In November of 2024 smart women who take themselves and their needs seriously will vote for Joe Biden. Smart women know that they need access to necessary medical care if they miscarry (and one in 5 pregnancies do) …..smart women who respect themselves don’t want to have a convicted rapist as president. Smart women don’t want a president who was just punished with $83.3 million dollars in punitive and compensatory damages for further defaming the woman he raped….smart women want to get about as far away as possible from that man….and that’s smart!
The $83.3million probably won’t be reversed on appeal because it fits well in ‘below the 6-1 formula’ that is the punitive damages are less than 6 times the compensatory damages…which was really wise of Kaplan….Carroll’s lawyer…another very smart woman! The corollary is also sadly true!
Agree with you, Joan. Very smart women exist everywhere but today was a real vindication for E Jean and many others who have been silenced by rape. The award is appropriate considering that the con man is still shooting off his mouth on social media.
And why in heck do we even need to stress "smart" as if there's a need to strain against negative stereotypes, i gather which still circulate. Not a complaint mind you.
We need ALL women to vote in their best interest. As Adlai Stevenson responded when told by a supported that all of the smart people she knows are voting for him, "that isn't enough, I need a majority."
I love that Hailey gets under his skin ... and won't stop and is starting to take on acolytes like Daniels and Stephanie. More they goad him, the more he has to rattle his cajonies and keep coming back at them. Hope, after the SC primary, Hailey and Liz coordinate, even maybe with Hillary, and just keep tossing kitty treats out at his head. Ladies, do that thing that only you can do so well! Music to our ears.
Fred…..this is a belated follow-up to your ‘Haley gets under his skin’ thought….she has TShirts that say “Barred Permanently” that I love and I was thinking that there might well be a broader market among the rest of us for T Shirts that say “83 million in Damages is Positively Patriotic”…(given that Trump says “it’s Not American!
Great idea, Joan. How about an entire line of shirts (or, stylish hats) withe these kinds of undercutting slices imprinted in a sophisticated script or embedded in a sewn logo of no distinction beyond the term or epithet? With, perhaps the background color in common across each series? I thought of this when I first saw this tee-shirt.
Fred, She has come out publicly and said very clearly:
“I trust the jury” and this goes to the heart of the Trump campaign..that he is the object of hated of the ‘deep state’ etc…..
She is a leading REPUBLICAN, a WOMAN , a conservative….
And I’m reasonably sure this campaign is going to be won or lost on woman’s issues…and trashing and demeaning (AFTER raping) a now, 80 year old woman is most emphatically a woman’s issue in so many ways!
I could see a variety of T Shirts….and think I may want one myself…
I think I want a “I trust the Jury” with the dollar amount below….(in green) and the remark identified as hers….
Or perhaps a I O U
E.Jean
$ 83,300,000.00
Donald
Or God knows what else…but they should ALL have the dollar amount of the damages….it is noteworthy that Trump has gone silent on his ‘defenses in this matter’….doubtless Counsel has been heard from!
Good for our Heather to quote decent adults (in U.S. Senate, from both parties) speaking decently.
These who want to enact real legislation, to take care of real problems (at the southern border) have to contend with the more-numerous Republicans who want only chaos, who haven't an ounce of adulthood in them, who only want cravenly to follow their bully, rapist, insurrectionist in his diapers.
Let's look at murderers like Putin, Kim of North Korea, Netanyahu, and the Saudi royal Mohammed bin Salman. What do they have in common with nationalists pushing tribal hatreds such as Orban, Modi, and Hamas?
Answer is simple, those who murder and bully (and rape, and push insurrection) really hate both democracy and its lynch pin, the rule of law. They hate institutions that help us live together with respect for and enjoyment of our fellows.
So thanks to our Heather today for so nicely combining as she does her fondness for our few good adults, amid the sea of chaos and tribal hatred spawned from our many too many vulgar only.
"They hate institutions that help us live together with respect for and enjoyment of our fellows."
Note the salient figures who have been particularly skilled at achieving the mission above who have been assassinated. Solidarity is the antidote for authoritarianism, and demagogues know it.
Phil, as a resident of NC, please don’t ever credit Tillis for ‘speaking decently’, or anything else. The guy is a total douche, and like Trump, would only speak decently as a ruse towards something horrific. He led the GOP takeover of the NC legislature in 2010, from which we still suffer under the oppression of until this day. He’s also a coward, running down a back stairwell in the General Assembly to avoid being questioned during the Moral Monday protests while ‘serving’ as House Speaker. This is the guy whose anti-regulatory fervor led him to denounce the signs in restaurant bathrooms reminding employees to wash their hands.
I would like to double-check the claim that Saudi Prince Mohammad bin Salman is a murderer. I have heard the claim that Jamal Khashoggi was secretly convicted of treason in a Saudi court, so his killing in the Saudi embassy was allegedly an execution, not a murder.
p.s. Trump murdered Qassem Soleimani in full view (a high crime) while committing the high misdemeanor of misusing the military to murder. Soleimani was on a three-way peace mission when he was killed, according to public statements by Iraq (where the murder took place), Iran and Saudi Arabia.
