Politically beyond stupid

Mark Sumner of Daily Kos reported Christian nationalists tolerate the nasty guy, knowing he will do things for them. The one they love is JD Vance. They want him as VP so he’s ready to go when the nasty guy dies or we get to 2028. They love him so much he’s being called the “Christian Prince” of white nationalists in America. Everyone else thinks Vance is a jerk, the least liked of the major candidates. They – the TheoBros (theological brothers) – like Vance because he is speaking their language. They hang on his every word. Never mind he’s Catholic (and married to a Hindu) and they’re Protestant. They’re younger than the white haired evangelicals in charge of many conservative churches. Sumner also describes them as meaner. Some of the things they want: Repeal women’s right to vote (no rights of women’s bodily autonomy is already assumed), get rid of any hint of diversity (this is supposed to be a white man’s country!), and replace incarceration with public flogging or execution. They “view ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ as a handbook.”

The influence of this group is already being felt in the way Republicans have ramped up attacks on diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts and rolled “DEI” into their collection of condemned terms. It’s there in how many Republicans have been willing to defend the misogyny spewed against “childless cat ladies.” It’s there in the widespread embrace of the vile racism being spread about Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio. It’s there in all the things that are making Trump less a leader of his party than a figurehead being swept along by the flood. Vance’s biggest supporters are men who see him as a potential prince. But there’s nothing charming about this story.

Sumner also reported that the nasty guy has said that if he loses he’s going to blame the Jews for his loss. He said this at Jewish events. They had better vote for him, he says, because he’s protecting Israel and without him in the Oval Office Israel will cease to exist in a couple years. Strange that the nasty guy is telling Christian audiences that soon they won’t have to vote anymore, but telling Jewish audiences they had better vote, and for him.

There has been a rising tide of antisemitism in the United States. But warning Jewish voters that they will be held responsible if Trump doesn’t win isn’t fighting antisemitism. It’s just spreading it.

In a pundit roundup for Kos Greg Dworkin quoted a couple articles describing Mark Robinson, Republican candidate for governor of North Carolina, and how despicable he is. He’s a black man and calls himself a “black Nazi.” I mention him because a lot of news outlets are talking about him. And because he features in a meme in the comments of another roundup. The meme was posted by exlrrp and says:

The problem isn’t that Mark Robinson wasn’t vetted. The problem is that he was vetted and his bad, horrible stuff didn’t matter to Republican voters. Pretty much just like Trump. – Joe Walsh, former Republican

Cartoons also in the comments. One posted by Fiona Webster and created by Drew Sheneman shows a variety of animals.

A public service announcement from the nation’s pets: “If you believe immigrants are eating us, you’re in a cult. Get offline, seek therapy and apologize to all the family you’ve alienated.”

Another meme posted by exlrrp:

Trying to claim that America does not have a gun problem while standing behind a sheet of bullet proof glass is peak Republican.

And a cartoon by Nick Anderson showing a plane marked “GOP” dropping a series of large bombs at an anthill marked “Voter fraud.” Someone inside the nearby house says, “Honey, I think the exterminators are here.” I haven’t heard anything for several days about the House passing a bill to fund the federal government by the end of the month – nine days from now. Since Chuck Schumer of the Senate says he needs a week to get it through his chamber, Mike Johnson in the House has just a couple days to avoid a shutdown. And... no news. Sumner did report last Tuesday that Moscow Mitch said that forcing the government into shutdown just over a month before a high-stakes election is “politically beyond stupid.” Even worse, Johnson is blaming Schumer. Yeah, anyone who knows how Congress works – and anyone who will lose services in a shutdown – is unlikely to blame Schumer for Johnson’s failings. Wrote Sumner:

At the moment, Republicans seem to be trapped. Johnson doesn’t want to drop the [racist] SAVE Act because it would anger Trump. He can’t get Democratic votes because the bill is tied to a racist conspiracy theory. He can’t get all the members of his own party in part because some of them think this bill doesn’t go far enough as far as voter suppression. And because his own members voted the bill down, Johnson has exactly zero leverage over Democrats.

Reportedly, there is a Plan B. But no one has reported on its appearance in the House. Is Johnson one of those who want a shutdown? There’s a social media game of How it started. How it’s going. GeorgiaPeach posted one back in August. The first panel is from 2020 and I can’t make out the artist’s name. It shows the Oval Office in a mess – curtains torn, flags strewn about, dirt and golf clubs on the floor, a red tie and a red hat, and in the middle is Biden with a pail and mop. The second panel is a cartoon by Mike Luckovich showing Joe and a stack of results on a horse and riding off into the sunset.