Delivering the commencement address to the graduating seniors at Morehouse College today, President Joe Biden addressed the nation. After thanking the mothers, fathers, grandmothers, grandfathers, and all the people who helped the graduates get to the chairs in front of the stage, Biden recalled Morehouse’s history. The school was founded in 1867 by civil rights leader Reverend William Jefferson White with the help of two other Baptist ministers, the Reverend Richard C. Coulter and the Reverend Edmund Turney, to educate formerly enslaved men. They believed “education would be the great equalizer from slavery to freedom,” Biden said, and they created an institution that would make the term “Morehouse man” continue to stand as a symbol of excellence 157 years later.
While Biden's speech exemplifies how his entire administration is working to bring people together as a contrast I recommend watching the documentary - "Bad Faith".
It is both a warning of what is in store if Trump becomes President again, but also contrasts the thinking of Christians that believe in love and justice. It is depressing to see how hateful and gullible people are to the message of the rich elite Republican leadership that pretends they love the unborn when they are actually trying to take over the Federal and State governments.
Wow. Is it really true that just one student turned his back on Biden? I had the impression, from the mainstream press, that half the class did. As usual, this great speech got little coverage.
Send them to family and friends, post them on social media. And let’s remember that when Abraham Lincoln spoke at Gettysburg, his speech didn’t get much press.
Yes....I believe that it will be in non-fictionalize history that will show Biden was one of the greatest presidents to hold office. If T is elected, all the history books will be modified and Biden will not be given his due....and history will be rewritten to justify all that Ts administration does.
Yes Susan (if T gets in).., and that's exactly how Russia (the USSR, Soviet Union, etc) has done it.., and re-done it, and is re-doing it today. In a 10 year of time, people are (1) born into it, then (2) embroiled in it, and finally, they are (3) existing within it, unable to change it. Only historians will piece it together... they KNOW, and they "know" they'd better keep quiet about it lest they windup in Lubyanka Prison in Moscow Square. Or, their faces may too disappear. I don't believe #45 is capable of doing that to this country. We'll just devolve into a faith-obscured tabloid-theorist society guided by the likes of Cruz, Lake, Noem, Mace, Graham, Navarro, ad infinitum. Rudder-less. Big Media will feast on it. #45 will kick the bucket or get taken out by his daughter and nobody will GAS.
I guess I would agree with you, if I thought he was the only one behind the MAGA movement. Here's how I envision it, if he becomes 47. He'll start dismantling our institutions that could stop him. He'll do it out of revenge. His puppeteers will allow it as long as it assures they can retain control. The revenge/paranoia things that he promises will be allowed...as his racists, misogynistic, white supremacy acts and declarations have been allowed. Because to target minorities allows powerful people to go about business with the general populations attention diverted. Look at how ALL our attention is on T and not our imploding environment. Or on peacemaking, or preventing the next mass casualty virus
“I don't believe #45 is capable of doing that to this country.” Trump murdered over 400,000 Americans with his late and poorly implemented pandemic response. He doesn’t think of other people and will do it again in many myriad of ways.
Re: Here in Texas, governed (?)by a small man, the “Lone Star Power Tsar” and his commissars…a Lt. Governor who fled Connecticut, changing his name and one can only wonder why, AG Paxton, awaiting trial, who escaped impeachment, miraculously, after a donation(?) of three million dollars to the Lt. Governor’s campaign(?) when many of the Texas republican politicians were expected to vote for that impeachment. “Cancun“ Teddy who, when thousand, maybe millions, of Texans were enduring a bitter ice storm and suffering the calamitous effects of broken pipes, collapsed ceilings and in some cases even death, fled to Mexico on vacation ignoring his oath of office to his constituents.
Best president of my lifetime, which began the first summer of the Eisenhower Administration.
Biden in the White House is like when--bicycling from Seattle to Boston nearly five decades ago, I had a strong tailwind on the Great Plains, and on the day I rode from Arnprior, Ontario to Montreal--150 miles, the furthest I ever rode in a day.
We are lucky. Let us make sure we get four more years!
I occasionally challenge people who express disappointment with President Biden to name a better president in their lifetime. I'm around your age David and there is no other in the past 60 years. I've been voting since '72 and never been in love with any of my choices. Biden is the first to exceed my expectations. Humans generally want something better. But the sooner we let go of the fantasy of perfection and deal with what is, and focus more on all the good in our lives, the happier and healthier we'll be as individuals and as a nation.
The other guy could never give a speech like Biden's. Such strength is utterly alien to him. The greatest harm he's done to us is the harm he's done to the spirit of Americans. He continues exploit our insecurities and anger. Churches ought to be encouraging the spiritual antidote to our shortcomings. Those who also exploit it and support maga are antithetical to the tenants of their faith. What a shame.
Shame is exactly what we should all be feeling. Shame that we have, by our lack of attention, allowed this utterly toxic human being to be anywhere close to the Presidency.
I do that too. Usually they derail the question and look at me as just another libtard piece of s--t (POS). But still, it's not pointless to try to engage someone in a reasonable discussion where opinions are shared and perhaps adjusted. Perhaps a behavioral change occurs., even education happens! Maintain hope.
We have the remarkable speech, in its entirety, thanks to Heather Cox Richardson. Thank you! President Biden did not claim to be a perfect President, but he was honest and humble. The Morehouse students heard one of the best Commemcement speeches of this century.
I just watched/listened to on YouTube President Biden Morehouse speech. Anyone who thinks this man is demented needs to listen to his speech and then one given by trump this weekend. They don’t know what dementia looks/sounds like until to listen to trump!
Gary, I may be dreaming but, I seem to see and hear words and thoughts that are expressed here in this forum, making their way into the news and expressions by the President. I think people of influence in this administration pay attention to our comments right here. Again, I may be dreaming, but I see it, I hear it. So, yes. Yes, would be my answer to your question.
An even better speech to read because the camera people were clearly looking for signs of protest. The guy standing with his arm in the air got a lot of airtime. And who was that creepy white guy near the podium who seemed like a stand- in for tffg?
Gigi...great observation. The 'artists' employed by the tabloid-press use tons of msg, coloring, artificial-flavoring, and other cancer-causing crap to titillate the tastebuds of the shallow-minded (R)'ss-holes who eat it up. That S--t literally flys off the shelves. I wouldn't wipe my backside with it! Disgusting.
Joe Biden has been one of our most capable Presidents and I am voting for him in November. But there is a disconnect on his stand concerning Gaza. It was said that he is withholding the shipment of 2,000 pound bombs to Israel, but that order has yet to take effect and it means there is no impact in Gaza now. Also , there is a $1 billion package of munitions , just announced to be sent to Israel. Just where does President Biden stand? I am not sure. On the one hand he offers sympathy to Gaza but on the other the flow of munitions to Israel continues, for the most part. And just this morning I learn the Netanyahu faces an indictment soon by the ICC, pending approval by a panel of judges. Will nothing stop the slaughter and the war crimes? Nobody it seems, has clean hands in this crisis.
Pretty darn simple to me Jack.., President Joe is ensnared in a trap of our own creation. In our quest for an ally in that part of this world, Israel is the only country we have been able to buy into. Look: Pakistan didn't pan out.. (not religiously compatible).., , Iran didn't pan out (not compatible intellectually or religiously).., Turkey.. (no religious connection, politically shakey).., Nigeria..(..totally corrupt, pigmentation problem).., Saudi-Arabia..(they can buy whatever they want, societal issues, we don't fit). So there you have it. Israel has been 'the Ally' because it plays the Christmas Card.., a truly Hallmark edition, and the military-industrial-complex is enameled (not enamoured) by it. Where can "Joe" go? Our country (which means you & me) have suffered and permitted Israels' behavior. Remember.., they hold "the Christmas Card" and we are fairly compatible religiously.. no? Yes. The tribes outside Israels walls are not religiously compatible.., with either us or whoever else, so obviously a fence is the best answer..., errr ahh..., welll, not anymore. And, we along with a lot of others have demonstrations to prove that point. Trouble is, the demonstrators are merely pointing to the 'problem'. And, if the answer is a "two-state solution", I must ask.., which State will be #1? Yeah? Who's gonna be president of State #2. Tell me.. what's going to bind that new State together? Money? Whose money? Religion ( I doubt that!)? So, "Joe"can't win, but he can prevail, just as he is trying his best to do. Israel is damn sure not helping, other than 'helping themselves' to our large$$e. My view.
Not being a very religion oriented person I tend to overlook that aspect in this crisis and unfortunately it plays a large role. The response to the barbarism of Hamas has been a counter attack that in my view is just as reprehensible and now even more so. My tax dollars played a role in the deaths of 8,000 children and that is intolerable. I don’t see a way out of a 76 year old conflict.
I saw the documentary last week. I was SHOCKED to see and hear Someone I knew, a member of the Patriot Church in TN. Even more shocked bc he was an election officer at the precinct where I was a poll watcher, the one where I became convinced I myself could be an officer. He was nice enough, but the first question he asked us was “who thinks the [2020] election was stolen?”!! The day went downhill from there. Seeing and hearing him in Bad Faith confirmed my unbelievable experience that day was not my imagination.
Yes he probably should have. However I didn’t call the Election Commission because we were busy and who were they going to send? The stolen election question was the first of the morning. His crazy conspiracies, websites and obsequious behavior toward an elderly man he INSISTED on “helping” unfolded over the course of the day. I did eventually talk to the assistant election office official. She had a stroke (not actually) and apparently did not hire him again. I OTOH decided to step up and become an officer bc I learned that day how much I knew about running a polling place correctly. I lost my sh!t that day.
Being an officer is not easy. Thank you for doing that. I’ve been chewed on for asking for an ID so he whipped out his gun permit. Whoohoo! Also been chewed on for asking them to check a preference for a primary election. In 2016 a woman who had to be in her late 60’s told me how excited she was to vote for Trump and it was the first time she’d ever voted! But the parents bringing their children to teach them about the importance of voting and the very old people hobbling in and as excited to vote that time as they were the first time. All worth it!
I am an election officer too. I had only one tome when the chairwoman started talking about some political crackpot Maga theory for a school budget vote. I just ignored it. Didnt work the school election this year, so I don’t know if she was still there.
Mine as well. We were instructed to be non-partisan in all interactions with other pollworkers and with voters. Even to not bringing newspapers or magazines that could show political headlines to the polling place.
Yess, and when there may be others "in charge" who quietly share that mentality.., that's where one finds themselves in a real tight spot. Real tight! It's when you find out who your friends 'are not'. So hard to document something which only you heard or saw with your own eyes. It'll rattle ones soul.
It would be far beyond my poor cinematic talents, but there must be someone out there who could do it. The creation of a video of a conversation between Jesus and Donald Trump. Can you just imagine!
There should be a video comparing what Biden speaks about and what trump speaks about. That would be informative and contrast the good (Biden) and the evil (trump).
James, death star would have Jesus deported because he was a middle eastern Jew who didn't look like those nice white skinned pictures. And of course, he would have to squelch any talk about treating those who are different well, stories about being angry with moneychangers and hypocrites, and giving up wealth to follow him, just for starters.
People are angry about the outrageous and disgusting wealth of the morbidly rich. They may not understand it in so many words, but they resent it. They know they're being screwed.
Drumpf has always felt he didn't get the respect he deserved, and perhaps he's right, as his father was a powerful-in his eyes- successful abuser, liar and philanderer who had the ear of powerful people. Donald was treated badly by this nasty man, himself the son of a pimp and draft dodger.
But he can express the rage of the people who know they're being screwed, and that resonates.
Someone here said people vote emotionally. I think that's absolutely true, and Biden, and the rest of us, need to channel that rage with the solution that directs that rage toward hope instead of revenge.
I met a wealthy guy over the weekend who makes a living setting up trusts for "high net worth" families. When I asked what exactly qualified, it was wealth over $500 MILLION.
"Lots of trusts" he said.
When I told him he was evil, that he was creating multimillionaires the old fashioned way, by inheritance, he stopped talking to me. This is why people are angry, that any family not only possesses this wealth but is allowed to pass it on while others are homeless is a great evil.
The top 5% are Republicans. They want to preserve their wealth, using dweebs like the guy I met this weekend who feasts off their leavings. And then there's the Heritage club, who revel in promoting evil.
Ask your doctor questions about their political leanings, or questions that will reveal it. All of mine are Republicans but one, and she's married to a firefighter. A union guy.
It seems to me that predatory sociopathy and evil are two names for the same outcomes, but yes. the likes of Trump do seem to revel in perpetrating evil, and getting away with it.
Gary Loft, It is depressing indeed. I am glad that you mention Christians who believe in love and justice because we need to make common cause with all good people, no matter if they are people of faith or not.
Texas U.S. Senate race: Colin Allred Colin Allred for U.S. Senate
Nevada U.S. Senate race: Jacky Rosen Home - Jacky Rosen
Michigan U.S. Senate race: Elisa Slotkin Elissa Slotkin for Senate
Wisconsin U.S. Senate race: Tammy Baldwin Home | U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin
Pennsylvania U.S. Senate race: Bob Casey Bob Casey for Senate | Official Campaign Website
Ohio U.S. Senate race: Sherrod Brown Home | U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown of Ohio
I believe that these are not only winnable seats, they are a MUST WIN situation. I am looking at the race in Montana and don't have an opinion on it yet. If we can get 100,000 people to donate $50 each to each of these campaigns, we can defeat the oligarchs and save democracy here and around the world.
I don't know about Maryland but I think that Rick Scott is beatable because of his stance on Medicare/Medicaid in a state with an older population. Plus, DeSantis is such a theocrat and misogynist. I hope this bites Scott in the butt.
I really think we need to hammer on Trump's declining mental state especially his McConnell like lapses where he just stands there staring into space.
How does anyone support a leader that freezes up during a crisis?
Christianity, as it has been used and shaped by humans with human failings.. has not always and still isn't perfect. One human's perspective of justice can differ greatly from another. Or they can align in a twisted sense. There are good people within the perameters of the very wealthy. And some of them have established long lasting educational funds and healthcare that benefits the poor and the working class. Ben Franklin started a fund for teachers and firemen. He set it up in a way that it is, to this day, providing financial assistance. There are people who are gullible and there are also those who know in advance exactly what they're doing.
I would agree that many wealthy people are basically good people. Oftentimes, it is the 2nd, 3rd or 4th generation of wealth that are the greediest. I call these people trustifarians. Warren Buffett calls inheritance, "welfare for the rich." It is this welfare that I believe corrupts many people.
From everything I've read and from first hand accounts of people that knew Sam Walton, he was very good to his associates (meaning the people that worked in the stores) and was fair with his customers. When he passed away his kids and grandkids reverse many of his policies like buying American goods,
And look at what a worthless spoiled brat Paris Hilton is and many others. Or look at Donald Trump. He made a small fortune by fucking up his daddy's large fortune and by scamming others.
From what I've also heard about Sam Walton, he was definitely a smart man, a good man. And yes, his heirs changed things. I've met Paris and know people who. have worked with her, were friends. She is a wounded child. The Donald is despicable.. n ot a caring bone in his body. And from what I've heard and read, his Daddy was. not the best role model. I belive he was a John Bircher.. extreme right.
Because knowledge is power, and it helps to focus conversations with recalcitrant voters or those who "just don't like" Biden on the dangers of a repeat presidency for fpotus.
