As Trump’s fixer, Michael Cohen, testified before Congress, Trump was famous for never texting, never using email, and never actually saying he wanted criminal actions taken; rather, he would suggest a course of action that others carried out.
How many times can I say it? This is one of the most exciting letters HCR has written! The shift from an impossible BBB passage (right now) to Voting Rights legislation shows us that the Democrats in the Senate are energized, focused and being as nimble as possible.
Let's pause for a moment and recognized the efforts of Senator Amy Klobuchar. This is a woman who I thought (and think) would make an excellent President. And now she is pursuing the most important project of our lifetime. Without voting rights re-established at the Federal level (and strictly enforced by the DOJ!) everything we care about will be toast - including the planet.
Bill I admire your optimism. At this moment I feel that President Biden has been unable to get his Congressional ‘team’ to pass his imperative social infrastructure bill so now Klobuchar (who I also greatly admire) is launching a pre-Christmas Hail Mary on the John Lewis voting rights bill. She still will be facing the Scylla and Charybdis [Munchkin & Singirl] duo in the Senate. Odysseus made it through. Hopefully Amy will have success THIS YEAR.
I love the idea. But, it has been established that they will not at all support any Democrat legislation. They will take credit for the "goodies" if they pass, but not vote for it.
This year (and next), why don't these voting rights messengers with the megaphones yell from the rooftops that the other side is completely corrupt in wanting to throw away/eliminate our votes to gain power (the goal of the Jan 6 coup attempt)? African Americans have experienced and felt this for so, so long. The latest suppression expands the scope of attack to all who aren't part of the radical right or willing to play along for tax breaks, etc. We need to stop letting the other side frame the issue around lies of voter "integrity." We all know it's a word the other side uses to sell their deceit, so why do we engage with it like it's a legitimate term of debate. It isn't. This is disenfranchisement pure and simple. People need to know that the Republicans are attacking a fundamental personal right, are attempting to steal something from us, are trying to push us out of the way to get what they want. The messengers need to help the public feel at a personal, gut level how wrong this is so more of us will be willing to fight to recover what is ours.
Ironically, the few confirmed cases of voter fraud during the 2020 election were committed by Republicans. I still haven’t heard of any attempted fraud by Democrats. 🤷♀️
Odysseus had his crew strap him to the mast and stuff his ears.
Manchin and Sinema, disdaining the Democratic crew's warnings, are enthralled by the siren song of big money and in bondage to special interests. Will they complete their metamorphoses into Republican 'capitalist pigs?'
The alchemy of unregulated greed - transforming the golden opportunity of Build Back Better, into the dross of Republican business as usual.
Can we recruit a Circe by Christmas? Meanwhile President Biden is unweaving his work every night awaiting the cleansing of the Augean stables. And then there was poor Agamemnon, whose wife did him in. What a puddle.
“Oh what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive.” Attributed to Sir Walter Scott. A TANGLED WEB was the title of Bill Bundy’s magisterial book on Nixon/Kissinger. Today we might use a photo of a cat playing with a ball of wool.
Without Arctic ice, the planet is already toast. Forget about spending on climate change...we are in rapid and accelerating change. Prepare for migrations, food insecurity, temperatures that may rise really rapidly, loss of habitat, etc.
Whatever we're going to do, we'd better do quickly -- those climate impacts you mention will have a possibly-unsurmountable impact on voting and governance. It's really hard to vote from a refugee camp, but that's where a lot of voters will be hailing from in the next 20-30 years.
Agree 100%. To fail to pass Voting Rights is nothing but un-American, and Amy Klobuchar is wonderful, and would be a great President. BBB can wait a bit, but Voting Rights has to be immediate.
Exactly and completely true. In addition, fellow progressives, let’s take the $1.75 billion, celebrate, then continue the mission. If Manchin were going to give further on this, he already would have.
I keep thinking about Manchin representing one of the poorest, most exploited states in the nation, living on a YACHT, anchored on the Potomac. What is wrong with that picture? Where is his humility or concern for his poor, sick West Virginians living in the Holland? Oh wait! He doesn’t have any!
Nor did it make sense for the R's to reelect George W. Bush. When they did, I feared their willful ignorance would lead the country down a dark path. It did.
Or break the bill into multi billion sections. Vote on child and elder care. Stop. Vote on improving Medicare. Stop. Vote on treating the drug addiction crisis...etc.
When someone votes against these extremely popular ideas, they become vulnerable. Good.
I agree. The bill has so many parts, it is nearly impossible to promote to the average un-informed citizen. Separate bills would simplify the messaging and galvanize those who would be most affected to barrage Congress and demand action.
I believe they all have to be together in one bill in order to use the filibuster carve-out for budget items, which can only be used 2 or 3 times per year. That’s also the reason immigration reform, even just for DACA, can’t be included in the bill - because it’s not a budget item.
Understood. But if the BBB bill slips totally away next year, I would hope that those aspect of the bill that are supported by the vast majority of Americans will brought up for a vote. It would be a valuable campaign tool: "You voted against helping parents and children!" and "You voted against helping our seniors!"
I read he wants 1.5 of his 1.7 to go towards funding the child tax credit for 10 years saying that he thinks it’s disingenuous to only fund for a short time as it will be so popular they will have to keep it. LOL. He just wants to keep competition and regulation away from his precious coal. I agree. Take we hat you can get and run like hell. Elect more “liberals” (as he says) and then go back for the rest of it
Why do we have to deal with anti-democracy idiots in our own government who supported a coup almost a year ago? It is insane that we have to deal with their obstruction and lies. Still on my rant...
I understand that many here are very angry. And very frustrated. And this is a forum where people, who have done and are doing good work diligently, can emote. Mea Culpa.
But I would plead for more critique and less drama. For the sake of our shared mission and for the sake of our individual effectiveness.
What would HCR do? The evidence is, something less to do with cursing the darkness and more with shining a light.
Venting is one thing; negative prognosticating is another. Negative assertions of the future are dis-spiriting and demoralizing. They are toxic detractions to the work at hand. Sure, we can individually ignore it and move on, but all this negativity is counterproductive in the bigger picture.
Optimism is a necessary ingredient for problem solving, and we’ve got plenty to solve. I’ll stick with realistic assessment, empathy, consideration, creative problem solving, and perseverance.
As Robert Hubbell writes tonight:
“The reason we hold elections (rather than allowing pundits to declare the winners) is because election results are uncertain and contingent on lots of variables—including the passion and enthusiasm of the electorate.
…By remaining optimistic, we keep ourselves open to the possibilities of successes that may surprise us. Ask Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock!”
Hubbell said – "The reason we hold elections (rather than allowing pundits to declare the winners) is because election results are uncertain and contingent on lots of variables—including the passion and enthusiasm of the electorate."
And his statement is certainly true for voters on both sides of the aisle. Optimism is, indeed, as necessary as passion and enthusiasm. What I do not see among many of us, the Trump-averse electorate, is wide spread, deep seated, vocal passion. The passion on the right side of the aisle may be vulgar, based largely on garbage information and histrionics but it is tangible and the right has been able to maintain a high level of passion for more than five years. Five years. Let that sink in.
We do not have the kind of leadership, at any level, that inspires sustained, high octane passion*. They have firebrands, we have diplomats and malcontents. They have huge swaths of politicians and operatives focused on curtailing specific rights, they are focused and goal oriented. They believe that they are fighting for the greater good – a greater good defined by a white, Christian, heterosexual patriarchy where those who don't pass the test don't get to play.
In a political war where stirring up discontent is an objective we are losing. Too few of us are fiercely vocal and angry about the fact that a loud, savage faction have overtaken political discourse in our country...they are everywhere, they have weaponized themselves, they have infiltrated every aspect of our private and public lives, including spreading a serious, contagious virus amongst those they come in contact with on a daily basis. They are driven by the aggressive lies and disinformation that they consume day after day after day.
I've said it before and I'll say it again, if we are to have any hope of saving our democracy we need leaders with fire and passion to enter the national arena and ignite the fire in ALL TRUMP-AVERSE US Americans to get us through this very difficult and challenging period in our history.
*The one individual who has proven their mettle is Stacey Abrams. She brought an entire nation's energy into the 2020 Senate race in Georgia and facilitated the election of two new Democrat senators. We need Stacy Abrams and more like her on the news and social media 24/7 pulling us together so we, too, can become a massive force to be reckoned with.
Please bear with me, I'm posting this twice. Once as a response to a specific comment and once as a stand alone. Thanks for reading.
Excellent comment, Daria. I'm with you 100% on Stacey Abrams. There is too much at stake to let the same old pols continue to dominate the Democratic Party. Even Obama has become a same old pol by now. No, it is time for Democrats to throw caution to the wind. That means a presidential Candidate who is fearless, energetic, incorruptible and infected with a sense of righteous outrage, and if takes an African-American woman to get the DEM base and the habitual non-voters riled up, so much the better. No more corporate donors. No more "safe" candidates. No more "moderation". No more middle ground. No more bipartisanship. A whole new game.
I was twelve the summer my mother died, and while my father tried to get his life back together, I was sent off to stay with friends on the Atlantic coast at Cape May NJ, where I learned to body surf. Flat beaches, sometimes a few big waves, and a whole family helping me face my loss. I had a great time. Years later I saw the movie "Jaws" , and from that moment I have never ventured out into the surf.
David, what a terrible time that must have been for you. Cape May was a perfect place for you to restore some balance in your life. Body surfing was the best!! I am sorry about Jaws and the impact it had on you. Terrible way to crush a person's love of something wonderful. (My family had a cottage in North Wildwood where we spent our summers. We would head over to Cape May several times a summer plus take the ferry to and from on our trips to the cottage and back to DC. I can see, smell and hear all the sights and sounds of those days this very minute.)
Great post Daria. I would say that Stacy Abrams and AOC are both firebrands. We need many more like the two of them. There are others fighting for our democracy (oligarchy) who are vocal but there are too few. And the silence out of the entire White House both disgusts me and makes me angry.
If I can call out my three Congressional reps (and Pelosi before she shut her website to non-constituents) and risk being put in a re-education camp after the Republicans become the ruling party then so can those in the White House.
Kasumii, that's the thing. We need to make LOUD (and joyful) NOISE in the name of democracy. I, too, am troubled by the silence from the White House. I'm at a loss.
Richard, YES! Here's the thing we have to reckon with: we know what the issues are HOW do we address them? How can engage those who have scant interest beyond casting a ballot and nothing more?
They should be part of the equation but I have found that their website’s don’t allow people who aren’t constituents to post. Considering they are on the Leadership Team (Pelosi, Schumer, Jeffries, Nadler, etc) they should allow contact from anyone in the country. You would have to call or write them via regular mail. Just know that you may be sent to a voicemail if you are asked for your zip code and it is not in their constituency area. I have had that happen and never heard back. I imagine that particular voicemail is a round file.
Sometimes I think they are actually working. Creating, bringing forth, negotiating, and trying to pass excellent legislation. Then trying to fundraise for their next elections on the side. Think about it. Have you seen any Republicans working? Any good legislative ideas at the federal level? All the chaos they are creating is at the state level of Republican led states and local level fighting and trying to insert biased candidates and such. Republicans spend a lot of their time opposing anything said or done or introduced by Democrats. They hate the ACA, but don't have the ability to create anything better (mostly because they don't agree with Americans having improved medical care.)
Yes, Stacy plays an important role. Along her lines as well as being my personal choice for President, is Tulsi Gabbard. Her qualifications are numerous and without flaw. She speaks clearly, honestly, and with complete dedication to service. She also stands up to power with a selfless commitment.
I’m not going to comment on your preferred choice for President.
My quibble is with the comment “…without flaw”. No one is without flaw or flaws. No one. We all have to be willing and able to look at those we put into office - or wish we could - with complete clarity. If we can’t do that then it is very important to investigate why.
Well, yes, we all have flaws of some sort. Or simply parts of our character we would like to improve. As such applying to Tulsi Gabbard, I have not seen or read of any flaw in her public or private stands which would demonstrate anything other than complete dedication to public service and immense strength of character. Her demonstrated national service is simply unquestionable--whether as a veteran and combat veteran with two tours in Iraq; as a continuing officer in the National Guard with 16 years of service; or as a four-term congresswoman from Hawaii; and on.
As a woman of color, she also fits the current hope to represent all people. In 53 years of voting, I've never seen a more qualified and honorable candidate.
I'm all for scrutinizing all political candidates to the max. I've been waiting to see a valid negative comment about her service or aspirations. She gained the ire of the DNC when she supported Bernie in 2016. She was vice chair of the DNC at the time and had to resign for her beliefs. Hillary called Tulsi "a Russian asset" with no details to back that up. (Hillary also said the same of Jill Stein.) Tulsi was cleared to receive Intelligence at the highest level of National Security. The DNC is afraid of her because she speaks truth.
Yet, she must have a flaw somewhere, but nothing's been found yet, and the political sleuths searched everywhere. Tulsi's truly impressive. The high rollers at the DNC tried to set her up on "The View", but that backfired on them. Tulsi resigned from Congress in 2020 and gave her full support to Joe Biden.
Kasumii, without flaw is indeed a loaded expression. No one is squeaky ckean. Sadly, we have come to a point where extremists with zero qualifications to be so much as local dog catcher have landed in national politics. The election of MTG, Boebert & Cawthorn is a sign that the Republican party is willing to place the entire nation in the hands of volatile, hostile opportunists. It should scare the hell out of every single voter regardless of party and it does not. we do need to find out WHY we are not willing to scrutinize our candidates, at all levels, more closely.
Kasumii, without flaw is indeed a loaded expression. No one is squeaky ckean. Sadly, we have come to a point where extremists with zero qualifications to be so much as local dog catcher have landed in national politics. The election of MTG, Boebert & Cawthorn is a sign that the Republican party is willing to place the entire nation in the hands of volatile, hostile opportunists. It should scare the hell out of every single voter regardless of party and it does not. we do need to find out WHY we are not willing to scrutinize our candidates, at all levels, more closely.
I hear ya', dear. Unfortunately, reason takes longer to process than rage, and tends to quell the more passionate feelings. That's why a quick sword thrust beats the best debater every time. Nevertheless, I'm unwilling to abandon reason for a short-term tactical advantage.
That said, it is difficult to excite the less-intellectually driven Democratic base with chants of, "Good Governance Today!" or "Tax Deferred Compensation Now!"
More unfortunately, all the Republicans seem to care about anymore is short-term advantage crap like "which bathroom Little Johny poos in" or "Joe Biden is cancelling Christmas!" The strategy seems to be aimed specifically to delay effective action by government, perhaps to give their donors and families more time to buy properties where they hope to ride out the coming climate disasters. And it may work, too.
I'm really in favor of Ms. Abrams, too. But for some reason I'm still puzzling over I was more comfortable with Ms. Abrams staying in the background, organizing, inspiring, advancing slates of candidates. I've always viewed her a sort of a Roger Stone, but on the side of angels.
I fear that if she loses her gubernatorial race, her effectiveness as an organizer might be diminished. If she wins, she will have to deal with the responsibilities of office, instead of advocating for voting rights. Even if she wins, I think we will lose something. Still, two steps forward, one back, one sideways...
I heartily agree with what you say, Daria, and shiver at the passion and clarity with which you express it.
One thing my brain steadily thumped at me as I read: Hate and anger focus the mind. The Rs’ crusade of revenge and racism and self-supremacy is a real passion-igniter. It can sharpen the mission, rile the emotions, rally the troops.
It’s true. We DON’t have that. I believe we don’t WANT that. I think we need to stay calm, cool, solid, steady, ready. I believe we’re doing what we need to, the way we need to. It’s hard to keep motivated without that fire and passion. But we will. We are. Watch Stacey Abrahms. Watch Raphael Warnock. They have the passion, the fire, the purpose, the patience. I get the feeling we’re moving steadily into position. We’re gathering our powers.
