Yesterday, Representative Barry Loudermilk (R-GA) released an “Interim Report on the Failures and Politicization of the January 6th Select Committee.” As the title suggests, the report seeks to rewrite what happened on January 6, 2021, when rioters encouraged by former president Donald Trump attacked the U.S.
When will the people (We The People) wake up to understand that Musk is pushing his agenda! And We The People did not elect Musk to any political office. I am outraged by this and I hope those who voted for Trump keep their eyes open.
Vicki, Musk is looking as though he is an unelected president. Unfortunately, even after prices soar next year, it’s predicted that Trump’s followers will excuse his not bringing prices down just as they excused his not making Mexico pay for the wall.
Musk is not the unelected president, he is the person who bought the presidency in this election because US campaign laws allowed him to do so. We need to defeat Citizens United and get some campaign financing laws back onto the books.
Amen. Haven't we all pledged "liberty and justice for ALL" (emphasis mine)?
"Conservative former representative Joe Walsh (R-IL) wrote: 'Trump is suing a pollster and calling for an investigation of [Liz Cheney]. Don’t you dare tell me he’s not an authoritarian. And don’t you dare look the other way' ".
Trump’s not just an authoritarian, he is a full blown fascist and I think he intends to use whatever means he can to stay in office for as long as he can. I think he wants to be a dictator for life unless he gets so erratic that even his billionaires want to remove him through the 25th Amendment.
Perhaps one of the reasons he is appointing so many unqualified toadies to his cabinet is to protect himself against someone trying to invoke the 25th Amendment.
Yeah....but how do we get rid of Musk? And who gave him the keys to the kingdom anyhow? I know...I know....He BOUGHT them with his great wealth. But I deeply resent his intrusion into our government.
Agreed. No one in the proposed cabinet or anyone who replaces the worst of them will not invoke the 25th Amendment. See Pam Bondi as Gaetz's replacement.
In September, DOJ asserted that Sergey Kiriyenko had created some 30 internet domains to spread Russian disinformation, including on Elon Musk’s X which was formerly known as Twitter. In October, the Wall Street Journal disclosed that Musk had been in contact with Kiriyenko and Vladimir Putin which Dmitry Peskov affirmed.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sergey_Kiriyenko
Russian businessman Yevgeny Prigozhin said he had interfered in U.S. elections and would continue doing so in future, We have interfered (in U.S. elections), we are interfering and we will continue to interfere. Carefully, accurately, surgically and in our own way, as we know how to do." https://www.reuters.com/world/us/russias-prigozhin-admits-interfering-us-elections-2022-11-07/
The problem with your argument, Daniel is if they interfere the interfere on behalf of Biden not on behalf of Trump. They don't want him anywhere near the White House to choke off the oil supply again.
You must simplify what Trump is. A facist has a belief system. Trump has nothing. He is only self centered, demented and ultimately a destroyer of anything good. All for the sake of money. I will be in the streets and I will probably get arrested for expresssing my rights.
Honestly, let’s remember what he truly is is a corporate gladiator, a great manipulator mouthpiece who clears the way for the dismantling of corporate regulation, mostly of our natural resources…
So is it better to have somebody asleep at the wheel or somebody that will actually do something on the behalf of Americans. I guess you’d rather pay for five dollars a gallon for gas and seven dollars for a dozen eggs and 7% for your mortgage instead of three. If not for Covid, Donald Trump would just be leaving the White House right now
Well, you better prepare yourself because the underlying plan is for Trump to hand off his presidency to Vance maybe three years in and if things are going good Vances in the White House another eight years. Ooooops
I would not be so kind as to use such high-fallutin's words as authoritarian and fascist. He and Musk are cut from the same cloth; they are half-crazed megalomaniacs, cruel and ruthless. If ever two men serve mammon and think they are gods, it's these two.
Spot on indeed. Russia was part of the allies - US, UK, and Russia in WW2. Russia, after initially sideing with Nazi Germany, switched soon as they were invaded by that same Nazi Germany, into the welcoming arms of USA and UK. Now, similarly, and against a foe nearly as awful as Hitler, traditionally conservative Republicans are teaming up with Democrats. We need all the help we can get.
Sandra has made the essential point. The masses of Americans voters have been so diligent with their pursuit of ignorance and “alternative facts” that they watch Fox “News” and readily swallow the swill that comes from Breitbart and Sinclair. And the so-called “mainstream media” (corporate media is a better phrase) FAILS, FAILS, and FAILS, to fight the lies and misinformation.
AND the Dems complete lack of putting this "message" OUT there - in whatever means they could. Odd that the Republs manage this every minute of every day. So when are the Dems going to pull up their big "girl" panties and do the same? BEFORE its too late for all of us.
Bernie somehow manages to publicize HIS message - of course hes not a Dem!
It is not being delivered, our D leaders are mostly silent and at this point, forget corporate media. What I see in my (red) neighborhood is folks voted and moved on already. They, unlike us here, are not paying attention and believe whatever is going on won't effect them anyway. There is more outrage over a malfunctioning gate or a date change for dominoes than a muskrat taking over the US government.
Pakman makes a very good point, one that I have been musing about on the forum, that being that the Democrats need a Joe Rogan.
I would also mention that many readers here watch YouTube video clips from "Belle of the Ranch" (formerly known as "Beau of the Fifth Column"). This channel DOES have viewers from the other side, as frequently the topic of the clip will be her answer to a snarky question from the other side. I believe that "Tennessee Brando" of the Medias Touch Network also has many viewers on the right.
There's a wonderful podcast called If Books Could Kill, they make some excellent if not hilarious points on this matter, saying essentially the same thing.
JL.., let's not overlook the 'qualifer'.., meaning "under god", which got stuck in there. It's like saying, we're "one Nation" ... IF you drive a Cadillac.., err ahh make that at a Turdsla.. whatever. Now, all we need do is make "god" plural, because we are now "under" several, or at least two "T" and "M" running the show at PornHub, and there are more gods in the PornHub wing(s). We have been rocked, rolled, and we just might get screwed, bigly. Annnnd.., awaayyy we go..., stay tuned. More acts to follow.
If it wasn’t harmful to our country, I would think it laughable that they are calling to replace choirboy johnson. Hang on America, it’s gonna be a rough ride. On another note, I hope Liz Cheney has some political support from powerful people. I never agreed with her politically but she did step up. Wonder why he’s only going after Cheney, though, why not Adam Kinzinger too? Maybe because he hates women, powerful women???
Liz is just the only one speaking up, right now. She was on the campaign trail with Harris. While Biden is president he needs to expose this through speeches and social media. The time for Dems to run again is now. Hot social media hard and where are Biden’s top ten things accomplished while in office?
Trump is going to totally monetize his office, which is his Raison d'etre for being in power! Will our military be a mercenary army lent to those who secretly line Trump's pockets. He has pretty much let everyone know that 1 billion buys you anything you want in the US under a Trump administration.
Well, I wonder how that might happen since we have a Congress full of maga house members who are totally spineless. BTW Musk is not the president! I am too disgusted and enraged to even write!
Dems need to create their own media infrastructure, remove the old guard, and ditch the current crop of political pollsters and consultants. They need to get out and meet people as they are. Republicans have had stolen a march on propaganda and have done so for over 30 years. They are influencing the mainstream media outlets to ignore what’s actually happening, to sanewash Trump and to engage in phony bothsidesism.
The structure is there. We don't need to reinvent the wheel. We need to participate. And engage. We need to reform the party. By using every apparatus at hand.
Reform it how? The Democratic Party works from top down. They have lost touch with the importance of connecting with the local level. They spend so much time complaining about Trump they are missing a very important message “Dems are stronger on economy and immigration”. You can’t win just on women’s rights
Even Harris is saying the media is not supportive of the Democrats' message. The communications structure in this Country is run and owned by the very same Oligarchs who have lined up to pay cash and homage to trump. LA Times? Washington Post? Who have they lined up with? ABC capitulated.
Using every apparatus at hand means jettisoning the Oligarch owned media as the Democrats' megaphone.
Dems need to own their own media platforms. Right now all are owned by others except a few like Blue Sky, Mastadon. Dems need their own Twitter. Will see if The Onion gets to keep Info Wars or whether Alex Jones will get it back. Will The Onion appeal the appeal that gave it back to someone who is working for Alex Jones?
The platforms are there now. Anything put on BlueSky can go viral elsewhere in hours. I am stunned by the silence of the White House. But...listen to what Senators Warren, Markey and Murphy are saying. They are screaming about the nomination abominations.
Warren just challenged Trump about Musk's conflict of interests - deadline for a response 12/23. Any press attention? Crickets....
Other than that there is a notable absence of outrage.
Kathy. Thank God for your comments. The Dems got to get on the stick with social media. Public schools are being phased out and not one dem in my home state is speaking against it.
Dem's need a leader. Every (D) Senator, 47 of em, is given a pulpit, LFA is the best I can do. But, for the 47 of them.., the silence is absolutely deafening. Doesn't say much for their education..., education meaning the wherewithal to figure out how to right this ship, does it. Yup.., forty-seven of them. I do admire those who have spoken out, but where are the rest? Show me some unanimity, besides driving around with that Senator license plate, will ya? Or, is that all-ya-got? Turn up the heat.
Pakman makes a very good point, one that I have been musing about on the forum, that being that the Democrats need a Joe Rogan.
I would also mention that many readers here watch YouTube video clips from "Belle of the Ranch" (formerly known as "Beau of the Fifth Column"). This channel DOES have viewers from the other side, as frequently the topic of the clip will be her answer to a snarky question from the other side. I believe that "Tennessee Brando" of the Medias Touch Network also has many viewers on the right.
So true. Was reading in The Guardian today that Musk wants to fund the right wing party there, and there is a discussion of making sure that their campaign financing laws are tighter to protect from his outside interference. I wish we could get rid of his citizenship. That too will need Dems in all 3 branches, including SCOTUS to have an effect. Right now SCOTUS is enacting the Christian Nationalist Agenda set out in Project 2025.
Bill, Musk is intoxicated on his own pheromones, a Richie-rich high. He needs an industrial sized stick of Old Spice deodorant to mask that musk & disempower him.
Yes Bill, and with the amount he (They..) has in the safe to spend, it's not likely he'll run out anytime soon. And if the articles and photos of mega yachts in the magazines I receive are real (and they are!) we have millions of wealthy folks out there who will continue to pay their staffs and mooring (dockage) fees and trips to Monaco. However, the pirates in the Gulf(s) may disrupt things. History shows that. They, afterall will be fighting for simply surviving. Take no prisoners, matey!
To me, and perhaps others, "religion" is the reason this election tanked for Democrats and Americans in general. Face it! Huh.. face it? Yeah.., and it starts with education. And, we're sure hurting on that one. Mixing the CNA (2025') with government would cause the framers to set themselves on fire. They recognized religion had a place. Freedom from the dogma associated with it, was what they had in mind (IMHO), anymore needn't be said.
While the Christian Nationalists are terribly well organized and have been preparing for this for decades. I think Musk's Money and his collusion with Putin who is a master at disinformation, which was spread, just as Trump is a master at fascist propaganda techniques, are what lost it for us. We need our own platforms and to support our democratic influencers and developing messaging that is more plain and ongoing 24/7 365 days a year, year in year out.
Businesses seem worried in the way that they keep throwing more money at Trump, so clearly they don't think that supporting him was enough. Even though he is not yet president, they are all paying obeisance.
The business community thinks they can control Trump because he has said, give him a billion and you can do what you want, no matter where in the world you are. So, that is an open invitation to buy what you want from Trump.
“When machines and computers, profit motives and property rights are considered more important than people, the giant triplets of racism, materialism and militarism are incapable of being conquered. A civilization can flounder as readily in the face of moral and spiritual bankruptcy as it can through financial bankruptcy.”
-Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. from his book Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community (1967)
Just heard Jonathan Eig speak about his biography of King, which came out in 2023. Very insightful about King's role as a preacher rather than a politician, and very moving. Highly recommend the book and wish we had someone like him today.
This country ignored the power of social media and the delivery of short sound bites. HCR is great but Trump is effect because his delivery is opposite from HCR. His delivery (although lies) are getting read and listened to…and no one exposed all those horrible Facebook post that were lies about what trump accomplished during his term. Right now is the time to start campaigning.
That would be nice, but that horse has already left the barn. The only option is to prevent trump and these unwanted immigrants musk and ramasmarmy, from taking office. They threaten our country and thus threaten us all.
IMHO....we might add another, in the end, significant player. After David Koch's failed 1980 Libertarian presidential run vs. Reagan he joined the Republican Party 4 years later. Now, nearly 50 years later, many of the Libertarian causes once considered, laughably, outside of the mainstream. However. mow Republican golden tenets and the billionaires like David are "calling the shots". DK is certainly smiling wherever he is......
I agree. It is critical that people realize and take the midterm elections seriously. They must show up and vote in 2026. Democrats better get their act together to flip both the house and the senate.
Here I have been worried about Putin controlling Trump, and it looks as though Musk it doing it. I would like to be a fly on the wall watching how JD is taking all of this. I think he thought he had it made when Trump gave him the nod--after all, Trump is elderly and not well, and I'm convinced JD thought it wouldn't be long before he'd be king--either by natural causes or by the 25th Amendment.
Trump has his rapid cult, but they don't like JD. This is getting interesting. Tragic for us actually, but interesting.
I am waiting for a young hacktivist to take X down. Same with Teslas and Starlink and Space X. Then they can move on to Amazon whose workforce is striking in several cities in the US. Then go on to take down paypal and Meta as well.
Linda - I agree with you that Citizens United is the root of what is going wrong in elections now. It’s the root of a pervasive toxic weed and it’s critically important to wipe it out. Musk and Rameswamy are now our puppet masters . As I see it, we’re entering a time of great turmoil and dysfunction.
This is capitalism gone totally wrong. Where the government protects the wealthy corporations and not the people.
Here is the analogy that a friend told me at University.
A socialist had two cows, the government came and took one cow to distribute the milk to those who had no cows, and left one for the socialist to produce his own milk.
A communist had 2 cows, the government came and took both and said we will give you the milk.
A fascist had 2 cows and the government came and took both and shot the man dead.
A capitalist had two cows, he sold one and bought a bull.
Our government has no mechanism to protect those who don't have cows from not having milk. And, the government does not interfere with the capitalist. Of course if the bulls die, the government may step in and give him loans to get another bull, or maybe too, because he gave calves to the government.
