The old order changeth yielding place to new
Tennyson
Donald Trump was still insulting Joe Biden yesterday after Biden announced he was dropping out, probably smarting over the fact that whomever he faces next will be a more formidable candidate, and a habit of childish insults doesn't work well if you don't know who to insult.
Kamala Harris indicated that she will run for and earn the nomination, which means she acknowledges that she doesn't yet have it.
Joe Manchin, age 77, who recently registered as an independent, is thinking of registering again as a Democrat to compete for the nomination.
The Democratic Convention starts on August 19.
cont:
Machin has decided not to run.
cont:
Based on twitter, an early Trumpist tactic in regard to Biden is to attack her on her relationship with California Speaker of the House, Willie Brown, back when she was 29 years old. Brown was 60 at the time and had been separated from his wife for a decade.
Mind you, I'm Catholic and don't approve of divorce at all, but how ironic, given Trump's serial polygamy and current questions regarding his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.
July 23, 2024
Kamala Harris has lined up enough delegate support to secure the Democratic nomination.
A PAC supporting the Wyoming Freedom Caucus has sent out a mailer against certain politicians containing an absolute lie that the targets of the ad voted to keep Donald Trump off of the ballot. They did no such thing, they voted to require lawsuits initiated by state political figures to be brought by the state if they used state funds.
July 24, 2024
Wyoming Democrats endorsed Harris.
Alaska Congressman Mary Sattler Peltola did not, saying that she wouldn't vote for Trump, would vote for somebody "pro choice", but couldn't ask Alaskans to vote for somebody who wasn't "pro energy", showing the difficulty of being a Democrat in a Republican state.
The Trump campaign, which is reeling from the Harris nomination, filed a FEC complaint over Biden campaign funds going to Harris.
Wyoming's Congressman Hageman stated:
Intellectually, just really kind of the bottom of the barrel...I think she was a DEI hire. And I think that that's what we're seeing, and I just don't think that they have anybody else.
This is already drawing attention as its a fairly shocking statement.
July 25, 2025
President Biden addressed the nation last night.
My fellow Americans, I’m speaking to you tonight from behind the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office. In this sacred space, I’m surrounded by portraits of extraordinary American presidents. Thomas Jefferson wrote the immortal words that guide this nation. George Washington showed us presidents are not kings. Abraham Lincoln implored us to reject malice. Franklin Roosevelt inspired us to reject fear.
I revere this office, but I love my country more. It’s been the honor of my life to serve as your president. But in the defense of democracy, which is at stake, I think it’s more important than any title. I draw strength and find joy in working for the American people. But this sacred task of perfecting our union is not about me, it’s about you. Your families, your futures.
It’s about we the people. And we can never forget that. And I never have. I’ve made it clear that I believe America is at an inflection point. On those rare moments in history, when the decisions we make now determine our fate of our nation and the world for decades to come, America is going to have to choose between moving forward or backward, between hope and hate, between unity and division.
We have to decide: Do we still believe in honesty, decency, respect, freedom, justice and democracy. In this moment, we can see those we disagree with not as enemies but as, I mean, fellow Americans — can we do that? Does character in public life still matter? I believe you know the answer to these questions because I know you the American people, and I know this:
We are a great nation because we are a good people. When you elected me to this office, I promised to always level with you, to tell you the truth. And the truth, the sacred cause of this country, is larger than any one of us. Those of us who cherry that cause cherish it so much. The cause of American democracy itself. We must unite to protect it.
In recent weeks, it has become clear to me that I need to unite my party in this critical endeavor. I believe my record as president, my leadership in the world, my vision for America’s future, all merited a second term. But nothing, nothing can come in the way of saving our democracy. That includes personal ambition.
So I’ve decided the best way forward is to pass the torch to a new generation. It’s the best way to unite our nation. I know there was a time and a place for long years of experience in public life. There’s also a time and a place for new voices, fresh voices, yes, younger voices. And that time and place is now.
