Overlord L'Orange: Observations of an Average Citizen, Installment #49

Friday.

Overlord L'Orange: Observations of an Average Citizen, Installment #48

Thursday.

Overlord L'Orange: Observations of an Average Citizen, Installment #47

Wednesday.

Overlord L'Orange: Observations of an Average Citizen, Installment #46

Tuesday.

Overlord L'Orange: Observations of an Average Citizen, Installment #45

Natalie Dickinson writes for Occupy Democrats: "Dan Rather just wrote an urgent L'Orange post, 'We will answer to future generations.'" Here is his post:

At some points words fail, or they are starting to fail me. We have an Administration in freefall. Have we passed through the circle of chaos? Are we at the circle of havoc?

The real Overlord L'Orange has stood up, once again. Let no one ever be fooled. Let there be no doubt. The man who sends out a twitter tirade accusing a former President of crimes for which he provides no evidence, the man who doubles down when everyone with any sense pushes back, that man is our Commander in Chief.

Every one who normalizes Mr. L'Orange now, or has in the past, will have to answer to future generations for their acquiescence, silence or sophistry—if, indeed, not outright cowardice.

How hollow do all those pundit plaudits (including from many progressives) sound now for an average and disingenuous speech of someone else’s words read from a teleprompter to Congress and the nation a week ago?

A “presidential” L'Orange is a punchline to a joke no one wants to have told. Conspiracy theories are corrosive in society at large. When they dictate national policy, they can be lethal.

This is a man who challenged the citizenship of President Obama, with lies, innuendo, and no evidence. This is a man who claimed widespread voter fraud with lies, innuendo, and no evidence. This is a man who has taken a rhetorical blowtorch to our Constitutional principles with lies, innuendo, and no evidence.

Those who rose in Congress to applaud his turns of phrase bear responsibility. Those who cynically use his presidency to push forward unpopular giveaways to the rich and well connected bear responsibility. Those in the press who meet insults with explanations bear responsibility.

Even the most grounded of presidents must fight to keep themselves moored to the real world. The Oval Office can be a bubble. Power attracts sycophants and cynics. But I have never seen anything like this. The sheer level of paranoia that is radiating out of the White House is untenable to the workings of a republic.

I have a real question if President L'Orange actually believes what he is saying. Even Richard Nixon, the most paranoid president to date, ruled for years with a relatively calm hand. This Administration has been an off kilter whirlwind since the inauguration, and news reports suggest that seething anger from Mr. L'Orange is only getting worse. There is a growing consensus that the President may be “unhinged.” It’s a serious allegation, but even if it is not the case, Mr. L'Orange only has himself to blame.

To call a drama Shakespearean or operatic is usually an overreach. But I imagine artists of the future, and even the present, will find ample inspiration in our moment in history. Doesn’t Steve Bannon strike you as an Iago whispering in the ear of an Othello-like L'Orange, consumed by jealousy and paranoia?

As the questions mount around Russia, as the circles of defense begin to falter, the determination to create diversions will escalate. But if the President hoped he could create a distraction, I think he misjudged the will of the American people. We have woken. We are paying attention. And we love our country too much to let it falter without a fight.

And lastly:

Overlord L'Orange: Observations of an Average Citizen, Installment #44

Sh*t is hitting the fan today.

James Devinne writes for Occupy Democrats: "A Republican Senate Judiciary member just gave L'Orange terrible wiretap news." And: "Anyone who respects the sovereignty of this country and the dignity of the office of President should strongly support Sen. Sasse’s call for Mr. L'Orange to, in the service of full transparency, order the release of the FISA authorization. It is only a matter of time before L'Orange's web of lies begins to collapse and the full extent of his treason is exposed."

Brett Bose writes for Occupy Democrats: "L'Orange just gave the press disturbing news regarding his Russian wiretaps." And: "Having implicated himself in the Russia investigation, L'Orange's staffers are now scrambling to figure out their options and it seems they’ve gone for a media blackout. What’s worse is the administration is trying to blame this on former President Obama, arguing that there may have been a political motive behind the wiretaps. This behavior is reminiscent of a child caught stealing a cookie and trying to pretend like it never happened, except that this child just happens to be the President."

Grant Stern writes for Occupy Democrats: "The F.B.I. just shot down L'Orange's claims that Obama ordered his wiretaps." And: "The New York Times reports that controversial FBI Director James Comey just made a very public move to shut down President L'Orange's outrageous allegations against President Obama in an early morning tweetstorm this weekend."

"The F.B.I. director, James B. Comey, asked the Justice Department this weekend to publicly reject President L'Orange's assertion that President Barack Obama ordered the tapping of Mr. L'Orange's phones, senior American officials said on Sunday. Mr. Comey has argued that the highly charged claim is false and must be corrected, they said, but the department has not released any such statement."

