Maine governor will enter Foot in Mouth Clinic to have lips sealed shut, key thrown away

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Maine Governor LePage will not resign over outrageous statements

Instead vows to “never speak again”

Gov. Paul R. LePage, the embattled Republican governor of Maine, declared Wednesday that he would not step down, despite widespread criticism over a profane threat and generalizations about drugs and race that had prompted him to hint on Tuesday that he might abort his second term.

It was after Mr. LePage’s comments about drugs and race earlier this year and his claims at the time that he was suffering from a “slip of the tongue,” that caused him to check into the Bush Family Slip of the Tongue Rehab Institute in Kennebunkport where he received extensive slip of the tongue therapy.

Based on his comments this week, it is clear that the slip of the tongue therapy did not work.

Despite this, Mr. LePage’s spokesperson, Moose Muhlenberg, said that the governor would not submit to the institute’s recommended next and final step which entails applying anti-slip tongue balm to the tongue every hour for the rest of his life. Rather, Mr. Muhlenberg announced that while the governor will not resign, he has vowed “never to speak ever again after today.”

In that regard, Muhlenberg confirmed that Governor LePage will be entering the Senator George Allen Macaca Memorial Clinic for Foot in Mouth disease where his lips will be locked shut and the key thrown away.

Pence hair color change - only time will reveal the true cause

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Pence hair color controversy erupts

Experts clash: dermatological or psychosomatic?

A recent Around the Block – News with a Twist reported that Republican vice-presidential candidate Mike Pence’s hair is getting darker due to stress related ‘melanocyte hyper switch-on syndrome,’ as diagnosed by renowned dermatologist and melanocyte expert Dr. Cosmos Topper.

In Dr. Topper’s opinion, Governor Pence is suffering from the syndrome because of his need to explain and defend GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump’s most outrageous statements and tweets. (Here is a link to that post: http://tedblocksblog.blogspot.com/2016/08/stress-of-running-with-trump-causing.html)

A number of Around the Block readers have written asking, since the picture of Mr. Trump and Mr. Pence accompanying the post seemed to show Mr. Pence’s hair color approaching the same shade as Mr. Trump’s (reproduced above), is it possible that Pence might be suffering from a syndrome other than melanocyte hyper switch-on?

In order to clear up any confusion, Around the Block contacted legendary psychiatrist and hair colorist Dr. Fritz Frelinghuysen. Dr. Frelinghuysen, who specializes in psychosomatic illnesses affecting hair color, said that while Dr. Topper’s diagnosis might be correct, there is also a distinct possibility that Mr. Pence might also be suffering from ‘narcissistic personality proximity disorder.’

“Narcissistic personality proximity disorder occurs when an ostensibly healthy individual spends an inordinate amount of time in close proximity to a narcissistic personality and begins taking on some physical characteristics of that narcissistic personality,” Dr. Frelinghuysen explained.  “In many cases the effect of the proximity is revealed in a mimicking of hair color.”

For his part, Dr. Topper, the dermatologist and melanocyte expert, called Dr. Frelinghuysen’s diagnosis “voodoo science” and suggested that given the stress Mr. Pence is confronting, his hair will continue to darken and will be “blacker than Ronald Reagan's by election day”.

Asked to comment on the controversy, Reince Priebus, chairman of the Republican National Committee, attempting to put a positive spin on the issue said, "Look, I have no idea why Governor Pence's hair is darkening, but if it ends up like Ronald Reagan's, it will be a good thing."

Stress of running with Trump causing Pence's hair to change color

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Pence’s defense of Trump causing rare hair color syndrome

Melanocyte hyper switch-on causing VP candidate's hair to darken

Many observers on the campaign trail are beginning to notice something very unusual --Republican vice-presidential candidate Mike Pence’s hair is getting darker.

While it is common for the hair of individuals under high stress or duress to turn gray, a phenomenon known as ‘melanocyte switch-off’, it is very rare for the opposite condition, ‘melanocyte hyper switch-on,’ causing natural gray or white hair, which Pence has, to become darker.

The traditional role for a vice-presidential candidate is to play the ‘attack dog’ role, making over the top claims in order to allow the person at the top of the ticket to remain above the fray. But in this election Governor Pence has had to spend almost all his time defending and explaining GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump’s most outrageous statements and tweets.

This role, according to dermatologist and melanocyte switch-off/on expert Dr. Cosmos Topper, is clearly causing Pence to suffer from an extreme case of melanocyte hyper switch-on.

In recent weeks, Pence has had to explain several of Mr. Trump’s statements, including:

·       Defending Trump’s assertion that he will receive “95% of the African American vote” by saying Trump has a “good heart” and calling him a “truth teller;”

·       Saying Trump is “telling it like it is” when he questioned opponent Hillary Clinton’s health by saying “she sleeps most of the day” and doesn’t have the “stamina to be president;”

·       Suggesting that Trump’s call for help in stopping “crooked Hillary from rigging this election” is no laughing matter as voter fraud is running rampant in America;”

·       Saying that “nothing has changed about Donald Trump’s position on immigration” when no one inside or outside the campaign has any idea what Donald Trump’s position on immigration is.

“Look, I’m an expert on melanocyte not politics. But when you have someone who has to say the things that Mike Pence has had to say, it’s not surprising that even as rare a condition as melanocyte hyper switch-on would rear it's ugly head,” said Dr. Topper. 

Trump's changes words not positions. Affecting polls?

