Yes,I agree.Also,I am mortified that a traitorous ex-POTUS is backing like-minded candidates in our primaries currently.It is beyond pale that this man’s approval is a plus and now these people have a chance to once again infiltrate our government.If Republicans in Congress would have done their duty and impeached and removed this man, none of this would be happening.
Of particular concern to me is the number of people who have said they will question the election, particularly secretaries of state. America must be extremely careful WHO is elected.
“Although we have now heard evidence from Trump’s attorney general William Barr, campaign manager Bill Stepien, White House lawyers, and even his own daughter, testifying under oath, that the 2020 election wasn’t stolen—and that such claims were at least in part a way to cheat small donors out of $250 million—insisting on the Big Lie has become a requirement for Republican candidates. Yesterday, Amy Gardner and Isaac Arnsdorf of the Washington Post laid out how more than 100 of the Republicans who have won primaries have signed on to the Big Lie, including eight candidates for the U.S. Senate, eighty-six House candidates, five candidates for governor, four for state attorney general, and one for secretary of state.”
Most who have come clean, up to and including Bill Barr, have done so to save their own skin. In Bill Barr's case, he wants to sanitize his badly stained reputation. Take what they offer, but don't forget what contribution they've made to this disaster.
Pam, thanks for this - it's perfect. We can't allow ourselves to forget that, without enablement by Barr and every other complicit Republican, TFG could never have done the amount of damage that has weakened our democracy.
Consider, Barr is surpassed as a grifter only by dopey don! His distortion of the Mueller Report reduced the years of investigation to a 30 second sound byte played over and over again! He was sending trump written advise before he was appointed AG, apparently auditioning for the job!
Too late bubba Billy, people died and dozens injured on Jan 6 while you watched from the sidelines!
I totally agree. I never trusted him, and his dismissal of Mueller's investigation cemented that dislike/distrust. Anything that he does now to clean up his image won't fool me.
Correct Louis - Barr is an evil man. What he did with the Mueller report should "live in infamy." Think about what might have been, had that report received its just due from him. We might have gotten Trump impeached right then, and maybe even indicted, which he fully deserved.
I never could stand him. His sanctimonious piety never fooled me. No truly pious person would have sullied himself by serving TFG. He was glad to serve as TFG's beard in order to climb the steps to the White House later.
This is why the committee started with Bannon knowing he would refuse to testify and now he will go to trial soon. The rest of them decided they didn't want to go to prison for contempt. It would be better to cooperate. They will perhaps not go to prison, but their slate will be covered forever with mire from the bottom of the swamp.
Sadly Michele, those whitewashing will have permanent stains and will be future fodder for Republican office holders. Until the Fox stranglehold on the voice of republicanism is dismantled we won’t see their rank and file voters start to recover from the cultism grip. Also much has yet to become common knowledge of the Reagan years putting together the dog and pony show that led directly into the Trump phenomenon. An entire new addition of the bedside book of bastards is now possible.
Interesting— going with Bannon first. I was disappointed with his trial date being so far out. Now I think maybe it will be effective to have it closer to the election. July, isn’t it? J6 committee will have had its public hearings, and Bannon’s trial will keep at least some public attention on the coup attempt.
On January 7th they were all asking to get on the 'pardon list'. John Eastman wasn't approved for the list, that's why he testified although he took the 5th on most questions.
I disagree. Respectfully. The short/selective memory span of the American people will come to the rescue, and Pence will still be around, perhaps even trying a presidential run. Pence is near the top of my destestometer list - he lies through his teeth almost as often as Trump. And justifies what he does or doesn't do with his hyper-religiosity. The shining example of hypocrisy.
But the thing about Pence - we often wonder just how low these Republican snakes will go, and for many of them we have not yet seen the bottom (Loudermilk the latest example), but we did see Pence's limit. To many, even on the left, that makes him a hero. Man is that a low bar or what?
