While utterly despicable, yesterday’s apparent assassination attempt on Trump can be seen as a symptom of the hate-filled politics he and Vance are peddling.
Who do you think would post this after the debate? “Weird how the hack moderators … are only ‘Fact checking’ Trump and allowing Kamala to lie nonstop! The Fake News is the enemy of the people.”
Only a complete idiot would post that! Right?
That’s what Junior posted.
And guess who said this, “If I have to create stories so that the American media actually pays attention to the suffering of the American people, then that's what I'm going to do, Dana, because you guys are completely letting Kamala Harris coast.”
It’s time to rename the Republican Party to the Deplorable Party. Those in favor say “I”!
Keith-- Hillary's comment was correct, it's a fitting name for a group that has no connection to our reality. It is definitely the party of the "Deplorables."
More than Trump and JD Vance, it is their puppet masters, the lords of dark money that are pulling the strings here. Suss them out, name them, and round them up; the Heritage Foundation, Elon Musk, Peter Thiel, the Murdoch family, Miriam Adelson’s foundation and their ilk, who stay hidden behind their money and gatekeepers while they prepare their secret bunkers to hide in before their damage undoes our world.
Hear hear! Follow the money, just as deep throat told Woodward during Watergate.
This is why Citizens United must be repealed and plutocrats taken out of kingmaker status in electoral politics. We have the best government ---for them--- that their billions can buy.
It's a big club and we working schmucks aren't in it.
And everything they can lay their hands on. They're like the visitors that would never leave and, when they finally do, you discover all the silver, jewelry, and even OTC medications are gone.
Marilyn. You said it appropriately “the actions” of these groups and by association the MAGA GOP are despicable as well as deplorable. Name calling is not something that should be condoned or repeated by either side, but actions, you can call those out with all the appropriate language. Is that not what we teach our children, or should be teaching our children. I am all for calling out these actions despicable, deplorable, weird, hateful, fear mongering, loathe-some, etc.
A person who supports Trump is not necessarily racist, or sexist, or anti-gay, or transphobic….but they are okay with a racist, sexist, anti-gay, transphobic president and government.
TBD, so maybe, then the Republican Party is a basket of deplorable actions, beliefs about people, and speech that endangers people just for power and money. It means the same but maybe is more slyly blaming the people because it is the people who have decided to become all of the above and others to support them, mostly knowing what they are saying and doing is wrong, but jumping on board their hate train anyway.
Love your thoughtful responses. Indeed complicated issue. Most important now in these final days is to get people out to vote and to Vote Blue up and down their ticket so we can begin the process of redirecting this democracy ship which is sailing to damn close to that iceberg.
Chris, yes, that "ship of democracy" is getting too close and the iceberg is quite large despite or because of global warming. How anyone can even think of voting for Trump and Kump is beyond comprehension. I have tried to listen, really listen to the comments of the Trumpers and Trumpettes our media constantly sends our way, and I realize nothing they say makes any sense since they are condemning themselves to a potential fate worse than death. Trump is an ignorant, hateful, uncaring, autocrat who does no real work, blames everyone for everything, understands nothing and no one, and whines and complains like a tired toddler. What among those character traits would warm anyone to him? He does have a loud mouth which may draw in some loud-mouthed men and a few women, but what he says is truly despicable, even deplorable. Yep, I don't get it!
Marilyn D - Secretary Clinton did NOT name supporters of trump as "deplorables". That was a fiction created by the trump campaign to ridicule and create distrust of Secretary Clinton. Her actual words were as follows:
"We are living in a volatile political environment. You know, to just be grossly generalistic, you could put half of Trump’s supporters into what I call the basket of deplorables. Right?
The racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic, Islamaphobic — you name it. And unfortunately there are people like that. And he has lifted them up. He has given voice to their websites that used to only have 11,000 people — now how 11 million. He tweets and retweets their offensive hateful mean-spirited rhetoric. Now, some of those folks — they are irredeemable, but thankfully they are not America. But the other basket — and I know this because I see friends from all over America here — I see friends from Florida and Georgia and South Carolina and Texas — as well as, you know, New York and California — but that other basket of people are people who feel that the government has let them down, the economy has let them down, nobody cares about them, nobody worries about what happens to their lives and their futures, and they’re just desperate for change. It doesn’t really even matter where it comes from. They don’t buy everything he says, but he seems to hold out some hope that their lives will be different. They won’t wake up and see their jobs disappear, lose a kid to heroine, feel like they’re in a dead-end. Those are people we have to understand and empathize with as well." It is more than unfortunate that the man whose standard operating procedure is to instill fear and hate and call his opponents a menagerie of vile names was able to pervert Secretary Clinton's message of hope
Mojo, thank you for this information, where was this speech given? I do, though, remember hearing Hillary, during a speech, talk about "trump & his basket of deplorables", sans any further explanation. It's a moot point given all the trash that has spilled out of the Orangeburg's vile mouth. And my discomfort with any name calling was from my political salad days, before the Orange Fungus' incivility spread.
Marilyn D - From Wikipedia: "Basket of deplorables" is a phrase from a 2016 US presidential election campaign speech delivered by Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton on September 9, 2016, at a campaign fundraising event. She used the phrase to describe "half" of the supporters of her opponent, Republican nominee Donald Trump, saying they're "racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic, Islamophobic".[1] The next day, she expressed regret for "saying half", while insisting that Trump had deplorably amplified "hateful views and voices."
It's not just about hate. It's much bigger than the hate of an individual. As the President, Trump can institutionalize* hate, pain and suffering, and lose of life.
As a social justice activist for over 30 years, hate by individuals* does not surprise me. It's sad, but that's their choice. I only care about institutional* discrimination. As the President, Trump's actions* and policies* that cause discrimination and the loss of human rights and life are frightening and unacceptable.
Indeed, Trump sabotaged the BIPARTISAN Immigration reform bill because he's got nothing without the issue of immigration to stir up his base and ferment hate. Despite sabotaging the bipartisan immigration bill, Trump still has nothing. By not having better plans, Trump only has more lies and the immigration and healthcare Bamboozle for Americans.
Trump has NO SOLUTION for immigration, just as he has no solution for healthcare reform. The immigration solution was, and IS, the Bipartisan bill that Trump deep sixed. What does that tell you about Trump's love of country? It tells you that DJT is Trump First, not "America First."
Trump does not have a better plan than the bipartisan* immigration plan. Once again, Trump has put himself before the needs of the country. When Trump sabotaged the immigration bill, he proved again that his campaign is about one thing, and one thing only, Trump FIRST!
"Build the Wall" is not a policy. At best, "Build the Wall" IS "a concept," like his non-existent healthcare plan. "A concept" is far from a Bill that's been hammered out in Committees and has the votes on both sides needed to pass. "A concept" is nowhere near a bill backed by both sides and merely needs the President's signature. Why doesnt the media press Trump about his "concept?" Are they too busy reporting on absurd statements by Trump and have no time to examine his policies and the dire consequences?
I've got news for Republicans. President Reagan famously said, "tear down this wall." Trump's words and actions prove that Trump wants to "tear down" is our best healthcare and our Democracy, as demonstrated by his actions to repeal the ACA and the January 6 insurrection that he promoted. In fact, Trump's past Presidency shows that he is about tearing down our major step forward with the ACA healthcare reform. Amazingly, not sitting in the Oval Office, Trump was able to "tear down" immigration reform.
In fact, Trump has succeeded in tearing down Immigration reform. Thankfully, President Trump was NOT able to "tear down" the ACA which saves over 40,000 American lives A YEAR!
Another important policy to remember is Trump's anti-choice, denial of healthcare for pregnant women. I've written about this before, so I don't think I need to explain that access to abortion is a civil and human right. Trump's appointment of three Supreme Court Justices who have taken away women's rights prove that Trump's policies are an institutional attack on child and human rights for healthcare.
In closing, Trump's tearing down bipartisan immigration, tearing healthcare reforms in the ACA, Republican's relentless quest to tear down bipartisan* Medicare/Medicaid, Social Security, and Workplace protections present an institutional danger by enacting laws* that cause discrimination, pain and suffering, and more than 40,000 LIVES* a YEAR*,
PLUS* the many millions* of women who have NO right to vital healthcare. President Trump is a clear and present danger to Americans because his immigration, healthcare and social policies insttuonalizes hate to the point that millions of Americans would needlessly suffer and many tens of thousands of Americans would die every year. I
The hate is worse than abusing and neglecting millions of American. Clearly, our rights and democracy are in peril with another President Trump. "Any questions?"
Main Stream Media, where are you when journalism is needed to protect our human rights and democracy?
Danny, well-said! Trump and also Vance have no ideas for anything beyond causing chaos, blaming immigrants and Democrats for all the problems, even the ones Trump and Vance cause themselves like the Springfield, OH big lie Vance and his friends, then Trump told. These are despicable people and our media, the mainstream kind should be calling it all out loud and clear, not just having some NY Times reporters write a book about it and do a couple of talk shows about it. The media voices need to stop reporting on every stupid thing Trump says and does and work harder to find the facts about what happened, for example with the two supposed "assassination attempts." We are clearly not getting the truth about either of them and one can't help but wonder why. Then, to hear Trump and Vance flap their mouths blaming Harris for what happened is beyond despicable! It seems that whatever Trump blames others for doing, he is actually doing himself. He accused Harris of cheating at the "debate" when it was probably he himself who was wearing an earpiece, although he wasn't listening too clearly to what they were saying. It seems to me they finally got through before his closing remarks. They didn't fit with anything else he said during the "debate," so I am thinking something broke through and his handlers gave him a line he could use and reuse in his last two minutes, if you wanted to do something, you had 3-1/2 years and didn't do it, or something like that (a ridiculous comment since she was VP, not president and Congress legislates, not the VP, and he got nothing important done during his presidency except push through 3 pathetic Supreme Court justices and a huge tax cut for all the guys who least need such a cut. Amazing how what Trump does is glossed over while Harris has to present a detailed set of policies while Trump has none beyond getting his sorry self elected. Pathetic!
It has what Republicans wanted and demanded. Since Republicans are pro-business, the bill is without mass deportations that would cause farmers to lose vital workers so crops don't rot on the vine. This happened to GA farmers when GA enacted a strict immigration law. So why isn't the MSM pointing out that Trump's mass deportations would hurt American farmers?
Since Biden is President, Biden is responsible, regardless of the details. Democrats gave up more than they wanted because they understood that Biden had to make a deal since he's in charge of the ship. Everyone knew that Republicans wanted to relentlessly beat up Democrats on Immigration. Biden did the right thing. He cracked down on immigration and allow some immigration for farmers and business.
Now Trump doesn't have immigration issue. He looks like a megalomanic for putting his campaign before America's needs. Shocker, right?
Thank you, Marilyn. Not bad for no coffee. Lol. It could use some work. It's really just a rough draft. I'm glad my point came across. I appreciate the positive feedback.
Link what just happened here to the authors and members of Project 2025 who think they are superior to everyone else. Trump/Vance hateful rhetoric targeted a specific immigrant group that unleased threats of violence against them, including Neo-Nazis marching in full gear. This is tyranny playing out in real time. Tyrant's need scapegoats to seize and maintain power, who will be next?
Betty, that is always my question, who will be next? The Germans found plenty of nexts: gay men, Communists, people in power who didn't agree with them, disabled persons, women who weren't OK with being raped for the Fatherland, Poles, Hungarians, Russians, and on and on, in short, whoever they decided they didn't think was worthy to live at the moment. We have something similar going: immigrants, Hispanic people in general, the "Libs," the "woke" (not always the same person), Black people (particularly those in positions of authority), scientists (mostly those that present facts they don't like), teachers, religious leaders who don't go along with the "hate" agenda, environmentalists, etc. etc. These Republican MAGAs are a minority, but they want to rule anyway and want to force people to believe the lies they plan to use to get and maintain power no matter what the people like or don't. Yep, who's next? It could be anyone. wouldn't it be better to stop them now than have to do it later, if we even can at that point? Vote Democratic/democratic! It's the way to a more positive future rather than returning to some kind of pre-Revolutionary time when a few white men ruled, waited on by the rest of society. We don't have to have that here, so let's prevent it.
I’m not sure that calling our neighbors ‘deplorables’ is going to help our situation. I can strongly disagree with my neighbor, but they are still my neighbor. How do we manage those differing points of view? The very ideology of our country is in fact what we are facing and engaging right now - E pluribus unum, out of many, one. This is our time, our opportunity as a nation to meet the challenge, the world watches and wonders at the potential outcome, and not without some fear. I may not know any clear path through this but I’m fairly certain that denigrating our neighbor isn’t it.
This is a thoughtful idea, and one that I believe should be considered carefully. It is true that to allow evil acts to go on without pushing back is wrong, but perhaps we should try harder to call the act deplorable rather than the actor.
Yes, a well stated distinction. Those types of discernments are helpful, thank you. Many of us can think of times when our actions were not the expressions of our higher nature and would not want to be defined by them. How can we allow that distinction with others so that it results in a spaciousness that allows for change, growth, and awareness?
L. - Secretary Clinton did NOT name supporters of trump as "deplorables". That was a fiction created by the trump campaign to ridicule and create distrust of Secretary Clinton. Her actual words were as follows:
"We are living in a volatile political environment. You know, to just be grossly generalistic, you could put half of Trump’s supporters into what I call the basket of deplorables. Right?
The racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic, Islamaphobic — you name it. And unfortunately there are people like that. And he has lifted them up. He has given voice to their websites that used to only have 11,000 people — now how 11 million. He tweets and retweets their offensive hateful mean-spirited rhetoric. Now, some of those folks — they are irredeemable, but thankfully they are not America. But the other basket — and I know this because I see friends from all over America here — I see friends from Florida and Georgia and South Carolina and Texas — as well as, you know, New York and California — but that other basket of people are people who feel that the government has let them down, the economy has let them down, nobody cares about them, nobody worries about what happens to their lives and their futures, and they’re just desperate for change. It doesn’t really even matter where it comes from. They don’t buy everything he says, but he seems to hold out some hope that their lives will be different. They won’t wake up and see their jobs disappear, lose a kid to heroine, feel like they’re in a dead-end. Those are people we have to understand and empathize with as well."
It is more than unfortunate that the man whose standard operating procedure is to instill fear and hate and call his opponents a menagerie of vile names was able to pervert Secretary Clinton's message of hope
Mojo86. My comment was not directed at or meant to comment on Secretary Clinton’s specific use of the term deplorable, though I appreciate your history and clarification. I was directing my comment more toward Donald Hodges, Marilyn D, Keith Olson and others that seemed comfortable on framing a segment of our society in those terms. A practice I can’t condone and feel a need to challenge some as insensitive and not in our best interests as a society which is, in effect, made up of neighbors.
If you'll re-read my post, I did say "what they brought to this country is despicable ". I was referring to actions not people. I was not framing anyone, but what has happened is despicable. On the same page here.
Yes, L. I agree. It's important to show all people respect and dignity, even if they've drank the kool-aide and have fallen for the Trump bamboozle. We need to change their minds and hesrts, not insult them.
Trump is different because he is institutionalizing hate, tearing up our social safety net, and tear down our democracy. That IS deplorable. Ah-ha! Trump's actions are deplorable. Trump supporters who drank the Fox kool-aid and believe the bamboozle are not deplorable. They are nieve and victims.
Danny Piper. Yes, Trump has managed to normalize some horrific attitudes and behaviors. My puzzle is how is that possible? There have been men like Trump since time was counted, that comes as no surprise but when a person like him gains traction that is where the questions arise. What sort of environment or climate needs to precipitate a man like him? In Nazi Germany there was the psychological loss of WWI. Then the Versailles Treaty placed an enormous burden on the culture, which many now agree was too harsh. That collective demoralization and depression and economic hardship seemed to have created a climate where the seeds of Nazism could root and grow. I look at my neighbors that are so agitated and see them in some ways as hurting. And in their hurt they are grabbing at anything that might seem a lifeline. I really don’t know but it can look that way. I’ve known physical pain that was so severe I hallucinated why isn’t possible that psychological distress can leave our mental faculties compromised? I’m sure there are numerous reasons and not just one simplistic one that allows for Trump to appeal to so many, I just wish I understood it more. I do believe there is a collective suffering and as the rich are getting richer and often on the backs of those less rich it can create a serious tension that doesn’t resolve easily. We’ve made money far too important in our culture and almost worship those who have a lot of it. Somewhere in that must also lie a clue. We need discussion, honest and frank discussion. And we need to find ways to help those that are struggling, even if they don’t appeal to us. Together we might find a way through this and be able to do it with less harm than is occurring now. But we need to find a way to start that dialog. It seems to me the simplest first approach would be stopping the put downs, name calling and rhetoric around making ‘the other’ evil. How can I give Trump supporters a fair hearing? Can I? What would help them feel safe, heard, respected? I’ve certainly tried numerous approaches but I’ve not had the kind of success I wish I could have. Someone must have some good ideas. I know I’d welcome them.
Those are great questions, L. I think about it all the time. I think many people ask the same questions.
Regarding a fair hearing, I say YES because it's our choice on how we respond. I try not to flame them, unless I'm trolled. Lol. I don't think the Trump trollers here want a fair conversation, so I just I shut them down so they question their sources and education.
Regarding the moderate Trumper's who don't take to RR's substack to flame us, I choose to use logic, reason and most of all, compassion. Both Jesus and Buddha taught that everyone deserves compassion. I agree. I've been tested by people who lack any compassion, but I've passed that test by resisting hate. In fact, I genuinely feel sorry for them and have compassion for them. IMO, the people who've drank the MAGA Kool aid have been Hoodwinked. Had I not been blessed with very astute parents who knew politics from working on Capital Hill, and several great college political science, sociology and history professors, I may have been hoodwinked too. "There by the Grace of God go I."
To me, the $64,000 question is: Why does Trump have the "Rasputin hold" on voters who aren't Billionaires afraid of regulation that would sink their empire? I'm referring to 99.9999% of Trump supporters. Don't they know that nearly everything that comes out of Trump's mouth is a lie? Don't they know that the Washington Post has verified more than 30,000 lies told by Trump?
I agree with you that not one answer will explain the people who don't see through the Trump bamboozle. For some, they just do not know, or cannot comprehend, Trump is a compulsive liar. IMO, the media has failed this group.
Another reason is that not all people are logical. I want to think that everyone is logical. However, after speaking with many thousands of voters on the phone and in person as a volunteer and professional, I know that not everyone is logical. Again, the media could do more to dispell Trump's lies so their logic wasn't necessary.
But how is it that Trump can say he's doesn't like the late POW War Hero Republican Senator John McCain because he likes the ones that weren't captured? As if any soldier had the choice of being captured by the enemy. None of them wanted to get captured. In fact, only the ones on the front lines were in that danger. To me, they were all heroes. And the ones that were captured and endured torture and didn't become mouth pieces for Communist propaganda are the biggest heroes of all. But what does Trump know about being on the front lines? Ironically, Trump is a mouth piece for the USA's enemy, Russia, and he hasn't even been tortured like a Viet Cong prisoner.
