Two snapshots today illustrate the difference between the economic—and therefore the societal—visions of the Biden-Harris administration and of the incoming Trump administration.
When you look at the facts as you have eloquently presented Heather it is a wonder why everyone ran from Biden instead of promoting the accomplishments. The Democratic Party cannot exist without a total war mentality about the truth. Having said that we have much to do.
Agree! This is great news about the achievements of the Biden-Harris administration, but why are we hearing about these triumphs now? It would have been better if the current administration had taken more victory laps along the way to tout its impressive accomplishments.
We're in agreement, but Biden, Harris, every member of Biden's cabinet, and other leaders in the Biden administration could and should have been shouting from the mountaintops about all of these accomplishments over the past 4 years.
I posted several comments with similar points of how the Democrats seemed not able to communicate 'good news' coming out of the Administration. As well, where were the Governors and business executives who were recipients of some of the capital that was released to start new businesses or expand existing businesses. It's a little late now for the Harris campaign to have that kind of news be publicized.
That is because they don't own the platforms that people listen to. See article by Aaron Roper's Public Notice Substack discussing where people get their information from and how they voted. If it was owned by Trump friendly oligarch this message was not going to go to anyone. See X, TikTok (we know Trump cozied up to them) and what about Reddit. Do you think that is a forum that would have amplified Biden's accomplishments or amplified disinformation about Biden and Harris? Oligarchic ownership includes the corporate and most social media. https://www.publicnotice.co/p/how-tiktok-x-helped-trump-beat-harris-2024
So, one thing is to not support these media.
My contractor here in Germany said, Musk paid 5 mil to buy Trump the election, and now he is going to make billions off of government contracts. The details of his information are not correct, but his basic premise is. And, here is Prof. Timothy Snyder telling us that by selling out Trump is now owned by Putin, who is owned by Jinping, which means Trump and we are now going to be owned by Jinping too in an analogy he calls The Submission Chain.
This is not what the Republican Hawks thought they were doing when supporting Trump and who will get this information to them? I mean, what do they know? They also get their news from the disinformation machine.
Now I am just hoping that the DOD and the Intelligence Community do not cotton to Trump's humiliation of them by his picks for DOD and Intelligence Community leaders and take matters into their own hands and refuse this leaderships command as it defies the constitution they swore to defend.
I've looked into every cabinet in my home, even the one that contains little stuffed cows, ceramic cows, wooden cows, and they all look more promising than what's in Trump's proposed Cabinet.
Or did they just not care? Are they more concerned about their wealth and power than the American people? In this media environment it is impossible to know what anyone believes. Except maybe Sanders and Warren. Their messages have been consistently clear for decades.
I understand what you are saying. All I was trying to say was that purchasing ads, even in ‘unfriendly’ media sources might have been insightful even to those who supported Trump but were unaware of the Biden funded projects.
It's never too late. Once the economy goes to shite, the Magats will be blaming the former, Democratic government. Shouting from the rooftops now about those achievements, means average Joe's will have something to compare their unexpected losses to.
Exactly and I have my response ready for them. I’m so over their lies and “I’m the victim” nonsense that I’m going to fact check them on every syllable that comes out of their mouth ~ and being a “Basement Dweller” isn’t and excuse.
Every time I turned on the radio and the news I heard about grocery prices—but about the higher wages, booming markets, high jobs reports, slackening g interest rates. They would get the occasional blurb but mostly it was very negative. Sooo frustrating to try to explain to folks that the only party interested in consumer protections and price gouging/monopoly-curbing that cause those higher prices, was the Dems.
Hate to point this out but Biden did almost nothing to stop the massive price increases at the grocery store. I don't think it was even on his radar. I bet he hasn't BEEN in a grocery store since he was in the Senate if then.
Biden and then Harris IGNORED the biggest problem facing Americans and all the so called real benefits didn't even move the needle. Trump didn't win this election, we lost it plain and simple.
It’s because “good news” takes intelligence to process and a brain to remember, which can sometimes fail to resonate longterm. Fear and hate hit at an emotional level, making them far more effective at sticking in one’s gut- feelings. This election was won on emotions; logic and facts didn’t stand a chance. They rarely do nowadays.
Online reporting would have been skewed as bots were controlling online reportage. Intelligent Americans believe the bots which is a large part of why Trump was elected. People were prepared to believe him.
And now they elected someone not only older than Biden was when he took office but also demonstrably, historically incapable of working within the Constitution.
Mark, maybe they could have if there had been a state-media to report what the “leader” is doing….they actually were sharing the information, only it wasn’t click-bait sexy as the *squirrel!!* offerings, ahem, elsewhere—weird & crazy & “out there” sells. True that they weren’t out there banging the drums & cymbals to announce/alert us, but instead had their heads down focused on the job. Personally I am kinda tired of our leaders needing a publicity agent to progress….to me this means we aren’t paying attention. Oh, never mind….we really aren’t, are we?
At least we don’t have InfoWars. It was sold yesterday. Not that I don’t think Alex Jones won’t show up somewhere else. His big mouth was costly. Just like Rudy.
How many millions were paid to broadcast television and cable stations across the country? What was the content of those messages? EVERY one that I saw was to denigrate Trump and extol Harris. NONE of them focused on the government support of new and existing businesses. Biden and Harris spoke about the new chip manufacturing businesses but I saw no ads about that one topic. How many others could have been paid ads in the line of the basic political ads that were purchased?
Drives me crazy that people keep saying Biden and Harris didn't shout their accomplishments loud enough. They did. Media refused to cover it. Trump followers just yelled back 'fake news!'. Let's stop with the assumption the Democrats did this wrong.
Respectfully, Buttigieg had been doing that over and over, but you'd never hear it on mainstream media. I have seen many great interviews and clips, but they would only appear on YouTube channels, such as Brian Tyler Cohen's.
People schooled to be systematically without humanities are correctly said to be humanly out of touch.
People who are schooled to be sucked into the standardized testing group and linear conceits can be correctly said to be wonk, abstracted, unit-by-unit fixated, and grouped.
Shouting in which medium that would have been heard by the people inundated with disinformation on the platforms they use which the oligarchs owning Trump own too.
While I can agree with you, it is also our 4th estate that let America down. The CONServatives have no shame in using the bully pulpit for promotion whereas the liberals take the constrained approach to allow the 4th estate to do the job. Remember the first trump admin and how they had their press conferences covered so intensely by the media? The last 4 years - hardly a pep. I believe there were 2 things at works 2017-21 1.media was looking for click bait and knew they would get some and 2. the pressure from the executive branch to cover them (bully pulpit).
I do remember constant coverage of Trump press conferences (while they happened), and I didn't recall seeing coverage of a single Biden/Harris one. Anybody know why? Did they happen? Where they covered? Was it just that Biden wasn't doing insane things like recommending inhaling bleach, so they didn't get covered?
Thus nothing human to say, no human perspectives. The press has no interest in hearing more of the wonk they had to hear in college (also totally dehumanized).
MAGA? They love fantasy. Love the wildest lies and distortions as to what human beings are capable of, how low can the vulgar go, how totally can Congress critters keep sucking up to the rich as does the Clarence court, how glimpses of U.S. dark money keep appearing detective-rag-style in alliance with all Trump's fellow dictators, oligarchs and assorted sordid religious nationalists?
In stead of waiting for the election, they should have been buying air time during football season and airing commercials about their achievements. Can you say Progressive or State Farm Insurance ~ Like a good neighbor!
You beat me to it Aslo. It is not that the administration was not reporting on progress it was the constant equating the economy to the price of eggs. Since deregulation the government has very little control on corporate greed which is why eggs cost so much. But no one seemed to care about clarifying that element of economy. Believe me the corporate world was happy with their ability to make absurd profits.
And do not forget the millions of chickens slaughtered due to the bird flu spreading through the coops. Iowa had a lot of this and our egg prices jumped then came down and are now back up due to another outbreak.
Yeah but saying "there isn't anything we can do about it" when you are in charge is pretty f**king lame IMHO. That's why we got booted out because we couldn't/ wouldn't do anything about it. Biden just wanted to give students bailouts from their college loans but wouldn't do anything to solve the grocery bill problem. Do you think THAT helped us?
Fact is people choose leaders to solve problems. THEIR problems. And if you don't at least give the appearance of solving the problem or even trying, don't expect to be reelected.
First of all, anyone believing Trump’s promises is in living a fantasy world. His ‘beautiful’ tariffs are going to make the current problem even worse. His understanding of economics is at the same level as those who thought electing him was going to solve whatever financial problems they felt they had. His claims of concern for them are the biggest con job ever pulled off by an American president.
Lol at least I don't live in Florida. Get your head out of the sand before you are buried in it. If you want to have an intelligent discussion use your brain instead of spouting nonsense and calling names. Such amateur behavior is unworthy of anyone who has a serious interest in politics.
Good point. Perhaps this monopoly control should have been a major target. CONServative love free market and calling their hand on the lack of competition in the food industry could have put them in a very difficult position.
Unfortunately, main stream media reported more on Trump than Biden and Harris. MSNBC for example gave more free airtime to Trump the first time around, and they did the same this cycle even though the news was negative. Bad news and scandal mean more clicks and a greater audience and more income. They never even came close to spending as much time in the good news about policy coming out of the Biden White House. The only hope we have going forward is if enough of our legislators are brave enough and self interested enough to be a firewall to stop the Trump presidency from its worst excesses. I
Agree -- The NYT and WaPo looked at Harris through a strong lens and their article headlines were critical - even if the body of the article was more balanced. They completely passed over Trump's many lies and insults, thus normalizing them.
For chump, there is no such thing as negative news. Well, there is, but he can bury it, spin it, deny it, and turn it upside down with a little help from the likes of Rupert and Muskrat.
I am so angry, sad, tired, and scared. So many able body uninformed people sat this out, did nothing to learn what was going on. I blame the media and successful disinformation campaigns. We shoulda won this.
I hope we don't start turning against each other with this Monday morning quarterbacking.
Calling nonsense on this one, sorry. I watch MSNBC religiously and there was PLENTY of coverage of Harris campaign and Biden's before. The trouble was Biden shouldn't have even been in the race and all of HIS publicity was negative. In fact everyone on our side said the media treated him unfairly (I do not agree, his cognitive issues were critical and of anything they have him a pass for WAY too long).
And Harris got huge amounts of positive publicity BUT SHE NEVER ADDRESSED THE ECONOMIC PROBLEMS THE VAST MAJORITY OF AMERICANS FELT THEY WERE FACING!
Sorry I get very emphatic about this. Harris and Biden failed in the most important aspect of they race... to convince people that they could fix the base level economic problems. Maybe they can't but they needed to address it. Trump sure did and even though we know he actually won't do anything about it he made everyone feel that he would.
I hate to say it but that's not a good excuse. Because in national politics perception is JUST as important (maybe more so) as actual actions.
If a tree falls in an empty forest is there a sound? Who knows. And that it's what spending all your time working on a problem without communicating that is... a tree silently falling in an empty forest.
And that, sad to say, is political failure in a nutshell.
The good news is that cable subscriptions continue to tank with less than 50% of households now subscribing to a cable service.
Hopefully it will get so tough for the cable companies that they will be forced to offer packages that only include the stations that subscribers watch. In other words, no FOX or Newsmax or the Catholic Channel, etc.
This is quite true. Advertisers are switching to streaming platforms. Cable will soon be used as much as OTA (we use antennas if we want to watch the condescending nonsense from CBS, ABC or NBC).
But Fox and Newsmax are finding their way to streaming platforms rather quickly. It's just another pipeline. The ROKU channel (free) is loaded with whacky stuff.
IMO, we need something more powerful than MSNBC. More shocking. More muckraking. The average American is addicted to sensationalism. Not thoughtful analysis. We need a truth telling entertainment style breaking news every few minutes revelatory ripping apart of the oligarchs and their ownership of everything. We need to make some angry noise. Feed the beast of truth and yes, our own form of retribution. We are being too nice.
Not surprised that Fox gets streaming subscribers. Gary said "no Fox" but that is ridiculous. 75 million people voted for Trump. That's am awful lot of Fox Subscribers. If be more worried about MSNBC than Fox. They aren't going away.
Sorry I call nonsense on that assertion. There were PLENTY of articles in all of the major media as well as on TV show and cable about the accomplishments. The problem was really simple as had been repeatedly pointed out here and elsewhere.
1. Biden was CLEARLY losing his full mental cognition and while he was still able to function, he should have realized this was happening and stepped aside EARLY in the 2024 campaign, certainly well before debate number 1.
2. Once he demonstrated his inability to cope with even an idiot like our next President in debate number 1, he should have immediately stepped aside although at that point out may have already been too late.
His failure to acknowledge his growing inability led to this catastrophe. He wanted to believe that because he had beaten Trump once it would be easy to do it again, but everything said otherwise. The polls, the reception he got at rallies and what should have been his own cognition of what was happening. His staff is also to blame (and his spouse too) as they all saw it but refused to either believe it or acknowledge that it was happening.
Once we got past the GOP convention the writing was on the wall but it so took the Democrats another week to finally accept the inevitable. It also left us in a box with no obvious other choices except Harris.
I hope that we would somehow salvage this election and many wanted to drink the kool aid and believe it would be easy but politics is NEVER easy and the closeness of this election proves that. Add to that the fact that Harris had no real chance to break with the President on issues that might have helped her like Gaza and immigration policies, she was fighting an upstream battle, one she handled admirably and with great dignity but one which she was virtually certain to lose.
All of this DESPITE having one of the most ignorant men to ever run for President as her opponent and despite him being so far out "out of the lines" in his conduct that he resembled a petulant grade schooler not a candidate for a President.
Sorry this is NOT the fault of the media. Most of the mainstream media supported Harris or stayed relatively neutral. Even the freaking Wall Street journal which is totally in the pocket of Rupert Murdock challenged Trump's qualification for President.
And the race was REALLY close. 200,000 votes going the other way in the states (WI, MI and PA) less than 1%, and Harris would have won the electoral college and the presidency.
But if you really think this was the fault of the media, you too are drinking the kool aid. Right now we need to be a party of period who can honestly accept reality, not one that needs to find blame elsewhere.
Biden had a great Presidency but he was WAY past his "use by" date for this election, a fact that he ignored and most of the party did too until it was way too late.
I agree that Biden couldn't present himself in the clever and slick manner that a Trump or Newsom can. But his "cognition" and competence NEVER flagged. To this day, he is an example of the finest and most exemplary presidential behavior in my long life. I didn't agree with everything he did in his career. But he has been the finest president in modern history.
Do I wish he had been true to being a transitional president? Yes. Do I wish we had a full primary process? Yes. Do I wish the Democratic Platform had been one of change from the status quo? Yes. Great. How does that help us now?
Slamming Joe Biden at this stage of the game is like blaming Tom Brady for the Patriots screwing up right now.
We need to embrace a new version of populism that is ACTUALLY about radically improving the lives of the 98%. Let's look forward at what is the only way to regain broader popular support. Paint the top 2% of this country the color they really are. Call it class warfare. Call it a bloodless revolution. Hire some clever consultants to package it.
Dems need a fresh package that brings economic justice to every family that works hard and still suffers under the weight of an oppressive and unfair form of lightly regulated capitalism. I'm a retired business person. I think we should be in the business of leveling the playing field. A few years ago the average CEO made 20 times the pay of his average worker. Now he reaps 320 times. That should be campaign juice. The injustice in our current economic structures is epic. Time for some big time change.
Thank you, Bill. My response to Jon is the same. STOP the Biden bashing! You are right, Bill, that Biden's cognition and competence never flagged. People who continue to judge him on the basis of his unfortunate debate performance haven't bothered to listen to anything he has said since. Biden was very ill that night and should have cancelled the debate because of that. That's the one thing that I wish had been different. Since that night, once he got better, he has been very cogent and has continued to work tirelessly every day towards accomplishing his agenda. If each of us read the sub stack, "What did Joe Biden do today?" we all would be amazed at what this man does do. We have got to stop the "what ifs." It doesn't solve anything but demean the President we all supported.
Biden demeaned himself by his own actions. Enough said. He was a great president until he didn't realize his time was over. That is a common problem for Presidents and "heroes" (like Brady) alike. Failure to realize when their time is up.
Sadly all the rest of us are along for the ride.
I'm fine with moving on and not playing the "blame game" as it doesn't solve anything. My only reason for posting is to rebut all the others who want to blame everyone (media, corporations, lying Republicans, etc) EXCEPT the guy who got us here. I just thought someone should point out the truth.
Not that anyone else really cares, you all just want to extol his virtues (of which he had many) and ignore his failings.
It seems to me that it was worse than that - the media and punditocracy effectively told us to shut up. They told us that data about good economic news did nothing to help the poor aggrieved white dude who couldn't pay his rent. We had to listen to that guy's pain and empathize. Jon Stewart got to this in his interview with Heather last week. Heather replied "It's just killing me" that people weren't hearing the message. She said "Biden has been saying this is what I'm doing every day. Literally."
Another question that would be good to ask is how many people still want to keep a democratic republic and/or the Constitution? How many actually voted to get rid of the whole idea of a democracy?
We've heard that right here for at least a year! HCR has not only kept pointing out the amazing things this administration is doing, but has also decried the lack of legacy media coverage over and over. Add that to the stats in today's Letter about which voters read which media, and there's no need to slam progressives for this election. We weren't able to stop the well-funded firehose of disinformation, yes, and we all need to try to figure that out going forward.
Stop blaming the success story, and blame the propaganda masters, cheaters, and clever suits that orchestrated the coup in our own country. Some sitting in the SC of our land. But don’t ignore Putin, he is more behind the scenes than any, and absolutely orgasmic over his success.
See my comment about restrictive voting rights laws. If you have restrictive voting rights laws still on the books in over 20 states that has a huge impact on our ability to win any election. Challenging those laws is where we must start.
Reposting comment on Restrictive Voting Rights Laws here: As of November 2024, at least 29 states have voting restrictions in place. These restrictive laws include limitations on mail-in voting, stricter voter ID requirements, and constraints on ballot collection. Since 2020, around 78 restrictive voting laws have been passed across 30 states, with 63 currently effective this fall. Furthermore, 15 states have also passed laws that may interfere with election administration, impacting the integrity of the election process in some areas.
These restrictions have largely been enacted in Republican-led states, while Democratic-led states have mostly pursued measures to expand voting access, creating a significant national divide in voting legislation practices. This information is based on data and insights from sources like the Brennan Center for Justice and the Voting Rights Lab.
Hi Virginia, thanks for the question. Following you. I would say yes. Folks are mobilizing but we have to choose our battles. I am looking at the data around battlegrounds. First I want to secure my family- question #1- where are we on SS and Medicare policy? Found someone who directs policy for the agency. Want to make sure SS and Medicare are Secure and we have blocked any upcoming legislation from Trump and Co to mess with it. I want to know. Next up how we can protect the vote so putting in a call to the DNC- what can I do? I don’t want to do any of this but as John F Kennedy said “ask not what your Country can do for you, ask what you can do for your Country”. So delving in. And my Country will not be helping me with this incoming Administration.
1) there is an interesting discussion on Simon Rosenburg Substack on how to start battling the info desert that is our social media environment; 2) regarding Mark’s comment on why we weren’t hearing the good stats, we were, but only in our little info bubble: and every time I talked to someone about such things, the response was some version of “yeah but do you know how much I paid for (fill in the blank) this week?” Crearly a lot of people weren’t feeling the love or didn’t know where it was coming from.
Progressives are not to blame for this election but the media is being scapegoated here.
"The buck stops" at Biden's desk. HE is responsible for this debacle despite his terrific performance as President. And pointing fingers anywhere else is just classic Democratic behavior in the face of a loss because "we never do anything wrong!"
Well we did here and we need to stop scapegoating others and start owning our screw ups. This was a massive screw up and the party including its leader own that.
Sadly it will destroy any chance of a great legacy for Biden, one he truly deserves, but people are only going to remember that his own vanity and arrogance led this country possibly to its demise but certainly to a time of awful things to come.
I couldn’t have said it better, Jon. As a non partisan independent-thinking centrist, the Democratic Party has gone (and here I’ll used a term we don’t like using) but we’ve gone woke and woke doesn’t add to a hill of beans. Don’t anyone ask me for specifics because you will only criticize me. All too often we are willing to follow lock step to what the Wizards of Oz says behind the curtains.
Too bad Harris didn't know, and couldn't promote, her administrations successes. Did she have to adjust talking about Joy and fighting? She was never a serious candidate in that regard. Maybe she didn't know the stakes. Painfully disappointing.
I have been hearing about these triumphs all along. That is why I supported Biden and then Harris. In fact, I was in awe of Biden taking on Reaganomics, which I have considered the most backwards thing the US ever did which is destroying the planet. Read Losing Earth: A Recent History by Nathanial Rich.
In it Rich documents how the fossil fuel industry after hearing about global warming was going to switch to investing in other sources of energy, and then Reagan came in and said, don't worry about this thing in the future called global warming because I am going to put in industry insider in oversight of you and let those in the future solve the problem when it occurs. It turns out the best move would have been to go back in time and get rid of Reagan. However, it is too late now, and Trump will just finish off the planet while he is at destroying our lives in other ways.
I also went straight to the source. Instead of listening to DT, I read and discussed The Mandate for Leadership Project 2025 Document together with a Democrats Abroad book club, as well as other related materials. It is why I learned so much about Christian Nationalism, understanding that they are all CNs who wrote this, and in the Heritage Foundation.
So far, there have been no surprises about what Trump is doing, except maybe Prof. Timothy Snyder's slant on the chain of command, and the White House Office. He compares the first using less than signs, and the top is not in the US. The analogy is called The Submission Chain. https://snyder.substack.com/p/the-submission-chain
So all of these useful idiots as they say in spy craft are being groomed by Putin, ultimately for his boss Jinping. That would be us. Let us hope both the DOD and the Intelligence community are both independent enough and skeptical enough not to go along with DT humiliation of them.
Thank you, since my first response disappeared, I’ll just say that you have an excellent grasp on our dilemma. Thank you for your dives into other voices, and to P2025
Which is why I suggested a temporary military coup before it’s too late and the nationalists are put in place. The war is all but lost but one last chance to end this madness with a temporary military takeover. It’s over, rover.
I will hope they have some means of resisting the humiliation and the destruction that is about to ensue, of the centuries of striving to make this great nation.
