Big congrats to Jennifer Rubin, Norm Eisen, and the powerhouse team at The Contrarian! A much-needed antidote to oligarchic influence and media complacency. Uncompromising journalism with a mission to defend democracy—count me in! Restacking to spread the word!
''Republicans are currently exploring the idea of leveraging aid to California for the deadly fires in order to get Democrats to sign on to raising the debt ceiling.''
Californian here—I keep saying the State should send Washington as much as it receives back plus 20% (pay for the military). The Red States will go bankrupt without California’s money.
Los Angeles here, that’s what I’ve been saying too- only give what we get back. Having a few friends whose homes have burned to the ground, their children’s high school have burned to the ground, and other friends who were ordered to evacuate immediately, it is naturally infuriating to see these politicians spread these atrocious lies. These fires started and spread so quickly because of unusually dry conditions and powerful hot, dry winds caused by global warming. The firefighters are all heroes in getting these fires under control. There is no city, state or country that could have handled this tragedy differently or better than we have here in California. Trump’s MAGA’s politicians spreading lies instead of offering help can go Eff themselves as far as I’m concerned.
Florida here, I’m so sorry for what you and the people of Los Angeles are going through, I wonder what will happen when the horrific hurricanes start this spring. As anyone with a brain knows, they have been made worse by global warming. What will they say? They’ll be there for Florida, or the other red southern states, but not the fifth largest economy in the word, California? They are despicable. Where are all the so-called Christians? Where is their outrage? Last time I looked California is a state, inhabited by our fellow Americans.
I am so tremendously sorry for what you and your community are going through and to see politicians throwing salt on the wound is despicable. But what I think is worse is the California delegation not being on the ground ready to assist, or at least being visible in their own districts. I just don't know if we can hold together any longer as a coalition with this type of divisiveness and we have to keep giving and giving. As a Blue State, I am over it.
I'm not sure where you're getting your information, but the LA City is All Hands On Deck, and we have regular updates and info about how to stay safe and where those affected by the fires can get help. It's a huge problem and there are no straight or easy fixes. Because there are so many good people from all over who are helping, donating their time and resources, we will get through it.
This is the path that the threats to California will lead to. Why on earth would any state keep giving money to support others while being denied what was theirs to begin with??? Change policies indeed! Wouldn't the traitor in charge just love that!
And money is where power resides. New England, Washington and California should stop sending money in and let the red states choke on their own bravado masking cruelty.
It's federal law to remit the taxes collected to DC, so to stop sending money entirely to Washington invites a declaration of insurrection and being taken over. But....what would Washington do if California only sent as much as it gets plus 20 - 25% for the military and running the federal government? Unknown
Washington (Trump and Co.) would sue. The case would obviously wind up in the Supreme Court. However, if California lost this case, they could always follow Andrew Jackson's (Trump's favorite president of the past) lead and simply say: "let them enforce it." I'd rather not see that happen; however, that is exactly what MAGA republicans would do if the shoe was on the other foot. What is good for the goose is good for the gander.
I too am a Californian, second generation born in Los Angeles and have seen many Santa Ana winds induced fires in my 80+ years. Believe me nothing could have been prepared for what happened this time. My thoughts this morning were running along the same thoughts as yours. I would think it would be in everyone’s best interests to see California rebuild and continue to flourish.
It is so tiring and counterproductive to hear all the criticism and no useful words from people who really should know better. Now is not the time for that. Where did statesmanship and common sense go? Oh that’s right it’s Maggots time in the spotlight.
Unfortunately, Barbara, you're correct. My feeling is that their spotlight will be short-lived, and we should not forget the lack of common sense that you rightly called out on them. Every left of center radio and T.V. station should be poised to play Tennessee Brando's song written not too long ago. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWu0v8ktUxg
If it was only that easy. Most of the money that flows from California to DC is in the form of income taxes that come from citizens and companies, not as a check from the state government. That $83 billion would go a long way toward making the people who have suffered from the fires whole and ease the pain of not being allowed to rebuild in fire prone areas.
California should use all the money they send to the federal government to manage the forests on federal land and send feds the bill for the rest. Don’t let it go to the red states. We should never run a deficit as long as we’re supporting the states that don’t collect personal or sales taxes.
I don't believe that the State of California writes a check to the US Treasury. Rather, the money goes in the tax payments of citizens and businesses. The money comes back as Social Security, food stamps, disaster aid, and numerous other programs.
State collects from employers/self-employed (quarterly deposits), and transfers to DC . State could not transfer all that has been collected. And State knows how much federal monies it receives, so could transfer the same amount as it receives + 20% for the military. It does not entirely violate the Federal Law governing this, so it's untried (although Florida is doing something cagey with their tax receipts).
It's all unknown, but would be interesting to see if it's a wake-up call since CA's contribution to the General Treasury is massively larger than any other state's.
Extortion or coercion are the Trimp gang's only tools. They can't deal fairly or negotiate as equals - their minds simply do not work that way.
The good part is that that's also how they deal with each other. That being the case, rancor and inefficiency is guaranteed while loyalty never can be.
Garrett, this is why I have long called him mafia don in addition to death star. We might as well have the mob in charge. What they are proposing is a kind of protection racket. And threatening people in dire straits and lying about the fire fighting efforts is truly ugly. And the Tennessee governor is still lying about the federal government's efforts during the hurricane. These people are truly shameless. They represent the disgusting side of human beings.
Shakespeare lives again. His last, unwritten, horror drama. All his stock characters are here. Is it "Titus Andronicus" where he serves them up cooked in a pie?
For those retugs that tout the platitudes of republican led states, I cannot leave this viewpoint uncommented on. I lived in Texas for over 40 years and while it was never a liberal leaning state, it was more socially responsible before the current set of libertarian leaning rethugs there today. Texas leads the way in making sure that shared costs (taxes) move to your costs (sales taxes, user fees, lottery revenue) which made it harder and harder for first, the state to meets its responsibilities, and even more then to the local governments, especially once the state started regulating how the locals could raise funds when they began to limit their ability to raise funds through property taxes.
What makes Texas even worse is that the Attorney General is a confirmed - not convicted -crook, the Governor thinks that he can just violate and ignore federal law, and the elected state level representatives do nothing to reign them in. Nothing.
I have a niece who lives in Texas with her husband and 2 children. I worry about them all the time! And I hope to God she never gets pregnant again because, in Texas, unless you are lucky and nothing goes wrong, pregnancy is a death sentence. 😪😡
I have one long time friend who lives in Texas. To his credit he (and his wife)are both liberal Lutheran pastors and he is very depressed about politics there and nationally. Greg Abbott can go to hell along with Paxton.
One of my ex-students lived in Austin for many years and one of her complaints was the extreme gerrymandering that looked spokes in a wheel. For the record, she has little good to say about Oregon, particularly Portland. She is wealthy and doesn't want to pay taxes. Now they go from one rental to another because, as she notes, there is no place safe from climate change.
Don't under estimate Governor Newsom and the power that California has. He's not intimated by Trump nor his mega Republicans. Knowing Newsom, he's not going to be thrown under the bus for all of the mega Republican demands. This is outrageous for mega Republicans to play politics during a huge disaster of fires that destroyed so many homes and impacted so many peoples life's. Their are several people that died from this tragedy. Let's not forget the root of this problem was caused by the climate crisis. California has been in a drought for a while without any rain. I wonder what Trumps reaction would be if Florida had a massive hurricane that would destroy peoples homes, including his , then who would he blame?
Yes. Congrats to Rubin and other noted analysts and opinion writers striking out on their own, but spare a thought for investigative journalism. It requires massive investment and cannot deliver on short schedules, so it’s hard to support with a business model like the Contrarian (or Substack). ProPublica and the Guardian can’t carry all weight. WaPo is a huge loss on that score. The Times is about the only American news organization left with the wherewithal to dig deep for long periods on many fronts.
I do too, although for at least the time being, I've switched to the Australian edition. Too much Trump in my face first thing in the morning with the International Edition.
Thank You Anne-Louise! I have been reading Le Monde this morning on the Denmark issue and AI. A breath of fresh air. Our media is unrecognizable as any kind of information conduit. It is so polluted by bias and propaganda.
It says everything.... that one should read, from outside the US, what the World is watching. The gas lighting (remember 'alternate facts ;) ) of their Politics is dark and distorting, continually.... until it distorts the truth....interesting play book
In which we're all now involved as never before. Wonderful photography, and as much investigative journalism as you could wish. NOT translated by AI !!!
le Monde is very good, but it has fairly recently had a VERY sticky subscription. Once in, the only way out was to write a letter, return receipt requested, to an office in suburban Paris. Yes, this was in the past five years, not in 1978.... Maybe its free access has been improved.
Letters From an American is how I start my day. Then Robert Hubble Substack. I pick thru the Guardian, The Beast and a few other alt news as the day allows. I guiltily admit I still play a few games.
Very excited about The Contrarian! How/ where / when can we subscribe? Anyone know? I will also 'FGI" as younger people have exclaimed to me (fuckin google it).
Yes, the Guardian is good. ProPublica too, but it’s strictly investigative reporting, no regular newsor opinion, which is fine. ProPublica is a great project and will continue to get better as they get more resources, I think.
The old Gray Lady may have the means but no longer has the guts to tell the truth. I cancelled my NYT and WaPo subscriptions months ago. And if people keep doing that, the "legacy media" will have to survive on the "generosity" of its billionaire corporate owners.
Within a few weeks, Paul Krugman had over 70,000 subscribers after he left The NY Times. And he is now posting at least once a day instead of once a week. Similarly Borowitz built up a large substack following in weeks.
As a bonus, Krugman shares links to an incredibly diverse group of musical talent. Yesterday, I listened to The Warning, a trio of sisters from Monterrey, Mexico. The drummer is amazing and all three have great voices.
He is apparently looking at a run for office in Oregon . . . Sorry folks: Nick Kristof left the NY Times and is looking into a political bid in Oregon. Krugman is still a columnist (he has one today) but also has a substack. I tend to get them mixed up in my head.
I thought Kristof tried that last year and failed at it. It might have been because he's not a resident of the state. He writes a lot of good stuff and some not so good stuff but that doesn't mean he would be a successful political leader.
The Times, both New York and LA may have the financial resources to stick it out for the long term, however they are owned by oligarchs who manipulate the truth to suit trump. I canceled my subscription to the New York Times last summer. They may have deep pockets but are short on fair and balanced reporting.
For those retugs that tout the platitudes of republican led states, I cannot leave this viewpoint uncommented on. I lived in Texas for over 40 years and while it was never a liberal leaning state, it was more socially responsible before the current set of libertarian leaning rethugs there today. Texas leads the way in making sure that shared costs (taxes) move to your costs (sales taxes, user fees, lottery revenue) which made it harder and harder for first, the state to meets its responsibilities, and even more then to the local governments, especially once the state started regulating how the locals could raise funds when they began to limit their ability to raise funds through property taxes.
