The current occupant of the White House has declared war on the majority of Americans.
“We’re here today to declare that we will never cave to the left wing and the left-wing intolerance…” “They hate our history, they hate our values, and they hate everything we prize as Americans…”
Does this sound like a man who plans to run a campaign of inclusion, retire peacefully in a few months if he losses, and then fade gracefully into retirement leaving the country a better place than he found it upon assuming office?
Or, does this sound like a person who believes the vote will likely go against him and is inciting his followers to keep him in office by any means necessary?
Professor Richardson: If you were asked to write the Democratic Party game plan for the November election, what would you tell them? Does history provide us with any lessons here?
Curiously, I think their decision to keep Biden low key is an excellent one, especially while they are showing videos of him being competent. Americans are tired of political drama, and after turmoil almost always rally to "normalcy."
When arrogance and ignorance collide it's a deadly combination. 45 is so hell-bent on reelection that he is willing to sacrifice a percentage of his base attending his rallies in the desperate hope it will reignite his poll numbers. "It's fading away." He is like a child that hides under the covers because if he doesn't look, he can't see the monster and then the monster's not real.
I shake my head in wonder at how anyone can still believe the drivel coming out of his mouth. We live in a small Wisconsin town and still see Trump banners flying. But because we are rural and COVID-19 has not touched them personally yet, his loyal backers are still of the "it's just a flu" mentality. God help us🙄😷
COVID-19 is coming to rural communities. It's just a matter of time. The initial peak of infections was driven by the dense populations centers in the mid-Atlantic and Northeast which yielded rapid increases, but also rapid declines as preventative measures were taken. Think of it like a fire with lots of dry fuel: starts quick, flares up, dies out quickly. Now the virus has moved to other areas of the country. Population density is lower, so the rates of change in the spread are slower in comparison. Combine this with complacency concerning preventative steps and suddenly we're back in February/March, though now with larger numbers of people (fuel for the fire) and most likely far larger number of infected carriers (matches) and seemingly little concern about taking steps to halt its progress (fire extinguisher). Even if this resurgence follows the same timing of the initial surge, the worst is likely many weeks away. See https://91-divoc.com/pages/covid-visualization/ which allows several ways to view the data. The 7-day average new infection curve is returning to a slope that is eerily similar to that of 3-4 months ago.
At some point people will be touched by the reality. Let's hope it opens their eyes rather than permanently closing them.
Did you see the statement by the health official in Mississippi today? He is panicked, and can't figure out how to get people to wear masks. Says soon you can expect no hospital room for a car accident victim or a heart attack things are getting so bad.
When the President himself eschews masks, politicizes masks, says no precautions are necessary, and hosts rallies where no one is asked to wear a mask, he makes it far more difficult for state and local officials to get anyone to wear a mask, because doing so is clearly an affront to President Twitler. This is precisely why it is so hard for state and local officials, even GOP officials who are now changing their tune, to get anyone to wear a mask or, frankly, take any precautions at all. This all comes down to Twitler. He's the reason we never came down off our first peak, why we'll never have a second peak since we'll never end the first one, and why American citizens will be banned from visiting countries all over the world until we get our act cleaned up.
I missed that. Mississippi is ill-prepared--it is a relatively poor state.
We (PA) managed to avoid overfilled hospitals, but only because of a governor who attacked the problem aggressively. Despite this and being well past the peak of the curve, the strong pushback against masks here is a disappointing commentary on my community.
Getting people to wear masks seems to be problematic in the entire country. I grew up in the south and can hear their comments vividly in my head. It would seem that Mississippi will soon have company. Several states are soon to discover the limitations of their health care delivery systems. It boggles my mind that so many people view being told to wear a mask as an infringement of their rights. I guess many of these same people believe all the images from New York in March were faked.
My half-bro, with whom I have not communicated since Nov 2016, lives in MS and is a typical tRump supporting, overweight, good-ol-boy truck driver. IDK if he wears a mask, distances himself or how he is faring but in past he has confused my liberal efforts with communism, so I doubt that he has been educated on the severity of this disease.
I remain hopeful that people will soon see reality and understand that the WH has been and continues to gaslight America wrt coronavirus. Minds change quickly when "those infected people" become people you know. I'm in PA where our numbers appear to be trending down. Our governor shut down the state early which helped us avoid numbers like NY or NJ. The legislature is trying to impeach him now claiming executive overreach. Optics are questionable as after a couple months of downward trend, our new infection rates are now increasing. There is widespread disregard for safety protocols (masks, distancing) driven by the reopen the economy messaging.