James, I'm hoping that the January 6 hearings will help to change the "memory" thing. No, there will be no reaction from the rethuglican base, but even disgusted Democrats will be more viscerally affected. I knew that Loudermilk was lying from the beginning, but the surveillance tapes have made me even more convinced that all of them need to go, and it looks as though the "tourist" with the camera is ready to spill what he knows. I'm praying that Garland will take care of that - it looks as though he's ready to, and he's held his cards close to the vest until now.
I don't dispute any of what you say but any time Barr is even suggested for a position in government his complicity in the insurrection will come up in the press. The only way he avoids that is if the next couple of Presidents are Republican in which case we'll have bigger problems than a reconstructed Bill Barr.
Actually, although the hearings reveal infuriating backstories, most of it was information that was already out there, but not fleshed out. The presentations have been so thorough that I'd be surprised if they didn't encourage lackadaisical voters to come out, and energize those of us who are worn down by the last 6 years. Additionally, Garland is showing his hand more, so his intentions are much more encouraging. I'm hoping for accountability, finally.
Yes. If he had any integrity at all, after testifying to the truth, he would resign from that campaign, which is clearly running on lies he knows to be lies!😡
I spent 10 minutes googling that question last night. Got lots of announcements of his legitimate excuse to duck out of testifying, one fake birth report, and NO birth announcement.
I blame them all for not speaking up when it was happening. And, how did Trump manage to run for president to start out with. Are there no qualifications? Is there no one that oversees candidates. Any of the candidates. There are so many things he was that should have disqualified him and many that are sitting in the Senate and House currently.
During the 2016 presidential campaign, Judy Woodruff on PBS Newshour, interviewing Mitch McConnell, asked him point blank whether he (McC.) thought Trump was qualified to be president. McC's answer was, in effect, "the American people will decide that". Next time you fly somewhere, think about the possibility of the passengers choosing who will be the pilot.
America has been a One-Political-Party-Democracy ever since Moscow Mitch sold his soul to the Great Deceiver plunging the R's into the imagination of their own self-serving grandeur.
It is difficult, maybe impossible, for Americans (or most others) to understand that the danger today is far greater than it was in Berlin in 1933. Or at any time in history...
Now, in place of Stalin in Moscow and the military dictatorship in Tokyo, Putin's in Moscow, Xi in Beijing, and too many nuclear weapons, everywhere.
But the overriding danger is the enemy within the gates.
How so?
Because America's material power is so immense, her influence so overwhelming, that an ill-motivated fool in the White House can do damage Hitler could never dream of.
Many breathed a sigh of relief when trump was out of the WH and no longer had the nuclear code. I totally agree the set-up on the world stage is overwhelmingly dangerous. Putin has shown his side of abject evil and there are many others in the wings. Combine them with the thousands of nukes in the world (each one multiple times greater than Hiroshima) it is only a matter of time before there is a deliberate release or miscalculation from which there is no "winning" or recovery. The damage would be fatal.
That someone as unfit and criminally inclined as trump could be in the WH, not under arrest, now continuing to spew his venom, and people still rally around his insanity shows just how much the U.S. has lost.
“enemy within the gates” which became so visible on Jan 6th.
So correct, Peter. I always hold in mind a strong opinion of mine that in spite of the planning, strategy, the insane amount of money supporting the Republican organization, the treasonous intent, the fascist nature of everything “now Republican, there is an obtuse element residing in their inherent nature.
And, I believe, in short, that is what will contribute mightily to their downfall and disgrace.
In short, they underestimate and dismiss….we the people.
It seems always so…no matter how many times it is the people who ultimately dismantle the fascist minority.
I wouldn't worry. "I am not a member of any organized political party. I am a Democrat." Will Rogers. There are, at the very least, 3 parties.
And then there is this by Gore Vidal: “There is only one party in the United States, the Property Party … and it has two right wings: Republican and Democrat. Republicans are a bit stupider, more rigid, more doctrinaire in their laissez-faire capitalism than the Democrats, who are cuter, prettier, a bit more corrupt — until recently … and more willing than the Republicans to make small adjustments when the poor, the black, the anti-imperialists get out of hand. But, essentially, there is no difference between the two parties.”