It just seems more of the same. The same worrying. What concerns me very deeply is what appears to be the amount of distress in the comments. If we are obsessing, watching and absorbing traumatic stuff from the trump extremists then it surely has an impact on our psyche, physical and mental health and quality of life.
We need all the energy we can muster to defeat these folks in Fall 2024.
Yeah, but expressing our very real concerns online is cathartic and it is helpful to know many others share our concerns. But yes, this is an all hands on deck moment and it needs to be sustained and increased for the next six months.
I invite you to take a quick survey of the comments today and see if there are more hopeless, worried comments or the let's go team kind.
Group think is contagious. One of the goals of Putin and the fascists in our Country today was to sow chaos, discord and malaise. Seeing everything as awful is a symptom of being exposed to this onslaught. Fretting over trump every time something wonderful happens like Biden's Morehouse speech is a sign the fascists are in our heads.
I recommend Simon Rosenberg on Substack for a good dose of Go get'em.
It's important for these graduates from the universities to understand how our freedom and Democracy is on the verge of being taking away. It
is more important to take care of our country first. I completely understand their compassion however, you just can't snap your fingers and end this war. It's complicated. We need every vote to win this election. It's time to shake the people up. Especially people of color who aren't well informed.
What a fascinating contrast between a Biden speech: thoughtful, uplifting, with a positive message for everyone, and a Trump speech: hateful, demeaning, full of lies and wild exaggerations.
When I read summaries of Biden's speeches, and after listening to his interview with Howard Stern twice in its entirety, I just can't fathom tRumpf being able to string 3, or even 2 coherent, meaningful sentences together...especially those not centered on himself. How can we be facing this uncaring human...still.
There is a video of Trump supporters on social media being asked what the Civil War was about. None could articulate the answer. Another person spoke of George Floyd murder and said that the officer did not kneel on Floyd’s neck for minutes and did not kill him. I moved to Texas six years ago from California and Massachusetts before that and there are too many people here ignorant of history. My three granddaughters are in the public school system and I worry about their education, enough so, that I gave them Howard Zinn’s book on our country’s history. We discuss, as age appropriate, our country’s good, bad and ugly past. I never ever saw this coming!
Lauren, the answer to your excellent question is that the Trump cult no longer even listens to his speeches or actually reads his tweets. They KNOW him and have decided he is their either deity or messenger from their deity, so whatever he says is irrelevant as long as all the code words are there that insult, claim victory, won the 2020 election, etc. Trump lies now because he has no real clue what the truth is. Dementia is catching up to him leaving him repeating nonsense incessantly, repeating words and phrases, forgetting words or where he is in the middle of a rant, claiming Gettysburg was a beautiful battle (or whatever it was he was claiming), the Hanibal Lecter thing, etc. Many of Trump's cult desperately want to be told their hatred, insensitivity, racism, misogyny, xenophobia, and homo/transphobia are really christian and that they are "good" people. Trump gives them that and repeats over and over that he loves and cares for them and is the guy for the working people, none of which is supported by fact, but when one's cult leader says it, it must be true, right? The Trump cult is so wrapped up in itself, they truly believe they were better off 4 years ago than they are now. That is a clear demonstration of the cult's separation from reality, at least when it comes to Trump. That is truly sad and a challenge for all of us to get enough voters to stay in reality long enough to vote Trump and Kump (fascist christian-nationalists) out of the political scene altogether.
I agree with all of that, and apart from what's being said to them, it's also about what they themselves want to say. They want to use the n-word, they want to call queer people fags, they want to feel that power that comes from doing something they know is wrong, and hurtful to others. It's a big part, I believe, of what attracts people to the cult. If they win again, they believe their power will be limitless.
Also, many people directly profited from Trump's policies, so they *were* better off. I remember a segment by Jordan Klepper for the Daily Show where he interviewed a guy saying he'd made more money under Trump than ever before, and in the end it turned out the guy was a debt collector. I mean...
The rise of Trump has given many people permission to be the absolute worst version of themselves, to intentionally hurt others. My mother taught me that if you intentionally set out to do something hurtful to others, you will get hurt worse in the end. I have seen that to be the case in my own family. Karma is coming for Trump and his cult. They can't distract and hide from Karma.
Karma always happens. Sometimes, it just takes too long. I'd like to think the process is in motion. This week the trial of Sleepy Don will move along. Whether he is convicted or not, Trump has been preoccupied in legal proceedings revealing some of his ugliest past.
In the meantime, our president has been governing with an adeptness I continue to admire. And Kamala Harris has been exemplary in her performance as VP - one of the toughest, least understood and most important jobs on Earth.
Which candidate would one rather be?
And now, what is our job? Ring the alarm bells about Project 2025. And get someone to vote who usually doesn't.
I like what your Mom said, Jenn. It is one thing to do something without thought or intent that is damaging to another. It is completely different to do it with hateful or hurtful intent.
JennSH from NC -- Wise momma, well put! When my Tibetan Buddhist teacher taught on Karma (back in the late 1970s) he basically said that Karma is extremely complex -- unfathomable. So my thinking about the other guy, Trump, is we might see some "comeuppance", satisfying or not, but not nearly what we would love to see. His word salads are telling his followers something, which they might be brushing off now, but sooner or later . . .
JennSH, absolutely....death star has given carte blanche to all of those who want to be awful and glory in it. I do hope the Karma comes quickly for death star.
Anna Maria, you are so right about the Trumpers and Trumpettes reveling in the power they have to do and say things they know are wrong, mean, inappropriate, insulting. I had not thought of that angle before, but see it now as a motivating factor for many. The cult members are not people I would want as neighbors. I know some of them, but not many. The sad thing is that the ones I know did not in any way, benefit financially from Trump's presidency, but I think they like that they can warp christianity into something fascist and can ignore all but the most hateful parts of the Bible in their support of a hateful, vengeful, lying, cheating bully.
Love your recap, my sentiments exactly. You can tell by the images he promotes on his idiotic media. The real and the imagined are worlds apart. I know that the cult nuts don't care, but there is our MSM (print and otherwise) that could tell the tale.
Interesting concept, Anna Maria. I look at my friends who continue to support fpotus (cops and cop's families, mostly) and I think you might have hit a core belief of theirs; having the power to do what is wrong and hurtful to others and fundamentally believing that it is in the name of good.
Exactly! I do believe at least some of these people know deep down that much of what he advocates is fundamentally wrong, but power seems to override everything.
Everyone in Ts cult should read the history of the USSR under Stalin. Stalin was responsible for mass murders of his own people in an effort to ferret out traitors. No one will be safe under T.
Anna, it does seem to focus around money. What I say to anyone I have a conversation with about T, especially those who like him and stick up for him, I tell them, in my eyes, it's not about money. You can have all the money in the world but if you live under a dictatorship your money is not really yours to spend as you wish.
The irony is that they have been led to believe that *they* live under a dictatorship with Biden. Or that a dictatorship is in the making, I've seen many people genuinely afraid of what they call "socialism" - without actually knowing what socialism is, of course. What they seem to want is a society where everyone is the same, thinks the same, says the same, so they'll never be confronted with the need to understand something different or even uncomfortable.
Ruth, I agree with you but I would add that many of his followers are frightened - of a world that's changing too fast for them to keep pace, or a world where many of their core beliefs/prejudices are being challenged and they feel isolated and left behind. That fear of losing everything that has made their world meaningful and comfortable is bringing out a primitive 'fight or flight' reaction and making them cling to what they know and destroy whatever threatens it.
Cathy, you have put your finger on a key problem, the unprecedented extent and acceleration of change in our world; the fact that this has led to the impending collapse of many systems on which we have depended since the 2nd World War.
This affects all of us, and you don't need to be a Trumpcultist to experience moments of sharp fight or flight reaction. Frustration can become overpowering in the face of so much madness, ignorance, stupidity... in combination with hatred and extreme violence. We need to hold to our deeper values, come what may. This is the only way in which we can resist destabilizing forces.
To these words, I'll add those of a great American healer:
"We don't need to become enlightened, we are. We need to sense our wholeness, we relax into this beauty and begin. Life by itself is beautiful. I'm not blinded by the violence and suffering. I see it and I see something “other” sustaining us.."
The first words may seem incomprehensible to many, yet they represent the deepest possible level of self-confidence, grounded in wisdom, grounded in the understanding that only wisdom can confer. That "something other" is awareness of our innermost truth, far beyond all the glad rags in which we clothe ourselves, far beyond the junk we accumulate and cart around with us...
I didn't forget. Here, the message is the thing. If I send readers to the interview from which these words were taken, there will be a danger of no longer seeing the wood for trees...
The man was the late James Jealous D.O. and here he spoke as a professional talking to fellow-professionals... even though he addressed them as a great human being steeped in the view of America's Transcendentalists...
I tend to think similarly regarding the motivations behind the hateful rhetoric we hear from the cult leaders and followers. The hateful attitudes, the desire to return to the status quo of what was familiar and comfortable has been given permission to come out of hiding and been normalized by one person and his congressional groupies. None of which have working moral compasses.
Cathy, yes, and all of those things together make it almost impossible to reach them. Fear is a powerful drug, particularly when what one is scared of is what could actually make their lives better and them more content. I have a neighbor who every time anything even slightly connected with what is happening in the world, says "I'm for Trump and nothing is going to change my mind." That is interesting even when Trump never came up in the discussion. The really weird part is that she is against book banning, denying women the right to decide about their own bodies, and billionaires getting everything while the rest of us get nothing. It is hard to figure out what to talk with her about beyond the weather and our families. I guess that will have to be enough.
As with Mussolini and, even more so, Hitler, so with DT. The man himself would be insignificant if it were not for his unique ability to give voice to the hitherto unspoken contents of the collective unconscious of millions. But, even when mass adulation was undermining the Duce's judgment, even when Hitler had become dependent on amphetamines, neither showed signs of dementia.
The question remains, if anything complicated by the misleader's cognitive decline: how to address mass psychosis?
Peter, I share your concern. But I don't think we can address it. They are hopeless.
We can't worry about or change the minds of the Cultist Zombies who suffer from "mass psychosis" and unfounded fear fed by fake news. They are doomed to a dismal future of denial and disappointment. Things are indeed changing faster than they can keep up with. The face of America is changing color. The culture of the nation is morphing faster than ever before. Everything seems to be moving at warp speed. I like the fact that my grandchildren's class looks like the UN. Others in our town think it should look like 1950.
But there is a unifying effect too. You can feel it here on these substack pages. There is an energy driven by the potential horrors of Trump 2.0 and Project 2025. Add that layer of wonderful leadership from team Biden/Harris and we have the makings of a Blue Trifecta on November 5th.
We only need to alert and achieve support from the last few persuadables and normal non participants - get them to vote. Lauding the Biden/Harris efforts and the jobs being created is important.
The really effective tool for victory is the terror in Project 2025. We need to yell fire in the theater of public discussion. Project 2025 is the end of democracy and the beginning of a dictatorship. Discussion example: Project 2025 led by Trump officials wants to round up as many as 11 million people, put them in "camps" and prepare them for deportation. Many of them will be deported to countries they have never lived in.
And consider the ripple effect. If such a roundup happens, there will be a drain on the legal profession that will impact how we handle people coming across the border. It will create a legal quagmire - a quicksand for the border system.
And the ripple effect that most don't appreciate will be an explosion of inflation and empty shelves in the super markets. It will happen as soon as the word spreads that "they are coming for you". Harvests will rot in the field and meat packers will grind to a halt as vulnerable employees flee.
Unless we put our own children to work in those fields and slaughter factories, Americans will go hungry. Not the rich ones. It will be the ones complaining today.
Let's work on the millions of normally "non-political" folks - the non voters. We need to wake up the couch potatoes playing video games. We need to shake up the people who think "all politicians are the same". We need to scare the crap out of America. There is plenty to work with. Every day Project 2025 is not talked about is a day lost.
We can actually say: "You like eating? - vote Blue."
Thank you, Bill: "We only need to alert and achieve support from the last few persuadables and normal non participants - get them to vote." Excellent thought!
Bill, it’s like, um, they really haven’t thought it through….what could possibly go wrong? SMH…. If you haven’t checked this group out (I just posted it on one of Judith’s comments & have here on HCR several times in the past): https://www.stopthecoup2025.org/. In the early 80’s I was at a conference of student financial aid administrators (we’re much more fun than the name implies!) and one of the speakers mentioned that over the coming decades the state of CA, and the nation, would change demographically w/ “whites” becoming the ethnic minority. Sitting there taking it all in, my thought was “cool, we’re supposed to be a melting pot after all”. It IS coming to pass and I really don’t understand folks who get all weirded out by it…I say let’s engage and learn some new stuff & create new communities….what an opportunity! Also, we’re at the tip of the melting iceberg regarding human migration (it’s been noted that the birds & bees & other species are already doing it)….there will be lots of internal, as well as cross-border, displacement with climate change impacting livable areas….and unfortunately we’ll likely leave it too late to have any kind of workable plan in place. As I’ve said many times, the only reason I would want to live forever is to see how it all turns out!☮️
I have visited "Stopthecoup" and admire their efforts. But it seems to be based on downloading docs. I'd like to recommend another organization that recaps this monstrosity of a movement quite well. I'll be using excerpts of it in future editions of my substack letters.
Judith, when it first dropped, via an announcement from the Heritage Foundation w/ a link to the “mandate”, I thought it was a spoof….then I read it…nope, no spoof & deadly dangerous. Have been alerting/warning family, friends, neighbors & even strangers I chat with about it. Hard to know how to push back except via our vote. I dip in every once in a while, when I can stomach it, to see what’s updated (like online “classes”—WTF?—to teach supporters how to promote it). If you are not aware of these folks, you might want to check them out (I’ve posted a link on HCR’s site several times): https://www.stopthecoup2025.org/
Miselle, you beat me to it…..tho’ they support him, they too are getting weary of his schtick. Have you seen this? Life Accordion to Trump: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S65jqrHQi_c. Now, when I see him doing his hands-thing, I can’t “unhear” it!!!!
Ruth, thank you for putting this in a clear and concise way. And doing so with some empathy for those pathetic creatures who hang on Trump’s every word.
The fourth graders I have taught have always thought about world politics at a more sophisticated level than Trump is expecting from his audience. He does know his audience, but that is sad because each and every one of them is potential denied. Potential to use their thinking skills to do good in the world has been destroyed. Let us hope someone can revive it.
Much agreed. It seems to me that "love" in a meaningful sense has to do with caring for welfare of someone or something other than one' self. For example I think you can say "I love wilderness" in a way that values wilderness, not just the way it affects you. I "love" chocolate ice cream is probably no more than a careless extension of the word "like". (Which man seem obvious, but I'm not sure that all couples recognize the distinction). In a truly civilized society, we care for even dangerous people that society holds prisoner.
Justice is also more easily said than done, and is partner to love. Liberty and justice for all is for ALL, or to the extent of the difference, it is not liberty and justice, and justice requires recognition of both the forest and the trees. "Zero tolerance" is zero intelligence and unlikely justice, but some boundaries are must be enforced so that universal rights can be maintained. In my mind, ideal justice takes everything into account, but as a practical matter, we have to find workable ways to minimize harm. I have been repeated told that the world is inherently unfair and that a "realist" just accepts that; but that seems a lazy cop out. Yes, much of what occurs in reality is unfair, but we sentient beings make choices that can compensate or exacerbate a lot of that; wheelchair accessible curbs for example. We don't control who gets hit with a tornado, but building codes can limit some of the damage, and we can take way better care of our planetary living space than we do.
