Thank you for defending democracy, Heather. Please don't forget all the civil servants who are being fired and furloughed. My partner and I have lost our careers because of the fascists. We lined up at a food bank today.
The Democrats are standing up against the Republicans because we, their constituents told them to do something. They are standing up to the Republicans because the cuts to healthcare for the benefit of tax breaks for the rich are just too much. The layoffs are unnecessary and vindictive retribution by the REPUBLICAN party who have brought all of this on and they are to blame, not the Democrats. The speaker of the house, Mike Johnson has sent them home and refuses to swear in the representative from Arizona which imho highlights the total corruption of their party.
Republicans are not at work - not in the office doing the peoples' business. AWOL from their job. Perhaps they should relinquish their paychecks since they are AWOL? Seems to me whats good for the goose is good for the gander. The people of Arizona are not being given the right of representation and Johnson has no right to attach strings to swearing Grijalva in. It is his job to swear her in and he did do this for new republicans. Republicans are not swearing her in because there would be enough votes to force the release of the Epstein files. They are using this refusal to swear her in as leverage to attempt to force the Democrats to sign a bill that we as their constituents do not want. Premiums for healthcare will skyrocket if their bill is passed. Laying off of government employees is additional bully tactics by the corrupt Republican party. Flimsy attempts to verbally put blame on the Democrats is not working and Trump is scrambling in the background doing damage control and making promises of help to try to stave off the growing anger at his and Republican policies. The destruction of the East wing is adding to the falling voter approval as well. His ratings are plummeting. I don't know what planet you are living on but based on the comments I see on this post, you don't have many that agree with you.
I couldn't disagree more, since my old party has unprecedented (very slim majority) control of all 3 branches, with the refusal to seat the elected representative from Arizona.
I don't believe you are a real person Bonnie ... OR SHOULD I SAY, "BOTNIE"?. You have had the same post for the past several days with the same STUPID trolling take that has no basis in reality. If you ARE real, then you are a heartless POS that is so immersed in the cult, and you will pay dearly later in terms of Karmic retribution. SLEEP WELL (expletive)!
The Democrats are being held hostage by the Republicans at Trump,s behest. They passed a “Big Horrible Bill” that is drastically detrimental to many Americans ( many of whom are farmers and rural dwellers in the Red states) and the Democrats are refusing to be bullied into agreeing to this travesty that the Republicans are only too happy to inflict on working people. If you think this is a stunt on the Dems part , you are very wrong. They are standing up for the working class and their future.
Well, The Republicans are doing our work for us. As the ramifications of this BBB become evident to even the dullest of the rightwing voters, the Dems are looking like the only sane people in this government. The working class may have been solidly behind Trump when they still believed his lies. But that has worn thin. Prices have gone UP not down. Inflation has risen not gone down, and wages are not keeping up. Trump has added another TRILLION to the National debt. In just a few months. Not exactly getting that waste, fraud and abuse under control. We,our children and our grandchildren are going to be paying that debt. This is a “business genius” who has bankrupted at least 6 of his endeavors….including a casino.. ..unheard of! He has failed at a Vodka company,a bogus “university “ shoe sales, bible sales and many other grifts.
So take your blinders off,
Bonni e dear. If you were ever a voting Democrat I would be surprised. You are sounding like one of the little incels who sit at a computer and try to fake a concern about Democrats when it is your own corrupt party you should be looking at
Bonnie, you don’t recognize the Democratic Party because you are blind to the real problem. When the GOP passed the BBB bill, the Dems had no input & no say. In March GOP promised to negotiate if Schumer voted to keep the government open…he did. However, in 7 months no negations ever took place. Now they are saying the same thing. Well fool me once, shame on you…fool me twice, shame on me. Dems refuse until the Reps negotiate. Dems are only holding out until Reps do as they promised…NEGOTIATE! There has always been compromise in Congress, until Trump 2.0. I used to be Rep. & switched when they lost their sanity.
Wow, seriously? You do know about the cuts to healthcare that will benefit tax breaks for the rich, right??? THAT'S what the democrats are standing up for, for US, everyday Americans. The Republicans are more interested in a gigantic, ridiculous ballroom and swag gift bags given when they attended an invitation only bash at the "club" that used to be the rose garden. Consider checking out what else the Republicans are cow-towing to before you next vote.
Democrats are not trying to dictate an entire agenda. That is the Republicans They refuse to extend the tax relief for people who rely on the ACA for their healthcare insurance. The extended ramifications of the Republican bill will close rural hospitals and nursing homes. Physicians are already retiring rather than face the chaos that this bill will cause in health care. To try to blame Democrats for the arrogant refusal of the Republicans to even meet to negotiate is simply choosing to be blind to the facts.
yeah, but...but...they'll HAVE healthy care...them and theirs...i've seen some people describe the divisiveness in America not as dem/maga but as a vertical split between 'up and down'...the rich...and all the rest...seems more appropriate to me...and please remember how EAsy it is for the rich that own media companies to manipulate people these days...and Americans BETTER start thinking in these terms very soon if they don't want to be manipulated into a civil war...that wasn't a tearing down of the East wing...that was a quick way to upgrade the Presidential bunker under the East wing...think this is paranoia at your own expense...i haven't lived there in a quarter century...i saw something like this coming...with all the hatred in its myriad forms and weaponry? i can mentate that people send their children to schools there... but i just can't figure out how they might feel if their child was shot. how they would probably blame themselves for the rest of their lives...in any case, good luck to you all...except the relative few that are benefitting GRANDly from all of this...
Yeah, no, that's not true. Mike Johnson is fearful of the R's revolting and so won't call the house back. He refuses to swear in a duly elected representative. He's afraid of trump and he's actually afraid of his people who may jump ship if they decide they won't get reelected because they demolished the poor excuse for a healthcare system that we currently have.
