Three years ago today, President Joe Biden signed into law the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, more popularly known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act.
What is the point of required background checks and security clearances if one can simply say, “nope I’m not submitting to that.” and they are permitted to carry on without clearance?? Whose fault is that? What is the point of the ethics paperwork required of incoming presidents if the system so readily crumples and allows an incoming president to receive classified info without the ethics paperwork? A big part of the problem seems to be rules and requirements that are not enforced!!
I think a large part of the problem was that the Founders, while they could in fact imagine a corrupt electorate, never imagined one so corrupt, so stupid, so reckless, as the one we now have - nor did they imagine one so foolish that when a con-man or would-be king made manifest to all his utter lack of moral character, that the electorate would have so little self-respect, self-esteem or basic survival instinct as to embrace him.
I think the founders foresaw someone like Donald Trump, and George Washington clearly saw the dangers of political parties and expressed his misgivings clearly. But they never foresaw the internet, social media, or an entire political party that would turn treasonous as the Republican Party now clearly has.
As for their ability to see what might happen to the electorate, brainwashing wasn't a thing back then. Now, we have 74 million people whose brains have been turned to mush by right-wing media. They are not fixable.
George Washington was the Model for Article I of the Constitution... DJT would never have been considered for any National Political Post by the Founders... Shame is a powerful Negative Emotion.... DJT has no Shame... He is his own SuperHero in his Cartoon World...
Do they really forgive anything he does and feel he's a gift from the Divine? That his assassination attempts were thwarted because of his divine connection? That Gabbard, Gaetz, and Hegseth don't need security clearances because he chose them? Sounds like brainwashing to me.
I think there have always been forms of brainwashing by those who yearn to dominate. Bread and circuses, lots of pompous theater, and plenty of big lies about how essential the dominators are to the welfare of all, a lie that the Declaration of Independence rebuts. The struggle between those who aim to be masters and those that rage against slavery seems to be one of the most consistent themes of history. You would think we'd have learned to step off that road for good by now.
You got to give credit to the Dems for helping Trump get elected. If Dems spent less time complaining about Trump and more time on promoting the democratic ideals, policy and good economic outcomes. we would have won.
I beg to differ. We didn't showcase Trump's past deeds often or loud enough. And that was the responsibility of the 4th estate. TV networks and major newspapers treated Trump as if he were a serious candidate - instead of the despicable crook and bellicose bully that he is.
Any journalist of any experience and talent who didn't constantly present to the public the long, long, long list of his offenses and business failures was not doing their damn job. Start by EVERY DAY running a story about the more than 19 women who explain how they were sexually assaulted by this monster. Dig deeper into the Russian (NOT A HOAX) connection. Where his money came from, all the trips to Moscow, Helsinki, trusting Putin over our own intelligence agencies and the REPUBLICAN Senate report that confirmed the collusion. Any member of the media who didn't run with this information and put it up for viewing DAILY was a failure.
As for Democratic ideals - they are mine, too. But we lost because the average family is in trouble financially. And we didn't advocate for REAL CHANGE. When people are dissatisfied - angry - with the status quo, we shouldn't be crowing about low unemployment stats and how inflation has come down, blah, blah.
We should be talking about RADICAL change where the rich pay a LOT more in taxes and every family is provided with child care so both parents can WORK. Stop defending Obamacare and scream to the rooftops that EVERY American should have healthcare - a human right.
There is much more. But the bottom line is that the phrase "throw the bums out" was at the core of our problem. Joe Biden has been an excellent president (best in my long life) and I believe Kamala Harris would have been as good - probably better. But for the working folks with multiple jobs just to survive, we needed to be CHANGE AGENTS. More of the same didn't fly, did it?
Now, many here will say we couldn't win if we were so radical as to demand big change. But isn't that rich? Look what the fascists just proposed. A disgusting wannabe dictator and a plan to dismantle our democracy and rip away basic rights for all of us - and, oh wait, decimate the planet by destroying the EPA, crippling education by destroying the Department of Education .... the list is so long, my fingers ache from typing.
They proposed all that nice insanely radical madness and THEY WON!
"They proposed all that nice insanely radical madness, and THEY WON!" It still makes my jaw drop. But Bill, I'm zeroing in on Elon Musk, whose millions contributed, but, most of all, the toxic content of X-itter led so many astray, especially gullible young men who are drawn to the macho hype. IMHO, Musk has violated the terms of his naturalized citizenship and needs deportation.
Hard to say, 2/3 of consumer demand has come from the top third of income earners. Many of the rest have just struggled. Wealth inequality i believe it's called. Apart from the truly brainwashed.
I wonder if now that these circumstances have come to light, my call for the good generals to temporarily suspend the constitution and order a coup to stop Trump from organizing a treasonous government. Maybe it’s not such a bad idea my brothers and sisters?
In the 1850s a political party, or at least its regional adherents, turned so treasonous that after they lost the 1860 election, they actually seceded from the Union. Let's not pretend it's all or even mostly about the internet and social media.
I saw recently a Report that stated that the Electorate for this Election was the most ignorant in Recent History... Over 1/2 of High-School Seniors Read at less then the 6th Grade Level... Math Skills are Atrocious... The Gen-Ys, and Gen-Zs get most of their 'News' from the Right-Wing InfoSphere... DJT, and his 'Mandate' are the result...
That's not an accident. The people who have been orchestrating this calamity for decades started with the tax revolts of the 60s and 70s to defund public schools and dumb down the general population. They're still at it because it's working.
I agree... The 1st thing that Reagan did as Governor of CA was declare War on the University of California... Now Elon Musk is declaring War on the MSM... He is now the Self-Styled 'Truth Minister'.... DJT's Minions are now calling Journalists to remind them that DJT Remembers, and is Vengeful...
Putin is a master of spycraft and espionage. He has training by both the KGB and the Stasi. Unfortunately his formula may just bring the planet to its knees and there is no stable place anymore for him to stash his wealth. Trump is a patsy, and Xi is in charge of Trump. Here is Snyder's article on the hierarchy here. https://open.substack.com/pub/snyder/p/the-submission-chain?r=f0qfn&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
Exactly. When are we going to beat them at their own game. They have the Russian bots and people posting quick, easy to read misinformation. Unless we change our message and the way we deliver it, nothing will change. Not one dem attacked the misinformation directly.
Good evening Heather - it is disturbing that so many voters did not understand the responsibility of being informed and researching the issues at hand before voting. After WWII people forgot the sacrifices that were made to preserve our freedoms. I doubt they’ve ever read any American history and just assumed they were simply privileged for living in America and took it too much for granted. It was a tipping point for many wrongs that had not been addressed in a very long time. Your in-depth reporting of the facts is a tremendous effort. You truly are an American treasure for your noble efforts to keep the Rule of Law in our hearts and minds to stand up for what we believe in
I don’t think this helps. We, the “intelligentsia” have not been paying anywhere near enough attention to the economic pain of working class people, who are the majority.
