I canvassed for Lamb in the 18th for two days last weekend. Many of those I spoke with (from a Lamb-created list) weren't just voting for Lamb, they were truly excited about voting for a Democrat to represent their district.
If the turnout matches the enthusiasm, I think he definitely has a shot.
74
Single-issue voters are dangerous citizens. If one's only criteria for voting is whether a candidate does or does not support gun rights, that's dangerous. You could wind up with a congressperson who supports gun rights but will deny medical care, cut taxes for the wealthy, and destroy the environment. So I'd take Mr. Lamb over Trump's wing man any day, although I'd try to convince him to soften his stance on Human Assault Weapons over time.
42
Can't remember the exact quote and when I tried to look it up it was attributed to David Mamet - I think it's far earlier than that. It's the saying that old age and treachery always beat youth and exuberance.
Look out Mr. Lamb!
16
As someone who has tossed a couple of dollars here and there to Dem candidates (and has subsequently been inundated with email requests from every other candidate running as a Democrat ), I've been wondering just who Connor Lamb is. Thank you for enlightening me, Gail. Now that I understand that he's running against "the wingman", I might just answer the call for a small donation.
36
Thanks to Gail Collins for this very revealing column. Both men are posers, no more than clothes hangers for flag draping. The best thing that could happen would be for everybody to stay at home so that a real election could take place in the new district this fall which, presumably will be more representative of people than those falsely drawn, Republican-engineered lines those within that strategic territory now permit.
30
Nancy Pelosi is hated by the right-wing voters after years of smear campaigning by right-wing media.
Similar to the Clintons and I would argue the biggest reason Hillary lost because she had such unnaturally high negatives as a result of 25 years of right-wing media.
I have neighbors who still think the Clintons had Vince Foster murdered.
The attack ads against Democrats feature Nancy Pelosi and the local Democrat as being against the Republican "tax cuts for the middle class."
The total debt today is $20 Trillion / 150 Million taxpayers = $133,000 per taxpayer.
With the Republican tax plan, the debt we can expect to have ten years from now is at least $30 Trillion / 150 Million taxpayers = $200,000 per taxpayer.
Over these ten years, someone earning $75,000 a year will get around $7,000 in tax reductions. At the same time their share of the increase to the national debt will be $67,000.
$67,000 for each taxpayer is our share to be put on our Federal debt credit card.
That's the tax cut Republicans have given the American voter.
63
Gail, you continue to nail the Zen of Trump and his machinations while making me laugh. One can only hope for a return to normal soon but until then, I need to to laugh to keep from cryin'.
34
I'm interested in seeing the percentage of Democrats showing up to vote for Lamb. If it's not 80% , they're fools. For the rest of them, we'll find out on Tuesday.
26
Saccone, define 'wingman', does that mean you will help Trump pick up women, or help Trump to a large plate of Buffalo Wings, or help Trump bar the WH door against Mueller, or help Trump on his coat, or..?
19
Trump has a wingman in every GOP representative and senator and is terrified to lose one. (And I bet that the American Taliban is upset that they didn't let God forgive Tim Murphy. We'll have to wait for the next forced birther to sin to see whether or not that morality line has been redrawn.)
18
“someone who’s young and idealistic, who still hopes he can change the world.” Which may go down as the most depressing political attack in modern history."
Actually, minus the word "young", it sounds like something Hillary said about Bernie during the debates. If "eat your Brussel sprouts" didn't work for her, it probably won't work for him.
8
I read this column with incredulity. Is it actually possible Trump’s sudden imposition of nearly universally opposed tariffs boils down to his obsession over not losing face? Specifically, not losing a seat in a white, working-class district that helped him win the Electoral College? Thereby avoiding a wound to his zero-sum, take-no-prisoners ego?
I guess it is. Godspeed to moderate Democrat Lamb!
42
I was born and raised in the Pennsylvania 18th and lived there until I was 21. I'm sorry to know that Lamb and Saccone are the best candidates the district can drum up. There must be some better choices, and it's too bad that instead of the best and brightest wanting to go into politics, it's just the losers and bumblers that end up there instead. People say we have the government we deserve, and more and more that seems to be true.
6
Ms Pea may know something about Lamb that is not reflected by Ms Collin’s description that makes him a bad candidate. What is really striking is that in a district that should be an easy win for Republicans, they can’t muster up a better candidate. The idea that a Republican could lose in this district must really make Trump nervous about how bad the midterm election could be for him and his brand.
And as with others, the thought that this week’s announcement of steel tariffs could be related to this general election made my jaw drop.
17
This is like trying to resurrect the dead. The J&L Aliquippa Works, where my grandfather worked for 37 years, is now just a bank of slag (iron refining waste) two miles long, impinging on the Ohio River.
24
I always try to say something at least vaguely funny in response to Collins' funny columns, but I'm having trouble finding much that's funny in seeing people who claim to be leftists complain about Lamb's trying to get elected rather than go down waving a flag, flex about guns, and repeat FOX's complaints about Nancy Pelosi.
Maybe I sholda taken Saccone up on the rubbery wings offer...
2
Don, any rallies planned?
1
Go to the bottom of the barrel regarding the 'worst one for Office' - and that's the one TrumpleThinSkin will support. It's known as "birds of a feather".
9
Best news is that the gerrymandering is going to stop.
Second best news is that people seem to be waking up to the t rump reality show being more like Nightmare on Elm St.
We shall see.
Thanks for being there for us, Gail.
19
Wonder who polishes his shoes?
3
They are both republicans. Sounds like Lamb is putting a Manchin with his little AR event. I did like the line about the ‘little weenie republicans in Congress’.
11
You are why Democrats dont win in purple states. There is no "One size fits all" democrat that can win in every district. Some districts need a progressive, some need a moderate. The only important goal is to win the majority in the house by whatever means necessary, so we get a democratic speaker of the house. If that means a couple of Joe Manchins in the House, then so be it. Better any Democratic majority, than a self righteous ideologically pure minority.
52
That's where the airport is....best airport in the US....and gateway to Coraopolis...fomer home of Coraopolis Motor Parts and a stones throw from McKeesrocks..."The Rocks" and famed as the birthplace of another great huckster Billy Mays..."But wait, there's more". All of it just down river from Stan The Man Musial's hometown of Donora PA....
5
Why not a Wing-Woman? Seriously....think about it!
5
Would Betsy DeVos fit the category?
3
Trump's trips to Pennsylvania to save this guy's bacon reeks of desperation.
33
Why has nobody noticed that the Congress is housed in a gold-gilded edifice of marble and granite, while the Presidential mansion just looks like a house? It's undignified -- insulting -- to stick the President in a shack while Congress basks in the reflected glory of a stately edifice. We need to demand that Congress fund a major MAGA infrastructure project to gild the roof of the White House -- maybe after first converting the roof to a formal dome -- and to install statutes of great leaders -- such as our current leader -- on a Walkway of Honor on the White House grounds. Leading architects could be invited to submit proposals, and a blue ribbon commission, chaired by a top Presidential advisor (such as Ivana Trump, herself a designer who can conveniently rely on her husband, Jared's, construction expertise) to select the winning design. We could use our newly tariff money to fund the project, so it costs the taxpayers nothing!
11
Build the Wall! - around the White House.
29
Hmm... Rick Saccone's name is very similar to another awful Pennsylvania politician---Rick Santorum.
28
I think we should ban AR-15s. That being said, I don't think Democrats can afford to vote against someone who says he "loves to shoot."
I live in NY's 29th congressional district. A friend recently commented on one of the potential Democrats running against the incumbent by saying that it would be better to have a Democrat voting on anything than a representative who follows the Republican line, except when it doesn't matter.
I find myself thinking that perhaps Nancy Pelosi ought to retire. I don't hate her and I don't think she's usually wrong, but she has become a symbol that works against Democrats.
31
If only Donald Trump would go to the Moon, having misunderstood it for Moon Township, PA. I know many who would volunteer to be his wingman and fly him to the moon as long as they could wear earplugs and didn't have to stay. He and his family could live on one of the 23 basaltic plains called seas. The Sea of Tranquility and the Sea of Serenity would be all wrong for them. But they would be right at home on the the Sea of Muscovy, where he could build his long desired hotel tower and the three adult children from his first marriage could manage it while he could forever spend his days playing golf. The ball would certain go further than he can probably hit it bound to earth. He could even recycle the metal letters spelling out his name that were removed from the hotel in Panama last week. But there is no reason to believe he recycles. On second thought, maybe sending him to pollute the Moon isn't a good idea after all. Maybe one of the gas giants like Jupiter, something bigger than the Moon and more capacious to hold his ego.
25
Rick Saccone is not Irish. Conor Lamb is Catholic. Both men are military veterans. Lamb is a young and a lawyer. Saccone is neither. Neither man has ever worn an ethnic white working-class blue collar. Calling out a meaningful differentiating ethnic blue collar base in this election is thus tough.
Since Melania is not accompanying Trump, I presume that there must not be many ethnic Slavic Slovenians in the district. Thus Trump is likely leaving this election ethnic outcome in the able smiling smirking hands of his 'pilot' ethnic Slavic Russian President Vladimir Vladimirovich 'Bear' Putin to give the White House this chosen wingman.
Putin really knows how to win friends and influence people. Send your foes to prisons, hospitals, mental institutions, urns and coffins. Send your friends to the White House. Bears love to eat lambs.
12
Mr.Saccone says that Mr.Trump has been beat up and that he needs more wingmen to assist with his agenda.Does Mr.Saccone realize that several of Mr.Trump's wingmen are under federal indictment and many of the rest have left the Oval Office because of chaos fatigue or the pressure of costly legal repercussions?
28
Americans who continue to vote for Trump Russian-Republicans deserve the miserable fate that surely will befall them.
In contrast, decent Americans do not deserve the miserable fate of sharing a nation with Trump Russian-Republicans.
19
Saccone is an embarrassment. Sadly, there are Trumpsters who are in deep denial about Emperor Donald the Dumb. They will pull the R lever just because they voted for Trump and don't want to admit that they were played for fools, and are still being played for fools--if the hurry-up announcement of the steel import tariff stunt is any indicator.
Although this is a symbolic race in practical terms, it will have real consequences. If Lamb wins, many Republicans will drop out of the November elections. That will be all to the good. The nation can hope that it happens.
27
Hard to believe that Trump will be wildly received in Moon Township as he was during the campaign, but the show must go on with or without Stormy or Melania.
4
Good reporting here. So that's what the tariffs are all about, holding this heavily gerrymandered Republican district in the face of Trump. My own take is that if the Democrats lose, it will be because of being me-too Republicans. Lamb would do well to throw away his AR-15 and invite one Parkland student to campaign for him. The NRA down the line is the Republican's chief racist appeal, and they are craven to follow it. Or the Democrats imitate it.
