Trump is just simply following Hitler’s playbook, which is: if you state a lie, loud enough and often enough people will begin to take it as truth. This is the problem with an uneducated electorate.
To those of us who put much stock in logic and reasoning, are astounded that someone such as Donald Trump can simply tie in to peoples raw emotions and suppressed anger and get such a strong powerful response from them.
Unfortunately, Biden‘s rational and compassionate response to the attempted assassination of Donald Trump literarily falls on the deaf ears of those that are either strong Trump supporters or even lean towards Trump. Trump’s instincts are obvious. Even after being grazed by a bullet, as he’s led off the stage, he pumps his fist and shouts fight, fight fight! Obviously the rational and compassionate response by Biden does not carry the passion that voters are looking for. It is not simply that Joe Biden stumbled during the first presidential debate, but to oppose Trump we need someone who can speak with equal passion.
But it was not a debate : tRump answered no questions, and the CNN "moderators" did not moderate. Nonstop lies were tolerated, while Biden had only two minutes to reply. Gish Gallop is a cheating tactic for debaters who wanna 'win' , and there are no guardrails .
Thank you Laurie, for emphasizing this. I have been writing this in every post I can. No matter WHAT the question trump answered with the same idiotic lies about immigrants flooding the country with "criminals of whatever variety he chose" and patients from mental institutions. Jake Tapper did nothing, Dana Bash at one point tried, unsuccessfully, to get der donald to answer ONE question.
Fay , It's nice to see that I'm not the only one to notice that this was not a real debate, It was used as a backdrop to make President Biden look inept. I would like to see ANYONE look like a 'winner' in this kind of sham "debate". even if young , unstressed by long hours of travel, and knife edged diplomacy, and well rested.
Laurie, Biden was not "stressed by long hours of travel." He'd been back in the U.S. for 12 days. If you are going to keep harping on the NOT debate, at least be honest about the details!
I agree Joe Biden’s debate performance was horrible but Trump’s over 30 LIES was also disgusting! This race still boils down to me is do Americans want to give up 248 years of democracy for Traitor Trump and his new phony sidekick JD whatever his name is? Do Americans want to see this great economy crater as foreign investors pull all of their monies out of the U.S. economy? Do women want even more of their control over their bodies taken away by Trump/Vance? Either get behind Biden/Harris or this election will be the last in your life! Trump will try to become the new Fuhrer as he struts around now with his bandage on his ear when he should get down on his knees and thank God that the bullet was not even 0.5 inches towards his head because that bullet would have killed him. Please remember that little JD blamed the Democrats for this assassination attempt!!! Total BS!!!
Klare K. ; I was under the impression that President Biden had very recently returned from travelling a few time zones. If that inspires you to call me "dishonest" ; have at it!
Laurie, So what, he is behind in the polls. Why? Can you say 2025 project and they support Russia and are anti-NATO. And half the electorate supports him. And he is a criminal, a pathological liar, and a pathological narcissist. Tell me there isn't something rotten in Denmark.
HarveyKravetz : Beware the polls. They mostly are owned by billionaires. They predicted a Red Wave in the midterms. It was not happening. Same with the media.
Yeah - I don’t understand how they poll the general public - it’s not phone calls as no one answers their cell phones if they don’t recognize the number - and the polling on the FB etc is asking for donations before you complete the poll- it’s a turnoff - you can’t donate every time … unless you are a TrumpTard
Elections are decided not by the party bases, but by the large number of uninformed and misinformed voters who typically choose the candidate they feel they can relate to, like someone they could have a beer with. This choice is heavily influenced by how the candidate is perceived. Issues, policies, and accomplishments often take a backseat. Currently, Trump is seen as strong and decisive, while Biden is viewed as old and frail. For many voters, perception is their reality. Our hope lies with women who should be outraged about having their rights taken away, and with those who recognize Trump for what he truly is and do not succumb to fear, hatred, or anti-____ sentiments, which form the core of Trump’s appeal.
More than one reason to dismiss the polls. Just a snapshpt. Most people won't reply accurately. The questions are loaded. Don't count newly registered people, people who only vote occasionally, etc.
Like I said yesterday, it motivates most of us to worry less, do more. Gestalt therapy? FIGHT BACK! Register more Democrats. Swamp Republicans. Millions of unregistered trend Democratic. In the past 2 years 84,000 have been purged in Baghdad By the Sea. .
FT 6 has texted well over a million in the past several days. Thanks to a donor, texts to Arizona today and tomorrow. https://www.fieldteam6.org/
Daniel - I hope you're correct. I fear you're wrong. The polls act almost as truth and direction to those voters we're concerned about. They take the message of the polls to be "this is who to vote for", "this is what everyone is doing". to be in the "in crowd", to be with the winners, this is who to vote for. I will gladly eat crow if I'm wrong. But if I'm correct, believe drumpf when he says he will come for you. yes, we're old, but we still need our pensions and social security. they will come for that. what's left of medical care? they'll finish that off. women's rights? barefoot and pregnant. Biden will be in jail. remember, the orange stain will be king. you ignore the supreme court ruling at your peril. there is only one way to stop this juggernaut, and I don't believe the ballot box will work, because the oligarchs have the money, will, and talent to subvert and steal this upcoming election. there's been much written in the progressive media about these machinations. Here's a sampling:
Nevada GOP Officials’ Refusal to Certify Election Results Is “Unlawful,” Says AG | Truthout
Inside Ziklag, the Christian-Right Group Trying to Sway the 2024 Election — ProPublica
New Georgia Law Spurs Bogus Challenges to Voter Eligibility | Brennan Center for Justice
Polls were wrong in 2016, 2020, 2022. This year in France and other countries. If it means anything a better correlation are the markets. Highest of all time. Check out Alan Lichtman. Beats the polls.
The reason is that statistics do not measure motivation very well. At the same time that consumers generally think things are bad, the markets break records.
I'm hoping that on a fundamental basis, women outnumber men and will be motivated in states like mine where abortion is on the ballot.
Biden can be impassioned, he is just not theatrical - which apparently is the only emotion to which trump's voters respond. Biden gave great impassioned speeches at the State of the Union, and in Normandy as well as many campaign rallies. He just doesn't, like a monkey, wrap his tail around the flagpole, er arms.
I don't know about Denmark : but most media and polls are owned and operated by billionaires. Who don,'t give a rat's behind 🤔 about the Common Good, or Democracy.
I don't think that most of his voters know what NATO is, much less how it preserved the peace in Europe for 75 years until Putin invaded Ukraine. They believe their cult leader who tells them that we are being ripped off because member states aren't paying their fair share towards the costs of maintaining the alliance and laughing at us! Whether or not you believe that Europe ought to share more of the burden is besides the point. You don't throw out the baby with the bathwater. Trump's zero sum game with NATO is about one thing only - making it as easy as possible for Putin to roll in and roll over the former SSR's and rebuild the former USSR, this time without a Communist ideology, but a Fascist one instead.
But who really wants snake oil? Especially when their daughter gets pregnant and is thrilled, but she and her partner learn that the pregnancy is not viable, and her life is in danger, and there is a total ban on reproductive care.
I am glad that Biden is an honest man (for a politician) and not a snake oil salesman. It's tough to compete against a totally corrupt liar like Trump. Many prefer Trump's oily lies to Biden's unvarnished truth telling.
Laurie--How would they handle the over 200,000 ectopic pregnancies this country must deal with each year? That pregnancy has no chance of ever ending in a viable birth. Are they just going to let those women die a horrible death, all because some religious freak thinks he can talk to God.
Good question, Donald. I used to think that IVF could bypass the fallopian tubes with a simple transfer of the fertilized egg into the uterus. But they want to ban IVF treatments, too. The egg is fertilized in a petri dish. Avoiding the chance of implantation in the narrow fallopian tube.a very serious situation where the ectopic pregnancy is usually fatal if not treated quickly. J D Vance is especially on board for this Draconian oppression of women, girls and their families. TRump wants deniability. Vote Biden/Harris!
Women will be denied voting rights next after fetus blockades. I grieve for women without choices. I flashed back decades ago when Ms magazine first appeared and I subscribed for all its life. My husband had cheated on me during engagement & our brief marriage and left me a single jobless parent while he and she were married two weeks after divorce decree.My lawyer forced child support
On me, saying it was for care till her school age. When that was settled, he said that the two colluders had not been offered contracts for the next school year. Also said that he was Chair of their school board.
Years later I had a strong marriage for 35 years with an honest man who died of heart ♥️ attack in his sleep, now years later beginning 8th year of marriage with a Prince of a man. These two were in different unions in different states and the deceased and now retired were both active union members. Unions were never helped during all their years by ‘publicans, certainly none who is on a rerun of his clown show as prez45. May folks not fall into sympathy for Saturday night shots wherein a real hero died and two others injured as a subdued in public reminds us of VanGogh (with his bandaged ear), a man who cannot bring unity to USA divide because he has no sense of what unity means to our future, nor will he even read 2025 900pp b4 implementing all the changes they will make for us oldies, selling our own birthrights, plus those of our children, grands and generations beyond, possibly irretrievably.
I have watched Biden for many years and his attempts to run for president. He was always terrible at running for president. But I always thought he would be a great president and he has not disappointed.
Tim Baldwin ; Snake oil salesman is a strong point!? He Is a frontman for the big bucks crowd : , But do we really "need" him? To get back into power and greenlight all the crooks? while he robs our treasury for them? ( They want 5 trillion this time), This will be the biggest heist in History, if they get away with it! We don't need Biden to be Him, (he would not anyway). Trump is still a Russian Plant. Biden is the true Patriot here.
We are screwed if Trump gets his taxcuts - Ukraine is screwed if Trump flips the senate - SS and Medicare gone- ACA gone- dept of Education gone- dept of labor - gone FBI and DoJ under his direction - SC packed with his Aileen Cannons
President Biden said that there is no place for violence in politics and condemned the attack on his opponent. He even tried to offer condolences to the family who lost their husband,/,father. They refused. Like a loyalist to Trump would: most likely. Not wanting to be seen as disloyal. Fear is part of it.
If the Democrats truly wish to win the next presidential election, they will have to douse the voting public with a firehose of truth in order to counter Trump’s firehose of lies. Obviously, simply speaking, the truth does not do it; it has to be shouted by all Democratic speakers for truth to have any impact. As of now, I believe Joseph Biden would make the best president, but Joe Biden is not the best one to beat Donald Trump at his own game.
I'm also thinking "Trump failed." He failed at business, he failed as president, he failed as a candidate (accepting the results only if you win constitutes failure). Repeat as often as possible. His supporters like him in large part because they view him as very successful.
He is the orange antichrist. Depends, If they think he lies for Christ, must break that connection.
Veterans. "Not suckers or losers" works. 4 million people on Facebook are veterans or active duty members. 12.5 million people on Facebook are family members of a veteran or an active duty member. 242 million people on Facebook are friends with one or more veterans or active duty members. Say the magic words daily, as a mantra on military, history sites, and see what happens. https://rvat.org/
“The Trump proposal would cut SSI by more than $8 billion over the next decade, shrinking benefits for roughly a quarter of a million children with disabilities by between 38 and 66 percent. It would also increase SSI’s administrative costs and improper payments”.
