"You ain't seen bad yet, but it's coming"-- A fitting quote from the movie "Next of Kin."---Trump's perversion is still in its infantancy and we are already reeling from its destructive influence. Bannon said, "Every day tell the people anything, lie if you must, but give them so much to think about our objective for that day will go unnoticed." We need to blow the froth from Hegseth's beer in order to see what unconstitutional activities Trump and his gang of thugs are up to. From illegally snatching people off of the street and shipping them to God knows where, to orchestrating an economic delima where his friends are in line to make billions. Trump is milking this situation like an engorged udder, and things are progressing with such speed he doesn't know which tit to squeeze next. The man is an uneducated moron who rules through fear instead of respect. Trump thinks "due process" is what happens in the morning when the moisture on the greens evaporates. I really feel his talents are needed in the MIddle East, where things can't possibly get any worse. No one can predict when or where this man will stick his nose next. Panama, Greenland, Canada, the Gulf of America and who knows what other fantasies he entertains. He is no President; Mr. Trump is a fledgling autocrat hell bent on becoming the world's next proactive dictator. No one is secure in the knowledge that his meddling won't destroy this country. Our dictator isn't coming, he's already here.
Beware how DJT has Decapitated the DOJ, Big Law, and the Military... He is demolishing all the Institutions that could check his Vindictive Power Lust...
The Supreme Court needs to find an opportunity to retract the immunity from prosecution for crimes committed during his presidency which it foolishly conferred upon Trump as well as on future presidents. At least President Joe Biden had the decency to not countenance that.
The Supreme Court of the USA is the only American Court that can reverse itself and disregard precedent. For example, Plessy v. Fergusson allowed for segregation and Brown v. Board of Education reversed that. Another recent example was the reversal of Roe v. Wade to take away the right to choose abortion, a Constitutional right that was protected under Roe and does not exist now.
We can only hope! I’ve never hated anyone in my life until trump and I only hate him and not his supporters, I just consider them stupid with absolutely no critical thinking skills. I also think it’s all about hatred. His supporters hate the same people he hates, and that list is a long one. Thing is president jackass also hates his own supporters, but he loves the money they donate to him. He is the epitome of a conman/grifter and knows if he spouts enough bs hatred his supporters will keep on funding his lifestyle. Meanwhile he wouldn’t give the average trump supporter(s) the time of day, but does flips for his millionaire buddies; and don’t get me started on his infatuation with Putin, whom he wants to emulate.
Trump's supporters merely reflect the massive disinvestment on and the collapse of our public education system. If you can only read at a 3rd grade level, you certainly were not taught skills needed for critical thinking.
We can hope, we can hope, we can hope!!!!! I just wish every single day that someone will KILL HIM . . . . . . .!!!!!!!!! He thinks he's going to have a third term!
I don’t think that is the answer. It will make him a martyr and his fans will be clamoring to name bridges and airports after him. A stroke that incapacitates him and prevents him from talking would be a more desirable ending. Don’t you think?
I just read an article about the fact that Trump's first two weeks in office ( not to mention all the ensuing weeks) have reinforced many authoritarian patterns seen in Nazi Germany and other historical regimes. Actions such as scapegoating minorities, undermining democratic institutions ( to your point), consolidating wealth and power, and attacking civil liberties follow a well-documented playbook of creeping authoritarianism.
The article went on to say that the best defense against authoritarianism is awareness and action and that recognizing these historical parallels help us identify warning signs before it's too late and that if democracy is to survive, it will require active resistance against those who seek to dismantle it.It is, Apache, like you said in reply to one of my comments, "This is a time for courage to stand up for what we believe is the best of America" and , I might add, the future of our democracy...
I truly think our focus now must be making people aware of how the administration is trying g to thwart our voting rights. We have a shot in these elections to make a huge stand but we are competing against an attempt by Trump and cronies to make it difficult to vote.
Let's not lose heart and see what they are doing as best we can, and continue to protest and make people aware of these many destructive plans that are going on at breakneck speed! Never give up - use Navalny as an example of someone who never gave up! Stay aware and active, but breathe and do self-renewing activities. Thanks Apache for your post and Donald as well!!!
He grew up reading "Mein Kampf" which he kept on his nightstand. It's his playbook for repeating what Hitler did to Germany & Europe. That's why it wasn't recently banned from the National Library as was "Little Women on the Prairie", if I remember it correctly.
Thanks Michele... A Key Indicator at the Success of the 'Resistance' will be the Average Age of the Participants... It can't just be 'Boomers'.... I will postulate that most of Gen-Z didn't Vote... If so they must Engage, this is their Future... DJT will never Relent, DJT is Feral, it is always an Existential Crisis for DJT... Besides Surviving DJT, We-The-People have to contend with Climate-Change, and the Rise-Of-The-Machines ( AI )....
Yes, we need engagement of all age groups. Yes, DJT is a sociopathic "mad King" who is supported by self-interest minded oligarchs
. Yes, climate change is a big factor in our world. I live in natural setting and have spent most of my life trying to sound a warning... I love all animals and actually cry when I read of their predicament and feel some anger at people just not understanding the implications of not looking at this crisis...
Yes, the potential repercussions of a future with AI is " mind- blowingingly scary!
And yes , this is not a time for the "faint of heart"- but even the smallest of actions have effects. And those effects can snowball into a powerful force...
Your words have impacted me and others, etc. And so it goes...
Oh, rest assured, there are much stronger words! Thank you for reaching out to those of us in America and everywhere else. These are strange and dangerous times. Trump is just the sharp tip of the spear that is threatening the world. Stay well, stay safe.
The bottom line of whatever we call him is that he doesn’t care. We need to hear and heed that - he does not care. No plea will stop him, and he’s ‘removing’ step by step the offices that could legally challenge him, by replacing them with people loyal to him. Did you all see the clip of trump in the oval office exclaiming with some of his billionaire buddies how much money they had made the day he made and then pulled back most of the tariffs? He even said, “This is a great time to buy!” when the market was crashing. He’s laughing at all of us while essentially proving that he manipulated the market. trump’s own press secretary said, on tape, that we all failed to see the plan, that what happened with the market was part of trump’s plan all along. Along with the (current and coming) loss of any data privacy of citizens, this is ruinous stuff. I keep hoping to see trump held to account, but I’m afraid it’s not enough and not swift enough to stop him. I pray there is resistance being talked about in back rooms trump isn’t invited to.
That is my fondest wish, too, Melissa! The fact that he wants a parade of tanks in DC on his birthday sent a shiver of dread down my back! That is dictator crap right there! When will America wake up and take our Democracy back? When we will round these traitors up and send them to Gitmo? What has to happen before our country is gone for good? These questions are tumbling around in my mind and the only thing so far in the comments that really resonated with me was Achieving Honorable Democracy's idea about republicans becoming independents and caucusing with Democrats to put a stop to this march to dictatorship!
Yes, I’m with you, Peggy. I wish I could send backbones to our elected Republicans and everyone who still thinks trump is great. I had not heard that he wants a parade of tanks on his birthday - for people of understanding, that would be terrifying.
He who must not be named wants to spend 92 million on flag day, which is also his birthday. He wanted one last go round, but someone with sense talked him out of it.
Peggy - They are currently trying to “cut costs” everywhere but in reality they are just trying to make money and keep the people who would investigate them from doing their jobs. If he can’t be bothered to stop playing golf to go to Dover and be there for the dignified transfer of the 4 military members who died during a training accident (in which Lithuania came out in numbers to find them and send them off) then the only 92+ million dollar parade he deserves is if he is leaving the office of the president.
They want to pass his gift to the rich tax cuts while the economy is burning down but he has no problem cutting the funding for schools, healthcare, children, veterans and the list goes on. He just wrecked the economy and yet they still try to sanewash his bs.
The SAVE Act is just another poll tax because so many affected people are going to have to pay for documents just to prove they are who they are and can vote. Jim Crow all over again.
If Noem can spend our money flying for photo ops then they can bring back an innocent man. We are paying El Salvador to “house” these people so why can’t we bring back whom ever we want? Why are they sending ICE into elementary schools to round up children? Why are they not investigating the people who so stupidly used an app to make war plans? T doesn’t give a f about what is happening because it is his last term (supposedly) so he is burning it down just to inflate his own ego and the people allowing this to go on should be put in jail. But it won’t happen. Makes me sick. Thank you for letting me know that I am not alone in my thoughts.
Cut costs!!!...so I have a story... I agreed to proctor a cognitive test for an American child who is enrolling in an international school in my EU country. The test needed to be mailed from the US Department of State to the American Embassy in my country. The group email chain was working out details that I barely paid attention to as this was not my part of the process. Then the night before last, an email from the lady at the State Department - and I paraphrase - 'sorry, but we are being asked to cut costs and we are no longer allowed to pay for postage to send these tests overseas. There is no way of knowing how long this situation will last, but you can wait and see or pay for a mailing label so we can send it now.' POSTAGE!!! And the next day I read that DJT was thinking of offering money to every person living in Greenland.
Callie - I am so sorry that this administration is affecting you and the student. Totally unacceptable and please know that there are people who did not vote for this administration but we are grateful for your support.
Peggy - Thank you! The support here helps with the darkness.
I was watching the rerun of the original Red Dawn movie and although the countries that attacked America in the movie might change the movie still rings true. It stated that Europe was sitting out helping during world war three because they had had enough. We have burned so many bridges that I could see it happening today. Wouldn’t blame them either.
