Today is Saturday, July 22, 2023. Yesterday an ex-GOP (“Guns Over People”) consultant delivered a blistering assessment of Florida’s autocratic governor’s chances of becoming president. The consultant’s name is Steve Schmidt who is a fervent foe of former president Donald J. Dumpf and was very vocal of the commander in grief’s agenda (or lack thereof) on MSNBC in the years of Dumpf’s single term in office. Schmidt called Florida’s reported white-washing of slavery in its public schools a form of “child abuse” and said that “Death”Santis is not ready for primetime. This brutal critique of the adversary of “woke” was delivered in an online article for Raw Story by David McAfee entitled ‘Political career is almost over’: Ex-GOP consultant writes brutal political epitaph for DeSantis.”

Schmidt writes, “The state of Florida is going to teach its middle schoolers that some enslaved Blacks benefitted from slavery because the slaves learned important vocational skills. The new African American history standards were approved by the Florida State Board of Education yesterday.”

The former Republican consultant doesn’t mince words when he says that “What is happening in Florida is a disgrace. It is appalling and shameful.” He adds further, “In fact, it should be considered a form of child abuse because it is. Governor Ron DeSantis is currently and deservedly being humiliated across America. His failing and flailing campaign is bankrupt and sputtering. It is an out-of-touch debacle that will ensure he never becomes president. The good news is that his political career is almost over.”

Schmidt doesn’t refrain from piling on insult upon insult on the Fred Flintstone candidate for president. He accurately points out, “Ron DeSantis has a lot of defects as a national candidate, but the main one is how estranged he is from the basic decency of the country and her people.” He hits the nail on the candidate’s head by concluding, “He is a champion of cruelty and abuse, who is simultaneously aloof, off-putting, transgressive, and extreme. His culture war insanity is appalling to the overall majority of Americans who work hard, play by the rules, and want to pursue happiness and joy.” Very well said, Mr. Schmidt.

Even though it’s still early to predict the 2024 presidential election from what is happening today, it does seem very likely that DeMented’s campaign looks quite doomed. He is an avatar of cruelty and indecency, and the rest of America recognizes this major defect in him and no rejiggering and reupholstering of his campaign will make this highly obnoxious candidate for the highest office in the land any more palatable.

Now if we can only do the same for the hideous malignant narcissist known as Donald Dumpf who appears to be the GOP nominee for president despite facing a multitude of indictments and, possibly, jail time in the near future! What kind of insanity is that!

We had a very nice day today (the weather was glorious for once) traveling to Southport, Connecticut, to attend one of the largest book sales in the Northeast – at the Pequot Library grounds from 9 to 5. After having breakfast in Larchmont at the Harbour House Coffee Shop, we headed north on the Hutchinson River Parkway North and I-95. We actually avoided heavier traffic by not using I-95 all the way; the Hutchinson River Parkway is a prettier highway anyway. So we arrived at the lovely verdant library grounds about 1:30.

We walked directly to the big white tent that featured innumerable books, CDs, and records. I strolled through aisles and aisles of books, CDs, and records, but felt a little lightheaded from the heat, I guess. I tried to comb through all of the different categories of books, except for children’s and cooking books.

Against my better judgment, I picked out eleven books altogether in both the main tent and in the library building itself. Some of the titles I chose included Bryan Stevenson’s Just Mercy, which became a recent film, Black Like Me by John Howard Griffin, Kids These Days: The Making of Millennials, an explication of James Joyce’s seminal work, Ulysses (since I don’t expect to ever read the original), Subwayland, which is a collection of essays concerning New York’s underground system of transportation, and Some Time in the Sun which chronicles the Hollywood experiences of several of America’s major authors – writers like F. Scott Fitzgerald, William Faulkner, Nathaniel West, Aldous Huxley, and James Agee. I’ve already started to read the last book since I consider myself a dedicated Fitzgerald fan.

In terms of music CDs, I picked up several as well. Mainly rock and roll standards of the 60s, a Frank Sinatra collection of lugubrious songs by the name of “in the wee small hours” and one – don’t laugh! – Barry Manilow CD in which he sings big bands’ greatest hits.

Elliot didn’t buy as much as I did: he bought mostly two cooking titles and one nonfiction book on Ireland. I believe we left the premises around 4 p.m.

Then we drove to Arthur Avenue in the Bronx where we had dinner at Enzo’s of Arthur Avenue. This time we shared a single entree: chicken parmigiana, while Elliot ordered stuffed artichoke, while I requested eggplant rollatini as an appetizer. The olive-oil-flecked bread was also very good. We had enough room for dessert, even: chocolate mousse cake.

Then it was time to drive home. We said goodbye to Connecticut and to the borough of the Bronx (my childhood borough) as we headed back to Forest Hills. Again, we made very good time, despite enduring some slow traffic along the way.

By the way, one of the books I got and failed to mention earlier is VideoHound’s Complete Guide to Cult Flicks and Trash Pics, which is an anthology of exactly that: cult films and trash pictures. I think this is my best acquisition at the annual book sale.

Have a good Sunday.

Stay safe and be well.