SNATCHING.... VICTORY, INSTEAD OF DEFEAT? DEMOCRATS?

 Democrats are rarely ever able to resist snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. But they don't have to. Not always, anyway.

In 2004, it was running a presidential campaign against a Republican president who had gone AWOL during his Texas (then transferred to Alabama) Air National Guard duty in the early 1970's to avoid having to go to Vietnam .... against a Democratic candidate who had gone to Vietnam, served there and earned a Purple Heart (for being shot or hit with shrapnel). Republicans- the alleged party of the military (no budget is too large for the Pentagon, kneeling for the National Anthem disrespects our sacred troops!) ended up mocking the Purple Heart that John Kerry had received by wearing Purple Heart bandaids on their faces at their national convention in 2004. Yep, kneeling for the anthem somehow disrespects troops who are nowhere in sight, but mocking Purple Heart recipients- that's A-ok.

But.... far far worse: the President who had been in office during the infamous September 11, 2001, terror attacks, who had blown off intelligence briefings a month before the attacks titled "Osama Bin Laden determined to attack inside the United States" while vacationing on his ranch in Crawford, Texas....

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bin_Ladin_Determined_To_Strike_in_US

..... who had sat, paralyzed with fear and indecision for over seven agonizing minutes in a Florida elementary school classroom while reading "My Pet Goat" after his Chief of Staff, Andrew Card, had come and whispered into his ear: "Mr. President, we are under attack!" .....

https://video.search.yahoo.com/yhs/search;_ylt=AwrC5rLKmx9gCCcA7zQsnIlQ;_ylu=c2VjA3NlYXJjaAR2dGlkAw--;_ylc=X1MDMTM1MTE5NTY5MgRfcgMyBGFjdG4DY2xrBGNzcmNwdmlkA2kyZ2h2REV3TGpIVmVkckpYY2hfWHdEa01UY3pMZ0FBQUFCTzg3UGsEZnIDeWhzLWF0dC1hdHRfMDAxBGZyMgNzYS1ncARncHJpZAMwTGVUVl9IMlI0bWtTY1I1dGpZLjVBBG5fcnNsdAM2MARuX3N1Z2cDMARvcmlnaW4DdmlkZW8uc2VhcmNoLnlhaG9vLmNvbQRwb3MDMARwcXN0cgMEcHFzdHJsAwRxc3RybAM3MARxdWVyeQNtaWNoYWVsJTIwbW9vcmUlMjBmYWhyZW5oZWl0JTIwOS0xMSUyMGJ1c2glMjByZWFkaW5nJTIwbXklMjBwZXQlMjBnb2F0BHRfc3RtcAMxNjEyNjg0Mjk5?p=michael+moore+fahrenheit+9-11+bush+reading+my+pet+goat&ei=UTF-8&fr2=p%3As%2Cv%3Av%2Cm%3Asa&fr=yhs-att-att_001&hsimp=yhs-att_001&hspart=att&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly92aWRlby5zZWFyY2gueWFob28uY29tL3locy9zZWFyY2g_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&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAB3w15wX-vAHn1yZzhSIWCXa4EUc0jBrW1OsUESh51iLSk6aajSmL9J0wSS8D5BiOt0gTWUan9LBICPGzFPeYjO8HaJlzGvoaw8qAiVmGYK4bPTqtTSjHoTjRMHRoFIRZht9lxw5vYDkuUj6VHbdL0ysU0CPqJHNDRaSFXOalRoQ&_guc_consent_skip=1612684329#id=1&vid=a640a0657f97ee12da0cbb70721511b5&action=view

Yeah, that guy. If you watch Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9-11, you'll get to see that entire seven minutes. The Republican president who later said that he was going to catch the terrorist mastermind of the 9-11 attacks, Osama bin Laden, but by 2004, over two years later, just blew it off as not being a high priority. It was Obama who gave the go ahead for Seal Team Six whicht took out Bin Laden in Pakistan 7 years later, in May of 2011.

https://archive.thinkprogress.org/bush-tells-barnes-capturing-bin-laden-is-not-a-top-priority-use-of-american-resources-6c66e9a056dc/

Yeah. Democrats could not figure out how to defeat a cowardly AWOL frozen in fear president who blew off an intelligence briefing and let the worst terrorist attack in United States history occur, then totally failed to catch the guy behind it. Could. Not. Figure. It. Out.

Not one single campaign commercial in 2004 mentioned anything that I just wrote- all of it true, of course. And if the situation had been reversed and it had been a Democratic president when that all happened and who had done or failed to do what Bush had done- or failed to do? The campaign commercials would have been wall to wall on everyone's television. And the 2004 opponent would have won all 50 states and the District of Columbia and the Democrat would have won zero.