J L, maybe the world really is inherently unfair but can we not make up for some of that by being empathetic of others. Money seems to be the difference between how justice is meted out in our society. My wife has been saying for years that the opposite of justice is poverty. I'm not sure that's exactly right, but if you're a billionaire, no matter how you accumulated that wealth, you can buy a verdict that a poor person can't.
There are dozens of examples of rich white men that committed heinous crimes and then got off with a fine and probation. For example Rick Scott who stole hundreds of millions from Medicare/Medicaid and then bought two terms as FL governor and a Senate seat.
Being a white man in America, I had opportunities that seemingly fell into my lap. I never turned down a job offer I obtained because I was a white man, but it's likely I was offered at least one or two jobs when either a woman or a person of color was in the running.
Perhaps I am a bad person for never questioning why I got a job when someone else didn't.
Change of topic - You mentioned handicap accessible. Senator Tom Harkin of Iowa championed the handicap accessibility bill which has made life easier for millions of people. But how many people remember or even know that it was Tom Harkin that championed this through. I only know because he was my next door neighbor when I was in college and took an interest in his legislative achievements and failures.
And yes, we can, should and need to take better care of our planet.
However they arrived at their level of cognitive impairment, they greedily hold onto it. The image — their selfishness mixed with prejudice and racism, mingled with personal failure and anger — is the life preserver greedily clung to; the expression they recognize in the mirror; and that mirror is Trump.
I've a friend who says he's spoken with friends, co-workers, acquaintances; "smart people" who are immune to reason. Long puzzled, he's given up hope that his honest, patient logic will affect a change in their perception. A religious man, he seems to believe being smart confers god's grace upon them to tilt toward our shared humanity with but the challenge of reason. However, he fails to consider that both psychological problems or prejudice, greed and racism are equally immune to intelligence.
Whether "smart" or "average", by example, some will learn a humanitarian way; see a different image of others — and themselves. And many will continue entrenched; aggressively defensive. One, finally recognizing themselves in the great humanity of Dr. King's imagination; one sharing Trump's brutality, his selfish hatred and suspicion.
With our greater population we must prevail to provide the positive governing example for future generations. This, until the fundamental base of our democracy is so common in us that it's recognized as our national trait.
Knock on doors; get out the vote; write postcards (they are effective). In some way, try to effect change; later or sometime is too late.
The rich elite Republicans have hijacked the white Christian nationalist message to take over government at all levels. Their message has always been hate and white supremacy but they are willing to spend whatever it takes to keep the followers in line.
Yes Gary. My friend who is involved in Democrats Abroad with me here in Germany rented it and we watched it at her house. Still, that does not explain the people who are not Christian nationalists and not wealthy following Trump. Jay Kuo did share polls today that show Biden ahead or tied in many polls. That Trump would get a greater share of the vote than Nikki Haley is shocking. The numbers should be reversed. Instead, in the century right after Hitler led the German people to atrocities and ruin, here the USA is following right along. Putin is following the Nazis' playbook and Trump is goose-stepping right behind him.
cameron mcconnell -- Name calling in any context is really lame. I'm struck by how prevalent it is in HCR's comment section. My opinion -- if the person's name is Trump, us that -- not Drumpf or idiot or whatever. Maybe "TFG" or "TOG" might be acceptable. President Biden used the phrase "The Other Guy" in the last few days or so!
Cameron and Judith, According to a biographer, Drumpf is the name that the Trump family had before the 30 years war in which resulted in 8. mil people dying, and then changed it to Trump. So, both are legitimate in a way. As for when I call the Republican Party the New American Nazi Party and MAGAs who have been showing up a the court to support Trump, "The Goebbels Brigade" I am naming them as I see them taking on roles that we saw with the German Nazi party. As I was growing up, Americans always said Germans were the most evil people on earth, but having half my family being German I knew that was not true. I am not saying it can happen to anyone, but I am saying it can happen here. I also know that Hitler got some of his ideas on racist treatment of the Jewish people from how Americans treated Blacks. So, my point it that I use names to make a point, and I am sure others do to. I am not saying this to the people, although I probably would, but I am trying to illustrate that anyone who thinks that Trump is not as bad as Hitler should understand it is for lack of opportunity, not for lack of desire. We want to do everything we can to prevent him from having that opportunity.
Linda Weide -- I knew that the Trump family had changed their name from Drumpf, which is no longer in use so not really legitimate anyway, technically. Your example of "The Goebbels Brigade" is fair game! Very different context. I am referring to more derogatory (and childish) names people choose to call or refer to Trump. And your point about erroneous grouping "all Germans" as one cohesive population is well taken!! The same happened in WWII when the US sent even Japanese US citizens to concentration camps in California and elsewhere! I learned about that from 2 Japanese women who lived in the same small apartment building in San Francisco as I in 1963 or 1964 almost 20 years after the end of the war!! It definitely was not common knowledge. And it was very shocking to learn about it at my then-age of 29! Hitler fooled "a lot" of people, including not just German citizens but many, many millions of unsuspecting Americans. (My own parents included!) Trump now is fooling countless multitudes of people who keep themselves blindfolded in delusion.
Just remember, he is the conman of con men. He is evil at work. Is his verbal vomit an act? Was he very direct and coherent with his billionaire buddies while asking for their support with his promises to cut their taxes? 🤷🏼♂️
I cannot be 100 % positive he has dementia. I wish I could be. Everytime I hear him speaking, throwing out the same names and words, a chill goes through me. Codes? Gathering his “Proud Boy” types? We saw on January 6th a taste of what he can do. He will do it again.
I also will not give him the “feel sorry”.
He gets nonstop free media coverage. What kind of example is in this for our children?
Mostly, I never want to see or hear that man and his vulgarity again.
"If you can convince the lowest white man he's better than the best colored man, he won't notice you're picking his pocket. Hell, give him somebody to look down on, and he'll empty his pockets for you."
- Lyndon B. Johnson
"Now, 70 years after the Brown decision, ProPublica has found about 300 schools that likely opened as segregation academies in the South are still operating. Some have flourished into pricey college-prep behemoths. Others, like Wilcox Academy, remain modest Christian schools. Many have accepted more nonwhite students over the years, and some now come close to reflecting the communities they serve.
But across Alabama’s 18 Black Belt counties, all of the remaining segregation academies ProPublica identified — about a dozen — are still vastly white, even though the region’s population is majority Black. And in the towns where these schools operate, they often persist as a dividing force.
Even when rural segregation academies offer fewer amenities than their public-school counterparts, white parents are often unwilling to voluntarily send their children to majority-Black public schools. That can be to the detriment of all students, especially in struggling communities where money is tight. It means doubling up on school overhead costs, and fewer students at each school means neither one can offer the robust programs that they could provide if their resources were combined."
"We won the evangelicals. We won with young. We won with old. We won with highly educated. We won with poorly educated. I love the poorly educated."
- Donald Trump 2016
But smart enough to learn the civil rights movement emphasis on uniting at the ballot box to take power. In the GOP case, to win the Supreme Court and overturn hard won civil rights.
Stein, RFKJR, West et al followers haven't learned that.
The thing is that each vote has potential, in aggregate, to shape our future. There is effectively no such thing as a "protest vote". If we had proportional representation, it might mean something, but otherwise it is missing the boat. A plane with close to enough fuel to cross the Atlantic won't get you there. A third party may emerge, but would have to be built to the point national capability. Nader pretty much torpedoed his own political influence by effectively helping to elect Bush. Even when I'm not keen on the candidates, I still look for the best viable deal, not only to build upon in the long term battle, but to bring as much equity as can be managed for those who are already disadvantaged, not to mention posterity. In the end, we're all in the same boat.
Exactly so, lin• Those who support those "outliers" Stein, RFJ Jr. West, did not learn from what the Bernie Bros cost us in 2016, or what Ralph Nader supporters cost us in 2000. I believe I steal this from either Jim Wright or someone from his blog page "Elections are not like a marriage, but more like a bus ride. You will never get your life-long mate, but you do need to get close to where you want to be. Take the bus that gets you closest to your ultimate goal, not the one you think loves you."
lin, your T quote just made me want to vomit. Guess I'll take a rest and do some work in my garden before reading on with the comments. That seems to be the only place I can escape my thoughts about what's happening around me.
The garden or behind my tuba are my to places of refuge these days. Both of which give me more positive progress than ruminating over the idiocy of today's politics.
OMG. As a human being I was shocked. As an Eagle Scout I was appalled that Rex Tillerson, who is an intelligent man, thought this was a good idea. These kids are not Hitler youth even though some of them are the offspring of white Christian Nationalists.
The Boy Scout Law is repeated at every meeting I attended. In that one speech Trump broke virtually every one of the Scout laws.
I have been a critic of the (former) BSA since 1967, when I & a fellow Airman from Ft. Meade volunteered to be Assistant Scoutmasters of a local troop in the Baltimore Area Council and I was denied because I did not follow a religion. The Scoutmaster was so angry he was going to take his son out of that troop and quit, but we compromised (challenged "obedience?") and I got the shirt & patches and unofficially assisted the troop.
In 1979 I became a Scoutmaster of a troop for disturbed boys in the New Orleans Area. Still with no religion but working for the Archdiocese of New Orleans no one seemed to care (Oh, what we have learned since).
I continued to rag on the BSA in the Newspaper Opinion pages about their exclusiveness that actually did harm to boys, both those excluded and those let into the club.
Oh, Rob, I love how you point out that exclusion harms both those excluded and those included. I’d never thought of it that way, but that is spot on. Well said.
I realize how fortunate I was to have an excellent Scoutmaster. He was a construction engineer and an outdoorsman. I do not recall a single time that religion was mentioned during Cub Scouts or Boy Scouts in our pack or troop. But it probably happened and I just glossed it over.
I'm sorry that you had to experience the ugly side of religion mixed with scouting. That is sick. I learned so much from scouting, but once all of the ugliness came out about the BSA, I haven't been involved.
Biden’s own memories are clear and to the point. And no doubt he has speechwriters who help with historical accuracy and context. But with Trump I don’t imagine he even has the common sense to ask staff to research the venue where he’s speaking. Remember the disastrous speech at the memorial wall in CIA headquarters shortly after his election. All about him.
Uncaring is the point. You have nailed it. For MAGAs, caring about people who are disregarded or disparaged by white society, people with disabilities, people who identify as nonstandard sexually, people who live here but don’t speak English, especially those who crossed the border without going through standard immigration process, are all seeking special consideration. To MAGAs, who pride themselves as self reliant, normative and not seeking special attention, such people fall into the “whiny little sh*ts” category and are parasites.
Trump is a vessel for the mean, the lazy, the pathetic, the cowardly, and those rich and powerful whose primary/ only goal is to become more rich and powerful.
Compare Biden's speech with the rally at Wildwood. This proves it is a cult to me, as his base leaves in droves while he rambles away (just listen!!) in the background.
this footage made my day...thanks for the link! wonder if this happens at all his rallies...need Jordan there to quiz them on how long they were there and why they are leaving early.
It's impoortant not to understestimate tRump! He's sly like a fox.. and operates at a level that doesn't rely or use the 'meaningful'. He's very good at manipulating the press which still and always operates under the principle of 'if it bleeds, it leads'... information becomes misinformation, weaponized in the hands of the controlling, the manipulators, the piirates and the scum.
The problem is that there are too many people who feel bereaved and RW media reinforce their fears and hatred. Too many as usual have a problem with immigrants and the rights of all those others. Let alone that their rual towns have been gutted. So they need to blame, all those others, the government, and or course all those criminal, rapists, etc. flooding over the southern border. Little to they realize that what they wish for would make their lives far worse, for it is revenge that they are hopping tRump will deliver. A thumb in the eyes of the elite who they believe look down on them. They would support even the devile incarnate, i.e. tRump.
Amazing speech. It sounds sincere, nuanced, visionary, rooted in the unique pain of his personal life, and drawing upon the collective traumas his lifetime has spanned - from civil rights to Vietnam to the present devolution of civility, democracy, and community as authoritarians seize upon the many fears we collectively harbor.
Keep laying out the arguments in plain sight, the clear choices between monstrosity and decency, and let’s keep telling our friends, family, and countrymen the real story. The resilient American history, bending the arc of messy, violent human tendencies towards justice, enlightenment, and tolerance of others. Thanks for sharing this, HCR.
I particularly liked your adaptation of the famous Morehouse Graduate's (MLK) "bending the arc of history" phrase to the moment.
One of Prez Joe's best speeches it certainly seems. He has a certain knack for making a political speech, as this one was to a predominantly African-American audience reminding them of who he was, is, will always be, with elegant and lofty overtones of the best of our ideals.
I know, I do that! But Fox is on at military bases for heaven's sake. It's on in the waiting rooms of car dealerships, in hotels, some doctor's waiting rooms, even in my local hospital's pharmacy. The lies are everywhere. The New York Times is seemingly in the tank for Trump. My college-educated and rather religious Midwestern cousins watch Fox and they sure aren't reading any Substacks that will convince them to vote for Biden. But I will send it to them and keep trying, like I HAVE BEEN since 2016.
Susan, it is like pounding your head against the wall. They counter truth with their foxpropaganda, and tell me that "everything you believe about us we believe about you". When I say something to the effect of "none of my guys" are facing indictments in four different arenas, they counter with "yet". Sheesh.
Quit saying they won't hear it! Pass it on! Think about all they hear, which are untruths 24/7. Combat it with truths 24/7! Post this on all your social media outlets and where ever you can. This was a speech for all times.
Perhaps this day at Morehouse will influence blacks who have been turning away from Biden to view this from the Saturday perspective (a helpful metaphor for understanding these times), and to question and reaffirm their values and choices. Between now and voting a lot can happen. I'm fantasizing about the turning point film that will release in time to influence voters.
Susan Jane, yes getting the speech out to people who need to hear it is going to be hard. It is also going to be hard to get the scared white folks to hear the message because it was presented beautifully and meaningfully at a college for Black men.
The more we focus on them, speak their names, the more power we give them. Let them mock. Let them boil in the dark stew of their own making while we create new ideas and open new paths to life affirming change
Anne-Louise, In the event you’re unfamiliar with Center for Common Ground, I would note that its partners working on the ground are galvanized around one cause—mobilizing Black voters. If you’re specifically interested in writing postcards, scroll down to Reclaim Our Vote. Currently the group is focused on NC reaching out to prompt unregistered Black voters largely in rural areas to register. Data indicate that once Black voters are registered, 70% actually vote.
That's very interesting, and good to know. Here in Australia voting is compulsory for every citizen. Everybody over age 18 has to register on the electoral roll, and if anyone fails to vote they get a letter asking why (there are ample means of voting early or absentee) and if none is forthcoming they are fined. Political affiliations are legally considered strictly personal and private, unless you are campaigning for a certain party or independent when of course you wear hats, T-shirts etc and hand out posters and leaflets. Election day is a Saturday, polling booths open at 8 am and close at 6 pm. Normally we know the results within two days.
Anne-Louise, Thank you for writing. I would note, as much as I admire Australia’s system, here in the States we have to contend with a host of harsh realities, including a black population that for generations has voted Democratic but has seen little to no change in their communities. Hence, all we can do is prioritize the many challenges the current election cycle holds and work as though our rights depend on its outcome because they do.
I've sent out several hundred postcards over the last few months with Fieldteam6. I continue to be amazed at how many people aren't registered to vote.
