'I'm a Jew': Antisemitic Mailer Sparks Blowup Inside Local Republican Party in Tennessee

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Unfortunately, People Like This Feel at Home in the Republican Party.

by Rod Williams, June 26, 2026- Can you believe this? 

What you are seeing is a mailer sent out by a Young Republican in Maury County. If you think "Young Republican" means naive young people and want to excuse this, don't be deceived. One is a Young Republican up until age 40. 

I know some of my liberal friends will believe this; they always thought the Republican Party was fascist and weird, but I know this is not normal. This is not what Republicans have always been like; this is what the Republican Party has become since Donald Trump was elected. 

Of course, there have always been nut-jobs and conspiracy theorists in the Republican Party. When you have a two-party system like ours, the nutjobs make up part of each coalition. 

Not all the crazies are Republicans, of course. There have always been some Democrats who believed some crazy stuff and advocated nutty things like unilateral disarmament, defund the police, borders are racist, trans women are women, and many seem ignorant of economics. So, I am not saying it is only Republicans who are crazy, but crazy Republicans are now mainstream Republicans. What would have once been rejected and denounced and marginalized is now mainstream.

I am old, but not old enough to remember when it happened, but in the late fifties and early sixties, many chapters of the Republican Party had been taken over by the John Birch Society. If you only had a surface knowledge of the JBS, they seemed like normal but very conservative people. If you scratched the surface, you discovered they were really weird. They believed in a grand conspiracy. Not only was the government controlled by Communists, but Communism was just part of a bigger conspiracy that had been pulling the strings of world events since the Enlightenment. The world was controlled by a cabal of people called "the insiders." The insiders were also the Illuminati or something like that, and the insiders included the Rothschilds, the Council of Foreign Relations, the United Nations, and many others. Around 1962, led by National Review founder William F. Buckley, Jr., the JBS was marginalized and denounced, and the organization's power waned, almost disappearing.

Getting rid of the JBS, of course, did not mean the end of nuttiness in the Republican Party. There were always a few right-wing militia types and fringe groups that attached themselves to the Republican Party, but they were routinely denounced and marginalized. 

I think following the terrorist attack of September 11, 2001, the Party became more comfortable with the crazies in their ranks. It became acceptable to be bigoted toward all Muslims and take a stand that freedom of religion did not apply to Muslim. Of course, President George W. Bush and other leaders and respected conservative journalists consistently advocated for our Constitutional liberties, but there was a Republican insurgency that welcomed the enemies of Constitutional liberties, and many were ready to receive a message that 9-11 was somehow an inside job. 

Due, I think, to the rise of talk radio and then the modern internet and social media, there was a democratization of opinion. Whereas in the past one's reach with a bombastic tone or crazy theories was limited, in the new media environment, everyone had a megaphone, and there were plenty of people ready to listen and believe the loudest, most shrill voice and the one who could offer the simplest explanations to complex problems. 

The rise of the TEA party movement further provided fertile ground for the growth of crazy ideas and dangerous ideologies. I was very much part of the TEA party movement. I attended the rallies. I favor lower taxes and a less intrusive government. However, as the movement grew, it attracted more and more fringe types, and they were tolerated. Being radical became the norm. The nerdy scholarly Republican and the Country Club Chamber of Commerce Republican were being replaced by the rabble rouser. 

I was very involved in Republican Party politics around 2012, when a new hysteria swept through the Republican Party. It has pretty much disappeared now, but starting about 2012, concern over something called "Agenda 21" swept through Republican and conservative circles. Agenda 21 was a United Nations study that essentially warned of the threat of global warming and laid out what should be done about it. Agenda 21 amounted to nothing. It was just the opinion of the authors of the study. It was not a treaty nor even a resolution of the United Nations. Many Republicans, including people I knew and had worked with on campaigns, thought this was a serious plan to kill 98% of the world's population, and it involved killing us all with aspartame and fluoride. People really believed this crap. Everything from programs to have shady sidewalks, to reintroducing wolves into the wild, was denounced as part of the  Agenda 21 agenda. If you think I am making this stuff up, follow this link. I covered this nonsense at the time. 