Seriously, how can Trump insult POW, war hero Republican Senator John McCain and not be dismissed as a nut case who doesn't even respect POW war heroes and should not be in the Oval Office? Pray tell? It doesn't take that much logic to know that Trump lacks leadership and logic by disrespecting POW Republican war heroes who always served this country with honor.
Yes, it's a "Rasputin hold." I cannot figure it out. Fox has created someone they cannot control. Perhaps Mary Trump and Mary Shelley can explain it. I sure would like to know.
Your observation that not everyone is logical is well taken. I too make that assumption when speaking to some Trump supporters and I need to move away from that. A much older friend made the comment, “People don’t care how much you know, they want to know how much you care.” I can’t help but wonder if there is another clue in that bit of wisdom? Genuinely caring for some Trump supporters, I will admit can challenge me as they can be so combative, confrontative and emotionally intense but I try. After a while and several encounters I do feel a kind of pity for them. Compassion would be better but I’m not there yet so am starting where I am. I can come away from an encounter and think to myself, would I want to live in that emotional climate they just displayed? And it’s clear I would not and then can’t help but wonder if they too would prefer a different climate and don’t know how to manifest that. I don’t know. This tension we are in as a nation troubles me and sometimes frightens me and I so wish I knew what more I could do to soothe things.
A friend got dementia and she lives in an over 55 community. I am staying in her place while I attend to her financial and medical affairs and yes, there are quite a few avid Trump supporters here and things can get testy. I try and avoid the extremes of it but one meets people when out for a walk or tidying the yard, etc. which has forced me into a situation that while uncomfortable provides impetus for heightened awareness and some serious problem solving when it comes to charged emotional encounters due to politics. You might be surprised how much one can learn when taken from a familiar environment into a challenging one! 🫣
"the deplorable conditions in which most prisoners are held"
" shockingly bad in quality."
"her spelling was deplorable"
It seems to refer mostly to poor conditions, brought about by a lack of attention.
But, there doesn't seem to be an adequate word to describe their behaviour. The word needs the connotitation of criminal-traitorous-evil in addition to deplorable.
"a group that has no connection to our reality." I'm a conservative. As such I'm sure I qualify for your approbation of Deplorable. YOU DO NOT HAVE YOUR OWN REALITY! We Americans all live the same reality whether you like it or not. If I'm a Deplorable, so are you! The only way for your reality to become "the" reality is for the Democratic Party to become the ONLY party, A CALL TO INDOCTRINATION, EXILE, OR VIOLENCE.
Calling the Republican party a basket of deplorables was wrong of course. The problem is the active Maga faction. They are a cult worshiping Trump, and enabling his corossive behavior to flourish. Although deplorable usually applies to something that is horrible due to neglect, perhaps that is applicable to the cult, which has been neglected economically when they were left to compete against the foreign labor the US corporations started using in their place.
I watched the CNN clip of Vance saying, paraphrased: If I have to create stories to wake people up to the disastrous open borders... Or words to that effect. Unbelievable! On television. On a Sunday political show! This hatred has to stop. He's selling the story that they're illegal. They're not! Somebody is going to get killed!
By voting, Peggy! Getting your friends and neighbors to vote. We need such a loud voice for Kamala in November there can be no denying that the orange man lost.
After hearing that" confession" on my afternoon news....was.quickly.robbed of all the air in the room. Schools...hospitals.. law enforcement...citizens...etc all impacted by J D & current adjudged felon''s need to create memes to foil the Democratic candidate????? Sends me back to.the lying.tactics of Senator Joe McCarthy' s Commission on Communists in our midst...he always voiced a different but precise number each time he spoke... Help my memory here but one highly respected legislator ( name escapes me) rose to the microphone, and said eloquently & with quiet solemnity...
" Have you no shame...have you no shame, sir?"
These men...this party...seeks the highest office in the World??? I think not!
Vote Blue!...as if our freedom and our democracy depends on.it...
That man was Joseph Welch, special counsel for the US Army. He asked him if he had any sense of decency. I remember learning about that at school. You're right, our freedom and our Democracy is at stake in this election and we must work hard to get out the vote. Vote blue, America, up and down the ballot!
You are right, Peggy very few are saying anything that would help quell this swirl of pain, confusion and frightening over reaction we’re in the midst of. Personally, I don’t believe that voting alone will do much. It may keep Trump from office, (definitely a good start) but the spirit of malevolence that has been stirred up is another matter and is unlikely to go away just because of an election outcome.
I’ve been thinking on this for years now and I can’t help but believe that the spirit that motivates Trump and his followers win double points whenever, and wherever they encourage fear or hate, animosity or derision - and that means from whatever quarter. Sometimes the self-righteousness of those against Trump is just as frightening to me. It’s the same spirit in different garb. To hate, even when your cause is just, is still hating.
I’m in an area of Trump supporters and I can feel frightened and intimidated by the extremes of their emotions. One woman I tried talking to got so incensed in her hatred of Hillary Clinton that she had spittle flying from her mouth. Even though I managed to stay calm while talking to her I couldn’t help but think she was lost and at the mercy of those awful emotions. Another person, in this community, not a Trump supporter, could get equally riled up and emotionally volatile to the point I felt the same hesitation, the same trepidation to be around them. I started thinking this isn’t about politics, politics is simply the arena these horrid forces are making their play. We must all be on guard against this influence of malevolence.
I’ve since started asking myself different questions, like is there a way to speak to someone like that so they don’t get so reactive, so at the mercy of those emotions? Is there a way to create a spirit of calm that helps them stay stable enough to converse with some degree of rationality? I have started practicing that with the non-Trump supporters and have seen that it can help and now they don’t get quite so extreme in their displays of disgust and anger. I still struggle trying to do that with Trump supporters. I’ll ask a more neutral question to initiate dialog and as long as they can talk with some degree of self-possession I’ll continue but when they start going over the edge, I find a way to stop or deflect the conversation. My skill level with this is very low and I’m learning as I go, so no lack of stumbling. For me the objective is care and compassion, at least in the small way I can conceive and exercise it. I don’t even consider trying to change their minds as that isn’t the goal. There needs to be a way to create a safe environment for conversation before any serious investigation can occur.
I read there are studies showing that people that are politically conservative have larger amygdala’s. They experience more fear than people that tend to be more liberal in their political views. They are more easily triggered by fear based messages. In a way this puts them at a disadvantage, making it harder for them to process objectively some types of information. If this is true then denigrating them, dismissing them, ridiculing them is not unlike doing that to any person with a disability and most of us see clearly that behavior to be unacceptable and lacking basic sensitivity.
This constant ridicule of Trump supports is unproductive, unhealthy and harmful. How can we reach them? And even if we can’t, is it possible to still give them some dignity even as we disagree? I am fascinated by the video I watch when Trump supporters change their minds. I like listening to video that have been made where previous Trump supporters have come to realize they were mistaken in their understanding of him. That takes courage and I admire them. We need to provide an environment that will allow for that change without a loss of integrity, dignity, otherwise only the strongest of those types of people can do it. When you’ve painted yourself into a corner you may need some help getting out, how can we provide that help, that bridge, that environment where they feel safe making that change?
These are a few of my attempts at trying to stop this spirit of malevolence infecting our country and gaining a foothold in our politics. It may be slow and tedious and won’t gain clicks or views but it can work, I’ve seen it; one interaction at a time. I feel certain there are others trying in their own unique ways. I would very much appreciate reading more conversation on this topic and the creative ways people are approaching this tense time. In a way it is startling as well as telling, that there aren’t more discussions of that type, and…disappointing, as I think we could do better… if we chose to.
I agree. We must find a way to interact and converse in a calm, rational manner. And we can agree to disagree. The channel of conversation is rooted in the give and take of ideas. But we must also learn to listen, really hear, what the other person is saying, before any meaningful dialogue can bear fruition.
The spread of hate carried by the memes of the rightwing media should not be allowed. We and our representatives have allowed the invasion of the body snatchers based on some dangerous absolutist notion of freedom of speech, or because many found it politically advantageous, in our country and in others. For many who ingest the hate a few kind and understanding words won't change anything, though doing the opposite will only make things worse.
Trump has no right to talk about immigration since he ordered the Republican cult members to vote against the immigration bill. DonOLD tRump hates pets.
Weren’t one of tcfg’s ex-wives along with his & Vance’s current wives immigrants? Maybe someone should mention that to them because they are putting their wives & offspring in danger.
Yes, he did indeed recommend they not vote yes on that bill. Because, after already allowing somewhere between 10 and 20 million illegal immigrants into this country, the bill asserted that an additional 5,000 illegal immigrants would be allowed in, PER DAY. That doesn’t sound like immigration control to me, but maybe it does to you. Or maybe you didn’t read the bill and don’t have any idea what the bill entailed.
That's not true. The Haitian they're talking about in Springfield OH are legal, working jobs the citizens there didn't want, and paying taxes and not eating any pets.
thats how you can know a dem when you see one they don't have any factual evidence they don't have anyone saying any thing they just use emotional ideas like the pussies they are
You are so right! What a bunch of pussies! Do you like to eat pussy, Damian? Hmmm, right? You like to grab you some pussy? Hmmm! Donald is a master at the pussy grab! Good ol' Donny Boy, our Hero!
Vance's quote exposes their real campaign agenda - keep Trump in the news at all times. They have no acceptable, practical proposal to run on, and so seem to depend on "there's no such thing as bad publicity". Corporate media are happy to oblige them to sell clicks, and Harris is left trying to edge in any message at all.
Keeping Trump in the news at all times is one of the reasons I have questions about these shooters. Like who do they work for. Would this have been another ear wound. Just guestions................
I saw that comment on the news today. Despicable doesn't even describe it. How can we take anything he says as real? He is saying he will create stories to "wake people up"! I will not, and have not, taken anything he or trump says as any kind of truth. They are destroying their own campaign...thankfully!
LET THEM KEEP SHOOTING THEMSELVES IN THE FOOT & OTHER PLACES. Eventually the damage will be too extensive to heal. Gangrene will set in. People are getting tired of their " golden bull " repeating the same brass bullshit repeatedly.
Vance and Trump have been deploying the same old fear mongering that almost every politician always does. That is the history of US politics since 1945. where does that leave us?
We have Jill Stein - she is offering alternatives to this fear mongering. Its up to voters to reject the fear mongering.
I hope CFDT has a taster for his pablum. He is such a terrible candidate, and losing, if I were him I'd be more worried about my friends than liberals. We progressives love CFDT as a loser, we want to keep him around until the election... then off to prison for a little deserved rest.
Comments so far do not relate to the subject of the post.. I think this is all a set up, that no one is trying to assassinate Trump, and that this is a sympathy ploy, like the ear bandage because he is losing the election.
There have been no details about the other alleged assassin other than Trump's secret service humper shot at someone on the golf course.
I totally agree with you. There were never any details from hospital or a doctor that treated him. That would have made front page news. As with that “shooting” where the shooter was killed, this came precisely when he needed all attention on him since he lost the debate so badly to Kamala Harris plus the news on his new companion, Laura Loomer. All staged. Only sane Americans can connect the dots. What really frightens me is that it sounds like a dog whistle to his MAGA lunatics to go after Kamala. Elon Musk posted on X : why is it that it hasn’t happen to Kamala Harris. Wording to that effect. As of late last night the post had not been taken down.
AGREED! I'm not sure that this supposed "assassin" broke state gun laws. Florida is a boarder line police state but if you're a white guy you get to own and carry whatever you want (concealed or not)! I haven't heard if the "shooter" actually took a shot but if he didn't, how can you charge him "attempting" anything? Like Butler, too many questions and likely no answers.
From the reports the only shot fired was from the Secret Service which scared him off,leaving behind two rucksacks, a GoPro and an AK 47with scope, he is from North Carolinia, they got him and he is supposedly a Nikki Haley voter.
All I know is that Trump is desperate and in dire need of sympathy votes, and attention grabbing headlines.
I think you may be correct, William, but it also occurs to me that it might be a ploy from right-wing extremists who have had this planned for a long time in order to actually start a new civil war. But millions are right now thinking it is the liberals who are doing this - which doesn't fit with the current trend towards the probability that Harris/Walz will likely win - but when panicked, logic goes out the window. And pointing fingers only makes things worse.
I think that it is most likely a small group of radicals or a few individuals. A lot of trouble happens due to ignorance and knowledge is the only antidote to ignorance, which requires investigation and an absence of panic.
Other than Alex Jones supposedly said the republicans would be better off without trump, and both shooters were republicans, who wanted other candidates, the new guy is a Vivek supporter.
Re Springfield. Trump and Vance, operating on the JP Barnum school of PR, continually repeat hate speech based on lies. The federal statutes defer to state law.
Need to identify who have been spreading the BS and establish that there have been damages. "Armed neo-Nazi members of Blood Tribe – a hardcore white supremacist group, according to the Anti-Defamation League – flew flags bearing swastikas and marched through a prominent downtown street while a jazz and blues festival was taking place nearby in August.
One witness to the march, who declined to be interviewed by the Guardian due to fearing for their family’s safety after being doxed by rightwing extremists online, reported that members of the group pointed guns at cars and told people to “go the fuck back to Africa”.
A Springfield police representative, however, appeared to downplay the scene, telling local media that the hate group’s march was “just a little peaceful protest”.
Several days later, a leading member of Blood Tribe who identified himself as Nathaniel Higgers, but whose real name is Drake Berentz, spoke at a Springfield city commission meeting.
(A) No person shall violate section 2903.21, 2903.22, 2909.06, or 2909.07, or division (A)(3), (4), or (5) of section 2917.21 of the Revised Code by reason of the race, color, religion, or national origin of another person or group of persons.
(B) Whoever violates this section is guilty of ethnic intimidation. Ethnic intimidation is an offense of the next higher degree than the offense the commission of which is a necessary element of ethnic intimidation.
If Trump or Vance directed their BS against an individual, they'd be accountable for defamation, but defamation is not a crime in Ohio.
However as to intimidation, it's not a stretch for Ohio to ask Trump and Vance to cease and desist or suffer criminal consequences under Ohio Code section-2927.12.
Also not a stretch to warn Trump and Vance that they will be labelled as terrorists just like Al Qaeda.
Sadly, there may be laws but there are no consequences for Trump for anything that he does or says. He is protected by the numerous judges which he appointed, in state justices and in the "Supreme” Court. His cult followers may be charged, but with his election in November, they will never be prosecuted. The violence and the hate-filled rhetoric are celebrated by Trump and by the entire Republican Party, in their support of his candidacy. With the election of Trump in 2016, our nation began a descent into corruption, immorality, hatred, division, lawlessness, and chaos. I don’t believe that we can turn back time. The darkness is closing in.
You are correct in all of this! The only reason he wants to be president is to stay out of jail and get all of his indictments removed! He couldn't care less about what is happening in America. It is always about HIM!
Remember Anne Frank whose words have outlived her and the regime which killed her: 'I don’t think of all the misery but of the beauty that still remains' @GdnChildrensBks #AnneFrankquotes #HolocaustMemorialDay
The majority of people ARE good! The problem is they might not get out and vote to keep America on the right track. Everyone must get out and vote! Save America!
Don't worry. Trump will not get elected. He & JD shoot themselves in the foot daily with their mean and illegal tactics. The more they lie and try to force the election to go their way, the more American Citizens vote for Kamala Harris. We have way too much to lose than to put up with this insanity being drummed up by these self-serving weirdo people! Harris/Walz 2024!
You cannot forget their cult still exists. Those people continue to believe everything Trump/Vance say because they are ignorant and frightened. So I will worry. Trump might still win given the brainwashing they've received, courtesy of the GOP.
I’m encouraged by the email I received from Oprah W. If plenty of others are receiving these encouraging emails, then I’m feeling better about the election. Ditto about the support from Taylor Swift.
Defamation, intimidation, slander, libel, what is possible in a civilised state? In Europe there is an complicated juridical code. Hitler's stretched arm and swastika's are not allowed. The Guardian photo's are shocking.
Ethnic intimidation or terrorist intimidation is unconstitutional in my country and can be persecuted. I don't understand why this is normal in the US. Or why Trump and his friends can say and do what they want without punishment. Like in a banana republic or a failed state...
Tom van Doormaal ; It is not normal, but normalized, since tRUMP got the power to install sycophants in key positions. Any response must be done carefully ; lives are at stake.
In my view the judiciary should do where it is fore, maintain the rule of law. There may be a lot of sycophants, bu there must be a lot of people who still believe in the law and equality. I think Trump had to be arrested at january 10, because his insurrection was on plain TV. Of course there are lives at stake, but a sloppy rule of law leads to civil war...
Tom, I agree. Our US laws are failing us. Having laws in place means nothing, unless there is immediate follow through to impose the consequences. Many people state that the laws and our justice system work, that we just need to give them time. But therein lies the problem. Too many people, too many generations of people have suffered - violently, emotionally and physically waiting for the “ laws to work”. This is unethical and contrary to common decency. So, I say that our justice system doesn’t work and we need to fix it. One reason that Trump and company keep repeating outrageous, dangerous lies is to normalize them and psychologically convince people that if they hear something over and over and over again, that it must be true. Unfortunately, this works. It’s such a transparent, vicious ploy that keeps feeding anger and hate that has flourished under Trump, a dangerous lunatic.
Judith, you are right, but it can be worded more precisely. There are many and good laws, but the problem is the implementation. I said earlier here "justice delayed is justice denied."
That is the problem: Trump should have been persecuted long ago. His friend Elon Musk of X can falsify with AI a video of Kamala and no action follows. Why not? Is it because he is filthy rich? Because it takes too much time and money?
When this is normal, I might call the US a banana republic.
That should happen quickly as that is what they are. They want a civil war to disguise what they are doing ; fomenting violence as a smokescreen to cover their real intent ; a violent overthrow of the United States . This is the same ongoing insurrection that started on Jan 6. It needs an answer soon. They are not waiting for election results, and neither should our leaders. If tRump and Vance persist they need to be stopped . They clearly do not care about their 'Constituents". King Solomon would point that out.
Besides reminding them that Trump hates dogs and sole from kids with cancer, the public needs to decide whether it would have been OK to hang Mike Pence, beat up 145 cops, shit on Nancy Pelosi's desk, on Jan 6, etc.
Both of the shooters were apparently disaffected Trump supporters.
Routh remains listed an active unaffiliated voter in North Carolina, according The News & Observer, a McClatchy publication in North Carolina...... Routh, according to the New York Post and archives of his X account, said he voted for Trump in 2016.
