Thank you for exposing the truth behind the Republicans claims that they know best how to manage the economy. On the same subject, in a recent speech Barack Obama brilliantly exposed Trump‘s lie that his economy was great until the pandemic hit. Obama said the reason that the economy was great when Trump was President until the pandemic …
Thank you for exposing the truth behind the Republicans claims that they know best how to manage the economy. On the same subject, in a recent speech Barack Obama brilliantly exposed Trump‘s lie that his economy was great until the pandemic hit. Obama said the reason that the economy was great when Trump was President until the pandemic hit is because it was the Obama economy that was actually still in effect. Here’s a clip of what Obama said. It needs to be shared widely!
My Cat Babe and Donald Trump Have Something in Common
(From 'Donald's Vanity Tantrums')
Recently, I prepared to have a spaghetti dinner but I couldn’t find the bowl that I normally use. I looked high and low for the bowl. I walked through every room in my house searching for it. I opened every kitchen cabinet. I even went into the basement on the unusual chance that I decided to eat my pasta in my unfinished basement. No bowl. Could I have put the bowl somewhere during a sleep walking episode? I never considered I had a sleep walking problem but one shouldn’t leave out any such possibilities. Nothing. The bowl was gone. Then, as I sat back in my studio with my feet up on my desk, I looked up at a shelf and there was the bowl. After eating my pasta one evening, I had placed it there so one of my cats couldn’t get at the remaining tomato source and olive oil. Babe has a voracious appetite and he will eat anything he can get his paws on. And if he had gotten hold of my pasta dish, he would have had another diarrhea episode around the house. And cat diarrhea is no fun to wipe up.
This all reminds me of the need to keep private citizen Donald Trump away from the White House least he again, crap all over the institution as he did the first go ‘round. He was so unfit and unstable that certain military chiefs had to insure he couldn’t get his hands on the nuclear codes during his last days in office. Those who were and are his supporters conveniently forget these moments. But I will never forget how much this Trump crapped all over America.
Every word out of his mouth was a lie. He befriended our enemies and made life difficult for our friends. He hired the worst creeps into administrative positions. He likely gave up national secrets to Putin. He encouraged an insurrection when he didn’t get his way to be re-elected. He deregulated as much as possible and in case you forget, regulations are put in place to protect its citizens. He reduced taxes for the wealthy corporate community and now that we have runaway debt, the republicans are doing a blame game on the democrats. Par for the course.
Let’s not forget that Trump has something in common with my cat, Babe, who was found almost newborn and dying in my driveway on a cold December morning a few years ago. He’s a wonderful cat now. But if he gets anywhere near some remaining oil in the frying pan or anywhere near my pasta bowl, he will lick it up until he splats diarrhea all over the floors of my house — just like Trump will do if he is re-elected by those who think he has their best interests at heart.
By the way, he doesn’t have their interests at heart. He has no heart. A narcissistic personality disorder reveals that truth. (That's Babe in the photo.)
Despite his claims to have a beautiful beach body for all to admire, and that he is better looking than Kamala Harris. I say, any cat, any day, even the orange ones, are much better looking and behaving than His Orangeness.
Your post was fun to read, Bill Katz, but I wish I hadn’t read it during breakfast. Your analysis is supported by Bannon, who has bragged for a decade about “flooding the zone with shit.”
Bill, OMG….the times I have searched high ‘n low for something I put in a “safe” place…it is a baffling process until the a-ha moment & it all “clicks”. You nailed the dude in a few short paragraphs…bravo & well put! It is beyond my comprehension that folks—even those who want deregulation and tax cuts—could possibly see TFFFG as fit to even visit the WH as a tourist. I never have paid attn to NY politics/celebrities, but even I—living in far northern coastal CA—knew the guy was a putz when he ran the first time. I’d hoped, once he lost the 2020 election he would finally STFU so that I wouldn’t dread waking in the morning to the latest diatribe/SNAFU…..but no. Can’t someone tape his lips & fingers together or put him in a soundproof padded room w/o a cell phone? Pleeeeeze!
McCarthy should be tarred and feathered for resurrecting that vicious blood sucker. Cats are not malicious (unless cornered, has been my experience) but chump is as evil as any black cat has been accused of being. For the fun of it, and to puff up his already overstuffed ego. BTW, my beautiful Rosie died last week. She had IBS with diarrhea and vomiting at times. I miss the mess. She was a loving girl. Chump has not one redeeming feature to counter his Everest high mountain of Schitt. Loved your post. Can really relate to the searches of my digs. Seems to be happening more and more…
Oh, dart to the heart 💔….so hard to lose one of your pack. I have my “garden of dogs” where they lay beneath the willow tree…each with a statue to mark the spot & planted with spring & fall bulbs. It’s the best when they visit my dreams now and then. I don’t think TFFFG likes animals and am pretty sure they’d smell a rat (no offense to rats!) when they’d be near him—bet he gives off the very worst vibes.