Over the next six months, I will be focused on doing my job as president. That means I will continue to lower costs for hard-working families, grow our economy. I will keep defending our personal freedoms and civil rights, from the right to vote to the right to choose. I will keep calling out hate and extremism, making it clear there is no place, no place in America for political violence or any violence ever, period. I’m going to keep speaking out to protect our kids from gun violence, our planet from climate crisis as an existential threat.
I will keep fighting for my Cancer Moonshot, so we can end cancer as we know it because we can do it. I’m going to call for Supreme Court reform because this is critical to our democracy — Supreme Court reform. You know, I will keep working to ensure American remains strong, secure and the leader of the free world.
I’m the first president of this century to report to the American people that the United States is not at war anywhere in the world. We will keep rallying a coalition of proud nations to stop Putin from taking over Ukraine and doing more damage. We’ll keep NATO stronger, and I will make it more powerful and more united than any time in all of our history. I will keep doing the same for our allies in the Pacific. You know, when I came to the office, the conventional wisdom was that China would inevitably pass, surpass the United States.
That’s not the case anymore. And I’m going to keep working to end the war in Gaza, bring home all the hostages and bring peace and security to the Middle East and end this war. We are also working around the clock to bring home Americans being unjustly detained all around the world.
You know, we’ve come so far since my inauguration. On that day, I told you as I stood in that winter — we are stood in a winter of peril and winter of possibilities. Peril and possibilities. We are in the group of, we were in the group of the worse pandemic in the century. The worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. The worst attack on our democracy since the Civil War. We came together as Americans. We got through it. We emerged stronger, more prosperous and more secure.
Today we have the strongest economy in the world, creating nearly 16 million new jobs — a record. Wages are up, inflation continues to come down, the racial wealth gap is the lowest it’s been in 20 years. We are literally rebuilding our entire nation — urban, suburban and rural and tribal communities. Manufacturing has come back to America. We are leading the world again in chips and science and innovation. We finally beat Big Pharma after all these years to lower the cost of prescription drugs for seniors.
And I’m going to keep fighting to make sure we lower the cost for everyone, not just seniors. More people have health care today in America than ever before. I signed one of the most significant laws helping millions of veterans and their families who were exposed to toxic materials. You know, most significant climate law ever, ever in the history of the world. The first major gun safety law in 30 years.
And today, the violent crime rate is at a 50-year low. We are also securing our border. Border crossings are lower today than when the previous administration left office. I’ve kept my commitment to appoint the first Black woman to the Supreme Court of the United States of America. I also kept my commitment to have an administration that looks like America and be a president for all Americans. That’s what I’ve done.
I ran for president four years ago because I believed and still do that the soul of America was at stake. The very nature of who we are was at stake. That is still the case. America is an idea. An idea stronger than any army, bigger than any ocean, more powerful than any dictator or tyrant. It’s the most powerful idea in the history of the world. That idea is that we hold these truths to be self-evident.
We are all created equal, endowed by our creator with certain inalienable rights: life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness. We’ve never fully lived up to it — to this sacred idea — but we’ve never walked away from it either. And I do not believe the American people will walk away from it now.
In just a few months, the American people will choose the course of America’s future. I made my choice. I’ve made my views known. I would like to thank our great vice president, Kamala Harris. She is experienced, she is tough, she is capable. She’s been an incredible partner to me and a leader for our country.
Now the choice is up to you, the American people. When you make that choice, remember the words of Benjamin Franklin hanging on my wall here in the Oval Office, alongside the busts of Dr. King and Rosa Parks and Cesar Chavez.
When Ben Franklin was asked, as he emerged from the convention going on, whether the founders have given America a monarchy or a republic, Franklin’s response was: “A republic, if you can keep it.” A republic, if you can keep it. Whether we keep our republic is now in your hands. My fellow Americans, it’s been the privilege of my life to serve this nation for over 50 years.
Nowhere else on Earth could a kid with a stutter from modest beginnings in Scranton, Pa., and in Claymont, Del., one day sit behind the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office as the president of the United States, but here I am.