I still think that disinformation and misogyny were equally important factors particularly with the strong turnout of the young male "low-propensity voters"--they went for Trump's toxic hypermasculinity brand in a big way.
It could be, but the stats you cite are closer to historical norms as i recollect them, and math has always had the top line in being "difficult". One thing though that Heather recently cited was that those with high school or less more significantly voted for Trump than post secondary voted for Harris. What goes along with this is that those without post secondary generally earn less, and the more educated make more. Lots of ironies here, eh, Apache, considering how much the billionaire class, and the likes of Elon Musk, put their financial weight on MAGA. We can thank the Supreme Court for that, I believe.
Steve, maybe, as offending as it is and given the success they had by voting against and then taking credit for everything democrats passed, and just maybe at least a little bit and for a short time, we should act as Republicans do.
After all as you said, our electorate is stupid, corrupt and foolish...sorry, it was just an idea.
Terry, remember 2016? Rick Perry was put in charge of one of the departments that he’d said needed to go (in his presidential debate statement) and Betsy DeVos was put in charge of the public schools when she was working to working to privatize public education.
I think that the founders didn’t imagine half the population sitting on couches in October watching NFL football games interrupted by incessant “they/them” ads for Trump.
Who cares about bridges, let’s keep all those they/them people out.
The Founders didn't foresee the rise of economic power that came with the Industrial Revolution either, though the Southern oligarchy (to which some of them more or less belonged) must have given them a clue. Not to forget that the Founders didn't trust "the people" either, not at all.
I’ve always found this annoying too. How come a guy like Trump can get elected president and go from having access to no classified information to having access to EVERYTHING - just because he was elected? Why is that OK? I think all congressional and presidential candidates should be subject to a background check and the results of that background check be made available to the public. PRIOR to any votes being cast.
Trump is as unqualified for the position of US president as are his cabinet pics. It would be harder for any of these clowns to get a job at McDonalds.
Mosquitos are “annoying.” This gaping ethical hole is horrifying. Scale it up, Mr. Burke, I don’t think you are grasping the depth of the pit we are in.
Immediately upon nomination. And be subject to a lot of public disclosure, business interests, etc. It seems to me that if one aspires to fill one of our most critical positions, you need to be prepared to sacrifice a lot of privacy and private opportunity. Human lives and the future of our society is at stake.
A candidacy is really a very important job interview, but we treat it more like a wrestling match.
But did he get elected? This is a long read and while Republicans are the party of conspiracy theories and other magical thinking, it can be verified with recounts in the swing states.
Thank you for this link. The author is very knowledgable, & I find his argument that Elon Musk's lottery was part of an effort to create " ghost ballots" very persuasive.
Good question, do presidential candidates get background checks? Did trump get a background check back in 2015? If he failed, who gets told? What are the consequences?
lays out how we are at a moment before catastrophe. "This is no longer a post-electoral moment. It is a pre-catastrophic moment."
So, Trump is working for Putin and Xi to totally destroy the US. It is pretty obvious how he intends to destroy it in Project 2025, which I read as a book club with my group from Democrats Abroad. While we did not finish it, we have read 20 of the 30 chapters, and that includes the DOD and Intelligence Community Chapters. It is in those where one can see that he is absolutely going to destroy our national security, allowing it to be taken on by predators. Tulsi will be mailing our intel to Putin, unless the people in the Intelligence Community already destroy it, which may be what Trump wants as well. That is true of DOD. too. What he is planned for both departments is humiliation and shame. Don't care that there is a culture of liking Trump created by watching the same toxic manosphere influencers that the civilian male population is watching, but still I would like to hope that there is a sense of self preservation.
His selections are the commencement of Project 2o25. All these fools are figureheads, when the red phone on their desks rings it’s the boss with instructions.
And what is the point of the Supreme Court if a President (whom they have already declared immune from legal consequences) can just refuse to abide by their judgment? Checkmate to checks and balances!
Thanks for giving us hope Professor. We need it now more than ever. I really, truly appreciate all of your dedication and hard work to preserve our democracy.
Cindy L, you need to remove the word “practically” because it ads a sense of humor and even an opening to the belief that it’s not so…
Assaulting women becomes a prerequisite when you’ve been accused of the same. The nation’s highest law enforcement officer, the AG is a rapist. A rapist. Our commander in chief is a rapist. On the campaign trail, they called Trump an “adjudicated rapist.” I have another word for that: a rapist.
Here is my anger again and my 20/20 hindsight. Harris and rhetoric Dems never made headlines. That is why we lost.
If Harris herself had said “are you going to support the woman or the rapist?” That attack would have been true and it would have made headlines. And everyone who watches Fox would have said… “what does she mean by that?” Because it is something they’ve never heard because Fox shields MAGA from all truth and all the Truth about Trump is bad. They know nothing about him because the words “opportunity economy” do not make banner headlines. “Trump is a Rapist. Trump will appoint a Rapist to lead our nation’s police.” The police, Trump brags, endorsed him. So the police chose the rapist over the women.
It would be nice if these headline had happened. They could still happen if every News Paper and Dem didn’t feel that polite behavior Trumped the scary, ugly Truth.
A bunch of rapacious, retrograde reprobates. I don't believe any of them will grow a spine to stand against TrumTrump. Exhausting though it may be, we have to start now to organize, push back, and hold lawmakers' feet to the fire and demanding that they comply with the Constitution.
I'm not certain that many Senators will be willing to give up one of their most important prerogatives, the ability to advise and consent to presidential appointments. At least some of them know that they are one of three co-equal parts of the government, not subservient to the executive or the judiciary. They understand that if they cede power to the President in this case, that is power that .will be lost to them.
We can write LTEs or letters directly to them asking how they vetted those nominated? Ask openly why they vote as they do and then share any responses widely.
Congress gives up power all of the time. Just one example, is giving the President the power to raise tariffs, which I think is a big mistake! The Constitution gives Congress the power to raise taxes. And it doesn't specify that one branch can give away power to another!
Power is almost never ceded, it is taken. By drawing his cabinet picks from the island of misfit toys, Trump is sending a "burn it all down" message. Trump (his handlers, really, as Trump is also from the island) intends to take the power of the congressional branch for himself, weather the Senators like it or not. Most of them will choose to keep figurehead jobs, rather than have no jobs at all. Relying on John Thune to save us is magical thinking, and shows just how desperate we all are. At this moment in history, democracy is going to be preserved from the bottom up, not the top down. Join that library board, run for the school board or local office. Turn up to support those who will be inevitably scapegoated by Donvict and his cronies.
“It is also possible that, aside from political calculations, enough Senate Republicans take seriously their oaths to “support and defend the Constitution of the United States” as well as the Senate’s role in the constitutional system of checks and balances that they will judge Trump’s antics with that in mind.”
I am not holding my breath on this one. In the meantime, there is a bridge in Arizona that I would be happy to sell you.
I think that it's more an understanding of the loss of power if they give in to recess appointments now than any thoughts about their Constitutional duties.
Let us be in frequent touch with people we elected to Congress to support them, no matter what party, in honoring the Constitution and the rest of us because they are our representatives, and if nothing else we have a short 2 years before looking at some of them again to get their posts back or be replaced.
