It is indeed great news that a fair amount of older Republicans in N.H. still remember putin is our enemy, Russia is a horrific regime, and surrendering democracy so donald can stay out of prison is in no way the art of the deal for America.
I live in Arizona and had my vote challenged. I register as an independent. This explains why the GOP are going after Independents as well. They said my signature on my driver's license didn't match my signature on the mail-in ballot? Luckily, the elections office had my phone number and they gave me a call. We need to start taking their votes away for treason!
It is very possible we are looking at another election that will be determined by the "Electoral College" not the popular vote. The Republican crutch might strike again..
SCOTUS has allowed TFG his usual wish for delays by delaying the immunity hearing until April 22, when they could have chosen to so so promptly, as they did in the 14th Amendment case. One has to wonder how long they'll delay announcing their decision...say till the end of term in June or July and let's not forget that SCOTUS chose to allow a stay regarding the D.C. Jack Smith case...IMHO, they want TFG to win.
Remember Gore v. Bush in Florida where appointed "supreme" Court Justices swung the election to Bush PRIOR to having ALL of the questionable ballots counted? Incidentally, when they were ALL counted, Gore won! Was Gore petulant, childish, and cause a DEADLY INSURRECTION? NO!!!
Every presidential election is determined by the electoral college no matter how many popular votes are won. You do know that Trump could win with both this time.
Yes it will. Lets hope Biden and his campaign team as well as the Democrats can get their act together to win enough votes to win. So far I don't see a cohesive plan to get that done. It doesn't help that the mainstream media acts as if this is a normal election. It is not.
This is changing in ‘how’ the electorate is determined, essentially making the popular vote possible through multi state agreements to give all electoral votes to the popular vote. Not perfect, but better.
I'm not seeing that happening anytime soon or at all. It's certainly not going happen for the 2024 election. A few states doing that wont stop Trump from being elected and guess what, if it did you can be sure it would end up in the SOCTUS, who would most likely say the the states can't do that, and the EC as it was written in the Constitution is how presidential elections are decided.
The other thing that won't work, is trying to use Section 3 of the 14th Amendment to keep Trump off of state ballots. I suspect that would backfire against the Democrats and that brings me back to I'm not seeing Biden or the Democrats rising to the threat that Trump and the Republican Party are posing for the nation.
Don all presidential elections are determined y the electoral college
What you meant that was Gore v Bush and in Clinton v Trump the popuulr vote lost to the electoral college vote.
The agrarian (slave or southern states) would not have ratified the constitution were it not for that proviso, as they were more sparsefly populated than the northern states.
And how do we do that? It takes a 3/5th majority in congress to pass an amendment and then 3/5ths of the states to ratify it, and a Constitutional convention is out of the question, as the racists, the fascists, have been militating for such a convention, because they have control of 3/5ths of state legislatures.
I live in AZ too. I’m also an independent and I have received calls to verify my signature twice over the last 3 presidential elections. My mother is republican and she has received verification calls 3 times in the same time frame. My signature literally underwent drastic changes, as I found my new job requiring me to sign my name multiple times daily, so I modified it, making it highly stylized scribble that doesn’t match my license. In my mother’s case, she has broken her wrist and her handwriting is simply deteriorating. I believe, Arizona is just doing a thorough job of making sure our elections are above board.
Luckily, the elections office wasn't intimidated by the orange traitors cronies, otherwise your vote would have been thrown out. I'm sorry you had to deal with that, but glad they reached you. What about others in that position who could not be reached? It pisses me off that they complain about their votes being stolen, and turn around to steal ours in return. What a mess.
I live in Arizona too and we are doing everything we can in our benighted county to insure that we have supervisors that are fair and square. Right now we have 1 out of 3. The other 2 are getting sued and I really hope the population will take note. It starts at the local level.
How is it an act of treason asking to verify a signature? The other thing taking away peoples votes because you don't like their politics is no different than what the extreme right. That's no different than a Trump supporter who says the same thing about Democrats.
“Matching a signature” puts unqualified people in charge of handwriting analysis which is actually a trained subject people specialize in at the DOJ & FBI. A layman determining a signature doesn’t match is a joke. Requiring us to answer every unknown number because it might be a rando election worker who thinks our signature doesn’t match as we may have aged 5 years since the last one, or we broke our hands, whatever, means if I don’t answer the phone my vote is thrown out by someone who “feels” like it’s not my vote.
Given mail in ballot fraud has not been found to exist in any studies, it’s odd that it would be made so important a threat that any untrained person in an election office can throw out someone’s vote. Anything “odd” in this system = rigged, because people are naturally biased, and guess what? The randos will throw out more votes from the other party than from their own. Also, a majority of the elderly vote by mail. It’s pretty obvious our handwriting deteriorates over time so questioning a signature that is obviously a elderly person’s is also not a valid way to count votes’
Paul in rural areas, Democrats stand out. I don't think it was the election officials that noticed bad handwriting, I think it was GOP volunteers? I would support a two-day voting cycle where people have to appear in person and we would have ballot machines and hand count ballots if necessary, two copies in other words. When someone tries to steal my vote I consider that treason! Wait till that happens to you!
Seems now the story has changed to CHANGED votes of 4,000 or this is in addition to the original story of 8,000 found votes (could not find). From the Guardian:
Eric Olsen, director of elections for Prince William county, said: “Election results were improperly reported by the previous administration during the 2020 election.
“… The reporting errors were presumably a consequence of the results tapes not being programmed to a format that was compatible with state reporting requirements. Attempts to correct this issue appear to have created errors. The reporting errors did not consistently favor one party or candidate but were likely due to a lack of proper planning, a difficult election environment, and human error.”
Olsen said the errors did not meet the threshold which would trigger a recount.
Saying improvements had been made to county elections management, he alluded to threats to elections officials across the US that have been fueled by Trump’s voter fraud lie.
A felonious traitor running on a revenge and a get out of jail free card platform never works with common sense voters. The whole MAGA playbook has always reeked of misconception BS and is now starting show its results at the primaries.
Thanks for the link. Yes, I totally agree that Trump is too disordered to have and follow a playbook. Saying there is a Trump playbook is like saying that a person experiencing a severe and persistent mental illness, such as schizophrenia, is following a playbook that attributes an intention to auditory hallucinations. Trump is simply doing the things that his particular personality disorder causes people to do. And if it’s similar to other dictators, it’s likely that they were acting out a similar diagnosis. Now we are starting to get a whole new cluster of symptoms related to dementia. Dementia is not a playbook either!
Exactly. Too many "human lemmings" out there. What causes people to "lose" or never attain Critical Thinking Skills? What causes people to become a member of a "cult"? I do NOT understand how Trump can literally LIE about everything, even things that do not matter (size of his crowds, polling, etc.). EVERYTHING. Trump is one very sick individual and needs to be locked up. But, Reagan closed down the State Mental Health Institutions. BRING THEM BACK!! Trump appears no better than those people screaming at light poles for no apparent reason. Just gotta rant, demean, and scream.
I am an AI Developer who build an Artificial Intelligences that do sports analytics. So I am the wrong demographic for your poor attempt at an insult. Good he bankrupted those casinos. More online betting. It is a more sustainable and scaleable business model😂🤣
Those morons don't have a playbook, they just make a lot of noise without trying to problem solve. They must be demolished at the ballot box in November. And stopped cold if they resort to another overthrow.
Actually, it is a playbook of sorts. Read the book "What's The Matter With Kansas", originally published in 2004. While I agree that the former occupant of the White House is the playbook on steroids, the book outlines how Republikkklans have taken over.
I think Thomas Frank made a good attempt of diagnosing the situation in Kansas in his books , but I dont think he or Prof. Reich or anyone has figured out why the MAGA crowd appear to support Trump and vote against their interests. The basic explanation is 'Trump is a con artist, and the MAGA crowd cant see it because they are uneducated', but I dont think that is it.
the question to be answered is "will the American people be thought less of in the world peoples forum of opinion, if, a USA President is elected who pardons himself for past crimes committed". That is assuming Trump is found guilty of what is alleged, prior to the November 2024 presidential election.
They certainly should not be allowed to .Any more than being allowed back into office after stealing classified documents, and sharing them with other countries.or anyone. Also inciting an insurrection!
Not to also mention blatant election interference, rape and real estate fraud. It's sad and frightening to see so many people who are still on board with this sick demented shyster.
Rick Calegari :I was thinking of listing everything, but realized that 91 felony charges, plus rape, violations of emoluments clause and the Hatch Act and all that you mentioned still does not cover it. The weirdest thing is that so many consider themselves people of faith and therefore, beyond reproach.
We will look like the fools we are if we let this happen. Just the fact he’s been indicted 91, and convicted of sexual assault, and is going to be the GOP nominee AGAIN has the world shaking their heads
Russia's population has been shrinking over 100,000 a year, so they don't have to worry about growing an economy or letting cheaper union busting labor immigrants in. The trickle down theory is practiced in Russia. Instead of growing the economy, they get rid of their excess population by sending them off to war and any other way Putin wants to. That is the only way Trump will be able to make the wall work also.
Bob Johnson: I sometimes connect with Chinese living on the mainland. They tell me about the impossibility of getting decent paying work. My fear is that China will get rid of its population problem by going to war. I don't know why Iran wants war.
I’ve read (sorry can’t cite) that China is worried about their aging and declining population. I believe they are loosening the One Child policy. It was beginning in 2005 when I visited China and the guide said it was possible to pay a fairly enormous “fee” (bribe?) to have a second child.
I think you nailed it, Sam. Running is the only way he can keep his hide out of jail. He's running on desperation. That may be why he's losing his train of thought, more and more. His ramblings are becoming increasingly incoherent. Might be due to panic.
Thanks Aleithia. Psychologically, it all feeds each other. The more he rambles & is incoherent, the more outside pressure he feels for it & it stresses him out being called an old crazy loser, the more he can't think straight, which again causes him to panic, & the panic makes it all worse again. It is a constant negative feedback loop & downward spiral & yet, Republicans say more please .
Trump is going to win though and apart of you likely knows that. Sorry about that but it will be ok. America is a strong country and Trump is not a dictator as is being reported by the mainstream media. And much of his past remarks have been taken out of context BIG TIME. The Republicans you speak of will come around because nobody wants Nikki Hillary or Joe Bumbling Biden. Trump is the Republican of a New Age, the MAGA Republican. Even though he is 77, he still comes across as someone with more energy than BIden who is nothing more than a doddering old man currrently in the WH. Who is actually running the country? Obama? Anthony Blinken? Biden doesn't even know what year it is without squinting his eyes to view a cue card. #MAGA2024
HA, HA, HA, very funny. DJT is the one that doesn't know what day it is, or tell the difference between Nikki Haley and Nancy Pelosi. Bumbling DJT, he is so demented he doesn't even know where he is most of the time. You must be stupid to think DJT has any energy, because he doesn't. Had too much of the cool-aid?? your ignorant remarks are of a brainwashed idiot.
Wow. You must spend all your time programming and none of it following the news. Or simply using extremely filtered channels...