Imo, there's plenty of 45's words, actions, appointments to fill a plethora of Biden/Harris campaign ads and speeches. Me? I recommend their campaign choose THREE a week from now until the election and push, push, push those truths into the public consciousness. For instance, I am an extremely educated voter and never was aware of NLRB appointments by 45! The need for voter education is GINORMOUS!
Daniel, Hitler hated people with disabilities, who weren't perfect specimens of the Aryean (sp??) race. Trump taking yet another page from Hitler's playbook!
Katherine, yes we need to be doing the shouting also; we should not be shy about stating or shouting the truth boldly. That has been one of Robert Reich’s points, and he has been setting an example with Inequality Media and their many videos. I wish I had half the vigor and energy as Robert. He never “retired,” he simply repurposed. That is why I support Inequality Media with regular monthly donations. If we are not in a position to shout, then we should support those that state truth boldly on our behalf.
First, Traitor Trump was hit by a glass shard from the teleprompter. I have fired my brother’s AR-15 from about 100 yards at 2 X 6 thick wooden boards and the bullet traveling at 3,000 feet per second utterly destroyed the wooden targets. 3,000 feet per second is over 0.5 miles per second! Second, President Biden was the FIRST president to ever walk a union picket line (the UAW strike) and Traitor Trump’s response was to go to a non-union car supplier’s factory and bring in some MAGA to pretend they worked at the factory! The MAGA hate fest disguised as their national convention is all pure propaganda!!
Hey , didn't Sean O'Brien just bravely "shout" on the loudspeaker at the RNC? That took bravery, even though it may have fallen on deaf ears. The curious in the Democrat party and the Independents who may have seen it , in addition to the Republicans. Most workers would like the kind of pay and benefits he described ; along with being respected and valued.
Some auto workers are climate change deniers and oppose the transition to EVs. Trump is confirming their bias, and, with his usual, pathological hyperbole, he claims that Biden is pro Communist China.
Mark, who cares what injured his ear ?He hit the ground before the Secret Service could react. I assume the SWAT team on the other roof (there were 3 roofs) killed the sniper. The other 2 roofs were unguarded. Not the very best security.
Joan, I have been a scientist for over 44 years now and it is hard for me to not “analyze” things! Yes, the Secret Service failed miserably to have a sniper with an AR-15 rifle get to an elevated position within 130 yards of Trump!!!
I saw Trump’s wound in a picture. It was above the ear hole by about 0.75 inches. If the bullet flying at 3,000 feet per second had struck that spot, the ear would have been torn off. Sorry, a physics major in college; the kinetic energy of the bullet is (mass) times (velocity squared) divided by two. Again, a relatively large bullet traveling at 3,000 feet per second fired from 130 yards is going to impart a huge amount of kinetic energy. The bullet could have hit the metal stand holding the teleprompter and a metal shard hit Trump! My point is something other than the bullet hit Trump’s ear!
Mark Lee Witten ; That makes sense. Because it would look like a projectile shown in a picture of the speeding "bullet". Of course, certain people may want to keep the bullet thing going. I noticed Trump turning his head, so the bandage can be clearly seen when the camera showed him reacting to the admiration for him by Sean O'Brien , for trump allowing him to speak as a keynote speaker.
I believe you, Mark. I picked up on that right away when law enforcement was just beginning to comment on the investigation, and they said they didn't know at that point if it was glass or a bullet.
Not realistic--the media is focused on Biden. Biden is what the public will
be listening to---those that will listen. His delivery is just so poor most of the time--weak voice, vocal stumbles. His logic and memory are pretty good. But really---four more years?
Marc Nevas : That is like saying that President Biden should be a loudmouth ignorant bloviator spewing bombast and untruths. Along with threats. you can't win by imitating a loser.
Biden is who he is. He is a good and decent man, dedicated to the American people and his job and has done and is doing a great job as a president. However, we have never had an opposition candidate who follows the playbook of a wannabe dictator. This takes completely different tactics. Remember, Trump rolled right over Hillary Clinton, and she is no dummy. If Biden stays in the race, he will need to take much more aggressive tactics, and he will need his surrogates to engage in some of the most vicious attacks against Trump. The mainstream media is hungry for a horse race, let’s give it to them!
Laurie, you've made a good point. Imitating tRump by yelling and geeting mad t I show animation won't work! Watch the Orange Martry...he riles with words and sarcasm and lies, crafted to get the PEOPLE to get aggitated & yell. He doesn't! So Biden has to get razor focused on naming the threat in real world words. And stop apologizing and defending... be self-righteous in his belief in his own actions! We gotta win!
No lying and ranting - just expose all of Trumps garbage in full view - like where are his tax returns ? Where are his education records ? How many times did he file bankruptcy on a startup company? What kind of relations did he have with mcdougal while married?
What quips did he mention in men’s magazines about women’s features in detail ? How many days did he go without a press conference while in office?
Marc Nevas: Thank you for clearly identifying what we face: Biden is the best president and will be the next best president. However, at the moment, he is not what the country needs. The country needs someone who will beat Trump; that someone is not Biden. We cannot continue hiding our heads to what is now clearly stated.
Marc Nevas: That is because it is a losing game. We don't need or want games. Joe Biden deserves our vote. The more they hate on him, the more it is apparent that they fear him. Bigger reason to support him.
Marc--That's not true. I'm uneducated, compared to many, yet I can see the truth. Trump is a human toad, and the man consumes the flies that are attracted to his excrement. It's far too early to use the word "Shit" in my post.
The "uneducated" MAGA in my family haven't read a book in years and watch garbage TV shows (ghost hunters, hillbillies looking for Bigfoot, etc.) along with Fox News. They have no interest in improving their minds or understanding what is happening in America. They let Fox News spoon feed them what to believe. These are the people Marc is referring to, not you.
Donald, whether you consider yourself educated or not, you obviousky can use the reasoning side of your brain well. The tRumpophiles use only the emotional part ofctheir brains and therby susceptible to his ideas and lies. Classic fascism ... they aren't and won't listen to reasoned responses. I don't know how to change that until they "wake up" from the delusion. That's why they fear the word "woke".
They showed a very slick playbook last night, I must say. The "Labor Run Right" was a good one. The "Hero sneak" was good. My favorite was the "White trash sweep left."
I turned on the TV and saw an attractive woman with a TATOO on her FOREHEAD. Yes, a tattoo on her forehead! WTF!? If that wasn't crazy enough, the tat appeared to say "Stupid B*tch." I thought this is the crazier tattoo I've ever seen, next to the swastika on Charles MANSON'S forehead! I could not believe my eyes!
Isn't the old joke, "do I look like have stupid written across my forehead?" She said something like... "I did my research on Donald Trump..." I was waiting for the punch line. "Do I look like I have stupid idiot written across my forehead?" Lol. 🤣
That was the craziest looking person I've ever heard speak at either convention, by far! It really looked like the tacky cursive writing said "stupid (B-word)." No joke! It can't be, I thought. But that's what it looked like. I could not believe my eyes. Maybe that says, "White trash," I laughed. I can't make this up. It's true!
Indeed, the "White Trash sweep to the left" was a good play. The RNC must've called Central Casting and said, "send us an attractive, young woman with the craziest face tattoo ever. We don't care if it LITERALLY says stupid across her forehead, or something totally crass. We're going for the young, neo-Nazi, white supremacist, trailer park white trash crowd." 🤣🤣🤣
trump has a lot of advantages right now. The courts are in his pocket. The assassination attempt has made commentators afraid to even suggest a criticism of him. I watched a CNN session last night and Chris Wallace made the comment that it turned into a Biden Bashing. They are afraid to bash trump. They won't stop bashing Biden.
Yes, but could the lies flourish if the MSM would stay on the subject until the truth was established? What is more of a threat: the past day of 01/06/2021, or the everyday common belief that the election was stolen? I submit that the latter is a present* and continued threat to Democracy, and the former is a past* threat.
It's irresponsible and unacceptable that the MSM does not continue to address J6 until the truth is evident for all. Trump and others must admit that J6 was based on lies, and they knew the election was not stolen.
I will add that the continued belief that the 2020 election was stolen, which makes J6 justified to many, will eventually and inevitably do irreparable harm to our democracy. This may include enabling a second Trump Administration.
I will also add that the DNC's passiveness on excusing the the truth of J6 is unacceptable, derelict and egregious. I cannot control the MSM. I can tell the DNC they must change and do better.
Trump doesn’t care - he’s a psychopath- I’ve been telling people for 3 years - he doesn’t care about anyone but Trump. If his son or daughter was hit by a sniper 4 days ago, he would have still rose up with a fist in the air instead of worrying about - is everyone ok?
I saw several uneducated tRump voters get up and walk out of a Trump rally, after he went on a tangent about electric boats and sharks. As they were leaving. He said " just go 🚶♀️ 😳 🚶♂️, I don't care! All I want is your votes!
I was a member, Union officer, and a wage-rate committee man for 35 years of the United Steelworkers Union and they never supported any GQP President or had anything to do with the GQP. They condemned the GQP policies and never said anything good about them or ever endorsed a GQP politician. The MAGAT GQP and Donald TUMP are blatantly lying through their teeth when they say they are ''pro union.'' They are very, very, anti-union to the extreme. The MAGAT GQP apparently do not ever tell the truth about anything! They are truly the scum that exists in the bottom of cesspools.
Also, the UAW is solidly for Biden/Harris. That Sean Obrien of the Teamsters union should resign for being so cozy with those MAGA creeps. Their members should demand it!
It seems that the poorly educated are much more gullible than the educated people. It's astonishing that so many people are attracted to TUMP. I have never liked him. He has always come off as an arrogant, narcissistic, self absorbed low-life creep even way before he became a political candidate. His view of women is disgusting to the extreme!
THE saddest/funniest thing is that PRESIDENT BIDEN truly cares about them and gives them what they want. Bunkerboy DESPISES them and would deride PHYSICAL PLEASURE from seeing them die a horrible death!
John, I wish some journalists would point out the many, many times trump and the republicans have bashed the unions and tried to abolish them. If they aired that, then those that are undecided would see the truth.
I wish those ''yellow'' journalists would point that out too, Peggy. Those Rethuglicans have been at bashing unions for a long time. I would like to see the undecided informed about their hate for unions, and be informed over and over again at that horrific ''Project 2025'' disaster of a plan they created. This area i live in has a hate for unions that is truly extreme. The companies here will NOT hire anyone that was a union member in the past regardless of how well qualified they are. There is a large company here that manufactures wire and cable products that even forces their employees to watch violence of clashes between police and union members in film sessions on a regular basis. I live in the state of Georgia, and i just wish i could get away from here. My daughter showed me a billboard yesterday on her phone of the billboard of DJT doing his fist pump. These people disgust me to no end. I saw an article on the ''Raw Story'' website a few minutes ago that some DJT followers were wearing maxi pads on their ears with a red substance on them depicting DJT's bloody ear. These people are sick and it seems they haven't reached adulthood yet. Very disgusting to the extreme!!
