605 Comments

If Republicans think people aren't going back to work because they're getting too much pay in unemployment (Ali Velshi had the economist for the AFL-CIO on tonight, and he pointed out that even last year when people were getting $600/week more, it had no effect on their desire to go back to work), perhaps the Republicans might consider that most jobs in America today are shit jobs, the way they're managed, the atmosphere promoted in too many companies.

As to the Republican plans for 2024, anyone who thinks that somehow civil war got taken off the table with Biden's election, who doesn't think it's an even bet regardless of the election outcome, that a civil war could break out, probably still believes in the Easter Bunny, Santa Claus, and the Tooth Fairy.

The only thing that's going to derail what they're trying to do is the death of Trump. That's because all the would-be Trumpies just aren't evil enough to do what he does. It took the death of Hitler to put the final nail in the Nazi coffin, because none of the attendant gargoyles were able to be Chief Gargoyle like he could..

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A just and fitting demise would be a fatal heart attack while he is slyly moving his golfball out of the sand pit to a spot near the hole.

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While I appreciate the ironic - if relatively quick and painless - end you suggest, I would prefer to see him live out his days (and nights) in a shipping carton under a bridge in a large American city. Perhaps some kind-hearted homeless person would befriend him.

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Your imagined scenario, though full of sweet revenge, does not address the bigger picture of Trump's continued presence on the American landscape.

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True. I am assuming that the landscape will change and that Trump's presence will become microscopic once we manage to focus on real problems like climate change.

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There was a time I would have agreed with you David. But, after living more than a year in a global state of emergency with a deadly pandemic killing more than half a million US citizens, only to watch our divisions grow, I no longer believe we’re able to come together.

Climate change is treating us like frogs in a pot of water slowly heating on the stove. By the time the threat turns deadly, it’s too late to get out.

If we can’t come together to overcome an immediate, deadly threat, how will climate change unite us?

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We will unite to survive climate change or we will have petered our principle. The planet will not miss us.

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Well, I agree with you, Diane, we are definitely being tested.

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Diane, I am not convinced that our divisions are growing. Only that much of the mainstream and low-flow media is unable to let go of the manner in which they covered things while being manipulated by TFG, and so they continue to focus on anything that seems clickbaitish.

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Yes, I sometimes think people are about as smart as your average frog. That said, I have envied frogs as they float around in tepid ponds. taking the sun, munching insect larvae, oblivious to how short the future will be be. My not yet wife and I once spent a couple of languorous hours communing with frogs beside a Hindu temple at Ellora near Aurangabad in India. Almost missed the bus back to the hotel.

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Spot on Diane.

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That's an assumption I am not willing to make, at least in the short term (read 2022 and 2024 election cycles).

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Ah, the inscrutable future. All we can be sure of is that our words are not the last words.

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I prefer to see him in an orange jumpsuit dying in prison

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An evil troll (in the traditional sense) living under a bridge!!! Genius!

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Perfect!

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Steven, the problem is the Republicans have more than likely moved beyond him. There are many more "Trumps" to replace him as demonstrated by the workings of the current players.

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The other problem is that Republicans have been elected to every possible office at local and state levels so that they are able to initiate trouble at local and state levels. The Arizona "audit" is a prime example. Local and state Republican operatives are illegally tampering with ballots and there is no one to stop them. The issue of Republican malfeasance needs to be addressed from the grassroots level on up the line.

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Agree. Pretty sure Ted Cruz and Josh Hawley come to most of our minds, among others.

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Neither Hawley, Cruz or others waiting in the wings, have the slick ability to beguile people the way Trump does. I'm not sure what that "quality" is because Trump, his brand, his lifestyle/tactics have never appealed to me...but he finally managed to dazzle and sucker millions of people, despite dozens of failed business ventures, playing Donald Trump via The Apprentice. While I never saw the show, I do know that it was chock full of humiliation and denigration. People ate it up. What he's managed to do before, during, and after his presidency is leverage his "talents"...not unlike the Pied Piper who drowned the children in revenge.

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What we hate about him is what they love about him: he's crude, simple, rage-filled, misogynistic, and autocratic. And the mere fact that we loathe him endears him to many of his hate-filled followers.

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He was a çelebrity on TV. Just like faux news, he told them what they wanted to hear. He's a loud obnoxious bully but he does it in a slick type of way. So they think he is like the big boss man. And they think he is a smart rich business man, especially since he doesn't pay taxes.

And the pro birth people make up a big part of those people.

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Saw the show for 5 minutes once - totally disgusting and disturbing. I want to agree that the "current guys" cannot match the former one's evil spell. But a charismatic scumbag is born every election cycle.

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Yes, a charismatic scum bag is born every election cycle.

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This is very true.

And you are correct about the “would-be’s and “wannabees!”

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Yeah,the food fight would be interesting. But my bet is that they will trip over each other in their eagerness to get in front and the rest will squash them. (Cranky this morning, don't even care how crass that sounds.)

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Although I do not wish the death of anyone, Trump's possible passing has crossed my mind. He LOOKS unhealthy so anything is possible.

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Let us wish him a happy death. Who can argue with such a sentiment?

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Nahhhh

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I thought he was in “perfect health” perfect everything? Keep sending him Big Macs.

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🤣🤣🤣

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As a golfer 🏌️‍♂️ I think you are right on, he’s always had a reputation as a cheater, golf ⛳️ is a game of honesty, once a cheater always a cheater, just ask Patrick Reed. As too his demise, it can’t happen soon enough, if you believe in hell, Satan is surely licking his lips, if you believe in a balanced universe he’s going to spend a very long time correcting for the in balance that his time on the planet has caused.

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Book recommendation: Commander in Cheat: How Golf Explains Trump, by Rick Reilly

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I'd rather see him have a brain aneurysm while on stage at one of his rallies.

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Dang! I dunno if We want a martyr. I’d prefer a fair trial, bring light on everything, and a lonely death in prison.

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You are right, of course, Ted. I was having a savage moment.

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I was just about to confess I have fantasies of TFG keeling over on the golf course (Ted, that should eliminate the martyr factor). And I don't even feel guilty. My thoughts can't cause. But right now I wish they could.

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Daria, I have them too.

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I would be happy with a stroke that doesn't kill but brings on aphasia, loss of function on one side of his body, incontinence, altered consistency diet and a good ten years in a nursing home.

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A nasogastric tube would add to the fun.

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If he dies of an aneurysm at one of his rallies, that isn’t necessarily martyrdom.

I kind of like that scenario.

But one thing I want is tRump OFF the scene. Any which way‼️

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Truly just and fitting.

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Brutal, Steven, but just!

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I’m having visions of Scrooge.... I hope he’s dragged down some horrible nightmare witnessing all the cruelty and greed that he has lived by.

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Yup. I listen to some financial programs and these people who got wealthy with the tax cuts and stock market are foaming at the mouth about the people welching on the government, not going back to work. Makes my blood boil. They have zero understanding of what it’s like to work at a job you get paid next to nothing to do, that doesn’t pay your bills and rent. Plus, people are rightfully still scared of the virus. Do you want to serve food at a restaurant or stand in a store all day with mask-less people coming in? I know people working two and three jobs and barely making it. Time for wages to go up so that people can make an honest living. And there are huge numbers of jobs that just aren’t going to come back. We are in the midst of an enormous shift in the economy and people who have lost jobs in retail and elsewhere where automation is replacing them will need to be supported as they/we are transitioned to other jobs, The heartless souls who don’t understand this should just “get a job” and see what it’s like out there.

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The other rarely addressed issue with the “unemployment is cushy, so they won’t go back to work” argument is that a lot of the jobs being offered are part time. Not only does the unemployment supplement raise their income above minimum wage, that’s full time income. Once you accept a part time job, you lose unemployment.

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And you still have to pay childcare and transportation, no insurance, no sick days.

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In Vermont most of the non-hospital jobs for nurses are all part time so that they don’t have to pay benefits

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He will more likely be indicted before he dies. Don't we all wonder whether this will trigger the insurrectionists? Imagine a trial and what that would mean.

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I do fear that and I think Biden and staff do too. Perhaps that is why things are going slowly and methodically to hopefully quieten down the insane masses. This is a crowd who needs a lot of simplified education. Believe me, I do think there are those waiting in the wings who are crazy enough to try and start something, however.

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Hi Marlene. I'm not sure fear has much to do with it. Things are going slowly and methodically because there are not enough Democratic votes in the Senate to make them go faster. And the "insane" masses (they are still less than 50% of the whole mess.., oops, I meant mass) may not really be educable short of epiphany and then catharsis, at which point our public health crisis would require massive interventions from psychologists and psychiatrists and the rapid dissemination of free, injectable THC. About 70,000,000 doses should do the trick. But no drive-throughs.

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We'll do drive throughs, no problem! I do want to point out that things are deliberately going slowly in the U.S. and state Departments of Justice to insure tight, unbeatable cases and clear verdicts when these democracy rapists are brought to trial.

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Key Words Marlene!!! SIMPLIFIED EDUCATION!!!

😮🙂😣🤔🙃

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We are likely to see that here in Georgia sometime this summer, I believe that the DA has seated a grand jury to look 👀 at his election interference, it’s all on tape 😎

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I expended much fury in my comment yesterday about the state of politics and civil life in America. It felt to me that the country is sliding downhill more and more rapidly in a tragicomic fashion and that intervention seemed curiously far off. Those interventions should come from the law, the federal government and an enr(g)aged citizenry.

