Both global and national affairs appeared to shift over the holiday weekend. Events of the past week or so highlighted the global stakes of not stopping the aggression of Russia’s president Vladimir Putin. In turn, those global stakes highlighted that Trump’s MAGA Republicans are strengthening Putin’s hand.
" Although a bipartisan majority of Congress supports the measure, House speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) recessed the House on Thursday without taking it up,"
Seem like reform is needed here. How can you serve democracy with an apparatus rigged to be anti-democratic? No one person should have such power over a majority.
Agreed, and I do not understand why that bipartisan supermajority doesn't just take over the House and take care of business. By their failure to act they are as complicit in the abandonment of Ukraine as the MAGA Republicans.
Whoever has the majority in the House gets to elect the Speaker. While in theory, were someone not under the thumb of the Putin wing nominated, members of both parties could elect that person. But Kevin McCarthy wanted more than anything to become Speaker, so he made concessions to the crazies, who then ousted him, choosing Johnson who was mostly unknown, but who turned out to be a Bible-thumping Trump sycophant. This is why the down ballot elections can be as important as the presidential election. If the Dems win the majority in the House, they will elect the Speaker who then, presumably, will work as collaboratively as possible to get as much work done as possible.
I don’t see Johnson as being so innocent, not that that’s what you said. You said he’s a bible-thumper but his intentions on J6 was to overthrow the government. The best we can hope for is that this House get their 💩 together but that won’t happen. So the next best thing to happen would be that that a few of the R’s have “sudden deaths”, just like Navalny.
I'm not a conspiracy person. But Putin sees support for Ukraine weakening, gives orders to Trump to gum up funding from the U.S., Trump whispers in Johnson's ear and the House magically takes two weeks off despite a jam-packed agenda.
Rocket science it's not. Russia, a mortal enemy of the U.S. since I was born in 1950, suddenly has friends galore in high places here. We know their goal: the end of democracy and the rule of law.
'I’ve got a suggestion for the next Trump-G.O.P. fund-raising scheme. You know how sports memorabilia stores sometimes sell basketballs autographed by an entire N.B.A. team? Well, I was imagining that Donald Trump could sell white flags at $1,000 a pop that say, “We surrendered Ukraine to Russia,” autographed by him and the House and Senate MAGA sycophants he’s assembled to deny Ukrainians the weapons they need to stave off Vladimir Putin’s onslaught.'
___Thomas Friedman, NY Times
'For an extra $500, you could get a white flag autographed solely by Trump and J.D. Vance and emblazoned with Vance’s immortal words, “I don’t really care what happens to Ukraine.” Or one signed by House Speaker Mike Johnson, big enough to sum up his worldview: I was for Ukraine aid until I was against it, but I could be for it again if Trump is not against it. This is a matter of principle for me. Either way, it’s all Biden’s fault.'
I have shared this suggestion before, and I wish it could happen.-- As people exit the voting booth, allow them to choose a sticker-- "I proudly voted." or "I proudly voted for a corrupt criminal."
OUTRAGEOUS!!! Call Mike Johnson 202 224 3121, Sen JD Vance 202 224 3354, Sen Mitch McConnell 202 224 2541 and tell them to get back to work and approve the funds for Ukraine !!!
So good. I do hope this one gets lots of media attention. In fact, I think I'll share it around as widely as possible, and try appending it to emails I send "journalists" for the next few days, just for the heck of it: "Meanwhile, here's an article to enjoy". First, I'll have to go read it for my own delight.
Michael, I would slightly rephrase. The goals are to loot the nation of cash and natural resources, replace public education and safety net programs with for-profit business, and - finally - gut all government oversight that cuts into profits. Destroying democracy and the rule of law are the means to that end.
It really started with Reagan, giving massive tax breaks to the wealthy and waging war on labor unions and the Middle Class, which is now a shadow of what it once was here. The oligarchs are winning and if Trump gets back in power it's a sealed deal. None of us and none of our savings will be safe.
I have a Republican friend who said he hates "east coast progressives". But in the next breath he said, "we need to do something to dispose the wealth from the oligarchs."
I know he's voted for TFFG twice and likely will again. Trump works first of all for Trump and everything he has done is to enrich himself. He supports Putin because he thinks Putin will further enrich his empire. Same reason he supports Mohammed bin Salman and Erdogan.
The very first thing Trump will do is to pardon himself and all of his buddies which is a violation of the oath he just swore to.
It sometimes feels like there are too many parallels with Germany in the 1930’s, as if Trump read the book. Of course as Obama pointed out recently, Trump isn’t much of a reader.
Yes. It is extreme dereliction of duty. It is not ok that we have an evil Yankee Doodle Rasputin pulling the puppet strings for the Putin wing of the Peoples House. We The People did not elect these people to do Putin’s bidding but that is exactly what is happening here.
Only this time around, the threat from Russia isn't Communism. It's radical far right capitalism as promulgated by Milton Friedman and the Chicago School of Economics. (See the Naomi Klein book "Shock Doctrine".)
The one common thread between Soviet Russia, Communist China, Nazi Germany, Belarus, North Korea, the Banana Republics of South America, and the African dictatorships was never their economics. It was always strongman-style dictatorship: One militant big-L Leader hanging on to power and a subjugtated population.
In the end, how the goods get distributed (if ever) always becomes irrelevant. It's a neverending battle between feudalism and free self determination.
Treason!? I don't get it. Maybe we are not "at war", but Americans and allies are dying. It's just so obvious that the MAGAt conspiracies in the house are causing lives to be lost (100 or so Ukrainian soldiers missing, feared executed as Russians overrun Adviivka).
'US blocks ceasefire call with third UN veto in Israel-Hamas war'
'UNITED NATIONS, Feb 20 (Reuters) - The United States on Tuesday again vetoed a draft United Nations Security Council resolution on the Israel-Hamas war, blocking a demand for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire as it instead pushes the 15-member body to call for a temporary ceasefire linked to the release of hostages held by Hamas.'
'Thirteen council members voted in favor of the Algerian-drafted text, while Britain abstained. It was the third U.S. veto of a draft resolution since the start of the current fighting on Oct. 7. Washington has also used its veto to block an amendment to draft resolution in December.'
"A vote in favor of this draft resolution is support to the Palestinians right to life. Conversely, voting against it implies an endorsement of the brutal violence and collective punishment inflicted upon them," Algeria's U.N. Ambassador Amar Bendjama told the council before the vote.'
'U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Linda Thomas-Greenfield signaled on Saturday that the U.S. would veto the draft resolution over concerns it could jeopardize talks between the U.S., Egypt, Israel and Qatar that seek to broker a pause in the war and the release of hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip.'
"Demanding an immediate, unconditional ceasefire without an agreement requiring Hamas to release the hostages will not bring about a durable peace. Instead, it could extend the fighting between Hamas and Israel,"
'Thomas-Greenfield told the council ahead of the vote.'
'The Algerian-drafted resolution vetoed by the U.S. did not link a ceasefire to the release of hostages. It separately demanded an immediate humanitarian ceasefire and the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages.'
"The message given today to Israel with this veto is that it can continue to get away with murder," Palestinian U.N. envoy Riyad Mansour told the council.'
'Israel's U.N. Ambassador Gilad Erdan said the word ceasefire was being mentioned "as if it is a silver bullet, a magical solution to all of the region's problems." (Reuters By Michelle Nichols) See link to the article below.
So damn sad. We have idiots in this country who can’t think for themselves they just get on the bandwagon of another Hitler personality. They don’t understand what that would truly mean dictator over democracy. I’ve heard people say that would be ok. STUPID PEOPLE
FOLLOW THE MONEY. Trump has 2 paths out of his current situation - rob the GOP treasury, and keep in Putin’s good graces. Will the GOP hand the reigns over to the Trumps? It would be the final straw for Republicans. But they can hold back the cash to Ukraine, and they think it costs nothing.
Last week, after being asked about the US Election, Putin said he had hoped Biden wins, because Biden is reliable to work with. It was a slap in the face for Trump.
Putin like his boyfriend Trump would never endorse anyone or anything unless he thinks he would benefit. He is a liar and a thief who thinks the only way to work with someone is to have them killed...in that way, he is reliable.
He knows US politics. Lies used strategically. I remember the pics from Helsinki. Master and puppet. Chump would be useful to Putin for awhile, then to the trash pile…
Trump has another path out, and that is financial rescue by the Saudis or by Putin. The national security ramifications of that, should Trump be re-elected, are horrifying.
It would seem, but nit brown paper envelopes thrown over the transom. More like professional money laundering.
"In terms of high-end product influx into the US, Russians make up a pretty disproportionate cross-section of a lot of our assets," Donald Trump Jr. said at a New York real-estate conference that year. "Say, in Dubai, and certainly with our project in SoHo, and anywhere in New York. We see a lot of money pouring in from Russia." - Trump Jr.
"“So when I got in the cart with Eric,” Dodson says, “as we were setting off, I said, ‘Eric, who’s funding? I know no banks—because of the recession, the Great Recession—have touched a golf course. You know, no one’s funding any kind of golf construction. It’s dead in the water the last four or five years.’ And this is what he said. He said, ‘Well, we don’t rely on American banks. We have all the funding we need out of Russia.’ I said, ‘Really?’ And he said, ‘Oh, yeah. We’ve got some guys that really, really love golf, and they’re really invested in our programs. We just go there all the time.’ "
I have no clue. It was clear when Trump was president that Putin held sway over him. Blackmail? Likely, judging from Trump's groveling to Putin in Helsinki. Financial Incentives? For example, U.S. security secrets for sale? There are many possibilities, all extremely difficult to prove. That said, there's no doubt that security agencies of NATO countries and perhaps others are sharing Information with their U.S. counterparts. Let's hope we eventually learn the truth.
There's the old saying "you're not paranoid if they're really out to get you". You don't have to be a conspiracy person to recognize a real conspiracy or systemic cooperation when it's glaring you in the eye.
It's seeming more clear the 2 A people were telling us their plans all along, weapons to fight the " government" we forgot WE are the government , and they wanted to terrify ( and kill) us.
And they harness evil and resentful "Christian" nationalists in heir ranks.
This all needs to be shu down. Go ahead, Empty Gee, dump Johnson. He rethugs can't elect a new Speaker, but decent republicans aligned with democrats can.
Forgive me if I misunderstood, but did you really say that a few House Republicans should be murdered? Ever since I first learned of Dirty Harry & Charles Bronson movies I worried that we were building a culture of "murder is ok as long as we're murdering the bad guys." Who cares about due process or innocent until proven guilty?
I know it's tempting, really I do. At the same time, I think we have to be very careful not to allow any hints of authoritarian methods slip into our recommendations or even our stated fantasies. We either believe that democracy and the rule of law work or we don't. There's no in-between when the stakes are this high.
I agree 100%, but the Ukrainian people can't wait until then. They need support NOW or we will be sending OUR young men and women over to support our NATO allies.
That is the way it is set up right now, but House members wrote the rules and House members can change them. It just takes a little initiative and some courage.
I think they do need to switch to elect a new Speaker otherwise they couldn't bring the new Speakership up for a vote. And they can't vote on anything else until they have a new speaker.
The motion to recall the Speaker can be made by any member, and the same supermajority that we're hoping will make these moves can elect whoever they choose, presumably Mr. Jeffries. That could be done in about the time it took you and I to write these comments with a little pre-planning and communication.
My question is, why aren't we in the streets making the outrage felt by a majority of Americans? Who and what are we afraid of? Why can't we find a leader to help us organize protests? Our country needs action now! We can't afford to simply wait until November when we have the opportunity to vote so that we can watch things slowly get played out. Thankfully we are not living in Russia! We are paying our Representatives to do a job which the majority of Americans right now are dissatisfied with and outraged about.
Johnson kicked them out of the House for 2 weeks to avoid the use of the “other ways”. They can’t use them in an empty house. The minority should just take over if the majority vacates the house with work left undone!
Please spell out exactly what your agenda is, how you would accomplish it, and your timeline. Real world suggestions only please. Taking into account the Constitution and the current Congress.
I have my theory. Democrats have a strong progressive wing that doesn’t sell well to the majority and this component ultimately reduces the ability to win super majorities. It’s that simple. I’ve observed this over and over. The most egregious was Ralph Nader in 2000 who just had to satiate his ego by running for president by taking 90,000 votes in Florida. Jill Stein repeated it with less influence in 2016. These people just don’t get that this nation will not win on progressive platforms and indeed will open Pandora’s box to far right rule. We’re a middle road political nation. And when we are divided we are conquered. It’s that simple.
Agree 100%, why don’t the progressives get this? And I’m more progressive than any of them, even Bernie. But I don’t cut off my nose to spite my face. Still really pissed at Ralph.
I am with you, Jeri. I consider myself to be a true progressive and have now distanced myself from Bernie and his group to some extent. To my way of thinking, they need to be more practical in their approach. Rome wasn't built in a day, so to speak. IMO, Bernie makes a mistake calling himself a "Democratic Socialist" when, in fact, Pragmatic Capitalist would be a better term. This country isn't going to support a declared Socialist.
God, I would love a world where progressive ideas ruled and conservative wasn’t just another word for greedy rule. Most embrace some socialists ideas but as Truman said “Socialism is the epithet they have hurled at every advance The people have made in the last 20 years.” Change that to 80 years and he would still be right. Words matter as Frank Luntz taught repubs. W’s “compassionate conservatism” was a bad joke, but Dems could own “government for the people.” And then set out to prove it.
Jen, are we not presently undergoing a "national convulsion?" It's here. We're in the middle of it. We have tens of millions of Americans supporting a would-be dictator. How much worse can it get short of a civil war with neighbors killing neighbors?
No wait, I AM definitely much more progressive than anyone on this comment board. And I agree - to some degree. :)
Bill Katz, what programs do you consider "too progressive" that get us into trouble with swing voters? There is no point in discussing the cult. Anything we propose - even like defending democracy - they will condemn.
What policies lose us votes with the "persuadables"? Are there any?
I totally agree about fringe third party candidates like Stein and Nader. Ranked Choice Voting is the long term answer to that. For now they are enemies.
But there is such a thing as a "mainstream progressive" who believes in a better system of taxes, schooling, healthcare, climate work, retirement systems, housing opportunities, providing decent water to drink...all good stuff that would be popular, no?
So what "progressive" stuff is causing us troubles other than a few fringe people?
Bill Maher blathers constantly about some "elites" who resemble not at all any Dems I know. Every idiotic comment from a progressive gets mega attention. It is not US. Dems are practical, and want efficiency that works for all. Sure they have catered to money, but have not sold their souls. My measly contributions can't match the bucks of the oligarchs. Thank God for Soros because he cares about things that I care about, and he is NOT guilty of the propaganda that has been hung around his neck since he was 14 years old. Dems are inclusive of all humans (as far as I can tell) and are not the users that the repubs are. Hope you figure that out, farmers and rural folks. You have the most to lose.
Bill, this is the first I’m hearing about mainstream progressives. How does this splinter group differ from more left leaning “progressive” progressives and the more radical “radical progressives”?
I used to be a centrist republican before I got disgusted with the party as a whole. Dismissing labels, my politics steered to Independent, thinking that a third party needed voices. That WAS WRONG HEADED on my part. Now I embrace a Compromise Party that includes regular Democrats, rational independents, progressive leaning Democrats as well as the “convincible” radical progressives to make a binary voting choice for Democracy vs Trumpism
The need for splinter groups to pick purity test candidates is now too dangerous for our Republic to survive
Let me rephrase. My sense of "progressive" is pretty much what most Americans want. Reproductive rights, affordable housing, affordable health-care, affordable food...equal educational opportunity. And we are concerned about climate!
And yet the word has been bastardized just like liberal and conservative. Being "progressive" is wanting progress. I reject the demonization of the word :)
He is from my state Connecticut. After the election, he was speaking somewhere in Hartford my hometown. I had the idea at the time to buy a pie and toss it in his face. I was a runner so I figured I could have outrun anyone, lol.
Yes! Leo, the architect of overthrowing our courts, the creator of 40+ shell companies under the disguise of “non-profits”. Leo, the good friend of the Thomasses (yes, deliberately spelled wrong), and every R millionaire/billionaire. He is the devil incarnate but hey, you already knew that, lin.
