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Posts in Category: Midterms then 2028
In it for the Long Haul – 08/15/2026
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Do you even Know what a Commie is? You Moron. – Video
They need to unite. Even I’ve been known to say it lately, and in some way I’ll probably keep saying it: find your voice. Get together, form a band, be the Monkees.
The Monkees, why the Monkees, you ask?
Easy. They didn’t start off as singers. They hadn’t decided to get together in a garage. Heck, they were young actors put together for a sitcom, meant to appeal to teenyboppers, sell airtime and ads. Make money. And some young exec said to himself, “Self, what if they sang a song?” So the network had them sing a song. Among them, “Last Train to Clarksville.” What does Clarksville have to do with any of this? Nothing. Just a good opening.
At first, they didn’t even play the instruments. But isn’t that called politics?
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My message: RINO, Democratic Socialist, Democrat, or Independent, with or without an uppercase “I”, we may really all want the same thing in the end. But the solutions will be different from each other, because they have to be.
When someone calls you a communist, a radical, or worse, maybe the retort, and there should be a retort, is: “No, I’m not the label you just called me. I’m a representative of Rural Michigan, looking to provide my constituents the best services I can.” Feel free to replace “rural” and “Michigan” with whatever’s appropriate to you.
How about we ship snowshoes to Mar-a-Lago?
After all, Isn’t that what MAGA is trying to do? Make us all wear the same same thing, the same size? Doesn’t sound like freedom to me.
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The King Is Dead — Long Live The Vance? – Video
The king is dead, long live the king. Or is it long live The Vance?
Are we really ready for The Vance? Big question. I’ve been waffling on this one as much as Taco Donny waffles on an Article 25. Keep the known putz, or hand the keys to the non-senile conniver waiting in the wings? Not an easy choice.
There’s a real argument for simply neutering the king until 2028 and cleaning house then. Yes, it would be painful to wait. But maybe less painful than living through The Vance.
Here’s the real argument against him. He’s the true believer Trump never was. More disciplined. Younger. Genuinely ideological in ways Trump simply isn’t — Trump wants applause, Vance wants outcomes. That combination is more durable and more dangerous than anything Trump has ever managed to be.
That scares me.
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Either way, I have real trouble seeing the qualities of a Commander in Chief in there.
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Do you even Know what a Commie is? You Moron.
They need to unite. Even I’ve been known to say it lately, and in some way I’ll probably keep saying it: find your voice. Get together, form a band, be the Monkees.
The Monkees, why the Monkees, you ask?
Easy. They didn’t start off as singers. They hadn’t decided to get together in a garage. Heck, they were young actors put together for a sitcom, meant to appeal to teenyboppers, sell airtime and ads. Make money. And some young exec said to himself, “Self, what if they sang a song?” So the network had them sing a song. Among them, “Last Train to Clarksville.” What does Clarksville have to do with any of this? Nothing. Just a good opening.
At first, they didn’t even play the instruments. But isn’t that called politics?
So I wander, The Wanderer? No, that was Dion. Back to it: they need to unite, find a voice. Yes, unite. Yes, find a voice. But let me add a few words to that. They need to get together and speak the same language, but not say the same words.
Why does everything have to revolve around he-said, she-said? I just saw where Mamdani wants a few city-owned grocery stores in the poor parts of town, and the first thing the news did was jump to failed attempts tried before. Okay, some failed. Some didn’t. And I didn’t hear Mamdani say every grocery store in the nation needs to be state-owned. Did you?
Where I live, in the fall, we have local farmers markets. It works because we have local farms — imagine that. We grow tomatoes in our small backyard and still buy a basket of some of the greatest tomatoes you’ve ever seen, if you live in a city. Way too much to eat in a salad, or sliced for a burger. Oh, so sweet and tasty. Getting hungry.
I’ve dried them, soaked them in olive oil, made sauces and salsas galore. But we’ve finally settled on homemade tomato soup. Never buy Campbell’s again. Freezes well. And come a cold winter’s day, California Dreamin’, did I tell you I grew up on a SoCal beach? soup, alongside a BLT. Oh my. That’s non-partisan at its best.
But if my wife were Sue, I’d say I was Running Around again.