And when u live in a state with all MAGAs in congress? They will do exactly what the cult demands & thumb their nose @ your letters. There has to be another way in. I dont see any way the cult will change until it starts hurting. How do you impact the disinformation????
I did not have "trust in Republican Senators to do the right thing" on my bingo card, but I hope and pray that enough of them will stand up to tRumpF. This. Is. Exhausting.
Thank you President Joe and Dr Jill Biden for doing things the right way, with a cabinet and advisors as diverse as our country to bring us out of the Pandemic, build infrastructure, get us out of Afghanistan, taming inflation, investing in domestic industry. These are things this next administration could never accomplish. The next four years are going to be chaotic, divisive, and disastrous for every sector public and private. Hopefully a few Senators can find their manhood to stand up for what is right and decent.
" . . . enough Senate Republicans take seriously their oaths to support and defend the Constitution"?
Heather concludes with this possibility -- as if Republicans haven't united for nearly a decade in applauding, celebrating, riding the coattails of the convicted criminal's steady criminality?
Even the Clarence court says yes, that one person's egregious, repeat criminality (plus buffoonery, two adjudications for rape, using the White House as a profit stream for himself, steadily spewing lies and vulgarity) all magically lift him above the Constitution, beyond the reach of law, in particular contemptuous of the Constitution's 14th amendment, section three.
We've seen nothing but the regularly-MAGA-sycophant Republicans regularly kissing the orange ass.
Heather really detects a change? That the spineless may actually have spines?
That the U.S. isn't run by Putin, Xi, Orban, Netanyahu, Mohammed bin Salman, Erdogan, Sisi, Modi, Assad, the Iranian mullahs, Kim, and all the U.S.'s dark money billionaires and owners of hate media?
Enough of the "spineless" voted for Thune to be the Speaker despite Trump's (or should I say Musk's) preference. I'll say it again--I think that they will be motivated, at least as the issue of recess appointments goes, not to relinquish the limited power that they have. Power is almost as irresistible as money...
I and many other folks are watching Thune carefully, giving him the micro inspection. Thune's spoken words (more like a ferret's syntax) mean different things to different audiences.
I agree with Betsy --- if Thune gives into recess appointments or worse creates a pseudo "recess' by keeping the Senate "out of session" such a move would literally destroy Thune's majority leader's perch before 1/20/25.
The Leonard Leo court (ie the Charles Koch et al court.)
"That the U.S. isn't run by Putin, Xi, Orban, Netanyahu, Mohammed bin Salman, Erdogan, Sisi, Modi, Assad, the Iranian mullahs, Kim, and all the U.S.'s dark money billionaires and owners of hate media?"
Yes, the GOP will control the House and Senate. But with small majorities, not a mandate. If Democrats unite then they can mitigate GOP rule and forestall GOP harm. Looking right at you Maine CD2 Rep. Jared Golden.
It doesn't matter if it is a mandate or not, unfortunately. Unless there are GOP congress critters who will buck the party line, which is now MAGA, Trump gets what he wants. The GOP does *not* have a history of bucking the party.
And Leonard Leo controls several members of the leadership in the Catholic Church.
Does anyone believe the Catholic church has purged all of the priests that are pedophiles from their ranks? They do what they've always done. They move them to another parish as punishment so they can continue to abuse children.
There are around 65 million Catholics in the US and most of them are just as fearful of the church as Republicans are of the Trump machine.
Phil, what do you think of this substack article on the election results? It is long and it is detailed and while I am skeptical it is amazingly well written and with actual facts instead of the BS that Trump and his MAGAts throw around.
Trump got away with sidling away from and denying the key active support he got from Putin and Putin's tech people in 2016.
He's a criminal, Trump -- legally, jury convicted criminal. Plus legally a fraud for his shyster university. A rapist, again jury adjudicated. A tax and other finance fraud legally found con man. A despicably vulgar human being.
Trouble is, he can hide behind lots of -- billions upon billions of dollars -- dark money. Citizens United dark money. Putin and all the other corrupt oligarchs' dark money.
Dems might have made those facts sting, but the results were merely human, and U.S. elites since the Powell memo have learned in all the schools to disregard the human. That dehumanization of schools was the necessary first plan of the Powell memo -- upon which then the predators could offshore the tens of millions of jobs, import and distribute the blinding, numbing, murderous opioids, invest in the billionaire social media hate networks, and further ally with the dark money dictators, oligarchs, and other mass murderers worldwide.
Greg Palast has similar such evidence. Enter search words for his documentary video on that by his name and the words vigilante and hit man.
Dems are by and large wusses, dehumanized, no match for the massive criminality arrayed against not just them, but us, all whom the schools and elites have abandoned.
"It is also possible that, aside from political calculations, enough Senate Republicans take seriously their oaths to “support and defend the Constitution of the United States” as well as the Senate’s role in the constitutional system of checks and balances that they will judge Trump’s antics with that in mind."
Possible. But all the evidence so far is of Republican officials falling all over each other to fall in line.
It takes a village of Eichmann's to manage the logistics of fascist rule. And there is no shortage of Republican volunteers.
I agree with most of the comments that the Republicans will continue to go along with Trump out of fear. Any Republican who had a spine, has either left or is dead! Sorry Heather I don’t see the possibility at all.
I can’t help but recall an excerpt from Liz Cheney’s book about the insurrection where she states that a good number of the Republican senators would not have voted to convict had they not feared for their safety. Remember that a fundamental dynamic of the Orange Blob’s personality is running his operations like a mob boss.
Looking at all their appointments in the aggregate, NONE of those named have the ability or experience, much less the background knowledge needed to perform the duties of the positions. I suspect that's intentional. Their authority will be superficial. Their role is strictly to be a puppet figurehead.
Behind each of them, keeping out of sight, there will be someone running the show and making the decisions that matter. Their background or associations won't be examined by US security or our legislature - and never will be. It will be no different at the presidential level, considering that Donald is 78 and in failing health (both mentally and physically), and isn't in any shape to seriously take on the duties of the presidency. Donald's vice president JD is no better; all he offers is youth and a willingness to obey orders. He's no leader.
All of which suggests to me that under the coming Trimp Regime, the US will be run by a host of unidentified and un-elected people working for ... WHO?? And to accomplish WHAT?? Perhaps that would be a good question for the Senate to address before quieting down and letting the MAGAt's take over.
If votes are secret, how do they determine the demographics of who voted for who and what? If they use after-election polls, why would those be any more accurate than pre-election polls?
I’m very worried about these nominees and appointees. The bar is so low, given the record of the person soon-to-be-at-the-helm…just makes me think they will find a way to push many or most of these through. But, your last sentence gives me some hope back, Heather. Thank you, as always. xo
With Bannon at one elbow and Musk at the other, these are not really Trump appointees, and by what constitutional right are Bannon and Musk there at all? Trump, or probably Bannon, is thumbing his nose at the whole framework. In accordance with 2025. In 2016, when the White House was just an "Apprentice" set to him, his easy come/easy go appointments were ridiculous. Now that his hand is being, shall we say, guided, they are a clear and present danger. How can it be stopped? I hope Mitch McConnell is feeling sick as he watches.