This murder happened right in the middle of Trump's first impeachment brohuha, but THE DEMOCRATS DID NOTHING. Bernie harrumphed a bit, but he isn't even a Democrat.
It’s been whack-a-mole with Trumps misdeeds. Democrats ,and anybody else, are exhausted by attempts to corner that crook and sociopath when the GOP aids and abets him at every turn. Except for FINALLY Judge Kaplan and Jean Carol and a jury that loudly said ENOUGH. Now the Wall Street Journal. Perhaps, finally, the Emperor has no clothes, and soon, no allies. Stay in the race, Nikki Haley.
My point is that, in the middle of the impeachment circus, the Democrats literally let Trump GET AWAY WITH MURDER.
I thought that SOMEBODY among the Democratic leaders had to stand up and publicly denounce Trump's murder, on foreign soil, of a foreign general on a peace mission. Nobody did, so I did it myself, on my Facebook page.
You know, John, recognizing that you often intentionally take the worst side of a discussion, and straying from the original TRUMP RAPE topic for emphasis, I thought you and our other friends here might find that your last name is remarkably similar to Schmekel, the Yiddish word for PENIS.
Ahead of it, let's credit Orwell (especially "Politics and the English Language") for how what he called "bad language" lets slogans, abstractions, and other tribal longings carry people away.
Nationalists, dictators, and dark money managers let demagogues do the dirty work. But they can never carry away decent souls who have language to remember those they've loved.
The rest, Victoria? They forget. And they ride along with those with the dirty diapers, the caked-on orange facial make-up of those who most volubly hate. And hate and hate.
Breathing easier after today's Letter. This is one thing I particularly enjoyed: "And, of course, he never got Mexico to pay for his wall, as he repeatedly claimed he would, while President Joe Biden, in contrast, got Mexico to invest $1.5 billion in “smart” border technology and to beef up its own border security." tfg wouldn't know what "smart" technology was, other than the bit involving his on-line self-promotion with the infantile name of "Truth Social".
“Truth social” is as much a misnomer as “Make America Great Again.” I thought both an insult to America’s intelligence. Same with Alex Jones total crap. That so many are so stupid is an indictment of our “bottom third of turds.”
Make America Great Again has evolved (or devolved) into a term used to describe the Trump base. It never really meant anything and never defined a time in American history when things were, well, great.
I am content with my life in America right now as are most of the people I know. If America being great means that we are content and happy with our lives then most of us think America is great right now.
It's a lot like asking "Who or what is God?" Even people of the same religion will describe God in different terms. What could make the US better? Many things could, but as far as this entitled white guy is concerned, the bar is pretty high right now.
What could make the US better? Not having my rights as a woman and a member of the LGBTQ+ community under attack. Not having my friends and neighbors believing the awful tripe that the MAGAts espouse.
True, but I remember a time when I felt that the melting pot was a wonderful description of what we had become, and the Statue of Liberty meant something. Also Christians were not the worse iteration of what the gospels taught
I don’t understand why news people and pollsters keep asking if voters would still choose Trump IF he’s convicted of a crime. He HAS been convicted - of sexual assault/rape, defamation of E. Jean Carroll, and fraud in the operation of his businesses in NY. Why the IF? Are those crimes not big enough?
Danielle, technically, he has been found civilly liable for conduct that meets the statutory definition of rape in the State of New York. The statute of limitations has expired on his facing criminal charges for his conduct, therefore the adjudications are for damages incurred as a result of the conduct, not the conduct itself.
I don't think that you can have a guilty verdict in that case because he is directly charged with civil fraud. While each state is different with respect to their specific definitions, I believe that in this case the conduct being adjudicated is fraud, and that as a civil case, generally, the penalty is liability rather than guilt.
As if Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization wasn’t enough to energize widespread opposition to the Party of Trump, congressional Republicans are poised to demonstrate their opposition to critically needed border policy legislation.
This state of affairs is painful to endure, but I am a little more hopeful that Americans may wake up and vote for Democrats who are on the sensible (and popular!) side of these issues.
If more Americans were even just half better informed than they seem to be, i doubt polls would be so hard on Biden. He's been a relief to my dull ears over the past few years. Common sense, simple decency versus bombast and viciousness. Then, I'm 78! AND, i do enjoy Heather's letters and the commentators.
Jonathan- do you currently live in Nebraska? I was born and raised there and still have family and friends in Omaha and Lincoln as well as family that farms around Hastings.
Most of my family are Democrats but most of my friends are Republicans in Nebraska. Are there any good Democrat hopefuls that can replace the Republicans in 2024?
I’m glad to see Biden speaking forcefully about the hypocrisy of the GQP on immigration. I’m shocked to see the WSJ actually speak the truth about the issue.
Maybe the donor class is starting to pucker at the antics of the fanatics spewing confederate-sounding stupidity. If the business “leaders” (I.e. the millionaires & above funding the GQP) actually start to realize the damage the fanatics will do to the country and economy, they might stop or at least slow down on pumping bribes into the GQP dark money machine . .
One can dream, seems that it would have occurred to the “smartest people In The room.” Oh wait, maybe they are just rich idiots who scammed their way into money, or inherited it, like the best carnival barker.l.
George, unfortunately, the donor class epiphany will probably come too late. Lust for profit trumps (no pun intended) everything else, as does status quo inertia when it comes to changing the policy paradigm.
