[Warning: the third and fourth paragraphs of this piece refer to the E. Jean Carroll lawsuit.] Well, the Republicans did it. After middle-of-the-night negotiations to include more of the far right’s wish list, House Republicans passed a bill agreeing to a short-term raising of the debt ceiling, so long as it is accompanied by massive spending cuts and a rollback of Biden’s major accomplishments. The bill squeaked through by a vote of 217 to 215, mostly along party lines. Four extremist Republicans voted no because they believed the measure didn’t go far enough to slash spending.
GOP senators from Texas fail to show up to hear testimony of their constituent is another example of cowardice from this party. To blame physicians is the ultimate avoidance. They are bullies who run away when threatened. So typical
If Mickey Mouse [born in the US and over 35] were the Republican presidential candidate, then President Biden might have trouble in the 2024 presidential election.
Otherwise, as President Biden phrased it “Don’t compare me with the Almighty, compare me with the alternative.”
Republicans have sabotaged our nation’s fiscal standing and compromised its health and education programs, and the wellbeing of the world’s economy and climate to satisfy their selfish and desperate party-preservationist agendas. Contrast this with the times Democrats approved debt ceiling increases under tfg’s corrupt administration to save the integrity of our nation’s economic standing among the world.
This should be sufficient justification for voting blue across the board!
If a federal law relating to meddling in court cases across state lines does not exist, perhaps it's time to enact one. The judge in the E. Jean Carrol case has warned Trump that if he keeps running his mouth about the trial, he could be opening himself up to legal peril. After the warning, Trump kept doing it. That's got to be contempt, at least. Bang! "Thirty days in the hole on Rykers Island, for contempt of court, Mr. Trump". Why can't something be done about this idiot? C,mon all you lawyers out there, enlighten us....
Seems that all repubs in the House have jumped on the clown car. TC is right, there is not one decent Repub left in the House. I would venture to say that all our problems today are the direct result of, or exacerbated by, Repub greed, hypocrisy and lies that have been front and center since Ronnie and even before. In fact, they may be the reason why Churchill famously said that Americans usually do the right thing after they have tried everything else. After all, he watched republicans counter every effort FDR made to support him against Hitler as he carried the burden almost alone. Their opposition to democracy during Democratic administrations has been almost as catastrophic as their “interpretation” of it when they held power. In fact, a planned coup in 1933, (Google Smedley Butler), proves that the planned coup of 2021 was not a one-off. Republicans have never had much use for democracy.
In February, DeSantis responded to Disney’s public opposition to the law, which forbids discussion of gender identity and sexual orientation in some classrooms, by seizing control of Walt Disney World’s self-governing district and appointing five hand-picked supervisors to the district’s governing board.
But Disney impeded the effort by stripping the board of its powers just before the new members took over. And in a hilarious twist, the terms of the new agreement last “until 21 years after the death of the last survivor of the descendants of King Charles III, king of England.”
Thanks again for a fantastic run down & BTW, although not a major item in the news of the day, I am DELIGHTED you mentioned the S Korean singing the song American Pie in perfect tune. 😉
Heather, thank you for your excellent letter highlighting for us, our very courageous citizens, a singularly beloved corporation, and elected Democrats, in our struggle to keep our democracy strong despite the fascists snarling all around us. I hope many of us recognize and support the courage of Carroll & Zurawski.
I'm glad I didn't read this letter until this morning! Let's face it, ever since trump decided to run for public office in 2015, the repugs have brazenly crawled out from under the rocks, wild-eyed for destruction. Among so many things, their abhorrent behavior towards the Obama administration (abject racism), the ongoing lack of understanding of how government works, stomping on and taking away the rights of the American people, staging a violent coup, rationalizing, and condoning the slaughter of anyone (six-year-old children for God's sake!!) by assault weapons as a 2nd amendment right, etc., etc. continues to say all one needs to know about these inhumane and profoundly greedy people.
We are rotting from within and losing the battle. "It is darkest before the dawn", but the amount of time we have been stuck in the dark is daunting. The calm and hope that things would get better during the Obama Administrations has been shattered. The misery during trump's 4 years of whatever that was temporarily lifted when Biden was elected but from day one, these miserable rats have continued to do everything possible to destroy this country and hurt so many people. It is beyond pathetic.