The same here in SoFlo, where ppl have neglected safety protocols in the reopened businesses & restaurants and the new infections increase daily. Yesterday Miami and other cities here have instituted wearing masks while outside, not just when going into businesses.
It’s not just South Florida. In the Tampa Bay Area, three counties have just issued mask requirements and yet there are so many still opposed. They say their rights are being infringed upon. Look to the Florida governor who is Trump’s “mini-me”.
Trump doesn't care if his base lives or dies. He is planning to steal the election. Hackable voting machines, voter suppression. Soon we will have intimidation as well. Vote by mail, we need a paper trail!
Europe's experience of the epidemic so far has enabled some preliminary conclusions to be drawn. The first is that the people who take responsibility for their lives, meet their civic obligations and act with consideration for others fare better. The second is a question of government preparedness in terms of protective measures (masks, tests, beds, technology, cre-givers). Those that thought ahead and acted fare better. The third is the reactivity, credibility and transparency of the governments response...faster the better. The fourth is that lockdown can be significantly more dangerous than responsible prudence for the people. Particularly vulnerable are the elderly in residential communities that were ignored and which quickly became deadly penitentiaries in which isolation and depression, not to mention pre-existing mesical conditions, were rampant and deadly. If the people have the right attitude and the government is serving them properly, total lockdown should be avoided if at all possible. Thereafterwards as many governments and people were not up to scratch we are going to be dealing with the mass unemployment for a very long time.
i'm very concerned about what happens in August, when the $600 boost to unemployment ends just as numbers ramp up and local and state budgets have to deal with the lack of tax revenue....
Yes, this is something being discussed in my household. The jobs aren't there. We are going to see a lot of homelessness. A lot more children in the foster care system. I hope they loosen some of the restrictions on fostering and adopting.
BLM is in part driven by higher afro-american death rates and unemployment generated by the epidemic. Let's not forget that unemplyment can mean loss of health insurance.
Look at what the epidemic is also spotlighting: the differences in access to "normal" healthcare according to socio-economic status and housing cost and thus the state of the populations general health in these areas/groups. The disproproportionate death rate for groups that are predominantly poor and live in poor neighbourhoods of mega-urban areas reminds me of 19th century New York. At what price Trump's undermining of Obama's healthcare reforms now?
Agreed, Stuart. I was just talking to my friend yesterday about how I believe everything happens for a reason, and as much as I dislike Trump, had he not been elected all of the dark things being uncovered related to the GOP tactics to reach their goals, which have nothing to do with what is best for Americans, we would not be fully awake and ready to really make a change. America would still be unaware of the blatant racism black Americans deal with daily, and of the inequality in so many areas and the injustice in America for those who are not white and wealthy. This is our big chance to turn things around to create an America that respects and values all humans and our environment.
What Trump has done is provide a clear focal point for all the issues that have plagued us for a generation. There's really no "he didn't really mean it!" to be relied on any longer-- it's all out in the open.
Unfortunately, this is a lesson that we could have learned another way and not with Trump being elected because the repercussions of that are truly frightening. We will be in this horrible situation now for a generation or more. He just had his 200th judge confirmed today, a record. And the ruling in the appeals court that said Flynn's case needs to be dropped is just another example of how our judiciary has been corrupted.
Now that you mention it, because of his constant projection, this is pretty horrifying.
What's also worth noting is that Twitler has a very small bag of tricks. Shockingly effective, but limited. Projection. Deflection & distraction. Always attack, never back down, and never apologize. Lie, lie, and then lie some more. Steal everything that's not nailed down, and then steal some that too. That's pretty much it.
and unfortunately, the best ability to convince too many people of his hall of mirrors lies. Although perhaps the illusion is starting to fade. What are they going to say when large numbers of people who attended his close-packed rallies get sick? Actually, that question scares me, because I expect them to try to instigate the equivalent of pogroms against some 'other' that they blame for it.
Aaron Zelinsky's opening statement to the House Judiciary Committee concerning the irregularities in the sentencing of Roger Stone is worth a read. It can be found on the Washington Post website and doubtless, other sources.
Indeed! I am thankful that HCR continues to maintain a big picture perspective in the midst of the smoke storm surrounding us. I was a little surprised that Zelinsky's comments (the US Attorney was afraid of the President) didn't end up as a cliffhanger closing paragraph, though. I'm sure she has something big planned since it appears the tide is turning on Barr.