Got it.. Not knowing, it was sort of like anitifa- a well-intentioned group whose name was co-opted by the right to vilify them. Thanks for the explanation.
I grew up in the NC in the ‘60’s. It was one party rule-Democratic rule at the time. We were encouraged to register to vote as high school seniors turning 18. I remember being told that if I registered Republican I could not vote in the primary because Republicans did not hold a primary.
When I registered to vote at 18, in my home state of South Dakota, my mother's employer (chair of the County Repubs) got a phone call. "Did you know that your employee's daughter registered wrong?"
When I registered to vote, my father stood over me. So I registered as a Republican to avoid the argument and knew damn well that I was not going to vote that way. Every time when I went to visit my father and stepmother, we had an argument about politics when it became clear what party I supported.
If we manage to destroy this criminal Party, another will spring up. Perhaps the former Republicans who have left that Party will continue to build upon their now nascent connections.
I agree with you that a one-party state is not a good idea. I hope that out of the ashes of a defeated Party of Trump a new party of reasonable conservatives will grow.
As long as Citizens United exists and the 1% are given tax havens the power in American democracy will continue to be controlled by dark money greed mongers...
Not all. Let’s not lump people into a good and evil structure. It does not help but only hinders this dire situation. I’m a democrat but I don’t believe everything they say but it pushes me even further to the left when a Republican bashes me for something I do not even believe in. Then I DO choose a side. There are many respectful, descent people from both parties. You see many republicans interviewed on PBS who are totally convinced Trump and his cohorts caused the insurrection and should be convicted. Let’s not divide us further than we already are.
Used to think the same way, and I try not to oversimplify or unduly characterize people I don't know. However - the Republican world view, or platform, is evil in and of itself. Example - any view that rejects man-caused global warming and refuses to do anything about it is just evil. That is my favorite example but there are more. So I have no room for any Republican in my life as a dear friend. Just too toxic anymore.
Yes James, I agree that the Republican Party has become a criminal conspiracy since it has been corrupted by Dumpsters. “Stop the Steal” and the “Big Lie” are delusions. The white supremacy traditionalists in the US want to stop diversity and social equality at any cost, at any price to the American system of democracy. They are deluded into thinking that their corrupt actions to support Republican politics are legitimate and patriotic. Fascist and corrupt now. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Republican party became sidelined, because it has become so obviously corrupted.
I'm not sure I agree that they are focusing on destroying the USA. I think we have a group of narcissists who seek power and money, but lack the intelligence to do it any reasonable way. They must use lies, "feelings," voting restrictions, and often false attacks to convince citizens to vote then into office. Sadly, those citizens either vote Republican because they always vote Republican or have a single need from them, or just aren't intelligent enough to figure out they are being bamboozled. It is the ease that they are allowed to lie, gaslight, and manipulate a large group of us that is mind boggling. And, GOP and supporters alike are white, low educated, fearful and gullible people. People who have no problem using aggression and violence and threats to intimidate those that oppose them.
Okay, while they are not focusing on destroying the USA, they are focusing on destroying democracy as we know it in the USA, replacing it with something else which they claim to be 'true' democracy ... but is closer to libertarianism.
I agree. I wish we could educate Democrats in Vermont not to vote again for our Republican Governor, Phil Scott. He is generally thought to have handled the Covid response well, but he has vetoed more bills than any previous Vermont Governor. Our legislators work long and hard, in addition to other jobs, to produce bills to benefit Vermonters, in vain at the stroke of a pen!
(I didn't know about his veto record-we have a governor that's even worse here in NH in many ways (When the House and Senate had a Dem majority, he vetoed 78 bills-and let's not forget his chumming up w/ the Free State Project folks-the "Republican" leader of the NH House is one of those.).