Trump's dictatorial traits and narcissistic behaviour are far more prominent on his own channels and in his speeches than in mainstream media. Do you really want a president that - in EVERY situation - puts himself first? Favors his cronies. Craves utter loyalty so we know that he is getting skewed information, nobody dares speak truth to power there. He will lie about anything and everything. A sexual predator that throws his buddies under the buss when they no longer are of use to them...
Your theory about the strength of USA is also delusional. Democracy is always vulnerable to amoral and illegal attacks. Trump shows no evidence of morals and has no qualms in subverting the law.
He succeeded in creating a major divide in American society and even an insurrection attempt that almost succeeded.
While ongoing witness was borne by almost all coworkers regarding his imbalanced views and actions and wierd misconceptions, as soon as they freed themselves from his sphere.
Nothing at all indicates that "it will be ok". Not in the US and not in the world where Trump shares secrets with his buddy Putin, writes love letters to North Korea and gets his daughter advantageous deals in China (while talking tough...).
Trump will not win the presidency. You fail to see the mental and physical decline in Trump. There's a problem when you don't know the difference between Nikki Haley and Nancy Pelosi. Then there's the amorality, sociopathy and corruption which obviously you ignore or are not bothered by. Biden's in a lot better shape physically and mentally and is doing just fine running the country. Maybe you should switch from Sinclair Broadcasting and its constant blather of misinformation.
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 Mr. Woodson, Trump has told us--and the world--exactly who and what he is. Repeatedly. If you refuse to believe him, then you are the gullible fool--not us.
Sorry - but Trump said on live tv he wants to be a dictator- day one … once he fires the DOJ and replaces FBI with his own henchmen - he will start the downfall - like jailing his opponents and hanging Generals that didn’t do his dirty work- he will create mayhem - like he said
AMEN!! Preach for those in the back!! The left lost a lot of us who are the New Age Patriots..we will continue to fight for American First policies..its not about the Man, Trump...its about freedom, its about being properly represented, its about no new wars, its about the economy!!! it's about so much more than these people squawk about. And we are not a Democracy! We are a Constitutional Republic!!
Sam Ray, can you clarify your remarkable comment that this Primary is "great news that a fair amount of older Republicans in N.H. still remember putin is our enemy, Russia is a horrific regime, and surrendering democracy so donald can stay out of prison " ?
Only if you mean the far left. The faux “progressives” who (try to) hide their MAGA-like racism behind self-righteous demands they never want to see met. Those that are proof of the Horseshoe Theory.
Depends on what they want their headlines to do. And since they DON'T want their headlines to inform or report news accurately, and DO want them to create the perception that Trump is a normal candidate so the election will be a horse race... their headlines are exactly right for their purposes.
This is the time for "Liz" to come riding in to save the day by joining the race and stealing enough votes from Trump on the Republican side to give the election to Joe.
Chris--Entering as an independent team they would spell Trump's defeat. Liz said she would never let Trump back into the White House. This is the path through which she can keep her promise.
Any alternative on the right would draw off some of Trump’s support. It’s what the right has tried to do to Biden by pushing Stein, West, Philips, and Kennedy Jr. (That last one backfired on them nicely.)
I'm afraid they could take votes from Never Trumper Republicans who otherwise would vote for Biden. I've thought Cheney would've been more effective competing in the Republican primary, persisting with her harsh criticism of Trump regardless of primary results.
I still have around 10 months left of mine, but my phone has an alarm to remind me to cancel it! No point wasting the $20 when SOME articles are still entertaining/useful, eh?
you can cancel your subscription now (in case you don't hear that alarm go off later) ... and still have access during the remaining duration of your subscription. they don't actually shut you out until your paid subscription runs out!
- He beat Haley by a far narrower margin than he beat her in Iowa,
- New Hampshire is a state far more representative of the general population than Iowa.
Yet the press is going to keep trumpeting about how he had a “commanding” win while the actual voting shows that he is incredibly weak candidate, facing an immense challenge in a general election.
We certainly shouldn’t take it as a foregone conclusion that he’ll lose to Biden. We MUST remain UNRELENTING in our efforts to get out the vote and get out the word and make sure that he loses by an amount not seen since 1980.
But it is going to be depressing to see just how much the press wants to be complicit in destroying our democracy.
But is this really a surprise? They gave trump over $2 billion worth in coverage in the 2016 election. They care about ratings and ad revenue, and horse race politics is good for that. Same reason why they hyped up Mitt Romney in 2012 when all polling data suggested that Obama would have an easy time cruising to victory. Most political journalism in America is garbage because it has been corporatized and perverted by the relentless profit motive.
Not a surprise at all. And unlikely to change because the source of profit won’t change.
Folks may claim they think it’s terrible how paparazzi invade the privacy of celebrities, and then turn around and buy the magazines with those photos.
We can bemoan the propaganda we get instead of informative news. But enough folks continue to provide the eyeballs that are being sold to advertisers that the media has every incentive not to change. More people want to be entertained than informed.
It doesn't matter - he will be the repugican candidate. He will run an AI-infested smear campaign against Biden using deep fakes. He will lose but declare himself the winner and his minions will do another insurrection, only this time they will have learned from the last one and it will be deadlier and plunge the country into deep turmoil. That's what his supporters want. That's what he is calling for and will increasingly do so as the campaign runs its course. And of course, this is exactly what Putin wants. It's Kompromat folks. It's the pee-pee tape and more.
It’s not going to be as easy to do an insurrection this time around. Because it has happened before and security will be tight and prepared.
Democracy is worth defending and if history repeats itself citizens will defend it. If you imagine armed violence in a way you invite it.
Tell a different story. President Biden has been reaching out to the forgotten with good union jobs, student debt forgiveness, and aid to underserved communities. Talk about that instead and make it vivid.
It's kinda funny if you think about it though: one can barely imagine getting their own friends together to do the one thing they love doing (e.g. imbibing) - and the lunatics not only got everyone to travel to Washington D.C. (on their own dime!) but to, further, attempt to take over the levers of government - directly - by force; here we are talking about their encore!!
= D
PS: How did they solve all of these problems? Faulty technology, unreliable transportation, uncoordinated schedules, medications, etc. etc.; you'd need the promise of a concert, a wedding, and a playoff game all rolled into one - and with segregated busing...
If they just understood that he doesn't give a you-know-what about them. I don't know what it will take to make that happen, but I hope someone will come up with a plan. Soon.
How about stopping the invasion on our unsecured borders ? He could have walked into the oval , had lunch , taken a nap , gone to the beach -anything he wanted and just not undone all the things his predecessor had done and his approval ratings would be soaring right now - instead of in the flusher.
MY hope is that, for "Insurrection II: Electric Boogaloo," the Capital Police will be WELL-ARMED. INSURRECTION is a "CAPTAL OFFENSE" and should be treated as such!
Let's see how the cultmembers like it when their precious second amendment is used AGAINST them. (Violent of me I know, but this is about the FATE OF OUR DEMOCRACY.)
It made me think about Andrew Jackson and that wild open house he threw after his inauguration! What a mess!! Mud and trash all over the place and embedded in the carpet! The servants put washtubs of kickapoo joy juice out in the yard trying to get the 20,000+ people out of the White House!! That's the kind of thing trump would do. After all, throwing ketchup on the wall and trying to flush documents down the toilet is about the same speed as Jackson!
Yes, the Free Market in the US. Get on your knees! Money, Power! Take from the desperate, give to the monied! Absolutely, disgraceful!
I just read that in the last 50 years, sperm counts have diminished across the world @61% . Poisons in the environment? Nanoplastics everywhere? Overpopulation of a species, Mother Nature at work.
You are on the right trail - this BS needs to stop - The courts better accelerate the process and knock Trump out of the running - that will send a message to the rest of those scum
It is still hard to comprehend that close to 75,000 people could be so deluded or hateful as to vote for this menace. Look out Justin; Canada could be in for deep trouble.
Daniel, Trump's followers seem to be able to compartmentalize all negative input regarding their leader into a "junk" file. And stealing from sick children and disabled vets are among his lesser crimes. He is evil personified.
Try thinking of it another way: if you had chosen to make your life's purpose a quixotic quest to have fluoride removed from drinking water, there would have been plenty of folks to support you in your mission.
= )
PS: Note the same holds true of an officeholder who merely has an evil side agenda, e.g. block Medicaid extension when the federal government is paying for it - or even supplemental nutritional assistance (now that the respiratory threat is endemic).
So true, Susan! Think about it. If the Native Americans had banded together and killed all passengers on ships sailing from the old world, we wouldn't even be here today!!
This present MAGA white supremacist fever, like all nationalist movements, is rooted in fear of losing familiar power structures. It has nothing to do with particular racial or cultural legacies although these are hijacked by nationalists as political tropes to justify violence against the abstract hated Other. MAGA is just one more in a historically long line of Judaeo Christian era sectarian cults. Such sects always indulge in ethnic cleansing and cultural vandalism.
I hope your works find both an orchestra wishing to perform them and a wide audience.
Thanks for this interesting reference. Being well-educated does not automatically infer intelligence and Darwin’s works are far too often misinterpreted by the simple minded looking for final solutions.
I have an American composer friend who once told me that orchestras are generally run by conservatives/Republicans and/or reliant on donors who are conservatives/Republican. And the GOP is certainly trying for a certain frightening “purity:” book banning, curriculum control, sexuality police, etc. I’m so sorry you are clashing with a bizarre moment in our history. But thank you and your family for coming here. Hopefully we will exit this Twilight Zone into a better world.
YESSSSSSS!!!! Build it to keep all these illegals out. I am from New York and people there are surrounded by homeless people who are not getting anything for being American citizens. But we are putting these illegals in nice hotels, removing kids from their schools to accomodate these people who came to our country illegally. WTF My only regret is I can't vote for Trump twice. And your hate only fuels me and others like me. We will be promoting to everyone in our communities to NOT vote for Biden. And for all you arm-chair-liberals hating on Trump, why don't you invite these illegals into your communities. #MAGA2024
Ah, but we have, Mr. Woodson. Maine has thriving populations of asylum seekers and refugees from many African and South American countries, and they are making Maine cities (all three of them) diverse, thriving communities with many new and exotic places to eat, and colorful new start-up businesses.
MAGA 2024 ❤️❤️❤️🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸💯💯💯 Tuesday at Trump campaign headquarters - a whole huge bus pulled in filled with devoted NY ers who came to NH to help make the campaign make calls !!!
Is that the primary reason you prefer Trump? Immigration? I hadn’t heard that citizen children were being taken out of their schools to make way for undocumented children. Can you tell me where you heard that?
He will brag and they will eat it up. The courts must come through at least 1 conviction. The SC needs to stay away as those who should recuse themselves will not. Then the Dems meet to get out the vote especially the independents and disaffected republicans. This is winnable. Those mad at Biden for Gaza need to look at the cost of their not voting or voting for third party candidates is a vote for trump.
