Newsletter 7: Trump Voters Set to Meet Reality

Coming Budget Cuts | More Lies Dissected | Still Putin's Bitch | Cabin Fever Binges

Hello all,

I hope this Sunday (or whenever you open this email) finds you well, and trying to get into some sort of a rhythm of taking in events, doing things you love with people you love, and not letting the deluge control your central nervous system to the point of shutting down and tuning out.

Know that that’s exactly what they want you to do.

So, try to find some balance in your equilibrium that keeps you aware, sane, and ready for what’s ahead.

Writing this, and the additional stuff on the publication, has been cathartic for me. That said, shit still hits me. Last week it was the initial purge of the military. I’ve written (and deeply believe) that a decapitation of the military is a real sign that we are taking the full-on Dictatorship fork in the road.

But, with that to be seen and so many things in legal limbo, I decided to try to look ahead a bit — anticipating that federal worker cuts will happen one way or the other, and expecting a Republican budget (if they can pass one) that has cuts like we’ve never seen before.

Onward!

A Tale of Two Graphics

Killing the Deep State

The right wing of the Republican Party (now MAGA) has spent decades demonizing federal works. From countless hours of attacks from Rush and Glenn to any of the popular anchors at Fox and deeper in the muck, it’s just been beaten into hard-core consumers that federal workers are terrible. They’re lazy, inept, and even more under Trump, evil people at the heart of a nefarious Deep State.

Look, I’m not here to defend the federal government as anywhere near perfect. Like any large corporation it has its issues, and as a bureaucracy likely more than most private companies. We’ve all heard stories of cost overruns, redundant processes, and outdated systems. As someone who believes the federal government plays a vital role in our society, I have always been for reforms that could improve the efficiency of our government.

But, understand that efficiency isn’t what’s behind DOGE even if the word is in the acronym. What is going on is vengeance cuts against departments Republicans don’t like with no oversight or plan and bottom-line savings meant to blunt the deficit explosion from upcoming tax cuts for corporations and rich people.

Most of the Maga-verse has been so conditioned about federal workers that they think of them as all in D.C., sipping some foreign-named coffee and trying to take away their freedoms. They reality is, tons and tons of federal workers are spread across this country. Even if these MAGA folks know a federal worker in their town or city, they simply don’t put two and two together.

They soon will.

It’s not just the federal workers in their communities losing their livelihoods, it’s the services that they provide. Going to national parks for vacation. Getting your small business loan or grant on time. Helping your kid get a student loan. Reaching someone on the phone if your taxes get messed up. Making sure almost everything you touch that might kill you, doesn’t.

Even with just job cuts, there’s a reality coming that is going to bite a bunch of people in the ass.

Killing the Welfare State

The second graphic is a version of something that people like me have been sharing for years. This time it’s about SNAP which provides nutritious food benefits to low-income families. But, with anything that might be considered welfare by MAGA you could produce a map that looks virtually the same, especially in the South.

That’s because Red States (especially the South) have the worst numbers in nearly every category that measures health, economic well-being, and education. The highest infant mortality rates. The lowest graduation rates. The highest crime per capita. The lowest test scores. Want an example? Here’s a recent study that puts all these types of factors together to judge general “well-being” by state. Here’s your top ten, in descending order:

· West Virginia
· Kentucky
· Oklahoma
· Ohio
· Indiana
· Missouri
· Arkansas
· Mississippi
· Louisiana
· Georgia

The irony is that the federal funding keeping these Red States from becoming “shit hole” third-world countries is the tax dollars from Blue States who disproportionally fund them. You know, kind of like welfare.

Trust me, as someone who lived in two of those states, rich white people in the South are all too aware of this reality, regardless of the rhetorical games they play. What they’ve done better than anyone else is to wall off the people that represent that reality, be it extreme political gerrymandering to keep them out of power, to literal fences and walls and police forces who all know the drill.

But, what happens if deep, deep cuts come to the programs that keep people — often majorities — from falling into oblivion?

Personally, I think we need Republicans to do exactly what they want to do to wake millions of apathetic and ignorant people up to reality. But, there’s no pretending that if that happens, we’re in a dangerous situation.

Earlier this week I learned that the Trump regime wants to cut the staff of the Housing and Urban Development in half in a long-ish rant/essay called Killing the Dream of Home Ownership.

