From Huffpost: Former husband of one time Trump spokesperson Kelly Ann Conway and conservative lawyer George Conway offers his analysis of why Trumpco is doing some strange stuff:
“My guess is that they just want to burn it all down,” Conway, a fierce critic of the president despite his ex-wife Kellyanne Conway’s ties to Trump, said Tuesday on MSNBC of the attempted slashing of public spending and jobs being ordered by the Elon Musk-run Department of Government Efficiency.
“I don’t see any rationality in what they’re doing other than that it is a performative attack on the government and it is an attempt to destroy what they perceive to be as the enemy, which is the very government that they are charged with administering,” he continued.
“And that’s the only way to explain almost everything this administration has done,” Conway added.
Trump essentially “wants to have revenge on the United States of America” and doesn’t actually care “about what anything does,” the lawyer argued.
Revenge, baby, Revenge! Stinky Pants cares not who is hurt or dies as long as he gets revenge!
And you may have noticed that trump isn’t even doing the job. He is just acting as the figure head as Elon Musk disembowels OUR government. Trump is one lazy SOB who prefers to play golf rather than play president.
There is one thing that is happening in this administration and that is that Musk’s businesses are getting more grift from the government even as Musk slashes jobs and contracts. All while Stinky Pants plays.
The MAGAs will never do a thing about this. Each and every one is a Quisling. That is a very damning appellation.
So c’mon Dems. Get out there and start telling us what is going on and how we can stop it.
Trump, Musk, Putin, they all sound like horrible bad smells.
Feb 22
BREAKING: A leaked memo from Fox News reveals that the network’s interviewers regularly use Vicks VapoRub under their noses when interviewing Donald Trump because he smells like, as one Fox producer described it, “roast beef diarrhea.” https://x.com/Beelenzies/status/1893736155654263012
Thought maybe I would explain why I call him ‘Stinky Pants.’ Covers both physical and philosophical territories. Glad I don’t have to go anywhere near him.
Nothing say ‘climate crisis’ better than wildfire warnings in Iowa in freaking February! MAGAs answers to that? Fire all those who are chronicling and testing climate conditions. You will never know what hit you if they have their way.
A) Let’s start with Iowa and their bottom dwelling legislature and governor. The legislature removed what two words from the Iowa Civil Rights Act in a bill both houses passed Wednesday and the governor signed into. law Friday?
B) The US had several foreign leaders visit this week. Which leader did US leadership get into an argument with Friday before the cameras?
C) Be aware! Tariffs are scheduled to start Tuesday for products from what countries?
D) In a scary climate report from Scotland last week, it appears that carbon sequestering done by plants appears to have peaked how long ago?
E) Which of the foreign dignitaries fact checked Stinky Pants right to his face during his visit?
F) Party City is closing. Joann Fabrics is closing. What male fantasy themed restaurant is rumored to be heading for closing later this year?
G) Suddenly from nowhere MSNBC ended what popular early evening program Monday?
H) Mass firings rumored to happen soon at what government agency that is geared to America’s seniors?
I) A revelation by a former Soviet spy claims Donold Trump was recruited as a spy in 1987. What was the code name given Trump by the KGB?
J) As we prep for the Oscars tonight we are saddened to hear of the death of what legendary actor and his wife in their New Mexico home last week?
K) No surprise – MAGA’s in charge! What employment indicator rose last month for the first time in months?
L) Is this a special for Russian oligarchs? Stinky Pants announced what immigration deal for the wealthy last week?
M) Who is Amy Gleason?
N) Who was the only MAGA congress person to vote against MAGA budget blueprint Tuesday? (This is the precursor to cutting Medicaid)
O) In German elections which party came in second but will probably not be a part of any ruling coalition?
P) The US had nearly eliminated what childhood disease, but due to lax vaccinations we have just experienced the first death in West Texas from this disease in over a decade?
Q) In other news on the health front, the FDA cancelled a meeting to set up for what annual vaccine formula on short notice without explanation Thursday?
R) Another near hit at a US airport this week. Where was it this time?
S) What chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff was fired last weekend with little explanation?
T) In a real surprise, what associate of Stinky Pants satisfied his multi-million dollar court ordered payout to Georgia election workers he harassed and defamed?
President Macron had to fly all the way over here from France to teach American reporters how to fact check Trump.
