Tag: GOP

The Trump Receipts

Who had Trump will ignore the court on their bingo cards?

I wasn’t overly surprised to read the Trump White House still refused to let the MS Now, Politico, and CNN reporters in after a judge issued an injunction against the White House ban on the three news organizations.

Trump declares himself as a ‘law and order’ proponent but keeps breaking laws. He also claims to be for peace while ordering attacks on other nations and insists he’s for technology — pushing AI and data centers — while stopping work on wind and solar-energy initiatives.

Likewise, Trump declared he’s for freedom of the press and freedom as speech while trying to shut down both. So ignoring the court’s ruling is totally in line with his general hypocrisy and double standards. I mean, he promised no new wars and then went to war and declared that he never promised no new wars and it’s not a war anyway. LOL. His duplicity and lawlessness are breathtaking.

Ironically, it’s technology that reveals what Trump said, context and all, proving that he said it. We have receipts: video. Transcripts. Records. He can squirm and try to wriggle out of what he said, but as long as we keep paying attention, facts and truths won’t be forgotten.

That circles us back to the Epstein files — again. Trump said that, yeah, I’ll probably release them. Then he insisted the Epstein files are a Democrat hoax.

That’s another of his favorite tactics, calling things a hoax, and blaming it on the Democrats.

Trump calls affordability crisis a ‘hoax.’ The data tells a different story

Impeaching Trump — twice — was a Democrat hoax; the Democrats’ criticism of how Trump was handling the coronavirus pandemic — hoax; Russia’s involvement in the 2016 election was a hoax, according to Trump.

Trans-Pacific Partnership? Hoax.

Climate change? Hoax, in Trumpworld.

Even rural MAGA voters have caught onto Trump’s methods and policies.

MAGA voters turned off by President Trump’s falsehoods in 2026

The distractions, lies, and broken promises are catching up with Trump.

We the People have receipts, and we’re not letting this go.

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The Fading of Donald Trump

Amused to read that MAGA podcasters have stopped talking about Trump much.

It’s funny because Trump is insisting the midterms are about him.

Trump is right, the midterms are about him, but not for why he thinks it is.

Trump believes he’s doing a fantastic job. He gave a speech at the United Nations this week full of many of the same lies, exaggerations, and misinformation that he claimed before. As before, factcheckers went through it and corrected the record for us.

The midterms are about Trump because many of We the People want control wrested away from him. He’s made many unpopular moves. Biggest ones are probably not lowering prices, not releasing the Epstein files, and starting the war in Iran.

Trump promised no new wars and lower prices when he was campaigning in 2024. Instead, he started a war and raised prices via tariffs, policy decisions, and yes, war. Now, as the midterms play out, an increasing number of Republicans are shying away from appearances with Trump and his endorsements — or that of his surrogates, like JD Vance. In multiple races, Republicans who stood with Trump are trying to pretend they don’t know him.

And MAGA is also slowly abandoning Trump, according to an analysis in a Wall Street Journal article.

MAGA podcasters are tuning out Trump. We tracked what they are talking about now.

To quote the article, “But MAGA podcasters aren’t playing along. Mentions of Trump’s name per hour on conservative podcasts have fallen nearly 70% from their peak in the run-up to the 2024 election.”

The WSJ article noted that the downturn in Trump mentions sharply coincides with when Trump began the Iran war in February, 2026.

Reading Leaving MAGA confessions, many of them slowly realized that Trump and the right-wing media was lying to them. It didn’t automatically drive them toward the Democrats, and I understand that. The Democrats are also far from being the party I desire. My request for term limits, dark money, and PAC participation include Democrats.

Nor does all this mean that Trump is going away soon, nor easily. If the GOP loses the House, Senate or both in the midterms, Trump will ramp up his war on democracy in America. He will be angrier, more bellicose, more erratic, and he will lie more.

We’ve all seen it before. It’s really more about how much do we trust, remember, and believe?

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Monday’s Theme Music — United

Ashland, southern Oregon. Monday, September 21, 2026.

Sunny but overcast day, giving it a humid, warm feeling. 76 F, we expect a high in the mid 80s today. It may have rained in parts of town but we didn’t see or feel it.

I’m a little late to this post. Got up and went into novel writing mode, emerging a few hours later. Like, oops — what happened to the time?