I agree, John! I use to live in Georgia and I know what you are talking about! What's funny though, is I moved to Florida!! Totally stupid on my part but my children wanted me close. All I can do is continue to work hard to get President Biden back in the White House and hope our Democracy stands. Vote Blue, America!!
Peggy, i really would like to move to a New England state or even Nova Scotia, Canada if the orange blob of lard is elected Dictator. I want to also continue to work Pres. Biden back in the White House and we get to keep our Democracy. I am also tired of this stifling heat and humidity here. I have to take meds that make me extremely sensitive to heat and i can barely stand to be outside for more than 15 minutes in this horrible heat. I am with you, Vote Blue, America!
I lived in upstate NY for a few years with my daughter; however, the winters wreaked havoc on my tired old joints! Nova Scotia is beautiful and it would be a peaceful place to live if the orange man gets back in the White House. Like you, I am going to work so very hard in the coming months to help President Biden score a huge victory in November and Democrats will win up and down the ballot! Vote Blue, America!!
Winters even here in GA have a bad effect on my joints too, especially my hip joints. It does get cold here, but it doesn't last as long as it does in NY or the general New England states. Last December the temperature dipped to 5F and this past January it went down to 10F. These cold waves here only last 3 or 4 days before rebounding to the 30s at night. However, i can still tolerate cold weather much better than i can this horrible heat and humidity. I actually feel better and more energized in the winter than i do in Summer.
I hope the Democrats can retake the House of Representative and keep the Senate majority in addition to a huge Biden/Harris win. My entire immediate family,( with the exception of my youngest son) votes Democrat, and so do my now grown grandchildren. My youngest son is an intelligent guy that graduated with honors from high school. He has been brainwashed by his MAGA creep best friends and gets angry with me when i badmouth TUMP. Me and him used to be very close, but not much now. The incredible damage that TUMP has did here in the United States is truly astounding in many, many, ways. Words alone cannot express how much i hate and despise him. He is rotten to the core and needs to be deported and have his U.S. citizenship revoked. He is a treasonous traitor and an extreme danger to all of us here in the USA! Vote blue all the way!!!!
It is time to revoke his US citizenship and deport him back to S.Africa and the Murdock clan back to Australia. They came her to our open, liberal, welcoming democracy to make money. They did and that's fine. But now they are spending it trying to destroy the very country that gave them a chance in the first place. Kick their butts out and make them divest any holding they have in the US. None of those chicken-hawks have never served a day defending this country so why should we let them destroy it... just because they have money? Idea; any immigrant coming to the US between 18 and 45 must start serving four years in one of our armed forces within 90 of arriving. If they are under 18 then when they reach that age. If over 45 then serve in some program that helps the poor, needy, homeless, etc. Cheers... GH
As unreliable as i have seen his crappy rockets, i wonder if it would make it to Mars without exploding into a ball of flames? In one clip i saw on a Steven Greer documentary, he tried to land a rocket on the surface of an ocean, it exploded into a thousand pieces.
Nice comment John. My late Dad was a 50 year member of the International Machinist Union and I have his gold membership card framed and hanging on my wall. He always said "The worst Democrat is better than the best Republican when it comes to helping working class families." He predicted Reagan would fire the Air Controllers and before that predicted that Nixon and Kissinger's trip to Communist China to Kiss Mao ass would spell disaster for middle class jobs.
If the Teamster's Union leader thinks making a donation and speaking at the RNC will gain unions any favors if T gets re-elected, then his members need to chip in and get him some serious psychological help. Thank you for your years of service to union families.
My grandfather farmer told me before he died in 1978 to never ever vote for a republican because they are only interested in helping their wealthy patrons and slipping some of those monies in their own pockets. RIP Grandpa Bill because you were right!!!
My ex-wife's Father said the same thing as your grandfather told you, Mark. I had a U .S. Government class in high school and was taught the same thing about the GQP. I also learned that the MAGA extremists types that call themselves, ''Conservatives'' are actually far right ''Reactionaries'' as was the infamous ''John Birch society.'' of the 1960's and the reactionary asshat McCarthy of the 1950's.
John, I am part of your attentive "choir" here. Most every man and some of the women in my extended family were union members, and they were all workers, not entitled toads like drumpf or his throng of disinformed and brain-diseased repug sycophants and MAGAites, the ones defiling Milwaukee with their wretched RNC. With people like these you are wasting your time to attempt to reason, because they do not respond to logic. You could not be more correct.
Dad was the best steelworker that A. O. Smith Corp, on N. 35th in Milwaukee, ever had, a member of the UAW and AFL-CIO for 30 years and mom slung hash at some of the best and worst eateries in this once-fair country, to send their three sons to college. Gramps labored in the hematite mines of Upper Michigan underground for 40 years as a United Mine Workers
member, and it is a miracle that he lived to be 71.
By the way, it isn't God who saved drumpf, but the uncertainty inherent to physical law.
drumpf and his oligarch-backed gatherers of vast wealth are the bane of the producers of
a society devolving into a system with a brutal emperor, a nobility, and an underclass of serfs and the poor. We still have a chance to avert this outcome. Read this article by an immigrant from Germany who witnessed this societal and political decay firsthand as a long-time NYC resident.
Professor Reich: you mentioned that union workers without a college degree favour trump by six percentage points, whereas union workers with a college degree favour biden by 48 percentage points. This shows me the power of a mind that is educated and free to pursue truth: trump is no friend to anyone, especially union workers, and those who have some knowledge of this point are overwhelmingly in favor or biden. i think it is time to teach critical thinking skills in public high schools.
These folks should be reminded again and again about Reagan and the Air Controllers. How hard is to figure that out? REPUBLICANS HATE UNIONS! Cheers... GH
The best example for a teaching moment is this one that were in right now. The P T Barnum School. The tough part is to know who's running this con job. It feels enormous. Are religiously educated people factored in as the supportive dupes? I know they like to believe things.
"Religion can be the opiate of the people" It has been used to oppress for centuries, even millennia. That is why our Republic has a Constitution with the rule that separates church and state. We can have our faith and keep it too, is the idea.
As a retired educator, 110% right! But it is too late to reach many of these voters. Most are unreachable, unless they have an open mind. And many live in a bubble of ignorance, lies, and disinformation. Sadly, change in public policy (as in Biden/Democrat's positive changes) take years to trickle down and be appreciated. The childcare tax credit was an exception, but we failed to extend it.
Republicans believe they OWN the United States and thus can declare some of us squatters , Raise the rent when ever and ignore the obvious need for repairs
Richard Ball: "Raise the rent and ignore obvious repairs" has been happening in the Repub controlled state of Georgia especially in the Atlanta area. I know. I live here. I see this everyday with my own eyes and the Republican newspaper (they do a good job of hiding this but every now and then their Republicanism comes out) the AJC, reports it complete with photos.
Yes, they want to turn our poor corners of the country into slums, and they are the slumlords, US funding infrastructure that they use to run and build their business, or whatever they don't defund so they can raid our treasury. Then they blame US .
HEEEEEYYYY . . . "Us?" . . . It's the same as US!!! U.S. = US!!! HOW can those Traitors NOT see their godking's RAGING Alzheimers?!? Remember: his criminal daddy died with it, but the heavier one is, the faster disease grabs hold.
This is my post from yesterday, but "good, union jobs" makes it fit now. Indeed, "welcome to the Bizarro World, only it's not a Seinfeldian comedy."
I agree Vance is not Presidential material. His comment blaming Biden for the violence is alarming. At their convention, Gun Control will be the elephant in the room. I know someone will make that cartoon.
Vance wrote "Hillbilly Elegy." I do think it is important to understand the plight from Vance's perspective. I get it, but I'm interested to hear what Vance wrote. Surely he wrote that the decline of good, union jobs and the rigging of the system is to blame?
It seems that Dem's infrastructure investment versus Rep's Deregulation is becoming a central campaign debate. If it's not, it must. Let's get down to brass tacks about the decline of the rust belt, shall we?
Voters must know that deregulation does not work. Allowing polluters is what "3rd world countries" do. Ironically, this is what Trump accused the Biden Administration of. Welcome to the bizzaro world, only it's not a seinfeldian comedy. I've said for over 15 years, since Obama vs McCain in '08, that Republican's policy is changing the USA into a 3rd World country. I stand by that statement and have the data to prove it.
JD Vance’s ties to Peter Thiel, the billionaire libertarian indicates that the big bad wolf has snuck into the house is waiting for the GOP to win before revealing himself. Then he can take off his mask to reveal his real intentions of political power which is to devour the worker and the safety nets—Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, etc.
Social Security is not a safety net! I started paying into Social Security in 1969 until today. That is 55 years and counting! I want my monies back and your social security monthly payment is based on your earnings!! it is NOT a safety net because you made contributions to it!!!
Having gone through a high school vocational program to join the printing and allied industry in 1975 there has been an amazing change in printing and allied trades. Most don’t exist due to technological change, automation, PDF, and less reading. There was once the Lithographers Union, I don’t know if that still exists. What I recall was that as the country switched to service jobs in the seventies, all kinds of blue-collar jobs (factory and manufacturing, including using mind and body to make something from scratch) started to disappear. It was clear then that BC workers were expendable and still are. We have an all-but-gone vocational school system. Industrial zones are as hard to find as union shops. Manufacturing, including printing and allied trades, have survived or come back in smaller numbers, and American workers are as productive as they have always been. Many owners of small and medium-sized manufacturing operations want to keep labor costs at a minimum to keep profits going to the family and extended families that own small and medium manufacturing plants, understood, and for many who have worked for such operations, many owners do try to pay decent wages for skilled labor. However, in today’s services industry, in places like Starbucks, UPS, Amazon etc., unions make sense as they help ensure good morale among workers, ensure living wages, and force big companies to play fair. So why don’t we, as a country, support unions? Simple, it takes profits from the pockets of Musk, Bezos, and GM shareholders, and they don’t like that. The difference between a Trump (Republican) administration and a Biden (Democrat) one is a sense of the common good and what it stands for. People must make a choice in November, including whether they want to continue to underpay many unskilled and skilled laborers or embrace the possibility of paying living wages and having some degree of humanity and humility through union labor or want to continue supporting profits for the very few. In Mandate for Leadership 2025, in section three regarding education, it mentions creating more vocational training but no mention of union expansion and or improving the life of Blue-Collar workers. Certainly, why any union leader would think they’ll get something out of the Republicans down the road if they get voted in is naïve.
My deceased husband of 35 years & current one 7 years laughed at that union joke. I as writer knew the lithographer union members b4 all was completed by computers. Still have fascination with a few places where print is set. Government schools will replace public schools. Will non-educator from my ADA Mi life be back? Surely not in Dept of Ed which is targeted to close by 900 pp “2025”.
Listen to the speech before judging. I'm surprised Obrien spoke at the RNC, and I hope the Teamsters and the voters aren't taken in by elderly convicted felon Trump.
