This President is addressing a family, the family of Americans looking for guidance - quarrelsome, ignorant, frightened, misled, and those who grasp and support the concept of ideals - talking as a teacher, as a loving father. He's leading by example, showing that it's not necessary to inflict pain and distress to negotiate difficulties.…
This President is addressing a family, the family of Americans looking for guidance - quarrelsome, ignorant, frightened, misled, and those who grasp and support the concept of ideals - talking as a teacher, as a loving father. He's leading by example, showing that it's not necessary to inflict pain and distress to negotiate difficulties. He's describing these negotiations as if that's what took place - not thanks to him, but from a concerted effort - which as HCR says isn't entirely exact, but how can the enemy contradict it? How can they say that's not the way it should be?
I am currently watching a docu-series on the History Channel entitled FDR. I find it fascinating, and am learning so much. After the first episode I had the thought that FDR and Biden are a lot alike, to the betterment of all Americans.
A-L At age 11 FDR had been my only president. He was winning WW II. And we were unaware that, even as he ran for a fourth term, he was dying—which he did at age 63 (the same as Lincoln?)
Cathy There is an excellent four-hour American Presidents (PBS) documentary on FDR. Allen Lichtman has a marvelous GREAT COURSES two-hour lecture on FDR. My personal favorite is Rosenman’s FDR segment of FOUR GIANTS AND A PIGMY. (The pigmy was Warren Harding.)
I bet that you have already read "No Ordinary Time" by Doris Kearns Goodwin!
What a book! (For the LFAA Bookclub that seems to be forming here, LOL, if you haven't read it, you should, but it's not a "beach read"! Save it for a chilly autumn day with a mug of hot drink at your side)
Alexandra Doris Kearns was a unusual White House intern under LBJ. Then she was invited down to his ranch to research and write a book about him. Her first book—and sparked her focus on presidents, including FDR and Lincoln. She married Richard Goodwin who later was in government on Latin American affairs. I was never personally taken by him.
One of Doris’s most recent books is on presidential leadership after major personal setbacks. I rank this among her best.
Yes, we want a leader, we want a grown-up to show us they way through difficulties. Personally, I never realized Biden had this in him. But more and more, helooks like the man for the hour.
I call him Qevin, the ROYAL ASS-KISSER. Did you see how elated he was after negotiations ended? Like a little kid who had argued with his teacher to get a better grade and won...a little. He didn’t know he was being played! :)
Biden is not given credit for the brilliant strategist he is. He could have dropped the hammer on the 14th amendment. Instead he let the Repubs save face by giving a little. Sets a precedent for bipartisanism for the next time they have to negotiate. "We have a history of working together to solve hard problems..." Repubs will look like total anarchists if they try another end run. Marlene, agree! He totally played them.
I don't mind how old he is for this reason - he really does have an ingrained sense of the game after all these years. Although I do think there was a Dark Brandon moment we all missed because of this compromise - the trillion dollar coin. It would have been almost Austin Powers worthy!
I've done Crisis Intervention work in my career. Rule #1 is never back someone into a corner. #2 is always give them something so they don't feel humiliated.
True that Dems had to give up some of what they wanted, but Biden was able to let them walk away unhumiliated. Averted a financial meltdown, so we ALL won.
Yes yes yes. The man for this time! 80+ years of experience and he pours all of that love and caring of time into this beautiful thing called democracy working to continue its legacy of “We the people” and not “me myself and I”
Seriously. Most of the 80 year olds I see in the office marvel at how he keeps going, and leading the free world at that! I give him tremendous credit, and when they play that montage of his life tragedies and resilience, it really shows that he is in this for something greater than himself. It's like he carries the expectations of his first wife and son Beau, and wants to meet them at the finish line having done as much as he could to make them proud, and to fully use the time he was given, and that was unfairly taken from them...
And I’m sincere about that. If we step back and consider him not as a politician but as a human being, his story is so compelling. Obama’s was so compelling. We all go through tragedy and disappointment and disillusionment- but lefty heroes emerge with a heroic resolve to double down on hope, compassion, and a sense of purpose to help others in that eternal quest to make this a better place.
Yeah. It's nice that Dad came home for a visit, sober and medicated. Lately he's been out with the local militia ranting against the government. He joined the AR-47 club, and has been off the rails fuming about whatever he thinks "woke" means. It scares me and Mom. He's been hanging out with criminals, cheating on our taxes, and dumping motor oil on the front lawn. Mom tried to get a restraining order on him because he's been threatening violence. The judge only gave him a warning. I sure hope Dad stays home this time, but he's already mumbling dark immigrant fantasies, and some really disturbing stuff about Disney and my bookshelf.
Wow, Ryan! You have a problem on your hands. I wish you and your mom the best in dealing with your dad. He is endangering both of you, as well as himself.
Sounds like time to call in the FBI and the DOJ, & while you’re at it, best to call the CIA, because I heard he’s selling security secrets to Saudis and Russians
I think that it is safe to say, without fear of contradiction, that white nationalism has morphed into outright Fascism and the fear of "being replaced" by those with a darker skin color has been used by Trump, DeSantis and others to press forward with an authoritarian agenda. One wonders how so many Americans can still support Trump when he tried so ineptly to overthrow our constitutional government. What we must recognize is that a very large segment of our population favors Fascism. This segment hates minorities, non-Christians, advancement of women's rights, gays and immigrants. Our own propaganda needs to expose to these people how they are being manipulated so that the wealthy can continue to siphon trillions out of the U.S. economy at their expense.
Richard, while heartily agreeing with your analysis, I suspect the majority of those voting for tfg are voting for a feeling of anger so thoroughly and frequently expressed but without recognizing the degree to which that feeling ends up in fascism nor recognizing the perilous journey on which fascism leads a country. I really don't believe all in "this segment hates minorities, non-Christians, advancement of women's rights, gays and immigrants" to the degree those manipulating them magnify that hatred. I think that's what Biden's message and actions portray.
