Wondering on Wednesday (v78)

Wow. As in Wondering on Wednesday, and as in wow!

First, I admit I wondered how far I should go with the so-called bit and I've decided that there's no more wondering. I will refer to the so-called President just as the so-called President referred to District Judge James Robart as the so-called judge who ordered a temporary halt to the executive order on immigration (EOI). I suppose after the whole "Mexican, we believe" crap about Judge Gonzalo Curiel, there should have been no surprise that the so-called president would stick his foolish neck out and make a rash statement about any other member of the judiciary who might see an issue with any of Trump's ideas.

What I am wondering about are the comments from Trump's SCOTUS nominee Neil Gorsuch.

He called Trump's attack on the judiciary "demoralizing" and "disheartening" when he was meeting with legislators in advance of his confirmation hearings. Are these the comments of a man who's trying to show his independence by disagreeing with Trump in a venue that was sure to see the light of day? Or are these the comments of a many who's doing exactly what Trump wanted him to do, to appear independent and outspoken, a free thinker not tied to Trump's beliefs? And I wonder, what would the late, great Justice Antonin Scalia have done in these circumstances? Because from all I've seen, he's really the Gorsuch compass.

Except for the whole fascist thing, I guess.

I mean, was anyone really wondering if we were considering an admitted fascist, the Founder and President of the Fascism Forever Club in prep school, for a lifetime seat as a Supreme?

Of course not; and of course, we're  not considering any such person. Because there wasn't any such club, Gorsuch's yearbook entry notwithstanding.

And then, I'm wondering why Elizabeth Warren was silenced for impugning the reputation of another senator? Warren was being her usual fierce self expressing her opposition to the nomination of Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III as Attorney General (he was confirmed today by the way). At some point, she touched a nerve and was officially shut up by a Senate rule about being mean to your peers.

Somehow, reading a letter from the widow of a civil rights leader is impugnatory, but calling the Senate leader a liar is not. Elizabeth Warren was bad, but Lowell Weicker was not. Fun stuff here, for sure, but like many people, I have to wonder whether this move will backfire against lying Mitch McConnell. Warren went from a C-SPAN hearing to some 10,000,000 people watching her read the letter on various media.

And speaking of 10,000,000, that's probably the number of people the so-called President's daughter wishes was purchasing her branded merchandise over the past few months. Had that been the case, maybe Nordstrom wouldn't be dropping her. Now, there's no wondering how Daddy would react to that, right? Of course not!

A tweet here, a tweet there, and, well, we're right smack dab in the middle of a conflict of interest again, and right smack dab in the middle of yet another situation where the #MAGA man, and #BAHA man, is slamming an American company to suit his personal need -- and, oh just by the way, tweeting about it using the official @POTUS account, which we pay for. And having his press secretary blather on about it, spreading alternative facts on why the luxury department store did what they did. We pay for him, too.

Oh - if you were wondering, Nordstrom stock went up today, when they fought back against the Daddy in Chief. How cool is that!

But 10,000,000 is a piddly little number, one that pales in comparison to the $150,000,000 value placed on Melania Trump's multi-year gig as First Lady, and the associated business and branding opportunities she may have lost out on because some reporter suggested she was a call girl, or an escort, or some other term meaning hooker at the same time she was a model in the years before meeting her so-called husband.

Not that she was planning on capitalizing on her First Ladiness, for heaven's sake, who could even wonder such a thing?

As I said at the outset -- wow, this was one busy Wednesday!