This commentary is by Bob Stannard of Manchester, an author, musician and former state legislator and lobbyist.
So this is Christmas
And what have you done
Another year over
And a new one just begun
And so this is Christmas
I hope you have fun
The near and the dear ones
The old and the young
A very Merry Christmas
And a Happy New Year
Let’s hope it’s a good one
Without any fear
— John Lennon/Yoko Ono
By the time you read this, 2022 will be nearing the end. We will know whether or not the state of Georgia will send the worst candidate in modern times to the U.S. Senate and we should have the full report regarding the insurrection from the Jan. 6 Committee.
I’m not going to get into what a crazy year this has been. I’ll save that for my next, my final column of the year. That said, it’s been a strange couple of weeks since my last column.
I received a phone call from a man in Barre who railed on me after my last column. In a rather animated fashion, he asked me why I hate Republicans. I tried to explain that I don’t “hate” anyone, but that I do have justifiable concerns over some, if not many, Republican leaders. My explanation went nowhere so I ended the conversation. A minute later the phone rang again and the diatribe continued. I suggested that perhaps he should write his own column and bid him adieu.
As the week progressed, we learned that gun-toting congresswoman, Rep. Lauren Boebert, squeaked out a victory. She immediately got in Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s face, saying that the people took away her speakership. Uh, OK.
Rep. Boebert, along with Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, oftentimes come across as unable to speak unless they are either shouting, screaming or badgering others. But that’s OK. They are elected by their constituents and can pretty much do whatever they want within the confines of the law.
Rep. Boebert’s victory could spell doom for Rep. Kevin McCarthy. He’s cutting more deals than the head of a drug cartel in hopes of replacing Nancy Pelosi as Speaker of the House. McCarthy needs 218 votes to win this prestigious position. As of this writing, it does not appear as though he’s hit that magic number.
The only way for him to win is to make promises to every erratic member of his caucus — promises that he may or may not keep. The good news is that, if he loses, he will be humiliated only once. The bad news is that, if he wins, he is going to be humiliated every day for the next two years. It makes one wonder if he’s really thought this through.
Speaking of confines of the law, the law appears to be readying to confine the former president of the United States. The Former Guy, aka the gift that keeps on giving, had Christmas come early this year, but instead of Santa stuffing his stocking, the Grinch stopped by. TFG’s Grinch is a man with the most boring name of Jack Smith. Mr. Smith has spent the last few years successfully prosecuting war criminals at The Hague. From all accounts, Mr. Smith is no Robert Mueller and that does not bode well for TFG. When you read this, the attorney general for the state of New York, Letitia James, will either get coal in her stocking or will have successfully prosecuted the Trump organization for fraud.
To make matters slightly worse, South Carolina’s Supreme Court Tuesday rejected former Trump White House chief of staff Mark Meadows’ effort to resist an Atlanta-area grand jury subpoena in a wide-ranging investigation of alleged election interference. One can only wonder what Mr. Meadows has to say regarding TFG’s request for 11,780 additional votes.
Yes, the Holiday Season is upon us and 2022 is drawing to a close and the kids are hoping that they are on Santa’s Good Children List and that they find no coal in their stockings.
One kid who’s not going to make the cut is Russian dictator Vladimir Putin. Eight months ago, without justification, he illegally invaded the neighboring country of Ukraine. Like an angry child who destroys his room when he did not receive his most wanted gift, Mr. Putin is methodically destroying this once beautiful country. Like the angry child who may be reprimanded for bad behavior, Mr. Putin is also being punished. His health is failing. His mind is destroying his body to the degree that we learned he has fallen down his stairs and soiled himself. At the very least this is metaphoric justice.
As we all pull together to celebrate the Holiday Season, it won’t be easy. For years, our friends at Fox News have declared that there is a war on Christmas. Of course there isn’t, but they won’t let facts get in the way of a good foil. Pushing the made-up idea of a “War on Christmas” is a Fox News staple.
But this year, needing an anti-Democrat holiday narrative to grasp, they criticized the Bidens for being too into Christmas after the White House had its tree delivered the Monday before Thanksgiving.
To the near and the dear ones, the old and the young, and yes, even my Republican friends, a very Merry Christmas to you.
