The immense federal government of the United States of America, with its immensely powerful military, will soon be under the control of a mentally deteriorating criminal who ran only to stay out of courtrooms and eventually, prison.
He. Doesn’t. Care. About . Anyone.
(But himself.)
He made promises to everyone everywhere all the time that he cannot possibly keep.
A very pertinent and frightening question, SFHaine. I am struggling to stay positive and trust in our history to pull us through one of the many bad times we’ve experienced as a united nation, but because of the evil on our doorstep and soon residing in our White House, I am not confident that this grand experiment in democracy will make it through the next year.
Until the day after the November election, I was confident the “ reasonable center” of the electorate would come together & elect Harris because she was the sole reasonable alternative.
I felt Trump couldn’t prevail, as he ignored traditional channels of electoral communication & persuasion and he was insulting large swaths of people.
I was terribly wrong. The Dems missed the boat completely ( re: messaging)
Many, many tens of millions found ( still find) Trump “ AUTHENTIC “. They do not get their information from anything I’d recognize as a credible news source.
I too was confident that Harris would win. I did not fool myself to think that there was some 'center' in America - but I did delude myself into believing that trumps transgressions were so serious ( documents, rape, Jan 6, not conceding the election etc ) that sane people, no matter their political inclinations would understand that he should never hold office again
I did not foresee the deep rooted dislike of anything liberal or of the democrats.
I did not see that though the upper middle class did extremely well under Biden that they would still cry that previous four years were 'terrible' and a 'horror'
I not foresee that trans athletes and trans people, or rather the fear of them, would translate into so many people voting on that issue - even though most of them never knowingly met a trans person themselves
I did not foresee that people in the affluent suburbs of NYC, whose only real contact with immigrants - were those that cut their lawns, clean their houses , and bus their tables, would have such a fear of an invasion - the likes of which echoed the fear of those of us born in the 50's, of a russian invasion to take away our 'freedoms' ( that one is rich considering they voted for a guy who would rather give Alaska and Puerto Rico to Russia if he were to get the land rights lol )
I did not foresee that women would still vote for this rapist, abuser, rather than another woman especially a liberal one
I did not fore see Latinos voting for him in such numbers thinking his promise to deport people did not mean anyone they knew
I did not foresee the true power of Fox
I did not foresee that Musk's 40 billion dollar purchase - was not the mistake that the biz community originally thought and was rather a brilliant investment in purchasing the entire Unites States - to use as his toy
I did not see that the day after the election the so called establishment would all bend a knee to trump, that nations like Canada and Mexico and others would trek to Xanadu to kneel before a madman
I do not think it was Biden staying to long, Harris saying this or that or not saying this or that, nor the price of eggs that drove so many Americans to willingly take a chance of ending democracy - that they prefer an oligarchy, a father figure, the ability to show hate for their neighbors openly, that they hate sharing in the largesse of the American dream so much, that they will surrender all to a lunatic who makes no pretense of wanting to help them.
The blame is on our neighbors , the GOP, Murdoch Machine and Musk - but most of all on the American People.
Close the door and shut the lights on the way out.....
I think you are describing the way many of us feel. What is happening now is beyond our worst nightmare. My only comment to add is that the right to vote carries a responsibility--it's not just VOTE, it's be informed, think, use your brain, look at motives, consider integrity, vote not just for yourself, but for the future of our country. That's what democracy is about.
And, after voting, stay informed -- watch what your representatives are doing, what they're facing -- don't just let the machine run itself hoping that it's doing the job you want it to do. It doesn't really take that much time if you're consistent and you have each other -- the other citizens -- as the team. This is an US thing, not a ME thing -- even MAGA or DOGE MAGA or MUMP can't run without some kind of supervisory control. WE are not weak while I alone probably eventually am weak -- regardless of what THEY want US to feel. WE can project strength through unity for a common cause -- equality and freedom, where everyone gets a chance.
I would only add one more factor. I did not recognize the depths of racism and misogyny that pollute our country. Clearly, this was animating many Republicans but I suspect that millions of Democrats who stayed home didn’t want Trump; they just could not quite make the leap to a woman of color as President.
Not a statement, but a question: perhaps you are misreading the reasons Harris lost?
I think Harris lost the election because prices rose a compounded 12 1/2% over 3 years. When Biden was asked about it he waved it away with statistics about everything in the economy except higher prices. The once populist Biden seemed vaguely irritated when asked about prices. Working class people (especially) noticed. And remembered.
Biden’s border policy allowed 8 million undocumented immigrants (conservative NPR estimate) into the country. That changed 6 months before the election in a cynical ploy to curry favor with a pretty pissed electorate. For most people the issue isn’t racism or hatred. It’s “what the hell do we have laws for if we’re just going to ignore them”. It looked unmanaged, chaotic, and alarming.
Harris ran too far left in 2020 (she was one of the Bernie fools who agreed when Julio Castro demanded that illegal border crossings become de-criminalized).
She and many other Dems made gender issues too prominent an issue. Yes, Dems should do the tight thing. No, talking about it in a way where our position makes those who disagree feel as though we are calling them immoral, or evil is not effective politics.
Harris didn’t (couldn’t? wouldn’t?) separate herself sufficiently from Biden, an incumbent with a36% approval rating).
I agree with most of your assessment - and if Haley, or DeSantis or any other Republican ran and won, that assessment would make sense.
But first Biden, then Harris ran against someone who tried to overturn an election. Full stop. The underlining foundation of our democracy - he thwarted the peaceful transfer of power - refused to hand over the metaphorical keys on inauguration day.
Calling the people that choose this, this over democracy, immoral or evil is not effective politics that true - but it describes many of them.
I know from my conversations at a convention I attended in August and the weekly talks at my gym.
People who I often have friendly chats with about many things ( we had never discussed politics before , though they knew I was liberal, and they were conservatives ) to them it was not about eggs or gas - they were totally unaffected by that. Yet they watched Fox and read the WSJ almost exclusively -
The issues you mention are amplified by this right wing machine until infests the daily conversation. As an example - my gym has 13 tv's on facing the treadmills - many turned to fox. They take a crime - a crimes happen everywhere in America, but they take the ones perpetrated by immigrants - legal or not - and play them on a loop for 20 minutes or more - until the next show and start again.
I content that racism played a major part of the election - maybe not overt - all these people claim they like the 'good ones'.
Trump spent 250 M on anti trans ads. Signs in a nearby community filled with them even thought trans in HS sports at their school has never been or is an issue.
YES! Harris and Biden made numerous mistakes - but what you claim implies that trump ran a stellar campaign. Jerking off a microphone , talking about a golfers penis size, hannibal lector as a real person, the list goes.
The voters saw all this - and decided that his future looked better than Biden / Harris - I am sorry - I cannot respect their decision. I accept it - because thats America - but I will not blame Harris / Biden errors for what these - deplorable's - yes deplorable's have given to me and my grandchildren.
The next few months - by April - May, they will see what they have wrought.
I agree, there's no way Harris or Biden could've done enough wrong things to make sense of voting for trump. I think the primary reason were racism, misogyny, and selfishness. I feel betrayed by those who voted for trump.
I personally doubt that very many voters rationally went through all Trump’s faults as described by us Dems and said, “Oh, hell, I’m going with Trump.”
My bet is that most of them considered they knew both Trump and Biden and decided they wanted the guy who seemed stronger. They saw that most of Trump’s crazy talk last time either didn’t affect them or turned out to be typical politician bs.
As for the crudity, have you watched TV lately? Crudity is now the norm.
I get it. Trump is abhorrent to the mind. But turns out that’s not a deal-breaker for about 50% of the electorate. Maybe we should rehabilitate Spitzer, John Edwards, and Bill Clinton.
Tom, if for many people were asking why do we have laws if they are going to ignore, why didn't ask why a convicted felon that never respected any law would have my vote?
Why are you straining to put your logic on a past event? But maybe an awful lot of people thought they were a Dem put up job. Not that crazy, I guess. I see some equally nutty Dems claiming the first assassination attempt was a fake, or that somehow Trump stole the election.
Half the country can't put their hands on $500. And more than that are living paycheck to paycheck. A "sound economy" misses that completely. This has been getting worse for years. To address this in the near future we need UBI, a universal basic income. The problem is people just don't make enough money. Go back to the 1860s and the graduated tax that redistributed income.
Patrick, the income tax of 1860 affected everyone in a proportional manner and then in 1980, Regan came and that's why half of the country don't have access to 500$ and the other 40% are living paycheck to paycheck. Now, with the billionaires in control this situation is going to get much worse. As to why the people continue voting Republicans, it's a mystery to me.
I think it's simpler than all that, Tom, although all your points are valid. I think Harris lost because Biden ran in the first place, which only gave his replacement candidate two months to build a campaign. If Biden had kept his word about only one term, there'd have been a primary fight for the top spot, and plenty of time to formulate appealing positions on border control, women's autonomy, and the economy.
I think you are right. I think the inflation was the key issue for so many. I don't think any Democrat could have won. Incumbents world-wide have been losing because of inflation, I have heard. I also agree with you on the border and on the gender issues. Biden, and the Democrats, have been out of touch on both.
The failure of the Harris campaign to capture the vote of every woman in America surprised me most of all. Even women who are against abortion surely can't favor bleeding out in the parking lot as the alternative. I believed all women care enough about their daughters to make life of the mother central to any argument about terminating a pregnancy.
I get that the radical right just doesn't believe President Defect is the horrible human he is, and therefore ignore the peril to their own comfort and prosperity, but mainstream media has not held back on the threat of abortion ban as envisioned by MAGA. WTF, ladies?
The reasonable center is still there. Unfortunately, many of them did not bother to vote, because they, swimming along in their own world of daily concerns, figured someone else would. Years of pursuing "political correctness" yielded ignorance and apathy.
Your claim that there is a "reasonable center" really needs a challenge.
There is a bunch of folks who rarely pay attention because they have no idea that they have a responsibility to govern. When they do tune in, it's for seconds, with no context or frame of reference, and stupidly do what their social circle does. Since a significant number of their cohort goes to church, it compounds the problem.
The folks who do pay attention need to make it simple, so these witless ones can hear:
No more medical bankruptcy
No more unlimited spending by billionaires on elections via PACs or any other ruse
Not so much a reply to you directly so much as a general tone in this block of texts.
Referring to Trump voters as witless church-goers (perhaps one of the kinder things they’ve been called in this comment section) is political malpractice, one of the stupidest things to do, and the biggest reason much of the electorate loathes Democrats.
Have you forgotten that in about 22 months we will need a single-digit percentage of these voters to take back the House and at least limit further damage to the Senate?
From way up there on your high horse, could you grant swing voters the grace to consider that an awful lot of working men and women voted for Trump because they tried to stretch their paychecks for three years as costs rose a compounded 12 1/2%? And they voted to fire the seemingly frail old man who refused to much about it.
Even George Conway, a strong never-Trumper, limits his broadsides to Trump and Co. You don’t see him bashing the electorate. Because it is self defeating.
The seemingly frail old man on the ticket was Trump, not Biden.
The people making sure their top issue of illegal immigration were Republicans in Congress. That’s who writes the laws.
The misinformation, outright lies, and finger pointing perpetrated by all our politicians should be reined in. No more immunity for them to go into their jobs (Congress) and lie to the people non-stop. They should be trusted and removed from office for what any other company would be held accountable for as misrepresentation and fraud.
If the phone company took your money for service and failed to provide it we’d go after them. Why is the American public so willing to allow the people we pay to lie. They can never be trusted as long as they are protected.
Trump is the insult king. You are absolutely right, Tom, that if insults are to be hurled they should be at him. Or at the greedy tech bros like Elon and Vivek, who have the selling point to the right that they're furriners. All Dem campaigns could and should have praised the voters with sound bites like, "You're too smart to vote for higher prices." and then go into American made vs. tariffs.
I have become a supporter of Traditional (Loomer) MAGA to stop MUSK controlling American economy. His plan is to form a world empire for himself by means of investing in America, China and Europe.
You can hope that she has enough power to somehow block the power and wealth machine that's been working since Santa Clara Co v Union Pacific two centuries ago, and is now ascendant.
Energy would be better spent in organizing in your community, and pushing the only party that can maybe be pushed, in the direction you want it to go.
It feels a lot better. And it does work,if you're willing to show up. May take a while, but it's better than cheering on an idiot.
Per space.com, the Starlink system is a digitally integrated network of satellites owned & operated by Musk. Musk has more than 10 contracts with the federal government.
The satellites which orbit around 342 miles or 550 kilometers above the Earth can be spotted at night with your focused attention & eyes on 'Aero Digital Space', ADS.
[I hope that "ADS" and/or "aero digital space" works for everybody as I just made it up.]
Per Starlink.com, Musk says the satellites "require & unobstructed view of the sky". Food for thought.
"Political correctness" itself is not to blame. "Politically correct " just means being polite to people, not making people uncomfortable, treating people, even those who are not the same as you are, with basic respect. That idea was taken and twisted so people believed it was an attempt to force people to be someone they didn't want to be. It played on people's grievances, encouraged people to feel they were being bullied. It was propaganda and manipulation.
It's really difficult to combat propaganda, NLTownie. Not that we shouldn't have made the effort, but emotional manipulation is the problem. We need something more subtle than facts or policies. The left has never acquired the skill of finding language that appeals emotionally to our better angels. If we could only find our own Frank Luntz to come up with phrases that trigger tolerance and acceptance!
Political correctness is a misnomer in the first place, David Holzman. It equates to Woke. Better nomenclature would have been "common decency," with reference to the constitutional right to fair and equal treatment of all. That appeals to patriotism as well as the teachings of Jesus.
So Russia and China hacking and misinformation had nothing to do with it? Our mealy-mouthed media? My only complaint about the Democrats: We're never as audacious as we should be.
An honest assessment. The Democrats would’ve had a much better chance if they had done what they wanted to do during trumps administration and that is invoke the 25th amendment. If Joe Biden had exited well before this, then the Democrats would’ve had a chance to perhaps chosen a more qualified candidate. And there are a number of them out there.
Or it may recover quickly. But herb you sound like an honest guy if you haven’t read the article, the lengthy article from the Wall Street Journal, which highlights and annotates some of the knowledge about Biden’s mental capacity early on, you will realize that this was not about his debate, although that debate performance was… I can’t even put a name to it. Check out the article and there’s many more along the same lines, but that one is very comprehensive
And trump can get up there and say outrageous things, dance around like he can't control his body and that's ok!?!? What's good for the goose is not good for the gander. We need honest news, not entertainment. News cannot be profit centers.
Rick, remember what they say about hindsight. And also remember that Dems were buoyed after Biden's SotU address nearly a year ago. Had the 25th been invoked after that it would have led to a civil war within the ranks. Except possibly for insiders, nobody foresaw a disastrous debate. Let's stop blaming ourselves and instead blame those who either voted for the felon or didn't vote at all.
I don’t believe that a “reasonable center” exists anymore or could get the needed job done. America is a broken oligarchy that needs radical reforms to education, healthcare and taxation if we are to maintain a democracy. We can’t survive this level of grotesque inequality with incrementalism or bipartisan bullshit. It is time for us to actually listen to the Sanders, Reichs and AOC’s rather than dismiss them as the loony left. As long as democrats play to a reasonable or moderate center, we won’t make our country fair or remotely close to a democracy that provides opportunities for all.
Again, I will remind all you folks who are so gosh-darned smarter, more educated, and perhaps morally superior to swing voters who went the other way…
Even a 10-year-old moron who is running for Class President knows you can’t win an election by calling swing voters names. So are you guys smarter than a fifth grader? Hmmm.
The hypocrisy here is astounding. Another one who wants to come out and call us names all while condemning name calling. Get a mirror, put your glasses on, take a good look and read what you write.
I think we continue to underestimate how thoroughly the pandemic threw American society off center. Guess what? We're mortal! That combined with existing malignancies to give us repeat-Trump and DOGE took advantage as oligarchs always will.
And the fact that the employment subsidies and the temporary moratorium on evictions for non-payment of rent ran out before Election Day probably reinforced anti-incumbent sentiment.
I also wonder if some of the voters were motivated by the visual increase in homelessness and/or homeless people being temporarily placed in hotels. Few, if any, realized this was directly related to the pandemic. Shelters are usually attempting to help as many families, adults and youth as they possibly can - and consequently beds are often quite crowded. To avoid the spread of covid, shelters reduced their capacity, in some cases by 30%.
Recognizing that those who would then end up on the streets, depressing their immune system and increasing their odds of having more serious covid symptoms, the federal government enabled local government and nonprofits to use motels as shelter alternatives. All the players became incredibly creative in providing motel vouchers coupled with supportive services to reduce unhoused people on the streets.
I was part of this strategy and aware of the methods used, but I’m sure that very few voters (D or R) understood what was happening. I understand why it appeared chaotic to them.
This is a huge problem when the goal is protecting the safety net. Government doesn’t toot its own horn, or explain why and what it is doing. And I have no clever way they could do this. But it’s more important now than ever!
Your last point: "authentic". What the actual, everloving, F is "authentic" about that individual? Absolutely NOTHING. Yet, they believe it will all their hearts. A new thing that must have sprouted up in their "information sources" (I will NOT give it any respect by calling it "news") is something about "people's reaction" to the guy who killed the United Healthcare CEO being "inappropriate". All my retired cop friends are saying how awful "those people" are who feel that he "had it coming".
If I had more inclination, I'd study the carp that shows up in their feeds from time to time and see where it comes from. I don't want to wallow in that garbage, however.
WTAEF. Perfectly on point. Authenticity is a concept unknown to these MAGA sycophants. They heard a five syllable word, learned how to pronounce it and bear it as the sword of truth; damn those pesky definitions anyway, huh?
How we got here, and who to blame, is a nice game to play. However it isn’t going to move us one step further to fixing this mess we all are in.
The majority of our country is lucky to live paycheck to paycheck. Rent prices continue to go up, and people who never thought they’d be on the streets are out there. It isn’t immigration, it is greed. A big company buys a small company and in a year they let go all those working there. Many of those people have student loans. Unemployment only counts those supposedly actively looking for work. Many living on the streets are actually still working. They can’t afford to pay rent on the money they make.
In bankruptcy student loans and credit cards seem to be unforgiven, but rich debts sure are reduced. Who decided that poor people’s debts aren’t the same as rich people’s?
So, let’s figure out how to actually make a difference in our states, our communities, and our lives. Then focus on that.
Let’s get all those who are working on gun issues to work together so we don’t get 10 different texts a day asking for more money to solve gun problems. Or the so many other issues that are very important.
Organize and share the messages. Candy Lightener started Mothers against drunk driving. MADD. We all knew what it was, and supported it. One area one group and it changed our world.
I can’t change Washington, but I have been part of two groups that changed laws in two different states; that change helped many people. It took a couple of years of work to get the change, and it did happen, as it needed to happen.
So figure out what is important to you, and/or what group is available to you, focusing on an issue that you care about, and work to make that change. And be willing to work with others doing good.
Professor Richardson gives us great examples, of past history and awareness of current goings on. Often in the past, it took one person or a small group to light the fire. How we use Professor Richardson’s information to preserve our democracy is up to us.
Please let us know what you are doing, so we can cheer you on!
Well said Nancy. I am fatigued by the naysayers and blame throwers. I will not give up, I will do my best to fight and re-educate where I can. I get encouragement as I see the chaos already happening in this supposed new administration ranks. Trump pissing off MAGA and greed and power finally showing its true colors. I remind myself daily, I will not go back and We the People will be victors in he long run.
They ?we? threw out Jimmy Carter largely because of lines at the gas pump, and Harris because income inequality had made those gas price signs visible on ever street show them things were not going well for them. Electric cars are expensive, everyone expects to drive either a 16 year old car or an SUV… listening to reason/s or Bernie didn’t resonate so much, and with rampant distrust and conspiracy theories, casting votes for Trump seemed ok. Now we are left with the really big issues of a world facing AI domination, more warring, and climate disasters with no good outlook. Hmmm. Hoping you/we all can create loving community around you and continue to do your best, courageously. Maybe we will even get spiritual insights and do things that will help.
Why is it do hard for many of us to understand we drove voters to the other side with s too-old candidate (so said the polls for three years), higher prices that said candidate waved away for three years, a border that looked chaotic and alarming, and a new candidate who ran four years before as a lefty Bernie bro?
So how does a mentally deteriorating man accomplish what he has done? Don the con ? Don the Pon? Combinations thereof? Not even half the pop voted for him , won by 1.5 points or percentage ..marginal at best ( not a mandate). Marginals is where to work.
I cant remember who suggested watching MeidasTouch the interview with David Cay Johnson ..but I did. Thank You!
I’m not going to even try to explain -wish I could…whether it is Leo/Theil/Heritage/Regan it garnered a lot of people , it’s been in progress for a long running time.
Is this our greatest fight or a continuance of the same old game? Doesn’t matter…what.have.we.learned? Water boarding works? Drip, drip, drip, smoke screens, mirrors, incessant repetitions..yada yada
We made mistakes. The biggest may be Citizens United.
There are dozens WAAAAY smarter than I -most saying the FACTS don’t matter to a population that isn’t informed, can’t read, money buys, attention spans are short, and I add have a soap opera mentality…drama kings and queens, and many of those are disenfranchised , desperate for hope. The trifecta came. It’s here.
Uniting is safety, two heads better than one, strength in numbers. There are plenty of us, and enough of them that can …Will …still join us, they make mistakes too.
Education is a key factor. Start local, think big. Share best you can. Stay the course.
I’m concerned as well, because I’ve read a lot of history (although was I wasn’t a history major) and am familiar with how governmental systems may break down. The concern I have is the distrust of our institutions and the seeming inability of them to stop a political charlatan and demagogue like Trump.
And THAT inability is baked into our entire governmental institution. Norms and "doing the right thing" dont work when people who DO vote, then vote for a sleazebag conman who they saw on a "reality" show! This belief that because someone is on television or social media and has money - they count for more because of that? Apparently there is no comprehension that a reality show means people are PERFORMING in front of a camera! I guess they dont understand that?
Maybe they need to hear and see more about what's working in our institutions and what they're designed to do when properly funded (something Republicans have deliberately failed to do). There's a reason for rules and regulations, a reason for taxes, a reason for fines and penalties and prisons: justice equally applied to all. It's a high standard but no higher than "Thou shalt not _____" which has no wiggle room for class or power or wealth or caste or lineage. All according to their means, according to their needs. So, we make mistakes, we miscalculate, we don't consider every detail. We adjust and we persevere. Our cause is equality and freedom, the good fight.
It won't make it. When we have a president elected, whose head is full of loose slogans contradicting each other and his only objetive is to stay out of prison and on the other hand, a malevolent dictator in Russia in conjuction with the man that bought the American government and pulls all the strings, nationally and internationally as he is doing in Germany, you and we the people have ample reasons not to be confident.
I fully understand your feeling of pessimism, Ricardo, because I feel it myself more often than I would like. But I remind myself that autocrats *want* us to assume that history ends with them and there is no hope for any future beyond them--a future the people might desire, including a democratic one. Muskrump craves immobilizing despair. Its algorithmic media disinformation loops are built to induce it. We have to avoid defeating ourselves, even on our worst days.
It didn’t make it through this year… your great democracy, and all your threats about the Republicans and Trump is a threat to democracy… while it turned out to be your own party who pulled an actual coup d’état in America. Usually that’s reserve for countries with oligarchs like Russia and China.
Take a deep breath, relax see what happens and then get pissed if necessary.
It’s difficult to relax when Kash Patel is nominated to lead the FBI. That’s only a small piece of our concern.
Trump is currently being manipulated by the richest man in the world. Musk got the budget resolution HE wanted ( Trump did not). Trump doesn’t win in a battle with Musk. Neither do we.
What about the German far-right neo-Nazi party AfD representatives spent Election Day at Mar-A-Lago. The other political parties in Germany refuse to work with them — yet Trump is photographed with them chanting “ Kampf! Kampf! Fight! Fight! ) I would ask “ Fight WHO?
Trump is a criminal who attempted to overturn an election in 2020 he did not win. 62 courts ( of all stripes) agreed - he did not win. Yet he CONTINUES to say he won the 2020 election!!
And how do you feel about Trump’s denigration of our veterans ? My husband is a Vietnam combat vet … he’s never understood how veterans can support such a man who demonstrates contempt for the military ( yes. I believe Generals Milley & Kelly over Trump. Why would they lie?!
How did you manage to do that? I am curious, as you obviously saw the reply to his comment.
Eventually, they all go away, but it is annoying to see him pooping all over the comment section. I actually don't read his comments, but I do get equally annoyed with seeing replies to him. It's feeding him.
What do you know about Kash Patel? Have you read his entire bio? Do you know what positions he’s held thus far ? If he has opinions, I disagreed with yours that doesn’t mean he’s not qualified. That just means you don’t like his opinions and unfortunately for you and the fact that he’s in the cabinet, he will choose his opinion over yours. People recently are complaining about Merrick Garland that he didn’t move fast enough to prosecute Trump I have the absolute opposite views. It’s obvious the people on the right that Trump has been unfairly treated in the legal sense since no president has ever been charged with many of the alleged crimes that he is accused of. I could care less either way. Want to let you know that there are other schools of thought
You should also stop the nonsense about Trump trying to overturn the results of an election. That ship has sailed? 1000 people were not about to overturn the government of the United States. And I’m assuming that coming relatively shortly there’s going to be a lot more information about what happened on January 6 which I’m sure many of you aren’t aware of yet. Involvement of the FBI involvement of Nancy Pelosi, involvement of Muriel Bowser, and the testimony of people who are not allowed to testify to the then current January 6 committee
And I will give you three names to think about. Al Gore who challenged his election against George Bush. Jill Stein, who not only questioned the election, but had five states recounted costing millions while the democrats cheered her on, And Hillary Clinton to this day who states that she thinks the election was stolen from her.
The issue with Donald Trump‘s election that he lost was that somehow a relative average citizen who had been a lifelong,elected official, got 13 more million votes or so then the hero of the century Barack Obama. It was a very unusual circumstance to be sure, and one certainly questionable at that time.
In fact, even today Democrats are wondering what happened to those 13 million votes and think that people just sat on the sidelines in this most important election of the century.
What are you talking about? It’s pretty hard to relax when the incoming government seems to be made of people who are either unqualified to govern and/or in it for themselves only. I assume you mean the change from Biden to Harris as a coup? Would that the Republicans had cared about the country enough to replace or get rid of Trump!
Yup. And he takes up a lot of space super rationalizing. My fingers are tired of scrolling past in order to find realistic commentary. Maybe that is the R.S. goal. He certainly won't convince anyone here of his nonsensical views. I think the AI has been asked to "flood the zone" to wear us out.
No, it’s not hard to relax at all. Let me “Abraham Lincoln for a second Who said most people or is happy as they make up their minds to be.
I don’t assume that Biden Harris was a coup that’s EXACTLY what it was
And in fact in the past few days, Biden has been anger by the fact that he says he should’ve stayed in the race. Although we all know that would’ve been a mistake. Yes, it was a coup. If you prefer to call it something else have at it?
Now to some of the other points, and please don’t take offense, but it’s amazing to me that the average citizen, even being well educated advanced, educated citizen has any idea what it is to appoint a cabinet and be able to judge the quality of that cabinet until it actually is an effect. I think many of you might agree that the cabinet that was chosen by Biden or even by Obama or not person by person the best choice
And I’m kind of laughing because even the past few days people are mad at Biden for picking Merrick Garland because he didn’t prosecute Trump quickly enough for which I’m laughing my an off. Sounds just like Russia or China prosecuting or killing off your opponents no difference at all. It’s not your job to determine whether a cabinet member is qualified to run qualified until the cabinet. Member actually does something as a member of the cabinet. In most cases, his cabinet will do nothing, but carry out his goals. And if they don’t agree with yours, you can’t say that to run qualified because they’re just doing what they feel is right in their minds. They won the election and they will choose their own cabinet, which is their right and obligation. So you’ll just have to wait and see
The reason that the Republicans are not getting rid of Trump is because
His supporters and those who voted for him, evaluate his policies to be good and although most people here would not agree, which is fine but they do. Trump would probably still be president today and be leaving the office right now if not for Covid. And of course, that’s certainly a debatable topic not that it means anything now at all
And the ignorant hate continues. Your post is meaningless. James, absolutely meaningless. There’s no topic there’s no basis. There is no content just a meaningless insult.