What makes Texas even worse is that the Attorney General is a confirmed - not convicted -crook, the Governor thinks that he can just violate and ignore federal law, and the elected state level representatives do nothing to reign them in. Nothing.
It’s the trio of evil. Abbott is beyond description, Paxton is beyond a crook, and don’t forget Patrick. He is as evil as the other two. Has delusions of grandeur from his time on tv as a sports reporter. They have ruined a great state, or at least one that was livable. It is what repubs want to make the whole country. I’d run if I could.
Aye, but have they been spending any of it to dig out much needed exposes?
During one of HCR's talks, the Gilded Age came up, and with it the putrid meat, the adultrated milk, etc. that the tenament dwellers had to suffer, and it was the "Muckrakers" who blew the lid off all that, and helped bring down the whole system of greed and death-dealing.
I remember when the work was done on what became "All the President's Men", and know that that couldn't happen any longer because no publisher would give journalists a long enough leash, let alone the budget, to do the necessary legwork.
Now many of the 'legacy media' is not only not family owned, it's owned by the newest vultures of capitalism, the private equity crowd. "Buy it, laden it with debt, sell off what's profitable, raid any pension funds, then kick it to the curb." And the odd singular billionaire, of course.......................
Your business model for legacy media is accurate. What has happened, however, is a degradation of the product. Journalism via the older publications is polluted by oligarch owners invested in power instead of information distribution. The Russians realized that legacy media were a invaluable conduit for disinformation, rage and lies. MAGA realized the same.
And at the end of the day Rex this is how change happens. All revolutions began small. We must take our Country back. Media propelled him into the White House again. Now we fight fire with fire.
We still take the NYT, but not the WaPo. We like the Guardian and a number of substacks we read including of course, Heather. I agree with your analysis about the cost of investigative journalism.
I was a bit surprised not to see her name - maybe she's cooking up a last zinger in her Petri dish - an Inauguration Special? and she's so subtle that the Trump censors/sensers might well not see what she's doing.
After Borowitz left the Times and was has been so successful, I expect Alexandra to jump ship soon. She may want to stick around the WAPO as she only has to write a couple of columns a week.
Me too. I have watched our MSM join Fox as the entertainment first channel. After all, Fox won a lawsuit saying that they were entertainment, not news. Yet, they continue as “News Corp.” how can that be allowed…
"...In a WWE-produced documentary series called Ruthless Aggression, it was explained that the name change was a change of direction, calling it a tidal wave of change in attitude and creative direction...
...The World Wildlife Fund was founded in 1961. Its goal is to work on wilderness preservation through conservation and environmental projects.
Then-WWE CEO Linda McMahon, Vince's wife, pointed out in a 2002 New York Times article, "When we first registered our name in the early 1980s, the wildlife fund did not raise any challenges." However, things started to take a turn when WWE got an injunction in Switzerland in 1993.
Per Forbes, the World Wildlife Fund had concerns about the attention the logo was getting following a sexual misconduct scandal in 1992, followed by the Steroid Scandal in 1993.
WWE and the World Wide Fund agreed to a mutual settlement agreement in 1994, with WWE agreeing to cease using the WWF initials internationally. That did not last, as WWE grew in popularity during the Attitude Era, and, per CNET, WWE breached the agreement multiple times.
WWE changed its logo to a "scratch logo" in 1997, which was a breaking point in reopening a case. It was argued the block was an evolution of the brand, and the creation of the Internet heightened awareness to a point nobody could anticipate. However, it read more as "WWF" than "WF." The company also used the domain "WWF.com" for its website.
British Court judges did not buy it when 2002 hit.
"[I]f the Federation wanted to develop a worldwide trade, whether through the Internet or any other means, the letters WWF were a very risky base on which to build it. When it established its website, it was, or should have been, fully aware of that fact. The costs of 'rebranding' now, after some five years of development, are entirely attributable to its own decision to take that risk. The scratch ;go may be less significant in itself, but it was part of the same strategy. It was likewise a clear breach of the agreement, and the risks were apparent," appellate court judges said via Babyface vs. Heel.
WWE eventually changed its name to what it's most known for, adding entertainment to the mix..."
I had no idea. I used to contribute to WWF and stopped when I read that they approved hunts and targeted killing. Good Lord, I can still be shocked, wrestling and wildlife. Unf**kingbeliable. No entertainment, no where. Just bullschittery
I felt that way until I met hunters who said it was necessary to manage some wildlife imbalances to avoid getting some animal disastrous over-populations (often unintentionally from botched interventions such as introducing inappropriate species to try to control another problem species. I don't know much about where that makes the most sense, but can understand the argument where it keeps a better balance.
I do question it much more when they start applying it to humans, though (/s).
The WFE had to change it's name because the World Wildlife Fund challenged their usage of abbreviating the World Wrestling Foundation as WWF; it was copyright infringement. WWF is still going strong as a wildlife funding organization.
What I find interesting is that this diverse consortium of media personalities and journalists is also probably designed to compete with the very white, very male alternative outlets like the Meidas+ and The Bulwark networks on YouTube and Substack. I read both and I find the self-aggrandizing bluster of most of the men on those platforms to be annoying and off-putting, even as they do good work. It would be nice to have a news and information platform that is actually inclusive, respectful of each other, and not focused so much on comparing the size of their dangling bits.
If you are not aware, check the youtube channel of "Belle of the Ranch" and the companion channels "The Roads with Belle" "Research Road" and "Interstate News"
Belle is the wife of Justin King, who was the face of the channel prior--when he stepped down from "Beau of the Fifth Column" she became the face and changed the name.
The RR and IN channels are voiced by females.
There is a Belle of the Ranch 3x daily. The other three come out about 1-2x week.
They ALL should have way more subscribers than they have! I encourage everyone on the forum to check them out. Subscribe and hit those LIKE buttons to promote these sources of information!
One of things I read over and over again in the days after the election is that we needed to create our own media. That is happening now, and while it’s not the first, The Contrarian is a big development in this direction. I instantly bought a subscription.
Yes, kudos to Rubin and Eisen for starting The Contrarian. I subscribed (paid) last night. Joyce Vance will be bringing her Democracy Index (a repository of information dealing with anti-democracy efforts, etc.) to The Contrarian, so it will be a valuable site.
I’m so impressed by these true American journalists bravo! I’m already signed up to newest Substacks already. Thank you all so very much “WE CAN DO THIS”
Sounds as though most GOP MAGAts need a lesson in accounting. Blue states are funding red states. Mitch McConnell knows his state would be in even worse straits were it not for federal dollars collected from blue states. But they lie like a rug about it.
We can, but it invites a federal takeover. What we might try is reducing remits to match federal receipts —we send as much as we get—which might work as a wake up call and leverage.
The State collects the money and transfers it to the local IRS who transfers it to Washington. What happens if the State only transfers 1/2 of what it takes in + 20% (to pay for the military)? That's still more than CA gets back from Washington. Federal law states all states must transfer taxes collected, so to transfer nothing invites an insurrection declaration and take over. But what happens if CA only remits 1/2 + 20% or only remits as much as it gets back? Total Unknown
Makes you think - what if CA just retains the amount needed to cover the costs of fighting this fire, since it can't count on the MAGA GOP to uphold any standard of decency when it comes to federal aid. It's so hypocritical, like everything else.
Can't just "sail away", Joel, i remember that when separatism was big talk and a few failed plebiscites back a generation. But Quebec really had "no place" to go. You want the movie Civil War maybe?
It really tells us something - unpleasant - about ultra-conservatives and the MAGA-nuts…the “red states” are home to large numbers of Democrats, left-leaning independents and moderate Republicans!
I am blue in red Texas. They cheat, lie, spew the most vitriol, and hatred, often from a pulpit. It is hard to function and will likely get more difficult every hour of every day.
It’s sad…I have my problems here in Florida, but Texas having not elected a democrat to statewide office since the mid-1990’s, must make the spirits of people like Ann Richards, Barbara Jordan, LBJ and a few others…quite uncomfortable! Good luck and stay safe and let’s do our parts in trying to turn our states “blue” again!
Yes, Molly was smart and fabulous and died too young…and thank you JD for reminding me of Molly - talk about colorful, insightful and informatively interesting - she was more than that…”Raise Hell” Molly!
In 'Raise Hell,' A Documentary About Maverick Texas Journalist Molly Ivins
As Heather says above: “Tennessee governor Bill Lee is still lying that Biden delayed aid to his state, when in fact he delayed in asking for it, as required by law.” The leg’s new term starts today, & Lee’s is staking it on vouchers (Lee claims he’s a Christian). I’ve read two articles in three weeks about his eagerness to send the Guard to the border to help with deportation.
Thanks for turning the conversation towards the critical issues of the day. But all these posts of alternative news sources does mean something. As for HCR's Letter, she quotes that rumps appointments and civil servant retention depends on their "100% alignment with Trump's goals" is exactly what we expected and feared. The same criteria is used in his cabinet picks. Soo what are his goals??? Nothing more than to fleece the country of it's monetary assets. That is why he wants Greenland. He wants a country run by oligarchs headed by the chief crook. Exactly like Russia. Drill, dig, despoil. IMHO, only the military stands in his way, that is why the Hegseth appointment hearings are so critical. Can anyone be optimistic? Bring on the Zoloft, depression is normal.
"As for HCR's Letter, she quotes that rumps appointments and civil servant retention depends on their "100% alignment with Trump's goals" is exactly what we expected and feared."
I propose we start wearing a paperclip to indicate we will "Stay Together" against the worst thrown against us
I'm taking a clue from how Norwegian Teachers showed they weren't aligned with Vidkun Quisling and his Nazis wished to create a Corporative State, meaning a state where the entire society is geared towards fascist goals. This resistance was centered on the question of how Norway could maintain its cultural and national identity during an occupation of indefinite length. Therefore, it largely began with people wearing lapel pins and other symbols of Norwegian solidarity. A particularly popular symbol was the paper clip, which meant "stay together According to https://nvdatabase.swarthmore.edu/content/norwegian-teachers-prevent-nazi-takeover-education-1942\
There are others though, like the list of audio books.
Using PC or NPC for Norwegian Paper Clip (to honor the teachers that used it against Quisling and fascism), sits well with me though I would give it up for Timothy Snyder's "The People's Cabinet" if it that would become a more popular connection as an indicator of support for The People's Cabinet. Using it for both, or wearing two paper clips, one for each, are possibilities, too.
I think I will try both at the People's March in DC this Saturday (the 18th).
Is it possible for states to take Federal tax withholding away from the I.R.S. and collect the funds on behalf of the I.R.S. If so, CaliYork et al. could impound tax monies due to Washington; then push for a fairer shake.
