Paying off a porn star to silence her less than two weeks before a presidential election; colluding with foreign powers to swing the election; starting a war with the US Justice Department; using the presidential seal in a crass commercial operation; running a hotel in a federal building, pocketing millions of dollars in foreign money; putting family members who can’t pass a background check in charge of top secret operations; having a family member on the White House staff who uses his government position to reward (and punish) countries to advantage his private real estate projects; using government influence for foreign trade licensing of the family business; cheating contractors, banks, and investors; filing bankruptcy numerous times; having 5 children by 3 wives, 2 of which were made US residents by shady means; staffing the White House with a rogue’s gallery of white supremacists, unregistered foreign agents, criminals, and weirdos; playing 100 rounds of golf in his first year as president spending one-third of the time at his own resorts; starting trade wars; threatening nuclear war; pissing off every US ally; lying in a continuous stream.  It goes on and on, but that’s enough for now.

The question is, what does it take to wake the Congress from its coma?  Can you imagine the 24/7 howling if even ONE of these transgression was committed by anyone else?  Especially a Democrat who made the mistake of being president while black?

This is the state of the Republican Party:  The only Republican to call out Trump over Stormy Daniels is Congressman Mark Sanford.  Yeah, the same guy who “hiked the Appalachian Trail.”

Sanford suggested that there would be “hearings” into the matter if it happened under a Democratic president. “What you can’t do is be completely silent on something that is troubling,” Sanford said.

There you have it. Republicans – where there isn’t a clean finger to point.

Yeah, he called it “troubling.” Conspiracy with the Russians – not so much. Not troubling at all.

Let me be the first to remind Sanford that it did happen under a Democratic president. They impeached him.

Trump funneling more Republican campaign money to his own pocket just thrills me to death.  The more RNC money Trump gets, the less money Republican congressmen get.

Trump started his reelection campaign on inauguration day. That included renting giant gilded offices in Trump Tower, where rent has plummeted for any other renter except for Trump’s reelection campaign offices where they are paying more than ever.  To Trump.

Yeah, you bet it’s a joke.  Cue soundtrack to this train wreck.

Trump ran for president because he needed the money.

Thanks to Alfredo over at the Dairy Queen for the heads up.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau needs a new leader.  So, a guy applies.  It just so happens that he’s a former CEO of a payday lending company – those places that break all natural laws of common decency along with at least 2 commandments. These are the guys that Sweet Jesus threw out of the temple. Honey, when Jesus looses his temper at you, you’re bad.

And then there was this woman, who believed she was perfect for the Trump administration.  Her company, Worldwide Acceptance, was investigated by the CFPB and she resigned.  Two damn days later, she applied for a job at CFPB with this on her resume.

She goes so far as to cite the CFPB’s investigation into her company as an experience that uniquely qualifies her for the job.

“I have indepth (sic) experience of what a CFPB investigation is like, and so I am in an unparalleled position to understand the effect of various CFPB actions on a company, its workforce, its customers and the industry,” she says.

Yeah, I’m a crook.  Hire me.

Not to shock you, but her company gave only to the guy doing the hiring while he was in congress.

Welcome to the Trump years. Take a seat and someone will be with you to empty your pockets shortly.

Ted Cruz has now had since last November to give thought to his opening salvo against Beto O’Rourke, who has out raised Cruz every reporting period.

Well, here’s Cruz’s opening salvo and you can tell that Cruz put every bit of his creativity and thought into it.

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz’s first shot at his expected Democratic challenger, Rep. Beto O’Rourke? Mocking his name.

As Tuesday’s primaries were closing, Cruz’s campaign released a 60-second radio ad that was a country music jingle prodding O’Rourke for going by “Beto” rather than “Robert.”

“Liberal Robert wanted to fit in, so he changed his name to Beto and hid it with a grin,” the song says.

Okay, so let me see if I have this right.  A man named Rafael Edward Cruz who was born in Canada makes fun of somebody’s name?

That’s your best shot, Cruz?  Dude, buy a mirror.

Some time back I told you about my friends in Fayette County.  That’s a small rural community between here and Austin.  Two of my favorite people, Vickie and Cecil, live there.  Fayette County, strongly Republican, has damn interesting politics.

Last year, one of their Republican Justice of Peaces got arrested for a multi-state lottery theft.  They ain’t much trying to improve since then.

Last night, Cecil sent me a front page story in the local newspaper.  Since the newspaper is subscription based, Cecil sent me a picture of it.

You can click  here to enlarge it.

and keep reading by clicking here.

So, a lawyer was out stealing his opponent’s yard signs while he’s running for the office that would prosecute people for stealing yard signs.  But, you know, he told the truth about doing it, dammit, and offered to apologize.  That don’t work in the law books and you’d think a lawyer would know that. That’s what you’d think. And you’d think wrong.

So this morning, I asked Cecil how the election turned out.

The sign stealer came in third out of three.  If you look how bad the numbers are, he came in fourth out of three.

Vickie thinks he should have stolen more signs. Vickie is usually right about these things.