Before I get into the meat and potatoes of the piece, let us crow about the election results on Tuesday. It was an all out rout, a good old shellacking. We even won elections in Georgia and Mississippi in state and local races! In Virginia, we increased the majority in the state legislature from 51-49 to 64-36. A shellacking.
And no, it wasn’t rigged. It was the first time I have felt hope that we can turn things around. The turnout was high for an off-year, and take your hat off to Gavin Newsom for putting together a coalition in just 90 days to create a ballot initiative to give California the opportunity to redistrict to ensure Democratic victories to counterbalance what Texas did. Turnout for the proposition exceeded expectations, and the initiative passed by a 2 to 1 margin. More than 8 million people showed up to vote when the only thing on the ballot was this initiative; it is a powerful statement about the desire to push back on The Don.
This is what democracy looks like. Still we need to heed Gavin Newsom’s sober words after the victory. He is clear-eyed about the threats and challenges ahead from The Don and his cronies. They are still planning to try to intimidate people at the polls in 2026 with the presence of the military; they are still trying to get people in power in states to invalidate results; they are still going to yell “rigged”; they will be screaming that the Democrats are now the party of an Islamic terrorist named Mamdani; they will throw the kitchen sink at us to try to distract, dissuade, frighten, and intimidate us. What the election revealed, is that when you rise together, things happen; when you rise together you can get back your power. We must not let this feeling of hope and liberation wane, as its power can free us from the jaws of this destructive, autocratic administration.
My favorite moment came from Zoran Mamdani’s victory speech. Emboldened and defiant, he called out The Don. First, he made reference to the fact that he knew The Don was watching. Then he said: “I have four words for you: Turn the volume up.”
Now to the piece.
The cruelty of The Don and his cronies is on full display in its despicable and frankly, immoral response to funding SNAP. It is a lifeline for over 40 million Americans who will have food taken off their tables. Forget the morality of maintaining the funds, but from a political perspective, wouldn’t it make sense to make sure children aren’t hungry? Imagine the anger, stress, and fear denying people food assistance creates. You would think that it would be one of those no-brainers to fund, right? It’s political suicide, right?
The White House has heinously pursued a policy of cuts targeting climate, education, health, housing, research programs, and a bevy of initiatives that aid the poor. All the while, the administration has proposed pumping new money into the military and the various agencies that conduct mass deportations.
Since the 1970s, the Republicans have been zealously committed to cuts in Medicaid (which their Big Beautiful Bill brings to fruition), Medicare and Social Security. Their refusal to continue the subsidies for Obamacare, which will lead to millions of American insurance premiums rising by a 100%, is another cruel and egregious act.
The desire to take away benefits from the poor has strong roots in the Republican Party. This initiative was a central part of the Reagan administration. Reagan was famously known for introducing the term “Welfare Queen” into our national conversation. Racist to its core, it set the stage for the vilification of Black and Brown families who were cast as moochers, scamming the system. They were villainized as an economic drain on our country.
Reagan was a racist. What else can you say about a man who had his first post-convention speech in Philadelphia, Mississippi, which is notorious for the brutal murder of three young civil rights freedom fighters. Though The Don did not go to Philadelphia, Mississippi, Don Jr. did; it was The Don in absentia. However, channeling Reagan, The Don’s original decision to stage his first public rally on Juneteenth in Tulsa — the site of the worst anti-black racist massacre in American history — has deep roots in political leaders’ strategic displays of political solidarity with racists and those who support racial terror. (He ultimately moved it to June 20th because of blow-back.)
This idea that Blacks are the majority of SNAP recipients is a lie and a myth still perpetrated by the Republicans. According to the most recent USDA data available from 2023, white people are the largest racial group receiving SNAP benefits, at 35.4 percent. Many of these White people live in rural areas and are die-hard supporters of The Don. Deny food to your own constituents Don? Once again, we are back to the simple fact that he doesn’t give a shit about any of them. Wonder what his supporters think of the fact that he managed to find the money to pay his ICE officers, but not help them? Here are some telling numbers.
In West Virginia, 97.7 percent of SNAP recipients whose racial and ethnic identity was recorded are white; Indiana, 66 percent; Iowa 75.5 percent; Kentucky, 83.4 percent; Missouri, 67.1 percent; Montana, 76.6 percent; North Dakota, 66.9 percent; Ohio, 64.9; Oklahoma, 60.9 percent; Utah, 86.6 percent; and Wyoming, 78.8 percent.
During past government shutdowns, administrations have continued to fund SNAP. Leaving people without enough money for food seemed like a bridge too far. Not this President!
The refusal to maintain funding for SNAP is made more galling by the fact that there was money held in reserve that could have been allocated immediately. The Don ignored that and only when a judge ruled he must use those funds did he stir. His disingenuous words below made me gag.
“If we are given the appropriate legal direction by the Court, it will BE MY HONOR to provide the funding, just like I did with Military and Law Enforcement Pay.”
Well, the court told you what to do. And what did you initially do? You agreed to only provide recipients with partial benefits, without clarifying when even those reduced benefits would be released. The administration also said it would not tap additional money to fund full payments in November.
As if that wasn’t awful enough, The Don surprised his staff by defying the court’s ruling by announcing that half was too much and he wasn’t releasing any money for SNAP. Once again, I will repeat: the money for SNAP is already there in a special fund and using the shutdown as an excuse is cruel and tone deaf.
Once again, for The Don, giving in is a loss and this is intolerable, no matter how many people suffer.
To add insult to injury, The Don held a 1920’s Gilded Age, Great Gatsby event, celebrating a time of tremendous excess and unimaginable wealth for the oligarchs of those times. This kind of arrogance and tone deafness gives Marie Antoinette a run for her money. This event, along with the desire to build a $300 million ballroom while people go hungry is outrageous it’s as if the administration is laughing and spitting on those who will be going to foodbanks to feed there families; foodbanks that are overwhelmed and will not have the capacity to feed them.
Will this turn out to be a bridge too far for some of his supporters? Certainly the election results suggest that he is bleeding support and people are tired of his destructive and anti-democratic actions. When you take food from the mouth of the masses, while you serve caviar to your friends, watch out. People get very ornery and irritable when they are hungry; people are very angry if they can’t feed their children. Will the MAGA fever finally break?
The Grand Offal Party 