Showing posts with label Arizona. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Arizona. Show all posts

Saturday, March 16, 2024

The 2024 Election, Part XIV. Wishful Thinking.


February 27, 2024

Just yesterday, I posted this item by Robert Reich:
I'm seeing a lot less of this sort of commentary than I did for a while. At first Democrats would post the "I hope the GOP nominates Trump" as we'll beat him for sure, followed by, next "everyone is ignoring how well Joe Biden is really doing."  

Over the last month Trump has cemented his nomination.  He will be the GOP nominee.  He is ahead in the polls for the Fall.

What Reich notes is correct.  There's a very larger number of independents who will not vote for Trump under any circumstances whatsoever. And, added to that, there are an appreciable number of Republicans who feel the same way.

But are there enough of both in swing states?

I really doubt it.

A second Trump Presidency is going to be, at best, a very unpleasant and bad thing for the United States.  It doesn't speak well for the country right now that somebody like Trump can even pull down a sizable number of votes, let alone be a serious contender for the Oval Office.  Whether it's a sign of American decline or will be remembered as a tragic, ignorant era for the US is yet to be seen, but it's not good anyway you look at it.

Of course, I could be wrong. And odd things are now happening.  Republicans are being forced to deal with the real meanings of social conservatism for the first time since the early 1970s, and are proving uncomfortable with it.  The behind the scene hopeful backing Trump hope to go a lot, lot further yet, even though the MAGA crowd appears perfectly comfortable with its own vices that real social conservatives would address.  Mike Johnson, who saw himself as a would be Moses in this effort, looks instead to be pathetically weak. The abandonment of Ukraine by the MAGA GOP over Donald Trump's bizarre love for Putin is looking pretty bad. There are a lot of things left to occur, but anyway you look at it, we're in the strangest American election to have every occured.

February 28, 2024

Biden and Trump won their respective primaries advancing the two tickets Americans want the least for the Fall, assuming that Americans continue to believe the absurdity that both parties shove on them, that nobody can vote for a third party.

About 13.5% of Democrats joined in a childish protest against Biden over support for Israel in the Middle East, somehow believing that throwing the election to Trump, who can be guaranteed to be a bigger supporter of Israel than Biden, serves their interest.  This also is evidence of the strong progressive wing in the party, whose influence drives away moderate Democrats.  This shows Biden to be in real trouble, but then, as the song says, the Democrats have decided to "knock on wood".
Marianne Williamson has unsuspended her campaign, and is back in the Democratic race, where nobody noticed she was running in the first place.

Get a clue, Marianne.

March 1, 2024

On the US Mexico border yesterday, Donald Trump complained about:
People who don't speak languages. We have languages coming in to our country, nobody that speaks those languages. They're truly foreign languages. Nobody speaks them

What?

I think I know what he means, but this is completely nonsensical. People don't speak the languages?  Nobody speaks them? How are they coming here then.

Something isn't right with Trump.

March 3, 2024

Trump won the Idaho Caucus and Missouri Caucus and took the delegates from the Michigan Convention.

At a rally within the last few days, Trump stated:

"And Putin has so little respect for Obama that he's starting to throw around the nuclear word."

On this occasion, the crowd actually fell into silence.  But here we are again.  Trump not being able to recall who he is running against is significant.

March 4, 2024

Hinging its decision on the idea that the 14th Amendment is not self enacting, the Supreme Court reversed a Colorado Supreme Court decision barring Trump from running.

And so the disaster continues.

Trump won North Dakota yesterday.

He will win Super Tuesday today.

Haley won Washington, D.C. over the weekend.

Democrats are now pinning their hopes on the 40% of GOP voters who are opposing Trump in the primaries.  That's a forlorn hope.

March 5, 2024

Arizona Senator Kyrsten Sinema, in her announcement that she is not running for reelection, took Americans to task, stating:

Americans still choose to retreat farther to their partisan corners... The only political victories that matter these days are symbolic, attacking your opponents on cable news or social media. Compromise is a dirty word.

She's right. 

March 6, 2024

Trump won every Super Tuesday primary except for Vermont, which was won by Haley.

Biden won all the Democratic Super Tuesday states.

March 6, 2024

Nikki Haley had dropped out of the race.

Dean Phillips dropped out of the race.

