Trump has already LOST the past three elections (well, was critical in the republican "showing" in the 2022 mid-terms - he caused the district I live in to flip BLUE for the first time in 12 years. I hope he "puts his hat in the ring" for 2024 and has a good old fashioned "battle royale" with Ron DeSanctimonious - or whatever his name is. He's not only helping democrats to win elections, he's causing them to (slowly but surely) fight for their own progressive values. And, best of all, I believe Trump is the reason MILLIONS of young Americans - our future - voted in the past month and, likely, will be the heart and soul of this nation going forward sooner rather than later. They are the cause of the "surprise" which is unfolding regarding the so-called "red wave." I don't know if democrats (and their supporters) are capable of patience - but, it's going to take at least one more election (2024) to get enough democrats in the Senate, and to regain (if they lose it) control of the House, in order to pass more progressive legislation. This next couple of years should be interesting. And, as an aside - I predict the Supreme Court will make several more ABSURD decisions which will energize YOUNG democrats even more going forward. the ONLY way to counter the Court's decisions is at the ballot box. I believe the YOUNGER generation understands the importance of moving FORWARD instead of backward and the Court will be a deciding issue for the next generation. Finally, I hope the democrats have the COURAGE to run someone younger than Biden (even though I'm totally thankful for Biden and what he's accomplished). I saw in one of the other posts a suggestion of - Gavin Newsome - and, even though I'm 75 and hobbling around most of the time - I could get really energized to see someone like that at the helm before I go "out to pasture." (To me, the voters of my generation - "baby boomers" - have become an embarrassment. It's as if MANY of my peers have no conscience when it comes to what we're leaving for our children and grandchildren - too many of them watch Fox "news")
@Daniel. You make a key point about our political reality - Trump couldn't be trump if there weren't a substantial minority of the population that resonate to his hateful policies an plain lies. So yes, there is a well-seasoned field ready to be planted with more hate, more anti-American sentiments, more pro-oligarchic policies and more calls to violence. One hopeful signal is that (it seems to me) the MAGA coalition is shrinking as (it seems) more and more traditional Republicans can't stomach the crazy. I hope....
They were there long before djt rallied them, are highly unlikely to evaporate when he does. The question is how soon or whether they even can be reunified. He'd had a lot of practice.
@difny. Related but random idea I have been carrying. It seems to me that a large part of what is going on is generational. I think the economic grievances are real, and I think the spectrum of hate/fear/racism/xenophobia is real. But I think another part is the way families pass down these perspectives (called "inculcation") and I think that MAGA coalition may be losing their next generation to more modern sensibilities. For example, the Census shows that fewer and fewer young people are enthralled to church going, and many eschew religion altogether. That's one trend that will tend to strip away supporters from the MAGA crowd. Maybe we can look forward to one day when the country will have genuinely healed from the lingering damage of slavery?
Benjamin R. Stockton—I think that's all true. Historically, new generations would grow beyond beliefs encouraged by families and schools gradually if at all. One thing that interrupted that bigtime among young men was a (supposedly, but enough) "universal" draft. They lived with, worked with, learned from, and entrusted their lives to strangers of all classes from everywhere—long gone. Then came tv, suspect but tightly manageable. More effective than anything previously imaginable, now introducing kids to global influences is of course the internet, as dominated here only by telecoms' interpretation of free speech. For better or worse. —di
Unfortunately true. I see many high school kids flying Trump flags from their pickups here in my small town. I have faith in the younger generation, but clearly racism won't be eradicated.
I love "DeSanctimonious" great moniker! I hope the GOP 2024 primaries comes down to slugfest between the maggot harboring trumpster and "DeSanctimonious" What fun that will be to watch. Since I am very close to 90, and worked fulltime to 6 weeks before my 88th, I don't consider Biden to be an old man, however, I can understand how those persons younger than 80 have concerns. I do like Gavin Newsom, he is charismatic, an excellent speaker, relatively good looking (so he shines on TV) If he's going to run for President though he needs a lot of grooming, no more dumb decisions, like attending a lobbyists birthday party in the depth of a pandemic when everyone else was in lockdown.
Right on Fay. I'm with yah..only I'm 74. Just a kid, but Biden has done many good things and now should embrace his next stage in life as a 'Mentor' to many of our younger generation. He has a good heart.
Too many people looking for the hero with a thousand faces in US politics.
DeSanctimonious plays well for confederates and eventually will have a rapprochement with Trump. Unfortunately, too much emphasis on the personality and no examination of the character leads to totalitarian dictatorship. Can harness Trump's cult of personality and evangelical religious fervor.
I don't want a hero. I want a president who will be open and transparent, willing to learn, the capacity to learn, plays well with others, and can pass a lie detector test.
Excellent Daniel,DeStupid is also super pugnacious and picks fights that shouldn't be 'fights' in a democratic society.Very much a dictator wannabe ,went against best practices for pandemic and has a fixation w/'woke'.What actually is that stupidity?there always have been liberals.
I am 91 and more in tune with politics than when working as I was in a consuming job. I agree with you about the ages thing. We need new blood. However I think new candidates will emerge.
I hope Trump doesn’t get to run. Liz Cheney will have wasted her career if he does. If we progressives can illuminate the youth to the vagaries of the Religious Right and corruption we will have a winner.
Fay, I’m with you about that fantastic moniker, DeSanctimonious! Let’s be sure it is circulated widely! 😄 Trump needs to go to prison and I got excited when I heard about storm Nicole hitting FL…any change DeSanctimonious could be washed into the ocean!? Oh, I mustn’t get my hopes up. 😂
He is an absolute danger but the GQP rule has been so watered down. The MAGA federal judges and SCOTUS must be addressed. They still pose such a danger. And I’m still seething that the Democratic Party citizens were not protected from these deadly seditionist monsters. Our DOJ left us in extreme danger and no one should forget it.
Side note: you let us know when that 90th b-day rolls around! I want to celebrate with you! You’re so amazing and I always love to read your insightful & intelligent comments! ❤️
Ron DeSanctimonious is the moniker a reader here came up with for Ron DeSantis. Just to clarify. I agree with you, Trump doesn’t have sanctimonious in his 3rd grader vocabulary.
Of course it wasn't trump, it was our own David Piper a fellow substacker. And I agree on the level of trump's personal vocabulary. ust because it was posted on truth social does not mean the trumpster personally posted it.
I'm a Boomer too, and I agree. I see my own aging and that makes me even more critical of older politicians in Congress. We need to get out of the way and let the younger ones govern. I like the idea of Biden as a mentor!
JB I consider Biden to be one of the best mentors out there. I’m glad he was elected and I appreciate all he has done. We can always have these elder politicians at our side, but I agree, we need someone from the newer generations with full respect for those who committed so much to our politics. Joe Biden has suffered so many heartaches, and he is one of the most genuine-sympathetic-caring person I can think of. That’s a characteristic that we really want to retain in our leaders.
So true! I’m embarrassed to be a boomer now! I can’t believe how religious believers fell for this liar, devil trump and worship him as if he was a God!
Well, I for One Boomer am darned proud of who I am and of what I accomplished because of the advantages afforded Boomers after the war. I was raised by two committed parents who believed in laws and in fairness. They believed in education. Both were dedicated to being useful in our community. I grew up with a determination to be a person who could be trusted and who could be the best I could be for any employer.
I had books, music, education and humor. I had a sensitivity to others hurt and to unfair treatment .
This wasn’t because I was some super Angel..... it was because my parents set rules and standards. My Father did not believe television was good for us so we did not have one until I graduated from college. Did I feel deprived? No I actually felt well cared for. Books and music and nature were mine. I became a teacher.
My Mother’s Father came from what was then known as Yugoslavia. He understood discrimination. He knew education was imperative to becoming a success as a human in America. Both his daughters had University degrees.
Both became teachers.
My Father had polio as a six year old. Because Franklin Roosevelt understood the consequences of that dreaded disease my Father thought of himself as a “New Deal” graduate. We believed in opportunity for all and that we should never demean anyone because of difference.
So, no... as a Boomer I say this is how to go forward. Believe in facts but also act on them. Believe in being the best human you can be. Think things through and if you are feeling angry and demeaned look deeply inward first and then tell your story and tell your needs. Ask for help. Do not bully.
Stand up and become an adult. Don’t blame others about your own failures.... strive to make a difference. Put down your phone and get out into the crowd and listen to the stories.
And then do the same contemplation concerning yourself and make it your dedication to your country.
Thank you Jean. 👍🏼 I’m so tired of people pretending all of a sudden that baby boomers who were the ones pushing civil rights, women’s rights, LGBTQ+ rights, interracial marriage..on and on. The people to blame are the right wing republicans! They watched a deadly coup by their people and did nothing! Still haven’t, they PREVENTED trump’s removal! So people, stop with this generational BS. Every generation has incredible people making progress for us all and every generation has some MAGA losers. The end.
I shouldn’t have said that I was embarrassed for being a boomer. I’m embarrassed that many boomers who would rather praise trump and his MAGA insurrectionists and worship authoritarian traitors than do everything they can to SAVE our Democracy!
