Hello, Donald

Another gloomy day in Charm City, and yet I'm somewhat encouraged by recent developments in the political scene. Conor Lamb, who is probably far too right-wing for my tastes, eked out a victory over the Trumpista schlub, Rick Saccone, in a special election in a southwestern Pennsylvanian House district that had gone for Trump by more than 20 points in the 2016 general election. This despite the Republicans pouring in in excess of $10 million to win what should have been a gimme. Saccone tried every trick in the GOP book - from insisting that Lamb would be a bag-holder for Nancy Pelosi to more generally smearing all "liberals," claiming that they hated G-d.

Ah, the sweet rank stench of the flop sweat. I love its smell in the morning.

So, here's the thing. I'm not sure if Trump is necessarily focused on the significance of this loss - the fragility of his so-called appeal to white working class voters - because he's too dad gum busy dispensing little turd love packages, like so many landmines, in his own political backyard. The downside of distracting his political opponents and the general public with daily rhetorical jaw-droppers and genuine ethical and legal lapses is that they will eventually catch up with him. It's not as if he's a just a failed private sector real estate developer and celebrity anymore. His actions, as the President of the United States, have very real consequences that go well beyond whatever is left of his tattered two-bit business empire.

Funny thing about trying to pull those stunts in the public sector. You can't just buy off or bully people or institutions into submission. There are actually those checks and balances, multiple layers of them, too, and even if there are ethics-free enabling politicians allies who try to gum up the works, they will eventually grind and groan into action. And that is why I'm looking forward to seeing whether the timing of the midterm election defeat of the Republicans in at least one house of Congress will coincide with the grand conjoining of these turdy love packages into a big, hot steamy fecal mess.

Stick that on your fork and eat it, Donald.