Not without federal legislation to authorize such a new "collection" approach. Federal tax withholding is currently mandated by federal law and those deposits go directly to the IRS and Treasury. And the likelihood of the new Congress (both houses holding majorities of GOP) to pass such a change is, oh, less than zero.
Floridian here. In today’s paper DeSantis is complaining about the “fraudulent” (his word) petition process that almost passed Amendment 4 (to restore abortion rights) and Amendment 3 (legalizing recreational marijuana), saying “These initiatives, these petitions, should not be able to be manipulated . . . especially amending the constitution . . . Our constitution should not be for sale to the highest bidder.” But HE was using millions of dollars of state funds to OPPOSE the amendments. In other words, using MY tax dollars to oppose amendments I was voting FOR. And our state constitution enshrines the right to privacy, but apparently making choices about a woman’s own body doesn’t count.
Yesterday, he asked for a special session of the legislature to help Trump round up immigrants.
He sent our national guard to the border, shipped immigrants to NYC and other northern cities, etc.
We have had millions in hurricane aid withheld, etc. From last year: Tongues are wagging among Tallahassee policy wonks and political operatives following Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’s June 15th line-item veto of a pair of relatively small federal block grants, totalling a mere $29 million. That’s because the seemingly innocuous vetoes set into motion the state’s withdrawal from a program that would have delivered two follow-on federal grants scheduled to return an additional $346 million directly into the pockets of Florida citizens through a rebate program.
Politically, the move sets DeSantis up to declare that he’s refusing to accept any more federal money from the Biden Administration. The governor’s office did not respond to a request for more information about DeSantis’s reasoning for the vetoes, so it’s not clear if the governor was aware of the cascading impact of his decision. But political insiders view it as a calculated strategy meant to bolster his presidential campaign and take away a Biden Administration talking point highlighting DeSantis’s previous acceptance of federal dollars for other programs.
DeSantis’s vetoes of line items 1463A and 1463B, both federal block grants that required no expenditures from the state’s own budget, went largely unnoticed in the days immediately after the budget signing ceremony.
DeSantis is the Fraud when he hides the fact that Amendment 4 got 57.17% of the votes when the only thing that stopped it was the fact that it needed 60% to be adopted.
Every state had more supporters to limit government interference with abortion and it only failed in Florida because of the 60% requirement.
60% and 67% requirements for voting are not uncommon in states for initiatives. Only in elections are 50%+1 voting requirements virtually universal. Many states have such limits for initiatives in order to avoid chaos with changing electorate proposing constant new ballot initiatives.
now that is a "pot calling the kettle black" - our constitution should not be for sale to the highest bidder from a man that takes millions to sale off the state.
That's quite different. De Santis got most of the funds and kept them,
BTW you're confused about Medicaid extension. Florida never participated.
Florida state and local government got about $51.8B in fiscal year (FY) 2021. This total includes money transferred to Florida's state government as well as funds sent directly to local entities within the state, such as cities and school districts. De Santis diverted much of it because he was in denial about masks and COVID. .
The idea of Medicaid expansion is the Feds initially pay 100% which in due course drops to 90% leaving participating states to pick up the difference. You said Florida never participated, isn't that what i said about "several red states" without mentioning Florida in particular?
TN is so worried about education $$ that comes with “strings” (which they can’t explain) they are looking forward to the demise of the US Dept of Eduction.
Mitch McConnell belongs in the deepest, darkest depths of hell. If it weren't for his rotting soul and greed for his own wealth and power, we would not have the orange blight's presidency. McConnell could have stopped the orange blight's presidential nomination in 2016, he should have allowed the orange blight's first impeachment to remove him from office, permanently. But, no, millions of people will loose their homes due to natural disasters, die from preventable causes and this mighty country could be reduced to third world status in a matter of years. Mitch McConnell is truly the root of great and ongoing evil!
Maybe it's time for California, Washington, and the states in the northeast to keep its billions and stop giving it to red states. All that talk from Donald Trump about bringing back industry to Indiana and Ohio, and right after his speech in Ohio, the last car company left Ohio. My Republican friend is concerned about her ACA. Well, honey, he told you what he was gonna do and you voted for him anyway. Try try again.
download it to save. use it to write your federal reps. They will hate you for it. Use it to write letters to your editors before they are told they cannot publish stuff.
Good luck with that one. Fed tax withholding is mandated by fed law. Companies aren't going to follow any state mandated change to that as they would be in jeopardy of severe federal penalties for failing to withhold.
Exactly. Blue states keeping their tax receipts is not an option. Wasting time even talking about it. We need to keep getting out the word about the subsidizing of red states.
The lesson learned would've been to given them nothing. Unfortunately, we would all hurt for that, but people just don't learn until it affects them. And yet we still haven't learned about tariffs and what that will do to our economy.
Thanks for this information. I was a young woman when the civil rights, voting rights, Medicare, and Medicaid bills were passed by Congress. I saw freedom extended to women with the Roe vs Wade in 1973. I was sure and confident that my daughters and the many African Americans here in the South would be secure in expansion of freedom and opportunity.
I have now watched with disgust as rich white powerful men have spent decades working to rip rights and opportunities away from women, blacks, and the less wealthy. I do not understand why. How are these oligarchs lives made better by making others people’s lives worse? Is there an evil sickness lurking in human beings that causes this need for superiority? How is it that their cakes are only good and tasty unless can see others who only have crumps?
Beautiful comment. I was also a young woman during this time. But, I am white and it has taken me a lifetime to understand the privilege that afforded me,
Now I see the rights you and I fought for being thrown away. Like you, I don’t understand why or how these rights hurt the rich, white man,
I fear for my granddaughters. They are too young to understand the loss of their rights. How can what we fought for be tossed away so easily? What will happen to our grandchildren and our country?
Mine was when Obama won his first term. I worked with a very diverse group. We came to work that morning and it was a party atmosphere. Everyone was smiling and high fiving each other.
After his inauguration, I had dinner with my bff and her son. He was apoplectic over Obama’s win. Shocked me when she agreed with him. My party ended that night. She is likely the smartest woman I ever knew, but had a hubby who ruled. There is no healing some fractures
Patriarchy has been baked in for thousands of years and it’s essential that we dismantle it….my blog this week will be about Iceland — a lighthouse to the world.
Thank you Economist Paul Krugman for making the case that California should keep its
$ 84 billion in federal tax contributions to help climate proof their state instead of subsidizing red states that are last in science and math test scores.
Wouldn’t CA, by keeping all those taxes their citizens generate for red state subsidies help shrink the federal government? Gee, thanks Tuberville! Great idea!
That might be true but any attempt to do that by a state would put them and any companies that actually supported such a change in direct violation of federal law. It really isn't going to happen.
There is in fact a very distinct difference between an individual's violation of federal law and a state. If I have to explain that, we are already beyond any sense of normality.
I am most saddened to see Jennifer Rubin leave WaPo. Nonetheless, I certainly understand why she is doing so, and applaud her principled position. Maybe the Contrarian's initial issue can now report on Jeff Bezos' Pinkerton-esque ruthlessness in suppressing union drives at Amazon, and will sign on Ann Telnaes as their cartoonist.
I never thought I would live to see the day when an incoming President of the United States literally debased and demeaned the elected political leadership of a State of our Union, not for pure political rhetorical or campaign purposes, but so as to threaten the withholding of much needed aid due to a natural disaster. In this case, the fires here in SoCal are nearly already the worst natural disaster in the history of the Country. The reverberations from Trump's equally ghastly and cowardly juvenile taunting and ignorant ranting have only just begun to be felt.
And don't get me started on lowlifes like Ron Johnson. Pardon me, as I don't usually speak like this, but all those Republicans, from the Seditionist Sociopath down who insult Governor Newsom, make up preposterous story lines to match their pre-conceived false notions about California issues, and worst of all, do all this and more while people are suffering one of the worst fates imaginable with the loss of their homes and their very sense of selves and belonging, can go fuck themselves!!!
But not as much as Trump and the current crop of boot licking Republicans JD. They are incapable of doing anything but lining the pockets of their benefactors -- the billionaire class.
It’s what the lying, bullies who are also self-righteous, racist, greedy bastards know how to do. There is not one redeeming characteristic if you pinned them up and searched with an electron microscope. They jettisoned any human empathy and concern when they joined the cult. It is the way of cults. We have just assumed that they were a normal political party. THEY ARE NOT AND HAVE NOT BEEN SINCE THEY WERE TEA PARTY CRETINS.
Daniel, I had the opposite response about Jennifer leaving the WAPO. I have missed her 4 or 5 times a day reporting. She is actually more conservative than almost all Republican politicians. Fascism, is by definition conservative, but their actions and words say otherwise.
I'm guessing others will follow at many of the oligarch owned papers who chose Fascism over Democracy.
I would not be surprised if the Repugs started those fires. I find it curious when the fire conditions have been labeled PDS (Particularly dangerous situation) fires have started each time.
I strongly do not support Bezos. Yet I believe it should be noted that he gave up running Amazon years ago. I think his focus has been on large government contracts for data centers, space technology, his 10,000 year clock (smirk), etc. If I am badly mistaken, correct and forgive me.
I just signed up for The Contrarian. This coupled with Bluesky, Meidas Touch, Brian Tyler Cohen, Substack and the burgeoning publications are so liberating to read.
I am literally sick to my stomach hearing the suggestion that disaster aid to citizens should only be provided to Trump supporters. Cruel and inhumane thinking in the President is disgusting. Publicize this. People need to know.
With Republicans, cruelty is the point. They’re proud of it. The old establishment Republicans were merely stingy and mean, but they’ve been stepping up the cruelty for the past fifty years. Now, they’ve put the pedal to the metal.
California “is literally subsidizing the rest of the United States, red states in particular, through the federal budget.”
When I was a teenager, I became a water safety instructor. The last class was "the toughest," our instructor told us, because we were going to learn how to escape the death grip of the person who couldn't be saved, to let them drown and not die ourselves, which as he said "is not your job." That's a difficult thing to come to understand.
California has the fifth-largest national economy in the world. It's time we got out of Red America's death grip and let them drown. The world's oldest practicing democracy has now gone the way of the Roman Republic, but we don't have to go down with those morons willing to proclaim the world's most determined ignoramus their new "Caesar."
Love the idea. Wish it were possible. My fantasy is Canada plus the West Coast plus Mexico governed under the Canadian political and legal systems: Canada++, world’s third largest economy.
The US is big enough to be several countries. It would be one thing to have Canada annex the west coast as the Pacifica Provence and the northeast as the Atlantic Provence. Canada is also large enough in geographical area to be several countries already, but boy, would that be cool. Texas can be their own country, they think they are already.
Would they have to rename all the Six-Flags parks (Spain, France, Mexico, Republic of Texas, Confederate States of American, and United States of America), and come up with something like the Disunited State in America for their 7th flag.
