633 Comments

As an academic, I believe the answer is a very basic backlash against both acceptance of diversity in American culture and - perhaps even more importantly - an attempt to bring women back into their subjugative role in society.

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Academically, statistically, women outnumber men. If more women we win.

Statistically Biden beat Trump by 7,000,000 votes in 2020.

I assume you mean "other" can mean "all of the above."

To me there are two chioc3es and the bad one in Fascism.

I am upset that Robert and Heather promote division. IMHO statistics show we have the opportunity to sweep through energizing Gen Z voters. Do they want to live in a theocracy? the answer is resoundingly NO. Channel Taylor Swift. https://www.thecivicscenter.org/home

We have the capacity to overcome Trump, oligarchs,...

• In '22, Field Team 6 reached 5 million unregistered likely Democrats

• The result? 1.57 million registered – 660,000 of them VOTED!

• The cost? 93¢ per registration – $2.24 per vote!

• This is game-changing. A dollar a voter is the best value proposition in activism.

• In '23, the voters we registered were critical to victories in KY, OH, PA, VA & WI

• …and already in ’24, even more victories in NY, PA, and new maps in WI!!

• The goal is to WIN. IT. ALL. To do that, we need every volunteer we can get, and we need to raise $3 million to deliver 3 million new voters!

https://www.fieldteam6.org/volunteer-ops

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I agree that, as Lawrence O'Donnell said, it's too late, impossible for an alternative candidate to gain enough support, the money is with Biden, and historically an open convention results in a loss for Democrats. Game Over, folks. We need to work for Biden, Biden needs to work hard (and he is beginning to!), and the comparison with Trump has to be front and center. It's a fantasy to think we would do better if Biden steps down, so get real!

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Marge, what do you think President Biden has been doing for the past 3 years? Golfing like trump? Joe Biden hit the deck running on January 20, 2021 and until January 2023 accomplished more legislation, beneficial to average Americans, not the top 10%, than any President since Lyndon Johnson - and LBJ had 6 years not two.

The sole and only reason no legislation has passed since January 2023 is the MAGAt infestation in the House of Representatives. What little good we have obtained has been through Presidential Executive Orders - that is NOT how our Government is supposed to work

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Beginning to?? He’s been doing that the whole time.

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I heard Lawrence O'Donnell the other night and he was brilliant! Go Lawrence! We have the same birthday so I'm in!

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Everyone who even considers no vote/third party should listen to this. Answers!

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There is no comparison of Biden to Trump - the Biden people just need to get this to the public!

Biden - more jobs. Trump - promises things - projects energy due to adderall and cocaine

Biden - brought U.S. out of Covid successfully. Trump - promised things - projects energy due to adderall and cocaine

Biden - inflation down. Trump - promises things - projects energy due to adderall and cocaine

Biden/Hunter Biden - no truths/date for impeachable/jailable offenses. Trump and his supporters - promises witnesses - Trump projects energy due to adderall and cocaine

Biden - older by a few years; wise; experienced in U.S. government at a very bad time globally. Trump - promises things - projects energy due to adderall and cocaine

Take Away - TRUMP IS A CON MAN WITH NO INTENTION OF SAVING THIS COUNTRY

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VOTE STRAIGHT BLUE IN 2024!!!!

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SO TRUE!

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We need to publicize Biden’s many accommodations and how they affect our lives.

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Not such what accommodations you mean? And to whom?

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Autocorrect. Accomplishments

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What a difference a word makes!

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Why do you say Robert (Hubbell?) and Heather promote division? I see them as major unifying forces to anyone who will listen to what they have to say.

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Robert Reich keeps repealing the other team's talking points. Too many trolls, Republicans and Russian bots on this Substack take advantage. .

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I also subscribe to many newspapers, Substacks, etc. I am not omniscient but the vast majority want a horserace. Hetre's the real news, not mentioned in the Pittsburgh Post Gazette, the Pittsburgh Tribune or the Beaver County Times, New Castle News, Butler Eaglle and Sharron Herald, mu old hometown papers.

On Thursday, House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Jerrold Nadler sent a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland that cited documents obtained by America Oversight. The letter asks Garland to investigate what he says appears to be misleading testimony provided by Scott Brady, the former U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania, whose office had been charged in early 2020 with receiving supposed information from Rudy Giuliani about Ukraine and the Bidens.

