Uppity In Arms
People often ask, "Will there be media in the basket of deplorables?" Well, okay, not that often, but more than rarely. And the - well, okay, maybe rarely, but more than once. So...twice. But, those two people ask the question forcefully, so it sometimes feels like there are three, even four of them.
In any case, the answer is, "Of course. media will play a prominent role in the basket of deplorables. How would its denizens know what to be outraged about every hour otherwise?"
It just makes sense really.
Rush Limbaugh was one of the first pundits to take up residence in the basket of deplorables, and he can always be counted upon to defend his turf against the Anne Wannabes and Tucker Come Latelys of the world. And, if it means nounizing a word that has traditionally been used as an adjective, well, Limbaugh has preached the gospel of purity about many things, but language has never been one of them!
His attempts at sowing divisions within the Democratic Party would be laughable, if they actually paid attention to anything he said. But, what makes this vintage (ie: turned to vinegar) Limbaugh is the use of a racially loaded term to describe a woman of colour. Would it be wrong to make it a thing to call cranky old white men "downity?"
MAWA (Make America White Again) - It Has A Ring To It
Here's another poser that I'm not even going to pretend a lot of people are asking (I'm asking it and that's what matters): if a prominent politician has been given a conspicuous position in the basket of deplorables owing to his public office, does he retain the position when he leaves the office?
Do bears shit Popes in the woods?
Yuck. Never mind. The answer is: yes. Once you're in the basket of deplorables, you're there for life. There was once a time when a politician could say something deplorable, it would make their local newspaper, and it would quickly be forgotten to history. You would think that soon to be former Congressman Steve King, a self-avowed avid history buff, would know that those days are long gone. Given the internet and 24 hour cable news networks, deplorable behaviour is forever.
For speaking untruth to the powerless, King was kicked out of the Republican caucus. As if he hadn't been saying such horrible things for years. It's interesting that 50 people should get the wax cleaned out of their ears at exactly the same time. Cynics might say the party's failing efforts to woo minority voters as its overwhelmingly downity base dies off may have something to do with its actions against King.
We prefer the coincidental earwax cleaning explanation. One basket of deplorables may not be large enough to contain an entire political party!
The Turtle Sleeps Tonight
Aww, Mitch. Don't ever change. The Basket of deplorables needs its comic relief.
Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell spent a month denying widows and orphans their government checks rather than bringing a budget appropriations bill to the floor because he was afraid it wouldn't pass (or, perhaps, more afraid that it would and President Trump would veto it, or, worst of all, it would pass with a veto-proof majority - turtles can be unreadable that way), and he didn't want to subject anybody to a pointless show vote.
That's just the kind of caring, sharing government leader he is.
So, why, after a month, did he allow the vote that he had said was pointless? You know, the one that didn't even pass, as he knew/suspected/dreaded it wouldn't? Could it have had something to do with the fact that a majority of Americans blamed Republicans for the shutdown that was costing so many of them so much, and they would remember this in 2020? Could it have been that McConnell was trying to save some seats, and maybe even the presidency?
Bears - Popes - excrement - woods - you know how it works.
Only The Little People Make Sacrifices
And, speaking of widows and orphans...
What sacrifice was Lara Trump, Eric Trump's wife, referring to? Military service? Leaving a lucrative job in the private sector to work in politics? Having to wait an extra six months for the final season of Game of Thrones?
No, she was talking about the privilege of being furloughed, or working without getting paid while the government was shut down. The pain you were feeling would result in a border wall that would keep people like you out of the United States of America. I'm not sure why the grandchildren and generations after them would thank these people for this sacrifice, but, then, I don't have a cushy job as a television producer or am the daughter-in-law of the President, so maybe my view of working class sacrifice is clouded by my privileged position.
Of course, we now know that the shutdown ended without the President getting funding for his border wall. So, what was all that sacrifice for? To feed Donald Trump's ego? To...to...umm...sorry, I don't see any other explanation.
It may well be that the children, grandchildren and generations after them of furloughed government workers will be talking about the shutdown. But, it's unlikely that it will be to share thanks for the sacrifices that were made during it.
