This morning, four vulnerable Republicans signed onto the discharge petition all House Democrats have signed to force Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) to bring a bill to extend the premium tax credits for purchasing healthcare insurance on the Affordable Care Act (ACA) markets to the floor for a vote.
This one post right here is chilling because this isn’t just one story. This is a pattern ya’ll: healthcare held hostage while tax cuts sail through, federal money openly filtered by “red” vs “blue,” and then the sledgehammer to NCAR like public safety is optional. Add Jack Smith forced behind closed doors, and the public is denied the one thing that breaks propaganda: the record.
The through-line here is revenge as governance. Make people’s lives harder, then tell them who to blame. That’s why the ACA credits vote matters so much because it’s the kitchen table test, in daylight, with names on it. www.xplisset.com
Vengeance yes, but also puerile tantrums and a wake of destruction that the mean kids instinctively leave of stuff other kids put together. Their urge for destruction feeds their illusion of power. Anyone can wreck what others have built with a hammer or a box of matches when malignant ego is in control.
Worse still -- apocalyptic, actually -- is the regime's obvious intention to do whatever it takes to remain eternally in power. That's why any notion of salvation by normal Constitutional remedies, elections included, is both absurd and delusional.
Loren, While I agree our once federal republic is fractured, one remedy, in my view, is to press for an understanding of what real powers States have to push back and protect their own authority under the 10th Amendment that reserves non-delegated powers to the States.
Gloria, I agree that Governors JB Pritzker (and Gavin Newsom) are prime examples of state-elected officials determined to uphold state sovereignty as federal actions push constitutional limits.
I’m guessing Virginia will be in his crosshairs once Abigail Spanberger takes office in Virginia on January 17. I can only hope she puts a stop to Arc d’TACO.
Governor Lamont of Connecticut quietly works to lessen the effects of Trump’s choices to hurt citizens with money kept for a rainy day. He is using these funds to help citizens of our state pay for their health insurance when the program runs out the end of the month. He’s met with nursing students to tell them he appreciates them and acknowledges their professionalism. So our state will help with their student loans. We have a Trust Law that separates ICE from local law enforcement. So citizens aren’t ever afraid to contact emergency services. I’m not sure why he’s so quiet about defying Trump but he is quietly standing up for us.
Barbara, yes, and we need more of them doing the same! I would like to see Pennsylvania, my state stepping up too, then New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, and one by one, all the states that still believe in our Constitution. Some of the red states might want to join too when they realize they are being held hostage for their obeisence by an ignorant old fool with dementia who with his toddler pool of sycophants, has nothing positive to offer anyone, not even his MAGAs.
Rick, gee, I am wondering when your family came here. I suspect it wasn't too long ago, and in any case they would have been immigrants too. It is so interesting that white men so freely denigrate folks they don't understand as if white men are so superior. I can tell you that you are not. Thinking a thing does not make it so. The descendant of immigrants calling more recent immigrants names is really hypocritical, but you wouldn't understand that, now would you!
As true and right as you are on this point, the real fear is that this rancid administration is all about torching the Constitution that we all know and love. That, of course, includes the 10th Amendment. What is now happening, even with ludicrous tantrum childlike behaviors as putting up plaques underneath previous presidents, is no less the wanton destruction of our foundation for all our laws and justice initiatives.
Riad, I view states participating in multi-state consortia refusing to comply with federal actions that violate the law or the Constitution as a worthy endeavor.
I agree with you, Barbara Jo. California’s hiring former CDC scientists helps preserve information and knowledge. Gov. Pritzker’s help to protect Illinois residents. My own state has a Democratic governor and Attorney General, but a Republican legislature and state Supreme Court, which limits the governor’s powers to have fair, evenhanded government. Other states, predominantly in the south, have Republican government trifectas that are all about protecting the wealthy and to hell with everyone else.
I recently published an open letter to my governor from CT to issue orders to our national guard to prepare to protect our residents. Further, I suggested he collaborate with other governors to do likewise. State have vast powers beginning with the revolution. And we should activate these state powers. My letter was published and a copy was sent to the governor’s office.
Here are the Amendments Trump and his Congress Critters want repealed: 14th (birthright citizenship), 16th (federal income tax), 17th (direct election of Senators), 22nd (limiting President to two terms), 23rd (giving DC limited representation), and 25th (steps to remove an incapacitated President). In addition, the President’s words and actions are already challenging the 1st (free speech, freedom of the press), 5th (right to counsel), 6th (speedy trial, innocent until proven guilty), 8th (cruel and unusual punishment), and 15th (voting rights). The most extreme MAGAs also want the 19th (women’s voting rights) repealed in favor of a single, “family vote” with the husband making the call. Adding the 10th isn’t much of a stretch.
Teaching, yep, you have just described the scared white boys and some girls in the Trump toddler pool. They are scared of everyone and everything because they know they have nothing to offer anyone, but desperately want to control others, thinking that will make their lives better. I doubt it will. It is interesting that we keep hearing of those rich white boys depending on drugs while they scorn drugs for others, even killing people for allowing them into our country. They are hypocrites. It's too bad our Supreme Court Roberts 6 are just as hypocritical, rights for me, but not for thee. We need to find ways to stop them. It is going to be difficult because there has been so much inter-generational brain-washing going on among Republicans (Stupidicans) for more than a half-century.
WOW, Dave! What a list! Seems accurate as well - to say nothing about sad, scary, sorrowful, stupid, seditious, Satan-singed, sucky, sinful, shitty, et cetera….
If we make it to midterm s n dems win the house, that's a great impeachment list of violations against the constitution that house can use to file charges against president.
Don't forget the 4th amendment - illegal search and seizures and Article 2 section 4. Yesterday was Bill of Rights day as Heather and others have reported.
Pretty much anything outside of the first 10 and as far as the 1st, rewrite that one as well. They have already eliminated "well regulated" from the 2nd for all practical purposes.
Riad, and that is why we need to organize at every level to stand against Trump and the toddler pool of Trumpers and Trumpettes who have respect for no one and nothing but themselves (and I am not sure of that self-respect). Standing against evil is hard, but sometimes, it is what we are called to do.
There's nothing more in your face than illegally destroying the East wing of white house. That shows he does what he wants n thinks nobody can stop him.
Joseph, and so far, he has been right! We or rather our legal system keeps coddling the toddler-man no matter what he wants. We could demand that we need an adult in the white house and point out that we do not have one now!
I wonder where you get the notion that the "renovation" of the east wing of the white house is illegal. There is nothing unconstitutional that I can see and as both be practical and legal matter. The White house "renovation" is fully lodged in the hands of the occupant. We need to keep REAL issues like Trump's overreach in various mandated governmental rulings separate from symbolic but NOT "illegal" actions like the east wing destruction. We may not like the latter but I see no constitutional or legal bar to those actions whereas in other areas he is directly flouting the law. It is easy to be tempted to try to fight him on everything but that is going to be a losing approach. We have to focus on what is absolutely illegal or unconstitutional and not be diluted by other issues which sting but are not barred by law.
Actually, if the Blue States genuinely rise up in legitimate rebellion, you can bet the Regime will get military help from Putin -- and probably from North Korea as well. That's where we're truly at...
Barbara, maybe a start would be for states to keep income taxes for public employees in the state to cover the federal money that is being withheld. Make the move public!
This is where we will go off the rails ourselves. It will get us in serious trouble. Despite Trump doing things that are illegal (which we can fight) we must NOT use tactics that are themselves illegal (like withholding federal taxes) since they will not be shy about arresting our state officials for federal crimes if they actually commit them. And withholding taxes is one crime that I guarantee you they will come after with a vengeance. The Constitution gave the federal government the right to levy federal taxes and those laws are in effect. Violating them will land our state government people in jail.
Hey, Barbara, my wife and I live in a “Giver State” rather than a “Taker State,” meaning we send more to the Federal Government than we get back. I wonder how we can become a “Keeper State.” Part of me really hates this idea. I mean, as “United” States, we should help each other, but these days…..I dunno!
I live in the "Red Taker State" of Texas and I am 100% behind the idea that no "Blue State" money should ever be used to help the State of Texas. This is a "Shit-Hole" state, compliments of our racist idiot governor, "Hot Wheels" Greg Abbott.
Mass transportation is the biggest joke in Texas. We don't even have a single train linking Dallas to Austin, or to San Antonio, or to Houston. Our constantly under construction highways are jammed with personal vehicles containing only ONE person (the driver). Oil and gas are KING here. I do NOT want any other states' funds to continue to support this bass-ackward way of life.
I grew up near Rochester, NY and then Fairfield County in Connecticut. I found out the Civil War wasn't over when I moved to Texas at age 21. Well, at least the winters aren't that cold. But the people here are stoopid.
We have a few leaders, even some Republicans who are aware of the wrongs taking place within our government that will affect the future of our nation. If we do not fight to stop these "freedom-stealing" thugs, we will begin to look like a third world country. This is happening everyday as money, placed aside to support American citizens who have paid taxes, in order to provide the safety, the health, education and welfare of our population ie designated funds are being stolen and placed into the pockets of thugs within our government.
I agree, we do have some leaders who are stepping up to protect the citizens of their states. Thank God for these heroes. We must do what we can to protect and to encourage them.
Rick, aren't you sick of drinking the Trump Kool-Ade? It will kill you if you don't spit it out and start hanging out with adults for a change. Trump is not fixing any mess he found. He wouldn't know a mess if it bit him on the nose. He has always been ignorant hoping others would bail him out, and they nearly always did and still do. He has dementia, so whatever comes into his head is what he goes with and a lot of that comes from project 2025 about which he lied and said he never heard of or read. I know he didn't read it, but he definitely heard of it, another of the thousands of lies! That level of lying should make him suspect, but his fan klub doesn't care about the lying because I guess that is the price of doing business these days. Trump left this country in a mess when he left office the first time having bungled the pandemic, the worst in a century. Biden and congress did a lot to pull us out of the mess and had really helped our economy. It is our Baby Donnie and his toddler pool that have made and put us into a Trump-created mess and we will be going deeper because nothing he and Republicans around the country have done is designed to help anyone but the very rich and to do a lot of harm to nearly everyone else, including you, that is if you are a living being, not just a bott.
Rick, BS! Just like a privileged white boy whining about abortion when he would never be pregnant! Yep, BS! Oh by the way, the American people are in favor of a woman's right to choose, even if Trumpers are not.
Loren, that is why we need to find ways to protect our elections, investigate the 2024 election, particularly in the "swing states" to see just why Donald Trump had to thank Musk so often for the election results. Cheating in the election in select places seems to me the most likely scenario. In the meantime, we do need to find ways to block what Trump and his toddler pool are doing to us and to the world for their own personal benefit. We need more positiave ideas!
Misleading nonsense, sorry Ruth. We lost the 2024 election and we need to get over that. Recontesting that election is as fruitless for us as them doing the same for 2020. There are REAL issues to argue and fight for but the 2024 election is sadly not one of them.
Whoa! The law is actually holding up pretty well, and there are signs that Republicans are recognizing the self-limiting nature of gerrymandering in light of strong tides running against them. We cannot relent, but let’s not run up the white flag, either.
Mike Schmidt of The NY Times and others were talking about that on Morning Joe today. Retribution ain't working out too well for DonOld.
And Gym Jordan and the other Cons bringing Jack Smith into a closed door hearing? How stupid was that? Jack knows where ALL of the bodies are buried and he has a big shovel just waiting to dig them up.
Yep, this is a BIG one! Smith is actually true straight shooter. They made a huge mistake in bringing him in because his proper lawyer position was that he had to keep his testimony to himself (lawyers are required to maintain confidentiality) but when he was subpoenaed to testify before congress he ALSO had to comply with honesty testimony. And he apparently did and it was apparently devastating! It may be a while before we hear all the sordid details but this may be one of the GOPs huge mistakes. Along with their Epstein battle.
I truly don't understand the purpose of Trump's speech last night. Was he supposed to baffled us with his bullshit? And maybe it worked for his most dedicated followers, but that is beyond my ability to comprehend.
And tomorrow the Epstein files are supposed to be released. What are the chances they will release them all as required by law?
Totally agree here, there are many battles to fight that can be won. We need to focus on the REAL issues like ICE interference in state law enforcement and an illegally pursued war in Venezuela and not be misled into fighting issues that can NOT be won like continuing to argue about the 2024 election and the white house "renovations". The 2024 election is OVER and we lost, and the white house can be fixed later when we get back into power hopefully. Chasing those issues NOW is a waste of time when there are real concerns to deal with.
Health care is going to be a disaster for millions of Americans and there will likely be dozens if not hundreds of rural clinics and hospitals that will close in 2026.
Elizabeth Warren warned back in 2009 that no American should be forced into bankruptcy due to medical bills. Over half a million people every year in the US declare medical bankruptcy. And this is with the subsidies in place.
As I stated, my early opinion was for the good generals to take over governing and refuse to seat Trump. That was as bad as Trump taking over. So which would you prefer? I would have put my money on the generals.
I don't think there will be ANY constitutional changes because no one has the votes to do that. "Abnormal" changes won't hold (I think). We just need to be careful not to expect too much too quickly which may be painful for a while but I still have faith in our system to ULTIMATELY do the right thing. Even when the SCOTUS screws up, it can be fixed later. Thomas and Alito and even Roberts can't stick around forever.
J L, that was profound! I have been thinking of the Trumpers and Trumpettes as a toddler pool. Breaking things, hurting people they think are not strong, and blaming others for their actions are what badly-parented toddlers do, those who are permitted to get away with it. We have some truly bratty nasty toddlers in charge and their co-workers in Congress seem to be on board with it all. Our Mikey Johnson could set the vote on the ACA for today, but just can't think how to do that in a way that would keep his toddler boss Trump from tantruming and threatening him. Clearly Johnson is not a man of courage.
Personally, I see the entire Congress as people who lack courage. They would have shutdown the entire Trump administration and all its MAGAT parts if a few of them stood up and said ENOUGH at the start.
No one is blaming anyone except you guys that’s all you have. Here is the blame game without facts without back up just hate misguided information or no information at all just insults.
Republicans have done so little to help Republicans (or Democrats) that little can be taken away from them that would bother the Republicans in Congress, the Trump regime or SCOTUS. They took away SNAP benefits for a time which hurt more underprivileged Republicans and they could care less. Starvation is just another arrow in their quiver.
A friend of our's daughter worked for USAID and traveled all over the world supposedly attending conferences in former Soviet countries and many African countries. When Trump shut down USAID her and several of her co-workers continued to travel to these countries. My friend has come to the conclusion that she is a spy and maybe a CIA agent.
By losing access and goodwill brought about through food aid and advice we have lost intelligence access.
The administration including Elon assume(d) that ALL Federal employees are widgets and fired many of the most valuable. Doctors, engineers, spies, meteorologists etc. Trump truly is an incompetent ignorant embarrassment.
To me this is the biggest crime of all and it seems to get swept under the rug. I'm not sure it counts as murder, but there is an obvious connection of aid to lives saved and cutting it condemns people including mostly children to death.
These 700,000 deaths – with many more to come – are ethnic cleansing on a planet-wide basis. And there is absolutely no power on earth capable of stopping it. It is also the Regime’s ultimate, irrefutable proclamation of intent. Trouble is, too many of us remain enslaved by capitalism’s suicidal cult of mandatory optimism to realize there is absolutely nothing to stop the Regime from employing exactly the same ecogenocidal measures here at home. We already got a glimpse of that in the SNAP embargo. Now we have der neu Führer threatening to cut off (all) federal funding to any state that dares resist any of his policies and seeking the approval of the eternally Christonazified Supreme Court to do so – approval he will obviously get. Meanwhile despite their bold talk, the blue-state governors remain utterly powerless to stop the genocidal ICE/MAGAstapo anti-immigrant pogroms; were they to militarily resist – which is the (only) form of resistance that will (ever) stop the Christonazi onslaught – the Regime would simply respond with greater force, nukes no doubt included. In this context, to imagine fair elections will be allowed is as absurd as expecting anything but self-serving lies from the Regime. And until the majority awakens to these realities – which given the extent of our (deliberately preparatory) dumbing-down will never happen – our liberation will remain impossible. Another Martin Luther King Jr. would be no help; he would be to Trump as Gandhi is to Hitler in “The Last Article “ (https://ia601501.us.archive.org/19/items/last-article-harry-turtledove/Last%20Article%20Harry%20Turtledove.pdf) What we need is another Thomas Jefferson, another Benjamin Franklin, another George Washington...
Oh, those plaques under Presidents’ pictures, I almost chocked on my coffee… talk about juvenile behavior… and this person thinks the world likes him & respects us…. Last night I only saw a crazy, desperate, scared man…
Perhaps, when people have commented on DJT not being seen recently, it's because he's been occupied with his annotating of Presidential portraits. If, so, it's relatively harmless, compared to his other bright ideas…
J L, an excellent way of putting it....puerile tantrums and destruction. This in addition to serious matters like health care for millions. I note a news story I read yesterday where a D won a seat in the state legislature in a ruby red district which was a 42 point swing. I am just up and I can't remember which state.
Vought, Miller and Wiles are INSTIGATORS! At this stage of the game, he can't keep track of much, but Huey, Dewey and Louie keep whispering in his ear, setting him off on yet another rampage. They are the tentacles of evil.
As Jamelle Bouie says, the Christonazis do whatever they damn well please, "no matter the cost to the Constitution or the damage done to American democracy." In other words, there's no stopping them. And until more of us extract our heads from the realm of delusion and wake up to the magnitude of the threat, (effective) resistance will remain impossible.
At first, I read urinary executive. But, indeed, another excellent piece by Jamelle Bouie. His point of "...the structure of the Constitution, which imagines not separation of powers but separated institutions sharing powers..." is quite clarifying and should be shouted from the mountain tops.
Ha! “Urinary executive”….glad I hadn’t taken a sip of coffee….hm…we need an emoji for that! Yes, on several outlets, this is an excretory executive branch….and doing a piss-poor job at that.
I think of it as sharing a mission in common, in order to serve the public good. Some powers are unique to a department, but applied with the advice and and appropriate consent of the whole, including checks and balances on possible error or malice. Ideally anyway. At the moment I'm waiting in a hospital waiting room and am appreciated (wife's cataract surgery) and much appreciate how much everything is double, triple, quadruple checked.
It is true that they need to be prosecuted. They are the ones running the show. Trump doesn’t understand policy, the constitution, or anything else government related.
Prosecution is appropriate for serious violations of the law, including RICO. His Magacy's enablers including are legion including many billionaires, members of the legislature and $COTUS, and hear I speak of evading/corrupting rule of law with the consent of the governed.
The behind-the-scenes people are just as dangerous as Trump and maybe worse. There is no “honor” here. Just self-serving people who support another self-serving weak man who has manipulated the system and created fear among those who could vote to impeach and convict.
Correct. And I would now include the colluding media who carried trump's diatribe and even interrupted programming to carry it. While speeches from two former Democratic presidents were not aired claiming they were too political, or when Obama wanted to discuss immigration the media claimed it was too partisan. Neither speech was aired.
Funny about that because Trump seems a bit partisan to me. But when Republicans do it, that's just what they do, right? Corporate media doesn't care what happens so long as the sells:
“It May Not Be Good for America, but It’s Damn Good for CBS”
“I’ve never seen anything like this, and this going to be a very good year for us. Sorry. It’s a terrible thing to say. But, bring it on, Donald. Keep going,”
- Leslie Moonves, CEO of CBS in 2016 (he was eventually canned, not for this but for sexual harassment.
Have you ever watched the series The Morning Show on Apple TV? The sordid intrigues of news tv, sexual harrassment, etc. I think it was filmed shortly after Matt Lauer's sexual folies....A lot of drama!!