Happy to accept any state in New England, any state with an Atlantic coastline down to Virginia, Minnesota, Illinois, maybe even Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania. Ohio is right out, though.
the maps we see in Canada for that fantasy have a string of states/provinces down the west coast, plus MInnesota, plus New England and New York (and maybe New Jersey). What's left is a country called Jesusland.
I wouldn't mind that at all, making sure our social policies remain intact and we avoid American Exceptionalism let alone military adventures which have turned out less than wonderful!
Professor Richardson, thank you for another excellent summary of current events. Regarding the problem of right-wing billionaires buying and subsequently influencing the editorial content of major media outlets, such as Bezos' ownership of the Washington Post, it seems that the Democrats need to fight fire with fire. Aside from the fact that The Atlantic is owned by the Emerson Collective, a philanthropic organization founded by Laurene Powell Jobs, the widow of Steve Jobs, who is also a major donor to Democratic Party politicians, who else can we look to for help?
Margaret Sullivan has a list of her favorites in yesterdays column. I think she's on Substack. Many people post on YouTube like David Packman, Brian Tyler Cohen, Jon Stewart and others.
I was saddened to see that Carrie Underwood is going to perform at Trump's inauguration . In the long run, this won't be good for her career.
Thank you for your reply. While I am sure that all three of these commentators have much to add to the ongoing public debate, and all three probably have substantial financial resources, the original intent of the question was to learn which ultra-wealthy, left-leaning media owners should be considered to help our cause.
A very good question. The problem is the electoral market place itself. If we can't control that (Citizens United, for example), our 'democracy' is on its last legs, if not already dissolved. With uncontrolled money and power comes unlimited corruption. They feed on each other.
Thanks Heather, will Democrats get a Spine and push back and keep pushing back. Control of the courts, control of the media, control of the souls of the GOP. Thank you merrick Garland for your dereliction of duty to this country!
So, Biden does something--he wouldn't color too outside of the lines--that the SCOTUS decides after he's out of office isn't covered by immunity. Try it in federal court? Biden could "pull a Trump" and play that game until he dies.
This is not a new idea on my part--it precedes Trump. I'm very tired of California funding the Red States who vote against Blue States on legislative issues (SALT cap) and in the Electoral College.
Either let each state pay for their own social programs; or let each state pay the same amount they receive + 20% for the military and maybe 5-10% to fund the federal government.
Margaret Thatcher once said: "socialism is nice, but eventually you run out of someone else's money." Time for the socialistic Red States to run out of our money.
Democrats have less than two years to get their(our) act together…we need a better than decent control of the U.S. House and certainly control of the Senate - if that’s possible - in the 2026 midterms!
While I know that Trump is a thug, and his sycophants are also thugs (looking at you slimy Mike Johnson), to be confronted with his transactional aid plan for my state while the horrific fires rage on, is just one step too far. California, as it is pointed out above, supports the whole damn country. Governor Newsom has invited Mr. Trump to come to California; it has been several days and Trump has yet to even respond. Today I very proudly subscribed to The Contrarian. To paraphrase Joyce Vance, we are going to be in this together.
If Trump won’t help California after its ongoing fire catastrophe, then it’s time we Californians refuse to support the abominable policies Trump has in store for the Nation. How? By paying our federal taxes to our state government. Sorry MAGA, but while a diminished IRS may let billionaires escape paying even more taxes, it could also give citizens of blue states the freedom to funnel federal tax money to their state governments without worrying about the IRS coming looking for unpaid taxes. “No taxation without representation.” It worked for King George and it just might work for King Donald.
Ok 250 years later we have a new set of Intolerable Acts and a new cry for no taxation without fair representation. The West Coast and the Northeast should stop funding the Red States (who apparently despise them), even though those same states are approaching third world status without them. Next Florida hurricane, no federal relief because they should have prevented the hurricane's damage. See how stupid these people sound? The maga crowd is saying that the blues are unwanted, Cali is unAmerican, then blue money should be unwanted also. Americans should not treat fellow Americans the way Maga is acting, doing so they are saying half the country, the blues, aren't Americans. This current blindness is as intolerable as thinking you can waltz in and take over Canada (etc). New American values or just a stupid oligarchy? I will check out the Contrarian. I hope they make it. And I am with you California and I am sending support as best I can.
I subscribed to The Contrarian this afternoon and consider it $70 well spent. Not that I've got the time to read it, but I'll somehow make the time since learning from those who know so much more than I do is essential in these times.
A superbly lucid summary of the budgetary quagmire in Congress, scary as hell, but ultimately no doomsday scenario as responsible politicians and journalists push back.
Will see how long journalist can hang on and fight once the NSC / NSA hacks their phones and emails, outs their sources and whistleblowers, lives will be ruined, false character assassinations, dirty laundry aired. Some real bad intimidation stuff is coming folks. Lock in and support journalists. The “enemy of the people” is about to get real.
If just one or two Republicans in the House switch parties, it's a whole new ball game. There are already a couple of Republican Congresscritters in ill health that have been absent for quite some time.
Big congrats to Jennifer Rubin, Norm Eisen, and the powerhouse team at The Contrarian! A much-needed antidote to oligarchic influence and media complacency. Uncompromising journalism with a mission to defend democracy—count me in! Restacking to spread the word!
- Pulled Quote -
''Republicans are currently exploring the idea of leveraging aid to California for the deadly fires in order to get Democrats to sign on to raising the debt ceiling.''
Blackmail... fascists have no shame...
Californian here—I keep saying the State should send Washington as much as it receives back plus 20% (pay for the military). The Red States will go bankrupt without California’s money.
Los Angeles here, that’s what I’ve been saying too- only give what we get back. Having a few friends whose homes have burned to the ground, their children’s high school have burned to the ground, and other friends who were ordered to evacuate immediately, it is naturally infuriating to see these politicians spread these atrocious lies. These fires started and spread so quickly because of unusually dry conditions and powerful hot, dry winds caused by global warming. The firefighters are all heroes in getting these fires under control. There is no city, state or country that could have handled this tragedy differently or better than we have here in California. Trump’s MAGA’s politicians spreading lies instead of offering help can go Eff themselves as far as I’m concerned.
Florida here, I’m so sorry for what you and the people of Los Angeles are going through, I wonder what will happen when the horrific hurricanes start this spring. As anyone with a brain knows, they have been made worse by global warming. What will they say? They’ll be there for Florida, or the other red southern states, but not the fifth largest economy in the word, California? They are despicable. Where are all the so-called Christians? Where is their outrage? Last time I looked California is a state, inhabited by our fellow Americans.
They are MAGA CHRISTIANS no resemblance whatsoever of Jesus
Hoping your friends are all safe.
I am so tremendously sorry for what you and your community are going through and to see politicians throwing salt on the wound is despicable. But what I think is worse is the California delegation not being on the ground ready to assist, or at least being visible in their own districts. I just don't know if we can hold together any longer as a coalition with this type of divisiveness and we have to keep giving and giving. As a Blue State, I am over it.
I'm not sure where you're getting your information, but the LA City is All Hands On Deck, and we have regular updates and info about how to stay safe and where those affected by the fires can get help. It's a huge problem and there are no straight or easy fixes. Because there are so many good people from all over who are helping, donating their time and resources, we will get through it.
How do you know this is true? That the California delegation is not on the ground, ready to assist, or at least being visible in their own districts?
This is the path that the threats to California will lead to. Why on earth would any state keep giving money to support others while being denied what was theirs to begin with??? Change policies indeed! Wouldn't the traitor in charge just love that!
Think Texas won’t follow suit while case is adjudicated? Illinois? And maybe New York
And money is where power resides. New England, Washington and California should stop sending money in and let the red states choke on their own bravado masking cruelty.
As a New Yorker, I agree 1000% percent!!
It's federal law to remit the taxes collected to DC, so to stop sending money entirely to Washington invites a declaration of insurrection and being taken over. But....what would Washington do if California only sent as much as it gets plus 20 - 25% for the military and running the federal government? Unknown
Washington (Trump and Co.) would sue. The case would obviously wind up in the Supreme Court. However, if California lost this case, they could always follow Andrew Jackson's (Trump's favorite president of the past) lead and simply say: "let them enforce it." I'd rather not see that happen; however, that is exactly what MAGA republicans would do if the shoe was on the other foot. What is good for the goose is good for the gander.
Given the alternative which would entail a full-blown civil war, pitting the blue states against DC in a financial battle could be a great idea.
I too am a Californian, second generation born in Los Angeles and have seen many Santa Ana winds induced fires in my 80+ years. Believe me nothing could have been prepared for what happened this time. My thoughts this morning were running along the same thoughts as yours. I would think it would be in everyone’s best interests to see California rebuild and continue to flourish.
It is so tiring and counterproductive to hear all the criticism and no useful words from people who really should know better. Now is not the time for that. Where did statesmanship and common sense go? Oh that’s right it’s Maggots time in the spotlight.
Unfortunately, Barbara, you're correct. My feeling is that their spotlight will be short-lived, and we should not forget the lack of common sense that you rightly called out on them. Every left of center radio and T.V. station should be poised to play Tennessee Brando's song written not too long ago. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWu0v8ktUxg
If it was only that easy. Most of the money that flows from California to DC is in the form of income taxes that come from citizens and companies, not as a check from the state government. That $83 billion would go a long way toward making the people who have suffered from the fires whole and ease the pain of not being allowed to rebuild in fire prone areas.
California should use all the money they send to the federal government to manage the forests on federal land and send feds the bill for the rest. Don’t let it go to the red states. We should never run a deficit as long as we’re supporting the states that don’t collect personal or sales taxes.
I don't believe that the State of California writes a check to the US Treasury. Rather, the money goes in the tax payments of citizens and businesses. The money comes back as Social Security, food stamps, disaster aid, and numerous other programs.
State collects from employers/self-employed (quarterly deposits), and transfers to DC . State could not transfer all that has been collected. And State knows how much federal monies it receives, so could transfer the same amount as it receives + 20% for the military. It does not entirely violate the Federal Law governing this, so it's untried (although Florida is doing something cagey with their tax receipts).
It's all unknown, but would be interesting to see if it's a wake-up call since CA's contribution to the General Treasury is massively larger than any other state's.
Extortion or coercion are the Trimp gang's only tools. They can't deal fairly or negotiate as equals - their minds simply do not work that way.
The good part is that that's also how they deal with each other. That being the case, rancor and inefficiency is guaranteed while loyalty never can be.
Garrett, this is why I have long called him mafia don in addition to death star. We might as well have the mob in charge. What they are proposing is a kind of protection racket. And threatening people in dire straits and lying about the fire fighting efforts is truly ugly. And the Tennessee governor is still lying about the federal government's efforts during the hurricane. These people are truly shameless. They represent the disgusting side of human beings.
Old Don's father-provided Mentor way back in NYC was definitely mafia.
Shakespeare lives again. His last, unwritten, horror drama. All his stock characters are here. Is it "Titus Andronicus" where he serves them up cooked in a pie?