Not clear the tide is turning on him. I think he's a theocrat, and if he thinks God is on his side, what would induce him to resign? And it's a sure fire bet the Senate won't convict him if he's impeached. At this point, I don't think they all have anything to lose, so they're going for broke.
I keep hoping some of the jurisdictions where he is licensed would begin suspending his license to practice. Maybe the Senate won't convict, but dealing with a suspension or two would be a pita for him.
Throught this tragic non-response to the pandemic, the president has shown NO empathy regarding those who have died, their families, nor the healthcare workers who have given their lives.
Your sentence that jumps out the most to me is "With about 4% of the world’s population, the United States has had about 25% of the world’s deaths from Covid-19." Shameful.
I am grateful to the Lincoln Project and their ads, all of which I am saving to post on social media before the election! Repeatedly! I long for integrity and normalcy in government...
He clearly has Narcissistic Personality Disorder as evidenced in all his tweets & utterances of the the years. He is incapable of showing empathy. He cares about nothing except himself. Actually, he is mentally defective, which gives him an excuse for his behavior. WTF is wrong with the Repugnant Senators who have failed to reign him in. They had a chance to convict his impeachment.
The exact diagnosis is "malignant" narcissistic personality disorder, where malignant is a preponderant component, one which renders his condition incurable.
EDUCATION! This, I believe, is one of the major solutions to BLM as well as the idiots who think Trump is their savior. Equal education that teaches critical thinking not test taking. A strong emphasis in civics that has been gutted since Reagan. If this had been in place all along, I think we would be in a better place in handling the pandemic. I think people would have seen right through charlatan Trump. Be that as it may, this will not solve the situation we are in. I don't see a solution unless we increase testing, use contact tracing and everyone take responsibility by social distancing and wearing masks. 2020 is toast. The one bright light is that the idjt is a one term president.
A single adjustment to his speech reveals once again Trump doing what Trump does best: shifting reality by casting his own crimes/sins/intentions/failures onto others, then moving in for the attack.
“They hate our history, they hate our values, and they hate everything we prize as Americans,” he said. “Our country didn’t grow great with them. It grew great with you and your thought process and your ideology. [Trump and his Loyalist mob are] trying to demolish our heritage, so they can replace it with a new oppressive regime that they alone control."
Reading all these quotes from a clearly demented demagogue, blatantly lying and rallying his ignorant cult base, really pisses me off that ppl said my aware friends and I were overreacting by comparing him and his methods to Hitler. That comparison has been overused in my lifetime since the Nazi regime was the most egregious in our modern culture and we have yet to murder millions in concentration death camps (just thousands neglected in camps called “immigration detention centers). But, he has clearly been using Hitler’s Playbook since the beginning and answering the question first-hand for those of us born at the end of the last World War “How did a great nation like Germany fall to such depravity?” I fear that we are seeing it unfold.
Forget Hitler. We can compare him to some depraved fictional archetype like “Big Brother” or “High Chancellor Adam Sutler” who feeds the ignorant masses a fictional “NewSpeak.”
"What you're seeing and what you're reading is not what's happening." No, that was not George Orwell in “1984.” Trump actually said that.
I am holding off changing my residency to Maine until after the election. It is so darned important I vote in Iowa. Steve King and Chuck Grassley are my representatives. That's why it's that important to me. I have been picking away at my fellow Northwest Iowans. So have many others. It is heartening to see that more are opening their eyes. But doggone, I've never known a more stubborn bunch. HCR we corresponded way back about NW IA being mostly a land bound Aryan Society. The editor of the local newspaper essentially said the same thing. "An Open Letter to Manager Ty Rushing" I responded to the article. I have much respect for the owner of the newspaper. He is as open minded as I could hope for in that area. https://www.facebook.com/nwestiareview/posts/2997820010271250?comment_id=2998967130156538¬if_id=1592946752921743¬if_t=feedback_reaction_generic&ref=notif
I can't say I've spoken to one person that supports her. I have to give credit where credit is due, though.
Puritan Medical Product (test swap manufacturer) is moving it's manufacturing sight to my town. We are right off the interstate and centrally located. We had an unused factory here.
They partnered with Cianbro, a large Engineering firm based here. $73M Federal Grant, and 150 jobs that don't pay well IMO.
