It’s not hard to understand how disenfranchised Americans can be made to understand they’ve been systematically screwed over by the establishment. That’s completely true, and in this way a wider responsibility for these dire circumstances must be borne. It is utterly dumbfounding, however, as to how they can see a vote for Trump as a remedy to this.
Dareen -- who are the "disenfranchised" Americans you're referring to or are you using the term metaphorically? It seems to me Trump supporters and their ilk have been voting unhindered for quite some time. It is the in-reality-disenfranchised Americans we need to be championing in these desperate times.
I think you are hinting that his supporters' concerns haven't been heard. While they may have real economic concerns (as do many non-Trumpers), those concerns are being manipulated/transposed by their puppeteers into racist misogynistic supremacist ideologies that they have no problem accepting. So no, I don't accept that they are "disenfranchised".
You’re right to make that distinction. I was using the term in its looser sense, to identify those whose real interests are not met or even seriously considered by the national political process (Although literal disenfranchisement through voter suppression and an inevitable hopelessness/apathy in the face of what I’m describing is a real issue).
The US social and political system simply doesn’t cater for the needs of large sections of the populace. These lines are mostly drawn along class/racial lines, but a more concrete way of looking at it would be to identify the millions who can’t access healthcare in The States: a real anomaly amongst developed economies. This isn’t an accident or oversight; it’s the result of a clear decision, that has straddled the political divide, to run the country in the interests of business capital rather than people.
There’s no shortage of examples of deliberate neglect and deprivation *in the richest country in the world.*
For that reason, it’s hard to see that all are meaningfully involved in the running of the country. Disinformation, capital/Citizens Utd, poor education, gerrymandering, voter suppression, media capture etc. means that many Americans don’t even know this is happening to them. And can, as I said, be tragically, ironically persuaded to vote for one as notoriously rapacious, self-interested, and exploitative as Trump. They are to all intents and purposes disenfranchised.
Great response Dareen. Mostly rural America, see us, the Democrats, as interested only in city dwellers, people who do not have their needs met (persons of color, other languages, other religions, different sexual persuasions). At the same time they see us as disinterested in their needs. To some extent they are right. The good paying construction jobs in bringing our highway structure up to safety standards is great, but again it will mostly help urban/suburban dwellers, not rural people. I'm not arguing against rebuilding and maintaining our infrastructure - we just need to present it in a different way. The building of nationwide highways in the 50's and 60's made life better for everyone, including rural people as it opened up commerce to remote areas.. They know this, but that was more than 60 years ago. Instead of us explaining to the rural masses how they too will benefit, we've left it up to their dumbass retrumplican legislators who fill them with lies and hatred. I know and you know, that green energy will help all of America - but we don't bother explaining the benefits to these "forgotten people". President Biden is going to bring high speed internet access to all - but all they see is computer games and social media - we need to show them how internet will benefit them too - and not just socially. Finally we need to have clinics and hospitals built in no more than 100 miles from where these people live (50 miles would be a better goal) For all these reasons and more the DNC, DCCC,. DSCC need to get out there to rural America NOW, Recruit viable candidates and groom them in how to campaign and demonstrate to these people we care.
an underlying political problem is one or representation. rural states with insignificant populations relative to populated states have disproportionate representation in the senate. Their lifestyles are destroyed both by agribusiness and the banking cartels that finance them, but not understanding this, blame those their elected officials direct them to. so if we abolish the electoral college, make elections one person one vote, ranked choice voting, national holday for voting, abolish house districts in favor of statewide representation (easily done in this age of rapid trans and instant communication) which would make gerrymandering impossible, a huge host of problems could be solved. it won't happen.
I agree Paul, but what I suggest is doable and could re-engage us. The other way is to accept the status quo and live with one third of the country willing to annihilate two thirds of us, plus the constant threat of a dictatorship looming over us. Of course we could divide the US into smaller countries, the majority of people (who also have most of the assets) living in social democracies, while others drift into small third world dictatorships of strong, but stupid and cruel, white men., who remain a constant threat to the otherwise peaceful democracies.
i worry that this could be challenged and abolished by the current court. the repugnants will stop at nothing, as we've seen. i can just see drumpf calling it "rigged"
Absolutely. And where are the Democrats?! The oligarchic media couldn't leave one second of time without mentioning Trump. Republicans were all over the media in grotesque defense of Trump. One Democrat, Jamie Raskin finally spoke out and said Jim Jordan had no jurisdiction to go after Alvin Bragg (a Trump request). That's it. Not one Democrat spoke supporting the rule of law, Alvin Bragg, or disputing any of the awful bullshit in the ruling class news! Trump is not the devastating destructive force dismantling our democracy, the GOP is!
Absolutely right, Claire. Yesterday, progressives were so giddy with excitement that they barely noticed what was really going on.
It is unprecedented (and profoundly damaging) for the Speaker of the House -- the third highest-ranking federal officer in our government -- to publicly accuse a State Prosecutor and Grand Jury of "abuse of power" and "political vengeance". Kevin McCarthy is every day showing how unsuited he is for that position, and he needs to be removed and replaced.
But aside from that, with regard to electoral politics and representation of "the white working class", it also seems the Democratic Party is no longer interested in representing them. Rather than trying to appeal to those who are skeptical, our campaigns have become a cold calculation of where to allocate resources based on which districts are "winnable".
Consequently, the Democratic Party seems unwilling to even try to win districts that are considered "reliably Republican". Colorado's 3rd district, for example, was very nearly flipped by a Democrat who complained that he got almost no support from the national party -- he lost by only about 500 votes.
And we wonder why the rural populations think they're being written off and considered insignificant? Of course they'll be loyal to the guy who promises to be their warrior.
You write as if the Dems are not equally subservient to the billionaire class as the Repugnants.
They are. Biden is. Over a third of voters feel the (your) stonewalling of their interests & don't vote or even pay attention. The puppeteers increase their death grip with every deflection of public attention.
We don’t negotiate with the one and only fascist party who committed treason & deadly sedition. That’s the republican cult not the democrats. Get focused on the one party stopping any attempted progress for working people..RescumliCons. There is no comparison.
Yes, there is big money interests on both sides but not the level of outrageous corruption of republicans. The disdain for working people and people of color is what republicans are all about. Nothing more! Trump administration has had 215 indictments. Obama - zero Biden - zero.
Sorry, SeekingReason, I usually agree with you, but imo being less outrageously corrupt is being "a little bit pregnant." Corporatism may not be politically or racially fascist, but it's all about $$ and power, neither of which help "working people and people of color" either.
Small objection. Please use the word the neutral word “teach” instead of a loaded word, “groom,” which is now used to mean “prepare someone to be led astray or exploited.”
I agree we need to demonstrate to rural people and the non-wealthy wherever they live that government is on their side.
Social trust. Much of the world celebrates as the American social fabric shreds. The rift appears not in just party and community, it has shredded personal relationships. We must fight against the forces that tear us apart.
One of my dearest friends, a college educated healthcare professional, is married to a radical Trumper. She has drunk some of the koolade. We DO discuss current events. Respectfully. We have chosen to value and preserve our friendship over all else.
Dareen: Also. More than half the population are women, who are being treated like government property. They can not control their fertility. Forced birth affects their lives and their offspring too.
It seems to me that "disenfranchised" used in this context can also include those who receive farm subsidies. I see that, "U.S., subsidies to the agriculture sector typically run around $20 billion per year". Who is this money going to each year, anyway? How is the percentage broken down, I wonder?
I know that entitlements are being attacked by the GOP even though we have paid through the nose each paycheck for the "privilege" of these entitlements when we reach 65--no I'm incorrect--it's now 66.5 yrs. And I understand food stamps, and school lunch programs are also being attacked.
I definitely agree with the assessment of the undereducated, and the "rapacious self-interest" and also the "exploitative", not just by the Ex, but also the whole party because it goes for all those who stay silent and support the lunatics who foster the division and fear that is building and will no doubt continue to escalate through the 2024 campaign. A hell of a lot of people need help, continuously in this country because of our basic economic system.
Whether right or wrong, it's missing the mark and has missed the mark a great deal throughout the years. The US Census Bureau states that in 2021, 11.6% of the US population was in poverty with 2022 not changing very much. I shudder think what would happen if our population were growing as it once did. Yet, the conservatives seem to want to legislate forcing people to have unwanted and unsupported mistake pregnancies, potentially adding to the disenfranchised.
Yes, Janet, their critical analysis skills are sorely lacking. These are the sort of people who were raised on "Do as I say, not as I do." "Have faith, god loves you" and other such assorted nonsense. This is part of the reason trump was able to pull the wool over their eyes, with his I alone can help you, vote for me I'll save you. They also fell for Reagan's mockery of the government. Add to that they have been raised in relatively homogeneous communities, where almost everybody is white, attends the same church, goes to the same school, looks, thinks, and talks the same. When they hear, it's the foreigners, colored people, LGBTQ, intelligencia, east coast elites, Californians, who are out to destroy America they believe it, after all, it isn't them, so somebody has to be at fault. They have seen blubber guy on TV so he must be good. right? They believe what they are told, which is why we need to recruit the intelligent among their ranks to find their real needs and tell them who the really bad guys are, so they understand, the wealthy white Americans don't give a damn about them and the people they were told to hate are suffering at least as much as they and in some cases more from the same shared enemy as they are facing. That is what brought all of us together in WW2. We haven't been together since. It's time for us to reach out the olive leaf.
Imo they'll tell you what their "real needs" are, Fay. But they're hypocrites which makes it tough to decipher what they mean.
Ask a woman in TN's D-4 who has voted for Scott Desjarlais in every election since 2010 why she has. He's a family values, pro-life man whose ex-wife had 2 abortions while they were married, and he was recorded pressuring his mistress to have one too.
If you can explain to me why ANY woman would vote for that pos, you've got the key to turn many Republicans away from the extreme RW. I can't understand it, which means I wouldn't be a good choice to reach out to his voters. I first read about him in 2014 and thought "Great -- there's one lying sack who won't be in DC next year." Wrong.
When I have 'talked to' republicans, or worse yet maggots, I get similar replies. "I love trump. he tells 'em" "He own the libs" "He don't take no shit from anyone" BS. But if we ignore their beloved politicians and ask what they really need to make their lives better, it's a different story. If people go into their towns, and don't introduce themselves as political people but say "We're taking a survey to see what is needed by the people in "Hamletsville" You start hearing their real needs. "We need a co-op that doesn't cost so much so we get a decent return on our produce or grains, livestock. etc. We need a medical clinic to take care of us and our kids so we don't have to drive 200 miles when Johnnie breaks his leg. We need clean, reliable drinking water." Then you find a decent Democrat who is ready and willing to go to Washington and get those things for them. The trumpster got them because he is a con man. a ham actor, who is willing to put on a stupid show to entice them - but he gives them nothing. Offer them a candidate who tells them not only what he will do for them but how it will be measured. These people's grandparents or great grandparents . loved FDR, because he followed through on his promises and their lives were better. If we get politicians who will do the same, albeit on a smaller scale, they will love that person too. We don't need to talk about the trumpster, or any of his misbegotten enablers. Bad mouthing them gets us nowhere, telling them what Biden has already done, explaining a new regulation or law - that will succeed.
The amount of ignorance never ceases to amaze. Biden actually has not had a majority to pass the much needed changes. Manchin & Sinema might as well be counted as republicans. You got it right in saying “willfully ignorant”.
