2026 Midterm Election Thoughts # Last

‘Pearls Before Swine’ by Stephan Pastis

About that One Big Beautiful Bill – Sadly, I can’t recall during the Congressional debates or since when Trump and the GOP were challenged to explain how giving more money to the richest 1% benefits the nation as a whole…especially when those benefits were funded by major cuts in food and medical assistance. So where is the boom you promised and why do we keep falling for the same trickle-down nonsense that never works?

 

‘Pearls Before Swine’ by Stephan Pastis

Where is the Outrage? - This man is THE MOST corrupt, most vulgar, most ignorant president EVER. His self-description as a ‘stable genius’ is laughable. His frequent claim that he ‘knows more about (everything) than anybody’ is ludicrous. This ‘public servant’ (gag) voted by the people into the most important position on the planet should be able to answer tough questions and not be afraid to explain what he’s doing. Trump’s response to tough questions and a critical press is to insult the inquisitor and bar them from his presence…not very mature.

It should be clear by now that he doesn’t understand anything…can’t explain anything. He can only respond with insult, ridicule and self-praise. He refuses to be briefed. He doesn’t study. He prefers to stay up late spewing social media ravings. I have been saying this since his first term…he’s as dumb as a bag of hammers. I just wish he and his Republican enablers were challenged and ridiculed more.

I know some will say he’s dumb like a fox because look where he’s gotten…a two-term president has to have something on the ball. Yes, but we shouldn’t agree that lying, cheating, insulting, denigrating and racism are presidential qualities. We want the national leader to be smart, understanding, empathetic, diplomatic, accepting. I remember when presidents tried to be that way…and were criticized when they were not. What has changed? What Trump is doing now was never acceptable before. Why is it now?

Mike Luckovich, Atlanta Journal Constitution

I’ve spouted off enough.

Past Election Season rants were as much about the importance of voting and doing your part as free citizens to keep this unique American experiment alive and well. While my positions on issues were clear, I believe I did not urge that you vote for any particular candidate. In a way, nothing has changed in 2026. What is crystal clear is my opposition to the president and every member and position of the Republican Party. They have strayed so far from the party I once supported. They need to be repudiated/renounced/rejected at the polls in no uncertain terms.

I fully expect Trump will try to mess with the results…declare a national emergency…try to federalize the election and confiscate (then corrupt) voting machines. His minions have already attacked the Capitol. If they try that again, I want the defending officers to use lethal force to protect the building and legislature…something they should have done on January 6, 2021.

OK. Now I’m done.
Good luck.
Have a safe, productive, rewarding [?] Election Day.
And may our once-great nation survive this one.

Places – Chihuly Garden and Glass, Seattle

The final alternative post during this Election Rant Season is not one of natural beauty but rather one artist’s interpretation of natural things.

From Glacier National Park, we have trended from all nature to nature mixed with art at Storm King to all art at Chihuly Garden and Glass.

Chihuly Garden And Glass Gallery, Seattle (22 May 2025)

Right below the iconic Space Needle in Seattle Center is the Chihuly Garden and Glass Gallery. I had the pleasure of spending a perfect late spring afternoon alone with the camera among displays that beg to be captured and preserved.

Chihuly Garden And Glass Gallery, Seattle (22 May 2025)

Dale Chihuly is an American artist whose work has elevated blown glass to large installations that cover floor-to-ceiling spaces. He was born in the State of Washington and earned an advanced degree at the University of Wisconsin, the first school in the country with a glass program.

Chihuly Garden And Glass Gallery, Seattle (22 May 2025)

Chihuly continued his studies at the Rhode Island School of Design, where he taught and established the glass program. When a Fulbright Fellowship brought him to Venice to work in a glass factory, he observed the team approach to producing the kinds of works he is now famous for. His creations can be found all over the world.

Chihuly Garden And Glass Gallery, Seattle (22 May 2025)

In addition to the gallery, there is a significant outdoor garden area. As one can imagine, the cool, wet, northwest climate supports growing things and when colorful glass is interspersed among the plants, the results are magical.

 

Chihuly Garden And Glass Gallery, Seattle (22 May 2025)

Chihuly Garden And Glass Gallery, Seattle (22 May 2025)

Special events are held in a pavilion on the grounds.

 

Chihuly Garden And Glass Gallery, Seattle (22 May 2025)

Thank you for visiting.

In a few days, the last editorial post will go up and we’ll await the vote on Tuesday. I hope the nation has seen/heard/learned enough to be inspired to go to the polls and make their feelings known regarding who should represent them and run the country.