The McConnell Gang was positively gleeful about not even going though the motions of fair discovery. Now he talks like he might be having second thoughts.
Yes, the Roberts 6 actually being the architects, authors, of the structure. Plus firing so many government employees and planting new ones who are Trumpers in their place.
My head is spinning too. I'll have to start reading Heather's columns midday instead of pre dawn. The continual atrocities are almost overwhelming. May the resistance fight on.
Robert Hubell wrote this about the ACA votes yesterday:
"Democrats attempted to force a vote on Wednesday on their “clean” extension of ACA subsidies, a maneuver that appeared headed toward passage. But Speaker Mike Johnson called a surprise end to the voting period, thereby locking out several Democrats who were expected to support the motion but had yet to vote. Chaos ensued. See Raw Story, ‘Crazy scenes on House floor’ as Dems ‘livid’ over early end to key vote: reporter.
Per Raw Story (quoting WaPo reporter Marianna Sotomayor),
“The House floor is just exploding right now after Republicans—frantic they would lose a procedural hurdle that would force a vote on a Dem discharge petition—closed the vote early, Republicans really are playing with the floor right now in ways that’s not usual. They’re nervous.”
Mike Johnson’s abuse of his Speakership to frustrate “the will of the House”—and the will of the people—is reprehensible."
To everyone who is buying into the "Mike Johnson is weak" storyline, he has more power under the current House Rules than any speaker before him.
Republicans changed the House Rules for this Congress to give him extraordinary powers to unilaterally control the order of legislation that comes to the floor, and when the House is in session, while making it much harder to unseat him. It now requires 9 members of the Republican caucus to call for a vote to vacate the chair rather than one.
Getting to 9 is not inconceivable, but any likely replacement would still be aligned with the same big-money interests.
The Project 2025 business interests want to kill the ACA by shrinking the pool of healthy people in it so the premiums become unaffordable for everyone. That is the option that he brought to a vote.
Someone ought to call for Mike Johnson's immediate removal. And, if there are enough Republicans who are fed up with him, they might get a vote on it and get rid of him.
Honestly it isn't just healthcare being held hostage, America is being held hostage by those craving more and more power and control. Greed and vengeance is the front runner. trump and his childish actions and behaviors are exhausting and him changing the plaques of the former presidents is just too much.
He didn't change the plaques of the former presidents, klutt.
He had them installed, mounted all in his gilt-&-gold "Look at me I'm king," not to honor them, but to allow his narcissism to write the bios for each that most furthers his narcissism.
Meanwhile, Susie Wiles sits by and lets him do whatever he wants to do. She is as drunk with power as the rest of them.
My wife reminded me yesterday that Susie (Trump) Wiles is the daughter of Pat Summerall. The Summeralls lived in our circle in Ponte Vedra, FL. but stories of their contentious divorce still floated around the neighborhood years later. Mrs. Summerall stayed in the house for years after their divorce in 1995.
That's a puzzler isn't it Linda? Sometimes he does especially when he's denigrating someone like the Reiners, but when it comes to facts he can't possibly believe his BS since it is so often wildly inaccurate.
"...Truth Social, U.S. President Donald Trump's social media platform, features an artificial-intelligence chatbot named Truth Search AI that provides answers disputing his false and misleading claims on numerous subjects..."
I'm not so sure he hasn't fooled himself even more than anyone else, but he can't seem to fool AI
Linda, the Convict believed anything that is said to him by Miller and such. He doesn’t bother reading reports because he can’t absorb them. Remember when Tulsi mentioned setting up briefings like a tv show?
I gave you a "like" for your Q, Linda. And then read GJ's, just below yours.
I'm not sure belief has anything to do with anything. Donald learned to be illiterate to all our artists in touch with human pain, in all its varieties. Just as Megan Rothery here -- every day, same spread sheet -- is out of touch with all fellow commenters, except in reference to her one, single, repeating spread sheet.
If your information is simply a belief or an opinion, your assessment is accurate. If your information shares an action plan that is one of the most effective tools for contacting members of congress, your assessment is not.
Frankly, I thought more of you than having petty jealousy for someone who does not have nearly the interplay and conversation that you often have on your posts. I have utilized Megan's spreadsheet and found it to be an amazing tool which is easy to use. I have read a lot of your posts, and agree with much of what you say. I also find that there are times I roll my eyes and utter the words "one trick pony" (which is not accurate) but I really do not need to be bludgeoned daily with the demise of the humanities in the schools and the resulting inability to engage in critical thought or conversation in favor of standardized testing, which creates good little robots who are conditioned to do what they are told and not to think beyond the confines of the rote answers.
I still appreciate all who participate in what I consider a modern opposition coalition like that became the majority in the election of the 34th Congress.
It’s Phil being petty and narcissistic. He complained some time ago that the board was “rigged” because he wasn’t receiving sufficient “likes” for his rants.
Phil, this comment is disappointing. I can't remember a time that you've denigrated another helpful member of this community prior to this. Whether or not I respect you is of no consequence to you, but I want you to know that I now have less respect for you than I did have.
I am not sure that I would call it a pattern, which suggests a semblance of order.
Take, for example, the Susie Wiles' interview reported in Vanity Fair. The first excuse she gave was that it was a hit piece and she had in effect been set up. The White House story was that some of the things she had said had been taken out of context but no one yet, to my best knowledge, has asked for an explanation of what 'context' could possibly sanitise her more explosive remarks about cabinet colleagues and Trump himself. At some point, Trump is either going to read these articles or more likely reports about them and want an explanation. I humour myself to believe that it might go something like this.
We've finally seen the first victim of Trump's frustration at his administration's failure to deliver palpable policy achevements and the hapless Dan Bongino can count himself unlucky given the miserable performance of some of his peers. Trump says that it's because poor Dan misses his show and wants to return to it (a view that's doubtless shared by many FBI agents).
In the meantime, Trump continues to bump along at some distance from the rails (assuming there were rails set down at any time during this second presidency). Having failed in his vindictive prosecutions of James Comey, Letitia James, Adam Schiff and Lisa Cook, he's now taking aim at George Soros, the liberal philanthropist who features in every far right glossary of radical left lunatics (and that doesn't appear to be going well either).
One also reads that Trump has added some plaques to his presidential walk of fame (or infamy, depending on the president) which bear some rather partisan appraisals.
I can imagine a future plaque under his booking photo featuring angry toddler sharpie scribbling X-ing out of the Constitution, Declaration of Independence, and Statue of Liberty.
I hope to see a day when modern parlance has widely adopted some Trump-derived extreme disparagement; an ultimate insult such as "ATU", or "All Trumped Up".
There is a pattern. Grift. Do whatever it takes to keep the office paying. This includes whole weather systems of obfuscation, a willingness to abuse people and power, and nodding to the base once in a while about their pet hatreds. It's not deep, it's not complex, it's just grift. It is a bubble that Trump, et. al. can't see out of, and about 30% of us can't see into. It's up to the rest of us to expose it (follow the money), name it (kleptocracy), and describe what it does (make our nation poorer and weaker).
Steve Abbott, I love your summation comment: “ It's up to the rest of us to expose it (follow the money), name it (kleptocracy), and describe what it does (make our nation poorer and weaker).” I often hear that American Democracy is an “great experiment”. Well, I have come to see that it is also a “great test”. We are being tested -again. How much do we want a functioning, multicultural democracy? How do we strengthen it? How do we restore its health after the gang-rape by trump and his puppeteers?? We are having to learn and figure all this out in real-time against a “flood-the-zone” barrage of lies, and grift
Speaking of weather systems, Hurricane Trump/Miller/Vought/Roberts seems like a record breaking super-storm that also spawns many tornadoes, followed with gutted agencies like FEMA replaced with gangs of looters.
Well, to all the lazy asses who don’t investigate deeply enough. Bina was being paid 187,000 more or less from what I understand their salary was as he left a program. He was anchoring when he was paid $5.1 million for his own program and guess what within five minutes of the fact that he announced his resignation, a spot opened up in fact his original spot opened up paying him $5.1 million once again .. real tough decision there lmfao
Every post an empty one. Name-calling, deflection, emotion., hate ,delusion, but never any facts as to why you hate Donald Trump.
By the way, the FACTUAL post above was totally accurate, but of course you don’t come back on that. You never answer any questions. All you do is spout inane rhetoric. Please keep in mind, Steve that relatively speaking I am the happiest one amongst all these threads, content in my life, day-to-day my success which has exceeded my dreams, my travel to 119 countries at all 50 states and the friends and thousands that have respect for what we’ve accomplished in our life
Most people are absolutely devoid of reason why they hate so badly other than the issues were the traits that I mentioned above his policies are helping America regain its independence it’s greatness and its future
And no one here has refuted that.
All they can do is try to blame him for the works of the previous administrations like Obamacare like I said in other posts, it’s like blaming the fireman who’s putting out the fire he didn’t start
"In the meantime, Trump continues to bump along at some distance from the rails (assuming there were rails set down at any time during this second presidency)."
". . . what the complexity theorists would call non-linear," Russell John?
Actually, it was, prior to the rule of standardized testing, totally the realm of all our artists, novelists, memoirists, historians, film makers, musicians, muralists, biographers, poets, playwrights, quilters, chefs, essayists -- all -- to explore, tease out, run tangents on what Joseph Brodsky called our "loose ends," what Ken Burns calls our "undertow."
It's only our testers, all in hock to the billionaires' commercial, numbered, superiority conceits, who insist that their linear-only chronologies and causalities now rule.
These conceits place our neutered, empty, cynical, cowardly elites by numbers (by testing, by market share, by bribes to Clarence, by extortions fees to Donald) above us, never among us.
And Phil, what you don’t see and what you don’t get and what you refuse to understand is that there are billionaires on both sides of the aisle.
You also might want to see how much you have omitted in the platforms that actually make America grow not just entertain. Businessman, small business owners, inventors, scientists, farmers, and all the endeavors THAT TAKE SUBSTANTIAL ECONOMIC RISKS! you ignore and fail to realizr]e that they provide much of the revenue to make the entertainers success possible .and pay for most of the talented people to pursue their “social” endeavors
This is not about revenge. That animates only a few Republicans.
It's about a neofascist ideology in which the 99% of the population (at home and abroad) do not DESERVE to have access to power because they are assumed to be of "inferior" capacity, and by nature.
Letting inferior people vote means giving the dumb the right to limit the freedom of the smartest people (read: the wealthiest), which for them is immoral.
This is why Thiel, Musk, Sacks, Vought, Vance, and so many other Republicans today (including MTG of course) constantly argue that the US needs an executive branch of government that "operates like a business", in other words, that DICTATES Congress and the courts what to do, rather than being faithful to the US Constitution and therefore EXECUTIVE the bills passed by Congress and the rulings coming from independent courts.
None of this is about revenge. Fascism isn't about revenge. It's about the domination of a handful of people who vitally need to be able to believe that they're superior to everyone else.
Destroying America's healthcare is a means to that end. Neofascists learned from the first generation of fascism that huge economic turmoil is good for them. It reduces people's ability to think and act rationally, and it makes them WANT "strongmen". That's why they use an axe to all spending of American taxpayer money that benefits the 99%.
I know these words are well familiar here, but so often Lincoln nailed it:
"They are the arguments that kings have made for enslaving the people in all ages of the world. You will find that all the arguments in favor of king-craft were of this class; they always bestrode the necks of the people, not that they wanted to do it, but because the people were better off for being ridden. That is their argument, and this argument of the Judge is the same old serpent that says you work and I eat, you toil and I will enjoy the fruits of it. "
Nope everybody should vote, but it would be better if everybody was educated to know what they were voting for and not voting for blue or red. Alas, anyone that votes for a party is exactly as I described ignorant morons who don’t want to know what the hell they’re voting for they’re only voting for theory and history.
Right, and your federal income tax dollars, and mine, are being used to exact this revenge. And then the Project 2025 "Republicans" claim that SNAP benefits, health subsidies, and public-safety agencies need to be killed to save money.
Short term, revenge focused, and sticking their fingers in the dyke. All characterize Mike Johnson's actions in denying an extension of the ACA tax credits and the smothering of useful information on the Epstein depravities. I hope the 2026 elections prove corrective.
I'm reminded of the 3 varieties of untrue statements of fact. First are "white lies". These are caused by a faulty memory or a misunderstanding of the impact of this statement of fact of the impact Then in ascending untrulfullness is the "black lie" which is an attempt to deny any responsibility for this assertion! The most destructive variety is the "political lie"; which is an attempt to deny all responsibility for this very harmful legislative act. By the time most of our population in the USA has graduated from "middle school" we all understand the importance of truthfulness. Politicians practice enormously careful speech to deny implications of any negative impacts from their assertions of fact. That's why political lies are often portrayed as "Damed Lies"!!
It worse than that. Apart from claiming down is up, political lies like racism, sexism, smears of whole cultures enable many horrors; witch hunts, wars, subjugation, genocide, etc. Arguably there are some lies that do little harm and may even be a kindness, but in general telling, acknowledging and responding to the truth, whatever it may be, and to the best of our knowledge, is the best policy; for establishing trust and optimal outcomes in both society and intimate relationships. What portion of avoidable human suffering is created and/or facilitated by liars and lies?
You should be on a different sub stack, blaming Barack Hussein Obama. He wrote it. He signed it into law he put in the condition of the subsidies dying being eliminated this year. No one else you can blame Pal.
Twelve states pay more to the federal government than they get back, in essence subsidizing the other 38 welfare states. Most of those 12 states are blue. If they kept their revenues for themselves, then the people in the red states would experience the natural consequences of their actions.
Reality truly is unbelievable sometimes. The new plaques are petty and disgraceful. We deserve better. Demand accountability.
Use/share this spreadsheet (bit.ly/Nokings) as a resource to contact members of Congress, the Cabinet and news organizations. Call. Write. Email. Protest. Unrelentingly.
Reach out (beyond your own) to as many in the Senate and House as you can. All of this is bigger than “I only represent my constituents” issues.
Add a comment to help keep this bumped ✊ New eyes seeing this means new ripples for change! 🤞
The plaques are actually comic relief. "Here's my BEE-YUTIFUL picture where I look like Grumpy Cat fobbing myself off as Winston Churchill" and here's that "mean, old, black man's with his LOSER smile, and here's...."
By the time they're five, most tots have learnt how to share their toys and play nicely in the sandbox with the other children. Not so, with our little brat-in-chief....
As always, Trumps' desicable, juvenile, mean-spirited remarks are a true reflection of him and have nothing to do with the people they reference. Projection is his stock in trade.
Thanks Megan. ‘Another day in Trump world, another day of lies, chaos, and corruption’. Please keep up your work of asking US citizens to contact their representatives to argue for better government. Yours, in regard, Anthony (UK).
Typical, Joanne, that you -- who won't question our schools -- celebrate this Megan who never -- never -- has any conversation with anyone outside her spread sheet silo.
Megan is a mother and an elementary school teacher. I imagine she has more than a few conversations "outside her spread sheet silo."
Megan is one of my heroes. She has given us a tool for democracy. We could be sitting around posting mean thoughts, or we could be calling our representatives. I have used her information to get my 6 phone numbers. Thank you, Megan!! We let our reps know we are not asleep, not afraid.
Thank you Anne B, MLMinET, and Ally House. I am one who recognizes that when I finish reading the HCR Letter, there is so much more insightful good reading ahead in the comments. Writing does not come easily for me, so I am not going to be a set of initials that you recognize. But I look forward to reading what the rest of you add, with your differing perspectives and skills. I appreciate that Megan offers the spreadsheet regularly. I always enjoy Phil’s excellent way of expressing a piece of his mind. Today, though, his take on Megan’s comment seemed to put a little tarnish on my highly polished esteem for him. I hate that.
Of course, Megan. You do something that I couldn't do. I couldn't make a spreadsheet, and I am so grateful. We all do our part. (Sounds like democracy, right?) :)
And equally important, you are positive. A steady diet of handwringing is just what the autocrats want. Thank you, thank you.
A friend of mine went hiking in Italy and came across a group of men sitting at a table laden with food and wine. They were partisans from WWll, having a reunion, celebrating all that they risked and worked for. All for democracy. I think of such celebrations 50 years from now.
Hug your kids, give yourself a hug, give yourself a rest. We are getting this done. All is well. Thank you.
But utility delimits the entire scope of transactional beings such as Donald (who has children, as you say does Megan).
I don't stay on Heather's site for only utility, Anne. I treasure many, many human voices across the U.S., across the world also here. I often salute them for their human decency, humanly sympathetic insights. That's on one side of the ledger which on the other side has so many of our otherwise neutered pushing only their #-of-"likes" & other transactional-only agendas.
Thank you Ally. I do really just want to empower others that they can do something beyond feeling emotionally drained with doom scrolling (which I hear from many).
After a careful reading of comments from another Reader, I think that his opinion is that Megan is "like farming" rather than encouraging people to keep her post near the "top" of the comments (the default for Substack's "way" of prioritizing "top" comments).
I read comments chronologically (as I suspect few of readers here do) and she's always at or near the top chronologically.
I do the same (chronologically, oldest first) sometimes, usually when I can't read them earlier in the day. I also found it advantageous to read newest first if diving into the middle of many comments that are coming in later in the day.
Thank you, I had no idea some people felt that way. I will continue what I’m doing because the more responses I see my thought is “I wonder how many new people saw the spreadsheet.”
Definitely not what I’m doing (and I know you know that, but to others if they read this). I don’t receive and don’t plan to ask for any money for the spreadsheet. I actually pay to comment it places in order to help spread awareness of it being easier than it seems to be to speak up. I also go through and check the links (only a couple a day due to the time I have) I’ve put on the spreadsheet in order to make sure they’re still valid links.
I do hate feeling like I’m spamming posts but remind myself my intention is to help people feel like they can do something right now because our voices as a collective are so important.
Megan, I did not see your usual post today (the December 18 post on Thomas Paine). Please keep posting it. It is valuable and helpful information, and I am pretty sure there are both new subscribers daily, and non subscribers who read this Letter daily but never can comment.
She wants "likes" for herself, Gary. Has no desire for human communication.
This is the same mindset as the superiority conceits elites develop for themselves from standardized testing. Just get more points for oneself, and thus elevate oneself more above all others, with whom one otherwise never has any communication.
Please do not speak for me Phil, or make assumptions about why I do what I do when you don’t know me. Your assumption is so far off my why.
I’d be lying if I said the likes didn’t boost that sense of self worth, but I have zero interest in a giant following - I don’t like that attention. I put the comment about responding to the comment because I want to help. When I see people responding/reacting, it makes me hope that more people will be seeing a resource and hopefully makes a difference. I was frustrated back in February not knowing what I could do as one person and started organizing contact information in order to speak up myself. Then I realized what I was creating could help others because rather than the information being on 500+ government sites, it could be in one place.
I am fully tapped out and exhausted. My to do list seems never ending between my family and classroom and I know for my own mental health, posting my spreadsheet and encouraging others to speak up is what I can do to still make a difference right now.
Of course you are tired. You have kids and work a demanding job. And you do this spreadsheet. I remember the days when I had kids and a job. I'm 73, and I have never in my life had a time when I worked so hard. I loved what I did, but I fell asleep before my head hit the pillow, and sometimes I had my clothes on, sometimes even my shoes.
Ignore Phil. I have appreciated his call for humanities in school, but he's just trying to get in a fight here.
I am thankful others have chimed in to support me. Anne B is right, I am a mom of a 2 year old and 4 year old and an elementary school teacher. My time on social media platforms is much better spent (in my opinion) sharing the spreadsheet to help others speak up than have a back and forth conversation. I am not on enough to keep up with comments and often will skim to see if anyone needs help with accessing it, has a question on how to use it, or give thanks for being politically active because it’s way easier to sit back and ignore. But once I skim comments, I get off and am present with my kids since their dad’s home with them during the day and I miss that time with them.