The documents we obtained, referenced in the letter, include a January 2020 email from Seth DuCharme, then a counselor to Attorney General Barr, to Brady, asking Brady whether he had time “for a quick call today in re a possible discreet assignment” from the attorney general and deputy attorney general.

https://www.americanoversight.org/a-possible-discreet-assignment-american-oversight-obtains-doj-emails-regarding-intake-process-for-giuliani-ukraine-information

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BTW I also support Robert Hubbell, who, with his Managing Editor, fight. .

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Daniel Soloman, I like your post very much. But, I disagree that RR and Heather are divisive and I'm sensitive about that. In fact, one of the reasons I like RR's essays is that they are not divisive.

Perhaps you mean some of the commenters. I would agree with that on RR's Substack sometimes and somedays the crazies are more prolific. And the days they are in full swing, I know RR is striking the truth too hard for those who oppose democracy. They detest people waking up.

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I disagree and this is not about them promoting division. They are speaking the truth and people (at least so far) have the freedom to either listen and think for themselves or allow others to do their thinking for them.

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That BS about age is surgery by sledgehammer. 2 days of constant trolling, mainly by Putin bots.

Same about Michigan.

How many voters want a white nationalist Christian autocracy?

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Daniel, I agree that the level of trolling and onslaught of Putin bots has been extraordinarily difficult to overcome. The age issue is so irrelevant compared with the psychopathic same-age-group trump (a Seditionist & rapist!)

Women, including those in red states, do NOT want men tracking when they inquire about abortion or allowing data to be looked at that should be private. The LGBTQ+ population is very significant. None of these people are going to help the Fascist-christian Republicans take their lives back to 1940!! Biden won the popular vote by over 7M BEFORE trump had 91 indictments, BEFORE the deadly seditionist attack. Yet the “polls” want us to believe the race is neck and neck! 🤦🏻

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To be fair, PLENTY of uneducated women LIKE the sexual assaulter who used to want to "grab them by the pussy." ALL Trumplicans foam at the mouth to vote AGAINST their OWN GOOD though . . .

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When I asked my son why those women vote for Trump, he said that it was last place adversion. Yes they must be subservient to men but they can feel superior to immigrants, Blacks, Muslims ,Jews, LGBTQ+, Pro Choice, IVF……

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I used to say that Republican women are oxymorons.

In the real world a lot ARE subservient. Some have a political job and in the hinterlands the Republican Party exercises patronage -- the spoils system -- and is the largest employer. More Republican than Democratic local patrons.

In some cases deviant sado-masochism.

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"

Daniel H Laemmerhirt

Feb 24

"To be fair, PLENTY of uneducated women LIKE the sexual assaulter who used to want to "grab them by the pussy." Daniel H Laemmerhirt ; Really? have you polled any of them? As an 'uneducated" woman ( as I used to be), Any assaulter of my 'person' anywhere, would have to pick himself up off the floor, and /or go to court, unless he quickly got on a plane afterward and left the country!

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Rubbish

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Daniel Soloman, P.S. to my previous comment. I am sorry I misunderstood your post, regarding who you meant by Heather. I thought you meant HRC, which I believe you traverse also. Please accept my apology. I will have a look at my previous post to see how I can edit for that.

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this would be a good place to do sociometric research. Genesis? I'm Jewish - you don't have to be Jewish to enjoy Levi's. the things they did in the camps. He'll call. He's just not that into me.

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Anita,

While I agree with your assessment, I feel diversity is a worldwide fact. You cannot boil the sea. One woman cannot stop a tsunami by making a stop sign with her hand. We should embrace diversity, as nature intended, and be stronger for it.

Besides, if we were all the same color, the people who want to blame someone else will just choose a different goalpost and start picking on people with red hair, or big noses, or glasses. You can always find some attribute that is different to create division. You can also always find a reason to bring a team of people together to help each other. Choose being kind, caring, and decent instead of a fascist Trumpian. Collaboration for mutual benefit is leadership, division for personal power is the opposite of leadership.

PS. We need academics. They are not the elite. The billionaires are the elites.

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lunar landings and labor. what is she some kind of poet, actress, write. We are scared for are children. please publish my stories but keep my address private my music choice is (hush).

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that raises the question " why now" ? I think there are answers to this.