Gloria, thank you for the link. by mid speech he had Republicans squirming and the cheers got quieter and quieter and Trump’s smile got more and more strained. It was possibly the most pro-labor and anti-corporate speech ever given at a RNC convention.
When O'Brien talked about the corporate union, The Chamber of Commerce, some people started walking out. I had to laugh. O'Brien is a brave man. He made the point that he is will work with both parties on behalf of labor. That's his job.
Perhaps that is what Sean Obrien's speech was intended to do. He made sure the republicans understood his stance and his union. Sometimes it is a good thing to enter the enemy's territory and bravely state the truth.
As a young lawyer, the first time I negotiated with them, the business agent asked for my shoe size...for the concrete overshoes. The way to promotion was to break the legs of the incumbent. I lived half way between Pgh and Cleveland. In the 70's they had open warfare with the steelhaulers (FASH). Were Republicans starting with Nixon...the president of the Cleveland faction's father had lived in my home town. I represented the former business agent from Youngstown in a couple of mundane zoning/real estate matters. He had a residence in Vegas, courtesy of the Cleveland mob, who had been in Cuba, left before Castro. They didn't know that the president of the union was an FBI informant.... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jackie_Presser
Thanks for the link, Gloria. His speech did get pretty good after a while, but his audience was underwhelmed by the end (which is when I would have been cheering).
Gloria, wow! That was quite the speech! Thank you for providing the link! They sure didn't show Trump’s face or J.D. Vance's once O'Brien really got going! I wonder if Trump had any inkling what O'Brien was going to talk about!? Trump didn't just have "egg on his face," afterwards, but a whole carton dumped on him!!
I am going to make phone calls for the Democratic Party in my area. I'm going full time until September 23rd. That's all. I will not get caught up in the lies or the billions of dollars being spent to prop up this hideous mental case of a man. From here, all it does is make me worry. When all this is over, I want to be able to say that I did my part. I will do what I can. There's no place for blame except on me if I don't.
Working people are not dumb. However, in our current ridiculous system of education, they do not have the opportunity for higher education that wealthier children have. Even those who are able to access higher education, end up with huge student loans, forcing them to take jobs that they would prefer not to have.
In my state of New Mexico, we have highly subsidized education for those who go to university in New Mexico. And guess what is the result? We are a solidly blue state!
I'm surprised that union members would tolerate donations made to the Republican party, especially if some of their members are in the crosshairs of Trump's agenda against immigrants. Where is O'Brien coming from?
You should listen to O'Brien's speech, and you will understand where he is coming from. It took courage for him to stand up and say what he did to Trump and that crowd. The Teamsters donated an equal amount to the Democrats. In the camera shot of Trump, you can see his discomfort at some of what O'Brien said.
Great link thanks Gloria. He was almost eulogising Trump and Vance and I believe O’Brien is closet MAGA, thinks he can sway Republicans to vote for Trump, and believes Trump is different. 2nd half of his speech was solidly pro-worker, but he’s deluded or cynical if he thinks the GOP will enact any meaningful legislation to support working people
Laurie, I think he bought his way into the RNC and then turned around and gave the ultra wealthy capitalists some well-deserved hell. Will they follow whathe is promoting? Of course not but they heard truth from the mouth of a person who represents 350,000 hard-working union members he did not whisper his points either, he delivered his speech with a lot of power. Remember, he does not represent you or I, but he represents hard-working Teamsters and they deserve to have a voice to the Republicans also. He spoke truth to power, and he spoke it powerfully.
Yes, it was a damn good speech. It sounded like a declaration of war on capitalists. Now we must demand that Trump and Vance tell us precisely where they stand. Will they support "right to work" laws? Would they support legislation overriding SCOTUS decisions favoring corporations?
Notable for me is that he didn't suggest the people he represents should vote for Trump, and offered no specific endorsement of Trump. Indeed, he even called Trump 'one tough SOB', which can be taken as a backhanded insult (a "tough" SOB, but a SOB nonetheless). I hope O'Brien is invited to speak at the Democratic convention. It would be quite interesting to hear what he has to say to the DNC.
He had to almost 'infiltrate' the RNC, in order get that message to them. Genius! Can't wait to see/hear it. Money talks! And this time it may be good., because the Pandemic showed how important even essential, workers are.
Peggy ; It was flattery for Trump ,JD Vance at first ; In the end, there was applause and clapping ; but a little less after they heard the radical message. But he said what needed to be said, to the people who needed to hear it the most. It would be smart for them to listen, if they want real success. Will they?
I'm not all that surprised. Back in the days of the United Farmworkers Organizing Committee, it was the Teamsters that the growers brought in to try and squelch the growing support for UFWOC among workers and it was Teamster goons who beat up the UFWOC organizers. One organizer told me in LA in the 70s that he had been getting beat up by Teamsters since the 30s. If I remember correctly the Teamsters supported Nixon, so not the first time the Teamsters president has played footsie with a megalomaniacal Republican.
The Republican theme seems to be, "Say whatever you want, truth does not matter, as long as we win." Unfortunately the means to an end determines the end you reach. Lying leads to a government that cares nothing for the people it pretends to represent and serve. Will we as a nation recognize this before we cast our ballots in November?
Wayne, unfortunately the system we have come to depend on is broken. Trump and the Supreme Court (the Extreme Court) are the final straws breaking democracy’s back. While with one arm we fight for “Truth, justice and the American Way,” with our brains and creativity we must come up with a better system that strengthens local economies and empowers the electorate and not the corporate interests. “Economic Democracy” and the "Progressive Utilization Theory” are the two that hold the most promise. You can ask Chat GPT to write you an essay on each and you will get a pretty good idea of what a newly imagined future might look like. Truth and equity will prevail but not under the current system.
If the Dems win, the Rethuglicans will not go away. With corporate backing they will just retrench and continue to undermine the remnants of what was a functional working American democracy.
The dye was cast when corporations were declared persons by the court. Trump and the "Extreme Court" want to bury the New Deal regulatory state, which is really the only thing preventing a kleptocratic regime, similar to Russia under Putin, from ruling in the US. Trump is a front man for a corporate takeover that even the Democrats often fail to recognize as the real threat.
My own view on our predicament is that "degrowth", the reduction of throughput of raw materials and energy in our economy, is required, but this is an unelectable position and therefore ignored. When you outgrow the planetary boundaries collapse is inevitable, and the contorted confusion of our politics is, in many ways, a symptom of the attempt to ignore this reality. We cannot continue to be what we once were, and MAGA is an overt effort to live the lie of American exceptionalism. Yet nature bats last. It will be a wild ride.
Organized Labor is solidly behind Joe Biden (apparently with the exception of the Teamsters). Somehow the AFL needs to get their endorsement out there in a louder voice. The trump administration (and the GOP) will do nothing to help organized Labor and will do everything they can to stifle the voice of Labor!
From what I heard from O'Brien it was pure democratic principals spoken loudly and clearly at the RNC and it was applauded. That should be a celebration for all Americans. The bigger question is do you want someone with the strength of moral clarity to lead or strength of bravado.
Why is it the Teamsters Union stands out for it's worst leaders list. One of the reasons Reagan had such an easy time destroying the Labor Unions in the 80's was Jimmy Hoffa's mafia ties and the publicly known corruption of the Longshorman's division of the Teamster's. Now O'Brien is out to destroy the public image once again. Today's Teamsters need to kick his ass to the moon. As a longtime supporter of unions and long term member of the Board of Directors for two different Unions (teachers and public employees) I especially resent morons like O'brien. The Unions are better off "dancing with the guy what brung them" Joe Biden has proven his commitment to Unions, the trumpster/dumpster has proven his commitment to Corporate Boards of Directors
Trump is just simply following Hitler’s playbook, which is: if you state a lie, loud enough and often enough people will begin to take it as truth. This is the problem with an uneducated electorate.
To those of us who put much stock in logic and reasoning, are astounded that someone such as Donald Trump can simply tie in to peoples raw emotions and suppressed anger and get such a strong powerful response from them.
Unfortunately, Biden‘s rational and compassionate response to the attempted assassination of Donald Trump literarily falls on the deaf ears of those that are either strong Trump supporters or even lean towards Trump. Trump’s instincts are obvious. Even after being grazed by a bullet, as he’s led off the stage, he pumps his fist and shouts fight, fight fight! Obviously the rational and compassionate response by Biden does not carry the passion that voters are looking for. It is not simply that Joe Biden stumbled during the first presidential debate, but to oppose Trump we need someone who can speak with equal passion.
But it was not a debate : tRump answered no questions, and the CNN "moderators" did not moderate. Nonstop lies were tolerated, while Biden had only two minutes to reply. Gish Gallop is a cheating tactic for debaters who wanna 'win' , and there are no guardrails .
Thank you Laurie, for emphasizing this. I have been writing this in every post I can. No matter WHAT the question trump answered with the same idiotic lies about immigrants flooding the country with "criminals of whatever variety he chose" and patients from mental institutions. Jake Tapper did nothing, Dana Bash at one point tried, unsuccessfully, to get der donald to answer ONE question.
Fay , It's nice to see that I'm not the only one to notice that this was not a real debate, It was used as a backdrop to make President Biden look inept. I would like to see ANYONE look like a 'winner' in this kind of sham "debate". even if young , unstressed by long hours of travel, and knife edged diplomacy, and well rested.
Laurie, Biden was not "stressed by long hours of travel." He'd been back in the U.S. for 12 days. If you are going to keep harping on the NOT debate, at least be honest about the details!
I agree Joe Biden’s debate performance was horrible but Trump’s over 30 LIES was also disgusting! This race still boils down to me is do Americans want to give up 248 years of democracy for Traitor Trump and his new phony sidekick JD whatever his name is? Do Americans want to see this great economy crater as foreign investors pull all of their monies out of the U.S. economy? Do women want even more of their control over their bodies taken away by Trump/Vance? Either get behind Biden/Harris or this election will be the last in your life! Trump will try to become the new Fuhrer as he struts around now with his bandage on his ear when he should get down on his knees and thank God that the bullet was not even 0.5 inches towards his head because that bullet would have killed him. Please remember that little JD blamed the Democrats for this assassination attempt!!! Total BS!!!
Klare K. ; I was under the impression that President Biden had very recently returned from travelling a few time zones. If that inspires you to call me "dishonest" ; have at it!
President Biden has plenty of passion, more knowledge and much more integrity.
Laurie, So what, he is behind in the polls. Why? Can you say 2025 project and they support Russia and are anti-NATO. And half the electorate supports him. And he is a criminal, a pathological liar, and a pathological narcissist. Tell me there isn't something rotten in Denmark.
HarveyKravetz : Beware the polls. They mostly are owned by billionaires. They predicted a Red Wave in the midterms. It was not happening. Same with the media.
