We finally have found the secret sauce, it turns out that mockery is MAGA kryptonite. Here are a few great examples from the past week.
Let’s start with what is one hell of a political ad …
- The only people this is “normal” for will be the “Christian Nationalists”.
- It comes from Won’t PAC Down
Everything Trump does is weird for people outside the MAGA cult …
- Seeing how well “weird” is hitting, I think maybe Hillary should have leaned into “basket of deplorables” instead of running away from it.
Instead of discussing policy, he mocks the way she laughs. So how can the Harris campaign respond to that?, Easy, they grabbed that clip and ran with it to point out that he really is weird …
Some do try to push back, but then end up getting badly burned, basically because “They are weird” is not a political slogan, it’s a verifiable fact …
They have worked ever so hard to earn all this and I am so here for it all …
Nice try Rubio, but sorry, no cigar …
“No No” Says Glenn Beck, “it’s the democrats that are weird“, says the weird guy who is on a deeply weird network that is like this …
- …and yes, Glen is the guy who once aired an hour-long special broadcast from the year 2054 … and he thinks the Democrats are the weird ones?
This one tweet beautifully sums up the right-wing weirdness from the past week …
Meanwhile the Heritage Foundation twitter account decided this past week that they also needed to join in and be deeply weird …
- Since we are on the topic, then let’s be wholly clear about this. The boxer is not trans. She is a woman by every woman standard conservative Christians have. Which to be clear, is only two: birth certificate and genitalia (the obsession with it is deeply weird)
Why does labelling them “weird” work so well?
They embrace a very narrow-minded intolerant dogmatic view of the world. Labelling them as “weird” resonates with many who find their fascist political antics to be utterly repulsive. It also drives them crazy because it shatters the delusion that their stance is normal.
There are of course plenty more examples of weirdness, so let’s move on now to mock and laugh at some of the other bits of weirdness from the past week.
The Deeply Weird Cult of Trump
Ron truly nails the stark contrast that now prevails …
- There is no ducking the factual observation that their communication styles and word choices are massively different.
We all know how it is all going to play out in Nov. Roughly 80% of white evangelicals are going to vote for the racist sexual assaulter, then spend the next four years wondering why so many people are walking away from organized religion. These are people who advocate for a passionate embrace of their specific flavour of belief and ethics, yet they have also very clearly opted to toss all these cherished values under the bus and instead embrace an utterly depraved and deeply corrupt individual. This truly is weird. Mehdi Hasan lays it out like this …
Trump has been trying to fight back this past week like this …
- He is not alone with in this full racist attack, others have also jumped on this bandwagon. Roger Stone was also promoting the ridiculous claim that she cannot embrace both sides of her family tree.
- It is indeed weird that they think this whacky argument, that panders to those wearing a white robe and hood, will actually win lots of votes.
- What they totally fail to grasp is that people can be many things at once. For example, Trump is simultaneously a rapist, a racist, and a convicted felon.
Some like Franklin Graham are so weird that they just don’t get it, even when it is all right there …
- Is Franklin really this oblivious. Does he truly fail to grasp that the image beautifully encapsulates Trump?
We also have now seen Trump try to use the Olympics to try and fear monger …
- He thinks the US leading in medals is a travesty. Now that really is an old guy being totally out of touch and is indeed deeply weird. Long may this “Olympic Travesty” prevail.
Project 2025 – Smoke and Mirrors
The Project 2025 stand-down arm-waving is fooling nobody, it is political theatre …
- Let’s be wholly clear about this – Project 2025 is a blueprint. It’s not going to “shut down” just because a director steps down. Additionally, the GOP’s platform is just as a disturbing, and the ideas will easily carry over.
Christian Nationalism
Christian nationalist pastor Joel Webbon wants Christians to hate their enemies and to cast righteous votes until voting can be done away with.
- “hate their enemies” … and vote “until voting can be done away with” … Fascism 101
- Meanwhile, Jesus looks down and says …
Tim Barton, son of David barton, continued the family tradition of promoting totally fake pseudo-history. He Asserts that Christians always led the movements to stop bad things in American history.