Those mad at Biden will never vote for him. If Biden were to solve the Gaza crisis overnight and bring permanent peace to the Middle East they would just move onto some other imagined excuse to complain about.
They are faux progressives who have ZERO interest in actually solving the things they complain about. They just want to have something to complain about.
Haters love to hate!! You are spot on with your analysis! It would not matter if the person in the White House was that absolute best and took care of every single complaint and catastrophe, the haters would find something else to complain about. Their lives are dismal and they are bitter!
In this situation....yup. Either that or welcome to a christofascist America, with no Social Security, or Medicare. That’s exactly what we’ll get. Y’all do not want that. Believe me. 😎
Yes. It's foolish to blame Biden for what happened in Gaza. Biden doesn't like Bibi, and vice versa, and Bibi is an arogant ass. Biden cannot, tell Bibi what to do, despite all the money we send there anually. As israel is our main ally in the Middle East, possibly the only one left, Biden had a helluva connundrum on is hands. All he was able to do, in the end, was to try to influence Bibi into acting like a reasonable, responsible human being, and while he failed in that, (no surprise there), he did manage eventually, to pressure him into allowing aid into Gaza etc. Israelis don't like Bibi either, and he is in the fight of his life to stay in power, which explains why he hit the Gaza strip like an out of control serial killer. He wanted Israelis to believe that he was their saviour, vanquishing their enemies, but my Israeli friends are telling me that they ain't buyin' it. What Bibi did in Gaza was an atrocity, a war crime, but if anyone thinks that Biden could have prevented that, I'd like to know how.
Well, Biden could tell Bibi that the money comes with the condition that he must end the genocide, end the bombing and support a two state solution. No support, no money. A majority of Israeli citizens now want Bibi out.
With over NINTETY, AND him pissing off EVERY judge he sees, I find it VERY difficult to believe he AT LEAST won't be confined to his personal, rat- and berder-infested "Xanadu."
Convict him for what ? I’m a college educated retired social worker and teacher . I’m not a cultist not on medication for a mental disorder , delusional or schizophrenic - the old saying that you cannot see the forest for the trees is applicable here . He didn’t steal the election , he didn’t conspire with Russia - Tom Homan says of the six presidents he has worked for , the border was the most secure under the policies of Donald Trump ! He didn’t start a war , the economy was roaring , stock portfolios were very healthy , no inflation -low energy and gas prices , full oil reserves and foreign leaders respected him and us .What is the problem ???
Agree, Hailey did well for a legitimate primary, not the poor showing of GOP electorate that showed up in Iowa for a HS type paper bag vote! Notice the percentages in NH compared to the Caucus Circus?? I do, & will not loose sleep. He’s headed for another series of court room sessions. Americans don’t like Treasonous behavior, no matter the party affiliation. I believe most veterans & military personal also don’t like it when a leader disparages their service/sacrifice to their Nation either👍💙👏🥴
Don’t much care about NYT, WSJ or WP along w/ cable news entertainment either! Have faith, look to independents for real news & truth & America will weather this storm. It will run out of hot air soon, after the feds find National Security breaches & sales of said NS info by Jabba the Smut🤣😂🤣 Have a sense the hammer might fall sooner than we think 🤔, regardless of the MSM trying to steer the bus! Do you hear me?? Mr Murdock & friends??? 🤣
I am subscribed to Farron Cousin's two channels, "The Ring of Fire" and "Farron Balanced," plus former marine Jesse Dollemore's Substack, David Pakman's Substack, former-defense secretary Robert Reich's Substack, and regularly watch Brian Tyler Cohen on Youtube.
All EXCELLENT independent media hosts! ("The Damage Report" is a little more biased, but I love John Iadarola and Francesca Fiorentini!!)
I’ve been thinking the NS and WH will never expose the most dangerous top secret info stolen by trump, due to fear by the allies and agents that they cannot trust us with such information.
But I have absolutely no doubt that documents outlining Israeli security vulnerabilities was in the boxes and made their way into Saudi or other hands -- if only because TFG was mad at Bibi for acknowledging that Biden won in 2020.
If TFG is actually elected, the feds would have to do something/anything (legal or illegal) to keep him away from TS information. Wouldn’t they?
Exposure in Security?? That’s where full gag order & house guard arrest comes in. National Security come first before individual rights of any kind. & there is somewhere a legal avenue allowing for said procedures I’m sure. This is a more serious matter over Legal procedure. & No one should be legally allowed to pardon self. That is not what the pardon tool is for. The legislature could emphasize that in law & add amendment if so, but the tool is there, buried somewhere. If not it needs to happen. The man should have been removed as a public menace years ago by DOJ/FBI. He’s broken more laws that Bonnie & Clyde w/ J Dohmer thrown in🥴
His breaches of security have already caused physical harm to Agents through US Security Network. Has been reported in back channels since he left office.😉
I read that too but I imagine the details would scare the bejesus out of us if we knew. I just hope the feds have figured out what to do about his access to national intelligence if he’s elected!
What was in Biden’s boxes , taken during his senate yrs when he had not the authority afforded presidents to have classified documents or what he took as VP , again without the authority afforded presidents to have classified docs ?
This is a very good insight, as always from you. I might add that it is additionally insightful to read Thom Hartmann’s recent report entitled "The Rise & Fall of the Second Trump Reich: Tick Tock…"
While dystopian in mood, Hartmann warns us of what will happen if there is a return of a second Reich featuring former prez and loser - agent orange.
Reich (and Robert Hubbell) give us reason to be positive in this time of negativity - so as not to despair.
It is now time for us to get out the votes because the stakes are very, very high.
The reference was a quote in the headline of Hartmann’s commentary, a comparison to the Third Reich (First Reich being the Holy Roman Empire, Second Reich being the German Empire, and the Third being the Nazi’s.
If you are offended by my reference to the former prez as agent orange, you should read some other references to this individual - who is on a losing streak of his own making.
dear Secretary Reich: in your last post I expressed surprise and shock that 14% of Democrats thought that political violence might be justified. I pointed out that President Biden has said, "Political violence is never, ever acceptable in the United States’ political system, never, never, never."
To my shock and surprise, many commenters responded to my comment by supporting the use of political violence to counteract the right. I pointed out that those guys shoot much better than we do and suggested a massive passive resistance campaign on the lines of the civil rights movement of 1955 - 1968.
Secretary Reich, will you please join me and President Biden in totally condemning the use of political violence?
I get it, but we Americans need to be ready to DEFEND AMERICA if we are attacked a SECOND time! As you said, political violence is NEVER the answer . . . but it IS in DEFENSE. If another Insurrection occurs, we must ensure it NEVER happens again. If it takes Our Capital Police gunning down the violent Insurrectionists, I believe it is justified this time.
Did you notice that a combination of the Capitol police, the DC police, and various units of the National Guard of DC, Maryland, and Virginia manage to contain the capital riot within 6 hours? And only one, very justified, bullet was shot during the whole time? There will never be a time when the Capitol is not well defended during a trump-inspired demonstration.
6 hours is a long time to have to hide from a violent mob that did kill people. Sometimes a single door between the mob and the representatives they wanted to attack. I envy your easy comfort.
Did you notice that I said the Capitol will never be so unprepared again.? Have you noticed that the trump thugs have never tried a mass action since they were prosecuted so successfully for their nastiness on Jan 6?
I actually don't see the word "again", not that it matters. They were not able to prosecute all that should have been prosecuted. As you have pointed out, many in the MAGA movement are still talking about political violence, civil war even. I don't want to be insulting, and I admire your high-mindedness, but it seems a bit on the "pollyanna" side. May peace be with you.
"There will never be a time when the Capitol is not well defended during a trump-inspired demonstration."
"There will never be a time" = it won't happen AGAIN.
I'm not being a Pollyanna— I just believe that they are better at using guns than we are, so we need to find more effective weapons, and MLK showed the way. If a despised black minority can use the weapons of nonviolent resistance to change the United States, a majority of democracy loving people can do the same.
Daniel, I would understand the use by Capitol Police to ensure their safety and the safety of the politicians inside. I would even agree to National Guard to protect the Capitol. Those are necessary defenses. I just don't feel Americans need to pick up guns and begin shooting each other because of their political affiliations.
Every day spent using crap like Facebook is a day of passive resistance.
= )
(The people of Georgia appear to have headed just such a call to action: note the all-but-unequivocally-illegal-and-obscenely-obstructive lines to vote & the patient, calm, civil manner in which voters not only cast their Chad-free votes... but also the way the civil servants dispatched their responsibilities - sometimes in the face of harassment & intimidation.)
Many on the right are violent and unenlightened, I don't want them to have the false and emboldening impression that violence against the left would be a cake walk.
So, political violence is not fine, but threats of violence are just fine? If you are willing to threaten violence, you are walking 3 inches from the edge of a cliff, and noone has that balance to be sure they would not fall off.
Somehow the African Americans of the United States managed to gain their civil rights without violence or threats of violence. during 1955 - 1968.
Since African Americans are the most consistently despised group in American history, I think we Democracy loving Americans, who are the majority in the country can manage without violence, or threats of violence.
It's called defending yourself, Kathleen. Unfortunately bullies often only understand standing up to them. Of course, the vast majority of us are for peaceful means. But being completely passive sometimes emboldens the bullies. Just like foreign policy: diplomacy first, but be ready for any needed action. Peaceful protests are a great idea. Another women's march.
Sadly, history teaches that sometimes either violence or the threat of it (think the labor movement of the early 1900's, up through the Great Depression) is what gets the attention of those in power enough to make needed changes. FDR's New Deal didn't happen in a vacuum: it was the result of decades of labor struggles, riots, threats, and deaths. The same is true of the civil rights movement.'MLK led the way with peaceful resistance, which made great impact,'yet was accompanied again with violence and deaths.
Bottom line: I will try any peaceful means to resolve issues in a civil manner, but our democracy and its freedoms are too important to me to allow someone to walk over them using intimidation and violence. If necessary, I will defend those freedoms, both for myself and my family, using the most civil means possible, but using other means if necessary.
Defensive violence is still violence. During the civil rights movement of 1955- 1968, African American demonstrators were beaten and hosed, but no one pulled a gun out of his pocket, because that would have wrecked the civil rights movement. It would have allowed the racist to claim they were just putting down violent people.
Did you notice that black panthers and black Muslims were not welcome at demonstrations sponsored by MLK and his allies?
absolutely. But very few Americans know anything about Gandhi. And too damn few know anything about MLK. It is one of the privileges of my life to have been an eyewitness to the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 60s.
Later on, GG admitted that he wanted to make a subtle threat of violence by stating that many antitrumpers shoot very well.
Any threat of violence is a provocation, that will justify in other people's minds executing violence.
MLK managed a whole transformative campaign in the United States without a single one of his followers threatening violence toward anybody. If the Blacks in the South had resorted to violence or threats of violence during the civil rights movement, they would have been massacred.
Um...https://www.britannica.com/topic/Black-Panther-Party. They were well armed and actually marched... I concede that GG walked his statement back. I will not. I am simply stating a fact. No different than saying that the sky is blue.