And then came Donald Trump and the doors were swung wide open to the rabble rouser and the nutjob.  I attended CPAC in 2015 and Donald Trump was not even invited to speak. CPAC, was for serious conservatives. What was once a gatekeeper to what was acceptable conservatism is now simply a part of the Trump machine.  My, how things have changed.

Look at the list of points of the Austin mailer: The Great Replacement theory is a debunked white nationalist, far-right conspiracy theory that white people are deliberately being replaced by non-white peoples through mass migration, demographic growth and a drop in the birth rate of white people. Immigrants who come here as refugees fleeing oppression or simply for a better way of life are called invaders. Religious liberty is rejected and Austin Lee would ban two of the world's major religions. Antisemitism is expressed, and men should be in charge. This is nuts. This is fascist. This is authoritarianism. This is un-American. Unfortunately, people who advocate these positions feel at home in the Republican Party. 

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Trump Lies About Manufacturing Job Growth. The US Manufacturing Sector has Shed Over 108,000 Jobs and Continues to Shrink.

by Rod Williams, June 25, 2026- I watched Trump's 250 birthday bash event called State Fair yesterday. This was the event that was supposed to have a variety of musical acts from various genres. After the artist discovered they were to be used as props at a pro-Trump event, almost all dropped out, and Trump just unapologetically turned the event into another Trump rally.

His speech at that event was among the least offensive of his speeches. He didn't talk about crooked Hillary or the autopen or the stolen election or Arnold Palmer's penis. He mostly kept to the teleprompter. He did do his America-is-the-hottest-country, growth-like-no-one-has-ever-seen, the best-this, unheard-of-that, Make-America-Great-Again spiel. But grading on a curve, it wasn't that bad. One reason it was not so bad was that it was only about half an hour long and not two hours long. 

It did seem to me, however, that Trump was low-energy and the speech was just a streamlined version of what we have heard many times before. It was kind of like a rerun. Not being there in person, I don't know if there was enthusiasm and energy in the air, but media coverage of the event showed people leaving while he was still speaking, and it did not look like the frenzied adoring crowd of years past.  

In part of the speech, he talked about how the economy is booming. I thought that could not be true. It is my understanding that while the stock market is performing well, the Trump tariffs, the Iran war, and inflation have put a damper on the economy, and we are experiencing a slowing economy. I was particularly skeptical of his claim of manufacturing job growth in America. I stay informed and consume a lot of news from reliable sources, and I am under the strong impression that America is continuing to lose manufacturing jobs. In fact, we are. In 2025, America lost about 108,000 manufacturing jobs and the manufacturing sector continues to shed jobs in 2026.

I have not done a fact-check of that State Fair speech. I have reached the point where I just assume Trump lies all of the time, and that if he tells the truth, it is an accident. On my more charitable days, however, I think maybe when he says something untrue, he is not actually lying.  Sometimes I don't know if he is lying or if he really believes the crazy things he says. Maybe he really does believe the Haitians are eating the cats and the dogs. Maybe instead of lying, he really believes his own bullshit. Maybe he is not lying but is dilutional. I don't know, but I never assume what he says is the truth.

I have not fact-checked his State Fair speech, nor have I come across anyone else who has, but I have not looked that hard. I did come across a meme fact-checking a claim he made about manufacturing job growth in Pennsylvania. I fact-checked the meme pictured here, and the meme is correct about his claim of manufacturing growth in Pennsylvania. 

Below is what Bing Co-pilot says about his claim of manufacturing job growth in Pennsylvania. I have followed some of the links and looked at other sources and confirmed that the meme is accurate and the Bing Co-pilot is correct.