Yes. And right now, too many young progressive people are giving up on the dems ever really doing a damn thing about it. Are they impatient? Maybe. Justifiably cynical? Maybe. But the dems need to GO BOLD very soon and do something about that filibuster before the attention and energy of the young people disappears completely, let alone creating the much needed "passion and enthusiasm of the electorate". Action - contact your senators and tell them to be bold on the voting rights acts!.NOW! The first thing the r's will do if they regain control is to get rid of the filibuster themselves, so might as well get rid of it while dems have some power and can actually do some good.
If Hannah Arendt (who analyzed the origins of totalitarianism in Europe in general and Germany in specific) and Mollie Ivins (who satirized the rise of Republican right wing extremism in America in general and Texas in specific) could both counsel optimism, then we are in very good company indeed!
I write with both reckless optimism and reckless despair. I believe that Progress and Doom are two sides of the same medal.
— Hannah Arendt
And the funny thing is, I've always been an optimist - it's practically a congenital disorder with me.
Thank you, Ellie (and lin), for raising the issue of Negativity versus Optimism in the LFAA comments section. I find that a certain amount of optimism really can get us through the day despite the many negative items we all have on our plates these days, and it is said -- out here in cynical, been-there-done-that Europe -- that you can always tell an American by our optimism or our can-do attitude, or our shit-eating grin or whatever you wish to call it. Whatever it is, Europeans can sense it a mile away, though they sometimes mistake it for childlike innocence or just simple ignorance, which it can be but isn't necessarily.
That said, I still see a large disconnect between what Americans are worried about and what they really need to worry about.
An example is the possibility than our democracy is in its final days, and that, as a nation, we may have already crossed the Rubicon into authoritarianism or even Fascism, and that there is little we can do about it because:
a) our venerable Constitution permits this to happen (whether by accident or design is debatable) and cannot now be amended -- call it repaired -- because doing so is extremely difficult under... the Constitution... and in this political/ideological environment;
b) we have become a decadent nation and have lost the will to fight against the barbarian hordes (no, I am not talking about immigrants) for what we think we believe in;
c) because most of us are in thrall to the high-tech communications/media industry that watches our every move and effectively controls what our opinions are by learning and manipulating our desires and expectations and then extracting part our wealth and transferring it to a relatively small group of privileged utra-rich stockholders and by otherwise dissipating our strength in numbers through infinite entertainment and information overload uninformed by any morals apart from the capitalist ethic: MAKE MONEY.
I could go on, having not even mentioned global warming or COVID or Chinese ambitions or Russian paranoia or inflation or rampant suicide rates or etc., so I will spare everyone that. But surely there is good reason to wonder if our democracy is up to the task and can weather the ongoing Trump coup attempt and continue on the long and winding road to something both sustainable and humane and do it without violence, mayhem and eventual extinction of our perhaps unique species.
I believe that our present trajectory -- with all due respect to good-hearted Joe Biden -- is off track, and that popular, large, worthy, and much-needed legislation to improve our social state is not our nation's highest priority right now, even if delay will mean continuing hardship for many Americans. NO. By far our biggest problem is that -- abetted by the 6 rightwing judges now on the SCOTUS -- our basic mechanism for carrying out democracy, which is to say ensuring that out government has the consent of a simple majority of Americans, is being dismantled by Trump's GOP because they cannot win national elections fair and square anymore and see raw power as a reasonable alternative to consent. And who of them really cares what "those" people want anyway, right?
In my (almost) 70 years, I have never been worried that the basic structure of our democracy might be at risk. Always impatient for change, I believed that the long arc of justice was bending our way, however slowly. As a child I was frightened to tears -- as was my father -- by the Cuban missile crisis, but that was the closest I had ever come to existential despair. Until now.
And I read the other day that a poll shows that -- even now -- fewer than 50% of Democrats believe we are in danger of trading in democracy for dictatorship, that 4 years of a Trump presidency and a violent insurrection and traitorous behavior by many of our elected Representatives has not yet freaked us out to the point where we might consider drastic measures to save our country, such as ditching the filibuster or packing the Court or adding States or boycotting companies that give money to the GOP or showing up on the Mall by the millions or even arresting Trump and his band of well-dressed thugs (well, not Bannon). Simply reminding ourselves to vote in 2022 is not enough. Sending letters to elected officials is not enough. Even calling them day and night is not enough. Folks, roughly 40% of Americans over the age of 18 just DO NOT VOTE.
So yes, I am feeling very negative these days, wondering if the next time I arrive in the USA I will not be hustled off to the nearest re-education camp and never heard from again. Negative, not optimistic, thoroughly pissed off, having my say, offending some folks most likely, that's me these says. My apologies.
No apology necessary. Feelings and worry are necessary and legitimate, but then we decide what to do about them. What Carol said: Recognize the problem, hen figure out how to fix it.
No offense taken. We have to recognize the problem before we can attempt to solve it. When we get down to work, optimism can kick in to counter the pessimism created by the magnitude of the problem.
See also the interview with Rebecca Solnit, author of Orwell's Roses, by Heather a few days ago on Heather's Facebook video feed. Solnit tells of all the optimism with which George Orwell lived a difficult life fraught with chronic lung illnesses, poverty, and loss. She says that such living is creative and anti-authoritarian. He planted roses, fruit trees, farmed passionately, changed diapers - a revolutionary act for men in 1946.
When I shared one of his posts on Facebook, someone asked me who he is, and all I could find was his self-description on his substack page: "Citizen. Optimist. Realist." Have you found anything else about him elsewhere?
There is a balance between identifying clearly the elements of the darkness, and knowing we can overcome it, by providing light in the form of optimism, or creative suggestions and ideas, etc.
I suspect, lin, that you and I might be a little unusual here in the sense that we drastically limit our exposure to the cacophony of messages coming at society through media and commercialism. For people with greater exposure to disharmonious cultural messaging, which is like a hurricane or flood, it’s more difficult to find the peaceful center, or that ability to find encouragement.
This discussion reminds me of something Tom Lehrer once said,
Life is like a sewer:
What you get out of it depends on what you put into it.
This is perhaps not the most helpful way to look at the situation. What we need to do is to ride the whirlwind with determination and, as you say, courage.
I concur, views that are negative and not consistent with reality are detrimental.
However, views that are perceived as negative but simply reflect accurate reality, or probable future states, are important to document, discuss and turn away from since those are either mistakes of the past or upcoming mistakes of the future.
I, unfortunately for me, have never been able to shrink away, from, or blur, the reality of the scene before me. If it provided, to me, a perception, I noted it.
I do not turn away from negative reality nor do I turn away from positive reality.
Both, positive and negative, are important for yesterday, today and tomorrow.
Note, at Christmas, with family, it does, indeed make sense to let the past, the present and the future go, and, share a positive season with family and friends, no doubt....so...if that was where you were headed, I am in complete agreement.
This holiday/solstice season is when darkness/despair meet light/hope. These cycles of life are everywhere and within.
And many of us who’ve lost loved ones during this celebratory season, see it all through a bittersweet lens.
We count our blessings, give love freely, grieve our losses and face whatever lies ahead. Thank you all for your many beautiful voices. And thank you Heather for creating this space.
Thank you for your post Mike. It is very important to note the difference between ‘negative & not consistent with reality’ and ‘negative to call out the awful reality’. We absolutely must have the latter.
Well Lin there is a balance to be achieved. Are people naming the problem, constructively venting or declaring Democracy dead? I see mostly the first two I just stated in the previous sentence and almost never the last one. And I see the first two as good things.
I need to hear from people who are smart in their approach to politics, compassionately and respectfully in disagreement with one another and actively working on solutions. This is what I see in these comments sections.
"But I would plead for more critique and less drama." Yes. But. Let's not lose the passionate fervor that has driven so many wonderful changes in our Society in exchange for a safe critique. Reminds me of those swaying, teeming protests throughout time that did indeed change things.
Lin Thank you for your warm spirit during a time of pandemic frustration. Too often people vent their frustrations and anger rather than grasping at shards of light. During a most difficult time during WW II Britain experienced a shard of light. As Churchill expressed it: “This is not the end. Nor is it the beginning of the end. However, it is the end of the beginning.” We are in a long battle. Let’s keep up our spirits for the road ahead. Some doctors say that positive thinking affects our bodies positively. Let’s individually test this premise.
ThankYou. Other quotes from that time which was formative for many of us:
“I write with both reckless optimism and reckless despair. I believe that Progress and Doom are two sides of the same medal.”
— Hannah Arendt, The Origins of Totalitarianism
We must never forget the horrors which our brethren were subjected to in Bergen-Belsen and other Nazi concentration camps. Then, too, we must try hard to understand that for righteous people hate and prejudice are neither good occupations nor fit companions. Rabbi Alfred Bettleheim once said: “Prejudice saves us a painful trouble, the trouble of thinking.” - 13 year old Ruth Bader (Ginsburg) in her synagogue newsletter http://www.emjc.org/13-year-old-ruth-bader-ginsburgs-essay-1946-emjc-bulletin/
It is interesting that in their 1946 reflections in the shadow of the Holocaust, both Bader (Ginsburg) and Rabbi Alfred Bettelheim anticipate Hannah Arendt's 1963 equation of evil with thoughtlessness, in her observations on the trial of Eichmann for his administration of the atrocities.
As an aside, at slightly different times Bader/Ginsburg and I had the same rabbi, Harry Halpern. And Bernie Sanders was from the same neighborhood. Maybe there was something in the air/water ;) At this time East Midwood Jewish Center is fending off incursions/attacks by Jewish right wing religious extremists bent on barring use of the synagogue's school building by the Urban Dove charter school serving at risk minority children.
lin, I read your words “Take heart” as an answer to the question, “Why do we persist?” To clarify, in my view, hope has nothing to do with optimism. Though I could be wrong, I imagine few of us are optimistic about America, let alone about the human species, broadly speaking. There simply is not enough evidence to infer that things are going to get better. Still, we engage in the trials of our time. We persist, I imagine, because we find meaning in a struggle we believe is both just and moral.
This forum, led so ably by Professor Cox-Richardson, was by far the earliest serious set of voices to speak up for the deep threat to democracy in my opinion. The only exception to this sweeping assessment is the superb podcast Gaslit Nation which has cast the widest possible lens on America’s imminent peril for five years now. But I’d be surprised if their audience is 10% of HCR’s.
That alone is a massive service to America. Heather has unleashed a tremendous amount of energy and intelligence. Any further comment I have is of less importance than the above.
It is human to be tribal however. To be tribal means to protect the herd at all costs. Those most closely attached to this project in fact call themselves “Heather’s Herd”.
This tribalism has its benefits - it gives solace to those who belong, it provides a sense of community, and it can generate positive energy.
Again all good.
But tribalism has its dangers. The impulses of this tribe are no different than the tribalism we see on the other side. Of course this group is directed towards building up what has been best in America, while the other group has, at the tip of its spear, a group who would rip the country to pieces.
But the dangers of tribalism are among us. There is, on some days, a group emotion coursing through comments which has very little sympathy for dissent. At its least bad, there is an excess of pointless cheerleading, comments which push the idea being defended (or attacked) to absurd lengths. These raise the temperature and make it more daunting for some to disagree. They are often dotted with schoolyard epithets - “Rethuglicans”, “The Orange Man”, “McTurtleface”, and on.
Then there are the extremes of the “Always Hopers” and the “No Hopers”. The former paint an unabashedly uncritical picture of the latest savior - Biden, Garland, Pelosi are three about whom never a critical word is said by those who hope, in some cases with little reason.
The “No Hopers” are the Cassandras, predicting bad outcomes in every endeavor and having no faith in the chance of a positive ending to the middle that is America. They do drain energy from the group as a whole, which is a step in the road of a self-fulfilling prediction.
There are far fewer of them because it’s always more pleasant to associate oneself with an optimist who may give you the dopamine hit you truly need. The tendency is to lash out against those who seem spiritually attuned to pessimism and sometimes even to affix the dreaded “troll” label on them.
This is a *really* tough time we are in. To me I take my reasons for optimism where I can find them, for they are relatively few. For the last couple of months I have seen hope in the no nonsense attitude of the 1/6 Committee. I, like many of you, came of age in the Watergate era and have seen how quickly the balloon can be pricked once revelations start to come. First there are a few. Then there is an avalanche and the seemingly impregnable house of villainy is, at long last, breached. The threat is vanquished. I see the possibility of something like that happening in the New Year and I am cautiously optimistic that this beast can be tamed.
But there is ample room for pessimism in the current situation given that we have three deadly crises barreling down the track at the same time - a political challenge of massive breadth, a pandemic that refuses to be quelled, and an existential climate threat. It is so difficult to be a little Ray of sunshine, given those perils.
Kentuckians rallied together in one of the grimmest weather tragedies imaginable this week. So heartening.
At the other end school teachers elected to scramble madly around an ice surface to pick up dollars to use on school supplies. So demeaning.
Do fact checking. Heather’s Herd is not a tribe, not uncritical fans of HCR, not uncritical anything. It is simply a group of LFAA readers who work to turn good talk into good action in support of democracy.
That would be a good mission statement to strive for, Ellie. I know, from reading thousands of comments (I do fact check) that people are imperfect vessels for any mission statement, regardless of intention.
But there is a high degree of good will here, and when people take action and tell us of it, it is quite exciting.
With all due respect, if you had sufficiently fact checked, (a) you would not have called Heather's Herd a tribe, and (b) you'd know there is a mission statement, not just what would be a good one.
Your comment came with a warning of tribalism as reflected on the forum. In your review of us, I didn’t read anything about the efforts made by subscribers who share their learning, often providing links to source material. Subscribers also come with questions and reflections concerning the Letter. A few of us from the most erudite and self-confident to the humbler and more hesitant may often post essentially the same comment with a little variation. Yes. there are cheerleaders (who sometimes come with ideas as well) and naysayers who find little to cheer about. I think all are welcome. A cheerleader or strongly negative commenter may be greeted with some criticism by a reader. You and I have been such critics on occasion.
There is, perhaps, more of a variety of comments here than you note, but that probably wouldn’t change equation. In sum, I think you would like us to be better. Many of us want to be better, even under these circumstances. We are here to get beyond our personal bubbles, to learn and to share. As subscribers, however, we have our limits. In education, class, age, socio-economic concerns and political leanings we are a herd. I accept that without feeling hemmed in.
And always in the midst of this cacophony we have our own personal lives, sometimes paddling in treacherous waters, sometimes trying to thread our way through rapids which may consume us.
I always seek to reconcile the public face we present with the private that we mostly don’t talk about. There are those in this forum facing down appallingly tough personal circumstances - and still managing to contribute.
It is the same on the other side. Life has become, has always been indeed an enormously difficult passage through which we all pass. Nobody is unscathed. Nobody gets out without wounds. But the suffering of people in the vicissitudes of their lives leaves grace and nobility behind for us to replenish our strength.
I write something negative on this forum and then feel remorseful towards whom I have criticized because I have not walked in their shoes.
I wish I knew in my twenties what I have come to learn in later life. Gracelessness expressed, no matter how funny or perfectly expressed, remains graceless.
People who show up on this forum regularly, regardless of how distasteful their comments seem deserve credit. They haven’t given up on the good fight.
Eric Spot on. I still refuse to stop calling Trump Jabba the Hutt, but I will try to smooth out some other kid playground epitaphs such as Tubby Trump and Dastardly Dotard. I really don’t want to find coal in my stocking. May you have a Non-Mafioso Christmas!
Our activism is the prism, lens , mirror through which the light of humanity's natural goodness is scattered as a rainbow coalition, focused as civil rights 'good trouble', and reflected in our personal lived experience and shared mission.
OK, as The New Yorker used to say' block that metaphor. But I sort of lijr it:)
Lin, every time we get a bit of hope another Boulder drops on Democracy. It's difficult not to be emotionally involved. I'm in my sunset years. Would love some good news
Listen to CSpan and hear all the good work of so many of our Democratic elected representatives in Congress.