But what can we do about it? Arrest the millions of those involved in this 'criminal conspiracy'? Unlikely and probably impossible. The criminals would include, in addition to the defeated former president, many elected to Congress, judges, too many local officials to count, many in law enforcement, and their supporters. They believe the 'Big Lie' because it validates their opposition to democratic government of, by, and for the people for a variety of reasons. Where is it heading? Like the other banana republics in Central and South America, we will end up with a dictatorship that will ultimately be overthrown by a popular uprising, which will be too disorganized to have any permanance. Pick a country 'south of the border.' That's the story of all of them, and we are following that path. Is there any cause for optimism?
I say first of all, take a breath and get calm. I’m a big believer that if a person thinks the worst will happen then their energy is pushing in that direction. Look at whats right and what we can do instead of doom and gloom. It’s does not served any of us.
You can’t. I think we just need to stick together, keep the belief that we can do this. Remember, when people get threatened that they are losing their right to vote historically they come out in bigger numbers. We have to believe that intelligent reason will be stronger than the crazy antics of a few deranged criminals. When we fear them, they win. Stay strong!
The Republican Party is a criminal organization bent on destroying the USA. To vote for any Republican candidate is to join in a criminal conspiracy.
Yes,I agree.Also,I am mortified that a traitorous ex-POTUS is backing like-minded candidates in our primaries currently.It is beyond pale that this man’s approval is a plus and now these people have a chance to once again infiltrate our government.If Republicans in Congress would have done their duty and impeached and removed this man, none of this would be happening.
Victoria - You shouldn't be mortified (i.e., humiliated); the Republicans should be. But they're not.
They're incapable of mortification-power is the only thing that matters to them-certainly not justice and fairness.
Of particular concern to me is the number of people who have said they will question the election, particularly secretaries of state. America must be extremely careful WHO is elected.
I wholeheartedly agree with you, James!
Thanks, James.
Your comment provided my impetus to find the USDOJ Manual for RICO crimes.
[linked in a nearby comment]
Sadly, James, that appears to be the case.
“Although we have now heard evidence from Trump’s attorney general William Barr, campaign manager Bill Stepien, White House lawyers, and even his own daughter, testifying under oath, that the 2020 election wasn’t stolen—and that such claims were at least in part a way to cheat small donors out of $250 million—insisting on the Big Lie has become a requirement for Republican candidates. Yesterday, Amy Gardner and Isaac Arnsdorf of the Washington Post laid out how more than 100 of the Republicans who have won primaries have signed on to the Big Lie, including eight candidates for the U.S. Senate, eighty-six House candidates, five candidates for governor, four for state attorney general, and one for secretary of state.”
And Stepien who testified is continuing to fuel the big lie by working for candidates who promote it, ie Harriet Hageman running against Liz Cheney.
Most who have come clean, up to and including Bill Barr, have done so to save their own skin. In Bill Barr's case, he wants to sanitize his badly stained reputation. Take what they offer, but don't forget what contribution they've made to this disaster.
This editorial cartoon says it all. https://www.arcamax.com/politics/editorialcartoons/johndeering/s-2688909?ezine=641&r=1o02Y-FWsha8xj0XX1jhwk7P14GQEhC5-pAo3eJq8WVDOjMwNTI2MDc0MTpKOjIxMjA4NzI6TDo2NDE6UjozMjUyNzQ6UzoyNjg4OTA5OlY6NDg
Pam, thanks for this - it's perfect. We can't allow ourselves to forget that, without enablement by Barr and every other complicit Republican, TFG could never have done the amount of damage that has weakened our democracy.
Great cartoons, but be careful your phone will blow up with unwanted notifications.
Well done.
Consider, Barr is surpassed as a grifter only by dopey don! His distortion of the Mueller Report reduced the years of investigation to a 30 second sound byte played over and over again! He was sending trump written advise before he was appointed AG, apparently auditioning for the job!
