Looking forward

No more looking back

No more living in the past

Yesterday's gone and that's a fact

Now there's no more looking back

Got to be hard

Yeah, look straight ahead

That’s the only way it's going to be

Yesterday's gone and that's a fact

Now there's no more looking back

~~ “No More Looking Back” by The Kinks

Before I start, I’m thinking about everyone in the path of Hurricane Irma. I have lots of relatives and friends in Florida, and New Smyrna Beach is our home away from home. I hope everyone will be safe. Hunker down, pals.

This entry is prompted by a couple of recent stories about Hillary Clinton’s upcoming book. Excerpts are being released here and there as the book is hyped. First was the part about how the Yam was creeping on her at the one debate. There was also a bit about how Sanders’ attacks contributed to her loss. To be fair, she also claims full responsibility for the loss, because she was the candidate, after all. But then she continues to blame others.

When the excerpt about how she wishes she’d “gone nuclear” on James Comey came out, that was just a bridge too far for me. Don’t mess with James! Not on my watch!
Okay, okay, I know I’m biased here. I’m in total fangirl mode. And honestly, everyone knows that I was a proud and enthusiastic supporter of Hillary, and I was happy to cast my vote for her. But something about this just strikes me as so...off. I posted on Facebook that I really don’t feel like reading her book and it led to a very good discussion, which made me want to write more about it here.

I think that plenty of us were traumatized to such an extent by the outcome of the election (as well as the ongoing actions of the current administration) that we are just ready to move on and start working on the future rather than relitigating the past. She has every right to voice her thoughts and I hope she will continue to be a force in the Democratic party. She is a smart and formidable woman who has plenty of ideas and I completely disagree with anyone who says she should “sit down and shut up.”

But can she maybe be a force behind the scenes?

Friends commented that she has valid points when it comes to people to blame. I don’t disagree that many of the players were a part of her loss, including Sanders and Comey (Jaaaaaames). But it is absurd to blame it on any one person or any of several people. It was a total shitstorm of circumstances, and yes, plenty of the blame goes to her.

I can’t begin to tell you how conflicted I am about this because I truly did support her. It wasn’t a matter of “I don’t like her but I’ll hold my nose and vote for her.” I thought, and still think, that she was the most qualified to be President, and I think she would have been a good one. I feel almost guilty about my feelings about this, like it’s kind of a betrayal. I still love ya, Hills, but I really think it’s time to move on.

And that goes for much of the “older guard” of the Democratic party. I respect and admire many of these folks, and I adore Joe Biden. But NO. Don’t run for President again. I feel the same way about Sanders and Warren. Continue to make your mark in the Senate. You can do good things there and have a big influence. Can we have some younger blood, asked the 55-year-old?

Non-gratuitous picture of Comey

Many of my friends are still angry about Comey, but I still get his reasoning and understand his rationale. I’m not going to belabor the point, though. I’m not going to change their minds and they aren’t going to change mine. I’ve read enough and watched enough about his thinking to believe that he was doing it from a standpoint of how best to protect the FBI and the DOJ from any sort of partisan label. I’m really not sure how anyone can think that he was for one side or the other...he was directing investigations of both sides.

While I’m on the subject of Comey, the latest brouhaha is that he was drafting a memo that was circulated within a small group of FBI higher-ups. Some are up in arms, claiming that he’d decided the outcome of the Clinton email investigation well before the FBI closed the case and even before they’d interviewed Clinton herself. My initial thought was, “A draft memo doesn’t mean that.” He didn’t close the investigation until everyone was interviewed, but it doesn’t surprise me that he saw which way the investigation was going and that it probably wouldn’t result in any charges. He was a prosecutor, remember, so he knew what was prosecutable and what wasn’t. If things had changed, the outcome of the investigation would have changed. A draft memo circulated amongst a small group doesn’t mean that he’d made up his mind. I’ve read that it is not uncommon for court decisions to be written up as a draft before the final verdict is made. So this is a silly criticism.

Anyway...jeez, I’m tired. Sometimes I just get so tired of all the chatter, you know? I’m ready to move forward.