A little off topic and perhaps too conspiratorial for some. Has anyone read freespeechforfreedom.org article on breaches of the voting system software? It is extremely interesting especially as I am still having a hard time believing the numbers.
No. But the link tells me this site cannot be reached. I have been getting this a lot of late. Perhaps my laptop is compromised. It does not happen with everything, but in the last 2 days there are links that tell me that, or that I have noticed of late. I was wondering what impact Putin calling bomb threats into swing states polling places in strongly democratic districts did for the election. Trump saying he had the votes in hand, made me also worry that they stuffed the ballot boxes with votes from people who do not normally vote, but are registered, but then again, I am hearing that as the vote continues to be counted, the popular vote totals are getting closer and closer and Trump's lead is smaller. I vote from abroad so I know that in some states those votes are not counted until after the rest.
Putin’s paw was on the scale. When muskrat joined up I feared for the worst since he seemed to be on Putin’s side in Ukraine. As is Rupert. No secrets, just lies, spin, and Goebbels favorite “accuse them of what you do.”
This is all nonsense. PLEASE PLEASE stop turning to idiotic conspiracies about voter fraud. Now you are sounding just like Trump. Trump got very few more votes than he did in 2020 and Harris lost 9 MILLION votes from Biden's 2029 total.
If you REALLY think that kind of loss can be caused by voting machine fraud conspiracies, then you are a perfect candidate for someone like Alex Jones.
It is truly idiotic.
This election was lost fair and square. Not a great sign for democracy but that is what it is, and this kind of nonsensical rumor mongering just adds to the pain. If I didn't believe you were a real HCR reader I might think you were a right wing bot designed to just spread more misinformation to try to can the flame of doubt.
I have all the votes I need. You will not need to vote anymore.
Conspiracy theory or not, do not forget these statements.
Fair and square I am not so sure. Bomb threats to democratic leaning voter sites? "Integrity" laws all over the country that targeted the democrats?
Paxton (Texas) publicly admitting he kept Biden from winning Texas in
2020? I am not so sure that there is a fair aspect. As David Pepper writes in his book Laboratories of Autocracy, the state legislatures being lead by republicans are anything but democratic. They have implemented the strategies of the Lewis Powell Memo surgically and successfully. If we are going to reclaim the aspirations of the Founders and Abraham Lincoln, that is where we start. Grassroots up.
Lol as I said elsewhere please grow up. Your immaturity and inability to put forth actual arguments is painful. They suppressed 9 MILLION votes? You really believe that? Go talk to Alex Jones in sure HE has a conspiracy to sell you.
ROTFLMAO. I play politics. It's a dirty game and Trump had made it dirtier. But all of you who are too naive to deal with losing should go home. Your too immature to deal with the realities of politics.
I don't need anymore votes, I have all the votes I need - DJT
I do not think for one moment that he had a fix in the system and knew it. HE is such a coward and he would never have run again if he even had the remotest chance of losing. He almost did as it was.
Taking whatever part of their blame should be everyone’s conscious duty , but the right will only say ‘we won’t make that mistake again’ and project till the cows come home it was the Dems who did the dirty.
The majority of the voting public don’t read anything but fantasy , hype, and headlines from The Enquirer type formats , and the choirs get left to preach to each other.
As said before the proof will plant CHAOS in every living room as Biden’s Fault / how wonderful they are, and Mr and Mrs J.Doe will robot about mouthing the script with glazed over eyes . There may be at first faint objection to the blatant law breaking , but quickly whitewashed & ushered to that ‘ page 7 ‘.
It’s bleak? I told ya so’ will be boxed by the gross as income and the American Dream dies?
TBD
I don’t know what else I/we could have done, but sure hope I’m wrong…like so many told me .
Only a handful said they were sorry voting for TFG-the first time-wondering when/IF/how bad it gets/what goes down before ….’it’s too late’.
Patricia, According to Journal of Democracy, the majority blame lies with the illiberal politicians, not the voters, especially not the ones who did not vote for them.
They say, "It is important to be cautious, however, about attributing the popularity of some backsliding leaders to genuine voter satisfaction based on promises delivered. Most of these leaders manipulate public opinion in various illegitimate ways.... The leaders of almost all twelve backsliders employ substantial control over the media to shape the information space in their favor."
The US is a backsliding democracy, and is one of the ones discussed in the article about Trump's first time in office. They go on to tell us that,
"Overall, however, it was a wide range of factors, not just economic and governance grievances, that led voters in these countries to elect leaders who ended up eroding democracy. These factors include broader sociocultural anxieties, the impressive electoral and narrative skills of some of the leaders in question, specific features of electoral laws, the new fluidity and corruptibility of media environments in many democracies, and the frequent appeal to voters almost everywhere of change for change’s sake."
They summarize by telling us that “This analytic conclusion points to an overarching policy conclusion. The community of public and private organizations working internationally to slow or reverse the tide of democratic backsliding should emphasize bolstering the independence and strength of those institutions that serve as guardrails against antidemocratic encroachments by political figures determined to steamroll countervailing institutions and gain unchecked power. On the side of public institutions, this may include courts, anticorruption bodies, electoral-management bodies, and those parts of local government that have preserved some autonomy from national political control. It may also include work with national parliaments, if that can be done in a way that augments the role of parliament as a check on executive power. On the nongovernmental side, this will often mean support for independent media and independent civic groups that seek to hold power accountable whether by protecting political and civil rights, increasing government accountability, or countering political misinformation and disinformation.”
One of the things that I take from this research is that we have to support Independent Media, and have our own media platforms and then figure out how to use them to give a message to the masses. The Onion getting Info Wars is a start. We need to have our own X and our own TikTok too.
Secondly, we need to be supporting all of the Blue State Governors who re trying to create a safe space in their states. Also, let our leaders know what we want and support those who do that, and target those who don't.
Yes I loved the Blued States Governor Prit?….havent got his name or pronunciation right yet..I think on PBS? Saying much of the ‘promised bs’ - little bs noted ‘…is illegal so we need to uphold the law’ was said with conviction. ThatTFG has gotten away with so much already is grave evidence that -though well intended -might not ( again) hold much water. It all fascinates me still, but a break was forced reprieve after the second baffling win..and I see how conspiracy theories are born, grabbed, and often lifelines for the far too many.
I will read your links..thanks so much , sister in kind. 🫶
Busy day trying to get our condensing boiler hydronic central heating and domestic hot water system repaired. Free time was spent reading the Kindle version of Losing Earth. Appreciate the many references to Roger Revelle, at least up to the late 80's a far as I can tell from skimming ahead before I go to bed.
You are absolutely correct. Unfortunately, major paper editorial members never understood the difference. They kept focusing on the defects of Trump that sold their papers but voters did not care as much. They were more interested in prices of daily goods.
They won’t be so lackadaisical when measles and polio start spreading and America’s neighbours and allies impose vaccination certificates on US travellers.
They did, they got buried by the monied onslaught of Schitt from the from the masters if propaganda. I knew all this. No surprises here so the word was out. The public was hoodwinked and the truth was buried, deliberately and with the goal of winning at all costs. Bannon told us the plan and then Dems were too busy saving our hide to go to war over the BS. They actually thought competence and results mattered. I watched the skewed reporting because our media had insanity to “sane wash.” That’s a good name for it, because here we are pretending that we have a normal transfer of power when it has been a hostile takeover.
Excellent comment on Biden/Harris and their accomplishments. If you are curious you go to WhiteHouse.gov to see all the great things and you feel “seen” and “heard”. That being said we won’t make any progress to defeat MAGA unless we collectively address restrictive voting rights laws. We can’t work against ourselves at the next election. As of November 2024, at least 29 states still have voting restrictions in place. These restrictive laws include limitations on mail-in voting, stricter voter ID requirements, and constraints on ballot collection. Since 2020, around 78 restrictive voting laws have been passed across 30 states, with 63 currently effective this fall. Furthermore, 15 states have also passed laws that may interfere with election administration, impacting the integrity of the election process in some areas.
These restrictions have largely been enacted in Republican-led states, while Democratic-led states have mostly pursued measures to expand voting access, creating a significant national divide in voting legislation practices. This information is based on data and insights from sources like the Brennan Center for Justice and the Voting Rights Lab. So let voting restrictions be Phase 1 of getting our country back.
Heather has reported on these achievements repeatedly - it's the NYT, the WaPo and right wing media who have spun another narrative. The Democrats need to amp up their messaging.
You know that old newspaper cliche - "If it bleeds, it leads"? There was so much blood for voters to wallow in in the Trump campaign. Which story did you click on first - "175,000 new jobs" or "Kirsti Noem Shoots Dog"?
You might get a lot of clicks on, say, "3 year old child climbs 100 foot up chimney to save puppy her dying grandmother gave her!" - but that's the only sort of "good news" most people are interested in. Give me something to rage over, cry over or curdle my blood - and I'll click on it. "Joe Biden fights Reaganomics"? - meh. . .
There was a paper in the UK (very popular among men) called the "News of the World", commonly known as "The Screws of The World", which reported mainly on stories which usually ended "At that point, our reporter excused himself and left. . ." My mother wouldn't have it in the house. If we want to improve our levels of truthful reporting, we need to do the modern day equivalent of banning it from the house. Don't "click." We see a lot of news articles about "Take care of your health!" - well, same applies to our news. We have to take SOME responsibility for making sure unhealthy media sources don't get read.
Mark, I don't believe that Biden's reluctance to self-promote is responsible for many Americans not understanding his accomplishments. After all, he and his administration were constantly working on repairing our government and economy to have time to do so. There was too little attention to his accomplishments by mainstream media, trying to appease the right by pointing out every gaffe that Biden made, and ignoring right-wing corruption, as well as Americans turning in droves to social media, which was churning out falsehoods like a firehose.
I was pretty well informed about Biden's accomplishments, because I did pay attention - to the stock market, the success of maintaining new iterations to the Covid vaccines, the new jobs being created, BI-PARTISAN infrastructure bills miraculously created, and all the rest that Biden created, all well documented right here in Heather's Letters, while the press focused on his stumbles on aircraft stairways. "Sleepy Joe" was on display for all the wrong reasons, and today people are sulking about price gouging that is causing average Americans distress but has nothing to do with inflation. The entire world is facing financial and trade problems, and none of them are Biden's fault, as evidenced by our continued recovery.
Our economy under Biden is the envy of the world, but many of my friends would argue, simply ignoring the facts. Trump has been pushing "drill baby, drill" for years, which in actuality we have been doing during Biden's administration, making us the largest petroleum producer in the world, but the average American is unaware of that. The fault lies in the gullible, lazy citizens who have bought into lies that are the product of our own oligarchs, foreign bad actors, and the puppet-masters controlling Trump, including Elon Musk, using any means, financial or otherwise, to destroy the middle class here and bring our democracy to an end for the benefit of Russia, China, North Korea, Hungary, and others.
I am furious that we are again facing destruction by Trump and his puppeteers because of the willful ignorance of so many Americans. They deserve the likely result of a truly demented, narcissistic, woefully ignorant man-child, but the rest of us do not. Biden, then Harris, could have righted the ship, but American citizens made that much more difficult, if not impossible.
People vote their emotions and not logically. I do believe that social media and the "alternative facts" right-wing MSM had much to do with forming their opinions. That's been going on since Rush Limbaugh. I'm glad to hear about The Onion, and I hope they prevail.
My thoughts exactly. The failure to promote the Biden/Harris achievements is why we are where we are today. A moment of Monday morning quarterbacking here, the Democratic Party needs to learn a new way to communicate with the American people just like us parents needed to learn texting to speak with our kids and sending Venmo emoji instead of birthday cards (I’m still struggling with that one 😉) All of the Biden/Harris achievements are moot in this new Trump era where there are no guardrails. I pray it will only be 4 long years and not a lifetime.
It would've been "Better" if 26% of the free-loaders had gone and voted. Too bad we can't know their names..., not really. We've got more important 'work' to do these next few years to keep things running.
You know Kamala often cited (touted) specific programs she and the entire Biden team passed. But I think you know, too, that one can't talk to people, with people, without some accompanying signs of human respect for them as individuals in their communities.
Citing apt novels, films, songs could make those apt human connections -- but those arts long departed U.S. schools, where the priorities of standardized testing dropped far heavier baggage instead.
So in the campaign it was easy for Dem priorities to reduce to money-dunning and wealthy celebrity-fronting. Nothing human need apply. Let alone working class human.
Phil, you really are missing a humor bone or something. 😓 Sorry for that.
I am WELL AWARE of how much we lost and I've been grieving daily. I just get sick and tired of reading nonsense here from people I should be allies with but who can't think their way out of a paper bag. Sigh...
And I obviously do not dismiss the importance of humanities at all, I just think making it the ONLY focus is rather ludicrous because there is a lot more to this than just the loss of humanities. If i thought you understood that I would be less ascerbic (a word I might say that people who don't understand humanities might not be able to use properly.)
Regrettably, Reagan killed the Fairness Doctrine and tRUmp & social media - with foreign input - have killed the truth! Until Congress restores both we will be a divided electorate.
As HCR said, “…a new study out today from Data for Progress showed that people who paid “a great deal” of attention to political news voted for Vice President Kamala Harris +6, while those who paid “none at all” went +19 for Trump.
That explains it. The educated, I.e. “informed” voted for Harris. The uneducated or “uninformed” voted for Trump.
many educated ENTITLED WHITES chose to be "uninformed" because they didn't like that icky feeling of having their self professed "values" being put to the test. Many others slipped into the Jones/Limbaugh mire by saying "it's just shock radio," and then Trump's, by excusing it as "just locker room talk" and the ever popular "I'm just voting my pocketbook" as if their Red vote doesn't Screw Over Every Woman In their Life Every Single Time. (plus everyone who else who is not an Entitled White Male)
Mike, thanks for this comment. My nephew, who is 35 and identifies as queer and polyamorous is living with us while his partner finishes her Ph.D. dissertation and relocates to wherever she gets assigned is fond of saying "Well, at least I am a white cis male. I can be the figurehead here."
I get the feeling that a lot of "white cis male" presenting and/or passing people are going to find themselves thrust into decision making capacities they did *not* want or realize they were in for. My spouse doesn't realize it yet; part of me is grimly excited for when he needs to come to the doctor with me because I need his "permission" for birth control.
I'd love to see THAT!! What I love about my nephew is that he's 6'2", 290, bearded, and could pass as a MAGAt (until he opened his mouth, which he does. A lot.)
People will put forward any kind of justification to sooth their conscience.
Dealing with cognitive dissonance is a skill that needs to be taught (which is why ethics and philosophy are important classes).
People need to get comfortable handling ideas that initially make them uncomfortable. The first 90 seconds of any reaction is purely emotion; you *cannot* and *must not* make any decisions during that time. People do anyway.
What I'm trying to say is that the emotional maturity of the combined USA is about the same as a sleep-deprived toddler. Maybe an early adolescent if I'm feeling generous.
No rational person would vote for a criminal grifter? Yeah they would.. you can be a rational asshole .. it’s the being an asshole, that is the compelling factor, in this. That’s who voted for this. I hate them
That makes them unreasonable, irrational. In the law, "sustantial evidence test." Substantial evidence means "more than a mere scintilla”. It means such relevant evidence as a reasonable mind might accept as adequate to support a conclusion.
That's getting harder and harder though as people reject experts and scientific studies/articles. The truth is subjective now, which means "relevant" to one is not "relevant" to another.
While one person may describe themselves as "perfectly reasonable", another person may think them "off the walls insane".
I wonder what kind of impact this has on the most common of the judicial system...
Not really. In evidence, most jurisdictions use a variation on Federal Rule 702, (1) the expert be qualified; (2) the testimony address a subject matter on which the factfinder can be assisted by an expert; (3) the testimony be reliable; and (4) the testimony “fit” the facts of the case.
In the federal system, the “Daubert Standard” provides a systematic framework for a trial court judge to assess the reliability and relevance of expert witness testimony before it is presented to a jury. In practice, it usually mesns at least two determinations, one to decide whether the basis is baloney.
Not only are experts subject to peer review, but in practice, cross examination. That's what the media almost always misses. it's pretty obvious when bull is presented.
In my case, I had to "articulate a legitimate reason" for every ruling. I'd always give the parties a chance to explain.... The law establishes a burden of proof. The party asserting a position bears the burden.
I dunno, my family gets taken in by grifters pretty regularly.
Right now it's "health influencers" and discredited scientists with "cancer cures/preventatives sppressed by Big Pharma".
I have read and watched the things they have to try and understand, and I don't get it. These people are *clearly* panhandling for money with their merchandising and capitalizing off people's fear and paranoia, but my family just doesn't see it. They will reject any kind of peer reviewed article opposed to their viewpoint as "bought research" too. It's exhausting.
You expose yourself. Voting for the pied piper is not rational, unfortunately. Support for a person who grifts his own followers is not rational. 90% vote contrary to their own economic and even physical health.
Believe what you want but we lost. In the end there is that which you can't get away from. Sticking your head deep in the sand doesn't change the result.
Fact is that if we accept your hypothesis then there are 75 million irrational people in this country who outvoted those who are rational and either voted for Harris or didn't vote.
What is YOUR "solution"? Keep calling the irrational ones stupid and keep losing? Great path for this country I must say.
Arrogance is a far worse human trait than stupidity. Because the stupid people don't know what they are doing but the smart arrogant ones do.
So go right ahead, keep thinking you are right instead of trying to figure out what we did wrong so we can fix it.
I will not be following your path, it doesn't lead anywhere productive.
IMHO the voters have proven that they are "lumpen." If they ever have a vote again we must target the psyche of visceral idiots who vote against themselves.
I am a retired federal employee. This is deja vu. GWB, made 171 recess appointments (average of 21 per year)..E.G. I worked for DOL when it was anti-labor. Imagine the general counsel of the NLRB who was anti-union. Happens to be my foermer classmate. https://www.everycrsreport.com/reports/RL33310.html#_Toc227635494
IMHO Trump is as interested in stealing the national treasury so he can rival Musk and Bezos as the world's richest man as in sending me to a gulag. I give my proxy to Politicsgirl. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pcep4FNL54w&t=5s
The view from 30,000 feet is that this is a progression of what we did in western Europe after WWII, Iran and Guatamala in 1952-3, and reaction to what Putin thinks we did to the Soviet Union.
BTW all that Heritage 2025 stuff was initiated against people like me by Trump in 2017. SCOTUS piled on in 2023-24.
I *begged* my family to actually research policies from nonpartisan sources before going to vote rather than party voting or emotional voting and they all called me crazy.
One of them, who I know for fact doesn't follow news and was *severely* out of touch with what was going on during the campaigns, called the Democrats "dangerous" and said that the Republican candidate was "always a safer pick". I wanted to scream. They still wouldn't "plug in" to anything to find out what was going on and thought I was being hysterical when I tried to explain the *legitimate* dangers of DT.
A vote is a vote whether it’s an educated one or not. That so many have voted without really understanding what the issues were made the election a crap shoot. Now people who voted without understanding what the issues really were are going to find out what it means to put a deranged imbecile in control of the levers of power of our government. All of the signs that his nominees represent, indicate that he wants to destroy the government that has helped produce the prosperity that the US exhibits today. If you don’t think he’s satanic, look again at his nominees.
When I asked my sister if she’d registered to vote, she said ‘there’s no point’. And when I said to my niece, who’s much more switched on, let’s hope Trump doesn’t get in, she said, He’s not as bad as they say he is.’ Ugh.
All of her percentages are backed up by several sources. What a lot of people fail to realize is that we here are in a very distinct MINORITY, ie we are those who follow politics religiously. The vast majority don't.
This is why I have been saying (like a broken record) that attacks on mainstream media are highly counterproductive because that IS the media that the majority STILL listens to. They need our support, not our attacks. We lost votes with every shed of doubt we raised about the mainstream media. They DID support us mostly yet we shunned them. Pretty poor politics in my humble opinion.
How do we support them? No one in my life is willing to look at or entertain any other media than Fox News or Newsmax or whatever someone happens to say on FB that resonates with them
I mean these questions literally, I am not trying to be sarcastic or caustic. How do we reach these people?
Is it just pressuring current media to fairly and correctly impart information? Is it writing their editors to keep them accountable?
I'm in agreement that a new media source isn't going to fix the inherent problem of bad news sources, especially if people can choose where to get their information, so how do we show that they aren't even getting sound bites of the truth and make them *believe* it?
Let’s face it people cherry picked what they read, and for many there was just resentment and anger and desire for change. There are the pocketbook people who astonishingly felt Trump was a good business man and good for the economy, perhaps a euphemism for sexism and racism. There are the I can’t stand migrants people, maybe more of the same, and there are a bunch of I hate the government and think it is a joke people who are now seeing a very amusing selection of like minded cabinet appointments! I don’t blame the media because people choose what they read/watch/listen to. The question is what to do now because we are going to see the worst things ever and I’m concerned that there will be martial law declared and future voting suspended.
Christopher, for this I blame many so-called progressives who decided he was a corporate or establishment D. I suggested that they ought to be pointing out the good things he has done....his cabinet and judicial selections for one as well as the economic programs. They are just as stubborn as any MAGA about being pure despite the fact that we always go backwards when they vote third party or do not vote. I had one person talk about Not Voting(his caps). And racism, misogyny, and the economy are esoteric. Now two people calling themselves Democratic Socialists did win two seats in very blue areas on the new 12 person Portland cit council. They would never win state wide races with that label unfortunately.
Labeling me and my fellow activists "so-called progressives" shows an incomprehension of what we progressives understand about our fellow citizens compared with the continuing willful blindness of the corporate folks who have been unsuccessfully running the Democratic party into the ground. The Democratic Socialists you criticize, people like Bernie Sanders, connected with voters, but the DNC folks ignored their needs and left Trump free to scoop them up. If we are going to heal as a country, my party first needs to acknowledge that you can't just promote democracy without listening to the people. We didn't give them a seat at the table, and we lost their votes in the election.
Bernie Sanders made it difficult by clearly stating his refusal to work well with others. I was so disappointed when he came out with that and it cha ged the way I thought about what he could accomplish.
The problem is the finger pointing and blaming that creates the inability to work together. Come to one table with ideas and work through them instead of insisting my way or the highway.
Do you have a citation for that? As far as I can remember, Bernie has always worked openly with anyone who will sit down with him. I think that you've got it backwards--it was the Party that refused to include him.
