464 Comments

Wa Po columnist Eugene Robinson says being underestimated is Biden's superpower. I think that's spot on. For fifty years he's dealt with the grinding reality of how to rack up incremental progress in a tangled system. He is brilliant at it and much more than that - he is a deeply, passionately moral person. He's brought us back from the abyss, and knows he's the wall between us/US and fascism.

I am deeply grateful and five million percent behind him and VP Harris.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/04/13/biden-polling-belies-strength/

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I can't help sometimes but think of our nation as a classroom. When the children are calm and well managed, everyone learns, everyone is heard, everyone contributes, and everyone benefits. Our previous "teacher," an authoritarian, never learned the power of positive reinforcement generously dosed with a warm sense of humor. 4 more years of our current "teacher" just might get us where we need to be.

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Especially if he has both the House and Senate!

He's been so much better than I ever dreamed he would be. When I voted for him (I'd previously been a Bernie gal and then Liz Warren supporter), I figured I was voting for peaceful competence at the very least instead of self-aggrandizing, gaslighting, chaotic drama, but I'm happy to say he was so much more than simply competent.

Am I concerned about his age? Of course! Pretending that isn't a thing would be dumb, but even in his early 80s, he's going to be something far better than the nightmare the no-idea, greedy, Lying Dinosaur party would give. us.

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Spoken like a teacher! :)

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My thought, too!

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I love that metaphor!! May it be so!!

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As a former teacher I agree with you 1000%.

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Apr 26, 2023·edited Apr 26, 2023

Alexandra,

Excellent positive summary of Biden. I agree, mostly.

One area I would say Biden whiffed was his championship of Republican nominated Clarence Thomas for the Supreme Court in the face of a black woman's observations of sexual harassment and Thomas spending his days reading Playboy and Penthouse on the job.

Biden might have listened a bit better, and been less dismissive, to/of a black woman in that case. A little more due diligence on Biden's part might have saved us from a purchased nutcase on the Supreme Court.

Which, is a real and serious problem for America. An avoidable problem that we did not avoid.

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100%. I was furious with Biden for at least a decade after the Thomas hearings. Do I think he'd do the same today? Not a chance. He was wrong. I'm sure he knows he was wrong. The whole male lineup was wrong. Patriarchy won and the country lost.

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Let’s put this in context. So now we have 2 Supreme Court judges where women were brave enough to speak their truth of the abusive treatment they received from our Supreme Court judges. The handwriting was on the wall when these men were confirmed. Women’s rights were negated. We are still fighting for our rights. One would have hoped we had moved beyond this but no. I loved Kamala’s question to frat boy Are you aware of any laws governing men’s body?

We still have a court full of men who have power over our reproductive rights. There is a big difference between how Biden treats women and how Trump treats women.

I will be thrilled to see Biden re elected even though he is not perfect. I did not support him last time but I believe he is just what we needed. His knowledge, experience and ability to work with people is amazing. He handled the state of the union message brilliantly. He changed the direction this country was headed for. He was able to ge much done because of his ability to work with people.

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Well said, Susan. You hit the salient points directly, and your last paragraph is a winner.

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Thanks Ally.

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And, Susan, because of his deep compassion for all people.

He also has a wonderful smile.

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The compassion is so radiant. It is deeply incomprehensible and frightening to me that given these polar opposite individuals: the black hole narcissism of Trump and Biden's compassion, that 75 million people could even think there was a choice.

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Apr 26, 2023·edited Apr 26, 2023

Your comment needs to be in bold and larger font, Alexandra.

Even after all these years, it is hard to accept the fact that so many people don't see Trump for the pure evil spawn that his parents cooked up and propped up, by marinating him in their family's toxic stew of emotional and mental sickness, to become a malignant narcissist.

I believe America will fight and dig itself out of this dark period in our history. And there will probably be enough books, articles and graduate theses to fill a library dedicated to explaining how a nightmare like Trump was able to infect enough of this country to cause this much emotional trauma and existential danger.

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I guess people are blind and taken to narcissistic personality disorders. They drink the koolaid. Biden has a soul and compassion which is unavailable to his running mate.

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Biden's "compassion"??

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Last Christmastime, Biden put in a guest appearance on Jason Bateman's podcast, Smartless. I enjoyed it so much. Biden has great empathy, a good sense of humor and a genuine love for his job.

On the other hand, Trump rarely smiles.

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RE: your last sentence, when he does, it’s diabolical.

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I am currently reading a book called God: An Anatomy. It is focused on ancient SW Asia (she doesn't use the near east because she regards that as colonial). I am in the middle of the chapters addressing genitals and the patriarchy behind that and how it found its way into Judaism and Christianity. As I read, I think about where we are today. I am not sure we have made much progress in this regard.

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Thanks for book suggestion! Will order!!

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I think you will enjoy it. Part of her idea is that the concept of God has had a body from early times and is not some bodiless transcendental being. She cites a lot of other cultures of the time and quotes the Bible to make her points. She starts with feet and among other things discusses taking off shoes to enter sacred areas and the washing of them. A lot of what she cites is explicit, so probably would be banned today. I do wonder if some of our Bible thumpers have any idea of what is in it.

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def will be reading, thanks for the hook-up.

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Ordering Kindle version here in Mexico.

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I hope Biden re-introduced his cabinet, staff and close working relationships with voters very soon. Show Americans GE is truly a team player and respects all people. This would be awesome.

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“The whole male lineup was wrong. “ Nailed it. I remember that hearing and how viscerally upset I was and continued to be. And it continues with the continued subjugation of women.

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Agree. A real leader owns a mistake and move toward not being naive or politically correct. Can't change past, but learn and do more diligence and make perhaps the less popular better choice, the morally right one.

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That mistake, the mistake about the "tough on crime" bill and the Willow drilling project approval all make me angry. Very angry.

But Biden has been a political leader for longer than most Americans have been alive. If that's what "we have on him", he is probably as close to a perfect person as we will ever get. There isn't a politician or President or preacher who doesn't have some sort of baggage. As bad as Thomas is, we should put things into perspective. Joe was not the only factor in Thomas being approved. Could Joe have made it different? Yes. But the times were different - wrong, but very different.

I am all in for Biden-Harris 2024. As I will continue to say, our problem will be appealing to Gen Y and Z. Biden will need to do seriously symbolic efforts on the Climate Change issue to rally them. And hammering away on women's rights needs to be a daily mantra.

I think VP Harris should embark on a series of ads that show the devastating toll abortion bans have on the health of women and families.

Book banning, the war on Disney....and just about everyone in the country has a relative or friend who is LBGTQ. These are huge issues that will resonate with younger generations.

Oy, there is so much to work with!

And everyday, we should be quoting Senator Medicare Fraud Scott on how he wants to "sunset" Social Security and Medicare.

Democrats have all we need to win. We are on the correct side of every issue - not just because we say we are. But because the vast majority of Americans stand with us on all of them. The GQP is imploding. If we lose this one, we deserve what we get.

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Excellent observations! I want to see Biden present his cabinet to all of us next- who are they what are they responsible for, what have they been working on…if Biden continues on this address of community and working together we will win his re-election. Focus on accomplishments and staff and not the republicans who sadly have lost their way.

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Joan, that is a great, great strategy. How powerful that would be!

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I second, great strategy! How do we get that action-message to POTUS realm?

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I'm with you up to the last assertion. We don't "deserve" what the Republican party is dishing out. We are in a very confusing era, having just almost survived a worldwide pandemic and inundated with social media that appeals to the lowest common denominator. Our weaknesses, which include a fragmented system of education, make us vulnerable to exploitation. And corporate forces are gathering to buy a candidate that excludes the ugliness that Trump represents while consolidating the toxic winner-take-all econoomic system. It's not a slam dunk.

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Immigration at the southern border is a real problem that the Republicans will take advantage of as much as possible. Biden assigned it to Harris, but I haven't heard or seen much of what has been accomplished, if anything. I think the Dems (Biden and Harris in particular) should own up to this problem by admitting the results have been uneven at best, that it's a tough problem, and that Congress needs to pass a comprehensive immigration package to address it. Saying that "we're working on it night and day", or something to that effect, is on the level of "thoughts and prayers".

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It's clearly one of the unaddressed issues of the administration, perhaps because there's so little support in Congress. Not even George W. Bush could get enough support, and as long as the right keeps spinning tales of "replacement theory," I'm not sure it will be. But it was unfair to send Harris to Central America on her first big assignment, IMO.

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If you are still "angry" about Willow you have allowed yourself to be sucked into one of those hysterical talking heads making an issue for the news media things that are so prevalent these days.

Willow is not a mistake, Willow is a good old fashioned compromise in the face of a no win situation. As a former Alaskan I am really impressed by what Biden managed to win in that game!

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I respect your knowledgeable opinion. Call me a radical when it comes to the Climate Crisis. We could have stopped drilling years ago. We could have developed sustainable replacements for energy production. The oil companies could have been required to become "energy companies".

I hear what you are saying...politically. But the Earth cares little for politics.