Your theory is sound, but some of the progressives are also pretty good practical politicians and should be willing to buy in on an effort like this. Jeffries is a smart enough leader not to make the McCarthy Mistake and the upside, as many of us have noted, is huge.
So, so, so out of whack! Our system has long operated on the agreement that our officials would (at least eventually) “do the right thing,’ and we can no longer count on that.
Our hired agents, but also we the people are obliged to negotiate in good faith. Like the human body, we have the resilience to ward off some pretty bad actors, but sepsis can overwhelm and kill. Democracy can weather lies and treachery so long as we vigorously detect, call out, and rebuff them, but if we the people snooze, most assuredly, we lose.
Agreed, J L. We cannot afford the luxury of an attention lapse. We must be vigilant in holding our elected (and appointed) officials to a high standard - a standard that we must also maintain. We also need to hold our journalists to higher standards than has been adopted by so many in the past several decades.
Yes, what’s behind that backdrop -I , (perhaps YOU too?) , don’t understand? Seems the simplest of people are starving to death or being brutally murdered. They are the victims…so ‘strong men’ can get more?
"Strong men" = greedy, unprincipled, opportunists. The only thing "strong" about Trump aside from the corrupting power of money, is the stench of extreme corruption.
I am subscribed to Ruth Ben Ghait too . I know the term but certainly seems a misnomer . The books she, Heather, and some other well knowns have written are so informational. We ought to see these men coming, the slow infiltration stacking the courts, AG’s , etc. Geesh! I live in WV , Justice ran as. Dem and switched after elected. I hope THAT gets ruled have to serve your term out THEN can switch. Nothing left to assumption, right?
Getting sufficient Progressive Caucus support for a discharge petition and passing of the supplemental aid package may be difficult/impossible - especially after Bernie Sanders' purity test No Vote in the Senate.
We need to organize huge demonstrations in support of democracy. We need to surround Congress and demand that they do their job. Trump is not president. We need to get 200,000 people to surround the Supreme Court and demand at least 3 resignations of those who lied or were semi- legally appointed. The courts are protecting the MAGA agenda.
Sounds like you and I grew up about the same time and with similar views of political activism. The weather is about right for a couple of weeks in DC.
Good question, and I suspect the answer lies with people like Dr. Richardson who has the social media stature and personal reputation to start a movement in that direction. If enough of us show our willingness to participate and help spread the word, it wouldn't take much of a spark to get things going.
Yes. I am still waiting for Hakeem Jeffries to use a work-a-round. Of course, I suppose they have to be in session to do this. Since he recessed them until Feb 28, not much is getting done. I wonder how he is justifying this. I think people in the USA should be taking to the streets and picketing outside of Congress for the do nothing House to get back to work. I am reading that there is a new bill that has been drafted by bipartisan commission, but Jeffries does not want to support the bill. Noticeably absent is humanitarian aid for Gaza. https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/bipartisan-house-members-unveil-new-border-foreign-aid/story?id=107348740
So, will there be competition between 2 bills. By creating this second bill, Republicans do put in Border, which would stick it to Trump. I think Jeffries should consider it and find a work-a-round for humanitarian aid.
"Since he recessed them until Feb 28, not much is getting done."
Hakeem Jeffries is the Democratic minority leader of the House. Michael Johnson is the Republican majority Speaker of the House. Johnson called the recess.
Johnson, ie Trump, announced before seeing it that the House would not consider the bipartisan Senate border and aid bill, and enough Senate Republicans voted No to sink it. Johnson refuses to consider the bipartisan aid bill passed by the Democratic majority Senate -which includes humanitarian aid to Gaza. This is what needs to be put to a vote in the House.
Hi Lin, While Jeffries is the Minority Leader of the House, it has been discussed that there is a way he could possibly bring the bill to a vote by going around Johnson. It would require him to get 217 or 218 votes (I have read of both numbers of votes needed) for a discharge petition, and perhaps he does not have that. He appears to have 300 in support of the legislation according to SAN.
This is what I am wanting him to do. Jeffries is only willing to do this for one bill, and not the newer one I am reading about. I would prefer him to consider the second bill, but hope he does not have to. By developing a second bill, it is possible he cannot get the 300 votes for the discharge petition. However, I am past the point of expecting Johnson to do anything because he is a worthless sheep in Trump's pasture. So, while I agree that the aid to Gaza should be the bill, I am also in support of the other bill for getting aid to our allies.
I don't understand either. I'd be so ashamed if I was one of them (republicans in both houses and many other elected republicans). They seem to easily send young people of to fight and die for...not sure...I thought it was Democracy. Yet, only two, Cheney and Kinzinger, had the courage to put the country before their careers. A very small sacrifice, wouldn't you say? The gop has had several opportunities to put trump out of our misery - their own misery. Most of them hate him and would love to be rid of him. And most do not love putin's Russia. I still believe that most of them understand how important our democracy is to the lives of all Americans, including themselves and their loved ones. Yet, they fall to their knees at the little don's feet and for what? Their pathetic failed careers of lust for greed/power? They are playing games with our democracy - with world democracy - with freedom. It is a very dangerous game. And the guy who they allow to lead us closer to doom is a frightened, cowardly, angry, willfully ignorant, simple minded, resentful, mean spirited, vengeful, malignantly narcissistic, sociopathic/psychopathic, half insane, creep in serious mental decline. Did I miss anything?
By the way, I think that my description of donald was fair and accurate, though I admit I hate the harmful things he's done to us and continues to do, even those who don't see it.
They do have recourse - called a discharge petition. They are working on it but struggling to find consensus. Remember how diverse Dems are. Herding cats is one hell of a challenge.
Keeping the Russians out of Ukraine, the Chinese out of Taiwan, the Israelis from killing half the population of Gaza and the failed insurrectionist out of the White House are challenges; getting agreement on effective governance is nothing compared to those and such an agreement would make meeting the challenges much easier.
I strongly believe the House rules need to be changed, making it much easier to over-rule any refusal to bring a bill or nomination to the floor for a vote. It makes little to no sense to allow a single person to control the business of the house to that extent. Being in the majority is already a powerful advantage. There should be a neutral position, possibly even an appointee, who is tasked with assessing the degree of accordance on any vote and when a tie is unlikely, and debate died down to a degree, any bill or nomination should be brought to the floor and given a fair chance at being considered and passed, tabled, or rejected.
I wonder how House rules are amended. I don't wonder why a rule that gives such overwhelming but unjust and often impractical power to whichever party is already in the majority survives. Those in power at any one time are loathe to give any of it away, regardless of how fair and moral the move might be.
The rules are made in the unironically named House Rules Committee; both the general rules for each Congress, and the specific rules of debate for each bill that comes up. I'm not enough of a parliamentary historian to determine the point at which the process went off the rails, but that's where any long-term change would take place. McCarthy's ego driven error was in putting a substantial number (4 or 6 out of 9 Republicans and 13 total members) of MAGA types on the rules committee and including the ability of a single member of Congress to initiate the recall of the Speaker as a privileged motion. One can argue that the Speaker was intended to be just the neutral person you suggest which is at least part of the reason for omitting a requirement that the Speaker be a member of the House. Wikipedia has quite a good discussion of the history and development of the Rules Committee.
As well as those soldiers and civilians killed while holding up this support. The Biden adminastration needs to call this out loud and often!! This inaction by the cowardly Retrumplicans is totally unexceptable.
Not to discount one or two decent Republicans ...I think the entire party needs to go. Putin has "bought" too many. We are either for America and for freedom of the people, by the people or we are supporting dictatorships.
Too much blood has been shed for freedom!!!
Has even one Trump served this country in the military??? Has even one Trump given his or her life for the freedom of each and all??? NEVER!!!! THEY ARE PARASITES!
He already was a traitor before we were aware he existed. He's the one who hatched the plans for fake electors. Correction/edit: still a traitor. Here's his involvement.
US Federal Definition: In Article III, Section 3 of the United States Constitution, treason is specifically limited to levying war against the U.S., or adhering to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort.[2]
Penalty: Under U.S. Code Title 18, the penalty is death,[4] or not less than five years' imprisonment (with a minimum fine of $10,000, if not sentenced to death). Any person convicted of treason against the United States also forfeits the right to hold public office in the United States.[5]
My understanding — and I’m no lawyer either — is that treason is giving aid and comfort to foreign enemies of our country. When this is done by citizens against our country, it’s sedition.
well if you look at the definition, it is technically an OR logic, so that means one or the other. But in practice you are probably generally right...but there have been instances of people put to death during the cold war, without war being declared....
The person with the power that MAGA Mike Johnson is ceding to is Trump. Trump is ruling by proxy through Mike Johnson who is allowing him to, even though he was not elected by the people. He refuses to accept that. That people would want to vote for such a sore loser is indicative of a very emotionally immature segment of the US population. I personally think people in the USA should be picketing outside Mike Johnson's home until he brings the bill to the floor, and picketing in front of Congress until he brings the legislation to the floor. I am in Germany. I believe Democrats Abroad are planning a big pro democracy rally on the 4th of July, but it is in the works. I am dismayed at how passively involved so many people are. What are they waiting for. It is less effective to demonstrate after the fact. The fact that there were pro-choice demonstrations had to give the Supreme Court enough pause to make it a state decision not a national decision to end abortion rights. There needs to be more protest marching in the USA. Here in Germany there are regular demonstrations against fascism. According to TAZ there have been more than 2 million people taking part in more than 500 demonstrations since mid January. You could call the majority German population Antifa, if you will. There is police presence, but not action, and the protests are peaceful, so no agitators have been planted to stir up trouble to my knowledge. We should not be paying salaries for these incompetent people.
I think it is. At least for the Americans I know what they worry about is getting their children into the right colleges, and their social activities. For some there are financial worries too, but I know a lot of comfortable people. Thinking about Trump makes them uncomfortable, but it reminds me of how many Ukrainians felt before Feb 24, 2022. They were comfortable with their lives the way they were, and then they were hit with bombs overnight. Well, Trump and the Republicans have been bombing Americans with legislation but that is clearly not concrete enough to engage in battle too. We are looking at legislation being enacted that is going to make birth control be illegal, because it will be tied to preventing conception and therefore aborting a fetus. Americans also have a terrible work-life balance, which means that no one has energy to work, then do things to relax and fit in protest. However, it is this very work-life balance that is being fought for with the programs Biden is trying to enact and the Republicans are trying to destroy. Clearly they feel that only the super wealthy deserve leisure and to feel secure in their well-being, something that people I know here in Germany take for granted without being millionaires. It is a house of cards that needs reinforcement in the USA, but for that people need energy.
You are 100% correct although he is just following his mentor, Tommy, who did the same thing for almost a year. If Congress wants to do some real work, they need to close loopholes that would let overpowerful things like this happen.
Of the people, for the people, by the people. Johnson is Un-American and as much a murderer as his boss.
The jist seems a minority IS dictating. That evil people are controlling. Is it just talk? Ya know that incessant blather ? The headlines , talking heads and parrots of Putin?
I woke this morning thinking I probably couldn’t name all those actively involved in upsetting global well being. How many more didn’t I know ( did I really want to know?) , undoubtably rich mostly who with more than enough -want more , stop at nothing, murder, taking hand or ‘commanding’ in destroying peace? They wryly smile ,sinister laughs , deny the majority for selfish gain…they don’t care about what the world or earth, much less even us …needs….they care only for their own selfish gain…of more 🤦♀️
Meanwhile back on the Good Ship Principle the people are plugging away for WE THE PEOPLE . I thought , as I laid comfortable in warmth , not yet hungry, my needs met, what more could I do ? Send a loving note to a dear friend whose father is dying, decide where my $5 could best go to a new candidate or a sitting elected who actually wants/does follow rules, honors oath, helps improve /correct and strengthen the leaderships of my Good Ship?
I haven’t lost hope.
I long ago decided not to watch the news (except PBS ) , especially the barkers profiting from selling their ( and many other’s) lies and sensationalizing disinformation.
So, I joined Substack , found quality information , gaining knowledge ( still) of the complexity out there, that I was on the good Ship …and particularly how little participation in voting there was .
That surprised me! What also surprised me was how many people got duped by con men, ‘strong men’…(such an odd labeling) and wrong men ( not omitting those few women).
I stay the hope. Still believe there are far many more on the Good Ship Principle than on most of the Oligarch’s yachts. Understanding there’s some representing elected officers who aren’t on ‘our ship’ , jumped ship , in fact, and their captains are known liars, murderers, con/strong/wrong men.
So I’ll work to GOTV- GET OUT THE VOTE- and encourage ( applaud and admire) the many of you who do ,and can , so much better write about, solicit for, fortify , and fuel our Good Ship Principle.
We need to be looking at and talking more about conflicts of interests. Profit making businesses do. Corruption in my view is abuse of entrusted power, and I think we have been seeing a grotesque expansion of the normalization of corruption as a feature of American politics and culture since Watergate. Yes, Nixon was corrupt, but their was a bipartisan effort for rectification, at least until Ford warped the already autocratic power of pardon; after which the once "Party of Lincoln" appeared to select the trail blazed by Joe McCarthy and Joe Goebbels. Quite a bit of solid evidence of malice aforethought in abuse of powers is currently being uncovered in the courts right now. We cannot trust life or death decisions (or even less critical ones) to untrustworthy people.
But science and history demonstrate that self-serving bias need not be even intentional, not even conscious, to enter outcomes, which is a large part of why the scientific method uses randomizing and sometimes double-blind procedures. It is just wacko to entrust ANYONE with power without minimizing incentives to cheat. I am not cynical about human nature and see our better angels as well as our sociopathic side, but we are fools if we fail to use our capacities for reason and justice to manage our own capacity for harmfully irresponsible and predatory behaviors, in ourselves and in our society. We all have a unique individual and social nature which ideally we integrate together. We all can claim unalienable rights as well as bear social responsibilities, to at the very least, do no significant harm. We need to face and self-manage who and what we are, and what we are is complicated; but well worth cultivating and protecting from our own follies.
I believe -- or, more truthfully, hope forlornly -- that Mikey Mouse is forcing the issue to be resolved by a discharge petition, at which point the Democrats will vote to keep Speaker Johnson in place in the face of yet another trumper tantrum and pass the bill. Yepper: I am hoping against hope that Mikey Mouse is not that venal to place ambition ahead of stopping a genocide and shutting down W.W.III before it goes full-blown.
The presidency is obviously the post powerful of governmental roles, but even there are supposed to be "checks and balances" ( I read it in school). Imperial presidents are controversial these days, and the Constitution deliberately divided powers. That said, the House of Representatives is supposed to be the body that most readily and literally reflects the will of the people. If the process is not fundamentally democratic there, is it really government of, by and for the people?
Boy I can remember when I learned that a "simple Majority" was what was needed to advance a proposed action, rule or law. Grifters, con men and their ilk have learned how to make that simple rule meaningless. We are a Nation of Laws as I am often told and that too has become meaningless. Human rights, Animal rights, Environmental protections, clean air and water, a decent education...So many things I thought I knew about the United States, its constitution, its government and the way it aught to be run have disappeared. And it is the outlaws, the feckless celebrities and the rowdy crowds that have accomplished this thing I used to believe is/was my country. Lot of anger, a lot of hate, a lot of resentments and a lot of limited minds have taken charge.
GOP stands for Government of Putin. We have to remember the vote is absolutely essential to a peace in this world and a peace in the United States. If Russia is not stopped in Ukraine Poland is next and then we are in a world war. History repeating itself. Heather, keep ringing the bell of the Old North Church!
Thank you for the FACTS! Putin wants us engaged in a war in Europe. He is also using the situation in Gaza where innocent people have been killed, hostages as well as Palestinians!!!, families starving, Palestinians removed from their homes...becoming refugees. (Was the October event /hostages just a set up to bring the US, and its financial support to destroy the citizens of Gaza...to strengthen Netanyahu's power....amazing coincidence that Israel's "protective shield" was not functioning as usual at the same time of the October event????.....to accomplish his dream to take over Gaza????)
"Pirates" disrupting our major transportation routes, drones being used to attack ships. Each disruption challenging out delicate relationships in the middle east.