Yeah - I don’t understand how they poll the general public - it’s not phone calls as no one answers their cell phones if they don’t recognize the number - and the polling on the FB etc is asking for donations before you complete the poll- it’s a turnoff - you can’t donate every time … unless you are a TrumpTard
Elections are decided not by the party bases, but by the large number of uninformed and misinformed voters who typically choose the candidate they feel they can relate to, like someone they could have a beer with. This choice is heavily influenced by how the candidate is perceived. Issues, policies, and accomplishments often take a backseat. Currently, Trump is seen as strong and decisive, while Biden is viewed as old and frail. For many voters, perception is their reality. Our hope lies with women who should be outraged about having their rights taken away, and with those who recognize Trump for what he truly is and do not succumb to fear, hatred, or anti-____ sentiments, which form the core of Trump’s appeal.
More than one reason to dismiss the polls. Just a snapshpt. Most people won't reply accurately. The questions are loaded. Don't count newly registered people, people who only vote occasionally, etc.
Like I said yesterday, it motivates most of us to worry less, do more. Gestalt therapy? FIGHT BACK! Register more Democrats. Swamp Republicans. Millions of unregistered trend Democratic. In the past 2 years 84,000 have been purged in Baghdad By the Sea. .
FT 6 has texted well over a million in the past several days. Thanks to a donor, texts to Arizona today and tomorrow. https://www.fieldteam6.org/
Thursday is Florida day on FT 6 Textarcade. https://secure.actblue.com/donate/ft6arcade24bamk.
Also Florida day on FT 6 phonebank. https://www.fieldteam6.org/actions
Daniel - I hope you're correct. I fear you're wrong. The polls act almost as truth and direction to those voters we're concerned about. They take the message of the polls to be "this is who to vote for", "this is what everyone is doing". to be in the "in crowd", to be with the winners, this is who to vote for. I will gladly eat crow if I'm wrong. But if I'm correct, believe drumpf when he says he will come for you. yes, we're old, but we still need our pensions and social security. they will come for that. what's left of medical care? they'll finish that off. women's rights? barefoot and pregnant. Biden will be in jail. remember, the orange stain will be king. you ignore the supreme court ruling at your peril. there is only one way to stop this juggernaut, and I don't believe the ballot box will work, because the oligarchs have the money, will, and talent to subvert and steal this upcoming election. there's been much written in the progressive media about these machinations. Here's a sampling:
Nevada GOP Officials’ Refusal to Certify Election Results Is “Unlawful,” Says AG | Truthout
Inside Ziklag, the Christian-Right Group Trying to Sway the 2024 Election — ProPublica
New Georgia Law Spurs Bogus Challenges to Voter Eligibility | Brennan Center for Justice
Polls were wrong in 2016, 2020, 2022. This year in France and other countries. If it means anything a better correlation are the markets. Highest of all time. Check out Alan Lichtman. Beats the polls.
The reason is that statistics do not measure motivation very well. At the same time that consumers generally think things are bad, the markets break records.
I'm hoping that on a fundamental basis, women outnumber men and will be motivated in states like mine where abortion is on the ballot.
Biden can be impassioned, he is just not theatrical - which apparently is the only emotion to which trump's voters respond. Biden gave great impassioned speeches at the State of the Union, and in Normandy as well as many campaign rallies. He just doesn't, like a monkey, wrap his tail around the flagpole, er arms.
I don't know about Denmark : but most media and polls are owned and operated by billionaires. Who don,'t give a rat's behind 🤔 about the Common Good, or Democracy.
I don't think that most of his voters know what NATO is, much less how it preserved the peace in Europe for 75 years until Putin invaded Ukraine. They believe their cult leader who tells them that we are being ripped off because member states aren't paying their fair share towards the costs of maintaining the alliance and laughing at us! Whether or not you believe that Europe ought to share more of the burden is besides the point. You don't throw out the baby with the bathwater. Trump's zero sum game with NATO is about one thing only - making it as easy as possible for Putin to roll in and roll over the former SSR's and rebuild the former USSR, this time without a Communist ideology, but a Fascist one instead.
But Biden will never be a great snake oil salesman which is Trump's strong point! Lies frequently play better to the crowd than the truth.
But who really wants snake oil? Especially when their daughter gets pregnant and is thrilled, but she and her partner learn that the pregnancy is not viable, and her life is in danger, and there is a total ban on reproductive care.
I am glad that Biden is an honest man (for a politician) and not a snake oil salesman. It's tough to compete against a totally corrupt liar like Trump. Many prefer Trump's oily lies to Biden's unvarnished truth telling.
Most want decency, and trustworthiness. So many burnt out on BS. Vote Biden 🗳 Blue.
Trump never says anything - he has these grotesque stories of sharks and boats and airports during the civil war - he’s incoherent- a bumbling idiot
The truth can hurt. But it will set US free.
Laurie--How would they handle the over 200,000 ectopic pregnancies this country must deal with each year? That pregnancy has no chance of ever ending in a viable birth. Are they just going to let those women die a horrible death, all because some religious freak thinks he can talk to God.
Good question, Donald. I used to think that IVF could bypass the fallopian tubes with a simple transfer of the fertilized egg into the uterus. But they want to ban IVF treatments, too. The egg is fertilized in a petri dish. Avoiding the chance of implantation in the narrow fallopian tube.a very serious situation where the ectopic pregnancy is usually fatal if not treated quickly. J D Vance is especially on board for this Draconian oppression of women, girls and their families. TRump wants deniability. Vote Biden/Harris!
Women will be denied voting rights next after fetus blockades. I grieve for women without choices. I flashed back decades ago when Ms magazine first appeared and I subscribed for all its life. My husband had cheated on me during engagement & our brief marriage and left me a single jobless parent while he and she were married two weeks after divorce decree.My lawyer forced child support
On me, saying it was for care till her school age. When that was settled, he said that the two colluders had not been offered contracts for the next school year. Also said that he was Chair of their school board.
Years later I had a strong marriage for 35 years with an honest man who died of heart ♥️ attack in his sleep, now years later beginning 8th year of marriage with a Prince of a man. These two were in different unions in different states and the deceased and now retired were both active union members. Unions were never helped during all their years by ‘publicans, certainly none who is on a rerun of his clown show as prez45. May folks not fall into sympathy for Saturday night shots wherein a real hero died and two others injured as a subdued in public reminds us of VanGogh (with his bandaged ear), a man who cannot bring unity to USA divide because he has no sense of what unity means to our future, nor will he even read 2025 900pp b4 implementing all the changes they will make for us oldies, selling our own birthrights, plus those of our children, grands and generations beyond, possibly irretrievably.
I have watched Biden for many years and his attempts to run for president. He was always terrible at running for president. But I always thought he would be a great president and he has not disappointed.
Tim Baldwin ; Snake oil salesman is a strong point!? He Is a frontman for the big bucks crowd : , But do we really "need" him? To get back into power and greenlight all the crooks? while he robs our treasury for them? ( They want 5 trillion this time), This will be the biggest heist in History, if they get away with it! We don't need Biden to be Him, (he would not anyway). Trump is still a Russian Plant. Biden is the true Patriot here.
We are screwed if Trump gets his taxcuts - Ukraine is screwed if Trump flips the senate - SS and Medicare gone- ACA gone- dept of Education gone- dept of labor - gone FBI and DoJ under his direction - SC packed with his Aileen Cannons
And if anyone takes a look at his heart,he's a wonderful man!
President Biden said that there is no place for violence in politics and condemned the attack on his opponent. He even tried to offer condolences to the family who lost their husband,/,father. They refused. Like a loyalist to Trump would: most likely. Not wanting to be seen as disloyal. Fear is part of it.
If the Democrats truly wish to win the next presidential election, they will have to douse the voting public with a firehose of truth in order to counter Trump’s firehose of lies. Obviously, simply speaking, the truth does not do it; it has to be shouted by all Democratic speakers for truth to have any impact. As of now, I believe Joseph Biden would make the best president, but Joe Biden is not the best one to beat Donald Trump at his own game.
So Marc, the rest of us can do his shouting and cursing for him. I’m ridin’ with Biden—and Harris!
Me too. "Trump hates dogs" should be enough to cost the orange antichrist the election, led alone his criminal persona.
Daniel, moreover Trump hates democracy and justice.
His cult loves dogs not democracy.
I'm also thinking "Trump failed." He failed at business, he failed as president, he failed as a candidate (accepting the results only if you win constitutes failure). Repeat as often as possible. His supporters like him in large part because they view him as very successful.
He is the orange antichrist. Depends, If they think he lies for Christ, must break that connection.
Veterans. "Not suckers or losers" works. 4 million people on Facebook are veterans or active duty members. 12.5 million people on Facebook are family members of a veteran or an active duty member. 242 million people on Facebook are friends with one or more veterans or active duty members. Say the magic words daily, as a mantra on military, history sites, and see what happens. https://rvat.org/
Pet lovers love their pets.
I also use "Don't Slit Your Own Throat." As president, Trump tried and failed to cut benefits drastically. Some Republicans wanted to replace the entire system. See. Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, Trump, House Republican Cuts to SSI Would Harm Children With Disabilities, Sept. 18, 2017, Kathleen Romig and Guillermo Herrera. https://www.cbpp.org/research/social-security/trump-house-republican-cuts-to-ssi-would-harm-children-with-disabilities
“The Trump proposal would cut SSI by more than $8 billion over the next decade, shrinking benefits for roughly a quarter of a million children with disabilities by between 38 and 66 percent. It would also increase SSI’s administrative costs and improper payments”.
Imo, there's plenty of 45's words, actions, appointments to fill a plethora of Biden/Harris campaign ads and speeches. Me? I recommend their campaign choose THREE a week from now until the election and push, push, push those truths into the public consciousness. For instance, I am an extremely educated voter and never was aware of NLRB appointments by 45! The need for voter education is GINORMOUS!
Lots of great talking points, Daniel. Thank you.
Daniel, Hitler hated people with disabilities, who weren't perfect specimens of the Aryean (sp??) race. Trump taking yet another page from Hitler's playbook!
"Stupid is as stupid does". Forrest Gump.
And as an underdog and victim.
Trump is a serial, pathological liar, and, like Vance, a flip-flopper.
Katherine, yes we need to be doing the shouting also; we should not be shy about stating or shouting the truth boldly. That has been one of Robert Reich’s points, and he has been setting an example with Inequality Media and their many videos. I wish I had half the vigor and energy as Robert. He never “retired,” he simply repurposed. That is why I support Inequality Media with regular monthly donations. If we are not in a position to shout, then we should support those that state truth boldly on our behalf.
Well said, Marc!
First, Traitor Trump was hit by a glass shard from the teleprompter. I have fired my brother’s AR-15 from about 100 yards at 2 X 6 thick wooden boards and the bullet traveling at 3,000 feet per second utterly destroyed the wooden targets. 3,000 feet per second is over 0.5 miles per second! Second, President Biden was the FIRST president to ever walk a union picket line (the UAW strike) and Traitor Trump’s response was to go to a non-union car supplier’s factory and bring in some MAGA to pretend they worked at the factory! The MAGA hate fest disguised as their national convention is all pure propaganda!!
You and I know it is, Mark; however, his cult followers and those leaning towards the orange man lap it up like it is golden!