The oiligarchs own Congress. I wanted Joe to just say NO MORE!

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Apr 27, 2023·edited Apr 27, 2023

Could, would, should, are magical thinking. Joe came as close to saying no more as it is possible in the real world. We can't rail on the republicans for conspiracy thinking and then use the same lack of logic ourselves.

We need to work in the real world, not some imaginary dream world. We could not have stopped drilling when that would have left us dependent on OPEC. The Willow leases were purchased in the 1990s when electric cars were still a dream. You can't demand that the US pay it's bills through the debt limit and also demand the US back out of sales made in 1990s.

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Mary Ellen,

I really like the way you think. It is practical and thoughtful. I hear you from a realistic "what's the best we can do now with a tough situation" point of view.

But when our grandchildren look back, they are going to be furious with us for being so slow in acting on CO2 emissions. We knew that the Climate Crisis was a freight train coming right at us back when those leases were signed. It was wrong then and it is wrong now. With a strong commitment to alternative sources of energy and a national push to reduce energy consumption we could have been able to say "Get Lost" to the Saudis long ago. The money that goes into developing a well and all the safeguards and transportation costs could be applied to retrofitting buildings, developing new more efficient energy creators, rebuilding the grid to carry the newly generated power.

The real issue and the big creature in the room is this question. When it comes to a thing that is clearly provided for the benefit of people - all the people, every single one of us - why do we cede the control of that to a few Oligarchs? Electricity and fossil fuels should be in the public domain because they are only there for the public. They shouldn't be employed with the sole purpose of enriching the few - but that's what's happening.

Yup, I am rethinking the entire structure of our corrupt capitalist con the public system. I say this as a believer in free enterprise - I am a retired business person. There are lot's of ways a person could make a living by producing services or manufacturing and processing goods. But some things do not belong in the jaws of the profit machines. Things like utilities and energy. Like water. Like health care and education. Like prisons. Like Medicare (some day I'll rant about the "Advantage" scam).

But enough of beating up the past. It's time for President Biden and everyone with a concern for the devastation unfolding in every corner of the planet to make reducing emissions the number one mission - the top priority in every sector of everything we do. It's a matter of life or death.

And let's get practical again. The most important thing to do right now is to be sure we oust as many MAGA maniacs as possible at every level of governance. Then and only then will we have our hands on the wheel and steer this nation back to science and hopefully...survival.

Thanks for reading, if you did. I have had a lot of coffee.

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Still a long ways from drilling! A 2024 🌊🌊🌊 could empower some great things to happen!! 🌎

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There is not a single one among us who hasn’t made a mistake that we deeply regret, that we now see as truly wrong. Judge ye not less ye be judged. Our leaders are never going to be perfect. We can expect that they be honest, committed to the principles of our constitution, and fervent in their defense of our people and perseverance in raising everyone up. Biden has worked for the American people for decades. He will not stop. He deserves all of our votes.

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I believe Biden learned a lot from that mistake, don’t you?

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Apr 26, 2023·edited Apr 26, 2023

Yes, he surely did, Meredith. Thankfully.

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Well, he voted against confirming Thomas, so I think he did.

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What! I remembered Biden was horrible to Anita Hill only BUT didn't remember he voted not to confirm Thomas. This is important information for all. Thank you

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I was a little surprised when I went back and looked at the historical context, even though I remember both the Thomas hearings and the hearings around Bork's nomination in 1987. What I hadn't realized was how lopsided (almost unanimous) most previous confirmations had been. It really was a turning point. Confirmation hearings since have been much closer, and ever more acrimonious as we get close to the present.

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Mike S. True. It is a mistake that is still costing us dearly. However, it is very clear that Biden has learned and changed. He listens better now, and though I can think of several people he still ought to fire from his current administration, his choices have mostly been good ones.

I back him 100%.

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That was more than 30 years ago. The Senate Judiciary Committee of the time was all male and all white. The vote to confirm Thomas was close: 52-48. 46 Democrats voted against confirmation. Sen. Joe Biden (D-DE) was one of them. Could it be that you're overestimating Biden's potential at the time to single-handedly change the outcome?

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Virginia Witmer is right: "it was a different America and a different Biden." I'm not sure some commenters here understand just how different it was. Thurgood Marshall, a hero of the civil rights movement and the first African American SCOTUS justice *ever*, announced his retirement in 1991. (He had been in poor health for some time, and according to some reports he felt isolated after his ally, Justice William Brennan, retired in 1990.)

The pressure was on to appoint another Black jurist to replace him -- it was unofficially considered "the Black seat". IMO Bush I's appointment of Thomas was politically brilliant, because white liberals and moderates of the time were uneasy about opposing *any* Black candidate for that seat. In those days, most SCOTUS nominees were confirmed by landslide votes, if not unanimously. The conspicuous exception was the nomination of the right-wing Robert Bork, who was actually *rejected* by the Senate in 1987 after the Senate Judiciary Committee reported his nomination unfavorably. This, I believe, is the ONLY time a SCOTUS nominee has been rejected.

So add it all up: The pressure to appoint a Black person to Thurgood Marshall's seat. White liberal uneasiness with opposing a Black nominee, any Black nominee. White liberal *male* ignorance of the whole issue of sexual harassment. (The hearings became a watershed for this particular issue, prompting many, many women to run for office at all levels in 1992.) The lasting bitterness over the rejection of Bork, coming as it did at a time when SCOTUS nominees were generally confirmed by huge margins. Given all that, it's pretty amazing that the vote to confirm Thomas was so close: 52–48.

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It was a different America and a different Biden. Sadly Thomas hasn’t changed. All of US need to “grow up.”

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The one thing I hold against him and every male sitting on that committee. If they wanted a black justice, they could have found a better candidate and not some creep.

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How about coming up with a list of alternatives? Keep in mind that although the Democrats held the Senate, the president (who makes the appointments) was a Republican, George H. W. Bush. Also keep in mind that owing to good ol' racism the lower courts were not nearly as well stocked with people of color and women as they are today. So who should President Bush have appointed?

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I don't think he championed Clarence Thomas. He is the one that had them introduce this evidence into the hearings when he was asked to by all the women. They had to go back and then have longer hearings. It was obvious to every woman I know watching the hearings that Clarence Thomas was bad news. No surprises there. Now, we see how big a deal it can be. If we can get Dems to control Congress and The White House, we can impeach the sucker! There are a few more who can either be impeached or sanctioned. We can at least set some conditions for the service of the Supreme Court Justices.

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I agree 100%. I was unable to vote for Biden during primaries because of his leadership role in questioning and dismissing Anita Hill and making it possible for Thomas to get on Supreme Court. I’ve never heard an apology from him.

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Thank-you.. very well said!

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Thanks, Pam! I also think Biden will keep under the radar because he understands completely what someone else here quoted re: the Republicans: ‘Never interfere with an enemy while he’s in the process of destroying himself.’ (First attributed to Napoleon, kind of - Woodrow Wilson had his own version: "Never murder a man who is committing suicide.")

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I so hope you are right that they are in the process of destroying themselves. I just hope they don’t take the rest of us down with them.

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Jen, I have to hope it. But as some Republican political analyst said (paraphrasing): "Trump will never, NEVER let DeSantis become President. He would five million times rather Joe Biden be reelected." Trump will destroy the party before letting it abandon him. They are ****ed, and they know it.

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Ah, the true narcissist. I had forgotten that.

I think I will need more popcorn.

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My fear is that somehow Nikki Haley could get the Republican nomination. The whole party needs to collapse before someone semi-decent rises to the top.

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MaryPat, I'm old enough to have seen that literally anything can happen in a presidential race, we'd be fools to think we can know what's coming! But Haley is VERY unlikely. Too many GOP "leaders" would have to grow a spine and force Trump out. And they're too terrified of him. He's a monster and he's their monster.

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Reading these exchanges, I’ve learned much from you. Thanks for it!

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Yuh.., I agree Alexandra, fact is, we're ALL part of "the problem" , but I see Joe Biden, as a real part of the solution. So far his administration has worked on things that count without bloviating. The threat posed by communism is lost on virtually everyone. And that wagon of horse manure is being dutifully positioned by the fool-factor within the Republican party. People like MTgreene (like empty greene, MTheaded) and Bodirt wading in it. One needs to wear a mask when dealing with that bunch.

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Empty Greene - truer words. How crazy do people have to be not to recognize flat out, deep-dish crazy?

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"Deep dish" .....whoaa, now THERE! Alexandra, you have given the 'free-world' a new undefined usage.., bbboink! Innovative, to say the least Alexandra. So good. But, allow me to have some input here.. howz dis: In the beginning there was Chicago Style - Deep Dish. Then came New York style. With the most noticeable difference being one having a thin-crust (NY) while Chicago was 'thicker' hence, "deep dish" evolved. Well now, in light of your use of "deep dish" perhaps we need a version for the dim state of Georgia, call it SHALLOW dish - Meaning, without crust, uncooked middle, dough without body ( a cow-pie, like full of ---T), sans recognizable topping (crazy, mindless). Whewww, I'm out of breath. Shallow Dish, GA style. Style..?...crap is more like it. Yes //s//:))

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Hey Mad Russian! I do like making up words, but you're really parsing it there! Because it's Georgia I was probably thinking more like casserole than pizza. You know, a gloppy church picnic casserole kind of thing.