Unfortunately, what will break the spell is climate change. The south, especially floriduh is being hit very hard. They cry about “states rights”, but it will be the federal government who bails them out. Will they understand this? Maybe not everyone. But human nature is that not much changes unless there is a disaster, and it’s here and getting worse.
There is a Florida Right to Clean Water .org initiative in the state.All the waterways are seriously dirty and need care.There's been a bass fishing tournament canceled because of fish kill,too many fishermen can't go out and fish for obvious reasons.There is a need to get a massive amt. of petitions signed to get on the ballot by Nov. 30.
Wow, Jodi, I'm sorry for your troubles. You're analysis seems spot on- it's astounding that nearly 150 years after Reconstruction the same tired oppressive strategies continue to work. I have no solution- it's like trying to fix Haiti.
That’s amazing Jodi. That there could be enough Blue voters to change things but they don’t vote, is disheartening. The scientific community just announced we are hurtling into irreversible effects. Disastrous weather will continue and get even worse, then food crops will disappear.
The government should put a mandatory block on ANY press about Trump and pull the licenses of so-called news allowing intentional lies. This is not blocking free speech, it is protecting the public from dangerous & sometimes deadly misleading information.
I have a friend who is one of the disenfranchised. He was a past MAGA supporter and current inactive MAGA who consumes a decent amount of misinformation. In 1997 he made $32 per hour which equates too $133k in todays dollars and had paid health for him and his wife and kids. He then had stagnant wages for 10 years. Then the company went under and his entire retirement which was in the form stocks of that company (he had swapped from 401k investment to company equivalent shares) became worth about $186.The bankruptcy settlement paid out shareholders first. His company equivalent shares which had been quite sizeable became worrh nothing. He got a pay cut in the form of contract labor and no health insuranance. Fast forward to now. He makes $40 an hour for $83k a year minus $1600 per month for health insurance So 83k-19k=$63k. Going from $133k to $63k. Same basic job. He is in year 6 of losing his house not paying the mortage for that time. He is in constant legal battles to try and stay at the house which supports his wife, drug addict son and partial tenant his daughter.. He has no retirement and is 60+ years old. Thats the story of a MAGA disenfranchisement. Just because he isnt suffering as badly as other disenfranchised folks doesnt mean he is not suffering and that needs to be recognized and appealed to if we want more than what seems like only 25% of the Democratic party to support progressive candidates.
Bill, there are a whole lot of us out here who have been through some pretty rough times, but we didn't become MAGAts. I'm really tired of listening to the hard luck stories of these people over and over again. I've been hearing them since 2015.
They are human beings just like you and me. The whole problem with wealth and inequality is that those in power have no sympathy for people like us becase they never SEE us. Once you humanize someone its a lot harder to discriminate, oppress, or harm that person or group.
Agreed. This conversation is exactly what the oligarchs want. Us infighting while they step away with the loot. My mom are on opposite sides of the political spectrum, but one thing we can both agree on is everyone needs to pay their fair share.
People all need the same basics which are becoming more difficult for some to fulfill in a reliable manner. I believe that if Fox News and the right-wing media had not infiltrated the rural networks long ago, many of the MAGAs would have been Bernie supporters.
Fox News and majority ownership of the media conglomerates by the far right is probably THE most dangerous thing ever to happen to the US. Putin used our media to perfection.
The Magats just feel that because thay are hetero, white, Christian etc etc they should never be lumped in with “those” people. They are entitled to get there’s before anyone else, it’s in the Bible and the constitution!
There are definitely those who believe that. Like in Florida people arent necessarily starting with that idea. Its being indoctronated into them. The son of a carpenter I knew went to Florida to learn motorcycle repair and he got roped in to a Neonazi group. He came back to NY after they wanted him to deal drugs. To answer your other comment on not understand why MAGA folks cut off their nose despite their face I can thank of this...
I was in a Narcissistic business relationship. Its similiar. A person finds the Narcissist/Republican, this can be advertisement or word of mouth. The N/R has a sympathetic ear for the possible new recruit. They will help with all your problems. They just need a little money up front to get things started (like a political donation). As you get to know them they fill you with their narative of the world. Everything revolves around them by the way and they are also very altruistic (if you go out to dinner with a Narcissist your doing business with its ot generosity, your paying in some form). When people start calling them out on their BS, the N/R will breadcrumb them giving them something they want (or think they want), ie abortion restrictions, tighter border policies, more violent policing. What the N/R will never give is what the person wants and is doing business with the person in the first place. To get their job done or in Republicans case to improve the lives of their constituents. For those who get really vocal in their disappoitment they get outed as cheapscates, adulterers, homosexuals, place your perceived enemy here. Because they must keep control of the narrative. Once it becomes obvious that N/R isn't delivering on their promises by a majority then the court cases start and people try to claw back what was stolen from them. In the N/R's wake you have a bunch of folks whos financial place has not improved or gotten worse who just spent a ton of time and possibly a lot of money for nothing. I would agree that they themselves are responsible for repeating the racist and anti immigrant rhetoric. What I will say is that as Narcissitic abusees, they are actually victims of a Narcissist. Unfortunately its not a quick process to get out from under a Narcissists thrall. It can take years and sometimes they can only figure it out on their own. Again I am not excuseing MAGA folks behavior, they are responsible for the horrible things they do. As Texas Paul says as these people get dissolusioned and come out of the MAGA mess we need to be there for them. There is no better way to sew discontent than for a believer to not believe and spread the truth.
That’s not what disenfranchised means. Is your friend deprived of voting rights? Is he barred from participation in society? Are his legal rights denied?
Sounds like he’s had a really rough go of it but he’s not disenfranchised.
He doesnt have access to a living wage, free health care and a retirement or pension. A lot of those things people think should be a right. I dont see how this has to become a more oppressed than thow conversation. We all can site instances of disenfranchisement in our lives or for those we love. MAGA folks see themselves as the victim. For reasons such as immigration, racism, wokism they definitely arent the victims. They are the victims of misinformation and are being used for the Oligarch's agenda of distracting us from the real problems of wealth and inequality. When Robert Reich went to the heartland half these MAGA folks were ready to vote for Bernie Sanders. I was once in a club that was very exclusive. I tried to swing the board towards more inclusivity and they didnt want to hear it. The club still exists but it is half of what it was before. We need at least half of the 222 million bottom 1% wage earners to come to our side to effect the kind of change we need.. Dismissing what? 40% of Americans will make that an impslossibility.
"He doesn't have access to a living wage, free health care and a retirement or pension. "
He is a potential beneficiary of over a million in family benefits as long as he is fully and currently insured by Social Security. It could be that his drug addict son can get benefits based on his earnings record.
He could be subsidized for medical benefits by Obamacare.
Potentially he could be protected by bankruptcy laws and depending on state law has homestead protection.
Even if he becomes destitute at old age, he could be entitled to Supplemental Security Income at age 65.
The republican misinformation machine is in overdrive right now. For every law being proposed that taxes the very rich, Ive already heard a misinformation rebuttle. This is why they still vote for the do nothing party (Republicans). If there anger were directed with the real information I think the politicians they voted for for would be in trouble. Especially if there was an alternative who voiced progressive ideas all the time.
Only Bill could say but disenfranchised here I think may mean feeling hopeless about things we all (perhaps over fifty-five) used to feel represented a good life but now (me included) don't see as necessarily being part of the landscapes of many folks American dream
Exactly, Bill. Only the wealthy can afford a decent nursing home or in-home care. Those of us who have only Social Security have nowhere to go when we can no longer take care of ourselves. All of us "Boomers" either have or soon will run out of time.
Bill, Paula, PK99, I wanted to reply a few days back but could not due to a remote location. I was out of range on the internet. I agree with our collective problem in America regarding all the above. None of us collectively have a solution, and many don't know and don't believe there is a problem. They, as you're all aware, do not see the forest for the trees. No insurance can and, in too many instances, does lead to death, which, if treated in time, can prolong life and its quality. SS and Medicare are woefully inadequate for much, and aspirin and Band-Aids can only do so little. White grievance, not sure how any of us claiming that on forms for whatever are anything but ashamed of our present situation and openly condemn the past as genocide to many. Europe was a mess when descendants came to North America, and many only made it horribly worse by actions shown since then and up to now. Many in America have acted as youth and adults to try and counter the past and the present. More often than not, positive strides go largely unrecognized, while horrors get lots of notice. This forum allows us to share opinions and perhaps take some solace in our strides to be better. Thanks for your kind words to my Substack read!
For the most part It is the Republicans who pulled out all the stops (regulations) to allow large employers to treat their employees in this manner. I am sure if they had a majority in the House and the Senate the Democrats would take action to remedy these issues. And Trump cares not one bit about these people. They have been duped.
The Republicans have DEMONSTRATED THROUGH THEIR ACTIONS that their ONLY allegiance is to the CASH and who provides it to them. The root cause of what is WRONG with our government structure is that its foundation is built on special interests PRIVATE MONEY. NOTHING will change until this is changed.
The time you talk about sound Strikingly familiar to those in the late 1920s before the great depression. And what caused that? The greed of the rich maggots. please don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater.
There is a plethora of problems facing this country and the world, and most of them pertain to greed of unbridled capitalism.
And these people want to blame someone and usually it is someone who has nothing to do with his problems. He then supports the very people who want to continue to ruin his life? I just don’t understand that hypocrisy part.
That is exactly what needs to happen. His mortgage was bought out by a bank I am guessing a private equity firm and they keep trying to auction it without him knowing so he cant bid on it. If there is a poster child for corporate regulations its him. Thank you for your kind words. I will continue to gently pursuade.
Yeap hes got one. All I ever hear is hes waiting on this or waiting on that. An emergency happens, he spends money on lawyer fees and court filings and then all goes back to status quo. He keeps hoping, the house keeps getting almost sold and the lawyer gets more money. I believe he had filed bankruptcy and then unfiled recently when the auction was cancelled. I only get an selective version of the story, not sure if he even knows whats really going on.
It's probably not accurate to lump the MAGAs into one undifferentiated mass, since they vary in what they are dissatisfied about. But, some are those who've been left behind by the economy and I agree, many have jumped on the hate band wagon that targets anyone who isn't White, male, Christian (at least claim to be) heterosexual etc. It looks to me that most of them are operating out of fear. Fear of losing their status, fear of change and difference, fear of being "replaced", and tfg has tapped into that. If they weren't so dangerous we could see that they are engaging in one giant temper tantrum about having to share their cookie with others.
I 100% agree. My older, white, Christian parents feel like they're the victims in all of this, even though they're the ones who keep voting against their own interests.
I suspect that some of them are succumbing to group think and the need to fit into their communities.
Also, I recall the story of one young man who was gradually drawn towards Nazism through the internet. It began with jokes and humor, but over time drew him further into it. There have been several moms that have warned of this happening to their sons.
I see bright and shining faces in the MAGA crowd; probably stoned, some are just into it for the fun. They could care less about Trump’s message. They are the Merry Pranksters’ Golden Anniversary bus tour, shakin’ things up and givin’ it to The Man. Instead of Ken Kesey, theirs is Baphomet.
You may be right in that some of them might be just in it for fun, but there wasn't much fun being had on January 6th. And when tfg is strutting on stage pointing fingers with his hate-filled message at anyone who isn't of the "appropriate" type I hear echoes of a small mustachioed man and his adoring crowds raising their hands in stiff salutes - so no laughing matter.