I’m pleased that the other networks are responding to Trump’s dictatorial behavior by providing a united front. Backing up a little, Trump raged that three news outlets, CNN, MS Now, and Politico, were putting out ‘fake news’ and declared them banned. Today, basically, the other news outlets demonstrating what the absence of news coverage will mean.

Trump loves the camera. He needs the news programs. As much as he rails against them, without them, Trump would fade away.

Jump to Trump’s new helipad opening today. Without the major news network, it was reportedly very unclear about what was going on. Trump will fume about it and his right-wing news allies will attempt to fill the gap. But the problem with the right-wing news outlets is that they’re right-wing. As much as Trump complains about mainstream media being ‘left-wing’, that’s where most people get their news.

Trump being Trump, though, he’ll often cut off his nose to spite his face, as the expression goes. He probably won’t back down soon.

I’m also pleased by the network moves because my wife was roaring, “Why don’t the other news networks stand up for each other? What’s wrong with them?”

So the move will restore a little peace to my house.

Today’s music comes from a group called The Brotherhood of Man. When I read of the networks’ united front against Trump, The Neurons pulled up the 1969 song, “United We Stand”.

Although syrupy, its sentiment serves today well.

Sample Lyrics

For united we stand
Divided we fall
And if our backs should ever be against the wall
We’ll be together, together, you and I

Trump feeds off creating tension and especially thrives on being contentious and divisive. It always gives me a laugh to remember him saying that he wants to be remembered as a unifier.

Your Trump Quote of the Day:

Now eighteen months into Trump’s second term, we know that history will not describe him as a ‘unifier’. The way he attacks and divides people — including members of his own party — it’s almost like he doesn’t understand the definition of ‘unifier’…

My wish for you today is that life treats you well and rewards you with love, joy, good health, and good food.

Cheers

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Friday’s Theme Music — Storms

Ashland, southern Oregon. Friday, September 18, 2026.

Another Friday reached, another week trickling toward the end. We drift further into autumn in the northern hemes as they moved toward hot weather south of the equator.

Today has Ashland at 68 F with 83 F on the blue horizons. Leaves are not falling from trees yet, but colors are swarming into the green. Maples are already shimmering with dark reds.

All quiet with Mom and my family. I texted Mom and received one to two words in response. Nothing from any sisters.

Today’s warm sunshine is appreciated. Nicely complements my morning coffee. I usually take it black but my physician suggested that I need more protein in my diet. I now pour some chocolate protein shake into my morning coffee, resulting in a protein mocha, more or less. *smile*

I go through headlines, plucking out information, studying the runes, peering at the tea leaves, hoping for revelations.

Fox News Poll: Squeezed by costs, frustrated voters turn to the Democrats

Iran war has cost $45.1 billion, Pentagon tells Congress

Karoline Leavitt’s new Trump line becomes accidental rallying cry for Dems

Trump bans CNN, MS Now, and Politico from White House

Another Great Lake is renamed to mock Trump’s Lake Ontario decision

‘I don’t want you to stand with me and the MAGA movement today’: Trump sends urgent fundraising appeal

The omens show a divided nation and a desperate, flailing Trump. Even as I wonder about that, I remember that Trump has always enjoyed being confrontational and combative. He likes to appear defiant and is often bullying, no matter what the circumstances are. He’s rarely conciliatory.

Basically, though, most Republicans still seem to support Trump, according to polls. For a significant part of the GOP coalition, the economy is not the central objective, and his lies and broken promises are not a problem. These are prices they seem willing to pay for cultural dominance, institutional transformation, or the defeat of their perceived enemies.

My overall sense is that we’re in the lull in a storm. More stormy weather is coming.

Der Donald is doing his best to keep us distracted and angry. This week, Trump floated conjecture about demolishing the Kennedy Center because he can’t have his name on it. How very Operation Epic LOOK — SQUIRREL! of him. Of course, with any Trump declaration, he can swing swiftly from rhetoric to destruction. Court orders were quickly sought. Whether they’ll slow Trump is debatable. He always claims he’s for law and order but has shown that he doesn’t think it applies to him.

Today’s song is about storms but it came about yesterday. As my wife and I chatted about the novel “John of John” in our home office, we heard thunder. Or it could have been thunder. Maybe it was a passing truck.

Going to the window, we looked out on a confused collage — stormy clouds, bright sunshine, blue sky, distant rain veils. We stayed a bit, continuing to chat but heard no more thunder and saw no lightning.