T is trying to get a nuclear deal with Iran when he is the one who pulled us out of the original deal and allowed them to continue to stockpile. He has spent millions shipping/flying the Patriot System over to the Middle East. They are spending millions on chartered flights for deportations. Every day it is more money being spent on his mistakes. Big exasperated sigh.
Robert - I am sorry. Should never be happening in the first place. You served our country and you deserve to get proper care and treatment - and not just related to healthcare.
Why do people keep repeating the nostrum that business hates instability? I read Naomi Klein's Shock Doctrine and it changed my whole viewpoint. Rich businesses love instability. It creates troubled institutions that they can buy up cheap. We have hundreds of billionaires without good places to spend their obscene money. Trump's musical chairs with tariffs are creating a perfect opportunity around the world for that money to go to. Then one day, he will simply announce: "Okay, you all told me to take off the tariffs so I'm going to remove them all". He can sound like a savior while raising the values of all the properties his rich friends have now invested in. Everything is a con with him.
When you write "pulled back most of the tariffs," it is really important to specify that tariffs are still being applied on all countries. He just scaled back the rates on nearly everyone except China. China is best equipped to really put a hurt on us if (when) we get into a trade war. This is insanity.
"China, we've treated you so good and you took advantage of us for so long. MacArthur was right when he wanted to nuke you during the Korean War. We should have done that when we had the chance. If we're going to go down, we're going to take you with us. Good-bye, China." (And good-bye USA.)
Thank you, Thomas - you’re correct, I would have been more accurate and clear if I had been more specific. I appreciate you for noticing and offering your thoughts.
The day is coming soon when every American in China will have their visa revoked and they will be "deported en masse" back to the United States. Then Chinese workers who have wanted those jobs for years will get them. Perhaps as happened in Cuba in 1959, the Chinese government will seize all the factories with no compensation for the United States. Hope I'm wrong, but Trumpet is waving a red flag at the wrong bull.
Carol Shetler: fortunately for them, the Chinese are not so stupid as to indulge in blind revenge like the Americans and Israelis. They have hundreds of high level American professors and scientists enjoying the modern laboratories they have built there. The Chinese understand that highly trained and intelligent people contribute to their society. I suppose they could nationalize American supported factories but then they wouldn't get any more. The Chinese are not ruled by a moron the way we are.
I'm in England I could do the same thing but the post would be full of obscenities. I could use all of them yet I couldn't get close to describing what this moron is doing to a great country. I'll repeat something else that was said about Hitler. A contemporary said, " I tell you this accursed man will turn Germany into a ruin." 12 years later his prediction came true. I hope the same doesn't happen to America.
Colin, first, let me respond to Dr. Reich's survey about the early outcome of drumponomic policy to which I responded 'recession". Drump is basically initiating the opposite of what he harped on during his campaign, which was to reduce inflation and to improve the economic footing of an average American family. Instead, he is facilitating a money grab by his oligarch cronies at the expense of the rest of us. Your premier financial publication in London summed up his jerkish tariff policy as "bonkers". His only allegiance is to the monied interests which pledge to entrench him in absolute political power, along the lines of the maniac who subdued Europe in the 1930's and 40's. He considers himself to be untouchable. The man is the extreme of evil and mean. Second to say, I am heir to the voices of my dad and two uncles who trained in England alongside your soldiers for the D-day assault on the Normandy Beaches, and the three lived to tell the tale. The world came closer than we can ever realize to falling to the madman 90 years ago.
Should herr drumpster succeed in getting our former allies to keep "kissing my ass" and get to his corrupt lawyers to beat the Federal courts to a pulp, there may not be a bottom to the ill he can do. It has fallen to the masses of ordinary citizens to stand up to him with one voice.
As you say, Mr King, it is up to ordinary citizens to challenge this mad man.
The courts are too slow and clogged with his appeals and subservient mouth pieces.
The Congress and Senate are full of corrupted politicians who no longer serve the people but obstruct any attempt to call out this criminal.
People power is the answer!
The Vietnam war was stopped by good hearted people who saw the wrong and chose to fight back against it. Those were different times and we are aware of that. It will take some drastic measures and mobilization as never seen before to conquer this beast.
"Cowardly Rapist Pedophile Traitor" is stronger I think. 😉 Remember: President Biden ended W Bush's forever war in The Middle East. This means "The January 6th Insurrection" means The Bunkerboy is guilty of "HIGH TREASON" punishable, by law, by HANGING.
Hubert, “coward” is a good word to use because that’s what Donald Trump basically is — most bullies are cowards, confront them, challenge them and they don’t know what to do and they back down.
Trump is a complete asshole and less than 1/4 of Americans support him. Many Americans no longer participate in politics because they do not believe anything the politicians say any longer.
It's not just Trump. It's Americans. Haven't you noticed that the military never takes on any adversary that can fight back? If they've got a nuclear weapon or a bunch of fighter jets that we can't immediately destroy, we stay away. That's why the Iranians are so focused on getting an atom bomb. As soon as they do, the Americans and Israelis will leave them alone.
Bannon is plain evil. Hitler once said, "The masses are stupid. Tell them the same lies and repeat them. Then they will believe you." Bannon has simply undated the same rubbish.
If all Americans care about deeply is their finances while the government is becoming authoritarian, where is our moral spine?
An innocent man is sitting in an El Salvador prison and the government refuses to get him back defying judges and morals, we have a crisis.
The president is planning an expensive, first ever military parade on his birthday and that doesn’t get serious push back.
The government has put in place policies that will cause Americans to die prematurely and it doesn’t get half the congress to act.
Remember, as quickly as they manipulated a financial crash they can get it to go up. All those who cared when they lost money will sigh with relief when it goes back up (I know, that’s how I felt) and meanwhile we are still in a constitutional and moral crisis with a National Security team that endangers all our lives and values.
(Prediction: we will soon hear and see charts that show how wonderful the stock market did after previous disastrous crashes. How much is a hundred dollars of stock worth now if it was held through the depression, 1988 cars, 2008, etc. So just don’t panic and ride it out. )
MAKE AMERICANS SECURE AGAIN fix the defense team and social security.
I answered - predictably for me, since I seldom agree with any predefined survey response, either by upbringing or just plain congenital cussedness - "other."
I have no idea what the economy will be like writ large. However, after consulting my handy-dandy market tracker app I can see in the numbers above significant gains over the past 5 days in the three standard market indices we commonly use, along with a dramatic fall in the volatility - or fear - index. By contrast I see a noticeable fall in the value of the dollar.
So, regardless of the little "crash" everyone got so excited about, the trend is generally upward - except for the dollar value - which explains why there seems to be much more trader confidence, as indicated by the sharp fall in the volatility index.
It would seem that President W.H.Wanker is right about one thing - in the short term - this >may< be a good time to play the "Wheel of Fortune!" The question becomes: "What does that mean for the long term?"
Well, if we look across the past month, we can see a clear contrast between what we see across the month and what we see across the past 5 days. The question of what that means becomes important.
The first thing is that the value of the dollar will probably continue to fall as a result of this masturbatory "trade war." The question on that concerns whether the apparent schizophrenic execution may suggest market manipulation rather than any serious effort to improve and stabilize the US economy. My gut tells me the dollar value will decline sharply at some point.
The next thing concerns whether the market trend in the past 5 days indicates that the trend over that past month bottomed out a couple of days ago and the trend of the last 5 days will continue. Although market performance over the last 5 days seems to have rallied a sharp increase in trader confidence, it >may< suggest that it's a cautious optimism, rather than outright enthusiasm, compared to the overall "fear factor" across the whole month.
What does that mean for the economy generally? The buying power of the dollar will decline commensurately with the dollar. To me that suggests that inflation will grow inversely with respect to the decreasing buying power of the dollar, and although the dollar's value currently appears to be decreasing at a >constant< rate, I fully expect that devaluation >may< accelerate markedly when the tariff threat is fully imposed and kicks in. For example: https://youtu.be/EkGoN3IFcuo?si=dyfMEoDldMnsnfJz
That means that a lot of billionaires will get a lot richer in the coming months, at the expense of those of us who buy the products upon which all their wealth rests, but the increase in their wealth will be offset by its overall decreased buying power.
The decrease in the dollar value at the point of sale will likely not suppress demand so much as make the products less affordable to the buyer, if not out of range. Is the inability to buy the products required in daily life equivalent to suppressed demand? And along with the apparent stagnation of wages and the self-inflicted forced increase in unemployment - government workers by fiat, and in private sector layoffs by necessity, particularly from collapsing small businesses, notably the food & drink sector - the threat of economic stagnation becomes a very real possibility.
In conclusion, what with increased unemployment, stagnation of wages, the probable suppression of demand coupled with the falling value of the dollar, I wouldn't be a bit surprised to see a period of persistent "stag-flation" come to pass. Should that happen, I would also expect to see some really big losses on Wall Street for those who may make out like bandits now.
Whether that all takes place within a 3-month horizon remains to be seen. In all of that, it becomes increasingly important to be centered in finding a balance between our rational and emotional sensibilities. That will be singularly important in the midst of the looming chaos.
We are in 1933 Germany. This time we have the mistakes of the past to educate us in the present about what not to do. We must resist this time because we know what will happen if we don't & we are rapidly running out of time in which to prevent what has happened in the past from happening again. Tick, tick.