"I hope Mitch McConnell is feeling sick as he watches."
Arguably, McConnell has done more harm to the institutions of democracy than Trump has. McConnell bent all precedent, even his own, to deny Obama and then Biden Supreme Court appointments. McConnell orchestrated the Republican refusal to find Trump guilty in his second impeachment trial - a conviction would've barred Trump from running again.
I know that, as he has said it before. That is his whole purpose, here and in Europe. He was not satisfied with only burning down our country; he wanted worldwide fame. He is an evil SOB. I have several more names for him, but you can fill in the blanks. He is a loathsome person, and the whole MAGA group as well. They are traitors, good for nothing, and being thrown in a pit for the remainder of their sick, poisonous lives is too good for them. I would like to see some group, very large, overrun every last one of them, round them up, and haul them off to a large compound where justice can be meted out. They want to do that to immigrants so they will understand it, at least. You could say that immigrants are here illegally, and I say that being a traitor has not been considered the highlight of being a good citizen, and in the past, there was a specific way of dealing with traitors.
We can't fight this sickness by being timid and friendly and saying, "Aw shucks, we will do it the usual way." No, it is time to fight fire with fire. And I am not worried about some new civil war breaking out over it as I would like to see these self-appointed, all-important, and powerful militias go up against the US military. Some will think I've lost the plot and gone off the deep end, but look what we are standing around waiting for, like we have zero choice but to go along. We either do things, think outside the box, or run headfirst off the cliff. I think it's a matter of how much anyone will do to save our country and its democracy. I know I am talking about a constitutional crisis. Still, I've already become aware that it's only a matter of time after the menace is back in office when the constitutional crises will be upon us. Yes, I am pretty over reading and listening to these pontificators talking about how so many in this country have decided democracy does not work anymore and are willing to try autocracy. I will never accept that. Go bold, do whatever it takes to save our country. It is startling that I have arrived at this point, as I have always been very peace-oriented. It has something to do with the reaction of some when they are backed into a corner. You fight or curl up and wait to get hit or worse. At least I feel better venting. I am confident I will calm down and try on the other hat after some sleep. I was going to say, please don't send the guys with the straight jacket, but am I the crazy one here?
The craziness of it all can get to any of us, and what we come up with, what we propose, what courage we have to summon, is a perfectly sane way to begin dealing, however we have to.
Burn it, then buy up what is left at fire sale prices. I suspect it is about money. If it is about “freedom” in his mind, then that is freedom for himself and buddies to control everyone else.
What are you saying? Do you realize what is being said is the destruction of the Government of the United States of America? The Democracy will no longer exist on the face of this planet. The Country will be in the hands of the Fascists of trump's Government.
No you are not. Authoritarians use whatever tools are available inside and across any boundaries geographic or otherwise, have to be stopped by people becoming more educated however that can happen. Sixth grade reading level? Well let's work with it.
It looks like a belief system around ideas more than just 'feeling'. The ideas around superiority and the mission that goes with them as he sees it, and also many others see it. We call them 'isms'.
The Republican Senators now in office are as likely to have the moral backbone to stop Trump from fulfilling his traitorous unconstitutional desires than they are to find him guilty in an impeachment trial.
The country and its citizens are only in the way of Republican Senators and Republican Congressmen from gaining as much of the money and power left in the food crumbs that Trump leaves on the floor after eating his hamburgers and fries.
What we are seeing is a great battle between the space taken up by excess capital, corporate capitalism,
and the existing permissions of democracy, in which the socially sick greedies have found all the loopholes or created them. The worship of money is the new god in all kinds of disguises.Money-as-religion.
What is the point of required background checks and security clearances if one can simply say, “nope I’m not submitting to that.” and they are permitted to carry on without clearance?? Whose fault is that? What is the point of the ethics paperwork required of incoming presidents if the system so readily crumples and allows an incoming president to receive classified info without the ethics paperwork? A big part of the problem seems to be rules and requirements that are not enforced!!
I think a large part of the problem was that the Founders, while they could in fact imagine a corrupt electorate, never imagined one so corrupt, so stupid, so reckless, as the one we now have - nor did they imagine one so foolish that when a con-man or would-be king made manifest to all his utter lack of moral character, that the electorate would have so little self-respect, self-esteem or basic survival instinct as to embrace him.
I think the founders foresaw someone like Donald Trump, and George Washington clearly saw the dangers of political parties and expressed his misgivings clearly. But they never foresaw the internet, social media, or an entire political party that would turn treasonous as the Republican Party now clearly has.
As for their ability to see what might happen to the electorate, brainwashing wasn't a thing back then. Now, we have 74 million people whose brains have been turned to mush by right-wing media. They are not fixable.
George Washington was the Model for Article I of the Constitution... DJT would never have been considered for any National Political Post by the Founders... Shame is a powerful Negative Emotion.... DJT has no Shame... He is his own SuperHero in his Cartoon World...
No shame, no conscience. A sociopath. Weird how many, including so many who are nominally religious, find that condition appealing.
The CHINO's believe that Turd is the guy anointed to usher in the end times. They are going to be raptured, that's all they care about.
I wish they'd all head upwards asap and leave the rest of us alone.
Do they really forgive anything he does and feel he's a gift from the Divine? That his assassination attempts were thwarted because of his divine connection? That Gabbard, Gaetz, and Hegseth don't need security clearances because he chose them? Sounds like brainwashing to me.
Apache - he’s just a felon on the run.
I think there have always been forms of brainwashing by those who yearn to dominate. Bread and circuses, lots of pompous theater, and plenty of big lies about how essential the dominators are to the welfare of all, a lie that the Declaration of Independence rebuts. The struggle between those who aim to be masters and those that rage against slavery seems to be one of the most consistent themes of history. You would think we'd have learned to step off that road for good by now.
You got to give credit to the Dems for helping Trump get elected. If Dems spent less time complaining about Trump and more time on promoting the democratic ideals, policy and good economic outcomes. we would have won.
I beg to differ. We didn't showcase Trump's past deeds often or loud enough. And that was the responsibility of the 4th estate. TV networks and major newspapers treated Trump as if he were a serious candidate - instead of the despicable crook and bellicose bully that he is.
Any journalist of any experience and talent who didn't constantly present to the public the long, long, long list of his offenses and business failures was not doing their damn job. Start by EVERY DAY running a story about the more than 19 women who explain how they were sexually assaulted by this monster. Dig deeper into the Russian (NOT A HOAX) connection. Where his money came from, all the trips to Moscow, Helsinki, trusting Putin over our own intelligence agencies and the REPUBLICAN Senate report that confirmed the collusion. Any member of the media who didn't run with this information and put it up for viewing DAILY was a failure.