Exactly, his own people aren't likely joyful about this garbage about now, when the King is increasingly vile in ways the public can understand. I bet some of them are beginning to hate who and where they are now, as their tight spot dawns on them.
And the little guy going on the teevee being coy and cute about the consequences of him strangling Congress, winking at the camera like Liberace, isn't exactly the figure of strength and leadership they need in this popularity gulf.
touCHE, Bonnie...nice point, actually...though i'm not really in touch with the actual procedures, as they're supPOSED to be...but i bet i might be able to get an answer on that...good point, either way...
ok...so here's what i found(besides what Mike Johnson had to say about it...)
Speel: In coming weeks, we will see Kamala Harris choose a vice-presidential candidate. We will see if she chooses a running mate who excites and galvanizes the Democratic base — and some independents, the way her candidacy has so far — or if she chooses someone experienced and safe, like Hillary Clinton did with Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia in 2016, and Barack Obama with Biden in 2008, and Michael Dukakis with Senator Lloyd Bentsen of Texas in 1988. I expect that Republican lawsuits to try to prevent the Democratic National Convention from nominating anyone other than Joe Biden will fail. There is nothing in any law or in the U.S. Constitution regulating how political parties choose candidates, other than campaign contribution limits.
Brand: One other question has been raised by some Republicans about challenging the process involved in endorsing Harris upon Biden’s dropping out. The claim is that voters have been disenfranchised by this switch. This challenge, if made, is unlikely to succeed legally because the voters cast ballots for delegates to the convention who were pledged to Biden but who are “unbound” if the candidate withdraws, allowing them to vote for another person at the convention; and the Supreme Court has held that political parties control the nominating process, and they are entitled to manage how they arrive at a nominee as an incident of their First Amendment associational rights.
For more information or to speak with one of our election experts, contact mediarelations@psu.edu.
holy SHIT! how many times does it have to be pointed out to commenters like you that the files were under judicial seal during Biden's administration. damn STRAIGHT they would've jumped all over that to demonstrate(as if it might matter to many magas) what sort of person you all elected...and that's if it WASN'T a rigged election...
There is absolutely NOTHING “childish” about pursuing the collection of adult perpetrators guilty of child, and teen rapes. The young victims are estimated to be close to 1000 in number! To NOT attempt to hold these men (and 1 woman) accountable for heinous victimizing crimes is to violate YET AGAIN the child within each of those hurt and still suffering women. What kind of society are we to refuse to address this smooth pedophile operation merely because it involved the rich and powerful?
With reportedly close to 1000 child and teen victims, not to mention, their suffering family members, surely a society is obligated to lend them our earnest support and attention at long last!?!? We must not permit the continued sweeping of this dirt and their scars under the carpet as if “no harm no foul”. There is PLENTY of harm and an apparent abundance of fouls! Those women (and the children they once were) deserve our community support. And….EACH and EVERY perpetrator deserves to be held accountable, at long last.
you asked, K...what kind of society are we? how about the kind that were mostly silent while that govt invaded or intervened militarily in dozens of countries since WWII, including China, Korea, Vietnam, Iran, Guatemala, Chile, Greece, and various Latin American nations? do their women and children count, since you asked? (it's a rhetorical question, K...you seem like a caring person. but i'm going to really start telling people the truth now. with facts to back, when asked/necessary. what i'm trying to show, believe it or not is commoNAlities...MANY nations have done the same at one period or another in their quests for empires. if the US empire is not melting down, the democracy is. i could go on that, in my eyes, it's the ilLUsion of democracy since i believe democracy means inclusion... but i'll save this for other conversations...
Isaac...Apologies. I am not clear about the direction your point is taking. I only wish to affirm that pedophilia is a profound societal issue which should no longer be cast under the rug, especially among the ranks of the wealthy and powerful, just because it makes people uncomfortable. To your comment, I can only say...yes, there are lots of ways this society has failed humanity. Nevertheless, I am looking at something right here, and now, with near 1000 victims, many silent and shamed, while others were forced to endlessly recite and repeat the painful stories to authorities, in the dwindling hope that, after all these years, their horrid experiences will result in legal action against the perpetrators. The women deserve, IMHO, the dignity of being heard and believed. That alone is of greatest import. However.. “justice served" amidst negative publicity for the perpetrators might act as a deterrent to any persons tempted to use wealth or power in a similar way. As for the rest of our moral deficiencies, god help us be better!
You, as always, are correct Bonnie. Instead of sanity, most of these lemmings reject the truth and won't acknowledge that the extortion tactics of the democratic caucus in the Senate has kept the government shut down... (or even worse they possibly can't comprehend the simple issue at hand). Unfortunately, it would appear that many of the respondents have been brainwashed to the point of no return. They have been told that 2+2=5 and they will die defending that truth.
well...since you asked, bonnie...let's see what you have to say once(if ever) the Epstein files are opened...and i don't CARE if democrats are mentioned...put them ALL away...
or how about a murder trial for Trump as commander in chief being responsible for the executions of all the people on the boats supPOsedly transporting drugs...we'll never know. the disregard for due process has been more than notable...and i'm not even talking about by just Americans...just ask ME if that's the best i can do...disrespect me or provide information that i will know is false and i will just get back with facts...seemingly the enemy of maga...press corps being denied, and such...i'm happier than ever that i don't live there. what everyone is going through is far from the worst of it, i'm sorry to predict...but i hope that i'm wrong...in case there is no response from you...i wish you and yours good health...
one of THE things that Trump learned from his mentor, Roy Cohn, was to blame others for what they, themselves, are doing...commonly known as 'projection'. i've seen maga individuals not only do THIS, many times but ALso aNOTHer 'technique' taught to Trump by Cohn. lying. and never, NEVER admitting that you have. Trump was documented, during his first term, as doing this...false or misleading claims...over thirty THOUsand times...not one thousand(should i be insulting and say i'm making it simple for you because you've been told that they were truths this many times and accepted it, reGARDless of, supposedly, knowing that 2+2 DOESN'T equal five? i'd rather not), not two thousand or three or ten thousand... over THIRTY thousand times...it's hard for me to take anyone seriously who would follow someone who, every time his lips move, is lying...i don't live there...haven't in a while, knowing something 'like this', what is happening there now, would happen eventually...but someone on the train last night, here where i live now, asked me... 'how can YOU BE SO STUpid as to elect someone like that as PREsident?' it seems most countries and their people are onto what's up there...i'm not sure they believe a civil war is possible...unfortunately, that's what it seems like you contestants are headed for...one push at a time...like being inside a pressure cooker...i couldn't be more serious, Bob, when i say i wish ALL of you and yours good luck and health...