The other side of the coin of quislings Manchin, Sinema (and in the House, Maine's own Jared Golden appropriating 'moderation' to mask their radical damage - is that they are a craven minority of 3.
You say Manchin's obstructionism is obduracy. I say its greed.
You say Manchin is resisting enormous pressure. I say he's caving to special interests. Not to mention protecting his personal interests in his family's coal company. While the pressure he's being subjected to includes being fawned on by powerful Democrats, cheered on by powerful Republicans.
What Molly Ivins, of blessed memory, says:
"It’s about political courage and heroes, and when a country is desperate for leadership. There are times when regular politics will not do, and this is one of those times.”
"Serve your time, collect your chits, and cash ’em in for your home state? No, I’d say we could ask for more than that from our senators."
“One thing that corporations do not do is give out money out of the goodness of their hearts.”
"How the American right managed to convince itself that the programs to alleviate poverty are responsible for the consequences of poverty will someday be studied as a notorious mass illusion.”
“Anyone who thinks humans are not capable of so fouling their own nest that the land and the waters can no longer be productive just hasn’t been paying attention.”
I don’t disagree with you about greed one bit, Lin. The image of him going from his Maserati to his yacht is revolting. He is tone deaf in this regard. And his family has followed his nose for money, acquired insidiously, in lockstep. This is not a man I hold in the slightest esteem.
I reacted to ‘craven’ because I didn’t think it was precise. It does take a certain of not bravery (perhaps gall?) to stand out for so long and not bow to what must be intense pressure from the Democratic Party.
I guess he and Sinema are probably enjoying this moment in the sun, holding the whip hand. But even at that, it takes a certain personality to give the middle finger to America so ostentatiously. And they surely know that history will not be kind to them.
His (and her) obduracy are no doubt easier to hold to when they are rewarded so richly by special interests. They shine a bright light on grievous inadequacies in the American political system.
Carla, I feel like I’m late to the party and must have missed something - but please don’t silence yourself. Dr. Richardson has deliberately created a community here, where her readers can find support, common ground, ideas, and inspiration. Sometimes, that will include venting. Sometimes criticism. Sometimes drama. That’s part of community too. So please, comment away. People don’t need to engage or even read if they don’t like what you say. Say it anyway.
“” community here, where her readers can find support, common ground, ideas, and inspiration. Sometimes, that will include venting. Sometimes criticism. Sometimes drama. ””
I disagree with those of us who liked your comment. I cannot agree with your idea not to comment again. Yes, of course, it is your choice, but it would be our loss and, perhaps, yours. Kathy Rizzoni said expressed this best.
Oh no. Not chastisement, but critique. Not punishing but productive.
Sadly the notion of 'criticism and self criticism' is tainted by its origins in Stalin's purges in the name of Marxism-Leninism and its similar use to perpetrate atrocities by Chinese Communists and the Cambodian Khmer Rouge.
The phrase was somewhat redeemed in usage by European and American Marxists and it is in that sense of constructive awareness and self awareness that I venture to use it.
Just as, by our good intent and actions, we can preserve the word/concept 'socialism' from associations with its appropriation by oppressive right wing extremists. Just as we might restore, Christianity and Islam, and although it breaks my heart to say so, even Zionism, from degradations by violent religious extremists.
The point being, if you replace realism with optimism OR pessimism, you are tainting reality. Wanting to believe that suddenly the administration “sees the picture” and will “do the right thing” … doesn’t make it so. I will continue my efforts. But my realism doesn’t show me very many points of optimism.
No one said to replace realism or to wish something into reality, that I saw. Realistic assessment of facts is critical. What one does with one’s feelings is the issue, especially when venting on a public record in a group.
If Hannah Arendt could be optimistic living through the Holocaust and analyzing the rise of totalitarianism in Germany and Molly Ivins could be optimistic in covering the Texas legislature and satirizing the rise of American Republican right wing extremism - then ... look harder.
Lisa I have not seen your comment that apparently caused a reaction. I implore you to continue contributing to this Letters-inspired dialogue. There are days when my wife and I are truly despondent about the world that our grandchildren are inheriting. Other days I, more than my wife, see shards of light. Were we feelingless robots perhaps we could post perfectly calm, positive commentaries. As you could see in my comments today, this clearly has not been one of my bright and sunny moments—perhaps tomorrow. Let your voice be heard. That’s what an open forum is all about.
Lisa, I have valued your comments here on LFAA. Your words seem raw yet real, speaking your truth. Additionally, they have often yielded encouraging, caring replies from our community here. 💙
lin, A lot has been crashing against us and pushing us down as you know. I welcomed your warm and positive comment. You generally argue hard and strongly make your case. Your embracing comment felt like open arms. I have been learning more about the very difficult work ahead to rescue a semblance of America's democracy as it was 45 years ago. My mood has been quite sober. A few here took your encouragement for an accusation. That speaks to temperament, personal circumstances and an interpretation of where the country is now. The emotion expressed on the forum today reveals how raw and in need of care we are.
Lin “Let us go then you and I when the evening is spread against the sky.” Actually I prefer the letter exchange between Groucho Marx and T. S. Eliot. I find them hilarious, with Groucho, who was not a slouch writer, addressing his letters ‘Dear Tom.”
I lived Watergate numbed by it all and knew jailed Bob Allen of Gulf Resources (GRE) and George S. McGovern, Thomas F. Eagleton Jr., and R. S. Shriver well… and put a grandson of W. Mark Felt through law school… and fixed Felt’s rising damp garage walls..
We are numbed today by GOP racism, criminality and the banality of evil…
Sandy You have certainly been on the front line during much of our recent history. I’m surprised not to find you in Nathaniel Philbrick’s marvelous TRAVELS WITH GEORGE that describes George Washington’s journeys through 13 states and the people he met. Of course some of Washington’s secret Long Island spy group have yet to be identified.
Everything associated with Donald Trump reeks of corruption. One way or another, this RNC expenditure will eventually be discovered to have coercion, blackmail, or bribery behind it. There absolutely must be at least one quid pro quo in play.
You gotta also ask the question, Roland, how he managed to perform like this for so many years without ending up in jail before becoming President. A veritable "lion" of the NYC business community who was known to be "tricky" and "unethical" long beforehand but still managed to bathe in the golden glory of "black" millions...or the appearance thereof. What does this say about the society in which he prospered?
You could also ask how tfg got so far into bed with Putin. When no NY bank would do business with him anymore, he got loans from Deutsche Bank that were backstopped by a Kremlin-controlled bank.
He was looked down upon in NYC, Stuart. The upper crust, which he hoped to join, roundly rejected him. Most of the rest us thought him a clown and an amusement. Clearly, quite a few women who came in contact with him, thought DT to be utterly disgusting and irredeemable. Much was known about his attempts to twist the truth about his behavior and negative image. NYC did not vote for Trump, he was always an embarrassment. Your reference to the nature of the country that handed him the presidency hit the bullseye. As for the Apprentice, perhaps it sums up our story.
Greg Olear on Substack has done very deep investigations on both Trump and the Russian “mafia.” He says Trump, among many other things, is a government informant, I believe FBI. Haven’t read this material in awhile.
Considering that "Quid" is in England a slang word for "Pound" ....as in £.....it looks like a pretty good payoff for Trump; money, an advantage and only one downer.
And one of our supposed governing parties has signed on the criminal corruption in broad daylight, as the MSM blathers about partisanship…and how the corruption is on target to win. No script writer could do better. Right, Peggy Noonan!
Yes. Actually I have a pretty firm idea what he is doing. Being the first Attorney General that America has had in many years that is operating within the rule of law and not within the former’s trump version.
Your question, although a completely legit post on our forum and I’m sure intended to convey sarcastic humor, is very disheartening to me.
I was not intending to be sarcastic. I truly am concerned about his timing and when he will actually take up the leadership role against these traitors. If he does not at least start legal processes against these criminals they will slither away like the snakes they are.
In his newsletter today, Greg Olear makes an excellent point about the importance of the court of public opinion in addition to the courts of justice:
"Most of the frustration directed at Merrick Garland and the Department of Justice derives from the fact that the bad guys are getting away with it. At least, that’s how it appears. And in a narrative war, optics matter."
I wonder this as well Georgia Girl. I know much of the AG’s work remains behind the scenes until it can be made public but none of it ever really stays completely quiet. There are always leaks of some kind. I think Elie Mystal is a good one to follow for his takes on what AG Garland is or isn’t up to.
Reading the Washington Post article,I realized that Meadows is willing to go to prison to please Donald Trump. How ironic is it that he was part of the “Freedom Caucus”? Where’s the freedom in all your actions being dictated by the whims of another? Co-dependence at its most extreme expression.
Yes, I believe I heard it is up to 20 yrs and/or a large fine. But, I don’t feel they would give him much or any jail time. They seem to be very concerned about “do unto others” as they feel Republicans have a strong chance in taking back majority in House & Senate.
"The Freedom Caucus" is three words that make no sense, since the members are all Republican Trump supporters who are deniers of Biden's election. Another member of the "Freedom Caucus" is Representative (Reprehensible) Scott Perry of Pennsylvania's 10th Congressional District where I live. A couple of days ago, Perry got up on the floor of the House and said incorrect and nasty things about MN Representative Ilhan Omar. What he said was so awful that it was stricken from the record.
"Freedom Caucus”? Where’s the freedom in all your actions being dictated by the whims of another? "
ProLife? What is proLife in denying women the full range of reproductive health care - sex ed, family planning, pap smears, breast exams - which many access only through Planned Parenthood. In opposing universal healthcare, Republicans even deny 'the unborn' prenatal care.
Susan I will give you $10 for every month that Meadows will spent in the slammer after being convicted of contempt of Congress. Sadly, I doubt that I’ll have to break a $20 bill.
I really hate what I am going to say here, I have been trying my best to believe otherwise for the past couple months, but today ripped the curtain away.
It's not "Build Back Better." It's Build Back Never. There is no way in hell they get anything like this done in March, by which time every moderate in the party will be standing away from it like it was poison while they campaign. If they think Manchin will change then what he won't change now, I want some of whatever it is they're smoking because that is some powerful shit.
And if they do not find a way to make the Child Tax Credit come back to life by February, they can bend over and kiss their asses good-bye, because all those people who got help and then got the rug pulled out from under them are going to be Mighty Pissed.
And here's a newsflash they should have heard back this summer at the latest, but never doubt the ability of the Left to cover its eyes and ears so well it is cut off from reality: you do not do bills like BBB with no margin for error. If they wanted that to happen they should have pulled their heads out of their asses last year and not lost their working majorities in the House and Senate. If they had the more normal 5-6 seat majority in the Senate, Manchin and Sinema could be thrown out the tenth-story windows they so richly deserve to be.
Do politics right and you get to do what you want. Bring a butter knife to a firefight, and you get you ass handed to you.
TC, my read on today’s news is that if they pass voting rights by changing the filibuster, and the Jan 6 committee keeps moving forward and starts expelling people, the trump train will derail and Dems can pass BBB in the spring. This idea fills me with hope! I know you will think rose colored glasses, but …it could happen!!
And ethereal, or as Violet says (Downton Abbey),” hope is a tease designed to keep us from accepting reality.” Reality is also more than the blather that comes from Fox, or MSM at this point. Pretend to be Churchill after Dunkirk…
Accepting reality does not obviate the need for a vision of what you want or how things should be. Accepting reality is the starting point of the planned actions necessary to get you there.
Demoralized is OK too. We all go through it, especially last January. Anybody who wasn’t feeling despair back in January needs to check their pulse to see if they’re alive. But for me, underneath the waves of despair and gloom that occasionally wash over, there is normally a foundation of strength and joy. Sometimes the fog of demoralization, despair, gloom, dread will obscure the foundation, even for lengthy periods, but my faith in the power of good keeps returning. That foundation keeps showing up.
Demoralization is a passing phase. “This too shall pass.” That’s my position.
Roland, many days I agree with what you've said here. But other days I see nothing but the end of life as we know it here in the US of A. It's clear the right now, "This too shall pass" needs an enema.
TC, it’s exactly that “but” which you get sizzling on the grill so well that gets many people motivated to accept a reality and get going to create a new one. There is no reason for us to be passive about not pushing hard for the changes that are immensely popular with a great majority of people in this country.
Do not ever change, TC. You are like a glass of icy water thrown in a fine spray on the face sometimes and not in a sharp torrent. Quite refreshing, actually. Who ever said that government does not need to plop right into the trenches sometimes to get some fixing going on? The “dummycraps” and the “repubturds”. Ha! Too much.I look forward to spring cleaning in ‘22.
TC we all need a moment to rage against the absurdity of it all and stamp our feet to clear the air. Then we take heart and reengage in the fight for our future. It’s a cycle I repeat as often as necessary.
And I wish to hell there was really someone to blame, some truly guilty party, but there isn't. I'm sorry to say that we have to face the fact that a system that was creaky, jury-rigged and nailed together at the beginning, is now 250 years later, every day demonstrating its inability to carry the increasing load.
Take heart from Winston Churchill, who, honestly recognized the mess of the somewhat democratic British system with his famous quote that is something like:
"Democracy is the WORST form of government, except for all the rest of them".
He decided not to give up on that form of government while it was under attack.
I think Churchill was very likely correct in his perception, judgement and action.
Thanks Mike. I think the whole quote is worthy of thought:
"Many forms of Government have been tried, and will be tried in this world of sin and woe. No one pretends that democracy is perfect or all-wise. Indeed has been said that democracy is the worst form of Government except all those other forms that have been tried from time to time; but there is the broad feeling in our country that the people should rule, and that public opinion expressed by all constitutional means, should shape, guide, and control the actions of Ministers who are their servants and not their masters."
Winston S Churchill, 11 November 1947 speech to the House of Commons
Of course, as TCinLA points out, our "constitutional system" is quite different than Britain's. Both have their flaws, but ours began with and has continued barriers to the principle that "the people should rule." Even the rotten boroughs and limits on the electorate of the British constitution slowly gave way to evolving "public opinion." Whatever the compromises necessary to get it passed in 1787, its gradual transformation into holy writ that only the high priests of SCOTUS can (re-)interpret would surprise and possibly appall many of the men who wrote and got it ratified.
The problem is, Churchill never faced a moment where the system itself was in danger of failure. He had policy differences with people, but never a failing system and a domestic enemy dedicated to taking advantage of that. So while I love quoting Churchill, I'll do it where it is appropriate, and sadly that is not here and now.
Yes, it does. But I think he would look at our situation as being far more difficult, which is my point. Democracy is certainly still worth fighting for, and what's going on now tells me my writing mentor's advice for success in the movies applies here: "You're only willing to succeed to the degree you're willing to fail." We are going to have to go "all out" and risk everything to save our creaky old rollercoaster of a system.
As I said elsewhere, Adams and the other founders were not dealing with a failing system and a domestic enemy dedicated to taking maximum advantage of those failings. Your comparison is oranges and kiwi fruit.
Adams was dealing with the failing system of colonialism and with domestic opponents to his plan for declaring and instituting a United States of America - domestic opponents who wanted to take maximum advantage of the failings personified by a system of slave labor, and who later became domestic enemies of the Union to keep the racist rule of King Cotton in place.
I am curious about something TC. Why do you comment about how bodily harm/death should be visited upon those you disagree with? “…Manchin and Sinema could be thrown out of the tenth-story windows they so richly deserve to be”.
This isn’t the first time you have done this. A government where bodily harm and/or death can be used against those we disagree with (or even despise as I do both Manchin & Sinema for their blatant corruption and “Fuck everybody else, that’s why” attitudes) is not a government I want to live anywhere near or under.
It’s not blowing off steam or venting when you suggest death or harm to politicians you don’t like. It’s wrong.
And, for those who are reading this and murmuring “Aww, that’s just TC” I ask this - isn’t that what so many use and have used to justify trump’s words and actions? Or Greene’s? Or Boebert’s? Or so many others?