Me too Betsy. I met Bernie at Coffee house in the village of Montclair in the Oakland Hills the day after he gave his "Medicare for All" speech in SF. Bernie looks you right in the face & listens carefully.
The New Deal contained universal health. It was done in by a couple operatives hired by the AMA. Universal health has been on the table continuously since then, but the health industry is mostly against it.
The Democratic Party and Bernie Sanders have collaborated well together on numerous issues for years. The claim that the Party refused to include him stems from the Party’s decision not to let him run as a Democrat. He’s a good man, and an excellent member of Congress, but he is not a Democrat. He’s a Democratic Socialist. Republicans have smeared Democrats for decades by claiming they are Socialists, despite the fact that Democrats have never advocated public ownership of the means of production. Imagine how nominating a Democratic Socialist as the Democratic nominee would be played by Republicans. Bernie wanted to run as a Democrat because he couldn’t be elected as a Democratic Socialist. Should the Party have let Bernie run as a Democrat of convenience, pulling support from people who had worked hard for the party as Democrats for years?
Did Bernie "advocate[ ] public ownership of the means of production"? Citation, please. I think he advocated taxing the rich, providing Medicare for all, and including at the table those whom the Democratic Party didn't have the time or the interest to listen to. As I already said, the MAGAs call any Dem a socialist or a communist, so that's hardly a reason to be afraid of having them call Bernie a socialist..
Bernie did run as a Democrat in the presidential election. Who is refusing to allow him to run as a Democrat? I’m all for his ideas but his methods are ineffective.
I worked in health insurance and was an Air Force nurse, I understand the medical part more than most people.
I also worked for Intuit and have a pretty good idea about how they are the problem with any changes to taxes. No flat tax was lobbied against madly by them and even now they’re stopping free tax filing. The IRS wants us to pay our taxes but they make it as difficult and fee laden as they can.
Bernie has held Vermont for a long time, what happens when he’s gone?
Bernie Sanders fails to acknowledge how Obama's approval of unpopular auto bailout saved auto workers' jobs and the ACA Medicaid Expansion provided affordable insurance to working people who could not get affordable insurance. This saved my friend's life. HCR has documented extensively how Democrats in Congress and Biden administration have supported working people. His constant drumbeat of criticisms is popular with media because media hate Democrats but love "Liberals" who hate Democrats. They get most of the air time. His voice was boosted by "The Squad" on cable and social media.
Constant criticism of Democrats is a business model of the professional political pundit complex. What actual legislation have the critics introduced/shepherded to President's signature?
One more note. Sherrod Brown was one of the the most prominent pro working class champions in the House and Senate. I thought his campaign ads did an excellent job of showcasing his accomplishments (saving workers' pensions and veterans' benefits, cracking down on drug trafficking at the border.) Republican law enforcement officials endorsed him and thanked him for his help. He lost the election to a guy who stole money from his workers and shredded the evidence..
I'm tired of hearing pols and pundits who don't acknowledge how Dems have helped the working class then claim Dems have a "messaging problem". I guess it doesn't matter as long as they can write books/Substacks and host podcasts based on "Dems In Disarray" business model.
Bernie CAMPAIGNED for Hillary. Bernie teamed up with Biden to create good policy that only Manchin & Sinema (turncoat Dems) shot down. Progressives try to work for good policy. Corporate Dems try to convince Repubs they aren’t Progressives.
I am glad that neither of those two are still in the Senate. Sinema is just bat shit crazy and Manchin is a DINO. I am not a corporate D, but am a realist who would like to see many more progressive policies and I realize that may be ver slow work in a democracy like ours which, like it or not, is basically two party. Now I just hope we survive and will actually be able to vote in the future. One thing I am fairly certain of is that we will continue to destroy the planet and its ability to support life even the wealthy who think their money is going to save them.
I hope we can unite, but if people wonder why the message about the good things Biden was doing didn't get out, part of it, at least locally was the dissing of him by local progressives., their label. They clearly did not understand that calling oneself a Democratic Socialist was not a formula for a successful race in most areas. They did change their tune at one point, but I had some disagreements with them and one of them constantly wanted her way or the highway on the Facebook page. One of them also made a friend of ours, who has long been very active in trying to work in land use for example and has given years and most of her energy to fighting the Chamber of Horrors and unending sprawl, so sick that she had to go to the hospital. Not every D was a corporate D even when they did not support Bernie. I know they would have all voted for him if he had been the candidate.
I'm sorry that you had bad experiences with your local socialists, but that's barely anecdote, and definitely not data. Our local DSA group regularly cleans up the beaches on the Cape. They do work that needs to be done.
And why wasn't Bernie the candidat4e? It was because the corporate Ds were too afraid of his being called a socialist and a communist, but that didn't stop the MAGAs from using those labels for Biden and Harris.
It is exactly what I actually experienced and I really don't care if you want to dismiss it. What does "barely" anecdote mean other than an insult. I suggest you look at the election map of Oregon. It is a sea of red with some blue islands where the urban population is. People who label themselves socialists would not do well state wide. How dare you imply that others do not do the work that needs to be done in terms of certain projects. Lots of people do clean up for example and I expect a lot of them are Rs. As for local dictator type i described to you, she did some gutsy things in terms of being present at some right wing, fundie gatherings. She had my full support for that and I even worried about her safety. The words socialism, communism, and Marxism have had negative connotations for a very long time. I can't tell you how many times I tried to explain to people who bought that, what they really were. Had to explain that they were not Nazis and that Marx was accurately describing 19th century industrial England for example. And I can assure that Bernie would have been labeled a socialist and a communist, so it wasn't unrealistic fear. Anything that helped people considered marginal or poor was/is considered socialism and now woke. Historically during the Depression, communism looked very good to many people. Later McCarthy and his sidekick Cohn made life miserable for a lot of people who had embraced it then. A number of European countries can be called socialist. However, their taxes are high and people here do not want to pay taxes sometimes even for essential services. It took three votes to get 24/7 fire and ambulance service in the district where I live which covers a lot of territory. You should have read some of the reasons not to vote for it. I would say they were plain stupid. I live in outside the city of Salem although my area is urban and served by the city in some ways. Many people live here because they do not want to pay taxes in Salem including the progressive D across the street. She is married to a R, so loves to discuss politics when he isn't present. We are anathema to him and he will not be at any gathering where we are present including our neighbors' 50th. Whether she likes it not, however, higher taxes would be necessary for many helpful social programs. Oregonians passed measure 110 a while back which made the possession of small amounts of hard drugs no longer a crime with the promise that users would have lots of help. The latter never emerged. What we got was a lot of open drug use particularly on the streets of Portland. I even think a lot of drug users came here for that reason. Now that has been rescinded, but the mess is large. I will be interested what the new major of Portland who came out of nowhere and the new city council will do. Then they had ranked voting which the local progressives promote. It was so confusing that many people did not vote for mayor or council members. The state wide measure for ranked voting went down. I voted against it because it would prime ground for manipulation by the party of death. Rs. What I am saying is that what looks good on paper and even progressive might be a nightmare in reality.
No, it doesn't. I am not talking about every progressive, but i resent being told for example, as a woman, that misogyny is esoteric. i agree with progressive values, but under the system we have which is, for good or ill, basically a two party system, protest votes like those for Jill not Green Stein, only result in what progressives want to take a step backward. Now many people that I care about are at risk. I am delighted those two people in Portland won, but socialism has been for many years acquired for many people a very negative connotation. I have argued against this view many times. However, as a pragmatic person, I know that people with such a label, at least at this point, are not going to win statewide races. And Biden has done in his term, many good things which progressives should be able to applaud instead of dissing him ad nauseam. I am sorry, but while I like many of Bernie's ideas, I have never liked him. And some of his followers are just plain arrogant and many are on my blocked list. When I was at a meeting of the local county D party, there was an election and two Bernie types were trying to take over. First, they pulled a fast one by one of them resigning as the candidate, but instead nominating a poor young girl who didn't stand a chance and was just being used. Then came the vote and a call for volunteers to count it and one person volunteered who was one of many in that room who had worked for years to make things better for people, not corporations. The Bernie types then implied that she would cheat and the gasp in the room was audible. I will not countenance this kind of insulting behavior. Every person in that room was and many still are if they haven't passed, long time activists, so do not think that you have some kind of monopoly on that label. FYI, I have never donated to the DNC and never will. We did donate to Perez in WA 3 who has some of what you are talking about. I am all for Ds like her. I loathe what corporations do and the Supreme Court decision which decided they were people. And I would have voted for Bernie had he been the candidate and would not have done some kind of protest thing which results in someone like death star winning.
I am not prejudiced, just realistic. I would love to see progressive policies. I read a lot of history, all places and all times and I am very cynical about humankind. I have a loathing of the power elite now and then. And they will always appear no matter what the system. Some people will try to game it.
Good golly, Michele, your prejudices are showing. For someone who "will not countenance this type of insulting behavior," you are fairly liberal with your own insults. When you're writing a tirade, it's maybe best to read it over, for content and for grammar and for spelling, before you post it.
Well, good golly Miss Betsy, I was writing late and sometimes get foiled by autocorrection. I did try to read it over, but i needed to go to bed. I will not countenance that kind of insulting behavior and it was very insulting as are you. As for spelling and grammar, once again, I was writing late and autocorrect sometimes does it thing. FYI, I taught for many years expository writing and I know about spelling and grammar. As for the content, I stand by what I said.
No, they aren't. Roosevelt was wealthy, but he knew he had to do something to help end the depression. His wife and people like Frances Perkins were much more understanding of the needs in many ways.
Just read a quote from Roosevelt explaining that he was not against capitalism, but had to take measures to reverse the Depression to stop us from going communist or fascist. I am not going to look it up for you. I read an excellent bio of Eleanor and came away from it not liking him very much. She was often the push and people like Francis Perkins behind some of the policies.
Dear Betsy...all fine and good, but irrelevant now. The Bear is upon us! Who is going to lead us out of this, because we cannot be the "loyal" or shadow opposition. We must peacefully resist now. It is a completely different situation than 10 days ago.
I have to disagree, Bruce. If we can't honestly diagnose where we went wrong, how are we going to modify our behavior in the future?
But that's it for me for tonight. I'm on the east coast and I have an early meeting tomorrow about how to connect with people of color so that we can work collaboratively in finally making Medicare for All the law of the land in MA.
There are two types of progressives: those like Sanders who understand that the break between educated and “uneducated@ (i.e. not college or graduate school educated) is too large and widening, and that working class people have seen their status and respect plummet and their earnings crater over the past 30 years. Sanders knows it’s impossible to govern a democracy without them and he respects them and asks for their input (not just tell them what they need). He’s been ably mentoring AOC in that direction.
But there’s also a another type of progressive, who is disconnected from the working class on anything from family and children, to gender, patriotism, antisemitism and an obsession with Gaza (as though the millions killed elsewhere or in their own country weren’t as important). Many of these are quite privileged people and show no respect for those who work with their hands, or for the traditional values that many working class or modest middle class people live with. They mock them. These aren’t Sanders progressives and it’s easy (and probably understandable) for the DNC to ignore them. But they have hugely damaged both the Democratic and the progressive brands. I see this from abroad, and it reminds me of the damage Jeremy Corbyn did when he tried to impose the second kind of progressivism along with the first. Even though voters liked many of the social democratic policies he endorsed, they loathed his social and foreign policy (he’s the guy who called Hamas ‘my friends’ and invited their representatives to Parliament!)
It’s one reason I detest the word progressive. It can mean anything people want it to mean.
Social democracy, on the other hand, has a specific meaning.
Yes, it does and that label will not win elections in most places, certainly not in my area. I know a lot of people who are progressive and have worked very hard on a number of issues for years. Some elites are snobs and to me that is foolish. I worked in education and not all the kids needed to go to college. My fav, in my guide group, told me he didn't need no English. Well OK, and I suggested he make use of programs with the local community college. I believe we should support both going to college for some and apprenticeships, etc. for others. I am reasonably well educated and read, but I do not look down on people who work with their hands and have skills that I do not. That is exactly why I like Perez in Washington's third. and donated to her. She is an auto mechanic and also graduate of Reed.
I really don't think Trump "scooped up" many progressives. Look at the totals. Trump's total is almost the same as 4 years ago. He didn't add many new supporters to his total. Harris LOST 9 million of Bidens voters from 2020. THAT is where the election was lost and it should be obvious.
Why? I think a lot of reasons including many that people have mentioned. Racism and misogyny certainly played a part. Misinformation didn't help but I don't think it was all as important as people think.
I do think that Biden and then Harris DID ignore the fact that mainstream America (all of us, not just one side) felt pinched in the wallet and the Dems continued to say everything was great when in fact it wasn't. Sure the stock market is soaring, but who wins there? The lower middle class wage worker? Grocery store prices are through the roof and both Biden and Harris ignored that. I just had to pay $8.00 a pound for basic ground beef (hamburger meat). When and why did THAT happen?
The fact is that while the elite are doing fine, the average folk is getting screwed in the market place and Trump keyed in on that. Of course he isn't going to do anything about it, but the Dems ignored it. And in the end people prefer to hear their problems being addressed and they voted that way.
Just what do you think Biden was going to do about grocery prices outside of actually fixing prices. Grocery corporations were price gouging and I would not be surprised that they did it purposely to help Rs. Also I think it was the child tax credit which helped with poverty among children. Then it went away. There is a book called I think Poverty America. The author said that we could solve all our problems if the wealthy in particular would just pay what they owe.
Also a lot of Ds did not vote. Maybe some of them were progressives as that turkey with Not Voting implied. Or they may have not been able to vote for either because of racism or misogyny. Or voter suppression. Or apathy.
Mostly apathy. There WAS racism, misogyny and voter suppression, there always is to some degree, but that did NOT result in 9 MILLION people who voted for Biden not voting. Those people simply didn't like Harris or wanted Joe to keep running or didn't care at all. In sum, that's apathy.
The problem is apathy is a disaster under our system. Which is why you need to run the candidates most likely to give you a chance to win. The Democratic party somehow managed to figure that out in 2020 but didn't in 2024. Maybe we will figure it out again in 2028... assuming there is an election in 2028.
One of the major differences between the US and Europe is that we are a very large pluralistic country and each faction has different interests and goals politically. Europe consists mostly of smaller countries which are more homogenous, to some degree like our states but not exactly either. So comparing the US to say Austria or even France is really an exercise in futility. The only really good comparison is Russia and of course its history as the USSR and with socialism/ communism (and not a pure form of communism either but rather a weird combination of socialism and totalitarianism ) makes it a very poor comparison.
Things of course change and who knows what we will be like 50 years from now but I don't expect most of us would recognize it.
Rich purple dont want to pay those taxes. Most middle income people pay about the same here as over there. Maybe a little more but they get free health insurance, much better local government. The rich don't see that as an advantage and want to keep their money without any going to the government. A two-class society. Grist for the socialist revolution for decades.
My nephew's wife is from Norway. Her mother is wealthy and is a very nice lady. She was telling me about the amount of tax she pays, but is fine with it because everyone benefits. She does not understand us and my German genealogist does not as well. I had to explain the Electoral College to her the first time. One good thing is that our great nephews have duel citizenship and they can leave if they have to.
We may have a social revolution, but my take on this is that certain people always manage to get to the top and then they take on all the vestiges of the power elite.
Someone further up the thread asked the question, so I answered, so stop berating me for doing that. I see various groups making plans which I do support. I was even glad when Thune won the majority leader position instead of the loathsome ghoul fraudster Scott. We will see if Senate Rs have a spine and a willingness to defend the prerogatives of their institution. I also see a lot of people who are very worried about their investments and finances. Lots of these things are tied to the stock market whether or not people are actually buying stocks. If the economy goes upside down and it might, we will all suffer. And everyone here will pay for tariffs with higher prices. Another thing I see is that women are really scared and many are wondering what they can do to protect themselves and those they love. This includes single mothers, women who have children and/or relatives who are queer, trans, or challenged in some way, people of both sexes same sex marriages. Frankly, as a woman, I view this as a victory for the patriarchy and that does not make me happy at all. To be clear i not talking about the many good men on this blog. Many are thinking about getting bear or pepper spray and/or a gun so that they can be safe from males who think they have carte blanche to own women's bodies and do what they want. Many people are appalled by his choices for positions and what that will mean for most anything in our country including security.
I might also add here that people should understand the role of snitches in Nazi Germany, an atmosphere which might make some people uneasy about actually doing something and catching the attention of those who would gladly shoot them or round them up.
Not surprised. I read a lot about how people are suffering Texas particularly PG women. Need emergency help. We won't unless you are just about dead and then you are. I do wonder if doctors are leaving Texas. I already know which of my immediate neighbors would be a snitch. He is a gun nut and had one out on the end table when we had our very last neighborhood dinner. Probably a message for the big bad Ds across the street. Another neighbor says he manufactures guns and I am sure he does as he is a first rate metal craftsman. We also have a real turkey down at the end of the street who i am sure would also. Several of her immediate neighbors have restraining orders, so they can't do or say anything and they also have one on her. We called someone about the untagged or expired tag cars for them because we are not under such an order. The person who went out said he had been there many time, but that they considered themselves entitled. It did get better, btw.
It is not a wonder if you talk to the people that voted for Trump, or voted for Kamala seeing her as the less of two evils (my nephew) who at 23, is basically not that bothered by Trump. Everyone where he attended college, in Chef school, was horrified by Gaza and did not approve of Biden sending weapons to Israel. He views both Harris and Trump as evil, and does not think Trump stands for anything he says. Naivety of youth. Still, I decided to listen to him instead of just protesting what he was saying and so I got a better picture of the images in the media that have effected him, and also how he heard the words of the candidates. It was clear that he bought into a lot of Trump talking points. This was the kind of selective listening that if amplified in a different family would have led to voting for Trump. Then, I also know people who do not vote. They claim their vote does not count, but on some level I think that they have always been comfortable, and assume they always will be no matter what. Their not voting ties into their generally being conflict averse. Their wives and girlfriends vote, and they are the "nice" guy, but really not so nice because on some level I think they buy into rhetoric that people who suffer somehow brought it upon themselves. I am not even going to point out what they have brought on their wives and children because they think by not voting they have stayed out of it.
The Democratic party needs its own social media platform. I don't know if Blue Sky will do it because it was started by an oligarch. I am suggesting something that is collectively funded by Democrats, and others who support the party. I was thinking a way to attract youth is to forbid it to them and then attract some cool media personalities to it. Taylor Swift and Beyonce would be a catch. For young males, not sure who is out there. It is clear that disinformation, the way it is packaged by the right, sells to young men. The Onion buying Infowas is a start if the Supreme Court lets the sale stand, but we also need a Democratic version of TikTok, and other social media platforms to compete with X.
Owning "the truth" is not helpful if it is not delivered in ways that people hear it. That is what the democrats have to start figuring out now, so that in 2 years they can Reclaim Congress and through that put breaks on SCOTUS and the President.
Elon Musk's Department-Of-Govermental-Efficacy, ( DOGE ), has put out a call for Individuals that have very high I.Q.s, and are willing to work 80+ Hours a Week... DOGE expects to completely turn-over the U.S. Government.... I think that Elon is still Micro-Dosing, and taking Amphetamines... Why am I worried that DJT will find a way to 'Shotgun' DOGE's recommendations?
There is a Segment of Silicon Valley Tech Culture that takes Stimulants such as Ritalin, and Micro-Doses Hallucinations for their Tech Work... Move Fast & Break Things Is Their Motto... Elon Musk's hiring, and work practices at Tesla, and X, are very Darwinist...
By the way, ¿where in the hades-Hell is Veep-elect shady J.D.? 👻
Joyce Vance is on-the-money with her observation that President Trump's proposed rogues' gallery for the Cabinet is meant to test the loyalty of G.O.P. Senators. 🤫
Time for the Republican Senators -- at least, the brave ones -- to respond: "¿F*ck me? Well, ¡fuck you! 🥳
Lastly, ¿should the cost-cutting not be handled through the Government Accountability Office and the Office of Management and Budget rather than be the screen-play of "Revenge of the Nerds Part III: the Final Retribution"? 🔍
Is she as good as she seems? And if so, how could she say such things about her husband: who is described in Wikipedia as being "a Paleoconservative who advocates restrictions on immigration, a reversal of multicultural programs and large-scale demographic changes, the decentralization of federal policy, the restoration of controls on free trade , the adoption of certain economically nationalist measures , and U.S. non-intervention in conflicts involving countries such as Ukraine or Israel . [ 7 ]"
Mrs Vance has the three bees: beauty, brains, and breeding. She is also utterly inscrutable. I often wonder how she stomachs her husband's raw ambition.
Anyone know any novelists from India who've chronicled the conundrum Ned has zeroed in on?
Must be some who've followed ostensibly decent women caught up in another Asian patriarchy. (Japan has Junichiro Tanizaki's "The Makioka Sisters," Miyuki Miyabe's "All She Was Worth," and Natsuo Kirino's "Out.")
“Biden and Harris returned the U.S. to the model that both parties had embraced until 1981: the idea that the government should regulate business, provide a basic social safety net, promote infrastructure, and protect civil rights. That system had reduced extremes of wealth in the U.S. after the Great Depression and given most Americans a path to prosperity. “
I don't think everyone did. I think the election was called too quickly. I think PA needs a hand recount in key districts NOW before the Repo Men take took much ground. And I don't mean for Casey (go Bob!) I mean for the Presidency!
So, Christopher. Who is leading given I agree with "Having said that we have much to do." completely? Who is organizing the passive resistance to what Trump has set in Motion? Where are the people in the streets. I am sick and old, but I will join them. Who is leading?
I’m still wondering where the 10 million votes went. I cannot imagine that the enthusiasm generated by the Harris/Walz campaign ended in “meh, I’m sitting this one out” among Democratic voters. I’m suspicious, I’m very suspicious. I think that mail-in ballots requested vs mail-in ballots returned should be audited to see if something is off there. I’ve read ad-nauseam the analyses of what failed and little of it passes the smell test and most of it could be accounted for by voter suppression or stolen ballots. Someone needs to tell me convincingly what happened to the 10million votes.