Garden of dogs. I’ll tell that to my daughter who just lost her third one this year. Said that it had been a bad year for dogs. So wish I could see loved ones in a dream, human and critters. Usually dreams are just nonsense. NO, chump hates animals and they hate him, if the eagle he had near him once is a clue. I hope a majority of us can detect the stench of evil.
So sorry to hear this. I count the creatures that I shed tears for both human and cats. And yet they come now counting 7. They make me happy and sad. Today I just made 28 pounds of cat food that will last 2 weeks. I’m happy to provide this super best nutrition.
People who make animals lives better are my heroes. Takes an unselfish heart and a degree of empathy that some never have a clue about. The rewards have no $ signs
I do but after finishing dinner in my studio that night, I put my bowl high up so Babe couldn’t get at it. What don’t you understand. I forgot the bowl was out there.
I have to be careful as well, Bill with my big pal, a standard poodle. I wash my dishes, but not always immediately. Rowdy thinks it’s his right to lick the plate. Often he does.
When I was a kid I had an aunt who had a standard poodle. One Sunday she went to church, leaving a chicken in the sink to defrost….came back and the dog had eaten the entire thing, plastic mesh bag, plastic covering, and all!!
Doug, years ago I read somewhere that the perfect way to get guests to never accept another meal invitation is, afterward, to put the dishes on the floor and let the pets lick them clean. Then put them straightaway into the cabinet….after all they’re clean…right?
Bill Katz, I adore cats and feel a little bad comparing tffg to a lovely cat that is only following their survival instincts. That aside, fabulous analogy, tffg shitting all over this country!
So, imagine if this mechanism Trump has - to produce more crap than than he could possibly consume - could be used to create energy. We'd solve our energy issues and the geopolitical challenges they engender. However, if the technical challenges are overcome, the horrible stench might remain. We need NSF research funding on this.
Entertaining and insightful as usual, Bill Katz. TFG is a nightmare; let's puh-leeze not roll over and go back to sleep. Let's shake the deplorables awake and remind them that far from a dreamboat, TFFG is an evil, ugly monster who will rip everyone's life to shreds. Especially theirs.
He relies on mostly malignant intellects by surrounding himself with lickspittle yes-men. Remember that Roy Cohn was probably more of a father figure to him than his own father.
The Republican Southern Strategy transformed the Party of Lincoln into a GOP driven by the blood heirs and ideological heirs of the Confederacy. When Reagan jumped in bed with Ralph Reed - movement conservatism with the religious right - all manner of economic favoritism and social bigotry became the party platform. The main planks being voter suppression and contempt for the law. The hollowing out of the three pillars of our democracy - equality before the law, equal representation and separation of church and state.
Before D J Trump and his MiniMe Yap Dog J D Vance, "claimed the right to determine which government policies he considers legal" - the 'constitutional sheriffs' movement declared they not the Supreme Court were the arbiters of constitutional law. And they are the ones Republicans will deploy to round up deportees. Trump says local authorities know exactly who to round up. Just think about *that* for a moment. Hint: the Portage Ohio Republican sheriff instructing people to record the addresses of homes with Harris Walz signs.* see link below
Although we have the modern technology to overcome racist and political gerrymandering, it is being used in exactly the opposite way. Here is Library of Congress cartographer John Hessler explaining mapping the electoral demographics of the United States - a tutorial in how to draw fair lines vs hi tech 'stacking and cracking'
I believe you've hit the nail on the head, Lin. "When Reagan jumped in bed with Ralph Reed - movement conservatism with the religious right - all manner of economic favoritism and social bigotry became the party platform. The main planks being voter suppression and contempt for the law. The hollowing out of the three pillars of our democracy - equality before the law, equal representation and separation of church and state." This brings me back to Reagan's repeated statement concerning his belief of what government really is: in his inaugural address and even before, he claimed that "In this present crisis, government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem." For him to provide wealth for his cronies, he would have to isolate and degrade, or as you say, "hollow out",
those three pillars of democracy. In Robert Caro's book, Master of the Senate, he eloquently points out the ever-changing philosophies of democrats and republicans. One will remember that in the 1860's, the republicans were...well, somewhat, at least, more socially aware and receptive to social and human concerns; it was the democrats who were all over the map in human trafficking. As years went by, and up to the early 1940's with the arrival of folks like Hubert Humphrey, the two parties essentially switched on the important issue concerning human freedoms. Republicans would hold onto that term "human freedom", but it was the democrats who actually walked the walk while republicans talked the talk. Lyndon Johnson, who at one time was part of the Southern Strategy Senate cabal, somehow, saw the writing on the wall, Richard Russell from Georgia died a democrat; had he lived longer, he would have switched parties much like many of his Southern based senator friends did. It was Talmage, from Georgia, who ultimately, was one, who rejected the democratic party and went to the republican side, and who eventually called LBJ a "traitor" to the cause. This red herring that republicans often use to remind democrats that they were the party of segregation is just that: a red herring. Since the early part of the century, republicans have been manipulating people, economy, and the future of this nation to the point of wanton self-destructiveness. And now, it's upon us. Just this morning, I got a blanket text from Preston Nouri who is running for Congress in PA. He quotes Trump in saying that "internment camps" will be brought back when he is once again President. One needs to really think about what is now happening. This is just another red flag concerning Trump/Vance. It appears that he no longer gives a wit about the judiciary, even though he is singularly responsible for creating 1/3 of it to his liking. One of my favorite lines from Walt Kelly's comic strip Pogo: "We have met the enemy, and he is us."