I lived through one stagflation before. It was pretty bad. This one is going to be much worse. The first time didn’t involve the internal overthrow of our democracy.
“. . . there’s a serious risk of what’s called “stagflation.” Tens of millions of people could be seriously hurt.”
People Forget that at the End of the 1970's, this Country had about 200 Million People... Now we have over 340 Million People... If Stagflation emerges again, expect much worse... The Japanese experienced Stagflation from the 1990's to recently.... They lost an Entire Generation to it....
Japan is my second home. They have experienced deflation, not stagflation. They have taken extreme measures to try to stimulate their economy to produce inflation -- but so far all their actions have fallen short.
I'm currently in the US (Georgia) but have family over there. I first got there in 1973. It's not an easy country, even though people are very nice, and I have a LOT of respect for them.
Thanks Thomas... It is very Tough being Japanese... Very Strict Social Protocols... Amazing People... Considering that they rebounded from being Fire-Bombed, & Nuked in WW2, just Amazing... FYI, the Geneticists say that the Japanese, particularly the Ainu, are 1st Cousins to the American Indigenous... American Indigenous Spirituality has some Common Ground with Japanese Shintoism...
It helps, Peggy, just knowing that I’m not alone in this, that you are there with me, that people like you are there as well. Together we can help each other, help ourselves. We must.
Absolutely, Michael! I will spend some time today processing everything and will be back to fighting form once I have a handle on it! It is hard, but we definitely must help one another, be there for one another and NEVER give up the fight! Stay strong and stay safe!
Absolutely, Bj5276! We mustn't let up on our protests, letter writing, postcards, petitions and phone calls. You are right, that is exactly how we push back!
It’s getting much harder to be optimistic and encouraging, isn’t it, Peggy? I agree with Michael Roseman and others, I’m sure, that knowing we’re not alone in the struggle to “stay strong and safe” is where we can find encouragement and maybe even optimism.
Right there with you Michael! Praying we can survive this nightmare with our country back to where it was with our Constitution upheld. I our elected officials would come out of their coma and do something. The line from the old song, "You Don't Know What You've Got till it's Gone".
I sure hope we get that chance, that we don’t have to wait a decade, or two, or three. I want to know that my children will have a chance to live without fear, to have their fair share of happiness.
But how much will be left when this regime falls as it inevitably must? How much will we have to rebuild?
From what I am reading on my substacks, Michael, there will be quite a lot we have to rebuild. That is the time we must fight for Economic Democracy and stakeholder capitalism. That is the time we must end Citizens United and ensure a strict code of ethics for the supreme court justices! We must eliminate dark money from politics and ensure transparency from our government. We the People must become avid watch dogs to guarantee none of this back room wheeling and dealing is taking place. We must demand our two parties or three work together for every single American. We must work hard to mend the shattered pacts with our allies and assure them we will not allow this to ever happen again in America! We must once again provide aid and relief to those around the world that need us. It is a monumental undertaking! We need those younger voices to become our leaders!
Oh, I agree so much with everything you wrote, Peggy. It will be hard work, but also good and necessary work. We must also become honest stewards of the land, protecting our living planet for our children and for its own sake. And we must never lose sight again of the needs and hopes of rural America and make sure they feel included in our renewed democracy, and that they know they have a future, while also ensuring that the forces of greed and hate can never pit people against each other as they have for generations. In many senses, the Civil War never really ended. In the coming restoration, we must heal the wounds on all sides and go forward as a people united.
We have HOPE that the rule of law, our elected officials, and the people will do what is right and that we will retain the country we love and not hand it over to these lawless, self indulgent, evil, unqualified people who are at this moment ruining/running the country!
The question I still have is if and when will the near-majority of people who voted for Trump peel away from him. Will they ever recognize that their self-interest and even their survival depends on rejecting his siren lure of destruction? Will they give up on their “revenge” on the rest of us?
They will peel away from Trump when they get hungry, but cannot buy food. The question is "Do Trump and followers have the innate management skills to keep a hungry population weak, but still productive?"
North Korea has those management skills; they are well demonstrated in the entire Korean culture.
I see nothing like that strength in Trump and the culture he is trying to build. Poor management will be his downfall.
Geography will play an important roll. Modern history demonstrates the pitfalls of a lack of respect for geography.
You make a good point. But there are a lot of variables which make me uncertain of the actual outcome. I can only hope we don’t have to find out. Regardless of what would actually happen, it would be very ugly.
Agree. I think the a recession within 3 months…but will evolve into a multi-year depression. Currency manipulation, trade wars, AI, Insider trading being done by the people directly responsible for overseeing market movements. There are no longer any standards of ethics…ethics shift or do not apply in 2025.
I was scared and unhappy. What is helpful to me is joining indivisible and finding liberal groups and demonstrations near me. It helps to know that I am not alone.
Trump is trashing America and the Putin Party, formally the GOP, are supporting this dismantling of our democracy. He has already ruined our country’s credibility with all the other countries in the world. His manipulation of the stock market alone should be enough for impeachment. His ridiculous tariffs, especially on China, are going to cost us for decades. How much longer will Congress allow this madness to continue?
There is a quote my father used and I believe it is the psychology Trump is using; “A stick raised is better than a stick used.” Trump believes he is holding “The sword of Damocles" over the heads of state all over the world. In this case China is the most effective leader against Trump. He is basically saying to Trump, “F you as we will find other markets for our incredible ability to manufacture vast amounts of goods cheaper than anyone else.” Trump was planning to get the most income from tariffs on China and this is now appropriately backfiring.
Al little addition to think about here too. He has saddled us with a problem internally also. We'd have to go through the entire government structure to restore the internal problems he has created also. That is something that will take some time, probably past my lifetime.
I know it will be past mine, Harvey, but if we could get it moving in the right direction, hopefully, the young whipper snappers will pick up the reins and keep moving in the right direction!
As I have said before, we have the ENTIRE workings of the federal government to go through. DOGE has implanted software to monitor what is going on, maybe even to change the workings back. We have to worry about WHO is monitoring the workings also. It has all got to be changed back to work for us, the American public, instead of the rich. At this time we all agree that is the first priority for us. Then, the bigger problem, world leadership and world peace. We've got the trust of the worlds leaders to gain back also. We've got a big problem on our hands, all created by Trump and Musk, Maybe Putin too.
When the craziness of this period in our history is over, and it will be, we will be handed a golden opportunity to replace what was with a more representative and egalitarian form of government and economy. Out of the rubble that Trump will have left us, comes a great opportunity to again become leaders in innovation on the planet. This is an opportunity we cannot afford to miss.
"The sickening secret sauce to Trump's political success."
"THE ANSWER: Racism.
THE QUESTION: How in the hell did we get here?
There is no other way to explain the American-attacking Trump’s rise to power, and most important, his ability to hold onto it despite being easily the stupidest, most dishonest, and openly bigoted man to ever step foot in our White House.
Just four years after trying to take a blowtorch to our votes, he is busy incinerating our life’s savings, and making measles great again, yet tens of millions of Americans are still stubbornly standing in his corner no matter what.
And I am not talking about the millionaires and billionaires who have gobs of money to gain while these markets are intentionally shorted, either. I am talking about Joe and Jane America, who are watching their retirement savings go up in smoke. I am talking about farmer Fred, whose Trump sign that he has defiantly planted in his field is now worth more than the crops he is growing at a loss.
I am talking about people who you know, and maybe even live with.
Go ahead and say what you want about this wretched, burnt-orange monster (please), but it's your friends and family who still support him who are to blame for this terrible, terrible mess we are in right now.
No, it's not racism or a secret sauce because Trump is the weapon not the leader. The real coup is led by Charles Koch and a cabal of billionaires who combined their corporate financial power to buy the government. Their bought judges have perverted the Constitution, and in their final solution for democracy, Trump is their nuclear weapon. Like a real nuke, Trump will leave the lands he touches poisoned for a generation. The oligarchs though they could control Hitler. The American oligarchs similarly think they can control their Frankenstein monster, but he has already exploded on the American economy and our leadership in the world. Greece is what happens when a nation loses its credit and credibility, and to this day, they still struggle. It took second to destroy Hiroshima. It took a generation to rebuild it. DEI won't matter (equity in worthless stocks? included in what?) when we all are poor. Trump is proving DEI cannot exist without democracy, so get your priorities straight on saving the system that made it possible. Racism is a symptom, not the disease, which is unbridled greed for money and power.
American needs to be thankful that Trump and Musk both have egos so huge that major screw ups, a complete absence of linear planning, and delegating to dimwits all don’t phase them. They don’t care how poorly they’re doing all this.
They’re not leaving bread crumbs, they’re leaving loaves.
Imagine what fun it would be if a half dozen members of the #SecretSaneGOPCaucus decide to flip power in the House completely. Prof Reich knows about this because he talked about parts of this concept in January 2023.
A half dozen declare themselves independent and caucusing with Dems who then claim the majority. They pay back this favor by nominating one of the SSGC guys as Speaker as long as they get a couple of committee chairs and committee majorities as part of the deal.
Those committees can then start investigating these mountains of evidence of lawbreaking, Constitution shredding, and firing all the Inspector Generals without due process so the gutting of the government could start immediately.
Also picture on the stand Musk facing all his criming along with whatever paper trail exists justifying all the firings and verifying alleged gains in “efficiency.”