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Republicans have suddenly stopped their Biden investigation on accusations from a supposedly credible but confidential FBI source that Biden and his son Hunter accepted bribes from a Ukrainian oligarch. But the Justice Department has since charged that source, former FBI informant Alexander Smirnov, with making false statements and revealed his accusation may have been Russian disinformation.

How can any patriotic American vote for these idiots? Their impeachment attempt of our president using a lying Russian informant Alexander Smirnov is pathetic and shameful. House Oversight Republicans have yanked the reference from their committee website.

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Keith--When people are drowning, they will grab at anything to keep from going under. Maybe they should hold on to the truth for a change, it isn't a Coast Guard approved flotation device but at least it will keep their heads above water.

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Can’t wait til they all drown along with their big fat orange float that can’t save them.

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He wouldn’t even try to save them. They still don’t get that

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Betty--Would that be considered water pollution.

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Toxic waste!

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Now that would be something we all wish for! The truth is so hard to find these days. Especially in our government.

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Keith--It's hard to find because it doesn't exist. The time of the Laier is upon us.

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Donald ; Since when is that a life preserver for an assailant?

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Laurie--I was just throwing stones in a pond.

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Same. Except I'm throwing them back...

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Laurie--LOL😊

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A Monday morning laugh😄

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They are not idiots or clowns. They have a plan. The have Congress hamstrung.

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Cyrano: yes, even though there is a remedy In our Constitution for those who have betrayed their oaths of office . 14th amendment section 3. there are over a hundred who should lose their seats in Congress, and more who should be investigated in our government, by the Senate!

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Amen, Laurie!

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But the MAGA plans , like promises are made to be broken! Vote BLUE

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And recently Google stopped caching old links for web pages. The simple reason seems to be to allow Chinese sensors to change web links (ie delete or create them) without there being a log that a change was made. This type of lack of accountability is meant to enable disinformation. Who stands to gain from the lack of accountability in this country? Yeap republicans. "Don't be evil" - Google. Too late for that.

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What about the Wayback machine? Is that still working?

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Yes wayback machine still works. What is said is that google cache links was used to see if a web page was deleted making it way easier to then search for it on the way back machine. Kind of like having a directory that was deleted. If you have no way of seeing the previous directory structure compared to now. What was deleted? Wayback can go and pull information that you request. If the links were deleted and google stop keeping a record of it...then what are you looking for? The old web page is still in the wayback, it becomes harder to get.

Not being an expert in this I believe that google cache could be used by novices...in oppressed nations to see imediately that information was changed. A bane to any governments doing the whole double speak thing.

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Argh. More craziness.

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Is there a source I can access for this info? Terrifying.

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Originally I saw the article on another platform. The Aljeezera article explains the implications better.

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"Republicans have suddenly stopped their Biden investigation...."

NO THTEY HAVEN'T!!!

They are doubling down. Hunter Biden appears next week.

From Jessica Craven: https://chopwoodcarrywaterdailyactions.substack.com/p/chop-wood-carry-water-223-316?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=362618&post_id=141711618&utm_campaign=email-post-title&isFreemail=true&r=zc69i&open=false&utm_medium=email

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I meant the impeachment inquiry into President Biden.

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WRONG!

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Keith Olson : It is so cool that Smirnov was 're-arrested' and taken into custody, because there was new information made to the authorities that He had access to $6 million, relatives in Israel(?) , and was considered a flight risk.

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what is with some of these judges ? Letting the guy out of custody to begin with.

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It is against the constitution supported by Supreme Court decisions that unless an arrested person is a flight risk or a certain danger to others he has a right to bail. This question won’t seem to die but the constitution protects an individual until they are convicted.

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it seems the judge reconsidered and put him in custody. maybe the proecutors gave the judge more evidence of the flight risk.

A federal judge in California said Friday that he believes defense attorneys for Alexander Smirnov may be trying to “facilitate his absconding from the United States.” CNN reports.

As a practical matter, which may have no legal weight whatsoever, this is hardly a normal case as the consequences of a flight may have national significance.

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Are we arguing? I merely answered your question about why defendants are usually released without bail. New information changed the judge’s mind. Bail rules seldom have anything to do with whatever is called a normal case or not.

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Steve : fear?, or MAGA?

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ignorance

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steve reed ; Misinformation and disinformation, in the 'news' does not help too!

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no it doesn't. Ferreting out the truth of matters is more difficult than ever, esp I assert for younger people who are walking into the hall of mirrors without the benefit of a larger knowledge base to evaluate what they are reading/seeing.