What’s funny is you have no idea who you’re talking to. You know nothing about me you know nothing about my politics you know nothing about my personal success. You only have hste and it doesn’t do you any good? Park the hate in your back pocket. Watch what happens and comment accordingly.
I believe that Rick Sender is one of those sad people whose mental and emotional deficiencies compel them to seek attention, even negative attention.
Responding to them helps fill a deep bottomless psychic emptiness, but otherwise does no one any good. I’ve known a couple of people like this. It took me awhile to realize what the game was, but it is real. One of them eventually committed suicide. Another I had to fire as a client.
We have brilliant patriotic generals who have taken oaths to protect and defend the Constitution and who could restore civil order. A military coup would be, however, a measure of last resort.
A military coup won't be necessary. MAGA is in its final throws of self-destruction. All the generals have to do is stand there and say No to the fascists. They aren't stupid. They're ready for this, even though some of their underlings are flirting with courts marshall for treason.
At one time the US had several bases in Greenland but now it has only one. How many would be enough for the MAGA mental midgets?
Many of those in the military are all in with Trump including many of the NCOs. Things could get interesting very quickly if enough MAGAs side with Trump.
Virginia, what we have learned is that oaths of office mean nothing to a whole lot of people, even Supreme Court Justices and a former president with dementia, delusions of grandeur, and a lack of caring for anyone. Republican members of Congress are not too keen on their oaths either. What should make anyone think our military leaders will care any more for theirs if they are ordered to do violence to their fellow citizens. After all, they can claim they were just following orders or that they were just trying to be good soldiers. Who do these "patriotic" soldiers turn the government over to when many of them are Trumpers and Trumpettes themselves?
Don't throw in the military towel too soon, Ruth. I think of General Milley, who's on DT's list of revenge, and I have to think others will defend him.
30 years of defending The Constitution "agains all enemies, foreign and domestic" and I'm conflicted as to where military rank & file loyalty lies. Senior leadership, 3 & 4 star Admirals & Generals achieve that rank by presidental nomination & senate approval, a military selection board process. I fear a purge of any member of the the Joint Staff, combatant commanders that weren't confirmed during trump 1.0 will removed and it will go even deeper into any Obama appointees that are still serving. Those are the people who still believe in their Constitutional oath and in their place we'll get Pete H like replacements.
I only 'like' these comments about the military's dedication to the Constitution because of that characteristic about this military and those in other countries similarly structured. I'm not encouraging anyone to think about military coups. We the citizens are still here. MUMP is actively talking about elections in 2 years....
There is a clear and obvious logic to your assessment. After all, our military followed the direction of political liars several times. Vietnam, Iraq and 20 years in Afghanistan for what?
It's an American tradition to dominate and destroy. Let's not forget to "Remember the Maine!" which in part resulted in the U.S. acquiring control over Cuba, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines.
there are only few examples of the military returning power to an electorate after a coup against a dictator in recent history. Usually there is either a muddied process or non at all, and the military stays involved in governing.
Bruce: I lived through a military coup d’etat. They did turn the power over with an election. I was a teenager & not into politics but it can happen back to a democratic system.
Hi Janan, that is really interesting. My data says that this happened in Nigeria, Chile, Indonesia and Gambia in 2017. In Sudan and Algeria in 2019 the military retained significant control. In Zambia in 2017, the military stayed much involved. Where did your experience happen, I need to make some corrections.
Bruce: I was born and grew up in Ankara, Turkey. In late 1950s, there were many demonstrations and the military was always held in very high regard. In 1960, there was a coup d'etat followed by some period of martial law. I remember soldiers in the streets. Then there was an election and the military turned power over. In the recent 15 or so years, it has become the illiberal democracy with Erdogan following the playbook of dictators like Putin and Orban. There were other attempts by the military later on but not as successful.
It's not unrealistic in these extreme times to recognize that the military is our final guardrail. At the moment, the first duty of the military is to uphold the constitution. Beware if Trump and company attempt to replace loyalty to the constitution with loyalty to the president as the military's prime obligation.
I said it earlier too. I trust our brilliant generals to make order and hold “proper” elections. Still feel that members of Congress who supported the coup should be tried.
Let's all step away from the lunatic idea of supporting a military coup in any sense, fashion or form. Nothing could be further from the philosophical ideals and constitutional mandates of our American Experiment than such a thing, plain and simple.
Thank you. What are we thinking? Military coup now will help "our side" and tomorrow it will destroy "our sude." The incredible idea of a civilian leadership of our vast military is unique. I sincerely hope the checks and balances will prevail
I have said that I don't support a military coup, but the military refusing to violate our constitution, which they have managed to do the first time around. I hope it can stay that way.
Well, it’s absolutely great to see all Americans supporting America.
Donald Trump is your president. He’s the president of United States of America.
It was his own party that threw Biden out of office. HIS own party is the reason that Trump is in power. Very poor management out of control prices open borders. Can’t blame Trump for that.
And predicting the future is not your forté, nor anyone’s. Why don’t you give it a rest and wait to see what happens rather than try guessing what happens which most people are almost always incorrect
First of all Rick, setting aside any fair criticism of the Democratic Party for allowing the Seditionist Sociopath to use our Presidential election as his bail bondsman, there is no such thing as "open borders" in our Country. That is a MAGA talking point that is about as legitimate as Trump University, or Trump Vodka. Secondly, no sane person is "giving it a rest" while this lowlife racist, felon, misogynist, moron assumes power. All Americans who care about their Country will continue to resist
Daniel, for what it's worth, you are arguing with a bot. Bots are incapable of generating original content, instead pulling it from right-wing sites all over the net. Bots are capable of generating reams of drivel to bury us with, and they do nothing else. The lights are always on, no one is ever home. Be careful how you interact with it. It is probably best not to engage at all.
Well name-calling that’ll get you a long way. I keep telling people please put the hate in the back pocket. Every single Lawfare case against Donald Trump, has either collapsed or will collapse. Not to mention that many people who pursue that are now asking for pardons and will most likely receive them Do you know the lengths that Alvin Bragg went to take a NDA case, what is a misdemeanor into a felony?wowowow. And then Alvin Bragg, doubled down with his nonsense by taking Daniel Penny to trial for murder, While his city, Burns. And women in the subway burn.
Btw As an example Bill Clinton paid 850,000 to Paula Jones for an NDA. It was an all the newspapers And on TV. Butttt There was no investigation. There was no questioning as to where the money came from. There wasn’t a trial…..there wasn’t even an inquiry.
Further, I don’t see how resistance is gonna help this country. Hopefully it will not help all the illegal criminal gangs that are now causing damage in 17 states Killing and raping with trials that have been on TV Illegal gangs that have taken over apartment buildings and home invasions where they pistol whipped a couple and pull the woman’s fingernails off. If you’re going to resist against that, I hope it doesn’t happen to someone you know.
Well, James, you obviously haven’t read much of what I’ve written which of this case as a complement to the left. In many cases, when the right has a triumvirate of control, they usually splinter at some point well, the left stays together as a bunch. The difference now is that people have signed down to Trump‘s policies for the most part so there will be splintering, but I don’t see it as bad as it could be.
One other comment though James. People here comment answer someone else’s comment comment again answer someone else’s comment and answer again, and a lot of people here seem to know a lot of the other people who are posting on this forum. Alas, you don’t call any of those people trolls. But you define as a troll as someone who does the same thing as most of the other people here, but have a difference of opinion and opposing opinion. So while I don’t feel like I’m a troll if you feel comfortable calling me one I’ll wear it like a badge of honor because I’m correct in this assumption
So, Rick, how much does the FSB pay you? Do you really think that destroying NATO is a good idea? That you will be safe living in the US (assuming you do live in the USA)? That starving people out of Social Security or food stamps will be a benefit to the USA? That teaching everybody that only evangelical Christian lunatics know the way to educate and run a country? That Germany and the rest of Europe should be handed over to neo-NAZIs? Go back to your Russian handlers. They'll award you.
Well, I’m not sure you know what you’re talking about because Kamala Harris outspent Trump 3 to one. Actually spent over $2 billion and managed to lose. Biden was kicked out of office by his own party
So what you’re saying is they thought that Kamala Harris had a better chance to win than Joe Biden. When all the polls disagreed with that
RS. You seem to be saying something very much like “My country right or wrong”. However desirable calls to patriotism might be, they can be a wolf in sheep’s clothing.
In today’s world patriotism expressed as “America First” is perilously close to advocating an authoritarian and expansionist American government. And us with a President-elect who is openly laying the ground work for wars to acquire territories from other sovereign nations: Greenland from Denmark, and the Panama Canal from Panama. Such thoughts should be anathema.
I recently ran across a 1931 essay on patriotism in The Atlantic that strikes a chord today.
“That splendid virtue, love of country, that strange hold which one’s native land has upon the heartstrings, is perverted and distorted into a socalled patriotism warped with suspicious hostility, a mingling of pride and defiance, which has no more place in the modern world with its wide travel, rapid transportation, quick communication, mingling of many races in one country, and the economic interdependence of all countries upon each other, than Voliva’s theory of celestial cosmography has beside that of Einstein. It is perpetuated, taught, promoted, because such a patriotism is a necessary preliminary to war. Until the world learns to dispense with war, patriotism must be artificially pumped up for the benefit of those who profit by war. Some day we shall know that war is no more necessary than poverty or yellow fever.”
Now is absolutely not the time to entertain thoughts of “My country right or wrong.”
Carl Schurz was the person who originally came up with the saying “My country, right or wrong,” but the actual saying is: “Our country, right or wrong. When right, to be kept right, when wrong to be put right.” People often omit the fuller quotation which gives Schurz’s actual position.
Ed, great post. You are, however, arguing with a bot. There is no understanding of love of country, duty or honor there, only algorithms. It will out-post you all day, every day, with crap gleaned from all over the net. Best not to engage the bot/troll.
Oh I think Elon Musk is the puppet master, and just who will be running the country come 1/20, well not DJT. But if anyone should give it a rest, I vote for you.
And actually, I’m glad people are actually weighing in here and giving their opinions. It’s dialogue like this back-and-forth that gives people different perspectives both you and I. It does not mean you agree with what I post and it does not mean I agree with what you post but at least we have an idea of what others think.
Do you know how many people think that Obama is running Bidens administration? millions of people think that, but you would not be aware of that. In fact, just the other day, they posted that Biden has taken 470 days of vacation during his tenure, and has been relatively absent since they Kicked him out and Kamala has been in Hawaii, so many people on the other side of the aisle wonder who is running this country right now.
I find it also humorous when people say Trump will never give up the office…I.e. will you promise to leave the office when your term is over, SO why would he allow anyone to control him if he’ll never leave the office?
He has a lot of respect for Elon musk. He takes Elon Musk‘s advice to heart, and if the advice is good, then he will use that advice. But the majority of you here think that Trump decides and that’s as far as it goes, but now you have a problem with somebody else giving him advice, so you can’t have it both ways. As I said, in an earlier post, every administration has people outside of the administration, providing advice… even the Bidens.
My personal feeling is, if musk gives Trump advice, and he agrees with the advice he’ll use it, and if he doesn’t agree, Trump will make the decision himself as he has been.
I will be watching closely, and hopefully Trump will succeed and help America and if that happens, I expect each and everyone of you here to acknowledge that. Doesn’t I expect you to do the opposite and have every right and even obligation to do so. The problem is, you’ll have to be honest in your assessment. And I doubt very seriously that you will be you anything that Trump does as a success so there’s that, but I will give you the benefit of the doubt and watch closely. Thank you.
I'm pretty sure Virginia our military have contingency plans. It's tragic if they ever have to use them but it is what it is. The alternative it's much, much worse.
Oh lordy....not sure the Democrats are ready to handle ANYTHING. I hope they are...but so far we see the same old playbook, with us bringing a knife to a gunfight.
Virginia- It’s a scary time for sure, but rather than the military, I’m putting my money on the bureaucracy. The US government is full of dedicated career public servants who are very adept at sidelining, delaying, and restraining ignorant political appointees. If you know any government workers, make a point of thanking them, and let them know you count on them to protect our constitutional system at every turn.
@SFHaine, Guided by my hopes, not my fears, let alone by grassroots organizers like Indivisible’s Ezra Levin and Leah Greenberg, I remain heartened by the thousands of groups nationwide who are called to safeguard consensual governance and protect both our most vulnerable communities and the planet. As we speak, such groups are at work developing action plans for using their local constituent power in states across the country to help in the nationwide effort to resist the infiltration of MAGA thinking into our states and communities.
Aligned with a shared mission to maintain some amount of democracy until 2026 and achieve significant victories in the midterms, millions are dedicated to breaking MAGA’s hold on Congress and state legislatures prior to our entering the 2028 election cycle.
On that note, I wish our beloved LFAA community a more just and peaceful world in the new year.
Well said and thank you. For every action, there is a reaction. And ours will be mighty. It is foolish to predict anything. But I do believe that our nation will suffer immensely and perhaps learn something from it. After all, as nations go, we are quite young. At best, we are teenagers. And we all know that teens go insane until their hormones settle down a bit. We're just getting started as a civilization.
We have a pattern of reeling back and forth. We throw out the party in power regardless of the real causes of our distress and discomfort.
And so it goes. "MAGA" will soon become the "swamp", the "bums" to be thrown out. Trump, Musk and Co. will be the new "deep state". Earth to Trump: every president gets blamed for everything.
And the sooner we realign ourselves with the concerns of the vast majority of Americans who are not sharing in the astounding wealth of America, the sooner we can find some fairness and equity for those who don't have time for all these discussions.
Too many American families are struggling despite holding full time (often more than one) jobs. The Federal minimum wage is still $7.25/hour. Since Reagan, $50 TRILLION was sent to just a few people at the top. "Let them eat cake" - as Yogi said: "deja vu all over again".
Barbara Jo, I join you in wishing everyone here a more just, peaceful and happier New Year.
Bill, this is gold: "And the sooner we realign ourselves with the concerns of the vast majority of Americans who are not sharing in the astounding wealth of America, the sooner we can find some fairness and equity for those who don't have time for all these discussions".
Agreed. There are several people, like you and Jon Rosen, who are go-to commenters for me. Bill is certainly one of them. Thank y'all for showing me the way.
I do hope that Democrats and mainline Republicans can use the current in-fighting to come together, bolster sane policy and get recognized as the best path forward for working-class Americans, who are getting lost again in the noise. Does anyone know what work is being done to this end? We shouldn't just watch this awfully entertaining show; we should be planning and acting.
JB, Many progressives are using their constituent power to urge DNC voting members in their states to endorse Wisconsin Democratic Chair Ben Wikler for DNC Chair. Unlike the other candidates who officially have declared and who, in my view, would perpetuate the status quo, Wikler would firmly position Democrats as advocates for working families across the country. He also would focus on improving the Party’s messaging—training and deploying effective communicators to reach voters on every platform, in every place.
This is especially important given the Democratic National Committee’s history as primarily a fundraising entity, often driven by the big-money interests of billionaires, large corporations, and Wall Street. Clearly, the Party cannot truly represent working people if it is unwilling to challenge these powerful donors.
I understand the vote is scheduled for February 1st. I hope you join us in seeking endorsements for this “vote-getting guru,” who believes in going door-to-door talking and *listening* to folks on every street in every neighborhood all year long every year.
Bill, ‘..as nations go , we are quite young. At best, we are teenagers…’
That perspective is in some fashion, reassuring. It’s also frightening as I watch the mud fight of crust on ketamine and dump’s disintegrating grey matter heating up.
At this juncture crust’s alignment with putting & fascism ‘concern’… such a polite adult word…me most.
But what is horrifying to me is a chaos that is meant to come
Lynell, I so appreciate you writing. I imagine all of us will be checking in with one another as we do our part to resist the spread of the dangerous agenda set to be unleashed both at home and abroad.
Morning, Ally! I'm sure you suffer from the same dilemma of too many junk emails. It's even more frustrating that they are mixed in with the non-junk ones. Add to it that we don't get notified if someone replies to our posts...
The cycle of madness goes on. Republicans do not view the stated 4.6 trillion in additional debt come 2028 as their responsibility. The abused Democracy cyclically returns to power long enough to clean up. The rich deny this as their problem. Call it The Meta Domestic abuse syndrome. Caring for peoples' life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness is expensive and The Nation is bankrupt.
Victoria, Were our Party more emphatically to focus on strengthening its messaging, impacting voters on every platform, in every place, I imagine we could contain the inevitability of the cycle you rightly identify, blocking it from recurring as a permanent fixture of the American political landscape.
I heard an excellent podcast on Harry Litman’s Talking Feds yesterday, where he discussed ways that states can push back on the “Trump agenda” such as it is. He spoke with 3 current or former State AG’s, one of whom still serves in that role in Colorado. They seemed quite well-informed and prepared to take action steps against many of the things they believe will be tried. It actually helped to hear this. I hope we can continue to stay involved, informed and focused on supporting positive counter-actions in 2025. “Action binds anxiety” is a phrase from my counselor days that I try to remind myself of frequently. Thanks, Barbara, for your positivity!
For us, for the next few years, resistance will be local and organic! It has already begun. The thousand small stories drowned out by the bully noise.
They are a great sign of hope and transcend our polarizing partisanship. Watch how communities come together in natural disasters....that is the impulse we must nurture. Labels dissolve!
Wishing you ever stronger hope and productive work in this coming year. Thank you, again!
Yes, we get distracted by the bait thrown our way designed to sow doubt and division. There’s a troll on this feed who gives himself away regularly; no solutions, just slams at democrats and pretends to be superior intellectually. I call him WRECK Sender Troll. Ignore him and look at the thinkers who offer hope, solutions, constructive options and encouragement. We are Americans first and foremost, practicing learning to be okay with disagreements, and finding our voice and empowerment. That is the very reason we call this a democracy. We still have guardrails in place despite our fears that will make it very difficult for the monied few to gain total control. Our job is to talk with our neighbors, share our concerns and ask how we can find common ground. That ground will be found in our love of country, willingness to listen and steadfastness in what’s morally right.
Of course some folks will not come to the table, but that does not excuse us from continuing to speak to their “higher angels” and care about their wounds.
The opportunity to shut this rich mob down was before 2016, when we could have stopped playing the hierarchical game of putting old white men in positions of power. We could and should have offered younger, progressive leadership that the majority of people wanted. That was the lesson of the Obamas if we paid attention. He offered practical optimism and we had one of the biggest turnouts in our history. That lesson still stands true. So let us offer that hope of real change in 2026. We’re not dead yet. Stand and be counted.
It doesn’t help that we have members of the T cult on the Supreme Court, but we still have the power of voice and right thinking, so let’s use it.
I believe we may need to go to a larger conflict with foreign and domestic powers who wish to rule us. We are not victims! Unless we choose to hand our power over. I firmly believe a nationwide strike may be in order to stop the real steal of our country. Using our money and voice and feet has a bigger effect than voting in this current dilemma. Boycotts have always gotten money’s attention. I suggest those of us who agree with exercising that power, stay home on January 21 to Feb 2 in protest. Don’t shop on nor off line, go to work, drive nor engage in anything unnecessary. That will bring them up short and back to reality that they are a small group and we are huge.
''Conservative lawyer George Conway posted: “So the world’s richest man, who grew up under apartheid in South Africa and now pulls the mentally deteriorating incoming U.S. president’s strings, has written an op-ed urging Germans to elect a new-Nazi government. Got that?” He added: “Concerning.”''
So, what's going on? The Three Stooges may have said it best in: ''I'll Never Heil Again'' watch on Youtube https://youtu.be/vEApJmUXamg
Agree, JL, my first thought at reading HCR’s missive this eve was TFFFG’s sparkling starry-eyed gaze & suck-up adoration of anyone who is a REAL bazillionaire…surely THEY must know “what is right/how to do it”….as if money = expertise (nope). This especially rankles with the passing of a true humanitarian & visionary (if we had only paid attention!), Jimmy Carter, and who wholly deserves, IMHO, the highest praise to be bestowed: “He was a good man”💖 He was the first president I was able to vote for (minimum age then was 21) and I did, twice. I much admired him and thought that the country really missed a beat for not wholly supporting him and his vision. I rarely post content to FB, but did post this eve one of my fave poems by Marge Piercy in his honor (have posted it here on LFAA before); here’s a link to “To Be of Use”: https://www.yourdailypoem.com/listpoem.jsp?poem_id=3470
As for TFFFG, He is a coward clothed in a bully’s ill fitting suit. …..
“Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player,
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage,
And then is heard no more. It is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.” (Shakespeare)
I am not so much aghast at him (tho I am), but that fellow Americans could elevate this creature and admire him….wow, we as a nation are in deep doo-doo🤡💩(not even suitable for compost, as it would taint the soil for generations to come). I’m personally trying to balance my “oh, hell no” with my “don’t have a stroke” impulses in mapping how to make my way forward thru the next 4 years. ☮️🗽
Thank you for your courage and the thoughts about President Carter who I cried at his passing because he's always been a person of character. I also cried because there's no character except greed in the president elect. I'm throwing it out that dumbass Trump has shown he's so easily lead and doesn't know the difference between a visa for an unskilled worker and a STEM visa. And when we count out Musk for his Nazism and antisemitic words don't think that Ranasawsy ding dong isn't rooting for the influx of poorly trained Indians! We in IT already we went through this in the 1990s
When a task group of 4 of us saved a financial institution knee deep in an Indian contract we solved in 3 months while that group who could barely speak English had made no progress in over a year.
I hope the divide between what has been shown they differ eats them all. It would be fair to have that but we better be prepared to proactively step in when they become the total SNAFU.
I think of any public service position is both an honor (which ought to be recognized by both the employee and the public) and a serious duty and discipline. If one cannot be sufficiently dedicated, transparent, and averse to conflicts of interest, they need to stay out of the kitchen.
BTW, our daughter encouraged us to read two books by Holocaust survivor Dr. Edith Eva Eger, an associate of Victor Frankl. I am not done reading, but she is special.
I seems that no one escapes a good deal of strutting and fretting before entering "The undiscovered country from whose bourn no traveller returns.", but it would also seem that life is replete with (often overlooked even when available) treasures. Ironically don't it always seem to go that that you don't know what you've got till it's gone?
We are animals who move, and eat, communicate, have sex, make dens, and even tools, but we differ from the rest of the pack to the degree we can make it an art form. Beauty abounds when we look for it, and beauty is truth. Ask a theoretical mathematician. We also inherently house what some call our "reptile nature" that is there for a reason, but is wise to tame. Left to run the show, it could kill us all.
How odd it is, JL, that we behave in ways that we KNOW may (probably) lead to our own, and other species (already has) & ecosystems, extinction…..and yet we persist in the behavior. Truly mind-muddling!! Joni’s song should be played on repeat across the world.
"Who will run our country come January 20th?" REALLY, Really, really good question, there, S.F. Happy New Year to you, to fellow readers and to the marvellous mind behind these essays. ✌🏽🥳🤝
As you point out, Congress is chaotic. 😵
The people I fear far more than Trump are Senator Vance, the MUSKrat lover, and Ramaswamy. 😳
The first strikes me as similar to Alcibiades, Julius Caesar, or Aaron Burr; very dangerous. 😱
Musk's arrogance over=estimation of himself is colossal; very dangerous.🤢
Ramaswamy impresses me as self-absorbed. At least he exhibits an open, intelligent mind and seems to be less ego-inflated; maybe dangerous. 🤬
Four quick points from Dr Richardson's finely and characteristically crafted essay follow in the reply. 🤔
Thank y'all for your patience; thank you, again, Mmes Richardson and Haine.
FIRST and biggest, as Dr Richardson has documented in other essays, political coalitions are hard to maintain; the fissures emerge after the immediate objective of an election. Since this was solely a coalition of electoral convenience with people imprinting divergent visions upon Trump as a political tabula rasa, the fracture is sooner and severer. 🖕
That President Biden held together a wide-ranging coalition for four years to accomplish all that he did makes him a great President. Sadly, Vice President Harris and Governor Gipper would likely have done the same; we shall never know. 😢
This public implosion strengthens my forlorn, bitter, stubborn hope that the next two years will be so bad that Trump's spell is busted for good and the M.A.G.A.s fragged into pieces; but not so bad as to destroy the machinery of republican governance. 🤞
Second, Trump wants Greenland so he can pull the nuclear umbrella to Greenland; the he will drumpf N.A.T.O. and the E.U. Delusional; will not happen. Such a blunder-buss approach may harden the E.U. into the primary power among democracies. ⚖️
Third, the Democrats are failing to learn from this election. Too many octogenarians and septuagenarians are clogging the leadership and slotting in the unsuitable standard-bearers; they, like me at sixty-seven, are out of tune with our countrymen. 💔
Lastly, the Trumpanzee out of control is not the five hundred pound gorilla in the room; our insolvency with thirty-five trillion dollars of national debt is. 😱
And another reason he ran: self aggrandizement. It's his nature. It's staggering that Mike Johnson, Mitch McConnell, and other senior members of the GOP are down with this.
America is an acknowledgement of the reality that everyone wins with a government of the people, by the people, for the people. The mess America is in now is the effect of ideas that conflict with reality such as “what’s in it for me,” and “my way or the highway.”
Who will run America after January 20? That is up to the willingness of Americans to resolve the conflicts that inevitably emerge between individuals and groups or keep adding to the already enormous inventory of unresolved conflicts.
For the record, a resolution is a discovery, not a compromise. Reality is a positive-sum game that asks people to contribute their time, energy, and attention. Play it like a zero-sum game, give it some time, and it will always turn into an “everyone loses” negative-sum game.
How on earth does anyone think that destroying NATO is in the US’s best interest? Trump’s domestic policies are just stupid and nearly impossible to implement but his foreign relations policies (or really those of his loyalists) are truly terrifying.
Trump doesn’t have policies, he has tantrums and reactions to whatever gets stuck in his brain at the moment. Basically he is a nasty, terrified child, not to be taken seriously. I haven’t read Cousin Mary lately, but we have long been on the same page.
Virginia. He doesn't give a damn about policies only keeping his fat rear out of jail as Heather pointed out. Who knows exactly who will be in charge as it seems a lot of Rs are unhappy with each other. Later this week we will be treated to another round of House chaos as they try to elect a speaker. I have refrained from wishing people happy new year unless they live in Europe where they may have plenty of problems of their own. All this noise about Greenland and Canada is troubling, but even more troubling is the comments by Russians about dividing the world into spheres of influence. I just posted Heather's letter on Facebook (yes I know) and ended it by telling all the death star voters that they are fools. I told one of my ex-students this am who was lamenting what is going to happen that as I have grown older, I have become more of a misanthrope. She has a couple children and I grieve for younger people who will reap the consequences of the rise of this monster.
Michele, I wish beyond wishes that Jimmy Carter (and ALL of us) could have celebrated the POTUS win of the first female mixed-race (and absolutely qualified) candidate. That would have batted a 1000 in my book for gilding his departure. Maybe, just maybe, he’ll haunt the halls of the WH inhabitants into doing the right, proper, and good thing in the coming 4 years.🤞
One thing that Trump has stuck in his addled brain is extending the tax cuts for the billionaire class. Why not counter with raising the Federal minimum wage to $15 an hour? The red states will never go for it and that will kill the tax cut.
Most problematic is that they, by experience, don't expect the scheme to work, as it never did, it's only about transfer wealth from the bottom to the top. It all started with Regan.
Sorry, Virginia, but I couldn’t help thinking that a high colonic would help him purge dangerous impulses…thus the thought “the enema of my enema is my friend”. 😜
Oh we've taken him seriously from day 1. His problem now is that he's irrelevant and sliding irreversibly into dementia. And we are well aware of the danger of his replacement, whoever that will be. I think you should be next in line, not Vance. Why didn't you use your influence and personal success to penetrate the inner circle? Or did you, and you're using a pseudonym here?
Well, perhaps you’re confusing the name Biden and trump when you talk about dementia.
Well here you are you know you might’ve learned not to call people whom you don’t know…stupid. Because, alas, that is stupid. lol
Unfortunately, for you, he’s not irrelevant. He’s now actually the most relevant person in the United States as of Jan 20, unless the government you love, tries to kill him again actually, or legally just like they do in oligarchy’s He’s actually the president…and if he can at least temporally congeal his followers, a.k.a. his cabinet, he will make a distinguishing and most positive influence on our citizenry and be a consequential president like none other probably since Clinton.
