Those of you who’ve been through therapy, or who have a friend who’s been through therapy and held your hand and refilled your glass for hours that night when you poured out your soul about that asshole, that prick, that king-hell bitch of a boss/ex-wife/ex-husband/no-goodnik who did you wrong — if you’ve been in that situation, ever, you’ve probably heard this line:
“Why are you letting them live in your head rent-free?”
Clever, to the point, sometimes it resets your thinking, sometimes it doesn’t. Sometimes the eviction of the squatter in your head has to be done at a later date, but eventually, it has to be done.
This is how I feel about Donald Trump; this is what I was talking about when I said I didn’t know how much more of this campaign I could take. I’m just so, so tired of the endless tweets and posts and blogs and what-have-you about him, and I want to talk about something else. I want him out of my head, because he has clogged the toilet and smeared the bathtub with grime and left his hair products all over the sink and otherwise made himself unwelcome up there.
That said, he’s coming to town Monday to speak to the Detroit Economic Club, and I’m going to try to get a credential. The DEC is very much GOPe people, in the main, with some Democrats sprinkled in there. There will surely be supporters in the crowd, but this will be no Trump rally by any measure. They always ask a few questions, pre-vetted by the chair, and I don’t expect anything incendiary, but it’s worth giving up a lunch hour for sure.
We’ll see how it goes.
That said, the latest from the squatter between my ears:
I didn’t think it was possible to be more offended by this guy, but after watching the clip of him showing off a Purple Heart — a Purple Heart! — given to him by a veteran, making a joke about how he “always wanted one,” but didn’t think “it would be this easy,” something inside me just curdled. Alan’s father earned three of them, and his war wounds probably shortened his life by a decade, and did who-knows-what to the inside of his head. Where is the bottom of this barrel? What hell lies below this one? Who, who in the world with Trump’s resume, particularly where his lack of military service is concerned, would accept such an offer? What sentient human being wouldn’t tuck it back into that veteran’s hand and say, “This is something special, and while I’m honored by your gesture, it would be wrong for me to take it.” Donald Trump, that’s who.
Oh, enough of him. How about another one cut from the same bolt of cloth, James O’Keefe? He was in town on Election Day, and guess what he did? Tried to vote for a number of high-profile people, including members of the Free Press editorial board, one of whom wrote a column about his actions.
O’Keefe. What a douchebag. I commented on Facebook that if Ted Cruz is the most punchable face in America, this guy has to be the silver medalist.
You guys all saw the tweetstorm by John Noonan, who was Jeb Bush’s national security advisor, right? It ain’t pretty.
Mentioning the silver medalist makes me think of the Olympics, starting this weekend. I plan to watch that swimming until all I can see is blue.
And that’s it for me today. Here’s to a calmer tomorrow.
Kim said on August 4, 2016 at 12:34 am
Reading daily but swamped with the imbalance that is work/life. Thanks to all of you for the vicarious conversation.
Nancy, I agree completely about the GOP nominee and hope like hell you get to see him in action. And, you know, we get to consume that knowledge.
Like others here, I am grateful my kids – 2/3 of whom are first-time voters – are concluding how and why their vote will matter.
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Deborah said on August 4, 2016 at 2:50 am
I hope it works out for you Nancy, to go hear the GOP nom in person and then let us know what it was like. I’ve decided not to use his name anymore but to call him the GOP nominee because that’s exactly what he is.
This is going to be another travel day. It has been ungodly hot in Chicago lately and I’m happy to be going back to NM where they are finally having their monsoon season.
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ROGir; said on August 4, 2016 at 4:35 am
Noonan was being interviewed by Chris Hayes last night, and I started thinking about what could happen if Trump ordered the armed forces to do something, like launch a nuke or invade a country, and they refused to do it.
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adrianne said on August 4, 2016 at 6:25 am
In heartening news, Kansas Republicans have finally realized that Gov. Brownback and his merry band of grifters know fuck-all about running a state economy and are turning out Republican incumbent legislators in droves. Oh, and they booted a Tea Party Congressman to the curb, too. A win-win!