My aim here is that the voice needs to be consistent on core values, but tailored to the audience. It can still stand up, because it’s true: affordable food and groceries in a small rural town means exactly the same thing as affordable food in an affluent major city, as well as in a hardship community. But the methods of achieving it are different. The message can be the same, affordable groceries, but the solutions are not one-size-fits-all. And the message has to say that too.
One example: in my area we have a commercial chain of privately owned outlets called Grocery Outlet, usually found in college towns. They specialize in bulk-buying slow sellers from distributors at a discount, then selling with that discount passed along. Each store is privately owned, a franchise.
My message: RINO, Democratic Socialist, Democrat, or Independent, with or without an uppercase “I”, we may really all want the same thing in the end. But the solutions will be different from each other, because they have to be.
When someone calls you a communist, a radical, or worse, maybe the retort, and there should be a retort, is: “No, I’m not the label you just called me. I’m a representative of Rural Michigan, looking to provide my constituents the best services I can.” Feel free to replace “rural” and “Michigan” with whatever’s appropriate to you.
How about we ship snowshoes to Mar-a-Lago?
After all, Isn’t that what MAGA is trying to do? Make us all wear the same same thing, the same size? Doesn’t sound like freedom to me.
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The King Is Dead — Long Live The Vance?
The king is dead, long live the king. Or is it long live The Vance?
Are we really ready for The Vance? Big question. I’ve been waffling on this one as much as Taco Donny waffles on an Article 25. Keep the known putz, or hand the keys to the non-senile conniver waiting in the wings? Not an easy choice.
There’s a real argument for simply neutering the king until 2028 and cleaning house then. Yes, it would be painful to wait. But maybe less painful than living through The Vance.
Here’s the real argument against him. He’s the true believer Trump never was. More disciplined. Younger. Genuinely ideological in ways Trump simply isn’t — Trump wants applause, Vance wants outcomes. That combination is more durable and more dangerous than anything Trump has ever managed to be.
That scares me.
I don’t believe he cares about us any more than Trump does. Everything he’s done up to this point says it’s all about The Vance. I have never once heard him put forward an actual plan — even when he was running for VP, he was a yes man. I know that’s practically a job requirement in this administration, but I never expected it to be the entire resume.
We have better. On both sides of the aisle. But The Vance has the microphone and the spotlight right now.
I suspect Trump is quietly setting him up to take the fall on Iran. But nobody’s watching closely enough to fall for it — not even the most committed MAGA voter is that gullible. Sorry, Donny.
I’ll admit I’m surprised I haven’t seen more movement from him and Rubio. Not sure what they’re waiting for, unless they’re still giving the MAGA base far more credit than it deserves. My honest read, for whatever an old man’s observation is worth — if either of them publicly distanced themselves from MAGA right now, the rest of the Republican party would carry them through the streets on their shoulders.
We’ve watched The Vance flip flop more times than I can count. He called Trump “cultural heroin.” He called him “reprehensible.” Then he slithered right into the VP slot anyway. I will never forgive him for promoting election denial-ism or for downplaying January 6th. If that’s genuinely who he is, I don’t want him anywhere near the Oval Office. And if it was all lip service to get the job — then grow a spine and be your own man. Either way, I have real trouble seeing the qualities of a Commander in Chief in there.
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Reclaim the Name — Or Get a New One, Or let’s get Horny – Video
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Let me ask you a question. Do you want this to be a one party government?
Think hard before you answer. Because if we stay the course we’re on, that’s exactly where we’ll end up. And if we kick the current fools out and hand everything to the Democrats, that’s where we’ll end up too. Just with different furniture in the same room.
MAGA has put a stink on the Republican Party that no skunk could ever equal. It’s going to take decades to wash it off. So what do we do?
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And you want to know something almost funny? Donny used to be a Democrat. Yes. A card carrying member of the party he now calls COMMIE. They dodged his bullet somehow. You got crapped on instead.
So where does that leave us?
Dark Money, the big PAC money, Citizens United, the Federalist Society machinery, has heavily invested in the two party system and isn’t going anywhere regardless of what happens to MAGA. They’ll pull something out of their hat or somewhere close to their back pockets. Far right groups, far left groups, same game different jerseys. Maybe they’ll call it MAGA 2.0. It will still smell the same.
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Reclaim the name. Or get a new one.
The RINO label was meant to shame you into silence or compliance. It did neither permanently. You’re still here. The party you believed in is still worth believing in, fiscal responsibility, limited government, fair elections, reasonable conservatism that doesn’t require burning anything down.