Today’s comments are of the “hair on fire” type, at least as far as I’ve read. If the bad guys are going to win the day, then it certainly appears to me that they will first have an enormous fight on their hands.

I asked myself whether Canadians would respond so forcefully if our national unity was threatened. At first I thought that we wouldn’t. But then I remembered the referendum in 1995 when one province (Quebec) threatened to secede from Canada. The “Yes” campaign fell behind by 7 points or so in early politicking. But a near-messianic figure, Lucien Bouchard, took the helm and swung the momentum decisively towards a majority YES vote. With just 3 weeks to go, the NO forces were panicked. The Prime Minister of Canada, a Francophone Quebecer, spoke forcefully in favor of the integrity of Canada being maintained with a NO vote. President Clinton gave a statement urging Canadians to keep Canada whole.

But what viscerally turned the tide was a Unity Rally hastily organized in the waning days before the vote. It was held in Montreal. A massive crowd came from across the country to demonstrate love for Quebec and appeal emotionally for them to vote against secession. The picture of ~100000 people holding a gigantic Canadian flag aloft became an iconic moment in our history.

The rally no doubt tipped the scales. The vote was nail-bitingly close, but just over 50% of Quebecers voted NO and Canada remained intact.

It took clear and present danger to rouse Canadians from their (usual) state of bland indifference. The lateness of this great outpouring was gravely dangerous. Quebec was at the very edge of cleaving Canada in two with a sovereign nation in the middle.

I have a sense that America is in a strange period now long before anything decisive will occur. America’s internal enemies are busy, busy, busy taking one vindictive action after another, seemingly wearing down democracy on a state by state basis. Activity is always noteworthy and the Republican outrages are certainly provocative. On the other hand, there appears little that America’s defenders can do at the moment and this contrast is inspiring fear, perhaps even panic, in some fervently patriotic Americans.

Are the current actions of Republican legislatures birthed in a spirit of confidence, or do they represent a sort of last ditch stand? I used the word tragicomic above because I believe what is happening is truly weird. It would be quixotic if the cause was noble. But it has the air of near farce in some places (Arizona would be one). If reduced to a sound it would be the scurrying of rats.

I believe that there are great forces aerating in support of democracy. I do believe that HR1 will pass and render null and void much of what the state legislatures have been doing. I do think that there will be a drumbeat of action in our courts that will reach as far as Trump. I think that sheer good governance will put the insurrectionists at a disadvantage. And I think corporate money (or the lack of it) will be an added weight in defusing the crisis.

America will survive the actions of its most nefarious citizens. But it may be a close run thing, and develop momentum at the last moment. I share your impatience.

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From your pen, Eric, to g-ds ears; may it be so.

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I agree with must of this and appreciate you sharing it. But HR 1 is going nowhere, sadly.

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This is something about which I feel conflicted and uninformed. HR 1 will not be passed through Reconciliation. Do you believe that when push comes to shove the filibuster will not be trashed or amended for lack of Democratic Senatorial votes?

I have no feel for how this will play out whatsoever.

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The filibuster is not going away. Even Biden is reluctant. Will it be reformed? It's a toss-up, but I doubt it. Even then, not a single R is likely to vote for HR1, so it will go down. You're right, reconciliation can only be used for budget bills, so HR1 doesn't qualify. Also, Joe Manchin has made it very clear that he will not vote for a reconciliation bill again. He might be persuadable, but I doubt it. That's my take on the situation. We are in a sad state. Best solution, of course, is to elect more progressives and hang on to the House and Senate. A long shot, but it's possible.

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This is grim indeed. I had thought that a pressure campaign of sorts would be going on behind the scenes and that ultimately Manchin et al would succumb to the blandishments of Biden. Thus would be set up another 50-50 vote, broken by Harris.

I suppose that delay (or what seems to me to be delay) in introducing the bill is a bad omen for its success.

It seems pretty ballsy for Manchin to effectively set himself up as enabler for the weakening, if not slow death, of a Democratic superpower.

Standing up for the filibuster hardly qualifies him as being principled. It’s a Senate rule only. Compared to the debacle that is now taking place on a rolling state basis in which these entities are trying to outdo one another in the strangulation of hard won voting rights, vamping for the filibuster smells like appeasing the enemy.

Thanks for your explanation and analysis Reed.

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I agree. As I said elsewhere, it is a self-serving position. He seems to not realize that he could go down in history as the person who singlehandedly allowed this country to be flushed down the toilet (though we do have to include Kyrsten Sinema in this discussion, too). I find it hard to believe that he believes that bipartisanship is truly possible. Two things are still possibilities, I think: 1. they may get offers they can't refuse, like specific help for their states; and 2. they are just biding their time to give the Rs a chance to play nice before they declare themselves heroes and vote to end the filibuster. Sadly, I think both are unlikely.

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This requires a second glass of wine

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For me, a second cup of coffee this fine northwest morning.

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I agree TC. I imagine when tRump dies (soon I hope), all the rethuglicans who have been happy to say out loud that they support him, will suddenly find spines and decide they didn't really support him. And, Joe Manchin will miraculously agree to get rid of the filibuster. We can only hope that tRump dies sooner rather than later.

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Oh, my, I wish I could agree with you. Trumpism is here to stay and, if anything, Trumpist Republicans see Trump himself as an albatross they would just as soon see consigned to the grave or prison. Being able to rally his base without having to deal with the man himself? I have to think that's the sweet spot for this particular brand of Movement Conservative. Ted Cruz and Josh Hawley are positioning themselves to be the next leader of this group of fascists. I think it's always worth remembering that, while Trump brought the white supremacist coalition together, he also was responsible, especially through his actions around Covid, for them losing the presidency. He is personally responsible for at least 400,000 unnecessary deaths and he STILL almost won. A more competent autocrat would be our president right now.

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I agree. CSPAN just now showed a clip of Gaetz speaking at the Villages in FL last night. His message was pure Trumpism and corrupt, immoral opportunists like him will have no problem carrying on once T***p is in the ground.

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Hi Gina. Gaetz claimed victimhood on all fronts. Then he pulled the Florida "homeboy" card and chameleoned himself into a hero. And they applauded!!!!

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Yes, despicable.

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Well, a whole lot of miserable haters live in the Villages!

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GROSS!

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I agree with everything you said.

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Reid, you're the first person here today I've seen mention the prison option! Slap the darbies on him, I say!

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Pam, why would tRump’s death lead Joe Manchin to be more agreeable to getting rid of the filibuster?

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The war was lost before Hitler died. Just sayin'.

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It was, but his death put the spike through the Nazis managing to find some way to organize afterwards. The rump that did was never a threat.

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I said as much yesterday...if Republicans are trying to outrage everybody that people aren't going back to work because they're staying at home, the outrage should be shifted to the REAL outrageous fact: wages are WAY too low in certain job sectors. THAT is what is wrong. Stop paying people for "sh!t" jobs, taking advantage of people all too willing to do the work and paying them what is tantamount to "slave wages". And, even MORE criminal, the big corporations profit from this cheap labour force and continue to make money hand over fist. Societies in the past have experienced this before, and all came to the same end. It cannot sustain itself. The end ain't pretty.

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Bruce, Thank you for explicitly and cogently writing what was in my thoughts. Too many people around me have drank the kool-aid on this one....people who I thought would know better.

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Lucky for us that this particular Sauron is a lazy leader. If he had the drive of a Steve Bannon he would already own us.

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The death of Trump will not end the current rightwing situation. He'll still be a big presence in his absence (think martyrs, saints, antichrist, etc.) The cult will continue, for that is what it is now......

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(1) Sometimes Heather writes something that sounds the alarm.

(2) Sometimes Heather writes something to remind us that the government is us, so raise our voices to make them heard.

(3) Sometimes Heather writes something that makes us feel like everything is going to be okay.

(1) + (2) = (3)

With tonight's LFAA as another alarm, leave a Reply if you are interested in joining fellow HCR Substackers in making our voices heard in service of democracy.

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You bet! I saw a couple of "Trump 2024" signs I wanted to vomit. I am participating in a Vote Forward letter campaign for the special election in New Mexico. This is my personalized message. "I vote because I want to plant seeds that I may not see bear fruit. I have two adult nieces, an adult nephew, and a great nephew. I want them to live in a democracy, have economic opportunities, good infrastructure, clean water, and fresh air. Elections matter! Please vote!

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I have written many letters through Vote Forward over the last few years to potential voters in GA, FL, TX, AZ, PA and now to NM. Keep up the good work Sharon and Pamsy and may many others join us, please. Research shows that people open a letter in a handwritten envelope and read it, where postcards can too easily go in the trash without being looked at. All it costs is for the stamps and printer ink. As Heather says, "put skin in the game"! Take some action.

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Yay for you! I saw that vote fwd email and will look to join their efforts.