7
Don't you just hate it when people like Nancy Pelosi refuse to help a fellow Democrat? She and the powers that be within the party should throw their wholehearted support to Lamb.
Just because he is not one of their chosen favorites, the will not give him enough financial support. This is how they lose. This how they lost crucial special elections in Georgia and elsewhere shortly after Trump's election. They are doing it right now in Texas because they do not want the Progressive candidate.
I am a Baby Boomer and have put up with their losing ways long enough.
Nancy Pelosi and her cadre of ingrained old school cohorts need to go.
Barak Obama is the first president in my lifetime who is younger than me. I say "Bring in the new blood!", or else the Democratic Party will die of old age.
27
Thank you for this portrait of Pennsylvania Republican Rick Saccone, who posts a video of himself shooting at a target with a semiautomatic rifle and goes on record as favoring cruelty to animals. Not incidentally, cruelty to animals is one of the warning signs in the backgrounds of mass shooters.
Trump really knows how to pick 'em. Saccone is a Trump kind of guy--along with Roy Moore, Marin Shkreli (infamous prescription drug pice gouger and just packed away with a 7 year jail sentence for fraud), the Mooch, Rob Porter...Trump's entire cabinet that is declared the worst cabinet in American history.... And so it goes (sadly for us and our sick country).
Also, typical of the bottom-of-the-barrel Republican candidates running FOR office (as opposed to all those GOP politicians running FROM office) these days, Saccone's Democratic opponent is a competent and intelligent prosecutor, a pretty reasonable and sane guy.
It's a choice! But tragically in this country, we can no longer count on the deplorable, embarrassingly inept guy losing.
The headline for this column could also read: "Trump Really Wants His Wingnut." And that is a yuge problem when voters agree.
20
Excellent story- great job. The story also notes the importance of the time for power hungry leaders like Pelosi to retire. In most democratic countries, leadership gets changed after election loss. But, not Ms. Pelosi and her buddies- they would cling to the power regardless of the election outcomes. The party has many great leaders like Booker and others. But, they rarely get any chance to lead the party. The party is controlled by Pelosi group. As a result, the party cannot take advantage of thousands of misdeeds by Trump administration. Everyday, we hear new Trump scandal. Alas, the spineless party machine just watch and do nothing. Trump has tremendous theatrical talent and a master of false propaganda. To win against him, the party needs to play fire against fire. Exposing the tyrant daily is a very easy job. The message about the Trump corruption in the national media needs to be repeated everyday exposing his misdeeds. Alas, the party is no where close to what needs to be done. They are missing a grand opportunity. The party could gain back both senate and congress, if they had great smart leadership.
10
I used to believe I could make an informed decision when voting only by a thorough analysis of the different candidates’ policy position arguments, not just where they stood but why they stood there. It was important to me to see the thought process and reasoning, to see if their logic held up to the facts, and to see if their philosophy had a moral basis that held together - are they consistent?
The best candidate could wear whatever lapel pin they felt comfortable with, as long as there was a good brain and decent heart behind it. While leaning liberal and also democratic, I did not think the two world-views were synonymous, and I recognized that I also supported some conservative positions and republican solutions. The most important qualities were decency, a sense of fair play, and a willingness to work through differences to move society to ever better standards.
Over the last decade, especially, it has become impossible to use this process. Attack ads and bombast flood the airspace, and the one hope I had for realizing a true democracy, the ubiquity of the internet, was subverted and weaponized by true enemies of the state. The goal was to push America towards an Orwellian society where facts and truth and common decency simply do not matter. I do believe one party was most complicit in this, as it happened and now as we try to find the truth. The combination of deceit and obstruction of the process makes my voting process simple: I want democrats over autocrats.
18
um... as someone who grew up in a steel town -- Youngstown -- I can assure Donald that people don't want to return to the 1950s. Dark orange skies night and day, asthma, pitted paint on every car and hot, dirty, dangerous jobs.
Modern steel making is all done by robots. If they brought back the same capacity we had after the war, we's have about a tenth of the jobs.
Just ask the people of Pittsburgh, a thriving high-tech city, if they want to return to coal dust and pig iron.
Donald projects a fantasy world. What people want is a decent job, not a return to their grandparents' day, when Ike was president and the top marginal tax rate was 91%.
300
So did I just pay for Mr. and Mrs. Trump to fly from DC to Mar a Lago for a single day, so Trump could have dinner on the patio with Guiliani, and now I'm paying for him to fly to Pennsylvania for this campaign rally?
23
A Saccone television advertisement features moody shots of a missile launch and goose-stepping North Korean soldiers – and Saccone’s claim that his career as “a diplomat in North Korea” makes him uniquely placed to deal with the looming crisis over Pyongyang’s nuclear program...
According to former colleagues, although Saccone is one of the few Americans to have dealt with North Korean officials, he was not a diplomat, and was not engaged in traditional diplomacy...
And while Saccone's ads claim he negotiated with the North Koreans, other remember it quite differently: "He was not negotiating highly sensitive matters with the North Koreans by any means,” one said “Frankly speaking, he didn’t meet any important North Koreans. There was a lot more contact between North Koreans and South Koreans, said Kim Joong-keun, the South Korean representative on the project who worked with Saccone. He agreed that the candidate’s account was “inaccurate”.
“Of all the Americans I worked with, I would rank Saccone at the bottom.”
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/mar/10/republican-candidates-no...
13
It might be worth observing that while Trump's steel tariffs may help this little election for a short-term seat, they also demonstrate not only his disregard for facts but a grotesque result.
China is the biggest winner in the steel tariffs game, not the US. It doesn't sell much steel to the US, but it does covet US markets worldwide.
China is eating Trumpworld's lunch.
Making China great again, so support Saccone. Shameless!
17
In a New Yorker article about Trump, Jared Kushner, and China, a Chinese official is quoted as saying: "We cannot believe our good fortune!"
14
Trump voters, think about it: you voted for a guy who started a trade war just so he can increase the chances that Saccone will a district that will disappear by November. That says a lot about you and none of it's good.
45
What is it about republicans and dogs? First Seamus gets strapped to the roof of Romney's car and then republicans support animal cruelty in the statehouse.
Don't trust folks who are mean to dogs.
37
Even the GOP wasn't mean this time. Just Saccone and 19 of his buddies.
1
And elephants and baby bears hibernating. Trump was going to ban elephant "trophies" of the type his sons collect after shooting members of this endangered species, but someone changed his "mind." And he approved a regulation allowing hunters to kill bears as they hibernate quietly in their dens, including the cubs. Trump doesn't seem to care much for humans, but he is entirely oblivous to animals.
8
Wanting to be trump’s wingman is like asking to be a kamikaze pilot. Eventually, trump will fly off leaving you to crash and burn on your own.
32
I have been searching for les mots justes. Thank you for "little weenies."
21
Please stop feeding the squirrels. It appears that ever since the onset of the Mueller investigation, they have been multiplying ginormously. Oh look, there goes another one!
6
"Lamb is selling himself as a bipartisan new-broom guy who would vote to get rid of Nancy Pelosi as Democratic House leader. (Coincidentally, he’s getting very little money from the official Democratic money stream, for which Pelosi is a tireless fund-raiser.)"
Which shows where Pelosi's priorities lay. In her own power. Not the greater good of the Republic and the American people, or the party. Making her as big a liar as POTUS.
If she truly had such concern, and IF she thought she was such a great states-person, she'd welcome the challenge - based on merit and legislative skill. Not rely on her ability to seduce donors - Hollywood types, hello Harvey! IF the DNC felt she was an adept legislator, they'd only care for winning seats, not protecting her based on fund raising. They'd be behind a very qualified candidate, no matter his/her opinions of the minority leader. Minority!
It should be about the greater good, gaining back the House and Senate, with qualified (hell, even a few lesser qualified if they can win) but instead its about Pelosi, and the money. Everyone is dispensable, but the party elites have not grasped that reality. Democratic donors wont go GOP, and the Indie-donors will support a Dem party that's about winning, not protecting its elites.
The Democratic party needs a top-down shake-up. These old warhorses have either got to get-with-it, or get out of the way. Pelosi is disposable and wholly replaceable. Winning is what matters and what attracts donors!
9
Pelosi wins elections with 80% of the vote and she was elected minority leader. She held the caucus together and got a lot of legislation through Congress and she is a formidable fund-raiser for democrats and their causes.
now... what do you want to replace democracy with? ageism?
8
Being against idealism and youth and making a difference seems incredibly stupid.
15
Donald Trump, Paul Ryan and the Republican Party are doing everything they can to convince voters in the 18th CD to vote for a weak candidate. Let's hope the voters are smarter than that.
9
In Korea, Marine pilot John Glenn had a wingman named Ted Williams. One went into space and the U.S. Senate as a hero and the other became a star in baseball.
Trump and a wingman? I feel like throwing up with the imagery and comparison. Everything does seems to be "winging it", and as cleverly and gracefully as a bird trying to fly with one wing.
7
At this point, I have very little faith in Donald Trump's chosen core group of supporters -- in Pennsylvania, or anywhere else, to have the wherewithal to see through anything they've been programmed to see and think when it comes to Mr. Trump, or any other emmisary he might send to the frontlines in his name.
And until they get that far ... get ready for more of the same.
13
I used to think that politicians weren't as stupid as they seemed, they just thought the electorate was. I may have to revise that given recent events.
14
If this op-ed is depressing it is because nobody including the fine Gail Collins would face up to the fact: Democracy American style is the worst form of political system to select and place competent people with integrity to run a nation's complicated and messy business. The holy cow "voting" should be retired and replaced by something more rational and cost-efficient.
2
Thank you for the recommendation, Vladimir.
The key to democracy is strong public education and a vibrant free press.
Both of which Trump and his cronies would dispose of if they could.
14
This reminds me that Trump will say anything, do anything, to throw support to an R candidate. Roy Moore for example.
12
And the candidate is getting very little money from the national Democrats. Well, way to not gain another seat. What is wrong with the Democratic Party? Unless your candidate is a child molester, why can't the party get behind its candidates and fund them so they can defeat the Republicans? I don't like party over country at all costs which is what the Republican Party has become, but here's hoping this young man gets elected and change is coming to the national Democratic Party.
11
I see Kellyanne Conway is going to Moon this weekend.
Once again I thought it was a violation of the Hatch Act for her or any White House employee (other than Veep and POTUS) to campaign for an individual.
I hope someone is watching.