Jean (Muriel) our grandparent's backgrounds are very similar…former Yugoslavia & Greece. Non of my grandparents were native American English speakers. Escaping fascism, working their fingers to the bone, always helping those they left behind and anyone else coming over with very little in their pockets.
Their influences and insistence on getting their children good educations, helped produce a productive generation and a massive college educated generation after them. But they also expected respect for their elders, their property, their neighborhoods and so on.
They also knew of the hypocrisy of the religions from the lands they escaped. My mother’s mother always pointed out how priests lived like kings but nuns lived with virtually nothing. Why was that. She never used the word atheist, but the had no need for religion. Her honesty and clear thinking make me so proud of her!
I want to hug you! My grandfather ( whom I never got to know because he committed suicide after a union dispute with a younger fellow in the copper mines in Montana) believed in strong unions because he worked through the Depression in the mines because of them. The younger man made fun of him after a meeting that the younger fellow didn’t believe in. This fellow also shoved my grandfather in front of everyone. As you said, respect for elders was part of their culture. Because of this my grandfather borrowed a friend’s hunting rifle and took a shot at the man across the open “ pits”. He never hit him but the sheriff came to his home and before anyone could stop him he shot himself dead. My grandmother said “ don’t Steve” They were catholic, but when the priest refused to come visit her in her grief my Mother dropped her catholic belief.
My Mother had attended catholic schools . She and my Father told us to visit churches or not and make up our own minds.
I actually called the fellow who pushed my grandfather years (YEARs )later to hear his story. I told him then that no one had the right to take a gun after anyone.... I was forgiving my Grandfather so I could make sense of never knowing him.
The family always sent money and clothes to the relatives in the “ Old Country”!
Thank you for all you are because of who they were!🥰
My mother's family were German Jews. At 16, my mother had to leave school and go to work at a nearby silk tie factory as my grandfather was no longer allowed to work. My grandmother took the train out into the countryside, where no one would recognize her, and sold knitted goods from a catalog. On Kristallnacht, my grandfather had to slip unseen through the streets of Bielefeld to bring my mother's younger sister home from school.
My mother's family was one of the "lucky" ones, though. Her father's eldest brother had emigrated to the U.S. years before. He sold his house and furniture, and obtained visas for his family. When a gentile friend of my grandfather warned the SS was going to pick him up (1940), he left for the U.S. east coast and his brother. My grandmother and the girls, escorted to, and onto, the train by the big, tall, strong owner of the silk tie factory, (the guards looked the other way as he made sure they were still on the train as it left the station), journeyed across Russia, Siberia, into Shanghai, and finally crossed to Japan. They landed in San Francisco, and one of the Jewish charities brought my grandfather to them. (My family sent their 'guardian angel' care packages after the war. Things he adored and couldn't get.)
This year, I learned from my cousin's son who is doing research for his Ph.D. in Stuttgart and took some time to research our family, that everyone else, with the exception of my grandfather's brothers and two of my grandmother's sisters, were transported to Minsk, where they were killed.
More religion. When my mother, in 1948, married a kind, soft spoken, good humored, Methodist naval officer (whose family emigrated from Prussia to the Midwest in 1842) she and her mother decided that any children would be raised as Methodists, 'to protect us'. The rest of the family kept utterly silent, knowing my mother's and grandmother's wishes. Despite knowing that everyone on my mother's side of the family was Jewish, and knowing their history, it never once occurred to me that I was also Jewish, until I was 15 and one of my Jewish girlfriends pointed out that, since my mother was Jewish, I was, too. That's when the truth finally came out and I learned how helpful our brains are! The absolutely unspoken instruction was that, despite everything I saw and heard to the contrary, I was a Methodist. I went to church with my Dad because I loved my Dad. (And the big breakfast afterward was no mean thing! 😋)
To wind up the shaggy dog story, I believe that the helpfulness of our brains is at least partly behind some of the dire troubles many right wing, highly religious trumpists are causing. They've been told what to believe since they were born, and now their minds cannot see what is real.
Thank you Jean, Seeking Reason and everyone else with similar histories.
"You've got to be taught to hate and fear. You've got to be taught from year to year. It's got to be drummed in your dear little ear. You've got to be carefully taught. (South Pacific, musical, Rogers and Hammerstein, 1949. The movie is great, too.)
A note,we are not a theocracy,which seems to be where all this 'Christian nationalist' stuff is trying to go.Russia does that and would be another discussion.
I'm a generation older than you, but I agree, you got a bad rap. Some of it was jealousy by people in my age group, born near the beginning of the great depression. They stupidly thought the parents of baby boomers were too lenient and gave too much to their children. BS. As Seeking Reason says the baby boomers were the ones who took up the cudgels for Civil Rights, ending the Vietnam war, women's rights, LGBTQ+. I was fortunate enough to be in college (ten years+ older than my fellow students) but fully accepted and able to participate along side them.
Yes, AND many parents in the larger society believed the same as yours. Your parents and mine came of age during the (Great?) Depression and were further tested by WWII. Our parents, as a whole, continued to sacrifice for OUR generation. And many of us took Kennedy's comment about asking what WE "could do for our country" very seriously. One reason I became a public school teacher.
I am not embarrassed to be a boomer and believe the religious right didn't fall for the orange devil, but for what the GOP was pushing him to say and do. They stroked his ego and fed his ego to get what they wanted from this ungodly religious right. Don't get me wrong, Trump is a terrible excuse for a human being, but the GOP is not far behind.
I feel the same way about the evangelical’s. I’m currently listening to The Shadow Network audiobook by Anne Nelson. I knew a bit about the behind the scenes machinations of the Koch Bros and the Devos family, but this book tells the complete story of the corruption of the religious right from the very beginning. Very disturbing!
Thank you, Sandra, for putting into words what has been disturbing me ever since the evangelical right became so heavily involved in politics a number of years ago. It is as if those who believe only their religion, whatever it may be, has all the answers want to set up their IDEA of a supreme being as our President, regardless of how the other millions of us may think or feel about it. Right now, we only have to look as far as Iran to see how that works out.
I'm an Independent. Sometimes I wonder why Democrats have such poor vision when it comes to their own flaws and preachy inconsistencies. To me, there's major hypocrisy in those comments about "boomers" -- and another reason why a lot of people dislike Liberals. Suppose I lump all black people people behind some negative statement that happens to be true about a significant number of them. How fast would bleeding-heart liberals clutch their Starbucks decaf lattes and verbally attack me? But for some illogical reason, Liberal stereotyping, discriminating, and denigrating based on age gets Liberal "likes" -- especially when it involves fashionable self-flagellation. For my entire career as a woman pilot, I was abused because of gender. I could've been the world's best pilot, and I'd still have been assumed incompetent because I'm a woman. Now that I'm retired, I'm being abused because of age. You might not think that, basically, being called a clueless-idiot citizen voter matters. You might think expressing embarrassed about one's own stereotyped age group is OK, is even a holier-than-thou plus. And maybe among Democrats, it is seen that screwy way. But to others out here on foreign turf, those actions make a Democrat appear as a liability to their Democrat party, because, "Fekk 'em, if I'm gonna be accused of being dumb enough to vote GOP, I might as well do it, because it'd certainly make life in my "red" community (of all ages, especially those saviors, "Young People,") a lot easier." To a visitor here, it's disheartening to see that Democrats or Liberals -- or whatever label they're arguing for -- are just as given to discrimination as are the red folk; they just choose different targets. I guess they justify their assault by contending that it's perfectly OK to talk about the "black vote, Cuban vote," or "youth vote," because we measure that. It's not 100%, though. So where is the line? Exactly when is it OK, even "good" and "useful" to discriminate, and who gets to make those rules? For a time, I was responsible for developing a diversity training program for 23,000 employees of a major corporation, so I studied that, among other, relevant questions. The answer I found is: it's helpful to stereotype things like doorknobs that are all constructed to work in the same way. If we had to walk up to a door and figure out each different opening device because they each operated differently, that'd be difficult. But people are not all constructed to operate the same, so it is never OK -- it can never be known to represent 100% truth or fact -- to group people by arbitrary category, and paste a label on them. Hazards include abusing, thwarting growth, alienating, and more. So it really isn't such a "woke" thing to pat oneself on the back for saying "boomers vote Republican." It's no more OK than to say "niggers are criminals, " not even if "statistics show" that more boomers vote Republican than blacks commit crime. People aren't statistics. That won't stop human beings from pasting labels on people. The government does it all the time. But it comes with hazards -- like insulting and even alienating people who already vote "the right way." Personally, I don't even see the point. Anyone who votes "red" puts democracy at risk. Wth does it matter how old or young they are? What seems more productive is trying to clearly show the risks of voting "red," then letting individuals decide which points matter to them.
Beautifully stated, Mo777jet. The media and those who faithfully follow and believe every word to tend to try to quantify us. To me, this is my justification to ignoring polls. How can less than 5000 peoples opinions represent how 150,000,000 individual people will vote. Anymore than judging all people by the color of their skin, their religious, or sexual preferences. We are all (~8 billion of us) individuals and should be judged by our individual behavior.
