A footnote to the very significant PA election...

Over four years ago I wrote a post detailing how I had been invited to a small gathering to discuss issues with someone who was thinking of running for Governor. Tom Wolf is a close friend of a patient of mine and there were about eight of us at my patient's gracious home in the Fairmount section of Philadelphia. Mr. Wolf came around to each of us, we had a nice chat as to who we were, etc., and then he gave what could best be described as a stump speech. Afterwards he asked each of us individually what we thought. My reply was as follows: I think PA could do with a thoughtful, progressive, business-oriented governor in these times and there is a kindness/fatherliness which you possess which is a great asset. There are two things which caused me to raise my eyebrows: first is that you told a sort of funny joke that Governor Rendell had chosen you for his cabinet because you were the only Democrat in York County who owned a tie. Although amusing, it denigrates rural Democrats. Secondly, you kept referring to your Peace Corps years: many in our backwards state think that if you were in the Peace Corps, you were a draft dodger during Vietnam - that's a fact of life here even though one thing had nothing to do with the other. It is OK for Republicans to avoid the draft, quite another thing for Democrats to do so.
So when he announced, I noticed that those two facets of his speech were missing. The day after the successful election, I received a huge plant from a Florist with the Governor-elect's and his wife's name with the nicest note.

But I thought that he would never be re-elected: that Harrisburg Rethugs would chew him up and spit him out. I was wrong: he won somewhat overwhelmingly over a candidate who might be best described as a Donald Trump without the "class" and "brains" if that's even possible. I'm extremely pleased about this. He is a decent man and a moral man without the sanctimony.

Senator Casey of course won: him I know as well: his campaign for his first term was run out of the building in which I practice and have had many elevator/lobby conversations with him. Although a member of the Lucky Sperm Club, his last name is magical here in PA.

Just a word or two after a successful election day here...

Forbes article re: Kavanaugh

Interesting discussion with patient, #2397....

Early thirties, Progressive, married with child, well-educated....

She said all the right stuff about Trump, the country, the Republicans, Kavanaugh, you-name-it. she thought impeachment wouldn't be successful because of the Senate makeup and the whole Russia thing she had right on the money....

Wait for it...

so I mentioned my line that one morning, perhaps he wouldn't awaken.

She was horrified..."We don't do things like that in this country!"

Me: I wasn't implying that anyone other than Colonel Sanders or Ronald McDonald might "do something", but what makes you think that that was an impossibility - that TPTB wouldn't do something "evil" After all, we certainly did it in other countries: Chile, Iraq, Iran, and many others...

She: But they would NEVER do it here, its illegal and immoral. And there's nothing you can say to convince me otherwise.

Me: I wouldn't dream of trying. I don't try with the Tea Party people and I wouldn't with you.

I found it interesting that people have certain walls over which they will not climb.

I then told her of a close friend of mine who served in the Army. HE was also a real Progressive and lifelong Democrat who was drafted because he had left college. He was pro-everything that I am, we are extremely congruent except for one thing.

He did not believe in having gays in the military. Now he is all for gay rights, gay marriage equality, all the good stuff...except not in the military and you know what he said to me?

"You never served so you don't understand and there's nothing you can say that will change my mind so don't even try."

There's no real response to that...and no point starting a fight so in both cases, I said nothing.

Umbrella!

His Royal Highness was outside in what appeared to be a sprinkle. All others were.bareheaded and unprotected but He Who Must Be Revered had an attendant carrying an umbrella so that the Royal Locks might not be wetted down by the vicious raindrops, wreaking havoc with the perfectly coiffed King of all Kings.

At the demonstration in Philly

Cohesive, chanting, not angry enough.

I know some of you hate this...

but I believe that I know what happened within an hour of that embarassingly frightening "press conference/abbatoir visit" today:

In observing his muscle tone, his hunching, his inability to stay still, his frequent angry outbursts, though somewhat controlled, his periorbital tissue, his vocal cadence, his hoarseness, his fatigue, and even, yes, his hair, I believe that he had been violently enraged for a protracted period of time prior to the meeting with the Enemies-of-the-People and was totally enervated by the episode.

I would be willing to wager that there is an upstairs room in the WH with broken bric a brac, dented walls, and torn curtains.

He is in the throes of a breakdown and is actually in danger from an episode. I know just how much that would upset everyone here. That being said, keep an eye on his signs: the obvious group mentioned above as well as other clues which will let us know that he is treading on very thin ice behaviorally.

Over forty years, I have dealt with a significant number of patients who present much like Master Mushroom did today and when queried, they report, albeit reluctantly, that they had a screaming fight on the way to my office or somewhat earlier that day.

It is what happens when the cognitive dissonance begins to eat through the heretofore nearly-impenetrable armor.

Stay tuned....

Ok you fucking bastards....

You RWers are gonna start with the bipartisan-by-necessity crap and I and others are here to tell you that just like your candidate for the governorship of PA said: we are gonna stomp all over your faces with cleated golf shoes, you lying, hypocritical Motherfuckers.

We are gonna kick your collective asses and toast your nuts on Pennsylvania Avenue so get your affairs in order, assholes and get ready to be pummeled.

Jerkoffs.

Lol!! Beto just used the word "fucking"

In his speech.

Picked up in OK?

No shit... per msnbc

PA coming thru:

The redrawn districts turned out to be Blue!

Fucking Rethugs had redrawn them years ago. Even our courts which are filled with troglodytes wouldn’t uphold that