Too late bubba Billy, people died and dozens injured on Jan 6 while you watched from the sidelines!
I totally agree. I never trusted him, and his dismissal of Mueller's investigation cemented that dislike/distrust. Anything that he does now to clean up his image won't fool me.
Amen! He's such a snake... and once a snake, always a snake 🐍
Correct Louis - Barr is an evil man. What he did with the Mueller report should "live in infamy." Think about what might have been, had that report received its just due from him. We might have gotten Trump impeached right then, and maybe even indicted, which he fully deserved.
Pence should have spoke up to begin with. He always appeared like the Elf on the Shelf when he was being filmed. He was complicit!
I never could stand him. His sanctimonious piety never fooled me. No truly pious person would have sullied himself by serving TFG. He was glad to serve as TFG's beard in order to climb the steps to the White House later.
In his book he revealed that God disclosed to him that he should be president.
I agree!
This is why the committee started with Bannon knowing he would refuse to testify and now he will go to trial soon. The rest of them decided they didn't want to go to prison for contempt. It would be better to cooperate. They will perhaps not go to prison, but their slate will be covered forever with mire from the bottom of the swamp.
Sadly Michele, those whitewashing will have permanent stains and will be future fodder for Republican office holders. Until the Fox stranglehold on the voice of republicanism is dismantled we won’t see their rank and file voters start to recover from the cultism grip. Also much has yet to become common knowledge of the Reagan years putting together the dog and pony show that led directly into the Trump phenomenon. An entire new addition of the bedside book of bastards is now possible.
I bet anything that Bannon wrote the "1776" document mapping out insurrection ("read carefully") given to the proud boys....
Interesting— going with Bannon first. I was disappointed with his trial date being so far out. Now I think maybe it will be effective to have it closer to the election. July, isn’t it? J6 committee will have had its public hearings, and Bannon’s trial will keep at least some public attention on the coup attempt.
BTW, still waiting for those rebuttals tfg wants.
And the only people who won't be repulsed by this person will be the TFG's base.
On January 7th they were all asking to get on the 'pardon list'. John Eastman wasn't approved for the list, that's why he testified although he took the 5th on most questions.
It will be as difficult for Barr to sanitize his reputation as it would be to clean a used piece of toilet paper.
I disagree. Respectfully. The short/selective memory span of the American people will come to the rescue, and Pence will still be around, perhaps even trying a presidential run. Pence is near the top of my destestometer list - he lies through his teeth almost as often as Trump. And justifies what he does or doesn't do with his hyper-religiosity. The shining example of hypocrisy.
But the thing about Pence - we often wonder just how low these Republican snakes will go, and for many of them we have not yet seen the bottom (Loudermilk the latest example), but we did see Pence's limit. To many, even on the left, that makes him a hero. Man is that a low bar or what?
James, I'm hoping that the January 6 hearings will help to change the "memory" thing. No, there will be no reaction from the rethuglican base, but even disgusted Democrats will be more viscerally affected. I knew that Loudermilk was lying from the beginning, but the surveillance tapes have made me even more convinced that all of them need to go, and it looks as though the "tourist" with the camera is ready to spill what he knows. I'm praying that Garland will take care of that - it looks as though he's ready to, and he's held his cards close to the vest until now.
I don't dispute any of what you say but any time Barr is even suggested for a position in government his complicity in the insurrection will come up in the press. The only way he avoids that is if the next couple of Presidents are Republican in which case we'll have bigger problems than a reconstructed Bill Barr.
Thank you, Dave! That was a good laugh for me today! LOL. Oh so true!
Opus Dei needs a purge too.
As a Catholic, I agree. Opus Dei has been slimy from the beginning, their founder accused and found guilty of child sex abuse.
Thanks for your note. I'm not Catholic battering. Most of my friends are Catholic. Many of them feel betrayed by church admin
There is much housecleaning necessary in many quarters, many of which use religion as a means to control and befoul.
Amen!
(Chuckle)
Absolutely! I've been seething through these proceedings!