Thanks over and over again to our peacekeepers!!!!
If we open our eyes, we can see clearly the rise of dictators throughout the world, economies failing!!! This along with catastrophic earthquakes, floods, droughts, etc. have increased the flow of human beings to our borders. Do we still offer hope? In spite of our struggles, are we still "The Light on the Hill?" Are our churches and other various places of worship filled with hope or entertainment, or politics, or dying as institutions as places of care and support and the love/faith we have been blessed to receive. Do we blindly follow the "Leader" or do we search for truth as we read and pray and observe with our own eyes the many disruptions going on in the world?
These are challenging times....they are challenging for me personally.
President Joe Biden is a great human being...he loves this country...he has served many years...leaders all over the world know who he is and what he stands for! He and each and every "peacekeeper" ....worldwide...need to have our support especially during these days.
We have great leaders who are holding our country together...we have Heather and other truth tellers whom we must treasure daily.
Ask the Polish people, I have and they see this coming. Look up Fiona Hill who is the expert on Putin. Her point is that we have never understood Putin. Raving hysterically ? Why don’t we call it looking ahead at the distinct possibilities.
Why would anyone in their right mind think that Putin has designs on Poland? Putin made it very clear, toward the beginning of his Ukraine invasion, that his designs were on the RUSSIAN-SPEAKING areas of Ukraine -- about half of that illogical, artificially-stapled-together country.
Putin has been short of manpower throughout his Ukrainian misadventure, so if you think that he plans to turn his exhausted army next on NATO-backed Poland, then maybe you've been smoking too much crack cocaine.
But keep in mind, Sanders just voted NO on the Senate supplemental aid bill (because of aid to Israel even though Biden's new National Security Memorandum would have prevented delivery of that aid.)
I was a Bernie delegate in 2016. He knew that the supplemental aid bill would pass in the Senate, so he could vote his conscience about Israel. In the same way, he didn't need to say anything about Ukraine since lots of others were weighing in.
This notion of 'vote your conscience' as putting yourself first is a misreading/misrepresentation of conscience. Conscience is what helps us put the greater good above our own predilections. Sanders was pandering to purity test extremists in his base. In voting No to the bill, Sanders voted No to the democratic process by which consensus was achieved. In that he was no better than right wing extremists. And he did nothing to help Palestinians.
The bottom line is that Sanders has long been a voice of opposition to Putin and a supporter of Ukraine. Simultaneously, he has long been a voice of reasonable, accurate and moral opposition to the oh-so-many wars we have supported/engaged in over the years. He has always stood in righteous opposition to the nascent fascism within the Netanyahu/Fanatical Zionist coalition that currently governs the once democratic State of Israel.
It appears to me that he was balancing as best he could in this vote.
And let us all be honest with ourselves----The horrific death of that monument to courage named Alexi Navalny, should call on all of us to vigorously renew our support for Ukraine.
Yet it cannot blind us to the greater slaughter of thousands of Palestinian people at the hands of another fanatical government that puts ego and twisted religiosity over people. And it is that government that is funded and armed by American taxpayers.
Biden's direction to UN Representative Linda Thomas-Greenfield to yet again veto a cease fire resolution is a direct imprimatur to the ongoing slaughter of many.
This is a shameful day in our history, without doubt.
The US vetoed Algeria's call for a ceasefire because it said nothing about the hostages and because it would negatively impact ongoing negotiations. You do not mention that the Biden administration has put forward the draft of a proposal which calls for a ceasefire and release of the hostages. Such a proposal - backed up by Biden's increasingly public criticism of the Netanyahu regime, calls for a ceasefire, snd pressure to not attack Rafah - has a better chance of actually helping. Biden is up against those who cry antisemitism ar any criticism of Israeli policy and those who cry genocide at any support of Israel. And Biden is doing this in context of a racist right wing religious extremist Israeli regime which for four years enjoyed full support for its worst abuses - by the racist right wing religious extremist Trump regime. Netanyahu is hoping he can split American voters and use them to help elect Trump again.
You have conveniently forgotten the twisted religiosity of the enemies of Israel. Nothing in Judaism compares to that. Another Chomsky-esque false equivalancy.
The people you paint as "purity test extremists" happen to be the majority of American citizens whom poll after poll shows that Americans do not want to support genocide or support a party that requires championing genocide as a litmus test of loyalty. That "greater good" you speak of is a pandering of the party operatives to Netanyahu and AIPAC money. It does not represent democracy or the will of citizens. To call it even "representative democracy" is sophistry.
Even Bernie admitted that there was no way to say, but several national polls put Sanders ahead of both Trump and Ms. Clinton at one point in a three way match. Sander's emphasized the need to reign in the excessive control of government by money, which is a key priority for me as well. Could he have managed it had he won? He could if enough support had gathered around it. The plutocrats will attack reform tooth and nail. But plutocrats got their nails trimmed in the 20th Century when certain leaders and social movements stood up to them. In 1954, even conservative (small "c") Eisenhower dismissed plutocrats who wanted to slash social regulations and services as "stupid".
The people outnumber the putin rulers.. they need to stand up.. the russian military may be at its weakest, and even within the military there may be many who oppose the regime.. wouldn’t it be justice, if Navalny’s widow became the liberty at the barricades, the Joan of Arc of russia, and lead them to overthrow putin and his thugs?
That's putting way too much on that person's shoulders. Putin will have her and her kids killed in the blink of an eye if he wants...with impunity by the fearful Russians.
I so agree and had the same thoughts. Joan of Arc came to mind, going into battle knowing she, too, will likely be destroyed, yet knowing her choice only underscores how powerful her husband was -- and the common population of Russians, (who I sort of wish to imagine as gentle, vodka-drinking Shivago's.)
Republican base fealty to Vladimir Putin predates their fixation on Putin fanboy Donald Trump. It goes back to the 1990s when Mike Johnson's fellow Louisianan KKK Grand Wizard and GOP gadfly David Duke started touting Putin as the Great White Hope of Christian Nationalism. The white hoods crowd were Putin fellow travelers before Trump sold them on red hats.
It is time to talk explicitly about the repurposing of the American democratic republic as a clerical fascist state. Today the Alabama Supreme Court declared frozen embryos are children. Fulfilling Leonard Leo BFF and fellow Catholic extremist Clarence Thomas' gloating prediction that Dobbs was just the beginning. Anyone not voting for Biden is voting for Trump. And all that follows. Again.
One of the points against TFFG that I don't see in the MSM is the fact that he has sent over 400,000 Russians to death in Ukraine and several hundred thousand more have been wounded. And at least a couple hundred thousand more Ukrainians have died during the war including hundreds of civilians. Many of the civilians are innocent babies and children bombed while in schools and hospitals. I call these atrocities committed by Putin -- Trump calls them "brilliant."
Among some Republicans over the week-end, I heard the opinion that she could bet Biden because of her "youth." And I blame the major media for setting that up.
Going out on a limb here. Isn’t it time to arrest the MAGA Republican Representatives for treason? They refuse aid to Ukraine without Border Security Measures for the US, but refused to even vote on the bipartisan bill passed in the Senate that gave the security package for which they’ve been begging. Meanwhile, they are kowtowing to someone who is running for the Republican nomination who has been colluding with the Russians since 2016 with his friends Manafort and Stone. These Congressional Representatives are failing to honor their oath of office while they are ruining the reputation of our great nation by aiding and abetting our sworn enemy.
Yes, that may be over simplified, but it’s time to stand up to these bullies!
Would love to edit my statement as I missed a few superfluous words. However I want to add a thank you to the nations stepping forward to support Ukraine while our MAGA Representatives have our hands tied while they support Putin. Denmark, Sweden, the European Union, er al, thank you.
Peggy, if you look at your comment you will see 3 small dots just to the right of "like reply share". Touch the dots and you will be able to edit. I guarantee it. As you can see, I just did it.
If you go back to what you posted, then click on the dots, it will offer "edit" or "delete". If you click on the dots beside somebody else's post, it will say "report", and you'll then be asked why you are reporting.
Oddly enough, I tried once again this morning to edit my original statement and at last edit turned up as an option. So that’s been corrected. Tried to correct er al to et al in my later statement and edit was still not an option there.
Treason has a very narrow legal definition in the US, but I cannot believe that many of the yet unindicted co-conspirators cannot be charged.
“I don’t think you can be overly concerned about this. The American psyche has not recognized we were one vice-president away from a coup.” Gov. Jay Inslee
But... after a permanent coup d'etat taking place day in day out without a break ever since the January 6th mob failed to stop the handing over of power, now Johnson, Gaetz et al. are leading a successful putsch from within, designed to bring down two birds -- the USA and Ukraine -- with one stone.
Arguably the coup has been building in slow motion ever since the "Regan Revolution". The mission behind the curtain is conversion to more perfect plutocracy, the "supply side" in Reaganomic parlance, or "feudal lordship" before that. Reagan did all he could to smear democracy and egalitarianism calling it "government", and yet "Republicans" have used every trick in the book to capture goverment for their own purposes, and shamelessly lord it over others. They have now corrupted the infrastructure sufficiently to attempt complete control by force, but they jumped the gun, and their project is suffering for it.
Feudal rule depended on power relationships, but there was a measure of reciprocity, of live-and-let-live. Today's version is straightforward banditry and depends on pure exploitation.
Like livestock, chattel slaves were housed and fed. New York's Orangepeel Golem has never paid "the little people" for services rendered. Only privileged slaves get paid, enforcers, fixers. And then, only when the Master deems it useful. For him, said "little people" are either "his" cattle, to be driven, milked, stampeded... or vermin...
The New York business is suffering from long-delayed blowback, but the Don's vacuum-cleaner-funding technique is as powerful as his muck-spreading.
Above all, his gang has seized Congress, on his Lord's behalf, on his own. No sign of that project suffering...
[NB Both Russian and Soviet history abound in the use of Russian Parties in neighboring States, as in Poland's Sejm (legislature) in the reign of Catherine the Great... But then, American parties, often local oligarchies, have had a similar function.
And how even the most evil and deliberately horrific provocation can justify America's automatic, unstinting support for wholesale destruction and the massacre of thousands of children, as when Saddam gased his own citizens or the Al-Assads and Putin razed cities... is not so much a mystery as the outcome of a sick, unbalanced relationship. A diplomatic cancer long neglected, now suddenly late-stage, irreversible...
We all know of the unspeakable and far greater massacres unleashed against the forebears of this people in constant need of protection from enemies... and from the consequences -- as now -- of violent oppression unparalleled in history. We have failed in our duty to protect them both from external enemies and from the enemy within -- now virulent.]
SHOW me the proof, even facts proof, of treason or at least 'unregistered foreign agent'. Charging people for treason because they differ from your politics sounds like PUTIN! MAGAs toss around the treason word cavalierly, with no legal justification. Below is the definition of treason. During jury instructions the judge would probably instruct on the far lesser crime of 'unregistered foreign agent'. Note, it's not illegal to be an agent for a foreign government and they often hire lawyers/lobbyists/ad people, but they must register.
18 U.S. Code § 2381-Treason
Whoever, owing allegiance to the United States, levies war against them or adheres to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort within the United States or elsewhere, is guilty of treason and shall suffer death, or shall be imprisoned not less than five years and fined under this title but not less than $10,000; and shall be incapable of holding any office under the United States.
I think that "...adheres or giving aid..." are terms that defy definition, in what I have read so far, so proving them becomes an exercise in futility... (therefore my ? earlier). "Open hostility ...levying war against them..." is straight forward. But is causing allies to be killed and enabling the attacking of American property (weapons in Ukraine) "Open Hostility". I doubt it.
But then the "dirty tricks bag" does hold other remedies. How many times have we read learned discourse on the notion that Hitler should/could have been stopped much earlier even after 42 identified attempts on his life failed. When cornered, people become vicious and unreasonable. Unfortunately, I think this will be the final remedy for several of the bad players come time. Martyrs are not in our interest, unless the other side creates them like Putin does.
It's real simple: Our enemies are countries that Congress has declared war on, until a peace treaty is ratified by the Senate.
For example, in October 1942, under the "Trading with the Enemy Act," Prescott Bush's (father of the future president) Nazi "Union Banking Corporation" was seized by the federal government.
If you have the proof or even enough facts to initiate an investigation, first call Jack Smith and then post 'facts' here to Heather's Blog. I look forward to the 'evidence'.
Peggy, the crime of Treason is very narrowly defined in the Constitution as:
"Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying War against them, or in adhering to their Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort. No Person shall be convicted of Treason unless on the testimony of two Witnesses to the same overt Act, or on Confession in open Court."
A dictionary definition: " Treason, sedition mean disloyalty or treachery to one's country or its government. Treason is any attempt to overthrow the government or impair the well-being of a state to which one owes allegiance; the crime of giving aid or comfort to the enemies of one's government."
Treason is and should be a very difficult crime to prosecute. A definition of treasonous behavior (second paragraph) is overshadowed by the Constitutional definition from Article III, Section 3, Clause 1.
The reason I said I was going out on a limb was I realized that the definition is quite narrow. However, it also might depend on how you define “aid and comfort.” Are not delays in giving more weaponry and funds to Ukraine aiding Russia’s progress in retaking territory? Knowing that Ukraine has less ammunition is comforting knowledge for Russians. Certainly these MAGA Representatives are not only serving Trump by these delays in funding, they are also handing Putin a chance to defeat our ally.
Interesting question. To answer that question, put the shoe on the other foot, and see whether an administration that you support were to be doing similar things. I think I prefer the narrowest definition possible, because who is to say what the "next guy" will do?
The Constitution grants Congress the sole power to declare war. Congress has declared war on 11 occasions, including its first declaration of war with Great Britain in 1812. Congress approved its last formal declaration of war during World War II. Since that time it has agreed to resolutions authorizing the use of military force and continues to shape U.S. military policy through appropriations and oversight.
Country Date Senate Vote Effective Date
Great Britain Jun 17, 1812 19-13 Jun 18, 1812
Mexico May 12, 1846 40-2 —
Spain Apr 25, 1898 UC —
Germany Apr 4, 1917 82-6 —
Austria-Hungary Dec 7, 1917 74-0 —
Japan Dec 8, 1941 82-0 —
Germany Dec 11, 1941 88-0 —
Italy Dec 11, 1941 90-0 —
Bulgaria Jun 4, 1942 73-0 —
Hungary Jun 4, 1942 73-0 —
Rumania Jun 4, 1942 73-0
John-
I don't see North Korea in the list or Vietnam or Afghanistan or Iraq or Yemen etc.
Yet we wasted over 5000 American lives in Afghanistan and averaged $300 million a day.
"Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen of Denmark made a surprise announcement. Denmark, she said, will donate all its artillery to Ukraine. She suggested other countries, too, could do more than they already have." The small but valiant nation of Denmark showed the same commitment against Hitler during WW2. That is the courage all democratic nations must now summon to end the double-edged sword of Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump. Trump is the greatest traitor the United States has ever seen. And his dark money friends are even more guilty. May they rot in hell, since the "Supreme" Court will never permit their incarceration.
As we should. It only strengthened our economy as it increases manufacturing jobs that replace the military artillery. Republicans should be all over that....oh, I forgot....that would be a win for Biden.
Rogan's List is saying to call your Representative and ask them to use a discharge petition to bring the security amendment to the House floor for a vote. Last week I called all four of Mike Johnson's offices, read a short list of everything Putin was doing and asked them if they knew how WWII started, left a message. This Saturday Rally Supporting Ukraine and March to the Russian Embassy starts 2:30 PM, Lincoln Memorial. You can get more information by doing a search. I'm willing to throw spaghetti on the wall. It's down to us.
But her column today makes clear it should be Putin Republicans.
They worship the guy their fat, orange-encrusted, waddling, diaper-wearing, gold sneaker hustler worships.
OK, he's a joke -- a bad joke -- but he's ever been consistent in his cowing to Putin, the murderer of so many Ukrainians, the murderer of Alexei Navalny.
But how do so many Putin Republicans in Congress also obediently suck up to their Putin? Rule of law. These Republicans hate it as much as does Putin, or any dictator. Republicans instead glorify the criminals as attacked our seat of democracy on Jan. 6.