In his book, Collective Illusions, Dr. Todd Rose, former professor at Harvard & CEO of Populace, details how UNITED we are in our opinions. He details how 2/3 of us are self-silencing under the overwhelming illusion of polarization & how that illusion is being generated. Dr. Rose cites Vaclav Havel's The Power of the Powerless & the only bloodless restoration of democracy that took 3 months.
I would not hesitate to call the now, former East Wing of the White House the “Roosevelt Wing”, considering that it owed its existence to Theodore Roosevelt and later to FDR. I think he wanted to take the opportunity to erase it is due to such calumny as a) it represents the Roosevelts and their achievements (the building competed with him for public attention); b) it represented all the women who made history, such as Frances Perkins; c) it had paintings of many famous people (more competition); and d) it represented the New Deal, which he must hate since he’s trying to erase that too. And as the Doctor noted, he hates historic preservation laws! I would call the new structure the Trump Mausoleum; and at the first opportunity, tear the damned thing down.
have you noticed how quickly it was all done? and might the 'ballroom' just be a distraction if it was the easiest/quickest way to renovate the Presidential Emergency Operations Center (PEOC), a bunker underneath the East Wing of the White House, which serves as a secure shelter and communications center for the president of the United States and others in case of an emergency.
but hey. nothing to worry about...what emergency might possibly arrive at this time in that country?
crazy thinking? any more crazy that what's alREAdy happened there?
Hmm….. maybe he wants the throne room to have a super-thick, bomb resistant slab over the existing bunker! I can’t see how anyone in the big dumb-ass throne room would be secure against drones!
Yes, tear the damn thing down (at least, cut it down to proper size) at the first opportunity AND send the bill to the dopes who paid to put the damned thing up in the first place. They obviously have more money than they know what to do with.
Politics in its pure basic form is a few governing many. Regardless of the social economic system. When the governed feel insulted by the governing, shit hits the fan. And pretty much everyone suffers.
It's called change. As a physicist I know it's the one true constant in the universe. Bernie Sanders the senator for Vermont has been surprisingly consistent in his message to the American people! I agree with him on all his points! But that's why the democratic party can't gain any traction. Lack of conviction!
I am a registered democratic but I strongly believe that I am an independent!
I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired! The current administration is an abomination! And I believe put in place by the ruler of Russia. That is just an opinion. But supported by many historical facts.
I always hope for the best! But I'm preparing for the worst. I really distane the term preper. It's tied to nut jobs that think they can survive a nuclear war. Get F'ing real!! Being prepared for a conventional attack is a real possibility these days.
Shit I'm a old guy that won't be around much longer but cares about the children and those much younger than myself.
Life liberty and the pursuit of happiness! Peace!! Yes I'm a physicist and intellectual hippie!
Another physicist once told me that everything in the universe rings. My point is that just because you can't sense a ring doesn't mean it isn't there. In my simple mind of a dumb mechanical engineer the "ringing" is a consequence of the "4th dimension", time.
The bell rings for Mr. Trump, and the sound is getting louder every day.
And the rest of his team? They certainly were not hired for their management talents. The absence of those qualities and their golden leader's unique "one note" brain amplify the bell.
In a triumph of efficiency over competence, Immigration and Customs Enforcement has discovered a bold new strategy for staffing the front lines of American authoritarianism: hire everyone. Drug tests, criminal backgrounds, academic or physical standards are for the weak. In the new ICE, if you can fog a mirror and shout “Yes, Mr. President!” you’re in.
Thanks to the Republican “One Big, Beautiful Bill Act,” ICE’s budget now rivals that of every police department in the nation combined. America has traded “Defund the Police” for “Overfund the Deporters.” The goal is ten thousand new officers. The result is two hundred recruits who cannot pass an open book exam, complete a 1.5 mile run, or distinguish due process from a burrito order.
The six week crash course at ICE Academy now produces agents faster than McDonald’s trains fry cooks. Fitness tests are optional, ethics are theoretical, and reading comprehension is left to prayer. Trainees who fail pushups may soon be reassigned to push people across borders instead.
Dictators throughout history have known the value of loyalty over literacy, and this administration has taken that insight to heart. Trump’s appointees have mastered the art of lowering the bar until even gravity gets bored. Pardon a crypto king here, commute a fraudster there, then replace oversight with applause. As long as the recruits salute smartly and never question a presidential pardon for money laundering, they are good to go.
Meanwhile, corporate sponsors from Google to Lockheed Martin cheer from the donor balcony, funding the new Ballroom of Freedom where democracy once lived. The ICE agents who graduate from this program may lack integrity, fitness, or basic spelling, but they will have something more important in today’s America: unwavering obedience to a leader who rewards failure and calls it patriotism.
It is not law enforcement. It is performance art for collapsing republics.
You’re not alone in seeing it that way. The Department of Homeland Security was born out of fear after 9/11, and it’s steadily grown into something far beyond its original purpose. Many of its programs now mirror authoritarian surveillance and policing tactics. What began as “protection” has become a mechanism of control.