And if you think I never have conversations, then you’ve missed many, many comments on here, Facebook and BlueSky where I also post my sheet.
Thank you, Megan. You speak well for yourself and your service here.
And many, many fine people well appreciate your service.
I see, a bit above here, one of yours to me which I never got. You speak well and kindly, humanly fine in that, too, which I'd not gotten. So thank you belatedly for that, too.
I just don’t have time to keep up with conversations and while I feel bad about that, I really do try to respond to direct things to me, and skim through the rest due to not being on my phone too much around my kids (and not at school). Yay for winter break now though! 😊
I do get the sense that the Trump team had a tremendously good time making those plaques. They also seem to not be having a good time with anything else. Our job is to keep their misery expanding, however we can.
Thanks, as always, Megan for this useful tool that helps some of us broaden our reach of contacting members of congress, regardless of what some other Readers may think.
Speech? I read somewhere that it was suggested (by Susie Wiles?) as a form of contact with the American people. He sounded weary and angry, read the whole thing fast and loudly. Plaques? I don't know whose idea that was. It's so juvenile that it was probably his, and his little Kanary Bird said she thought he had written most of them himself. Which is entirely believable. Another boat blown up. This is not only a vulgarian but a killer.
The plaques apparently were put up before the "dedication" on Nov 5, and reading the one under his own portrait with the capitalizations and utter lies look very much like his social posts, and was so long-winded that it was split over TWO plaques underneath.
ALSO - apparently he also had Biden's portrait removed and replaced with a photo of the autopen.
Tiny hands, tiny mind, microscopic heart (if there even is one in that repulsive subhuman creature).
Hello Anne-Louise.... Once Again DJT Demonstrates that DJT is Tacky, and Petty... As Susie Wiles. an Enabler, stated, there is no Restraints on this Out-Of-Control 79yo Baby...
I caught the morning re-caps of "the Speech" It made me think back to the Spanish-American War of 1898. The spark was the explosion onboard USS Maine that got Pres McKinley all liquored up to go to war (Back then it really was the called the War Department). Then all I could think of was a USS COLE (DDG-67) style attack on one of the warship in the Caribbean then trump & kegsbreath are off to the races. BTW... many Naval engineers smarter than me including ADM H. Rickover have stated USS Maine was the victim of a massive steam boiler explosion, not a mine.
If anyone is wondering whether they should bother with a match report of those 20 minutes, Rick Wilson's analysis is what every sufferer of TDS (like me) deserves to enjoy.
I hope other nations can see that this is an attempted coup. This is malware feeding on security holes in the Constitution who probably could not imagine such an Orwellian scene could slip by their safeguards and public will, though they knew in abstract the threat would be there. There is no constitutional authority for a dictatorship, and the "justices" that enable it were hired to be saboteurs.
so that's two eternities, then? do not pass go, collect 200 dollars or go to Disneyland? if they can't go to Disneyland, what's the point of dying then? so if they're going to live forever is that THREE eternities?
Can we have more massive No Kings rallies, as in every Saturday with hot chocolate in cold weather (like British mariners on the Murmansk run) and picnics in summer, supporting small restauranteurs? And special
treatment for any location where Gregory Bovino is? (Learned last night that he’s back in Chicago with Blackhawks—heard them too.)
this is non maga America's 'deer in the headlights' moment...and, unless you folks find ways to organize and dismantle/monkey wrench that machine, you're going to have to learn to live with it...hard times like this require actions...or...you all can just describe and complain for all the good you think it will do you...
I am so disappointed in the speech. There was only one thing I really wanted Trump to explain to me, and he didn't
How Venezuelan "narco-terrorists" killing millions of Americans with fentanyl, turned out to be transporting cocaine to Suriname, after having stolen all the Venezuelan oil that belonged to us that Trump was stealing back by pirating oil tankers when what Suzie said was really about getting rid of Maduro, by promising to start a ground war in a war that wasn't a war but a military action depending on whether you wanted the people who you killed to be victims of a war crime or murdered.
Surely you speak metaphorically. You weren't disappointed, you were horrified. You were aghast, when you thought you could no longer be aghast. You had the same reactions you did when you read what that sadistic piece of deranged shit said about Rob Reiner. But I'm certain you didn't tune into Benito Metamucilini to hear anything about an "explanation."
I really did want an explanation of why the largest armada in South American history was assembled to enforce a new corollary to the "Monroe Doctrine" as the start of America's domination of its "sphere of influence," after consulting with the big oil companies that had been kicked out.
I think any member of Congress who respected the separation of powers was also disappointed about America being on the verge of a new war without being consulted by the self-declared "peace" president.
And I hated the $1776 military bonus, which is a cheap distraction to hide the fact that we are putting our military at risk.
I am sure Heather could write a long piece on how the original Monroe Doctrine was meant to prevent further European colonization in the Western Hemisphere, whereas the NSS corollary seems to be about the US becoming the new 21st-century colonizer.
I admit I was being snarky about the events that have brought us to this point. It seemed appropriate to the insanity of the logic, but perhaps not so much, in retrospect, to the appropriateness.
I don't think Trump, et. al. care about drug traffickers (though I do wonder why those boats keep going out), as evidenced by the pardon of Hernandez, or about regime change in Venezuela, as evidenced by a total lack of cooperation with the opposition there (SHE got a Peace Prize, I DIDN'T!). They are cynically using it as a way to cover the BIG GRIFT. It's working - who's talking about the Epstein Files now? Anyone on this forum? Who's talking about health insurance premiums, or the assault on women, immigrants, science, cutting funding to Blue states, etc?
We are all bandwidth limited. I am only writing about Ukraine in my substack right now because that is all I can cover and I have skin in the game. And I write comments on Heather because the discussion is always interesting. I did write a comment about Epstein today, and about ACA, but more about Mike Johnson and his powers as Speaker.
I wish Substack let you search keywords in the comments on posts or let you tag things. I finally realized you can just see replies under activity, so you can keep track of the thread but I really wish it would take you back directly to the prior comment instead of making you scroll until you find the greyed one to pick up the thread. By about 8:30 am ET it’s too hard to follow and I give up.
Speech? Was there a speech? You mean the previous one where he spotted a woman in the front row who suddenly reminded him of his sexual attraction to his own daughter, and then interrupted whatever dribbling chickenshit he was spewing to rant and ramble about that? "Did anybody ever tell you, you look like Ivanka?" (Whoever suggested he give that sure wasn't his friend...)
One day soon, an exhausted, angry, sleepless old man will suddenly wander into the White House briefing room clad only in his Depends. Waiting with baited breath to hear Karoline Spokesbarbie 'splain that one to us.
Any more cringe-inducing than the photos we've all seen of dad caressing the girl's teen hips? Than the photos we've not seen (but biographer Michael Wolff has) of same Donald, same era, caressing hips of the many topless teens his pals Jeffrey and Ghislaine trafficked to him?
The Hungarian mathematician Paul Erdos once said that the first sign of senility was forgetting equations and theorems, the second sign was forgetting to zip up and the final sign was forgetting to zip down. So in Trump-speak perhaps 'THE BEST IS YET TO COME'.
The plaque for his first presidency (he gets two entries, of course) notes that he created "he Greatest Economy in the History of the World" which casts some doubt on similar claims he has made more recently about the US economy, although it concludes with the words “THE BEST IS YET TO COME.”
His National Address made no more sense than his snake-themed Christmas message in which he said Peru "is known to be a rather rough place in terms of physical creatures crawling around.”
The speech is right-wing propaganda, filled with fake facts and made-up statistics, hoping the rubes will believe the lies like they always have.
Claiming that Democrats are calling for raising insurance rates and are responsible for doubling those costs is insane, yet the rubes will believe it.
Once again, it is not trump alone that has brought us to this calamity, it is an evil cabal of right-wingers, ultra-rich Oligarchs and delusional white evangelical christian nationalists who are a minority of our population but are willing to commit any crime to force their will on the majority in the form of government. Would it surprise anyone if the Supreme Court ruled that the president has a right to use federal tax money to benefit only Republican states and cities? The fact that almost everyone only mentions trump when discussing all the catastrophic actions delivered by the Republicans, who have empowered trump by not opposing these actions in any way, and voting for the one big dispicable bill, is very alarming. When will you wake up?
The medium is the massage. Trump can force the three major broadcast networks to give him prime air time pretty much any time he wants fir any reason or no reason at all. Perhaps it was a drill.
Aside from that no point but maybe the message is subliminal. He blinked. Tucker Carlson was expecting that he woukd announce attacks on Venezuela had begun. So did I. He is creating those expectations. But he did not. Perhaps the question is why not ? Just that yesterday morning he issued a social media screed that amounted to a declaration of war that said he has finally decided to "take back what is ours", explicitly mentioning land, property and oil. Let's leave aside the question of what he was talking about. The implication is that he will order an invasion of Venezuela. But he did not announce that last night. So what gives ?
Maybe the Joint Chiefs baulked. Cause here is the problem: How do you bring a country to its knees that is already on its knees ? A corollary to the question concerning Johnson's bombing campaign against North Vietnam. But for whatever reason, he blinked. He did not say a thing about Venenuela it seems .
Maybe the other point was simply to express anger and frustration, for that he did. And to display aggressive intentions. For that he did. And maybe these are all related. In front of cameras. To an empty room. In the White House. With a leafy backdrop behind him. Could the point have been to say "NO ONE IS LISTENING TO ME !" ? Could it have been to demand attention? Could it have been a preemptive informational countrroffensive against more bad news like say what everyone is waiting for with baited breathe, the release of the Epstein files ? Or did his handlers just decide they had to let him take to the airways to blow off steam ?
Declaring sanctions against Venezuela and shipping interests that handle its oil, then using that as an excuse for going to war is a sort of bootstrapping maneuver. But anything g works for a totalitarian leader, as Susie Wiles says Trump thinks he is. That is a highly combustible mixture. Maybe Putin wants to see him follow through. But it is hard for Trump to profit by attacking Venezuela. Note that that theft of oil has replaced drug smuggling as the excuse. So it seems he will lay siege to in instead and hope for the best.
Pretty much all of the tankers serving Petroleos de Venezuela, S A now are fly by night because of US sanctions against them or the countries they do business with. And they are now either bottled up in Lake Maracaibo or have turned around at sea as a result of Trump's declaration of war on them and Venezuela. So Venezuelans are now starving to death. And oil prices are sure to rise. But Maduro is still in his presidential palace. He's not going anywhere. Putin is losing. The Epstein files are due out. And Trump is saying "I don't get no respect !".
Very well. Let them hate us. But let them fear us.
For a few moments forget about the scumbags running our country. Instead, be inspired! Oregon residents protested mightily in Newport on December 13 against what appears to be a planned ICE detention center there - "ICE Has No Business Here!". Enjoy this video of people demonstrating for democracy, decency, and community! Worth watching. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zenhc1rW0zg -- and frog buttons, too.
That is amazing. I had gigs that day and could not head over to the coast. I did attend our "Monday Pop-up Protest" with my "USCG Yes, ICE No" sign (with small letters reading "RIP Rogue Brewery") at the bottom.
Or to the Pulitzer Prize Board’s request for Trump’s financial, physical, and mental health records as they defend against his lawsuit over their awarding the NYT A Pulitzer for the Russian interference articles. Jack Smith’s testimony, twice verified. Their position is that this info is necessary to assess his claims for damages. No kidding...
It’s just so delicious that an organization devoted to journalistic standards is showing why he fears a truly independent press. See, folks, it’s not that hard…
Ha! Brilliant. I heard it was short, and apparently, from many sources, loud.I don’t think they can prop him up very long. They just tell him he’s in Anytown, PA and to give a campaign speech - maybe that’s why he’s yelling. Oh and I heard he’s still whining about Biden. Yawn. Also: Jack Smith a crook? Jack Smith is a million times the man any of those Trump toadies will ever be…and what he said today convinces me without a doubt the election was rigged. Because Jack Smith was going to put Trump in prison. And Trump knew it so he called Elon for a little favor.
And then Ghislaine Maxwell asked a Manhattan judge to throw out her prison sentence because she had been denied a fair trial. The judge is Paul A. Engelmayer, an Obama appointee.
At the very least, this gives Congressional Republicans on the Committee a slim excuse to argue to delay the release of the files until the judge rules on Maxwell's petition. That could get Trump past Christmas. Every day of delay is a good day in Trumpworld.
If the judge agrees she deserves a new trial, DOJ would have to decide whether to prosecute her. They could decide not to because too much publicity would not allow her to get a fair trial, or a new trial would be a waste of department resources.
And while DOJ was deciding, there would be issues that had to be resolved about whether the Epstein files could be released...
Neither do I but tomorrow is the deadline delivery day for the files.
A bipartisan group of Senators asked for briefing from Bondi on a status and plan for delivery of the documents not later than Friday December 5. Bondi did not provide a briefing so Senators Merkeley and Lujan are blocking confirmations in the Senate.
That makes me believe that even a day’s delay might be crucial because today is the last legislative day in the House and the last legislative day in the year is tomorrow for the Senate in the year.
I suddenly saw this "speech" -- apologies for being obtuse earlier. I guess the positioning of Grumpy Cat trying to fob himself off as Winston Churchill between two Christmas trees was supposed to fill my mind with thoughts of sugar plums, rather than f-bombs.
Two things come to mind: First , the petty attacks on political enemies. We knew it would happen. But how much juice is there? Will he be able to lock Mark Kelly in the tower? Behead the governor of Illinois or Colorado?
Or is this mostly performative?
Unless the oligarchs want it done I would say it’s the latter.
Second, as to the unbelievably wrongheaded dismantling of four weather and climate infrastructure— these denialists know damn well that climate disruption is real. They simply don’t care.
Maybe they figure they will be on Mars by the time it gets really bad.
I live in the foothills west of Denver. At 10am this morning Xcel Energy enacted a planned public safety shutoff due low humidity/high temp/high wind events. Winds clocked today 90+ mph across the foothills area. No indication from Xcel on restoration expectations, but, another shutoff is being discussed leaving many of us without power for 3 days.
Only a complete idiot denies climate change - oh wait - that perfectly describes the felon and his enablers.
If this weather system is moving east, batten down the hatches. We had an incredible event of rain and wind that closed several major e/w highways and closed multiple schools due to downed trees and powerlines.
Your rain and flooding was so hard to watch and read about - so many people displaced. Be well and safe💙
We’re looking at some (much needed!!) rain on Sat and hopefully snow in the high country. Our Fall weather this year has been wrong wrong wrong all over the State.
I don't know what they think their life will be like if society unravels. I'd expect equities to tank. I know that they tell themselves that they can do anything because of money, but in the end we really all are in the same cosmic boat. Mars is a real hell-hole compared to the harshest environments on earth. It might be fun to explore, but I wouldn't want to live there.
I keep remembering what I’ve read-not one of these guys (P2025) has lived in a time when there weren’t govt agencies and programs to help people. They really have no idea what it’s like to be without them and vastly underestimate the power and drive of people who have nothing.
I keep visualizing Helena Bonham-Carter as the bubble-headed Red Queen in 'Alice in Wonderland,' going "off with his head!" every few seconds, wondering what, if anything, is passing through the minds of his handlers and scalawags during those mental fartstorms.
One day the scalawags will have to explain their investigations of "prosecutorial misconduct" --- you know, anything that doesn't lead to the immediate exoneration of Donald Trump despite a trail of illegalities, perfidies, acts of grand corruption, violations of the Emoluments Clause, the National Historical Preservation Act, the War Powers Act, and the Constitution's Article I giving Congress sole power over the nation's purse strings.
Some might get preemptive pardons, but many of the bastards will pay for their behavior. They'll be forced to testify before a hushed, but open courtroom with cameras as to why they went along with breaking every law, moral code and act of legal restraint our own Constitution imposes on all officials. In 1945-46, ousted German officials were forced to do just that. Well worth recalling their testimony today:
Just for the sake of historical accuracy ,and I don’t want to be a complete pain , but (and this is historian HCR’s piece), you are actually conflating too historical eras. Henry VIII reigned from 1509 to 1547. His legacy is breaking away from the Catholic Church ( piggy backing on Martin Luther’s ‘Reformation’) to secure his much wanted male heir , which necessitated divorce from his first wife. Divorce was not allowed by the Catholic Church. He went on to reign for 38 years, declared himself ‘Head of the Church’ (of England) but never did produce a surviving male heir. He did get through 6 wives…..two of whom he executed at the block. His merrie subjects carried on with their lives…..yes, relatively short ones by our standards.
The phrase “ …life was nasty, brutish and short..” comes from the book ‘Leviathan’ by Thomas Hobbes written in 1651, where he argued that society needed strong structure and governance. HIs ideas went on to shape Western thinking , and still do.
I don’t suppose Trump is at all interested in this sort of stuff. But , eventually, the history books will be interested in him. And epitaphs will be phrased…
Meanwhile the big issue over this side is the impending EU decision on using the frozen Russian assets to assist Ukraine. Belgium (ffs !) still holding out against. If it goes ahead, this will be the first serious break with the new US Foreign policy, as set out in the very recent US National Security Strategy, where Putin is the ally and Europe faces ‘civilizational erasure’.
Here endeth the lecture…
I missed the evening speech……can someone give me a quick thumbnail sketch?
The same ole song sung over again, it's all Biden's and the Democrats' fault, "I'm the greatest president this country has ever had" [yup, he said that].
That was pretty much it.
Oh, he's giving every member of the military a check for $1,776. This will apparently endear them to him in case he should ask them to risk their lives invading Venezuela.
Don’t bother, Mr. Vernon-Hunt. It’s a waste of your time. Enjoyed details of your post. Brought up in the Episcopal church, I knew the broad outline from childhood. Always glad to add more details.
Hello Annabel... The Oligarchs, the Dark Siths, are busy buying Prime Real-Estate Globally, building Survival-Bunkers, and preparing to Sail to on their Private Yachts...
By the way, Leslie, I don’t know how a drunk mongoose could make sense but as for me don’t drink don’t smoke don’t take drugs never have never will
But I make the kind of sense that you can’t stand, factual, contemporary real
And all you do is deviate hate well attempting to discredit anyone who disagrees with you or the group here but unfortunately, the facts are gonna come into play and reality will hit you very soon. Actually it’ll hit you a little bit when you get your first Social Security check next year.
Leslie unlike you fools were you pretend that Heather is your dream person which is not but she’s got you by the short hairs I don’t have a dream person. I have the results of an individuals, actions, and how they might impact me and another Americans that’s it that’s where it stays. Jack followed the law.? Well that’s an interesting assumption but it’s also in the real world Leslie where you no longer reside ancient history and meaningless in today’s world. And you do know that many of Jack’s people refuse to answer questions which doesn’t look good and you also do know that at least currently the Republicans are in charge so Jack’s future might be imperil as well just like I mentioned above the likes of general Flynn, Steve Bannon. And Roger Stone.
Let me proffer a question to you. What do you think would be the worst outcome for Trump based on anything that Jack smith says? More hope of the hopeless.
And here I thought epstein was your hero or the Russia hoax was your hero or Hunter’s laptop? Was your hero or the government shut down was your hero?
Where the east ballroom was your hero? Or the drug boatswere hero
I just wish you would make up your mind on how badly you wanna continue to lose instead of supporting the president in America while he continues to improve the lives of everybody here
Do you idiots ever get tired, proclaiming something negative with nothing behind it? Nothing but emptiness and hate. Gotta Hand it to you. And you’re very good at it. Try facts instead of emotion.
If That was your high school debate presentation… you would lose by default.
