RULE NUMBER 1: Republicans are always, always, always the victims. Even in a room full of incarcerated addicts wondering how to put their lives back together, the real victim is actually the liver-lipped Republican congressman in the plaid sport jacket. Because he has to go back on the campaign trail, which is OMG soooooooo haaaaard.

No, seriously. Dave Brat just told a female inmate worried about how to take care of her family when she is paroled, that he has a lot of shit to deal with, too, because, "I've got $5 million worth of negative ads coming at me. How do you think I'm feeling?"

My daughter -- you think you're having a hard time -- I've got $5 million worth of negative ads coming at me. How do you think I'm feeling? Right? Nothing's easy. For anybody. You think I'm a congressman, 'Oh, life's easy, this guy's off having steaks every day.' Baloney. I've got a daughter, she's got to deal with that crap on TV every day.

Oh, really, snowflake? The guy who knocked off former House Majority Leader Eric Cantor in 2014 by calling the Jewish Republican a "crony capitalist" is whining about attack ads in a congressional campaign? Dave Brat's pals got his opponent Abigail Spanberger's leaked personnel file and are are running spots calling the former CIA agent a terrorist. Dave Brat's own campaign is running bullshit ads pretending that Abigail Spanberger shouted him down at a town hall, like one of those bitches all up in his "grill" because he tried to murder healthcare.

So it's tough. No one out there's got some easy life. Right?

And you've got it harder. I'm not dismissing that. You've got some fierce, real anxiety with coming up with a job or whatever.

OR WHATEVER.

And lest you think this video was taken out of context, Ben Paviour, the public radio reporter who covered Brat's visit with inmates in the Chesterfield County Jail yesterday, posted a longer clip of the exchange on Twitter. Brat's mention of the mean negative ads came in response to a law enforcement official's request to fund halfway houses so that recovering addicts don't have to immediately return to their old neighborhoods and old habits. Because when someone says,

I need to have that funding to keep them in a safe place, and that's where we're looking for this funding. Because it's very important for them to have a safe place. You can't go back to the same people, places, and things, or you're going to fail. Often I tell them when they leave here, you can't go back home, because that's where the problem is. And their answer is, 'Well, where do I go, sheriff?'

What other response is there besides POOR ME THEY'RE RUNNING ATTACK ADS?

After the discussion with the recovering addicts, Paviour asked Brat whether he supported them regaining the right to vote once they complete parole.

It depends. That's the long answer for a lot of this stuff. For what? That's why it's more complex.

Okay, taking that as a NO. Here, enjoy this video compilation of Brat shouting "NANCY PELOSI" over and over at his recent debate with Spanberger until the crowd just gave up and started laughing.

Not for nothing, but Spanberger has said repeatedly that she intends to vote against Pelosi for House Speaker. Whatever, though. Dave Brat is the real victim here. THE END.

[Ideastations.org]

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