Many see Trump as strong, but I see him as a weak, easily-manipulated schoolyard bully. He can and will harm people who are less fortunate, but he cannot stand up to someone like Musk who is younger, wealthier, and even more outspoken.
A great insight, Sue. It has been many years since my childhood, but I still remember being bullied and how that made me feel. I have had a visceral reaction to bullies ever since, which is one reason (of many) why I have always loathed Trump. That weakness will eventually lead to his downfall, God willing.
Bill--The guy who blew up a Tesla in front of a Trump hotel was making a statement. He said in some of his writings that he supported Trump, Musk, and RFK Jr. What more proof do we need to exhibit an out of controlled level of insanity. Personally, I find his act a glaring example of how much distain he held for the 3 in question. He destroyed a car produced by Musk in front of a building owned by Trump. That doesn't sound like support to me.
I agree completely it is blatantly clear what he thought about taking all of the Veterans Medicare disability support and retirement away. Our veterans gave everything for us and are now threatened with nothing in return.
You are right, Donald. One does not rent a Tesla truck and drive miles away, then park the truck in front of a Trump-owned hotel just to commit suicide. The NYT is full of BS when it fails to mention these obvious facts. The veteran was making a statement neither Trump nor Musk want to hear. It was a loud, spectacular, and crucially important statement. Only cowards may ignore it.
The problem with lies is that they eventually get exposed. Take a fundamentalist and lie to him then the lie gets exposed. That fundamentalist and their violence gets redirected to the person that radicalized them in the first place.
A possibility. One thing for sure, you can't trust any report about anything today, including that assassination attempt in Pennsylvania. One thing that is being ignored is that both assassination attempts and this event were conducted by right wingers. And there is no discussion of that in the media.
Even by Trump supporters, like the Green beret in the Tesla.
Because the media has been cowed by the right. Ann Telnaes resigned because WaPo killed her editorial cartoon critical of Bezos and others groveling before Trump.
I'm with you on that Don, there are so many better ways to show support killing ones self and blowing up a truck 🚚 just doesn't ring true to me. I think it was some other type of gesture 🤔 or the guy lost it and was nuts at the time ⏲️.
Although a strong atheist minded person I am sure that underneath it all the explosive incident in front of a supposedly trumpy owned property is simply the fates speaking out... a bad omen for the coming donny j. frump and muskrat musk turn of the wheel.
and that of musk whose social and emotional intelligence ranks below any measurable indicator
besides as much as Musk self believes he is untouchable, and actually thinks he understands America he will soon find out how wrong he is on both scores
add to that his outshining T in the public eye and this shooting star is bound to crash sooner than later
let’s all roll up our sleeves , chip in ( work not $) and make that sooner
I pray Bunkerboy's aides realize that he can unilaterally deport illegal immigrant musk, but first confiscate ALL his illegally-gotten one trillion dollars!
Bunkerboy has the ABILITY to actually BE the greatest president of all time now: spend half a trillion to keep Medicare For All solvent for a decade and expand ALL social safetly nets, then shove a half a trillion binkie in useless billionaire's widdle precious mouths.
Except of course that bit in the Constitution about having to be a birthright citizen of the
Republic...which restriction is in the original document as written and ratified. I say there isn't any way for the so-called "or I finalists to get around that, as it so obviously was the intent of The Founders.
Bill, I was a "shrimp" until I was almost 18 years old, and then shot up. A week after my 17th birthday I tried to join the Marine Corps, they laughed at me and like a fish threw me back in the ocean, told me to try the Navy, they needed submariners. I was 5'1" and weighed 101 lbs. 9 months later I was 5''7" and weighed 118 lbs, I kept growing till 5'10" and 133 lbs by the time i was 21.
I never got bullied, except when I was 8, because I grew up in a project and learned how to tough it out, make myself look bigger and tougher than what I was.
I not only talked and acted tough, but I could take pain, knock me down and I got back up, I would wear down my opponent by taking everything he threw at me.
I got into a lot of fights, but those weren't bullying. If anyone tried to bully me, they got a bloody nose and a black eyes. I wasn't strong, but I was fast and took a lot of pain.
One only gets bullied if they are passive and take it.
So, the one being bullied is the guilty one. This is a crazy line of thinking. And that is why the biggest bully of the US is going to be POTUS. Nobody has ever stopped this guy's bullying.
Where in the fuck did you get that from Ted. I said nothing of the sort that the one being bullied is the guilty one. Do you have some problem with comprehension.
All I said is that I stood up to bullies and didn't take their shit. Do that and you won't be bullied,not after the first attempt.
I am a person of peace, and hereby must kick your butt to prove it? My grandfather and his family fled the Stalin regime. Those who stayed behind or resisted didn't even enjoy the dignity of a proper burial.
No offense, but "(at least) no one is going to bully ME" is not very helpful in the fight against bullying. It implicitly places the blame on the individuals who are actually being bullied. I don't see many people standing up to a bully and saying "You, bully, are not going to bully that person." In fact, I don't see any. I hear Drumpf say derogatory things about Jo Biden, even in the middle of a debate that Jo Biden himself is participating in, and none of the so-called "moderators" will object and tell the orange thug to treat his opponent with normal respect and decency "or you will be removed from this program." If it were my program, I would. But the stakes are clearly too high here, i.e. ratings are more important than decency or even content. And so a toddler who was constantly throwing tantrums could get away with a message that had no more substance than, "MOM! THEY TOOK AWAY MY PRESIDENCY! IT'S MINE! IT'S MINE!"
My Gawd, where to you get the idea that I am blaming the person who is being bullied.
We have a choice to stand up to bullies or not. If we don't stand up, then we are giving them incentive and permission to continue.
If you stand up you might get a bloody nose, but the bullying will stop.
The media is great at bullying. they have bullied Biden continuously, most recently over pardoning his son. And do you know why? Because they get away with it, he doesn't fight back.
On the other hand Trump slaps them back, threatens them and they back down. A good example is Ari Melber on MSNBC, he made an accourate comment about Trump , but preceded it with "in all due respect: he was immediately slapped down and put in place by a guest, who in intimated that Ari was intimidated by, and thus fearful of Trump.
Lots more compliance in advance coming, because they are fearful of the bully.
The refrain from"Me and Molly Magee". Freedom is just another word for nothing left to lose.
Been there.I stood up, yes I got bruced and bloodied but the bully also got a few. After a awhile the bully stopped, it was too much effort for him, wasn't worth it.
William, as a kid I was passive and took it. More recently, I have focused on a quote from Eleanor Roosevelt, "No one can make you feel inferior without your consent." I shared that with my husband and it was helpful for him. Now I am 67, have many friends and supporters, and am able to be influential in my community. So I turned out okay.
Thanks Bill. I learned that lesson when I was a child. I never let anyone define me. I've always known who I am, my deficits and attributes.
I try to teach that to others, on and off the web. Being a people pleaser and let others define you is a product of brainwashing.
First you can't please people because you don't know what they really think, maybe if you can read body language and micro expressions, if you can then you will quickly realize that people wear masks and conceal
themselves.
I lived with a woman for four years who constantly worried about what others would think, that is the way she was raised,by an insecure mother.
I tried to tell her, but failed, that there is no way you can know what a person really thinks, because you can't read their minds, so why even bother.
We hardly went anywhere because she wouldn't leave the house until even the corners were dusted, she was afraid of what people would say if she had an accident and they came into her house and found dusty corners.
Same with underwear, got forbid she got in an accident and wound up in the emergency room with dirty underwear. One of the first things people do in such a case is soil their underwear.
Consider how this worked out for Germany. The downfall happened as Soviet, US, English, and French armies poured into Berlin, raping and looting on the way. Hitler escaped: according to some Hitler killed himself at the last minute; others say he found shelter somewhere outside the burned-down Germany he left behind. "Happy landing, suckers."
The only source that can testify is the Russians, and conflicting stories have come out of Russia. What ever information comes out of Russia, past or present, is not to be trusted as it is politically motivated.
Musk has already shown that he speaks for trump, whether trump realizes it or not. Trump is easily manipulated by simply telling him how great he is and what a good job he's doing. Musk will be able to influence trump's presidency. He is not elected to any office, is co-chairing a made-up department (DOGE) and will be making recommendations to trump who will do what Musk wants unless trump has some advisors that trump will listen to!
I've been calling him your "average garden variety schoolyard bully" since the beginning of his first term. At least his behavior helped us see what a large percentage of our US House and Senate are utterly either too spineless or too self-focused to be in either institution...
Whether Trump is the perpetrator or the conduit for others like Musk, he is the failed firewall for the good of the people. That he acts as a funnel for empowering a legion of evildoers, makes him worse than if acting alone. Trump enables them intentionally to feed his ego and greed, so he is not a victim who can pass on responsibility to any others.