“The only thing more likely than more American families continuing to lose loved ones to failed and counterproductive overseas wars will be a lack of any effective congressional resistance to US Middle East policy, most urgently Israel’s genocide of the Palestinian people. Likewise, the only thing more likely than the B21 being another poorly performing MIC cash cow will be the lack of meaningful political opposition to the overall MIC gravy train. The inertia of both a militarized foreign policy that, through its actions, creates a circular reality that justifies continued military action and a military-industrial complex that now says the American people don’t have the right to know how much our weapons cost demonstrate a dangerous reality of American democracy and a terrible path ahead.”
Tom, I have searched for a synonym to use for that bridge term, and have been unsuccessful. None of them quite work in all situations, but I found the synonyms and antonyms very entertaining.
It is mind-boggling to think that one narcissistic adolescent bully has been able to enthrall so many for so long and to frighten otherwise reasonable elected officials into subservience. Much as E.Jean Carroll deserves our thanks and our admiration, so does Nikki Haley. Both women are, in different ways, making it clear that the would-be emperor has no clothes.
Heather...you and Joyce Vance are so needed. I eagerly look forward, with the hope you both impart, each day, to your "Letters" and Joyce's "Civil Discourse." Thank goodness for both of you! God sent 2 angels: Heather and Joyce! God bless you!
The Republicans have aligned themselves with Putin against democracy and European allies. Doesn’t anybody remember that Hitler started grabbing land before he blitzed Poland. Also, it is clear that Republicans don’t want to solve problems (ie govern) if they think the problem helps them maintain power that they only use for self aggrandizement. I will not say here what I think they deserve, but any employer, public or private would rightly fire any employee who acted this way.
Chump has been aligned with Putin from way back. We missed the chance in the 90’s to help Russia change, thanks to DeLay, Gingrich and the Repub self-righteous cretins. Putin didn’t miss his chance and here we are.
Blaming others is the holy grail for the vote blue no matter who cult. ‘Saving democracy’ is the other side of the ‘Make America Great’ propaganda coin. Neither gets at the corporate coup, and we’re all in the toilet now.
“But since Trump steamrolled the GOP clown car in 2016, establishment politics has increasingly consolidated under the umbrella of the one party that (just barely) succeeded in fighting off its populist challenger, the Democrats. The return to the Democratic tent of once-hated neocons like Bill Kristol (who was reportedly in attendance at the anti-No Labels meeting described by Semafor) has helped revamp the blue-party institutional space into something like a permanent Washington-against-the-world war council, fueled by an aristocratic contempt whose intensity is almost beyond comprehension.
These people reordered the geography of the world, blithely moved whole manufacturing sectors from one continent to another, started moronic wars that pointlessly killed millions and created millions more refugees, bailed out corrupt banks while whole regions went into foreclosure, and failed to accomplish much but a growing sense of foreboding and decline despite decades of promises to the contrary. Still, they feel sincere rage at the idea that they should have to earn votes.
The special anger Nader inspired came from his refusal to just “send a message,” saying things like “Isn’t that what candidates try to do to one another—take votes?” when Democrats suggested he stop “taking” votes from Al Gore or John Kerry, and run in “safe” states only. Again, never mind that they could have altered their own fortunes easily by prioritizing voters over donors just a little more. In their minds, this was not Nader’s call to make. In the minds of early 2000s Democrats, voters never elected Republicans. Ralph Nader did.”
Love your insight that just as a responsible employer would terminate an employee who maliciously commits unlawful acts, the judge and jury in Carroll v. Trump acted accordingly, as we voters will surely reject Trump’s support for murderous autocrats worldwide in 2024 (assuming the Supreme Court fails its duty to exclude that insurrectionists from the ballot).
Ironic that it's possible that the E. Jean Carroll case could be appealed to the US Supreme Court.
I wouldn't be surprised if they reduced the amount of the judgment or overturned the verdict altogether. This would open the door for Rudy as well as other defamation cases against the various MAGANAZI's out there to have their cases overturned.
Currently SCOTUS is rewriting law which is outside of their scope. Nothing they do at this point surprises me. Trump has them in his pocket.
Thanks. "The will of the people,, as I heard many times from leaders trained in Russia in the '70s means nothing when "the people" are controlled by fake news and propaganda. Why don't more people realize what's going on?
Thank you, Heather, for pointing out what has been bothering me, that Trump is a private citizen and should have no influence on decisions of lawmakers. Yet, too many GOP legislators in both houses kowtow to this criminal as to a mafia don. Romney rightly calls out Trump's demands and the acquiescence of Senate colleagues as appalling. The right wing media continues to refer to TFG with the title President. He has not been such for 3 years. May it never be so again!
And Mike Johnson is openly telling all of us that he gets direction from Traitor every day. Johnson acts like this is normal, acceptable behavior. It is not! He should be called out on it every time he acknowledges it's happening.
Absolutely! It's mind boggling that they are allowed to stay while working at odds against the very oaths they took to uphold the Constitution. Does the military allow it, or Federal employees? No, they court martial or fire disloyal employees.
What magical snake oil lubricant does Johnson use to get around his oath of office?
