I just watched the debate between Tim Kaine and Corey Stewart. I found Corey to be Hobbesian in the extreme in his answers, i.e. nasty, brutish, and short, as least as far as the facts were concerned. However, and I say this as someone who is devoting my time to HELP Kaine and Flaccavento  get elected on NOV 6th in Virginia, Corey Stewart owned the debate. He turned it away from a  debate between two people running for office in Virginia and into a referendum on support for Donald Trump. Kaine seemed either unable or unwilling to stop this, and so rather than being able to do a back and forth debate on his positions or policies, was forced into a showdown over his (lack of) support of  Trump. When Kaine attempted in vain to show that he had in fact worked with the administration on a variety of policies, for how could he NOT-that’s his JOB as a U.S. Senator and ranking member of several committees, Stewart steamrolled over his answers and kept up  his drumbeat of Kaine being “a weak ultra-liberal who takes his marching orders from Chuck Shumer, Nancy Pelosi, and Hillary Clinton.” I’m merely surprised that George Soros never got mentioned. Perhaps he’s saving George for later.

The audience (The Virginia Bar Association) ate Corey’s little heap o’ Trump right up. They even booed Tim Kaine, one of the nicest and most decent guys I’ve ever met. And I fear that this WILL CONTINUE TO HAPPEN.  The rules have changed, you see, and a lot of liberal Democrats haven’t caught up. I’m NOT saying we play by Trump’s rules and engage in this sort of gaslighting, what-aboutism, deflection, and flat-out lying. But I AM desperately saying that we NEED TO LEARN WHAT THEY ARE DOING!!! Study George Lakeoff, for example. (The Blue Book is an excellent introduction.) Listen to his webinars and videos on idea-framing. and other concepts. Amanda Carpenter is another person, not nearly as academic but still very good, who has written on Trump’s technique…she is a REPUBLICAN. (The book is Gaslighting America: Why We Love When Trump Lies To Us.)

We keep thinking that if we point out the flaws in their arguments, the contradictions in their statements, or their actual lies, that this is going to change hearts and minds. For the few out there that are primarily cerebral, perhaps this is effective. But this is not what the game is about any longer-to our opponents. They have have given up on the whole reason and logic front altogether and moved to occupy tribalism and emotional satisfaction instead. But damn,  they do this SO WELL! (I mean, if a person living here on Disability REALLY contemplated it, he might have to admit that Trump is one of the very elites he claims to despise and has zero in common with ANYONE living in Appalachia.) But it’s not about that. It’s about how rooting for Trump makes them FEEL. Do people REALLY think a border wall is going to happen or will actually work? Well, no, not really. But it definitely FEELS right and good to say (or chant with your buddies), “Build that wall! Build that wall!” And it’s a heck of a lot easier to say (and think about) than “enact sensible immigration policies that will give us a coherent system for dealing with people who are seeking asylum and those who wish to come for other reasons  economic and cultural and climate-related and oh, do something too to help conditions in the countries that they are leaving” .

Okay, Back from my tangent. The point I’m trying to make is that I fear a LOT of good Democrats are STILL missing the point. I want these people to WAKE UP. Otherwise, I fear I will awaken on Nov. 6th to find my beloved state of Virginia a blue bastion no longer: Tim Kaine loses to Corey Stewart; Anthony Flaccavento loses to Morgan Griffith; and in my nightmares, 2020 rolls around and America gets Donald J. Trump and ilk for another 4 years or worse. PLEASE STOP THIS!!!

At first read, this story sounds like an NRA ad come true: two good guys with guns save the day when they come to  the aid and kill a bad guy with a gun. But upon further perusal, you quickly realize that by the admittance of all involved (except the bad guy-he’s dead), this was a narrowly-avoided clusterf&ck. Here’s what happened:

A shooter approached a restaurant in OKC and opened fire upon its front. The first good guy hears the gunfire, arms, and goes to the scene of the shooting. The second good guy happened to be driving past and stopped to see what was transpiring. When he was told of a shooter, HE arms himself and proceeds to the scene. So. You have the shooter. Good guy one. And good guy two. They concurrently decide the original shooter is the bad guy and shout at him to disarm. When he fails to comply, they open fire. The bad guy dies of multiple gunshot wounds. But not before the police arrive, to find THREE guys with guns on the scene. The bad guy is down by now. But the police, exercising due diligence, handcuff all three and take all men into custody to sort out who is who. The good guys are eventually released. The bad guy, as previously reported, dies. No-one else was hurt during the incident.

But just consider the possibilities! The good guys stated that that THEY have done so, and that it was purely a matter of luck that they didn’t mistake each OTHER for the shooter. So, just think about this. Now you have two people who are shooting at each other by mistake; an active shooter who still might intent on his original plan of action, so he is still shooting. The risk of casualties, intended or accidental, has just risen greatly. Then add to this the arrival of the police, who are of course ALSO guys with guns. How are they supposed to ID the bad guys with guns from the good guys with guns? (Hats? Idk….) In any case, I’m saying that this is getting to be WAY too many guys with guns. (And please please please don’t tell me the answer is to arm everyone. It’s too late at night for me to even begin to address THAT argument.) If the idea is to keep everyone safer, and that WAS the original intent of the whole guns-thing, this does not seem like a sensible way to be managing it. Unless we’ve changed the intent and it’s now just to protect GUNS, not people.

With the recent two Supreme Court Decisions, I am most disheartened. I DID see a news clip of a rabbi (haven’t been able to find out who he was) saying something to the effect of “If you want to come after someone, come after me, you sons-of-a bitch!” Good for him! But those groups calling so LOUDLY for “religious liberty” protections? Well, OF COURSE they were celebrating the victory they got with the decision concerning what information a “medical provider” is obliged to give a women about her options when going to a crisis pregnancy center. (In case you don’t know, these places are usually run by antiabortion Christian groups. They will provide a minimum of care to the woman until she gives birth , persuade her to give the baby up for adoption or keep it-ONLY OPTIONS, then she is on her own  and SOL.)  But concerning the treatment of immigrants and the travel ban, which largely affects those from Muslim countries? Deafening silence. So. I propose they just come clean. Stop with all the trumpeting about “religious liberties,” when what they mean is protection for CHRISTIAN values, particularly those of an esp. conservative bent. After all, the POTUS has been saying outright things which should have beyond the pale  and apparently gets a mulligan every time from values voters. So hey, let’s just hear y’all start telling the truth!