Extremist Republicans today shut down House business by refusing to pass a procedural vote to take up a spending bill, as they had threatened to do in retaliation for the passage yesterday of the continuing resolution to fund the government into the new year.
And in 60-plus days, they get to play the same game of "chicken" again. Just do a CR that lasts till January 10, 2025 (give them a week for the new congressional Democrat majority to fix things) and then forget about anything else. Go campaign against these permanent pre-pubescents of the Trump Party and get rid of them.
EXACTLY!!! At least pass funding for ONE FULL YEAR. This “game” of chicken is the real failure theater — and a major contributing factor the the US credit being downgraded. 😡
What's hilarious is that they have kicked the can a full 1/3 of the way down the road at this point. I'm trying to imagine turning in my term paper 4 months late in college. Like, just showing up to the office of the professor of the class I failed at the end of last year, putting it down on their desk, and being like "So, we cool?" What would the reaction be? Then again, I was also taught in college that plagiarism was a serious offense, and we have a major party's frontrunner obviously plagiarizing Hitler's Greatest Hits, so...
Or you could have done the Republican thing and just made up the entire paper including the references. TFFG says things like, "People say", or "Everyone says" or "It's a hoax" or "It's a witch hunt." Why not do the same thing and reference some really obscure made up journals, etc. Sure you would have received a C or D but it would have saved you a lot of time and you could have utilized your creative skills.
Oh hell, just use A.I. using death star's speeches with some Hitler's thrown in. Gary, you are giving me a chuckle first thing this am. I have to add sites which the people who tell me dig deeper use like Judicial Review. Lots of wing nut sites on the internet to use as reference. What a paper a person could turn in....maybe a few quotes from ignorant family members thrown in that people will garner next week.
Neo-Nazis always amaze me. Hitler was truly history’s biggest loser. He took the most powerful nation in Europe and turned it into a smoking ruin, a modern Carthage. Even aside from his psychopathy, bigotry and viciousness (if you can, somehow, put them aside), how can anyone admire him?
Actually WW1 turned Germany into a smoking ruin. The nascent Weimar Republic (a democracy) failed under the onerous conditions imposed by the victors of WW1 to make Germany pay reparations for war debts. (The iconic image of the Weimar Republic is wheelbarrows of cash needed to pay for bread.) That led to the people dumping democracy for a strongman (Hitler). After WW2, Those lessons learned led to the Marshall Plan, a most extraordinary, liberal investment in our enemies that turned them into our NATO friends. The Marshall Plan was not without its dissenters. But it literally changed the nature of global relationships.
A similar Marshall Plan is happening right now in America. After 50 years of disinvestment and hollowing out of America (both the US and Latin America) by our own leaders (led by reactionary, Republican and "neoliberal" theory), we now have a subset of people willing to ditch democracy and vote for a Hitler--like "strongman". They point to weakness created by such disinvestment as their reasoning, failing to see that they created the conditions for American versions of a Weimar Republic.
But the Infrastructure Plan passed by Democrats is sponsoring the majority of projects (by number, not necessarily by dollars) in US Republican States, including rural areas as well as big cities. It is the lessons from the Marshall Plan renewed. May it go on to have the same spectacular success. Current GDP growth, falling inflation, and vigorous support of democracy certainly point us (and US) in a favorable direction.
Keep that in mind when answering that badly written poll question asking if you believe the country is going in "the right direction" (without ever specifying what exactly the person is thinking of to support their response.)
Thank you, Barbara S, for this summary of what I sort of already knew. It bears repeating publicly and that's what you've one for us all. I remember wondering why our highway system hadn't been upgraded or improved since I was a little girl. That was part of my finally awakening to what politics really is (are?). Having been raised in heavily red-lined northeastern Ohio during the Eisenhower years when my parents were still in their own twenties, it was then that they and their children were seduced into thinking Eisenhower represented all the Republicans that followed. So most of those people are still Republicans, generation after generation. I moved away. I was a late bloomer, and when in my own late twenties, I started to pay attention and wake up when Reagan talked about Trickle Down economics and fired all the Air Traffic Controllers for striking for better pay and work conditions and banned them for working in that capacity for the rest of their lives. I started to see that "these" people were not kind, didn't care about people, and were out for control and money. And it still is for the vast majority of them. It continues to be disheartening. Heather's news wrap today was nicely upbeat!
I refuse to look at polls. They depend so much on the questions asked and the people who make up the set. Btw, the Marshall Plan paid for my husband to visit England and Sweden some years ago to look at their unemployment plans.
Did you include Russia as an European country? Attacking Russia while having several fronts going at the same time..ooops. was a mistake. Saw a picture of a boa (or python) who ate a porcupine. Quills sticking out all over and it obviously died. It bit off more than it could digest.
Actually, many historians believe that Hitler’s biggest mistake was declaring war on the United States, on December 11, 1941. On December 8th, after FDR’s Day of Infamy speech, we declared war only on Japan. Germany and Italy doomed themselves three days later, by declaring war on the US.
Oh my! What strikes me is "The damage was largely the result of incendiaries, not high explosives, so there wasn’t much to cause craters." The ration system was certainly creative (not!) and women rebuilt the city! Wow. Thank you for the link.
Plagiarism - During my first year of my degree I omitted a reference in an essay simply through error. I received the snakiest letter about it from the faculty, rather than the marking tutor taking me aside and asking what happened and did I realise my mistake.
Martin, speaking of ‘snakey’ which, by the way, is a perfect description, I was yanked out of lunch by a faculty member my senior yr in high school, and accused of plagiarizing the poem I’d written because .... get this .... I hadn’t shown an aptitude for writing poetry before. She had not a shred of proof. I won 2nd prize because of that rather than first.
Exactly Ally. I had a music composition professor in college, who it appeared could not write a lyrical score. I think he disliked me in part because lyricism came naturally to me; plus I had the temerity to use a fifth in an assignment (that resolved) plus my fellow students enjoyed playing & listening to it.
That's appalling. A typical knee-jerk reaction without fact finding first and at a place of learning that tends to deal in facts!
I think there is a lot of ego involved in such places. I received the highest mark for an essay about species extinction and conservation in third year. My introduction quoted Douglas Adams opening to the Hitchhiker's guide to the Galaxy which the market said was unusual but interesting. Dr M the course lecturer pointedly remarked in the next lecture that he didn't see why a student, looking at me, should get such a high mark. When I looked at the scores posted on the faculty noticeboard by Student ID I saw that one of his favourites had their mark boosted above mine with a handwritten amendment. You tended to learn some people's ID when you did group work. So it goes on all over.
Makes me think back to how students were "advised" by their high school counselor back around 1950 or so? Girls were to be nurses or teachers - period. Aptitude either was ignored or unknown!!!
Too many times I was advised to learn to type well. I was dyslectic, but that condition was an unknown then,; I typed backwards on common words like ‘the’:-) But simultaneously told I could become the leader of whatever place I was working as a girl Friday.
Thank the goddess that has shifted for the generations that followed.
A college professor gave me a D- for a paper that had no references because she didn't think I could to the critical thinking the paper demonstrated. Told me she had no proof except I always looks sleepy at 8am on Saturday mornings. I threatened to go to the Dean. Next paper I cited references for every paragraph. Still irks me.
I taught for 15 years as an “instructor,” managing to escape most of what you’re describing, popular with students. Then at a university rated near the bottom in my field (having come from one of the top four) I got called in by a contemporary whose required class I was taking as I worked on my PhD. She complained that I was too nice to my class. I replied with the story of Voltaire, awakened by a group of five musicians, who said that the path to learning should be strewed “with flowers.” She never bugged me again.
But I am embarrassed! Writing “Voltaire” when I should have written “Montaigne.” Both were wise and witty men, but Montaigne precedes Voltaire by well over 100 years. It is in his “essais” that he writes about education.
Will, just as an amusing aside (I agree with you completely): I have actually had the scenario you describe happen. Numerous times in my 35 years of classroom teaching. So the example is quite apt. Because the university administration more or less demands that the faculty accept that behavior.
My experience teaching in a private school K-8. No backup in dealing with one boy in particular. But the following year, the school lost about 20 families not willing to accept their kids being in class with him.
Being homeschooled, I always got asked "how will he know how to deal with bullies?" Which is ridiculous because a) it sounds like you think I *should* be bullied, and b) you think there weren't bullies among the homeschool kids??? Indeed, similar to your story, there were definitely one or two kids in different groups who ceased to come after a significant number of parents made a "him or all of the rest of our kids" stance known. This was avoided if at all remotely possible, but sometimes it just needed to happen.
Most kids just need help, but some are just terrors. I guess it starts out real early.
35 years at a university? I just turned ashen. Thank you for your service in the trenches! :-)
Seriously though, the American voter is like a teacher looking out at a class, one half of which never turns in the homework and spends their time flying paper airplanes and giving each other wet willies, but that half get a never-ending series of passes, because the other half are nerds, and we all know the nerds are stuck-up and boring, and we can't reward that now can we?
The Chronicle of Higher Education this past week devoted their headline articles to the growing problem of teacher intimidation by increasingly aggressive and (frankly) terrifying students. Since I have had a few of those in my life as well (one decided to use the tactic of threatening the families of his professors instead of doing his work, and that was not shut down by the administration until a dean started getting threats from this student) I can tell you the problem is getting worse.
In regards to the infrastructure bill: I am reminded of my 2 dogs (retrievers). I would throw a stick out into the water. The labrador (spelling)would leap into the water, swim out a good distance, get 2/3s of the way back, then the spaniel would leap in, grab the stick away, and bring it back to shore to get full credit for the retrieve.
Will, ......plagiarizing Hitler's Greatest Hits, not as much an exaggeration as some might think. '24 election had better not be close. I hate to think that there are that many Americans that might want a vindictive dictator who sees anyone that opposes him as a target for what he might do.
Tuesday night, Colbert's guest was Rachel Maddow. The subject was fascism, Republican-style. The conversation was sparked by Trump's Hitler-esque "vermin" speech. Trump is trying to water down the word "fascist" by calling Democrats fascists. I coined a new word. It's Trump-proof. The word tested well in the online reader-comment forum of The Washington Post and here at "Letters from an American." The Republican party no longer exists. When referring to Trump and the Republican Party, instead of "fascist," call them the MAGANAZI Party.
The tricky part, I find, is the people who are neighbors or acquaintances who are not overtly Trump supporters, but get behind his ideas and elected officials. Calling them Maganazi’s further alienates. The Marjorie Taylor Greene’s aren’t even worth discussing. Winning the hearts and minds of the foolish and scared public who believe the propaganda is a hill to climb and win.
No, it is not. Focusing on them is how we lose. They don’t want to be won over and it’s wasted effort.
Instead, we focus on the people who are sick of the hatred and division. We focus on the young voters. We focus on the disenfranchised voters who get intimated and bullied into staying home. We show them how Biden is working to make their lives and opportunities better. We show them the proof of Democrats making mature decisions. This is the hill to climb and win.
I agree. I listed out a few of those fronts in my prior comment. I know there are more, which is why focusing on this one group of people is a fool’s errand.
In which Trump signs and downright hatred of president Biden abound. I'm surrounded by seemingly decent and kind people who worship Trump and still believe that he won the 2020 election. I was told by someone early on in his presidency that if people in my county knew how I felt about Trump ( I get nauseated even looking at him) , they'd come and hang me. What???
I just can't understand their love and support of someone who is definitely unbalanced and extremely dangerous. On second thought, I do understand. They are blatantly racist, selfish, and resent the government's attempt to help
those in need. They will say that Biden has done NOTHING of substance. I try to remind them, but they spew FOX "News" propaganda back at me. Confronting them about their feelings is useless. That hill to climb is definitely looming.
I agree. There are about 77 million Americans age 60 and up. Each year about 3 million of those 77 million die. So about 24 million of us over age 60 in 2016 will have passed away before Election Day 2024. And with Covid-19 there were about 1.5 million more that died in that age group. So roughly 1/3 of those eligible to vote in 2016 are dead. Many of the deceased were MAGANAZIs who have been replaced by Gen-Xers and Millenials who lean Democrat. Attrition will eventually take the MAGANAZIs dontcha think? The challenge is to get the 18-40 year olds to vote.
We spend part of each year in an area where trump signs abound. There are even a few who decorate their property with several signs and even make some themselves...
The difference is that Biden supporters are not trying to do battle; there are no yards covered with Biden signs. Yes, there's a fair amount of intimidation involved; those trumpsters are armed and dangerous. But I can't help but wonder what kind of need is being met by keeping political signs up year after year? And there are Biden supporters quietly going about their business.
Truly frightening, and not worth confronting. We have zero bumper stickers on our cars, and when when we put up the flag on Veteran's Day, our neighbor flew one next to his Trump flag. When I cast my ballot in a recent local election, I made sure to mail it rather than handing it over to the people running the poll. At least I can track it by mail.
Jennifer, in my experience, when I have gently tried to point out the "news" that they are consuming and basing their opinions on is suspect, their standard reply is "well, we believe that about you." No amount of actual information will counter what they present as "evidence" from OAN/ NewsMax/ Faux or Prager U, even as I calmly refute that garbage with actual facts.
Ally, as I just wrote to Pam, converting the brainwashed is pretty much impossible. We must concentrate on persuading the youth, the moderates and the Independents to vote blue.
I have tried passing on info from the Wall Street Journal or Forbes to people who believe government statistics are made up. Why would WSJ lie about economic data? My ploy has not been terribly successful, sorry to say.
Well from my six weeks of hell taking care of a friend who watches nothing but faux, there is no winning them over.
Came close once but I still lost.
And one other thing is that most of the people I know who voted for him, vote one issue,so in their mind they're right by doing what their religious leaders have told them to do.
Someone in my family convinced my MAGA brother to listen to jazz rather than Fox most of the time. I don't think it will change his vote, but it does make civil conversation possible.
This is very important. I recall a comment on a Washington Post article within the last few days from someone who lived through WWII in Berlin as a German civilian, probably an early teenager. He recalled seeing the most loving grandmothers turn into rabid haters and Hitler supporters during the war, and then live out their live out their lives as loving grandmothers once it was over.
The vast majority of people just want to be left alone to live their lives. They will vote for whoever they think is most likely to let them do that, and support those people's policies as long as they don't have personal repercussions. Hitler came to power because the failed Weimar Republic threatened day-to-day existence through runaway inflation (thanks, Treaty of Versailles). He promised, and initially delivered, a reprieve from that failed government. Once people trusted Hitler to run the government and the economy, inertia took over and good, mainstream German citizens gave him a pass on his real agenda - heck, they even pitched in. With the end of the war, they simply realigned their political views once again to the Allied forces who, thanks to the Marshall Plan, once again gave them the opportunity for a "normal" life. But it is important to remember that life was "normal" throughout the period, where "normal" is a relative term.
Those of us on this list tend to surround ourselves with people who take an activist role, but it's important to remember that the vast majority of voters, like the Germans in the 1930s, just want to be left alone to live their lives, and will vote for whoever makes the most convincing promise that they will provide that security. That majority, who tend to be politically uninformed, are also the most likely to fall for good-sounding sales pitches promising unlikely but attractive solutions to perceived problems, some of which only exist in their minds because of a previous good-sounding sales pitch.