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Yep, you are spot on!

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Bravo Alexandra!!

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Biden, like George H.W. Bush before him, is the face of the Establishment. The man is just plain evil. As I've said before, if Trump is Godzilla, then Biden is Dracula.

https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/april-23-2023/comment/15153336

https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/april-20-2023/comment/15069537

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If you can't see the difference, and it seems you can't, I can only be sorry for you. There's not much more to say.

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This was kind of a fascinating read. Not sure that the writer is qualified to diagnose personality disorders but nonetheless it seems on point in places and especially when I think of EMusk. Maybe there’s some threads of truths worth a read? I especially like the paragraph about blocking. 😁

“And it makes so much sense that dark personalities with high levels of narcissism, psychopathy, Machiavellianism, and sadism (known as “the dark tetrad”) in real life are the darkest of dark trolls online as well, because darkness hunts everywhere. Now you understand much of the psychology of the worst trolls and their motives behind wasting so much time trolling. To them, it is not wasting time at all. It is their nature, and being mostly anonymous online, and thus mostly unaccountable, just makes it so much easier for them to spread their disordered darkness online and off.“

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Thanks for posting, Christy! I write psychological crime thrillers and have been studying these traits and interviewing psychiatric and law enforcement experts about it for years. The assessment seems spot on to me, and I'd also add - when you look at the younger generation of psychopaths (like Luka Magnotta, the killer profiled in "Don't **** with Cats") they seem horribly to be combining both internet trolling and real life trawling for victims.

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Wow! That’s 😎 Thank you!

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The Establishment has more than one face, and what is wheeled out for public consumption is not at all what the Demublican/Republicrat leadership and their overlords are really up to. My suspicion is that Biden was elevated to the Presidency after making the back-room promise to be ready to "go all the way" in a nuclear confrontation with Russia.

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Why do you feel the need to post this twice? Once is more than enough.

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I've reported Mr. "Schmeekle" (sure it is not 'Schmeckle') to the content moderation department. Two (2) duplicative posts are what? Discussions with Substack Inc have been quite brisk on the subject of Platform contractual duties to "Readers". FYI, a mixture of 3 different SCOTUS cases raise Platform responsibility to 3rd Parties. Regulation is slow.

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Every time he posts I think to myself "Dang, now where's the Raid Flying Insect Spray?". :D

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...said the self-confessed misanthrope who doesn't want to know about American complicity in the most far-reaching genocide in history.

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Apr 27, 2023·edited Apr 27, 2023

As have I, multiple times, Bryan.

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This is what “Schmeeckle” is prone to do. “He” wants attention. “He” wants to provoke. Remember when LFAA was being stalked by Gandalf the Great?

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I have had Lengthy discussions with Substack Inc including venue matters at JAMS, the Platform's chosen dispute resolution forum. Substack Inc & JAMS are very close by -- all within blocks of my old law firm in SF. Neighbors.

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Actually, I am a real person. I do my best to make honest assessments, because I'm not on anybody's payroll. I am not a Republican or a Trump supporter. I think that, at this point in history, questions of foreign policy, including the ongoing global process of de-dollarization, are of much more consequence than Biden's embrace of Bernie's domestic agenda.

My facebook page is here:

https://m.facebook.com/john.schmeeckle

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WOW - “a real person” - not AI? And, yup, FACEBOOK - good backup, Sauron.

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Mwa ha ha

"...and the joke's on you..."

https://youtu.be/qttI6oytqpw

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Paul, Gandalf the Great? Sounds like quite a story!

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Goes all the way back to Columbia Journalism Review article regarding Substack Inc's tangles with prior contractually defined 'Authors'. I obtained a form Substack Inc contract from ex-Authors.

Long story needs Rules of the Road if Platforms do not enforce their own contracts or observe centuries old tort duties owed to forseeable 3rd Parties.

All of this & more going on off stage. Trying to protect this extremely valuable HCR platform & Community.

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Yeah, I think this is the same person - different “name.”

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Right. I won't be feeding the troll.

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I responded to two different people. That way, each has the opportunity to respond, because each gets an email notification. Perhaps neither of them scans through all the various posts and replies like you seem to have done.

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I find it hard to believe you are a real person who actually reads HCR's blog.

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When you see the name: Schmeeckle....Just scroll on. Do not comment: it's a waste of time.

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Judy, I agree, no reason to feed the troll. However, I do typically report using the ellipses under its comments.

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So do I....I recommended to him that he start his own substack.

I wonder how many other substacks he is infesting......

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...said the paid Biden troll.

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Five million percent, Alexandra? That's a lot. I'm in!

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Lynell, yes, I feel strongly about it.

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Lynell, yes, I feel strongly about it. :)

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I cannot immediately bring to mind anything significant that modern Republicans are either for or against that is not demonstrably, empirically, fake, from the promises of Reaganomics to the claims of massive voter fraud (unless you count GOP gerrymandering) that no one can prove. "More wealth for the wealthiest and 'austerity' for everyone else" is not such a popular sales pitch, so they must wrap it in a web of lies. And what a tangled web it has become.

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"... a web of lies" floating on a "sea of mendacity"; may it sink to the bottom soon.

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I'll drink to that. 🥂

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It will. They are cutting a hole in the bottom to let the water out.

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Very well said. Contrary to "woke" the republicans remain asleep and Biden's message is a wake-up call. The RNC's fake cartoon response video perfectly expresses their desperation. But guess what--gen Z, our youth--is my prayer answered. They are truly woke, understanding the danger the other side is posing to their future, and are mobilizing. They are our hope.

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Hooray for the three Tennesseans and the publicity they’ve received, including their White House visit. And an extra shout out to the former teacher who joined with the Justins.

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In the mean time the young in polling approve of Biden at a whopping 31%. Go figure.

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That’s because they tend to be more progressive the the “standard” Democrat. They do not believe the policies of the Democratic Party go far enough in dealing with social issues. Quoting my young nephew here. The fact that Sanders put his support behind Biden is big. But so much focus goes to independents. They need to listen more to GenZ and the progressives. It’s their future that’s at stake.

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If the youth want to snatch “defeat from the jaws of victory”, it will not be the first time this happened for Dems. I respect their passion, but question their wisdom on this. We need long-game vision here. And we need to stand united.

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'Passion' on the part of the youth and many of us knowledgeable 'young at heart' folks who believe that Biden made a big mistake in approving a great deal more use of fossil fuels with the Willow Project, MLRGRMI? What about the facts?

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I don’t think my position disputes the fact that his decision on the Willow Project ranks right up there with allowing the Senate to bash Anita Hill and confirm Clarence Thomas. But my long-game vision is to not descend into intra-party fighting right now, when we need to model rigorous, healthy debate, and move forward to winning the Presidency, Senate AND House. That is critical to reining in the fossil fuel impacts going forward. With the House out of our control, deals will be made that really appall us. But the future with a gop President, and gop House, and gop Senate because youth and “young at heart” are angry about the Willow Project, seems to me cutting our noses off to spite our face.

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Pressing Climate Change, Biden and so forth doesn't spell weakening the Democratic Party. Why does a serious disagreement lead to tragedy? It is impossible to imagine a stronger Climate Change position? Doesn't falling back describe how we have been addressing Climate Catastrophe since the mid 1980s? How we doing, MLRGRMI? Getting better or worse? What has it cost us? Is this 'your' long-game vision?

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'Many Young Voters Bitter Over Biden’s Support of Willow Oil Drilling' (excerpts from NYTimes)

'The Willow project, authorized by the Biden administration last month, allowed ConocoPhillips to expand its drilling operations in the area.'

'In the past three weeks, President Biden’s administration has proposed regulations to speed the transition to electric vehicles, committed $1 billion to help poor countries fight climate change and prepared what could be the first limits on greenhouse gas emissions from power plants.'

'And yet, many young voters alarmed by climate change remain angry with Mr. Biden’s decision last month to approve Willow, an $8 billion oil drilling project on pristine federal land in Alaska. As the president prepares to announce his bid for re-election, it’s not at all clear that those voters who helped him win in 2020 because of his commitment to climate action will turn out again.'

'Alex Haraus, 25, said he and other young people felt betrayed by the Willow decision, after Mr. Biden had pledged as a candidate that he would end new oil drilling on public lands “period, period, period.”

'Mr. Haraus, whose videos on TikTok opposing the Willow project amassed hundreds of thousands of views, described his reaction as “mad and frustrated and disappointed.”

'About a dozen young climate activists interviewed said they were not assuaged by the other actions by the Biden administration, even if they significantly draw down greenhouse gas emissions that are dangerously heating the planet, Mr. Haraus said. What they want, he said, is for the president to rein in oil and gas companies, which enjoyed record profits last year.'