Hey , didn't Sean O'Brien just bravely "shout" on the loudspeaker at the RNC? That took bravery, even though it may have fallen on deaf ears. The curious in the Democrat party and the Independents who may have seen it , in addition to the Republicans. Most workers would like the kind of pay and benefits he described ; along with being respected and valued.
Some auto workers are climate change deniers and oppose the transition to EVs. Trump is confirming their bias, and, with his usual, pathological hyperbole, he claims that Biden is pro Communist China.
I hope he speaks at the Democratic convention also.
Mark, who cares what injured his ear ?He hit the ground before the Secret Service could react. I assume the SWAT team on the other roof (there were 3 roofs) killed the sniper. The other 2 roofs were unguarded. Not the very best security.
Joan, I have been a scientist for over 44 years now and it is hard for me to not “analyze” things! Yes, the Secret Service failed miserably to have a sniper with an AR-15 rifle get to an elevated position within 130 yards of Trump!!!
Readers should check out Snopes on the teleprompter claim. (None of the teleprompters sustained any damage.)
I saw Trump’s wound in a picture. It was above the ear hole by about 0.75 inches. If the bullet flying at 3,000 feet per second had struck that spot, the ear would have been torn off. Sorry, a physics major in college; the kinetic energy of the bullet is (mass) times (velocity squared) divided by two. Again, a relatively large bullet traveling at 3,000 feet per second fired from 130 yards is going to impart a huge amount of kinetic energy. The bullet could have hit the metal stand holding the teleprompter and a metal shard hit Trump! My point is something other than the bullet hit Trump’s ear!
Mark Lee Witten ; That makes sense. Because it would look like a projectile shown in a picture of the speeding "bullet". Of course, certain people may want to keep the bullet thing going. I noticed Trump turning his head, so the bandage can be clearly seen when the camera showed him reacting to the admiration for him by Sean O'Brien , for trump allowing him to speak as a keynote speaker.
I believe you, Mark. I picked up on that right away when law enforcement was just beginning to comment on the investigation, and they said they didn't know at that point if it was glass or a bullet.
https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/bullet-glass-trump-wound/
Thank you, steve.
Not realistic--the media is focused on Biden. Biden is what the public will
be listening to---those that will listen. His delivery is just so poor most of the time--weak voice, vocal stumbles. His logic and memory are pretty good. But really---four more years?
Yes we can!
Marc Nevas : That is like saying that President Biden should be a loudmouth ignorant bloviator spewing bombast and untruths. Along with threats. you can't win by imitating a loser.
Biden is who he is. He is a good and decent man, dedicated to the American people and his job and has done and is doing a great job as a president. However, we have never had an opposition candidate who follows the playbook of a wannabe dictator. This takes completely different tactics. Remember, Trump rolled right over Hillary Clinton, and she is no dummy. If Biden stays in the race, he will need to take much more aggressive tactics, and he will need his surrogates to engage in some of the most vicious attacks against Trump. The mainstream media is hungry for a horse race, let’s give it to them!
Totally agreed.
Laurie, you've made a good point. Imitating tRump by yelling and geeting mad t I show animation won't work! Watch the Orange Martry...he riles with words and sarcasm and lies, crafted to get the PEOPLE to get aggitated & yell. He doesn't! So Biden has to get razor focused on naming the threat in real world words. And stop apologizing and defending... be self-righteous in his belief in his own actions! We gotta win!
No lying and ranting - just expose all of Trumps garbage in full view - like where are his tax returns ? Where are his education records ? How many times did he file bankruptcy on a startup company? What kind of relations did he have with mcdougal while married?
What quips did he mention in men’s magazines about women’s features in detail ? How many days did he go without a press conference while in office?
Marc Nevas: Thank you for clearly identifying what we face: Biden is the best president and will be the next best president. However, at the moment, he is not what the country needs. The country needs someone who will beat Trump; that someone is not Biden. We cannot continue hiding our heads to what is now clearly stated.
Marc Nevas: That is because it is a losing game. We don't need or want games. Joe Biden deserves our vote. The more they hate on him, the more it is apparent that they fear him. Bigger reason to support him.
Reason vs. brute force: the country is divided.
Marc--That's not true. I'm uneducated, compared to many, yet I can see the truth. Trump is a human toad, and the man consumes the flies that are attracted to his excrement. It's far too early to use the word "Shit" in my post.
The "uneducated" MAGA in my family haven't read a book in years and watch garbage TV shows (ghost hunters, hillbillies looking for Bigfoot, etc.) along with Fox News. They have no interest in improving their minds or understanding what is happening in America. They let Fox News spoon feed them what to believe. These are the people Marc is referring to, not you.
Sad. Should Trump lose they might turn to drugs and die in despair.
Donald, whether you consider yourself educated or not, you obviousky can use the reasoning side of your brain well. The tRumpophiles use only the emotional part ofctheir brains and therby susceptible to his ideas and lies. Classic fascism ... they aren't and won't listen to reasoned responses. I don't know how to change that until they "wake up" from the delusion. That's why they fear the word "woke".
Here is one truth Donald can’t get away from even after paying $134,000 and committing 34 felonies.
When Melania had a baby, Donald had sex with Stormy D.
Keep this story front and center. Don’t be distracted by each news cycle.
Also, keep the insurrection and the documents story alive. We don’t need Judge Cannon and immunity claims in the court of public opinion.
Of course, project 2025 and anger at SCOTUS are motivators. Let’s not let the shiny object the media chooses take us off message.
They showed a very slick playbook last night, I must say. The "Labor Run Right" was a good one. The "Hero sneak" was good. My favorite was the "White trash sweep left."
I turned on the TV and saw an attractive woman with a TATOO on her FOREHEAD. Yes, a tattoo on her forehead! WTF!? If that wasn't crazy enough, the tat appeared to say "Stupid B*tch." I thought this is the crazier tattoo I've ever seen, next to the swastika on Charles MANSON'S forehead! I could not believe my eyes!
Isn't the old joke, "do I look like have stupid written across my forehead?" She said something like... "I did my research on Donald Trump..." I was waiting for the punch line. "Do I look like I have stupid idiot written across my forehead?" Lol. 🤣
That was the craziest looking person I've ever heard speak at either convention, by far! It really looked like the tacky cursive writing said "stupid (B-word)." No joke! It can't be, I thought. But that's what it looked like. I could not believe my eyes. Maybe that says, "White trash," I laughed. I can't make this up. It's true!
Indeed, the "White Trash sweep to the left" was a good play. The RNC must've called Central Casting and said, "send us an attractive, young woman with the craziest face tattoo ever. We don't care if it LITERALLY says stupid across her forehead, or something totally crass. We're going for the young, neo-Nazi, white supremacist, trailer park white trash crowd." 🤣🤣🤣
trump has a lot of advantages right now. The courts are in his pocket. The assassination attempt has made commentators afraid to even suggest a criticism of him. I watched a CNN session last night and Chris Wallace made the comment that it turned into a Biden Bashing. They are afraid to bash trump. They won't stop bashing Biden.
CNN is a lost cause - if we don’t speakup - all the channels will say TRUMP in the upper corner
Yes, but could the lies flourish if the MSM would stay on the subject until the truth was established? What is more of a threat: the past day of 01/06/2021, or the everyday common belief that the election was stolen? I submit that the latter is a present* and continued threat to Democracy, and the former is a past* threat.
It's irresponsible and unacceptable that the MSM does not continue to address J6 until the truth is evident for all. Trump and others must admit that J6 was based on lies, and they knew the election was not stolen.
I will add that the continued belief that the 2020 election was stolen, which makes J6 justified to many, will eventually and inevitably do irreparable harm to our democracy. This may include enabling a second Trump Administration.
I will also add that the DNC's passiveness on excusing the the truth of J6 is unacceptable, derelict and egregious. I cannot control the MSM. I can tell the DNC they must change and do better.
Trump doesn’t care - he’s a psychopath- I’ve been telling people for 3 years - he doesn’t care about anyone but Trump. If his son or daughter was hit by a sniper 4 days ago, he would have still rose up with a fist in the air instead of worrying about - is everyone ok?
Agree
Marc--They may be on an educational level that could use a lift but still, do some personal investigating. Never take what someone says a gospel.
I saw several uneducated tRump voters get up and walk out of a Trump rally, after he went on a tangent about electric boats and sharks. As they were leaving. He said " just go 🚶♀️ 😳 🚶♂️, I don't care! All I want is your votes!
That’s right / he doesn’t care about anyone except his own ass
And WHY education (critical thinking, et. al.) has been under attack by conservatives for years!
I was a member, Union officer, and a wage-rate committee man for 35 years of the United Steelworkers Union and they never supported any GQP President or had anything to do with the GQP. They condemned the GQP policies and never said anything good about them or ever endorsed a GQP politician. The MAGAT GQP and Donald TUMP are blatantly lying through their teeth when they say they are ''pro union.'' They are very, very, anti-union to the extreme. The MAGAT GQP apparently do not ever tell the truth about anything! They are truly the scum that exists in the bottom of cesspools.
And the Laborers International Union of North America (LiUNA) is solidly for Biden/Harris.
Also, the UAW is solidly for Biden/Harris. That Sean Obrien of the Teamsters union should resign for being so cozy with those MAGA creeps. Their members should demand it!
It seems that the poorly educated are much more gullible than the educated people. It's astonishing that so many people are attracted to TUMP. I have never liked him. He has always come off as an arrogant, narcissistic, self absorbed low-life creep even way before he became a political candidate. His view of women is disgusting to the extreme!
THE saddest/funniest thing is that PRESIDENT BIDEN truly cares about them and gives them what they want. Bunkerboy DESPISES them and would deride PHYSICAL PLEASURE from seeing them die a horrible death!
John, I wish some journalists would point out the many, many times trump and the republicans have bashed the unions and tried to abolish them. If they aired that, then those that are undecided would see the truth.
Yes, Peggy - it needs to be done immediately! Thanks for that thought.
I wish those ''yellow'' journalists would point that out too, Peggy. Those Rethuglicans have been at bashing unions for a long time. I would like to see the undecided informed about their hate for unions, and be informed over and over again at that horrific ''Project 2025'' disaster of a plan they created. This area i live in has a hate for unions that is truly extreme. The companies here will NOT hire anyone that was a union member in the past regardless of how well qualified they are. There is a large company here that manufactures wire and cable products that even forces their employees to watch violence of clashes between police and union members in film sessions on a regular basis. I live in the state of Georgia, and i just wish i could get away from here. My daughter showed me a billboard yesterday on her phone of the billboard of DJT doing his fist pump. These people disgust me to no end. I saw an article on the ''Raw Story'' website a few minutes ago that some DJT followers were wearing maxi pads on their ears with a red substance on them depicting DJT's bloody ear. These people are sick and it seems they haven't reached adulthood yet. Very disgusting to the extreme!!
I agree, John! I use to live in Georgia and I know what you are talking about! What's funny though, is I moved to Florida!! Totally stupid on my part but my children wanted me close. All I can do is continue to work hard to get President Biden back in the White House and hope our Democracy stands. Vote Blue, America!!