It is that majority of mostly apathetic people, whose idea of political citizenship is to vote once every four years, who must be convinced. They are reachable - the power in red states over the past two years of the single issue of abortion shows that - but it takes a willingness to reach out to the people who are not on the political spectrum at all except when they absolutely have to be.
Don't alienate them, talk to them, and convince them. If they're neighbors, you already have a connection. Use it.
Aha! Couldn't remember where, but yes, now I recall. Thx for reminder. Didn't she also say something like, “That (word) just popped out as I was talking?”
I agree, the Trump/MAGA Republicans are Fascist and nihilistic, motivated by their intense racism to set up a white Protestant autocracy. These folks are the 21st century edition of the KKK.
I have decided to switch from my favored "RepubliQans" (indicating they were Q conspiracists) to RepubliKans, where the "K" can have it's common 3 K message regarding the Klan, or to be an acknowledgment of the Klown Kar Kawkus, reflecting what the current House majority party is ruled by.
RepubliKlans? That is a juicy utilization of one's gray matter. Yes, definitely. The RepubliKlan Party. The Republican Party, the party of Ronald Reagan, is no more. It has melted away into a cult, elevating a completely worthless glob of human flesh as its leader. TFG could easily be another Hitler, Pol Pot, Vladimir Putin or Stalin.
Yes yes yes ! Greg get that over to James Caravelle. I think that over the next 11 months leading up to the most critical election of all time. (I don’t think I am exaggerating) messaging is crucial. On the economy and how under the worst conditions this administration and a Democrat Congress passed legislation and executed an economic recovery. On a specific straight forward immigration law that everyone can live with (notice I don’t say only Democrats). On controlling gun violence through a national “red flag” law and restrictions on military style weapons. On a whole host of “kitchen table” issues where we need workable solutions to give people hope that their lives can and will get better.
HCR’s factual info aside, I think many people don’t feel the economic recovery— or haven’t experienced it, so the positive numbers info strikes them as untrue. They can’t replace their old car or find a decent place to live they can afford or pay for medical insurance or… then the “inflation is down” message doesn’t tally. Or they just can’t imagine doing what the ads spew. What Bidenomics is doing is slow going to turn around a very large barge of dumping on the un-elite. So I think all the touting of the great economic benefits isn’t going to do it, which is why the pro-choice messages might, maybe…Then finding our way out of hate and misplaced blame is another struggle. People who channel their hate on Biden or the Dems have found a programmed scapegoat which, while hugely misplaced, feels comforting. They can DO something about it and that is to support the biggest ‘Victim’ of all to show their disgust and unease. They feel victimized, so he’s their guy. Lots to do before Election Day to navigate this all!
I don’t know if sayin “Liked” is the right thing to say. It is more “Agree” to your comment than liked. There is nothing to like about the maganazi in our country and especially in the House of Representatives 😡
"Permanent pre-pubescents"... Thanks for that -- despite the aspersion on children, who aren't all stupid schoolyard bullies...
This lot graduated from schoolyard to jailhouse a long time ago; but as long as they're not safely locked up it's the whole country that's shackled. Humiliated in the eyes of the world.
Real children are children who are finding their way. In some respects we go on finding our way throughout life, but it's also important to put away some childish things. An emotional child in an adults body can be a real problem, especially one with a nasty streak.
TC, and when you campaign, pick a project funded by a Biden bill in your area, and point out that the Republicans voted against it. Biden is being very smart by pushing bills that provide jobs that people can be proud of.
Not only should a sign be posted at the job site stating that it is a Infrastructure Act project by President Biden but a billboard should be placed saying that the Republican congressman, by name, voted no on the bill providing the funds for the project.
I seem to remember that big signs at construction sites gave President Obama credit during the “great recession”. I’ve been hoping to see them from Biden’s administration.
“New Democrat majority???” Surely, TC, you mean “Democratic majority.” Republicans have used “Democrat party” as a slur since the 1940s, showing that they don’t respect us enough to use our actual name. It’s a small thing, but don’t fall into the trap. Don’t use it, and correct those who do. (As I am doing here.)
My brother in the grammar game!! Unless and until the wordsmiths who write dictionaries decide that "democrat" can be both a noun and an adjective (just like the word "republican", democrat is the noun and democratic is the adjective.
Don't get me started on use of nouns as verbs (when I had an assistant, the use of "access" or "impact" as a verb was a firing offense), or, heaven forbid, split infinitives! (For those who are tempted to point out that dictionaries approve of them, dictionaries are descriptive, while I am prescriptive. And even if split infinitives were not bad grammar, they are bad writing. Always.)
Oh dear! When I taught writing at Rutgers, the grammar books (two versions) explained the helpfulness of sometimes using apostrophes for clarity, not the necessity.
Around here (Georgia), if you want to see abuse of the English language taken to never-imagined heights, just tune into the social media site, NextDoor. It can be very handy for local goings-on, but my word, folks here DO do things to the language I never imagined! Today's was a response to a post about laws regarding "Boundary Line Trees" and the writer said: "Your way or there's". My brain exploded.
Ciao Ally, I agree with you and Jon about the GOP's use of "democrat" as a slur and putdown, but English is a living, changing language, and I am not aware of any final authority on usage. Modern dictionaries do tend to be descriptive, but old ones like my massive Webster's, published in the early 1930s and left to me by my grandfather, is quite prescriptive. It requires a pedestal.
Well said; “permanent pre-pubescents” perfectly describes Trump Party members and their leader, disgraced former President “Boo-Hoo! They’re picking on me!” Thanks for the post.
We need to vote like our lives depend on it, because it may. MAGAts need to be put out to pasture. And their leader needs to service time along with those insurrectionists sycophants in the House. Furthermore they all should be keep from ever holding public office due to their role in their effort to over turn the election.
As we campaign against (I LOVE your description!) these "permanent pre-pubescents" of the T party (revived Tea Party?) here's my question: how can we translate these extraordinary discussions with our president and Xi Jinping, as well as "That economic strength (that) is standing behind President Joe Biden" into benefit stories that ordinary, non-scholar citizens could recognize as so important to our country and the future of our children and grandchildren.
Thank you for setting the record straight. President Biden has made significant progress on issues with the economy, the environment, and in talks with Xi Jinping.
Anyone complaining about "Biden's age" should recognize his experience as a statesman. Years and years of experience are paying off in this administration. To bring China to the table is productive for the future.
A slew of the people complaining are "concerned" liberals who will vote for him anyway but are grumpy that they don't get someone sufficiently "vibrant" on TV. Or they don't even feel this way themselves, but know people who do, and are therefore on the process of hand-wringing and imagining an alternative "vibrant" candidate who could capture the attention if their friends with short attention spans.
You know, the Incredible Generational Leader who has all the great qualities of the person you voted for, without the things you keep being told are the weaknesses that prevent everyone else from voting for them too! You know, the sort of person with 50 years' worth of experience, but who is only 45 years old! The wisdom of the oracle AND a dope skin care regimen! Is that too much to ask? There must be someone like that around here, where oh where could they ever have gotten to?
We live in a society that really sticks it to you for being "too" much of anything. Too young, too old. We need to accept people for what they bring to the table, rather than concern ourselves with perceptions upon perceptions.
I can't help noticing that the people complaining about Biden's age -- and, worse, the ones who say he should step down -- have yet to come up with a plausible alternative who could win the White House in 2024. Sure, the Democrats have a deep bench in Congress and statehouses across the country, and some of them will be presidential contenders in 2028 and beyond, but getting from local or regional name recognition to national name recognition in a year or two just isn't possible. These people really need to STFU and get to work.
It also undermines Biden’s run. And republicans cheer every time a democrat complains that Biden is too old. He may be old but he is smart, experienced, and has a boat load of compassion. Something we haven’t seen in a president in a long time.
Amen to that! Not a solo act. And the U.S. presidency is not responsible for everything in the world.
(But, but, but Putin invaded Ukraine because Biden is a warmonger. It must also have been Biden who inspired Bush/Cheney to bring shock and awe to Iraq. Probably the “liberal” press covered it up, typical of “the enemy of the people.”)
I posted this once, but it's worth repeating- a talk show commentator, whose name I can't remember, said, " I'd rather have an old man who needs another nap, than an old man who needs another lawyer." In his "old age" Biden has done more for this country than Trump has done in his whole life.
I agree 100%! I thought the question was who would be great if Joe Biden couldn't do it for whatever reason. Obama is amazing and could totally lead us in the direction I think we all would desire.
I’m pretty sure that he doesn’t want to be ... but I feel confident that he enjoys standing up before a crowd and firing them up so that they’re ready to go!!!
chump looked like an ignorant kid in the oval office or behind the presidential seal. Of course, Fox always cut and pasted to make the performing seal look and sound presidential. Rupert (and Peggy Noonan and Michael Deaver) helped make Ronnie look like an Academy Award winner. We have been flimflammed. Well, some of us.
Exactly. As an outsider I cannot see why President Biden's age features so often as a negative to rubbish him. You only have to look at what he has achieved for the vast majority of Americans - his decisions to look out for the least well off and maintain a helping hand. There are always some bludgers in society that just take, but there are many that such help will be instrumental in them helping themselves.
T is a picture of youthful vigor at 77, and can give incomprehensible speeches without a single stutter or pause. Not sure which candidate he defeated in 2016, but he really remembers who deserves his vengeance.
Joe Manchin is 76, perfect for attracting the youth vote to No Labels.
And, furthermore his policies are part of a governing administration, i.e. it is set up with people who can actually lead and follow through. There was not one single competent person during trump's WH occupation who could have fought themselves out of a wet paper bag, let alone perform the duties of their appointments.
Actually, I think his adamant support of Israel without acknowledged concern for the years of repression suffered by Palestinians has been his biggest blunder, but Republicans can't fault that, because they support Israel (if not actual Jewish people) with equal ardor.
Presidential politics is a bit like courtroom litigation before a jury, and a lot like a play in a theater; in all cases, it's not so much the absolute "truth" of what's presented as it is how convincing the presentation. Good candidates, like good trial lawyers or good actors, put across the case convincingly. Candidates, lawyers and actors who can't do this have a steeper hill to climb.
Being 71-years-old young myself, I agree ➡️"We live in a society that really sticks it to you for being "too" much of anything."⬅️ Also, all the "vibrant" candidates are rather busy being effective/successful governors, mayors, Senators, Representatives, state Attorneys General, state senators and representatives, etc. We need all of them there just like we need President Biden in the White House.
I sent HCR's substack on Trump's fascism to a friend who was sure that Biden is in the early stages of Parkinson's, and she responded that she'd never support Trump, but I haven't responded to her response, because I think it erodes the public dialogue. What I usually say is that we are all mortal.
I'd like to find a state-by-state list of Biden's infrastructure projects to arm myself with when someone disses Biden. Thanks for anyone in this group shedding light on these.
Infrastructure projects galore in communities near me . . . it is nearly impossible to get anywhere in a timely fashion :) Each time I think it is safe to take a particular route - nope! But that is an acceptable price to pay for improvements!
In addition to Dr. Richardson's work Simon Rosenberg is doing another brilliant job at presenting the factual picture of the Biden Administration's work. For Example:
--GDP growth In The Third Quarter Was 4.9%
--This Month’s Jobs Report Exceeded Expectations, Again - Under Biden lowest unemployment rate since the 1960s, lowest uninsured rate ever
--New Report Shows Inflation Continues to Fall
--The Wealth of Americans Jumped 37% from 2020 to 2022
--Gas Prices Are Lower Than They Were A Year Ago - despite Russia and Saudi Arabia trying to raise gas prices, the price of gas keeps tumbling
--Murder and Violent Crimes Rates Came Down in 2022, and Continue to Fall in 2023
--American Has Experienced An Explosion of New Black and Hispanic Small Businesses
--Lots of New, Encouraging Data About Our Transition From Fossil Fuels to Cleaner Forms of Energy
When Voters Are Informed About What Biden Has Done, His Numbers Go Up - another in a long line of polls show that by informing voters of what Biden has done his approval goes way up.
Biden is standing strong in support of Israel to deter anti-semitic governments from all out war. Netanyahu has not yet acknowledged that Israel may have a bargaining chip for release of hostages if he would stop future settlements.
His settlements should have been stopped long ago. Hamas is not the only player with radical supporters. Seems we have a few who are no longer on the fringes ourselves. The radicals are driving us all toward destruction. Joe has his finger in the dyke.
United States should condition aid to Israel on a settlement freeze. We are enabling, or being played. I am pro Israel, however, the settlements in the ultra right are ruining the state. We have to stop them.
“Shrouding such mass death and destruction in secrecy is a remarkable achievement. When British playwright Harold Pinter was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2005, in the midst of the Iraq War, he titled his Nobel speech “Art, Truth and Politics,” and used it to shine a light on this diabolical aspect of U.S. war-making.
After talking about the hundreds of thousands of killings in Indonesia, Greece, Uruguay, Brazil, Paraguay, Haiti, Turkey, the Philippines, Guatemala, El Salvador, Chile and Nicaragua, Pinter asked: “Did they take place? And are they in all cases attributable to US foreign policy? The answer is yes, they did take place and they are attributable to American foreign policy,”
“But you wouldn’t know it,” he went on.”It never happened. Nothing ever happened. Even while it was happening it wasn’t happening. It didn’t matter. It was of no interest. The crimes of the United States have been systematic, constant, vicious, remorseless, but very few people have actually talked about them. You have to hand it to America. It has exercised a quite clinical manipulation of power worldwide while masquerading as a force for universal good. It’s a brilliant, even witty, highly successful act of hypnosis.”
But the wars and the killing go on, day after day, year after year, out of sight and out of mind for most Americans. Did you know that the United States and its allies have dropped more than 350,000 bombs and missiles on 9 countries since 2001 (including 14,000 in the current war on Gaza)? That’s an average of 44 airstrikes per day, day in, day out, for 22 years.”
I see no actual evidence of this barring a fringe cohort that were unlikely voters anyway.
Nobody tell Tom, but according to all current data, the Israelis are still the more favored party in this conflict among the American public. By a LOT. Even among younger voters, at least as many support Israel as do not. And among older age groups, forget about it. Way more people favor money, weaponry, or both going to Israel than do not, especially among Independents. Last I checked, Biden supporting Israel was the *most* popular thing he was doing. The trendline of Democrats sympathizing with Israel over Palestinehas actually *reversed* since the war. And the voters - especially young voters - who are watching Gaza closely are likely to be more plugged-in, i.e. more likely to ALSO be aware of/passionate about climate change, gun control, crimminal justice reform, bodily autonomy, income inequality etc. Guess who they favor on these issues, and which of these are literally closer to home?
Face it, the drag on Biden's image from Gaza among likely voters comes from uncertainty as to his handling of a dangerous, disturbing situation, rather than the situation itself. In 12 months, this will likely be long over, and he will take credit for it being over, point out that his rival would never have allowed a single aid truck in, hey look over there gas prices are lower again! ...and it will all be at worst an uncomfortable distant thing in the minds of people in line at the polls regardless of age.