And so the Republican Party will present with an ancient, strange narcissist who attacked the democratic institutions of the country but who is loved by his right wing base like a bobbysoxer at an Elvis concern, and the Democrats will present with an ancient nice man who has been willing to compromise his beliefs to satiate the left in his party. 

It's the race that most of America doesn't want.

Assuming both men are alive by the election, which given their ages is not a certainty, it's very unlikely that either will survive the next term of office, making the VP choice more important than ever.  We don't know who Trump's VP will be, but that person will have to at least appear as a fawning sycophant. Biden's is, of course, the unliked Kamala Harris.

And so the nation continues to endure the tragedy of inadequacy that is propelling it to destruction.

March 7, 2024

Mitch McConnell has endorsed Trump, although in a very lukewarm fashion.

Nonetheless, it's a disgusting end to his role as the leader of the GOP in the Senate.

John Barrasso, who has already endorsed Trump, and who is running for reelection, has put his hat in the ring to be McConnell's successor as head of the party in the Senate.

March 8, 2024

George Santos showed up at the State of the Union Address and is indicating he's running for Congress again.

March 12, 2024

North Carolina Republican Party Chairman Michael Whatley was chosen by the RNC to serve as the party's new Trump sycophantic head, and Trump's daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, as co-chair in unanimous votes.

The Republican Party has died, which makes up my mind in my earlier "shall I stay or shall I go" question I posed here.

Positions with the RNC are being slashed as the party merges with the Trump campaign organization so that it can more effectively apply the Führerprinzip.

March 13, 2024

Both ancient candidates now have enough delegates from an ancient and outdated electoral system to make them their party's nominees.

Which doesn't mean they have to be the choices, even though they will be.

An ABC News/Ipsos survey found that 59% of Americans view Trump unfavorably while 29% rate him favorably.

A weird sideshow occured on This Week last weekend when the host repeatedly asked Nancy Mace, who had revealed that she was a rape victim some time ago, why she supports Donald Trump, who has been convicted by a civil jury of having committed rape, although not directly.  She never could really answer the question, essentially conceding that she's supporting somebody icky for political expediency, while trying to accuse the questioner of shaming her for being a rape victim.

She looked like a complete political hack.

She actually had a point, however, and never really made it.  Trump wasn't convicted by a civil jury of rape, but rather sexual abuse.  What Carroll claimed Trump did was to force himself on her as he shoved his mouth on hers, yanked her tights down, and penetrated her with his hand and then his penis. That would definitely be rape.  The verdict, however, would indicate that the jury thought Trump did something unwelcome, but not necessarily the penetration aspects.

That leaves enough room for those who support Trump to state that in actuality he wasn't found liable in a civil trial for rape itself, as commonly understood.  Mace stumbled into trying to say it, but saying "he didn't rape her he instead forced himself upon her and conducted force groping or something, according to a New York jury" is a pretty poor defense.

So, in the end, Mace did the very thing she supposedly spoke against, excused a man of a type of sexual violation of a woman and shamed her, at least vicariously, for which she should be ashamed.

March 14, 2024

No Labels Co-Chairman former North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory, region from that position, using the classic "more time with his family" excuse.

Colorado Republican Ken Buck is resigning his office this month, which means that Colorado will have to hold a special election to replace him.  He was from the Freedom Caucus right but took shots at the expired GOP for conducting unconstitutional impeachment efforts and made it clear that his resignation is due to discuss.

Lauren Boebert had moved into his district in hopes of keeping her political carpetbaggery going and is upset about the whole thing.

March 15, 2024

Donald Trump endorsed Barrasso for GOP Senate whip.

Boebert's problems may be much more complicated than originally thought, according to a Colorado newspaper.  She's an incumbent but carpetbagging her way to a new district, Ken Buck's, in hopes of retaining a seat. Colorado's law provides that an election has to be held to fill Buck's seat, which is now scheduled for the same day as Colorado's primary.  The party has to pick the candidate and there's rumors that Boebert might not be it.

Moreover, if she is it, she'll have to resign her current seat in Congress as Colorado's law doesn't allow a person to run for one seat while holding another, apparently.

Or so some say.

In the Ein Reich, Ein Volk, Ein Führer category, Nancy Mace, running for a seat from South Carolina, who last week couldn't explain why a woman who is a rape victim is supportering somebody found liable for sexual abuse, took the positio that her primary rival Catherine Templeton should drop out of race now that Trump has endorsed Mace's re-election.

