$37 million dollars to more than 60 law firms since January, 2022. That’s how much Trump’s supporters have paid so far, according to the Associated Press. Trump’s ‘Save America’ PAC is really a ‘Save Trump’ PAC. According to FEC filings, $37 million is more than half of the PAC’s expenditures. I say the PAC’s expenditures. I mean his supporter’s expenditures. They send the money to the PAC, the PAC sends the money to the lawyers. Trump goes out and whines, “Poor me!” and the supporters send more and the cycle repeats.

They don’t mind. They KNOW nothing like this has ever happened to an ex-President before so they THINK it must be political in nature. Sure, they COULD decide on the truth: it’s never happened before because we’ve never had such an inept criminal in the Oval Office before but they don’t like that interpretation so they’ve settled on “Meanie-Pants Government.” Sure, it’s stupid but it’s what they’ve got, so…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

By now, you’ve heard of the Republican effort to pin the entire mess in the House on the Democrats. “Wait, what? That can’t be right.”
“Well, they’re not right but that’s how they’re trying to evade responsibility for the chaos.”
“So they’re suggesting the Democrats should have kept a Republican House Speaker? Why would Democrats want a Republican House Speaker, given a choice?”
“OBVIOUSLY, they wouldn’t.”
“Well, who gave the Democrats the choice?”
“The Republicans.”
“Well, then, why the obviously silly story?”
“The base buys it. That’s really all they need.”

Jim Jordan is taking yet another shot at the Speakership. Round 3. After today, only twelve more votes and he ties the McCarthy for 2nd longest Speakership drama in history! (The longest was 133 votes in 1855/56.) In fairness, McCarthy set a high standard for low quality and Jordan is going to have to work hard to match it. Truthfully, we’re moving past the fun part to where this is getting serious but I still can’t help laughing at the Republicans.

I doubt anyone is surprised. The MAGAs are constantly on about how government sucks and people shouldn’t govern and government doesn’t work and, particularly, people in government are fools. What did they expect? Sudden interest in governance? Jordan and his ilk are threatening to strangle the House if they don’t get their oh-so-stubborn way. But if they DO get their way, all they want to do is strangle the entire government so it’s best none of them are given the job.

I don’t really expect any Republicans to cross any party lines in this very partisan day and age. But I DO think the only way past the impasse is for a few Republicans to threaten to vote for Hakim Jefferies in one of the upcoming rounds if not given a less ideological choice. If that doesn’t wake up the MAGAs – and it won’t, at least it could get the government back to work…

The cons should go with Don Bacon (no relation), and not just because I’m really zippy at typing ‘Bacon.’ Sure, he’s a moderate centrist but he’s still a Republican. I wonder why the Republicans never listen to me?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I guess the base believes it, or works to believe it, or is desperately trying to, please, God, help me, believe it but I’m just sick of hearing Donny constantly blaming witch hunts and conspiracies for his troubles. It can’t possibly make sense to anybody that you’re either a MAGA loyalist or part of a vast conspiracy to bring him down with no middle ground. Even people who were loyalists until the topic became “trash the Constitution.” Suddenly, the once-loyal, one-time followers who love America more than they love Trump are RINO’s (Republican In Name Only).

The truth is, nobody was looking any too closely at the Trump Organization and likely would not have done had he not run for President. But, no MAGAs, they didn’t look into Trump especially closely because he was such a great and awesome President. When one runs for President, people, mostly the press and political opponents, dig as deeply into your world as they can. The cons are doing the exact same thing to Biden right now. In Donny’s case, there was just SO MUCH to find!

His indescribably huge ego had convinced him he was untouchable and that made him complacent. His crimes weren’t even all that well hidden. It didn’t take much looking to find problems. Once someone started pulling even the tiniest thread, the whole thing unraveled.

Not three generations is a pretty quick turnaround for a fortune once estimated at nearly $8 Billion dollars. (Granted, that’s likely based on inflated values and was actually worth, like, $1.25 but without evidence, I’ll go with public information.) Grandpa Drumpf started the thing. Daddy now-Trump really built many of the buildings. The “stable bizness jenyus,” Donny, managed to grift the thing to dust. In 52 years. (He took control in 1971.) On average, this guy lost $153 million dollars a year, each year he controlled the company. Ivanka got herself a rich guy so she’ll be okay but it’s looking like Eric and Don, Jr. are going to have to get jobs. I wonder what they’re qualified to do?

I’ll tell you this: Losing $8 Billion dollars in 52 years is pretty impressive in it’s own way. I wonder why he never brags about that?