And why not dip into Trunp’s emoluments breaches because heck, any Republicans that want to keep their seats in the Senate will know that the 18% of people that still can’t face reams of evidence will not deliver reelection. The prospects of them keeping their careers moving will require a vote to impeach, then a yes,vote in the No Kings Act to overturn the absurd presidential immunity SCOTUS decision.
So Republicans, saving America is in your court. Be heroes for the centuries or #CowardlyComplicit in squandering almost all of America’s greatness, lighting the fuse on civilization, and ensuring at least 10 feet of sea level rise by 2100.
Achieving Honorable Democracy, your solution is so clear! That would definitely work! Because of that, the powers that be will never use it. Why? Because there isn't a republican politician with enough backbone to move to independent and caucus with Democrats! Even if their constituents demanded they do just that, they are more scared of the orange man than the people that put them in office! I would absolutely love to see that happen!
Slight alteration of the above plan. Passing then overriding the veto of the No King’s Act would be the proper flow of things. That way no retribution that Trump wants to fling won’t have the teeth that he thinks. All it will deliver is more evidence for impeachment because that is a law that he will definitely try to bully his way out of enforcement.
"Marjorie Taylor Greene made some shady stock trades before tariff flip-flop. A reminder: Martha Stewart did time in a federal prison for way less." (Daily Kos)......
I don't see us recovering even if Donald Trump would suddenly resign or die of natural causes right now. We have lost the trust of the entire world now. We could recover from the economic disaster he has put in place fairly fast but the nations that depended on us and the leadership we furnished are gone, probably for many generations down the road. Trust is something that is slow to come back. Then, we've still got the leadership of the Republican party to contend with for three and a half years yet if he should suddenly leave or resign.
Seems to me we will still be reckoning with the oligarchs who put JD in the vice presidency. They are bound and determined to cut off almost all funding for everything except the military, so as to reduce their tax burden, already remarkably light considering the share of the economic pie they own or at least control.
Yes, that is secondary though. I always thought that Americans were smart but it certainly looks like they fell for ever lie put forward by Trump. They voted him into office again after being impeached twice, convicted for rape, and 34 other items, including income tax evasion. We've got the upcoming mid-term to throw as many Republicans out of office as we can. Then the general election before we BEGIN to repair the mess created by Trump and big money.
Yes, he is another mess I haven't addressed yet. I guess we need to throw in Trump's entire cabinet too. I've just never seen a situation like he has: If he considers you his enemy, he'll get even. What a mess.
I agree with you, only I think the trust of the rest of the world will never return. Our days as the economic leader are over and we will be only one of many democracies. And that's only if we aren't part of the Axis powers.
I lived through a depression, where the Hungarian pengo was so inflated ( I might have written about it before) that my Father 's monthly salary -he was a high school teacher- bought a glass for tooth brushes in the bathroom. We farmed in our backyard, raising onions, potatos and had some fruit, and a cow for milk and cheese. It was backbraking work, I, as a child sometimes almost passed out in the hot summer heat.It was in the forties, WW II
Fascinating. Thank you for sharing. I hope that is not our future, but it could be. If it is, millions, those without backyards, those too ill or too old, aren’t likely to make it.
The days of many generations in one household may return. Except people don't have that mindset any longer. Gramma may get shuffled from one home to another. Most people live paycheck to paycheck. No savings, but lots of debt already.
"The Social Security Administration spends a lot of time and money making sure that it finds out when people die. Now, Donald Trump and Elon Musk are using that work to attack legal immigrants, by declaring them dead in Social Security’s Death Master File.1
Because Social Security’s Death Master File is used by banks, credit bureaus, and other financial institutions, Trump and Musk are claiming the power to legally declare their enemies dead with a simple keystroke―with no oversight.
We have stood up to Trump and Musk before, and we’ve won! We can do it again! They have backed down when we pushed back on stealing our sensitive data and on slashing services Social Security allows you to access over the phone. We can win this too."
I still find it amazing a “businessman” can lose money running 3 casinos. One has to be a really awful “businessman” to succeed at this kind of failure!
Our very successful food bank here where I live, it was revealed on the local news, won't be receiving anymore agricultural products! So they will be more dependent on the local people to help them. WHAT IS WRONG WITH TRUMP???
I fear that the worst is yet to come and it’s coming fast. The fabric of American life is unraveling and being ripped apart so quickly that we are, I’m afraid, unaware of what lies ahead. The superficial surface of society may still appear smooth, but the functional underpinnings of government have been chainsawed and “doged” into rubble. Soon, the society, services and institutions that worked well but went unnoticed will be fully destroyed and dysfunctional. The end times will be apparent when food store shelves are always nearly bare … when eggs go for $40 per dozen, and half rotten apples for two bucks each… when shortages of everything abound… when unemployment and destitution are widespread, while oligarchs live in luxury… when we get used to armed men strolling the streets, ready to snatch folk who… “don’t look right.”
That is how I feel most of the time these days. Every day more of their goals are accomplished. There will be no way of turning back. Those midterm elections people are hoping will change things are not going to be elections as we know them, but as the Russians do.
My pessimistic impression is he decided that we were headed into a recession during his administration, so make it a big one, the biggyest ever. This coupled with bringing down his wrath on his enemies (everyone that is not rich). ie. The stupid that wanted a living wage, kindness, compassion, love, charity, hope (used to be Christian values).
I'm glad you mentioned his incredible need for revenge and retribution. Sometimes in the midst of all the disasters, I let that recede to the back of my mind. It keeps him in the headlines while real regime leaders do the work.
A brain-dead megalomaniac, surrounded by adoring sycophants and supported by millions of unperceptive hate-filled American voters, brought us to this impending financial collapse. This then has the potential of expanding into a shooting world war. Here we have a madman who would be king. I think that only when MAGA crazies become seriously financially injured, only then will they start to defect in large numbers, only then will the Republican Congress know their days are numbered and out of self-preservation act to save our nation.
"You ain't seen bad yet, but it's coming"-- A fitting quote from the movie "Next of Kin."---Trump's perversion is still in its infantancy and we are already reeling from its destructive influence. Bannon said, "Every day tell the people anything, lie if you must, but give them so much to think about our objective for that day will go unnoticed." We need to blow the froth from Hegseth's beer in order to see what unconstitutional activities Trump and his gang of thugs are up to. From illegally snatching people off of the street and shipping them to God knows where, to orchestrating an economic delima where his friends are in line to make billions. Trump is milking this situation like an engorged udder, and things are progressing with such speed he doesn't know which tit to squeeze next. The man is an uneducated moron who rules through fear instead of respect. Trump thinks "due process" is what happens in the morning when the moisture on the greens evaporates. I really feel his talents are needed in the MIddle East, where things can't possibly get any worse. No one can predict when or where this man will stick his nose next. Panama, Greenland, Canada, the Gulf of America and who knows what other fantasies he entertains. He is no President; Mr. Trump is a fledgling autocrat hell bent on becoming the world's next proactive dictator. No one is secure in the knowledge that his meddling won't destroy this country. Our dictator isn't coming, he's already here.
Beware how DJT has Decapitated the DOJ, Big Law, and the Military... He is demolishing all the Institutions that could check his Vindictive Power Lust...
Let’s not forget the Supreme Court and the republicans in Congress LET HIM DO IT!
Amy--The fool has already done it. He's proven to the world that he's an ignorant ass. Now we need the Harbinger.
Harbinger? Don't you mean the Fixer, as in breaking Bad?
The Supreme Court needs to find an opportunity to retract the immunity from prosecution for crimes committed during his presidency which it foolishly conferred upon Trump as well as on future presidents. At least President Joe Biden had the decency to not countenance that.
Just how could it retract its previous decision?
The Supreme Court of the USA is the only American Court that can reverse itself and disregard precedent. For example, Plessy v. Fergusson allowed for segregation and Brown v. Board of Education reversed that. Another recent example was the reversal of Roe v. Wade to take away the right to choose abortion, a Constitutional right that was protected under Roe and does not exist now.
Wise reminder, Amy. The reestablishment of the rule of law in this country (and the world), will require a lot of house cleaning.
Worst combination.
Apache--Trump wants to run for a third term, the man won't live past his second.
We can only hope! I’ve never hated anyone in my life until trump and I only hate him and not his supporters, I just consider them stupid with absolutely no critical thinking skills. I also think it’s all about hatred. His supporters hate the same people he hates, and that list is a long one. Thing is president jackass also hates his own supporters, but he loves the money they donate to him. He is the epitome of a conman/grifter and knows if he spouts enough bs hatred his supporters will keep on funding his lifestyle. Meanwhile he wouldn’t give the average trump supporter(s) the time of day, but does flips for his millionaire buddies; and don’t get me started on his infatuation with Putin, whom he wants to emulate.
Trump's supporters merely reflect the massive disinvestment on and the collapse of our public education system. If you can only read at a 3rd grade level, you certainly were not taught skills needed for critical thinking.
He's not likely to live to the end of his second term, let alone past it.
We can hope, we can hope, we can hope!!!!! I just wish every single day that someone will KILL HIM . . . . . . .!!!!!!!!! He thinks he's going to have a third term!
I don’t think that is the answer. It will make him a martyr and his fans will be clamoring to name bridges and airports after him. A stroke that incapacitates him and prevents him from talking would be a more desirable ending. Don’t you think?