"To do otherwise would be to oppose the direction our party leader, Donald Trump, has set for us,” Campaign Manager John Mason Long stated.

An interesting article was published in the Cowboy State Daily by former Wyoming Speaker of the House Tom Lubnau:

Tom Lubnau: Analyzing The Anonymous Mailers Attacking Chuck Gray

The dollar figure aspect of this is a little shocking.

March 16, 2024.

Mike Pence will not endorse Donald Trump, which is to Pence's credit.  He's one of the few Republicans whith a backbone.

The WEA is mounting a campaign against far right Casper Republican Jeanette Ward.

March 13, 2024

Ward was the subject of a second major ad in the Trib.


Ward also drew a lengthy letter to the Editor in the Trib.  Usually I don't post those, but I will here as this is interesting.

Ward wasting time with culture wars

Representative Jeanette Ward,

House District 57, has been doing a poor job of representing her constituents and listening to their needs. She has voted against numerous bills that would have helped Wyoming citizens and instead wasted valuable time during the legislative session touting culture war issues. House Bill 50, the “What is a Woman” act, is a prime example of this. During a budget session the legislature has 20 days to pass a budget. That is literally the only job that legislators have during the budget session. It takes a 2/3 majority to get a non-budget bill to the floor for debate. Knowing this, Representative Ward introduced a bill that wasted time and resources and was completely unnecessary. That bill rightly died because it failed introduction.

This session, she also voted against bills that committees had spent many hours considering during the interim period, which was disrespectful to their work and slowed down the legislative process. She voted against funding the 988 suicide hotline even though Wyoming has one of the highest suicide rates in the nation, literally voting against saving lives. Last session she voted against most of the bills that would have helped families and disadvantaged Wyoming citizens, including Medicare for Moms, which helps low-income women provide for their babies. Fortunately, other legislators understood the issue and the bill passed. Representative Ward is not interested in helping Wyoming’s most vulnerable citizens, she would rather propose bills that are solutions looking for problems.

This is not acceptable. House District 57 deserves a legislator who listens to constituents, focuses her time on the budget during a budget session, and understands what genuine issues matter to Wyoming. She is not it. We need someone who has solutions to Wyoming problems, not someone who fans the flames of culture wars. Voters need to remember this on election day.

Judy Trohkimoinen,

Casper

This would suggest that perhaps there's a rising effort against Ward, who was endorsed by her predecessor, now Secretary of State Gray, because of her far right views, even though she had next to no connection with the state when she arrived, or people are getting tired of her.  

In some ways, this reflects a rising feature of Wyoming's politics in which the old Party is beginning to react more strongly to the Trump Party.


March 16, 2024

After a break of one day, the WEA resumbed its advertisements on Jeanette Ward.

I don'tt know of anyone running against Ward, but given the persistence of the campaign, somebody must be lined up that the WEA, the largest union in the state, supports.

Columnsit Rod Miller of the extremely conservative Cowboy State Daily, even though he's a traditional Wyoming Republican, wrote on the invasion of out of state carpetbagging Republicans.


Miller isn't the only one concerned:


Schuler expressed concern that this was in part due to the recent arrivals.

Last edition:

Wednesday, March 6, 2024

The 2024 Legislative Sessions of other states.


January 20, 2024.


Utah

Utah's house has passed a bill to ban public transgender bathrooms.

January 25, 2024


Ohio

Ohio's legislature over road a veto and banned gender mutilation of minors and restricted those who have undergone gender mutilation from participating in athletic teams of the opposite gender.

January 31, 2024


New York

New York expanded the definition of rape, which apparently was narrowly defined by the previous law. The new law states:

 Section  1.  Sections  130.40,  130.45 and 130.50 of the penal law are

 REPEALED.

   § 2. Subdivisions 1 and 2 of section 130.00 of the penal law, subdivision 2 as amended by chapter 264 of the laws of  2003,  are  amended read as follows:

   1.  "[Sexual  intercourse]  VAGINAL  SEXUAL CONTACT" [has its ordinary meaning and occurs upon any penetration, however slight]  MEANS  CONDUCT BETWEEN  PERSONS  CONSISTING OF CONTACT BETWEEN THE PENIS AND THE VAGINA OR VULVA.