A) “gender identity” This removed any civil rights protection from trans citizens. Iowa is the only state that has done this
B) Zelensky of Ukraine
C) Mexico and Canada + tariffs on Chinese goods are supposed to increase
D) in 2008
E) Macron from France
F) Hooters
G) Joy Reid’s Reidout
H) the Social Security Administration
I). Krasnov
J) Gene Hackman
K) filings for unemployment insurance
L) the “gold card” immigration card for a mere $5 million
M) Amy Gleason is the person the administration claims is the head of DOGE
N) Thomas Massie of Kentucky
O) Alternative for Germany (AfD). They are the Neo-Nazis and no one wants to be associated with them in government
P) Measles. Measles joins polio and tuberculosis as thought to have been conquered diseases
Q) the annual flu vaccination set up meeting
R) Chicago Midway
S) General Charles CQ Brown.
T) Rudy Giuliani – where did he get the money?
Boycotts are taking hold. Protests are on the rise. Federal courts are hitting back. The Trump-Musk-Vance regime’s popularity is plunging and DOGE is losing credibility. In these dark times, it’s important to recognize that people are fighting back. Join them. – Robert Reich
(30 seconds) This video appears to be from a previous campaign, but Nannette Griffing is a true Democrat something Iowa desperately needs as MAGAs damage Iowa’s way of life and cripple the public school system:
Nannette was raised in Burlington, IA graduating from Burlington Community High School in 1980. As she recalls “Government was my favorite class in High School taught by the late Maurice Moore. I was elected Parks Commissioner for a day. I spent the day learning the responsibilities of the office.” Burlington Community High School and City of Burlington partnered to encourage students to campaign and hold elections. The students were then sworn-in to serve for a day.
Nannette has been in customer service since the age of 19. Starting as an Insurance Agent then as a Finance Director until 2002. “While working at the dealership, I would learn as much about the business from day-to-day operations to financial statements. This led me to open Griffin Muffler & Brake Center over 26 years ago. I understand the challenges that a small business can face. Hiring a business coach 11 years ago was the turning point in my career. I knew I couldn’t do this alone.” After taking business classes and attending conferences, Nannette graduated with an Accredited Masters in Automotive Management from Automotive Management Institute. “I know all too well the shortages of skilled labor especially in the automotive field.”
Nannette’s passion is to share her knowledge with small businesses and students to help them achieve
their goals. She has been a guest speaker for the Small Business and Entrepreneur classes and Southeastern Community College along with the Dream Builder program presented by the Fort Madison Partners and Small Business Development Center.
Nannette’s experience and qualifications come from years of on the job training, attending conferences and seminars, continuous education, and hiring a business coach. Following are some of the business/personal accomplishments:
Held a Diaper Drive and collected over 17,000 diapers for Southeast Iowa
Sponsored Brakes for Breast with proceeds donated to the Cleveland Clinic for Cancer research
Accepted to the All Female Build to restore a 1956 Chevy Pickup led by Bogi Lateiner and unveiled at the SEMA show in Las Vegas.
Earned Accredited Masters in Automotive Management (AMAM) from Automotive Management Institute (AMi)
Mentored Diedra Dixon, former employee, to receive her AMAM from AMi
Currently mentoring Leighton Johnson (new owner of Griffin’s) to earn his AMAM from AMi
Published nationally 6 times in automotive trade magazines.
Panelist for Vision High Tech Training and Expo Power Summit Round Table
Founding President of the Southeast Iowa training chapter of Midwest Auto Care Alliance
2018 Distinguished Woman Award presented by Mississippi Valley Printing for #Challenge Accepted at the Professional Women’s Conference.
2023 Deb Dalziel Woman Entrepreneur of the Year Achievement Award presented by Small Business Development Centers of Iowa
Member of the Fort Madison Chamber of Commerce Promotions committee
Past Treasurer Fort Madison Chamber of Commerce
Past Co-Chair Balloons over the Mississippi Hot Air Balloon festival.
Past Asst. Coach for the Fort Madison Trap Shooting team the Clay Crushers
“I believe in giving back to the communities that have supported me and I’m ready to go to work for HD 100 as a representative for YOU.”
Nannette along with her husband Clark have a daughter Caitlin, son in law Dalton and granddaughter Reagan. She also has 3 step children Michael, Sara, and Matthew and 8 step grandchildren.
This is one of a series of emails we have been receiving from the group protectourcareiowa.org that is focusing on the building health care crisis fomented by the Trump administration and their move to take money from Medicaid for the poor and in turn give that money to the rich. This is a follow up to a screed I posted this morning.
5 minutes: (Congress member Joe Neguse of Colorado)
STATEMENT: House Republicans Voted for Draconian Cuts to Medicaid That Will Take Health Care Away From Millions
Last night, Republican lawmakers in the House of Representatives voted for a budget resolution that includes slashing Medicaid funding by nearly $1 trillion in order to give tax breaks to the ultra-wealthy and big corporations. This budget resolution opens the door for Republicans to achieve their goal of cutting up to $2 trillion from Medicaid, ripping away health care from tens of millions of Americans.
