{"id":27215,"date":"2026-03-11T17:10:22","date_gmt":"2026-03-12T00:10:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.markrkelly.com\/Blog\/?p=27215"},"modified":"2026-03-13T14:44:35","modified_gmt":"2026-03-13T21:44:35","slug":"clown-shoes-and-republican-obsequiousness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.markrkelly.com\/Blog\/2026\/03\/11\/clown-shoes-and-republican-obsequiousness\/","title":{"rendered":"Clown Shoes, and Republican Obsequiousness"},"content":{"rendered":"<ul>\n<li>Marco Rubio in clown shoes;<\/li>\n<li>Republicans think oppressing trans kids is more important than parental rights;<\/li>\n<li>Trump&#8217;s delusional faith in himself;<\/li>\n<li>That photo of the prayer group in the Oval Office is being mocked in China;<\/li>\n<li>Motivated thinking sees that the Bible warns against socialism;<\/li>\n<li>That medical ship never went to Greenland, but one MAGA guy complains it&#8217;s not getting enough press coverage.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div align=\"center\">&#8211; &#8211; &#8211;<\/div>\n<p>As noted yesterday, this item wins the prize, for this week certainly, maybe for the month or the year, for demonstrating Trump&#8217;s idiocy and his cabinet&#8217;s obsequiousness. Covered widely today in the news and on Facebook.<\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/images.newrepublic.com\/1de81048c4d1ace17c96d3181fa6c099a283d081.jpeg?auto=format&amp;fit=crop&amp;crop=faces&amp;ar=3%3A2&amp;ixlib=react-9.11.0&amp;q=65&amp;w=768&amp;dpr=1\" width=\"400\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong>The New Republic, 11 Mar 2026<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/newrepublic.com\/post\/207626\/marco-rubio-clown-shoes-donald-trump\">Marco Rubio Roasted for Wearing Clown Shoes Trump Bought Him<\/a>, subtitled &#8220;Donald Trump has bought everyone in his Cabinet the same pair of shoes\u2014evidently without checking what size people wear.&#8221;<br \/>\n<!--more--><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Just one day after <i>The Wall Street Journal<\/i> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/style\/fashion\/trump-florsheim-shoes-tucker-carlson-jd-vance-bessent-448567ab?gaa_at=eafs&amp;gaa_n=AWEtsqc3XayD2g3Fs1JppPQ2PIRrQYOrk5X9IPQTlIO2Es5LRh4Nh3pDy6Hpzu8Xugk%3D&amp;gaa_ts=69b02ac7&amp;gaa_sig=joeZ9iR3sjHaBFpsIDxf_8Mu2VaCVuoHbcdpY-HzxOr8YXUFgCE_tp0Pk_IOGx6NFtWP-afh_HxeRUKYOXpgzQ%3D%3D\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">discovered<\/a> that Donald Trump was urging everyone in his presidential Cabinet to wear the same style of Florsheim shoes, Secretary of State Marco Rubio was <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/MilesTaylorUSA\/status\/2031715054500843699?s=20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">caught red-footed<\/a> in a pair of Florsheims about two sizes too big.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>And<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;All the boys have them,\u201d said a female White House official.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s hysterical, because everybody\u2019s afraid not to wear them,\u201d another official remarked.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Another view:<\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/images.newrepublic.com\/a66eafa782d2daedffa0e0daf20ea4c4e10dddfa.png?w=1182\" width=\"400\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The emperor&#8217;s new clothes. No one dares to speak up.<\/p>\n<p>\\\\<\/p>\n<p>Another example, in a way. Republicans are all for states&#8217; rights, except when they&#8217;re not, and want to impose their priorities. Example here about parental rights.<\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.salon.com\/app\/uploads\/2026\/03\/trans-rights-supreme-court.jpg\" width=\"400\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong>Salon, Amanda Marcotte, 11 Mar 2026<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.salon.com\/2026\/03\/11\/republicans-dont-care-about-parents-rights\/\">Republicans don\u2019t care about parents\u2019 rights<\/a>, subtitled &#8220;The Supreme Court\u2019s move against trans kids in California empowers MAGA to mess with all families&#8221;<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>When <a href=\"https:\/\/www.salon.com\/topic\/republicans\">Republicans<\/a> talk about parents\u2019 rights, look for the child that is being harmed. This rule of thumb rarely fails. \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.salon.com\/topic\/parents_rights\">Parents\u2019 rights<\/a>\u201d is one of those phrases that sounds good on paper, encouraging people to imagine themselves \u2014 loving and protective parents who only want the power to do right by their child. But when conservatives invoke the term, their objective is to trump a child\u2019s rights to be safe and healthy, despite what a toxic or even abusive parent wants to do to them.<\/p>\n<p>That reality was revealed yet again last week, when the Supreme Court <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/03\/02\/us\/politics\/supreme-court-california-trans-students.html\">blocked a California law<\/a> preventing teachers from outing trans kids to religious parents. The injunction is temporary, but most legal experts believe it is inevitable that the Christian right-favoring court will eventually rule against a child\u2019s ability to decide when and with whom to share their gender identity \u2014 even if they fear being beaten, disowned or thrown out on the streets.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>In conservative thought, parents rule or even own their children, who have no rights of their own. Marcotte ends:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Republicans only seem to care about \u201creligious freedom\u201d when conservative Christians flout laws or impose their beliefs on others. But they show no concern about policies that harm other religious groups, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.texasmonthly.com\/news-politics\/annunciation-house-catholic-ken-paxton-religious-freedom\/\">including liberal Christians<\/a>. As we\u2019ve seen with their attacks on schools and libraries, for instance, the GOP doesn\u2019t hold much regard for parents who believe children should have freedom to think and learn beyond what the boundaries of the right\u2019s narrow agenda for them.<\/p>\n<p>The phrase \u201cparents\u2019 rights\u201d sounds good in practice. In reality, it means taking away rights from kids and parents alike who don\u2019t agree with conservative beliefs on child-rearing.