Pennsylvania has lost approximately 4,500 manufacturing jobs recently, while the U.S. manufacturing sector has shed over 100,000 jobs, reflecting ongoing structural changes in the industry.

Pennsylvania Manufacturing Job Losses

 According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Pennsylvania has lost about 4,500 manufacturing jobs in recent months, with a 12‑month change of roughly ‑1.6% in nonfarm manufacturing employment U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. This reflects ongoing declines in the sector despite broader economic activity.

On a national scale, the BLS reports that U.S. manufacturing employment is down by about 108,000 jobs in 2025 www.progressivepolicy.org. This loss is part of a longer‑term trend: since 2000, the U.S. has shed over 4.5 million manufacturing jobs, even as manufacturing GDP has grown by about 45% due to increased productivity and automation wbooradio.com+1.

Key Drivers of the Decline

Automation and productivity gains: Modern manufacturing is leaner and less labor‑intensive, with fewer workers per unit of output wbooradio.com+1.

Sectoral shifts: Tech and printing manufacturing have been hit hardest, with over 750,000 computer/electronics jobs and 450,000 printing jobs lost since 2000 wbooradio.com+1.

Geographic patterns: The industrial Northeast, including Pennsylvania, has seen steeper declines than other regions, with some states losing over 40% of their manufacturing workforces wbooradio.com+1.

Economic and policy factors: While federal programs like CHIPS and tariffs aim to reverse some losses, reshoring efforts have not yet restored employment to pre‑2000 levels wbooradio.com+1.

Context for Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania’s manufacturing sector remains a significant part of its economy, but it faces headwinds from:

Global competition and offshoring trends.

Shifts toward high‑tech, capital‑intensive production.

Local economic diversification and competition from other industries.

In summary, Pennsylvania’s recent manufacturing job losses are part of a broader national trend, where automation, productivity gains, and sectoral changes have reduced labor demand in manufacturing, even as output continues to grow.

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Leak Undercuts Trump’s Reflecting Pool Vandalism Claims

National Guard members have begun to patrol the pool's
 perimeter as workers try to remove the algae.
 / Aaron Schwartz / REUTERS

by Maxine Joselow and David A. Fahrenthold, The New York Times, June 24, 2026 - President Trump says the peeling blue coating and algae blooms that mar his $16.4 million renovation of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool are the fault of vandals working with “knives” in the “dark of night.”

But government documents obtained by The New York Times show that while National Park Service workers found two cuts in sections of foam between the pool’s expansion joints, those were not directly related to the “American flag blue” coating that is now peeling, or to the algae that has turned the pool a bright shade of green.

The reflecting pool, seen from the Washington Monument,
 with workers attempting to contain the algae
on Sunday.Credit...Doug Mills/The New York Times

Even as the documents show workers were attempting to address deteriorating conditions, Trump administration officials were insisting publicly that the pool was pristine.

The pool had been drained, resealed and then refilled by June 5. Four days later, Park Service workers discovered holes, cracks and peeling caulking in parts of the pool, along with cuts in sections of the foam, according to the documents.

... The Trump administration awarded two no-bid contracts for the Reflecting Pool renovations, bypassing the legally required process of seeking competitive bids because of what it called an urgent need to complete the project for events around the nation’s 250th birthday.

... Mr. Trump also told reporters on Monday, without offering evidence, that vandals had poured fertilizer into the pool to feed the algae.

... Neither the Interior Department nor the White House would provide charging documents, citations or the names of anyone arrested. They did share the Park Police incident report, which said any suspect or suspects were unknown. The report also did not mention any damage to the pool’s blue sealant, nor did it describe any vandals dumping fertilizer. (read it all)

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The Best of the Reflecting Pool Memes

 

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Reflections on the Reflecting Pool Saga

by Rod Williams, June 22, 2026- Donald Trump is bat-shit crazy! The debacle of the Reflecting Pool and his reaction reflect this.  