If the Republican name is too stained to salvage, get a new one. And if you want a suggestion, keep the RINO. Just put an H in it. A Rhino is a thick skinned, large horned animal that doesn’t move for anything and has been around for fifty million years.
That’s a considerably fiercer mascot than whatever crawled out of Mar-a-Lago.
Get a little Horny in the process/
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Reclaim the Name — Or Get a New One, Or let’s get Horny
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- activism, Commentary, Daily, or my first cup of coffee, Midterms then 2028, Politics, Voting Rights
Let me ask you a question. Do you want this to be a one party government?
Think hard before you answer. Because if we stay the course we’re on, that’s exactly where we’ll end up. And if we kick the current fools out and hand everything to the Democrats, that’s where we’ll end up too. Just with different furniture in the same room.
MAGA has put a stink on the Republican Party that no skunk could ever equal. It’s going to take decades to wash it off. So what do we do?
Here’s something worth remembering. The RINOs, Republicans in Name Only, as Second String Donny so helpfully labeled them, were never really MAGA to begin with. They got saddled with the yoke through lies and promises and a very effective campaign of misinformation. They saw through the BS pretty quickly. The trouble is, as I said, what about the smell now? It clings whether you earned it or not.
“Republican In Name Only” was one of the most effective political hijackings in modern history. Trump took an entire established political party, rebranded everyone who disagreed with him as frauds and traitors, and walked off with the deed to the building. The real Republicans, the ones who believed in fiscal responsibility, limited government, and fair play, suddenly found themselves homeless in their own house.
And you want to know something almost funny? Donny used to be a Democrat. Yes. A card carrying member of the party he now calls COMMIE. They dodged his bullet somehow. You got crapped on instead.
So where does that leave us?
Dark Money, the big PAC money, Citizens United, the Federalist Society machinery, has heavily invested in the two party system and isn’t going anywhere regardless of what happens to MAGA. They’ll pull something out of their hat or somewhere close to their back pockets. Far right groups, far left groups, same game different jerseys. Maybe they’ll call it MAGA 2.0. It will still smell the same.
Which means the real Republicans, the ones who got bamboozled and are now standing in the wreckage wondering what happened to the party they grew up with, have a decision to make.
Here’s what I think needs to happen. Not all at once. Not easily. But it needs to start now.
First, state election laws need to change. Not the way Trump’s Save America Steal the Election Act wants to change them. The other direction. Did you know Texas only gives a third party candidate thirty days after the primary to gather signatures to get on the ballot? Thirty days. That’s not a level playing field. That’s a locked door with a sign that says use other entrance. And Texas is not the only state doing it. Not by a long shot.
Second, look up Ranked Choice Voting. Read about it. Don’t take my word for it. Don’t take anyone else’s word against it either. RBV lets voters rank candidates in order of preference so your vote isn’t wasted if your first choice doesn’t make the cut. It can help address the Electoral College problem, reduce the stranglehold of the two party system, and give third party candidates a fighting chance without the spoiler effect. It won’t fix everything. But it fixes some important things.
Third, and this one’s for the real Republicans specifically.
Reclaim the name. Or get a new one.
The RINO label was meant to shame you into silence or compliance. It did neither permanently. You’re still here. The party you believed in is still worth believing in, fiscal responsibility, limited government, fair elections, reasonable conservatism that doesn’t require burning anything down.
If the Republican name is too stained to salvage, get a new one. And if you want a suggestion, keep the RINO. Just put an H in it. A Rhino is a thick skinned, large horned animal that doesn’t move for anything and has been around for fifty million years.
That’s a considerably fiercer mascot than whatever crawled out of Mar-a-Lago.
Get a little Horny in the process/
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It’s Now or Never – Video
Before we go any further, here’s something most people don’t know.
MAGA, Make America Great Again, didn’t start with Donald Trump. Ronald Reagan used the phrase “Let’s Make America Great Again” in his 1980 campaign against Jimmy Carter. It appeared on buttons, posters, and in speeches. Bill Clinton used a version of it in 1992. It was, at one point, genuinely inspiring, a call to something better, not a permission slip for something worse.
It took Donald Trump to turn it into a pun. A sick joke. Like only Donny could do.