The MAGA clowns that are up in arms about the possibility of Trump being indicted are uneducated fools. If Donald has done no wrong the court will find him innocent. I don't understand why Trump's supporters would be so against their man having his day in court. What better way to show the world he has done nothing illegal? An honest man should never fear our judicial system, it's there for our benefit. Look at the English way of holding a trial, there you have to prove your innocence, completely opposite of what we offer here in the States. In this country, anyone that fears our court system is doing so because they're obviously guilty. Trump maintains he is the object of a witch hunt, well Donnie let's see how many lies you tell in an attempt to get out of this one. The only difference being, you'll be placed under oath and your inability to tell the truth just might jump up and bite you in the ass on your way to a 5-year prison sentence for perjury. Let us not forget this is the first of at least 4 offenses Trump will face in the coming months. I would hate to see his legal bills, but no problem his supporters just love throwing money at the guy. The old saying "A fool and his money are soon parted." Trump is the captain on the ship of fools.
Dnkarr ; If anything, these malcontents who choose criminal attacks and flout the rule of law have had an outsized voice. The 'Supreme' court is doing the bidding of their agenda of revenge. tRump says he is their retribution.
I suspect most of Trump's supporters don't see him as a remedy but more of a poison pill for a country they believe has failed them. The rational may run something like "If I'm going down, I'm taking you all with me!"
I can say it in one word - racism. The uninformed and misinformed have been convinced that it's not the establishment that's disenfranchised them, it's the people that are different than them. And 45 is a master at stoking those fires of racism.
You need to grasp the other's perspective to understand it. For example, do you value some things more than money? What if I tell you that I don't understand how you can value anything more than money, that if you do, you are voting against your self-interest?
However, I have no problem seeing how undereducated and deindustrialized Americans might vote for such a person who uses his demagogic performance skills to say that he is on their side and recognizes how the more well educated and successful Democrats have not just ignored them, but often rhetorically turned on them. Liberals are expert at giving reactionaries opportunities for political success. Given a likely alternative it might be that many would vote differently. Some did with Obama and Bernie. Opponents to the Republicans have not made a good faith try at including these people for 50 years.
His mental illness, that of toxic narcissism, must be explained and revealed; his felonies proven by a jury and he sent to prison so he is unable to further his destruction of our social network and our country. He is a cancer that has spread to Brazil and other countries and must be stopped as surely as Hitler.
The Justice Department needs to speed up its investigations of Trump. His attempted insurrection was over 2 years ago and so far he has not faced any consequences. No wonder he is again calling out his supporters for mob violence. It is an old saying that the wheels of justice turn slowly but this is ridiculous.
Chris, why is the country & voters being subjected to his vile from his own social media as well as his crazy rallies?? Why isn’t the Justice Dept or FBI throwing the 14th Amendment at him where it says seditionists cannot hold office! He proved to voters & the country that his intention is to use a coup to take the country by force of he isn’t elected. Who wants to go thru that Jan 6th day again? Not me, not my Dem friends. He just SHOULDN’T be allowed to subject all of us to his vile & nonsense bec he’s a poor loser! What does it take to enforce the 14th Amendment ? I’ve heard of only 1 low level office holder who was part of Jan 6 that has been removed from his job. Nobody has done anything with the GOP members of Congress who were directly & indirectly involved in the fake electors attempt & the ones who gave tours of the Capitol or the ones who participated in the earlier planning of the militia attack! I don’t understand why these elected officials are being allowed to get away with crimes? Then there’s Santos who hasn’t been kicked out for his fraudulent credentials to win election even when his constituents want him gone now that they know he lied. The GOP is making a laughing stock out of our Justice Dept & our country’s rule of law! It just should not be allowed to go on & on!
The Leo Leonard network was started before trump and, IMO, embraced the authoritarian style. They spend billions supporting the right-wing agenda. Trump is just the front man.
Trump is claiming to be the victim of the Deep State. Trump’s false and dystopian portrait of the nation takes to its logical conclusion the narrative Republicans have pushed since the 1980s. Since the days of Ronald Reagan, Republicans have argued that the people that believe the government should regulate business, provide a basic social safety net, protect civil rights, and promote infrastructure are destroying the country by trying to redistribute wealth from hardworking white Americans to undeserving minorities and women. Now Trump has taken that argument to its logical conclusion: that the country has been destroyed by women, Black Americans, Indigenous people, and people of color, who have taken it over and are persecuting people like him.
I’m hoping that the people who have supported him will see that they are being duped and that he only cares about himself and how much money he can siphon from them!
He is again promoting violence by telling his supporters to Save America. The last time he asked people to defend him, more than 1,000 of them—so far—have faced arrest and conviction, while he went back to lying to them on his social platform, playing golf and asking people for money.
What really gets me agitated are his enablers in the House and Senate and Mainstream Media that refuse to call out fascist behavior!!
I agree, Keith. But these people aren't going to see this for themselves. We need to give them candidates who understand their needs and will show them we are trying to improve the lot of ALL Americans, including them.
Fay..MAGAs don’t want the truth. They have a different set of facts. The Democrats have had countless programs to improve their lives, but their racism & anger is the basis for what want to hear.
Trump already showed, he will not give them support when THEY are arrested. Let them eat their own as they’re doing on Fox. I will NOT cater to people intent on destroying our country. This timidity is why we have this very situation.
We keep saying the MAGAs don't want the truth, but they've never heard the truth either. They lack the intelligence to analyze their situation, trump told them he helped them with the billionaire tax relief (that's not what he called it) and they believed him. He promised them to keep "foreigners" out of America by building 'the wall' and hey believed him. Not only Fox, but other media (including the so called mainstream) showed pictures of the mile or two of wall that was actually built and the maga's thought it happened. So yes, when they talk, they love trump, "he owns the libs" "he tells it like it is" He is a ham, and he learned all the tricks. But I truly believe that amongst them are some decent people who could listen to their real needs (which isn't owning the dems and libs) agreeing to write bills to address those needs in Congress. If we did that, some of those people will get elected and we'll break the hold of the maggots.
If Americans are being "screwed over" by "the American system" and 'wokeness' as he claims, then what the heck is he pledging to do to change it? Nothing. His mindset is, "let me be Emperor and it'll all be okay" BUT this particular Emperor has no clothes on, and is too stupid and vain to understand this. Lincoln said "You can't fool all of the people all of the time" - well Trump thinks he can..... Q Anon aside - he might - but I have enough faith in Americans that he can't.
All he can do now is try to cling on to the few who are still in his camp - the crowds are much less, people are not going to show up to anything that could get their lives ruined. They are all watching people they marched with getting sent to prison - it's simply not worth showing up to risk that. So a few will do so, but most will not ! His power is gone - he now looks & sounds like a feeble old man. Finally the swagger is gone & he is facing the legal system. Glory Hallelujah !
Poor old "stallion" - I call him Droopy Dick myself, that thing that most gets proud males upset & horrified - ok so plenty of drugs to remedy the situation, but it's still very comical to us girls that you boys have such a hangup about your precious droopy things ! Such a ridiculous gadget really ! We'll see how old Droopy Dick does now that he will be an indicted crook - hopefully the MAGA loons will begin to recognize the ridiculousness of their silly adoration ! Maybe you people finally see the light !
I fear you are right about conviction. How to find an "unbiased" jury that has not been tainted by the news and alternative facts surrounding the case?
Who would want to be on such a jury? (The death threats would be unbearable - and lifelong were the jury to convict.)
The only things that really matter to Trump are himself/his ego, and money. He likes power - he never really had it before he became POTUS - but to him, it's really only there in service of his primary obsessions.
What he fails to see is just how much of a buffoon most of the world - including Americans - see him for. Denial is a powerful drug.
Trump is such an extreme, sick narcissist for whom power and money and ATTENTION are what he can never get enough of. The only thing he is "patriotic" about is himSELF! More shame on the Republican Party for EVER allowing him into US politics. I find it sadly fascinating that he is followed so slavishly by so many MAGA Republicans who seem to be devoid of judgment about this one individual. They think he's the new messiah. Fortunately not all Americans do, but too many did believe so in 2015. He is a blight on American political history.
Trump and McCarthy seem poised to ditch democracy for #RepubloFascism. Both are willing to ignore the rule of law, abandon all integrity, and cheat any way they can to retain unjust power.
Looks like they should change the MAGA hats in favor of SAG hats. That’s because both Trump and the entire GOP are willing to.
Squander America’s Greatness
As are 20 or 30 million Americans…
Please feel free to use this terminology. And if some crafty individual puts the above on a red hat, please post the link in the comments below.
And while you’re at it, maybe post a few images of #SeditionCaucus members wearing one. MTG has been busy doing that from day one in the House.
Cherry pie is probably my favorite dessert but there is a hidden danger lurking in the wings for those of us who choose to enjoy this fruit-filled treat. Inevitably upon eating this delightful pastry I bite into the solitary cherry stone missed by the production process. The experience is excruciatingly painful and it is accompanied by the prospect of severe dental damage. Today we struggle with many trials and tribulations all surrounding the enigma of Donald Trump, odd how the pie and the man both contain unseen dangers. Trump possesses a mine-filled personality shrowded by an impenetrable layer of lies. To appraise the man and his intent would involve decoding so many untruths only George Santos would be up to the task, if you could believe his findings. Trump's MAGA mob is poised to raise cane if the old man is indicted over his affair with Stormy Daniels and the hush money paid out back in 2016 prior to the Presidential election. DeSantis is questioning the time frame between the act and the possible indictment. Our judicial system contains a rule called the "statute of limitations." Mr. DeSantis doesn't seem to like this idea, as he is against the prosecutor of New York going after Trump for something that "allegedly" took place so long ago. As it seems the governor of Florida would only try cases that just occurred, anything not recent would be simply forgotten. At first glance, cancel culture is alive and well in the state of Florida. Trump is an ordinary citizen, subject to all the laws we as private citizens live by each and every day, the man shouldn't be given special consideration because of what he wasn't. Our society has been dealing with a pandemic that devasted our culture, our country is dealing with a single individual that has done severe damage to our national persona. There are 4 possible legal proceedings that Trump will face in the coming months. The Stormy Daniel's payments are the weakest of the four. Hold on to your butt Donnie boy, things are about to get interesting. As long as we operate within the timeline set forth by the statute of limitations, Mr. DeSantis should agree. If he doesn't it's a pity.
January 20 of 2017 marks the beginning of America's descent into chaos. What a mistake it was to allow such a labile man to assume the leadership of, not only America, but the entire world. Sadly, it seems to be the kind of mistake that is impossible to undo. I often wonder how do those who supported and enabled Trump to become what he became sleep at night. I am of course speaking of the entire GOP; but mainly of those who like Kevin McCarthy, the so-called "third in line for the U.S. presidency, continue support and enable a man like Donald Trump to this day.
Americans delude themselves that they are somehow the leadership of the entire world. The notion that America ever was is a fallacy. It is true that for a time, America was the dominant global economic powerhouse and in many respects, still is. But America is suffering from the same malaise that gripped England and in many respects still does. Brexit is proof that that folly, and America clings to its sense of self-importance and exceptionalism, as if the rest of the world doesn't really matter.
We've witnessed America's misadventures around the world over many decades, and it seems to me that has mostly served to instill resentment if not outright hostility towards America and its rapacious sense of entitlement. As America's influence in the world diminishes - an almost entirely self-inflicted condition - a vast number of Americans are experiencing a great deal of difficulty in coming to terms with the reality. It's commonly known as denial, and this is what Trump and his acolytes represent more than anything. As inequality and exploitation persist unabated, this condition is only likely to become ever more exacerbated.
“Most Americans believe that no one should be above the law, not even former presidents. But most Americans also believe that former presidents should not be prosecuted for their political beliefs.”