Just read it. Nobody and I mean nobody not. One president has ever been able to move as quickly on major issues as Donald Trump, including incredibly what Obama Mallorca AOC and Biden thought it would take years and leg legislation. Trump did in less than two months closed the entire border. You know the Roman empire was around like 1100 years. Trump has been in office 10 months and it’s accomplished more in those 10 months than any president the last four decades. Guess you didn’t hear the readings today on inflation. ?
Oooops … it took Obama almost 8 years to fuck up, but if Biden was able to do it and only four. Trump’s policies haven’t even taken affect now so if you wanna be an idiot and unrealistic, please be my guest.
You're right. Rick. Trump is one who is going to need protection after Smith's withering condemnation of him. Is that why he's building a massive bunker under his ballroom?
Hey, do me a favor tell the British moron up above here that once this bunker is built and Trump leaves Office everybody will use it for hundreds of years. These guys hate so much. They get dumber with every word that comes out of their mouth. So instead of hosting kings and queens and International dignitaries and a tent on the lawn in the White House, they’ll actually be in a professionally built building with extra features for future presidents to be able to use. And it’s not costing the tax break or anything versus Obama’s last remodel was $400,000.
I REALLY hope Rep. Ruskin and others hold actual public hearings where Jack Smith can speak (under oath) about the cases. The GQP slimewads will whine and boycott these hearings, but that will be great since it will prevent their typical bloviating and grandstanding.
JL you completely missed the purpose of the government while professional would be nice. Policies and laws are much more important to an act. That’s their job if professionalism comes along the way, let’s talk about people like Jasmine Crockett or John Federman or AOC for that matter or al green
See this is the kind of stuff joy that you hop on that is meaningless absolutely meaningless….TODAY! A concept that most of you don’t even have in your head
And it is problematic as well… as Jack Smith potentially could still be in some problem as well as the team that has refused to answer questions so stay tuned
So let me put you to the test let’s see how you can answer this simple question
What could possibly come from the investigation at the Jack Smiths body of work?
Four of his assistance could be and because the Republicans hold sway right now they could pursue like Biden pursued the likes of General Flynn , Steve Bannon,
And Roger Stone but to name a few … I can answer the question for you if you like
DEAD AND BURIED Just like any other the stories you tried to hoist upon Trump shoulders that turned out to fail, embarrassingly enough
Oh look, the dumbest fuck on Substack came back to show us how dumb the other species of hairless biped - the one lacking frontal lobes and opposable thumbs - really is.
Maybe that’s why Biden disappeared. First Mr. Panthers or Mrs. Panthers you have to point out what we might be nervous about.?
And right now that would be pretty much not a damn thing
We would certainly like to see the left come to his senses though that would that would be really good, but there’s probably not a prayer but someday not too long in the distant future people here are gonna wake up and go. You know Donald Trump did a pretty damn good job. I don’t know why I hated him so much. It was pretty much emotional And I should’ve probably looked outside my own sphere of friends find that there’s 100 million people now that will really like his policies by the time the midterms turn around. Oh, and by the way, you’ll check out some of the surveys done right now Donald Trump’s favor ability rate is higher than Obama’s and bushes on the very same day of his second term office. January and 2026 might come as a surprise in a shock to many of you, but I hope you take advantage of it. It’ll be better for all of us.
Hey TC another child calling names very good Lovett. Keep them coming.
Hey, you forgot to mention the 140 IQ. And my invitation to attend,a Mensa meeting many years ago to see if I was interested and they were interested in me, but I didn’t get there by mistake. Oooops. Ps
You really need to get out of California. We live there for 30 years and even the people that still live there can’t stand it and that’s why they’re losing a half 1 million a year moving out, including many large corporate entities moving to Florida and Texas. What used to be the shining star of the US is now a shit hole full of tents, poverty, crime, and the inability to do business
And I love when people keep touting that California has the fourth or fifth largest economy in the world and that they can’t pay their bills and are running a huge deficit. I wonder why that is? Lmao.
We have many friends who have restaurants there and fast feeders who can no longer afford to stay in business. Not to mention I can’t wait to see if Newsome runs for president. You’re not gonna believe as much as you demean Trump Newsome is gonna be the star in a game of hangman by the Republican.
You are an idiot simply for believing that there is such a thing as general intelligence or that even if there were it could somehow be expressed as a single number.
If it was 'dead and buried' then why are congressional Republicans so eager to interrogate him and behind closed doors? Why has Trump been forced to pardon everybody connected with his attempt to overturn the results of the 2020 election if nobody did anything wrong?
As always, you're like a drunk guy in the grandstand who's team is losing over and over again and you're yelling at the refs claiming the problem is bad calls. You'll need a lot of beer to get through the next three years.
Reading this, especially the war on NCAR and science in general, reminded me of stories from history when members of a conquering army destroyed whole systems of scientific knowledge that they didn’t understand, and therefore liable blasphemy and “Devil’s work’. No conquering army necessarily needed - look what The Church did to Galileo. The ignorant always destroy what they don’t understand and humanity pays a heavy price for their ignorance.
So, according to this POTUS, blue-state taxpayers would pay federal taxes, and this administration plans to use that blue-state taxpayers’ money to help red states only??? How is that legal??? Or fair, for that matter???
His states are already the welfare cheats. If the Blue States left (something I thought I'd never be in favor of, but I am now, fuck the United States), Red America would sink into the swamp they so desperately want to become.
I'm voting for either "Cascadia" (Washington Oregon and California) or "Pacifica" (same but add Hawaii, if they don't want to reestablish themselves as a sovereign nation) as a new country or a Canadian Provence. I'd suggest something similar for the Northeast and the Upper Tier, should they want to play too.
Yes they proudly said it out loud. I hope the blue governors get together and withhold our taxes to pay for our infrastructure projects. Or I hope a reasonable judge rules that they cannot legally withhold funds depending on a states voting preferences. That’s totally ridiculous.
Is NOT legal and the right way to fight it is in court. But withholding federal taxes will land US in jail we need to stop advocating that as it is ALSO illegal and one illegal act doesn't justify another. Hopefully your parents taught you "two wrongs don't make a right". That golden rule is still true.
I don't often post here & need your feedback. My post spoke to the unfairness and legality of using blue state taxpayers' monies for red states. I agree the courts are the right way to fight this. I didn't suggest withholding federal taxes, nor did not advocate it
Sorry that the intertwining of posts here can get confusing. You are absolutely correct that you didn't advocate withholding taxes but several other people did and that was who my comments were directed at.
Legal and political action are the best things we can all do along with rational peaceful protest. To impatient people it sounds boring and a waste of time but it's not. In this day and age it will likely take more time but still it can be very effective (it is already showing results in moving some moderate GOPers to working with Dems, which has been a long time coming. )
And most importantly it is legal. Sure there are still risks but it is much easier for a draconian administration to jail you if you really HAVE violated the law (such as withholding taxes) than if you are protesting legally. And if you do violate the law, then like it or not if they jail you THEY are right, not you. Even if your protest is totally righteous.
Thank you, Jon, for getting back to me so quickly. I appreciate your feedback and explanation. Yes, I saw some of those replies, too. I agree that the best way to advocate is via legal & political action plus peaceful protest. Cooler heads must prevail. And, yes, it's been good to see the crossover by some moderate GOPers. We are living in some very interesting times in the US today, and patience is not one of our stronger suits. Again, many thanks.
Thank you Professor. I don’t like to say this, but I’m beginning to understand the hatred towards this man and administration. And for that, forgive me everyone. Peace and love and truth. We will prevail. Happy holidays, everyone. Share what you have even if it’s ever so little to someone in need. That’s who we are. Americans.
We've now officially reached the blood-in-the-water stage of MAGA. Maybe not yet a come-to-Jesus moment where sinners fall on their knees begging forgiveness. More like sharks sniffing the sudden splash of fresh hemoglobin. Forcing yet a second discharge petition in the House (when in the country's past did two in a row suddenly become the new normal?), predators and opportunists are now showing us they've figured out the moment to strike is now.
There's never been such a weak House leader in our history. Coupled with new resignations, even the election of one or two new Democrats could now cost Republicans the House. I can't think when a party bled seats, power and influence like this even *before* the mid-terms delivered it to them officially. Coupled with the refusal of ruby-red Republicans in Indiana to gerrymander, with increasingly idiotic, easily disprovable assertions that Venezuela is only about drugs (Suzie "Trump" already disabused the country of that one), that the Ballroom is really about replacing security infrastructure "torn out" with the removal of the East Wing, and a hundred other small cuts bleeding into the ocean, the circling sharks signal the end is coming.
It may continue to get nuttier in the short-run, but ideologically, the Tower of Shit and Vengeance is falling down faster than they can patch it up. And with the end of healthcare subsidies (not just for those on Obamacare, but across the board, because what happens to one part of our healthcare system reverberates everywhere), next year for the GOP won't be a pretty one. Vergogna is about to become something they wished they never talked about.
It couldn't happen to a more deserving cabal of sadistic cowards...
Hey Mr. ignorant let me give you some real facts here from day one no matter what Trump did or any president did, including Obama as an example when a president comes into office and has in his possession so to speak both houses of Congress when he first takes office Every single time this is occurred in our history that president has lost one or both houses of Congress during the midterm
Five times that opportunity happened five times the president failed to hold both houses. . This is no different. But the worry for the Democrats is if Trump’s policies actually begin to work well as the Republicans imagine they will. This could be the first time that a president holds both houses during a midterm. It’s not likely based on history. Those are the facts.
Do you seriously believe that any of Trump's policies are likely to work well? Even he doesn't think so which is why he kicked off the gerrymandering thing in Texas. If inflation is still ticking upwards, unemployment is rising and grocery prices are rising faster than inflation it really doesn't matter how many times he claims that these things are not happening.
40%. There’s a fact that you don’t like. You want to try to dispute the fact go for it. I’m here, but I’ll never hear from you on this topic again. You sound like an Obama fan they’re not paying their fair share. 40%. Not bad for the one percent huh? Here’s some more that you’ll love. I believe it’s the top 20% pay 70% or more and the bottom 50% my friend pay only 3% of the total income income tax
The top 1% of earners in the U.S. paid about 40.4% of all income taxes, while the top 10% contributed around 72% of the total income tax revenue. Overall, the top 50% of earners accounted for 97% of federal income tax payments, highlighting the progressive nature
respectfully, professor. i do not understand how you manage to be so clear, precise and accurate with your message everyday. (see! i can’t even put together a sentence without redundancy).
i just can’t tell you how much meaningful information you have brought to me, and in turn, my loved ones.
I hope everyone involved in the attempted assault on our democracy on January 6th 2021 burn in Hell. Especially the collaborators in the executive and Congress.
I'd like to see them burn in the town square to be honest. None of this imaginary punishment for the people who destroyed democracy. Make it real. Put them in jail.
Maybe you should pay attention to the current news the BBC is being sued for $10 billion for taking a piece of video splicing it from a piece of video 54 minutes later and then airing it knowingly that it was fake and it was making the false assumption that Trump was going to march on the capitol. In fact, the CEO and many other employees of the BBC resigned because of this the BBC has apologized, but unfortunately many other networks took advantage of this misplaced footage and it’s spread like wildfire so while the BBC will probably not be penalized or Trump may not win his suit the message will be very clear. You’ve been watching tainted news by the left for years and it will slowly come to an end or at least will be much less than previously done which is also why network like ABC and CBS were sued and had to pay. And why CNN and MSNBC lost almost 50% of their audience MSNBC had to change its name and CNN has been trying to be sold for years and let go many of its employees and anchors. I know you guys are slow, but you’ll catch up.
By the way, you know you guys have had some insurrections of your own you’ve had two no kings marches when we don’t have a king because if you did and you did a march against your king, you’d have your head slit open. And then you had an insurrection a couple weeks ago on a Sunday in DC just another insurrection. But of course, one of my favorite sayings is liberals live at the intersection of hypocrisy and double standard.
They sit here and rail against drug runners being killed by the twos and threes when Obama one year alone drop 27,000 bombs and a number of drones on Syria and neighboring countries killing knowingly appx 1000 innocent bystanders with drones, and Obama, apparently even interrupted a wedding with a drone and killed all the participants in the wedding. But stopping drug runners while we shouldn’t be doing that.
Heather, as always you link issues to deepen our understanding. Several questions, how is it legal for DJT to put such defamatory lies under the portraits of Obama and Biden? Or as we know, legality is not an interest of his. What are the ways that congress can take back its control over funding, whether it is about dispensing $for USAID or atmospheric research, etc. These are funds congress has already appropriated so where is the lever or the spine???? I am so grateful to you for your ongoing commitment to educating us and inspiring us.
This one post right here is chilling because this isn’t just one story. This is a pattern ya’ll: healthcare held hostage while tax cuts sail through, federal money openly filtered by “red” vs “blue,” and then the sledgehammer to NCAR like public safety is optional. Add Jack Smith forced behind closed doors, and the public is denied the one thing that breaks propaganda: the record.
The through-line here is revenge as governance. Make people’s lives harder, then tell them who to blame. That’s why the ACA credits vote matters so much because it’s the kitchen table test, in daylight, with names on it. www.xplisset.com
Vengeance yes, but also puerile tantrums and a wake of destruction that the mean kids instinctively leave of stuff other kids put together. Their urge for destruction feeds their illusion of power. Anyone can wreck what others have built with a hammer or a box of matches when malignant ego is in control.
Worse still -- apocalyptic, actually -- is the regime's obvious intention to do whatever it takes to remain eternally in power. That's why any notion of salvation by normal Constitutional remedies, elections included, is both absurd and delusional.
Loren, While I agree our once federal republic is fractured, one remedy, in my view, is to press for an understanding of what real powers States have to push back and protect their own authority under the 10th Amendment that reserves non-delegated powers to the States.
Governor Pritker is using the State's power to protect the people from Trump's changes.
Gloria, I agree that Governors JB Pritzker (and Gavin Newsom) are prime examples of state-elected officials determined to uphold state sovereignty as federal actions push constitutional limits.
I’m guessing Virginia will be in his crosshairs once Abigail Spanberger takes office in Virginia on January 17. I can only hope she puts a stop to Arc d’TACO.
Governor Lamont of Connecticut quietly works to lessen the effects of Trump’s choices to hurt citizens with money kept for a rainy day. He is using these funds to help citizens of our state pay for their health insurance when the program runs out the end of the month. He’s met with nursing students to tell them he appreciates them and acknowledges their professionalism. So our state will help with their student loans. We have a Trust Law that separates ICE from local law enforcement. So citizens aren’t ever afraid to contact emergency services. I’m not sure why he’s so quiet about defying Trump but he is quietly standing up for us.
Barbara, yes, and we need more of them doing the same! I would like to see Pennsylvania, my state stepping up too, then New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, and one by one, all the states that still believe in our Constitution. Some of the red states might want to join too when they realize they are being held hostage for their obeisence by an ignorant old fool with dementia who with his toddler pool of sycophants, has nothing positive to offer anyone, not even his MAGAs.
But we cannot get rid of Trump's Gestapo and National Guard
Pritzker is more progressive than Newsom.
Well, running huge deficit at the same time and protecting illegals rather than protecting citizens.
Yeah, that’s real cool protect the illegals rather than your citizens from crime. Good call
Rick, gee, I am wondering when your family came here. I suspect it wasn't too long ago, and in any case they would have been immigrants too. It is so interesting that white men so freely denigrate folks they don't understand as if white men are so superior. I can tell you that you are not. Thinking a thing does not make it so. The descendant of immigrants calling more recent immigrants names is really hypocritical, but you wouldn't understand that, now would you!
As true and right as you are on this point, the real fear is that this rancid administration is all about torching the Constitution that we all know and love. That, of course, includes the 10th Amendment. What is now happening, even with ludicrous tantrum childlike behaviors as putting up plaques underneath previous presidents, is no less the wanton destruction of our foundation for all our laws and justice initiatives.
Riad, I view states participating in multi-state consortia refusing to comply with federal actions that violate the law or the Constitution as a worthy endeavor.
I agree with you, Barbara Jo. California’s hiring former CDC scientists helps preserve information and knowledge. Gov. Pritzker’s help to protect Illinois residents. My own state has a Democratic governor and Attorney General, but a Republican legislature and state Supreme Court, which limits the governor’s powers to have fair, evenhanded government. Other states, predominantly in the south, have Republican government trifectas that are all about protecting the wealthy and to hell with everyone else.
I recently published an open letter to my governor from CT to issue orders to our national guard to prepare to protect our residents. Further, I suggested he collaborate with other governors to do likewise. State have vast powers beginning with the revolution. And we should activate these state powers. My letter was published and a copy was sent to the governor’s office.
Here are the Amendments Trump and his Congress Critters want repealed: 14th (birthright citizenship), 16th (federal income tax), 17th (direct election of Senators), 22nd (limiting President to two terms), 23rd (giving DC limited representation), and 25th (steps to remove an incapacitated President). In addition, the President’s words and actions are already challenging the 1st (free speech, freedom of the press), 5th (right to counsel), 6th (speedy trial, innocent until proven guilty), 8th (cruel and unusual punishment), and 15th (voting rights). The most extreme MAGAs also want the 19th (women’s voting rights) repealed in favor of a single, “family vote” with the husband making the call. Adding the 10th isn’t much of a stretch.
Teaching, yep, you have just described the scared white boys and some girls in the Trump toddler pool. They are scared of everyone and everything because they know they have nothing to offer anyone, but desperately want to control others, thinking that will make their lives better. I doubt it will. It is interesting that we keep hearing of those rich white boys depending on drugs while they scorn drugs for others, even killing people for allowing them into our country. They are hypocrites. It's too bad our Supreme Court Roberts 6 are just as hypocritical, rights for me, but not for thee. We need to find ways to stop them. It is going to be difficult because there has been so much inter-generational brain-washing going on among Republicans (Stupidicans) for more than a half-century.
WOW, Dave! What a list! Seems accurate as well - to say nothing about sad, scary, sorrowful, stupid, seditious, Satan-singed, sucky, sinful, shitty, et cetera….
If we make it to midterm s n dems win the house, that's a great impeachment list of violations against the constitution that house can use to file charges against president.
Don't forget the 4th amendment - illegal search and seizures and Article 2 section 4. Yesterday was Bill of Rights day as Heather and others have reported.
Pretty much anything outside of the first 10 and as far as the 1st, rewrite that one as well. They have already eliminated "well regulated" from the 2nd for all practical purposes.
Riad, and that is why we need to organize at every level to stand against Trump and the toddler pool of Trumpers and Trumpettes who have respect for no one and nothing but themselves (and I am not sure of that self-respect). Standing against evil is hard, but sometimes, it is what we are called to do.
There's nothing more in your face than illegally destroying the East wing of white house. That shows he does what he wants n thinks nobody can stop him.
Joseph, and so far, he has been right! We or rather our legal system keeps coddling the toddler-man no matter what he wants. We could demand that we need an adult in the white house and point out that we do not have one now!
I wonder where you get the notion that the "renovation" of the east wing of the white house is illegal. There is nothing unconstitutional that I can see and as both be practical and legal matter. The White house "renovation" is fully lodged in the hands of the occupant. We need to keep REAL issues like Trump's overreach in various mandated governmental rulings separate from symbolic but NOT "illegal" actions like the east wing destruction. We may not like the latter but I see no constitutional or legal bar to those actions whereas in other areas he is directly flouting the law. It is easy to be tempted to try to fight him on everything but that is going to be a losing approach. We have to focus on what is absolutely illegal or unconstitutional and not be diluted by other issues which sting but are not barred by law.
Riad Mahayni,
I agree 100%!
Most, not all, of the Republicans want to make their own rules. Torching the Constitution would only be the beginning!