When I read this week’s newsletter, I felt the urgency of the moment: democracy is under siege, not always by bombs or tanks, but by resignation, by “nothing I do matters,” by “they” are forever other. If even a large fraction of us wake up and say: “Hold on — that’s not the story I believe,” then something changes. The pressure-valve cracks. The illusion starts to leak. The machinery built to divide begins to falter.
So yes — turnout matters, laws matter, institutions matter. But just as essential is the inner shift: realizing we’re not alone, realizing our voice and our neighbour’s voice may be closer than we thought. If the quiet majority starts talking — quietly and firmly — the opposition loses its monopoly on the narrative. The future becomes genuinely ours again.
Two simple truths:
1 - Vote. Make your voice heard, not just in the act but in the intention behind it.
2 - Connect. Reach across the chasm you’re told exists. You might find your next‐ally, not your enemy.
The turnout I most enjoy comes from the Tuesday morning protests in Freeport Maine. They have ranged from 30 in the very worst weather to 300 on typical good weather Tuesdays, 2,500 on the June 14 No Kings day (Saturday), and the 3,500 on another Saturday, Oct 28 No Kings Day.
I don't recall any speakers, just hundreds to thousands letting their homemade signs expressing a wide variety of thoughts, and the conversations, speaking to each other, old friends and many new ones. Even the candidates and elected officials (including Sen Angus King), that showed up talked to individuals instead of to crowds.
Perhaps our wisest visiting elected officials and candidates know we are harder to herd than cats, and are figuring out where they have to go, or can persuade us to go if they want to "lead" us.
So many interesting comments this far… some I agree with, some that lack true documentation or a true sense of what’s actually happening right now, which is the implementation of facism and unmitigated control of our Democracy and Freedoms.
We can only hope our votes are counted this November and the we can take back the Senate and / or House . Thanks to HCR for keeping us updated and informed through her intense research and her historian’s eyes!
It is interesting to me just how visceral it is to see the East Wing of our WH being destroyed before our eyes. What’s the rush? Maybe drumpf really does believe that he will die soon and wants to build his own monuments. But still, it is amazing how this is impacting all americans, and not in a good way.
under the East Wing is the Presidential Emergency Operations Center (PEOC), a bunker which serves as a secure shelter and communications center for the president of the United States and others in case of an emergency. i hope you don't mind if i leave the rest to your imagination...
I chalk up trump's November 5/24 election victory to the power of propaganda and weak journalism in the mainstream media. I hold Joe Biden partly accountable, too -- it finally took an intervention from Obama to convince him to step aside. But it was too late.
Wasn't trump's first term in office a sufficient warning to voters?
Trump hasn't pardoned her because he can't, she was convicted in the Colorado State Court system where there is fortunately no Federal interference allowed.
Exactly and don’t forget to check out election through the alliance. They have some good data on the 2024 election results. There is definitely lots of anomalies in all of the swing states as well as Texas.
Thank you for all you do to keep us informed and sane during this tumultuous time.
I share your disgust about the destruction of OUR East Wing. I recall that Melania said she was unaware of the violence occurring in her yard on J6 because she was busy taking inventory of important artifacts as part of her duties as a First Lady. I’m sure hoping she did that for the East Wing (of course she didn’t). I can’t get a photo of her Statement about that (dated July 21, 2022) to paste into this text box, but you can search for it online. She really goes on at length about her diligence in fulfilling her role. Jaw dropping.
When people start losing their houses, can they go sleep in the ballroom?
Will Melania continue her grifting by selling small framed segments of rugs and wallpaper?
Thank you for defending democracy, Heather. Please don't forget all the civil servants who are being fired and furloughed. My partner and I have lost our careers because of the fascists. We lined up at a food bank today.
Help us resist: https://democracydefender2025.substack.com/p/democracy-defender-reader-poem
The Democrats are standing up against the Republicans because we, their constituents told them to do something. They are standing up to the Republicans because the cuts to healthcare for the benefit of tax breaks for the rich are just too much. The layoffs are unnecessary and vindictive retribution by the REPUBLICAN party who have brought all of this on and they are to blame, not the Democrats. The speaker of the house, Mike Johnson has sent them home and refuses to swear in the representative from Arizona which imho highlights the total corruption of their party.
Republicans are not at work - not in the office doing the peoples' business. AWOL from their job. Perhaps they should relinquish their paychecks since they are AWOL? Seems to me whats good for the goose is good for the gander. The people of Arizona are not being given the right of representation and Johnson has no right to attach strings to swearing Grijalva in. It is his job to swear her in and he did do this for new republicans. Republicans are not swearing her in because there would be enough votes to force the release of the Epstein files. They are using this refusal to swear her in as leverage to attempt to force the Democrats to sign a bill that we as their constituents do not want. Premiums for healthcare will skyrocket if their bill is passed. Laying off of government employees is additional bully tactics by the corrupt Republican party. Flimsy attempts to verbally put blame on the Democrats is not working and Trump is scrambling in the background doing damage control and making promises of help to try to stave off the growing anger at his and Republican policies. The destruction of the East wing is adding to the falling voter approval as well. His ratings are plummeting. I don't know what planet you are living on but based on the comments I see on this post, you don't have many that agree with you.
Who left the 'like' for you? You have a mouse in your pocket?
YOU Think Again YOU ARE ON THE WRONG SIDE OF HISTORY
I couldn't disagree more, since my old party has unprecedented (very slim majority) control of all 3 branches, with the refusal to seat the elected representative from Arizona.
I don't believe you are a real person Bonnie ... OR SHOULD I SAY, "BOTNIE"?. You have had the same post for the past several days with the same STUPID trolling take that has no basis in reality. If you ARE real, then you are a heartless POS that is so immersed in the cult, and you will pay dearly later in terms of Karmic retribution. SLEEP WELL (expletive)!
