Bratgirl Blues
All of a sudden, the bottom is out of the tub
In Bob Woodward’s latest book, War, General Mark Milley is quoted as saying that Donald Trump is a “total fascist.” This put me in mind of George Orwell’s observation in “Politics and the English Language” that “The word Fascism has now no meaning except in so far as it signifies ‘something not desirable.’”
No doubt Milley, who strikes me as the very model of a postmodern general, would struggle to produce a lucid definition of fascism. For people like him, indeed, the word has been reduced to a cipher—an empty vessel waiting to be filled with one’s personal dislikes, discontents and obsessions. Anyhow, I place scant faith in the judgements of a man who presided over Joe Biden’s Afghanistan skedaddle, and who, when he retired as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, left the US armed forces in something of a shambles.
Democrats, progressives & etc., have seized upon Milley’s charge to revive their Trump/Hitler line. Now it seems to me that if that line hasn’t worked so far, it won’t work now. But there’s a certain desperation behind its revival at this time, less than a month before Election Day, that is worthy of note. For the Politics of Joy turned out to have a short shelf life. The presidential campaign of Kamala Harris now resembles a science experiment of the kind that’s sometimes found in the nether regions of one’s refrigerator. Color, aroma, and taste are ever so slightly off, and people are thinking: Not really sure I should eat that.
Back in the summer, when Joe Biden was still in the game, Democrats languished in the slough of despond. Even before his disastrous debate performance, it was obvious that Biden was going to be trounced by Trump: He and his presidency had been judged in the balance and found wanting. But a sitting president intent on running for reelection is not easily dislodged. It was the debate debacle that gave the Dems an opportunity to get rid of Biden, replacing him with someone who could beat Trump.
Not surprisingly, they flubbed that opportunity.
Vice President Kamala Harris had already been marked down as a total dud: lazy, ignorant, thin-skinned, inarticulate, as shallow as a puddle in the parking lot. But as the Veep, she could lay claim to the top spot if Biden were shunted aside. And as a woman of color (Are there women of no color?) she could not easily be shunted aside. The Dems thus found themselves nailed to the cross of DEI. And so Harris it was.
The immediate reaction to her ascent was a wave of euphoria. The cancellation of Biden was such a relief that Democrats momentarily forgot what a subpar personage had replaced him. Kamala Harris! The nonperforming asset who’d been a figure of fun from the first day of the Biden Administration! But once the Democratic National Convention was over and the campaign began in earnest, grim reality asserted itself. And here we are today, with the rank aroma of flop sweat rising from the progressive fever swamps.
Of all the signs of Dem/progressive panic over the Bratgirl’s stall, my favorite is the last-minute scramble to get the bros back on board. Men, it seems, are unimpressed with Kamala Harris. Barack Obama was trotted out to scold black men who’ve demonstrated a marked lack of enthusiasm for her. And Hollywood has chipped in with a series of unintentionally hilarious campaign commercials showcasing flyover country guys who are all in for Kamala. They were produced by a former Jimmy Kimmel staffer, so you can imagine what they’re like. A sample from Jeffery Blehar’s review:
“You think I’m afraid to rebuild a carburetor? I eat carburetors for breakfast.” (Carburetors have not been standard in engines for nearly 30 years, since they were replaced with fuel-injection systems in the early 1990s, and if he truly eats them for breakfast, then this explains his present frame.)
The Harris campaign could probably have done without this kind of help but really, it’s nothing new. You may remember this gem from 2016:
My first reaction to this attempt to get me on board with Hillary was: How did a member of the Taliban get registered to vote? Then I broke down laughing.
Harris has also taken to taunting Trump for refusing to release his medical records, an issue that burns with no one. She also calls him “weak” for refusing to be interviewed for 60 Minutes. One retort to that one might be, well, Kamala Harris was dumb for agreeing to a 60 Minutes interview, because she was unable to give a straight answer to a single question. Nor can her ranting about Trump distract voters from the fact that basically, she herself is an empty pantsuit.
Another telltale sign of Dem/progressive panic is the turn against “corporate media.” This is what The New York Times, CBS, et. al get for carrying the Biden Administration’s water all these years: They’re being denounced by the Bratgirl Admiration Society for noting that the candidate has a habit of dodging tough questions, and for suggesting that maybe, just maybe, Harris should do more interviews, press conferences, etc. This is heresy! The “corporate media” has failed in its patriotic duty to carry her over the finish line!
Really, it’s all too comical.
This is not to say that Harris can’t win next month. She might manage to squeak by. But the vibes are vibrating in an ominous manner. The bottom is out of the tub. And come Election Day, the band may be playing the blues for a misbegotten presidential candidacy that was constructed of smoke, mirrors, Marshmallow Fluff, and ersatz joy.
For the past 3-4 years, we have all been wondering who is running the country.
(We got a hint when SecDef Austin went into hospital for seven days before anyone knew that he was out. Normally, you tell your boss. It seems that Austin did not feel that there was anyone that he reported to.)
Kamela may win.
That will lead to another 4 years of uncertainty, muddled strategy, and opportunity for our adversaries.
That will allow unscrupulous subordinates to exercise unwarranted power.
Not what our Constitution envisions.
And they say Trump is the threat to, you know, the thing.