I might not be right, but I think we know that I am more likely right than not. When have American voters ever prioritized foreign lives over their own comfort? Or withheld votes based on destructive foreign policy?
Hell, my long-haired-hitchiker anti-Vietnam-campaigning Dad voted for Humphrey.
Thank you for the link, Lisa. According to this new poll you just linked to (and remember, any ONE poll can be quite off, no matter how good the pollster):
32% say choose "actively support Israel," down from 41% after attacks but above 21% a decade ago
15% say "do not be involved," DOWN from 21% after attacks and 27% a decade ago
4% say "support Palestinians," statistically unchanged from 2% after attacks and a decade ago
36% say "act as mediator," up from 27% after attacks and similar to 39% a decade ago
So, over QUADRUPLE the number of people want some form of US involvement than do not, and only the smallest fringe actually actively chooses Palestinian support over support for Israel. The number of people who desire active support, even with erosion over the month, is notably higher than in recent history. All that has happened is the "mediate before shipping anything" people have returned to the position they have always held after an initial uptick in support for armaments.
Of COURSE most people now choose "ceasefire/negotiate" as the preferred option. Who with eyes and a heart wouldn't? But 1) the general public doesn't know the difference between humanitarian pause/total ceasefire, 2) even if they did were not asked the question, 3) what we want is not always attainable (even freaking Bernie Sanders has described a ceasefire as naive and impossible), and 4) there is no way of knowing how the people polled would perceive any upcoming government action, or punish/reward it at the ballot box.
That’s the Democratic Party playbook; we can win any election by scaring enough voters about how bad the GOP is; and hey, young voters will come around…. maybe.
‘Substantial’ achievements are in the eye of the beholder. Team Blue thinks he’s the next best thing to FDR. Team Red thinks he’s the devil incarnate. Most people who look at policy through the lens of working people think, ‘Meh’.
Considering that young voters have turned out in increasingly notable numbers in the past 4 cycles straight, and consistently split 60/40 or above for Dems, I'd say that's less of a maybe and more of a proven formula for success at this point.
Yes, Patricia! This is what I took away from the letter today -- the progress Biden is making in so many spheres with Xi making his reasonable statements about getting along and agreements in some key areas. We're spending too much air, oxygen, fuel, money on the bad guys giving them the spotlight on a stage. Let's put the focus on the good guys -- "accentuate the positive and don't mess with Mr. Inbetween."
I watched President Biden’s press conference after his meeting with China’s President Xi. Biden spoke of how long they had known each other... dating back to when both were Vice Presidents. And while he made the resulting understanding they have of each other a plus, he never mentioned what would happen if Trump were to win the 2024 election ... breaking that bond and injecting instead his particular brand of craziness into this key global relationship.
At the same time, none of the reporters asked how Biden explained the current dysfunction in the House to Xi... assuming Xi raised that subject in the context of saying democracy is not as effective as the system of government used in China.
There are so many things that will happen if the MAGA GOP is not banished to the political wilderness in 2024. I find myself losing sleep thinking about that possibility... that Trump could win... which at times it appears The New York Times would like to see happen.
You are so right, Steven. Their bogus and biased ''poll'' results proved that just last week when they said, '' Biden is down in 5 of 6 states of importance in our polls''. I am getting emails from our side that keep harping on about those propaganda style false polls. I can't believe so many are sucked into this false and misleading propaganda about polls. The NYT would like to see TUMP win, and with that, i will be unsubscribing to all of their emails.
Last Republican the NYT has nominated for president was Ike, in the 1950s. Dems ever since. Trump took a pasting for his "vermin" pubspeak in its headlines.
He only took a “pasting” on the second day when they should have retracted and rewritten their assessment. Day one is when that article should have correctly pointed out the comparison to Hitler. Their Milquetoast approach was coward.
I experience the same concerns. "Brainwashing" through the spread of false information, the use of houses of worship to spread fear and hatred towards ones fellow man or woman when Christ teaches us to live a life of love for one another, as we have been loved and forgiven by
Christ and to help all who are in need....no matter who they are! Many faiths teach us to live lives of gratitude and service, encouraging one another and examining our own lives.
The many ways of stirring up anger, a desire to control and or punish anyone who does not go along with "the planned agenda" is, as we know, dangerous for our world and for our country.
These methods are non productive for life on this planet...dangerous for the future of our children....increase prejudices world wide, promote fear and distrust.
Not only do we see the results of selfish human behavior within our government, we see the actors in the middle East, each and all, we see Russia continuing through many methods to seize Ukraine.
Who are we? What are we becoming? We have a choice but if we choose only what WE want we will implode.
When will we learn that caring for and respecting others will yield much more for each and all of us as a family on this planet. There are many good and productive actions we could choose!
"We have people not voting for democracy based on the price of a bag of potato chips."
You are 100% correct. People are ticked off about the price of groceries and allowing that ONE factor to drive their vote. The key characteristic of disgruntled people is to scapegoat. it's all Biden's fault eggs are $3 a dozen. 🙄
I'm wondering if the reason corporations are jacking up prices (aside from piggish gouging) is to piss off voters to get more Repubs elected. Repubs (for a donation) will cut corporate taxes and get rid of pesky safety and environmental regulations.
Millions of chicken died or were killed to stop the infection that decimated factory farmed chicken colonies - remember when eggs were suddenly 6 or 7 dollars a dozen? The flocks are still being rebuilt. Every egg used to hatch a new layer is one less egg to send to the supermarket. So eggs are still scarce. Also, remember when Putin blew up all those Ukrainian grain stores? It made feeding US grain to US chickens more expensive, since other markets are desperate to stock up on food for the winter for humans. Not everything is a political ploy. Think about your options. Stop buying eggs and bake with “flax eggs”. Build a cute coop in your back yard and get some sturdy pullets, from a trusted source, of a breed that suits your needs. Join a CSA which includes eggs in their offerings. Plant winter wheat now, dent corn and oats in the spring. Stop putting ethanol fuel in your vehicle. Ugh! Sorry to sound preachy.
And the idiots think chump will raise a finger to make things better. Only if he can rake in more for himself. He will aid and abet the corporations in the rape of the populace; it’s his area of expertise
I agree with you entirely, but...in my little neck of the woods, eggs are running $7.50 a dozen, and gas goes for 5.499 a gallon...but yeah people are willing to waste money to buy stickers with Biden and "I did that!" to spread around.. (BTW, this was in response to Cheryl P.'s comment about $3 eggs)
This is my gripe with "Can you BELIEVE what this costs?!?!?" The price of an item is all relative! What state/county are you in? What time of year is it? How much money are you making relative to the total bill? There are so many factors that affect "reasonableness" and it has been a mind-blowing experience for me to learn just how so many people have an attached number in mind for everything, how important that is to them, and how bad they are at proportions and math in general. I'm low on money but as long as I can buy something decent to eat and get my needs met, I'm not going to get my knickers in a twist. I love me some eggs, but at $7.50 I guess I am going to have canned salmon or peanut butter for lunch instead this month. My human values are more important to me than the details of my culinary lifestyle.
Also, there is are two gas stations outside of my grocery store, one of them charges FORTY cents more per gallon but gets as many customers. You just KNOW the folks putting their card in are complaining and blaming the government. Right across the street, people!
"They make insanely unjust profits and turn the people away from voting for Democrats at the same time. Oil oligarchs do the same with large increases in gas prices. It is no coincidence. " Exactly. Corporations thrive on the 'divide them and conquer'.
“a -sprinkle- of sociopathic tendencies”?? That’s putting it rather mildly. He has a full-blown antisocial personality disorder. Honestly. He checks all the boxes…
Of course, that's where all the money goes. There's a lot of billionaires (like the Kochs and E. Musk) who would gladly see democracy come to an end...
Bill Alstrom - Not just heart and mind. Biden surrounds himself with honest competent appointees. TFG, a criminal himself, wants his loyal soldiers to be grifters. He fires anyone with courage, honesty and patriotism. When we pull that lever in the voting booth, we are voting for the whole team.
I agree that hate is a large factor - if your life isn’t quite how you envisioned it, you need someone to blame. But, I also think the MSM defers to trump because he offers “click bait”. He gives them food for constant headlines. What atrocious thing has he said now!?! President Biden goes along quietly, steadily, trying to keep the world order and democracy intact. No drama, just results that benefit us.
I also think that Democrats need to stress, and stress again, projects that are helping communities and publicize, by name, the Republican representatives who voted AGAINST them but are now taking credit. This level of hypocrisy is mind-numbing.
Frankly, a long daisy chain of gimmicky status quo CRs suits me just fine. Neutrality beats damage and is the best we can hope for from this sorry House. I hope they keep having to pick a new Speaker every few months, only to end up in the same spot on the carousel. Maybe the next leader-in-waiting will just be one of those Jesus nightlights. 'Tis the season.
On the other hand, how about we add THESE things to the federal budget?
Guaranteed affordable childcare
Expanded home care and eldercare
Dental, vision, and hearing for Medicare
Negotiated prescription drug costs for *everyone*
Paid family and medical leave
Expanded child tax credit
Universal preschool and community college
Student loan debt relief
A million affordable housing units
Clean Energy Performance Program
...and pay for it by raising corporate and high-income taxes
Oh, wait, I didn't come up with all that. I just described the Build Back Better Act, which came one Senate vote away from being our reality. ONE. Thanks a lot, Joe Mansion. Don't let the poop deck of your stupid houseboat hit your coal-dusted ass on your way out.
I dont know about you, but I'm refusing to be dragged into Worryville by the punditry-addicted media. Not gonna go there, not on my time. Instead, I am raring to go talk to my fellow Americans in whatever capacity I can, in order to make this dream of a more helpful government and better quality of life for working people into belated reality in *checks calendar* 15 months. Who is with me?
P.S. Nice to see some good news coverage about San Francisco. My birthplace, and a beautiful city of lovely people and irreplaceable character, it has fallen on some real challenges since the pandemic. I hope it gets more opportunities soon to show off to the world the spirit of friendship it is capable of bringing out in people.
Thank you, Will, for reminding us how close we came to winning Build Back Better with all its life changing programs. Yes, it’s time for all of us to get out there and talk to the voters about this near miss as well as the obvious differences between our parties.
Although Obama's presidency may have aroused a significant amount of racism in this country, it itself was a "shot across the bow" that the world is different now. Fundamental change has to occur regarding climate, equal rights, protection of women, and the spread of wealth in the United States across much more of a demographic range. The republicans somehow have to catch up to this reality before they destroy us, bombing us back into the Stone Age.
It was "wow" all right. I was living in Paris then - such jubilation (after the pitiful performance of his predecessor). A very senior friend of mine, veteran of a top US service, living in retirement in Europe, now gone, wrote to me "At last I feel proud again to be an American". I'm glad he didn't see what happened next.
I spent Obama's first inauguration day with a bunch of very grumpy Republican co-workers. Upset as they were, no one made any death threats. We have come to such a dark place.
I spent his first inauguration day with my fellow ecstatic teachers, staff, and rowdy elementary school students in the auditorium watching on projected tv. It was glorious. I remember one of my 4th-graders hoping that someday she would understand why all the adults were so excited and teary-eyed. I do hope she now understands and is living accordingly.
Sadly, Obama's Presidency exposed our jealousy and prejudice and hatred towards our fellowman....things we like to hide.....but now are exposed....in frightening ways.
I am so grateful that Obama became our President. He and his beautiful family were and ARE good for us and for the world.
KKK on steroids. Payback for a decent, intelligent, hard worker who happened to have a nice tan. So embarrassed for our country. I guess any epithet will do for Joe, since he’s white as a sheet.
And was raised by his mother and her parents. He had to learn Black culture afterwards because he is seen as Black. Kamala Harris’ Indian mother raised her knowing she would be seen as Black.
I watched as the so-called tea party’s bull Schitt took over friends and family and cast a permanent shadow on Obama’s victory and entire presidency. Then I watched the same cretins do the same to Joe and have never let up. Winning an election does nothing to unite a coalition of hate, religious nonsense, and greedy power-hungry bastards. All proud and un-American in my view.
Hmm... Maybe a few Republicans are thinking about crossing the aisle:
In a passionate plea, Representative Chip Roy (R-TX) challenged his Republican colleagues to provide a tangible accomplishment they can campaign on. Meanwhile, the Democrats, despite their slim majority, have achieved remarkable progress in the last Congress. They celebrated the second anniversary of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act, a $1.2 trillion investment in critical areas like roads, water systems, electrical grids, broadband, and bridges, resulting in over 37,000 projects nationwide and the creation of hundreds of thousands of jobs. Democrats emphasize their commitment to improving people's lives, highlighting instances where Republicans who initially opposed the act later touted its benefits to their constituents.
Interestingly, Scott Perry these days is only managing low 50% wins in a previously gerrymandered district where he took in 70% range wins for years. I wonder what the polls there are saying these days. If you ever want to wonder why you'd vote against GOP, he's a great example, per Wiki.
I don't think so. When I have tried that (by way of asking if the democrats had done that, what would their opinion be) I am slammed by "it is just fixing what the democrats did." No, they won't understand because it goes against their very belief structures and adherence to Faux Noise.
Yup, there really is no getting them out of the defensive posture that they are doing what they have to do because otherwise liberals would absolutely ruin the country. Specifically what, when, and how? It's a mystery. Facts are irrelevent, because this feeling is so nebulous and generalized that it seeps in everywhere; there is no crack for facts to get in. They just really, really hate people with different cultural values, and so it is easy to believe that they would do anything bad, and are responsible for everything bad, no matter what it is. It's really pitiful how unwilling they are to engage with their neighbors, and I am glad I don't live my life in that headspace.
I often think that reactionary WASPs are unable to imagine that people who have endured 500 years of atrocities inflicted by our white/hetero/male/Christian supremacist culture would not turn around and do the same to their oppressors if they were ever given the power to do so.
Thing is, they--and we--already have that power. The worst anyone has done overall is to demand equal treatment under the law. Which, apparently, is outrageous enough to scare the shit out of those addicted to brutality. Because, omg, what will happen next?? Community, equality... where could we be headed but outright communism??
Or something like that.
Truly, Euro-American history is more complex. But reactionary WASP cultures are based in brutality, and it is the only language they understand, even if that understanding often springs from the unmanaged trauma of growing up and living under that brutality. And so it remains an internal threat that still feels like it is coming from outside.
I'm not sure it has to do with a WASP identity, as Eric suggests above, as much as a taught mindset that society is a zero-sum game. However, yes, the sort of people that are terrified of being in a cultural or ethnic minority feel this way because deep down they know that they do not treat minorities of any kind well. They see the inevitable and need to prolong their domination with force if need be. I try to put my own disgust at their stances aside routinely and just think of how sad it is that they cannot see over the other side of the walls they built around themselves. There is nothing to fear on the outside, yet each day they choose to live in fear on the inside. What a shame. If only the work of getting them to peek over was easier...