I base my assessment on the levels and reasons for hate principally on the study conducted by two Univ. of Kansas professors, David Smith and Eric Hanley, entitled "The Anger Games, Who Voted for Donald Trump in the 2016 Election, and Why?" published in Feb. 2018 in the peer-reviewed journal, "Critical Sociology." You can google it. And, of course, my own experiences. I might add that I think many of these MAGA Republicans are clueless about their thinking, i.e., they don't know what they don't know. John Stuart Mill made the point in 1869 in his essay, "The Subjection of Women," i.e., when beliefs are based on feelings, facts don't matter.
I agree with your assessment but we also feel that these people (even some of the more educated ones) are really not critical thinkers. Our fear is that without critical thinking we are all at risk. I believe we have tried to teach this skill in the past but, now some of the people in power are trying to ban anything that may cause people to question their view of the world. Non-critical thinkers are easier to manipulate.
I agree with your assessment 100%. I have highly educated friends (Ph.D., M.D., BA's and more) who fit in one way or another the prejudices that Smith and Hanley describe in "The Anger Games." It doesn't take long in a conversation to learn what their particular issue(s) is. Many object to the "line cutters" as discussed by Smith and Hanley. To preserve our democracy, I think that one step must be the creation and introduction of critical thinking courses, starting as early as junior high. Of course, many of the religious among us will object to this.
I was emailing with one of my ex-classmates who now lives in Naples, Florida, during the Obama administration. Pretty soon she was adding politics to our exchanges. When it soon became obvious, we were quite opposite, I suggested she leave politics out. I ended it when I got an all caps email in which she stated she didn't care what the facts were; she was still going to blame Obama. This person is highly intelligent, but she might as well be as dumb as a post.
I have the same experience. There were five of us in high school who were like brothers. One died three years later serving in the Navy, contracting meningitis. One is now a far out religious case, so much so that his two sons no longer have anything to do with him and every other line in his letters and emails has a biblical quote - and in high school he had nothing to do with religion. Another is now a strong Baptist and a MAGA Republican in Oklahoma. Another is an atheist and MAGA Republican in Florida. And as for me, I am an atheist and very, very liberal politically. So, we don't talk politics. We still love and support one another.
I have walked away from several friendships. For me, their view of the world is so different than mine that even if we didn't talk about politics, I would feel like I was always wondering how they treated others when I wasn't around. It made me feel like I had to follow my own compass. My husband thinks I am a little extreme since he has a lot of R friends and they agree to not discuss politics. I just can't do it.
I understand. The distance physically that separates us helps. It wasn't until the emergence of Newt Gingrich and then later the Tea Party with its openly racist stance, seized upon and exploited by TFG that matters got so much worse. The racism is palpable.
I was so thrilled when I reunited with a PTR (pre-tRump) friend who exclaimed she was through with Trump! After an hour of delightful catching up, she said she is real impressed with this new U.S. Rep, James Jordan.
It was an interesting exchange. We hadn't been in contact for years, but it was fun to talk about the good old days. I did find out that she was highly competitive with me. Then I remembered a challenge to my bridge partner and me. We won. What really amused me was when she used KBOO in Portland to support one of her points. I had to tell her it is far left....one person calls it spilt your wrists radio. I missed the fun talking about our time in high school and some people we knew, but it was no loss.
Michele you hit the nail on the head. It hurst me that several of my friends and family act like your friend. What can be done? Nothing will change their minds.
No, nothing. She stated clearly that she didn't care about the facts and since it was all caps was doing some internet yelling. Waste of time and energy to engage with such people. I am old enough to not feel hurt or care about people who act like this. My time and energy can be spent with people I enjoy. We are blessed with a wonderful family here, my bro-in-law and his wife, our nephews and their families. I have a few friends that I really enjoy and confess to being a true introvert who likes to read voraciously and spend time in my garden.
Richard As a history/economics professor from age 58 to 80 I designed all of my courses around THINK essays. The students were provided THINK essay questions. Each class commenced with them writing for 15 minutes on one of these questions. This provided the basis for class discussion, including four review classes during the semester.
A number of my students expressed delight that they were exposed to critical thinking.
This was a lot more of work for me—often reading 150 essays weekly. I felt that such personal effort was meaningful to the learning process.
A number of my colleagues preferred to teach with PowerPoint summaries of the textbook. Easier to do, but, in my view, tended to teach facts rather than critical thinking.
P. S. My curriculum would not be permitted in Florida public schools and colleges under its ‘DeSantisized’ current guidelines.
Keith, I would have loved to have been in your classes. One of my ex-students (She and her mother were treating me to an 80th birthday high tea) told me that when she asked me a question, I would never give her the answer, but showed her how to find out herself. She is now a park ranger with the state parks and does a bang up job teaching especially small children. Now and then I hear from students who thank me for helping them to write and think critically. As for Florida, you and I would both be on the same bus out of the state.
Hi Keith, as a professor I would give the students a weekly
FOOD FOR THOUGHT question. This was not mandatory but a way to get extra points if they answered the question. On one occasion the idea was that a Martian spaceship landed on the campus. My class was on human resource management and the Martians wanted to learns the basic principles to apply for Martian Resource Management. Most all in the class answered except for one gal whose response was "she didn't speak the language!"
I don’t understand why people think that critical thinking is not taught in schools. In several districts near me, and near my daughter’s school s, critical thinking begins at least by third grade, and by fifth grade the kids are partying debate on a class-to-class level. By junior high they are competing locally in several forms of debate on several topics and by high schools are competing nationally through the national forensic league. I’m sure this is true in many other schools and states. (Go Ohio!) The only thing I can think is that people who say these things are so far removed from teaching and education that they, themselves, are putting down the current generations just like MAGATS do: to feel better about themselves.
"By their fruits, so shall you know them." My inference is drawn from the fact that so many Americans are influenced to vote against their own best interests by clever Republican propaganda. If they had the analytical tools to think through the process, I believe that many would not support the policies and politicians that they do. Though I graduated from high school in 1958, I don't recall any course where concepts such as confirmation bias were taught. We were taught the "whats" but not the "whys."