As for Democratic ideals - they are mine, too. But we lost because the average family is in trouble financially. And we didn't advocate for REAL CHANGE. When people are dissatisfied - angry - with the status quo, we shouldn't be crowing about low unemployment stats and how inflation has come down, blah, blah.
We should be talking about RADICAL change where the rich pay a LOT more in taxes and every family is provided with child care so both parents can WORK. Stop defending Obamacare and scream to the rooftops that EVERY American should have healthcare - a human right.
There is much more. But the bottom line is that the phrase "throw the bums out" was at the core of our problem. Joe Biden has been an excellent president (best in my long life) and I believe Kamala Harris would have been as good - probably better. But for the working folks with multiple jobs just to survive, we needed to be CHANGE AGENTS. More of the same didn't fly, did it?
Now, many here will say we couldn't win if we were so radical as to demand big change. But isn't that rich? Look what the fascists just proposed. A disgusting wannabe dictator and a plan to dismantle our democracy and rip away basic rights for all of us - and, oh wait, decimate the planet by destroying the EPA, crippling education by destroying the Department of Education .... the list is so long, my fingers ache from typing.
They proposed all that nice insanely radical madness and THEY WON!
"They proposed all that nice insanely radical madness, and THEY WON!" It still makes my jaw drop. But Bill, I'm zeroing in on Elon Musk, whose millions contributed, but, most of all, the toxic content of X-itter led so many astray, especially gullible young men who are drawn to the macho hype. IMHO, Musk has violated the terms of his naturalized citizenship and needs deportation.
Hard to say, 2/3 of consumer demand has come from the top third of income earners. Many of the rest have just struggled. Wealth inequality i believe it's called. Apart from the truly brainwashed.
Nope. He (Biden) was asleep at the wheel on the border for 3 years.
Guess not! Propaganda and state coercion have large roles to play in this world. Christianity comes readily to mind for me as well.
I wonder if now that these circumstances have come to light, my call for the good generals to temporarily suspend the constitution and order a coup to stop Trump from organizing a treasonous government. Maybe it’s not such a bad idea my brothers and sisters?
In the 1850s a political party, or at least its regional adherents, turned so treasonous that after they lost the 1860 election, they actually seceded from the Union. Let's not pretend it's all or even mostly about the internet and social media.
The Founders never imagined Fox News.
Who could?
Agency for Propaganda of the Faith.
I saw recently a Report that stated that the Electorate for this Election was the most ignorant in Recent History... Over 1/2 of High-School Seniors Read at less then the 6th Grade Level... Math Skills are Atrocious... The Gen-Ys, and Gen-Zs get most of their 'News' from the Right-Wing InfoSphere... DJT, and his 'Mandate' are the result...
That's not an accident. The people who have been orchestrating this calamity for decades started with the tax revolts of the 60s and 70s to defund public schools and dumb down the general population. They're still at it because it's working.
I agree... The 1st thing that Reagan did as Governor of CA was declare War on the University of California... Now Elon Musk is declaring War on the MSM... He is now the Self-Styled 'Truth Minister'.... DJT's Minions are now calling Journalists to remind them that DJT Remembers, and is Vengeful...
Putin is a master of spycraft and espionage. He has training by both the KGB and the Stasi. Unfortunately his formula may just bring the planet to its knees and there is no stable place anymore for him to stash his wealth. Trump is a patsy, and Xi is in charge of Trump. Here is Snyder's article on the hierarchy here. https://open.substack.com/pub/snyder/p/the-submission-chain?r=f0qfn&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
Thanks for the link! Anything that historian Timothy Snyder writes is well worth reading.
Linda, once again you’ve found and shared valuable information. Thank you.
Looks like class warfare from the top down.
Agree!
Exactly. When are we going to beat them at their own game. They have the Russian bots and people posting quick, easy to read misinformation. Unless we change our message and the way we deliver it, nothing will change. Not one dem attacked the misinformation directly.
And the fact that all textbook publishers moved to Texas was part of the strategy https://www.pbs.org/independentlens/documentaries/revisionaries/
Cathy, I’d guess that it’s because Texas determines the textbooks for the nation. Only California has more students and they are less picky.
https://www.tpr.org/show/texas-matters/2020-02-14/texas-matters-the-great-texas-textbook-war?_amp=true
Good evening Heather - it is disturbing that so many voters did not understand the responsibility of being informed and researching the issues at hand before voting. After WWII people forgot the sacrifices that were made to preserve our freedoms. I doubt they’ve ever read any American history and just assumed they were simply privileged for living in America and took it too much for granted. It was a tipping point for many wrongs that had not been addressed in a very long time. Your in-depth reporting of the facts is a tremendous effort. You truly are an American treasure for your noble efforts to keep the Rule of Law in our hearts and minds to stand up for what we believe in
🇺🇸🗽🕯️🥁❤️🕊️
I don’t think this helps. We, the “intelligentsia” have not been paying anywhere near enough attention to the economic pain of working class people, who are the majority.
I still think that disinformation and misogyny were equally important factors particularly with the strong turnout of the young male "low-propensity voters"--they went for Trump's toxic hypermasculinity brand in a big way.
I agree
It could be, but the stats you cite are closer to historical norms as i recollect them, and math has always had the top line in being "difficult". One thing though that Heather recently cited was that those with high school or less more significantly voted for Trump than post secondary voted for Harris. What goes along with this is that those without post secondary generally earn less, and the more educated make more. Lots of ironies here, eh, Apache, considering how much the billionaire class, and the likes of Elon Musk, put their financial weight on MAGA. We can thank the Supreme Court for that, I believe.
Steve, maybe, as offending as it is and given the success they had by voting against and then taking credit for everything democrats passed, and just maybe at least a little bit and for a short time, we should act as Republicans do.
After all as you said, our electorate is stupid, corrupt and foolish...sorry, it was just an idea.
This is a good idea, if they ever pass a bill that Democrats want to steal credit for.
Good point Mike
They actually want to blow the whole thing up…
Terry, remember 2016? Rick Perry was put in charge of one of the departments that he’d said needed to go (in his presidential debate statement) and Betsy DeVos was put in charge of the public schools when she was working to working to privatize public education.
https://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2011/11/rick-perrys-debate-lapse-oops-cant-remember-department-of-energy
https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/rcna76307&sa=U&sqi=2&ved=2ahUKEwiZ8rT25eCJAxWS7skDHbJ5CvEQFnoECCMQAQ&usg=AOvVaw32UkyfEAPEA2lnRug2Ydkr
I think that the founders didn’t imagine half the population sitting on couches in October watching NFL football games interrupted by incessant “they/them” ads for Trump.
Who cares about bridges, let’s keep all those they/them people out.
The Founders didn't foresee the rise of economic power that came with the Industrial Revolution either, though the Southern oligarchy (to which some of them more or less belonged) must have given them a clue. Not to forget that the Founders didn't trust "the people" either, not at all.
It clearly will be the gang that couldn’t shoot straight.
I’ve always found this annoying too. How come a guy like Trump can get elected president and go from having access to no classified information to having access to EVERYTHING - just because he was elected? Why is that OK? I think all congressional and presidential candidates should be subject to a background check and the results of that background check be made available to the public. PRIOR to any votes being cast.
