Shake and Pop

 We've all sort of gotten used to the President's Twitter game, haven't we? By that I mean we've all accepted that "The Most Powerful Man In The World" who has access to the nuclear trigger is a not-so-bright petulant bore given to throwing temper tantrums and has barely any concept of wit, diplomacy, or even what his job actually is. Every time he gives even a hint of not being a complete buffoon, the big-time media wets itself that he's got a "new tone" or "turning a corner." Within a few days, he lays a tweet on us so awful that I honestly think he loses a few votes. Not the Base, no. They are ride or die.

 So, today he laid this beauty on us:

 By the time he got to his afternoon tongue wag, he's amended it to mean he's still worried about mail-in voting because the results won't be immediately ready on Election Night. Hell, I don't know what he's talking about, either. I really believe he never paid attention to elections until 2016 and only then because he had to.

 So, all day long people have been trying to calm us down - and this is rightly worrying news - by saying only Congress would have that authority. Maybe so. During Congressional testimony, smirk pig hybrid and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the decision would ultimately land with the Department of Justice and Attorney General William "The Pope" Barr, which should fill everyone with confidence.

 And then there's the stroke that if he does manage to delay the election and if it goes on past January 20, by Constitutional fiat the Speaker of the House becomes president. That would be Nancy Pelosi and it would almost be worth it to see wingnut heads across the country pop like zits.

Again, maybe so, but here's what's bugging me, the nagging little thought I can't shake. Not only is Trump dealing with a mafia-loyal Senate and GOP, but he's also got a fairly pliable Supreme Court, one I wouldn't be on. Sure, he doesn't have the House, but let's be honest here. The Democratic party can charitably be described as "feckless" when it comes to dealing with Republican power grabs for at least the past 30 years.

 But that's not what worries me the most, honestly. What worries me is he's got at least 50 million drooling lunatics who are as loyal to him as maybe we've ever seen, to the point where anything that makes him look bad instantly becomes "fake news". Furthermore, they've already said they're willing to go to war with anyone who's against Trump, bragging about their guns and steadfastness. All they're waiting on, they say, is "the word". Whether they will or this is just a lot of talk from people who watch too much television, I don't know, but I'm not inclined to give them the benefit of the doubt.

 I really don't get the American obsession with "strong leadership". Today it was announced that Mississippi led the nation in per capita COVID-19 cases. We also learned that former presidential candidate and Republican "black friend" Herman McCain died due to complications from the virus. He had dealt with Stage 4 colon cancer and, thus, had a weakened immune system. It's very likely, though not completely certain he came down with the virus while attending Trump's return to volksgemeinschaft back at the end of June.

 Both of these were, in some form or fashion, credited to a "lack of leadership," either from Gov. Tate Reeves or Trump. We've heard a lot about leadership in the last few years, especially when pointing out how badly it's being done. Maybe this should be a lesson to us: stop looking for leaders. Maybe stop giving unearned authority its power by already being willing to bend a knee to whoever is "in charge" just because that's how it's always been done.

 This is probably my appreciation for anarchism as a political theory kicking in, but I think a lot of this is because we as a people - and definitely as a culture - are so given to a Narrative that champions a Strong Leader or a Savior. The flip side is we think we're all so easily manipulated that we don't need to put the effort in to be any better. That's where a lot of the opprobrium for the mainstream media comes. They're lazy and profit-over-proof oriented because we let them be. Maybe if we demanded more from the big-time press, they'd deliver. In the meantime, give your support to indie publications, alt-weeklies, and bloggers you trust.

 Okay. That's plenty for today, I think. We'll try to get tomorrow's News out on time. It may be a wrap-up, but to be fair, it has been a busy week.