Wow, I don't know what to think of that response. Here's the bottom line for me - if it wasn't for the younger voters "we the people" would be facing an even greater uphill battle in trying to purge "Trumpism" from our politics. And, from my vantage point, I simply see Trump as the vehicle which brought a lot of the "disenchanted" (forgive me - racists) - like David Duke, Don Black, Paul Gosar, Marjorie Taylor Greene, etc. etc. into the "mainstream." Of course, there was a wide segment of America waiting for someone like Trump who, when his lips are moving, is LYING - because they see democrats as "whimps." The reality of my (and apparently your) generation is that they make up a large percentage of Trump's base. I'm not going to attempt to address everything you said, but I do believe you (by that I don't necessarily mean "you," I don't know who you vote for, but anyone who believes his shtick) have to be - I'll say - ill informed to vote for Trump. He checks off every box of a fascist. To me, it's that simple - and, as a lifetime independent voter I not only can NOT vote for anyone associated with that I can't even stomach that. Also, not sure why you chose to describe African Americans with a perjorative, but no matter the context, that's offensive to me. Just the way it is.
No matter how pointed or single issued it might be. As an independent it like being an agnostic and being able to go either way and not having a foundation but your own independence. We live in a two party system and as a liberal I tend to vote democratic but again it is for the betterment of America and the American people. One also has to consider ones decision to be independent, liberal or conservative when voting and the effect it has on America but also the world. Liberal, conservative or independent are all labels and we have a tendency to put them in nice little packages like cheddar cheese to Swiss cheese or what ever. I am a liberal democrat with a tendency toward being an independent. Took a while but I got there but nothing is as black and white as it appears.
David Piper has made some interesting and accurate observations. Trump seems unable to control his childish impulse to find a sarcastic or derogatory name for any perceived political rival. He called "Little" Marco Rubio incompetent, Sleepy Joe Biden was humorous, and Ron Sanctimonious DeSantis is the latest. I admit I was entertained by his loose tongue in 2016 until I witnessed the destruction of Hillary Clinton which was undeserved. Trump has no serious plan to govern beyond reacting to others views and his comments are the musings of a disorganized but media crafty old man who understands how to disarm voters by leveling insults at his competition. Trump deserves to be told "You're Fired!!"more than anyone I can think of. A lesson for us all is to be more cautious about forming opinions based on clever name calling. Joe Biden was an average performing vice President but has performed magnificently in spite of Trump's Sleepy Joe name tag. I am 80 years old and I respect all that Sleepy Joe has accomplished in the last two years.
Agree Robert. And now we must follow the rule of law and impeach the SCOTUS that violate their office. And we must remove people from congress who actively engage in terrorism and incitement, MTG, DUMBERT & many others.
Lack of consequences will put us back where we started. We should not be voting on seditionist inciting candidates, they should be removed.
And 'Trumpty Dumpty' is singing an old,old worn out tune He's still very dangerous(as we know) and needs to be dealt w/PRONTO! Do not 'pass go and straight to Leavenworth'.Orange was always his color.
Just a reminder: Trumpism is a *symptom*, not the cause. It’s fueled largely by people who feel disenfranchised and have lost all hope for a life of meaningful participation in the “promise” of America, At that point, there’s a temptation to simply burn it all down. And Trump is the matchstick.
The solution: enact practical legislation and policies that provide direct benefit to average citizens. Don’t just “hear their pain" — DO something about it.
I thought Biden missed a golden opportunity in the last SOTU address, to reach out to the masses on the Right. “To the MAGA crowd, we need you! Whether you are changing tires or working in an office, tilling the fields or running a business, you are Americans too, and we need the skills and services you provide. Come join with us and let’s work together to truly make American great as it can be!”
That's a great comment to address Republican's attempts to blame crime rates on Democrats. It is true that, as you write, that when one is left out, the tendency is to just burn things down. Republicans have increasingly left out almost anyone who isn't ultra-wealthy, so by your logic, with which I agree, higher crime rates are their doing. They have managed to fool some segments of the white population into believing they care about them, but that's obviously not true according to their actions.
Yes, that's the sad thing -- chaos and calamity equals "opportunity" in the neoconservative mindset. In the worst case, they actually seek to maximize it. That's pretty much what Conservative media is all about these days. Knee-capping democracy and the administrative state.
I'm also a "boomer" at 73 and I stand with you. It seems that too many boomers have "got theirs" and been subsumed into the suburbs. Although, if I had my 'druthers', Stacy Abrams, rather than Gavin Newsome, would be our next President. There's someone with intelligence, honor, chutzpah, and compassion. It will be at least 2028, when more young Americans come of voting age, before we get President Abrams or one like her. I just hope we progressive boomers are alive to vote and to see it happen.
Wow, David I applaud every word of this. I think you are right. I am also a boomer, 76, and have long been furious with my generation for what they have done to this country. We were the most fortunate, pampered of any American generation before us. I only disagree, strongly, with one point--the state legislatures are making IMPOSSIBLE to VOTE OUT the bad guys. Look at David Pepper's Laboratories of Democracy book. There are powerful forces taking this country away from democracy and they MUST be dealt with if we think we can change ANYTHING. Texas is a classic example of a state that is gone, Florida too. The courts are the plutocratic guardrails that will stop voters.
David overall I agree. I think Biden has been fantastic under these circumstances and he has the ability to tell it like it is while also still being a president for all. He’s done a good job. However, we need to look at the ages of so many of these politicians and say thank you so much and have a wonderful retirement. Bring in some younger progressives who are not under the delusion that the US is “the greatest country in the world”. But they still want to try to achieve the title.
Hats off to Biden for having the most diverse administration EVER. And now, let’s do more of it, top to bottom.
Where I disagree, and what really pisses me off, is calling an entire generation embarrassing. Shame on you for that.
The bottom line, to me, is baby boomers (my generation) have been taking what's best of this nation for our entire lives and when you look at how WE vote, to me it's embarrassing. Sorry if that "pisses you off" - but, the statistics are real - and, undeniable. The best example I can put forth would be the issue of Climate Change. Very real to those younger - but, my generation - and, I'm talking about the majority of them based on their voting records - which are public knowledge - continue to support "climate change deniers." Additionally, when the issue of fascism has become so relevent - I would have expected "boomers" - many like me who have parents who fought in WW II - to have put the preservation of our republic ahead of the price of gas. Once again, bravo for the voters under 30 who turned out in record numbers and helped prevent the disaster which would have been the so-called "red wave." Again, sorry for "pissing you off."
I am not focusing on Trump but on the enablers and oligarchs that brought him to us in the first place. MIchael Flynn needs to be reactivated in the military and court martialed for his anti country actions. SCJ Kennedy needs to be investigated for the deal he cut with Trump and GOP to get his son out of hot water at Duetcht Bank. We need a strong middle and upper middle class that has the majority of wealth in this country and the very wealthy need to be taxed as before Reagan. This has been a multi generational slide. I meet with a group of high school students every Monday for an hour during their lunch. They are good hearted, inspired and smart. I feel hopeful every time I go to their meeting.
I completely agree about Flynn-he should’ve been court-marshaled years ago. However, although I don’t know it for a fact, I think Justice Kennedy was threatened.
As the gap between the wealthy and the rest of us grows, the country becomes less stable and more vulnerable to people like Trump and Putin. Make no mistake, Putin has been doing things for years to destabilize us from within. In addition, Russia has provided significant financial backing & has long-standing ties to Trump, Flynn, Bill Barr, Marsha Blackburn, Mitch McConnell & other various republican members of Congress. The Kochs and Rupert Murdoch also have long-term relationships with Russia.
Russian oligarchs and Saudi princes have been backing politicians with huge amounts of money for a significant period of time. They’ve also been buying things like the largest refinery in North America just outside of Houston and land in AZ that sits on top of the largest aquifer in the state. Those are just two examples. The point is, we need to pay more attention to outside forces meddling & interfering in our domestic matters & alienating us from our government because they aren’t doing that for our benefit, they’re doing for their own benefit.
What I keep coming back to is the fact that America is the richest country in the world. The reason we’re the richest country in the world is because we created an upwardly mobile middle class with wages high enough to buy the things corporations are selling. Unfortunately, not enough American corporate moguls understand that. They tend to make larger campaign donations to republicans simply because republicans give them big tax cuts. The bottom line is--that symbiotic relationship between corporations, republicans and Russia isn’t sustainable. It inevitably leads to instability and vulnerability to outside forces.
If a senator has been taking large campaign donations from Russians for several years, who are they loyal to--America or Russia? Another aspect of that is Russia is obviously expecting something of value in return for those campaign donations. That begs the question of whether our members of Congress are so naive that they don’t understand that--or do they understand it but just not care enough about our country to be bothered by having to choose Russia over America?
Somehow we have to convince people to ditch the animosity between the “haves and the have-nots” and help them understand that we all do better when we all have a stake in the outcome,
uncluttered by foreign relationships and expectations.
Oh boy, the truth is hard to digest. However, stomach cancer is no fun!!! If we don’t pay attention and let those in power know that we the people hold them accountable for all treason done in their corporate or political name, we will be losing our organs. They won’t give a darned. Unless of course we start suing them . Money is their aphrodisiac ! Let’s let them overdose
Susan, I’m right there with you on this. Let’s not lose focus of the tragedy that sits at our door. Consequences! We must not move on from these high crimes, deadly crimes committed by these authoritarian fascist monsters!