I don’t like Donald Trump. I love most of his policies…
And I just don’t understand you pre-judging. it’s really a shame And as I mentioned to one person here, I fully would expect that if he is successful on behalf of America that you would recognize and acknowledge that, but I have my serious doubts. You don’t think you’re a hater? you need a mirror.
You have completely lost your mind. It is self-evident in every one of your comments. That is not pre-judging. It's simply judging. Trump has no policies other that grifting and whoring. So if you like 'his' policies it means you like either Bannon's or Musk's policies (among others), in which case, you have lost your mind.
James, you cannot convince a guy that he's wrong when he thinks everything he says is gospel. I always imagine Rick sitting in a big comfy chair, typing away with a big smug smile on his face, thing "Gee! I'm so CLEVER! And such a good person to spend my precious time educating these fools!"
James, I admire your endurance, but it’s no use. it seems that Ricky Return-to-sender is out of comment jail again. He’s likely paid-per-comment by the Internet Research Foundation. Just compare Rump to Hitler and piss him off, he’ll probably leave you alone after that.
Well, let me say it again since my post has appeared somewhere else Trump has delineated his policies specifically and even further he’s delineated exactly what he’s gonna do on day one.
Wow Grifting and whoring. And you think I’m delusional? Yikes.
It’s funny when you say he has no policies, but his policy statements unlike those of Kamala’s whose will remain somewhere in outer space, Have all been delineated up to, and including what he will do on the first day in office… his policies are totally clear so I don’t know where you live, but it’s certainly not in the US unless you don’t read. However, you might want to change the channel.
No, I like Trump’s policies…. Bannon and Musks’ can banter all they want. ultimately Trump will decide which policies he’ll go with and if Musk gives him good advice, he might take it just like the Democrats do when they are giving good advice for them.
Wasn’t it Rahm Emanuel‘s brother, who came up with the idea for Obamacare? Hmmmm Geez, I guess they took someone else’s advice
The word obtuse comes to mind. The word double standards comes to mind and the words, glass houses and stones come to mind
One of his so called policies was to ignore the threat of a silent killer called covid 19! At least 500,000 Americans died WHILE he was still in office!
I was always most worried about foreign policy especially NATO at this critical time. Domestic policy messes can be fixed. This nonsense about invading Greenland? It’s truly crazy.
You don’t actually think he was thinking of inviting Greenland. Do you? You can’t be that naïve? But if you are pick up a copy of art of the deal. His comments about Greenland, and Panama are simply negotiating tactics.
Rick, bad tactics. Do you think that Denmark ,a NATO member would say no to and enhanced American military presence in Greenland giving the right reason. What trump is doing is not negotiating its bullying. That's him.
He was deadly serious about seizing Greenland when he talked about “buying” it in the first term. All that laughter we heard was really denial and fear. As for NATO, his supporters actually think he strengthened it by forcing Germany etc to increase its defense budget.
The rotted pumpkin is determined to withdraw our country from NATO. Believe him when he says he will do this. I believe he is intending to start a civil war in the next few years.
Greenland may be the vehicle he uses to do it. As president Trump looked into it We first tried to buy it in 1867 -- Seward. Apparently, master Putin would be the puppetmaster and principal beneficiary. Denmark would have to accept a deal.
Population of only 56,000. The average income in Greenland is $33,000. 85% of income comes from fishing. Around 150 US Air Force and Space Force service members are stationed at Pituffik Space Base in Greenland. The base also has Danish, Canadian, and Greenlandic civilian contractors and military personnel.
Greenland is rich in minerals, including: Rare earth elements: Greenland has the potential to become a major producer of rare earth magnet metals, which are essential for permanent magnets.
Graphite: Greenland has 6 million tons of known natural graphite resources. Lithium: Greenland has 235,000 tons of known lithium resources. Copper: Greenland has 106,000 tons of known copper resources. Other minerals found in Greenland include: coal, gold, silver, lead, zinc, olivine, cryolite, and marble. Greenland has been a mining nation since the late 1700s. The country's minerals are important for the clean energy transition, as they are used in electric vehicles, wind turbines, and transmission lines. However, the extraction and processing of these minerals has been monopolized by states that are not in the US's interests, such as China. Greenland has two operating mines: *Lumina Sustainable Materials: Produces anorthosite *Greenland Ruby: Produces rubies and pink sapphires The extraction of minerals in Greenland poses significant environmental risks, as the ecosystem is fragile and unique, and is already under threat from climate change.
Kathy, NATO contained the URSS till it was replaced for something as bad ( unintended) and prevented the chronic cycle of vicious wars among Europeans for almost 80 years, an historical record. If course Putin had to demonstrate who is the bully in chief and started this war against Ukraine that could win only with trump's help.
The rotten pumpkin, huh? And it cracks me up when all I hear from the people on this forum is how much the Republicans are nothing but haters.
Someone called all his supporters Trumpanzees, which did not go well as the basket of deplorable‘s and you don’t put 77 million people in that category or do you?
This is probably the only time I will agree with Rick Sender. THE NAME CALLING HAS GOT TO STOP. We are adults. It may be satisfying to come up with a clever name for those we oppose, but it is not productive. It is childish and beneath the dignity of an informed, concerned citizen of this country. Let's focus on information and action and leave the name-calling to the third graders.
Deborah, thank you voice of reason. I have no problem with people here disagreeing with my posts or my rationale or anything I say for that matter but certainly we could do it in a more respectful manner like adults. Not to mention that the minute they start calling people, Trumpanzees, or stupid, or any other like things, they have originally biased themselves in their beliefs, and pretty much anything they say, afterwards is diminished.
By the way, I just went back and looking at all the posts here you wanna talk about negativity. Every single post is about negativity. Resist, protest, Lost souls who don’t know why the dems lost the election. And a lot of hate and Trump bashing . Projection at its finest.
I don't like fishing I prefer, cruising. And so after this next 23 day Cruz, I'll probably be on this forum another three weeks and then be gone.
Sandi, if you're honest with yourself all you hear here is hate resist, whining, complaining, and protesting
I think in any circle that would be called negative
Where are the uplifting calls for hope and promise and support for the president who hasn't even taken Office yet?
After all, this is America
If you'd like, I would give you a very insightful analogy that happened in the army navy game last week if you're interested let me know if not, no problem
Destroying NATO is in _Putin’s_ best interest. Vlad helped the COF get elected, now it’s time for Donnyboy to pay up: Vlad doesn’t do anything for free. And that was the deal: “I help you win your election, you pull the US out of NATO and hand me Ukraine and Europe.” I wouldn’t be surprised if we in Europe will be fighting both Russians _and_ American soldiers here this year. Rump won’t have any moral problems ordering that attack. And it won’t make it better if Darth Musk takes over: he is a Putin fan boy, too.
To be honest: this last election in the US will f*ck up the entire world.
Yes, he is. And why? Because the AfD (Alternative für Deutschland) Muskolini is supporting is also a Putin vehicle, or, to put it in other words, the wedge that Vlad uses to split German democracy apart.
It makes sense when we see it for what it is: a deliberate strategy to destabilize the U.S. and NATO implemented by an alliance with Russia. Trump and Musk are aligned with Putin. That’s how it makes sense.
Many see Trump as a carefully groomed Russian asset by Putin and Russian oligarchs over 20 years. Viewed through this lens his actions make perfect sense, acting for Russia not on behalf of Americans.
I don’t know what kind of information you’re getting, but Trump did just the opposite with NATO. He forced NATO to up the ante and pay their 2% and they deposited billions of dollars more into NATO because of Trump’s insistence now NATO is stronger than it was before.
Trump’s absolutely determined to withdraw the U.S. from NATO. And he’s been aligned w/ Putin/Russia for decades. We’ll have to wait to see whether you are correct ( that Trump desires a stronger NATO) or whether he’s doing Putin’s bidding.
And no, I’m not naive. I’ve read a great deal about Trump’s fascination with ( and manipulation by) Putin.
Ricky Return-to-sender is a Russia-paid troll. At least I hope so, because no one could be so delusional as to think that Rump wants a stronger NATO, or even cares for the fate of the American people, for that matter. Here's what will happen: Rump will pull the US out of NATO on his first day in office. Once again: that was the deal; Vlad helped him win the election, and in return, he must destabilize NATO and hand over Ukraine. Rump doesn't give a flying f*ck about what happens to the US and Europe after that. He got his "get-out-jail-free"-card, and that's all that matters to him: the rest can go to hell for whatever he cares.
Well, I guess you also have Tarot cards that tell you that. Trump has wanted NATO to be As strong as it promises to be, but they have long failed to do so with their contributions. Also, NATO should be the first defense against Russian aggression. After all, they are the first ones that are going to be attacked if that ever happens The United States is 36 Trillion dollars in debt and continues to outspend what it takes him. While , we certainly have the military capability to help we can no longer be the world’s army. NATO is a critical component to the world’s defense, especially that they have a geographic necessity to do so. The day that Trump withdraws from NATO will be either that they fail to keep up their promises of their contributions, or they fail to protect Western Europe to any degree.
And I promise you, I will be the first to eat crow as one of your people here suggested, and tell you how you were right. But until then, you should wait for something to happen before you….. I think it’s called prejudge or prejudice
‘You should wait for something to happen before you…prejudge.’
Taking your advice to heart and the USA’s political moral standing in the postwar world half the world’s population have absolute proven cause to not just be very afraid of a Trump dictatorship ‘ from day one’ but to judge him :
That's exactly how it works They committed to deposit 2% of their GDP in a fund for their defense and other issues that's how it works and they weren't doing it and they poured billions more in and if you think the world thinks Trump is weak wake up he destroyed Isis in a couple weeks and he will take care of a mass in a very short time Stop it and France is already starting to do the job knowing that Trump is back in office
Can you please explain why DOGE is being treated like a legitimate entity---an entity with legislative power? It's two big egos waiving their wands, acting like they can dictate how things work in this country. Genuine question---as I don't understand why these 2 men get so much attention.
Yes, they are wealthy and I hate to say this, but i agree to a degree with what Vivay(sp?) said about the emphases in our culture. It sure as hell is not eduction and producing first class thinkers in a wide variety of fields. I read a lot of science and i notice a lot of names working in labs who sound like they came from elsewhere. One of my ex-students was married to a biochemistry prof at UT Austin and she has constantly lamented the lack of money for basic research. Full disclosure: I am watching the Rose Bowl on New Years Day.
"A lot of names working in labs," are mainly "post docs" who are usually paid less than the going rate.
"Research and development" is a historical term that used to exist before we gave speculators capital gains breaks that ended re-investment and we sold off manufacturing and other domestic work like the goose that laid the golden egg.
Take a look at student populations in STEM. Many are foreign students who may/may not stay after graduation.
BTW Vvay (or whatever his name is) is a graduate of a high school in Cincinnati that probably outproduces virtually any foreign school. A lot of those funny sounding names are the offspring of immigrants.
When my dad was in college at Geneva College, eugenics wwas a required science course. He was taught that his people were mostly feeble minded, had criminal tendencies and could not possibly benefit from a liberal education. Guess who got the highest grades?
I just looked up Geneva College and find that it is a private Christian school in Pennsylvania. I am not surprised then what happened to your dad and I assume that he was not a Christian. I went to a private Christian school, Kalamazoo College, in Michigan. So I know that not all of them are the same. K was at the liberal end of Baptists. I don't know what emphasis is put on this now. In those days, early 60s, we had to go to chapel, but not all the offerings were religious. I once went to a talk by Timothy Leary and got a chapel point.
Daniel, but a lot of the people who are getting credit for work in science have foreign names and some of them have their own labs. I spent years in public education and I know what the problems are there. Way too much emphasis on sports. I don't know if they are immigrants or the children of immigrants. My feeling that is that some ethnic groups put a high premium on education and the average American joe does not. I will have to look up Geneva College and I am sure your dad got the highest grades. I find the idea of eugenics appalling. To be clear, I find the whole idea of he and muskrat running some kind of dodgy department to cut government spending appalling because i know exactly what they will cut.
My dad was 15 when he graduatedin from high school...was a Jew at a Covanenter school. Believe me they said worse of Einstein, Freud, etc.
Ivy and other "elite" schools had quotas on Jews. Took 0 {zero) Blacks and women.
The REASON there is less funding is because comapnikes make more money in financial markets than they do is reseach and development.
BTW among oher things I heard visa cases for 20+ years. H1B visas. Americans can sue if they are screwed out of a job. The poster boy for employer sanctions was Donald J. Trump. Even today, he uses temporary visa workers so he can avoid hiring the locals. Employers take advantage of the rules but generally are penny wise and pound foolish.
BTW I have a cousin at Stanford up for a Nobel. Went to public s chool in Cincinnati.
I figured your dad was Jewish. Covanenter...is that Geneva College. I didn't stay long enough to read about it. I can imagine what was said about Einstein and Freud and other Jewish people. I am not enthralled with Ivy League schools, who I figure would not admit certain people unless forced to. And now we are going back to that, I think. I grew up in Elkhart, Indiana, and am will acquainted with prejudice against anyone not Protestant and white. I always recommend Fever in the Heartland about the KKK, mainly in Indiana, but also other places too if people want to understand where some of the prejudice we see now comes from. Further back than that of course, but very enlightening.
I am not surprised about making more money elsewhere. I was merely reporting what my ex-student said, who btw, does quite well in the stock market. She and her husband do not have money woes. They are both graduates of Willamette University here in Salem, a private Methodist school. My husband is also a graduate and when he was there, students were not supposed to drink, not even in the summer when they were not in school.
Thanks for the heads up on H1B visas. I didn't know Americans could sue. Why I am not surprised that death star tries to take advantage. I know very well that all these wealthy people will also keep their undocumented household staff, gardeners, etc. who don't have any kind of visa.
Kudos to your cousin with hopes that Nobel prize is in the future. Btw, I think kids can get a good education at certain public schools, but they do have to ignore a lot of the nonsense that goes on, mainly around sports. We had a few students who protested having to go pep rallies. So they were in the library with me and another teacher, both of us thankful that we didn't have to go either.
“Conservatives” have been working to destroy public education since desegregation. This is part of it. I don’t know that Ramaswampy is too far off in his assessment of American culture with regards to education. Particularly with the movement I see to downplay college degrees. How long until basic high school diplomas are downplayed too? With red states attacking child labor laws and the P2025 plan to disassemble federal government, maybe they plan to herd young Americans back to the days of unsafe child labor.
Laura, there's no explanation. It's not an entity with legislative power, it's just power, power given to this two individuals by the one that "thinks " is the most powerful of them all.
It is a legitimate entity, just not part of the government. It’s like an ad agency, suggesting to the principles what to include in their advertisement or their policies.
The Democrats have their doges as well. But it wasn’t focused on a small group of people… there were many people outside the government that were offering suggestions in many areas.
WJB, I am in a rural part of far northern CA, so don’t know what kind of action might be taken here. The women’s march in 2017 was the largest our county had EVER experienced & was thrilled to be a part of:
https://www.northcoastjournal.com/news/the-largest-march-in-eureka-history-4314924 I am not aware of upcoming events, and have not pursued info on it because I will be undergoing medical treatment out of the area (the downside of rural living!) so haven’t wanted to look and be bummed that I’ll miss it!! If spirit counts, tho’, I’ll there there in spades!!!!!
Slithered out from under a rock there Sender.........There was no football 2000 years ago........also mass protests help swing opionion against the Vietnam war........
I've compared him to prior trolls who all seem to be like the old-time landline heavy breathers--any reaction, positive or negative, gives him a cheap thrill. It's not worth it, and his posts ruin the experience for the others. There are times when discussions get a bit heated, for instance, Gaza, but generally those difference of opinions are supported with logic and sources. It's a fine line, but like pornography, you know it when you see it, and Rick is at best a troll and at worst is AI from foreign operatives using our responses to fine tune their attacks. Please don't engage with him/it.
Your cult leader Donable Lector taught 2 things well...but.......I know his and your tricks of deflection and gaslighting ....not going to work......back under the rock Maga.
I am so thankful that Biden is going all out in his final days in office to support Ukraine. Dividing the world into spheres of influence brought the World to the great war to end all wars. Which it did not. Trump is wellon his way to starting WWIII. I thinkk he wants that.
Trump is not concerned about wars. When things start getting messy and dangerous (for him) he’ll dive down into his presidential bunker where he can eat hamburgers and fries while he smears ketchup on the walls. He doesn’t care.
Trump is antiwar put it on the record. Period. And if he has anything to say about it, he’ll and both of Ukraine, Russia crisis with less loss of life and the Israel, Hamas and HEXBOLLAH crisis with less loss of life.
He’s also threaten Hamas that if they don’t return the hostages by the day he takes office they will pay a huge price and they will
Rick, he is "antiwar" because president Carter and Obama were honored by receiving the Noel Peace award and he ,of course, wants one too. Like the Times Magazine person of the year thing.
You know ROBIN you and so many others seem to think that Trump has the monopoly on dishonor. You see out of only one eye. All you need to care about is what Trump does during his presidency. And how it impacts every American. John Kennedy and Bill Clinton were great presidents but dishonored the White House much worse than Donald Trump. But that didn't matter. They were still great presidents.
Jimmy Carter was just the opposite. He was a horrible president acknowledge to be the worst in history until Biden but after he was president, he was unbelievable on the world stage. Stop worrying about presidents personal lives and worry about what they do during their presidency and how it impacts you and the country. That's what matters.
President Biden did his best to put in good judges.......good lawyers...judges....activist groups are the front/last line of defense against Trumpageddon.
There needs to be millions and millions in the streets for the Peoples March Jan 18.
Are there any excuses now for not getting off our butts???
I am thankful also, Allen. I believe he has been in touch with all of the leaders of the countries that are NATO members and has devised a plan when Trump takes office, to help Ukraine.
Marlene, you anre absolutely correct. For some reason people here think Trump is anti-NATO, and he’s not when he was president he forced NATO to fund their own defense as promised in the NATO pact. They committed to depositing 2% of the GDP every year for their own defense and they have not done that and falling way short, and Trump has insisted that he would leave NATO if in fact, they didn’t do it and billions entered their way into their coffers, and now they’re much stronger than they were before
Trump was already in touch with many liters when he went to see the Notre Dame cathedral reopen. They treated him like a G-d there.
They see him I hate to say it as the leader of the free world, even though he wasn’t yet inaugurated. And by the way, I’m sure Biden is doing the same thing talking to NATO and that’s exactly what he should be doing.
But you should read my message about what Trump did for NATO, which probably I’m guessing has not been publicized on the left side of the aisle probably twisted into an anti-NATO narrative, which it is not. NATO wasn’t keeping its promise and somebody needed to remind them there’s no president. Had the guts to do so in a number of decades.
Once again, if you want to check, honestly, billions poured into their work chest where they had been remiss before
Unfortunately Ukraine, if you will all remember back to the days in history of Vietnam, Ukraine is nothing more than another Vietnam. The only difference is it won’t be our troops dying so far it’s been 75,000 Ukrainians in probably over 100,000 Russians dead cities burned to the ground, homeless people everywhere. So please tell me why funding the wars beneficial? In my estimation, it will end by Ukraine, surrendering a small piece of land in exchange for peace and guarantees of NATO in American backing, and perhaps even posting nuclear weapons facing Russia on the border
It’s a lot better than more needless dead human beings.
No one is suggesting American troops be sent to Ukraine. That’s a red herring. Ukraine was invaded by Russia, and has even annexed portions into Russia - the first and only time that has happened since WWII.
Ukraine, a democratic state however flawed, is the frontline state that is holding back Putin’s expansionist desires. And make no mistake, Putin’s hero is Peter the Great, who had a very expansive view of what Russia should be.
Putin views Ukraine as a renegade state or soviet of Russia, much like China views Taiwan, as a renegade province of China.
It is in America and the world’s democratic countries’ national security interests to preserve Ukraine’s independence from Russian expansionist desires.
I’m never suggesting that we send troops to Ukraine. In fact what I’ve said here and more than a dozen posts is Ukraine is nothing more than another Vietnam no ending just billions of dollars wasted and Hundreds and thousands of lives lost The only difference between this war in Vietnam is that our troops won’t die there’s already been at least 75,000 Ukrainians killed and I believe it’s over 100,000 Russians. Not to mention the destruction of the cities, the moving of the masses of people, the flight the fright, The upheaval. And it will cost billions to rebuild.
The rumor has been, and I believe it’s probably true that Ukraine will end up, giving some of its land to Russia, in return for a piece with a assertion that United States and NATO come to which defense from any further action, and probably even installing nuclear weapons in Poland, for example facing Russia in the event that they attempt anything like this again. And as you might know, Bill Clinton is to blame for those nuclear weapons having been removed from there. One of his very few slipups.
And while I agree with you that it is the free world, and the democratic countries that need to come to Ukraine’s assistance, it should start with NATO and we should be in the batters box not the other way around.
Russia doesn’t have a wealth to be expensive especially if Trump is able to take away some of their oil and gas sales to Europe which European Union has already indicated they will start buying from the US again which will both stay for both Russia and Iran from their current games
You wrote “ The rumor has been, and I believe it’s probably true that Ukraine will end up, giving some of its land to Russia, in return for a piece with a assertion that United States and NATO come to which defense from any further action, and probably even installing nuclear weapons in Poland, for example facing Russia in the event that they attempt anything like this again.” Personally, I hope all nukes can be eliminated. I don’t want to return to the time of MAD, or a strategy of Mutually Assured Destruction, especially with Trump’s and Putin’s fingers on the button.
There are some potentially interesting and important thoughts in your piece but the writing is a bit garbled.
In “ I believe it’s probably true that Ukraine will end up, giving some of its land to Russia, in return for a piece…” are you saying that both Ukraine and Russia should cede parts if their territories to each other?
Or by “piece” do you mean peace, as in a Neville Chamberlain type “Peace in our time” move giving Hitler part of Czechoslovakia to satisfy him? Appeasement didn’t work then and there’s no reason to think it would now. Adjusting borders is a slippery slope I don’t want to flirt with.
Putin thinks of the entirety of Ukraine as a renegade piece of Greater Russia, along with the Baltic states and maybe even Finland.
As for a role for NATO, Ukraine is not in NATO - yet. I think the EU should be Ukraine’s primary international coalition of mutual defenders, given their proximity. That is not to exclude NATO, but have it stand behind and be prepared to assist the EU.
As for your oil and gas thoughts. We need to expand renewables as fast as possible and be done with fossil fuels. As I recall you discount global warming due to burning fossil fuels, I think you have even called the idea a hoax. It is not, and is already happening.
I think I’ve asked you before to comment on the fact that the last decade is the warmest on record, since we’ve had thermometers around enough of the globe to get a mean global temperature reading, encompassing the last 175 years or so. That’s not due to natural variation.
This war didn’t need to happen if only the West had acknowledged Ukraine was not a viable candidate for nato membership. And Russia lost more than 600,000 troops not 100,000. For Putin, lives are not important.
I’m frankly, Bill I don’t know why Ukraine wouldn’t be candidate for membership into NATO. I’m not real clear on Eastern European/Russian politics, and I don’t know how admission NATO works. I’m assuming would have to be voted upon by the remaining nations ?
Well didn’t know it was that many russian troops. Even more important to find a better solution. Btw who is included when you say “the West”?
Going to bed now will read your reply late morning.
Bill you your check out back in the mid 90s. I think it was 94 but it could’ve been a little earlier that Clinton made a deal with Pauline to remove their nukes and an exchange get protection from the US.
Russia would not be doing this now and still won’t be going any further than this bill be honest Russia doesn’t have the clout anymore unless it pals with China
I dunno: should we sit back and enjoy the sh*tshow or maybe the Dems could *DO* something? While the Orange Felon—whose appeal against E. Jean Carroll was just denied so he still owes her 5 million dollars—plays golf and pretends he has his finger on the buttons? Or will the Dems just twiddle their thumbs and say “whatever”? I know we are all blaming the mainstream media for sanewashing all of this nonsense but really, if the Dems had a clue they would simply push their stuff out there the way the other side does. But no: we are going to appease the Christofascists and hold our breath until something happens: the American Way. Fed up and disgusted.
Linda, I've been asking for a long time for democrats to be like them for a short time at least, i know it goes against our nature but the price of keeping being nice ,by the book and the appeasement seekers would be catastrophic.
I think Trump is very serious. I have been telling correspondents in Australia that I think he will dump them too. He hates NATO/Europe. Is uninterested in the diplomatic maneuvering to maintain our sphere of influence there and would much rather be the big fish in the local pond, in a diplomatic and an oligarchical sense. It's another way in which he admires Putin. I could go on and on....
He’s been talking about getting out of NATO since his first term and that’s the influence of his hero Vladimir Putin. In fact, I think he wants to be Putin and claim pieces of other countries like Greenland and the Panama Canal. Hell, he’s even hinted at Canada.
I have to say though, it’s amusing to see Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy square off against Steve Bannon and Stephen Miller, not to mention the egregious post by Ian Miles Cheong in defense of Musk, “Much of the anger being driven toward Elon Musk today is simply disappointment being projected by the ‘ret*rded right’ that’s on the fringes of the conservative movement, against Musk, whom they wish was an unrepentant racist like they are.” Add in Bannon and Musk’s profanities and looney Laura Loomer calling Musk a “welfare queen” and we are back to the professional wrestling metaphor Dr. Richardson so aptly called out a few days ago. There is no policy, there is no plan. The incoming President has no clue what he is talking about and doesn’t read.
Betsy who is the only reason that Putin has anything and play is because he has increased his wealth through the sale of his petroleum products and energy products and that will soon come to an end, hopefully
Russia does not have the financial strength or wherewithal to conquer Europe And he dare not try because he knows what the consequences would be. However, the Chinese and our military has become stronger and potentially more dangerous to the US so if China and Russia become stronger allies, that’s where the concern might lie.
And that’s why Trump feels very strongly about peace through strength
He has a right to dislike NATO. Has been taking advantage of the United States for a long time, and what he did during his first term when he visited NATO, was shamed them into keeping their pact with NATO and depositing 2% of their GDP into accounts for their defense. And if you’ll stop the heating for a minute and look to see how much their deposits increased, you’ll understand. By the way, NATO should have been doing a lot more regarding Ukraine Russia than they have been
Destruction of our government and of many of the governing bodies worldwide is apparently at the forefront of all of the Cult's various factions even as the focus of their destructive plans is mutually incompatible. Since the scale of the conflict seems beyond the scope of my efforts, I'm concentrating on local issues, among other things: keeping our immigrant families safe and intact, and promoting single payer health care in MA. As the Serenity Prayer advises, I'm trying to know where I can make a difference and not worry at this point about things over which I have no control.
Amen to that. We've got enough local issues to deal with in MA. Though I would like to join the protest I heard about that is to take place Jan 3-6 in DC. Nonviolent protest to try to get the Congress to find some vestige of its spine and vote to not certify the election of the tangerine turd on the basis of his being an insurrectionist. The law is perfectly clear, as Laurence Tribe sees it. As time goes by, I have become more disappointed in the Congress of the United States in its lack of following basic law and upholding the honor of the United States. We should not be facing the possibility of a deranged sociopathic felon occupying the Oval Office, but that is what we will have on January 20 if the Congress fails to do its duty and stop this madman. And I'm thoroughly disgusted with my generation for producing this miscreant and not doing enough to stop him.
James-The Rs in our congress capitulated to Trump at every turn when we could so clearly see with our own eyes the crimes he committed. It was refreshing to see how swiftly and definitively South Korea impeached their president after he declared martial law.
We’re reportedly a “nation of laws” but Trump proved that American laws are toothless if you have money, notoriety and sycophants who care less about our nation and more about their own standing with an unrepentant, insecure bully looking out only for himself.
Allowing an insurrectionist to assume the highest office in the land is another example of ways that the Constitution can be distorted and circumvented. It diminishes citizens’ faith in our system. It’s no wonder so many give up on voting and being engaged with politics.
No, he said Congress should vote to not certify the election of tRump on the basis of him being an insurrectionist, according to section 3 of the 14th amendment of the constitution. He is disqualified from holding office.
Well good luck with that but how is that different from Questioning the validity of an election like Al Gore or Jill Stein or Hillary Clinton?
If that were true, he should’ve been disqualified as a candidate before he actually ran. However, all the lawfare against Trump was nothing but political wrangling or worse tactics used in countries like Russia and China to either kill(two attempts) or disqualify your candidate, legally, or in any other way.