I don’t disagree but I think that fear and anger have overwhelmed whatever cognitive abilities they may have - a normal neurological response to serious, prolonged stress coupled with powerlessness to resolve the source. The stress comes from so many sources and has been reinforced daily/hourly by FOX. “Conservatives” appear to have differences in their brains that make them more susceptible to emotions (fear/anger) overwhelming their executive function (cognitive skills such as memory, planning, etc.).
It’s as if some folks had a weakness in their legs and the environment (including FOX) kept kicking them in the kneecaps. <not a brilliant metaphor, but I haven’t had my coffee yet).
Agree. The psychological aspects of “Maga” fascinates me. Reading about the topic is one way for me to try to figure it out. Here’s where President Biden comes to mind. His masterful handling of this debt crisis shows how much age has given him an advantage -having trod over much land loaded with mine fields. He grew wisdom by his missteps. He has learned self control and lived the “art of compromise” by telling us not to give up. These words go to the heart of the survival of our fragile democracy.
Nancy The book MIRACLE AT PHILADELPHIA highlights how unimaginable compromises were essential in crafting the Constiution.
This is precisely what Cool Hand Joe accomplished in preserving the ‘faith and credit of the United States’ while riposting against the attempted blackmail of pipsqueak McCarthy.
Nancy I’ve just finished re-re-reading Catherine Drinker Bowen’s MIRACLE AT PHILADELPHIA. Reads just as suspenseful and exiting the 4 or 5th time around. The Constitutional Convention meetings were in absolute secrecy. If some of the issues discussed and compromised had been made public, the entire adventure would have failed.
Indeed, the actual drafting of a constitution with 9 of 13 states required to ratify it was illegal. Only George Washington’s presence made this possible.
Agreed. As tragic as it was to lose his wife and child, I think that he can look all of this in the eye and say--go ahead, try me, I've already been through hell.
Yes, Misele, Joe has been through hell and back with the tragedies in his life. He is steadfast in protecting the most vulnerable amongst us and he has a gathered an intelligent team to help him achieve his goals for all of us. He is, at least, trying, as he juggles so many issues we are faced with. J6 opened up a can of worms for our nation. We are now witnesses to seditionists who stomped all over our sacred grounds. We are witnesses to the murder of George Floyd and many others. We were asleep to the extent of the absolute hatred seeping in racism and fascism. Now we are awake, graphically aware of the deepness fascism and racism are rooted in our precious nation. Our suits of armor are ready to fight back.
I agree and I would say those feelings have existed in the this country for a very long time, well, from day one in the European view of Native Americans and then expanded by slavery. I have mentioned this before, but the author of God: An Anatomy has a chapter where she traces the idea of white supremacy from the viewing of black as evil to the present day. (And somewhere in Utah they have banned the Bible for younger students). I grew up in Elkhart, Indiana, in the 1950s where I heard plenty of racist remarks and sort of whispered remarks about queer people. And the West was all cowboys and Indians. We went on a trip out to CA and back and while in CA, my father didn't like it and said we could give it back to the Indians. The only independent women I knew were spinster school teachers paid next to nothing. Fast forward to now and the gains that certain groups have made and the Rs are trying to turn back, and we see the fear of white people and white men in particular made manifest in the body politic thanks to death star who openly is awful and his cult now does the same.
Michele, I grew up in Georgia in the 50s. I hear you, loud and clear. Also, I remember my first trip to Indiana, to visit one of my husband’s buddies from their Navy days. Very soon into the visit, I thought to myself, “Holy sh*t! These yankees are rednecks!” It was an eye opener.
Hi Camilla. Yes, and some of us on this site live in that redneck territory. What you say is true, still, in 2023. Indiana is sometimes referred to as Northern Kentucky. : )
As my two primary planes of existence the first 32 years of my life involved Georgia and Indiana, I heartily concur with y'all's assessments. I grew up in the '60s in a Georgia county next to 2 virulently 100% White counties that made no secret they intended to stay that way. (In an odd twist of fate, that changed in one of them, starting in the '80s, and it's now one of the fastest growing counties in the nation and went from barely 25,000 residents in 1980 to nearly 275,000 this year. A large proportion are African-American. Turn about is fair play, nu?) When I got to Indiana in the mid-'70s (grad school) I was astounded it was as conservative or more so than GA. It seemed the "Mason-Dixon Line" had disappeared.
Thanks for the cite, and I'm glad that I'm still in school and can access it. I find it interesting that they use data from the American National Election Studies, a collaboration between Stanford and U of Michigan, with funding from the National Science Foundation, which is one of those "deep state" agencies that the Right is always complaining about, like NOAA and USGS.
I think it important to realize that the bad actors driving the Right aren't just afraid of government regulation, no matter how useful for society. They are even more afraid of the government's unique position to gather information, the prerequisite for good regulation. "They" don't want us to know anything that may contradict their desires.
I think many people that vote have no idea what they are voting for except the party and maybe and issue that they hear or care about such: as guns, abortion, race, immigrants, income tax....
I have noted a major change in the discussion about Fascism over the last 3 or 4 years. If 4 or even 3 years ago you would comment about trump as Fascism you would get shouted down with replies. Heaven forbid you should compare anything to Hitler's German. Now so many more folks see the danger especially with all of the hate being expressed and rights of women and minorities under attack.
Playing on the less-well-off...asserting their real "enemies" are white collar"elites," foreign-born or somehow un-American in their "socialist" politics, has been in the past an essential aspect of fascism, and here it is again today.
Yeah, it's dangerous to assume others want to bend the moral arc of the universe towards justice... many simply don't. They prefer others don't play with their toys, and are ready to kill for that.
The rants of Trump and his lot are the sounds of a beast in its last throes. As ugly as their beliefs, and as powerful as they are still, they will not prevail. Similarly, in other parts of the world where fascism prevails...a certain country at war right now, for example, will not last either.
