- What did you expect, Democrats? That Republican senators would suddenly start caring more about women, sexual assault or the sanctity of the Supreme Court than their own party and jobs? That was never going to happen. That’s the problem with Democrats. They believe in unicorns, miracles, the power of human goodness (very overrated when it comes to politics) and Hail Mary passes rather than cold, hard strategy. Look, unless he withdrew, Kavanaugh’s confirmation was a sure thing from the beginning, and Democratic leadership knew it. And yet, as passions grew, they started thinking, “Hey, maybe we could actually derail this thing!” So they went all in, making the vote a referendum on women’s rights, which it wasn’t. In doing so, they allowed Trump (you got out-strategized by Trump, for god’s sake; that has to hurt) to make the easy, red-meat pivot to “No, this is actually about the War on White Guys,” thereby firing up his base a month before the mid-terms, which is all that matters here. (It doesn’t matter that the very idea of white guys being discriminated against is ludicrous.) Democrats, meanwhile, are now saddled with a perceived “loss” going into the election and look as weak and ineffectual as usual. I wish Democrats understood warfare better. Every general knows two things: One, don’t fight battles you can’t win because (follow the logic here) you can’t win them! And two, if you do fight, make sure the prize is worth it. In this case, it wasn’t. Say Kavanaugh withdrew or enough female Republican senators voted their gender rather than their party. So what? The GOP would have simply trotted out another white guy stuck in the 1950s. Net difference to society: Zero. Blame Republicans for acting and voting like Republicans if you like, but that’s not where the blame lies here. Fish swim. Republicans act like Republicans. Democrats, well, they don’t seem to know very much at all about how to act or when. As usual.
- I think “barefoot and pregnant” is gonna be a thing again. Buckle up, ladies.
- You watch, if the notorious RBG suddenly dies or resigns, we’re gonna get Squee on the Supreme Court.
- Reporters lately are in love with the term “gaslighting.” And yet how many people know what it means? Not many, I’ll bet. I didn’t. I knew it meant something not good because it’s usually used in reference to the president. But I wasn’t sure what until I got so disgusted with hearing it so often that I finally looked it up. According to Psychology Today, it means: “a tactic in which a person or entity, in order to gain more power, makes a victim question their reality. It works much better than you may think. Anyone is susceptible to gaslighting, and it is a common technique of abusers, dictators, narcissists, and cult leaders.” OK, but why gaslighting? What the heck does a gas light have to do with making stuff up? I suppose I could look that up, too, but instead, I think I’ll grouse about professional communicators who don’t do the most basic job of a communicator, which is to communicate clearly.
- And can we – please, pretty please – remove the term “crush” from the public lexicon? (Lexicon: the vocabulary of a person, language, or branch of knowledge.) I am sick of people saying they’re going to “crush” something when what they mean is they want to do something very well. You don’t “crush” tasks. You accomplish them. Crush means to “deform, pulverize, or force inwards by compressing forcefully.” That’s not what you’re doing when you take out the trash. You’re just taking out the trash. So stop thinking it’s funny to intentionally use a word that grossly overstates what it is, in fact, that you are doing. Thank you.
- Clearly, I’m in a lousy mood today. I blame the cloudy, cold weather lately, which puts me in mind of another long Michigan winter, which always makes me want to – literally – crush something. So is Trump intentionally trying to tick off every single woman in the United States or is it just accidental?
- \ Jeopardy’s Alex Trebek was booed at a gubernatorial debate he was hosting in Pennsylvania this week. The crowd didn’t like the fact that he talked more than the candidates. I’d have booed him just because I hate the smug way he pronounces foreign words on the show. But that’s just me.
- This is not good. General Motors has been tracking the radio listening habits of drivers in Chicago and L.A. to see if they can use the data to better target them with ads. God, what a horrible idea. We’re already tracked to death. I’m already afraid to search for anything online because the second I do, my page fills up with ads for whatever it is I just searched for, which is damned creepy.