Now…. Not ten years from now, now!!!!! Today, not in one minute!!!! Today. Get the fires burning under our collective power!!! If you have doubts about “putting this off”, watch “Churchill’s War”, look at the original pictures first War and of world war |. We are a confused and inattentive citizenry.,always thinking that without total commitment we will be fine, why? Because lying social media says so!”
One would hope but Trump has had more such heels than Imelda Marcos' closet, and like an unstoppable movie monster, keeps spewing misinformation and bouncing back. I don't think there is room in the eagles nest for both Trump and Musk's ego, and I suspect divorce is inevitable; but at what cost to the nation in the meantime?
JL, the cost will be greater if the marriage is consummated...At this picture the famous graffiti of Brezhnev and Honecker on the Berlin West Wall gallery. Exchange those Kissers for MuskRAT and Dumpster Don. Visualize! 😂🤙🏻🤮. Its not the kiss, it's the personalities, all four Autocrats.
Is it possible that, having the presidency and the money that has brought him (and continue to), he will be satisfied to have everyone else ruin the country— wait! What could ever create satisfaction for such a person? Likely nothing he can accumulate or anyone he thinks he can control or assault. So nevermind.
The captured Supreme Court is America's Achille's Heel.
Trump's Strategic Litigation Against Public Participation (SLAPP suits to exhaust and bankrupt targets) is his MO.
Stripping justice out of American law by overruling civil rights protections is the Roberts Court MO. They've been looking for a case to overrule NYTimes v Sullivan in order to strangle free speech. - specifically protections for journalism. One of Trump's SLAPP suits may do.
In the Nuremberg trials German jurists were put on trial for serving the Nazi cause by stripping justice from German law. "The dagger of the assassin was concealed beneath the robe of the justice.'
"In what came to be called the “Jurists' Trial,” surviving high-ranking jurists and prosecutors stood accused of “judicial murder and other atrocities, which they committed by destroying law and justice in Germany and then utilizing the emptied forms of legal process for the persecution, enslavement, and extermination on a large scale.”
In describing the crimes of the judicial system, prosecutor Telford Taylor remarked: “The dagger of the assassin was concealed beneath the robe of the jurist.”"
Excellent links lin. ⚖️ In CA Anti-SLAPP case law has developed into a powerful doctrine & expanded in many directions. Free speech targeted Defendants suffer no costs as a successful motion awards the targets all their attorney fees & costs.
Caution is warranted on picking a troublesome case to appeal. There are many capable appellate attorneys that can handle "hornbook" high-stakes cases but, a successful appellate court path must be planned.
That means you need to know the Appellate jurists record, legal interests & proclivities before you leave the law office.
I can see that since Musk and Trump are both malignant narcissists, Trump will get offended at Musk and drop him like a hot potato if he thinks Musk is infringing on the attention Trump thinks should be on himself.
All these things can be true. As the daughter of one who married two, I can say they are both grandiose malignant narcissists. Always wanting to be lauded and the center of attention, while being deeply insecure.
Very dangerous combinations.
If you can never imagine someone saying they're sorry, it's a pretty good tell for a narcissist.
"I don't think Musk is a narcissist, Kathy - he has Asperger's and a Ketamine habit.
Not a good combination."
Such a thing as an Elon Musk is an excrescence of unregulated capitalism and its influence is an effect a corrupt Republican party as personified by Donald Trump and funded by unregulated campaign financing.
Elon Musk may be a sociopath but don't blame it on Aspergers and Ketamine. That is cruelly blind to others' suffering and is empirically inaccurate.
Chronic clinical depression is often associated with Aspergers. And often
this depression is neither mitigated by anti-depressants nor alleviated by talk therapy. Anecdotal evidence of the beneficial effects of Ketamine lead to rigorous scientific studies which documented evidence of its efficacy. Even then... it is a tough enough row to hoe, without the added harm of misinformed attacks.
Get ready for a Netflix style political drama. If Trump tries to dump Musk, he may be surprised how hard that will be. Musk controls the social media, half the communication satellites in the sky and the space program. See any opportunity for arm twisting there?
It occurs to me now that Musk may actually be more powerful than Trump. More money and more tools. He has a younger brain. Is Elon really an Adolph?
Excellent observation. The split could be epic in both drama and spite. DJT cannot tolerate anyone blocking his spotlight, while Elonia is so obsessed with others perception of his business genius and success. This marriage won’t last and the break-up will not be pretty.
Let's review John Marshall's analysis: Muck-Man-Musk is "erratic, volatile, mercurial". May I add, an Afrikaner who illegal entered the USA & is on the lamb.
And, HCR notes Musk is on a 3-way conspiracy text with R'swammy & MAGA House Leader, Dead-Man-Walking with a Smiley Face: 😵💫
So, no nothing, nada, niente, zero until 1/2025 at noon? What me worry?
It'll be an ugly knife fight. It's inevitable. The next 4 years will be lots of Republican egos clashing. Hope the Democrats and the few sane Republicans can run the ball around these people.
The democrats have their head in the sand. 100 to 1 you hear about republican social media not dem social media. No one is trying to shut down false news on Fox.
Hakeem Jeffries most certainly does not. He knows exactly what he's doing. And came out prior to the dumpster fire becoming clear to blame this on the witless rethugnicans and their dear leader. "A deal is a deal"
Musk and Ramaswamy certainly do feel entitled to dictate to Congress how they should spend the public’s money. They are unelected officials in a maladministration that hasn’t even taken office. Musk has an inherent conflict of interest here because he is a government contractor (who can’t even get a high security clearance,) he gets our tax dollars, and doesn’t even pay the amount of taxes he should commensurate with his income. He wants to use his position to direct more money into his own bank accounts. He’s willing to take the paychecks and of federal employees as well as checks and funding of those of Social Security, Medicare or Medicaid recipients. Ramaswamy is equally as ignorant and cruel as Musk.
Those two have no experience in governing, just running exploitative businesses. They think they can just tell people to do something and it gets done.
It's going to be one helluva ride in that clown car.
Maladministration!! Yes, indeed. You nailed it Kathy! Ignorant, cruel—more words for my tffg adjective list. Those are the qualifications for his maladministration. 🤡💩🎃🤮
Mexico paid plenty for the wall. But your media just didn’t tell you that. Perhaps you remember remain in Mexico? Do you think the 25,000 troops at the border for months was free for them? Not to mention, maintaining and managing the incredible number of people that were there. It’s immaterial at this point honestly.
From one of your previous comments...."liberals" got off X because the zone was flooded with shit...as per Bannon. Your above claim is said shit....take 10 mins to fact check this claim, it's unverified at best. Trump supporters like to try and simplify issues, so they themselves feel like they have a stake in the solution. These are not simple problems and there are no simple solutions, the answer to that seems to be lies/propaganda from the right and trump. It's up to you all I suppose, you're building a country that you'll have to live with and it looks real bad. Be sure and check back in when you figure out that you're on the wrong side of history, we'll chat.
Georgia, Rick is a bot. It has improved dramatically over the past few weeks, but there is still no one on the other side of this conversation.
Yes, we've all paid dearly for our lack of boarder policy reform and lack of a coherent policy to counter the forces behind this massive emigration. Donvict and FLEM (first lady elon musk) will just make the mess bigger and harder to clean up.
I want to! I've reported "it" numerous times and nothing has been done. What can we do to get rid of "it"?! I know that what Heather writes is true and that is why it is being sent to her site, like in the Matrix where the sentinels went after the humans in their ship. So again, what can we do to stop this so called "person"? I am truly upset by the news, government shut down, orange monster etc, just don't like us being bullied by this "thing" putting comments on Heather's post/letter comments.
Rick, what you say is true but probably most of the money spent by México comes from the US in form of assistance or something. In any case we should recognize that México has been doing the effort with good results as in we don't hear any more about the "caravans" remember?
I don’t deal with liars and people that make incorrect accusations.
And honestly, perhaps equal justice, is waiting for people like you at the door when you assess or assert that someone with something that they are not like a rapist or a racist. Go lie somewhere else
I'm a baby boomer and have just taken for granted my whole life that America will always value democracy, and we will always be protected from those who want to take democracy in their own hands and pummel it to death. Now I seem to be living in Wonderland with Alice, the Rabbit, Cheshire Cat, and the Queen. So many Trump supporters have read the sign on the cake, "Eat me" and have done just that. Obeying without considering the dangers of doing so.
Several themes in the book point to our situation with Trump and his Republican allies. The danger of conformity. The Mad Hatter representing a person suffering from dementia. The Queen of Hearts being rigid and dogmatic, leading as a figure of fear and authority. She seems "to symbolize or embody the sometimes nonsensical commands and punishments handed out". The "down the rabbit hole' metaphor represents that " someone has become interested in something (or someone- my words) and often the subject does not deserve the amount of attention that a person gives."
If only MAGAs would do as Alice when she leaves the Tea Party . She "becomes insulted and tired of being bombarded with riddles,claiming that it was the stupidest tea party she had ever been to."
Elon Musk is a character straight out of Wonderland and is planning to bring chaotic and nonsensical falls for us to spiral down the rabbit hole. Will we be able to resist? Will we be able to recover from this nightmare? Only if many brave people stand up and yell, "We're NOT going down the hole and we're not attending any crazy Tea Party."
If that's the case, the clash of egos will be spectacular theater. I believe Shakespeare will envious of such a dramatic political conflict. Question: Will the Mad King be able to rid himself of Scarpaccio?
Musk isn't simply the unelected president, he sees himself as the de facto president, having bought and paid for it. Trump is just the puppet in front of the curtain, while Musk will be pulling strings from behind. Musk is going to become a threat to Trump's power and prestige, challenging Trump's authority as he pushes Trump to do his bidding. The Trump Hourly Show is starting early, and is already taking a decidedly dark turn.
DJT, and Elon both crave the Spotlight... Both have Dark Souls.... They will clash, and compete with each other in Darkness... This could result the USA Spiraling Down A Black Hole... The Potential Gov't Shutdown is an Example of them competing for attention with Negative Results for Us... Elon Musk triggered it by his assailing the Budget CR deal, obw: He is not as Bright as He has been portrayed by the Corporate Media, and then DJT piled on in order to get the Spotlight back... We will suffer from the results of this Dark Competition...
So...are our tax dollars being spent to support Musk and his agenda? Is the Secret Service assigning a detail to him? Inquiring minds want to know. I there any hope whatsoever of getting him out of the picture???
America is completely divided into mutually exclusive two groups: Trump and MAGA vs the rest including DEMs. The former has an advantage because Trump is an elected President, the latter has a power till January 6, 2025. Given this situation, what the latter can do? A little. That is frustrating.
“Trump is suing a pollster and calling for an investigation of [Liz Cheney]. Don’t you dare tell me he’s not an authoritarian. And don’t you dare look the other way. Donald Trump is un-American. The resistance to him from Americans must be steadfast & fierce.”
And Musk is the leader of the cheering section. Again echoes of 1933 Germany.
And like Hitler, Trump will wind up dictating to and threatening his own allies. The Republicans in the house and senate, and business people will wind up doing Trump’s bidding, and he won’t do theirs.
Eagerly people here using the word Hitler and comparing him to anybody modern day society. Hey Kathy, how about you and I take a trip to Auschwitz and lie down in the ovens or see the skeletons by the millions use another reference OK
Hey Dutch, you mean you wanna shut off free-speech so you don’t hear anything that offends your one-sided ears. Why don’t you just go to blue sky? Where all the other liberal cowards are going? There you can commiserate with all your other lemmings.
Hehehe... "Lemmings"... Like you won't be affected by Rump's tax cuts for the billionaires, his tariffs and Muskolini's crashing of the economy, "all for the greater good" of course. Uh-huh. It won't be me who's cutting off free speech, but both your big idols will, Ricky boy. They will tolerate only what they want to hear. By the way, if you read your history books, you'd know it took Hitler only a few months to seize absolute power, start executing his political enemies, and get the concentration camps up and running. Don't be surprised if the Diabolic Duo does that much faster... I hope the Rump-voters get everything they voted for. Good luck.
Well, I have to admit you rarely see somebody that’s so wrong until now.
He was thrown off Twitter. He was thrown off Facebook. The media lied about him and is now paying the price. Everybody wants to shut him up.
He has taken interview interviews with everybody, including meet the depressed Kristen Welker, and gave immediate answers and even the liberal time magazine interview is being twisted by knaves.
I’ve been retired for 12 years. I don’t need tax cuts
And I just read your post and we will no longer be
ANY IGNORANT IDIOT WHO REFERS TO ANYONE IN MODERN-DAY SOCIETY AS HITLER =-LIKE DOESN’T DESERVE THE SWEAT OFF MY ….
UNLESS YOU’D LIKE TO COME WITH ME TO AUSCHWITZ LIE DOWN IN ONE OF THE OVENS OR A PILE OF THOUSANDS OF SKELETONS OR MILLIONS OF PAIRS OF GLASSES AND BOOTS STOP RIGHT THERE ONE MORE MENTION OF HIM I COULD CARE LESS FOR YOU.
If you would like to keep this dialogue going, don’t mention him if you would like to stop this dialogue from going just mention him again
And the main stream news ignores the misinformation on social media. Maybe we need our democratic leaders to start hitting this. Where is the list of the top ten accomplishments of Biden’s plan
Or read a newspaper or watch a different news channel just for the rest of the story. But you’re correct. His minions want sound bites because they don’t understand what is really going on and want simple quick answers, attuned to 30 to 60 minute programming (conditioning).
Only when they start feeling the heat they might, and i said Only might, start connecting the dots....and then it's going to take a while for some brain activity.
Brain activity? You may be waiting a while....I think it's the lack of empathy. The concept of American Exceptionalism has rotted so many people's way of thinking.
Fine essay, Ma'am. The irony remains that the M.A.G.A.-types have weaponized the U.S.G. I am also interested in this law-suit of the newspaper and its poll-vaulter. Makes me wonder why Trump is freaking over that poll favouring Vice President Harris. 🔍
¿Could it be that Trump is concerned that, if many such counter-intuitive polls results show up, there was some rigging going on from the M.A.G.A.? 🤢 That is to say: ¿would such pools beg the question of how Vice President Harris could have lost? 😱
Unfortunately, trump and the MAGA yapping on and on about 2020 being "stolen" has made it impossible for anyone else to claim the same. Putin could have stood up in Congress and said "WE'RE deciding who wins the 2024 election" - and no one would have said a word about it.
I think the real problems were that some people who could simply didn’t bother to turn out, while state officials engaged in voter purges, making it more difficult to vote, and voter disenfranchisement to get the results they wanted. Trump’s chronic and constant lying about the 2020 election has made it impossible for anyone to claim the same, and I don’t think elections were fiddled. Musk and wingnut media used propaganda to convince people to listen to them, and any real problems came from this as well as manipulating who is allowed to vote in the first place.