Peggy, i really would like to move to a New England state or even Nova Scotia, Canada if the orange blob of lard is elected Dictator. I want to also continue to work Pres. Biden back in the White House and we get to keep our Democracy. I am also tired of this stifling heat and humidity here. I have to take meds that make me extremely sensitive to heat and i can barely stand to be outside for more than 15 minutes in this horrible heat. I am with you, Vote Blue, America!
I lived in upstate NY for a few years with my daughter; however, the winters wreaked havoc on my tired old joints! Nova Scotia is beautiful and it would be a peaceful place to live if the orange man gets back in the White House. Like you, I am going to work so very hard in the coming months to help President Biden score a huge victory in November and Democrats will win up and down the ballot! Vote Blue, America!!
Winters even here in GA have a bad effect on my joints too, especially my hip joints. It does get cold here, but it doesn't last as long as it does in NY or the general New England states. Last December the temperature dipped to 5F and this past January it went down to 10F. These cold waves here only last 3 or 4 days before rebounding to the 30s at night. However, i can still tolerate cold weather much better than i can this horrible heat and humidity. I actually feel better and more energized in the winter than i do in Summer.
I hope the Democrats can retake the House of Representative and keep the Senate majority in addition to a huge Biden/Harris win. My entire immediate family,( with the exception of my youngest son) votes Democrat, and so do my now grown grandchildren. My youngest son is an intelligent guy that graduated with honors from high school. He has been brainwashed by his MAGA creep best friends and gets angry with me when i badmouth TUMP. Me and him used to be very close, but not much now. The incredible damage that TUMP has did here in the United States is truly astounding in many, many, ways. Words alone cannot express how much i hate and despise him. He is rotten to the core and needs to be deported and have his U.S. citizenship revoked. He is a treasonous traitor and an extreme danger to all of us here in the USA! Vote blue all the way!!!!
It’s apparently not that simple to move to Canada if you are a US citizen 😟
Yes, Musk is their poster boy for their real feelings about unions!
Elon Musk, the father of 11 now (?) needs to get on his spaceship on a one-way trip to Mars!
It is time to revoke his US citizenship and deport him back to S.Africa and the Murdock clan back to Australia. They came her to our open, liberal, welcoming democracy to make money. They did and that's fine. But now they are spending it trying to destroy the very country that gave them a chance in the first place. Kick their butts out and make them divest any holding they have in the US. None of those chicken-hawks have never served a day defending this country so why should we let them destroy it... just because they have money? Idea; any immigrant coming to the US between 18 and 45 must start serving four years in one of our armed forces within 90 of arriving. If they are under 18 then when they reach that age. If over 45 then serve in some program that helps the poor, needy, homeless, etc. Cheers... GH
12, Mark, 12!
As unreliable as i have seen his crappy rockets, i wonder if it would make it to Mars without exploding into a ball of flames? In one clip i saw on a Steven Greer documentary, he tried to land a rocket on the surface of an ocean, it exploded into a thousand pieces.
Nice comment John. My late Dad was a 50 year member of the International Machinist Union and I have his gold membership card framed and hanging on my wall. He always said "The worst Democrat is better than the best Republican when it comes to helping working class families." He predicted Reagan would fire the Air Controllers and before that predicted that Nixon and Kissinger's trip to Communist China to Kiss Mao ass would spell disaster for middle class jobs.
If the Teamster's Union leader thinks making a donation and speaking at the RNC will gain unions any favors if T gets re-elected, then his members need to chip in and get him some serious psychological help. Thank you for your years of service to union families.
Cheers... GH
My grandfather farmer told me before he died in 1978 to never ever vote for a republican because they are only interested in helping their wealthy patrons and slipping some of those monies in their own pockets. RIP Grandpa Bill because you were right!!!
My ex-wife's Father said the same thing as your grandfather told you, Mark. I had a U .S. Government class in high school and was taught the same thing about the GQP. I also learned that the MAGA extremists types that call themselves, ''Conservatives'' are actually far right ''Reactionaries'' as was the infamous ''John Birch society.'' of the 1960's and the reactionary asshat McCarthy of the 1950's.
But they will continue to lie as long as they win at the ballot box.
Ask GOP to name their companies with union members as employees?
John, I am part of your attentive "choir" here. Most every man and some of the women in my extended family were union members, and they were all workers, not entitled toads like drumpf or his throng of disinformed and brain-diseased repug sycophants and MAGAites, the ones defiling Milwaukee with their wretched RNC. With people like these you are wasting your time to attempt to reason, because they do not respond to logic. You could not be more correct.
Dad was the best steelworker that A. O. Smith Corp, on N. 35th in Milwaukee, ever had, a member of the UAW and AFL-CIO for 30 years and mom slung hash at some of the best and worst eateries in this once-fair country, to send their three sons to college. Gramps labored in the hematite mines of Upper Michigan underground for 40 years as a United Mine Workers
member, and it is a miracle that he lived to be 71.
By the way, it isn't God who saved drumpf, but the uncertainty inherent to physical law.
drumpf and his oligarch-backed gatherers of vast wealth are the bane of the producers of
a society devolving into a system with a brutal emperor, a nobility, and an underclass of serfs and the poor. We still have a chance to avert this outcome. Read this article by an immigrant from Germany who witnessed this societal and political decay firsthand as a long-time NYC resident.
https://maganazi.substack.com/p/orange-hitler-20-a-2015-german-movie?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
A.O. Smith rang a bell for me, my well pump motor is an A.O. Smith electric motor and so is my hot water heater. Good products!
Question for Trump: do you support "right to work" laws. Same question for Vance.
Victor: we even have to ask? I guess the idea is to put him on the spot so he can tell the truth. Hahahaha!
Professor Reich: you mentioned that union workers without a college degree favour trump by six percentage points, whereas union workers with a college degree favour biden by 48 percentage points. This shows me the power of a mind that is educated and free to pursue truth: trump is no friend to anyone, especially union workers, and those who have some knowledge of this point are overwhelmingly in favor or biden. i think it is time to teach critical thinking skills in public high schools.
already looking forward to the watch-along.
The joke is that the Trump tax cut screwed many truckers and his administration opposed safety measures.
It is as cruel a joke as it is ironic .
These folks should be reminded again and again about Reagan and the Air Controllers. How hard is to figure that out? REPUBLICANS HATE UNIONS! Cheers... GH
They ae pro Russia anti NATO, need I say more?
Probably why abolishing the dept of education is a big part of P 2025.
I have advocated for a civics class in every grade from K-12 be made mandatory!!!
The best example for a teaching moment is this one that were in right now. The P T Barnum School. The tough part is to know who's running this con job. It feels enormous. Are religiously educated people factored in as the supportive dupes? I know they like to believe things.
"Religion can be the opiate of the people" It has been used to oppress for centuries, even millennia. That is why our Republic has a Constitution with the rule that separates church and state. We can have our faith and keep it too, is the idea.
As a retired educator, 110% right! But it is too late to reach many of these voters. Most are unreachable, unless they have an open mind. And many live in a bubble of ignorance, lies, and disinformation. Sadly, change in public policy (as in Biden/Democrat's positive changes) take years to trickle down and be appreciated. The childcare tax credit was an exception, but we failed to extend it.
It comes down to climate change denial.
That ,too! some 'people' blast a lot of hot air!
Republicans believe they OWN the United States and thus can declare some of us squatters , Raise the rent when ever and ignore the obvious need for repairs
Richard Ball: "Raise the rent and ignore obvious repairs" has been happening in the Repub controlled state of Georgia especially in the Atlanta area. I know. I live here. I see this everyday with my own eyes and the Republican newspaper (they do a good job of hiding this but every now and then their Republicanism comes out) the AJC, reports it complete with photos.
Yes, they want to turn our poor corners of the country into slums, and they are the slumlords, US funding infrastructure that they use to run and build their business, or whatever they don't defund so they can raid our treasury. Then they blame US .
HEEEEEYYYY . . . "Us?" . . . It's the same as US!!! U.S. = US!!! HOW can those Traitors NOT see their godking's RAGING Alzheimers?!? Remember: his criminal daddy died with it, but the heavier one is, the faster disease grabs hold.
This is my post from yesterday, but "good, union jobs" makes it fit now. Indeed, "welcome to the Bizarro World, only it's not a Seinfeldian comedy."
I agree Vance is not Presidential material. His comment blaming Biden for the violence is alarming. At their convention, Gun Control will be the elephant in the room. I know someone will make that cartoon.
Vance wrote "Hillbilly Elegy." I do think it is important to understand the plight from Vance's perspective. I get it, but I'm interested to hear what Vance wrote. Surely he wrote that the decline of good, union jobs and the rigging of the system is to blame?
It seems that Dem's infrastructure investment versus Rep's Deregulation is becoming a central campaign debate. If it's not, it must. Let's get down to brass tacks about the decline of the rust belt, shall we?
Voters must know that deregulation does not work. Allowing polluters is what "3rd world countries" do. Ironically, this is what Trump accused the Biden Administration of. Welcome to the bizzaro world, only it's not a seinfeldian comedy. I've said for over 15 years, since Obama vs McCain in '08, that Republican's policy is changing the USA into a 3rd World country. I stand by that statement and have the data to prove it.
That's because they are financed by oil anointed libertarians, some of whom are also Christian Nationalists.
Christian nationalism is an oxymoron (me). Read The Kingdom, the Power and the Glory & you’ll plotz‼️
JD Vance’s ties to Peter Thiel, the billionaire libertarian indicates that the big bad wolf has snuck into the house is waiting for the GOP to win before revealing himself. Then he can take off his mask to reveal his real intentions of political power which is to devour the worker and the safety nets—Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, etc.
Social Security is not a safety net! I started paying into Social Security in 1969 until today. That is 55 years and counting! I want my monies back and your social security monthly payment is based on your earnings!! it is NOT a safety net because you made contributions to it!!!
Having gone through a high school vocational program to join the printing and allied industry in 1975 there has been an amazing change in printing and allied trades. Most don’t exist due to technological change, automation, PDF, and less reading. There was once the Lithographers Union, I don’t know if that still exists. What I recall was that as the country switched to service jobs in the seventies, all kinds of blue-collar jobs (factory and manufacturing, including using mind and body to make something from scratch) started to disappear. It was clear then that BC workers were expendable and still are. We have an all-but-gone vocational school system. Industrial zones are as hard to find as union shops. Manufacturing, including printing and allied trades, have survived or come back in smaller numbers, and American workers are as productive as they have always been. Many owners of small and medium-sized manufacturing operations want to keep labor costs at a minimum to keep profits going to the family and extended families that own small and medium manufacturing plants, understood, and for many who have worked for such operations, many owners do try to pay decent wages for skilled labor. However, in today’s services industry, in places like Starbucks, UPS, Amazon etc., unions make sense as they help ensure good morale among workers, ensure living wages, and force big companies to play fair. So why don’t we, as a country, support unions? Simple, it takes profits from the pockets of Musk, Bezos, and GM shareholders, and they don’t like that. The difference between a Trump (Republican) administration and a Biden (Democrat) one is a sense of the common good and what it stands for. People must make a choice in November, including whether they want to continue to underpay many unskilled and skilled laborers or embrace the possibility of paying living wages and having some degree of humanity and humility through union labor or want to continue supporting profits for the very few. In Mandate for Leadership 2025, in section three regarding education, it mentions creating more vocational training but no mention of union expansion and or improving the life of Blue-Collar workers. Certainly, why any union leader would think they’ll get something out of the Republicans down the road if they get voted in is naïve.