This town was chosen by my business partners for the very same reasons. Also, Weed is legal. Because of what I do, it's a good business market. As a child, our family would vacation here. It's where I saw my first whale!
I own a nationwide community rejuvenation business. I work with governmental, business, and trade community leaders. Our goal is to rejuvenate the homes in the community. Starting with the Elderly and Vets. I got sidelined a bit, but am getting back in gear. So personally, for me? I've basically benefited financially business wise from not only Susan Collins, and it kills me to say it, Trump, himself. Dammit.
Question: 3,000 young people crowded into a megachurch for a Trump rally with little or no PPE displayed. How many of them will be tracked for further spreading of the virus? Any? I would love to see those stats, especially in a state where numbers are spiking.
Many Americans have an independent/libertarian streak to them. I wonder if, even under a different president, we could have taken the necessary steps to stop Covid. I doubt we could have -- the social responsibility and trust in government is just not there. But we'll never know because Trump has repeatedly done the opposite of what was needed since January. It is becoming ever more evident that the next 6 months are going to be grim, but there are two bright lights at the end of that tunnel -- a vaccine and a new president.
The difference would have been that it would have been caught and contained and not have become the long term crisis that people are not able to sustain.
Agree - the poor response is going to mean we are stuck here for much longer than was necessary. I fear that even when a vaccine becomes available, there will be those who can't get it (poor and/or uninsured) in the U.S. And the economic fallout! I live in TX where re-opening too soon is having the effect of sending us back to square 1. So frustrating!
It also means American Citizens will not be welcomed into countries around the world, starting with the EU, until we figure out how to get covid-19 under control.
I frankly think if we had a different president, one who took the pandemic threat seriously and conveyed the gravity of the situation in terms of the "best way to save our country", we'd be in a very different place. If keeping America safe had been presented as a patriotic duty instead of a joke people would have rallied and gotten on board. Instead, we have a president who has undermined the process from the beginning. We have governors who have downplayed the virus and are now frantic, or close to it, trying to convince the residents of their states to pay attention and follow the federalguidelines/state mandates. We have senators who are more interested in perpetuating their own stature and wealth while throwing their constituents under the bus.
There's nothing wrong with one having an independent/libertarian stream but when that streak infringes on the lives of others and endangers the health and wellbeing of an entire population that's a problem. It goes against the basic philosophical concept of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, something our government(s) are supposed to protect for the WHOLE not just the parts. So yes, I think we do know that under different leadership we'd be in a very different place; we wouldn't be burning through American lives like so much tinder. We'd be in another place because almost any other president would value the lives of the people he'd sworn to protect.
I still like your post, typos and all. I turned off auto-correct years ago after an embarrassing alteration to a discussion I was having regarding the penal system.
The EU and the rest of the world should build a wall around the US, and put a dome over it, to keep the exceptional moron stupidity in check. H.L. Mencken was right when he said 96 years ago that nobody ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American public, and that somedway they'd achieve their heart's desire by electing a perfect moron to the presidency to represent them. The only thing "exceptional" about this country is the exceptional idiocy.
It saddened me to see the crowd of foolish young people not wearing masks and cheering Trump's lies. They will likely spread the virus and many will take it home to vulnerable parents and grandparents.
Since they're all fundamenalists (which have NOTHING to do with Christianity), good riddance to them, their parents and the rest of that community. Let them Make America Great Again with their permanent departures.
Holy Cow what a post!
The current occupant of the White House has declared war on the majority of Americans.
“We’re here today to declare that we will never cave to the left wing and the left-wing intolerance…” “They hate our history, they hate our values, and they hate everything we prize as Americans…”
Does this sound like a man who plans to run a campaign of inclusion, retire peacefully in a few months if he losses, and then fade gracefully into retirement leaving the country a better place than he found it upon assuming office?
Or, does this sound like a person who believes the vote will likely go against him and is inciting his followers to keep him in office by any means necessary?
Professor Richardson: If you were asked to write the Democratic Party game plan for the November election, what would you tell them? Does history provide us with any lessons here?
Curiously, I think their decision to keep Biden low key is an excellent one, especially while they are showing videos of him being competent. Americans are tired of political drama, and after turmoil almost always rally to "normalcy."
Thank you for your thoughts and I pray normalcy prevails in November.