Actually, although the hearings reveal infuriating backstories, most of it was information that was already out there, but not fleshed out. The presentations have been so thorough that I'd be surprised if they didn't encourage lackadaisical voters to come out, and energize those of us who are worn down by the last 6 years. Additionally, Garland is showing his hand more, so his intentions are much more encouraging. I'm hoping for accountability, finally.
Yes. If he had any integrity at all, after testifying to the truth, he would resign from that campaign, which is clearly running on lies he knows to be lies!😡
Stand by my criticism of Septian the other day, just another lackey ‘unscrupulously chasing the Benjamin’s’ like a mercenary!
By the by, did Bill Stepien's wife have her baby yet?!🙀
I spent 10 minutes googling that question last night. Got lots of announcements of his legitimate excuse to duck out of testifying, one fake birth report, and NO birth announcement.
Oh, you're not suggesting that a Rethuglican would lie, are you?
I think they'd say it was a half truth.... 🥸
Surprise, surprise
Which goes to show that the gop are not about serving, only about power. The ones who are sitting by looking the other way are just as complicit.
And they've ignored the law and made up their own rules.
What title would you give those rules...
Macievelli?
Piracy? Where can I find that rulebook so I can subvert it?
"Ad Hoc". It will never be published, because they make it up as they go along.
I blame them all for not speaking up when it was happening. And, how did Trump manage to run for president to start out with. Are there no qualifications? Is there no one that oversees candidates. Any of the candidates. There are so many things he was that should have disqualified him and many that are sitting in the Senate and House currently.
During the 2016 presidential campaign, Judy Woodruff on PBS Newshour, interviewing Mitch McConnell, asked him point blank whether he (McC.) thought Trump was qualified to be president. McC's answer was, in effect, "the American people will decide that". Next time you fly somewhere, think about the possibility of the passengers choosing who will be the pilot.
Yikes!
That is a scary thought! Great answer!
Read about how Putin found Trump 20 years ago.
Timothy Snyder's book, The Road to Unfreedom, has an extensive discussion of this.
I am sure that is where the money came from. Look how many Russians purchased his properties!
Exactly!
Just remember, it’s the Primary! Now we can vote the worst of the worst OUT!!!🌊🌊🌊
We have not actually heard Stepian’s testimony. He was allowed to duck out because his wife had ‘gone into labor.’
Poor excuse. LOL
Still waiting to hear about the baby....
I tend to agree with you, although the idea of the USA as a one-party state is a pretty scary thought, too.
NEWS FLASH ... ... ... ... ...
America has been a One-Political-Party-Democracy ever since Moscow Mitch sold his soul to the Great Deceiver plunging the R's into the imagination of their own self-serving grandeur.
Not really. The former Republican, now Fascist Party is well-organized and well-funded. They wield a lot of power.
A republican one party state is frightening to the bone. Dems don’t have their killer instinct. Which would you prefer…
It is difficult, maybe impossible, for Americans (or most others) to understand that the danger today is far greater than it was in Berlin in 1933. Or at any time in history...
Now, in place of Stalin in Moscow and the military dictatorship in Tokyo, Putin's in Moscow, Xi in Beijing, and too many nuclear weapons, everywhere.
But the overriding danger is the enemy within the gates.
How so?
Because America's material power is so immense, her influence so overwhelming, that an ill-motivated fool in the White House can do damage Hitler could never dream of.
Many breathed a sigh of relief when trump was out of the WH and no longer had the nuclear code. I totally agree the set-up on the world stage is overwhelmingly dangerous. Putin has shown his side of abject evil and there are many others in the wings. Combine them with the thousands of nukes in the world (each one multiple times greater than Hiroshima) it is only a matter of time before there is a deliberate release or miscalculation from which there is no "winning" or recovery. The damage would be fatal.
That someone as unfit and criminally inclined as trump could be in the WH, not under arrest, now continuing to spew his venom, and people still rally around his insanity shows just how much the U.S. has lost.