Repubs cheated, out in the open, secretly, and every way possible. The 180 happened when chump stopped whining about Joe dropping out and the racism, sexism picked up. And then muskrat started buying votes from fools. Dems didn’t seem to notice.
Elon Musk is Tempermentally like DJT... Volitile, Erratic, Mercurial, and Impulsive.... Both Elon Musk, and DJT are the off-spring of Wealthy Families... It seems that Elon runs his Corporations by Impulse, and Flogging his Employees... People are Expendable to Both DJT, and Elon Musk... It seems that Elon is trying to inflict these Methods on the USG... The United States Government is bigger, and more Complex than any Private Enterprise... Elon's Corporate Portfolio are a Collection of Single Focus Enterprises... On MSNBC today, it was stated that the MAGAsts are programed by Fox News, and X... Eventually when the USG funds run out, when Air Traffic Controllers walk off the Job, when SSA Funds don't get dispersed, when Medicare/Mediaid doesn't get funded, maybe the Fox News/X Halos will burst... If so the Halos of DJT, and Elon Musk will be Muddied...
The vampire still cares. He’s trying to change his “will” to give Lachlan total control over his us media empire. He has several sane children that he is trying to squeeze out. Judge didn’t buy it so I’m Sure he is judge-shopping for the appeal.
I would consider Rupert to be Delusional at this point... Didn't Rupert Throw-In with DJT for the $$$ even though Rupert personally Detests Him? I Wonder how he considers Elon Musk, or Vivek Ramaswarmy???
Only a very rich man, who will never feel the impact of ANY government cuts (except maybe cuts to his contracts) could make such a callous, arrogant statement. "“Any member of the House or Senate who votes for this outrageous spending bill deserves to be voted out in 2 years!” Later, he added: “No bills should be passed Congress [sic] until Jan 20, when [Trump] takes office.”
Unfortunately, the people who voted for trump could care less. And, they don't see what trump is doing as a bad thing. I have two acquaintances (on their way to becoming former acquaintances) who don't see what is wrong with any of this. They are educated and former professionals in their fields. It is gobsmack unbelievable. It is as though alien beings took over their minds!!
“Musk, Marshall writes, “is erratic, volatile, impulsive, mercurial,” and he “introduces a huge source of unpredictability and chaos into the presidency that for once Trump doesn’t control.”
Vicki, as Musk’s chaos builds, people will notice when Trump either lashes out at him, or is eclipsed until they break up. This bromance can’t last.
Vicki, we are awake. We are incensed and aghast. The machinations that brought about this situation are legion. What is the fundamental problem that needs adjustment? American worship of money that lets Citizens United stand? Anti-intellectualism? Craving for bread and circuses? Xenophobia? Inability to navel-gaze? Intense and twisted religiosity? Desire to believe that everyone has the ability to get rich so nobody should have any brakes put on (i.e., tax break after tax break for the wealthy)? I could go on, but the first question is the one we need to answer: what is the bottom line in our failure to thwart what's come about?
Unfortunately, Vicki, that ship has sailed (...I hope those who voted for Trump keep their eyes open.) His minions have either always had their eyes closed, or they are part of the non-readers of America (which BTW, I've always believed was the USA's main problem in moving forward democratically.) Although I do hope your words come true, it's going to take a lot of energy to reverse this disaster. For my part, I can only pledge to do what I can.
I don't know, Riad. 4 years ago, I thought that the cognitive dissonance would get to people. That ship sailed as soon as I realized they lacked the cognitive ability to have dissonance. They gave it over to Faux/OAN/Prager U.
More of a question: can Biden declare a national emergency if the government shuts down, such that the inauguration would be delayed by the number of days that the government is shut down? After the inauguration is a big deal and we wouldn’t want trump to feel slighted by a poorly executed ceremony….would we?
And all that’s on your mind is a ceremony. It’s a one-day event that nobody remembers, except for the fools that lined up for Obama. And I’m hearing rumors that Congress wants to opt out of the ACA. Oooops
As Heather mentions, Loudermilk was one of 139 Congressional Representatives, along with 8 Senators, who sought to overturn the 2020 election results, during the January 6th debacle. He and the others should be doing time in a Federal prison, instead of having anything to do with the (bogus) investigation and its whitewash of a "report." Instead, none have faced prosecution, and most have been reelected since then.
Liz Cheney is speaking truth to power and is using the truth as her weapon which she has unflinchingly used from the beginning of the January 6th treason.
What's happening is that the people that should be in jail are the judges and executioner now. It's going to be 4 long years.....and if we do nothing about it it will take much longer...
This is unbelievable. A story too strange to tell. I blame the Conservative Media that controls what they report and gives you what want you to believe.
It is like we live in the book 1984 over and over again, and cannot really get to 2024 or 2025 because we will be kept in the non-reality posing as reality of 1984. Be waiting for our allies to shift and the narrative about that to be rewritten. I look at East Germany under the Soviet leadership as a model for what will be experienced by Americans. Those who stay are choosing to live in a closed society.
I learned some interesting things about Hungary this week that may impact our views of Orban’s supposed accomplishments. Hungary covers 35,000 square miles, has a generally homogeneous population of approximately 10 million. Hungary’s short history of democracy dates to 1989 with the collapse of the Soviet Union.
In contrast, the United States covers about 3.5 million square miles with a very diverse population of 340 million and a 248-year history of democracy. (Just for comparison, Los Angeles County has about the same population as Hungary.)
What do you think? Is this apples to apples. Perhaps not.
Perhaps not but instead of Hungary look at us as an example to follow, all the people surrounding trump are looking at Hungary to reproduce their system here. Just check project 2025 and you see Orban on every page. Sad and dangerous.
This is not a joke and is not a typo. My grandparents left Budapest in 1912....a few years back we travel to locate the house where they use to live based on an address I find in the back of an old family picture after the frame broke . The house was still there ,in district 7,Budapest. 🥲
The Republic of Vietnam survived another war against the most powerful military/industrial empire the world had ever seen. (China, France, America) If the Republic of the United States survives it will be a gift of the Republic of Vietnam.
I believe JFK’s assassination was a military coup. Until then our military more or less served the government of our Republic. After that our government more so served our military which drew us into the declared war in Vietnam, Iraq, etc.
They will find it very difficult to function without a professional civil service, and Chester Arthur introduced the professional civil service after Charles Guiteau assassinated President Garfield by failing to give Guiteau a political appointment that Guiteau thought he deserved.
Interesting, whatever the qualifications, governments have successfully worked using patronage systems, in fact that was how my Canadian province of New Brunswick operated well into the first half of the 29th century. They can be "professional" as long as they do the bidding of those calling the shots. That's why i said by "takeover".
Like everything else, this SCOTUS majority is doing everything it can to undermine this principle. SCOTUS and its Federalist Society and Heritage Foundations allies have adopted the extra constitutional belief of the unitary executive, which violates separation of powers, and the Founders’ belief that the President is subject to the law, not exempt from obeying it. The SCOTUS majority who voted to exonerate Trump for crimes as an executive has tossed out 235 years of constitutional principle and stare decisis, which they absurdly claim their originalist legal theories support. I would also argue that ginning up an insurrection to help Trump stay in office illegally by halting electoral college voting is not a legitimate use of presidential power. It is criminal, and by allowing Trump and his enablers to get away with this, we are going to experience even worse events in the future.
It's hard to know what to do with "originalist" interpretations because only "originalists" can hear the voices. The best I can manage is to read the text, and my "spidie sense" leads me to suppose that the Framers were not supportive of insurrections:
"To provide for calling forth the Militia to execute the Laws of the Union, suppress Insurrections and repel Invasions; "
And not even that supportive of impromptu militias, or so it would seem:
"To provide for organizing, arming, and disciplining, the Militia, and for governing such Part of them as may be employed in the Service of the United States, reserving to the States respectively, the Appointment of the Officers, and the Authority of training the Militia according to the discipline prescribed by Congress;"
But that's all just taken from what the Framers wrote, and my Ouigee Board lost it's shuttle.
PS My first posted version of the above contained creative substitutes for the word "Orignalist" because my spelling checker does not think that's a thing.
Robert, blame us for the situation you are describing and de lack of consequences. Us, for not demanding for the rule of law to be applied immediately and fully to those individuals. Instead, now, are them the ones looking for false reasons to put decent and patriotic people in jail.
Once again Dr. Richardson has distilled controversial actions into an easy to understand report. Her intellect reminds me of a 1926 prediction by Nicolas Tesla. I’ll quote it here:
"When wireless is perfectly applied the whole earth will be converted into a huge brain, which in fact it is, all things being particles of a real and rhythmic whole. We shall be able to communicate with one another instantly, irrespective of distance. Not only this, but through television and telephony we shall see and hear one another as perfectly as though we were face to face, despite intervening distances of thousands of miles; and the instruments through which we shall be able to do his will be amazingly simple compared with our present telephone. A man will be able to carry one in his vest pocket."
"This struggle of the human female toward sex equality will end in a new sex order, with the female as superior. It is not in the shallow physical imitation of men that women will assert first their equality and later their superiority, but in the awakening of the intellect of women."
Nicolas Tesla, 1926
Thanks to Dr. Richardson, Liz Chaney, Frances Perkins, and the many brilliant women working today on behalf of our country. We’re in their debt.
If only Musk were as visionary as Tesla. Each election, more and more women are voted into office at both the state and federal level.
It has only been 100 years since women were aloud to vote in the US and we are finally allowing them to influence the direction of our country. I can't wait until it becomes difficult for a man to be elected into public office instead of a woman.
Most people don't know that Elon Musk did NOT invent the electric car & was NOT the founder of Tesla! That would be the engineers Martin Eberhard & Marc Tarpenning in 2003.
Musk & Peter Thiel founded PayPal. And when they sold PayPal to EBay, they both made massive profits. Musk began buying shares of Tesla, & by 2008 owned a majority of its shares. He then took over as its CEO.
Also remember that without enormous loans from the US federal government, Musk's SpaceEx would be just an idea in Musk's drug-addled brain.
Musk also ousted the last Tesla inventor who was with the company. He is always touting himself as a visionary, but the reality is that Nepo Musk is a money man who always steals credit for the ideas of others.
Eberhard and Tarpenning did not invent electric cars either. It was a long process in the 1800s, but Michael Faraday gets lots of credit for his electric motor demonstrating rotary motion in 1821. Robert Anderson developed the first electric car in the 1830s. There were 30,000 EVs on the road in the early 1900s.
On a fun note, my husband is the advisor for a long-lived student project at the Ohio State University, the Buckeye Bullet, which holds the land speed record for an EV at 341 mph, set in 2016. My husband has been involved in battery research for his entire long career, and the land speed record is a fun cherry on top. It’s a long, dramatic, and beautiful streamliner. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buckeye_Bullet
You do a great service , reminding us of both the amazing intelligence of Heather, and the quote from Tesla. thank you, I really hope more people recognize what power there is in women’s intelligence.
Kudos and thanks for the women, and the men who provided support, but some of Tesla, genius that he was, I'd have to take with a grain of salt, A/C notwithstanding.
Elon Musk did NOT invent the electric car & was NOT the founder of Tesla. Look it up. That was the engineers Martin Eberhard & Marc Tarpenning. Musk simply took his massive profits from selling PayPal to EBay & started buying shares of Tesla. He took over as CEO in 2008.
Spot-on as to billionaire whimsy, caprice, and other of their pygmy qualities.
Not just Elon Musk, but other billionaires and their enablers in Congress, as Heather records, want to destroy American government, so the billionaires may rule totally beyond all law.
See this U.S. version of immolation from the inside in fuller display in “Red Notice,” Bill Browder’s true story of oligarch-corrupted Russia (which a fellow commenter here urged I read).
“Without knowing it,” from the year 2015 on page 200 he writes of how, at the end of the year 2000, he’d “stumbled upon one of the most important cultural phenomena of post-Soviet Russia – the exploding wealth gap. In Soviet times, the richest person in Russia was about six times richer than the poorest. Members of the Politburo might have had a bigger apartment, a car and a nice dacha, but not much more than that. However, by the year 2000 the richest person had become 250,000 times richer than the poorest person. This wealth disparity was created in such a short period of time that it poisoned the psychology of the nation.”
The U.S. is now similarly poisoned, its wealth gap siccing a new culture of lies and insensitivity to lies.
It’s ruled by billionaires’ abstractions quantifying all life – categorizing, group think, and dehumanizing as the schools have wrought.
And to think that tens of millions of Americans have been bamboozled by the billionaires and the almost billionaires. And for what? So the rich among us no longer have to pay for infrastructure and regulations - regulations that were put in place because they don't want to take care of our planet.
There are 2.6 million uncapped onshore oil and gas wells spread across the US. To plug all of these known wells will cost an estimated $280 billion. And this is just one derelict industry.
It seems weird that we can get fined for throwing out a McDonald's bag of wrappers and yet someone that spews poisonous methane into the air for decades is totally free to abandoned well after well.
Thiel bought J.D. Vance as our Ohio senator and now VP. Vance is utterly unqualified to govern, as his rank misogyny and attacks on Haitian immigrants in Ohio demonstrate.
Just a friendly tap on the shoulder Rick Sender to let you know that Maga cultists meet down the hall. You've come through the wrong door. So if you wouldn't mind closing it behind you, that'd be much appreciated.
Another reminder Kazz. If you see RS's name by a comment, click on the ellipses and hit collapse. Unfortunately, I realized this after reading a fair number of his bull shit comments.
Kazz, rick is a bot/troll. Probably a Russian bot. There is no human on another keyboard who can be sent down any hall. Simply not engaging with it is probably the best practice.
Well, there’s always blue sky, Where many former “X” liberals used to reside but now the cowards have moved there because they don’t want to hear both sides of the story. Enlightenment is important. Ex used to be populated by 70% Democrats and 30% Republicans but now that it’s 50-50 many people like you that don’t want to hear both sides of the story as they are mandated to do in a court room, simply wish that closing the door will solve the problem.
And I don’t think you should use that term Maga Cultists. . Basket of deplorable‘s didn’t work too well either.
By the way, apparently Bidenomics is working so well that the market blew up today because the Fed chair thinks this economy is in trouble and has curtailed, his optimistic prediction of the number of interest rate, cuts and size of those cuts into 2025.