So let’s play with the letters, since we’re apparently stuck with them:
The Dark Version — what MAGA actually delivered:
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MAGA – Make America Grift Again
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MAGA – Make America Gullible Again
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MAFA – Make America Fear Again (or Fart Again, if you watched Trump leap from the Oil Barons conference and rush to the window)
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The RINOs are the true Republicans. Not the posers. Not the ones who poisoned the hopes of so many for so little.
It’s still only four letters. And if we’re going to be stuck with four letters, let’s see what happens when we throw out the G and try again:
The Hopeful Version — what we could actually build:
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MARA – Make America Rational Again
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MASA – Make America Sane Again
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I’m placing my money on the belief that the American voter is ready to face actual issues. Ready to turn their backs on slogans and false promises.
But if you need evidence of how poorly the real MAGA is doing, here’s a little experiment. Go to X, formerly Twitter, now Elon’s personal propaganda machine. Find any “Trump is my savior” post. See all those accounts praising the mighty pumpkin? Click on one of their avatars, then click the three dots, the one on the left.
Surprise.
That hottie is a bot. Running from a server in Pakistan, Asia, Africa, or Eastern Europe. The praise is robot code. The followers are purchased fiction. And every fake account is making Elon a fortune while making Trump look beloved.
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Don’t get fooled by four letters again. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.
In the words of the one and only true King —
It’s Now or Never.
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Three Independent Governor Candidates – 06/20/2026
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What Do We Need? (A Question Asked Mid-Toke) – Video
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So much to think about. My brain hurts.
What does this wonderful country need in a President? What do I need in a President? Are those even two different questions? Can they be the same thing?
I’ll be honest, I’m out back, enjoying something local again. Enquiring minds need to know.
So what do we actually need? Big question, if I do say so myself. And I’m here to tell you, yes, why me? Because apparently I’m the only one asking. Just me and my doobie.
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This is a post that’s going to take on many forms in the months ahead. All I really want to accomplish today is getting you to start asking the same question I’m asking, what do you think we actually need, and to stop listening to the BS in the meantime.
Okay by you?
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What Do We Need? (A Question Asked Mid-Toke)
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- Daily, or my first cup of coffee, Midterms then 2028, Politics, purple, Real Men, View From 1964
So much to think about. My brain hurts.
What does this wonderful country need in a President? What do I need in a President? Are those even two different questions? Can they be the same thing?
I’ll be honest, I’m out back, enjoying something local again. Enquiring minds need to know.
So what do we actually need? Big question, if I do say so myself. And I’m here to tell you, yes, why me? Because apparently I’m the only one asking. Just me and my doobie.
Well , I’m in Oregon. What’s that? You’re in North Carolina? Well, fudge. That plan just went right out the window. What’s best for me may not be what’s best for you. Maybe that’s exactly why we have state governments. Could be. What do you think? Is that why we’re called a Republic in the first place? Fancy that.
Now, a quick detour into Trump bashing. How much money and energy has that fool spent trying to punish blue states simply because they didn’t vote for him? What a waste of presidential energy. But what do you expect from Second String Donny? Okay. Trump bashing over. Doobie’s out.
Let’s make this even more confusing.
I live in a suburb close to wine country and farmland, but also close to the big metro. Almost all of Oregon is fishing, timber, hunting, or farming, yet nearly every political decision in this state gets made by the blue, because the population centers are Portland, Eugene, Salem, and Corvallis. College towns, every one of them. So the majority of the money and the decision-making gets structured around housing, homelessness, drugs, and freeways, while the rest of the state quietly picks up the bill.
Doesn’t sound very fair, does it?
Now zoom that out to the national scale and you start to understand a real piece of the division we’re living through. Too many decisions get built around the needs of the masses in the cities, while rural communities pick up the tab, if not in coin, then in grain.
I’ve oversimplified the problem here, deliberately, just to make the point land. But I think the point landed anyway.
So let’s simplify the original question. Who, or what, do we actually want for our next President, other than a golf hack with an ego problem and an image obsession?
I’ll be looking for someone who genuinely recognizes diversity and understands that micromanagement from Washington is a fool’s errand they have no business attempting. I’ll be looking for candidates who understand that the answer for New York isn’t the answer for Phoenix, and who are willing to let each region work out its own problems, asking for federal help only when it’s actually needed. I’ll be looking for candidates who believe in a strong military as a deterrent, not a submissive club to be quietly dismantled or weaponized for personal grievance.