Sounds more like Marlow to me. The Revengers Tragedy.
For those retugs that tout the platitudes of republican led states, I cannot leave this viewpoint uncommented on. I lived in Texas for over 40 years and while it was never a liberal leaning state, it was more socially responsible before the current set of libertarian leaning rethugs there today. Texas leads the way in making sure that shared costs (taxes) move to your costs (sales taxes, user fees, lottery revenue) which made it harder and harder for first, the state to meets its responsibilities, and even more then to the local governments, especially once the state started regulating how the locals could raise funds when they began to limit their ability to raise funds through property taxes.
What makes Texas even worse is that the Attorney General is a confirmed - not convicted -crook, the Governor thinks that he can just violate and ignore federal law, and the elected state level representatives do nothing to reign them in. Nothing.
I have a niece who lives in Texas with her husband and 2 children. I worry about them all the time! And I hope to God she never gets pregnant again because, in Texas, unless you are lucky and nothing goes wrong, pregnancy is a death sentence. 😪😡
I have one long time friend who lives in Texas. To his credit he (and his wife)are both liberal Lutheran pastors and he is very depressed about politics there and nationally. Greg Abbott can go to hell along with Paxton.
One of my ex-students lived in Austin for many years and one of her complaints was the extreme gerrymandering that looked spokes in a wheel. For the record, she has little good to say about Oregon, particularly Portland. She is wealthy and doesn't want to pay taxes. Now they go from one rental to another because, as she notes, there is no place safe from climate change.
I bet they make no effort to stop climate change either. Each person who takes small steps contributes to slowing down the devastating effects.
In her defense, she doesn't shop much and likes to get things at thrift stores. She drives a Prius. Also a vegetarian.
Don't under estimate Governor Newsom and the power that California has. He's not intimated by Trump nor his mega Republicans. Knowing Newsom, he's not going to be thrown under the bus for all of the mega Republican demands. This is outrageous for mega Republicans to play politics during a huge disaster of fires that destroyed so many homes and impacted so many peoples life's. Their are several people that died from this tragedy. Let's not forget the root of this problem was caused by the climate crisis. California has been in a drought for a while without any rain. I wonder what Trumps reaction would be if Florida had a massive hurricane that would destroy peoples homes, including his , then who would he blame?
That's an understatement...
Say it like it is , brother! 👏
Tag
Exactly
Me too. Bye bye Bezos, without a backward glance. Sorry about Dana Millbank, but his endearing nature walks aren't enough to save his "beloved WaPo".
Yes. Congrats to Rubin and other noted analysts and opinion writers striking out on their own, but spare a thought for investigative journalism. It requires massive investment and cannot deliver on short schedules, so it’s hard to support with a business model like the Contrarian (or Substack). ProPublica and the Guardian can’t carry all weight. WaPo is a huge loss on that score. The Times is about the only American news organization left with the wherewithal to dig deep for long periods on many fronts.
The Guardian is what I read first every day especially the international edition.
I do too, although for at least the time being, I've switched to the Australian edition. Too much Trump in my face first thing in the morning with the International Edition.
I know.....to much Trump is hard on the tummy any time of day !...
I might try the Oz edition....
The Guardian, Le Monde (which now runs an English edition.) https://www.lemonde.fr/en/about-us/article/2023/04/07/one-year-of-le-monde-in-english_6022014_115.html#:~:text=Since%20its%20launch%20in%20April,the%20French%20editorial%20staff's%20journalism.&text=Translate%20all%20of%20'Le%20Monde'%20into%20English.
Thank You Anne-Louise! I have been reading Le Monde this morning on the Denmark issue and AI. A breath of fresh air. Our media is unrecognizable as any kind of information conduit. It is so polluted by bias and propaganda.
It says everything.... that one should read, from outside the US, what the World is watching. The gas lighting (remember 'alternate facts ;) ) of their Politics is dark and distorting, continually.... until it distorts the truth....interesting play book
Thanks! that also adds a European / International flavour.
In which we're all now involved as never before. Wonderful photography, and as much investigative journalism as you could wish. NOT translated by AI !!!
We also have Le Monde now that it is in English.
le Monde is very good, but it has fairly recently had a VERY sticky subscription. Once in, the only way out was to write a letter, return receipt requested, to an office in suburban Paris. Yes, this was in the past five years, not in 1978.... Maybe its free access has been improved.
Letters From an American is how I start my day. Then Robert Hubble Substack. I pick thru the Guardian, The Beast and a few other alt news as the day allows. I guiltily admit I still play a few games.
Very excited about The Contrarian! How/ where / when can we subscribe? Anyone know? I will also 'FGI" as younger people have exclaimed to me (fuckin google it).
Yes, the Guardian is good. ProPublica too, but it’s strictly investigative reporting, no regular newsor opinion, which is fine. ProPublica is a great project and will continue to get better as they get more resources, I think.
The old Gray Lady may have the means but no longer has the guts to tell the truth. I cancelled my NYT and WaPo subscriptions months ago. And if people keep doing that, the "legacy media" will have to survive on the "generosity" of its billionaire corporate owners.
I agree about The Gray Lady, Barbara. And I, too, canceled both subscriptions last year.
Within a few weeks, Paul Krugman had over 70,000 subscribers after he left The NY Times. And he is now posting at least once a day instead of once a week. Similarly Borowitz built up a large substack following in weeks.
As a bonus, Krugman shares links to an incredibly diverse group of musical talent. Yesterday, I listened to The Warning, a trio of sisters from Monterrey, Mexico. The drummer is amazing and all three have great voices.
Krugman is definitely worth the read!
He is apparently looking at a run for office in Oregon . . . Sorry folks: Nick Kristof left the NY Times and is looking into a political bid in Oregon. Krugman is still a columnist (he has one today) but also has a substack. I tend to get them mixed up in my head.
Now THAT's news to me!
It's Kristof not Krugman
I thought Kristof tried that last year and failed at it. It might have been because he's not a resident of the state. He writes a lot of good stuff and some not so good stuff but that doesn't mean he would be a successful political leader.
Bonus!
The Times, both New York and LA may have the financial resources to stick it out for the long term, however they are owned by oligarchs who manipulate the truth to suit trump. I canceled my subscription to the New York Times last summer. They may have deep pockets but are short on fair and balanced reporting.
Follow the money, shows who is in control...bit of a pickle !
always follow the money
And they are compromised, in my opinion.
For those retugs that tout the platitudes of republican led states, I cannot leave this viewpoint uncommented on. I lived in Texas for over 40 years and while it was never a liberal leaning state, it was more socially responsible before the current set of libertarian leaning rethugs there today. Texas leads the way in making sure that shared costs (taxes) move to your costs (sales taxes, user fees, lottery revenue) which made it harder and harder for first, the state to meets its responsibilities, and even more then to the local governments, especially once the state started regulating how the locals could raise funds when they began to limit their ability to raise funds through property taxes.
What makes Texas even worse is that the Attorney General is a confirmed - not convicted -crook, the Governor thinks that he can just violate and ignore federal law, and the elected state level representatives do nothing to reign them in. Nothing.
It’s the trio of evil. Abbott is beyond description, Paxton is beyond a crook, and don’t forget Patrick. He is as evil as the other two. Has delusions of grandeur from his time on tv as a sports reporter. They have ruined a great state, or at least one that was livable. It is what repubs want to make the whole country. I’d run if I could.
Aye, but have they been spending any of it to dig out much needed exposes?
During one of HCR's talks, the Gilded Age came up, and with it the putrid meat, the adultrated milk, etc. that the tenament dwellers had to suffer, and it was the "Muckrakers" who blew the lid off all that, and helped bring down the whole system of greed and death-dealing.
I remember when the work was done on what became "All the President's Men", and know that that couldn't happen any longer because no publisher would give journalists a long enough leash, let alone the budget, to do the necessary legwork.
Now many of the 'legacy media' is not only not family owned, it's owned by the newest vultures of capitalism, the private equity crowd. "Buy it, laden it with debt, sell off what's profitable, raid any pension funds, then kick it to the curb." And the odd singular billionaire, of course.......................
Kind of like the Jack Welch method of running GE. Look where it is now.
Your business model for legacy media is accurate. What has happened, however, is a degradation of the product. Journalism via the older publications is polluted by oligarch owners invested in power instead of information distribution. The Russians realized that legacy media were a invaluable conduit for disinformation, rage and lies. MAGA realized the same.
And at the end of the day Rex this is how change happens. All revolutions began small. We must take our Country back. Media propelled him into the White House again. Now we fight fire with fire.
Have a good day Sir.
Agreed, Barbara, but the problem is their side consists of MAGA and Mumpers holding a match over a gasoline-soaked country.
With the 2024 election I believe that match already lit the fire. And we are currently battling the blaze.
Thank you Rex. You can find them on BlueSky also.
We still take the NYT, but not the WaPo. We like the Guardian and a number of substacks we read including of course, Heather. I agree with your analysis about the cost of investigative journalism.
Alexandra Petri will likely follow. I can't imagine her sticking around to bail water from the sinking WAPO.
I was a bit surprised not to see her name - maybe she's cooking up a last zinger in her Petri dish - an Inauguration Special? and she's so subtle that the Trump censors/sensers might well not see what she's doing.
If you hurry, you'll catch her last column before departure on parental leave. Very beautiful, so much sadness.
"Opinion | Hello, baby. Your window into time opens now.
Here is what I need to tell you about the world."
After Borowitz left the Times and was has been so successful, I expect Alexandra to jump ship soon. She may want to stick around the WAPO as she only has to write a couple of columns a week.
You haven't seen my post? She's just gone on parental leave. I've read her last column.
Yes! Love Jennifer and left WAPO in November, just joined Contrarian.
Me too. I have watched our MSM join Fox as the entertainment first channel. After all, Fox won a lawsuit saying that they were entertainment, not news. Yet, they continue as “News Corp.” how can that be allowed…
News Corp: Alternative spelling of "Murdoch".
Should be Fox entertainment
Remember when the (Wrestling) version of WWF (World Wildlife Fund for Nature) had agreed to change to WWE (World Wrestling Enertainment)?
See https://www.sportingnews.com/us/wwe/news/wwe-name-change-explained-vince-mcmahon-renamed-wwf-wrestling/3fd38cb8a88a1797da031a14
According to the article:
"...In a WWE-produced documentary series called Ruthless Aggression, it was explained that the name change was a change of direction, calling it a tidal wave of change in attitude and creative direction...
...The World Wildlife Fund was founded in 1961. Its goal is to work on wilderness preservation through conservation and environmental projects.
Then-WWE CEO Linda McMahon, Vince's wife, pointed out in a 2002 New York Times article, "When we first registered our name in the early 1980s, the wildlife fund did not raise any challenges." However, things started to take a turn when WWE got an injunction in Switzerland in 1993.