If Trump is prosecuted, it won’t be for his political beliefs, as the Constitution’s First Amendment specifically prohibits any government curtailment of beliefs, and expressions thereof, whether they be religious or political.
If prosecutors are poised to charge Trump, it will be according to specific statutes that have nothing to do with the politics he followed or espoused, BUT to the extent that he promoted, suborned or advocated the violent acts of January 6, 2021, he also passed what, in his written opinion for the majority in the Supreme Court case Scheck v. United States (1919), Associate Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, jr. called his “clear and present danger” test, which Holmes likened to falsely shouting “fire!” In a crowded theater, an act threatening public order and safety (and, in the case of Schenck, national security) to which First Amendment protections of free speech do not extend.
For that and the literal, life-threatening stampede he incited, let him be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
Just when I think that Trump and his allies in the GOP can’t get any slimier they prove me wrong every day. My only hope is that enough good Republicans have woken up to the outrageous lies of these idiots and they have become the minority of the party. I live in a very small, conservative town in Southern Oregon and I have yet to see on Trump sign or flag. I find that encouraging. I also keep hearing that Trump is not getting the turn out at his rallies that he used to so he’s lost followers. I find what he says frightening but I am not so sure that he carries as much power as he used to.
I hate to think how children raised during this time will turn out to be. What a terrible role model he is! And the many other republofascists in power, likely for some time to come.
It's very gradually diminishing, but those still in the cult worship him as strongly as ever, & the craven, compromised sycophantic congressional republofascists dare not cross Trump.
Republicans who enable and support trump are traitors, in my opinion. If all of our elected representatives stood together against trump, it would take his power away and he'd be shown to be exactly what he is - a malignant narcissistic sociopath who is a pathetic excuse for a man. His lies would be exposed and only the extremists (who would remain under the rocks from which they came) would listen. We wouldn't have them in our government causing chaos. I blame all the Republicans who allowed trump to rise from the depths of hell for where our country is today. I hope they are all rounded up and made to explain themselves to a judge and jury and the American people.
The parallels to Hitler throughout Trump’s political career (should I call it a rampage, instead?) are astounding. The appeal to anger, fear, despair -- right out of early and mid-career Hitler’s playbook. After he was jailed and eventually released, Hitler pursued a somewhat subtler version of the anger/fear/despair methodology. If arrested, Trump will likely do the same. He will refine, rewrite his bombast, working an ever-cleverer pursuit of the WH. If he were to succeed like Hitler, and return to the white house, he will never leave except through his own mortality. The only difference between these two sociopaths is that Hitler had a goal, however vile and insane, I.e., world domination, the acquisition of lebensraum, and the annihilation of the Jews, whereas Trump’s only goal is to be in power to avoid his own destruction.
I believe that the delay by the DOJ in bringing charges against Trump has been the most egregious dereliction of duty in the history of our country, and has put the republic in its gravest jeopardy.
Here, here: DoJ has wasted a year and so has brought on itself the (false) argument that prosecuting Trump must be "political" simply because it takes place during a presidential campaign. (The counter-argument is that it would be political NOT to prosecute his egregious and manifest crimes).
Rip van Garland, the Snoozing AG, has put us in jeopardy. His CYA-appointment of Jack Smith notwithstanding, he has Garland has proven to be a judge in prosecutor’s clothing. As an Alum of the Manhattan DA’s Office myself, I have seen my share of timid prosecutors, waffling judges, bad and good def attys, but have never had a bureau chief or the DA himself under whom I served (The Boss, i.e., Bob Morgenthau) who declined to make the tough calls in the proper way. Garland is the wrong man for the job. He needs to go.
I'm surprised he isn't already gassing up the jet. All of his usual strategies have failed: filings to delay, countersuits, changing lawyers, etc. With an actual indictment on the horizon, he'll be outta here.
Thank you, Professor Reich. Now, tell us how any Republican in office can get away with supporting a lifelong criminal and clearly guilty leader of an insurrection. Trump is only one person, the entire GOP is to blame here.
I believe that political beliefs and crimes committed by trump are two different things. While his supporters think they are political beliefs, we think they are crimes.
Youtube showed some speeches of Mr. Trump that left me flabbergasted. Is this American politics? How annoying, sick, disturbed and egocentric can a politician be?
More so, how empty can a politician be and still be a serious power seeker with big electoral support? What is wrong with American political consciousness?
What is wrong with American political consciousness?
You really need to ask? That someone like Trump could become president answers the question by itself. One need only look at the mess he opened and that will persist in his wake, which can't come soon enough.
In Europe and the Netherlands we have the likes of Trump. But there is a difference: the polticians may be without serious ideas and have no alternative policies, bu they are not as boring, overtly mental patient, lying and stupid.
Are you saying that your fellow countryman are of the same kind? That seems disrespect to me. But I'm puzzled: how can people choose a stupid, uncivilised, damaging man elect as their leader? Aspeech of him is unbearable...
While I have lived, worked, and gone to school in the US, I am not, in fact, American. I do have family and many friends there though, and I worry for their well being.
As to your comment, I find it difficult to have respect for people who would continue to elevate someone like Trump, as well as people like MTG, Lauren Boebert, Kevin McCarthy et al. America is on a very dangerous path, not entirely dissimilar to Germany in the 1930s, and as such presents a danger to the entire world. As someone in the Netherlands, I would think you can see the dangers involved, given the history. I have no respect for Nazis either. Quite the opposite.
Only one point: The millions who support Trump need some scrutiny. Why do they respect and support a deranged moron like Trump? How are they manipulated?
I compare the situation with Germany like you do, or with the Russians, who believe in the nonsense Putin serves them.
Problem is: why do they? The Russians and the Germans had great cultures, that were and are endangered by their political leaders. I want to know why that happens, reading historians like Timothy Snyder. Respect for Nazis is something else. I don't have it, but want to know why someone is,
We can't do anything about what Trump says. So we might stop doing what Trump does, whipping up the base in to hysteria in a never ending search for enemies. Instead....
We should be focused on what we Dems should be doing to ensure victory in 2024. Here's one suggestion...
Biden and Harris should switch places on the ticket.
The biggest threat to our chances of victory could be Biden having a health issue during the campaign. In any case, lots of people have already expressed their concern about his age. If he runs and wins again, he'll be 85 at the end of his presidency. I'm 71, so I get why this is a problem.
Biden said he wanted to be a transitional president, now is the time to fulfill that pledge. We can still benefit from Biden's experience and good judgement, AND remove any concern about his age.
Harris For President
Biden For Vice President
Biden provided wise counsel to Obama, he can do the same for Harris.
There is no legal limit on how many times a person can be VP.
If Biden tops the ticket, we are rolling the dice in a big way, and disaster could be the result.
Our focus should not be on Trump. There is no news there. Our focus should be on making sure we don't screw this up.
I'd prefer Biden not run again, & let other qualified candidates compete. My personal preference would be someone like Warren, Merkley, Whitehouse or Raskin. If Biden does run again, I'd advise him to replace Harris with Warren & Garland with Harris.
Dems need someone who can win. I'm not convinced any of your suggested potential candidates could. Maybe Whitehouse. Unfortunately, Jamie Raskin is dealing with cancer, going through chemo, and is in no position to make a run. It's unlikely he could win regardless.
Raskin inspires. In a recent discussion forum I saw, probably on Twitter, naming people they admire most & see as presidential material, Raskin was overwhelmingly the favorite: not only the one most frequently named -- about twice as much as the next one -- but the one most enthusiastically mentioned, with very positive adjectives describing him. Whitehouse was the leading senator, interestingly. Others frequently mentioned were Schiff, Porter, Cheney, Warren, Buttigieg & Jeffries. While surprisingly not named much on the above-mentioned forum, Bernie Sanders has the highest favorability in polls of potential candidates for President. Enthusiasm & favorability for a candidate are the best indicators of how well a candidate is likely to do. Except for Obama, Democrats have lately mostly settled for milquetoast candidates that don't inspire much enthusiasm.
He's getting entirely too much free air time. The same media that helped his first campaign by covering him then is doing the same now. How about deflating the sails by refusing to cover his rants? What about giving us more news that's actually worthy of our attention?
Yes! I think his “base” is primarily corporate owned fox news, and social media sites, the GOP hierarchy, billionaires and a few right wing appointed judges. Of course there is a percentage of hard core idiots 18-22 % who would vote for him again, but Donald is just blowing in the wind🌪️!
I do agree about free air time. Trumps goal is to be in the news every minute of every day. It doesn’t matter what the news bite is just that he is there. I am sick of the years long campaigning used as a distraction from the issues we should be actually looking at.
It’s not hard to understand how disenfranchised Americans can be made to understand they’ve been systematically screwed over by the establishment. That’s completely true, and in this way a wider responsibility for these dire circumstances must be borne. It is utterly dumbfounding, however, as to how they can see a vote for Trump as a remedy to this.
Dareen -- who are the "disenfranchised" Americans you're referring to or are you using the term metaphorically? It seems to me Trump supporters and their ilk have been voting unhindered for quite some time. It is the in-reality-disenfranchised Americans we need to be championing in these desperate times.
I think you are hinting that his supporters' concerns haven't been heard. While they may have real economic concerns (as do many non-Trumpers), those concerns are being manipulated/transposed by their puppeteers into racist misogynistic supremacist ideologies that they have no problem accepting. So no, I don't accept that they are "disenfranchised".
Hi dnkarr,
You’re right to make that distinction. I was using the term in its looser sense, to identify those whose real interests are not met or even seriously considered by the national political process (Although literal disenfranchisement through voter suppression and an inevitable hopelessness/apathy in the face of what I’m describing is a real issue).
The US social and political system simply doesn’t cater for the needs of large sections of the populace. These lines are mostly drawn along class/racial lines, but a more concrete way of looking at it would be to identify the millions who can’t access healthcare in The States: a real anomaly amongst developed economies. This isn’t an accident or oversight; it’s the result of a clear decision, that has straddled the political divide, to run the country in the interests of business capital rather than people.
There’s no shortage of examples of deliberate neglect and deprivation *in the richest country in the world.*
For that reason, it’s hard to see that all are meaningfully involved in the running of the country. Disinformation, capital/Citizens Utd, poor education, gerrymandering, voter suppression, media capture etc. means that many Americans don’t even know this is happening to them. And can, as I said, be tragically, ironically persuaded to vote for one as notoriously rapacious, self-interested, and exploitative as Trump. They are to all intents and purposes disenfranchised.
Best wishes,
Dareen
Great response Dareen. Mostly rural America, see us, the Democrats, as interested only in city dwellers, people who do not have their needs met (persons of color, other languages, other religions, different sexual persuasions). At the same time they see us as disinterested in their needs. To some extent they are right. The good paying construction jobs in bringing our highway structure up to safety standards is great, but again it will mostly help urban/suburban dwellers, not rural people. I'm not arguing against rebuilding and maintaining our infrastructure - we just need to present it in a different way. The building of nationwide highways in the 50's and 60's made life better for everyone, including rural people as it opened up commerce to remote areas.. They know this, but that was more than 60 years ago. Instead of us explaining to the rural masses how they too will benefit, we've left it up to their dumbass retrumplican legislators who fill them with lies and hatred. I know and you know, that green energy will help all of America - but we don't bother explaining the benefits to these "forgotten people". President Biden is going to bring high speed internet access to all - but all they see is computer games and social media - we need to show them how internet will benefit them too - and not just socially. Finally we need to have clinics and hospitals built in no more than 100 miles from where these people live (50 miles would be a better goal) For all these reasons and more the DNC, DCCC,. DSCC need to get out there to rural America NOW, Recruit viable candidates and groom them in how to campaign and demonstrate to these people we care.
an underlying political problem is one or representation. rural states with insignificant populations relative to populated states have disproportionate representation in the senate. Their lifestyles are destroyed both by agribusiness and the banking cartels that finance them, but not understanding this, blame those their elected officials direct them to. so if we abolish the electoral college, make elections one person one vote, ranked choice voting, national holday for voting, abolish house districts in favor of statewide representation (easily done in this age of rapid trans and instant communication) which would make gerrymandering impossible, a huge host of problems could be solved. it won't happen.