“Putting that first home out of reach has had a catastrophic ripple effect throughout the economy. Combined with young people getting married at a later age there’s been a giant spike in rent prices — eliminating years of built equity that a home brings, and pushing the poor out of the rental market and into desperation.”

Spoiler alert: There’s a similar conclusion like what you just read. But, it also includes a very short description of my core political philosophy, if you care. You can read that here.

Anatomy of a Lie II

As promised last week, I added to my talking points on some of the lies being spread that have caught my attention or particularly pissed me off. I added sections on the Republican budget blueprint, DEI and USAID/DOGE. Get the facts here.

But, more importantly I created a nifty graphic that challenged my 9th-grade-level Photoshop skills and really drives home the movie pun at the heart of the series.

Breaking: Trump Still Putin’s Bitch

I couldn’t put this newsletter out this week without writing something about the the grotesque spectacle Trump put on in front of the world with Ukrainian President Zelensky. There’s so much going on in this terrible era, but I think it’s important for us to remember how we got here. You can get a reminder here.

Culture Club: Cabin Fever Picks | Getting the Led Out

What Are You Watching?

When you get together with your friends, what’s one of the first questions that someone brings up? I think many times it’s the subhead up there.

We live in such a fractured media environment with so many streaming services and so many good shows that folks are always on the lookout for their next binge-worthy series.

And if you live in the Northern Hemisphere you might not be seeing friends, which makes this Cabin Fever Season even more critical to find quality shows. I’ve been taking notes of possibly under-the-radar shows for a bit, but keep getting distracted by the damn fascist take-over.

Like the Anatomy of a Lie series, I’m going to make this an ongoing thing. But, for now I’ll just do two quick suggestions, both of which are fun. Which in this day and age isn’t, just, you know, for kids:

The Great
Streaming On: Hulu

It’s a damn tragedy that this absurdist satire only lasted three seasons. Based on the forced marriage of (who would become) Catherine the Great and Peter the Great (both of Russia) it’s a dark joy.

When I say based on a true story, with this, next to nothing but the broad outlines are true. It is so good — just pure wit and debauchery in fantastic setting with a historical backdrop as an excuse for gender dynamics that are very today.

Elle Fanning is grounding and wonderful as Catherine, but it is Nicholas Hoult as Peter who steals the show. Hoult has been in a ton of stuff, but got his start as the boy in About a Boy. Credit to the sharp as shit writing, but this dude just jumps off the screen — mixing entitlement and brutality with a boyish charm an insight.

The entire (and large) supporting cast is top-notch and the setting and production values are the same. It’s a love/hate story for the ages, and it’s a shame they didn’t have one more season to put a bow on it.

Conan Without Borders + Conan O’Brien Must Go
Steaming On: Max + Hulu

Tonight Conan O’Brien is hosting the Academy Awards. I think it’s a big sign that we’re getting to the point that a critical mass of people understand that Conan is in the comedy genius realm.

I’ve known that since he ran with the surrealist Late Night mantle while Dave went more mainstream. From there to TBS to his podcast, he’s really one of the fastest wits I’ve ever seen.

You may have missed both of these series. The premise is pretty much the same: Send Conan somewhere different and let him riff. I think Without Borders is better. Must Go seems a little more contrived in trying to come up with set-pieces. That said, both are well worth burning through.

Oh, shit. I don’t want to disappoint my massive readership. Five more random SNL Sketches added here.

REVIEW: Becoming Led Zeppelin

I went to see this last week with my best friend since high school. That’s appropriate since we both got into Led Zeppelin at the same time. I’m sure he would say he brought them to me, but who knows. He’s traditionally not been on social media but does read this. I’m told he’s on BlueSky, but likely under a porn-bot alias, so good luck getting an answer. Trust me when I say it was me.

But, seriously. If you like or are interested in the monster band that is Led Zeppelin, you’ll like this documentary.

My full review is here.

Sunday Mix: Becoming Zep Deep Dive

I went back-and-forth on what kind of a mix I’d come up with honoring the new Becoming Led Zeppelin documentary. After all, the doc really just covers their first two albums which isn’t that challenging.

Then I found a list of some of the best songs Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones played on as session musicians prior to the band. A few are in the doc, but there are more here.

If I did a mix in chronological order it would be kind of lame, with most of that stuff up front and then Zeppelin I and II songs all at the end. So, I’ve mixed it all together. I think it turned out pretty good.

Have a great week all!

I have no idea what I’m doing next week. I hope there’s some stuff in the news!