What is not getting reported is that the House Rules Committee has blocked Democratic amendments proposed for the appropriations bills so they are not even coming up for debate on the House floor. There is a reason why all Democrats are holding fast and voting against the appropriations bills. You can find out more on my stack.
I kinda thought Louie Gohmert had that title in the bag...but I suppose there must be some ferocious competition for a "Dumbest Texan Representative": The bar gets higher every day.
Not all. I see many more on the right than the left currently and it is reflected in their refusal to pass any decent legislation. At least dems have brought good policy the table and got it passed. All republicans do is block good policy and bring nothing but tit for tat to the table. You would know this if you paid closer attention.
Democrats have all the messaging they need but the top one is the end of democracy if Trump becomes president. They need to be louder than they are and repeat, repeat, repeat!!! Thanks Heather, Biden is incredible!
I think messaging has to be simpler then that and how it will affect their lives specifically because democracy is an abstract concept and I think many do t understand what it means.
I don't understand much about why the REPUBLICAN'T on the street still professes unquestioned loyalty to DJT and the most outrageous thing you hear from those downtrodden constituents is "I like him because he's one of us". WTF!!!!! One of you. He's never been one of you and has no comprehension of what life is like in the real world. Or did I get it wrong. Mr. Everybody, Joe the plumber, etc. was handed $14 million when they were 4 years old. You think he has a bottle of Clorox under his kitchen sink? He doesn't even have a kitchen sink. Everything is delivered to him by servants.,One of you. I don't think so. If
William: What he says and does resonates with them. If it didn't, then they would see it similar to the way you do. In my opinion, they've been revealed. As hard as that may be to accept. I can tell you that the ones I know who voted twice for trump almost all are glass half empty personalities. They are the kind who always have grievances. The teacher isn't fair, the coach isn't fair, the referee isn't fair, the boss isn't fair...
And also many of these people are thinking having a strong man authoritarian in power is the right thing to do. That’s what scares me. They want fascism!
Agreed, Jo. They seem to crave a strong man telling them what to do whilst strutting their "independence" with their AR-15's slung across their chests.
Change isn't fair. White males becoming a minority is not fair. POC becoming a majority is not fair. We don't live in the 50's anymore and that is not fair.
Thank-you for hosting several hundred last night at Books a Million in South Portland. It was such an honor to get to see and hear you in person. I came home, posted two photos to social media and almost immediately I had 70 jealous friends, mostly from South Portland to The County, saying some version of “Damn! I wish I’d known about this!” I hope you’ll consider another talk in the Portland-Midcoast area, this time somewhere with a large auditorium that could handle a crowd. (Bowdoin College’s Pickard theatre would be perfect.) Please!
Absolutely! Drove 1 1/2 hrs from NH to hear her. She is a one woman American democracy educator. HCR possesses that informative, clarifying voice I once expected from editors of large news operations in times of national conflict. I'm sure I am not alone in being able to see her easily step into politics with a bundle of enthusiastic national support. Nevertheless, I would hate to wish it on her. "They say" DC is a "swamp". Her young students must be fortunate to have an historian who can effortlessly make the past come alive in the present. I would hate to see them lose her. And those Maine kayak mornings are treasures. But Maine sure has a gem there!! She has given so many of us healing hope in choppy waters.
I wish she'd pass through Houston again. Last time was a part of a fundraiser that I didn't want to participate in, with complicated registration and parking options.
Hard-line mis-labelled Republicans aka Totalitarianists want to defend the police, the justice dept and Tuberville wants to de fund the Defense Dept. How do any democrats lose to these people? FoxNewsHypnosis can't explain it all. Poor education? National dementia? If crime pays, guess what? There must be consequences. Imho.
This is a quote from Klein's article that really captures the nagging fear I live with, "I think the world is pretty awesome right now – not in a good sense. I mean awe in the sense of just being awestruck by the weight of our historical moment."
We have to pay attention and not be led astray by a few grains of truth followed by misinformation.
Poor education is one huge reason why these gullible, ignorant people are taken in by the Fascist GQP rhetoric. I recently read an article that people vote for corrupt criminals like TUMP have an undeveloped frontal lobe in their brains according to Neurologists who are experts in their field of study.
Gotta say, this line of thinking is WAY too far into eugenics territory for my comfort, especially if you do not link to the article to let is vet it for ourselves.
Cults trap smart people too. Damaged people, hating people, religious fanatics, people looking to rise above others lower on the pecking order. All are ripe for adoring a blathering con. Undeveloped frontal lobe may be a factor, one of many.
John, you go too far in painting Trump-supporting voters with a single shade of dumb paint. I live among them and count them as successful, caring, and trustworthy. I trust them with my life.
I can't quite explain their fealty to Trump, but it partially comes from years of believing that the country is getting too liberal too fast. It comes from years of Fox and Republicans speaking to those feelings, while national Democrats were focusing on the positives, seemingly like a cult, and ignoring them. Stop ignoring them and their humanity.
Trustworthy and caring?? What planet do you live on?? And you are the one that seems to be using dumb paint. Liberal is much better than what those what those terrorists seem to want. I will say what i want to say, and you don't tell me what to do. Go back to your Fascist GQP cult and troll elsewhere. The only cult is the Fascist Donald TUMP cult. You
or, any other TUMP idiot tells me what i can and can't say. I live among the TUMP idiots too, and they are ignorant, arrogant, gullible, loud mouthed bungholes. I DON'T give a damn whether you like that or not. What you say doesn't mean a damn thing to me.
Oh, JT. It seems your knickers are in knots. You assumed I'm a Trumpist, but I'm quite the opposite. I am talking about my lived experiences which you totally blow off. I doubt you're a true liberal, just a hothead who can't tolerate a different point of view.
Yes, i do tend to be a hothead. I would suppose that could be why my wife of 40 years just up and left me about 7 years ago, she would never admit it to me, but you seemed to have said it right. i have to curb this as i have heart problems. In the past, i have been a so called ''Centrist Democrat'' and have pulled somewhat to the left of being centrist. Thanks for your helpful reply.
OK, now I feel a bit guilty, and feel like I owe you a beer (or tea, or domethin). I, too, have been pulled leftward because of what I was able to observe in real time before pundits added their distortions. I've lost Facebook friends over that shift, but our neighbors and I quickly backed off of discussions about politics, because our friendships and support are more important. A good chunk of those neighbors are downsizing and moving away, so the neighborhood might change. We'll see.
Biden and his administration have, from the start, rolled up their sleeves and gotten to work - helping US to recover from the Pandemic and from Trump. That they keep their eyes on the prize - irrespective of the constant bad will of the freaking fringe - is a testament to tenacity, to grace and to love of God and country.
I mention God because the freaking fringe - no matter their rhetoric - are clearly aligned with the devil - as is evident in their character. Like Maya Angelou said, “When somebody shows you who they are, believe them.”
Many of the republicans who object the most were part of the body who did not want Biden to be president and did not support him and I am waiting for them to be held accountable for not upholding their oath to USA and our Constitution. Justice sometimes moves too slowly.
China and the U.S. should be in a race to combat climate change because much of the world is comatose in regard to the rapidly unfolding horror. (Again, the media if failing us.) So Xi's commitment to coal may help China's economy in the short run, but not its people or every other human on the planet.
The irony is that Europe is doing so much to combat the problem but still faces the toll of climate change as the biggest emitters of C02 do so little.
They have no idea just how unpopular they and their ideas are, do they?
I mean, there’s a reason why the Democrats were able to enact sweeping legislation with a slim majority and the Gang That Can’t Shoot Straight, can’t. Could it be that they’re too busy shooting themselves in the feet? Could it be that their positions are unpopular? Could it be that they’re simply incapable of governing? Could it be that they’re massively incompetent?
Re-Trump trials: just because people dismiss as hearsay the remark in the Georgia case That Trump was not leaving the White House despite election failure doesn’t mean that it cannot be used in the trial. Because “we are not leaving” is admissible as circumstantial evidence of state of mind, including motive intent etc. Secondly, regarding the 13th amendment litigation there’s a need to think from back to front. The amendment says the disability can be cured by a 2/3 vote of the Congress. That doesn’t mean it’s decided by USSC. It means Trump can be disqualified from taking OfficeIn any preceding disqualifying event
The strongest tools we have to meet this era’s challenges, he said, are “connection, cooperation, collective action, and common purpose. That’s why we’re all here.”
And in 60-plus days, they get to play the same game of "chicken" again. Just do a CR that lasts till January 10, 2025 (give them a week for the new congressional Democrat majority to fix things) and then forget about anything else. Go campaign against these permanent pre-pubescents of the Trump Party and get rid of them.
EXACTLY!!! At least pass funding for ONE FULL YEAR. This “game” of chicken is the real failure theater — and a major contributing factor the the US credit being downgraded. 😡
What's hilarious is that they have kicked the can a full 1/3 of the way down the road at this point. I'm trying to imagine turning in my term paper 4 months late in college. Like, just showing up to the office of the professor of the class I failed at the end of last year, putting it down on their desk, and being like "So, we cool?" What would the reaction be? Then again, I was also taught in college that plagiarism was a serious offense, and we have a major party's frontrunner obviously plagiarizing Hitler's Greatest Hits, so...
Or you could have done the Republican thing and just made up the entire paper including the references. TFFG says things like, "People say", or "Everyone says" or "It's a hoax" or "It's a witch hunt." Why not do the same thing and reference some really obscure made up journals, etc. Sure you would have received a C or D but it would have saved you a lot of time and you could have utilized your creative skills.
/s
Oh hell, just use A.I. using death star's speeches with some Hitler's thrown in. Gary, you are giving me a chuckle first thing this am. I have to add sites which the people who tell me dig deeper use like Judicial Review. Lots of wing nut sites on the internet to use as reference. What a paper a person could turn in....maybe a few quotes from ignorant family members thrown in that people will garner next week.
TTFG?
Gary wrote TFFG, which I take to mean "the f**king former guy."
That was the only "second F" I could think of. Sigh......
So we should plagerize Hitler's greatest failures, like bombed out Berlin in 1945
https://images.app.goo.gl/3F5tLwqNGwcX7rFd6
Neo-Nazis always amaze me. Hitler was truly history’s biggest loser. He took the most powerful nation in Europe and turned it into a smoking ruin, a modern Carthage. Even aside from his psychopathy, bigotry and viciousness (if you can, somehow, put them aside), how can anyone admire him?
Actually WW1 turned Germany into a smoking ruin. The nascent Weimar Republic (a democracy) failed under the onerous conditions imposed by the victors of WW1 to make Germany pay reparations for war debts. (The iconic image of the Weimar Republic is wheelbarrows of cash needed to pay for bread.) That led to the people dumping democracy for a strongman (Hitler). After WW2, Those lessons learned led to the Marshall Plan, a most extraordinary, liberal investment in our enemies that turned them into our NATO friends. The Marshall Plan was not without its dissenters. But it literally changed the nature of global relationships.
A similar Marshall Plan is happening right now in America. After 50 years of disinvestment and hollowing out of America (both the US and Latin America) by our own leaders (led by reactionary, Republican and "neoliberal" theory), we now have a subset of people willing to ditch democracy and vote for a Hitler--like "strongman". They point to weakness created by such disinvestment as their reasoning, failing to see that they created the conditions for American versions of a Weimar Republic.
But the Infrastructure Plan passed by Democrats is sponsoring the majority of projects (by number, not necessarily by dollars) in US Republican States, including rural areas as well as big cities. It is the lessons from the Marshall Plan renewed. May it go on to have the same spectacular success. Current GDP growth, falling inflation, and vigorous support of democracy certainly point us (and US) in a favorable direction.
Keep that in mind when answering that badly written poll question asking if you believe the country is going in "the right direction" (without ever specifying what exactly the person is thinking of to support their response.)
Thank you, Barbara S, for this summary of what I sort of already knew. It bears repeating publicly and that's what you've one for us all. I remember wondering why our highway system hadn't been upgraded or improved since I was a little girl. That was part of my finally awakening to what politics really is (are?). Having been raised in heavily red-lined northeastern Ohio during the Eisenhower years when my parents were still in their own twenties, it was then that they and their children were seduced into thinking Eisenhower represented all the Republicans that followed. So most of those people are still Republicans, generation after generation. I moved away. I was a late bloomer, and when in my own late twenties, I started to pay attention and wake up when Reagan talked about Trickle Down economics and fired all the Air Traffic Controllers for striking for better pay and work conditions and banned them for working in that capacity for the rest of their lives. I started to see that "these" people were not kind, didn't care about people, and were out for control and money. And it still is for the vast majority of them. It continues to be disheartening. Heather's news wrap today was nicely upbeat!
I refuse to look at polls. They depend so much on the questions asked and the people who make up the set. Btw, the Marshall Plan paid for my husband to visit England and Sweden some years ago to look at their unemployment plans.
Small dissent. First, I was thinking of Germany in 1939. And the Weimar Republic was actually quite strong economically for some years in the 1920s.
When you are ignorant and uneducated you will fall for this s—t!
Did you include Russia as an European country? Attacking Russia while having several fronts going at the same time..ooops. was a mistake. Saw a picture of a boa (or python) who ate a porcupine. Quills sticking out all over and it obviously died. It bit off more than it could digest.
Actually, many historians believe that Hitler’s biggest mistake was declaring war on the United States, on December 11, 1941. On December 8th, after FDR’s Day of Infamy speech, we declared war only on Japan. Germany and Italy doomed themselves three days later, by declaring war on the US.
Oh my! What strikes me is "The damage was largely the result of incendiaries, not high explosives, so there wasn’t much to cause craters." The ration system was certainly creative (not!) and women rebuilt the city! Wow. Thank you for the link.
Wow, how interesting. Thanks.
Plagiarism - During my first year of my degree I omitted a reference in an essay simply through error. I received the snakiest letter about it from the faculty, rather than the marking tutor taking me aside and asking what happened and did I realise my mistake.
Martin, speaking of ‘snakey’ which, by the way, is a perfect description, I was yanked out of lunch by a faculty member my senior yr in high school, and accused of plagiarizing the poem I’d written because .... get this .... I hadn’t shown an aptitude for writing poetry before. She had not a shred of proof. I won 2nd prize because of that rather than first.
Terrible abuse of power. Every teacher has a responsibility to model "think before you act." I'm so sorry.
Pat, yes. It’s very like too many petty bureaucrats, who too often abuse the little power they think they have. I
wonder what occurred in her life? She must have been creatively stymied-even abused.
It goes on and on ….
It’s such a tiny thing in retrospect,
but these minute things can grow like a destructive weed. Ie the orange shrub to Maga republicans now Maganazis.
P S (I do continue to write poetry:-)
You must have been a wonderful & very thoughtful teacher.
I worked in education for years and was sometimes amazed and embarrassed by what some of my colleagues did.
Good grief.
Exactly Ally. I had a music composition professor in college, who it appeared could not write a lyrical score. I think he disliked me in part because lyricism came naturally to me; plus I had the temerity to use a fifth in an assignment (that resolved) plus my fellow students enjoyed playing & listening to it.
