An X poster provides the Sunday Funnies. My version isn't amusing. by Hal Brown, MSW

 

Click image to enlarge

On the left is my redition of how his magical supernatural self-healing powers after his ear was blown of it regrew to be the biggest bestest ear ever. On the right is my fake post.

Here's the viral X post about this:

Click above to enlarge

I read an article about this here:

Here's Agent Self's X page.

He also posted "Trump: 'God protected me, but killed my supporter'” and "What kind of piece of shit—thanks 'God Almighty' for sparing his pathetic life, knowing full well, an innocent person took a bullet to the head, and died, from a bullet meant for you… Fuck this dirt bag." 

RawStory wrote that it wasn't clear who created the fake  tweet which had been viewed 1.5 million times. From what I can tell it was Agent Self. I doubt he'd take credit for it if it wasn't him.

His is a well-crafted parody worthy of The Onion:

"It took my entire ear off. The whole ear. But I went to the doctor, and he said, and this is true, he said, you heal faster than anyone I've ever seen. Nobody is healthier than you."

"And the next day, my ear was growing back, and the doctor said, nobody regrows ears like that, and its a really remarkable thing, regrowing an ear like that, most people can't do it. And I know that, because its not me saying this, its the doctor, its everybody saying, just, you're the best at regrowing ears."

You can add me to his 18,100+ followers as of today.

In addtion his own X posts Agent Self reposted numerous other X contributions prompted by his post and replies like these (click to enlarge)

This is a good one from 

Frank Novak

@frankjnovak

It’s really only satire if it basically would be unbelievable that someone would say this. Trump totally would say this so many will believe this, which while funny is totally scary too (that people will instantly believe something)

Here are just a few more screen grabs which you can on click so they are easier to read:

It isn't particularly difficult to superimpose your own text block on an X post or for that mater on a Truth Social post. Mine, below, isn't an attempt at humor..I just tried to take the perilous leap into Trump's mind and write what I thought he might put on Truth Social. (Click to enlarge)

Here's my not funny at all version. Click to enlarge

I made some typos... but then again Trump probably would too.

The Democrats need to show the exit to all of these people. If Biden can't do it another candidate must. By Hal Brown, MSW

 

The costumed or normally attired MAGA's at the RNC and at Trump rallies and those in extremist groups like the man (below) used to illustrate the RawStory article Veteran newsman schools neo-Nazis: 'When I look at you guys, I do not think master race' must be shown the exit. If not our lives, our way of life depends on it.

Above is the photo RawStory used to illustrate their article.

You can read the article and watch the local TV station's video  where the reporter interviews the Neo-Nazis here. It shows a terrified little girl hiding behind her mother as she confronts the Neo-Nazis:

Compare the hand tattoos:

This is how the article concludes:

It was time for me to speak my truth.

"Can I be honest with you guys?"

"You're a loser, scumbag," Minadeo (a Neo-NAZI) responded.

"When I look at you guys, I do not think 'master race.'"

At that point, Boysheim (another Neo-NAZI) interjected, "You're old and about to die. Your time is coming to its end."

In fact, what I saw was a group of wounded, angry men who've never accomplished much in their own lives, looking for someone else to blame.

"You're worse than the Jews," Minedeo shouted.

Again, more of my truth: "I really feel sorry for you guys."

Boysheim shot back, "I don't give a f**k what you feel sorry for. You're going to be in a grave soon, you dumb f**king, sell-off boomer."

Minadeo chimed in, "F**k you, boomer."

As I walked away, I felt an overriding feeling of sadness.

These are really pathetic human beings.

They are the only ones who seem not to know it.

The two last sentences got to me because while these people are particularly pathetic human beings and do not know it, they are no more pathetic than all members of the MAGA movement who without really knowing what it means for the future of American democracy will say they believe in Project 2025. 

In fact if Trump is elected Project 2025 will be today's Mein Kampf.

By the time you read this we may already know whether Biden is going to step down. Hopefully he'll announce this decision at least by Monday so prominent Democrats and Republican anti-Trumpers who have considered him to be a weaker candidate than others can focus instead on wholehearteredly endorsing him.

He won't learn about my advice unless someone with a website that more than the few hundred who read my blog publishes something I write. For example, when we were watching the recent video of Biden walking up the stairs to Air Force One, my partner who sometimes says this to me said "if I were Jill and was by your side I'd be saying to you 'posture, honey, posture' perhaps adding it's only a few more steps until we get inside.'"

Meanwhile I hope that Biden makes the rational and right decision for democracy. For those who don't subscribe to The NY Times below is an excerpt from Maureen Dowd' column today, Lord Almighty, Joe, Let It Go!" I posted an excerpt:

Everyone wants Joe Biden gone.

Even the people who don’t want him gone really want him gone.