Hi Susan, will you ask or challenge your students to come up with “words that work” . Words and “Frames” that communicate complex issues simply. Ex: Abortion- Roe Roe Roe your boat. Also ask what pictures they would choose to create Contrast about an issue. Ex: Pic 1. Graduating college student with 100K student debt bill sad face.
Pic 2, Graduating college student with big smile. Caption: “Make education affordable”
The.Dems are poor at Framing and Words That Work. My hope is that young minds can lead to Clear Communicators and Frames that win hearts & minds.
Thank you for being there and listening to our valued young students / citizens.
I voted I think the trumpster will bring down the GOP, that may be wishful thinking, but I really don't believe after 2017 to 2021 we have that number of pure imbeciles in this Country that would want to put us through that much degradation again. On the subject of Merrick Garland, I think he has until February or March to take the case to a Grand Jury, The DOJ is still an Executive Branch office, the whiny GOP may continue squalling and kicking like the insipid toddlers they are, but they cannot legally stop any action from the DOJ. I am so sorry McCarthy won re-election and as a Californian I apologize to the rest of the Country for inflicting this 'a$$401e' on the legislature again. I can only say he represents a large scarcely populated geographical area. We don't educate our mountain areas that well. As for musky and twitter who cares - certainly not me.
Fay, I also voted that trump will bring down the GQP. It’s already started. Slower than I have patience for but we continue to push on. Trump proved that he is impotent on helping anyone win elections. In fact, his own are running away from him. But I truly love when they eat their own. Let him and DeSanctimonious fist fight! I look forward to more.
I joined Twitter a couple of years ago AFTER trumpolini was kicked off. I love my regular chatters and it saved my sanity. But when the authoritarian fascist bought it. I knew I couldn’t stay…made me a bit sad. So many fellow MAGA HATERS and some clever, laugh til you cry comments about the MAGA luny bin! 😂. Deleted my account.
But I could not be a part of Twitter anymore. Almost 800 followers and I vetted every single one over the years. I’ll miss it, but actions always speak louder than words. I never was on Facebook, so this was my first venture into such a big media group.
I hope you at least took an advertiser or two with you to compensate for such self-defeating purity. If the most effective good guys flee twitter, who will fight the good fight?
Robert and Heather ; I was glad that the coffee klatch was available so early this morning. I actually had my coffee with you as I listened! With the encouraging election results, it was, if not a celebration, at least a reinforcement of hope and the idea that maybe 'all is not lost' after all. It would be truly Great to see tRump face a reckoning of sorts, in one way or another!
I chose "other" for your poll because: I can't bear to finish the sentence. I want to see him held responsible for laws which he has transgressed, and see him disqualified from ever holding office again. Time is up.
Hey Robert and Heather - Note that we have NOT lost the House and California may keep that from happening. Some of us have been working for months on a CA Hold the House strategy - aiming to flip some key flippable House seats from R to D. Those seats are still in play. Don't write them off!
I don't see that narcissistic psychopath not using the opportunity to just F everyone up. Announcing, having the reason to continue the grift, and be the center of attention. He just won't be able to control himself. He wants to be back in the WH so bad he can taste it.
Until time to file the official paperwork, is what I see in our future. If he files I don't think he'll get the GOP nomination.
Biden says it's his intention to run. And while I love the man, I'm not sure that's a good idea.
Biden's accomplishments are remarkable considering Sinema, Manchin, and Republican obstructionism. But he really is just too old. Many who were complete unknowns on the national scene when they announced for the Presidency, (like Obama, Jimmy Carter), went on to win. Dems need to go with a younger candidate, and we have some great options: Ro Khanna, Jamie Raskin, et al.
Yes. Khanna and Raskin are inspiring. And while no one here has mentioned Tim Ryan, who lost his Ohio race to the despicable Vance, I hope Democrats will wake up to his vision and skills. Obama lost an election before he was elected to the Senate.
A stranger running for state legislature once stopped me to shake my hand. "What a loser," I thought. "He'll never get elected to anything." And he lost. Decades later I wrote speeches for him for a few years while he served three terms as NYC mayor.
Leslie..fantastic names. And I’d like to see my governor, JB Pritzker, on the short list. Perhaps 2028. Even a VP spot would be phenomenal. He takes on MAGA with pride, FDR style! And he makes it very clear, that women and LGBTQ+ will ALWAYS be protected in Illinois. He’s super intelligent and a real people-person governor. We need this type in the Democratic party visible positions.
Wondering who will be his running mate.probably Harris knowing Biden. But there must be better picks. at his age people have to be thinking about who might have to fill his shoes. I don't think most people want Kamala Harris to fill his shoes do you ?
Kamala is very unpopular, and people will be considering that Biden, at his age, could die in office, making Harris Pres. I think almost no one wants this, and both Biden and Harris should step aside.
I think he selected her as the choice least likely to overshadow him, heedless of the party's future. She'd already had to drop out of that race. We must find a kind, generous way to thank her and send her on.
And I have a plan for that: Sen. Feinstein (D-CA) is 89 and up for reelection in 2024. She should step down, Kamala should run for that seat. I think she would definitely win. This leaves Biden the option to choose a stronger Veep candidate, or step aside, as he should do, to leave the field open for other Dems.
Leslie 👇 has a couple of good ideas. I don’t think Kamala is ready. It would be interesting to see who steps forward if Joe bows out. They need to be impeccable, though, or we'll be taken to the cleaners like in 2016 by democrats who won't vote.
I can't believe this is a question. We have laws that prohibits anyone in government who takes part in an insurrection or anything like that against the government FROM EVER HOLDING OFFICE.
AND WE CAN'T ENFORCE THEM! WHY? If Trump can run for office we're a fascist country full stop. Rule of law is gone and so are our rights. There's no way in hell he should be running for office.
When I worked for SSA, we would pay psychologists to administer the tests. I was in Fresno when we developed the Hmong version, and the tests were graded by the University of Minnesota.
I am not qualified, but I can read the tests. Typically, the K scale tells the tale. I had dozes of cases when I questioned the experts.
K Scale - Defensiveness (McKinley, Hathaway & Meehl, 1948). (30 items) K is a subtle and valuable correction for defensiveness. K assumes psychopathology. If someone with a history of psychological problems scores high, then they are being defensive.
Dr. Reich - your and Heather's references to Biden's approval rating only goes to fuel the firestorm. His 'popularity' is being driven by FOX "Not-Really-New" and echoed by the 'main stream media' of ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN and even National Public TV. Why? The hard facts are that he has had to put up with two DINOs - Manchin and Sinema - and still able to get the economy going strong, and support IUkraine in their battle for survival, when every country in the rest of the world is dealing with crippling inflation, is quite an accomplishment. I doubt any other person could have achieved as much with as many obstacles as President Biden has had to deal with. His popularity rating would be at 80% if not for FOX and the Republicans standing in his way.
I think he'll lose and splinter the GOP along the way. But this open fight for the MAGA base and all the crazy that will be on display I hope will further energize the young voters--no focus on climate, just the old and older fighting for power. So disgusting--fighting while the world burns.
He is becoming a drag and in the republicans wailing some are beginning to realize that. But he will not go quietly into the night. They will have to do what they should have done when they did not vote for his impeachment, throw him out.
I hope he brings down the GOP! I’m tired of their lies to the American people solely to destroy our Democracy to gain power and control for their personal gain and run this country as an autocracy!
Trump has already LOST the past three elections (well, was critical in the republican "showing" in the 2022 mid-terms - he caused the district I live in to flip BLUE for the first time in 12 years. I hope he "puts his hat in the ring" for 2024 and has a good old fashioned "battle royale" with Ron DeSanctimonious - or whatever his name is. He's not only helping democrats to win elections, he's causing them to (slowly but surely) fight for their own progressive values. And, best of all, I believe Trump is the reason MILLIONS of young Americans - our future - voted in the past month and, likely, will be the heart and soul of this nation going forward sooner rather than later. They are the cause of the "surprise" which is unfolding regarding the so-called "red wave." I don't know if democrats (and their supporters) are capable of patience - but, it's going to take at least one more election (2024) to get enough democrats in the Senate, and to regain (if they lose it) control of the House, in order to pass more progressive legislation. This next couple of years should be interesting. And, as an aside - I predict the Supreme Court will make several more ABSURD decisions which will energize YOUNG democrats even more going forward. the ONLY way to counter the Court's decisions is at the ballot box. I believe the YOUNGER generation understands the importance of moving FORWARD instead of backward and the Court will be a deciding issue for the next generation. Finally, I hope the democrats have the COURAGE to run someone younger than Biden (even though I'm totally thankful for Biden and what he's accomplished). I saw in one of the other posts a suggestion of - Gavin Newsome - and, even though I'm 75 and hobbling around most of the time - I could get really energized to see someone like that at the helm before I go "out to pasture." (To me, the voters of my generation - "baby boomers" - have become an embarrassment. It's as if MANY of my peers have no conscience when it comes to what we're leaving for our children and grandchildren - too many of them watch Fox "news")
Trump is old. Gravity will take care of him.
But people who hear the call to the racist collective subconscious will still be around.