When arrogance and ignorance collide it's a deadly combination. 45 is so hell-bent on reelection that he is willing to sacrifice a percentage of his base attending his rallies in the desperate hope it will reignite his poll numbers. "It's fading away." He is like a child that hides under the covers because if he doesn't look, he can't see the monster and then the monster's not real.
I shake my head in wonder at how anyone can still believe the drivel coming out of his mouth. We live in a small Wisconsin town and still see Trump banners flying. But because we are rural and COVID-19 has not touched them personally yet, his loyal backers are still of the "it's just a flu" mentality. God help us🙄😷
COVID-19 is coming to rural communities. It's just a matter of time. The initial peak of infections was driven by the dense populations centers in the mid-Atlantic and Northeast which yielded rapid increases, but also rapid declines as preventative measures were taken. Think of it like a fire with lots of dry fuel: starts quick, flares up, dies out quickly. Now the virus has moved to other areas of the country. Population density is lower, so the rates of change in the spread are slower in comparison. Combine this with complacency concerning preventative steps and suddenly we're back in February/March, though now with larger numbers of people (fuel for the fire) and most likely far larger number of infected carriers (matches) and seemingly little concern about taking steps to halt its progress (fire extinguisher). Even if this resurgence follows the same timing of the initial surge, the worst is likely many weeks away. See https://91-divoc.com/pages/covid-visualization/ which allows several ways to view the data. The 7-day average new infection curve is returning to a slope that is eerily similar to that of 3-4 months ago.
At some point people will be touched by the reality. Let's hope it opens their eyes rather than permanently closing them.
Did you see the statement by the health official in Mississippi today? He is panicked, and can't figure out how to get people to wear masks. Says soon you can expect no hospital room for a car accident victim or a heart attack things are getting so bad.
When the President himself eschews masks, politicizes masks, says no precautions are necessary, and hosts rallies where no one is asked to wear a mask, he makes it far more difficult for state and local officials to get anyone to wear a mask, because doing so is clearly an affront to President Twitler. This is precisely why it is so hard for state and local officials, even GOP officials who are now changing their tune, to get anyone to wear a mask or, frankly, take any precautions at all. This all comes down to Twitler. He's the reason we never came down off our first peak, why we'll never have a second peak since we'll never end the first one, and why American citizens will be banned from visiting countries all over the world until we get our act cleaned up.
I missed that. Mississippi is ill-prepared--it is a relatively poor state.
We (PA) managed to avoid overfilled hospitals, but only because of a governor who attacked the problem aggressively. Despite this and being well past the peak of the curve, the strong pushback against masks here is a disappointing commentary on my community.
Getting people to wear masks seems to be problematic in the entire country. I grew up in the south and can hear their comments vividly in my head. It would seem that Mississippi will soon have company. Several states are soon to discover the limitations of their health care delivery systems. It boggles my mind that so many people view being told to wear a mask as an infringement of their rights. I guess many of these same people believe all the images from New York in March were faked.
My half-bro, with whom I have not communicated since Nov 2016, lives in MS and is a typical tRump supporting, overweight, good-ol-boy truck driver. IDK if he wears a mask, distances himself or how he is faring but in past he has confused my liberal efforts with communism, so I doubt that he has been educated on the severity of this disease.
Agreed. Sadly many in rural areas won't understand this until it's too late.
I remain hopeful that people will soon see reality and understand that the WH has been and continues to gaslight America wrt coronavirus. Minds change quickly when "those infected people" become people you know. I'm in PA where our numbers appear to be trending down. Our governor shut down the state early which helped us avoid numbers like NY or NJ. The legislature is trying to impeach him now claiming executive overreach. Optics are questionable as after a couple months of downward trend, our new infection rates are now increasing. There is widespread disregard for safety protocols (masks, distancing) driven by the reopen the economy messaging.
The same here in SoFlo, where ppl have neglected safety protocols in the reopened businesses & restaurants and the new infections increase daily. Yesterday Miami and other cities here have instituted wearing masks while outside, not just when going into businesses.
It’s not just South Florida. In the Tampa Bay Area, three counties have just issued mask requirements and yet there are so many still opposed. They say their rights are being infringed upon. Look to the Florida governor who is Trump’s “mini-me”.
"When arrogance and ignorance collide it's a deadly combination."
That's the nut of it - just throw in a pinch of intolerance and voila!
Agree - and if/when they are personally affected, they will ask why no one warned them.
