Trump’s campaign is losing to Clinton’s campaign by $50 million. Gino Santa Maria / Shutterstock.com According to federal election commission data released yesterday, Donald Trump has only added $31,000 to his own campaign’s coffers since October 1, a massive reduction from the $2 million dollar injection he made in September. Today CNN reports Trump “wired” […]
Rich Smith
Rich Smith writes about politics, books, and performance for The Stranger. You can hear his impersonations of Bernie Sanders and Jeff Sessions on Blabbermouth, and you can read his poems at www.richsmithpoetry.com
Posted inPolitics
Potential Trump News Network Means Trump Might Never Go Away
Trump’s once and future marks. mikeledray / Shutterstock.com During the Trump tax release fiasco earlier this month, we were all reminded that Trump is only worth as much as his name. Several recent allegations of sexual assault, over a year of constant dissembling, and a sustained drop in the polls have rightfully deflated the value […]
Posted inBooks
Bob Dylan Doesn’t Deserve the Nobel Prize In Literature and He Shouldn’t Want It
Obama awarding Dylan the Presidential Medal of Freedom for “exceptional meritorious service.” Cannot argue with that. Rena Schild / Shutterstock.com Bob Dylan just won the 2016 Nobel Prize in literature. If you somehow do not know who Bob Dylan is, the permanent secretary of the Swedish Academy, Sara Danius, suggests you start with Blonde on […]
Posted inElection 2016
Hillary Clinton Won the Town Hall Debate
Her performance of restraint was more powerful than his performance of brute strength. Krista Kennell / Shutterstock.com It’s hard to talk about who “won” last night’s Town Hall debate at Washington University. To say definitely that Trump won or Clinton won assumes a shared reality. In the reality where 2+2=4 (most of the time), where […]
Posted inElection 2016
Despite Overwhelming Evidence, Trump Still Believes Central Park 5 Are Guilty
Unfortunately, he’s probably not the only one. Joseph Sohm / Shutterstock.com Donald Trump’s birtherism isn’t the only racist idea he holds against all reason. According to CNN, Trump still believes that the so-called Central Park 5 raped and beat a woman who was jogging through the park in 1989. A few weeks after that story […]
Posted inElection 2016
Elections Are Being Rigged, but Not to Supress Trump’s White Flock
Yesterday Samantha Bee ran a hilarious little “gotcha” segment featuring Trump supporters who claim that Democrats have “rigged” the election in favor of their nominee, Hillary Clinton. The election is rigged, they claim, unless Trump wins. In which case, the election was “rigged” against him, but not “rigged” in the sense that “rigged” actually means. […]
Posted inElection 2014
Pence Spends Entire Vice Presidential Debate Pretending Trump Doesn’t Exist
To the dismay of many, Tim Kaine’s eyebrows did not win last night’s vice presidential debates. George Sheldon / Shutterstock.com If you’re checking recaps because you didn’t watch last night’s debate between Gov. Mike Pence and Sen. Tim Kaine, then rest in the comfort of knowing you did the right thing. You can hardly be […]
Posted inArts
My Private Property Hangs the World with “Fresh Paint” Signs
Mary Ruefle Blends Poetry, Prose, and Colors in Her Exquisite New Book
Mary Ruefle blends poetry, prose, and colors in her exquisite new book.
Posted inElection 2016
Trump’s Worst Week Ever
Even Trump’s aides have had it up to here with him. JStone / Shutterstock.com If the timestamps on this morning’s tweetstorm are any indication, Trump didn’t get much sleep last night. But it’s hard to see how he managed to get any sleep at all this whole week. First he loses the presidential debate. Big […]
Posted inElection 2016
I’m a Millennial Who Plans to Vote for Clinton, But Her Appeal to Millennials Is Hard to Watch
Technically, yes. Joseph Sohm / Shutterstock.com Yesterday, in her speech to the students at Temple, which was also a speech to the 70 million 18 to 30-year-olds in the country, Hillary demonstrated her campaign’s ability to listen to the concerns of millennials—oy, that word—by adopting the voice of a librarian during story time and telling […]
Posted inBooks
The Underground Railroad Is Bigger and Better Than You’ve Heard
Colson Whitehead’s Hyper-Hyped Novel Feels Like a Classic
Colson Whitehead’s hyper-hyped novel feels like a classic.
Posted inElection 2016
“Taco Truck On Every Corner” Warning Confirms Trumpist Hell Is Everyone Else’s Heaven
Speaking with MSNBC’s Joy-Ann Reid last night, Marco Gutierrez, founder of Latinos for Trump and member of a rapidly dwindling population of Latino Trump supporters, called out a warning: “My culture is a very dominant culture, and it’s imposing and it’s causing problems. If you don’t do something about it, you’re going to have taco […]