   2. (a) "Oral sexual [conduct] CONTACT" means conduct  between  persons consisting of contact between the mouth and the penis, the mouth and the anus, or the mouth and the vulva or vagina.

   (b)  "Anal  sexual  [conduct]  CONTACT"  means conduct between persons consisting of contact between the penis and anus.

   § 3. Section 130.25 of the penal law, as amended by chapter 1  of  the laws of 2000, is amended to read as follows:

 § 130.25 Rape in the third degree.

   A person is guilty of rape in the third degree when:

   1.  He  or  she engages in [sexual intercourse] VAGINAL SEXUAL CONTACT with another person who is incapable of consent by reason of some factor  other than being less than seventeen years old;

March 5, 2024

March 6, 2024


Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs vetoed a bill that would have made it a crime for noncitizens to enter the state through Mexico at any location other than a port of entry

Tuesday, February 13, 2024

Sunday, February 13, 1944. The sinking of the Henry and Irma.


The Norwegian cargo ship Henry and passenger ship Irma were sunk off Kristiansund by two ships of the Royal Norwegian Navy due to their not having markings, according to the Royal Norwegian Navy.

The sinking became controversial, and remains so.

The USS Macaw ran aground at Midway and sank.  

The U.S. 14th Air Force raided Hong Kong.

The Germans assassinated Cretan resistance fighter Yiannis Dramoutanis.

The Red Army took Luga, Polna and Lyady.  Trapped German units pulled out of Korsun-Sevchenkosky late in the day, but did not break out of encirclement.

Horseshoe Dam Site Bridge, Maricopa County, Arizona.  February 13, 1944.

Thursday, January 18, 2024

Friday, January 18, 1924. Corn husking bee, Transiting Mexican Federals, Convalescing Commie.

 

A corn husking bee, January 18, 1924.


The news recalled 1916.


Mexican troops looked to be about to get US transit.

Calvin Coolidge gave a press conference.  He addressed that topic, and others.  On the transit, he stated:

An inquiry also about the passage of Mexican troops across American territory. It is my information that New Mexico and I think Arizona have given consent of their Governments to the passage of Mexican troops, but that the Acting Governor of Texas thought that such passage through Texas territory might incur some danger. Of course, the opinion of the Governor there would be respected, and unless the local authorities, I mean by that the Government, state authorities, want to give their consent, our Government would notify the Government of Mexico that it seemed expedient to have troops pass through Mexico. Whether that would be refused, or changed at all, when the Governor gets home, I don’t know. It may be that the Acting Governor simply didn’t want to take the responsibility of making an affirmative decision, and is awaiting the return of the Governor.

Interesting how it was viewed as a state first matter.

One of the other topics addressed was the Teapot Dome Scandal.

While Trotsky was convalescing on the Black Sea, getting a little respite from being an agent of murderous armed agency, Stalin denounced him in a blistering speech.

1924  Douglas bank closes in failure, part of a waive of bank failures.  Attribution:  Wyoming State Historical Society. 

Tuesday, January 24, 2023

Wednesday, January 24, 1923. The U.S. Army withdraws from Germany, Theodore Roosevelt Indian School established.

The United States withdrew its last occupation forces from Germany, with the 156th French Infantry playing The Star Spangled Banner and La Marseillaise as they departed for Antwerp.

Ft. Apache was made a school for Native Americans children by statute, which provided:

§277. Former Apache military post established as Theodore Roosevelt Indian School

The Secretary of the Interior is authorized to establish and maintain the former Fort Apache military post as an Indian boarding school for the purpose of carrying out treaty obligations, to be known as the Theodore Roosevelt Indian School: Provided, That the Fort Apache military post, and land appurtenant thereto, shall remain in the possession and custody of the Secretary of the Interior so long as they shall be required for Indian school purposes.

(Jan. 24, 1923, ch. 42, 42 Stat. 1187.)

As most readers here know, such schools have been subject to enduring controversy.   This school, however, still exists under this name.

Theodore Roosevelt Indian School.

Monday, December 12, 2022

Sinematic angst

She is a corporate Democrat who has, in fact, along with Sen. Manchin sabotaged enormously important legislation.

Bernie Sanders.

My, my.