The Black Panther movement was completely distinct from the Southern Christian leadership Conference headed by MLK. The Black Panthers were not welcome at demonstrations sponsored by MLK. He never endorsed them Because he disapproved of their strategy of threatening violence by carrying weapons.
It totally depends on the context what impact words will have.
If you walk into a bar, shove your face in a man's face and say “Your date is ugly and she needs a bath,“ you are acting provocatively.
If you walk into a country today and say, “We anti-trumpists have guns too, and we are quite good at shooting!" That too is a provocation that increases the chances of violence.
BTW, I have nothing against people keeping guns in their houses for self-protection, except that greatly increases the chances of suicide, fatal family violence, and accidents involving children.
Kathleen, I agree with you. Violence is never the answer. I believe in the power of a large unified resistance campaign with many, many voices. It began to move the civil rights movement in the right direction at least. There is still a long way to go in the civil rights movement but change happens in increments. Just when you begin to think all is lost, something will happen to renew your faith and it makes you work harder. We must continue to fight but as John Lewis said "Get in good trouble"!
I’m all for it. However all that hate, and racism won’t go away. It’ll just go underground. Back under the rocks. Seething, and waiting for the next opportunity to rise up again. America has been a racist nation from day one. It continues to be. 😎
But Jeff, at least it would give us a breather from all of this chaos for a little bit. Yes, I agree, we will always have to fight this battle. It would just be great if they would all slither back under their rocks for just a little while!
Jeff, just imagine I'm giving you a fist bump because I am not tech savvy and don't know how to put those cute pictures in my texts!! Here goes......fist bump!!
There are many ways we can fight, especially in the courts. But if we do a direct action, it should be prolonged and very visible. The following is my idea:
We have gigantic power in the northeast states to shut the country down. We could start with the interstates circling Washington DC. All we have to do is to get several thousand people on I-95 north of DC, I-95 south of DC., I-66 West of DC, and on one place on the Beltway. If we can keep this up for two weeks, or even 4 weeks, we can heavily encourage Congress or the Supreme Court to act to rectify the situation.
Things are not hopeless!
PS: Do not demonstrate in red states — they will mow you down.
I feel terrible discordance reading your statement “President Biden has said, “political violence is never , ever, acceptable in the United States ...” when he is standing vigilant against cease fire in Gaza while our bombs are turning thirty thousand plus
Women, children , babies and old men into ruble along with their housing , hospitals, schools, bakeries, orchards, and farms!??? He certainly approves of political violence in every other part of the globe at least when it’s enacted with our money voir Yemen, Syria, Lebanon, Afghanistan, Ukraine, Iraq, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Africa voir over 1500 permanent and temporary US military bases on the planet?? !!!
There is a difference between approving of violence and working to stop it thru compromise. Living in Cambodia I see often there are few easy roads to peaceful coexisting with those who violently disagree with you!
I wish that Biden would do a lot more to change what is going on in Gaza, but that doesn't make him wrong about political violence in the United States.
How about the violence we the people are increasingly living with? Shot in church, schools, grocery stores! How about the violence of the Brown shirts persistent threats to us? Our courts, laws, Congress, officials are failing us . Freedom involves responsibility. Your freedom ends at my nose. Why are my rights so abrogated and nothing changes? I think of Sandy Hook, Uvalde. Insane and ongoing.
If Haley hangs in there a bit longer, Trumps cognitive impairment combined with legal entanglements will sink his ship. Every speech is sounding more like an escapee from a memory lock down nursing facility.
But then, we'll have Haley as someone more "reasonable" and more threatening in the general election. Haley - funded by Koch - Welcome to Project 2025.
Vote Blue, no matter who. The fate of the world is in the balance.
It’s a fine line. Liz Cheney will go all Carrie Fisher on Trump but will get behind Haley. I think a brokered Republican Convention would be a merry thing to see.
This endless campaign nonsense makes me (sort of) miss those cigar smoke filled backrooms. Once in a while, they produced a decent winner.
Wiki:
"The 1880 Republican National Convention convened from June 2 to June 8, 1880, at the Interstate Exposition Building in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Delegates nominated James A. Garfield of Ohio and Chester A. Arthur of New York as the official Republican Party candidates for president and vice president in the 1880 presidential election."
Garfield had not campaigned and had not sought the nomination.
I love getting your emails and your words. I have one small request - could you please skip showing photos of Trump? I wish all the media would stop flashing photos of him everywhere. We all know what he looks like and seeing his photo is just too tiring and annoying. And I'm sure he revels in it. Thank you for your consideration. Be well.
They finally have a platform. 👏🏻 The reason they will loose is that their platform wants to dismantle our working government, while it’s working, it’s like trying to take apart a V12 engine while it’s running, bad things are bound to happen. A lot of people don’t like everything about Joe Biden and some of his policies, but he looks pretty good in comparison to the inane insipid clown and his platform.
...Haley isn't much better as she's hot to go after Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid .along with what she and the (R)s refer to as "other entitlements". She needs to be told that Social Security os based on a trust that people pay into while working. No benefits are paid for out of the general budget.
Best route to long term solvency is raise or even better, eliminate the Social Security earnings cap which should also include income from sale of or dividends on investments along with major assets. Won't require raising the retirement age or handing the programme over to the Wall Street Casino (privatisation) and the best part, monthly benefits could be increased to pull seniors and disabled citizens out of poverty.
Weare tired of carrying the weight of the wealthy on our backs, time they pull some of the load.
She consistently lies about the US not being a racist country, while stating in her book that she was a victim of racism as an Indian American. As a black person, I will never vote for her regardless of if I agree with her on policies, which I obviously do not.
I totally agree about getting rid of the social security earnings cap. That right there will solve lots of problems, including probably providing at least single-payer health insurance, aka Medicare for All.
👏🏻👏🏻 👏🏻 I couldn’t agree more and I would vote for all of that. Haley if she ends up with the nomination, and she very well might, the repugnantkins would probably see her as a life raft as the insipid clown sinks into his legal quagmire, but we can never forget that she is totally on board with the insipid clowns program.
Completely agree. Despite his victory Trump couldn't resist trashing Chris Sununu and Nikki Haley and embarrassing and demanding fealty from Vivek Ramaswamy and Tim Scott. He can't control himself.
It is indeed great news that a fair amount of older Republicans in N.H. still remember putin is our enemy, Russia is a horrific regime, and surrendering democracy so donald can stay out of prison is in no way the art of the deal for America.
DEFEAT TREASONOUS AND CON REPUBLICONS EVERYWHERE
I live in Arizona and had my vote challenged. I register as an independent. This explains why the GOP are going after Independents as well. They said my signature on my driver's license didn't match my signature on the mail-in ballot? Luckily, the elections office had my phone number and they gave me a call. We need to start taking their votes away for treason!
It is very possible we are looking at another election that will be determined by the "Electoral College" not the popular vote. The Republican crutch might strike again..
or worse... aka: hanging chads...the supremes get to decide...queue scary music.
Alison--Nice name by the way. I don't see an entry point for SCOTUS but with Trump, anything is possible.
We of the invisible government do not recognize people by their names, but by their qualities
SCOTUS has allowed TFG his usual wish for delays by delaying the immunity hearing until April 22, when they could have chosen to so so promptly, as they did in the 14th Amendment case. One has to wonder how long they'll delay announcing their decision...say till the end of term in June or July and let's not forget that SCOTUS chose to allow a stay regarding the D.C. Jack Smith case...IMHO, they want TFG to win.
We also do NOT want the Presidential election determined by this "supreme" Court.
Jim--a Presidential election is the voice of the people and it's their final word.
Remember Gore v. Bush in Florida where appointed "supreme" Court Justices swung the election to Bush PRIOR to having ALL of the questionable ballots counted? Incidentally, when they were ALL counted, Gore won! Was Gore petulant, childish, and cause a DEADLY INSURRECTION? NO!!!
Every presidential election is determined by the electoral college no matter how many popular votes are won. You do know that Trump could win with both this time.
Jeff--If that happens his win will spell our defeat.
Yes it will. Lets hope Biden and his campaign team as well as the Democrats can get their act together to win enough votes to win. So far I don't see a cohesive plan to get that done. It doesn't help that the mainstream media acts as if this is a normal election. It is not.
This is changing in ‘how’ the electorate is determined, essentially making the popular vote possible through multi state agreements to give all electoral votes to the popular vote. Not perfect, but better.
I'm not seeing that happening anytime soon or at all. It's certainly not going happen for the 2024 election. A few states doing that wont stop Trump from being elected and guess what, if it did you can be sure it would end up in the SOCTUS, who would most likely say the the states can't do that, and the EC as it was written in the Constitution is how presidential elections are decided.
The other thing that won't work, is trying to use Section 3 of the 14th Amendment to keep Trump off of state ballots. I suspect that would backfire against the Democrats and that brings me back to I'm not seeing Biden or the Democrats rising to the threat that Trump and the Republican Party are posing for the nation.
Don all presidential elections are determined y the electoral college
What you meant that was Gore v Bush and in Clinton v Trump the popuulr vote lost to the electoral college vote.
The agrarian (slave or southern states) would not have ratified the constitution were it not for that proviso, as they were more sparsefly populated than the northern states.
Lee ---That time has passed; the issue needs to be readdressed and rectified.
And how do we do that? It takes a 3/5th majority in congress to pass an amendment and then 3/5ths of the states to ratify it, and a Constitutional convention is out of the question, as the racists, the fascists, have been militating for such a convention, because they have control of 3/5ths of state legislatures.
I live in AZ too. I’m also an independent and I have received calls to verify my signature twice over the last 3 presidential elections. My mother is republican and she has received verification calls 3 times in the same time frame. My signature literally underwent drastic changes, as I found my new job requiring me to sign my name multiple times daily, so I modified it, making it highly stylized scribble that doesn’t match my license. In my mother’s case, she has broken her wrist and her handwriting is simply deteriorating. I believe, Arizona is just doing a thorough job of making sure our elections are above board.
hope so...
Luckily, the elections office wasn't intimidated by the orange traitors cronies, otherwise your vote would have been thrown out. I'm sorry you had to deal with that, but glad they reached you. What about others in that position who could not be reached? It pisses me off that they complain about their votes being stolen, and turn around to steal ours in return. What a mess.
Mine wasn't. Anyone who voted for President Biden didn't have their votes stolen. It was attempted by the insurrection on 1/6 but failed.
I live in Arizona too and we are doing everything we can in our benighted county to insure that we have supervisors that are fair and square. Right now we have 1 out of 3. The other 2 are getting sued and I really hope the population will take note. It starts at the local level.
How is it an act of treason asking to verify a signature? The other thing taking away peoples votes because you don't like their politics is no different than what the extreme right. That's no different than a Trump supporter who says the same thing about Democrats.
“Matching a signature” puts unqualified people in charge of handwriting analysis which is actually a trained subject people specialize in at the DOJ & FBI. A layman determining a signature doesn’t match is a joke. Requiring us to answer every unknown number because it might be a rando election worker who thinks our signature doesn’t match as we may have aged 5 years since the last one, or we broke our hands, whatever, means if I don’t answer the phone my vote is thrown out by someone who “feels” like it’s not my vote.
