Wednesday, December 17, 2025

Midweek: Will the "sane wing" Republicans step up? -- And my selection of best SMBCs!

I'll pause this time - midweek - to blurt a couple of mini rants about the monsters who will soon unleash something hellish, in order to distract us. But hang around to the end, where I'll recommend some of the best recent comix from Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal!

This weekend, I'll get back to part 8 of my ongoing series of tactics that might help fix this mess we are in.


== Do not be fooled when Republicans 'stand up to Trump' ==

Parse it carefully. There are defection/revolts by a few in the Party of Lincoln vs. Trumpism. Some rare GOPpers who happen to be decent/principled and not very blackmailed are standing up. (Tho all GOP senators are complicit with DT's cabinet of monsters, that includes several KGB agents.) 

But this vote re Obamacare is not such a revolt! It is a tactic to get the GOP out of a jam, backing away from their cruel act that risks enraging tens of millions, if Obamacare subsidies expire, then giving them excuse to blame dems for resulting deficits.

Likewise, the Roberts "Court" will rule against Trump on some symbolic matters, in order to maintain an illusion of 'balance'...

...though never re: any matter that affects POWER. 

So, expect a curb or two on ICE raids, because that shit is mostly sadistic theater for diehard racist MAGAs. But Roger Taney Jr. - I mean John Roberts - will okay DT's power to fire IGs and JAGs and wreck whole agencies. And cheat elections and send troops into cities. And send ICE toward citizens. And bully the military officer corps. 

We need to make clear to our loyal military men and women that they aren't forgotten. And help is on the way!

But stay focused. Power is the criterion to watch.


== Are there any signs of movement by Principled Republicans? ==

Good question. Sure there are Kinzingers and Liz Cheney (gulp). But aside some such anecdotes, are there signs of actual, organized revolt by decent or at least slightly patriotic Republicans? Perhaps leading to a split-off Sane Conservative Party? (We need one.) 

I'm likely clutching straws. Even if Paul Ryan, Romney, George F. Will and others do step up, Trump will only signal Putin to unleash the planned super-9/11 attack, now that he and Gabbard and Noem have re-assigned or fired or neutered many counter-terrorism agents and staff. Thus hoping to get us to rally around the leader. (It worked for Bush.) Whereupon... they hope to send well-drilled ICE prison-parolees after new targets to round up. Cancel elections...

... and release blackmail kompromat on any GOPper pol who dares to lift his head. (Or, in the case of Collins/Murkowski, whatever male relatives they are protecting, by submitting to Putin.)

So, standing up will take a lot more guts than Olde Republicans ever had. Or ever will. 

There will be no more Ike/Dirksen/Goldwater/McCains. So, it's likely we must take this phase all the way to Appomattox. And do it all ourselves. Alack.


== Some fun (and philosophically brilliant) one pagers from SMBC! ==

I'm a sucker for this online strip. But I only come back every 6 months to binge it...

... which allows me to make a favorites list, just for you!

https://www.smbc-comics.com/comic/branch-2


And do poke at these selected ones!


https://www.smbc-comics.com/comic/frenchmen

https://www.smbc-comics.com/comic/life-7

https://www.smbc-comics.com/comic/steve

https://www.smbc-comics.com/comic/xx

https://www.smbc-comics.com/comic/princess-3

https://www.smbc-comics.com/comic/happiness-5

https://www.smbc-comics.com/comic/firstborn

https://www.smbc-comics.com/comic/number-one

https://www.smbc-comics.com/comic/sex

https://www.smbc-comics.com/comic/attention-span

https://www.smbc-comics.com/comic/addiction

https://www.smbc-comics.com/comic/lesson


And finally this one that SO came true!

https://www.smbc-comics.com/comic/slam

 

And one that oughta:

https://www.smbc-comics.com/comic/sad-5



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2 comments:

Treebeard said...

“Planned super-9/11 attack”, “KGB agents”, “Liz Cheney”, “Appomattox”, etc. etc.

LOL, time to retire from punditry boomer, you’ve gone around the bend.

We hear about the phenomenon of AI model collapse, where AI’s become self-referential and go off on tangents unrelated to reality. This is not limited to computers though; a lot of people who clearly spend too much time online and in their own heads evince the human version of this, where their internal models of how the world works, unsubstantiated by anything but their own pet ideas and the reinforcement of the like-minded, wander off into absurdities and drive themselves crazy. This is of course not limited to any particular political faction. To anyone like this I’d advise turning off social media, getting outside, travelling and getting some new empirical inputs before you have a paranoid-psychotic break.

7:19 PM
David Brin said...

pfeh, twitbeard. You do not dispute the transfer or firing of IGs, JAGs and intel and counter-terror professionals. Instead of stepping up to dispute it - or offering an alternative explanation - or showing any curiosity - you can only sneer.

But our trolls here CAN parse English grammar! So aren't we the elevated site!

7:35 PM

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