Kathleen, As someone who also postcards for Fieldteam6, I love hearing you already have deployed several hundreds this election season. Still, considering in 2020 the largest bloc of voters were non-voters, regrettably, the high percentage of unregistered eligible voters does not surprise me. Hence, I view our job this election cycle as convincing people to vote like their rights depend on it because they do.
I simply love Joe Biden and what he has to say. I sincerely hope young people of today know tha they simply have to make up their minds to fight, and keep fighting for our democracy and freedom for all.. its not ever going to be easy, apparently..l but we ALL have to put our minds to it and fight.
And - yes - repeat his words, any way you can, if the papers don't. Tfg never says anything of importance - sooner or later they're going to read something significant, even by accident.
Thank you for this, including stating when there was applause.
What did the "news" tell us about the speech? That graduates turned their backs. That no one applauded. That Biden is trying to woo Black voters but they aren't interested.
Why rely on corporate mainstream media or even this Letter? Anyone who wants to see the speech and the audience directly without a third party intermediary can view the graduation address.
Heather did give us a link and you can read every word but I couldn't get the audio. You can subscribe to The White House (free) on YouTube and watch the video there.
Laurie, good observation that our media does want Biden to fail. They don't especially like Trump, but he will keep providing them with top stories, every night, unfortunately about the horrific things he is doing and the things he is leaving undone because of his extreme incompetence, his sycophantic entourage who care nothing for anything beyond money and power, and his cult members who can be interviewed for a "balanced" perspective while they contribute nothing to the conversation beyond "I am for Trump and I don't care who knows it." That sounds like toddler whining, but what can one expect from followers of a toddler-man who is moving into dementia! The media love it and since the various platforms are mostly owned by rich entrepreneurs, they have no fear of anything Trump will do to them should he be re-elected. It's a win-win for the media while We the People lose lose.
Christine, fellow Pennsylvanian, from the beginning, Trump was a terrible "businessman" but he was a terrific con artist, professional liar, and user of people. He had his family's money and used it to promote himself, a person who should never have had power anywhere. It proves money can buy loyalty even from people who have been used and abused by people like Trump. Trump is good at redirecting people's anger at people and institutions who did not make the problem, when Trump and his crew caused it. Maybe if there were a way to let people know how they have been and are being used by this guy who has no ethics or moral compass and is not actually Christian in more than name, we could reach of few of his cult members. I know the vast majority of them are at this point, unreachable.
WE don't control the media. Neither does the DNC. In order to repeat our message, WE need to be persistent. DNC REACH provides the means to broadcast the comments. https://democrats.org/reach/
WE can send it...every day as a press release to media outlets. To social media. WE can channel Taylor Swift, who has millions of followers on Instagram and X. Most Gen Z do not rely on MSM...use Tic Tok, Instagram, Facebook for their news.
Laurie…..And why is SCOTUS intent on bending the arc of freedom in the opposite direction with the red herring of “originalism” and clear “upside down American flags” of extreme partisanship?
Because Trump makes them money by his “say nothing”rhetoric. The media shares tffg’s words as if they are important or meaningful. All they see are $$$ signs!
I found President Biden’s message and delivery very moving. He spoke to the hearts and minds of the male graduates, and he closed with expectations. Morehouse College honored the president with the podium and applause. President Biden honored Morehouse students, faculty, parents and alumni with his presence and his heartfelt congratulations and the truth of what matters to him. President Biden does not make it up, he does not lie, he does not threaten, President Biden cares deeply and he promises his best efforts to give Morehouse graduates his best, and they believe him. President Biden shared his most intense feelings, his loss of his wife and his son. He spoke of himself and his eyes were unflinching, and his pain was transparent. The man is real.
The best minute of the President's riveting address -- I should say my fave -- was from 17:57 to 19:10; President Biden persuaded me he was sincere in that speech. He means what he says; says what he means; and, does not do so meanly.
I have always thought so SB. Having been long fascinated with the man and what made him tick, I chose him over Obama back when they were competitors owing to his long tenure, experience, and personal story.
D4N, we then preferred Obama. After all, BHO was transformational. Barack was unique. Joe Biden needed 8 years of experience, understudying the master of tolerance, decency and humor, the gentleman from the other side not seen. And it worked.
SLR LuckyChix, I often refer to my morning graduate level history class (LFAA) that I am auditing. After class (reading the letter) I go to coffee with my fellow students (readers) and we discuss the class topics, and other topics that come to mind.
Eloquent and elegant. As though you wrote it, Heather. As a life-long (now livid) Republican and former mayor of a significant conservative community - I believe President is and will be THE MOST CONSEQUENTIAL PRESIDENT of my LIFETIME - 76 years! I'm proud to support and volunteer and donate modestly but much for me to his campaign. This decent, wise man.
President Biden and President Lincoln will stand in history as two of our best. President Harry S Truman will be up there with them. Of course, HST desegregated our military. President Dwight David Eisenhower was good. IKE opened Little Rock schools with the military. Texan President Lyndon B. Johnson sent AG Nick deB Katzenbach to deal face to face with Gov. George C. Wallace, a racist. Biden and Lincoln are incredible.
Thank you so much, Dr. Richardson—as always! Between this post and the one from Chop Wood, Carry Water, I’m going to bed with a smile on my face and a sense of peace. It’s good to recognize and celebrate the wins as they happen, even as we acknowledge that the struggle is far from over✨
Oh my. Oh my. Thank you, Ma'am, for this blessèd essay. Thank you.
💖
What an amazing speech. President Biden really is trying to pick up where President Johnson, Senator Kennedy, Reverend Dr King, and many others left off too long ago.
✌️
At dinner with an old school-mate from college, his wife, my sister. my brother in law, and his cousin, we talked about how we have been around for three generations.
😯
We talked about how, sixty years ago, we had a President who took a moral inventory of the country and sought, really sought, for us to mature into a truly great country.
✌️
We talked about coming of age in the 1970s and the bleakness of that decade. One of us had gone to Saigon and Sarajevo on volunteer missions.
😇
One of us works in building apiaries in sub-Saharan Africa to protect farms from elephants. One of us tutors disadvantaged black children. One of us has worked in Mother Teresa's hospital.
🙏
As the onlooker, I marvelled at these people.
😢
Then I felt sad thinking how my country has become unrecognizable to my Republican upbringing and republican sensibilities. Then I read this essay and read about President Biden.
⚖️
Yes, today really is a Sunday for hoping and no longer a Saturday for moping.
Good Q Heather quotes Biden asking at Morehouse College:
"What happens to you and your family when old ghosts in new garments seize power, extremists come for the freedoms you thought belonged to you and everyone?”
Most of Heather's today centers on the positive Biden, but let's look again at that one worrying Q she quotes. If the decent in American life ruled, we would right now well expect Judge Merchan to order Trump jailed.
Under his very eyes, in his courtroom, he and others saw Trump edit one of his Republican congressmen lackies for precision of the stooge's words defying the gag order.
With Republicans united in jury tampering, they all in front of the courthouse voiced open contempt as set by their fat, orange guy micro-managing everything.
Judge Merchan should sentence him soon to the max 30 days – jail to begin perhaps just after the jury enters its deliberations.
This jail time would precede whatever the jury may find.
Still, how are so many yet jumping to cult leader’s bidding? Why is Heather's emphasis on decency today not really measuring up to that frightening Q Biden also raises?
Answer: see how the Clarence court’s Alito added his own contempt for democracy and the rule of law, at his home flying the insurrection flag the fat guy’s mob inflicted on the U.S. Capitol, January 6, 2021.
All posture above the law. Serve their billionaires. Succor the conceits by which billionaire money & bribed, perjured, corrupted justices lord over America.
There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies and a person who stirs up conflict in the community.
The falsly proclamed "King Cyrus" will be judged when the Book of Life is opened. It is not up to you are I to do that. All the warnings are given in the word.
I still have and read constantly my study bible that I bought at a garage sale for 50 cents years ago. I have tried to find another copy. Never have, found one......so I keep this one always covered and protected.
I can't get it powerful enough because of one failure I constantly have.
We know our vulgar become that way because they never learned any access to any humanities, and so see life, the world, only as objects, items, units to be numbered, labeled in groups, packaged -- and all in those groups and packages trained not to see others as individuals, either. Just more "other" abstractions to hate, fear, envy, kill.
So why don't schools stress humanities to see "others" as individuals? Is it a dumb question? -- fact is, simply, they don't.
I’ve lost count of the number of things in today’s world that baffle me. Nonetheless, near the top of that list is hearing people say that there’s no difference between Biden and the Mango Mussolini.
Agreed, Mark. I cannot fathom that outlook. "Both parties are <insert negative descriptor here> so it doesn't mater/there is no difference". Yeah, but one party supports things I believe in, the other party wants to control my body, send me to a "camp", and take away my right to be married to the woman I've been with for 40+ years.
I think those folks are few and far between. If we drill down, those who do say that are more likely speaking about the major parties being wings of the same bird. There's some validity in that.
What baffles me is vast numbers who support DJT outright. Presidential races get far too much attention from voters, but the upcoming one is not to be taken lightly. While I agree that everyone not in the cult must support Biden in November, we must devote equal energy to supporting electoral reforms on a state-by-state basis to change the way such people can even be nominated.
The way we conduct presidential primaries is absurd. Seldom does it go beyond Super Tuesday. However, I would argue that the growing momentum for reforming how we nominate/elect state legislators and members of Congress (see the Alaska model) will carry over into the presidential realm.
Who could say these better. Joe Biden is a good many who represents all people. Heather thanks for publishing this beautiful vision of the future.
While Biden's speech exemplifies how his entire administration is working to bring people together as a contrast I recommend watching the documentary - "Bad Faith".
https://www.badfaithdocumentary.com
It is both a warning of what is in store if Trump becomes President again, but also contrasts the thinking of Christians that believe in love and justice. It is depressing to see how hateful and gullible people are to the message of the rich elite Republican leadership that pretends they love the unborn when they are actually trying to take over the Federal and State governments.
Wow. Is it really true that just one student turned his back on Biden? I had the impression, from the mainstream press, that half the class did. As usual, this great speech got little coverage.
You can spread it more widely. Heather has posted a link to the transcript, and her’s the YouTube video.
https://youtu.be/r687wSMLKug?si=NaCZt2Q8V_MGYERJ
Send them to family and friends, post them on social media. And let’s remember that when Abraham Lincoln spoke at Gettysburg, his speech didn’t get much press.
Yes....I believe that it will be in non-fictionalize history that will show Biden was one of the greatest presidents to hold office. If T is elected, all the history books will be modified and Biden will not be given his due....and history will be rewritten to justify all that Ts administration does.
They are already doing it, the Heritage Society is on the job
Yes Susan (if T gets in).., and that's exactly how Russia (the USSR, Soviet Union, etc) has done it.., and re-done it, and is re-doing it today. In a 10 year of time, people are (1) born into it, then (2) embroiled in it, and finally, they are (3) existing within it, unable to change it. Only historians will piece it together... they KNOW, and they "know" they'd better keep quiet about it lest they windup in Lubyanka Prison in Moscow Square. Or, their faces may too disappear. I don't believe #45 is capable of doing that to this country. We'll just devolve into a faith-obscured tabloid-theorist society guided by the likes of Cruz, Lake, Noem, Mace, Graham, Navarro, ad infinitum. Rudder-less. Big Media will feast on it. #45 will kick the bucket or get taken out by his daughter and nobody will GAS.
I guess I would agree with you, if I thought he was the only one behind the MAGA movement. Here's how I envision it, if he becomes 47. He'll start dismantling our institutions that could stop him. He'll do it out of revenge. His puppeteers will allow it as long as it assures they can retain control. The revenge/paranoia things that he promises will be allowed...as his racists, misogynistic, white supremacy acts and declarations have been allowed. Because to target minorities allows powerful people to go about business with the general populations attention diverted. Look at how ALL our attention is on T and not our imploding environment. Or on peacemaking, or preventing the next mass casualty virus
“I don't believe #45 is capable of doing that to this country.” Trump murdered over 400,000 Americans with his late and poorly implemented pandemic response. He doesn’t think of other people and will do it again in many myriad of ways.
Re: Here in Texas, governed (?)by a small man, the “Lone Star Power Tsar” and his commissars…a Lt. Governor who fled Connecticut, changing his name and one can only wonder why, AG Paxton, awaiting trial, who escaped impeachment, miraculously, after a donation(?) of three million dollars to the Lt. Governor’s campaign(?) when many of the Texas republican politicians were expected to vote for that impeachment. “Cancun“ Teddy who, when thousand, maybe millions, of Texans were enduring a bitter ice storm and suffering the calamitous effects of broken pipes, collapsed ceilings and in some cases even death, fled to Mexico on vacation ignoring his oath of office to his constituents.
If t is elected they'll be burning history books.
Best president of my lifetime, which began the first summer of the Eisenhower Administration.
Biden in the White House is like when--bicycling from Seattle to Boston nearly five decades ago, I had a strong tailwind on the Great Plains, and on the day I rode from Arnprior, Ontario to Montreal--150 miles, the furthest I ever rode in a day.
We are lucky. Let us make sure we get four more years!
I occasionally challenge people who express disappointment with President Biden to name a better president in their lifetime. I'm around your age David and there is no other in the past 60 years. I've been voting since '72 and never been in love with any of my choices. Biden is the first to exceed my expectations. Humans generally want something better. But the sooner we let go of the fantasy of perfection and deal with what is, and focus more on all the good in our lives, the happier and healthier we'll be as individuals and as a nation.
The other guy could never give a speech like Biden's. Such strength is utterly alien to him. The greatest harm he's done to us is the harm he's done to the spirit of Americans. He continues exploit our insecurities and anger. Churches ought to be encouraging the spiritual antidote to our shortcomings. Those who also exploit it and support maga are antithetical to the tenants of their faith. What a shame.
Beautifully said, and we're in synch. I may try the Craig Moore challenge next time I hear someone voice disappointment in Biden.
Shame is exactly what we should all be feeling. Shame that we have, by our lack of attention, allowed this utterly toxic human being to be anywhere close to the Presidency.
I do that too. Usually they derail the question and look at me as just another libtard piece of s--t (POS). But still, it's not pointless to try to engage someone in a reasonable discussion where opinions are shared and perhaps adjusted. Perhaps a behavioral change occurs., even education happens! Maintain hope.
We have the remarkable speech, in its entirety, thanks to Heather Cox Richardson. Thank you! President Biden did not claim to be a perfect President, but he was honest and humble. The Morehouse students heard one of the best Commemcement speeches of this century.
I just watched/listened to on YouTube President Biden Morehouse speech. Anyone who thinks this man is demented needs to listen to his speech and then one given by trump this weekend. They don’t know what dementia looks/sounds like until to listen to trump!
Do you know if HCR still assists with some of Biden's speeches?
Gary, I may be dreaming but, I seem to see and hear words and thoughts that are expressed here in this forum, making their way into the news and expressions by the President. I think people of influence in this administration pay attention to our comments right here. Again, I may be dreaming, but I see it, I hear it. So, yes. Yes, would be my answer to your question.
It was a great speech, Karen.
Check this out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_u8lq1PmRiE
Thank you, Richard.
An even better speech to read because the camera people were clearly looking for signs of protest. The guy standing with his arm in the air got a lot of airtime. And who was that creepy white guy near the podium who seemed like a stand- in for tffg?
Seems that MSM is on chump’s payroll, may they get screwed like anybody who puts their money on him.