I am all for Democrats and Independents and non-voters to get their heads out of their asses or the asses of their corporate donors and get to the extremely urgent business of defending and saving our democracy (oligarchy) from the entire Republican Party that wants to take over but in that urgency none of us should never fall as low as those we oppose.
And before anyone reminds me, yeah, I know TC is a veteran. So what. So am I. So are many, many others who do not call for harm and/or death to come to those we disagree with and/or despise. I want to see Manchin and Sinema stripped of power and if their actions have any illegality to them, then behind bars where they would belong. I don’t wish them dead or tossed out a tenth story window.
Some of us see disaster coming for having been so involved throughout the 1960s, 1970s, ... 2000s and feel gobsmacked by what is happening now. Yet, we continue to listen and sift for hope in these dialogues and the good works of some few we think are carrying the torch. I find comfort and skepticism as equal antodines at this point in my life.
Well, in the end, TCinLA, it is up to US to change the politics. We can lament all we want but unless WE make the effort to register more Democratic and independent voters and get them to the polls, Americans have no place to look but to themselves. Join a group like Indivisible, Commit to Democracy, Women's March, NAACP, ACLU etc and take action! Work with others to reach out to voters in Swing States to vote for Democrats both in State and Federal offices. Make monthly donations to Democratic candidates in these races (the sooner the better!). The way I look at it is this: my father was willing to give up his life in WWII to oppose Fascism and defend Democracy; working to register new voters and get out the vote is the least I can do!
Ellie, can you provide a link to Heather's Herd? There's also Jessica Craven's Chop Wood, Carry Water (https://chopwoodcarrywaterdailyactions.substack.com). I volunteer with Indivisible - our local chapter, Indivisible Santa Barbara, is co-hosting with Women's March one of hundreds of candlelight vigils across the country to commemorate the Jan 6 attack on the Capitol. I suggest readers go to the following link to find an event near you:
I do think that Build Back Better will pass and be effective in improving infrastructure and providing jobs to accomplish it. The problem I see is that, by the time it is finally up and running, we will be facing another election and the Republicans who didn’t vote for it will take credit for it. Never underestimate the stupidity of the electorate!!
Been paying attention for 60 years and hoping I was wrong about a lot since then. Not so much, the molasses was oozing, now it seems like the flood of 1919. Yet, I’m still a closet optimist, despite every cell in my body on alert for the next…whatever. After all our forms are still in place, but is our spirit changed… (Thought from Milton Mayer, They Thought They Were Free)
Joe Manchin, revels in the god-like position in which he finds himself by the luck of numbers. While he lives the high life on his boat in DC funded by his coal buddies he plays with his poor constituents in West Virginia. I often see him as the Democrat Trump. “I got mine ; screw you!”
He holds the virtual executive power of the Presidency without the trouble of an election. He acts as a true disciple of Pres. Benjamin Harrison (1889-93). Trump should take note and is undoubtedly jealous. Shades of the future?
It's not just our right to vote. It's our right to have our vote count. The GOP, as HCR has been recounting here, are working hard to make the votes they don't like not count. We need to write our representatives and let them know we are watching, they can't lose the forest for the trees.
As an observer of Donald Trump since November 2016, I cannot help but comparing his behavior to that of heads of organized crime "families". I am not accusing him of criminal offenses. I have just discovered for myself that in understanding his actions and next moves, it helps to imagine "what would a Don do?".
(Note: I have studied resp. observed each US president since Roosevelt. I have not detected such behavior in any other president)
As an observer of DT since 2000, as a real estate broker in Manhattan, I knew from his reputation - his glee at bilking small mom-n-pop businesses out of payment for work accomplished. These are the workings of a mentally ill narcissist - smart enough to let others leave their fingerprints at the scenes of his multitude of crimes.
As a commercial office broker back in the 1980's, I and everyone in the industry knew Trump was nothing more than loud-mouthed, egocentric slime-bag (because I can think of no better term). He claimed to leverage his "own" money to develop the Grand Hyatt at Grand Central Station when the industry knew it was daddy's money and influence that got him that deal. He did leverage that BS to build a monument to himself - the gold-tinted glass tower "Trump Tower" on Fifth Avenue. Everyone knew to stay away from that building and Donnie because he was known to stiff brokers. And so there you have it. He was a known shyster back in the day. The fact that so many Americans as either ignorant or selfish enough to vote for him can as a shock to me - although I have to say, I knew it was coming when 50% of Americans voted for George Bush.
Marcy -For context about his past tendency to do shady things, please read this article about TFG's holding back monies he owed to NYC after agreeing to renovate the old Commodore Hotel into the Grand Hyattt in return for having his taxes lowered to do the project. The questionable bookkeeping, hiding multiple accounting books, and stonewalling allowed him to cheat NYC out of millions for a period of time. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/inside-a-donald-trump-audit-missing-books-and-unusual-accounting/
No, because there has never before been such an unfit president. He was never a "president". He should never have been nominated. Will you ever forget those "debates"? The announcement that he had "won" was an unbelievable, sickening shock. He's a fraud, worse, a crook. See Heather's first para above - never left his personal fingerprint anywhere.
As a non-lawyer I am bewildered as to what criminal punishment can/will be imposed on the principal perpetrators of a scheme to violate the Constitution and engineer a political insurrection (aka coup). What about Jabba the Hutt and his White House lackeys? What about Republican members of Congress who were complicate? What about the Giuliani gang and other legal Mafiosos?
We are witnessing the most fully documented Mafioso conspiracy/crime in American history. [The Mafia left more bodies than finger prints.] In Watergate the principal perpetrators, including the former Attorney General of the United States,, were sentenced to up-to-four-years in the slammer. [[Nixon was never indicted.] Will any of the principal perpetrators of the BIG LIE/1/6 actually go to jail for their villainy?
About 500 individuals have been brought into the judicial system for their physical involvement in the Capitol Building insurrection. Several have already gotten four-year-sentences in the slammer. Some outrageous, third-rate lawyers are involved in civil suits that could be personally costly. Steve Bannon has been indicted for contempt of Congress and has a trial scheduled for mid-2022. Mark Meadows and others may also be indicted for contempt of Congress. These suits/trials may drag on until the 2022 House elections. Were there a Republican House, I would expect these contempt of Congress indictments would be quashed.
What you are describing is the uncharted territory that our (USA) failure to appropriately address and prosecute the actions of the white southerners following the Civil war created for us today. The failure of the USA (reconstituted) in the 1870's to hold accountable the seditionists laid the foundation for what we have today. What prevented the establishment of legal precedent then was challenged in the 1970's with Nixon and his corrupt activities which eventually led to some high-level cabinet members being criminally prosecuted. The unwillingness to indict, punish, or hold accountable Nixon has built the walls for where we are now.
There is no precedent set for when the President of the United States conspires to overthrow election results. There is no precedent set for duly elected members of congress who conspire to overthrow election results.
The opportunity to set a precedent is before us as a nation. Congress, DOJ, and the U.S. Federal Court System now have that task before them. Democracy is at stake. Gentlethems*, do your duty!
*Gentlethems: a term I learned yesterday, reading a post by a friend of mine whose child (now son, they/them) transitioned from female to male yesterday. It was opened with "Theydies and Gentlethems". I thought this an important addendum to follow some of the conversation that took place yesterday regarding a conversation regarding what "cis" gendered meant.
Isn't it sad that our lawmakers care more about the welfare of Uyghurs than they do the welfare of our own citizens? In no way do I begrudge protecting the Uyghurs but I'm damned well angry that our own citizens don't enjoy the same kind of positive support.and.protection.
It angers me when we invest boundless energy in a minority elsewhere in the world while continuing to compromise the rights of our own. Are our own marginalized populations not worth advocating and fighting for?
So the RNC is footing Trump’s legal bills for activity unrelated to any political issues.
One wonders when they’re going to also provide household staff; maids, butlers, valets, cooks, and bottle washers. Imagine the luxury of having a congressman cleaning your toilet for you.
An article in the Washington Post was headlined 'All Eyes On Manchin'. That about says it all.
The beauty of the Democratic legislation is that it is all of one piece. I think of it as being like a bicycle. We need all the moving parts together. The gears mesh, we move forward.
Conjuring an imaginary future, Manchin is sacrificing the real potential of this hard won and fleeting moment of political power. So many worked so hard for this. Lost, lost, lost to a fool's mission.
Can someone explain to me why Manchin is sacrificing his own constituents - among the poorest in the nation? He'd be a hero if he bit the teeny weeny bullet and did the right thing, right?
Perhaps he is a good Southern Gentleman and Massa always know what is best for the field hands and house slaves on the Plantation West Virginia? Perhaps, I jest.
Not melodrama. Simply some poetic language. So much more eloquent than "Dude, you're pissing away a great chance to do good in the world in your asinine lust for what you think is power but is unadulterated hubris' that came to my mind.
I am appalled, as we approach the end of President Biden’s first year, that neither the $2+/- trillion social infrastructure bill nor the John Lewis Voting Rights bill have passed Congress. Both have broad popular support and are essential components of President Biden’s PROMISES MADE/PROMISES KEPT mantra. The headline bickering on both greatly weakens the Democrats’ image as a cohesive and competent governing group.
At a time when fear, uncertainty, and Trumpite naysayers are in full flush, President Biden deserves and requires full-throated support from his congressional ‘team.’ Either he receives it in early 2022 or we will have a cruel and chilly Congressional elections year.
As well, appalled. I suspect the strategy has most to do with proving to the base that Democrats and BIden-Harris are encapable of governing; neither achieving anything worthwhile without Republican endorsement (infrastructure) nor producing a coherent socially and economically relevant vision for the nation (the squirrels compromises that protect wealth and tamper money for the non-rich) when they control all three houses. Stir the pot. Play to the latest angst for kitchen table Joe's (gas, inflation, rioting Blacks). Hammer away at costs of everything Democrat and never talk about the benefits. Spin fears of the future. Obstruct. And, don't increase one whit any real role for a inherently incapable federal government. Two gargoyles on the left and McConnell in total control of his team on the right.
How many times can I say it? This is one of the most exciting letters HCR has written! The shift from an impossible BBB passage (right now) to Voting Rights legislation shows us that the Democrats in the Senate are energized, focused and being as nimble as possible.
Let's pause for a moment and recognized the efforts of Senator Amy Klobuchar. This is a woman who I thought (and think) would make an excellent President. And now she is pursuing the most important project of our lifetime. Without voting rights re-established at the Federal level (and strictly enforced by the DOJ!) everything we care about will be toast - including the planet.
Bill I admire your optimism. At this moment I feel that President Biden has been unable to get his Congressional ‘team’ to pass his imperative social infrastructure bill so now Klobuchar (who I also greatly admire) is launching a pre-Christmas Hail Mary on the John Lewis voting rights bill. She still will be facing the Scylla and Charybdis [Munchkin & Singirl] duo in the Senate. Odysseus made it through. Hopefully Amy will have success THIS YEAR.
"Munchkin" is a co-sponsor of the Freedom to Vote bill....hanging onto hope by a thread.
“Munchkin” 😂🏆🏆
Why are we not calling out the Republicans more.....who are refusing to support either bill?
Why bother? Everyone knows that they'll sabotage anything that the Dems put forth. Their objective is to dominate politics. Period!
We have to bother. When people aren’t called out on their wrongdoing they take silence to be approval or acquiescence.
I was being sarcastic. Of course, we must call them out, but the mere fact that we have to state the obvious is frustrating.
Ah. Sorry. I didn’t know you were being sarcastic. And you are quite correct - it is frustrating, beyond so, to have to continually state the obvious.
We must beat these sycophants
I love the idea. But, it has been established that they will not at all support any Democrat legislation. They will take credit for the "goodies" if they pass, but not vote for it.
Exactly!!!
This year (and next), why don't these voting rights messengers with the megaphones yell from the rooftops that the other side is completely corrupt in wanting to throw away/eliminate our votes to gain power (the goal of the Jan 6 coup attempt)? African Americans have experienced and felt this for so, so long. The latest suppression expands the scope of attack to all who aren't part of the radical right or willing to play along for tax breaks, etc. We need to stop letting the other side frame the issue around lies of voter "integrity." We all know it's a word the other side uses to sell their deceit, so why do we engage with it like it's a legitimate term of debate. It isn't. This is disenfranchisement pure and simple. People need to know that the Republicans are attacking a fundamental personal right, are attempting to steal something from us, are trying to push us out of the way to get what they want. The messengers need to help the public feel at a personal, gut level how wrong this is so more of us will be willing to fight to recover what is ours.
Ironically, the few confirmed cases of voter fraud during the 2020 election were committed by Republicans. I still haven’t heard of any attempted fraud by Democrats. 🤷♀️
Odysseus had his crew strap him to the mast and stuff his ears.
Manchin and Sinema, disdaining the Democratic crew's warnings, are enthralled by the siren song of big money and in bondage to special interests. Will they complete their metamorphoses into Republican 'capitalist pigs?'
The alchemy of unregulated greed - transforming the golden opportunity of Build Back Better, into the dross of Republican business as usual.
Can we recruit a Circe by Christmas? Meanwhile President Biden is unweaving his work every night awaiting the cleansing of the Augean stables. And then there was poor Agamemnon, whose wife did him in. What a puddle.
Oh the fun of a canonical education.
What a tangled web.
“Oh what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive.” Attributed to Sir Walter Scott. A TANGLED WEB was the title of Bill Bundy’s magisterial book on Nixon/Kissinger. Today we might use a photo of a cat playing with a ball of wool.
Amen!
Without Arctic ice, the planet is already toast. Forget about spending on climate change...we are in rapid and accelerating change. Prepare for migrations, food insecurity, temperatures that may rise really rapidly, loss of habitat, etc.
Voting rights are mission critical.
Whatever we're going to do, we'd better do quickly -- those climate impacts you mention will have a possibly-unsurmountable impact on voting and governance. It's really hard to vote from a refugee camp, but that's where a lot of voters will be hailing from in the next 20-30 years.
“Voting rights are mission critical.“
“. . . we are in rapid and accelerating change.“
Yes. I would substitute the word “decline” for the word “change.“
or “deterioration”
Agree 100%. To fail to pass Voting Rights is nothing but un-American, and Amy Klobuchar is wonderful, and would be a great President. BBB can wait a bit, but Voting Rights has to be immediate.
Wish they had put Voting Rights first on the list last January 21st!!!
I agree.
The tide changes again and we are still anchored. Klobuchar and Warnock......
Your lips to the Almighty’s ears… I sure hope SHE is listening!!!
Klobuchar was my choice for nominee. She is an amazing force.
Exactly and completely true. In addition, fellow progressives, let’s take the $1.75 billion, celebrate, then continue the mission. If Manchin were going to give further on this, he already would have.
I keep thinking about Manchin representing one of the poorest, most exploited states in the nation, living on a YACHT, anchored on the Potomac. What is wrong with that picture? Where is his humility or concern for his poor, sick West Virginians living in the Holland? Oh wait! He doesn’t have any!
And why do those poor, sick West Virginians keep voting for him? It makes no sense.
For the same reason those poor, sick Kentuckians keep voting for McConnell. It seems to make some sort of sense to them...
Nor did it make sense for the R's to reelect George W. Bush. When they did, I feared their willful ignorance would lead the country down a dark path. It did.
🤔🥺😥
It is hard for me to trust that Manchin won’t come up with another objection, once that one has been met.
Or break the bill into multi billion sections. Vote on child and elder care. Stop. Vote on improving Medicare. Stop. Vote on treating the drug addiction crisis...etc.
When someone votes against these extremely popular ideas, they become vulnerable. Good.
I agree. The bill has so many parts, it is nearly impossible to promote to the average un-informed citizen. Separate bills would simplify the messaging and galvanize those who would be most affected to barrage Congress and demand action.
I believe they all have to be together in one bill in order to use the filibuster carve-out for budget items, which can only be used 2 or 3 times per year. That’s also the reason immigration reform, even just for DACA, can’t be included in the bill - because it’s not a budget item.
