2019: The Worst of The Rant



Me 'n' Lady Charlotte

The following are a compilation of various thoughts published on this site within the confines of the year which is about to mercifully end. As troubling as these times undoubtedly are, they sure as heck aren't boring. Might I get a witness?

 

January 3:

 

I haven't been a Democrat in almost twenty-one years. That being said, I could not be happier over the fact that they will be controlling the House of Representatives starting today. Donald Trump cannot be a bit happy regarding this latest turn of events, that's for damned sure. 2019 promises to be the most tumultuous year in Washington in a very long time. It will be many things but won't be boring.

 

January 12:

 

The ironic thing is that this disgusting administration is turning out to be even worse than I dared to predict it would be on the eve of the inauguration two years ago. This situation is only going to metastasize in the coming months. It cannot possibly continue for another two years, one week and one day. It has already proved to be catastrophic. Fifty years from now, the president of the United States - who probably hasn't even been born yet, will still be dealing, on a daily basis, with the damage that Donald J. Trump did to his once great nation so many decades before. I used to say the same thing about George W. Bush with not half as much dread. Isn't this amusing?

January 14:

I almost retired The Rant recently. I was feeling so worn out by the tsunami of daily bombshells that I was starting to believe that this rolling constitutional crisis was no longer amusing. Thankfully this little bout of exasperation passed quickly. Not to compare this periodic tirade of mine to The Daily Show, but I can well imagine why Jon Stewart might feel a pang of regret for not being able to report nightly on what is happening to America at present. No, I really should stick around for this. For anyone who makes his or her name commenting on the complete train-wreck of American politics in the second decade of the 21st century. the Trump administration is the gift that keeps giving. Thank you, Donald. I owe you big time, dude!

 

January 16:

 

You know very well that this is going to end catastrophically for the president - not to mention us. Some serious political journalists are starting to imply that he's going to spend the rest of his life in federal custody. Last month on the Observer website, writer John R. Schindler quoted a senior intelligence official who told him a week before the 2017 inauguration, "He's going to die in jail". Pretty heavy stuff if you want my opinion. That's why we find ourselves, I think, in an excessively dangerous period: Donald Trump is mentally ill. At the moment he must be wild with rage and paranoia. This is a combination of traits that seems to be a straight path to disaster on many different levels. When crazy people get cornered in the wake of their ill-deeds, they tend to dangerously lash out in ways that get people hurt. If you have a child, friend or loved one who is considering entering the armed services anytime soon, you might want to advise them to wait until the era of Donald Trump blows over. Just a gentle suggestion.

 

January 18:

 

Keep your eyes on the train-wreck. Remember, for all the stupidity that we have to deal with and digest at every turn and on every day, we are at a type of moment in history that few generations have the opportunity to bear witness to. That, alone, is worth the price of the ticket, ay?

January 20:

 

I lost a few friends on Inauguration Day 2017. Three people, in particular, whom I had known and loved my entire life (and still do) gave me the old heave ho. That's okay as far as I'm concerned. What's the point of living if you can't risk alienating a few loved-ones? You've got to stand for something.

 

February 27:

 

The Republicans were obviously desperate to save Trump by trying to tear down Michael Cohen's reputation at every level. Can't they see that, by protecting this president, they're only going to do serious damage to their reputations in the long run? Is it political courage or is it just plain old stupidity on their parts. Any takers?

 

March 1:                           

Hats off and a raising of the glass to Congressman Elijah Cummings, the man who chaired the festivities. He was somehow able to keep things moving along despite the attempts of Jordon and Meadows to sabotage the hearings early on. He reminded me of  the teacher of a class of first graders dealing with rowdy children. Next time you're surfing YouTube, do a search for the Army/McCarthy hearings of 1954. Sixty-five years later and the behavior of Joe McCarthy and his assistant Roy Cohen (Trump's mentor) is at the same time laughable and obscene. Are these modern-day politicians aware of the fact that their antics on Wednesday are now a permanent part of America's audio/visual record? Do they understand that in the year 2084 their buffoonery will be just as accessible and appalling to generations unborn? Do they honestly believe that their heirs will be showing these clips to their friends and bragging, "Hey, check out my great-grandpa!" I rather doubt it. I am a descendant of Chief Justice Roger Taney, the author of the Dred Scott decision. It's not something I've spent much time bragging about - trust me. 