Hope, hello again! It is wise to regard beasts in their last throes as the most dangerous and unpredictable, because they are being trapped, they have less to lose, and will take more and more chances. Now that That Person is encircled, I will wager he wishes he had another dozen boxes of documents to negotiate with, or worse, to distribute to his idol dictators simply to cause as much damage as possible before his political demise. If he really wants to catastrophically destroy our democracy, as it seems is his plan, that would be one avenue. I refuse to acknowledge any other.
One other aspect of DJT's removal from political influence that occurs to me is that when he defines himself as a martyr, he will anoint a segment of his followers as martyrs also, those who fought for him.
I propose a combat medal for those followers who finally found purpose in wearing clothes with his picture, in his nfg cards, in rallying and spewing his version of hate and denigration. Like a Purple Heart, but Jet Black, not pinned to the breast, maybe tattooed on the forehead. Oh my!
Happy afternoon, Ed. As his sister, Mary Trump said, the only thing that matters to tfg is himself. Whenever he stirs up his troops, it's because he wants praise, money or advantage. Usually all of the above. He has no intention of giving anything unless it feathers his nest. He's loyal to nothing. Every deal is transactional or zero sum.
Yes, I thought of that. I was thinking about a legacy involving a mob who would carry out his wishes. I studied mobs while writing a paper on the Rev War. Mobs carried out much of the dirty work. Thanks for your responxe.
Sadly, I think fascism will reappear, again and again, at future moments when a tipping point of anger exists. And when those in power take advantage of the anger to expand their own power and wealth.
DeSantis is a perfect example. Lil’ Hitler has imposed strangulation of all things decent in his state. He wants to be center stage with his proposed evilness. I cringe every time he speaks. But then I do that when BoPeep, Gosar, Santos. MGT, and Gaetz mouth words, also.
I had the unfortunate experience of having breakfast in a local diner, where an old man sat next to me, going on and on about Biden tripping over his own feet. The cook said it was a sandbag, the car said he didn't see no sandbag, if there was one the secret service would have picked it up. Since I have worked all the elections in the last decade, early, primary and general, I asked him as I was leaving (without finishing my food) if he voted. Yes I do he said, why? God help us I replied and headed out the door. I am tired of keeping my mouth shut.
Indeed. I am reminded of a "peacenik" slogan: "Imagine they gave a war and nobody came." Or, ignore a bully because they can't stand not commanding an audience. I know I am being simplistic, but fascists exists because there are willing lemmings. If only we could disrupt their following. Consider how impotent some recent right wing rallies have been, lately. People just didn't turn up to watch or be indoctrinated.
I think you will ultimately be correct. As long as the planet doesn't kick us off... if mass migration and climate chaos happen faster than we can engineer a way out, then strong men with tribal instincts will still draw legions.
It seems that when children are shamed for their inherent humanity, (the very core of any human) that the human brain, as it increasingly is required to function in an adult world, will look to shed that intolerable, toxic shame, onto others.
A child growing up in chaos, will limbically need chaos to feel “whole”.
If you match the counties in our country with the highest rates of addiction, alcoholism, or shaming religions, I suspect you will find counties that have a limbic need for authoritarianism.
This is why countries with the strongest social programs that support families of young children are the happiest and healthiest in our world.
It’s not rocket science.
We keep giving power to the wrong people.
"I want to let you know that as your president, I will first and foremost be a
No one to date was more qualified, more prepared, to be POTUS than Hillary Rodham Clinton. James Comey will not be treated well by future historians, that is, if they are permitted to write history.
It is kind of like the shock I felt after I saw pictures of USA citizens celebrating Nazi's Hitler in NYC when I was not yet born or shortly after. I did not see that in my History books. The sad thing is we never got that far in the book before school was out for the year! We should have started with that war and worked our way back....I think that might have been a wake up call to what is happening today! At 15 the 1940's seemed like old days gone by! It is funny the perception of time when we are sliding into 80 very fast. 100 years is not that far removed now! My young mother, if she were alive today, would be 103 today.
This afternoon two young men stopped by my door to give me literature on an upcoming Board of Supervisors election coming up next week. One of the boys was 15 and the other around 22-23. What impressed me was their dedication to voting at such young ages. As a liberal Democrat I gave them some information they had not heard of…. Namely, Trump boasting before the 2016 election that he could walk down 5th Avenue and shoot someone and nothing would be done about it……I also informed that he had his first wife Ivana buried at one of his golf courses so he could claim a reduction in taxes for the property now classified as a cemetery. These two young men were amazed and thanked me for filling them in. The hope of our nation lies with the youth!
This President is addressing a family, the family of Americans looking for guidance - quarrelsome, ignorant, frightened, misled, and those who grasp and support the concept of ideals - talking as a teacher, as a loving father. He's leading by example, showing that it's not necessary to inflict pain and distress to negotiate difficulties. He's describing these negotiations as if that's what took place - not thanks to him, but from a concerted effort - which as HCR says isn't entirely exact, but how can the enemy contradict it? How can they say that's not the way it should be?
Anne-Louise Last night President Biden reminded me of how, as a young boy, I felt so comforted by FDR’s Fireside Chats.
I am currently watching a docu-series on the History Channel entitled FDR. I find it fascinating, and am learning so much. After the first episode I had the thought that FDR and Biden are a lot alike, to the betterment of all Americans.
"The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today. Let us move forward with strong and active faith."
Prepared for April 13, 1945
FDR
And never delivered...
I remember the shock and sorrow in our household.
A-L At age 11 FDR had been my only president. He was winning WW II. And we were unaware that, even as he ran for a fourth term, he was dying—which he did at age 63 (the same as Lincoln?)
We must cherish our doubts.
Well I had to Google that one! Now I understand that doubts are the door/pathway to knowledge. 👍
Cathy There is an excellent four-hour American Presidents (PBS) documentary on FDR. Allen Lichtman has a marvelous GREAT COURSES two-hour lecture on FDR. My personal favorite is Rosenman’s FDR segment of FOUR GIANTS AND A PIGMY. (The pigmy was Warren Harding.)