All the Lawfare is dying, or has already died. So in your best interest, just move on. What they tried did to Trump is despicable.
Unfortunately, I think we’re going to have a bird flu pandemic of the sort we had in 1918-1920, and the incoming maladministration will be completely inept and unwilling to handle it appropriately. RFK Jr. won’t lift a finger to allow vaccine development and we’ll see the same ridicule of masking and basic public health recommendations that we saw with COVID. This flu is even more lethal than COVID and it will soon mutate to the point where it will be transmitted between humans, as the flu virus mutates quickly.
I worry about that too Kathy. People in this country ignore the most basic health precautions and until they discover our food is in short supply and no longer safe and they can’t get medical care they won’t care. Hell, they didn’t care when Covid hit, blame Trump’s loss in 2020 on Covid instead of how he handled Covid and many died because they refused to take the most basic health precautions.
And they're still dying... my sister-in-law lost a relative in early December. A T****er who didn't believe in vaccines. Two weeks in the hospital w/Covid as his organs shut down. You cannot fix stupid.
I’m so sorry for your loss. People with zero understanding of medical issues and practices are led easily astray.
I listened to my neighbor talk about her, and her elderly mother’s, repeated Covid infections while claiming they weren’t really Covid and the people who were dying died of something other than Covid. They could not see that it was the Covid, that caused a medical condition they could have lived with for decades with proper treatment, that killed them.
Many people died - true. Many people died because they refused to take basic health precautions - false. People did the best they could in an ever-changing cycle of information, trust/distrust and, yes, poor leadership. In general, the response was incredibly well done. Bird flu will likely also be contained with good speed. Will people die - yes they will.
There were many anecdotal accounts of behavior and outcome, but viruses are indiscriminate. Separating out victims for "basic" behaviors is base and victim blaming. We just need to avoid the fate of Golgafrincham in the meantime. Hopefully by staying on point and laughing just a little bit.==>https://hitchhikers.fandom.com/wiki/Golgafrincham
I don't disagree that Bird Flu is a concern. Just trying to avoid the wreckage of the future.
Many people died because they fell prey to the anti-maskers and insistence this was just the flu. They put at risk others with more fragile immune systems, took up spaces in hospitals where they abused our nurses and generally ignored sound medical advice for people sticking spoons to their chest and conspiracies.
The link is an attempt at humor, but there is a point there.
Most people I have known are sincere in their beliefs. I'm hesitant to fault them for ideas that, at different times, make more or less sense - mask wearing is a prime example. Most ideology is founded outside one's control.
We can't fault people for getting sick either - or even attribute the cause with certainty. We need to care for all and blame no one.
I say no one refused basic health precautions, since that is defined by the individual. Even the heroine addict has ideas about what is sound.
Thanks for responding here. I get what you are saying ==> Our choices matter. I'm just not sure people have much choice.
This went way too long. Stopping now. Happy New Year!
The point of HCR's letter is that the right is not united. Some on the "right" ARE anti-immigrant.
Additionally, the question is "What is legal?" H1B visa's are vital when no American worker can fill a job (that itself comes with a salary that is vetted internationally.) There are many who see H1B visa's as a way to undermine worker quality of life/labor unions. This is a concern by many on the right and left.
Companies need workers who are cheap AND productive. That is the end around here. Workforce re-training has never been the focus of STEM based technology based companies.
First of all, Trump understands the policy just fine. And it seems thst Trump sides with Musk by the way on this issue.
I suggested a month ago that there’s going to be discourse about a variety of individual policies when two people are involved there’s always going to be disagreement to whatever degree. But as I said, Trump will decide end of story. Musk and Bannon can banter all rhey like, but ultimately the decision will be Trumps
I know a number of people, including my best friend who came from Canada on a H1B visa, and had nothing in his pocket. Now is a multi millionaire.
I know there’s people that take advantage of some foreigners in this area but these have been used very effectively with many major corporations here, and as it turns out even small companies. From what I understand and I could be wrong the people that they’re talking about are more technically savvy people, or ones that are specifically trained in an area not the ones that are going to be taken advantage of in this way.
Since it happened, I have felt and believed that the election of Donald Trump is the biggest example of collective stupidity in the history of the United States. Nothing in this edition of HCR's newsletter leads me to change my mind.
I have a spectacularly un and/or disinformed colleague who is a P.E. teacher at the middle school at which I teach. I promised myself I would never start a political discussion with him, but I know he will start one with me. He will know nothing about what is going on because Fox won't tell him. Our next political chat won't be pretty.
I'm seventy-two, and I never imagined that I would live through a more dangerous time than the Cuban Missile Crisis. I was wrong.
Joel, there has been a few articles published about how to start a conversation with a friend, or colleague or family - when your POV or tolerance or racial judgements are opposites. They usually say to speak slowly and start with finding common ground. I have also set a timer with some friends to keep our conversation short and upbeat before a hot button area comes up.
Thanks for the advice, but I've had political discussions with my colleague before. He always starts them and is always already wound up when he does. My calmness simply upsets him more. Everything that comes out of his mouth is a right-wing talking point, and I will be interested to see whose side he takes in the MAGA vs. DOGE struggle for the second trump administration.
I know where you’re coming from. This was the teacher right next door to me at school- always trying to insert the terms “woke” and “virtue-signaling” into the conversations he would attempt to initiate- kind of a dead giveaway, he went completely down the antivax rabbithole during the pandemic. Thankfully for my workplace sanity, he retired last year. I eventually gave up on attempting a logical discussion and just brushed off his attempts to initiate conversations which began to feel like indoctrination sessions.
Just be aware that when I dare question a democratic talking point I get slammed by folks here. People are inflexible on both sides. I’m non partisan. I think for myself not political talking points.
I'm going to try to have decent chats with Bill Katz. I tried, but failed, with a guy named Rick Sender. He started off civil but then failed to be over time. I'm happy to debate in what used to be called "the market place of ideas" and see what happens. That said, I don't really know why right-wingers are here. Rick Sender accused HCR of lying and being wrong, for example, but never actually refuted one of her points or pointed out a lie. I don't believe HCR lies about anything, but occasionally I find myself in disagreement with something in one of her newsletters and say so. That was the case with her glowing eulogy of Jimmy Carter. I pointed out my disagreements, but no one engaged.
Yes, I blocked Sender but feel Katz needs to be called out for insulting others and insisting he’s the only one who thinks for himself or is unbiased. Those remarks are uncalled for and dedicating who replies to that garbage is unproductive. People will just turn him off instead of respecting his ideas.
I know some Democrats like that. Feel free to speak with me any time. I'll address whatever point you make or question you asked. Be advised, though, that I no longer "speak" to one Rick Sender, with whom I tried to do the same thing. We started off nicely, but over time he first became uncivil and then became extremely so. Cheers.
It is completely insane. Personally, I'm guessing it's a size thing with Greenland. Because of the distortion of maps, T probably thinks Greenland is the size of South America. It's not. But the entire discussion is off the rails, and it is greatly disturbing that Musk is promoting Nazis in Germany. Musk, by the way, came here on a student visa but did not enroll, so he's illegally in this country. Watching the GOP implode is fine and good, but my concern is the collateral damage. On a more whimsical note, maybe we can ask Biden to sign an executive order tomorrow to extend the month of December by 1,470 days! He has immunity! They can't take over until Jan 20th. This would give us time to get a lot of things done, and we'd keep the current budget. Just a thought.
Has something happened in Greenland? Nope, not a thing. I’ll be careful when you talk about questioning an election results because when Trump tried to do it the left considered it high treason
There is a difference between what happened on Jan. 6th and what happened in Bush v. Gore. The fact that Trump & McConnell have stacked the Supreme court is a problem as well and further delineates the right and left wrt questioning election results.
People are justifiably alarmed at the precedents that continue to be made, broken and remade.
I love one note in particular by Heather here today.
This is where she says "Members of the far right want to shut [the federal government] down until it stops spending more money than it takes in and stops supporting policies they oppose."
Funny thing is, and we all know it, the orange felon is going to give all the billionaires such a massive tax reduction that the U.S. national debt is only going astronomically to skyrocket.
Great for the billionaires who are so greatly growing the wealth gap between them, the happy few, and us, the massively left behind.
Great for the banks, guaranteed to profit gigantically as we -- the left behind, not the rich -- will have to take on the additional costs of floating the debt further to float the banks and the rich.
Putin, Musk, Xi, and the many others who want to divvy up the world into spheres of influence to buoy themselves? Hasn't it already happened?
Aren't the schools pretty much all over the world in decline as working classes and middle classes have to defer more to the rich, the oligarchs, and all the techies and others they need to handle their economies? Why do the rich anywhere need public education none of their kids attend?
I live in Switzerland. Our schools are not in decline. Higher education is affordable. Our apprenticeship system is thriving due to unions which bargain for good wages for workers. What has made me sad is that we have to put more public money into defense due to Putin’s attack on Ukraine. This is the sad state of the world now. Money for peace-promoting projects (education, culture , support for the Third World, etc.)is being directed toward weapons and weapons systems. And someone is making big bucks off of this, too. Including the owner of SpaceX.
Delusion is not wrong. Rick is presenting the policy/value statement here that de-funds schools serving the least fortunate. He's misguided perhaps? It's onerous to refute, I know. Calling him delusional might not be helpful?
I'm trying to use the right words myself. Words are hard.
Tom, you wrote “Rick is presenting the policy/value statement here that de-funds schools serving the least fortunate. He's misguided perhaps?”
I agree with you he is arguing for policies/values that harm the least fortunate among us, and that’s not all. My replies to him/her/it will fall on his/hers/its deaf ears, but they are not my intended primary audience.
My intention is to provide reasoned factual alternatives for others to consider. While delusional may be a bit strong, and perhaps a bit harsh I think it fits.
Given the sheer volume and strident tone of the posts I think it possible, perhaps even probable he is a paid agent provocateur. Ignoring the posts is no deterrent.
“Employees of Russian State-Controlled Media Outlet Deployed Nearly $10 Million to Publish RT-Curated Content, Which Garnered Millions of Views, Through a Tennessee-Based Online Content Creation Company.”
If not a direct Russian agent, i.e. knowingly advocating for a hostile foreign entity, he most certainly qualifies as an unknowing or freelance Putin ally, aka a what they consider a “useful idiot.”
Rick. You seem to be projecting your wishes onto MAGA policies, and not really understanding what Project 2025 actually says. But who knows? Maybe my fears of a coming Trump upheaval of American democracy and of a rules-based world order are overblown. Maybe you're right. Let's talk in years. In the meantime, I'll be donating to those that resist the actual threats effectively.
OK let me make this analogy once again. The heritage foundation wrote project 25. It wasn’t written by Trump or authored by Trump or sanctioned by Trump. There are ideas in there that make sense, so don’t plaster Trump’s name all over project 25 he’s not owning up to it nor will he utilize its entirety to govern. A couple of the items that I remember off the top of my head were relating to legal versus illegal immigration, and that all citizens and only citizens should vote. And I believe most Americans would buy that
The analogy I make is there are certainly lots of people that I’ve read the Bible, but may not agree with it it’s entirety, but there are certainly meritorious sections that people would tend to believe it more than others
Just because someone reads the Bible, you can’t call them a Bible thumper
It is your absolute right to donate to whoever you see fit. This country would be a lot better off if everybody supported the president of United States
People question me as to whether Biden had my support as an example.
My answer would be absolutely until he does something that I feel is in opposition to my American beliefs. Unfortunately for Jo, he began that on day one with his executive orders that immediately caused inflation the price of food and gas to go up interest rates to soar and opening the border there’s no cost us $150 billion and many criminal acts that could’ve been prevented
Trump’s “lack of involvement” in Project25 is a gossamer thin caricature of a claim of “plausible deniability”
“After Trump’s Project 2025 denials, he is tapping its authors and influencers for key roles
“ Now, after being elected the 47th president on Nov. 5, Trump is stocking his second administration with key players in the detailed effort he temporarily shunned. Most notably, Trump has tapped Russell Vought for an encore as director of the Office of Management and Budget; Tom Homan, his former immigration chief, as “border czar;” and immigration hardliner Stephen Miller as deputy chief of policy.
Those moves have accelerated criticisms from Democrats who warn that Trump’s election hands government reins to movement conservatives who spent years envisioning how to concentrate power in the West Wing and impose a starkly rightward shift across the U.S. government and society.”
“ The Office of Management and Budget director, a role Vought held under Trump previously and requires Senate confirmation, prepares a president’s proposed budget and is generally responsible for implementing the administration’s agenda across agencies.
The job is influential but Vought made clear as author of a Project 2025 chapter on presidential authority that he wants the post to wield more direct power.
“The Director must view his job as the best, most comprehensive approximation of the President’s mind,” Vought wrote. The OMB, he wrote, “is a President’s air-traffic control system” and should be “involved in all aspects of the White House policy process,” becoming “powerful enough to override implementing agencies’ bureaucracies.”
Heck of a time to be an historian, Heather! The only analogy I can come up with is that it’s as if you had access to the Manhattan Project and were reporting on the development of the bomb… Except you aren’t reporting on the people. You are reporting on the subatomic particles that are arranging themselves in such a way that they are about to go BOOM!
In the wake of two (2) violent acts today, 1 in New Orleans 15 deceased so far & an exploded truck bomb in front of a Trump hotel, I have resubmitted my DOJ Civil Rights Complaint adding the 2 additional violent incidents today.
My third Complaint: 55-3169-XVN.
I have requested an independent DOJ inspector to intervene as the body count rises.
*****
12/30/24
Apparently, Merrick Garland's DOJ is busy with New Year's parties. The DOJ's Civil Rights Division is rejecting a number of specific complaints filed on ELON MUSK's threat of "war" "the likes you cannot imagine" & sexual attack including my re-submission of a Civil Rights complaint on 12/30/24 at 2:54 PM today. https://civilrights.justicegov.
Judge Garland's Division provided no information on whether any of the complaints have been accepted for investigation or assigned to a Special Prosecutor under the federal statutory law & regulations protecting such investigations from later attack. See, U.S.Code,Title 28, Sections 510 & 515.
The DOJ does have an officer assigned to respond to Freedom of Information (FOIA) requests like the one I filed earlier today to discover what Garland has done or more likely has not done about ELON MUSKS' serious threats (plural).
I am so happy you are pursuing this, Bryan, even if you’re not successful, but you absolutely should be! As a sidenote: Do you think Jack Smith will reveal his report soon?
Before Thanksgiving my take was a cautious more-likely-than not.
I was encouraged by Newsweek's 11/26/24 report that "Jack Smith Plans to Release his report before DJT is Sworn In".
In related news per "The Hill" Jack Smith has transferred his Mar-a-Lago case documents to the U.S. Attorney's Office in Southern Florida (USAO) to aid the prosecution of Trump's 2 Co-defendants. "Immunity" does not reach the overt acts of his Co-defendants.
No problem. At Trial you must be ready to communicate a string of of ADMISSIBLE evidence of relevant of facts which is not just for a jury but, sometimes a Judge.
Adroit & experienced Judges know how to exploit "proffers" particularly in chambers when she/he is pushing a gaggle of attorneys to settlement.
Could it be that the real reason Tesla, and other Mushk companies hire so many foreign engineers is because he is such an awful person that successful American engineers don’t enjoy working with him. Since they are so talented, they are in high demand and have no trouble at all finding iwork and or can leave and start their own businesses? Contrast that with a h1 visa, they can’t quit and risk deportation? They may not speak great English, they don’t have a network and references from their foreign school and foreign classmates, they don’t have a US based support network.
Come on news media! The real story is Mushk using the h1 visa like indentured servitude!!! He’s running a total racket. The new Jungle by Upton Sinclair
I have worked with H-1B programmers for over 30 years--mostly Indians and Russians.
The biggest flaw in the H-1B program in my opinion is the minimum salary of $60K, which was set in 1990 and has never been raised.
Like with the Federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour it should have been indexed with COLA like Social Security and other programs.
The $60K minimum has kept the wages of American programmers as well as Indian programmers down, just like the Federal minimum wage has kept the wages of workers down in the 20 states that have the minimum wage set at $7.25 an hour.
Ted, you know and I know that MSM will not get it right. I am relying on independents such as ProPublica, Medias Touch Network, Jane Mayer, The Root, the 19th, etc.
Voice from the past, Bob Dylan interview from the 60’s. Love this: “when I want to find out the truth about anything, I don’t read Time Magazine. They aren’t going to tell the truth. They have way too much to lose!”
Depends on the ‘boss’. One of the determinants of success is in life is getting to choose who you ‘have to’ versus ‘get to
‘ and ‘really look forward’ to working with. I think it was Jim Collins, a professor of business at Colorado who wrote a book called good great I think there’s others in his research for business. He looks at some of the most successful companies with case studies on the leadership styles of the owners, founders or CEOs and officers. Something that he writes about extensively is that there’s a consistency in the most successful companies and it’s how they treat their employees.
I agree with you if you have a boss but there’s many people who don’t wanna have a boss they’re called entrepreneurs or owners and they set the rules. When it comes to employment agree with you wholeheartedly.
totally agree with you if you have a good boss, provides you with a fair salary, good working environment, who treats you well, you have tenured people. Absolutely. And actually, there are many people who don’t look so much to the salary as the way they’ve being treated and respected
Then now you understand while so many leave mushk companies. People leave bad management/ poor managers /narcissists / unappreciated before they leave for any other reason. (Adam Grant, Simon Siemtec, Jim Collins, James Kotter). Elum uses the h1 visa for good but also because he can pay them less and force them to stay.
I’m not sure I do Ted. I’m not sure how many employees he has, and how personally involved in with the day-to-day operation of the companies. Many CEOs manage from a distance and don’t involve themselves with day-to-day stuff. I do know that Musk tends to run a very lean company but beyond that I don’t really follow it..
BUT SINCE I’VE OWNED A TESLA (actually 5) and I have dealt upon each purchase with some of the employees that are there.
I will tell you a couple of phenomenal stories about musk’s stock plan for his Tesla people. I am still friendly with one of his “long term” parts department employees… He just ran the parts department at the local dealership. He left the company with $2 million in stock and retired in his mid-50s. Just the parts guy.
I just googled it just for my own information and apparently Tesla has 141,000 employees, so I guess it would be important to know what his turnover ratio is? And maybe a few of them have seen the writing on the wall because of the increased competition from companies like Rivian, lucid, Toyota, Kia, etc..
I know that one of his employees had gone to Rivian… and was readily hired by them immediately
On the other hand One example I will make to you is that there was a lot of media buzz about the fact that 95% of Kamala Harris staff had left her employ… don’t know what is the significance of that is, but it may based on your formula speak for itself as well .
Donald Trump has 22,000 employees. Not sure of the turnover ratio there either , nor am I aware of the turnover ratio of Musk’s companies
Also, it is not unusual for TOP members/executives of an organization, who hit a ceiling, end up either going elsewhere, or starting a company on their own, we’re advancement could be better
To be fair
So I think, in order to make a fair assessment more information is needed especially in light of what I know about the Tesla low level employees that have left the company with millions in the bank.
No one said the visa program is bad, only that there can be abuse of it. Try living in the Bay Area for $60 k. That’s not the American dream. It’s wage slavery.
Jimmy Carter, the Democrat with the courage to call an oligarchy "an oligarchy," passed away recently at 100 years of age. He will not see governance under either species of human vulture. Good timing, President Jimmy Carter. Rest in peace.
What a mess.
The immense federal government of the United States of America, with its immensely powerful military, will soon be under the control of a mentally deteriorating criminal who ran only to stay out of courtrooms and eventually, prison.
He. Doesn’t. Care. About . Anyone.
(But himself.)
He made promises to everyone everywhere all the time that he cannot possibly keep.
Who will run our country come January 20th?
A very pertinent and frightening question, SFHaine. I am struggling to stay positive and trust in our history to pull us through one of the many bad times we’ve experienced as a united nation, but because of the evil on our doorstep and soon residing in our White House, I am not confident that this grand experiment in democracy will make it through the next year.
I share your concern.
Until the day after the November election, I was confident the “ reasonable center” of the electorate would come together & elect Harris because she was the sole reasonable alternative.
I felt Trump couldn’t prevail, as he ignored traditional channels of electoral communication & persuasion and he was insulting large swaths of people.
I was terribly wrong. The Dems missed the boat completely ( re: messaging)
Many, many tens of millions found ( still find) Trump “ AUTHENTIC “. They do not get their information from anything I’d recognize as a credible news source.
So here we are.
I too was confident that Harris would win. I did not fool myself to think that there was some 'center' in America - but I did delude myself into believing that trumps transgressions were so serious ( documents, rape, Jan 6, not conceding the election etc ) that sane people, no matter their political inclinations would understand that he should never hold office again
I did not foresee the deep rooted dislike of anything liberal or of the democrats.
I did not see that though the upper middle class did extremely well under Biden that they would still cry that previous four years were 'terrible' and a 'horror'
I not foresee that trans athletes and trans people, or rather the fear of them, would translate into so many people voting on that issue - even though most of them never knowingly met a trans person themselves
I did not foresee that people in the affluent suburbs of NYC, whose only real contact with immigrants - were those that cut their lawns, clean their houses , and bus their tables, would have such a fear of an invasion - the likes of which echoed the fear of those of us born in the 50's, of a russian invasion to take away our 'freedoms' ( that one is rich considering they voted for a guy who would rather give Alaska and Puerto Rico to Russia if he were to get the land rights lol )
I did not foresee that women would still vote for this rapist, abuser, rather than another woman especially a liberal one
I did not fore see Latinos voting for him in such numbers thinking his promise to deport people did not mean anyone they knew
I did not foresee the true power of Fox
I did not foresee that Musk's 40 billion dollar purchase - was not the mistake that the biz community originally thought and was rather a brilliant investment in purchasing the entire Unites States - to use as his toy
I did not see that the day after the election the so called establishment would all bend a knee to trump, that nations like Canada and Mexico and others would trek to Xanadu to kneel before a madman
I do not think it was Biden staying to long, Harris saying this or that or not saying this or that, nor the price of eggs that drove so many Americans to willingly take a chance of ending democracy - that they prefer an oligarchy, a father figure, the ability to show hate for their neighbors openly, that they hate sharing in the largesse of the American dream so much, that they will surrender all to a lunatic who makes no pretense of wanting to help them.
The blame is on our neighbors , the GOP, Murdoch Machine and Musk - but most of all on the American People.
Close the door and shut the lights on the way out.....
I think you are describing the way many of us feel. What is happening now is beyond our worst nightmare. My only comment to add is that the right to vote carries a responsibility--it's not just VOTE, it's be informed, think, use your brain, look at motives, consider integrity, vote not just for yourself, but for the future of our country. That's what democracy is about.
And, after voting, stay informed -- watch what your representatives are doing, what they're facing -- don't just let the machine run itself hoping that it's doing the job you want it to do. It doesn't really take that much time if you're consistent and you have each other -- the other citizens -- as the team. This is an US thing, not a ME thing -- even MAGA or DOGE MAGA or MUMP can't run without some kind of supervisory control. WE are not weak while I alone probably eventually am weak -- regardless of what THEY want US to feel. WE can project strength through unity for a common cause -- equality and freedom, where everyone gets a chance.
I would only add one more factor. I did not recognize the depths of racism and misogyny that pollute our country. Clearly, this was animating many Republicans but I suspect that millions of Democrats who stayed home didn’t want Trump; they just could not quite make the leap to a woman of color as President.
Not a statement, but a question: perhaps you are misreading the reasons Harris lost?
I think Harris lost the election because prices rose a compounded 12 1/2% over 3 years. When Biden was asked about it he waved it away with statistics about everything in the economy except higher prices. The once populist Biden seemed vaguely irritated when asked about prices. Working class people (especially) noticed. And remembered.
Biden’s border policy allowed 8 million undocumented immigrants (conservative NPR estimate) into the country. That changed 6 months before the election in a cynical ploy to curry favor with a pretty pissed electorate. For most people the issue isn’t racism or hatred. It’s “what the hell do we have laws for if we’re just going to ignore them”. It looked unmanaged, chaotic, and alarming.
Harris ran too far left in 2020 (she was one of the Bernie fools who agreed when Julio Castro demanded that illegal border crossings become de-criminalized).
She and many other Dems made gender issues too prominent an issue. Yes, Dems should do the tight thing. No, talking about it in a way where our position makes those who disagree feel as though we are calling them immoral, or evil is not effective politics.
Harris didn’t (couldn’t? wouldn’t?) separate herself sufficiently from Biden, an incumbent with a36% approval rating).
I agree with most of your assessment - and if Haley, or DeSantis or any other Republican ran and won, that assessment would make sense.
But first Biden, then Harris ran against someone who tried to overturn an election. Full stop. The underlining foundation of our democracy - he thwarted the peaceful transfer of power - refused to hand over the metaphorical keys on inauguration day.
Calling the people that choose this, this over democracy, immoral or evil is not effective politics that true - but it describes many of them.
I know from my conversations at a convention I attended in August and the weekly talks at my gym.
People who I often have friendly chats with about many things ( we had never discussed politics before , though they knew I was liberal, and they were conservatives ) to them it was not about eggs or gas - they were totally unaffected by that. Yet they watched Fox and read the WSJ almost exclusively -
The issues you mention are amplified by this right wing machine until infests the daily conversation. As an example - my gym has 13 tv's on facing the treadmills - many turned to fox. They take a crime - a crimes happen everywhere in America, but they take the ones perpetrated by immigrants - legal or not - and play them on a loop for 20 minutes or more - until the next show and start again.
I content that racism played a major part of the election - maybe not overt - all these people claim they like the 'good ones'.
Trump spent 250 M on anti trans ads. Signs in a nearby community filled with them even thought trans in HS sports at their school has never been or is an issue.
YES! Harris and Biden made numerous mistakes - but what you claim implies that trump ran a stellar campaign. Jerking off a microphone , talking about a golfers penis size, hannibal lector as a real person, the list goes.
The voters saw all this - and decided that his future looked better than Biden / Harris - I am sorry - I cannot respect their decision. I accept it - because thats America - but I will not blame Harris / Biden errors for what these - deplorable's - yes deplorable's have given to me and my grandchildren.
The next few months - by April - May, they will see what they have wrought.
Sorry if I sound angry at these voters - I am.
I agree, there's no way Harris or Biden could've done enough wrong things to make sense of voting for trump. I think the primary reason were racism, misogyny, and selfishness. I feel betrayed by those who voted for trump.
And how does the anger help?
I personally doubt that very many voters rationally went through all Trump’s faults as described by us Dems and said, “Oh, hell, I’m going with Trump.”
My bet is that most of them considered they knew both Trump and Biden and decided they wanted the guy who seemed stronger. They saw that most of Trump’s crazy talk last time either didn’t affect them or turned out to be typical politician bs.
As for the crudity, have you watched TV lately? Crudity is now the norm.
I get it. Trump is abhorrent to the mind. But turns out that’s not a deal-breaker for about 50% of the electorate. Maybe we should rehabilitate Spitzer, John Edwards, and Bill Clinton.
Tom, if for many people were asking why do we have laws if they are going to ignore, why didn't ask why a convicted felon that never respected any law would have my vote?
Why are you straining to put your logic on a past event? But maybe an awful lot of people thought they were a Dem put up job. Not that crazy, I guess. I see some equally nutty Dems claiming the first assassination attempt was a fake, or that somehow Trump stole the election.
Half the country can't put their hands on $500. And more than that are living paycheck to paycheck. A "sound economy" misses that completely. This has been getting worse for years. To address this in the near future we need UBI, a universal basic income. The problem is people just don't make enough money. Go back to the 1860s and the graduated tax that redistributed income.
Patrick, the income tax of 1860 affected everyone in a proportional manner and then in 1980, Regan came and that's why half of the country don't have access to 500$ and the other 40% are living paycheck to paycheck. Now, with the billionaires in control this situation is going to get much worse. As to why the people continue voting Republicans, it's a mystery to me.
I think it's simpler than all that, Tom, although all your points are valid. I think Harris lost because Biden ran in the first place, which only gave his replacement candidate two months to build a campaign. If Biden had kept his word about only one term, there'd have been a primary fight for the top spot, and plenty of time to formulate appealing positions on border control, women's autonomy, and the economy.
