In Case You Missed It (v118)

Four posts made it out last week - three were regular features, while the fourth was a revival of one of my favorite themes. Here's a recap of the week, which started with my Sunday School classroom visits. 

I took one for the team and paid attention to all of the GOP folks who stopped by for interviews, including Margaret Brennan's chat on Face the Nation with Sarah Huckabee Sanders, notable mostly for her time as Donald Trump's many press secretaries. 

She's currently governor of Arkansas, a job her dad also held. She and Brennan talked about abortion exceptions, maternal care, and things like that before the conversation inevitably turned to Sanders's former boss. 

When asked about Trump and Biden both being too old to be part of a new generation of leaders, Sanders talked about the candidates' records, not their ages, and to no one's surprise, thinks Trump is the better choice. As to whether Trump can unite us, she said

You know, one of the things that I think is so often left out of Donald Trump's story is the patriotism and the love of country that he brought back. We haven't seen that in this president... In fact, we've seen the total opposite. 

Brennan disagreed with several things Sanders touted as Trump's successes, including immigration, the Middle East, and Ukraine, to which Sanders responded,

Well, that's why we need him to come back for four years because he didn't get to finish, but he certainly made significant progress...

 I give her credit - at least she admitted that some of Trump's most highly-touted 'accomplishments' weren't accomplished. 

Here's an excerpt from Sen. Scott's conversation with Dana Bash (CNN's State of the Union), which was featured in your Extra Credit, which was the second post of the week. As I noted, this was considered a hugely important endorsement, ostensibly because Scott chose not to endorse Nikki Haley, the person who made him a Senator. 

Or, at least equally likely, even if no one's saying much about it, it's because he's the only Black GOP senator. Anyway, here's an excerpt for you. The colorful comment is mine.

Bash talked about Scott's "very positive, very hopeful campaign." She played a video clip of Scott asking a crowd, "Victimhood or victory? Grievance or greatness?" and said it sounded like he was talking about Trump.

No, listen, I -- we absolutely, positively, unequivocally need an America that's not filled with victims.

Trump is the victim-in-chief, for Pete's sake. So, if not Trump, who was Scott talking about? 

I'm actually talking about how Joe Biden has destroyed our economy and made victims out of people waiting for the government to show up. I'm talking about having a president who's weaponizing the DOJ against political adversaries. We need Lady Justice wearing a blindfold. I want America, every single American in every corridor of this nation to have confidence in their DOJ, not a Biden-led DOJ.

 I had quite a few colorful comments in response to his endorsement, as you might imagine. 

Next up? I was Wondering on Wednesday this week about what makes a stock market record high 'good' and what makes one 'bad," and about the damage from the Citizen's United  Supreme Court decision, which had its fourteenth anniversary last week. 

And, I wondered this about Floria Man Ron DeSantis, who suspended his very expensive presidential campaign.

I'm not surprised he dropped out of the race; many folks think he was really prepping for 2028 and a run against Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA). The two debated last November, which is when Newsom famously said, "Neither of us will be the nominee for our party in 2024." 

After DeSantis gave his half-hearted endorsement to Trump, we were told that the 'Ron DeSanctimonious' nickname was officially retired. 

I'm half-heartedly wondering if no longer having to hear the name is why DeSantis suspended his campaign - and if his donors, and their wallets, wish he had done it sooner.

I closed the week with an OrangeVerse post. Started as a more general political poetry theme during the Obama years, it grew by leaps and bounds when Trump took office in 2016, because he's constantly talking, and because his patter lends itself to free verse quite nicely. You can find previous poems by searching the keyword 'OrangeVerse' in the 'At Your Fingertips' box at the right sidebar.

Here's an excerpt from the 62nd chapter, titled Brief but Derogatory, in which the Former Guy had choice words for Nikki Haley and her financial backers.  

I can't help noticing that, as is often the case when he accuses someone of something, it's usually done by exhibiting the same behavior he's complaining about. 

No Camp for YOU!
Nikki 'Birdbrain' Haley 
is very bad
for the Republican Party
and indeed,
our 
Country.
 
Her False Statements,
Derogatory Comments, 
and Humiliating Public Loss, 
is demeaning to
True 
American 
Patriots.

As is often the case, his poetry gets stronger the longer he talks. 

And now, you're up to date. On tap this week? Our usual three (Sunday School, Extra Credit, and WoW), a Quick Take or two, and if all goes well, a report on what's happening in Albany. 

I hope you stick around.