No, because then someone will have to take care of him. I JUST WANT HIM COMPLETELY GONE!
I don't think he'll make it much longer especially when people stop caving.
And when do you think THAT will be? He’s just about tanked us already! 🙄
Hopefully soon
I don't know how long he'll live, of course, but he wouldn't win a third term even if he got it to be legal.
He may not want a third term: by then the country will be utterly destroyed and no more money to be made!
True... his days are numbered!
I just read an article about the fact that Trump's first two weeks in office ( not to mention all the ensuing weeks) have reinforced many authoritarian patterns seen in Nazi Germany and other historical regimes. Actions such as scapegoating minorities, undermining democratic institutions ( to your point), consolidating wealth and power, and attacking civil liberties follow a well-documented playbook of creeping authoritarianism.
The article went on to say that the best defense against authoritarianism is awareness and action and that recognizing these historical parallels help us identify warning signs before it's too late and that if democracy is to survive, it will require active resistance against those who seek to dismantle it.It is, Apache, like you said in reply to one of my comments, "This is a time for courage to stand up for what we believe is the best of America" and , I might add, the future of our democracy...
I truly think our focus now must be making people aware of how the administration is trying g to thwart our voting rights. We have a shot in these elections to make a huge stand but we are competing against an attempt by Trump and cronies to make it difficult to vote.
Let's not lose heart and see what they are doing as best we can, and continue to protest and make people aware of these many destructive plans that are going on at breakneck speed! Never give up - use Navalny as an example of someone who never gave up! Stay aware and active, but breathe and do self-renewing activities. Thanks Apache for your post and Donald as well!!!
He grew up reading "Mein Kampf" which he kept on his nightstand. It's his playbook for repeating what Hitler did to Germany & Europe. That's why it wasn't recently banned from the National Library as was "Little Women on the Prairie", if I remember it correctly.
Thanks Michele... A Key Indicator at the Success of the 'Resistance' will be the Average Age of the Participants... It can't just be 'Boomers'.... I will postulate that most of Gen-Z didn't Vote... If so they must Engage, this is their Future... DJT will never Relent, DJT is Feral, it is always an Existential Crisis for DJT... Besides Surviving DJT, We-The-People have to contend with Climate-Change, and the Rise-Of-The-Machines ( AI )....
Yes, we need engagement of all age groups. Yes, DJT is a sociopathic "mad King" who is supported by self-interest minded oligarchs
. Yes, climate change is a big factor in our world. I live in natural setting and have spent most of my life trying to sound a warning... I love all animals and actually cry when I read of their predicament and feel some anger at people just not understanding the implications of not looking at this crisis...
Yes, the potential repercussions of a future with AI is " mind- blowingingly scary!
And yes , this is not a time for the "faint of heart"- but even the smallest of actions have effects. And those effects can snowball into a powerful force...
Your words have impacted me and others, etc. And so it goes...
Keep the faith...
Thanks Michele... You Too Have Impacted Others... I also live in 'Fire-Country'... I am a Friend to 'Wild-Things'... The 'Apache-Spirit' is Wild...
Awake, aware, action against authoritarianism.
A Five Star "A" logo.
You got it! This has been said many times over and over!
We Americans have no clue about history: amnesia is getting worse than cancer!
Spot on: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/4/7/2314627/-Cartoon-State-of-emergency?detail=emaildkcc&pm_source=DKRE&pm_medium=email
https://www.commondreams.org/news/us-social-security-administration
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/11/business/trump-law-firms-kirkland-ellis-latham-watkins.html?campaign_id=9&emc=edit_nn_20250412&instance_id=152445&nl=the-morning®i_id=64474915&segment_id=195859&user_id=a29855b98e235a0c098ba833afbcc02c
In daily life, I would call Trump a 'coward'. (As I live in The Netherlands, my English vocabulary is limited. There must be stronger words.)
Oh, rest assured, there are much stronger words! Thank you for reaching out to those of us in America and everywhere else. These are strange and dangerous times. Trump is just the sharp tip of the spear that is threatening the world. Stay well, stay safe.
There are indeed many words to describe him, but Coward indeed is among them. Liar, cheat, grifter, vindictive, self absorbed, the list goes on and on
Add treasonous criminal loud-mouth to the list.
All flaws and no quality.
Colin, love your clever description of Trump!
Rapist. Philanderer. Mysogynist. Disgusting. Smelly. Infantile. Vain. Insecure. Unintelligent. Deserter. Obese.
Can’t wait till he is called a corpse🙄
That just about sums him up!
Thanks for enlarging my vocabulary!
criminal maniac
The bottom line of whatever we call him is that he doesn’t care. We need to hear and heed that - he does not care. No plea will stop him, and he’s ‘removing’ step by step the offices that could legally challenge him, by replacing them with people loyal to him. Did you all see the clip of trump in the oval office exclaiming with some of his billionaire buddies how much money they had made the day he made and then pulled back most of the tariffs? He even said, “This is a great time to buy!” when the market was crashing. He’s laughing at all of us while essentially proving that he manipulated the market. trump’s own press secretary said, on tape, that we all failed to see the plan, that what happened with the market was part of trump’s plan all along. Along with the (current and coming) loss of any data privacy of citizens, this is ruinous stuff. I keep hoping to see trump held to account, but I’m afraid it’s not enough and not swift enough to stop him. I pray there is resistance being talked about in back rooms trump isn’t invited to.
That is my fondest wish, too, Melissa! The fact that he wants a parade of tanks in DC on his birthday sent a shiver of dread down my back! That is dictator crap right there! When will America wake up and take our Democracy back? When we will round these traitors up and send them to Gitmo? What has to happen before our country is gone for good? These questions are tumbling around in my mind and the only thing so far in the comments that really resonated with me was Achieving Honorable Democracy's idea about republicans becoming independents and caucusing with Democrats to put a stop to this march to dictatorship!
Yes, I’m with you, Peggy. I wish I could send backbones to our elected Republicans and everyone who still thinks trump is great. I had not heard that he wants a parade of tanks on his birthday - for people of understanding, that would be terrifying.
He who must not be named wants to spend 92 million on flag day, which is also his birthday. He wanted one last go round, but someone with sense talked him out of it.
It would also have created a several million dollar work order to repair Pennsylvania Avenue after the event, Melissa.
Peggy - They are currently trying to “cut costs” everywhere but in reality they are just trying to make money and keep the people who would investigate them from doing their jobs. If he can’t be bothered to stop playing golf to go to Dover and be there for the dignified transfer of the 4 military members who died during a training accident (in which Lithuania came out in numbers to find them and send them off) then the only 92+ million dollar parade he deserves is if he is leaving the office of the president.
They want to pass his gift to the rich tax cuts while the economy is burning down but he has no problem cutting the funding for schools, healthcare, children, veterans and the list goes on. He just wrecked the economy and yet they still try to sanewash his bs.
The SAVE Act is just another poll tax because so many affected people are going to have to pay for documents just to prove they are who they are and can vote. Jim Crow all over again.
If Noem can spend our money flying for photo ops then they can bring back an innocent man. We are paying El Salvador to “house” these people so why can’t we bring back whom ever we want? Why are they sending ICE into elementary schools to round up children? Why are they not investigating the people who so stupidly used an app to make war plans? T doesn’t give a f about what is happening because it is his last term (supposedly) so he is burning it down just to inflate his own ego and the people allowing this to go on should be put in jail. But it won’t happen. Makes me sick. Thank you for letting me know that I am not alone in my thoughts.
Cut costs!!!...so I have a story... I agreed to proctor a cognitive test for an American child who is enrolling in an international school in my EU country. The test needed to be mailed from the US Department of State to the American Embassy in my country. The group email chain was working out details that I barely paid attention to as this was not my part of the process. Then the night before last, an email from the lady at the State Department - and I paraphrase - 'sorry, but we are being asked to cut costs and we are no longer allowed to pay for postage to send these tests overseas. There is no way of knowing how long this situation will last, but you can wait and see or pay for a mailing label so we can send it now.' POSTAGE!!! And the next day I read that DJT was thinking of offering money to every person living in Greenland.
Callie - I am so sorry that this administration is affecting you and the student. Totally unacceptable and please know that there are people who did not vote for this administration but we are grateful for your support.
Never alone, Anon! I am right there with you and am just as sick!
Peggy - Thank you! The support here helps with the darkness.
I was watching the rerun of the original Red Dawn movie and although the countries that attacked America in the movie might change the movie still rings true. It stated that Europe was sitting out helping during world war three because they had had enough. We have burned so many bridges that I could see it happening today. Wouldn’t blame them either.
T is trying to get a nuclear deal with Iran when he is the one who pulled us out of the original deal and allowed them to continue to stockpile. He has spent millions shipping/flying the Patriot System over to the Middle East. They are spending millions on chartered flights for deportations. Every day it is more money being spent on his mistakes. Big exasperated sigh.
As someone who is fortunate to receive medical treatment from the VA, I experience Trumpster's pen.
Robert - I am sorry. Should never be happening in the first place. You served our country and you deserve to get proper care and treatment - and not just related to healthcare.