There is a precedent for GOP internment camps for Hispanic people. For 24 years from the 1990s to 2017, GOP Sheriff Joe Arpaio ran what he called a 'concentration camp.' In 2017 Pres. Donald Trump pardoned Arpaio of criminal contempt.
"On August 25, 2017, President Donald Trump pardoned Joe Arpaio for criminal contempt of court, a misdemeanor.[1] Arpaio had been convicted of the crime two months earlier for disobeying a federal judge's order to stop racial profiling in detaining "individuals suspected of being in the U.S. illegally".[2][3] The pardon covered Arpaio's conviction and "any other offenses under Chapter 21 of Title 18, United States Code that might arise, or be charged, in connection with Melendres v. Arpaio."[4] The official White House statement announcing the grant of clemency described Arpaio as a "worthy candidate" having served the nation for more than fifty years "protecting the public from the scourges of crime and illegal immigration."[2][5][6]
"Former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio routinely pointed to the notorious, outdoor Tent City Jail he opened in the 1990s as a symbol of his "tough on crime" stance. Inmates live in tents through the sweltering Arizona summer heat and are issued old-fashioned striped prison jumpsuits and pink underwear..."This facility is not a crime deterrent, it is not cost efficient, and it is not tough on criminals," newly-elected Sheriff Paul Penzone told reporters at a news conference Tuesday."
Joe Arpaio, who erected the facility in 1993, his first year in office, and held it up as an inexpensive solution to overcrowded jails. Penzone defeated Arpaio in last year's general election, ending his 24-year span as sheriff."
"Maricopa County sheriff, Joe Arpaio, called this outdoor jail close to downtown Phoenix – his own tough-on-crime creation – a “concentration camp” in a speech to political supporters at his local Italian-American club."
Herman Talmadge died a Democrat, defeated by Republican Mack Mattingly after "Hummun's" financial cheating with his second divorce was revealed. Both Russell and Talmadge were fine with the Democratic platform except for its insistence on racial equality.
That video was very informative. I had no idea how difficult it is to draw voting district maps. I need to lok at the rules for Saskatchewan. There has been a tendency to include rural areas and parts of urban areas to dilute urban votes which tend to be NDP
This is it exactly! The support for Trump has almost nothing to do with the economy. The Groper-in-Chief's promise to Make America White Again is the tie that binds.
Dan Sadly I must agree with you. And carrying the banner at the head of these modern Crusaders are the white Christian evangelicals! Pope Donald of Orange has thus declared it!
Actually, no. Though I loathe Trump, he is technically not a convicted criminal until the judge says he is… at sentencing. That occurs after the election.
When he loses, he will get three years in Rikers (??). That should finish him. But the MAGAts will not go away. There are 70 million of them. Decent Americans will be fighting them forever. Even if they crawl back under their rocks they are still there.
I’m no lawyer, but I think people become convicted criminals as soon as the jury delivers a guilty verdict. I guess the status would revert to non-criminal if the conviction were overturned.
It’s also my impression that convicted criminals are usually remanded to prison when the guilty verdict comes down and begin serving their sentence even though the length of the sentence isn’t yet known. Or maybe that’s only if the criminals are black. I’m not clear on the details.
Steve, thank you for using the L word. I have great respect for HCR, but let’s call Republican myth making LIES and the politicians that spout falsehoods LIARS. LIARS cannot be trusted.
Liars who believe their own crap are willfully blind fools. Liars could be trusted to look out for their own interests, rocking the boat without sinking it. FOOLS cannot be trusted at all.
I watched the Obama speech, and he is a master speaker. Also, I am grateful that the truth is exposed by someone with a wide audience. Professor Richardson should also be making the media rounds with just this information. I have known this all my life, and am also grateful that Prof. Richardson is naming what the Democrats should have been naming all along since Reagan was president with his Reaganomics. Of course, now there is more data, and we cannot rely on Corporate media to share this, since they are a lot of the reason that lies about the Democratic party is spread as truth. Another lie is that the press is leftist! It most certainly is not and has not been in my recollection. I am a Boomer. Also, the myth that the Democratic party is Leftist. That is a fallacy, except if we say relative to the far right swing of the Republican party. We are certainly left of that, but so is most of the Democratic world.