Daniel Solomon : Thank you and others on this forum for getting the voters' attention. I'm convinced it made a difference!
Agree Laurie. Daniel, you provided so many resources and links. You did the work of 10 people! 😄👏🏻👏🏻
Gee thanks.
@Daniel. You make a key point about our political reality - Trump couldn't be trump if there weren't a substantial minority of the population that resonate to his hateful policies an plain lies. So yes, there is a well-seasoned field ready to be planted with more hate, more anti-American sentiments, more pro-oligarchic policies and more calls to violence. One hopeful signal is that (it seems to me) the MAGA coalition is shrinking as (it seems) more and more traditional Republicans can't stomach the crazy. I hope....
They were there long before djt rallied them, are highly unlikely to evaporate when he does. The question is how soon or whether they even can be reunified. He'd had a lot of practice.
@difny. Related but random idea I have been carrying. It seems to me that a large part of what is going on is generational. I think the economic grievances are real, and I think the spectrum of hate/fear/racism/xenophobia is real. But I think another part is the way families pass down these perspectives (called "inculcation") and I think that MAGA coalition may be losing their next generation to more modern sensibilities. For example, the Census shows that fewer and fewer young people are enthralled to church going, and many eschew religion altogether. That's one trend that will tend to strip away supporters from the MAGA crowd. Maybe we can look forward to one day when the country will have genuinely healed from the lingering damage of slavery?
Benjamin R. Stockton—I think that's all true. Historically, new generations would grow beyond beliefs encouraged by families and schools gradually if at all. One thing that interrupted that bigtime among young men was a (supposedly, but enough) "universal" draft. They lived with, worked with, learned from, and entrusted their lives to strangers of all classes from everywhere—long gone. Then came tv, suspect but tightly manageable. More effective than anything previously imaginable, now introducing kids to global influences is of course the internet, as dominated here only by telecoms' interpretation of free speech. For better or worse. —di
Unfortunately true. I see many high school kids flying Trump flags from their pickups here in my small town. I have faith in the younger generation, but clearly racism won't be eradicated.
I love "DeSanctimonious" great moniker! I hope the GOP 2024 primaries comes down to slugfest between the maggot harboring trumpster and "DeSanctimonious" What fun that will be to watch. Since I am very close to 90, and worked fulltime to 6 weeks before my 88th, I don't consider Biden to be an old man, however, I can understand how those persons younger than 80 have concerns. I do like Gavin Newsom, he is charismatic, an excellent speaker, relatively good looking (so he shines on TV) If he's going to run for President though he needs a lot of grooming, no more dumb decisions, like attending a lobbyists birthday party in the depth of a pandemic when everyone else was in lockdown.
Right on Fay. I'm with yah..only I'm 74. Just a kid, but Biden has done many good things and now should embrace his next stage in life as a 'Mentor' to many of our younger generation. He has a good heart.
Too many people looking for the hero with a thousand faces in US politics.
DeSanctimonious plays well for confederates and eventually will have a rapprochement with Trump. Unfortunately, too much emphasis on the personality and no examination of the character leads to totalitarian dictatorship. Can harness Trump's cult of personality and evangelical religious fervor.
I don't want a hero. I want a president who will be open and transparent, willing to learn, the capacity to learn, plays well with others, and can pass a lie detector test.
Excellent Daniel,DeStupid is also super pugnacious and picks fights that shouldn't be 'fights' in a democratic society.Very much a dictator wannabe ,went against best practices for pandemic and has a fixation w/'woke'.What actually is that stupidity?there always have been liberals.
Thank you, Daniel. Short, to the point, and true. Now, if we can get the same from our Congress critters...
Gerald, Alright then, I will have to be classified as a baby! 😄
I am 91 and more in tune with politics than when working as I was in a consuming job. I agree with you about the ages thing. We need new blood. However I think new candidates will emerge.
I hope Trump doesn’t get to run. Liz Cheney will have wasted her career if he does. If we progressives can illuminate the youth to the vagaries of the Religious Right and corruption we will have a winner.
Fay, I’m with you about that fantastic moniker, DeSanctimonious! Let’s be sure it is circulated widely! 😄 Trump needs to go to prison and I got excited when I heard about storm Nicole hitting FL…any change DeSanctimonious could be washed into the ocean!? Oh, I mustn’t get my hopes up. 😂
He is an absolute danger but the GQP rule has been so watered down. The MAGA federal judges and SCOTUS must be addressed. They still pose such a danger. And I’m still seething that the Democratic Party citizens were not protected from these deadly seditionist monsters. Our DOJ left us in extreme danger and no one should forget it.
Side note: you let us know when that 90th b-day rolls around! I want to celebrate with you! You’re so amazing and I always love to read your insightful & intelligent comments! ❤️
What does anyone think about Tim Ryan,he ran one of the strongest campaigns along w. Josh Shapiro.
Heart of gold and is super all inclusive of all groups
Sad Tim Ryan lost. Hoping he tries again. Not taking corporate money in a well established "buy a politican"
senario is further proof that much needs to change in campaign finance. But will it?
Ron DeSanctimonious is the moniker a reader here came up with for Ron DeSantis. Just to clarify. I agree with you, Trump doesn’t have sanctimonious in his 3rd grader vocabulary.
Of course it wasn't trump, it was our own David Piper a fellow substacker. And I agree on the level of trump's personal vocabulary. ust because it was posted on truth social does not mean the trumpster personally posted it.
I'm a Boomer too, and I agree. I see my own aging and that makes me even more critical of older politicians in Congress. We need to get out of the way and let the younger ones govern. I like the idea of Biden as a mentor!
JB I consider Biden to be one of the best mentors out there. I’m glad he was elected and I appreciate all he has done. We can always have these elder politicians at our side, but I agree, we need someone from the newer generations with full respect for those who committed so much to our politics. Joe Biden has suffered so many heartaches, and he is one of the most genuine-sympathetic-caring person I can think of. That’s a characteristic that we really want to retain in our leaders.
So true! I’m embarrassed to be a boomer now! I can’t believe how religious believers fell for this liar, devil trump and worship him as if he was a God!
Well, I for One Boomer am darned proud of who I am and of what I accomplished because of the advantages afforded Boomers after the war. I was raised by two committed parents who believed in laws and in fairness. They believed in education. Both were dedicated to being useful in our community. I grew up with a determination to be a person who could be trusted and who could be the best I could be for any employer.
I had books, music, education and humor. I had a sensitivity to others hurt and to unfair treatment .
This wasn’t because I was some super Angel..... it was because my parents set rules and standards. My Father did not believe television was good for us so we did not have one until I graduated from college. Did I feel deprived? No I actually felt well cared for. Books and music and nature were mine. I became a teacher.
My Mother’s Father came from what was then known as Yugoslavia. He understood discrimination. He knew education was imperative to becoming a success as a human in America. Both his daughters had University degrees.
Both became teachers.
My Father had polio as a six year old. Because Franklin Roosevelt understood the consequences of that dreaded disease my Father thought of himself as a “New Deal” graduate. We believed in opportunity for all and that we should never demean anyone because of difference.
So, no... as a Boomer I say this is how to go forward. Believe in facts but also act on them. Believe in being the best human you can be. Think things through and if you are feeling angry and demeaned look deeply inward first and then tell your story and tell your needs. Ask for help. Do not bully.
Stand up and become an adult. Don’t blame others about your own failures.... strive to make a difference. Put down your phone and get out into the crowd and listen to the stories.
And then do the same contemplation concerning yourself and make it your dedication to your country.
Thank you Jean. 👍🏼 I’m so tired of people pretending all of a sudden that baby boomers who were the ones pushing civil rights, women’s rights, LGBTQ+ rights, interracial marriage..on and on. The people to blame are the right wing republicans! They watched a deadly coup by their people and did nothing! Still haven’t, they PREVENTED trump’s removal! So people, stop with this generational BS. Every generation has incredible people making progress for us all and every generation has some MAGA losers. The end.
I shouldn’t have said that I was embarrassed for being a boomer. I’m embarrassed that many boomers who would rather praise trump and his MAGA insurrectionists and worship authoritarian traitors than do everything they can to SAVE our Democracy!
it's disheartening,but I believe heads are turning.
Jean (Muriel) our grandparent's backgrounds are very similar…former Yugoslavia & Greece. Non of my grandparents were native American English speakers. Escaping fascism, working their fingers to the bone, always helping those they left behind and anyone else coming over with very little in their pockets.
Their influences and insistence on getting their children good educations, helped produce a productive generation and a massive college educated generation after them. But they also expected respect for their elders, their property, their neighborhoods and so on.
They also knew of the hypocrisy of the religions from the lands they escaped. My mother’s mother always pointed out how priests lived like kings but nuns lived with virtually nothing. Why was that. She never used the word atheist, but the had no need for religion. Her honesty and clear thinking make me so proud of her!
Dear Seeking Reason,
I want to hug you! My grandfather ( whom I never got to know because he committed suicide after a union dispute with a younger fellow in the copper mines in Montana) believed in strong unions because he worked through the Depression in the mines because of them. The younger man made fun of him after a meeting that the younger fellow didn’t believe in. This fellow also shoved my grandfather in front of everyone. As you said, respect for elders was part of their culture. Because of this my grandfather borrowed a friend’s hunting rifle and took a shot at the man across the open “ pits”. He never hit him but the sheriff came to his home and before anyone could stop him he shot himself dead. My grandmother said “ don’t Steve” They were catholic, but when the priest refused to come visit her in her grief my Mother dropped her catholic belief.
