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You are here: Home / Open Threads / Only In America!

Only In America!

by | 64 Comments

This post is in: 

Dark Brandon strikes again?

And this was fun.

Only in America

Sun coming’ up over New York City
School bus driver in a traffic jam< Staring out at the faces in a rear view mirror >Lookin’ at the promise of the Promised Land

One kid dreams of fame and fortune< >One kid helps pay the rent
One could end up going to prison
One just might be president

Open thread.

Reader Interactions

64Comments

  1. 1.

    bbleh

    If I were the actual DJ, I’d move to another state and sever all professional contacts with Republicans, cuz TFG lives for revenge, and if he sees this clip …

    Aw, whatever.  Dude is a black hole of joy — it all gets sucked into nothing. Time to look at cat pictures.

  3. 3.

    RaflW

    CNN Politics, Sept 23, 2016
    Brooks & Dunn’s Kix Brooks … responds to Donald J. Trump’s “Make America Great Again” slogan: “As far as ‘Make America Great Again,’ we’ve always been great.”

    Dunno if he or Dunn have had much more to say about Donnie Dazzlehands, but Kix is right. The idea that we stopped being who we are because a Black guy was President for 8 years is utter, racist bullshit (yeah, I’m expounding on a more anodyne statement, but hey it’s a blog).

  6. 6.

    RaflW

    @bbleh: I suppose misery loves company, as the saying goes. But one of many things about Donaldus that I just don’t get is, he seems so freakin’ unhappy so much of the time. Why would anyone idolize that?

    Lotta broken people in the world. I guess they have their anti-hero. Sad!

  8. 8.

    WaterGirl

    @RaflW: I know!  Playing the victim is so unappealing and unattractive.  How screwed up do you have to be to be drawn to THAT?

    edit: We don’t have to \talk about the smarmy piece of shit.  I just thought the short video was fun.

  9. 9.

    Ken

    Can someone tell me how many “felonies” are required to “clinch” the GQP POTUS nomination?

    Remember the GOP’s lipservice deep religious faith. Their standard is number of commandments broken. Trump is up to eight of ten, and I’m giving him the benefit of the doubt on taking the Lord’s name in vain (though I’m sure his golf caddies could share stories) and murder.

    I’m also not giving extra credit for repetition, nor do I plan to dig through the full list of 613 commandments.

  10. 10.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @RaflW:

    Unhappy and angry. Not just since he lost the election and getting indicted multiple times, but always, as far back as I remember him, he has been angry. You’re right. What kind of person looks at an unhappy, angry candidate and thinks “Boy howdy, that’s just who I want to lead the country and represent our nation to the world!”?

  11. 11.

    Ohio Mom

    Using this song at a Trump rally — even without that accidental signature line about going to prison or become president — is up there with using Springsteen’s Born in the USA.

    The lyrics are about work-a-day people whose dreams fizzle out, who never really had much of a chance.

  12. 12.

    dmsilev

    Splashed on the Post home page right now: DeSantis’s campaign faces troubling signs in his home state as Trump dominates.

    Worth reading just for this description of a deSantis speech to a local GOP group:

    The warning signs were there even before Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis stepped onto the stage at a luxury hotel near Miami.

    Ticket sales for the local Republican Party’s biggest annual fundraiser were down by two-thirds. One group of reliable supporters skipped the event entirely. The ballroom at the JW Marriott Turnberry Resort & Spa was far too big for the 380 people who showed up. Staff hustled to arrange paneled “air walls” around the room to make the space look smaller. When DeSantis arrived at the gathering in early July, he gave what two people who attended described as a familiar and lackluster speech.

    “It kind of came off like a bar mitzvah speech,” said a party member who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal from Miami-Dade GOP leaders. “The only time people really applauded was when he was introduced, and when he was done. In between it was clanging plates and people talking to each other.”

  13. 13.

    Fester Addams

    Oh I expect he was a happy camper after they told him everyone understood the song to mean he was going to be president and Biden would end up going to prison.

  14. 14.

    bbleh

    @RaflW: He is a malignant narcissist, and as such he is a desperate, seething mass of insecurity.  His entire existence is focused on assuaging the howling void at the center of his psyche, and not only is he miserable doing it but also it has no chance of working.

    It almost makes you feel sorry for him.  Almost.

    As to his followers, I think it’s an entirely different dynamic.  In significant part because of his pathology — he is desperate to be loved — he is an excellent salesman, and a big part of that is jumping in front of a parade and pretending to lead it.  He saw an opportunity and he grabbed it, kinda like Murdoch did IMO.  That is, he’s an opportunist, the right guy in the right place at the right time.  He’s much more symptom than cause, although as with Fox there’s a feedback effect: he validates his audience’s feelings and by so doing contributes to their growth.

    But all that is to say, he’s selling what he sees he can sell — bigotry, victimology, divisiveness — and his success is due much more to the “market” (Republican voters) than to him.

