Only In America.
But for how much longer?
Republican nominee to be, Donald Trump, was yesterday found guilty of defaming E Jean Carroll by denying that he raped her. The jury declared that he must pay US$83.3 million in damages. And do you know what? He’ll probably still win the Presidency.
That’s how bad thing have gotten in the US. How partisan things have become.
It doesn’t matter if the guy is found guilty of horrible crimes. It doesn’t matter that yet again he tried to bully, harass, and intimidate the victim, painting them as the real criminal. He’s the guy on their team, so they back him no matter what.
Especially if they get told he came from God. Some of them are quite partial to that kind of thing…
Yes, despite minor legal setbacks, and the fact that a number of states are refusing to even have him on the ballot after he was such a poor loser the last time, it looks as if Trump will win the Republican nomination.
Normally the first half of election year in the US is taken up with the primaries. In which the two parties that people get to choose from select their candidates for the election proper. This year the primaries, which normally run until June, are over before they’d hardly even started.
The Republicans, referred to as the GOP (the Grand Old Party), in a way that harks back to a time when the party had traditional values. Will be opting, for the third time in a row, to nominate Trump. Who has been essentially unopposed.
His former challengers taking that well traversed route to mild praise. Recognition that they’re not in fact the worst person in the world, from a man who was calling them names like a ten year old only an hour earlier.
The Democrats, referred to as the Dems by people who really mean libtards, have decided that Joe Biden best represents their, and our, hopes for the future of humanity. Which is underwhelming.
No one will be feeling the Bern this year. There isn’t even the hope of an actual left wing candidate, unless you choose to waste your vote on a Third Party or Independent candidate in protest.
Some will say they’re as bad as each other, Trump and Biden. Now I’m not the biggest fan of old Joe, especially after he’s been so gutless standing by, actually more like standing watch, while Israel commits mass murder. But until the day that Biden is guilty of insurrection, rape, and defamation, I don’t think that’s a viable argument.
You know, I'm so old that I can remember when raping someone, and lying about it, might've been considered a set back in running for President. Old fashioned eh?
Now bear in mind, in this latest trial, there wasn’t a question of whether Trump had sexually assaulted Carroll, that was taken as read, and just fine and dandy apparently. This trial was only about him having lied about doing so.
We shouldn’t be surprised I guess. The last time Trump became President he joked, “I could stand in the middle of 5th Avenue and shoot somebody and I wouldn’t lose voters.”
Of course he also boasted on tape about sexually assaulting women by grabbing them, in a most unwelcome way.
But you know, recent verdicts are things that he actually definitely did. You kind of wonder at this point whether he really ought to be in a jail, rather than on the ballot.
I’m kidding of course. Rich people don’t go to jail in America. Well, not unless they’ve stolen from other rich people.
Still maybe it’s all just a test. You know, sent by the man upstairs…
You do wonder how on earth America can get back from this place to more decency, more intelligent discussions, and more sanity. Things seem to be at such an impasse, the actions and words of politicians are judged solely on whether they are from the blue team or the red team, and neither side listens to the other.
Well one US Senator has come up with a circuit breaker, of sorts.
The proposed rule reads, “If a senator’s honor is impugned by another senator to the point that it is beyond repair and in order for the offended senator to gain satisfaction, such senator may rectify the perceived insult to the senator’s honor by challenging the offending senator to a duel…
The two senators shall agree to the terms of the duel, including choice of weapons, which shall be witnessed and enforced by their respective seconds.
The duel shall take place in the well of the senate at the hour of high noon on the date agreed to by the parties to the duel.”
Yes, this draft suggest a duel take place with a choice of weapons in the senate statehouse! No, it’s not satire.
Leading historian Joanne B Freeman of Yale tweeted, “Back in the day they were smart enough to take dueling OUTSIDE. The draft that I saw suggests doing it in the chamber. This doesn’t show guts or bravery or manhood – if it’s supposed to. It shows utter stupidity.”
Of course it wouldn’t be American politics without a few politicians that would be considered insane anywhere else. Which brings us to Marjorie Taylor Greene, who hinted this week at the secret of Trump’s success in defeating his rivals, saying the, “GOP was 'completely eradicating' anyone not supporting Trump policies”.