What form of Orwellian Virus will it take to silence this GOP invasion?
It won’t be a virus that takes them down. It will be the designed and ultimate antidote….
We the People. Light infuses our determination to uphold the common good.
Salud, Dave! 🗽
“enemy within the gates” which became so visible on Jan 6th.
So correct, Peter. I always hold in mind a strong opinion of mine that in spite of the planning, strategy, the insane amount of money supporting the Republican organization, the treasonous intent, the fascist nature of everything “now Republican, there is an obtuse element residing in their inherent nature.
And, I believe, in short, that is what will contribute mightily to their downfall and disgrace.
In short, they underestimate and dismiss….we the people.
It seems always so…no matter how many times it is the people who ultimately dismantle the fascist minority.
UNITA, Peter! 🗽
Yes, We the people voted Biden in and TRump out.
I hope you're right.
👍🏼
Sad.... but true
I wouldn't worry. "I am not a member of any organized political party. I am a Democrat." Will Rogers. There are, at the very least, 3 parties.
And then there is this by Gore Vidal: “There is only one party in the United States, the Property Party … and it has two right wings: Republican and Democrat. Republicans are a bit stupider, more rigid, more doctrinaire in their laissez-faire capitalism than the Democrats, who are cuter, prettier, a bit more corrupt — until recently … and more willing than the Republicans to make small adjustments when the poor, the black, the anti-imperialists get out of hand. But, essentially, there is no difference between the two parties.”
Nope!
One party and one cult of crazies and an insignificant sprinkling of "Independents"
Perfect.
I like your comment although I think Republicans are going off the rails into Nazi territory.
You misspelled "have gone". They are so far off the rails as to be unrecognizable as anything other than a fascist mob.
Yes. Yes.
Yes.
Why "tend", Talia?
Yes, Peter. “Maybe” of any sort is not appropriate right now within any thinking of the insurrection or any attempt to dismantle democracy.
Surety and faith in the Light must prevail.
UNITA.
Sorry - what is UNITA?
Translation of “unita” is unite.
Translation of “unidad” is unity.
Writing it in all capital letters is my way of saying “JUST DO IT”!
Got it.. Not knowing, it was sort of like anitifa- a well-intentioned group whose name was co-opted by the right to vilify them. Thanks for the explanation.
"Unità" is "unity" in Italian.
"Unidad" is "unity" in Spanish.
And as you say, JUST DO IT! :)
I grew up in the NC in the ‘60’s. It was one party rule-Democratic rule at the time. We were encouraged to register to vote as high school seniors turning 18. I remember being told that if I registered Republican I could not vote in the primary because Republicans did not hold a primary.
When I registered to vote at 18, in my home state of South Dakota, my mother's employer (chair of the County Repubs) got a phone call. "Did you know that your employee's daughter registered wrong?"
When I registered to vote, my father stood over me. So I registered as a Republican to avoid the argument and knew damn well that I was not going to vote that way. Every time when I went to visit my father and stepmother, we had an argument about politics when it became clear what party I supported.
If you are not so very far from 18 now, I am not surprised. If you are my advanced age your story does shock me.
I am a boomer. South Dakota was established as a Republican state at its entry into the Union, in 1889, and its politics have not wavered much.
OH!
Exactly as do the R's today by deceptions, clever trickery, fraud, and bold absurdities...
By someone at the registration desk? Or the person who spoke at your school?
If we manage to destroy this criminal Party, another will spring up. Perhaps the former Republicans who have left that Party will continue to build upon their now nascent connections.
I agree with you that a one-party state is not a good idea. I hope that out of the ashes of a defeated Party of Trump a new party of reasonable conservatives will grow.
Reasonable Conservatives:
As long as Citizens United exists and the 1% are given tax havens the power in American democracy will continue to be controlled by dark money greed mongers...
True.
