It's Sunday with Dan | 2023 October 1

Like a day without a Melania Trump rumor, so is a Sunday without "Meet The Press." This week the overriding urgency of professional golf's Ryder Cup takes precedence over the longest running show in television history. Nevertheless it was a week of many stories and developments. First we give a tip of the Hatlo hat and deepest sorrow to the passing of Democratic Senator Diane Feinstein. She served admirably for 31 years in the chamber. She championed the causes of voting rights, gun control, abortion access, and environmental protection. Of course this made her a convenient pinata for the GOP and the MAGA malcontents. Sadly her physical and mental capabilities had declined in recent years. One of her last appearances on television showed her being told how to vote on a senate bill. The undefeated champion is always Father Time.

Last Wednesday was a doubleheader for Republican presidential junkies. First was a rally in Detroit for the effervescent Donnie Trump at an automotive parts plant. With a backdrop of the strike against the big three automakers, a crowd of 500 heard Trump tell them they should vote for him or all of their jobs will move to China. The crowd waved printed signs that read "Auto Workers for Trump" and "Union Members for Trump." It looked good on television. The professional wrestler Eddie Guerrero once said " If you're not cheating, you're not trying." This is the mantra that Donnie lives by. The Detroit News interviewed those in attendance and found out they weren't auto workers nor were they union members. Those on the guest list included the fat bald guy from "Pawn Stars." Lucky man.

At the same time at the Ronald Reagan Library in California it was the second Republican presidential debate. There were only deven combatants in the steel cage match this time. In honor of all things being equal each candidate made head scratching statements. Tim Scott said LBJ's Great Society program led to the destruction of the nuclear black family. It gave incentive for black fathers to abandon their families thus throwing them into a lifetime of government dependency. Vivek Ramaswamy said that fentanyl was smuggled into America through a system of vast underground tunnels big enough to drive trucks through. Mike Pence again said he was Mister Experience and the way to end mass shootings is to eliminate life sentences and go straight to executions. Nikki Haley said she would solve the inadequacies of health care by telling insurance companies and hospitals to get their acts together. Doug Burgum had to tell us that he had magically turned the state of North Dakota into the most innovative one in the lower 48. Chris Christie had waited all week to say that if Donnie missed another debate they wouldn't call him Donald Trump but instead they'd call him Donald Duck. And the soulless machine that talks, Ron DeSantis, kept reminding us that he has a wife and he'd send in the Army to Mexico. So there! 

For the bulk of the two hours it was a chaotic cacophony of everyone yelling at the same time while the 3 hapless moderators tried, with little success, to reign them in. Why they call these free for all debates is beyond my comprehension. The best idiocy of the night was the screaming match between Scott and Haley over the 50 thousand dollars spent on the curtains in Haley's United Nations office. 

On Thursday the House began their impeachment inquiry of Uncle Joe Biden. The Republicans 3 expert witnesses all said that they had no evidence to recommend an impeachment. That did not stop chairman James Comer from saying the American people know what's going on and that they would keep having meetings. Google "James Comer Spousal Abuse" and have an enlightening read.On Friday Trump made waves again by saying at a rally in California that he would end the rise in shoplifting by shooting all shoplifters "on sight." On Saturday the House finally approved a continuing resolution to keep the government open for 45 days by a vote of 335 to 91. The Senate followed suit by a tally of 88 to 9. In a move he might regret later, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer boasted about crushing the MAGA wing nuts in the house. There could have been a flag thrown for excessive celebration in the end zone. 

This week's Scrabble word was uttered, not once but twice, in 30 seconds. The word is "deputary" and came from Colorado Republican Representative Lauren "Tube Snake Boogie" Boebert. And Matt "The Little Girls Understand" Gaetz is plotting Kevin McCarthy's takedown come Monday. Now he's getting excited. He's getting excited, and he knows what happens.