Don't Underestimate J.D. Vance

Meet the Press, for all its faults, is still one of the best shows to watch if one wishes to be politically informed. J.D. Vance was a guest on that show this past Sunday, and he did the usual dodging of the difficult issues, except abortion, where he gave a stalwart pledge that there would not be a national ban. I'm quite certain he had his fingers crossed behind his back when he said it, but he said it.

Here's the thing about Vance, though. He comported himself beautifully when asked the tough questions. He was every bit as eloquent as Pete Buttigieg. And while he made plenty of dodges, refusing to accept the premises of nearly all questions posed to him, he was also poised, polished, and confident. He was fast on his feet, and cool under fire.

Yes, Vance is a flip-flopping buffoon. But he's clearly talented. When Trump loses (and I predict he will), he becomes the heir apparent. Not Ron DeSantis, not Vivek Ramaswamy, not Nikki Haley. And when that happens, he'll command exactly the same type of blind devotion Trump does, in spite of his many personality faults. In fact, some might point out, because of his many personality faults.

We would do well not to underestimate him.

Oh, and that pledge that there won't be a national abortion ban? Vance knows he can make that pledge and get away with it, because it's really not his call. He's not leading the ticket. Trump is. And he can pledge until he's blue in the face, but Trump will enact a nationwide ban if he can at all manage it. He's been very blunt about doing so, even though he's been trying to backpedal in a post-Roe world. And Vance will always be able to say, "Look, I wanted to let the states decide, but I was only the Vice President."

Until the Fairness Doctrine is reinstated, and the Right Wing Media Cult squelched, Vance is a serious threat. He's no Tim Walz, to be sure, but unlike the bludgeonly Trump, he's silver-tongued and can handle the white-hot spotlight better than most other politicians. He is mentally ascendant while Trump is in decline. He is artful while Trump is blunt. He is a bigger threat than Trump in the long run.

Watch out for him. Or else we'll be right back in this same spot four years from now.

Eric

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A Defense of Gus Walz

Yesterday Jay Weber, that inane, blithering idiot on WISN radio, had the following to say about Tim Walz' son, Gus:

This exactly mirrors comments made by Ann Coulter (a.k.a. "Coultergeist") and podcaster Mike Crispin, who lost his bid for Congress in New Jersey's 4th district in 2022. Both of whom made Keith Olbermann's 'Worst Persons In The World' list in his most recent podcast for exactly this comment. And if it comes from them, you can surely know, without even looking, that this talking point is all over the Right Wing Media Cult as well.

I can't imagine a more hate-filled, stupid, callous, impious, and foolish thing to say. I've watched political speeches of all sorts for many, many years now, and I've seen children of politicians applaud, smile, and glad-hand. That's expected. But I've never seen the outpouring of genuine, heartfelt emotion like the one shown by Gus. This was not some kid crying like a man-baby. This was pride! Pure, unbridled pride! And proof that Tim Walz is the real deal when it comes to integrity.

So what do these idiots even think they can accomplish by attacking that?

I think sci fi writer Patrick Tomlinson had the perfect rejoinder to this idiocy. I don't know if he picked it up from somewhere else on the Internet, or if he came up with it himself. I don't really care either way, it's still brilliant. But the counter-argument goes like this:

And this counterargument works, not just in respect to Rittenhouse, but to any number of other famously-weeping Republican political figures, from John Boehner to Rick Santorum. Governor Chris Christie once wept when he saw the devastation that superstorm Sandy had wrought on New Jersey. Even Moscow-Mitch McConnell once wept on the Senate floor when bidding farewell to New Hampshire Senator Judd Gregg.

If Gus Walz is to be crucified for his tears, then logically, these other political figures must suffer as well. Especially Rittenhouse, whose tears were as fake as Amber Heard's.

Enough with the hate! Kamala Harris is not just a Democrat. She's the promise that the Republican party might finally be forced to abandon its extremism and return to sanity. That's why one Republican after another, even former staff members of Trump's, have taken the stage at the DNC to decry Trump and urge their fellow conservatives to oust him in November. And if that doesn't just say it all, nothing will.

The real man-baby is Jay Weber, whose absolute tantrum should rightly end his career! Unfortunately, WISN radio has a long history of not giving a damn how extremist its talking heads are. After all, this is the same network that featured Mark Belling for decades, even after he had a stroke.

But not even Mark Belling would have attacked Gus Walz like this.

Eric

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Biden's SCOTUS Wishlist

President Biden has proposed a few changes to the Supreme Court. He want to enact term limits, overturn the recent travesty ruling which grants a president blanket immunity, and enforce a code of ethics by which justices may be accountable for their misdeeds. Of course, the odds of such reforms getting passed is nigh on impossible, but as a publicity stunt, it's pretty good. Unfortunately, Biden left off the most important item.

He must propose a new rule where any future SCOTUS nominees must first be unanimously approved by all remaining justices.

I outlined this in my previous blog post as item #3 in my list of reforms to strengthen democracy, and it's no accident that I made it the third-highest priority. It is essential that our SCOTUS justices be as impartial as possible. Yet our current method of confirmation ensures that justices are approved specifically for their biases rather than their lack thereof. This is pure insanity! To preserve our democracy, and ensure the court's integrity, future justices must appeal to both left and right-wing interests. That means any new justice will have to be moderate. Eventually, nine moderates will dominate the court, and that's as it should be. Cases should be judged on their merits and legality, nothing else. Nominees must be judged on their qualifications rather than their partisan leanings. What's more, the Senate, in its confirmation process, is denied any opportunity to stack the court with biased partisans seeking to legislate from the bench. Good!

I get why Biden would suggest his wish list of reforms. It grabs people's attention and gets them talking. That's a positive thing. But leaving off the most important reform of all is ludicrous, even if the odds of passing it are nil.

As usual, I write up a blog post because something needs to be said, and I see nobody else saying it. Well, it needed saying. Let's remove political biases from our Supreme Court once and for all!

Eric

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