Of course they're all mad. But we've got to deal with that -- got to deal with the fact that schools in America, while dutifully efficient in administering standardized tests, keep dumbing down to produce so many mad, Putin-drooling, AR-15-armed, slogan-spouting, lunacy cultists.
Having entered this realm of new, nuanced sartorial splendor, why go with mere MAGA cap, when we know how much more representative are Viking horns?
And a cape?
We know it's all ultimately for Putin, but shouldn't those aiming to be bootlickers also cake on as much orange facial layers as possible also to honor their fat, waddling, diaper-swathed Putin-posterior-kisser-in-chief?
Carla, it's not only a wing -- it's the whole damned bird -- the Reputinist party. Hard to believe that the opposition to the Democrats (and in opposition to democracy itself), one of the two major political parties in the U.S. -- is in league with and even directed by a corrupt foreign leader with malign intent to reclaim the Soviet empire while emasculating America.
Pretty much. Paraphrase what Jesus is reported to have said and the MAGA's would brand it "communist". Aid the poor and rejected? Nope. Eschew wealth? Nope. Love your enemy? Nope. Pay your taxes? Are you kidding me?
Absolutely. A couple of years ago, I decided to stop capitalizing the "C" in their so-called "religion". I just write "christians". If you think of a better idea, please let me know.
Old habit for me I guess. I agree small c works because they aren't. They are just loudly praying in the Temple. And of course, I disagree with Luther about faith alone. It has to be deeds which I express by talk don't wash.
Professor, thank for the sharp summary since the Munich Security Conference & Putin's murder of Navalny.
There is Breaking News in the Government's Las Vegas based case against the mole, ALEXANDER SMIRNOV, comprehensively summarized by JEN PSAKI sitting info Chris Hayes at 8:00 pm Eastern. on MSNBC.
In short, the Governments Memorandum declares SMIRNOV is controlled by "Russian Official No:1:". JEN PSAKI showed screenshots of the Government's "Memorandum In Support of Detention". in "Document 15 that is Case No: 2:24 mj-00166-DJM.
Because SMIRNOV is a monied flight risk, the Perp was released this afternoon wearing an ankle bracelet [GPS] & is undoubtedly under surveillance. JEN PSAKI made clear the Moles's connections go back to 2010 in a deep disinformation covert scam.
Thank you for mentioning MOLDAVA. Long story in Moldova on the Western side of Ukraine with a sliver on eastern side of the river controlled by Putin.
When Kevin McCarthy was on the ropes and being ousted from Speakership many spoke about DJT becoming the Speaker. We now know that he is through wussy mini-faux Moses mouthpiece Mike Johnson. It looks like Trump has more power than Biden given how the House Republicans and MAGA extremists have hamstrung Congress. The Dems must stop the whining and begging MJ to “give us the vote”. Nancy Pelosi said in a recent interview that they (the Dems) have ways to bring a vote to the floor. Well, the longer they wait , as far as I am concerned, the more complicit they are in the Ukraine crisis. Why do the Dems constants wring their hands rather than play tough. You, Joyce, others are warning how awful a Trump 2.0 administration would be, why are the Dems not pulling out all the stops??????
Democrats must absolutely pull out all the stops, but strategically for sure. Hang the @#$& with their own ropes. The parries need be smart and intense. Box 'em into a corner. Check and mate. They have been on the back foot of late.
Do you think they are sitting doing nothing wringing their hands, or do you think (as I do) that they are working behind the scenes to achieve something incredibly difficult?
The phone number to Speaker Johnson’s DC office is 202-225-2777. I will be calling in the morning to voice my support for bringing the supplemental security package to the House floor for a vote. Thought I’d share in case anyone wants to call as well. The number of calls and emails received matters.
This reminds me of 1938, when fascism was on the march (literally) in Europe, but here at home, in Congress, isolationists were in charge. They wanted to make sure America didn’t get involved in the impending war in Europe, even opposing selling arms to England and France. Thank goodness we launched the Lend Lease program which in addition to helping England’s military meant our military production was up and running when indeed we had to fight and join our Allies in Europe. I bring this up because the appeasers and isolationists were wrong then, and they’re wrong now. We will lose our standing in the world and possibly much more because the Republican Cultists have blinders on. They are dragging us into irrelevance, economic disaster and authoritarianism. How can they live with themselves? We won’t emerge from this challenge to democracy as we did after WWII, as the land of hope for others to aspire to. This is the ultimate betrayal of all those who sacrificed their lives to preserve democracy. This is a serious breech of duty. This is shameful.
And unlike the ‘30s and ‘40s we do not have a functioning Supreme Court. Additionally, our political system is hamstrung by the Citizens United ruling. Corporations fund these authoritarians, and their resources are limitless. Money and power equal influence and action. We ignore this information at our peril. The reputinists never sleep, never stop undermining our system, never stop planning. So complaints to the IRS? What about DOJ? Will AG Garland slow walk it, too?
For a deep dive into this period and the complicit American politicians who aided the fascists (including members of Congress), check out Rachel Maddow's book "Prequel." It's an expansion on her excellent podcast "Ultra." It sends shivers up my spine to realize that Americans are again answering the siren song of fascism.
Which group advocates transparency and truth, and which group depends on lies, secrecy, and propaganda? Which side understands the common good, and which side doesn't give a damn? I know you know the answer.
I get it…….but I was not referring to the extremists in any group. There are people of a more conservative bent regarding budgets, cultural things, who still want our democracy to thrive and are not part of Trump/MAGA/Republican Cult. That’s the problem with how the media always pigeon-holes us into “enemies.” We have common interests - those in the middle - and what the others don’t get is that if the Urban areas fail, so do the suburban and rural because of finance, and if the rural areas fail we won’t have food, and if suburban areas fail we don’t have workers and families. Don’t let the demagogues/wannabe despots turn us against each other. As HCR teaches us, the fascists gain their following by uniting followers against the “other”; who ever they proclaim the other to be: Blacks, or Hispanics, or immigrants, or Muslims or Jews. Among these aforementioned people are people both of conservative and progressive views. Democracy enables them to work together……or at least it did until now.
When it comes to preserving the planet, progressives are the true conservatives. When it comes to tax policy, progressives are the true conservatives. Republican budget balancers are liars; they destroy the common good and cut taxes on the rich in the name of fiscal conservatism while paying for what they can't destroy by borrowing from the world at large by issuing treasury bonds instead of raising taxes to cover the deficit, a win-win for the Kochs of the world, whose ever increasing wealth is gained on the backs of the people at all times. I was not referring to extremists per se. Nor was I discussing rural - urban - suburban demographics. I was referring to democracy versus fascism. Those on the right, including oligarchs and ordinary Republican anti-taxers, climate change deniers, racists, and Christian nationalists, no matter where they live, support fascist policies and leaders whether they know it or not. We all agree that Justice Alito, for example, is a conservative. He's also a fascist. If your religion permits theocracy, you cannot support democracy, you are a fascist. The UNITY we are all seeking is a democratic majority that serves, preserves, and protects the common good, not conservative grift, lies, and propaganda, policies that rob from the people to enrich the rich with complete disregard to everything else, especially the planet, women's rights, and on and on and on.
Yes, conserve is in the word conservative……you are right…..and you write with such conviction and strength, I envy your ability. But those you describe are the extremists I referred to. Conservation was always the key to saving our environment; but people, even those who fight for the common good, are not so willing to make the sacrifices necessary now. It’s human nature we need to influence; not an easy task. There are good people out there; we need to embrace them and make them “the popular kids” everyone wants to emulate and join. I’m trying to inject some positivity into a very dark time.
This point was made emphatically by my high school history teacher, and I still remember it. Now it occurs to me that SHE remembered it, because she had lived through it.
I am once again amazed by how you, Heather Cox Richardson, manage to pull together the most significant threads of the events of the day and clarify where we need to put our focus. I listen to and read massive amounts of news coverage every day and yet I get more from your daily letter than all the hours of consumption of mainstream media sources that I personally do. I could skip all of those hours of reading and listening and just read your letter at the end of the day and get more value and perspective on the day's events and what matters most. I am beyond grateful to have you informing and enlightening us day in and day out. With the time you save us we could, and doubtless should, be taking action to support Biden, the Democratic party, and our democracy from the Putin wing of the formerly Grand Old Party of Lincoln. Onward!
Some days, I do exactly what you suggest. Picking up pieces of news in various places can be exhausting, and I marvel at Heather Cox Richardson's ability to pull it together almost every day.
Avery, this is what I have done. We went on a news diet about 18 months ago. We'll watch Rachel about once or twice a month (recorded). I read several Substack authors (LFAA gets the lion's share of my attention) and occasionally watch a few Beau of the Fifth Column videos.
Sadly, I have three rehearsals a week for the rest of the month as I prepare for two concerts, so my "spare" time is limited until after March 10. Then it will be "postcards away".
Thank you for sharing your “routine.” Breaking the news addiction is an achievement I aspire to! I join phone banks with the Bay Area Coalition, an umbrella organization for 30+ SF bay area activist groups. I was on a couple of zoom phone banks with 80 of us making calls to NY’s Congressional district 3 for Suozzi. Making calls with democracy allies invariably lifts my spirit. Whatever we do other than angst surely helps. Sending postcards is also satisfying and, I think, a very effective tool. Today I will make some calls to Congressional offices, including Mike Johnson’s, on behalf of Ukraine. Silence is not golden!
" Although a bipartisan majority of Congress supports the measure, House speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) recessed the House on Thursday without taking it up,"
Seem like reform is needed here. How can you serve democracy with an apparatus rigged to be anti-democratic? No one person should have such power over a majority.
Agreed, and I do not understand why that bipartisan supermajority doesn't just take over the House and take care of business. By their failure to act they are as complicit in the abandonment of Ukraine as the MAGA Republicans.
Whoever has the majority in the House gets to elect the Speaker. While in theory, were someone not under the thumb of the Putin wing nominated, members of both parties could elect that person. But Kevin McCarthy wanted more than anything to become Speaker, so he made concessions to the crazies, who then ousted him, choosing Johnson who was mostly unknown, but who turned out to be a Bible-thumping Trump sycophant. This is why the down ballot elections can be as important as the presidential election. If the Dems win the majority in the House, they will elect the Speaker who then, presumably, will work as collaboratively as possible to get as much work done as possible.
I don’t see Johnson as being so innocent, not that that’s what you said. You said he’s a bible-thumper but his intentions on J6 was to overthrow the government. The best we can hope for is that this House get their 💩 together but that won’t happen. So the next best thing to happen would be that that a few of the R’s have “sudden deaths”, just like Navalny.
I'm not a conspiracy person. But Putin sees support for Ukraine weakening, gives orders to Trump to gum up funding from the U.S., Trump whispers in Johnson's ear and the House magically takes two weeks off despite a jam-packed agenda.
Rocket science it's not. Russia, a mortal enemy of the U.S. since I was born in 1950, suddenly has friends galore in high places here. We know their goal: the end of democracy and the rule of law.
'I’ve got a suggestion for the next Trump-G.O.P. fund-raising scheme. You know how sports memorabilia stores sometimes sell basketballs autographed by an entire N.B.A. team? Well, I was imagining that Donald Trump could sell white flags at $1,000 a pop that say, “We surrendered Ukraine to Russia,” autographed by him and the House and Senate MAGA sycophants he’s assembled to deny Ukrainians the weapons they need to stave off Vladimir Putin’s onslaught.'
___Thomas Friedman, NY Times
'For an extra $500, you could get a white flag autographed solely by Trump and J.D. Vance and emblazoned with Vance’s immortal words, “I don’t really care what happens to Ukraine.” Or one signed by House Speaker Mike Johnson, big enough to sum up his worldview: I was for Ukraine aid until I was against it, but I could be for it again if Trump is not against it. This is a matter of principle for me. Either way, it’s all Biden’s fault.'
___Thomas Friedman, NY Times
Ooooooooooh…so dang good! Yay, Tom Friedman!
Fern, I love these suggestions,
I have shared this suggestion before, and I wish it could happen.-- As people exit the voting booth, allow them to choose a sticker-- "I proudly voted." or "I proudly voted for a corrupt criminal."
Thanks Thomas Friedman!
OUTRAGEOUS!!! Call Mike Johnson 202 224 3121, Sen JD Vance 202 224 3354, Sen Mitch McConnell 202 224 2541 and tell them to get back to work and approve the funds for Ukraine !!!
So good. I do hope this one gets lots of media attention. In fact, I think I'll share it around as widely as possible, and try appending it to emails I send "journalists" for the next few days, just for the heck of it: "Meanwhile, here's an article to enjoy". First, I'll have to go read it for my own delight.
HCR boldly states, without evidence:
"On Friday, February 16, Russian authorities murdered opposition leader Alexei Navalny in prison."
By way of contrast, Korybko writes:
"Putin Had No Reason To Kill Navalny But The West Has Every Reason To Lie That He Did."
https://korybko.substack.com/p/putin-had-no-reason-to-kill-navalny
Who is right? Why is HCR engaging in the fact-free presentation of seemingly illogical talking points?
I don't care-isn't that Melania's slogan? lol
??? What the hell
Michael, I would slightly rephrase. The goals are to loot the nation of cash and natural resources, replace public education and safety net programs with for-profit business, and - finally - gut all government oversight that cuts into profits. Destroying democracy and the rule of law are the means to that end.
It really started with Reagan, giving massive tax breaks to the wealthy and waging war on labor unions and the Middle Class, which is now a shadow of what it once was here. The oligarchs are winning and if Trump gets back in power it's a sealed deal. None of us and none of our savings will be safe.
I have a Republican friend who said he hates "east coast progressives". But in the next breath he said, "we need to do something to dispose the wealth from the oligarchs."
I know he's voted for TFFG twice and likely will again. Trump works first of all for Trump and everything he has done is to enrich himself. He supports Putin because he thinks Putin will further enrich his empire. Same reason he supports Mohammed bin Salman and Erdogan.
The very first thing Trump will do is to pardon himself and all of his buddies which is a violation of the oath he just swore to.
On the mark Marge.
Exactly!
It sometimes feels like there are too many parallels with Germany in the 1930’s, as if Trump read the book. Of course as Obama pointed out recently, Trump isn’t much of a reader.
He got the message, the parallels are not accidental. Maybe passed through Roy Cohn…
Evil minds think alike?
Well I did watch a series on BBc about the rise of the nazis. He could watch on tv. But then he wouldn’t like the ending.
John, Stephen Miller is a reader and it’s been shown that he has 45’s ear.
Actually someone gave trump a copy of Mein Kamph (spelling). Must have been a mistake or a joke. I think it was Jared who read it instead.
Two weeks off. Despite a jam-packed agenda. How is this admissible?
Yes. It is extreme dereliction of duty. It is not ok that we have an evil Yankee Doodle Rasputin pulling the puppet strings for the Putin wing of the Peoples House. We The People did not elect these people to do Putin’s bidding but that is exactly what is happening here.
Because there's no rule against it.
We need to have a ruling, if the jobs not done you STAY our you can be ousted.
Once you're a dyed-in-the-DNA Confederate traitor, like all the Southern "Republicans," it's easy to be a Putin traitor.
Their integrity has worn away like their Jesus worship. Phony from the git-go
Only this time around, the threat from Russia isn't Communism. It's radical far right capitalism as promulgated by Milton Friedman and the Chicago School of Economics. (See the Naomi Klein book "Shock Doctrine".)
It's totalitarianism, whatever it's philosophical basis. They're not capitalists.
The one common thread between Soviet Russia, Communist China, Nazi Germany, Belarus, North Korea, the Banana Republics of South America, and the African dictatorships was never their economics. It was always strongman-style dictatorship: One militant big-L Leader hanging on to power and a subjugtated population.
In the end, how the goods get distributed (if ever) always becomes irrelevant. It's a neverending battle between feudalism and free self determination.
Not sure how anyone who has no standing in elected government can call the shots.. how can this be stopped?
Trump has taken over the party, and all the elected "leaders" are cowards who value their personal position and power more than their country.
Treason!? I don't get it. Maybe we are not "at war", but Americans and allies are dying. It's just so obvious that the MAGAt conspiracies in the house are causing lives to be lost (100 or so Ukrainian soldiers missing, feared executed as Russians overrun Adviivka).