Understood. But if the BBB bill slips totally away next year, I would hope that those aspect of the bill that are supported by the vast majority of Americans will brought up for a vote. It would be a valuable campaign tool: "You voted against helping parents and children!" and "You voted against helping our seniors!"
I read he wants 1.5 of his 1.7 to go towards funding the child tax credit for 10 years saying that he thinks it’s disingenuous to only fund for a short time as it will be so popular they will have to keep it. LOL. He just wants to keep competition and regulation away from his precious coal. I agree. Take we hat you can get and run like hell. Elect more “liberals” (as he says) and then go back for the rest of it
I agree 1000% regarding Senator Klobuchar.
Why do we have to deal with anti-democracy idiots in our own government who supported a coup almost a year ago? It is insane that we have to deal with their obstruction and lies. Still on my rant...
I understand that many here are very angry. And very frustrated. And this is a forum where people, who have done and are doing good work diligently, can emote. Mea Culpa.
But I would plead for more critique and less drama. For the sake of our shared mission and for the sake of our individual effectiveness.
What would HCR do? The evidence is, something less to do with cursing the darkness and more with shining a light.
Take heart.
Venting is one thing; negative prognosticating is another. Negative assertions of the future are dis-spiriting and demoralizing. They are toxic detractions to the work at hand. Sure, we can individually ignore it and move on, but all this negativity is counterproductive in the bigger picture.
Optimism is a necessary ingredient for problem solving, and we’ve got plenty to solve. I’ll stick with realistic assessment, empathy, consideration, creative problem solving, and perseverance.
As Robert Hubbell writes tonight:
“The reason we hold elections (rather than allowing pundits to declare the winners) is because election results are uncertain and contingent on lots of variables—including the passion and enthusiasm of the electorate.
…By remaining optimistic, we keep ourselves open to the possibilities of successes that may surprise us. Ask Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock!”
https://roberthubbell.substack.com/p/todays-edition-why-optimism-matters
Hubbell said – "The reason we hold elections (rather than allowing pundits to declare the winners) is because election results are uncertain and contingent on lots of variables—including the passion and enthusiasm of the electorate."
And his statement is certainly true for voters on both sides of the aisle. Optimism is, indeed, as necessary as passion and enthusiasm. What I do not see among many of us, the Trump-averse electorate, is wide spread, deep seated, vocal passion. The passion on the right side of the aisle may be vulgar, based largely on garbage information and histrionics but it is tangible and the right has been able to maintain a high level of passion for more than five years. Five years. Let that sink in.
We do not have the kind of leadership, at any level, that inspires sustained, high octane passion*. They have firebrands, we have diplomats and malcontents. They have huge swaths of politicians and operatives focused on curtailing specific rights, they are focused and goal oriented. They believe that they are fighting for the greater good – a greater good defined by a white, Christian, heterosexual patriarchy where those who don't pass the test don't get to play.
In a political war where stirring up discontent is an objective we are losing. Too few of us are fiercely vocal and angry about the fact that a loud, savage faction have overtaken political discourse in our country...they are everywhere, they have weaponized themselves, they have infiltrated every aspect of our private and public lives, including spreading a serious, contagious virus amongst those they come in contact with on a daily basis. They are driven by the aggressive lies and disinformation that they consume day after day after day.
I've said it before and I'll say it again, if we are to have any hope of saving our democracy we need leaders with fire and passion to enter the national arena and ignite the fire in ALL TRUMP-AVERSE US Americans to get us through this very difficult and challenging period in our history.
*The one individual who has proven their mettle is Stacey Abrams. She brought an entire nation's energy into the 2020 Senate race in Georgia and facilitated the election of two new Democrat senators. We need Stacy Abrams and more like her on the news and social media 24/7 pulling us together so we, too, can become a massive force to be reckoned with.
Please bear with me, I'm posting this twice. Once as a response to a specific comment and once as a stand alone. Thanks for reading.
Excellent comment, Daria. I'm with you 100% on Stacey Abrams. There is too much at stake to let the same old pols continue to dominate the Democratic Party. Even Obama has become a same old pol by now. No, it is time for Democrats to throw caution to the wind. That means a presidential Candidate who is fearless, energetic, incorruptible and infected with a sense of righteous outrage, and if takes an African-American woman to get the DEM base and the habitual non-voters riled up, so much the better. No more corporate donors. No more "safe" candidates. No more "moderation". No more middle ground. No more bipartisanship. A whole new game.
Too bad 2024 is still 3 years away.
This is what 1 of my next generation kids is saying. There are too many of the same old people (he said baby boomers) blocking the up & comers.
Betsy, your next gen kid is correct.
David, You are spot on. One can only tread water for so long before becoming shark bait. We are becoming shark bait
I was twelve the summer my mother died, and while my father tried to get his life back together, I was sent off to stay with friends on the Atlantic coast at Cape May NJ, where I learned to body surf. Flat beaches, sometimes a few big waves, and a whole family helping me face my loss. I had a great time. Years later I saw the movie "Jaws" , and from that moment I have never ventured out into the surf.
David, what a terrible time that must have been for you. Cape May was a perfect place for you to restore some balance in your life. Body surfing was the best!! I am sorry about Jaws and the impact it had on you. Terrible way to crush a person's love of something wonderful. (My family had a cottage in North Wildwood where we spent our summers. We would head over to Cape May several times a summer plus take the ferry to and from on our trips to the cottage and back to DC. I can see, smell and hear all the sights and sounds of those days this very minute.)
Exactly this David. Exactly this.
Most excellent, Daria. I know we don't need to clone Stacey, but we need to elevate more like her in many more places.
Kim, YES!
Great post Daria. I would say that Stacy Abrams and AOC are both firebrands. We need many more like the two of them. There are others fighting for our democracy (oligarchy) who are vocal but there are too few. And the silence out of the entire White House both disgusts me and makes me angry.
If I can call out my three Congressional reps (and Pelosi before she shut her website to non-constituents) and risk being put in a re-education camp after the Republicans become the ruling party then so can those in the White House.
Kasumii, that's the thing. We need to make LOUD (and joyful) NOISE in the name of democracy. I, too, am troubled by the silence from the White House. I'm at a loss.
Yes, daria. And I am troubled by the silence from the mostly white men who do just two things: 1. Vote for somebody not Republican; 2. Stay home.
Richard, YES! Here's the thing we have to reckon with: we know what the issues are HOW do we address them? How can engage those who have scant interest beyond casting a ballot and nothing more?
Where is the leadership of the Democratic party? When we talk about who to contact, should they be part of the equation?
They should be part of the equation but I have found that their website’s don’t allow people who aren’t constituents to post. Considering they are on the Leadership Team (Pelosi, Schumer, Jeffries, Nadler, etc) they should allow contact from anyone in the country. You would have to call or write them via regular mail. Just know that you may be sent to a voicemail if you are asked for your zip code and it is not in their constituency area. I have had that happen and never heard back. I imagine that particular voicemail is a round file.
Sometimes I think they are actually working. Creating, bringing forth, negotiating, and trying to pass excellent legislation. Then trying to fundraise for their next elections on the side. Think about it. Have you seen any Republicans working? Any good legislative ideas at the federal level? All the chaos they are creating is at the state level of Republican led states and local level fighting and trying to insert biased candidates and such. Republicans spend a lot of their time opposing anything said or done or introduced by Democrats. They hate the ACA, but don't have the ability to create anything better (mostly because they don't agree with Americans having improved medical care.)
Yes, Stacy plays an important role. Along her lines as well as being my personal choice for President, is Tulsi Gabbard. Her qualifications are numerous and without flaw. She speaks clearly, honestly, and with complete dedication to service. She also stands up to power with a selfless commitment.
Heydon, You're right, Tulsi Gabbard is another great example of a strong, committed public servant. She would be an excellent candidate for president.
I’m not going to comment on your preferred choice for President.
My quibble is with the comment “…without flaw”. No one is without flaw or flaws. No one. We all have to be willing and able to look at those we put into office - or wish we could - with complete clarity. If we can’t do that then it is very important to investigate why.
Well, yes, we all have flaws of some sort. Or simply parts of our character we would like to improve. As such applying to Tulsi Gabbard, I have not seen or read of any flaw in her public or private stands which would demonstrate anything other than complete dedication to public service and immense strength of character. Her demonstrated national service is simply unquestionable--whether as a veteran and combat veteran with two tours in Iraq; as a continuing officer in the National Guard with 16 years of service; or as a four-term congresswoman from Hawaii; and on.
As a woman of color, she also fits the current hope to represent all people. In 53 years of voting, I've never seen a more qualified and honorable candidate.
I'm all for scrutinizing all political candidates to the max. I've been waiting to see a valid negative comment about her service or aspirations. She gained the ire of the DNC when she supported Bernie in 2016. She was vice chair of the DNC at the time and had to resign for her beliefs. Hillary called Tulsi "a Russian asset" with no details to back that up. (Hillary also said the same of Jill Stein.) Tulsi was cleared to receive Intelligence at the highest level of National Security. The DNC is afraid of her because she speaks truth.
Yet, she must have a flaw somewhere, but nothing's been found yet, and the political sleuths searched everywhere. Tulsi's truly impressive. The high rollers at the DNC tried to set her up on "The View", but that backfired on them. Tulsi resigned from Congress in 2020 and gave her full support to Joe Biden.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Y8ayIpjPvY
Kasumii, without flaw is indeed a loaded expression. No one is squeaky ckean. Sadly, we have come to a point where extremists with zero qualifications to be so much as local dog catcher have landed in national politics. The election of MTG, Boebert & Cawthorn is a sign that the Republican party is willing to place the entire nation in the hands of volatile, hostile opportunists. It should scare the hell out of every single voter regardless of party and it does not. we do need to find out WHY we are not willing to scrutinize our candidates, at all levels, more closely.
Kasumii, without flaw is indeed a loaded expression. No one is squeaky ckean. Sadly, we have come to a point where extremists with zero qualifications to be so much as local dog catcher have landed in national politics. The election of MTG, Boebert & Cawthorn is a sign that the Republican party is willing to place the entire nation in the hands of volatile, hostile opportunists. It should scare the hell out of every single voter regardless of party and it does not. we do need to find out WHY we are not willing to scrutinize our candidates, at all levels, more closely.
I hear ya', dear. Unfortunately, reason takes longer to process than rage, and tends to quell the more passionate feelings. That's why a quick sword thrust beats the best debater every time. Nevertheless, I'm unwilling to abandon reason for a short-term tactical advantage.
That said, it is difficult to excite the less-intellectually driven Democratic base with chants of, "Good Governance Today!" or "Tax Deferred Compensation Now!"
More unfortunately, all the Republicans seem to care about anymore is short-term advantage crap like "which bathroom Little Johny poos in" or "Joe Biden is cancelling Christmas!" The strategy seems to be aimed specifically to delay effective action by government, perhaps to give their donors and families more time to buy properties where they hope to ride out the coming climate disasters. And it may work, too.
I'm really in favor of Ms. Abrams, too. But for some reason I'm still puzzling over I was more comfortable with Ms. Abrams staying in the background, organizing, inspiring, advancing slates of candidates. I've always viewed her a sort of a Roger Stone, but on the side of angels.
I fear that if she loses her gubernatorial race, her effectiveness as an organizer might be diminished. If she wins, she will have to deal with the responsibilities of office, instead of advocating for voting rights. Even if she wins, I think we will lose something. Still, two steps forward, one back, one sideways...
Dirk, thanks. I appreciate your ability to get to the meat of the matter. I wish I had your skills to simplify and clarify.
I heartily agree with what you say, Daria, and shiver at the passion and clarity with which you express it.
One thing my brain steadily thumped at me as I read: Hate and anger focus the mind. The Rs’ crusade of revenge and racism and self-supremacy is a real passion-igniter. It can sharpen the mission, rile the emotions, rally the troops.
It’s true. We DON’t have that. I believe we don’t WANT that. I think we need to stay calm, cool, solid, steady, ready. I believe we’re doing what we need to, the way we need to. It’s hard to keep motivated without that fire and passion. But we will. We are. Watch Stacey Abrahms. Watch Raphael Warnock. They have the passion, the fire, the purpose, the patience. I get the feeling we’re moving steadily into position. We’re gathering our powers.
Of course, I could be dead wrong.
Yes. And right now, too many young progressive people are giving up on the dems ever really doing a damn thing about it. Are they impatient? Maybe. Justifiably cynical? Maybe. But the dems need to GO BOLD very soon and do something about that filibuster before the attention and energy of the young people disappears completely, let alone creating the much needed "passion and enthusiasm of the electorate". Action - contact your senators and tell them to be bold on the voting rights acts!.NOW! The first thing the r's will do if they regain control is to get rid of the filibuster themselves, so might as well get rid of it while dems have some power and can actually do some good.
They are justifiably cynical and ‘gasping the last breaths of the suffocated’.
Ahh but what a waste of their precious breath.
Yes, Ellie Kona!
If Hannah Arendt (who analyzed the origins of totalitarianism in Europe in general and Germany in specific) and Mollie Ivins (who satirized the rise of Republican right wing extremism in America in general and Texas in specific) could both counsel optimism, then we are in very good company indeed!
I write with both reckless optimism and reckless despair. I believe that Progress and Doom are two sides of the same medal.
— Hannah Arendt
And the funny thing is, I've always been an optimist - it's practically a congenital disorder with me.
- Molly Ivins
https://quotecatalog.com/quote/hannah-arendt-i-write-with-bo-Ra3rk2p
https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/molly_ivins_480536
Thank you, Ellie (and lin), for raising the issue of Negativity versus Optimism in the LFAA comments section. I find that a certain amount of optimism really can get us through the day despite the many negative items we all have on our plates these days, and it is said -- out here in cynical, been-there-done-that Europe -- that you can always tell an American by our optimism or our can-do attitude, or our shit-eating grin or whatever you wish to call it. Whatever it is, Europeans can sense it a mile away, though they sometimes mistake it for childlike innocence or just simple ignorance, which it can be but isn't necessarily.
That said, I still see a large disconnect between what Americans are worried about and what they really need to worry about.
An example is the possibility than our democracy is in its final days, and that, as a nation, we may have already crossed the Rubicon into authoritarianism or even Fascism, and that there is little we can do about it because:
a) our venerable Constitution permits this to happen (whether by accident or design is debatable) and cannot now be amended -- call it repaired -- because doing so is extremely difficult under... the Constitution... and in this political/ideological environment;
b) we have become a decadent nation and have lost the will to fight against the barbarian hordes (no, I am not talking about immigrants) for what we think we believe in;
c) because most of us are in thrall to the high-tech communications/media industry that watches our every move and effectively controls what our opinions are by learning and manipulating our desires and expectations and then extracting part our wealth and transferring it to a relatively small group of privileged utra-rich stockholders and by otherwise dissipating our strength in numbers through infinite entertainment and information overload uninformed by any morals apart from the capitalist ethic: MAKE MONEY.
I could go on, having not even mentioned global warming or COVID or Chinese ambitions or Russian paranoia or inflation or rampant suicide rates or etc., so I will spare everyone that. But surely there is good reason to wonder if our democracy is up to the task and can weather the ongoing Trump coup attempt and continue on the long and winding road to something both sustainable and humane and do it without violence, mayhem and eventual extinction of our perhaps unique species.
I believe that our present trajectory -- with all due respect to good-hearted Joe Biden -- is off track, and that popular, large, worthy, and much-needed legislation to improve our social state is not our nation's highest priority right now, even if delay will mean continuing hardship for many Americans. NO. By far our biggest problem is that -- abetted by the 6 rightwing judges now on the SCOTUS -- our basic mechanism for carrying out democracy, which is to say ensuring that out government has the consent of a simple majority of Americans, is being dismantled by Trump's GOP because they cannot win national elections fair and square anymore and see raw power as a reasonable alternative to consent. And who of them really cares what "those" people want anyway, right?
