Thorns & Roses: The Worst, Best And Most Absurd (1/27)

Absurd: One side of the mirror

Sen. Rand Paul had a banner-day in the Sedition Hall of Fame for his appearance Sunday on “This Week” with George Stephanopoulos. It would be impossible to identify the most outlandish of Rand’s gaslighting defenses of falsely claiming election fraud. Yet, Rand reached the pinnacle of humiliation when he claimed, “There are two sides to every story, George. You’re forgetting who you are. You’re forgetting who you are as a journalist…” We understand why an adult with Rand’s hairstyle would like to think there are two sides to every story (there are not… it’s bad, full-stop). But perhaps he should look at the other side of the mirror to remember who he is: an ophthalmologist, not a Constitutional scholar (or journalist); and, a libertarian, who supposedly believes in state’s rights (i.e. holding their own elections). We understand why he wouldn’t want to, though. If Rand looked in the mirror, he’d see a man who once called Trump a “delusional narcissist,” and now is one. (Plus… the hair.)

Thorn: McConnell’s definition of unity

Don’t worry about trying to understand all the procedural mechanics of the U.S. Senate. Sure, they’re important and complicated. More importantly, the rules are just there to serve Sen. Mitch “Minority Leader” McConnell. Washington Post columnist Greg Sargent explained the situation perfectly, writing: “McConnell has calculated that the press will place the onus of achieving bipartisan cooperation on President Biden, while allowing Republicans to cast their own withholding of bipartisan cooperation as proof of Biden’s failure to achieve it.” It’s almost as though we’ve seen this before…

Absurd: Another local insurrectionist bites the digital dust 

A sixth Kentuckian is being charged in relation to the riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 — and, you guessed it, this 23-year-old man posted proof on social media. A tipster provided the FBI pictures from the man’s Snapchat account. These people were so delusional and poisoned by the president’s words, that they thought it was OK to storm the Capitol, commit some domestic terrorism, and brag-post about it. This all continues to be an insane and toxic mixture of swollen stupidity, blind violence and exceptional narcissism, that caused death and destruction.   

Rose: A virus in decline? 

For two weeks straight, COVID cases in Kentucky have been on the decline. After a rocky holiday stretch, one that brought a heavy number of deaths, we’re finally looking at some hopeful numbers. And, with the vaccine rollout, there’s an end in sight. Now, we just need to be smart and careful, and end this nightmare as soon as possible, which will hopefully be easier without that slobbering mad dog of a former president who valued being clapped for by his brain-dead base above American lives.

This article appears in January 27, 2021.