Which brings me to 2021- and, more importantly, the 2022 mid term elections, when Joe Biden's presidency will either come to a screeching halt by losing either or both houses of Congress- where Democrats could not have a slimmer majority in the Senate- 50-50 with the Vice President as the tie breaker-- and almost as close in the House-- about 221-211, I think, with an empty seat in Louisiana where the Republican who won the election died of Covid afterwards. Yes, ironic, I know. There's 435 seats in the House. I don't know if there are still two seats that haven't been decided yet. Doesn't matter for this essay.

And here's the deal: on January 6, 2021, the Republicans controlled the White House. Their guy, the president, was commander in chief of the military. The guy whose FBI director and Attorney General, responsible for domestic terrorism intelligence and prevention were appointed by him. They controlled the United States Senate-- the two Democratic Georgia senators elect had not been sworn in, and anyway, it took another month before Mitch McConnell caved and let the Democrats take control of anything, including committees. Don't ask why, I don't know. It doesn't matter.

But the thing is: we had a domestic terror attack. Meanwhile, we spend over $700 billion annually on national security. Their president- the Republican- absurdly claimed that his predecessor had left the cupboard bare, but he, by gosh, had restocked it. So that we would all be safe. His Congress- Republican House until January 3, 2019, Republican Senate all four years-- gave him every dollar he asked for to protect this country. Denied his administration nothing. No talk about saving dollars in that arena- not when it comes to the sacred cow of "national defense."

But you might think that when it comes to national security and terror attacks, the number 1 and number 2 targets that we ought to consider protecting from terrorists-- as they were on 9-11-01 with the fourth plane in which the passengers managed to overcome the hijackers and get crashed in a field in Somerset County, Pennsylvania, about 30 miles from where I was born and grew up-- would be the White House and the Capitol. You might think that. But on January 6, 2021, at least, you would be wrong.

So.... who was responsible for securing the Capitol from a terror attack? Not the Democrats, who controlled nothing of the national security apparatus. Not the Department of Defense. Not the FBI. Not Homeland Security. The two departments and one agency that should have protected the Capitol from a terrorist attack to invade the building, occupy the House and Senate chambers, with terrorists determined to hunt down and kill our nation's public officials, including the top two of those assembled there- the Vice President and Speaker of the House.

But just as happened on 9-11-01, the Republicans let us down. Worse, far far worse, the president who was supposed to be protecting us from a terrorist attack- he invited the terrorists to town. He held a rally for the terrorists in a park just across from the White House, about a mile from the Capitol. His lawyer spoke at the rally and whipped them up with talk of "trial by combat." His son did that and worse. And he launched them like a terrrorist missile at the Capitol, where they wreaked havoc. Bowled over barricades. Rushed the police guarding the building, driving them back. Climbed walls, Smashed windows and doors and climbed in and walked into the locked down building.

They wanted to hang the Vice President- his Vice President. Wanted to tear the Speaker of the House to pieces. Got in the Senate chamber and occupied it. We've got video. Tried to batter in the doors to the House chamber and got one of their own fatally shot. Video of that, too. Trampled two of their own to death in the mob rush. Killed a cop and injured dozens of others. And video of that awfulness, too.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/rudy-giuliani-called-for-trial-by-combat-and-then-chaos-descended-on-capitol-hill/ar-BB1cwGK7

I repeat: the Republican mob with their Trump hats and Trump banners which tried to overthrow the United States government to "stop the steal" based on a huge body of lies told solely by Republicans like the president, Senators Josh Hawley, Ted Cruz, about a half dozen other senators and over 140 Republicans in the House- the majority of them.... KILLED A COP.

https://nypost.com/2021/01/11/video-shows-capitol-rioter-hit-officer-with-fire-extinguisher/

Hey: Democratic National Committee? House and Senate committees for the election of Democrats to those bodies in 2022? Do you think you might be able to squeeze just one- just one eensy, weensy, teensy, commercial out of that? With video of Trump, video of Josh Hawley and his raised fist.? Video of Lauren Bobert with her AR-15,, and Loue Gohmert and Marjorie Taylor Greene and her AR-15 pointed at members of the House, and their vocal support for the mob that KILLED A COP? And tried to destroy democracy?

Well, if you can't think of how to do that, you might want to give a call to the producers and writers of The Daily Show, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Kimmel, Samantha Bee, Jon Stewart, and any number of other brilliant creative people.

Because they could whip up a great one in about 5 minutes. And a hundred in a couple of days. And you might, just might, manage to forego snatching defeat this time. Might.