24
Yesterday, I received a phone call from Donald Trump. At least that was what the little window on my phone displayed and then a voice on my phone announcing the call said it was Donald Trump. I thought to myself "this is going to be good." Then in a recorded message, a female voice said that I was invited to a Trump rally this weekend in Moon Township, Pa. which is just across the Pa. border from where I live just a distance of about a driver and a 3-wood from the state line. The woman identified herself as Donald Trump's daughter in-law and that I was invited to attend the rally in support of the tariff on steel but I needed to request tickets which would be supplied free of charge. Just before I hung up the voice said that the congress is dominated by republicans so its important that we stand together. Confusing to say the least. I have never in my life been contacted by any republican organization. Thinking about this message, I concluded it was an effort to recruit democrats, which I am one, to come to the rally to support the president regarding tariffs on steel. Many democrats, including our congressman, are in support of the presidents initiative. Republicans as well as the NY Times editorial page are not. So what's it all about Alfie?
3
Sitting next to me on the sofa is my Boston Terrier, Violet. She urged me to send Conor Lamb a few small donations. I did, and we will be watching the returns on Tuesday evening. No one should trust a man who won’t protect those who can’t protect themselves.
23
Perhaps Violet should run? I know with certainty that my pit Bonnie and Lab Hailey and Rottie Bella would make far superior officeholders than our current president and the GOP Congresspersons. They have no scandalous sexual history (they are spayed, of course), they don't support assault weapons because they and their friends lack opposable thumbs, and they don't defecate where they eat. Also, they'd be happy to fly coach and don't buy expensive dining tables because they eat out of bowls on the floor. I've also trained them to growl at photos of Michael Cohen.
Tell Violet to give it some thought.
11
Saccone is outspending Lamb 17 to 1, but Hillary outspent the Donald 3 to 1.
Lamb looks, talks and acts like a liberal Republican (remember them), with a classic resume. Saccone looks like an old democratic pol, but has sold his soul to Trump, as have most Republican politicians. Trump sold himself as the antipolitician, but he plays to his base more than any other.
There is a new political soap opera every day.
5
Seems odd to start a trade war over a mediocre candidate in a symbolic victory. Watch. You'll see Trump start to walk that idea back beginning March 14th. Even if you undo the tariffs though, you're not going to rollback the mistrust and bad faith Trump has generated around the world. By the way, the polls still show the race as a tossup. Thanks Trump.
Conner Lamb's decision to hang Pelosi out to dry appears to be a smart move though. Sure, he's not raising as much money as he otherwise could but the race is still a dead heat. Republicans are pouring a ton of money and effort into Rick Saccone just to keep him afloat. If Lamb wins this election, he's getting the seat on the cheap which is the best way to win elections.
If Lamb loses, a Saccone victory doesn't really reflect poorly on Lamb or the Democratic Party. Republicans bought the election for a mediocre candidate. They look silly either way. The only risk for Democrats is if Lamb wins. His rejection of Pelosi could signal what we've all known for a while now: Pelosi is good at raising money but she's wildly unpopular in the mainstream.
Pelosi could find herself in increasingly hot water heading towards 2018.
7
The anti-cruelty law was called Libre’s Law, but informally known as the Seamus Safety Act. That's why Saccone voted against it.
4
Is it possible for us to force Donald Jr. stay on and go to work in a steel mill? He has no other job skills, and it might be nice for him to experience what it's like to work.
14
Trump the father has never worked and has no job skills, so why should we expect Trump the son to be any different?
5
Principles are always put aside and abandoned by the power-mad. Virtues are smeared and tarred and trampled by those who see greed and ego as being without vice. Morals are excused for the forgiveness of guilt by those who cheap on their families and wives, stalk teenagers, beat their wives, but claim the right to win elections because they are part of a movement.
Ignorance is better than intelligence, Republicans tell us. With 70% of steel produced domestically, no new mills or jobs will be added, no wages raised--it's a case of blazing saddles: tricky thinking, lies, and brawls and the NRA turn the country into a modern Boot Hill. Ask Detroit. Flint. Kansas. Louisiana. Ask the dead children who cannot speak.
19
Walter, do you have a blog? I'd love to read more of your writing. Thanks for all of your thoughtful comments!
2
To all, thanks. Simply search "Walter Rhett." My comments focus on craft: coordination, subordination, parallels; technique: repetition, internal/external rhyme and assonance; sentence writing--loose, balanced, periodic, and paragraph construction/forms: narrative, comparison and contrast, process, induction/deduction, definition, description. I sprinkle in iconic images, phrases, references (Blazing Saddles, Boot Hill). Content follows form!
Short-form non-fiction at MagCloud. Blogs at Black History 360* and South Perlo. Also see: [https://wordpress.com/view/noflowerbedofease.wordpress.com].
My 5 favorite titles (all at MagCloud): Carolina Gold, Thunderbolts and Grace, My Portion of Fault, The Evidence of Faith In Charleston, I Believe I Can Better Myself.
Follow me own twitter: @walterrhett.
1
Thanks for connecting that dot, Gail. The steel trade war made little sense until now, seeing it was nothing more than a gambit for a congressional seat. Maybe after the election he will flip the tariff switch in the other direction and "America first" will mean international trade pacts. Why not? Since when in this administration did yesterday's policy hold any obligation on today's?
20
Trump is an illegitimate president no because he won the US presidency with 3,000,000 fewer votes, but because he won Wisconsin and Michigan by a very thin hair. Wisconsin and Michigan are two states that the Russians worked overtime to give to Mr Trump. According to CNN special reporting Russians put extra effort in Wisconsin and Michigan. And if you do the math the electoral votes of Wisconsin and Michigan were enough to put Hillary Clinton in the White House. This raises the question, is Trump illegitimately squatting in the White House?
So I will not be surprised if the Russians are trolling Moon Pennsylvania right now to support our illegitimate president (collusion or no collusion). And the State Department is raising questions with their behavior, which states are they spending their money to serve, the ones in North America or the ones at the Russian Federation? According to the New York Times the State Department has not spent a dime from the $120,000,000 allocated to defend the US from Russian interference.
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/04/world/europe/state-department-russia-...
Maybe Trump is not colluding with the Russians, but passivity in the face of such threat is treason.
Is it possible that Mr. Trump and Mr. Tillerson do not view Russian interference in places like Moon Pennsylvania so much as a threat, but more as an assist?
34
Why does a rural Pennsylvania politician oppose animal cruelty laws as proposed by PETA? Because PETA in turn opposes sport hunting, for one example. https://www.peta.org/issues/wildlife/wildlife-factsheets/sport-hunting-c...
The stark divide goes deeper than hurting your dog.
Farmers who raise animals generally value animals and treat them well. I've met few who would defend animal cruelty, and many who would be outraged. Yet they are also generally supportive of hunting, on their land and elsewhere.
The two sides are not communicating well.
There is substantial agreement, but politics seems to thrive on the wedge issues of disagreement, not on making progress in areas of agreement.
Our politics does not WANT communication. It wants bad feelings and motivation for partisanship. So that's what we get.
10
Anyone who believes Lamb won't be another reflexive democrat doing exactly as his leadership tells him is a fool. The concept of a "moderate" democrat not towing the California liberal line is a joke.
4
Do you have any facts or examples to support your statement?
11
There is a spectrum, Chris. Even Republicans have one, although the dark area is much larger than the gray one. Conor Lamb may not be everything every Democrat wants, but his election perhaps would be the slap in the face the trumpsters need to realize that there are more Americans who deserve a representative government than just their rabid base.
6
I'm not sure reflexive lock-step with the Party is an identifying signature of the typical Democratic politician. Perhaps Republican projection?
13
Gail, sorry to disagree, but I am pretty sure Trump's ultimate wingman is Michael Cohen.
Who else would pay $130K out of his own pocket during the Trump presidential campaign to fund an LLC to pay off a porn star who may or may not have had an affair with an apparently imaginary guy named David Dennison, despite the fact that, according to Sarah Sanders, the porn star did did not have an affair with Donald Trump. And then Cohen says he never told Trump anything about it.
That's true wingmanship. (And also a true run-on sentence.)
34
Surprising, ginormous really is a word.
7
Origin: 1940s military slang, a blend of giant and enormous.
2
I cannot truly believe that Trump would upend the world (the WORLD) just to have a shot at getting an R in that seat. American politics has descended so low, have we hit bottom? I so hope so.
If Trump had any smarts he'd choose Conor Lamb to back. You know, the smart, young, handsome, idealistic one that thinks he can change the world and loves his AR-15. But everything Trump does is backwards or weird or stupid or incomprehensible so I'm sure he'll hang with the old, stupid white guy to be his 'wingman'.
16
Nope. Not hit bottom yet. I promise (sadly).
7
Isn't Trump kind of doing the upending the world thing already? After all he got elected.
1
A lot of noise about nothing. As I understand it, this district will not exist after January next year, and neither candidate may be living in the one that replaces it. Of course, Trump specializes in noise about nothing.
13
I guess you missed the suggestion that perhaps Trump announced the Steel and Aluminum tariffs last week to influence this contest. This race (for a seat that disappears) is another opening act on the 2018 elections. The GOP wants to make sure they aren't (again) embarrassed like the Alabama affair and progressives want to inflame the embarrassment and stick it to Donald's TRump in a big way.
5
While Pennsylvanian Repubs are flattered that trump would send so many resources and a steel tariff to sway this election, they need to remember that the steel tariff move signals only ONE thing...that Mueller is getting closer. Time for a distraction.
19
Donald Jr!! Run for the hills. Does anyone seriously think of Junior as a Big Gun? Or as anything more than a hair product spokesman?
7
Trump has no tact and much of what he does is no surprise. His support of Saccone and sucking up to this laughably gerrymandered district is vintage Trump. The more absurd the candidate the more likely this character will receive Trumps backing. One can only hope, the voters will eventually see the the folly in these behaviors and support Lamb. The adulation for Trump will eventually subside but it is a painful process to right the ship.
13
I wonder how much money Don Jr. made for his trip to Pennsylvania?
12
Mostly it just cost us tax payers: Transportation, housing, security and hair gel.
3
The level of discourse in politics is depressing! The lack of integrity in politics is depressing. Thank God for friends, family and community wherein integrity, honesty and thoughtfulness are pretty common in daily social interactions. The swamp continues to stink!
13
"the little weenies". I love it. Best description of the Republican Party I have ever heard.
32
Vote.
15
I've heard Pennsylvania described as Pittsburg and Philadelphia separated by Mississippi. Sounds about right.
14
I heard that, too, but it was "West Virginia." Whichever, it's true.
2
Perhaps, but this district does not lie between Pittsburgh (note the h) and Philly. So, I guess its a real place, not a stereotype.
1
It's Alabama in the middle...
3
Wingman? "Birds of a feather."
9
This special election in the 18th C.D. of Pennsylvania may turn blue. Rick Saccone, Trump's new "friend" who wants to go to Washington to be Trump's "wingman" is running against a fit contender for the seat - Conor Lamb, the Democrat. This race is on Trump's mind, not the race to meet with Kim Jong-un, his little rocket man adversary from the past year. Lamb, a former Marine and federal prosecutor, running where Trump ran and won in 2016, is prey to the White House loyalists who have descended en masse to win for Saccone - Don Jr.., Kellyanne Conway ("the Mouth"), etc. sent to strike up the band for the big enchilada and his wingman. Tuesday is the C.D. 18 vote, just one seat, folks! and will either register disgust of Pennsylvnians with their elected leader, or praise of Conor Lamb as a new broom Democrat. Hoping, praying for the latter.l remember this by-election in a couple of months as the chaos continues in Washington?