Why do people keep repeating the nostrum that business hates instability? I read Naomi Klein's Shock Doctrine and it changed my whole viewpoint. Rich businesses love instability. It creates troubled institutions that they can buy up cheap. We have hundreds of billionaires without good places to spend their obscene money. Trump's musical chairs with tariffs are creating a perfect opportunity around the world for that money to go to. Then one day, he will simply announce: "Okay, you all told me to take off the tariffs so I'm going to remove them all". He can sound like a savior while raising the values of all the properties his rich friends have now invested in. Everything is a con with him.
he could care less ... keeps him center stage.... all news is good news for him as long as the camera is focused on him
When you write "pulled back most of the tariffs," it is really important to specify that tariffs are still being applied on all countries. He just scaled back the rates on nearly everyone except China. China is best equipped to really put a hurt on us if (when) we get into a trade war. This is insanity.
"China, we've treated you so good and you took advantage of us for so long. MacArthur was right when he wanted to nuke you during the Korean War. We should have done that when we had the chance. If we're going to go down, we're going to take you with us. Good-bye, China." (And good-bye USA.)
Thank you, Thomas - you’re correct, I would have been more accurate and clear if I had been more specific. I appreciate you for noticing and offering your thoughts.
The day is coming soon when every American in China will have their visa revoked and they will be "deported en masse" back to the United States. Then Chinese workers who have wanted those jobs for years will get them. Perhaps as happened in Cuba in 1959, the Chinese government will seize all the factories with no compensation for the United States. Hope I'm wrong, but Trumpet is waving a red flag at the wrong bull.
Carol Shetler: fortunately for them, the Chinese are not so stupid as to indulge in blind revenge like the Americans and Israelis. They have hundreds of high level American professors and scientists enjoying the modern laboratories they have built there. The Chinese understand that highly trained and intelligent people contribute to their society. I suppose they could nationalize American supported factories but then they wouldn't get any more. The Chinese are not ruled by a moron the way we are.
I'm in England I could do the same thing but the post would be full of obscenities. I could use all of them yet I couldn't get close to describing what this moron is doing to a great country. I'll repeat something else that was said about Hitler. A contemporary said, " I tell you this accursed man will turn Germany into a ruin." 12 years later his prediction came true. I hope the same doesn't happen to America.
Colin, first, let me respond to Dr. Reich's survey about the early outcome of drumponomic policy to which I responded 'recession". Drump is basically initiating the opposite of what he harped on during his campaign, which was to reduce inflation and to improve the economic footing of an average American family. Instead, he is facilitating a money grab by his oligarch cronies at the expense of the rest of us. Your premier financial publication in London summed up his jerkish tariff policy as "bonkers". His only allegiance is to the monied interests which pledge to entrench him in absolute political power, along the lines of the maniac who subdued Europe in the 1930's and 40's. He considers himself to be untouchable. The man is the extreme of evil and mean. Second to say, I am heir to the voices of my dad and two uncles who trained in England alongside your soldiers for the D-day assault on the Normandy Beaches, and the three lived to tell the tale. The world came closer than we can ever realize to falling to the madman 90 years ago.
Should herr drumpster succeed in getting our former allies to keep "kissing my ass" and get to his corrupt lawyers to beat the Federal courts to a pulp, there may not be a bottom to the ill he can do. It has fallen to the masses of ordinary citizens to stand up to him with one voice.
As you say, Mr King, it is up to ordinary citizens to challenge this mad man.
The courts are too slow and clogged with his appeals and subservient mouth pieces.
The Congress and Senate are full of corrupted politicians who no longer serve the people but obstruct any attempt to call out this criminal.
People power is the answer!
The Vietnam war was stopped by good hearted people who saw the wrong and chose to fight back against it. Those were different times and we are aware of that. It will take some drastic measures and mobilization as never seen before to conquer this beast.
April 5th was just the kick off.
Commentary about dictators from authors in 'The Atlantic' monthly:
'The Hollow Men' and then, 'Why Dictatorships Fail'
https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2025/05/trump-worldview-rubio-johnson-graham/682110/
https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2025/04/dictatorships-trump-republicans/682387/
When I visit my cousins in England this summer I’m certain I will hear some colorful descriptions of him and his cronies.
It appears the same thing is happening here all over again.
Hubert, trust me, there are so many stronger words to describe this orange cretin!
The word you are looking for is "klootzak".
"Cowardly Rapist Pedophile Traitor" is stronger I think. 😉 Remember: President Biden ended W Bush's forever war in The Middle East. This means "The January 6th Insurrection" means The Bunkerboy is guilty of "HIGH TREASON" punishable, by law, by HANGING.
Dictator is accurate but not pejorative enough.
Evil pure and simple!
Hubert, “coward” is a good word to use because that’s what Donald Trump basically is — most bullies are cowards, confront them, challenge them and they don’t know what to do and they back down.
Trump is a complete asshole and less than 1/4 of Americans support him. Many Americans no longer participate in politics because they do not believe anything the politicians say any longer.
That one will do nicely.
And the there's the insecurity behind getting Daddy's approval from beyond the grave ..
It's not just Trump. It's Americans. Haven't you noticed that the military never takes on any adversary that can fight back? If they've got a nuclear weapon or a bunch of fighter jets that we can't immediately destroy, we stay away. That's why the Iranians are so focused on getting an atom bomb. As soon as they do, the Americans and Israelis will leave them alone.
Put the stronger words (the words you REALLY want to use ) into Google Translate, then tell us how you really feel.
Coward is good.
Bannon is plain evil. Hitler once said, "The masses are stupid. Tell them the same lies and repeat them. Then they will believe you." Bannon has simply undated the same rubbish.
If all Americans care about deeply is their finances while the government is becoming authoritarian, where is our moral spine?
An innocent man is sitting in an El Salvador prison and the government refuses to get him back defying judges and morals, we have a crisis.
The president is planning an expensive, first ever military parade on his birthday and that doesn’t get serious push back.
The government has put in place policies that will cause Americans to die prematurely and it doesn’t get half the congress to act.
Remember, as quickly as they manipulated a financial crash they can get it to go up. All those who cared when they lost money will sigh with relief when it goes back up (I know, that’s how I felt) and meanwhile we are still in a constitutional and moral crisis with a National Security team that endangers all our lives and values.
(Prediction: we will soon hear and see charts that show how wonderful the stock market did after previous disastrous crashes. How much is a hundred dollars of stock worth now if it was held through the depression, 1988 cars, 2008, etc. So just don’t panic and ride it out. )
MAKE AMERICANS SECURE AGAIN fix the defense team and social security.
OVER THE PAST 5 DAYS:
Dow Jones: +6.16%, NASDAQ: +11.44%, S&P: +9.19%, S&P IX volatility: -24.40%
dollar value -3.19%
-
OVER THE PAST MONTH:
Dow Jones: -3.86%, NASDAQ: -3.69%, S&P: -4.25%, S&P IX volatility: +32.77%
dollar value - 3.90%
I answered - predictably for me, since I seldom agree with any predefined survey response, either by upbringing or just plain congenital cussedness - "other."
I have no idea what the economy will be like writ large. However, after consulting my handy-dandy market tracker app I can see in the numbers above significant gains over the past 5 days in the three standard market indices we commonly use, along with a dramatic fall in the volatility - or fear - index. By contrast I see a noticeable fall in the value of the dollar.
So, regardless of the little "crash" everyone got so excited about, the trend is generally upward - except for the dollar value - which explains why there seems to be much more trader confidence, as indicated by the sharp fall in the volatility index.
It would seem that President W.H.Wanker is right about one thing - in the short term - this >may< be a good time to play the "Wheel of Fortune!" The question becomes: "What does that mean for the long term?"
Well, if we look across the past month, we can see a clear contrast between what we see across the month and what we see across the past 5 days. The question of what that means becomes important.
The first thing is that the value of the dollar will probably continue to fall as a result of this masturbatory "trade war." The question on that concerns whether the apparent schizophrenic execution may suggest market manipulation rather than any serious effort to improve and stabilize the US economy. My gut tells me the dollar value will decline sharply at some point.
The next thing concerns whether the market trend in the past 5 days indicates that the trend over that past month bottomed out a couple of days ago and the trend of the last 5 days will continue. Although market performance over the last 5 days seems to have rallied a sharp increase in trader confidence, it >may< suggest that it's a cautious optimism, rather than outright enthusiasm, compared to the overall "fear factor" across the whole month.
What does that mean for the economy generally? The buying power of the dollar will decline commensurately with the dollar. To me that suggests that inflation will grow inversely with respect to the decreasing buying power of the dollar, and although the dollar's value currently appears to be decreasing at a >constant< rate, I fully expect that devaluation >may< accelerate markedly when the tariff threat is fully imposed and kicks in. For example: https://youtu.be/EkGoN3IFcuo?si=dyfMEoDldMnsnfJz
That means that a lot of billionaires will get a lot richer in the coming months, at the expense of those of us who buy the products upon which all their wealth rests, but the increase in their wealth will be offset by its overall decreased buying power.
The decrease in the dollar value at the point of sale will likely not suppress demand so much as make the products less affordable to the buyer, if not out of range. Is the inability to buy the products required in daily life equivalent to suppressed demand? And along with the apparent stagnation of wages and the self-inflicted forced increase in unemployment - government workers by fiat, and in private sector layoffs by necessity, particularly from collapsing small businesses, notably the food & drink sector - the threat of economic stagnation becomes a very real possibility.
