Dark Brandon’s Summer Vacation

Summary

The article contrasts the perceived competence and humility of "Dark Brandon" (President Joe Biden) with the arrogance and dishonesty of his predecessor, while also critiquing the current state of the Republican Party and expressing optimism for the Democratic Party's prospects in the upcoming election.

Abstract

The opinion piece titled "Dark Brandon’s Summer Vacation" and subtitled "Revenge of the Blue Dogs of the Senate" offers a reflection on the recent achievements of President Joe Biden, referred to as "Dark Brandon," and compares his administration's approach to governance with that of the previous president. The author credits Biden with significant accomplishments, such as the successful operation against a terrorist leader and the passage of climate change legislation, while also praising his empathetic response to natural disasters. The article contrasts Biden's humility and dedication to public service with the former president's self-aggrandizement and legal troubles. It also criticizes the Republican Party's embrace of extremism, threats to democracy, and the promotion of lies, suggesting that these actions may lead to a Democratic victory in the next election. The author expresses a preference for Biden's authenticity and effectiveness over the perceived dishonesty and incompetence of his political opponents.

Opinions

The author believes that President Biden ("Dark Brandon") has fulfilled his campaign promises and demonstrated effective leadership, particularly when compared to his predecessor.
There is a clear contrast drawn between Biden's humility and the former president's braggadocio and lack of substantive achievements.
The article suggests that the former president and his supporters within the Republican Party are out of touch with reality and are more focused on personal gain than public service.
The author is critical of the Republican Party's current direction, highlighting its members' lack of humility, embrace of theocracy, and disregard for democratic norms.
There is an expressed belief that the Republican Party's actions and rhetoric are alienating voters and will likely result in a Democratic win in the upcoming election.
The author endorses the approach of Democratic candidates like John Fetterman, who is portrayed as a down-to-earth and credible alternative to the opposition.
The piece concludes with a sense of optimism for the Democratic Party, suggesting that a "blue wave" is possible due to the contrast in competence and integrity between the two parties.

Revenge of the Blue Dogs of the Senate

Illustration by BSIENKART (with permission from artist)

Looks like old Dark Brandon¹ is having a pretty good run these days. Oh, I know that the polls are still saying that he’s underwater and all, but I, for one, have to give credit where credit is due. Dark has fulfilled his promises. When I compare Dark to the last guy, I have trouble seeing points of comparison. Dark doesn’t brag about his accomplishments all that much and the last guy could only brag. Didn’t make any difference if he had something to brag about or not. He just loved to brag. He bragged about the size of the crowd at his inauguration. I didn’t care if anyone was there or not but he still bragged about it. Dark Brandon just took out the number 2 guy in the terrorist group which took down the World Trade Center towers on 9/11. He just got a huge bill passed to combat climate change. It isn’t the best it could be but it’s a hell of a lot better than nothing and way better than whining about windmills giving you cancer. Dark went to Kentucky and was human with the survivors. He told them things would come back better than they were. He didn’t throw them paper towels to clean up the mess. Dark seems to have a quality that the last guy just cannot wrap his head around. Dark seems to have mastered humility.

The last guy is under all kinds of judicial scrutiny. I just have a lot of trouble imagining Dark Brandon finishing a meal and not picking up his plate to take to the kitchen. The idea of Dark throwing that plate against the wall just will not compute. But then Dark seems to be about getting things done for the American People, not getting things done for his own aggrandizement. The last guy is a flim-flam man and Dark is honest to a fault. The last guy can’t even answer questions that the New York District Attorney asks about his tax records and if he cheated with taxes on one hand, and the insurance people on the other. I can not picture Dark ever having to sit for a deposition about his taxes or any other holding he might have. One man brought caring for people to the White House and the other brought the arrogance of self-indulgence to the White House. I prefer the man who cares about his people over the man who cares for himself.

The last guy is still bitching about how unfair it is/was that he was not elected president. I haven’t heard of Dark bitching about anything at all. The last guy couldn’t even admit that people were dying from COVID. He preferred to lie to people and encourage them to act the fool over their own foibles. “Why worry about COVID”, he crooned. “You have to be strong”, he claimed. But people much stronger than him died because they believed the lie. Dark doesn’t sugarcoat it because he wants to feel good. Nope, he wants to get to where he wants to go. But he does so without blaming anyone. That’s refreshing.

However, it seems that humility is in rather short supply in the theocracy party. I’ve heard people who just won primaries brag about how they’ll visit retribution on those who dare to disagree with their lies or their abuses. I’ve heard some of those same primary winners claim to have legal powers that are granted by the government while simultaneously threatening to tear the government to shreds. They all seem to have developed a disembodied fear of the Deep State. I don’t have any idea what that might be, but I can give an example of what it could be. In Mexico, the local government is led by what is called a president of a municipal. That person could be called mayor I suppose, but he is limited to a three-year term. It always takes a year to find out what the job is really all about. A year to get started on doing stuff and another year to figure out how to game the system. Therefore, there is little consistency in the day-to-day operation of things like keeping public records of births, deaths, marriages, and the like. If it were not for an army of clerks who have been working in those offices across any number of changes of political leadership over the years, the deep municipal wheels of the government would not be functioning. Those dedicated people are the ones who know how to find your paperwork should you want a copy of your birth certificate, for example. I suspect that these are the kinds of people that are being called the Deep State. Looks pretty goofy, huh?

Dark has the humility to accept these kinds of folks as necessary and even relies on them to exist and get things done. The last guy thinks that if they voted one way or another then they must be nefarious because they voted for the other candidate. How droll. In other words, what the last guy is advocating is something along the lines of it’s my way or the highways. Dark just gets things done and carries his own water. I like that about the man.

Something that I do not care for is how the Republican folks all jumped up and defended the last guy when the FBI went by his house to pick up some paperwork he had refused to send to the proper federal agencies after he left office. This was not a courtesy call, by the way. This was those in government who have the responsibility of keeping order while doing their jobs. So what does the Speaker of the House have to do with that issue? It kind of looks like he put his nose in something that it had no business being in. But that same Speaker has refused to even give a hand to those who are trying to find out what happened on January 6 and how to prevent it from ever happening again. See, to me, that kind of behavior is not something that I would ever vote for. I have a suspicion that I’m far from alone in that consideration. I think most people have the common sense the good lord gave them and can see right through the stupidity of lying for a liar.

Quite frankly, I do not see how any of the MAGA crowd can possibly win any election with the stance they all seem to take. It isn’t like the MAGA bunch is connected to reality. Far from it. It does appear that they are giving the next election to the Democrats. I think that John Fetterman has the right approach. He has mocked Dr. Oz in an ever-so-ruthless but sweet manner. Oz doesn’t have the creds to stand as a senator from Pennsylvania. Fetterman has the chops, he’s just a guy doing his job. He’s not a Hershel trying to be something he’s not. You see folks, I have doubts that this election is about politics. I think it’s about good old fashioned horse sense. And if the Democrats can remember that argument, this election is theirs to lose. I’d be surprised if there were not a blue wave this November simply because of the crazy things that Republicans are saying and doing. Dark Brandon to the rescue.

References