Given mail in ballot fraud has not been found to exist in any studies, it’s odd that it would be made so important a threat that any untrained person in an election office can throw out someone’s vote. Anything “odd” in this system = rigged, because people are naturally biased, and guess what? The randos will throw out more votes from the other party than from their own. Also, a majority of the elderly vote by mail. It’s pretty obvious our handwriting deteriorates over time so questioning a signature that is obviously a elderly person’s is also not a valid way to count votes’
The easiest way to resolve that is to vote in person on election day as it was originally intended. Stop crying and get out and vote!
Paul in rural areas, Democrats stand out. I don't think it was the election officials that noticed bad handwriting, I think it was GOP volunteers? I would support a two-day voting cycle where people have to appear in person and we would have ballot machines and hand count ballots if necessary, two copies in other words. When someone tries to steal my vote I consider that treason! Wait till that happens to you!
I read where Virginia recently "discovered" 8,000 votes that were apparently not counted for Biden from 2020? Fake news or...?
Jim, what was the reason the "discovered" 8,000 votes were uncounted?
Seems now the story has changed to CHANGED votes of 4,000 or this is in addition to the original story of 8,000 found votes (could not find). From the Guardian:
Eric Olsen, director of elections for Prince William county, said: “Election results were improperly reported by the previous administration during the 2020 election.
“… The reporting errors were presumably a consequence of the results tapes not being programmed to a format that was compatible with state reporting requirements. Attempts to correct this issue appear to have created errors. The reporting errors did not consistently favor one party or candidate but were likely due to a lack of proper planning, a difficult election environment, and human error.”
Olsen said the errors did not meet the threshold which would trigger a recount.
Saying improvements had been made to county elections management, he alluded to threats to elections officials across the US that have been fueled by Trump’s voter fraud lie.
Jim King is a troll that just keeps showing up. It’s best to ignore him.
A felonious traitor running on a revenge and a get out of jail free card platform never works with common sense voters. The whole MAGA playbook has always reeked of misconception BS and is now starting show its results at the primaries.
The concept of a MAGA playbook is also a misconception. It's pathological behavior. https://samray.substack.com/p/the-trump-playbook-is-an-illusion
Thanks for the link. Yes, I totally agree that Trump is too disordered to have and follow a playbook. Saying there is a Trump playbook is like saying that a person experiencing a severe and persistent mental illness, such as schizophrenia, is following a playbook that attributes an intention to auditory hallucinations. Trump is simply doing the things that his particular personality disorder causes people to do. And if it’s similar to other dictators, it’s likely that they were acting out a similar diagnosis. Now we are starting to get a whole new cluster of symptoms related to dementia. Dementia is not a playbook either!
He does it because it works.
Exactly. Too many "human lemmings" out there. What causes people to "lose" or never attain Critical Thinking Skills? What causes people to become a member of a "cult"? I do NOT understand how Trump can literally LIE about everything, even things that do not matter (size of his crowds, polling, etc.). EVERYTHING. Trump is one very sick individual and needs to be locked up. But, Reagan closed down the State Mental Health Institutions. BRING THEM BACK!! Trump appears no better than those people screaming at light poles for no apparent reason. Just gotta rant, demean, and scream.
Maybe sonbut we are going to beat you anyway. Sharing your links and your vitriol will have no effect. Namaste and #MAGA2024
You're a betting expert backing a guy who bankrupted a casino. Not too bright.
I am an AI Developer who build an Artificial Intelligences that do sports analytics. So I am the wrong demographic for your poor attempt at an insult. Good he bankrupted those casinos. More online betting. It is a more sustainable and scaleable business model😂🤣
But your grammar could do with some work !!!
Even better online trading
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
Working in a troll farm someplace where English may not be a primary language. Like Russia?
We know that you zMaga traitor follower cult can’t be given facts.
Those morons don't have a playbook, they just make a lot of noise without trying to problem solve. They must be demolished at the ballot box in November. And stopped cold if they resort to another overthrow.
Actually, it is a playbook of sorts. Read the book "What's The Matter With Kansas", originally published in 2004. While I agree that the former occupant of the White House is the playbook on steroids, the book outlines how Republikkklans have taken over.
I think Thomas Frank made a good attempt of diagnosing the situation in Kansas in his books , but I dont think he or Prof. Reich or anyone has figured out why the MAGA crowd appear to support Trump and vote against their interests. The basic explanation is 'Trump is a con artist, and the MAGA crowd cant see it because they are uneducated', but I dont think that is it.
Works for Bibi Netanyahu. Let’s hope Trump melts down
He already has but his thrall is strong among those who need something to reflect their existential anger.
A felonious traitor who is going to win. Don't hate 🙌🏾 #MAGA2024
Don’t bet too much on it.
WRONG. Hope he's all in.
True: They will lose their shirts 👕 on the biggest loser!
the question to be answered is "will the American people be thought less of in the world peoples forum of opinion, if, a USA President is elected who pardons himself for past crimes committed". That is assuming Trump is found guilty of what is alleged, prior to the November 2024 presidential election.
I thought there was a rough consensus on this very question during TFG’s presidency: presidents cannot pardon themselves
They certainly should not be allowed to .Any more than being allowed back into office after stealing classified documents, and sharing them with other countries.or anyone. Also inciting an insurrection!
Not to also mention blatant election interference, rape and real estate fraud. It's sad and frightening to see so many people who are still on board with this sick demented shyster.
Rick Calegari :I was thinking of listing everything, but realized that 91 felony charges, plus rape, violations of emoluments clause and the Hatch Act and all that you mentioned still does not cover it. The weirdest thing is that so many consider themselves people of faith and therefore, beyond reproach.
We will look like the fools we are if we let this happen. Just the fact he’s been indicted 91, and convicted of sexual assault, and is going to be the GOP nominee AGAIN has the world shaking their heads
The " Live Free or Die" on the license plates state. 🤪
Russia's population has been shrinking over 100,000 a year, so they don't have to worry about growing an economy or letting cheaper union busting labor immigrants in. The trickle down theory is practiced in Russia. Instead of growing the economy, they get rid of their excess population by sending them off to war and any other way Putin wants to. That is the only way Trump will be able to make the wall work also.
Bob Johnson: I sometimes connect with Chinese living on the mainland. They tell me about the impossibility of getting decent paying work. My fear is that China will get rid of its population problem by going to war. I don't know why Iran wants war.
China allows people to have 3 children but they don’t so are worrying about their low birth rates.
They are not going to go to war to kill some of their population
I’ve read (sorry can’t cite) that China is worried about their aging and declining population. I believe they are loosening the One Child policy. It was beginning in 2005 when I visited China and the guide said it was possible to pay a fairly enormous “fee” (bribe?) to have a second child.
Yes, and it also shows that fewer people are falling into his narcissistic trap.
I think you nailed it, Sam. Running is the only way he can keep his hide out of jail. He's running on desperation. That may be why he's losing his train of thought, more and more. His ramblings are becoming increasingly incoherent. Might be due to panic.
Thanks Aleithia. Psychologically, it all feeds each other. The more he rambles & is incoherent, the more outside pressure he feels for it & it stresses him out being called an old crazy loser, the more he can't think straight, which again causes him to panic, & the panic makes it all worse again. It is a constant negative feedback loop & downward spiral & yet, Republicans say more please .
Exactly, Sam. We know what he’ll do with a second term. He’s straight up fuckin’ told us. This is when you believe the narcissist at your peril. 😎
Trump is going to win though and apart of you likely knows that. Sorry about that but it will be ok. America is a strong country and Trump is not a dictator as is being reported by the mainstream media. And much of his past remarks have been taken out of context BIG TIME. The Republicans you speak of will come around because nobody wants Nikki Hillary or Joe Bumbling Biden. Trump is the Republican of a New Age, the MAGA Republican. Even though he is 77, he still comes across as someone with more energy than BIden who is nothing more than a doddering old man currrently in the WH. Who is actually running the country? Obama? Anthony Blinken? Biden doesn't even know what year it is without squinting his eyes to view a cue card. #MAGA2024
HA, HA, HA, very funny. DJT is the one that doesn't know what day it is, or tell the difference between Nikki Haley and Nancy Pelosi. Bumbling DJT, he is so demented he doesn't even know where he is most of the time. You must be stupid to think DJT has any energy, because he doesn't. Had too much of the cool-aid?? your ignorant remarks are of a brainwashed idiot.
Go back under your bridge like all other good little trolls.
trump himself says he wants to be a dictator. Sorry thinking is so hard for you.
Wow. You must spend all your time programming and none of it following the news. Or simply using extremely filtered channels...
Trump's dictatorial traits and narcissistic behaviour are far more prominent on his own channels and in his speeches than in mainstream media. Do you really want a president that - in EVERY situation - puts himself first? Favors his cronies. Craves utter loyalty so we know that he is getting skewed information, nobody dares speak truth to power there. He will lie about anything and everything. A sexual predator that throws his buddies under the buss when they no longer are of use to them...
Your theory about the strength of USA is also delusional. Democracy is always vulnerable to amoral and illegal attacks. Trump shows no evidence of morals and has no qualms in subverting the law.
He succeeded in creating a major divide in American society and even an insurrection attempt that almost succeeded.
While ongoing witness was borne by almost all coworkers regarding his imbalanced views and actions and wierd misconceptions, as soon as they freed themselves from his sphere.
Nothing at all indicates that "it will be ok". Not in the US and not in the world where Trump shares secrets with his buddy Putin, writes love letters to North Korea and gets his daughter advantageous deals in China (while talking tough...).
Not to mention all the money they get from Saudi Arabia. For what?
Among other things, giving them all top secret US intel on their mortal enemies Iran and Israel would more than do it.
Exactly what I was thinking!
Great minds... Yep, easy money for a President without a conscience.
Trump will not win the presidency. You fail to see the mental and physical decline in Trump. There's a problem when you don't know the difference between Nikki Haley and Nancy Pelosi. Then there's the amorality, sociopathy and corruption which obviously you ignore or are not bothered by. Biden's in a lot better shape physically and mentally and is doing just fine running the country. Maybe you should switch from Sinclair Broadcasting and its constant blather of misinformation.
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 Mr. Woodson, Trump has told us--and the world--exactly who and what he is. Repeatedly. If you refuse to believe him, then you are the gullible fool--not us.
Sorry - but Trump said on live tv he wants to be a dictator- day one … once he fires the DOJ and replaces FBI with his own henchmen - he will start the downfall - like jailing his opponents and hanging Generals that didn’t do his dirty work- he will create mayhem - like he said
AMEN!! Preach for those in the back!! The left lost a lot of us who are the New Age Patriots..we will continue to fight for American First policies..its not about the Man, Trump...its about freedom, its about being properly represented, its about no new wars, its about the economy!!! it's about so much more than these people squawk about. And we are not a Democracy! We are a Constitutional Republic!!
