government documents. Of particular stupidity and arrogance is the call to "require the White House to answer for its incompetence at home and abroad." One shudders to think of the national and international disasters we would be facing had Der Furor been reelected. 

In poker terms, the GOP is attempting to play a very poor hand as well as it can. The accomplishments of the Biden Administration so far overshadow those of Der Furor's feckless "leadership" that one has to shake one's head in disbelief at the Orwellian newspeak of the Republican "commitment."

The midterm elections coming in November will likely be the most consequential of our lifetimes. We owe it to the nation and to our children and grandchildren to decisively crush the increasingly authoritarian ... swiftly approaching fascist ... aims of the GOP.

Vote.

Have a good day. Consider which party is actually committed to all Americans ... not the favored few.

More thoughts coming. 

Bilbo

* Let us not forget that the GOP did not even bother to publish a platform prior to the 2020 election, simply saying that "the Republican Party has and will continue to enthusiastically support the President’s America-first agenda." Exactly what that "agenda" was was quite flexible, and depended on the political advantage of the moment and the whims of the Toddler-in-Chief.

** And we all know that the GOP insists on programs being paid for ... usually by means of tax cuts which benefit the wealthy and big business and the elimination of social programs which help the middle and lower classes.

*** In my high school civics class, we were taught that there was a difference between "freedom" (which implies acceptance of responsibility for the consequences of exercising one's freedoms) and "license" (which implies the unrestricted freedom to do what one will, without consequences). The GOP approach is closer to the latter.

GOP Bingo

If you are one of my friends on Facebook, you already saw an earlier version of this last week ... this one has a few tweaks based on comments received from initial reviewers.

Are you running out of things to keep you occupied while stuck at home during this holiday season? Why not play my new board game - GOP Bingo! Play it just like traditional bingo: pull out the cards whenever someone puts on Fox News or OANN or Newsmax, or you see a GOP official being interviewed on a news program or giving a speech on C-SPAN, or you score one of the many empty seats at one of Der Furor's rallies. Just use whatever is at hand (bullets are preferred by true Republicans) to cover the appropriate grid square each time you hear one of the gaslighting words or phrases ... cover five in a row (across or down), or five on a diagonal (including the free space), and you win! Print it out and play today! It's fun for all ages, but especially for those whose political age is five or under!

Any other ideas for additional blocks? Leave a comment.

Have a good day. More thoughts coming.

Bilbo