Here is an idea that the dems could start in a few months once the immediate aftermath of the election dies back. Start to raise money for both immediate media campaigns and for the 2026 midterms and for the 2028 presidential election. The idea is that the dems have to really present a platform that not only reaffirms those policies outlined in this piece but also details social safety net programs and strong support for workers and unions and safety standards for all the dangerous jobs we fob off on immigrants. NOT JUST ATTACK THE CRAZINESS OF TRUMP POLICIES . The GOP voting public already knows this will be a shit show. They love to see progressives in a dither. Yes call the nutty policies out for what hey are and call out the ultra rich who are directing them. BUT THE DEMS HAVE TO MAKE THE CASE FOR WHAT THEY WILL DO. This will take coordination , determination , and money.
🎶And I think it's going to be a Long time, yes, I think it's going to be Long Long Long Long time, Before the dawn. ... You got to speak out, speak out against madness if you surely want to see the Light of Day🎶
Certainly military benefits are a target. Disabled American Veterans (DAV) has the chops & knows how to operate politically.
There are some heavy hitters around such as ALEXANDER VINDMAN, a retired Army Lt. Colonel was in the hot spotlight when he testified about Trump's effort to extort Ukraine circa 2019.
Alexander's brother, EUGENE VINDMAN just won a tight election in Virginia's 7th House Congressional District. Eugene, a good guy won one!
FYI, the former Dem Congressional Representative from the 7th ABIGAIL SPANBERGER plans to run for Virginia Governor. These folks know how to fight.
I’ve had “The Idiots are taking over” (NoFX) running through my head since last Tuesday. It was originally written about Shrub’s administration, but still fits.
The Dems have always been the ‘nice’ party, then came the internet - screeching about ‘lamestream media’, etc. Now here’s a chance to take the bull (horn) by the horn. The Onion employs great writers - I hope they also have a good plan -
I love this. Such an irony and with the help of those parents. I also saw the Haka (hope this is the word) which Maori members did as a protest to a bill in New Zealand's Parliament and I loved that too even if it is elsewhere.
We had a Māori firefighting unit come and aid with one of our devastating Oregon fires in 2020. After being on the line for 3+ weeks they came in and did one for the US Forest Service.
Various Republican congresspeople have already done that when back in their home state -- taking credit for what they, in fact, voted against in Congress
Which makes me wonder whether they will continue to support these policies - pulling the rug from under the feet of people and businesses would damage them. That might be the best way to embed Biden’s legacy.,
This. 10000%. All the bridges being built, the jobs created. The Dems are not good at being loud. Who will do this? And where are our leaders right now? People are scared. Devastated. Hurt. We are hearing from a few governors but... that's it.
“Biden and Harris returned the U.S. to the model that both parties had embraced until 1981: the idea that the government should regulate business, provide a basic social safety net, promote infrastructure, and protect civil rights. That system had reduced extremes of wealth in the U.S. after the Great Depression and given most Americans a path to prosperity. “
Such a powerful message. Never saw this on TV or the papers
Yup. Obama handed Trump a thriving economy and all DT needed to do was sit on his hands and take the credit. Which he did, for a while, until he wanted to leave his own mark - which was a black one.
These are the people who refused to follow public health guidelines during a pandemic. People who think vaccines cause autism. People who think germs don’t exist. People who think the earth us 6,000 years old. People who think pedophiles operate out of pizza-parlor basements. It is hopelessly delusional to imagine that they will figure out who is responsible for their “bad luck.”
As always, I commend Dr. Richardson for posting yet another provocative and concise brief on national events and for urging rational readers to express their views on the current and the predicted conditions of the Republic. Accordingly, I wish I were looking ahead to peace, progress, and prosperity for our nation; unfortunately, I suspect— indeed, I predict—that the next four years will generate more hate and discontent than at any time since the Great Compromise of 1877.
I am an old man, a product of the (all too) brief leadership of President John F. Kennedy. I’ve seen what the GOP does to this and to other nations all in the name of economic growth and expansion. I’ve seen what those people call “a balancing of national interests.” I’ve seen that their chief political aim is to destroy the Democratic Party.
Sadly, I really don't believe they will regret their votes. We must remember that their ranks consist of millions of low-information voters... those who don't know the truth, those who don't bother to know, and those who don't want to know. So anything that starts to happen with the economy sliding downhill will be spun by Trump's spinmeisters as "this is the way we found the economy left in shambles by Biden-Harris." I guarantee it. These voters had ample opportunity, except for the failures of the Democratic Party to trumpet it loudly enough, to see the successes as Heather describes; and to see the jobs and dollars being brought into their states by the bills that were shepherded under the Biden administration. They couldn't connect the dots then and they won't be able to do so going into the future. They will continue to drink the Kool-Aid.
I'm guessing that folks who expect that after Trump's inauguration eggs will cost $1.50/dozen and gas will cost $1.50/gallon will be mightily disappointed when they go to the grocery store.
I read somewhere that about 1/2 of High School Seniors read at less than a 6th Grade Level... This explains a lot... Elon Musk is now Warring on all News Sources that are not 'X'... Elon, who is now getting obviously more erratic, maybe his Hallucinogens are catching up with him, is definitely a Dark Sith now....
Yes... Sad, Sad, Sad... The Popular Culture is devolving.. In South Korea, which is the most 'Wired' Country on the Planet, the Birthrate, has cratered... If the majority of People don't read books, or printed materials, or Socialize with other Humans, and get their News & Opinions from Online Feeds; then that makes them potential 'Meat Puppets' for A.I. ... If so beware the Kurzweil Singularity...
Yes. I think that was one of the purposes of HCR's letter today. To establish true ownership of this very strong economy we must transfer over to the incoming administration. We must remind all, irregardless of party, that Biden is the one who brought that to fruition. We must hold the incoming administration accountable for this.
a lot of military folks voted for Trump despite his open contempt for them ... and if they lose their medical insurance because of him, they will regret the votes (I hope!)
Fox plays non-stop on military bases, which is why they support T despite his character and actions.
John, I think that military culture which can be very misogynistic and racist also has something to do with this. I can remember one of my husband's colleagues who was in Viet Nam making terrible remarks.
Thank you, again, for putting so many current and historical elements together to clarify what is going on now—and what we have to be ready to fight against.
You have detailed what the American electorate was never made aware of. The Democrats did a terrible job of selling Joe Biden’s successes. If they had celebrated him, Kamala could have been cheered on and the GOP could not have described her as being a failure.
Add to that the round-the-clock drumbeat of disinformation about the supposedly horrible economy, “urban crime,” and the “immigrant hordes” and we never had a chance to get the real facts out to those low information voters.
Not only that but the maga side doesn't listen to the very good news about the country under Biden/Harris. They are too busy listening to trump's bullshit, saying the economy is terrible , the stock market its about to crash and Biden is the worst president ever. Confirmation bias on both sides is tearing us apart.
100%. Everyone prefers their perception over reality, and that is a *massive* hurdle to overcome. You can't convince someone of truth that runs counter to their experience without them being willing to engage.
We cannot lose track of the fact that Fox "News" and similar outlets were apparently created to spout wall-to-wall propaganda to "low-information" people and that they carry out this mission very well. Some have suggested there may be room in our information economy for a Democratic or liberal propaganda machine as well. However it might have relatively limited success if it aimed always to speak the truth rather than enticing the audience with lies and innuendo.
The fact that Trump may not even have made 50% needs to be given big publicity. Now he's trying to destroy Congress without a mandate and without legal power. Get UP, Republicans! P.S. I see that Deepak Puri has already covered this in a nearby post I hadn't yet seen.
Local officials need to certify to their states by mid-November (so, soon). Most stares wil certify by late November. Then, States will bring their results to the House.
This site has been helpful for me when trying to figure out the time line. Towards the bottom, if gives the expected dates of certification for each state.
“Biden and Harris returned the U.S. to the model that both parties had embraced until 1981: the idea that the government should regulate business, provide a basic social safety net, promote infrastructure, and protect civil rights. That system had reduced extremes of wealth in the U.S. after the Great Depression and given most Americans a path to prosperity. “
Such a powerful message. Never saw this on TV or the papers
At the 2024 Berkshire Hathaway Annual Meeting, billionaire investor Warren Buffett made a bold claim about corporate taxes. He told those gathered that his company pays a 21% tax rate, sending about 5-billion dollars to the federal government for 2023. But it is what Buffet said next that might have stunned many in the room and should have been the centerpiece of the Democratic platform. “If 800 other companies had done the same thing, no other person in the United States would have had to pay a dime of federal taxes, whether income taxes, no social security taxes, no estate taxes.”Really? Iowa's News Now calculated the 2023 revenue from just the top 100 companies in the U.S. If all 100 paid the same 21% tax rate as Buffett's Berkshire-Hathaway, it would have resulted in more than $2 Trillion in tax revenue for the U.S. Government, or nearly half of all tax revenue that currently comes into the U.S. Treasury.
In contrast, Tesla paid no federal income taxes between 2018 and 2023 despite being profitable from 2019 on. In fact, Tesla's total federal income tax over five years was less than zero with the company receiving a $1 million refund. At the same time Tesla provide Musk a $46 billion pay package. And they are not the only company to do this. Thirty four other large and profitable U.S. firms paid less in federal income taxes than they paid their top five executives.
Why is this information not more widely reported? And remember this when Musk proposes that we cut the national budget by at least $2 trillion saying everyone would feel the pain. Ask yourself, how much personal pain do you think Musk, the richest man in the world is going to personally feel, or any of the billionaires surrounding Trump?
Thanks for bringing to light the most over-looked point in federal deficit discussions. It’s not about tax and spend but massive tax avoidance and (a la Trump types) tax evasion). The second overlooked point - soon to become the top point - is that Trump’s slashing of IRS tax audit capacity and public disdain for the Justice Department, which is charged with prosecuting tax cheats, assures, without doubt, that tax cheating will soar.
Thanks you for your YouTube chat today. It did give me a little hope. I'm reading Timothy Snyder's On Tyranny and much of what you said is cut from the same cloth. I'd love to see the two of you in a joint appearance to reassure us of our agency.
I assume that Biden (and Harris?) had most of those statistics about new small businesses 4 months ago? Why weren't they shouting it from the rooftops? And, I know that Harris needed to distance herself from Biden during the campaign, but wasn't there a way for her to say: "Biden has done x, y, z" but I am going to build on that and here is what I am proposing for the next for years"? It would have put her promise to increase tax credits for small businesses into a reasonable perspective and clarify why that was so important to her.
Unfortunately, MAGAs and undecideds were clearly not looking for accurate information, so shouting from the rooftops doesn't help if everyone else is wearing earplugs.
It happened when chump was distraught about Biden dropping out. His campaign pivoted on a dime to sexism, racism, and bull Schitt. He started “entertaining” at his rallies. He even said that Gaetz had a plan to win. And Gaetz is sleeze but he’s a marvel at back-stabbing and manipulation. Just ask McCarthy…
That's it. I believe you're right. At least it put an end to the martyr act. Pity we'll never know what really happened to his shattered ear. And why he didn't have his shoes on. Gaetz! ugh! Jimmy Kimmel is having a ball.
That was such a out on, maybe 50 years from now, somebody will find out. Unless we look like the planets of the Apes, updated to the planet of the dead. Or maybe the apes will rule again.
"Although the Senate ultimately acquitted Trump, according to Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) all the Republican senators agreed he had done as the House charged. "
The Republican senators openly acknowledged that Trump had violated his oath but acquitted him anyway, thus violating their oaths. The whole lot of them should have been impeached and removed from office.
The fact that partisan media like Fox News and X feed uninformed voters whatever they think will get their team re-elected, and that those uninformed voters make up the majority in many districts and states, does not give those representatives the right to ignore the Constitution.
Yes, many people will be re-elected no matter how badly they behave. The three you mentioned, and Trump, have confidence that will happen. That makes it even more imperative that there be consequences for misbehaving, or you end up with a government run by a cabal of corrupt officials who happily work for their own benefit while screwing their ignorant constituents, assured that the complicit media will drum up support among people whose involvement in politics begins and ends by pulling the lever they've been told to pull on Election Day. That's why there are laws, and why they absolutely need to be enforced.
A really good con artist can scam retirees out of their life savings so adeptly that they get annual Christmas cards from the retirees after the fact. That the retirees don't know they've been harmed doesn't make the deed any less illegal, or the con artist any less in need of punishment.
Love especially your "That's why there are laws, and why they absolutely need to be enforced."
The people of the U.S., however, have decided otherwise -- have voted clearly for rule by a corrupted, grifting, rapist, convicted criminal. And for minions of sycophants to dark-money, racist, hate-filled corruption, all of whom stand against that same Constitution, exactly and as plainly as the Clarence court quashed its Article 14, section three, and uplifted same convicted criminal as above the law.
I have been following and researching every analysis of the election I could find. I have looked at exit interviews, AOC’s research on voters in her district, the breakdown of issues contributing to Dems voting for Trump, why Dems sat out the election etc. My conclusion is that the real problem was that Harris first name was not Sam. If you look t all of the available facts, I think it is impossible not to conclude that the US is not ready to elect a women as president and certainly not ready to elect a women of color. When the talking heads say the Dems lost the working class because we do not know how to talk to the working class, I say name a president in the last 50 years who did more for the working class than Biden. I have concluded that misogyny and race played a much larger role in this election than anyone wants to admit.
James, I agree. The two times tfg has won an election he faced two of the most qualified candidates presented: a former senator, Sec State, and First Lady and a former DA, State Attorney General, and a Senator: both female. America will not elect a woman president any time soon.
I disagree. I talked to workers who complained about the price of things and the border. They felt it was much better when Trump was president.
I tried to tell them that Obama handed Trump a good economy and Trump handed Biden a bad economy (as well as a raging pandemic he sat on for 2 months doing NOTHING).
Mario, I agree that those were issues. However, if you look at the Department of Labor’s statistics on wage increases and inflation over the entire period of the Biden term, wages for non-college educated workers rose faster than inflation. I agree that the border was an issue and that the administration (including Harris) were ham handed in their handling of the question but the exit poles don’t seem to support the argument that the border was a decisive factor in the election.
Yes, the RATE of wage increase grew quickly. The AMOUNT of wage increase was not growing concurrently with the RATE. And thusly, the price of eggs and gasoline had a real impact. A lot of people were getting hourly pay raises, but it was not a high enough raise to offset debt or eggs or price of gas. Just saying.
When you look at the facts as you have eloquently presented Heather it is a wonder why everyone ran from Biden instead of promoting the accomplishments. The Democratic Party cannot exist without a total war mentality about the truth. Having said that we have much to do.
Agree! This is great news about the achievements of the Biden-Harris administration, but why are we hearing about these triumphs now? It would have been better if the current administration had taken more victory laps along the way to tout its impressive accomplishments.
That would happen only if the media reported it, which it failed to do.
We're in agreement, but Biden, Harris, every member of Biden's cabinet, and other leaders in the Biden administration could and should have been shouting from the mountaintops about all of these accomplishments over the past 4 years.
I posted several comments with similar points of how the Democrats seemed not able to communicate 'good news' coming out of the Administration. As well, where were the Governors and business executives who were recipients of some of the capital that was released to start new businesses or expand existing businesses. It's a little late now for the Harris campaign to have that kind of news be publicized.
That is because they don't own the platforms that people listen to. See article by Aaron Roper's Public Notice Substack discussing where people get their information from and how they voted. If it was owned by Trump friendly oligarch this message was not going to go to anyone. See X, TikTok (we know Trump cozied up to them) and what about Reddit. Do you think that is a forum that would have amplified Biden's accomplishments or amplified disinformation about Biden and Harris? Oligarchic ownership includes the corporate and most social media. https://www.publicnotice.co/p/how-tiktok-x-helped-trump-beat-harris-2024
So, one thing is to not support these media.
My contractor here in Germany said, Musk paid 5 mil to buy Trump the election, and now he is going to make billions off of government contracts. The details of his information are not correct, but his basic premise is. And, here is Prof. Timothy Snyder telling us that by selling out Trump is now owned by Putin, who is owned by Jinping, which means Trump and we are now going to be owned by Jinping too in an analogy he calls The Submission Chain.
https://snyder.substack.com/p/the-submission-chain
This is not what the Republican Hawks thought they were doing when supporting Trump and who will get this information to them? I mean, what do they know? They also get their news from the disinformation machine.
Now I am just hoping that the DOD and the Intelligence Community do not cotton to Trump's humiliation of them by his picks for DOD and Intelligence Community leaders and take matters into their own hands and refuse this leaderships command as it defies the constitution they swore to defend.
I've looked into every cabinet in my home, even the one that contains little stuffed cows, ceramic cows, wooden cows, and they all look more promising than what's in Trump's proposed Cabinet.
Like it, Linda. "The Submission Chain."
Or did they just not care? Are they more concerned about their wealth and power than the American people? In this media environment it is impossible to know what anyone believes. Except maybe Sanders and Warren. Their messages have been consistently clear for decades.
You assume that there are guts in the mix. I mean guts not attached to pocket books. Sorry, wallets.
Thank you, Linda, for articulating the real problems so well. You're correct on every issue.
They might not own the media but they own the ads.
President Biden could have held more public press conferences. This appears to have been a strategic miscalculation. Consider the following:
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/21/us/politics/biden-public-appearances-media.html
Given the substantial cash advantage the Harris-Walz ticket had, why not buy your way into the right-wing media -- at least with advertising?
You are exactly right, Linda.
I understand what you are saying. All I was trying to say was that purchasing ads, even in ‘unfriendly’ media sources might have been insightful even to those who supported Trump but were unaware of the Biden funded projects.
dream on
It's never too late. Once the economy goes to shite, the Magats will be blaming the former, Democratic government. Shouting from the rooftops now about those achievements, means average Joe's will have something to compare their unexpected losses to.
I will repeat my mantra: ‘you broke it; you own it.”
Exactly and I have my response ready for them. I’m so over their lies and “I’m the victim” nonsense that I’m going to fact check them on every syllable that comes out of their mouth ~ and being a “Basement Dweller” isn’t and excuse.
Again why we need to have our own social media.
Andra Watkins has a different take on it. She recommends preparing now to tank the economy for when Trump takes power. I am not saying to do that, I am just sharing her perspective because it is different. https://open.substack.com/pub/andrawatkins/p/purposefully-disengaging-from-the?r=f0qfn&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
Every time I turned on the radio and the news I heard about grocery prices—but about the higher wages, booming markets, high jobs reports, slackening g interest rates. They would get the occasional blurb but mostly it was very negative. Sooo frustrating to try to explain to folks that the only party interested in consumer protections and price gouging/monopoly-curbing that cause those higher prices, was the Dems.
Hate to point this out but Biden did almost nothing to stop the massive price increases at the grocery store. I don't think it was even on his radar. I bet he hasn't BEEN in a grocery store since he was in the Senate if then.
Biden and then Harris IGNORED the biggest problem facing Americans and all the so called real benefits didn't even move the needle. Trump didn't win this election, we lost it plain and simple.
It’s because “good news” takes intelligence to process and a brain to remember, which can sometimes fail to resonate longterm. Fear and hate hit at an emotional level, making them far more effective at sticking in one’s gut- feelings. This election was won on emotions; logic and facts didn’t stand a chance. They rarely do nowadays.
Online reporting would have been skewed as bots were controlling online reportage. Intelligent Americans believe the bots which is a large part of why Trump was elected. People were prepared to believe him.
And now they elected someone not only older than Biden was when he took office but also demonstrably, historically incapable of working within the Constitution.
Mark, maybe they could have if there had been a state-media to report what the “leader” is doing….they actually were sharing the information, only it wasn’t click-bait sexy as the *squirrel!!* offerings, ahem, elsewhere—weird & crazy & “out there” sells. True that they weren’t out there banging the drums & cymbals to announce/alert us, but instead had their heads down focused on the job. Personally I am kinda tired of our leaders needing a publicity agent to progress….to me this means we aren’t paying attention. Oh, never mind….we really aren’t, are we?
Rupert and clones will now be our state media. Well, they assumed that mantle in 1996. We were just so amused with the clever marketing.
At least we don’t have InfoWars. It was sold yesterday. Not that I don’t think Alex Jones won’t show up somewhere else. His big mouth was costly. Just like Rudy.
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How many millions were paid to broadcast television and cable stations across the country? What was the content of those messages? EVERY one that I saw was to denigrate Trump and extol Harris. NONE of them focused on the government support of new and existing businesses. Biden and Harris spoke about the new chip manufacturing businesses but I saw no ads about that one topic. How many others could have been paid ads in the line of the basic political ads that were purchased?
Drives me crazy that people keep saying Biden and Harris didn't shout their accomplishments loud enough. They did. Media refused to cover it. Trump followers just yelled back 'fake news!'. Let's stop with the assumption the Democrats did this wrong.
Note the following:
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/21/us/politics/biden-public-appearances-media.html
Exactly.
Respectfully, Buttigieg had been doing that over and over, but you'd never hear it on mainstream media. I have seen many great interviews and clips, but they would only appear on YouTube channels, such as Brian Tyler Cohen's.
Democrats are bloody awful at messaging.
Yes, Mike.
People schooled to be systematically without humanities are correctly said to be humanly out of touch.
People who are schooled to be sucked into the standardized testing group and linear conceits can be correctly said to be wonk, abstracted, unit-by-unit fixated, and grouped.
Shouting in which medium that would have been heard by the people inundated with disinformation on the platforms they use which the oligarchs owning Trump own too.
The own the message. Rupert taught them the Putin way…
While I can agree with you, it is also our 4th estate that let America down. The CONServatives have no shame in using the bully pulpit for promotion whereas the liberals take the constrained approach to allow the 4th estate to do the job. Remember the first trump admin and how they had their press conferences covered so intensely by the media? The last 4 years - hardly a pep. I believe there were 2 things at works 2017-21 1.media was looking for click bait and knew they would get some and 2. the pressure from the executive branch to cover them (bully pulpit).
I do remember constant coverage of Trump press conferences (while they happened), and I didn't recall seeing coverage of a single Biden/Harris one. Anybody know why? Did they happen? Where they covered? Was it just that Biden wasn't doing insane things like recommending inhaling bleach, so they didn't get covered?
Remember, Rickey, Dems have no humanities.
Totally out of touch with the working classes.
Thus nothing human to say, no human perspectives. The press has no interest in hearing more of the wonk they had to hear in college (also totally dehumanized).
MAGA? They love fantasy. Love the wildest lies and distortions as to what human beings are capable of, how low can the vulgar go, how totally can Congress critters keep sucking up to the rich as does the Clarence court, how glimpses of U.S. dark money keep appearing detective-rag-style in alliance with all Trump's fellow dictators, oligarchs and assorted sordid religious nationalists?