"He" is weak, effeminate - a woman for all intents and purposes due to her weight and age -, cowardly, scared liddle man-child/woman-child. [sic] We have seen this with president musk easily siezing 130,000% control of Bunkerboy's party in MERE DAYS.
Wow Daniel, How patriarchal. You are essentially saying that women are weak, and that the worse thing one can be is a woman. I would not want to step on that limb.
Out of crisis comes opportunity. So, yes, we are entering a period of escalating crisis in government but also soon we will enter a crisis in economy. One of the reactions to these crises is anger. I saw some of that anger on this morning’s Coffee Klatch. Historically we have seen that when that anger is aimed at the real culprits, which in this case is our emerging class of techno-robber barons some good can come of it.
Anger, unguided and out of control can do a lot of harm, but an angry population properly educated, and given some meaningful direction and an action plan can bring about positive changes. It will take some time for a vast majority of the citizens of the United States to awaken to exactly what is happening in the transition from democracy to oligarchy, but it would seem that the next economic crisis will now be accelerated with our country being led by individuals of little or no competence.
Currently, I see no significant indication that our current Democratic party will be able to provide the far-sighted leadership we will need.
Marc, did you see Ben Wikler (Wisconsin Democratic Party chair) interviewed by Jon Stewart the other night? It gave me hope for the future. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TfBtlvfysjw
Bill, Thank you for posting this interview that shows how Wisconsin Democratic Chair Wikler, since 2019, successfully has organized and mobilized voters in a state where Republicans had rigged the system to maintain control. I would note that to help ensure Wikler is able to fulfill his goal of bringing the same kind of transformation to the national Democratic Party that he brought to Wisconsin all of us need to use our constituent power to urge DNC voting members in our respective states to endorse Wikler and, in turn, use their influence to encourage the 448 DNC delegates to support Wikler’s candidacy for DNC Chair.
This is very interesting. Did a little googling; hard to find out WHO the members of the DNC are. If you go to the DNC website, you can only see who the "leaders" are. (It's a short list.) NOWHERE does it list who the main participants are across the country. Could only find it on wiki. This should not be such a mystery!! If Wikler gets the chair's position, I'd think one important move might be to upgrade the website immediately, just for starters, in order to educate the public about who they are, and what the new gameplan will be, etc. I watched the video. Wikler IS impressive, on several levels. He's probably already got this on his "to do" list. If you check out the wiki, go about 3 paragraphs down to see all the people (well, their positions, anyway) who will be voting Feb. 1. . https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democratic_National_Committee
Adam, As a MA resident, I merely googled “List of MA Democratic delegates to the DNC” and was presented with a listing for 2024-28. Having composed my letter, currently, I am seeking both email and snail mail addresses. The vote, I would note, is scheduled for February 1st.
That was fantastic! I believe Ben Wikler has the vision needed for the Democratic party to come together and do all across this country what the Democrats did in Wisconsin.
There's way too much emphasis on poliical parties that are run more like private clubs these days; i.e. can the general public watch forums vetting candidates for the DNC? We need to build coalitions surrounding topics to collectively confront harmful activity, based on reality and popular concerns but not decided by party insiders with self-interests. The status quo is outmoded.
AOC is in a much better spot to lead our entire nation and could be part of a new entity to truly serve us--the people. Her latest blockers are Democrats, like Pelosi. But true patriots, like Cortez, will find a way around road blocks. Don't count on a party leader to save democracy. But I will hear what Wikler has to say out of curiosity--I am not affiliated with any parties.
Same her Bill, but I'm waiting for the DNC to pull the same shit they pulled after Hillary lost, the made another weak ass, establishment type, Tom Perez, Chair of the DNC.
The DNC damage was inflicted BEFORE Hillary lost the orange menace. In spring and summer of 2016, polls showed favorability ratings for Hillary were between 30-40%% and for Bernie Sanders about 60%. Yet the establishment honchos in the Democratic Party could not countenance nominating a Democratic Socialist”, thus putting Trump in the White House.
(Trump’s favorability rating was about 20%! Voters were forced to vote for a “change” candidate that they did not like because their favorite candidate had been kept off the ballot.
Bernie had a real civil rights record, put himself on the line, marching.
Hillary had a faux record.
The DNC put it's thumb on the scale in South Carolina, where the black female vote dominates the party. And as SC goes so does the Democratic party in the south.
Trouble is the very constituency that selects the candidate is the same constituency that costs the General. It is as though the Democratic party isn't really interested in governing, just politicking, raising money and paying salaries to party big win\gs, analysts and strategists.
Nancy Pelosi has been busy thwarting progressives. She went so far as to back a Conservadem, Congressman Joe Kennedy Jr, when he ran against progressive Senator Markey of MA. She supported a homopobe against a gay, She hates the progressive caucus, she and Rahm Emanuel killed Medicare for all, in favor of the AHIP and lobbyist written gift, the ACA.
I am grateful for one thing the Supreme Court did, and that is declare the provision that if you don't buy insurance you have to pay a tax penalty, as unconstitutional.
The perfect the enemy of the good, what bullshit, what tripe, what twisted logic, but it is a good talking point to shut progressives up.
Marc, While I love your vision, I see near 60% of working families so insecure living precariously from paycheck to paycheck, wherein family income often is sustained only by more people working longer hours and still weighted down by debt, that they are willing to accept any authoritarian option in order to provided some sense of normalcy and security in their lives. This also opens the door for significant segments of the population to scapegoat those who are most vulnerable.
Hence, in my view, our Democratic representatives, at every turn, must aggressively drive home a counter narrative, replete with prescribed forms of public accountability for institutions that have a disproportionate amount of wealth, power, and influence, while also pledging to enact social and economic remedies for people today who feel marginalized by oppressive forces largely beyond their control.
You are both terrific, I always look for your comments. Thank you for taking the time and putting in the effort. Some days, my health problems prevent me from contributing - today is like that. But I try to support and encourage my favorite contributors. You rock.
Paula, Thank you for writing. I’m sorry you’re not feeling well and hope, despite the challenges ahead, that you can look forward to good health in 2025.
Yes Barbara, even Republicans live pay check to paycheck and yet they prioritize and vote the culture war., Owning the libs is more important than paying bills.
William, Thanks for writing. I understand Democrats intend persistently to drive home the hypocrisy of a candidate who, for example, claims he will lower prices only to say, as President-elect, that he can’t control them.
In my view, Democrats, overall, must focus on improving the Party’s messaging, which I understand is largely about delivering changes, that have received zero Republican support, in people’s lives.
Barbara Republican messaging is fear. So how does one counter fear based messaging. love, hope, positivity., this is what we have done for you has not worked
And then there is the Muslim vote, their vote in Wisconsin, Michigan and Detroit would have been enough for Kamala to win, but they were pissed off and showed their disgust by either voting for Trump or not voting for President. Trump courted them, and even got Imams to endorse him.
Despite the fact that as 45 he tried to ban Muslims from entering the country, and they are one group that Stephen Miller wants to deport.
Of course they realize now that they totally fucked up, that Trump is going to be worse for Muslims and Palestinians than Biden, but too late. Stupidity always wins.
So how does one message in that case?
Besides this whole conversation is academic. Trump now has complete control of the government, Legislative, Executive, Judidial and a compliant or complicit 4th estate.
He has already told us what he is going to do, I believe him, Project 2025 lays out the game book to achieve his goal. What part of dictator for life do people not believe.
If you have not done so you might want to take a look and listen to what Senator White House has been saying recently about Democratic short falls and what they need to do.
Good point, Barbara Jo. The counter-narrative simply has to come forward, the sooner the better, and begin the massive job of dismantling the Fox News spin.
In order for us as a nation, to emerge from the oncoming chaos, we will need enlightened leadership that can create a vision of a government and economy that will endure for centuries to come. Although this new vision can be informed by our history, it cannot be limited by what has occurred in the past. Now is the time to go back to the drawing boards and create and motivate towards that vision.
One of the motivations to move us forward is the ever increasing drumbeat of looming environmental collapse. This worldwide crisis will force us to engage in cooperative worldwide solutions.
Colin--Musk is no idiot. He is, as you know, the richest man in the world. A title you don't get by being an idiot. Musk has global concerns that cross lines which endanger this country and our Democracy. The real danger he poses is found in what he whispers in Trump's ear.
You're right, Colin! My question is how? It seems no matter what the muskrat and orange man do, they NEVER face any consequences and just continue to do worse and worse! How would he be muzzled?
Those two are not exactly on the same page, but they need each other in order to serve very personal goals. It would be interesting to watch the tug o war if the implications on ALL OUR LIVES weren't so important. Toss in the mike johnson and ultra maga elements.... I just have a massive problem with musk's insertion of himself into everything DC .. BEYOND inappropriate.