Medicaid is an essential pillar of our health care system with 72 million Americans currently covered through the program, including 772,000 Iowans. The GOP plan to slash Medicaid would have a devastating impact on the most vulnerable Americans, including low-income seniors, children, veterans, people with serious disabilities, and people who take care of their children or elderly parents. Americans across party lines oppose cuts to Medicaid, and polling finds that a majority of Americans think the government should spend more on health care — not less. Protect Our Care is continuing its “Hands Off Medicaid” campaign to defend Medicaid from devastating cuts with ads in 10 key House districts.
In response Protect Our Care Iowa State Director Matt Sinovic issued a statement:
“Republicans are ripping away health care from their own constituents to give a tax break to billionaires and big corporations. No matter where they live or what political party they belong to, Americans of all backgrounds want and need Medicaid for critical health care coverage. Voters overwhelmingly oppose these cuts to Medicaid and every member who supports these cuts will pay the price. This fight is far from over.”
The GOP is putting health care at risk for 772,000 or 24 percent of Iowans, including:
46,000 seniors
274,000 children
181,500 non-elderly Americans of color
440,300 women
81,000 people with disabilities
Republicans will create at least a $434 million dollar hole in Iowa’s budget annually to pay for tax breaks for the wealthy and corporations.
••12 states have a trigger law meaning that if Republicans gut funding for Medicaid expansion, health care would likely be ripped away from 191,100 Iowans
Supposed deeply religious man Speaker Mike Johnson prays for House to cut money for health care and food for the poor to give tax cuts to the rich: (1 minute)
MAGA morality. It is not how most people think of morality
“Don’t tell me what you value, show me your budget, and I’ll tell you what you value.” Famous Joe Biden quote
Tuesday members of the US House had the perfect vehicle to demonstrate their most sacred values to the world. Voting on the budget framework bill was a fairly stark dichotomy of symbolic values in today’s United States. The only MAGA who had even a smidgen of morality on this issue was Thomas Massey of Kentucky.
On one hand were those who value life and show it by setting priorities through how society in general spends its money for food and health care for the lowliest members of our society. On the other hand are those who would take that same money and instead disburse it directly to the very wealthiest members of society while letting the lowliest members starve, suffer illnesses and die.
Iowans like to pride themselves on being kind, fair minded and independent. They like to believe that they are the kind of folks that would give someone in need the shirt off their back. But once again their votes elected four of the worst humans around who used their votes in congress to starve and allow suffering for the poor as they voted to set up the scenario of taking Medicaid and SNAP money away and put it into a fund to give to the wealthy.
How fucking low can you go? This goes against basic human, hell, basic animal instincts. Even in the wild world, animals help others of their own species. Apparently there is a subset of humanity whose instinct is not to help the unfortunate.
Iowans should be ashamed of their congress members. If Iowa’s values are what they say they are they representatives are obviously representing someone else. Are your friends and neighbors saying “Boy, am I ever glad congress is going to make the poor suffer. I think it is great that money will go to help (insert name of billionaire) take a ride in space”
Meanwhile, the anti-vax crowd is now seeing the early signs that their stupidity will be paying off. Polio is spreading in the US. Kids are dying of measles! Measles for gawd’s sake. Measles and polio were two diseases that we had conquered. Not totally vanquished, but had them at bay. All we had to do is keep our vaccinations up for us and especially our kids.
Don’t you love your kids? Get them vaccinated! Do you want to live in society? Do your part to fit in! Get vaccinated!
So as Joe Biden always said, “Don’t tell me what you value, show me your budget, and I’ll tell you what you value.” Add to that show me your actions and I will tell you what you value. When you vote for people who align themselves with groups and leaders who will take food and health care from other humans because of their economic condition it isn’t too hard to tell their values and the morality behind it.
I am hoping that Iowa’s congressional contingent will be holding town halls in their respective districts and soon. The people of Iowa deserve a chance to speak to their representatives in person and explain how they feel. I would definitely love to hear why making obscenely wealthy people even more obscenely wealthy should be a nation or an Iowa priority!
I would also love to know why they oppose Universal single payer health care when it could cut the nation’s health care expenditures nearly in half. That would be a win-win in an era where MAGAs only offer us lose-lose choices.
This would be a good time for Democrats who lost in the last election to start making appearances in their communities to remind those communities of how much different things would be hadthey been elected instead. We need prominent Democrats out there reminding people there are alternatives. The mass media especially in Iowa is not doing its job in that area.
So here is hoping that Christina Bohannan in Iowa’s first district, Sarah Corkery in the second district, Lanon Baccam in the third and Ryan Melton in the fourth would be willing to lead some community discussions concerning what is going on.