Trump doesn't care if his base lives or dies. He is planning to steal the election. Hackable voting machines, voter suppression. Soon we will have intimidation as well. Vote by mail, we need a paper trail!
Europe's experience of the epidemic so far has enabled some preliminary conclusions to be drawn. The first is that the people who take responsibility for their lives, meet their civic obligations and act with consideration for others fare better. The second is a question of government preparedness in terms of protective measures (masks, tests, beds, technology, cre-givers). Those that thought ahead and acted fare better. The third is the reactivity, credibility and transparency of the governments response...faster the better. The fourth is that lockdown can be significantly more dangerous than responsible prudence for the people. Particularly vulnerable are the elderly in residential communities that were ignored and which quickly became deadly penitentiaries in which isolation and depression, not to mention pre-existing mesical conditions, were rampant and deadly. If the people have the right attitude and the government is serving them properly, total lockdown should be avoided if at all possible. Thereafterwards as many governments and people were not up to scratch we are going to be dealing with the mass unemployment for a very long time.
i'm very concerned about what happens in August, when the $600 boost to unemployment ends just as numbers ramp up and local and state budgets have to deal with the lack of tax revenue....
Yes, this is something being discussed in my household. The jobs aren't there. We are going to see a lot of homelessness. A lot more children in the foster care system. I hope they loosen some of the restrictions on fostering and adopting.
My friend in Germany would agree with you, Stuart.
BLM is in part driven by higher afro-american death rates and unemployment generated by the epidemic. Let's not forget that unemplyment can mean loss of health insurance.
Yep.
Look at what the epidemic is also spotlighting: the differences in access to "normal" healthcare according to socio-economic status and housing cost and thus the state of the populations general health in these areas/groups. The disproproportionate death rate for groups that are predominantly poor and live in poor neighbourhoods of mega-urban areas reminds me of 19th century New York. At what price Trump's undermining of Obama's healthcare reforms now?
Agreed, Stuart. I was just talking to my friend yesterday about how I believe everything happens for a reason, and as much as I dislike Trump, had he not been elected all of the dark things being uncovered related to the GOP tactics to reach their goals, which have nothing to do with what is best for Americans, we would not be fully awake and ready to really make a change. America would still be unaware of the blatant racism black Americans deal with daily, and of the inequality in so many areas and the injustice in America for those who are not white and wealthy. This is our big chance to turn things around to create an America that respects and values all humans and our environment.
What Trump has done is provide a clear focal point for all the issues that have plagued us for a generation. There's really no "he didn't really mean it!" to be relied on any longer-- it's all out in the open.
Unfortunately, this is a lesson that we could have learned another way and not with Trump being elected because the repercussions of that are truly frightening. We will be in this horrible situation now for a generation or more. He just had his 200th judge confirmed today, a record. And the ruling in the appeals court that said Flynn's case needs to be dropped is just another example of how our judiciary has been corrupted.
Trump has the worst case of projection ever.
Yeah, it's really something. And so, when he goes on and on about gangs raping and murdering women, I totally get the willies....
Now that you mention it, because of his constant projection, this is pretty horrifying.
What's also worth noting is that Twitler has a very small bag of tricks. Shockingly effective, but limited. Projection. Deflection & distraction. Always attack, never back down, and never apologize. Lie, lie, and then lie some more. Steal everything that's not nailed down, and then steal some that too. That's pretty much it.
Ugh
and unfortunately, the best ability to convince too many people of his hall of mirrors lies. Although perhaps the illusion is starting to fade. What are they going to say when large numbers of people who attended his close-packed rallies get sick? Actually, that question scares me, because I expect them to try to instigate the equivalent of pogroms against some 'other' that they blame for it.
You've got that right.
Aaron Zelinsky's opening statement to the House Judiciary Committee concerning the irregularities in the sentencing of Roger Stone is worth a read. It can be found on the Washington Post website and doubtless, other sources.
Looking forward to HCR’s take on this.
Yeah. I started saving DOJ stories a few days ago, knowing this was coming.
Indeed! I am thankful that HCR continues to maintain a big picture perspective in the midst of the smoke storm surrounding us. I was a little surprised that Zelinsky's comments (the US Attorney was afraid of the President) didn't end up as a cliffhanger closing paragraph, though. I'm sure she has something big planned since it appears the tide is turning on Barr.
Not clear the tide is turning on him. I think he's a theocrat, and if he thinks God is on his side, what would induce him to resign? And it's a sure fire bet the Senate won't convict him if he's impeached. At this point, I don't think they all have anything to lose, so they're going for broke.