They may invite Putin to help with the writing of new rules of law.
Actually, if the Blue States genuinely rise up in legitimate rebellion, you can bet the Regime will get military help from Putin -- and probably from North Korea as well. That's where we're truly at...
Barbara, maybe a start would be for states to keep income taxes for public employees in the state to cover the federal money that is being withheld. Make the move public!
This is where we will go off the rails ourselves. It will get us in serious trouble. Despite Trump doing things that are illegal (which we can fight) we must NOT use tactics that are themselves illegal (like withholding federal taxes) since they will not be shy about arresting our state officials for federal crimes if they actually commit them. And withholding taxes is one crime that I guarantee you they will come after with a vengeance. The Constitution gave the federal government the right to levy federal taxes and those laws are in effect. Violating them will land our state government people in jail.
Hey, Barbara, my wife and I live in a “Giver State” rather than a “Taker State,” meaning we send more to the Federal Government than we get back. I wonder how we can become a “Keeper State.” Part of me really hates this idea. I mean, as “United” States, we should help each other, but these days…..I dunno!
I live in the "Red Taker State" of Texas and I am 100% behind the idea that no "Blue State" money should ever be used to help the State of Texas. This is a "Shit-Hole" state, compliments of our racist idiot governor, "Hot Wheels" Greg Abbott.
Mass transportation is the biggest joke in Texas. We don't even have a single train linking Dallas to Austin, or to San Antonio, or to Houston. Our constantly under construction highways are jammed with personal vehicles containing only ONE person (the driver). Oil and gas are KING here. I do NOT want any other states' funds to continue to support this bass-ackward way of life.
I grew up near Rochester, NY and then Fairfield County in Connecticut. I found out the Civil War wasn't over when I moved to Texas at age 21. Well, at least the winters aren't that cold. But the people here are stoopid.
"But the people here are stoopid". I really believe you should apologize for that generalization.
Barbara Jo Krieger,
We have a few leaders, even some Republicans who are aware of the wrongs taking place within our government that will affect the future of our nation. If we do not fight to stop these "freedom-stealing" thugs, we will begin to look like a third world country. This is happening everyday as money, placed aside to support American citizens who have paid taxes, in order to provide the safety, the health, education and welfare of our population ie designated funds are being stolen and placed into the pockets of thugs within our government.
I agree, we do have some leaders who are stepping up to protect the citizens of their states. Thank God for these heroes. We must do what we can to protect and to encourage them.
Please, Barbara explain to us at length how this government is stealing our future? It’s actually digging out of the mess that Biden left.
Rick, aren't you sick of drinking the Trump Kool-Ade? It will kill you if you don't spit it out and start hanging out with adults for a change. Trump is not fixing any mess he found. He wouldn't know a mess if it bit him on the nose. He has always been ignorant hoping others would bail him out, and they nearly always did and still do. He has dementia, so whatever comes into his head is what he goes with and a lot of that comes from project 2025 about which he lied and said he never heard of or read. I know he didn't read it, but he definitely heard of it, another of the thousands of lies! That level of lying should make him suspect, but his fan klub doesn't care about the lying because I guess that is the price of doing business these days. Trump left this country in a mess when he left office the first time having bungled the pandemic, the worst in a century. Biden and congress did a lot to pull us out of the mess and had really helped our economy. It is our Baby Donnie and his toddler pool that have made and put us into a Trump-created mess and we will be going deeper because nothing he and Republicans around the country have done is designed to help anyone but the very rich and to do a lot of harm to nearly everyone else, including you, that is if you are a living being, not just a bott.
🖕🏼
Public sentiment goes a long way to shaping events.
Barbie you mean like what Trump did with abortion? exactly.
Thank you for paying attention
Rick, BS! Just like a privileged white boy whining about abortion when he would never be pregnant! Yep, BS! Oh by the way, the American people are in favor of a woman's right to choose, even if Trumpers are not.
Thank you, Barbara Jo. Your statement is something to hang onto while all else seems lost.
Absolutely. It’s time for the guillotine, I say.
Yeah except they would be manning it not us and it would be our heads rolling into the basket Dutch.
Yeah, Careful what you ask for.
How did that work out for the French?
Ask Louis and Marie Antoinette.
Careful what you ask for.
How did that work out for the French?
New era, better burning material. Unless you're referring to poor Joan who was ignominiously tortured by flame...
Poor Joan...that's what you get for killing for Jesus...
And if that's not available, we could burn them all at the stake....
You can't defeat barbarism using barbarism ;-)
Loren, that is why we need to find ways to protect our elections, investigate the 2024 election, particularly in the "swing states" to see just why Donald Trump had to thank Musk so often for the election results. Cheating in the election in select places seems to me the most likely scenario. In the meantime, we do need to find ways to block what Trump and his toddler pool are doing to us and to the world for their own personal benefit. We need more positiave ideas!
How many times have you thanked Soros or Zuckerberg?
Misleading nonsense, sorry Ruth. We lost the 2024 election and we need to get over that. Recontesting that election is as fruitless for us as them doing the same for 2020. There are REAL issues to argue and fight for but the 2024 election is sadly not one of them.
Whoa! The law is actually holding up pretty well, and there are signs that Republicans are recognizing the self-limiting nature of gerrymandering in light of strong tides running against them. We cannot relent, but let’s not run up the white flag, either.
Mike Schmidt of The NY Times and others were talking about that on Morning Joe today. Retribution ain't working out too well for DonOld.
And Gym Jordan and the other Cons bringing Jack Smith into a closed door hearing? How stupid was that? Jack knows where ALL of the bodies are buried and he has a big shovel just waiting to dig them up.
Yep, this is a BIG one! Smith is actually true straight shooter. They made a huge mistake in bringing him in because his proper lawyer position was that he had to keep his testimony to himself (lawyers are required to maintain confidentiality) but when he was subpoenaed to testify before congress he ALSO had to comply with honesty testimony. And he apparently did and it was apparently devastating! It may be a while before we hear all the sordid details but this may be one of the GOPs huge mistakes. Along with their Epstein battle.
I truly don't understand the purpose of Trump's speech last night. Was he supposed to baffled us with his bullshit? And maybe it worked for his most dedicated followers, but that is beyond my ability to comprehend.
And tomorrow the Epstein files are supposed to be released. What are the chances they will release them all as required by law?
Totally agree here, there are many battles to fight that can be won. We need to focus on the REAL issues like ICE interference in state law enforcement and an illegally pursued war in Venezuela and not be misled into fighting issues that can NOT be won like continuing to argue about the 2024 election and the white house "renovations". The 2024 election is OVER and we lost, and the white house can be fixed later when we get back into power hopefully. Chasing those issues NOW is a waste of time when there are real concerns to deal with.
Health care is going to be a disaster for millions of Americans and there will likely be dozens if not hundreds of rural clinics and hospitals that will close in 2026.
Elizabeth Warren warned back in 2009 that no American should be forced into bankruptcy due to medical bills. Over half a million people every year in the US declare medical bankruptcy. And this is with the subsidies in place.
WRONG AGAIN. You are one of the many people that the Republicans are testing their new platform to embarrass Democrats in public.
It’s called. Let them speak.
As I stated, my early opinion was for the good generals to take over governing and refuse to seat Trump. That was as bad as Trump taking over. So which would you prefer? I would have put my money on the generals.
wtf? Sorry, but I need those pants your slippers showing I don’t mean a garment
Lauren, please dial down your meds. Nobody is staying in Power forever and nobody believes it so your credibility is worth shit.
You are so stoopid that I convinced you to buy my book.
I am tending to agree with you, sadly
If change is not by lawful Constitutional change, what do you suggest the manner of change should be?
What would an abnormal Constitutional change be?
I don't think there will be ANY constitutional changes because no one has the votes to do that. "Abnormal" changes won't hold (I think). We just need to be careful not to expect too much too quickly which may be painful for a while but I still have faith in our system to ULTIMATELY do the right thing. Even when the SCOTUS screws up, it can be fixed later. Thomas and Alito and even Roberts can't stick around forever.
I'm with you.
Breaking the law to enforce the law never ends well. We're like the Buffalo Bills, we had a lousy first half, but now we're winning the game.
Let the guy continue to implode.
J L, that was profound! I have been thinking of the Trumpers and Trumpettes as a toddler pool. Breaking things, hurting people they think are not strong, and blaming others for their actions are what badly-parented toddlers do, those who are permitted to get away with it. We have some truly bratty nasty toddlers in charge and their co-workers in Congress seem to be on board with it all. Our Mikey Johnson could set the vote on the ACA for today, but just can't think how to do that in a way that would keep his toddler boss Trump from tantruming and threatening him. Clearly Johnson is not a man of courage.
Personally, I see the entire Congress as people who lack courage. They would have shutdown the entire Trump administration and all its MAGAT parts if a few of them stood up and said ENOUGH at the start.
No one is blaming anyone except you guys that’s all you have. Here is the blame game without facts without back up just hate misguided information or no information at all just insults.
Republicans have done so little to help Republicans (or Democrats) that little can be taken away from them that would bother the Republicans in Congress, the Trump regime or SCOTUS. They took away SNAP benefits for a time which hurt more underprivileged Republicans and they could care less. Starvation is just another arrow in their quiver.
They killed USAID and to date 700,000 have died. Now they’re turning their attention to us.
A friend of our's daughter worked for USAID and traveled all over the world supposedly attending conferences in former Soviet countries and many African countries. When Trump shut down USAID her and several of her co-workers continued to travel to these countries. My friend has come to the conclusion that she is a spy and maybe a CIA agent.
By losing access and goodwill brought about through food aid and advice we have lost intelligence access.
The administration including Elon assume(d) that ALL Federal employees are widgets and fired many of the most valuable. Doctors, engineers, spies, meteorologists etc. Trump truly is an incompetent ignorant embarrassment.
To me this is the biggest crime of all and it seems to get swept under the rug. I'm not sure it counts as murder, but there is an obvious connection of aid to lives saved and cutting it condemns people including mostly children to death.
These 700,000 deaths – with many more to come – are ethnic cleansing on a planet-wide basis. And there is absolutely no power on earth capable of stopping it. It is also the Regime’s ultimate, irrefutable proclamation of intent. Trouble is, too many of us remain enslaved by capitalism’s suicidal cult of mandatory optimism to realize there is absolutely nothing to stop the Regime from employing exactly the same ecogenocidal measures here at home. We already got a glimpse of that in the SNAP embargo. Now we have der neu Führer threatening to cut off (all) federal funding to any state that dares resist any of his policies and seeking the approval of the eternally Christonazified Supreme Court to do so – approval he will obviously get. Meanwhile despite their bold talk, the blue-state governors remain utterly powerless to stop the genocidal ICE/MAGAstapo anti-immigrant pogroms; were they to militarily resist – which is the (only) form of resistance that will (ever) stop the Christonazi onslaught – the Regime would simply respond with greater force, nukes no doubt included. In this context, to imagine fair elections will be allowed is as absurd as expecting anything but self-serving lies from the Regime. And until the majority awakens to these realities – which given the extent of our (deliberately preparatory) dumbing-down will never happen – our liberation will remain impossible. Another Martin Luther King Jr. would be no help; he would be to Trump as Gandhi is to Hitler in “The Last Article “ (https://ia601501.us.archive.org/19/items/last-article-harry-turtledove/Last%20Article%20Harry%20Turtledove.pdf) What we need is another Thomas Jefferson, another Benjamin Franklin, another George Washington...
They *couldn't* care less, Gary, but yup. (Sprry, one of my pet peeves.)
*Sorry*. (What happened to the edit button?)
That is right JL, a toddler is mostly in evidence when running the White House.
Oh, those plaques under Presidents’ pictures, I almost chocked on my coffee… talk about juvenile behavior… and this person thinks the world likes him & respects us…. Last night I only saw a crazy, desperate, scared man…
Perhaps, when people have commented on DJT not being seen recently, it's because he's been occupied with his annotating of Presidential portraits. If, so, it's relatively harmless, compared to his other bright ideas…
It’s obvious to me anyway that after the No Kings rallies across the nation, Trump ordered the East Wing demolished. That was payback to the people.
Mean kids with the power of the USA sounds like a B grade horror film but is our reality.
A psychopathic 10-year old.
J L, an excellent way of putting it....puerile tantrums and destruction. This in addition to serious matters like health care for millions. I note a news story I read yesterday where a D won a seat in the state legislature in a ruby red district which was a 42 point swing. I am just up and I can't remember which state.
Three more years
My guess is that he doesn't make it three more years.
Check out Tulsi Gabbard what you found today UHOH
Nothing alarms me anymore- it just breaks my heart. Someday the petty little schmuck will be gone.
Vought and Miller (and Wiles) are his enablers. They need to be prosecuted (and now I sound like Trump).
Vought, Miller and Wiles are INSTIGATORS! At this stage of the game, he can't keep track of much, but Huey, Dewey and Louie keep whispering in his ear, setting him off on yet another rampage. They are the tentacles of evil.
As Jamelle Bouie says, the Christonazis do whatever they damn well please, "no matter the cost to the Constitution or the damage done to American democracy." In other words, there's no stopping them. And until more of us extract our heads from the realm of delusion and wake up to the magnitude of the threat, (effective) resistance will remain impossible.
An opinion piece in the NYT totally agrees with you.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/17/opinion/trump-presidential-power-miller-vought.html
At first, I read urinary executive. But, indeed, another excellent piece by Jamelle Bouie. His point of "...the structure of the Constitution, which imagines not separation of powers but separated institutions sharing powers..." is quite clarifying and should be shouted from the mountain tops.
Ha! “Urinary executive”….glad I hadn’t taken a sip of coffee….hm…we need an emoji for that! Yes, on several outlets, this is an excretory executive branch….and doing a piss-poor job at that.
It's that "trickle-down" thing, and might explain the "orange".
I think of it as sharing a mission in common, in order to serve the public good. Some powers are unique to a department, but applied with the advice and and appropriate consent of the whole, including checks and balances on possible error or malice. Ideally anyway. At the moment I'm waiting in a hospital waiting room and am appreciated (wife's cataract surgery) and much appreciate how much everything is double, triple, quadruple checked.
Excellent essay.
It is true that they need to be prosecuted. They are the ones running the show. Trump doesn’t understand policy, the constitution, or anything else government related.
Prosecution is appropriate for serious violations of the law, including RICO. His Magacy's enablers including are legion including many billionaires, members of the legislature and $COTUS, and hear I speak of evading/corrupting rule of law with the consent of the governed.
Someday Trump will be dead and buried. Anyone who treads near his grave would be well advised to wear rubber rubber galoshes.
I stepped in dogshit yesterday. There was a hose nearby and it readily washed off.
The stench of trump and his wrecking ball regime will last a lifetime, as will the smell of urine, renewed daily, on his final place of slumber.
The stench of corruption is strong with the "GOP". Hard to believe it was once "the party of Lincoln".
Galoshes and a hazmat suit.
Shudda read downthread before I posted…yup! Fully suited up against toxins.
🤣 that or just avoid it altogether!
Me too.
From the piss, I assume, counselor? I'll be in line.
If not a hazmat suit.
Hazmat suit?
Yes, but will his legacy and deplorable syncophants carry forward the tyrannical nature and ambitions of his political structure???
The behind-the-scenes people are just as dangerous as Trump and maybe worse. There is no “honor” here. Just self-serving people who support another self-serving weak man who has manipulated the system and created fear among those who could vote to impeach and convict.
Correct. And I would now include the colluding media who carried trump's diatribe and even interrupted programming to carry it. While speeches from two former Democratic presidents were not aired claiming they were too political, or when Obama wanted to discuss immigration the media claimed it was too partisan. Neither speech was aired.
Funny about that because Trump seems a bit partisan to me. But when Republicans do it, that's just what they do, right? Corporate media doesn't care what happens so long as the sells:
“It May Not Be Good for America, but It’s Damn Good for CBS”
“I’ve never seen anything like this, and this going to be a very good year for us. Sorry. It’s a terrible thing to say. But, bring it on, Donald. Keep going,”
- Leslie Moonves, CEO of CBS in 2016 (he was eventually canned, not for this but for sexual harassment.
Have you ever watched the series The Morning Show on Apple TV? The sordid intrigues of news tv, sexual harrassment, etc. I think it was filmed shortly after Matt Lauer's sexual folies....A lot of drama!!
The McConnell Gang was positively gleeful about not even going though the motions of fair discovery. Now he talks like he might be having second thoughts.
Yes, the Roberts 6 actually being the architects, authors, of the structure. Plus firing so many government employees and planting new ones who are Trumpers in their place.
So true, Xplisset. I don’t know about you, but my head is spinning.
And my heart’s thumpin’!
And my stomach tight.
and I feel sick
My head is spinning too. I'll have to start reading Heather's columns midday instead of pre dawn. The continual atrocities are almost overwhelming. May the resistance fight on.
"Whoever can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities" Voltaire
Trump, along with his religious extremists, are delivering us TO EVIL while smirking, holding a Bible and hugging the American flag 😈😪
Mine hurts with the sound of sirens.
Please see Glenn Kirschner’s take on Jack Smith’s testimony. He talks about it today on Substack. It is great!!!
Laura Oshea,
Jack Smith is an AMERICAN HERO!!!!
Robert Hubell wrote this about the ACA votes yesterday:
"Democrats attempted to force a vote on Wednesday on their “clean” extension of ACA subsidies, a maneuver that appeared headed toward passage. But Speaker Mike Johnson called a surprise end to the voting period, thereby locking out several Democrats who were expected to support the motion but had yet to vote. Chaos ensued. See Raw Story, ‘Crazy scenes on House floor’ as Dems ‘livid’ over early end to key vote: reporter.
Per Raw Story (quoting WaPo reporter Marianna Sotomayor),
“The House floor is just exploding right now after Republicans—frantic they would lose a procedural hurdle that would force a vote on a Dem discharge petition—closed the vote early, Republicans really are playing with the floor right now in ways that’s not usual. They’re nervous.”
Mike Johnson’s abuse of his Speakership to frustrate “the will of the House”—and the will of the people—is reprehensible."
To everyone who is buying into the "Mike Johnson is weak" storyline, he has more power under the current House Rules than any speaker before him.
Republicans changed the House Rules for this Congress to give him extraordinary powers to unilaterally control the order of legislation that comes to the floor, and when the House is in session, while making it much harder to unseat him. It now requires 9 members of the Republican caucus to call for a vote to vacate the chair rather than one.
Getting to 9 is not inconceivable, but any likely replacement would still be aligned with the same big-money interests.
The Project 2025 business interests want to kill the ACA by shrinking the pool of healthy people in it so the premiums become unaffordable for everyone. That is the option that he brought to a vote.
Someone ought to call for Mike Johnson's immediate removal. And, if there are enough Republicans who are fed up with him, they might get a vote on it and get rid of him.
Honestly it isn't just healthcare being held hostage, America is being held hostage by those craving more and more power and control. Greed and vengeance is the front runner. trump and his childish actions and behaviors are exhausting and him changing the plaques of the former presidents is just too much.
He didn't change the plaques of the former presidents, klutt.
He had them installed, mounted all in his gilt-&-gold "Look at me I'm king," not to honor them, but to allow his narcissism to write the bios for each that most furthers his narcissism.
Meanwhile, Susie Wiles sits by and lets him do whatever he wants to do. She is as drunk with power as the rest of them.
My wife reminded me yesterday that Susie (Trump) Wiles is the daughter of Pat Summerall. The Summeralls lived in our circle in Ponte Vedra, FL. but stories of their contentious divorce still floated around the neighborhood years later. Mrs. Summerall stayed in the house for years after their divorce in 1995.
Thank you, GJ Loft, for the background.
Do you think Trump lies so often that he believes what he is saying?