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Trump campaign maintains candidate has not shifted position on immigration

Spokesperson says position is the same; words are different

In the continuing controversy over Donald Trump’s ‘softening’ of his stance on immigration, the Trump campaign’s primary spokesperson, Katrina Pierson, defended the candidate by saying, “He hasn’t changed his position on immigration. He’s changed the words that he’s saying.”

Pierson went on to say that “Mr. Trump has a lot of words at his disposal and he intends to use as many of those words as possible to ensure that the American people fully understand his positions on the issues.”

Ms. Pierson would not confirm whether Mr. Trump will not only use all the words he knows in his campaign appearances, but also use those words in any random order he chooses. Nor would she confirm he has enlisted his daughter Ivanka and her husband Jared, both Ivy League graduates, to expand his already substantial list of words. 

(In that regard, it is believed that Mr. Trump has not asked his sons Donald Jr. and Eric to get involved in the word expansion project because, according to a campaign spokesman speaking on the condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to speak, "Quite frankly, Don Jr. and Eric just don't know that many words.")

But, is Mr. Trump’s use of different words to explain his positions hurting him in the polls, particularly among his most ardent anti-immigration supporters?

Not so, according to his new campaign manager, Kellyanne Conway, who said that most polls are significantly undercounting Trump’s support.

“Donald Trump performs consistently better in online polling where a human being is not talking to another human being about what he or she may do in the election,” Conway said, going on to say, “It’s because it’s become socially desirable, if you’re a college-educated person in the United States of America, to say that you’re against Donald Trump.”

Conway said she couldn’t discuss exactly how much of the country secretly supports Trump. But, “It’s a project we’re doing internally,” she said. “I call it the undercover Trump voter, but it’s real.”

Independent polling consultant Paul Polansky supported Conway’s position. “Look, Kellyanne might be on to something. I mean, do you really think anyone with a modicum of intelligence would want to admit to another intelligent individual that he was supporting Donald Trump?”

Trump warns of rigged election in yet another claim meant to incite supporters.

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Trump on election: “Cheating is the only way I can lose”

Block on Trump (and supporters): "Enough is enough"

Coming one day after finally saying that his ‘Obama being the founder of Isis’ statement was sarcasm, “but not so sarcastic,” Donald Trump suggested that the only way he could lose in Pennsylvania is if there is voter fraud and cheating.

"We're going to watch Pennsylvania. Go down to certain areas and watch and study and make sure other people don't come in and vote five times," he said at a rally in Altoona, Pennsylvania. "If you do that, we're not going to lose. The only way we can lose, in my opinion -- I really mean this, Pennsylvania -- is if cheating goes on."

Trump went on to say that Republican leaders in the state "are very concerned" about the possibility of cheating -- adding that "we have to call up law enforcement, and we have to have the sheriffs and the police chiefs and everybody watching. The only way they can beat it, in my opinion -- and I mean this 100% -- if in certain sections of the state, they cheat."

His characterization of  'other people' and ‘certain sections of the state’ is an obvious reference to urban areas which are more ethnically diverse and strongly Democratic.

This was a classic Trump 'dog-whistle' speech meant to incite his supporters.

But this is not a classic Around the Block. 

This is not satire. This is not meant to be funny. This is not ‘News with a Twist.’ 

This is real. This is despicable. This is dangerous. 

Telling people, particularly Trump supporters, that the basis of our democratic process is crooked, telling them that if they own a gun they can fix things, telling them that Barack Obama is the founder of ISIS (this coming from the 'Birther in Chief') borders on riot incitement. He's the Republican candidate for president for God's sake!

Isn't enough, enough?

Apparently not.

Reince Priebus, RNC chairman, was at a Trump rally today and said, in essence, “things are going great for us” and “don’t believe the garbage you read” about the campaigns problems.

When will Republican leaders stand up and get the courage to put country before party and stop supporting this maniacal demagogue? When will rational people do the same?

So what’s Trump said just in the last week?

·       2^nd Amendment people can do something about Hilary Clinton

·       Barack Hussein Obama is the “founder of Isis”

·       If he (Trump) loses it will ONLY be because the election is rigged

To paraphrase a quote from Barack Obama (no plagiarism here, Donald Trump Jr.), “This is not the America I know."

Pot calling kettle black as Trump says Clinton is 'pathological liar' among other things

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Trump calls Clinton 'unhinged' and a 'monster'

‘Unstable and lacks judgment, temperament and moral character’ to lead country

According to The Hill, in a classic instance of the ‘pot calling the kettle black,’ Donald Trump escalated his personal attacks on Hillary Clinton, calling her a "monster" and "unstable" at a series of Friday campaign events. 

"Unstable Hillary Clinton, lacks the judgment, temperament and moral character to lead this country — and I believe that so strongly," Trump said at a rally in Des Moines, Iowa

"She's really pretty close to unhinged, and you've seen, you've seen it a couple times. The people in the background know it, the people who know her know it and she's like an unbalanced person."

The GOP presidential nominee called his rival a dangerous pathological liar and warned voters Clinton would lead to "the destruction of this country from within."

"The legacy of Hillary Clinton: death, destruction, chaos and weakness," Trump said. "She's weak. She's a weak person. I know her. She's a weak person."

Carly Calphalon, author of the book Pot Calling the Kettle Black for Dummies, called Trump’s comments the most egregious example of the pot calling the kettle black she’s seen in her 27 years studying and writing about the subject.

“Just to be clear, during the Republican Primary, I thought when Donald Trump said that Senator Ted Cruz isn’t ‘qualified’ to be president because he ‘doesn’t have the right temperament’ and is a ‘bit of a maniac,’ we had reached the pinnacle of pot/kettle/blackisms.” With his comments on Friday he’s brought new meaning to the phrase.”