- By the way, I listen to a lot of ‘70s songs by the Eagles, James Taylor, Tom Petty and the like. So what ads would GM recommend I be bombarded with … fiber supplements, life insurance, suspenders?
- Some men are upset about a new California law requiring women on corporate boards. Relax, guys, things will be fine. This isn’t the Little Rascals and the He-Man Woman Hater’s Club. The ladies won’t make you have tea parties once they get in.
- “Change before you have to.” – Jack Welch.
jbcsfl says
He said/She said……… there is no winner, only He and She know the truth and sadly we the people probably will never know what it is.
I have never seen such partisan politics in my lifetime.
We are now in an age never seen before, our democracy has become a dictatorship ruled by whatever party has the majority in congress.
Here’s hoping the midterms bring about a change and we can get back to bipartisanship in the government.
Doug says
I’ll pass on the Kavanaugh thing (it was a foregone conclusion, wasn’t it), but I will weigh in on “crush.” Usage changes our language (we’re old enough to remember when “gay” meant “happy”), so “crush” may have crushed it in its new context. That doesn’t bother me. Journos using the expression “double down” every time the president or someone else renews their efforts. I wish they’d crush that.
Andrew Heller says
It’s the incessant-ness (just created my own word!) of it that bugs me, not its existence.
Up in the U.P. says
Its isnt it’s, it’s its
Jake says
Couldn’t agree more about the Democrats. Just look who they ran against trump. The Dems are not good at conniving, laying the blame on others, fabricating timelines, truth stretching and plain old lying like the Republicans, which is what politics are all about.
NativeOfMichigan says
In the last two years we have seen the Presidency of this great country put in the gutter and most of the members of our once great Congress turn into weasels and worse. And now partisanship has tarnished the reputation of the highest court of our land, probably permanently. In my seven decades on this earth, I never thought I would see this happening. But here we are and my eyes are seeing what made this a once great country being flushed down the toilet.
R.I.P
PAULA SCHMIDT says
Speaking of crushing communication, as an etmology fan I couldnt help but look it up and learn something new: The term ‘gaslighting’ originates in the systematic psychological manipulation of a victim by her husband in the 1938 stage play Gaslight, known as Angel Street in the United States, and the film adaptations released in 1940 and 1944.
Fred says
Hey Andrew, what is going on with the Packers’ field goal kicker? He has ONE job!
teddy luba says
He might be in the unemployment line on Monday.
Andrew Heller says
He’s good but what the hell? Four FG misses and an XP miss? Time to go.
teddy luba says
Heard he was MVP for Detroit.
Paula Shelhamer says
Let’s see . . . one sexual abuser already on SCOTUS . . . another as POTUS . . . why are we surprised that another is added to the highest court in the land by a part of old white men? Cockroaches usually come out at night, but since the 2016 election they’re coming out in the daytime and we see who they are.
jimiii says
Democrats are upset that Brett Kavanaugh is now a member of SCOTUS. Glad he made it.
Get upset and grab your pacifier and blankie and go sit in a corner and have a time out.
Democrats got upset that the Republicans invoked the BIDEN rule involving SCOTUS nominations during a Presidential election year.
What is the BIDEN rule? That rule was made up by Joe Biden way back in 1992 when Bush 1 was in office and there was a vacancy in the SCOTUS. Bush 1 nominated someone to fill the vacancy, Joe Biden and the Democrats made up the rule that the sitting president could not nominate someone during a presidential election year. In the minds of the Democrats, it is a good rule so long as the Democrats invoke it. When the Republicans invoke it is a Constitutional crisis in the minds of the Democrats.
Same with the Democrats when under the guidance of Harry Reid the Democrats wanted some law or other thing passed and they did not have enough votes to have a 60 vote majority, Harry Reid and the Democrats managed to change the rule to a simple 50 vote majority.
Mitch McConnel warned Harrey Reid that such a rule change could come back and bite them in the butt when the Republicans gained the majority in the Senate.