Yes, Biden is old (although he does more in a day than I can do in a week!), makes gaffes, etc. but what he has accomplished in 2 years (with everything that has been thrown at him) is nothing short of remarkable. He has also put together an administration that is educated, experienced, professional, compassionate, and knows how government works. Neither we nor the world can afford to lose that to psychopathic crazies. What is also nuts with our system, is it is projected Biden will need to spend $2 BILLION on a re-election campaign!!
As the saying goes, "the pen is mightier than the sword". But the "ink" is running in so many different directions in the modern world it is hard, if not impossible, to gain traction. I wish protests had an impact for change, but they don't. Tens of millions of (mostly) women showed peaceful protest solidarity in January 2016 and the dial moved backwards. However, we must pull ourselves up and together and not let a minority of ill guided, evil narcissists control our destiny. I do remind myself and others to push the "pedal to the metal", keep the voices directed and loud, and never miss an opportunity for creating or supporting "good trouble" - we cannot afford to lose this one.
A long list of chaos in our country. I'm mostly concerned about the republicans opposition to raising the debt ceiling. There are enough crazies in the house to do serious damage.
Thank you Professor Richardson. There’s so much, so very important to understand and pray about. I hadn’t realized I was hoping to ‘hear from you’ as the NYTimes reported on so many very separate issues tonight. Hope you’ve gone to sleep. I’m turning out my light now. Again, thank you.
Yes, for poor people and veterans , the GOP’s cruelty is still the point. “ Four extremist Republicans voted no because they believed the measure didn’t go far enough to slash spending.”
Ask poor parents trying to feed their children:
“ Congressional Budget Office said that 275,000 folks, on average, would lose benefits each month because they fail to meet the requirement and are not otherwise exempt. Another 19,000 people would receive small benefits because of the new income they earn.”
Ask veterans: “ The Department of Veterans Affairs projected the bill would reduce its budget by 22% and immediately rescind $2 billion in funding to support veterans. Some lawmakers said Wednesday that the proposal will result in 30 million fewer veteran outpatient visits and significantly increase the backlog for benefit claims.”
GOP senators from Texas fail to show up to hear testimony of their constituent is another example of cowardice from this party. To blame physicians is the ultimate avoidance. They are bullies who run away when threatened. So typical
Let’s hear it for the Mouse.
If Mickey Mouse [born in the US and over 35] were the Republican presidential candidate, then President Biden might have trouble in the 2024 presidential election.
Otherwise, as President Biden phrased it “Don’t compare me with the Almighty, compare me with the alternative.”
Republicans have sabotaged our nation’s fiscal standing and compromised its health and education programs, and the wellbeing of the world’s economy and climate to satisfy their selfish and desperate party-preservationist agendas. Contrast this with the times Democrats approved debt ceiling increases under tfg’s corrupt administration to save the integrity of our nation’s economic standing among the world.
This should be sufficient justification for voting blue across the board!
If a federal law relating to meddling in court cases across state lines does not exist, perhaps it's time to enact one. The judge in the E. Jean Carrol case has warned Trump that if he keeps running his mouth about the trial, he could be opening himself up to legal peril. After the warning, Trump kept doing it. That's got to be contempt, at least. Bang! "Thirty days in the hole on Rykers Island, for contempt of court, Mr. Trump". Why can't something be done about this idiot? C,mon all you lawyers out there, enlighten us....
Seems that all repubs in the House have jumped on the clown car. TC is right, there is not one decent Repub left in the House. I would venture to say that all our problems today are the direct result of, or exacerbated by, Repub greed, hypocrisy and lies that have been front and center since Ronnie and even before. In fact, they may be the reason why Churchill famously said that Americans usually do the right thing after they have tried everything else. After all, he watched republicans counter every effort FDR made to support him against Hitler as he carried the burden almost alone. Their opposition to democracy during Democratic administrations has been almost as catastrophic as their “interpretation” of it when they held power. In fact, a planned coup in 1933, (Google Smedley Butler), proves that the planned coup of 2021 was not a one-off. Republicans have never had much use for democracy.
From
HuffPost…note last paragraph…
In February, DeSantis responded to Disney’s public opposition to the law, which forbids discussion of gender identity and sexual orientation in some classrooms, by seizing control of Walt Disney World’s self-governing district and appointing five hand-picked supervisors to the district’s governing board.