They were talking about it but again, major media did not pick up on it
They could have purchased ads to be inserted in print media and in broadcast television and cable stations, as well. Inundated them.
They were, but to a large extent, there's no way for people to hear those unless the media joins in.
In stead of waiting for the election, they should have been buying air time during football season and airing commercials about their achievements. Can you say Progressive or State Farm Insurance ~ Like a good neighbor!
You beat me to it Aslo. It is not that the administration was not reporting on progress it was the constant equating the economy to the price of eggs. Since deregulation the government has very little control on corporate greed which is why eggs cost so much. But no one seemed to care about clarifying that element of economy. Believe me the corporate world was happy with their ability to make absurd profits.
Also, eggs cost a lot there for a while because of the bird flu, and I don't see Republicans, especially with RFKjr, doing much to curb such things.
Don't forget bird flu and periodic destruction of large infected flocks....so many variables.
And do not forget the millions of chickens slaughtered due to the bird flu spreading through the coops. Iowa had a lot of this and our egg prices jumped then came down and are now back up due to another outbreak.
Yeah but saying "there isn't anything we can do about it" when you are in charge is pretty f**king lame IMHO. That's why we got booted out because we couldn't/ wouldn't do anything about it. Biden just wanted to give students bailouts from their college loans but wouldn't do anything to solve the grocery bill problem. Do you think THAT helped us?
Fact is people choose leaders to solve problems. THEIR problems. And if you don't at least give the appearance of solving the problem or even trying, don't expect to be reelected.
First of all, anyone believing Trump’s promises is in living a fantasy world. His ‘beautiful’ tariffs are going to make the current problem even worse. His understanding of economics is at the same level as those who thought electing him was going to solve whatever financial problems they felt they had. His claims of concern for them are the biggest con job ever pulled off by an American president.
Truth. If it does not benefit him, ain't gonna happen.
Like I said before….how’s the weather in Botville? Must be windy. You are so full of hot air.
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Lol at least I don't live in Florida. Get your head out of the sand before you are buried in it. If you want to have an intelligent discussion use your brain instead of spouting nonsense and calling names. Such amateur behavior is unworthy of anyone who has a serious interest in politics.
Sigh...
Good point. Perhaps this monopoly control should have been a major target. CONServative love free market and calling their hand on the lack of competition in the food industry could have put them in a very difficult position.
Unfortunately, main stream media reported more on Trump than Biden and Harris. MSNBC for example gave more free airtime to Trump the first time around, and they did the same this cycle even though the news was negative. Bad news and scandal mean more clicks and a greater audience and more income. They never even came close to spending as much time in the good news about policy coming out of the Biden White House. The only hope we have going forward is if enough of our legislators are brave enough and self interested enough to be a firewall to stop the Trump presidency from its worst excesses. I
Agree -- The NYT and WaPo looked at Harris through a strong lens and their article headlines were critical - even if the body of the article was more balanced. They completely passed over Trump's many lies and insults, thus normalizing them.
For chump, there is no such thing as negative news. Well, there is, but he can bury it, spin it, deny it, and turn it upside down with a little help from the likes of Rupert and Muskrat.
I am so angry, sad, tired, and scared. So many able body uninformed people sat this out, did nothing to learn what was going on. I blame the media and successful disinformation campaigns. We shoulda won this.
I hope we don't start turning against each other with this Monday morning quarterbacking.
The cheating, mostly legal this time, was ongoing and at 90 decibels.
From Trump's perspective all publicity is good as long as his name is out there.
that's the media's perspective as well. Especially in the age of dopamine expert algorithms
It’s worse excesses and stand against the appointments of Trump’s clearly unfit nominees.
Calling nonsense on this one, sorry. I watch MSNBC religiously and there was PLENTY of coverage of Harris campaign and Biden's before. The trouble was Biden shouldn't have even been in the race and all of HIS publicity was negative. In fact everyone on our side said the media treated him unfairly (I do not agree, his cognitive issues were critical and of anything they have him a pass for WAY too long).
And Harris got huge amounts of positive publicity BUT SHE NEVER ADDRESSED THE ECONOMIC PROBLEMS THE VAST MAJORITY OF AMERICANS FELT THEY WERE FACING!
Sorry I get very emphatic about this. Harris and Biden failed in the most important aspect of they race... to convince people that they could fix the base level economic problems. Maybe they can't but they needed to address it. Trump sure did and even though we know he actually won't do anything about it he made everyone feel that he would.
And so he won.
“to convince people that they could fix the base level economic problems—“because they were ACTUALLY WORKING on the problems.
I hate to say it but that's not a good excuse. Because in national politics perception is JUST as important (maybe more so) as actual actions.
If a tree falls in an empty forest is there a sound? Who knows. And that it's what spending all your time working on a problem without communicating that is... a tree silently falling in an empty forest.
And that, sad to say, is political failure in a nutshell.
Depending on legislators—mine are so feckless I gave that up a long time ago.
All publicity is good publicity - Roy Cohn, trumps mentor.
Fox reached more viewers with their fabrications. Money delivers.
The good news is that cable subscriptions continue to tank with less than 50% of households now subscribing to a cable service.
Hopefully it will get so tough for the cable companies that they will be forced to offer packages that only include the stations that subscribers watch. In other words, no FOX or Newsmax or the Catholic Channel, etc.
This is quite true. Advertisers are switching to streaming platforms. Cable will soon be used as much as OTA (we use antennas if we want to watch the condescending nonsense from CBS, ABC or NBC).
But Fox and Newsmax are finding their way to streaming platforms rather quickly. It's just another pipeline. The ROKU channel (free) is loaded with whacky stuff.
IMO, we need something more powerful than MSNBC. More shocking. More muckraking. The average American is addicted to sensationalism. Not thoughtful analysis. We need a truth telling entertainment style breaking news every few minutes revelatory ripping apart of the oligarchs and their ownership of everything. We need to make some angry noise. Feed the beast of truth and yes, our own form of retribution. We are being too nice.
Not surprised that Fox gets streaming subscribers. Gary said "no Fox" but that is ridiculous. 75 million people voted for Trump. That's am awful lot of Fox Subscribers. If be more worried about MSNBC than Fox. They aren't going away.
Darn cable-bundling!
Sorry I call nonsense on that assertion. There were PLENTY of articles in all of the major media as well as on TV show and cable about the accomplishments. The problem was really simple as had been repeatedly pointed out here and elsewhere.
1. Biden was CLEARLY losing his full mental cognition and while he was still able to function, he should have realized this was happening and stepped aside EARLY in the 2024 campaign, certainly well before debate number 1.
2. Once he demonstrated his inability to cope with even an idiot like our next President in debate number 1, he should have immediately stepped aside although at that point out may have already been too late.
His failure to acknowledge his growing inability led to this catastrophe. He wanted to believe that because he had beaten Trump once it would be easy to do it again, but everything said otherwise. The polls, the reception he got at rallies and what should have been his own cognition of what was happening. His staff is also to blame (and his spouse too) as they all saw it but refused to either believe it or acknowledge that it was happening.
Once we got past the GOP convention the writing was on the wall but it so took the Democrats another week to finally accept the inevitable. It also left us in a box with no obvious other choices except Harris.
I hope that we would somehow salvage this election and many wanted to drink the kool aid and believe it would be easy but politics is NEVER easy and the closeness of this election proves that. Add to that the fact that Harris had no real chance to break with the President on issues that might have helped her like Gaza and immigration policies, she was fighting an upstream battle, one she handled admirably and with great dignity but one which she was virtually certain to lose.
All of this DESPITE having one of the most ignorant men to ever run for President as her opponent and despite him being so far out "out of the lines" in his conduct that he resembled a petulant grade schooler not a candidate for a President.
Sorry this is NOT the fault of the media. Most of the mainstream media supported Harris or stayed relatively neutral. Even the freaking Wall Street journal which is totally in the pocket of Rupert Murdock challenged Trump's qualification for President.
And the race was REALLY close. 200,000 votes going the other way in the states (WI, MI and PA) less than 1%, and Harris would have won the electoral college and the presidency.
But if you really think this was the fault of the media, you too are drinking the kool aid. Right now we need to be a party of period who can honestly accept reality, not one that needs to find blame elsewhere.
Biden had a great Presidency but he was WAY past his "use by" date for this election, a fact that he ignored and most of the party did too until it was way too late.
And still we almost won.
I agree that Biden couldn't present himself in the clever and slick manner that a Trump or Newsom can. But his "cognition" and competence NEVER flagged. To this day, he is an example of the finest and most exemplary presidential behavior in my long life. I didn't agree with everything he did in his career. But he has been the finest president in modern history.
Do I wish he had been true to being a transitional president? Yes. Do I wish we had a full primary process? Yes. Do I wish the Democratic Platform had been one of change from the status quo? Yes. Great. How does that help us now?
Slamming Joe Biden at this stage of the game is like blaming Tom Brady for the Patriots screwing up right now.
We need to embrace a new version of populism that is ACTUALLY about radically improving the lives of the 98%. Let's look forward at what is the only way to regain broader popular support. Paint the top 2% of this country the color they really are. Call it class warfare. Call it a bloodless revolution. Hire some clever consultants to package it.
Dems need a fresh package that brings economic justice to every family that works hard and still suffers under the weight of an oppressive and unfair form of lightly regulated capitalism. I'm a retired business person. I think we should be in the business of leveling the playing field. A few years ago the average CEO made 20 times the pay of his average worker. Now he reaps 320 times. That should be campaign juice. The injustice in our current economic structures is epic. Time for some big time change.
Thank you, Bill. My response to Jon is the same. STOP the Biden bashing! You are right, Bill, that Biden's cognition and competence never flagged. People who continue to judge him on the basis of his unfortunate debate performance haven't bothered to listen to anything he has said since. Biden was very ill that night and should have cancelled the debate because of that. That's the one thing that I wish had been different. Since that night, once he got better, he has been very cogent and has continued to work tirelessly every day towards accomplishing his agenda. If each of us read the sub stack, "What did Joe Biden do today?" we all would be amazed at what this man does do. We have got to stop the "what ifs." It doesn't solve anything but demean the President we all supported.
Biden demeaned himself by his own actions. Enough said. He was a great president until he didn't realize his time was over. That is a common problem for Presidents and "heroes" (like Brady) alike. Failure to realize when their time is up.
Sadly all the rest of us are along for the ride.
I'm fine with moving on and not playing the "blame game" as it doesn't solve anything. My only reason for posting is to rebut all the others who want to blame everyone (media, corporations, lying Republicans, etc) EXCEPT the guy who got us here. I just thought someone should point out the truth.
Not that anyone else really cares, you all just want to extol his virtues (of which he had many) and ignore his failings.
So be it.
Point taken
Also, I agree. The MSM short changed the Biden administration. I suspect the billionaire owners had an influence on the coverage.
It seems to me that it was worse than that - the media and punditocracy effectively told us to shut up. They told us that data about good economic news did nothing to help the poor aggrieved white dude who couldn't pay his rent. We had to listen to that guy's pain and empathize. Jon Stewart got to this in his interview with Heather last week. Heather replied "It's just killing me" that people weren't hearing the message. She said "Biden has been saying this is what I'm doing every day. Literally."
Can anyone explain why Elon Musk, who has become fantastically.rich from the current system, feels compelled to tear it down?
Maybe he needs a hobby.
He’s gonna kill it, then buy the corpse cheap
Another question that would be good to ask is how many people still want to keep a democratic republic and/or the Constitution? How many actually voted to get rid of the whole idea of a democracy?
I’m not sure that the people who voted for that understood what they were voting for.
And, once again, there lies the most egregious problem/roadblock…the media! Their complicity is another front we need to battle against.
Don’t just blame the media. I’ve been saying for years that the Democratic Party is incompetent at messaging unlike the Republicans.
Well, how exactly does the Democratic Party, or anyone else, “get their message out” without using the media?
We've heard that right here for at least a year! HCR has not only kept pointing out the amazing things this administration is doing, but has also decried the lack of legacy media coverage over and over. Add that to the stats in today's Letter about which voters read which media, and there's no need to slam progressives for this election. We weren't able to stop the well-funded firehose of disinformation, yes, and we all need to try to figure that out going forward.
Stop blaming the success story, and blame the propaganda masters, cheaters, and clever suits that orchestrated the coup in our own country. Some sitting in the SC of our land. But don’t ignore Putin, he is more behind the scenes than any, and absolutely orgasmic over his success.
See my comment about restrictive voting rights laws. If you have restrictive voting rights laws still on the books in over 20 states that has a huge impact on our ability to win any election. Challenging those laws is where we must start.
Reposting comment on Restrictive Voting Rights Laws here: As of November 2024, at least 29 states have voting restrictions in place. These restrictive laws include limitations on mail-in voting, stricter voter ID requirements, and constraints on ballot collection. Since 2020, around 78 restrictive voting laws have been passed across 30 states, with 63 currently effective this fall. Furthermore, 15 states have also passed laws that may interfere with election administration, impacting the integrity of the election process in some areas.
These restrictions have largely been enacted in Republican-led states, while Democratic-led states have mostly pursued measures to expand voting access, creating a significant national divide in voting legislation practices. This information is based on data and insights from sources like the Brennan Center for Justice and the Voting Rights Lab.
Will we get to vote again, Pam? The current dictator isn’t planning that we should.
Hi Virginia, thanks for the question. Following you. I would say yes. Folks are mobilizing but we have to choose our battles. I am looking at the data around battlegrounds. First I want to secure my family- question #1- where are we on SS and Medicare policy? Found someone who directs policy for the agency. Want to make sure SS and Medicare are Secure and we have blocked any upcoming legislation from Trump and Co to mess with it. I want to know. Next up how we can protect the vote so putting in a call to the DNC- what can I do? I don’t want to do any of this but as John F Kennedy said “ask not what your Country can do for you, ask what you can do for your Country”. So delving in. And my Country will not be helping me with this incoming Administration.
Thank you, Pax,for stating the truth.
1) there is an interesting discussion on Simon Rosenburg Substack on how to start battling the info desert that is our social media environment; 2) regarding Mark’s comment on why we weren’t hearing the good stats, we were, but only in our little info bubble: and every time I talked to someone about such things, the response was some version of “yeah but do you know how much I paid for (fill in the blank) this week?” Crearly a lot of people weren’t feeling the love or didn’t know where it was coming from.
Progressives are not to blame for this election but the media is being scapegoated here.
"The buck stops" at Biden's desk. HE is responsible for this debacle despite his terrific performance as President. And pointing fingers anywhere else is just classic Democratic behavior in the face of a loss because "we never do anything wrong!"
Well we did here and we need to stop scapegoating others and start owning our screw ups. This was a massive screw up and the party including its leader own that.
Sadly it will destroy any chance of a great legacy for Biden, one he truly deserves, but people are only going to remember that his own vanity and arrogance led this country possibly to its demise but certainly to a time of awful things to come.
I wish it weren't so, but it is.
I’ll take HCR’s facts over your opinion any day.
I couldn’t have said it better, Jon. As a non partisan independent-thinking centrist, the Democratic Party has gone (and here I’ll used a term we don’t like using) but we’ve gone woke and woke doesn’t add to a hill of beans. Don’t anyone ask me for specifics because you will only criticize me. All too often we are willing to follow lock step to what the Wizards of Oz says behind the curtains.
Sadly, Biden didn't use his bully pulpit to speak frequently and directly to the American people, as did FDR with his Fireside Chats.
His stutter might have had something to do with that…the debate was an example of how that can go wrong for him…
Too bad Harris didn't know, and couldn't promote, her administrations successes. Did she have to adjust talking about Joy and fighting? She was never a serious candidate in that regard. Maybe she didn't know the stakes. Painfully disappointing.
I have been hearing about these triumphs all along. That is why I supported Biden and then Harris. In fact, I was in awe of Biden taking on Reaganomics, which I have considered the most backwards thing the US ever did which is destroying the planet. Read Losing Earth: A Recent History by Nathanial Rich.
https://youtu.be/HJMxwg7Tb9k?si=UprB3_QjmQOMk_-X
Here is another book on the topic. https://www.google.de/books/edition/Losing_Earth/U2x-DwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&printsec=frontcover
In it Rich documents how the fossil fuel industry after hearing about global warming was going to switch to investing in other sources of energy, and then Reagan came in and said, don't worry about this thing in the future called global warming because I am going to put in industry insider in oversight of you and let those in the future solve the problem when it occurs. It turns out the best move would have been to go back in time and get rid of Reagan. However, it is too late now, and Trump will just finish off the planet while he is at destroying our lives in other ways.
You sorted the wheat from the chaff. Most just gobbled the crap since it was sugar-coated. Same as the cereal aisle.
I also went straight to the source. Instead of listening to DT, I read and discussed The Mandate for Leadership Project 2025 Document together with a Democrats Abroad book club, as well as other related materials. It is why I learned so much about Christian Nationalism, understanding that they are all CNs who wrote this, and in the Heritage Foundation.
Hear about CN Pete Hegseth, who DT is presenting to us as his pick to lead the DOD from Medhi Hasan, a team Zeteo journalist. https://zeteo.com/p/pete-hegseth-warcrimes-hawk-iran?r=f0qfn&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
So far, there have been no surprises about what Trump is doing, except maybe Prof. Timothy Snyder's slant on the chain of command, and the White House Office. He compares the first using less than signs, and the top is not in the US. The analogy is called The Submission Chain. https://snyder.substack.com/p/the-submission-chain
The White House office is compared to a 60s Sitcom and is called Oligarchs' Island. https://snyder.substack.com/p/oligarchs-island
So all of these useful idiots as they say in spy craft are being groomed by Putin, ultimately for his boss Jinping. That would be us. Let us hope both the DOD and the Intelligence community are both independent enough and skeptical enough not to go along with DT humiliation of them.
Thank you, since my first response disappeared, I’ll just say that you have an excellent grasp on our dilemma. Thank you for your dives into other voices, and to P2025
Which is why I suggested a temporary military coup before it’s too late and the nationalists are put in place. The war is all but lost but one last chance to end this madness with a temporary military takeover. It’s over, rover.
I will hope they have some means of resisting the humiliation and the destruction that is about to ensue, of the centuries of striving to make this great nation.
A little off topic and perhaps too conspiratorial for some. Has anyone read freespeechforfreedom.org article on breaches of the voting system software? It is extremely interesting especially as I am still having a hard time believing the numbers.
No. But the link tells me this site cannot be reached. I have been getting this a lot of late. Perhaps my laptop is compromised. It does not happen with everything, but in the last 2 days there are links that tell me that, or that I have noticed of late. I was wondering what impact Putin calling bomb threats into swing states polling places in strongly democratic districts did for the election. Trump saying he had the votes in hand, made me also worry that they stuffed the ballot boxes with votes from people who do not normally vote, but are registered, but then again, I am hearing that as the vote continues to be counted, the popular vote totals are getting closer and closer and Trump's lead is smaller. I vote from abroad so I know that in some states those votes are not counted until after the rest.
Putin’s paw was on the scale. When muskrat joined up I feared for the worst since he seemed to be on Putin’s side in Ukraine. As is Rupert. No secrets, just lies, spin, and Goebbels favorite “accuse them of what you do.”
This is all nonsense. PLEASE PLEASE stop turning to idiotic conspiracies about voter fraud. Now you are sounding just like Trump. Trump got very few more votes than he did in 2020 and Harris lost 9 MILLION votes from Biden's 2029 total.
If you REALLY think that kind of loss can be caused by voting machine fraud conspiracies, then you are a perfect candidate for someone like Alex Jones.
It is truly idiotic.
This election was lost fair and square. Not a great sign for democracy but that is what it is, and this kind of nonsensical rumor mongering just adds to the pain. If I didn't believe you were a real HCR reader I might think you were a right wing bot designed to just spread more misinformation to try to can the flame of doubt.
PLEASE STOP IT. IT DOES US NO GOOD!
Nonsense Jon?
I have all the votes I need. You will not need to vote anymore.
Conspiracy theory or not, do not forget these statements.
Fair and square I am not so sure. Bomb threats to democratic leaning voter sites? "Integrity" laws all over the country that targeted the democrats?
Paxton (Texas) publicly admitting he kept Biden from winning Texas in
2020? I am not so sure that there is a fair aspect. As David Pepper writes in his book Laboratories of Autocracy, the state legislatures being lead by republicans are anything but democratic. They have implemented the strategies of the Lewis Powell Memo surgically and successfully. If we are going to reclaim the aspirations of the Founders and Abraham Lincoln, that is where we start. Grassroots up.
The dirty tricks, lawful and not, never ceased.
You are a bot calling out bots.
Really? Your comment reinforces the fact that voter suppression in the election has still not been discusssed seriously anywhere in the media.
Shushie.
🗽
Lol as I said elsewhere please grow up. Your immaturity and inability to put forth actual arguments is painful. They suppressed 9 MILLION votes? You really believe that? Go talk to Alex Jones in sure HE has a conspiracy to sell you.
ROTFLMAO. I play politics. It's a dirty game and Trump had made it dirtier. But all of you who are too naive to deal with losing should go home. Your too immature to deal with the realities of politics.
Bots are very critical, human and digital
Have you read it?
I don't need anymore votes, I have all the votes I need - DJT
I do not think for one moment that he had a fix in the system and knew it. HE is such a coward and he would never have run again if he even had the remotest chance of losing. He almost did as it was.
Link is a 404. Typing in the address is a 404. Searching "free speech for freedom" did not yield anything in the first four pages of my search.
That link doesn't work.
I just typed it in and it does.
No it does NOT work. That domain freespeechforfreedom.org does not exist typed or searched.
Ok thanks.
Taking whatever part of their blame should be everyone’s conscious duty , but the right will only say ‘we won’t make that mistake again’ and project till the cows come home it was the Dems who did the dirty.
The majority of the voting public don’t read anything but fantasy , hype, and headlines from The Enquirer type formats , and the choirs get left to preach to each other.
As said before the proof will plant CHAOS in every living room as Biden’s Fault / how wonderful they are, and Mr and Mrs J.Doe will robot about mouthing the script with glazed over eyes . There may be at first faint objection to the blatant law breaking , but quickly whitewashed & ushered to that ‘ page 7 ‘.
It’s bleak? I told ya so’ will be boxed by the gross as income and the American Dream dies?
TBD
I don’t know what else I/we could have done, but sure hope I’m wrong…like so many told me .