I think you are right. I think the inflation was the key issue for so many. I don't think any Democrat could have won. Incumbents world-wide have been losing because of inflation, I have heard. I also agree with you on the border and on the gender issues. Biden, and the Democrats, have been out of touch on both.
You spoke my heart and mind.
The failure of the Harris campaign to capture the vote of every woman in America surprised me most of all. Even women who are against abortion surely can't favor bleeding out in the parking lot as the alternative. I believed all women care enough about their daughters to make life of the mother central to any argument about terminating a pregnancy.
I get that the radical right just doesn't believe President Defect is the horrible human he is, and therefore ignore the peril to their own comfort and prosperity, but mainstream media has not held back on the threat of abortion ban as envisioned by MAGA. WTF, ladies?
The reasonable center is still there. Unfortunately, many of them did not bother to vote, because they, swimming along in their own world of daily concerns, figured someone else would. Years of pursuing "political correctness" yielded ignorance and apathy.
Your claim that there is a "reasonable center" really needs a challenge.
There is a bunch of folks who rarely pay attention because they have no idea that they have a responsibility to govern. When they do tune in, it's for seconds, with no context or frame of reference, and stupidly do what their social circle does. Since a significant number of their cohort goes to church, it compounds the problem.
The folks who do pay attention need to make it simple, so these witless ones can hear:
No more medical bankruptcy
No more unlimited spending by billionaires on elections via PACs or any other ruse
Tax the wealthy
Not so much a reply to you directly so much as a general tone in this block of texts.
Referring to Trump voters as witless church-goers (perhaps one of the kinder things they’ve been called in this comment section) is political malpractice, one of the stupidest things to do, and the biggest reason much of the electorate loathes Democrats.
Have you forgotten that in about 22 months we will need a single-digit percentage of these voters to take back the House and at least limit further damage to the Senate?
From way up there on your high horse, could you grant swing voters the grace to consider that an awful lot of working men and women voted for Trump because they tried to stretch their paychecks for three years as costs rose a compounded 12 1/2%? And they voted to fire the seemingly frail old man who refused to much about it.
Even George Conway, a strong never-Trumper, limits his broadsides to Trump and Co. You don’t see him bashing the electorate. Because it is self defeating.
The seemingly frail old man on the ticket was Trump, not Biden.
The people making sure their top issue of illegal immigration were Republicans in Congress. That’s who writes the laws.
The misinformation, outright lies, and finger pointing perpetrated by all our politicians should be reined in. No more immunity for them to go into their jobs (Congress) and lie to the people non-stop. They should be trusted and removed from office for what any other company would be held accountable for as misrepresentation and fraud.
If the phone company took your money for service and failed to provide it we’d go after them. Why is the American public so willing to allow the people we pay to lie. They can never be trusted as long as they are protected.
Trump is the insult king. You are absolutely right, Tom, that if insults are to be hurled they should be at him. Or at the greedy tech bros like Elon and Vivek, who have the selling point to the right that they're furriners. All Dem campaigns could and should have praised the voters with sound bites like, "You're too smart to vote for higher prices." and then go into American made vs. tariffs.
I have become a supporter of Traditional (Loomer) MAGA to stop MUSK controlling American economy. His plan is to form a world empire for himself by means of investing in America, China and Europe.
You can hope that she has enough power to somehow block the power and wealth machine that's been working since Santa Clara Co v Union Pacific two centuries ago, and is now ascendant.
Energy would be better spent in organizing in your community, and pushing the only party that can maybe be pushed, in the direction you want it to go.
It feels a lot better. And it does work,if you're willing to show up. May take a while, but it's better than cheering on an idiot.
Impressive Jen, your citation 👏🏻 to the case law origin of Citizens United. That's a Wow.
Traditional MAGA has no money and doesn’t own the feckless media. They are as screwed as we are
“Wooden Ships”
Is "Wooden Ships" the Jefferson Airplane/CSN Song?
And what about his satellites above us?
Per space.com, the Starlink system is a digitally integrated network of satellites owned & operated by Musk. Musk has more than 10 contracts with the federal government.
The satellites which orbit around 342 miles or 550 kilometers above the Earth can be spotted at night with your focused attention & eyes on 'Aero Digital Space', ADS.
[I hope that "ADS" and/or "aero digital space" works for everybody as I just made it up.]
Per Starlink.com, Musk says the satellites "require & unobstructed view of the sky". Food for thought.
"Political correctness" itself is not to blame. "Politically correct " just means being polite to people, not making people uncomfortable, treating people, even those who are not the same as you are, with basic respect. That idea was taken and twisted so people believed it was an attempt to force people to be someone they didn't want to be. It played on people's grievances, encouraged people to feel they were being bullied. It was propaganda and manipulation.
It's really difficult to combat propaganda, NLTownie. Not that we shouldn't have made the effort, but emotional manipulation is the problem. We need something more subtle than facts or policies. The left has never acquired the skill of finding language that appeals emotionally to our better angels. If we could only find our own Frank Luntz to come up with phrases that trigger tolerance and acceptance!
KEM, See my comment a handful above yours, on political correctness. I do think that's a major problem.
Political correctness is a misnomer in the first place, David Holzman. It equates to Woke. Better nomenclature would have been "common decency," with reference to the constitutional right to fair and equal treatment of all. That appeals to patriotism as well as the teachings of Jesus.
So Russia and China hacking and misinformation had nothing to do with it? Our mealy-mouthed media? My only complaint about the Democrats: We're never as audacious as we should be.
An honest assessment. The Democrats would’ve had a much better chance if they had done what they wanted to do during trumps administration and that is invoke the 25th amendment. If Joe Biden had exited well before this, then the Democrats would’ve had a chance to perhaps chosen a more qualified candidate. And there are a number of them out there.
Exactly. One bad debate performance sent the entire Democratic Party into a nose dive. America may never recover.
This is a troll and likely bot you are responding to. Review the influence and resist responding.
Reported.
Or it may recover quickly. But herb you sound like an honest guy if you haven’t read the article, the lengthy article from the Wall Street Journal, which highlights and annotates some of the knowledge about Biden’s mental capacity early on, you will realize that this was not about his debate, although that debate performance was… I can’t even put a name to it. Check out the article and there’s many more along the same lines, but that one is very comprehensive
And trump can get up there and say outrageous things, dance around like he can't control his body and that's ok!?!? What's good for the goose is not good for the gander. We need honest news, not entertainment. News cannot be profit centers.
Rick, The WSJ is not a good source for unbiased political information. It's name tells you everything.
Rick, remember what they say about hindsight. And also remember that Dems were buoyed after Biden's SotU address nearly a year ago. Had the 25th been invoked after that it would have led to a civil war within the ranks. Except possibly for insiders, nobody foresaw a disastrous debate. Let's stop blaming ourselves and instead blame those who either voted for the felon or didn't vote at all.
At this point you are just wasting our time. On what’s ahead not the past.
I don’t believe that a “reasonable center” exists anymore or could get the needed job done. America is a broken oligarchy that needs radical reforms to education, healthcare and taxation if we are to maintain a democracy. We can’t survive this level of grotesque inequality with incrementalism or bipartisan bullshit. It is time for us to actually listen to the Sanders, Reichs and AOC’s rather than dismiss them as the loony left. As long as democrats play to a reasonable or moderate center, we won’t make our country fair or remotely close to a democracy that provides opportunities for all.
Again, I will remind all you folks who are so gosh-darned smarter, more educated, and perhaps morally superior to swing voters who went the other way…
Even a 10-year-old moron who is running for Class President knows you can’t win an election by calling swing voters names. So are you guys smarter than a fifth grader? Hmmm.
STFU. You want to call people names and insult them….get lost.
The hypocrisy here is astounding. Another one who wants to come out and call us names all while condemning name calling. Get a mirror, put your glasses on, take a good look and read what you write.
You’re right, Barry.
I think we continue to underestimate how thoroughly the pandemic threw American society off center. Guess what? We're mortal! That combined with existing malignancies to give us repeat-Trump and DOGE took advantage as oligarchs always will.
And the fact that the employment subsidies and the temporary moratorium on evictions for non-payment of rent ran out before Election Day probably reinforced anti-incumbent sentiment.
I also wonder if some of the voters were motivated by the visual increase in homelessness and/or homeless people being temporarily placed in hotels. Few, if any, realized this was directly related to the pandemic. Shelters are usually attempting to help as many families, adults and youth as they possibly can - and consequently beds are often quite crowded. To avoid the spread of covid, shelters reduced their capacity, in some cases by 30%.
Recognizing that those who would then end up on the streets, depressing their immune system and increasing their odds of having more serious covid symptoms, the federal government enabled local government and nonprofits to use motels as shelter alternatives. All the players became incredibly creative in providing motel vouchers coupled with supportive services to reduce unhoused people on the streets.
I was part of this strategy and aware of the methods used, but I’m sure that very few voters (D or R) understood what was happening. I understand why it appeared chaotic to them.
This is a huge problem when the goal is protecting the safety net. Government doesn’t toot its own horn, or explain why and what it is doing. And I have no clever way they could do this. But it’s more important now than ever!
Your last point: "authentic". What the actual, everloving, F is "authentic" about that individual? Absolutely NOTHING. Yet, they believe it will all their hearts. A new thing that must have sprouted up in their "information sources" (I will NOT give it any respect by calling it "news") is something about "people's reaction" to the guy who killed the United Healthcare CEO being "inappropriate". All my retired cop friends are saying how awful "those people" are who feel that he "had it coming".
If I had more inclination, I'd study the carp that shows up in their feeds from time to time and see where it comes from. I don't want to wallow in that garbage, however.
WTAEF. Perfectly on point. Authenticity is a concept unknown to these MAGA sycophants. They heard a five syllable word, learned how to pronounce it and bear it as the sword of truth; damn those pesky definitions anyway, huh?
I thought the very same about the normalcy of the bell curve prevailing. I was so mistaken.
How we got here, and who to blame, is a nice game to play. However it isn’t going to move us one step further to fixing this mess we all are in.
The majority of our country is lucky to live paycheck to paycheck. Rent prices continue to go up, and people who never thought they’d be on the streets are out there. It isn’t immigration, it is greed. A big company buys a small company and in a year they let go all those working there. Many of those people have student loans. Unemployment only counts those supposedly actively looking for work. Many living on the streets are actually still working. They can’t afford to pay rent on the money they make.
In bankruptcy student loans and credit cards seem to be unforgiven, but rich debts sure are reduced. Who decided that poor people’s debts aren’t the same as rich people’s?
So, let’s figure out how to actually make a difference in our states, our communities, and our lives. Then focus on that.
Let’s get all those who are working on gun issues to work together so we don’t get 10 different texts a day asking for more money to solve gun problems. Or the so many other issues that are very important.
Organize and share the messages. Candy Lightener started Mothers against drunk driving. MADD. We all knew what it was, and supported it. One area one group and it changed our world.
I can’t change Washington, but I have been part of two groups that changed laws in two different states; that change helped many people. It took a couple of years of work to get the change, and it did happen, as it needed to happen.
So figure out what is important to you, and/or what group is available to you, focusing on an issue that you care about, and work to make that change. And be willing to work with others doing good.
Professor Richardson gives us great examples, of past history and awareness of current goings on. Often in the past, it took one person or a small group to light the fire. How we use Professor Richardson’s information to preserve our democracy is up to us.
Please let us know what you are doing, so we can cheer you on!
Well said Nancy. I am fatigued by the naysayers and blame throwers. I will not give up, I will do my best to fight and re-educate where I can. I get encouragement as I see the chaos already happening in this supposed new administration ranks. Trump pissing off MAGA and greed and power finally showing its true colors. I remind myself daily, I will not go back and We the People will be victors in he long run.
They ?we? threw out Jimmy Carter largely because of lines at the gas pump, and Harris because income inequality had made those gas price signs visible on ever street show them things were not going well for them. Electric cars are expensive, everyone expects to drive either a 16 year old car or an SUV… listening to reason/s or Bernie didn’t resonate so much, and with rampant distrust and conspiracy theories, casting votes for Trump seemed ok. Now we are left with the really big issues of a world facing AI domination, more warring, and climate disasters with no good outlook. Hmmm. Hoping you/we all can create loving community around you and continue to do your best, courageously. Maybe we will even get spiritual insights and do things that will help.
Why is it do hard for many of us to understand we drove voters to the other side with s too-old candidate (so said the polls for three years), higher prices that said candidate waved away for three years, a border that looked chaotic and alarming, and a new candidate who ran four years before as a lefty Bernie bro?
You do know Biden wasn’t on the ticket right? You keep referring to him as the candidate like we could check a box for him.
Because so many who support him can’t read, or read at a fifth grade level.
What about all the Dems who didn’t even vote!
So how does a mentally deteriorating man accomplish what he has done? Don the con ? Don the Pon? Combinations thereof? Not even half the pop voted for him , won by 1.5 points or percentage ..marginal at best ( not a mandate). Marginals is where to work.
I cant remember who suggested watching MeidasTouch the interview with David Cay Johnson ..but I did. Thank You!
Here’s the link again, treat yourself ( It’s LONG) :https://www.youtube.com/live/SF4gCFbiTx0?si=GLB0NxKmfoycSscA
I’m not going to even try to explain -wish I could…whether it is Leo/Theil/Heritage/Regan it garnered a lot of people , it’s been in progress for a long running time.
Is this our greatest fight or a continuance of the same old game? Doesn’t matter…what.have.we.learned? Water boarding works? Drip, drip, drip, smoke screens, mirrors, incessant repetitions..yada yada
We made mistakes. The biggest may be Citizens United.
There are dozens WAAAAY smarter than I -most saying the FACTS don’t matter to a population that isn’t informed, can’t read, money buys, attention spans are short, and I add have a soap opera mentality…drama kings and queens, and many of those are disenfranchised , desperate for hope. The trifecta came. It’s here.
Uniting is safety, two heads better than one, strength in numbers. There are plenty of us, and enough of them that can …Will …still join us, they make mistakes too.
Education is a key factor. Start local, think big. Share best you can. Stay the course.
WE. Can. Do. This.
It’s Day 1 again…🫶
I’m concerned as well, because I’ve read a lot of history (although was I wasn’t a history major) and am familiar with how governmental systems may break down. The concern I have is the distrust of our institutions and the seeming inability of them to stop a political charlatan and demagogue like Trump.
Your concern is well placed Kathy and you are not alone.
And THAT inability is baked into our entire governmental institution. Norms and "doing the right thing" dont work when people who DO vote, then vote for a sleazebag conman who they saw on a "reality" show! This belief that because someone is on television or social media and has money - they count for more because of that? Apparently there is no comprehension that a reality show means people are PERFORMING in front of a camera! I guess they dont understand that?
Maybe they need to hear and see more about what's working in our institutions and what they're designed to do when properly funded (something Republicans have deliberately failed to do). There's a reason for rules and regulations, a reason for taxes, a reason for fines and penalties and prisons: justice equally applied to all. It's a high standard but no higher than "Thou shalt not _____" which has no wiggle room for class or power or wealth or caste or lineage. All according to their means, according to their needs. So, we make mistakes, we miscalculate, we don't consider every detail. We adjust and we persevere. Our cause is equality and freedom, the good fight.
It won't make it. When we have a president elected, whose head is full of loose slogans contradicting each other and his only objetive is to stay out of prison and on the other hand, a malevolent dictator in Russia in conjuction with the man that bought the American government and pulls all the strings, nationally and internationally as he is doing in Germany, you and we the people have ample reasons not to be confident.
I fully understand your feeling of pessimism, Ricardo, because I feel it myself more often than I would like. But I remind myself that autocrats *want* us to assume that history ends with them and there is no hope for any future beyond them--a future the people might desire, including a democratic one. Muskrump craves immobilizing despair. Its algorithmic media disinformation loops are built to induce it. We have to avoid defeating ourselves, even on our worst days.
It didn’t make it through this year… your great democracy, and all your threats about the Republicans and Trump is a threat to democracy… while it turned out to be your own party who pulled an actual coup d’état in America. Usually that’s reserve for countries with oligarchs like Russia and China.
Take a deep breath, relax see what happens and then get pissed if necessary.
It’s difficult to relax when Kash Patel is nominated to lead the FBI. That’s only a small piece of our concern.
Trump is currently being manipulated by the richest man in the world. Musk got the budget resolution HE wanted ( Trump did not). Trump doesn’t win in a battle with Musk. Neither do we.
What about the German far-right neo-Nazi party AfD representatives spent Election Day at Mar-A-Lago. The other political parties in Germany refuse to work with them — yet Trump is photographed with them chanting “ Kampf! Kampf! Fight! Fight! ) I would ask “ Fight WHO?
Trump is a criminal who attempted to overturn an election in 2020 he did not win. 62 courts ( of all stripes) agreed - he did not win. Yet he CONTINUES to say he won the 2020 election!!
And how do you feel about Trump’s denigration of our veterans ? My husband is a Vietnam combat vet … he’s never understood how veterans can support such a man who demonstrates contempt for the military ( yes. I believe Generals Milley & Kelly over Trump. Why would they lie?!
Fyi, this is a troll bot. Best to not respond.
I blocked him finally.
How did you manage to do that? I am curious, as you obviously saw the reply to his comment.
Eventually, they all go away, but it is annoying to see him pooping all over the comment section. I actually don't read his comments, but I do get equally annoyed with seeing replies to him. It's feeding him.
Oh, well done! I've been disabling him, but as he usually reappears after a while I dared not think he was actually blocked.
Trolls can be reported, as well.
Do your fingers get tired typing this? I'm like Bill Alstrom; I'm tired of seeing the comments that it ruins.
Troll, possibly a bot. Report, block, but don't respond. Do not feed the trolls.
What do you know about Kash Patel? Have you read his entire bio? Do you know what positions he’s held thus far ? If he has opinions, I disagreed with yours that doesn’t mean he’s not qualified. That just means you don’t like his opinions and unfortunately for you and the fact that he’s in the cabinet, he will choose his opinion over yours. People recently are complaining about Merrick Garland that he didn’t move fast enough to prosecute Trump I have the absolute opposite views. It’s obvious the people on the right that Trump has been unfairly treated in the legal sense since no president has ever been charged with many of the alleged crimes that he is accused of. I could care less either way. Want to let you know that there are other schools of thought
You should also stop the nonsense about Trump trying to overturn the results of an election. That ship has sailed? 1000 people were not about to overturn the government of the United States. And I’m assuming that coming relatively shortly there’s going to be a lot more information about what happened on January 6 which I’m sure many of you aren’t aware of yet. Involvement of the FBI involvement of Nancy Pelosi, involvement of Muriel Bowser, and the testimony of people who are not allowed to testify to the then current January 6 committee
And I will give you three names to think about. Al Gore who challenged his election against George Bush. Jill Stein, who not only questioned the election, but had five states recounted costing millions while the democrats cheered her on, And Hillary Clinton to this day who states that she thinks the election was stolen from her.
The issue with Donald Trump‘s election that he lost was that somehow a relative average citizen who had been a lifelong,elected official, got 13 more million votes or so then the hero of the century Barack Obama. It was a very unusual circumstance to be sure, and one certainly questionable at that time.
In fact, even today Democrats are wondering what happened to those 13 million votes and think that people just sat on the sidelines in this most important election of the century.
Ahhh, Rick, you really must take off those trump-colored glass that you adorn your face with.
Troll, possibly a bot. Report, block, but don't respond.
Sigh. None so blind as those who will not see.
What are you talking about? It’s pretty hard to relax when the incoming government seems to be made of people who are either unqualified to govern and/or in it for themselves only. I assume you mean the change from Biden to Harris as a coup? Would that the Republicans had cared about the country enough to replace or get rid of Trump!
Fyi, R.S. is a troll bot.
Yup. And he takes up a lot of space super rationalizing. My fingers are tired of scrolling past in order to find realistic commentary. Maybe that is the R.S. goal. He certainly won't convince anyone here of his nonsensical views. I think the AI has been asked to "flood the zone" to wear us out.
AGREED
No, it’s not hard to relax at all. Let me “Abraham Lincoln for a second Who said most people or is happy as they make up their minds to be.
I don’t assume that Biden Harris was a coup that’s EXACTLY what it was
And in fact in the past few days, Biden has been anger by the fact that he says he should’ve stayed in the race. Although we all know that would’ve been a mistake. Yes, it was a coup. If you prefer to call it something else have at it?
Now to some of the other points, and please don’t take offense, but it’s amazing to me that the average citizen, even being well educated advanced, educated citizen has any idea what it is to appoint a cabinet and be able to judge the quality of that cabinet until it actually is an effect. I think many of you might agree that the cabinet that was chosen by Biden or even by Obama or not person by person the best choice
And I’m kind of laughing because even the past few days people are mad at Biden for picking Merrick Garland because he didn’t prosecute Trump quickly enough for which I’m laughing my an off. Sounds just like Russia or China prosecuting or killing off your opponents no difference at all. It’s not your job to determine whether a cabinet member is qualified to run qualified until the cabinet. Member actually does something as a member of the cabinet. In most cases, his cabinet will do nothing, but carry out his goals. And if they don’t agree with yours, you can’t say that to run qualified because they’re just doing what they feel is right in their minds. They won the election and they will choose their own cabinet, which is their right and obligation. So you’ll just have to wait and see
The reason that the Republicans are not getting rid of Trump is because
His supporters and those who voted for him, evaluate his policies to be good and although most people here would not agree, which is fine but they do. Trump would probably still be president today and be leaving the office right now if not for Covid. And of course, that’s certainly a debatable topic not that it means anything now at all
To use Kinsinger's phrase, when did you go insane, Rick?
Rick is learning to be a better troll bot when we respond to him.
And the ignorant hate continues. Your post is meaningless. James, absolutely meaningless. There’s no topic there’s no basis. There is no content just a meaningless insult.
What’s funny is you have no idea who you’re talking to. You know nothing about me you know nothing about my politics you know nothing about my personal success. You only have hste and it doesn’t do you any good? Park the hate in your back pocket. Watch what happens and comment accordingly.
Your AI is slipping badly.
PLEASE don't respond to him.
The predominant reason trump chose those particular cabinet picks is NOT because of their qualifications but because they are LOYAL to a person.
Trump is a threat to American democracy. Elon Musk for example is an oligarch.
“The Rise of the American Oligarchy
What targeting Russia’s wayward billionaires revealed about our own.”
https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2024/01/american-oligarchy-introduction-essay-russia-ukraine-capitalism/
Ed-Thanks for sharing this article. It’s a good description of the world we are living in as 2025 is upon us.
I believe that Rick Sender is one of those sad people whose mental and emotional deficiencies compel them to seek attention, even negative attention.
Responding to them helps fill a deep bottomless psychic emptiness, but otherwise does no one any good. I’ve known a couple of people like this. It took me awhile to realize what the game was, but it is real. One of them eventually committed suicide. Another I had to fire as a client.
This is actually a troll, likely a bot. Do not engage. Block, report.
You are boring
This is a troll, probably a bot. Please don't respond. Block, report.
By then it's going to be to late Rick. You are giving us a very bad advice.
This is a troll, likely a bot. report, block, do not respond.
PLEASE don't respond to him.
A feast of aphorisms and wisdom applicable to life in the 2nd Trump administration.
Herb Cohen on
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fED6qIt_TiM
Well outlined. We Democrats must be ready for anything. If it gets too out of hand, military coup.
How does a military coup preserve democracy? It delegitimizes everyone. Where do we go from there?
We have brilliant patriotic generals who have taken oaths to protect and defend the Constitution and who could restore civil order. A military coup would be, however, a measure of last resort.
A military coup won't be necessary. MAGA is in its final throws of self-destruction. All the generals have to do is stand there and say No to the fascists. They aren't stupid. They're ready for this, even though some of their underlings are flirting with courts marshall for treason.
At one time the US had several bases in Greenland but now it has only one. How many would be enough for the MAGA mental midgets?
Many of those in the military are all in with Trump including many of the NCOs. Things could get interesting very quickly if enough MAGAs side with Trump.
Virginia, what we have learned is that oaths of office mean nothing to a whole lot of people, even Supreme Court Justices and a former president with dementia, delusions of grandeur, and a lack of caring for anyone. Republican members of Congress are not too keen on their oaths either. What should make anyone think our military leaders will care any more for theirs if they are ordered to do violence to their fellow citizens. After all, they can claim they were just following orders or that they were just trying to be good soldiers. Who do these "patriotic" soldiers turn the government over to when many of them are Trumpers and Trumpettes themselves?
Don't throw in the military towel too soon, Ruth. I think of General Milley, who's on DT's list of revenge, and I have to think others will defend him.
30 years of defending The Constitution "agains all enemies, foreign and domestic" and I'm conflicted as to where military rank & file loyalty lies. Senior leadership, 3 & 4 star Admirals & Generals achieve that rank by presidental nomination & senate approval, a military selection board process. I fear a purge of any member of the the Joint Staff, combatant commanders that weren't confirmed during trump 1.0 will removed and it will go even deeper into any Obama appointees that are still serving. Those are the people who still believe in their Constitutional oath and in their place we'll get Pete H like replacements.
I agree. I think there is more allegiance to the Constitution in our military than to any one or more persons.
I only 'like' these comments about the military's dedication to the Constitution because of that characteristic about this military and those in other countries similarly structured. I'm not encouraging anyone to think about military coups. We the citizens are still here. MUMP is actively talking about elections in 2 years....
There is a clear and obvious logic to your assessment. After all, our military followed the direction of political liars several times. Vietnam, Iraq and 20 years in Afghanistan for what?
It's an American tradition to dominate and destroy. Let's not forget to "Remember the Maine!" which in part resulted in the U.S. acquiring control over Cuba, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines.
there are only few examples of the military returning power to an electorate after a coup against a dictator in recent history. Usually there is either a muddied process or non at all, and the military stays involved in governing.
Bruce: I lived through a military coup d’etat. They did turn the power over with an election. I was a teenager & not into politics but it can happen back to a democratic system.
Hi Janan, that is really interesting. My data says that this happened in Nigeria, Chile, Indonesia and Gambia in 2017. In Sudan and Algeria in 2019 the military retained significant control. In Zambia in 2017, the military stayed much involved. Where did your experience happen, I need to make some corrections.
Bruce: I was born and grew up in Ankara, Turkey. In late 1950s, there were many demonstrations and the military was always held in very high regard. In 1960, there was a coup d'etat followed by some period of martial law. I remember soldiers in the streets. Then there was an election and the military turned power over. In the recent 15 or so years, it has become the illiberal democracy with Erdogan following the playbook of dictators like Putin and Orban. There were other attempts by the military later on but not as successful.
Cadence, we are delegitimized already and it's going to get much worse.
Why doesn't Biden just use his presidential immunity?
It's not unrealistic in these extreme times to recognize that the military is our final guardrail. At the moment, the first duty of the military is to uphold the constitution. Beware if Trump and company attempt to replace loyalty to the constitution with loyalty to the president as the military's prime obligation.
Very eloquent Richard.
Well, isn’t that exactly what he is doing?
Wow, I'm now thoroughly confused about what MAGA stands for and nervous about what role the military will play in Trump’s new order.
That’s what I said and I was castigated for it.
I said it earlier too. I trust our brilliant generals to make order and hold “proper” elections. Still feel that members of Congress who supported the coup should be tried.
Let's all step away from the lunatic idea of supporting a military coup in any sense, fashion or form. Nothing could be further from the philosophical ideals and constitutional mandates of our American Experiment than such a thing, plain and simple.
Thank you. What are we thinking? Military coup now will help "our side" and tomorrow it will destroy "our sude." The incredible idea of a civilian leadership of our vast military is unique. I sincerely hope the checks and balances will prevail
Just watch what is about to happen and you may change your mind.
I have said that I don't support a military coup, but the military refusing to violate our constitution, which they have managed to do the first time around. I hope it can stay that way.
Well, it’s absolutely great to see all Americans supporting America.
Donald Trump is your president. He’s the president of United States of America.
It was his own party that threw Biden out of office. HIS own party is the reason that Trump is in power. Very poor management out of control prices open borders. Can’t blame Trump for that.