But Disney impeded the effort by stripping the board of its powers just before the new members took over. And in a hilarious twist, the terms of the new agreement last “until 21 years after the death of the last survivor of the descendants of King Charles III, king of England.”
Thanks again for a fantastic run down & BTW, although not a major item in the news of the day, I am DELIGHTED you mentioned the S Korean singing the song American Pie in perfect tune. 😉
Heather, thank you for your excellent letter highlighting for us, our very courageous citizens, a singularly beloved corporation, and elected Democrats, in our struggle to keep our democracy strong despite the fascists snarling all around us. I hope many of us recognize and support the courage of Carroll & Zurawski.
I'm glad I didn't read this letter until this morning! Let's face it, ever since trump decided to run for public office in 2015, the repugs have brazenly crawled out from under the rocks, wild-eyed for destruction. Among so many things, their abhorrent behavior towards the Obama administration (abject racism), the ongoing lack of understanding of how government works, stomping on and taking away the rights of the American people, staging a violent coup, rationalizing, and condoning the slaughter of anyone (six-year-old children for God's sake!!) by assault weapons as a 2nd amendment right, etc., etc. continues to say all one needs to know about these inhumane and profoundly greedy people.
We are rotting from within and losing the battle. "It is darkest before the dawn", but the amount of time we have been stuck in the dark is daunting. The calm and hope that things would get better during the Obama Administrations has been shattered. The misery during trump's 4 years of whatever that was temporarily lifted when Biden was elected but from day one, these miserable rats have continued to do everything possible to destroy this country and hurt so many people. It is beyond pathetic.
Yes, Biden is old (although he does more in a day than I can do in a week!), makes gaffes, etc. but what he has accomplished in 2 years (with everything that has been thrown at him) is nothing short of remarkable. He has also put together an administration that is educated, experienced, professional, compassionate, and knows how government works. Neither we nor the world can afford to lose that to psychopathic crazies. What is also nuts with our system, is it is projected Biden will need to spend $2 BILLION on a re-election campaign!!
As the saying goes, "the pen is mightier than the sword". But the "ink" is running in so many different directions in the modern world it is hard, if not impossible, to gain traction. I wish protests had an impact for change, but they don't. Tens of millions of (mostly) women showed peaceful protest solidarity in January 2016 and the dial moved backwards. However, we must pull ourselves up and together and not let a minority of ill guided, evil narcissists control our destiny. I do remind myself and others to push the "pedal to the metal", keep the voices directed and loud, and never miss an opportunity for creating or supporting "good trouble" - we cannot afford to lose this one.
How about relocating Disneyland far, far away from DeSantisland? A lovely, easy-to-get to, safe place suited to happy escapism?
A long list of chaos in our country. I'm mostly concerned about the republicans opposition to raising the debt ceiling. There are enough crazies in the house to do serious damage.
Thank you Professor Richardson. There’s so much, so very important to understand and pray about. I hadn’t realized I was hoping to ‘hear from you’ as the NYTimes reported on so many very separate issues tonight. Hope you’ve gone to sleep. I’m turning out my light now. Again, thank you.
"Meanwhile, DeSantis is overseas on what has been billed as a trade mission." Classic bully response, if things get real, run away.
Yes, for poor people and veterans , the GOP’s cruelty is still the point. “ Four extremist Republicans voted no because they believed the measure didn’t go far enough to slash spending.”
Ask poor parents trying to feed their children:
“ Congressional Budget Office said that 275,000 folks, on average, would lose benefits each month because they fail to meet the requirement and are not otherwise exempt. Another 19,000 people would receive small benefits because of the new income they earn.”
Ask veterans: “ The Department of Veterans Affairs projected the bill would reduce its budget by 22% and immediately rescind $2 billion in funding to support veterans. Some lawmakers said Wednesday that the proposal will result in 30 million fewer veteran outpatient visits and significantly increase the backlog for benefit claims.”
https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2023/04/26/politics/work-requirements-food-stamps-medicaid-debt-ceiling/index.html
https://www.stripes.com/theaters/us/2023-04-26/veterans-debt-ceiling-spending-cuts-9930863.html
You’re a warrior and I can’t sleep through the night! Can’t wait to read this. Will read while you sleep.