WhatFinger


Michael R. Shannon

Michael R. Shannon (The Whole Shebang (mostly)) is a Virginia-based public relations and media consultant with MANDATE: Message, Media & Public Relations who has worked in over 75 elections on three continents and a handful of islands.

Most Recent Articles by Michael R. Shannon:

Media Focused on Blaming Coronavirus on Trump

After years of Russia, Russia, Russia and a few months of Ukraine, Ukraine, Ukraine we now have another bunch of foreigners interfering in our presidential election. The difference is the Opposition Media welcomes this interference because of the damage it may do to President Trump’s re–election.
- Wednesday, March 18, 2020

Science Discovers the Benefits of Christianity

Science Discovers the Benefits of ChristianityCNN issued a study a while back that found regularly attending church may increase a Christian’s lifespan while at the same time helping “them stay grounded and [providing] spiritual guidance.” I’m guessing this positive benefit results from the additional sleep gained by snoozing during boring sermons.
- Wednesday, March 4, 2020

Putting a Price on Moral Exhibitionism

Putting a Price on Moral ExhibitionismMoral exhibitionists are people who make a point out of taking very public ‘moral’ stands on an issue. This posturing costs them nothing and imposes the burden of paying for their sanctimony on others. Examples include union organizers who don’t even own a lemonade stand demanding a $15/hr. ‘living wage’. Wealthy leftists demanding action to fight global warming and Members of Congress who want ‘Medicare for All’ while knowing they will receive gold–plated, no–waiting healthcare.
- Friday, February 21, 2020

Virginia Gun Control Leader Takes a Wrong Turn

Virginia Gun Control Leader Takes a Wrong TurnChris Hurst is a lot like Parkland shooting publicity hound David Hogg. Both have used an association with violence as a stepping stone to advance their career. Hogg parlayed Parkland into a spot at Harvard and Hurst parlayed the publicity surrounding the televised shooting death of his girlfriend into a spot in the House of Delegates. Naturally, Hurst is very concerned about “gun violence.” His campaign website lists it as a public health menace.
- Wednesday, February 5, 2020

Richmond Proves the Left Hates You and Your Gun

Virginia’s 2nd Amendment rallyVirginia’s 2nd Amendment rally was a huge disappointment for Big Nanny Mike Bloomberg, Gov. Ralph Northam and gun–grabbing busybodies across the nation. The event failed to produce the Reichstag Fire the left was secretly hoping would occur.
- Thursday, January 30, 2020

Subsidized Diners Demand We Pay Mandatory Tips

Subsidized Diners Demand We Pay Mandatory TipsI may have discovered the real reason people living in blue states don’t contribute as much to charity as those living in red states. It’s not that they are hypocrites whose ‘compassion’ doesn’t extend to their own wallets. It’s because all their discretionary giving is going to restaurant tips.
- Wednesday, October 16, 2019

On the Trail of Tears With Federal Bureaucrats

USDA’s Economic Research Service to move to MissouriBreitbart News reports 80 percent of the female migrants to the USA’s heartland are sexually assaulted during the trip. Yet the heartless Trump administration remains relentless and will continue with its plan to force the USDA’s Economic Research Service to move to Missouri. Wait. I’ve mistakenly conflated two stories. The sexual assault victims are willing illegals heading for our interior, while the USDA folks are unwilling migrants threatened with moving vans by the Orange Tyrant.
- Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Federal Employees Want Taxpayers to Keep Their Distance

Federal Employees Want Taxpayers to Keep Their Distance The Washington Post (WoePost to regular readers) recently had a very ominous quote. Sandra Salstrom, a lobbyist for the American Federation of Government Employees, told an eager stenographer, “It seems like if they are successful here, this could just be the tip of the iceberg. We don’t know who’s next.” What inhumane, outrageous and bigoted Trump administration policy has attracted the attention of Ms. Salstrom? Has someone purchased a one–way ticket to Somalia for Rep. Ilhan Omar?
- Friday, August 2, 2019

Evidently Ahab Mueller Wasn’t the Captain of the Pequod

Evidently Ahab Mueller Wasn’t the Captain of the PequodThere are some questions that just aren’t asked at a hearing because the questions are superfluous. The answers are part of everyone’s database. At least everyone who counts. When Special Prosecutor Robert ‘Ahab’ Mueller testified before the House I would’ve asked about FISA warrant applications. Why Sen. Dianne Feinstein was warned about a Chinese spy in her office but Trump was put under surveillance. And why Republicans were indicted and Democrats weren’t.
- Thursday, August 1, 2019

Trump¹s Healthcare Transparency Round 2

Trump¹s Healthcare Transparency Round 2President Trump’s second go–round with healthcare pricing marks the first time I can recall a consistent effort on his part to achieve a goal in the face of opposition. Something sadly lacking in the immigration fight. January was his first attempt. The Department of Health and Human Services required hospitals to begin posting ‘Chargemaster’ rates for medical procedures on their websites. The goal was to give consumers access to price information on medical procedures that had been negotiated with the government.
- Friday, July 12, 2019