All that culminated in The Neurons recalling a 1974 Deep Purple song, “Stormbringer”. The song stayed in the morning mental music stream as I read the news and drank my coffee. Part of that is because whenever it’s sunny but rainy, my wife and I look for rainbows. “Stormbringer” references riding a rainbow.

Hope you find a day of rainbows, peace, and good health. Here we go, into another one.

Cheers

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Children of Trump

Seeing and reading about that Trump pledge at Trumpapalooza more since it happened, I think, that is one of the silliest things that I’ve seen in my lifetime, outside of parties where people were drunk.

Those Republicans weren’t drunk, though. As far as I know…

Then I realized, yes, I have seen things like that before, in movies about secret societies, and at children’s parties.

The Trump pledge seems particularly childish to me now. Taking that pledge with Trump showed how the GOP has become a childish party. Led by Trump, they often threaten to withhold money, attack someone, sue someone, or take away FCC licenses. Even Speaker Johnson has been caught lying.

Trump also childishly promised more money to people if Republicans won and keep control of office. Sounds a lot like a kid saying, “If you’re nice to me, I’ll give you a piece of my candy.”

Trump offers the candy even though it’s not actually his candy to give. The candy he’s giving away belongs to We the People.

Like a child, Trump tries blaming everyone else. He’s like a school kid telling the teacher, “The dog ate my homework.” Today he’s blaming the high gas prices plaguing his administration on Ukraine.

Is it any wonder that disapproval of Trump among college educated people is increasing?

Right now, Trump is whining about NATO again. After he started a war with Iran without mentioning it to NATO, he wants NATO, a defense organization to step up and help us with his fight.

Trump says he won that war, so why does he want NATO’s help?

And just like a child making a grandiose claim, Trump declared, “You know, we’ve cut drug prices by 1,200, 1,300, 1,400, 1,500%. I don’t mean 50%, I mean 14 — 1,500%.”

Doesn’t that sound like a child who doesn’t understand math just saying things because it sounds good?

Trump’s final words in his speech was, “You know what happens if you don’t vote? You go to hell!”

Which sounds like a very MAGA thing to say, and as mature as a petulant teenager.

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Trump — Narrow and Backward

Let’s begin with your Trump Quote of the Day:

This was from the Dallas 2026 midterm conventions. Trump insisted that the convention be made about him. That way, the midterm will be about Trump, because Trump thinks he’s the greatest.

And those of him applauding and pledging with him must agree. Why else put your hand up and say those things — unless they’re like Trump, willing to say anything?

Trump made many claims during his speech. A few had a basis in truth. Like, he did increase oil and gas production.

But that’s the problem. Trump’s focus is so narrow and backward. While he increased oil and gas production, that resulted in:

  • Record high profits for the energy companies
  • Diesel gas prices going over $6 per gallon for the first time in US history
  • The highest average price per gallon for gas on Labor Day in the US — ever
  • Increased costs for food and construction due to high construction costs
  • A record national debt that is growing faster than our nation
  • And an affordability crisis for Americans

Now for our second Trump Quote of the Day:

Trump has insisted that we’re not at war (although Trump also claimed we are at war and that’s why we can’t afford things). He always calls the war with Iran a conflict.

But here he is, verifying, yes, he thinks of it as a war. He used the word ‘war’ repeatedly this week.

Because it is a war.

“I think the war’s going to end immediately after the election because they can’t hold out any longer,” Trump said. “They’re desperate to affect the election, so that we can get a nice, weak group of people in there and leave them alone and let them have their nuclear weapon. All they want is their nuclear weapon, and if they have a nuclear weapon, the whole world is in deep trouble.”

Which means that he has illegally taken our nation into war over six months ago. The Constitution states only Congress can declare war.

I know Trump apologists – Trumpologists – are hurriedly giving him cover. “He was just talking,” they’ll probably say. “That doesn’t mean that we’re at war.”

That’s what Trumpologists always say about Trump. Trump was just talking, whether it’s about why he ordered the attacks on Iran, when the Iran war will end, declaring he’ll balance the budget, reduce prices, start no new wars, be a unifier and a peacemaker, release the Epstein files, cheat, or lower drug prices by over 100%.

He was just talking.

Trump cannot be trusted to keep his word. And his attitude and policies are too backward and outdated for what’s needed in this century.

Instead of facing this, Trump lies, bullies, cheats, and exaggerates.

I believe we need people in our leadership positions who are willing to face the challenges and rise to them, instead of trying to drag us backwards.