That's a puzzler isn't it Linda? Sometimes he does especially when he's denigrating someone like the Reiners, but when it comes to facts he can't possibly believe his BS since it is so often wildly inaccurate.
See https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/trump-truth-social-ai/
"...Truth Social, U.S. President Donald Trump's social media platform, features an artificial-intelligence chatbot named Truth Search AI that provides answers disputing his false and misleading claims on numerous subjects..."
I'm not so sure he hasn't fooled himself even more than anyone else, but he can't seem to fool AI
Linda, the Convict believed anything that is said to him by Miller and such. He doesn’t bother reading reports because he can’t absorb them. Remember when Tulsi mentioned setting up briefings like a tv show?
I gave you a "like" for your Q, Linda. And then read GJ's, just below yours.
I'm not sure belief has anything to do with anything. Donald learned to be illiterate to all our artists in touch with human pain, in all its varieties. Just as Megan Rothery here -- every day, same spread sheet -- is out of touch with all fellow commenters, except in reference to her one, single, repeating spread sheet.
If your information is simply a belief or an opinion, your assessment is accurate. If your information shares an action plan that is one of the most effective tools for contacting members of congress, your assessment is not.
Frankly, I thought more of you than having petty jealousy for someone who does not have nearly the interplay and conversation that you often have on your posts. I have utilized Megan's spreadsheet and found it to be an amazing tool which is easy to use. I have read a lot of your posts, and agree with much of what you say. I also find that there are times I roll my eyes and utter the words "one trick pony" (which is not accurate) but I really do not need to be bludgeoned daily with the demise of the humanities in the schools and the resulting inability to engage in critical thought or conversation in favor of standardized testing, which creates good little robots who are conditioned to do what they are told and not to think beyond the confines of the rote answers.
I still appreciate all who participate in what I consider a modern opposition coalition like that became the majority in the election of the 34th Congress.
What’s with the comment about Megan?
It’s Phil being petty and narcissistic. He complained some time ago that the board was “rigged” because he wasn’t receiving sufficient “likes” for his rants.
Thanks, I had missed that post.
If your goal is to receive sufficient "likes" be one of the first to comment when HCR's letter drops or reply to one of the first posts.
That I think is the gist of the jibe. He also complained that his rants weren’t appearing first.
That’s weird and petty.
Phil, this comment is disappointing. I can't remember a time that you've denigrated another helpful member of this community prior to this. Whether or not I respect you is of no consequence to you, but I want you to know that I now have less respect for you than I did have.
I am not sure that I would call it a pattern, which suggests a semblance of order.
Take, for example, the Susie Wiles' interview reported in Vanity Fair. The first excuse she gave was that it was a hit piece and she had in effect been set up. The White House story was that some of the things she had said had been taken out of context but no one yet, to my best knowledge, has asked for an explanation of what 'context' could possibly sanitise her more explosive remarks about cabinet colleagues and Trump himself. At some point, Trump is either going to read these articles or more likely reports about them and want an explanation. I humour myself to believe that it might go something like this.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UxXW6tfl2Y0
We've finally seen the first victim of Trump's frustration at his administration's failure to deliver palpable policy achevements and the hapless Dan Bongino can count himself unlucky given the miserable performance of some of his peers. Trump says that it's because poor Dan misses his show and wants to return to it (a view that's doubtless shared by many FBI agents).
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/dec/17/trump-fbi-deputy-director-dan-bongino
In the meantime, Trump continues to bump along at some distance from the rails (assuming there were rails set down at any time during this second presidency). Having failed in his vindictive prosecutions of James Comey, Letitia James, Adam Schiff and Lisa Cook, he's now taking aim at George Soros, the liberal philanthropist who features in every far right glossary of radical left lunatics (and that doesn't appear to be going well either).
https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/george-soros-prosecution-effort-trump-doj-messy-1235485753/#recipient_hashed=0da6ebe7c5350dad4dce73d99d34109df062be9cf457a2a8f3ba84d2b111db99&recipient_salt=f5b6526ee06f46f189333375b71baff46d473de643f8431fd13070d3b57936ef
One also reads that Trump has added some plaques to his presidential walk of fame (or infamy, depending on the president) which bear some rather partisan appraisals.
https://apnews.com/article/trump-plaques-presidential-walk-fame-e6b496f68862f4b678bbe608a0efde95
So if there is a pattern, it's probably what the complexity theorists would call non-linear.
Re: the plaques: he may as well have scribbled on the photos of Obama and Biden in crayon. Childish and petty.
It’s unbelievable that a president could be so juvenile. And yet his base still adores him. I’m baffled.
I think they maga-mance is slowly crumbling. Just wait till the medical insurance explodes. This actually might be a good backfire.
Indeed. That will cost the Republicans.
I can imagine a future plaque under his booking photo featuring angry toddler sharpie scribbling X-ing out of the Constitution, Declaration of Independence, and Statue of Liberty.
Yes, Jim, I hope eventually he is shown the same respect and consideration he has bestowed on others. Think it’s called “just desserts”.
I hope to see a day when modern parlance has widely adopted some Trump-derived extreme disparagement; an ultimate insult such as "ATU", or "All Trumped Up".
And those are his better qualities, Ellen!🤦🏻♀️ Sometimes I have to pinch myself to make sure I’m awake and not in some outlandish nightmare.
There is a pattern. Grift. Do whatever it takes to keep the office paying. This includes whole weather systems of obfuscation, a willingness to abuse people and power, and nodding to the base once in a while about their pet hatreds. It's not deep, it's not complex, it's just grift. It is a bubble that Trump, et. al. can't see out of, and about 30% of us can't see into. It's up to the rest of us to expose it (follow the money), name it (kleptocracy), and describe what it does (make our nation poorer and weaker).
Steve Abbott, I love your summation comment: “ It's up to the rest of us to expose it (follow the money), name it (kleptocracy), and describe what it does (make our nation poorer and weaker).” I often hear that American Democracy is an “great experiment”. Well, I have come to see that it is also a “great test”. We are being tested -again. How much do we want a functioning, multicultural democracy? How do we strengthen it? How do we restore its health after the gang-rape by trump and his puppeteers?? We are having to learn and figure all this out in real-time against a “flood-the-zone” barrage of lies, and grift
Speaking of weather systems, Hurricane Trump/Miller/Vought/Roberts seems like a record breaking super-storm that also spawns many tornadoes, followed with gutted agencies like FEMA replaced with gangs of looters.
Well, to all the lazy asses who don’t investigate deeply enough. Bina was being paid 187,000 more or less from what I understand their salary was as he left a program. He was anchoring when he was paid $5.1 million for his own program and guess what within five minutes of the fact that he announced his resignation, a spot opened up in fact his original spot opened up paying him $5.1 million once again .. real tough decision there lmfao
You're all trees and no forest.
Every post an empty one. Name-calling, deflection, emotion., hate ,delusion, but never any facts as to why you hate Donald Trump.
By the way, the FACTUAL post above was totally accurate, but of course you don’t come back on that. You never answer any questions. All you do is spout inane rhetoric. Please keep in mind, Steve that relatively speaking I am the happiest one amongst all these threads, content in my life, day-to-day my success which has exceeded my dreams, my travel to 119 countries at all 50 states and the friends and thousands that have respect for what we’ve accomplished in our life
Most people are absolutely devoid of reason why they hate so badly other than the issues were the traits that I mentioned above his policies are helping America regain its independence it’s greatness and its future
And no one here has refuted that.
All they can do is try to blame him for the works of the previous administrations like Obamacare like I said in other posts, it’s like blaming the fireman who’s putting out the fire he didn’t start
It’s obvious Patel too misses his podcast given his premature, and wrong, tweets on social media about the FBI.
"In the meantime, Trump continues to bump along at some distance from the rails (assuming there were rails set down at any time during this second presidency)."
Delicately stated.
". . . what the complexity theorists would call non-linear," Russell John?
Actually, it was, prior to the rule of standardized testing, totally the realm of all our artists, novelists, memoirists, historians, film makers, musicians, muralists, biographers, poets, playwrights, quilters, chefs, essayists -- all -- to explore, tease out, run tangents on what Joseph Brodsky called our "loose ends," what Ken Burns calls our "undertow."
It's only our testers, all in hock to the billionaires' commercial, numbered, superiority conceits, who insist that their linear-only chronologies and causalities now rule.
These conceits place our neutered, empty, cynical, cowardly elites by numbers (by testing, by market share, by bribes to Clarence, by extortions fees to Donald) above us, never among us.
And Phil, what you don’t see and what you don’t get and what you refuse to understand is that there are billionaires on both sides of the aisle.
You also might want to see how much you have omitted in the platforms that actually make America grow not just entertain. Businessman, small business owners, inventors, scientists, farmers, and all the endeavors THAT TAKE SUBSTANTIAL ECONOMIC RISKS! you ignore and fail to realizr]e that they provide much of the revenue to make the entertainers success possible .and pay for most of the talented people to pursue their “social” endeavors
It's much worse than that.
This is not about revenge. That animates only a few Republicans.
It's about a neofascist ideology in which the 99% of the population (at home and abroad) do not DESERVE to have access to power because they are assumed to be of "inferior" capacity, and by nature.
Letting inferior people vote means giving the dumb the right to limit the freedom of the smartest people (read: the wealthiest), which for them is immoral.
This is why Thiel, Musk, Sacks, Vought, Vance, and so many other Republicans today (including MTG of course) constantly argue that the US needs an executive branch of government that "operates like a business", in other words, that DICTATES Congress and the courts what to do, rather than being faithful to the US Constitution and therefore EXECUTIVE the bills passed by Congress and the rulings coming from independent courts.
None of this is about revenge. Fascism isn't about revenge. It's about the domination of a handful of people who vitally need to be able to believe that they're superior to everyone else.
Destroying America's healthcare is a means to that end. Neofascists learned from the first generation of fascism that huge economic turmoil is good for them. It reduces people's ability to think and act rationally, and it makes them WANT "strongmen". That's why they use an axe to all spending of American taxpayer money that benefits the 99%.
I know these words are well familiar here, but so often Lincoln nailed it:
"They are the arguments that kings have made for enslaving the people in all ages of the world. You will find that all the arguments in favor of king-craft were of this class; they always bestrode the necks of the people, not that they wanted to do it, but because the people were better off for being ridden. That is their argument, and this argument of the Judge is the same old serpent that says you work and I eat, you toil and I will enjoy the fruits of it. "
Nope everybody should vote, but it would be better if everybody was educated to know what they were voting for and not voting for blue or red. Alas, anyone that votes for a party is exactly as I described ignorant morons who don’t want to know what the hell they’re voting for they’re only voting for theory and history.
Right, and your federal income tax dollars, and mine, are being used to exact this revenge. And then the Project 2025 "Republicans" claim that SNAP benefits, health subsidies, and public-safety agencies need to be killed to save money.
What bull...
Short term, revenge focused, and sticking their fingers in the dyke. All characterize Mike Johnson's actions in denying an extension of the ACA tax credits and the smothering of useful information on the Epstein depravities. I hope the 2026 elections prove corrective.
I'm reminded of the 3 varieties of untrue statements of fact. First are "white lies". These are caused by a faulty memory or a misunderstanding of the impact of this statement of fact of the impact Then in ascending untrulfullness is the "black lie" which is an attempt to deny any responsibility for this assertion! The most destructive variety is the "political lie"; which is an attempt to deny all responsibility for this very harmful legislative act. By the time most of our population in the USA has graduated from "middle school" we all understand the importance of truthfulness. Politicians practice enormously careful speech to deny implications of any negative impacts from their assertions of fact. That's why political lies are often portrayed as "Damed Lies"!!
It worse than that. Apart from claiming down is up, political lies like racism, sexism, smears of whole cultures enable many horrors; witch hunts, wars, subjugation, genocide, etc. Arguably there are some lies that do little harm and may even be a kindness, but in general telling, acknowledging and responding to the truth, whatever it may be, and to the best of our knowledge, is the best policy; for establishing trust and optimal outcomes in both society and intimate relationships. What portion of avoidable human suffering is created and/or facilitated by liars and lies?
Thank you, Xplisset, for this excellent summary. It’s crystal clear. Yet, what is being done to stop this rampage?
Exactly so, X. "...revenge as governance." That is all he does.
You should be on a different sub stack, blaming Barack Hussein Obama. He wrote it. He signed it into law he put in the condition of the subsidies dying being eliminated this year. No one else you can blame Pal.
Twelve states pay more to the federal government than they get back, in essence subsidizing the other 38 welfare states. Most of those 12 states are blue. If they kept their revenues for themselves, then the people in the red states would experience the natural consequences of their actions.
Thank you, as always, Professor Richardson.
And my normal -
Reality truly is unbelievable sometimes. The new plaques are petty and disgraceful. We deserve better. Demand accountability.
Use/share this spreadsheet (bit.ly/Nokings) as a resource to contact members of Congress, the Cabinet and news organizations. Call. Write. Email. Protest. Unrelentingly.
Reach out (beyond your own) to as many in the Senate and House as you can. All of this is bigger than “I only represent my constituents” issues.
Add a comment to help keep this bumped ✊ New eyes seeing this means new ripples for change! 🤞
The plaques are actually comic relief. "Here's my BEE-YUTIFUL picture where I look like Grumpy Cat fobbing myself off as Winston Churchill" and here's that "mean, old, black man's with his LOSER smile, and here's...."
By the time they're five, most tots have learnt how to share their toys and play nicely in the sandbox with the other children. Not so, with our little brat-in-chief....
The plaques are the equivalent of a 6 year-old calling someone "poopy-head"!
As always, Trumps' desicable, juvenile, mean-spirited remarks are a true reflection of him and have nothing to do with the people they reference. Projection is his stock in trade.
I can’t stop chuckling here at 6 am trying not to wake my husband up! Thanks!
How many tax dollars were spent on this tantrum?
This is so accurate 🤣
Trump showed himself up for his pettiness and immaturity here.
And his cultists cheer on him for that.
I know. They are as petty and immature as Trump himself.
And ignorance of rules of English I learned in 4th grade.
Thank you Megan. Time for me to use your resource.
Thanks Megan. ‘Another day in Trump world, another day of lies, chaos, and corruption’. Please keep up your work of asking US citizens to contact their representatives to argue for better government. Yours, in regard, Anthony (UK).
Thank you Anthony. I’ll keep sharing and encouraging others!
Thanks as always for this!
You’re welcome! Thanks for being aware and active!
Typical, Joanne, that you -- who won't question our schools -- celebrate this Megan who never -- never -- has any conversation with anyone outside her spread sheet silo.
Megan is a mother and an elementary school teacher. I imagine she has more than a few conversations "outside her spread sheet silo."
Megan is one of my heroes. She has given us a tool for democracy. We could be sitting around posting mean thoughts, or we could be calling our representatives. I have used her information to get my 6 phone numbers. Thank you, Megan!! We let our reps know we are not asleep, not afraid.
Thank you Anne B, MLMinET, and Ally House. I am one who recognizes that when I finish reading the HCR Letter, there is so much more insightful good reading ahead in the comments. Writing does not come easily for me, so I am not going to be a set of initials that you recognize. But I look forward to reading what the rest of you add, with your differing perspectives and skills. I appreciate that Megan offers the spreadsheet regularly. I always enjoy Phil’s excellent way of expressing a piece of his mind. Today, though, his take on Megan’s comment seemed to put a little tarnish on my highly polished esteem for him. I hate that.
Thank you. So much.
Of course, Megan. You do something that I couldn't do. I couldn't make a spreadsheet, and I am so grateful. We all do our part. (Sounds like democracy, right?) :)
And equally important, you are positive. A steady diet of handwringing is just what the autocrats want. Thank you, thank you.
A friend of mine went hiking in Italy and came across a group of men sitting at a table laden with food and wine. They were partisans from WWll, having a reunion, celebrating all that they risked and worked for. All for democracy. I think of such celebrations 50 years from now.
Hug your kids, give yourself a hug, give yourself a rest. We are getting this done. All is well. Thank you.
Of course, Anne, no one doubts its utility.
But utility delimits the entire scope of transactional beings such as Donald (who has children, as you say does Megan).
I don't stay on Heather's site for only utility, Anne. I treasure many, many human voices across the U.S., across the world also here. I often salute them for their human decency, humanly sympathetic insights. That's on one side of the ledger which on the other side has so many of our otherwise neutered pushing only their #-of-"likes" & other transactional-only agendas.
Phil, lay off. It’s not like you. Not everyone who posts needs to be an established essayist. She’s done us a service by compiling this information.
Thank you 💜
Phil, I think you are missing Megan's intent; she wants her lists available to more people, not inflating her ego as some posters seem to want to do.
Personally, I find that your posts contain a viewpoint that is crucial to share and to make people aware of. So do Megan's post of her contact lists.
Thank you Ally. I do really just want to empower others that they can do something beyond feeling emotionally drained with doom scrolling (which I hear from many).
I'm curious, what's the issue with Megan?
After a careful reading of comments from another Reader, I think that his opinion is that Megan is "like farming" rather than encouraging people to keep her post near the "top" of the comments (the default for Substack's "way" of prioritizing "top" comments).
I read comments chronologically (as I suspect few of readers here do) and she's always at or near the top chronologically.
I do the same (chronologically, oldest first) sometimes, usually when I can't read them earlier in the day. I also found it advantageous to read newest first if diving into the middle of many comments that are coming in later in the day.
That explains it, thanks.
Thank you, I had no idea some people felt that way. I will continue what I’m doing because the more responses I see my thought is “I wonder how many new people saw the spreadsheet.”
I also had to look up what “like farming” meant 🤣
Definitely not what I’m doing (and I know you know that, but to others if they read this). I don’t receive and don’t plan to ask for any money for the spreadsheet. I actually pay to comment it places in order to help spread awareness of it being easier than it seems to be to speak up. I also go through and check the links (only a couple a day due to the time I have) I’ve put on the spreadsheet in order to make sure they’re still valid links.
I do hate feeling like I’m spamming posts but remind myself my intention is to help people feel like they can do something right now because our voices as a collective are so important.
Megan, I did not see your usual post today (the December 18 post on Thomas Paine). Please keep posting it. It is valuable and helpful information, and I am pretty sure there are both new subscribers daily, and non subscribers who read this Letter daily but never can comment.
This makes sense. Thank you, Ally.
She wants "likes" for herself, Gary. Has no desire for human communication.
This is the same mindset as the superiority conceits elites develop for themselves from standardized testing. Just get more points for oneself, and thus elevate oneself more above all others, with whom one otherwise never has any communication.
Please do not speak for me Phil, or make assumptions about why I do what I do when you don’t know me. Your assumption is so far off my why.
I’d be lying if I said the likes didn’t boost that sense of self worth, but I have zero interest in a giant following - I don’t like that attention. I put the comment about responding to the comment because I want to help. When I see people responding/reacting, it makes me hope that more people will be seeing a resource and hopefully makes a difference. I was frustrated back in February not knowing what I could do as one person and started organizing contact information in order to speak up myself. Then I realized what I was creating could help others because rather than the information being on 500+ government sites, it could be in one place.
I am fully tapped out and exhausted. My to do list seems never ending between my family and classroom and I know for my own mental health, posting my spreadsheet and encouraging others to speak up is what I can do to still make a difference right now.
Of course you are tired. You have kids and work a demanding job. And you do this spreadsheet. I remember the days when I had kids and a job. I'm 73, and I have never in my life had a time when I worked so hard. I loved what I did, but I fell asleep before my head hit the pillow, and sometimes I had my clothes on, sometimes even my shoes.
Ignore Phil. I have appreciated his call for humanities in school, but he's just trying to get in a fight here.
