I was invited to attend a local Meet and Greet for Doug and Rebbe Mastriano. I was surprised. I do not support him, but had met him several times in Central PA prior to his calling from God to run for Governor. I went. 183 other people did too.
I counted them. I did not include his 4 staff, his security detail (5+ of them?), nor his 3 person videography team, nor the church organist who played while we waited. Mastriano’s Campaign RV was 40 minutes late arriving. I broke down the crowd while waiting. It was about 50/50 F/M. 100% White. PA State Rep Stephanie Borowitz was there, our local version of Congresswoman Boebert. Justin the Mayor of Beech Creek was there with his family. Two local councilmen and the County GOP Chairman.
9 Kids under 15 years old, 2 babies.
12 Young adults HS/College Age
45+/- Adults <50.
100 +/- >50
20 +/- I could tell age, but not young.
Attire.
8 Men wore blazers. 2 had ties.
15 in Trump gear.
5 wore some version of “pwn them” logo T-shirts. One very large man wore a Red Shirt with Joe Biden wearing a bike helmet. That said “I Crash Bikes” which seemed a very odd owning. So have I, and I suspect anyone who rides often.
Later during the photo-op portion of the event I realized the Big Red Man’s shirt also said “and Economies” along the bottom.
Here is the local press account of the event. therecord-online.com/…
I ended up taking some notes during his talk, and the experience has left me with some thoughts. And yes, per the local paper — Trump briefly pulled Mastriano off the stage and piped in a brief message. More on that below.
I also know at least one group of three 20 something women were turned away at the door. They were being told it was “A Private Event.” I only know this because I stepped out to use the Unisex bathroom while waiting. Which, in light of parts of his speech, might be something they have to address.
I guess the intent was believers only. But they invited me. So, who knows.
Arrival and the End of Separation of Church and State.
I have never been to this church before. It’s newly built. 500 seats. The parking lot, lobby, church seating area and altar were festooned with 200+ Mastriano signs, billboard and placards. More than actual people. All of his signs sport a little biblical tag in the graphics. “John 8:36”
“So if the Son sets you free, you shall be free indeed.”
At the door on arrival the local GOP chair and the Ministers of Beech Creek were greeting people and offering Mastriano buttons and hand outs. The minister noted he didn’t know me. I confirmed that and said I lived just over the county line in Centre County. He told me he was so glad “The Word is Spreading!!” And seemed very happy.
Stephanie Borowitz was “Heh!!! How Are You!”-ing with almost everyone coming in. We made brief eye contact, but she avoided me. Different story.
I am a vocal American patriot. I currently serve my community, locally and in state government today. I have done so many times in the past. I will continue to do so in the future. I have also represented out nation over seas multiple times. I hope I did well.
I deeply believe, if you are a citizen of the USA, or aspire to be a citizen — you engage in the process of democracy and civic development. You must. It’s our nation, and I mean out in the widest possible way.
But I am not a Christian. The event was both implicitly in it’s set up and arrival, by implication in it’s design and later stated to be EXPLICITLY by the words of the presenters and the candidate not a place for non-Christians. This event was illustrative of how far Christian Fascism has come in two over-arching regards. First, Christian Fascist office-holders/candidates no longer pretend to be inclusive. They have zero need. They are openly and proudly exclusionary. Second, Churches aligned with Christian Fascism OPENLY and without concern now advocate for GOP candidates. I was told last night that damnation/hell awaits those who oppose Doug.
Religious fanatics in the end have no concern about the harm they cause, by policy or torture, because they are certain GOD has approved them to carry on.
I found the experience to be rather similar to attending Mosque in Saudi Arabia. I sat among fanatics who explicitly are interweaving of extremist religious views and political action demands. I take them all at their word. I believe them. I fear what they are doing. I will act accordingly.
I also am not sure I can ever think of this Doug Mastriano again without seeing him with giggling in front of a ten foot tall cross wrapped in WalMart christmas lights.
More on his giggling below.
Once he was there, it was pretty obvious Doug already knew, or had at least met most of the people in the room. About half the folks did selfies for around five minutes before his speech, he knew many of them. Several did quick prayers over him, or with him.
Grievances, Prayers, Veteran Worship, Florida of the North (?) and Lithuanian Fan-Boy Stuff.
About 10 minutes of the 40 minute speech covered some policy positions. I will consider some of them below. But most of the speech was a sort of sermon/standup of grievances. Mastriano has a lot of people to blame for the world going wrong.
Doug shared “The Actual Science” of Boys vs. Girls including noting the skeletal and musculature of males will always dominate women if they are allowed to play women’s sports. He came back to this issue several times. He and the crowd were clearly angry about trans youth playing sports. He will ban that by executive order.
In a related grievance he will also ban “Pronoun Nonsense” by executive order.
Doug threw out derogatory name-checks on several Jews and Black People. Josh Shapiro, Andy Levine, Donna Brazille and Barack Obama among others. He has a really powerful and subliminal contempt for them. I am not even sure he is conscious of how much contempt he puts in his voice for them — and how clear it is to outside listeners how his contempt seems reserved for references to nonwhite/nonchristian/nonhetero targets.