In conclusion, what with increased unemployment, stagnation of wages, the probable suppression of demand coupled with the falling value of the dollar, I wouldn't be a bit surprised to see a period of persistent "stag-flation" come to pass. Should that happen, I would also expect to see some really big losses on Wall Street for those who may make out like bandits now.
Whether that all takes place within a 3-month horizon remains to be seen. In all of that, it becomes increasingly important to be centered in finding a balance between our rational and emotional sensibilities. That will be singularly important in the midst of the looming chaos.
A NEW PIECE CONCERNING THE FALLING DOLLAR:
https://youtu.be/NObbefYRW28?si=kgq0sBsYfDVuT8mJ
(While I don't take it to be the last word, it's consistent with my view on the dollar.)
The people doing the counting need to go back to school.
He’s a King!
We are in 1933 Germany. This time we have the mistakes of the past to educate us in the present about what not to do. We must resist this time because we know what will happen if we don't & we are rapidly running out of time in which to prevent what has happened in the past from happening again. Tick, tick.
Typical "Smoke and Mirrors" or Nothing to see behind the curtain (ignore that man)!
In a depression or a recession heading for a depression. All I know this morning, at 4:04 AM, I’m pretty depressed myself.
I lived through one stagflation before. It was pretty bad. This one is going to be much worse. The first time didn’t involve the internal overthrow of our democracy.
“. . . there’s a serious risk of what’s called “stagflation.” Tens of millions of people could be seriously hurt.”
People Forget that at the End of the 1970's, this Country had about 200 Million People... Now we have over 340 Million People... If Stagflation emerges again, expect much worse... The Japanese experienced Stagflation from the 1990's to recently.... They lost an Entire Generation to it....
Good point!
Japan is my second home. They have experienced deflation, not stagflation. They have taken extreme measures to try to stimulate their economy to produce inflation -- but so far all their actions have fallen short.
Thanks Thomas... I was looking at US versus Japan per Capita Growth in 1990 versus 2024... How do you like Japan? How long have you been there?
I'm currently in the US (Georgia) but have family over there. I first got there in 1973. It's not an easy country, even though people are very nice, and I have a LOT of respect for them.
Thanks Thomas... It is very Tough being Japanese... Very Strict Social Protocols... Amazing People... Considering that they rebounded from being Fire-Bombed, & Nuked in WW2, just Amazing... FYI, the Geneticists say that the Japanese, particularly the Ainu, are 1st Cousins to the American Indigenous... American Indigenous Spirituality has some Common Ground with Japanese Shintoism...
Michael, I wanted so badly to offer words of encouragement; however, like you, I am so very depressed!
It helps, Peggy, just knowing that I’m not alone in this, that you are there with me, that people like you are there as well. Together we can help each other, help ourselves. We must.
Absolutely, Michael! I will spend some time today processing everything and will be back to fighting form once I have a handle on it! It is hard, but we definitely must help one another, be there for one another and NEVER give up the fight! Stay strong and stay safe!
I will. And you, and you!
We’ve got to keep protesting as it feels like the only way we can push back.
Absolutely, Bj5276! We mustn't let up on our protests, letter writing, postcards, petitions and phone calls. You are right, that is exactly how we push back!
It’s getting much harder to be optimistic and encouraging, isn’t it, Peggy? I agree with Michael Roseman and others, I’m sure, that knowing we’re not alone in the struggle to “stay strong and safe” is where we can find encouragement and maybe even optimism.
Right there with you Michael! Praying we can survive this nightmare with our country back to where it was with our Constitution upheld. I our elected officials would come out of their coma and do something. The line from the old song, "You Don't Know What You've Got till it's Gone".
I sure hope we get that chance, that we don’t have to wait a decade, or two, or three. I want to know that my children will have a chance to live without fear, to have their fair share of happiness.
But how much will be left when this regime falls as it inevitably must? How much will we have to rebuild?
From what I am reading on my substacks, Michael, there will be quite a lot we have to rebuild. That is the time we must fight for Economic Democracy and stakeholder capitalism. That is the time we must end Citizens United and ensure a strict code of ethics for the supreme court justices! We must eliminate dark money from politics and ensure transparency from our government. We the People must become avid watch dogs to guarantee none of this back room wheeling and dealing is taking place. We must demand our two parties or three work together for every single American. We must work hard to mend the shattered pacts with our allies and assure them we will not allow this to ever happen again in America! We must once again provide aid and relief to those around the world that need us. It is a monumental undertaking! We need those younger voices to become our leaders!
Oh, I agree so much with everything you wrote, Peggy. It will be hard work, but also good and necessary work. We must also become honest stewards of the land, protecting our living planet for our children and for its own sake. And we must never lose sight again of the needs and hopes of rural America and make sure they feel included in our renewed democracy, and that they know they have a future, while also ensuring that the forces of greed and hate can never pit people against each other as they have for generations. In many senses, the Civil War never really ended. In the coming restoration, we must heal the wounds on all sides and go forward as a people united.
Absolutely, Michael! Well said!
We have HOPE that the rule of law, our elected officials, and the people will do what is right and that we will retain the country we love and not hand it over to these lawless, self indulgent, evil, unqualified people who are at this moment ruining/running the country!
Well said.
The question I still have is if and when will the near-majority of people who voted for Trump peel away from him. Will they ever recognize that their self-interest and even their survival depends on rejecting his siren lure of destruction? Will they give up on their “revenge” on the rest of us?
I hope they will realize it Michael. I think many are starting to see that they were scammed. Maybe the majority of them will realize the lies. T.
They will peel away from Trump when they get hungry, but cannot buy food. The question is "Do Trump and followers have the innate management skills to keep a hungry population weak, but still productive?"
North Korea has those management skills; they are well demonstrated in the entire Korean culture.
I see nothing like that strength in Trump and the culture he is trying to build. Poor management will be his downfall.
Geography will play an important roll. Modern history demonstrates the pitfalls of a lack of respect for geography.
You make a good point. But there are a lot of variables which make me uncertain of the actual outcome. I can only hope we don’t have to find out. Regardless of what would actually happen, it would be very ugly.
Agree. I think the a recession within 3 months…but will evolve into a multi-year depression. Currency manipulation, trade wars, AI, Insider trading being done by the people directly responsible for overseeing market movements. There are no longer any standards of ethics…ethics shift or do not apply in 2025.
I was scared and unhappy. What is helpful to me is joining indivisible and finding liberal groups and demonstrations near me. It helps to know that I am not alone.
Yes, it really helps a lot.
Trump is trashing America and the Putin Party, formally the GOP, are supporting this dismantling of our democracy. He has already ruined our country’s credibility with all the other countries in the world. His manipulation of the stock market alone should be enough for impeachment. His ridiculous tariffs, especially on China, are going to cost us for decades. How much longer will Congress allow this madness to continue?
This Congress? Forever, I think. They must be voted out of office. If we can. If there are fair elections. If there are elections.
Operative word here is “IF”….🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻
Yes
Yeah - IF!
Hell, let's stage our own insurrection and DRAG them out of office!
There is a quote my father used and I believe it is the psychology Trump is using; “A stick raised is better than a stick used.” Trump believes he is holding “The sword of Damocles" over the heads of state all over the world. In this case China is the most effective leader against Trump. He is basically saying to Trump, “F you as we will find other markets for our incredible ability to manufacture vast amounts of goods cheaper than anyone else.” Trump was planning to get the most income from tariffs on China and this is now appropriately backfiring.
Al little addition to think about here too. He has saddled us with a problem internally also. We'd have to go through the entire government structure to restore the internal problems he has created also. That is something that will take some time, probably past my lifetime.
I know it will be past mine, Harvey, but if we could get it moving in the right direction, hopefully, the young whipper snappers will pick up the reins and keep moving in the right direction!
As I have said before, we have the ENTIRE workings of the federal government to go through. DOGE has implanted software to monitor what is going on, maybe even to change the workings back. We have to worry about WHO is monitoring the workings also. It has all got to be changed back to work for us, the American public, instead of the rich. At this time we all agree that is the first priority for us. Then, the bigger problem, world leadership and world peace. We've got the trust of the worlds leaders to gain back also. We've got a big problem on our hands, all created by Trump and Musk, Maybe Putin too.
In the meantime, we will have to reach back and reconnect with the “young whippersnapperl that resides in each of us.
So true, Marc!
We can’t leave it to them as they’re the ones that put us here.
When the craziness of this period in our history is over, and it will be, we will be handed a golden opportunity to replace what was with a more representative and egalitarian form of government and economy. Out of the rubble that Trump will have left us, comes a great opportunity to again become leaders in innovation on the planet. This is an opportunity we cannot afford to miss.
Surprisingly we have to thank China for saying “F you” to Trump!
I am glad to see that happening, Marc!
"The sickening secret sauce to Trump's political success."
"THE ANSWER: Racism.
THE QUESTION: How in the hell did we get here?
There is no other way to explain the American-attacking Trump’s rise to power, and most important, his ability to hold onto it despite being easily the stupidest, most dishonest, and openly bigoted man to ever step foot in our White House.
Just four years after trying to take a blowtorch to our votes, he is busy incinerating our life’s savings, and making measles great again, yet tens of millions of Americans are still stubbornly standing in his corner no matter what.
And I am not talking about the millionaires and billionaires who have gobs of money to gain while these markets are intentionally shorted, either. I am talking about Joe and Jane America, who are watching their retirement savings go up in smoke. I am talking about farmer Fred, whose Trump sign that he has defiantly planted in his field is now worth more than the crops he is growing at a loss.
