The White House melts down and attacks music legend Jack White after he insults Donald Trump's "disgusting" and "vulgar" redecoration of the White House

White House:

“Jack White is a washed-up, has-been loser posting drivel on social media because he clearly has ample time on his hands due to his stalled career,” claimed White House spokesman Steven Cheung.

“It’s apparent [White]’s been masquerading as a real artist, because he fails to appreciate, and quite frankly disrespects, the splendor and significance of the Oval Office inside of ‘The People’s House,'” Cheung added.

Jack’s response…

"Listen, I’m an artist and not a politician so I’m in no need to give my answer or opinion on anything if I’m not inspired or compelled, but how funny that it wasn’t me calling out trump’s blatant fascist manipulation of government, his gestapo ICE tactics, his racist remarks about Latinos, Native Americans, etc. his ridiculous 'wall' construction, his attacks on the disabled, his attempted coup and mob insurrection and destruction of the sacred halls of congress, his disparaging sexist and pedophilic remarks about women, his obvious attempts at distraction about being a close personal friend of Jeffrey Epstein and his inclusion in the Epstein files, his ignorance of the dying children in Sudan, Gaza, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, his lack of empathy for military veterans and those struggling with poverty, his attempts to dismantle healthcare, his obvious wimpy and pathetic kowtowing to the dictators Putin and Kim Jong Un, his nazi like rallies, his attempts to sell merchandise and products like Goya beans through the office of the President, his fake 'gunshot to the ear' that he showed no medical records or photographs of, his constant, constant, constant lying to the American people, etc. etc. etc."

"No, it wasn’t me calling out any of that, it was the f*cking DECOR OF THE OVAL OFFICE remarks I made that got them to respond with insults," he continued. "How petty and pathetic and thin skinned could this administration get? 'Masquerading as a real artist'? Thank you for giving me my tombstone engraving! Well here’s my opinion, trump is masquerading as a human being."

"He’s masquerading as a christian, as a leader, as a person with actual empathy," he wrote. "He’s been masquerading as a businessman for decades as nothing he’s involved in has prospered except by using other people’s money to find loophole

after loophole and grift after grift."

"His staff of professional liar toadies like Steven Cheung and Karoline Leavitt have been covering up and masking his fascism as patriotism and fomenting hatred and division in this country on a daily basis," White went on. "And I have 'ample time on (my) hands'? That orange grifter has spent more tax payer money cheating at golf than helping ANYONE in the country. Improve. Anything. There is no progress with him, only smoke and mirrors and tax breaks for the ultra wealthy."

"So maga folk, enjoy your concrete paving over of the rose garden, your 200 million dollar ballroom in the White House, and your gaudy ass gold spray painted trinkets from Home Depot, cause he ain’t spending any money on helping YOU unless you fit into his white supremacist country club rich idiot agenda,"

"Wow, he hates who you hate....good for you, be proud of yourselves, how christian of you all,"

"The only way you can support this conman is because you are a victim of the 2 party system and you 'defend your guy no matter what he does.'" he wrote. "No intelligent person can defend this low life fascist. This bankruptor of casinos. This failed seller of trump steaks, trump vodka, trump water, etc."

"This man and his goon squad have failed upwards for decades and have fleeced the American people over and over," wrote White. "This professional golf cheat, this grifter who has hundreds of thousands of deaths from his inaction of the pandemic on his hands, this man that the majority of the country somehow were fooled into supporting and voting into office (through the flawed electoral college) and their love of reality

television stars."

"Being insulted by the actual White House that this particular conman leads is a badge of honor to me, because anyone who trump supports and likes is a villain who gives nothing to their fellow man, only takes what can benefit themselves,"

"And no I’m not a Democrat either, I’m a human being raised in Detroit, I’m an artist who’s owned his own businesses like his own upholstery shop and recording label since he was 21 years old who has enough street sense to know when a 3 card monte dealer is a cheap grifter and a thief,"

"I was raised to believe that we defeated fascism in World War II and that we would never allow it again in the world. I don't always state publicly my political opinions, and like anyone I don't always know all of the facts, but when it comes to this man and this administration I'm not going to be like one of the silent minority of 1930's Germany. This man is a danger to not just America but the entire world and that's not an exaggeration, he's dismantling democracy and endangering the planet on a daily basis, and we. all. know. it. -JW

'To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public.' - Theodore Roosevelt"

Pork Chop Politics in Sarasota/Manatee - Coleman

Apropos of this note of the passing of UF historian David Colburn, Liv Coleman, who teaches Political Science at the University of Tampa, and who also has run for office as a Democrat, writes:

Sorry to hear of his passing. I enjoyed his co-authored book on "Florida Megatrends" and thought it was so insightful that I held a whole political salon at my house to discuss it. 

From the article: "He reminded us that despite its name, the United States has been divided for most of its existence. The real problem is not the division, but the tendency to slam the window closed rather than listen to the voices in the noise. 