So funny! Very clever@
Sam Ray, can you clarify your remarkable comment that this Primary is "great news that a fair amount of older Republicans in N.H. still remember putin is our enemy, Russia is a horrific regime, and surrendering democracy so donald can stay out of prison " ?
Can you clarify what you need to have clarified?
The New York Times wrote that “Trump Sails to Victory“ ... in what parallel universe did that happen?
The NY Times wants to be Fox News.
Just in case Trumps wins (he won't), the NYTimes wants to show that they kissed his smelly butt, too...
@Christopher. I think you are right! Follow the money and see which rich bitch owns that outlet…
Rich assholes own them all.
Understatement of the week!
The NYT is FOX News for the left.
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣You are delusional, kid. You are consuming the wrong shrooms.
Only if you mean the far left. The faux “progressives” who (try to) hide their MAGA-like racism behind self-righteous demands they never want to see met. Those that are proof of the Horseshoe Theory.
Gross
"They can't get a headline right"
Depends on what they want their headlines to do. And since they DON'T want their headlines to inform or report news accurately, and DO want them to create the perception that Trump is a normal candidate so the election will be a horse race... their headlines are exactly right for their purposes.
This is the time for "Liz" to come riding in to save the day by joining the race and stealing enough votes from Trump on the Republican side to give the election to Joe.
Cheney/Kinzinger 2024!
Chris--Entering as an independent team they would spell Trump's defeat. Liz said she would never let Trump back into the White House. This is the path through which she can keep her promise.
(I prefer Christopher.)
Any alternative on the right would draw off some of Trump’s support. It’s what the right has tried to do to Biden by pushing Stein, West, Philips, and Kennedy Jr. (That last one backfired on them nicely.)
Chris--Someone needs to give Liz a call.
I'm afraid they could take votes from Never Trumper Republicans who otherwise would vote for Biden. I've thought Cheney would've been more effective competing in the Republican primary, persisting with her harsh criticism of Trump regardless of primary results.
their smug status quoism and their lack of understanding of climate -i quit reading them much. Ditto WaPo.
I still have around 10 months left of mine, but my phone has an alarm to remind me to cancel it! No point wasting the $20 when SOME articles are still entertaining/useful, eh?
you can cancel your subscription now (in case you don't hear that alarm go off later) ... and still have access during the remaining duration of your subscription. they don't actually shut you out until your paid subscription runs out!
They seem to like The Talking Heads...?
= D
Who doesn't?!!!!!!!!!!!!!
🤣EXACTLY 🤣😂
USS ABSCAM
The New York Times has become a rag. 😎
By winning, that is how😂😉
Troy, black and supports a traitor racist?
So so let’s look at this right:
- He beat Haley by a far narrower margin than he beat her in Iowa,
- New Hampshire is a state far more representative of the general population than Iowa.
Yet the press is going to keep trumpeting about how he had a “commanding” win while the actual voting shows that he is incredibly weak candidate, facing an immense challenge in a general election.
We certainly shouldn’t take it as a foregone conclusion that he’ll lose to Biden. We MUST remain UNRELENTING in our efforts to get out the vote and get out the word and make sure that he loses by an amount not seen since 1980.
But it is going to be depressing to see just how much the press wants to be complicit in destroying our democracy.
Can't beat Trumpeting though...
As some wise man said, in chaos, you can steal.
Chaos wasn't the cause of a "global war on terror" or hunting for WMD's sans UN consensus - it was the effect...
> = |
Nobody said it was.
😉
🤣
But is this really a surprise? They gave trump over $2 billion worth in coverage in the 2016 election. They care about ratings and ad revenue, and horse race politics is good for that. Same reason why they hyped up Mitt Romney in 2012 when all polling data suggested that Obama would have an easy time cruising to victory. Most political journalism in America is garbage because it has been corporatized and perverted by the relentless profit motive.
Not a surprise at all. And unlikely to change because the source of profit won’t change.
Folks may claim they think it’s terrible how paparazzi invade the privacy of celebrities, and then turn around and buy the magazines with those photos.
We can bemoan the propaganda we get instead of informative news. But enough folks continue to provide the eyeballs that are being sold to advertisers that the media has every incentive not to change. More people want to be entertained than informed.
It doesn't matter - he will be the repugican candidate. He will run an AI-infested smear campaign against Biden using deep fakes. He will lose but declare himself the winner and his minions will do another insurrection, only this time they will have learned from the last one and it will be deadlier and plunge the country into deep turmoil. That's what his supporters want. That's what he is calling for and will increasingly do so as the campaign runs its course. And of course, this is exactly what Putin wants. It's Kompromat folks. It's the pee-pee tape and more.
It’s not going to be as easy to do an insurrection this time around. Because it has happened before and security will be tight and prepared.
Democracy is worth defending and if history repeats itself citizens will defend it. If you imagine armed violence in a way you invite it.
Tell a different story. President Biden has been reaching out to the forgotten with good union jobs, student debt forgiveness, and aid to underserved communities. Talk about that instead and make it vivid.
It's kinda funny if you think about it though: one can barely imagine getting their own friends together to do the one thing they love doing (e.g. imbibing) - and the lunatics not only got everyone to travel to Washington D.C. (on their own dime!) but to, further, attempt to take over the levers of government - directly - by force; here we are talking about their encore!!
= D
PS: How did they solve all of these problems? Faulty technology, unreliable transportation, uncoordinated schedules, medications, etc. etc.; you'd need the promise of a concert, a wedding, and a playoff game all rolled into one - and with segregated busing...
I wonder why some citizens assume that this a Democracy given all the smoke filled rooms?
ITS A REPUBLIC !!!
If they try that shit again with their little cosplay army they’ll get mowed down like overgrown grass. 😎
…and you know that if Trump were to win he would do nothing to improve the poor MAGATS financial situation.
If they just understood that he doesn't give a you-know-what about them. I don't know what it will take to make that happen, but I hope someone will come up with a plan. Soon.
How about stopping the invasion on our unsecured borders ? He could have walked into the oval , had lunch , taken a nap , gone to the beach -anything he wanted and just not undone all the things his predecessor had done and his approval ratings would be soaring right now - instead of in the flusher.
Sadly Wayne I agree with you. I am tired of mainstream media continuing to spread tRump propaganda.
MY hope is that, for "Insurrection II: Electric Boogaloo," the Capital Police will be WELL-ARMED. INSURRECTION is a "CAPTAL OFFENSE" and should be treated as such!
Let's see how the cultmembers like it when their precious second amendment is used AGAINST them. (Violent of me I know, but this is about the FATE OF OUR DEMOCRACY.)
Lol. Instead of an inaugural ball, Trump should host a bbq and throw the doors of the Capital open. Install port-a-johns in Senators offices.
It made me think about Andrew Jackson and that wild open house he threw after his inauguration! What a mess!! Mud and trash all over the place and embedded in the carpet! The servants put washtubs of kickapoo joy juice out in the yard trying to get the 20,000+ people out of the White House!! That's the kind of thing trump would do. After all, throwing ketchup on the wall and trying to flush documents down the toilet is about the same speed as Jackson!
Good analogy Peggy!
Thanks, Marge!!
Dumpster wants the next civil war where the confederates win this time ! Can't let that happen !
Wayne, you lost me with your "And of course, this is exactly what Putin wants. It's Kompromat folks. etc"
"Putins army of bots"?
Its nice to think that the US gov has never done that here or abroad.
I hope he does everything he can to desimate the Biden administration. Good
Hallucinating again?
So scary!
THE STATES WITH THE STRONGEST ANTIABORTION LAWS HAVE THE WORST CHILDCARE. ANTIABORTION IS NOT ABOUT CHILDREN. ANTIABORTION IS ABOUT ENSLAVING WOMEN.
Exactly right! Trump and Trumplicans are TERRIFIED of women, so they feel they MUST prevent them from being equals. It's very sad and disgusting.
It’s about control. That’s it. Full Stop. 😎
Actually I think anti abortion is about how few newborns are available for adoption - there’s a huge waiting list and no babies
Yes, the Free Market in the US. Get on your knees! Money, Power! Take from the desperate, give to the monied! Absolutely, disgraceful!
I just read that in the last 50 years, sperm counts have diminished across the world @61% . Poisons in the environment? Nanoplastics everywhere? Overpopulation of a species, Mother Nature at work.
White babies.
You are on the right trail - this BS needs to stop - The courts better accelerate the process and knock Trump out of the running - that will send a message to the rest of those scum
The Supreme Court remanded the abortion issue to the states -
It is still hard to comprehend that close to 75,000 people could be so deluded or hateful as to vote for this menace. Look out Justin; Canada could be in for deep trouble.
Haley waited too long to attack his character.
Wonder how many of that 75,000 know that he stole from kids with cancer and disabled war veterans?
And hates dogs
Daniel, Trump's followers seem to be able to compartmentalize all negative input regarding their leader into a "junk" file. And stealing from sick children and disabled vets are among his lesser crimes. He is evil personified.
Those facts alone would make me never want to vote for him!
They don’t care. 🤷🏼♂️😎
Depends. I find some daily.
i didn't know that either, tho i find it EASY to believe. can you say more? references?
https://ag.ny.gov/press-release/2019/donald-j-trump-pays-court-ordered-2-million-illegally-using-trump-foundation
Daniel, the charities listed didn’t seem to include services for kids with cancer? When I quote this I want to be able to cite details. Thanks!
Am I your mother? https://www.forbes.com/sites/danalexander/2017/06/06/how-donald-trump-shifted-kids-cancer-charity-money-into-his-business/?sh=446f0bd46b4a
you gave a link that soemone challenged. whats your problem?
Sorry, Daniel. I relied on your attached link and checked out the charities listed.
Yes our Conservatives are very Trumpoian. ..scary
Try thinking of it another way: if you had chosen to make your life's purpose a quixotic quest to have fluoride removed from drinking water, there would have been plenty of folks to support you in your mission.
= )
PS: Note the same holds true of an officeholder who merely has an evil side agenda, e.g. block Medicaid extension when the federal government is paying for it - or even supplemental nutritional assistance (now that the respiratory threat is endemic).
Americans all came from somewhere else.
So true, Susan! Think about it. If the Native Americans had banded together and killed all passengers on ships sailing from the old world, we wouldn't even be here today!!
Yeah many legally...Ms. Fernandez
Does it make you happy to read all these comments you disagree with - just so you can disagree with them? Just wondering...
Yes
This present MAGA white supremacist fever, like all nationalist movements, is rooted in fear of losing familiar power structures. It has nothing to do with particular racial or cultural legacies although these are hijacked by nationalists as political tropes to justify violence against the abstract hated Other. MAGA is just one more in a historically long line of Judaeo Christian era sectarian cults. Such sects always indulge in ethnic cleansing and cultural vandalism.
I hope your works find both an orchestra wishing to perform them and a wide audience.
Thanks for this interesting reference. Being well-educated does not automatically infer intelligence and Darwin’s works are far too often misinterpreted by the simple minded looking for final solutions.