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You are so right

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Keith: I wish that I was not right. And it was not as bad as it is. But your observation about the Biden 'witch hunt' is actually good news! They don't deserve their pay and benefits! The do nothing 'Congress'!

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Classic move for republicans…Oh we never really believed that! They project their weaknesses by accusing Democrats of the things they do. They deny knowledge of harm once it is irrefutable by evidence that they were duped. I think they are imploding with perfect timing!

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Keith ; "Throw the bums out!"

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"How One Ukrainian Billionaire Funded Hunter Biden, President Volodymyr Zelensky, And Neo-Nazi Azov Battalion"

https://greatgameindia.com/hunter-biden-zelensky-neo-nazi/

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Known website for distributing false information. That can be found without much effort.

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Agree.

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Really?? I think you're just making that up. You sound like the Wizard of Oz: "Don't look behind that curtain!"

I hope you're not a proponent of brain-dead thought control:

https://youtu.be/YR5ApYxkU-U?si=4uETA3OX1IO2Ilgq

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Did you even try to verify this before you posted it here? And where else are you busy posting such disinformation?

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What kind of ass sneers "disinformation" without even checking? That article is well-sourced with embedded links. Here are some quotes:

"A 2012 study of Burisma Holdings done in Ukraine by the AntiCorruption Action Centre (ANTAC), an investigative nonprofit co-funded by American billionaire George Soros and the U.S. State Department, found that the true owner of Burisma Holdings was none other than Ukrainian billionaire-oligarch Ihor Kolomoysky."

"In other words, Hunter Biden’s boss and benefactor at Burisma Holdings is the same Ukrainian billionaire-oligarch who also claimed the position of boss and benefactor over Volodymyr Zelensky before he became Ukraine’s president."

"For years, Zelensky’s company produced shows for Kolmoysky’s TV network, 1+1 Media Group, one of the largest media conglomerates in Ukraine. Zelensky achieved national fame portraying a president on a hit television sitcom called, Servant of the People, which was broadcasted on a channel owned by Kolmoysky."

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That article is blocked behind a subscription wall. Any chance you could provide a quote?

Do you disagree with any of the following quotes from the article that I linked? It is well-sourced with embedded links. Here are some quotes:

"A 2012 study of Burisma Holdings done in Ukraine by the AntiCorruption Action Centre (ANTAC), an investigative nonprofit co-funded by American billionaire George Soros and the U.S. State Department, found that the true owner of Burisma Holdings was none other than Ukrainian billionaire-oligarch Ihor Kolomoysky."

"In other words, Hunter Biden’s boss and benefactor at Burisma Holdings is the same Ukrainian billionaire-oligarch who also claimed the position of boss and benefactor over Volodymyr Zelensky before he became Ukraine’s president."

"For years, Zelensky’s company produced shows for Kolmoysky’s TV network, 1+1 Media Group, one of the largest media conglomerates in Ukraine. Zelensky achieved national fame portraying a president on a hit television sitcom called, Servant of the People, which was broadcasted on a channel owned by Kolmoysky.

"In 2019, Kolmoysky’s media channels gave a big boost to Zelensky’s presidential campaign, while Kolmoysky even provided security, lawyers, and vehicles for Zelensky during his campaign. Kolmoysky’s bodyguard and lawyer accompanied Zelensky on the campaign trail as Zelensky was chauffeured around in a Range Rover owned by one of Kolmoysky’s companies."

"Igor Kolomoysky has been a top funder of the Azov Battalion since it was formed in 2014. He has also bankrolled private militias like the Dnipro and Aidar Battalions and has personally deployed them to protect his financial interests."

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Read widely

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Schmeeckle? Lol!

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I think he’s assuming your last name is actually a Yiddish word.

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My surname is easily mocked.

Here is my great-grandfather's family tree:

https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Schm%C3%BCckle-39#Ancestors

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It happens to the best of us. Are you a genealogy buff too? We had a bit of a genealogy fest in yesterday’s comments.

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Synonymous with __uck.

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All of the above, plus the disinformation of the media

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Yes, it's a "noxious brew" which has led to an obscene, corrosive kind of populism...