Because

Can’t touch this.

~~ M.C. Hammer

Because of that doctor in North Dakota who, when I was trying to draw blood from a male patient, put his hands around my waist and said to the patient, “I bet it doesn’t hurt as much when they’re as pretty as this one!”

Because of that guy in the lab who went around telling anyone who would listen exactly what he what he wanted to do to me.

Because of my ex-husband who, when saying he’d meet us back at the house, reached in the passenger side window and grabbed my boob in front of my sister-in-law.

Because of the guy in the bar who kept pushing his dick into my back until I turned around and told him to back the fuck off.

Because of the guy in college who didn’t back off when I said no and held me down until I physically pushed him off of me and got out of the room, and then kept coming to my dorm room and I had to hide in the closet while my roommate told him I wasn’t there.

Because of the narcissist I dated for five years and after I broke it off with him, I found out that he was dating several other women at the same time.

Because of another ex-boyfriend who called me a stupid cunt, and another ex who called me a cold-hearted bitch. (Why? Because I didn’t go to pieces when I broke it off with him. How dare I!)

Because of the online assholes who have called me things like “little lady” and said that I should get off my back, quit smoking pot, and get a job.

Because of every woman who has been belittled, dismissed, or assaulted, every woman who has had to put up with an asshole who thinks that he somehow has a right to treat us this way.

And because of every man who does not treat women that way and respects us as equals.

This is why Hillary Rodham Clinton needs to kick some Trump ass on November 8th.

Why I’m With Her

A Facebook friend posted this on my timeline this morning:

Hey, I want to start this out that I really like you. I respect your opinion. I look forward to reading what you are up to and what you are thinking. I watched the debates. I know where you stand on the politcal side and I respect your opinion. I want to ask you a few questions. I don't want you to defriend me. I just don't know how you can lean towards Clinton.? Trump is no better than she is. I also know that you like Obama as well. That is your opinion and I respect that. I voted for him as well. A couple of observations. Hillary is talking about bringing back jobs back from other countries. Correct me if I am wrong? When Perot was running, he had mentioned, if AFTA is passed? We are going to hear the sucking sounds of all of our jobs are going to other countries. Clinton passed those laws. Now, Hillary is going to try to bring them back? My Mom lived in ARK when he was Gov. He pulled some shady deals back then. The people wanted him out. They got their way and he headed to Washington. Respectfully waiting your response. Thanks in advance.

Instead of responding there, I thought I would just do a blog entry and answer it here. I am overdue for this endorsement, anyway! I’ll take everything one-by-one.

First, thank you for respecting my opinion and asking about my thoughts on the matter.

I’m not sure why you are wondering how I can “lean towards Clinton.” It’s pretty obvious that I’m a Democrat and tend to vote that way. I have occasionally cast votes for principled Republicans, like Richard Lugar. Trump is not a principled Republican. In fact, I’m not even sure he’s a Republican. (Sometimes I wonder if he’s a human being, but the lizard people conspiracy theory can wait for another day.)

I support Democratic policies. Democrats care about things like climate change, education, marriage equality, women’s reproductive rights, healthcare for all, lifting people out of poverty and helping them with security nets, creating jobs, increasing taxes on the wealthiest among us while giving tax breaks to the middle class and the poor, as well as numerous other issues. I believe that our federal government can be a vital part of moving our country forward and ensuring that all Americans have a fair chance. I align almost completely with Democrats and very rarely with Republicans.

Why wouldn’t I vote for the Democrat? Especially one who has proven to be eminently qualified for the job? Secretary Clinton has spent her life working to help others, whether as First Lady of Arkansas, First Lady of the United States, United States Senator, or Secretary of State. She is smart, I believe she cares about Americans, she knows how to keep her cool even when everyone around her is losing their shit, and she does the hard work necessary to be informed about every issue. Everything the Republicans have thrown against her over the years has proven to be a big ol’ nothingburger. I honestly don’t know what has driven the extreme hatred of her on the right—and even sometimes on the left—but I don’t doubt that there is an element of misogyny among many of her detractors. Not all...some just don’t like her. I’m not sure what has driven that, either, but it’s obvious that those people will never change their opinions and I’m done arguing with them.