 

March 15:

 

I have to take a moment here to, once again, explain why I left the Democratic party nearly twenty-one years ago, As I have explained too many times to count. I'm not comfortable with any political party with a genius for taking a bottle of finely aged wine and turning it into a worthless jug of donkey piss. I'm sorry, but I just can't go there.

 

April 16:

 

Over There

As impressed as I was with Barack's credentials eleven years ago, Pete's resume is something else indeed: Harvard graduate, Rhodes scholar, Afghanistan veteran, concert pianist - and he's able to read seven languages and is fluent in four of them. Compare that to the current occupant of the White House who barely makes himself understood in English. When watching him being interviewed on television, his thoughts are articulate and precise, which is somewhat of a rarity these days. It is obvious that Pete Buttigieg is brilliant. That is not an exaggeration on my part. Look him up on YouTube if you think that it is.

 

April 26:

 

And now we have the spectacle of the president of the United States - in flagrant violation of the Constitution - is ordering that members of his administration (current or former) ignore congressional subpoenas requiring them to testify about what they may or may not know regarding this administration's behavior since taking office. This would seem to me to be an impeachable offence in itself. After all, on January 20, 2017 Donald Trump took an oath to "preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States".  This is all fairly straightforward as far as I'm concerned. What part of that oath are some people unable to comprehend?

 

May 4:

 

Barr in the hot seat
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Were you able check out any of Barr's testimony? I watched the spectacle from start to finish. It was quite a touching thing to be sure. It was amusing to watch the man twist himself into semantic pretzels in his lame attempt to justify, not only his gross misrepresentation of the Mueller report, but the criminal behavior of Donald Trump. When asked a couple of weeks ago whether or not Mueller had objected to his characterization of the nearly two-year investigation into the Trump administration, Barr implied - under oath - that he had not. Now we learn that on March 24, Mueller sent a letter to the attorney general accusing him of misrepresenting the "context, nature and substance" of the four-hundred page report. Yesterday, after being subpoenaed to appear for questioning before the House, Barr arrogantly refused to even show up. It was the House's intention to have experienced lawyers question him on his behavior. He did not have the courage to face them. These are not times for profiles in courage.

 

May 8:

 

A hostile foreign power has subverted - and is still in the process of subverting - our voting processes. Why is ending this crime against Weeda Peeple not a priority for Trump, McConnell, and the rest of the Republicans? On more than one occasion recently they have voted down efforts by the Democrats to beef up electoral technology and security. Why??? If you are unable to figure this one out, folks, go back to sleep.

 

My 24:

This week also brought the disturbing sight of the president of the United States promising to persecute his political enemies - in this case the FBI and certain members of the Justice Department. He's got his own personal lawyer, the attorney general for God's sake, working on that. These are the kind of actions that we would normally expect from tinhorn dictator. Even Dick Nixon, who was not unknown for dealing harshly with his "enemies", ever got this completely weird. If you think for a moment that this is merely Trump's quaint little way of blowing off some steam, you might want to rethink your position. We have yet to even scratch the surface in deciphering what this lunatic is capable of. 

 

May 27:

 

Edward Degan, Jr.
1920-1944

There was a time when everyone knew someone - friend or family member - who gave their life for their country. I cannot even claim personal familiarity with my uncle Ed Degan (pictured above) who was one of the first American servicemen to die in the Battle of the Bulge on December 15, 1944. He died fourteen years before I was born. He was just four days shy of his 24th birthday when he was cut down by one of Hitler's tank shells. I always wonder what might have been; what kind of cousins I might have had; what kind of woman he might have married. By all accounts, the guy had everything going for him and so much to live for. His siblings and his parents eventually adjusted to life without Eddie Degan. When I was growing up, whenever any of them reminisced about him, it was always with great affection and humor - with not a bit of sadness or bitterness.   Today he lies in the military cemetery in St. Avold, France.