2026 Midterm Election Thoughts # 4

Jack Smith Was Too Nice – It’s a shame Republicans are immune to embarrassment. If I were the former Special Prosecutor called (again) before a Congressional hearing to be baselessly accused and threatened, I would not be so nice. My reply would be more like Dogbert’s…“Be honest, you spineless suck-ups. If Barack Obama had stolen Top Secret files, lied about having them, refused to return them, said he declassified them (with his mind[?] Who does that?), then prolonged the mess with bullshit negotiations, his ass would be in Leavenworth. We did our jobs right and you know it.”

‘Dilbert’ by Scott Adams

And another thing…Images and More Predicts – If I were a betting man, I’d run to Kalshi and lay a prediction wager that the Republican suckups in Congress will miraculously rediscover their Article 1 responsibilities as soon as a Democrat is elected president. Easy money.

‘Prickly City’ by Marshall Ramsey

Article 1, Section 4 – The States Control Elections - As red state primaries nominate more election deniers for state-wide offices, our inept Democrats will face yet another consequence for not challenging and shutting down the Denier-in-Chief when he started that nonsense. What we don’t need is for these people to be in charge of state elections.

Ukraine - For the first time in the history of our country, one that has championed democracy and freedom all over the world, its leadership has openly sided with the invader and dictator over the freedom-seeking invaded nation. Apparently, Republicans want you to forget that they were once the anti-communist, freedom-loving party.

Tom Toles, Washington Post (9/14/2015)

There’s One Born Every Minute – Think about it…Donald J. Trump is and always was a con man. When a con man gets what he wants, he knows he’s put something over on you. If you fall for his grift/lies/bullshit, that makes you the sucker. THAT’S what he thinks of most everyone, especially the people who elected him.

When will his worshippers see that?

Another Step Closer to that ‘Great’ Part Yet? - 7/10/26 Headlines –

Proposed Rule Would Politicize Medical Research. 

Scientists Not Happy. Nobel-Winning U.S. Chemist 

Will Move to China to Lead A.I. Institute.

SOMEBODY needs to explain this in ways the FOX/MAGA faithful can understand. Nearly HALF of the American Nobel Prize-winning scientists are immigrants to this country. They came here because this country was a haven…a world leader in scientific education and research. They are starting to leave because the current government has made their futures uncertain. History is being rewritten to fit “patriotic” narratives, facts be damned. Military spending must increase while public health research is reduced and led by idiots.

Can someone point out the similarities our current administration shares with past authoritarian examples that didn’t end well? The communists, especially in the time of Stalin, had to hew their research to the Marxist playbook, facts be damned. They declared that certain sciences like genetics were ‘bourgeois.’ Ideology and propaganda were what mattered (sound familiar?) and scientists who worked in disciplines that were not favored were persecuted.

Yo - We The People

“A man reaps what he has sown”
                                Galatians 6:7

Places – Autumn at the Storm King Art Center

Storm King Art Center, New York (27 October 2023)

This break from Election Season bloviating takes us to upstate New York and the Storm King Art Center. The 500-acre setting offers a grand natural space for monumental sculptures.

‘Lockport’ [1977] by Lyman Kipp

Storm King Art Center, New York (27 October 2023)

We visited Storm King on a bright late autumn day in 2013. While the trees were bare, it was still a terrific natural/cultural experience. Sadly, the presentation here turned into an object lesson. The ‘Tip of the Day’ post in 2018 was a cautionary tale on losing an entire trip’s shots (I still don’t know how they were snuffed nor have they ever reappeared) …ergo, keep your wits about you and be sure pictures are saved and backed up. Fortunately, I duplicated a few favorite images from the trip, so not everything was lost.

‘City on the High Mountain’ [1983] by Louise Nevelson

Storm King Art Center, New York (27 October 2023)

Given that ‘lost photo folder’ experience, we had to return to Storm King. It was even better to visit in the fall to restore my documentation in an improved setting…this time when the trees were in full color. Made for prettier backgrounds.

Storm King Art Center, New York (27 October 2023)

The hilly surroundings allow one to see color far into the distance.

Museum Wall

Storm King Art Center, New York (27 October 2023)

There is a museum on the property where additional gallery-size works are displayed. I am often drawn to vegetation-against-man-made-background scenes.