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I certainly want to be in. That said, I can possibly write letters. Sorry for the tepid reply, but the four years of the previous administration gave me two different heart arrhythmias, had me passing out (I couldn’t even drive), and put me in the hospital. I’ve had it corrected now, but the stress of all of this makes my heart start jumping again. Heather’s Letter is my one source for news these days. My senators don’t listen; Hawley and Blunt. Ugh. There is a local Indivisible chapter, but I haven’t kept up with them lately because of the heart issues. It’s time to find a low-key action. My greatest fear is not for myself, but for my grandchildren.

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Take care, as we all navigate through this wild time, there is surely no need to be sorry for your "tepid" reply. In case it interests you, I've been exploring how ones breath can ease stress, one of the few things we do both consciously and unconsciously. For me, it's a helpful practice.

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Sorry about your heart problems and my condolences re your senators, ugh! Vote Forward makes a difference and is low key. It will help your morale. Votefwd.org !!

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Thank you for the link! I just signed up.

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Hi, Sean...can you give us a little more information about Vote Forward? Perhaps others would also like to partner with them.

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Thank you Sally; I just signed up.

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Hi, Arnette.....can you tell us a bit more about Vote Forward and how we can work with them? Thanks.

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Thank you. I will check it out.

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Hi, Cheri......have you checked out the Vote Forward group, and if so, what additional information can you give to us? Thanks.

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I have signed up and been approved to write letters. That’s as far as I’ve gotten. There’s an instructional video to view, then start writing. It’s been a busy couple of days, but should have time tomorrow. It seems very well organized.

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Hi. For further info, please email heathersherd@gmail.com with your name and issues of interest. Thanks!

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Sally Thank you! for the link!

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I just signed up too! Thanks so much!

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Hi, Sally....can you give us a bit more information about Vote Forward? How do they work and would it be good for us to partner with them?

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Annette, I'm not quite sure what you mean by "partner with them" (?) Certainly it would be great if many join them in their efforts. If you "adopt" the folks' names they give you, it IS a commitment, they won't give those names to anyone else. The volunteer group searches (legally) for potentially Dem-leaning people who haven't voted recently or need help registering and so on.

All that's required of us is to hand-write a paragraph that follows on from... "I vote because" on their template letter, sign our first name. Then hand- write the address on the envelope. The return address is written (e.g. Sally R, Vote Forward). When one "campaign" is fully done, they offer more that need our letters, i.e. they don't just flood everyone's mailboxes!

Here is a link: https://votefwd.org/instructions which says "Before you get started, please note that Vote Forward letters use nonpartisan language to encourage voting because research shows it is more effective than partisan messaging for increasing voter participation. Partisan language is one-sided, and in this context it means strong support for a particular candidate, party, or cause. When adding your handwritten messages to the letter templates, do not mention candidates by name or political parties (this includes terms like “red” and “blue”), and do not assume that the voter receiving your letter agrees with you on issues or policy. For additional messaging guidance, please see our “What should I write?” FAQ."

They have never asked me for a donation in 2.5 years, my only cost has been for the stamps and the printer ink. You can start with 5 letters and they will offer more, if you would like. It's all VERY simple, if I can do it anyone can! I ended up wiriting hundreds last year, and some get together and have a writing party. I'd find that too distracting, as you do have to get the right letter in the right envelope :) to ensure peope feel like individuals.

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Cheri, I’m sorry for what you went through. If it helps to know - you weren’t the only one. I had problems with my blood pressure from Jan 2017-Jan 2021. It’s slowly getting back to normal. I’m trying to find ways to help without bringing about more stress caused medical problems. It looks like some of the commenters have a few ideas.

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Kasumii, as I responded to Cheri, first and foremost, please be gentle with yourself and don't take on projects that you can't handle on your on. If your family is willing use their energy and gifts. It's not selfish, just wise!

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Thanks for the advice. I learned to take better care of myself but I have to balance that with staying involved. I can’t not be involved - I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t try.

My family is already gone (variety of reasons over the years) so it’s just me. My pets are my support system. They do what they can 🙂.

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Treat good friends as family if you can.

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I do.

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Cheri, I am here in MO with you. And still I am sure that we will find a way to keep democracy alive. Our grandchildren, and the grandchildren of the immigrants struggling at the border!

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I know what you mean Cheri. I have had a stress related illness that has largely side-lined me this year. We all need to take care of ourselves while doing what we can to protect our democracy.

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Hi again. I forgot to mention - there are 2 other sources of news that help me balance it all out - Dan Rather’s Substack newsletter ‘Steady’ and a daily political newsletter called ‘Wake Up To Politics. It’s factual and to the point in easily understood writing. Those two plus HCR’s newsletter are my vital sources of news.

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I also read Gabe's Wake Up to Politics and started reading him when he was in high school. He would summarize the news before heading to school! Pretty remarkable.

I was amazed and very grateful for how well he was synthesizing the wild news of the day. Then I learned of Heather! not only synthesizing but adding historical context! a game changer for my sanity.

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Isn’t it? He recently added other writers who take on specific topics. All of them are high school & college students I think. Besides getting well researched news from them, they all give me hope for the future.

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Thanks, Kasumii… I'll check out 'Steady' and 'Wake Up to Politics'. (And I'll work to cure myself of reading HCR when I wake up in the middle of the night. Not a good time to start mobilizing!)

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Wish I could cure myself of waking in the middle of the night, maybe we should start a “middle of the night” mobilization group, I think there are lots of us who would participate in the wee sleepless hours of the morn.

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Elizabeth, from some of your posts it looks like you have experience with "Vote Forward". This sounds like a good group for us to partner with. Can you give us a bit more information?

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It is an easy organization to work with. Sign up at votefwd.org and choose the campaign you want to work on. You print the form letter, add the greeting, respond to the prompt (we wrote "why we vote" letters), sign, address the letter, then stamp and mail. There is information on the website to help you come up with your personal message. It is a nice small group project. Not sure how much it actually helps but I am not comfortable talking to people in person or on the phone so this is what I do to try to save our democracy!

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Thanks for the vote of solidarity! Actually, given how drained I feel in the morning, how about a group that vows to wait until the morning to read HCR?

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In this climate, the most important thing is to look after yourself, Cheri! That way, you can pass on your hopes and dreams to your children and grandchildren. Maybe they can help you write -- do so as a family, share the stress! Besides, at they say: from the mouths of babes ...

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Cheri, I'm so sorry to hear that.

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I am as in with this as I was as a college student protesting needless war that feeds the war machine. Protesting has usually been in favor of the “Peace Room”. Better and more gender friendly than the “War Room”.

I live in Florida. The insurgent thinking cannot be more in the face.

I am always willing to serve democracy and an end to the ladder of caste.

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Thank you for the call to reason and truth, Ellie. And may any who oppose truth severely underestimate the power of warriors of truth.

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I hope they underestimate us

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You are not alone in Florida.

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I'm in, Ellie, in MA. For the Georgia Senate special elections, I joined a letter writing campaign to likely Democrats who in the past were low-likelihood voters. I wrote 100 letters, and in all tens of thousands were written. The preprinted letters gave clear information on how and where to register and how and where to vote. We letter writers added a personal message about why we voted by mail, addressed, stamped, and sent the letters by the deadline. Given the margins Ostroff and Warnock won by, it feels like our letters helped make the difference AND the registering and voting options those letters described are exactly the ones the tRumpPubs are now working hard to extinguish.

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Every step or effort can be the one making the difference.

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Hi. For further info, please email heathersherd@gmail.com with your name and issues of interest. Thanks!

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Absolutely, another floridian, living next to neighbors who occasionally fly/flaunt their nazi flag.

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The odd thing about that is they are taking advantage of our democracy's freedom of speech to do it. They aren't believers, just people who like the attention they get by flaunting something distasteful in someone else's face.

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They have me convinced they are believers. White racist trash, with guns.

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You have got to be kidding. Though when we lived in Loxahatchee, FL, 30 years ago there was a very active neo Nazi cell that gathered weekly and flew theirs.

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Nope, no kidding about nazis

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Daria, I agree there are people who are fully involved in the Nazi camp. I grew up in Oregon. My reference, which got lost in all the indignation, is that there are also people who will play at Nazi just to irritate people or get attention. Some of those people don't believe that Nazi's are all that bad- it's a "cultural thing", according to them. That's BS of course. But they sincerely believe it. And here we are again, looking down our noses and calling names, in our moral superiority. I am wondering just what that is going to do to change either minds or the political situation.

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I agree, many don't believe Nazis are all that bad. The neighbors in Loxahatchee were convinced that they were on the right path. And to let you what a contradiction they were, they invited us to their daughter's First Communion Celebration. We declined the party but dropped off a small gift for the little girl. At that time, and to this day, I can't wrap my head around their belief system. Nazism & Catholicism in a tidy little package. Too, at that time the area in Loxahatchee* we lived in was pretty isolated on 50 acres, we had 5 horses and a mess of Jack Russells and the last thing we wanted to do was piss somebody off so much that they'd attack one of our horses, terriers or us. It was not unheard of. We were always doing some sort of horse related event so it was easy to decline invitations and not be contentious, though in reality we were saying to each other WHAAAAAT???????? And you're right, name calling and virtue signaling are not effective tools when trying to persuade someone to change their point of view. Now I'm wondering what it's going to take to clear the air. It feels hopeless.

*Loxahatchee is west of West Palm Beach, north of Wellington.