And predicting the future is not your forté, nor anyone’s. Why don’t you give it a rest and wait to see what happens rather than try guessing what happens which most people are almost always incorrect
First of all Rick, setting aside any fair criticism of the Democratic Party for allowing the Seditionist Sociopath to use our Presidential election as his bail bondsman, there is no such thing as "open borders" in our Country. That is a MAGA talking point that is about as legitimate as Trump University, or Trump Vodka. Secondly, no sane person is "giving it a rest" while this lowlife racist, felon, misogynist, moron assumes power. All Americans who care about their Country will continue to resist
Daniel, for what it's worth, you are arguing with a bot. Bots are incapable of generating original content, instead pulling it from right-wing sites all over the net. Bots are capable of generating reams of drivel to bury us with, and they do nothing else. The lights are always on, no one is ever home. Be careful how you interact with it. It is probably best not to engage at all.
PLEASE don't respond to him.
Well name-calling that’ll get you a long way. I keep telling people please put the hate in the back pocket. Every single Lawfare case against Donald Trump, has either collapsed or will collapse. Not to mention that many people who pursue that are now asking for pardons and will most likely receive them Do you know the lengths that Alvin Bragg went to take a NDA case, what is a misdemeanor into a felony?wowowow. And then Alvin Bragg, doubled down with his nonsense by taking Daniel Penny to trial for murder, While his city, Burns. And women in the subway burn.
Btw As an example Bill Clinton paid 850,000 to Paula Jones for an NDA. It was an all the newspapers And on TV. Butttt There was no investigation. There was no questioning as to where the money came from. There wasn’t a trial…..there wasn’t even an inquiry.
Further, I don’t see how resistance is gonna help this country. Hopefully it will not help all the illegal criminal gangs that are now causing damage in 17 states Killing and raping with trials that have been on TV Illegal gangs that have taken over apartment buildings and home invasions where they pistol whipped a couple and pull the woman’s fingernails off. If you’re going to resist against that, I hope it doesn’t happen to someone you know.
If you resist at the ballot box. Have at it?
You seem to forget or dismiss out of hand a jury found the criminal Trump guilty of 34 felonies.
Troll away, Rick! Far away. MAGA is self-destructing. Just watch.
MAGA is not just self destructive, but a positive danger to the Constitutional Democratic Republic that is the USA, America.
Well, James, you obviously haven’t read much of what I’ve written which of this case as a complement to the left. In many cases, when the right has a triumvirate of control, they usually splinter at some point well, the left stays together as a bunch. The difference now is that people have signed down to Trump‘s policies for the most part so there will be splintering, but I don’t see it as bad as it could be.
One other comment though James. People here comment answer someone else’s comment comment again answer someone else’s comment and answer again, and a lot of people here seem to know a lot of the other people who are posting on this forum. Alas, you don’t call any of those people trolls. But you define as a troll as someone who does the same thing as most of the other people here, but have a difference of opinion and opposing opinion. So while I don’t feel like I’m a troll if you feel comfortable calling me one I’ll wear it like a badge of honor because I’m correct in this assumption
So, Rick, how much does the FSB pay you? Do you really think that destroying NATO is a good idea? That you will be safe living in the US (assuming you do live in the USA)? That starving people out of Social Security or food stamps will be a benefit to the USA? That teaching everybody that only evangelical Christian lunatics know the way to educate and run a country? That Germany and the rest of Europe should be handed over to neo-NAZIs? Go back to your Russian handlers. They'll award you.
PLEASE don't respond to him.
Trust me, I’m going to be watching. And if things work out the way, Trump hopes they will. I will also be cheering.
🙄
It was a checkbook that threw Biden out of office.
Do not feed the troll.
Well, I’m not sure you know what you’re talking about because Kamala Harris outspent Trump 3 to one. Actually spent over $2 billion and managed to lose. Biden was kicked out of office by his own party
So what you’re saying is they thought that Kamala Harris had a better chance to win than Joe Biden. When all the polls disagreed with that
RS. You seem to be saying something very much like “My country right or wrong”. However desirable calls to patriotism might be, they can be a wolf in sheep’s clothing.
In today’s world patriotism expressed as “America First” is perilously close to advocating an authoritarian and expansionist American government. And us with a President-elect who is openly laying the ground work for wars to acquire territories from other sovereign nations: Greenland from Denmark, and the Panama Canal from Panama. Such thoughts should be anathema.
I recently ran across a 1931 essay on patriotism in The Atlantic that strikes a chord today.
“That splendid virtue, love of country, that strange hold which one’s native land has upon the heartstrings, is perverted and distorted into a socalled patriotism warped with suspicious hostility, a mingling of pride and defiance, which has no more place in the modern world with its wide travel, rapid transportation, quick communication, mingling of many races in one country, and the economic interdependence of all countries upon each other, than Voliva’s theory of celestial cosmography has beside that of Einstein. It is perpetuated, taught, promoted, because such a patriotism is a necessary preliminary to war. Until the world learns to dispense with war, patriotism must be artificially pumped up for the benefit of those who profit by war. Some day we shall know that war is no more necessary than poverty or yellow fever.”
Now is absolutely not the time to entertain thoughts of “My country right or wrong.”
https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1931/12/my-country-right-or-wrong/650396/
Carl Schurz was the person who originally came up with the saying “My country, right or wrong,” but the actual saying is: “Our country, right or wrong. When right, to be kept right, when wrong to be put right.” People often omit the fuller quotation which gives Schurz’s actual position.
Ed, great post. You are, however, arguing with a bot. There is no understanding of love of country, duty or honor there, only algorithms. It will out-post you all day, every day, with crap gleaned from all over the net. Best not to engage the bot/troll.
Oh I think Elon Musk is the puppet master, and just who will be running the country come 1/20, well not DJT. But if anyone should give it a rest, I vote for you.
Couldn't have said it better!
And actually, I’m glad people are actually weighing in here and giving their opinions. It’s dialogue like this back-and-forth that gives people different perspectives both you and I. It does not mean you agree with what I post and it does not mean I agree with what you post but at least we have an idea of what others think.
Do you know how many people think that Obama is running Bidens administration? millions of people think that, but you would not be aware of that. In fact, just the other day, they posted that Biden has taken 470 days of vacation during his tenure, and has been relatively absent since they Kicked him out and Kamala has been in Hawaii, so many people on the other side of the aisle wonder who is running this country right now.
I find it also humorous when people say Trump will never give up the office…I.e. will you promise to leave the office when your term is over, SO why would he allow anyone to control him if he’ll never leave the office?
He has a lot of respect for Elon musk. He takes Elon Musk‘s advice to heart, and if the advice is good, then he will use that advice. But the majority of you here think that Trump decides and that’s as far as it goes, but now you have a problem with somebody else giving him advice, so you can’t have it both ways. As I said, in an earlier post, every administration has people outside of the administration, providing advice… even the Bidens.
My personal feeling is, if musk gives Trump advice, and he agrees with the advice he’ll use it, and if he doesn’t agree, Trump will make the decision himself as he has been.
I will be watching closely, and hopefully Trump will succeed and help America and if that happens, I expect each and everyone of you here to acknowledge that. Doesn’t I expect you to do the opposite and have every right and even obligation to do so. The problem is, you’ll have to be honest in your assessment. And I doubt very seriously that you will be you anything that Trump does as a success so there’s that, but I will give you the benefit of the doubt and watch closely. Thank you.
THE TROLL IS LOOSE AGAIN
... and COLLAPSE ;0
I'm pretty sure Virginia our military have contingency plans. It's tragic if they ever have to use them but it is what it is. The alternative it's much, much worse.
Make the MAGATS confused about everything. Start by objection to inaguration of an insurrectionist!
Oh lordy....not sure the Democrats are ready to handle ANYTHING. I hope they are...but so far we see the same old playbook, with us bringing a knife to a gunfight.
Susan, you are so close to reality and is reality scary. Keep the faith!!!
Virginia- It’s a scary time for sure, but rather than the military, I’m putting my money on the bureaucracy. The US government is full of dedicated career public servants who are very adept at sidelining, delaying, and restraining ignorant political appointees. If you know any government workers, make a point of thanking them, and let them know you count on them to protect our constitutional system at every turn.
And put your Senators' phone numbers in your contact list, so that when Advise and Consent starts, you will be ready.
That's nuts - a hard NO!
Terry, there's no return from were they're taking us.
@SFHaine, Guided by my hopes, not my fears, let alone by grassroots organizers like Indivisible’s Ezra Levin and Leah Greenberg, I remain heartened by the thousands of groups nationwide who are called to safeguard consensual governance and protect both our most vulnerable communities and the planet. As we speak, such groups are at work developing action plans for using their local constituent power in states across the country to help in the nationwide effort to resist the infiltration of MAGA thinking into our states and communities.
Aligned with a shared mission to maintain some amount of democracy until 2026 and achieve significant victories in the midterms, millions are dedicated to breaking MAGA’s hold on Congress and state legislatures prior to our entering the 2028 election cycle.
On that note, I wish our beloved LFAA community a more just and peaceful world in the new year.
Well said and thank you. For every action, there is a reaction. And ours will be mighty. It is foolish to predict anything. But I do believe that our nation will suffer immensely and perhaps learn something from it. After all, as nations go, we are quite young. At best, we are teenagers. And we all know that teens go insane until their hormones settle down a bit. We're just getting started as a civilization.
We have a pattern of reeling back and forth. We throw out the party in power regardless of the real causes of our distress and discomfort.
And so it goes. "MAGA" will soon become the "swamp", the "bums" to be thrown out. Trump, Musk and Co. will be the new "deep state". Earth to Trump: every president gets blamed for everything.
And the sooner we realign ourselves with the concerns of the vast majority of Americans who are not sharing in the astounding wealth of America, the sooner we can find some fairness and equity for those who don't have time for all these discussions.
Too many American families are struggling despite holding full time (often more than one) jobs. The Federal minimum wage is still $7.25/hour. Since Reagan, $50 TRILLION was sent to just a few people at the top. "Let them eat cake" - as Yogi said: "deja vu all over again".
Barbara Jo, I join you in wishing everyone here a more just, peaceful and happier New Year.
Bill, this is gold: "And the sooner we realign ourselves with the concerns of the vast majority of Americans who are not sharing in the astounding wealth of America, the sooner we can find some fairness and equity for those who don't have time for all these discussions".
Thank you for your input here.
Agreed. There are several people, like you and Jon Rosen, who are go-to commenters for me. Bill is certainly one of them. Thank y'all for showing me the way.
Thank you, Jon. And Ned. Sheesh.
I do hope that Democrats and mainline Republicans can use the current in-fighting to come together, bolster sane policy and get recognized as the best path forward for working-class Americans, who are getting lost again in the noise. Does anyone know what work is being done to this end? We shouldn't just watch this awfully entertaining show; we should be planning and acting.
JB, Many progressives are using their constituent power to urge DNC voting members in their states to endorse Wisconsin Democratic Chair Ben Wikler for DNC Chair. Unlike the other candidates who officially have declared and who, in my view, would perpetuate the status quo, Wikler would firmly position Democrats as advocates for working families across the country. He also would focus on improving the Party’s messaging—training and deploying effective communicators to reach voters on every platform, in every place.
This is especially important given the Democratic National Committee’s history as primarily a fundraising entity, often driven by the big-money interests of billionaires, large corporations, and Wall Street. Clearly, the Party cannot truly represent working people if it is unwilling to challenge these powerful donors.
I understand the vote is scheduled for February 1st. I hope you join us in seeking endorsements for this “vote-getting guru,” who believes in going door-to-door talking and *listening* to folks on every street in every neighborhood all year long every year.
Ben Wikler has done amazing things in Wisconsin ( where I was born and lived 62 of my 68 years!!) I hope he secures the DNC Chair position!!
Bill, ‘..as nations go , we are quite young. At best, we are teenagers…’
That perspective is in some fashion, reassuring. It’s also frightening as I watch the mud fight of crust on ketamine and dump’s disintegrating grey matter heating up.
At this juncture crust’s alignment with putting & fascism ‘concern’… such a polite adult word…me most.
But what is horrifying to me is a chaos that is meant to come
as a way to grab power in the vacuum of that.
Bill, Thank you for writing. I greatly appreciate how you invariably expand upon my posts.
Wishing you and yours good health and happiness in 2025 and beyond.
Well said, Bill! I love your comments.
Count me among the millions, BJ; and a heartelt wish for a more just and peaceful world for you as we begin 2025!
Lynell, I so appreciate you writing. I imagine all of us will be checking in with one another as we do our part to resist the spread of the dangerous agenda set to be unleashed both at home and abroad.
Thanks, Lynell. I echo your wish for a more just and peaceful world for 2025.
I miss your more frequent comments, but completely understand why they are fewer these days.
Morning, Ally! I'm sure you suffer from the same dilemma of too many junk emails. It's even more frustrating that they are mixed in with the non-junk ones. Add to it that we don't get notified if someone replies to our posts...
Happy New Year!
The cycle of madness goes on. Republicans do not view the stated 4.6 trillion in additional debt come 2028 as their responsibility. The abused Democracy cyclically returns to power long enough to clean up. The rich deny this as their problem. Call it The Meta Domestic abuse syndrome. Caring for peoples' life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness is expensive and The Nation is bankrupt.
Victoria, Were our Party more emphatically to focus on strengthening its messaging, impacting voters on every platform, in every place, I imagine we could contain the inevitability of the cycle you rightly identify, blocking it from recurring as a permanent fixture of the American political landscape.
Very well said Victoria 👏
I heard an excellent podcast on Harry Litman’s Talking Feds yesterday, where he discussed ways that states can push back on the “Trump agenda” such as it is. He spoke with 3 current or former State AG’s, one of whom still serves in that role in Colorado. They seemed quite well-informed and prepared to take action steps against many of the things they believe will be tried. It actually helped to hear this. I hope we can continue to stay involved, informed and focused on supporting positive counter-actions in 2025. “Action binds anxiety” is a phrase from my counselor days that I try to remind myself of frequently. Thanks, Barbara, for your positivity!
Barbara Jo, thank you, thank you!
For us, for the next few years, resistance will be local and organic! It has already begun. The thousand small stories drowned out by the bully noise.
They are a great sign of hope and transcend our polarizing partisanship. Watch how communities come together in natural disasters....that is the impulse we must nurture. Labels dissolve!
Wishing you ever stronger hope and productive work in this coming year. Thank you, again!
Yes, we get distracted by the bait thrown our way designed to sow doubt and division. There’s a troll on this feed who gives himself away regularly; no solutions, just slams at democrats and pretends to be superior intellectually. I call him WRECK Sender Troll. Ignore him and look at the thinkers who offer hope, solutions, constructive options and encouragement. We are Americans first and foremost, practicing learning to be okay with disagreements, and finding our voice and empowerment. That is the very reason we call this a democracy. We still have guardrails in place despite our fears that will make it very difficult for the monied few to gain total control. Our job is to talk with our neighbors, share our concerns and ask how we can find common ground. That ground will be found in our love of country, willingness to listen and steadfastness in what’s morally right.
Of course some folks will not come to the table, but that does not excuse us from continuing to speak to their “higher angels” and care about their wounds.
The opportunity to shut this rich mob down was before 2016, when we could have stopped playing the hierarchical game of putting old white men in positions of power. We could and should have offered younger, progressive leadership that the majority of people wanted. That was the lesson of the Obamas if we paid attention. He offered practical optimism and we had one of the biggest turnouts in our history. That lesson still stands true. So let us offer that hope of real change in 2026. We’re not dead yet. Stand and be counted.
It doesn’t help that we have members of the T cult on the Supreme Court, but we still have the power of voice and right thinking, so let’s use it.
I believe we may need to go to a larger conflict with foreign and domestic powers who wish to rule us. We are not victims! Unless we choose to hand our power over. I firmly believe a nationwide strike may be in order to stop the real steal of our country. Using our money and voice and feet has a bigger effect than voting in this current dilemma. Boycotts have always gotten money’s attention. I suggest those of us who agree with exercising that power, stay home on January 21 to Feb 2 in protest. Don’t shop on nor off line, go to work, drive nor engage in anything unnecessary. That will bring them up short and back to reality that they are a small group and we are huge.
Elon Musk & the Mumpetes.
I like Timothy Snyder’s term “Mump” for Musk/Trump….fits & as I recall there is still a vax for that!
- Pulled Quote -
''Conservative lawyer George Conway posted: “So the world’s richest man, who grew up under apartheid in South Africa and now pulls the mentally deteriorating incoming U.S. president’s strings, has written an op-ed urging Germans to elect a new-Nazi government. Got that?” He added: “Concerning.”''
So, what's going on? The Three Stooges may have said it best in: ''I'll Never Heil Again'' watch on Youtube https://youtu.be/vEApJmUXamg
Obvi!
I’m becoming genuinely fearful.
Only now?
looks like Musk / Bannon are duking it out to be shadow president
JD Vance and the oligarchs supporting him.
Oligarchs. Follow the money.
Agree, JL, my first thought at reading HCR’s missive this eve was TFFFG’s sparkling starry-eyed gaze & suck-up adoration of anyone who is a REAL bazillionaire…surely THEY must know “what is right/how to do it”….as if money = expertise (nope). This especially rankles with the passing of a true humanitarian & visionary (if we had only paid attention!), Jimmy Carter, and who wholly deserves, IMHO, the highest praise to be bestowed: “He was a good man”💖 He was the first president I was able to vote for (minimum age then was 21) and I did, twice. I much admired him and thought that the country really missed a beat for not wholly supporting him and his vision. I rarely post content to FB, but did post this eve one of my fave poems by Marge Piercy in his honor (have posted it here on LFAA before); here’s a link to “To Be of Use”: https://www.yourdailypoem.com/listpoem.jsp?poem_id=3470
As for TFFFG, He is a coward clothed in a bully’s ill fitting suit. …..
“Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player,
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage,
And then is heard no more. It is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.” (Shakespeare)
I am not so much aghast at him (tho I am), but that fellow Americans could elevate this creature and admire him….wow, we as a nation are in deep doo-doo🤡💩(not even suitable for compost, as it would taint the soil for generations to come). I’m personally trying to balance my “oh, hell no” with my “don’t have a stroke” impulses in mapping how to make my way forward thru the next 4 years. ☮️🗽
Thank you for your courage and the thoughts about President Carter who I cried at his passing because he's always been a person of character. I also cried because there's no character except greed in the president elect. I'm throwing it out that dumbass Trump has shown he's so easily lead and doesn't know the difference between a visa for an unskilled worker and a STEM visa. And when we count out Musk for his Nazism and antisemitic words don't think that Ranasawsy ding dong isn't rooting for the influx of poorly trained Indians! We in IT already we went through this in the 1990s
When a task group of 4 of us saved a financial institution knee deep in an Indian contract we solved in 3 months while that group who could barely speak English had made no progress in over a year.
I hope the divide between what has been shown they differ eats them all. It would be fair to have that but we better be prepared to proactively step in when they become the total SNAFU.
And five stars for the Marge Piercy poem!
That poem, Barbara. I cannot wonder if the root of all the MAGA angst isn't captured right here:
"The pitcher cries for water to carry
and a person for work that is real."
Yeah, Ally, I was SO lucky to have had such work for over 40 years in public service. I think this is probably true for you as well!
Indeed it is. Thank you for your service.
And YOURS, Ally, as well!!!!!
I think of any public service position is both an honor (which ought to be recognized by both the employee and the public) and a serious duty and discipline. If one cannot be sufficiently dedicated, transparent, and averse to conflicts of interest, they need to stay out of the kitchen.
Thanks for the Piercy poem. True.
BTW, our daughter encouraged us to read two books by Holocaust survivor Dr. Edith Eva Eger, an associate of Victor Frankl. I am not done reading, but she is special.
Adding to my ever growing list…thanks for the tip!
I seems that no one escapes a good deal of strutting and fretting before entering "The undiscovered country from whose bourn no traveller returns.", but it would also seem that life is replete with (often overlooked even when available) treasures. Ironically don't it always seem to go that that you don't know what you've got till it's gone?
We are animals who move, and eat, communicate, have sex, make dens, and even tools, but we differ from the rest of the pack to the degree we can make it an art form. Beauty abounds when we look for it, and beauty is truth. Ask a theoretical mathematician. We also inherently house what some call our "reptile nature" that is there for a reason, but is wise to tame. Left to run the show, it could kill us all.
How odd it is, JL, that we behave in ways that we KNOW may (probably) lead to our own, and other species (already has) & ecosystems, extinction…..and yet we persist in the behavior. Truly mind-muddling!! Joni’s song should be played on repeat across the world.
"Who will run our country come January 20th?" REALLY, Really, really good question, there, S.F. Happy New Year to you, to fellow readers and to the marvellous mind behind these essays. ✌🏽🥳🤝
As you point out, Congress is chaotic. 😵
The people I fear far more than Trump are Senator Vance, the MUSKrat lover, and Ramaswamy. 😳
The first strikes me as similar to Alcibiades, Julius Caesar, or Aaron Burr; very dangerous. 😱
Musk's arrogance over=estimation of himself is colossal; very dangerous.🤢
Ramaswamy impresses me as self-absorbed. At least he exhibits an open, intelligent mind and seems to be less ego-inflated; maybe dangerous. 🤬
Four quick points from Dr Richardson's finely and characteristically crafted essay follow in the reply. 🤔
Thank y'all for your patience; thank you, again, Mmes Richardson and Haine.
FIRST and biggest, as Dr Richardson has documented in other essays, political coalitions are hard to maintain; the fissures emerge after the immediate objective of an election. Since this was solely a coalition of electoral convenience with people imprinting divergent visions upon Trump as a political tabula rasa, the fracture is sooner and severer. 🖕
That President Biden held together a wide-ranging coalition for four years to accomplish all that he did makes him a great President. Sadly, Vice President Harris and Governor Gipper would likely have done the same; we shall never know. 😢
This public implosion strengthens my forlorn, bitter, stubborn hope that the next two years will be so bad that Trump's spell is busted for good and the M.A.G.A.s fragged into pieces; but not so bad as to destroy the machinery of republican governance. 🤞
Second, Trump wants Greenland so he can pull the nuclear umbrella to Greenland; the he will drumpf N.A.T.O. and the E.U. Delusional; will not happen. Such a blunder-buss approach may harden the E.U. into the primary power among democracies. ⚖️
Third, the Democrats are failing to learn from this election. Too many octogenarians and septuagenarians are clogging the leadership and slotting in the unsuitable standard-bearers; they, like me at sixty-seven, are out of tune with our countrymen. 💔
Lastly, the Trumpanzee out of control is not the five hundred pound gorilla in the room; our insolvency with thirty-five trillion dollars of national debt is. 😱
I propose we cut a deal with mump he stays outta jail. Musk is deported for threatening our democracy. Congress does their job.
And another reason he ran: self aggrandizement. It's his nature. It's staggering that Mike Johnson, Mitch McConnell, and other senior members of the GOP are down with this.
Promise everything, deliver very little, just like last time
America is an acknowledgement of the reality that everyone wins with a government of the people, by the people, for the people. The mess America is in now is the effect of ideas that conflict with reality such as “what’s in it for me,” and “my way or the highway.”
Who will run America after January 20? That is up to the willingness of Americans to resolve the conflicts that inevitably emerge between individuals and groups or keep adding to the already enormous inventory of unresolved conflicts.
For the record, a resolution is a discovery, not a compromise. Reality is a positive-sum game that asks people to contribute their time, energy, and attention. Play it like a zero-sum game, give it some time, and it will always turn into an “everyone loses” negative-sum game.
"Who will run our country come January 20th?"
President Musk will be in charge, ably assisted by Toady-in-Chief Trump.
How on earth does anyone think that destroying NATO is in the US’s best interest? Trump’s domestic policies are just stupid and nearly impossible to implement but his foreign relations policies (or really those of his loyalists) are truly terrifying.
Trump doesn’t have policies, he has tantrums and reactions to whatever gets stuck in his brain at the moment. Basically he is a nasty, terrified child, not to be taken seriously. I haven’t read Cousin Mary lately, but we have long been on the same page.
Virginia. He doesn't give a damn about policies only keeping his fat rear out of jail as Heather pointed out. Who knows exactly who will be in charge as it seems a lot of Rs are unhappy with each other. Later this week we will be treated to another round of House chaos as they try to elect a speaker. I have refrained from wishing people happy new year unless they live in Europe where they may have plenty of problems of their own. All this noise about Greenland and Canada is troubling, but even more troubling is the comments by Russians about dividing the world into spheres of influence. I just posted Heather's letter on Facebook (yes I know) and ended it by telling all the death star voters that they are fools. I told one of my ex-students this am who was lamenting what is going to happen that as I have grown older, I have become more of a misanthrope. She has a couple children and I grieve for younger people who will reap the consequences of the rise of this monster.
Michele, I wish beyond wishes that Jimmy Carter (and ALL of us) could have celebrated the POTUS win of the first female mixed-race (and absolutely qualified) candidate. That would have batted a 1000 in my book for gilding his departure. Maybe, just maybe, he’ll haunt the halls of the WH inhabitants into doing the right, proper, and good thing in the coming 4 years.🤞
I like the idea of his haunting death star.
Michele, it's not only the younger generation that will reap the consequences
I know, but most of them will be here a lot longer to see the destruction of the planet among other things.
We have to do our utmost not to reach that point but is up to de democratic leadership and the pressure we put on them. It should be relentless.
Yes, it should.
Again, reading the tea leaves is not your long suit. Johnson will most likely be the speaker again
But the threat of a very nasty, terrified child, with immense influence over the the future of our society has to be taken seriously.
That’s why my book is titled, “Donald’s Vanity Tantrums.”
One thing that Trump has stuck in his addled brain is extending the tax cuts for the billionaire class. Why not counter with raising the Federal minimum wage to $15 an hour? The red states will never go for it and that will kill the tax cut.
Gary, as usual they'll find a way to do it.
Most problematic is that they, by experience, don't expect the scheme to work, as it never did, it's only about transfer wealth from the bottom to the top. It all started with Regan.
Sorry, Virginia, but I couldn’t help thinking that a high colonic would help him purge dangerous impulses…thus the thought “the enema of my enema is my friend”. 😜
LOL
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Well, I suggest you take him seriously now.
Oh we've taken him seriously from day 1. His problem now is that he's irrelevant and sliding irreversibly into dementia. And we are well aware of the danger of his replacement, whoever that will be. I think you should be next in line, not Vance. Why didn't you use your influence and personal success to penetrate the inner circle? Or did you, and you're using a pseudonym here?
This is a troll bot. Please resist responding.
Thank you, Mama Bear.
PLEASE don't respond to him.
Well, perhaps you’re confusing the name Biden and trump when you talk about dementia.
Well here you are you know you might’ve learned not to call people whom you don’t know…stupid. Because, alas, that is stupid. lol
Unfortunately, for you, he’s not irrelevant. He’s now actually the most relevant person in the United States as of Jan 20, unless the government you love, tries to kill him again actually, or legally just like they do in oligarchy’s He’s actually the president…and if he can at least temporally congeal his followers, a.k.a. his cabinet, he will make a distinguishing and most positive influence on our citizenry and be a consequential president like none other probably since Clinton.
I don’t like Donald Trump. I love most of his policies…
And I just don’t understand you pre-judging. it’s really a shame And as I mentioned to one person here, I fully would expect that if he is successful on behalf of America that you would recognize and acknowledge that, but I have my serious doubts. You don’t think you’re a hater? you need a mirror.
You have completely lost your mind. It is self-evident in every one of your comments. That is not pre-judging. It's simply judging. Trump has no policies other that grifting and whoring. So if you like 'his' policies it means you like either Bannon's or Musk's policies (among others), in which case, you have lost your mind.
James, you cannot convince a guy that he's wrong when he thinks everything he says is gospel. I always imagine Rick sitting in a big comfy chair, typing away with a big smug smile on his face, thing "Gee! I'm so CLEVER! And such a good person to spend my precious time educating these fools!"
James, I admire your endurance, but it’s no use. it seems that Ricky Return-to-sender is out of comment jail again. He’s likely paid-per-comment by the Internet Research Foundation. Just compare Rump to Hitler and piss him off, he’ll probably leave you alone after that.
PLEASE don't respond to him.
Well, let me say it again since my post has appeared somewhere else Trump has delineated his policies specifically and even further he’s delineated exactly what he’s gonna do on day one.
Wow Grifting and whoring. And you think I’m delusional? Yikes.
It’s funny when you say he has no policies, but his policy statements unlike those of Kamala’s whose will remain somewhere in outer space, Have all been delineated up to, and including what he will do on the first day in office… his policies are totally clear so I don’t know where you live, but it’s certainly not in the US unless you don’t read. However, you might want to change the channel.