The overall vibe at Storm King is definitely contemporary. No offense to you modern art aficionados out there, but my sculpture aesthetic leans toward the Pietà more than steel pipes welded together. Thankfully, the museum building was designed in a style that fit the surroundings…substantial…looking like one of those ‘cottages’ the Gilded Age barons retreated to when the city was unbearable.

Identification Unavailable

Storm King Art Center, New York (27 October 2023)

‘Storm King Wavefield’ [2007-08] by Maya Lin

Storm King Art Center, New York (27 October 2023)

The famous artist that created the Viet Nam Wall in 

Washington, D.C. took an 11-acre used gravel pit that supplied 

the state Highway Department and ‘sculpted’ a landscape 

of undulating waves. At times, visitors are allowed to walk 

through the swells to experience the ocean sensation.

Hope that worked.
Tune in Saturday for another gentle critique of the 2026 political scene.

2026 Midterm Election Thoughts # 3

‘Prickly City’ by Scott Stantis

When We Do it, it’s OK – (3/25/25) Early in Trump’s second term, Defense Secretary Hegseth and other insiders discussed secret war plans on the open Signal platform…accidentally including a journalist.

Given how many of these same people ripped Hillary for her email server issues and alleged Benghazi failures, someone…anyone, needs to remind the GOP and the forgetful country that if a Democrat administration did the very same stupid thing, the Republicans would go into their hair-on-fire kabuki dance about how awful and dangerous this stunt was. But no. The Grand Old Party continues to wallow in its hypocrisy, defending the truly incompetent team Orange Jesus has assembled.

Drew Sheneman, Newark Star-Ledger

My Pal, Vlad - As if Dear Leader hasn’t enough on his plate, what with a war he can’t control or explain, rising prices, and ZERO compassion to the nation that is supposed to support this escapades…we learn that his Russian buddy is providing Iran with targeting information…informing the country we are attacking the location information on our military assets. When was that ever OK?

I think it’s way past time we spared a few Tomahawk missiles from the Iran assault and gave them to Ukraine…so they can turn the tide further. The Ruskie invaders are down to using convicts, fraudulently recruited poor dopes from Africa and North Korean conscripts. Make a few strikes deep into the Motherland and see how cease-fire negotiations improve.

Time to Say the Quiet Part Out Loud - Donald Trump is a White Supremacist…the most outwardly racist president since Woodrow Wilson. In the 1970’s, he flashed his bona fides early when he and his daddy had to settle a major federal lawsuit that charged them with discriminating against Black housing applicants.

· In the 80’s, he refused to believe the Central Park Five were innocent and called for their execution. Even after they were exonerated and another person was convicted with DNA evidence, he refused to acknowledge their innocence.

· He has characterized the people crossing our southern border as ‘murderers and rapists.’

· Then he rose to greater prominence more recently with the ‘birther’ nonsense he threw at President Obama.

· He often spouts his belief that current rules and regulations discriminate against White people and he grants refugee status only to White South Africans.

· Everyone knows ‘shithole’ countries are the ones with non-White people.

· He wishes people from Norway would want to emigrate here.

· Who but a White supremacist would describe every Black person who ever had the temerity to criticize him as “low IQ?”

HOW MANY MORE EXAMPLES DOES ANYONE NEED?

(Sidebar – I asked Google AI, “How many Black people has Trump called ‘low IQ?” and the all-knowing source was stumped. Its response -

“Donald Trump has used the "low IQ" insult against numerous specific Black individuals, as well as broader groups, making it impossible to state a single exact count.” (emphasis added)

All I’m saying is the guy is a racist and we’re supposed to be past that trait in our national leaders. If his MAGA faithful and elected Republicans are just fine with that or (worse) if they support him specifically because of that, then shame on them.

Maybe ONE alleged Democrat leader could remind us of that.

If Democrats REALLY Were fighting – Hakeem Jefferies would approach a Fox News reporter and say something like, “This is for your boy…Mr. President, you have some nerve calling me ‘low IQ.’ You’re the dumbest president we’ve ever had…one that knows more about everything than anybody yet can never explain anything beyond ‘It’s a disaster!’ or ‘It’s the greatest!’ or ‘I’m the best ever!’ You’re the one that claims to be a stable genius yet refuses to reveal his college grades…I’ll compare my grades with yours any time.”

Drew Sheneman, Newark Star-Ledger

Places – Autumn in Glacier National Park

Glacier National Park (1 October 2018)

As promised, this year’s Election Season screeds will be interspersed with images and memories from beautiful, natural settings. I can think of few places with grandeur that matches the American mountain west in autumn. Snow has returned to the peaks while the aspen in the foothills turns gold and stands out from the evergreen stands.