'US blocks ceasefire call with third UN veto in Israel-Hamas war'
'UNITED NATIONS, Feb 20 (Reuters) - The United States on Tuesday again vetoed a draft United Nations Security Council resolution on the Israel-Hamas war, blocking a demand for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire as it instead pushes the 15-member body to call for a temporary ceasefire linked to the release of hostages held by Hamas.'
'Thirteen council members voted in favor of the Algerian-drafted text, while Britain abstained. It was the third U.S. veto of a draft resolution since the start of the current fighting on Oct. 7. Washington has also used its veto to block an amendment to draft resolution in December.'
"A vote in favor of this draft resolution is support to the Palestinians right to life. Conversely, voting against it implies an endorsement of the brutal violence and collective punishment inflicted upon them," Algeria's U.N. Ambassador Amar Bendjama told the council before the vote.'
'U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Linda Thomas-Greenfield signaled on Saturday that the U.S. would veto the draft resolution over concerns it could jeopardize talks between the U.S., Egypt, Israel and Qatar that seek to broker a pause in the war and the release of hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip.'
"Demanding an immediate, unconditional ceasefire without an agreement requiring Hamas to release the hostages will not bring about a durable peace. Instead, it could extend the fighting between Hamas and Israel,"
'Thomas-Greenfield told the council ahead of the vote.'
'The Algerian-drafted resolution vetoed by the U.S. did not link a ceasefire to the release of hostages. It separately demanded an immediate humanitarian ceasefire and the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages.'
"The message given today to Israel with this veto is that it can continue to get away with murder," Palestinian U.N. envoy Riyad Mansour told the council.'
'Israel's U.N. Ambassador Gilad Erdan said the word ceasefire was being mentioned "as if it is a silver bullet, a magical solution to all of the region's problems." (Reuters By Michelle Nichols) See link to the article below.
https://www.reuters.com/world/us-casts-third-veto-un-action-since-start-israel-hamas-war-2024-02-20/
Michael, did you ever watch “The Americans” series on FX? It was amazing and I am certain many truths were thrown in.
Yes. Glad you jogged my memory. I badly want to know how today’s real traitors are being paid and or blackmailed.
Michael Bales,
We MUST vote them out of office!!!!
So damn sad. We have idiots in this country who can’t think for themselves they just get on the bandwagon of another Hitler personality. They don’t understand what that would truly mean dictator over democracy. I’ve heard people say that would be ok. STUPID PEOPLE
FOLLOW THE MONEY. Trump has 2 paths out of his current situation - rob the GOP treasury, and keep in Putin’s good graces. Will the GOP hand the reigns over to the Trumps? It would be the final straw for Republicans. But they can hold back the cash to Ukraine, and they think it costs nothing.
Last week, after being asked about the US Election, Putin said he had hoped Biden wins, because Biden is reliable to work with. It was a slap in the face for Trump.
Red herring.
Putin like his boyfriend Trump would never endorse anyone or anything unless he thinks he would benefit. He is a liar and a thief who thinks the only way to work with someone is to have them killed...in that way, he is reliable.
He knows US politics. Lies used strategically. I remember the pics from Helsinki. Master and puppet. Chump would be useful to Putin for awhile, then to the trash pile…
Trump has another path out, and that is financial rescue by the Saudis or by Putin. The national security ramifications of that, should Trump be re-elected, are horrifying.
Well, insofar as democracy and rule of egalitarian and just law are impediments to those who would be Galactic Emperor.
So Johnson is Jar-Jar Binks? Yep. That fits.
Do you think Putin might be sending cash to Trump?
It would seem, but nit brown paper envelopes thrown over the transom. More like professional money laundering.
"In terms of high-end product influx into the US, Russians make up a pretty disproportionate cross-section of a lot of our assets," Donald Trump Jr. said at a New York real-estate conference that year. "Say, in Dubai, and certainly with our project in SoHo, and anywhere in New York. We see a lot of money pouring in from Russia." - Trump Jr.
"“So when I got in the cart with Eric,” Dodson says, “as we were setting off, I said, ‘Eric, who’s funding? I know no banks—because of the recession, the Great Recession—have touched a golf course. You know, no one’s funding any kind of golf construction. It’s dead in the water the last four or five years.’ And this is what he said. He said, ‘Well, we don’t rely on American banks. We have all the funding we need out of Russia.’ I said, ‘Really?’ And he said, ‘Oh, yeah. We’ve got some guys that really, really love golf, and they’re really invested in our programs. We just go there all the time.’ "
I have no clue. It was clear when Trump was president that Putin held sway over him. Blackmail? Likely, judging from Trump's groveling to Putin in Helsinki. Financial Incentives? For example, U.S. security secrets for sale? There are many possibilities, all extremely difficult to prove. That said, there's no doubt that security agencies of NATO countries and perhaps others are sharing Information with their U.S. counterparts. Let's hope we eventually learn the truth.
There's the old saying "you're not paranoid if they're really out to get you". You don't have to be a conspiracy person to recognize a real conspiracy or systemic cooperation when it's glaring you in the eye.
Johnson is a christian nationalist anti democracy worm
In other words, a southern "Republican"
Oh so subtle TC.
D. O. - Johnson is a white FAUX-christian nationalist anti democracy worm. There I fixed it for you :)
👍🏼👍🏼
Pelosi was Speaker of maybe the most productive House ever.
Wow. Im enraged,but I can't go there.
It's seeming more clear the 2 A people were telling us their plans all along, weapons to fight the " government" we forgot WE are the government , and they wanted to terrify ( and kill) us.
And they harness evil and resentful "Christian" nationalists in heir ranks.
This all needs to be shu down. Go ahead, Empty Gee, dump Johnson. He rethugs can't elect a new Speaker, but decent republicans aligned with democrats can.
I still have hope.
So many moderate GOP house members are retiring due to the chaos - leaving the door wide open for more crazies.
Patricia, The door might be open for some Democrats who now have a better chance than against an incumbent.
Let's hope so!
Forgive me if I misunderstood, but did you really say that a few House Republicans should be murdered? Ever since I first learned of Dirty Harry & Charles Bronson movies I worried that we were building a culture of "murder is ok as long as we're murdering the bad guys." Who cares about due process or innocent until proven guilty?
I know it's tempting, really I do. At the same time, I think we have to be very careful not to allow any hints of authoritarian methods slip into our recommendations or even our stated fantasies. We either believe that democracy and the rule of law work or we don't. There's no in-between when the stakes are this high.
Agree. Crucial difference.
Yep
Or at least not be able to attend the meetings. Didn't the republicans say no show equals no vote?
"Choosing" Johnson? Mostly unknown? I don't think he was unknown to Trump.
Assuming someone took his hand and pointed.
I agree 100%, but the Ukrainian people can't wait until then. They need support NOW or we will be sending OUR young men and women over to support our NATO allies.
That is the way it is set up right now, but House members wrote the rules and House members can change them. It just takes a little initiative and some courage.
Nov is a long way off in many ways that count, and at our doorstep in other critical ways. By Nov, Putin will rule the fools, and Ukraine too
We need this win to save us from the crazies. The states who elected these crazies need a reality check. Green, Johnson Bobert etc need to be ousted
It is not always the cream that rises to the top. Check out an open sewer.
Ironically the Speaker is walking on an unravelling tight rope. We can count on lod MTG for that.
Nancy Pelosi said “we have our ways” that they can bring a vote to the floor, ok, why aren’t they using this way??
I dont know why those who voted not to certify the election havent be dealt with within the house.
Especially those proved to have been in on the scam.
That they were seated when Pelosi was speaker still baffles me. She could have refused to let them into the chamber.
She'd have needed 2/3 of the House in favor and probably didn't have that.
Could she have?
Their constituents voted them in.
Vote!
We need two Republican Congresscritters to switch parties to Independent and caucus with the Democrats to elect Jeffries as Speaker.
Congress would get so much done like passing all of the spending bills and aid to Ukraine and Israel.
I have been strongly suggesting this to a couple of Republican Congresscritters who are in purple districts. So far, no movement.
They wouldn't need to change parties, just vote that way.
I think they do need to switch to elect a new Speaker otherwise they couldn't bring the new Speakership up for a vote. And they can't vote on anything else until they have a new speaker.
The motion to recall the Speaker can be made by any member, and the same supermajority that we're hoping will make these moves can elect whoever they choose, presumably Mr. Jeffries. That could be done in about the time it took you and I to write these comments with a little pre-planning and communication.
My question is, why aren't we in the streets making the outrage felt by a majority of Americans? Who and what are we afraid of? Why can't we find a leader to help us organize protests? Our country needs action now! We can't afford to simply wait until November when we have the opportunity to vote so that we can watch things slowly get played out. Thankfully we are not living in Russia! We are paying our Representatives to do a job which the majority of Americans right now are dissatisfied with and outraged about.
She also said ‘I don’t hate…’ it so stuck in my mind early in this …game? It was a profound principle.
I don’t hate either…
People who hate kill, cheat, lie, steal, misrepresent oaths …because they’re selfish bullies?
Thanks Tina 🫶
Johnson kicked them out of the House for 2 weeks to avoid the use of the “other ways”. They can’t use them in an empty house. The minority should just take over if the majority vacates the house with work left undone!
I always thought of the Republican Party a bunch of fascists, now the are a bunch of reds - communists.
The question is, why aren't we... ?
You are quick with reflexive boilerplate smears.
Please spell out exactly what your agenda is, how you would accomplish it, and your timeline. Real world suggestions only please. Taking into account the Constitution and the current Congress.
I have my theory. Democrats have a strong progressive wing that doesn’t sell well to the majority and this component ultimately reduces the ability to win super majorities. It’s that simple. I’ve observed this over and over. The most egregious was Ralph Nader in 2000 who just had to satiate his ego by running for president by taking 90,000 votes in Florida. Jill Stein repeated it with less influence in 2016. These people just don’t get that this nation will not win on progressive platforms and indeed will open Pandora’s box to far right rule. We’re a middle road political nation. And when we are divided we are conquered. It’s that simple.
Agree 100%, why don’t the progressives get this? And I’m more progressive than any of them, even Bernie. But I don’t cut off my nose to spite my face. Still really pissed at Ralph.
I am with you, Jeri. I consider myself to be a true progressive and have now distanced myself from Bernie and his group to some extent. To my way of thinking, they need to be more practical in their approach. Rome wasn't built in a day, so to speak. IMO, Bernie makes a mistake calling himself a "Democratic Socialist" when, in fact, Pragmatic Capitalist would be a better term. This country isn't going to support a declared Socialist.
God, I would love a world where progressive ideas ruled and conservative wasn’t just another word for greedy rule. Most embrace some socialists ideas but as Truman said “Socialism is the epithet they have hurled at every advance The people have made in the last 20 years.” Change that to 80 years and he would still be right. Words matter as Frank Luntz taught repubs. W’s “compassionate conservatism” was a bad joke, but Dems could own “government for the people.” And then set out to prove it.
I believe that Frances Perkins would sum it up like this: "Government should be for ALL the people, and not a select few."
Bernie has the causes but no solution. His best platform is Medicare for all but it's going nowhere either.
I feel a national convulsion coming.
Jen, are we not presently undergoing a "national convulsion?" It's here. We're in the middle of it. We have tens of millions of Americans supporting a would-be dictator. How much worse can it get short of a civil war with neighbors killing neighbors?
No wait, I AM definitely much more progressive than anyone on this comment board. And I agree - to some degree. :)
Bill Katz, what programs do you consider "too progressive" that get us into trouble with swing voters? There is no point in discussing the cult. Anything we propose - even like defending democracy - they will condemn.
What policies lose us votes with the "persuadables"? Are there any?
I totally agree about fringe third party candidates like Stein and Nader. Ranked Choice Voting is the long term answer to that. For now they are enemies.
But there is such a thing as a "mainstream progressive" who believes in a better system of taxes, schooling, healthcare, climate work, retirement systems, housing opportunities, providing decent water to drink...all good stuff that would be popular, no?
So what "progressive" stuff is causing us troubles other than a few fringe people?
Bill Maher blathers constantly about some "elites" who resemble not at all any Dems I know. Every idiotic comment from a progressive gets mega attention. It is not US. Dems are practical, and want efficiency that works for all. Sure they have catered to money, but have not sold their souls. My measly contributions can't match the bucks of the oligarchs. Thank God for Soros because he cares about things that I care about, and he is NOT guilty of the propaganda that has been hung around his neck since he was 14 years old. Dems are inclusive of all humans (as far as I can tell) and are not the users that the repubs are. Hope you figure that out, farmers and rural folks. You have the most to lose.
Bill, this is the first I’m hearing about mainstream progressives. How does this splinter group differ from more left leaning “progressive” progressives and the more radical “radical progressives”?
I used to be a centrist republican before I got disgusted with the party as a whole. Dismissing labels, my politics steered to Independent, thinking that a third party needed voices. That WAS WRONG HEADED on my part. Now I embrace a Compromise Party that includes regular Democrats, rational independents, progressive leaning Democrats as well as the “convincible” radical progressives to make a binary voting choice for Democracy vs Trumpism
The need for splinter groups to pick purity test candidates is now too dangerous for our Republic to survive
Let me rephrase. My sense of "progressive" is pretty much what most Americans want. Reproductive rights, affordable housing, affordable health-care, affordable food...equal educational opportunity. And we are concerned about climate!
And yet the word has been bastardized just like liberal and conservative. Being "progressive" is wanting progress. I reject the demonization of the word :)
He is from my state Connecticut. After the election, he was speaking somewhere in Hartford my hometown. I had the idea at the time to buy a pie and toss it in his face. I was a runner so I figured I could have outrun anyone, lol.
W lives within "going" distance from me now. I have an urge to go and throw a shoe at the ignorant bastard, but so many targets these days.
ditto.
Jeb Bush disqualified more voters than Nader took . Lay blame where it belongs, and w the Supreme Court.
And don't forget three of its members helped throw2000 to the moron W.
Damn you to hell John Roberts and Brett " I like beer" kavenaugh
Please don't leave out Leonard Leo.
Yes! Leo, the architect of overthrowing our courts, the creator of 40+ shell companies under the disguise of “non-profits”. Leo, the good friend of the Thomasses (yes, deliberately spelled wrong), and every R millionaire/billionaire. He is the devil incarnate but hey, you already knew that, lin.
Your theory is sound, but some of the progressives are also pretty good practical politicians and should be willing to buy in on an effort like this. Jeffries is a smart enough leader not to make the McCarthy Mistake and the upside, as many of us have noted, is huge.
You would think. Something's out out of whack there.
So, so, so out of whack! Our system has long operated on the agreement that our officials would (at least eventually) “do the right thing,’ and we can no longer count on that.
Our hired agents, but also we the people are obliged to negotiate in good faith. Like the human body, we have the resilience to ward off some pretty bad actors, but sepsis can overwhelm and kill. Democracy can weather lies and treachery so long as we vigorously detect, call out, and rebuff them, but if we the people snooze, most assuredly, we lose.
Agreed, J L. We cannot afford the luxury of an attention lapse. We must be vigilant in holding our elected (and appointed) officials to a high standard - a standard that we must also maintain. We also need to hold our journalists to higher standards than has been adopted by so many in the past several decades.
Yes, what’s behind that backdrop -I , (perhaps YOU too?) , don’t understand? Seems the simplest of people are starving to death or being brutally murdered. They are the victims…so ‘strong men’ can get more?
🤷♀️
"Strong men" = greedy, unprincipled, opportunists. The only thing "strong" about Trump aside from the corrupting power of money, is the stench of extreme corruption.
I am subscribed to Ruth Ben Ghait too . I know the term but certainly seems a misnomer . The books she, Heather, and some other well knowns have written are so informational. We ought to see these men coming, the slow infiltration stacking the courts, AG’s , etc. Geesh! I live in WV , Justice ran as. Dem and switched after elected. I hope THAT gets ruled have to serve your term out THEN can switch. Nothing left to assumption, right?
I enjoy your posts JL.
Getting sufficient Progressive Caucus support for a discharge petition and passing of the supplemental aid package may be difficult/impossible - especially after Bernie Sanders' purity test No Vote in the Senate.