May 28:

Someone accused me recently of liking what is now happening in Washington. My response was simply that "liking" is a gross understatement. I'm loving every minute of this political meltdown. I had a stock answer three years ago whenever the results of the 2016 election were discussed: "This is going to end badly, folks". Although I live in the evil northeast, the Hudson Valley town in which I reside is pretty conservative. To those of you who tittered and rolled your eyes at the alarm I expressed at the time ("Oh, Tom! Isn't he amusing!") I can only say that I've been vindicated a hundred fold.

June 16:

Harding

Inept chiefs-executive are hardly a modern phenomena. American history is littered with the stories of men who were not up to the job (James Buchanan and Warren Harding coming immediately to mind). But never have we had a leader ("ruler") who purposely sought to harm the country. This is where Donald Trump stands out. Did you ever - in your wildest and stupidest dreams - believe you'd live to see the day when the topic of conversation on national broadcast media would be whether or not the president of the United States might be a Russian asset? You may think that I'm being an alarmist, paranoid lefty, but I do believe that the damage that is being done to this country by the Trump Mob will probably take several generations to undo.

June 29:

There were a number of heroes on Capitol Hill during the final weeks before Richard Nixon's political demise. Ironically enough a fair proportion of them turned out to be Republicans. Back in the weird old days, you could still count on more-than-a-few members of that party to step up and do the right thing. The GOP back then were a square and fairly goofy lot to be sure, but we always knew that (most of them, I think) had their hearts in 1974, the "party of Abraham Lincoln" was not a full-blown organized criminal enterprise. It was on its way, but there was still plenty of room for hope for less-extreme conservative voters. That hope is long gone.

July 18:

I don't suppose that it's too much of an exaggeration to conclude that a lot of really powerful men (and perhaps a handful of women) are shitting purple yo-yos on this fine Thursday morn. One can only imagine what evidence and information the Feds uncovered when they raided Jeffrey Epstein's Manhattan mansion and had a peek into his safe a few days ago. If it were only one "underage woman" making the accusation that she had been sexually abused by a cabal of rich and powerful men, then there would be room for skepticism. But in this case, there appears to be a score or more of them. Fasten your seat belts, boys and girls. This is going to get interesting.

[AFTERWARD: Less than a month after posting this piece, Epstein was found dead in his cell, an apparent "suicide". Perhaps.]

July 20:

Walter Cronkite once remarked that, five-hundred years into the future, all of the momentous events of the momentous twentieth century will be viewed by historians as mere footnotes to the moon landing  of July 20, 1969, fifty years ago tonight. He probably wasn't too far off the mark. We are as removed from that moment as those who witnessed it were removed from the year 1919. The fact that a half century has gone by between that moment and this defies belief. As divided as America was at that time, the entire country - indeed the entire planet - came together united. It was a very different world.

August 10:

Uncle Bill Clements

The first time I ever lived away from home was in 1963 when I found myself living with my uncle, Bill Clements, and his family in Dayton, Ohio. My mother had become quite ill, and us kids were scattered about with various relatives in the Midwest. Although my memories of the place are vague after the passage of over half a century (I returned there only once) what I've managed to retain are those of a pleasant place brimming with nice folks. You can imagine my dismay when I learned that Dayton was where nine human beings became the victims of America's latest mass murder. This was only a day after twenty-two people were gunned down in cold blood in El Paso, Texas. Again, the politicians are sending out their "thoughts and prayers" to the victims and their families. Again people are demanding that sensible gun laws be passed in this doomed country. Again, in the weeks and months to come it will be mere business as usual.

August 14:

It is my belief that one day Mitch will finally be exposed and punished severely for his crimes against the people of the United States, but waiting for that day is damned-near excruciating.

September 3:

The insanity of Donald Trump is not something that can be denied any longer. If you're a registered Republican you should be twice as alarmed as I am. If enough GOP politicians finally throw up their hands and say "Enough is enough! Country before party!" then I believe that that disgusting party can be saved. Otherwise they will soon disappear into the shit pile of history. Don't forget that nearly all of the heroes of the Watergate scandal were Republicans. So far, there are no GOP heroes in the age of Donald Trump - not one.