Paul Guilding wrote "The Great Disruption" over ten years ago that outlines Marc what you say here. Paul used to direct Greenpeace at the global level. He consults on the intersection of our climate crisis and economies, workiing with universities too in England. He is from Australia. He inspired my life. You would enjoy his book too.
Yes! There is so much to learn from other cultures, and from the natural world itself, as to resilience, sustainability, and balance. It's now or never time.
This is why we have to keep asking Maga folks if they want to be ruled by billionaires. It's a simple message and Maga folks are already primed to fight.
If Maga folks think Dem elites are playing them, as right wing media says, there will be a bloodbath. If they realize they are being played by the billionaires, it could allow social and economic adjustment instead of just unproductive chaos. We want change though, not revolution. Revolutions cause chaos, a place where psychopaths like Trump (and worse) thrive, but not nations, businesses or families.
Even RFK and Miller are not as dangerous as Patel to lead the FBI (and could lead to a secret political police) or Pete Hegseth to lead the DOD (who could lead the military to act against domestic dissent).
Among the choices, Musk comes out on top. We have a public sector democracy in crisis because the private sector was not fully required to have democracy in the workplace. Each of the lurches towards fascism in the U.S.—1850s, 1890s, 1930s, and now—was fueled by a business sector unaccountable to social needs and norms. The Allies imposed models of co-determination on German companies to prevent this cycle. Workers need to be represented in the governance of companies so we no longer have fascist dictatorships in these very large company economies. Just as a fact check, Wal-Mart is now larger than the USSR at its prime.
I can't even see the name 'Walmart' without breaking out in hives. I worked for them in the early days, when Sam was still alive. He had a great vision for his company, with employees called 'associates' and we all had profit sharing, got a bonus when our store had a good annual inventory, and were able to purchase shares in the company at a discount. We would have been able to retire young, just on our profit sharing. I helped set up 4 stores in 5 years. Then Sam died and his greedy sons took over. Overnight it became Hell to work for, and we lost our benefits. Greed ruined everything, as it usually does.
The few times I have been in our local store have been utterly depressing. A friend described the experience as having all your spirit sucked out of you under fluorescent lights. The employees are by and large dispirited and the product quality has gotten to a point of being extremely poor.
Walmart products are made in Asia, mostly China, they are srap and are designed not to last too long. Another accomplishment of the Walton Children, who own 50% of the stock, the rest is publicly traded and policies are set by the board of directors.
Paula and Dr. Gilbert, My recent experiences with Walmart have to be recorded for all to learn about. Since I have been flat-out sick in bed for almost 8 months now with some kind of strange, acute inflammatory disorder that just came upon me overnight one night due to finally carrying too much weight in groceries and bottled water earlier that day, and accumulatively over time, I have been having to do online grocery-ordering. I go back-and-forth between Walmart's, Aldi's and Kroger. Walmart's has gotten too horrible, bizarre, unreliable, and Twilight-Zonish to even contemplate anymore. Over Christmas, I tried to place an order with Walmart's beginning on Dec. 21. They kept canceling my order, and this went on for days! They still hadn't delivered my order by Thursday the 26th! I had to call them several times to try to find out what the problem was! They were having "tech problems," their "stock was depleted," they were "protecting customers' bank accounts from fraud" . . . on and on and on. Finally I got screaming mad, and on late Thursday afternoon, I contacted them and canceled the order formally myself, and I then turned around and placed an order with Kroger, and THEY delivered it the very next day at 2 p.m.!
Kroger has a delivery program called BOOST, where you pay $59 per year (or $5/month no matter how many times you order), and they don't allow the customer to tip the delivery driver, plus they deliver in refrigerated trucks.
Walmart's charges $9.95/delivery and THEY virtually rob the customer's credit card of a tip THEY SET ($15 the last time!), this in addition to the taxes one must pay on the groceries/purchases! It is VERY EXPENSIVE! AN-N-N-D, half the time they don't deliver what you ask for, leaving the customer with an incomplete order!
I am DONE with Wal-mart's! I have cussed them out a blue streak, and even though Kroger doesn't carry as many items as Walmart's does, trying to order from Walmart's is a NIGHTMARE! Virtually a nightmare. I have an acquaintance who refers to them as "the devil," and won't go in there.
With forced tips, one has to wonder. My son worked at a movie theatre owned by a billionaire. The tip jar was next to where he worked. The problem was that all tips went to a charity that the billionaire had set up and not to the workers.
I wonder about this every time I see a tip amount on one of the point-of-sale apps in restaurants and coffee shops. It's a given that 3% automatically goes to the credit card industry, but I often wonder if the server gets anything or if the owner just pockets the remainder after credit card fees.
This little game about not taxing tips is most likely just another corporate welfare give away.
Interesting info. I do have one comment. I hope Kroger pays their delivery drivers a living wage. The expectation of customer's tipping has become a scam to allow the underpaying of workers.
Sandy, I think the forced tipping permits Walmart's to probably not pay them at all. Every single person who has come to my house drives their own car, barely speaks English, doesn't offer much of anything in service, on and on.
"ability to harm others" isn't precise. It's indifference to harm done, in pursuit of profit. The sublime unaccountability of the overlords entails a denial of humanity to others. The demi-gods who urinate on the redwood trees at Bohemian Grove literally don't think the rest of us are human, especially females.
Here is an interesting fact, that presents a conundrum. Those cultures which coddle the male child, are also the most misogynistic, They produce men who worship their mother as a madonna but think of other women as whores.
The Arab, the Italian and the orthodox Jew the Catholic and , the Hindu for starters.
Robert Reich said in the discussion that there is nothing we can do about Trump's grossly unqualified nominees for critical administration positions. Actually, there is something every citizen can do: Write or call your U.S. senators, regardless of their party, and urge them to reject the nominees. Remind them that their job is "advise and consent," not "rubber stamp" or "do whatever it takes to win reelection." Even if your senators are Democrats, you might be able to communicate arguments in against confirmation that they have not thought of.
Carolyn - I live in the gerrymandered ruby red state of Ohio where they don’t care…but I still write to All of them if nothing more than to just to piss them off. Only one replied to let me know that he doesn’t represent my district so I wrote him back and told him that if he takes the oath on a bible to uphold the constitution that it shouldn’t matter to do the right thing for all of us. At least it makes me feel like I am trying to do something. It would be interesting to see who would Actually be elected if we didn’t have dark money, gerrymandering and purges of legitimate voters but we may never know. Keep up the good work.
I live in Indiana, also red, as I'm sure you know. For confirmation of presidential nominees, you only need to contact your U.S. senators. The House has no role.
I'm sad that Sherrod Brown lost, and to a used car salesman.
Carolyn - I normally only write to my representatives/senators when it’s about certain issues but when it comes to issues that I believe they should all address I try to bug every single one of them. Even if I am the only one who reads what I wrote because I hope that maybe one of them will consider doing something about it even if it doesn’t benefit my district. I hope that it could benefit someone else.
Yes, losing Sherrod Brown is absolutely awful and to a car salesman makes the wound sting even more. At least some people will hopefully benefit from his work on eliminating some of the bad bills that reduced (or eliminated) certain workers social security benefits that Biden just signed. Brown always tried to work for the people but unfortunately dark money won and people voted against their own interests.
At least with you living in Indiana I know that you understand my pain and frustration so thank you for reaching out to me.
I have done so knowing that it will make little difference for my Missouri senators and representative. My Missouri senator Schmitt will vote for cash Patel at FBI saying he has a lot of experience.
My senators are both Republicans who probably won't listen, either, but you never know. Kash Patel has no experience running a large organization, and he wants to eliminate the critical counterterrorism function. He apparently wants to make the FBI no different from your local police department (when he isn't wasting our taxpayer money attacking journalists and others who dare to criticize Trump). He has shown astonishing ignorance of the job.
Well, that's what the powerful say: we're rich, which proves we're reasonable, so sit down and shut up, and if you happen to get pregnant and something goes wrong, that just proves how reasonable we are, sometimes you get pregnant and you die, what's more reasonable than that?
Mmerose--Being wealthy doesn't carry any degree of reason with-it. My family had 5 millionaires among its illustrious members. They were all unreasonable. As for being pregnant, that happened because of a personal choice, not the result of any coercion. If force did result in the condition the courts are there to deal with the punishment. Abortion should be the right of every woman in this country, to deny that right makes Trump grin.