I keep hoping some of the jurisdictions where he is licensed would begin suspending his license to practice. Maybe the Senate won't convict, but dealing with a suspension or two would be a pita for him.
So he said, "The left-wing mob is trying to demolish our heritage, so they can replace it with a new oppressive regime that they alone control."
This reads to me like projection on his part.
Of course it is. He has been striving toward this his entire presidency.
Throught this tragic non-response to the pandemic, the president has shown NO empathy regarding those who have died, their families, nor the healthcare workers who have given their lives.
Your sentence that jumps out the most to me is "With about 4% of the world’s population, the United States has had about 25% of the world’s deaths from Covid-19." Shameful.
I am grateful to the Lincoln Project and their ads, all of which I am saving to post on social media before the election! Repeatedly! I long for integrity and normalcy in government...
He clearly has Narcissistic Personality Disorder as evidenced in all his tweets & utterances of the the years. He is incapable of showing empathy. He cares about nothing except himself. Actually, he is mentally defective, which gives him an excuse for his behavior. WTF is wrong with the Repugnant Senators who have failed to reign him in. They had a chance to convict his impeachment.
The exact diagnosis is "malignant" narcissistic personality disorder, where malignant is a preponderant component, one which renders his condition incurable.
Sorry, throughout, I don't like typos!
EDUCATION! This, I believe, is one of the major solutions to BLM as well as the idiots who think Trump is their savior. Equal education that teaches critical thinking not test taking. A strong emphasis in civics that has been gutted since Reagan. If this had been in place all along, I think we would be in a better place in handling the pandemic. I think people would have seen right through charlatan Trump. Be that as it may, this will not solve the situation we are in. I don't see a solution unless we increase testing, use contact tracing and everyone take responsibility by social distancing and wearing masks. 2020 is toast. The one bright light is that the idjt is a one term president.
A single adjustment to his speech reveals once again Trump doing what Trump does best: shifting reality by casting his own crimes/sins/intentions/failures onto others, then moving in for the attack.
“They hate our history, they hate our values, and they hate everything we prize as Americans,” he said. “Our country didn’t grow great with them. It grew great with you and your thought process and your ideology. [Trump and his Loyalist mob are] trying to demolish our heritage, so they can replace it with a new oppressive regime that they alone control."
Reading all these quotes from a clearly demented demagogue, blatantly lying and rallying his ignorant cult base, really pisses me off that ppl said my aware friends and I were overreacting by comparing him and his methods to Hitler. That comparison has been overused in my lifetime since the Nazi regime was the most egregious in our modern culture and we have yet to murder millions in concentration death camps (just thousands neglected in camps called “immigration detention centers). But, he has clearly been using Hitler’s Playbook since the beginning and answering the question first-hand for those of us born at the end of the last World War “How did a great nation like Germany fall to such depravity?” I fear that we are seeing it unfold.
Forget Hitler. We can compare him to some depraved fictional archetype like “Big Brother” or “High Chancellor Adam Sutler” who feeds the ignorant masses a fictional “NewSpeak.”
"What you're seeing and what you're reading is not what's happening." No, that was not George Orwell in “1984.” Trump actually said that.
Rob, are you the same fellow I've been interacting w on Twitter?
I suppose since we follow each other there. I am wearing a mask in that profile.
I am holding off changing my residency to Maine until after the election. It is so darned important I vote in Iowa. Steve King and Chuck Grassley are my representatives. That's why it's that important to me. I have been picking away at my fellow Northwest Iowans. So have many others. It is heartening to see that more are opening their eyes. But doggone, I've never known a more stubborn bunch. HCR we corresponded way back about NW IA being mostly a land bound Aryan Society. The editor of the local newspaper essentially said the same thing. "An Open Letter to Manager Ty Rushing" I responded to the article. I have much respect for the owner of the newspaper. He is as open minded as I could hope for in that area. https://www.facebook.com/nwestiareview/posts/2997820010271250?comment_id=2998967130156538¬if_id=1592946752921743¬if_t=feedback_reaction_generic&ref=notif
We've talked about where you're moving residency to, right?
I have a question for Heather and for Lauren. What is the mood there regarding Susan Collins? Is she really on thin ice?
Not good.
I can't say I've spoken to one person that supports her. I have to give credit where credit is due, though.