Gigi...great observation. The 'artists' employed by the tabloid-press use tons of msg, coloring, artificial-flavoring, and other cancer-causing crap to titillate the tastebuds of the shallow-minded (R)'ss-holes who eat it up. That S--t literally flys off the shelves. I wouldn't wipe my backside with it! Disgusting.
Joe Biden has been one of our most capable Presidents and I am voting for him in November. But there is a disconnect on his stand concerning Gaza. It was said that he is withholding the shipment of 2,000 pound bombs to Israel, but that order has yet to take effect and it means there is no impact in Gaza now. Also , there is a $1 billion package of munitions , just announced to be sent to Israel. Just where does President Biden stand? I am not sure. On the one hand he offers sympathy to Gaza but on the other the flow of munitions to Israel continues, for the most part. And just this morning I learn the Netanyahu faces an indictment soon by the ICC, pending approval by a panel of judges. Will nothing stop the slaughter and the war crimes? Nobody it seems, has clean hands in this crisis.
Pretty darn simple to me Jack.., President Joe is ensnared in a trap of our own creation. In our quest for an ally in that part of this world, Israel is the only country we have been able to buy into. Look: Pakistan didn't pan out.. (not religiously compatible).., , Iran didn't pan out (not compatible intellectually or religiously).., Turkey.. (no religious connection, politically shakey).., Nigeria..(..totally corrupt, pigmentation problem).., Saudi-Arabia..(they can buy whatever they want, societal issues, we don't fit). So there you have it. Israel has been 'the Ally' because it plays the Christmas Card.., a truly Hallmark edition, and the military-industrial-complex is enameled (not enamoured) by it. Where can "Joe" go? Our country (which means you & me) have suffered and permitted Israels' behavior. Remember.., they hold "the Christmas Card" and we are fairly compatible religiously.. no? Yes. The tribes outside Israels walls are not religiously compatible.., with either us or whoever else, so obviously a fence is the best answer..., errr ahh..., welll, not anymore. And, we along with a lot of others have demonstrations to prove that point. Trouble is, the demonstrators are merely pointing to the 'problem'. And, if the answer is a "two-state solution", I must ask.., which State will be #1? Yeah? Who's gonna be president of State #2. Tell me.. what's going to bind that new State together? Money? Whose money? Religion ( I doubt that!)? So, "Joe"can't win, but he can prevail, just as he is trying his best to do. Israel is damn sure not helping, other than 'helping themselves' to our large$$e. My view.
Not being a very religion oriented person I tend to overlook that aspect in this crisis and unfortunately it plays a large role. The response to the barbarism of Hamas has been a counter attack that in my view is just as reprehensible and now even more so. My tax dollars played a role in the deaths of 8,000 children and that is intolerable. I don’t see a way out of a 76 year old conflict.
Certainly not HAMAS.
Karen, thank you. I was not aware that our press ignored reporting on this accurately.
Saw the whole speech on MSNBC. Heather reported it very well, including the quotations.
I saw the documentary last week. I was SHOCKED to see and hear Someone I knew, a member of the Patriot Church in TN. Even more shocked bc he was an election officer at the precinct where I was a poll watcher, the one where I became convinced I myself could be an officer. He was nice enough, but the first question he asked us was “who thinks the [2020] election was stolen?”!! The day went downhill from there. Seeing and hearing him in Bad Faith confirmed my unbelievable experience that day was not my imagination.
He should have been fired right then and there. I’ve been an election worker. What he said is expressly forbidden.
Yes he probably should have. However I didn’t call the Election Commission because we were busy and who were they going to send? The stolen election question was the first of the morning. His crazy conspiracies, websites and obsequious behavior toward an elderly man he INSISTED on “helping” unfolded over the course of the day. I did eventually talk to the assistant election office official. She had a stroke (not actually) and apparently did not hire him again. I OTOH decided to step up and become an officer bc I learned that day how much I knew about running a polling place correctly. I lost my sh!t that day.
Being an officer is not easy. Thank you for doing that. I’ve been chewed on for asking for an ID so he whipped out his gun permit. Whoohoo! Also been chewed on for asking them to check a preference for a primary election. In 2016 a woman who had to be in her late 60’s told me how excited she was to vote for Trump and it was the first time she’d ever voted! But the parents bringing their children to teach them about the importance of voting and the very old people hobbling in and as excited to vote that time as they were the first time. All worth it!
In my (extraordinarily red) state gun permits are regular ID.
I am an election officer too. I had only one tome when the chairwoman started talking about some political crackpot Maga theory for a school budget vote. I just ignored it. Didnt work the school election this year, so I don’t know if she was still there.
If MLMinET had only realized this, and acted on it by calling for help, it definitely shoulda/coulda been done.
That was stressed in my training every election cycle.
Mine as well. We were instructed to be non-partisan in all interactions with other pollworkers and with voters. Even to not bringing newspapers or magazines that could show political headlines to the polling place.
Me too. I don’t know how that got past him. Or, more likely, his MAGA just gushed out.
If MLMinET had reported him, would she and her family been safe and not retaliated against in some way ?
Yess, and when there may be others "in charge" who quietly share that mentality.., that's where one finds themselves in a real tight spot. Real tight! It's when you find out who your friends 'are not'. So hard to document something which only you heard or saw with your own eyes. It'll rattle ones soul.
Yes, it is tragic hear people who are still in doubt about Biden winning.
I meant to say poll WORKER.
It would be far beyond my poor cinematic talents, but there must be someone out there who could do it. The creation of a video of a conversation between Jesus and Donald Trump. Can you just imagine!
There should be a video comparing what Biden speaks about and what trump speaks about. That would be informative and contrast the good (Biden) and the evil (trump).
James, death star would have Jesus deported because he was a middle eastern Jew who didn't look like those nice white skinned pictures. And of course, he would have to squelch any talk about treating those who are different well, stories about being angry with moneychangers and hypocrites, and giving up wealth to follow him, just for starters.
I rather think Jesus would have thrown Trump himself out of the temple with the rest of the money changers.
Yes, he would have recognized the greed and hypocrisy. How about Pastor Joel as chief priest.
Trump would have likely featured in a "don't be this guy" parable. He'd be an infamous figure of speech.
No, unless chump were lecturing the Man
Can't you just see Trump saying to Jesus. "You got to get with the program, man."
He would have no hesitation, crazy runs deep...
My layers will send you 300,000 pieces of silver in exchange for 11,780 votes...
Oh my gosh. I had that same thought at 2 a m this morning.
this was in response to James’ post.
Great minds!
Thanks for posting Your thoughts. Loved the resonation
People are angry about the outrageous and disgusting wealth of the morbidly rich. They may not understand it in so many words, but they resent it. They know they're being screwed.
Drumpf has always felt he didn't get the respect he deserved, and perhaps he's right, as his father was a powerful-in his eyes- successful abuser, liar and philanderer who had the ear of powerful people. Donald was treated badly by this nasty man, himself the son of a pimp and draft dodger.
But he can express the rage of the people who know they're being screwed, and that resonates.
Someone here said people vote emotionally. I think that's absolutely true, and Biden, and the rest of us, need to channel that rage with the solution that directs that rage toward hope instead of revenge.
I met a wealthy guy over the weekend who makes a living setting up trusts for "high net worth" families. When I asked what exactly qualified, it was wealth over $500 MILLION.
"Lots of trusts" he said.
When I told him he was evil, that he was creating multimillionaires the old fashioned way, by inheritance, he stopped talking to me. This is why people are angry, that any family not only possesses this wealth but is allowed to pass it on while others are homeless is a great evil.
7 of the top 10 of the wealthiest Americans are democrats - how do you not know this?
Here is a list of the top twenty wealthiest Americans along with their political party affiliations where known:
Elon Musk (Tesla, SpaceX) - Republican/Libertarian (Naples News) (CEOWORLD magazine)
Jeff Bezos (Amazon) - Democrat (CEOWORLD magazine)
Larry Ellison (Oracle) - Republican (Naples News) (Wikipedia)
Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook) - Democrat (Naples News) (CEOWORLD magazine)
Warren Buffett (Berkshire Hathaway) - Democrat (Naples News)
Larry Page (Google) - No clear affiliation (Naples News)
Bill Gates (Microsoft) - Democrat (Naples News) (CEOWORLD magazine)
Sergey Brin (Google) - Democrat (Naples News)
Steve Ballmer (Microsoft) - Democrat (Naples News)
Michael Bloomberg (Bloomberg L.P.) - Democrat (Naples News)
Bloomberg switched parties.
Bezos has Amazon -- he can register anyway he likes for PR purposes -- but what part of Amazon's labor practices scream liberal to you?
Same for Zuckerberg.
What does that have to do with anything?
The top 5% are Republicans. They want to preserve their wealth, using dweebs like the guy I met this weekend who feasts off their leavings. And then there's the Heritage club, who revel in promoting evil.
Ask your doctor questions about their political leanings, or questions that will reveal it. All of mine are Republicans but one, and she's married to a firefighter. A union guy.
It seems to me that predatory sociopathy and evil are two names for the same outcomes, but yes. the likes of Trump do seem to revel in perpetrating evil, and getting away with it.
Agree. Sadistic?
Michael Bloomberg is a Republican, and was the Republican mayor of NYC.
Gary Loft, It is depressing indeed. I am glad that you mention Christians who believe in love and justice because we need to make common cause with all good people, no matter if they are people of faith or not.
Thank you, Gary. This is a call for "all hands on board."
I have been asked for the contact info for the U.S. Senate candidates whom I am supporting financially. This is my list:
Arizona U.S. Senate race: Ruben Gallego gallegoforarizona.com
Texas U.S. Senate race: Colin Allred Colin Allred for U.S. Senate
Nevada U.S. Senate race: Jacky Rosen Home - Jacky Rosen
Michigan U.S. Senate race: Elisa Slotkin Elissa Slotkin for Senate
Wisconsin U.S. Senate race: Tammy Baldwin Home | U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin
Pennsylvania U.S. Senate race: Bob Casey Bob Casey for Senate | Official Campaign Website
Ohio U.S. Senate race: Sherrod Brown Home | U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown of Ohio
I believe that these are not only winnable seats, they are a MUST WIN situation. I am looking at the race in Montana and don't have an opinion on it yet. If we can get 100,000 people to donate $50 each to each of these campaigns, we can defeat the oligarchs and save democracy here and around the world.
I agree with you. Other tough races are in FL and ME.
Does Alsobrooks have a chance in Maryland? I have my doubts about our chances in Florida.
I don't know about Maryland but I think that Rick Scott is beatable because of his stance on Medicare/Medicaid in a state with an older population. Plus, DeSantis is such a theocrat and misogynist. I hope this bites Scott in the butt.
I really think we need to hammer on Trump's declining mental state especially his McConnell like lapses where he just stands there staring into space.
How does anyone support a leader that freezes up during a crisis?
Christianity, as it has been used and shaped by humans with human failings.. has not always and still isn't perfect. One human's perspective of justice can differ greatly from another. Or they can align in a twisted sense. There are good people within the perameters of the very wealthy. And some of them have established long lasting educational funds and healthcare that benefits the poor and the working class. Ben Franklin started a fund for teachers and firemen. He set it up in a way that it is, to this day, providing financial assistance. There are people who are gullible and there are also those who know in advance exactly what they're doing.
I would agree that many wealthy people are basically good people. Oftentimes, it is the 2nd, 3rd or 4th generation of wealth that are the greediest. I call these people trustifarians. Warren Buffett calls inheritance, "welfare for the rich." It is this welfare that I believe corrupts many people.
From everything I've read and from first hand accounts of people that knew Sam Walton, he was very good to his associates (meaning the people that worked in the stores) and was fair with his customers. When he passed away his kids and grandkids reverse many of his policies like buying American goods,
And look at what a worthless spoiled brat Paris Hilton is and many others. Or look at Donald Trump. He made a small fortune by fucking up his daddy's large fortune and by scamming others.
From what I've also heard about Sam Walton, he was definitely a smart man, a good man. And yes, his heirs changed things. I've met Paris and know people who. have worked with her, were friends. She is a wounded child. The Donald is despicable.. n ot a caring bone in his body. And from what I've heard and read, his Daddy was. not the best role model. I belive he was a John Bircher.. extreme right.
I can agree with your assessment.
Why? What is the good in watching something like this when we could be working to re-elect Biden?
Because knowledge is power, and it helps to focus conversations with recalcitrant voters or those who "just don't like" Biden on the dangers of a repeat presidency for fpotus.
It just seems more of the same. The same worrying. What concerns me very deeply is what appears to be the amount of distress in the comments. If we are obsessing, watching and absorbing traumatic stuff from the trump extremists then it surely has an impact on our psyche, physical and mental health and quality of life.
We need all the energy we can muster to defeat these folks in Fall 2024.
Yeah, but expressing our very real concerns online is cathartic and it is helpful to know many others share our concerns. But yes, this is an all hands on deck moment and it needs to be sustained and increased for the next six months.
I agree with you. And yet.
I invite you to take a quick survey of the comments today and see if there are more hopeless, worried comments or the let's go team kind.
Group think is contagious. One of the goals of Putin and the fascists in our Country today was to sow chaos, discord and malaise. Seeing everything as awful is a symptom of being exposed to this onslaught. Fretting over trump every time something wonderful happens like Biden's Morehouse speech is a sign the fascists are in our heads.
I recommend Simon Rosenberg on Substack for a good dose of Go get'em.
Blammmo. "Knowledge is power"...., Imagine That! Load up.
So true.
Will not get to see it, but "God † Country" likely covers the same material.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cTQKmR6a9fw
It's important for these graduates from the universities to understand how our freedom and Democracy is on the verge of being taking away. It
is more important to take care of our country first. I completely understand their compassion however, you just can't snap your fingers and end this war. It's complicated. We need every vote to win this election. It's time to shake the people up. Especially people of color who aren't well informed.
Thank you for recommending Bad Faith! I just watched it and am shaken to my core. I’ve shared the link with 10 people this morning! OMG!
What a fascinating contrast between a Biden speech: thoughtful, uplifting, with a positive message for everyone, and a Trump speech: hateful, demeaning, full of lies and wild exaggerations.
Awesome speech!
When I read summaries of Biden's speeches, and after listening to his interview with Howard Stern twice in its entirety, I just can't fathom tRumpf being able to string 3, or even 2 coherent, meaningful sentences together...especially those not centered on himself. How can we be facing this uncaring human...still.
He has no need for coherent, meaningful sentences--they would just confuse his followers.
LOL yes you’re correct ..
They are just as lacking in humanity as he is, or pulling the strings.
There is a video of Trump supporters on social media being asked what the Civil War was about. None could articulate the answer. Another person spoke of George Floyd murder and said that the officer did not kneel on Floyd’s neck for minutes and did not kill him. I moved to Texas six years ago from California and Massachusetts before that and there are too many people here ignorant of history. My three granddaughters are in the public school system and I worry about their education, enough so, that I gave them Howard Zinn’s book on our country’s history. We discuss, as age appropriate, our country’s good, bad and ugly past. I never ever saw this coming!