    Blech.  Back to cat pictures.

  16. 16.

    Ken

    @dmsilev: a party member who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal from Miami-Dade GOP leaders

    Yes. This is normal. A perfectly normal thing within any normal, healthy, functioning political party.

  17. 17.

    RaflW

    @SiubhanDuinne: Apparently, people who crash minivans into garages and are so broke and hopeless that they do nothing abut it.

    We visit a former mining, current paper company area of the UP of MI most summers (family thing on my BFs side). Lotta struggling working class people. Fun to play silly card games with, but between being Catholic and hard-nosed people who have that ‘no handouts’ attitude, they’re mostly Trumpy and would be so much better off under sustained Democratic leadership.

    Alas, abortion is big. As is generations of “but we’re Republicans” and, while they are always very nice to us, probably not much appreciation for urban folks.

  18. 18.

    West of the Rockies

    So, seriously, was a DJ purposefully casting shade, or… I don’t even know what the counterpoint would be.

  19. 19.

    Odie Hugh Manatee

    I’m taking a break from whacking it in the back yard. That’s after I finished waving my hose around earlier. Before that I was trimming the bush. Coming up is playing with the pussies in the front yard.

    That’s weeds, watering, raspberry and blowing bubbles for the cats to chase in the front yard. Sexy yard time here at the Manatee abode… 👍

  21. 21.

    Ohio Mom

    @dmsilev: I don’t think that’s particularly accurate about bar mitzvah speeches.

    To the extent that any sermon is listened to carefully (which usually isn’t any extent at all), b’nai mitzvah at least have their parents, grandparents and probably aunts hanging on their every word. And everyone else knows to look respectful, and no, no one applauds during a synagogue service.

    Though it is true that b’nai mitzvah speeches are generally entirely predictable, just like almost all campaign speeches.

  23. 23.

    bbleh

    @West of the Rockies: or maybe said DJ is not exactly the sharpest tool in the box and glommed onto the bit about being elected president without really paying attention to the rest of it?

    Trump’s Razor applies to his whole extended universe.

  24. 24.

    Ken

    @Ohio Mom: Though it is true that b’nai mitzvah speeches are generally entirely predictable

    Perhaps not quite as predictable as “Woke woke wokety woke, woke woke woke woking woke. Woke! Woke woke, woke woke wokely woke woke.”

    (I still think there’s a Penguin parody lurking there, but the combination of the DC intellectual property rights, the writers’ strike, and the accelerating flameout speed of the DeSantis campaign means I will never see it.)

  25. 25.

    RSA

    @SiubhanDuinne:  Unhappy and angry. Not just since he lost the election and getting indicted multiple times, but always, as far back as I remember him, he has been angry. You’re right. What kind of person looks at an unhappy, angry candidate and thinks “Boy howdy, that’s just who I want to lead the country and represent our nation to the world!”?

    Good question. I think that, as a rational person, if I were unhappy and angry, I’d look for a leader who might do something about whatever is causing my unhappiness and anger.  MAGA voters seem instead to just want a mouthpiece to express their anger and unhappiness in words and actions.

  26. 26.

    RaflW

    @dmsilev: Also, the fine folks at Florida Atlantic University (a friend used to teach there!) better watch out. Retributive Rhonda may crack down on the public school:

    The most recent poll by Florida Atlantic University found that of more than 900 [Florida] Republican voters questioned, 54 percent would vote for Trump if a primary were held immediately, compared with 37 percent for the governor in a one-on-one matchup

     

    eta: My god, Rhonda & wifey’s private jet obsession is gross. “Some were disgruntled by a last-minute DeSantis campaign request that the local Republican Party pay $25,000 for the private plane he used to travel to Miami for the event”

  29. 29.

    waspuppet

    Even if you don’t go past the title, using the phrase “Only in America” in regard to Donald Trump is an indictment of this country.

    Not one legitimate achievement in his life. Not one. His life’s biggest accomplishment should have been, I dunno, getting promoted to assistant manager of greeters at his local Walmart.

  30. 30.

    RaflW

    Continuing to excerpt the WaPo article, I recall a comment around BJ the last day or so saying, in effect, “How can Republican women support the GOP now”? Maybe they can’t.

    The governor’s move right on two issues directly impacting female voters — alimony and abortion — is at odds with the more moderate stance most Republican women in Florida back.

    First Wives Advocacy founder Jan Killilea said women from across the country reached out to share their thoughts since DeSantis signed both bills into law. Killilea voted for DeSantis twice but thinks he has probably lost the support of many GOP women — in Florida and beyond.

    “I had a woman from Washington state tell me she was going to support him for president before, but now she’ll never vote for him,” she said. “A lot of my Republican friends on Palm Beach who left the Democratic Party say the abortion bill is going to make them go back. They have daughters, and they’re all concerned about that.”

    The comments here were of the “don’t they have daughters?” sort. At least some voting Republican women do, and plan to shift. Good.