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My problem is that if "the government is us," why are we, in the majority, controlled by a minority? It's bad enough to know that the plutocrats and Big "Everything" hold a significant portion of the control wires, but to know that state governments are also trashing voting rights, gets me feeling that the government isn't "us" at all. There really is a crisis.

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I agree it is a crisis. My sense is that the majority has to work harder than it ever has before, because the minority has used gerrymandering and all its kin to subvert the power of individual votes. Whether or not enough people can be roused to work that hard remains to be seen. It's just as much of a fight against the autocracy as the Revolutionary War was way back when. But then, people were more focused and there was less to draw them into denial. I feel like it's an 'all hands on deck' situation where it's not just funneling money into the Democratic PAC's (which I'm doing on a monthly donation basis) but mounting vigorous grass-level opposition creatively and individually and even theatrically (music, plays, satires, etc.) to create a united front of opposition to The Big Lie. The emperor has no clothes, but he has so many sycophants covering his ass that people can't see what's up.

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I’m chomping at the bit! I turn 70 in a few weeks and it frustrates me that I don’t have the flexibility to play a more significant part in the necessary action. I can write, I can call, and I will do anything and everything I can to save our precious democracy!

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Cynthia, I think from past posts you have experience with Vote Forward. This sounds like a good group to partner with. Can you give us a bit more information on them?

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Gratitude for your coordination of the resistance.

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I am in. So in. Idaho.

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My sympathies. Idaho needs some work.

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Hi. For further info, please email heathersherd@gmail.com with your name and issues of interest. Thanks!

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Yes indeed.

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Karen from NJ... I'm in

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br from NJ....I'm in too!

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Hi. For further info, please email heathersherd@gmail.com with your name and issues of interest. Thanks!

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I’m in.

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Thanks Ellie, for gathering the herd.

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And to clarify any misperceptions regarding herd, this has nothing to do with sheep or anything more about followers, other than being a group of people who share common values with HCR about civic engagement in support of democracy.

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Count me in!

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Count me in.

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I'm in, Florida.

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"Faced with the prospect of voters rejecting their economic policies, Republican leaders are undermining democracy." Those may be the most chilling words in all your letters. They certainly boil down to a terrifying essence of our plight. Who could have imagined that Trump's defeat by a significant margin and the events of Jan. 6 would embolden rather than chasten Republicans? Wait, I'm being naïve again.

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Michael, you are chillingly correct! I am afraid that you, dear HCR are absolutely spot on as well with your assessment on this extremely dark night -- a dark night in politics as well as a dark night of the soul. It is unimaginable how a party that purports to love its country, can do so much to destroy it.

The GOP are doing everything in yeir power to dismantle a democratic voting system as well as a system of government, which, though imperfect, has worked for a few centuries.

When I spoke of a dark night of the soul, I really do refer to spiritual emptiness, which is what the GOP appears to project. They are devoid of dignity, humanity, and morality in every step they take. All their eyes can focus on is power, regardless of what that may mean for the future of our children and our children's children.

"Faced with the prospect of voters rejecting their economic policies, Republican leaders are undermining democracy."

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Devoid if dignity, humanity and morality.

Yup, good summary.

WHEN are the "christian" leaders gonna split?

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You're assuming that the "Christian" leaders uphold actual Christian values.

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Yes, my pollyannishness shows.

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They will

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Lynn...In my book, Pollyannas are kind and fair and group oriented. They ARE the true "christians."

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Ty.

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Excellent question...but 'WHO' or 'WHAT' represents "Christian leadership" right now?

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Uh, the mega churches with their tax exempt status and political clout comes to mind

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Yes, I know you are right. Spot on.

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Well said, Rowshan. I love the way you write, and your comments are always spot on. I look forward to reading them when I see your name. Thank you.

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Thank you so much, Kathy! It's so kind of you to say so.

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Well said. Thank you.

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Yep Rowshan: what you said.

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Go read "The Pseudo-Conservative Revolt" by Richard Hofstadter. The Pseudo-Conservatives were thought to be the "fringe" in his day, but now they are the Republican mainstream.

Unlike most of the liberal dissent of the past, the new dissent not only has no respect for non-conformism, but is based upon a relentless demand for conformity. It can most accurately be called pseudo-conservative — I borrow the term from the study of The Authoritarian Personality published five years ago by Theodore W. Adorno and his associates — because its exponents, although they believe themselves to be conservatives and usually employ the rhetoric of conservatism, show signs of a serious and restless dissatisfaction with American life, traditions and institutions. They have little in common with the temperate and compromising spirit of true conservatism in the classical sense of the word, and they are far from pleased with the dominant practical conservatism of the moment as it is represented by the Eisenhower Administration. Their political reactions express rather a profound if largely unconscious hatred of our society and its ways — a hatred which one would hesitate to impute to them if one did not have suggestive clinical evidence.

From clinical interviews and thematic apperception tests, Adorno and his co-workers found that their pseudo-conservative subjects, although given to a form of political expression that combines a curious mixture of largely conservative with occasional radical notions, succeed in concealing from themselves impulsive tendencies that, if released in action, would be very far from conservative. The pseudo-conservative, Adorno writes, shows “conventionality and authoritarian submissiveness” in his conscious thinking and “violence, anarchic impulses, and chaotic destructiveness in the unconscious sphere. . . . The pseudo conservative is a man who, in the name of upholding traditional American values and institutions and defending them against more or less fictitious dangers, consciously or unconsciously aims at their abolition.”

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The reality is that we have totally screwed up our use of the term "conservative".. I am a conservative - in that I spend a lot of time attempting to conserve the world we live in (as I'm a conservation biologist) - I am a mildly "social conservative" person - but the term "Conservative" - aka "Politically Conservative" - has become the accepted norm. I think the term should be "Reactionary" - and it's quite entrenched in "Orstralia" - which is what scares me - as where the US goes, so so many countries.

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I’d like to try this thought with you, Hugh ....

In your profession, you’ve lived fully intimate with change. There is nothing in nature that does not change. Humans are a part of nature. The only constancy in every moment is change. Until one's final breath, one is entirely unified in the web of a so called “perceiver and perceived.” One might falsely experience that the floors and walls never change, but then that thought is gone in a flash, and a new perception arises, with each breath and heart beat. Change is THE constant.

But long ago, a western scientist (Descartes?) theorized that humans are distinct from nature. Since then, science has lived in the abstraction that our 6 senses are removed from sensory objects. We’ve lived in this false construct for hundreds of years. Well, how does this relate to political theory?

Conservatism has adopted the position that certain (and only certain) policies must remain constant. Conservatives consider themselves “originalists” - meaning they view the Constitution as an unchanging document. I might ask, then, "Oh, so blacks are to be considered 3/5’s of a person and women are not to be considered?” “No, this construct can be changed,” conservatives were forced to realize. And then of course consider our constructs of slavery and our extermination of indigenous culture. America has de facto said, through policies, “let’s have ‘set asides’ of urban centers for blacks and deserts for indigenous peoples.” But, the process of change forever challenges this notion.

Conservatism to me has been a false narrative that attempts to preserve privilege, in the name of their (white) heritage.

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Fascinating perspective, and thank you for that. I have had that "originalist" argument with some of my friends/colleagues. In one particular argument that I remember, I told the guy that, under the constitution that he so admires and defends (he's a cop) that more than half of the country did not originally have the right to vote, and that I would love to see an election decided for a time (I suggested maybe 100 years, which is a nice round yet not completely historically accurate) where federal elections should be decided only by those whose right to vote was granted by amendment. THis man looked at me blankly, and asked "what do you mean? We've always had the right to vote." I told him that while Black men got the right to vote in the late 1860's, the practical application of that wasn't until the 1960's and that women were "granted" the right to vote in 1920. Those are the people who ought to have a shot at voting exclusively. He at least had the grace to say "I had never thought of it that way."

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Excellent points! And we women are still "granted" rights at the whim and generosity of superior white males. Or so "conservatives" would deem it.

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When talking about the Womens' Suffrage movement I never use the word "given" the right to vote. Women fought hard for it and finally won.

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My grandmother, Mildred Hornbein, had a PhD five or six years before she could vote. The GOP is still trying to weaken the right to vote.

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What an amazing woman! The fact she was denied her vote because of her gender and inspite of her accomplishment is egregious. I have raised a strong, educated, intelligent young woman. She is where she is because of your grandmother. You have a legacy to be proud of. Tell her story and 'SAY HER NAME!'

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Isn’t that true, that all too many have not thought “to it that way"

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I remembered as I was telling this that he had asked me about a Facebook post where I had said "If your right to vote was not granted by a Constitutional Amendment then you don't have a dog in this fight". He had to ask what that meant.

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It’s still early morning for me, and my coffee hasn’t quite taken effect, so all I can add is “thank you” for this.

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Still waiting for my coffee to work. Must go for second cup.

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Getting my first cup right now. I was so agitated after reading the Letter I fumed for a good 2 hours before sleeping. I need to leave my tablet downstairs when I come up to go to bed. Have a brilliant Saturday.

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Thanks MaryB, and I know that you’ll have a changed perception after a cup of java. And a changed perception without java. Well, welcome to life

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Okay, Frederick, this is brilliant. Descartes be damned. I clearly remember the nuns teaching us that we humans are not animals.