Lauren, the answer to your excellent question is that the Trump cult no longer even listens to his speeches or actually reads his tweets. They KNOW him and have decided he is their either deity or messenger from their deity, so whatever he says is irrelevant as long as all the code words are there that insult, claim victory, won the 2020 election, etc. Trump lies now because he has no real clue what the truth is. Dementia is catching up to him leaving him repeating nonsense incessantly, repeating words and phrases, forgetting words or where he is in the middle of a rant, claiming Gettysburg was a beautiful battle (or whatever it was he was claiming), the Hanibal Lecter thing, etc. Many of Trump's cult desperately want to be told their hatred, insensitivity, racism, misogyny, xenophobia, and homo/transphobia are really christian and that they are "good" people. Trump gives them that and repeats over and over that he loves and cares for them and is the guy for the working people, none of which is supported by fact, but when one's cult leader says it, it must be true, right? The Trump cult is so wrapped up in itself, they truly believe they were better off 4 years ago than they are now. That is a clear demonstration of the cult's separation from reality, at least when it comes to Trump. That is truly sad and a challenge for all of us to get enough voters to stay in reality long enough to vote Trump and Kump (fascist christian-nationalists) out of the political scene altogether.
I agree with all of that, and apart from what's being said to them, it's also about what they themselves want to say. They want to use the n-word, they want to call queer people fags, they want to feel that power that comes from doing something they know is wrong, and hurtful to others. It's a big part, I believe, of what attracts people to the cult. If they win again, they believe their power will be limitless.
Also, many people directly profited from Trump's policies, so they *were* better off. I remember a segment by Jordan Klepper for the Daily Show where he interviewed a guy saying he'd made more money under Trump than ever before, and in the end it turned out the guy was a debt collector. I mean...
Anna Marie, I finally realized that common sense, even hearing the FACTS that have been shown to be truthful, will not change Trump's followers.
I loved President Biden's speech! What a compassionate and gentle man.
Compare him to Trump who is the epitome of this statement in President Biden's speech-
"Extremist forces peddling a fiction, a caricature of what being a man is about-
tough talk, abusing power,and bigotry. Their idea of being a man is toxic."
Trump IS toxic, and his followers love to identify with his toxicity. What a person to identify with and hold up on a pedestal!
I never thought I'd see this kind of idol worship in the workings of our democracy.
Despite the many criticisms about his age, Biden is more of a man than Trump and all the MAGA men will ever be.
The rise of Trump has given many people permission to be the absolute worst version of themselves, to intentionally hurt others. My mother taught me that if you intentionally set out to do something hurtful to others, you will get hurt worse in the end. I have seen that to be the case in my own family. Karma is coming for Trump and his cult. They can't distract and hide from Karma.
Yes. Thank you Jenn. You had a wise Mom.
Karma always happens. Sometimes, it just takes too long. I'd like to think the process is in motion. This week the trial of Sleepy Don will move along. Whether he is convicted or not, Trump has been preoccupied in legal proceedings revealing some of his ugliest past.
In the meantime, our president has been governing with an adeptness I continue to admire. And Kamala Harris has been exemplary in her performance as VP - one of the toughest, least understood and most important jobs on Earth.
Which candidate would one rather be?
And now, what is our job? Ring the alarm bells about Project 2025. And get someone to vote who usually doesn't.
Better hurry, Karma. It’s often way behind the curve…
I like what your Mom said, Jenn. It is one thing to do something without thought or intent that is damaging to another. It is completely different to do it with hateful or hurtful intent.
Good morning, Ally. I took a month off reading comments to recover from my eye surgery. (I still don't devote a lot of time as my eyes will tire out)
I haven't seen anything from Fern lately. Did I miss something that you know of? I hope she's okay.
Yes. She said that she had “reached the end” of her time here. She is on other Substack platforms. She seems to be OK and as feisty as ever.
JennSH from NC -- Wise momma, well put! When my Tibetan Buddhist teacher taught on Karma (back in the late 1970s) he basically said that Karma is extremely complex -- unfathomable. So my thinking about the other guy, Trump, is we might see some "comeuppance", satisfying or not, but not nearly what we would love to see. His word salads are telling his followers something, which they might be brushing off now, but sooner or later . . .
With apologies to Sophocles, "Those whom the gods wish to destroy first give them everything they want."
He's almost there...
JennSH, absolutely....death star has given carte blanche to all of those who want to be awful and glory in it. I do hope the Karma comes quickly for death star.
Anna Maria, you are so right about the Trumpers and Trumpettes reveling in the power they have to do and say things they know are wrong, mean, inappropriate, insulting. I had not thought of that angle before, but see it now as a motivating factor for many. The cult members are not people I would want as neighbors. I know some of them, but not many. The sad thing is that the ones I know did not in any way, benefit financially from Trump's presidency, but I think they like that they can warp christianity into something fascist and can ignore all but the most hateful parts of the Bible in their support of a hateful, vengeful, lying, cheating bully.
Undertakers got a big boost from Trump's refusal to effectively fight COVID.
Perceived power is the great aphrodisiac
Donald Trump's version of power is solely based on appearance. And that's what appeals to his cult.
He looks like a rich man so he must be smart. He was president so he must be powerful.
He's white and a man so he must be smarter than people who are neither white nor male.
It's a lazy person's take -- which does not involve work or thought.
Unfortunately, the lazy and ignorant have been with us since the beginning of time.
JFK said "Ask not what your country can do for you but what you can do for your country."
Bush 43 said "Go shopping."
Trump said "Drink bleach."
As citizens, we need to hold ourselves to higher standards. Then the politicians will follow.
Love your recap, my sentiments exactly. You can tell by the images he promotes on his idiotic media. The real and the imagined are worlds apart. I know that the cult nuts don't care, but there is our MSM (print and otherwise) that could tell the tale.
Interesting concept, Anna Maria. I look at my friends who continue to support fpotus (cops and cop's families, mostly) and I think you might have hit a core belief of theirs; having the power to do what is wrong and hurtful to others and fundamentally believing that it is in the name of good.
Exactly! I do believe at least some of these people know deep down that much of what he advocates is fundamentally wrong, but power seems to override everything.
Everyone in Ts cult should read the history of the USSR under Stalin. Stalin was responsible for mass murders of his own people in an effort to ferret out traitors. No one will be safe under T.
Anna, it does seem to focus around money. What I say to anyone I have a conversation with about T, especially those who like him and stick up for him, I tell them, in my eyes, it's not about money. You can have all the money in the world but if you live under a dictatorship your money is not really yours to spend as you wish.
With many of my friends it also centers around religion, and to have their flavor of one of the three major religions imposed upon everybody.
The irony is that they have been led to believe that *they* live under a dictatorship with Biden. Or that a dictatorship is in the making, I've seen many people genuinely afraid of what they call "socialism" - without actually knowing what socialism is, of course. What they seem to want is a society where everyone is the same, thinks the same, says the same, so they'll never be confronted with the need to understand something different or even uncomfortable.
Ruth, I agree with you but I would add that many of his followers are frightened - of a world that's changing too fast for them to keep pace, or a world where many of their core beliefs/prejudices are being challenged and they feel isolated and left behind. That fear of losing everything that has made their world meaningful and comfortable is bringing out a primitive 'fight or flight' reaction and making them cling to what they know and destroy whatever threatens it.
Cathy, you have put your finger on a key problem, the unprecedented extent and acceleration of change in our world; the fact that this has led to the impending collapse of many systems on which we have depended since the 2nd World War.
This affects all of us, and you don't need to be a Trumpcultist to experience moments of sharp fight or flight reaction. Frustration can become overpowering in the face of so much madness, ignorance, stupidity... in combination with hatred and extreme violence. We need to hold to our deeper values, come what may. This is the only way in which we can resist destabilizing forces.
To these words, I'll add those of a great American healer:
"We don't need to become enlightened, we are. We need to sense our wholeness, we relax into this beauty and begin. Life by itself is beautiful. I'm not blinded by the violence and suffering. I see it and I see something “other” sustaining us.."
The first words may seem incomprehensible to many, yet they represent the deepest possible level of self-confidence, grounded in wisdom, grounded in the understanding that only wisdom can confer. That "something other" is awareness of our innermost truth, far beyond all the glad rags in which we clothe ourselves, far beyond the junk we accumulate and cart around with us...
Peter Burnett -- you forgot to mention who "a great American healer" is? Is this Rajneesh / Osho? (I asked Mrs. Google.)
I didn't forget. Here, the message is the thing. If I send readers to the interview from which these words were taken, there will be a danger of no longer seeing the wood for trees...
The man was the late James Jealous D.O. and here he spoke as a professional talking to fellow-professionals... even though he addressed them as a great human being steeped in the view of America's Transcendentalists...
I tend to think similarly regarding the motivations behind the hateful rhetoric we hear from the cult leaders and followers. The hateful attitudes, the desire to return to the status quo of what was familiar and comfortable has been given permission to come out of hiding and been normalized by one person and his congressional groupies. None of which have working moral compasses.
Cathy, yes, and all of those things together make it almost impossible to reach them. Fear is a powerful drug, particularly when what one is scared of is what could actually make their lives better and them more content. I have a neighbor who every time anything even slightly connected with what is happening in the world, says "I'm for Trump and nothing is going to change my mind." That is interesting even when Trump never came up in the discussion. The really weird part is that she is against book banning, denying women the right to decide about their own bodies, and billionaires getting everything while the rest of us get nothing. It is hard to figure out what to talk with her about beyond the weather and our families. I guess that will have to be enough.
As with Mussolini and, even more so, Hitler, so with DT. The man himself would be insignificant if it were not for his unique ability to give voice to the hitherto unspoken contents of the collective unconscious of millions. But, even when mass adulation was undermining the Duce's judgment, even when Hitler had become dependent on amphetamines, neither showed signs of dementia.
The question remains, if anything complicated by the misleader's cognitive decline: how to address mass psychosis?
Peter, I share your concern. But I don't think we can address it. They are hopeless.
We can't worry about or change the minds of the Cultist Zombies who suffer from "mass psychosis" and unfounded fear fed by fake news. They are doomed to a dismal future of denial and disappointment. Things are indeed changing faster than they can keep up with. The face of America is changing color. The culture of the nation is morphing faster than ever before. Everything seems to be moving at warp speed. I like the fact that my grandchildren's class looks like the UN. Others in our town think it should look like 1950.
But there is a unifying effect too. You can feel it here on these substack pages. There is an energy driven by the potential horrors of Trump 2.0 and Project 2025. Add that layer of wonderful leadership from team Biden/Harris and we have the makings of a Blue Trifecta on November 5th.
We only need to alert and achieve support from the last few persuadables and normal non participants - get them to vote. Lauding the Biden/Harris efforts and the jobs being created is important.
The really effective tool for victory is the terror in Project 2025. We need to yell fire in the theater of public discussion. Project 2025 is the end of democracy and the beginning of a dictatorship. Discussion example: Project 2025 led by Trump officials wants to round up as many as 11 million people, put them in "camps" and prepare them for deportation. Many of them will be deported to countries they have never lived in.
And consider the ripple effect. If such a roundup happens, there will be a drain on the legal profession that will impact how we handle people coming across the border. It will create a legal quagmire - a quicksand for the border system.
And the ripple effect that most don't appreciate will be an explosion of inflation and empty shelves in the super markets. It will happen as soon as the word spreads that "they are coming for you". Harvests will rot in the field and meat packers will grind to a halt as vulnerable employees flee.
Unless we put our own children to work in those fields and slaughter factories, Americans will go hungry. Not the rich ones. It will be the ones complaining today.
Let's work on the millions of normally "non-political" folks - the non voters. We need to wake up the couch potatoes playing video games. We need to shake up the people who think "all politicians are the same". We need to scare the crap out of America. There is plenty to work with. Every day Project 2025 is not talked about is a day lost.
We can actually say: "You like eating? - vote Blue."
Thank you, Bill: "We only need to alert and achieve support from the last few persuadables and normal non participants - get them to vote." Excellent thought!
Bill, it’s like, um, they really haven’t thought it through….what could possibly go wrong? SMH…. If you haven’t checked this group out (I just posted it on one of Judith’s comments & have here on HCR several times in the past): https://www.stopthecoup2025.org/. In the early 80’s I was at a conference of student financial aid administrators (we’re much more fun than the name implies!) and one of the speakers mentioned that over the coming decades the state of CA, and the nation, would change demographically w/ “whites” becoming the ethnic minority. Sitting there taking it all in, my thought was “cool, we’re supposed to be a melting pot after all”. It IS coming to pass and I really don’t understand folks who get all weirded out by it…I say let’s engage and learn some new stuff & create new communities….what an opportunity! Also, we’re at the tip of the melting iceberg regarding human migration (it’s been noted that the birds & bees & other species are already doing it)….there will be lots of internal, as well as cross-border, displacement with climate change impacting livable areas….and unfortunately we’ll likely leave it too late to have any kind of workable plan in place. As I’ve said many times, the only reason I would want to live forever is to see how it all turns out!☮️
As always, thanks Barbara,
I have visited "Stopthecoup" and admire their efforts. But it seems to be based on downloading docs. I'd like to recommend another organization that recaps this monstrosity of a movement quite well. I'll be using excerpts of it in future editions of my substack letters.
https://www.mediamatters.org/heritage-foundation/guide-project-2025-extreme-right-wing-agenda-next-republican-administration
Bill Alstrom (MA-Maine-MA) -- For those of us (myself included) who don't know what Project 25 is, here's a place to start.
https://www.project2025.org/
Judith, when it first dropped, via an announcement from the Heritage Foundation w/ a link to the “mandate”, I thought it was a spoof….then I read it…nope, no spoof & deadly dangerous. Have been alerting/warning family, friends, neighbors & even strangers I chat with about it. Hard to know how to push back except via our vote. I dip in every once in a while, when I can stomach it, to see what’s updated (like online “classes”—WTF?—to teach supporters how to promote it). If you are not aware of these folks, you might want to check them out (I’ve posted a link on HCR’s site several times): https://www.stopthecoup2025.org/
With you all the way.
Yet, as I know too well from unpleasant experience, those who can't be brought to their senses by fair means are taught the hard, hard way.
So we must be ready for the worst of social turbulence, even if voters vote wisely.
Thorazine for all? Better than Obamacare?
🤣
We saw what happened when an evil cult took over a country of competent citizens. We are there
Agreed with your first line 100%
I posted this above, but I will again. It supports your first line.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ypuff6LcU04&t=51s
Miselle, you beat me to it…..tho’ they support him, they too are getting weary of his schtick. Have you seen this? Life Accordion to Trump: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S65jqrHQi_c. Now, when I see him doing his hands-thing, I can’t “unhear” it!!!!
Very funny, thank you! I find his accordion hands to be extremely distracting.
Ruth, thank you for putting this in a clear and concise way. And doing so with some empathy for those pathetic creatures who hang on Trump’s every word.
In 2016 trump spoke at a 4th grade level. It is much worse now. https://thinkbigpicture.substack.com/p/john-gartner-trump-cognitive-decline?utm_campaign=posts-open-in-app&publication_id=1258230&post_id=143485809&triedRedirect=true
The fourth graders I have taught have always thought about world politics at a more sophisticated level than Trump is expecting from his audience. He does know his audience, but that is sad because each and every one of them is potential denied. Potential to use their thinking skills to do good in the world has been destroyed. Let us hope someone can revive it.
Logic and "decency" are "kryptonite" for MAGA.
And love and justice J L.
Much agreed. It seems to me that "love" in a meaningful sense has to do with caring for welfare of someone or something other than one' self. For example I think you can say "I love wilderness" in a way that values wilderness, not just the way it affects you. I "love" chocolate ice cream is probably no more than a careless extension of the word "like". (Which man seem obvious, but I'm not sure that all couples recognize the distinction). In a truly civilized society, we care for even dangerous people that society holds prisoner.
