It becomes easier and easier to blog the absurdities, but unlike intelligence, time has not distended. So in the interest of keeping up, a few thoughts on where we are. Are we going to pass Peak Trump early? One could only hope, but seems his cohorts and apologists adapt to each new event easily, as like the fake Westworld-like CNN panel on SNL last week.

Trump has ushered in the post-TV era for campaigns. It's not just the free airplay he gets on the networks - he really doesn't need promo anymore - it's all organic. He spent 1/3 of what Hillary spent, and nobody cares - every new tweet or news blip is simply good news for Trump, however bad it sounds. It's all impressions, "likes". Just like Facebook doesn't have any "unlike" button, there's no such thing as bad news for Donald - any mention will do. We have to find a way out of this or we're sunk

[Update to note the right's already absorbed any Taiwan damage - it's either "China can't tell us what to do", "that Trump's a straight-shooter, yay!", or my favorite, "the left is sexist cuz Taiwan's leader is female". Surprised?]

While the Jill Stein effort looks to be quite short of a "recount", it still may lead to requiring necessary audits going forward (in a sane universe), even if (or because of) Trump shuts it down. The chance that an insider could steal votes or outsider could hack votes and we simply wouldn't notice or verify the count is too scary for words. Could even happen through unintentional program error or administrative mistake. Trust, yet verify? Folks from BMaz/EmptyWheel to Nate Silver agree.

Even Sarah Palin pummeled Trump for his 1-man-show with Carrier A/C - as in "that's no way to do free market business" - much as the Wall Street Journal did (while noting the $7 million cost, & that 300 of the claimed 1000 "saved" jobs were never intended to be exported). + turns out Trump had already sued Carrier A/C in New York and lost - nothing like another precedent for conflict of interest & rule by revenge. Seems we've got some unlikely allies - how to use them?

Whatever the forefathers thought about the Electoral College as firewall, the modern wimps & partisans seem unwilling to play that role - it's dead. Oddly or sadly enough, the only electors willing to switch vote are Hillary haters - Republicans are too disciplined. And throwing it to the House might just elect Trump anyway. 

Feminism as we knew it is dead. Pussygate, a steady spate of attacks on abortion, and even Ivanka as the kind of gross First Lady/Daughter, not to mention the triumph of cleavage and free the nipple over any meaningful women's issues signal the new way - a veritable mess. When Nancy Pelosi asked The Donald about "women's issues", Trump passed the phone to Ivanka. Guess these fall under "fashion accessories, 2nd floor". Worse, the lawsuits against Ailes & Fox followed by Megyn Kelly's expose in her book have led to 1 conclusion from Fox fans - that she's a self-promoting c***. What with white women backing the new Groper in Chief, it looks like Tammy Wynette's back with"Stand By Your Any Man". Ivanka's gross "Women4Women" featuring Stepford Wives with perfect bodies, perfect children, impossibly immaculate & impractical homes, and of course a line of evening wear positioned as home attire just blows any conception of the "feminine mystique" out of the water.

Unsurprisingly, CNN et al are unwilling to take any responsibility for journalistic malfeasance during the campaign - CEO Jeff Zucker insists it was a level playing field all the way through, ironically praising the hiring Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski while still paid by both CNN & Trump, and saying all the other campaigns had equal chance to be on the channel. Ditto for every other media network. Let's put a graph to that:

Politico highlights that Castro was at his most influential when he was his craziest, playing chicken with the interests of the big boys. The Cuban Missile Crisis threatened the interests of both superpowers - not Cuba's. But what to do when one of the superpowers is as crazy as Castro at his worst, or as could be possible, 2 are working in some mysterious alliance? [also sad to see no news reports I saw traced back Castro's roots pre-Batista. Apparently American imperialism leaves no traces, like vanished wakes in the ocean.]

Keith Ellison gets down on all 4 & grovels to Israel for having the effrontery to say Israel has influence on our Mideast foreign policy. Elsewhere, PP bows and apologizes to the sun for implying the sun is "scorching hot" and rises in the east and influences when he gets up. Some things are better off left unsaid. (BTW, get Bibi on the phone to see if it's okay to kill the Iran nuke deal yet, otay? - or maybe we can invite him to address Congress again). In any case, having a Muslim run the DNC is a bit too suicidal even for Democrats' usual M.O. Let's go win those racist anti-Muslim heartland v