My deceased husband of 35 years & current one 7 years laughed at that union joke. I as writer knew the lithographer union members b4 all was completed by computers. Still have fascination with a few places where print is set. Government schools will replace public schools. Will non-educator from my ADA Mi life be back? Surely not in Dept of Ed which is targeted to close by 900 pp “2025”.
https://www.usatoday.com/videos/news/politics/elections/2024/07/15/watch-sean-obriens-full-speech-at-the-rnc/74419476007/
Listen to the speech before judging. I'm surprised Obrien spoke at the RNC, and I hope the Teamsters and the voters aren't taken in by elderly convicted felon Trump.
Gloria, thank you for the link. by mid speech he had Republicans squirming and the cheers got quieter and quieter and Trump’s smile got more and more strained. It was possibly the most pro-labor and anti-corporate speech ever given at a RNC convention.
When O'Brien talked about the corporate union, The Chamber of Commerce, some people started walking out. I had to laugh. O'Brien is a brave man. He made the point that he is will work with both parties on behalf of labor. That's his job.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jRBKcrn9Xlk
That is an oldie.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IBzyosxDKzY
Perhaps that is what Sean Obrien's speech was intended to do. He made sure the republicans understood his stance and his union. Sometimes it is a good thing to enter the enemy's territory and bravely state the truth.
You know about Jimmy Hoffa, et al. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoffa_(film)
As a young lawyer, the first time I negotiated with them, the business agent asked for my shoe size...for the concrete overshoes. The way to promotion was to break the legs of the incumbent. I lived half way between Pgh and Cleveland. In the 70's they had open warfare with the steelhaulers (FASH). Were Republicans starting with Nixon...the president of the Cleveland faction's father had lived in my home town. I represented the former business agent from Youngstown in a couple of mundane zoning/real estate matters. He had a residence in Vegas, courtesy of the Cleveland mob, who had been in Cuba, left before Castro. They didn't know that the president of the union was an FBI informant.... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jackie_Presser
Not all labor unions are pro-democracy (or even pro-workers).
Yet Trump promises to end the transition to EVs, which many workers fear.
That was my take, too.
Biden should give this guy the same opportunity to speak. I just listened to his speech and it was common sense good!
I agree.
Thanks for the link, Gloria. His speech did get pretty good after a while, but his audience was underwhelmed by the end (which is when I would have been cheering).
I was cheering in my living room.
It was good, forceful and ominous speech. This is why Republicans hate democracy.
Gloria, wow! That was quite the speech! Thank you for providing the link! They sure didn't show Trump’s face or J.D. Vance's once O'Brien really got going! I wonder if Trump had any inkling what O'Brien was going to talk about!? Trump didn't just have "egg on his face," afterwards, but a whole carton dumped on him!!
Union workers should be asking wtf was he going there?
I am going to make phone calls for the Democratic Party in my area. I'm going full time until September 23rd. That's all. I will not get caught up in the lies or the billions of dollars being spent to prop up this hideous mental case of a man. From here, all it does is make me worry. When all this is over, I want to be able to say that I did my part. I will do what I can. There's no place for blame except on me if I don't.
Thank you. The Republicans think laborers are too dumb to know anything beyond what they are told. We are not dumb. We are broke.
Working people are not dumb. However, in our current ridiculous system of education, they do not have the opportunity for higher education that wealthier children have. Even those who are able to access higher education, end up with huge student loans, forcing them to take jobs that they would prefer not to have.
In my state of New Mexico, we have highly subsidized education for those who go to university in New Mexico. And guess what is the result? We are a solidly blue state!
Denial of climate change is central to our tragedy.
Yes, but surely they have access to junior colleges? I think much of it has to do with a culture which doesn't see the value in higher education.
I'm surprised that union members would tolerate donations made to the Republican party, especially if some of their members are in the crosshairs of Trump's agenda against immigrants. Where is O'Brien coming from?
You should listen to O'Brien's speech, and you will understand where he is coming from. It took courage for him to stand up and say what he did to Trump and that crowd. The Teamsters donated an equal amount to the Democrats. In the camera shot of Trump, you can see his discomfort at some of what O'Brien said.
Great link thanks Gloria. He was almost eulogising Trump and Vance and I believe O’Brien is closet MAGA, thinks he can sway Republicans to vote for Trump, and believes Trump is different. 2nd half of his speech was solidly pro-worker, but he’s deluded or cynical if he thinks the GOP will enact any meaningful legislation to support working people
Bingo Roy. GH
Okay.
If he is deluded no one that stupid should be heading the Teamsters union.
If he is cynical, then he is doing it for whatever Trump promised him.
Gloria, the orange stain wasn't counting on O'Brien speaking the truth because he is so use to everyone lying! It was a good speech.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8KRHlvCYz94
I will Google it.
Laurie, I think he bought his way into the RNC and then turned around and gave the ultra wealthy capitalists some well-deserved hell. Will they follow whathe is promoting? Of course not but they heard truth from the mouth of a person who represents 350,000 hard-working union members he did not whisper his points either, he delivered his speech with a lot of power. Remember, he does not represent you or I, but he represents hard-working Teamsters and they deserve to have a voice to the Republicans also. He spoke truth to power, and he spoke it powerfully.
Yes, it was a damn good speech. It sounded like a declaration of war on capitalists. Now we must demand that Trump and Vance tell us precisely where they stand. Will they support "right to work" laws? Would they support legislation overriding SCOTUS decisions favoring corporations?
Herein lies the problem - Trump nor his new lady Vance will not comment on anything
Notable for me is that he didn't suggest the people he represents should vote for Trump, and offered no specific endorsement of Trump. Indeed, he even called Trump 'one tough SOB', which can be taken as a backhanded insult (a "tough" SOB, but a SOB nonetheless). I hope O'Brien is invited to speak at the Democratic convention. It would be quite interesting to hear what he has to say to the DNC.
Laurie, Sean O'Brien's speech will help you understand. He let them know exactly where unions stand. It was quite good.
I told Gloria Maloney that I will Google that speech. Am looking forward to hearing it.
Laurie, the first part of his speech, you are kinda wonderin where is he going with this? As he continues, you begin to understand. Well done, Sean!
He had to almost 'infiltrate' the RNC, in order get that message to them. Genius! Can't wait to see/hear it. Money talks! And this time it may be good., because the Pandemic showed how important even essential, workers are.
Peggy ; It was flattery for Trump ,JD Vance at first ; In the end, there was applause and clapping ; but a little less after they heard the radical message. But he said what needed to be said, to the people who needed to hear it the most. It would be smart for them to listen, if they want real success. Will they?
It was a small donation, maybe the price to give that speech.
The price of admission, I guess . Also the coveted optics that they "support workers".
I'm not all that surprised. Back in the days of the United Farmworkers Organizing Committee, it was the Teamsters that the growers brought in to try and squelch the growing support for UFWOC among workers and it was Teamster goons who beat up the UFWOC organizers. One organizer told me in LA in the 70s that he had been getting beat up by Teamsters since the 30s. If I remember correctly the Teamsters supported Nixon, so not the first time the Teamsters president has played footsie with a megalomaniacal Republican.
State-supported (and controlled) collusion between labor and capital is a characteristic of fascism.
The Republican theme seems to be, "Say whatever you want, truth does not matter, as long as we win." Unfortunately the means to an end determines the end you reach. Lying leads to a government that cares nothing for the people it pretends to represent and serve. Will we as a nation recognize this before we cast our ballots in November?
Wayne, unfortunately the system we have come to depend on is broken. Trump and the Supreme Court (the Extreme Court) are the final straws breaking democracy’s back. While with one arm we fight for “Truth, justice and the American Way,” with our brains and creativity we must come up with a better system that strengthens local economies and empowers the electorate and not the corporate interests. “Economic Democracy” and the "Progressive Utilization Theory” are the two that hold the most promise. You can ask Chat GPT to write you an essay on each and you will get a pretty good idea of what a newly imagined future might look like. Truth and equity will prevail but not under the current system.
If the Dems win, the Rethuglicans will not go away. With corporate backing they will just retrench and continue to undermine the remnants of what was a functional working American democracy.
The dye was cast when corporations were declared persons by the court. Trump and the "Extreme Court" want to bury the New Deal regulatory state, which is really the only thing preventing a kleptocratic regime, similar to Russia under Putin, from ruling in the US. Trump is a front man for a corporate takeover that even the Democrats often fail to recognize as the real threat.
My own view on our predicament is that "degrowth", the reduction of throughput of raw materials and energy in our economy, is required, but this is an unelectable position and therefore ignored. When you outgrow the planetary boundaries collapse is inevitable, and the contorted confusion of our politics is, in many ways, a symptom of the attempt to ignore this reality. We cannot continue to be what we once were, and MAGA is an overt effort to live the lie of American exceptionalism. Yet nature bats last. It will be a wild ride.
“die was cast”
6 Days ago the AFL-CIO pledged support for the Biden-Harris Team:
https://aflcio.org/press/releases/afl-cio-leadership-unanimously-reaffirms-commitment-re-electing-president-biden-and Kamala Harris for Reelection
Organized Labor is solidly behind Joe Biden (apparently with the exception of the Teamsters). Somehow the AFL needs to get their endorsement out there in a louder voice. The trump administration (and the GOP) will do nothing to help organized Labor and will do everything they can to stifle the voice of Labor!
Republican party may have become the party of what Orwell called "doublethink"
“Doublethink means the power of holding two contradictory beliefs in one's mind simultaneously, and accepting both of them.” ― George Orwell, 1984
https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/153313-nineteen-eighty-four
From what I heard from O'Brien it was pure democratic principals spoken loudly and clearly at the RNC and it was applauded. That should be a celebration for all Americans. The bigger question is do you want someone with the strength of moral clarity to lead or strength of bravado.
Why is it the Teamsters Union stands out for it's worst leaders list. One of the reasons Reagan had such an easy time destroying the Labor Unions in the 80's was Jimmy Hoffa's mafia ties and the publicly known corruption of the Longshorman's division of the Teamster's. Now O'Brien is out to destroy the public image once again. Today's Teamsters need to kick his ass to the moon. As a longtime supporter of unions and long term member of the Board of Directors for two different Unions (teachers and public employees) I especially resent morons like O'brien. The Unions are better off "dancing with the guy what brung them" Joe Biden has proven his commitment to Unions, the trumpster/dumpster has proven his commitment to Corporate Boards of Directors
Why do you think O'Brien went?
Kickbacks maybe? That's what Jimmy Hoffa demanded.