DARWIN DAY UPDATES
We Live In Times Where We All Wonder About This Whole Survival-of-the-Fittest Thing ...
-As everyone winds down from the Super Bowl, the aftereffects are also being assessed - and from a political perspective, besides the tired (MAGAts like Matt Gaetz claiming they refused to watch the game because of the singing of "Lift Every Voice and Sing" - which has been part of Super Bowl pregame ceremonies since 2021) and the hysterical (fans who continue to hold their breath and turn blue at the mere presence of Biden supporter Taylor Swift at games now being referred to as "broflakes"), the ad that ran that caused the most "buzz" (beyond "who is paying for all the religious ads?!") was for would-be third-party spoiler, anti-vaxx freak Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
-The ad in question used the 1960 animated advertisement and song of RFK Jr.'s uncle, John F. Kennedy, and cut-and-pasted photos of RFK Jr. into it, creating what easily-impressed MAGA "thought leader" Ben "What's WAP and Why Does My Wife Cry Whenever I Bring It Up?" Shapiro saw as a political masterstroke and the rest of Earth scratching their heads if not laughing out loud at the concept. The Kennedy family - who is decidedly pro-vaxx and supporters of President Biden (just like Taylor!) - immediately denounced the ad, and RFK Jr. himself 'apologized' for the ad, claiming it was created by "a third-party PAC" that was funded and produced without his knowledge to the tune of $15 million for the production and the ad spot by Tim Mellon, scion of the Mellon family and - OH WHAT A SURPRISE! - a major funder of Ex-President Trump XCI! Interestingly, the ad has not been made available on social media, though it is on RFK Jr.'s account on the steaming garbage pile social media site "X."
-Speaking of social media, the Biden campaign continues to fight the political hack job report produced by Special Prosecutor Richard Hur in which Biden's actions connected to classified materials he removed without authorization (though most of them were personal notes) in favor of harping on Biden's age - and did so with a little fun. His campaign took advantage of the Super Bowl to open a new account on the popular-with-twentysomethings TikTok, and he continued to play on the MAGA/right-wing conspiracy theories that Taylor Swift is dating Kansas City Chief Travis Kelce as a ruse to get the Swifties and twentysomethings to vote for Biden by producing a meme of Biden alter ego Dark Brandon with the phrase "Just like we drew it up."
-Silly as that conspiracy theory is, and as fun as Team Biden is having with the Swift/NFL connection, don't think Trump is ignoring it! Earlier in the day, the thin-skinned-despite-all-that-amber-makeup Trump posted a message on his smelly social media site in which, by claiming he was personally responsible for creating and passing the Music Modernization Act (which Trump had nothing to do with other that to be told to sign, of course), it was Trump who has "made her so much money" unlike Biden, who Trump insisted "didn't do anything for Taylor, and never will." Trump went so far as to call Taylor "disloyal" for supporting Biden, and then claimed he liked Kelce "even though he may be a Liberal, and probably can't stand me!"
-Swift, of course, was a very vocal supporter of Trump, and a few people were wondering - somewhat in jest - that Kelce would propose to Swift at the 50-yard line and then endorse Biden at the same time. Alas, all that happened was a thrilled Kelce bellowing "Viva Las Vegas" and "Fight for your Right to Party" before embracing his girlfriend in, it must be said, a rather tender embrace and kiss before partying with the rest of the victorious Chiefs.
-Perhaps that is why Trump decided to make a personal appearance in a courtroom in Florida today, where his favorite Judge, Aileen Cannon, was hearing from Team Trump and Prosecutor Jack Smith seperately on a motion by Smith to prevent Trump or the court from releasing the names of certain witnesses in connection with Trump's classified documents trial (which even hack Richard Hur admitted was far, far, far, far, FAR more serious and egregious than Biden). There is some speculation that if Cannon decides to release the names - particularly after Cannon first appeared to rule in Smith's favor - it could give impetus for Smith to try to remove Cannon from the case. As of this writing, Smith's hearing continues.