Only a handful said they were sorry voting for TFG-the first time-wondering when/IF/how bad it gets/what goes down before ….’it’s too late’.
Not the only Dreamer
Staying True💙
Patricia, According to Journal of Democracy, the majority blame lies with the illiberal politicians, not the voters, especially not the ones who did not vote for them.
https://www.journalofdemocracy.org/articles/misunderstanding-democratic-backsliding/
They say, "It is important to be cautious, however, about attributing the popularity of some backsliding leaders to genuine voter satisfaction based on promises delivered. Most of these leaders manipulate public opinion in various illegitimate ways.... The leaders of almost all twelve backsliders employ substantial control over the media to shape the information space in their favor."
The US is a backsliding democracy, and is one of the ones discussed in the article about Trump's first time in office. They go on to tell us that,
"Overall, however, it was a wide range of factors, not just economic and governance grievances, that led voters in these countries to elect leaders who ended up eroding democracy. These factors include broader sociocultural anxieties, the impressive electoral and narrative skills of some of the leaders in question, specific features of electoral laws, the new fluidity and corruptibility of media environments in many democracies, and the frequent appeal to voters almost everywhere of change for change’s sake."
They summarize by telling us that “This analytic conclusion points to an overarching policy conclusion. The community of public and private organizations working internationally to slow or reverse the tide of democratic backsliding should emphasize bolstering the independence and strength of those institutions that serve as guardrails against antidemocratic encroachments by political figures determined to steamroll countervailing institutions and gain unchecked power. On the side of public institutions, this may include courts, anticorruption bodies, electoral-management bodies, and those parts of local government that have preserved some autonomy from national political control. It may also include work with national parliaments, if that can be done in a way that augments the role of parliament as a check on executive power. On the nongovernmental side, this will often mean support for independent media and independent civic groups that seek to hold power accountable whether by protecting political and civil rights, increasing government accountability, or countering political misinformation and disinformation.”
One of the things that I take from this research is that we have to support Independent Media, and have our own media platforms and then figure out how to use them to give a message to the masses. The Onion getting Info Wars is a start. We need to have our own X and our own TikTok too.
Secondly, we need to be supporting all of the Blue State Governors who re trying to create a safe space in their states. Also, let our leaders know what we want and support those who do that, and target those who don't.
I answered back on another one of your comments.
Yes I loved the Blued States Governor Prit?….havent got his name or pronunciation right yet..I think on PBS? Saying much of the ‘promised bs’ - little bs noted ‘…is illegal so we need to uphold the law’ was said with conviction. ThatTFG has gotten away with so much already is grave evidence that -though well intended -might not ( again) hold much water. It all fascinates me still, but a break was forced reprieve after the second baffling win..and I see how conspiracy theories are born, grabbed, and often lifelines for the far too many.
I will read your links..thanks so much , sister in kind. 🫶
The governor of Illinois is Pritzker.
Thank you, lot to absorb, not to nit pick to death.
Busy day trying to get our condensing boiler hydronic central heating and domestic hot water system repaired. Free time was spent reading the Kindle version of Losing Earth. Appreciate the many references to Roger Revelle, at least up to the late 80's a far as I can tell from skimming ahead before I go to bed.
There was an article in the NYT magazine when climate change was being addressed in the Carter administration which would have been the right path.
You are absolutely correct. Unfortunately, major paper editorial members never understood the difference. They kept focusing on the defects of Trump that sold their papers but voters did not care as much. They were more interested in prices of daily goods.
They won’t be so lackadaisical when measles and polio start spreading and America’s neighbours and allies impose vaccination certificates on US travellers.
Coming to a home near you. Maybe yours
Sophie, you just suggested a great solution. That is, other countries started requiring vaccination certificates for visas.
Don’t count on it unless the sanitary situation gets dire. Which I sincerely hope it won’t.
In 2020 there was a case of Polio. The vaccination rate is down in 39 states.
Major news media were going for the money and not the true “FACTS” of what was really happening here!
They did, they got buried by the monied onslaught of Schitt from the from the masters if propaganda. I knew all this. No surprises here so the word was out. The public was hoodwinked and the truth was buried, deliberately and with the goal of winning at all costs. Bannon told us the plan and then Dems were too busy saving our hide to go to war over the BS. They actually thought competence and results mattered. I watched the skewed reporting because our media had insanity to “sane wash.” That’s a good name for it, because here we are pretending that we have a normal transfer of power when it has been a hostile takeover.
Excellent comment on Biden/Harris and their accomplishments. If you are curious you go to WhiteHouse.gov to see all the great things and you feel “seen” and “heard”. That being said we won’t make any progress to defeat MAGA unless we collectively address restrictive voting rights laws. We can’t work against ourselves at the next election. As of November 2024, at least 29 states still have voting restrictions in place. These restrictive laws include limitations on mail-in voting, stricter voter ID requirements, and constraints on ballot collection. Since 2020, around 78 restrictive voting laws have been passed across 30 states, with 63 currently effective this fall. Furthermore, 15 states have also passed laws that may interfere with election administration, impacting the integrity of the election process in some areas.
These restrictions have largely been enacted in Republican-led states, while Democratic-led states have mostly pursued measures to expand voting access, creating a significant national divide in voting legislation practices. This information is based on data and insights from sources like the Brennan Center for Justice and the Voting Rights Lab. So let voting restrictions be Phase 1 of getting our country back.
Heather has reported on these achievements repeatedly - it's the NYT, the WaPo and right wing media who have spun another narrative. The Democrats need to amp up their messaging.
You know that old newspaper cliche - "If it bleeds, it leads"? There was so much blood for voters to wallow in in the Trump campaign. Which story did you click on first - "175,000 new jobs" or "Kirsti Noem Shoots Dog"?
You might get a lot of clicks on, say, "3 year old child climbs 100 foot up chimney to save puppy her dying grandmother gave her!" - but that's the only sort of "good news" most people are interested in. Give me something to rage over, cry over or curdle my blood - and I'll click on it. "Joe Biden fights Reaganomics"? - meh. . .
There was a paper in the UK (very popular among men) called the "News of the World", commonly known as "The Screws of The World", which reported mainly on stories which usually ended "At that point, our reporter excused himself and left. . ." My mother wouldn't have it in the house. If we want to improve our levels of truthful reporting, we need to do the modern day equivalent of banning it from the house. Don't "click." We see a lot of news articles about "Take care of your health!" - well, same applies to our news. We have to take SOME responsibility for making sure unhealthy media sources don't get read.
Mark, I don't believe that Biden's reluctance to self-promote is responsible for many Americans not understanding his accomplishments. After all, he and his administration were constantly working on repairing our government and economy to have time to do so. There was too little attention to his accomplishments by mainstream media, trying to appease the right by pointing out every gaffe that Biden made, and ignoring right-wing corruption, as well as Americans turning in droves to social media, which was churning out falsehoods like a firehose.
I was pretty well informed about Biden's accomplishments, because I did pay attention - to the stock market, the success of maintaining new iterations to the Covid vaccines, the new jobs being created, BI-PARTISAN infrastructure bills miraculously created, and all the rest that Biden created, all well documented right here in Heather's Letters, while the press focused on his stumbles on aircraft stairways. "Sleepy Joe" was on display for all the wrong reasons, and today people are sulking about price gouging that is causing average Americans distress but has nothing to do with inflation. The entire world is facing financial and trade problems, and none of them are Biden's fault, as evidenced by our continued recovery.
Our economy under Biden is the envy of the world, but many of my friends would argue, simply ignoring the facts. Trump has been pushing "drill baby, drill" for years, which in actuality we have been doing during Biden's administration, making us the largest petroleum producer in the world, but the average American is unaware of that. The fault lies in the gullible, lazy citizens who have bought into lies that are the product of our own oligarchs, foreign bad actors, and the puppet-masters controlling Trump, including Elon Musk, using any means, financial or otherwise, to destroy the middle class here and bring our democracy to an end for the benefit of Russia, China, North Korea, Hungary, and others.
I am furious that we are again facing destruction by Trump and his puppeteers because of the willful ignorance of so many Americans. They deserve the likely result of a truly demented, narcissistic, woefully ignorant man-child, but the rest of us do not. Biden, then Harris, could have righted the ship, but American citizens made that much more difficult, if not impossible.
People vote their emotions and not logically. I do believe that social media and the "alternative facts" right-wing MSM had much to do with forming their opinions. That's been going on since Rush Limbaugh. I'm glad to hear about The Onion, and I hope they prevail.
My thoughts exactly. The failure to promote the Biden/Harris achievements is why we are where we are today. A moment of Monday morning quarterbacking here, the Democratic Party needs to learn a new way to communicate with the American people just like us parents needed to learn texting to speak with our kids and sending Venmo emoji instead of birthday cards (I’m still struggling with that one 😉) All of the Biden/Harris achievements are moot in this new Trump era where there are no guardrails. I pray it will only be 4 long years and not a lifetime.
Absolutely. This failure to take credit often and hiding Biden in DC cost us the election
It would've been "Better" if 26% of the free-loaders had gone and voted. Too bad we can't know their names..., not really. We've got more important 'work' to do these next few years to keep things running.
You're asking why, Mark?
You know Kamala often cited (touted) specific programs she and the entire Biden team passed. But I think you know, too, that one can't talk to people, with people, without some accompanying signs of human respect for them as individuals in their communities.
Citing apt novels, films, songs could make those apt human connections -- but those arts long departed U.S. schools, where the priorities of standardized testing dropped far heavier baggage instead.
So in the campaign it was easy for Dem priorities to reduce to money-dunning and wealthy celebrity-fronting. Nothing human need apply. Let alone working class human.
Give it up Phil LOL. We lost an election, not a humanities SAT test!
Typical you don't see how serious it is what we really lost, Jon.
But as you consistently deride humanities, of course you can't see damages.
Phil, you really are missing a humor bone or something. 😓 Sorry for that.
I am WELL AWARE of how much we lost and I've been grieving daily. I just get sick and tired of reading nonsense here from people I should be allies with but who can't think their way out of a paper bag. Sigh...
And I obviously do not dismiss the importance of humanities at all, I just think making it the ONLY focus is rather ludicrous because there is a lot more to this than just the loss of humanities. If i thought you understood that I would be less ascerbic (a word I might say that people who don't understand humanities might not be able to use properly.)
Best to you, Phil, in these worst of times.
Regrettably, Reagan killed the Fairness Doctrine and tRUmp & social media - with foreign input - have killed the truth! Until Congress restores both we will be a divided electorate.
As HCR said, “…a new study out today from Data for Progress showed that people who paid “a great deal” of attention to political news voted for Vice President Kamala Harris +6, while those who paid “none at all” went +19 for Trump.
That explains it. The educated, I.e. “informed” voted for Harris. The uneducated or “uninformed” voted for Trump.
many educated ENTITLED WHITES chose to be "uninformed" because they didn't like that icky feeling of having their self professed "values" being put to the test. Many others slipped into the Jones/Limbaugh mire by saying "it's just shock radio," and then Trump's, by excusing it as "just locker room talk" and the ever popular "I'm just voting my pocketbook" as if their Red vote doesn't Screw Over Every Woman In their Life Every Single Time. (plus everyone who else who is not an Entitled White Male)
Speaking as an entitled white male, red votes screw us over too, but too many of us are too god dam stupid to see it.
Mike, thanks for this comment. My nephew, who is 35 and identifies as queer and polyamorous is living with us while his partner finishes her Ph.D. dissertation and relocates to wherever she gets assigned is fond of saying "Well, at least I am a white cis male. I can be the figurehead here."
I get the feeling that a lot of "white cis male" presenting and/or passing people are going to find themselves thrust into decision making capacities they did *not* want or realize they were in for. My spouse doesn't realize it yet; part of me is grimly excited for when he needs to come to the doctor with me because I need his "permission" for birth control.
I'd love to see THAT!! What I love about my nephew is that he's 6'2", 290, bearded, and could pass as a MAGAt (until he opened his mouth, which he does. A lot.)
Exactly.
People will put forward any kind of justification to sooth their conscience.
Dealing with cognitive dissonance is a skill that needs to be taught (which is why ethics and philosophy are important classes).
People need to get comfortable handling ideas that initially make them uncomfortable. The first 90 seconds of any reaction is purely emotion; you *cannot* and *must not* make any decisions during that time. People do anyway.
What I'm trying to say is that the emotional maturity of the combined USA is about the same as a sleep-deprived toddler. Maybe an early adolescent if I'm feeling generous.
the very spoiled, privileged but disgruntled white male Americans especially
The corolary is that but for psy ops we would have won. They targeted visceral, not rational people. Goes directly to hatred of "the other."
No rational person would vote for a criminal, a grifter, would vote againt their own economic or physical health.
Hatred of the other relates very specifically to the fact that the most disputed words from our founders are “all men are created equal.”
No rational person would vote for a criminal grifter? Yeah they would.. you can be a rational asshole .. it’s the being an asshole, that is the compelling factor, in this. That’s who voted for this. I hate them
That makes them unreasonable, irrational. In the law, "sustantial evidence test." Substantial evidence means "more than a mere scintilla”. It means such relevant evidence as a reasonable mind might accept as adequate to support a conclusion.
That's getting harder and harder though as people reject experts and scientific studies/articles. The truth is subjective now, which means "relevant" to one is not "relevant" to another.
While one person may describe themselves as "perfectly reasonable", another person may think them "off the walls insane".
I wonder what kind of impact this has on the most common of the judicial system...
Not really. In evidence, most jurisdictions use a variation on Federal Rule 702, (1) the expert be qualified; (2) the testimony address a subject matter on which the factfinder can be assisted by an expert; (3) the testimony be reliable; and (4) the testimony “fit” the facts of the case.
In the federal system, the “Daubert Standard” provides a systematic framework for a trial court judge to assess the reliability and relevance of expert witness testimony before it is presented to a jury. In practice, it usually mesns at least two determinations, one to decide whether the basis is baloney.
Not only are experts subject to peer review, but in practice, cross examination. That's what the media almost always misses. it's pretty obvious when bull is presented.
In my case, I had to "articulate a legitimate reason" for every ruling. I'd always give the parties a chance to explain.... The law establishes a burden of proof. The party asserting a position bears the burden.
I dunno, my family gets taken in by grifters pretty regularly.
Right now it's "health influencers" and discredited scientists with "cancer cures/preventatives sppressed by Big Pharma".
I have read and watched the things they have to try and understand, and I don't get it. These people are *clearly* panhandling for money with their merchandising and capitalizing off people's fear and paranoia, but my family just doesn't see it. They will reject any kind of peer reviewed article opposed to their viewpoint as "bought research" too. It's exhausting.
Not relevant and/or material If they vote to cut their own benefits, they slit their own throats.
"No rational person would vote for a criminal..." yet 75 million did. Are you actually saying they were all or even mostly not rational?
I think that is a highly arrogant and badly incorrect statement.
You expose yourself. Voting for the pied piper is not rational, unfortunately. Support for a person who grifts his own followers is not rational. 90% vote contrary to their own economic and even physical health.
Believe what you want but we lost. In the end there is that which you can't get away from. Sticking your head deep in the sand doesn't change the result.
Fact is that if we accept your hypothesis then there are 75 million irrational people in this country who outvoted those who are rational and either voted for Harris or didn't vote.
What is YOUR "solution"? Keep calling the irrational ones stupid and keep losing? Great path for this country I must say.
Arrogance is a far worse human trait than stupidity. Because the stupid people don't know what they are doing but the smart arrogant ones do.
So go right ahead, keep thinking you are right instead of trying to figure out what we did wrong so we can fix it.
I will not be following your path, it doesn't lead anywhere productive.
IMHO the voters have proven that they are "lumpen." If they ever have a vote again we must target the psyche of visceral idiots who vote against themselves.
I am a retired federal employee. This is deja vu. GWB, made 171 recess appointments (average of 21 per year)..E.G. I worked for DOL when it was anti-labor. Imagine the general counsel of the NLRB who was anti-union. Happens to be my foermer classmate. https://www.everycrsreport.com/reports/RL33310.html#_Toc227635494
IMHO Trump is as interested in stealing the national treasury so he can rival Musk and Bezos as the world's richest man as in sending me to a gulag. I give my proxy to Politicsgirl. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pcep4FNL54w&t=5s
The view from 30,000 feet is that this is a progression of what we did in western Europe after WWII, Iran and Guatamala in 1952-3, and reaction to what Putin thinks we did to the Soviet Union.
BTW all that Heritage 2025 stuff was initiated against people like me by Trump in 2017. SCOTUS piled on in 2023-24.
I *begged* my family to actually research policies from nonpartisan sources before going to vote rather than party voting or emotional voting and they all called me crazy.
One of them, who I know for fact doesn't follow news and was *severely* out of touch with what was going on during the campaigns, called the Democrats "dangerous" and said that the Republican candidate was "always a safer pick". I wanted to scream. They still wouldn't "plug in" to anything to find out what was going on and thought I was being hysterical when I tried to explain the *legitimate* dangers of DT.
A vote is a vote whether it’s an educated one or not. That so many have voted without really understanding what the issues were made the election a crap shoot. Now people who voted without understanding what the issues really were are going to find out what it means to put a deranged imbecile in control of the levers of power of our government. All of the signs that his nominees represent, indicate that he wants to destroy the government that has helped produce the prosperity that the US exhibits today. If you don’t think he’s satanic, look again at his nominees.
When I asked my sister if she’d registered to vote, she said ‘there’s no point’. And when I said to my niece, who’s much more switched on, let’s hope Trump doesn’t get in, she said, He’s not as bad as they say he is.’ Ugh.
Same here. Can’t even talk to my sibling. And we have 4 girls between us. Ugh!!
All of her percentages are backed up by several sources. What a lot of people fail to realize is that we here are in a very distinct MINORITY, ie we are those who follow politics religiously. The vast majority don't.
This is why I have been saying (like a broken record) that attacks on mainstream media are highly counterproductive because that IS the media that the majority STILL listens to. They need our support, not our attacks. We lost votes with every shed of doubt we raised about the mainstream media. They DID support us mostly yet we shunned them. Pretty poor politics in my humble opinion.
Nah Jon.. they’re just assholes. Worthy of my contempt.
How do we support them? No one in my life is willing to look at or entertain any other media than Fox News or Newsmax or whatever someone happens to say on FB that resonates with them
I mean these questions literally, I am not trying to be sarcastic or caustic. How do we reach these people?
Is it just pressuring current media to fairly and correctly impart information? Is it writing their editors to keep them accountable?
I'm in agreement that a new media source isn't going to fix the inherent problem of bad news sources, especially if people can choose where to get their information, so how do we show that they aren't even getting sound bites of the truth and make them *believe* it?
I wish i had answers to these questions TJB.
Let’s face it people cherry picked what they read, and for many there was just resentment and anger and desire for change. There are the pocketbook people who astonishingly felt Trump was a good business man and good for the economy, perhaps a euphemism for sexism and racism. There are the I can’t stand migrants people, maybe more of the same, and there are a bunch of I hate the government and think it is a joke people who are now seeing a very amusing selection of like minded cabinet appointments! I don’t blame the media because people choose what they read/watch/listen to. The question is what to do now because we are going to see the worst things ever and I’m concerned that there will be martial law declared and future voting suspended.
Christopher, for this I blame many so-called progressives who decided he was a corporate or establishment D. I suggested that they ought to be pointing out the good things he has done....his cabinet and judicial selections for one as well as the economic programs. They are just as stubborn as any MAGA about being pure despite the fact that we always go backwards when they vote third party or do not vote. I had one person talk about Not Voting(his caps). And racism, misogyny, and the economy are esoteric. Now two people calling themselves Democratic Socialists did win two seats in very blue areas on the new 12 person Portland cit council. They would never win state wide races with that label unfortunately.
Labeling me and my fellow activists "so-called progressives" shows an incomprehension of what we progressives understand about our fellow citizens compared with the continuing willful blindness of the corporate folks who have been unsuccessfully running the Democratic party into the ground. The Democratic Socialists you criticize, people like Bernie Sanders, connected with voters, but the DNC folks ignored their needs and left Trump free to scoop them up. If we are going to heal as a country, my party first needs to acknowledge that you can't just promote democracy without listening to the people. We didn't give them a seat at the table, and we lost their votes in the election.
Bernie Sanders made it difficult by clearly stating his refusal to work well with others. I was so disappointed when he came out with that and it cha ged the way I thought about what he could accomplish.
The problem is the finger pointing and blaming that creates the inability to work together. Come to one table with ideas and work through them instead of insisting my way or the highway.
Do you have a citation for that? As far as I can remember, Bernie has always worked openly with anyone who will sit down with him. I think that you've got it backwards--it was the Party that refused to include him.
Me too Betsy. I met Bernie at Coffee house in the village of Montclair in the Oakland Hills the day after he gave his "Medicare for All" speech in SF. Bernie looks you right in the face & listens carefully.
The New Deal contained universal health. It was done in by a couple operatives hired by the AMA. Universal health has been on the table continuously since then, but the health industry is mostly against it.
The Democratic Party and Bernie Sanders have collaborated well together on numerous issues for years. The claim that the Party refused to include him stems from the Party’s decision not to let him run as a Democrat. He’s a good man, and an excellent member of Congress, but he is not a Democrat. He’s a Democratic Socialist. Republicans have smeared Democrats for decades by claiming they are Socialists, despite the fact that Democrats have never advocated public ownership of the means of production. Imagine how nominating a Democratic Socialist as the Democratic nominee would be played by Republicans. Bernie wanted to run as a Democrat because he couldn’t be elected as a Democratic Socialist. Should the Party have let Bernie run as a Democrat of convenience, pulling support from people who had worked hard for the party as Democrats for years?
Did Bernie "advocate[ ] public ownership of the means of production"? Citation, please. I think he advocated taxing the rich, providing Medicare for all, and including at the table those whom the Democratic Party didn't have the time or the interest to listen to. As I already said, the MAGAs call any Dem a socialist or a communist, so that's hardly a reason to be afraid of having them call Bernie a socialist..
Bernie did run as a Democrat in the presidential election. Who is refusing to allow him to run as a Democrat? I’m all for his ideas but his methods are ineffective.
I worked in health insurance and was an Air Force nurse, I understand the medical part more than most people.
I also worked for Intuit and have a pretty good idea about how they are the problem with any changes to taxes. No flat tax was lobbied against madly by them and even now they’re stopping free tax filing. The IRS wants us to pay our taxes but they make it as difficult and fee laden as they can.