September 9:

Just when you thought that this disgusting administration could not possibly outdo itself in sheer incompetence, they lower the bar yet again. I want to say that the only good thing that will come of the Trump era will be the eternal eradication of conservatism in America, but that would be wishful thinking on my part. From where I sit on September 9, 2019, I give Trump's chances at re-election next year at about fifty-fifty. In addition to consciousness, optimism is also not much of an option during these dark days in the history of Idiot Nation. Think of what might have been, what we could have been. Look at what we have become.

September 23:

We now know that Trump is perfectly willing to persecute is political enemies to suit his perverted political whims. This is nothing new; Dick Nixon did that with gay abandon back in his day. What sets Donald Trump apart from The Trickster is that Nixon only went after the anti-establishment types - like Dick Gregory and John Lennon. Trump tends to go after previously respected members of the FBI and the CIA, trying to turn the American people against the institutions that no president has ever dared to go after before. This reminds me of The Night of The Long Knives in 1934, when Adolf Hitler an attack against  the leaders of the Brown Shirts, the very bastards responsible for the Nazis' rise to power. They were executed because of der furor's growing paranoia that any one of them might have their eyes on his position of power. If you don't think that this could happen in America, then, you're not paying attention. Go back to sleep.

September 26:

To say that the political climate of Washington has been turned on its head in the last twenty-four hours is an understatement. It would appear at first glance that the president of the United States was engaged in an extortion scheme against the president of the Ukraine, withholding military aid in an effort to get dirt on the man who may very well run against him next year - and his son. If this is true, it's all over for Trump. My feeling is that there is something coming that's going to shake America to its foundation between now and the end of the year. My suggestion to everyone would be to stand back and contemplate this extraordinary moment in American history. Forty-six years ago today, this country was wallowing in the depth of Watergate. I was fifteen at the time. On September 26, 2019 I thought that it would never get that weird again. I was wrong, of course. The Nixon Gang are starting to look like a loft of Cherubic choirboys by comparison. The Age of Trump is something else indeed.

September 27:

I've fallen head-over-heels for a sixteen-year-old girl. A little over a week ago I had onlyf a vague idea of who Greta Thunberg is. Now she is a permanent part of my life. Greta is trying to save the world; and the funny thing is, I think that she just may succeed. Kids.

October 10:

This week we had another stark example presented to us (as if any more examples were really needed) that Donald J. Trump is a paid asset of a hostile foreign power. Conceding the fate of the Kurdish people to the hands of ISIS is as reckless and cruel an act of diplomacy that has ever been committed by an American president. The only human being on the planet that this benefits is Vladimir Putin. Where I come from it's called "treason". Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were put to death for as much sixty-five years ago. I'm just putting the idea out there.

October 17:

 Waking up to the news of the unexpected passing of Elijah Cummings makes this morning a particularly gloomy one in what can only be described as dark times. The Baltimore congressman was one of the dwindling number of shining lights in the House of Reprehensibles. Since coming to Washington nearly twenty-four years ago, few members of congress impressed me half as much as this undeniably great man. To say that he will be deeply missed almost sounds cliché. They don't get any better than Elijah Cummings.

October 28:

One must wonder if Bill Barr ever ponders his historical legacy. Does he understand that posterity will view him with utter contempt? Or are they planning to issue in the future state-approved "official" history books? Don't put it past these hideous bastards and bitches. They've already dipped their toes in that rancid water with high school history texts that equate Abraham Lincoln and Jefferson Davis on the same moral plane. Ain't that something?

November 3:

We really need to come to grips with the unsettling fact that the damage that is now being done to America will be felt for generations. The fact is, for those of us of a certain age, we'll be living with the reverberations of the Trump Age for the rest of our lives. I believe that fifty years from now, the president of the United States (who has probably not even been born yet) will still be dealing - on a daily basis - with the damage that this imbecile did to his country so many decades before. When one experiences a really bad dream, our subconscious knows that it is, in fact, only a dream - and that we will wake up from it in short order. We're not going to wake up tomorrow morning only to discover that the disgusting presidency of Donald Trump was just a harmless nightmare. This ain't no dream, kiddies. This is the real thing. Are you amused yet?

November 13:

Bear in mind that, twenty years ago, more-than-a-few of the same assholes defending Donald Trump today, were ready to remove a sitting president from office for lying about a cheap affair with a half-witted White House intern. Isn't that amusing? At that time, many thinking people paying attention were appalled by the legal calisthenics the GOP went through to get to that point. Imagine, if you will, the national uproar that would have resulted had the Dems had gone from Russia collusion to Stormy Daniels in the same investigation? I'll wait for your reply.