The Democrats are being held hostage by the Republicans at Trump,s behest. They passed a “Big Horrible Bill” that is drastically detrimental to many Americans ( many of whom are farmers and rural dwellers in the Red states) and the Democrats are refusing to be bullied into agreeing to this travesty that the Republicans are only too happy to inflict on working people. If you think this is a stunt on the Dems part , you are very wrong. They are standing up for the working class and their future.
Ridiculous cover for refusing to conduct an operational cover merely to technically avoid a vote to RELEASE THE EPSTEIN FILES!!
Well, The Republicans are doing our work for us. As the ramifications of this BBB become evident to even the dullest of the rightwing voters, the Dems are looking like the only sane people in this government. The working class may have been solidly behind Trump when they still believed his lies. But that has worn thin. Prices have gone UP not down. Inflation has risen not gone down, and wages are not keeping up. Trump has added another TRILLION to the National debt. In just a few months. Not exactly getting that waste, fraud and abuse under control. We,our children and our grandchildren are going to be paying that debt. This is a “business genius” who has bankrupted at least 6 of his endeavors….including a casino.. ..unheard of! He has failed at a Vodka company,a bogus “university “ shoe sales, bible sales and many other grifts.
So take your blinders off,
Bonni e dear. If you were ever a voting Democrat I would be surprised. You are sounding like one of the little incels who sit at a computer and try to fake a concern about Democrats when it is your own corrupt party you should be looking at
Yeah, you are not and never have been any kind of Democrat. So you are 79 year old incel. Got it.
Bonnie, you don’t recognize the Democratic Party because you are blind to the real problem. When the GOP passed the BBB bill, the Dems had no input & no say. In March GOP promised to negotiate if Schumer voted to keep the government open…he did. However, in 7 months no negations ever took place. Now they are saying the same thing. Well fool me once, shame on you…fool me twice, shame on me. Dems refuse until the Reps negotiate. Dems are only holding out until Reps do as they promised…NEGOTIATE! There has always been compromise in Congress, until Trump 2.0. I used to be Rep. & switched when they lost their sanity.
Um…..AOC is in the House. Schumer is in the Senate.
This is a "Through the Looking Glass" observation. Dem's are holding out to save our rural hospitals and our health care system.
Wow, seriously? You do know about the cuts to healthcare that will benefit tax breaks for the rich, right??? THAT'S what the democrats are standing up for, for US, everyday Americans. The Republicans are more interested in a gigantic, ridiculous ballroom and swag gift bags given when they attended an invitation only bash at the "club" that used to be the rose garden. Consider checking out what else the Republicans are cow-towing to before you next vote.
Moron.
Either party could end the shutdown by giving the other party everything it wants. That's not how democracy works.
Democrats are not trying to dictate an entire agenda. That is the Republicans They refuse to extend the tax relief for people who rely on the ACA for their healthcare insurance. The extended ramifications of the Republican bill will close rural hospitals and nursing homes. Physicians are already retiring rather than face the chaos that this bill will cause in health care. To try to blame Democrats for the arrogant refusal of the Republicans to even meet to negotiate is simply choosing to be blind to the facts.
I am NOT trying to blame Democrats. It's Republicans who take the position of demanding that Democrats cave to everything Republicans want.
You are blocked “Bonnie”. Your Fauxnooz generated mansplainig is so unreal it is a waste of my time to even scroll past it.
how about some more proof, Bonnie? https://www.nilc.org/resources/fact-checking-immigrants-health-care-and-the-2025-tax-and-budget-law/ i found it to be interesting reading...it's a bit more complex than most(either 'side') might realize...
yeah, but...but...they'll HAVE healthy care...them and theirs...i've seen some people describe the divisiveness in America not as dem/maga but as a vertical split between 'up and down'...the rich...and all the rest...seems more appropriate to me...and please remember how EAsy it is for the rich that own media companies to manipulate people these days...and Americans BETTER start thinking in these terms very soon if they don't want to be manipulated into a civil war...that wasn't a tearing down of the East wing...that was a quick way to upgrade the Presidential bunker under the East wing...think this is paranoia at your own expense...i haven't lived there in a quarter century...i saw something like this coming...with all the hatred in its myriad forms and weaponry? i can mentate that people send their children to schools there... but i just can't figure out how they might feel if their child was shot. how they would probably blame themselves for the rest of their lives...in any case, good luck to you all...except the relative few that are benefitting GRANDly from all of this...
Yeah, no, that's not true. Mike Johnson is fearful of the R's revolting and so won't call the house back. He refuses to swear in a duly elected representative. He's afraid of trump and he's actually afraid of his people who may jump ship if they decide they won't get reelected because they demolished the poor excuse for a healthcare system that we currently have.
Exactly, his own people aren't likely joyful about this garbage about now, when the King is increasingly vile in ways the public can understand. I bet some of them are beginning to hate who and where they are now, as their tight spot dawns on them.
And the little guy going on the teevee being coy and cute about the consequences of him strangling Congress, winking at the camera like Liberace, isn't exactly the figure of strength and leadership they need in this popularity gulf.
So you happy to have a dictator as a President instead??
touCHE, Bonnie...nice point, actually...though i'm not really in touch with the actual procedures, as they're supPOSED to be...but i bet i might be able to get an answer on that...good point, either way...
ok...so here's what i found(besides what Mike Johnson had to say about it...)
Speel: In coming weeks, we will see Kamala Harris choose a vice-presidential candidate. We will see if she chooses a running mate who excites and galvanizes the Democratic base — and some independents, the way her candidacy has so far — or if she chooses someone experienced and safe, like Hillary Clinton did with Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia in 2016, and Barack Obama with Biden in 2008, and Michael Dukakis with Senator Lloyd Bentsen of Texas in 1988. I expect that Republican lawsuits to try to prevent the Democratic National Convention from nominating anyone other than Joe Biden will fail. There is nothing in any law or in the U.S. Constitution regulating how political parties choose candidates, other than campaign contribution limits.
