The Sad Ballad of the Big Fool

Years ago, when America was mired in the horror of the Vietnam war, Pete Seeger wrote a lament about the stupidity and vanity of leaders who keep plunging us into such mindless disasters. It was a song about the Big Muddy: “The captain told us to ford a river,That’s how it all begun.We were knee deep in the Big MuddyBut the big fool said to push on. “It’ll be a little soggy, but just keep sloggingWe’ll soon be on dry ground.We were waist deep in the Big Muddy,And the big fool said to push on. “All we need is a little determination.Men, follow me, I’ll lead.We were neck deep in the Big MuddyAnd the big fool said to push on.” Unfortunately, the big fool is back, this time miring our nation in another of those witless wars of choice that he had ridiculed when running for President. But, doing the bidding of Israel’s corrupt government, Trump attacked Iran. He blustered that the “skirmish” would be over in days, Iran would surrender everything, our gasoline prices would go down, peace would blossom throughout the Middle East, and world leaders would rally ‘round America. None of that happened. Instead, Trump has splurged 25 billion of our dollars on this foray (so far), Iran’s leadership has outwitted Trump’s feckless Pentagon chief, and they now control the global price of oil. To divert attention from the embarrassment of his needless war, our huckster-in-chief is now doing PR events touting the “grandeur” of that billion-dollar luxury ballroom he wants to tack onto our White House – a rich-boy add-on that only the billionaire class will go into. Of all the things America actually needs, he is focused on a sparkly ballroom. And the big fool says to push on. Jim Hightower's Lowdown is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jimhightower.substack.com/

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The Sad Ballad of the Big Fool is an episode from Jim Hightower's Radio Lowdown by Jim Hightower.

This episode is 2:10 long.

This episode was published on May 14, 2026.

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