Daniel - What bothers me is that DeWine and his wife support a school in Haiti in memory of their daughter but he has not really “condemned” the rhetoric. They are making children and others suffer for their sound bites and they don’t even care. Vance admitted that he has made this up and the person who posted the original has recanted. Just think about the fact that the only experience that Vance has in politics is his short time in the Senate while accomplishing nothing. This is who some people want to take the risk of electing to the possibility of him becoming president? Don’t even get me started on criminal trump and the Republicans who refuse to stand up to his bs. Tfg is putting the lives of the Secret Service in jeopardy just so he can try to stay relevant and play golf. All he did while in office was grift the people and play golf.
You are right, Anon. Isn't strange/weird that Trump picked a man of no experience whatsoever to be his running mate? Vance is nothing more than a story teller, and he has run out of good stories.
Victor - I originally thought that but then I realized that trump has no clue about what is going on either. Don’t think that Vance ever had even one good story to tell. Did you see during the 9/11 services that Vance dressed Exactly like trump in the blue suit, red tie and white shirt? Reminded me of the movie with the mini me. Austin Powers I think? They are truly just weird.
Martha, my name is Martha Franklin Ramírez Luehrmann. I trace my ancestry back from my mother, Louise Franklin, to Peter Folger, the grandfather of Benjamin Franklin. My father, Gilberto Ramírez, is Puertorican, hence the Ramírez. I married Arthur Luehrmann of distant German descent, hence the Luehrmann. Might we be related? Please send me a note to Martha@Luehrmann.com This legit. Bob Reich would vouch for me. We were at Dartmouth College together.
True believers kill. This is darn serious. Whoever spreads these conspiracy theories, or abets their spread, must be held accountable. One murder is one murder too many.
The largest Haitian population in the US (over half a million) lives in Florida. Pretty sure, after this disgusting stunt by Trump and Vance, they will be voting for Kamala. And don't forget, Trump publicly said he hated Taylor Swift. He's managed to alientate millions of people over the weekend who will now vote Blue.
I was in the room on that night when Hilary made her comment about the basket of deplorables. At the moment I feared it would create a fire storm and it did. But I applauded because I knew she was right. Hilary spoke the truth. We live in a big and perhaps too big, unruly country. I grew up in a small town with no blacks and one Jewish family. It was a quiet town, but a lot of deplorable people lived in it, and they are still there today. A lack of education, subpar job choices, and the human tendency toward violence are the unsettling brew for such behavior. Incidentally, that town is only 30 miles from Springfield.
When people get hurt or live in fear for their lives because of repeated lies said for political gain, this is beyond free speech and needs to be called out by the media and responsible citizens such as Professor Reich has done in this essay! There is no tangible benefit to any of the people of Springfield, OH or Aurora, CO from these repeated lies and threats of deportation. The majority of Americans should realize that repeated lies and the hatred they foment are a cancer in their communities that they must fight to eradicate.
With luck, Cruz will be voted out in this cycle. He's another useless politician, who's been siphoning off taxpayer money for years. Isn't it amazing how little GOP politicans actually get done while in office if you don't count the finger-pointing and hate they spew?
Yes, bullies are not acceptable. When I point out issues on here - all I get is bullying and name calling as well.
Be like Bernie and talk issues. Not name calling nor gossip. Yes, Reagan was the guy who defunded and destroyed the middle class but the Dems are not stepping it up talking about issues.
Don't you think that Harris has been addressing this in her speeches? She repeatedly talks about supporting the middle class, helping small businesses, giving tax breaks to young families, working toward providing affordable housing etc.
No, here is an analysis. A 50K tax break? Well I would have to have 50K in cash to write it off. No, that's no benefit. Affordable housing? Not one tourist in Hawaii, FL or other states goes without a house. Why? Because they are vacation rentals and 2nd tax dodgers in FL. There is PLENTY of empty housing in this area. Why build more and destroy the environment? Or DeSantis wants to destroy the state parks.
Tax breaks??? I don't care. I want more wages !!!!!!! The taxes will then take care of themselves.
AND - cancel student loans. Now. Reagan defunded collages. If trade jobs pay so much then why aren't the 1% sending their kids to trade school?
I call them rethuglicans, or magats. Keep seeing posts of neck and neck, or tied. If Democrats don't win overwhelmingly, we will undoubtedly have a civil war . I can't understand how many people want to live in under a dictator.
I’m so sick of hearing people say they need to know more about Kamala Harris while they totally ignore the psychotic rantings of Trump/Vance and pretend they are a viable choice for the top leaders of the nation. As a woman who worked all my life I can readily see the misogynistic roots in the “we don’t really know her” or “ she needs to show us more about herself.” It’s BS. We know she is smart, educated, moral, and has way more experience in government than most Presidents of the past 40 years.
But there are many people who take Trump at his word. That's why he does it. It pays political profit. His number one tool is public speaking. His number two tool is lying while speaking publicly. Number three is slandering and smearing people.
Please let me know how one makes $$$ one can “take to the bank” while on the campaign trail!! I will run for President next year just so I can get out of debt!!
Like! The word for the bogus argument, she has to be more specific, we don't know what she stands for, we (won't ever!) know enough about her, is "sophistry."
I agree, Kathy. I feel these so-called "undecideds" are really just MAGA trying to get others to think they should vote for someone they do know regardless of how awful he is rather than vote for Kamala when she has shown herself to be smart, articulate and competent. I honestly don't think they are undecided, I think they are MAGA.
I could never understand why anyone would question Kamala Harris in the face of what we know about trump and MAGA and their Project 2025. They plan to destroy this country as we know it. It will never go back once he gets in. “Dictator for a Day”? If anyone believes that would stop after a day is supremely naive.
I personally didn’t care if Kamala Harris blew bubbles on the stage after every question.
If undecideds and Independents don’t know what’s at stake in this election, I just don’t know what’s going to reach them.
All we can do right now is try to show them the contrast. If they continue to say they don't know, it's probably MAGA attempting to make you feel defeated. Keep working hard, Robert! We will win in November! Vote blue, America, up and down the ballot!
Translation of 'we really need to know more . . . ' is: 'We really need to know how we are going to make her into a white male so we can overcome our ignorance and bigotry to vote for her'. Very sad after all these decades - Golda Maier, Indira Ghandi, Margaret Thatcher, etc., etc. all FEMALE LEADERS OF NATIONS. Catch up America!
"and pretend they are a viable choice for the top leaders of the nation." Kathy you nailed it. The pretense is so pervasive, with the mas media leading the parade, and the Supreme Six working the bass drums and the Tubas. We're immersed in this ubiquitous notion of a horse race, when it is abundantly clear that there is only one horse in the race (a thoroughbred filly, I might add). The case for a Trump/Vance administration is about as strong as hiring a known pedophile for a nanny.
The fact that this sorry excuse for a human being is actually a legitimate Presidential candidate unfortunately says a lot about all of us. I wish I could wake up from this nightmare.
I have no idea what Putin and other obscenely wealthy supporters of tRUMP paid to the individual "justices" on the Supreme court , and other courts to deliver verdicts that were beneficial for their "plant" tRUMP and other interests with money to throw around.. The fascist Nazi lover who bought Clarence Thomas : Harlan Crowe, is on the board of the Federalist Society ; where billionaires pay to have properly indoctrinated judges who will do things like ending freedoms for women's health care, even if it was "settled law" as they said in their confirmation hearings, where they implied that they would not touch. Leonard Leo is the guy to read about , as he is a major fundraiser for the Federalist Society and their Catholic supported mission. Payola for the highest Court. Read up on these traitors. Don't miss the "Heritage Society" either. Certainly not committed to Our heritage, as a Nation/Republic.
If you have no idea how much, you have no idea if anyone was paid anything at all. In today’s America no one receives true justice do they? If you are a Republican judges like Marchand and prosecutors like Fani are paid to deliver justice based on the ideology of the left. And if you’re a Democrat judges like Clarence Thomas are paid to deliver justice based on the ideology of the right. Isn’t that how it works? Or are you one who believes the only justice served happens to coincide with what you believe to be true? Additionally, Putin may not be an admirable man or leader, come to think of it I can’t name one who is, but do you honestly think he’s spending all his time trying to convince you and I who we should vote for? He is currently fighting a pretty serious war ya know. And IF he is doing that, one good turn deserves another don’t ya think? I mean the US has been overthrowing governments for years and years.
No, not all of us, some of us. I've done everything within my abilities to get others informed about what the orange Mussolini is and what his cult is about etc. I've done it since 2015. Same thing with dispelling the birtherism lies he spread about President Obama. Just a small account of what I and friends are doing to inform others. Cults are a very hard thing to break.
You didn't mention that Vance admitted on CNN yesterday to "creating stories" that illustrate the plight of the American people. Asked whether the account of Haitians eating dogs and cats in Springfield was one of those stories, he said yes.
Got it! Good one, Anon! It boggles my mind that he is their Senator in Congress and he would spread these horrible things about his own state! He did not bother to research it or determine if it was true. What's worse, his governor and the police said it was untrue and he still continued to spread it!
My dad was in the Air Force when I was growing up. When I was in second grade we moved to Montgomery Alabama. That was in 1960 when they had started desegregating schools.
Bomb threats were not unusual. Our teacher would have us form a line and walk outside to the front of the school. The police would come in mass with their bomb sniffing dogs while we silently waited to get the all clear to go back to our classroom.
I remember a little black girl probably in third grade standing in line next to ours. She was wearing a pretty white dress and white shoes. We smiled at each other then shyly stared at each others shoes. I felt horrible, I couldn’t even imagine imagine how that little girl felt. I was ashamed.
That is where I learned what hate was and it crushed me.
I’ve read about the turmoil in Haiti. The people are suffering terribly. When I see the hate being spewed by Trump and his co-conspirator I feel the same shame I felt when we had the bomb threats in Montgomery.
The people who immigrated here from Haiti must have been so happy and excited to come to America. How awful they must feel now. There isn’t a word that expresses just how low, how despicable Trump and Vance are for putting these immigrants in danger. They deserve better and so do we.
Susan Gorman Gerke, thanks for sharing your childhood story. It was very touching. Two children sharing a loving moment in a sea of madness caused by adults unable to do so.
I also had a sad moment when I was able to go to the local indoor pool. I was finally tall enough at 5 years or so to get in. The pool was nearly empty, except for a little Black girl about my age in a pink bathing suit. She was already in the water near the shallow end. We smiled at each other. then, one of the girls who brought me, said "Look out for the nigger in the pool!" I looked around for some sharp object and saw the look on this little girl's face; so very sad and scared., while her older sisters pulled her out and angrily ran out of there. The big irony is that when I told my mom about it, she looked at my father and said; "it's already starting" very sadly. She explained that the Native American Indian girls who brought me to the pool, our neighbors and friends, had probably been called niggers as well. And sadly, they felt a need to distinguish that they were not Black ( the word, Negro or colored was used then.). They wanted to point out that they were not that. There went my only chance to have a friend my age in the pool. In the neighborhood. I never forget how painful that was. Most likely for the little Black girl, too. Maybe not the first time, either. So unfair and wrong.
Laurie Blair, I'm so sorry you were denied a friendship as a little girl. It is very sad that other people's actions closed you off from making a friend your age and having fun developing your new friendship. Buddhists say compassion. understanding, love spreads out, it encompasses and includes more and more people, further away from us. Fear doesn't do that. I hope the little girl who would have been your friend and the girls who took you to the pool were able to heal from all their trauma of violence against them.
Laurie Blair, PS, and you too, I hope you have healed from that experience. A little child can't process the absurdity of being against the life of others.
M Tree : years later, as an older teen , I knew what .the Civil rights movement was about. I understood, but was still aware of what had been taken from all of US. Painful and unnecessary as it was and still is.
Laurie Blair, everyone's right to dignity. I can't remember what wise Native American chief said it, but he said, "The greatest gift you can give a man is dignity." For me, those words say it all.
Sad and important experience. Thank you for sharing it. This is how you can play one ethnic minority against another. Religious differences can be used the same way, even sex differences. Trump is using it all.
I was in elementary school in the early 60’s myself in Ft. Worth Texas. I remember in 5th grade a black girl and her brother who was in 2nd grade came to our school. The only 2 black children in the school. They were both so brave. Texas was very segregated when I was a young girl. I knew it wasn’t right as a child.
You reminded me of something that happened in 1956 when I attended first grade at P.A. Peterson School in Rockford, Illinois. Only two black children were in the four-story-high brown brick school: a boy in fourth grade and a girl, Ellen, in first grade. Because they lived one block away, it was natural for Ellen and me to walk to school together, and we became good friends.
There was a pile of ashes alongside the school, either from the school burning trash or coal. In any event, one day before school, while I was playing with Ellen, some boys a few grades ahead of us pulled me away and dragged me to the pile of ashes. They rolled me in the ashes and ruined my new red hooded corduroy jacket, which I was so fond of because I pretended to be a Little Red Riding Hood while wearing it.
No adult stopped the boys or disciplined them, while my teacher punished me for getting so dirty by putting me in the coat closet with the light off. Someone must have called my mother because she came to school at lunchtime, had a talk in the hall with the teacher, and took me home. It wasn't until years later that it dawned on me why I was bullied that way. We were renting, so rather than confront anyone at the school or explain to me about discrimination, my parents moved us to an all-white school district in Byron, Illinois. I missed my friend Ellen and always wondered about her. Although I felt that there was something wrong with me that I was bullied that way and never forgot it, I didn't connect it to being friends with a black girl until many years later.
So much of childhood only makes sense later if we pay attention. I grew up in Georgia and never attended elementary or high school with a Black child. Only recently did it occur to me that I knew no Black contemporaries in my small hometown.
I see many things differently now as I look back than when I lived through them. It occurred to me that working as a nurse when so many heads of families lost their employment-based insurance was such hell due to being short-staffed because the hospitals were so financially stressed. Neoliberalism affected us in the Rustbelt in many ways that haven't occurred to the monsters that made the policies that destroyed so many lives. Nobody knew why our world suddenly changed, so the unemployed victims were blamed. DCFS was used like the Gestapo to frighten parents into concealing the scarcity of their resources, and for instance, they were accused of negligence for not getting their children's teeth repaired. It was a nightmare.
I received an email from the DNC that said, "We're checking your record" or something similar. It was another request for a donation, but it reminded me of when I was raising my children on a shoestring budget, and DCFS caseworkers harassed and scared me. I "unsubscribed." Hillary had no idea what "It Takes a Village" meant to parents here in the Rustbelt. When Reagan said his "most terrifying words are, "I'm from the government, and I'm here to help," the words meant something frightening to people who feared the police and child protective workers. They were convinced that a smaller government would make them more secure. Those who wanted less regulation of their businesses and taxes used that fear to get votes.
Gloria, there were a lot of stories like yours during that time. I had black friends and we still stay in touch to this day. My mom was a free thinker. We lived right beside what many in my community called 'brown town'. At that time I didn't know why they called it that. Anyway, my mom use to shop for groceries in the food store there and I always got to play outside while she shopped. Never once did my mom ever tell me to stay away from them. I think she decided when all of that racism was happening, she did not want her girls to be tainted by it. She taught us to never, ever get it in our heads that anyone was 'inferior' to us because of the color of their skin. She was a very wise woman and taught me so much about living with grace and dignity. I'll never forget that she told me once when I was talking about what I wanted to be when I grew up, "You be whatever you want to be. If you want to be a ditch digger, you be the best damn ditch digger you know how." A truly wise woman.
Moms are incredible! They teach us how to relate to the world and they do it through love and tolerance. My mom passed 13 years ago and I miss her every single day. The sharp pain and grief is gone but the ache will always be there. Here's to our incredible moms, Gloria!
Gloria J. Maloney, such a sad story of hate and your parents needing to protect you from people who hated your kindness,. The self-evident truth was the bullies' enemy.
That is really sad! It sounds like things that happened back in those days for sure. Who in their right mind would want to go back to those hateful times!
Donna, thanks for your story. The bravery of the children is remarkable. And I'm glad you contributed to helping the children feel safer by knowing excluding them was wrong.. Some say, young children are closer to sensing, knowing, feeling what's right and wrong, closer to the truth, to love, than many adults. They are pure before the world gets ahold of them and conditions them, jades them, suppresses and twists their knowing.
Very well said, Susan! I was in high school when our school was integrated but since I came from a very small town there were only a very few people with signs protesting and we knew them all. When the bus pulled up and the kids started getting out, many of us knew them as well and welcomed them to school. The protestors took their signs and went home.
Unamerican. MAGA hates America, and, by the way, hates Jesus! They abhor the Constitution!: ""We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity...." MAGA dismisses all of that as "Commie." The Statue of Liberty poem dictated by Satan!
Good gosh, Mmerose! I just got goosebumps and not the good kind! I knew these MAGAs idolized the orange man but I didn't know they felt our Constitution was 'Commie' or the poem on the Statue of Liberty was dictated by Satan! That chills me to my core! Every day that passes I see more and more that this MAGA movement and the orange man are Hitler and his cult reincarnated. We absolutely must do everything we can to make sure Kamala and Tim are elected in November. Vote blue, America, up and down the ballot.
The MAGA cult members just aren't wired right in the head. If groups of people are un or undereducated, they aren't equipped to rationally or critically analyze issues or concepts. It's very easy to indoctrinate them into fantasy and conspiracy theories. It's easy to brainwash them. It's a very long road to undo the damage too, for some, it's impossible, sadly. I've known some very nice people who got caught up in a cult. Their families did interventions and got them into the proper therapy. It took so long to get them back to rationality. One was never right despite all the therapy and help . He died young, it was a great loss too. 😞
"The people who immigrated here from Haiti must have been so happy and excited to come to America. How awful they must feel now."
Susan, I am literally sitting here with tears in my eyes. We are a nation of immigrants, and many seem to have forgotten that. I remember when I was in the Navy many years ago during the Iran hostage crisis, how angry I felt hearing of hate crimes being committed against Iranian Americans. It was the first time I realized how stupid and hateful many americans could be, and I was ashamed.
Yes! I’ve always felt that our greatest asset in America is our diverse culture.
I’ve spoken with many immigrants and the people who migrate here love this country deeply and are grateful to be here.
Trump has used hatred and fear to build his base. His “Make America Great Again” which turns out to be taken right out of Hitler’s “Make Germany Great Again” playbook, has torn our country apart. He has given voice to the malcontents and fed them a diet of vitriol. He took a great country and is breaking it apart.
It’s very hard not to hate Trump but that would mean that hate has won.
So I wrestle with my amygdala and pray that my higher thinking prevails. It’s a daily struggle.
Roy Cohn is the common denominator, Donna. He was Trump's lawyer in the late 50s and 60s. But more, he was the counsel to Wisconsin Republican Senator Eugene McCarthy (of McCarthyism) in the early 50s. I come to within a whisper breath of saying that the McCarthyism of the 50s and our current craziness are one and the same thing. The only real difference is that the country has switched from fear mongering about communist infiltrators to fear mongering about immigration. Both of these focus on blaming the "other," As an old song says: "Paranoia strikes deep, Into your life it will creep, Starts when you're always afraid, Step out of line, the man comes, and takes you away...." &Etc. The hard part is staying very, very level headed.