And 68% of the population of the US acknowledged that this country was moving in the wrong direction. You might just take note of that
The real reason many have left Xitter is that Musk has made it a far more hostile place for people who disagree with him, his spreading false rumors, lies, deep fake videos, and making it a far more open place for people to express racism, antisemitism, and personal attacks on people by wingnut shills and bots. He only supports free speech if he agrees with it. There have been a number of occasions in which I’ve reported openly racist and antisemitic postings, and Xitter is far less proactive about taking action against people who make and approvingly repost these claims. Worst of all, Musk turned Xitter into a vehicle in which he openly campaigned for the worst president we have ever had, and our republic will not survive this disaster.
They don’t understand, as Trump and his allies do, they will get nothing to refute their lies, and Trump will deflect the problems he and his allies cause onto people who are in no way responsible for them.
No, it’s accurate. I don’t take any credit for the error addition just for the facts. Look it up yourself. Then extrapolate back to the next level and wonder why the Democrats lost this election
Thank you coming from you I’ll take that as a compliment and a badge of honor. Perhaps you might be a little bit more descriptive.
You don’t know anything about me nor my history and yet you think I’m blind. Hmmmmm. What if I said to you you’re dumb, which I won’t say. And That’s all I said what would you think of me?
You might want to do a little bit more research there. Cynthia they don’t need government approval. They still get issued. Basically they are on auto pilot And most of them go directly into their bank accts
Where are the other Dems in Congress ( besides Chris Murphy CT) speaking out about every step the Republicans are taking? This is not governing as normal & must be met with facts & opposition - every f^*king time- by ELECTED representatives!!!!
I thought that the inability of the GOP to govern in the House could not get more worse than the last two years but apparently it has. I keep hearing that the Democrats have to perform an autopsy on themselves after the past election. I think they rather should double-down and attack, attack, attack and not stop.
Even before people started, Mr Trump told us all that his plan was to wait til his followers had voted early, and then declare victory in the middle of the night. This is what he did. All further ting looks different from that perspective. Counting, he told us, would be unnecessary, as he would have won. I think votes are still being counted? Or counting has only just stopped. Did he win, or were we confused by this turn of events?
I think Musks Starlink and the 60 bomb threats in swing states that evacuated the polling stations, Thousands of votes that were only for president may very well prove this election was stolen by Musk for Trump. Explains why trump wasn't concerned.
And he is a rotten role model. I was delighted to hear when Orbán recently visited the EU Parliament, a number of parliamentarians started singing the Italian partisan song “Bella Ciao” to him. The presiding officer scolded the parliamentarians for it, but frankly I think Orbán deserved it.
I don’t know if he does. What I find especially offensive is that Orbán insultingly turned his back on George Soros, who paid to have Orbán attend Oxford to learn how a civil society operates. Unfortunately, Orbán was seduced by power and decided to repel his mentor, and has transformed Hungary into a gerrymandered dictatorship without a truly free press.
Unfortunately, CPAC and writers like Rod Dreher are endorsing the vile leadership of Viktor Orbán. Orbán enabled his cronies to take over Hungarian press outlets at cheap prices, and there is not much a free press there. The same thing has happened here with the spread of Fox News and its allied propaganda outlets, Musk’s Xitter, and MSM’s migration to the right over a number of years. Young and educated Hungarians are voting with their feet to live in other, freer European countries over Orbán’s increasingly authoritarian state. Orbán is a lousy president, Trump is infinitely even worse.
The troubling aspect of legislators such as Loudermilk is that he and his ilk keep getting re-elected. Even given grossly gerrymandered districts, there should be no way for the Loudermilks, and MTG’s, of the world to get anywhere near seats of power in the nation I thought I lived in growing up in the middle class of America in the 1950’s and 60’s. How naive I was to think we had left the shameful, white-hooded parts of our history behind us.
It never left us. It’s always been there. The monster is awakened and running loose in the village.
Time to write to our representatives and urge them to review the Constitution. They clearly have forgotten - or never knew - the contents. Musk is a bag of hot wind that needs to be released like an inflated, but not knotted balloon to exhaust all the hot air in a wild trajectory and fall.
It looks to me like Mr Trump never really intended to be “President”. His goal was to be a dictator, he was very clear about that. In his mind, according to what he told us, he is our absolute ruler. He is very busy consolidating his power. An inauguration ceremony will be totally irrelevant, as he doesn’t want to be president. He intends to be what Hitler was, what Orban is, an absolute dictator.
We have not been a true democracy from the start. However, from FDR up to Reagan, we behaved more or less like one. We've largely been "governed" by a wealthy aristocratic ruling class. The two cartel parties have done their best to hide that fact as they have helped the oligarchs tighten their grip..
There is one possible solution, President Biden should order Congress into special session. until a budget resolution;ution is passed. Let the venial Congress people stew through the holidays in DC until they do their job.
What the heck......these congressional clowns snuck a PAY RAISE into the bill. The voters should be the ones who decided if anyone gets a raise.
The GOP/MAGA party hasn't worked in years, the only thing they have done is BLOCK progress. What is this about 2.8 million teachers and firefighters going to get social security checks when they never paid in? They had a choice for whom they worked for.
Liz Cheney is a hero. Biden needs to protect these people who have told the truth about trump with large blanket pardons.
Or a pension recipient who had a spouse who paid Social Security for his entire working life, and the surviving spouse does not get survivor's benefits.
Or, perhaps, retirement decisions regarding a surviving spouse were made on the basis of benefits upon the death of the one with the best benefits from a same-sex marriage. Just wait until that is overturned. If I predecease her, she does not qualify for my pension if our marriage is outlawed.
By various means, the intimidation, thuggery and instilling of fear by the MAGAts on Capitol Hill and elsewhere are picking up momentum. The goal of this fascist strongman – as with all fascist strongmen – is to tolerate no dissent. Trump's rabid loyalists in key positions are hellbent on making that happen.
Nope. Biden respects the law, which is something Trump has never done. Trump operates according to Frank Wilhoit’s principle of “conservatism,” in which the law protects him but does not bind him, and lesser folk outside his circle are bound by the law but not protected by it.
Buy the respect the law are you kidding me wow. TDS in full bloom.
You need to see some of my other posts Biden protested integration and busing in Boston out in the streets himself. Biden said anyone with a quarters worth of crack cocaine goes to prison for five years no parole no judge enter Hunter Biden. Joe Biden said he didn’t know anything about his son’s pardon, but pardon them to the exact day that he started his little businesses and then Joe Biden live when he said he wasn’t gonna pardon his son and then he did. Yeah, he respects the law. And those are just tiny examples
I'm not sure we have to worry about taxes for long. The Maga party wants to get rid of the IRS. They want to do a lot of things but sure, why not add it to the pile of crap.
When will the people (We The People) wake up to understand that Musk is pushing his agenda! And We The People did not elect Musk to any political office. I am outraged by this and I hope those who voted for Trump keep their eyes open.
Vicki, Musk is looking as though he is an unelected president. Unfortunately, even after prices soar next year, it’s predicted that Trump’s followers will excuse his not bringing prices down just as they excused his not making Mexico pay for the wall.
Musk is not the unelected president, he is the person who bought the presidency in this election because US campaign laws allowed him to do so. We need to defeat Citizens United and get some campaign financing laws back onto the books.
Amen. Haven't we all pledged "liberty and justice for ALL" (emphasis mine)?
"Conservative former representative Joe Walsh (R-IL) wrote: 'Trump is suing a pollster and calling for an investigation of [Liz Cheney]. Don’t you dare tell me he’s not an authoritarian. And don’t you dare look the other way' ".
Trump’s not just an authoritarian, he is a full blown fascist and I think he intends to use whatever means he can to stay in office for as long as he can. I think he wants to be a dictator for life unless he gets so erratic that even his billionaires want to remove him through the 25th Amendment.
"remove him through the 25th Amendment"
Perhaps one of the reasons he is appointing so many unqualified toadies to his cabinet is to protect himself against someone trying to invoke the 25th Amendment.
Yeah....but how do we get rid of Musk? And who gave him the keys to the kingdom anyhow? I know...I know....He BOUGHT them with his great wealth. But I deeply resent his intrusion into our government.
Does he even know there is a 25th Amendment?
Interesting thought.
Agreed. No one in the proposed cabinet or anyone who replaces the worst of them will not invoke the 25th Amendment. See Pam Bondi as Gaetz's replacement.
ya' think?
In September, DOJ asserted that Sergey Kiriyenko had created some 30 internet domains to spread Russian disinformation, including on Elon Musk’s X which was formerly known as Twitter. In October, the Wall Street Journal disclosed that Musk had been in contact with Kiriyenko and Vladimir Putin which Dmitry Peskov affirmed.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sergey_Kiriyenko
Russian businessman Yevgeny Prigozhin said he had interfered in U.S. elections and would continue doing so in future, We have interfered (in U.S. elections), we are interfering and we will continue to interfere. Carefully, accurately, surgically and in our own way, as we know how to do." https://www.reuters.com/world/us/russias-prigozhin-admits-interfering-us-elections-2022-11-07/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_interference_in_the_2024_United_States_elections
Will Biden step up?
When in doubt bash Biden! Pathetic!
The problem with your argument, Daniel is if they interfere the interfere on behalf of Biden not on behalf of Trump. They don't want him anywhere near the White House to choke off the oil supply again.
You must simplify what Trump is. A facist has a belief system. Trump has nothing. He is only self centered, demented and ultimately a destroyer of anything good. All for the sake of money. I will be in the streets and I will probably get arrested for expresssing my rights.
Bill, I think you've nailed it! Proof, I suppose, that if you write enough eventually you'll get something right.
And you forgot the most important thing about Trump
He's your president for about three more years until he hand it off to JD Vance to finish up and stay in the White House and another eight
Honestly, let’s remember what he truly is is a corporate gladiator, a great manipulator mouthpiece who clears the way for the dismantling of corporate regulation, mostly of our natural resources…
So is it better to have somebody asleep at the wheel or somebody that will actually do something on the behalf of Americans. I guess you’d rather pay for five dollars a gallon for gas and seven dollars for a dozen eggs and 7% for your mortgage instead of three. If not for Covid, Donald Trump would just be leaving the White House right now
He will not live long enough.
Well, you better prepare yourself because the underlying plan is for Trump to hand off his presidency to Vance maybe three years in and if things are going good Vances in the White House another eight years. Ooooops
That is the thought of a lot of people.
I would not be so kind as to use such high-fallutin's words as authoritarian and fascist. He and Musk are cut from the same cloth; they are half-crazed megalomaniacs, cruel and ruthless. If ever two men serve mammon and think they are gods, it's these two.
I don’t think he’s going to be in very good shape physically or mentally three years from now.
Add to all of this the racism behind both “candidates.”
Wow. There are medical professionals for your problem.
I fully expect that to happen. The only problem then is that the slick opportunist JD Vance will then be our so called leader.
Joe Walsh, who I used to vilify. Funny, how worms can turn. He found his moxie
Yeah, ditto Dick Cheney. Now I'm hoping he's not too debilitated to help Liz defend herself against the Mango Maniac.
Whoever said "politics makes strange bedfellows' was spot on.
Dems need to help too, she was and is anti chump
Spot on indeed. Russia was part of the allies - US, UK, and Russia in WW2. Russia, after initially sideing with Nazi Germany, switched soon as they were invaded by that same Nazi Germany, into the welcoming arms of USA and UK. Now, similarly, and against a foe nearly as awful as Hitler, traditionally conservative Republicans are teaming up with Democrats. We need all the help we can get.
Yes, Joe Walsh has definitely “found his moxie.”
It was gone for a spell. Still gone for most repubs
But where is this message being delivered? All that we read here is lost on all but the readers here.
Sandra has made the essential point. The masses of Americans voters have been so diligent with their pursuit of ignorance and “alternative facts” that they watch Fox “News” and readily swallow the swill that comes from Breitbart and Sinclair. And the so-called “mainstream media” (corporate media is a better phrase) FAILS, FAILS, and FAILS, to fight the lies and misinformation.
AND the Dems complete lack of putting this "message" OUT there - in whatever means they could. Odd that the Republs manage this every minute of every day. So when are the Dems going to pull up their big "girl" panties and do the same? BEFORE its too late for all of us.
Bernie somehow manages to publicize HIS message - of course hes not a Dem!
It's the media in the US....it is THE MEDIA! Fix it, or nothing changes.
The corporate media is in many ways Faux News 2.0 in their sanewashi g of Trump. 🤮🤮🤮
Is this the same mass of American voters that voted for Joe Biden just checking
It is not being delivered, our D leaders are mostly silent and at this point, forget corporate media. What I see in my (red) neighborhood is folks voted and moved on already. They, unlike us here, are not paying attention and believe whatever is going on won't effect them anyway. There is more outrage over a malfunctioning gate or a date change for dominoes than a muskrat taking over the US government.
Sadly true, but their ostrich mode won’t last long as the miasma spreads. Will blame dems
😢😢😢
Here's a 10 minute clip that anyone who has the same concern as you should watch.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WK7Xho5GU9U&t=570s
Pakman makes a very good point, one that I have been musing about on the forum, that being that the Democrats need a Joe Rogan.
I would also mention that many readers here watch YouTube video clips from "Belle of the Ranch" (formerly known as "Beau of the Fifth Column"). This channel DOES have viewers from the other side, as frequently the topic of the clip will be her answer to a snarky question from the other side. I believe that "Tennessee Brando" of the Medias Touch Network also has many viewers on the right.
There's a wonderful podcast called If Books Could Kill, they make some excellent if not hilarious points on this matter, saying essentially the same thing.
There is a discussion of what Democrats need to do with Michael Steele and Brian Tyler Cohen. https://www.thebulwark.com/p/democrats-must-learn-from-republicans
Thank you for the tips. Will check them out.
JL.., let's not overlook the 'qualifer'.., meaning "under god", which got stuck in there. It's like saying, we're "one Nation" ... IF you drive a Cadillac.., err ahh make that at a Turdsla.. whatever. Now, all we need do is make "god" plural, because we are now "under" several, or at least two "T" and "M" running the show at PornHub, and there are more gods in the PornHub wing(s). We have been rocked, rolled, and we just might get screwed, bigly. Annnnd.., awaayyy we go..., stay tuned. More acts to follow.
Alabama never does anything right-except they banned and blocked Pornhub.
It was included in 1954. You don’t have to say it. Perhaps, the founders were too focused on separation of church and state.
If it wasn’t harmful to our country, I would think it laughable that they are calling to replace choirboy johnson. Hang on America, it’s gonna be a rough ride. On another note, I hope Liz Cheney has some political support from powerful people. I never agreed with her politically but she did step up. Wonder why he’s only going after Cheney, though, why not Adam Kinzinger too? Maybe because he hates women, powerful women???