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David C. said on August 4, 2016 at 6:43 am
I haven’t watched the Summer Olympics for the past three or four times. I think it’s the lack of the us vs. them element, but it’s mostly the lousy presentation. It’s an I went to watch games and ended up at a testimonial dinner thing. Human interest stories are fine to a point, but they seem to be the only point now.
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Suzanne said on August 4, 2016 at 6:46 am
Mr T reminds me more & more of the kid in my son’s elementary/middle school class. A fat obnoxious kid who, I think, the teachers secretly felt sorry for because he was so fat & obnoxious. All the teachers said they didn’t get it. Said the class was so different when that kid was not there, and that they could not understand the otherwise good kids who would follow his lead and do stupid stuff that they would not otherwise do. Then along comes candidate T and I see people who should know better follow his lead and I think, same scenario! He’s saying and doing things decent people secretly wish they could do, but it goes against what they know is right. Mr T is a candidate for president and gets away with it, so it must be ok to let loose the crap inside & spew it out, they think. And we see the result every day.
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alex said on August 4, 2016 at 7:51 am
It’s my considered experience that the toxic people living rent-free inside your head will only vacate once you learn how be assertive enough with them in person. That’s a hard thing to do when the tenant is Trump, however. But I remain optimistic. All signs suggest that he’s breaking his lease early.
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BigHank53 said on August 4, 2016 at 8:37 am
For the Sochi games we had no TV, so we hunted around for a way to stream them. You may need to use a location spoofer (i.e. tunnel in through a router located in the UK) but the BBC had excellent coverage of the games. they’re rooting for the UK athletes, of course, but also the onscreen announcers weren’t bothering to hide how excited they were–they were at the Olympics!
I gave up on NBC a couple decades ago, when their “coverage” of the biathalon (cross-country skiing and rifle shooting; the Finns, Russians, and Swedes are the only real competitors) contained thirty-five seconds of actual event footage. The rest was personality glop on the US competitor, who wasn’t that interesting. Finished twenty-eighth or so. To top it all off, they didn’t show a single image or even tell the audience who medaled. Screw ’em.
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Tim said on August 4, 2016 at 10:08 am
Trump’s been a national celebrity for decades, and this country adores celebrities. And now, the anti-politician, anti-Washington, anti-precedent message that underlies everything he says appeals on a basic level to people who feel they haven’t been heard before. I’ve heard people say they like him because he’d “shake things up.” I ask, You think a billionaire would do something to help you? They shrug, what the hell.
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Jolene said on August 4, 2016 at 10:10 am
It appears that more and more Americans want to get Trump out of their heads, and they’re willing to evict other Republicans along with him. The post-convention polls show Hillary’s support rising and support for some R Senate candidates falling.
I believe that the Dems need to take four seats to win back the Senate. So far, they think they will defeat Kirk in Illinois and Johnson in Wisconsin. If, as this poll suggests, they are able to defeat Ayotte, they just need one more. Toomey in PA is vulnerable, and Clinton is running well ahead there.
So, a few signs of hope.
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Julie Robinson said on August 4, 2016 at 10:35 am
Kim, I’m similarly swamped, so I’ll just leave this: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/opinions/wp/2016/08/03/donald-trumps-very-public-meltdown-for-crying-out-loud/?wpisrc=nl_rainbow&wpmm=1
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MichaelG said on August 4, 2016 at 10:40 am
NBC Olympics coverage is beyond abysmal. They did, however provide start to finish coverage of the US women’s soccer match. Of course there wasn’t anything else going on.
I’m going to Barcelona next Tuesday. I guess I’ll see the Olympics on a mixture of the BBC and Spanish channels. When I’m watching.