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Decartes = body as machine

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WELL SAID Frederick!!!!!🤔

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Good! Maybe then, I have nothing more to say 😀. (off to breakfast)

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Dr. Richardson has also pointed out the right has forsaken all the values of "conservatism". She refers to them as "the radical right." The radical right no longer has any connection to conservatism. They're just radical.

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I respectively disagree, wholeheartedly, with this point of Prof HCR. The right of today will NOT challenge or demean conservatism. They avow conservatives like Reagan, Buchanan, Fox News, et al. They trumpet core principles, such as small government, thru less taxation and a “free market capitalism” (see below)

Small government (“free market capitalism”) is: low-to-no taxation, low-to-no regulation, and no responsibility. The free market is NOT responsible for the negative side effects of free market capitalism: opioids, carcinogens, weapons addiction, drug abuse, red lining, war, police violence, violent entertainment from “Hollywood", and finally, trump. trump is the logical inheritor of these conservatives genes of aberrant behavior.

Cons will avow tax breaks because they limit the effectiveness of Democracy (government).

There is no “far right.” There are only conservatives.

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Fascinating. Disturbing to say the least. Right-wing media enables them to rationalize their views. In fact, reinforces their views in a destructive feedback loop.

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we've got fodder to fight back on that front with legal defenses recently put forth claiming "no one believes Fox News" we need to blow that up

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Indeed! A symbiotic, self-preserving relationship!

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Thanks TCinLA. Great piece and I just became American Scholar's newest subscriber. And to add another quote from the piece: "The pseudo-conservative always imagines himself to be dominated and imposed upon because he feels that he is not dominant and knows of no other way of interpreting his position. He imagines that his own government and his own leadership are engaged in a more or less continuous conspiracy against him because he has come to think of authority only as something that aims to manipulate and deprive him. It is for this reason, among others, that he enjoys seeing outstanding generals, distinguished secretaries of state, and prominent scholars browbeaten and humiliated. This was all published in 1965 but now can be seen as a haunting premonition. Whining their way to autocracy.

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Bruce-another piece of the pie is that the pseudo conservatives also have Grievance Addiction. Please read this piece written by Dr Justin Frank, a psychiatrist w/40 years in his field: https://www.salon.com/2021/02/12/dr-justin-frank-on-the-trial-for-trump-capitol-riot-was-a-source-of-incredible-pleasure/

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That "addiction/release" pattern was on display in the ending weeks of T's term, as well. Each time something happened to agitate him or went against him, he ordered yet another execution. It was predictable, and creepy. The press noted the executions, but I don't recall any analysis of this connection. Perhaps Dr. Frank identified it, though he didn't directly allude to it in this article.

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Actually 1955 - these people have been around a loooooonnnnnggggg time.

Yes that description is really accurate - the 'conservative" as permanent victim.

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Wow. And awful.

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Banality of evil as Hannah Arendt observed at the trial in Nuremberg.

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FWIW, "the banality of evil" was the subtitle of her book on Eichmann's trial in Jerusalem (1963), to summarize what she saw as an attack on (clear, intentional, reflective) thinking as a whole.

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Banality was the adjective she used to describe the evil actions of the nazis and the testimony.

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Adore Adorno, the authoritarian submissiveness is key, here

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I can not express how much I appreciate HCR's instructive work as well as the informative links the membership often provides. I only wish there was more time to keep up with this lively group. Thanks so much for the above references, compelling read.

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Same here.

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Ditto!

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TC....I believe Adorno's book was first published in 1950. He came out of the very important post-war Frankfurt School of Critical Theory. Maybe it was re- published 5 yrs ago as in your reference? Still, thanks for the post!!

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The quote has it identified as 1950 - since Hofstadter was writing in 1954.

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Thanks.

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Precisely. Terrifyingly. Thank You TC.

I think.

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Correct. Chameleons.

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They are blatantly and thoughtlessly trying to destroy our democracy.

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It is all overwhelming because the Republicans, under Mitch's power, refuse to budge. They have swept the insurrection under the rug as they did the shootings in Colorado, Sandy Hook, FLA., and everywhere. They want to undermine Liz Cheney so they can plant Stefanik, that nasty woman, in her place. I have seen where they accuse Biden of doing nothing for the immigrant children when they are the ones who caused the chaos in the first place. I believe Majorkis has a competent team in place, one with many women: Nanette Barragan, Sylvia Garcia, Veronica Escobar, and Linda Sanchez. There were over 2000 kids who were detained by Border Patrol three weeks ago. Those women realized Border Patrol didn't know how to take care of children. All of them are now only detained less than 24 hours and those waiting have made phone calls to their relatives in the U.S.. Before, they were denied common decency, clothing, toothbrushes, a bed! Now they are in care facilities until they can be reunited with loved ones. Can you imagine...this weekend is Mother's Day and these mothers nor their children know where they each are?

I have decided that Republicans aren't human. They have been replaced by demons of The Third Reich.

Thank you, HCR. I wish you peace, love, and kindness from your children on Mother's Day. And to every mother, my best to you all.

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Stefanik is proof that being a Harvard grad has nothing to do with actual intelligence. As I have found on the happy occasions when I got to fire Hahvahd grads for being the incompetent, talentless hacks they were.

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Truly, "Hahvahd" must be so proud of itself in that they graduated evil and insane people. Must be a prereq to get in. That and daddy's money...

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Marlene Lerner Bigley wins the internets!! :-)

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I am on a roll, it seems! :)

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Not really. As someone else pointed out about 4 hours before your post, Heather Cox Williams is a Harvard grad.

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hey, not everyone. a friend of mine from work, an engineer, was a really good person who had gone to Harvard. Far from rich, his family were migrant farm workers.

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Didn't Barack Obama attend Harvard?

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Yes he did but I am not counting him in, in my little diatribe. He is the exception to the rule as, Joy Reid who is not in Congress but a helluva womanQ

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Pedigrees do not make the person

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OOPS on the Q!

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The law school.

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And yet, one or two of note, say Heather Cox Richardson for one.

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Was wondering when someone would bring that up. Thanks, Bruce. Think a few people got their feet stuck in their mouths.

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It kind of such a relief/pleasure to dismiss poor Ivy League employees. (Must confess to being educated at teachers college, Columbia.) But, honey, the pretensions, the ignominy, the resistance to actual learning...

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I had one kid I fired from the writer's room accuse me of being "against rich people." To which I said no, I was just against illiteracy.

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😂 Love it.

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I was brought up in a rural town in NC that was near Boone. That city had Appalachian State Teacher's College which was considered the creme de la creme back in the 50's & 60's. It is now a state university. Never underestimate small colleges as they pack a punch!

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May 8, 2021
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Gee, I wonder how he got in.

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(We KNOW how he got in-married tRump's daughter.

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I think it may have had more to do with Kushner`s wealthy and prominent (and convicted criminal) father.

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Thank you, so well said.

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Thursday, my niece graduated from Georgia State. The event was livestreamed. Pictures of each graduate who RSVPed before the deadline was displayed on the Jumbotron. Let me say if that class is representative slice of the future, the future is colorful. No wonder those old white guys are hanging by their nails trying to hold on to the old ways.

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Thank you for bringing us good news and hope

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Congratulations to her, and your family!

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Congratulations and best wishes to your niece! It's fantastic she got a great job right out the door!

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That's so hopeful! Our graduating class rocks, too! I can feel their verve!!!

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Spooky, thank you! We are very proud of her. She graduated with honors and got a job with a consulting firm she interned for.

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I'm so frustrated and concerned. Shouldn't there be national universal voting standards in these United States of America? How can we say we live in a free democracy when voting for one voter might take minutes while another may stand in line for many hours possibly even being denied supplemental food or water to sustain them during the ordeal. The difference being what state the voter happens to live in. (Or the shade of their skin.) Is that in any way equal access to representation? If the filibuster can't be modified to get HR-1 through the Senate it feels like we're screwed.

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One would think Manchin and Sinema would figure out that their own futures depend on killing the filibuster. As devoted to herself as that third-rate dumbbell is, I doubt Sinema could figure that out. Manchin could, but somehow Sinema doesn't think she's got a target on her back, as she does.

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Sadly, I think they are very aware of the existential crisis, but only in the short term. Their ability to remain senators rests in walking that razor thin line between conservative Democrats and frothing-at-the-mouth insurrectionists in their own states. They are concerned only for their jobs, not for the future of the country.

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Same as most Republicans Reid. Their dilemma is frightening because it leaves the majority thwarted. And leaves the human population on this planet at risk.

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Though Liz Cheney is betting on an alternative narrative. I suspect her reading of the tea leaves is that rank-and-file Rs are getting sick and tired of being associated with insurrection and are looking for an alternative, a return to something like establishment conservatism. Their rhetoric will still be hateful, but they won't be in bed with Trump and his minions.

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If the vote tally to replace Cheney is made public, and I doubt it will be, it will be very telling. How many in the House support Trump and how many don’t. How strong is his hold?

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Interesting question. This is when we need a good leaker to report who voted to remove her. On the other hand, bucking leadership is clearly a very dangerous thing right now, so the result of that vote might not be conclusive about where they stand. She's not the hill most of them will choose to die on.

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Harry, you do not need to be a soothesayer figure out that those supporting Trumps in the House and the Senate are in the majority.