Food Expiration Dates Are a Conspiracy

Food Expiration Dates Are a ConspiracyScott Nash is my hero this week. I’m so proud of him I might even spend some money in his out–of–the–way and somewhat expensive grocery store. Nash is the founder and CEO of Mom’s Organic Market and the Washington Post featured him this week. (That’s another breakthrough. Normally the WoePost only features victims – real or imagined – and their downer stories. The story with Nash, on the other hand, was happy, upbeat, positive and scientific!)
- Thursday, July 4, 2019

George Soros Continues to Collect District Attorneys

George Soros Continues to Collect District AttorneysThe Democrat primary in Virginia's Fairfax and Arlington Counties was great news for companies whose business model includes cleaning human poop off the sidewalk. The sanctimonious leftists in both counties just nominated new prosecutors who plan on increasing justice by ignoring crime. Thanks to almost $1 million contributed by George Soros, Parisa Dehghani-Tafti defeated the incumbent DA in Arlington and Steve Descano defeated the incumbent in Fairfax. Those two victories bring the total number of campaigns that Soros has tried to buy to at least 23.
- Thursday, June 27, 2019

It’s Time for Trump to Take On Mitch McConnell

It’s Time for Trump to Take On Mitch McConnellThis week we have one of those rare occasions when government priorities and government funding match exactly. Fox News reports, “Loose change left at airports may be used to help fund border operations.” If you need additional proof Washington, Inc. doesn’t give a damn about stopping and reversing illegal immigration this should do it.
- Wednesday, June 12, 2019

Virginia’s Shinola Democrats Still Holding Out

Virginia’s Shinola Democrats Still Holding OutI’ve often wondered what would happen if a politician simply ignored heated demands that he resign in shame over some leftist grievance. Naturally, I assumed it would be a Republican holding out in Assad–like resistance to tires burning in the street and Twitter mobs lobbing 280–character barrages. Mistaken assumption. We now have three Democrat politicians in Richmond holding on to office in spite of demands from their own party that they resign.
- Wednesday, June 5, 2019

Sen. Mike Braun’s Backwards Healthcare Reform

Sen. Mike Braun’s Backwards Healthcare ReformTwo years too late a senator has finally taken a tentative step toward increasing competition in the healthcare market, lowering insurance costs and removing the dead hand of Obamacare from the nation’s throat. It’s partial implementation of a plan I’ve advocated, but it repeats my mistake and unfortunately adds a new one.
- Wednesday, May 8, 2019

No Business Is Safe from the Left’s Ignorance & Envy

No Business Is Safe from the Left’s Ignorance & EnvyThe late Darryl Royal once explained the problem with cockroaches, “It’s not what they eat and tote off, it’s what they fall into and mess up.” That pretty much sums up the left’s impact on economics. Recently the most visible example was Alexandria Ocasio–Cortez’s attack on Amazon’s plans for a New York City headquarters.
- Saturday, March 30, 2019

What Nixon and Trump Have in Common

What Nixon and Trump Have in CommonIt's hard to believe Richard Nixon, the consummate, disciplined insider, and Donald Trump, the shambolic, impulsive outsider, have anything in common, but it's true. Both men shared the belief that winning a national election should convey political power. Acting on the belief a national majority gave him a popular mandate to make changes in Washington cost Nixon his presidency. Just mentioning draining the swamp in passing is in the process of costing Trump his.
- Saturday, March 9, 2019

Howard Schultz Could Use a Little Caffeine

Howard Schultz Could Use a Little CaffeineHoward Stern has the same likelihood of being elected president in 2020 as Howard Schultz, but the Stern campaign would be much more interesting. And Stern already has nationwide name identification that ‘Starbucks’ Schultz lacks. Outside the business pages, the only major coverage Schultz has received in the recent past has been negative. Howard’s news coverage includes the hilarious ‘Race Together’ effort where Starbucks’ baristas were instructed to grill customers about America’s ‘systemic race problems’, while America’s first black president observed from the Oval Office.
- Thursday, February 28, 2019

Another Crop of Illegals Moves North

Another Crop of Illegals Moves NorthThe savage response of the Trump administration to last November’s illegal alien caravan was such an object lesson for potential lawbreakers that the newest Illegal Alien Reunion Tour making its way through Mexico is 30 percent larger.
- Wednesday, February 20, 2019

Why Electing Leftists Is Bad for the Birth Rate

Why Electing Leftists Is Bad for the Birth RateVirginia’s unborn are discovering what can happen when leftists take over state government. Although Democrat’s ‘compassion’ for illegals and murderers knows no bounds, the defenseless unborn take it on the chin. This wouldn’t have happened if Trump had lost to Hillary. After the president threatened to drain their habitat, Swamp creatures in the Old Dominion united to elect leftists. If bears responded to the potential loss of habitat like Swampists did, park rangers would be forced to issue AR–15s to Yellowstone visitors.
- Thursday, February 7, 2019

Sponsored