Brand: One other question has been raised by some Republicans about challenging the process involved in endorsing Harris upon Biden’s dropping out. The claim is that voters have been disenfranchised by this switch. This challenge, if made, is unlikely to succeed legally because the voters cast ballots for delegates to the convention who were pledged to Biden but who are “unbound” if the candidate withdraws, allowing them to vote for another person at the convention; and the Supreme Court has held that political parties control the nominating process, and they are entitled to manage how they arrive at a nominee as an incident of their First Amendment associational rights.
For more information or to speak with one of our election experts, contact mediarelations@psu.edu.
i got this from what i saw on this link... https://www.psu.edu/news/research/story/ask-expert-harris-2024-heres-what-election-and-campaign-finance-laws-say
i won't state it(whether you're right or wrong) here...the conclusion. you all can look and decided what is said for yourselves...
Puhleeese
Show us the EPSTEIN FILES!!!
Epstein files!!
holy SHIT! how many times does it have to be pointed out to commenters like you that the files were under judicial seal during Biden's administration. damn STRAIGHT they would've jumped all over that to demonstrate(as if it might matter to many magas) what sort of person you all elected...and that's if it WASN'T a rigged election...
EPSTEIN FILES!!!
There is absolutely NOTHING “childish” about pursuing the collection of adult perpetrators guilty of child, and teen rapes. The young victims are estimated to be close to 1000 in number! To NOT attempt to hold these men (and 1 woman) accountable for heinous victimizing crimes is to violate YET AGAIN the child within each of those hurt and still suffering women. What kind of society are we to refuse to address this smooth pedophile operation merely because it involved the rich and powerful?
With reportedly close to 1000 child and teen victims, not to mention, their suffering family members, surely a society is obligated to lend them our earnest support and attention at long last!?!? We must not permit the continued sweeping of this dirt and their scars under the carpet as if “no harm no foul”. There is PLENTY of harm and an apparent abundance of fouls! Those women (and the children they once were) deserve our community support. And….EACH and EVERY perpetrator deserves to be held accountable, at long last.
you asked, K...what kind of society are we? how about the kind that were mostly silent while that govt invaded or intervened militarily in dozens of countries since WWII, including China, Korea, Vietnam, Iran, Guatemala, Chile, Greece, and various Latin American nations? do their women and children count, since you asked? (it's a rhetorical question, K...you seem like a caring person. but i'm going to really start telling people the truth now. with facts to back, when asked/necessary. what i'm trying to show, believe it or not is commoNAlities...MANY nations have done the same at one period or another in their quests for empires. if the US empire is not melting down, the democracy is. i could go on that, in my eyes, it's the ilLUsion of democracy since i believe democracy means inclusion... but i'll save this for other conversations...
Isaac...Apologies. I am not clear about the direction your point is taking. I only wish to affirm that pedophilia is a profound societal issue which should no longer be cast under the rug, especially among the ranks of the wealthy and powerful, just because it makes people uncomfortable. To your comment, I can only say...yes, there are lots of ways this society has failed humanity. Nevertheless, I am looking at something right here, and now, with near 1000 victims, many silent and shamed, while others were forced to endlessly recite and repeat the painful stories to authorities, in the dwindling hope that, after all these years, their horrid experiences will result in legal action against the perpetrators. The women deserve, IMHO, the dignity of being heard and believed. That alone is of greatest import. However.. “justice served" amidst negative publicity for the perpetrators might act as a deterrent to any persons tempted to use wealth or power in a similar way. As for the rest of our moral deficiencies, god help us be better!
You Don't Know what you are talking about..... Get off of this platform idiot speak , try to get better informed !!!
You, as always, are correct Bonnie. Instead of sanity, most of these lemmings reject the truth and won't acknowledge that the extortion tactics of the democratic caucus in the Senate has kept the government shut down... (or even worse they possibly can't comprehend the simple issue at hand). Unfortunately, it would appear that many of the respondents have been brainwashed to the point of no return. They have been told that 2+2=5 and they will die defending that truth.
Apparently you will be benefitting from the tax breaks and are a fan of ballrooms and shit spewing F-14's piloted by baby-men. Huzzah!
Bob ... actually another BOT ... sort of a support blanket for BOTnie,
well...since you asked, bonnie...let's see what you have to say once(if ever) the Epstein files are opened...and i don't CARE if democrats are mentioned...put them ALL away...
or how about a murder trial for Trump as commander in chief being responsible for the executions of all the people on the boats supPOsedly transporting drugs...we'll never know. the disregard for due process has been more than notable...and i'm not even talking about by just Americans...just ask ME if that's the best i can do...disrespect me or provide information that i will know is false and i will just get back with facts...seemingly the enemy of maga...press corps being denied, and such...i'm happier than ever that i don't live there. what everyone is going through is far from the worst of it, i'm sorry to predict...but i hope that i'm wrong...in case there is no response from you...i wish you and yours good health...
You must be looking in the mirror.
how OLD are you, Rhea? that sounds like the response of, at the oldest, a 10 yr old...i guess some people just feel the need to say SOMEthing...