Agree! Especially now with the joining of noted Republicans, Kamala is going centrist. That's not a criticism; it's survivalism! But may she fight for "the three pillars of our democracy—equality before the law, equal representation, and separation of church and state." The latter, especially applies to the Opus Dei shysters.
I think TNR had an article on how Kamala's economic policies were centrist, in a good way.
A columnist for either NYT or WaPo said reform of the SCROTUS should include term limits but no more judges. The idea that their should be 15 federal districts and 15 Supreme Court Justices made sense to me, an outsider. I did not consider that packing, just keeping up with reality
Who are part of the Christian Nationalists (CNs), only the CNs include the protestant sects as well. Project 2025 is written by Catholic and Protestant CNs. They are wanting to force all of the US and any country that we support to embrace CN or else? Or else what? Since the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) has an End-of-Days belief that they must convert everyone to their way of being on the planet, or else God will not return to save them, they have a lot of pressure to force us to their ways, which are so extreme that most people don't even know about them. Andra Watkins details the difference in their end of days beliefs in her Substack.
Since it appears that both Mike Johnson and Sam Alito, as well as Amy Coney Barrett and perhaps more of SCOTUS are members of the NAR, we should be very concerned with their mission in the court. They should be removed, and other members perhaps for different reasons. Take your pick.
The movement of this minority group to dominate us all is the opposite of democracy. Read this The Guardian article.
They are so full of it, I don’t think there is any way they believe their own nonsense. Pure power play all dressed up with lipstick and robes of inquisitors
Ally, you’re not serious. But you are. I think the Democratic Party has gone so left that it needs to return to the center. But you are a leftist whatever that means. We need to save democracy and we are not going to be a leftist nation as much as you would like. The only outcome in that instance is an autocratic regime. We don’t want that to happen.
Love it. Ginger Rogers all the way. When I was a small boy in the 50s one of my heroes was Charolotte Whitten, Mayor of Ottawa, who said, "Whatever women do they must do twice as well as men to be thought half as good. Luckily, this is not difficult". She was even quoted on Home Improvement.
Stating the obvious, should the orange turd get into office again, the same thing will be the case…he’ll be inheriting the Biden-Harris economy. It’s the only way he’d be a success, to inherit it!
Now to have the media show this on the news etc. we all know how well the democrats manage the economy and then a republican gets in office and boom another recession. Clinton gave Bush/Cheney a surplus and they managed it poorly. Then Obama dug us out and tRump showed us what a poor businessman he actually is. 🤦🏼♀️ Why doesn’t the media cover this better. It isn’t rocket science
Thank you for exposing the truth behind the Republicans claims that they know best how to manage the economy. On the same subject, in a recent speech Barack Obama brilliantly exposed Trump‘s lie that his economy was great until the pandemic hit. Obama said the reason that the economy was great when Trump was President until the pandemic hit is because it was the Obama economy that was actually still in effect. Here’s a clip of what Obama said. It needs to be shared widely!
https://youtu.be/xPYKrAl_Btk
Yeah, Steve, he gave a smokin’ speech…man was on fire! Nothin’ like an Obama speech to get the synapses going!! Well, except maybe one from Michelle!
My Cat Babe and Donald Trump Have Something in Common
(From 'Donald's Vanity Tantrums')
Recently, I prepared to have a spaghetti dinner but I couldn’t find the bowl that I normally use. I looked high and low for the bowl. I walked through every room in my house searching for it. I opened every kitchen cabinet. I even went into the basement on the unusual chance that I decided to eat my pasta in my unfinished basement. No bowl. Could I have put the bowl somewhere during a sleep walking episode? I never considered I had a sleep walking problem but one shouldn’t leave out any such possibilities. Nothing. The bowl was gone. Then, as I sat back in my studio with my feet up on my desk, I looked up at a shelf and there was the bowl. After eating my pasta one evening, I had placed it there so one of my cats couldn’t get at the remaining tomato source and olive oil. Babe has a voracious appetite and he will eat anything he can get his paws on. And if he had gotten hold of my pasta dish, he would have had another diarrhea episode around the house. And cat diarrhea is no fun to wipe up.
This all reminds me of the need to keep private citizen Donald Trump away from the White House least he again, crap all over the institution as he did the first go ‘round. He was so unfit and unstable that certain military chiefs had to insure he couldn’t get his hands on the nuclear codes during his last days in office. Those who were and are his supporters conveniently forget these moments. But I will never forget how much this Trump crapped all over America.