Otherwise, we’ll forever be going backwards as the world goes forward.

Vote Blue in 2026. End the war, stop the lies, and restore trust.

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The Net’s Take on Trump This Week

Thank you to those in Ireland who took the time to make Trump a greeting for his pending visit.

h/t to Daily Kos.

Couldn’t put it better myself.

Over in sports, they’re talking about the Trump Curse. Two of the three teams Trump he mentioned as capable of winning the Superbowl, New England and the Los Angeles Rams, lost their season’s first game. It’s a long season, though. Trump will probably deny he ever said it.

Trump is scrambling like a quarterback under a fierce pass rush, trying to buy time, searching for ways to remain in power. First was the effort to block voting by mail, now thrown out by another court — or was it Republican efforts to gerrymander their way to power? The two actions were being done in parallel.

More recently came the $5K ‘Trump Dividend’, money Trump is willing to pay out of the nation’s funds if his party stays in power.

 “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”

On to the net.

And a little satire…

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Wednesday’s Theme Music – Rock Me

Ashland, southern Oregon. Wednesday, September 9, 2026.

Sunny warmth has reclaimed the valley. 82 F now, today’s high will crest in the low to mid 90s.

News rocks me my wife every day. Especially these things which Trump claims.

Trump’s latest claims center around what a hero he was on 9/11, down there with a large construction crew, trying to help. Witnesses and reports from that time do not show a heroic Trump anywhere near the twin towers.

The question that hits me is, does Trump believe this fantasy that he’s created about what happened a quarter century again? If so, my concern about his mental state, already very high, given his control of our weapons and his habit of putting his supporters in subordinate positions, to much higher levels.

The other piece of that puzzle is, if Trump isn’t so delusional that he actually believes his fantasy and lies, what drives him to lie like this? And that’s equally scary, because he’s now deliberately trying to twist facts, truth, and history to pretend that he’s someone else.

Your Trump Quote of the Day:

To what ends does Trump make these lines? To keep control and make himself look better, it seems. And to me, a person willing to do these things to maintain control and power is extremely unpredictable.

The other news rocking me was Germany’s right-wing party gaining strength and winning elections. We’ve already fought one destructive war which resulted in millions being killed.

It’s sobering that Donald Trump eagerly embraced AfD’s election win in Germany. The memory of World War II—where the United States and allied nations fought a devastating global war to defeat the Nazi regime after the far-right seized power in Germany in 1933—remains a cornerstone of the modern international order and the U.S.–Germany alliance. To me, this points to exactly where Trump is moving the nation.

Finally, wearying me today is the chaos around Missouri’s congressional map. Various court decisions about GOP efforts to keep Democrats out of office are out there across the land, so I think we’ll be seeing more of this midterm chaos.

My wife and I discussed these stories and others this morning. She concluded, “I struggle to feel balance. It seems like every other day brings some news that rocks me.” I agreed with her.

My Neurons pounced on ‘rock me’. I immediately had “Rock Me” in my morning mental music stream. This is a bluesy 1987 hard-rock offering from Great White. Maybe you’re familiar with it.

I hope your day brings you a sense of beauty, renewal, and good health.

Cheers

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Your Trump Quote of the Day

Yes, that’s what so many Americans are worried about. War with Iran, Epstein files, Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, government corruption, climate change, decreasing employment, increasing national debt, more measles and spreading COVID-19, rising gas, food, and housing prices — food recalls — forgot those!

Private jets are the line in the sand.

Of course, there is more to the story…

The US–Canada Aircraft Certification Dispute: What the Latest Developments Could Mean for Aviation Safety

What happened (in plain English)

“In late January 2026, President Donald Trump publicly threatened to “decertify” certain Canadian-made aircraft (often cited as Bombardier’s Global Express family) and to impose a 50% tariff on aircraft imported from Canada. Reporting linked the threat to Canada’s pace in certifying (validating) several US-made Gulfstream business jets for Canadian operation.”

Wait a minute!

Are you telling me that Trump’s complaint about Canada not being willing to certify the Gulfstream is a result of Trump threatening to decertify Canadian aircraft and impose a 50% tariff?

Why, Donald Trump — suddenly, I can believe that Canada has not certified the Gulfstream.

What I can’t believe — again — is how you refuse to accept the consequences of the stupid decisions you make.

And again, you try blaming others for your stupidity.

Fool me once, shame on you.

Fool me twice, then I’m a Republican.

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