Fear of MAGA. That’s the leverage. And it’s powerful. That’s why a crime boss, Trump, is so dangerous.
Agree Michael. They are like Hitler’s brown shirts, given permission to be violent.
Perfect
We need to organize huge demonstrations in support of democracy. We need to surround Congress and demand that they do their job. Trump is not president. We need to get 200,000 people to surround the Supreme Court and demand at least 3 resignations of those who lied or were semi- legally appointed. The courts are protecting the MAGA agenda.
Sounds like you and I grew up about the same time and with similar views of political activism. The weather is about right for a couple of weeks in DC.
I'd go to DC but we need to be organized. Where do we start?
Good question, and I suspect the answer lies with people like Dr. Richardson who has the social media stature and personal reputation to start a movement in that direction. If enough of us show our willingness to participate and help spread the word, it wouldn't take much of a spark to get things going.
Good answer! I hope someone will step up soon. I am SO ready!
Virtual protests don’t have much emotional impact.
Or much political impact either.
Yes. I am still waiting for Hakeem Jeffries to use a work-a-round. Of course, I suppose they have to be in session to do this. Since he recessed them until Feb 28, not much is getting done. I wonder how he is justifying this. I think people in the USA should be taking to the streets and picketing outside of Congress for the do nothing House to get back to work. I am reading that there is a new bill that has been drafted by bipartisan commission, but Jeffries does not want to support the bill. Noticeably absent is humanitarian aid for Gaza. https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/bipartisan-house-members-unveil-new-border-foreign-aid/story?id=107348740
So, will there be competition between 2 bills. By creating this second bill, Republicans do put in Border, which would stick it to Trump. I think Jeffries should consider it and find a work-a-round for humanitarian aid.
"Since he recessed them until Feb 28, not much is getting done."
Hakeem Jeffries is the Democratic minority leader of the House. Michael Johnson is the Republican majority Speaker of the House. Johnson called the recess.
Johnson, ie Trump, announced before seeing it that the House would not consider the bipartisan Senate border and aid bill, and enough Senate Republicans voted No to sink it. Johnson refuses to consider the bipartisan aid bill passed by the Democratic majority Senate -which includes humanitarian aid to Gaza. This is what needs to be put to a vote in the House.
Hi Lin, While Jeffries is the Minority Leader of the House, it has been discussed that there is a way he could possibly bring the bill to a vote by going around Johnson. It would require him to get 217 or 218 votes (I have read of both numbers of votes needed) for a discharge petition, and perhaps he does not have that. He appears to have 300 in support of the legislation according to SAN.
https://san.com/cc/jeffries-considers-discharge-petition-to-go-around-speaker-johnson-on-foreign-aid/
This is what I am wanting him to do. Jeffries is only willing to do this for one bill, and not the newer one I am reading about. I would prefer him to consider the second bill, but hope he does not have to. By developing a second bill, it is possible he cannot get the 300 votes for the discharge petition. However, I am past the point of expecting Johnson to do anything because he is a worthless sheep in Trump's pasture. So, while I agree that the aid to Gaza should be the bill, I am also in support of the other bill for getting aid to our allies.
Boilerplate smear.
What is your goal and how will you achieve it?
While that may be true, when one represents the whole group one is often forced to take a more middling path.
I don't understand either. I'd be so ashamed if I was one of them (republicans in both houses and many other elected republicans). They seem to easily send young people of to fight and die for...not sure...I thought it was Democracy. Yet, only two, Cheney and Kinzinger, had the courage to put the country before their careers. A very small sacrifice, wouldn't you say? The gop has had several opportunities to put trump out of our misery - their own misery. Most of them hate him and would love to be rid of him. And most do not love putin's Russia. I still believe that most of them understand how important our democracy is to the lives of all Americans, including themselves and their loved ones. Yet, they fall to their knees at the little don's feet and for what? Their pathetic failed careers of lust for greed/power? They are playing games with our democracy - with world democracy - with freedom. It is a very dangerous game. And the guy who they allow to lead us closer to doom is a frightened, cowardly, angry, willfully ignorant, simple minded, resentful, mean spirited, vengeful, malignantly narcissistic, sociopathic/psychopathic, half insane, creep in serious mental decline. Did I miss anything?
By the way, I think that my description of donald was fair and accurate, though I admit I hate the harmful things he's done to us and continues to do, even those who don't see it.
Your description is demonstrably correct. If anything, it's too kind to him.
They do have recourse - called a discharge petition. They are working on it but struggling to find consensus. Remember how diverse Dems are. Herding cats is one hell of a challenge.
Keeping the Russians out of Ukraine, the Chinese out of Taiwan, the Israelis from killing half the population of Gaza and the failed insurrectionist out of the White House are challenges; getting agreement on effective governance is nothing compared to those and such an agreement would make meeting the challenges much easier.
Really good call 🙏
I strongly believe the House rules need to be changed, making it much easier to over-rule any refusal to bring a bill or nomination to the floor for a vote. It makes little to no sense to allow a single person to control the business of the house to that extent. Being in the majority is already a powerful advantage. There should be a neutral position, possibly even an appointee, who is tasked with assessing the degree of accordance on any vote and when a tie is unlikely, and debate died down to a degree, any bill or nomination should be brought to the floor and given a fair chance at being considered and passed, tabled, or rejected.
I wonder how House rules are amended. I don't wonder why a rule that gives such overwhelming but unjust and often impractical power to whichever party is already in the majority survives. Those in power at any one time are loathe to give any of it away, regardless of how fair and moral the move might be.
The rules are made in the unironically named House Rules Committee; both the general rules for each Congress, and the specific rules of debate for each bill that comes up. I'm not enough of a parliamentary historian to determine the point at which the process went off the rails, but that's where any long-term change would take place. McCarthy's ego driven error was in putting a substantial number (4 or 6 out of 9 Republicans and 13 total members) of MAGA types on the rules committee and including the ability of a single member of Congress to initiate the recall of the Speaker as a privileged motion. One can argue that the Speaker was intended to be just the neutral person you suggest which is at least part of the reason for omitting a requirement that the Speaker be a member of the House. Wikipedia has quite a good discussion of the history and development of the Rules Committee.
Ah, Wikipedia. I do find them to be extra helpful. I don't always remember to check them, so thanks for the reminder.
They're not quite gospel, but they are more accurate than not.
I couldn’t agree with you more, Dave. If it’s broken, it needs to be fixed or bypassed, somehow, at least in the case of Ukraine!
As well as those soldiers and civilians killed while holding up this support. The Biden adminastration needs to call this out loud and often!! This inaction by the cowardly Retrumplicans is totally unexceptable.
Vote their asses out of office! All of them. Not one Republican needs to remain in any office.
Daniel Cooper,
Not to discount one or two decent Republicans ...I think the entire party needs to go. Putin has "bought" too many. We are either for America and for freedom of the people, by the people or we are supporting dictatorships.
Too much blood has been shed for freedom!!!
Has even one Trump served this country in the military??? Has even one Trump given his or her life for the freedom of each and all??? NEVER!!!! THEY ARE PARASITES!
Well said, Emily. We are definitely on the same wavelength. All of the Republicans MUST go!!! We have GOT TO VITE THEM OUT!!!
If we don’t, we will all be speaking Russian as a first language!!
Sounds to me like Mike Johnson is commiting treason!
He already was a traitor before we were aware he existed. He's the one who hatched the plans for fake electors. Correction/edit: still a traitor. Here's his involvement.
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/rcna122081
Data? I've read Cheney's book but don't evidence he hatched that. Thought it was Cheese-Bro.
It’s on the record in news reports at the time he was given the gavel that he was “involved” in the planning of J6.
I am sure he assisted.
Not sure about Cheese-Bro😎 Still think Johnson is a traitor for the part he did play.
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/rcna122081
Hoping he's on Jack Smith's radar.
US Federal Definition: In Article III, Section 3 of the United States Constitution, treason is specifically limited to levying war against the U.S., or adhering to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort.[2]
Penalty: Under U.S. Code Title 18, the penalty is death,[4] or not less than five years' imprisonment (with a minimum fine of $10,000, if not sentenced to death). Any person convicted of treason against the United States also forfeits the right to hold public office in the United States.[5]
My understanding — and I’m no lawyer either — is that treason is giving aid and comfort to foreign enemies of our country. When this is done by citizens against our country, it’s sedition.
Sounds like he is "adhering to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort." The way the Supreme Court these days decide cases.... I am no lawyer.
I thought treason only applied during declared war.
well if you look at the definition, it is technically an OR logic, so that means one or the other. But in practice you are probably generally right...but there have been instances of people put to death during the cold war, without war being declared....
And of course "enemy" refers to a country that Congress has declared war against.
The person with the power that MAGA Mike Johnson is ceding to is Trump. Trump is ruling by proxy through Mike Johnson who is allowing him to, even though he was not elected by the people. He refuses to accept that. That people would want to vote for such a sore loser is indicative of a very emotionally immature segment of the US population. I personally think people in the USA should be picketing outside Mike Johnson's home until he brings the bill to the floor, and picketing in front of Congress until he brings the legislation to the floor. I am in Germany. I believe Democrats Abroad are planning a big pro democracy rally on the 4th of July, but it is in the works. I am dismayed at how passively involved so many people are. What are they waiting for. It is less effective to demonstrate after the fact. The fact that there were pro-choice demonstrations had to give the Supreme Court enough pause to make it a state decision not a national decision to end abortion rights. There needs to be more protest marching in the USA. Here in Germany there are regular demonstrations against fascism. According to TAZ there have been more than 2 million people taking part in more than 500 demonstrations since mid January. You could call the majority German population Antifa, if you will. There is police presence, but not action, and the protests are peaceful, so no agitators have been planted to stir up trouble to my knowledge. We should not be paying salaries for these incompetent people.
I'm the first to agree with you, Linda. Our hands (and feet) are not tied—yet.
i dont understand it either......if there is a movement to protest, please put me on the notification list. Life is too good, maybe, for Americans???
I think it is. At least for the Americans I know what they worry about is getting their children into the right colleges, and their social activities. For some there are financial worries too, but I know a lot of comfortable people. Thinking about Trump makes them uncomfortable, but it reminds me of how many Ukrainians felt before Feb 24, 2022. They were comfortable with their lives the way they were, and then they were hit with bombs overnight. Well, Trump and the Republicans have been bombing Americans with legislation but that is clearly not concrete enough to engage in battle too. We are looking at legislation being enacted that is going to make birth control be illegal, because it will be tied to preventing conception and therefore aborting a fetus. Americans also have a terrible work-life balance, which means that no one has energy to work, then do things to relax and fit in protest. However, it is this very work-life balance that is being fought for with the programs Biden is trying to enact and the Republicans are trying to destroy. Clearly they feel that only the super wealthy deserve leisure and to feel secure in their well-being, something that people I know here in Germany take for granted without being millionaires. It is a house of cards that needs reinforcement in the USA, but for that people need energy.
Bingo. It's one of the most egregious of a long list of undemocratic rules adopted by Congress, without any say by the people.
Public servants?
Servants of fiefdoms.
You are 100% correct although he is just following his mentor, Tommy, who did the same thing for almost a year. If Congress wants to do some real work, they need to close loopholes that would let overpowerful things like this happen.
Of the people, for the people, by the people. Johnson is Un-American and as much a murderer as his boss.
He is a more than willing henchman.
Silence and inaction in the face of tyranny only embolden dictators; democratic nations must stand firm in their support for freedom and justice.
That's what the persecution and murder of Alexei Navalny was meant to instill. Despots always fear and suppress truth and agency.
The jist seems a minority IS dictating. That evil people are controlling. Is it just talk? Ya know that incessant blather ? The headlines , talking heads and parrots of Putin?
I woke this morning thinking I probably couldn’t name all those actively involved in upsetting global well being. How many more didn’t I know ( did I really want to know?) , undoubtably rich mostly who with more than enough -want more , stop at nothing, murder, taking hand or ‘commanding’ in destroying peace? They wryly smile ,sinister laughs , deny the majority for selfish gain…they don’t care about what the world or earth, much less even us …needs….they care only for their own selfish gain…of more 🤦♀️
Meanwhile back on the Good Ship Principle the people are plugging away for WE THE PEOPLE . I thought , as I laid comfortable in warmth , not yet hungry, my needs met, what more could I do ? Send a loving note to a dear friend whose father is dying, decide where my $5 could best go to a new candidate or a sitting elected who actually wants/does follow rules, honors oath, helps improve /correct and strengthen the leaderships of my Good Ship?
I haven’t lost hope.
I long ago decided not to watch the news (except PBS ) , especially the barkers profiting from selling their ( and many other’s) lies and sensationalizing disinformation.
So, I joined Substack , found quality information , gaining knowledge ( still) of the complexity out there, that I was on the good Ship …and particularly how little participation in voting there was .
That surprised me! What also surprised me was how many people got duped by con men, ‘strong men’…(such an odd labeling) and wrong men ( not omitting those few women).
I stay the hope. Still believe there are far many more on the Good Ship Principle than on most of the Oligarch’s yachts. Understanding there’s some representing elected officers who aren’t on ‘our ship’ , jumped ship , in fact, and their captains are known liars, murderers, con/strong/wrong men.
So I’ll work to GOTV- GET OUT THE VOTE- and encourage ( applaud and admire) the many of you who do ,and can , so much better write about, solicit for, fortify , and fuel our Good Ship Principle.
Thank you and salute. 🫶
💙💙VOTE ALL THE COMPLICIT OUT💙💙
Sometimes there really is a conspiracy.
On the other hand, Nancy Pelosi used those same powers to get Biden’s agenda through a closely divided House.
But did she personally sabotage the will of a bipartisan majority.
Amen, brother
JL Graham,
In my opinion, we do not need a political party in the USA that is controlled by Putin!!!!
We need to be looking at and talking more about conflicts of interests. Profit making businesses do. Corruption in my view is abuse of entrusted power, and I think we have been seeing a grotesque expansion of the normalization of corruption as a feature of American politics and culture since Watergate. Yes, Nixon was corrupt, but their was a bipartisan effort for rectification, at least until Ford warped the already autocratic power of pardon; after which the once "Party of Lincoln" appeared to select the trail blazed by Joe McCarthy and Joe Goebbels. Quite a bit of solid evidence of malice aforethought in abuse of powers is currently being uncovered in the courts right now. We cannot trust life or death decisions (or even less critical ones) to untrustworthy people.
But science and history demonstrate that self-serving bias need not be even intentional, not even conscious, to enter outcomes, which is a large part of why the scientific method uses randomizing and sometimes double-blind procedures. It is just wacko to entrust ANYONE with power without minimizing incentives to cheat. I am not cynical about human nature and see our better angels as well as our sociopathic side, but we are fools if we fail to use our capacities for reason and justice to manage our own capacity for harmfully irresponsible and predatory behaviors, in ourselves and in our society. We all have a unique individual and social nature which ideally we integrate together. We all can claim unalienable rights as well as bear social responsibilities, to at the very least, do no significant harm. We need to face and self-manage who and what we are, and what we are is complicated; but well worth cultivating and protecting from our own follies.
I believe -- or, more truthfully, hope forlornly -- that Mikey Mouse is forcing the issue to be resolved by a discharge petition, at which point the Democrats will vote to keep Speaker Johnson in place in the face of yet another trumper tantrum and pass the bill. Yepper: I am hoping against hope that Mikey Mouse is not that venal to place ambition ahead of stopping a genocide and shutting down W.W.III before it goes full-blown.
P.S., pardon me while I barf out of shame, disgust, and embarrassment that the last of the belovèd America I knew is blown away. 😢
I thought we were a democracy where the MAJORITY ruled!
"No one person should have such power over a majority." have you read the constitutin lately.? I haven't, but i remember the prez has similar power.
If any one person should have such power, it should surely be the president. Or the house of cards collapses.
The presidency is obviously the post powerful of governmental roles, but even there are supposed to be "checks and balances" ( I read it in school). Imperial presidents are controversial these days, and the Constitution deliberately divided powers. That said, the House of Representatives is supposed to be the body that most readily and literally reflects the will of the people. If the process is not fundamentally democratic there, is it really government of, by and for the people?