Per Forbes, the World Wildlife Fund had concerns about the attention the logo was getting following a sexual misconduct scandal in 1992, followed by the Steroid Scandal in 1993.
WWE and the World Wide Fund agreed to a mutual settlement agreement in 1994, with WWE agreeing to cease using the WWF initials internationally. That did not last, as WWE grew in popularity during the Attitude Era, and, per CNET, WWE breached the agreement multiple times.
WWE changed its logo to a "scratch logo" in 1997, which was a breaking point in reopening a case. It was argued the block was an evolution of the brand, and the creation of the Internet heightened awareness to a point nobody could anticipate. However, it read more as "WWF" than "WF." The company also used the domain "WWF.com" for its website.
British Court judges did not buy it when 2002 hit.
"[I]f the Federation wanted to develop a worldwide trade, whether through the Internet or any other means, the letters WWF were a very risky base on which to build it. When it established its website, it was, or should have been, fully aware of that fact. The costs of 'rebranding' now, after some five years of development, are entirely attributable to its own decision to take that risk. The scratch ;go may be less significant in itself, but it was part of the same strategy. It was likewise a clear breach of the agreement, and the risks were apparent," appellate court judges said via Babyface vs. Heel.
WWE eventually changed its name to what it's most known for, adding entertainment to the mix..."
I had no idea. I used to contribute to WWF and stopped when I read that they approved hunts and targeted killing. Good Lord, I can still be shocked, wrestling and wildlife. Unf**kingbeliable. No entertainment, no where. Just bullschittery
I felt that way until I met hunters who said it was necessary to manage some wildlife imbalances to avoid getting some animal disastrous over-populations (often unintentionally from botched interventions such as introducing inappropriate species to try to control another problem species. I don't know much about where that makes the most sense, but can understand the argument where it keeps a better balance.
I do question it much more when they start applying it to humans, though (/s).
The WFE had to change it's name because the World Wildlife Fund challenged their usage of abbreviating the World Wrestling Foundation as WWF; it was copyright infringement. WWF is still going strong as a wildlife funding organization.
Me too.
Count me in. How can I subsribe to this new media? One idea. How about bringing in Krugman on board, too.
Click on the link in Heather's list of references - it will take you right there.
Thanks!!
👍🏻👍🏻🙏
Thanks. Just did.
They're on Substack
https://contrarian.substack.com/
Thanks for the link.
What I find interesting is that this diverse consortium of media personalities and journalists is also probably designed to compete with the very white, very male alternative outlets like the Meidas+ and The Bulwark networks on YouTube and Substack. I read both and I find the self-aggrandizing bluster of most of the men on those platforms to be annoying and off-putting, even as they do good work. It would be nice to have a news and information platform that is actually inclusive, respectful of each other, and not focused so much on comparing the size of their dangling bits.
Apparently the Le Monde English-language edition is done by women. Vive la France!
I agree. And thanks for the good laugh this morning, Linda.
If you are not aware, check the youtube channel of "Belle of the Ranch" and the companion channels "The Roads with Belle" "Research Road" and "Interstate News"
Belle is the wife of Justin King, who was the face of the channel prior--when he stepped down from "Beau of the Fifth Column" she became the face and changed the name.
The RR and IN channels are voiced by females.
There is a Belle of the Ranch 3x daily. The other three come out about 1-2x week.
They ALL should have way more subscribers than they have! I encourage everyone on the forum to check them out. Subscribe and hit those LIKE buttons to promote these sources of information!
Belle of the Ranch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZ_AqYAevts
The Roads with Belle: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IRVp1uqXRE0
Research Road: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-N2TK5MgDw
Interstate News: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K7D33zvDGlA
Thanks for the links! What about the Atlantic?
‘Twere it ever thus, Linda!
That's what has been bother me lately. Tim Miller gets into bro wars all the time. It's ridiculous.
I joined yesterday!
Morning, Lynell! I'm trundling over to The Contrarian soon as I'm done here.
Yup. I subscribed last night. I'm looking forward to their postings.
Me too!
I'm in.
I did also!
Me too
Me too
One of things I read over and over again in the days after the election is that we needed to create our own media. That is happening now, and while it’s not the first, The Contrarian is a big development in this direction. I instantly bought a subscription.
https://www.meidasplus.com/
People like these are the real heroes.
Yes, kudos to Rubin and Eisen for starting The Contrarian. I subscribed (paid) last night. Joyce Vance will be bringing her Democracy Index (a repository of information dealing with anti-democracy efforts, etc.) to The Contrarian, so it will be a valuable site.
I’m so impressed by these true American journalists bravo! I’m already signed up to newest Substacks already. Thank you all so very much “WE CAN DO THIS”
already signed up!
First thing I did after learning that the Post would not endorse Kamala I joined legions to cancel my subscription.
I hear you and I did the same. A tragic decline from the Watergate days
That's great, but restacking sends it directly to X and Musk, does it not?
I don’t know exactly what ”restacking” means! Can anyone help? Has Justin got a point here?
They just might learn something to their/our advantage.
🙄🫣
Sounds as though most GOP MAGAts need a lesson in accounting. Blue states are funding red states. Mitch McConnell knows his state would be in even worse straits were it not for federal dollars collected from blue states. But they lie like a rug about it.
I wish CA could withhold our federal taxes!
I wish I could withhold my federal taxes. Alas, that would put me in the slammer (where Cheetoh should be now).
We can, but it invites a federal takeover. What we might try is reducing remits to match federal receipts —we send as much as we get—which might work as a wake up call and leverage.
?????
The State collects the money and transfers it to the local IRS who transfers it to Washington. What happens if the State only transfers 1/2 of what it takes in + 20% (to pay for the military)? That's still more than CA gets back from Washington. Federal law states all states must transfer taxes collected, so to transfer nothing invites an insurrection declaration and take over. But what happens if CA only remits 1/2 + 20% or only remits as much as it gets back? Total Unknown
Makes you think - what if CA just retains the amount needed to cover the costs of fighting this fire, since it can't count on the MAGA GOP to uphold any standard of decency when it comes to federal aid. It's so hypocritical, like everything else.
Thank you
I wish California could secede and become a part of Canada!
Yeah, blue states are "makers" and almost.all red states are "takers" We'd be better off without 'em.
It’s what they claim immigrants are. Boomerang!
Can't just "sail away", Joel, i remember that when separatism was big talk and a few failed plebiscites back a generation. But Quebec really had "no place" to go. You want the movie Civil War maybe?
Frank, no place to go but "up"? 😁
It tells you something about "red" states.
It really tells us something - unpleasant - about ultra-conservatives and the MAGA-nuts…the “red states” are home to large numbers of Democrats, left-leaning independents and moderate Republicans!
I am blue in red Texas. They cheat, lie, spew the most vitriol, and hatred, often from a pulpit. It is hard to function and will likely get more difficult every hour of every day.
It’s sad…I have my problems here in Florida, but Texas having not elected a democrat to statewide office since the mid-1990’s, must make the spirits of people like Ann Richards, Barbara Jordan, LBJ and a few others…quite uncomfortable! Good luck and stay safe and let’s do our parts in trying to turn our states “blue” again!
They have stacked the deck, it started with Rove in 1994. Before that Texas was great. Add Molly Ivins to the disquieted spirits
Yes, Molly was smart and fabulous and died too young…and thank you JD for reminding me of Molly - talk about colorful, insightful and informatively interesting - she was more than that…”Raise Hell” Molly!
In 'Raise Hell,' A Documentary About Maverick Texas Journalist Molly Ivins
https://www.npr.org/2019/09/15/760632698/a-portrait-of-molly-ivins-maverick-texas-journalist-in-raise-hell
As Heather says above: “Tennessee governor Bill Lee is still lying that Biden delayed aid to his state, when in fact he delayed in asking for it, as required by law.” The leg’s new term starts today, & Lee’s is staking it on vouchers (Lee claims he’s a Christian). I’ve read two articles in three weeks about his eagerness to send the Guard to the border to help with deportation.
“Christian” left out Christ. They are evil cretins at best.
Did Osteen actually purchase a million dollar coffee table? There is a rumor.....
Yet no thought of sending the Guard to California to help with wildfires.
Thanks for continuing the fight there JD
I live in what has become ruby red Iowa. The GOP trifecta control has been dreadful for the state, but not according to them.
Sounds like Texas, they have rewritten history
Jasmine Crockett is a breath of fresh air.
True JL, but there's no war without sacrifice, and this is a war for we the people.
That's right, something we should all remember.
Seems I heard someone say some time back "Don't confuse me with the facts." Plus ça change...
And who can forget JD's, “The rules were that you guys weren’t going to fact-check”
Thanks for turning the conversation towards the critical issues of the day. But all these posts of alternative news sources does mean something. As for HCR's Letter, she quotes that rumps appointments and civil servant retention depends on their "100% alignment with Trump's goals" is exactly what we expected and feared. The same criteria is used in his cabinet picks. Soo what are his goals??? Nothing more than to fleece the country of it's monetary assets. That is why he wants Greenland. He wants a country run by oligarchs headed by the chief crook. Exactly like Russia. Drill, dig, despoil. IMHO, only the military stands in his way, that is why the Hegseth appointment hearings are so critical. Can anyone be optimistic? Bring on the Zoloft, depression is normal.
“The big joke on democracy,” he observed, “is that it gives its mortal enemies the means to its own destruction.” - Joseph Goebbels.
This is Project 2025 which is the plan Obran used in Hungary.
"As for HCR's Letter, she quotes that rumps appointments and civil servant retention depends on their "100% alignment with Trump's goals" is exactly what we expected and feared."
I propose we start wearing a paperclip to indicate we will "Stay Together" against the worst thrown against us
I'm taking a clue from how Norwegian Teachers showed they weren't aligned with Vidkun Quisling and his Nazis wished to create a Corporative State, meaning a state where the entire society is geared towards fascist goals. This resistance was centered on the question of how Norway could maintain its cultural and national identity during an occupation of indefinite length. Therefore, it largely began with people wearing lapel pins and other symbols of Norwegian solidarity. A particularly popular symbol was the paper clip, which meant "stay together According to https://nvdatabase.swarthmore.edu/content/norwegian-teachers-prevent-nazi-takeover-education-1942\
Operation Paper Clip might be a good name I first remember from secret operation described at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Germans_relocated_to_the_US_via_the_Operation_Paperclip
There are others though, like the list of audio books.
Using PC or NPC for Norwegian Paper Clip (to honor the teachers that used it against Quisling and fascism), sits well with me though I would give it up for Timothy Snyder's "The People's Cabinet" if it that would become a more popular connection as an indicator of support for The People's Cabinet. Using it for both, or wearing two paper clips, one for each, are possibilities, too.
I think I will try both at the People's March in DC this Saturday (the 18th).
Is it possible for states to take Federal tax withholding away from the I.R.S. and collect the funds on behalf of the I.R.S. If so, CaliYork et al. could impound tax monies due to Washington; then push for a fairer shake.