Not all. Let’s not lump people into a good and evil structure. It does not help but only hinders this dire situation. I’m a democrat but I don’t believe everything they say but it pushes me even further to the left when a Republican bashes me for something I do not even believe in. Then I DO choose a side. There are many respectful, descent people from both parties. You see many republicans interviewed on PBS who are totally convinced Trump and his cohorts caused the insurrection and should be convicted. Let’s not divide us further than we already are.
Used to think the same way, and I try not to oversimplify or unduly characterize people I don't know. However - the Republican world view, or platform, is evil in and of itself. Example - any view that rejects man-caused global warming and refuses to do anything about it is just evil. That is my favorite example but there are more. So I have no room for any Republican in my life as a dear friend. Just too toxic anymore.
starting with Liz Cheney.
And, we are under attack.
Yes James, I agree that the Republican Party has become a criminal conspiracy since it has been corrupted by Dumpsters. “Stop the Steal” and the “Big Lie” are delusions. The white supremacy traditionalists in the US want to stop diversity and social equality at any cost, at any price to the American system of democracy. They are deluded into thinking that their corrupt actions to support Republican politics are legitimate and patriotic. Fascist and corrupt now. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Republican party became sidelined, because it has become so obviously corrupted.
They are also deluded into thinking that they won’t be next!
I'm not sure I agree that they are focusing on destroying the USA. I think we have a group of narcissists who seek power and money, but lack the intelligence to do it any reasonable way. They must use lies, "feelings," voting restrictions, and often false attacks to convince citizens to vote then into office. Sadly, those citizens either vote Republican because they always vote Republican or have a single need from them, or just aren't intelligent enough to figure out they are being bamboozled. It is the ease that they are allowed to lie, gaslight, and manipulate a large group of us that is mind boggling. And, GOP and supporters alike are white, low educated, fearful and gullible people. People who have no problem using aggression and violence and threats to intimidate those that oppose them.
To quote Mike S. "The problem with America is Americans".
Exactly!!
Okay, while they are not focusing on destroying the USA, they are focusing on destroying democracy as we know it in the USA, replacing it with something else which they claim to be 'true' democracy ... but is closer to libertarianism.
I agree. I wish we could educate Democrats in Vermont not to vote again for our Republican Governor, Phil Scott. He is generally thought to have handled the Covid response well, but he has vetoed more bills than any previous Vermont Governor. Our legislators work long and hard, in addition to other jobs, to produce bills to benefit Vermonters, in vain at the stroke of a pen!
(I didn't know about his veto record-we have a governor that's even worse here in NH in many ways (When the House and Senate had a Dem majority, he vetoed 78 bills-and let's not forget his chumming up w/ the Free State Project folks-the "Republican" leader of the NH House is one of those.).
Oh, yes! Enough!
But what can we do about it? Arrest the millions of those involved in this 'criminal conspiracy'? Unlikely and probably impossible. The criminals would include, in addition to the defeated former president, many elected to Congress, judges, too many local officials to count, many in law enforcement, and their supporters. They believe the 'Big Lie' because it validates their opposition to democratic government of, by, and for the people for a variety of reasons. Where is it heading? Like the other banana republics in Central and South America, we will end up with a dictatorship that will ultimately be overthrown by a popular uprising, which will be too disorganized to have any permanance. Pick a country 'south of the border.' That's the story of all of them, and we are following that path. Is there any cause for optimism?
I say first of all, take a breath and get calm. I’m a big believer that if a person thinks the worst will happen then their energy is pushing in that direction. Look at whats right and what we can do instead of doom and gloom. It’s does not served any of us.
Maybe bar them from holding elected office?
But how to sway all the ignorant people who will vote for them anyway?
You can’t. I think we just need to stick together, keep the belief that we can do this. Remember, when people get threatened that they are losing their right to vote historically they come out in bigger numbers. We have to believe that intelligent reason will be stronger than the crazy antics of a few deranged criminals. When we fear them, they win. Stay strong!
And we have to get out the Democratic vote.