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Conservatives just *know* what is right, and true.<\/p>\n<p>\\\\<\/p>\n<p>Short takes:<\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.theatlantic.com\/thumbor\/i04a_r0Rkq5m36kgU3vOpp7O5YE=\/0x0:4000x2250\/976x549\/media\/img\/mt\/2026\/03\/2026_03_11_Revenge_of_the_Obvious\/original.jpg\" width=\"400\" \/><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The conservative inability to learn from history. Again, they just *know* what must be true.<\/li>\n<li><strong>The Atlantic, Franklin Foer, 11 Mar 2026<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/international\/2026\/03\/iran-war-trump\/686314\/\">The Obvious Is Taking Its Revenge on Trump<\/a>, subtitled &#8220;The reasons other U.S. presidents avoided war with Iran are becoming all too evident.&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>\n<blockquote><p>In the least charitable\u2014and probably accurate\u2014view, President Trump went to war with Iran out of a delusional faith in himself. He believed that the worst-case scenarios that have deterred past presidents from attacking Iran <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/ideas\/2026\/03\/iran-strategy-victory-disease\/686275\/\" data-event-element=\"inline link\" data-gtm-vis-recent-on-screen31117857_899=\"74494\" data-gtm-vis-first-on-screen31117857_899=\"74494\" data-gtm-vis-total-visible-time31117857_899=\"100\" data-gtm-vis-has-fired31117857_899=\"1\">wouldn\u2019t come true for him<\/a>, because he is Donald Trump.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/li>\n<li>Beware certainty, yet again.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\\<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>That photo of the prayer group in the Oval Office, posted a few days ago\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.markrkelly.com\/Blog\/2026\/03\/06\/everything-will-be-better-in-two-weeks\/\">here<\/a>, is being mocked in China. The rest of the world really does pay attention to what&#8217;s happening in the US, as I think MAGA does not realize (or care).<\/li>\n<li><strong>JMG:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.joemygod.com\/2026\/03\/wh-prayer-event-gets-viral-mocking-across-china\/\">WH Prayer Event Gets Viral Mocking Across China<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\\<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>JMG:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.joemygod.com\/2026\/03\/hate-group-the-bible-clearly-warns-against-socialism\/\">FRC: The Bible \u201cClearly\u201d Warns Against Socialism<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Nonsense. They&#8217;re seeing what they want to see. What did Jesus say? And they don&#8217;t realize the extent to which the US has already accepted &#8216;socialist&#8217; ideas, like libraries and the interstate highway network.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\\<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Another example of a Trump plan that never happened, and his fans haven&#8217;t noticed, or care.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Right Wing Watch, Kyle Mantyla<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.peoplefor.org\/rightwingwatch\/mark-meckler-medical-ships-and-maga-media-bubble\">Mark Meckler, Medical Ships, And The MAGA Media Bubble<\/a><\/li>\n<li>\n<blockquote><p>Perhaps the reason that people weren&#8217;t aware of this news is because it never happened. Like so much else with Trump, this was nothing more than a <a class=\"ext\" title=\"(opens in a new window)\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ms.now\/rachel-maddow-show\/maddowblog\/hospital-ship-greenland-trump-deployment-confusing\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-extlink=\"\">confusing announcement<\/a>\u00a0made by the president via social media. The entire idea was <a class=\"ext\" title=\"(opens in a new window)\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thedailybeast.com\/bonkers-backstory-behind-trumps-greenland-plot-revealed\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-extlink=\"\">completely divorced<\/a>\u00a0from reality, <a class=\"ext\" title=\"(opens in a new window)\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/02\/22\/us\/politics\/trump-greenland-hospital-ship.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-extlink=\"\">rejected by Greenland<\/a>, and never occurred, as the <em>Wall Street Journal<\/em> <a class=\"ext\" title=\"(opens in a new window)\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/politics\/national-security\/no-u-s-hospital-ship-has-been-ordered-to-greenland-despite-trumps-post-b705be81\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-extlink=\"\">reported<\/a>&#8230;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Marco Rubio in clown shoes; Republicans think oppressing trans kids is more important than parental rights; Trump&#8217;s delusional faith in himself; That photo of the prayer group in the Oval Office is being mocked in China; Motivated thinking sees that &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.markrkelly.com\/Blog\/2026\/03\/11\/clown-shoes-and-republican-obsequiousness\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[90,54],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-27215","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-conservatives","category-politics"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.markrkelly.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27215","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.markrkelly.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.markrkelly.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.markrkelly.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.markrkelly.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27215"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.markrkelly.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27215\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27232,"href":"https:\/\/www.markrkelly.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27215\/revisions\/27232"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.markrkelly.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27215"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.markrkelly.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27215"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.markrkelly.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27215"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}