Liz is just the only one speaking up, right now. She was on the campaign trail with Harris. While Biden is president he needs to expose this through speeches and social media. The time for Dems to run again is now. Hot social media hard and where are Biden’s top ten things accomplished while in office?
Biden and Harris should be screaming and using every tool at their disposal to publicize and criticize this corruption. But I am hearing crickets.
I'm not even hearing the crickets.
Kinzinger has spoken up, just not as frequently. I think you hit the nail on the head as far as gender.
Well, I think it is because she's a woman.
Musk bought the Presidency and is making it fit his goals. Trump still has things to sell so this state of affairs must continue.
Trump is going to totally monetize his office, which is his Raison d'etre for being in power! Will our military be a mercenary army lent to those who secretly line Trump's pockets. He has pretty much let everyone know that 1 billion buys you anything you want in the US under a Trump administration.
45 ran for office to stay out of prison. Grifting is a great bonus.
That an he want to be Mr. Big, the Dear Leader who picture is plastered over everything, and whose praise in mandatory.
Statues coming
As is the usual, Trump acts, and someone else works the Brand.
Well, I wonder how that might happen since we have a Congress full of maga house members who are totally spineless. BTW Musk is not the president! I am too disgusted and enraged to even write!
Are you disgusted enough to insist your representatives in local, state and federal government actually spreak out about it?
I’m disgusted enough to run my two senators out of town on a rail
Hell yes, absolutely 100%. But that won't happen until Dems control the house and senate and reside in the white house, simultaneously.
Dems need to create their own media infrastructure, remove the old guard, and ditch the current crop of political pollsters and consultants. They need to get out and meet people as they are. Republicans have had stolen a march on propaganda and have done so for over 30 years. They are influencing the mainstream media outlets to ignore what’s actually happening, to sanewash Trump and to engage in phony bothsidesism.
Democrats.
They?
Democrats.
We!
The structure is there. We don't need to reinvent the wheel. We need to participate. And engage. We need to reform the party. By using every apparatus at hand.
Reform it how? The Democratic Party works from top down. They have lost touch with the importance of connecting with the local level. They spend so much time complaining about Trump they are missing a very important message “Dems are stronger on economy and immigration”. You can’t win just on women’s rights
Even Harris is saying the media is not supportive of the Democrats' message. The communications structure in this Country is run and owned by the very same Oligarchs who have lined up to pay cash and homage to trump. LA Times? Washington Post? Who have they lined up with? ABC capitulated.
Using every apparatus at hand means jettisoning the Oligarch owned media as the Democrats' megaphone.
Agree completely, though at the moment, we D's are without a leader. Whoever emerges needs to do so soon, imho.
🎯
"Bret Stephens’s “Done With Never Trump” is a sadly predictable capitulation." From Rick Wilson
The media is falling all over themselves to curry favor with the authoritarians.
Dems need to own their own media platforms. Right now all are owned by others except a few like Blue Sky, Mastadon. Dems need their own Twitter. Will see if The Onion gets to keep Info Wars or whether Alex Jones will get it back. Will The Onion appeal the appeal that gave it back to someone who is working for Alex Jones?
The platforms are there now. Anything put on BlueSky can go viral elsewhere in hours. I am stunned by the silence of the White House. But...listen to what Senators Warren, Markey and Murphy are saying. They are screaming about the nomination abominations.
Warren just challenged Trump about Musk's conflict of interests - deadline for a response 12/23. Any press attention? Crickets....
Other than that there is a notable absence of outrage.
BTW, thanks for all your continuing commentary :)
Kathy. Thank God for your comments. The Dems got to get on the stick with social media. Public schools are being phased out and not one dem in my home state is speaking against it.
Dem's need a leader. Every (D) Senator, 47 of em, is given a pulpit, LFA is the best I can do. But, for the 47 of them.., the silence is absolutely deafening. Doesn't say much for their education..., education meaning the wherewithal to figure out how to right this ship, does it. Yup.., forty-seven of them. I do admire those who have spoken out, but where are the rest? Show me some unanimity, besides driving around with that Senator license plate, will ya? Or, is that all-ya-got? Turn up the heat.
Where do you live?
Once again, for other viewers here, pardon my copy/paste, but here's something, at least:
Here's a 10 minute clip that anyone who has the same concern as you should watch.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WK7Xho5GU9U&t=570s
Pakman makes a very good point, one that I have been musing about on the forum, that being that the Democrats need a Joe Rogan.
I would also mention that many readers here watch YouTube video clips from "Belle of the Ranch" (formerly known as "Beau of the Fifth Column"). This channel DOES have viewers from the other side, as frequently the topic of the clip will be her answer to a snarky question from the other side. I believe that "Tennessee Brando" of the Medias Touch Network also has many viewers on the right.
So true. Was reading in The Guardian today that Musk wants to fund the right wing party there, and there is a discussion of making sure that their campaign financing laws are tighter to protect from his outside interference. I wish we could get rid of his citizenship. That too will need Dems in all 3 branches, including SCOTUS to have an effect. Right now SCOTUS is enacting the Christian Nationalist Agenda set out in Project 2025.
Musk believes he can run the world with his money. He is making significant progress.
Bill, Musk is intoxicated on his own pheromones, a Richie-rich high. He needs an industrial sized stick of Old Spice deodorant to mask that musk & disempower him.
🤬😢🤬😢🤬😢🤬
Yes Bill, and with the amount he (They..) has in the safe to spend, it's not likely he'll run out anytime soon. And if the articles and photos of mega yachts in the magazines I receive are real (and they are!) we have millions of wealthy folks out there who will continue to pay their staffs and mooring (dockage) fees and trips to Monaco. However, the pirates in the Gulf(s) may disrupt things. History shows that. They, afterall will be fighting for simply surviving. Take no prisoners, matey!
To me, and perhaps others, "religion" is the reason this election tanked for Democrats and Americans in general. Face it! Huh.. face it? Yeah.., and it starts with education. And, we're sure hurting on that one. Mixing the CNA (2025') with government would cause the framers to set themselves on fire. They recognized religion had a place. Freedom from the dogma associated with it, was what they had in mind (IMHO), anymore needn't be said.
While the Christian Nationalists are terribly well organized and have been preparing for this for decades. I think Musk's Money and his collusion with Putin who is a master at disinformation, which was spread, just as Trump is a master at fascist propaganda techniques, are what lost it for us. We need our own platforms and to support our democratic influencers and developing messaging that is more plain and ongoing 24/7 365 days a year, year in year out.
🎯
They did, two years ago. What did they do to protect against this? Nothing.
Any buyer’s remorse from the millions of non-MAGA Trump voters? Or have they gone back to sleep?
By the way, the stock market seems to have gotten indigestion after swallowing Trump.
Businesses seem worried in the way that they keep throwing more money at Trump, so clearly they don't think that supporting him was enough. Even though he is not yet president, they are all paying obeisance.
The business community thinks they can control Trump because he has said, give him a billion and you can do what you want, no matter where in the world you are. So, that is an open invitation to buy what you want from Trump.
NO ONE can control CTDT.
OOPS, CFDT.
Citizens United, a present from Mitch McConall for all of us.
🤬🤮🤬🤮🤬. He has given way too many shitty gifts. All directed to keep minority rule in place. He has said that himself in so many words.
Would have been nice, but the long game has won so far. Undoing may take another forty years…if we survive
"Would have been nice, but the long game has won so far. Undoing may take another forty years…if we survive."
Defeatism is a Fifth Column.
Resist.
Remember the Civil Rights Movement.
I hold Eugene V. Debs, convict No. 9653 as a model for American resistance.
Wish I would last for the long road back. My grands will take over
Be prepared for a 1984 version of government because that is how Trump rules.
How and why did the American people let this happen??!
Keep it simple, Rupert Murdoch using Goebbels playbook. And greedy bastards, of course
100%. You nailed it. Shorty sound bites and get out there. Biden is still President. Biden needs to lay the foundation
Rupert for sure. But that's old school. The new school is Musk and social media where Democrats are just learning how to play. Time to catch up.
“When machines and computers, profit motives and property rights are considered more important than people, the giant triplets of racism, materialism and militarism are incapable of being conquered. A civilization can flounder as readily in the face of moral and spiritual bankruptcy as it can through financial bankruptcy.”
-Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. from his book Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community (1967)
Just heard Jonathan Eig speak about his biography of King, which came out in 2023. Very insightful about King's role as a preacher rather than a politician, and very moving. Highly recommend the book and wish we had someone like him today.
This country ignored the power of social media and the delivery of short sound bites. HCR is great but Trump is effect because his delivery is opposite from HCR. His delivery (although lies) are getting read and listened to…and no one exposed all those horrible Facebook post that were lies about what trump accomplished during his term. Right now is the time to start campaigning.
Deciding not to give my eyeballs to Facebook since that $1 million donation to the inauguration by Zuckerberg.
'WE' are the American people that let this happen. I don't know about you but I have been busy working several jobs to keep a roof over my head.
I have always been active politically. Unfortunately I don't have billions of dollars to speak for me.
I hate the “We” business. Almost half of U.S. did not vote for CFDT. We just get to bear the consequences.
That would be nice, but that horse has already left the barn. The only option is to prevent trump and these unwanted immigrants musk and ramasmarmy, from taking office. They threaten our country and thus threaten us all.
Wasn’t it St. Ronnie who ushered that in?
Yes, with the help of Rush Limbaugh and Fox News in the 90’s.
Exactly, saw the change take place in real time.
IMHO....we might add another, in the end, significant player. After David Koch's failed 1980 Libertarian presidential run vs. Reagan he joined the Republican Party 4 years later. Now, nearly 50 years later, many of the Libertarian causes once considered, laughably, outside of the mainstream. However. mow Republican golden tenets and the billionaires like David are "calling the shots". DK is certainly smiling wherever he is......
🎯. Another guy who should have impeached over Iran-Contra.
Ron has nothing to do with social media, the Russian Bots and lack of the Dems promoting themselves.
I agree. It is critical that people realize and take the midterm elections seriously. They must show up and vote in 2026. Democrats better get their act together to flip both the house and the senate.
Linda, you nailed in a single line.
Here I have been worried about Putin controlling Trump, and it looks as though Musk it doing it. I would like to be a fly on the wall watching how JD is taking all of this. I think he thought he had it made when Trump gave him the nod--after all, Trump is elderly and not well, and I'm convinced JD thought it wouldn't be long before he'd be king--either by natural causes or by the 25th Amendment.
Trump has his rapid cult, but they don't like JD. This is getting interesting. Tragic for us actually, but interesting.
And someone needs to put Musk in his place! It’s despicable that he has such influence…
I am waiting for a young hacktivist to take X down. Same with Teslas and Starlink and Space X. Then they can move on to Amazon whose workforce is striking in several cities in the US. Then go on to take down paypal and Meta as well.
Linda - I agree with you that Citizens United is the root of what is going wrong in elections now. It’s the root of a pervasive toxic weed and it’s critically important to wipe it out. Musk and Rameswamy are now our puppet masters . As I see it, we’re entering a time of great turmoil and dysfunction.
This is capitalism gone totally wrong. Where the government protects the wealthy corporations and not the people.
Here is the analogy that a friend told me at University.
A socialist had two cows, the government came and took one cow to distribute the milk to those who had no cows, and left one for the socialist to produce his own milk.
A communist had 2 cows, the government came and took both and said we will give you the milk.
A fascist had 2 cows and the government came and took both and shot the man dead.
A capitalist had two cows, he sold one and bought a bull.
Our government has no mechanism to protect those who don't have cows from not having milk. And, the government does not interfere with the capitalist. Of course if the bulls die, the government may step in and give him loans to get another bull, or maybe too, because he gave calves to the government.
Now…. Not ten years from now, now!!!!! Today, not in one minute!!!! Today. Get the fires burning under our collective power!!! If you have doubts about “putting this off”, watch “Churchill’s War”, look at the original pictures first War and of world war |. We are a confused and inattentive citizenry.,always thinking that without total commitment we will be fine, why? Because lying social media says so!”
Yep total corporate ownership of the political structure.
Mary,
The only thing that may topple the bromance will be a clash between bigly egos. It will happen.
Agreed. Musk is Trump's Achilles Heel...
One would hope but Trump has had more such heels than Imelda Marcos' closet, and like an unstoppable movie monster, keeps spewing misinformation and bouncing back. I don't think there is room in the eagles nest for both Trump and Musk's ego, and I suspect divorce is inevitable; but at what cost to the nation in the meantime?
JL, the cost will be greater if the marriage is consummated...At this picture the famous graffiti of Brezhnev and Honecker on the Berlin West Wall gallery. Exchange those Kissers for MuskRAT and Dumpster Don. Visualize! 😂🤙🏻🤮. Its not the kiss, it's the personalities, all four Autocrats.
Shut the government down and it will be blamed on the The Bloated Orange Mess.
Is it possible that, having the presidency and the money that has brought him (and continue to), he will be satisfied to have everyone else ruin the country— wait! What could ever create satisfaction for such a person? Likely nothing he can accumulate or anyone he thinks he can control or assault. So nevermind.
The captured Supreme Court is America's Achille's Heel.
Trump's Strategic Litigation Against Public Participation (SLAPP suits to exhaust and bankrupt targets) is his MO.
Stripping justice out of American law by overruling civil rights protections is the Roberts Court MO. They've been looking for a case to overrule NYTimes v Sullivan in order to strangle free speech. - specifically protections for journalism. One of Trump's SLAPP suits may do.
In the Nuremberg trials German jurists were put on trial for serving the Nazi cause by stripping justice from German law. "The dagger of the assassin was concealed beneath the robe of the justice.'
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strategic_lawsuit_against_public_participation
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_Times_Co._v._Sullivan
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subsequent_Nuremberg_trials
"In what came to be called the “Jurists' Trial,” surviving high-ranking jurists and prosecutors stood accused of “judicial murder and other atrocities, which they committed by destroying law and justice in Germany and then utilizing the emptied forms of legal process for the persecution, enslavement, and extermination on a large scale.”
In describing the crimes of the judicial system, prosecutor Telford Taylor remarked: “The dagger of the assassin was concealed beneath the robe of the jurist.”"
https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/background-jurists-trial-verdict
Wow. Really good point.
Excellent links lin. ⚖️ In CA Anti-SLAPP case law has developed into a powerful doctrine & expanded in many directions. Free speech targeted Defendants suffer no costs as a successful motion awards the targets all their attorney fees & costs.
Caution is warranted on picking a troublesome case to appeal. There are many capable appellate attorneys that can handle "hornbook" high-stakes cases but, a successful appellate court path must be planned.
