The Vitruvian Dipshit

 

Someone pointed out on that bird website that when Elon Musk does his weird belly-baring jumping jack thing whilst hyping whatever he's about--he's trying to make an "X" with his body, and I couldn't unsee it. Symbols can be powerful things. He's trying to be his own brand--the logo/sigil that is a powerful thing which he calls the $44 billion thing he regularly is losing value on. 

X. Which hardly anyone calls it, because it remains "Twitter." Because it really is stupid to name anything "X." 

When Musk hypes Trump, he's trying to be part of a political movement. And he's a multibillionaire with services few could offer, so why hype anyone? 

Well, maybe it's because he's gone down an apartheid rabbit hole and thinks the Great Replacement theory is a thing. 

The VP Debate was Kind of Demure, Very Mindful

 

Moderator: Just to clarify, Springfield’s Haitian migrants have legal status

Vance: The rules were you guys weren't going to fact check pic.twitter.com/zo5W3i9HIt

— Kamala HQ (@KamalaHQ) October 2, 2024

That right there? Was the most contentious the VP debate practically became. Because JD Vance stewed that he got called on the one very Big Lie thing he contributed to, because he can't understand why it is terribly wrong, bad and hurtful, and why he really did need to be checked on that very particular thing. Because he can't accept that the death threats and the bomb threats and the disruption of a whole town's active life can be marked down to his propaganda. 

Is he naïve? Does he not get that there are real-world consequences that follow from such lies, and that people with a conscience would avoid them? 

This debate didn't clue me anymore in on who Vance is, but he does remind me, oleaginously, of those old margarine commercials--it's not nice to fool Mother Nature. 

What it's About--

 

Walz: Hope, Gus, and Gwen you are my entire world. And I love you. pic.twitter.com/tf2ByA9RIs

— Acyn (@Acyn) August 22, 2024

That. That right there. That's what it's about.

UPDATE: I considered linking to some of what went around among MAGA social media addressing this moment but thought the better of it. Typical people were typical. 

Taking the Measure of a Man

 

On the second night of the DNC, something happened that to me, was entirely hilarious. Of course, Chicago was rocking because the rollcall affirmed our candidate, and who isn't turned up for the Obamas? But at the exact same time, VP Harris and Governor Walz filled the house in Milwaukee at the same venue the RNC occupied. Who the hell can cast that much shade at night?

Stars do.

I noted in the comments of an earlier post that Trump was going to speak on crime at Howell, MI, a town associated with the Klan, and it happened, and it was dull, and Trump was Trump. He lied a lot, but listlessly. He wonders why suburban women don't want him, a sex pest associated with other sex pests, a serial philanderer, a shitty role model for boys, a misogynist, and a person who does not respect women's rights over our own bodies or lives. It really makes you wonder what funhouse mirror view of himself he's always had. 

And then at the DNC, he got called out in a standup funeral. Sure, Democrats and a few Republicans were there to talk about why Kamala Harris and why now, and what needs to be preserved for our future of this great democratic experiment. 

It was uplifting and magnificent and of course I was teary-eyed and in the front pew of the church of what's happening now. It's a beautiful thing to see people come together to build a better future. I love it, and I love it for us. 

But you know what?  I stay petty. 

This Looks Like News

 

No this isn’t a concert it’s the Harris/Walz rally in ARIZONA 🔥🔥🔥#KamalaBringsUsJoy
pic.twitter.com/WDBWD0yLPh

— Skyleigh Heinen-Uhrich (@Sky_Lee_1) August 9, 2024

This clip is the Harris/Walz crowd in Arizona yesterday. It's big, and these people are turned up to eleven.

Now, I understand the news media like to cover Donald Trump--if it bleeds, it leads, and there's probably money riding on his having a big old red-faced aneurism on stage one day or of course, he just spews his usual "American carnage"-flavored rant--it's a lurid carnival where both the observers and the observed are the freak show. 

But what if there was a thirst for something different and better? Maybe instead of hearing for the hundredth time about low water pressure and whales being driven mad by windmills, insults against journalists, other politicians, immigrants, wide swaths of the American people, and of course, lying about every little thing under the sun and a few beyond it, we could have a conversation about something more constructive than that. 

I think this is the podium to train the cameras on--not the empty one that stays empty even when a late, sweaty, angry old man finally lumbers behind it. Take a look at this crowd, and what had happened to those poll numbers over the last two-three weeks, and ask yourself "What are these people seeing now that they weren't before?"

This looks like news to me. What if we just want some good news for a change? What if people are tired of being mad and just want nice things for a change? What if they want some truth? For a change?

You know, I could go with that. I think a lot of people could.

TWGB: Fall of the House of Trump?

 

Trump, looking mad as a coot and wheezing faintly, made up for the lack of public appearances he has made lately by offering an hour of his time to reporters at Mar-A-Lago. It was awkward. Usually, Trump is one burnt-ochre joker, projecting bravado and landing insults--even if he's vague on policy or leery of answering questions directly. Here, he seemed pale, tired, sandbagged by recent events. 

Among weird damn things he said: he might have confused Jerry Brown and Willie Brown in a story about a helicopter ride. Both gentlemen have the same last name and are longstanding figures in California politics but there are some differences. Trump never told Willie Brown to rake the damn forest to prevent fires, for example. (I know Trump alleges he has survivor's guilt over a tragic helicopter ride from like 30 years ago or so, but that's about another coast entirely.) 

He sadly whinged on about how President Joe Biden must be feeling--with his "presidency stollen" (I swear!) from him. Shades of this post on his FAILING! Truth Social:

This is the Right Energy

 

Walz: In Minnesota we respect our neighbors and their personal choices that they make. Even if we wouldn't make the same choice for ourselves, there's a golden rule, mind your own damn business. pic.twitter.com/TRQNlbySlE

— Acyn (@Acyn) August 6, 2024

Kamala Harris made a terrific choice. Tim Walz is a regular guy, and an exceptional regular guy. He's authentic.  He gets what public service means and is a thoughtful person who encouraged thoughtfulness in others as an educator. He shows what leadership can be--looking out for other people. Leading by setting a strong example. He's an ally. He gets that government should make things easier for people, not control them.  

And he's not afraid of the weirdos. 

I'm just really, really excited to see what Harris and Walz will do.