6
I assume that in all of Lamb's campaign ads he is surrounded by adorable puppies.
I'm starting to get the feeling that the POTUSoA is not long for this office. The thriving extortion industry that has grown onto his chancrous groin is starting to be seen for what it is. My next fear is that Democrats won't know what to do with the opportunity.
5
We Democrats have indeed been known to grab defeat from the jaws of victory. We really do need new blood - Conor Lamb is right about that - and let's hope that the new folks don't make the old folks' mistakes again.
6
they know what to do which is why Trump is campaning so hard...once the Dems have enough seats they can impeach him... he's trying to save his neck.
5
Everyone thinks it is totally "great" that our president has been able to get this far and talk with a dictator. This is more than Obama accomplished who got the noble peace prize for absolutely nothing.
1
"Everyone thinks it is totally "great" that our president has been able to get this far and talk with a dictator."....To his point they have not met.
9
Don't let facts get in the way of your beliefs. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/06/us/politics/trump-north-korea.html
5
Trump is all for himself. He doesn't care if the tariff he proposed will spark a trade war and harm the economy. He just wants to be surrounded by a bunch of yes-men/women. He has no clue what so ever about governing.
15
This special election in PA is a self-inflicted wound on Trump and the GOP. Saccone has "loser" written all over him, and there's the real likelihood Lamb will win; Lamb is ahead in the polls.
Trump and the Republicans could have avoided making this all about Trump, but they've chosen to double down on a bad hand.
And this is a really bad moment (Stormy Daniels and all) to try to send Trump to help a loser candidate, ditto a really bad moment for said candidate to try to wrap himself with Trump.
Sending a guy from Washington to "help" who was cheating on his wife with a porn star while his wife was pregnant isn't something most campaigns would see as a smart move ... anywhere.
Even in this red district Saccone can't win on the die-hard male Trump vote alone. And since winning office there are a lot of women who have (or are) rethinking their Trump vote.
There's no upside in this for Trump or the GOP now, unless Saccone wins by a big margin that no one thinks will happen. And of course it's nearly meaningless, given the PA redistricting coming.
12
Saccone will be Trump’s wingman alright...and he will come to learn that Trump likes his wings extra spicy with a side of bleu cheese.
9
I can't think of anything more depressing than to see a politician advertising his love of semi-automatic weapons right after kids were murdered in school.
21
Kudos for recognizing that the infamous trade war Trump has started may really be about trying to tilt the outcome of a congressional election in southern Pennsylvania. It's all about Trump and his ego, all the time.
28
If there was ever a no brainer, this is it. So we'll see if the voter's of Pennsylvania's 18th Congressional District are paying attention.
Saccone thinks electing someone young and idealistic who hopes he can change the world is a bad thing and voted against a bill supporting animal cruelty laws. So there it is folks. Even if no other position is examined, this is still a no brainer.
To the Republicans in the 18th district; Please look at the candidate and don't just simply vote for the guy with the R. in front of his name. That clearly doesn't work and is part of the problem, not the solution.
Best of luck Mr. Lamb.
17
Saccone thinks like Nancy Pelosi.
With proper respect for the Presidency I really shouldn't even think - much less suggest (but just can't help it) - that someone might be about to get mooned by the good folks in western PA. An easy, cheap shot. Totally tasteless. Totally tacky.
If anything, consider the hapless wingman. In dark and stormy weather, maybe it's best to stay grounded and not fly in low and slow over the rugged terrain out there.
4
The Parkland students are young and idealistic too and they got the Florida legislature to pass a gun control law. Maybe that's why "young and idealistic" is used as a pejorative by Republicans.
31
Where do the Republicans find these candidates? With this kind of "talent" on the GOP bench I understand why they need a combination of gerrymandering and the Russians to help them win elections.
40
Interesting side effect of all the outside funds being spent in Saccone's favor: there seem to be five Saccone TV ads for every one Lamb ad, with the effect being that when Lamb ad finally comes on, it seems refreshing and different -- kind of like the candidate himself.
18
Pittsburgh is a great city, and I love everything about it except the weather. However it seems like you are in a foreign land when you get 20 minutes outside of the city. Western Pa is not representative of most of the state, with its diversity in people, education levels and religious beliefs.
Maybe WV could annex this part of the state.
7
Interesting thing about the GOP. They have no problem with dumping a gazillion dollars on this House race, dumping $130,00 on a new set of office doors, funding a soundproof phone booth for Pruitt, using taxpayer dollars to silence sexual harassment claims against their own colleagues, but they can't find a dime to spend on the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
Frankly, with the way they spend money, we need the CFPB now more than ever.
43
Good luck to Lamb. Again, it's disheartening to learn that the exchequers at the National Democratic Party cherry pick candidates they will dole money to based, apparently, on criteria that works in some places and is a disaster in others. If Lamb is indeed a good candidate he should be able to turn the meddling by Junior, the ever-grinning puppet Pence and the efforts by Stormy's former boyfriend into advantage.
12
I live in a district hopelessly gerrymandered to elect Republicans at every level.Pockets of registered Democrats were excluded from the district's boundaries, There aren't enough registered Dems left to assume an election can be won with hard work, money, other resources.
So Dems have a hard decision to make at the local, state, and national levels. When resources are indeed finite and limited, where do we apply them? In what looks like a futile effort, or where support can actually affect election results?
80
Thanks for connecting the steel tariff and Trump's personal investment with this election. Now it makes sense, "ego uber alles."
17
Moon Township. And I thought he was on another planet. Moon is too close.
Insulting and discomforting all our allies just to move the needle among Luddite Pennsylvanians is almost as depressing as the TV talking heads taking the fantasy meeting with Kim Jung Un seriously.
14
Always love your articles could you use your wit and tell us about this gerrying rigging since I am on the west coast. I know that register republican numbers are about the same as register independence which is somewhere around 23 -24 percent and I am having a hard time understanding there control.
2
I was going to make campaign calls for Lamb - until I read about his celebration of shooting with an AR-15.
3
do it anyway!!! compare the two!!!!
don't make the perfect the enemy of the good
8
He's a former Marine! One of the few.who really know how to manage that thing. Don't look for perfection!!
3
I went to school in Pittsburgh in the 1960's and by then the steel mills and coal mines were closed and being torn down. The infamous Homestead works, where the steel union was born in bloody conflict, is just across the river (that is, the Monongahela) and is now a major shopping center. That was 50 years ago and well past time for the industry to modernize and compete which it never did. The entire region led by my alma mater, Carnegie-Mellon has been transformed into a modern high-tech center based on major educational institutions as well as health care led by the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, banking and corporate headquarters. It's still has the aura of a blue-collar union town, but the tariffs aimed at keeping the 18th C.D. seat in Republican hands are way too little as they are way too late. The steel and aluminum industries just received giant tax cuts and offered nothing in the way of innovation and plant modernization. And, even now, they only mention reopening an out-of-date blast furnace in another state. Conor Lamb may be running, in this progressive Democrat's view, as too Republican-lite, but given the anti-Trump tide that may be just enough to squeak by.
72
This, so-called, election seems rather like attempting to pump water out of the Titanic.
A big hullabaloo for nothing, but a side show for trump to get out of the House without his wife.
58
You mean like when bill “campaigned”without hillary?
2
If the Democrat loses, Nancy Pelosi will have only herself to blame. It's Hillary all over again. A woman showing her emotions over good common sense politics. First get the majority, then worry about the Speakers vote.
25
Emotions? Nancy has been leading a highly effective minority opposition. People don't like her because she gets it done. She says she's worth the trouble and it's true. Rock on, Nancy.
16
Could that statement be more sexist?
7
As the article pointed out, there will be another election for this seat in a few months. This month's election is about scoring points.
Next fall's election is about control of the House.
Nancy Pelosi is a strategic thinker, not reacting emotionally like you.
7
This special election in the 18th C.D. of Pennsylvania (gerrymandered to a fare-thee-well by and for the G.O.P.) may turn blue on Tuesday next. Rick Saccone - Trump's "friend" who wants to go to Washington to be Trump's "wingman" - is running against a fit contender for the seat, Conor Lamb, the Democrat.
This race is on Trump's mind, not the race to meet with Kim Jong-un, his little rocket man adversary from the past year. Big Steel in PA is on his mind. Lamb, a former Marine and federal prosecutor, running where Trump ran and won in 2016, is prey to the White House loyalists who have descended on mass to win for Saccone. Don Jr.., Kellyanne Conway ("the Mouth"), etc. sent to strike up the band for the big enchilada and his wingman.
Tuesday is the C.D. 18 vote, just one seat, folks! and will either register disgust of Pennsylvnians with their elected leader, or praise of Conor Lamb as a new broom Democrat. Hoping, praying for the latter. But confide in us, Gail Collins, who is going to remember the outcome of this election - whoever wins, Saccone Wingman or ex-Marine Conor Lamb - in a couple of months? This is just another big Trump distraction from the real business at hand in America - Trump's colossally unfit and ignorant governance of our failing democracy.
75
trump will remember in his nightmares. trump has pumped a lot of iron on this one but it will take some real policy to shed those cheesrburger moments.
Hum, god forbid we ever elect someone who is young and an idealist.
104
I knew there had to be something political behind Trump's steel tariff idea. And oh, yes, Gail, Saccone's comment about Lamb's idealism is really depressing. What is most depressing about the Trump bunch is their embrace of the most flagrantly cynical view of the future of the human race. Soviet style.
7
Thank goodness the Times only sells about five copies a week in this district because your writing is so persuasive, Saccone might lose this election. And then all the "little weenies" in the House would be intimidated by the influence of a Lamb's wingman.
12
Really, now ? How do you get the stats on the number of people subscribing to, or simply reading a few articles on, the NY Times ? Hmmm...
2
It's difficult for adults to publicly admit to family and friends that they've been completely hoodwinked and conned. Perhaps those Trump voters who internally realize the incredible damage they've brought upon the country by helping an incompetent and unqualified person reach the White House, will take a small private step to start making it up to the country, and vote for Lamb.
139
When Saccone says he wants to be Trump’s “wingman”, is that in the sense, as you mention in the column, that he “got wings”?
14
No surprise that Saccone voted against the ban on animal cruelty. The Humane Society Scorecard of legislators across the country shows that OVERHWELMINGLY - year in and year out - GOP legislators support animal cruelty above conscience. (Yes, there are a few exceptions).
67
And they`re not much better on human cruelty. It`s their chain gang mentality, don`t ask just use a big stick.