“I don’t think any of those things encourage people to forgive the Biden administration for projects like Willow,” said Mr. Haraus, who lives outside Chicago. “Young voters see our future getting thrown out the window. We need Biden to take on the industry, otherwise there’s not much for us to hope for.”

'Young voters overwhelmingly — about 62 percent — support phasing out fossil fuels entirely, said Alec Tyson, an associate director of research at Pew Research Center. There is broad support among registered voters of both parties for a transition to a future in which the United States is no longer pumping carbon emissions into the atmosphere, Mr. Tyson said. But most are not willing to break with fossil fuels altogether, he said.'

'From his earliest days in office, Mr. Biden has highlighted climate action as a top priority. Soon after moving into the White House, he re-entered the United States in the Paris Agreement and set an ambitious goal of cutting the country’s emissions roughly 50 percent below 2005 levels by the end of this decade.'

'He signed into law the Inflation Reduction Act, which provides $370 billion in incentives to expand wind, solar and other clean energy and electric vehicles. He has proposed rules to ensure that two-thirds of new cars and a quarter of new heavy trucks sold in the United States by 2032 are all-electric. Within weeks, he is expected to require that coal and gas plants, responsible for 25 percent of the country’s greenhouse gases, significantly cut their emissions.'

'Yet lawmakers and activists said they worried that regulatory moves would not capture the imagination of voters and that the Willow project would cast a long shadow.'

“The Biden administration is trying to reassure swing-state Democrats like Senator Manchin that despite the new power plant rule due later this week, natural gas will still play an important role in the clean energy transition,” said Paul Bledsoe, a former Clinton administration climate official who is now with the Progressive Policy Institute. “The timing is anything but accidental.”

'But Mr. Bowman said that Mr. Biden was sending a mixed message to young voters and that they were rejecting it.'

“Young people are plugged in and more informed than they have ever been about climate change,” he said. “Now they’re feeling stabbed in the back.” If Mr. Biden doesn’t reverse course, “young people stay home in 2024, that’s the consequences,” Mr. Bowman said.' (NYTimes) Sorry that gifting is not an option. This article appeared on 4/24/23.

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I'm not happy about Biden's support for the Willow project, either (though I'm far from a "young voter"!). But I think of that old expression about the perfect being the enemy of the good. Young people need to understand that declining to exercise their right to vote could easily result in a win for the other side, for the party that has fought tooth and nail against efforts to address (or even acknowledge) climate change. That would be far worse.

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I totally agree with you. This is the first new drilling project I've heard this administration approve of (I wonder how much acreage is affected). Compare this with the previous crew that wanted to dismantle the EPA entirely. I too feel a sense of betrayal, but look at the choice. Gen Zers are not stupid. They can disapprove all they want but they're not going to sit on the couch and not vote so some republican can make things 100 times worse. What heartens me about this young generation is that it's gone beyond talk and protesting. The two Justins embody the perfect anti-old-white-men antidote. I place all of my hope in their actions and the inspiration that they spread....

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Ellen, I think that we have to listen to one another. It isn't just young ones as you have indicated that know how crucial it is to drastically reduce the use of fossil fuels ASAP -- beginning how long ago?!

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Ellen's point, however, is pertinent for all ages, not just Gen Zers, namely, not voting could mean a win for tog (the other guy).

Biden is gradually transitioning away from fossils but needs to assure that we in the US aren't dependant on foreign oil imports to supply our present demand. I'm not happy about Willow either, but the demand/need for oil is real right now. We've got to move away from fossils gradually.

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And so their anger at one (significant) Biden climate decision means they would stay home and let TRUMP continue to claim that wind power is dangerous? That climate change is “fake news?” Would they really punish Biden at the expense of all the climate actions he has taken - and which TRUMP would immediately repudiate and undo? What are they thinking?

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Marge, I think that you are getting too far ahead about what 'they' will do. It is much too early to know what the youth vote will do and to punish them for what they haven't done but express their justified disapproval of Biden's approval of the Willow Project.

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Polls? What do polls have to do with anything at this point?

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I think the polling process is largely flawed. Cell phones and the web have changed things, much like climate change is affecting weather.

It's a crap shoot now, but I think Biden is probably doing much better than he seems to be.

Besides, I don't think he particularly gives a rat's patootie. This is his last hurrah. I think he's doing it because he feels it's his duty to do it, and he really IS going to do it for the good of us all.

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Apr 26, 2023·edited Apr 26, 2023

‘And unlike Republicans eager for their party’s nomination, he (Biden) appears to revel in highlighting the people around him rather than hogging the spotlight, while he touts the work the government has done for ordinary Americans.’ (Letter)

In exemplifying American Democracy, President Biden is working toward restoring the American consensus. The contrast with Trump could not be greater. That fella may have trumpeted Big Lies in his crib, but we need not go that far back:

1. “Why doesn’t he show his birth certificate? There’s something on that birth certificate that he doesn’t like.” __Donald J. Trump

- March 23, 2011, on “The View”

2. “He’s spent millions of dollars trying to get away from this issue. Millions of dollars in legal fees trying to get away from this issue. And I’ll tell you what, I brought it up, just routinely, and all of a sudden a lot facts are emerging and I’m starting to wonder myself whether or not he was born in this country.” __Donald J. Trump

- March 28, 2011, on Fox News

Trump has marched on with MAGA dragging the Republican Party into the mud shouting “STOP THE STEAL,” “STOP THE STEAL”. Conservative media blows their horns. Tucker will not disappear and there will be more Tuckers before we mop the place up.

Can our common goals for the health of nation, equality, the rule of law and standards of decency be restored? That is the soul of the nation that Biden and most Americans are working toward.

Democracy is not a spectator sport, it's a participatory event. If we don't participate in it, it ceases to be a democracy.

__Michael Moore

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They embrace negativity the way that a bird " embraces " flight.

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Republicans offer nothing that is not "that is not demonstrably, empirically, fake, "

A perfect sentence.

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So much for the much-touted (especially by Democrats) Republican advantage in messaging, eh?

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Biden, like George H.W. Bush before him, is the face of the Establishment. The man is just plain evil. As I've said before, if Trump is Godzilla, then Biden is Dracula.

https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/april-23-2023/comment/15153336

https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/april-20-2023/comment/15069537

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John, looks like Bernie has again overpowered your “snit” of a few days ago.

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Has Bernie been zombified?

Davison Budhoo, in his resignation letter from the International Monetary Fund, refers to countries that have been broken and then converted into bastions of IMF orthodoxy.

Did something of the same happen to Bernie? And/or, did Biden's embrace of much of Bernie's platform after stealing the nomination lead Bernie to calculate that half-a-loaf was better than publicizing his heart condition during the general election campaign?

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Stunning news from every direction. Thank you Heather, for focusing on a President and Vice-President who care about the People. The real people who depend on them to serve the nation with purpose and compassion. I was not a Biden fan, but am now. I think the next election will result in a sweep of Republicans out of office with their hateful and unpopular policies. They have come to this fight with paper straws.....

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They also come with their evil codified into law in many places. In Texas and Florida, the cheating has been successful, especially as to voting suppression and election machinations. They have set the stage like they wish it had been set in 2020. Take nothing for granted.

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Follow Marc Elias and Democracy Docket. He is fighting the good fight every day and will keep us informed of what the Repubs are trying gcto pull off in re: voter suppression and intimidation.

And, if you can, throw a few bucks his way. DemocracyDocket.com.

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I have followed him since Day One. I feel so much smarter in doing so.

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We do get to see some wins, too, from Marc and DD, thankfully!

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Jeri:“They have set the stage like they wish it had been set in 2020. Take nothing for granted.” If you’re referring to the corruption of the GOP, yes. And your warning is one we must always heed. In the end the ballot is private. Even in gerrymandered and GOP states. Yes, it may not be secure, but with the insecurities of many Americans and the worries of future and what the President’s age might mean, that is also a concern to be addressed. Nothing can be taken for granted.

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Elisabeth You, like me, find it ‘unthinkable’ that the American people could elect Trump over Biden in 2024. For me it was unthinkable that 74,000,000 Americans would vote for Trump in 2000 and that Biden won by the skin of his teeth.

Currently polls (for what they are worth) indicate that a Biden/Trump race in 2024 would be close. We all must focus on the 2024 as the future of our country—a Trump White House and the Stench Court would be a disaster!

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Keith, 74 million voters cast their ballots for Dump. Biden won by seven MILLION votes, hardly “skin of his teeth”. I worked for five months to get liberal independents to vote for Biden. It was a non-stop effort by many, many people to get Biden in. We cannot give up that momentum. If Dump is allowed to run for president after all the harm he has caused, I will just give up. What the hell is a democracy which allows an open crook and charlatan, not to mention racist and misogynist to run after all is said and done. He’s on trial now for RAPE, for crying out loud. Please, help me here....