In my (almost) 70 years, I have never been worried that the basic structure of our democracy might be at risk. Always impatient for change, I believed that the long arc of justice was bending our way, however slowly. As a child I was frightened to tears -- as was my father -- by the Cuban missile crisis, but that was the closest I had ever come to existential despair. Until now.
And I read the other day that a poll shows that -- even now -- fewer than 50% of Democrats believe we are in danger of trading in democracy for dictatorship, that 4 years of a Trump presidency and a violent insurrection and traitorous behavior by many of our elected Representatives has not yet freaked us out to the point where we might consider drastic measures to save our country, such as ditching the filibuster or packing the Court or adding States or boycotting companies that give money to the GOP or showing up on the Mall by the millions or even arresting Trump and his band of well-dressed thugs (well, not Bannon). Simply reminding ourselves to vote in 2022 is not enough. Sending letters to elected officials is not enough. Even calling them day and night is not enough. Folks, roughly 40% of Americans over the age of 18 just DO NOT VOTE.
So yes, I am feeling very negative these days, wondering if the next time I arrive in the USA I will not be hustled off to the nearest re-education camp and never heard from again. Negative, not optimistic, thoroughly pissed off, having my say, offending some folks most likely, that's me these says. My apologies.
David, well said. We are of the same mind.
No apology necessary. Feelings and worry are necessary and legitimate, but then we decide what to do about them. What Carol said: Recognize the problem, hen figure out how to fix it.
No offense taken. We have to recognize the problem before we can attempt to solve it. When we get down to work, optimism can kick in to counter the pessimism created by the magnitude of the problem.
My assessment exactly, beautifully articulated. Thank you, dammit.
🫂🫂🫂
See also the interview with Rebecca Solnit, author of Orwell's Roses, by Heather a few days ago on Heather's Facebook video feed. Solnit tells of all the optimism with which George Orwell lived a difficult life fraught with chronic lung illnesses, poverty, and loss. She says that such living is creative and anti-authoritarian. He planted roses, fruit trees, farmed passionately, changed diapers - a revolutionary act for men in 1946.
Yes! This was so wonderful, I listened twice and will again. Where we are now compared to 60 years ago, we are the river…
It’s a great way to spend an hour, and you don’t need a Facebook account to open this link:
https://www.facebook.com/559835551/videos/3203517459932139/
Morning Ellie. Fabulous as usual.
I'm glad you also read Robert Hubbell.
Isn't it nice to have another reliable go-to political analyst, nearly daily, in addition to HCR?
Yes, Ellie.
When I shared one of his posts on Facebook, someone asked me who he is, and all I could find was his self-description on his substack page: "Citizen. Optimist. Realist." Have you found anything else about him elsewhere?
Excellent, Ellie. Thank You.
There is a balance between identifying clearly the elements of the darkness, and knowing we can overcome it, by providing light in the form of optimism, or creative suggestions and ideas, etc.
I suspect, lin, that you and I might be a little unusual here in the sense that we drastically limit our exposure to the cacophony of messages coming at society through media and commercialism. For people with greater exposure to disharmonious cultural messaging, which is like a hurricane or flood, it’s more difficult to find the peaceful center, or that ability to find encouragement.
By the way, “take heart” = have courage. Coeur-age.
You are well named, Roland!
🙏
This discussion reminds me of something Tom Lehrer once said,
Life is like a sewer:
What you get out of it depends on what you put into it.
This is perhaps not the most helpful way to look at the situation. What we need to do is to ride the whirlwind with determination and, as you say, courage.
And John Lennon “Life is what happens when you have other plans.”
Lin,
I concur, views that are negative and not consistent with reality are detrimental.
However, views that are perceived as negative but simply reflect accurate reality, or probable future states, are important to document, discuss and turn away from since those are either mistakes of the past or upcoming mistakes of the future.
I, unfortunately for me, have never been able to shrink away, from, or blur, the reality of the scene before me. If it provided, to me, a perception, I noted it.
I do not turn away from negative reality nor do I turn away from positive reality.
Both, positive and negative, are important for yesterday, today and tomorrow.
Note, at Christmas, with family, it does, indeed make sense to let the past, the present and the future go, and, share a positive season with family and friends, no doubt....so...if that was where you were headed, I am in complete agreement.
This holiday/solstice season is when darkness/despair meet light/hope. These cycles of life are everywhere and within.
And many of us who’ve lost loved ones during this celebratory season, see it all through a bittersweet lens.
We count our blessings, give love freely, grieve our losses and face whatever lies ahead. Thank you all for your many beautiful voices. And thank you Heather for creating this space.
Diane, you speak for me so poignantly — seems we share the bittersweet lens.
Beautiful, Diane. Gratitude.
“Thank you all for your many beautiful voices. And thank you Heather for creating this space.“
🙏🙏
Thank you and well said.
Thank you for your post Mike. It is very important to note the difference between ‘negative & not consistent with reality’ and ‘negative to call out the awful reality’. We absolutely must have the latter.
Thank you Kasumii
Well Lin there is a balance to be achieved. Are people naming the problem, constructively venting or declaring Democracy dead? I see mostly the first two I just stated in the previous sentence and almost never the last one. And I see the first two as good things.
I need to hear from people who are smart in their approach to politics, compassionately and respectfully in disagreement with one another and actively working on solutions. This is what I see in these comments sections.
"But I would plead for more critique and less drama." Yes. But. Let's not lose the passionate fervor that has driven so many wonderful changes in our Society in exchange for a safe critique. Reminds me of those swaying, teeming protests throughout time that did indeed change things.
Power to the People!
Lin Thank you for your warm spirit during a time of pandemic frustration. Too often people vent their frustrations and anger rather than grasping at shards of light. During a most difficult time during WW II Britain experienced a shard of light. As Churchill expressed it: “This is not the end. Nor is it the beginning of the end. However, it is the end of the beginning.” We are in a long battle. Let’s keep up our spirits for the road ahead. Some doctors say that positive thinking affects our bodies positively. Let’s individually test this premise.
ThankYou. Other quotes from that time which was formative for many of us:
“I write with both reckless optimism and reckless despair. I believe that Progress and Doom are two sides of the same medal.”
— Hannah Arendt, The Origins of Totalitarianism
We must never forget the horrors which our brethren were subjected to in Bergen-Belsen and other Nazi concentration camps. Then, too, we must try hard to understand that for righteous people hate and prejudice are neither good occupations nor fit companions. Rabbi Alfred Bettleheim once said: “Prejudice saves us a painful trouble, the trouble of thinking.” - 13 year old Ruth Bader (Ginsburg) in her synagogue newsletter http://www.emjc.org/13-year-old-ruth-bader-ginsburgs-essay-1946-emjc-bulletin/
It is interesting that in their 1946 reflections in the shadow of the Holocaust, both Bader (Ginsburg) and Rabbi Alfred Bettelheim anticipate Hannah Arendt's 1963 equation of evil with thoughtlessness, in her observations on the trial of Eichmann for his administration of the atrocities.
As an aside, at slightly different times Bader/Ginsburg and I had the same rabbi, Harry Halpern. And Bernie Sanders was from the same neighborhood. Maybe there was something in the air/water ;) At this time East Midwood Jewish Center is fending off incursions/attacks by Jewish right wing religious extremists bent on barring use of the synagogue's school building by the Urban Dove charter school serving at risk minority children.
https://forward.com/opinion/436577/our-synagogue-is-being-attacked-for-renting-space-to-a-charter-school/
lin, I read your words “Take heart” as an answer to the question, “Why do we persist?” To clarify, in my view, hope has nothing to do with optimism. Though I could be wrong, I imagine few of us are optimistic about America, let alone about the human species, broadly speaking. There simply is not enough evidence to infer that things are going to get better. Still, we engage in the trials of our time. We persist, I imagine, because we find meaning in a struggle we believe is both just and moral.
Thank you, lin for your uplifting words.
ThankYou, Barbara Jo Krieger. You are in good company.
“I write with both reckless optimism and reckless despair. I believe that Progress and Doom are two sides of the same medal.”
— Hannah Arendt, The Origins of Totalitarianism
https://quotecatalog.com/quote/hannah-arendt-i-write-with-bo-Ra3rk2p
This forum, led so ably by Professor Cox-Richardson, was by far the earliest serious set of voices to speak up for the deep threat to democracy in my opinion. The only exception to this sweeping assessment is the superb podcast Gaslit Nation which has cast the widest possible lens on America’s imminent peril for five years now. But I’d be surprised if their audience is 10% of HCR’s.
That alone is a massive service to America. Heather has unleashed a tremendous amount of energy and intelligence. Any further comment I have is of less importance than the above.
It is human to be tribal however. To be tribal means to protect the herd at all costs. Those most closely attached to this project in fact call themselves “Heather’s Herd”.
This tribalism has its benefits - it gives solace to those who belong, it provides a sense of community, and it can generate positive energy.
Again all good.
But tribalism has its dangers. The impulses of this tribe are no different than the tribalism we see on the other side. Of course this group is directed towards building up what has been best in America, while the other group has, at the tip of its spear, a group who would rip the country to pieces.
But the dangers of tribalism are among us. There is, on some days, a group emotion coursing through comments which has very little sympathy for dissent. At its least bad, there is an excess of pointless cheerleading, comments which push the idea being defended (or attacked) to absurd lengths. These raise the temperature and make it more daunting for some to disagree. They are often dotted with schoolyard epithets - “Rethuglicans”, “The Orange Man”, “McTurtleface”, and on.
Then there are the extremes of the “Always Hopers” and the “No Hopers”. The former paint an unabashedly uncritical picture of the latest savior - Biden, Garland, Pelosi are three about whom never a critical word is said by those who hope, in some cases with little reason.
The “No Hopers” are the Cassandras, predicting bad outcomes in every endeavor and having no faith in the chance of a positive ending to the middle that is America. They do drain energy from the group as a whole, which is a step in the road of a self-fulfilling prediction.
There are far fewer of them because it’s always more pleasant to associate oneself with an optimist who may give you the dopamine hit you truly need. The tendency is to lash out against those who seem spiritually attuned to pessimism and sometimes even to affix the dreaded “troll” label on them.
This is a *really* tough time we are in. To me I take my reasons for optimism where I can find them, for they are relatively few. For the last couple of months I have seen hope in the no nonsense attitude of the 1/6 Committee. I, like many of you, came of age in the Watergate era and have seen how quickly the balloon can be pricked once revelations start to come. First there are a few. Then there is an avalanche and the seemingly impregnable house of villainy is, at long last, breached. The threat is vanquished. I see the possibility of something like that happening in the New Year and I am cautiously optimistic that this beast can be tamed.
But there is ample room for pessimism in the current situation given that we have three deadly crises barreling down the track at the same time - a political challenge of massive breadth, a pandemic that refuses to be quelled, and an existential climate threat. It is so difficult to be a little Ray of sunshine, given those perils.
Kentuckians rallied together in one of the grimmest weather tragedies imaginable this week. So heartening.
At the other end school teachers elected to scramble madly around an ice surface to pick up dollars to use on school supplies. So demeaning.
Do fact checking. Heather’s Herd is not a tribe, not uncritical fans of HCR, not uncritical anything. It is simply a group of LFAA readers who work to turn good talk into good action in support of democracy.
That would be a good mission statement to strive for, Ellie. I know, from reading thousands of comments (I do fact check) that people are imperfect vessels for any mission statement, regardless of intention.
But there is a high degree of good will here, and when people take action and tell us of it, it is quite exciting.
With all due respect, if you had sufficiently fact checked, (a) you would not have called Heather's Herd a tribe, and (b) you'd know there is a mission statement, not just what would be a good one.
Thank you for recommending Gaslight Nation, Eric.
Your comment came with a warning of tribalism as reflected on the forum. In your review of us, I didn’t read anything about the efforts made by subscribers who share their learning, often providing links to source material. Subscribers also come with questions and reflections concerning the Letter. A few of us from the most erudite and self-confident to the humbler and more hesitant may often post essentially the same comment with a little variation. Yes. there are cheerleaders (who sometimes come with ideas as well) and naysayers who find little to cheer about. I think all are welcome. A cheerleader or strongly negative commenter may be greeted with some criticism by a reader. You and I have been such critics on occasion.
There is, perhaps, more of a variety of comments here than you note, but that probably wouldn’t change equation. In sum, I think you would like us to be better. Many of us want to be better, even under these circumstances. We are here to get beyond our personal bubbles, to learn and to share. As subscribers, however, we have our limits. In education, class, age, socio-economic concerns and political leanings we are a herd. I accept that without feeling hemmed in.
And always in the midst of this cacophony we have our own personal lives, sometimes paddling in treacherous waters, sometimes trying to thread our way through rapids which may consume us.
I always seek to reconcile the public face we present with the private that we mostly don’t talk about. There are those in this forum facing down appallingly tough personal circumstances - and still managing to contribute.
It is the same on the other side. Life has become, has always been indeed an enormously difficult passage through which we all pass. Nobody is unscathed. Nobody gets out without wounds. But the suffering of people in the vicissitudes of their lives leaves grace and nobility behind for us to replenish our strength.
I write something negative on this forum and then feel remorseful towards whom I have criticized because I have not walked in their shoes.
I wish I knew in my twenties what I have come to learn in later life. Gracelessness expressed, no matter how funny or perfectly expressed, remains graceless.
People who show up on this forum regularly, regardless of how distasteful their comments seem deserve credit. They haven’t given up on the good fight.
Eric Spot on. I still refuse to stop calling Trump Jabba the Hutt, but I will try to smooth out some other kid playground epitaphs such as Tubby Trump and Dastardly Dotard. I really don’t want to find coal in my stocking. May you have a Non-Mafioso Christmas!
I loved everything you just wrote. Thank You.
Yes, Lin. Glass half full. Light into all the cracks of darkness. As it goes its natural path. We can have faith in that truth.
Our activism is the prism, lens , mirror through which the light of humanity's natural goodness is scattered as a rainbow coalition, focused as civil rights 'good trouble', and reflected in our personal lived experience and shared mission.
OK, as The New Yorker used to say' block that metaphor. But I sort of lijr it:)
I like it, too, lin
Ironic that our Liberty bell has a large crack in it...to allow the light to shines into the darkness?
Thank you for saying that.
Lin, every time we get a bit of hope another Boulder drops on Democracy. It's difficult not to be emotionally involved. I'm in my sunset years. Would love some good news
Listen to CSpan and hear all the good work of so many of our Democratic elected representatives in Congress.
The other side of the coin of quislings Manchin, Sinema (and in the House, Maine's own Jared Golden appropriating 'moderation' to mask their radical damage - is that they are a craven minority of 3.
That’s precisely the problem. Two them have power over 48 others - for no reason other than their obduracy.
And frankly I don’t find them craven. They are under, and resisting, enormous pressure. Opportunistic undoubtedly. Craven. Not as I see it.
You say Manchin's obstructionism is obduracy. I say its greed.
You say Manchin is resisting enormous pressure. I say he's caving to special interests. Not to mention protecting his personal interests in his family's coal company. While the pressure he's being subjected to includes being fawned on by powerful Democrats, cheered on by powerful Republicans.
What Molly Ivins, of blessed memory, says:
"It’s about political courage and heroes, and when a country is desperate for leadership. There are times when regular politics will not do, and this is one of those times.”
"Serve your time, collect your chits, and cash ’em in for your home state? No, I’d say we could ask for more than that from our senators."
“One thing that corporations do not do is give out money out of the goodness of their hearts.”
"How the American right managed to convince itself that the programs to alleviate poverty are responsible for the consequences of poverty will someday be studied as a notorious mass illusion.”
“Anyone who thinks humans are not capable of so fouling their own nest that the land and the waters can no longer be productive just hasn’t been paying attention.”
I don’t disagree with you about greed one bit, Lin. The image of him going from his Maserati to his yacht is revolting. He is tone deaf in this regard. And his family has followed his nose for money, acquired insidiously, in lockstep. This is not a man I hold in the slightest esteem.
I reacted to ‘craven’ because I didn’t think it was precise. It does take a certain of not bravery (perhaps gall?) to stand out for so long and not bow to what must be intense pressure from the Democratic Party.