Not at the moment.
Boy I can remember when I learned that a "simple Majority" was what was needed to advance a proposed action, rule or law. Grifters, con men and their ilk have learned how to make that simple rule meaningless. We are a Nation of Laws as I am often told and that too has become meaningless. Human rights, Animal rights, Environmental protections, clean air and water, a decent education...So many things I thought I knew about the United States, its constitution, its government and the way it aught to be run have disappeared. And it is the outlaws, the feckless celebrities and the rowdy crowds that have accomplished this thing I used to believe is/was my country. Lot of anger, a lot of hate, a lot of resentments and a lot of limited minds have taken charge.
The answer to this is...Discharge Petition...Time for Republicans to put their money where their mouth is
GOP stands for Government of Putin. We have to remember the vote is absolutely essential to a peace in this world and a peace in the United States. If Russia is not stopped in Ukraine Poland is next and then we are in a world war. History repeating itself. Heather, keep ringing the bell of the Old North Church!
GOP: Grovelers Obeying Putin
Christopher L Groesbeck,
Thank you for the FACTS! Putin wants us engaged in a war in Europe. He is also using the situation in Gaza where innocent people have been killed, hostages as well as Palestinians!!!, families starving, Palestinians removed from their homes...becoming refugees. (Was the October event /hostages just a set up to bring the US, and its financial support to destroy the citizens of Gaza...to strengthen Netanyahu's power....amazing coincidence that Israel's "protective shield" was not functioning as usual at the same time of the October event????.....to accomplish his dream to take over Gaza????)
"Pirates" disrupting our major transportation routes, drones being used to attack ships. Each disruption challenging out delicate relationships in the middle east.
Thanks over and over again to our peacekeepers!!!!
If we open our eyes, we can see clearly the rise of dictators throughout the world, economies failing!!! This along with catastrophic earthquakes, floods, droughts, etc. have increased the flow of human beings to our borders. Do we still offer hope? In spite of our struggles, are we still "The Light on the Hill?" Are our churches and other various places of worship filled with hope or entertainment, or politics, or dying as institutions as places of care and support and the love/faith we have been blessed to receive. Do we blindly follow the "Leader" or do we search for truth as we read and pray and observe with our own eyes the many disruptions going on in the world?
These are challenging times....they are challenging for me personally.
President Joe Biden is a great human being...he loves this country...he has served many years...leaders all over the world know who he is and what he stands for! He and each and every "peacekeeper" ....worldwide...need to have our support especially during these days.
We have great leaders who are holding our country together...we have Heather and other truth tellers whom we must treasure daily.
We must also do our part...nothing is too small.
Amen!
We're next.
Goombahs for Putin
Christopher L Groesbeck raves hysterically, hallucinating that Russia will invade Poland.
Fuck off
Please do not feed the troll.
Ask the Polish people, I have and they see this coming. Look up Fiona Hill who is the expert on Putin. Her point is that we have never understood Putin. Raving hysterically ? Why don’t we call it looking ahead at the distinct possibilities.
Please do not feed the troll.
Why would anyone in their right mind think that Putin has designs on Poland? Putin made it very clear, toward the beginning of his Ukraine invasion, that his designs were on the RUSSIAN-SPEAKING areas of Ukraine -- about half of that illogical, artificially-stapled-together country.
Putin has been short of manpower throughout his Ukrainian misadventure, so if you think that he plans to turn his exhausted army next on NATO-backed Poland, then maybe you've been smoking too much crack cocaine.
I will long remember Yulia Navalnaya’s stunning and courageous speech. What would the world be like were she and Navalny leading Russia?
What would our country be like if Bernie had been our candidate in 2016!
I've caucused for Bernie.
But keep in mind, Sanders just voted NO on the Senate supplemental aid bill (because of aid to Israel even though Biden's new National Security Memorandum would have prevented delivery of that aid.)
Worse, Sanders said nothing about Ukraine
I was a Bernie delegate in 2016. He knew that the supplemental aid bill would pass in the Senate, so he could vote his conscience about Israel. In the same way, he didn't need to say anything about Ukraine since lots of others were weighing in.
This notion of 'vote your conscience' as putting yourself first is a misreading/misrepresentation of conscience. Conscience is what helps us put the greater good above our own predilections. Sanders was pandering to purity test extremists in his base. In voting No to the bill, Sanders voted No to the democratic process by which consensus was achieved. In that he was no better than right wing extremists. And he did nothing to help Palestinians.
The bottom line is that Sanders has long been a voice of opposition to Putin and a supporter of Ukraine. Simultaneously, he has long been a voice of reasonable, accurate and moral opposition to the oh-so-many wars we have supported/engaged in over the years. He has always stood in righteous opposition to the nascent fascism within the Netanyahu/Fanatical Zionist coalition that currently governs the once democratic State of Israel.
It appears to me that he was balancing as best he could in this vote.
And let us all be honest with ourselves----The horrific death of that monument to courage named Alexi Navalny, should call on all of us to vigorously renew our support for Ukraine.
Yet it cannot blind us to the greater slaughter of thousands of Palestinian people at the hands of another fanatical government that puts ego and twisted religiosity over people. And it is that government that is funded and armed by American taxpayers.
Biden's direction to UN Representative Linda Thomas-Greenfield to yet again veto a cease fire resolution is a direct imprimatur to the ongoing slaughter of many.
This is a shameful day in our history, without doubt.
The US vetoed Algeria's call for a ceasefire because it said nothing about the hostages and because it would negatively impact ongoing negotiations. You do not mention that the Biden administration has put forward the draft of a proposal which calls for a ceasefire and release of the hostages. Such a proposal - backed up by Biden's increasingly public criticism of the Netanyahu regime, calls for a ceasefire, snd pressure to not attack Rafah - has a better chance of actually helping. Biden is up against those who cry antisemitism ar any criticism of Israeli policy and those who cry genocide at any support of Israel. And Biden is doing this in context of a racist right wing religious extremist Israeli regime which for four years enjoyed full support for its worst abuses - by the racist right wing religious extremist Trump regime. Netanyahu is hoping he can split American voters and use them to help elect Trump again.
You have conveniently forgotten the twisted religiosity of the enemies of Israel. Nothing in Judaism compares to that. Another Chomsky-esque false equivalancy.
The people you paint as "purity test extremists" happen to be the majority of American citizens whom poll after poll shows that Americans do not want to support genocide or support a party that requires championing genocide as a litmus test of loyalty. That "greater good" you speak of is a pandering of the party operatives to Netanyahu and AIPAC money. It does not represent democracy or the will of citizens. To call it even "representative democracy" is sophistry.
Polls do not ask is you want to support genocide or not.........those are your words??/
Sanders has made many strong statements supporting Ukraine, since Putin attacked.
Statements. But he voted against sending aid. Snd against the entire democratic process by which consensus was achieved.
I was an alternate delegate for Bernie.
Even Bernie admitted that there was no way to say, but several national polls put Sanders ahead of both Trump and Ms. Clinton at one point in a three way match. Sander's emphasized the need to reign in the excessive control of government by money, which is a key priority for me as well. Could he have managed it had he won? He could if enough support had gathered around it. The plutocrats will attack reform tooth and nail. But plutocrats got their nails trimmed in the 20th Century when certain leaders and social movements stood up to them. In 1954, even conservative (small "c") Eisenhower dismissed plutocrats who wanted to slash social regulations and services as "stupid".
Yes Betsy, or if any of the winners of the popular vote had actually won.
Especially Al Gore in 2000.
Your system is unfair and dysfunctional
Or more simply, if Donald Trump had lost no matter WHO ran against him?
The people outnumber the putin rulers.. they need to stand up.. the russian military may be at its weakest, and even within the military there may be many who oppose the regime.. wouldn’t it be justice, if Navalny’s widow became the liberty at the barricades, the Joan of Arc of russia, and lead them to overthrow putin and his thugs?
That's putting way too much on that person's shoulders. Putin will have her and her kids killed in the blink of an eye if he wants...with impunity by the fearful Russians.
Yes, Putin's Death Squad is ready.
Bruce, thats so true and so sad.. russia will never reach its full potential without so much blood..
D.O.
Would it not be excellent for Navalny's widow to become the first DEMOCRATIC leader of Russia? What a heroine!!!!
A fairy tale, sadly
Very brave woman. I would donate to a fund for her round-the -clock security. She is going to need it.
I so agree and had the same thoughts. Joan of Arc came to mind, going into battle knowing she, too, will likely be destroyed, yet knowing her choice only underscores how powerful her husband was -- and the common population of Russians, (who I sort of wish to imagine as gentle, vodka-drinking Shivago's.)
A better place for so many.
I find it particularly ironic Trump is complaining about countries that don't pay their NATO dues. This from a guy who never pays anyone.
Daily, Trump demonstrates the adage: "Every accusation is a confession."
Pretty much.
My immediate thought when the Monster said that. He is despicable.
But of course. Anything's OK (to a MAGA) if a MAGA does it. Even torture.
Republican base fealty to Vladimir Putin predates their fixation on Putin fanboy Donald Trump. It goes back to the 1990s when Mike Johnson's fellow Louisianan KKK Grand Wizard and GOP gadfly David Duke started touting Putin as the Great White Hope of Christian Nationalism. The white hoods crowd were Putin fellow travelers before Trump sold them on red hats.
It is time to talk explicitly about the repurposing of the American democratic republic as a clerical fascist state. Today the Alabama Supreme Court declared frozen embryos are children. Fulfilling Leonard Leo BFF and fellow Catholic extremist Clarence Thomas' gloating prediction that Dobbs was just the beginning. Anyone not voting for Biden is voting for Trump. And all that follows. Again.
In a word, that is brilliant.
Nicely worded lin-
One of the points against TFFG that I don't see in the MSM is the fact that he has sent over 400,000 Russians to death in Ukraine and several hundred thousand more have been wounded. And at least a couple hundred thousand more Ukrainians have died during the war including hundreds of civilians. Many of the civilians are innocent babies and children bombed while in schools and hospitals. I call these atrocities committed by Putin -- Trump calls them "brilliant."
Lin-Yes yes YES
So noted, lin. It is way past time about this American Experiment now becoming a clerical fascist state.
Frozen brains. Frozen consciences. Useful for zombified GOP foot soldiers.
If their Dear Leader has his way, life will become easier. High pay for pressing the right button, as in Russia's State Duma.
Hailey is a transactional coward who has yet to stand and point directly at the psychopath. Her words are mushy oatmeal.
I watched Madame Navalny and Madame Pelosi interact at the conf on the news. Brought me to tears.
I hope Pelosi and Cheney kick some butt.
I think Haley is hedging her bets that somehow death star will be out of the race come November and she will step in.
...the only bet she has.
Among some Republicans over the week-end, I heard the opinion that she could bet Biden because of her "youth." And I blame the major media for setting that up.
She's just another grifter from SC
Going out on a limb here. Isn’t it time to arrest the MAGA Republican Representatives for treason? They refuse aid to Ukraine without Border Security Measures for the US, but refused to even vote on the bipartisan bill passed in the Senate that gave the security package for which they’ve been begging. Meanwhile, they are kowtowing to someone who is running for the Republican nomination who has been colluding with the Russians since 2016 with his friends Manafort and Stone. These Congressional Representatives are failing to honor their oath of office while they are ruining the reputation of our great nation by aiding and abetting our sworn enemy.
Yes, that may be over simplified, but it’s time to stand up to these bullies!
Would love to edit my statement as I missed a few superfluous words. However I want to add a thank you to the nations stepping forward to support Ukraine while our MAGA Representatives have our hands tied while they support Putin. Denmark, Sweden, the European Union, er al, thank you.
Peggy, if you look at your comment you will see 3 small dots just to the right of "like reply share". Touch the dots and you will be able to edit. I guarantee it. As you can see, I just did it.
That doesn’t work if you’re commenting on a smartphone.
Change to "Read in Browser"
That worked!
Wonderful!
Interesting. I'll try that next time; I use the Substack App on my phone.
On my phone I use the Substack app to read, the browser to write (and, inevitably, edit!).
I know. Total bummer.
I tried that originally and the options listed were Share link to comment, Hide comment and Delete comment. Edit was not listed.
Read in Browser: one of 3 dots is "edit"
If you go back to what you posted, then click on the dots, it will offer "edit" or "delete". If you click on the dots beside somebody else's post, it will say "report", and you'll then be asked why you are reporting.
David, that works on most platforms, but not if you're on an iPhone. Can't speak to other mobile platforms.
NOTE: I did just try that on my phone after selecting "read from browser". IT WORKED! It does not work if you simply follow a link.
I just edited my earlier reply to your comment, and did it on my Android cell phone (smartphone?).
Oddly enough, I tried once again this morning to edit my original statement and at last edit turned up as an option. So that’s been corrected. Tried to correct er al to et al in my later statement and edit was still not an option there.
Treason has a very narrow legal definition in the US, but I cannot believe that many of the yet unindicted co-conspirators cannot be charged.
“I don’t think you can be overly concerned about this. The American psyche has not recognized we were one vice-president away from a coup.” Gov. Jay Inslee
But... after a permanent coup d'etat taking place day in day out without a break ever since the January 6th mob failed to stop the handing over of power, now Johnson, Gaetz et al. are leading a successful putsch from within, designed to bring down two birds -- the USA and Ukraine -- with one stone.
Arguably the coup has been building in slow motion ever since the "Regan Revolution". The mission behind the curtain is conversion to more perfect plutocracy, the "supply side" in Reaganomic parlance, or "feudal lordship" before that. Reagan did all he could to smear democracy and egalitarianism calling it "government", and yet "Republicans" have used every trick in the book to capture goverment for their own purposes, and shamelessly lord it over others. They have now corrupted the infrastructure sufficiently to attempt complete control by force, but they jumped the gun, and their project is suffering for it.
Feudal rule depended on power relationships, but there was a measure of reciprocity, of live-and-let-live. Today's version is straightforward banditry and depends on pure exploitation.
Like livestock, chattel slaves were housed and fed. New York's Orangepeel Golem has never paid "the little people" for services rendered. Only privileged slaves get paid, enforcers, fixers. And then, only when the Master deems it useful. For him, said "little people" are either "his" cattle, to be driven, milked, stampeded... or vermin...
The New York business is suffering from long-delayed blowback, but the Don's vacuum-cleaner-funding technique is as powerful as his muck-spreading.
Above all, his gang has seized Congress, on his Lord's behalf, on his own. No sign of that project suffering...
[NB Both Russian and Soviet history abound in the use of Russian Parties in neighboring States, as in Poland's Sejm (legislature) in the reign of Catherine the Great... But then, American parties, often local oligarchies, have had a similar function.
And how even the most evil and deliberately horrific provocation can justify America's automatic, unstinting support for wholesale destruction and the massacre of thousands of children, as when Saddam gased his own citizens or the Al-Assads and Putin razed cities... is not so much a mystery as the outcome of a sick, unbalanced relationship. A diplomatic cancer long neglected, now suddenly late-stage, irreversible...
We all know of the unspeakable and far greater massacres unleashed against the forebears of this people in constant need of protection from enemies... and from the consequences -- as now -- of violent oppression unparalleled in history. We have failed in our duty to protect them both from external enemies and from the enemy within -- now virulent.]
SHOW me the proof, even facts proof, of treason or at least 'unregistered foreign agent'. Charging people for treason because they differ from your politics sounds like PUTIN! MAGAs toss around the treason word cavalierly, with no legal justification. Below is the definition of treason. During jury instructions the judge would probably instruct on the far lesser crime of 'unregistered foreign agent'. Note, it's not illegal to be an agent for a foreign government and they often hire lawyers/lobbyists/ad people, but they must register.
18 U.S. Code § 2381-Treason
Whoever, owing allegiance to the United States, levies war against them or adheres to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort within the United States or elsewhere, is guilty of treason and shall suffer death, or shall be imprisoned not less than five years and fined under this title but not less than $10,000; and shall be incapable of holding any office under the United States.
I think that "...adheres or giving aid..." are terms that defy definition, in what I have read so far, so proving them becomes an exercise in futility... (therefore my ? earlier). "Open hostility ...levying war against them..." is straight forward. But is causing allies to be killed and enabling the attacking of American property (weapons in Ukraine) "Open Hostility". I doubt it.