“Everyone’s waiting for Joe,” said one top Democrat. “And he’s sitting at home, stewing and saying, ‘What if? What if? What if?’ We’re doing things the Democratic way. We’re botching it.”

I have many happy memories of Rehoboth Beach. I went there growing up and have Proustian recollections of crispy French fries with vinegar sold on the Boardwalk. But now my gladdening images have been replaced by a maddening one: President Biden hunkered down in his house there, recovering from Covid, resisting talking to anyone who will tell him the truth, hoarsely yelling, “Get off my beach!” at the growing list of Democratic lawmakers and donors trying to warn him that he is pulling down his party and the country.

It makes me sad that Biden doesn’t see what’s inescapable: If he doesn’t walk away gracefully right now, he will likely go down as a pariah and ruin his legacy.

The race for the Oval today is between two delusional, selfish, stubborn old guys, and that’s a depressing state of affairs.

Dowd concludes:

Given that Biden said it would take the Lord Almighty to make him drop out, I have no doubt that Pelosi has been using their shared Catholic faith to guilt-trip the president into understanding the stakes, and what she thinks the Lord Almighty would want. Certainly, she might have said, she doesn’t like Trump claiming, as he did this week, that the Lord Almighty is on his side.

Really, what the Democrats need is a thrilling open convention, rather than a coronation. Trump just had one of those, after all.

Here's what Carl Bernstein had to say (reference):

One of the legendary reporters who chronicled the Watergate scandal says an irate President Joe Biden now recognizes he faces long odds to defeat former President Donald Trump — and could announce Monday that he's dropping out of the race. 

Carl Bernstein talked Friday night with CNN's Anderson Cooper on "AC360," and said, "the president himself has now moved from being what was called 'contemplative' about his situation to recognition that it's very unlikely that his candidacy can be sustained."

That's true of his family as well, Bernstein said. Even so, the president feels "angry" and "abandoned" by Democratic leaders, including and most vociferously toward Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.)

Yesterday I wrote Newsom/Whitmer is a made for TV winning ticket. They possess the "it factor" here.

Click above to enlarge image.

 

Read previous blogs here.

Newsom/Whitmer is a made for TV winning ticket. They possess the "it factor," by Hal Brown, MSW

 

Okay, it's an old TV but new flat screen televisions are just boring rectangles. You get the idea from this photo and the one below about what I'm going to write.

Whitmer may not have the Hollywood panache of Julia Louis-Dryfus who is known post-Seinfeld for playing a vice president in Veep, but she still has the "it factor" for a someone who hasn't received more Emmys than any other actress.

This isn't going to be a deep political analysis.  In fact, I don't know much about Gavin Newsom beside his being the governor of California, and aside from her harrowing story about the plot to kidnap her, I don't know much about Michigan governor Grethen Whitmer. 

Nothing here is particularly eye popping. 

Kamala Harris is the logical choice to run if Biden steps down but she just doesn't have the it factor. To the contrary, she has the "not it" factor. I think she'd made a fne president, but too many people don't like her.

Saying someone has the "it factor" is another way of saying they have star quality. In a way that is nauseating to half the country Donald Trump had his own star quality.  

Here's a dictionary definition if the "it factor:" (source):

The idiom "the it-factor" refers to a quality or characteristic that makes someone or something attractive, appealing, or successful. It is often used to describe celebrities, performers, or leaders with a unique charm or charisma that sets them apart.

In short:

• It refers to the special quality or characteristic that makes someone or something stand out.
• It is primarily used to describe people but it can also be used to describe products, ideas, or trends that are popular or influential.

Kamala Harris is far more well known nationally than Newsom and Whitmer. If Harris ends up running this makes her easier prey for the Republicans than Newsom and Whitmer. Without missing a beat they can throw every criticism they were going to use against Biden at Harris. 

You could say that Newsom and Whitmer aren't well known enough to capture swing voters, but this is the age of someone achieving near instant fame by becoming something called "an influencer", witness Amber Rose (who I never heard of before she spoke at the RNC).

I looked at some of her YouTubes and she has no talent (judge for yourself here) and apparently she became an influencer because she once dated Kanye West (aka Yeezy).

From the ridiculous Trump and JD Vance for the Republicans we go to the sublime for the Democrats, Newsom and Whitmer. In addition to possessing the "it factor" they have substance. They've got Constitution Avenue street cred.

They can say basically the same words as Kamala Harris about any subject and look like they were picked by Alan Sorkin to star in a reboot of The West Wing.

I always appreciate it when anyone who likes my take on issues posts links to the blog on Facebook or other social media.

You can read this and previous blogs on two websites and on Substack. One may look better than the other because of how the platforms present the page.

Read on the WordPress Stressline.org (you can subscrbe to this on the upper left)

or….

