The Morning After the Morning After

Yesterday the State of Georgia completed the run-off election for the final Senate seat. Incumbent Raphael Warnock squeezed out the win, giving Democrats a 51-seat majority in the Senate. 

Sadly, Dr. Warnock was only able to beat the former Georgia football hero, Herschel Walker, by 95,454 votes, which comes to 2.8%, pretty close to the same margin as in the general election a month ago. 

Essentially, the 2.1% that voted for the third-party candidate shifted to Warnock.  

The Captain applauds the results, but wishes the voters of Georgia had come to their senses and made a definitive statement rejecting Trumpf and his GQP.

It was Trumpf who first called Walker – who lives in Texas, by the way – and encouraged him to run in the Georgia Senate race. As in other races he tried to orchestrate, Trumpf didn’t care about qualifications, intellect, or integrity. He wanted a popular figure he thought could win.

And one who would be loyal to him.

Captain’s Note: Trumpf knew Walker from USFL days when Walker played for the team Trumpf bought. Not only did Walker fail there, the Trumpf-owned team failed, as did the entire league. But Walker was willing to mouth the election lies Trumpf was pushing, so Trumpf declared him the candidate.

Walker’s campaign was a train-wreck. He was inarticulate (so much so that during the run-off campaign Senators Lindsay Graham and Rick Scott did most of the talking for him), he easily went off-script (what was that stuff about vampires and werewolves?), he lied profusely, and he had not just a closet-full but a whole warehouse full of skeletons and scandals from his past.

Here’s another reason Walker lost. Warnock was able to raise $175 million during the run-off campaign. Walker only raised $58 million.

But Walker’s own supposed allies were working against him. Newly-elected Representative Ryan Zinke (R-Montana) launched a fundraising campaign for Walker, stressing how important it was for Walker to win “in order to win the Senate”.

Captain’s Note: The Senate majority was already in the hands of Democrats by that time. Walker’s win would not have changed that.

But the fine print in Zinke’s money-beg revealed that only 50% of donations would go to the Walker campaign; Zinke would pocket the rest.

Zinke was not alone in this. Senators Lindsay Graham (R-SC), Rick Scott (R-FL), and Mike Lee (R-Utah) also launched 50/50 campaigns. So did Rep. Burgess Owens (R-Utah).

It gets worse. The National Republican Senatorial Committee, chaired by Senator Rick Scott, sent out a fundraising appeal in which Walker would only receive 1% of funds raised. 

When confronted about this, Scott insisted that some NRSC money went to the Walker campaign, but come on…

And, to no one’s surprise, even Trumpf got in on this gravy train. He sent out an urgent appeal for Walker but kept 90% of the proceeds.

Senators-elect J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) and Ted Bud (R-NC) also kept 90% of the donations they raised for Walker.

And mates, that right there is today’s Republican Party!

Frankly, with that kind of support, it is amazing Walker came out as well as he did!

Close though this race was, it was a blow to Trumpf, adding to the number of his hand-selected candidates who lost races this Fall that the GOP should have easily won.

And with those recent election losses, it appears the GOP is finally waking up.

Becoming “woke”, if you will.

More and more people within the GOP camp are wondering if Trumpf should be their candidate for 2024. They are suddenly discovering that all those things we warned them about in 2016 were true.

Even Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) is hedging his bet.

Congratulations, Senator Raphael Warnock! Make every vote count!

 

The Morning After

Yesterday was the mid-term elections in the U.S.

Mates, did you know that nations around the world used to point at the United States and commend our routine “peaceful transition of power” with each election.

That has not been true in recent years, but it is still the Captain’s ideal for our country.

Quite frankly, yesterday’s elections had the Captain’s bowels in a tangle thinking about everything that could go wrong and what that would mean for our nation.

The Republicans were anticipating a “Red Wave” to sweep across the nation. It is not uncommon for the party out of power to do well in mid-term elections, and this year should have been their year, due to:

• the after-affects of COVID-19 linger on.
• inflation is high.
• gas prices are high.
• the sitting President has a low approval rating.

The field was ripe for Republicans to sweep in and wrench control of Congress from the cold, dead hands of the Democrats.

But it didn’t happen quite like they had hoped. Perhaps because they had candidates who:

• still refused to accept the results of the 2020 elections
• actually participated in the Jan. 6 insurrection
  
• believe school systems are providing litter boxes for students who self-identify as cats
• still kiss former President Trumpf's shiny white a**!
  

Sure, there were minor victories.