Worth noting, Sanders isn't a Democrat either.   Kyrsten Sinema, by going independent, is taking the position that he has always occupied.  An independent who caucuses with the Democrats.  Sanders ran as a Democrat in recent Presidential elections, but he isn't one.

The reaction to this has been interesting.  Democrats in Washington, who had just been stating how great it was that they had won in Georgia in part because they no longer really had to pay attention to Sinema and Manchin, who have used their positions to extract bargains, are now backtracking noting that this really doesn't change anything. And by and large, it probably doesn't.  Sinema and Manchin retain their positions of influence for the very reason that their positions don't track with the rest of the Democratic Party.

Outside of D.C., and with people like Sanders, Sinema is under attack for being disinenguine.  But is she? She was already under attack for going her own way on things.  She still is.

By all accounts, Sinema is a really unique Senator.  She was originally a member of the Green Party, not the Democratic Party, which makes her a real outsider.  She's apparently highly introverted in a field where you wouldn't expect that, and in terms of "caucusing" with the Democrats, she really doesn't.  She apparently doesn't show up, and she doesn't socialize with other Senators.  

Right now its popular to say that Sinema is sure to go down in defeat in the next Arizona primary. This might be right, but she's had a remarkably successful career in Arizona politics so far, so the "nobody likes her" can't be true.  Undoubtedly the most photogenic Senator in American history, she has only recently drawn Democratic ire in her home state and for taking positions on bills that seem to have corporate interest at heart.  For that reason, pundits like Robert Reich can't stand her.  Prior to that, however, she was noted for her support of Obamacare at the state level, and for being the first bisexual Senator in U.S. history, something that caused the liberals that now hate her to then love her.

Sinema's independence actually isn't new, and to a huge degree she's a mystery in a very public field.  Her early life's story is disputed and the version of it she gives isn't universally supported.  The accuracy of it hasn't been cleared up and there hasn't been a need to. She was a member of the LDS church and attended BYU, but dropped out of the Mormon faith after that and has left her personal beliefs pretty much wholly unknown.  She has been married and divorced, but next to nothing is known about her ex-husband, Blake Dain, and she's refused to say anything.  As a politician, she's never voted consistently along party lines and refused an effort ot remove an Arizona legislative figure, noting that "she loved him."

Being attacked by Bernie Sanders goes a long ways, frankly, in crediting her.  In her speech she noted that most Arizonans are independents and frankly a huge percentage of Americans are.  It's now the case that independents often figure as the second-largest political group in a state, and that's likely the case in Wyoming.  A look at party politics explains why.  In one state, Alaska, the voting system has been altered to omit the party role, and in at least one other state, Nebraska, that's always been the case. 

Sinema has received the disdain of her own party in her home state for holding up bills that the Democrats wanted passed based on positions that seemed to favor corporate interests.  Arizona's Democrats censured her, just as Wyoming's Republican's censured Liz Cheney.  Now Sinema has dumped the Democrats in a state where their fortunes are waning.

Sinema may be ahead of the curve.

Friday, December 9, 2022

After the Election. The Wyoming 2022 Election Post Mortem. Part 1.

 


November 11, 2022

Governor Gordon announces Inauguration Committee General Chairmen

 

CHEYENNE, Wyo. –  Governor Gordon and First Lady Jennie announced today that Annemarie and Dave Picard will co-chair the Wyoming Inauguration Committee for 2023.  

“Jennie and I appreciate Dave and Annmarie’s willingness to once again step up to organize the Inaugural activities,” Governor Gordon said. “Jennie and I are so grateful for the support of Wyoming’s people, both at the polls and during the past four years. We look forward to thanking our friends, family and supporters as we continue our work and move Wyoming forward.”

The public is invited to participate in numerous activities on January 2, 2023 including a prayer service, swearing in ceremony of the five statewide elected officials, a public reception and the Inaugural Gala.  For more information and a complete schedule, please visit www.wyo2023.com or contact the Inauguration Office at 307-369-2725.

About the Inauguration of Wyoming’s Statewide Elected Officials

Every four years the citizens of the great state of Wyoming, through their votes, elect five people to lead the state for the next four years.  We congratulate all who  participated in the democratic process, and celebrate the transition from candidate to elected official beginning with a day of public events at Wyoming’s State Capitol and throughout the city of Cheyenne.