Meanwhile in Hungary, Orban and his government have unequivocally placed all their bets on a Trump victory and, consequently, the triumph of a new US-Russian Axis, in which he, Orban, will be a kingpin.
Read today's Financial Times report in which the US Ambassador to Hungary describes the situation and Orban's fantasy-world propaganda just as it is.
All this, to say nothing of the approaching crunch in July, when Hungary is supposed to take up the EU presidency...
You're concerned that Orban seems to be the darling of the Republican Party?
But of course they love him, he's a criminal. A successful crime boss.
It took me a while in the 80s to wake up very gradually to the fact that many ordinary people adore a criminal politician, one who says what they never dared to say, one who does what they'd never dare to do, abusing power every which way, helping himself to public funds, consorting with hoodlums, holding orgies for his cronies. And getting away with it.
Their ideal hero's no longer a healthy outlaw like Robin Hood, it's the Sheriff of Nottingham. Official power held, used and abused. He sweet-talks the poor even while he's robbing them to bribe the rich. He loves and serves the tyrant King John, makes sure the Lionheart's ransom never gets paid. (He's pocketed it...) And Robin he frames, pinning onto him (and to anyone that gets in his way) his very own crimes...
And they love him, they all come crawling to him...
Time to rewrite all our folk tales. It's Ali Baba who suffers the fate of Magnitsky while the Forty Thieves, the cops-and-robbers, in and out of uniform, just keep adding to their stash.
CRIME PAYS !!!
And the 40 Thieves never tire of rubbing the message in.
When poor Navalny walked into that trap, whose portrait presided over his consignment to the Gulag of a thousand-cuts?
Why, that of NKVD boss Yagoda whose house, when the time came for Stalin to dispose of his now supernumerary butcher, was found to be bursting with gold, with cash, with jewelry, with furs, with precious wines.
Today, in our 21st Century, it's Capone for President and that zoot-suited Gotti for Veep...
HCR, Thank you! Every day, you move us incrementally closer to saving our inclusive, egalitarian democracy with accurate and hard hitting accounts of the fight. As Nelson said, “Go right at them!” And, you do.
I always wonder, something like, Joyce White Vance - what do these maga parents explain to their children that they support an insurrectionist/rapist ?
I know Nikki Haley is not my friend but I'm rooting for her, right now, to get Trump on the stage !
This attempt by Congressional Republicans to undermine immigration legislation should surprise no one.
It is exactly what they did when they trashed the Constitution in order to pack the Supreme Court in order to kill Roe v. Wade (and who knows what else).
With Mitch and Mike, it’s all about cementing power and furthering their agenda. But “We the People” hold the jackhammer!
I really wish it were that simple. Term limits only lead to politicians playing musical chairs, jumping from seat to seat. We already have the ultimate term limit, the ballot box. If we won’t use it, we get the government we deserve.
Smart women
In November of 2024 smart women who take themselves and their needs seriously will vote for Joe Biden. Smart women know that they need access to necessary medical care if they miscarry (and one in 5 pregnancies do) …..smart women who respect themselves don’t want to have a convicted rapist as president. Smart women don’t want a president who was just punished with $83.3 million dollars in punitive and compensatory damages for further defaming the woman he raped….smart women want to get about as far away as possible from that man….and that’s smart!
The $83.3million probably won’t be reversed on appeal because it fits well in ‘below the 6-1 formula’ that is the punitive damages are less than 6 times the compensatory damages…which was really wise of Kaplan….Carroll’s lawyer…another very smart woman! The corollary is also sadly true!
Agree with you, Joan. Very smart women exist everywhere but today was a real vindication for E Jean and many others who have been silenced by rape. The award is appropriate considering that the con man is still shooting off his mouth on social media.
And why in heck do we even need to stress "smart" as if there's a need to strain against negative stereotypes, i gather which still circulate. Not a complaint mind you.
Smart women, and we number in the millions, must get out and vote in their best interest.
We need ALL women to vote in their best interest. As Adlai Stevenson responded when told by a supported that all of the smart people she knows are voting for him, "that isn't enough, I need a majority."
I guess that precludes Alina Habba….
Tens of millions.
I love that Hailey gets under his skin ... and won't stop and is starting to take on acolytes like Daniels and Stephanie. More they goad him, the more he has to rattle his cajonies and keep coming back at them. Hope, after the SC primary, Hailey and Liz coordinate, even maybe with Hillary, and just keep tossing kitty treats out at his head. Ladies, do that thing that only you can do so well! Music to our ears.
Fred…..this is a belated follow-up to your ‘Haley gets under his skin’ thought….she has TShirts that say “Barred Permanently” that I love and I was thinking that there might well be a broader market among the rest of us for T Shirts that say “83 million in Damages is Positively Patriotic”…(given that Trump says “it’s Not American!
Great idea, Joan. How about an entire line of shirts (or, stylish hats) withe these kinds of undercutting slices imprinted in a sophisticated script or embedded in a sewn logo of no distinction beyond the term or epithet? With, perhaps the background color in common across each series? I thought of this when I first saw this tee-shirt.
Fred, She has come out publicly and said very clearly:
“I trust the jury” and this goes to the heart of the Trump campaign..that he is the object of hated of the ‘deep state’ etc…..