Justice is also more easily said than done, and is partner to love. Liberty and justice for all is for ALL, or to the extent of the difference, it is not liberty and justice, and justice requires recognition of both the forest and the trees. "Zero tolerance" is zero intelligence and unlikely justice, but some boundaries are must be enforced so that universal rights can be maintained. In my mind, ideal justice takes everything into account, but as a practical matter, we have to find workable ways to minimize harm. I have been repeated told that the world is inherently unfair and that a "realist" just accepts that; but that seems a lazy cop out. Yes, much of what occurs in reality is unfair, but we sentient beings make choices that can compensate or exacerbate a lot of that; wheelchair accessible curbs for example. We don't control who gets hit with a tornado, but building codes can limit some of the damage, and we can take way better care of our planetary living space than we do.
J L, maybe the world really is inherently unfair but can we not make up for some of that by being empathetic of others. Money seems to be the difference between how justice is meted out in our society. My wife has been saying for years that the opposite of justice is poverty. I'm not sure that's exactly right, but if you're a billionaire, no matter how you accumulated that wealth, you can buy a verdict that a poor person can't.
There are dozens of examples of rich white men that committed heinous crimes and then got off with a fine and probation. For example Rick Scott who stole hundreds of millions from Medicare/Medicaid and then bought two terms as FL governor and a Senate seat.
Being a white man in America, I had opportunities that seemingly fell into my lap. I never turned down a job offer I obtained because I was a white man, but it's likely I was offered at least one or two jobs when either a woman or a person of color was in the running.
Perhaps I am a bad person for never questioning why I got a job when someone else didn't.
Change of topic - You mentioned handicap accessible. Senator Tom Harkin of Iowa championed the handicap accessibility bill which has made life easier for millions of people. But how many people remember or even know that it was Tom Harkin that championed this through. I only know because he was my next door neighbor when I was in college and took an interest in his legislative achievements and failures.
And yes, we can, should and need to take better care of our planet.
However they arrived at their level of cognitive impairment, they greedily hold onto it. The image — their selfishness mixed with prejudice and racism, mingled with personal failure and anger — is the life preserver greedily clung to; the expression they recognize in the mirror; and that mirror is Trump.
I've a friend who says he's spoken with friends, co-workers, acquaintances; "smart people" who are immune to reason. Long puzzled, he's given up hope that his honest, patient logic will affect a change in their perception. A religious man, he seems to believe being smart confers god's grace upon them to tilt toward our shared humanity with but the challenge of reason. However, he fails to consider that both psychological problems or prejudice, greed and racism are equally immune to intelligence.
Whether "smart" or "average", by example, some will learn a humanitarian way; see a different image of others — and themselves. And many will continue entrenched; aggressively defensive. One, finally recognizing themselves in the great humanity of Dr. King's imagination; one sharing Trump's brutality, his selfish hatred and suspicion.
With our greater population we must prevail to provide the positive governing example for future generations. This, until the fundamental base of our democracy is so common in us that it's recognized as our national trait.
Knock on doors; get out the vote; write postcards (they are effective). In some way, try to effect change; later or sometime is too late.
The rich elite Republicans have hijacked the white Christian nationalist message to take over government at all levels. Their message has always been hate and white supremacy but they are willing to spend whatever it takes to keep the followers in line.
Watch https://www.badfaithdocumentary.com It's the counter messaging to everything that Dr. Richardson has been writing about.
Yes Gary. My friend who is involved in Democrats Abroad with me here in Germany rented it and we watched it at her house. Still, that does not explain the people who are not Christian nationalists and not wealthy following Trump. Jay Kuo did share polls today that show Biden ahead or tied in many polls. That Trump would get a greater share of the vote than Nikki Haley is shocking. The numbers should be reversed. Instead, in the century right after Hitler led the German people to atrocities and ruin, here the USA is following right along. Putin is following the Nazis' playbook and Trump is goose-stepping right behind him.
I hate the normalization of name calling and bullying. Seems more junior high.
cameron mcconnell -- Name calling in any context is really lame. I'm struck by how prevalent it is in HCR's comment section. My opinion -- if the person's name is Trump, us that -- not Drumpf or idiot or whatever. Maybe "TFG" or "TOG" might be acceptable. President Biden used the phrase "The Other Guy" in the last few days or so!
I agree-although the strategy of "when they go low, we go high" has not really worked out for Democrats.
Cameron and Judith, According to a biographer, Drumpf is the name that the Trump family had before the 30 years war in which resulted in 8. mil people dying, and then changed it to Trump. So, both are legitimate in a way. As for when I call the Republican Party the New American Nazi Party and MAGAs who have been showing up a the court to support Trump, "The Goebbels Brigade" I am naming them as I see them taking on roles that we saw with the German Nazi party. As I was growing up, Americans always said Germans were the most evil people on earth, but having half my family being German I knew that was not true. I am not saying it can happen to anyone, but I am saying it can happen here. I also know that Hitler got some of his ideas on racist treatment of the Jewish people from how Americans treated Blacks. So, my point it that I use names to make a point, and I am sure others do to. I am not saying this to the people, although I probably would, but I am trying to illustrate that anyone who thinks that Trump is not as bad as Hitler should understand it is for lack of opportunity, not for lack of desire. We want to do everything we can to prevent him from having that opportunity.
Linda Weide -- I knew that the Trump family had changed their name from Drumpf, which is no longer in use so not really legitimate anyway, technically. Your example of "The Goebbels Brigade" is fair game! Very different context. I am referring to more derogatory (and childish) names people choose to call or refer to Trump. And your point about erroneous grouping "all Germans" as one cohesive population is well taken!! The same happened in WWII when the US sent even Japanese US citizens to concentration camps in California and elsewhere! I learned about that from 2 Japanese women who lived in the same small apartment building in San Francisco as I in 1963 or 1964 almost 20 years after the end of the war!! It definitely was not common knowledge. And it was very shocking to learn about it at my then-age of 29! Hitler fooled "a lot" of people, including not just German citizens but many, many millions of unsuspecting Americans. (My own parents included!) Trump now is fooling countless multitudes of people who keep themselves blindfolded in delusion.
Just remember, he is the conman of con men. He is evil at work. Is his verbal vomit an act? Was he very direct and coherent with his billionaire buddies while asking for their support with his promises to cut their taxes? 🤷🏼♂️
A person cannot fake dementia.
I cannot be 100 % positive he has dementia. I wish I could be. Everytime I hear him speaking, throwing out the same names and words, a chill goes through me. Codes? Gathering his “Proud Boy” types? We saw on January 6th a taste of what he can do. He will do it again.
I also will not give him the “feel sorry”.
He gets nonstop free media coverage. What kind of example is in this for our children?
Mostly, I never want to see or hear that man and his vulgarity again.
Maybe you know positively…..I don’t.
Interesting question that I had not considered before.
becky estill -- Many thanks for your link! I'll be sharing this with a few individual friends and on social media.
"If you can convince the lowest white man he's better than the best colored man, he won't notice you're picking his pocket. Hell, give him somebody to look down on, and he'll empty his pockets for you."
- Lyndon B. Johnson
"Now, 70 years after the Brown decision, ProPublica has found about 300 schools that likely opened as segregation academies in the South are still operating. Some have flourished into pricey college-prep behemoths. Others, like Wilcox Academy, remain modest Christian schools. Many have accepted more nonwhite students over the years, and some now come close to reflecting the communities they serve.
But across Alabama’s 18 Black Belt counties, all of the remaining segregation academies ProPublica identified — about a dozen — are still vastly white, even though the region’s population is majority Black. And in the towns where these schools operate, they often persist as a dividing force.
Even when rural segregation academies offer fewer amenities than their public-school counterparts, white parents are often unwilling to voluntarily send their children to majority-Black public schools. That can be to the detriment of all students, especially in struggling communities where money is tight. It means doubling up on school overhead costs, and fewer students at each school means neither one can offer the robust programs that they could provide if their resources were combined."
https://www.propublica.org/article/camden-alabama-segregated-schools-brown-v-board
"We won the evangelicals. We won with young. We won with old. We won with highly educated. We won with poorly educated. I love the poorly educated."
- Donald Trump 2016
But smart enough to learn the civil rights movement emphasis on uniting at the ballot box to take power. In the GOP case, to win the Supreme Court and overturn hard won civil rights.
Stein, RFKJR, West et al followers haven't learned that.
The thing is that each vote has potential, in aggregate, to shape our future. There is effectively no such thing as a "protest vote". If we had proportional representation, it might mean something, but otherwise it is missing the boat. A plane with close to enough fuel to cross the Atlantic won't get you there. A third party may emerge, but would have to be built to the point national capability. Nader pretty much torpedoed his own political influence by effectively helping to elect Bush. Even when I'm not keen on the candidates, I still look for the best viable deal, not only to build upon in the long term battle, but to bring as much equity as can be managed for those who are already disadvantaged, not to mention posterity. In the end, we're all in the same boat.
Love the LBJ quote you shared.
Me too, lin.
Exactly so, lin• Those who support those "outliers" Stein, RFJ Jr. West, did not learn from what the Bernie Bros cost us in 2016, or what Ralph Nader supporters cost us in 2000. I believe I steal this from either Jim Wright or someone from his blog page "Elections are not like a marriage, but more like a bus ride. You will never get your life-long mate, but you do need to get close to where you want to be. Take the bus that gets you closest to your ultimate goal, not the one you think loves you."
I remember that quote, Ally. Pretty sure it was Jim Wright. 👍🏻
lin, your T quote just made me want to vomit. Guess I'll take a rest and do some work in my garden before reading on with the comments. That seems to be the only place I can escape my thoughts about what's happening around me.
The garden or behind my tuba are my to places of refuge these days. Both of which give me more positive progress than ruminating over the idiocy of today's politics.
Remember the Boy Scout Jamboree speech? 🙄
OMG. As a human being I was shocked. As an Eagle Scout I was appalled that Rex Tillerson, who is an intelligent man, thought this was a good idea. These kids are not Hitler youth even though some of them are the offspring of white Christian Nationalists.
The Boy Scout Law is repeated at every meeting I attended. In that one speech Trump broke virtually every one of the Scout laws.
Trustworthy,
Loyal,
Helpful,
Friendly,
Courteous,
Kind,
Obedient,
Cheerful,
Thrifty,
Brave,
Clean,
and Reverent.
Gary,
I have been a critic of the (former) BSA since 1967, when I & a fellow Airman from Ft. Meade volunteered to be Assistant Scoutmasters of a local troop in the Baltimore Area Council and I was denied because I did not follow a religion. The Scoutmaster was so angry he was going to take his son out of that troop and quit, but we compromised (challenged "obedience?") and I got the shirt & patches and unofficially assisted the troop.
In 1979 I became a Scoutmaster of a troop for disturbed boys in the New Orleans Area. Still with no religion but working for the Archdiocese of New Orleans no one seemed to care (Oh, what we have learned since).
I continued to rag on the BSA in the Newspaper Opinion pages about their exclusiveness that actually did harm to boys, both those excluded and those let into the club.
Oh, Rob, I love how you point out that exclusion harms both those excluded and those included. I’d never thought of it that way, but that is spot on. Well said.
I realize how fortunate I was to have an excellent Scoutmaster. He was a construction engineer and an outdoorsman. I do not recall a single time that religion was mentioned during Cub Scouts or Boy Scouts in our pack or troop. But it probably happened and I just glossed it over.
I'm sorry that you had to experience the ugly side of religion mixed with scouting. That is sick. I learned so much from scouting, but once all of the ugliness came out about the BSA, I haven't been involved.
Yeah but Cub Scouts are square and belong to a pack.
😄
Voter apathy is how we are facing this uncaring human(?) again.
My town of about 20 thousand had an election Saturday, high stakes for some of us.
3,300 showed up to cast a vote.
Voter apathy.
Biden’s own memories are clear and to the point. And no doubt he has speechwriters who help with historical accuracy and context. But with Trump I don’t imagine he even has the common sense to ask staff to research the venue where he’s speaking. Remember the disastrous speech at the memorial wall in CIA headquarters shortly after his election. All about him.
oh....yes. That was beyond belief.
Biden's speeches are great and don't get nearly enough recognition.
Uncaring is the point. You have nailed it. For MAGAs, caring about people who are disregarded or disparaged by white society, people with disabilities, people who identify as nonstandard sexually, people who live here but don’t speak English, especially those who crossed the border without going through standard immigration process, are all seeking special consideration. To MAGAs, who pride themselves as self reliant, normative and not seeking special attention, such people fall into the “whiny little sh*ts” category and are parasites.
Trump is a vessel for the mean, the lazy, the pathetic, the cowardly, and those rich and powerful whose primary/ only goal is to become more rich and powerful.
Compare Biden's speech with the rally at Wildwood. This proves it is a cult to me, as his base leaves in droves while he rambles away (just listen!!) in the background.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ypuff6LcU04&t=51s
this footage made my day...thanks for the link! wonder if this happens at all his rallies...need Jordan there to quiz them on how long they were there and why they are leaving early.
Yes, I was wishing he'd ask them why they are leaving, too!
It's impoortant not to understestimate tRump! He's sly like a fox.. and operates at a level that doesn't rely or use the 'meaningful'. He's very good at manipulating the press which still and always operates under the principle of 'if it bleeds, it leads'... information becomes misinformation, weaponized in the hands of the controlling, the manipulators, the piirates and the scum.
The problem is that there are too many people who feel bereaved and RW media reinforce their fears and hatred. Too many as usual have a problem with immigrants and the rights of all those others. Let alone that their rual towns have been gutted. So they need to blame, all those others, the government, and or course all those criminal, rapists, etc. flooding over the southern border. Little to they realize that what they wish for would make their lives far worse, for it is revenge that they are hopping tRump will deliver. A thumb in the eyes of the elite who they believe look down on them. They would support even the devile incarnate, i.e. tRump.
Amazing speech. It sounds sincere, nuanced, visionary, rooted in the unique pain of his personal life, and drawing upon the collective traumas his lifetime has spanned - from civil rights to Vietnam to the present devolution of civility, democracy, and community as authoritarians seize upon the many fears we collectively harbor.
Keep laying out the arguments in plain sight, the clear choices between monstrosity and decency, and let’s keep telling our friends, family, and countrymen the real story. The resilient American history, bending the arc of messy, violent human tendencies towards justice, enlightenment, and tolerance of others. Thanks for sharing this, HCR.
Excellent phrasing, Dr. Ryan!
I particularly liked your adaptation of the famous Morehouse Graduate's (MLK) "bending the arc of history" phrase to the moment.
One of Prez Joe's best speeches it certainly seems. He has a certain knack for making a political speech, as this one was to a predominantly African-American audience reminding them of who he was, is, will always be, with elegant and lofty overtones of the best of our ideals.
In sharing this HCR post, I will copy and paste your eloquent comment, Dr. Ryan.
I agree and in taking this action we are gathering energy for life affirming change!
This was a speech the nation needed - realism and inspiration. The clarion call for democracy rang oh so loud.
Unfortunately, most people will not hear it or read it.
Then pass it on! Bring others to Substack. You can send emails with links and instructions. My favorite hobby!