2
Was Libre a human fetus? If not, there is no pro-life Christian help for it. In fact, now that we think about it.....
When it comes to animals, war refugees, the poor and sick, despised minorities, nothing gets American Christians riled up in a righteous cause except for one thing......
Human-caused abortion riles them up, you betcha!! HOWEVER, if Saccone is found to have financed abortions for several mistresses, with taxpayer money, he'll get a mulligan, cuz men make mistakes and those temptresses tempted him.
As a group, American Christians are an insult to the teachings of Jesus.
14
What a compelling candidate Saccone makes for the women in his district! I know I would want to vote for a bloated creep who promises to go to Washington to be a “wingman” for a president embroiled in a hooker scandal. Luckily all republican districts across this great country have older white male candidates with the same moral compass and intellect for women to choose from. It makes trading your human rights away for the promise of a small tax break a real no brainer!
82
"Small tax break". Tiny and soon vanishing. A marriage of greedy and stupid. It's the swamp Trump swims in...
3
Tick, Gail. I think the word you are looking for to describe Saccone's connection to Trump is that little round brown flat eight-legged critter that attaches itself, usually and preferably to places warm, dark and richly supplied with blood, and usually only hinted at in modest newspapers. If not removed promptly they tend to swell up like a kernel of corn afflicted with rust, even, like the corn, turning blue and, for good measure, all too often leave their host with nasty and long lasting diseases. Odd, then, that Trump is willingly offering his junk for Mr. Saccone's dining pleasure.
Instead of Trump's "wingman," I think Trump's "bag man" is closer to the facts of the matter.
Suffice it to say, if Saccone wins, Trump's "win" may cost him.
36
Do blimps have wingmen?
39
Here's hoping that Saccone loses. He seems like a despicable political hack and that the demagogue Trump gets repudiated. Hopefully in the near future he will get impeached and indicted for his many crimes.
39
Not only has the Republican Congressional Campaign Committee funded Saccones to the tune of 15 million. but has sent Pence, Trump2 times, and several staffers,
The Republican ads have been notoriously negative, despite that Lamb is holding a slim lead. Accomplished by raising his own money locally and using volunteers on the ground.
My unofficial way of polling is counting yard signs. If I'm right Lamb walks away with this one.
This is definitely a rejection of Donald !
82
@Tom
As a country, we are already "one toke over the line.
But your optimism and "scientific" yard sign polling gives me hope.
#PagingMrMueller
9
Your lips to God's ear.
5
Our young were right about Vietnam - the establishment was dead wrong. The same for Nixon … and the environment … and the invasion of Iraq in 2003 … and about Wall Street deregulation … and consumer protections … and Citizens United & campaign finance reform. The young and idealistic are not ever given credit as having been right, and the people that were wrong about all of these issues are always ranting about how "they only want to change the world.'
Saccone dismissed Lamb as "someone who's young and idealistic, who still hopes he can change the world." We need the young and idealistic rather than the old, wrong ways.
241
In non-air force parlance I offer the definition of "wingman", per Wikipedia:
"Wingman is a role that a person may take when a friend needs support with approaching potential sexual or romantic partners. A wingman is someone who is on the "inside" and is used to help someone with intimate relationships."
43
Poor Donald. He lost his true 'wingman' in the definition you use (sexual conquests) when Keith Schiller was ousted by John Kelly. Keith Schiller knows about ALL the hundreds of women he has brought/arranged for Trump. That's why Trump misses Keith Schiller so much. The women.
What did Steve Bannon say in Fire and Fury? He said there were 'hundreds' of women that Trump's lawyers paid off during the run-up to the election.
We have a sleaze in the White House that has out-sleazed all other Presidents combined. I'm sure that President Sleaze is happy to be such a winner! And the NY Times reported that he doesn't use condoms. Real men don't, you know. Real winners never use condoms.
9
There should be some kind of way to punish Trump for torpedoing international trade - and pretending to plan a meeting with Mr Kim when no preconditions have been met - just because of a gerrymandered special election.
There is.
VOTE.
99
Whoa! You don't think the Trump has accepted the PRNK's invite so as to shade the Mueller investigation. I mean, if the meetup comes off and Mr. Kim decides to acquiesce even a little, won't the Trump come away as a hero? Oh, I forgot, now we have Stormy, too. The Trump might be punished for something far less ordinary than international trade or misunderstanding trade deficits.
I live in the 18th district. I will stand in line in snow, sleet and hail to vote for Connor Lamb. I want a representative that will be my wingman. Isn’t that how it’s supposed work?
383
For MaryS.
I hope that your strong enthusiasm is conveyed to all your friends and neighbors and that they join you in your voting endeavor.
My check for Mr. Lamb was recently in the mail and I hope he prevails.
9
I live in the 18th as well, am registered to vote, and will be voting for Lamb too. Enough is enough.
6
Not only that you stand in line, please, please tell every voters whom you know get out and vote. Vote smart, vote for a candidate fighting for you not one that kissing Trump’s ring. Thank for your right choice
5
Makes me wonder if the the two week waiting period for the tariffs to take effect is merely time for Trump to find an excuse to just dial them back while Trump appeals to his base, his number 1 priority. Why not cause a world-wide whirlwind to win one seat?
51
The tariffs are another smokescreen combined with a gut check power grab. Classic Trump.
1
My thinking precisely!
6
To give Trump credit where it's due, it's only fair to point out that the tariff hooha is also another distraction to draw public attention away from Mr. Mueller's investigation. ("Nothing happening over there! Look here! Benghazi!")
3
If I were Saccone, I would not want to be Trump's wingman. Everyone of them have lost their jobs or are about to.
As far as the tariffs on steel and aluminum, just a way to get Stormy Daniels off the front pages.
The DNC should be sending money and people to assist in Lamb's election.
Just because he isn't enamored of Nancy Pelosi is not enough reason to hold back. Every Democrat who is running for a Congressional seat deserves the DNC backing. Unless of course they are a Roy Moore or a Tim Murphey.
It has been a long time since either party has had a "young and idealistic" Candidate. The country needs more of these candidates in both parties.
70
Oh boy do we ever need young and idealistic. Enough with the geriatric bunch! My god, so many of them are so far past retirement age it's almodt sinful. Really--term limits might not be the answer but a mandatory retirement age should be. And I say this as one who is well past retirement age.
5
Here in Connecticut we have many young and idealistic politicians. My favorite is Senator Chris Murphy. He would make a great President.
5
Take a gander at the Italian elections. Makes us look great again. It's a shame other countries have to fail to Make Us Look Good Again.
7
If it is true that the Donald is sending Kellyanne Conway out there to campaign, that is a violation (another one for her) of the Hatch Act. As long as she's a member of the White House staff, she's not allowed to participate in partisan political activities.
114
Won't these folks have to run again in November once the new electoral map is drawn up again?
So, the GOP is pouring money into what amounts to be a 6-month seat?
Dear God. One has to be really desperate to switch policy around to hold on to a temporary seat, one that replaces a total hypocrite on the abortion issue.
No wonder the world laughs at us--this is probably the sickest election in history. First the state gerrymanders itself into a pretzel, then it's redrawn but because the sitting rep has to resign over utter hypocrisy, and then you pit a boring Trump sycophant against a Democrat who's trying himself to twist himself into a pretzel, over guns.
It's been said the Pennsylvania Dutch invented the pretzel. Maybe that's why this special election is so, well, special.
146
Trust me, the millions the Kochs have thrown into this race is just a rounding error on the daily interest on their billions. They won't notice it one bit, and there is plenty to come for the rest of the campaign season.
3
What is it with these Republican candidates and abusing dogs? Romney drove to Canada with Seamus tied to the roof of his car and now Saccone voted again Libre?
I guess if he does become Trump's wingman, the tail will wag the dog.
63
I am surprised that Gail didn't work Seamus into this column. Perhaps she is saving it for the upcoming senatorial election in Utah?
3
In Trump's case, the tail is currently wagging the dog bigtime (independently of the Lamb-Saccone issue). Fascinating to observe how deep his supporters' hypocrisy runs.
3
Vote.
101
The very best people...
18
Gail's sadly true column's best laugh line is of a GOP political attack ad accusing the Dem opponent of being “someone who’s young and idealistic, who still hopes he can change the world.” Second funniest is "something as close to a rebellion as you could imagine among the little weenies who make up the Republican members of Congress." Or in reverse order.
Also enjoyed the photo. Adulation on the tarmac. Eternity scarf of an American flag on the ecstatic lady sure trumps little lapel flag pins. I do respect the sobering visages of the two airmen.
30
And her hands clasped in prayer as she looks up at her Savior.
2
Forget 'wingman'. He needs a babysitter.
34
Wingman?
Doesn't this fool read newspapers or hear about how well those who worship at DJT's size 13's get repaid?Anyone still foolish enough to attach their fortunes to the poseur-in-chief is either really stupid or has nowhere else to go.
Alliances with DJT are for those never-will-be or has beens, like Newt Gingrich.
That said, it also is of note to observe how desperate our con man has become to now trave to the boonies to hold on to a seat and a vote in Congress.
46
He's so desperate he upended the whole world with tariffs just so he could win this seat. Despicable.
6
Great column as usual, Gail. My comment is tangential. What with the latest storm about his sexual escapades, I think the very last thing El Presidente needs is a wingman. Mr Saccone might want to think that plan.
10
"...Saccone says he wants to go to Washington and be the president’s 'wingman'.”
I guess Saccone doesn't see that Trump's plane is coming apart in midair.
33
I love Gail Collins writing.
29
Gail is my hero. She's a national treasure.
6
In February of 2016 Don Imus said "Maybe it's time to pull the rubber raincoat up over Trump's head and drag him away in cuffs".
3
Without Gail & her unfailing wit I would probably be a substance abuser. The substance might turn out to be ice cream, but still.......
4
Liberals and moderates have struggled to express our disgust with how easily Donald Trump has bullied the Republicans on Capitol Hill on every issue.
We have referred to the minions of Mitch McConnel and Paul Ryan as craven hypocrites, corrupt slaves to big-money donors, unprincipled grovelers for corporate lobbyists and shameless political cowards.
Leave it to Gail Collins to improve our taxonomy with a single phrase: “the little weenies who make up the Republican members of Congress.”
96
Gail,
You wrote “he’s sending every possible White House warrior — from Kellyanne Conway to Donald Jr. — to the front lines.”
Why do you suppose Melania isn’t going?
Stormy weather, Why my man and I ain't together ...?
53
I wonder what Melania will do when Stormy announces there is a love child from the liaison from that 'love' affair. I hope to god she takes her son and gets as far away from President Sleaze as she can. Why should she put up with this?
For the record, I wanted Hill to leave Bill and always felt she damaged her political career by 'standing by her man'.