That’s what’s so special about America. We are a nation of promise and possibilities. Of dreamers and doers. Of ordinary Americans doing extraordinary things. I’ve given my heart and my soul to our nation, like so many others. And I’ve been blessed a million times in return with the love and support of the American people. I hope you have some idea how grateful I am to all of you.
The great thing about America is, here kings and dictators do not rule — the people do. History is in your hands. The power’s in your hands. The idea of America lies in your hands. You just have to keep faith — keep the faith — and remember who we are. We are the United States of America, and there are simply nothing, nothing beyond our capacity when we do it together. So let’s act together, preserve our democracy. God bless you all and may God protect our troops. Thank you.
Trump complained that Harris is a prosecutor and he's a convicted felon, which the Harris campaign immediately issued an "approved" reaction to, turning his words on their head.
The Wyoming Democratic Party reacted to Congressman Hageman's statement regarding VP Harris being a "DEI hire" two days ago with the following:
Hageman also drew the ire of Democratic Congressman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez who posted on Twitter: “What women who attack others like this don’t realize is whoever they think they’re appealing to calls them “DEI” too the moment they leave the room".
Hageman was having none of it and demanded a "#" from Ocasio-Cortez next time she was referenced by her and went on to state:
If you don’t want people to say she was hired only because she’s a black woman, then maybe Biden shouldn’t have said he was only gonna hire a black woman. She is objectively bad at her current job and is asking for a promotion, using a nomination that was simply handed to her.
This probably won't matter in current Wyoming, although it would have at one time. At any rate, singling out Harris on the claim that she's in her position only due to her race revivies language that hasn't been on the surface in regional politics for decades, and is not a good development.
In the local race, a flyer came here yesterday for a Populist who thinks he's a Republican and is running against an actual Republican. It was a big shocking and edging up on reprehensible. One of the things it stated is that the opponent is actually a Democrat, which is @#$#$3 absurd, and that the candidate supports Donald Trump, 100%, which I guess is absurd. Anyone who supports any politician 100% isn't thinking.
Speaking of not thinking, Trump launched an anti Biden screed yesterday. Biden isn't running.
July 26, 2024
Childless Cat Ladies, Debates, Brutus in the wings, fear and loathing.
The Brat Summer.
Top front page headline on the CST:
Hageman calls Kamala Harris ‘DEI hire’
As shocking as that is, and it is shocking, a Twitter item regarding it is full of Wyomingites agreeing with it.
More on this will be addressed in a seperate post, maybe.
The Trump campaign appears to be on its heels, failing to really anticipate Harris and really not expecting Harris' "Brat Summer". Harris is giving as good as she gets and then some, turning Trump slogans on their head. Meanwhile, the vast number of things J. D. Vance has said on his rise to the top are now in widespread circulation outside of Christian Nationalist circles for the first time, including his statements about childless women being disgruntled and turning their unhappy lives into disgruntled politics. . . I wonder what Harriet Hageman thinks about those statements, given as she has no children?
That may seem like a petty thing to say, but Vance has really gone after political women and women without children in general, claiming that they're unhappy due to their childless status and visit their unhappiness of the rest of the country through politics. Some of these women, such as AoC and Harris are extremely outspoken, and the suggestion is that they're miserably childless and that's why they are that way. Well, Hageman is extremely outspoken to say the least, and she's childless. Vance's statements would equally fully apply to her, if they are apply to Harris and AoC.
Two edged swords cut both ways.
There are a lot of rumors that Trump is unhappy with Vance, who was really designed to be a second fiddle in a race against Biden, and not a primary feature of his campaign which he is very rapidly becoming. Newsweek reports that Trump is thinking of dumping Vance.
That would be extraordinary, but Trump has always been unpredictable. If Vance as seen as a liability, he may soon be saying, "Et tu, Donaldus?"