Not Eugene McCarthy! Randy, it was Joe McCarthy, and I believe it was another senator who asked him, "Have you no decency? Have you no shame?" Only that would not work for Trump, because he DOESN'T HAVE ANY SENSE OF DECENCY OR SHAME!
Ya! You're the second person to pull me up on that -- and you are absolutely right! I put up a separate post lamenting this error and wishing that this blog still provided the opportunity to edit like it used to have. -- Having said all of that, it does not matter whether it would directly affect Trump. The important thing is whether it would affect the electorate! That's where the rubber really hits the road.
I found that If I get desperate to “edit”, it’s possible (using the three dots in the lower right of your post) to delete the whole post. Then put a new corrected reply in the same place.
I met Eugene McCarthy once in an airport after his defeat in his run for president. I assured him that I had voted for him and hoped that he would continue. He thanked me.
Ya... He was all of that and much much more; all of it negative. And repeating, he is the common denominator between Trump and Eugene McCarthy. McCarthy finally wilted away when an attorney asked him (possibly paraphrasing): "Have you no decency? Have you no shame." These are the questions that Trump needs to be asked. But the timing needs to be right for it to work. Maybe an attorney for the Haitian immigrants could ask it(?) That is the sort of setting that is needed.
Infamous Roy Cohn the guy with connections to the mafia. Words whispered often had it, that if projects in NYC were costing too much, the guy too see was Roy, inconvenient people behind too high costs, or reasons for them, seemed to have ways of vanishing. Or obstacles disappeared, no one knew way, once Roy Cohn was consulted or hired. He was an attorney. Or merely “consulted” for a fee. Donald decided he could learn a lot from a guy like Roy, quite the mover and shaker. Rumors
Were rampant as one might imagine. Many people were know to believe, what the tutoring provided the eager developer, was not al on the up and up.
Absolutely! I've already pulled it back up on youtube and boy, does it ever speak... Like Donna noted, nothing has changed. I wonder if Kamala could hit Trump and Vance with the "Have you no decency? Have you no shame? questions. Don't know how to get the idea to her. Maybe professor Reich knows some way to reach them(?)
Randy, I truly believe that the orange man and his running mate will proudly tell you 'No, they do not have any decency or shame because that is not what his cult wants. They want pure unadulterated hate, anger, fear and violence.' The orange man and couch are giving it to them in spades!
Personally, I don't think it matters what Trump & Vance think on this point. The real deal is that this is what stopped Joseph McCarthy in his tracks in the 50s. It's the electorate that recognized the depravity that McCarthy was spewing. And they turned on him. That's where the possibilities live.
JD Vance is full of poppycock! What is waking up voters is the fact that the demented orange man has lost his marbles. American citizens absolutely DO NOT want a repeat of the four years of chaos and just plain stupidity that man brought to the White House!
I have a STRONG suspicion that both ‘assassination attempts’ were false flags, meant to get his followers as enraged as possible, if not to engender sympathy from independent voters or those who are wavering. I seriously doubt that anyone can prove anything either way. I just think that’s how his mind works, always focused on his woes.
Pilgrim, I don't think the assassination attempts are false flags, but it's a shame that taxpayers pay for Trump's security while he incites violence. His rhetoric also increases the danger for the Secret Service and others around him.
Gloria, I am inclined to agree with pilgrimRVW and John. I would not put it past the orange man to think this type of thing will garner him more votes. Also, someone said he was trying to garner more women votes and he thinks he can pull this type of stunt and they will feel sorry for him. It is ridiculous, I know, but he is not the sharpest tool in the shed!
Yes, he is, Laurie. He and his orange cult will be screaming louder and passing out more lies, misinformation and propaganda from now until election day. They will do everything they can to try and get him elected. As long as we don't fall into the sinkhole that is the arguments of the cult, as long as we continue to speak to people and encourage them to vote, write postcards and letters, sign petitions, we will get there in November. We must stick to the task at hand and stay focused. Vote blue, America, up and down the ballot!
I agree. No need to invent conspiracy theories. Some number of armed nut jobs are always ready to go off in America. What I find interesting is how Fox Snooze commentators turn it around and say the Democrats are at fault for expressing their Trump Derangement Syndrome. Yeah, sure, and Hitler was a choir boy.
My thoughts EXACTLY, pilgrim RVW! That raging freak from hell, TUMP would do anything he might think would give him an advantage in his attempt to be elected Dictator of the United States. I have NO sympathy whatsoever for Donald TUMP. I don't care one bit what happens to him. It would serve him right if something very bad happened to him. He has did unspeakable damage to our nation and deserves anything bad that happens to his sorry ass. In my opinion, he is just as horrible as Adolf Hitler was, or maybe even worse. He is the lowest form of a living creature that has ever existed! Even a lowly vile cockroach. His comments about immigrants and a bloody removal of them is way beyond being disgusting. He doesn't even deserve to exist!
pilgrimRVW, false flags are in the playbook of dictators. There are many historical examples. Putin has employed this propaganda strategy more than once. Who knows what the truth is?
That was my first thought : He is losing , at least the first debate, and wants out of the second. His desperation makes him likely to try anything, it was my first thought that the second assassination attempt was also a false flag. Now they want to incite violence in susceptible red states. Which state will be the next target? Diabolical.
I have the same suspicion - he or his surrogates PAID TO STAGE THESE ATTEMPTS to draw attention and sympathy for him since it's become obvious that he's not all there anymore. If the 'attempts' were legitimate, they need to find somebody who's a better shot. Just think, you could now all be enjoying a State Funeral and Misogynists Vance as the GOP candidate.
There is only one thing worse than all that your message has said here, professor. This is the simple fact that Trump is back in the center of the news again.... again..... again.....
And what is more damaging is the media outlets covering almost 24/7 all the "crazy stories" they throw out like grenades and trying to "explain" what happened...
Meanwhile, in small towns there are dangerous groups starting to spread fear and do more damage
The Taylor Swift is another hand grenade... Curious how long it will take to put out this fire 🔥
NO-ONE is talking about how lacking is the Trump campaign and his affiliations with the misogynistic oligarchs and extreme leaders! (talking about out of touch billionaires)
..... and one last thing... Does any media outlet covering the " republican efforts" to gag the votes ?
Professor Reich: trump's claim to want to protect the ducks, geese, dogs and cats of Springfield is absolutely bonkers. trump HATES animals of all kinds. his sons routinely murder endangered wildlife in Africa (which should be illegal, IMO).
the situation in aurora is also growing worse by the moment, fueled by racist, misogynistic white men who want to kill everyone and everything, it appears.
i must say, trump's latest attempted (fake, probably) assassination attempt has barely made an blip in the news overseas, probably because the media here got burned one time too many by trump and his delusions. the boy who cried wolf and all that. but in america, it's a hot topic that is serving to feed the hatred and violence that has already predominated.
as i watch this racist, sexist mayhem from overseas as it grows ever worse, i am appalled and afraid. i despair for America. i already can see where this is leading, and it's an ugly place.
Americans do not have the luxury of despair. Democrats, Republicans, Independents - it’s time for Americans of goodwill to come together to preserve democracy and the rule of law. All of us can do something, however small to support #HarrisWalz2024. The worst mistake we can make is to do nothing. Peace and hope are patriotic. 🇺🇸 ☮️🕊️
not sure if your comments are directed specifically at me, but i'm not "doing nothing"! i registered to vote from overseas -- just waiting for my ballot -- so that's SOMETHING, at least! not sure how to do more, open to ideas.
Writing postcards to mail out to voters. There are a few entities that run that. But being overseas, it might take too long to get back to the States. Phone banking is another option. The information is on the Harris-Walz website. Thank you for your help 🙏💕
i could do this, but the election people are telling me to mail my ballot no later than one month before the election. that's a HUGE time gap.
not only that, but postage, (and telephone calls) especially overseas postage to USA, is quite expensive here. i just called my financial institution on friday to sort out a pressing matter and it was REALLY EXPENSIVE.
i'd like to help and am willing to help, but i'm a freelance writer, not a wealthy person. (my apologies for this.)
Apparently it was a former Trump supporter. He didn’t fire any shots because luckily secret service saw him and fired at him first.
Trump courted the crazy alt right vote for years. Now he’s pandering toward suburban mom vote and he has to at least pretend to be less extreme. This seems to have upset his more crazy supporters, who probably feel betrayed.
Lay down with dogs and you will get fleas, as they say.
Attempts, if genuine, to assassinate these characters, are playing directly into their hands.
You will excuse me if l allow myself a tiny bit of suspicion. . . if a country so full of guns and experienced gunmen can kill kids ad nauseam how is it these people are such poor shots?
Any why do these 'attempts' not engender calls for arms control?
I think it is appalling….but l am not entirely convinced.
But if it was a false flag it absolves the hyperbolic chicken little vitriol of the people who swim in this cesspool of a comment section. They need it to be a false flag. Otherwise they may be the exact people they vilify
A semi-automatic rifle (AR-15 or AK-47) requires zero skill to shoot and kill dozens of unarmed people going about their business. Your grandmother could be a successful assassin. (Ooops! Don't want to give MAGA any new ideas!)
All who, Sandra? Tim Crooks was young, nervous, in a hurry, and not a highly-trained sharpshooter. Ryan Routh was discovered before his target was acquired. He wasn't a trained sniper, either.
The hatred continues being sowed from the right, now by De Santis, who posted on “X” that he wants to get to the “truth” of what happened, implicating the FBI somehow, and Elon Musk asked why no one is trying to assassinate Biden and Harris… the chaos never ends with them. In the meantime, we are no longer speaking about the death threats to Haitian students and residents of Springfield. It’s revolting
Which begs the question.....is it a setup by the trump sycophants. They have no problem with collateral damage either. Something is not right about these so called "assassination" attempts.
I am so utterly and completely sick of Trump, Vance, MAGA, the sickos who want to assassinate Trump and sycophants like DeSantis, or Caligula oligarchs like Musk. The chaos and hatred make me want to scream. And I live in Europe! I can’t understand why I’m still so attached to US politics. It must be because I chose to become a naturalized citizen and I feel so betrayed now by the country formerly known as “country of my dreams.”
And they called him the chosen one. If I was to select a man who had the ability to lead, I'd find one who operated out of love and compassion and cared about the future of our collective. Trump crushes any attempt at finding a level of normalcy. Hate, chaos, and fear are the oral supplements Donnie Boy forces his followers to swallow while a nation suffers. Mr. Trump, the bullets are bad, but the explosions are far worse. Hitler had a perfectly good pair of pants completely ruined by a bomb blast at the Wolf's Lair. To catch up to Adolf he only has 40 more attempts on his life to go. The price of being such a <Good> man.
The guy’s self choosing, by tempting fate. That’s quite obvious. Fits the dare devil personality type. Likely gives him an adrenaline high. As he has made known he’s chosen, due to odds of addictions percentages in family, genetically. As much challenge he has with self- discipline in most areas, he has been able to stay away from alcohol, wisely. And apparently recreational drugs like pot & cocaine - though he’s addictive personality to Diet Coke, sex (affairs, Scandals galore, even while wifey, has new baby at home, bedding Stormy; grab ‘em by the puss…, 34 felonies, lol) Mr. Leech reputation, how many law suits? Most woman are repulsed, by the creep.
Indeed; note the huge payout he had/has in hand, i.e. via 'Truth Social' (which was wealth he otherwise did not have material claim to in years past)...
DJT isn’t capable of ‘growing up’. only out, width wise, and age wise, until nature takes’s its course. Or, as often occurs with damaged personality’s other forms of the species are drawn to force “early” endings, historically. Odds seem to be catching up, maybe what he’s attracting, if he keeps up tempting fate.
This is White Supremacy on Steroids!
Who do you think would post this after the debate? “Weird how the hack moderators … are only ‘Fact checking’ Trump and allowing Kamala to lie nonstop! The Fake News is the enemy of the people.”
Only a complete idiot would post that! Right?
That’s what Junior posted.
And guess who said this, “If I have to create stories so that the American media actually pays attention to the suffering of the American people, then that's what I'm going to do, Dana, because you guys are completely letting Kamala Harris coast.”
It’s time to rename the Republican Party to the Deplorable Party. Those in favor say “I”!
Keith-- Hillary's comment was correct, it's a fitting name for a group that has no connection to our reality. It is definitely the party of the "Deplorables."
Donald, I was uneasy with Hillary calling that gro "deplorables", but I agree now. WHat they have brought to this country is DESPICABLE!
Trump and Vance are thieves who want to distract us while they steal Social Security and Medicare.
More than Trump and JD Vance, it is their puppet masters, the lords of dark money that are pulling the strings here. Suss them out, name them, and round them up; the Heritage Foundation, Elon Musk, Peter Thiel, the Murdoch family, Miriam Adelson’s foundation and their ilk, who stay hidden behind their money and gatekeepers while they prepare their secret bunkers to hide in before their damage undoes our world.
EXACTLY, Ilene! The people who really make the decisions stay in the shadows.
Hear hear! Follow the money, just as deep throat told Woodward during Watergate.
This is why Citizens United must be repealed and plutocrats taken out of kingmaker status in electoral politics. We have the best government ---for them--- that their billions can buy.
It's a big club and we working schmucks aren't in it.
Yes, but the puppet may yet mock the puppet masters.
And everything they can lay their hands on. They're like the visitors that would never leave and, when they finally do, you discover all the silver, jewelry, and even OTC medications are gone.
An acquaintance once said that whenever a guest starts talking religion he checks all the cupboards to make sure the silverware is locked.
Republicans have been doing that for decades.
Marilyn. You said it appropriately “the actions” of these groups and by association the MAGA GOP are despicable as well as deplorable. Name calling is not something that should be condoned or repeated by either side, but actions, you can call those out with all the appropriate language. Is that not what we teach our children, or should be teaching our children. I am all for calling out these actions despicable, deplorable, weird, hateful, fear mongering, loathe-some, etc.
A person who supports Trump is not necessarily racist, or sexist, or anti-gay, or transphobic….but they are okay with a racist, sexist, anti-gay, transphobic president and government.
TBD, so maybe, then the Republican Party is a basket of deplorable actions, beliefs about people, and speech that endangers people just for power and money. It means the same but maybe is more slyly blaming the people because it is the people who have decided to become all of the above and others to support them, mostly knowing what they are saying and doing is wrong, but jumping on board their hate train anyway.
Love your thoughtful responses. Indeed complicated issue. Most important now in these final days is to get people out to vote and to Vote Blue up and down their ticket so we can begin the process of redirecting this democracy ship which is sailing to damn close to that iceberg.
Chris, yes, that "ship of democracy" is getting too close and the iceberg is quite large despite or because of global warming. How anyone can even think of voting for Trump and Kump is beyond comprehension. I have tried to listen, really listen to the comments of the Trumpers and Trumpettes our media constantly sends our way, and I realize nothing they say makes any sense since they are condemning themselves to a potential fate worse than death. Trump is an ignorant, hateful, uncaring, autocrat who does no real work, blames everyone for everything, understands nothing and no one, and whines and complains like a tired toddler. What among those character traits would warm anyone to him? He does have a loud mouth which may draw in some loud-mouthed men and a few women, but what he says is truly despicable, even deplorable. Yep, I don't get it!
Marilyn D - Secretary Clinton did NOT name supporters of trump as "deplorables". That was a fiction created by the trump campaign to ridicule and create distrust of Secretary Clinton. Her actual words were as follows:
"We are living in a volatile political environment. You know, to just be grossly generalistic, you could put half of Trump’s supporters into what I call the basket of deplorables. Right?
The racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic, Islamaphobic — you name it. And unfortunately there are people like that. And he has lifted them up. He has given voice to their websites that used to only have 11,000 people — now how 11 million. He tweets and retweets their offensive hateful mean-spirited rhetoric. Now, some of those folks — they are irredeemable, but thankfully they are not America. But the other basket — and I know this because I see friends from all over America here — I see friends from Florida and Georgia and South Carolina and Texas — as well as, you know, New York and California — but that other basket of people are people who feel that the government has let them down, the economy has let them down, nobody cares about them, nobody worries about what happens to their lives and their futures, and they’re just desperate for change. It doesn’t really even matter where it comes from. They don’t buy everything he says, but he seems to hold out some hope that their lives will be different. They won’t wake up and see their jobs disappear, lose a kid to heroine, feel like they’re in a dead-end. Those are people we have to understand and empathize with as well." It is more than unfortunate that the man whose standard operating procedure is to instill fear and hate and call his opponents a menagerie of vile names was able to pervert Secretary Clinton's message of hope
Mojo, thank you for this information, where was this speech given? I do, though, remember hearing Hillary, during a speech, talk about "trump & his basket of deplorables", sans any further explanation. It's a moot point given all the trash that has spilled out of the Orangeburg's vile mouth. And my discomfort with any name calling was from my political salad days, before the Orange Fungus' incivility spread.
Marilyn D - From Wikipedia: "Basket of deplorables" is a phrase from a 2016 US presidential election campaign speech delivered by Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton on September 9, 2016, at a campaign fundraising event. She used the phrase to describe "half" of the supporters of her opponent, Republican nominee Donald Trump, saying they're "racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic, Islamophobic".[1] The next day, she expressed regret for "saying half", while insisting that Trump had deplorably amplified "hateful views and voices."
It's not just about hate. It's much bigger than the hate of an individual. As the President, Trump can institutionalize* hate, pain and suffering, and lose of life.
As a social justice activist for over 30 years, hate by individuals* does not surprise me. It's sad, but that's their choice. I only care about institutional* discrimination. As the President, Trump's actions* and policies* that cause discrimination and the loss of human rights and life are frightening and unacceptable.
Indeed, Trump sabotaged the BIPARTISAN Immigration reform bill because he's got nothing without the issue of immigration to stir up his base and ferment hate. Despite sabotaging the bipartisan immigration bill, Trump still has nothing. By not having better plans, Trump only has more lies and the immigration and healthcare Bamboozle for Americans.
Trump has NO SOLUTION for immigration, just as he has no solution for healthcare reform. The immigration solution was, and IS, the Bipartisan bill that Trump deep sixed. What does that tell you about Trump's love of country? It tells you that DJT is Trump First, not "America First."
Trump does not have a better plan than the bipartisan* immigration plan. Once again, Trump has put himself before the needs of the country. When Trump sabotaged the immigration bill, he proved again that his campaign is about one thing, and one thing only, Trump FIRST!
"Build the Wall" is not a policy. At best, "Build the Wall" IS "a concept," like his non-existent healthcare plan. "A concept" is far from a Bill that's been hammered out in Committees and has the votes on both sides needed to pass. "A concept" is nowhere near a bill backed by both sides and merely needs the President's signature. Why doesnt the media press Trump about his "concept?" Are they too busy reporting on absurd statements by Trump and have no time to examine his policies and the dire consequences?