I agree Paul, but what I suggest is doable and could re-engage us. The other way is to accept the status quo and live with one third of the country willing to annihilate two thirds of us, plus the constant threat of a dictatorship looming over us. Of course we could divide the US into smaller countries, the majority of people (who also have most of the assets) living in social democracies, while others drift into small third world dictatorships of strong, but stupid and cruel, white men., who remain a constant threat to the otherwise peaceful democracies.
National Vote Compact
i worry that this could be challenged and abolished by the current court. the repugnants will stop at nothing, as we've seen. i can just see drumpf calling it "rigged"
In brief: The big lie is BS.
Absolutely. And where are the Democrats?! The oligarchic media couldn't leave one second of time without mentioning Trump. Republicans were all over the media in grotesque defense of Trump. One Democrat, Jamie Raskin finally spoke out and said Jim Jordan had no jurisdiction to go after Alvin Bragg (a Trump request). That's it. Not one Democrat spoke supporting the rule of law, Alvin Bragg, or disputing any of the awful bullshit in the ruling class news! Trump is not the devastating destructive force dismantling our democracy, the GOP is!
Absolutely right, Claire. Yesterday, progressives were so giddy with excitement that they barely noticed what was really going on.
It is unprecedented (and profoundly damaging) for the Speaker of the House -- the third highest-ranking federal officer in our government -- to publicly accuse a State Prosecutor and Grand Jury of "abuse of power" and "political vengeance". Kevin McCarthy is every day showing how unsuited he is for that position, and he needs to be removed and replaced.
( Learn more at: FeathersOfHope.net )
But aside from that, with regard to electoral politics and representation of "the white working class", it also seems the Democratic Party is no longer interested in representing them. Rather than trying to appeal to those who are skeptical, our campaigns have become a cold calculation of where to allocate resources based on which districts are "winnable".
Consequently, the Democratic Party seems unwilling to even try to win districts that are considered "reliably Republican". Colorado's 3rd district, for example, was very nearly flipped by a Democrat who complained that he got almost no support from the national party -- he lost by only about 500 votes.
And we wonder why the rural populations think they're being written off and considered insignificant? Of course they'll be loyal to the guy who promises to be their warrior.
.
abetted by the ny times, wall st journal, wash post.
Yes, Daniel - but the majority of Americans have known this since 2016
You write as if the Dems are not equally subservient to the billionaire class as the Repugnants.
They are. Biden is. Over a third of voters feel the (your) stonewalling of their interests & don't vote or even pay attention. The puppeteers increase their death grip with every deflection of public attention.
We don’t negotiate with the one and only fascist party who committed treason & deadly sedition. That’s the republican cult not the democrats. Get focused on the one party stopping any attempted progress for working people..RescumliCons. There is no comparison.
Yes, there is big money interests on both sides but not the level of outrageous corruption of republicans. The disdain for working people and people of color is what republicans are all about. Nothing more! Trump administration has had 215 indictments. Obama - zero Biden - zero.
Time for a trip to reality for you.
Sorry, SeekingReason, I usually agree with you, but imo being less outrageously corrupt is being "a little bit pregnant." Corporatism may not be politically or racially fascist, but it's all about $$ and power, neither of which help "working people and people of color" either.
Corruption in America and the World avoiding's "The TRUTH."
This is the way of the world today, skim and skim again. THRUTH IS, IT AIN'T GONNA GET NO BETER without the TRUTH.
BS.
Small objection. Please use the word the neutral word “teach” instead of a loaded word, “groom,” which is now used to mean “prepare someone to be led astray or exploited.”
I agree we need to demonstrate to rural people and the non-wealthy wherever they live that government is on their side.
Social trust. Much of the world celebrates as the American social fabric shreds. The rift appears not in just party and community, it has shredded personal relationships. We must fight against the forces that tear us apart.
One of my dearest friends, a college educated healthcare professional, is married to a radical Trumper. She has drunk some of the koolade. We DO discuss current events. Respectfully. We have chosen to value and preserve our friendship over all else.
a NOT uncommon phenomenon..
Dareen: Also. More than half the population are women, who are being treated like government property. They can not control their fertility. Forced birth affects their lives and their offspring too.
Spot on. Thank you.
It seems to me that "disenfranchised" used in this context can also include those who receive farm subsidies. I see that, "U.S., subsidies to the agriculture sector typically run around $20 billion per year". Who is this money going to each year, anyway? How is the percentage broken down, I wonder?
I know that entitlements are being attacked by the GOP even though we have paid through the nose each paycheck for the "privilege" of these entitlements when we reach 65--no I'm incorrect--it's now 66.5 yrs. And I understand food stamps, and school lunch programs are also being attacked.
I definitely agree with the assessment of the undereducated, and the "rapacious self-interest" and also the "exploitative", not just by the Ex, but also the whole party because it goes for all those who stay silent and support the lunatics who foster the division and fear that is building and will no doubt continue to escalate through the 2024 campaign. A hell of a lot of people need help, continuously in this country because of our basic economic system.
Whether right or wrong, it's missing the mark and has missed the mark a great deal throughout the years. The US Census Bureau states that in 2021, 11.6% of the US population was in poverty with 2022 not changing very much. I shudder think what would happen if our population were growing as it once did. Yet, the conservatives seem to want to legislate forcing people to have unwanted and unsupported mistake pregnancies, potentially adding to the disenfranchised.
Yes, Janet, their critical analysis skills are sorely lacking. These are the sort of people who were raised on "Do as I say, not as I do." "Have faith, god loves you" and other such assorted nonsense. This is part of the reason trump was able to pull the wool over their eyes, with his I alone can help you, vote for me I'll save you. They also fell for Reagan's mockery of the government. Add to that they have been raised in relatively homogeneous communities, where almost everybody is white, attends the same church, goes to the same school, looks, thinks, and talks the same. When they hear, it's the foreigners, colored people, LGBTQ, intelligencia, east coast elites, Californians, who are out to destroy America they believe it, after all, it isn't them, so somebody has to be at fault. They have seen blubber guy on TV so he must be good. right? They believe what they are told, which is why we need to recruit the intelligent among their ranks to find their real needs and tell them who the really bad guys are, so they understand, the wealthy white Americans don't give a damn about them and the people they were told to hate are suffering at least as much as they and in some cases more from the same shared enemy as they are facing. That is what brought all of us together in WW2. We haven't been together since. It's time for us to reach out the olive leaf.
Imo they'll tell you what their "real needs" are, Fay. But they're hypocrites which makes it tough to decipher what they mean.
Ask a woman in TN's D-4 who has voted for Scott Desjarlais in every election since 2010 why she has. He's a family values, pro-life man whose ex-wife had 2 abortions while they were married, and he was recorded pressuring his mistress to have one too.
If you can explain to me why ANY woman would vote for that pos, you've got the key to turn many Republicans away from the extreme RW. I can't understand it, which means I wouldn't be a good choice to reach out to his voters. I first read about him in 2014 and thought "Great -- there's one lying sack who won't be in DC next year." Wrong.
When I have 'talked to' republicans, or worse yet maggots, I get similar replies. "I love trump. he tells 'em" "He own the libs" "He don't take no shit from anyone" BS. But if we ignore their beloved politicians and ask what they really need to make their lives better, it's a different story. If people go into their towns, and don't introduce themselves as political people but say "We're taking a survey to see what is needed by the people in "Hamletsville" You start hearing their real needs. "We need a co-op that doesn't cost so much so we get a decent return on our produce or grains, livestock. etc. We need a medical clinic to take care of us and our kids so we don't have to drive 200 miles when Johnnie breaks his leg. We need clean, reliable drinking water." Then you find a decent Democrat who is ready and willing to go to Washington and get those things for them. The trumpster got them because he is a con man. a ham actor, who is willing to put on a stupid show to entice them - but he gives them nothing. Offer them a candidate who tells them not only what he will do for them but how it will be measured. These people's grandparents or great grandparents . loved FDR, because he followed through on his promises and their lives were better. If we get politicians who will do the same, albeit on a smaller scale, they will love that person too. We don't need to talk about the trumpster, or any of his misbegotten enablers. Bad mouthing them gets us nowhere, telling them what Biden has already done, explaining a new regulation or law - that will succeed.
The amount of ignorance never ceases to amaze. Biden actually has not had a majority to pass the much needed changes. Manchin & Sinema might as well be counted as republicans. You got it right in saying “willfully ignorant”.
Unfortunately, what will break the spell is climate change. The south, especially floriduh is being hit very hard. They cry about “states rights”, but it will be the federal government who bails them out. Will they understand this? Maybe not everyone. But human nature is that not much changes unless there is a disaster, and it’s here and getting worse.
There is a Florida Right to Clean Water .org initiative in the state.All the waterways are seriously dirty and need care.There's been a bass fishing tournament canceled because of fish kill,too many fishermen can't go out and fish for obvious reasons.There is a need to get a massive amt. of petitions signed to get on the ballot by Nov. 30.
Wow, Jodi, I'm sorry for your troubles. You're analysis seems spot on- it's astounding that nearly 150 years after Reconstruction the same tired oppressive strategies continue to work. I have no solution- it's like trying to fix Haiti.
That’s amazing Jodi. That there could be enough Blue voters to change things but they don’t vote, is disheartening. The scientific community just announced we are hurtling into irreversible effects. Disastrous weather will continue and get even worse, then food crops will disappear.
The government should put a mandatory block on ANY press about Trump and pull the licenses of so-called news allowing intentional lies. This is not blocking free speech, it is protecting the public from dangerous & sometimes deadly misleading information.
It should not be like that in America! It's 2023 for crying out loud!!
I have a feeling that if you asked certain Republicans what year they'd LIKE it to be you'd get a range between 1861 and 1961. 🙂
I have a friend who is one of the disenfranchised. He was a past MAGA supporter and current inactive MAGA who consumes a decent amount of misinformation. In 1997 he made $32 per hour which equates too $133k in todays dollars and had paid health for him and his wife and kids. He then had stagnant wages for 10 years. Then the company went under and his entire retirement which was in the form stocks of that company (he had swapped from 401k investment to company equivalent shares) became worth about $186.The bankruptcy settlement paid out shareholders first. His company equivalent shares which had been quite sizeable became worrh nothing. He got a pay cut in the form of contract labor and no health insuranance. Fast forward to now. He makes $40 an hour for $83k a year minus $1600 per month for health insurance So 83k-19k=$63k. Going from $133k to $63k. Same basic job. He is in year 6 of losing his house not paying the mortage for that time. He is in constant legal battles to try and stay at the house which supports his wife, drug addict son and partial tenant his daughter.. He has no retirement and is 60+ years old. Thats the story of a MAGA disenfranchisement. Just because he isnt suffering as badly as other disenfranchised folks doesnt mean he is not suffering and that needs to be recognized and appealed to if we want more than what seems like only 25% of the Democratic party to support progressive candidates.