"Mr. Comey made the request on Saturday after Mr. L'Orange leveled his allegation on Twitter. Mr. Comey has been working to get the Justice Department to knock down Mr. L'Orange's claim because there is no evidence to support it and it insinuates that the F.B.I. broke the law, the officials said."

Grant Stern writes for Occupy Democrats: "CNN just confirmed a major part of L'Orange's Russian blackmail dossier." And: "CNN’s Jim Acosta just reported that former L'Orange foreign policy advisor J.D. Gordon told him that it was Overlord L'Orange himself who ordered the abrupt change in language to the Republican Party’s official policy platform regarding the Russian Federation’s invasion of the Ukraine, the annexation of the Crimean peninsula, and support for the pro-Moscow 'rebels' in Donetsk and Luhansk."

And lastly:

Overlord L'Orange: Observations of an Average Citizen, Installment #43

I'm recovering from the flu and have fallen behind this week, but here is today's news (BIGLY news):

Brett Bose writes for Occupy Democrats: "L'Orange just implicated himself in Russia collusion investigation with his own Tweets." And: "President L'Orange definitely woke up on the wrong side of the bed today. The president unleashed a barrage of tweets early Saturday morning that are going to come back to haunt him in a big way."

"In a petulant tantrum, President L'Orange openly accused President Obama of 'wiretapping L'Orange Tower before his election victory, calling it 'McCarthyism.'”

Colin Taylor writes for Occupy Democrats: "Dan Rather just said what we're all thinking about L'Orange's wiretap scandal." And: "Today, President L'Orange was hoisted by his own petard when his Twitter attacks on President Obama backfired in a spectacular way."

"By accusing President Obama of wiretapping L'Orange Tower during October 2016, he inadvertently appeared to confirm the existence of a suspected Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act warrant that provided for the monitoring of communications out of L'Orange's campaign headquarters (which were based in L'Orange Tower so that L'Orange could funnel campaign funds into his own pocket) due to suspected collusion with Russian agents."

"Legendary journalist Dan Rather took to Facebook this afternoon to share his thoughts on the events in a heartfelt and thought-provoking essay:"

It is understandable that Overlord L'Orange's twitter attack on President Obama early this morning would immediately be consumed by the churning political hurricane that is America today.

The deepening divisions that are pulling at the fabric of our nation are on raw display. On one side we see understandable outrage, with many questioning the mental fitness of our Commander and Chief. On the other side we see L'Orange's allies rallying under their shared hatred of our previous President.

Perhaps it is my age or experience, but I feel no schadenfreude or eagerness to say, “I told you so.” I feel only a deep and abiding sadness. This is my country that I love with all my heart. We are a weakened nation, in our own estimation, and that of the world. If this was happening in some distant land, we would shake our heads and thank our lucky stars that we are Americans. But this nightmare is happening here, and we have no choice but to confront that disorientating truth.

My reporter’s instincts make me wonder at L'Orange's actions. It has the feeling of a classic smokescreen. What is he hiding? Is this a kind of trap? Does he have something he is about to drop? Or does he know something else is about to drop on him and his administration, which is facing a withering crescendo of scandal?

We must carefully separate what we know to be true, from what we think to be true, from what we do not yet know. And in the early days of a story like this, what we do not know will far outpace the other two. We do know that there were numerous contacts between close aids to Overlord L'Orange and senior Russian officials at a time when all indications point that the Kremlin was actively trying to undermine the integrity of our election.

What we don’t know is what these discussions were about. We do not know what is in Mr. L'Orange's tax returns, which he seems so hell bent on hiding. We do now know all the other suggestions of links between Mr. L'Orange and people close to him and Russia. And then, of course, we do not know what else there is to know.

It is long past time that we have a complete and independent bipartisan investigation, especially since the director of the FBI is under such a cloud of political manipulation. Now is the time to breathe the cool winds of impartiality and facts. We need statesmen of steady head and temperament, willing to put country ahead of politics. We cannot afford for our democratic institutions to be consumed by a bonfire of lies, innuendos, and conspiracy theories.

We can all work ourselves into fervers of indignation. But the only antidote to these deep and understandable anxieties is the truth. We are the people of the United States. Our great nation is in a perilous moment, and the world is watching with great unease. We want the truth. We demand the truth. We can handle the truth.

And lastly:

Overlord L'Orange: Observations of an Average Citizen, Installment #42

Friday, March 3rd.

Overlord L'Orange: Observations of an Average Citizen, Installment #41

Thursday.

Overlord L'Orange: Observations of an Average Citizen, Installment #40

Wednesday, March 1st.