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Elisabeth Despite a 7,000,000 vote advantage, Biden won the Electoral College because of a difference of about 100,000 votes in a few key states. That’s the scoreboard that again will count in 2024. Count on me to be out in my walker wheeling for Biden/Harris.

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Keith, you have just given the strongest argument for abolishing the Electoral College, a toxic vestige of racist, slave-supporting states. Please let’s use the popular vote to elect our representatives!!!! I love that you will “be out in my walker wheeling for Biden/Harris”!!!

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Elisabeth I’ve just been re-reading Catherine Drinker Bowen’s definitive MIRACLE AT PHILADELPHIA: THE STORY OF THE CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION MAY TO SEPTEMBER 1787.

The ‘Great Compromise’ was to assure that large states wouldn’t overwhelm the influence of smaller states. In part this was reflected in the Electoral College, where the votes in smaller states would be ‘protected.’ [Each state, whatever its size, would have two senators. Electoral votes included 100 for senators, 435 for representatives.]

Your desire that a presidential election would be determining by overall vote would make the most populist states, including CA, TX, and Fl, the key states, with Delaware, the Dakotas, and other small states of scant importance.

Would you really believe that the ‘small states’ would support such a constitutional amendment that would require approval by 3/4 of the states? I would expect to see pigs flying sooner.

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Bless you, Keith.

But hey, you two, would having the National Popular Vote or Ranked Choice Voting be in place of the Electoral College? I have read myself into confusion about this. Your thoughts, Keith and Elisabeth, would be much appreciated!

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Lynell As A non-lawyer, I do not see a way to significantly change the Electoral College without a constitutional amendment, which would require approval by 3/4 of the states. When I raised this with a lawyer friend, he said ‘reread’ The Federalist.’ [the articles by Hamilton, Madison, and Jay.]

There is the controversy about who are the legal electors, as demonstrated

In 2020. There the Trumpist contention was that states could determine who the electors were, despite the certified vote result. A Slippery slope?

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Thanks, Keith. So, we're back to North Carolina's ISL theory before the Supreme Court.

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I sure hope you are right, Elisabeth.

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Earlier on, I had hoped that a younger Democratic candidate would emerge, but one didn't. When I realized that my ONLY objection to Biden's candidacy was his age, and that that single fact did not bother me personally, it only worried me about what other (younger) voters might think. Suddenly I'm over it. He has my full and enthusiastic support. No one solely on the question of Biden's age would turn to Trump as a reasonable alternative. After all, when Biden was a senior in high school, Trump was a freshman. Not a huge difference. Trump shows more evidence of mental deterioration than Biden ever has. The dye job and spray tan are easily seen through to those who actually look.

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"Don't interfere with your enemy while he's commiting suicide."

I don't recall the author, (The Art of War?) but I hope Biden's campaign keeps that wisdom in mind.

Democrats and progressive independents must also keep in mind that we must tip the House back to a Democratic majority, and at least keep the Senate majority, though better to increase the Democratic majority there as well.

Republican gaffs, stupidity, indictments, resignations, maybe a SCOTUS resignation, etc. could breed complacency. We must get everyone to the polls in 2024. Nobody stays home on election day.

PS; Thank you, Bernie Sanders for throwing your full, enthusiastic endorsement behind Biden. Had you done the same for Hillary Clinton immediately after she got the nomination in 2016 we would likely be living in a very different world now. I don't think I'm ever going to be able to let go of that grudge.

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I think Napoleon at some point said "Never interfere with an enemy while he is in the process of destroying himself". It was given legs in this country by Theodore White in his book series The Making of the President, published in the mid 1960s. Very Zen, in a Machiavellian sort of way. Sun Tzu would be proud.

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Sun would relish Trump as an enemy. DJT is co-creating his own Custer's last Stand moment and he's too self absorbed to have a clue. Trump is up against more than Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse right now. He has enemies on every flank and his "foot soldiers" really can't save him. He will be lucky to make it to the general election. I just hope he does survive his primary...it will be the last election he ever wins...or tries to.

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I agree whole heartily that the crumbling facade that is Trump will continue to crumble into an ugly pile in the next year. But the third or so of Americans who continue to delude themselves and support him will feel betrayed by the Republican Party.

It’s nearly a religious spectacle for such a vacuous leadership to find themselves so bound to an empty vessel.

I think the positive attributes of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris could sweep away the slime that has crept into our body politic and reassert our most decent values.

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Art I think you have the beginnings of a Frank Zappa-esque song here. "crumble into an ugly pile"..."deluded and betrayed"..."religious spectacle for vacuous leadership"..."bound to an empty vessel"..."the slime that has crept into our body politic"...

I'm loving it. You write the lyric and I'll get a band to record it. I'm hearing Frank's classic "I'm the slime from your video" Here's a version:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRnNDkHb0MU

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Mike, Trump has never grown up. The broken plates and catsup on the wall in the White House dining room are the visible proof of that for anyone who hadn’t listened to him carefully.

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Indeed, I grieve for the world we left behind in 2000, and for what we could have today.

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I respectfully disagree with the idea that Clinton was bogged down because of Sanders.

The nomination was cleared for her, and she ran a poor campaign in our stupid system.

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Thank you. I never thought Bernie deserved the blame that he got after the disastrous 2016 election. I was a Bernie delegate and when it became clear the DNC had rigged the nomination process, he called on his many enthusiastic supporters to get in line and vote for Hillary. Like most progressive Dems, I felt compelled to vote against tfg by holding my nose and voting for Hillary. She would have made a competent if not scintillating President.

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Apr 26, 2023·edited Apr 26, 2023

I voted Hillary while worrying I was helping to complete a dynasty such as we could have had with the Bush family. This country has too many able people to continue electing family members.

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The entire process in 2016 was embarrassing for Democrats and then they turned around and did it worse in 2020.

But I will say I have been pleasantly surprised by Biden. Except for his capitulation regarding the revised criminal code of DC act.

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And his failure to back the RR union people.

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Horrible.

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Christopher. Your first sentence is just one of many reasons doubting Democrats have the needed aggression at this time.

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Yeah, good point.

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Get over it. If every person who didn’t vote for Clinton because she wasn’t Bernie, and every person who voted for Jill Shine because she wasn’t Clinton had voted for Clinton, Putin, Fox News, and the fascist billionaires who put Tump in office would have been foiled again. Maybe it seemed like a good idea at the time, to reject Secretary of State Clinton, but recent history suggests you should have looked more closely at her opponent and made a better choice, doesn’t it? However, let’s focus on the present, shall we? If Bernie is throwing his support to Biden, the least you can do to support your guy is follow his lead, right? Votes matter.

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Morning to you, too, Meredith.

If you think I'm sitting in the corner, pulling my knees to my chest, rocking myself back and forth, I can assure you I am not. I also don't know why my opinion about a past presidential election fires you up.

You might not have noticed that I happen to write a history blog, so I think it's important to look at this stuff.

Finally, my vote actually doesn't matter. The outdated racist system we have doesn't allow my vote to mean anything. My three electoral votes are going to Biden regardless. Which is okay by me.

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Clinton was indeed a poor campaigner. So was Adlai Stevenson. Both were the most qualified presidential candidates from either party in my lifetime, yet both failed, twice each, to get elected in "our stupid system" where we elect good campaigners who make mediocre and sometime horrible leaders.

Respectfully, I will go to my grave believing that if fair-weather-only Democrat Sanders had shown anything more than his "meh" endorsement of Clinton, she likely would have won the 2016 election, even with FBI Director James Comey torpedoing Clinton's campaign.

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She lost five states from 2012 while winning by three million popular votes.

That's a lot to put on a first-time presidential candidate to suggest her demise.

I don't think she could have done anything to keep Florida and Ohio. But Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania were all there for her to take.

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I think we need to jump over the Clinton saga to really understand what Sanders has done. It was his persistent campaigning on progressive themes that finally awakened the people to what might be possible. And if you really look at Biden’s BBB-Build Back Better program it was all of Sanders work over years now being accepted as needed. Of course BBB never passed fully but bits and pieces have. The program was opposed by the Republicans, the ultra rich, and most importantly by certain corporate Democrats who killed its initial passage in it’s entirety, by duplicity. So unfortunately some of the more important facets of Sanders life long work remains in the desk drawer. I am sure Sanders backing Biden is not just anti-DT but also a chance to finish his work in the background. Issues like livable wages, redistribution of the extreme wealth in the hands of the few to the many by taxation and regulation, increasing the power of unions, better wages for all including women and minorities, better benefits esp for healthcare, cutting the obscene military budget, improved traditional Medicare services, restoring the aid for children in poverty, and much more.

Unfortunately in my opinion the major case against Biden is not his age, but the continued support of warring that is resulting in untold deaths and injuries, an energy crisis that is now calling for more petrol from the ground, and because of the use of financial sanctions and bullying is causing a major realignment of the worlds’ nations. And we need more emphasis on climate and environmental issues.

And an interesting side note, there is a primary challenge to Biden who announced this week, RFK Jr. Awkward but interesting.