Trump is as unqualified for the position of US president as are his cabinet pics. It would be harder for any of these clowns to get a job at McDonalds.
Not a real one.
Mosquitos are “annoying.” This gaping ethical hole is horrifying. Scale it up, Mr. Burke, I don’t think you are grasping the depth of the pit we are in.
So sorry you missed my point Mr. Ian.
Too bad you buried the lede. Mr. perfect
Immediately upon nomination. And be subject to a lot of public disclosure, business interests, etc. It seems to me that if one aspires to fill one of our most critical positions, you need to be prepared to sacrifice a lot of privacy and private opportunity. Human lives and the future of our society is at stake.
A candidacy is really a very important job interview, but we treat it more like a wrestling match.
Or worse yet as a popularity contest — with whom would you like to sit down and share a beer.
But did he get elected? This is a long read and while Republicans are the party of conspiracy theories and other magical thinking, it can be verified with recounts in the swing states.
https://substack.com/inbox/post/151721941?r=2ia0yv&utm_medium=ios&triedRedirect=true
Thank you for this link. The author is very knowledgable, & I find his argument that Elon Musk's lottery was part of an effort to create " ghost ballots" very persuasive.
But will there ever be an investigation?
Good question, do presidential candidates get background checks? Did trump get a background check back in 2015? If he failed, who gets told? What are the consequences?
Exactly. Prof. Timothy Snyder, in his piece called Decapitation Strike,
https://open.substack.com/pub/snyder/p/decapitation-strike?r=f0qfn&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
lays out how we are at a moment before catastrophe. "This is no longer a post-electoral moment. It is a pre-catastrophic moment."
So, Trump is working for Putin and Xi to totally destroy the US. It is pretty obvious how he intends to destroy it in Project 2025, which I read as a book club with my group from Democrats Abroad. While we did not finish it, we have read 20 of the 30 chapters, and that includes the DOD and Intelligence Community Chapters. It is in those where one can see that he is absolutely going to destroy our national security, allowing it to be taken on by predators. Tulsi will be mailing our intel to Putin, unless the people in the Intelligence Community already destroy it, which may be what Trump wants as well. That is true of DOD. too. What he is planned for both departments is humiliation and shame. Don't care that there is a culture of liking Trump created by watching the same toxic manosphere influencers that the civilian male population is watching, but still I would like to hope that there is a sense of self preservation.
If DJT is Putin's Puppet, and these things happen, then this is a Strategic Master Stroke on Putin's Part....
Saw that one coming from miles away…
His selections are the commencement of Project 2o25. All these fools are figureheads, when the red phone on their desks rings it’s the boss with instructions.
It's tough to enforce background checks when tffg himself couldn't pass one.
There is literally no one who will enforce them
The Honor System left the building with Elvis
No one has the ovaries to stand up to the felon rapist from Mitch McConnell on down.
"not enforced".... Trump has crossed more than one rubicon on that score.
And what is the point of the Supreme Court if a President (whom they have already declared immune from legal consequences) can just refuse to abide by their judgment? Checkmate to checks and balances!
Any republucan who decides to grow a conscience at this late date, needs only to look at what happened to mitt romney to know
Thanks for giving us hope Professor. We need it now more than ever. I really, truly appreciate all of your dedication and hard work to preserve our democracy.
Attacking and assaulting women is practically a requirement for that crowd.
And girls.
Cindy L, you need to remove the word “practically” because it ads a sense of humor and even an opening to the belief that it’s not so…
Assaulting women becomes a prerequisite when you’ve been accused of the same. The nation’s highest law enforcement officer, the AG is a rapist. A rapist. Our commander in chief is a rapist. On the campaign trail, they called Trump an “adjudicated rapist.” I have another word for that: a rapist.
Here is my anger again and my 20/20 hindsight. Harris and rhetoric Dems never made headlines. That is why we lost.
If Harris herself had said “are you going to support the woman or the rapist?” That attack would have been true and it would have made headlines. And everyone who watches Fox would have said… “what does she mean by that?” Because it is something they’ve never heard because Fox shields MAGA from all truth and all the Truth about Trump is bad. They know nothing about him because the words “opportunity economy” do not make banner headlines. “Trump is a Rapist. Trump will appoint a Rapist to lead our nation’s police.” The police, Trump brags, endorsed him. So the police chose the rapist over the women.
It would be nice if these headline had happened. They could still happen if every News Paper and Dem didn’t feel that polite behavior Trumped the scary, ugly Truth.
A bunch of rapacious, retrograde reprobates. I don't believe any of them will grow a spine to stand against TrumTrump. Exhausting though it may be, we have to start now to organize, push back, and hold lawmakers' feet to the fire and demanding that they comply with the Constitution.
I'm not certain that many Senators will be willing to give up one of their most important prerogatives, the ability to advise and consent to presidential appointments. At least some of them know that they are one of three co-equal parts of the government, not subservient to the executive or the judiciary. They understand that if they cede power to the President in this case, that is power that .will be lost to them.
We can write LTEs or letters directly to them asking how they vetted those nominated? Ask openly why they vote as they do and then share any responses widely.
Congress gives up power all of the time. Just one example, is giving the President the power to raise tariffs, which I think is a big mistake! The Constitution gives Congress the power to raise taxes. And it doesn't specify that one branch can give away power to another!
Problem is, we won't be able to do that until the 2026 mid-term elections.
have to start NOW, or there won't be 2026 elections!
I am hoping that the shit will hit the fan in the next 2 years & people may, just may start, only start waking up
Power is almost never ceded, it is taken. By drawing his cabinet picks from the island of misfit toys, Trump is sending a "burn it all down" message. Trump (his handlers, really, as Trump is also from the island) intends to take the power of the congressional branch for himself, weather the Senators like it or not. Most of them will choose to keep figurehead jobs, rather than have no jobs at all. Relying on John Thune to save us is magical thinking, and shows just how desperate we all are. At this moment in history, democracy is going to be preserved from the bottom up, not the top down. Join that library board, run for the school board or local office. Turn up to support those who will be inevitably scapegoated by Donvict and his cronies.
How ?
“It is also possible that, aside from political calculations, enough Senate Republicans take seriously their oaths to “support and defend the Constitution of the United States” as well as the Senate’s role in the constitutional system of checks and balances that they will judge Trump’s antics with that in mind.”
I am not holding my breath on this one. In the meantime, there is a bridge in Arizona that I would be happy to sell you.
I think that it's more an understanding of the loss of power if they give in to recess appointments now than any thoughts about their Constitutional duties.
You are correct. Power and money are two assets that every politician values.
Let us be in frequent touch with people we elected to Congress to support them, no matter what party, in honoring the Constitution and the rest of us because they are our representatives, and if nothing else we have a short 2 years before looking at some of them again to get their posts back or be replaced.