Bill, there are a whole lot of us out here who have been through some pretty rough times, but we didn't become MAGAts. I'm really tired of listening to the hard luck stories of these people over and over again. I've been hearing them since 2015.
They aren't the only ones.
They are human beings just like you and me. The whole problem with wealth and inequality is that those in power have no sympathy for people like us becase they never SEE us. Once you humanize someone its a lot harder to discriminate, oppress, or harm that person or group.
We didn't screw your friend. If he was screwed, it was by the oligarchs behind the curtain - and his anger should be directed at them, not at us.
Same goes for most MAGAts.
Agreed. This conversation is exactly what the oligarchs want. Us infighting while they step away with the loot. My mom are on opposite sides of the political spectrum, but one thing we can both agree on is everyone needs to pay their fair share.
Well said Daniel! And spot on.
People all need the same basics which are becoming more difficult for some to fulfill in a reliable manner. I believe that if Fox News and the right-wing media had not infiltrated the rural networks long ago, many of the MAGAs would have been Bernie supporters.
Fox News and majority ownership of the media conglomerates by the far right is probably THE most dangerous thing ever to happen to the US. Putin used our media to perfection.
Bill, Don't you think I know this? Don't you think most of us here, including me, have been on the receiving end of the inequalities you speak of?
One of the differences between the MAGAts and the rest of us? We did not storm the Capitol on Jan. 6. I have no time, or sympathy for them.
They aren't the ONLY ones.
Hating them is the same as them hating us. It's not going to help anything nor resolve any issues.
thanks Bill well said
The Magats just feel that because thay are hetero, white, Christian etc etc they should never be lumped in with “those” people. They are entitled to get there’s before anyone else, it’s in the Bible and the constitution!
There are definitely those who believe that. Like in Florida people arent necessarily starting with that idea. Its being indoctronated into them. The son of a carpenter I knew went to Florida to learn motorcycle repair and he got roped in to a Neonazi group. He came back to NY after they wanted him to deal drugs. To answer your other comment on not understand why MAGA folks cut off their nose despite their face I can thank of this...
I was in a Narcissistic business relationship. Its similiar. A person finds the Narcissist/Republican, this can be advertisement or word of mouth. The N/R has a sympathetic ear for the possible new recruit. They will help with all your problems. They just need a little money up front to get things started (like a political donation). As you get to know them they fill you with their narative of the world. Everything revolves around them by the way and they are also very altruistic (if you go out to dinner with a Narcissist your doing business with its ot generosity, your paying in some form). When people start calling them out on their BS, the N/R will breadcrumb them giving them something they want (or think they want), ie abortion restrictions, tighter border policies, more violent policing. What the N/R will never give is what the person wants and is doing business with the person in the first place. To get their job done or in Republicans case to improve the lives of their constituents. For those who get really vocal in their disappoitment they get outed as cheapscates, adulterers, homosexuals, place your perceived enemy here. Because they must keep control of the narrative. Once it becomes obvious that N/R isn't delivering on their promises by a majority then the court cases start and people try to claw back what was stolen from them. In the N/R's wake you have a bunch of folks whos financial place has not improved or gotten worse who just spent a ton of time and possibly a lot of money for nothing. I would agree that they themselves are responsible for repeating the racist and anti immigrant rhetoric. What I will say is that as Narcissitic abusees, they are actually victims of a Narcissist. Unfortunately its not a quick process to get out from under a Narcissists thrall. It can take years and sometimes they can only figure it out on their own. Again I am not excuseing MAGA folks behavior, they are responsible for the horrible things they do. As Texas Paul says as these people get dissolusioned and come out of the MAGA mess we need to be there for them. There is no better way to sew discontent than for a believer to not believe and spread the truth.
Besides, sounds like Bill's friend needs a good bankruptcy lawyer.
Thank you DLM, Same here!
That’s not what disenfranchised means. Is your friend deprived of voting rights? Is he barred from participation in society? Are his legal rights denied?
Sounds like he’s had a really rough go of it but he’s not disenfranchised.
He doesnt have access to a living wage, free health care and a retirement or pension. A lot of those things people think should be a right. I dont see how this has to become a more oppressed than thow conversation. We all can site instances of disenfranchisement in our lives or for those we love. MAGA folks see themselves as the victim. For reasons such as immigration, racism, wokism they definitely arent the victims. They are the victims of misinformation and are being used for the Oligarch's agenda of distracting us from the real problems of wealth and inequality. When Robert Reich went to the heartland half these MAGA folks were ready to vote for Bernie Sanders. I was once in a club that was very exclusive. I tried to swing the board towards more inclusivity and they didnt want to hear it. The club still exists but it is half of what it was before. We need at least half of the 222 million bottom 1% wage earners to come to our side to effect the kind of change we need.. Dismissing what? 40% of Americans will make that an impslossibility.
"He doesn't have access to a living wage, free health care and a retirement or pension. "
He is a potential beneficiary of over a million in family benefits as long as he is fully and currently insured by Social Security. It could be that his drug addict son can get benefits based on his earnings record.
He could be subsidized for medical benefits by Obamacare.
Potentially he could be protected by bankruptcy laws and depending on state law has homestead protection.
Even if he becomes destitute at old age, he could be entitled to Supplemental Security Income at age 65.
The Republicans would take all of that from him.
Agreed they would.
The republican misinformation machine is in overdrive right now. For every law being proposed that taxes the very rich, Ive already heard a misinformation rebuttle. This is why they still vote for the do nothing party (Republicans). If there anger were directed with the real information I think the politicians they voted for for would be in trouble. Especially if there was an alternative who voiced progressive ideas all the time.
Oh really? A treasury of hidden benefits? Excuse me for requiring more detail, references & links .
Okay, keep using the word incorrectly it’s your decision
Only Bill could say but disenfranchised here I think may mean feeling hopeless about things we all (perhaps over fifty-five) used to feel represented a good life but now (me included) don't see as necessarily being part of the landscapes of many folks American dream
If you dont have a certain wealth by a certain age, there is no recourse. Usually health problems ensue and then death or suicide. It's hard to watch.
Exactly, Bill. Only the wealthy can afford a decent nursing home or in-home care. Those of us who have only Social Security have nowhere to go when we can no longer take care of ourselves. All of us "Boomers" either have or soon will run out of time.
I know what he thinks it means. It’s still wrong.
White grievance does not equal disenfranchisement.
Feeling screwed over doesn’t equal disenfranchisement.
Having a deficit of rights does.
Bill, Paula, PK99, I wanted to reply a few days back but could not due to a remote location. I was out of range on the internet. I agree with our collective problem in America regarding all the above. None of us collectively have a solution, and many don't know and don't believe there is a problem. They, as you're all aware, do not see the forest for the trees. No insurance can and, in too many instances, does lead to death, which, if treated in time, can prolong life and its quality. SS and Medicare are woefully inadequate for much, and aspirin and Band-Aids can only do so little. White grievance, not sure how any of us claiming that on forms for whatever are anything but ashamed of our present situation and openly condemn the past as genocide to many. Europe was a mess when descendants came to North America, and many only made it horribly worse by actions shown since then and up to now. Many in America have acted as youth and adults to try and counter the past and the present. More often than not, positive strides go largely unrecognized, while horrors get lots of notice. This forum allows us to share opinions and perhaps take some solace in our strides to be better. Thanks for your kind words to my Substack read!
For the most part It is the Republicans who pulled out all the stops (regulations) to allow large employers to treat their employees in this manner. I am sure if they had a majority in the House and the Senate the Democrats would take action to remedy these issues. And Trump cares not one bit about these people. They have been duped.
The Republicans have DEMONSTRATED THROUGH THEIR ACTIONS that their ONLY allegiance is to the CASH and who provides it to them. The root cause of what is WRONG with our government structure is that its foundation is built on special interests PRIVATE MONEY. NOTHING will change until this is changed.
The time you talk about sound Strikingly familiar to those in the late 1920s before the great depression. And what caused that? The greed of the rich maggots. please don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater.
There is a plethora of problems facing this country and the world, and most of them pertain to greed of unbridled capitalism.
That’s the story of republicans blocking health care and education and anything else that helps the working person.
And these people want to blame someone and usually it is someone who has nothing to do with his problems. He then supports the very people who want to continue to ruin his life? I just don’t understand that hypocrisy part.
He probably shouldn't have voted for Bush. That's what happened to this country. And it just kept going downhill.
That is exactly what needs to happen. His mortgage was bought out by a bank I am guessing a private equity firm and they keep trying to auction it without him knowing so he cant bid on it. If there is a poster child for corporate regulations its him. Thank you for your kind words. I will continue to gently pursuade.
He needs to speak to a lawyer.
Yeap hes got one. All I ever hear is hes waiting on this or waiting on that. An emergency happens, he spends money on lawyer fees and court filings and then all goes back to status quo. He keeps hoping, the house keeps getting almost sold and the lawyer gets more money. I believe he had filed bankruptcy and then unfiled recently when the auction was cancelled. I only get an selective version of the story, not sure if he even knows whats really going on.
It's probably not accurate to lump the MAGAs into one undifferentiated mass, since they vary in what they are dissatisfied about. But, some are those who've been left behind by the economy and I agree, many have jumped on the hate band wagon that targets anyone who isn't White, male, Christian (at least claim to be) heterosexual etc. It looks to me that most of them are operating out of fear. Fear of losing their status, fear of change and difference, fear of being "replaced", and tfg has tapped into that. If they weren't so dangerous we could see that they are engaging in one giant temper tantrum about having to share their cookie with others.
I 100% agree. My older, white, Christian parents feel like they're the victims in all of this, even though they're the ones who keep voting against their own interests.
It's astonishing how many people can't seem to see how they're hurting themselves while trying to hurt others.
I suspect that some of them are succumbing to group think and the need to fit into their communities.
Also, I recall the story of one young man who was gradually drawn towards Nazism through the internet. It began with jokes and humor, but over time drew him further into it. There have been several moms that have warned of this happening to their sons.
I see bright and shining faces in the MAGA crowd; probably stoned, some are just into it for the fun. They could care less about Trump’s message. They are the Merry Pranksters’ Golden Anniversary bus tour, shakin’ things up and givin’ it to The Man. Instead of Ken Kesey, theirs is Baphomet.
You may be right in that some of them might be just in it for fun, but there wasn't much fun being had on January 6th. And when tfg is strutting on stage pointing fingers with his hate-filled message at anyone who isn't of the "appropriate" type I hear echoes of a small mustachioed man and his adoring crowds raising their hands in stiff salutes - so no laughing matter.
Innocent until proven guilty.
Donald Hodgins <silencenotbad@gmail.com>
8:45 PM (3 minutes ago)
to
The MAGA clowns that are up in arms about the possibility of Trump being indicted are uneducated fools. If Donald has done no wrong the court will find him innocent. I don't understand why Trump's supporters would be so against their man having his day in court. What better way to show the world he has done nothing illegal? An honest man should never fear our judicial system, it's there for our benefit. Look at the English way of holding a trial, there you have to prove your innocence, completely opposite of what we offer here in the States. In this country, anyone that fears our court system is doing so because they're obviously guilty. Trump maintains he is the object of a witch hunt, well Donnie let's see how many lies you tell in an attempt to get out of this one. The only difference being, you'll be placed under oath and your inability to tell the truth just might jump up and bite you in the ass on your way to a 5-year prison sentence for perjury. Let us not forget this is the first of at least 4 offenses Trump will face in the coming months. I would hate to see his legal bills, but no problem his supporters just love throwing money at the guy. The old saying "A fool and his money are soon parted." Trump is the captain on the ship of fools.