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I was attempting to watch a friend of mine who makes videos for a living talk about RFK Jr. announcing, and his gleeful comment that "this will really throw the Liberals into a spin cycle". Apparently, RFJ Jr.'s politics include both natural resource support and vaccine misinformation.

It will be interesting to see what happens, because I believe that RFK Jr. is not coming from a mainstream Democratic position.

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In his announcement (2 hour speech) RFK Jr accepted the fact that his political beliefs were not accepted by the Democratic establishment and a large part of the Kennedy family. He has been suppressed for years and denounced for his views. As a primary care doctor I do not agree on most of his anti-vax rhetoric, but in this speech he spoke significant truths against power, 95% of which I personally back. There was an almost humorous moment when he spoke about faults of the CIA and a loud alarm sounded in the building with an order to evacuate. It turned out to be a false alarm and he looked up and said- you haven’t gotten me yet!

What I am saying is everyone has some faults, but he is worth listening to.

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I believe RFK's fault is MAJOR. As a public health nurse, I see his views as potentially killing millions of Americans. There are much better candidates who don't have that screw loose.

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Thanks for that feedback.

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There is little interesting about RFK Jr running, sad to say. Only my opinion, based on his "work" with anti vaxers.

Per the APNews: https://apnews.com/article/robert-kennedy-jr-presidential-campaign-9fb5ed5c8e1fd31d2a4458d44b086593....."His work has been described by public health experts and even members of his own family as misleading and dangerous....Kennedy released a book in 2021, “The Real Anthony Fauci,” in which he accused the U.S.’s top infectious disease doctor of assisting in “a historic coup d’etat against Western democracy” and promoted unproven COVID-19 treatments such as ivermectin, which is meant to treat parasites, and the anti-malaria drug hydroxychloroquine.

His push against the COVID-19 vaccine has linked him at times with anti-democratic figures and groups. Kennedy has appeared at events pushing the lie that the 2020 presidential election was stolen and with people who cheered or downplayed the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021."

"...A photo posted on Instagram showed Kennedy backstage at a July 2021 Reawaken America event with former President Donald Trump’s ally Roger Stone, former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn and anti-vaccine profiteer Charlene Bollinger. All three have promoted the lie about the 2020 election being stolen."

Honestly, it is hard to see this man as a serious Democratic contender. I am, as your friend calls us... a "lefty Dem"... not as old as Biden, but within whistling distance. RFK Jr is yet another mutation, sad to say, given his environmental work. Our closet is "full up" with mutations. Hardly in a "spin" over it.

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Yeah, no wonder my "jump the shark" buddy was gloating like crazy.

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All except RFK - he is BAD news now, sadly.

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I always thought that Hillary's biggest deficit may have been her not-very-appealing public persona. In all other regards, she seemed eminently capable, though I couldn't comment on the nuts and bolts of her campaign.

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She had been hammered by the right for almost 30 years by the right, and that takes a toll. Our stupid system forces campaigning in such narrow ways you can simply be outdone by the turnout that day.

I'm unsure how anyone couldn't have voted for her after she sat through hours of testimony on Benghazi. That is by far the most impressive action I have seen from a leader in recent memory.

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I still believe that misogyny played a role in the outcome of the 2016 election. Plenty of male politicians have "not-very-appealing" public personas (personae?).

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Without a doubt. It still blows my mind we haven't elected a woman president.

I got a "c" in high school Latin so it's probably personaes? :)

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Her baggage with her husband gave many of us pause.

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As opposed to Trumps’ baggage? Really?

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Apr 26, 2023·edited Apr 26, 2023

Trump and Clinton give/gave me pause.

Yes.

But, as far as we know, although Trump is a bottom feeder, he did not sit in the Oval office while a near teenager gave him the what for.

I mean, that is a lowlife. Bill Clinton. Yes indeed.

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Apr 26, 2023·edited Apr 26, 2023

I was on her side after the “debate” when tfg stalked her around the stage, but did not want to see Bill in the WH. Don’t even want to see him now. And it was only one lie, but he said it on tv and as I remember it, he looked right into the camera. When he got that rousing welcome on Martha’s Vineyard afterward, I thought who are these people—paid actors?? How does the “orange overcomb” get away with thousands of lies?? 🎃💩🤬😞🤡😡

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Really? This whole conversation about Hillary is truly amazing. Why on earth do Hillary-haters or Hillary-doubters think this country has never elected a woman EVER? Did you all ever taking Sociology or Anthropology 101? Do you honestly think it’s because of her personality, that she was not “likable”, that she was unable to lead a campaign or was a victim of Asperger’s, or simply had a husband like Bill? I’m continually amazed by the inability of many liberals to see and understand the subtle but powerful effects of misogyny.

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Not sure how I came to be seen as a Hillary hater/doubter, since I'm neither and not only voted for her, but supported her campaign financially. I was speaking primarily about optics, which I don't think can be separated from its delivery system, media. I believe Mrs. Clinton was/is thoroughly capable, clearly and by miles the better choice. I only think that many others who might have more strongly supported her (support beyond voting for her, i.e. helping her campaign) may not have done so because she seems to lack a certain warmth, a deficiency which must, I imagine, be equally distributed between the sexes. Even considering all that, she did win the popular vote, so it was a very near miss.

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James, I’m not suggesting that you personally are a Hillary hater/doubter or that you failed to vote, support, or otherwise advocate for her in 2016. Rather, I’m suggesting that many liberals seem unaware or unable to see and/or understand the subtle effects of misogyny in our elections and daily lives. I don’t know you, but simply encourage you to consider the possibility that misogyny remains a major factor in our country’s failure to elect a woman EVER. If you were a professional woman, you might understand what I mean as many of us have spent decades dealing with macro- and micro- examples of misogyny in our professional lives. We are not angry or incapable of moving forward, but we are a little tired of others who suggest that our failure to be elected is due to our personalities, our husbands, or other factors.

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I suspect Hillary has Aspergers Syndrome which would make it very difficult to exude warmth, "read" an audience, and connect to a person, much less a crowd. Her eminent capability might have been better suited for the Supreme Court where she could save our democracy adroitly.

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Spoken just like a man. Of course Trumbdrum had a “very appealing public persona” along with that Mr.America DeSanitized “very appealing “ public persona.

All my hope started to drown in the sweat of my very public unappealing female self”!👻

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I don't see how you get that from what I said, unless you want to. Trump's persona, public and apparently otherwise, is utterly vile. People in public life do HAVE personae whether you like it or not and which may be appealing or not and judged so or not.

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So, who did you vote for? Was Trump’s public persona more appealing?

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I voted for Joe Biden and Bill Clinton.

I came to regret the vote for Bill Clinton after he signed on to the Republican mantra to reduce welfare and reduce benefits and cut taxes.

Also, it did not help that he found a near teenager to give him the what for while he sat in the oval office. Yes, that IS reprehensible.

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Just responded to a similar comment: I don't see how you get there from what I said.

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I will never forgive Sanders for that, either.

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I agree and am glad Bernie threw in for Joe right away. However Hillary was damaged goods and Bernie knew it. I've been around her at events we have done and have heard stories from friends who have seen her up close more than I have. She's a haughty woman...who doesn't do herself any favors. She's very demanding and not very "like-able" with staff and "underlings". When Obama got the nomination over her, I was in a closed room event that was 90% women who were Hillary supporters. There was a near riot...and many of them were VERY vocal about not supporting Obama, they would sit it out...and there was a lot of Dem woman power in that room. Madeleine Albright was brought in to calm things down and get these women who wanted to defect back on the bus...they were pissed off because this "newcomer" who had not paid his dues had usurped HRC of her due rights. Albright was artful & turned the tide...but there was still a lot of grumbling. Thankfully Hillary got on the train and most of her supporters followed along....but they were not happy campers.

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Mike, a couple of things. If that group of people had just heard the news that Clinton wouldn’t be the nominee, I suspect that their disappointment got the better of them, and with reflection, they did what they needed to do to get Obama elected. Understandable.

Your other point really gets my goat. Powerful women are often, very often, dismissed as unlikeable, haughty, and demanding. Harris and Klobuchar are also labeled as such. How the heck do you think women gain power in a male dominated world? It’s not by smiling and, dare I say, baking cookies. I myself was once labeled by a boss as intimidating and a bitch. I’m not. But I was a woman succeeding in a male dominated industry, and was therefor threatening. He couldn’t criticize my work, which was exemplary, so he found something, anything, to criticize, because he was threatened by my competence. This is no different. Do you think successful men aren’t haughty and demanding? What happens to women when they aren’t haughty? Lots of men view personable women as available, and lots of them pounce. Being haughty is like putting on armor.

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KR, so so so agree with you on the still rampant response to the power of competent women. Not only men.....some other women react this way too.

Re: politics. Too bad the political version of our celebrity-soaked society translates to likeability =electability. The likeability factor is hardly ever applied to candidates who are male.

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Exactly! Witness Ted Cruz. Everyone who knows him dislikes him, but no one ever says he isn’t electable because of that.