She is a leading REPUBLICAN, a WOMAN , a conservative….
And I’m reasonably sure this campaign is going to be won or lost on woman’s issues…and trashing and demeaning (AFTER raping) a now, 80 year old woman is most emphatically a woman’s issue in so many ways!
I could see a variety of T Shirts….and think I may want one myself…
I think I want a “I trust the Jury” with the dollar amount below….(in green) and the remark identified as hers….
Or perhaps a I O U
E.Jean
$ 83,300,000.00
Donald
Or God knows what else…but they should ALL have the dollar amount of the damages….it is noteworthy that Trump has gone silent on his ‘defenses in this matter’….doubtless Counsel has been heard from!
Agree!
Perfectly said.
Good for our Heather to quote decent adults (in U.S. Senate, from both parties) speaking decently.
These who want to enact real legislation, to take care of real problems (at the southern border) have to contend with the more-numerous Republicans who want only chaos, who haven't an ounce of adulthood in them, who only want cravenly to follow their bully, rapist, insurrectionist in his diapers.
Let's look at murderers like Putin, Kim of North Korea, Netanyahu, and the Saudi royal Mohammed bin Salman. What do they have in common with nationalists pushing tribal hatreds such as Orban, Modi, and Hamas?
Answer is simple, those who murder and bully (and rape, and push insurrection) really hate both democracy and its lynch pin, the rule of law. They hate institutions that help us live together with respect for and enjoyment of our fellows.
So thanks to our Heather today for so nicely combining as she does her fondness for our few good adults, amid the sea of chaos and tribal hatred spawned from our many too many vulgar only.
"They hate institutions that help us live together with respect for and enjoyment of our fellows."
Note the salient figures who have been particularly skilled at achieving the mission above who have been assassinated. Solidarity is the antidote for authoritarianism, and demagogues know it.
Phil, as a resident of NC, please don’t ever credit Tillis for ‘speaking decently’, or anything else. The guy is a total douche, and like Trump, would only speak decently as a ruse towards something horrific. He led the GOP takeover of the NC legislature in 2010, from which we still suffer under the oppression of until this day. He’s also a coward, running down a back stairwell in the General Assembly to avoid being questioned during the Moral Monday protests while ‘serving’ as House Speaker. This is the guy whose anti-regulatory fervor led him to denounce the signs in restaurant bathrooms reminding employees to wash their hands.
I would like to double-check the claim that Saudi Prince Mohammad bin Salman is a murderer. I have heard the claim that Jamal Khashoggi was secretly convicted of treason in a Saudi court, so his killing in the Saudi embassy was allegedly an execution, not a murder.
p.s. Trump murdered Qassem Soleimani in full view (a high crime) while committing the high misdemeanor of misusing the military to murder. Soleimani was on a three-way peace mission when he was killed, according to public statements by Iraq (where the murder took place), Iran and Saudi Arabia.
This murder happened right in the middle of Trump's first impeachment brohuha, but THE DEMOCRATS DID NOTHING. Bernie harrumphed a bit, but he isn't even a Democrat.
It’s been whack-a-mole with Trumps misdeeds. Democrats ,and anybody else, are exhausted by attempts to corner that crook and sociopath when the GOP aids and abets him at every turn. Except for FINALLY Judge Kaplan and Jean Carol and a jury that loudly said ENOUGH. Now the Wall Street Journal. Perhaps, finally, the Emperor has no clothes, and soon, no allies. Stay in the race, Nikki Haley.
Which Nikki Haley? Trump called Nancy Pelosi and E. Jean Carroll -- Nikki Haley in the last week.
Will the real Nikki Haley please stand up?
My point is that, in the middle of the impeachment circus, the Democrats literally let Trump GET AWAY WITH MURDER.
I thought that SOMEBODY among the Democratic leaders had to stand up and publicly denounce Trump's murder, on foreign soil, of a foreign general on a peace mission. Nobody did, so I did it myself, on my Facebook page.
Khashoggi was certainly executed by the Saudis, but not for good cause.
Don't feed the troll.
Ditto what Matt said.
Matt Fulkerson, in the spirit of trollish censorship, tries to discourage others from thinking about a reasonable question.
Go kill a plant.
Um, you sound psychotic.
My understanding is that the Saudi government considered Khashoggi to be a foreign agent.
Who knows how their legal system works?
I actually lived there for six months as an English teacher: Imagine a country that NEVER has elections, so never any discordant political debate.
OMG! Bwahahahahahahahahahahahahaaaa. Keep it coming! I can't even breath any more you are keeping me in stitches. That's the second one today.
You know, John, recognizing that you often intentionally take the worst side of a discussion, and straying from the original TRUMP RAPE topic for emphasis, I thought you and our other friends here might find that your last name is remarkably similar to Schmekel, the Yiddish word for PENIS.
D Kitterman,
You want to talk about rape, and you want to talk about penises. I hope you're not some sort of pervert.
p.s. the Schwabish "le" ending is commonly pronounced "lee" among German-American families.
Lisa59,
Why would I defend Lenin?
"Eternal terror and brutality" is the common thread of power mongers.
Yes, Victoria. But not "the" common thread.