Why should women up with this humiliation? She doesn't want to be our First Lady. She wants to be in NYC. Just do it, Melania. He doesn't deserve a woman at his side when what he really wants his Keith Schiller, his true 'wingman'.
7
Democrats must take the high road, not with pride, but in humble service.
'We the People' means we do it together. The 'common good', which the Mayflower Compact talks about, relates to our commitment to each other. When we say the 'US', it is undoubtedly 'us'.
Trump is the worst thing to ever happen to the Republican Party; he is their downfall. His immorality is theirs.
Democrats need not try to demonize the right-wing, just talk about what we believe in, including why Republicans are incapable of leading anymore.
Trump is a serial-liar and womanizer. Trump is a serial-hatemonger & bankruptcy king. He is the bully we tell our children not to be.
Yes, he's slick and knows that repeating things make many unsure of what is really right or wrong. That's actually just a lawyer's tactic, playing upon how easily seduced our minds are. So, we must remind America of what this criminal-money-launderer has done.
Put out & periodically revise the simplified list of this traitor's activities. Russia and German banks and UAE & his henchmen must be noted. His avoidance of & laughter about Vietnam must be there. His dishonoring of POW's must be there, etc., etc.
We are terrible citizens because we have the human trait of greed: we are selfish.
Democrats must be honorable & help the many that have so little & talk clearly about the unholy alliance of money & politics; the destructive nature of concentrated wealth.
Democrats must believe in and fight for love as well as freedom.
32
I fail to see how Trump going to Korea has anything to do with this article or this election. Why even mention it, Collins? I am seeing a trend in many of these Times opinions. Bash Trump in the first one or two sentences, then write nice informative articles, then wrap it up with a final sentence bashing, trolling on Trump. It's childish.
Oh, you're saying it upsets you when someone emulates Trump?
19
Saccone already is up with ads claiming he has great knowledge of Korea
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/mar/10/republican-candidates-no...?
So , putting Korea in the headlines along with steel tariffs just a week before the election does seem more political than thoughtful.
4
My "outrage meter" was hovering at around 11 when Gail opined "...among the little weenies who make up the Republican members of Congress". All was right with the world for a few moments.
#pagingMrMueller
26
...to be fair, I think that Saccone wants to be Trump’s CHICKEN wingman....
11
I immediately wondered if the timing of the tariff announcement was based on the western PA election. Announce early, get the vote, and undercut the whole deal slowly enough so that people won't notice by November.
I don't know much about Lamb. I can say that a lot of Pennsylvanians consider their representatives to be fish on bicycles, so Lamb might fit in. But I will say that if we see a few Democrats vote against some Democrat initiatives, and some Republicans do the same, we'd be on the road to recovery. Orthodoxy and litmus tests will be the death of us.
I am with Lamb, in that we need someone new in the Democratic party who can inspire people, who can drive change. If Lamb is right about anything, it is that a lot of our politicians - Pelosi, McConnell - are long past their use by date. We need to throw them out and replace them.
43
When are steel workers going to wake up and smell the coffee? Their jobs, just like coal miners, are never coming back. At least steel workers have a product that will always be in demand. And who is to "blame" for this? Well look at the CEO's of those companies, the ones making the decision to leave and start doing their production in Mexico where they can pay their workers 3-5 dollars an hour. And those generous tax cuts awarded to business, well the profits are being used to buy back their stocks. So much for trickle down...the trickle never reaches the steel workers. The CEO makes sure to have a bucket at the end of the stream and funnels it back to themselves.
75
Precisely. These jobs started disappearing in the 1970s. What have these people been doing for 40 years? Oh, wait: They've been waiting for Daddy (the federal government) to restore them to a way of life that's deader than Jacob Marley.
Why didn't the unions approach the greedy CEOs and say, "If you're going to get rid of us, we demand a good severance package and retraining or we'll sue"? It would've been worth a shot. Barring that, why didn't the laid off workers go back to school? Seek out other careers? Move? Split up their families while looking to relocate for new work?
Oh, right: That's what hungry, upwardly mobile immigrants do, not lazy, native-born Americans who'd rather cling to the improbability of a world gone by than face the reality of creating a new and better world, albeit one in which they'd have to share power.
The truth is the most generous CEO wouldn't be enough for these white, blue-collar workers because, like Trump, they think the only way they can win is if the rest of us lose. -- thegamesmenplay.com
7
And we knew what the CEO's were going to do with those tax cuts. That's no surprise. They're evil. And greed is all they care about. Patriots? Don't think so.
6
What these people have been doing for 40 years is moving to other areas of the country and becoming part of a hundred new cities.
Now you know the secret of how the Steelers' fans "travel" so well and make some other stadiums look like home games.
1
Trump is the perfect exemplar of "the end justifies the means".
He has no moral core or ethics.
He has no understanding of how behavior and acts of commission and omission can have far-reaching consequences.
The Art of the Deal represents single-minded behavior and whatever is needed to complete the "deal" will be brought into play ...... regardless.
Trump slithers and is the snake in our grass.
25
having been forced to watch hundreds of ads on local tv, it appears to me that saccone is running against nancy Pelosi, not the young mr. lamb. you have to ask yourself why saccone hates and fears ms. Pelosi so much.
37
Hey, running against Pelosi worked in Georgia for Karen “I Hate Government Spending Unless It’s On Me” Handel in her congressional race against Jon Ossoff, so Saccone is probably using her playbook. And Handel is a rubber stamp for Trump, as Saccone pledges to be. When you’re bereft of your own ideas, it’s smart to Get Antsy About Nancy!
9
It is pure Trump to endanger the US so a minion can win a seat. What is perhaps worse is that the American electorate is so uneducated, it doesn't even notice most of the time.
63
To endanger the U. S. so that a moronic minion can win a six month seat. Trump's true obliviousness, recklessness, heedlessness, stupidity, viciousness, consummate worthlessness is in the delicious details.
8
Lamb is absolutely right to get rid of Nancy Pelosi, the sanctimonious, septuagenarian west coast whetstone who is so out of touch with working Americans that she called their $1,000 bonuses from the tax cuts "crumbs."
They ought to replace her with Tim Ryan, a blue collar rep from Youngstown.
8
A one-time, heavily taxed thousand dollar bonus to a few people is indeed crumbs compared to the nearly non-existent taxes on record corporate profits and shareholder returns.
23
They are certainly crumbs compared to the billions shoveled out to those corporation people, and the millions to those people at the heavier end of the economic scales. All, by the way, paid for with borrowed money. That my grandchildren will wind up paying.
1
I'm hoping that Pelosi is wrong and Lamb wins. Pelosi assured us that all was well in 2010 because they had one a couple of special elections. I am pretty much on board with much of Pelosi's priorities, but she seems to be another of the ranking members in the Tone-Deaf Democratic Club, which includes HRC and BHO.
7
Gail, you make me laugh. Thank you. The laughter distracts me, momentarily, from the waves of depression, anger and general anxiety that have come on since 2016.
27
For Donald Trump it is always and only about winning. It doesn't matter how how worthless the prize. It doesn't matter how expensive the competition--so long, of course, as the cost inures to someone other than himself.
He once said the rest of us would get tired of all the winning. In retrospect it was one of the few times he didn't exaggerate.
13
“...someone who’s young and idealistic, who still hopes he can change the world.” I am not familiar with either candidate but this "attack" on a candidate for Congress is one that could be made ONLY in this weird post-Reagan country we live in. Being young, smart, and idealistic is anathema to the reactionary forces that control our Congress. And now a candidate assumes he'll get some traction out of accusing his opponent of possessing these qualities. (This is what happens when education is put on a back burner for almost 40 years).
57
Virtually nobody has suggested that the Trump tariffs were imposed to strengthen the Republican candidacy in Western Pennsylvania. It is too sweeping a policy for such a narrow cause. Anything is possible but only a couple of conspiracy theorists have suggested such a farfetched theory.
3
What may be more interesting than the psychological impact of the election results is the election itself. This district is heavily gerrymandered; what is going on with voter suppression and any outside influence (with electronic voting machines, possible Russian/Chinese interference, dark money, and so on)? Have Democrats been able to mobilize in the way they did for the Alabama special Senate election? These are the sorts of long-term issues that will shine on November. Could we see an article about this after the election?
10
"the little weenies who make up the Republican members of Congress."
If not one other good thing happens in my world today, the encounter with this wonderful phrase will be enough.
As usual, Ms. Collins, I laughed my way through your essay with that pit-of-the-stomach feeling that the exposure of truth always induces.
Brava! And thank you.
25
It is another example of Trump's politics of the moment. Pandering to a small district in Pennsylvania ahead of an international turmoil over tariffs. Trump is a practitioner of short term cheap political gain. He jettisoned one of the real heavyweights in his administration so he could get gratification over an upcoming congressional race. I am almost positive that district will reward him.
3
I never thought to connect the steel tariffs with the special election in PA. It’s Trump, of course he is putting the economy in jeopardy to try to insure one house seat for 8 months. Makes sense to me.
19
So Republican Rick Saccone savaged Democrat Conor Lamb as "someone who's young and idealistic, who still hopes he can change the world." More ingenious still, he brought up Lamb's success in convicting a drug dealer and tried to make it sound bad.
With enemies like that, who needs friends?
16
I grew up there, and was dumbfounded, after the need for special election, caused by Mr. AntiAbortion, at the gerrymandering. The district map was preposterous, in relation to Pittsburgh reality. The district made no sense. Three cheers to the PA Supreme Court for acknowledging the obvious gerrymandering.
29
"Perhaps the most interesting moment came when Saccone dismissed Lamb as “someone who’s young and idealistic, who still hopes he can change the world.”
Old, cynical, complacent. Now there's a winning slogan for the GOP.
183
Old, cynical, complacent is concise, satisfying and perfectly reflects the current status of the GOP.
However, except for the word "old," the other two words are "hard words," for a rather large number of folks. So come down out of the literary stratosphere and get folksy.
I suggest paraphrasing the line, "The GOP - Old, Cynical, Complacent" as "The GOP - Old, Narrow Minded, Set in Their Ways."
You gotta reach out to the folks where they live, so avoid using formal academic sounding language, instead use language the folk will understand, just like Trump does, only to better purpose.
11
I watched part of the debate. Saccone is a conservative Republican. I thought he was well-spoken despite his views. (The Republicans who opposed him objected to his fundraising, not his politics.) Lamb is as green as green can be. Running for Congress without any political experience may work for a Kennedy. It is an uphill battle for an unknown. The voters of the district have repeatedly elected Saccone to state office. Lamb is asking them to believe that he is who he says he is even though his views are contrived to be politically acceptable.
They say all politics are local. And if that's true Saccone would trounce Lamb. All Lamb has is the hope that he can make Trump stick to Saccone. But that didn't seem to be his debate strategy. Lamb lacks political sophistication. The best hope is that the people of the 18th district will view the election as a referendum on Trump. If Lamb wins it will be in spite of himself.