Read on the Google Blogger platform HalBrown.org This version has a Disquis comment section which makes it easy to post links and images.

Are Americans ready to put Trump in a psychological electron microscope and diagnose him as malignant? With his new Anti-Psychopath PAC Geroge Conway hopes so, by Hal Brown, MSW

Are Americans ready to put Trump in an electron microscope and diagnose him as malignant? George Conway hopes so. He's launched the Anti-Psychopath PAC.

The web address for the Conway website is psychopac.org

This is from the Anti-Pyshopath PAC Facebook page:

This is Conway's post announcing the PAC on X:

I used to say George Conway, who explained Trump's malignant narcissism years ago, deserves an honorary doctorate in clinical psychology. It was Duty to Warn founder Dr. John D. Gartner who first went public about this in an article in May of 2017. It was published in USA Today. He explained what malignant narcissism was and how the diagnosis fit Trump. His article, Donald Trump's malignant narcissism is toxic was the first such article published in the non-partisan media. Unfortunately it was the last. Subsequent articles, and there were many of them, were published in progressive media or featured in interviews on The Last Word With Lawrence O'Donnell.

This is from Newsweek in 2019:

George Conway Says Trump Is a 'Malignant Narcissist': He's 'Both Mentally Disordered and Evil'

Here's an excerpt:

... Conway argued that Trump "is legally and diagnostically sane." "But he suffers impairment from at least two diagnosable personality disorders, and needs a full workup for possible onset of dementia. He's obviously unfit. He'd be drummed out of any other job," the lawyer explained. "Colloquially, though, we can say he's nuts."

He also tweeted this in 2019:

Fast forward to today: Here's an article in The Independent about his new PAC.

There is a huge group of Americans who understand that Trump has a  psychological syndrome comprising a mix of grandiose narcissism, psychopathy, sadism,and paranoia. They know that this makes him unfit to be president, They are aware that in this role if he's elected president he is dangerous for democracy here and around the world. 

Unfortunately there is also a huge group of Americans who couldn't define malignant naricssism if their lives depended on it even though, in a way, their lives do depend on understanding this and that Trump has this dangerous psychopathology.

Not only don't many Trump supporters not care that he is a malignant narcissist, they like when he rails against his, and their, enemies as if he's an evil unhinged blood thirsty monarch. He's a king like this Alice in Wonderland queen:

I doubt George Conway's PAC will sway many voters. Still, Donald Trump knows well who he is. George Conway was married to KellyAnne and he ended up in the limelight when he came out as an anti-Trumper and was one of the founders of The Lincoln Project. Even the couple's daughter, Claudia, came out as an anti-Trumper. Now both she and her father are a thorn in Trump's side. Consider: "Claudia Conway Calls Out Mom, Kellyanne, for Supporting JD Vance" in Newsweek two days ago.

Trump fancies himself to be a greater president than Lincoln so it was a brilliant idea to name this organization after Lincoln. 

Now whatever he does George Conway makes the news. It is almost irrelevant whether Trump is aware of his efforts, or if he is, whether this bothers him. After all Trump's grandiose narcissism is part of malignant narcissism and if he happens to catch a glimpse of the trucks and billboards the PAC has around the convention his reaction would probably be how handsome he looked. He knows that bad publicity is often better than no publicity. 

Trump thrives on people worshiping him whether as a divinity, a superman, or hunka-hunka-burning love who is irresistible to women. For example he knows that that are millions of men who wish they could grab women by their private parts and get away with it and women who would gladly let him have his way with them. I may even enjoy seeing some of them with homemade or purchased t-shirts like this at his rallies:

Whether or not George Conway's PAC swings a single vote at least it makes anti-Trumpers feel good as we worry about the dystopian nightmare a Trump regime would thrust us into. This doesn't mean we should let our guard down. While few of us can make the national news we should do whatever way we can to spread the word about how dangerous to democracy a President Trump would be.

I am trying to do this in my own small way by writing this blog and giving quotes to Chauney DeVega to use in his Salon columns, most recently here: "Trump is able to turn bullets into gold": Experts on MAGA's "mythology of Trump the superman."

Updates:

George Conway was on Morning Joe this morning. He gave a lesson in abnormal psychology as it applies to Trump. (Click image to enlarge):

My blog for Friday is "Newsom/Whitmer is a made for TV winning ticket. They possess the "it factor."

I always appreciate it when anyone who likes my take on issues posts links to the blog on Facebook or other social media.

You can read this and previous blogs on two websites and on Substack. One may look better than the other because of how the platforms present the page.

Read on the WordPress Stressline.org (you can subscrbe to this on the upper left)

or….

Read on the Google Blogger platform HalBrown.org This version has a Disquis comment section which makes it easy to post links and images.