That means you need to know the Appellate jurists record, legal interests & proclivities before you leave the law office.
I can see that since Musk and Trump are both malignant narcissists, Trump will get offended at Musk and drop him like a hot potato if he thinks Musk is infringing on the attention Trump thinks should be on himself.
I don't think Musk is a narcissist, Kathy - he has Asperger's and a Ketamine habit.
Not a good combination.
All these things can be true. As the daughter of one who married two, I can say they are both grandiose malignant narcissists. Always wanting to be lauded and the center of attention, while being deeply insecure.
Very dangerous combinations.
If you can never imagine someone saying they're sorry, it's a pretty good tell for a narcissist.
"I don't think Musk is a narcissist, Kathy - he has Asperger's and a Ketamine habit.
Not a good combination."
Such a thing as an Elon Musk is an excrescence of unregulated capitalism and its influence is an effect a corrupt Republican party as personified by Donald Trump and funded by unregulated campaign financing.
Elon Musk may be a sociopath but don't blame it on Aspergers and Ketamine. That is cruelly blind to others' suffering and is empirically inaccurate.
Chronic clinical depression is often associated with Aspergers. And often
this depression is neither mitigated by anti-depressants nor alleviated by talk therapy. Anecdotal evidence of the beneficial effects of Ketamine lead to rigorous scientific studies which documented evidence of its efficacy. Even then... it is a tough enough row to hoe, without the added harm of misinformed attacks.
Get ready for a Netflix style political drama. If Trump tries to dump Musk, he may be surprised how hard that will be. Musk controls the social media, half the communication satellites in the sky and the space program. See any opportunity for arm twisting there?
It occurs to me now that Musk may actually be more powerful than Trump. More money and more tools. He has a younger brain. Is Elon really an Adolph?
Excellent observation. The split could be epic in both drama and spite. DJT cannot tolerate anyone blocking his spotlight, while Elonia is so obsessed with others perception of his business genius and success. This marriage won’t last and the break-up will not be pretty.
I am not depending on that.
Let's review John Marshall's analysis: Muck-Man-Musk is "erratic, volatile, mercurial". May I add, an Afrikaner who illegal entered the USA & is on the lamb.
And, HCR notes Musk is on a 3-way conspiracy text with R'swammy & MAGA House Leader, Dead-Man-Walking with a Smiley Face: 😵💫
So, no nothing, nada, niente, zero until 1/2025 at noon? What me worry?
It'll be an ugly knife fight. It's inevitable. The next 4 years will be lots of Republican egos clashing. Hope the Democrats and the few sane Republicans can run the ball around these people.
The democrats have their head in the sand. 100 to 1 you hear about republican social media not dem social media. No one is trying to shut down false news on Fox.
Hakeem Jeffries most certainly does not. He knows exactly what he's doing. And came out prior to the dumpster fire becoming clear to blame this on the witless rethugnicans and their dear leader. "A deal is a deal"
Let's hope
Better than wrestling. Just as idiotic and moronic. What can go wrong…
Maybe there will be a clash and trump thrown out but not before the constitution is changed to allow people not born in the US to become president.
And all of us will be caught in the exchange of fire...
Sooner rather than later, I hope.
Musk and Ramaswamy certainly do feel entitled to dictate to Congress how they should spend the public’s money. They are unelected officials in a maladministration that hasn’t even taken office. Musk has an inherent conflict of interest here because he is a government contractor (who can’t even get a high security clearance,) he gets our tax dollars, and doesn’t even pay the amount of taxes he should commensurate with his income. He wants to use his position to direct more money into his own bank accounts. He’s willing to take the paychecks and of federal employees as well as checks and funding of those of Social Security, Medicare or Medicaid recipients. Ramaswamy is equally as ignorant and cruel as Musk.
Those two have no experience in governing, just running exploitative businesses. They think they can just tell people to do something and it gets done.
It's going to be one helluva ride in that clown car.
Ramaswamy's Resume is thinner than has been portrayed... He is just a Fast Talker like DJT, and Dan Shapiro...
Maladministration!! Yes, indeed. You nailed it Kathy! Ignorant, cruel—more words for my tffg adjective list. Those are the qualifications for his maladministration. 🤡💩🎃🤮
Kathy, you are too nice at describing Musk and Ramasomething. Please try again 🤗
Mexico paid plenty for the wall. But your media just didn’t tell you that. Perhaps you remember remain in Mexico? Do you think the 25,000 troops at the border for months was free for them? Not to mention, maintaining and managing the incredible number of people that were there. It’s immaterial at this point honestly.
From one of your previous comments...."liberals" got off X because the zone was flooded with shit...as per Bannon. Your above claim is said shit....take 10 mins to fact check this claim, it's unverified at best. Trump supporters like to try and simplify issues, so they themselves feel like they have a stake in the solution. These are not simple problems and there are no simple solutions, the answer to that seems to be lies/propaganda from the right and trump. It's up to you all I suppose, you're building a country that you'll have to live with and it looks real bad. Be sure and check back in when you figure out that you're on the wrong side of history, we'll chat.
Georgia, Rick is a bot. It has improved dramatically over the past few weeks, but there is still no one on the other side of this conversation.
Yes, we've all paid dearly for our lack of boarder policy reform and lack of a coherent policy to counter the forces behind this massive emigration. Donvict and FLEM (first lady elon musk) will just make the mess bigger and harder to clean up.
Ignore the gaslighting troll.
Ignore the troll
I want to! I've reported "it" numerous times and nothing has been done. What can we do to get rid of "it"?! I know that what Heather writes is true and that is why it is being sent to her site, like in the Matrix where the sentinels went after the humans in their ship. So again, what can we do to stop this so called "person"? I am truly upset by the news, government shut down, orange monster etc, just don't like us being bullied by this "thing" putting comments on Heather's post/letter comments.
Ignore the bot please.
Rick, what you say is true but probably most of the money spent by México comes from the US in form of assistance or something. In any case we should recognize that México has been doing the effort with good results as in we don't hear any more about the "caravans" remember?
“Your” media?
🙄
Mexico paid NOT ONE RED CENT for the wall.
I don’t deal with liars and people that make incorrect accusations.
And honestly, perhaps equal justice, is waiting for people like you at the door when you assess or assert that someone with something that they are not like a rapist or a racist. Go lie somewhere else
But you deal with liars all the time… so what is your point?
I'm a baby boomer and have just taken for granted my whole life that America will always value democracy, and we will always be protected from those who want to take democracy in their own hands and pummel it to death. Now I seem to be living in Wonderland with Alice, the Rabbit, Cheshire Cat, and the Queen. So many Trump supporters have read the sign on the cake, "Eat me" and have done just that. Obeying without considering the dangers of doing so.
Several themes in the book point to our situation with Trump and his Republican allies. The danger of conformity. The Mad Hatter representing a person suffering from dementia. The Queen of Hearts being rigid and dogmatic, leading as a figure of fear and authority. She seems "to symbolize or embody the sometimes nonsensical commands and punishments handed out". The "down the rabbit hole' metaphor represents that " someone has become interested in something (or someone- my words) and often the subject does not deserve the amount of attention that a person gives."
If only MAGAs would do as Alice when she leaves the Tea Party . She "becomes insulted and tired of being bombarded with riddles,claiming that it was the stupidest tea party she had ever been to."
Elon Musk is a character straight out of Wonderland and is planning to bring chaotic and nonsensical falls for us to spiral down the rabbit hole. Will we be able to resist? Will we be able to recover from this nightmare? Only if many brave people stand up and yell, "We're NOT going down the hole and we're not attending any crazy Tea Party."
Darth Musk will rule as Emperor by February.
If that's the case, the clash of egos will be spectacular theater. I believe Shakespeare will envious of such a dramatic political conflict. Question: Will the Mad King be able to rid himself of Scarpaccio?
Most likely
Musk isn't simply the unelected president, he sees himself as the de facto president, having bought and paid for it. Trump is just the puppet in front of the curtain, while Musk will be pulling strings from behind. Musk is going to become a threat to Trump's power and prestige, challenging Trump's authority as he pushes Trump to do his bidding. The Trump Hourly Show is starting early, and is already taking a decidedly dark turn.
DJT, and Elon both crave the Spotlight... Both have Dark Souls.... They will clash, and compete with each other in Darkness... This could result the USA Spiraling Down A Black Hole... The Potential Gov't Shutdown is an Example of them competing for attention with Negative Results for Us... Elon Musk triggered it by his assailing the Budget CR deal, obw: He is not as Bright as He has been portrayed by the Corporate Media, and then DJT piled on in order to get the Spotlight back... We will suffer from the results of this Dark Competition...
And they will blame anyone not in the MAGAsphere, tragically.
So...are our tax dollars being spent to support Musk and his agenda? Is the Secret Service assigning a detail to him? Inquiring minds want to know. I there any hope whatsoever of getting him out of the picture???
America is completely divided into mutually exclusive two groups: Trump and MAGA vs the rest including DEMs. The former has an advantage because Trump is an elected President, the latter has a power till January 6, 2025. Given this situation, what the latter can do? A little. That is frustrating.
And blame the Democrats and the Biden Crime Family
Yes Donny-John is an excuse of a man! One excuse after another…not a smart man, not a leader, just ‘you’re fired!’ I wish! Impeachment Day One.
Or blame Biden!
- Pulled Quote -
“Trump is suing a pollster and calling for an investigation of [Liz Cheney]. Don’t you dare tell me he’s not an authoritarian. And don’t you dare look the other way. Donald Trump is un-American. The resistance to him from Americans must be steadfast & fierce.”
And Musk is the leader of the cheering section. Again echoes of 1933 Germany.
And like Hitler, Trump will wind up dictating to and threatening his own allies. The Republicans in the house and senate, and business people will wind up doing Trump’s bidding, and he won’t do theirs.
Eagerly people here using the word Hitler and comparing him to anybody modern day society. Hey Kathy, how about you and I take a trip to Auschwitz and lie down in the ovens or see the skeletons by the millions use another reference OK
Please decent people, don't wait for the echoes of 1933 though 1945...we don't want that on our country.
(Standing and applauding) Exactly.
No people that lie get to receive equal justice when they lie about somebody else and call them racist or call them Hitler. It’s called defamation.
Rick, sod off. If you want to be a Rump/Muskolini fan boy, go masturbate on Xitter, but not here, please.
Hey Dutch, you mean you wanna shut off free-speech so you don’t hear anything that offends your one-sided ears. Why don’t you just go to blue sky? Where all the other liberal cowards are going? There you can commiserate with all your other lemmings.
Hehehe... "Lemmings"... Like you won't be affected by Rump's tax cuts for the billionaires, his tariffs and Muskolini's crashing of the economy, "all for the greater good" of course. Uh-huh. It won't be me who's cutting off free speech, but both your big idols will, Ricky boy. They will tolerate only what they want to hear. By the way, if you read your history books, you'd know it took Hitler only a few months to seize absolute power, start executing his political enemies, and get the concentration camps up and running. Don't be surprised if the Diabolic Duo does that much faster... I hope the Rump-voters get everything they voted for. Good luck.
Well, I have to admit you rarely see somebody that’s so wrong until now.
He was thrown off Twitter. He was thrown off Facebook. The media lied about him and is now paying the price. Everybody wants to shut him up.
He has taken interview interviews with everybody, including meet the depressed Kristen Welker, and gave immediate answers and even the liberal time magazine interview is being twisted by knaves.
I’ve been retired for 12 years. I don’t need tax cuts
And I just read your post and we will no longer be
ANY IGNORANT IDIOT WHO REFERS TO ANYONE IN MODERN-DAY SOCIETY AS HITLER =-LIKE DOESN’T DESERVE THE SWEAT OFF MY ….
UNLESS YOU’D LIKE TO COME WITH ME TO AUSCHWITZ LIE DOWN IN ONE OF THE OVENS OR A PILE OF THOUSANDS OF SKELETONS OR MILLIONS OF PAIRS OF GLASSES AND BOOTS STOP RIGHT THERE ONE MORE MENTION OF HIM I COULD CARE LESS FOR YOU.
If you would like to keep this dialogue going, don’t mention him if you would like to stop this dialogue from going just mention him again
I have repeatedly said, I don't want to live in a Tech Bro Kingdom.
Nor do I, and it will be disastrous for most of us.
Kathy, it's being disastrous already....and is even January.
If they kept their eyes open, they would not have voted for trump.
True but it we had not leaned so far into plutocracy with Reagan and beyond, the nation might not be so flooded with non-stop misinformation.
And the main stream news ignores the misinformation on social media. Maybe we need our democratic leaders to start hitting this. Where is the list of the top ten accomplishments of Biden’s plan
Or read a newspaper or watch a different news channel just for the rest of the story. But you’re correct. His minions want sound bites because they don’t understand what is really going on and want simple quick answers, attuned to 30 to 60 minute programming (conditioning).
"Problem with immigrants? - Build a wall!"
"Not enough money? Impose tariffs!"
"Health Care broken? Get a concept!"
When you're done you can enjoy some delicious cats and dogs - at taxpayer's expense!
My next door neighbor is from Haiti and he shared delicious recipes for cats and dogs 🤤
Only when they start feeling the heat they might, and i said Only might, start connecting the dots....and then it's going to take a while for some brain activity.
Brain activity? You may be waiting a while....I think it's the lack of empathy. The concept of American Exceptionalism has rotted so many people's way of thinking.
It's not the eyes Georgia, it's the brain...
It’s the NO-brainer’s
Eyes wide shut.
Eyes and took history lessons or listening to them
Fine essay, Ma'am. The irony remains that the M.A.G.A.-types have weaponized the U.S.G. I am also interested in this law-suit of the newspaper and its poll-vaulter. Makes me wonder why Trump is freaking over that poll favouring Vice President Harris. 🔍
¿Could it be that Trump is concerned that, if many such counter-intuitive polls results show up, there was some rigging going on from the M.A.G.A.? 🤢 That is to say: ¿would such pools beg the question of how Vice President Harris could have lost? 😱
Unfortunately, trump and the MAGA yapping on and on about 2020 being "stolen" has made it impossible for anyone else to claim the same. Putin could have stood up in Congress and said "WE'RE deciding who wins the 2024 election" - and no one would have said a word about it.
I think the real problems were that some people who could simply didn’t bother to turn out, while state officials engaged in voter purges, making it more difficult to vote, and voter disenfranchisement to get the results they wanted. Trump’s chronic and constant lying about the 2020 election has made it impossible for anyone to claim the same, and I don’t think elections were fiddled. Musk and wingnut media used propaganda to convince people to listen to them, and any real problems came from this as well as manipulating who is allowed to vote in the first place.