Ahead of it, let's credit Orwell (especially "Politics and the English Language") for how what he called "bad language" lets slogans, abstractions, and other tribal longings carry people away.
Nationalists, dictators, and dark money managers let demagogues do the dirty work. But they can never carry away decent souls who have language to remember those they've loved.
The rest, Victoria? They forget. And they ride along with those with the dirty diapers, the caked-on orange facial make-up of those who most volubly hate. And hate and hate.
Joyce did write about it anyway, because E. Jean is now such a hero for standing up that praising her could not be put off. An amazing strong woman.
Breathing easier after today's Letter. This is one thing I particularly enjoyed: "And, of course, he never got Mexico to pay for his wall, as he repeatedly claimed he would, while President Joe Biden, in contrast, got Mexico to invest $1.5 billion in “smart” border technology and to beef up its own border security." tfg wouldn't know what "smart" technology was, other than the bit involving his on-line self-promotion with the infantile name of "Truth Social".
“Truth social” is as much a misnomer as “Make America Great Again.” I thought both an insult to America’s intelligence. Same with Alex Jones total crap. That so many are so stupid is an indictment of our “bottom third of turds.”
It's really MAHA: Make America Hate Again
Best description ever, mine from now on
Make America Great Again has evolved (or devolved) into a term used to describe the Trump base. It never really meant anything and never defined a time in American history when things were, well, great.
I am content with my life in America right now as are most of the people I know. If America being great means that we are content and happy with our lives then most of us think America is great right now.
It's a lot like asking "Who or what is God?" Even people of the same religion will describe God in different terms. What could make the US better? Many things could, but as far as this entitled white guy is concerned, the bar is pretty high right now.
What could make the US better? Not having my rights as a woman and a member of the LGBTQ+ community under attack. Not having my friends and neighbors believing the awful tripe that the MAGAts espouse.
My wife and I were talking about happiness vs contentment and she said that happiness is fleeting and yet contentment is a feeling that is long term.
But I totally agree with you about women's rights and ridiculous attacks on the LGBTQ+ community.
True, but I remember a time when I felt that the melting pot was a wonderful description of what we had become, and the Statue of Liberty meant something. Also Christians were not the worse iteration of what the gospels taught
I don’t understand why news people and pollsters keep asking if voters would still choose Trump IF he’s convicted of a crime. He HAS been convicted - of sexual assault/rape, defamation of E. Jean Carroll, and fraud in the operation of his businesses in NY. Why the IF? Are those crimes not big enough?
Danielle, technically, he has been found civilly liable for conduct that meets the statutory definition of rape in the State of New York. The statute of limitations has expired on his facing criminal charges for his conduct, therefore the adjudications are for damages incurred as a result of the conduct, not the conduct itself.
So the civil fraud trial about his NY business practices also results in a verdict of liable, not “guilty”?
I don't think that you can have a guilty verdict in that case because he is directly charged with civil fraud. While each state is different with respect to their specific definitions, I believe that in this case the conduct being adjudicated is fraud, and that as a civil case, generally, the penalty is liability rather than guilt.
Thanks for the explanation, Ally.
I was wondering that exact same thing half an hour ago! Thanks for mentioning!
“He wants to take this country to the grave with him.” ⬅️ this is what keeps me up at night.
As if Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization wasn’t enough to energize widespread opposition to the Party of Trump, congressional Republicans are poised to demonstrate their opposition to critically needed border policy legislation.
This state of affairs is painful to endure, but I am a little more hopeful that Americans may wake up and vote for Democrats who are on the sensible (and popular!) side of these issues.
Just say NO to thugs.
Great bumper sticker
If more Americans were even just half better informed than they seem to be, i doubt polls would be so hard on Biden. He's been a relief to my dull ears over the past few years. Common sense, simple decency versus bombast and viciousness. Then, I'm 78! AND, i do enjoy Heather's letters and the commentators.
I hope so too.
Jonathan- do you currently live in Nebraska? I was born and raised there and still have family and friends in Omaha and Lincoln as well as family that farms around Hastings.
Most of my family are Democrats but most of my friends are Republicans in Nebraska. Are there any good Democrat hopefuls that can replace the Republicans in 2024?
With apologies to Bernie Taupin and Reginald Dwight------
"Oh my Elizabeth Jean, though I never knew you at all,
You had the grace to hold yourself while Don around you crawled;
He crawled out of the networks, and he whispered into their brains,
He set you on a treadmill, and he tried to build your shame;
But it seems to me, you won your case like a Candle in the Wind,
Always holding strong and sturdy, as the rain came in;
And he doesn't even know you, and he never did,
His bluster burned out long before, your legend ever did"
Love it!!!! I'll be singing it all day, thanks Daniel.
Ha! Thanks for that, Bruce!
Clever
Most sweet of you, Marlene
Please post that on TikTok or YouTube. Most excellent.
Ha Ha! Good one Mr. Streeter!
Daniel, great adaptation! Thanks!
Singing your words as I read them ( though not out loud.) Good job.
Thank you for summarizing a very busy day.
I’m glad to see Biden speaking forcefully about the hypocrisy of the GQP on immigration. I’m shocked to see the WSJ actually speak the truth about the issue.