2
I suggest you read Socrates's factual post (top Readers' Pick) and think again. In case you won't here is some of it:
"Rick Saccone has described himself as “Trump before Trump was Trump”"
"In 2012, Saccone introduced - and the legislature passed - a nonbinding resolution declaring 2012 as the "Year of the Bible""
"In 2017, Saccone sponsored four bills seeking to expand the rights of gun owners ... criticized the Chuck E. Cheese children's pizza chain for its "policy barring customers from carrying firearms inside" the venue."
253
To make thoughtful comments, you must be able to put yourself in the shoes of others. They like guns in Western Pennsylvania, they like the Bible, and they like Trump. Which is why they like Saccone. Like many, you assume that liberalism is the only reasonable view. But it depends on your premises. There would be better political dialogue if each party understood the premises of the other.
If this is posted, it would be nice if no one said liberals are always right and conservatives are always wrong. It's such an ignorant view.
3
Try replacing "Rick Saccone" with "Roy Moore", and "Conor Lamb" with "Doug Jones" in your comments. Doug Jones didn't try make Trump stick to Roy Moore any more than Lamb is currently doing. So remember, if Conor Lamb wins it is because, though he is not perfect, he is better candidate for the people of the 18th district, in spite of Donald Trump.
15
No, Conor Lamb is not a perfect candidate. But allowing perfect to be the enemy of good is self defeating. Lamb would certainly be an improvement over Saccone. What exactly is bad about that?
621
That is exactly what is wrong with Democrats. There are so many groups under the tent and they all want their way now. Not all of the groups agree with each
other. Sometimes, as we have seen in the last election, it might be better to keep what you have ad forego your own wants, instead of going backwards.
Democratic constituents need to take the long view. Stay united. Not going backwards is progress if it's ahead of where you were. Republicans have taken the long view for years and finally got what they want to our loss.
5
Democrats lately have gotten very picky about demanding custom made for them candidates. Don't like one little aspect of a Democratic candidate's life or platform? Throw the whole baby out and end up with a Republican after you finish ranting about Bernie Sanders being gypped because somehow more people voted for Hillary in the Primaries. Continue complaining about Bernie's presidency being stolen from him by the DNC, and casting write-ins for him or Jill Stein for the next ten years of hissy fits.
8
We must elect democrats this year, and for the next several, no matter how progressive or how moderate. Once we get them into office we can train them. No so with republicans, they only answer to their 1% handlers and owners.
5
This one lacks some of the light touch we relish, but I too feel serious today.
If this race is important enough for Trump to misbehave on tariffs, thus unintentionally (because he's dumb and a lousy businessman, in spite of all his lies and braggadocio) advantaging China on the world steel market, it confirms this is important.
I want Conor Lamb to win. I want Beto O'Rourke to beat sickmaking climate faker Ted Cruz. I want Randy Bryce to unseat the Irish undertaker Paul Ryan.
My convictions about AR-15 ownership were undermined by a mechanic who has become a friend since he's cared for us (me and my car) since 1980. He's one of the kindest, most generous, most tolerant people I know, and he told me he owns one (though he did say he'd be content to turn it in). Even for me, circumstances alter cases. But ... I don't know. It's been normalized; there's no excuse for common ownership of rapid-fire killing machines. Each of us has anger issues at times, some more than others. I don't want teachers armed either. The "militia" I fear is those preparing for "second amendment solutions" to honest elections.
It's time for the scheming cheating bought and paid for Republicans to lose their ability to corrupt my country. There is no excuse for a party in thrall to the NRA and the kleptocracy to dominate the rest of us.
977
Your comment sounds like a bit of steam of consciousness, but, Wow!, what a great post. Absolutely loved it. Not sure of the connection to Gail's column, but still a great read. I guess that's what made it so good because it wasn't on point. Keep them coming. Please.
12
Well said.
9
This is a great comment. Appreciate you example of gun owner.
6
All politics are local. The Democratic nominee may not be a typical Democrat but as long as he's sensitive to the needs of his constituents who are we to judge. There's no such thing as a perfect candidate and the demand for purity is how we ended up with Trump.
707
" the demand for purity is how we ended up with Trump."
Hardly. As we are often reminded, she won the popular vote. Actually, turn-out was low because of the lack of enthusiasm for both candidates. Some voters felt they were being asked to choose between a root canal and a dislocated shoulder.
1
Jesus was the perfect candidate for his mission. And so was Peter. We are not electing saviors nor saints. We are electing sinners.
2
You know I am an idealist and a wingman. I would love to be Donald Trump's wingman. I have a way with men like that. Like the mother in the movie about a Big Fat Greek Wedding, I may not be the head, but I am one heck of a neck.
And I gotta say, you all are playing this all wrong. You are all thrown. Trump has probably not ever read the book but his whole game plan is found in the Art of War.
And he's palying you all like a violin.
Of course he put a big fat tariff on steel to strengthen his vote. And if he can be that random and immediate, he is just as likely to repeal it in a couple weeks. It's the Art of the Deal people. It's called requisite variety. The person with the most flexibility in the relationship has the most control.
Where you all get confused is in thinking there is some kind of bigger picture. Guys like this have no bigger picture. The goal is simple. You hear it in his fans tweets. Win.
Win what? That doesn't matter.
The goal is to experience his dominion over others and collect power.
There is no other point.
Which is the problem.
Because being so short sided leads to destruction. It's exactly the same, and I mean exactly, as an alcoholic's goal. The get drunk.
Such a short sighted lust is insatiable, and people with this lower nature drive are unmanageable and create chaos.
But a wingman with higher order thinking that understands this type can generate prosocial outcomes. This guy uses schemas. It isn't that hard to misdirect him.
98
"I would love to be Donald Trump's wingman." How about you put your political instincts, which appear keen, towards getting Democrats elected?
14
Yes, our President is a dirt ball hitter. And a grease ball thrower. And he uses his spikes when he slides into base after a steal. He is into killing the catcher and intimidating the batter with chin music. He is no team player. He is out for himself. Those who like him fancy seeing a bit of the rogue in themselves. They also think by random acts of rebellion against the establishment the cards will be collected, shuffled and a new hand dealt, with them getting a better hand. Good luck with that. Evolution moves from the simple to the complex. Simple again would look like feudalism with assault rifles and nuclear weapons; no thanks.
361
Trump really isn't even playing any team sport. He can't; that would mean cooperation and this guy hasn't got it in him. Horseshoes with hand granades is more Trump's style.
15
The point is not really the candidates but that the President feels the need to prove himself through this competition. He knows he is in danger of a humiliating loss - and his attention is his admission of his weakness. The more he devotes to this campaign, the more we will know his fear.
438
The more that President Trump ignores President Putin we know how much he is grateful to and afraid of Vladimir Vladimirovich.
3
Dear Ms. Collins:
Trump as idealist v wing man is not as easy a decision as you think. Trump in one way is more idealistic than any politician alive. He believes that every one of his ideas and instincts is "ideal."
15
He is an idealist, certainly...and all his ideals are bad.
7
You can’t participate in this exciting and important race directly? Send Conor Lamb a few bucks.
Money well invested in our nation’s survival.
102
“Your ads are false,“. . . .”No puppet. No puppet. No puppet. You are the puppet.”
Sounds like Saccone has found his puppet master (and pilot) in Trump.
87
I’m not thin skinned. I’m the opposite of thin skinned.
7
"...It also has wildly gerrymandered borders aimed at guaranteeing Republican control unless the incumbent does something incredible, like championing anti-abortion legislation after hinting to his mistress that she ought to get an abortion if she’s pregnant."
How could Trump, then, still be embraced after the latest revelation about his hypocrisy and lustfulness? An adult film star who was bought off to keep mum about having extramarital relations with Trump is just the latest in a long line of episodes to show an ocean between what he practices and what he preaches.
If other politicians are held accountable for their personal behavior, so should Trump. No more covers that he is not a politician. He is indeed a politician and part of the real swamp which needs to be drained this year.
176
There are still men who admire men who are rich enough and sleazy enough to buy the time and attentions of porn stars. They would, too, if they could. They actually admire men who do. It is a certain kind of fantasy. So the sleazier Trump is, the more likely these men (and sometimes their wives) are to vote for him, especially if he also says he's going to make steel making great again. This really is a choice of what kind of America people want.
26
For the same reason all those "Pro-Life" people are the biggest war mongers around. Religion brings hypocrisy. Period. I've rarely see it fail. Pretty much every openly and loudly religious person I know of, actively supports at least one policy that is diametrically opposed to every major tenet of their faith. Pro-lifers are almost universally against health care for the poor, or care for the babies and mothers who shun abortion and give birth to unwanted children, or the same pro-lifers LOVE LOVE LOVE their guns and assault weapons. For starters.
4
Wingman is the new procurer. Look it up, kids.
41
In re the AK15 scene: It seems we have a Lamb in wolf's clothing. I guess this Lamb would rather be hung as a wolf. There seems to be so much one could do on names alone. Would Romney toss Lamb on the roof of his car? Of course Lamb is for animal rights--their family. Which do you prefer: A Lamb in Wolf's clothing or a Wingman in Trump's clothing?
12
And let's not forget there are Republican legislators in Pa who are trying to impeach the judges who ruled that the outrageously gerrymandered districts are unconstitutional.
508
Tyranny of the Minority: GOP 2018
"Free-Dumb !"
11
Pennsylvania. Amish country. A reasonably large anthracite region, (coal). Some great colleges and universities. The Pittsburgh Steelers. They don't need Trump's unreliable claims that he will bring back hordes of steel industry jobs. Experts say the steel industry is stable and his tariffs might actually hurt corporations that use the material such as the auto industry.
Voters be wary! At the end of the day, you might wind up with a lump of coal in your sock, maybe a bowl of mashed potatoes instead.
82
"Perhaps the most interesting moment came when Saccone dismissed Lamb as “someone who’s young and idealistic, who still hopes he can change the world.” Which may go down as the most depressing political attack in modern history."
There. End of discussion.
442
So with that damning statement Saccone just admitted that, by contrast, he's old, cynical and corrupt. Brilliant strategy...appeal to the voter's worst impulses. 'Vote for me, I'm old, cynical and corrupt.' Put it on a bumper sticker. That's the ticket. Perfect wingman for Trump.
24
Perhaps a more frugal and better candidate for this office is waiting for the next dog fight. Once the new district emerges it might be worth the time and money to pursue the prize.
8
The MOST disgusting thing about this regime is encapsulated in the photo.
The GOP/NRA Candidate is an inch away from kissing HIS ring, or feet.
Meanwhile, the two very sharp, professional Air Force Members are doing their job, perfectly. I would love to hear what they think, and say, within their own group. I'm a veteran, as is my Husband. This poseur in the Oval Office disgusts us both. And the Husband is an independent.