This is a post that’s going to take on many forms in the months ahead. All I really want to accomplish today is getting you to start asking the same question I’m asking, what do you think we actually need, and to stop listening to the BS in the meantime.
Okay by you?
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It’s Now or Never
Before we go any further, here’s something most people don’t know.
MAGA, Make America Great Again, didn’t start with Donald Trump. Ronald Reagan used the phrase “Let’s Make America Great Again” in his 1980 campaign against Jimmy Carter. It appeared on buttons, posters, and in speeches. Bill Clinton used a version of it in 1992. It was, at one point, genuinely inspiring, a call to something better, not a permission slip for something worse.
It took Donald Trump to turn it into a pun. A sick joke. Like only Donny could do.
So let’s play with the letters, since we’re apparently stuck with them:
The Dark Version — what MAGA actually delivered:
-
MAGA – Make America Grift Again
-
MAGA – Make America Gullible Again
-
MAFA – Make America Fear Again (or Fart Again, if you watched Trump leap from the Oil Barons conference and rush to the window)
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MADA – Make America Divided Again
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MAHA – Make America Hate Again
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MARA – Make America Rage Again
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MASA – Make America Stupid Again
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MABA – Make America Broke Again
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MAWA – Make America Weak Again
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MAIA – Make America Ignorant Again
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MAPA – Make America Paranoid Again
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MALA – Make America Laughable Again
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MAOA – Make America Obnoxious Again
It’s sad to watch something that started out inspiring curdle into a joke, and then watch that joke poison an entire political party. MAGA and the Republican Party are not the same thing. But what do you do when powerful people claim the brand, hijack the name, and disenfranchise millions in the process? What do you do when the people on the hill collecting $175,000 a year in what amounts to a paid vacation have traded their constituents for their own greed and insecurities?
The RINOs are the true Republicans. Not the posers. Not the ones who poisoned the hopes of so many for so little.
It’s still only four letters. And if we’re going to be stuck with four letters, let’s see what happens when we throw out the G and try again:
The Hopeful Version — what we could actually build:
-
MARA – Make America Rational Again
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MASA – Make America Sane Again
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MAHA – Make America Humble Again
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MAJA – Make America Joyful Again
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MAWA – Make America Weird Again (in a fun way)
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MAVA – Make America Vibrant Again
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MAEA – Make America Excellent Again
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MAYA – Make America Youthful Again
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MATA – Make America Trumpless Again (well, I can hope)
I’m writing this because I hate slogans. I think they’re traps. Tools for lying to people efficiently. But we seem to be stuck with them, so this is both a warning and a suggestion.
If you see someone in a red baseball cap with four letters on it, my first suggestion is to walk away. Or politely tell them to take the stupid hat off. That goes for the purple cap I show on Elephants Ink Room too. It’s a gimmick. They’re all gimmicks. And if a hat color is all it takes to get your vote, heaven help us.
I’m placing my money on the belief that the American voter is ready to face actual issues. Ready to turn their backs on slogans and false promises.
But if you need evidence of how poorly the real MAGA is doing, here’s a little experiment. Go to X, formerly Twitter, now Elon’s personal propaganda machine. Find any “Trump is my savior” post. See all those accounts praising the mighty pumpkin? Click on one of their avatars, then click the three dots, the one on the left.
Surprise.
That hottie is a bot. Running from a server in Pakistan, Asia, Africa, or Eastern Europe. The praise is robot code. The followers are purchased fiction. And every fake account is making Elon a fortune while making Trump look beloved.
That’s how well the slogan is actually working.
I am not here to insult anyone. I am genuinely trying to get someone, anyone, to understand that the Democrats are not automatically the answer either. I do not want anyone walking into the Oval Office with the same unbridled, assumed power Trump believes he has and the Roberts Court has foolishly led him to think he deserves. The reins need to be pulled in while we still have hands on them.
Don’t get fooled by four letters again. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.
In the words of the one and only true King —
It’s Now or Never.
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Did I Lose You? Let Me Try Again. – Video
A follow-up for anyone who missed the point the first time
So I wrote this cool and informative piece — Why is Trump Desperate to Pass the SAVE America Act? — and I listed all the reasons the Wolf wants to eat the sheep. Really pretty comprehensive, if I do say so myself.
Then, a few days later, word starts drifting back through the grapevine. People asking, “well, so what?” What does any of that have to do with anything? Old people shouldn’t have franchises anyway.