It would be good to have former reps such as Dave Loebsack and Cindy Axne would lead some town halls also. Perhaps Admiral Mike Franken would like to make some remarks to the public especially with the way the current administration is trying to turn the military into a private army.
We need all hands on deck before the ship sails totally over the oligarchy wall.
“To pay for her billionaire-first tax scam, Mariannette Miller-Meeks will be a key author of cruel and painful cuts to Medicaid, guaranteeing her loss in the midterms and dragging down the extreme Republican majority with her.”
See here for a fact sheet for how her vote will hurt IA-01.
What are the Republicans going to take from the American people to pay for the billionaire tax breaks?
Mostly what I’ve been seeing in the info ecosystem is the emphasis on Medicaid cuts. But Medicare and Social Security are also in their sights. Here is an explanation of the process and why Republicans have put forth few details at this time.
“If you watch Bloomberg, CNBC, or one of these Wall St. focused channels, they say it openly: If you’re going to give this $4.5 trillion tax handout, which they desperately want, plus $4 trillion on the debt ceiling, you have to cut Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. Wall St. is really clear. They never don’t say all three.” – Alex Lawson
Here is a live report from Molly Regan on the Not My President’s Day protest:
We received great media coverage from two local tv stations at our ‘Resist Fascism” rally on Monday February 17th at 4PM.
On Wednesday February 19 we were on the front page,above the fold! The article was extensive and we were quoted very well. Very happy with the coverage.
There were over 100 people there even though all the media ever say is dozens. They never take time to count. It was 4 degrees F. Some people came after 5. The crowd didnt disperse until 530.
There was one annoying person of the opposition at the rally location. Some engaged him, but I always chose to ignore them. Am very big believer in ostracizing those types, because if you turn your back on them, and act like they don’t matter, they get pissed off and leave me alone.
Dozens of people braved frigid February temperatures on Monday to protest actions taken by President Donald Trump and Elon Musk during Trump’s first month in office.
Organized by Rock Island resident Randy Flowers, the protest on Monday — Presidents Day — was called the “Not My President’s Day Rally” and was held in front of the federal building in downtown Davenport.
Bundled up in winter gear on the sidewalk of East 4th Street in single digit temps, people sang, chanted, and held up signs critical of Trump and Musk. One pro-Trump protester held up his own sign and argued with protesters.
The group protested the flood of executive actions by the Trump administration and Musk, the world’s richest man who has become heavily involved in the administration, on immigration; diversity, equity, and inclusion policies; LGBTQ-related orders; and dismantling parts of the federal government.
“This administration has stalled our national development,” Flowers said. “And taken our civil rights back sixty years. Our history has now become our future.”
Trump’s administration has deployed an approach described as flooding the zone, issuing flurries of executive orders in an effort to overwhelm opponents. They include orders that the courts have paused, such as an order to end birthright citizenship, an order to pause federal grants, and steps to dismantle U.S. Agency on International Development. Other actions, such as mass buyout offers of federal employees and firings have proceeded.
Flowers formed a group called The Liberty and Justice Movement, he said, to locally resist the Trump administration and the policies laid out in Project 2025.
John Menard, of Davenport, came out to protest, he said, because his stance is “all about equality.”
He said he was particularly troubled by news Monday morning of firings of hundreds of Federal Aviation Administration employees weeks after a deadly Washington D.C. plane crash.
“There’s too much going on in the government too fast, and not well thought out,” Menard said, of the reason he came out to protest. “Changes are being made, then reneging on the change. It just hasn’t been well thought out.”
Apparently stripping Iowans of their rights is a top priority in the legislature this week, because the Senate hearing for the Iowa Civil Rights Removal Act (SF418) has just been set for tomorrow, Tuesday February 25th at noon in Room G15.
This relentless assault on Iowans’ civil rights has to stop.
We aren’t calling for a massive presence tomorrow in the same way we were today, but we do still need impacted people (trans people as well as their parents, friends, and family) to show up to testify. If you cannot testify in person, please consider leaving a public comment here. The comment page will be available until the subcommittee starts at noon tomorrow.
It’s going to be a long week. We know there will also be a public hearing on Thursday morning at 9:30am. You can sign up to speak here. We are requesting support at that hearing as well from as many people who are able. We have to keep the pressure up, or this could be on the Governor’s desk as soon as Thursday afternoon.
Governor Kim Keynolds: (515) 281-5211 U.S. Capitol Switchboard: (202) 224-3121 Iowa Members of Congress - Rep. Randy Feenstra (R) - Rep. Ashley Hinson (R) - Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R) - Rep. Zach Nunn (R) Iowa US Senators - Senator Joni Ernst (R) - Senator Charles Grassley (R)
Blog For Iowa 