Bernie has held Vermont for a long time, what happens when he’s gone?
I don’t have it anymore.
Bernie Sanders fails to acknowledge how Obama's approval of unpopular auto bailout saved auto workers' jobs and the ACA Medicaid Expansion provided affordable insurance to working people who could not get affordable insurance. This saved my friend's life. HCR has documented extensively how Democrats in Congress and Biden administration have supported working people. His constant drumbeat of criticisms is popular with media because media hate Democrats but love "Liberals" who hate Democrats. They get most of the air time. His voice was boosted by "The Squad" on cable and social media.
Constant criticism of Democrats is a business model of the professional political pundit complex. What actual legislation have the critics introduced/shepherded to President's signature?
One more note. Sherrod Brown was one of the the most prominent pro working class champions in the House and Senate. I thought his campaign ads did an excellent job of showcasing his accomplishments (saving workers' pensions and veterans' benefits, cracking down on drug trafficking at the border.) Republican law enforcement officials endorsed him and thanked him for his help. He lost the election to a guy who stole money from his workers and shredded the evidence..
I'm tired of hearing pols and pundits who don't acknowledge how Dems have helped the working class then claim Dems have a "messaging problem". I guess it doesn't matter as long as they can write books/Substacks and host podcasts based on "Dems In Disarray" business model.
The thing that chaps me too. I like Bernie sometimes, except when he is a spoiler. And he is that more than most anything else.
You posted somewhere that you liked my "prejudices" in quotes. I can't find it, so i don't know if that is a positive response or a negative response.
Thank you for this post.
You are welcome!
Bernie CAMPAIGNED for Hillary. Bernie teamed up with Biden to create good policy that only Manchin & Sinema (turncoat Dems) shot down. Progressives try to work for good policy. Corporate Dems try to convince Repubs they aren’t Progressives.
I am glad that neither of those two are still in the Senate. Sinema is just bat shit crazy and Manchin is a DINO. I am not a corporate D, but am a realist who would like to see many more progressive policies and I realize that may be ver slow work in a democracy like ours which, like it or not, is basically two party. Now I just hope we survive and will actually be able to vote in the future. One thing I am fairly certain of is that we will continue to destroy the planet and its ability to support life even the wealthy who think their money is going to save them.
I hope we can unite, but if people wonder why the message about the good things Biden was doing didn't get out, part of it, at least locally was the dissing of him by local progressives., their label. They clearly did not understand that calling oneself a Democratic Socialist was not a formula for a successful race in most areas. They did change their tune at one point, but I had some disagreements with them and one of them constantly wanted her way or the highway on the Facebook page. One of them also made a friend of ours, who has long been very active in trying to work in land use for example and has given years and most of her energy to fighting the Chamber of Horrors and unending sprawl, so sick that she had to go to the hospital. Not every D was a corporate D even when they did not support Bernie. I know they would have all voted for him if he had been the candidate.
I'm sorry that you had bad experiences with your local socialists, but that's barely anecdote, and definitely not data. Our local DSA group regularly cleans up the beaches on the Cape. They do work that needs to be done.
And why wasn't Bernie the candidat4e? It was because the corporate Ds were too afraid of his being called a socialist and a communist, but that didn't stop the MAGAs from using those labels for Biden and Harris.
It is exactly what I actually experienced and I really don't care if you want to dismiss it. What does "barely" anecdote mean other than an insult. I suggest you look at the election map of Oregon. It is a sea of red with some blue islands where the urban population is. People who label themselves socialists would not do well state wide. How dare you imply that others do not do the work that needs to be done in terms of certain projects. Lots of people do clean up for example and I expect a lot of them are Rs. As for local dictator type i described to you, she did some gutsy things in terms of being present at some right wing, fundie gatherings. She had my full support for that and I even worried about her safety. The words socialism, communism, and Marxism have had negative connotations for a very long time. I can't tell you how many times I tried to explain to people who bought that, what they really were. Had to explain that they were not Nazis and that Marx was accurately describing 19th century industrial England for example. And I can assure that Bernie would have been labeled a socialist and a communist, so it wasn't unrealistic fear. Anything that helped people considered marginal or poor was/is considered socialism and now woke. Historically during the Depression, communism looked very good to many people. Later McCarthy and his sidekick Cohn made life miserable for a lot of people who had embraced it then. A number of European countries can be called socialist. However, their taxes are high and people here do not want to pay taxes sometimes even for essential services. It took three votes to get 24/7 fire and ambulance service in the district where I live which covers a lot of territory. You should have read some of the reasons not to vote for it. I would say they were plain stupid. I live in outside the city of Salem although my area is urban and served by the city in some ways. Many people live here because they do not want to pay taxes in Salem including the progressive D across the street. She is married to a R, so loves to discuss politics when he isn't present. We are anathema to him and he will not be at any gathering where we are present including our neighbors' 50th. Whether she likes it not, however, higher taxes would be necessary for many helpful social programs. Oregonians passed measure 110 a while back which made the possession of small amounts of hard drugs no longer a crime with the promise that users would have lots of help. The latter never emerged. What we got was a lot of open drug use particularly on the streets of Portland. I even think a lot of drug users came here for that reason. Now that has been rescinded, but the mess is large. I will be interested what the new major of Portland who came out of nowhere and the new city council will do. Then they had ranked voting which the local progressives promote. It was so confusing that many people did not vote for mayor or council members. The state wide measure for ranked voting went down. I voted against it because it would prime ground for manipulation by the party of death. Rs. What I am saying is that what looks good on paper and even progressive might be a nightmare in reality.
I wonder, Betsy: wealthy whites ever clean up black neighborhoods?
They could team up with local activist & party-affiliated blacks of various ages, occupations.
No, it doesn't. I am not talking about every progressive, but i resent being told for example, as a woman, that misogyny is esoteric. i agree with progressive values, but under the system we have which is, for good or ill, basically a two party system, protest votes like those for Jill not Green Stein, only result in what progressives want to take a step backward. Now many people that I care about are at risk. I am delighted those two people in Portland won, but socialism has been for many years acquired for many people a very negative connotation. I have argued against this view many times. However, as a pragmatic person, I know that people with such a label, at least at this point, are not going to win statewide races. And Biden has done in his term, many good things which progressives should be able to applaud instead of dissing him ad nauseam. I am sorry, but while I like many of Bernie's ideas, I have never liked him. And some of his followers are just plain arrogant and many are on my blocked list. When I was at a meeting of the local county D party, there was an election and two Bernie types were trying to take over. First, they pulled a fast one by one of them resigning as the candidate, but instead nominating a poor young girl who didn't stand a chance and was just being used. Then came the vote and a call for volunteers to count it and one person volunteered who was one of many in that room who had worked for years to make things better for people, not corporations. The Bernie types then implied that she would cheat and the gasp in the room was audible. I will not countenance this kind of insulting behavior. Every person in that room was and many still are if they haven't passed, long time activists, so do not think that you have some kind of monopoly on that label. FYI, I have never donated to the DNC and never will. We did donate to Perez in WA 3 who has some of what you are talking about. I am all for Ds like her. I loathe what corporations do and the Supreme Court decision which decided they were people. And I would have voted for Bernie had he been the candidate and would not have done some kind of protest thing which results in someone like death star winning.
Love your “prejudices”. The Trojan horses in the Dem party are as much of a problem as the opposition.
I am not prejudiced, just realistic. I would love to see progressive policies. I read a lot of history, all places and all times and I am very cynical about humankind. I have a loathing of the power elite now and then. And they will always appear no matter what the system. Some people will try to game it.
Guaranteed
Good golly, Michele, your prejudices are showing. For someone who "will not countenance this type of insulting behavior," you are fairly liberal with your own insults. When you're writing a tirade, it's maybe best to read it over, for content and for grammar and for spelling, before you post it.
Betsy, this comment is, well, insulting.
Oh, please.
As has been said before, with Democrats like that, we have all the enemies we can handle. Sigh...
Well, good golly Miss Betsy, I was writing late and sometimes get foiled by autocorrection. I did try to read it over, but i needed to go to bed. I will not countenance that kind of insulting behavior and it was very insulting as are you. As for spelling and grammar, once again, I was writing late and autocorrect sometimes does it thing. FYI, I taught for many years expository writing and I know about spelling and grammar. As for the content, I stand by what I said.
Are the Democratic-Socialists really Modern Roosevelt-Democrats?
No, they aren't. Roosevelt was wealthy, but he knew he had to do something to help end the depression. His wife and people like Frances Perkins were much more understanding of the needs in many ways.
I didn't realize that you can't be wealthy and also be a socialist. Citation, please.
Just read a quote from Roosevelt explaining that he was not against capitalism, but had to take measures to reverse the Depression to stop us from going communist or fascist. I am not going to look it up for you. I read an excellent bio of Eleanor and came away from it not liking him very much. She was often the push and people like Francis Perkins behind some of the policies.
Yup. : )
Dear Betsy...all fine and good, but irrelevant now. The Bear is upon us! Who is going to lead us out of this, because we cannot be the "loyal" or shadow opposition. We must peacefully resist now. It is a completely different situation than 10 days ago.
I have to disagree, Bruce. If we can't honestly diagnose where we went wrong, how are we going to modify our behavior in the future?
But that's it for me for tonight. I'm on the east coast and I have an early meeting tomorrow about how to connect with people of color so that we can work collaboratively in finally making Medicare for All the law of the land in MA.
Well said, Betsy, but looks like you are "doing", not just "diagnosing" and that is good now. Go get 'em.
Thank you for that.
There are two types of progressives: those like Sanders who understand that the break between educated and “uneducated@ (i.e. not college or graduate school educated) is too large and widening, and that working class people have seen their status and respect plummet and their earnings crater over the past 30 years. Sanders knows it’s impossible to govern a democracy without them and he respects them and asks for their input (not just tell them what they need). He’s been ably mentoring AOC in that direction.
But there’s also a another type of progressive, who is disconnected from the working class on anything from family and children, to gender, patriotism, antisemitism and an obsession with Gaza (as though the millions killed elsewhere or in their own country weren’t as important). Many of these are quite privileged people and show no respect for those who work with their hands, or for the traditional values that many working class or modest middle class people live with. They mock them. These aren’t Sanders progressives and it’s easy (and probably understandable) for the DNC to ignore them. But they have hugely damaged both the Democratic and the progressive brands. I see this from abroad, and it reminds me of the damage Jeremy Corbyn did when he tried to impose the second kind of progressivism along with the first. Even though voters liked many of the social democratic policies he endorsed, they loathed his social and foreign policy (he’s the guy who called Hamas ‘my friends’ and invited their representatives to Parliament!)
It’s one reason I detest the word progressive. It can mean anything people want it to mean.
Social democracy, on the other hand, has a specific meaning.
Yes, it does and that label will not win elections in most places, certainly not in my area. I know a lot of people who are progressive and have worked very hard on a number of issues for years. Some elites are snobs and to me that is foolish. I worked in education and not all the kids needed to go to college. My fav, in my guide group, told me he didn't need no English. Well OK, and I suggested he make use of programs with the local community college. I believe we should support both going to college for some and apprenticeships, etc. for others. I am reasonably well educated and read, but I do not look down on people who work with their hands and have skills that I do not. That is exactly why I like Perez in Washington's third. and donated to her. She is an auto mechanic and also graduate of Reed.
I really don't think Trump "scooped up" many progressives. Look at the totals. Trump's total is almost the same as 4 years ago. He didn't add many new supporters to his total. Harris LOST 9 million of Bidens voters from 2020. THAT is where the election was lost and it should be obvious.
Why? I think a lot of reasons including many that people have mentioned. Racism and misogyny certainly played a part. Misinformation didn't help but I don't think it was all as important as people think.
I do think that Biden and then Harris DID ignore the fact that mainstream America (all of us, not just one side) felt pinched in the wallet and the Dems continued to say everything was great when in fact it wasn't. Sure the stock market is soaring, but who wins there? The lower middle class wage worker? Grocery store prices are through the roof and both Biden and Harris ignored that. I just had to pay $8.00 a pound for basic ground beef (hamburger meat). When and why did THAT happen?
The fact is that while the elite are doing fine, the average folk is getting screwed in the market place and Trump keyed in on that. Of course he isn't going to do anything about it, but the Dems ignored it. And in the end people prefer to hear their problems being addressed and they voted that way.
We ignore that truth at our peril.
Just what do you think Biden was going to do about grocery prices outside of actually fixing prices. Grocery corporations were price gouging and I would not be surprised that they did it purposely to help Rs. Also I think it was the child tax credit which helped with poverty among children. Then it went away. There is a book called I think Poverty America. The author said that we could solve all our problems if the wealthy in particular would just pay what they owe.
Also a lot of Ds did not vote. Maybe some of them were progressives as that turkey with Not Voting implied. Or they may have not been able to vote for either because of racism or misogyny. Or voter suppression. Or apathy.
Mostly apathy. There WAS racism, misogyny and voter suppression, there always is to some degree, but that did NOT result in 9 MILLION people who voted for Biden not voting. Those people simply didn't like Harris or wanted Joe to keep running or didn't care at all. In sum, that's apathy.
The problem is apathy is a disaster under our system. Which is why you need to run the candidates most likely to give you a chance to win. The Democratic party somehow managed to figure that out in 2020 but didn't in 2024. Maybe we will figure it out again in 2028... assuming there is an election in 2028.
And they got chump, really smart plan. Petty revenge, just like chump.
Rather than being Democratic Socialists, we should strive for Social Democracy, like they have in Europe.
One of the major differences between the US and Europe is that we are a very large pluralistic country and each faction has different interests and goals politically. Europe consists mostly of smaller countries which are more homogenous, to some degree like our states but not exactly either. So comparing the US to say Austria or even France is really an exercise in futility. The only really good comparison is Russia and of course its history as the USSR and with socialism/ communism (and not a pure form of communism either but rather a weird combination of socialism and totalitarianism ) makes it a very poor comparison.
Things of course change and who knows what we will be like 50 years from now but I don't expect most of us would recognize it.
People here do not want to pay the kind of taxes that support those social democracies.
Rich purple dont want to pay those taxes. Most middle income people pay about the same here as over there. Maybe a little more but they get free health insurance, much better local government. The rich don't see that as an advantage and want to keep their money without any going to the government. A two-class society. Grist for the socialist revolution for decades.
My nephew's wife is from Norway. Her mother is wealthy and is a very nice lady. She was telling me about the amount of tax she pays, but is fine with it because everyone benefits. She does not understand us and my German genealogist does not as well. I had to explain the Electoral College to her the first time. One good thing is that our great nephews have duel citizenship and they can leave if they have to.
We may have a social revolution, but my take on this is that certain people always manage to get to the top and then they take on all the vestiges of the power elite.
Michele, who cares now. That is "spilled milk" now. Where is the resistance to Trump's opening salvo?
Someone further up the thread asked the question, so I answered, so stop berating me for doing that. I see various groups making plans which I do support. I was even glad when Thune won the majority leader position instead of the loathsome ghoul fraudster Scott. We will see if Senate Rs have a spine and a willingness to defend the prerogatives of their institution. I also see a lot of people who are very worried about their investments and finances. Lots of these things are tied to the stock market whether or not people are actually buying stocks. If the economy goes upside down and it might, we will all suffer. And everyone here will pay for tariffs with higher prices. Another thing I see is that women are really scared and many are wondering what they can do to protect themselves and those they love. This includes single mothers, women who have children and/or relatives who are queer, trans, or challenged in some way, people of both sexes same sex marriages. Frankly, as a woman, I view this as a victory for the patriarchy and that does not make me happy at all. To be clear i not talking about the many good men on this blog. Many are thinking about getting bear or pepper spray and/or a gun so that they can be safe from males who think they have carte blanche to own women's bodies and do what they want. Many people are appalled by his choices for positions and what that will mean for most anything in our country including security.
I might also add here that people should understand the role of snitches in Nazi Germany, an atmosphere which might make some people uneasy about actually doing something and catching the attention of those who would gladly shoot them or round them up.
They are being paid in Texas already! The "Bär" is upon us, Michele.
Not surprised. I read a lot about how people are suffering Texas particularly PG women. Need emergency help. We won't unless you are just about dead and then you are. I do wonder if doctors are leaving Texas. I already know which of my immediate neighbors would be a snitch. He is a gun nut and had one out on the end table when we had our very last neighborhood dinner. Probably a message for the big bad Ds across the street. Another neighbor says he manufactures guns and I am sure he does as he is a first rate metal craftsman. We also have a real turkey down at the end of the street who i am sure would also. Several of her immediate neighbors have restraining orders, so they can't do or say anything and they also have one on her. We called someone about the untagged or expired tag cars for them because we are not under such an order. The person who went out said he had been there many time, but that they considered themselves entitled. It did get better, btw.
Because his accomplishments were not considered as 'newsworthy' or click-worthy as his error-prone speeches.
Sec. Pete Buttegieg told Lawrence O'Donnell tonight that he has a Bidenesque term for the Biden-Harris programs of accomplishments: The Big Deal
https://www.threads.net/@lastwordmsnbc/post/DCYNbZTRJKB?xmt=AQGztWI0JHNvyd-rvCnDrrez7sy3StrBOYwBIWNWRX1VuA
^^^this is what most Americans don’t understand 🤦🏻♀️^^^
And reject when they are told. Called a cult
https://www.msnbc.com/the-last-word/watch/secy-buttigieg-has-a-name-for-biden-s-infrastructure-accomplishments-the-big-deal-224524869876
Thanks, Ellie. I couldn't stay up that late last night to watch him, then forgot.
It is not a wonder if you talk to the people that voted for Trump, or voted for Kamala seeing her as the less of two evils (my nephew) who at 23, is basically not that bothered by Trump. Everyone where he attended college, in Chef school, was horrified by Gaza and did not approve of Biden sending weapons to Israel. He views both Harris and Trump as evil, and does not think Trump stands for anything he says. Naivety of youth. Still, I decided to listen to him instead of just protesting what he was saying and so I got a better picture of the images in the media that have effected him, and also how he heard the words of the candidates. It was clear that he bought into a lot of Trump talking points. This was the kind of selective listening that if amplified in a different family would have led to voting for Trump. Then, I also know people who do not vote. They claim their vote does not count, but on some level I think that they have always been comfortable, and assume they always will be no matter what. Their not voting ties into their generally being conflict averse. Their wives and girlfriends vote, and they are the "nice" guy, but really not so nice because on some level I think they buy into rhetoric that people who suffer somehow brought it upon themselves. I am not even going to point out what they have brought on their wives and children because they think by not voting they have stayed out of it.
The Democratic party needs its own social media platform. I don't know if Blue Sky will do it because it was started by an oligarch. I am suggesting something that is collectively funded by Democrats, and others who support the party. I was thinking a way to attract youth is to forbid it to them and then attract some cool media personalities to it. Taylor Swift and Beyonce would be a catch. For young males, not sure who is out there. It is clear that disinformation, the way it is packaged by the right, sells to young men. The Onion buying Infowas is a start if the Supreme Court lets the sale stand, but we also need a Democratic version of TikTok, and other social media platforms to compete with X.
Owning "the truth" is not helpful if it is not delivered in ways that people hear it. That is what the democrats have to start figuring out now, so that in 2 years they can Reclaim Congress and through that put breaks on SCOTUS and the President.
Being “conflict averse” and not voting when repubs want to destroy your world is the height of stupidity. But then bots know best.
I love your take and suggestions. I hope some oligarchs are Dems because I am broke and donated out.
Elon Musk's Department-Of-Govermental-Efficacy, ( DOGE ), has put out a call for Individuals that have very high I.Q.s, and are willing to work 80+ Hours a Week... DOGE expects to completely turn-over the U.S. Government.... I think that Elon is still Micro-Dosing, and taking Amphetamines... Why am I worried that DJT will find a way to 'Shotgun' DOGE's recommendations?
Will they have to dump Trump and JD for their low IQs?
That could be Recommendation #1!!!
Or their lack of human qualities, nah, they love that.
Amphetamines, eh? Well, if so, maybe that's why he can propose that his hires work 80 hours a week.
There is a Segment of Silicon Valley Tech Culture that takes Stimulants such as Ritalin, and Micro-Doses Hallucinations for their Tech Work... Move Fast & Break Things Is Their Motto... Elon Musk's hiring, and work practices at Tesla, and X, are very Darwinist...
Will be convenient, Nevoustrumpezpas, if Elon can find workers with as messed-up families as he has always left behind.
For no pay, was Elon’s offer.
I am pretty sure the announcement said 80 hours a week with no pay. No pay.
And yes it appears Musk is on a stimulant. His eyes look wild like Don. Jr.'s.
Well stated, Christopher. 🤝
By the way, ¿where in the hades-Hell is Veep-elect shady J.D.? 👻
Joyce Vance is on-the-money with her observation that President Trump's proposed rogues' gallery for the Cabinet is meant to test the loyalty of G.O.P. Senators. 🤫
Time for the Republican Senators -- at least, the brave ones -- to respond: "¿F*ck me? Well, ¡fuck you! 🥳
Lastly, ¿should the cost-cutting not be handled through the Government Accountability Office and the Office of Management and Budget rather than be the screen-play of "Revenge of the Nerds Part III: the Final Retribution"? 🔍
I thought you asked a good question, so...
Watch "J.D. Vance's wife, Usha Vance, introduces her husband at Republican National Convention" on YouTube
https://youtu.be/-BFDbzfz5QE?si=hEr8Dp83yf9T6SMn
Is she as good as she seems? And if so, how could she say such things about her husband: who is described in Wikipedia as being "a Paleoconservative who advocates restrictions on immigration, a reversal of multicultural programs and large-scale demographic changes, the decentralization of federal policy, the restoration of controls on free trade , the adoption of certain economically nationalist measures , and U.S. non-intervention in conflicts involving countries such as Ukraine or Israel . [ 7 ]"
Mrs Vance has the three bees: beauty, brains, and breeding. She is also utterly inscrutable. I often wonder how she stomachs her husband's raw ambition.
Anyone know any novelists from India who've chronicled the conundrum Ned has zeroed in on?
Must be some who've followed ostensibly decent women caught up in another Asian patriarchy. (Japan has Junichiro Tanizaki's "The Makioka Sisters," Miyuki Miyabe's "All She Was Worth," and Natsuo Kirino's "Out.")
Thank you, Phil.