November 24:

An now we are learning that Rep. Devin Nunes, who has made such a sham of the entire process, may have been in cahoots with the very corrupt players in Ukraine in trying to get what everyone in-the-know agrees to be non-existent dirt on Joe Biden and his son Hunter. As John Oliver calls it, this is "Stupid Watergate". Only this is far worse than Watergate on its worst day. I imagine that at this late stage in the game, Donald Trump is envious of Dick Nixon. As much as they desperately try to edit the narrative of this complete fiasco to their own twisted benefit, there is no way out for theses schmucks. The day The Donald took the oath of office was the beginning of the end of his tenure at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. You had to have been blind not to see this disaster coming from ten thousand miles down the road.

November 27:

His original plan, I'm almost certain, was to "up his brand". As a former presidential candidate, his speaking fees would likely skyrocket - as would his salary for hosting The Apprentice. He could write his own ticket from there on; everything would be easy sailing. But that damned electoral college - and the heartbreaking ignorance of so many Americans - thwarted his plans. Now he needs to win reelection. There's an awful lot over covering up to be done and he needs the power of the presidency to keep him and his sons and daughter out of Leavenworth. That is the reason he and his underlings need to do everything possible - legality be damned - to be ensure that he is reelected in less than a year. In the meantime we can expect this disgusting chief executive to continue to lash out at any and all who may earn his wrath. It really is an interesting thing to be a witness to.

December 11:

This is as bad as it's ever been or is ever going to get....I hope. I'll say it again: Watergate was merely a paper-cut. This is a bloodbath. It amazes me that this disgusting administration has turned out to be twice as bad as even I dared to predict on the morning following Election Day 2016. Trump will be tried in the senate next month. And though a lot more may be revealed between now and then, I don't expect him to be removed from office - which is probably just as well. Mike Pence is such a complete and dangerous dingbat, having him steering the ship-of-state won't be much of an improvement. I never dreamed our luck would get this bad. When one finds one's self nostalgic for the likes of George W. Bush, one realizes what an ideological and toxic waste-dump their once-revered country has become. The best that could be said of the Trump era a year ago was that, at the very least, it was amusing. That's no longer the case. The accidental comedy is running a bit thin.

December 8:

I am almost certain that this letter to Nancy Pelosi was not written by The Donald. In spite of its utter lunacy, it possesses a certain literary flair that is always lacking in this unusual president's tweets. But the very fact that one-or-more people on his staff approved of this brain-damaged gibberish should make all of us cringe. These people are in charge of our government. These people are running our fucking country! If you are not seriously alarmed by what is happening to the nation that at one time was a beacon to the world, you're not paying attention. Go back to sleep.

December 20:

Donald Trump was impeached the other day by the House of Representatives. His trial will be going to the senate next month. It is likely that he will be acquitted there - which is probably just as well. Mike Pence is as dangerous a dingbat (although not quite as insane) as The Donald, and we'll probably be just-as-well riding out the storm between now and January 20, 2020.
 I make no pretense at offering any kind of jolly holiday cheer. My life has gone into such a dark place that to do so would be hypocritical on my part. It's almost stunning when I realize what a complete cynic I have become. I've always been a connoisseur of comedy. Since I was about eight-years-old, I've been an admirer of the classic American comedians of Hollywood's so-called "golden" era in particular - except W.C. Fields. I never could understand what the big deal about Fields was. He disliked Charlie Chaplin which was all-the-more reason for me to keep my distance fro the old bugger. When I was much younger I could never comprehend what was so funny about an upper-middle-aged curmudgeon, so embittered regarding his fellow human beings and society in general. I tell you, I just didn't get it! I get it now.

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So there you have it: 2019 compressed into a neat and sick little narrative. As one gets older the years go by faster. That's not the case for this year, though. 2019 seems to have gone on for the better part of a decade. I expect 2020 to be even longer. Brace yourselves for the comedy of horrors to come.

Happy New Year, everybody!

Tom Degan
Goshen, NY