I have an American composer friend who once told me that orchestras are generally run by conservatives/Republicans and/or reliant on donors who are conservatives/Republican. And the GOP is certainly trying for a certain frightening “purity:” book banning, curriculum control, sexuality police, etc. I’m so sorry you are clashing with a bizarre moment in our history. But thank you and your family for coming here. Hopefully we will exit this Twilight Zone into a better world.
Roger, I think I missed something! Are you really in love with a wall or is it sarcasm?
It's sarcasm. Goodness, the second sentence makes that obvious.
YESSSSSSS!!!! Build it to keep all these illegals out. I am from New York and people there are surrounded by homeless people who are not getting anything for being American citizens. But we are putting these illegals in nice hotels, removing kids from their schools to accomodate these people who came to our country illegally. WTF My only regret is I can't vote for Trump twice. And your hate only fuels me and others like me. We will be promoting to everyone in our communities to NOT vote for Biden. And for all you arm-chair-liberals hating on Trump, why don't you invite these illegals into your communities. #MAGA2024
Nice duckspeak.
Ain't buying a word of of it.
Your boy used the White House from 2016-2020 to help exactly one (1) group of people: his billionaire owners.
The wall was a contract sugar-tit for them to suck government money from; that they knew wasn't good for anything.
Nobody's buying your snake-oil this time, lapdog.
Ah, but we have, Mr. Woodson. Maine has thriving populations of asylum seekers and refugees from many African and South American countries, and they are making Maine cities (all three of them) diverse, thriving communities with many new and exotic places to eat, and colorful new start-up businesses.
Troy genius: Dunning Kruger effect much?
Try reading STRONGMEN:Mussolini to the Present
By Ruth Ben Ghiat
MAGA 2024 ❤️❤️❤️🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸💯💯💯 Tuesday at Trump campaign headquarters - a whole huge bus pulled in filled with devoted NY ers who came to NH to help make the campaign make calls !!!
Trump didn’t stop illegals coming in - he only slowed it down
He wants to appear to be the solution to your legit grievances but in fact, he only cares for himself.
Is that the primary reason you prefer Trump? Immigration? I hadn’t heard that citizen children were being taken out of their schools to make way for undocumented children. Can you tell me where you heard that?
He will brag and they will eat it up. The courts must come through at least 1 conviction. The SC needs to stay away as those who should recuse themselves will not. Then the Dems meet to get out the vote especially the independents and disaffected republicans. This is winnable. Those mad at Biden for Gaza need to look at the cost of their not voting or voting for third party candidates is a vote for trump.
Those mad at Biden will never vote for him. If Biden were to solve the Gaza crisis overnight and bring permanent peace to the Middle East they would just move onto some other imagined excuse to complain about.
They are faux progressives who have ZERO interest in actually solving the things they complain about. They just want to have something to complain about.
Haters love to hate!! You are spot on with your analysis! It would not matter if the person in the White House was that absolute best and took care of every single complaint and catastrophe, the haters would find something else to complain about. Their lives are dismal and they are bitter!
It’s grievance, victim mentality. 😎
Spot on!
Christopher, how Republican of them!
So blind loyalty to Biden is the only way to go?
I thought that was Trump's creed?
In this situation....yup. Either that or welcome to a christofascist America, with no Social Security, or Medicare. That’s exactly what we’ll get. Y’all do not want that. Believe me. 😎
Yes. It's foolish to blame Biden for what happened in Gaza. Biden doesn't like Bibi, and vice versa, and Bibi is an arogant ass. Biden cannot, tell Bibi what to do, despite all the money we send there anually. As israel is our main ally in the Middle East, possibly the only one left, Biden had a helluva connundrum on is hands. All he was able to do, in the end, was to try to influence Bibi into acting like a reasonable, responsible human being, and while he failed in that, (no surprise there), he did manage eventually, to pressure him into allowing aid into Gaza etc. Israelis don't like Bibi either, and he is in the fight of his life to stay in power, which explains why he hit the Gaza strip like an out of control serial killer. He wanted Israelis to believe that he was their saviour, vanquishing their enemies, but my Israeli friends are telling me that they ain't buyin' it. What Bibi did in Gaza was an atrocity, a war crime, but if anyone thinks that Biden could have prevented that, I'd like to know how.
Well, Biden could tell Bibi that the money comes with the condition that he must end the genocide, end the bombing and support a two state solution. No support, no money. A majority of Israeli citizens now want Bibi out.
With over NINTETY, AND him pissing off EVERY judge he sees, I find it VERY difficult to believe he AT LEAST won't be confined to his personal, rat- and berder-infested "Xanadu."
Convict him for what ? I’m a college educated retired social worker and teacher . I’m not a cultist not on medication for a mental disorder , delusional or schizophrenic - the old saying that you cannot see the forest for the trees is applicable here . He didn’t steal the election , he didn’t conspire with Russia - Tom Homan says of the six presidents he has worked for , the border was the most secure under the policies of Donald Trump ! He didn’t start a war , the economy was roaring , stock portfolios were very healthy , no inflation -low energy and gas prices , full oil reserves and foreign leaders respected him and us .What is the problem ???
Agree, Hailey did well for a legitimate primary, not the poor showing of GOP electorate that showed up in Iowa for a HS type paper bag vote! Notice the percentages in NH compared to the Caucus Circus?? I do, & will not loose sleep. He’s headed for another series of court room sessions. Americans don’t like Treasonous behavior, no matter the party affiliation. I believe most veterans & military personal also don’t like it when a leader disparages their service/sacrifice to their Nation either👍💙👏🥴
Don’t much care about NYT, WSJ or WP along w/ cable news entertainment either! Have faith, look to independents for real news & truth & America will weather this storm. It will run out of hot air soon, after the feds find National Security breaches & sales of said NS info by Jabba the Smut🤣😂🤣 Have a sense the hammer might fall sooner than we think 🤔, regardless of the MSM trying to steer the bus! Do you hear me?? Mr Murdock & friends??? 🤣
I am subscribed to Farron Cousin's two channels, "The Ring of Fire" and "Farron Balanced," plus former marine Jesse Dollemore's Substack, David Pakman's Substack, former-defense secretary Robert Reich's Substack, and regularly watch Brian Tyler Cohen on Youtube.
All EXCELLENT independent media hosts! ("The Damage Report" is a little more biased, but I love John Iadarola and Francesca Fiorentini!!)
I’ve been thinking the NS and WH will never expose the most dangerous top secret info stolen by trump, due to fear by the allies and agents that they cannot trust us with such information.
But I have absolutely no doubt that documents outlining Israeli security vulnerabilities was in the boxes and made their way into Saudi or other hands -- if only because TFG was mad at Bibi for acknowledging that Biden won in 2020.
If TFG is actually elected, the feds would have to do something/anything (legal or illegal) to keep him away from TS information. Wouldn’t they?
Exposure in Security?? That’s where full gag order & house guard arrest comes in. National Security come first before individual rights of any kind. & there is somewhere a legal avenue allowing for said procedures I’m sure. This is a more serious matter over Legal procedure. & No one should be legally allowed to pardon self. That is not what the pardon tool is for. The legislature could emphasize that in law & add amendment if so, but the tool is there, buried somewhere. If not it needs to happen. The man should have been removed as a public menace years ago by DOJ/FBI. He’s broken more laws that Bonnie & Clyde w/ J Dohmer thrown in🥴
His breaches of security have already caused physical harm to Agents through US Security Network. Has been reported in back channels since he left office.😉
I read that too but I imagine the details would scare the bejesus out of us if we knew. I just hope the feds have figured out what to do about his access to national intelligence if he’s elected!
Agreed!
What was in Biden’s boxes , taken during his senate yrs when he had not the authority afforded presidents to have classified documents or what he took as VP , again without the authority afforded presidents to have classified docs ?
This is a very good insight, as always from you. I might add that it is additionally insightful to read Thom Hartmann’s recent report entitled "The Rise & Fall of the Second Trump Reich: Tick Tock…"
While dystopian in mood, Hartmann warns us of what will happen if there is a return of a second Reich featuring former prez and loser - agent orange.
Reich (and Robert Hubbell) give us reason to be positive in this time of negativity - so as not to despair.
It is now time for us to get out the votes because the stakes are very, very high.
What causes you to write a sentence with Trump and Reich in it ? Agent orange ? What are you , five yrs old ?
The reference was a quote in the headline of Hartmann’s commentary, a comparison to the Third Reich (First Reich being the Holy Roman Empire, Second Reich being the German Empire, and the Third being the Nazi’s.
If you are offended by my reference to the former prez as agent orange, you should read some other references to this individual - who is on a losing streak of his own making.
Five years old? No.
Did you read the commentary by Thom Hartmann?
Robert, thanks for your explanatory update,
as the main stream media already described him as today’s winner!
it’s very confusing to follow the current media, as fhey cannot be trusted…
that’s why i am grateful for your opinions!
fleur 🌻
LOL! The media called the Dem primary for Biden when it hadn't shown him with even a single write-in vote! Talk about bias!!
Uncontested-
dear Secretary Reich: in your last post I expressed surprise and shock that 14% of Democrats thought that political violence might be justified. I pointed out that President Biden has said, "Political violence is never, ever acceptable in the United States’ political system, never, never, never."
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/marking-jan-6-anniversary-biden-warns-political-violence-poses-grave-threat-to-democracy
To my shock and surprise, many commenters responded to my comment by supporting the use of political violence to counteract the right. I pointed out that those guys shoot much better than we do and suggested a massive passive resistance campaign on the lines of the civil rights movement of 1955 - 1968.
Secretary Reich, will you please join me and President Biden in totally condemning the use of political violence?
I get it, but we Americans need to be ready to DEFEND AMERICA if we are attacked a SECOND time! As you said, political violence is NEVER the answer . . . but it IS in DEFENSE. If another Insurrection occurs, we must ensure it NEVER happens again. If it takes Our Capital Police gunning down the violent Insurrectionists, I believe it is justified this time.
Did you notice that a combination of the Capitol police, the DC police, and various units of the National Guard of DC, Maryland, and Virginia manage to contain the capital riot within 6 hours? And only one, very justified, bullet was shot during the whole time? There will never be a time when the Capitol is not well defended during a trump-inspired demonstration.
6 hours is a long time to have to hide from a violent mob that did kill people. Sometimes a single door between the mob and the representatives they wanted to attack. I envy your easy comfort.
Did you notice that I said the Capitol will never be so unprepared again.? Have you noticed that the trump thugs have never tried a mass action since they were prosecuted so successfully for their nastiness on Jan 6?
I actually don't see the word "again", not that it matters. They were not able to prosecute all that should have been prosecuted. As you have pointed out, many in the MAGA movement are still talking about political violence, civil war even. I don't want to be insulting, and I admire your high-mindedness, but it seems a bit on the "pollyanna" side. May peace be with you.
"There will never be a time when the Capitol is not well defended during a trump-inspired demonstration."
"There will never be a time" = it won't happen AGAIN.