I think you’re a musician.
Brava!
That's appalling. A typical knee-jerk reaction without fact finding first and at a place of learning that tends to deal in facts!
I think there is a lot of ego involved in such places. I received the highest mark for an essay about species extinction and conservation in third year. My introduction quoted Douglas Adams opening to the Hitchhiker's guide to the Galaxy which the market said was unusual but interesting. Dr M the course lecturer pointedly remarked in the next lecture that he didn't see why a student, looking at me, should get such a high mark. When I looked at the scores posted on the faculty noticeboard by Student ID I saw that one of his favourites had their mark boosted above mine with a handwritten amendment. You tended to learn some people's ID when you did group work. So it goes on all over.
I hope you have continued to enjoy writing poetry despite the interference of misguided judges.
Most definitely!
And, thank you:-)
Makes me think back to how students were "advised" by their high school counselor back around 1950 or so? Girls were to be nurses or teachers - period. Aptitude either was ignored or unknown!!!
Yes indeed Maggie.
Too many times I was advised to learn to type well. I was dyslectic, but that condition was an unknown then,; I typed backwards on common words like ‘the’:-) But simultaneously told I could become the leader of whatever place I was working as a girl Friday.
Thank the goddess that has shifted for the generations that followed.
A college professor gave me a D- for a paper that had no references because she didn't think I could to the critical thinking the paper demonstrated. Told me she had no proof except I always looks sleepy at 8am on Saturday mornings. I threatened to go to the Dean. Next paper I cited references for every paragraph. Still irks me.
So sad...sorry you went through that! Academia can be cutthroat as well.
I taught for 15 years as an “instructor,” managing to escape most of what you’re describing, popular with students. Then at a university rated near the bottom in my field (having come from one of the top four) I got called in by a contemporary whose required class I was taking as I worked on my PhD. She complained that I was too nice to my class. I replied with the story of Voltaire, awakened by a group of five musicians, who said that the path to learning should be strewed “with flowers.” She never bugged me again.
Voltaire had the best answers! And, love your retort.
But I am embarrassed! Writing “Voltaire” when I should have written “Montaigne.” Both were wise and witty men, but Montaigne precedes Voltaire by well over 100 years. It is in his “essais” that he writes about education.
Will, just as an amusing aside (I agree with you completely): I have actually had the scenario you describe happen. Numerous times in my 35 years of classroom teaching. So the example is quite apt. Because the university administration more or less demands that the faculty accept that behavior.
Can't chase away the paying customers. Just a new turn on "the customer is always right." <heavy sarcasm or irony">
My experience teaching in a private school K-8. No backup in dealing with one boy in particular. But the following year, the school lost about 20 families not willing to accept their kids being in class with him.
Well, that says it all.
Being homeschooled, I always got asked "how will he know how to deal with bullies?" Which is ridiculous because a) it sounds like you think I *should* be bullied, and b) you think there weren't bullies among the homeschool kids??? Indeed, similar to your story, there were definitely one or two kids in different groups who ceased to come after a significant number of parents made a "him or all of the rest of our kids" stance known. This was avoided if at all remotely possible, but sometimes it just needed to happen.
Most kids just need help, but some are just terrors. I guess it starts out real early.
you got it!
35 years at a university? I just turned ashen. Thank you for your service in the trenches! :-)
Seriously though, the American voter is like a teacher looking out at a class, one half of which never turns in the homework and spends their time flying paper airplanes and giving each other wet willies, but that half get a never-ending series of passes, because the other half are nerds, and we all know the nerds are stuck-up and boring, and we can't reward that now can we?
The Chronicle of Higher Education this past week devoted their headline articles to the growing problem of teacher intimidation by increasingly aggressive and (frankly) terrifying students. Since I have had a few of those in my life as well (one decided to use the tactic of threatening the families of his professors instead of doing his work, and that was not shut down by the administration until a dean started getting threats from this student) I can tell you the problem is getting worse.
Stephen Colbert remarked that they've "split the can into two halves" and have made that road much MUCH longer.
In regards to the infrastructure bill: I am reminded of my 2 dogs (retrievers). I would throw a stick out into the water. The labrador (spelling)would leap into the water, swim out a good distance, get 2/3s of the way back, then the spaniel would leap in, grab the stick away, and bring it back to shore to get full credit for the retrieve.
Will, ......plagiarizing Hitler's Greatest Hits, not as much an exaggeration as some might think. '24 election had better not be close. I hate to think that there are that many Americans that might want a vindictive dictator who sees anyone that opposes him as a target for what he might do.
When I read the names of the 10 senators who voted against the CR, my thought was “And whose butt are they kissing?”
Tuesday night, Colbert's guest was Rachel Maddow. The subject was fascism, Republican-style. The conversation was sparked by Trump's Hitler-esque "vermin" speech. Trump is trying to water down the word "fascist" by calling Democrats fascists. I coined a new word. It's Trump-proof. The word tested well in the online reader-comment forum of The Washington Post and here at "Letters from an American." The Republican party no longer exists. When referring to Trump and the Republican Party, instead of "fascist," call them the MAGANAZI Party.
I like it.I also like someone else’s “Putinistas”.You are right.They are no longer a party but have become a cult.
The tricky part, I find, is the people who are neighbors or acquaintances who are not overtly Trump supporters, but get behind his ideas and elected officials. Calling them Maganazi’s further alienates. The Marjorie Taylor Greene’s aren’t even worth discussing. Winning the hearts and minds of the foolish and scared public who believe the propaganda is a hill to climb and win.
No, it is not. Focusing on them is how we lose. They don’t want to be won over and it’s wasted effort.
Instead, we focus on the people who are sick of the hatred and division. We focus on the young voters. We focus on the disenfranchised voters who get intimated and bullied into staying home. We show them how Biden is working to make their lives and opportunities better. We show them the proof of Democrats making mature decisions. This is the hill to climb and win.
Tamara, I think the GOP needs to be attacked on all fronts, of which there are many.
I agree. I listed out a few of those fronts in my prior comment. I know there are more, which is why focusing on this one group of people is a fool’s errand.
We need to do both.
a coalition! for every squad that walks, another will chew gum.
Jennifer, try living in a community and county
In which Trump signs and downright hatred of president Biden abound. I'm surrounded by seemingly decent and kind people who worship Trump and still believe that he won the 2020 election. I was told by someone early on in his presidency that if people in my county knew how I felt about Trump ( I get nauseated even looking at him) , they'd come and hang me. What???
I just can't understand their love and support of someone who is definitely unbalanced and extremely dangerous. On second thought, I do understand. They are blatantly racist, selfish, and resent the government's attempt to help
those in need. They will say that Biden has done NOTHING of substance. I try to remind them, but they spew FOX "News" propaganda back at me. Confronting them about their feelings is useless. That hill to climb is definitely looming.
Pam, converting the brainwashed is pretty much impossible. Concentrate on persuading the youth, the moderates and the Independents to vote blue.
And reach Dems who may need a little (or big) push to get out and vote.
Speaking of voting...we just had a Democrat run for our city council who lost by ONE vote...every vote matters...we need them ALL
Definitely.
I agree. There are about 77 million Americans age 60 and up. Each year about 3 million of those 77 million die. So about 24 million of us over age 60 in 2016 will have passed away before Election Day 2024. And with Covid-19 there were about 1.5 million more that died in that age group. So roughly 1/3 of those eligible to vote in 2016 are dead. Many of the deceased were MAGANAZIs who have been replaced by Gen-Xers and Millenials who lean Democrat. Attrition will eventually take the MAGANAZIs dontcha think? The challenge is to get the 18-40 year olds to vote.
Interesting stats, Gary. We still have our work cut out for us, however we can to get out the blue vote.
You're right!
We spend part of each year in an area where trump signs abound. There are even a few who decorate their property with several signs and even make some themselves...
The difference is that Biden supporters are not trying to do battle; there are no yards covered with Biden signs. Yes, there's a fair amount of intimidation involved; those trumpsters are armed and dangerous. But I can't help but wonder what kind of need is being met by keeping political signs up year after year? And there are Biden supporters quietly going about their business.
Truly frightening, and not worth confronting. We have zero bumper stickers on our cars, and when when we put up the flag on Veteran's Day, our neighbor flew one next to his Trump flag. When I cast my ballot in a recent local election, I made sure to mail it rather than handing it over to the people running the poll. At least I can track it by mail.
Jennifer, in my experience, when I have gently tried to point out the "news" that they are consuming and basing their opinions on is suspect, their standard reply is "well, we believe that about you." No amount of actual information will counter what they present as "evidence" from OAN/ NewsMax/ Faux or Prager U, even as I calmly refute that garbage with actual facts.
[sigh!]
Ally, as I just wrote to Pam, converting the brainwashed is pretty much impossible. We must concentrate on persuading the youth, the moderates and the Independents to vote blue.
I have tried passing on info from the Wall Street Journal or Forbes to people who believe government statistics are made up. Why would WSJ lie about economic data? My ploy has not been terribly successful, sorry to say.
Well from my six weeks of hell taking care of a friend who watches nothing but faux, there is no winning them over.
Came close once but I still lost.
And one other thing is that most of the people I know who voted for him, vote one issue,so in their mind they're right by doing what their religious leaders have told them to do.
Someone in my family convinced my MAGA brother to listen to jazz rather than Fox most of the time. I don't think it will change his vote, but it does make civil conversation possible.
This is very important. I recall a comment on a Washington Post article within the last few days from someone who lived through WWII in Berlin as a German civilian, probably an early teenager. He recalled seeing the most loving grandmothers turn into rabid haters and Hitler supporters during the war, and then live out their live out their lives as loving grandmothers once it was over.
The vast majority of people just want to be left alone to live their lives. They will vote for whoever they think is most likely to let them do that, and support those people's policies as long as they don't have personal repercussions. Hitler came to power because the failed Weimar Republic threatened day-to-day existence through runaway inflation (thanks, Treaty of Versailles). He promised, and initially delivered, a reprieve from that failed government. Once people trusted Hitler to run the government and the economy, inertia took over and good, mainstream German citizens gave him a pass on his real agenda - heck, they even pitched in. With the end of the war, they simply realigned their political views once again to the Allied forces who, thanks to the Marshall Plan, once again gave them the opportunity for a "normal" life. But it is important to remember that life was "normal" throughout the period, where "normal" is a relative term.
Those of us on this list tend to surround ourselves with people who take an activist role, but it's important to remember that the vast majority of voters, like the Germans in the 1930s, just want to be left alone to live their lives, and will vote for whoever makes the most convincing promise that they will provide that security. That majority, who tend to be politically uninformed, are also the most likely to fall for good-sounding sales pitches promising unlikely but attractive solutions to perceived problems, some of which only exist in their minds because of a previous good-sounding sales pitch.
It is that majority of mostly apathetic people, whose idea of political citizenship is to vote once every four years, who must be convinced. They are reachable - the power in red states over the past two years of the single issue of abortion shows that - but it takes a willingness to reach out to the people who are not on the political spectrum at all except when they absolutely have to be.
Don't alienate them, talk to them, and convince them. If they're neighbors, you already have a connection. Use it.
Foolish, scared, greedy?
Yes! Recently heard someone coin “MAGAphone”. So shall we say the Maganazis use their MAGAphones to loudly proclaim their discontent?
Yes! I heard Carol Leonig say that on Deadline White House.
Aha! Couldn't remember where, but yes, now I recall. Thx for reminder. Didn't she also say something like, “That (word) just popped out as I was talking?”
Sometimes they publish their ideas in MAGAzines.
Sounds about correct to me 😈
I think fascist nihilist party makes sense
I agree, the Trump/MAGA Republicans are Fascist and nihilistic, motivated by their intense racism to set up a white Protestant autocracy. These folks are the 21st century edition of the KKK.
RepubliKlans?
I have decided to switch from my favored "RepubliQans" (indicating they were Q conspiracists) to RepubliKans, where the "K" can have it's common 3 K message regarding the Klan, or to be an acknowledgment of the Klown Kar Kawkus, reflecting what the current House majority party is ruled by.
RepubliKlans? That is a juicy utilization of one's gray matter. Yes, definitely. The RepubliKlan Party. The Republican Party, the party of Ronald Reagan, is no more. It has melted away into a cult, elevating a completely worthless glob of human flesh as its leader. TFG could easily be another Hitler, Pol Pot, Vladimir Putin or Stalin.
Richard, I hate to clue you in, but Ronald Reagan's GOP was a cult, too, and ought to have been treated as such. The Reagan Democrat was a miscreant.
A Fever in the Heartland by Timothy Egan
Yes, yes, yes.
Not just Protestant, a particular brand which they have trademarked “Christian.”
Evangelical Christian and that includes most of the US Catholic Bishops. Note that Pope Francis finally had to fire one of them!
There used to be watchdogs in the Federal government that would send letters to Pastors/Priests who got blatantly political in sermons...
Yes yes yes ! Greg get that over to James Caravelle. I think that over the next 11 months leading up to the most critical election of all time. (I don’t think I am exaggerating) messaging is crucial. On the economy and how under the worst conditions this administration and a Democrat Congress passed legislation and executed an economic recovery. On a specific straight forward immigration law that everyone can live with (notice I don’t say only Democrats). On controlling gun violence through a national “red flag” law and restrictions on military style weapons. On a whole host of “kitchen table” issues where we need workable solutions to give people hope that their lives can and will get better.
HCR’s factual info aside, I think many people don’t feel the economic recovery— or haven’t experienced it, so the positive numbers info strikes them as untrue. They can’t replace their old car or find a decent place to live they can afford or pay for medical insurance or… then the “inflation is down” message doesn’t tally. Or they just can’t imagine doing what the ads spew. What Bidenomics is doing is slow going to turn around a very large barge of dumping on the un-elite. So I think all the touting of the great economic benefits isn’t going to do it, which is why the pro-choice messages might, maybe…Then finding our way out of hate and misplaced blame is another struggle. People who channel their hate on Biden or the Dems have found a programmed scapegoat which, while hugely misplaced, feels comforting. They can DO something about it and that is to support the biggest ‘Victim’ of all to show their disgust and unease. They feel victimized, so he’s their guy. Lots to do before Election Day to navigate this all!
George, I think you mean James Carville?
I think he got spell checked.
That’s good. I think I’ll use it!
I don’t know if sayin “Liked” is the right thing to say. It is more “Agree” to your comment than liked. There is nothing to like about the maganazi in our country and especially in the House of Representatives 😡
When MTG called out Darrell Issa, I had to laugh.
Done!
I just call them the party of death.
I love it! The Trump-Limbaugh-Hitler trifecta. Was that you or Colbert?
Great idea! Although I also like referring to the Mango Mussolini.
"Permanent pre-pubescents"... Thanks for that -- despite the aspersion on children, who aren't all stupid schoolyard bullies...
This lot graduated from schoolyard to jailhouse a long time ago; but as long as they're not safely locked up it's the whole country that's shackled. Humiliated in the eyes of the world.