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Jeff Borden said on August 4, 2016 at 11:33 am
Baseball gives me solace from Little Lord Fauntleroy’s campaign, but it is hard to completely evict him from my thoughts. I get a very base and visceral feeling when I hear or see him. . .in much the same way Dick Cheney gave me the creeps every time he popped up on my screen. . .and I know it’s my fault, but jeez, has there ever been such a hateful and ignorant person so very close to the Oval Office? His success forces me to confront the uncomfortable thought that a very large portion of my fellow citizens are180 degrees from my thinking on everything from social justice to global diplomacy to climate change and that they will not change their stance regardless of the outcome in November. Beyond the scary thought of this buffoon winning in the fall –anything is possible, right?– is realizing his followers will not be cowed when the election is over. The professional political ratfucker, Roger Stone, who is counseling tRump, already is predicting “blood in the streets” if his candidate doesn’t win. If you’ve scene the videos of the rallies, you know Stone isn’t exaggerating. tRump’s followers are scary.
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brian stouder said on August 4, 2016 at 11:45 am
Julie – great link!
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Jolene said on August 4, 2016 at 11:58 am
Here’s a story about a veteran who came up with a clever plan to help Trump earn the military honors he wishes he had. Pretty funny, and he’s doing some good for people who need help as part of his prank.
I’m with you, Jeff, re the scariness of Trump’s supporters. The loud voices and profanity are not just crude, but, especially in gatherings, frightening. Even worse than the threatening behavior, is the imperviousness to facts and evidence. Crime is out of control. No, it isn’t. The economy stinks. No, it doesn’t. The polls are fake. No, they aren’t.
I’ve seen some comments on social media that are absolutely mind-boggling in the extent they go to in excusing Trump for the things he has done and accusing Clinton of things she has not done. I sometimes wonder how people who have such distorted beliefs can get through the day without injury, much less hold down jobs.
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brian stouder said on August 4, 2016 at 11:58 am
Jeff – short version of a longer story (less all the adjectives and expletives and contemplative stuff):
last year, at a picnic(!), my lovely wife and I were sitting with a co-worker (30 years) that I thought I knew, at least tangentially.
I was stunned and amazed – and remain stunned and amazed, to this day – at the unending litany of hateful, racist, hard-hearted crap that came from him and his wife.
I realized I didn’t know him any better than any random person on the street, nor why he (and his wife) thinks this stuff, nor why they’d think I’d want to hear this stuff.
Now, (rightly or wrongly) I relate this to the “rise” of Trumpism.
I think Trump is the equal and opposite reaction – required by nature and physics – to a thoughtful, successful, non-white president like Obama (who the fellow and his wife have nothing good to say about, at all).
In that regard, I think when HRC flattens him, the know-nothing constituency will then (and going forward) be at a full boil.
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alex said on August 4, 2016 at 12:00 pm
Here’s a non-Trump diversion that ought to make everyone’s day.
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Scout said on August 4, 2016 at 1:16 pm
It’s almost unforgivable that the rise of tRump has caused me to view anyone with the last name of Bush favorably. The Noonan tweets were chilling, as is most of the stuff coming out recently regarding tRump’s “foreign policy.”
But enough. The proprietress has expressed a desire for some diversion. This tickled me; I thought you all would appreciate it too.
http://thenextweb.com/shareables/2016/08/02/ikea-instagram-commercial/
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Scout said on August 4, 2016 at 1:50 pm
This story would be a nothingburger except for the fact El Douche has made ‘illegals’ one of the centerpieces of his campaign.
http://www.politico.com/story/2016/08/melania-trump-immigration-donald-226648
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/was-melania-trump-an-illegal-also-argh
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Sherri said on August 4, 2016 at 2:01 pm
Ok, here’s a different thing about Lord Bumblemort: his list of things that were fair game for his roast in 2011, and what wasn’t. Hand size isn’t on the list.
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Sherri said on August 4, 2016 at 2:01 pm
Oops, forgot the link: http://www.vulture.com/2016/08/donald-trump-roast-off-limits-joke.html
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Sue said on August 4, 2016 at 2:02 pm
When I heard about Donald’s purple heart, I wondered why the veteran would have given it to him. That takes some real passion and absolute certainty that your guy is flawless. That got me thinking – wonder how Sarah McCain Palin Ciptak is doing these days? And who her daddy is supporting this time around?