I am talking about people who you know, and maybe even live with.
Go ahead and say what you want about this wretched, burnt-orange monster (please), but it's your friends and family who still support him who are to blame for this terrible, terrible mess we are in right now.
Without them, there is no him." (Raw Story)......
https://www.rawstory.com/raw-investigates/trump-secret-sauce/?u=7b9efb3185bef2bd309f85021fcf366956aa9a477375b276f5af3843618fd1f1
No, it's not racism or a secret sauce because Trump is the weapon not the leader. The real coup is led by Charles Koch and a cabal of billionaires who combined their corporate financial power to buy the government. Their bought judges have perverted the Constitution, and in their final solution for democracy, Trump is their nuclear weapon. Like a real nuke, Trump will leave the lands he touches poisoned for a generation. The oligarchs though they could control Hitler. The American oligarchs similarly think they can control their Frankenstein monster, but he has already exploded on the American economy and our leadership in the world. Greece is what happens when a nation loses its credit and credibility, and to this day, they still struggle. It took second to destroy Hiroshima. It took a generation to rebuild it. DEI won't matter (equity in worthless stocks? included in what?) when we all are poor. Trump is proving DEI cannot exist without democracy, so get your priorities straight on saving the system that made it possible. Racism is a symptom, not the disease, which is unbridled greed for money and power.
American needs to be thankful that Trump and Musk both have egos so huge that major screw ups, a complete absence of linear planning, and delegating to dimwits all don’t phase them. They don’t care how poorly they’re doing all this.
They’re not leaving bread crumbs, they’re leaving loaves.
Imagine what fun it would be if a half dozen members of the #SecretSaneGOPCaucus decide to flip power in the House completely. Prof Reich knows about this because he talked about parts of this concept in January 2023.
A half dozen declare themselves independent and caucusing with Dems who then claim the majority. They pay back this favor by nominating one of the SSGC guys as Speaker as long as they get a couple of committee chairs and committee majorities as part of the deal.
Those committees can then start investigating these mountains of evidence of lawbreaking, Constitution shredding, and firing all the Inspector Generals without due process so the gutting of the government could start immediately.
Also picture on the stand Musk facing all his criming along with whatever paper trail exists justifying all the firings and verifying alleged gains in “efficiency.”
And why not dip into Trunp’s emoluments breaches because heck, any Republicans that want to keep their seats in the Senate will know that the 18% of people that still can’t face reams of evidence will not deliver reelection. The prospects of them keeping their careers moving will require a vote to impeach, then a yes,vote in the No Kings Act to overturn the absurd presidential immunity SCOTUS decision.
So Republicans, saving America is in your court. Be heroes for the centuries or #CowardlyComplicit in squandering almost all of America’s greatness, lighting the fuse on civilization, and ensuring at least 10 feet of sea level rise by 2100.
Yes, that’s what inaction can ensure.
Achieving Honorable Democracy, your solution is so clear! That would definitely work! Because of that, the powers that be will never use it. Why? Because there isn't a republican politician with enough backbone to move to independent and caucus with Democrats! Even if their constituents demanded they do just that, they are more scared of the orange man than the people that put them in office! I would absolutely love to see that happen!
Slight alteration of the above plan. Passing then overriding the veto of the No King’s Act would be the proper flow of things. That way no retribution that Trump wants to fling won’t have the teeth that he thinks. All it will deliver is more evidence for impeachment because that is a law that he will definitely try to bully his way out of enforcement.
That would be amazing!!
Trump, Vance, Musk, Trump's Cabinet, GOPs, J6s, are the ones who should be incarcerated in El Salvador.
Or stopped somehow.
"Marjorie Taylor Greene made some shady stock trades before tariff flip-flop. A reminder: Martha Stewart did time in a federal prison for way less." (Daily Kos)......
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/4/11/2315929/-Marjorie-Taylor-Greene-made-some-shady-stock-trades-before-tariff-flip-flop
I don't see us recovering even if Donald Trump would suddenly resign or die of natural causes right now. We have lost the trust of the entire world now. We could recover from the economic disaster he has put in place fairly fast but the nations that depended on us and the leadership we furnished are gone, probably for many generations down the road. Trust is something that is slow to come back. Then, we've still got the leadership of the Republican party to contend with for three and a half years yet if he should suddenly leave or resign.
Seems to me we will still be reckoning with the oligarchs who put JD in the vice presidency. They are bound and determined to cut off almost all funding for everything except the military, so as to reduce their tax burden, already remarkably light considering the share of the economic pie they own or at least control.
Yes, that is secondary though. I always thought that Americans were smart but it certainly looks like they fell for ever lie put forward by Trump. They voted him into office again after being impeached twice, convicted for rape, and 34 other items, including income tax evasion. We've got the upcoming mid-term to throw as many Republicans out of office as we can. Then the general election before we BEGIN to repair the mess created by Trump and big money.
The leadership including JD Vance, a frightening prospect in iself.
Yes, he is another mess I haven't addressed yet. I guess we need to throw in Trump's entire cabinet too. I've just never seen a situation like he has: If he considers you his enemy, he'll get even. What a mess.
It will (would) take a tentative generation — at best.
I agree with you, only I think the trust of the rest of the world will never return. Our days as the economic leader are over and we will be only one of many democracies. And that's only if we aren't part of the Axis powers.
I have to agree with you totally here. I know I'll never see the nation totally restored in my lifetime.
I lived through a depression, where the Hungarian pengo was so inflated ( I might have written about it before) that my Father 's monthly salary -he was a high school teacher- bought a glass for tooth brushes in the bathroom. We farmed in our backyard, raising onions, potatos and had some fruit, and a cow for milk and cheese. It was backbraking work, I, as a child sometimes almost passed out in the hot summer heat.It was in the forties, WW II
Eva Foreman
Fascinating. Thank you for sharing. I hope that is not our future, but it could be. If it is, millions, those without backyards, those too ill or too old, aren’t likely to make it.
The days of many generations in one household may return. Except people don't have that mindset any longer. Gramma may get shuffled from one home to another. Most people live paycheck to paycheck. No savings, but lots of debt already.
"The Social Security Administration spends a lot of time and money making sure that it finds out when people die. Now, Donald Trump and Elon Musk are using that work to attack legal immigrants, by declaring them dead in Social Security’s Death Master File.1
Because Social Security’s Death Master File is used by banks, credit bureaus, and other financial institutions, Trump and Musk are claiming the power to legally declare their enemies dead with a simple keystroke―with no oversight.
We have stood up to Trump and Musk before, and we’ve won! We can do it again! They have backed down when we pushed back on stealing our sensitive data and on slashing services Social Security allows you to access over the phone. We can win this too."
Social Security Works
I still find it amazing a “businessman” can lose money running 3 casinos. One has to be a really awful “businessman” to succeed at this kind of failure!
I am very concerned about what this economic thrashing is doing to the agriculture industry. No spring planting…no food….
One year missing from the food chain, even partially, will be devastating!
Look at what Russia did to Ukraine in 1933 (hint, man-induced famine-Holodomar).
Our very successful food bank here where I live, it was revealed on the local news, won't be receiving anymore agricultural products! So they will be more dependent on the local people to help them. WHAT IS WRONG WITH TRUMP???
He and his henchmen are terminally greedy and sadistic to boot.
You are so right! They absolutely do not care. Not even what happens to the MAGA followers, much less the rest of us.
That can’t last for long. People in WW II did victory gardens to grow extra food.
Trump sees the general populace of the world as disposable pawns or worse, parasites.
I fear that the worst is yet to come and it’s coming fast. The fabric of American life is unraveling and being ripped apart so quickly that we are, I’m afraid, unaware of what lies ahead. The superficial surface of society may still appear smooth, but the functional underpinnings of government have been chainsawed and “doged” into rubble. Soon, the society, services and institutions that worked well but went unnoticed will be fully destroyed and dysfunctional. The end times will be apparent when food store shelves are always nearly bare … when eggs go for $40 per dozen, and half rotten apples for two bucks each… when shortages of everything abound… when unemployment and destitution are widespread, while oligarchs live in luxury… when we get used to armed men strolling the streets, ready to snatch folk who… “don’t look right.”
Probably people like us.
That is how I feel most of the time these days. Every day more of their goals are accomplished. There will be no way of turning back. Those midterm elections people are hoping will change things are not going to be elections as we know them, but as the Russians do.
My pessimistic impression is he decided that we were headed into a recession during his administration, so make it a big one, the biggyest ever. This coupled with bringing down his wrath on his enemies (everyone that is not rich). ie. The stupid that wanted a living wage, kindness, compassion, love, charity, hope (used to be Christian values).
I'm glad you mentioned his incredible need for revenge and retribution. Sometimes in the midst of all the disasters, I let that recede to the back of my mind. It keeps him in the headlines while real regime leaders do the work.
A brain-dead megalomaniac, surrounded by adoring sycophants and supported by millions of unperceptive hate-filled American voters, brought us to this impending financial collapse. This then has the potential of expanding into a shooting world war. Here we have a madman who would be king. I think that only when MAGA crazies become seriously financially injured, only then will they start to defect in large numbers, only then will the Republican Congress know their days are numbered and out of self-preservation act to save our nation.
I feel that once it is declared that the US is an ally of Russia, we will be close to that world war.