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Liz Cheney’s support comes out Jackson Hole money. Wyoming Oil & gas and military spending, and Wall Street. Smart people with a lot to loose. I think they have convinced Liz, that with Mr. Drumf, they have more at risk with him and his unpredictable vindictiveness. The safer bet is without him.

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I suspect her support is even more far-ranging than that. This is clearly a political calculation and there is a cadre of powerful people out there who are "smart people with a lot to lose” encouraging her to take this step. And if she fails, she will be sacrificed and they will try again elsewhere.

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I don't pretend to know what the rank and file Republicans are thinking, but even I can recognize a split in their party that calls for totally for another party, or becoming members of the current Democratic Party.

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Were they not looking for a job when they got the one they have now, I don’t understand spineless Senators, I begged Perdue to show he had a spine during the first impeachment trial, he didn’t and I worked my ass off to show him the door.

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You are suggesting one of the most needed changes to improve on how our government functions. 4 year term limits for the House and the Senate.

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No, I am opposed to term limits, for the very simple reason that we already have them--it's called voting. I should not be limited as to who I want to have represent me. I believe that term limits throw the baby out with the bathwater. I, for one, hope that my Rep, Pramila Jayapal, represents me more or less forever.

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Forever is such a long time? Lifetime political jobs do not take into account that we age and we age at different rates. No matter what, we age.

No one throws the baby out with the bathwater....whatever that really means?

You do have the right to choose when you vote for as long as you can vote. You are already limited to those put on the ballot. If you are ill, or unavailable you may not get the chance to vote.

You really limit yourself and help build a cabal of people to used to power.

What we are doing now does not work, or we would not be talking about this.

Just a thought.

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But there are many solutions that don't involve terms limits, primary among them campaign finance reform. But my primary argument remains that I don't want a law deciding who I can vote for. I get to make that choice and if I want to vote for the same person for decades to represent me, I should be able to do that.

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If they cannot read the messages that have been sent, ergo, hopeless.

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The difference isn’t in which state the voter lives; the difference is in which neighborhood they live. I remember that when I voted the first time Obama ran, for me it was less than 10 minutes to vote, in and out. Then I left to run an errand, and saw, less than a 10 minute drive away, a line for voting which snaked for blocks. That’s voter suppression.

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In New Mexico, voting is organized countywide. Voters no longer vote by precinct, but can go to any location in the county, where the appropriate ballot is printed for your exact address/precinct. If there are long lines at one location, you can drive to another one. An app posts approximate wait times at each. It’s also convenient if you work and live in different areas of town - you can pop over to a location near work on a midday break. As a bonus, there are not thousands of preprinted ballots available for possible fraud or being shredded when those voters don’t show up to vote, so it’s even “green”.

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It certainly is, Kathy!

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Yes-- is the only way to have justice and our CONSTITIUTIONAL right to vote freely in a free country only be held up by lawsuits? This is truly insanity. Insane that the party that is against big government and freedom to bear AK47s wants its knee on the rest of people's freedoms to participate in a fair and legal democracy. We are really in trouble. WTF.

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My secret hope is that despite all of their stupid and arrogant shenanigans— they lose the midterms in a really big way. And then of course in 2024 the same thing. Of course they’ll keep whining but too bad—they have already gone down for the history books as the most corrupt politicians in US history. Let’s hope and pray there are enough smart Americans who care about democracy and make sure they vote.

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We can make your dream come true.

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Yes we have to all pitch in and save this democracy🙏

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Yes, that is the way to think and then we all need to act.

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Yeah, isn’t it interesting... the party of no regulation wants to regulate to the heck out of voting access. And yet, people never seem to see the blatant hypocrisy, not to mention the mendacity of their lintent.

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...and of course their intent to control women's reproduction can be included in their desire to regulate.

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Of course.

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Yes, that should have been high on my list.

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It’s like their brains have been re-wired by an evil genie.

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Yes - by a hate & fear based cult, which is what the Republican Party is now. Hate & fear are powerful motivators and once stirred up with either/both, people are astonishing easy to control.

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Demagoguery. Pure and simple. Effective, but not forever.

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That’s exactly what algorithms do.

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They have.

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And regulations for driving cars (and boats), paying taxes, attending school and much more, but almost no gun regulations - until the damage has already been done perhaps.

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Intent.

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"Shouldn't there be national universal voting standards in these United States of America?"

Yes. And isn't it curious, after all these years as a nation, there isn't?

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"Article I, Section 4, Clause 1: The Times, Places and Manner of holding Elections for Senators and Representatives, shall be prescribed in each State by the Legislature thereof; but the Congress may at any time by Law make or alter such Regulations, except as to the Places of choosing Senators."

The states are given the constitutional right to manage their own elections. However, if the national government sees voting problems it can come up with solutions like the Voting Rights Act, which I believe the Supreme Court overturned in 2013. https://bit.ly/3f82aud

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With regards to your second paragraph: the solutions need to be baked into the US Constitution. Baked. In. Hard.

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HR1 & S1 need to be constitutional amendments then.

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Given the long & arduous process to amend the Constitution, getting it through Congress the 2/3 of state legislatures, that's an unrealistic solution in these extreme partisan times. It would be too late to change the trajectory laid out in this letter.

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Real change is needed and we need those with courage to step forward to lead us. This has started. For instance, President Biden has cut 45% of the child poverty in one bill. I do not think this has registered with many folks. It now needs to be made to be permanent.

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I disagree. To think we can’t create change is to already be defeated.

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Reform is strongly needed by all three branches of our Government. Now is the time to begin that process.

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Alas, David, the history of the USA is a history of voter suppression. The whole idea of open and fair access to the polls is a myth that pols have used at their convenience when the votes don't go their way. It's not just BIPOC folks who have been suppressed--remember that women were the LAST constituency to be "given" the right to vote. Social forces, especially among the so-called Religious Right (not just the Christian fascists but radical rightwing extremists in all religions) actively suppress women's ability to vote by demanding that the dominant male determine the voting for the entire family. The Republicans--and before them all the other political parties--rely on voter suppression but they have added a new spice to this by also advocating voter ignorance as a mechanism to get the votes they want. The "Know-Nothing Party" of the 1850s advocated the same stuff; fortunately for everyone in 19th-c America they didn't get very far.

H1 is actually the most radical reform of voting this nation has ever seen. I want it to pass--I REALLY, REALLY want it to pass. But I bet there are plenty on the Dem side who, although they won't state it publicly, would rather NOT see actual fair and open access to the polls.

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You are right Annie--I always forget that the 15th amendment did not include indigenous men. But unfortunately it means that indigenous women really were the last ones.

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You might want to reread the links. Large numbers of indigenous people of both genders were denied the vote until the 50s and some well past the middle of the 20th century, depending on the state. They weren't considered citizens, therefore no vote.

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Linda, George Washington saw no need for a party system.

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True but he was no fan of universal male suffrage. He was a true believer in oligarchy who was worried about expansion of voting rights to men without significant land because he predicted it would empower the north more than the south.

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Those long lines at the ballots. It is inhumane. It is undignified. It is shameful to make people go through that. It’s a National and global embarrassment.

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Look around and you will see that several states vote by mail, computer, etc. without any successful fraud.

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We can squeeze the life out of Manchin, metaphorically speaking, but hmmm...maybe not.

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I am reminded of the Malvina Reynolds song - sung by Joanne Baez

It Isn’t Nice

– by Malvina Reynolds

It isn’t nice to block the doorway,

It isn’t nice to go to jail,

There are nicer ways to do it,

But the nice ways always fail.

It isn’t nice, it isn’t nice,

You told us once, you told us twice,

But if that is Freedom’s price,

We don’t mind.

It isn’t nice to carry banners

Or to sit in on the floor,

Or to shout our cry of Freedom

At the hotel and the store.

It isn’t nice, it isn’t nice,

You told us once, you told us twice,

But if that is Freedom’s price,

We don’t mind.

We have tried negotiations

And the three-man picket line,1

Mr. Charlie2 didn’t see us

And he might as well be blind.

Now our new ways aren’t nice

When we deal with men of ice,

But if that is Freedom’s price,

We don’t mind.

How about those years of lynchings

And the shot in Evers’ back?

Did you say it wasn’t proper,

Did you stand upon the track?

You were quiet just like mice,

Now you say we aren’t nice,

And if that is Freedom’s price,

We don’t mind.

It isn’t nice to block the doorway,

It isn’t nice to go to jail,

There are nicer ways to do it

But the nice ways always fail.

It isn’t nice, it isn’t nice,

But thanks for your advice,

Cause if that is Freedom’s price,

We don’t mind.

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Two weeks ago my wife found a lump on my breast that we now know is breast cancer. Rare in men but as with all rare things when you have it you have it. So, I now understand first hand that I don’t want sympathy or even empathy. What I want is for the exterior parts of my life which now includes medical care to be efficient, honest, clear and complete. Which is why I find today’s letter concerning.

These facts that she has laid out today have been as obvious as paint on the wall since well before the election. There is no doubt about what is going on. Are we really still trying to drag out selves out of denial? I haven’t read into the comments today and probably won’t. I just don’t have, what is the word, it is something like desire to swim in the opinions. I’m not looking up my lab work as it appears in my chart either. Is that denial or just the knowledge that it doesn’t matter at the moment? After all the cancer isn’t going to disappear because of a blood test.