Good morning, Keith!
I bet that you have already read "No Ordinary Time" by Doris Kearns Goodwin!
What a book! (For the LFAA Bookclub that seems to be forming here, LOL, if you haven't read it, you should, but it's not a "beach read"! Save it for a chilly autumn day with a mug of hot drink at your side)
An LFAA Bookclub!!! Where do I sign? Downloading "No Ordinary Time" immediately. I loved Doris Kearns Goodman's "Team of Rivals." What a writer!
Alexandra Doris Kearns was a unusual White House intern under LBJ. Then she was invited down to his ranch to research and write a book about him. Her first book—and sparked her focus on presidents, including FDR and Lincoln. She married Richard Goodwin who later was in government on Latin American affairs. I was never personally taken by him.
One of Doris’s most recent books is on presidential leadership after major personal setbacks. I rank this among her best.
Lucky us...
Yes, we want a leader, we want a grown-up to show us they way through difficulties. Personally, I never realized Biden had this in him. But more and more, helooks like the man for the hour.
Mary My headline for the recent debt/budget brouhaha is THE PRESIDENT AND THE PIPSQUEAK.
I call him Qevin, the ROYAL ASS-KISSER. Did you see how elated he was after negotiations ended? Like a little kid who had argued with his teacher to get a better grade and won...a little. He didn’t know he was being played! :)
Biden is not given credit for the brilliant strategist he is. He could have dropped the hammer on the 14th amendment. Instead he let the Repubs save face by giving a little. Sets a precedent for bipartisanism for the next time they have to negotiate. "We have a history of working together to solve hard problems..." Repubs will look like total anarchists if they try another end run. Marlene, agree! He totally played them.
I don't mind how old he is for this reason - he really does have an ingrained sense of the game after all these years. Although I do think there was a Dark Brandon moment we all missed because of this compromise - the trillion dollar coin. It would have been almost Austin Powers worthy!
The only thing is Dems really didn’t win either but we have until 2024 to pull something great together.
I've done Crisis Intervention work in my career. Rule #1 is never back someone into a corner. #2 is always give them something so they don't feel humiliated.
True that Dems had to give up some of what they wanted, but Biden was able to let them walk away unhumiliated. Averted a financial meltdown, so we ALL won.
Pipsqueak is kinda perfect for ol' Kevin, I do have to say.
hee hee
Yes yes yes. The man for this time! 80+ years of experience and he pours all of that love and caring of time into this beautiful thing called democracy working to continue its legacy of “We the people” and not “me myself and I”
Seriously. Most of the 80 year olds I see in the office marvel at how he keeps going, and leading the free world at that! I give him tremendous credit, and when they play that montage of his life tragedies and resilience, it really shows that he is in this for something greater than himself. It's like he carries the expectations of his first wife and son Beau, and wants to meet them at the finish line having done as much as he could to make them proud, and to fully use the time he was given, and that was unfairly taken from them...
Beautifully said, Ryan. Made me tear up.
And I’m sincere about that. If we step back and consider him not as a politician but as a human being, his story is so compelling. Obama’s was so compelling. We all go through tragedy and disappointment and disillusionment- but lefty heroes emerge with a heroic resolve to double down on hope, compassion, and a sense of purpose to help others in that eternal quest to make this a better place.
Yes yes yes. Love your word choices to describe the heroic compulsions of those who continue to fight for democracy.
MARY ! in My opinion, ....
He Looks Like, the
MAN !....FOR the NATION !!
Yes.
Keith, I think that was the idea. Go Biden and crew!
well said.
From the heart.
Yeah. It's nice that Dad came home for a visit, sober and medicated. Lately he's been out with the local militia ranting against the government. He joined the AR-47 club, and has been off the rails fuming about whatever he thinks "woke" means. It scares me and Mom. He's been hanging out with criminals, cheating on our taxes, and dumping motor oil on the front lawn. Mom tried to get a restraining order on him because he's been threatening violence. The judge only gave him a warning. I sure hope Dad stays home this time, but he's already mumbling dark immigrant fantasies, and some really disturbing stuff about Disney and my bookshelf.
Wow, Ryan! You have a problem on your hands. I wish you and your mom the best in dealing with your dad. He is endangering both of you, as well as himself.
Sounds like time to call in the FBI and the DOJ, & while you’re at it, best to call the CIA, because I heard he’s selling security secrets to Saudis and Russians
May the best dad stay home and take care of the brood. We need a caring one.
Easily, they can spew their hateful, disgusting lying bull Schitt with nary an iota of shame. Wait for it…
I think that it is safe to say, without fear of contradiction, that white nationalism has morphed into outright Fascism and the fear of "being replaced" by those with a darker skin color has been used by Trump, DeSantis and others to press forward with an authoritarian agenda. One wonders how so many Americans can still support Trump when he tried so ineptly to overthrow our constitutional government. What we must recognize is that a very large segment of our population favors Fascism. This segment hates minorities, non-Christians, advancement of women's rights, gays and immigrants. Our own propaganda needs to expose to these people how they are being manipulated so that the wealthy can continue to siphon trillions out of the U.S. economy at their expense.
Richard, while heartily agreeing with your analysis, I suspect the majority of those voting for tfg are voting for a feeling of anger so thoroughly and frequently expressed but without recognizing the degree to which that feeling ends up in fascism nor recognizing the perilous journey on which fascism leads a country. I really don't believe all in "this segment hates minorities, non-Christians, advancement of women's rights, gays and immigrants" to the degree those manipulating them magnify that hatred. I think that's what Biden's message and actions portray.
I base my assessment on the levels and reasons for hate principally on the study conducted by two Univ. of Kansas professors, David Smith and Eric Hanley, entitled "The Anger Games, Who Voted for Donald Trump in the 2016 Election, and Why?" published in Feb. 2018 in the peer-reviewed journal, "Critical Sociology." You can google it. And, of course, my own experiences. I might add that I think many of these MAGA Republicans are clueless about their thinking, i.e., they don't know what they don't know. John Stuart Mill made the point in 1869 in his essay, "The Subjection of Women," i.e., when beliefs are based on feelings, facts don't matter.