Contrast that with the know-nothing Trump, who seems to wallow in his own ignorance. Anyone who knows me well knows that a quality I despise in people is willful ignorance. It’s one thing to admit that you don’t know something but want to learn about it and quite another to admit it and say that you don’t care and don’t need to know. If you are running for the most powerful position in the world, yes, you DO need to know. He is a misogynistic, sexist bully who thinks that women are nothing more than bags of meat for him to grope as he sees fit. Only if they are of a certain age, though. Once they get past a certain point, it’s time to ditch ‘em!

Trump talks about how a vote for Clinton is a vote for a third Obama term. I say, “Yes, please!” Contrary to what Trump would have you believe, we’re doing pretty well after two terms of President Obama. Unemployment is way down, the deficit has been drastically reduced, the stock market is doing well, and millions of Americans now have access to healthcare. Do we have problems we need to address? Of course! When do we not? I’d much rather have the cool hand of Hillary Clinton at the helm than a bloviating, sexist pig who doesn’t pay his fair share in taxes and who has the temperament of a toddler throwing a temper tantrum.

As for NAFTA or other trade agreements causing a massive loss of American manufacturing jobs? Nope. Most analyses show that it’s due to an increase in productivity and automation. Many parts are made in the U.S., so even if cars are assembled in Mexico, there are still American workers doing those jobs here. I’m also not sure why that is germane to my support of Hillary Clinton. NAFTA was passed by Bill Clinton’s administration, and Hillary is the one running for President in 2016. Not Bill.

Anecdotal “evidence” that goes something like “I have a friend who worked with a guy who was a cop in Arkansas when the Clintons were in office” mean nothing to me. That’s like a game of telephone and it’s how urban legends take root and get told as factual. I prefer to deal with facts.

The statement I see from some friends on both the left and the right that Hillary and Trump are equally as bad is absurd. Fact-checkers have rated her the most honest of recent politicians, second only to President Obama. The least honest? Trump. This is long enough, so I don’t even want to go into why Trump is a danger to our Constitution, our country, and possibly even the world. He is a demagogue and a dictator wanna-be who would be, to use one of his favorite words, a disaster.

To sum up, I am not just “leaning” towards Clinton. I am also not voting against Trump. I am enthusiastically and happily supporting Hillary Rodham Clinton and I will be proud to cast my vote for her and proud to call her Madam President.

I’m Beth and I approve this message.

The Boy Can’t Help It

I’m living in a pop trash movie

We star together in every scene

We’ll all be famous for those fifteen minutes

Part of a celluloid dream

We star in every scene

And it’s never quite what it seems

~~ “Pop Trash Movie” by Duran Duran

My, my, what an interesting week it’s been in politics!

Not only did Hillary set a masterful trap at the debate Monday night (I loved this quote from ABC’s Rich Klein: “She set traps that snapped so hard that they continue to reverberate, right through her opponent’s Tweets.”) Trump continued to take the bait the entire week. Instead of just shutting his pie hole and letting the story of Alicia Machado die down, he went on a late-night Twitter rant that made him look absolutely unhinged. And on a Friday, so that the story would carry over into the weekend!

He finally caught a bit of a break, although a dubious one. Alec Baldwin’s take on Trump on the season premiere of SNL had everyone talking, and then the New York Times put out a story about his tax returns that show that he could very well have not paid any federal taxes for a couple of decades. He still isn’t releasing his returns, so it seems pretty obvious that there is really, really bad stuff in them. But what I found even more interesting about that story was that apparently he claimed losses of over $900 million. This guy is supposed to be some kind of financial genius? That doesn’t seem very genius-like to me!