In the big scheme of things, the Reflecting Pool screw-up is not that important. Out of the top hundred crazy, irrational, destructive, and detrimental things Trump has done that concern me, the screw-up of the Reflecting Pool ranks in the nineties. However, it reflects the way Trump thinks, the way he acts, and his level of immaturity. 

Trump gave a $14 million no-bid contract to his pool guy, who was unqualified, who had contributed to his campaign, the work was defective and rushed in time for the 250th birthday bash, and the renovation was a disaster. This is the way Trump operates. He has disdain for experts and for methodical procedures and processes. He is a man of action, not study committees and expert opinion. While at times bureaucracy can get in the way of getting things done in an expeditious manner, there is usually a reason for the deliberative process. 

We witnessed Trump improvisational, shoot-from-the-hip, make-it-up-as-you-go-along style of governance from the start of this term with DOGE, when vital agencies were shut down and people fired, without following procedure. This resulted in all kinds of harm, including harming America's standing in the world, a humanitarian crisis, and threats to public health and safety.  Many of the fired had to be reinstated. Any savings proved minimal.

We witness Trump's style of management with the immigration policy.  Trump thought it would be a good idea to build a $1.2 billion, 3000-bed immigration facility in the Florida swamps known as "Alligator Alcatraz."  I think cruelty was the point. He partnered with the Florida governor to open the facility and bypassed normal procedures for making that decision. There were human rights abuses and lawsuits, and now the facility has been closed and is not slated to be reopened.

Trump's style of management is reflected in his approach to immigration enforcement, where legal immigrants and American citizens have had their rights trampled, and people have died due to Trump's policies. Trump sees norms and constitutional rights as just impediments to getting things done.

We have seen it in his tariff policies. The U.S. Constitution grants Congress, not the President, the sole authority to lay and collect tariffs under Article I, Section 8. Trump cannot be bothered by insignificant things like the Constitution- he has a job to do. That the tariffs raise prices to consumers and harm American industry and agriculture is irrelevant. That is just what experts say, and Trump knows more than all the experts.

We have seen it in his starting a war of choice with Iran. The war cost between $25 billion and $32 billion in direct military spending, with long-term economic estimates ranging up to $1 trillion, and it looks like we are going to end up with a deal worse than Obama's JCPOA, with the US giving more aid to Iran than did President Obama. And, the old theocratic dictatorship still rules the country. 

There are example after example where Trump made policy and bypassed the experts, the Constitution, and norms and procedures. When his policies fail, or he is stopped from taking illegal action, what does he do? He deflects the blame, attacks his critics, and throws a tantrum. Two years after Biden left office, many of Trump's failures are Biden's fault. Nine years after Obama left office, Trump is still blaming Obama for things going wrong.  

Judges who say, wait a minute, we have to follow the Constitution, are attacked as "left-wing lunatics." When members of the press question Trump's illegal and irrational actions, they are attacked as enemies of the people.  If an election does not go his way, it is because it was rigged. The only honest election is one he won. 

Now that the Reflecting Pool has been a failure, what does he do? He alleges the failure was the result of sabotage. "They took some form of knife or blade and put a 250-foot-long gash into the beautiful facade of what took so much work, competence, and money to build and complete," he wrote on Truth Social. What?? This is so ludicrous it cannot possibly be taken seriously. In this highly visible area, people with knives got in the pool and cut up the liner? They cut a gash almost as long as a football field in the pool? And what about the algae? Was it bioengineered by Antifa in a secret lab?

Not only is he sounding like a lunatic, but a lunatic with power. He has ordered the Justice Department to find the saboteurs and has threatened 10-year prison terms for the perpetrators. People who have reached into the water to get a piece of the floating blue pool liner have been arrested.

Trump wasting a few million here or there does not concern me nearly as much as the fact that we have an erratic, delusional, megalomaniac with the self-control of a three-year-old in charge of the most powerful nation on the face of the earth. 

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