I've got news for Republicans. President Reagan famously said, "tear down this wall." Trump's words and actions prove that Trump wants to "tear down" is our best healthcare and our Democracy, as demonstrated by his actions to repeal the ACA and the January 6 insurrection that he promoted. In fact, Trump's past Presidency shows that he is about tearing down our major step forward with the ACA healthcare reform. Amazingly, not sitting in the Oval Office, Trump was able to "tear down" immigration reform.
In fact, Trump has succeeded in tearing down Immigration reform. Thankfully, President Trump was NOT able to "tear down" the ACA which saves over 40,000 American lives A YEAR!
Another important policy to remember is Trump's anti-choice, denial of healthcare for pregnant women. I've written about this before, so I don't think I need to explain that access to abortion is a civil and human right. Trump's appointment of three Supreme Court Justices who have taken away women's rights prove that Trump's policies are an institutional attack on child and human rights for healthcare.
In closing, Trump's tearing down bipartisan immigration, tearing healthcare reforms in the ACA, Republican's relentless quest to tear down bipartisan* Medicare/Medicaid, Social Security, and Workplace protections present an institutional danger by enacting laws* that cause discrimination, pain and suffering, and more than 40,000 LIVES* a YEAR*,
PLUS* the many millions* of women who have NO right to vital healthcare. President Trump is a clear and present danger to Americans because his immigration, healthcare and social policies insttuonalizes hate to the point that millions of Americans would needlessly suffer and many tens of thousands of Americans would die every year. I
The hate is worse than abusing and neglecting millions of American. Clearly, our rights and democracy are in peril with another President Trump. "Any questions?"
Main Stream Media, where are you when journalism is needed to protect our human rights and democracy?
Danny, well-said! Trump and also Vance have no ideas for anything beyond causing chaos, blaming immigrants and Democrats for all the problems, even the ones Trump and Vance cause themselves like the Springfield, OH big lie Vance and his friends, then Trump told. These are despicable people and our media, the mainstream kind should be calling it all out loud and clear, not just having some NY Times reporters write a book about it and do a couple of talk shows about it. The media voices need to stop reporting on every stupid thing Trump says and does and work harder to find the facts about what happened, for example with the two supposed "assassination attempts." We are clearly not getting the truth about either of them and one can't help but wonder why. Then, to hear Trump and Vance flap their mouths blaming Harris for what happened is beyond despicable! It seems that whatever Trump blames others for doing, he is actually doing himself. He accused Harris of cheating at the "debate" when it was probably he himself who was wearing an earpiece, although he wasn't listening too clearly to what they were saying. It seems to me they finally got through before his closing remarks. They didn't fit with anything else he said during the "debate," so I am thinking something broke through and his handlers gave him a line he could use and reuse in his last two minutes, if you wanted to do something, you had 3-1/2 years and didn't do it, or something like that (a ridiculous comment since she was VP, not president and Congress legislates, not the VP, and he got nothing important done during his presidency except push through 3 pathetic Supreme Court justices and a huge tax cut for all the guys who least need such a cut. Amazing how what Trump does is glossed over while Harris has to present a detailed set of policies while Trump has none beyond getting his sorry self elected. Pathetic!
What the immigration bill reform exactly?
It has what Republicans wanted and demanded. Since Republicans are pro-business, the bill is without mass deportations that would cause farmers to lose vital workers so crops don't rot on the vine. This happened to GA farmers when GA enacted a strict immigration law. So why isn't the MSM pointing out that Trump's mass deportations would hurt American farmers?
Since Biden is President, Biden is responsible, regardless of the details. Democrats gave up more than they wanted because they understood that Biden had to make a deal since he's in charge of the ship. Everyone knew that Republicans wanted to relentlessly beat up Democrats on Immigration. Biden did the right thing. He cracked down on immigration and allow some immigration for farmers and business.
Now Trump doesn't have immigration issue. He looks like a megalomanic for putting his campaign before America's needs. Shocker, right?
Danny, the fulness of this post is remarkable. No tRump, no tRumpism, no more.
Thank you, Marilyn. Not bad for no coffee. Lol. It could use some work. It's really just a rough draft. I'm glad my point came across. I appreciate the positive feedback.
Danny, I hope this means you will publish this for an even wider audience. Have a coffee, on me!
Link what just happened here to the authors and members of Project 2025 who think they are superior to everyone else. Trump/Vance hateful rhetoric targeted a specific immigrant group that unleased threats of violence against them, including Neo-Nazis marching in full gear. This is tyranny playing out in real time. Tyrant's need scapegoats to seize and maintain power, who will be next?
Betty, that is always my question, who will be next? The Germans found plenty of nexts: gay men, Communists, people in power who didn't agree with them, disabled persons, women who weren't OK with being raped for the Fatherland, Poles, Hungarians, Russians, and on and on, in short, whoever they decided they didn't think was worthy to live at the moment. We have something similar going: immigrants, Hispanic people in general, the "Libs," the "woke" (not always the same person), Black people (particularly those in positions of authority), scientists (mostly those that present facts they don't like), teachers, religious leaders who don't go along with the "hate" agenda, environmentalists, etc. etc. These Republican MAGAs are a minority, but they want to rule anyway and want to force people to believe the lies they plan to use to get and maintain power no matter what the people like or don't. Yep, who's next? It could be anyone. wouldn't it be better to stop them now than have to do it later, if we even can at that point? Vote Democratic/democratic! It's the way to a more positive future rather than returning to some kind of pre-Revolutionary time when a few white men ruled, waited on by the rest of society. We don't have to have that here, so let's prevent it.
Not did they have 1 military grade weapon for every 10 citizens thanks to the absence then of the NRA.
Women.
I’m not sure that calling our neighbors ‘deplorables’ is going to help our situation. I can strongly disagree with my neighbor, but they are still my neighbor. How do we manage those differing points of view? The very ideology of our country is in fact what we are facing and engaging right now - E pluribus unum, out of many, one. This is our time, our opportunity as a nation to meet the challenge, the world watches and wonders at the potential outcome, and not without some fear. I may not know any clear path through this but I’m fairly certain that denigrating our neighbor isn’t it.
This is a thoughtful idea, and one that I believe should be considered carefully. It is true that to allow evil acts to go on without pushing back is wrong, but perhaps we should try harder to call the act deplorable rather than the actor.
Yes, a well stated distinction. Those types of discernments are helpful, thank you. Many of us can think of times when our actions were not the expressions of our higher nature and would not want to be defined by them. How can we allow that distinction with others so that it results in a spaciousness that allows for change, growth, and awareness?
L. - Secretary Clinton did NOT name supporters of trump as "deplorables". That was a fiction created by the trump campaign to ridicule and create distrust of Secretary Clinton. Her actual words were as follows:
"We are living in a volatile political environment. You know, to just be grossly generalistic, you could put half of Trump’s supporters into what I call the basket of deplorables. Right?
The racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic, Islamaphobic — you name it. And unfortunately there are people like that. And he has lifted them up. He has given voice to their websites that used to only have 11,000 people — now how 11 million. He tweets and retweets their offensive hateful mean-spirited rhetoric. Now, some of those folks — they are irredeemable, but thankfully they are not America. But the other basket — and I know this because I see friends from all over America here — I see friends from Florida and Georgia and South Carolina and Texas — as well as, you know, New York and California — but that other basket of people are people who feel that the government has let them down, the economy has let them down, nobody cares about them, nobody worries about what happens to their lives and their futures, and they’re just desperate for change. It doesn’t really even matter where it comes from. They don’t buy everything he says, but he seems to hold out some hope that their lives will be different. They won’t wake up and see their jobs disappear, lose a kid to heroine, feel like they’re in a dead-end. Those are people we have to understand and empathize with as well."
It is more than unfortunate that the man whose standard operating procedure is to instill fear and hate and call his opponents a menagerie of vile names was able to pervert Secretary Clinton's message of hope
To not recognize that Trump is mining ⛏️ a vain of inequity in America is dangerously inept.
Mojo86. My comment was not directed at or meant to comment on Secretary Clinton’s specific use of the term deplorable, though I appreciate your history and clarification. I was directing my comment more toward Donald Hodges, Marilyn D, Keith Olson and others that seemed comfortable on framing a segment of our society in those terms. A practice I can’t condone and feel a need to challenge some as insensitive and not in our best interests as a society which is, in effect, made up of neighbors.
If you'll re-read my post, I did say "what they brought to this country is despicable ". I was referring to actions not people. I was not framing anyone, but what has happened is despicable. On the same page here.
Yes, L. I agree. It's important to show all people respect and dignity, even if they've drank the kool-aide and have fallen for the Trump bamboozle. We need to change their minds and hesrts, not insult them.
Trump is different because he is institutionalizing hate, tearing up our social safety net, and tear down our democracy. That IS deplorable. Ah-ha! Trump's actions are deplorable. Trump supporters who drank the Fox kool-aid and believe the bamboozle are not deplorable. They are nieve and victims.
Danny Piper. Yes, Trump has managed to normalize some horrific attitudes and behaviors. My puzzle is how is that possible? There have been men like Trump since time was counted, that comes as no surprise but when a person like him gains traction that is where the questions arise. What sort of environment or climate needs to precipitate a man like him? In Nazi Germany there was the psychological loss of WWI. Then the Versailles Treaty placed an enormous burden on the culture, which many now agree was too harsh. That collective demoralization and depression and economic hardship seemed to have created a climate where the seeds of Nazism could root and grow. I look at my neighbors that are so agitated and see them in some ways as hurting. And in their hurt they are grabbing at anything that might seem a lifeline. I really don’t know but it can look that way. I’ve known physical pain that was so severe I hallucinated why isn’t possible that psychological distress can leave our mental faculties compromised? I’m sure there are numerous reasons and not just one simplistic one that allows for Trump to appeal to so many, I just wish I understood it more. I do believe there is a collective suffering and as the rich are getting richer and often on the backs of those less rich it can create a serious tension that doesn’t resolve easily. We’ve made money far too important in our culture and almost worship those who have a lot of it. Somewhere in that must also lie a clue. We need discussion, honest and frank discussion. And we need to find ways to help those that are struggling, even if they don’t appeal to us. Together we might find a way through this and be able to do it with less harm than is occurring now. But we need to find a way to start that dialog. It seems to me the simplest first approach would be stopping the put downs, name calling and rhetoric around making ‘the other’ evil. How can I give Trump supporters a fair hearing? Can I? What would help them feel safe, heard, respected? I’ve certainly tried numerous approaches but I’ve not had the kind of success I wish I could have. Someone must have some good ideas. I know I’d welcome them.
Those are great questions, L. I think about it all the time. I think many people ask the same questions.
Regarding a fair hearing, I say YES because it's our choice on how we respond. I try not to flame them, unless I'm trolled. Lol. I don't think the Trump trollers here want a fair conversation, so I just I shut them down so they question their sources and education.
Regarding the moderate Trumper's who don't take to RR's substack to flame us, I choose to use logic, reason and most of all, compassion. Both Jesus and Buddha taught that everyone deserves compassion. I agree. I've been tested by people who lack any compassion, but I've passed that test by resisting hate. In fact, I genuinely feel sorry for them and have compassion for them. IMO, the people who've drank the MAGA Kool aid have been Hoodwinked. Had I not been blessed with very astute parents who knew politics from working on Capital Hill, and several great college political science, sociology and history professors, I may have been hoodwinked too. "There by the Grace of God go I."
To me, the $64,000 question is: Why does Trump have the "Rasputin hold" on voters who aren't Billionaires afraid of regulation that would sink their empire? I'm referring to 99.9999% of Trump supporters. Don't they know that nearly everything that comes out of Trump's mouth is a lie? Don't they know that the Washington Post has verified more than 30,000 lies told by Trump?
I agree with you that not one answer will explain the people who don't see through the Trump bamboozle. For some, they just do not know, or cannot comprehend, Trump is a compulsive liar. IMO, the media has failed this group.
Another reason is that not all people are logical. I want to think that everyone is logical. However, after speaking with many thousands of voters on the phone and in person as a volunteer and professional, I know that not everyone is logical. Again, the media could do more to dispell Trump's lies so their logic wasn't necessary.
But how is it that Trump can say he's doesn't like the late POW War Hero Republican Senator John McCain because he likes the ones that weren't captured? As if any soldier had the choice of being captured by the enemy. None of them wanted to get captured. In fact, only the ones on the front lines were in that danger. To me, they were all heroes. And the ones that were captured and endured torture and didn't become mouth pieces for Communist propaganda are the biggest heroes of all. But what does Trump know about being on the front lines? Ironically, Trump is a mouth piece for the USA's enemy, Russia, and he hasn't even been tortured like a Viet Cong prisoner.
Seriously, how can Trump insult POW, war hero Republican Senator John McCain and not be dismissed as a nut case who doesn't even respect POW war heroes and should not be in the Oval Office? Pray tell? It doesn't take that much logic to know that Trump lacks leadership and logic by disrespecting POW Republican war heroes who always served this country with honor.
Yes, it's a "Rasputin hold." I cannot figure it out. Fox has created someone they cannot control. Perhaps Mary Trump and Mary Shelley can explain it. I sure would like to know.
Your observation that not everyone is logical is well taken. I too make that assumption when speaking to some Trump supporters and I need to move away from that. A much older friend made the comment, “People don’t care how much you know, they want to know how much you care.” I can’t help but wonder if there is another clue in that bit of wisdom? Genuinely caring for some Trump supporters, I will admit can challenge me as they can be so combative, confrontative and emotionally intense but I try. After a while and several encounters I do feel a kind of pity for them. Compassion would be better but I’m not there yet so am starting where I am. I can come away from an encounter and think to myself, would I want to live in that emotional climate they just displayed? And it’s clear I would not and then can’t help but wonder if they too would prefer a different climate and don’t know how to manifest that. I don’t know. This tension we are in as a nation troubles me and sometimes frightens me and I so wish I knew what more I could do to soothe things.
Right you are, L!
They don't seem to care
Do you really have a Trump neighbor? I think that most of us who read Robert’s column only have Blue neighbors.
A friend got dementia and she lives in an over 55 community. I am staying in her place while I attend to her financial and medical affairs and yes, there are quite a few avid Trump supporters here and things can get testy. I try and avoid the extremes of it but one meets people when out for a walk or tidying the yard, etc. which has forced me into a situation that while uncomfortable provides impetus for heightened awareness and some serious problem solving when it comes to charged emotional encounters due to politics. You might be surprised how much one can learn when taken from a familiar environment into a challenging one! 🫣
Deplorable is not a strong enough word.
" adjective
"deserving strong condemnation."
"the deplorable conditions in which most prisoners are held"
" shockingly bad in quality."
"her spelling was deplorable"
It seems to refer mostly to poor conditions, brought about by a lack of attention.
But, there doesn't seem to be an adequate word to describe their behaviour. The word needs the connotitation of criminal-traitorous-evil in addition to deplorable.
Perhaps diabolical or malevolent is better.
Despicable may be nearer to describing them.
Exactly
Unfortunately her comment wasn't properly targeted because many people didn't understand the MAGAs yet.
"a group that has no connection to our reality." I'm a conservative. As such I'm sure I qualify for your approbation of Deplorable. YOU DO NOT HAVE YOUR OWN REALITY! We Americans all live the same reality whether you like it or not. If I'm a Deplorable, so are you! The only way for your reality to become "the" reality is for the Democratic Party to become the ONLY party, A CALL TO INDOCTRINATION, EXILE, OR VIOLENCE.
Calling the Republican party a basket of deplorables was wrong of course. The problem is the active Maga faction. They are a cult worshiping Trump, and enabling his corossive behavior to flourish. Although deplorable usually applies to something that is horrible due to neglect, perhaps that is applicable to the cult, which has been neglected economically when they were left to compete against the foreign labor the US corporations started using in their place.
I watched the CNN clip of Vance saying, paraphrased: If I have to create stories to wake people up to the disastrous open borders... Or words to that effect. Unbelievable! On television. On a Sunday political show! This hatred has to stop. He's selling the story that they're illegal. They're not! Somebody is going to get killed!
Everybody says it has to stop but nobody says how. These two men are poison.
By voting, Peggy! Getting your friends and neighbors to vote. We need such a loud voice for Kamala in November there can be no denying that the orange man lost.
We have to blare it from the rooftops ! A somewhat mildewed cliche, yet still SUPREMELY applicable.
That's the truth, Daniel!
After hearing that" confession" on my afternoon news....was.quickly.robbed of all the air in the room. Schools...hospitals.. law enforcement...citizens...etc all impacted by J D & current adjudged felon''s need to create memes to foil the Democratic candidate????? Sends me back to.the lying.tactics of Senator Joe McCarthy' s Commission on Communists in our midst...he always voiced a different but precise number each time he spoke... Help my memory here but one highly respected legislator ( name escapes me) rose to the microphone, and said eloquently & with quiet solemnity...
" Have you no shame...have you no shame, sir?"
These men...this party...seeks the highest office in the World??? I think not!
Vote Blue!...as if our freedom and our democracy depends on.it...
AND IT DOES!
That man was Joseph Welch, special counsel for the US Army. He asked him if he had any sense of decency. I remember learning about that at school. You're right, our freedom and our Democracy is at stake in this election and we must work hard to get out the vote. Vote blue, America, up and down the ballot!
Vote!
You are right, Peggy very few are saying anything that would help quell this swirl of pain, confusion and frightening over reaction we’re in the midst of. Personally, I don’t believe that voting alone will do much. It may keep Trump from office, (definitely a good start) but the spirit of malevolence that has been stirred up is another matter and is unlikely to go away just because of an election outcome.
I’ve been thinking on this for years now and I can’t help but believe that the spirit that motivates Trump and his followers win double points whenever, and wherever they encourage fear or hate, animosity or derision - and that means from whatever quarter. Sometimes the self-righteousness of those against Trump is just as frightening to me. It’s the same spirit in different garb. To hate, even when your cause is just, is still hating.
I’m in an area of Trump supporters and I can feel frightened and intimidated by the extremes of their emotions. One woman I tried talking to got so incensed in her hatred of Hillary Clinton that she had spittle flying from her mouth. Even though I managed to stay calm while talking to her I couldn’t help but think she was lost and at the mercy of those awful emotions. Another person, in this community, not a Trump supporter, could get equally riled up and emotionally volatile to the point I felt the same hesitation, the same trepidation to be around them. I started thinking this isn’t about politics, politics is simply the arena these horrid forces are making their play. We must all be on guard against this influence of malevolence.