Whenever the Democrats do something that helps them it is ok and legal. When the Republicans use the rule changes to pass/enact something the Democrats do not want the Democrats start having temper tantrums.
Did C. Ford have some sort of sexual assault during some wild party when she was 15? Yes. Was Brett Kavanaugh the one who did it? I do not think so. His name was not mentioned during her counseling sessions in 2012 or with any other therapy she may have had. His name did not emerge until he was nominated to the position on the SCOTUS.
C. Ford was abused by the Democrats in an effort to stop Brett Kavanaugh from becoming a member of the SCOTUS. She did not want her name revealed at all. The Republicans did not know her name. So the revealing of her name could have only come from someone in the Democrat side of the aisle.
It is interesting that a lot of liberal/democrat/liberal women and men in the Democrat side of things stated that a woman is supposed believed when she makes such a complaint.
In the eyes of Democrats, if a woman makes a complaint about a Republican we are supposed to believe them.
However, it does not apply in the following situations:
Unless you are raped by Bill Clinton and silenced by Hilliary Clinton or emotionally and physically abused by Keith Ellison or groped by Corey Booker or left for dead by Ted Kennedy.
Last week a comment from someone in the DNC opined that the former girlfriend of Keith Ellison had no standing with her complaints. WHY? She had no videotape evidence of him actually doing the abusing. She had police and medical records to prove her complaint.
In the minds of the liberals/democrats/socialists of the DNC the evidence was/is not enough.
Mama Bear says
You might want to research the “Biden Rule”. There was no opening on the Supreme Court, there was no “Rule” voted on or enacted. He made the comments June 1992 to say IF there was an opening at that time the appointment should be made after the election in November. That’s 4 months, not 10, and not an actual open position to be filled. I also note that you do not bother to mention any of the Republicans who have had to resign/withdraw/lose elections over sexual abuse charges…
Fred says
The world would be a much better place without people like jimiii pushing this false narrative that people who commit sexual abuse and assault belong to a specific political group, and that women are not to be taken seriously unless they have a police report and other documented evidence to back them up. I am thankful that men like jimiii are a dying breed and that I am young enough to still be around when they aren’t any longer.
Mama Bear says
So basically, the rules have changed. Our daughters can no longer say that they have been molested unless there are witnesses who are willing to testify in court. And men wonder why so many of us never came forward. For those who smugly say “It was 36 years ago, she can’t possible remember”, you are also saying “It didn’t happen because he remembers it didn’t”. For those who say “I would remember something like that”, I say no you wouldn’t. I do NOT remember the exact date or time, and actually do not remember the exact location of the party, but I DO remember the person, and everyone else that was there. I remember my friends laughing at me because I didn’t want to play, I remember sitting outside waiting for my “friends” so I could get home, and I remember the kindness of strangers who offered to drive me 60 miles back to my home. In those days we didn’t report these things, because, after all, we hadn’t been violently raped. “No harm no foul”, “Boys will be boys”, “We don’t want to ruin his future over a little episode like this”, “If something like this bothers you after all these years maybe you should have some more therapy”. You think our sons need to be worried? I say our daughters and grand-daughters need to be worried. They’ve just been told their word counts less than a man’s job opportunity.
teddy luba says
Very well written. How come the coaches in his school didn’t know of his drinking, or did he lie to them also?
jimiii says
Fred would make goebles proud. He has a very unique way of skewing words and twisting the meaning of comments that do not fit the liberal/socialist democrat party line.
When a Republican is accused of a very credible case of abusing women, the republican will properly resign. As he/she should.
If a Democrat is accused of abuse the Democrats will line up and defend the democrat and proudly
proclaim his/her innocence and they are a stellar person.
Just look at the case of Keith Ellison. His girlfriend has police and medical records of the abuse she suffered at the hands of Keith. What has the DNC done with her case? They dismissed her case and said that she did not have any real evidence of the abuse. She needed a video of him actually assaulting her. The police records and medical reports are not enough.