I agree with your assessment but we also feel that these people (even some of the more educated ones) are really not critical thinkers. Our fear is that without critical thinking we are all at risk. I believe we have tried to teach this skill in the past but, now some of the people in power are trying to ban anything that may cause people to question their view of the world. Non-critical thinkers are easier to manipulate.
I agree with your assessment 100%. I have highly educated friends (Ph.D., M.D., BA's and more) who fit in one way or another the prejudices that Smith and Hanley describe in "The Anger Games." It doesn't take long in a conversation to learn what their particular issue(s) is. Many object to the "line cutters" as discussed by Smith and Hanley. To preserve our democracy, I think that one step must be the creation and introduction of critical thinking courses, starting as early as junior high. Of course, many of the religious among us will object to this.
I was emailing with one of my ex-classmates who now lives in Naples, Florida, during the Obama administration. Pretty soon she was adding politics to our exchanges. When it soon became obvious, we were quite opposite, I suggested she leave politics out. I ended it when I got an all caps email in which she stated she didn't care what the facts were; she was still going to blame Obama. This person is highly intelligent, but she might as well be as dumb as a post.
I have the same experience. There were five of us in high school who were like brothers. One died three years later serving in the Navy, contracting meningitis. One is now a far out religious case, so much so that his two sons no longer have anything to do with him and every other line in his letters and emails has a biblical quote - and in high school he had nothing to do with religion. Another is now a strong Baptist and a MAGA Republican in Oklahoma. Another is an atheist and MAGA Republican in Florida. And as for me, I am an atheist and very, very liberal politically. So, we don't talk politics. We still love and support one another.
I have walked away from several friendships. For me, their view of the world is so different than mine that even if we didn't talk about politics, I would feel like I was always wondering how they treated others when I wasn't around. It made me feel like I had to follow my own compass. My husband thinks I am a little extreme since he has a lot of R friends and they agree to not discuss politics. I just can't do it.
I understand. The distance physically that separates us helps. It wasn't until the emergence of Newt Gingrich and then later the Tea Party with its openly racist stance, seized upon and exploited by TFG that matters got so much worse. The racism is palpable.
The propaganda is so strong. I see that in my former cohort.
Yes, unfortunately too many in LE have these attitudes.
I was so thrilled when I reunited with a PTR (pre-tRump) friend who exclaimed she was through with Trump! After an hour of delightful catching up, she said she is real impressed with this new U.S. Rep, James Jordan.
I too feel sad. Where are people's brains? Did the not take history High School? JJ is a fascist!
That is so sad! Perhaps you should tell her that his real name is "Gym" Jordan.
LOL! Oh my goodness!
Eek.
Michele Please do not speak derogatively of ‘posts.’
LOL. I'll try not to next time.
On some level, she is dumb as a post.
Oh, the anger your friend was harboring. So sorry that you lost her.
It was an interesting exchange. We hadn't been in contact for years, but it was fun to talk about the good old days. I did find out that she was highly competitive with me. Then I remembered a challenge to my bridge partner and me. We won. What really amused me was when she used KBOO in Portland to support one of her points. I had to tell her it is far left....one person calls it spilt your wrists radio. I missed the fun talking about our time in high school and some people we knew, but it was no loss.
I see. Also realized that you knew mostly in high school. How people do change!
Michele you hit the nail on the head. It hurst me that several of my friends and family act like your friend. What can be done? Nothing will change their minds.
No, nothing. She stated clearly that she didn't care about the facts and since it was all caps was doing some internet yelling. Waste of time and energy to engage with such people. I am old enough to not feel hurt or care about people who act like this. My time and energy can be spent with people I enjoy. We are blessed with a wonderful family here, my bro-in-law and his wife, our nephews and their families. I have a few friends that I really enjoy and confess to being a true introvert who likes to read voraciously and spend time in my garden.
Richard As a history/economics professor from age 58 to 80 I designed all of my courses around THINK essays. The students were provided THINK essay questions. Each class commenced with them writing for 15 minutes on one of these questions. This provided the basis for class discussion, including four review classes during the semester.
A number of my students expressed delight that they were exposed to critical thinking.
This was a lot more of work for me—often reading 150 essays weekly. I felt that such personal effort was meaningful to the learning process.
A number of my colleagues preferred to teach with PowerPoint summaries of the textbook. Easier to do, but, in my view, tended to teach facts rather than critical thinking.
P. S. My curriculum would not be permitted in Florida public schools and colleges under its ‘DeSantisized’ current guidelines.
Keith, I would have loved to have been in your classes. One of my ex-students (She and her mother were treating me to an 80th birthday high tea) told me that when she asked me a question, I would never give her the answer, but showed her how to find out herself. She is now a park ranger with the state parks and does a bang up job teaching especially small children. Now and then I hear from students who thank me for helping them to write and think critically. As for Florida, you and I would both be on the same bus out of the state.
Hi Keith, as a professor I would give the students a weekly
FOOD FOR THOUGHT question. This was not mandatory but a way to get extra points if they answered the question. On one occasion the idea was that a Martian spaceship landed on the campus. My class was on human resource management and the Martians wanted to learns the basic principles to apply for Martian Resource Management. Most all in the class answered except for one gal whose response was "she didn't speak the language!"
The GOP is trying to stop critical thinking in public schools! I see that in my tiny county in Indiana!
I don’t understand why people think that critical thinking is not taught in schools. In several districts near me, and near my daughter’s school s, critical thinking begins at least by third grade, and by fifth grade the kids are partying debate on a class-to-class level. By junior high they are competing locally in several forms of debate on several topics and by high schools are competing nationally through the national forensic league. I’m sure this is true in many other schools and states. (Go Ohio!) The only thing I can think is that people who say these things are so far removed from teaching and education that they, themselves, are putting down the current generations just like MAGATS do: to feel better about themselves.