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My gut is the Republican Party was always a four- pronged political machine:

1. The corporate and wealthy elite that always pursued tax cuts as their main, and only issue.

2. The War-hawks or the neo-cons, who are the remnants of the Cold War and American Imperialism.

3. The religious wing-nuts who have been banging on the door and have been on the fringe, since groups like the John Birch Society!going back to McCarthyism.

4. The Southern Racists and White Nationalists, who also occupy part of the religious wing-nut platform.

During Nixon’s Southern Strategy, the fringe, or religious wing-nuts and White Nationalists were welcomed back into the party.

Reagan added legitimacy to these two groups and it was solidified during W. Bush’s presidency.

The War Hawks or neo-cons who were the most powerful group, lost it’s legitimately after the manufactured war in Iraq, and the forever wars including Afghanistan and the War on Terror, which spread across The Middle East, Africa and Central Asia with no end in sight.

And after the Great Recession in 2008, the war hawks lost all credibility, giving rise to the tea party and eventually Trumpism.

Now the party has two factions: The corporate and wealthy elite, as well as the religious wing-nuts and White supremicists. And the neo-cons, like Liz Cheney have all been excommunicated.

This may account for the reason the party has abandoned its global worldview and fomented its support Russia over Ukraine; “it’s not our problem scenario.”

Although, a lot has to do with Trump’s wholesale takeover of the party of chaos, and his transactional ties to Russia, based on the fact that Russian oligarchs, through Putin, have been financing his properties and resorts for decades since no legitimate bank will lend him money.

Bottom line: it’s the perfect storm of a party that has been in chaos, and looking for an identity since Nixon.

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I agree with the 4-parts. I would stress your "although" part as the proximate cause of our difficulties and that much of the Republican leadership in the House see support of Trump, and thus Putin in some fashion, as a means to power in their crude short-sighted foolish calculations. My rep is no Putin lover but if Ukraine aid comes up for a vote she may very well vote against it. Her district was gerrymandered in 2022 to include more rural areas and it's possible she could get primaried out of office (though I doubt it). To not assume Trump is 100% owned by Putin is to dismiss too much damning evidence.

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Robert, that was an excellent account of the republican party. Your insights help me put things in perspective and are appreciated. Thank you!

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The American oligarchs are not just interested in tax cuts but also the destruction of all government regulation/oversight/accountability. There's even more profit to be made if you can pollute, commit fraud, prevent/bust unions, create more monopolies, purchase and strip equity from unlimited healthcare, education, etc., etc.

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Marge: some of them are secular fanatics and very dangerous.

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And some are using religion to overshadow their real motivations.

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Fair enough and excellent points. It was more of a condensed overview…:)

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Yes, I did understand that. I just like making sure my pet peeves are front and center, too!

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Very insightful and an etiology of the Republican problem that I haven't read before. I'm copying this for my folder. Thank you.

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Thanks, it’s just IMHO an overview. The neo-cons are the National Security Apparatus. I would also say the religious fanatics are in control; definitely through the courts, but rely on the rich for their financing and elections…:)

We can go much further in depth to get a better understanding of how these groups function collectively, but I think this is a good start.

All these groups have been jockeying for power for decades, and here we are…:)

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Religious fanatics and the rich formed a symbiotic relationship.

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Agreed. It’s a marriage of convenience. The rich guy, the beautiful wife, the crazy uncle and the racist grandparents….:)

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An old story, It has been happening for millenia.

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Isn't there a difference between a fundamentalist and a fanatic?

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Do you think there is?

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Excellent analysis, Robert!

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Thank you…:)

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If you are the Republican party and you see that you cannot win power by democratic means, due to changing demographics and dependence on factions that resist policy changes that would appeal to the wider electorate, then you will grasp on to any (undemocratic):alternative that can give you that power.

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Capitalism and democracy cannot long endure together. Capitalism always wins.

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Has anyone else noticed that the Unionizing movement has become louder and a teensy bit more effective? Is that Democracy speaking to Capitalism?

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Yes. With the help of the Biden administration.

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Gloria, I agree with you. In our history, there has been a seesaw effect between capitalism and democracy, where sometimes capitalism is more in control and sometimes democracy is more in control. My own opinion is that we have reached a critical tipping point where capitalism has gained so much control that if we are very fortunate, the seesaw may become close to level for a period of time, however in general capitalism now dominates democracy.

It is time to seriously research alternative approaches to the balance between democracy and an economic system. That is why I have become a strong proponent of economic democracy.

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