I’ve since started asking myself different questions, like is there a way to speak to someone like that so they don’t get so reactive, so at the mercy of those emotions? Is there a way to create a spirit of calm that helps them stay stable enough to converse with some degree of rationality? I have started practicing that with the non-Trump supporters and have seen that it can help and now they don’t get quite so extreme in their displays of disgust and anger. I still struggle trying to do that with Trump supporters. I’ll ask a more neutral question to initiate dialog and as long as they can talk with some degree of self-possession I’ll continue but when they start going over the edge, I find a way to stop or deflect the conversation. My skill level with this is very low and I’m learning as I go, so no lack of stumbling. For me the objective is care and compassion, at least in the small way I can conceive and exercise it. I don’t even consider trying to change their minds as that isn’t the goal. There needs to be a way to create a safe environment for conversation before any serious investigation can occur.
I read there are studies showing that people that are politically conservative have larger amygdala’s. They experience more fear than people that tend to be more liberal in their political views. They are more easily triggered by fear based messages. In a way this puts them at a disadvantage, making it harder for them to process objectively some types of information. If this is true then denigrating them, dismissing them, ridiculing them is not unlike doing that to any person with a disability and most of us see clearly that behavior to be unacceptable and lacking basic sensitivity.
This constant ridicule of Trump supports is unproductive, unhealthy and harmful. How can we reach them? And even if we can’t, is it possible to still give them some dignity even as we disagree? I am fascinated by the video I watch when Trump supporters change their minds. I like listening to video that have been made where previous Trump supporters have come to realize they were mistaken in their understanding of him. That takes courage and I admire them. We need to provide an environment that will allow for that change without a loss of integrity, dignity, otherwise only the strongest of those types of people can do it. When you’ve painted yourself into a corner you may need some help getting out, how can we provide that help, that bridge, that environment where they feel safe making that change?
These are a few of my attempts at trying to stop this spirit of malevolence infecting our country and gaining a foothold in our politics. It may be slow and tedious and won’t gain clicks or views but it can work, I’ve seen it; one interaction at a time. I feel certain there are others trying in their own unique ways. I would very much appreciate reading more conversation on this topic and the creative ways people are approaching this tense time. In a way it is startling as well as telling, that there aren’t more discussions of that type, and…disappointing, as I think we could do better… if we chose to.
Fox News and social media have captured many minds with conspiracy theories. They have done this to destroy our democracy.
That is the short and correct answer. As correct as any short answer here can be.
I agree. We must find a way to interact and converse in a calm, rational manner. And we can agree to disagree. The channel of conversation is rooted in the give and take of ideas. But we must also learn to listen, really hear, what the other person is saying, before any meaningful dialogue can bear fruition.
The spread of hate carried by the memes of the rightwing media should not be allowed. We and our representatives have allowed the invasion of the body snatchers based on some dangerous absolutist notion of freedom of speech, or because many found it politically advantageous, in our country and in others. For many who ingest the hate a few kind and understanding words won't change anything, though doing the opposite will only make things worse.
Your message is smart and so thoughtful. We can do better.
It's not just two men. It has become the whole party, the Supreme court, etc. I just can't believe there are so many horrible people here. Sickening.
peggy
here is how: Jill Stein - she is offering alternatives to this fear mongering - Its up to voters to reject the fear mongering.
too many Americans are in the cult and their psyche won't let them believe anybody but the cult leader.
Trump has no right to talk about immigration since he ordered the Republican cult members to vote against the immigration bill. DonOLD tRump hates pets.
deport melania
Wouldn’t put it past him!
Weren’t one of tcfg’s ex-wives along with his & Vance’s current wives immigrants? Maybe someone should mention that to them because they are putting their wives & offspring in danger.
Yes, he did indeed recommend they not vote yes on that bill. Because, after already allowing somewhere between 10 and 20 million illegal immigrants into this country, the bill asserted that an additional 5,000 illegal immigrants would be allowed in, PER DAY. That doesn’t sound like immigration control to me, but maybe it does to you. Or maybe you didn’t read the bill and don’t have any idea what the bill entailed.
while that the Haitian illegals are eating the pets
That's not true. The Haitian they're talking about in Springfield OH are legal, working jobs the citizens there didn't want, and paying taxes and not eating any pets.
And Usha Vance’s wife
If Trump wins all of us will have to eat crow.
thats how you can know a dem when you see one they don't have any factual evidence they don't have anyone saying any thing they just use emotional ideas like the pussies they are
You are so right! What a bunch of pussies! Do you like to eat pussy, Damian? Hmmm, right? You like to grab you some pussy? Hmmm! Donald is a master at the pussy grab! Good ol' Donny Boy, our Hero!
Vance's quote exposes their real campaign agenda - keep Trump in the news at all times. They have no acceptable, practical proposal to run on, and so seem to depend on "there's no such thing as bad publicity". Corporate media are happy to oblige them to sell clicks, and Harris is left trying to edge in any message at all.
Heaven knows that they have cornered the damned market on SHITTY PUBLICITY.
Keeping Trump in the news at all times is one of the reasons I have questions about these shooters. Like who do they work for. Would this have been another ear wound. Just guestions................
And to make their base angrier and angrier, assuring:
1. They turn out to vote
2. Regardless of the results, they will accept only victory for their cause. That means winning by any
means, including unlawful and/or violent means.
I saw that comment on the news today. Despicable doesn't even describe it. How can we take anything he says as real? He is saying he will create stories to "wake people up"! I will not, and have not, taken anything he or trump says as any kind of truth. They are destroying their own campaign...thankfully!
LET THEM KEEP SHOOTING THEMSELVES IN THE FOOT & OTHER PLACES. Eventually the damage will be too extensive to heal. Gangrene will set in. People are getting tired of their " golden bull " repeating the same brass bullshit repeatedly.
Patricia,
Vance and Trump have been deploying the same old fear mongering that almost every politician always does. That is the history of US politics since 1945. where does that leave us?
We have Jill Stein - she is offering alternatives to this fear mongering. Its up to voters to reject the fear mongering.
What's this? There are 2 choices in this election: Kamala Harris or autocracy!
Yes. If you live in reality! Sadly some don't. I blame Reagan.
wake up Don
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/us/politics/presidential-candidates-2024.html
Yes! See my post
The bullies are freaking pathetic.
I hope CFDT has a taster for his pablum. He is such a terrible candidate, and losing, if I were him I'd be more worried about my friends than liberals. We progressives love CFDT as a loser, we want to keep him around until the election... then off to prison for a little deserved rest.
Comments so far do not relate to the subject of the post.. I think this is all a set up, that no one is trying to assassinate Trump, and that this is a sympathy ploy, like the ear bandage because he is losing the election.
There have been no details about the other alleged assassin other than Trump's secret service humper shot at someone on the golf course.
I totally agree with you. There were never any details from hospital or a doctor that treated him. That would have made front page news. As with that “shooting” where the shooter was killed, this came precisely when he needed all attention on him since he lost the debate so badly to Kamala Harris plus the news on his new companion, Laura Loomer. All staged. Only sane Americans can connect the dots. What really frightens me is that it sounds like a dog whistle to his MAGA lunatics to go after Kamala. Elon Musk posted on X : why is it that it hasn’t happen to Kamala Harris. Wording to that effect. As of late last night the post had not been taken down.
AGREED! I'm not sure that this supposed "assassin" broke state gun laws. Florida is a boarder line police state but if you're a white guy you get to own and carry whatever you want (concealed or not)! I haven't heard if the "shooter" actually took a shot but if he didn't, how can you charge him "attempting" anything? Like Butler, too many questions and likely no answers.
From the reports the only shot fired was from the Secret Service which scared him off,leaving behind two rucksacks, a GoPro and an AK 47with scope, he is from North Carolinia, they got him and he is supposedly a Nikki Haley voter.
All I know is that Trump is desperate and in dire need of sympathy votes, and attention grabbing headlines.
I think you may be correct, William, but it also occurs to me that it might be a ploy from right-wing extremists who have had this planned for a long time in order to actually start a new civil war. But millions are right now thinking it is the liberals who are doing this - which doesn't fit with the current trend towards the probability that Harris/Walz will likely win - but when panicked, logic goes out the window. And pointing fingers only makes things worse.
I think that it is most likely a small group of radicals or a few individuals. A lot of trouble happens due to ignorance and knowledge is the only antidote to ignorance, which requires investigation and an absence of panic.
They caught the guy, he ran away and left a couple of backpacks, a GoPro and an AK 57 with a scope. He says he was a Nikki Haley voter.
It still smells like day old fish. I can't imagine someone being so stupid as to try and pull off assassination stunts like this. Trump is desperate.
Other than Alex Jones supposedly said the republicans would be better off without trump, and both shooters were republicans, who wanted other candidates, the new guy is a Vivek supporter.
Keep his friends close & his enemies closer. Sounds good, but he's started disgusting everyone except his trained MAGAT monkeys.
And TERRIFIED! They don't WANT to go get shanked or assaulted in pwison for being cwiminals!:( [sic]
The deplorable party causes real damages. Therefore it is necessary to follow the law...
There IS a law.
Re Springfield. Trump and Vance, operating on the JP Barnum school of PR, continually repeat hate speech based on lies. The federal statutes defer to state law.
Need to identify who have been spreading the BS and establish that there have been damages. "Armed neo-Nazi members of Blood Tribe – a hardcore white supremacist group, according to the Anti-Defamation League – flew flags bearing swastikas and marched through a prominent downtown street while a jazz and blues festival was taking place nearby in August.
One witness to the march, who declined to be interviewed by the Guardian due to fearing for their family’s safety after being doxed by rightwing extremists online, reported that members of the group pointed guns at cars and told people to “go the fuck back to Africa”.
A Springfield police representative, however, appeared to downplay the scene, telling local media that the hate group’s march was “just a little peaceful protest”.
Several days later, a leading member of Blood Tribe who identified himself as Nathaniel Higgers, but whose real name is Drake Berentz, spoke at a Springfield city commission meeting.
“I’ve come to bring a word of warning. Stop what you’re doing before it’s too late,” Berentz told Springfield’s mayor, Rob Rue. “Crime and savagery will only increase with every Haitian you bring in.”https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/sep/14/neo-nazis-springfield-ohio-haitian-immigrants
Ohio has a law against ethnic intimidation.
(A) No person shall violate section 2903.21, 2903.22, 2909.06, or 2909.07, or division (A)(3), (4), or (5) of section 2917.21 of the Revised Code by reason of the race, color, religion, or national origin of another person or group of persons.
(B) Whoever violates this section is guilty of ethnic intimidation. Ethnic intimidation is an offense of the next higher degree than the offense the commission of which is a necessary element of ethnic intimidation.
https://codes.ohio.gov/ohio-revised-code/section-2927.12
The use of terror is less effective when there are consequences. DOJ and Homeland Security have terrorist watchlists. The FBI has a Terrorist Screening Center. https://www.fbi.gov/about-us/ten-years-after-the-fbi-since-9-11/just-the-facts-1/terrorist-screening-center-1
If Trump or Vance directed their BS against an individual, they'd be accountable for defamation, but defamation is not a crime in Ohio.
However as to intimidation, it's not a stretch for Ohio to ask Trump and Vance to cease and desist or suffer criminal consequences under Ohio Code section-2927.12.
Also not a stretch to warn Trump and Vance that they will be labelled as terrorists just like Al Qaeda.
Sadly, there may be laws but there are no consequences for Trump for anything that he does or says. He is protected by the numerous judges which he appointed, in state justices and in the "Supreme” Court. His cult followers may be charged, but with his election in November, they will never be prosecuted. The violence and the hate-filled rhetoric are celebrated by Trump and by the entire Republican Party, in their support of his candidacy. With the election of Trump in 2016, our nation began a descent into corruption, immorality, hatred, division, lawlessness, and chaos. I don’t believe that we can turn back time. The darkness is closing in.
When times are tough, the tough get going.
tell that to biden and garland.
Yep!
You are correct in all of this! The only reason he wants to be president is to stay out of jail and get all of his indictments removed! He couldn't care less about what is happening in America. It is always about HIM!
Remember Anne Frank whose words have outlived her and the regime which killed her: 'I don’t think of all the misery but of the beauty that still remains' @GdnChildrensBks #AnneFrankquotes #HolocaustMemorialDay
The majority of people ARE good! The problem is they might not get out and vote to keep America on the right track. Everyone must get out and vote! Save America!
Thank you for this and another from Anne and one from Audre Lorde, to go with it:
"We all live with the objective of being happy; our lives are all different and yet the same."
"It is not our differences that divide us, but our inability to recognize, accept, and celebrate them."
And I say that NOW is always the best time to make a fresh start. "Everyone jump on the Peace Train," sang a certain Cat (Stevens) back in the day.
And thank YOU! Love Cat Stevens, though I don't remember his Muslim name.
Don't worry. Trump will not get elected. He & JD shoot themselves in the foot daily with their mean and illegal tactics. The more they lie and try to force the election to go their way, the more American Citizens vote for Kamala Harris. We have way too much to lose than to put up with this insanity being drummed up by these self-serving weirdo people! Harris/Walz 2024!
You cannot forget their cult still exists. Those people continue to believe everything Trump/Vance say because they are ignorant and frightened. So I will worry. Trump might still win given the brainwashing they've received, courtesy of the GOP.
I’m encouraged by the email I received from Oprah W. If plenty of others are receiving these encouraging emails, then I’m feeling better about the election. Ditto about the support from Taylor Swift.
Patricia, agree with you wholeheartedly!!
Defamation, intimidation, slander, libel, what is possible in a civilised state? In Europe there is an complicated juridical code. Hitler's stretched arm and swastika's are not allowed. The Guardian photo's are shocking.
Ethnic intimidation or terrorist intimidation is unconstitutional in my country and can be persecuted. I don't understand why this is normal in the US. Or why Trump and his friends can say and do what they want without punishment. Like in a banana republic or a failed state...
Tom van Doormaal ; It is not normal, but normalized, since tRUMP got the power to install sycophants in key positions. Any response must be done carefully ; lives are at stake.
In my view the judiciary should do where it is fore, maintain the rule of law. There may be a lot of sycophants, bu there must be a lot of people who still believe in the law and equality. I think Trump had to be arrested at january 10, because his insurrection was on plain TV. Of course there are lives at stake, but a sloppy rule of law leads to civil war...
That is what so many of US have said ; "where was our defense?"
Tom, I agree. Our US laws are failing us. Having laws in place means nothing, unless there is immediate follow through to impose the consequences. Many people state that the laws and our justice system work, that we just need to give them time. But therein lies the problem. Too many people, too many generations of people have suffered - violently, emotionally and physically waiting for the “ laws to work”. This is unethical and contrary to common decency. So, I say that our justice system doesn’t work and we need to fix it. One reason that Trump and company keep repeating outrageous, dangerous lies is to normalize them and psychologically convince people that if they hear something over and over and over again, that it must be true. Unfortunately, this works. It’s such a transparent, vicious ploy that keeps feeding anger and hate that has flourished under Trump, a dangerous lunatic.
Jv
Judith, you are right, but it can be worded more precisely. There are many and good laws, but the problem is the implementation. I said earlier here "justice delayed is justice denied."
That is the problem: Trump should have been persecuted long ago. His friend Elon Musk of X can falsify with AI a video of Kamala and no action follows. Why not? Is it because he is filthy rich? Because it takes too much time and money?
When this is normal, I might call the US a banana republic.
That should happen quickly as that is what they are. They want a civil war to disguise what they are doing ; fomenting violence as a smokescreen to cover their real intent ; a violent overthrow of the United States . This is the same ongoing insurrection that started on Jan 6. It needs an answer soon. They are not waiting for election results, and neither should our leaders. If tRump and Vance persist they need to be stopped . They clearly do not care about their 'Constituents". King Solomon would point that out.
Besides reminding them that Trump hates dogs and sole from kids with cancer, the public needs to decide whether it would have been OK to hang Mike Pence, beat up 145 cops, shit on Nancy Pelosi's desk, on Jan 6, etc.
Field team 6 to the rescue! All 'puns' intended.
If I were polling voters, first question. Did Biden win fair and square?
If I were pushpolling, start with Trump hates dogs.....
They are the very definition of stochastic terrorists.
Both of the shooters were apparently disaffected Trump supporters.
Routh remains listed an active unaffiliated voter in North Carolina, according The News & Observer, a McClatchy publication in North Carolina...... Routh, according to the New York Post and archives of his X account, said he voted for Trump in 2016.
....
Read more at: https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/crime/article292534604.html#storylink=cpy
Thanks for the updated information, Daniel!
Like! Great information.
I was wondering where that threshold between hate speech and criminal intimidation is!
So much for the rule of law!!!
I'm going to read the links, but what you write is illegal, or is 'nt it? Is there an active upholding of the law?
Thank you, now let’s force it to be implemented. As the stoker and side kick can lawyer up in Ohio! And spend some money! Again!
Well he also sees the US government as a place to steal for himself and his comrades. Let's not forget that.
Daniel, you are a marvel. Your timely access to information and reminding us over and over "to keep our eyes on the prize," is much appreciated.
Thank you, Daniel.
Daniel - What bothers me is that DeWine and his wife support a school in Haiti in memory of their daughter but he has not really “condemned” the rhetoric. They are making children and others suffer for their sound bites and they don’t even care. Vance admitted that he has made this up and the person who posted the original has recanted. Just think about the fact that the only experience that Vance has in politics is his short time in the Senate while accomplishing nothing. This is who some people want to take the risk of electing to the possibility of him becoming president? Don’t even get me started on criminal trump and the Republicans who refuse to stand up to his bs. Tfg is putting the lives of the Secret Service in jeopardy just so he can try to stay relevant and play golf. All he did while in office was grift the people and play golf.
You are right, Anon. Isn't strange/weird that Trump picked a man of no experience whatsoever to be his running mate? Vance is nothing more than a story teller, and he has run out of good stories.
Victor - I originally thought that but then I realized that trump has no clue about what is going on either. Don’t think that Vance ever had even one good story to tell. Did you see during the 9/11 services that Vance dressed Exactly like trump in the blue suit, red tie and white shirt? Reminded me of the movie with the mini me. Austin Powers I think? They are truly just weird.
Good observation, Anon. Dems shouldn't miss the opportunity to portray Vance as Fake Trump (plus fake Catholic).
It is concerning that some police organizations have come out in support of tffg.
Martha, my name is Martha Franklin Ramírez Luehrmann. I trace my ancestry back from my mother, Louise Franklin, to Peter Folger, the grandfather of Benjamin Franklin. My father, Gilberto Ramírez, is Puertorican, hence the Ramírez. I married Arthur Luehrmann of distant German descent, hence the Luehrmann. Might we be related? Please send me a note to Martha@Luehrmann.com This legit. Bob Reich would vouch for me. We were at Dartmouth College together.
True believers kill. This is darn serious. Whoever spreads these conspiracy theories, or abets their spread, must be held accountable. One murder is one murder too many.