W — T — Fudge.
It appears something may have flown a little too high, or maybe some readers were a little too high. After all, it was only ten days after the 4th, and after watching Trump stumping in his own honor in the July heat, I probably should have still been a little elevated myself.
So. Doobie out. Paying attention? Let’s go over the cryptic points one more time.
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And no. You are definitely not invited to the Ballroom Gala.
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Secretary Read Pushes Back on DHS Secretary Mullin’s Newest Threats Against Election Workers
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The other side is the enemy, and now that side has morphed into evil Commies. It’s McCarthyism again. – Video
There is one action in politics that remains a standard: fear and hate. Even though this morning didn’t start off with the intent to write anything on tactics, I made the mistake of reading the Substack feeds I subscribe to. Probably because I have, unlike almost all of you, lived through it once before, one paragraph from one commentary stood up and slapped me across the face. It’s McCarthyism.
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This is a part of history that should be both forgotten and never forgotten, as the lessons to be learned are invaluable.
The paragraph that sparked my tapping fingers came from someone else who lived through the same era, Robert Reich, in his piece “Why Is He Using the Communist Trump Card?”
Has Trump run out of cards? We know he isn’t playing with a full deck.
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I could go on, but if you’ve been paying attention at all, there’s no need. Just don’t get distracted into a resurgence of McCarthyism. No matter how you spell it, it always boils down to diversion, distraction, fear, and hate — Trump’s aces, all up his sleeve.
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The other side is the enemy, and now that side has morphed into evil Commies. It’s McCarthyism again.
There is one action in politics that remains a standard: fear and hate. Even though this morning didn’t start off with the intent to write anything on tactics, I made the mistake of reading the Substack feeds I subscribe to. Probably because I have, unlike almost all of you, lived through it once before, one paragraph from one commentary stood up and slapped me across the face. It’s McCarthyism.
In the 1950s, post-World War II, Senator Joe McCarthy championed the Communist Scare. If you weren’t a Republican, you were a Communist. McCarthy ruined, again, RUINED, the lives of so many good people with hate talk at the time. We were raw from a war, Russia was a threat, and idiots like McCarthy used that threat as a sounding board to push his own agenda.
This is a part of history that should be both forgotten and never forgotten, as the lessons to be learned are invaluable.
The paragraph that sparked my tapping fingers came from someone else who lived through the same era, Robert Reich, in his piece “Why Is He Using the Communist Trump Card?”
Has Trump run out of cards? We know he isn’t playing with a full deck. I think, and this is my opinion, he is losing, and the writing is on the wall. And what has always been the Trump playbook: look down, don’t look up. Whatever is wrong is someone else’s fault, and only he can fix it. That’s looking a little weak these days, so, as usual, he’s throwing stuff out to see what sticks to the wall.
“The other side is the enemy, and now that side has morphed into evil Commies, since you no longer believe it’s the immigrants, or whatever I last told you was at fault. And whatever you do, don’t look at me. What, me? Not me.” That’s how I hear it.
I could go on, but if you’ve been paying attention at all, there’s no need. Just don’t get distracted into a resurgence of McCarthyism. No matter how you spell it, it always boils down to diversion, distraction, fear, and hate — Trump’s aces, all up his sleeve.
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Bye Bye Trump – Video
It’s pretty clear the days of Trump are numbered, and not in the hundreds. Who’s to blame? Why, the putz himself. Hey, Donny, just look in the mirror.
But I’m not here to bash the fallen. Others are doing that quite well already. I’d just be more noise in a very loud room, and my voice gets hoarse trying to be heard above the cheering section.
So where does that leave the Republicans?
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Don’t underestimate them either.
A quick note, all of our commentary and articles at elephantsinkroom.com are sorted by category for your convenience. If dark money interests you, click the Conspiracy Theories and Dark Money menu. I really do try to stay non-partisan, as long as I’m allowed to bash Trump along the way.
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These truly are interesting times we live in.
Don’t let the door hit you on the way out.
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Bye Bye Trump
It’s pretty clear the days of Trump are numbered, and not in the hundreds. Who’s to blame? Why, the putz himself. Hey, Donny, just look in the mirror.
But I’m not here to bash the fallen. Others are doing that quite well already. I’d just be more noise in a very loud room, and my voice gets hoarse trying to be heard above the cheering section.
