Flake is out.

Whelp, I’d like to think that Flake’s speech will be another flake in the avalanche of effective criticism rolling towards Trump.

But if I know Trump supporters, they’ll just take his announcement as another monster turned out of the swamp. Just another indicator that Trump is just a symptom of the unhinged feeding frenzy in the right wing that is consuming its own as it becomes even more extreme.

Sad.

Still, pretty damn good speech and it sounds like he might not be so cooperative for the next year now that he doesn’t have to be beholden to the GOP.

A girl can dream.

Here are the money quotes:

In this century, a new phrase has entered the language to describe the accommodation of a new and undesirable order — that phrase being “the new normal.” But we must never adjust to the present coarseness of our national dialogue — with the tone set at the top.

We must never regard as “normal” the regular and casual undermining of our democratic norms and ideals. We must never meekly accept the daily sundering of our country – the personal attacks, the threats against principles, freedoms, and institutions, the flagrant disregard for truth or decency, the reckless provocations, most often for the pettiest and most personal reasons, reasons having nothing whatsoever to do with the fortunes of the people that we have all been elected to serve.

None of these appalling features of our current politics should ever be regarded as normal. We must never allow ourselves to lapse into thinking that this is just the way things are now. If we simply become inured to this condition, thinking that this is just politics as usual, then heaven help us. Without fear of the consequences, and without consideration of the rules of what is politically safe or palatable, we must stop pretending that the degradation of our politics and the conduct of some in our executive branch are normal. They are not normal.

Reckless, outrageous, and undignified behavior has become excused and countenanced as “telling it like it is,” when it is actually just reckless, outrageous, and undignified.

And when such behavior emanates from the top of our government, it is something else: It is dangerous to a democracy. Such behavior does not project strength — because our strength comes from our values. It instead projects a corruption of the spirit, and weakness.

******************************************

Packing up my stuff and heading out, slogging through the remainder of the Trump year, may it ever be so short, and dreaming of better things and sweeter music.

Sweet home Alabama.

The latest fivethirtyeight podcast focuses on races in Virginia and Alabama. Virginia is probably not a bellwether state but Alabama very well could be.

Democrat Doug Jones is running against liberal teeth kicker former judge Roy Moore. Moore is like Joe Arpaio. Not particularly concerned with the niceties that get between him and good old ass kicking Old Testament retribution. He’s got the alpha male contingent all locked up.

Jones is running like a real Democrat. Yeah! Fancy that! In Alabama no less. How did he do it? Did the consultants give him one of the standard “act like you’re running for student council” packages complete with party obscuring websites and yard signs? Did he look at it and say “fuck that shit, I’m running as a liberal”?

Can we craft an effective campaign ad for Jones? It might go something like this:

“Hi, I’m Doug Jones and I’m running for the US senate as a Democrat. And here’s why: after you get your jollies voting Boaty McBoatface into office to make the libtards scream and the snowflakes have a sad, Roy Moore is going to vote to make Medicare almost worthless to you. He’s going to vote to make it harder for you to retire by reducing contributions you want to make to the paltry 401k you got to $2400/year. He’s going to make it easier for you to knock up your girlfriend and pay for the next 18 years.

Now, for sure he’ll make it 10x worse for black people and gay people and women. But do you really think he cares about what happens to some poor white good ol’ boy? He’s going to vote the same way as all them other sumbitches in the swamp and if there are enough of them, they’re going to rape you.

Right now, YOU are outnumbered. There’s nothing to stop them from doing whatever they want. Except for me.

Y’all have a nice day now. Go, Crimson Tide”