As always, Kathy, I welcome your insight. ✌🏽
No, I do not believe there was any rigging beyond the voter suppression you mention. 🤔
Ladies, I often say two things about this wretched vote. 🤬
https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7259852498906025984/ (heck the comment for pointed quote of President Lincoln.) 🔍
1st, Trump won not because of the people who voted for him but because of those who failed to show up for Vice President Harris. 😢
2nd, I only understand that I am blithely basking away in a bublle when it pops . . . painfully. 💔
That’s exactly why they kept harping on it. 2024 was most assuredly stolen. As was 2000, 2004, 2020. Wake up opposition. The Lady E is right.
Repubs cheated, out in the open, secretly, and every way possible. The 180 happened when chump stopped whining about Joe dropping out and the racism, sexism picked up. And then muskrat started buying votes from fools. Dems didn’t seem to notice.
Elon Musk is Tempermentally like DJT... Volitile, Erratic, Mercurial, and Impulsive.... Both Elon Musk, and DJT are the off-spring of Wealthy Families... It seems that Elon runs his Corporations by Impulse, and Flogging his Employees... People are Expendable to Both DJT, and Elon Musk... It seems that Elon is trying to inflict these Methods on the USG... The United States Government is bigger, and more Complex than any Private Enterprise... Elon's Corporate Portfolio are a Collection of Single Focus Enterprises... On MSNBC today, it was stated that the MAGAsts are programed by Fox News, and X... Eventually when the USG funds run out, when Air Traffic Controllers walk off the Job, when SSA Funds don't get dispersed, when Medicare/Mediaid doesn't get funded, maybe the Fox News/X Halos will burst... If so the Halos of DJT, and Elon Musk will be Muddied...
So true, and we all will be screwed. Will Rupert realize that he has cooked his own goose.
Rupert is what 95yo, and on his 5th Marriage? Do You Think That He Cares?
The vampire still cares. He’s trying to change his “will” to give Lachlan total control over his us media empire. He has several sane children that he is trying to squeeze out. Judge didn’t buy it so I’m Sure he is judge-shopping for the appeal.
I would consider Rupert to be Delusional at this point... Didn't Rupert Throw-In with DJT for the $$$ even though Rupert personally Detests Him? I Wonder how he considers Elon Musk, or Vivek Ramaswarmy???
He was for Jeb til chump took over. He certainly has delusions of grandeur. He wanted to be the power behind the throne, bet he hates the show offs.
Only a very rich man, who will never feel the impact of ANY government cuts (except maybe cuts to his contracts) could make such a callous, arrogant statement. "“Any member of the House or Senate who votes for this outrageous spending bill deserves to be voted out in 2 years!” Later, he added: “No bills should be passed Congress [sic] until Jan 20, when [Trump] takes office.”
"those who voted for Trump keep their eyes open"
Those who voted for the Groper-in-Chief will see whatever the Groper-in-Chief tells them to see.
Unfortunately, the trump followers have now lost interest. Chaos reigns
Unfortunately, the people who voted for trump could care less. And, they don't see what trump is doing as a bad thing. I have two acquaintances (on their way to becoming former acquaintances) who don't see what is wrong with any of this. They are educated and former professionals in their fields. It is gobsmack unbelievable. It is as though alien beings took over their minds!!
As my grandmother used to say when she was in high dudgeon," Who died & made him King?"
“Musk, Marshall writes, “is erratic, volatile, impulsive, mercurial,” and he “introduces a huge source of unpredictability and chaos into the presidency that for once Trump doesn’t control.”
Vicki, as Musk’s chaos builds, people will notice when Trump either lashes out at him, or is eclipsed until they break up. This bromance can’t last.
Vicki, we are awake. We are incensed and aghast. The machinations that brought about this situation are legion. What is the fundamental problem that needs adjustment? American worship of money that lets Citizens United stand? Anti-intellectualism? Craving for bread and circuses? Xenophobia? Inability to navel-gaze? Intense and twisted religiosity? Desire to believe that everyone has the ability to get rich so nobody should have any brakes put on (i.e., tax break after tax break for the wealthy)? I could go on, but the first question is the one we need to answer: what is the bottom line in our failure to thwart what's come about?
Trump believers will only believe Trump. I've lost hope that any of them will wake up.
Unfortunately, Vicki, that ship has sailed (...I hope those who voted for Trump keep their eyes open.) His minions have either always had their eyes closed, or they are part of the non-readers of America (which BTW, I've always believed was the USA's main problem in moving forward democratically.) Although I do hope your words come true, it's going to take a lot of energy to reverse this disaster. For my part, I can only pledge to do what I can.
I don't know, Riad. 4 years ago, I thought that the cognitive dissonance would get to people. That ship sailed as soon as I realized they lacked the cognitive ability to have dissonance. They gave it over to Faux/OAN/Prager U.
Maybe you should travel outside of Oregon and see what people think of Oregon from the outside. You might just get a different perspective.
More of a question: can Biden declare a national emergency if the government shuts down, such that the inauguration would be delayed by the number of days that the government is shut down? After the inauguration is a big deal and we wouldn’t want trump to feel slighted by a poorly executed ceremony….would we?
And all that’s on your mind is a ceremony. It’s a one-day event that nobody remembers, except for the fools that lined up for Obama. And I’m hearing rumors that Congress wants to opt out of the ACA. Oooops
As Heather mentions, Loudermilk was one of 139 Congressional Representatives, along with 8 Senators, who sought to overturn the 2020 election results, during the January 6th debacle. He and the others should be doing time in a Federal prison, instead of having anything to do with the (bogus) investigation and its whitewash of a "report." Instead, none have faced prosecution, and most have been reelected since then.
And Liz Cheney, unflinching, makes the truth ring out.
Liz Cheney is an absolute warrior woman.
I never thought I'd say this about a member of the Cheney clan, but good for her!
Every creepy Papa rejected Trump.
I still can not get over that Liz Cheney has become a hero in my eyes....WTAF is happening.
Liz Cheney is speaking truth to power and is using the truth as her weapon which she has unflinchingly used from the beginning of the January 6th treason.
I dunno. Whatever it is, it is happening far too fast. I can't even read or listen to the news anymore without getting an attack of vertigo. 😵💫
Well take some ginger or get some magnets cause this motion sickness isn't going away any time soon.
Ginger tea, with a side of magnets! That should do the trick!
I might sneak a drop or two of brandy into the tea, as well.
Very Strong Old Pale.
Even at 5:30am, that sounds delightful 😈
Georgia, say more about the use of magnets please.
For nausea or motion sickness....not so great for educating the public or restoring a flailing democracy.
What's happening is that the people that should be in jail are the judges and executioner now. It's going to be 4 long years.....and if we do nothing about it it will take much longer...
Decency
I disagree with her policies but recognize her as a true hero for her unflinching truth
I wonder if Cheney will end up being the first political exile from the USA of the 21st century.
(you had plenty in the 20th with McCarthy)
Are we going to continue being mere spectators?
I think many of us are teetering on the brink.
This is unbelievable. A story too strange to tell. I blame the Conservative Media that controls what they report and gives you what want you to believe.
It is like we live in the book 1984 over and over again, and cannot really get to 2024 or 2025 because we will be kept in the non-reality posing as reality of 1984. Be waiting for our allies to shift and the narrative about that to be rewritten. I look at East Germany under the Soviet leadership as a model for what will be experienced by Americans. Those who stay are choosing to live in a closed society.
Those who stay have no choice
Believe me, I’d love to get the hell out, but like most of us, I don’t have the resources to do so.
Hard thing to pull off for many
Linda don't go that far back in time, look at Hungary and you'll have a more accurate picture of our near future.
I learned some interesting things about Hungary this week that may impact our views of Orban’s supposed accomplishments. Hungary covers 35,000 square miles, has a generally homogeneous population of approximately 10 million. Hungary’s short history of democracy dates to 1989 with the collapse of the Soviet Union.
In contrast, the United States covers about 3.5 million square miles with a very diverse population of 340 million and a 248-year history of democracy. (Just for comparison, Los Angeles County has about the same population as Hungary.)
What do you think? Is this apples to apples. Perhaps not.
Perhaps not but instead of Hungary look at us as an example to follow, all the people surrounding trump are looking at Hungary to reproduce their system here. Just check project 2025 and you see Orban on every page. Sad and dangerous.
My mixed-marriage friends, after 16 very happy years in Hungary, got the hell out.
This is not a joke and is not a typo. My grandparents left Budapest in 1912....a few years back we travel to locate the house where they use to live based on an address I find in the back of an old family picture after the frame broke . The house was still there ,in district 7,Budapest. 🥲
Erszébetvaros! She went back a couple of months ago, saw all her old friends.
The Republic of Vietnam survived another war against the most powerful military/industrial empire the world had ever seen. (China, France, America) If the Republic of the United States survives it will be a gift of the Republic of Vietnam.
Don’t understand this comment
I believe JFK’s assassination was a military coup. Until then our military more or less served the government of our Republic. After that our government more so served our military which drew us into the declared war in Vietnam, Iraq, etc.
The Republic of Vietnam showed us that we need to be ready to fight for what we believe in.
At least vote for it.
Remember it's the people of Georgia who reelected Loudermilk and his actions and hateful attitudes are the products of their votes
Omg they gave us him and Empty Gee? Can we excommunicate Georgia for a bad case of stupid?
Oh wait....we also got Warnock and Ossoff.
Let's split half and half. To be fair. 🤗
And we all will pay dearly for that. People of Georgia, please, get a brain!!!
Perversion is "getting its turn"....
Corruption on steroids.
More to the point, this is a hostile takeover of "the administrative state".... on this i have little doubt
They will find it very difficult to function without a professional civil service, and Chester Arthur introduced the professional civil service after Charles Guiteau assassinated President Garfield by failing to give Guiteau a political appointment that Guiteau thought he deserved.
Interesting, whatever the qualifications, governments have successfully worked using patronage systems, in fact that was how my Canadian province of New Brunswick operated well into the first half of the 29th century. They can be "professional" as long as they do the bidding of those calling the shots. That's why i said by "takeover".
That puts this flurry of appointed sycophants on a clear footing. If they want the job, give it to them, or maybe else...
Loudermilk would be better named Loudmouth, as he wants to get his phony claims in the public view, where his fellow partisans will believe him.
That name really stands out in a crowd. Anyone know what it was before it was anglicised?
He should have been brought up on charges.
So should they all have. I wonder what the "report" says about that?
Wait - no I don't!
Don't blame you Robert, after all is not January yet.
"Equal Justice Under Law" in engraved on the $COTUS courthouse.
Like everything else, this SCOTUS majority is doing everything it can to undermine this principle. SCOTUS and its Federalist Society and Heritage Foundations allies have adopted the extra constitutional belief of the unitary executive, which violates separation of powers, and the Founders’ belief that the President is subject to the law, not exempt from obeying it. The SCOTUS majority who voted to exonerate Trump for crimes as an executive has tossed out 235 years of constitutional principle and stare decisis, which they absurdly claim their originalist legal theories support. I would also argue that ginning up an insurrection to help Trump stay in office illegally by halting electoral college voting is not a legitimate use of presidential power. It is criminal, and by allowing Trump and his enablers to get away with this, we are going to experience even worse events in the future.
It's hard to know what to do with "originalist" interpretations because only "originalists" can hear the voices. The best I can manage is to read the text, and my "spidie sense" leads me to suppose that the Framers were not supportive of insurrections:
"To provide for calling forth the Militia to execute the Laws of the Union, suppress Insurrections and repel Invasions; "
And not even that supportive of impromptu militias, or so it would seem:
"To provide for organizing, arming, and disciplining, the Militia, and for governing such Part of them as may be employed in the Service of the United States, reserving to the States respectively, the Appointment of the Officers, and the Authority of training the Militia according to the discipline prescribed by Congress;"
But that's all just taken from what the Framers wrote, and my Ouigee Board lost it's shuttle.
PS My first posted version of the above contained creative substitutes for the word "Orignalist" because my spelling checker does not think that's a thing.
The Italian carabinieri wear a peaked cap with the motto "Sub legge libertas."
Robert, TOTALLY AGREE
A clear conflict of interest.
Robert, blame us for the situation you are describing and de lack of consequences. Us, for not demanding for the rule of law to be applied immediately and fully to those individuals. Instead, now, are them the ones looking for false reasons to put decent and patriotic people in jail.
Our fault and I hope, lesson learned.
Once again Dr. Richardson has distilled controversial actions into an easy to understand report. Her intellect reminds me of a 1926 prediction by Nicolas Tesla. I’ll quote it here:
"When wireless is perfectly applied the whole earth will be converted into a huge brain, which in fact it is, all things being particles of a real and rhythmic whole. We shall be able to communicate with one another instantly, irrespective of distance. Not only this, but through television and telephony we shall see and hear one another as perfectly as though we were face to face, despite intervening distances of thousands of miles; and the instruments through which we shall be able to do his will be amazingly simple compared with our present telephone. A man will be able to carry one in his vest pocket."
"This struggle of the human female toward sex equality will end in a new sex order, with the female as superior. It is not in the shallow physical imitation of men that women will assert first their equality and later their superiority, but in the awakening of the intellect of women."
Nicolas Tesla, 1926
Thanks to Dr. Richardson, Liz Chaney, Frances Perkins, and the many brilliant women working today on behalf of our country. We’re in their debt.
If only Musk were as visionary as Tesla. Each election, more and more women are voted into office at both the state and federal level.
It has only been 100 years since women were aloud to vote in the US and we are finally allowing them to influence the direction of our country. I can't wait until it becomes difficult for a man to be elected into public office instead of a woman.
Most people don't know that Elon Musk did NOT invent the electric car & was NOT the founder of Tesla! That would be the engineers Martin Eberhard & Marc Tarpenning in 2003.
Musk & Peter Thiel founded PayPal. And when they sold PayPal to EBay, they both made massive profits. Musk began buying shares of Tesla, & by 2008 owned a majority of its shares. He then took over as its CEO.
Also remember that without enormous loans from the US federal government, Musk's SpaceEx would be just an idea in Musk's drug-addled brain.
Musk also ousted the last Tesla inventor who was with the company. He is always touting himself as a visionary, but the reality is that Nepo Musk is a money man who always steals credit for the ideas of others.
Sounds like trump to me....just saying 🤔
Eberhard and Tarpenning did not invent electric cars either. It was a long process in the 1800s, but Michael Faraday gets lots of credit for his electric motor demonstrating rotary motion in 1821. Robert Anderson developed the first electric car in the 1830s. There were 30,000 EVs on the road in the early 1900s.