I chose other because all of these dictators and authoritarians seem to have the most power in the world right now. There are more dictatorships and authoritarian regimes in the world today than there are Democracies. I wish in a small way that those of us who believe in Democracy, stakeholder capitalism, economic capitalism, equality for all people and the common good could do like the right-wing nutters did when President Biden was elected. For the past four years during his term, those right-wingers ran a shadow government with the orange man as their leader refusing to acknowledge President Biden as the president. My wish is we could do the same because I simply do not consider that orange smear to be the leader of our country. To paraphrase the words of Thomas Barnaby, "Trust and respect are hard to earn, easy to lose and should never be taken lightly." That tiny little orange man does not have my trust or my respect and he never will. Once again, thanks for the great Coffee Klatch, Professor Reich! Enjoyed it!
Kamala Harris will preside over the confirmation hearing that will cement Trump's reemergence into the white house. A demonstration of the peaceful transfer of power that Trump himself attempted to derail on January 6th, 2021. The only attempted coup in our history will see the man responsible for the travesty to once again hold the office of the President. You want an oxymoron; I give you Donald Trump. Personally, I feel the "oxy" prefix isn't necessary.
It’s a HIDEOUS DAY for America - everything Americans fought and died for … freedom liberty democracy constitution will be sold for $$$ and power by Trump and Musk.
My father was in WW2 and is rolling in his grave - so are Washington Lincoln and FDR
Fetterman, especially and any Democrat should object to the electoral count from Michigan, Wisconsin and especially Pennyslvania. the 14th Amendment and voter interference, the Repulicans have set the precedence. Donald.
Yes, and there is a legal process in place: letter(s) prior to Jan. 6 from each branch of Congress calling for 'objections' to mattters, like disqualification due to engaging in insurrection legally noted (letter can be from just one lawmaker per branch). Then, debate for two and one-half hours, followed by votes. If Harris doesn't lead on this it's over for our democracy for a long, long time if ever. Of course, the endeavor would probably fail but not trying due to lawmakers self-interest or preservation (fear) or delusion that all is not bad is disobeying their oaths of office to suppport our Constitution. We'll see how this goes or not.
I'm disappointed. No mention of the 14th amendment. Calling the current efforts futile would be understandable, though I believe they're worth the effort, if just so history knows people tried, but ignoring this real political story seems disrespectful at best.
Thank you, GG. It was what I was thinking the entire time the Coffee Klatch was going on. I was reading through the comments first to see if anyone else brought it up, as I had intended to. Why indeed are they not talking about what is happening right now in Washington DC? Everyone should be calling their Senators and Reps now to ask them to be loyal to the oath they took to uphold the Constitution. They need to hear their constituents. If they were to honestly uphold the oath they took, they would have no other choice but to disqualify Trump, an insurrectionist, from ever holding office again. Do read the sites posted by GG. I desperately wanted to go to DC to engage in this historical event that seems so important, but my health would not allow me to do so. Many people have shown up from all over our country and even other countries. It was only organized recently, but I am very impressed with the fact that it is taking place and that we still may be able to turn this around!!!! I agree with GG that it is disrespectful not to even mention this is happening. Even if we cannot get him disqualified, the media needs to cover that there are many of us trying to make a statement about the future of our country and trying to honor our Constitution.
I totally agree with you GG. We are cowards bowing to the oligarchy by not showing a true fighting spirit as they do in other countries, like France and the UK. And ignoring Section 3 is a precursor to what's to come.
Amen Joan. Anticipatory obedience of obeying in advance is American. Americans, despite their bitching about how hard it is to get by, enjoy comforts our ancestors would envy. Most of us live better than Henry VIII, hot and cold running water, electricity, clean clothes, good food, if we choose.
So good that they are willing to submit to continue.
Both Trump and Musk have the power to shitcan America. Trump would be more likely to do that. Musk could possibly shican the whole world - and not think a thing about it.
He is trying to shitcan the UK too. He routinely disparages our government and wants a thug and right wing agitator Robinson released from, jail. Robinson is there because he breached a court order. Pity someone didn't do the same with Trump.
Teddy Roosevelt warned that “a small class of enormously wealthy and economically powerful men, whose chief object is to hold and increase their power,” could destroy American democracy.
This is exactly what we can look forward to for the next four years.
In my opinion Musk is the world’s first planetary fascist with his tentacles all over the planet. He’s out of the closet so to speak. Wielding his immense monetary power.
Mark: we can only hope that he does not own enough talent to create "The Death star" of Star Wars infamy. But, on the bright side, we have no habitable planets nearby. anyway, and he will not live long enough to do what was shown on the movie screen.
Ellen--Look at the economy they said was so terrible. They downgraded everything Biden tried to do because of the upcoming election and their desire to see Trump back in the white house. Our economy was the strongest in the world.
Lisa--The only man to ever attempt a coup against our government is about to be our President. That's how screwed up this country is. With his perverted influence controlling all "4" branches of our government we're in for a rough next 4 years.
According to the likes of the Professional Dems, like James Carville it is still all about the economy. but if one pays attention to social media, the likes of the Proud Boys, Oath keepers, etc it is all about the culture war. Even Trumps cabinet picks are proof that it is the culture war, but the professional Democrat analysts and strategists live inside their bubble.
Trump has obviously been Putin’s lapdog since Helsinki. That is certain to continue. Trump’s advice to “end the war in Ukraine” is for Zelenskyy to give up. I continue to expect a Trump Tower in Moscow. Surprise!
Many see Trump as strong, but I see him as a weak, easily-manipulated schoolyard bully. He can and will harm people who are less fortunate, but he cannot stand up to someone like Musk who is younger, wealthier, and even more outspoken.
A great insight, Sue. It has been many years since my childhood, but I still remember being bullied and how that made me feel. I have had a visceral reaction to bullies ever since, which is one reason (of many) why I have always loathed Trump. That weakness will eventually lead to his downfall, God willing.
Bill--The guy who blew up a Tesla in front of a Trump hotel was making a statement. He said in some of his writings that he supported Trump, Musk, and RFK Jr. What more proof do we need to exhibit an out of controlled level of insanity. Personally, I find his act a glaring example of how much distain he held for the 3 in question. He destroyed a car produced by Musk in front of a building owned by Trump. That doesn't sound like support to me.
I agree completely it is blatantly clear what he thought about taking all of the Veterans Medicare disability support and retirement away. Our veterans gave everything for us and are now threatened with nothing in return.
You are right, Donald. One does not rent a Tesla truck and drive miles away, then park the truck in front of a Trump-owned hotel just to commit suicide. The NYT is full of BS when it fails to mention these obvious facts. The veteran was making a statement neither Trump nor Musk want to hear. It was a loud, spectacular, and crucially important statement. Only cowards may ignore it.
Many Trump/Musk supporters are just confused, in my view. He was one of them.
Tom, probably he was one of them initially--then he woke.
The problem with lies is that they eventually get exposed. Take a fundamentalist and lie to him then the lie gets exposed. That fundamentalist and their violence gets redirected to the person that radicalized them in the first place.
Baloney
Yes.
Donald something doesn't compute about that guy blowing up the Tesla.
He shot himself in the head before blowing up the Tesla. an impossible feat, you shoot yourself in the head, and you are dead and can't do anything.
This sounds like a hit, when was he shot, there is no time line, because the explosion destroyed the evidence.
He probably set a timer on the explosives.
A possibility. One thing for sure, you can't trust any report about anything today, including that assassination attempt in Pennsylvania. One thing that is being ignored is that both assassination attempts and this event were conducted by right wingers. And there is no discussion of that in the media.
Even by Trump supporters, like the Green beret in the Tesla.
Because the media has been cowed by the right. Ann Telnaes resigned because WaPo killed her editorial cartoon critical of Bezos and others groveling before Trump.
https://anntelnaes.substack.com/p/why-im-quitting-the-washington-post
maybe the explosion device was on a timer
I'm with you on that Don, there are so many better ways to show support killing ones self and blowing up a truck 🚚 just doesn't ring true to me. I think it was some other type of gesture 🤔 or the guy lost it and was nuts at the time ⏲️.
Although a strong atheist minded person I am sure that underneath it all the explosive incident in front of a supposedly trumpy owned property is simply the fates speaking out... a bad omen for the coming donny j. frump and muskrat musk turn of the wheel.
and that of musk whose social and emotional intelligence ranks below any measurable indicator
besides as much as Musk self believes he is untouchable, and actually thinks he understands America he will soon find out how wrong he is on both scores
add to that his outshining T in the public eye and this shooting star is bound to crash sooner than later
let’s all roll up our sleeves , chip in ( work not $) and make that sooner
I pray Bunkerboy's aides realize that he can unilaterally deport illegal immigrant musk, but first confiscate ALL his illegally-gotten one trillion dollars!
Bunkerboy has the ABILITY to actually BE the greatest president of all time now: spend half a trillion to keep Medicare For All solvent for a decade and expand ALL social safetly nets, then shove a half a trillion binkie in useless billionaire's widdle precious mouths.