JD Vance admits he and Trump created the fake story about the Haitians eating pets.
https://www.nj.com/politics/2024/09/calls-for-jd-vance-to-resign-after-he-admits-that-he-created-pet-eating-story-about-immigrants.html
Okay, so the MAGA lady that admitted that she did it was lying? Good grief, it's hard to get to the truth with the orange leader and his cult!
He surrounds himself with sycophants who can be blamed, ensuring his "deniability".
Nothing he does or says is his fault. He reminds us of this daily. /s
Theo Fenraven : Denial is not just a river.
The largest Haitian population in the US (over half a million) lives in Florida. Pretty sure, after this disgusting stunt by Trump and Vance, they will be voting for Kamala. And don't forget, Trump publicly said he hated Taylor Swift. He's managed to alientate millions of people over the weekend who will now vote Blue.
I was in the room on that night when Hilary made her comment about the basket of deplorables. At the moment I feared it would create a fire storm and it did. But I applauded because I knew she was right. Hilary spoke the truth. We live in a big and perhaps too big, unruly country. I grew up in a small town with no blacks and one Jewish family. It was a quiet town, but a lot of deplorable people lived in it, and they are still there today. A lack of education, subpar job choices, and the human tendency toward violence are the unsettling brew for such behavior. Incidentally, that town is only 30 miles from Springfield.
and Fox News keeps poisoning their minds.
A lack of education - - and with that a smaller world of reference.
Keith Olson, terrorist party, violent party, not patriot party.
The American Nazi Party.
You mean the Deplorable Potty, who now own the Supreme Kart.
GOP -- Government of the Potty!
That's how it has always been pronounced in Boston.
The suffering we're doing is because of him and his bullshit 24/7. We're suffering because he won't go the hell away. 🤬
"I" ; The MAGA party is illegitimate and trying to "poison the blood of America".
When people get hurt or live in fear for their lives because of repeated lies said for political gain, this is beyond free speech and needs to be called out by the media and responsible citizens such as Professor Reich has done in this essay! There is no tangible benefit to any of the people of Springfield, OH or Aurora, CO from these repeated lies and threats of deportation. The majority of Americans should realize that repeated lies and the hatred they foment are a cancer in their communities that they must fight to eradicate.
The Republican Party ceased to exist when Lara Trump took over. No one should use the GOP term for it. Traitors all.
The second quote is Vance. The first is RFK Jr.?
Donald Trump Jr, I think.
That makes sense. RFK Jr. and DT Jr. are offensive in different ways.
Ted Cruz has also been spreading the rumor about Haitians eating pets.
Cruz is in trouble with his reelection campaign.
With luck, Cruz will be voted out in this cycle. He's another useless politician, who's been siphoning off taxpayer money for years. Isn't it amazing how little GOP politicans actually get done while in office if you don't count the finger-pointing and hate they spew?
Yes, bullies are not acceptable. When I point out issues on here - all I get is bullying and name calling as well.
Be like Bernie and talk issues. Not name calling nor gossip. Yes, Reagan was the guy who defunded and destroyed the middle class but the Dems are not stepping it up talking about issues.
Don't you think that Harris has been addressing this in her speeches? She repeatedly talks about supporting the middle class, helping small businesses, giving tax breaks to young families, working toward providing affordable housing etc.
No, here is an analysis. A 50K tax break? Well I would have to have 50K in cash to write it off. No, that's no benefit. Affordable housing? Not one tourist in Hawaii, FL or other states goes without a house. Why? Because they are vacation rentals and 2nd tax dodgers in FL. There is PLENTY of empty housing in this area. Why build more and destroy the environment? Or DeSantis wants to destroy the state parks.
Tax breaks??? I don't care. I want more wages !!!!!!! The taxes will then take care of themselves.
AND - cancel student loans. Now. Reagan defunded collages. If trade jobs pay so much then why aren't the 1% sending their kids to trade school?
Cancel student debt now - https://www.youtube.com/live/xNJBsebtvEg?si=RwWhckwK_rsEyty7
It will be a tough time until the election. General promises are like pie crust - easy to break or get creative about "not being able to do it".
They always want surveys and feedback - there you have it. 40 million votes today for canceling student debt.
Thank you for the comment. I do appreciate it, sincerely.
Yes, higher wages bring in more tax revenue. This is another reason why we need labor unions
I call them rethuglicans, or magats. Keep seeing posts of neck and neck, or tied. If Democrats don't win overwhelmingly, we will undoubtedly have a civil war . I can't understand how many people want to live in under a dictator.
I don’t call them MAGATS because maggots do a service that is beneficial to keeping the environment clean.
*cokehead. NO ONE can deny Doju is a cocaine addict at this point.
I’m so sick of hearing people say they need to know more about Kamala Harris while they totally ignore the psychotic rantings of Trump/Vance and pretend they are a viable choice for the top leaders of the nation. As a woman who worked all my life I can readily see the misogynistic roots in the “we don’t really know her” or “ she needs to show us more about herself.” It’s BS. We know she is smart, educated, moral, and has way more experience in government than most Presidents of the past 40 years.
But there are many people who take Trump at his word. That's why he does it. It pays political profit. His number one tool is public speaking. His number two tool is lying while speaking publicly. Number three is slandering and smearing people.
And makes A LOT of $$$ while doing it. Laughing all the way to the bank.
Please let me know how one makes $$$ one can “take to the bank” while on the campaign trail!! I will run for President next year just so I can get out of debt!!
It’s code for supporting Trump.
Like! The word for the bogus argument, she has to be more specific, we don't know what she stands for, we (won't ever!) know enough about her, is "sophistry."
You're absolutely right 👍
I agree, Kathy. I feel these so-called "undecideds" are really just MAGA trying to get others to think they should vote for someone they do know regardless of how awful he is rather than vote for Kamala when she has shown herself to be smart, articulate and competent. I honestly don't think they are undecided, I think they are MAGA.
I could never understand why anyone would question Kamala Harris in the face of what we know about trump and MAGA and their Project 2025. They plan to destroy this country as we know it. It will never go back once he gets in. “Dictator for a Day”? If anyone believes that would stop after a day is supremely naive.
I personally didn’t care if Kamala Harris blew bubbles on the stage after every question.
If undecideds and Independents don’t know what’s at stake in this election, I just don’t know what’s going to reach them.
All we can do right now is try to show them the contrast. If they continue to say they don't know, it's probably MAGA attempting to make you feel defeated. Keep working hard, Robert! We will win in November! Vote blue, America, up and down the ballot!
Peggy ; yes they know that she is a threat to their plans to oppress and rob US of our treasure and freedom on all levels.
@ Kathy The "people" who say are actually the media, who crave a horserace. Trump sells.
That is true, Daniel, and they want this election to be tight because they are hoping to have lots of news stories about the violence afterward.
Kathy McCurdy, I wonder if it is also an appeal to their crazy men that women can't be trusted, only men can.
I agree.
But she will tax the rich "their fair share", which They think should be nothing!
Translation of 'we really need to know more . . . ' is: 'We really need to know how we are going to make her into a white male so we can overcome our ignorance and bigotry to vote for her'. Very sad after all these decades - Golda Maier, Indira Ghandi, Margaret Thatcher, etc., etc. all FEMALE LEADERS OF NATIONS. Catch up America!
"and pretend they are a viable choice for the top leaders of the nation." Kathy you nailed it. The pretense is so pervasive, with the mas media leading the parade, and the Supreme Six working the bass drums and the Tubas. We're immersed in this ubiquitous notion of a horse race, when it is abundantly clear that there is only one horse in the race (a thoroughbred filly, I might add). The case for a Trump/Vance administration is about as strong as hiring a known pedophile for a nanny.
"We need to know more" translates to "I don't like what I see", meaning they're either too ignorant, lazy, selfish, stupid, or corrupt.
WOW! I keep telling others that there's not enough brain dead Americans to elect Harris/Walz EVEN IF illegals vote. YOU have proven me wrong.
The fact that this sorry excuse for a human being is actually a legitimate Presidential candidate unfortunately says a lot about all of us. I wish I could wake up from this nightmare.
JJ young ; The fact that he was able to buy our highest Court says a lot about corruption and the failure of the DOJ.
How much did he pay??? I hadn’t heard this!
I have no idea what Putin and other obscenely wealthy supporters of tRUMP paid to the individual "justices" on the Supreme court , and other courts to deliver verdicts that were beneficial for their "plant" tRUMP and other interests with money to throw around.. The fascist Nazi lover who bought Clarence Thomas : Harlan Crowe, is on the board of the Federalist Society ; where billionaires pay to have properly indoctrinated judges who will do things like ending freedoms for women's health care, even if it was "settled law" as they said in their confirmation hearings, where they implied that they would not touch. Leonard Leo is the guy to read about , as he is a major fundraiser for the Federalist Society and their Catholic supported mission. Payola for the highest Court. Read up on these traitors. Don't miss the "Heritage Society" either. Certainly not committed to Our heritage, as a Nation/Republic.
If you have no idea how much, you have no idea if anyone was paid anything at all. In today’s America no one receives true justice do they? If you are a Republican judges like Marchand and prosecutors like Fani are paid to deliver justice based on the ideology of the left. And if you’re a Democrat judges like Clarence Thomas are paid to deliver justice based on the ideology of the right. Isn’t that how it works? Or are you one who believes the only justice served happens to coincide with what you believe to be true? Additionally, Putin may not be an admirable man or leader, come to think of it I can’t name one who is, but do you honestly think he’s spending all his time trying to convince you and I who we should vote for? He is currently fighting a pretty serious war ya know. And IF he is doing that, one good turn deserves another don’t ya think? I mean the US has been overthrowing governments for years and years.
No, not all of us, some of us. I've done everything within my abilities to get others informed about what the orange Mussolini is and what his cult is about etc. I've done it since 2015. Same thing with dispelling the birtherism lies he spread about President Obama. Just a small account of what I and friends are doing to inform others. Cults are a very hard thing to break.
You didn't mention that Vance admitted on CNN yesterday to "creating stories" that illustrate the plight of the American people. Asked whether the account of Haitians eating dogs and cats in Springfield was one of those stories, he said yes.
Joseph Goebbels in a pinstripe suit.
None if the people they're trying to persuade watch CNN. That's why he felt safe in saying it.
So as I said earlier, that woman in Springfield that says she started the rumor was just a MAGA cult follower following orders to take the blame?
Could be. Looking for credibility.
Or a ride on tRUMP's plane.
Haha.
No. Goggle it and you’ll find the interview she did with the media.
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/-just-exploded-springfield-woman-says-never-meant-spark-rumors-haitian-rcna171099
Okay, then why did couch vance take credit for it?
He can't resist. As far as I'm concerned, he's as dangerous as the other guy and a lot younger.
Peggy - Because soooo many people called him instead of the police. (That was sarcasm) ;)
Got it! Good one, Anon! It boggles my mind that he is their Senator in Congress and he would spread these horrible things about his own state! He did not bother to research it or determine if it was true. What's worse, his governor and the police said it was untrue and he still continued to spread it!
Peggy - Makes me even more embarrassed to say that I live in the state of Ohio.
So sad that we are going back to the racial times of the 50’s and 60’s. Trump is so bad for our beautiful country😪
My dad was in the Air Force when I was growing up. When I was in second grade we moved to Montgomery Alabama. That was in 1960 when they had started desegregating schools.
Bomb threats were not unusual. Our teacher would have us form a line and walk outside to the front of the school. The police would come in mass with their bomb sniffing dogs while we silently waited to get the all clear to go back to our classroom.
I remember a little black girl probably in third grade standing in line next to ours. She was wearing a pretty white dress and white shoes. We smiled at each other then shyly stared at each others shoes. I felt horrible, I couldn’t even imagine imagine how that little girl felt. I was ashamed.
That is where I learned what hate was and it crushed me.
I’ve read about the turmoil in Haiti. The people are suffering terribly. When I see the hate being spewed by Trump and his co-conspirator I feel the same shame I felt when we had the bomb threats in Montgomery.
The people who immigrated here from Haiti must have been so happy and excited to come to America. How awful they must feel now. There isn’t a word that expresses just how low, how despicable Trump and Vance are for putting these immigrants in danger. They deserve better and so do we.
Susan Gorman Gerke, thanks for sharing your childhood story. It was very touching. Two children sharing a loving moment in a sea of madness caused by adults unable to do so.
I also had a sad moment when I was able to go to the local indoor pool. I was finally tall enough at 5 years or so to get in. The pool was nearly empty, except for a little Black girl about my age in a pink bathing suit. She was already in the water near the shallow end. We smiled at each other. then, one of the girls who brought me, said "Look out for the nigger in the pool!" I looked around for some sharp object and saw the look on this little girl's face; so very sad and scared., while her older sisters pulled her out and angrily ran out of there. The big irony is that when I told my mom about it, she looked at my father and said; "it's already starting" very sadly. She explained that the Native American Indian girls who brought me to the pool, our neighbors and friends, had probably been called niggers as well. And sadly, they felt a need to distinguish that they were not Black ( the word, Negro or colored was used then.). They wanted to point out that they were not that. There went my only chance to have a friend my age in the pool. In the neighborhood. I never forget how painful that was. Most likely for the little Black girl, too. Maybe not the first time, either. So unfair and wrong.
Laurie Blair, I'm so sorry you were denied a friendship as a little girl. It is very sad that other people's actions closed you off from making a friend your age and having fun developing your new friendship. Buddhists say compassion. understanding, love spreads out, it encompasses and includes more and more people, further away from us. Fear doesn't do that. I hope the little girl who would have been your friend and the girls who took you to the pool were able to heal from all their trauma of violence against them.
How do heal from an experience like that?
Victor Kamendrowsky, trying to understand what most likely motivates people, helps me. But what helps others, idk.
Laurie Blair, PS, and you too, I hope you have healed from that experience. A little child can't process the absurdity of being against the life of others.
M Tree : years later, as an older teen , I knew what .the Civil rights movement was about. I understood, but was still aware of what had been taken from all of US. Painful and unnecessary as it was and still is.
Laurie Blair, PPS, and there are many of us wiser now and intentionally working to pass on that wisdom.
Laurie Blair, PS, and they're back in full force wanting to crush the dignity of many with fear and violence.
Laurie Blair, everyone's right to dignity. I can't remember what wise Native American chief said it, but he said, "The greatest gift you can give a man is dignity." For me, those words say it all.
Sad and important experience. Thank you for sharing it. This is how you can play one ethnic minority against another. Religious differences can be used the same way, even sex differences. Trump is using it all.
I was in elementary school in the early 60’s myself in Ft. Worth Texas. I remember in 5th grade a black girl and her brother who was in 2nd grade came to our school. The only 2 black children in the school. They were both so brave. Texas was very segregated when I was a young girl. I knew it wasn’t right as a child.
You reminded me of something that happened in 1956 when I attended first grade at P.A. Peterson School in Rockford, Illinois. Only two black children were in the four-story-high brown brick school: a boy in fourth grade and a girl, Ellen, in first grade. Because they lived one block away, it was natural for Ellen and me to walk to school together, and we became good friends.
There was a pile of ashes alongside the school, either from the school burning trash or coal. In any event, one day before school, while I was playing with Ellen, some boys a few grades ahead of us pulled me away and dragged me to the pile of ashes. They rolled me in the ashes and ruined my new red hooded corduroy jacket, which I was so fond of because I pretended to be a Little Red Riding Hood while wearing it.
No adult stopped the boys or disciplined them, while my teacher punished me for getting so dirty by putting me in the coat closet with the light off. Someone must have called my mother because she came to school at lunchtime, had a talk in the hall with the teacher, and took me home. It wasn't until years later that it dawned on me why I was bullied that way. We were renting, so rather than confront anyone at the school or explain to me about discrimination, my parents moved us to an all-white school district in Byron, Illinois. I missed my friend Ellen and always wondered about her. Although I felt that there was something wrong with me that I was bullied that way and never forgot it, I didn't connect it to being friends with a black girl until many years later.
So much of childhood only makes sense later if we pay attention. I grew up in Georgia and never attended elementary or high school with a Black child. Only recently did it occur to me that I knew no Black contemporaries in my small hometown.
I see many things differently now as I look back than when I lived through them. It occurred to me that working as a nurse when so many heads of families lost their employment-based insurance was such hell due to being short-staffed because the hospitals were so financially stressed. Neoliberalism affected us in the Rustbelt in many ways that haven't occurred to the monsters that made the policies that destroyed so many lives. Nobody knew why our world suddenly changed, so the unemployed victims were blamed. DCFS was used like the Gestapo to frighten parents into concealing the scarcity of their resources, and for instance, they were accused of negligence for not getting their children's teeth repaired. It was a nightmare.
I received an email from the DNC that said, "We're checking your record" or something similar. It was another request for a donation, but it reminded me of when I was raising my children on a shoestring budget, and DCFS caseworkers harassed and scared me. I "unsubscribed." Hillary had no idea what "It Takes a Village" meant to parents here in the Rustbelt. When Reagan said his "most terrifying words are, "I'm from the government, and I'm here to help," the words meant something frightening to people who feared the police and child protective workers. They were convinced that a smaller government would make them more secure. Those who wanted less regulation of their businesses and taxes used that fear to get votes.
Gloria, you explain a lot. Thank you.
Gloria, there were a lot of stories like yours during that time. I had black friends and we still stay in touch to this day. My mom was a free thinker. We lived right beside what many in my community called 'brown town'. At that time I didn't know why they called it that. Anyway, my mom use to shop for groceries in the food store there and I always got to play outside while she shopped. Never once did my mom ever tell me to stay away from them. I think she decided when all of that racism was happening, she did not want her girls to be tainted by it. She taught us to never, ever get it in our heads that anyone was 'inferior' to us because of the color of their skin. She was a very wise woman and taught me so much about living with grace and dignity. I'll never forget that she told me once when I was talking about what I wanted to be when I grew up, "You be whatever you want to be. If you want to be a ditch digger, you be the best damn ditch digger you know how." A truly wise woman.
So was my mother. I learned from her example how to treat people.
Moms are incredible! They teach us how to relate to the world and they do it through love and tolerance. My mom passed 13 years ago and I miss her every single day. The sharp pain and grief is gone but the ache will always be there. Here's to our incredible moms, Gloria!
Gloria J. Maloney, such a sad story of hate and your parents needing to protect you from people who hated your kindness,. The self-evident truth was the bullies' enemy.
That's fucked up. But we are probably better people today because of experiences like this.
That is really sad! It sounds like things that happened back in those days for sure. Who in their right mind would want to go back to those hateful times!
"We're not going back!"
Donna, thanks for your story. The bravery of the children is remarkable. And I'm glad you contributed to helping the children feel safer by knowing excluding them was wrong.. Some say, young children are closer to sensing, knowing, feeling what's right and wrong, closer to the truth, to love, than many adults. They are pure before the world gets ahold of them and conditions them, jades them, suppresses and twists their knowing.
Love is the only answer in resolving disputes. It is our duty to find peaceful resolution.