Wyoming State Statute sets the date that those elected in November assume office, and prior to the entering of office they must take and subscribe to the oath of office prescribed by the Wyoming Constitution.  

Traditionally the swearing-in ceremony has been performed in a formal setting befitting the peaceful transition of power.  This coming year will be no different, taking place on January 2, 2023.

Please join as the three branches of government come together in this time-honored celebration of democracy.

 The Wyoming Inauguration Committee, Inc. is a nonprofit corporation formed under WY Statute 17-19-1804

-END-


Governor Gordon’s Chief of Staff Retiring, Replacement Named

 

CHEYENNE, Wyo. –  Governor Mark Gordon is announcing a change to his leadership team. Current Chief of Staff, Buck McVeigh, is announcing that he will retire at the end of the year. To take his place, the Governor has named Drew Perkins his new Chief of Staff.

“I will never be able to thank Buck adequately for his extraordinary service to the state and her citizens,” Governor Gordon said. “Long before he joined my office or served as Chief of Staff, Buck had a distinguished career with Wyoming, which gave him invaluable insight into and knowledge of our state. It has been an honor to serve with Buck, and a treasure to enjoy his friendship.”

McVeigh served as the Governor’s Policy Director before becoming Chief of Staff in June 2019. His 36-year career with the State of Wyoming began in 1980 with the Department of Agriculture, and included positions in the Department of Administration & Information, the State Auditor’s Office and the Public Service Commission along with the Governor’s Office. McVeigh was a longtime-member and 14-year executive branch co-chairman of the state’s Consensus Revenue Estimating Group (CREG). He also served as Executive Director of the Wyoming Taxpayers Association for five years. 

“Having been given the opportunity to serve as Governor Gordon’s Chief was truly the honor of a lifetime for me. It is with a heavy heart that I leave this fine man’s side,” McVeigh said. 

McVeigh noted that of all the positions he held during his career, the Chief of Staff’s position was inarguably the most difficult.

“There are truly no words to describe it. A 24-7-365 job with endless days. We made it through some awfully difficult times over these last four years. And, I say with all honesty, I couldn’t have done it without the incredible staff and cabinet that we have. What an awesome team!” McVeigh commented.

McVeigh will finish the year as Chief of Staff and then be replaced by Drew Perkins who was a State Senator from Natrona County until announcing his resignation earlier today. 

“I am honored and humbled to be asked to try and fill Buck McVeigh’s shoes as the Governor’s Chief of Staff. That will be a tall order,” Perkins said. “I have enjoyed working with Governor Gordon since he served as Treasurer. I respect him immensely and consider him a good friend. I am excited to assist the Governor and his team as he starts his second term, and to have the opportunity to work full-time in continuing to serve Wyoming and her people.”

Perkins has represented  District 29 in the Wyoming Senate since 2007, serving as Senate President, Vice President and Chair of the Joint Appropriations Committee. He comes to the Governor’s office after working as an attorney in private practice for more than 30 years. He is a graduate of the University of Wyoming School of Law, and earned an M.S. in Taxation from Southeastern University (Washington, D.C.) and a B.S. in Accounting from Brigham Young University. 

“Drew and I have enjoyed a longstanding respect and friendship going back to my time as Treasurer,” the Governor said. “Throughout that time, I have found his advice to be correct and valuable. From the passage of Amendment A to more recent budgets, Drew has been a trusted source of wisdom and perspective. I eagerly look forward to working with him.”

 -END-

Drew is a good guy, he'll go a good job.  It's a shame he was not reelected.

Andi LeBeau of Fremont County lost her seat by ten votes, thereby depriving the Reservation of an enrolled members in the legislature.

November 13, 2022

Its now clear that the incoming legislature is going to be much more far right than the last one, which likely will end up shocking Wyomingites who thought the existing legislature was pretty right wing.  Not so, in comparison to this one.

The irony is that Trump's candidates largely failed most places, so Wyoming is going to be unique this way, and will probably spending a lot of time giving Washington the middle finger salute, and getting ignored in return.