Kentucky’s incumbent Senator Rand Paul defeated Charles Booker handily, as was expected. Booker is a large black man who marched in a protest against the police shooting of Brianna Clark, and Rand Paul ran campaign ads painting Booker’s vision of the U.S. as a ghetto filled with burning cars, broken windows, etc.

The lay of the land here gives you another clue as to why Rand Paul won:

TV’s “Dr. Oz”, who had lived in New Jersey up until he decided to run for office in Pennsylvania, lost by a thin margin to Democratic Lieutenant Governor John Fetterman, who actually suffered a stroke midway through the race and struggled with speech issues during the debate. Oz had Trumpf’s support, but at the last minute the popular Oprah Winfrey, who gave Oz his television start, encouraged the people of Pennsylvania to vote for Fetterman.

A Trumpf-backed candidate, J.D. Vance, author of “Hillbilly Elegy” (a self-serving “memoir” which the Captain was forced to read while imprisoned by an evil magistrate a few years back) won the open Senate seat in Ohio. But his margin of victory (less than 300,000 votes) was nowhere near as large as in the Governor’s race (more than a million votes difference).

Failed Vice Presidential candidate Sara Palin lost her bid for a seat in the House, and Representative crybaby Lauren Boebert lost her seat in Colorado District 3 by about 2,000 votes.

UPDATE: After all the votes were counted, Boebert won District 3 by about 500 votes.

Suddenly, voting machines and counting ALL the votes are perfectly fine and accurate!

In short, most of the races were close – frighteningly close! – and many of Trumpf’s picks lost.

Captain’s Note: Fingers are being pointed today, and many are pointing at Trumpf. [Like any good Mob Boss, he is taking names of those who are publicly blaming him.] He sat on a large War Chest that he did not share (which Senator Ted Cruz estimated to be about $100 million), and when he spoke at rallies in support of “his” candidates, he talked more about himself than about the candidates: he continued to cry about his loss in 2020, he teased that he was going to run again in 2024, then read a list of names of candidates he supports.

The poor performance of “his” candidates will likely affect his chances of being the Republican candidate in 2024.

Plus, Gov. Ron DeSantis, who won his race and helped paint Florida a deep Red, will likely throw his hat in the ring against Trumpf in 2024.

Captain’s Note: DeSantis is just a miniature version of Trumpf, perhaps without the family money. But now the baby flamingo wants to spread his wings and leave the nest. Trumpf has already made threatening noises warning DeSantis to not challenge him.

Of course, the race to watch was in Georgia, between incumbent Rev. Dr Raphael Warnock, pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church, and former UGA football star and Trumpf toady Herschel Walker. (See previous post for more on this race.) Sadly, that vote came down to the wire last night with less than 40,000 votes separating the two candidates.

Again, a map of Georgia will explain some of how that came about:

At this writing Warnock leads the vote count, but since neither candidate has secured the 50+% that Georgia requires, a run-off election will be held next month, sans Independent spoiler Chase Oliver who drained off 81,000 critical votes. Many believe Warnock stands a better chance in a run-off election since the race for Mayor of Georgia – between incumbent Brian Kemp and Democrat Stacey Abrams – is what drove the voters to the polls down there.

Yesterday's end result is still unknown. Votes are still being counted and some run-offs will have to take place. It appears the Republicans will take control of the House of Representatives, but fortunately with only a slim margin – too small for too much mayhem.

The Senate appears to be headed for another 50/50 split. 

Perhaps yesterday wasn’t the end of the world after all.

 

 

Election Day is November 8, 2022 - You Better Show Up!

Have I got your attention now? 

Then listen up!

Mates, Election Day is November 8^th. It’s a mid-term election year (that is, we’re not voting for President), where all 435 seats in the House of Representatives and 35 of the 100 seats in the Senate will be on the ballot; 39 states will also be voting for Governors.

And this is the first election affected by the criminal redistricting following the laughable 2020 census.

What is at stake?

EVERYTHING!

EVERY. FUCKING. THING. THAT. YOU. HOLD. DEAR. is on the line on November 8^th.

You see, currently Democrats and Republicans are tied in the Senate; the Democrat Vice President holds the deciding vote. While Dems had a healthy majority in the House, that lead is slipping away.

Here’s the thing: if the Republicans take both Houses of Congress, it will pave the way for the return of Donald Trumpf and all the mayhem we endured during his presidency (2016-2020).

LORD HELP US!