No, I like Trump’s policies…. Bannon and Musks’ can banter all they want. ultimately Trump will decide which policies he’ll go with and if Musk gives him good advice, he might take it just like the Democrats do when they are giving good advice for them.
Wasn’t it Rahm Emanuel‘s brother, who came up with the idea for Obamacare? Hmmmm Geez, I guess they took someone else’s advice
The word obtuse comes to mind. The word double standards comes to mind and the words, glass houses and stones come to mind
One of his so called policies was to ignore the threat of a silent killer called covid 19! At least 500,000 Americans died WHILE he was still in office!
And 1 million died while Biden was in office and he had a year and a half head
He has NO policies! Musk-rat leads him by the nose!
Yes. You’re right.
I was always most worried about foreign policy especially NATO at this critical time. Domestic policy messes can be fixed. This nonsense about invading Greenland? It’s truly crazy.
You don’t actually think he was thinking of inviting Greenland. Do you? You can’t be that naïve? But if you are pick up a copy of art of the deal. His comments about Greenland, and Panama are simply negotiating tactics.
Rick, bad tactics. Do you think that Denmark ,a NATO member would say no to and enhanced American military presence in Greenland giving the right reason. What trump is doing is not negotiating its bullying. That's him.
He was deadly serious about seizing Greenland when he talked about “buying” it in the first term. All that laughter we heard was really denial and fear. As for NATO, his supporters actually think he strengthened it by forcing Germany etc to increase its defense budget.
SF, it's all connected, domestic and foreign policy. What happens in ,say, Bolivia affects nobody, what happens in the US, affects the whole world.
The rotted pumpkin is determined to withdraw our country from NATO. Believe him when he says he will do this. I believe he is intending to start a civil war in the next few years.
@ Reader/writer
Greenland may be the vehicle he uses to do it. As president Trump looked into it We first tried to buy it in 1867 -- Seward. Apparently, master Putin would be the puppetmaster and principal beneficiary. Denmark would have to accept a deal.
Population of only 56,000. The average income in Greenland is $33,000. 85% of income comes from fishing. Around 150 US Air Force and Space Force service members are stationed at Pituffik Space Base in Greenland. The base also has Danish, Canadian, and Greenlandic civilian contractors and military personnel.
History of attemps to colonize.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proposals_for_the_United_States_to_purchase_Greenland#:~:text=It's%20the%20most%20important%20strategic,USGS)%20often%20visit%20the%20island.
Greenland is rich in minerals, including: Rare earth elements: Greenland has the potential to become a major producer of rare earth magnet metals, which are essential for permanent magnets.
Graphite: Greenland has 6 million tons of known natural graphite resources. Lithium: Greenland has 235,000 tons of known lithium resources. Copper: Greenland has 106,000 tons of known copper resources. Other minerals found in Greenland include: coal, gold, silver, lead, zinc, olivine, cryolite, and marble. Greenland has been a mining nation since the late 1700s. The country's minerals are important for the clean energy transition, as they are used in electric vehicles, wind turbines, and transmission lines. However, the extraction and processing of these minerals has been monopolized by states that are not in the US's interests, such as China. Greenland has two operating mines: *Lumina Sustainable Materials: Produces anorthosite *Greenland Ruby: Produces rubies and pink sapphires The extraction of minerals in Greenland poses significant environmental risks, as the ecosystem is fragile and unique, and is already under threat from climate change.
Thank you Daniel
And the ignorami were cheering him on. They have no idea why we created NATO in the first place or what it’s for.
Kathy, NATO contained the URSS till it was replaced for something as bad ( unintended) and prevented the chronic cycle of vicious wars among Europeans for almost 80 years, an historical record. If course Putin had to demonstrate who is the bully in chief and started this war against Ukraine that could win only with trump's help.
Thanks for your comment!!
The rotten pumpkin, huh? And it cracks me up when all I hear from the people on this forum is how much the Republicans are nothing but haters.
Someone called all his supporters Trumpanzees, which did not go well as the basket of deplorable‘s and you don’t put 77 million people in that category or do you?
Yes
Just so you know, same EXACT electorate that elected Joe Biden
This is probably the only time I will agree with Rick Sender. THE NAME CALLING HAS GOT TO STOP. We are adults. It may be satisfying to come up with a clever name for those we oppose, but it is not productive. It is childish and beneath the dignity of an informed, concerned citizen of this country. Let's focus on information and action and leave the name-calling to the third graders.
PLEASE don't respond to him.
Deborah, thank you voice of reason. I have no problem with people here disagreeing with my posts or my rationale or anything I say for that matter but certainly we could do it in a more respectful manner like adults. Not to mention that the minute they start calling people, Trumpanzees, or stupid, or any other like things, they have originally biased themselves in their beliefs, and pretty much anything they say, afterwards is diminished.
Take up fishing, a better use of your time and trolling efforts. You’re tiresome with only negativity and “Left” bashing.
By the way, I just went back and looking at all the posts here you wanna talk about negativity. Every single post is about negativity. Resist, protest, Lost souls who don’t know why the dems lost the election. And a lot of hate and Trump bashing . Projection at its finest.
I don't like fishing I prefer, cruising. And so after this next 23 day Cruz, I'll probably be on this forum another three weeks and then be gone.
Sandi, if you're honest with yourself all you hear here is hate resist, whining, complaining, and protesting
I think in any circle that would be called negative
Where are the uplifting calls for hope and promise and support for the president who hasn't even taken Office yet?
After all, this is America
If you'd like, I would give you a very insightful analogy that happened in the army navy game last week if you're interested let me know if not, no problem
Destroying NATO is in _Putin’s_ best interest. Vlad helped the COF get elected, now it’s time for Donnyboy to pay up: Vlad doesn’t do anything for free. And that was the deal: “I help you win your election, you pull the US out of NATO and hand me Ukraine and Europe.” I wouldn’t be surprised if we in Europe will be fighting both Russians _and_ American soldiers here this year. Rump won’t have any moral problems ordering that attack. And it won’t make it better if Darth Musk takes over: he is a Putin fan boy, too.
To be honest: this last election in the US will f*ck up the entire world.
Duch, Musk is not only a Putin fan but also a neo nazi supporter in Germany.
Yes, he is. And why? Because the AfD (Alternative für Deutschland) Muskolini is supporting is also a Putin vehicle, or, to put it in other words, the wedge that Vlad uses to split German democracy apart.
It makes sense when we see it for what it is: a deliberate strategy to destabilize the U.S. and NATO implemented by an alliance with Russia. Trump and Musk are aligned with Putin. That’s how it makes sense.
Exactly.
Ann, if it's good for Putin it's good for trump. Don't try to find any logic into that, it's only money and power.
Only Trump, Musk, Putin think this.
Many see Trump as a carefully groomed Russian asset by Putin and Russian oligarchs over 20 years. Viewed through this lens his actions make perfect sense, acting for Russia not on behalf of Americans.
I don’t know what kind of information you’re getting, but Trump did just the opposite with NATO. He forced NATO to up the ante and pay their 2% and they deposited billions of dollars more into NATO because of Trump’s insistence now NATO is stronger than it was before.
Trump’s absolutely determined to withdraw the U.S. from NATO. And he’s been aligned w/ Putin/Russia for decades. We’ll have to wait to see whether you are correct ( that Trump desires a stronger NATO) or whether he’s doing Putin’s bidding.
And no, I’m not naive. I’ve read a great deal about Trump’s fascination with ( and manipulation by) Putin.
Ricky Return-to-sender is a Russia-paid troll. At least I hope so, because no one could be so delusional as to think that Rump wants a stronger NATO, or even cares for the fate of the American people, for that matter. Here's what will happen: Rump will pull the US out of NATO on his first day in office. Once again: that was the deal; Vlad helped him win the election, and in return, he must destabilize NATO and hand over Ukraine. Rump doesn't give a flying f*ck about what happens to the US and Europe after that. He got his "get-out-jail-free"-card, and that's all that matters to him: the rest can go to hell for whatever he cares.
PLEASE don't respond to him.
Well, I guess you also have Tarot cards that tell you that. Trump has wanted NATO to be As strong as it promises to be, but they have long failed to do so with their contributions. Also, NATO should be the first defense against Russian aggression. After all, they are the first ones that are going to be attacked if that ever happens The United States is 36 Trillion dollars in debt and continues to outspend what it takes him. While , we certainly have the military capability to help we can no longer be the world’s army. NATO is a critical component to the world’s defense, especially that they have a geographic necessity to do so. The day that Trump withdraws from NATO will be either that they fail to keep up their promises of their contributions, or they fail to protect Western Europe to any degree.
And I promise you, I will be the first to eat crow as one of your people here suggested, and tell you how you were right. But until then, you should wait for something to happen before you….. I think it’s called prejudge or prejudice
‘You should wait for something to happen before you…prejudge.’
Taking your advice to heart and the USA’s political moral standing in the postwar world half the world’s population have absolute proven cause to not just be very afraid of a Trump dictatorship ‘ from day one’ but to judge him :
https://joycevance.substack.com/p/e-jean-carroll-affirmed
PLEASE don't respond to him.
Individual countries don't 'deposit billions into NATO". Learn how it works!
That's exactly how it works They committed to deposit 2% of their GDP in a fund for their defense and other issues that's how it works and they weren't doing it and they poured billions more in and if you think the world thinks Trump is weak wake up he destroyed Isis in a couple weeks and he will take care of a mass in a very short time Stop it and France is already starting to do the job knowing that Trump is back in office
Can you please explain why DOGE is being treated like a legitimate entity---an entity with legislative power? It's two big egos waiving their wands, acting like they can dictate how things work in this country. Genuine question---as I don't understand why these 2 men get so much attention.
Just because they are wealthy
Yes, they are wealthy and I hate to say this, but i agree to a degree with what Vivay(sp?) said about the emphases in our culture. It sure as hell is not eduction and producing first class thinkers in a wide variety of fields. I read a lot of science and i notice a lot of names working in labs who sound like they came from elsewhere. One of my ex-students was married to a biochemistry prof at UT Austin and she has constantly lamented the lack of money for basic research. Full disclosure: I am watching the Rose Bowl on New Years Day.
This sounds too familiar......
We survived Reagan https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grace_Commission, Clinton (Hilarycare, reinventing government) but this is devastating.
"A lot of names working in labs," are mainly "post docs" who are usually paid less than the going rate.
"Research and development" is a historical term that used to exist before we gave speculators capital gains breaks that ended re-investment and we sold off manufacturing and other domestic work like the goose that laid the golden egg.
Take a look at student populations in STEM. Many are foreign students who may/may not stay after graduation.
BTW Vvay (or whatever his name is) is a graduate of a high school in Cincinnati that probably outproduces virtually any foreign school. A lot of those funny sounding names are the offspring of immigrants.
When my dad was in college at Geneva College, eugenics wwas a required science course. He was taught that his people were mostly feeble minded, had criminal tendencies and could not possibly benefit from a liberal education. Guess who got the highest grades?
I just looked up Geneva College and find that it is a private Christian school in Pennsylvania. I am not surprised then what happened to your dad and I assume that he was not a Christian. I went to a private Christian school, Kalamazoo College, in Michigan. So I know that not all of them are the same. K was at the liberal end of Baptists. I don't know what emphasis is put on this now. In those days, early 60s, we had to go to chapel, but not all the offerings were religious. I once went to a talk by Timothy Leary and got a chapel point.
Daniel, but a lot of the people who are getting credit for work in science have foreign names and some of them have their own labs. I spent years in public education and I know what the problems are there. Way too much emphasis on sports. I don't know if they are immigrants or the children of immigrants. My feeling that is that some ethnic groups put a high premium on education and the average American joe does not. I will have to look up Geneva College and I am sure your dad got the highest grades. I find the idea of eugenics appalling. To be clear, I find the whole idea of he and muskrat running some kind of dodgy department to cut government spending appalling because i know exactly what they will cut.
My dad was 15 when he graduatedin from high school...was a Jew at a Covanenter school. Believe me they said worse of Einstein, Freud, etc.
Ivy and other "elite" schools had quotas on Jews. Took 0 {zero) Blacks and women.
The REASON there is less funding is because comapnikes make more money in financial markets than they do is reseach and development.
BTW among oher things I heard visa cases for 20+ years. H1B visas. Americans can sue if they are screwed out of a job. The poster boy for employer sanctions was Donald J. Trump. Even today, he uses temporary visa workers so he can avoid hiring the locals. Employers take advantage of the rules but generally are penny wise and pound foolish.
BTW I have a cousin at Stanford up for a Nobel. Went to public s chool in Cincinnati.
I figured your dad was Jewish. Covanenter...is that Geneva College. I didn't stay long enough to read about it. I can imagine what was said about Einstein and Freud and other Jewish people. I am not enthralled with Ivy League schools, who I figure would not admit certain people unless forced to. And now we are going back to that, I think. I grew up in Elkhart, Indiana, and am will acquainted with prejudice against anyone not Protestant and white. I always recommend Fever in the Heartland about the KKK, mainly in Indiana, but also other places too if people want to understand where some of the prejudice we see now comes from. Further back than that of course, but very enlightening.
I am not surprised about making more money elsewhere. I was merely reporting what my ex-student said, who btw, does quite well in the stock market. She and her husband do not have money woes. They are both graduates of Willamette University here in Salem, a private Methodist school. My husband is also a graduate and when he was there, students were not supposed to drink, not even in the summer when they were not in school.
Thanks for the heads up on H1B visas. I didn't know Americans could sue. Why I am not surprised that death star tries to take advantage. I know very well that all these wealthy people will also keep their undocumented household staff, gardeners, etc. who don't have any kind of visa.
Kudos to your cousin with hopes that Nobel prize is in the future. Btw, I think kids can get a good education at certain public schools, but they do have to ignore a lot of the nonsense that goes on, mainly around sports. We had a few students who protested having to go pep rallies. So they were in the library with me and another teacher, both of us thankful that we didn't have to go either.
“Conservatives” have been working to destroy public education since desegregation. This is part of it. I don’t know that Ramaswampy is too far off in his assessment of American culture with regards to education. Particularly with the movement I see to downplay college degrees. How long until basic high school diplomas are downplayed too? With red states attacking child labor laws and the P2025 plan to disassemble federal government, maybe they plan to herd young Americans back to the days of unsafe child labor.
Money for election coffers
Laura, there's no explanation. It's not an entity with legislative power, it's just power, power given to this two individuals by the one that "thinks " is the most powerful of them all.
AND a lot of that American frivolous value system us encourage exactly by the tech industry that is criticizing us.
👌😄
It is a legitimate entity, just not part of the government. It’s like an ad agency, suggesting to the principles what to include in their advertisement or their policies.
The Democrats have their doges as well. But it wasn’t focused on a small group of people… there were many people outside the government that were offering suggestions in many areas.
Suggestions is one thing, threatening legislators elected by people in their districts to represent them it's a total different animal.
Money in election coffers
More art of the deal.
My hope is that they'll do the rest of us a favor by devouring each other.
Sun Tzu says in The Art Of War to stand back and watch the infighting of your enemy.
Our enemy is the Trump/Musk sh#t show.............Make sure you get out and protest march Jan18-20...
WJB, I am in a rural part of far northern CA, so don’t know what kind of action might be taken here. The women’s march in 2017 was the largest our county had EVER experienced & was thrilled to be a part of:
https://www.northcoastjournal.com/news/the-largest-march-in-eureka-history-4314924 I am not aware of upcoming events, and have not pursued info on it because I will be undergoing medical treatment out of the area (the downside of rural living!) so haven’t wanted to look and be bummed that I’ll miss it!! If spirit counts, tho’, I’ll there there in spades!!!!!
We were there!
I will be participating in the MLK Day parade with the a local democratic group
Barbara, I wish you well.
Thanks, Richard…I’ll use your well-wishes to reinforce my courage!!!!
See nowmarch.org for Jan. 3-5 march in D.C. Try to prevent the sh#t show. Call/write your legislators.
I suggest a national strike for that week.
A general strike would be even bigger now, since the Trumptanic threw Maga overboard
Actually, that saying travels as far as the sporting world. When your opponent is making mistakes, don’t interrupt them.
Just so you know, your protest marches, just make the opponent, more resolute
Slithered out from under a rock there Sender.........There was no football 2000 years ago........also mass protests help swing opionion against the Vietnam war........
go back under you rock........
PLEASE don't respond to him.
Yea........toying with a Trumptard yo-yo like Sender is kind of fun.........
the stupidity is mind boggling and they deserve more that a pillowfight pushback
I gave this response to another person:
I've compared him to prior trolls who all seem to be like the old-time landline heavy breathers--any reaction, positive or negative, gives him a cheap thrill. It's not worth it, and his posts ruin the experience for the others. There are times when discussions get a bit heated, for instance, Gaza, but generally those difference of opinions are supported with logic and sources. It's a fine line, but like pornography, you know it when you see it, and Rick is at best a troll and at worst is AI from foreign operatives using our responses to fine tune their attacks. Please don't engage with him/it.
Didn’t say there was… just said that that’s a saying that they use today.
Didn’t say long ago what I said was “ widespread”. Hmmm
Your cult leader Donable Lector taught 2 things well...but.......I know his and your tricks of deflection and gaslighting ....not going to work......back under the rock Maga.
Carmen, they are always hungry. I don't think we need to wait for too long
Well, that’ll do the country a lot of good
Not listening to Sender will do the country a lot of good
Yep, just a foreign operative throwing cold water or his feces at Dems
I am so thankful that Biden is going all out in his final days in office to support Ukraine. Dividing the world into spheres of influence brought the World to the great war to end all wars. Which it did not. Trump is wellon his way to starting WWIII. I thinkk he wants that.
Re: WW111:
Trump is not concerned about wars. When things start getting messy and dangerous (for him) he’ll dive down into his presidential bunker where he can eat hamburgers and fries while he smears ketchup on the walls. He doesn’t care.
Trump is antiwar put it on the record. Period. And if he has anything to say about it, he’ll and both of Ukraine, Russia crisis with less loss of life and the Israel, Hamas and HEXBOLLAH crisis with less loss of life.
He’s also threaten Hamas that if they don’t return the hostages by the day he takes office they will pay a huge price and they will
Please take your trolling elsewhe
Bravo Jen 👏
PLEASE don't respond to him.
Rick, he is "antiwar" because president Carter and Obama were honored by receiving the Noel Peace award and he ,of course, wants one too. Like the Times Magazine person of the year thing.
PLEASE don't respond to him.
Why should ANY of those countries lusten to such a weak dishonorable man? Seriously, why WOULD he have any influence with them?
You know ROBIN you and so many others seem to think that Trump has the monopoly on dishonor. You see out of only one eye. All you need to care about is what Trump does during his presidency. And how it impacts every American. John Kennedy and Bill Clinton were great presidents but dishonored the White House much worse than Donald Trump. But that didn't matter. They were still great presidents.
Jimmy Carter was just the opposite. He was a horrible president acknowledge to be the worst in history until Biden but after he was president, he was unbelievable on the world stage. Stop worrying about presidents personal lives and worry about what they do during their presidency and how it impacts you and the country. That's what matters.
Rick, Even though I disagree, I appreciate your opinion and point of view.
I find I need to be jostled out of the echo chamber of my head. Helps me define and refine my positions.
President Biden did his best to put in good judges.......good lawyers...judges....activist groups are the front/last line of defense against Trumpageddon.
There needs to be millions and millions in the streets for the Peoples March Jan 18.
Are there any excuses now for not getting off our butts???
WJB, maybe the same excuses for not getting out and vote. Shameful.
Wow trumpageddon. Lololol. Careful you don’t get caught near the capital even if you’re unarmed. And especially after JAN 20
Rick:
Now that is alarming and incendiary!
I will fight for my right, and your right, to free expression.
I am thankful also, Allen. I believe he has been in touch with all of the leaders of the countries that are NATO members and has devised a plan when Trump takes office, to help Ukraine.
🤞
Marlene, you anre absolutely correct. For some reason people here think Trump is anti-NATO, and he’s not when he was president he forced NATO to fund their own defense as promised in the NATO pact. They committed to depositing 2% of the GDP every year for their own defense and they have not done that and falling way short, and Trump has insisted that he would leave NATO if in fact, they didn’t do it and billions entered their way into their coffers, and now they’re much stronger than they were before
You misunderstood my message, Rick. I was speaking about Biden doing this, not Trump!!
Don't reply to Troll Rick. You need to scroll on by.
Good advice Matt, too late for me, I've been wasting my time doing that.
PLEASE don't respond to him.
Trump was already in touch with many liters when he went to see the Notre Dame cathedral reopen. They treated him like a G-d there.
They see him I hate to say it as the leader of the free world, even though he wasn’t yet inaugurated. And by the way, I’m sure Biden is doing the same thing talking to NATO and that’s exactly what he should be doing.
But you should read my message about what Trump did for NATO, which probably I’m guessing has not been publicized on the left side of the aisle probably twisted into an anti-NATO narrative, which it is not. NATO wasn’t keeping its promise and somebody needed to remind them there’s no president. Had the guts to do so in a number of decades.
Once again, if you want to check, honestly, billions poured into their work chest where they had been remiss before
Leaders not liters. once again, auto correct.
They increase their donations by billions once Trump ““ threatened as a negotiating tool, to leave NATO.
They are way stronger not because of trump but because of president Biden. Period.
I’m right there with you Allen. Happy New Year to you and yours, and a special treat for Lucky.
Which is why we must do all we can to foil that effort
Unfortunately Ukraine, if you will all remember back to the days in history of Vietnam, Ukraine is nothing more than another Vietnam. The only difference is it won’t be our troops dying so far it’s been 75,000 Ukrainians in probably over 100,000 Russians dead cities burned to the ground, homeless people everywhere. So please tell me why funding the wars beneficial? In my estimation, it will end by Ukraine, surrendering a small piece of land in exchange for peace and guarantees of NATO in American backing, and perhaps even posting nuclear weapons facing Russia on the border
It’s a lot better than more needless dead human beings.
No one is suggesting American troops be sent to Ukraine. That’s a red herring. Ukraine was invaded by Russia, and has even annexed portions into Russia - the first and only time that has happened since WWII.
Ukraine, a democratic state however flawed, is the frontline state that is holding back Putin’s expansionist desires. And make no mistake, Putin’s hero is Peter the Great, who had a very expansive view of what Russia should be.
Putin views Ukraine as a renegade state or soviet of Russia, much like China views Taiwan, as a renegade province of China.
It is in America and the world’s democratic countries’ national security interests to preserve Ukraine’s independence from Russian expansionist desires.
PLEASE don't respond to him.
Rick Sender could be Elon for all we know! He has infiltrated this space with his obnoxious lengthy comebacks. DITCH HIM!
I’m never suggesting that we send troops to Ukraine. In fact what I’ve said here and more than a dozen posts is Ukraine is nothing more than another Vietnam no ending just billions of dollars wasted and Hundreds and thousands of lives lost The only difference between this war in Vietnam is that our troops won’t die there’s already been at least 75,000 Ukrainians killed and I believe it’s over 100,000 Russians. Not to mention the destruction of the cities, the moving of the masses of people, the flight the fright, The upheaval. And it will cost billions to rebuild.
The rumor has been, and I believe it’s probably true that Ukraine will end up, giving some of its land to Russia, in return for a piece with a assertion that United States and NATO come to which defense from any further action, and probably even installing nuclear weapons in Poland, for example facing Russia in the event that they attempt anything like this again. And as you might know, Bill Clinton is to blame for those nuclear weapons having been removed from there. One of his very few slipups.
And while I agree with you that it is the free world, and the democratic countries that need to come to Ukraine’s assistance, it should start with NATO and we should be in the batters box not the other way around.
Russia doesn’t have a wealth to be expensive especially if Trump is able to take away some of their oil and gas sales to Europe which European Union has already indicated they will start buying from the US again which will both stay for both Russia and Iran from their current games
You wrote “ The rumor has been, and I believe it’s probably true that Ukraine will end up, giving some of its land to Russia, in return for a piece with a assertion that United States and NATO come to which defense from any further action, and probably even installing nuclear weapons in Poland, for example facing Russia in the event that they attempt anything like this again.” Personally, I hope all nukes can be eliminated. I don’t want to return to the time of MAD, or a strategy of Mutually Assured Destruction, especially with Trump’s and Putin’s fingers on the button.
There are some potentially interesting and important thoughts in your piece but the writing is a bit garbled.
In “ I believe it’s probably true that Ukraine will end up, giving some of its land to Russia, in return for a piece…” are you saying that both Ukraine and Russia should cede parts if their territories to each other?
Or by “piece” do you mean peace, as in a Neville Chamberlain type “Peace in our time” move giving Hitler part of Czechoslovakia to satisfy him? Appeasement didn’t work then and there’s no reason to think it would now. Adjusting borders is a slippery slope I don’t want to flirt with.
Putin thinks of the entirety of Ukraine as a renegade piece of Greater Russia, along with the Baltic states and maybe even Finland.
As for a role for NATO, Ukraine is not in NATO - yet. I think the EU should be Ukraine’s primary international coalition of mutual defenders, given their proximity. That is not to exclude NATO, but have it stand behind and be prepared to assist the EU.
As for your oil and gas thoughts. We need to expand renewables as fast as possible and be done with fossil fuels. As I recall you discount global warming due to burning fossil fuels, I think you have even called the idea a hoax. It is not, and is already happening.
I think I’ve asked you before to comment on the fact that the last decade is the warmest on record, since we’ve had thermometers around enough of the globe to get a mean global temperature reading, encompassing the last 175 years or so. That’s not due to natural variation.
Sorry in return for Peace not Piece
Come to its’ defenses.
Russia doesn’t have the wealth to be expansive
Obviously, I’m getting tired because I’m not checking my work very closely. Sorry.
Which will both stop Russia and Iran from playing its current games of war and terrorism
Lot of so called autocorrect mistakes Rick ster! The AI bot is working overtime!
PLEASE don't respond to him.
This war didn’t need to happen if only the West had acknowledged Ukraine was not a viable candidate for nato membership. And Russia lost more than 600,000 troops not 100,000. For Putin, lives are not important.
I’m frankly, Bill I don’t know why Ukraine wouldn’t be candidate for membership into NATO. I’m not real clear on Eastern European/Russian politics, and I don’t know how admission NATO works. I’m assuming would have to be voted upon by the remaining nations ?
Well didn’t know it was that many russian troops. Even more important to find a better solution. Btw who is included when you say “the West”?
Going to bed now will read your reply late morning.
Bill you your check out back in the mid 90s. I think it was 94 but it could’ve been a little earlier that Clinton made a deal with Pauline to remove their nukes and an exchange get protection from the US.
Russia would not be doing this now and still won’t be going any further than this bill be honest Russia doesn’t have the clout anymore unless it pals with China
I dunno: should we sit back and enjoy the sh*tshow or maybe the Dems could *DO* something? While the Orange Felon—whose appeal against E. Jean Carroll was just denied so he still owes her 5 million dollars—plays golf and pretends he has his finger on the buttons? Or will the Dems just twiddle their thumbs and say “whatever”? I know we are all blaming the mainstream media for sanewashing all of this nonsense but really, if the Dems had a clue they would simply push their stuff out there the way the other side does. But no: we are going to appease the Christofascists and hold our breath until something happens: the American Way. Fed up and disgusted.
I don’t think we’re going to sit back. Already preparing for some state votes.
The Corporate Old Guard Dems will want to do nothing. No action. Possibly an open letter of condemnation.
If Trump moves on Greenland or Panama perhaps a general strike is in order.
He’s doing neither. Yikes.
Linda, I've been asking for a long time for democrats to be like them for a short time at least, i know it goes against our nature but the price of keeping being nice ,by the book and the appeasement seekers would be catastrophic.
"Spheres", I have to go back to the book to name them, but this is exactly what Orwell outlined in 1984.
I think Trump is very serious. I have been telling correspondents in Australia that I think he will dump them too. He hates NATO/Europe. Is uninterested in the diplomatic maneuvering to maintain our sphere of influence there and would much rather be the big fish in the local pond, in a diplomatic and an oligarchical sense. It's another way in which he admires Putin. I could go on and on....
He’s been talking about getting out of NATO since his first term and that’s the influence of his hero Vladimir Putin. In fact, I think he wants to be Putin and claim pieces of other countries like Greenland and the Panama Canal. Hell, he’s even hinted at Canada.