Bob,
By your comments I would judge you as naive and misled. Also, wrong.
one of THE things that Trump learned from his mentor, Roy Cohn, was to blame others for what they, themselves, are doing...commonly known as 'projection'. i've seen maga individuals not only do THIS, many times but ALso aNOTHer 'technique' taught to Trump by Cohn. lying. and never, NEVER admitting that you have. Trump was documented, during his first term, as doing this...false or misleading claims...over thirty THOUsand times...not one thousand(should i be insulting and say i'm making it simple for you because you've been told that they were truths this many times and accepted it, reGARDless of, supposedly, knowing that 2+2 DOESN'T equal five? i'd rather not), not two thousand or three or ten thousand... over THIRTY thousand times...it's hard for me to take anyone seriously who would follow someone who, every time his lips move, is lying...i don't live there...haven't in a while, knowing something 'like this', what is happening there now, would happen eventually...but someone on the train last night, here where i live now, asked me... 'how can YOU BE SO STUpid as to elect someone like that as PREsident?' it seems most countries and their people are onto what's up there...i'm not sure they believe a civil war is possible...unfortunately, that's what it seems like you contestants are headed for...one push at a time...like being inside a pressure cooker...i couldn't be more serious, Bob, when i say i wish ALL of you and yours good luck and health...
In his book, Collective Illusions, Dr. Todd Rose, former professor at Harvard & CEO of Populace, details how UNITED we are in our opinions. He details how 2/3 of us are self-silencing under the overwhelming illusion of polarization & how that illusion is being generated. Dr. Rose cites Vaclav Havel's The Power of the Powerless & the only bloodless restoration of democracy that took 3 months.
We either fight for our Democracy or surrender to Autocracy. VOTE ! LET YOUR VOICE BE HEARD!
I would not hesitate to call the now, former East Wing of the White House the “Roosevelt Wing”, considering that it owed its existence to Theodore Roosevelt and later to FDR. I think he wanted to take the opportunity to erase it is due to such calumny as a) it represents the Roosevelts and their achievements (the building competed with him for public attention); b) it represented all the women who made history, such as Frances Perkins; c) it had paintings of many famous people (more competition); and d) it represented the New Deal, which he must hate since he’s trying to erase that too. And as the Doctor noted, he hates historic preservation laws! I would call the new structure the Trump Mausoleum; and at the first opportunity, tear the damned thing down.
so.
have you noticed how quickly it was all done? and might the 'ballroom' just be a distraction if it was the easiest/quickest way to renovate the Presidential Emergency Operations Center (PEOC), a bunker underneath the East Wing of the White House, which serves as a secure shelter and communications center for the president of the United States and others in case of an emergency.
but hey. nothing to worry about...what emergency might possibly arrive at this time in that country?
crazy thinking? any more crazy that what's alREAdy happened there?
Hmm….. maybe he wants the throne room to have a super-thick, bomb resistant slab over the existing bunker! I can’t see how anyone in the big dumb-ass throne room would be secure against drones!
Yes, tear the damn thing down (at least, cut it down to proper size) at the first opportunity AND send the bill to the dopes who paid to put the damned thing up in the first place. They obviously have more money than they know what to do with.
This SHOULD be shocking. But in the world we live in today, it isn’t. Sad.
Ok, seriously, not able to complete an open book test? Literacy or ignorance .. the end result is the same.
Politics in its pure basic form is a few governing many. Regardless of the social economic system. When the governed feel insulted by the governing, shit hits the fan. And pretty much everyone suffers.
It's called change. As a physicist I know it's the one true constant in the universe. Bernie Sanders the senator for Vermont has been surprisingly consistent in his message to the American people! I agree with him on all his points! But that's why the democratic party can't gain any traction. Lack of conviction!
I am a registered democratic but I strongly believe that I am an independent!
I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired! The current administration is an abomination! And I believe put in place by the ruler of Russia. That is just an opinion. But supported by many historical facts.
I always hope for the best! But I'm preparing for the worst. I really distane the term preper. It's tied to nut jobs that think they can survive a nuclear war. Get F'ing real!! Being prepared for a conventional attack is a real possibility these days.
Shit I'm a old guy that won't be around much longer but cares about the children and those much younger than myself.
Life liberty and the pursuit of happiness! Peace!! Yes I'm a physicist and intellectual hippie!
Another physicist once told me that everything in the universe rings. My point is that just because you can't sense a ring doesn't mean it isn't there. In my simple mind of a dumb mechanical engineer the "ringing" is a consequence of the "4th dimension", time.
The bell rings for Mr. Trump, and the sound is getting louder every day.
And the rest of his team? They certainly were not hired for their management talents. The absence of those qualities and their golden leader's unique "one note" brain amplify the bell.
William G Russell, you are sure as heck sounding like my kind of guy. Hang in there, and keep on telling it like it is.
The ICE Age of Incompetence
In a triumph of efficiency over competence, Immigration and Customs Enforcement has discovered a bold new strategy for staffing the front lines of American authoritarianism: hire everyone. Drug tests, criminal backgrounds, academic or physical standards are for the weak. In the new ICE, if you can fog a mirror and shout “Yes, Mr. President!” you’re in.
Thanks to the Republican “One Big, Beautiful Bill Act,” ICE’s budget now rivals that of every police department in the nation combined. America has traded “Defund the Police” for “Overfund the Deporters.” The goal is ten thousand new officers. The result is two hundred recruits who cannot pass an open book exam, complete a 1.5 mile run, or distinguish due process from a burrito order.
The six week crash course at ICE Academy now produces agents faster than McDonald’s trains fry cooks. Fitness tests are optional, ethics are theoretical, and reading comprehension is left to prayer. Trainees who fail pushups may soon be reassigned to push people across borders instead.
Dictators throughout history have known the value of loyalty over literacy, and this administration has taken that insight to heart. Trump’s appointees have mastered the art of lowering the bar until even gravity gets bored. Pardon a crypto king here, commute a fraudster there, then replace oversight with applause. As long as the recruits salute smartly and never question a presidential pardon for money laundering, they are good to go.
Meanwhile, corporate sponsors from Google to Lockheed Martin cheer from the donor balcony, funding the new Ballroom of Freedom where democracy once lived. The ICE agents who graduate from this program may lack integrity, fitness, or basic spelling, but they will have something more important in today’s America: unwavering obedience to a leader who rewards failure and calls it patriotism.