Except of course that bit in the Constitution about having to be a birthright citizen of the
Republic...which restriction is in the original document as written and ratified. I say there isn't any way for the so-called "or I finalists to get around that, as it so obviously was the intent of The Founders.
The only real thing that will bring down trump and his oligarchs is, we the people.
Get out there and fight.
He ALREADY failed by dropping his XXXXL pants for elon last week . . . but not before dropping them for every billionaire in 2015.
Ha ha! I wonder if he realizes that that's exactly what he's doing.
What a testament to greatness!
Bill, I was a "shrimp" until I was almost 18 years old, and then shot up. A week after my 17th birthday I tried to join the Marine Corps, they laughed at me and like a fish threw me back in the ocean, told me to try the Navy, they needed submariners. I was 5'1" and weighed 101 lbs. 9 months later I was 5''7" and weighed 118 lbs, I kept growing till 5'10" and 133 lbs by the time i was 21.
I never got bullied, except when I was 8, because I grew up in a project and learned how to tough it out, make myself look bigger and tougher than what I was.
I not only talked and acted tough, but I could take pain, knock me down and I got back up, I would wear down my opponent by taking everything he threw at me.
I got into a lot of fights, but those weren't bullying. If anyone tried to bully me, they got a bloody nose and a black eyes. I wasn't strong, but I was fast and took a lot of pain.
One only gets bullied if they are passive and take it.
So, the one being bullied is the guilty one. This is a crazy line of thinking. And that is why the biggest bully of the US is going to be POTUS. Nobody has ever stopped this guy's bullying.
Where in the fuck did you get that from Ted. I said nothing of the sort that the one being bullied is the guilty one. Do you have some problem with comprehension.
All I said is that I stood up to bullies and didn't take their shit. Do that and you won't be bullied,not after the first attempt.
I am a person of peace, and hereby must kick your butt to prove it? My grandfather and his family fled the Stalin regime. Those who stayed behind or resisted didn't even enjoy the dignity of a proper burial.
Who said anything about a pacificist or person of peace kicking butt to prove anything. I believe your comment is called a strawman fallacy.
You are more than welcome to sit back, sit by, be persecuted, imprisoned or whatever happens to people of principle.
Myself, I choose to stand up for myself. We all have choices. Exercise yours as you see fit, I will exercise mine as I see fit.
One person can stand up to one bully but not to an army of bullies. That takes another army to fight back.
No offense, but "(at least) no one is going to bully ME" is not very helpful in the fight against bullying. It implicitly places the blame on the individuals who are actually being bullied. I don't see many people standing up to a bully and saying "You, bully, are not going to bully that person." In fact, I don't see any. I hear Drumpf say derogatory things about Jo Biden, even in the middle of a debate that Jo Biden himself is participating in, and none of the so-called "moderators" will object and tell the orange thug to treat his opponent with normal respect and decency "or you will be removed from this program." If it were my program, I would. But the stakes are clearly too high here, i.e. ratings are more important than decency or even content. And so a toddler who was constantly throwing tantrums could get away with a message that had no more substance than, "MOM! THEY TOOK AWAY MY PRESIDENCY! IT'S MINE! IT'S MINE!"
My Gawd, where to you get the idea that I am blaming the person who is being bullied.
We have a choice to stand up to bullies or not. If we don't stand up, then we are giving them incentive and permission to continue.
If you stand up you might get a bloody nose, but the bullying will stop.
The media is great at bullying. they have bullied Biden continuously, most recently over pardoning his son. And do you know why? Because they get away with it, he doesn't fight back.
On the other hand Trump slaps them back, threatens them and they back down. A good example is Ari Melber on MSNBC, he made an accourate comment about Trump , but preceded it with "in all due respect: he was immediately slapped down and put in place by a guest, who in intimated that Ari was intimidated by, and thus fearful of Trump.
Lots more compliance in advance coming, because they are fearful of the bully.
The refrain from"Me and Molly Magee". Freedom is just another word for nothing left to lose.
Been there.I stood up, yes I got bruced and bloodied but the bully also got a few. After a awhile the bully stopped, it was too much effort for him, wasn't worth it.
You beat him with your face. That is an acceptable tactic, if you survive.
William, as a kid I was passive and took it. More recently, I have focused on a quote from Eleanor Roosevelt, "No one can make you feel inferior without your consent." I shared that with my husband and it was helpful for him. Now I am 67, have many friends and supporters, and am able to be influential in my community. So I turned out okay.
Thanks Bill. I learned that lesson when I was a child. I never let anyone define me. I've always known who I am, my deficits and attributes.
I try to teach that to others, on and off the web. Being a people pleaser and let others define you is a product of brainwashing.
First you can't please people because you don't know what they really think, maybe if you can read body language and micro expressions, if you can then you will quickly realize that people wear masks and conceal
themselves.
I lived with a woman for four years who constantly worried about what others would think, that is the way she was raised,by an insecure mother.
I tried to tell her, but failed, that there is no way you can know what a person really thinks, because you can't read their minds, so why even bother.
We hardly went anywhere because she wouldn't leave the house until even the corners were dusted, she was afraid of what people would say if she had an accident and they came into her house and found dusty corners.
Same with underwear, got forbid she got in an accident and wound up in the emergency room with dirty underwear. One of the first things people do in such a case is soil their underwear.
Four years was enough of that nonsense.
Consider how this worked out for Germany. The downfall happened as Soviet, US, English, and French armies poured into Berlin, raping and looting on the way. Hitler escaped: according to some Hitler killed himself at the last minute; others say he found shelter somewhere outside the burned-down Germany he left behind. "Happy landing, suckers."
Your saying Hitler's body was never officially identified? I hadn't heard that story.
The only source that can testify is the Russians, and conflicting stories have come out of Russia. What ever information comes out of Russia, past or present, is not to be trusted as it is politically motivated.
Musk has already shown that he speaks for trump, whether trump realizes it or not. Trump is easily manipulated by simply telling him how great he is and what a good job he's doing. Musk will be able to influence trump's presidency. He is not elected to any office, is co-chairing a made-up department (DOGE) and will be making recommendations to trump who will do what Musk wants unless trump has some advisors that trump will listen to!
When you look at it that way, you can see Muck's hand up tRump's backside making Don's lips move.
Flattery will get them everywhere, along with some cold hard cash.
Hi Laurie,Happy New Year!
RedElisa Mendoza : a belated Happy New Year to you. Too!🧨🎊⏳🚀🧨!
Excellent and so true!
I've been calling him your "average garden variety schoolyard bully" since the beginning of his first term. At least his behavior helped us see what a large percentage of our US House and Senate are utterly either too spineless or too self-focused to be in either institution...
Whether Trump is the perpetrator or the conduit for others like Musk, he is the failed firewall for the good of the people. That he acts as a funnel for empowering a legion of evildoers, makes him worse than if acting alone. Trump enables them intentionally to feed his ego and greed, so he is not a victim who can pass on responsibility to any others.
"He" is weak, effeminate - a woman for all intents and purposes due to her weight and age -, cowardly, scared liddle man-child/woman-child. [sic] We have seen this with president musk easily siezing 130,000% control of Bunkerboy's party in MERE DAYS.
Wow Daniel, How patriarchal. You are essentially saying that women are weak, and that the worse thing one can be is a woman. I would not want to step on that limb.
Out of crisis comes opportunity. So, yes, we are entering a period of escalating crisis in government but also soon we will enter a crisis in economy. One of the reactions to these crises is anger. I saw some of that anger on this morning’s Coffee Klatch. Historically we have seen that when that anger is aimed at the real culprits, which in this case is our emerging class of techno-robber barons some good can come of it.
Anger, unguided and out of control can do a lot of harm, but an angry population properly educated, and given some meaningful direction and an action plan can bring about positive changes. It will take some time for a vast majority of the citizens of the United States to awaken to exactly what is happening in the transition from democracy to oligarchy, but it would seem that the next economic crisis will now be accelerated with our country being led by individuals of little or no competence.
Currently, I see no significant indication that our current Democratic party will be able to provide the far-sighted leadership we will need.