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/sarah-palin/3203088/US-election-Father-secretly-names-baby-Sarah-McCain-Palin.html
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Kirk said on August 4, 2016 at 2:07 pm
Based on the “clarification,” it would appear that Vulture fabricated that list. Apparently the only thing off-limits were jokes that indicated Donald wasn’t as rich as he said he was.
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Dexter said on August 4, 2016 at 2:21 pm
Anybody who attends recovery meetings (the kind held in church basements or anyplace where two or more can sit and talk for an hour) hears the rent-free-in-your-head theme frequently. Sometimes the old-timers who have vanquished the freeloader years ago will impatiently , loudly, tell the suffering one to just boot the offender out of the think-dome. The person who feels this aggravation of the creep in-head must listen and by trial and error can hopefully figure this out. It does help to talk this out. When the rent-free interloper is a public figure , what can you do? Read your favorite philosophy primer, I guess. George Carlin said he had seven heart attacks raving with hate about Richard Nixon, until finally he listened to someone tell him that Nixon could not care less if George Carlin hated him or was dying because of hatred for him, or any damn thing. And so I too learned to not worry about stuff I had no control over, from eventual death to all the bullshit along the way, let ‘er rip.
So tomorrow we are dropping the dogs & cat off in Columbus and at dawn Saturday heading to the airport there bound for Las Vegas for five days and then on to Encinitas, California, to chill along the Pacific in a resort hotel. I especially want to finally see La Jolla Cove.
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brian stouder said on August 4, 2016 at 2:26 pm
OK, I confess it –
Sherri’s list got me laughing, and then the clarification that Kirk pointed out evoked a snort!
Autumn, 2016 is going to be strange – but survivable
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brian stouder said on August 4, 2016 at 2:33 pm
Dexter – here’s wishing for safe travels and blue skies!
Our palooza vacation last month was exceedingly pleasant, from Asheville (Biltmore mansion) through Charleston and Savannah and Jacksonville, and then Marathon Key.
The only thing Pam put her foot down on and said “No” to, was I wanted to stop at a GI-NORMOUS Ikea (somewhere near Miami), just to see what all the fuss was about.
But we did hit one of those massive outlet-malls…forget the name, but pamphlets show the Trumpy-looking owner, in all his glory. (the girls got a good deal on Converse Chucks there, so there’s that)
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Scout said on August 4, 2016 at 2:52 pm
MichaelG is going to my favorite European city and Dexter is going to my favorite Cali town. I hope you both post on location, as they say, so we can enjoy those places with you.
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Danny said on August 4, 2016 at 3:12 pm
Dexter, be sure to also take a walk at Torrey Pines State Beach. Head South from the parking lot, you will have ocean on your right and sand stone cliffs on your left. About a mile down, you’ll encounter Flat Rock which has some tidal pools with critters in them. And you can also go up some stairs there to the Torrey Pines State Preserve which has some great ocean vistas and miles of trails.
Zoo and Safari Park are very nice too. Absolutely world class.
Oh also, if you are into it, do a kayaking tour from La Jolla Shores. They’ll paddle the group over to the cove and you can hear about the ocean ecology, bootlegger era caves and see the house where Theodore Geisel (Dr. Suess) lived.
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Julie Robinson said on August 4, 2016 at 3:49 pm
I love, love, love IKEA and I bet Pam would too.
A cousin wrote that she was physically ill over what Trump said about the Purple Heart. Her dad earned one in WWII, as did the uncle who lost his life. I think a yuge number of military families will be turned off by it. As will anyone with basic human decency.
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LAMary said on August 4, 2016 at 3:53 pm
I like digging around in Ikea’s kitchen area. Not the cabinets or anything big. I’m talking about the storage containers and sink brushes and colanders. I always find something good there. The worst couch I’ve ever had was from Ikea. It didn’t fall apart or anything. It became uncomfortable very quickly. The cushions flattened out, you could feel the wooden ribs in the arms of the couch. It was pretty cheap so I guess I should have expected as much.
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Sherri said on August 4, 2016 at 4:03 pm
In different political news, the Washington primary was a couple of days ago. Ballots are still coming in, but the top two in the Congressional races are set in all but one race. There was only one open seat, WA-7, currently held by the retiring Dem Jim McDermott. That race will be fought in the general by two Democrats; one will be Pramila Jayapal, who was one of the few candidates Bernie endorsed and fundraised for (though she was already a strong candidate in that district), and the second candidate is still to be determined but will be a Democrat.