Every word out of his mouth was a lie. He befriended our enemies and made life difficult for our friends. He hired the worst creeps into administrative positions. He likely gave up national secrets to Putin. He encouraged an insurrection when he didn’t get his way to be re-elected. He deregulated as much as possible and in case you forget, regulations are put in place to protect its citizens. He reduced taxes for the wealthy corporate community and now that we have runaway debt, the republicans are doing a blame game on the democrats. Par for the course.
Let’s not forget that Trump has something in common with my cat, Babe, who was found almost newborn and dying in my driveway on a cold December morning a few years ago. He’s a wonderful cat now. But if he gets anywhere near some remaining oil in the frying pan or anywhere near my pasta bowl, he will lick it up until he splats diarrhea all over the floors of my house — just like Trump will do if he is re-elected by those who think he has their best interests at heart.
By the way, he doesn’t have their interests at heart. He has no heart. A narcissistic personality disorder reveals that truth. (That's Babe in the photo.)
Brilliant analogy. Thank you for a well thought, well said post. A big difference is the cat is beautiful. DJT is not.
Despite his claims to have a beautiful beach body for all to admire, and that he is better looking than Kamala Harris. I say, any cat, any day, even the orange ones, are much better looking and behaving than His Orangeness.
Your post was fun to read, Bill Katz, but I wish I hadn’t read it during breakfast. Your analysis is supported by Bannon, who has bragged for a decade about “flooding the zone with shit.”
Thank you.
Bill, OMG….the times I have searched high ‘n low for something I put in a “safe” place…it is a baffling process until the a-ha moment & it all “clicks”. You nailed the dude in a few short paragraphs…bravo & well put! It is beyond my comprehension that folks—even those who want deregulation and tax cuts—could possibly see TFFFG as fit to even visit the WH as a tourist. I never have paid attn to NY politics/celebrities, but even I—living in far northern coastal CA—knew the guy was a putz when he ran the first time. I’d hoped, once he lost the 2020 election he would finally STFU so that I wouldn’t dread waking in the morning to the latest diatribe/SNAFU…..but no. Can’t someone tape his lips & fingers together or put him in a soundproof padded room w/o a cell phone? Pleeeeeze!
McCarthy should be tarred and feathered for resurrecting that vicious blood sucker. Cats are not malicious (unless cornered, has been my experience) but chump is as evil as any black cat has been accused of being. For the fun of it, and to puff up his already overstuffed ego. BTW, my beautiful Rosie died last week. She had IBS with diarrhea and vomiting at times. I miss the mess. She was a loving girl. Chump has not one redeeming feature to counter his Everest high mountain of Schitt. Loved your post. Can really relate to the searches of my digs. Seems to be happening more and more…
Oh, dart to the heart 💔….so hard to lose one of your pack. I have my “garden of dogs” where they lay beneath the willow tree…each with a statue to mark the spot & planted with spring & fall bulbs. It’s the best when they visit my dreams now and then. I don’t think TFFFG likes animals and am pretty sure they’d smell a rat (no offense to rats!) when they’d be near him—bet he gives off the very worst vibes.
Garden of dogs. I’ll tell that to my daughter who just lost her third one this year. Said that it had been a bad year for dogs. So wish I could see loved ones in a dream, human and critters. Usually dreams are just nonsense. NO, chump hates animals and they hate him, if the eagle he had near him once is a clue. I hope a majority of us can detect the stench of evil.
So sorry to hear this. I count the creatures that I shed tears for both human and cats. And yet they come now counting 7. They make me happy and sad. Today I just made 28 pounds of cat food that will last 2 weeks. I’m happy to provide this super best nutrition.
People who make animals lives better are my heroes. Takes an unselfish heart and a degree of empathy that some never have a clue about. The rewards have no $ signs
Perfect analogy
Bill, you don't wash your dishes?
I do but after finishing dinner in my studio that night, I put my bowl high up so Babe couldn’t get at it. What don’t you understand. I forgot the bowl was out there.
I have to be careful as well, Bill with my big pal, a standard poodle. I wash my dishes, but not always immediately. Rowdy thinks it’s his right to lick the plate. Often he does.
When I was a kid I had an aunt who had a standard poodle. One Sunday she went to church, leaving a chicken in the sink to defrost….came back and the dog had eaten the entire thing, plastic mesh bag, plastic covering, and all!!
The dog survived but did not eat for a week.
Cheeses.
Doug, years ago I read somewhere that the perfect way to get guests to never accept another meal invitation is, afterward, to put the dishes on the floor and let the pets lick them clean. Then put them straightaway into the cabinet….after all they’re clean…right?
Haha, Barbara!
hey... the man just put his bowl out of sight...
Bill Katz, I adore cats and feel a little bad comparing tffg to a lovely cat that is only following their survival instincts. That aside, fabulous analogy, tffg shitting all over this country!