"By their fruits, so shall you know them." My inference is drawn from the fact that so many Americans are influenced to vote against their own best interests by clever Republican propaganda. If they had the analytical tools to think through the process, I believe that many would not support the policies and politicians that they do. Though I graduated from high school in 1958, I don't recall any course where concepts such as confirmation bias were taught. We were taught the "whats" but not the "whys."
I don’t disagree but I think that fear and anger have overwhelmed whatever cognitive abilities they may have - a normal neurological response to serious, prolonged stress coupled with powerlessness to resolve the source. The stress comes from so many sources and has been reinforced daily/hourly by FOX. “Conservatives” appear to have differences in their brains that make them more susceptible to emotions (fear/anger) overwhelming their executive function (cognitive skills such as memory, planning, etc.).
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5793824/
It’s as if some folks had a weakness in their legs and the environment (including FOX) kept kicking them in the kneecaps. <not a brilliant metaphor, but I haven’t had my coffee yet).
Agree. The psychological aspects of “Maga” fascinates me. Reading about the topic is one way for me to try to figure it out. Here’s where President Biden comes to mind. His masterful handling of this debt crisis shows how much age has given him an advantage -having trod over much land loaded with mine fields. He grew wisdom by his missteps. He has learned self control and lived the “art of compromise” by telling us not to give up. These words go to the heart of the survival of our fragile democracy.
Nancy The book MIRACLE AT PHILADELPHIA highlights how unimaginable compromises were essential in crafting the Constiution.
This is precisely what Cool Hand Joe accomplished in preserving the ‘faith and credit of the United States’ while riposting against the attempted blackmail of pipsqueak McCarthy.
Thank you, Keith. Will look that up. Love “Cool Hand Joe”!
Nancy I’ve just finished re-re-reading Catherine Drinker Bowen’s MIRACLE AT PHILADELPHIA. Reads just as suspenseful and exiting the 4 or 5th time around. The Constitutional Convention meetings were in absolute secrecy. If some of the issues discussed and compromised had been made public, the entire adventure would have failed.
Indeed, the actual drafting of a constitution with 9 of 13 states required to ratify it was illegal. Only George Washington’s presence made this possible.
Enjoy.
Agreed. As tragic as it was to lose his wife and child, I think that he can look all of this in the eye and say--go ahead, try me, I've already been through hell.
Yes, Misele, Joe has been through hell and back with the tragedies in his life. He is steadfast in protecting the most vulnerable amongst us and he has a gathered an intelligent team to help him achieve his goals for all of us. He is, at least, trying, as he juggles so many issues we are faced with. J6 opened up a can of worms for our nation. We are now witnesses to seditionists who stomped all over our sacred grounds. We are witnesses to the murder of George Floyd and many others. We were asleep to the extent of the absolute hatred seeping in racism and fascism. Now we are awake, graphically aware of the deepness fascism and racism are rooted in our precious nation. Our suits of armor are ready to fight back.
Yes!
That's a complicated way to define and/or explain racism.
I agree and I would say those feelings have existed in the this country for a very long time, well, from day one in the European view of Native Americans and then expanded by slavery. I have mentioned this before, but the author of God: An Anatomy has a chapter where she traces the idea of white supremacy from the viewing of black as evil to the present day. (And somewhere in Utah they have banned the Bible for younger students). I grew up in Elkhart, Indiana, in the 1950s where I heard plenty of racist remarks and sort of whispered remarks about queer people. And the West was all cowboys and Indians. We went on a trip out to CA and back and while in CA, my father didn't like it and said we could give it back to the Indians. The only independent women I knew were spinster school teachers paid next to nothing. Fast forward to now and the gains that certain groups have made and the Rs are trying to turn back, and we see the fear of white people and white men in particular made manifest in the body politic thanks to death star who openly is awful and his cult now does the same.
Michele, I grew up in Georgia in the 50s. I hear you, loud and clear. Also, I remember my first trip to Indiana, to visit one of my husband’s buddies from their Navy days. Very soon into the visit, I thought to myself, “Holy sh*t! These yankees are rednecks!” It was an eye opener.
Hi Camilla. Yes, and some of us on this site live in that redneck territory. What you say is true, still, in 2023. Indiana is sometimes referred to as Northern Kentucky. : )
As my two primary planes of existence the first 32 years of my life involved Georgia and Indiana, I heartily concur with y'all's assessments. I grew up in the '60s in a Georgia county next to 2 virulently 100% White counties that made no secret they intended to stay that way. (In an odd twist of fate, that changed in one of them, starting in the '80s, and it's now one of the fastest growing counties in the nation and went from barely 25,000 residents in 1980 to nearly 275,000 this year. A large proportion are African-American. Turn about is fair play, nu?) When I got to Indiana in the mid-'70s (grad school) I was astounded it was as conservative or more so than GA. It seemed the "Mason-Dixon Line" had disappeared.
I have always viewed Indiana as mostly a southern state....even the accent from Indy southward.
Thanks for the cite, and I'm glad that I'm still in school and can access it. I find it interesting that they use data from the American National Election Studies, a collaboration between Stanford and U of Michigan, with funding from the National Science Foundation, which is one of those "deep state" agencies that the Right is always complaining about, like NOAA and USGS.
I think it important to realize that the bad actors driving the Right aren't just afraid of government regulation, no matter how useful for society. They are even more afraid of the government's unique position to gather information, the prerequisite for good regulation. "They" don't want us to know anything that may contradict their desires.
'When beliefs are based on feelings, facts dont matter".!!!! yes
Kathy As Senator Daniel Monyhan expressed it “You are entitled to your own personal opinions, but you are not entitled to your own facts.”
great line. love those classics before the soundbite became an over-rehearsed thing!
Richard Great Comments about MAGA. Thank you.
I think many people that vote have no idea what they are voting for except the party and maybe and issue that they hear or care about such: as guns, abortion, race, immigrants, income tax....