Another interesting result from the primary was that Cathy McMorris Rodgers, 5-term representative of WA-5 and chair of the Republican caucus in the House, only managed 41% of the vote in her primary, the lowest of any incumbent in a House race, including one-term incumbents. WA-5 is on the far eastern edge of Washington, and includes Spokane. Republicans have held the 5th since Tom Foley was defeated for re-election in 1994. It’s still probably a safe seat for her, since the Democrat who came in second only picked up 32% and the others running were Republican, Libertarian, and Independent, but I thought it was interesting. Dropping below 50% as an incumbent, particularly a multi-term high -profile incumbent, is never a good sign.
WA-4, the district bordering WA-5, will be fought between two Republicans, the one likely to lose being Clint Didier, the former pro football player and classic Tea Party “they’re not government handouts when I get them” candidate.
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brian stouder said on August 4, 2016 at 5:07 pm
The Ikea store looked YUGE (YUGE, I tell ya!) – looming in the foreground, as we rolled down whatever they call their toll road/interstate.
I was game for stopping – but Pam’s objection was based on wanting to keep moving, at that moment; and really, she was right. If we’d have stopped, that would have been hours (and hours), and at that moment, forward progress was desired
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Deborah said on August 4, 2016 at 5:24 pm
We stopped at the IKEA in Schaumburg on Sunday on our way back from Rockford. That was kind of a mistake, I’ve never seen that many people in an IKEA before. Although the checkout lines were surprisingly short because they were all operating. I raced through the store and only got 4 picture frames and some dish towels.
We’re back in NM, in Abiquiu at the moment. The trip out here is always much faster than the trip back to Chicago.
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Sherri said on August 4, 2016 at 6:04 pm
I’m still reading lots of articles trying to tease out the varying effects of economic anxiety vs. racism/sexism/xenophobia in this year’s election, and thinking about it today, I don’t really think economic anxiety is the right metric. There is something other than pure racism/sexism/xenophobia in the mix, though when you’re the target of the hate, it doesn’t much matter. The point is, it’s not really about jobs, it’s about status. It just doesn’t feel right that white male Christians aren’t in control of things anymore, because that’s what America is. Sure, sure, we’re a country of immigrants, but only as long as they recognize their place and don’t make us feel uncomfortable.
They don’t feel like they’re racists, because they have friends who are of another race, and they like/respect/may even be related to them, and that person is the salt of the earth. They’re proud of their daughter who went to college and got a good job. If they got to know a Muslim, they’d probably like that Muslim. They’d still be unhappy about the mosque being built down the street. They’d still think it would be fine to have a woman President, but not this woman. They’re not racist, but they think that Obama has favored black people more than white people and been divisive, though they can’t point to anything specific, they just feel it.
Trump makes them feel strong again; their status as the group on top will be restored. They don’t care about the wall or any of that stuff; they care that he makes them feel important. The only thing Trump says that they really hear is “winning”: they’re going to win, Trump’s going to make sure of it. And those other people are going to lose, because in Trump’s world and theirs, it’s a zero-sum game. For someone to win, someone else has to lose.
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Suzanne said on August 4, 2016 at 7:26 pm
I think you nailed it, Sherri.
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Sue said on August 4, 2016 at 8:08 pm
I can’t get into the Olympics anymore. Yes, the coverage is bad, but I’m disgusted with the combination of picking host cities without regard to how they manage their social infrastructure, so to speak, and acceptance of ridiculous conditions and injuries for the athletes. Pick a place that doesn’t take care of its poor to begin with, suddenly find money that wasn’t there before to build build build instead of caring for its citizenry, then sit back and watch the super-young gymnasts jumping around on wrapped, already-injured legs. Maybe this year we can get another coach to coerce a gymnast to land on an injured leg – yay! – so dramatic when he carries her around afterward.