Real children are children who are finding their way. In some respects we go on finding our way throughout life, but it's also important to put away some childish things. An emotional child in an adults body can be a real problem, especially one with a nasty streak.
Okay, I call 'em Vogons.
TC, and when you campaign, pick a project funded by a Biden bill in your area, and point out that the Republicans voted against it. Biden is being very smart by pushing bills that provide jobs that people can be proud of.
Not only should a sign be posted at the job site stating that it is a Infrastructure Act project by President Biden but a billboard should be placed saying that the Republican congressman, by name, voted no on the bill providing the funds for the project.
A billboard at the job site should also indicate how many local jobs are/will be created by the project?
Brilliant!
Check the parking lots of construction sites
Here's an excellent source of info on those projects.
https://www.americanprogress.org/article/biden-administration-investment-tracker/
I seem to remember that big signs at construction sites gave President Obama credit during the “great recession”. I’ve been hoping to see them from Biden’s administration.
“New Democrat majority???” Surely, TC, you mean “Democratic majority.” Republicans have used “Democrat party” as a slur since the 1940s, showing that they don’t respect us enough to use our actual name. It’s a small thing, but don’t fall into the trap. Don’t use it, and correct those who do. (As I am doing here.)
My brother in the grammar game!! Unless and until the wordsmiths who write dictionaries decide that "democrat" can be both a noun and an adjective (just like the word "republican", democrat is the noun and democratic is the adjective.
Don't get me started on use of nouns as verbs (when I had an assistant, the use of "access" or "impact" as a verb was a firing offense), or, heaven forbid, split infinitives! (For those who are tempted to point out that dictionaries approve of them, dictionaries are descriptive, while I am prescriptive. And even if split infinitives were not bad grammar, they are bad writing. Always.)
It's hard enough when there are intelligent people who continue to add apostrophes to plurals (e.g., plural's, eye's and ear's). <eye roll>
Oh dear! When I taught writing at Rutgers, the grammar books (two versions) explained the helpfulness of sometimes using apostrophes for clarity, not the necessity.
I try very hard not to critique such bloopers from writers on this stack when otherwise the meaning is clear enough.
Around here (Georgia), if you want to see abuse of the English language taken to never-imagined heights, just tune into the social media site, NextDoor. It can be very handy for local goings-on, but my word, folks here DO do things to the language I never imagined! Today's was a response to a post about laws regarding "Boundary Line Trees" and the writer said: "Your way or there's". My brain exploded.
I understand why...
I go along on splitting infinitives, and even on the mundane examples of noun-verbs. But fresh uses of noun-verbs can be poetic.
Poetic? OK. But much more often lazy. Like splitting infinitives.
Ciao Ally, I agree with you and Jon about the GOP's use of "democrat" as a slur and putdown, but English is a living, changing language, and I am not aware of any final authority on usage. Modern dictionaries do tend to be descriptive, but old ones like my massive Webster's, published in the early 1930s and left to me by my grandfather, is quite prescriptive. It requires a pedestal.
I totally agree with you. Using Democrat as an adjective is a put-down.
Then there was my friend (now deceased) who always corrected me when I referred to our democracy by saying we lived in a republic.
A republic in which regular democratic elections take place, with the exception of Presidential elections and the electoral college.
Unfortunately, she didn't live to see it, but I know this is regular Republican speak.
Written at Oh-Dark-Early. You're lucky it's coherent. :-)
And yes I do know the GOP usage.
Chortle!
Yep! Totally out-of-control, belligerent children!
Did the lone Democratic Senator who voted against the government funding measure happen to be Joe Manchin?
Michael Bennet, CO
Why did he vote that way?
No funding for Ukraine
Thanks for your info. Not surprised that Michael Bennet would take a stand.
And he's quite a good orator too.
Well said; “permanent pre-pubescents” perfectly describes Trump Party members and their leader, disgraced former President “Boo-Hoo! They’re picking on me!” Thanks for the post.
Love pre-pubescents! Apologies to those who are truly in the age category.
We need to vote like our lives depend on it, because it may. MAGAts need to be put out to pasture. And their leader needs to service time along with those insurrectionists sycophants in the House. Furthermore they all should be keep from ever holding public office due to their role in their effort to over turn the election.
As we campaign against (I LOVE your description!) these "permanent pre-pubescents" of the T party (revived Tea Party?) here's my question: how can we translate these extraordinary discussions with our president and Xi Jinping, as well as "That economic strength (that) is standing behind President Joe Biden" into benefit stories that ordinary, non-scholar citizens could recognize as so important to our country and the future of our children and grandchildren.
Couldn't be any simpler or clearer than that!
Thank you for setting the record straight. President Biden has made significant progress on issues with the economy, the environment, and in talks with Xi Jinping.
Anyone complaining about "Biden's age" should recognize his experience as a statesman. Years and years of experience are paying off in this administration. To bring China to the table is productive for the future.
A slew of the people complaining are "concerned" liberals who will vote for him anyway but are grumpy that they don't get someone sufficiently "vibrant" on TV. Or they don't even feel this way themselves, but know people who do, and are therefore on the process of hand-wringing and imagining an alternative "vibrant" candidate who could capture the attention if their friends with short attention spans.
You know, the Incredible Generational Leader who has all the great qualities of the person you voted for, without the things you keep being told are the weaknesses that prevent everyone else from voting for them too! You know, the sort of person with 50 years' worth of experience, but who is only 45 years old! The wisdom of the oracle AND a dope skin care regimen! Is that too much to ask? There must be someone like that around here, where oh where could they ever have gotten to?
We live in a society that really sticks it to you for being "too" much of anything. Too young, too old. We need to accept people for what they bring to the table, rather than concern ourselves with perceptions upon perceptions.
I can't help noticing that the people complaining about Biden's age -- and, worse, the ones who say he should step down -- have yet to come up with a plausible alternative who could win the White House in 2024. Sure, the Democrats have a deep bench in Congress and statehouses across the country, and some of them will be presidential contenders in 2028 and beyond, but getting from local or regional name recognition to national name recognition in a year or two just isn't possible. These people really need to STFU and get to work.
It also undermines Biden’s run. And republicans cheer every time a democrat complains that Biden is too old. He may be old but he is smart, experienced, and has a boat load of compassion. Something we haven’t seen in a president in a long time.
And he picks good advisers -- and listens to them. So many USians don't seem to realize that the presidency isn't a solo act.
Amen to that! Not a solo act. And the U.S. presidency is not responsible for everything in the world.
(But, but, but Putin invaded Ukraine because Biden is a warmonger. It must also have been Biden who inspired Bush/Cheney to bring shock and awe to Iraq. Probably the “liberal” press covered it up, typical of “the enemy of the people.”)
I posted this once, but it's worth repeating- a talk show commentator, whose name I can't remember, said, " I'd rather have an old man who needs another nap, than an old man who needs another lawyer." In his "old age" Biden has done more for this country than Trump has done in his whole life.
Love it!
Can Obama be President again?
No, but why do you think that would be a good idea? Obama did pretty well with the hand he was dealt, but Biden is doing better.
I agree 100%! I thought the question was who would be great if Joe Biden couldn't do it for whatever reason. Obama is amazing and could totally lead us in the direction I think we all would desire.
I’m pretty sure that he doesn’t want to be ... but I feel confident that he enjoys standing up before a crowd and firing them up so that they’re ready to go!!!
They just are hooked on “entertainment” and “star quality.” Puke. You nailed our irrelevant blather.
Yep. They'd rather have someone who they think *looks* presidential than someone who actually *is* presidential.
chump looked like an ignorant kid in the oval office or behind the presidential seal. Of course, Fox always cut and pasted to make the performing seal look and sound presidential. Rupert (and Peggy Noonan and Michael Deaver) helped make Ronnie look like an Academy Award winner. We have been flimflammed. Well, some of us.
Michael Deaver. Did you ever read that book, ‘On Bended Knee’? Great expose on the fealty of the DC press corp to all things Reagan.
Exactly. As an outsider I cannot see why President Biden's age features so often as a negative to rubbish him. You only have to look at what he has achieved for the vast majority of Americans - his decisions to look out for the least well off and maintain a helping hand. There are always some bludgers in society that just take, but there are many that such help will be instrumental in them helping themselves.
I think the republicans criticize his age so much (and make up conspiracies about his son) because there isn’t anything else to criticize.
T is a picture of youthful vigor at 77, and can give incomprehensible speeches without a single stutter or pause. Not sure which candidate he defeated in 2016, but he really remembers who deserves his vengeance.
Joe Manchin is 76, perfect for attracting the youth vote to No Labels.
And, furthermore his policies are part of a governing administration, i.e. it is set up with people who can actually lead and follow through. There was not one single competent person during trump's WH occupation who could have fought themselves out of a wet paper bag, let alone perform the duties of their appointments.
That is why I call it the 'Biden Team' FDR had Frances Perkins & a Team of smart macroeconomists.
Well the ones who could have performed choked at the bat.
In case we forgot the handling of COVID.
Hey, ‘they’ complained about Obama wearing a tan suit. When there isn’t anything of substance to complain about, find anything and shout it.
Actually, I think his adamant support of Israel without acknowledged concern for the years of repression suffered by Palestinians has been his biggest blunder, but Republicans can't fault that, because they support Israel (if not actual Jewish people) with equal ardor.
Presidential politics is a bit like courtroom litigation before a jury, and a lot like a play in a theater; in all cases, it's not so much the absolute "truth" of what's presented as it is how convincing the presentation. Good candidates, like good trial lawyers or good actors, put across the case convincingly. Candidates, lawyers and actors who can't do this have a steeper hill to climb.
Will, what do you do for a living? Your writing is so good?
Will reminds me of one the WH staff in "West Wing" - best show ever.
Hear Hear 👏!!!!!!!
Being 71-years-old young myself, I agree ➡️"We live in a society that really sticks it to you for being "too" much of anything."⬅️ Also, all the "vibrant" candidates are rather busy being effective/successful governors, mayors, Senators, Representatives, state Attorneys General, state senators and representatives, etc. We need all of them there just like we need President Biden in the White House.
I sent HCR's substack on Trump's fascism to a friend who was sure that Biden is in the early stages of Parkinson's, and she responded that she'd never support Trump, but I haven't responded to her response, because I think it erodes the public dialogue. What I usually say is that we are all mortal.
My foster mother was 93 when she died.
She would forget some things or repeat things, but when it came to certain things, like finances, she was sharp as a whip.
I loved just hanging out with her, playing cards and listening to her stories.
She taught me a lot about respect and being kind.
What's sad is that most of her family didn't see what they had with her until she was gone.
We have too many stigmas.
BIDEN-HARRIS WINS
CREATING MORE JOBS
14 million jobs added
STRONGER ECONOMY
Strongest economic recovery in the G7 since the pandemic
U.S. MANUFACTURING
Bringing semiconductor manufacturing back to the U.S.
CANCELING STUDENT DEBT
Canceled $127 billion in student loan debt for nearly 3.6 million Americans
IMPROVING OUR INFRASTRUCTURE
Passed the Bipartisan
Infrastructure Law
SUPPORTING VETERANS
PACT Act for veterans and their survivors
GUN SAFETY
Most significant gun safety law in decades
CLIMATE ACTION
Passed the Inflation Reduction Act, which takes historic climate action
REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS
Executive orders protecting reproductive rights
STRENGTHENED GLOBAL ALLIANCES
Strengthened U.S. alliances and partnerships around the world
LOWERING COSTS
Lowered prescription drug and health care costs
Mary, thank-you for repeating your list. This should be a Democratic campaign poster. Seriously.
I'd like to find a state-by-state list of Biden's infrastructure projects to arm myself with when someone disses Biden. Thanks for anyone in this group shedding light on these.
Infrastructure projects galore in communities near me . . . it is nearly impossible to get anywhere in a timely fashion :) Each time I think it is safe to take a particular route - nope! But that is an acceptable price to pay for improvements!
I posted a link above, but here it is again.
https://www.americanprogress.org/article/investment-tracker/
Post and repost over and over
Thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you! I’m going to repeat this on repeat!
In addition to Dr. Richardson's work Simon Rosenberg is doing another brilliant job at presenting the factual picture of the Biden Administration's work. For Example:
--GDP growth In The Third Quarter Was 4.9%
--This Month’s Jobs Report Exceeded Expectations, Again - Under Biden lowest unemployment rate since the 1960s, lowest uninsured rate ever
--New Report Shows Inflation Continues to Fall
--The Wealth of Americans Jumped 37% from 2020 to 2022
--Gas Prices Are Lower Than They Were A Year Ago - despite Russia and Saudi Arabia trying to raise gas prices, the price of gas keeps tumbling
--Murder and Violent Crimes Rates Came Down in 2022, and Continue to Fall in 2023
--American Has Experienced An Explosion of New Black and Hispanic Small Businesses
--Lots of New, Encouraging Data About Our Transition From Fossil Fuels to Cleaner Forms of Energy
When Voters Are Informed About What Biden Has Done, His Numbers Go Up - another in a long line of polls show that by informing voters of what Biden has done his approval goes way up.
Simon Rosenberg
Hopium Substack
Plus the constant clarifications about the truth in polling...
And the constant activism on upcoming elections and the results of elections across the Country. Rosenberg was instrumental in the Virginia wins.
Biden is standing strong in support of Israel to deter anti-semitic governments from all out war. Netanyahu has not yet acknowledged that Israel may have a bargaining chip for release of hostages if he would stop future settlements.
His settlements should have been stopped long ago. Hamas is not the only player with radical supporters. Seems we have a few who are no longer on the fringes ourselves. The radicals are driving us all toward destruction. Joe has his finger in the dyke.
Agreed, but you might want to fix the spelling on the dike.
No, don't fix it! That's the most magnificent misspell I've seen in ages. A masterpiece, really. Would one "fix" The Mona Lisa?
United States should condition aid to Israel on a settlement freeze. We are enabling, or being played. I am pro Israel, however, the settlements in the ultra right are ruining the state. We have to stop them.
Slaughter as settlement chip. Who knew?
https://www.counterpunch.org/2023/11/16/israeli-war-crimes-and-propaganda-follow-us-blueprint/
“Shrouding such mass death and destruction in secrecy is a remarkable achievement. When British playwright Harold Pinter was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2005, in the midst of the Iraq War, he titled his Nobel speech “Art, Truth and Politics,” and used it to shine a light on this diabolical aspect of U.S. war-making.
After talking about the hundreds of thousands of killings in Indonesia, Greece, Uruguay, Brazil, Paraguay, Haiti, Turkey, the Philippines, Guatemala, El Salvador, Chile and Nicaragua, Pinter asked: “Did they take place? And are they in all cases attributable to US foreign policy? The answer is yes, they did take place and they are attributable to American foreign policy,”
“But you wouldn’t know it,” he went on.”It never happened. Nothing ever happened. Even while it was happening it wasn’t happening. It didn’t matter. It was of no interest. The crimes of the United States have been systematic, constant, vicious, remorseless, but very few people have actually talked about them. You have to hand it to America. It has exercised a quite clinical manipulation of power worldwide while masquerading as a force for universal good. It’s a brilliant, even witty, highly successful act of hypnosis.”
