Unhinged Opposition

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The popular narrative in recent times that the far right is doing their level best at perpetuating is that the Democrats and the left are a bunch of intolerant, violent, hooligans who love crime and violence.  You see, the GOP and Trump can’t pretend that the nation isn’t radically divided.  Trump can certainly lie about a lot of things and do it right to people’s faces, but even he can’t tell his base that massive protests over his behavior and GOP politics aren’t happening.  But they can tell people that it’s because the Left is angry and violent.  And it’s an easy lie to buy into, because the left is indeed angry.  We’re angry at how good people are being treated.  We’re angry on behalf of the people that politicians are hurting, even if those people aren’t angry themselves.  The GOP sell this idea of the liberals and left being the great dividers of that nation, while at the very same time calling democrats criminals who can’t be trusted, calling the media the enemy of the people.  And as of last week, it’s pretty clear which side is quick to jump to violence. How many bombs have to be sent or innocent people killed in synagogues before it becomes clear where the problem lies?  Even now, conservative media is selling the story that even despite all the violent lunatics who are  working on behalf of GOP ideology, it’s the liberals who are really the violent monsters, while encouraging people to deal with liberals violently.  Something’s gotta give, and I’m scared of what it looks like when it does.

Trump Derangement Syndrome

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Trump Derangement Syndrome.  I first heard this term and thought it was a joke.  Like “haha, people don’t like Trump, it’s driving them insane!”  And then I started seeing actual articles about it in conservative media outlets, and it kind of stopped being funny.  Because that’s the new line now.  If you disagree with anything Trump does, if you think he’s a crook, a liar, or just a general bad person, Conservatives will label you with a fictional psychological disorder, giving them one more reason to dismiss any and all criticism of Donald Trump.  And this isn’t just some fringe, conspiracy theory idea.  Trump recently endorsed a book by Gina Loudon, a woman with a mail order PhD, is trying to claim that Trump Derangement Syndrome is a legitimate psychological disorder.  But the really silly thing, is that this “syndrome” which is supposedly born of the rage against all things Trump, is often shouted in what some might call a “deranged” manner, at people.  You have folks like Tucker Carlson and Sean Hannity screaming at their audiences, trying to convince them that it’s the LIBERAL rage that is a threat. It’s an important point for them to sell.  Because if the liberals AREN’T in fact a bunch of rage monsters, then why are hyper-Conservative blowhards shouting so loud?

Trump’s Fiery Vengeance

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So, Trump’s epic, scheduled, Twitter blowup session was as entertaining and kind of horrific as usual.  It’s like that car crash you can’t look away from.  On one end, his ability to just say slanderous things about James Comey unimpeded is sad, and isn’t right.  On the other hand, I think he might have just been the very best promotion for Comey’s upcoming book release, which was the target of Trump’s ire on Sunday.  Interest in Comey’s book seems to have skyrocketed, from most people not knowing the book even really existed to every one and their mother curious about what he might say about his time working with Trump.  I can’t speak to how Trump will effect Comey’s credibility, but he’s certainly helping to line Comey’s pockets.

Getting Gifts


When you grow up, you find out that getting gifts is a more complicated thing than it used to be.