In spite of having pretty much single-handedly wiped out Republican chances this midterm election, with of course a lot of help from 1) people like Kevin McCarthy who wouldn't confront Trump's lies, and 2) people like Harriet Hageman, Kari Lake and Chuck Gray who promoted his lost election myth, Trump appears almost certain to announce his bid for the Oval Office this Wednesday, an act which will pretty much flush GOP hopes down the tubes in 2024.  While there are press rumblings that the GOP will, at long last, confront Trump and dump him, that seems pretty unlikely.

November 16, 2022

Mitch McConnell was reelected GOP Senate leader in spite of a challenge from the Trumpite right.

The challenge was not well-founded.  McConnell, who is not the most personable of political figures, has done a really good job in this position.

November 17, 2022

So we will have a split Congress, with the Democrats controlling the Senate and the Republicans barely controlling the House.

Indeed, both houses are nearly evenly split.

What this probably means is that American government isn't going to function at the legislative level for the next two years, probably.  How dysfunctional it is, however, depends somewhat on who becomes Speaker.  Amazingly, McCarthy's only real contenders right now are from his right, when you'd think they'd be from the center.  This doesn't bode well, as it likely means that in the House, the next two years will be devoted to doing nothing whatsoever but criticizing.

It'll be interesting to see what, if any, role Wyoming's new far right, so far, Congressman does in the next two years.  Our junior Senator is suddenly pulling towards the center, perhaps having detected a changing wind.  

November 17, cont:

Keven McCarthy received a visit today from a well known Trump strategist.

For those who may have any doubt, myself included, this probably signals how things this session will go and to whom the House will be working towards.

November 18, 2022

Nancy Pelosi has announced that she will not seek a leadership role in the Democratic caucus in the upcoming Congress.

Pelosi entered Congress at age 47 and has been a real power for some time. She's the only woman to have ever been Speaker of the House.

While some pundits, for example me, thought she should not run for speaker this last go around, she turned out to be remarkably effective.  Perhaps for that reason, she's been gigantically vilified by the political right and even the source of the most absurd hatred and calumny.  Such organizations as the National Rifle Association, combined with politicians such as Harriet Hageman, have practically demonized her.

Pelosi, more realistically, is a symbol of what is right and wrong with politics. A remarkably effective, long serving politician, she generally made her views well known and stuck by them. At the same time, she compromised her moral positions, placing loyalty to her party above the moral dictates of her Faith.

Who will be the incoming Republican Speaker isn't really yet know, but it's assumed to be Kevin McCarthy, a co-religious of Pelosi's who has compromised his own morals by quietly supporting rebellion against the electoral process and who is now faced with a revived hard right Trumpist base and a GOP middle that's wandering off.

December 8, 2022

Casting a wider net again, Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema has announced she's leaving the Democratic Party and registering as an independent.  She will apparently caucus with the Democrats, as the other two independents in the Senate do.

Tuesday, September 13, 2022

Wednesday, July 13, 1922. The Straw Hat Riot

Men wearing boaters, Times Square, July 1921.

The Straw Hat Riot broke out in New York City when youths in Manhattan began removing and stomping on straw hats worn by factory workers in the area.  This developed into a brawl when they tried to do the same with longshoremen, which was phenomenally stupid on their part.  By that evening, the matter was a full-blown riot that would go on for eight days.


In an era in which hat wearing was considered necessary for men, this was a fairly serious matter. September 15 was the unofficial cutoff date in society for the cessation of the wearing of straw hats, after which men switched to felt hats.  The tradition of destroying straw hats had actually begun with stockbrokers who would good naturedly destroy colleagues straw boaters for violating the unwritten date, which itself moved.  It had once been September 11.



Boaters (sometimes called sailors) were by far the most popular urban summertime straw hat.  The type had acquired that name as sailors did in fact wear them at one time, in a version that had a somewhat larger volume in the crown.  They were so popular, however, that they saw use far outside of what we'd expect.  For instance, many of Custer's men at Little Big Horn were actually wearing boaters, rather than their issue felt hat, as they had just purchased them from a vendor on the Yellowstone.




Contrary to common recollection, they remained in fairly widespread use up into the 1950s, when they started to suffer the same decline, but more steeply, than other men's hats.

Boaters weren't the only straw hat in urban use, of course.  Panama Hats also saw use at this time, but much less.  Indeed, early on wearing a Panama Hat had been regarded as improper.

More on hats and standards of dress appears here:

Caps, Hats, Fashion and Perceptions of Decency and being Dressed.