"Contrary to our angst over razor-thin election margins, Colburn’s scholarship revealed that America was often at its worse when an easy majority had its way for too long, such as the “Pork Chop gang,” conservative Democrats who dominated the Florida Legislature and fought fair reapportionment and desegregation into the 1960s. 

"Colburn was convinced that diversity was America and Florida’s exceptional strength. He also believed that the way to overcoming division was to shine light in dark corners, working on the present by helping people understand the past." 

I think that Republicans in Manatee & Sarasota have been coasting on exactly these kinds of "easy majorities" for far too long, and they have become more lax about what they will tolerate, and brazen about what they will do. That's exactly why we need to keep "shining that light" in "dark corners." That's exactly why I will throw a few elbows sometimes and be a yappy complainer too. 

A lot of the Republicans locally are absolutely slothful campaigners, who completely take for granted their voters and districts. I'm not the only one to note that in the last election cycle, the Democratic candidates around here were hustling MUCH HARDER than their Republican counterparts. 

Joe Gruters

Same goes for the local party organizations. Have you noticed that, for example, the Manatee County Republican Party's official Twitter account has not even tweeted since 2017? Their web page is barely ever updated, and they rarely post on Facebook, and when they do, it is not professional. That is a party that thinks they do not need the voters. 

And even for the more vocal segments of the local Republican Party in Sarasota, this is the party that kept around known white nationalist involved with the Holocaust denial movement Peter Gemma. This is the party that elevated Joe Gruters first to Sarasota County party chair, then to State Rep (only NARROWLY winning against Steve Vernon in the GOP primary), then to State Senate, and now to Florida GOP chair. 

Is Gruters invincible? HELL NO. 

This is my absolute favorite article in the world about Joe Gruters, and I used it in my FB post the day I announced that I was running for office. If you can't find it on the web, I suspect that is because he is probably using online reputation management companies to keep it buried far from where your Google-searching fingers can find it. Please DO NOT SHARE IT. It might be VERY VERY EMBARRASSING for him.

Joe Gruters - HT

Election 2018: A candidate reflects

Liv Coleman for Florida State House District 73

Re-posted from Liv Coleman's Facebook page:

Congratulations to Tommy Gregory on his election victory. I appreciate his civility this campaign season. He has a wonderful family as well, and I’ve been glad to meet them and get to know them. Tommy offered his campaign in the spirit of public service, and we certainly have public-service needs for better funding for our schools & to end the high-stakes testing regime. We certainly have public service needs for attention in Manatee County to transportation and infrastructure. My hope and expectation is that Tommy will be amenable to discussing these issues with supporters of mine who have sought this kind of relief. On other issues, however, it may be tougher sledding. Still, Tommy offers himself as an open and accessible lawmaker, so I encourage others to reach out to him with questions & policy concerns that they have.

I’ve never been afraid to run a race as an underdog or to work hard for a far-distant goal. What is unfortunate, however, is that the Trump fever has not yet broken. And that those I would otherwise consider “good people” cannot yet see the racism, sexism, and xenophobia that have been unleashed by the president in more open spaces than ever before. Equally troubling is that there are those who are just not troubled by it. And I worry that too many in our community still don’t fully appreciate the corrosiveness on our democracy of the constant attacks on the news media, who have been fairly effectively neutered in our community already. And I think many are unaware of, or simply don’t care about, the toll and labor with which people speak and breathe as Democrats in East Manatee & Sarasota Counties outside of Democratic Party clubs and meet & greets.

A person should be able to be a Democrat and be themselves in Manatee & Sarasota Counties, without being shouted down or shut down or sneered at or made the butt of snide comments. Democratic candidates should not have to fight to be invited to candidate forums. When they are invited to forums, their names should be publicized equally with the other candidates. And in the local newspaper, if Republican candidates’ educational credentials are stated in full in an article, the Democratic candidates’ educational credentials should also be stated in full. Basic norms of fairness should apply to political competition.

Regardless of political affiliation, a person should be able to participate in peaceful public protests in Manatee County without fear of law enforcement or fear of bearing the costs of whatever newest regulation Manatee County Commissioners have passed that is designed to stifle dissent. Elected representatives should not block constituents or members of the local news media with questions on social media. And news media should regard democratic norms and practices, not just electoral competition, as appropriate subjects of political reporting, if they want to claim the mantle of the Fourth Estate.

It’s going to be a tough couple years until 2020. The next election will be here before we know it. But the real fight for our democracy is right here in our community.

As Eleanor Roosevelt once said, “Where, after all, do universal human rights begin? In small places, close to home - so close and so small that they cannot be seen on any maps of the world. Yet they are the world of the individual person; the neighborhood he lives in; the school or college he attends; the factory, farm, or office where he works. Such are the places where every man, woman, and child seeks equal justice, equal opportunity, equal dignity without discrimination. Unless these rights have meaning there, they have little meaning anywhere. Without concerted citizen action to uphold them close to home, we shall look in vain for progress in the larger world.”

An election is just an election. Democracy is everyday.

Peace and be well.

Don’t worry. The work will begin again.