And that seems to be what Republicans are focused on right now.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy is already measuring his new office while also drawing up a “hit list” of what they will do when the Republican sycophants take control of our nation:

          -Trash the findings of the Jan. 6 Commission

          -Exonerate Trumpf and his henchmen for all their sins past and future

          -Dig up Hunter Biden’s laptop again

          -File impeachment charges against President Biden and VP Harris

And while they take revenge for Trumpf’s loss in 2020, nothing else will happen.

NOT. ONE. DAMNED. THING.

Because, at least since the Bill Clinton presidency, the Republican platform has simply been to obstruct Democrats from doing anything constructive for Americans. They have no leadership skills; they have no “plan”.

So virtually ANY candidate with a chance of winning will do for the GQP.

Enter former University of Georgia football standout Herschel Walker, a recognizable name in Georgia. Walker played for UGA from ‘80-’82, during which UGA won national championships each year. Walker was given the Heisman Trophy his junior year, after which he bailed on UGA and accepted a $3 million contract to play with the short-lived USFL.

Captain’s Note: Your Captain met Walker in 1981; he is a year older than me. But even at 17, this humble powder monkey was disappointed to learn Walker was planning to drop out of college.

Walker signed with the New Jersey Generals, a team later bought by Trumpf – another failed business venture for Trumpf Enterprises. And Walker only attracted one major promotional offer, a joint project of McDonald’s and Adidas.

Then the USFL folded, in 1985.  

He kicked around the NFL for a while, never staying long anywhere. Then went into various business ventures.

More about that in a moment.

Walker’s opponent in the Georgia Senate race is Rev. Dr. Raphael Warnock. Dr. Warnock, a Democrat, is Senior Pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church, where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. served from 1960-68. It is affiliated with the Progressive National Baptist Convention and the American Baptist Convention USA.

Dr. Warnock won his Senate seat during a special election in 2021, making him the first African American to represent Georgia in the Senate. Also, this was an historic first for any former Confederate state.

Dr. Warnock has earned a Bachelors degree in Psychology (cum laude) from Morehouse College, and an MDiv, PhM and PhD from Union Theological Seminary.

Did I mention Walker dropped out of college? Yes, he later claimed he returned to finish his degree.

In reality, he never did.

Captain’s Note: Can you see now why Walker doesn’t want to debate Warnock before the election?

As for Walker’s business career, which he runs from his home in Texas, his greatest claim to fame (after college football) is his chicken products business, about which he once claimed was larger than Tyson, employing over 600 people.

In reality, it employed eight.

This business supposed raked in $70 million per year in sales.

In reality, it was $1.5 million.

And Walker claimed the business donated 1.5% of its profits to charity.

In reality, there is no record of such donations ever being made.

Among other things, Walker claimed he once worked for the FBI.

In reality, he spent a week at Quantico.

Captain’s Note: He could never be an FBI agent anyway because he still does not hold the minimum-required bachelors degree.

He also claimed to be partial owner of six (or was it seven?) hospitals.

In reality, he was once hired as a celebrity spokesperson for a hospital.

And I say “in reality” because Herschel Walker has been diagnosed with “Dissociative Identity Disorder”, what we used to call “Split Personality”.

In fact, Walker says he has identified 12 such personalities within him.

Some gentle. Some not so gentle.

Captain’s Note: the Captain doesn’t disparage people with mental illnesses. I just think they shouldn’t be running our nation.

Naturally, Walker blames this disorder for all his past problems, including his history of violence, domestic and otherwise.

Walker boasted one time that another driver angered him one day, so he got his gun out of the glove compartment and approached the car prepared to shoot the driver. But then he saw a bumper sticker on the car: “Honk if you love Jesus!” He says he realized the man was also a child of God and he did not shoot him.

What, then, the Captain asks, is so bad about Dr. Warnock that this is even a contested race?

Captain's Note: This is the most recent poll.

Dr. Warnock proudly claims to be a “pro-choice pastor”. His campaign released the following gem:

“A patient's room is too small a place for a woman, her doctor, and the US government… these are deeply personal health care decisions – not political ones."

He is also pro-Gay Marriage, anti-Death Penalty, and pro-Gun Control.

Captain’s Note: Dr. Warnock has an “F” rating from the NRA, about which he should also be very proud!

As for Warnock’s private life, he married in 2016, they have two children; the couple separated in 2019 and divorced in 2020. His ex-wife claimed at one point that he ran over her foot with his car, but upon examination there was no physical evidence to support the claim.

Walker, on the other hand, married his college sweetheart in 1983, they had one son; the couple divorced in 2002. But in that divorce, his ex accused him of “physical abuse and extreme threatening behavior”, including the time he pointed a gun at her head and shouted, “I’m going to blow your fucking brains out!” Other such episodes were also documented.