My Mother had attended catholic schools . She and my Father told us to visit churches or not and make up our own minds.
I actually called the fellow who pushed my grandfather years (YEARs )later to hear his story. I told him then that no one had the right to take a gun after anyone.... I was forgiving my Grandfather so I could make sense of never knowing him.
The family always sent money and clothes to the relatives in the “ Old Country”!
Thank you for all you are because of who they were!🥰
Religion. Always and endlessly religion it seems.
My mother's family were German Jews. At 16, my mother had to leave school and go to work at a nearby silk tie factory as my grandfather was no longer allowed to work. My grandmother took the train out into the countryside, where no one would recognize her, and sold knitted goods from a catalog. On Kristallnacht, my grandfather had to slip unseen through the streets of Bielefeld to bring my mother's younger sister home from school.
My mother's family was one of the "lucky" ones, though. Her father's eldest brother had emigrated to the U.S. years before. He sold his house and furniture, and obtained visas for his family. When a gentile friend of my grandfather warned the SS was going to pick him up (1940), he left for the U.S. east coast and his brother. My grandmother and the girls, escorted to, and onto, the train by the big, tall, strong owner of the silk tie factory, (the guards looked the other way as he made sure they were still on the train as it left the station), journeyed across Russia, Siberia, into Shanghai, and finally crossed to Japan. They landed in San Francisco, and one of the Jewish charities brought my grandfather to them. (My family sent their 'guardian angel' care packages after the war. Things he adored and couldn't get.)
This year, I learned from my cousin's son who is doing research for his Ph.D. in Stuttgart and took some time to research our family, that everyone else, with the exception of my grandfather's brothers and two of my grandmother's sisters, were transported to Minsk, where they were killed.
More religion. When my mother, in 1948, married a kind, soft spoken, good humored, Methodist naval officer (whose family emigrated from Prussia to the Midwest in 1842) she and her mother decided that any children would be raised as Methodists, 'to protect us'. The rest of the family kept utterly silent, knowing my mother's and grandmother's wishes. Despite knowing that everyone on my mother's side of the family was Jewish, and knowing their history, it never once occurred to me that I was also Jewish, until I was 15 and one of my Jewish girlfriends pointed out that, since my mother was Jewish, I was, too. That's when the truth finally came out and I learned how helpful our brains are! The absolutely unspoken instruction was that, despite everything I saw and heard to the contrary, I was a Methodist. I went to church with my Dad because I loved my Dad. (And the big breakfast afterward was no mean thing! 😋)
To wind up the shaggy dog story, I believe that the helpfulness of our brains is at least partly behind some of the dire troubles many right wing, highly religious trumpists are causing. They've been told what to believe since they were born, and now their minds cannot see what is real.
Thank you Jean, Seeking Reason and everyone else with similar histories.
"You've got to be taught to hate and fear. You've got to be taught from year to year. It's got to be drummed in your dear little ear. You've got to be carefully taught. (South Pacific, musical, Rogers and Hammerstein, 1949. The movie is great, too.)
My heart exploded with love and sadness.
I grew up with “ South Pacific” what wonderful music we were lucky to have.
Thank you for sharing your stories. That is what makes us” one”…. That is what knowing “love” is. ❤️🎶
A note,we are not a theocracy,which seems to be where all this 'Christian nationalist' stuff is trying to go.Russia does that and would be another discussion.
I'm a generation older than you, but I agree, you got a bad rap. Some of it was jealousy by people in my age group, born near the beginning of the great depression. They stupidly thought the parents of baby boomers were too lenient and gave too much to their children. BS. As Seeking Reason says the baby boomers were the ones who took up the cudgels for Civil Rights, ending the Vietnam war, women's rights, LGBTQ+. I was fortunate enough to be in college (ten years+ older than my fellow students) but fully accepted and able to participate along side them.
Yes, AND many parents in the larger society believed the same as yours. Your parents and mine came of age during the (Great?) Depression and were further tested by WWII. Our parents, as a whole, continued to sacrifice for OUR generation. And many of us took Kennedy's comment about asking what WE "could do for our country" very seriously. One reason I became a public school teacher.
Phrase from a song: ...and the people bowed and prayed, to the neon God they made..."
Simon and Garfunkel
👍🏼When will people engage critical thinking skills about the cult of religion?
I am not embarrassed to be a boomer and believe the religious right didn't fall for the orange devil, but for what the GOP was pushing him to say and do. They stroked his ego and fed his ego to get what they wanted from this ungodly religious right. Don't get me wrong, Trump is a terrible excuse for a human being, but the GOP is not far behind.
Agreed!
I feel the same way about the evangelical’s. I’m currently listening to The Shadow Network audiobook by Anne Nelson. I knew a bit about the behind the scenes machinations of the Koch Bros and the Devos family, but this book tells the complete story of the corruption of the religious right from the very beginning. Very disturbing!
Thank you, I will get the audiobook.
Nonsense. Want to count the contributions we have made to this planet?
👏🏻👏🏻You got it Martha!
Thank you, Sandra, for putting into words what has been disturbing me ever since the evangelical right became so heavily involved in politics a number of years ago. It is as if those who believe only their religion, whatever it may be, has all the answers want to set up their IDEA of a supreme being as our President, regardless of how the other millions of us may think or feel about it. Right now, we only have to look as far as Iran to see how that works out.
They drank the'koolaid'
I'm an Independent. Sometimes I wonder why Democrats have such poor vision when it comes to their own flaws and preachy inconsistencies. To me, there's major hypocrisy in those comments about "boomers" -- and another reason why a lot of people dislike Liberals. Suppose I lump all black people people behind some negative statement that happens to be true about a significant number of them. How fast would bleeding-heart liberals clutch their Starbucks decaf lattes and verbally attack me? But for some illogical reason, Liberal stereotyping, discriminating, and denigrating based on age gets Liberal "likes" -- especially when it involves fashionable self-flagellation. For my entire career as a woman pilot, I was abused because of gender. I could've been the world's best pilot, and I'd still have been assumed incompetent because I'm a woman. Now that I'm retired, I'm being abused because of age. You might not think that, basically, being called a clueless-idiot citizen voter matters. You might think expressing embarrassed about one's own stereotyped age group is OK, is even a holier-than-thou plus. And maybe among Democrats, it is seen that screwy way. But to others out here on foreign turf, those actions make a Democrat appear as a liability to their Democrat party, because, "Fekk 'em, if I'm gonna be accused of being dumb enough to vote GOP, I might as well do it, because it'd certainly make life in my "red" community (of all ages, especially those saviors, "Young People,") a lot easier." To a visitor here, it's disheartening to see that Democrats or Liberals -- or whatever label they're arguing for -- are just as given to discrimination as are the red folk; they just choose different targets. I guess they justify their assault by contending that it's perfectly OK to talk about the "black vote, Cuban vote," or "youth vote," because we measure that. It's not 100%, though. So where is the line? Exactly when is it OK, even "good" and "useful" to discriminate, and who gets to make those rules? For a time, I was responsible for developing a diversity training program for 23,000 employees of a major corporation, so I studied that, among other, relevant questions. The answer I found is: it's helpful to stereotype things like doorknobs that are all constructed to work in the same way. If we had to walk up to a door and figure out each different opening device because they each operated differently, that'd be difficult. But people are not all constructed to operate the same, so it is never OK -- it can never be known to represent 100% truth or fact -- to group people by arbitrary category, and paste a label on them. Hazards include abusing, thwarting growth, alienating, and more. So it really isn't such a "woke" thing to pat oneself on the back for saying "boomers vote Republican." It's no more OK than to say "niggers are criminals, " not even if "statistics show" that more boomers vote Republican than blacks commit crime. People aren't statistics. That won't stop human beings from pasting labels on people. The government does it all the time. But it comes with hazards -- like insulting and even alienating people who already vote "the right way." Personally, I don't even see the point. Anyone who votes "red" puts democracy at risk. Wth does it matter how old or young they are? What seems more productive is trying to clearly show the risks of voting "red," then letting individuals decide which points matter to them.
Best essay I've read on aging and labeling. You made my day!
Beautifully stated, Mo777jet. The media and those who faithfully follow and believe every word to tend to try to quantify us. To me, this is my justification to ignoring polls. How can less than 5000 peoples opinions represent how 150,000,000 individual people will vote. Anymore than judging all people by the color of their skin, their religious, or sexual preferences. We are all (~8 billion of us) individuals and should be judged by our individual behavior.