-Also, as expected, Trump appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court after an appeals court unanimously ruled that there is no such thing as a President having God-King status that allows anyone in the position to act without morals or consequences. It is generally believed that not even this SCOTUS will side with Trump - the questions are whether the Court will agree to take the case (most legal observers don't see a reason to do so); if so, how long it will take before Trump's inevitable defeat and subsequent rescheduling of this trial (which involves Trump's actions connected to the January 6 insurrection (which it was) (in case anyone tells you otherwise) (MARGE), and whether SCOTUS will continue to stop any trial date from being set.
-Europe is up in arms - and rightfully so - over Trump's comments that he will let Vladimir Putin and Russia "do whatever the Hell they want" if European countries don't "pay" the U.S. to continue to use NATO to defend the countries. That was good, because as mentioned American news media, while starting to pick up on the latest Trump Fascist plans, still continue to chew on the Hur smear and continue to remind people that Biden is old (which we all know). But, at least after yesterday, a good part of the news media are starting to chase other jangling keys to take steam off the Biden-is-old storyline ...
-We close by directing your attention to a special election tomorrow in NY to fill the seat vacated when "George Santos" ("R," "NY") resigned amid massive scandals. The election, in a swing district, is tight, with well-funded Democrat Tom Suozzi neck-and-neck with MAGAt favorite Mazi Pilip, who today charged Jewish investor George Soros was ... anti-Jewish. The issues at the border are at the head of the issues in the Long Island-based district (in part because Pilip is an immigrant from Ethiopia and represents a state district that is heavily Jewish), and there is already buzz that if the race goes MAGA, it will represent the first time since 2017 that Democrats underperformed in special elections (Suozzi has asked Biden to stay out of the race, which he has), exacerbating the Democratic Pha-REEK-Out over the Hur report. Gird your loins as the results roll in ...
-On this date in 1818, Chile became an independent country. On this date in 1973, U.S. Prisoners of the Vietnam War began being released. On this date in 1999, Bill Clinton was acquitted of lying about an affair while President after being impeached for perjury and obstruction of justice. On this date in 2002, Slobodan Milosevic was placed on trial in The Hague for war crimes committed during the breakup of the former Yugoslavia (he fed the worms in 2006 before being declared guilty).
-Debuts on this date: the NAACP (1909), "Rhapsody in Blue" (1924), "short films" for The Beatles' "Penny Lane" and "Strawberry Fields Forever" (1967, on THE ED SULLIVAN SHOW).
-Happy Birthday to Abraham Lincoln, Charles Darwin, Louis Renault, Anna Pavlova, Omar Bradley, Ted Mack, Lorne Greene, Dom DiMaggio, Forrest Tucker, Franco Zeffirelli, Joe Garagiola, Costa-Gavras, Bill Russell, Joe Don Baker, Judy Blume, Ray Manzarek, Ehud Barak, Pat Dobson, Moe Bandy, Steve Hackett, Joanna Kerns, Chet Lemon, Arsenio Hall, Omar Hakim, Ed Lover, Ruben Amaro Jr., Chynna Phillips, Josh Brolin, Darren Aronofsky, Christina Ricci, Brad Keslowski, and Robert Griffin III.
-Rest in Peace/Rest in Power to Ethan Allen, Immanuel Kant, Auguste Escoffier, Grant Wood, James Cash Penny, Sal Mineo, Jean Renoir, Eubie Blake, Nicholas Colasanto, Screamin' Jay Hawkins, Charles M. Schultz, Tom Landry, David Groh, Betty Garrett, Kenneth Mars, Marty Allen, Sid Caesar, Gary Owens, Al Jarreau, Ivan Reitman, and Trugoy the Dove.
-Feed the Worms: Salem witchcraft trial instigator Cotton Mather, game-show cheater Charles Van Doren, single-bullet-theory creator Arlen Speter, and radical right-wing 'Justice' Brett "Drunky McSexThug" Kavanaugh entered Earth on this date. Weirdo chronic Presidential candidate Lyndon LaRouche bought it on this date.