- This is a very good example, a key insight, into how Christian nationalists formulate their mythology. He has intentionally left out the fact that often those who fought to preserve those bad things were also Christians. For example, while some Christians opposed and fought against slavery, other Christians defended and fought for slavery—the same for Jim Crow segregation and the violence that sustained it.
- That’s a cue for … “But those who did the bad things were not real Christians“. The problem there is that most of pro-slavery people were the conservative devout Christians. It was the more liberal freethinking Christians that opposed it. If you want to know which Christians today would have been pro-slavery or anti-slavery if they had lived back then, just replace the word “slavery” with “LGBTQ” and you have your answer.
Speaking at MAGA pastor Jackson Lahmeyer’s church on Sunday, Tulsa mayoral candidate Brent VanNorman said “we need to get back” to the days when “public officials had to be Christians.“
- To do that he needs to go way way back about 300 years to the Puritans, a happy jolly time of witch trials, and banning Christmas and dancing in New England, long before the US was established.
- Does this also mean that he will not be voting for the weird orange one who is very obviously not Christian, but instead will be voting for Kamala, a devout Baptist, or does the weird one get a free pass?
- Reminder: You all know this, but he does not, and appears to have forgotten the No Religious Test Clause within the constitution – Article VI, Clause 4: “no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States.“
Master Conman Kenneth Copeland can see where his marks are at, so he will of course pander to them to ensure he gets enough donations for his next Jesus jet …
Speaking at a Christian nationalist “Courage Tour” stop in Wisconsin, right-wing activist Joshua Standifer promoted his efforts to mobilize an army of right-wing Christian election workers so they’ll be “the ones counting the votes” on election night.
- Apparently these “Stop the steal” people have now become the “start the steal” people. These are not trustworthy people, I can’t help but feel that they might strive to do what they feel happened in 2020.
- Thankfully it will probably be OK because in many places, such as Wisconsin, votes are counted by machine. Election workers just give out the ballots and help anyone who has questions.
The Kamala Harris Fan Club
Yes, they just love her.
MAGA pastor Jackson Lahmeyer sums up the choices in this year’s presidential election: “Donald Trump is like King David. Kamala Harris is like Queen Jezebel. Easy decision for EVERY Bible believing American Christian.”
- Yea, the Jezebel stuff again. Comparing Kamala to a fictitious Bible character is all they have because they don’t have any actual arguments.
- When these “Christians” vote for the convicted felon, sexual predator, and rapist instead of the devoted Baptist who actually cares about people, then they will indeed be telling us all about the actual values they embrace.
- Meanwhile we can all play the Bible Verse Cherrypicking game … @JacksonLahmeyer is like the second beast in the Book of Revelations (In Revelation 13:11–18, the second beast, is later known as the false prophet, comes “out of the earth,” exercises all the authority of the first beast, and forces everyone on earth to worship the first beast)
Hank Kunneman used his Sunday sermons to dub Harris “Cackle-a Hamas.”
- Kindergarten name called is all this self-appointed “profit” has got
Trump-loving evangelists Lance Wallnau and Mario Murillo declare that “demonic power” is behind the Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign.
- These “Demonic powers” want people to keep Medicare, Soc Sec, Aca, and not give tax cuts to the rich.
- In other words, this is the same old crap, nothing new– I’m tired of their manipulative shit and long for the day when their followers wise up.
Scott Lively wonders if Kamala Harris might be the “Whore of Babylon” mentioned in the Book of Revelation: “We might just be witnessing her grand entrance on the world stage in the form of Kamala Harris – ‘sex-worker’ to the elites.”
- Given his preferred candidate’s rather prolific and voluminous sexual history of rape and abuse involving many many different women, I think he will find that his deeply weird candidate is a far better match for that role.
- For those a tad confused there, then permit me to bring you up to speed. Jeanine Pirro of Fox News, who in the above clip is accusing Kamala of having an alcohol problem, has a rather well-established track record of having an alcohol problem herself and has appeared live on air totally hammered.
Christian Nightmares
Andrew Torba insists that “women need to be put in their place by masculine men and then all of this madness will come to a swift end”: “The time approaches. Women who are honest about what is going on in our society, churches, and culture will agree with me.”