Wow, I don't know what to think of that response. Here's the bottom line for me - if it wasn't for the younger voters "we the people" would be facing an even greater uphill battle in trying to purge "Trumpism" from our politics. And, from my vantage point, I simply see Trump as the vehicle which brought a lot of the "disenchanted" (forgive me - racists) - like David Duke, Don Black, Paul Gosar, Marjorie Taylor Greene, etc. etc. into the "mainstream." Of course, there was a wide segment of America waiting for someone like Trump who, when his lips are moving, is LYING - because they see democrats as "whimps." The reality of my (and apparently your) generation is that they make up a large percentage of Trump's base. I'm not going to attempt to address everything you said, but I do believe you (by that I don't necessarily mean "you," I don't know who you vote for, but anyone who believes his shtick) have to be - I'll say - ill informed to vote for Trump. He checks off every box of a fascist. To me, it's that simple - and, as a lifetime independent voter I not only can NOT vote for anyone associated with that I can't even stomach that. Also, not sure why you chose to describe African Americans with a perjorative, but no matter the context, that's offensive to me. Just the way it is.
No matter how pointed or single issued it might be. As an independent it like being an agnostic and being able to go either way and not having a foundation but your own independence. We live in a two party system and as a liberal I tend to vote democratic but again it is for the betterment of America and the American people. One also has to consider ones decision to be independent, liberal or conservative when voting and the effect it has on America but also the world. Liberal, conservative or independent are all labels and we have a tendency to put them in nice little packages like cheddar cheese to Swiss cheese or what ever. I am a liberal democrat with a tendency toward being an independent. Took a while but I got there but nothing is as black and white as it appears.
David Piper has made some interesting and accurate observations. Trump seems unable to control his childish impulse to find a sarcastic or derogatory name for any perceived political rival. He called "Little" Marco Rubio incompetent, Sleepy Joe Biden was humorous, and Ron Sanctimonious DeSantis is the latest. I admit I was entertained by his loose tongue in 2016 until I witnessed the destruction of Hillary Clinton which was undeserved. Trump has no serious plan to govern beyond reacting to others views and his comments are the musings of a disorganized but media crafty old man who understands how to disarm voters by leveling insults at his competition. Trump deserves to be told "You're Fired!!"more than anyone I can think of. A lesson for us all is to be more cautious about forming opinions based on clever name calling. Joe Biden was an average performing vice President but has performed magnificently in spite of Trump's Sleepy Joe name tag. I am 80 years old and I respect all that Sleepy Joe has accomplished in the last two years.
Agree Robert. And now we must follow the rule of law and impeach the SCOTUS that violate their office. And we must remove people from congress who actively engage in terrorism and incitement, MTG, DUMBERT & many others.
Lack of consequences will put us back where we started. We should not be voting on seditionist inciting candidates, they should be removed.
And 'Trumpty Dumpty' is singing an old,old worn out tune He's still very dangerous(as we know) and needs to be dealt w/PRONTO! Do not 'pass go and straight to Leavenworth'.Orange was always his color.
Just a reminder: Trumpism is a *symptom*, not the cause. It’s fueled largely by people who feel disenfranchised and have lost all hope for a life of meaningful participation in the “promise” of America, At that point, there’s a temptation to simply burn it all down. And Trump is the matchstick.
The solution: enact practical legislation and policies that provide direct benefit to average citizens. Don’t just “hear their pain" — DO something about it.
I thought Biden missed a golden opportunity in the last SOTU address, to reach out to the masses on the Right. “To the MAGA crowd, we need you! Whether you are changing tires or working in an office, tilling the fields or running a business, you are Americans too, and we need the skills and services you provide. Come join with us and let’s work together to truly make American great as it can be!”
That's a great comment to address Republican's attempts to blame crime rates on Democrats. It is true that, as you write, that when one is left out, the tendency is to just burn things down. Republicans have increasingly left out almost anyone who isn't ultra-wealthy, so by your logic, with which I agree, higher crime rates are their doing. They have managed to fool some segments of the white population into believing they care about them, but that's obviously not true according to their actions.
Yes, that's the sad thing -- chaos and calamity equals "opportunity" in the neoconservative mindset. In the worst case, they actually seek to maximize it. That's pretty much what Conservative media is all about these days. Knee-capping democracy and the administrative state.
I'm also a "boomer" at 73 and I stand with you. It seems that too many boomers have "got theirs" and been subsumed into the suburbs. Although, if I had my 'druthers', Stacy Abrams, rather than Gavin Newsome, would be our next President. There's someone with intelligence, honor, chutzpah, and compassion. It will be at least 2028, when more young Americans come of voting age, before we get President Abrams or one like her. I just hope we progressive boomers are alive to vote and to see it happen.
Amen! To Stacy Abrams!!!
Newsome is young and handsome, but he is just another corporate Dem. Witness, for example, the continuing sale of oil and gas leases in CA.
Wow, David I applaud every word of this. I think you are right. I am also a boomer, 76, and have long been furious with my generation for what they have done to this country. We were the most fortunate, pampered of any American generation before us. I only disagree, strongly, with one point--the state legislatures are making IMPOSSIBLE to VOTE OUT the bad guys. Look at David Pepper's Laboratories of Democracy book. There are powerful forces taking this country away from democracy and they MUST be dealt with if we think we can change ANYTHING. Texas is a classic example of a state that is gone, Florida too. The courts are the plutocratic guardrails that will stop voters.
David overall I agree. I think Biden has been fantastic under these circumstances and he has the ability to tell it like it is while also still being a president for all. He’s done a good job. However, we need to look at the ages of so many of these politicians and say thank you so much and have a wonderful retirement. Bring in some younger progressives who are not under the delusion that the US is “the greatest country in the world”. But they still want to try to achieve the title.
Hats off to Biden for having the most diverse administration EVER. And now, let’s do more of it, top to bottom.
Where I disagree, and what really pisses me off, is calling an entire generation embarrassing. Shame on you for that.
The bottom line, to me, is baby boomers (my generation) have been taking what's best of this nation for our entire lives and when you look at how WE vote, to me it's embarrassing. Sorry if that "pisses you off" - but, the statistics are real - and, undeniable. The best example I can put forth would be the issue of Climate Change. Very real to those younger - but, my generation - and, I'm talking about the majority of them based on their voting records - which are public knowledge - continue to support "climate change deniers." Additionally, when the issue of fascism has become so relevent - I would have expected "boomers" - many like me who have parents who fought in WW II - to have put the preservation of our republic ahead of the price of gas. Once again, bravo for the voters under 30 who turned out in record numbers and helped prevent the disaster which would have been the so-called "red wave." Again, sorry for "pissing you off."
I am not focusing on Trump but on the enablers and oligarchs that brought him to us in the first place. MIchael Flynn needs to be reactivated in the military and court martialed for his anti country actions. SCJ Kennedy needs to be investigated for the deal he cut with Trump and GOP to get his son out of hot water at Duetcht Bank. We need a strong middle and upper middle class that has the majority of wealth in this country and the very wealthy need to be taxed as before Reagan. This has been a multi generational slide. I meet with a group of high school students every Monday for an hour during their lunch. They are good hearted, inspired and smart. I feel hopeful every time I go to their meeting.
I completely agree about Flynn-he should’ve been court-marshaled years ago. However, although I don’t know it for a fact, I think Justice Kennedy was threatened.
As the gap between the wealthy and the rest of us grows, the country becomes less stable and more vulnerable to people like Trump and Putin. Make no mistake, Putin has been doing things for years to destabilize us from within. In addition, Russia has provided significant financial backing & has long-standing ties to Trump, Flynn, Bill Barr, Marsha Blackburn, Mitch McConnell & other various republican members of Congress. The Kochs and Rupert Murdoch also have long-term relationships with Russia.
Russian oligarchs and Saudi princes have been backing politicians with huge amounts of money for a significant period of time. They’ve also been buying things like the largest refinery in North America just outside of Houston and land in AZ that sits on top of the largest aquifer in the state. Those are just two examples. The point is, we need to pay more attention to outside forces meddling & interfering in our domestic matters & alienating us from our government because they aren’t doing that for our benefit, they’re doing for their own benefit.
What I keep coming back to is the fact that America is the richest country in the world. The reason we’re the richest country in the world is because we created an upwardly mobile middle class with wages high enough to buy the things corporations are selling. Unfortunately, not enough American corporate moguls understand that. They tend to make larger campaign donations to republicans simply because republicans give them big tax cuts. The bottom line is--that symbiotic relationship between corporations, republicans and Russia isn’t sustainable. It inevitably leads to instability and vulnerability to outside forces.
If a senator has been taking large campaign donations from Russians for several years, who are they loyal to--America or Russia? Another aspect of that is Russia is obviously expecting something of value in return for those campaign donations. That begs the question of whether our members of Congress are so naive that they don’t understand that--or do they understand it but just not care enough about our country to be bothered by having to choose Russia over America?
Somehow we have to convince people to ditch the animosity between the “haves and the have-nots” and help them understand that we all do better when we all have a stake in the outcome,
uncluttered by foreign relationships and expectations.
Oh boy, the truth is hard to digest. However, stomach cancer is no fun!!! If we don’t pay attention and let those in power know that we the people hold them accountable for all treason done in their corporate or political name, we will be losing our organs. They won’t give a darned. Unless of course we start suing them . Money is their aphrodisiac ! Let’s let them overdose
Excellent thoughts and truths Susan. I totally agree.
Susan, I’m right there with you on this. Let’s not lose focus of the tragedy that sits at our door. Consequences! We must not move on from these high crimes, deadly crimes committed by these authoritarian fascist monsters!