So, imagine if this mechanism Trump has - to produce more crap than than he could possibly consume - could be used to create energy. We'd solve our energy issues and the geopolitical challenges they engender. However, if the technical challenges are overcome, the horrible stench might remain. We need NSF research funding on this.
Yeah, but Jerry, there are technical issue with using toxic waste as a fuel source….😜
Entertaining and insightful as usual, Bill Katz. TFG is a nightmare; let's puh-leeze not roll over and go back to sleep. Let's shake the deplorables awake and remind them that far from a dreamboat, TFFG is an evil, ugly monster who will rip everyone's life to shreds. Especially theirs.
Amen Bill. I agree wholeheartedly 🇺🇸
After owning many cats over the years, I would say you are being unfair to your cat.
Liked as much for your admission of a memory lapse as for the reasons you gave your pasta bowl temporarily to the cats. We all have these moments!
🤣🤣👍
where's the photo?!?
Here
I listened to that speech yesterday & shared it on Facebook! Hopefully the people who need to hear it, listen closely!
People have such short memories also, Trump couldn’t even manage a pandemic and disdains experts.
He relies on mostly malignant intellects by surrounding himself with lickspittle yes-men. Remember that Roy Cohn was probably more of a father figure to him than his own father.
The "economy" like all other campaign issues are pretexts for the fact that Trump and the Republican Party are RACIST.
The Republican Southern Strategy transformed the Party of Lincoln into a GOP driven by the blood heirs and ideological heirs of the Confederacy. When Reagan jumped in bed with Ralph Reed - movement conservatism with the religious right - all manner of economic favoritism and social bigotry became the party platform. The main planks being voter suppression and contempt for the law. The hollowing out of the three pillars of our democracy - equality before the law, equal representation and separation of church and state.
Before D J Trump and his MiniMe Yap Dog J D Vance, "claimed the right to determine which government policies he considers legal" - the 'constitutional sheriffs' movement declared they not the Supreme Court were the arbiters of constitutional law. And they are the ones Republicans will deploy to round up deportees. Trump says local authorities know exactly who to round up. Just think about *that* for a moment. Hint: the Portage Ohio Republican sheriff instructing people to record the addresses of homes with Harris Walz signs.* see link below
Although we have the modern technology to overcome racist and political gerrymandering, it is being used in exactly the opposite way. Here is Library of Congress cartographer John Hessler explaining mapping the electoral demographics of the United States - a tutorial in how to draw fair lines vs hi tech 'stacking and cracking'
https://youtu.be/l3iexp_pVxc?si=pAiBrW-aPzLadije
*
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/09/16/ohio-harris-walz-political-sign/
I believe you've hit the nail on the head, Lin. "When Reagan jumped in bed with Ralph Reed - movement conservatism with the religious right - all manner of economic favoritism and social bigotry became the party platform. The main planks being voter suppression and contempt for the law. The hollowing out of the three pillars of our democracy - equality before the law, equal representation and separation of church and state." This brings me back to Reagan's repeated statement concerning his belief of what government really is: in his inaugural address and even before, he claimed that "In this present crisis, government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem." For him to provide wealth for his cronies, he would have to isolate and degrade, or as you say, "hollow out",
those three pillars of democracy. In Robert Caro's book, Master of the Senate, he eloquently points out the ever-changing philosophies of democrats and republicans. One will remember that in the 1860's, the republicans were...well, somewhat, at least, more socially aware and receptive to social and human concerns; it was the democrats who were all over the map in human trafficking. As years went by, and up to the early 1940's with the arrival of folks like Hubert Humphrey, the two parties essentially switched on the important issue concerning human freedoms. Republicans would hold onto that term "human freedom", but it was the democrats who actually walked the walk while republicans talked the talk. Lyndon Johnson, who at one time was part of the Southern Strategy Senate cabal, somehow, saw the writing on the wall, Richard Russell from Georgia died a democrat; had he lived longer, he would have switched parties much like many of his Southern based senator friends did. It was Talmage, from Georgia, who ultimately, was one, who rejected the democratic party and went to the republican side, and who eventually called LBJ a "traitor" to the cause. This red herring that republicans often use to remind democrats that they were the party of segregation is just that: a red herring. Since the early part of the century, republicans have been manipulating people, economy, and the future of this nation to the point of wanton self-destructiveness. And now, it's upon us. Just this morning, I got a blanket text from Preston Nouri who is running for Congress in PA. He quotes Trump in saying that "internment camps" will be brought back when he is once again President. One needs to really think about what is now happening. This is just another red flag concerning Trump/Vance. It appears that he no longer gives a wit about the judiciary, even though he is singularly responsible for creating 1/3 of it to his liking. One of my favorite lines from Walt Kelly's comic strip Pogo: "We have met the enemy, and he is us."