- There is absolutely nothing less masculine than a man blaming women for his problems
- The list of places where we really do need to place women is in SCOTUS and also as POTUS
Ben Zeisloft asserts that “we need to restore true blasphemy laws.”
- Enact laws for a “crime” that has no actual victim.
- You might quip that the 1600s are beckoning to Ben, however, to establish his claim, he cites a law from 1697, so that quip would be literally true.
- The deeply weird thing about Blasphemy is that from the viewpoint of every belief, every other belief is Blasphemy. A universal blasphemy law would involve locking up literally everybody … no exceptions
- His beloved Blasphemy law example came from the Massachusetts puritans … the same guys who gave us witch trials, public whipping for adultery, and also banned all Christmas celebrations and dancing … oh happy times.
- OK, a bit of fun. I’ll post my favourite clip once again for those that have not yet seen it …
Here is a trailer for a deeply weird new “Christian” movie …
- It’s weird how their worst nightmare is people doing to them, what they are currently doing to everyone else.
- FYI … IMDB ranks it 3.4 … out of 10. That’s a very very low score. One user review comments “Save your money and buy a Bible and read it for yourself. The recent trend for poorly educated people with poor critical thinking skills and dumb-enough-to-believe-anything personalities trying to frame themselves as hero’s is ridiculous!“
Vance is still being his usual Weird self
- Wedge issues like… women matter even if they don’t have children?
- And the record Vance is running on is …. oh that’s right, nothing, literally nothing at all. He has not sponsored or con-sponsored any bills that actually passed into law …ever. Getting stuff like that done is the actual job as an elected senator.
He also weirdly ranted about foreign boxers (as did many others) …
- Calling a woman a man and then being mad about some crazy and totally false conspiracy theory is very whacky. He can’t even enjoy the Olympics. It’s a weird place to hang his hat.
Vance also gave his Couch a mention. Really? … Yep, this happened …
- As a joke, I’d then be tempted to say that he then proceeded to spend the next several minutes begging her to come up and speak.
- This couch thing is going to be with him for the rest of his political life … and I’m really here for it.
… and when I say that this couch thing will just run and run, it is not just a hope, but an actual reality. Check out this couch ad, and enjoy the dolphin squeak in the middle …
The usual Conspiracy Claims continue to bubble away
Johnny Enlow claims that polls showing Harris tied with Donald Trump is all part of the plot to steal the election: “Poll pushing is the first stage and most important stage of the steal.”
- It is an utterly pointless exercise to present verifiable facts to conspiracy theorists. Any evidence that contradicts a narrative will be deemed to be part of the conspiracy.
The Tide really does appear to have turned
Some of the more traditional republicans are beginning to recognise that MAGA really is not normal and that they truly are deeply weird. We now live in an age where Reagan, if he was still around, would be labelled a Leftist progressive by MAGA.
Republican Mayor John Giles (below) will be on the right side of history …
He is not alone, here is another …
The Political Cartoons are (as always) excellent
Here are a couple of samples.
Michael de Adder …
Finally…
Apparently the NRCC think 68 is young!
For some, Kamala really has blown their minds … and the Daily Show is really here for it …
Beyond boxing there have also been some other Olympic concerns …
The Olympic fuss fast because an excuse for some to roll out some old whacky tropes. Excommunicated far-right archbishop Carlo Viganò and Blaze TV host Sara Gonzales made a leap from complaining about the Olympics opening ceremony to promoting misogynist, anti-trans, and ridiculous claims that Michelle Obama and the wife of the French president are really men
I mean seriously now, we are awash with deeply wild whacky Trump as an alternative Messiah imagery, and it is all apparently just fine, but when the Olympics gave a nod to their mythological origins, the feast of Dionysus, then MAGA complete blow their tops because they mistakenly think the last supper is being mocked. They really are deeply weird hypocrites …
Moving on – there really is a huge airgap between reality and some people, and that is what lands them into a weird place …
Finally … Sarah Cooper is once again back with “You only need to vote one more time” …