Hi Susan, will you ask or challenge your students to come up with “words that work” . Words and “Frames” that communicate complex issues simply. Ex: Abortion- Roe Roe Roe your boat. Also ask what pictures they would choose to create Contrast about an issue. Ex: Pic 1. Graduating college student with 100K student debt bill sad face.
Pic 2, Graduating college student with big smile. Caption: “Make education affordable”
The.Dems are poor at Framing and Words That Work. My hope is that young minds can lead to Clear Communicators and Frames that win hearts & minds.
Thank you for being there and listening to our valued young students / citizens.
I voted I think the trumpster will bring down the GOP, that may be wishful thinking, but I really don't believe after 2017 to 2021 we have that number of pure imbeciles in this Country that would want to put us through that much degradation again. On the subject of Merrick Garland, I think he has until February or March to take the case to a Grand Jury, The DOJ is still an Executive Branch office, the whiny GOP may continue squalling and kicking like the insipid toddlers they are, but they cannot legally stop any action from the DOJ. I am so sorry McCarthy won re-election and as a Californian I apologize to the rest of the Country for inflicting this 'a$$401e' on the legislature again. I can only say he represents a large scarcely populated geographical area. We don't educate our mountain areas that well. As for musky and twitter who cares - certainly not me.
Fay, I also voted that trump will bring down the GQP. It’s already started. Slower than I have patience for but we continue to push on. Trump proved that he is impotent on helping anyone win elections. In fact, his own are running away from him. But I truly love when they eat their own. Let him and DeSanctimonious fist fight! I look forward to more.
I joined Twitter a couple of years ago AFTER trumpolini was kicked off. I love my regular chatters and it saved my sanity. But when the authoritarian fascist bought it. I knew I couldn’t stay…made me a bit sad. So many fellow MAGA HATERS and some clever, laugh til you cry comments about the MAGA luny bin! 😂. Deleted my account.
But I could not be a part of Twitter anymore. Almost 800 followers and I vetted every single one over the years. I’ll miss it, but actions always speak louder than words. I never was on Facebook, so this was my first venture into such a big media group.
Why would Musk be talking about bankruptcy already when he has Saudi backers in on this?What's up w/ this?
I hope you at least took an advertiser or two with you to compensate for such self-defeating purity. If the most effective good guys flee twitter, who will fight the good fight?
Fay Reid: well said! Let him self destruct on his own! As far as Twitter is concerned, it needs much better management with guardrails.
As another Californian, I'm also dismayed at McCarthy's re-election. I just hope we can keep Katie Porter and elect Salas. Both in tight races.
Robert and Heather ; I was glad that the coffee klatch was available so early this morning. I actually had my coffee with you as I listened! With the encouraging election results, it was, if not a celebration, at least a reinforcement of hope and the idea that maybe 'all is not lost' after all. It would be truly Great to see tRump face a reckoning of sorts, in one way or another!
Laurie: For me it wasn't a reinforcement of hope, but rather, a restoration of hope. Have a good day. Good Senate news out of Arizona this morning!!
Randy Gaul ; restoration is the better word! My mind does not work well before 5 a.m.! Yes, good news on the Senate. Arizona especially needs it!
I just bet since Stacy lost to Kemp,she's helping Rev.Warnock BIG TIME> She gave us this Senator to begin with.For his victory I pray.
👍🏼👍🏼With you all the way Laurie!
Me too
I chose "other" for your poll because: I can't bear to finish the sentence. I want to see him held responsible for laws which he has transgressed, and see him disqualified from ever holding office again. Time is up.
Also my sentiments.
Hey Robert and Heather - Note that we have NOT lost the House and California may keep that from happening. Some of us have been working for months on a CA Hold the House strategy - aiming to flip some key flippable House seats from R to D. Those seats are still in play. Don't write them off!
I don't see that narcissistic psychopath not using the opportunity to just F everyone up. Announcing, having the reason to continue the grift, and be the center of attention. He just won't be able to control himself. He wants to be back in the WH so bad he can taste it.
Until time to file the official paperwork, is what I see in our future. If he files I don't think he'll get the GOP nomination.
Biden says it's his intention to run. And while I love the man, I'm not sure that's a good idea.
Biden's accomplishments are remarkable considering Sinema, Manchin, and Republican obstructionism. But he really is just too old. Many who were complete unknowns on the national scene when they announced for the Presidency, (like Obama, Jimmy Carter), went on to win. Dems need to go with a younger candidate, and we have some great options: Ro Khanna, Jamie Raskin, et al.
Yes. Khanna and Raskin are inspiring. And while no one here has mentioned Tim Ryan, who lost his Ohio race to the despicable Vance, I hope Democrats will wake up to his vision and skills. Obama lost an election before he was elected to the Senate.
I absolutely have mentioned Tim Ryan and am super impressed,I don't see that man as fading away.Really should have won.
Sometimes candidates will lose a couple of elections, then they get in and stay in.
A stranger running for state legislature once stopped me to shake my hand. "What a loser," I thought. "He'll never get elected to anything." And he lost. Decades later I wrote speeches for him for a few years while he served three terms as NYC mayor.
Leslie..fantastic names. And I’d like to see my governor, JB Pritzker, on the short list. Perhaps 2028. Even a VP spot would be phenomenal. He takes on MAGA with pride, FDR style! And he makes it very clear, that women and LGBTQ+ will ALWAYS be protected in Illinois. He’s super intelligent and a real people-person governor. We need this type in the Democratic party visible positions.
Wondering who will be his running mate.probably Harris knowing Biden. But there must be better picks. at his age people have to be thinking about who might have to fill his shoes. I don't think most people want Kamala Harris to fill his shoes do you ?
Kamala is very unpopular, and people will be considering that Biden, at his age, could die in office, making Harris Pres. I think almost no one wants this, and both Biden and Harris should step aside.
I think he selected her as the choice least likely to overshadow him, heedless of the party's future. She'd already had to drop out of that race. We must find a kind, generous way to thank her and send her on.
And I have a plan for that: Sen. Feinstein (D-CA) is 89 and up for reelection in 2024. She should step down, Kamala should run for that seat. I think she would definitely win. This leaves Biden the option to choose a stronger Veep candidate, or step aside, as he should do, to leave the field open for other Dems.
That's brilliant, Leslie! Just perfect.
❤
Leslie 👇 has a couple of good ideas. I don’t think Kamala is ready. It would be interesting to see who steps forward if Joe bows out. They need to be impeccable, though, or we'll be taken to the cleaners like in 2016 by democrats who won't vote.
To slightly misquote President Ford, could our long national Trumpmare be over?
Love the photo booth collage!
I can't believe this is a question. We have laws that prohibits anyone in government who takes part in an insurrection or anything like that against the government FROM EVER HOLDING OFFICE.
AND WE CAN'T ENFORCE THEM! WHY? If Trump can run for office we're a fascist country full stop. Rule of law is gone and so are our rights. There's no way in hell he should be running for office.
Absolutely yes! What is wrong with Garland???
What do you think of Governor Newsom as a possible future presidential candidate ?
I'll wait to see the results of his MMPI and IQ tests.
MMPI and IQ tests, like polls, are overrated! There are ' geniuses who are not fit for the job.
Not when they match up clinically. MMPIs identify "geniuses" who are deluded or dishonest.
Daniel Solomon; I wonder if results can be bought. Who does the evaluation?
When I worked for SSA, we would pay psychologists to administer the tests. I was in Fresno when we developed the Hmong version, and the tests were graded by the University of Minnesota.
I am not qualified, but I can read the tests. Typically, the K scale tells the tale. I had dozes of cases when I questioned the experts.
K Scale - Defensiveness (McKinley, Hathaway & Meehl, 1948). (30 items) K is a subtle and valuable correction for defensiveness. K assumes psychopathology. If someone with a history of psychological problems scores high, then they are being defensive.
Dr. Reich - your and Heather's references to Biden's approval rating only goes to fuel the firestorm. His 'popularity' is being driven by FOX "Not-Really-New" and echoed by the 'main stream media' of ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN and even National Public TV. Why? The hard facts are that he has had to put up with two DINOs - Manchin and Sinema - and still able to get the economy going strong, and support IUkraine in their battle for survival, when every country in the rest of the world is dealing with crippling inflation, is quite an accomplishment. I doubt any other person could have achieved as much with as many obstacles as President Biden has had to deal with. His popularity rating would be at 80% if not for FOX and the Republicans standing in his way.
I agree 100%.He's also been very busy cleaning up the messes of 'Trumpty Dumpty',no small feat!
He is one fine man!
I think he'll lose and splinter the GOP along the way. But this open fight for the MAGA base and all the crazy that will be on display I hope will further energize the young voters--no focus on climate, just the old and older fighting for power. So disgusting--fighting while the world burns.
He is becoming a drag and in the republicans wailing some are beginning to realize that. But he will not go quietly into the night. They will have to do what they should have done when they did not vote for his impeachment, throw him out.
They created their own monsters. I live to see them implode!
I hope he brings down the GOP! I’m tired of their lies to the American people solely to destroy our Democracy to gain power and control for their personal gain and run this country as an autocracy!
(Pancha Chandra): Trump is such a rotten bully!