I am thankful others have chimed in to support me. Anne B is right, I am a mom of a 2 year old and 4 year old and an elementary school teacher. My time on social media platforms is much better spent (in my opinion) sharing the spreadsheet to help others speak up than have a back and forth conversation. I am not on enough to keep up with comments and often will skim to see if anyone needs help with accessing it, has a question on how to use it, or give thanks for being politically active because it’s way easier to sit back and ignore. But once I skim comments, I get off and am present with my kids since their dad’s home with them during the day and I miss that time with them.
And if you think I never have conversations, then you’ve missed many, many comments on here, Facebook and BlueSky where I also post my sheet.
Thank you, Megan. You speak well for yourself and your service here.
And many, many fine people well appreciate your service.
I see, a bit above here, one of yours to me which I never got. You speak well and kindly, humanly fine in that, too, which I'd not gotten. So thank you belatedly for that, too.
I just don’t have time to keep up with conversations and while I feel bad about that, I really do try to respond to direct things to me, and skim through the rest due to not being on my phone too much around my kids (and not at school). Yay for winter break now though! 😊
Good to hear from you, Megan.
And Merry Christmas -- best wishes for any and all holidays you and your family may celebrate.
I do get the sense that the Trump team had a tremendously good time making those plaques. They also seem to not be having a good time with anything else. Our job is to keep their misery expanding, however we can.
This is an incredible resource! Thank you!
You’re welcome! Thanks for being aware and active!
Thank You, Megan!
Thank you!
You’re welcome! Thanks for speaking up right now!
Thank you for staying persistent Megan and keeping this in front of us.
Thank you, Megan. I continue to be grateful to you.
Thank you again , Megan, for your advocacy!
Thank you, as always, Megan Rothery.
Thank you, Megan.
Thanks, as always, Megan for this useful tool that helps some of us broaden our reach of contacting members of congress, regardless of what some other Readers may think.
Thank you again Megan
Ripples tell us things, so says The Grateful Dead
So what was the point of the speech? He spews hate and grievances 24/7, so why bother with a national address?
And don’t get me started on the portrait hall… I wish I could hide under a rock somewhere. I’m so embarrassed by this image of America.
Speech? I read somewhere that it was suggested (by Susie Wiles?) as a form of contact with the American people. He sounded weary and angry, read the whole thing fast and loudly. Plaques? I don't know whose idea that was. It's so juvenile that it was probably his, and his little Kanary Bird said she thought he had written most of them himself. Which is entirely believable. Another boat blown up. This is not only a vulgarian but a killer.
The plaques apparently were put up before the "dedication" on Nov 5, and reading the one under his own portrait with the capitalizations and utter lies look very much like his social posts, and was so long-winded that it was split over TWO plaques underneath.
ALSO - apparently he also had Biden's portrait removed and replaced with a photo of the autopen.
Tiny hands, tiny mind, microscopic heart (if there even is one in that repulsive subhuman creature).
Sounds like the Grinch. If Trump had a dog, he would likely treat it like the Grinch treats his dog.
The dog might retaliate, like the live eagle in the failed photo op a few years ago...
Hello Anne-Louise.... Once Again DJT Demonstrates that DJT is Tacky, and Petty... As Susie Wiles. an Enabler, stated, there is no Restraints on this Out-Of-Control 79yo Baby...
Spot on!
I caught the morning re-caps of "the Speech" It made me think back to the Spanish-American War of 1898. The spark was the explosion onboard USS Maine that got Pres McKinley all liquored up to go to war (Back then it really was the called the War Department). Then all I could think of was a USS COLE (DDG-67) style attack on one of the warship in the Caribbean then trump & kegsbreath are off to the races. BTW... many Naval engineers smarter than me including ADM H. Rickover have stated USS Maine was the victim of a massive steam boiler explosion, not a mine.
If anyone is wondering whether they should bother with a match report of those 20 minutes, Rick Wilson's analysis is what every sufferer of TDS (like me) deserves to enjoy.
https://open.substack.com/pub/therickwilson/p/what-the-hell-was-that-speech?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&shareImageVariant=overlay&r=gfzoo
Good one! Thank you, Sandra.
I hope other nations can see that this is an attempted coup. This is malware feeding on security holes in the Constitution who probably could not imagine such an Orwellian scene could slip by their safeguards and public will, though they knew in abstract the threat would be there. There is no constitutional authority for a dictatorship, and the "justices" that enable it were hired to be saboteurs.
All six of the Republican Supremes were raised Catholic. May they spend eternal life in purgatory and then hell.
Can they stay in some some realms of Dante’s Inferno for awhile to get the full experience on their plunge to the depths of Hell.. Just a thought
so that's two eternities, then? do not pass go, collect 200 dollars or go to Disneyland? if they can't go to Disneyland, what's the point of dying then? so if they're going to live forever is that THREE eternities?
"Attempted"?
Indeed, “attempted”? I’d say the fascist orange nazi regime is solid in place.
Can we have more massive No Kings rallies, as in every Saturday with hot chocolate in cold weather (like British mariners on the Murmansk run) and picnics in summer, supporting small restauranteurs? And special
treatment for any location where Gregory Bovino is? (Learned last night that he’s back in Chicago with Blackhawks—heard them too.)
hey mike...is Maduro who they named madurodam after?
(just kidding)(i've passed it countless times to and from Scheveningen)(and don't shoot me...i CAN pronounce it).
I WAS WONDERING THE EXACT SAME THING :D :D :D
yeah. and?
this is non maga America's 'deer in the headlights' moment...and, unless you folks find ways to organize and dismantle/monkey wrench that machine, you're going to have to learn to live with it...hard times like this require actions...or...you all can just describe and complain for all the good you think it will do you...
". . . the 'justices' that . . . were hired to be sabateurs," J L? Or "schooled to be saboteurs"?
I am so disappointed in the speech. There was only one thing I really wanted Trump to explain to me, and he didn't
How Venezuelan "narco-terrorists" killing millions of Americans with fentanyl, turned out to be transporting cocaine to Suriname, after having stolen all the Venezuelan oil that belonged to us that Trump was stealing back by pirating oil tankers when what Suzie said was really about getting rid of Maduro, by promising to start a ground war in a war that wasn't a war but a military action depending on whether you wanted the people who you killed to be victims of a war crime or murdered.
Surely you speak metaphorically. You weren't disappointed, you were horrified. You were aghast, when you thought you could no longer be aghast. You had the same reactions you did when you read what that sadistic piece of deranged shit said about Rob Reiner. But I'm certain you didn't tune into Benito Metamucilini to hear anything about an "explanation."
No, I was disappointed.
I really did want an explanation of why the largest armada in South American history was assembled to enforce a new corollary to the "Monroe Doctrine" as the start of America's domination of its "sphere of influence," after consulting with the big oil companies that had been kicked out.
I think any member of Congress who respected the separation of powers was also disappointed about America being on the verge of a new war without being consulted by the self-declared "peace" president.
And I hated the $1776 military bonus, which is a cheap distraction to hide the fact that we are putting our military at risk.
I am sure Heather could write a long piece on how the original Monroe Doctrine was meant to prevent further European colonization in the Western Hemisphere, whereas the NSS corollary seems to be about the US becoming the new 21st-century colonizer.
I admit I was being snarky about the events that have brought us to this point. It seemed appropriate to the insanity of the logic, but perhaps not so much, in retrospect, to the appropriateness.
My tv is broken. Yay!
Lucky you, Gail!!!!
🤣 Truly!
Kegseth and Trump would be totally stupid to invade Venezuela. I don’t like Maduro, but Venezuelans will have to take his government down themselves.
They're NOT totally stupid? /s
Consummately stupid, Gary!
I hope this clarifies the position.
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/I-2r-qJcxKc
Oh it soooooooo does.
Hysterical but still too close to being true…
That. Is. Gold.
I don't think Trump, et. al. care about drug traffickers (though I do wonder why those boats keep going out), as evidenced by the pardon of Hernandez, or about regime change in Venezuela, as evidenced by a total lack of cooperation with the opposition there (SHE got a Peace Prize, I DIDN'T!). They are cynically using it as a way to cover the BIG GRIFT. It's working - who's talking about the Epstein Files now? Anyone on this forum? Who's talking about health insurance premiums, or the assault on women, immigrants, science, cutting funding to Blue states, etc?
We are all bandwidth limited. I am only writing about Ukraine in my substack right now because that is all I can cover and I have skin in the game. And I write comments on Heather because the discussion is always interesting. I did write a comment about Epstein today, and about ACA, but more about Mike Johnson and his powers as Speaker.
I wish Substack let you search keywords in the comments on posts or let you tag things. I finally realized you can just see replies under activity, so you can keep track of the thread but I really wish it would take you back directly to the prior comment instead of making you scroll until you find the greyed one to pick up the thread. By about 8:30 am ET it’s too hard to follow and I give up.
Speech? Was there a speech? You mean the previous one where he spotted a woman in the front row who suddenly reminded him of his sexual attraction to his own daughter, and then interrupted whatever dribbling chickenshit he was spewing to rant and ramble about that? "Did anybody ever tell you, you look like Ivanka?" (Whoever suggested he give that sure wasn't his friend...)
One day soon, an exhausted, angry, sleepless old man will suddenly wander into the White House briefing room clad only in his Depends. Waiting with baited breath to hear Karoline Spokesbarbie 'splain that one to us.
I can't remember which late night host played that Ivanka part of the speech, but it was so cringe-inducing.
". . . cringe-inducing," Ann?
Any more cringe-inducing than the photos we've all seen of dad caressing the girl's teen hips? Than the photos we've not seen (but biographer Michael Wolff has) of same Donald, same era, caressing hips of the many topless teens his pals Jeffrey and Ghislaine trafficked to him?
The Hungarian mathematician Paul Erdos once said that the first sign of senility was forgetting equations and theorems, the second sign was forgetting to zip up and the final sign was forgetting to zip down. So in Trump-speak perhaps 'THE BEST IS YET TO COME'.
How many equations do weneed to forget to be considered senile?
I'm at the point I'd like to go back to 1682 and tell Peter Klebber not to bother coming over.
MAD magazine worthy
The plaque for his first presidency (he gets two entries, of course) notes that he created "he Greatest Economy in the History of the World" which casts some doubt on similar claims he has made more recently about the US economy, although it concludes with the words “THE BEST IS YET TO COME.”
His National Address made no more sense than his snake-themed Christmas message in which he said Peru "is known to be a rather rough place in terms of physical creatures crawling around.”
The speech is right-wing propaganda, filled with fake facts and made-up statistics, hoping the rubes will believe the lies like they always have.
Claiming that Democrats are calling for raising insurance rates and are responsible for doubling those costs is insane, yet the rubes will believe it.
Once again, it is not trump alone that has brought us to this calamity, it is an evil cabal of right-wingers, ultra-rich Oligarchs and delusional white evangelical christian nationalists who are a minority of our population but are willing to commit any crime to force their will on the majority in the form of government. Would it surprise anyone if the Supreme Court ruled that the president has a right to use federal tax money to benefit only Republican states and cities? The fact that almost everyone only mentions trump when discussing all the catastrophic actions delivered by the Republicans, who have empowered trump by not opposing these actions in any way, and voting for the one big dispicable bill, is very alarming. When will you wake up?
The medium is the massage. Trump can force the three major broadcast networks to give him prime air time pretty much any time he wants fir any reason or no reason at all. Perhaps it was a drill.
Aside from that no point but maybe the message is subliminal. He blinked. Tucker Carlson was expecting that he woukd announce attacks on Venezuela had begun. So did I. He is creating those expectations. But he did not. Perhaps the question is why not ? Just that yesterday morning he issued a social media screed that amounted to a declaration of war that said he has finally decided to "take back what is ours", explicitly mentioning land, property and oil. Let's leave aside the question of what he was talking about. The implication is that he will order an invasion of Venezuela. But he did not announce that last night. So what gives ?
Maybe the Joint Chiefs baulked. Cause here is the problem: How do you bring a country to its knees that is already on its knees ? A corollary to the question concerning Johnson's bombing campaign against North Vietnam. But for whatever reason, he blinked. He did not say a thing about Venenuela it seems .
Maybe the other point was simply to express anger and frustration, for that he did. And to display aggressive intentions. For that he did. And maybe these are all related. In front of cameras. To an empty room. In the White House. With a leafy backdrop behind him. Could the point have been to say "NO ONE IS LISTENING TO ME !" ? Could it have been to demand attention? Could it have been a preemptive informational countrroffensive against more bad news like say what everyone is waiting for with baited breathe, the release of the Epstein files ? Or did his handlers just decide they had to let him take to the airways to blow off steam ?
Declaring sanctions against Venezuela and shipping interests that handle its oil, then using that as an excuse for going to war is a sort of bootstrapping maneuver. But anything g works for a totalitarian leader, as Susie Wiles says Trump thinks he is. That is a highly combustible mixture. Maybe Putin wants to see him follow through. But it is hard for Trump to profit by attacking Venezuela. Note that that theft of oil has replaced drug smuggling as the excuse. So it seems he will lay siege to in instead and hope for the best.
Pretty much all of the tankers serving Petroleos de Venezuela, S A now are fly by night because of US sanctions against them or the countries they do business with. And they are now either bottled up in Lake Maracaibo or have turned around at sea as a result of Trump's declaration of war on them and Venezuela. So Venezuelans are now starving to death. And oil prices are sure to rise. But Maduro is still in his presidential palace. He's not going anywhere. Putin is losing. The Epstein files are due out. And Trump is saying "I don't get no respect !".
Very well. Let them hate us. But let them fear us.
For a few moments forget about the scumbags running our country. Instead, be inspired! Oregon residents protested mightily in Newport on December 13 against what appears to be a planned ICE detention center there - "ICE Has No Business Here!". Enjoy this video of people demonstrating for democracy, decency, and community! Worth watching. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zenhc1rW0zg -- and frog buttons, too.
Thank You, Laurie. Shared.
It’s a wonderful story. Rachel Maddow did it on MSNBC (become)MSNOW.
Thank you for sharing. It’s important to see this every day.
That is amazing. I had gigs that day and could not head over to the coast. I did attend our "Monday Pop-up Protest" with my "USCG Yes, ICE No" sign (with small letters reading "RIP Rogue Brewery") at the bottom.
An incredible day for the history books documenting the destruction of our democracy.
And Heather did not even get to Trump's speech...
Or to the Pulitzer Prize Board’s request for Trump’s financial, physical, and mental health records as they defend against his lawsuit over their awarding the NYT A Pulitzer for the Russian interference articles. Jack Smith’s testimony, twice verified. Their position is that this info is necessary to assess his claims for damages. No kidding...
It’s just so delicious that an organization devoted to journalistic standards is showing why he fears a truly independent press. See, folks, it’s not that hard…
Agreed. That is a beautiful, uplifting thought on a truly brutal day.
It wasn't a speech. It was a "get off my lawn!" rant by a crazy old man.
Ha! Brilliant. I heard it was short, and apparently, from many sources, loud.I don’t think they can prop him up very long. They just tell him he’s in Anytown, PA and to give a campaign speech - maybe that’s why he’s yelling. Oh and I heard he’s still whining about Biden. Yawn. Also: Jack Smith a crook? Jack Smith is a million times the man any of those Trump toadies will ever be…and what he said today convinces me without a doubt the election was rigged. Because Jack Smith was going to put Trump in prison. And Trump knew it so he called Elon for a little favor.
You mean the last election when the DNC didn’t even bother to validate the results given the shenanigans in 2020? smh
And then Ghislaine Maxwell asked a Manhattan judge to throw out her prison sentence because she had been denied a fair trial. The judge is Paul A. Engelmayer, an Obama appointee.
At the very least, this gives Congressional Republicans on the Committee a slim excuse to argue to delay the release of the files until the judge rules on Maxwell's petition. That could get Trump past Christmas. Every day of delay is a good day in Trumpworld.
If the judge agrees she deserves a new trial, DOJ would have to decide whether to prosecute her. They could decide not to because too much publicity would not allow her to get a fair trial, or a new trial would be a waste of department resources.
And while DOJ was deciding, there would be issues that had to be resolved about whether the Epstein files could be released...
Amazing timing...
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/17/nyregion/ghislaine-maxwell-prison-jeffrey-epstein.html
I don’t think this judge will give Ms. Maxwell what she wants.
Neither do I but tomorrow is the deadline delivery day for the files.
A bipartisan group of Senators asked for briefing from Bondi on a status and plan for delivery of the documents not later than Friday December 5. Bondi did not provide a briefing so Senators Merkeley and Lujan are blocking confirmations in the Senate.
That makes me believe that even a day’s delay might be crucial because today is the last legislative day in the House and the last legislative day in the year is tomorrow for the Senate in the year.
Bondi will do whatever Trump tells her. You are correct about the issues with the delays.
I suddenly saw this "speech" -- apologies for being obtuse earlier. I guess the positioning of Grumpy Cat trying to fob himself off as Winston Churchill between two Christmas trees was supposed to fill my mind with thoughts of sugar plums, rather than f-bombs.
Didn't work.
Let’s hope that Jack Smith’s closed door testimony today is leaked. If Jamie Raskin calls it devastating, it must be pretty bad!
Two things come to mind: First , the petty attacks on political enemies. We knew it would happen. But how much juice is there? Will he be able to lock Mark Kelly in the tower? Behead the governor of Illinois or Colorado?
Or is this mostly performative?
Unless the oligarchs want it done I would say it’s the latter.
Second, as to the unbelievably wrongheaded dismantling of four weather and climate infrastructure— these denialists know damn well that climate disruption is real. They simply don’t care.
Maybe they figure they will be on Mars by the time it gets really bad.
I live in the foothills west of Denver. At 10am this morning Xcel Energy enacted a planned public safety shutoff due low humidity/high temp/high wind events. Winds clocked today 90+ mph across the foothills area. No indication from Xcel on restoration expectations, but, another shutoff is being discussed leaving many of us without power for 3 days.
Only a complete idiot denies climate change - oh wait - that perfectly describes the felon and his enablers.
If this weather system is moving east, batten down the hatches. We had an incredible event of rain and wind that closed several major e/w highways and closed multiple schools due to downed trees and powerlines.
Your rain and flooding was so hard to watch and read about - so many people displaced. Be well and safe💙
We’re looking at some (much needed!!) rain on Sat and hopefully snow in the high country. Our Fall weather this year has been wrong wrong wrong all over the State.
We are getting hot harder in the Seattle area than I can remember . Floods
I don't know what they think their life will be like if society unravels. I'd expect equities to tank. I know that they tell themselves that they can do anything because of money, but in the end we really all are in the same cosmic boat. Mars is a real hell-hole compared to the harshest environments on earth. It might be fun to explore, but I wouldn't want to live there.
I keep remembering what I’ve read-not one of these guys (P2025) has lived in a time when there weren’t govt agencies and programs to help people. They really have no idea what it’s like to be without them and vastly underestimate the power and drive of people who have nothing.
I keep visualizing Helena Bonham-Carter as the bubble-headed Red Queen in 'Alice in Wonderland,' going "off with his head!" every few seconds, wondering what, if anything, is passing through the minds of his handlers and scalawags during those mental fartstorms.
One day the scalawags will have to explain their investigations of "prosecutorial misconduct" --- you know, anything that doesn't lead to the immediate exoneration of Donald Trump despite a trail of illegalities, perfidies, acts of grand corruption, violations of the Emoluments Clause, the National Historical Preservation Act, the War Powers Act, and the Constitution's Article I giving Congress sole power over the nation's purse strings.