Marc, did you see Ben Wikler (Wisconsin Democratic Party chair) interviewed by Jon Stewart the other night? It gave me hope for the future. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TfBtlvfysjw
Bill, Thank you for posting this interview that shows how Wisconsin Democratic Chair Wikler, since 2019, successfully has organized and mobilized voters in a state where Republicans had rigged the system to maintain control. I would note that to help ensure Wikler is able to fulfill his goal of bringing the same kind of transformation to the national Democratic Party that he brought to Wisconsin all of us need to use our constituent power to urge DNC voting members in our respective states to endorse Wikler and, in turn, use their influence to encourage the 448 DNC delegates to support Wikler’s candidacy for DNC Chair.
pls leave us a ‘how to’ guide eg who to contact and how to contact
This is very interesting. Did a little googling; hard to find out WHO the members of the DNC are. If you go to the DNC website, you can only see who the "leaders" are. (It's a short list.) NOWHERE does it list who the main participants are across the country. Could only find it on wiki. This should not be such a mystery!! If Wikler gets the chair's position, I'd think one important move might be to upgrade the website immediately, just for starters, in order to educate the public about who they are, and what the new gameplan will be, etc. I watched the video. Wikler IS impressive, on several levels. He's probably already got this on his "to do" list. If you check out the wiki, go about 3 paragraphs down to see all the people (well, their positions, anyway) who will be voting Feb. 1. . https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democratic_National_Committee
Adam, As a MA resident, I merely googled “List of MA Democratic delegates to the DNC” and was presented with a listing for 2024-28. Having composed my letter, currently, I am seeking both email and snail mail addresses. The vote, I would note, is scheduled for February 1st.
Amen!
That was fantastic! I believe Ben Wikler has the vision needed for the Democratic party to come together and do all across this country what the Democrats did in Wisconsin.
Thank you for sharing this!!! I feel more hopeful too. Honesty will win the day. 🙏💕
There's way too much emphasis on poliical parties that are run more like private clubs these days; i.e. can the general public watch forums vetting candidates for the DNC? We need to build coalitions surrounding topics to collectively confront harmful activity, based on reality and popular concerns but not decided by party insiders with self-interests. The status quo is outmoded.
I have ONLY heard INCREDIBLE things about Party Chair Wikler. Male version of Alexandria Cortez?
AOC is in a much better spot to lead our entire nation and could be part of a new entity to truly serve us--the people. Her latest blockers are Democrats, like Pelosi. But true patriots, like Cortez, will find a way around road blocks. Don't count on a party leader to save democracy. But I will hear what Wikler has to say out of curiosity--I am not affiliated with any parties.
Same her Bill, but I'm waiting for the DNC to pull the same shit they pulled after Hillary lost, the made another weak ass, establishment type, Tom Perez, Chair of the DNC.
The DNC damage was inflicted BEFORE Hillary lost the orange menace. In spring and summer of 2016, polls showed favorability ratings for Hillary were between 30-40%% and for Bernie Sanders about 60%. Yet the establishment honchos in the Democratic Party could not countenance nominating a Democratic Socialist”, thus putting Trump in the White House.
(Trump’s favorability rating was about 20%! Voters were forced to vote for a “change” candidate that they did not like because their favorite candidate had been kept off the ballot.
Thats what I've been saying Charles:
Bernie had a real civil rights record, put himself on the line, marching.
Hillary had a faux record.
The DNC put it's thumb on the scale in South Carolina, where the black female vote dominates the party. And as SC goes so does the Democratic party in the south.
Trouble is the very constituency that selects the candidate is the same constituency that costs the General. It is as though the Democratic party isn't really interested in governing, just politicking, raising money and paying salaries to party big win\gs, analysts and strategists.
Nancy Pelosi has been busy thwarting progressives. She went so far as to back a Conservadem, Congressman Joe Kennedy Jr, when he ran against progressive Senator Markey of MA. She supported a homopobe against a gay, She hates the progressive caucus, she and Rahm Emanuel killed Medicare for all, in favor of the AHIP and lobbyist written gift, the ACA.
I am grateful for one thing the Supreme Court did, and that is declare the provision that if you don't buy insurance you have to pay a tax penalty, as unconstitutional.
The perfect the enemy of the good, what bullshit, what tripe, what twisted logic, but it is a good talking point to shut progressives up.
Marc, While I love your vision, I see near 60% of working families so insecure living precariously from paycheck to paycheck, wherein family income often is sustained only by more people working longer hours and still weighted down by debt, that they are willing to accept any authoritarian option in order to provided some sense of normalcy and security in their lives. This also opens the door for significant segments of the population to scapegoat those who are most vulnerable.
Hence, in my view, our Democratic representatives, at every turn, must aggressively drive home a counter narrative, replete with prescribed forms of public accountability for institutions that have a disproportionate amount of wealth, power, and influence, while also pledging to enact social and economic remedies for people today who feel marginalized by oppressive forces largely beyond their control.
Yes!
Peggy, I appreciate you affirming my thinking.
You are both terrific, I always look for your comments. Thank you for taking the time and putting in the effort. Some days, my health problems prevent me from contributing - today is like that. But I try to support and encourage my favorite contributors. You rock.
Paula, Thank you for writing. I’m sorry you’re not feeling well and hope, despite the challenges ahead, that you can look forward to good health in 2025.
Yes Barbara, even Republicans live pay check to paycheck and yet they prioritize and vote the culture war., Owning the libs is more important than paying bills.
William, Thanks for writing. I understand Democrats intend persistently to drive home the hypocrisy of a candidate who, for example, claims he will lower prices only to say, as President-elect, that he can’t control them.
In my view, Democrats, overall, must focus on improving the Party’s messaging, which I understand is largely about delivering changes, that have received zero Republican support, in people’s lives.
Barbara Republican messaging is fear. So how does one counter fear based messaging. love, hope, positivity., this is what we have done for you has not worked
And then there is the Muslim vote, their vote in Wisconsin, Michigan and Detroit would have been enough for Kamala to win, but they were pissed off and showed their disgust by either voting for Trump or not voting for President. Trump courted them, and even got Imams to endorse him.
Despite the fact that as 45 he tried to ban Muslims from entering the country, and they are one group that Stephen Miller wants to deport.
Of course they realize now that they totally fucked up, that Trump is going to be worse for Muslims and Palestinians than Biden, but too late. Stupidity always wins.
So how does one message in that case?
Besides this whole conversation is academic. Trump now has complete control of the government, Legislative, Executive, Judidial and a compliant or complicit 4th estate.
He has already told us what he is going to do, I believe him, Project 2025 lays out the game book to achieve his goal. What part of dictator for life do people not believe.
If you have not done so you might want to take a look and listen to what Senator White House has been saying recently about Democratic short falls and what they need to do.
Thanks. He is one of my favorites. What is your source for his comments?
Good point, Barbara Jo. The counter-narrative simply has to come forward, the sooner the better, and begin the massive job of dismantling the Fox News spin.
In order for us as a nation, to emerge from the oncoming chaos, we will need enlightened leadership that can create a vision of a government and economy that will endure for centuries to come. Although this new vision can be informed by our history, it cannot be limited by what has occurred in the past. Now is the time to go back to the drawing boards and create and motivate towards that vision.
One of the motivations to move us forward is the ever increasing drumbeat of looming environmental collapse. This worldwide crisis will force us to engage in cooperative worldwide solutions.
Not with idiots like Musk around. He will have to be muzzled.
Colin--Musk is no idiot. He is, as you know, the richest man in the world. A title you don't get by being an idiot. Musk has global concerns that cross lines which endanger this country and our Democracy. The real danger he poses is found in what he whispers in Trump's ear.
I don't think Musk has loyalty to persons or country so that is creepy!
He, like trump, is interested in only ONE person: himself. Period.
Plus his relationship with putin and xi
Correct Donald: As Sun Tzu said: Don't underestimate the enemy.
People do that with Trump, calling them stupid might make one feel good, but it is dangerous
You're right, Colin! My question is how? It seems no matter what the muskrat and orange man do, they NEVER face any consequences and just continue to do worse and worse! How would he be muzzled?
Those two are not exactly on the same page, but they need each other in order to serve very personal goals. It would be interesting to watch the tug o war if the implications on ALL OUR LIVES weren't so important. Toss in the mike johnson and ultra maga elements.... I just have a massive problem with musk's insertion of himself into everything DC .. BEYOND inappropriate.
his arrogance will lead him to self (?) immolate
Paul Guilding wrote "The Great Disruption" over ten years ago that outlines Marc what you say here. Paul used to direct Greenpeace at the global level. He consults on the intersection of our climate crisis and economies, workiing with universities too in England. He is from Australia. He inspired my life. You would enjoy his book too.
Yes! There is so much to learn from other cultures, and from the natural world itself, as to resilience, sustainability, and balance. It's now or never time.
Talking of environmental collapse, it seems that scientists are debating leaving the United States: https://www.salon.com/2025/01/03/scientists-debate-fleeing-america-because-of--or-risk-their-research-being-censored/?lh_aid=112154&lh_cid=aaq29c57r8&lh_em=myocicats%40gmail.com&di=4ac81478a7a04cde2f785a1ffdaef4e2
People can donate to the climate science Legal defense fund which I have done for years.
Steve, thank you I didn't know about this group!