But then the "dirty tricks bag" does hold other remedies. How many times have we read learned discourse on the notion that Hitler should/could have been stopped much earlier even after 42 identified attempts on his life failed. When cornered, people become vicious and unreasonable. Unfortunately, I think this will be the final remedy for several of the bad players come time. Martyrs are not in our interest, unless the other side creates them like Putin does.
It's real simple: Our enemies are countries that Congress has declared war on, until a peace treaty is ratified by the Senate.
For example, in October 1942, under the "Trading with the Enemy Act," Prescott Bush's (father of the future president) Nazi "Union Banking Corporation" was seized by the federal government.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2004/sep/25/usa.secondworldwar
You don't need a weather man to know which way the wind blows.
But if you don't pay attention to the weather person, you won't know when a pollar vortex breakdown is going to bring a deep chill.
PS
If you have the proof or even enough facts to initiate an investigation, first call Jack Smith and then post 'facts' here to Heather's Blog. I look forward to the 'evidence'.
Peggy, the crime of Treason is very narrowly defined in the Constitution as:
"Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying War against them, or in adhering to their Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort. No Person shall be convicted of Treason unless on the testimony of two Witnesses to the same overt Act, or on Confession in open Court."
A dictionary definition: " Treason, sedition mean disloyalty or treachery to one's country or its government. Treason is any attempt to overthrow the government or impair the well-being of a state to which one owes allegiance; the crime of giving aid or comfort to the enemies of one's government."
Treason is and should be a very difficult crime to prosecute. A definition of treasonous behavior (second paragraph) is overshadowed by the Constitutional definition from Article III, Section 3, Clause 1.
The reason I said I was going out on a limb was I realized that the definition is quite narrow. However, it also might depend on how you define “aid and comfort.” Are not delays in giving more weaponry and funds to Ukraine aiding Russia’s progress in retaking territory? Knowing that Ukraine has less ammunition is comforting knowledge for Russians. Certainly these MAGA Representatives are not only serving Trump by these delays in funding, they are also handing Putin a chance to defeat our ally.
Interesting question. To answer that question, put the shoe on the other foot, and see whether an administration that you support were to be doing similar things. I think I prefer the narrowest definition possible, because who is to say what the "next guy" will do?
I stand up to them by sending them emails a couple of times a week, well 2 of them.
They both replied before Christmas they supported Ukraine but what a surprise, they lied.
"Our sworn enemy"? Are you on drugs?
Congress hasn't declared war on Russia.
The Constitution grants Congress the sole power to declare war. Congress has declared war on 11 occasions, including its first declaration of war with Great Britain in 1812. Congress approved its last formal declaration of war during World War II. Since that time it has agreed to resolutions authorizing the use of military force and continues to shape U.S. military policy through appropriations and oversight.
Country Date Senate Vote Effective Date
Great Britain Jun 17, 1812 19-13 Jun 18, 1812
Mexico May 12, 1846 40-2 —
Spain Apr 25, 1898 UC —
Germany Apr 4, 1917 82-6 —
Austria-Hungary Dec 7, 1917 74-0 —
Japan Dec 8, 1941 82-0 —
Germany Dec 11, 1941 88-0 —
Italy Dec 11, 1941 90-0 —
Bulgaria Jun 4, 1942 73-0 —
Hungary Jun 4, 1942 73-0 —
Rumania Jun 4, 1942 73-0
John-
I don't see North Korea in the list or Vietnam or Afghanistan or Iraq or Yemen etc.
Yet we wasted over 5000 American lives in Afghanistan and averaged $300 million a day.
Please don't feed the troll.
"Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen of Denmark made a surprise announcement. Denmark, she said, will donate all its artillery to Ukraine. She suggested other countries, too, could do more than they already have." The small but valiant nation of Denmark showed the same commitment against Hitler during WW2. That is the courage all democratic nations must now summon to end the double-edged sword of Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump. Trump is the greatest traitor the United States has ever seen. And his dark money friends are even more guilty. May they rot in hell, since the "Supreme" Court will never permit their incarceration.
So write on James
As we should. It only strengthened our economy as it increases manufacturing jobs that replace the military artillery. Republicans should be all over that....oh, I forgot....that would be a win for Biden.
A gazillion ❤️ JB!
Rogan's List is saying to call your Representative and ask them to use a discharge petition to bring the security amendment to the House floor for a vote. Last week I called all four of Mike Johnson's offices, read a short list of everything Putin was doing and asked them if they knew how WWII started, left a message. This Saturday Rally Supporting Ukraine and March to the Russian Embassy starts 2:30 PM, Lincoln Memorial. You can get more information by doing a search. I'm willing to throw spaghetti on the wall. It's down to us.
Our Heather refers to MAGA Republicans.
But her column today makes clear it should be Putin Republicans.
They worship the guy their fat, orange-encrusted, waddling, diaper-wearing, gold sneaker hustler worships.
OK, he's a joke -- a bad joke -- but he's ever been consistent in his cowing to Putin, the murderer of so many Ukrainians, the murderer of Alexei Navalny.
But how do so many Putin Republicans in Congress also obediently suck up to their Putin? Rule of law. These Republicans hate it as much as does Putin, or any dictator. Republicans instead glorify the criminals as attacked our seat of democracy on Jan. 6.
Of course they're all mad. But we've got to deal with that -- got to deal with the fact that schools in America, while dutifully efficient in administering standardized tests, keep dumbing down to produce so many mad, Putin-drooling, AR-15-armed, slogan-spouting, lunacy cultists.
I call them Reputinists, or Reputinistas.
Reputrid.
Those sneakers! they are the hamberders of footwear.
At least we will know the wearers political leaning.
Indeed - who else would wear them? Lovely, too, worn with a red cap.
Why hold back, Anne-Louise?
Having entered this realm of new, nuanced sartorial splendor, why go with mere MAGA cap, when we know how much more representative are Viking horns?
And a cape?
We know it's all ultimately for Putin, but shouldn't those aiming to be bootlickers also cake on as much orange facial layers as possible also to honor their fat, waddling, diaper-swathed Putin-posterior-kisser-in-chief?
Swaying, I close my eyes... I don't know about licking those boots. That may not be real gold, could be toxic.
Wonder where they are manufactured? And the perfume also? Googled but was unable to find the manufacturer & country they were made in.
Mar-a-Lago Design Studios, Fla?
Oh my gosh! Can't believe I got to read this so early! Yes, there is a Putin wing" and it stinks!
Carla, it's not only a wing -- it's the whole damned bird -- the Reputinist party. Hard to believe that the opposition to the Democrats (and in opposition to democracy itself), one of the two major political parties in the U.S. -- is in league with and even directed by a corrupt foreign leader with malign intent to reclaim the Soviet empire while emasculating America.
I have called the Rs the party of death for some time now. They have bowed down to a festering cancer who is basically the AntiChrist.
Yes, the orange sadist behaves and speaks exactly the antithesis of Jesus's actions and words.
Pretty much. Paraphrase what Jesus is reported to have said and the MAGA's would brand it "communist". Aid the poor and rejected? Nope. Eschew wealth? Nope. Love your enemy? Nope. Pay your taxes? Are you kidding me?
You are 100% on target.
Which makes all his "Christian" supporters into hypocrites of the highest order.
Absolutely. A couple of years ago, I decided to stop capitalizing the "C" in their so-called "religion". I just write "christians". If you think of a better idea, please let me know.
I employ the term "Xtians" as there is nothing Christ-like about them. And when I am really ambitious, I use "American Xtian Taliban."
I have seen Xistians as one possibility.
Old habit for me I guess. I agree small c works because they aren't. They are just loudly praying in the Temple. And of course, I disagree with Luther about faith alone. It has to be deeds which I express by talk don't wash.
I like the moniker “Reputinist”!
Corrupt as hell.
Professor, thank for the sharp summary since the Munich Security Conference & Putin's murder of Navalny.
There is Breaking News in the Government's Las Vegas based case against the mole, ALEXANDER SMIRNOV, comprehensively summarized by JEN PSAKI sitting info Chris Hayes at 8:00 pm Eastern. on MSNBC.
In short, the Governments Memorandum declares SMIRNOV is controlled by "Russian Official No:1:". JEN PSAKI showed screenshots of the Government's "Memorandum In Support of Detention". in "Document 15 that is Case No: 2:24 mj-00166-DJM.
Because SMIRNOV is a monied flight risk, the Perp was released this afternoon wearing an ankle bracelet [GPS] & is undoubtedly under surveillance. JEN PSAKI made clear the Moles's connections go back to 2010 in a deep disinformation covert scam.
Thank you for mentioning MOLDAVA. Long story in Moldova on the Western side of Ukraine with a sliver on eastern side of the river controlled by Putin.
My take is that SMIRNOV is a major Mole Bust.
Has Alexander Smirnoff flipped on acts of treason by Putin-Republicans in our government?
I cannot speculate Chris, but, the Smirnov sordid saga will unravel quickly.
When Kevin McCarthy was on the ropes and being ousted from Speakership many spoke about DJT becoming the Speaker. We now know that he is through wussy mini-faux Moses mouthpiece Mike Johnson. It looks like Trump has more power than Biden given how the House Republicans and MAGA extremists have hamstrung Congress. The Dems must stop the whining and begging MJ to “give us the vote”. Nancy Pelosi said in a recent interview that they (the Dems) have ways to bring a vote to the floor. Well, the longer they wait , as far as I am concerned, the more complicit they are in the Ukraine crisis. Why do the Dems constants wring their hands rather than play tough. You, Joyce, others are warning how awful a Trump 2.0 administration would be, why are the Dems not pulling out all the stops??????
Democrats must absolutely pull out all the stops, but strategically for sure. Hang the @#$& with their own ropes. The parries need be smart and intense. Box 'em into a corner. Check and mate. They have been on the back foot of late.
Do you think they are sitting doing nothing wringing their hands, or do you think (as I do) that they are working behind the scenes to achieve something incredibly difficult?
The phone number to Speaker Johnson’s DC office is 202-225-2777. I will be calling in the morning to voice my support for bringing the supplemental security package to the House floor for a vote. Thought I’d share in case anyone wants to call as well. The number of calls and emails received matters.
It's 5 a.m. here, but I assume the switchboard is open. Maybe I'll wait an hour to leave a message.
This reminds me of 1938, when fascism was on the march (literally) in Europe, but here at home, in Congress, isolationists were in charge. They wanted to make sure America didn’t get involved in the impending war in Europe, even opposing selling arms to England and France. Thank goodness we launched the Lend Lease program which in addition to helping England’s military meant our military production was up and running when indeed we had to fight and join our Allies in Europe. I bring this up because the appeasers and isolationists were wrong then, and they’re wrong now. We will lose our standing in the world and possibly much more because the Republican Cultists have blinders on. They are dragging us into irrelevance, economic disaster and authoritarianism. How can they live with themselves? We won’t emerge from this challenge to democracy as we did after WWII, as the land of hope for others to aspire to. This is the ultimate betrayal of all those who sacrificed their lives to preserve democracy. This is a serious breech of duty. This is shameful.
And unlike the ‘30s and ‘40s we do not have a functioning Supreme Court. Additionally, our political system is hamstrung by the Citizens United ruling. Corporations fund these authoritarians, and their resources are limitless. Money and power equal influence and action. We ignore this information at our peril. The reputinists never sleep, never stop undermining our system, never stop planning. So complaints to the IRS? What about DOJ? Will AG Garland slow walk it, too?
All too true, Olivia.
For a deep dive into this period and the complicit American politicians who aided the fascists (including members of Congress), check out Rachel Maddow's book "Prequel." It's an expansion on her excellent podcast "Ultra." It sends shivers up my spine to realize that Americans are again answering the siren song of fascism.
Indeed! We must get people informed. It has nothing to do with Conservative versus Progressive. It’s about saving our country……again!
Which group advocates transparency and truth, and which group depends on lies, secrecy, and propaganda? Which side understands the common good, and which side doesn't give a damn? I know you know the answer.
I get it…….but I was not referring to the extremists in any group. There are people of a more conservative bent regarding budgets, cultural things, who still want our democracy to thrive and are not part of Trump/MAGA/Republican Cult. That’s the problem with how the media always pigeon-holes us into “enemies.” We have common interests - those in the middle - and what the others don’t get is that if the Urban areas fail, so do the suburban and rural because of finance, and if the rural areas fail we won’t have food, and if suburban areas fail we don’t have workers and families. Don’t let the demagogues/wannabe despots turn us against each other. As HCR teaches us, the fascists gain their following by uniting followers against the “other”; who ever they proclaim the other to be: Blacks, or Hispanics, or immigrants, or Muslims or Jews. Among these aforementioned people are people both of conservative and progressive views. Democracy enables them to work together……or at least it did until now.
When it comes to preserving the planet, progressives are the true conservatives. When it comes to tax policy, progressives are the true conservatives. Republican budget balancers are liars; they destroy the common good and cut taxes on the rich in the name of fiscal conservatism while paying for what they can't destroy by borrowing from the world at large by issuing treasury bonds instead of raising taxes to cover the deficit, a win-win for the Kochs of the world, whose ever increasing wealth is gained on the backs of the people at all times. I was not referring to extremists per se. Nor was I discussing rural - urban - suburban demographics. I was referring to democracy versus fascism. Those on the right, including oligarchs and ordinary Republican anti-taxers, climate change deniers, racists, and Christian nationalists, no matter where they live, support fascist policies and leaders whether they know it or not. We all agree that Justice Alito, for example, is a conservative. He's also a fascist. If your religion permits theocracy, you cannot support democracy, you are a fascist. The UNITY we are all seeking is a democratic majority that serves, preserves, and protects the common good, not conservative grift, lies, and propaganda, policies that rob from the people to enrich the rich with complete disregard to everything else, especially the planet, women's rights, and on and on and on.
Yes, conserve is in the word conservative……you are right…..and you write with such conviction and strength, I envy your ability. But those you describe are the extremists I referred to. Conservation was always the key to saving our environment; but people, even those who fight for the common good, are not so willing to make the sacrifices necessary now. It’s human nature we need to influence; not an easy task. There are good people out there; we need to embrace them and make them “the popular kids” everyone wants to emulate and join. I’m trying to inject some positivity into a very dark time.
This point was made emphatically by my high school history teacher, and I still remember it. Now it occurs to me that SHE remembered it, because she had lived through it.
I am once again amazed by how you, Heather Cox Richardson, manage to pull together the most significant threads of the events of the day and clarify where we need to put our focus. I listen to and read massive amounts of news coverage every day and yet I get more from your daily letter than all the hours of consumption of mainstream media sources that I personally do. I could skip all of those hours of reading and listening and just read your letter at the end of the day and get more value and perspective on the day's events and what matters most. I am beyond grateful to have you informing and enlightening us day in and day out. With the time you save us we could, and doubtless should, be taking action to support Biden, the Democratic party, and our democracy from the Putin wing of the formerly Grand Old Party of Lincoln. Onward!
Some days, I do exactly what you suggest. Picking up pieces of news in various places can be exhausting, and I marvel at Heather Cox Richardson's ability to pull it together almost every day.
PERFECTLY STATED!!!!!
Thank you, Joel.
Avery, this is what I have done. We went on a news diet about 18 months ago. We'll watch Rachel about once or twice a month (recorded). I read several Substack authors (LFAA gets the lion's share of my attention) and occasionally watch a few Beau of the Fifth Column videos.
Sadly, I have three rehearsals a week for the rest of the month as I prepare for two concerts, so my "spare" time is limited until after March 10. Then it will be "postcards away".
Thank you for sharing your “routine.” Breaking the news addiction is an achievement I aspire to! I join phone banks with the Bay Area Coalition, an umbrella organization for 30+ SF bay area activist groups. I was on a couple of zoom phone banks with 80 of us making calls to NY’s Congressional district 3 for Suozzi. Making calls with democracy allies invariably lifts my spirit. Whatever we do other than angst surely helps. Sending postcards is also satisfying and, I think, a very effective tool. Today I will make some calls to Congressional offices, including Mike Johnson’s, on behalf of Ukraine. Silence is not golden!
🙏💙🙏