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Please read my response above to KR

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Thank you KR. I don't know where to begin after reading the previous post. Threatened by competence is the key phrase in your response, and summarizes so many attitudes, ridiculous words, and ignorance.

We would be in such a different place, if Hilary had been given an opportunity in 2020. An opportunity long overdue for a US woman.

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I fear that the only way the first woman will be in the White House will be if she, as VP, becomes president because the old president died. Maybe that will finally break that glass ceiling which seems to be made of granite, not glass.

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Very well said, KR!

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Ellen, please read my response above to KR

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KR

They didn't just hear that news, I'm sorry if it felt that way. It was a planned event that was a week or two later in DC...so they had time to process it.

I knew that I would get feedback on my description of Secretary Clinton. To get into more detail, here's one specific instance of several I could relate.

HCR was parked in her limo on a loading dock in DC outside of an event she had been featured at. The crew needed to move a truck that was parked and HRC's vehicle was blocking them. The limo driver was asked very politely to move enough to allow them to do their job. HRC told him to stay where he was...for whatever reason she had. They had to threaten to cite them and have the limo towed to get a response. She had no interest in their problem...until they were going to make it an issue, that could blow up on her. That behavior would not impress me from male, female, black or white, gay or straight. That's not armour, that's not competence. That's self absorbed.

I applaud what she accomplished in her career, but she did things I don't understand and don't hold in high regard...I never would have tolerated Bill and stayed with him...I left my ex for similar behavior, who was also an elected person.

I worked closely with Helen Bentley who was a tough woman in a man's world. She created a TV series in 1950 that ran for 15 years. She was the first female head of the Federal Maritime Commission. She was a 5 term Congressperson. Helen didn't have the best phone manners, she swore like a sailor...but I respected her and fully supported her work...we trusted each other. I know what a hard working, competent woman looks up close. Helen ran for Governor of MD and lost in the primary. She was too moderate, not pure enough...and the woman who won the primary lost the general by over 20 points. Helen could have won that general election and been an effective Governor. She went on to be a highly paid consultant and have the Port of Baltimore named after her. I'm very proud to have been her friend and collaborator.

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I’ve had time to process it too, lots of time, and I’m still capable of being upset by it. Not as upset as I was in 2016; I loved Obama and cherish the feeling of hope I had when I pushed the button to vote for him, as I also felt when I voted for Clinton. How naive I was, thinking the country was on the cusp of lasting, wonderful change. Look at us now.

My question is this: do you honestly think that men who have reached the heights Clinton has aren’t often self-absorbed? I agree that she should have graciously moved, but this is pretty trivial stuff. Someone else mentioned Pantsuit Nation - the overwhelming anecdotes there in support of Clinton by women who know her are enough for me. I would also add that Clinton spent her entire career trying to lift women and children socially, financially, and politically, with a lot of success. I care about results, not whether people want to go have a beer with her (which I would love to do). She was a trailblazer, and I honor her. The fact that you supported some other political woman doesn’t erase the fact that some of us were offended by your comment; it’s exactly like saying “I have a black friend so I can’t be racist” when you also say racist things. You cannot possibly think Clinton wasn’t also both hard working and competent - look at her record as an attorney, as a senator, and as Secretary of State.

Regarding her marriage, I think that’s just flat out none of our business. Marriages are complicated and very private spaces, and some people forgive things others would find unforgivable. I remember my mother criticizing her for staying - when she herself would have stayed with my dad, a serial philanderer, if he’d given her the chance. So while you criticize her for staying, I applaud her loyalty. I can’t imagine how hard that must have been, given her public humiliation. Would I have stayed? Probably not, but I don’t have the slightest notion what their reasoning was; no one does except themselves. She’s made of very stern stuff, and we as a nation are so much worse off than we would have been if she had won. And sometimes stern stuff is uncomfortable. Especially, for some, when the strong person is female.

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I think by the time in their marriage when that happened with the Clintons, she knew him well and really liked his brain and his "person". It was a very good partnership. Fidelity in a marriage is over rated. Men, powerful men, are very rarely faithful.

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Judy I married a woman who expected fidelity in our marriage. That was not an issue for me. She had grown up in a household where fidelity was not the norm and it eventually ended her parents marriage. By the time I married her, her father, who I had a good relationship with was on wife #3 and was having a pretty obvious affair with an employee. Chasing women was a part of him...and it affected both of his female children throughout their lives. My sister in law was in therapy for years over it. My x demanded fidelity from me. There was one time that a female client of mine who I liked, made it very easy for me to share a moment with her...and I did not do it, because I could not do that to my wife. As time went on my x became an elected official. She was good at it at first, but eventually got used to people "kissing her ring"...she started to enjoy the power.It changed her...and not for the better. Alcohol became a part of her routine and then she slipped into "becoming her father's daughter". I suspected infidelity...and eventually stumbled into her diary by accident, looking for something else for an employee. There it was in detail. When I confronted her, she tried to deny it...until I produced the evidence...and then I was the bad guy for daring to read it. I really worked at retrieving a workable marriage, personal therapy, couples therapy...but her alcohol dependence really made it impossible...she loved it, more than us...and after a year I left with our 2 children who were 11 & 13. There is collateral damage in these things. It's not just "consenting adults". So maybe powerful women are also very rarely faithful...??? I don't know for a fact. I just know my experience and it was the worst time in my life. She had a "brain" too...but that wasn't enough. She had stopped being the human being I had married.

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There is something of much bigger historical play here than you acknowledge in your comment. Centuries of patriarchy. There are millions of women that loved Hillary and poured every bit of their being into seeing her be POTUS. Some pretty smart folks have written that if it were not for our misogynist humanity, Hillary would have been the one in the Oval Office in 1992. Just like racist colored lenses, misogynist colored lenses cannot be identified by the person wearing them. Blind is blind, you cannot see what you don’t see.

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I always thought that the Democratic primary would reveal who was treated worse: Black men or women. We not only got our answer, but we also saw what the result was of electing someone other than a white man. Technically, we've gotten to see that all those "other" are vilified for trying for a place at the table with all of the anti-other that we're seeing in the RepubliQan party today.

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“Vilified for trying for a place at the table”!!!

Exactly, Ally!

Hillary was plenty popular as long as the bullies weren’t worried about her taking a seat at the table: “Part of it was that Hillary Clinton seemed almost certain to win the nomination. It’s easy to forget now, but Clinton was extremely popular as recently as 2014 — Gallup found she was the most popular potential candidate in either party, with a favorability rating of 55 percent. “Clinton’s iconic status is, increasingly, the only clear advantage the Democratic Party has,” wrote Ross Douthat at the time.”

https://www.vox.com/platform/amp/policy-and-politics/2017/11/14/16640082/donna-brazile-warren-bernie-sanders-democratic-primary-rigged

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I know Harris is tough, she made mincemeat of Bill Barr, and I’m confident in Biden and the entire administration. However, I’m not looking forward to the excrement that is about to come out of the GOP, in their most certain attempt to triple down on their racist misogyny. I’m guessing her low profile in the media has helped to keep that from boiling over so far. I wish we were already thru the worst of this, but I fear the GOP are about to get even uglier. 😢 I hope more of us can now see more clearly.

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I think your assessment is 100% accurate. Just reading the comments here today does not make me feel very hopeful. Reading how ingrained the negative attributes given to strong women are with some folks here isn't very encouraging.

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Christy and Ally, I get so discouraged when even those who should be our allies (other commenters here, for example) just casually sling around crap that I perceive as incredibly misogynistic or racist. Stuff like “she’s just not likeable” or “there’s something about her that just doesn’t seem presidential” or the perennial “she had so much baggage” as if that very baggage wasn’t deliberately created by Republicans to use against her when she eventually ran. Or one commenter who often, including today, always brings Bill Clinton into the mix. I see it happening again with AOC and it makes my blood boil.

I long for a polity where my daughters have a seat at the table without having to go through what I did. I long for the day when my trans child isn’t demonized for being who she is. And I’m scared for them, because I think that day is a long way off.

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Christy, I absolutely agree with you. I just believe HCR hurt herself in ways that many people never saw in public...but they mount up. Please read my response to KR above. With respect I don't think I'm blind or wearing rose colored glasses.

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Mike, are you familiar with Pantsuit Nation, a closed FB group that blossomed in 2016, mostly in reaction (as a place for Hillary supporters) to escaping the bullying. That space was known to be where folks (mostly women) shared anecdotes of personal knowledge of Hillary. The picture of Hillary seen there was exactly the opposite of the one you paint in your comments. Anecdotes are by their nature personal, it’s only in an anthology of them that one can see the entire forest.

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actually the comment is below in this thread...KR responded to me and I replied.

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"The Art of War" Sun-Tzu.

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Sorry.... this was answered in other comments. Disrgard.

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There are many of us who have a grudge against the DNC for the way they treated Bernie Sanders. What a different world indeed it would have been had Bernie become president. But no hard feelings now. We have to focus on what is currently going on.