It is not law enforcement. It is performance art for collapsing republics.
https://essayx.substack.com/p/the-ice-age-of-incompetence
It is the Gestapo or SS in America. I knew this was going to be the result when Bush Jr. Created the Homeland Security Agency.
You’re not alone in seeing it that way. The Department of Homeland Security was born out of fear after 9/11, and it’s steadily grown into something far beyond its original purpose. Many of its programs now mirror authoritarian surveillance and policing tactics. What began as “protection” has become a mechanism of control.
Nice writing, Michael...
I thought money is spent on the authorization by Congress!!
Time for a REVOLUTION
When I read this week’s newsletter, I felt the urgency of the moment: democracy is under siege, not always by bombs or tanks, but by resignation, by “nothing I do matters,” by “they” are forever other. If even a large fraction of us wake up and say: “Hold on — that’s not the story I believe,” then something changes. The pressure-valve cracks. The illusion starts to leak. The machinery built to divide begins to falter.
So yes — turnout matters, laws matter, institutions matter. But just as essential is the inner shift: realizing we’re not alone, realizing our voice and our neighbour’s voice may be closer than we thought. If the quiet majority starts talking — quietly and firmly — the opposition loses its monopoly on the narrative. The future becomes genuinely ours again.
Two simple truths:
1 - Vote. Make your voice heard, not just in the act but in the intention behind it.
2 - Connect. Reach across the chasm you’re told exists. You might find your next‐ally, not your enemy.
The turnout I most enjoy comes from the Tuesday morning protests in Freeport Maine. They have ranged from 30 in the very worst weather to 300 on typical good weather Tuesdays, 2,500 on the June 14 No Kings day (Saturday), and the 3,500 on another Saturday, Oct 28 No Kings Day.
I don't recall any speakers, just hundreds to thousands letting their homemade signs expressing a wide variety of thoughts, and the conversations, speaking to each other, old friends and many new ones. Even the candidates and elected officials (including Sen Angus King), that showed up talked to individuals instead of to crowds.
Perhaps our wisest visiting elected officials and candidates know we are harder to herd than cats, and are figuring out where they have to go, or can persuade us to go if they want to "lead" us.
That's Beautiful very encouraging for All ! Keep speaking TRUTH TO Coergion !!!!!
Hear,, Hear...
As you remunded us all...52000 elections to use our voices= power across the country in two weeks.
Vote the whole ticket. Watch out for tricky items that interfere with our ease or anyone else's ability to vote.
I voted for prop 50 in California! The blanton attempt to control congress is obviously obsean.
So many interesting comments this far… some I agree with, some that lack true documentation or a true sense of what’s actually happening right now, which is the implementation of facism and unmitigated control of our Democracy and Freedoms.
We can only hope our votes are counted this November and the we can take back the Senate and / or House . Thanks to HCR for keeping us updated and informed through her intense research and her historian’s eyes!
You Are Correct! We Must Keep Speaking UP
ICE - the ultimate DEI program for the unemployed dough boys.
Just a guess, but the "dough boys" you're referring to aren't the WWI guys, but the Pillsbury mascot kind... amirite?
It is interesting to me just how visceral it is to see the East Wing of our WH being destroyed before our eyes. What’s the rush? Maybe drumpf really does believe that he will die soon and wants to build his own monuments. But still, it is amazing how this is impacting all americans, and not in a good way.
good question, ruby...
under the East Wing is the Presidential Emergency Operations Center (PEOC), a bunker which serves as a secure shelter and communications center for the president of the United States and others in case of an emergency. i hope you don't mind if i leave the rest to your imagination...
I chalk up trump's November 5/24 election victory to the power of propaganda and weak journalism in the mainstream media. I hold Joe Biden partly accountable, too -- it finally took an intervention from Obama to convince him to step aside. But it was too late.
Wasn't trump's first term in office a sufficient warning to voters?
I wouldn't totally leave out possible reasons Trump thanked Musk for winning Pennsylvania. Of course the prosecution of Tina Peters, resulting in a 9 year prison sentence for the data-breach scheme , that to me, compromised the digital security of every election after. See https://apnews.com/article/tina-peters-colorado-clerk-election-vote-fraud-b456ce4f80dc97f4b967eb6297311a51
Trump hasn't pardoned her because he can't, she was convicted in the Colorado State Court system where there is fortunately no Federal interference allowed.
Exactly and don’t forget to check out election through the alliance. They have some good data on the 2024 election results. There is definitely lots of anomalies in all of the swing states as well as Texas.
Election Truth Alliance
You are so correct ! The election was not really Won . It was stolen!!! ppppeople in Europe can not understand How America could vote this Way...
The answer is We did not It was rigged!!!
Thanks for the link.
Dr. Richardson, vielen Dank wie immer für die relevanten Nachrichten auf meinem Desktop. Ich schaue keine Live-Medien mehr; das ist ungesund.
Hakenkreuze und flotte Uniformen werden durch Tarnkleidung ersetzt, und jeder kann sich als Soldat verkleiden. Und das Geld ist auch gut!
Thank you for all you do to keep us informed and sane during this tumultuous time.
I share your disgust about the destruction of OUR East Wing. I recall that Melania said she was unaware of the violence occurring in her yard on J6 because she was busy taking inventory of important artifacts as part of her duties as a First Lady. I’m sure hoping she did that for the East Wing (of course she didn’t). I can’t get a photo of her Statement about that (dated July 21, 2022) to paste into this text box, but you can search for it online. She really goes on at length about her diligence in fulfilling her role. Jaw dropping.
When people start losing their houses, can they go sleep in the ballroom?
Will Melania continue her grifting by selling small framed segments of rugs and wallpaper?
Oh are You referring to the 1st Lady ..... An immigrant herself ???