Meanwhile, Trump is bouncing around on the scheduled debate, at first insisting that it take place in friendly territory at Fox, and then cancelling in on this bizarre pretext
Barack Obama has since endorsed Harris.
The statement is an interesting glimpse into the state of things in the Trump/Vance ticket. For one thing, it's still partially aimed at Joe Biden. The old maxim that armies prepare for the last wear is really evident in this in that the Trump campaign continues to campaign against Joe Biden. It was geared up only for that race and none other, and can't get off of it.
Additionally the statements reflects the odd attachment to improper grammar that the Trump campaign exhibits. "[A] strong sense by many" would imply, in fact, "many", but the citation is to one, former President Obama (with the use of the middle name, of course, Hussein). Like the campaign focus on Biden, Trump has had a fixation on Obama for many years, but the point here is that many isn't one. It's grammatically incorrect. Given Obama's endorsement of Harris, it's now factually incorrect as well.
Unlike the situation with Biden, Trump has real reason to fear a debate with Harris. During the 2020 primary I didn't like Harris in part as she seemed to come across snarky. Now, however, given that Trump lies without hesitation and sounds like a 7th grade asshole, Harris brash and quick speaking style has suddenly lost that appearance and instead Trump just sounds like a 7th grade asshole.
And the Wyoming Freedom Caucus PAC finds itself in court over lying:
July 28, 2024
In an example of Trump rhetorical oddness, he stated in a rally within the last couple of days:
Christians, get out and vote, just this time. You won't have to do it anymore. Four more years, you know what, it will be fixed, it will be fine, you won't have to vote anymore, my beautiful Christians.
I love you Christians. I'm a Christian. I love you, get out, you gotta get out and vote. In four years, you don't have to vote again, we'll have it fixed so good you're not going to have to vote,
The Harris campaign is citing this as promise to end democracy. It isn't, but it is an example of the bizarre way that Trump speaks.
July 30, 2024
Thank goodness:
The flyers that have come here the last couple of days from far right PACs have been repulsive.
cont:
What the heck?
cont:
Things on the GOP right are becoming unraveled.
Trump said in an interview on radio station WABC that Harris “doesn’t like Jewish people”.
He then went on to appear to agree with he host who called her Jewish husband, Doug Emhoff, “a crappy Jew.”
Uff.
Paul Dans of the Heritage Foundation quit the organization to"direct all my efforts to winning, bigly!" for Trump.
While it'll have to wait to an upcoming post, the Heritage Foundation basically has all its chips in J. D. Vance and very well knows that if it loses this election, it's shot its bolt. Trump is just a vehicle, I suspect, for Vance, in their view, and they see its now in the process of losing.
July 31, 2024
Secretary Gray Announces Investigation into ActBlue
CHEYENNE, WY – In the wake of nationwide money laundering and identity theft allegations against Democratic fundraising organization ActBlue, Secretary of State Chuck Gray announced an investigation into ActBlue Wyoming, a political action committee registered with the Wyoming Secretary of State’s Office. ActBlue has been accused of stealing peoples’ identities to conceal illegal donations, such as donations from foreign actors. As the chief election officer for the State of Wyoming, Secretary Gray is tasked with ensuring the integrity of Wyoming elections. ActBlue Wyoming is required to file statements of contributions and expenditures with the Wyoming Secretary of State’s Office under the penalty of perjury. Filing a false statement is a violation of the Wyoming Election Code. Secretary Gray is legally empowered to refer suspected violations of the Election Code to the appropriate prosecuting authority.
“The widespread allegations against ActBlue are deeply troubling, and we must ensure that
political action committees are following the Wyoming Election Code,” Secretary Gray said in a statement. “Claiming that a person donated to a PAC if that person never donated to that PAC would be a felony under Wyoming law. I am very concerned, and remain committed to a thorough review of contributions to ensure compliance with Wyoming law.”
Any Wyoming citizen who has reason to believe a political action committee stole their identity or falsely reported a donation using their name is encouraged to report this to the Wyoming Secretary of State’s Office at elections@wyo.gov or 307-777-5860.