Not without federal legislation to authorize such a new "collection" approach. Federal tax withholding is currently mandated by federal law and those deposits go directly to the IRS and Treasury. And the likelihood of the new Congress (both houses holding majorities of GOP) to pass such a change is, oh, less than zero.
True, but they can sue..... My state, Florida, has been withholding mandated federal funds.that were sent via infrastructure, many other bills....
Here's the twisted logic: https://www.floridapolicy.org/posts/desantis-led-florida-has-rejected-11-billion-in-federal-funding-in-recent-years
https://www.tallahassee.com/story/news/local/state/2021/10/04/florida-covid-corcoran-dues-funds-money-department-of-education-biden-american-rescue-plan/5989935001/
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/covid-19-mask-mandates-florida-board-of-education-funds/
Floridian here. In today’s paper DeSantis is complaining about the “fraudulent” (his word) petition process that almost passed Amendment 4 (to restore abortion rights) and Amendment 3 (legalizing recreational marijuana), saying “These initiatives, these petitions, should not be able to be manipulated . . . especially amending the constitution . . . Our constitution should not be for sale to the highest bidder.” But HE was using millions of dollars of state funds to OPPOSE the amendments. In other words, using MY tax dollars to oppose amendments I was voting FOR. And our state constitution enshrines the right to privacy, but apparently making choices about a woman’s own body doesn’t count.
Yesterday, he asked for a special session of the legislature to help Trump round up immigrants.
He sent our national guard to the border, shipped immigrants to NYC and other northern cities, etc.
We have had millions in hurricane aid withheld, etc. From last year: Tongues are wagging among Tallahassee policy wonks and political operatives following Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’s June 15th line-item veto of a pair of relatively small federal block grants, totalling a mere $29 million. That’s because the seemingly innocuous vetoes set into motion the state’s withdrawal from a program that would have delivered two follow-on federal grants scheduled to return an additional $346 million directly into the pockets of Florida citizens through a rebate program.
Politically, the move sets DeSantis up to declare that he’s refusing to accept any more federal money from the Biden Administration. The governor’s office did not respond to a request for more information about DeSantis’s reasoning for the vetoes, so it’s not clear if the governor was aware of the cascading impact of his decision. But political insiders view it as a calculated strategy meant to bolster his presidential campaign and take away a Biden Administration talking point highlighting DeSantis’s previous acceptance of federal dollars for other programs.
DeSantis’s vetoes of line items 1463A and 1463B, both federal block grants that required no expenditures from the state’s own budget, went largely unnoticed in the days immediately after the budget signing ceremony.
DeSantis is the Fraud when he hides the fact that Amendment 4 got 57.17% of the votes when the only thing that stopped it was the fact that it needed 60% to be adopted.
Every state had more supporters to limit government interference with abortion and it only failed in Florida because of the 60% requirement.
60% and 67% requirements for voting are not uncommon in states for initiatives. Only in elections are 50%+1 voting requirements virtually universal. Many states have such limits for initiatives in order to avoid chaos with changing electorate proposing constant new ballot initiatives.
now that is a "pot calling the kettle black" - our constitution should not be for sale to the highest bidder from a man that takes millions to sale off the state.
you mean they've been refusing to accept funds? Seems there are a number of red states which do similar things. Eg Medicaid expansion?
That's quite different. De Santis got most of the funds and kept them,
BTW you're confused about Medicaid extension. Florida never participated.
Florida state and local government got about $51.8B in fiscal year (FY) 2021. This total includes money transferred to Florida's state government as well as funds sent directly to local entities within the state, such as cities and school districts. De Santis diverted much of it because he was in denial about masks and COVID. .
Every day, another story about Florida that makes me oh so glad I escaped. The grandkids like Dizzyworld, and I worry every time they fly down there.
The idea of Medicaid expansion is the Feds initially pay 100% which in due course drops to 90% leaving participating states to pick up the difference. You said Florida never participated, isn't that what i said about "several red states" without mentioning Florida in particular?
TN is so worried about education $$ that comes with “strings” (which they can’t explain) they are looking forward to the demise of the US Dept of Eduction.
Rethugs have decided they no longer have to obey federal law.
Jon, glad to see you at your old cheery self.😉
Why my mother thought withholding was a subtle form of oppression.
Mitch McConnell belongs in the deepest, darkest depths of hell. If it weren't for his rotting soul and greed for his own wealth and power, we would not have the orange blight's presidency. McConnell could have stopped the orange blight's presidential nomination in 2016, he should have allowed the orange blight's first impeachment to remove him from office, permanently. But, no, millions of people will loose their homes due to natural disasters, die from preventable causes and this mighty country could be reduced to third world status in a matter of years. Mitch McConnell is truly the root of great and ongoing evil!
And how do we hold them accountable and enforce consequences
Yep....
Maybe it's time for California, Washington, and the states in the northeast to keep its billions and stop giving it to red states. All that talk from Donald Trump about bringing back industry to Indiana and Ohio, and right after his speech in Ohio, the last car company left Ohio. My Republican friend is concerned about her ACA. Well, honey, he told you what he was gonna do and you voted for him anyway. Try try again.
The Jan 6th report just dropped! Damning evidence!
Thanks, Sharon!
Read it here: https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25486132-report-of-special-counsel-smith-volume-1-january-2025/#document/p1
Thank you
Yes! Thank you Sharon & thank you Garrett for the link to Jack Smith's "Volume 1" J6 report to Merrick Garland dated 1/7/25. Helluva read, literally.
Well, there go all my plans for the day. Coffee maker will be busy.
Thanks for the link, Garrett!
Thanks!
I won’t get excited as I did when the Mueller report was finished. Who will interpret it for us. Barr is probably busy…
download it to save. use it to write your federal reps. They will hate you for it. Use it to write letters to your editors before they are told they cannot publish stuff.
Great idea
"Fool me twice, shame on me"
Good luck with that one. Fed tax withholding is mandated by fed law. Companies aren't going to follow any state mandated change to that as they would be in jeopardy of severe federal penalties for failing to withhold.
Exactly. Blue states keeping their tax receipts is not an option. Wasting time even talking about it. We need to keep getting out the word about the subsidizing of red states.
Imagine laws can change with Presidents. Even if illegal one can do just about anything
Didn't Biden bring a large project/factory back to Ohio near that defunct one?
Yes and manufacturing to 6 Red States. Trump did nothing and almost lost our farmers to tariffs. The great Bail out from the genius
Yeah, a bailout to the tune of some $32B. Here in Iowa the farmers rail against socialism and the left, but eagerly accepted "help."
Can't feel very sorry for your Rep friend...
The lesson learned would've been to given them nothing. Unfortunately, we would all hurt for that, but people just don't learn until it affects them. And yet we still haven't learned about tariffs and what that will do to our economy.
Thanks for this information. I was a young woman when the civil rights, voting rights, Medicare, and Medicaid bills were passed by Congress. I saw freedom extended to women with the Roe vs Wade in 1973. I was sure and confident that my daughters and the many African Americans here in the South would be secure in expansion of freedom and opportunity.
I have now watched with disgust as rich white powerful men have spent decades working to rip rights and opportunities away from women, blacks, and the less wealthy. I do not understand why. How are these oligarchs lives made better by making others people’s lives worse? Is there an evil sickness lurking in human beings that causes this need for superiority? How is it that their cakes are only good and tasty unless can see others who only have crumps?
Beautiful comment. I was also a young woman during this time. But, I am white and it has taken me a lifetime to understand the privilege that afforded me,
Now I see the rights you and I fought for being thrown away. Like you, I don’t understand why or how these rights hurt the rich, white man,
I fear for my granddaughters. They are too young to understand the loss of their rights. How can what we fought for be tossed away so easily? What will happen to our grandchildren and our country?
I stand with you. I share your grief and pain.
I was young then too, had such high hopes.
Mine was when Obama won his first term. I worked with a very diverse group. We came to work that morning and it was a party atmosphere. Everyone was smiling and high fiving each other.
After his inauguration, I had dinner with my bff and her son. He was apoplectic over Obama’s win. Shocked me when she agreed with him. My party ended that night. She is likely the smartest woman I ever knew, but had a hubby who ruled. There is no healing some fractures
Patriarchy has been baked in for thousands of years and it’s essential that we dismantle it….my blog this week will be about Iceland — a lighthouse to the world.
Conservatism mean to retract freedom from minority groups while expanding the rights to be a bigot to others.
It's all about their power and control over others. They think they're "better" than everyone else.
There is a sickness: racism and classism are salient symptoms causing the delusional patient to believe his/her inherent superiority.
Thank you Economist Paul Krugman for making the case that California should keep its
$ 84 billion in federal tax contributions to help climate proof their state instead of subsidizing red states that are last in science and math test scores.
Wouldn’t CA, by keeping all those taxes their citizens generate for red state subsidies help shrink the federal government? Gee, thanks Tuberville! Great idea!
That might be true but any attempt to do that by a state would put them and any companies that actually supported such a change in direct violation of federal law. It really isn't going to happen.
"in direct violation of federal law". You mean, like dickhead has done his entire life?
There is in fact a very distinct difference between an individual's violation of federal law and a state. If I have to explain that, we are already beyond any sense of normality.
Sarcasm.t’was
Probably but personally I take these issues too seriously too tolerate sarcasm even when obvious.
Noted.
Evening to All!
I am most saddened to see Jennifer Rubin leave WaPo. Nonetheless, I certainly understand why she is doing so, and applaud her principled position. Maybe the Contrarian's initial issue can now report on Jeff Bezos' Pinkerton-esque ruthlessness in suppressing union drives at Amazon, and will sign on Ann Telnaes as their cartoonist.
I never thought I would live to see the day when an incoming President of the United States literally debased and demeaned the elected political leadership of a State of our Union, not for pure political rhetorical or campaign purposes, but so as to threaten the withholding of much needed aid due to a natural disaster. In this case, the fires here in SoCal are nearly already the worst natural disaster in the history of the Country. The reverberations from Trump's equally ghastly and cowardly juvenile taunting and ignorant ranting have only just begun to be felt.
And don't get me started on lowlifes like Ron Johnson. Pardon me, as I don't usually speak like this, but all those Republicans, from the Seditionist Sociopath down who insult Governor Newsom, make up preposterous story lines to match their pre-conceived false notions about California issues, and worst of all, do all this and more while people are suffering one of the worst fates imaginable with the loss of their homes and their very sense of selves and belonging, can go fuck themselves!!!
Quoting Elmo, the Republicans can go "fuck yourself in your face."
Harry Truman was right back in 1948: "the only 'good Republicans' are pushing up daisies."
Elmo stole that from Tropic Thunder. It was a Tom Cruise line.
But of course he did.