And when u live in a state with all MAGAs in congress? They will do exactly what the cult demands & thumb their nose @ your letters. There has to be another way in. I dont see any way the cult will change until it starts hurting. How do you impact the disinformation????
Do you support that Trump will use his for-sale Bible in the swearing -in event?
I was going to quote that as well, and recommend that Heather finish her Letter before she hits her bong.
Can you explain?
I did not have "trust in Republican Senators to do the right thing" on my bingo card, but I hope and pray that enough of them will stand up to tRumpF. This. Is. Exhausting.
Thank you President Joe and Dr Jill Biden for doing things the right way, with a cabinet and advisors as diverse as our country to bring us out of the Pandemic, build infrastructure, get us out of Afghanistan, taming inflation, investing in domestic industry. These are things this next administration could never accomplish. The next four years are going to be chaotic, divisive, and disastrous for every sector public and private. Hopefully a few Senators can find their manhood to stand up for what is right and decent.
I wouldn't hold my breath.
" . . . enough Senate Republicans take seriously their oaths to support and defend the Constitution"?
Heather concludes with this possibility -- as if Republicans haven't united for nearly a decade in applauding, celebrating, riding the coattails of the convicted criminal's steady criminality?
Even the Clarence court says yes, that one person's egregious, repeat criminality (plus buffoonery, two adjudications for rape, using the White House as a profit stream for himself, steadily spewing lies and vulgarity) all magically lift him above the Constitution, beyond the reach of law, in particular contemptuous of the Constitution's 14th amendment, section three.
We've seen nothing but the regularly-MAGA-sycophant Republicans regularly kissing the orange ass.
Heather really detects a change? That the spineless may actually have spines?
That the U.S. isn't run by Putin, Xi, Orban, Netanyahu, Mohammed bin Salman, Erdogan, Sisi, Modi, Assad, the Iranian mullahs, Kim, and all the U.S.'s dark money billionaires and owners of hate media?
Enough of the "spineless" voted for Thune to be the Speaker despite Trump's (or should I say Musk's) preference. I'll say it again--I think that they will be motivated, at least as the issue of recess appointments goes, not to relinquish the limited power that they have. Power is almost as irresistible as money...
Thune voted for Trump's position over 95% of the time 2017-19.
88% of the time 2019-21.
Not as though he's some alternative to the orange felon and MAGA, Betsy.
I and many other folks are watching Thune carefully, giving him the micro inspection. Thune's spoken words (more like a ferret's syntax) mean different things to different audiences.
I agree with Betsy --- if Thune gives into recess appointments or worse creates a pseudo "recess' by keeping the Senate "out of session" such a move would literally destroy Thune's majority leader's perch before 1/20/25.
You may be right, but at this point, I'll give him a chance--there's not much else we can do.
"the Clarence court" ?
The Leonard Leo court (ie the Charles Koch et al court.)
"That the U.S. isn't run by Putin, Xi, Orban, Netanyahu, Mohammed bin Salman, Erdogan, Sisi, Modi, Assad, the Iranian mullahs, Kim, and all the U.S.'s dark money billionaires and owners of hate media?"
Please don't equate the U.S. with the GOP.
Correct! Leo controls the purse strings for dark money.
Of the coming tri-partite U.S. government, lin, what's not controlled by the GOP?
(And all the international criminality that also meshes with that of MAGA-Trump-GOP.)
Yes, the GOP will control the House and Senate. But with small majorities, not a mandate. If Democrats unite then they can mitigate GOP rule and forestall GOP harm. Looking right at you Maine CD2 Rep. Jared Golden.
It doesn't matter if it is a mandate or not, unfortunately. Unless there are GOP congress critters who will buck the party line, which is now MAGA, Trump gets what he wants. The GOP does *not* have a history of bucking the party.
And the Dems do not have a history of acting with any urgency. Look at Jan 6
I'm going with Roy Cohn court.
And Leonard Leo controls several members of the leadership in the Catholic Church.
Does anyone believe the Catholic church has purged all of the priests that are pedophiles from their ranks? They do what they've always done. They move them to another parish as punishment so they can continue to abuse children.
There are around 65 million Catholics in the US and most of them are just as fearful of the church as Republicans are of the Trump machine.
Phil, what do you think of this substack article on the election results? It is long and it is detailed and while I am skeptical it is amazingly well written and with actual facts instead of the BS that Trump and his MAGAts throw around.
https://substack.com/inbox/post/151721941?r=2ia0yv&utm_medium=ios&triedRedirect=true
Correct spot-on he is, Gary.
Trump got away with sidling away from and denying the key active support he got from Putin and Putin's tech people in 2016.
He's a criminal, Trump -- legally, jury convicted criminal. Plus legally a fraud for his shyster university. A rapist, again jury adjudicated. A tax and other finance fraud legally found con man. A despicably vulgar human being.
Trouble is, he can hide behind lots of -- billions upon billions of dollars -- dark money. Citizens United dark money. Putin and all the other corrupt oligarchs' dark money.
Dems might have made those facts sting, but the results were merely human, and U.S. elites since the Powell memo have learned in all the schools to disregard the human. That dehumanization of schools was the necessary first plan of the Powell memo -- upon which then the predators could offshore the tens of millions of jobs, import and distribute the blinding, numbing, murderous opioids, invest in the billionaire social media hate networks, and further ally with the dark money dictators, oligarchs, and other mass murderers worldwide.
Greg Palast has similar such evidence. Enter search words for his documentary video on that by his name and the words vigilante and hit man.
Dems are by and large wusses, dehumanized, no match for the massive criminality arrayed against not just them, but us, all whom the schools and elites have abandoned.
But the BS Trump throws around people listen to because it is in short burst. Most of the people in this world are not scholars.
"It is also possible that, aside from political calculations, enough Senate Republicans take seriously their oaths to “support and defend the Constitution of the United States” as well as the Senate’s role in the constitutional system of checks and balances that they will judge Trump’s antics with that in mind."
Possible. But all the evidence so far is of Republican officials falling all over each other to fall in line.
It takes a village of Eichmann's to manage the logistics of fascist rule. And there is no shortage of Republican volunteers.
“This is no longer a post-election moment. It is a pre-catastrophic moment”
-Timothy Snyder
https://open.substack.com/pub/snyder/p/decapitation-strike?r=6x8sj&utm_medium=ios
I agree with most of the comments that the Republicans will continue to go along with Trump out of fear. Any Republican who had a spine, has either left or is dead! Sorry Heather I don’t see the possibility at all.
I hate to say I agree w: you Eva but sadly I do.
The Senate will give up its constitutional co-equal status & its “ advice & consent” function .
And that will be the voluntary walk into authoritarian rule.
It will be freely given . As it usually is.
I can’t help but recall an excerpt from Liz Cheney’s book about the insurrection where she states that a good number of the Republican senators would not have voted to convict had they not feared for their safety. Remember that a fundamental dynamic of the Orange Blob’s personality is running his operations like a mob boss.
Did she? Or did she say that a number of R Senators WOULD have voted to convict had they NOT feared violence against them.
This reads quite to opposite.