I guess he and Sinema are probably enjoying this moment in the sun, holding the whip hand. But even at that, it takes a certain personality to give the middle finger to America so ostentatiously. And they surely know that history will not be kind to them.
His (and her) obduracy are no doubt easier to hold to when they are rewarded so richly by special interests. They shine a bright light on grievous inadequacies in the American political system.
By the way, I enjoy your comments. :)
I am too. I would love to feel the optimism we felt back in the '60s and all we accomplished in the name of justice.
I will take my chastisement and not comment in the future. Reality seems to be a slippery slope.
Carla, I feel like I’m late to the party and must have missed something - but please don’t silence yourself. Dr. Richardson has deliberately created a community here, where her readers can find support, common ground, ideas, and inspiration. Sometimes, that will include venting. Sometimes criticism. Sometimes drama. That’s part of community too. So please, comment away. People don’t need to engage or even read if they don’t like what you say. Say it anyway.
I second this motion. :-)
Clearly that is not true.
What is not true?
“” community here, where her readers can find support, common ground, ideas, and inspiration. Sometimes, that will include venting. Sometimes criticism. Sometimes drama. ””
Still don’t understand, sorry. Do you feel like you can’t find common ground with other commenters?
Reality is never a slippery slope. It is what it is. Ignoring it is what the slippery slope is.
I disagree with those of us who liked your comment. I cannot agree with your idea not to comment again. Yes, of course, it is your choice, but it would be our loss and, perhaps, yours. Kathy Rizzoni said expressed this best.
Thank you ❤️
Oh no. Not chastisement, but critique. Not punishing but productive.
Sadly the notion of 'criticism and self criticism' is tainted by its origins in Stalin's purges in the name of Marxism-Leninism and its similar use to perpetrate atrocities by Chinese Communists and the Cambodian Khmer Rouge.
The phrase was somewhat redeemed in usage by European and American Marxists and it is in that sense of constructive awareness and self awareness that I venture to use it.
Just as, by our good intent and actions, we can preserve the word/concept 'socialism' from associations with its appropriation by oppressive right wing extremists. Just as we might restore, Christianity and Islam, and although it breaks my heart to say so, even Zionism, from degradations by violent religious extremists.
The point being, if you replace realism with optimism OR pessimism, you are tainting reality. Wanting to believe that suddenly the administration “sees the picture” and will “do the right thing” … doesn’t make it so. I will continue my efforts. But my realism doesn’t show me very many points of optimism.
No one said to replace realism or to wish something into reality, that I saw. Realistic assessment of facts is critical. What one does with one’s feelings is the issue, especially when venting on a public record in a group.
If Hannah Arendt could be optimistic living through the Holocaust and analyzing the rise of totalitarianism in Germany and Molly Ivins could be optimistic in covering the Texas legislature and satirizing the rise of American Republican right wing extremism - then ... look harder.
Thank you. I so agree.
Sorry. I will keep my worry comments to myself from now on since they’re cursing you with darkness.
Lisa I have not seen your comment that apparently caused a reaction. I implore you to continue contributing to this Letters-inspired dialogue. There are days when my wife and I are truly despondent about the world that our grandchildren are inheriting. Other days I, more than my wife, see shards of light. Were we feelingless robots perhaps we could post perfectly calm, positive commentaries. As you could see in my comments today, this clearly has not been one of my bright and sunny moments—perhaps tomorrow. Let your voice be heard. That’s what an open forum is all about.
That is because I didn’t comment until now.
Lisa, I have valued your comments here on LFAA. Your words seem raw yet real, speaking your truth. Additionally, they have often yielded encouraging, caring replies from our community here. 💙
Whew, in the words of the poet (T S Eliot) that is not what I meant at all.
I just think we each risk cursing ourselves as the blowback from emotionally venting - instead of rationally analyzing and reasonably strategizing.
lin, A lot has been crashing against us and pushing us down as you know. I welcomed your warm and positive comment. You generally argue hard and strongly make your case. Your embracing comment felt like open arms. I have been learning more about the very difficult work ahead to rescue a semblance of America's democracy as it was 45 years ago. My mood has been quite sober. A few here took your encouragement for an accusation. That speaks to temperament, personal circumstances and an interpretation of where the country is now. The emotion expressed on the forum today reveals how raw and in need of care we are.
This is a part of the damage we've all suffered, that I referred to the other day.
Lin “Let us go then you and I when the evening is spread against the sky.” Actually I prefer the letter exchange between Groucho Marx and T. S. Eliot. I find them hilarious, with Groucho, who was not a slouch writer, addressing his letters ‘Dear Tom.”
I'll take either Marx over overt antiSemite, crypto fascist, and aesthetic bully, Tom Elliot any day.
https://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/the-fraught-friendship-of-t-s-eliot-and-groucho-marx
Agree
With you.
I lived Watergate numbed by it all and knew jailed Bob Allen of Gulf Resources (GRE) and George S. McGovern, Thomas F. Eagleton Jr., and R. S. Shriver well… and put a grandson of W. Mark Felt through law school… and fixed Felt’s rising damp garage walls..
We are numbed today by GOP racism, criminality and the banality of evil…
We can lose it all if all do not act.
Sandy You have certainly been on the front line during much of our recent history. I’m surprised not to find you in Nathaniel Philbrick’s marvelous TRAVELS WITH GEORGE that describes George Washington’s journeys through 13 states and the people he met. Of course some of Washington’s secret Long Island spy group have yet to be identified.
LOL😂
Full of shit as a Christmas turkey, KW.
Sandy I pardon you for not abandoning your Wall Street language when you left the bull market to raise grass-fed bulls in a more pristine environment.
The Jack Benny Award was granted.
It would seem that this is becoming No Country for Old Men, or is it, given the ages of many of our leaders.
Undoubtedly! 😥
Everything associated with Donald Trump reeks of corruption. One way or another, this RNC expenditure will eventually be discovered to have coercion, blackmail, or bribery behind it. There absolutely must be at least one quid pro quo in play.
You gotta also ask the question, Roland, how he managed to perform like this for so many years without ending up in jail before becoming President. A veritable "lion" of the NYC business community who was known to be "tricky" and "unethical" long beforehand but still managed to bathe in the golden glory of "black" millions...or the appearance thereof. What does this say about the society in which he prospered?
Celeb crazy, shallow, greedy, power at any cost, propaganda
Intentionally ignorant, crass, and vapid.
What??? No!!! But the dignity, the high symbolism of the golden escalator. The man of destiny, Queen Guinevere at his side. Mmmh!
Yup.
You could also ask how tfg got so far into bed with Putin. When no NY bank would do business with him anymore, he got loans from Deutsche Bank that were backstopped by a Kremlin-controlled bank.
I haven’t seen it in print, but I suspect strongly Deutsche Bank was just laundering money (loans, bribery, payments, who knows) going to Trump.
That didn't seem to hamper him socially in NYC
He was looked down upon in NYC, Stuart. The upper crust, which he hoped to join, roundly rejected him. Most of the rest us thought him a clown and an amusement. Clearly, quite a few women who came in contact with him, thought DT to be utterly disgusting and irredeemable. Much was known about his attempts to twist the truth about his behavior and negative image. NYC did not vote for Trump, he was always an embarrassment. Your reference to the nature of the country that handed him the presidency hit the bullseye. As for the Apprentice, perhaps it sums up our story.
Greg Olear on Substack has done very deep investigations on both Trump and the Russian “mafia.” He says Trump, among many other things, is a government informant, I believe FBI. Haven’t read this material in awhile.
More likely one quid, one pro, and one quo - if not more of each.
Considering that "Quid" is in England a slang word for "Pound" ....as in £.....it looks like a pretty good payoff for Trump; money, an advantage and only one downer.
Stuart-I love puns and this is a good analogy!
Nice!!
Thank you TC! I rest my case.
And one of our supposed governing parties has signed on the criminal corruption in broad daylight, as the MSM blathers about partisanship…and how the corruption is on target to win. No script writer could do better. Right, Peggy Noonan!
Does anyone know what Merrick Garland is doing these days?
Yes. Actually I have a pretty firm idea what he is doing. Being the first Attorney General that America has had in many years that is operating within the rule of law and not within the former’s trump version.
Your question, although a completely legit post on our forum and I’m sure intended to convey sarcastic humor, is very disheartening to me.
Have a good weekend, Georgia Girl.
Agree 100%. He is doing his job superbly. No leaks. Solid cases.
I was not intending to be sarcastic. I truly am concerned about his timing and when he will actually take up the leadership role against these traitors. If he does not at least start legal processes against these criminals they will slither away like the snakes they are.
Here’s some information about Garland and progress, if any:
Greg Olear:
Making the Bad Guys Pay (with Katherine Mulhern)
https://gregolear.substack.com/p/making-the-bad-guys-pay-with-katherine
In his newsletter today, Greg Olear makes an excellent point about the importance of the court of public opinion in addition to the courts of justice:
"Most of the frustration directed at Merrick Garland and the Department of Justice derives from the fact that the bad guys are getting away with it. At least, that’s how it appears. And in a narrative war, optics matter."
LOL
I wonder this as well Georgia Girl. I know much of the AG’s work remains behind the scenes until it can be made public but none of it ever really stays completely quiet. There are always leaks of some kind. I think Elie Mystal is a good one to follow for his takes on what AG Garland is or isn’t up to.
Go to DOJ website. Clear, very impressive.
Reading the Washington Post article,I realized that Meadows is willing to go to prison to please Donald Trump. How ironic is it that he was part of the “Freedom Caucus”? Where’s the freedom in all your actions being dictated by the whims of another? Co-dependence at its most extreme expression.
Perhaps it’s more that he’d prefer to be jailed for contempt than for sedition.
He’s more likely to get a large fine and minimal jail time with a contempt charge.
He could still be tried for sedition. And should be.
And maybe he'd prefer to spend time in jail than to be threatened with his life. If you think I'm wrong, I doubt it.
Sentence is shorter for contempt.
Yes, I believe I heard it is up to 20 yrs and/or a large fine. But, I don’t feel they would give him much or any jail time. They seem to be very concerned about “do unto others” as they feel Republicans have a strong chance in taking back majority in House & Senate.
I agree.
"The Freedom Caucus" is three words that make no sense, since the members are all Republican Trump supporters who are deniers of Biden's election. Another member of the "Freedom Caucus" is Representative (Reprehensible) Scott Perry of Pennsylvania's 10th Congressional District where I live. A couple of days ago, Perry got up on the floor of the House and said incorrect and nasty things about MN Representative Ilhan Omar. What he said was so awful that it was stricken from the record.
"Freedom Caucus”? Where’s the freedom in all your actions being dictated by the whims of another? "
ProLife? What is proLife in denying women the full range of reproductive health care - sex ed, family planning, pap smears, breast exams - which many access only through Planned Parenthood. In opposing universal healthcare, Republicans even deny 'the unborn' prenatal care.
Susan I will give you $10 for every month that Meadows will spent in the slammer after being convicted of contempt of Congress. Sadly, I doubt that I’ll have to break a $20 bill.
I really hate what I am going to say here, I have been trying my best to believe otherwise for the past couple months, but today ripped the curtain away.
It's not "Build Back Better." It's Build Back Never. There is no way in hell they get anything like this done in March, by which time every moderate in the party will be standing away from it like it was poison while they campaign. If they think Manchin will change then what he won't change now, I want some of whatever it is they're smoking because that is some powerful shit.
And if they do not find a way to make the Child Tax Credit come back to life by February, they can bend over and kiss their asses good-bye, because all those people who got help and then got the rug pulled out from under them are going to be Mighty Pissed.
And here's a newsflash they should have heard back this summer at the latest, but never doubt the ability of the Left to cover its eyes and ears so well it is cut off from reality: you do not do bills like BBB with no margin for error. If they wanted that to happen they should have pulled their heads out of their asses last year and not lost their working majorities in the House and Senate. If they had the more normal 5-6 seat majority in the Senate, Manchin and Sinema could be thrown out the tenth-story windows they so richly deserve to be.
Do politics right and you get to do what you want. Bring a butter knife to a firefight, and you get you ass handed to you.
Fuckin' Dummycraps.
TC, my read on today’s news is that if they pass voting rights by changing the filibuster, and the Jan 6 committee keeps moving forward and starts expelling people, the trump train will derail and Dems can pass BBB in the spring. This idea fills me with hope! I know you will think rose colored glasses, but …it could happen!!
Hope is eternal......
And ethereal, or as Violet says (Downton Abbey),” hope is a tease designed to keep us from accepting reality.” Reality is also more than the blather that comes from Fox, or MSM at this point. Pretend to be Churchill after Dunkirk…
Accepting reality does not obviate the need for a vision of what you want or how things should be. Accepting reality is the starting point of the planned actions necessary to get you there.
The most wise statement I have read today.
and infernal...
As
I said - I hope I am wrong.
And this depends on Liz Chaney, as likely as the Trojan horses becoming democrats
I am less worried about people being "pissed" than about people being demoralized. If you're pissed you're still at the table.
Demoralized is OK too. We all go through it, especially last January. Anybody who wasn’t feeling despair back in January needs to check their pulse to see if they’re alive. But for me, underneath the waves of despair and gloom that occasionally wash over, there is normally a foundation of strength and joy. Sometimes the fog of demoralization, despair, gloom, dread will obscure the foundation, even for lengthy periods, but my faith in the power of good keeps returning. That foundation keeps showing up.
Demoralization is a passing phase. “This too shall pass.” That’s my position.
Roland, many days I agree with what you've said here. But other days I see nothing but the end of life as we know it here in the US of A. It's clear the right now, "This too shall pass" needs an enema.
TC, Every cell in my body and brain wants you to be utterly wrong about this.
That’s all I got....
So do I. But...
TC, it’s exactly that “but” which you get sizzling on the grill so well that gets many people motivated to accept a reality and get going to create a new one. There is no reason for us to be passive about not pushing hard for the changes that are immensely popular with a great majority of people in this country.
Do not ever change, TC. You are like a glass of icy water thrown in a fine spray on the face sometimes and not in a sharp torrent. Quite refreshing, actually. Who ever said that government does not need to plop right into the trenches sometimes to get some fixing going on? The “dummycraps” and the “repubturds”. Ha! Too much.I look forward to spring cleaning in ‘22.
Thank you, TC.
TC we all need a moment to rage against the absurdity of it all and stamp our feet to clear the air. Then we take heart and reengage in the fight for our future. It’s a cycle I repeat as often as necessary.
That's the spirit Gus. You are so reliably diligent in your good work and your optimism. Thank You.
Gus is the bomb
And I wish to hell there was really someone to blame, some truly guilty party, but there isn't. I'm sorry to say that we have to face the fact that a system that was creaky, jury-rigged and nailed together at the beginning, is now 250 years later, every day demonstrating its inability to carry the increasing load.
TCinLA.
Take heart from Winston Churchill, who, honestly recognized the mess of the somewhat democratic British system with his famous quote that is something like:
"Democracy is the WORST form of government, except for all the rest of them".
He decided not to give up on that form of government while it was under attack.
I think Churchill was very likely correct in his perception, judgement and action.
So, take heart.
Thanks Mike. I think the whole quote is worthy of thought:
"Many forms of Government have been tried, and will be tried in this world of sin and woe. No one pretends that democracy is perfect or all-wise. Indeed has been said that democracy is the worst form of Government except all those other forms that have been tried from time to time; but there is the broad feeling in our country that the people should rule, and that public opinion expressed by all constitutional means, should shape, guide, and control the actions of Ministers who are their servants and not their masters."
Winston S Churchill, 11 November 1947 speech to the House of Commons
Of course, as TCinLA points out, our "constitutional system" is quite different than Britain's. Both have their flaws, but ours began with and has continued barriers to the principle that "the people should rule." Even the rotten boroughs and limits on the electorate of the British constitution slowly gave way to evolving "public opinion." Whatever the compromises necessary to get it passed in 1787, its gradual transformation into holy writ that only the high priests of SCOTUS can (re-)interpret would surprise and possibly appall many of the men who wrote and got it ratified.
