Even The Timeless County Fair Is Not Immune To Trump’s Venom
The county fair, that iconic symbol of rural Americana, is supposed to be a wholesome, friendly gathering, where honesty and hard work are the traditional values on display, the glue that keeps communities together.
The website ad for the 84th Annual Warren County Fair says it will be “True American” fun and more, July 30 to Aug. 6. I brought my wife and daughter to Saturday’s fair, paid $30 admission and quickly was met with the garish trump booths, with the giant flags blowing in the breeze, emblazoned with “Don’t Blame Me, I Voted For Trump,” “Trump Won 2020” and the like.
I know the county is as red as a “Make America Great Again” hat but this display was obscene. Trump is such a charlatan and scam artist and nowhere is immune to his poison, and that includes Warren County, which actually is the perfect venue for the carnival barker. The contrast was deafening; the wholesome honest American values of the county fair, country music songs blasting about pride and patriotism, juxtaposed with the sale of trashy, overpriced political merchandise that may help catapult trump to another term in office, something that would be nothing less than cataclysmic to the country.
I don’t blame the old guy in his cowboy shirt and cowboy boots and jeans. I’m don’t chide the family who was out for some fun on a beautiful, sunny afternoon in the countryside of western Warren County. These aren’t bad people but they have been scammed and they don’t even know it. They have been led like lemmings to a precipice that may irreversible. They want things to change in America into some vague past wonderland and trump has convinced them that he is the man to do it. How pathetic.
The cutest baby competition, demolition derby, herb show, honey show, Hoser’s Heaviest Vegetable Contest, horses, goats, sheep, cows, sausage sandwiches, pink lemonade, cotton candy, funnel cakes, ice cream, baking and canning exhibits, antique tractors, beer garden, chicks hatching, rides, bow shooting, simulated target shooting, dunk tanks, tractor pulls, traditional crafts, it’s all good old Americana. That’s what I come to the fair for, not to be visually assaulted by trump paraphernalia.
NJSkylands.com notes that the fair committee “has been careful to maintain the agricultural ambiance of the exposition. The present fair holds a special place in the hearts of Warren Countians, whether farmer or computer programmer; it gives us all a chance to examine close up the rural life and lifestyle that built the county, embracing the values that are treasured by Americans, including honesty.” Saying honesty and trump in the same breath is like trusting a used car salesman who says the 20,000 miles on the 1977 Chevy are original miles.
Thousands of people attend fairs like the Warren County Fair and where there are people, there are politicians puffing up their chests and begging for votes. Trump has brought the tradition to a new level that is so low as to be underground. In the name of equal treatment, the Warren County Democratic Party had a small booth where a young man gave out political literature, none of it for sale. The Democratic booth kept a wisely, low profile.
The first U.S. county fair, held in Pittsfield, Mass., in 1807, was basically just a sheep shearing demonstration and contest. Sheep farmer Elkanah Watson simply wanted to promote better farming practices. Bolstered by its success, Watson began developing agricultural fairs that included contests and activities for the family. In time, it grew like topsy, spreading throughout the land.
The promotional literature for the Warren County Fair cites its affordability for the family. I don’t know what family, as admission is $10 per person and two pink lemonades and one empanada set me back $60. I wouldn’t get anywhere near a 40-minute ride in a hot air balloon that charged $250 for one rider, $650 for two and $900 for three riders.
MAGA suckers could buy all kinds of trump merch with the proceeds going to WinRed, a for-profit fundraising platform built for the GOP. The GOP, the trump re-election campaign, and other state-wide and local-level races across the United States used the platform as of late 2019, with nearly 800 campaigns using the platform by May 2020.
WinRed took in $30 million in its first three months after the 2019 launch, $100 million in its first six, and $130 million in the first quarter of 2020. Trump was the largest beneficiary, with six senators raising at least $1 million each. The day after trump’s first impeachment was announced, the trump campaign and the RNC received more than $5 million. As of May 2020, Trump had received 52 percent of overall donations.
So for all you trumpers who want to further support the man who would be dictator, dig deep in your wallets.
An “I Heart Trump” cotton T-shirt is just $38. In true Scrooge fashion, a “Merry Christmas / Trump Save America Christmas Stocking” can be purchased for just $40,
There’s a six-foot roll of “Trump Santa Hat Wrapping Paper” for $28 and a “Trump Save America Collectible Ornament” which for just $75 will shout love for trump from the holiday trees. I expected to find trump toilet paper but surprisingly there was none, well, maybe next year.
You want a “Save America Golf Ball Set?” It’s yours for $20. An “ULTRA MAGA” black T-shirt sells for $38 and a “Joe You Know I Won Mug, Trump 2024” is going for $24.95.
How about a three by five foot “God, Guns, and Trump” flag for $24.95 or a three by five, “Joe Biden Sucks” flag for the low price of $19.95. A flag showing the great trump, armed with a grenade rocket launcher, goes for $24.95. And for those who are lost forever, pick up the “Great MAGA King Flag Trump 2024” for $29.95.
Lovers of the MAGA clown should heed an old warning, “To be forewarned is forearmed.” Or put another way, fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me.” Trump does not have a sparkling record of honesty in fund raising.
For example, last year, the trump campaign sent “millions” of emails to trump supporters about how they needed to “step up” to protect election integrity and the money would fund the so-called “Official Election Defense Fund.” Problem is the defense fund never actually existed.
The scam raised $250 million, most of which did not go to election litigation, but to trump’s newly created Save America PAC. The PAC then made contributions to former Chief of Staff Mark Meadows’ charity, to a conservative organization employing former trump staffers, to the Trump Hotel Collection, and to the company that organized the rally that preceded the attack on the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
And there was a dubious tactic used to raise cash for the trump 2020 team where donors were duped into giving far more money than they intended or believed they were. Contributors had to wade through a fine-print disclaimer and manually uncheck a box to opt out or continue making donations to the end of time.
And may I remind you of the fake, unlicensed, Trump University, a scam that cost trump a $25 million settlement in 2016. Trump agreed to the settlement rather than go to trial for violating laws to protect people from predatory, private for-profit colleges.