    (eta: First Wives Advocacy is a group supporting divorced women. The name gave me pause initially.)

  32. 32.

    Roberto el oso

    There are a few other Brooks & Dunn songs which the DJ could have spun, including a fairly good one about getting caught at adultery and gambling and going automatically to “Deny, deny, deny”.

  34. 34.

    Jackie

    @West of the Rockies: I thought I read or saw that song was played as an intro before each candidate did their 10 min spiel. So maybe coincidence? Or as cover for the keynote speaker – TIFG?

  35. 35.

    SpaceUnit

    @Ken

    Many years ago I did a stint as a professional AV guy.  We’d put together events like this and I can attest that those dudes take enormous pleasure in doing that sort of shit.  I don’t know if one of the AV crew chose that song, but if they did it wasn’t by mistake.

  39. 39.

    Geoduck

    @RaflW: I can only think of two public occasions where the Shaitgibbon has displayed signs of being genuinely happy:

    1. Being allowed to sit behind the wheel of a parked semi out in front of the White House.

    2. Yukking it up with, yes, Bill and Hillary Clinton at (I believe) one of his wedding receptions. It’s literally the only picture of him I’ve ever seen with an actual human smile on his face.

  41. 41.

    Miss Bianca

    @RaflW: Making my way through the article currently, but had to pause and have an interior chortle over this bit:

    But even Roach said DeSantis would find a more receptive audience if he focused his message on the economy rather than “the woke war and covid.”

    First because I love the thought that this Republican knob is named Roach (yeah, I’m juvie like that), second that said Republican knob thinks that there’s *any* chance that that kind of pivot would or could happen! Jesus, “the woke war and COVID” is all they *got*.

    The economy?! What the hell can DeSantis say about *that*?! “Hey, Rocky! Economy is booming! But watch me pull a recession out of my hat!”

  43. 43.

    Ruckus

    @WaterGirl:

    Me for one.

    He’s less worried about the indictments because of course he does not think he’s ever done anything wrong, he thinks that anything/everything he does is 100% right. But the only A he’s ever gotten was in being completely, absolutely, totally, fucking wrong.

  44. 44.

    HumboldtBlue

    There are few things that smell as good as onions tossed into some hot oil and butter in a pan. Those first two minutes of fragrance are delicious.

  45. 45.

    Cameron

    @Miss Bianca: Especially because the economy sure as shit isn’t booming in FL.  Much higher inflation than the rest of the country (particularly around Miami), education system collapsing (K-12 has been way short of teachers for years, college profs are fleeing due to new laws), tourism hitting some bumps (fight with Big Mouse, various groups cancelling their planned conventions), agriculture and construction facing workforce problems (migrant workers terrorized into leaving).  But, yeah, I remember at the beginning of his presidential pilgrimage he was blowing a lot of smoke about making all of America like Florida.  Unlikely.

  46. 46.

    Ruckus

    @RSA:

    What is causing their unhappiness and anger is that they aren’t getting their way. If they were 5 or 6 yrs old they would pout and scream. As they are physically adults they – pout and scream. Because the have learned nothing about being a mature adult but only have become one because of the date on their drivers license.

  47. 47.

    dmsilev

    @Miss Bianca: I’m sure, if all else fails, deSantis will pivot to relying on his irresistible charm and charisma. And the boots, can’t forget the boots.

  50. 50.

    Rocks

    @Ken: As regards Trump murdering people, his inept response to the Covid pandemic got hundreds of thousands of Americans killed.  Remeber “Drink bleach” and “Insert a UV light up your XXX”?

  53. 53.

    HumboldtBlue

    @NotMax: @Ruckus: @Jackie:

    Uncle Ruckus shows up and shit starts going sideways.

    I actually saved my gravy after over-salting it with a some fresh water and brown sugar, just a bit of sugar, but enough to bring some balance back to the sauce.

  54. 54.

    Glidwrith

    @HumboldtBlue: Hmmm, made chicken bastilla tonight. It starts with onions, then turmeric, saffron, white and black pepper, ginger, salt, butter and olive oil.

    ETA: forgot-cinnamon too!

  55. 55.

    NotMax

    @HumboldtBlue

    Can also rescue overly salted stews and sauces and such by adding chunks of raw potato and letting them simmer for a spell. Then remove and discard the potato.

  58. 58.

    Jay

    Had a bone in, thick cut pork chop, some local early Chilliwack sweet corn, and a green salad with cherry tomatoes from the patio.

  59. 59.

    Yutsano

    I just made a smoked gouda grilled cheese on whole wheat bread with brown mustard. Laying under the ceiling fan and starting to plan tomorrow. Except after I eat I need to get clothes into the dryer.

  61. 61.

    karen marie

    I had a poison hot dog from Costco. Astonishing those delicious gigantic dogs are still $1.50 and still including all-the-refills you want beverage.

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