I do grant that HCR is a historian and a really good one who helps relate the past to the present but this seldom extrapolates to actions in the future. It is reassuring to me that the treatment protocols for breast cancer are pretty well figured out. We are not speculating about what to do. There are facts to obtain and they will lay out the path. If I follow that path the future falls into known probabilities. I may not have good luck and may experience the short side of the odds but it isn’t obscure or prone to debate.

The future of our country is also pretty clear and really doesn’t need debate either. If the republicans get their way decision making will remain short term and motivated by corporate money men. Politicians will be bought and sold. People will be considered and treated as commodities. Infrastructure will be maintained at just the level to maximize quarterly profits. Jobs will be structured to produce wall street gains in the next quarter. We will see the philanthropic efforts of the very wealthy as efforts to improve the human lot and eventually the world will likely experience another large war as the oligarchs vie for yet more. Eventually, genetic tailoring will come out of crisper research and it will be used to tailor workers for specific tasks. This will be required to get a job. Food, water, oxygen, living space, education, will all become products sold at market rates.

What is standing at this cross roads is not The For The People Act. It is written and it is an agreed upon starting point toward changing the future the Republicans are working towards. This war could have been fought at the state level but our predecessors ignored this war for too long. To fight it state by state now means to confront the local effect of big money and that is a loosing fight.

So, what is standing at this cross roads are two Democratic senators who are making their name by holding hostage the future that the majority of Americans want. And, dare I say it, a president who is still hoping, frankly I’m not sure what. Perhaps he has a deep plan but I can’t imagine why this plan would need to be held close to the vest (yes like a hand playing cards).

Discussing my cancer with my loved ones, my children and friends has made me both impatient and resigned. Freedom in medicine declined on my watch as corporate profiteers took over and my colleagues thought only of the next patient waiting. Freedom in America has become freedom for the rich to become richer while using roads, airports, bridges, power systems, communication platforms that they didn’t invent, pay for or feel any responsibility to maintain. Freedom has become that of corporate executives to live in three month increments and feel confident that if it all goes to pot they will just take their golden parachute and buy a yacht.

Two Democratic Senators and the will of the president. The desire of the majority of Americans is clear.

One wonders why I would post this. It won’t change the facts. People will comment perhaps. Some won’t like what I have said, too simplistic, too harsh, what ever.

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You speak the truth Patrick. A cancer diagnosis has a clarifying effect on one’s priorities. Bulls**t becomes intolerable.

Find doctors you trust and gather your loved ones around. Look for joy, even in the wreckage. It’s the essential light in our darkest days.

May you find healing at all levels.

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Patrick, I am glad that you decided to join us today. Is 'join' not exactly the right word? We will want to know how you feel, your relationship with the cancer, including its prognosis.

Yes, I'm sure there are other subscribers who know what has been going on with our body politic for a long time. Many of us return to Reagan often and to slavery before that. The country's near future, over the next few years, is not clear. It is a relief to think that Biden knows exactly what's going on. Most of the entertainment business, scientific community, teachers, journalists, artists, writers, etc., and a majority of Americans are not on the other side. My hunch is that much of Silicon Valley and other big businesses are not on the other side, either. It is wise for the administration to focus on the people in order to win a consensus about what is most necessary for us.

I look forward to your observations as we fight on.

Salud!

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Lots of good points here Fern. Thank you.

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Neither simplistic nor too harsh. Thanks for writing a clear prognosis on what is happening in this politic. HCR connects dot in time past. We hopefully are challenged to cede the past and address what is obvious as you clearly present it. As you and some of us discovered, certain events make us brilliantly aware and appreciative of the finiteness of time and the necessity to do now, to complete, to act, to be, and to be lovingly true. As a hopeful octogenarian-to-be, I share such concerns for the children who come behind and deserve the democracy we thought possible in the first six or seven decades of our lives. I hope you keep writing, help us (and your grandchildren) to commit our energies to these challenges. I hope to see some of the changes we hope for in my lifetime.

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Fred, Well said....thank you!

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I appreciate your thoughtful commentary and the grace with which you are facing your current circumstances. All the best to you and your family as you go through treatment - holding good thoughts for a great outcome.

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I so agree with you, that the Ds forgot the importance of the states a few elections ago. Just like they failed to notice that Rs were overtaking local boards and commissions before that. The Ds seem unable to quite pull it off, as if they were disabled in someway from effective organization. Were it not for the leadership skills of the likes of Stacy Abrams, it's hard to imagine where the country would be right now, but there is the smell of napalm in air and a terrible war is going on in the midst of a massive climate crisis.

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Let's forget the napalm for now, otherwise, we are in 100% agreement. I would also add a bucket full more to the great Stacy Abrams, but this is not the time to bicker.

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Napalm is a metaphor for the acrid, oppressive, pollution in our electoral system.

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If you insist. I still remember Viet Nam. 'The U.S. military's use of napalm in Vietnam triggered widespread student protests, some aimed at the manufacturer, The Dow Chemical Company. Napalm had been used before, most notably in the incendiary bombs that devastated large swaths of Japanese cities during World War II, including some 60 percent of Tokyo.' (PBS, Napalm and The Dow Chemical Company )

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We children of Dow Chemical employees took to the streets in protest, and tried, often in vain, to convince our parents that Napalm and Agent Orange must be banned. They said it paid for our college.

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MaryPat, When I see the word, I see color, so inhuman. How difficult for the children of Dow's employees, those who knew. Let's skip to Sunday. I hope that you have a beautiful day, MaryPat.

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I do understand the history, and I think the current times are more like "napalm" in the blistering destructiveness of the politics and the horrifying capacity to bring democracy to its knees. Unfortunately, it takes burning children, the orange flames in the jungles and the villages on fire to get a robust protest going.

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powerful and true-true.

Health care has pretty much become 'the healthcare industry' driven by profit-taking;

likewise with politics, cynical may well be realistic.

Your voice is a treasure in this conversation. I wish you fortitude and joy on this challenging journey. Don't take any crap!

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Patrick, my only comment is to wish you well and hope and pray that you are successful in your health battle. Please remember the love and well wishes from your family and your friends here.

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Given your diagnosis, I think marshalling your strength to fight the good fight for your health should be far more important than "swimming" here in the comments. (I like that choice of words, btw.) Take care of yourself. Your voice is important.

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First, being in a family where chronic illness and disability is somewhat the norm, I do feel for you (whether you want it or not). Stay strong and optimistic. I don't know enough about American politics, but it certainly feels that all is not well at the moment. It is important to keep highlighting the negative, the corrupt and the greedy, but also, like you to keep optimistic too. And I certainly hope that we never stoop to the Brave New World of selective breeding for specific tasks. One hopes that CRISPR can be used for better things than that.

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In fact, researchers are using CRISPR to study the growth of cancer cells in search for cure or prevention.

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.... and that is as it should be!

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HCR is far to kind to the two "Democratic" senators who are doing Mitch McConnell's job for him. They intend for whatever reason to throw the 2022 election to the Republicans and the 2024 presidential election to Trump. Moderate Democrats are responsible for the past 40 years as much as are Republicans.

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Patrick Munson, the protocol will save you or it will not. Melanoma arrived summer 1974. Nasty surgery. Left axilla excised. 18 inches. Then BCG monthly for 24. Four penetrations proximate to lymph node clusters. Sick for a few days. Swelling. Each area penetrated 36 times in a 1 inch square. Bleeding. Absorbed the BCG. 973.379.4446 to discuss. Have had a few. Parotid excised. A skin cancer that killed a brother by getting to his lungs. Squamous cell. Mine was skin. A brain tumor sitting in my 8th cranial. Kills hearing. Used FSR 2,000 RAD. Shrunk from 6mm to 4mm. So, it’s malignancy. Lots of lung out there. Breast? My dad had it, 1960. Excised. Died 1979 of other things 4/78. Jimmy Carter had melanoma. Walter Reade. All sorts od games. If able, go there. Anytime. Sandy

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Hi Patrick. In the name of wanting the exterior parts of your life to be “efficient, honest, clear and complete,” I sense that as a physician, you see that you might know too much about the interior part of your body and the healthcare industry. From friends and family experiencing cancer, the support groups are an unmatched value for sharing lived experience of symptoms, treatments, providers, and community, both for the person with cancer and their family. You get feedback very different from the medical community which is shaped by lawyers’ input on full disclosure of worst possible outcomes to avoid lawsuits. The support groups are a broader level of healthcare—about care, not industry. With this new reality in your life, and its implications for loss, you and your family will be cycling among the various Kübler-Ross phases. Wishing you wellness in the deepest sense of the word.

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Patrick - all the best to you as you fight the breast. cancer. The rest of us will fight our country's political cancer.

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Orwell saw the likes of Trump coming. His timing was off by a bit.

“Now I will tell you the answer to my question. It is this.