Cadet Bone Spurs is not fit to command a paint ball tournament. He pollutes and soils the Honor of our military personnel. He shames them, he shames us all. America: It was mostly good, while it lasted.
633
Thank you both for your service to the USA. Now please rally our great troops to vote against their “Commander” in Chief and his Republican sycophants in November!
12
Funny, I had similar questions about this photo: what must those Air Force members think about this farce so unbecoming of the office and unworthy of their respect?
I would add the second most disgusting thing about the photo is Wifey draped in a flag. So typical of the GOP. Much like their Christ-less brand of Christianity, their "patriotism" is merely a sickening, convenient facade. Hollow to the core, these hucksters...and that hollow is filled to overflowing with craven, sociopathic greed.
9
Mr. Saccone is a military veteran who served in South Korea. Mrs. Saccone is Korean American. Disgusting or not that is the truth.
1
It's easy to understand why Tim Murphy's support went away. As this column says, he did "something incredible, like championing anti-abortion legislation after hinting to his mistress that she ought to get an abortion if she's pregnant." It's impossible to understand why Trump's support hasn't disappeared. His administration is taking all sorts of anti-abortion positions, even though he apparently hinted to his then-wife that she ought to get an abortion. And he basically confirmed to Maureen Dowd that when he was a bachelor, female companions of his had gotten abortions.
The current GOP is a personality cult. That's disturbing enough. And this guy, of all personalities? Wake up, Republicans.
117
Trump was simply the worst of a bad bunch...or the greater of 7 evils. Jeb Bush was the least of all evils on that scale in the sense that he was trying to be the 3rd Bush in the Oval Office. But the GOP itself seemed to be a spawning ground for evil because of their blatant lies about Obama and the 'let's make him a one term president' obsession. There was a time when the GOP seemed to think that Obama's choice of wearing a tan suit was a mortal sin.
Their man Trump put to rest the idea that the Republican party is the party of family values, fiscal responsibility and anything even remotely resembling sanity.
9
@Srikanth, I believe it’s all a question of just following the money. (Thank you Mark Felt.) No personality cult...just an indication of who’s in debt, literally or metaphorically, to Putin and friends.
3
WE've crossed a journalistic Rubicon when a prize winning Op-Ed writer for the NYT, opines, without the least trepidation:
'Trump suddenly announced he was imposing a ginormous tariff on imported steel and aluminum, triggering the resignation of his chief economic adviser and something as close to a rebellion as you could imagine among the little weenies who make up the Republican members of Congress.'
IMO, 'little weenies' is a rather tepid description of the accused.
But a journalist Rubicon for the NYT to be sure.
17
"Perhaps the most interesting moment came when Saccone dismissed Lamb as 'someone who’s young and idealistic, who still hopes he can change the world.' Which may go down as the most depressing political attack in modern history." Shoot the moon, Conor!
45
They are both disgusting. Can we move on?
4
They are not. Can you please read the column? With the Republicans, there’s no moving on, only moving backwards.
18
Good Lord, this is a depressing column, especially because the entire tariff escapade has indeed "all been for western Pennsylvania," risking global trade war for one lousy congressional seat that will fade out of existence in nine months anyway.
1345
I'm grateful to Gail Collins for publicizing this, which is so obvious once one thinks about it. It came up in a comment section last week and I thought: bingo!
194
This is a depressing administration.
28
Yep. Makes you wonder what kinds of other wars he'll start when he needs a selling point to his belligerent and foolish base.
14
March came in with the Lyin' (Saccone)
but will go out with the Lamb.
355
If I lived in the 18th C.D. and heard Don Jr., Kelleyanne and Trump telling one outrageous lie after another about Lamb, I would make sure to get out and vote against the Republican candidate, even in a blizzard. Hopefully, they'll motivate enough Democrats to get out and vote against Saccone.
459
Kellyanne by herself should be enough to remind them to vote Republicans out. She's a walking encyclopedia of alternate facts.
14
I watched Conor Lamb debate Rick Saccone; Lamb seems like a lovely young fellow; he's articulate and thoughtful...except that he thinks that the AR-15 is a fine hunting tool...we all have our creepy fatal flaws.
Rick Saccone has described himself as “Trump before Trump was Trump”; I don't know exactly what that means, but I think it means he's unqualified to be anywhere near public office and public policy.
In 2013, Saccone introduced the National Motto Display Act, a bill to require public school districts in Pennsylvania to post "In God We Trust" in every school building; the bill failed, 'thank God'.
In 2012, Saccone introduced - and the legislature passed - a nonbinding resolution declaring 2012 as the "Year of the Bible" in Pennsylvania..."Hail To the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th centuries, Pennsylvania !"
Saccone supported the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, saying "I’m sorry I wasn’t there to vote for it".
In 2017, Saccone sponsored four bills seeking to expand the rights of gun owners; one bill would amend state law to prohibit discrimination against gun carriers; a co-sponsorship memorandum for the bill criticized the Chuck E. Cheese children's pizza chain for its "policy barring customers from carrying firearms inside" the venue.
In short, Rick Saccone is deeply committed to God, Greed and Guns in children's pizza parlors; what could be a finer for Pennsylvania ?
We'll see how many Pennsylvania cuckoos vote for a mini-Trump after witnessing Trump being Trump for 13 months.
1117
Thank you Socrates for all your spot-on, thoughtful, witty posts.
29
For Saccone to say that he was Trump before Trump begs the question of how many porn stars did he 'date', how many wives did he have, and where in Russia did he find his wives?
29
The very frightening thought is: what if Saccone wins? The messaging will be unmistakably clear that the country is turning more toward Trump. And how scary are the consequences if it is?
16
Well, I hope this election isn’t sending Lamb to the slaughter. But I’ll bet Mr. Saccone will have little sympathy if that happens, giving his stance on puppy abuse.
It’s interesting to see what our elections have devolved into ever since the president oozed into the Oval Office. There have been some notable candidates that even Congressional Republicans have thought were possibly less than desirable, given that some were molesting young girls. A supporter of animal cruelty is actually a step up in the current fetid political atmosphere.
There’s a full court press to get a Republican elected at all cost, even if that cost is one’s soul. For this administration, let me assure you—and I can’t say this strongly enough—that price is rather small.
(Side note: Do you think the president was dismissive of climate change because bad weather reminds him of Stormy Daniels? It would explain why he was hostile to Puerto Rico. Just a thought.)
It would be hilarious if this sudden out-of-the-blue tariff on steel was only to bolster Saccone’s chances. After the election, I can imagine the president, having pondered deeply, would decide that he was only joking.
It could happen. You never know what the president is going to say to any given question, except that you know it’s going to be insipid, useless and essentially random. You’d get better answers from a Magic 8 Ball. “Reply hazy, try again” would be a great campaign slogan.
709
Thank you Gemli for all your excellent, hilarious, intelligent, needed posts.
32
As always a great comment!
13
Sometimes (as with Hillary) Democrats need to hold their nose when they pull the lever for their party's candidate. In this case they may very well have to stick their fingers down their throat. If this is the best we can do, perhaps we should just write off congressional districts like the 18th and let the voters there choke on their president's tariffs or blow out their own brains with their semiautomatics (accidentally, of course).
74
Lamb has run an extremely intelligent campaign, designed to take the wind out of the sails of the far right. In a district that boasts a Democratic registration advantage, but which both supported Trump and re-elected a GOP congressman six times, he took a calculated risk that opposing Rep. Pelosi would gain him more support among voters who do not vote along party lines than it would lose him funds from the national Democratic Party (whose pockets aren’t that deep to begin with). That decision turned out to be right on, as he has raised more in small, online contributions than he could ever have expected to receive from the Dems. Undoubtedly, his position on guns is troublesome for those of us who live in urban centers, but guns were not a major issue in the campaign until the Parkland shooting, and Lamb is to be credited for not forfeiting to the opposition votes he had already secured by changing his moderate stance midstream.
253
I live in the PA18th. I have supported Lamb and worked on his campaign. I'm not holding my nose. I don't love his position on guns, but I agree with him on many other important positions. I've heard him speak several times in small groups - he owns his positions. There are no perfect candidates - he is young, smart, hard-working and focused on serving his constituents. He is committed to protecting Medicare and Social Security. Not sure why anyone would have to hold their nose voting for Conor Lamb vs. his opponent in this opponent.
471
Stu: Bad idea. Democrats need to take over the House, so they dictate the agenda there.
28
“Little weenies who make up the Republican members of Congress”? 1) Gail means the congressional MAJORITY; and 2) I believe that if Gail would check, she’d find that almost all of them who are men have acceptably large hands.
Given the polls, the news about North Korea, achieved not by Mr. Moon’s (South Korean president) intercession but by Trump’s brinkmanship, the prospect of bilateral trade agreements that for the first time in 80 years might actually protect U.S. interests, a roaring economy with a monster February jobs report just out today, and a Dow that closed Thursday up 440 as a consequence, if Trump is pulling visibly for Saccone it’s likely to be the “wingman” who wins. The only truly endearing thing about his opponent, Lamb, is that he wants to send Nancy Pelosi back to her CA 12th District to yell at people on San Francisco street corners whom she regards as insufficiently berserker on the left – or insufficiently appreciative of good pearls.
And the Supreme Court may still rule the new district maps in PA moot, at least for this coming November election, if they can get the ruling out before it comes too close to their 15 May primary election.
5
It is highly unlikely that the Federal Supreme Court overturn a decision made by a STATE SUPREME COURT.
49
Gail referred to them as "weenies" because virtually all of them, led by the likes of Devin Nunez, have shown zero interest in investigating whether the president of the US is a stooge of Vladimir Putin. Whether or not Trump is Putin's puppet seems to be of no concern to Republican members of congress.
Funny thing about jobs reports; Trump used to claim that they were fake. And the "values" crowd in the GOP used to claim that character mattered. Even a 40,000 Dow won't hide the stink of the current Republican Party. Finally, we have a next generation growing up with a disgusting serial liar in the white house. What could possibly go wrong?
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A new low for you, approving Republican gerrymandering. This is no longer a democracy. If it were, Merrick Garland rather than the Federalist Society would keep the balance.
As Republicans loot the many to profit the few, Trump's bankrupt history and policies will not stand the test of time. The backwash of stimulating Obama's recovery will be ugly: a steep price for smug satisfaction..
Aa for Trump's ability to deal with his smarter "brother from another mother", when has he every held the line or acted with the discipline and intelligence needed to stay out of trouble? His thought processes are nonexistent. Perhaps Fox will tell him what to do?
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A "wingman" who simply can't fly,
Who worships the Don, bye the bye,
Not a real inspired Tweeter,
Hearty handshake greeter,
A lover of Mom's apple pie.
The Don trucked his frame to PA,
Oozing charisma all the way,
With Saccone clinging
The Don's praises singing
And tariffs, will he win the day?
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