Ta
"Submitted...for your perusal:
A Congressman who proved
receptive to Trumpian claims
of election fraud in 2020,
wants you to fill out a survey.
"Truly -- a conundrum that
can only exist in the middle ground,
between light and shadow,
between science and superstition...
Only...in...The Twilight Zone."
<i.>
I wouldn't have gotten wind of this item, had a friend of mine in Congressman Bill Huizenga's Fourth District not passed it my way. Huizenga, for those who don't know his name, happens to be among those who signed on -- at least initially, and we'll get to that shortly -- Trump's deranged, yet calculated attempt to overturn his 2020 election loss, and remain in power indefinitely.
Unlike most of his cohorts, though -- specifically, the 147 Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives, who voted to overturn Joe Biden's victory over Trump -- Huizenga though he could have it both ways. He signed onto an amicus brief filed by Texas's shapeshifting Attorney General, Bill Paxton, asking the U.S. Supreme Court to slap down Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, for making changes to the election process during the COVID-19 pandemic.
But when push came to shove, Huizenga didn't end up actually voting to decertify Biden's election. Not because it was somehow intrinsically seditious, nor based on a questionable premise -- as Trump signaled, in his notorious statement, "Frankly, we won this election" -- but simply because it wouldn't have lifted Trump over the finish line. Since it wouldn't have made any difference, it was best to move on. Call him one of the election ambivalent, perhaps.
Now comes this single-question "survey," which seems like a scam to pad Huizenga's mailing list. You can see the disclaimer buried underneath the lone question he asks, in greatly reduced fine print: "Taking this survey will sign you up for future news and updates from my office."
My friend has never done that, and I wouldn't advise anybody else to do it, either, because if you don't support the so-called survey's premise, what's the point of doing it in the first place? Here's the email that went out:
My friend has never done that, and I wouldn't advise anybody else to do it, either, because if you don't support the so-called survey's premise, what's the point of doing it in the first place? Here's the email that went out:
<ii.>
Huizenga gives away the punchline right in the opening sentence: "President Biden’s failed border policies jeopardize our national security and leave our country vulnerable to serious threats." The premise of the next paragraph, which implicitly links those six million illegals to drugs and terrorism, is not only dubious, it's downright racist.
We all know who Huizenga and his election denying brethren want to protect us from, right? Hint: it isn't the rich white entitled class, whose financial terrorism is proving way more devastating than whatever products the Mexican cartel masters are shipping across the border.
Of course, as the Mexican government has pointed out, numerous times, the gringo who hoovers such products up their schonzzer bears some of the responsibility, too. As a former rock band manager once told me: "It takes two tango. One has to offer it, but one has to be interested." Makes sense to me.
We all know who Huizenga and his election denying brethren want to protect us from, right? Hint: it isn't the rich white entitled class, whose financial terrorism is proving way more devastating than whatever products the Mexican cartel masters are shipping across the border.
Of course, as the Mexican government has pointed out, numerous times, the gringo who hoovers such products up their schonzzer bears some of the responsibility, too. As a former rock band manager once told me: "It takes two tango. One has to offer it, but one has to be interested." Makes sense to me.
The other purpose seems clearer when -- or if -- your eyes make it to the final paragraph, which puts in a plug for the Secure The Border Act, yet another one of those performative monkeyshines that Huizenga knows full well is DOA in a Democratic-controlled Senate. For a slightly more objective analysis, see the link below, but this paragraph sums up the gist eloquently enough:
"While some elements of the proposed legislation might prove effective and helpful, like additional investments in personnel and technology at ports of entry, the bill’s enforcement-only focus and failure to address lawful pathways is deeply flawed.
"The bill’s overarching focus on physical barriers and deterrence measures — but not increased numbers of asylum officers or immigration judges — presents a vision of the U.S.’s southern border where people fleeing violence and persecution would be quickly removed, without meaningful access to protection.
"Further, by interpreting 'operational control' through the circumscribed definition in the Secure Fence Act of 2006, the bill is predicated on an unrealistic standard that the U.S. must prevent all unauthorized crossings along a roughly 2,000-mile border."
"The bill’s overarching focus on physical barriers and deterrence measures — but not increased numbers of asylum officers or immigration judges — presents a vision of the U.S.’s southern border where people fleeing violence and persecution would be quickly removed, without meaningful access to protection.
"Further, by interpreting 'operational control' through the circumscribed definition in the Secure Fence Act of 2006, the bill is predicated on an unrealistic standard that the U.S. must prevent all unauthorized crossings along a roughly 2,000-mile border."
Undoubtedly, if Trump slithers back into office, and gets his long-desired American Fourth Reich, he can look forward to making good on those aims...without all those pesky Democrats and "deep state" civil service appointees getting in his way, right?
And if he does, we'll know that Huizenga was among those marching beside him. Elected during the so-called "Tea Party" wave of 2010 certified Huizenga as well to the right of most issues, but his subsequent votes -- such as against Trump's second impeachment, and the establishment of the January 6 investigative commission -- should make it plain where his flag actually flies, so to speak (see link below).
And if he does, we'll know that Huizenga was among those marching beside him. Elected during the so-called "Tea Party" wave of 2010 certified Huizenga as well to the right of most issues, but his subsequent votes -- such as against Trump's second impeachment, and the establishment of the January 6 investigative commission -- should make it plain where his flag actually flies, so to speak (see link below).
Nevertheless, he says he wants to know what you think. On a certain level, it's a surreal proposition, coming from somebody like this, though on another, it's not as far-fetched as it sounds; the tracking of public opinion is a common feature of many autocracies.
For example, Hitler's propaganda overlord, Josef Goebbels, took regular polls throughout the Nazi era. Not because he cared what Germans thought of the beloved Fuehrer he served so ardently, but to help him work out the government line -- what appeals worked best, which groups to target, and what themes to stress harder, or skip over, depending on his needs of the moment.
For example, Hitler's propaganda overlord, Josef Goebbels, took regular polls throughout the Nazi era. Not because he cared what Germans thought of the beloved Fuehrer he served so ardently, but to help him work out the government line -- what appeals worked best, which groups to target, and what themes to stress harder, or skip over, depending on his needs of the moment.
Surveys like the one we're discussing fall into what I call the "Rod Serling moment" category, which I consider an event that would trigger a commentary from the late, chain-smoking sci-fi TV host, if we could call him back from the Great Beyond. It's the kind of moment, when people wonder, "What is surrealism," that prompts me to retort: "You're already living in it." --The Reckoner
Links To Go (Hurry, Hurry, Before
They Build A Detention Center Fit For You)
MLive.com: Michigan GOP Congressman Dispels Election Myths...:
https://www.mlive.com/politics/2021/01/michigan-gop-congressman-dispels-election-myths-from-constituents-asking-to-oppose-bidens-win.html
National Immigration Foreign Forum:
They Build A Detention Center Fit For You)
MLive.com: Michigan GOP Congressman Dispels Election Myths...:
https://www.mlive.com/politics/2021/01/michigan-gop-congressman-dispels-election-myths-from-constituents-asking-to-oppose-bidens-win.html
National Immigration Foreign Forum:
Bill Analysis: The Secure The Border Act Of 2023:
Republican Accountability:
Rep. Bill Huizenga: Democracy Score:
https://accountability.gop/profile/rep-bill-huizenga/
https://accountability.gop/profile/rep-bill-huizenga/