The Party seeks power entirely for its own sake. We are not interested in the good of others; we are interested solely in power, pure power. What pure power means you will understand presently. We are different from the oligarchies of the past in that we know what we are doing. All the others, even those who resembled ourselves, were cowards and hypocrites. The German Nazis and the Russian Communists came very close to us in their methods, but they never had the courage to recognize their own motives. They pretended, perhaps they even believed, that they had seized power unwillingly and for a limited time, and that just around the corner there lay a paradise where human beings would be free and equal. We are not like that. We know that no one ever seizes power with the intention of relinquishing it. Power is not a means; it is an end. One does not establish a dictatorship in order to safeguard a revolution; one makes the revolution in order to establish the dictatorship. The object of persecution is persecution. The object of torture is torture. The object of power is power. Now you begin to understand me.”

― George Orwell, 1984

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First Heather’s letter and now Orwell’s quote. It’s nearly too much to bear.

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Thank you for posting this. I've shared the Orwell quote.

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An American political party is “undermining democracy”, that should hit u hard, right in the chest, so hard that you have to sit down.

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So hard I sometimes have trouble getting up.

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Please keep getting up. We need all of us.

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The tide slowly turning. The Rs don’t want to know it. Screaming toddlers.

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🙏🙏🙏

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It has and it does.

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Here's a question: has anybody approached the FCC to contest the classification of Fox News' license as appropriately classified as "entertainment," given that it broadcasts "news" in a news format 100% of the time? At least subject them to slander and libel suits in the same way other news outlets are.

I agree with most of this letter. I do think, however, that it is naive to think that dt is in it "just for the fight." He is in it to seize power, as the letter does suggest, and if he succeeds, or the R party regains power with him in control of it, we are in serious trouble. dt&co or his ilk in power will mean early and quicker moves toward fascism, they are now familiar with the ropes, and the White Supremacists are "standing down" but standing by.

The voting rights bills are as or more important as anything before Congress -- but Manchin stands in the way, as well as the infrastructure and family leave legislation -- and the minimum wage hike.

But as more imperative as anything is a major campaign to hold on to Congress in 2022 -- starting yesterday.

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Don’t forget the money. Power for Putin. Then the money will flow for him...

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I'm not so sure Putin hasn't cut his losses with Trump. Putin is after chaos more than he is control and has always regarded Trump as a useful idiot. Putin is many things, but he is not a fool. He is more capable than the Republican leadership of seeing that continued association with Trump may be toxic. Of course, we can't ever be sure what Putin is thinking, but this seems the most likely to me.

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If it helps destabilize the west, Putin’s all for it. He can not elevate Russia, so the goal is to bring everyone else down to their level. Their level of lies, conspiracy’s, oppression, oligarchy, kleptocracy, authoritarianism,

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You are so right... what a pathetic mission for a leader?!

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Seems to be sowing chaos ad lib. Right up his alley. iDJT continues to be a useful idiot, IMHO.

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Interesting....

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Yes! Powell and Carlson have both used the NOT NEWS defense. (and now the 1/6 terrorist's defense) Time to STOP that lie spewing crap from being pumped into homes 24/7!! Need to put a stop to them trying to have it both ways. Either it is or it isn't!!!

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Yes. the question is if any lawyer or organization is prepared to challenge their classification before the FCC?

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I'd love to know more. I tried looking for what standards the FCC might have and found this: "The FCC may act only when it has received documented evidence, such as testimony from persons who have direct personal knowledge of an intentional falsification of the news. Without such documented evidence, the FCC generally cannot intervene." Not being of a lawyerly mind I have little real knowledge of what "documented evidence" would be needed to prove "intentional falsification" but my guess is that these recent court testimonies might build some groundwork? Dominican has more than their fair share of legal/$ battles but could have grounds? If you are familiar with any good analysis on such a possibility I would love to read it. I wonder if immense public pressure on the FCC could matter?

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Also there was this: "Broadcasting false information that causes substantial 'public harm'

The FCC prohibits broadcasting false information about a crime or a catastrophe if the broadcaster knows the information is false and will cause substantial "public harm" if aired.

FCC rules specifically say that the "public harm must begin immediately, and cause direct and actual damage to property or to the health or safety of the general public, or diversion of law enforcement or other public health and safety authorities from their duties."

Would be nice if the harm done on 1/6 could successfully be linked to Fox News spewing of the Big Lie

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Russell Meyerjust now

The most accurate and upsetting of HCR's columns, I wonder if the majority of Democratic Senators and Representatives are aware of the scope of this GOP plan. Certainly McConnel is. Too, I wonder if Joe Manchin will continue to obstruct, delay and dangerously impede the progress of both Biden's initiatives and strategies to achieve them — perhaps until it is too late to remedy his obstruction. I fear Mr. Manchin is unaware of the gravity — and certainly has no grasp of the scope — of the GOPs political strategy; their silent insurrection. They have loaded lies and rationales for those lies into a Trojan Horse of Election Integrity and Patriotism, and drawn it into the vulnerable fortress of our democracy. Its contents, in the form of their activist politicians and media, have already spilled out and polluted our national dialogue. Can Biden stem this incursion; can he draw together the collective Democratic power, including the simplistic, naive (my kindest attribution) Mr. Manchon, to defeat this political insurrection by any political means necessary?

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I disagree about Manchin. I think he is 100% aware of the risks and consequences and is willing to give over the country to insurrectionists in order to keep his job. In other words, he is not an idiot but a coward. I think your construction is far too kind.

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The politics of expediency. Do only what is momentarily popular. That is all. Manchin knows what he is doing.

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100% in agreement! He does know what he is doing.

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Interesting; you sound as though you know more about him than I. My take on him derives from how shallow he sounds in interviews — superficial to the point of seeming naive; but I can certainly accept the point of view of someone who more closely monitored his voting record than I; and cowardice and talking-point camouflage for cowardice are as effectively corrosive as purposeful villainy.

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We also have to bear in mind that, were it not for our slender majority, we wouldn't even know who he is. He is a centrist nonentity who just happens to have stumbled into the center of a constitutional crisis.

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A position from which he can manipulate the whole for the betterment of West Virginia, and for his own precarious office as a Democrat in a Republican state.

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Precisely, though I wish he would make clear what he wants in exchange for his vote. Time is running out. If his intent is to hold HR1 hostage, he should get on with the negotiation of a ransom.

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I would disagree about Manchin--he knows what he is doing and seems to enjoy it. Inflated ego. Bad in politics.

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Boy, this was a depressing read first thing in the morning. If Marc Elias doesn’t win his lawsuits against the states that have passed voter suppression laws, this country is toast.

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I, too, have often thought we might soon be toast, but every time I have breakfast I am reminded that toast is temporary. I believe if it comes down to a food fight, we will eat their lunch. There will be life - even intelligent life - after Trump.

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I cling to your crumbs..

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Precisely!

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No egg on your face.

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Only sometimes.

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Given that Leonard Leo and McTurtle and their crew have corrupted the Justice system, Marc may not be able to win his cases.

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On the other hand, several R-appointed judges, even judges appointed by TFG, have ruled honestly on cases, for example, see many of the 60+ cases filed by TFG's people.

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I met one of the candidates for supreme Court Judge when Kavanaugh was in the running. He is a Republican judge in Indiana. I found him to be a most caring, insightful, genuine, humble and reasonable person. New to my best friend's neighborhood, he had brought his own "famous" homemade pecan pie for her. She was in the advanced stages of multiple sclerosis, then, but he looked past the contractures and wheel chair and saw and talked to her. I tear up remembering it, and cry because that evil sonofabitch Kavanaugh got the position instead.

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HCR's last sentence is also a punchline, "Faced with the prospect of voters rejecting their economic policies, Republican leaders are undermining democracy."

The jobs report is one of those events that the "experts" have massaged way too much. First, they are deciding suddenly that the jobs this month were the old jobs simply being restored and not to be counted as new jobs. Second, as Stephanie Ruhle said on MSNBC, replying to closet Reaganites on Morning Joe that many of the people refusing work went to Amazon and Walmart warehouse starting at $15 or $16 an hour with benefits and are not inclined to return to the restaurant to a $2.13 an hour server job. They are not Reagan's welfare queen lounging at home.

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Plus how significant is one month worth of data? The stock market shrugged it off and closed at record highs.

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Exactly. I’m so disgusted with these “financial talking heads” who know nothing about real life in the work force.

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I also heard that report yesterday. I am glad so many found better wages. And better schedules. We may pay more when we eat out once the service industry raises wages. That is fine. And fair.

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Thank you Heather.

As I have stated before, we are witnessing the take over of Democracy by the few, not the will of the majority. I have absolutely no faith that this Country will remain in its intended form within a very short time. As much as I despise the GQP and everything it currently represents, we are no match for their long game tactics. It's high time for those wearing rose colored glasses to remove them to see what is happening every single day, right before our eyes.

The reality is that Biden is merely a distraction to what is to hit, very hard at our doorsteps. We are not going to like it.

Be safe, be well.

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Sadly, that's my take, too. The good news is that the worse it gets, the stronger the reaction from the other side (i.e., us). And young people are going to have none of this BS. The pendulum will swing. Unfortunately, it will take a long, long time.

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Well, according to astrologers we are in the midst of America’s Pluto return and some call it the American Revolution 2.0. It could go either way, of course..My hope is that it doesn’t take a long, long time, and that the principles upon which this country was founded, however confused (equality vs slavery/discrimination) will resolve to be the more enlightened version of those principles.

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I hope so, too.

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Reid, spot on.

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I see violence in the near, and not sure what comes after that.

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A very frightening and disheartening time in our country.

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