Maybe the donor class is starting to pucker at the antics of the fanatics spewing confederate-sounding stupidity. If the business “leaders” (I.e. the millionaires & above funding the GQP) actually start to realize the damage the fanatics will do to the country and economy, they might stop or at least slow down on pumping bribes into the GQP dark money machine . .
One can dream, seems that it would have occurred to the “smartest people In The room.” Oh wait, maybe they are just rich idiots who scammed their way into money, or inherited it, like the best carnival barker.l.
George, unfortunately, the donor class epiphany will probably come too late. Lust for profit trumps (no pun intended) everything else, as does status quo inertia when it comes to changing the policy paradigm.
https://www.counterpunch.org/2024/01/26/imperial-costs-two-stories-summarize-the-cost-of-empire-to-democracy/
“The only thing more likely than more American families continuing to lose loved ones to failed and counterproductive overseas wars will be a lack of any effective congressional resistance to US Middle East policy, most urgently Israel’s genocide of the Palestinian people. Likewise, the only thing more likely than the B21 being another poorly performing MIC cash cow will be the lack of meaningful political opposition to the overall MIC gravy train. The inertia of both a militarized foreign policy that, through its actions, creates a circular reality that justifies continued military action and a military-industrial complex that now says the American people don’t have the right to know how much our weapons cost demonstrate a dangerous reality of American democracy and a terrible path ahead.”
Tom, I have searched for a synonym to use for that bridge term, and have been unsuccessful. None of them quite work in all situations, but I found the synonyms and antonyms very entertaining.
https://www.thesaurus.com/browse/trump
It is mind-boggling to think that one narcissistic adolescent bully has been able to enthrall so many for so long and to frighten otherwise reasonable elected officials into subservience. Much as E.Jean Carroll deserves our thanks and our admiration, so does Nikki Haley. Both women are, in different ways, making it clear that the would-be emperor has no clothes.
Heather...you and Joyce Vance are so needed. I eagerly look forward, with the hope you both impart, each day, to your "Letters" and Joyce's "Civil Discourse." Thank goodness for both of you! God sent 2 angels: Heather and Joyce! God bless you!
The Republicans have aligned themselves with Putin against democracy and European allies. Doesn’t anybody remember that Hitler started grabbing land before he blitzed Poland. Also, it is clear that Republicans don’t want to solve problems (ie govern) if they think the problem helps them maintain power that they only use for self aggrandizement. I will not say here what I think they deserve, but any employer, public or private would rightly fire any employee who acted this way.
Chump has been aligned with Putin from way back. We missed the chance in the 90’s to help Russia change, thanks to DeLay, Gingrich and the Repub self-righteous cretins. Putin didn’t miss his chance and here we are.
I admire your tribal rigidity. As if the Dems had nothing to do with the rise of Putin.
It’s like the Israeli apologists ignoring Bibi’s role with Hamas.
Carry on, democracy warrior!
Damn, I’m old enough that I could go back and do some heavy duty blaming. Repubs would be in the toilet, or maybe in the magma…
Blaming others is the holy grail for the vote blue no matter who cult. ‘Saving democracy’ is the other side of the ‘Make America Great’ propaganda coin. Neither gets at the corporate coup, and we’re all in the toilet now.
https://www.racket.news/p/the-anti-democratic-movement-targeted?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=1042&post_id=141010858&utm_campaign=email-post-title&isFreemail=false&r=eov1&utm_medium=email
“But since Trump steamrolled the GOP clown car in 2016, establishment politics has increasingly consolidated under the umbrella of the one party that (just barely) succeeded in fighting off its populist challenger, the Democrats. The return to the Democratic tent of once-hated neocons like Bill Kristol (who was reportedly in attendance at the anti-No Labels meeting described by Semafor) has helped revamp the blue-party institutional space into something like a permanent Washington-against-the-world war council, fueled by an aristocratic contempt whose intensity is almost beyond comprehension.
These people reordered the geography of the world, blithely moved whole manufacturing sectors from one continent to another, started moronic wars that pointlessly killed millions and created millions more refugees, bailed out corrupt banks while whole regions went into foreclosure, and failed to accomplish much but a growing sense of foreboding and decline despite decades of promises to the contrary. Still, they feel sincere rage at the idea that they should have to earn votes.
The special anger Nader inspired came from his refusal to just “send a message,” saying things like “Isn’t that what candidates try to do to one another—take votes?” when Democrats suggested he stop “taking” votes from Al Gore or John Kerry, and run in “safe” states only. Again, never mind that they could have altered their own fortunes easily by prioritizing voters over donors just a little more. In their minds, this was not Nader’s call to make. In the minds of early 2000s Democrats, voters never elected Republicans. Ralph Nader did.”
Love your insight that just as a responsible employer would terminate an employee who maliciously commits unlawful acts, the judge and jury in Carroll v. Trump acted accordingly, as we voters will surely reject Trump’s support for murderous autocrats worldwide in 2024 (assuming the Supreme Court fails its duty to exclude that insurrectionists from the ballot).
Ironic that it's possible that the E. Jean Carroll case could be appealed to the US Supreme Court.