Sorry to be so grumpy. But poor people have lost entire neighborhoods for this latest Olympics, and athletes get to swim in shit.
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Sherri said on August 4, 2016 at 8:16 pm
Me, too, Sue. I was having a hard time getting interested in any of it this year, and then this came out today: http://www.indystar.com/story/news/investigations/2016/08/04/usa-gymnastics-sex-abuse-protected-coaches/85829732/
Swimming has already been through a similar scandal.
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Deborah said on August 4, 2016 at 8:22 pm
And Sherri, meanwhile they’re being taken, obviously, they have even been contributing to the current Republican candidate’s campaign lately, as if he’s going to do anything for them except yak, yak, yak. These are people who’ve been taken for a long time though, they voted for the Rs all along like they were told to do, against their own interests for decades.
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Sherri said on August 4, 2016 at 8:48 pm
Deborah, they’re not really being taken. They like authoritarians; authoritarians are easy to understand, everyone’s status is clear. It’s not what Trump is going to do that they like. They don’t care. They just want Trump to be in charge, because that means he won, which means they won.
If Trump were to win and dudsn’t get anything done, it would be somebody else’s fault.
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Sherri said on August 4, 2016 at 8:48 pm
Argh! didn’t, not dudsn’t.
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David C. said on August 4, 2016 at 8:52 pm
This is purported to be from a tRump press release. I hope it’s true.
“Donald Trump lives, works, eats and employs people of all races and religions.”
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Suzanne said on August 4, 2016 at 9:01 pm
Yes, Sherri. Again you nailed it.
This is why I found the American Scholar article from 10 years ago (that I’ve linked to here several times) so fascinatingly predictive. What is happening now is what the author was discussing in great detail in 2005. In trying to help poor minorities & immigrants,the white working class was forgotten. The white working class noticed, though, and they are very unhappy about the perceived slight. I think you are correct in that they don’t really care that Mr T says nothing, they want someone to make them feel like they matter. And they can’t admit that they are just as needy as the poor and minorities that they claim are society’s leeches.
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Deborah said on August 4, 2016 at 9:26 pm
That makes perfect sense Sherri. Hard for me to wrap my head around because it’s so foreign to my way of thinking. “Authoritarian” is a word I’m hearing more and more in regards to this phenomenon. It seems way more appropriate than “conservative”.
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Sherri said on August 4, 2016 at 10:01 pm
I grew up in an authoritarian environment, Deborah, so I understand even though I hate it and had to get far away from it.
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susan said on August 4, 2016 at 10:22 pm
Ha ha ha ha ha! “Watch it grow to megalomaniacal proportions!”
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Jeff (the mild-mannered one) said on August 4, 2016 at 10:41 pm
Sherri, I’d largely agree with your analysis . . . and *then* at the end, plug the economic anxiety back into it.
I worry, in my area, about the Angry Man Boys. AMBs to save me some typing. They are visually recognizable from across the parking lot of the big box store or the mall entrance for the 24plex. They generally have close cropped hair or shaven heads, but a jutting beard. They tend to stick to leg tats, because many of them work tech or support or somewhere that neck tats create issues; many have sleeve ink that’s “in process.”
The AMBs wear loose t-shirts, usually with some kind of tribal or techy theme, and long floppy shorts, and shoes that are velcro strapped usually — because the AMBs are almost without exception very, very large. Not strong, though I’d be nervous about having to get into any kind of physical conflict with them, but wide and getting wider the further down you go from the shoulders.
They have the angriest car stickers. Pee boy is passé, theirs are everything from “Molon Labe” (in Greek) to stick figures having intercourse, but Trump bumper wear is becoming common. These are not the vehicles with the NRA Life Member decals, but they do have Texian flags with M-16 outlines in place of the Gonzales cannon; they sport the Gadsden flag in bright yellow and a spitting rattler; they are now showing “This is MY family” stickers with different size and type guns lined up in family groups like the stick figure and Mickey/Minnie or zombie motifs you more often see.
The AMBs usually don’t have family, they don’t tend to have girlfriends, and when they do they are large and equally discontented looking. But usually it’s a solo or pair of AMBs you see, peering about with a distinct air of unhappiness, their natural squint reinforced and emphasized by a variety of triggers in their environment.
