Unprecedented: Trump Indicted!

Commentary

(with a little ‘News with a Twist’)

Try as they might, Trump supporters refuse to “Keep Calm and Carry On”*

*Actually, they didn’t try very hard

The Trump indictment announcement, and the knee-jerk GOP outrage at it, got me thinking about the words used in describing Trump supporters’ invectives. Why are all these “hair-on-fire” Trump supporters using the same word to describe their scorn. And then it dawned on me.

Some background.

About six months ago I began getting emails from two different unsolicited sources. Each sent a “Word of the Day.” One is called, “Word Genius,” the other, “Word Daily.” Not only do both include an obscure word, because the selected words are so “abstruse” (I don’t remember if “abstruse” has been one of the words), the sites also provide a guide on how to use the word.

Today’s words will show you what I mean.

Word Genius: Opsigamy – “Marriage at an old age” Usage: “Opsigamy might be on the rise as older people are starting to use dating apps to find new partners later in life.”

Word Daily: Spizzerinctum – “Determination, ardor, or zeal” Usage: “Gather up your spizzerinctum, and ask her to the dance.”

(Just think, if these sites existed back in the days of Groucho Marx’s “You Bet Your Life,” no one would ever have said the secret word and won $100! – but I digress)

(Sorry, one more digression below. I guess I just can’t help myself.)

When you read these comments by GOP politicians (and two of Trump’s sons), see if you can determine what word or words of the day might have been posted in those Republican “Words of the Day” sites. (Actually, since most people who know me know I hate games, I’ve bolded the word and it’s derivatives to get it over with.)

South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott: “[Bragg] has failed to uphold the law for violent criminals, yet weaponized the law against political enemies.”

House Majority Leader Louisiana Rep. Steve Scalise: “The sham New York indictment of President Donald Trump is one of the clearest examples of extremist Democrats weaponizing government to attack their political opponents. Outrageous.”

Texas Republican Senator Ted Cruz: “The Democrat Party’s hatred for Donald Trump knows no bounds. The ‘substance’ of this political persecution is utter garbage. This is completely unprecedented and is a catastrophic escalation in the weaponization of the justice system.”

Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy: “American people will not tolerate this injustice. Alvin Bragg has irreparably damaged our country in an attempt to interfere in our Presidential election. As he routinely frees violent criminals to terrorize the public, he weaponized our sacred system of justice against President Donald Trump.”

Ronna McDaniel, Chairwoman of the Republican Party: “When our justice system is weaponized as a political tool, it endangers all of us. This is a blatant abuse of power from a DA focused on political vengeance instead of keeping people safe.”

Florida GOP Senator Rick Scott: “First, our media was overrun by the left, then our government was weaponized by the Democrats, and now our legal system has been completely upended by a Soros-funded district attorney who is targeting a political opponent while letting violent criminals run rampant across NYC.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis: “The weaponization of the legal system to advance a political agenda turns the rule of law on its head. It is un-American. The Soros-backed Manhattan District Attorney has consistently bent the law to downgrade felonies and to excuse criminal misconduct. Yet, now he is stretching the law to target a political opponent.

Rep. George Santos (R-NY)*: “I am deeply disturbed by the reports of the indictment. Weaponizing the justice system to target a political rival is a clear danger to our country and democracy. DA Alvin Bragg should focus on prosecuting crime in NYC, not executing political witch hunts.”

(*George Santos, really!?!?!?)

And finally, the irrepressible Trump brothers:

Donald Trump Jr.: “This isn’t just the radical left weaponizing the government to target their political enemies, this is them weaponizing the government to interfere in the 2024 election to stop Trump. The only solution is to shove it down their throats and put him back in the White House!!!

Eric Trump: “This is third world prosecutorial misconduct. It is the opportunistic targeting of a political opponent in a campaign year”

(Eric wanted to use “weaponizing” but since his big brother used it twice, in a rare moment of restraint, he decided to take a pass)

Now if I get two “Words of the Day” everyday, is it possible that there is a GOP/Right-wing-nutcase/Trumpster/MAGA version of “Word Genius” or “Word Daily?”

Intrigued, I had to determine if indeed there is a “GOP Word of the Day.” After an intensive search I did stumble upon one: “GOP Talking Point Daily,” which included this, just the other day:

Weaponize – “To use as a means to gain a powerful advantage.” Usage: “When your political opponents do something you don’t like, just say they’re weaponizing.”

Apparently, some Trump backers must have missed “weaponize,” but many did use what must have been another, earlier “GOP Word of the Day:”

Soros-backed/funded – “An antisemitic dog-whistle.” Usage: “Our legal system has been completely upended by a Soros-funded district attorney.”

I couldn’t finish this story without showing the inimitable Lindsey Graham, once one of Trump’s most vocal critics but now his most loyal toady, not only giving his full-throated support to the poor, put-upon Donald Trump, but also making a plea for all “conservatives” to go to donaldjtrump.com to give the man some money to “fight.”

(Graham appeared before a live Fox audience. As unbelievable as it seems, this was a Hannity audience after all, he was audibly heckled by an audience member who yelled, “It is a wonderful day.”)

And remember, all these screeds, this hyperbolic language, these claims of prosecutional mis-conduct? They’ve all been said, tweeted or written BEFORE ANYONE HAS EVEN SEEN THE INDICTMENT!

Finally, not one to miss yet another grifting opportunity, immediately after the indictment was made public, Trump and his campaign sent out an email promising to send an “I Stand With Trump” t-shirt to supporters who contribute more than $47 before midnight Thursday. I’m guessing Trump’s Rikers-incarcerated former CFO, Allen Weisselberg, must have smuggled a message to Trump that $47 was the magic number to avoid indictment. Oops!

Try as I can, I can’t make this stuff up!