What I found astounding about his behavior is that he played right into Hillary’s hands—again. He has the impulse control of a toddler. He cannot keep himself from lashing out against anyone who he feels has wronged him. It’s one thing when it’s against a former beauty queen or another political candidate, but imagine how he would react to affronts or snubs from leaders of other nations. It’s a chilling thought. All the more fodder for Hillary, though. One of her main narratives is that he is unfit for the presidency. He proved that beyond a shadow of a doubt this week. I don’t doubt that she’ll bait him again in the next debate. He’ll take it, too.

On a brighter note, on Thursday we headed downtown for the annual Democratic Gala, the dinner formerly known as Jefferson-Jackson (TDFKAJJ). It’s maybe our third time attending and while it’s a fundraiser for the Democratic party, it’s also a great time to get fired up about the local, state, and national races. Our Mayor Pete Buttigieg was there, of course, and we also heard from Susan Bayh, an impressive Christina Hale (running for Lieutenant Governor alongside John Gregg), an equally impressive Lynn Coleman, who is running against our Congresscritter, Jackie Walorski, and a few others.

The keynote speaker was Governor Martin O’Malley of Maryland, who also ran in the Democratic primary this election cycle. I was so impressed. We spoke to him before the speeches started and he was kind and approachable and just generally pretty laid back and cool. We talked a little Indiana politics, but we didn’t take up too much of his time as others were waiting to meet him and speak with him. His speech was fantastic and he really got people fired up! At one point, he started laying into Trump, took his suit jacket off, flung it on the stage, and rolled up his shirtsleeves. It was an impressive piece of political display! After the speech, we went up to shake his hand again and tell him what a fun speech it was, and he remembered my name. I was astounded. “That was a great speech, Governor!” “Thank you, Beth!” The guy has mad political skills, no doubt about it.

If he decides to run again in the future, I may very well be on board. Ken asked him if he was hoping for a cabinet post in a Hillary White House and he kind of shrugged it off in an affable way, saying he’s just working to get her elected. He was great and he has a new fan! (If he’d been the Democratic nominee, I would have happily voted for him.)

Another fun part of the evening was the silent auction. We bid on a few things and ended up winning only one, but what a one it was! There was a painting up for auction and I recognized the style immediately. The artist, Erin Warner, is the same one who painted one of my favorites we have, “Wicked.” (I admired it in South Bend Brew Werks and was sad when it was gone. Turns out that Ken bought it for me for Christmas!) This one is called “Anywhere But Inbetween” and I love it! It makes me think of jaws and bones and teeth...very Walking Dead-ish to me. We hung Skelly by it and I think he approves, too.

We were watching the silent auction very closely and kept an eye on people who seemed interested in it. I guess it’s not everyone’s style, although I love it, because we got it for such a low price that we added $15 to our bid even after we won the painting. Support your local businesses, musicians, and artists!

So I guess it was a bad week for Trump and a pretty good one for me. All in all, I’m okay with that balance.

She gave him enough rope

Well, that first debate happened.

At the risk of sounding braggadocious, I think I called it pretty well!

Secretary Clinton did indeed go after him on his questionable wealth (not that he isn’t really stinking rich...he’s just not as rich as he claims to be) as well as his unwillingness to release his tax returns. She needled him about that “small loan” from his Pops...you know, the $14 million one. She got under his skin by repeatedly calling him “Donald,” rather than Mr. Trump or Donald J. Trump as he demands of his acolytes.

He held his own for about 15 minutes and then the wheels on the Trump Train fell off. He became increasingly irrational and unhinged and by the end of the debate, I know that I wasn’t the only one questioning his sanity.

Which rhymes with Hannity, whom someone needs to call. Why doesn’t anyone call Sean Hannity?? Poor Sean. Call him!

By all accounts, Trump chose not to prepare for the debate, at least in the usual way. His Yampaigners tried to get him to practice, but the guy seems to have the attention span of a toddler. As well as the oratory skills of one.

I’m sure the Yampaign will attempt to get him to work on a little more debate prep before the next one, but I wonder if they have actually spoken with their candidate, or watched him over the past year. It’s easy to make your candidate jump through hoops and read from a teleprompter, but when he has to think on his feet, he has a bit of a problem, doesn’t he? Good luck with that debate prep and we’ll see you in the next round.