Another retread of "death of identity politics". Memo to millennials - "millennials" is an identity, kind of like "Baby Boomer", "Gen X", and the like. This one came of age around 2000 and can't be fucked doing subtlety or details. I know, I know - you thought by getting grandpa to lead your revolution it would count as "diverse". And sure, some exit poll in Nevada said Hispanics like you - hope not the same pollsters that predicted a Hillary win on the 8th (have you seen those conservative Cubans on a rampage?) And as for the "we've also got female millennials", see "death of feminism" above - note that as long as greedy youthful-enough corporate bastards can bleed you dry while engaging your enthusiasm and spirit, and those "tech grrrrrls" get to rage on "empowered" but still never rise to a boardroom position, it's still not "progressive", however much you keep using that word. And of course, still no solution to those retirement problems come a few decades from now, whatever scotch tape a $15 wage pins on the left's power tie. A *practical* "plan", anyone?

Aleppo continues to look bleaker than that previous atrocity in Chechnya - Putin 2.0, one might say, with Assad the new Kadyrov 2.0. Combine that with Turkey's newfound pariah status in the EU (with Merkel adamantly opposed to softening), we're in for an ugly future in that corner of the Mideast. The glimmer of hope is that the alliance taking Mosul will succeed, even though at this pace there will be a huge civilian toll by the end. The grimmer reality is it's likely to all fall apart into fighting by different factions once the city's secured. At least ISIS' days are numbered, but what comes next? We used to think it can't get any worse.

Folks seem to be moving towards a mulligan on Brexit, even as other countries try to emulate exit. A tense time, but perhaps the one good thing about Trump is that the rest of the world sees unity against craziness as a preferred strategy. Even Prime Minister Theresa May has likely noticed that Trump is inviting her Brexit opponent, Nigel Farage, to visit, and not her. Waiting for Trump to call is becoming our version of Godot - waiting for the new coin to drop. And this is still Trump's 1st unofficial month - lots of learning experience to go through. (BTW, Farage just called Obama a "loathsome creature" - once upon a time politicians could control their potty mouths. Now only Democratic ones observe these niceities).

Someone went through Trump's speeches of the last months or year and is working on understanding the subliminal messaging and suggestions that are working so well for him. When time, I'll find the link, but tops on our list is figuring out how not to keep playing into his vortex, where every Democratic objection just produces a "see, I told you so" reaction for his base, more meat for the masses. We are losing at every step, and it didn't start with Trump, which is why the GOP already had 30+ state orgs sewn up plus both houses of Congress. 

One good piece of news is there are too few Supreme Court justices to die off - only 2 or 3 are old enough to croak soon (though largely the liberal ones), and then it's just wait for a few decades and see what they've ruled in the meantime. Glass half full, no?

Bush's first month in office the Chinese knocked down a US spy plane off of Hainan, and then shipped it back in boxes. Expect similar indignities with Trump's rash call to Taiwan even as he tries to proclaim victory - it's doubtful that China will let the US get away with acting the innocent, and instead will invoke some kind of ignonimity on him just to drive the point home. Perhaps they'll require him to move that Trump Tower from Taiwan to Shanghai - Trump's kind of "win-win", and our kind of "lose-lose".

I watched "American Psycho" the other night - I recommend it for anyone trying to fathom the kind of egotism driving the Trump revolution. Riveting, no pun intended....

In an alternate universe, imagine protesters against the Standing Rock pipeline got together and went to Hillary and said, "we'll campaign the shit out of you if you stop this once elected". Better than 3 months standing out in a wasteland chanting uselessly. Does anyone on the left know how to use political pressure effectively, or what?

Trump's pollster says it was all about 5 counties - and Comey pulled them across the finish line. Considering Trump had advance notice via Giuliani at least that the Comey FBI announcement was coming, presumably he could plan for it too (if Trump plans - a topic for another day). Democrats still don't seem to be bothered that both 1) the Comey announcement and 2) the Wikileaks hack, then extortionist drip-drip-drip were both highly illegal. The message for Hillary? "You should have been prepared, October Surprises happen". Sometimes even July surprises. And with all the DNC hate, most Democrats probably don't realize 3) the DNC's oppo research on Trump was also stolen and published back in June. (the actual document online here). We just stand there like deer in the headlights, like when they stole Obama's Supreme Court pick.

As paywalls for newspapers come down, 90% of the money goes to Facebook and Google. And we wonder why news devolves into sensationalist claptrap, while CNN & ABC revel in their Trump-led bonanza with no regrets - how else are you going to get eyeballs influenced by click ads? What happens to the Fourth Estate now?