I hope you are correct
I have noted a major change in the discussion about Fascism over the last 3 or 4 years. If 4 or even 3 years ago you would comment about trump as Fascism you would get shouted down with replies. Heaven forbid you should compare anything to Hitler's German. Now so many more folks see the danger especially with all of the hate being expressed and rights of women and minorities under attack.
Playing on the less-well-off...asserting their real "enemies" are white collar"elites," foreign-born or somehow un-American in their "socialist" politics, has been in the past an essential aspect of fascism, and here it is again today.
Dave, my fear is that 3-4 years ago, people would get angry and say he wasn't. Now my fear is they shrug and say "so what?" or even worse, applaud it.
That is the terror I see as well. Facisim OK. Socialism Not OK. Sad.
Yeah, it's dangerous to assume others want to bend the moral arc of the universe towards justice... many simply don't. They prefer others don't play with their toys, and are ready to kill for that.
Exactly! I think the SCOTUS was/is a big hammer that is finally shedding light on the subject🤯🥵.
The rants of Trump and his lot are the sounds of a beast in its last throes. As ugly as their beliefs, and as powerful as they are still, they will not prevail. Similarly, in other parts of the world where fascism prevails...a certain country at war right now, for example, will not last either.
We fervently hope that it is "a beast in its last throes," but we can't rest now.
Hope, hello again! It is wise to regard beasts in their last throes as the most dangerous and unpredictable, because they are being trapped, they have less to lose, and will take more and more chances. Now that That Person is encircled, I will wager he wishes he had another dozen boxes of documents to negotiate with, or worse, to distribute to his idol dictators simply to cause as much damage as possible before his political demise. If he really wants to catastrophically destroy our democracy, as it seems is his plan, that would be one avenue. I refuse to acknowledge any other.
One other aspect of DJT's removal from political influence that occurs to me is that when he defines himself as a martyr, he will anoint a segment of his followers as martyrs also, those who fought for him.
I propose a combat medal for those followers who finally found purpose in wearing clothes with his picture, in his nfg cards, in rallying and spewing his version of hate and denigration. Like a Purple Heart, but Jet Black, not pinned to the breast, maybe tattooed on the forehead. Oh my!
Happy afternoon, Ed. As his sister, Mary Trump said, the only thing that matters to tfg is himself. Whenever he stirs up his troops, it's because he wants praise, money or advantage. Usually all of the above. He has no intention of giving anything unless it feathers his nest. He's loyal to nothing. Every deal is transactional or zero sum.
Yes, I thought of that. I was thinking about a legacy involving a mob who would carry out his wishes. I studied mobs while writing a paper on the Rev War. Mobs carried out much of the dirty work. Thanks for your responxe.
Oops, Mary Trump is his niece.
Sadly, I think fascism will reappear, again and again, at future moments when a tipping point of anger exists. And when those in power take advantage of the anger to expand their own power and wealth.
DeSantis is a perfect example. Lil’ Hitler has imposed strangulation of all things decent in his state. He wants to be center stage with his proposed evilness. I cringe every time he speaks. But then I do that when BoPeep, Gosar, Santos. MGT, and Gaetz mouth words, also.
They certainly are repulsive!
I had the unfortunate experience of having breakfast in a local diner, where an old man sat next to me, going on and on about Biden tripping over his own feet. The cook said it was a sandbag, the car said he didn't see no sandbag, if there was one the secret service would have picked it up. Since I have worked all the elections in the last decade, early, primary and general, I asked him as I was leaving (without finishing my food) if he voted. Yes I do he said, why? God help us I replied and headed out the door. I am tired of keeping my mouth shut.
Customer, autocorrect got me.
Indeed. I am reminded of a "peacenik" slogan: "Imagine they gave a war and nobody came." Or, ignore a bully because they can't stand not commanding an audience. I know I am being simplistic, but fascists exists because there are willing lemmings. If only we could disrupt their following. Consider how impotent some recent right wing rallies have been, lately. People just didn't turn up to watch or be indoctrinated.
I think you will ultimately be correct. As long as the planet doesn't kick us off... if mass migration and climate chaos happen faster than we can engineer a way out, then strong men with tribal instincts will still draw legions.
It seems that when children are shamed for their inherent humanity, (the very core of any human) that the human brain, as it increasingly is required to function in an adult world, will look to shed that intolerable, toxic shame, onto others.
A child growing up in chaos, will limbically need chaos to feel “whole”.
If you match the counties in our country with the highest rates of addiction, alcoholism, or shaming religions, I suspect you will find counties that have a limbic need for authoritarianism.
This is why countries with the strongest social programs that support families of young children are the happiest and healthiest in our world.
It’s not rocket science.
We keep giving power to the wrong people.
"I want to let you know that as your president, I will first and foremost be a
champion for our children."-Hillary Clinton
No one to date was more qualified, more prepared, to be POTUS than Hillary Rodham Clinton. James Comey will not be treated well by future historians, that is, if they are permitted to write history.
It is kind of like the shock I felt after I saw pictures of USA citizens celebrating Nazi's Hitler in NYC when I was not yet born or shortly after. I did not see that in my History books. The sad thing is we never got that far in the book before school was out for the year! We should have started with that war and worked our way back....I think that might have been a wake up call to what is happening today! At 15 the 1940's seemed like old days gone by! It is funny the perception of time when we are sliding into 80 very fast. 100 years is not that far removed now! My young mother, if she were alive today, would be 103 today.
This afternoon two young men stopped by my door to give me literature on an upcoming Board of Supervisors election coming up next week. One of the boys was 15 and the other around 22-23. What impressed me was their dedication to voting at such young ages. As a liberal Democrat I gave them some information they had not heard of…. Namely, Trump boasting before the 2016 election that he could walk down 5th Avenue and shoot someone and nothing would be done about it……I also informed that he had his first wife Ivana buried at one of his golf courses so he could claim a reduction in taxes for the property now classified as a cemetery. These two young men were amazed and thanked me for filling them in. The hope of our nation lies with the youth!
I use Bravo Sierra in lieu of BS.
lol 😂. Love it