I have to say though, it’s amusing to see Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy square off against Steve Bannon and Stephen Miller, not to mention the egregious post by Ian Miles Cheong in defense of Musk, “Much of the anger being driven toward Elon Musk today is simply disappointment being projected by the ‘ret*rded right’ that’s on the fringes of the conservative movement, against Musk, whom they wish was an unrepentant racist like they are.” Add in Bannon and Musk’s profanities and looney Laura Loomer calling Musk a “welfare queen” and we are back to the professional wrestling metaphor Dr. Richardson so aptly called out a few days ago. There is no policy, there is no plan. The incoming President has no clue what he is talking about and doesn’t read.
It was never about trump - it was always about his admiring puppet holders 😥
Except from what I understand, Putin has grandiose plans for restoring the Russian empire.
And beyond Betsy....
Betsy who is the only reason that Putin has anything and play is because he has increased his wealth through the sale of his petroleum products and energy products and that will soon come to an end, hopefully
Russia does not have the financial strength or wherewithal to conquer Europe And he dare not try because he knows what the consequences would be. However, the Chinese and our military has become stronger and potentially more dangerous to the US so if China and Russia become stronger allies, that’s where the concern might lie.
And that’s why Trump feels very strongly about peace through strength
It's new year eve Robert, we have time. Please keep going on and on....
He has a right to dislike NATO. Has been taking advantage of the United States for a long time, and what he did during his first term when he visited NATO, was shamed them into keeping their pact with NATO and depositing 2% of their GDP into accounts for their defense. And if you’ll stop the heating for a minute and look to see how much their deposits increased, you’ll understand. By the way, NATO should have been doing a lot more regarding Ukraine Russia than they have been
Oceania, eastAsia, Eurasia
Yes it is. Chilling.
Love to see a quote if texts lend itself to it. Quick search I found nothing, but makes total sense.
Destruction of our government and of many of the governing bodies worldwide is apparently at the forefront of all of the Cult's various factions even as the focus of their destructive plans is mutually incompatible. Since the scale of the conflict seems beyond the scope of my efforts, I'm concentrating on local issues, among other things: keeping our immigrant families safe and intact, and promoting single payer health care in MA. As the Serenity Prayer advises, I'm trying to know where I can make a difference and not worry at this point about things over which I have no control.
Amen to that. We've got enough local issues to deal with in MA. Though I would like to join the protest I heard about that is to take place Jan 3-6 in DC. Nonviolent protest to try to get the Congress to find some vestige of its spine and vote to not certify the election of the tangerine turd on the basis of his being an insurrectionist. The law is perfectly clear, as Laurence Tribe sees it. As time goes by, I have become more disappointed in the Congress of the United States in its lack of following basic law and upholding the honor of the United States. We should not be facing the possibility of a deranged sociopathic felon occupying the Oval Office, but that is what we will have on January 20 if the Congress fails to do its duty and stop this madman. And I'm thoroughly disgusted with my generation for producing this miscreant and not doing enough to stop him.
James-The Rs in our congress capitulated to Trump at every turn when we could so clearly see with our own eyes the crimes he committed. It was refreshing to see how swiftly and definitively South Korea impeached their president after he declared martial law.
We’re reportedly a “nation of laws” but Trump proved that American laws are toothless if you have money, notoriety and sycophants who care less about our nation and more about their own standing with an unrepentant, insecure bully looking out only for himself.
Allowing an insurrectionist to assume the highest office in the land is another example of ways that the Constitution can be distorted and circumvented. It diminishes citizens’ faith in our system. It’s no wonder so many give up on voting and being engaged with politics.
Yes, for those not informed, see nowmarch.org for info. I've contacted my congressmen to refuse to certify tRump's electoral votes.
James, it sounds very painful, and it is.
Wait a minute did you just say question an election results?? According to the liberals when Trump did that, they called it high treason. Hmmmm
No, he said Congress should vote to not certify the election of tRump on the basis of him being an insurrectionist, according to section 3 of the 14th amendment of the constitution. He is disqualified from holding office.
This is a bot troll, fyi.
PLEASE don't respond to him.
Well good luck with that but how is that different from Questioning the validity of an election like Al Gore or Jill Stein or Hillary Clinton?
If that were true, he should’ve been disqualified as a candidate before he actually ran. However, all the lawfare against Trump was nothing but political wrangling or worse tactics used in countries like Russia and China to either kill(two attempts) or disqualify your candidate, legally, or in any other way.
All the Lawfare is dying, or has already died. So in your best interest, just move on. What they tried did to Trump is despicable.
Unfortunately, I think we’re going to have a bird flu pandemic of the sort we had in 1918-1920, and the incoming maladministration will be completely inept and unwilling to handle it appropriately. RFK Jr. won’t lift a finger to allow vaccine development and we’ll see the same ridicule of masking and basic public health recommendations that we saw with COVID. This flu is even more lethal than COVID and it will soon mutate to the point where it will be transmitted between humans, as the flu virus mutates quickly.
I worry about that too Kathy. People in this country ignore the most basic health precautions and until they discover our food is in short supply and no longer safe and they can’t get medical care they won’t care. Hell, they didn’t care when Covid hit, blame Trump’s loss in 2020 on Covid instead of how he handled Covid and many died because they refused to take the most basic health precautions.
And they're still dying... my sister-in-law lost a relative in early December. A T****er who didn't believe in vaccines. Two weeks in the hospital w/Covid as his organs shut down. You cannot fix stupid.
I’m so sorry for your loss. People with zero understanding of medical issues and practices are led easily astray.
I listened to my neighbor talk about her, and her elderly mother’s, repeated Covid infections while claiming they weren’t really Covid and the people who were dying died of something other than Covid. They could not see that it was the Covid, that caused a medical condition they could have lived with for decades with proper treatment, that killed them.
Sharon,
Many people died - true. Many people died because they refused to take basic health precautions - false. People did the best they could in an ever-changing cycle of information, trust/distrust and, yes, poor leadership. In general, the response was incredibly well done. Bird flu will likely also be contained with good speed. Will people die - yes they will.
There were many anecdotal accounts of behavior and outcome, but viruses are indiscriminate. Separating out victims for "basic" behaviors is base and victim blaming. We just need to avoid the fate of Golgafrincham in the meantime. Hopefully by staying on point and laughing just a little bit.==>https://hitchhikers.fandom.com/wiki/Golgafrincham
I don't disagree that Bird Flu is a concern. Just trying to avoid the wreckage of the future.
Best to you,
Tim
Many people died because they fell prey to the anti-maskers and insistence this was just the flu. They put at risk others with more fragile immune systems, took up spaces in hospitals where they abused our nurses and generally ignored sound medical advice for people sticking spoons to their chest and conspiracies.
Thanks for the link. I’ll go take a look.
Sharon,
The link is an attempt at humor, but there is a point there.
Most people I have known are sincere in their beliefs. I'm hesitant to fault them for ideas that, at different times, make more or less sense - mask wearing is a prime example. Most ideology is founded outside one's control.
We can't fault people for getting sick either - or even attribute the cause with certainty. We need to care for all and blame no one.
I say no one refused basic health precautions, since that is defined by the individual. Even the heroine addict has ideas about what is sound.
Thanks for responding here. I get what you are saying ==> Our choices matter. I'm just not sure people have much choice.
This went way too long. Stopping now. Happy New Year!
Tim
It’s my kind of humor. I appreciate it.
Thank you Betsy, I needed to read your last sentence. Helps to know what little bit I can control will have to do.
I don’t know where people on the left think that the right is anti-immigrant. THEY ARE NOT! They are anti-illegal immigrant end of sentence.
Rick,
The point of HCR's letter is that the right is not united. Some on the "right" ARE anti-immigrant.
Additionally, the question is "What is legal?" H1B visa's are vital when no American worker can fill a job (that itself comes with a salary that is vetted internationally.) There are many who see H1B visa's as a way to undermine worker quality of life/labor unions. This is a concern by many on the right and left.
Companies need workers who are cheap AND productive. That is the end around here. Workforce re-training has never been the focus of STEM based technology based companies.
Yet again Trump confuses the issue by not understanding the policy, in this case between H1B and O-1 (much less H2A and H2B as HCR points out.) ==>https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/employment/temporary-worker-visas.html#overview
Best,
Tim
First of all, Trump understands the policy just fine. And it seems thst Trump sides with Musk by the way on this issue.
I suggested a month ago that there’s going to be discourse about a variety of individual policies when two people are involved there’s always going to be disagreement to whatever degree. But as I said, Trump will decide end of story. Musk and Bannon can banter all rhey like, but ultimately the decision will be Trumps
I know a number of people, including my best friend who came from Canada on a H1B visa, and had nothing in his pocket. Now is a multi millionaire.
I know there’s people that take advantage of some foreigners in this area but these have been used very effectively with many major corporations here, and as it turns out even small companies. From what I understand and I could be wrong the people that they’re talking about are more technically savvy people, or ones that are specifically trained in an area not the ones that are going to be taken advantage of in this way.
Good grief, I anticipated chaos, but he isn't even in office yet and it's making his prior term look comparatively calm.
Other than a once a century, new virus, global pandemic, it was very calm
Since it happened, I have felt and believed that the election of Donald Trump is the biggest example of collective stupidity in the history of the United States. Nothing in this edition of HCR's newsletter leads me to change my mind.
I have a spectacularly un and/or disinformed colleague who is a P.E. teacher at the middle school at which I teach. I promised myself I would never start a political discussion with him, but I know he will start one with me. He will know nothing about what is going on because Fox won't tell him. Our next political chat won't be pretty.
I'm seventy-two, and I never imagined that I would live through a more dangerous time than the Cuban Missile Crisis. I was wrong.
Joel, there has been a few articles published about how to start a conversation with a friend, or colleague or family - when your POV or tolerance or racial judgements are opposites. They usually say to speak slowly and start with finding common ground. I have also set a timer with some friends to keep our conversation short and upbeat before a hot button area comes up.
Hi, JaKsaa -
Thanks for the advice, but I've had political discussions with my colleague before. He always starts them and is always already wound up when he does. My calmness simply upsets him more. Everything that comes out of his mouth is a right-wing talking point, and I will be interested to see whose side he takes in the MAGA vs. DOGE struggle for the second trump administration.
I know where you’re coming from. This was the teacher right next door to me at school- always trying to insert the terms “woke” and “virtue-signaling” into the conversations he would attempt to initiate- kind of a dead giveaway, he went completely down the antivax rabbithole during the pandemic. Thankfully for my workplace sanity, he retired last year. I eventually gave up on attempting a logical discussion and just brushed off his attempts to initiate conversations which began to feel like indoctrination sessions.
Just be aware that when I dare question a democratic talking point I get slammed by folks here. People are inflexible on both sides. I’m non partisan. I think for myself not political talking points.
Your implication that we don’t think for ourselves while declaring you’re non partisan is not only insulting it shows your partisanship.
Everything is a political talking point including this comment right here.
Hi, Sharon -
I'm going to try to have decent chats with Bill Katz. I tried, but failed, with a guy named Rick Sender. He started off civil but then failed to be over time. I'm happy to debate in what used to be called "the market place of ideas" and see what happens. That said, I don't really know why right-wingers are here. Rick Sender accused HCR of lying and being wrong, for example, but never actually refuted one of her points or pointed out a lie. I don't believe HCR lies about anything, but occasionally I find myself in disagreement with something in one of her newsletters and say so. That was the case with her glowing eulogy of Jimmy Carter. I pointed out my disagreements, but no one engaged.
Cheers.
Yes, I blocked Sender but feel Katz needs to be called out for insulting others and insisting he’s the only one who thinks for himself or is unbiased. Those remarks are uncalled for and dedicating who replies to that garbage is unproductive. People will just turn him off instead of respecting his ideas.
Hi, Bill Katz -
I know some Democrats like that. Feel free to speak with me any time. I'll address whatever point you make or question you asked. Be advised, though, that I no longer "speak" to one Rick Sender, with whom I tried to do the same thing. We started off nicely, but over time he first became uncivil and then became extremely so. Cheers.
And you still are.
It is completely insane. Personally, I'm guessing it's a size thing with Greenland. Because of the distortion of maps, T probably thinks Greenland is the size of South America. It's not. But the entire discussion is off the rails, and it is greatly disturbing that Musk is promoting Nazis in Germany. Musk, by the way, came here on a student visa but did not enroll, so he's illegally in this country. Watching the GOP implode is fine and good, but my concern is the collateral damage. On a more whimsical note, maybe we can ask Biden to sign an executive order tomorrow to extend the month of December by 1,470 days! He has immunity! They can't take over until Jan 20th. This would give us time to get a lot of things done, and we'd keep the current budget. Just a thought.
Has something happened in Greenland? Nope, not a thing. I’ll be careful when you talk about questioning an election results because when Trump tried to do it the left considered it high treason
Rick,
There is a difference between what happened on Jan. 6th and what happened in Bush v. Gore. The fact that Trump & McConnell have stacked the Supreme court is a problem as well and further delineates the right and left wrt questioning election results.
People are justifiably alarmed at the precedents that continue to be made, broken and remade.
Tim
I love one note in particular by Heather here today.
This is where she says "Members of the far right want to shut [the federal government] down until it stops spending more money than it takes in and stops supporting policies they oppose."
Funny thing is, and we all know it, the orange felon is going to give all the billionaires such a massive tax reduction that the U.S. national debt is only going astronomically to skyrocket.
Great for the billionaires who are so greatly growing the wealth gap between them, the happy few, and us, the massively left behind.
Great for the banks, guaranteed to profit gigantically as we -- the left behind, not the rich -- will have to take on the additional costs of floating the debt further to float the banks and the rich.
Putin, Musk, Xi, and the many others who want to divvy up the world into spheres of influence to buoy themselves? Hasn't it already happened?
Aren't the schools pretty much all over the world in decline as working classes and middle classes have to defer more to the rich, the oligarchs, and all the techies and others they need to handle their economies? Why do the rich anywhere need public education none of their kids attend?
Happy New Year?
I live in Switzerland. Our schools are not in decline. Higher education is affordable. Our apprenticeship system is thriving due to unions which bargain for good wages for workers. What has made me sad is that we have to put more public money into defense due to Putin’s attack on Ukraine. This is the sad state of the world now. Money for peace-promoting projects (education, culture , support for the Third World, etc.)is being directed toward weapons and weapons systems. And someone is making big bucks off of this, too. Including the owner of SpaceX.
They don’t want to stop funding the government. In fact, if I asked you, if you think the government wastes money, what would your answer be?
They want the government to be more efficient they want it to stop waste and fraud.
And certainly they want to install the policies that they believe in as does every administration left or right.
Actually, they want to change public education more for the poor, not for the rich
They want to give the ability of the poor we live in a poor neighborhood to go on a better quality of school, and not in a dangerous neighborhood
That’s delusional.
This is a troll, targeting responders.
MB,
Rick is no troll. A fish out of water perhaps, but no troll.
Tim
Absolutely is. Targeting many posters. Harassing. Someone referenced a pay per post hire. Check things out first.
Oh, I think Rick Sender fits the definition of troll perfectly.
“Trolling is when someone posts or comments online to deliberately upset others.”
https://www.esafety.gov.au/young-people/trolling#:~:text=Trolling%20is%20when%20someone%20posts,likely%20to%20make%20things%20worse.
PLEASE don't respond to him.
Ed,
Delusion is not wrong. Rick is presenting the policy/value statement here that de-funds schools serving the least fortunate. He's misguided perhaps? It's onerous to refute, I know. Calling him delusional might not be helpful?
I'm trying to use the right words myself. Words are hard.
Tim
Tom, you wrote “Rick is presenting the policy/value statement here that de-funds schools serving the least fortunate. He's misguided perhaps?”
I agree with you he is arguing for policies/values that harm the least fortunate among us, and that’s not all. My replies to him/her/it will fall on his/hers/its deaf ears, but they are not my intended primary audience.
My intention is to provide reasoned factual alternatives for others to consider. While delusional may be a bit strong, and perhaps a bit harsh I think it fits.
Given the sheer volume and strident tone of the posts I think it possible, perhaps even probable he is a paid agent provocateur. Ignoring the posts is no deterrent.
“Employees of Russian State-Controlled Media Outlet Deployed Nearly $10 Million to Publish RT-Curated Content, Which Garnered Millions of Views, Through a Tennessee-Based Online Content Creation Company.”
If not a direct Russian agent, i.e. knowingly advocating for a hostile foreign entity, he most certainly qualifies as an unknowing or freelance Putin ally, aka a what they consider a “useful idiot.”
https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/two-rt-employees-indicted-covertly-funding-and-directing-us-company-published-thousands
Ed,
I just called my brother-in-law a useful idiot.
My wife didn't take it very well.
Thanks a lot,
Tom
Tom, It might help if you explain the alternative is calling him a Russian agent. No, on second thought, that might not improve the situation.
Happy New Year
Ed
Ed,
I loved this.
Useful idiot it is then.
Thanks,
Tim
Rick. You seem to be projecting your wishes onto MAGA policies, and not really understanding what Project 2025 actually says. But who knows? Maybe my fears of a coming Trump upheaval of American democracy and of a rules-based world order are overblown. Maybe you're right. Let's talk in years. In the meantime, I'll be donating to those that resist the actual threats effectively.
PLEASE don't respond to him.
Troll, possibly a bot. Gains with each response. Do not respond.
OK let me make this analogy once again. The heritage foundation wrote project 25. It wasn’t written by Trump or authored by Trump or sanctioned by Trump. There are ideas in there that make sense, so don’t plaster Trump’s name all over project 25 he’s not owning up to it nor will he utilize its entirety to govern. A couple of the items that I remember off the top of my head were relating to legal versus illegal immigration, and that all citizens and only citizens should vote. And I believe most Americans would buy that
The analogy I make is there are certainly lots of people that I’ve read the Bible, but may not agree with it it’s entirety, but there are certainly meritorious sections that people would tend to believe it more than others
Just because someone reads the Bible, you can’t call them a Bible thumper
It is your absolute right to donate to whoever you see fit. This country would be a lot better off if everybody supported the president of United States
People question me as to whether Biden had my support as an example.
My answer would be absolutely until he does something that I feel is in opposition to my American beliefs. Unfortunately for Jo, he began that on day one with his executive orders that immediately caused inflation the price of food and gas to go up interest rates to soar and opening the border there’s no cost us $150 billion and many criminal acts that could’ve been prevented
Trump’s “lack of involvement” in Project25 is a gossamer thin caricature of a claim of “plausible deniability”
“After Trump’s Project 2025 denials, he is tapping its authors and influencers for key roles
“ Now, after being elected the 47th president on Nov. 5, Trump is stocking his second administration with key players in the detailed effort he temporarily shunned. Most notably, Trump has tapped Russell Vought for an encore as director of the Office of Management and Budget; Tom Homan, his former immigration chief, as “border czar;” and immigration hardliner Stephen Miller as deputy chief of policy.
Those moves have accelerated criticisms from Democrats who warn that Trump’s election hands government reins to movement conservatives who spent years envisioning how to concentrate power in the West Wing and impose a starkly rightward shift across the U.S. government and society.”
“ The Office of Management and Budget director, a role Vought held under Trump previously and requires Senate confirmation, prepares a president’s proposed budget and is generally responsible for implementing the administration’s agenda across agencies.
The job is influential but Vought made clear as author of a Project 2025 chapter on presidential authority that he wants the post to wield more direct power.
“The Director must view his job as the best, most comprehensive approximation of the President’s mind,” Vought wrote. The OMB, he wrote, “is a President’s air-traffic control system” and should be “involved in all aspects of the White House policy process,” becoming “powerful enough to override implementing agencies’ bureaucracies.”
https://apnews.com/article/trump-project-2025-administration-nominees-843f5ff20131ccba5f056e7ccc5baf23
Heck of a time to be an historian, Heather! The only analogy I can come up with is that it’s as if you had access to the Manhattan Project and were reporting on the development of the bomb… Except you aren’t reporting on the people. You are reporting on the subatomic particles that are arranging themselves in such a way that they are about to go BOOM!
*****
1/12025 Update:
In the wake of two (2) violent acts today, 1 in New Orleans 15 deceased so far & an exploded truck bomb in front of a Trump hotel, I have resubmitted my DOJ Civil Rights Complaint adding the 2 additional violent incidents today.
My third Complaint: 55-3169-XVN.
I have requested an independent DOJ inspector to intervene as the body count rises.
*****
12/30/24
Apparently, Merrick Garland's DOJ is busy with New Year's parties. The DOJ's Civil Rights Division is rejecting a number of specific complaints filed on ELON MUSK's threat of "war" "the likes you cannot imagine" & sexual attack including my re-submission of a Civil Rights complaint on 12/30/24 at 2:54 PM today. https://civilrights.justicegov.
Judge Garland's Division provided no information on whether any of the complaints have been accepted for investigation or assigned to a Special Prosecutor under the federal statutory law & regulations protecting such investigations from later attack. See, U.S.Code,Title 28, Sections 510 & 515.
The DOJ does have an officer assigned to respond to Freedom of Information (FOIA) requests like the one I filed earlier today to discover what Garland has done or more likely has not done about ELON MUSKS' serious threats (plural).
More later.
I am so happy you are pursuing this, Bryan, even if you’re not successful, but you absolutely should be! As a sidenote: Do you think Jack Smith will reveal his report soon?
Before Thanksgiving my take was a cautious more-likely-than not.
I was encouraged by Newsweek's 11/26/24 report that "Jack Smith Plans to Release his report before DJT is Sworn In".
In related news per "The Hill" Jack Smith has transferred his Mar-a-Lago case documents to the U.S. Attorney's Office in Southern Florida (USAO) to aid the prosecution of Trump's 2 Co-defendants. "Immunity" does not reach the overt acts of his Co-defendants.
"Watch this Space"
Thank you, Counselor. This is not good news about DOJ.
Ally, I expect to be talking with competent DOJ staff tomorrow.
Bryan,
Won't this fall under the future DOJ discretion? I'm not sure legal recourse is going to help until we see the leadership incoming.
This is a question for you. What is the best case here?
Tim
Generally, I do not post best case scenarios anywhere but, I do discuss administrative law with federal & state agencies particularly AG's.
Bryan,
Thanks for the response. I appreciate what you do. I'm trying to understand that is all. Thanks for this.
Tim
No problem. At Trial you must be ready to communicate a string of of ADMISSIBLE evidence of relevant of facts which is not just for a jury but, sometimes a Judge.
Adroit & experienced Judges know how to exploit "proffers" particularly in chambers when she/he is pushing a gaggle of attorneys to settlement.
Thanks, Bryan.
Could it be that the real reason Tesla, and other Mushk companies hire so many foreign engineers is because he is such an awful person that successful American engineers don’t enjoy working with him. Since they are so talented, they are in high demand and have no trouble at all finding iwork and or can leave and start their own businesses? Contrast that with a h1 visa, they can’t quit and risk deportation? They may not speak great English, they don’t have a network and references from their foreign school and foreign classmates, they don’t have a US based support network.
Come on news media! The real story is Mushk using the h1 visa like indentured servitude!!! He’s running a total racket. The new Jungle by Upton Sinclair
I have worked with H-1B programmers for over 30 years--mostly Indians and Russians.
The biggest flaw in the H-1B program in my opinion is the minimum salary of $60K, which was set in 1990 and has never been raised.
Like with the Federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour it should have been indexed with COLA like Social Security and other programs.
The $60K minimum has kept the wages of American programmers as well as Indian programmers down, just like the Federal minimum wage has kept the wages of workers down in the 20 states that have the minimum wage set at $7.25 an hour.
Ted, you know and I know that MSM will not get it right. I am relying on independents such as ProPublica, Medias Touch Network, Jane Mayer, The Root, the 19th, etc.
Support DEMOCRACY NOW! with reporter Amy Goodman. Also, reading Ralph Nader’s substack provides a lot of “Lessons Learned”.
Voice from the past, Bob Dylan interview from the 60’s. Love this: “when I want to find out the truth about anything, I don’t read Time Magazine. They aren’t going to tell the truth. They have way too much to lose!”
https://youtu.be/3hkv8i0D254?si=VSxrRMpVNN0Tu9rZ
Thanks, Ted. I really enjoyed that interview and the one after that with 60 Minutes. The Time reporter got shot down very effectively by Dylan!
Po’ feller was out of his league.
THAT is exactly correct, Ted.
Salud.
🗽
Seems like top executives at Mushk companies are always leaving or getting fired when they criticize Elum.
https://www.google.com/search?q=engineers+who+have+left+Tesla+and+spacex&sca_esv=8d1c32b3a5e69dfb&rlz=1CDGOYI_enUS801US802&hl=en-US&ei=-Qh0Z4GUPKuu0PEPhuzd-AE&oq=engineers+who+have+left+Tesla+and+spacex&gs_lp=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-Hmgx3hdqIBgGQBgKSBwcyOS4zMS4xoAeLpgM&sclient=mobile-gws-wiz-serp#sbfbu=0&pi=engineers%20who%20have%20left%20Tesla%20and%20spacex
So, Ted, how long do you think you would last as an employee criticizing your boss?
Depends on the ‘boss’. One of the determinants of success is in life is getting to choose who you ‘have to’ versus ‘get to
‘ and ‘really look forward’ to working with. I think it was Jim Collins, a professor of business at Colorado who wrote a book called good great I think there’s others in his research for business. He looks at some of the most successful companies with case studies on the leadership styles of the owners, founders or CEOs and officers. Something that he writes about extensively is that there’s a consistency in the most successful companies and it’s how they treat their employees.
I agree with you if you have a boss but there’s many people who don’t wanna have a boss they’re called entrepreneurs or owners and they set the rules. When it comes to employment agree with you wholeheartedly.
totally agree with you if you have a good boss, provides you with a fair salary, good working environment, who treats you well, you have tenured people. Absolutely. And actually, there are many people who don’t look so much to the salary as the way they’ve being treated and respected
Then now you understand while so many leave mushk companies. People leave bad management/ poor managers /narcissists / unappreciated before they leave for any other reason. (Adam Grant, Simon Siemtec, Jim Collins, James Kotter). Elum uses the h1 visa for good but also because he can pay them less and force them to stay.
I’m not sure I do Ted. I’m not sure how many employees he has, and how personally involved in with the day-to-day operation of the companies. Many CEOs manage from a distance and don’t involve themselves with day-to-day stuff. I do know that Musk tends to run a very lean company but beyond that I don’t really follow it..
BUT SINCE I’VE OWNED A TESLA (actually 5) and I have dealt upon each purchase with some of the employees that are there.
I will tell you a couple of phenomenal stories about musk’s stock plan for his Tesla people. I am still friendly with one of his “long term” parts department employees… He just ran the parts department at the local dealership. He left the company with $2 million in stock and retired in his mid-50s. Just the parts guy.
I just googled it just for my own information and apparently Tesla has 141,000 employees, so I guess it would be important to know what his turnover ratio is? And maybe a few of them have seen the writing on the wall because of the increased competition from companies like Rivian, lucid, Toyota, Kia, etc..
I know that one of his employees had gone to Rivian… and was readily hired by them immediately
On the other hand One example I will make to you is that there was a lot of media buzz about the fact that 95% of Kamala Harris staff had left her employ… don’t know what is the significance of that is, but it may based on your formula speak for itself as well .
Donald Trump has 22,000 employees. Not sure of the turnover ratio there either , nor am I aware of the turnover ratio of Musk’s companies
Also, it is not unusual for TOP members/executives of an organization, who hit a ceiling, end up either going elsewhere, or starting a company on their own, we’re advancement could be better
To be fair
So I think, in order to make a fair assessment more information is needed especially in light of what I know about the Tesla low level employees that have left the company with millions in the bank.
True story, Ted. You post a true story.
These visas have been used by every major company in the United States for decades. Stop the nonsense.
No one said the visa program is bad, only that there can be abuse of it. Try living in the Bay Area for $60 k. That’s not the American dream. It’s wage slavery.
I think you are wasting your time trying to find common ground with this guy.
🙏Sometimes I just like to practice for practice sake.
Same here Ted
Happy New Year!!!
Jimmy Carter, the Democrat with the courage to call an oligarchy "an oligarchy," passed away recently at 100 years of age. He will not see governance under either species of human vulture. Good timing, President Jimmy Carter. Rest in peace.
Well said, Ed. Glad he did not have to witness the debacle we’re about to experience.
Very timely. He new when to go.