Usha Vance - Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Usha_Vance
And 12 months to do it in.
There will be economic hardship so I say make money as fast as you can and do not spend it. Or spend as little as possible. It’s not looking good.
And put it in where, credit unions and insurance companies where they have the money to back it?
Duh. Under your mattress. :)
Exactly.
“Biden and Harris returned the U.S. to the model that both parties had embraced until 1981: the idea that the government should regulate business, provide a basic social safety net, promote infrastructure, and protect civil rights. That system had reduced extremes of wealth in the U.S. after the Great Depression and given most Americans a path to prosperity. “
Never saw this on TV or in the papers
I don't think everyone did. I think the election was called too quickly. I think PA needs a hand recount in key districts NOW before the Repo Men take took much ground. And I don't mean for Casey (go Bob!) I mean for the Presidency!
So, Christopher. Who is leading given I agree with "Having said that we have much to do." completely? Who is organizing the passive resistance to what Trump has set in Motion? Where are the people in the streets. I am sick and old, but I will join them. Who is leading?
Women's March on Washington, DC, and everywhere 3 or more gather on January 18, 2025.
Womensmarch.com
We are wandering in the desert
I’m still wondering where the 10 million votes went. I cannot imagine that the enthusiasm generated by the Harris/Walz campaign ended in “meh, I’m sitting this one out” among Democratic voters. I’m suspicious, I’m very suspicious. I think that mail-in ballots requested vs mail-in ballots returned should be audited to see if something is off there. I’ve read ad-nauseam the analyses of what failed and little of it passes the smell test and most of it could be accounted for by voter suppression or stolen ballots. Someone needs to tell me convincingly what happened to the 10million votes.
Here is an idea that the dems could start in a few months once the immediate aftermath of the election dies back. Start to raise money for both immediate media campaigns and for the 2026 midterms and for the 2028 presidential election. The idea is that the dems have to really present a platform that not only reaffirms those policies outlined in this piece but also details social safety net programs and strong support for workers and unions and safety standards for all the dangerous jobs we fob off on immigrants. NOT JUST ATTACK THE CRAZINESS OF TRUMP POLICIES . The GOP voting public already knows this will be a shit show. They love to see progressives in a dither. Yes call the nutty policies out for what hey are and call out the ultra rich who are directing them. BUT THE DEMS HAVE TO MAKE THE CASE FOR WHAT THEY WILL DO. This will take coordination , determination , and money.
..."total war mentality about the truth..."
Really well said. Thank You.
Take a look at this.... https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/11/15/republican-ads-false-flag/?utm_campaign=wp_post_most&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&carta-url=https%3A%2F%2Fs2.washingtonpost.com%2Fcar-ln-tr%2F3fa6637%2F67377d29037c425c211f3af9%2F596b6e43ae7e8a44e7d75835%2F13%2F58%2F67377d29037c425c211f3af9
😭 As Bob Marley sang,
“ Get up, stand up
Stand up for your right
Get up, stand up
Stand up for your right
Get up, stand up
Stand up for your right
Get up, stand up
Don't give up the fight.”
🎶And I think it's going to be a Long time, yes, I think it's going to be Long Long Long Long time, Before the dawn. ... You got to speak out, speak out against madness if you surely want to see the Light of Day🎶
Hat tip ... CS&N
There is no one to speak TO! We are controlled by the MAGA bootlickers and they sure as hell don’t care what we have to say.
I am waiting to see just how much money is cut from veterans health care and services.
Certainly military benefits are a target. Disabled American Veterans (DAV) has the chops & knows how to operate politically.
There are some heavy hitters around such as ALEXANDER VINDMAN, a retired Army Lt. Colonel was in the hot spotlight when he testified about Trump's effort to extort Ukraine circa 2019.
Alexander's brother, EUGENE VINDMAN just won a tight election in Virginia's 7th House Congressional District. Eugene, a good guy won one!
FYI, the former Dem Congressional Representative from the 7th ABIGAIL SPANBERGER plans to run for Virginia Governor. These folks know how to fight.
Keep us all posted & be safe.
Saw The Wailers play this exact song live last Saturday night. EXHILARATING!
(Truth be told: only one surviving original member...still, excellent.)
Off my rant...only for a moment JP. I saw the original band 1979. Irie Mon, Rastafari.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMUQMSXLlHM&ab_channel=BobMarleyWailersVEVO
I was singing this song all day yesterday!
I was thinking his song "Small Axe" fits here too.
I’ve had “The Idiots are taking over” (NoFX) running through my head since last Tuesday. It was originally written about Shrub’s administration, but still fits.
https://genius.com/Nofx-the-idiots-are-taking-over-lyrics
As well as “Leaving Jesusland” (also NoFX from about 2005)
https://genius.com/Nofx-leaving-jesusland-lyrics
I was thinking "Put de heathen back dere 'pon de wall" was pretty apt, myself.
While reading today’s letter, I briefly forgot that Joe and Kamala have to leave the White House soon. It’s just too painful to really take in.
We're still living under the Biden/Harris administration. Too many people will be SHOCKED at how things devolve when Jan 21 comes.
Yes depressing beyond words.
It’s unbelievable
Biden still has time to clean up his legacy..which at the end of his 50 years of service, needs a little correction.
The Dems have always been the ‘nice’ party, then came the internet - screeching about ‘lamestream media’, etc. Now here’s a chance to take the bull (horn) by the horn. The Onion employs great writers - I hope they also have a good plan -
I love this. Such an irony and with the help of those parents. I also saw the Haka (hope this is the word) which Maori members did as a protest to a bill in New Zealand's Parliament and I loved that too even if it is elsewhere.
Indeed it is. The Māori
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvgwve4j176o
Thanks for the link. I did not know about this.
We had a Māori firefighting unit come and aid with one of our devastating Oregon fires in 2020. After being on the line for 3+ weeks they came in and did one for the US Forest Service.
Wow. Just wow.
I reside in a middle class neighborhood. I bet any one of us would some to aid their neighbors.
I doubt the people in a wealthy, gated neighborhood would do the same.
The same goes for countries. The poor countries send people to help.
Thanks for sharing this story.
Every little thing will help (I hope - along with millions of others)
Guarantee you that Trump will take credit for every good thing bestowed by Biden
Not gonna let him - without LOUD RESPONSE!!!
Various Republican congresspeople have already done that when back in their home state -- taking credit for what they, in fact, voted against in Congress
Pete Stauber in Northern Minnesota is a perfect example. :(
Which makes me wonder whether they will continue to support these policies - pulling the rug from under the feet of people and businesses would damage them. That might be the best way to embed Biden’s legacy.,
This. 10000%. All the bridges being built, the jobs created. The Dems are not good at being loud. Who will do this? And where are our leaders right now? People are scared. Devastated. Hurt. We are hearing from a few governors but... that's it.
“Biden and Harris returned the U.S. to the model that both parties had embraced until 1981: the idea that the government should regulate business, provide a basic social safety net, promote infrastructure, and protect civil rights. That system had reduced extremes of wealth in the U.S. after the Great Depression and given most Americans a path to prosperity. “
Such a powerful message. Never saw this on TV or the papers
Agree. He will look good awhile riding Biden’s economy. Then he’ll ruin it, like he did before.
Yup. Obama handed Trump a thriving economy and all DT needed to do was sit on his hands and take the credit. Which he did, for a while, until he wanted to leave his own mark - which was a black one.
Repubs do every day in Texas
Blame narrative from Right is already emerging
“There will be hardship, but it’s because they stole from you to fund their pet projects”
Such BS
https://www.westernjournal.com/biden-harris-raided-medicare-fund-green-new-deal-premiums-now-set-spike/
It was very telling that those who paid the least amount of attention to politics and government, were most likely to vote GOP.
And they are going to regret their votes!
These are the people who refused to follow public health guidelines during a pandemic. People who think vaccines cause autism. People who think germs don’t exist. People who think the earth us 6,000 years old. People who think pedophiles operate out of pizza-parlor basements. It is hopelessly delusional to imagine that they will figure out who is responsible for their “bad luck.”
Good point. They certainly won’t take any personal responsibility for the mess that awaits us.
Blame the libs!
Is the economy bad? Blame the libs!
Eggs are expensive? Blame the libs!
Your car doesn’t start? Blame the libs!
You can’t get any sex? Blame the libs!
people in that deep are a lost cause. Not everyone is in that deep though… but I get what you’re putting down 😔
As always, I commend Dr. Richardson for posting yet another provocative and concise brief on national events and for urging rational readers to express their views on the current and the predicted conditions of the Republic. Accordingly, I wish I were looking ahead to peace, progress, and prosperity for our nation; unfortunately, I suspect— indeed, I predict—that the next four years will generate more hate and discontent than at any time since the Great Compromise of 1877.
I am an old man, a product of the (all too) brief leadership of President John F. Kennedy. I’ve seen what the GOP does to this and to other nations all in the name of economic growth and expansion. I’ve seen what those people call “a balancing of national interests.” I’ve seen that their chief political aim is to destroy the Democratic Party.
The lines have been drawn. Let’s get it on.
Sadly, I really don't believe they will regret their votes. We must remember that their ranks consist of millions of low-information voters... those who don't know the truth, those who don't bother to know, and those who don't want to know. So anything that starts to happen with the economy sliding downhill will be spun by Trump's spinmeisters as "this is the way we found the economy left in shambles by Biden-Harris." I guarantee it. These voters had ample opportunity, except for the failures of the Democratic Party to trumpet it loudly enough, to see the successes as Heather describes; and to see the jobs and dollars being brought into their states by the bills that were shepherded under the Biden administration. They couldn't connect the dots then and they won't be able to do so going into the future. They will continue to drink the Kool-Aid.
I'm guessing that folks who expect that after Trump's inauguration eggs will cost $1.50/dozen and gas will cost $1.50/gallon will be mightily disappointed when they go to the grocery store.
Trump’s bureaucrats will be able to lie about the economy, but people will notice and believe what they have to pay for food, especially.
My cohort seems to be disinformed voters who hate anything that liberals are for.
From the biggest lying bastard of them all, Rush
I read somewhere that about 1/2 of High School Seniors read at less than a 6th Grade Level... This explains a lot... Elon Musk is now Warring on all News Sources that are not 'X'... Elon, who is now getting obviously more erratic, maybe his Hallucinogens are catching up with him, is definitely a Dark Sith now....
Yes, Apache. With the girls far ahead of the boys.
And millions of boys becoming incels ("involuntary celibate").
Yes... Sad, Sad, Sad... The Popular Culture is devolving.. In South Korea, which is the most 'Wired' Country on the Planet, the Birthrate, has cratered... If the majority of People don't read books, or printed materials, or Socialize with other Humans, and get their News & Opinions from Online Feeds; then that makes them potential 'Meat Puppets' for A.I. ... If so beware the Kurzweil Singularity...
Yup. It will be a very long “blame the Dems” game.
Cults don’t deprogram themselves
It’s more likely that Trump & Republicans will keep what’s popular and claim it as their own.
Yes. I think that was one of the purposes of HCR's letter today. To establish true ownership of this very strong economy we must transfer over to the incoming administration. We must remind all, irregardless of party, that Biden is the one who brought that to fruition. We must hold the incoming administration accountable for this.
Will they? I’m not sure that’s true.
a lot of military folks voted for Trump despite his open contempt for them ... and if they lose their medical insurance because of him, they will regret the votes (I hope!)
Fox plays non-stop on military bases, which is why they support T despite his character and actions.
John, I think that military culture which can be very misogynistic and racist also has something to do with this. I can remember one of my husband's colleagues who was in Viet Nam making terrible remarks.
It’s authoritarian from the git go.
That is when the worm turned
Some already are.
Not the least surprising to me. They’re the least educated, for the most part.
It was disgusting
A huge round of applause for The Onion 👏👏👏
Thank you, again, for putting so many current and historical elements together to clarify what is going on now—and what we have to be ready to fight against.
Ditto
You have detailed what the American electorate was never made aware of. The Democrats did a terrible job of selling Joe Biden’s successes. If they had celebrated him, Kamala could have been cheered on and the GOP could not have described her as being a failure.
You may have noticed that the MSM is not really fond of “good news”. Hence we had Trump and his depressing craziness in our faces 24 hrs a day.
Add to that the round-the-clock drumbeat of disinformation about the supposedly horrible economy, “urban crime,” and the “immigrant hordes” and we never had a chance to get the real facts out to those low information voters.
Not only that but the maga side doesn't listen to the very good news about the country under Biden/Harris. They are too busy listening to trump's bullshit, saying the economy is terrible , the stock market its about to crash and Biden is the worst president ever. Confirmation bias on both sides is tearing us apart.
100%. Everyone prefers their perception over reality, and that is a *massive* hurdle to overcome. You can't convince someone of truth that runs counter to their experience without them being willing to engage.
We cannot lose track of the fact that Fox "News" and similar outlets were apparently created to spout wall-to-wall propaganda to "low-information" people and that they carry out this mission very well. Some have suggested there may be room in our information economy for a Democratic or liberal propaganda machine as well. However it might have relatively limited success if it aimed always to speak the truth rather than enticing the audience with lies and innuendo.
The entertainment aspect is what Fox played up. Entertaining news, tinged with a little sexism, racism, and a perverted Jesus.
Good news doesn't sell.
The fact that Trump may not even have made 50% needs to be given big publicity. Now he's trying to destroy Congress without a mandate and without legal power. Get UP, Republicans! P.S. I see that Deepak Puri has already covered this in a nearby post I hadn't yet seen.
When is the final count for the presidential election expected to be available? And where will it posted?
Too late
Local officials need to certify to their states by mid-November (so, soon). Most stares wil certify by late November. Then, States will bring their results to the House.
This site has been helpful for me when trying to figure out the time line. Towards the bottom, if gives the expected dates of certification for each state.
https://www.eac.gov/election-officials/election-results-canvass-and-certification
You can’t get information to people who refuse to listen. It’s not a matter of poor communication. It’s a matter of willful ignorance.
Exactly. The cult was created early
Exactly
“Biden and Harris returned the U.S. to the model that both parties had embraced until 1981: the idea that the government should regulate business, provide a basic social safety net, promote infrastructure, and protect civil rights. That system had reduced extremes of wealth in the U.S. after the Great Depression and given most Americans a path to prosperity. “
Such a powerful message. Never saw this on TV or the papers
Many thanks Professor ⭐
I'm off topic, but certainly timely, and I wanted to share:
Deportation
by Lynn Geri
“Give me your tired, your poor,
your huddled masses yearning
to breathe free.”
An elderly French woman is loose in New York
spreading pro-immigration propaganda.
She didn’t say these words when we let her in
now she attracts too much attention.
Her incendiary promotion is subversive
she’s the most dangerous woman in our land.
ICE says it’s doubtful she is eligible for entry
under the Republicans’ immigration plan.
The woman does not speak English well,
holding a torch in the air is not a needed skill.
Neither she nor that blind Italian,
with her now tinny scales and sword,
are white, nor are they vulgar.
They need to be asked to leave.
Thank to Andy Borowitz
Love this parody-praise on Lady Liberty!
And she arrived by sea, but not even on a boat! What does that make her?
At the 2024 Berkshire Hathaway Annual Meeting, billionaire investor Warren Buffett made a bold claim about corporate taxes. He told those gathered that his company pays a 21% tax rate, sending about 5-billion dollars to the federal government for 2023. But it is what Buffet said next that might have stunned many in the room and should have been the centerpiece of the Democratic platform. “If 800 other companies had done the same thing, no other person in the United States would have had to pay a dime of federal taxes, whether income taxes, no social security taxes, no estate taxes.”Really? Iowa's News Now calculated the 2023 revenue from just the top 100 companies in the U.S. If all 100 paid the same 21% tax rate as Buffett's Berkshire-Hathaway, it would have resulted in more than $2 Trillion in tax revenue for the U.S. Government, or nearly half of all tax revenue that currently comes into the U.S. Treasury.
In contrast, Tesla paid no federal income taxes between 2018 and 2023 despite being profitable from 2019 on. In fact, Tesla's total federal income tax over five years was less than zero with the company receiving a $1 million refund. At the same time Tesla provide Musk a $46 billion pay package. And they are not the only company to do this. Thirty four other large and profitable U.S. firms paid less in federal income taxes than they paid their top five executives.
Why is this information not more widely reported? And remember this when Musk proposes that we cut the national budget by at least $2 trillion saying everyone would feel the pain. Ask yourself, how much personal pain do you think Musk, the richest man in the world is going to personally feel, or any of the billionaires surrounding Trump?
Thank you, Betsy!
Ditto!
Thanks for bringing to light the most over-looked point in federal deficit discussions. It’s not about tax and spend but massive tax avoidance and (a la Trump types) tax evasion). The second overlooked point - soon to become the top point - is that Trump’s slashing of IRS tax audit capacity and public disdain for the Justice Department, which is charged with prosecuting tax cheats, assures, without doubt, that tax cheating will soar.
👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👍👍🙏
Thanks you for your YouTube chat today. It did give me a little hope. I'm reading Timothy Snyder's On Tyranny and much of what you said is cut from the same cloth. I'd love to see the two of you in a joint appearance to reassure us of our agency.
Just today bought the graphic novel version. From a local bookstore! Excited to dig in. Also follow him here on Substack. Recommend.
I assume that Biden (and Harris?) had most of those statistics about new small businesses 4 months ago? Why weren't they shouting it from the rooftops? And, I know that Harris needed to distance herself from Biden during the campaign, but wasn't there a way for her to say: "Biden has done x, y, z" but I am going to build on that and here is what I am proposing for the next for years"? It would have put her promise to increase tax credits for small businesses into a reasonable perspective and clarify why that was so important to her.
Unfortunately, MAGAs and undecideds were clearly not looking for accurate information, so shouting from the rooftops doesn't help if everyone else is wearing earplugs.
She was soaring like a rocket, and then a very rich jack-in-the-box took over Trump's miserably failling gimmicks...
It happened when chump was distraught about Biden dropping out. His campaign pivoted on a dime to sexism, racism, and bull Schitt. He started “entertaining” at his rallies. He even said that Gaetz had a plan to win. And Gaetz is sleeze but he’s a marvel at back-stabbing and manipulation. Just ask McCarthy…
That's it. I believe you're right. At least it put an end to the martyr act. Pity we'll never know what really happened to his shattered ear. And why he didn't have his shoes on. Gaetz! ugh! Jimmy Kimmel is having a ball.
That was such a out on, maybe 50 years from now, somebody will find out. Unless we look like the planets of the Apes, updated to the planet of the dead. Or maybe the apes will rule again.
Thus spake Kubrick.
Yup
Gaza was the only thing she needed to distance from. Maybe more messages to Netanyahu
"Although the Senate ultimately acquitted Trump, according to Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) all the Republican senators agreed he had done as the House charged. "
The Republican senators openly acknowledged that Trump had violated his oath but acquitted him anyway, thus violating their oaths. The whole lot of them should have been impeached and removed from office.
Agreed. Complete abdication of their constitutional responsibilities.
Um, just had an election, Mobiguy.
Voters in Florida returned orange felon sycophant Rick Scott to the U.S. Senate.
Voters in Texas returned convicted criminal advocate Ted Cruz to the U.S. Senate.
Voters in Missouri returned running-away-from-his mob Josh Hawley to the U.S. Senate.
The fact that partisan media like Fox News and X feed uninformed voters whatever they think will get their team re-elected, and that those uninformed voters make up the majority in many districts and states, does not give those representatives the right to ignore the Constitution.
Yes, many people will be re-elected no matter how badly they behave. The three you mentioned, and Trump, have confidence that will happen. That makes it even more imperative that there be consequences for misbehaving, or you end up with a government run by a cabal of corrupt officials who happily work for their own benefit while screwing their ignorant constituents, assured that the complicit media will drum up support among people whose involvement in politics begins and ends by pulling the lever they've been told to pull on Election Day. That's why there are laws, and why they absolutely need to be enforced.
A really good con artist can scam retirees out of their life savings so adeptly that they get annual Christmas cards from the retirees after the fact. That the retirees don't know they've been harmed doesn't make the deed any less illegal, or the con artist any less in need of punishment.
Most well put, Mobiguy.
Love especially your "That's why there are laws, and why they absolutely need to be enforced."
The people of the U.S., however, have decided otherwise -- have voted clearly for rule by a corrupted, grifting, rapist, convicted criminal. And for minions of sycophants to dark-money, racist, hate-filled corruption, all of whom stand against that same Constitution, exactly and as plainly as the Clarence court quashed its Article 14, section three, and uplifted same convicted criminal as above the law.
I have been following and researching every analysis of the election I could find. I have looked at exit interviews, AOC’s research on voters in her district, the breakdown of issues contributing to Dems voting for Trump, why Dems sat out the election etc. My conclusion is that the real problem was that Harris first name was not Sam. If you look t all of the available facts, I think it is impossible not to conclude that the US is not ready to elect a women as president and certainly not ready to elect a women of color. When the talking heads say the Dems lost the working class because we do not know how to talk to the working class, I say name a president in the last 50 years who did more for the working class than Biden. I have concluded that misogyny and race played a much larger role in this election than anyone wants to admit.
James, I agree. The two times tfg has won an election he faced two of the most qualified candidates presented: a former senator, Sec State, and First Lady and a former DA, State Attorney General, and a Senator: both female. America will not elect a woman president any time soon.
Sad but right on target
Nail on the head, as soon as Biden dropped out, they pivoted to racism, sexism in a flash.
I disagree. I talked to workers who complained about the price of things and the border. They felt it was much better when Trump was president.
I tried to tell them that Obama handed Trump a good economy and Trump handed Biden a bad economy (as well as a raging pandemic he sat on for 2 months doing NOTHING).
Mario, I agree that those were issues. However, if you look at the Department of Labor’s statistics on wage increases and inflation over the entire period of the Biden term, wages for non-college educated workers rose faster than inflation. I agree that the border was an issue and that the administration (including Harris) were ham handed in their handling of the question but the exit poles don’t seem to support the argument that the border was a decisive factor in the election.
Yes, the RATE of wage increase grew quickly. The AMOUNT of wage increase was not growing concurrently with the RATE. And thusly, the price of eggs and gasoline had a real impact. A lot of people were getting hourly pay raises, but it was not a high enough raise to offset debt or eggs or price of gas. Just saying.
Exactly what I think, James. Our country is not ready for a woman to be president, and we might as well face it.