You’ve got a typo here. Delete a right NOT
"Republicans will continue to go along with Trump out of fear."
They go along because they believe in Trump's agenda.
OK, I'll bring up the elephant in the room.
Looking at all their appointments in the aggregate, NONE of those named have the ability or experience, much less the background knowledge needed to perform the duties of the positions. I suspect that's intentional. Their authority will be superficial. Their role is strictly to be a puppet figurehead.
Behind each of them, keeping out of sight, there will be someone running the show and making the decisions that matter. Their background or associations won't be examined by US security or our legislature - and never will be. It will be no different at the presidential level, considering that Donald is 78 and in failing health (both mentally and physically), and isn't in any shape to seriously take on the duties of the presidency. Donald's vice president JD is no better; all he offers is youth and a willingness to obey orders. He's no leader.
All of which suggests to me that under the coming Trimp Regime, the US will be run by a host of unidentified and un-elected people working for ... WHO?? And to accomplish WHAT?? Perhaps that would be a good question for the Senate to address before quieting down and letting the MAGAt's take over.
It is intentional Gary. Really intentional.
I recommend Timothy Snyder's Substack called Decapitation
He lays it all our quite well.
Yes. What I said in brief form, Snyder explains in full.
It's worth promulgating. See: https://snyder.substack.com/p/decapitation-strike
Oligarchs
Can’t believe we are in a Deja Vu moment with 2016 only worse. History repeats itself. Thanks Heather
If votes are secret, how do they determine the demographics of who voted for who and what? If they use after-election polls, why would those be any more accurate than pre-election polls?
I have that same question. How do they determine the demographics of who voted and for what. Is it exit polls? That doesn't seem very accurate.
Voter registration data.
in my state, we don't declare a party in our voter registration. No one knows how I voted, just that I did vote
I believe basic demographics are given in order to determine these statistics.
I’m very worried about these nominees and appointees. The bar is so low, given the record of the person soon-to-be-at-the-helm…just makes me think they will find a way to push many or most of these through. But, your last sentence gives me some hope back, Heather. Thank you, as always. xo
With Bannon at one elbow and Musk at the other, these are not really Trump appointees, and by what constitutional right are Bannon and Musk there at all? Trump, or probably Bannon, is thumbing his nose at the whole framework. In accordance with 2025. In 2016, when the White House was just an "Apprentice" set to him, his easy come/easy go appointments were ridiculous. Now that his hand is being, shall we say, guided, they are a clear and present danger. How can it be stopped? I hope Mitch McConnell is feeling sick as he watches.
"I hope Mitch McConnell is feeling sick as he watches."
Arguably, McConnell has done more harm to the institutions of democracy than Trump has. McConnell bent all precedent, even his own, to deny Obama and then Biden Supreme Court appointments. McConnell orchestrated the Republican refusal to find Trump guilty in his second impeachment trial - a conviction would've barred Trump from running again.
Yes. I'm suffused with anger and bitterness.
Same for me. I also carry a deep sadness for all of this.
I think Bannon's an anarchist, who is wildly excited to burn the Whole house down.
I know that, as he has said it before. That is his whole purpose, here and in Europe. He was not satisfied with only burning down our country; he wanted worldwide fame. He is an evil SOB. I have several more names for him, but you can fill in the blanks. He is a loathsome person, and the whole MAGA group as well. They are traitors, good for nothing, and being thrown in a pit for the remainder of their sick, poisonous lives is too good for them. I would like to see some group, very large, overrun every last one of them, round them up, and haul them off to a large compound where justice can be meted out. They want to do that to immigrants so they will understand it, at least. You could say that immigrants are here illegally, and I say that being a traitor has not been considered the highlight of being a good citizen, and in the past, there was a specific way of dealing with traitors.
We can't fight this sickness by being timid and friendly and saying, "Aw shucks, we will do it the usual way." No, it is time to fight fire with fire. And I am not worried about some new civil war breaking out over it as I would like to see these self-appointed, all-important, and powerful militias go up against the US military. Some will think I've lost the plot and gone off the deep end, but look what we are standing around waiting for, like we have zero choice but to go along. We either do things, think outside the box, or run headfirst off the cliff. I think it's a matter of how much anyone will do to save our country and its democracy. I know I am talking about a constitutional crisis. Still, I've already become aware that it's only a matter of time after the menace is back in office when the constitutional crises will be upon us. Yes, I am pretty over reading and listening to these pontificators talking about how so many in this country have decided democracy does not work anymore and are willing to try autocracy. I will never accept that. Go bold, do whatever it takes to save our country. It is startling that I have arrived at this point, as I have always been very peace-oriented. It has something to do with the reaction of some when they are backed into a corner. You fight or curl up and wait to get hit or worse. At least I feel better venting. I am confident I will calm down and try on the other hat after some sleep. I was going to say, please don't send the guys with the straight jacket, but am I the crazy one here?
The craziness of it all can get to any of us, and what we come up with, what we propose, what courage we have to summon, is a perfectly sane way to begin dealing, however we have to.
Burn it, then buy up what is left at fire sale prices. I suspect it is about money. If it is about “freedom” in his mind, then that is freedom for himself and buddies to control everyone else.
What are you saying? Do you realize what is being said is the destruction of the Government of the United States of America? The Democracy will no longer exist on the face of this planet. The Country will be in the hands of the Fascists of trump's Government.
Putin will have conquered America.
I am not exaggerating here at all.
No you are not. Authoritarians use whatever tools are available inside and across any boundaries geographic or otherwise, have to be stopped by people becoming more educated however that can happen. Sixth grade reading level? Well let's work with it.
Mitch McConnell does not have an ounce of "feeling".
Oh, he does. It informed his dogged opposition to the black man in the White House.
It looks like a belief system around ideas more than just 'feeling'. The ideas around superiority and the mission that goes with them as he sees it, and also many others see it. We call them 'isms'.
Agreed. My Like doesn’t work.
Given the circumstances, it's not surprising that your Like doesn't work. :)
I just hope Mitch McConnell feels sick. I wish that upon him for the remainder of his days.
Read Timothy Snyder:
Decapitation Strike
Read Joyce Vance:
The Democracy Index
It is important from hear on out to see the bigger picture of what is happening. We are seeing the first wave of an effort to dismantle Government.
Is Gaetz maybe a straw man? They'll reject him but after a lot of exhausting theater around him, they'll slide the rest through?
I didn’t care for the last sentence. In my world, Trump and the word “antics” don’t go together.
The Republican Senators now in office are as likely to have the moral backbone to stop Trump from fulfilling his traitorous unconstitutional desires than they are to find him guilty in an impeachment trial.
The country and its citizens are only in the way of Republican Senators and Republican Congressmen from gaining as much of the money and power left in the food crumbs that Trump leaves on the floor after eating his hamburgers and fries.
What we are seeing is a great battle between the space taken up by excess capital, corporate capitalism,
and the existing permissions of democracy, in which the socially sick greedies have found all the loopholes or created them. The worship of money is the new god in all kinds of disguises.Money-as-religion.