I wouldn't be surprised if they reduced the amount of the judgment or overturned the verdict altogether. This would open the door for Rudy as well as other defamation cases against the various MAGANAZI's out there to have their cases overturned.
Currently SCOTUS is rewriting law which is outside of their scope. Nothing they do at this point surprises me. Trump has them in his pocket.
Thanks. "The will of the people,, as I heard many times from leaders trained in Russia in the '70s means nothing when "the people" are controlled by fake news and propaganda. Why don't more people realize what's going on?
Thank you, Heather, for pointing out what has been bothering me, that Trump is a private citizen and should have no influence on decisions of lawmakers. Yet, too many GOP legislators in both houses kowtow to this criminal as to a mafia don. Romney rightly calls out Trump's demands and the acquiescence of Senate colleagues as appalling. The right wing media continues to refer to TFG with the title President. He has not been such for 3 years. May it never be so again!
And Mike Johnson is openly telling all of us that he gets direction from Traitor every day. Johnson acts like this is normal, acceptable behavior. It is not! He should be called out on it every time he acknowledges it's happening.
And all “republicans” who voted not to recognize the election of President Biden should be ousted from Congress.
Absolutely! It's mind boggling that they are allowed to stay while working at odds against the very oaths they took to uphold the Constitution. Does the military allow it, or Federal employees? No, they court martial or fire disloyal employees.
What magical snake oil lubricant does Johnson use to get around his oath of office?
Meanwhile in Hungary, Orban and his government have unequivocally placed all their bets on a Trump victory and, consequently, the triumph of a new US-Russian Axis, in which he, Orban, will be a kingpin.
Read today's Financial Times report in which the US Ambassador to Hungary describes the situation and Orban's fantasy-world propaganda just as it is.
All this, to say nothing of the approaching crunch in July, when Hungary is supposed to take up the EU presidency...
Peter, I found this article re Orban & Hungary & conflict w/in the EU interesting: https://www.politico.eu/article/eu-threatens-silence-hungary-orban-if-blocks-ukrainian-aid-funds-article-7/. I am concerned that Orban now seems to be the darling of the Republican Party.
You're concerned that Orban seems to be the darling of the Republican Party?
But of course they love him, he's a criminal. A successful crime boss.
It took me a while in the 80s to wake up very gradually to the fact that many ordinary people adore a criminal politician, one who says what they never dared to say, one who does what they'd never dare to do, abusing power every which way, helping himself to public funds, consorting with hoodlums, holding orgies for his cronies. And getting away with it.
Their ideal hero's no longer a healthy outlaw like Robin Hood, it's the Sheriff of Nottingham. Official power held, used and abused. He sweet-talks the poor even while he's robbing them to bribe the rich. He loves and serves the tyrant King John, makes sure the Lionheart's ransom never gets paid. (He's pocketed it...) And Robin he frames, pinning onto him (and to anyone that gets in his way) his very own crimes...
And they love him, they all come crawling to him...
Great analogy, Peter. The Sheriff of Nottingham, indeed.
Time to rewrite all our folk tales. It's Ali Baba who suffers the fate of Magnitsky while the Forty Thieves, the cops-and-robbers, in and out of uniform, just keep adding to their stash.
CRIME PAYS !!!
And the 40 Thieves never tire of rubbing the message in.
When poor Navalny walked into that trap, whose portrait presided over his consignment to the Gulag of a thousand-cuts?
Why, that of NKVD boss Yagoda whose house, when the time came for Stalin to dispose of his now supernumerary butcher, was found to be bursting with gold, with cash, with jewelry, with furs, with precious wines.
Today, in our 21st Century, it's Capone for President and that zoot-suited Gotti for Veep...
They must be proven wrong! We have squandered enough of our birthright already.
Oh Lord, say it isn’t so
This one sold his balls to the carnival barker
He said his wife spent a lot of time on her knees. Maybe she was looking for his balls.
May Mitt finally find his balls
HCR, Thank you! Every day, you move us incrementally closer to saving our inclusive, egalitarian democracy with accurate and hard hitting accounts of the fight. As Nelson said, “Go right at them!” And, you do.
I always wonder, something like, Joyce White Vance - what do these maga parents explain to their children that they support an insurrectionist/rapist ?
I know Nikki Haley is not my friend but I'm rooting for her, right now, to get Trump on the stage !
Habba told Trump this trial would add zero to his liability. She was right: they added a zero.
Zero to his credibility.
🤣🤣🤣
This attempt by Congressional Republicans to undermine immigration legislation should surprise no one.
It is exactly what they did when they trashed the Constitution in order to pack the Supreme Court in order to kill Roe v. Wade (and who knows what else).
With Mitch and Mike, it’s all about cementing power and furthering their agenda. But “We the People” hold the jackhammer!
I think Mitch is afraid of losing his power, while Mike is the Republican man of the hour.
Mitch is doing what MITCH always does
If you have seen the PBS portrait of him, you would know what to expect. He doesn't waiver.
Layered evil and self-interest
I think at this point Mitch is afraid of losing his socks and underwear. Term limits anyone?
Trrm limits is a must!
I really wish it were that simple. Term limits only lead to politicians playing musical chairs, jumping from seat to seat. We already have the ultimate term limit, the ballot box. If we won’t use it, we get the government we deserve.