There is a precedent for GOP internment camps for Hispanic people. For 24 years from the 1990s to 2017, GOP Sheriff Joe Arpaio ran what he called a 'concentration camp.' In 2017 Pres. Donald Trump pardoned Arpaio of criminal contempt.
"On August 25, 2017, President Donald Trump pardoned Joe Arpaio for criminal contempt of court, a misdemeanor.[1] Arpaio had been convicted of the crime two months earlier for disobeying a federal judge's order to stop racial profiling in detaining "individuals suspected of being in the U.S. illegally".[2][3] The pardon covered Arpaio's conviction and "any other offenses under Chapter 21 of Title 18, United States Code that might arise, or be charged, in connection with Melendres v. Arpaio."[4] The official White House statement announcing the grant of clemency described Arpaio as a "worthy candidate" having served the nation for more than fifty years "protecting the public from the scourges of crime and illegal immigration."[2][5][6]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pardon_of_Joe_Arpaio
"Former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio routinely pointed to the notorious, outdoor Tent City Jail he opened in the 1990s as a symbol of his "tough on crime" stance. Inmates live in tents through the sweltering Arizona summer heat and are issued old-fashioned striped prison jumpsuits and pink underwear..."This facility is not a crime deterrent, it is not cost efficient, and it is not tough on criminals," newly-elected Sheriff Paul Penzone told reporters at a news conference Tuesday."
https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/04/05/522707158/joe-arpaios-infamous-tent-city-jail-in-maricopa-county-will-shut-down
"The tents served as a prominent symbol of
Joe Arpaio, who erected the facility in 1993, his first year in office, and held it up as an inexpensive solution to overcrowded jails. Penzone defeated Arpaio in last year's general election, ending his 24-year span as sheriff."
https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/phoenix-breaking/2017/04/04/maricopa-county-sheriff-paul-penzone-tent-city-closing/100023562/
"Maricopa County sheriff, Joe Arpaio, called this outdoor jail close to downtown Phoenix – his own tough-on-crime creation – a “concentration camp” in a speech to political supporters at his local Italian-American club."
https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2017/aug/21/arizona-phoenix-concentration-camp-tent-city-jail-joe-arpaio-immigration
Herman Talmadge died a Democrat, defeated by Republican Mack Mattingly after "Hummun's" financial cheating with his second divorce was revealed. Both Russell and Talmadge were fine with the Democratic platform except for its insistence on racial equality.
Thank you for demonstrating that the Republican Party holds no legitimate claim to being "the party of Lincoln."
Gotta love “mini me yapdog.”
Your first paragraph is a great summation, •lin. Your last paragraph is spot on; I'm booking some time this afternoon to watch that video.
Thank you!
I listened while writing postcards to voters ; )
Excellent as always, lin*.
And wife Nancy was helping RR with her astronomers.
They were astrologers, not astronomers. Let’s not confuse science with the hogwash most Americans believe.
Lin, thanks for the Hessler link. Doesn't he speak well? And, I feel slightly less dumb now.
Hessler also has an interesting talk on the history and science of pandemics in the Americas.
John Hopkins talk
https://youtu.be/I17K46_X4A0?si=D-ShkXmYTU9Ldtbq
That video was very informative. I had no idea how difficult it is to draw voting district maps. I need to lok at the rules for Saskatchewan. There has been a tendency to include rural areas and parts of urban areas to dilute urban votes which tend to be NDP
Same in Canada as in the US, then. More or less. Probably less. Could hardly be more.
Excellent insight, as always. TY.
This is it exactly! The support for Trump has almost nothing to do with the economy. The Groper-in-Chief's promise to Make America White Again is the tie that binds.
And the insistence that he won the election is the lie that binds.
The lie that binds. How true
“All men are created equal”
Most disputed words in the English language
Dan Sadly I must agree with you. And carrying the banner at the head of these modern Crusaders are the white Christian evangelicals! Pope Donald of Orange has thus declared it!
Exactly right, Mr. Solomon.
He said often “Where is my Roy Cohn.” Just look in the mirror chump. You will see him oozing Out of every pore.
And likely had his way with him so who cares, right?
Over a million of our friends and neighbors died while he fiddled with horse wormer. He’s a proven, adjudicated criminal!
Actually, no. Though I loathe Trump, he is technically not a convicted criminal until the judge says he is… at sentencing. That occurs after the election.
When he loses, he will get three years in Rikers (??). That should finish him. But the MAGAts will not go away. There are 70 million of them. Decent Americans will be fighting them forever. Even if they crawl back under their rocks they are still there.
I’m no lawyer, but I think people become convicted criminals as soon as the jury delivers a guilty verdict. I guess the status would revert to non-criminal if the conviction were overturned.
It’s also my impression that convicted criminals are usually remanded to prison when the guilty verdict comes down and begin serving their sentence even though the length of the sentence isn’t yet known. Or maybe that’s only if the criminals are black. I’m not clear on the details.