This is why we have to keep asking Maga folks if they want to be ruled by billionaires. It's a simple message and Maga folks are already primed to fight.
If Maga folks think Dem elites are playing them, as right wing media says, there will be a bloodbath. If they realize they are being played by the billionaires, it could allow social and economic adjustment instead of just unproductive chaos. We want change though, not revolution. Revolutions cause chaos, a place where psychopaths like Trump (and worse) thrive, but not nations, businesses or families.
Even RFK and Miller are not as dangerous as Patel to lead the FBI (and could lead to a secret political police) or Pete Hegseth to lead the DOD (who could lead the military to act against domestic dissent).
We are on a precarious ledge
I found interesting this opinion on how the Democrats' American Rescue Plan failed. https://budget.house.gov/press-release/smith-op-ed-one-year-later-why-bidens-american-rescue-failed
Yes, the spending process looks out of control. Thanks for the resource that leads to links where one can go deeper.
Agree 100%, Marc!
Among the choices, Musk comes out on top. We have a public sector democracy in crisis because the private sector was not fully required to have democracy in the workplace. Each of the lurches towards fascism in the U.S.—1850s, 1890s, 1930s, and now—was fueled by a business sector unaccountable to social needs and norms. The Allies imposed models of co-determination on German companies to prevent this cycle. Workers need to be represented in the governance of companies so we no longer have fascist dictatorships in these very large company economies. Just as a fact check, Wal-Mart is now larger than the USSR at its prime.
I can't even see the name 'Walmart' without breaking out in hives. I worked for them in the early days, when Sam was still alive. He had a great vision for his company, with employees called 'associates' and we all had profit sharing, got a bonus when our store had a good annual inventory, and were able to purchase shares in the company at a discount. We would have been able to retire young, just on our profit sharing. I helped set up 4 stores in 5 years. Then Sam died and his greedy sons took over. Overnight it became Hell to work for, and we lost our benefits. Greed ruined everything, as it usually does.
Great insight from your experience Paula Dean.
Thank you.
The few times I have been in our local store have been utterly depressing. A friend described the experience as having all your spirit sucked out of you under fluorescent lights. The employees are by and large dispirited and the product quality has gotten to a point of being extremely poor.
I'm not surprised. Anything built on misery can only beget more misery.
Walmart products are made in Asia, mostly China, they are srap and are designed not to last too long. Another accomplishment of the Walton Children, who own 50% of the stock, the rest is publicly traded and policies are set by the board of directors.
Paula and Dr. Gilbert, My recent experiences with Walmart have to be recorded for all to learn about. Since I have been flat-out sick in bed for almost 8 months now with some kind of strange, acute inflammatory disorder that just came upon me overnight one night due to finally carrying too much weight in groceries and bottled water earlier that day, and accumulatively over time, I have been having to do online grocery-ordering. I go back-and-forth between Walmart's, Aldi's and Kroger. Walmart's has gotten too horrible, bizarre, unreliable, and Twilight-Zonish to even contemplate anymore. Over Christmas, I tried to place an order with Walmart's beginning on Dec. 21. They kept canceling my order, and this went on for days! They still hadn't delivered my order by Thursday the 26th! I had to call them several times to try to find out what the problem was! They were having "tech problems," their "stock was depleted," they were "protecting customers' bank accounts from fraud" . . . on and on and on. Finally I got screaming mad, and on late Thursday afternoon, I contacted them and canceled the order formally myself, and I then turned around and placed an order with Kroger, and THEY delivered it the very next day at 2 p.m.!
Kroger has a delivery program called BOOST, where you pay $59 per year (or $5/month no matter how many times you order), and they don't allow the customer to tip the delivery driver, plus they deliver in refrigerated trucks.
Walmart's charges $9.95/delivery and THEY virtually rob the customer's credit card of a tip THEY SET ($15 the last time!), this in addition to the taxes one must pay on the groceries/purchases! It is VERY EXPENSIVE! AN-N-N-D, half the time they don't deliver what you ask for, leaving the customer with an incomplete order!
I am DONE with Wal-mart's! I have cussed them out a blue streak, and even though Kroger doesn't carry as many items as Walmart's does, trying to order from Walmart's is a NIGHTMARE! Virtually a nightmare. I have an acquaintance who refers to them as "the devil," and won't go in there.
BEWARE WALMART'S, ALL WHO READ THIS!
With forced tips, one has to wonder. My son worked at a movie theatre owned by a billionaire. The tip jar was next to where he worked. The problem was that all tips went to a charity that the billionaire had set up and not to the workers.
I wonder about this every time I see a tip amount on one of the point-of-sale apps in restaurants and coffee shops. It's a given that 3% automatically goes to the credit card industry, but I often wonder if the server gets anything or if the owner just pockets the remainder after credit card fees.
This little game about not taxing tips is most likely just another corporate welfare give away.
Interesting info. I do have one comment. I hope Kroger pays their delivery drivers a living wage. The expectation of customer's tipping has become a scam to allow the underpaying of workers.
Sandy, I think the forced tipping permits Walmart's to probably not pay them at all. Every single person who has come to my house drives their own car, barely speaks English, doesn't offer much of anything in service, on and on.
Don’t shop there
"ability to harm others" isn't precise. It's indifference to harm done, in pursuit of profit. The sublime unaccountability of the overlords entails a denial of humanity to others. The demi-gods who urinate on the redwood trees at Bohemian Grove literally don't think the rest of us are human, especially females.
Mmerose, I agree. Neglecting suffering is equally as bad as creating suffering.
Mmerose--If you feel they don't view women as human, where do they think they came from.
When you have lots of wealth, "They let you do it".
Here is an interesting fact, that presents a conundrum. Those cultures which coddle the male child, are also the most misogynistic, They produce men who worship their mother as a madonna but think of other women as whores.
The Arab, the Italian and the orthodox Jew the Catholic and , the Hindu for starters.
Robert Reich said in the discussion that there is nothing we can do about Trump's grossly unqualified nominees for critical administration positions. Actually, there is something every citizen can do: Write or call your U.S. senators, regardless of their party, and urge them to reject the nominees. Remind them that their job is "advise and consent," not "rubber stamp" or "do whatever it takes to win reelection." Even if your senators are Democrats, you might be able to communicate arguments in against confirmation that they have not thought of.
Carolyn - I live in the gerrymandered ruby red state of Ohio where they don’t care…but I still write to All of them if nothing more than to just to piss them off. Only one replied to let me know that he doesn’t represent my district so I wrote him back and told him that if he takes the oath on a bible to uphold the constitution that it shouldn’t matter to do the right thing for all of us. At least it makes me feel like I am trying to do something. It would be interesting to see who would Actually be elected if we didn’t have dark money, gerrymandering and purges of legitimate voters but we may never know. Keep up the good work.
I live in Indiana, also red, as I'm sure you know. For confirmation of presidential nominees, you only need to contact your U.S. senators. The House has no role.
I'm sad that Sherrod Brown lost, and to a used car salesman.
Carolyn - I normally only write to my representatives/senators when it’s about certain issues but when it comes to issues that I believe they should all address I try to bug every single one of them. Even if I am the only one who reads what I wrote because I hope that maybe one of them will consider doing something about it even if it doesn’t benefit my district. I hope that it could benefit someone else.
Yes, losing Sherrod Brown is absolutely awful and to a car salesman makes the wound sting even more. At least some people will hopefully benefit from his work on eliminating some of the bad bills that reduced (or eliminated) certain workers social security benefits that Biden just signed. Brown always tried to work for the people but unfortunately dark money won and people voted against their own interests.
At least with you living in Indiana I know that you understand my pain and frustration so thank you for reaching out to me.
I have done so knowing that it will make little difference for my Missouri senators and representative. My Missouri senator Schmitt will vote for cash Patel at FBI saying he has a lot of experience.
My senators are both Republicans who probably won't listen, either, but you never know. Kash Patel has no experience running a large organization, and he wants to eliminate the critical counterterrorism function. He apparently wants to make the FBI no different from your local police department (when he isn't wasting our taxpayer money attacking journalists and others who dare to criticize Trump). He has shown astonishing ignorance of the job.
Yes!
Power should only carry authority when it's accompanied by reason.
Well, that's what the powerful say: we're rich, which proves we're reasonable, so sit down and shut up, and if you happen to get pregnant and something goes wrong, that just proves how reasonable we are, sometimes you get pregnant and you die, what's more reasonable than that?
Mmerose--Being wealthy doesn't carry any degree of reason with-it. My family had 5 millionaires among its illustrious members. They were all unreasonable. As for being pregnant, that happened because of a personal choice, not the result of any coercion. If force did result in the condition the courts are there to deal with the punishment. Abortion should be the right of every woman in this country, to deny that right makes Trump grin.