I don’t agree—I like Ike. I describe myself as an Eisenhower Democrat
This crowd hates Eisenhower
But not as much as Trump and the current crop of boot licking Republicans JD. They are incapable of doing anything but lining the pockets of their benefactors -- the billionaire class.
And spewing hate was the winner, bait and switch
I will say only this, they are Trash. Do not try to understand motives, it is about
money and themselves.
It’s what the lying, bullies who are also self-righteous, racist, greedy bastards know how to do. There is not one redeeming characteristic if you pinned them up and searched with an electron microscope. They jettisoned any human empathy and concern when they joined the cult. It is the way of cults. We have just assumed that they were a normal political party. THEY ARE NOT AND HAVE NOT BEEN SINCE THEY WERE TEA PARTY CRETINS.
Dump Truck makes Tricky Dicky look like a saint, and Dubya a genius
But these cretins will be lauded by ignorance with portraits and historical significance when they should be jailbirds. Where’s the justice.
As you know, it's been delayed. History takes time.
so frustrating that Ron Johnson thinks he represents me. That sad little man, instead of Russ Feingold.
Hell, I've got Hawley.
I'm sorry. he's worse
Daniel, I had the opposite response about Jennifer leaving the WAPO. I have missed her 4 or 5 times a day reporting. She is actually more conservative than almost all Republican politicians. Fascism, is by definition conservative, but their actions and words say otherwise.
I'm guessing others will follow at many of the oligarch owned papers who chose Fascism over Democracy.
Reminds me of Quislings, except far more Nowegians seem to have refused to cooperate with Quislings government.
I would not be surprised if the Repugs started those fires. I find it curious when the fire conditions have been labeled PDS (Particularly dangerous situation) fires have started each time.
I strongly do not support Bezos. Yet I believe it should be noted that he gave up running Amazon years ago. I think his focus has been on large government contracts for data centers, space technology, his 10,000 year clock (smirk), etc. If I am badly mistaken, correct and forgive me.
I just signed up for The Contrarian. This coupled with Bluesky, Meidas Touch, Brian Tyler Cohen, Substack and the burgeoning publications are so liberating to read.
This feels like hope.
I am literally sick to my stomach hearing the suggestion that disaster aid to citizens should only be provided to Trump supporters. Cruel and inhumane thinking in the President is disgusting. Publicize this. People need to know.
With Republicans, cruelty is the point. They’re proud of it. The old establishment Republicans were merely stingy and mean, but they’ve been stepping up the cruelty for the past fifty years. Now, they’ve put the pedal to the metal.
Exactly so, Rex. Cruelty first, then fealty to the Tangerine Taint.*
I posted this newspaper headline lots in 2016 and 2017
California “is literally subsidizing the rest of the United States, red states in particular, through the federal budget.”
When I was a teenager, I became a water safety instructor. The last class was "the toughest," our instructor told us, because we were going to learn how to escape the death grip of the person who couldn't be saved, to let them drown and not die ourselves, which as he said "is not your job." That's a difficult thing to come to understand.
California has the fifth-largest national economy in the world. It's time we got out of Red America's death grip and let them drown. The world's oldest practicing democracy has now gone the way of the Roman Republic, but we don't have to go down with those morons willing to proclaim the world's most determined ignoramus their new "Caesar."
Time for the revival of the Bear Flag Republic.
Love the idea. Wish it were possible. My fantasy is Canada plus the West Coast plus Mexico governed under the Canadian political and legal systems: Canada++, world’s third largest economy.
Hey, I'm from Northern Virginia. Don't leave us out! BTW, for those not familiar with this region, NoVa is a world apart from the rest of Virginia.
You guys can secede from the rest of VA.
And Texas is big enough to be several states.
The US is big enough to be several countries. It would be one thing to have Canada annex the west coast as the Pacifica Provence and the northeast as the Atlantic Provence. Canada is also large enough in geographical area to be several countries already, but boy, would that be cool. Texas can be their own country, they think they are already.
Would they have to rename all the Six-Flags parks (Spain, France, Mexico, Republic of Texas, Confederate States of American, and United States of America), and come up with something like the Disunited State in America for their 7th flag.
I would crawl to such a place. Texas has been hoodwinked by jackels
Take MN with you. We border Canada. Please!
Happy to accept any state in New England, any state with an Atlantic coastline down to Virginia, Minnesota, Illinois, maybe even Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania. Ohio is right out, though.
Robert Reich did a piece called: How about if Canada annexes Blue America?
https://robertreich.substack.com/p/canada-and-blue-america-a-perfect?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=365422&post_id=153596722&utm_campaign=email-post-title&isFreemail=true&r=cld3m&triedRedirect=true&utm_medium=email
(The Canadians loved the idea of getting Hawaii )
Enjoy!!
New York, New Jersey and New England along with the West Coast would decimate the Federal budget if it became a separate country.
Paul Krugman also reported that along with CA, NY donates more to the Federal budget than they receive.
What a budget fight there would be among the remaining states.
the maps we see in Canada for that fantasy have a string of states/provinces down the west coast, plus MInnesota, plus New England and New York (and maybe New Jersey). What's left is a country called Jesusland.
Wait! Dont forget New Mexico!
Please include Minnesota.
lllinois, too. At least the northern half.
I wouldn't mind that at all, making sure our social policies remain intact and we avoid American Exceptionalism let alone military adventures which have turned out less than wonderful!
Actually, the fourth largest economy in the world. It was reported last week they have overtaken Germany.
I'm wearing my Republic of California winter hat this month.
movie Civil War ???
Professor Richardson, thank you for another excellent summary of current events. Regarding the problem of right-wing billionaires buying and subsequently influencing the editorial content of major media outlets, such as Bezos' ownership of the Washington Post, it seems that the Democrats need to fight fire with fire. Aside from the fact that The Atlantic is owned by the Emerson Collective, a philanthropic organization founded by Laurene Powell Jobs, the widow of Steve Jobs, who is also a major donor to Democratic Party politicians, who else can we look to for help?
Margaret Sullivan has a list of her favorites in yesterdays column. I think she's on Substack. Many people post on YouTube like David Packman, Brian Tyler Cohen, Jon Stewart and others.
I was saddened to see that Carrie Underwood is going to perform at Trump's inauguration . In the long run, this won't be good for her career.
Heather, of course. Steven Beschloss and Keith Olbermann. Many more. But that's not going to stop the Nazi Oligarchs. They own us. We're f'd.
Thank you for your reply. While I am sure that all three of these commentators have much to add to the ongoing public debate, and all three probably have substantial financial resources, the original intent of the question was to learn which ultra-wealthy, left-leaning media owners should be considered to help our cause.
A very good question. The problem is the electoral market place itself. If we can't control that (Citizens United, for example), our 'democracy' is on its last legs, if not already dissolved. With uncontrolled money and power comes unlimited corruption. They feed on each other.
Did we insult Bloomberg enough. He has big microphones.
Good suggestion.
Thanks Heather, will Democrats get a Spine and push back and keep pushing back. Control of the courts, control of the media, control of the souls of the GOP. Thank you merrick Garland for your dereliction of duty to this country!
Biden has 5 days to stand up. Trump is illigitimate and our country was attacked by Russian psyops. We just lost the cold war. It's an emergency
Biden has 5 days PLUS presidential immunity.
No he doesn’t. The SC decides
And his son and brother Jimmy are MAGA targets.
Revenge is chump’s go to, even up there with greed
So, Biden does something--he wouldn't color too outside of the lines--that the SCOTUS decides after he's out of office isn't covered by immunity. Try it in federal court? Biden could "pull a Trump" and play that game until he dies.
He doesn’t have anyone paying his bills.
Just a reminder, friends. We are not them. Nor do we want to be.
This is not a new idea on my part--it precedes Trump. I'm very tired of California funding the Red States who vote against Blue States on legislative issues (SALT cap) and in the Electoral College.
Either let each state pay for their own social programs; or let each state pay the same amount they receive + 20% for the military and maybe 5-10% to fund the federal government.
Margaret Thatcher once said: "socialism is nice, but eventually you run out of someone else's money." Time for the socialistic Red States to run out of our money.
Democrats have less than two years to get their(our) act together…we need a better than decent control of the U.S. House and certainly control of the Senate - if that’s possible - in the 2026 midterms!
That time ran out some time ago.
While I know that Trump is a thug, and his sycophants are also thugs (looking at you slimy Mike Johnson), to be confronted with his transactional aid plan for my state while the horrific fires rage on, is just one step too far. California, as it is pointed out above, supports the whole damn country. Governor Newsom has invited Mr. Trump to come to California; it has been several days and Trump has yet to even respond. Today I very proudly subscribed to The Contrarian. To paraphrase Joyce Vance, we are going to be in this together.
If Trump won’t help California after its ongoing fire catastrophe, then it’s time we Californians refuse to support the abominable policies Trump has in store for the Nation. How? By paying our federal taxes to our state government. Sorry MAGA, but while a diminished IRS may let billionaires escape paying even more taxes, it could also give citizens of blue states the freedom to funnel federal tax money to their state governments without worrying about the IRS coming looking for unpaid taxes. “No taxation without representation.” It worked for King George and it just might work for King Donald.
Ok 250 years later we have a new set of Intolerable Acts and a new cry for no taxation without fair representation. The West Coast and the Northeast should stop funding the Red States (who apparently despise them), even though those same states are approaching third world status without them. Next Florida hurricane, no federal relief because they should have prevented the hurricane's damage. See how stupid these people sound? The maga crowd is saying that the blues are unwanted, Cali is unAmerican, then blue money should be unwanted also. Americans should not treat fellow Americans the way Maga is acting, doing so they are saying half the country, the blues, aren't Americans. This current blindness is as intolerable as thinking you can waltz in and take over Canada (etc). New American values or just a stupid oligarchy? I will check out the Contrarian. I hope they make it. And I am with you California and I am sending support as best I can.
Leave them to drown on their own. It is time for a national divorce.
I'd be a happy camper if Canada decided to annex New England!
but would we want New Hampshire, which my American poli sci prof used to call the Mississippi of the North?
New Hampshire can live free and die.
I subscribed to The Contrarian this afternoon and consider it $70 well spent. Not that I've got the time to read it, but I'll somehow make the time since learning from those who know so much more than I do is essential in these times.
Me too. I didn't need one more substack, but it's so vital and what a collection of voices to keep abreast of the most important things going on.
A superbly lucid summary of the budgetary quagmire in Congress, scary as hell, but ultimately no doomsday scenario as responsible politicians and journalists push back.
Will see how long journalist can hang on and fight once the NSC / NSA hacks their phones and emails, outs their sources and whistleblowers, lives will be ruined, false character assassinations, dirty laundry aired. Some real bad intimidation stuff is coming folks. Lock in and support journalists. The “enemy of the people” is about to get real.
If just one or two Republicans in the House switch parties, it's a whole new ball game. There are already a couple of Republican Congresscritters in ill health that have been absent for quite some time.
I hope so.