Trump, The Porn Star, and A Few Friends

“…standing at the end of the road, boys, waiting for my new friends to come. I don't care if I'm hungry or poor, I'm gonna get me some …”  Friends…Bette Midler.  If you’ve ever known a headstrong man, or woman, walking a path they’ve chosen, they always seem to have a smart mouth and a give-a-shit attitude, they also have a couple of other things in common- they own their path, seldom apologize, and never expect anyone to cover for them, or take the heat. That’s why I sat there amused, the other night, watching the Republicans who showed up at Trump’s trial. Since Trump is under a “gag” order and can’t insult the judge, jurors, or the judge’s daughter, he called some of his most trusted servants to come to NYC to do his bidding, and they immediately showed up. There’s a nasty old slang term for people who subjugate themselves to that extent, they’re called “butt boys”. I damn near died laughing at that picture, on national TV, of Trump with his sheaf of notes, and his red Sharpee, furiously lining through and adding all things he wanted them to say. He wasn’t interested in having them protest his guilt or innocence, he just wanted them to take over for him and insult the witnesses, jury, judge, and the judge’s daughter, since he can’t. Before they came to town, I kind of wonder if any of them gave any thought about the number of people under felony indictment for doing these little favors for Trump. This was a clown car, a bunch of characters right out of central casting for a Grade B movie. Standing front and center in the group photo they had taken is Lauren Bobert. She was there because somebody told her it was an open bar event, and she was ready to parrrtttaaay! Right next to her was Matt Gaetz, with that snarky smirk on his face, looking like he’d just jumped out of a can of Crisco. The only thing Republicans and Democrats can agree on anymore is how much they both hate Matt Gaetz and Marjorie Taylor Greene. Not surprisingly, Senators Tommy Tuberville, Rick Scott and J.D. Vance were there, looking dour. Politically, a little to the right of Genghis Khan, these three are hard core conservative Bible thumpers, what Southerners call, “aginner’s”, if a Democrat is for it, I’m “agin” it. But there was someone else at that trial in NYC-Mike Johnson, The Speaker of the House, third in line to the Presidency, and the optics of this bother me a little. Donald Trump is not on trial as President, or former President, he’s on trial as a private citizen. He was a private citizen when he banged the stripper, and a private citizen when he paid her off to keep her quiet-in neither case was he President, and no concern of the Speaker of the House. Trump did Johnson a favor by backing him when the lunatic fringe tried to kick him out of the Speaker’s job, but there are ways, quiet ways, to repay that favor. I don’t expect Trump, who’s not concerned about anybody but himself to understand it, but it does make me question Mike Johnson’s common sense and political savvy….