I don’t want to just bash the Yam, though (not a euphemism). I want to praise Hillary Clinton for knowing her shit, studying for the debate, and for striking the absolute right demeanor in dealing with this faux populist buffoon. She showed a total command of the facts and an unflappable stoicism in the face of the Yam’s attempts to interrupt and dominate the conversation. I honestly don’t know of any woman who hasn’t experienced a man talking over her, which is one of my pet peeves. Hillary handled it better than I do, that’s for sure!

The Yam’s closing remarks about how he wanted to level some nasty attacks against Clinton but he’s such a kind, thoughtful guy who didn’t want to hurt her feelings that he took the high road and chose not to...all I can say is “Crackuh, PLEASE!”

That was all about the first President Clinton’s infidelities. We all know about them and they are not a secret. That was 20 years ago or more and Bill and Hillary Clinton have apparently worked out everything in whatever way they chose to do so. I am quite certain that the Yam won’t hesitate to bring that up in the second debate, and hey, good luck with that. I guarantee that Hillary will be ready for that line of attack and will deliver one hell of an epic smackdown in response. Dan Savage has advice for Hillary better than anything I could write myself.

The Yam made a valiant yet stupid effort to tell his supporters that he won the debate...all the online polls said so! Sadly, many of his supporters are so gullible that they think that unscientific online polls are accurate.

Every thinking person knows the truth, though. Donald—hey, can I call ya Donald?

She cleaned your clock.

Give Him Enough Rope

A nation of destiny has got to be fulfilled

Whatever you want, you're gonna get it

~~ “Tommy Gun” by The Clash

Beware!

The debate approacheth.

In a few days, we’ll be seeing the first debate between Hillary Clinton and the Vulgar Talking Yam. Apparently, Hillary is working hard on her debate prep, and the Yam is hanging out with his Yampaigners and eating cheeseburgers or something like that. Are we surprised?

Today I was reading a couple of articles about the advice from some Democratic insiders to Hillary about how to debate this fool. I really like one guy’s comment: “Give him the rope.”

This is sound advice.

We’ve seen over and over again that while scripted Trump can come across as somewhat reasonable (if you ignore his nonexistent or ridiculous policy plans) but once he veers off-script, he turns into the bloviating asshole so many of us have come to loathe. Although he loved to disparage others for using a teleprompter, he seems to have embraced the technology. But he won’t get to use it at the debate, of course.

Heh heh heh.

We know that Hillary is going to be fine with her command of the facts and details. She can bring that any damn day and has the easy task of making herself look presidential and reasonable. That should not be a problem. She also has the weird, double-standard task of coming across as warm and likable, maybe smiling more. ::eye roll:: I’m not going to get into all that because I have written about it before. She also needs to be tough as nails and not let Trump get under her skin. I am certain that she is capable of that, as well. Anyone who thinks Hillary isn’t tough just hasn’t been paying attention.

Trump is going to have a hard time with not letting her get under his skin. He obviously has a problem with strong women and wants to keep them in a position of subservience. Homegirl don’t play that game. He appears to be unable to let any slight against him go unanswered with his ridiculous schoolyard bully retorts. Let’s see how that plays out on the debate stage against one woman. If I were Hillary, I would make sure I bring up his questionable wealth—that seems to be his Achilles heel. He hates to be questioned on his wealth. I would go after that over and over. I would dig my thumb right into that wound and just keep digging and digging. No mercy.

I don’t doubt for a minute that Trump will try to bring up her husband and taunt her with Bill’s infidelities. My response to that, if I were Hillary, would be to calmly and coolly point out that what happened in my marriage is my business and that we worked out our problems and that I have been married to Bill for FOUR DECADES. Hell, she wouldn’t even have to say something like, “And how many times have YOU been married, Donald?” Everyone knows about his marital history and his messy divorces. Just stay cool, Hill.

I’m not sure there has ever been a candidate like the Yam. It has to be a hard debate to prepare for, but you know what? I think she’s got this.

Hand him the rope, Hillary. Then sit back, be cool, and watch what he does with it.