 

Glacier National Park (1 October 2018)

Glacier National Park was established in 1910 and encompasses over a million acres. In 2018, we rented a cabin outside the park and made daily visits where we could.

While October meant fewer visitors to contend with and the beauty of autumn color, it also gave us less than ideal weather. When it wasn’t raining, the skies were very overcast. Also, by this time, the famous Going-to-the-Sun-Road that traverses the park was closed for the season. We could travel only so far up either end and had to turn back…lots of driving, but the scenery was hard to beat.

Blackfeet Indian Memorial

Glacier National Park (1 October 2018)

Before ceding their land to the federal government, the Blackfoot

Tribe lived in the eastern area of the park while the Flathead Tribe

existed in the western part, beyond the continental divide.

Saint Mary Lake and Wild Goose Island

Glacier National Park (1 October 2018)

Close to the eastern entrance to the park, the lake and

its backdrop of mountains are seen from the Sun Road.

Glacier National Park (2 October 2018)

Near Lake McDonald and the western entrance

to the park, a lone picnic table and pavement

are blanketed by rain-soaked autumn leaves

Glacier National Park (1 October 2018)

The northern border of the park is Canada. The mountains here were carved by the great Ice Age, ten to twelve thousand years ago. At the end of the last Little Ice Age (1850), there were 150 glaciers in the area. By 2010, only 37 glaciers remained and just 25 had an area of 25 acres which qualifies them as ‘active.’ As climate continues to warm, all the park’s glaciers are expected to disappear within a decade.

2026 Midterm Election Thoughts # 2

I sometimes wonder why I do this. So few people read these screeds. I suspect by now, most of my readers already agree with these sentiments. While there were some on the mailing list who disagreed with my point of view, they unsubscribed many elections ago.

It isn’t just the Election Season that brings these thoughts to the fore. Sadly, my news junkie, history-loving, truth/fact-obsessed self has been scribbling mini outrages as they bubble up. Here are a few thoughts from 2025.

First Thing You Do – Within weeks of his inauguration, among the first things Trump did in his shakeup of the Deep State was fire federal agency inspectors general and the Pentagon JAG leadership. Destroy the integrity centers first; then screwing with the rest of the organization becomes much easier.

Mike Luckovich, Atlanta Journal Constitution

Gerrymander Backlash? – Does anyone else think that, with all the unprecedented mid-decade gerrymandering and Republican rigging of House districts in advance of the Midterms, this could backfire?

While they can pick their voters and concentrate them into distorted Congressional districts, that won’t help in state-wide contests. If there’s a god in heaven, she might make all those unrepresented Democrats, independents and fed-up Republicans band together and (provided the Dems field reasonable candidates) win state-wide elections in red states. I can see more governors and senators emerging to counter this movement to steal the House. That would be sweet.

Michael Ramirez, Las Vegas Review-Journal

Chuck Schumer or Chuck Norris? – Speaking of fighting, among the Democrats trying to shake me down is the Senate Minority Leader, Chuck Schumer. He and so many others. At this sad juncture, all Chuck can say is [1] So much is bad, [2] Trump is responsible for it, [3] This must stop, [4] but we don’t have the votes so, there’s only so much I can do [5] but would you send me money anyway?

I get periodic emails from one of our senators. It’s full of ‘fighting’ words – “abuses, corruption, lawlessness, illegal, unauthorized, unconstitutional, rigged.” Funny, if I did things defined that way, my ass would be in jail. I’m sorry. What I see and hear from the ‘loyal opposition’ is talking…not fighting.

Looking Ahead, Please Remember – During the eight-year period of Mitch McConnell’s’ first stint as Minority Leader (2007-15), FOUR different Senates had Democrat majorities…one as great as 59-41. Yet, that man still controlled the agenda, filibustering and thwarting administration appointments. But poor Chuck is helpless in the face of a 47-53 minority.

As this election gets closer and some Democrat candidates look like they might pull off upset wins, expect them to be questioned about whether Schumer should be Majority Leader…a good question. If there’s anything our free press likes to do, it’s to stir up some intra-party conflict.

Grow a pair, Chuck. You say it, but you’re not fighting. Instead of moving your glasses down your nose to read some narcotizing position statement, you need to take your glasses OFF because we’re about to fight.

Again, not holding my breath.