The USGS crew put in for lunch at Church Rock.


Putting in for lunch at Church Rock.
 

Turkish troops set fire to the Basmane neighborhood of Smyrna resulting in the deaths of 10,000 people in the wind fanned conflagration.

An agreement was reached on the nationwide US railroad strike.

France and Poland entered into a ten-year self-defense pact.

Pershing was photographed on his birthday.


Sunday, September 11, 2022

Monday, September 11, 1922. The Turkish Massacre of Smyrna's Armenians.

Turkish troops massacred Armenian residents of Smyrna Province.  It was a systematic murder of that city's ancient Armenian population.  Ultimately the Turks would set on fire the Armenian quarter of the city and end its eons old Armenian heritage.

Allied troops landed at Canakkale to set up a neutral zone between Greece and Turkey.

Seeing a split of the Communist Party in Russia coming, Lenin proposed that Trotsky become Lenin's Sovnarkom deputy.  Trotsky declined.

Herman Silverman, right, in his effort to hike around the world.  He was a bantamweight fighter who was doing the same in order to get into condition, and as part of the fulfillment of a wager.  Note the Montana Peak style hat.

Curtiss had a glider out.


The USGS was out again with their cameras in the Glen Canyon area.

Maidenhair Canyon. A beautiful side canyon which enters the Colorado from the west at a point below San Juan River.

Maidenhair Canyon enters the Colorado from the west at a point two miles below San Juan River.

Oak Creek dam site on the Colorado River, seven miles below San Juan River. Left abutment wall.

Saturday, September 10, 2022

Sunday, September 10, 1922. The Murder of Bishop Chrysostomos.

The very first Our Gang, an episode entitled One Terrible Day, was released.


I reported on this event earlier, but I apparently had the wrong event for the terrible occurrence.

As these photos show, the Red Cross reported to assist at the mine.


Greek Orthodox Bishop Chrysostomos of Smyrna was lynched by a mob after the Turks took the city.  What exactly occurred is not known, but the Bishop, who was a Greek nationalist, refused to evacuate and reported to congratulate the Turks on their victory.  He was horribly murdered and is regarded as a Saint by the Greek Orthodox.

Not sure how that happened, but the Bishop was murdered on this day.

The USGS expedition on the Colorado, which we featured yesterday, was still in progress.







Friday, September 9, 2022

Saturday, September 9, 1922. The Turks enter Smyrna.

On this day in 1922 the Turkish Army entered Smyrna, which would be renamed Izmir, ending hte military phase of the Greco Turkish War with a final Turkish victory.

By that afternoon, Turkish troops had started to riot.  Bad went to worse, and massacres of the Armenians then commenced, with it being cut off from entry by Turkish troops.  The Armenian Bishop Ghevont Tourian sought asylum in a Catholic institution.

It would get worse.

The third  Dáil Éireann, the parliament of the Irish Republic, convened after long delay to ratify the treaty with the United Kingdom, which was a foregone conclusion.

A United Stated Geological Survey expedition was exploring the area around Glen Canyon.

First camp, Colorado River opposite mouth of Escalante River

In the "Hole in the Wall" looking toward Colorado

"Hole in the Wall" on west side of Colorado River six miles above the San Juan.

"Hole in the Wall" on west side of Colorado River six miles above San Juan River.

Monday, January 10, 2022

Tuesday, January 10, 1922. Liquor Raids in Cheyenne, Bears in Arizona, Arthur Griffith in Ireland.

As we discusssed here on our companion site; Today In Wyoming's History: January 101922  The Laramie County Sheriff conducted a series of raids on stills.  Attribution:  Wyoming State Historical Society.


 Southern Tariff Association at White House who visited White House on this day i 1922.

Arthur Griffith was elected President of Dáil Éireann.  Already overworked, he'd hold the post until his death at age 51 in August, effectively a casualty of the civil war in the country which had already broken out.







Saturday, March 6, 2021

Ragtime Cowboy Joe


Ragtime Cowboy Joe has long been used by the University of Wyoming as its fight song.  The use isn't exclusive, as the University of Arizona also does, and many of the commercially recorded variants of the song make reference to Arizona, not Wyoming.

The tune was, of course, a popular song before being adopted by the University, which likely happened soon after it was recorded in 1912.