The Look

You’ve got the look

You’ve got the hook

U sho-nuf do be cookin’

In my book

~~ “U Got The Look” by Prince

Looks pretty goddamn presidential to me

An alternate title and song for this entry would be “It’s a Man’s Man’s Man’s World” by James Brown.

::sigh::

Earlier this week, the Yam said in an interview that Hillary Clinton doesn’t “look presidential.” I have to wonder how he would define “looking presidential.” I know my own personal definition would preclude being orange, but that’s just me.

This isn’t even subtle sexism. This is in your face sexism. He doesn’t think she looks presidential because she’s a woman. You all know that, right?

To cap it all off, after the NBC forum on Wednesday night, RNC chair Reince Priebus (AKA the Obvious Anagram per Charlie Pierce) tweeted that Clinton looked angry and defensive and that she sported “no smile.” Seriously?

This double standard for female politicians—and to be honest, pretty much every woman who deals in any way with anyone anywhere—is absurd. If a woman takes things seriously, she is told to lighten up and be more approachable. If she is forceful in her words, opinions, and delivery, she is told that she is being too strident or shrill, or that she is shouting. Women are criticized for their hairstyle, their makeup, their attire, their demeanor, their body. If she is subjected to harassment in the workplace, some suggest that her best option is to find another job. If she is raped, there are those who blame her for dressing the wrong way, acting the wrong way, drinking too much, or simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Or maybe they shouldn’t be in the same workplace because I guess some men just can’t control themselves if they are in close proximity to a woman as they work alongside her.

At the forum mentioned above, Matt Lauer frequently interrupted Hillary and after spending about a third of her time asking her email questions (let it go, Matt, let it go), told her to be brief when talking about her plan to deal with ISIL. When the Yam blatantly lied about being against the Iraq war from the beginning, Lauer just...let it go. (Wrong thing to let go, Matt!) Poor Lauer. I think his ass is still smarting from the spanking he got from pretty much everyone over how he handled that forum.

::heavy sigh::

Well, if anything good can come from that clusterfuck of a forum, it will be that the moderators of the upcoming debates will have paid attention and realize that they need to get their acts together and do some damn moderatin’.

If the election of our first female President will help even a little bit with the casual sexism that millions of women are subjected to every day, then I’m with her! I think U got the look, Hillary!

It is to laugh

We got problems right here in Central City,

We have problems on the North, South, East and West,

New York City, Saint Louis, Philadelphia, Los Angeles,

Detroit, Chicago,

Everybody has problems,

And personally, I don't care

~~ “Elected” by Alice Cooper

Ohhhh, lawd. Lawdy lawd.

You know, I’m to the point where my only recourse when dealing with the Vulgar Talking Yam is to laugh.

I mean, really. He is just absurd. I am laughing at you, Yam!

His latest weird waffling about the immigration thing is playing right into Hillary’s hands. It’s impossible to know what his policies are. Hell, I don’t think HE knows what his policies are. It seems to me that a couple of months away from the election, you should have figured that out by now. “Unpredictable” is not a desirable trait when choosing the most powerful leader in the world.

I think the majority of people are starting to figure that out now. I’m still taking nothing for granted, but we’re onto you, Yam. The American people have your number, as does Hillary. The upcoming debates are going to be delightful! Hillary’s got your stamina right here, pal. HA!

But it’s time to leave this all behind as we hit the road for our annual vegecation in New Smyrna Beach! I’m looking forward to some beach time and relaxation and some time away from politics.

Oh, I’m totally kidding! I’ll still be reading my usual political feeds but more importantly, the TV market (Orlando/Daytona Beach/Melbourne) where we’ll be is the #1 political ad buy in the country for both campaigns at the moment. NUMBER ONE. We’ve been down there in election season before but this time it’s going to be insane. We don’t plan on having the TV on a lot—we like to just sit outside and read if we’re not out and about or on the beach—but I’m sure we’ll get plenty of exposure to politics gone wild.