Some might get preemptive pardons, but many of the bastards will pay for their behavior. They'll be forced to testify before a hushed, but open courtroom with cameras as to why they went along with breaking every law, moral code and act of legal restraint our own Constitution imposes on all officials. In 1945-46, ousted German officials were forced to do just that. Well worth recalling their testimony today:
https://www.americanrhetoric.com/MovieSpeeches/moviespeechjudgmentatnuremberg1.html.
"Mental Fartstorms" made me laugh and startle the cats (both of whom dug claws into me.)
No, they will probably all write books about their time in the White House just as others did during and after his first term as president.
Think what life was like in the old days when kings like Henry the 8th could get away with these things.
Hello Kristin... During the Reign of Henry the 8th, Life was Short, and Brutal....
Just for the sake of historical accuracy ,and I don’t want to be a complete pain , but (and this is historian HCR’s piece), you are actually conflating too historical eras. Henry VIII reigned from 1509 to 1547. His legacy is breaking away from the Catholic Church ( piggy backing on Martin Luther’s ‘Reformation’) to secure his much wanted male heir , which necessitated divorce from his first wife. Divorce was not allowed by the Catholic Church. He went on to reign for 38 years, declared himself ‘Head of the Church’ (of England) but never did produce a surviving male heir. He did get through 6 wives…..two of whom he executed at the block. His merrie subjects carried on with their lives…..yes, relatively short ones by our standards.
The phrase “ …life was nasty, brutish and short..” comes from the book ‘Leviathan’ by Thomas Hobbes written in 1651, where he argued that society needed strong structure and governance. HIs ideas went on to shape Western thinking , and still do.
I don’t suppose Trump is at all interested in this sort of stuff. But , eventually, the history books will be interested in him. And epitaphs will be phrased…
Meanwhile the big issue over this side is the impending EU decision on using the frozen Russian assets to assist Ukraine. Belgium (ffs !) still holding out against. If it goes ahead, this will be the first serious break with the new US Foreign policy, as set out in the very recent US National Security Strategy, where Putin is the ally and Europe faces ‘civilizational erasure’.
Here endeth the lecture…
I missed the evening speech……can someone give me a quick thumbnail sketch?
Sure, you didn't 'miss' anything.
The same ole song sung over again, it's all Biden's and the Democrats' fault, "I'm the greatest president this country has ever had" [yup, he said that].
That was pretty much it.
Oh, he's giving every member of the military a check for $1,776. This will apparently endear them to him in case he should ask them to risk their lives invading Venezuela.
Don’t bother, Mr. Vernon-Hunt. It’s a waste of your time. Enjoyed details of your post. Brought up in the Episcopal church, I knew the broad outline from childhood. Always glad to add more details.
🍊💩 (I tried to find a mouth like my phone has, but it was only lips on my laptop. Apple does have better emoticons.)
Hello Annabel... The Oligarchs, the Dark Siths, are busy buying Prime Real-Estate Globally, building Survival-Bunkers, and preparing to Sail to on their Private Yachts...
Mercy, I hope Jack Smith has some seriously good security.
He doesn’t need any more security than he’s needed up until now. He’ll get the same security that every henchman gets.
Oh, go back to sleep Richy. You make as much sense as a drunk mongoose.
By the way, Leslie, I don’t know how a drunk mongoose could make sense but as for me don’t drink don’t smoke don’t take drugs never have never will
But I make the kind of sense that you can’t stand, factual, contemporary real
And all you do is deviate hate well attempting to discredit anyone who disagrees with you or the group here but unfortunately, the facts are gonna come into play and reality will hit you very soon. Actually it’ll hit you a little bit when you get your first Social Security check next year.
🙄
You don’t drink or use drugs? Hmmm… so your ranting can not be attributed to substance abuse.. interesting..
Could be a form of mild schizophrenia.
Leslie unlike you fools were you pretend that Heather is your dream person which is not but she’s got you by the short hairs I don’t have a dream person. I have the results of an individuals, actions, and how they might impact me and another Americans that’s it that’s where it stays. Jack followed the law.? Well that’s an interesting assumption but it’s also in the real world Leslie where you no longer reside ancient history and meaningless in today’s world. And you do know that many of Jack’s people refuse to answer questions which doesn’t look good and you also do know that at least currently the Republicans are in charge so Jack’s future might be imperil as well just like I mentioned above the likes of general Flynn, Steve Bannon. And Roger Stone.
Let me proffer a question to you. What do you think would be the worst outcome for Trump based on anything that Jack smith says? More hope of the hopeless.
And here I thought epstein was your hero or the Russia hoax was your hero or Hunter’s laptop? Was your hero or the government shut down was your hero?
Where the east ballroom was your hero? Or the drug boatswere hero
I just wish you would make up your mind on how badly you wanna continue to lose instead of supporting the president in America while he continues to improve the lives of everybody here
Gotta hand it to you, that’s some grand delusion.
Do you idiots ever get tired, proclaiming something negative with nothing behind it? Nothing but emptiness and hate. Gotta Hand it to you. And you’re very good at it. Try facts instead of emotion.
If That was your high school debate presentation… you would lose by default.
🙄
https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/armstrong-tariffs-trump-jobs-9.7019960
Give this a read Mensa Guy..
Just read it. Nobody and I mean nobody not. One president has ever been able to move as quickly on major issues as Donald Trump, including incredibly what Obama Mallorca AOC and Biden thought it would take years and leg legislation. Trump did in less than two months closed the entire border. You know the Roman empire was around like 1100 years. Trump has been in office 10 months and it’s accomplished more in those 10 months than any president the last four decades. Guess you didn’t hear the readings today on inflation. ?
Oooops … it took Obama almost 8 years to fuck up, but if Biden was able to do it and only four. Trump’s policies haven’t even taken affect now so if you wanna be an idiot and unrealistic, please be my guest.
🙄
You're right. Rick. Trump is one who is going to need protection after Smith's withering condemnation of him. Is that why he's building a massive bunker under his ballroom?
https://apnews.com/article/trump-white-house-ballroom-national-security-de9756118bbfca8f40af9cf89db6af5b
🙄
Hey, do me a favor tell the British moron up above here that once this bunker is built and Trump leaves Office everybody will use it for hundreds of years. These guys hate so much. They get dumber with every word that comes out of their mouth. So instead of hosting kings and queens and International dignitaries and a tent on the lawn in the White House, they’ll actually be in a professionally built building with extra features for future presidents to be able to use. And it’s not costing the tax break or anything versus Obama’s last remodel was $400,000.
I REALLY hope Rep. Ruskin and others hold actual public hearings where Jack Smith can speak (under oath) about the cases. The GQP slimewads will whine and boycott these hearings, but that will be great since it will prevent their typical bloviating and grandstanding.
I get the sense that Jack Smith is a real straight arrow. Smart and street smart. His take would be most welcome.
Also highly professional, an endangered species in DC.
JL you completely missed the purpose of the government while professional would be nice. Policies and laws are much more important to an act. That’s their job if professionalism comes along the way, let’s talk about people like Jasmine Crockett or John Federman or AOC for that matter or al green
To enact
See this is the kind of stuff joy that you hop on that is meaningless absolutely meaningless….TODAY! A concept that most of you don’t even have in your head
And it is problematic as well… as Jack Smith potentially could still be in some problem as well as the team that has refused to answer questions so stay tuned
So let me put you to the test let’s see how you can answer this simple question
What could possibly come from the investigation at the Jack Smiths body of work?
Four of his assistance could be and because the Republicans hold sway right now they could pursue like Biden pursued the likes of General Flynn , Steve Bannon,
And Roger Stone but to name a few … I can answer the question for you if you like
DEAD AND BURIED Just like any other the stories you tried to hoist upon Trump shoulders that turned out to fail, embarrassingly enough
Oh look, the dumbest fuck on Substack came back to show us how dumb the other species of hairless biped - the one lacking frontal lobes and opposable thumbs - really is.
You can always tell when the MAGAites are nervous because that is when ass clown always appears.
Maybe that’s why Biden disappeared. First Mr. Panthers or Mrs. Panthers you have to point out what we might be nervous about.?
And right now that would be pretty much not a damn thing
We would certainly like to see the left come to his senses though that would that would be really good, but there’s probably not a prayer but someday not too long in the distant future people here are gonna wake up and go. You know Donald Trump did a pretty damn good job. I don’t know why I hated him so much. It was pretty much emotional And I should’ve probably looked outside my own sphere of friends find that there’s 100 million people now that will really like his policies by the time the midterms turn around. Oh, and by the way, you’ll check out some of the surveys done right now Donald Trump’s favor ability rate is higher than Obama’s and bushes on the very same day of his second term office. January and 2026 might come as a surprise in a shock to many of you, but I hope you take advantage of it. It’ll be better for all of us.
🙄
Hey TC another child calling names very good Lovett. Keep them coming.
Hey, you forgot to mention the 140 IQ. And my invitation to attend,a Mensa meeting many years ago to see if I was interested and they were interested in me, but I didn’t get there by mistake. Oooops. Ps
You really need to get out of California. We live there for 30 years and even the people that still live there can’t stand it and that’s why they’re losing a half 1 million a year moving out, including many large corporate entities moving to Florida and Texas. What used to be the shining star of the US is now a shit hole full of tents, poverty, crime, and the inability to do business
And I love when people keep touting that California has the fourth or fifth largest economy in the world and that they can’t pay their bills and are running a huge deficit. I wonder why that is? Lmao.
We have many friends who have restaurants there and fast feeders who can no longer afford to stay in business. Not to mention I can’t wait to see if Newsome runs for president. You’re not gonna believe as much as you demean Trump Newsome is gonna be the star in a game of hangman by the Republican.
Haha.. Mensa meeting..
Are you sure it wasn’t “ The Loyal Order of Water Buffaloes “?
Ak Ak A Dak
Funny!
🙄
You are an idiot simply for believing that there is such a thing as general intelligence or that even if there were it could somehow be expressed as a single number.
You like to "lmao" when it is actually your HEAD that is being laughed off. Go back to sleep, Ricky. You are adding nothing to the conversation.
Try this one Leslie it’s a reflection of how kids grew up in the 70s versus how kids grow up today.
https://x.com/cecegkh/status/2001326511987802313?s=43
🙄
If it was 'dead and buried' then why are congressional Republicans so eager to interrogate him and behind closed doors? Why has Trump been forced to pardon everybody connected with his attempt to overturn the results of the 2020 election if nobody did anything wrong?
Hey Rick
As always, you're like a drunk guy in the grandstand who's team is losing over and over again and you're yelling at the refs claiming the problem is bad calls. You'll need a lot of beer to get through the next three years.
I don’t drink. BUT if I did it would be champagne celebrating this president and his administrations accomplishments
🙄
Reading this, especially the war on NCAR and science in general, reminded me of stories from history when members of a conquering army destroyed whole systems of scientific knowledge that they didn’t understand, and therefore liable blasphemy and “Devil’s work’. No conquering army necessarily needed - look what The Church did to Galileo. The ignorant always destroy what they don’t understand and humanity pays a heavy price for their ignorance.
The Dark Ages were created by the Church.
They were also only limited to Western Europe, and monks did keep works alive by script copying.
Many an evil deed done in the name of religion
And knowledge was saved by the Middle East.
So was the Inquisition, which didn't officially end until 1972,
So, according to this POTUS, blue-state taxpayers would pay federal taxes, and this administration plans to use that blue-state taxpayers’ money to help red states only??? How is that legal??? Or fair, for that matter???
His states are already the welfare cheats. If the Blue States left (something I thought I'd never be in favor of, but I am now, fuck the United States), Red America would sink into the swamp they so desperately want to become.
I'm voting for either "Cascadia" (Washington Oregon and California) or "Pacifica" (same but add Hawaii, if they don't want to reestablish themselves as a sovereign nation) as a new country or a Canadian Provence. I'd suggest something similar for the Northeast and the Upper Tier, should they want to play too.
We really need to seriously consider boycotting paying taxes next year.
Don't do it. You'll go to jail possibly prison for a lot longer than the Jan 6 folks and you won't get any pardon from Trump.
Yes they proudly said it out loud. I hope the blue governors get together and withhold our taxes to pay for our infrastructure projects. Or I hope a reasonable judge rules that they cannot legally withhold funds depending on a states voting preferences. That’s totally ridiculous.
Is NOT legal and the right way to fight it is in court. But withholding federal taxes will land US in jail we need to stop advocating that as it is ALSO illegal and one illegal act doesn't justify another. Hopefully your parents taught you "two wrongs don't make a right". That golden rule is still true.
I don't often post here & need your feedback. My post spoke to the unfairness and legality of using blue state taxpayers' monies for red states. I agree the courts are the right way to fight this. I didn't suggest withholding federal taxes, nor did not advocate it
Sorry about hitting reply before finishing my thought: ...nor did I advocate doing anything legal. Appreciate any insights you can offer.
Sorry that the intertwining of posts here can get confusing. You are absolutely correct that you didn't advocate withholding taxes but several other people did and that was who my comments were directed at.
Legal and political action are the best things we can all do along with rational peaceful protest. To impatient people it sounds boring and a waste of time but it's not. In this day and age it will likely take more time but still it can be very effective (it is already showing results in moving some moderate GOPers to working with Dems, which has been a long time coming. )
And most importantly it is legal. Sure there are still risks but it is much easier for a draconian administration to jail you if you really HAVE violated the law (such as withholding taxes) than if you are protesting legally. And if you do violate the law, then like it or not if they jail you THEY are right, not you. Even if your protest is totally righteous.
Thank you, Jon, for getting back to me so quickly. I appreciate your feedback and explanation. Yes, I saw some of those replies, too. I agree that the best way to advocate is via legal & political action plus peaceful protest. Cooler heads must prevail. And, yes, it's been good to see the crossover by some moderate GOPers. We are living in some very interesting times in the US today, and patience is not one of our stronger suits. Again, many thanks.
Thank you Professor. I don’t like to say this, but I’m beginning to understand the hatred towards this man and administration. And for that, forgive me everyone. Peace and love and truth. We will prevail. Happy holidays, everyone. Share what you have even if it’s ever so little to someone in need. That’s who we are. Americans.
We've now officially reached the blood-in-the-water stage of MAGA. Maybe not yet a come-to-Jesus moment where sinners fall on their knees begging forgiveness. More like sharks sniffing the sudden splash of fresh hemoglobin. Forcing yet a second discharge petition in the House (when in the country's past did two in a row suddenly become the new normal?), predators and opportunists are now showing us they've figured out the moment to strike is now.
There's never been such a weak House leader in our history. Coupled with new resignations, even the election of one or two new Democrats could now cost Republicans the House. I can't think when a party bled seats, power and influence like this even *before* the mid-terms delivered it to them officially. Coupled with the refusal of ruby-red Republicans in Indiana to gerrymander, with increasingly idiotic, easily disprovable assertions that Venezuela is only about drugs (Suzie "Trump" already disabused the country of that one), that the Ballroom is really about replacing security infrastructure "torn out" with the removal of the East Wing, and a hundred other small cuts bleeding into the ocean, the circling sharks signal the end is coming.
It may continue to get nuttier in the short-run, but ideologically, the Tower of Shit and Vengeance is falling down faster than they can patch it up. And with the end of healthcare subsidies (not just for those on Obamacare, but across the board, because what happens to one part of our healthcare system reverberates everywhere), next year for the GOP won't be a pretty one. Vergogna is about to become something they wished they never talked about.
It couldn't happen to a more deserving cabal of sadistic cowards...
Hey Mr. ignorant let me give you some real facts here from day one no matter what Trump did or any president did, including Obama as an example when a president comes into office and has in his possession so to speak both houses of Congress when he first takes office Every single time this is occurred in our history that president has lost one or both houses of Congress during the midterm
Five times that opportunity happened five times the president failed to hold both houses. . This is no different. But the worry for the Democrats is if Trump’s policies actually begin to work well as the Republicans imagine they will. This could be the first time that a president holds both houses during a midterm. It’s not likely based on history. Those are the facts.
Do you seriously believe that any of Trump's policies are likely to work well? Even he doesn't think so which is why he kicked off the gerrymandering thing in Texas. If inflation is still ticking upwards, unemployment is rising and grocery prices are rising faster than inflation it really doesn't matter how many times he claims that these things are not happening.
No facts, just wishes, and bad dreams. Go back to bed, Ricky.
40%. There’s a fact that you don’t like. You want to try to dispute the fact go for it. I’m here, but I’ll never hear from you on this topic again. You sound like an Obama fan they’re not paying their fair share. 40%. Not bad for the one percent huh? Here’s some more that you’ll love. I believe it’s the top 20% pay 70% or more and the bottom 50% my friend pay only 3% of the total income income tax
That's total BS, Rick. The average rate that the richest Americans pay sits at just 24 percent.
https://gabriel-zucman.eu/files/BSYZ2025NBER.pdf
Trump actually famously boasted about being able to dodge paying federal income tax.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qXjsMK_MnU
Up
Search Assist
The top 1% of earners in the U.S. paid about 40.4% of all income taxes, while the top 10% contributed around 72% of the total income tax revenue. Overall, the top 50% of earners accounted for 97% of federal income tax payments, highlighting the progressive nature
🙄
And everyone on this blog hopes Trump will break from precedent and lose both the House and Senate in 2026
🙄
respectfully, professor. i do not understand how you manage to be so clear, precise and accurate with your message everyday. (see! i can’t even put together a sentence without redundancy).
i just can’t tell you how much meaningful information you have brought to me, and in turn, my loved ones.
you are priceless.
i have never felt that about a stranger.
I hope everyone involved in the attempted assault on our democracy on January 6th 2021 burn in Hell. Especially the collaborators in the executive and Congress.
I'd like to see them burn in the town square to be honest. None of this imaginary punishment for the people who destroyed democracy. Make it real. Put them in jail.
Hanged, drawn and quartered. I volunteer to bring the rope, sharpen the sword, and whip the horses.
Most likely they will avoid responsibility in this life so perhaps consign them to eternity
Seriously. Light em up. 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 I’m so done with these bastards.
Maybe you should pay attention to the current news the BBC is being sued for $10 billion for taking a piece of video splicing it from a piece of video 54 minutes later and then airing it knowingly that it was fake and it was making the false assumption that Trump was going to march on the capitol. In fact, the CEO and many other employees of the BBC resigned because of this the BBC has apologized, but unfortunately many other networks took advantage of this misplaced footage and it’s spread like wildfire so while the BBC will probably not be penalized or Trump may not win his suit the message will be very clear. You’ve been watching tainted news by the left for years and it will slowly come to an end or at least will be much less than previously done which is also why network like ABC and CBS were sued and had to pay. And why CNN and MSNBC lost almost 50% of their audience MSNBC had to change its name and CNN has been trying to be sold for years and let go many of its employees and anchors. I know you guys are slow, but you’ll catch up.
By the way, you know you guys have had some insurrections of your own you’ve had two no kings marches when we don’t have a king because if you did and you did a march against your king, you’d have your head slit open. And then you had an insurrection a couple weeks ago on a Sunday in DC just another insurrection. But of course, one of my favorite sayings is liberals live at the intersection of hypocrisy and double standard.
They sit here and rail against drug runners being killed by the twos and threes when Obama one year alone drop 27,000 bombs and a number of drones on Syria and neighboring countries killing knowingly appx 1000 innocent bystanders with drones, and Obama, apparently even interrupted a wedding with a drone and killed all the participants in the wedding. But stopping drug runners while we shouldn’t be doing that.
🙄
Oy
Heather, as always you link issues to deepen our understanding. Several questions, how is it legal for DJT to put such defamatory lies under the portraits of Obama and Biden? Or as we know, legality is not an interest of his. What are the ways that congress can take back its control over funding, whether it is about dispensing $for USAID or atmospheric research, etc. These are funds congress has already appropriated so where is the lever or the spine???? I am so grateful to you for your ongoing commitment to educating us and inspiring us.