So where does that leave the Republicans?
I know they’ve been painted as the evil empire that destroyed the republic. They aren’t. They’re the cowards who let MAGA drag them down with it. There’s a difference, even if it doesn’t feel like much comfort right now. But conservatism will live on. And if you think liberals are about to rise triumphant and rule unopposed, guess again.
Life isn’t that easy. It never is.
Oh, they’ll sweep the midterms. That’s a given at this point. Trump is toast. But the Federalist Society, Project 2025, Leonard Leo, they aren’t going anywhere. And neither is their money.
Read that again. Neither is their money.
And here’s something worth knowing — the dark money game isn’t a one sided affair either. There are plenty of well funded, well organized machines operating quietly on the left, and they’re no more transparent or benevolent than the ones on the right. Liberals have the ACS, formerly the Madison Society for Law and Policy. Never heard of them? That’s rather the point. They just operate a little quieter.
Don’t underestimate them either.
A quick note, all of our commentary and articles at elephantsinkroom.com are sorted by category for your convenience. If dark money interests you, click the Conspiracy Theories and Dark Money menu. I really do try to stay non-partisan, as long as I’m allowed to bash Trump along the way.
Bye bye, Trump. You did this to yourself. I suspect you did it to MAGA too, and I won’t miss them. They spent years insisting you’re either with us or you’re a RINO, when the truth is they had their heads buried somewhere unpleasant the whole time.
Most Republicans, not the cowards in Congress with something to hide, but the average American Republican, the conservative who actually believes in fair play and reasonable government — still exist. Even though they’re increasingly forced to call themselves independents just to avoid the stink. But they’re still here.
So here’s my real question, the one I don’t have an answer to yet.
With Trump gone and MAGA weakened, two groups of people have to make a move, and I genuinely don’t know which way either one goes.
Group One, the RINOs, the real Republicans. Do they stay independent permanently? That’s a massive question with massive electoral consequences. A lot of people. A lot of votes, looking for a home.
Group Two, call it Project 2025 for shorthand. The PACs, Citizens United infrastructure, the Federalist Society, the hard right with billions behind it. What do they do? Do they make the fool’s choice and try to keep MAGA on life support? Do they quietly realign with mainstream conservatism and rebuild the base from the center out? Or do they start something entirely new?
These truly are interesting times we live in.
The Day After the Midterms
Midterms. Oh, those midterms.
We have to give the midterms to the Democrats. That’s a given. Not because we love the Democrats — but because MAGA has screwed the pooch so badly that there’s no other responsible choice left. Notice I said MAGA, not Republicans, although the ones currently sitting in Congress should be ashamed to carry that label much longer.
RINOs — stand up. Fight back. You are not Republicans in Name Only. Yes, you’ll lose voting power in November. But be glad about it. This is the moment to shed MAGA, shed the Christian Nationalists, shed the far right extremist wing, and let the moderate conversation breathe again for the first time in a decade.
Here’s something worth knowing. The largest voting bloc in this country isn’t a party at all. Dark money is terrified of them, which is exactly why state election processes have been quietly rigged to make it nearly impossible for them to have a real say in any primary — the stage where the two final candidates actually get decided.
Over 45 percent of all voters identify as independent. My guess — and it’s a confident one — is that most of them are moderates. Moderate Republicans. Moderate Democrats. Purple, not extreme. But our choices keep getting forced on us by the extremes on both ends, while the actual majority gets left standing outside the room.
Off the soapbox and back to the midterms.
We give the midterms to the Democrats. Good choice, because we have to. We need to neuter an administration causing this much uncontrolled damage. To put it bluntly — the current administration doesn’t give a damn about us. Period.
But that doesn’t mean we’re stuck with what comes next by default.
The day after the midterms is the day all of us start planning for 2028. That’s the day we decide where this actually goes — conservative, liberal, moderate. The choice belongs to the people, not to the machinery that’s been making it for them.
Maybe, finally, people will actually think about what they’re voting for. After this entire fiasco, maybe folks stop believing the campaign promises, the rhetoric, the “two weeks” timelines that never arrive, the lunacy about pets being eaten for dinner. Maybe they realize it was never a joke worth laughing at — it was just stupidity wearing a microphone. And maybe, just maybe, they stop voting the party line out of habit.
Are you ready for the biggest decision of our lives?
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