We also have a special visit planned on the drive back when we stop in the Atlanta area. More to follow, but if you know me, you might be able to guess what we’ll be doing!

TFS

Hey, T.V. child, look into my eyes.

Here by intervention, I want your attention.

Promotion boy in a suit and tie; he wants you to use it.

You're too shot to loose it.

It's pumpin' down the cable like never so before.

A cola manufacturer is sponsoring the war.

Here comes the news with love from me to you.   

~~ “Too Much Information” by Duran Duran

Illustration by Edel Rodriguez for TIME

The other day I posted about how it must be exhausting for journalists to cover Trump. I dubbed it Trump Fatigue Syndrome and have decided that I seem to be suffering a mild case myself. I would list the symptoms as an almost visceral disgust that is exacerbated with each outrageous remark (no immunity is built up, apparently); vertigo from trying to follow his numerous stances on issues and his attempts to explain why he didn’t mean what actually came out of his mouth; a sense of shock that anyone in this country thinks he is capable of performing the duties required of the President of the United States; and a general malaise that often makes the victim think, “How can I continue to listen to this? How much more of this can I take?”

I reached that point this week. What did it for me? It was his patently absurd comments about President Obama, as well as Hillary Clinton, being the “founder” and “MVP,” respectively, of ISIS. Anyone with a half a brain and an Internet connection can find out in a matter of moments that it was a ridiculous claim. Now, if he had made the argument that President Obama’s policies and actions in the world, as well as Hillary’s as Secretary of State, had contributed to a strengthening of ISIS, that might be a reasonable argument. (I think it’s a wrong one, but at least it’s a coherent argument.) In fact, conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt gave him the chance to say exactly that (leading questions much, Hugh?) in an interview. Nope. Nope nope nope. Trump said he meant exactly what he said, that Obama and Hillary were the founders of ISIS. Which is, again, absurd.

After saying multiple times that he meant exactly what he said, the next morning he tweeted out that he was being sarcastic and the media or anyone criticizing him for his remarks is too dumb to understand sarcasm.

No, we understand sarcasm, Yamboy. That is not what you were doing. A charitable term would be hyperbole, and hyperbolic claims happen often in politics. I think a better term would be a LIE. A big, fat, fact-checkable lie.

This was all ridiculous enough, but later that day at a rally, he riffed on this again, essentially saying, “Come on, it was sarcasm! Or WAS it?!” Yep, he walked it back again and said that maybe he wasn’t being sarcastic at all.

This was the point where I said, “Oh, for Pete’s sake. I’m turning it back to the Olympics.” For all his supporters’ talk about how they like him because he “tells it like it is,” he sure goes back and forth a lot, doesn’t he? So what was the deal? Was he making a joke, being sarcastic, or wasn’t he? What’s it gonna be, boy? Yes...or...no?

I grow exceedingly weary of his naughty schoolboy antics. He is an absurd candidate and doesn’t have the temperament or knowledge to lead our country. It’s not enough to surround yourself with “good people...the best people.” You have to have at least a basic understanding of our government and of how to behave diplomatically and realize that words have meanings as well as consequences. You know...WOOOORDS. Those things you put together to make sentences, Donald. Of course, some are better at it than others.

I’ll keep posting stories about him and about the election on Facebook and Twitter. It’s kind of my thing this time of year.  I am also not going to take anything for granted and will do what I can to make sure that Hillary Clinton wins the election. But you know what I’ve decided? Trump is BORING. His shtick is as stale as that of a 70-year-old washed up comedian playing the Catskills. His attitude is that of a bratty four-year-old who doesn’t get his way. “Waaaaah, Hillary’s gonna cheat. Waaaaah, the Khans were mean to me.” Grow the fuck up, Donald. We’ve got shit to do in this country and your ridiculous antics and non-existent and/or unworkable plans aren’t contributing to solutions.

We’ll be subjected to this for the next three months and when you lose—because you’re going to be a big LOSER—I’m sure you’ll whine and cry about how things were rigged against you, but we’ll all know that you lost to a GIRL. Then you can go take your nice long vacation and we’ll go about getting said shit done.