Yes!
Very well said, Susan! I was in high school when our school was integrated but since I came from a very small town there were only a very few people with signs protesting and we knew them all. When the bus pulled up and the kids started getting out, many of us knew them as well and welcomed them to school. The protestors took their signs and went home.
Unamerican. MAGA hates America, and, by the way, hates Jesus! They abhor the Constitution!: ""We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity...." MAGA dismisses all of that as "Commie." The Statue of Liberty poem dictated by Satan!
Good gosh, Mmerose! I just got goosebumps and not the good kind! I knew these MAGAs idolized the orange man but I didn't know they felt our Constitution was 'Commie' or the poem on the Statue of Liberty was dictated by Satan! That chills me to my core! Every day that passes I see more and more that this MAGA movement and the orange man are Hitler and his cult reincarnated. We absolutely must do everything we can to make sure Kamala and Tim are elected in November. Vote blue, America, up and down the ballot.
I watched a documentary about Hitler and when he was starting up he used the slogan “Make Germany Great Again”
The MAGA cult members just aren't wired right in the head. If groups of people are un or undereducated, they aren't equipped to rationally or critically analyze issues or concepts. It's very easy to indoctrinate them into fantasy and conspiracy theories. It's easy to brainwash them. It's a very long road to undo the damage too, for some, it's impossible, sadly. I've known some very nice people who got caught up in a cult. Their families did interventions and got them into the proper therapy. It took so long to get them back to rationality. One was never right despite all the therapy and help . He died young, it was a great loss too. 😞
I believe that to be very true! Thank you
I suggest they all be shipped to Gitmo.
It would have been easy for the little white girl to join with all the haters. Good for you for having a courageous soul.
"The people who immigrated here from Haiti must have been so happy and excited to come to America. How awful they must feel now."
Susan, I am literally sitting here with tears in my eyes. We are a nation of immigrants, and many seem to have forgotten that. I remember when I was in the Navy many years ago during the Iran hostage crisis, how angry I felt hearing of hate crimes being committed against Iranian Americans. It was the first time I realized how stupid and hateful many americans could be, and I was ashamed.
Yes! I’ve always felt that our greatest asset in America is our diverse culture.
I’ve spoken with many immigrants and the people who migrate here love this country deeply and are grateful to be here.
Trump has used hatred and fear to build his base. His “Make America Great Again” which turns out to be taken right out of Hitler’s “Make Germany Great Again” playbook, has torn our country apart. He has given voice to the malcontents and fed them a diet of vitriol. He took a great country and is breaking it apart.
It’s very hard not to hate Trump but that would mean that hate has won.
So I wrestle with my amygdala and pray that my higher thinking prevails. It’s a daily struggle.
Thank you for sharing .
Roy Cohn is the common denominator, Donna. He was Trump's lawyer in the late 50s and 60s. But more, he was the counsel to Wisconsin Republican Senator Eugene McCarthy (of McCarthyism) in the early 50s. I come to within a whisper breath of saying that the McCarthyism of the 50s and our current craziness are one and the same thing. The only real difference is that the country has switched from fear mongering about communist infiltrators to fear mongering about immigration. Both of these focus on blaming the "other," As an old song says: "Paranoia strikes deep, Into your life it will creep, Starts when you're always afraid, Step out of line, the man comes, and takes you away...." &Etc. The hard part is staying very, very level headed.
Dear God, NOT Eugene McCarthy! You’re thinking of Joseph McCarthy, the Senator from Wisconsin who went on a witch hunt for Communists on the 50s.
Eugene McCarthy was the Senator from Minnesota, who was an anti-war candidate for President in 1968.
Oh God!!! You are absolutely right! Thank you for the correction. We used to be able to edit our posts here. If I could I definitely would.
Randy Gaul, I can edit my comments here by clicking on the 3 dots off to the side. I hope this helps.
If you’re on an iPad you don’t have that ability.
Vickie Berry, oh thanks for your response; I didn't know that.
Yes, I had a palpitation when I read that lol ..... thank you for validating my thoughts 🙏💕
Not Eugene McCarthy! Randy, it was Joe McCarthy, and I believe it was another senator who asked him, "Have you no decency? Have you no shame?" Only that would not work for Trump, because he DOESN'T HAVE ANY SENSE OF DECENCY OR SHAME!
Ya! You're the second person to pull me up on that -- and you are absolutely right! I put up a separate post lamenting this error and wishing that this blog still provided the opportunity to edit like it used to have. -- Having said all of that, it does not matter whether it would directly affect Trump. The important thing is whether it would affect the electorate! That's where the rubber really hits the road.
I found that If I get desperate to “edit”, it’s possible (using the three dots in the lower right of your post) to delete the whole post. Then put a new corrected reply in the same place.
Thank you for that. It seems like the three dots moved over to the right. So perhaps I am confused (again).
While we're correcting history, the quote is from Joseph Welch, an attorney hired by the Army to make their case in McCarthy's "hearings".
https://www.senate.gov/about/powers-procedures/investigations/mccarthy-hearings/have-you-no-sense-of-decency.htm
I met Eugene McCarthy once in an airport after his defeat in his run for president. I assured him that I had voted for him and hoped that he would continue. He thanked me.
I’ve read about Roy Cohn he taught Trump and his dad a lot of tricks. He was a horrible man who never paid for anything.
Ya... He was all of that and much much more; all of it negative. And repeating, he is the common denominator between Trump and Eugene McCarthy. McCarthy finally wilted away when an attorney asked him (possibly paraphrasing): "Have you no decency? Have you no shame." These are the questions that Trump needs to be asked. But the timing needs to be right for it to work. Maybe an attorney for the Haitian immigrants could ask it(?) That is the sort of setting that is needed.
Again!!!! Not Eugene McCarthy. (He was one of the few really good politicians in his time.)
JOSEPH McCarthy.
Correct! You're the third to point this out. It is a very important correction. We used to be able to edit our posts.
Trump was asked this at the Black Journalists’ interview by a journalist in the crowd, but it got no answer.
Infamous Roy Cohn the guy with connections to the mafia. Words whispered often had it, that if projects in NYC were costing too much, the guy too see was Roy, inconvenient people behind too high costs, or reasons for them, seemed to have ways of vanishing. Or obstacles disappeared, no one knew way, once Roy Cohn was consulted or hired. He was an attorney. Or merely “consulted” for a fee. Donald decided he could learn a lot from a guy like Roy, quite the mover and shaker. Rumors
Were rampant as one might imagine. Many people were know to believe, what the tutoring provided the eager developer, was not al on the up and up.
And he was gay! But they did not mind then! BTW, why was King Con Pedo Hitler on Epsteins plane 7 times…another question never answered…
He was also disbarred because of his crimes.
"For what it's worth". It was my late husband's favorite song by Buffalo Springfield, Randy.
Absolutely! I've already pulled it back up on youtube and boy, does it ever speak... Like Donna noted, nothing has changed. I wonder if Kamala could hit Trump and Vance with the "Have you no decency? Have you no shame? questions. Don't know how to get the idea to her. Maybe professor Reich knows some way to reach them(?)
Randy, I truly believe that the orange man and his running mate will proudly tell you 'No, they do not have any decency or shame because that is not what his cult wants. They want pure unadulterated hate, anger, fear and violence.' The orange man and couch are giving it to them in spades!
Personally, I don't think it matters what Trump & Vance think on this point. The real deal is that this is what stopped Joseph McCarthy in his tracks in the 50s. It's the electorate that recognized the depravity that McCarthy was spewing. And they turned on him. That's where the possibilities live.
Amen to that, Randy!
JD Vance admitted to making up stories about cat and dog eaters to "wake up" the voters.
JD Vance is full of poppycock! What is waking up voters is the fact that the demented orange man has lost his marbles. American citizens absolutely DO NOT want a repeat of the four years of chaos and just plain stupidity that man brought to the White House!
A most excellent song that resonates today
Ditto! My late husband was a serious fan and collected Buffalo Springfield rare recordings and bootlegged live tapes.
13-year-old Donald Trump had a lawyer? Boy, you sure are stupid.
No. But after the McCarthy era he did have a mentor. Boy, you sure are stupid, troll.
Don’t it break your heart? ‘Cause it breaks my heart
Damn that man who tears this country apart
He’s got no shame, he’s got no soul
He’s got no poetry inside to make him whole
Broken Truth, Tim Grimm, 2024
I have a STRONG suspicion that both ‘assassination attempts’ were false flags, meant to get his followers as enraged as possible, if not to engender sympathy from independent voters or those who are wavering. I seriously doubt that anyone can prove anything either way. I just think that’s how his mind works, always focused on his woes.
Pilgrim, I don't think the assassination attempts are false flags, but it's a shame that taxpayers pay for Trump's security while he incites violence. His rhetoric also increases the danger for the Secret Service and others around him.
Gloria, I am inclined to agree with pilgrimRVW and John. I would not put it past the orange man to think this type of thing will garner him more votes. Also, someone said he was trying to garner more women votes and he thinks he can pull this type of stunt and they will feel sorry for him. It is ridiculous, I know, but he is not the sharpest tool in the shed!
He is desperate.
Yes, he is, Laurie. He and his orange cult will be screaming louder and passing out more lies, misinformation and propaganda from now until election day. They will do everything they can to try and get him elected. As long as we don't fall into the sinkhole that is the arguments of the cult, as long as we continue to speak to people and encourage them to vote, write postcards and letters, sign petitions, we will get there in November. We must stick to the task at hand and stay focused. Vote blue, America, up and down the ballot!
If they didn't have the guy and know so much about him, I'd agree. This guy didn't do that to help trump.
That may be, Lisamanv, but it sure does look very suspicious!
I agree. No need to invent conspiracy theories. Some number of armed nut jobs are always ready to go off in America. What I find interesting is how Fox Snooze commentators turn it around and say the Democrats are at fault for expressing their Trump Derangement Syndrome. Yeah, sure, and Hitler was a choir boy.
Gloria ; He does not care.
My thoughts EXACTLY, pilgrim RVW! That raging freak from hell, TUMP would do anything he might think would give him an advantage in his attempt to be elected Dictator of the United States. I have NO sympathy whatsoever for Donald TUMP. I don't care one bit what happens to him. It would serve him right if something very bad happened to him. He has did unspeakable damage to our nation and deserves anything bad that happens to his sorry ass. In my opinion, he is just as horrible as Adolf Hitler was, or maybe even worse. He is the lowest form of a living creature that has ever existed! Even a lowly vile cockroach. His comments about immigrants and a bloody removal of them is way beyond being disgusting. He doesn't even deserve to exist!
pilgrimRVW, false flags are in the playbook of dictators. There are many historical examples. Putin has employed this propaganda strategy more than once. Who knows what the truth is?
That was my first thought : He is losing , at least the first debate, and wants out of the second. His desperation makes him likely to try anything, it was my first thought that the second assassination attempt was also a false flag. Now they want to incite violence in susceptible red states. Which state will be the next target? Diabolical.
And fundraise off of it, btw where do all these supporters get all this money to donate to the koolaid factory?
We may eventually see a smoking gun.
I have the same suspicion - he or his surrogates PAID TO STAGE THESE ATTEMPTS to draw attention and sympathy for him since it's become obvious that he's not all there anymore. If the 'attempts' were legitimate, they need to find somebody who's a better shot. Just think, you could now all be enjoying a State Funeral and Misogynists Vance as the GOP candidate.
There is only one thing worse than all that your message has said here, professor. This is the simple fact that Trump is back in the center of the news again.... again..... again.....
As he must be until the judge says, "I sentence you to 10 to 20 years for Treason!"
True! But he has to lose for that to happen. Shouldn't be the case, but it is. The Justice Department sat way, way too long on pursuing this.
And what is more damaging is the media outlets covering almost 24/7 all the "crazy stories" they throw out like grenades and trying to "explain" what happened...
Meanwhile, in small towns there are dangerous groups starting to spread fear and do more damage
The Taylor Swift is another hand grenade... Curious how long it will take to put out this fire 🔥
NO-ONE is talking about how lacking is the Trump campaign and his affiliations with the misogynistic oligarchs and extreme leaders! (talking about out of touch billionaires)
..... and one last thing... Does any media outlet covering the " republican efforts" to gag the votes ?
I am sure they are working diligently for it ...
Professor Reich: trump's claim to want to protect the ducks, geese, dogs and cats of Springfield is absolutely bonkers. trump HATES animals of all kinds. his sons routinely murder endangered wildlife in Africa (which should be illegal, IMO).
the situation in aurora is also growing worse by the moment, fueled by racist, misogynistic white men who want to kill everyone and everything, it appears.
i must say, trump's latest attempted (fake, probably) assassination attempt has barely made an blip in the news overseas, probably because the media here got burned one time too many by trump and his delusions. the boy who cried wolf and all that. but in america, it's a hot topic that is serving to feed the hatred and violence that has already predominated.
as i watch this racist, sexist mayhem from overseas as it grows ever worse, i am appalled and afraid. i despair for America. i already can see where this is leading, and it's an ugly place.
Americans do not have the luxury of despair. Democrats, Republicans, Independents - it’s time for Americans of goodwill to come together to preserve democracy and the rule of law. All of us can do something, however small to support #HarrisWalz2024. The worst mistake we can make is to do nothing. Peace and hope are patriotic. 🇺🇸 ☮️🕊️
not sure if your comments are directed specifically at me, but i'm not "doing nothing"! i registered to vote from overseas -- just waiting for my ballot -- so that's SOMETHING, at least! not sure how to do more, open to ideas.
Writing postcards to mail out to voters. There are a few entities that run that. But being overseas, it might take too long to get back to the States. Phone banking is another option. The information is on the Harris-Walz website. Thank you for your help 🙏💕
i could do this, but the election people are telling me to mail my ballot no later than one month before the election. that's a HUGE time gap.
not only that, but postage, (and telephone calls) especially overseas postage to USA, is quite expensive here. i just called my financial institution on friday to sort out a pressing matter and it was REALLY EXPENSIVE.
i'd like to help and am willing to help, but i'm a freelance writer, not a wealthy person. (my apologies for this.)
Yes! Yes! Yes!
I would love a party of “ GOOD WILL”!
Apparently it was a former Trump supporter. He didn’t fire any shots because luckily secret service saw him and fired at him first.
Trump courted the crazy alt right vote for years. Now he’s pandering toward suburban mom vote and he has to at least pretend to be less extreme. This seems to have upset his more crazy supporters, who probably feel betrayed.
Lay down with dogs and you will get fleas, as they say.
What's the over/under on whether he gives a stump speech in Spanish, a la Dubya & "soccer moms"...?
Please, Trump can’t even speak English, let alone Spanish.
Attempts, if genuine, to assassinate these characters, are playing directly into their hands.
You will excuse me if l allow myself a tiny bit of suspicion. . . if a country so full of guns and experienced gunmen can kill kids ad nauseam how is it these people are such poor shots?
Any why do these 'attempts' not engender calls for arms control?
I think it is appalling….but l am not entirely convinced.
A man was killed, and two others were seriously injured. I believe it was a genuine attempt.
If it were a set up it's even worse. But I am surprised by nothing these days.
And awful though trump is, I suspect Vance is even more dangerous. He is intelligent.
But if it was a false flag it absolves the hyperbolic chicken little vitriol of the people who swim in this cesspool of a comment section. They need it to be a false flag. Otherwise they may be the exact people they vilify
A semi-automatic rifle (AR-15 or AK-47) requires zero skill to shoot and kill dozens of unarmed people going about their business. Your grandmother could be a successful assassin. (Ooops! Don't want to give MAGA any new ideas!)
Why did they all miss then?
All who, Sandra? Tim Crooks was young, nervous, in a hurry, and not a highly-trained sharpshooter. Ryan Routh was discovered before his target was acquired. He wasn't a trained sniper, either.
It may have been staged to get sympathy and support for the orange guy. The person didn’t fire any shots.
The hatred continues being sowed from the right, now by De Santis, who posted on “X” that he wants to get to the “truth” of what happened, implicating the FBI somehow, and Elon Musk asked why no one is trying to assassinate Biden and Harris… the chaos never ends with them. In the meantime, we are no longer speaking about the death threats to Haitian students and residents of Springfield. It’s revolting
Which begs the question.....is it a setup by the trump sycophants. They have no problem with collateral damage either. Something is not right about these so called "assassination" attempts.
Mentally ill men with weapons of war -
God, what assholes! I have fucking had it with them!!!
I am so utterly and completely sick of Trump, Vance, MAGA, the sickos who want to assassinate Trump and sycophants like DeSantis, or Caligula oligarchs like Musk. The chaos and hatred make me want to scream. And I live in Europe! I can’t understand why I’m still so attached to US politics. It must be because I chose to become a naturalized citizen and I feel so betrayed now by the country formerly known as “country of my dreams.”
Someone should tell the MAGAs: “Assassination attempts are a fact of life.” Just like JD Vance said about school shootings
Hatred is a poor nutrient to use in a garden that's designed to feed a country.
That's rather poetic, Donald.
Smokey--This river runs deep. 👍
And they called him the chosen one. If I was to select a man who had the ability to lead, I'd find one who operated out of love and compassion and cared about the future of our collective. Trump crushes any attempt at finding a level of normalcy. Hate, chaos, and fear are the oral supplements Donnie Boy forces his followers to swallow while a nation suffers. Mr. Trump, the bullets are bad, but the explosions are far worse. Hitler had a perfectly good pair of pants completely ruined by a bomb blast at the Wolf's Lair. To catch up to Adolf he only has 40 more attempts on his life to go. The price of being such a <Good> man.
The guy’s self choosing, by tempting fate. That’s quite obvious. Fits the dare devil personality type. Likely gives him an adrenaline high. As he has made known he’s chosen, due to odds of addictions percentages in family, genetically. As much challenge he has with self- discipline in most areas, he has been able to stay away from alcohol, wisely. And apparently recreational drugs like pot & cocaine - though he’s addictive personality to Diet Coke, sex (affairs, Scandals galore, even while wifey, has new baby at home, bedding Stormy; grab ‘em by the puss…, 34 felonies, lol) Mr. Leech reputation, how many law suits? Most woman are repulsed, by the creep.
Did Adolf shit his pants? Is that a historical fact? I bet he did :)
Deadbeat Trump brings most of his problems on himself. He should stop whining like the baby he is and grow up.
Should but won't.
Indeed; note the huge payout he had/has in hand, i.e. via 'Truth Social' (which was wealth he otherwise did not have material claim to in years past)...
DJT isn’t capable of ‘growing up’. only out, width wise, and age wise, until nature takes’s its course. Or, as often occurs with damaged personality’s other forms of the species are drawn to force “early” endings, historically. Odds seem to be catching up, maybe what he’s attracting, if he keeps up tempting fate.
Politics & office - holding is no place for overgrown schoolyard narcissist bullies such as him.