I know, I do that! But Fox is on at military bases for heaven's sake. It's on in the waiting rooms of car dealerships, in hotels, some doctor's waiting rooms, even in my local hospital's pharmacy. The lies are everywhere. The New York Times is seemingly in the tank for Trump. My college-educated and rather religious Midwestern cousins watch Fox and they sure aren't reading any Substacks that will convince them to vote for Biden. But I will send it to them and keep trying, like I HAVE BEEN since 2016.
Susan, it is like pounding your head against the wall. They counter truth with their foxpropaganda, and tell me that "everything you believe about us we believe about you". When I say something to the effect of "none of my guys" are facing indictments in four different arenas, they counter with "yet". Sheesh.
Quit saying they won't hear it! Pass it on! Think about all they hear, which are untruths 24/7. Combat it with truths 24/7! Post this on all your social media outlets and where ever you can. This was a speech for all times.
I'm holding the intention, the vision that the speech will spread in print, on tv. To blogs. This is one of the best Biden has ever given.
Perhaps this day at Morehouse will influence blacks who have been turning away from Biden to view this from the Saturday perspective (a helpful metaphor for understanding these times), and to question and reaffirm their values and choices. Between now and voting a lot can happen. I'm fantasizing about the turning point film that will release in time to influence voters.
I agree. It was magnificent.
Susan Jane, yes getting the speech out to people who need to hear it is going to be hard. It is also going to be hard to get the scared white folks to hear the message because it was presented beautifully and meaningfully at a college for Black men.
And the MAGAs and white Christian Nationalists will mock it Susan Jane. Because they know nothing but hate and intolerance.
The more we focus on them, speak their names, the more power we give them. Let them mock. Let them boil in the dark stew of their own making while we create new ideas and open new paths to life affirming change
But will they vote?
Anne-Louise, In the event you’re unfamiliar with Center for Common Ground, I would note that its partners working on the ground are galvanized around one cause—mobilizing Black voters. If you’re specifically interested in writing postcards, scroll down to Reclaim Our Vote. Currently the group is focused on NC reaching out to prompt unregistered Black voters largely in rural areas to register. Data indicate that once Black voters are registered, 70% actually vote.
That's very interesting, and good to know. Here in Australia voting is compulsory for every citizen. Everybody over age 18 has to register on the electoral roll, and if anyone fails to vote they get a letter asking why (there are ample means of voting early or absentee) and if none is forthcoming they are fined. Political affiliations are legally considered strictly personal and private, unless you are campaigning for a certain party or independent when of course you wear hats, T-shirts etc and hand out posters and leaflets. Election day is a Saturday, polling booths open at 8 am and close at 6 pm. Normally we know the results within two days.
Anne-Louise, Thank you for writing. I would note, as much as I admire Australia’s system, here in the States we have to contend with a host of harsh realities, including a black population that for generations has voted Democratic but has seen little to no change in their communities. Hence, all we can do is prioritize the many challenges the current election cycle holds and work as though our rights depend on its outcome because they do.
Very true.
I've sent out several hundred postcards over the last few months with Fieldteam6. I continue to be amazed at how many people aren't registered to vote.
Kathleen, As someone who also postcards for Fieldteam6, I love hearing you already have deployed several hundreds this election season. Still, considering in 2020 the largest bloc of voters were non-voters, regrettably, the high percentage of unregistered eligible voters does not surprise me. Hence, I view our job this election cycle as convincing people to vote like their rights depend on it because they do.
Then it is up to us to share it widely----
I simply love Joe Biden and what he has to say. I sincerely hope young people of today know tha they simply have to make up their minds to fight, and keep fighting for our democracy and freedom for all.. its not ever going to be easy, apparently..l but we ALL have to put our minds to it and fight.
And - yes - repeat his words, any way you can, if the papers don't. Tfg never says anything of importance - sooner or later they're going to read something significant, even by accident.
Thank you for this, including stating when there was applause.
What did the "news" tell us about the speech? That graduates turned their backs. That no one applauded. That Biden is trying to woo Black voters but they aren't interested.
Why does our media want President Biden to fail?
Why rely on corporate mainstream media or even this Letter? Anyone who wants to see the speech and the audience directly without a third party intermediary can view the graduation address.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zygAW_nW-Uo
Heather did give us a link and you can read every word but I couldn't get the audio. You can subscribe to The White House (free) on YouTube and watch the video there.
Laurie, good observation that our media does want Biden to fail. They don't especially like Trump, but he will keep providing them with top stories, every night, unfortunately about the horrific things he is doing and the things he is leaving undone because of his extreme incompetence, his sycophantic entourage who care nothing for anything beyond money and power, and his cult members who can be interviewed for a "balanced" perspective while they contribute nothing to the conversation beyond "I am for Trump and I don't care who knows it." That sounds like toddler whining, but what can one expect from followers of a toddler-man who is moving into dementia! The media love it and since the various platforms are mostly owned by rich entrepreneurs, they have no fear of anything Trump will do to them should he be re-elected. It's a win-win for the media while We the People lose lose.
Tffg truly is incredibly incompetent and a failed businessman many times over.
Christine, fellow Pennsylvanian, from the beginning, Trump was a terrible "businessman" but he was a terrific con artist, professional liar, and user of people. He had his family's money and used it to promote himself, a person who should never have had power anywhere. It proves money can buy loyalty even from people who have been used and abused by people like Trump. Trump is good at redirecting people's anger at people and institutions who did not make the problem, when Trump and his crew caused it. Maybe if there were a way to let people know how they have been and are being used by this guy who has no ethics or moral compass and is not actually Christian in more than name, we could reach of few of his cult members. I know the vast majority of them are at this point, unreachable.
Yes, with the MSM it’s just always gotta be the negative slant. And it’s causing depression and uncertainty and anger for many.
So true, Annie. We are being traumatized by the chaos bullies.
Well said, Annie.
It makes me weep that you’re right. 😭
WE don't control the media. Neither does the DNC. In order to repeat our message, WE need to be persistent. DNC REACH provides the means to broadcast the comments. https://democrats.org/reach/
WE can send it...every day as a press release to media outlets. To social media. WE can channel Taylor Swift, who has millions of followers on Instagram and X. Most Gen Z do not rely on MSM...use Tic Tok, Instagram, Facebook for their news.
Laurie…..And why is SCOTUS intent on bending the arc of freedom in the opposite direction with the red herring of “originalism” and clear “upside down American flags” of extreme partisanship?
Because Trump makes them money by his “say nothing”rhetoric. The media shares tffg’s words as if they are important or meaningful. All they see are $$$ signs!
Why indeed?
I found President Biden’s message and delivery very moving. He spoke to the hearts and minds of the male graduates, and he closed with expectations. Morehouse College honored the president with the podium and applause. President Biden honored Morehouse students, faculty, parents and alumni with his presence and his heartfelt congratulations and the truth of what matters to him. President Biden does not make it up, he does not lie, he does not threaten, President Biden cares deeply and he promises his best efforts to give Morehouse graduates his best, and they believe him. President Biden shared his most intense feelings, his loss of his wife and his son. He spoke of himself and his eyes were unflinching, and his pain was transparent. The man is real.
The best minute of the President's riveting address -- I should say my fave -- was from 17:57 to 19:10; President Biden persuaded me he was sincere in that speech. He means what he says; says what he means; and, does not do so meanly.
I have always thought so SB. Having been long fascinated with the man and what made him tick, I chose him over Obama back when they were competitors owing to his long tenure, experience, and personal story.
D4N, we then preferred Obama. After all, BHO was transformational. Barack was unique. Joe Biden needed 8 years of experience, understudying the master of tolerance, decency and humor, the gentleman from the other side not seen. And it worked.
Joe learned well.
Fascinating perspective SB... Thank you; I'll be 'chewing' on those thoughts for a while.
👍
Education; the life long sort especially, is such a key. Unlocking the shackles of ignorance, bigotry and hate.
Thank you Professor ⭐ for continuing my education on a daily basis.
SLR LuckyChix, I often refer to my morning graduate level history class (LFAA) that I am auditing. After class (reading the letter) I go to coffee with my fellow students (readers) and we discuss the class topics, and other topics that come to mind.
Eloquent and elegant. As though you wrote it, Heather. As a life-long (now livid) Republican and former mayor of a significant conservative community - I believe President is and will be THE MOST CONSEQUENTIAL PRESIDENT of my LIFETIME - 76 years! I'm proud to support and volunteer and donate modestly but much for me to his campaign. This decent, wise man.
All things considered.. to quote NPR…
President Biden and President Lincoln will stand in history as two of our best. President Harry S Truman will be up there with them. Of course, HST desegregated our military. President Dwight David Eisenhower was good. IKE opened Little Rock schools with the military. Texan President Lyndon B. Johnson sent AG Nick deB Katzenbach to deal face to face with Gov. George C. Wallace, a racist. Biden and Lincoln are incredible.
Big Lie Trump is incredible, too.
Thank you so much, Dr. Richardson—as always! Between this post and the one from Chop Wood, Carry Water, I’m going to bed with a smile on my face and a sense of peace. It’s good to recognize and celebrate the wins as they happen, even as we acknowledge that the struggle is far from over✨
Oh my. Oh my. Thank you, Ma'am, for this blessèd essay. Thank you.
💖
What an amazing speech. President Biden really is trying to pick up where President Johnson, Senator Kennedy, Reverend Dr King, and many others left off too long ago.
✌️
At dinner with an old school-mate from college, his wife, my sister. my brother in law, and his cousin, we talked about how we have been around for three generations.
😯
We talked about how, sixty years ago, we had a President who took a moral inventory of the country and sought, really sought, for us to mature into a truly great country.
✌️
We talked about coming of age in the 1970s and the bleakness of that decade. One of us had gone to Saigon and Sarajevo on volunteer missions.
😇
One of us works in building apiaries in sub-Saharan Africa to protect farms from elephants. One of us tutors disadvantaged black children. One of us has worked in Mother Teresa's hospital.
🙏
As the onlooker, I marvelled at these people.
😢
Then I felt sad thinking how my country has become unrecognizable to my Republican upbringing and republican sensibilities. Then I read this essay and read about President Biden.
⚖️
Yes, today really is a Sunday for hoping and no longer a Saturday for moping.
Here is President Biden's speech at Morehouse College (roughly twenty-five minutes:
https://www.c-span.org/video/?535746-1/president-biden-delivers-morehouse-college-commencement-address
Here is President Johnson's 'Great Society' address (nineteen minutes):
https://youtu.be/x4Qc1VM80aQ
Here is Senator Kennedy's remarks after the assassination of Reverend Dr King (ten minutes):
https://youtu.be/9JnbBW488nc
My written remarks as a ageing conservative on the murder of George Floyd (too long):
https://nedmcdletters.blogspot.com/2020/07/a-view-of-black-lives-matter-by-ageing.html
Amen 🙏
Thank you, Ken. ✌️
Good Q Heather quotes Biden asking at Morehouse College:
"What happens to you and your family when old ghosts in new garments seize power, extremists come for the freedoms you thought belonged to you and everyone?”
Most of Heather's today centers on the positive Biden, but let's look again at that one worrying Q she quotes. If the decent in American life ruled, we would right now well expect Judge Merchan to order Trump jailed.
Under his very eyes, in his courtroom, he and others saw Trump edit one of his Republican congressmen lackies for precision of the stooge's words defying the gag order.
With Republicans united in jury tampering, they all in front of the courthouse voiced open contempt as set by their fat, orange guy micro-managing everything.
Judge Merchan should sentence him soon to the max 30 days – jail to begin perhaps just after the jury enters its deliberations.
This jail time would precede whatever the jury may find.
Still, how are so many yet jumping to cult leader’s bidding? Why is Heather's emphasis on decency today not really measuring up to that frightening Q Biden also raises?
Answer: see how the Clarence court’s Alito added his own contempt for democracy and the rule of law, at his home flying the insurrection flag the fat guy’s mob inflicted on the U.S. Capitol, January 6, 2021.
All posture above the law. Serve their billionaires. Succor the conceits by which billionaire money & bribed, perjured, corrupted justices lord over America.
2. Proverbs 6:16–19
There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies and a person who stirs up conflict in the community.
My copy is of the King James Version, WJB.
Not the new, gold $60 version some fat guy is huckstering, but one I got at a used bookstore for around two dollars.
Nice, WJB -- a perfect description of Speaker of the House Howdy Doody.
The falsly proclamed "King Cyrus" will be judged when the Book of Life is opened. It is not up to you are I to do that. All the warnings are given in the word.
I still have and read constantly my study bible that I bought at a garage sale for 50 cents years ago. I have tried to find another copy. Never have, found one......so I keep this one always covered and protected.
Good advice/words/food for thought, regardless of source.
Agreed, Christine.
Thank you for posting this. And later on in the chapter-
Proverbs 6:32-34
English Standard Version
32 He who commits adultery lacks sense;
he who does it destroys himself.
33 He will get wounds and dishonor,
and his disgrace will not be wiped away.
34 For jealousy makes a man furious,
and he will not spare when he takes revenge.
May TFFG and the other adulterous Republican hypocrites "destroy themselves" sooner than later and be disgraced in the eyes of all Americans.
The truth shall set you free
So beautiful, calming and gives us the hope we need now.
It was heartbreaking to read the posts of so many people that
are hurting, worrying and feeling the pain that one person, who has
sold his soul to the dark side...(for less than 30 pieces of silver)....so completly
can perpetrate.
The Old Testament is full of instances where nations fall away from the Lords teachings.
They either repent or continue to be enslaved.
The day will come when the sheep and goats will be separated.
All of us wil also be judged when the Book of Life is opened
Powerful post!
Wish it were so, Susan.
I can't get it powerful enough because of one failure I constantly have.
We know our vulgar become that way because they never learned any access to any humanities, and so see life, the world, only as objects, items, units to be numbered, labeled in groups, packaged -- and all in those groups and packages trained not to see others as individuals, either. Just more "other" abstractions to hate, fear, envy, kill.
So why don't schools stress humanities to see "others" as individuals? Is it a dumb question? -- fact is, simply, they don't.
So our vulgar rule.
And I fail to communicate as I ought.
I’ve lost count of the number of things in today’s world that baffle me. Nonetheless, near the top of that list is hearing people say that there’s no difference between Biden and the Mango Mussolini.
Agreed, Mark. I cannot fathom that outlook. "Both parties are <insert negative descriptor here> so it doesn't mater/there is no difference". Yeah, but one party supports things I believe in, the other party wants to control my body, send me to a "camp", and take away my right to be married to the woman I've been with for 40+ years.
Yeah, but otherwise, there’s no difference! *head slap*
I think those folks are few and far between. If we drill down, those who do say that are more likely speaking about the major parties being wings of the same bird. There's some validity in that.
What baffles me is vast numbers who support DJT outright. Presidential races get far too much attention from voters, but the upcoming one is not to be taken lightly. While I agree that everyone not in the cult must support Biden in November, we must devote equal energy to supporting electoral reforms on a state-by-state basis to change the way such people can even be nominated.
The way we conduct presidential primaries is absurd. Seldom does it go beyond Super Tuesday. However, I would argue that the growing momentum for reforming how we nominate/elect state legislators and members of Congress (see the Alaska model) will carry over into the presidential realm.
This Saturday perspective... So enlightening, I will remember it for a long time to come.
I can’t imagine why anyone would pick anyone else than Joe Biden. Decency and compassion should matter to all Americans. The alternative is darkness.
We never heard, and we never will hear, such positive and promising words from the other guy!
The other guy can’t put on coherent sentence together never mind give a meaningful speech.