But the wars and the killing go on, day after day, year after year, out of sight and out of mind for most Americans. Did you know that the United States and its allies have dropped more than 350,000 bombs and missiles on 9 countries since 2001 (including 14,000 in the current war on Gaza)? That’s an average of 44 airstrikes per day, day in, day out, for 22 years.”
Seeing the slaughter in Gaza televised will hurt Biden. Many young people will refuse to vote for him.
I see no actual evidence of this barring a fringe cohort that were unlikely voters anyway.
Nobody tell Tom, but according to all current data, the Israelis are still the more favored party in this conflict among the American public. By a LOT. Even among younger voters, at least as many support Israel as do not. And among older age groups, forget about it. Way more people favor money, weaponry, or both going to Israel than do not, especially among Independents. Last I checked, Biden supporting Israel was the *most* popular thing he was doing. The trendline of Democrats sympathizing with Israel over Palestinehas actually *reversed* since the war. And the voters - especially young voters - who are watching Gaza closely are likely to be more plugged-in, i.e. more likely to ALSO be aware of/passionate about climate change, gun control, crimminal justice reform, bodily autonomy, income inequality etc. Guess who they favor on these issues, and which of these are literally closer to home?
Face it, the drag on Biden's image from Gaza among likely voters comes from uncertainty as to his handling of a dangerous, disturbing situation, rather than the situation itself. In 12 months, this will likely be long over, and he will take credit for it being over, point out that his rival would never have allowed a single aid truck in, hey look over there gas prices are lower again! ...and it will all be at worst an uncomfortable distant thing in the minds of people in line at the polls regardless of age.
I might not be right, but I think we know that I am more likely right than not. When have American voters ever prioritized foreign lives over their own comfort? Or withheld votes based on destructive foreign policy?
Hell, my long-haired-hitchiker anti-Vietnam-campaigning Dad voted for Humphrey.
Hopefully sanity will win out. https://www.reuters.com/world/us-public-support-israel-drops-majority-backs-ceasefire-reutersipsos-2023-11-15/
Thank you for the link, Lisa. According to this new poll you just linked to (and remember, any ONE poll can be quite off, no matter how good the pollster):
32% say choose "actively support Israel," down from 41% after attacks but above 21% a decade ago
15% say "do not be involved," DOWN from 21% after attacks and 27% a decade ago
4% say "support Palestinians," statistically unchanged from 2% after attacks and a decade ago
36% say "act as mediator," up from 27% after attacks and similar to 39% a decade ago
So, over QUADRUPLE the number of people want some form of US involvement than do not, and only the smallest fringe actually actively chooses Palestinian support over support for Israel. The number of people who desire active support, even with erosion over the month, is notably higher than in recent history. All that has happened is the "mediate before shipping anything" people have returned to the position they have always held after an initial uptick in support for armaments.
Of COURSE most people now choose "ceasefire/negotiate" as the preferred option. Who with eyes and a heart wouldn't? But 1) the general public doesn't know the difference between humanitarian pause/total ceasefire, 2) even if they did were not asked the question, 3) what we want is not always attainable (even freaking Bernie Sanders has described a ceasefire as naive and impossible), and 4) there is no way of knowing how the people polled would perceive any upcoming government action, or punish/reward it at the ballot box.
We've gotta look at the full picture here.
That’s the Democratic Party playbook; we can win any election by scaring enough voters about how bad the GOP is; and hey, young voters will come around…. maybe.
Also promoting Biden's substantial achievements has proven to increase his favorability. Who would have guessed?
Increased his favorability from what, 32% to 36%?
‘Substantial’ achievements are in the eye of the beholder. Team Blue thinks he’s the next best thing to FDR. Team Red thinks he’s the devil incarnate. Most people who look at policy through the lens of working people think, ‘Meh’.
We’ll see.
Considering that young voters have turned out in increasingly notable numbers in the past 4 cycles straight, and consistently split 60/40 or above for Dems, I'd say that's less of a maybe and more of a proven formula for success at this point.
The horse race stuff is humorous this far out. A lot can happen in a year.
It all makes such good sense. Those destructive fools are like a fungus growing on a tree.
Fungus on a tree serves a purpose in the scheme of things; Republicans ... not so much.
I edited out "noxious" before fungus. Too squeamish: I should have left it in. (Squeamish? moi? I've just slaughtered a nest of baby cockroaches).
🤮 ewwww
The alternative is an even bigger ewwww.
Agreed
Xi Jinping & Biden actually met on the Bay Area Peninsula on the acres at the Filoli Estate. Roads near the Estate have been reopened this am.
Yes, Patricia! This is what I took away from the letter today -- the progress Biden is making in so many spheres with Xi making his reasonable statements about getting along and agreements in some key areas. We're spending too much air, oxygen, fuel, money on the bad guys giving them the spotlight on a stage. Let's put the focus on the good guys -- "accentuate the positive and don't mess with Mr. Inbetween."
I watched President Biden’s press conference after his meeting with China’s President Xi. Biden spoke of how long they had known each other... dating back to when both were Vice Presidents. And while he made the resulting understanding they have of each other a plus, he never mentioned what would happen if Trump were to win the 2024 election ... breaking that bond and injecting instead his particular brand of craziness into this key global relationship.
At the same time, none of the reporters asked how Biden explained the current dysfunction in the House to Xi... assuming Xi raised that subject in the context of saying democracy is not as effective as the system of government used in China.
There are so many things that will happen if the MAGA GOP is not banished to the political wilderness in 2024. I find myself losing sleep thinking about that possibility... that Trump could win... which at times it appears The New York Times would like to see happen.
You are so right, Steven. Their bogus and biased ''poll'' results proved that just last week when they said, '' Biden is down in 5 of 6 states of importance in our polls''. I am getting emails from our side that keep harping on about those propaganda style false polls. I can't believe so many are sucked into this false and misleading propaganda about polls. The NYT would like to see TUMP win, and with that, i will be unsubscribing to all of their emails.
I think, like many things, these polls are being used to shape public opinion rather than gauge it.
I think Xi has got the picture.
Last Republican the NYT has nominated for president was Ike, in the 1950s. Dems ever since. Trump took a pasting for his "vermin" pubspeak in its headlines.
He only took a “pasting” on the second day when they should have retracted and rewritten their assessment. Day one is when that article should have correctly pointed out the comparison to Hitler. Their Milquetoast approach was coward.
Sounds like a word Stephen Miller would write and tfg would use without knowing its historical significance.
Somebody finally noticed, when will the tide turn.
Steven,
I experience the same concerns. "Brainwashing" through the spread of false information, the use of houses of worship to spread fear and hatred towards ones fellow man or woman when Christ teaches us to live a life of love for one another, as we have been loved and forgiven by
Christ and to help all who are in need....no matter who they are! Many faiths teach us to live lives of gratitude and service, encouraging one another and examining our own lives.
The many ways of stirring up anger, a desire to control and or punish anyone who does not go along with "the planned agenda" is, as we know, dangerous for our world and for our country.
These methods are non productive for life on this planet...dangerous for the future of our children....increase prejudices world wide, promote fear and distrust.
Not only do we see the results of selfish human behavior within our government, we see the actors in the middle East, each and all, we see Russia continuing through many methods to seize Ukraine.
Who are we? What are we becoming? We have a choice but if we choose only what WE want we will implode.
When will we learn that caring for and respecting others will yield much more for each and all of us as a family on this planet. There are many good and productive actions we could choose!
Lisa59
"We have people not voting for democracy based on the price of a bag of potato chips."
You are 100% correct. People are ticked off about the price of groceries and allowing that ONE factor to drive their vote. The key characteristic of disgruntled people is to scapegoat. it's all Biden's fault eggs are $3 a dozen. 🙄
I'm wondering if the reason corporations are jacking up prices (aside from piggish gouging) is to piss off voters to get more Repubs elected. Repubs (for a donation) will cut corporate taxes and get rid of pesky safety and environmental regulations.
Millions of chicken died or were killed to stop the infection that decimated factory farmed chicken colonies - remember when eggs were suddenly 6 or 7 dollars a dozen? The flocks are still being rebuilt. Every egg used to hatch a new layer is one less egg to send to the supermarket. So eggs are still scarce. Also, remember when Putin blew up all those Ukrainian grain stores? It made feeding US grain to US chickens more expensive, since other markets are desperate to stock up on food for the winter for humans. Not everything is a political ploy. Think about your options. Stop buying eggs and bake with “flax eggs”. Build a cute coop in your back yard and get some sturdy pullets, from a trusted source, of a breed that suits your needs. Join a CSA which includes eggs in their offerings. Plant winter wheat now, dent corn and oats in the spring. Stop putting ethanol fuel in your vehicle. Ugh! Sorry to sound preachy.
Raccoons are tough and fearless! Democrats should take note.
Tough, fearless, and - this is key - so cute. They snatch your trash and you just want to give them more. Those teeny lil' noses 'n' paws? Ehrmahgerd.
And the idiots think chump will raise a finger to make things better. Only if he can rake in more for himself. He will aid and abet the corporations in the rape of the populace; it’s his area of expertise
Cheryl P. That retailers would escalate their price-gouging simply to cost Biden votes (oh, and keeping profits up) has crossed my mind, too.
Interesting idea.
I agree with you entirely, but...in my little neck of the woods, eggs are running $7.50 a dozen, and gas goes for 5.499 a gallon...but yeah people are willing to waste money to buy stickers with Biden and "I did that!" to spread around.. (BTW, this was in response to Cheryl P.'s comment about $3 eggs)
This is my gripe with "Can you BELIEVE what this costs?!?!?" The price of an item is all relative! What state/county are you in? What time of year is it? How much money are you making relative to the total bill? There are so many factors that affect "reasonableness" and it has been a mind-blowing experience for me to learn just how so many people have an attached number in mind for everything, how important that is to them, and how bad they are at proportions and math in general. I'm low on money but as long as I can buy something decent to eat and get my needs met, I'm not going to get my knickers in a twist. I love me some eggs, but at $7.50 I guess I am going to have canned salmon or peanut butter for lunch instead this month. My human values are more important to me than the details of my culinary lifestyle.
Also, there is are two gas stations outside of my grocery store, one of them charges FORTY cents more per gallon but gets as many customers. You just KNOW the folks putting their card in are complaining and blaming the government. Right across the street, people!
"They make insanely unjust profits and turn the people away from voting for Democrats at the same time. Oil oligarchs do the same with large increases in gas prices. It is no coincidence. " Exactly. Corporations thrive on the 'divide them and conquer'.
“a -sprinkle- of sociopathic tendencies”?? That’s putting it rather mildly. He has a full-blown antisocial personality disorder. Honestly. He checks all the boxes…
Straight out of the DSM-5.
Oh hell yeah.
My reaction precisely.
Oh dear. Condolences. How do you keep your sanity? Distance maybe?
Courageous; good for you that you made it out!
...And maybe you should write that book. Might help us all somewhat coping with Drump...
👏👏
"What makes me insane with all the dysfunction coming from the ass end of Republicans are the voters who want him back."
Root cause: Fox Newspaganda.
Now seems all media outlets have signed on.
Of course, that's where all the money goes. There's a lot of billionaires (like the Kochs and E. Musk) who would gladly see democracy come to an end...
Yup.
They "wheeled in" FDR for three plus terms. It was his heart and brain they were voting for - oh, and a better America.
Bill Alstrom - Not just heart and mind. Biden surrounds himself with honest competent appointees. TFG, a criminal himself, wants his loyal soldiers to be grifters. He fires anyone with courage, honesty and patriotism. When we pull that lever in the voting booth, we are voting for the whole team.
Yes! So true.
I agree that hate is a large factor - if your life isn’t quite how you envisioned it, you need someone to blame. But, I also think the MSM defers to trump because he offers “click bait”. He gives them food for constant headlines. What atrocious thing has he said now!?! President Biden goes along quietly, steadily, trying to keep the world order and democracy intact. No drama, just results that benefit us.
I also think that Democrats need to stress, and stress again, projects that are helping communities and publicize, by name, the Republican representatives who voted AGAINST them but are now taking credit. This level of hypocrisy is mind-numbing.
The documentary entitled “Unfit” (available on Amazon Prime ) gives ample insight uniting Trump’s “malignant narcissism” ….
Frankly, a long daisy chain of gimmicky status quo CRs suits me just fine. Neutrality beats damage and is the best we can hope for from this sorry House. I hope they keep having to pick a new Speaker every few months, only to end up in the same spot on the carousel. Maybe the next leader-in-waiting will just be one of those Jesus nightlights. 'Tis the season.
On the other hand, how about we add THESE things to the federal budget?
Guaranteed affordable childcare
Expanded home care and eldercare
Dental, vision, and hearing for Medicare
Negotiated prescription drug costs for *everyone*
Paid family and medical leave
Expanded child tax credit
Universal preschool and community college
Student loan debt relief
A million affordable housing units
Clean Energy Performance Program
...and pay for it by raising corporate and high-income taxes
Oh, wait, I didn't come up with all that. I just described the Build Back Better Act, which came one Senate vote away from being our reality. ONE. Thanks a lot, Joe Mansion. Don't let the poop deck of your stupid houseboat hit your coal-dusted ass on your way out.
I dont know about you, but I'm refusing to be dragged into Worryville by the punditry-addicted media. Not gonna go there, not on my time. Instead, I am raring to go talk to my fellow Americans in whatever capacity I can, in order to make this dream of a more helpful government and better quality of life for working people into belated reality in *checks calendar* 15 months. Who is with me?
P.S. Nice to see some good news coverage about San Francisco. My birthplace, and a beautiful city of lovely people and irreplaceable character, it has fallen on some real challenges since the pandemic. I hope it gets more opportunities soon to show off to the world the spirit of friendship it is capable of bringing out in people.
Thank you, Will, for reminding us how close we came to winning Build Back Better with all its life changing programs. Yes, it’s time for all of us to get out there and talk to the voters about this near miss as well as the obvious differences between our parties.
I am with you, Will. Keep writing. You inspire. BBB can happen.
*raises hand* I’m with you, Will, all the way to making the BBB Act happen!
Will, from Cal,
I think Jesus would want to help in any way possible with the "Build Back Better" plan!
I am with you....more importantly, President Joe Biden and many good citizens who support his
plan are with you.
Now we all need to get to work!!!!
An ad by the Lincoln Project on the above might dash Joe Mansion’s future plans...
Can’t thank you enough for this reminder Bill! Sharing is Caring! I will definitely be sharing.
Although Obama's presidency may have aroused a significant amount of racism in this country, it itself was a "shot across the bow" that the world is different now. Fundamental change has to occur regarding climate, equal rights, protection of women, and the spread of wealth in the United States across much more of a demographic range. The republicans somehow have to catch up to this reality before they destroy us, bombing us back into the Stone Age.
I remember just how "wow" Obama's victory was. Sadly, it led to extremis reactions, including if not esp the Tea Party.