By contrast he made six side-references praising Veterans. About one ever five minutes. WWII Army vet story (about his grandfather). Vietnam Navy vet story (about his father). Gulf War vets (about himself “I’m not a hero, but I served with heroes” — a line he said at least three times in various places) All Vets (Calls for everyone to applaud them) American Vets who served with Lithuanian NATO forces (Again about his service — but he wasn’t a hero, but her served with heroes) American Revolution Vets (Real Bravery) and Civil War Veterans (How tough they were). He did not specify which side he was praising Union or Traitor. Which felt very … deliberate. At least to me.
Doug is a Lithuanian Military Fan Boy. At several places in his talk he kept referring back to serving with them. He praised how tall and strong they are. How reserved and proud the are. How tough they are. He even went on a passionate sidebar favorably praising Tough Lithuanian men vs. Weak American men. I guess he thinks we could learn from how tough they are. Or something. He asked everyone to pray with him that America relearns her strength.
And finally comparing things, I had read he was calling on Pennsylvania to become the “Florida of the North”. Which hearing it in person sounds even weirder than reading it on paper. He praised Ron DeSantos as a model for America. He praised Ron’s policies, Ron’s wife and asked everyone to stop and pray with him for her health. He also asked everyone to pray with him for all of Florida — which at the moment of his speech was being swamped by Ian. He said he wanted to follow Florida’s lead and “deregulate everything”
There were a lot of compares overall. With everything not-him always coming up wanting. Regulation destruction. Crowd Sizes. Courage of People in other places and times vs. Today. He complained about everyone saying “Penn” when they refer to Pennsylvania, going into a diversion that if becomes Governor everyone will take so much pride they would use the state’s whole name? I think. It was one of his several diversions where he clearly had a grievance, but I couldn't get the point of what he was advocating. And those often ended with him giggling and changing to his next talking point.
Doug Mastriano’s Manners, Giggle and Speech-stylings.
Doug Mastriano giggles. A guy-style deep-sounding giggle of a Happy Warrior. He does it a lot, because he truly is a happy warrior. This guy has zero doubts that he is completely right about...nearly everything. His certainly is really interesting because it goes in two very different directions. God-demand-it AND Science-make-it-so.
Throughout his speech he broke for “Let’s Pray” moments that lasted less than 30 seconds each. He referred multiple times to God calling him to do what he does. BUT he also multiple times angrily declares Science is on his side. His breezy and happy justifications for being anti-trans, anti-secular education, pro-forced birth, and pro-fossil fuel drilling all came with biblical callings AND his interpretations of “real facts and science.” His term.
The crowd loves him for it, and he is studied and effective as a speaker at blending these things. I admired his skills. But for the man-giggle. Man-giggles make me a bit nuts, and boy-o-howdy does he man-giggle.
At the end of about half of Doug’s sentences, there is a “yugyugyugyug” four to six yug-type giggles with rising intonations that moves up about half an octave per “yug”. Examples from his speech:
“Donna Brazille? Remember her?” YugYugYugYug, “The Liar from back when?” YugYugYugYug!! “I told Josh-o, Shapeer-o, he could bring her along!!!” YugYugYugYug!!
“I look around here at this crowd in beautiful Clinton county and you guys are rocking…Oy Yea!!! YugYugYugYugYUG!”
I have not spent that much time around Lithuanian NATO soldiers. Maybe they all man-giggle too.
In any case, I have attended a lot of stump speeches. Overall I give Doug a B+ on performance aspects. He knows his crowd. He hits the topics they want.
But as to the content, I found it terrifying. This guy is the second wave of the Christian Fascist rulers incoming to rule us all. His policy positions in short.
- Deregulate everything — for white Christian Males. Regulate everyone who is not a white Christian Male. Drill everywhere. Punish everyone who disagrees. Be more like Lithuanian men. YugYugYugYug.
Rebbe fills in while Doug takes a call from Trump.
Doug worked from bullet points in a large 24pt font on printed pages. He also had his cell phone on the podium. About 20 minutes into his speech he asked his wife Rebbe to step in and tell everyone what a “real woman really wants” yugyugyug...she did and he sort of scurried offstage. Rebbe Mastriano went into hard core “Women deserve to be BORN!!!” forced-birther territory, then she went into Mother’s making all education decisions, stopping CRT and OWNING the Schools. Then Doug came back and told everyone “I just had to step off to talk to the President!!!, but he has something to say to all of you!!!” He then held the phone to the microphone and Trump told everyone to vote for Doug “I can tell he has the BASE, just like I have the BASE!!” It was quick. 10 seconds. But the crowd loved it. But I had two thoughts.
One — WTF is so important that Mastriano left his speech to talk to TFG for two minutes and then came back. The audience shout out was clearly improved, the call was about something else.
Two — The Base. aka Al Quida. — Arabic for the Base. The way Trump called out to everyone that they are The BASE and the way Doug then told them they are the BASE and will have to fight… Well. I again felt just like being in at mosque in Saudi Arabia.
A Last Thought.
Doug is a happy warrior. He is certain he is right. He giggles his way forward. He also filled three busloads of happy warriors to try and overthrow the election. He was at January 6th. He didn’t touch that subject. He didn’t need to. The people there — including Doug — still consider Trump the president. And he is clearly still doing something with Trump.
I have attended stump speeches for 50 years. My mother was a GOP ward boss.
I have run for office. Given 100+ myself. I understand how you refine them over time, and know your crowds.
This was different. This felt 40 percent political. 50 percent religious. 10 percent...seditionist.
My impression. Needed to write it down.
I will try and upload a file of the talks later...