Wing places (BW3s in this neck of the woods) are full of AMBs, as are most sports-bar type establishments. They don’t come to church, but they do worship at the altar of technology; without AMBs, the Best Buy and Game Stop locations would nail their shutters in place for good and all. In general, they aren’t terribly social, but municipal court is an unintentional gathering place, and they flood the interfaith legal clinics with their unhappiness over child support orders and other injustices of the domestic court. Inconceivable as it may seem, many of them have conceived children, and are indignant at the many and varied ways the state is conspiring to make them direct some of their earnings towards the women who bore their children.
AMBs are generally locked into the hourly wage world, if not the temp-to-hire cosmos; they work, and they know things about the devices and programs and protocols that make this world we’ve made operate, but human interactions baffle them, and they don’t tend to show much interest in mastering those the way they have C++ or Javascript. Their main interaction with the non-gaming world tends to be “get the f*** out of my way,” and their surly, sullen, stately progress through retail establishments tends to create a bow wave of people who know getting proactively out of their way is the best way to just get alone.
AMBs aren’t to be confused with roofers and contractor’s helpers, who are themselves discontented and even angry, but are already resigned enough to their economic lot to have requested the obligatory neck tattoos of their sons names (whether they’ve seen them in months or made CSEA payments in years), and who are generally thin and stringy and truly, overtly strong (and whose weapons are usually closer at hand than those of the AMBs, a Buck knife or a 9mm under the seat of the battered Prelude). AMBs are more information and technology masters, with a bachelors in ESPN.
These are the quickest to comment on the local paper’s website about how stupid it is that most sentences are suspended, that public employees get raises, or that minority persons are recognized in anything. The AMB usually has learned enough of the anti-racism rhetoric to not make unforced, overt errors in the service of tolerance, and would never call themselves racist, but have internalized and carry forward with them more resentment towards women, minorities, or anyone not from their state or region than you’d like to think any single person can sustain.
AMBs are gamers and Gamergate provocateurs, they collect grievances on Reddit, and their curation of conspiracy theories make them literal encyclopedias of how the fix is in (“nothing matters and what if it did”), and they are all absolutely certain that when someone else’s line at Walmart goes faster than theirs, or any time they have to interact with the medical world, they are getting a raw deal (in treatment, diagnosis, rehab plans, or of course billing), and they see more clearly than most how the powers-that-be are at work to crush them.
And AMBs love Trump. He sounds like them, he acts like them, he’s indifferent to what they are indifferent to, and concerned about what they’d like to see change. His tone and tendency to lead with implication (to facilitate retraction all the more swiftly) play into an existing message element of the AMBs: we’re getting screwed, but we’re still figuring out by whom, and since when. There’s a pride to it, and an anger, and grim resolution to . . . well, they’re intense in spots, but in general, they’re just waiting for the food pellets to start dropping into the cage again when the red bar gets pushed.
After this election is over, will they become a nuevo-rump Klan, or will they just vanish again from the political processes? I can’t tell, and part of me wonders how many of the central Ohio AMBs are even registered yet for Nov. 8.
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Sherri said on August 4, 2016 at 11:25 pm
I’d bet that a lot of AMBs aren’t registered. That would require taking a proactive role in their lives. The AMB is supposed to be on top, but because of birthright, not action. That he isn’t is the fault of everybody else.
So, Trump is coming to Seattle for fundraiser. For $2700, I can get in the room. For $10K, my husband and I can get a picture with The Donald. For $100K, my husband and I can get a VIP meeting. Of course, I’d have to stand next to Trump, and spend the rest of the time with the biggest assholes in the Washington GOP.
I could have had reception and a picture with Bill Clinton at someone’s house a few weeks ago for only $27K.
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Dexter said on August 5, 2016 at 2:21 pm
Thanks for the well-wishes and thanks Danny for the tips…sounds like a good plan, since my planned trip to Monterey was cancelled due to the fires. And now…off we go to Columbus~hoping to clear the damn monsoons.
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