Puritan Medical Product (test swap manufacturer) is moving it's manufacturing sight to my town. We are right off the interstate and centrally located. We had an unused factory here.
They partnered with Cianbro, a large Engineering firm based here. $73M Federal Grant, and 150 jobs that don't pay well IMO.
This town was chosen by my business partners for the very same reasons. Also, Weed is legal. Because of what I do, it's a good business market. As a child, our family would vacation here. It's where I saw my first whale!
I own a nationwide community rejuvenation business. I work with governmental, business, and trade community leaders. Our goal is to rejuvenate the homes in the community. Starting with the Elderly and Vets. I got sidelined a bit, but am getting back in gear. So personally, for me? I've basically benefited financially business wise from not only Susan Collins, and it kills me to say it, Trump, himself. Dammit.
Anyway, thanks for reading my long post!
Hey, we spent the months of May, June and July in Acadia National Park last year. Nice place! Maybe a bit too down east for some, but we loved it.
Yes we have. I am in love with Maine. The people! Just wow.
Question: 3,000 young people crowded into a megachurch for a Trump rally with little or no PPE displayed. How many of them will be tracked for further spreading of the virus? Any? I would love to see those stats, especially in a state where numbers are spiking.
I think the only way they track is to ask people admitted to the hospital if they have been in any large gatherings recently.
Many Americans have an independent/libertarian streak to them. I wonder if, even under a different president, we could have taken the necessary steps to stop Covid. I doubt we could have -- the social responsibility and trust in government is just not there. But we'll never know because Trump has repeatedly done the opposite of what was needed since January. It is becoming ever more evident that the next 6 months are going to be grim, but there are two bright lights at the end of that tunnel -- a vaccine and a new president.
The difference would have been that it would have been caught and contained and not have become the long term crisis that people are not able to sustain.
Agree - the poor response is going to mean we are stuck here for much longer than was necessary. I fear that even when a vaccine becomes available, there will be those who can't get it (poor and/or uninsured) in the U.S. And the economic fallout! I live in TX where re-opening too soon is having the effect of sending us back to square 1. So frustrating!
It also means American Citizens will not be welcomed into countries around the world, starting with the EU, until we figure out how to get covid-19 under control.
And don’t forget about all of those who will refuse to get vaccinated.
I frankly think if we had a different president, one who took the pandemic threat seriously and conveyed the gravity of the situation in terms of the "best way to save our country", we'd be in a very different place. If keeping America safe had been presented as a patriotic duty instead of a joke people would have rallied and gotten on board. Instead, we have a president who has undermined the process from the beginning. We have governors who have downplayed the virus and are now frantic, or close to it, trying to convince the residents of their states to pay attention and follow the federalguidelines/state mandates. We have senators who are more interested in perpetuating their own stature and wealth while throwing their constituents under the bus.
There's nothing wrong with one having an independent/libertarian stream but when that streak infringes on the lives of others and endangers the health and wellbeing of an entire population that's a problem. It goes against the basic philosophical concept of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, something our government(s) are supposed to protect for the WHOLE not just the parts. So yes, I think we do know that under different leadership we'd be in a very different place; we wouldn't be burning through American lives like so much tinder. We'd be in another place because almost any other president would value the lives of the people he'd sworn to protect.
Apologies for typos, I proofed before posting but my tablet has a kind of its own.
I still like your post, typos and all. I turned off auto-correct years ago after an embarrassing alteration to a discussion I was having regarding the penal system.
Imagine the distraught implications when the French monk was using Google translate to acquire assistance in working on the monasteries organ...
Hahahaha!!!
HAHA. All my typos are my own, including any penal references.
I bet I know what that alteration was!
Yikes!
Mine does, too, so join the club!
My thoughts exactly; and so well said!!!
The EU and the rest of the world should build a wall around the US, and put a dome over it, to keep the exceptional moron stupidity in check. H.L. Mencken was right when he said 96 years ago that nobody ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American public, and that somedway they'd achieve their heart's desire by electing a perfect moron to the presidency to represent them. The only thing "exceptional" about this country is the exceptional idiocy.
It saddened me to see the crowd of foolish young people not wearing masks and cheering Trump's lies. They will likely spread the virus and many will take it home to vulnerable parents and grandparents.
Since they're all fundamenalists (which have NOTHING to do with Christianity), good riddance to them, their parents and the rest of that community. Let them Make America Great Again with their permanent departures.