I'm not being a Pollyanna— I just believe that they are better at using guns than we are, so we need to find more effective weapons, and MLK showed the way. If a despised black minority can use the weapons of nonviolent resistance to change the United States, a majority of democracy loving people can do the same.
Daniel, I would understand the use by Capitol Police to ensure their safety and the safety of the politicians inside. I would even agree to National Guard to protect the Capitol. Those are necessary defenses. I just don't feel Americans need to pick up guns and begin shooting each other because of their political affiliations.
Yeah. Tell that to the far right. They can’t wait. Gotta meet ‘em head on. 😎
Every day spent using crap like Facebook is a day of passive resistance.
= )
(The people of Georgia appear to have headed just such a call to action: note the all-but-unequivocally-illegal-and-obscenely-obstructive lines to vote & the patient, calm, civil manner in which voters not only cast their Chad-free votes... but also the way the civil servants dispatched their responsibilities - sometimes in the face of harassment & intimidation.)
It is amazing what the Democratic Party of Georgia has done to encourage voting.
Stacey Abrams et al. worked very hard to accomplish that!
I'm not advocating violence, but there are many on the left that shoot very well.
Since you are not advocating violence, how is that relevant?
Many on the right are violent and unenlightened, I don't want them to have the false and emboldening impression that violence against the left would be a cake walk.
So, political violence is not fine, but threats of violence are just fine? If you are willing to threaten violence, you are walking 3 inches from the edge of a cliff, and noone has that balance to be sure they would not fall off.
Somehow the African Americans of the United States managed to gain their civil rights without violence or threats of violence. during 1955 - 1968.
Since African Americans are the most consistently despised group in American history, I think we Democracy loving Americans, who are the majority in the country can manage without violence, or threats of violence.
It's called defending yourself, Kathleen. Unfortunately bullies often only understand standing up to them. Of course, the vast majority of us are for peaceful means. But being completely passive sometimes emboldens the bullies. Just like foreign policy: diplomacy first, but be ready for any needed action. Peaceful protests are a great idea. Another women's march.
Sadly, history teaches that sometimes either violence or the threat of it (think the labor movement of the early 1900's, up through the Great Depression) is what gets the attention of those in power enough to make needed changes. FDR's New Deal didn't happen in a vacuum: it was the result of decades of labor struggles, riots, threats, and deaths. The same is true of the civil rights movement.'MLK led the way with peaceful resistance, which made great impact,'yet was accompanied again with violence and deaths.
Bottom line: I will try any peaceful means to resolve issues in a civil manner, but our democracy and its freedoms are too important to me to allow someone to walk over them using intimidation and violence. If necessary, I will defend those freedoms, both for myself and my family, using the most civil means possible, but using other means if necessary.
I don't feel I threatened violence, rather defense, and I don't believe I stepped closer to the cliff than the black panther party did.
Defensive violence is still violence. During the civil rights movement of 1955- 1968, African American demonstrators were beaten and hosed, but no one pulled a gun out of his pocket, because that would have wrecked the civil rights movement. It would have allowed the racist to claim they were just putting down violent people.
Did you notice that black panthers and black Muslims were not welcome at demonstrations sponsored by MLK and his allies?
Kathleen, Gandhi is also a great example of nonviolent resistance.
absolutely. But very few Americans know anything about Gandhi. And too damn few know anything about MLK. It is one of the privileges of my life to have been an eyewitness to the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 60s.
There are different types of shooting. One can shoot off ones mouth as Trump does?
His shooting can cause as much or more damage. The pen can be mightier than the sword?
It's relevant because you brought it up. GG is simply stating that many of us shoot very well.
Later on, GG admitted that he wanted to make a subtle threat of violence by stating that many antitrumpers shoot very well.
Any threat of violence is a provocation, that will justify in other people's minds executing violence.
MLK managed a whole transformative campaign in the United States without a single one of his followers threatening violence toward anybody. If the Blacks in the South had resorted to violence or threats of violence during the civil rights movement, they would have been massacred.
Um...https://www.britannica.com/topic/Black-Panther-Party. They were well armed and actually marched... I concede that GG walked his statement back. I will not. I am simply stating a fact. No different than saying that the sky is blue.
The Black Panther movement was completely distinct from the Southern Christian leadership Conference headed by MLK. The Black Panthers were not welcome at demonstrations sponsored by MLK. He never endorsed them Because he disapproved of their strategy of threatening violence by carrying weapons.
It totally depends on the context what impact words will have.
If you walk into a bar, shove your face in a man's face and say “Your date is ugly and she needs a bath,“ you are acting provocatively.
If you walk into a country today and say, “We anti-trumpists have guns too, and we are quite good at shooting!" That too is a provocation that increases the chances of violence.
BTW, I have nothing against people keeping guns in their houses for self-protection, except that greatly increases the chances of suicide, fatal family violence, and accidents involving children.
Kathleen, I agree with you. Violence is never the answer. I believe in the power of a large unified resistance campaign with many, many voices. It began to move the civil rights movement in the right direction at least. There is still a long way to go in the civil rights movement but change happens in increments. Just when you begin to think all is lost, something will happen to renew your faith and it makes you work harder. We must continue to fight but as John Lewis said "Get in good trouble"!
I’m all for it. However all that hate, and racism won’t go away. It’ll just go underground. Back under the rocks. Seething, and waiting for the next opportunity to rise up again. America has been a racist nation from day one. It continues to be. 😎
But Jeff, at least it would give us a breather from all of this chaos for a little bit. Yes, I agree, we will always have to fight this battle. It would just be great if they would all slither back under their rocks for just a little while!
Peggy, I do believe that we can make that happen. Now, give a fist bump. 👊😎
Jeff, just imagine I'm giving you a fist bump because I am not tech savvy and don't know how to put those cute pictures in my texts!! Here goes......fist bump!!
Awesome! 👍😎
There are many ways we can fight, especially in the courts. But if we do a direct action, it should be prolonged and very visible. The following is my idea:
We have gigantic power in the northeast states to shut the country down. We could start with the interstates circling Washington DC. All we have to do is to get several thousand people on I-95 north of DC, I-95 south of DC., I-66 West of DC, and on one place on the Beltway. If we can keep this up for two weeks, or even 4 weeks, we can heavily encourage Congress or the Supreme Court to act to rectify the situation.
Things are not hopeless!
PS: Do not demonstrate in red states — they will mow you down.
I feel terrible discordance reading your statement “President Biden has said, “political violence is never , ever, acceptable in the United States ...” when he is standing vigilant against cease fire in Gaza while our bombs are turning thirty thousand plus
Women, children , babies and old men into ruble along with their housing , hospitals, schools, bakeries, orchards, and farms!??? He certainly approves of political violence in every other part of the globe at least when it’s enacted with our money voir Yemen, Syria, Lebanon, Afghanistan, Ukraine, Iraq, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Africa voir over 1500 permanent and temporary US military bases on the planet?? !!!
There is a difference between approving of violence and working to stop it thru compromise. Living in Cambodia I see often there are few easy roads to peaceful coexisting with those who violently disagree with you!
A sadly thoughtless comment. And "standing vigilant against a ceasefire?" Almost laughable if it weren't so disgusting and ignorant.
I wish that Biden would do a lot more to change what is going on in Gaza, but that doesn't make him wrong about political violence in the United States.
How about the violence we the people are increasingly living with? Shot in church, schools, grocery stores! How about the violence of the Brown shirts persistent threats to us? Our courts, laws, Congress, officials are failing us . Freedom involves responsibility. Your freedom ends at my nose. Why are my rights so abrogated and nothing changes? I think of Sandy Hook, Uvalde. Insane and ongoing.
If Haley hangs in there a bit longer, Trumps cognitive impairment combined with legal entanglements will sink his ship. Every speech is sounding more like an escapee from a memory lock down nursing facility.
But then, we'll have Haley as someone more "reasonable" and more threatening in the general election. Haley - funded by Koch - Welcome to Project 2025.
Vote Blue, no matter who. The fate of the world is in the balance.
It’s a fine line. Liz Cheney will go all Carrie Fisher on Trump but will get behind Haley. I think a brokered Republican Convention would be a merry thing to see.
This endless campaign nonsense makes me (sort of) miss those cigar smoke filled backrooms. Once in a while, they produced a decent winner.
Wiki:
"The 1880 Republican National Convention convened from June 2 to June 8, 1880, at the Interstate Exposition Building in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Delegates nominated James A. Garfield of Ohio and Chester A. Arthur of New York as the official Republican Party candidates for president and vice president in the 1880 presidential election."
Garfield had not campaigned and had not sought the nomination.
Bill, you couldn't have said it any better.
Dear Robert,
I love getting your emails and your words. I have one small request - could you please skip showing photos of Trump? I wish all the media would stop flashing photos of him everywhere. We all know what he looks like and seeing his photo is just too tiring and annoying. And I'm sure he revels in it. Thank you for your consideration. Be well.
👍👍🙏
Just look up the authoritarian Heritage Foundation plan called “Project 2025”. THIS is the Republican platform.
They finally have a platform. 👏🏻 The reason they will loose is that their platform wants to dismantle our working government, while it’s working, it’s like trying to take apart a V12 engine while it’s running, bad things are bound to happen. A lot of people don’t like everything about Joe Biden and some of his policies, but he looks pretty good in comparison to the inane insipid clown and his platform.
...Haley isn't much better as she's hot to go after Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid .along with what she and the (R)s refer to as "other entitlements". She needs to be told that Social Security os based on a trust that people pay into while working. No benefits are paid for out of the general budget.
Best route to long term solvency is raise or even better, eliminate the Social Security earnings cap which should also include income from sale of or dividends on investments along with major assets. Won't require raising the retirement age or handing the programme over to the Wall Street Casino (privatisation) and the best part, monthly benefits could be increased to pull seniors and disabled citizens out of poverty.
Weare tired of carrying the weight of the wealthy on our backs, time they pull some of the load.
She consistently lies about the US not being a racist country, while stating in her book that she was a victim of racism as an Indian American. As a black person, I will never vote for her regardless of if I agree with her on policies, which I obviously do not.
I totally agree about getting rid of the social security earnings cap. That right there will solve lots of problems, including probably providing at least single-payer health insurance, aka Medicare for All.
Haley lives in the Deep South. She is an East Indian. The caste system parallels white supremacy perfectly. Good fit for her to hide behind.
You're right about that. I had Indian coworkers here in the US. I learned first hand about that dreadful system from them.
👏🏻👏🏻 👏🏻 I couldn’t agree more and I would vote for all of that. Haley if she ends up with the nomination, and she very well might, the repugnantkins would probably see her as a life raft as the insipid clown sinks into his legal quagmire, but we can never forget that she is totally on board with the insipid clowns program.
Completely agree. Despite his victory Trump couldn't resist trashing Chris Sununu and Nikki Haley and embarrassing and demanding fealty from Vivek Ramaswamy and Tim Scott. He can't control himself.
Lol that is his idea of control.
Because all fealty must be paid to him...the would be king