Dnkarr ; If anything, these malcontents who choose criminal attacks and flout the rule of law have had an outsized voice. The 'Supreme' court is doing the bidding of their agenda of revenge. tRump says he is their retribution.
Well Said J
I like to say that voting for Trump is about as smart as taking up the pogo stick at 80.
In current news: Jim Jordan, the enabler. A pattern of behavior?:
- Lawrence O’Donnell Rips ‘Buffoon' Jim Jordan's 'Joke Of A Letter' To Alvin Bragg:
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/lawrence-o-donnell-rips-buffoon-jim-jordan-s-joke-of-a-letter-to-alvin-bragg/ar-AA18T35C
- Jim Jordan and the Ohio State sexual abuse controversy, explained:
https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2018/7/7/17542878/jim-jordan-richard-strauss-ohio
Generalize the concept, draw your own conclusions, then apply it to:
https://youtu.be/KhN_kml4jfE
DZK thank you for the link to O’Donnell. Even though I know what he said was true, it was calming to hear him say it!
Can we unpack the word "establishment" and identify the entities inferred?
I suspect most of Trump's supporters don't see him as a remedy but more of a poison pill for a country they believe has failed them. The rational may run something like "If I'm going down, I'm taking you all with me!"
I don't doubt that's a part of it all.
I can say it in one word - racism. The uninformed and misinformed have been convinced that it's not the establishment that's disenfranchised them, it's the people that are different than them. And 45 is a master at stoking those fires of racism.
Republican voters in general and Trump supporters
specifically have been voting against their own interests for years. I don’t understand it either.
You need to grasp the other's perspective to understand it. For example, do you value some things more than money? What if I tell you that I don't understand how you can value anything more than money, that if you do, you are voting against your self-interest?
Great comment Dareen,
However, I have no problem seeing how undereducated and deindustrialized Americans might vote for such a person who uses his demagogic performance skills to say that he is on their side and recognizes how the more well educated and successful Democrats have not just ignored them, but often rhetorically turned on them. Liberals are expert at giving reactionaries opportunities for political success. Given a likely alternative it might be that many would vote differently. Some did with Obama and Bernie. Opponents to the Republicans have not made a good faith try at including these people for 50 years.
His mental illness, that of toxic narcissism, must be explained and revealed; his felonies proven by a jury and he sent to prison so he is unable to further his destruction of our social network and our country. He is a cancer that has spread to Brazil and other countries and must be stopped as surely as Hitler.
The Justice Department needs to speed up its investigations of Trump. His attempted insurrection was over 2 years ago and so far he has not faced any consequences. No wonder he is again calling out his supporters for mob violence. It is an old saying that the wheels of justice turn slowly but this is ridiculous.
Had you or I done what he is accused of, we'd already be starting our 3rd year of federal incarceration. Waiting for justice is excruciating.
...as well as inexplicable.
Chris, why is the country & voters being subjected to his vile from his own social media as well as his crazy rallies?? Why isn’t the Justice Dept or FBI throwing the 14th Amendment at him where it says seditionists cannot hold office! He proved to voters & the country that his intention is to use a coup to take the country by force of he isn’t elected. Who wants to go thru that Jan 6th day again? Not me, not my Dem friends. He just SHOULDN’T be allowed to subject all of us to his vile & nonsense bec he’s a poor loser! What does it take to enforce the 14th Amendment ? I’ve heard of only 1 low level office holder who was part of Jan 6 that has been removed from his job. Nobody has done anything with the GOP members of Congress who were directly & indirectly involved in the fake electors attempt & the ones who gave tours of the Capitol or the ones who participated in the earlier planning of the militia attack! I don’t understand why these elected officials are being allowed to get away with crimes? Then there’s Santos who hasn’t been kicked out for his fraudulent credentials to win election even when his constituents want him gone now that they know he lied. The GOP is making a laughing stock out of our Justice Dept & our country’s rule of law! It just should not be allowed to go on & on!
I honestly don't believe anything is going to happen to trump, absolutely nothing.
... and what about Bush Sr.?
= )
The Leo Leonard network was started before trump and, IMO, embraced the authoritarian style. They spend billions supporting the right-wing agenda. Trump is just the front man.
he's a wounded, traumatized child, addicted to hate & in need of therapy -- from Gabor Maté.
👉🏼 https://opentochange.substack.com/p/trauma-is-not-what-happens-to-you
Therapy doesn’t work for narcissists. They are incapable of accepting that anything they do is wrong.
fair point, Susan 🙏🏼
Therapy doesn’t work for narcissists. They are incapable of accepting that anything they do is wrong.
America is the Real Victim.
Trump is claiming to be the victim of the Deep State. Trump’s false and dystopian portrait of the nation takes to its logical conclusion the narrative Republicans have pushed since the 1980s. Since the days of Ronald Reagan, Republicans have argued that the people that believe the government should regulate business, provide a basic social safety net, protect civil rights, and promote infrastructure are destroying the country by trying to redistribute wealth from hardworking white Americans to undeserving minorities and women. Now Trump has taken that argument to its logical conclusion: that the country has been destroyed by women, Black Americans, Indigenous people, and people of color, who have taken it over and are persecuting people like him.
I’m hoping that the people who have supported him will see that they are being duped and that he only cares about himself and how much money he can siphon from them!
He is again promoting violence by telling his supporters to Save America. The last time he asked people to defend him, more than 1,000 of them—so far—have faced arrest and conviction, while he went back to lying to them on his social platform, playing golf and asking people for money.
What really gets me agitated are his enablers in the House and Senate and Mainstream Media that refuse to call out fascist behavior!!
Absolutely agree Keith. The republicans are no longer a political party, but a Christian-Fascist Cult.
I agree, Keith. But these people aren't going to see this for themselves. We need to give them candidates who understand their needs and will show them we are trying to improve the lot of ALL Americans, including them.
Fay..MAGAs don’t want the truth. They have a different set of facts. The Democrats have had countless programs to improve their lives, but their racism & anger is the basis for what want to hear.
Trump already showed, he will not give them support when THEY are arrested. Let them eat their own as they’re doing on Fox. I will NOT cater to people intent on destroying our country. This timidity is why we have this very situation.
We keep saying the MAGAs don't want the truth, but they've never heard the truth either. They lack the intelligence to analyze their situation, trump told them he helped them with the billionaire tax relief (that's not what he called it) and they believed him. He promised them to keep "foreigners" out of America by building 'the wall' and hey believed him. Not only Fox, but other media (including the so called mainstream) showed pictures of the mile or two of wall that was actually built and the maga's thought it happened. So yes, when they talk, they love trump, "he owns the libs" "he tells it like it is" He is a ham, and he learned all the tricks. But I truly believe that amongst them are some decent people who could listen to their real needs (which isn't owning the dems and libs) agreeing to write bills to address those needs in Congress. If we did that, some of those people will get elected and we'll break the hold of the maggots.
I haven’t seen a president try harder than Pres. Biden to help average Americans. But republican
rhetoric makes Biden the enemy.
If Americans are being "screwed over" by "the American system" and 'wokeness' as he claims, then what the heck is he pledging to do to change it? Nothing. His mindset is, "let me be Emperor and it'll all be okay" BUT this particular Emperor has no clothes on, and is too stupid and vain to understand this. Lincoln said "You can't fool all of the people all of the time" - well Trump thinks he can..... Q Anon aside - he might - but I have enough faith in Americans that he can't.
All he can do now is try to cling on to the few who are still in his camp - the crowds are much less, people are not going to show up to anything that could get their lives ruined. They are all watching people they marched with getting sent to prison - it's simply not worth showing up to risk that. So a few will do so, but most will not ! His power is gone - he now looks & sounds like a feeble old man. Finally the swagger is gone & he is facing the legal system. Glory Hallelujah !
Poor old "stallion" - I call him Droopy Dick myself, that thing that most gets proud males upset & horrified - ok so plenty of drugs to remedy the situation, but it's still very comical to us girls that you boys have such a hangup about your precious droopy things ! Such a ridiculous gadget really ! We'll see how old Droopy Dick does now that he will be an indicted crook - hopefully the MAGA loons will begin to recognize the ridiculousness of their silly adoration ! Maybe you people finally see the light !
Hundreds of millions? Are you counting the children of MAGA morons?
I fear you are right about conviction. How to find an "unbiased" jury that has not been tainted by the news and alternative facts surrounding the case?
Who would want to be on such a jury? (The death threats would be unbearable - and lifelong were the jury to convict.)
The only things that really matter to Trump are himself/his ego, and money. He likes power - he never really had it before he became POTUS - but to him, it's really only there in service of his primary obsessions.
What he fails to see is just how much of a buffoon most of the world - including Americans - see him for. Denial is a powerful drug.
Hmmm, a giant fetid pustule oozing slimy corruption
v. a pristine snowball. 🤔.....I’ll take the snowball.🙋🏻♀️
Trump is such an extreme, sick narcissist for whom power and money and ATTENTION are what he can never get enough of. The only thing he is "patriotic" about is himSELF! More shame on the Republican Party for EVER allowing him into US politics. I find it sadly fascinating that he is followed so slavishly by so many MAGA Republicans who seem to be devoid of judgment about this one individual. They think he's the new messiah. Fortunately not all Americans do, but too many did believe so in 2015. He is a blight on American political history.
A good comment on empire I saw yesterday that you might find interesting: https://youtu.be/-9ZKsKL5zD4
Trump and McCarthy seem poised to ditch democracy for #RepubloFascism. Both are willing to ignore the rule of law, abandon all integrity, and cheat any way they can to retain unjust power.
Looks like they should change the MAGA hats in favor of SAG hats. That’s because both Trump and the entire GOP are willing to.
Squander America’s Greatness
As are 20 or 30 million Americans…
Please feel free to use this terminology. And if some crafty individual puts the above on a red hat, please post the link in the comments below.
And while you’re at it, maybe post a few images of #SeditionCaucus members wearing one. MTG has been busy doing that from day one in the House.
Cherry pie.
Donald Hodgins <silencenotbad@gmail.com>
5:00 AM (0 minutes ago)
Cherry pie is probably my favorite dessert but there is a hidden danger lurking in the wings for those of us who choose to enjoy this fruit-filled treat. Inevitably upon eating this delightful pastry I bite into the solitary cherry stone missed by the production process. The experience is excruciatingly painful and it is accompanied by the prospect of severe dental damage. Today we struggle with many trials and tribulations all surrounding the enigma of Donald Trump, odd how the pie and the man both contain unseen dangers. Trump possesses a mine-filled personality shrowded by an impenetrable layer of lies. To appraise the man and his intent would involve decoding so many untruths only George Santos would be up to the task, if you could believe his findings. Trump's MAGA mob is poised to raise cane if the old man is indicted over his affair with Stormy Daniels and the hush money paid out back in 2016 prior to the Presidential election. DeSantis is questioning the time frame between the act and the possible indictment. Our judicial system contains a rule called the "statute of limitations." Mr. DeSantis doesn't seem to like this idea, as he is against the prosecutor of New York going after Trump for something that "allegedly" took place so long ago. As it seems the governor of Florida would only try cases that just occurred, anything not recent would be simply forgotten. At first glance, cancel culture is alive and well in the state of Florida. Trump is an ordinary citizen, subject to all the laws we as private citizens live by each and every day, the man shouldn't be given special consideration because of what he wasn't. Our society has been dealing with a pandemic that devasted our culture, our country is dealing with a single individual that has done severe damage to our national persona. There are 4 possible legal proceedings that Trump will face in the coming months. The Stormy Daniel's payments are the weakest of the four. Hold on to your butt Donnie boy, things are about to get interesting. As long as we operate within the timeline set forth by the statute of limitations, Mr. DeSantis should agree. If he doesn't it's a pity.