On a fun note, my husband is the advisor for a long-lived student project at the Ohio State University, the Buckeye Bullet, which holds the land speed record for an EV at 341 mph, set in 2016. My husband has been involved in battery research for his entire long career, and the land speed record is a fun cherry on top. It’s a long, dramatic, and beautiful streamliner. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buckeye_Bullet
Not bad for an immigrant, unfortunately of the wrong type. Now he's on to destroy the system that made him the richest person on earth.
Gary, Musk is a visionary after all, he envision himself as the first trillonaire ever and will try to be the only one as long as possible .
Gary, isn’t there an inferred irony in this Tesla quote as a response to Musk running amok?
Yup!
You do a great service , reminding us of both the amazing intelligence of Heather, and the quote from Tesla. thank you, I really hope more people recognize what power there is in women’s intelligence.
Kudos and thanks for the women, and the men who provided support, but some of Tesla, genius that he was, I'd have to take with a grain of salt, A/C notwithstanding.
Elon Musk did NOT invent the electric car & was NOT the founder of Tesla. Look it up. That was the engineers Martin Eberhard & Marc Tarpenning. Musk simply took his massive profits from selling PayPal to EBay & started buying shares of Tesla. He took over as CEO in 2008.
And muskrat stole his vision for the car, but he didn’t steal his genius
Muskrat is not at all innovative. He funds other people’s ideas and then pushes the actual inventors out of their own companies, as he did with Tesla.
Exactly, corporate raider on steroids and with illusions of grandeur
Nikola Tesla?
Yes, thanks for the correction.
Please note that there are no women near trump on any function. The less of them the worst the outcome is going to be.
I love you for posting that
Spot-on as to billionaire whimsy, caprice, and other of their pygmy qualities.
Not just Elon Musk, but other billionaires and their enablers in Congress, as Heather records, want to destroy American government, so the billionaires may rule totally beyond all law.
See this U.S. version of immolation from the inside in fuller display in “Red Notice,” Bill Browder’s true story of oligarch-corrupted Russia (which a fellow commenter here urged I read).
“Without knowing it,” from the year 2015 on page 200 he writes of how, at the end of the year 2000, he’d “stumbled upon one of the most important cultural phenomena of post-Soviet Russia – the exploding wealth gap. In Soviet times, the richest person in Russia was about six times richer than the poorest. Members of the Politburo might have had a bigger apartment, a car and a nice dacha, but not much more than that. However, by the year 2000 the richest person had become 250,000 times richer than the poorest person. This wealth disparity was created in such a short period of time that it poisoned the psychology of the nation.”
The U.S. is now similarly poisoned, its wealth gap siccing a new culture of lies and insensitivity to lies.
It’s ruled by billionaires’ abstractions quantifying all life – categorizing, group think, and dehumanizing as the schools have wrought.
And to think that tens of millions of Americans have been bamboozled by the billionaires and the almost billionaires. And for what? So the rich among us no longer have to pay for infrastructure and regulations - regulations that were put in place because they don't want to take care of our planet.
There are 2.6 million uncapped onshore oil and gas wells spread across the US. To plug all of these known wells will cost an estimated $280 billion. And this is just one derelict industry.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/texas-has-476790-unplugged-oil-wells-that-are-a-toxic-nightmare-and-it-s-getting-worse/ar-BB1nBno5
It seems weird that we can get fined for throwing out a McDonald's bag of wrappers and yet someone that spews poisonous methane into the air for decades is totally free to abandoned well after well.
Also recommend reading The Road to Unfreedom by Timothy Snyder,
Also, Timothy Snyder’s “On Fascism,” and Robert O. Paxton’s “The Anatomy of Fascism.”
Great book and I'd like to see Peter Theil's name thrown around more in the Billionaire Boy's Club, that man is absolute rot.
Thiel bought J.D. Vance as our Ohio senator and now VP. Vance is utterly unqualified to govern, as his rank misogyny and attacks on Haitian immigrants in Ohio demonstrate.
None of them want to destroy the American government not one of them. they just have a different approach than you.
Just a friendly tap on the shoulder Rick Sender to let you know that Maga cultists meet down the hall. You've come through the wrong door. So if you wouldn't mind closing it behind you, that'd be much appreciated.
Another reminder Kazz. If you see RS's name by a comment, click on the ellipses and hit collapse. Unfortunately, I realized this after reading a fair number of his bull shit comments.
Two clicks is all it takes.
Thanks Gary, kind of like a magic wand.
Yeah, Gary, they’re only bullshit because you don’t like them. But they happen to be real and factual. Just common sense.
Kazz, rick is a bot/troll. Probably a Russian bot. There is no human on another keyboard who can be sent down any hall. Simply not engaging with it is probably the best practice.
And you’re still sticking with that story up Steve. Yikes
Thanks Steve, you must be right because these guys all sound the same.
Well, there’s always blue sky, Where many former “X” liberals used to reside but now the cowards have moved there because they don’t want to hear both sides of the story. Enlightenment is important. Ex used to be populated by 70% Democrats and 30% Republicans but now that it’s 50-50 many people like you that don’t want to hear both sides of the story as they are mandated to do in a court room, simply wish that closing the door will solve the problem.
And I don’t think you should use that term Maga Cultists. . Basket of deplorable‘s didn’t work too well either.
By the way, apparently Bidenomics is working so well that the market blew up today because the Fed chair thinks this economy is in trouble and has curtailed, his optimistic prediction of the number of interest rate, cuts and size of those cuts into 2025.
And 68% of the population of the US acknowledged that this country was moving in the wrong direction. You might just take note of that
are you with those who , like Loudermilk, want to re-write history so that trump will be seen as the victim?
The real reason many have left Xitter is that Musk has made it a far more hostile place for people who disagree with him, his spreading false rumors, lies, deep fake videos, and making it a far more open place for people to express racism, antisemitism, and personal attacks on people by wingnut shills and bots. He only supports free speech if he agrees with it. There have been a number of occasions in which I’ve reported openly racist and antisemitic postings, and Xitter is far less proactive about taking action against people who make and approvingly repost these claims. Worst of all, Musk turned Xitter into a vehicle in which he openly campaigned for the worst president we have ever had, and our republic will not survive this disaster.
Oh, and I suppose it’s only the right that spreads false rumors like the border is secure crime is down and bidenomics. is working.
Yikes. By the way, Kathy look up the word projection and then look in the mirror.
You have the right to spread rumors back if you’d like, you think the rumors, perhaps many people don’t ever give that a consideration?
If you can’t carry on a two way conversation with people that don’t agree with you. Sad what’s the term for that narcissism something like that? lol
They don’t understand, as Trump and his allies do, they will get nothing to refute their lies, and Trump will deflect the problems he and his allies cause onto people who are in no way responsible for them.
Thank you professor sender. Your erudition on the subject is underwhelming.
No, it’s accurate. I don’t take any credit for the error addition just for the facts. Look it up yourself. Then extrapolate back to the next level and wonder why the Democrats lost this election
Sorry, I’m handling multiple requests now so it should erudition.
You're blind
Thank you coming from you I’ll take that as a compliment and a badge of honor. Perhaps you might be a little bit more descriptive.
You don’t know anything about me nor my history and yet you think I’m blind. Hmmmmm. What if I said to you you’re dumb, which I won’t say. And That’s all I said what would you think of me?
Oh right...and stripping disabled of their social security is a "good idea" for their lives.
You might want to do a little bit more research there. Cynthia they don’t need government approval. They still get issued. Basically they are on auto pilot And most of them go directly into their bank accts
Thank you, Professor Richardson: That about sums it up.
The lunatics are running the asylum.
The "well paid" 1% who finance the lunatics... are creating the asylum...
Isn't this called "Oh, Shit!" day in Congress?
When they have to pass a bill to keep the government running?
You said it.
Isn’t every day in this congress “Oh Shit” day?
Where are the other Dems in Congress ( besides Chris Murphy CT) speaking out about every step the Republicans are taking? This is not governing as normal & must be met with facts & opposition - every f^*king time- by ELECTED representatives!!!!
Did you not hear Senator Sheldon Whitehouse tonight on Lawrence? Find it!
It's way more powerful that Republicans are calling this bs out. Probably why it's catching the airwaves.
I thought that the inability of the GOP to govern in the House could not get more worse than the last two years but apparently it has. I keep hearing that the Democrats have to perform an autopsy on themselves after the past election. I think they rather should double-down and attack, attack, attack and not stop.
I wish they would, and they can start by dumping the DLC old guard, who think it’s still 1992.
Another important and detailed post. I swear we are turning into HUNGARY!
Even before people started, Mr Trump told us all that his plan was to wait til his followers had voted early, and then declare victory in the middle of the night. This is what he did. All further ting looks different from that perspective. Counting, he told us, would be unnecessary, as he would have won. I think votes are still being counted? Or counting has only just stopped. Did he win, or were we confused by this turn of events?
I think Musks Starlink and the 60 bomb threats in swing states that evacuated the polling stations, Thousands of votes that were only for president may very well prove this election was stolen by Musk for Trump. Explains why trump wasn't concerned.
Stalin said, it matters not who votes, but who counts the votes, or words to that effect.
I think that was the point of Orban’s visit to Mag a Largo back in the Fall.
They LOVE Hungary and consider that positive.
Orban is their model.
And he is a rotten role model. I was delighted to hear when Orbán recently visited the EU Parliament, a number of parliamentarians started singing the Italian partisan song “Bella Ciao” to him. The presiding officer scolded the parliamentarians for it, but frankly I think Orbán deserved it.
Bella ciao! I hope he knew what it was.
I don’t know if he does. What I find especially offensive is that Orbán insultingly turned his back on George Soros, who paid to have Orbán attend Oxford to learn how a civil society operates. Unfortunately, Orbán was seduced by power and decided to repel his mentor, and has transformed Hungary into a gerrymandered dictatorship without a truly free press.
Past tense
Unfortunately, CPAC and writers like Rod Dreher are endorsing the vile leadership of Viktor Orbán. Orbán enabled his cronies to take over Hungarian press outlets at cheap prices, and there is not much a free press there. The same thing has happened here with the spread of Fox News and its allied propaganda outlets, Musk’s Xitter, and MSM’s migration to the right over a number of years. Young and educated Hungarians are voting with their feet to live in other, freer European countries over Orbán’s increasingly authoritarian state. Orbán is a lousy president, Trump is infinitely even worse.
The troubling aspect of legislators such as Loudermilk is that he and his ilk keep getting re-elected. Even given grossly gerrymandered districts, there should be no way for the Loudermilks, and MTG’s, of the world to get anywhere near seats of power in the nation I thought I lived in growing up in the middle class of America in the 1950’s and 60’s. How naive I was to think we had left the shameful, white-hooded parts of our history behind us.
It never left us. It’s always been there. The monster is awakened and running loose in the village.
Will it ever die?
Exactly right, Ralph! Trump just unleashed the
Unleashed the monster!
Time to write to our representatives and urge them to review the Constitution. They clearly have forgotten - or never knew - the contents. Musk is a bag of hot wind that needs to be released like an inflated, but not knotted balloon to exhaust all the hot air in a wild trajectory and fall.
Two people (musk and Trump who want to suck all the oxygen out of the room. Maybe they will suffocate each other.
Is my suspicion that we really don't have a federal government any more shared by others?
It looks to me like Mr Trump never really intended to be “President”. His goal was to be a dictator, he was very clear about that. In his mind, according to what he told us, he is our absolute ruler. He is very busy consolidating his power. An inauguration ceremony will be totally irrelevant, as he doesn’t want to be president. He intends to be what Hitler was, what Orban is, an absolute dictator.
He’s said as much.
We won't after 1/20/25
We have not been a true democracy from the start. However, from FDR up to Reagan, we behaved more or less like one. We've largely been "governed" by a wealthy aristocratic ruling class. The two cartel parties have done their best to hide that fact as they have helped the oligarchs tighten their grip..
There is one possible solution, President Biden should order Congress into special session. until a budget resolution;ution is passed. Let the venial Congress people stew through the holidays in DC until they do their job.
That is the best suggestion I've seen so far.
What the heck......these congressional clowns snuck a PAY RAISE into the bill. The voters should be the ones who decided if anyone gets a raise.
The GOP/MAGA party hasn't worked in years, the only thing they have done is BLOCK progress. What is this about 2.8 million teachers and firefighters going to get social security checks when they never paid in? They had a choice for whom they worked for.
Liz Cheney is a hero. Biden needs to protect these people who have told the truth about trump with large blanket pardons.
The voters should be the ones who decided if anyone gets a raise.
Don't we hire these clowns?
The issue is those who had a second or subsequent employment where they did, in fact, pay in.
Or a pension recipient who had a spouse who paid Social Security for his entire working life, and the surviving spouse does not get survivor's benefits.
Thank you for clarifying!
Or, perhaps, retirement decisions regarding a surviving spouse were made on the basis of benefits upon the death of the one with the best benefits from a same-sex marriage. Just wait until that is overturned. If I predecease her, she does not qualify for my pension if our marriage is outlawed.
Can’t “like” this. Thanks.
By various means, the intimidation, thuggery and instilling of fear by the MAGAts on Capitol Hill and elsewhere are picking up momentum. The goal of this fascist strongman – as with all fascist strongmen – is to tolerate no dissent. Trump's rabid loyalists in key positions are hellbent on making that happen.
The autocrat: The rule of law applies to thee, not to me.
Sorry, but that’s the Biden mantra.
Nope. Biden respects the law, which is something Trump has never done. Trump operates according to Frank Wilhoit’s principle of “conservatism,” in which the law protects him but does not bind him, and lesser folk outside his circle are bound by the law but not protected by it.
Buy the respect the law are you kidding me wow. TDS in full bloom.
You need to see some of my other posts Biden protested integration and busing in Boston out in the streets himself. Biden said anyone with a quarters worth of crack cocaine goes to prison for five years no parole no judge enter Hunter Biden. Joe Biden said he didn’t know anything about his son’s pardon, but pardon them to the exact day that he started his little businesses and then Joe Biden live when he said he wasn’t gonna pardon his son and then he did. Yeah, he respects the law. And those are just tiny examples
Just curious, in a Banana Republic does the price of bananas increase or decrease? Just preparing my banana budget and the next four years!
That's a really good question!
(I don't know, but Banana Republic is definitely an expensive place to shop.)
I had a similar question. In an Idiocracy do taxes go down or up?
I'm not sure we have to worry about taxes for long. The Maga party wants to get rid of the IRS. They want to do a lot of things but sure, why not add it to the pile of crap.