August 2, 2024
By all measures, the Presidential election has gone from one that was an almost sure win for Donald Trump, both in the electoral and popular vote, and potentially a landslide, to an even heat, or one that's now somewhat in favor of Harris, nearly overnight. States that weren't in play, as they'd gone Trump, are back in play.
Moreover, as set out in a NPR analysis, Harris has more than one path to the White House. Trump has exactly one.
Trump has now retreated to his behavior of a decade ago in desperation, questioning whether or not Kamala Harris is black, and thereby no doubt alienating both African Americans and Indian Americans to some degree. And, moreover, it emphasizes what the new catch phrase the Democrats have for the GOP ticket, that being that it is "weird". Trump babble on whether Harris is black or not is frankly, weird.
August 3, 2024
Kamala Harris has secured enough delegates to be nominated.
Donald Trump endorsed Darin Smith, who is seeking to replace retiring Anthony Bouchard, for a Wyoming Senate seat.
Very odd to think of the embattled Trump reaching this far down to endorse anyone.
The CST Op Ed page was full of articles by politicians.
One by Chuck Gray:
Gray asserted this was necessary due to Gov. Gordon's torpedoing, properly, the Sec. of State's proposed rules on elections.
Gray has been singularly unsuccessful in regard to his efforts on elections this cycle.
A good article by Khale Lenhart:
Lenhart is addressing the effort by PACs sending out really bogus bs flyers directed against legislators who are not part of the Wyoming Freedom Caucus. His point here is excellent.
Tom Walters penned this article on a similar, but not identical, issue.
August 4, 2024
Vice President Harris interviewed potential running mates yesterday.
A reeling Trump accused Harris of not being very smart.
Harris is clearly highly intelligent. Trump brings up intelligence so often, often in regard to himself, that it is at the point where it's fair to question if he feels insecure about his own.
August 6, 2024
From the Cowboy State Daily:
And this interesting item in that article:
Driskill also is asking the complaint be immediately forwarded to Attorney General Bridget Hill because he believes Secretary of State Chuck Gray has “an inherent conflict” of interest on the issue.
Driskill also is asking the complaint be immediately forwarded to Attorney General Bridget Hill because he believes Secretary of State Chuck Gray has “an inherent conflict” of interest on the issue.
This is reference to Gray’s chief general counsel Joe Rubino. Rubino is married to Jessie Rubino, Wyoming state director of the Freedom Caucus. As chief general counsel, Joe Rubino is in charge of reviewing all complaints made to the Secretary of State’s Office.
In his complaint, Driskill said when he brought the issue up with Gray in-person, Gray “shrugged it off” and said there was little he could likely do about it, suggesting Driskill contact his own county attorney.
“I think it is imperative that all complaints be followed up on (in) an unbiased manner,” Driskill writes in his complaint. “I am yet to see a referral to the authorities under the current secretary of state.”
Driskill told Cowboy State he has little hope that Gray will hand off the complaint.
“I doubt it,” he said. “They haven’t shown any signs of acknowledging conflict on anything they’ve done. It’s a clear conflict.”
Gray, however, told Cowboy State Daily he considers all complaints “very seriously” and said Driskill’s allegations to the contrary are “false and defamatory,” as he invited Driskill to file a complaint last Thursday and sent him the form to do so.
He plans to accept Driskill’s request to hand off the complaint to the Attorney General’s Office.
August 6, 2024
Harris has picked Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, about whom I know nothing, as her running mate. The Trump campaign has already responded with the buzzwords, claiming, in essence, that he's a far left liberal who sought to remake Minnesota in the image of California.
And with this, we will know close out this edition.
Related threads:
Last edition:
Labels: 2020s, 2024 Election, American Civil Religion, Christian Nationalism, Christianity, Cultural Christianity, Donald Trump, Joseph Biden, Populism, Reductio ad absurdum, Republican Party, Sic transit Gloria Mundi