Jaime-- How did you read it so fast? The ink is still wet. LOL Thanks!
McCarthy is a weak minded Republican troll. Still a little Greene behind the ears.
January 20 of 2017 marks the beginning of America's descent into chaos. What a mistake it was to allow such a labile man to assume the leadership of, not only America, but the entire world. Sadly, it seems to be the kind of mistake that is impossible to undo. I often wonder how do those who supported and enabled Trump to become what he became sleep at night. I am of course speaking of the entire GOP; but mainly of those who like Kevin McCarthy, the so-called "third in line for the U.S. presidency, continue support and enable a man like Donald Trump to this day.
Americans delude themselves that they are somehow the leadership of the entire world. The notion that America ever was is a fallacy. It is true that for a time, America was the dominant global economic powerhouse and in many respects, still is. But America is suffering from the same malaise that gripped England and in many respects still does. Brexit is proof that that folly, and America clings to its sense of self-importance and exceptionalism, as if the rest of the world doesn't really matter.
We've witnessed America's misadventures around the world over many decades, and it seems to me that has mostly served to instill resentment if not outright hostility towards America and its rapacious sense of entitlement. As America's influence in the world diminishes - an almost entirely self-inflicted condition - a vast number of Americans are experiencing a great deal of difficulty in coming to terms with the reality. It's commonly known as denial, and this is what Trump and his acolytes represent more than anything. As inequality and exploitation persist unabated, this condition is only likely to become ever more exacerbated.
That too.
“Most Americans believe that no one should be above the law, not even former presidents. But most Americans also believe that former presidents should not be prosecuted for their political beliefs.”
If Trump is prosecuted, it won’t be for his political beliefs, as the Constitution’s First Amendment specifically prohibits any government curtailment of beliefs, and expressions thereof, whether they be religious or political.
If prosecutors are poised to charge Trump, it will be according to specific statutes that have nothing to do with the politics he followed or espoused, BUT to the extent that he promoted, suborned or advocated the violent acts of January 6, 2021, he also passed what, in his written opinion for the majority in the Supreme Court case Scheck v. United States (1919), Associate Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, jr. called his “clear and present danger” test, which Holmes likened to falsely shouting “fire!” In a crowded theater, an act threatening public order and safety (and, in the case of Schenck, national security) to which First Amendment protections of free speech do not extend.
For that and the literal, life-threatening stampede he incited, let him be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
Just when I think that Trump and his allies in the GOP can’t get any slimier they prove me wrong every day. My only hope is that enough good Republicans have woken up to the outrageous lies of these idiots and they have become the minority of the party. I live in a very small, conservative town in Southern Oregon and I have yet to see on Trump sign or flag. I find that encouraging. I also keep hearing that Trump is not getting the turn out at his rallies that he used to so he’s lost followers. I find what he says frightening but I am not so sure that he carries as much power as he used to.
He may not have to much power but the seed he planted in the mind of lunatics will last a long time.
I hate to think how children raised during this time will turn out to be. What a terrible role model he is! And the many other republofascists in power, likely for some time to come.
It's very gradually diminishing, but those still in the cult worship him as strongly as ever, & the craven, compromised sycophantic congressional republofascists dare not cross Trump.
Republicans who enable and support trump are traitors, in my opinion. If all of our elected representatives stood together against trump, it would take his power away and he'd be shown to be exactly what he is - a malignant narcissistic sociopath who is a pathetic excuse for a man. His lies would be exposed and only the extremists (who would remain under the rocks from which they came) would listen. We wouldn't have them in our government causing chaos. I blame all the Republicans who allowed trump to rise from the depths of hell for where our country is today. I hope they are all rounded up and made to explain themselves to a judge and jury and the American people.
I absolutely agree!
The parallels to Hitler throughout Trump’s political career (should I call it a rampage, instead?) are astounding. The appeal to anger, fear, despair -- right out of early and mid-career Hitler’s playbook. After he was jailed and eventually released, Hitler pursued a somewhat subtler version of the anger/fear/despair methodology. If arrested, Trump will likely do the same. He will refine, rewrite his bombast, working an ever-cleverer pursuit of the WH. If he were to succeed like Hitler, and return to the white house, he will never leave except through his own mortality. The only difference between these two sociopaths is that Hitler had a goal, however vile and insane, I.e., world domination, the acquisition of lebensraum, and the annihilation of the Jews, whereas Trump’s only goal is to be in power to avoid his own destruction.
I believe that the delay by the DOJ in bringing charges against Trump has been the most egregious dereliction of duty in the history of our country, and has put the republic in its gravest jeopardy.
Here, here: DoJ has wasted a year and so has brought on itself the (false) argument that prosecuting Trump must be "political" simply because it takes place during a presidential campaign. (The counter-argument is that it would be political NOT to prosecute his egregious and manifest crimes).
Rip van Garland, the Snoozing AG, has put us in jeopardy. His CYA-appointment of Jack Smith notwithstanding, he has Garland has proven to be a judge in prosecutor’s clothing. As an Alum of the Manhattan DA’s Office myself, I have seen my share of timid prosecutors, waffling judges, bad and good def attys, but have never had a bureau chief or the DA himself under whom I served (The Boss, i.e., Bob Morgenthau) who declined to make the tough calls in the proper way. Garland is the wrong man for the job. He needs to go.
I still think that if he is threatened with losing all his property he'll split for UAE.
The civil suits are piling up.
Daniel
I'm surprised he isn't already gassing up the jet. All of his usual strategies have failed: filings to delay, countersuits, changing lawyers, etc. With an actual indictment on the horizon, he'll be outta here.
Thank you, Professor Reich. Now, tell us how any Republican in office can get away with supporting a lifelong criminal and clearly guilty leader of an insurrection. Trump is only one person, the entire GOP is to blame here.
Define "woke". Also, nice attempt at gaslighting by blaming Dems for Trump. Don't forget 2 impeachments.
I believe that political beliefs and crimes committed by trump are two different things. While his supporters think they are political beliefs, we think they are crimes.
Trumps real motive is to become a dictator.
Youtube showed some speeches of Mr. Trump that left me flabbergasted. Is this American politics? How annoying, sick, disturbed and egocentric can a politician be?
More so, how empty can a politician be and still be a serious power seeker with big electoral support? What is wrong with American political consciousness?
What is wrong with American political consciousness?
You really need to ask? That someone like Trump could become president answers the question by itself. One need only look at the mess he opened and that will persist in his wake, which can't come soon enough.
In Europe and the Netherlands we have the likes of Trump. But there is a difference: the polticians may be without serious ideas and have no alternative policies, bu they are not as boring, overtly mental patient, lying and stupid.
Are you saying that your fellow countryman are of the same kind? That seems disrespect to me. But I'm puzzled: how can people choose a stupid, uncivilised, damaging man elect as their leader? Aspeech of him is unbearable...
While I have lived, worked, and gone to school in the US, I am not, in fact, American. I do have family and many friends there though, and I worry for their well being.
As to your comment, I find it difficult to have respect for people who would continue to elevate someone like Trump, as well as people like MTG, Lauren Boebert, Kevin McCarthy et al. America is on a very dangerous path, not entirely dissimilar to Germany in the 1930s, and as such presents a danger to the entire world. As someone in the Netherlands, I would think you can see the dangers involved, given the history. I have no respect for Nazis either. Quite the opposite.
Hallo Alister,
We agree completely. The dangers are immense.
Only one point: The millions who support Trump need some scrutiny. Why do they respect and support a deranged moron like Trump? How are they manipulated?
I compare the situation with Germany like you do, or with the Russians, who believe in the nonsense Putin serves them.
Problem is: why do they? The Russians and the Germans had great cultures, that were and are endangered by their political leaders. I want to know why that happens, reading historians like Timothy Snyder. Respect for Nazis is something else. I don't have it, but want to know why someone is,
Hard to tell: I'm following Robert because he is doing what seems necessary.
Tom
We can't do anything about what Trump says. So we might stop doing what Trump does, whipping up the base in to hysteria in a never ending search for enemies. Instead....
We should be focused on what we Dems should be doing to ensure victory in 2024. Here's one suggestion...
Biden and Harris should switch places on the ticket.
The biggest threat to our chances of victory could be Biden having a health issue during the campaign. In any case, lots of people have already expressed their concern about his age. If he runs and wins again, he'll be 85 at the end of his presidency. I'm 71, so I get why this is a problem.
Biden said he wanted to be a transitional president, now is the time to fulfill that pledge. We can still benefit from Biden's experience and good judgement, AND remove any concern about his age.
Harris For President
Biden For Vice President
Biden provided wise counsel to Obama, he can do the same for Harris.
There is no legal limit on how many times a person can be VP.
If Biden tops the ticket, we are rolling the dice in a big way, and disaster could be the result.
Our focus should not be on Trump. There is no news there. Our focus should be on making sure we don't screw this up.
I'd prefer Biden not run again, & let other qualified candidates compete. My personal preference would be someone like Warren, Merkley, Whitehouse or Raskin. If Biden does run again, I'd advise him to replace Harris with Warren & Garland with Harris.
I love Jamie Raskin - so intelligent & such a decent human being. Wishing him the best with the cancer business !
Dems need someone who can win. I'm not convinced any of your suggested potential candidates could. Maybe Whitehouse. Unfortunately, Jamie Raskin is dealing with cancer, going through chemo, and is in no position to make a run. It's unlikely he could win regardless.
Raskin inspires. In a recent discussion forum I saw, probably on Twitter, naming people they admire most & see as presidential material, Raskin was overwhelmingly the favorite: not only the one most frequently named -- about twice as much as the next one -- but the one most enthusiastically mentioned, with very positive adjectives describing him. Whitehouse was the leading senator, interestingly. Others frequently mentioned were Schiff, Porter, Cheney, Warren, Buttigieg & Jeffries. While surprisingly not named much on the above-mentioned forum, Bernie Sanders has the highest favorability in polls of potential candidates for President. Enthusiasm & favorability for a candidate are the best indicators of how well a candidate is likely to do. Except for Obama, Democrats have lately mostly settled for milquetoast candidates that don't inspire much enthusiasm.
What about Murphy?
He got a couple mentions.
I don't hear much about him, but what I do hear is nearly all positive.
Every time we say the name Trump we are aiding his campaign.
Yelling about Trump again and again and again in a group that already agrees he needs to go serves no useful purpose.
I hate the name of trump but I believe that we must be informed about what he and his supporters are up to.
Thanks for the warning, Robert. We will not yield.
He's getting entirely too much free air time. The same media that helped his first campaign by covering him then is doing the same now. How about deflating the sails by refusing to cover his rants? What about giving us more news that's actually worthy of our attention?
Yes! I think his “base” is primarily corporate owned fox news, and social media sites, the GOP hierarchy, billionaires and a few right wing appointed judges. Of course there is a percentage of hard core idiots 18-22 % who would vote for him again, but Donald is just blowing in the wind🌪️!
So true Karen but the far right own the air waves. Major major problem!
I do agree about free air time. Trumps goal is to be in the news every minute of every day. It doesn’t matter what the news bite is just that he is there. I am sick of the years long campaigning used as a distraction from the issues we should be actually looking at.