It was "wow" all right. I was living in Paris then - such jubilation (after the pitiful performance of his predecessor). A very senior friend of mine, veteran of a top US service, living in retirement in Europe, now gone, wrote to me "At last I feel proud again to be an American". I'm glad he didn't see what happened next.
I spent Obama's first inauguration day with a bunch of very grumpy Republican co-workers. Upset as they were, no one made any death threats. We have come to such a dark place.
I spent his first inauguration day with my fellow ecstatic teachers, staff, and rowdy elementary school students in the auditorium watching on projected tv. It was glorious. I remember one of my 4th-graders hoping that someday she would understand why all the adults were so excited and teary-eyed. I do hope she now understands and is living accordingly.
Frank,
Sadly, Obama's Presidency exposed our jealousy and prejudice and hatred towards our fellowman....things we like to hide.....but now are exposed....in frightening ways.
I am so grateful that Obama became our President. He and his beautiful family were and ARE good for us and for the world.
Yes, I remember the meeting with republicans during Obama’s inauguration when Mitch’s only plan was to make him a one term president.
Lisa59, I didn’t want to like this comment, but believe it’s true. Racism is the root cause of Trump and his followers.
KKK on steroids. Payback for a decent, intelligent, hard worker who happened to have a nice tan. So embarrassed for our country. I guess any epithet will do for Joe, since he’s white as a sheet.
The irony of these "patriots" prejudice is that Barak Obama is biracial. He spent 9 months in the uterus of a white woman.
But the Kenya connection renders him a "less than." But only to those who are "less than" in my eyes.
And was raised by his mother and her parents. He had to learn Black culture afterwards because he is seen as Black. Kamala Harris’ Indian mother raised her knowing she would be seen as Black.
“Villages of the Damned” will forever be in my head! So apt!
Villages of the Damned.....just great!
🤬
I watched as the so-called tea party’s bull Schitt took over friends and family and cast a permanent shadow on Obama’s victory and entire presidency. Then I watched the same cretins do the same to Joe and have never let up. Winning an election does nothing to unite a coalition of hate, religious nonsense, and greedy power-hungry bastards. All proud and un-American in my view.
Hmm... Maybe a few Republicans are thinking about crossing the aisle:
In a passionate plea, Representative Chip Roy (R-TX) challenged his Republican colleagues to provide a tangible accomplishment they can campaign on. Meanwhile, the Democrats, despite their slim majority, have achieved remarkable progress in the last Congress. They celebrated the second anniversary of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act, a $1.2 trillion investment in critical areas like roads, water systems, electrical grids, broadband, and bridges, resulting in over 37,000 projects nationwide and the creation of hundreds of thousands of jobs. Democrats emphasize their commitment to improving people's lives, highlighting instances where Republicans who initially opposed the act later touted its benefits to their constituents.
As long as Republicans can be reelected by gerrymandering and suppressing votes, they don't have to accomplish anything for their constituents.
Interestingly, Scott Perry these days is only managing low 50% wins in a previously gerrymandered district where he took in 70% range wins for years. I wonder what the polls there are saying these days. If you ever want to wonder why you'd vote against GOP, he's a great example, per Wiki.
Not even for the constituents they chose. This bunch accomplishes the will of Putin and paymasters.
Is it possible to make them understand what gerrymandering is doing? the voters, I mean.
I don't think so. When I have tried that (by way of asking if the democrats had done that, what would their opinion be) I am slammed by "it is just fixing what the democrats did." No, they won't understand because it goes against their very belief structures and adherence to Faux Noise.
Yup, there really is no getting them out of the defensive posture that they are doing what they have to do because otherwise liberals would absolutely ruin the country. Specifically what, when, and how? It's a mystery. Facts are irrelevent, because this feeling is so nebulous and generalized that it seeps in everywhere; there is no crack for facts to get in. They just really, really hate people with different cultural values, and so it is easy to believe that they would do anything bad, and are responsible for everything bad, no matter what it is. It's really pitiful how unwilling they are to engage with their neighbors, and I am glad I don't live my life in that headspace.
I often think that reactionary WASPs are unable to imagine that people who have endured 500 years of atrocities inflicted by our white/hetero/male/Christian supremacist culture would not turn around and do the same to their oppressors if they were ever given the power to do so.
Thing is, they--and we--already have that power. The worst anyone has done overall is to demand equal treatment under the law. Which, apparently, is outrageous enough to scare the shit out of those addicted to brutality. Because, omg, what will happen next?? Community, equality... where could we be headed but outright communism??
Or something like that.
Truly, Euro-American history is more complex. But reactionary WASP cultures are based in brutality, and it is the only language they understand, even if that understanding often springs from the unmanaged trauma of growing up and living under that brutality. And so it remains an internal threat that still feels like it is coming from outside.
That headspace… I watched my father-in-law sink down there. So angry, so unhappy, and so afraid that someone would “take” his things.
I'm not sure it has to do with a WASP identity, as Eric suggests above, as much as a taught mindset that society is a zero-sum game. However, yes, the sort of people that are terrified of being in a cultural or ethnic minority feel this way because deep down they know that they do not treat minorities of any kind well. They see the inevitable and need to prolong their domination with force if need be. I try to put my own disgust at their stances aside routinely and just think of how sad it is that they cannot see over the other side of the walls they built around themselves. There is nothing to fear on the outside, yet each day they choose to live in fear on the inside. What a shame. If only the work of getting them to peek over was easier...
What is not getting reported is that the House Rules Committee has blocked Democratic amendments proposed for the appropriations bills so they are not even coming up for debate on the House floor. There is a reason why all Democrats are holding fast and voting against the appropriations bills. You can find out more on my stack.
Thanks for your comment re funding for Ukraine the other day.
Thanks for highlighting the obstruction, Georgia.
Chip Roy wouldn’t know a “tangible accomplishment” if one bit him in the arse.
It's hard to be the dumbest in Texas, but he tries hard
I kinda thought Louie Gohmert had that title in the bag...but I suppose there must be some ferocious competition for a "Dumbest Texan Representative": The bar gets higher every day.
Lord, it’s a competition like none other
🤦🏽♀️🤯😓 I laughed but honestly it's heartbreaking and frustrating all at the same time.
Roy is a nasty piece of work and his only interest is something to campaign on. Don’t ever expect him to ever be decent and do the right thing.
They all are degenerates!
Not all. I see many more on the right than the left currently and it is reflected in their refusal to pass any decent legislation. At least dems have brought good policy the table and got it passed. All republicans do is block good policy and bring nothing but tit for tat to the table. You would know this if you paid closer attention.
Democrats have all the messaging they need but the top one is the end of democracy if Trump becomes president. They need to be louder than they are and repeat, repeat, repeat!!! Thanks Heather, Biden is incredible!
I think messaging has to be simpler then that and how it will affect their lives specifically because democracy is an abstract concept and I think many do t understand what it means.
Rick Wilson I believe once said on Bill Mahers show that Democrats should follow Walmart messaging techniques, like the GOP
HA. It’s a good point.
I don't understand much about why the REPUBLICAN'T on the street still professes unquestioned loyalty to DJT and the most outrageous thing you hear from those downtrodden constituents is "I like him because he's one of us". WTF!!!!! One of you. He's never been one of you and has no comprehension of what life is like in the real world. Or did I get it wrong. Mr. Everybody, Joe the plumber, etc. was handed $14 million when they were 4 years old. You think he has a bottle of Clorox under his kitchen sink? He doesn't even have a kitchen sink. Everything is delivered to him by servants.,One of you. I don't think so. If
That proves that there is not an iota of sanity in a cult. Any cult, really
William: What he says and does resonates with them. If it didn't, then they would see it similar to the way you do. In my opinion, they've been revealed. As hard as that may be to accept. I can tell you that the ones I know who voted twice for trump almost all are glass half empty personalities. They are the kind who always have grievances. The teacher isn't fair, the coach isn't fair, the referee isn't fair, the boss isn't fair...
think about it.
And also many of these people are thinking having a strong man authoritarian in power is the right thing to do. That’s what scares me. They want fascism!
Agreed, Jo. They seem to crave a strong man telling them what to do whilst strutting their "independence" with their AR-15's slung across their chests.
Change isn't fair. White males becoming a minority is not fair. POC becoming a majority is not fair. We don't live in the 50's anymore and that is not fair.
Thank-you for hosting several hundred last night at Books a Million in South Portland. It was such an honor to get to see and hear you in person. I came home, posted two photos to social media and almost immediately I had 70 jealous friends, mostly from South Portland to The County, saying some version of “Damn! I wish I’d known about this!” I hope you’ll consider another talk in the Portland-Midcoast area, this time somewhere with a large auditorium that could handle a crowd. (Bowdoin College’s Pickard theatre would be perfect.) Please!
Absolutely! Drove 1 1/2 hrs from NH to hear her. She is a one woman American democracy educator. HCR possesses that informative, clarifying voice I once expected from editors of large news operations in times of national conflict. I'm sure I am not alone in being able to see her easily step into politics with a bundle of enthusiastic national support. Nevertheless, I would hate to wish it on her. "They say" DC is a "swamp". Her young students must be fortunate to have an historian who can effortlessly make the past come alive in the present. I would hate to see them lose her. And those Maine kayak mornings are treasures. But Maine sure has a gem there!! She has given so many of us healing hope in choppy waters.
So glad you got there!!! I want her to come back to the other Portland!!
I wish she'd pass through Houston again. Last time was a part of a fundraiser that I didn't want to participate in, with complicated registration and parking options.
Hard-line mis-labelled Republicans aka Totalitarianists want to defend the police, the justice dept and Tuberville wants to de fund the Defense Dept. How do any democrats lose to these people? FoxNewsHypnosis can't explain it all. Poor education? National dementia? If crime pays, guess what? There must be consequences. Imho.
Naomi Klein describes how people are manipulated into buying a truckload of lies that includes a few grains of truth.
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2023/nov/15/naomi-klein-interview-wellness-culture-far-right
This is a quote from Klein's article that really captures the nagging fear I live with, "I think the world is pretty awesome right now – not in a good sense. I mean awe in the sense of just being awestruck by the weight of our historical moment."
We have to pay attention and not be led astray by a few grains of truth followed by misinformation.
Thanks, Ed, for alerting us to Naomi Klein’s book and interview!
Poor education is one huge reason why these gullible, ignorant people are taken in by the Fascist GQP rhetoric. I recently read an article that people vote for corrupt criminals like TUMP have an undeveloped frontal lobe in their brains according to Neurologists who are experts in their field of study.
Gotta say, this line of thinking is WAY too far into eugenics territory for my comfort, especially if you do not link to the article to let is vet it for ourselves.
Cults trap smart people too. Damaged people, hating people, religious fanatics, people looking to rise above others lower on the pecking order. All are ripe for adoring a blathering con. Undeveloped frontal lobe may be a factor, one of many.
Like “vermin”?
John, you go too far in painting Trump-supporting voters with a single shade of dumb paint. I live among them and count them as successful, caring, and trustworthy. I trust them with my life.
I can't quite explain their fealty to Trump, but it partially comes from years of believing that the country is getting too liberal too fast. It comes from years of Fox and Republicans speaking to those feelings, while national Democrats were focusing on the positives, seemingly like a cult, and ignoring them. Stop ignoring them and their humanity.
Trustworthy and caring?? What planet do you live on?? And you are the one that seems to be using dumb paint. Liberal is much better than what those what those terrorists seem to want. I will say what i want to say, and you don't tell me what to do. Go back to your Fascist GQP cult and troll elsewhere. The only cult is the Fascist Donald TUMP cult. You
or, any other TUMP idiot tells me what i can and can't say. I live among the TUMP idiots too, and they are ignorant, arrogant, gullible, loud mouthed bungholes. I DON'T give a damn whether you like that or not. What you say doesn't mean a damn thing to me.
Oh, JT. It seems your knickers are in knots. You assumed I'm a Trumpist, but I'm quite the opposite. I am talking about my lived experiences which you totally blow off. I doubt you're a true liberal, just a hothead who can't tolerate a different point of view.
Yes, i do tend to be a hothead. I would suppose that could be why my wife of 40 years just up and left me about 7 years ago, she would never admit it to me, but you seemed to have said it right. i have to curb this as i have heart problems. In the past, i have been a so called ''Centrist Democrat'' and have pulled somewhat to the left of being centrist. Thanks for your helpful reply.
OK, now I feel a bit guilty, and feel like I owe you a beer (or tea, or domethin). I, too, have been pulled leftward because of what I was able to observe in real time before pundits added their distortions. I've lost Facebook friends over that shift, but our neighbors and I quickly backed off of discussions about politics, because our friendships and support are more important. A good chunk of those neighbors are downsizing and moving away, so the neighborhood might change. We'll see.
Actually, the majority of DT's supporters have at least a BS.
So what? Having a BS doesn't excuse their irrational behavior such as wanting another disaster like the one Donald TUMP created.
Thank you Heather.
Biden and his administration have, from the start, rolled up their sleeves and gotten to work - helping US to recover from the Pandemic and from Trump. That they keep their eyes on the prize - irrespective of the constant bad will of the freaking fringe - is a testament to tenacity, to grace and to love of God and country.
I mention God because the freaking fringe - no matter their rhetoric - are clearly aligned with the devil - as is evident in their character. Like Maya Angelou said, “When somebody shows you who they are, believe them.”
Many of the republicans who object the most were part of the body who did not want Biden to be president and did not support him and I am waiting for them to be held accountable for not upholding their oath to USA and our Constitution. Justice sometimes moves too slowly.
China and the U.S. should be in a race to combat climate change because much of the world is comatose in regard to the rapidly unfolding horror. (Again, the media if failing us.) So Xi's commitment to coal may help China's economy in the short run, but not its people or every other human on the planet.
Not true here in Europe.
The irony is that Europe is doing so much to combat the problem but still faces the toll of climate change as the biggest emitters of C02 do so little.
Exactly.
I think here in France we have 2yrs? to phase out gas cars then all will be electric.
They have no idea just how unpopular they and their ideas are, do they?
I mean, there’s a reason why the Democrats were able to enact sweeping legislation with a slim majority and the Gang That Can’t Shoot Straight, can’t. Could it be that they’re too busy shooting themselves in the feet? Could it be that their positions are unpopular? Could it be that they’re simply incapable of governing? Could it be that they’re massively incompetent?
Could it be all of the above?
Yes, but Bannon did say that destruction of the administrative state was the goal.
Re-Trump trials: just because people dismiss as hearsay the remark in the Georgia case That Trump was not leaving the White House despite election failure doesn’t mean that it cannot be used in the trial. Because “we are not leaving” is admissible as circumstantial evidence of state of mind, including motive intent etc. Secondly, regarding the 13th amendment litigation there’s a need to think from back to front. The amendment says the disability can be cured by a 2/3 vote of the Congress. That doesn’t mean it’s decided by USSC. It means Trump can be disqualified from taking OfficeIn any preceding disqualifying event
Thank you for repeating this:
The strongest tools we have to meet this era’s challenges, he said, are “connection, cooperation, collective action, and common purpose. That’s why we’re all here.”