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The DNC owed Sanders nothing. He kept apart from the Democratic Party until it became convenient to join them. Clinton spent her entire career as a Democrat and worked to build the party, building bridges, alliances, and loyalties along the way. My opinion is Sanders should have run as an independent and formed his own organization, fund-raising, etc. That would have required organizing and leadership skills utterly lacking in Bernie Sanders. Had I been on the DNC, I would have told Bernie Sanders to take a hike. As you can see, Bernie Sanders created a rift in the Democratic Party that exists to this day.

Sanders had no hope of being elected, and he would have been a terrible president had he been elected. Independent lone wolves make terrible leaders.

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I LIKE Bernie & many of his stated policies, he’s quirky and speaks his mind, but he would not be my choice for president (but would have voted for him had he won the primary). He reminds me of a crusty old guy yelling from his porch for the kids to “get off my lawn!”.

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Hear, hear!

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Democrats - Hopeful, positive, progressive, aiming to better the lot of EVERY American citizen, regardless of ethnic background, skin color, religion. economic background or sexual orientation.

Republicans - Hate - based, irrational adrenaline - driven fearmongers who embrace ignorance, despise progress, hate knowledge, critical thinking & are divisive. I could list more traits of the Party of Trump, but I'd be here well until into the afternoon or later.

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Just in time for your double scotch on the rocks evening cocktail...take a luxurious bubble bath or a long nap instead.

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Beer with CBD, at times, actually.

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Good start Daniel. Here’s a few more. Hypocritical crybabies with their pretend outrage. TFG manbaby proud of his sexual conquests who cheated on his longtime mistress. Gym Jordan who ignored a subpoena. Gerrymandering to win elections using a purposely messed up census. Pillow guy who won’t pay his losing $5 million bet. Witch/lawyer. DeJoy collecting mailboxes. Millions dead from politicized covid all around the world. Wearing machine gun pins…

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Criticizing and screwing over veterans. Imprisoning CHILDREN. Swindling & taking money from children with cancer. Going to Puerto Rico after a hurricane & tossing rolls of paper towels as if it was a f--king FESTIVAL. This crap - berg has no bottom.

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Apr 26, 2023·edited Apr 26, 2023

It's infuriating that the mainstream media not only ignores Biden's accomplishments, but CONSTANTLY claim "polls" (with out any context) that say that a majority of Americans do not want Biden to run.

If the "news" media insists on using polling 'statistics' then I want to know who conducted the poll, what was the sampling size, how were these folks polled (landline? door-to-door? how?) and how was the question phrased?

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You are spot on! My blood pressure rises exponentially every time MSM refers to polling data!

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I, too, have a flash of anger when the MSM mentions (drones on and on and on) about polls…if they are going to mention the polls they should also specifically detail the poll information—who did the poll? How many people did they poll? What were the poll questions? How did they select who to poll? etc., etc. I got so mad that it prompted me to go to the White House website and send a message to POTUS and VPOTUS that I supported them & that I think the pollsters are off-mark.

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Apr 27, 2023·edited Apr 27, 2023

I'd like to know these people who are actually answering their phones?!?!?

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I have to admit I'm a bit worried as the next election season approaches. Age is a back-ground issue for Democrats (70% wish there was a younger flag-bearer). This means folks will take a harder look at Harris, as the designated stand-in if the president is incapacitated. Harris has not been highly visible, and has suffered the blows of pundits saying she runs a hostile shop with a revolving door of staff. I'm not in a position to draw judgement, but she hasn't been all that visible to me and I don't have a good grasp of her "presidential" attributes. There isn't any compelling reason to identify someone else; however there are candidates whose record as chief executives have been demonstrated in governorships, so you can infer more easily about their leadership competency. VP is a particularly difficult place to "show leadership" since you're always walking a half-step behind the President and must carefully guard the message so it doesn't seem out of sync with POTUS. Biden has far better soft skills than the Orange Emperor, but he still carries a bigger stick than Harris. How will the White House elevate Harris as heir apparent to bolster the presidential race? I think the tone set by his announcement is masterful; it needs to be followed up by plenty of similar messaging with substance, in stark contrast to what we've observed from the opposing party and it's hooligan leadership.

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As leader, he has the first word. He's not saying "only I can do it". Only together can we do it. And his team is ready to support him. (VP Harris? Haven't you been watching her lately?)

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where should I be watching to catch her speaking? I saw what happened in Lusaka...

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It has been very obvious over the past several months that Kamala Harris has been given a larger role in the administration, Just. The Munich Security Conference, her trip to Africa in March, Nashville and the Tennessee Three….

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The media could do a much better job at covering VP Harris and what she IS doing! A few have, to their credit, but too few IMHO. It’s the inverse of all the never ending free publicity TFG got during his campaign(s)—he was such a train wreck that the cameras couldn’t pull away from focusing on him.

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You’re so right about how much emphasis has been placed on Biden’s age. We Americans don’t value our elderly citizens enough. There’s a lot to be said about the experience and wisdom of our elders.

I value the lives we’ve all lived-mistakes we’ve made as well as triumphs. I think Biden will continue to demonstrate that just because someone has lived longer than most doesn’t mean that they still can’t make contributions to our nation. After all, even a young person could die in office from disease, accident etc.

We should honor what Joe brings to the table while acknowledging that yes he is old but that doesn’t have to be a negative. He’s showing the next generation a thing or two about leadership!

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Biden brings an incredibly competent and extraordinary team, cabinet and staff to the U.S.A table!!! We are in great hands with a continued Biden administration!

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And, critically, Biden has the contacts and the brains to put strong, ethical, intelligent people in his Cabinet. As opposed to a criminal who surrounds himself with unethical, corrupt toadies. After all, the Criminal-in-Chief can’t trust honest people. Better to have appointees that he has the goods on. That’s how crime families work.

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Tulsi Gabbard knocked Kamala "Prison Labor -F#ck the Supreme Court" Harris out of the 2020 primaries before a single vote was cast.

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Yes, but, where are each of them now?

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By the same token, Martin Luther King was a loser, because he got shot.

https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/january-15-2023/comment/11967315

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No, you truly misunderstood. Harris is now Vice-President of the United States of America, and Gabbard is apparently writing a book about her choice to leave the Democratic Party. It’s not about winners and losers. King is a martyr because he got shot. Everyone plays the hand they are dealt.

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With your inane question, you diverted attention away from Kamala's manifest unfitness to be Vice President.

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The thing that strikes me about that video is its promise. Not of "greatness", whatever that might mean, but just plain old happiness. No fear, no hate. Happiness in union. It's beautifully edited - the run forward, laughing, in the quickly cut final shot. I looked at it on YT, and what did the comments say? "Go Brandon". That's all they could find. And then the others began to pile up: "You've got my vote, Joe." "I'll be voting for you, Joe, like I did last time."

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Amazing hopeful forward looking picture of America from Biden!

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Give Biden a democratic Senate and House, and, among other things, US get the other half of Biden's agenda: i.e., his other infrastructure bill.

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Hear, hear!

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I am Gobsmacked by the chump blather about the damage Joe B has done to this country. Will anybody scream “LIAR, LIAR” from the rooftops…. The dystopian crap the repubs generated to hang around Joe’s neck is what they vision for us, and have since chump’s inauguration speech.

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Will Everybody who knows the truth about Joe Biden scream "LIAR, LIAR" from every TV, Cable, Radio, On-line channel, newspaper, newshow, facebook, twitter, and media stream! I cannot believe the number of American citizens who have benefitted significantly from Biden's policies and actions during his 2 years of this presidency, but who believe that he is a failure and has ruined our country. ENOUGH. Shut up ALL of Faux news - Phucker Carlson is a good start, but the whole business needs to be flushed down a gold plated toilet.

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Vote blue

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ALWAYS‼️‼️

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Good morning, This is a wonderfully constructed essay. Thank you for assembling all the important points of President Biden’s re-election announcement. He is doing a fine job as POTUS no matter how old he happens to be. We should remember Satchel Page’s reflection, "How would you be if you didn’t know how old you was?"

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As someone sliding into her 8th decade, I can truly appreciate and applaud Mr. Paige's wisdom, and I plan to use that reminder as an internal slogan.

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Biden's "freedom" pitch and the coming political realignment

'As the right retreats from the theme of "freedom," the left sees an opening'

"The Republican retreat from the frame of freedom is a tectonic, under-appreciated shift in American politics. And it may be the start of a profound political realignment. For the first time in a generation, the idea of freedom is not an especially important animating principle for the right. They use the word still, but they are fundamentally about something else now, fundamentally about protecting people from supposedly menacing forces like demographic change and changes to M&Ms and children’s books and “woke” corporations. This is the pitch not of freedom but of the strongman."

https://open.substack.com/pub/anandwrites/p/bidens-freedom-pitch-and-the-coming?r=9kpps&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web

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Fascinating contrast of the Biden videos. And the RNC gave us a preview of the increase in "fake" we can expect.

We all have a lot of work to get the turnout we need this time. The work has just begun.

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