If we are to follow that line of reasoning then C. Ford has no standing in bringing the bogus charge against Justice Brett Kavanaugh. Why? She has no video of whoever of the alleged event.
As far as the Biden rule goes. In 1992 rumors began to really swirl around Washington that Justice Byron White was really considering retiring that year. The rumors had started a few years earlier.
That is when Joe Biden started the Biden rule idea. The Democrats did not want Bush 1 to be able to nominate a new Supreme Court Justice.
Justice White decided not to retire until after the 1992 election.
source New York Times by Lisa Greenhouse, 20 March 1993.
Joe Biden made the statement in 1992 that no Supreme Court nominee could/should not be appointed during an election year.
Fred says
Do you mean like how Al Franken didn’t resign after Democrats didn’t put pressure on him to do so?
With your logic, Trump would had resigned by now. He was caught on tape bragging about committing sexual assault and plenty of respected women have accused him.
jimiii, you are a liar and hypocrite. I stand by my statement. The world would be better off without people like you.
Brad says
Speaking of liars, here comes fop Freddie claiming Trump admitted to sexual assault on tape…. what he doesn’t tell you is that Trump said the women just LET him grab them. Listen to the entire piece, not just the carefully edited portion of “grab by the p***y”. If it’s consensual, can it be sexual assault? The world would be a far better place if liars like Freddie weren’t around. Hopefully, sooner rather than later.
Fred says
Thank you Brad. You are just the sexual assault enabling asshole I was hoping to pull into this conversation. Every sex offender uses that defense, “she wanted it”, “she didn’t say no”.
Do you seriously think Trump asked these women first? “Hey, I wanna grab you by the p…y, okay? You don’t mind do you?”. Do you think the self proclaimed Billionaire doesn’t have the means to make their lives miserable if they try to talk?
Take those questions and throw them around with your neo-nazi women hating incel friends on 4chan. Then come back here. I am looking forward to reading your stupid response.
jimiii says
The neo-Nazis are democrats Fred. Or more exactly socialists/communists.
There is no such thing as a republican neo-nazi.
Fred when are you going to condemn the actions of Bill Clinton?
Or the actions of Hilliary Clinton in destroying the lives of the women that accused bill of rape and other types of sexual assault?
I guess that hell might freeze first.
In the picture that Andrew used at the start of this article, I wondered why something did not look right.
Then I happened to watch (gasp) Fox News that showed that clip came from SNL. I am not in the habit of watching the left-leaning SNL programs.
They bend and twist the truth on a regular basis and the democrats/socialists/ communists believe them.
Like the SNL skit with Tina Fey. Tina Fey who in 2008 mocking Sarah Palin by making the statement that she could see Russia from her front porch.
Sarah Palin never said that. Tina Fey said that in a skit mocking Sara Palin.
Sarah Palin actually said that she could see Russia while standing on the westernmost point of Alaska. Where Sarah was standing anyone standing there could see Russia at that point. It is only 3 miles from Russia at that point.
When Tina Fey made that mocking statement while impersonating Sarah Palin the media changed it to imply that Sarah said it. A lot of democrats/socialists/believed that it was Sarah Palin who made the statement.
Fred says
The neo-nazis, white supremacists and KKK members are in your party, jimiii. Remember “Unite the RIGHT”? That isn’t “Unite the LEFT”. These are the guys who marched in Charlottesville chanting “Jews will not replace us.” You know? The kind of thing Nazis say? And, if you look closely, you’ll see the Make America Great Again hats on their little heads. But nice try, jimiii. We already know you are full of shit.
Brad says
Poor fop Freddie, your nose grows longer with every rant you drop here. All that anger doesn’t hide your lying nature….. you deliberately edited the audio in order to present a lie. No amount of bluster changes that fact. Sorry lying cupcake, but if your ass is THAT chapped, have mommy apply some salve.
Fred says
Brad, that is so weak. Please try again. I know you can do better.