What a shock that his success in politics, much like that in business, is based upon bullying and intimidation. Destroying his opponents, rather than defeating them fair and square on merit.
In a short time the US has gone from “America the Beautiful”, to chanting “Make America Great Again”. As if the way to achieve that was to abandon all the principles and values that made the place great in the first place.
Many people have tried to make sense of what Henry Rollins refers to as “the America”. Perhaps none more so that the great comedian George Carlin, who died in 2008.
Now George’s estate is suing “the media company behind a fake, hour-long comedy special whose creators boasted of using artificial intelligence to re-create the late stand up comic’s style and material.”
I thought of George’s books and his views on commercialism and stupidity and it somehow seemed to make sense that there would be a market for George’s observations, but greatly dumbed down with all the rough edges removed. A sad end for the man who told us the seven words you can’t say on television.
In the clip below you will hear George use those words, but it’s mostly comments from some of today’s top comedians on what George meant to them. Including Jon Stewart who I was delighted to see this week is returning to the Daily Show.
Nothing against Trevor Noah, Fi and I watched his Netflix special, Where Was I, this week and though it was very funny. But after almost ten years away it will be great to see Stewart back. A hero of mine, as is Carlin.
There was a time when it was fun to laugh at what America had become, they were like a parody of what they claimed to be. But now it’s not so funny.
Now we look at the big money subverting democratic elections.
At the corruption that sees policies implemented for party donors, not the people the politicians claimed to represent.
The misinformation and outright alternate reality.
And partisanship that means every error is either amplified out of all proportion, or simply ignored. Depending on whether it was our side or not.
And it’s getting harder to tell the difference between there and here.
I’m not saying Christopher Luxon could walk down Queen St and shoot someone. Sure a few ACT voters might applaud, but even a lot of National supporters would probably mutter that was taking things a bit far.
Seymour would probably say it was the sort of tough action required. Shane Jones that the friends and family of the deceased were being woke for complaining. Luxon himself would probably deny it happened, even while being shown slow motion footage of it taking place.
I remember some years back Martyn “Bomber” Bradbury, of the Daily Blog, tweeted that, “The MSM are so openly biased now - John Key could eat a kitten live on Seven Sharp & the Press Gallery would still blame David Cunliffe”.
Luxon seems similarly beloved by a media contingent who are mostly still quite happy to parrot that it’s all Labour’s fault.
Bomber had a big birthday during the week, hitting the half century - hope you had a good one Comrade.
I first laid eyes on Bomber almost 30 years ago. When I was at Uni he was the co-editor of the student magazine, Craccum. He was just the same then, the same cap, the same loud opinions, though the beard had a touch more Che Guevara than Karl Marx in those days. Mind you, look who’s talking. Anyway, back to it, we were just wrapping up…
Regardless of political viewpoint. Whether we prefer a system that focuses on the individual or one that looks after the group, I don’t imagine many would argue with the fact that New Zealand in 2024 is becoming more like America than ever.
What I’m not so sure about is whether people think that’s a good thing, or not?
Don’t get me wrong, America punches above its weight in most fields. It has given us so much from music, to movies, great literature, scientific advances, great philosophers and many fabulous human beings.
But they are beset by a political system that plays to the worst of that great country.
Burdening the good people with a system that favours greed and cronyism over ideas and living the values Americans espouse as being the founding ideals of their country.
It’s a shame to see the same thing happening here. I thought perhaps we were better than that. But it turns out we’re not, it’s just taken a while for us to catch up.
Have a great day all you lovely people.
Just watched the Trick and Treaty doco.... globalist billionaires funding their own interests. And of course the thing blocking the general plunder of minerals in NZ is ....yes you guessed it.... the Treaty of Waitangi which protects public and Maori land. So this referendum business is just the beginning it would seem. They sure did the business on Australia just to stop indigenous advice to Parliament ffs......!
I can remember GOP John McCain voting against his party to support Obamacare. A true statesman who was mocked by Trump who refused to recognise him as a hero as he was imprisoned and tortured. Trumps uncouth tactics rallied the radicals and so his leadership was entrenched. NZ needs to rally now to support Māori and te Titiri just like Ann Salmond writes today. Hooton also writes that the coalition government is using it as a political stunt!