I chose other because all of these dictators and authoritarians seem to have the most power in the world right now. There are more dictatorships and authoritarian regimes in the world today than there are Democracies. I wish in a small way that those of us who believe in Democracy, stakeholder capitalism, economic capitalism, equality for all people and the common good could do like the right-wing nutters did when President Biden was elected. For the past four years during his term, those right-wingers ran a shadow government with the orange man as their leader refusing to acknowledge President Biden as the president. My wish is we could do the same because I simply do not consider that orange smear to be the leader of our country. To paraphrase the words of Thomas Barnaby, "Trust and respect are hard to earn, easy to lose and should never be taken lightly." That tiny little orange man does not have my trust or my respect and he never will. Once again, thanks for the great Coffee Klatch, Professor Reich! Enjoyed it!
Kamala Harris will preside over the confirmation hearing that will cement Trump's reemergence into the white house. A demonstration of the peaceful transfer of power that Trump himself attempted to derail on January 6th, 2021. The only attempted coup in our history will see the man responsible for the travesty to once again hold the office of the President. You want an oxymoron; I give you Donald Trump. Personally, I feel the "oxy" prefix isn't necessary.
It’s a HIDEOUS DAY for America - everything Americans fought and died for … freedom liberty democracy constitution will be sold for $$$ and power by Trump and Musk.
My father was in WW2 and is rolling in his grave - so are Washington Lincoln and FDR
Fetterman, especially and any Democrat should object to the electoral count from Michigan, Wisconsin and especially Pennyslvania. the 14th Amendment and voter interference, the Repulicans have set the precedence. Donald.
Yes, and there is a legal process in place: letter(s) prior to Jan. 6 from each branch of Congress calling for 'objections' to mattters, like disqualification due to engaging in insurrection legally noted (letter can be from just one lawmaker per branch). Then, debate for two and one-half hours, followed by votes. If Harris doesn't lead on this it's over for our democracy for a long, long time if ever. Of course, the endeavor would probably fail but not trying due to lawmakers self-interest or preservation (fear) or delusion that all is not bad is disobeying their oaths of office to suppport our Constitution. We'll see how this goes or not.
Good point. Taking bets as to whether Kamala or the Democrats lead/lean on this?
I bet that they won't. Cowards.
William, I will watch but made need Pepto or a pillow to scream into!
I'm disappointed. No mention of the 14th amendment. Calling the current efforts futile would be understandable, though I believe they're worth the effort, if just so history knows people tried, but ignoring this real political story seems disrespectful at best.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=pmzK3-dhsG4&t=837s&pp=ygUOamVzc2ljYSBkZW5zb24%3D
https://nowmarch.org/
Thank you, GG. It was what I was thinking the entire time the Coffee Klatch was going on. I was reading through the comments first to see if anyone else brought it up, as I had intended to. Why indeed are they not talking about what is happening right now in Washington DC? Everyone should be calling their Senators and Reps now to ask them to be loyal to the oath they took to uphold the Constitution. They need to hear their constituents. If they were to honestly uphold the oath they took, they would have no other choice but to disqualify Trump, an insurrectionist, from ever holding office again. Do read the sites posted by GG. I desperately wanted to go to DC to engage in this historical event that seems so important, but my health would not allow me to do so. Many people have shown up from all over our country and even other countries. It was only organized recently, but I am very impressed with the fact that it is taking place and that we still may be able to turn this around!!!! I agree with GG that it is disrespectful not to even mention this is happening. Even if we cannot get him disqualified, the media needs to cover that there are many of us trying to make a statement about the future of our country and trying to honor our Constitution.
I know! NO ONE remembers "The January 6th Insurrection" but US! (I thought I was ALONE, so thank you! 😅)
People remember Jan. 6th -- NPR is devoting coverage to it on Monday morning all during "Morning Edition," this coming Monday. Tune in.
I totally agree with you GG. We are cowards bowing to the oligarchy by not showing a true fighting spirit as they do in other countries, like France and the UK. And ignoring Section 3 is a precursor to what's to come.
Amen Joan. Anticipatory obedience of obeying in advance is American. Americans, despite their bitching about how hard it is to get by, enjoy comforts our ancestors would envy. Most of us live better than Henry VIII, hot and cold running water, electricity, clean clothes, good food, if we choose.
So good that they are willing to submit to continue.
We all know that Bezos and Yoon (LA Times), Joe and Mikka Scarborough have obeyed in advance, but even scientists are doing it now: https://www.salon.com/2025/01/03/scientists-debate-fleeing-america-because-of--or-risk-their-research-being-censored/?lh_aid=112154&lh_cid=aaq29c57r8&lh_em=myocicats%40gmail.com&di=4ac81478a
7a04cde2f785a1ffdaef4e2
Ruth Ben-Ghiat discusses this in Lucid, Shall we stay or shall we go
https://lucid.substack.com/p/stay-and-resist-or-go-into-exile?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=300941&post_id=154051656&utm_campaign=email-post-title&isFreemail=true&r=9q8rt&triedRedirect=true&utm_medium=email
Both Trump and Musk have the power to shitcan America. Trump would be more likely to do that. Musk could possibly shican the whole world - and not think a thing about it.
He is trying to shitcan the UK too. He routinely disparages our government and wants a thug and right wing agitator Robinson released from, jail. Robinson is there because he breached a court order. Pity someone didn't do the same with Trump.
It seems to me that the muskrat is infuriating people world wide! That doesn't seem to me that it will bode well for him in the future.
Musk is more dangerous than Trump bc his money can buy the souls of men.
Beth--They both love money too much to destroy the power it holds.
Teddy Roosevelt warned that “a small class of enormously wealthy and economically powerful men, whose chief object is to hold and increase their power,” could destroy American democracy.
This is exactly what we can look forward to for the next four years.
In my opinion Musk is the world’s first planetary fascist with his tentacles all over the planet. He’s out of the closet so to speak. Wielding his immense monetary power.
Poster boy for too much wealth
Mark: we can only hope that he does not own enough talent to create "The Death star" of Star Wars infamy. But, on the bright side, we have no habitable planets nearby. anyway, and he will not live long enough to do what was shown on the movie screen.
In the US of Corporate America, it’s the CEOs and Boards of Directors who hold power.
Ellen--Look at the economy they said was so terrible. They downgraded everything Biden tried to do because of the upcoming election and their desire to see Trump back in the white house. Our economy was the strongest in the world.
Hm. There's looming debt/ongoing defaults. Plus, it's okay for only about 29% of Americans with many distressed.
Good point, Ellen.
TBH, I had to do an eenie meenie minie moe between Musk and Putin. Never considered tRump because he's controlled by both Musk and Putin.
Trump is the most powerful because he’s taking power during a good economy and can deploy a powerful military. Neither Musk or Putin have
that. Trump also has access to media platforms
Musk and Putin don’t have access to regularly.
That’s true but anything can happen including a felon being President! A law needs to be made preventing that, however, it won’t happen soon!
Lisa--The only man to ever attempt a coup against our government is about to be our President. That's how screwed up this country is. With his perverted influence controlling all "4" branches of our government we're in for a rough next 4 years.
A rough 4 years means many many more given the harm he will cause to the climate.
According to the likes of the Professional Dems, like James Carville it is still all about the economy. but if one pays attention to social media, the likes of the Proud Boys, Oath keepers, etc it is all about the culture war. Even Trumps cabinet picks are proof that it is the culture war, but the professional Democrat analysts and strategists live inside their bubble.
They made it a culture war, probably to ensure loyalty. What Dems need to do is engage Dem voters
by inviting them to “retreats” where they can hear
more about democratic philosophy and values by
listening to political presentations given by charismatic politicians. Serve elegant snacks and
have a few senators & reps mingle with voters &
have pictures taken either them.
Yeh Sure: They will attend retreats thrown by Democrats.
To start with the leadership, the intelligentsia, like Bannon or Senator John Kennedy, even Musk know what they are doing and why.
I tell you what invite a Muslim to a synagogue or a Catholic Mass, or a Sunday school meeting. Tell me how that goes.
Susan : isn't Musk the owner of X? The formerTwitter, with many millions of "followers".?
Laurie, it's his satellites and access to ALL OUR PERSONAL INFORMATION that scares me witless. Imagine what he could do with that knowledge 😳
Paula: that and our National defense secrets.
Yes Musk owns X and right now they are spewing fascist hate throughout the world and undermining democracy - much like Hitler
I think hackers have already exposed many voters' data.
Trump has obviously been Putin’s lapdog since Helsinki. That is certain to continue. Trump’s advice to “end the war in Ukraine” is for Zelenskyy to give up. I continue to expect a Trump Tower in Moscow. Surprise!
Part of the reason I have a hard time, deciding between Trump and Putin.