Tom, Excellent post and good information. Thank you.
The problem is, Churchill never faced a moment where the system itself was in danger of failure. He had policy differences with people, but never a failing system and a domestic enemy dedicated to taking advantage of that. So while I love quoting Churchill, I'll do it where it is appropriate, and sadly that is not here and now.
TCinLA,
One need not replicate the exact same situation to find an applicable, relevant quote that is appropriate for a new, entirely different situation.
Churchill's quote, in the current situation in the United States, has a high probability of being both relevant and (still) true.
Yes, it does. But I think he would look at our situation as being far more difficult, which is my point. Democracy is certainly still worth fighting for, and what's going on now tells me my writing mentor's advice for success in the movies applies here: "You're only willing to succeed to the degree you're willing to fail." We are going to have to go "all out" and risk everything to save our creaky old rollercoaster of a system.
The two Trojan horses are in my sights as much as any republican traitor to our ideals, for the moment
I accept your concern. Doesn’t take a genius to see why you would feel that way.
Just think of what John Adams was up against.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=DqAdlkJDt7k
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=LxaAw2viEIQ
“…not even the courtesy of a debate!”
As I said elsewhere, Adams and the other founders were not dealing with a failing system and a domestic enemy dedicated to taking maximum advantage of those failings. Your comparison is oranges and kiwi fruit.
Adams was dealing with the failing system of colonialism and with domestic opponents to his plan for declaring and instituting a United States of America - domestic opponents who wanted to take maximum advantage of the failings personified by a system of slave labor, and who later became domestic enemies of the Union to keep the racist rule of King Cotton in place.
I am curious about something TC. Why do you comment about how bodily harm/death should be visited upon those you disagree with? “…Manchin and Sinema could be thrown out of the tenth-story windows they so richly deserve to be”.
This isn’t the first time you have done this. A government where bodily harm and/or death can be used against those we disagree with (or even despise as I do both Manchin & Sinema for their blatant corruption and “Fuck everybody else, that’s why” attitudes) is not a government I want to live anywhere near or under.
It’s not blowing off steam or venting when you suggest death or harm to politicians you don’t like. It’s wrong.
And, for those who are reading this and murmuring “Aww, that’s just TC” I ask this - isn’t that what so many use and have used to justify trump’s words and actions? Or Greene’s? Or Boebert’s? Or so many others?
I am all for Democrats and Independents and non-voters to get their heads out of their asses or the asses of their corporate donors and get to the extremely urgent business of defending and saving our democracy (oligarchy) from the entire Republican Party that wants to take over but in that urgency none of us should never fall as low as those we oppose.
And before anyone reminds me, yeah, I know TC is a veteran. So what. So am I. So are many, many others who do not call for harm and/or death to come to those we disagree with and/or despise. I want to see Manchin and Sinema stripped of power and if their actions have any illegality to them, then behind bars where they would belong. I don’t wish them dead or tossed out a tenth story window.
Do politics right, put your money where your mouth is, and run for office.
I did ;politics right 40 years ago.
And?
Some of us see disaster coming for having been so involved throughout the 1960s, 1970s, ... 2000s and feel gobsmacked by what is happening now. Yet, we continue to listen and sift for hope in these dialogues and the good works of some few we think are carrying the torch. I find comfort and skepticism as equal antodines at this point in my life.
TCinLA So did I 1985-1999. We were more civil, even, at times, bipartisan, back then.
Well, in the end, TCinLA, it is up to US to change the politics. We can lament all we want but unless WE make the effort to register more Democratic and independent voters and get them to the polls, Americans have no place to look but to themselves. Join a group like Indivisible, Commit to Democracy, Women's March, NAACP, ACLU etc and take action! Work with others to reach out to voters in Swing States to vote for Democrats both in State and Federal offices. Make monthly donations to Democratic candidates in these races (the sooner the better!). The way I look at it is this: my father was willing to give up his life in WWII to oppose Fascism and defend Democracy; working to register new voters and get out the vote is the least I can do!
Thank you, Andrew. Taking such actions is what Heather’s Herd is all about.
Ellie, can you provide a link to Heather's Herd? There's also Jessica Craven's Chop Wood, Carry Water (https://chopwoodcarrywaterdailyactions.substack.com). I volunteer with Indivisible - our local chapter, Indivisible Santa Barbara, is co-hosting with Women's March one of hundreds of candlelight vigils across the country to commemorate the Jan 6 attack on the Capitol. I suggest readers go to the following link to find an event near you:
https://www.mobilize.us/democracyvigils/event/432991/?referring_vol=4894319&rname=Michal&share_context=event_details&share_medium=mailto
Yes! Email:
heathersherd@gmail.com
and you'll get the mission statement.
See if we can process this for the Zoom meeting at 10:00 am PT!
I do think that Build Back Better will pass and be effective in improving infrastructure and providing jobs to accomplish it. The problem I see is that, by the time it is finally up and running, we will be facing another election and the Republicans who didn’t vote for it will take credit for it. Never underestimate the stupidity of the electorate!!
Manchin is a Republican asset (I.e. undercover mole).
Ahh yes. Joe Manchin - Quisling or Trojan Horse?
Been paying attention for 60 years and hoping I was wrong about a lot since then. Not so much, the molasses was oozing, now it seems like the flood of 1919. Yet, I’m still a closet optimist, despite every cell in my body on alert for the next…whatever. After all our forms are still in place, but is our spirit changed… (Thought from Milton Mayer, They Thought They Were Free)
Joe Manchin, revels in the god-like position in which he finds himself by the luck of numbers. While he lives the high life on his boat in DC funded by his coal buddies he plays with his poor constituents in West Virginia. I often see him as the Democrat Trump. “I got mine ; screw you!”
He holds the virtual executive power of the Presidency without the trouble of an election. He acts as a true disciple of Pres. Benjamin Harrison (1889-93). Trump should take note and is undoubtedly jealous. Shades of the future?
Any of the 50 Democratic Senators could have the same power as Manchin, don't you think?
Indeed, but 48 of them seem to have some sense of loyalty to the party and Presdident.
or perhaps even a few of them, the country? not impossible.
He’s fundraising off of this. I read somewhere that he’s pulled in $1.5 million in recent months. And there’s his motivation, right there.
King Joe!
“China’s development of biotechnology has always been for the well-being of mankind.”
The perfect Orwellian Big Brother statement.
I have only one thing to say to that:
Hah Hah Hah Hah Hahah Hahahahahahaha
Sort of like:
"America's development of powerful drone technology is for National Defense."
Or, "America's 13 existing Level IV bioweapons facilities are for national defense".
https://programs.fas.org/bio/research.html#:~:text=Centers%20of%20Excellence-,BSL%2D4%20Laboratories%20in%20the%20United%20States,These%20are%20listed%20below.
Brahahahahhhaaha
It's not just our right to vote. It's our right to have our vote count. The GOP, as HCR has been recounting here, are working hard to make the votes they don't like not count. We need to write our representatives and let them know we are watching, they can't lose the forest for the trees.
As an observer of Donald Trump since November 2016, I cannot help but comparing his behavior to that of heads of organized crime "families". I am not accusing him of criminal offenses. I have just discovered for myself that in understanding his actions and next moves, it helps to imagine "what would a Don do?".
(Note: I have studied resp. observed each US president since Roosevelt. I have not detected such behavior in any other president)
As an observer of DT since 2000, as a real estate broker in Manhattan, I knew from his reputation - his glee at bilking small mom-n-pop businesses out of payment for work accomplished. These are the workings of a mentally ill narcissist - smart enough to let others leave their fingerprints at the scenes of his multitude of crimes.
Rosalind, how was he viewed by New Yorkers in general? As a criminal? As a climber? What?
As a commercial office broker back in the 1980's, I and everyone in the industry knew Trump was nothing more than loud-mouthed, egocentric slime-bag (because I can think of no better term). He claimed to leverage his "own" money to develop the Grand Hyatt at Grand Central Station when the industry knew it was daddy's money and influence that got him that deal. He did leverage that BS to build a monument to himself - the gold-tinted glass tower "Trump Tower" on Fifth Avenue. Everyone knew to stay away from that building and Donnie because he was known to stiff brokers. And so there you have it. He was a known shyster back in the day. The fact that so many Americans as either ignorant or selfish enough to vote for him can as a shock to me - although I have to say, I knew it was coming when 50% of Americans voted for George Bush.
Marcy -For context about his past tendency to do shady things, please read this article about TFG's holding back monies he owed to NYC after agreeing to renovate the old Commodore Hotel into the Grand Hyattt in return for having his taxes lowered to do the project. The questionable bookkeeping, hiding multiple accounting books, and stonewalling allowed him to cheat NYC out of millions for a period of time. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/inside-a-donald-trump-audit-missing-books-and-unusual-accounting/
Thank you. What scum.
No, because there has never before been such an unfit president. He was never a "president". He should never have been nominated. Will you ever forget those "debates"? The announcement that he had "won" was an unbelievable, sickening shock. He's a fraud, worse, a crook. See Heather's first para above - never left his personal fingerprint anywhere.
W/Dickie were no heroes, the first to outright steal an election, in my opinion…
Hi Peter. Trump IS mafia.
https://gregolear.substack.com/p/index-tinker-tailor-mobster-trump
As a non-lawyer I am bewildered as to what criminal punishment can/will be imposed on the principal perpetrators of a scheme to violate the Constitution and engineer a political insurrection (aka coup). What about Jabba the Hutt and his White House lackeys? What about Republican members of Congress who were complicate? What about the Giuliani gang and other legal Mafiosos?
We are witnessing the most fully documented Mafioso conspiracy/crime in American history. [The Mafia left more bodies than finger prints.] In Watergate the principal perpetrators, including the former Attorney General of the United States,, were sentenced to up-to-four-years in the slammer. [[Nixon was never indicted.] Will any of the principal perpetrators of the BIG LIE/1/6 actually go to jail for their villainy?
About 500 individuals have been brought into the judicial system for their physical involvement in the Capitol Building insurrection. Several have already gotten four-year-sentences in the slammer. Some outrageous, third-rate lawyers are involved in civil suits that could be personally costly. Steve Bannon has been indicted for contempt of Congress and has a trial scheduled for mid-2022. Mark Meadows and others may also be indicted for contempt of Congress. These suits/trials may drag on until the 2022 House elections. Were there a Republican House, I would expect these contempt of Congress indictments would be quashed.
PUT THE DAMNERS INTO THEIR SLAMMERS!
Optimism, depression, optimism, depression, optimism, etc.
lather, wash, repeat; lather, wash, repeat.
What you are describing is the uncharted territory that our (USA) failure to appropriately address and prosecute the actions of the white southerners following the Civil war created for us today. The failure of the USA (reconstituted) in the 1870's to hold accountable the seditionists laid the foundation for what we have today. What prevented the establishment of legal precedent then was challenged in the 1970's with Nixon and his corrupt activities which eventually led to some high-level cabinet members being criminally prosecuted. The unwillingness to indict, punish, or hold accountable Nixon has built the walls for where we are now.
There is no precedent set for when the President of the United States conspires to overthrow election results. There is no precedent set for duly elected members of congress who conspire to overthrow election results.
The opportunity to set a precedent is before us as a nation. Congress, DOJ, and the U.S. Federal Court System now have that task before them. Democracy is at stake. Gentlethems*, do your duty!
*Gentlethems: a term I learned yesterday, reading a post by a friend of mine whose child (now son, they/them) transitioned from female to male yesterday. It was opened with "Theydies and Gentlethems". I thought this an important addendum to follow some of the conversation that took place yesterday regarding a conversation regarding what "cis" gendered meant.
Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act passed. Good.
Let’s pass the voting rights acts!
Isn't it sad that our lawmakers care more about the welfare of Uyghurs than they do the welfare of our own citizens? In no way do I begrudge protecting the Uyghurs but I'm damned well angry that our own citizens don't enjoy the same kind of positive support.and.protection.
You articulated what has been niggling in the back of my mind since I read it.
It angers me when we invest boundless energy in a minority elsewhere in the world while continuing to compromise the rights of our own. Are our own marginalized populations not worth advocating and fighting for?
Apparently not.
Yes. My thought exactly, Fab Dar. It’s hypocrisy.
Christine it is astonishing. Have a fabulous day, dear friend🌷
This....
Insane lying Republicans wish to protect Uyghur civil rights and will fail and wish to trash Black civil rights and may succeed.
Sandy, you misspelled "are succeeding".
BS
OK
So the RNC is footing Trump’s legal bills for activity unrelated to any political issues.
One wonders when they’re going to also provide household staff; maids, butlers, valets, cooks, and bottle washers. Imagine the luxury of having a congressman cleaning your toilet for you.
I’m hoping they run out of money paying his bills and have nothing with which to help any of the state campaigns.
Now there’s a positive thought. It’s a safe bet Trump won’t kick in a dime of his money to help anyone else.
well, he certainly has a ton of congressmen and women kissing the behind that sits on his toilet.
An article in the Washington Post was headlined 'All Eyes On Manchin'. That about says it all.
The beauty of the Democratic legislation is that it is all of one piece. I think of it as being like a bicycle. We need all the moving parts together. The gears mesh, we move forward.
Conjuring an imaginary future, Manchin is sacrificing the real potential of this hard won and fleeting moment of political power. So many worked so hard for this. Lost, lost, lost to a fool's mission.
And HIS constituents NEED what’s in the bill!
Yup.
Can someone explain to me why Manchin is sacrificing his own constituents - among the poorest in the nation? He'd be a hero if he bit the teeny weeny bullet and did the right thing, right?
Most likely, it's the ongoing monies he gets from his son owning the coal empire Manchin himself built and his fossil fuel buddies: https://www.salon.com/2021/10/02/joe-manchin-has-made-52m-from-his-coal-company--and-gets-big-donations-from-fossil-fuel-industry_partner/
Perhaps he is a good Southern Gentleman and Massa always know what is best for the field hands and house slaves on the Plantation West Virginia? Perhaps, I jest.
I'm gonna reply to myself. Enough with the melodrama lin.
Not melodrama. Simply some poetic language. So much more eloquent than "Dude, you're pissing away a great chance to do good in the world in your asinine lust for what you think is power but is unadulterated hubris' that came to my mind.
Also poetic Ally.
Love it! Wish I'd said that. Your straight talk nails it - better eloquence or poetry.
Exactly.
I don't think you're being melodramatic in the least..
Lin, I wouldn’t change a thing about you — you always meet the moment with whatever rhetoric it requires. We need that perspective.
I was browsing the archives when the Professor’s Letter posted. Now I’m off to bed! It’s 330 AM here.
I am appalled, as we approach the end of President Biden’s first year, that neither the $2+/- trillion social infrastructure bill nor the John Lewis Voting Rights bill have passed Congress. Both have broad popular support and are essential components of President Biden’s PROMISES MADE/PROMISES KEPT mantra. The headline bickering on both greatly weakens the Democrats’ image as a cohesive and competent governing group.
At a time when fear, uncertainty, and Trumpite naysayers are in full flush, President Biden deserves and requires full-throated support from his congressional ‘team.’ Either he receives it in early 2022 or we will have a cruel and chilly Congressional elections year.
As well, appalled. I suspect the strategy has most to do with proving to the base that Democrats and BIden-Harris are encapable of governing; neither achieving anything worthwhile without Republican endorsement (infrastructure) nor producing a coherent socially and economically relevant vision for the nation (the squirrels compromises that protect wealth and tamper money for the non-rich) when they control all three houses. Stir the pot. Play to the latest angst for kitchen table Joe's (gas, inflation, rioting Blacks). Hammer away at costs of everything Democrat and never talk about the benefits. Spin fears of the future. Obstruct. And, don't increase one whit any real role for a inherently incapable federal government. Two gargoyles on the left and McConnell in total control of his team on the right.