At one point he even put a gun to his own head.

Walker claims he doesn’t remember any of that, because of – of course – his mental disorder.

Walker also has three other children by three other women, even while he rails on the campaign trail about “fatherless homes” in the black community.

“Oopsie!”

Again I ask, how is this election even a contest?

The latest revelation against Walker (because such revelations are coming out almost daily now) is that despite his strong anti-abortion stance, he (once?) paid for an abortion for his girlfriend. 

He claims that never happened, but as they say, she has the receipts!

Literally.

Yet, in response to this latest bombshell, former Speaker of the House and GQP Publicity Whore Newt Gingrich commended Walker for being “a deeply committed Christian”!

Captain’s Note: Did I mention Dr. Warnock has been Sr. Pastor of the 1,700-seat Ebenezer Baptist Church these past 17 years?

In a brief but refreshing moment of honesty, conservative radio host and NRA Whore Dana Loesch declared, “It doesn’t change anything! What’s important is that we win!”

And there you have it!

The Republican platform in a nutshell.

So, into what was once considered “the greatest deliberative body in the world”, the GQP and state of Georgia want to send a college drop-out suffering from multiple football-related concussions and an identified mental illness with a track record of lying and physical threatening and violence, choosing him over of a man of integrity with multiple degrees and a compassion for the people of Georgia based on his demonstrated Christian faith.

Yes, the Captain could go on about this for days; there is actually that much public information that could be regurgitated here. 

Instead, let me give you a brief example of the quality of political discourse Walker would bring to the Senate.

Following the school shooting at Robb Elementary on May 24th of this year, candidate Walker was asked his position on school shootings.

Walker: "Cain killed Abel. You know, and that's a problem that we have. And I say what we need to do is look into how we can stop those things." He followed that with, [I support] "a department that can look at young men that's looking at women that's looking at social media."

And his position on gun control legislation: "…what I like to do is see it and everything and stuff."

That’s some pretty profound shit right there, man!

All this is to say that November 8^th is vitally important!

You may not live in Georgia, so you can’t vote in the Walker / Warnock race.

But there is an equally important election where you live.

So listen up here, mates… [lean in a little]…

GET YER ASSES TO THE VOTING BOOTH AND VOTE “BLUE / DEMOCRAT” LIKE YER LIFE DEPENDED ON IT!

Because it may very well be so.

 

 

 

I Told You So!

I did. I told you so.

When the Supreme Court struck down Roe V. Wade – handing jurisdiction over abortions to state legislatures, many of which have been trying to outdo one another in writing the most unconscionable anti-abortion laws possible – the Captain told you we would soon be hearing horror stories of women who desperately needed abortions but were denied.

And so it begins:

-A 10-year-old in Ohio was raped by her uncle. Ohio wouldn’t permit an abortion, so the family traveled to Indiana for the procedure. As a tragic follow-up to that story, the Attorney General in Indiana tried to sue the doctor who performed the abortion, claiming she didn’t report it as she was required to by law. His state’s law. But she did in fact report it and now is counter-suing the AG for defamation of character. And the uncle has since confessed he raped his niece.

-In South Carolina, a 19-year-old pregnant woman’s water broke at 15 weeks. Because of a fetal heartbeat law, attorneys advised her doctors she could not legally have an abortion. She was discharged from the hospital. Regrettably, the Captain does not know the rest of her story.  

-A 16-year-old orphan in Florida was denied an abortion since she had no parents to sign consent to the procedure as required by law. The judge in the case ruled the girl is not mature enough to have an abortion. Somehow though – although she has no parents, no job, no high school diploma – the judge felt she is mature enough to have a baby.

-A woman in Louisiana discovered the unborn fetus she is carrying has no skull. She has been denied an abortion because the condition, acrania, is not specifically listed as an exception in Louisana’s abortion laws.

Mates, it has only been two months since the Republican-rigged Court overturned Roe V. Wade.

TWO MONTHS!

And look at us now.

America has become a cruel, cruel place.

Now, one might argue that these are rare exceptions. Perhaps they are. But the persons involved are also the living, breathing daughters of someone. 

Like a fisherman's net, the current wave of anti-abortion laws are likely to snag others besides those they are fishing for. 

The Captain prays it is not your daughter who suffers at the hands of these horribly misguided laws written by politicians pandering to the poorly-names “pro-life” movement.

How much more will we tolerate before we see the error of our ways and elect more compassionate souls to political office?

Mark my word. On our current path, more horror stories will surely follow.