Happy Iowa Caucus Day, everyone. As I sit here watching the snow fall out of my window in West Knoxville, I am grateful that I don’t live in Iowa. As much as I think voting is an important part of our Constitutional Republic, I wouldn’t be going out in this snowmageddon to vote for anyone, not even Donald Trump. For pity’s sake, we have almost three inches here. Laugh all you want. I live here partly because of our mild winter. Trump, Vivek, Nikki and Ron would be having to send a car service for me.

Donald Trump posted on Truth Social that a vote for Vivek Ramaswamy is a “wasted vote”. Is it?

Honestly, I could argue it two or three different ways. I could say that a vote is never wasted. I could say that if you vote for a candidate with no chance of winning, it is a wasted vote. I could say that any vote sends a message. I could say that the powers that be don’t care about your message vote. Well, that’s true. The powers that be don’t give a fat rat’s backside about anything that doesn’t pad their power.

Well, just what did Trump say about Ramaswamy and his vote? From Mediaite:

Former President Donald Trump continued to attack political frenemy Vivek Ramaswamy in an ALL CAPS social media post on the morning of the Iowa Caucus.

Ramaswamy is aggressively running in an outsider campaign with a curious strategy that praises Trump as the “greatest president in modern history” but brings baggage in the form of 91 indictments. Ramaswamy calls himself the other “America First” candidate, other than Trump, of course, a tactic which initially seemed to delight the 45th president, but on the day of the caucus? Not so much.

Trump put it flatly to his followers that “A VOTE FOR VIVEK IS A WASTED VOTE” adding that he likes the fellow GOP hopeful, but that Ramaswamy “played it too ‘cute’ with us.” Trump posted on Truth Social on Monday morning.

“Frenemy” is so adorkable. Especially in politics. Frenemy makes me think of some Real Housewives franchise. It’s way too mild for Presidential Politics. Presidential Politics should be throat ripping and eye gouging. Frenemy, no. I think Presidential Politics should be like this:

I want a President who knows how to deliver a smack down and to punch down. For more information on what Presidential Politics were like before politicians were “sanitized for our protection”, read “9 Insults That Make the Presidential Campaign Seem Civilized”

I have a heart for Alexander Hamilton. The Great John Adams did not have that same heart:

“Bastard Brat of a Scotch Pedler”
Alexander Hamilton, the man whose image graces our ten-dollar bill, was born out of wedlock in 1755. A number of his political opponents made sure to remind the world of the circumstances of his birth. Perhaps foremost among these opponents was John Adams, who appeared to harbor a special dislike for Hamilton. Adams had a special expression that he came up with for Hamilton: “bastard brat of a Scotch pedler.”

Yet I loose all Patience, when I think of a bastard brat of a Scotch Pedler, daring to threaten to undeceive the World in their Judgment of Washington, by writing a history of his battles and Campaigns.
—Letter to Benjamin Rush, 25 January 1806

Shall I replace on the Shoulders of Washington the burthens that a bastard Bratt of a Scotch Pedlar, placed on his Shoulders, and he Shifted on mine?
—Letter to Thomas Jefferson, 12 July 1813

When Perfidy and Treachery, Imbecility, Ignorance Fanaticism and Fury Surrounded Us; all, Puppets danced upon the Wires of a Bastard Bratt of a Scotch Pedlar.
—Letter to John Quincy Adams, 20 May 1816

According to the technical sense of the word, Hamilton was indeed a bastard. Whether he was a brat is, however, subject to debate.

In this video, you will find Adams’ slur repeated with additional rather disgusting visuals:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cOHzn52g0X0

I love the honesty of brutal insults. As a matter of fact, Vivek has been insulting the press, often without them catching on. Our Deanna wrote about this phenomenon here. From her post:

I asked Vivek if he condemned white supremacy. Vivek said to “stop picking on this farce of some figment that exists at some infinitesimally small fringe.” He said he condemns “vicious racial discrimination” but would not “bend the knee” and condemn white supremacy. https://t.co/mwNTKGKF1w

— Meryl Kornfield (@MerylKornfield) January 3, 2024

Am I wrong for enjoying the poo being flung? Don’t care. Vote your conscience. Trump, DeSantis and Ramaswamy are all good guys. Haley, meh, not so much.

Featured Composite: Gage Skidmore/flickr/cropped/Creative Commons/ore/Gage Skidmore/flickr/cropped/Creative Commons