That is my impression, too. I read CFDT= Convicted Felon Donald Trump.
Thanks. But I’ve watched him commit crimes on tv. I stand corrected and appreciate you, Tom.
Let's hope that Covid-fighting equipment that Trump sent to Putin when we could have used it gets lots of play.
He is a brilliant orator! He really took Traaaamp down in the speech! Thank you for the clip.
Steve, thank you for using the L word. I have great respect for HCR, but let’s call Republican myth making LIES and the politicians that spout falsehoods LIARS. LIARS cannot be trusted.
Liars who believe their own crap are willfully blind fools. Liars could be trusted to look out for their own interests, rocking the boat without sinking it. FOOLS cannot be trusted at all.
Yes, but Trump has no beliefs. He’s pure bullshit.
I watched the Obama speech, and he is a master speaker. Also, I am grateful that the truth is exposed by someone with a wide audience. Professor Richardson should also be making the media rounds with just this information. I have known this all my life, and am also grateful that Prof. Richardson is naming what the Democrats should have been naming all along since Reagan was president with his Reaganomics. Of course, now there is more data, and we cannot rely on Corporate media to share this, since they are a lot of the reason that lies about the Democratic party is spread as truth. Another lie is that the press is leftist! It most certainly is not and has not been in my recollection. I am a Boomer. Also, the myth that the Democratic party is Leftist. That is a fallacy, except if we say relative to the far right swing of the Republican party. We are certainly left of that, but so is most of the Democratic world.
Well said, Linda. In my mind, the Democratic Party has moved so far to the right that they are more or less Eisenhower Republicans.
Agree! Especially now with the joining of noted Republicans, Kamala is going centrist. That's not a criticism; it's survivalism! But may she fight for "the three pillars of our democracy—equality before the law, equal representation, and separation of church and state." The latter, especially applies to the Opus Dei shysters.
I think TNR had an article on how Kamala's economic policies were centrist, in a good way.
A columnist for either NYT or WaPo said reform of the SCROTUS should include term limits but no more judges. The idea that their should be 15 federal districts and 15 Supreme Court Justices made sense to me, an outsider. I did not consider that packing, just keeping up with reality
Only packing in Repub circles, hopefully
Who are part of the Christian Nationalists (CNs), only the CNs include the protestant sects as well. Project 2025 is written by Catholic and Protestant CNs. They are wanting to force all of the US and any country that we support to embrace CN or else? Or else what? Since the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) has an End-of-Days belief that they must convert everyone to their way of being on the planet, or else God will not return to save them, they have a lot of pressure to force us to their ways, which are so extreme that most people don't even know about them. Andra Watkins details the difference in their end of days beliefs in her Substack.
https://project2025istheocracy.substack.com/p/what-is-a-christian-nationalist
https://project2025istheocracy.substack.com/p/what-is-the-new-apostolic-reformation
Since it appears that both Mike Johnson and Sam Alito, as well as Amy Coney Barrett and perhaps more of SCOTUS are members of the NAR, we should be very concerned with their mission in the court. They should be removed, and other members perhaps for different reasons. Take your pick.
The movement of this minority group to dominate us all is the opposite of democracy. Read this The Guardian article.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/oct/12/jenny-donnelly-anti-trans-christian-nationalist-rally?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
They are so full of it, I don’t think there is any way they believe their own nonsense. Pure power play all dressed up with lipstick and robes of inquisitors
Thanks, Linda. I subscribed to 2025...
Bill Maher said that Democrats had moved to the center and republicans had moved into the insane asylum.
Ally, you’re not serious. But you are. I think the Democratic Party has gone so left that it needs to return to the center. But you are a leftist whatever that means. We need to save democracy and we are not going to be a leftist nation as much as you would like. The only outcome in that instance is an autocratic regime. We don’t want that to happen.
VP Harris has to overcome more than a century of Republican lies about the economy. Lies, not myths.
She must also do so in high heels and backwards, 10 times better.
Love it. Ginger Rogers all the way. When I was a small boy in the 50s one of my heroes was Charolotte Whitten, Mayor of Ottawa, who said, "Whatever women do they must do twice as well as men to be thought half as good. Luckily, this is not difficult". She was even quoted on Home Improvement.
Love that quote
Thank you Steve for this link. It should be circulated widely.
Thank you for that. So miss President O’bama
Stating the obvious, should the orange turd get into office again, the same thing will be the case…he’ll be inheriting the Biden-Harris economy. It’s the only way he’d be a success, to inherit it!
Now to have the media show this on the news etc. we all know how well the democrats manage the economy and then a republican gets in office and boom another recession. Clinton gave Bush/Cheney a surplus and they managed it poorly. Then Obama dug us out and tRump showed us what a poor businessman he actually is. 🤦🏼♀️ Why doesn’t the media cover this better. It isn’t rocket science