Former Republican representative Liz Cheney of Wyoming joined Vice President Kamala Harris on a stage hung with red, white, and blue bunting and signs that said “Country Over Party.” As Cheney took the stage, the crowd chanted, “Thank you, Liz!” The two were on the campaign trail today in Ripon, Wisconsin, the town that claims to be the birthplace of the Republican Party.
Love this letter and love the hope amd unity arising across this troubled land Thank you Heather for shining the light of truth and facts so well spoken 🇺🇸🥁🙏💙❤️
Wow, just wow, those words from Kamala and Liz almost knocked me off my chair. That is precisely what needs to be said. My five-year old granddaughter, whose grandmother is a medical doctor, her aunt a lawyer, her mother an MBA, will grow up knowing that some day she, too, could be president of the United States. My heart is bursting with pride for Kamala and Liz. They are true leaders.
But, what to do when religion gets into the mixture? The reason for our First Amendment to our Constitution were the interminable religious wars in Europe, and now in the Mid-East. These wars could go on for centuries, or even eons if one side hasn't completely extinguished the other. The fact is, we’re involved in a religious conflict here right now- white Christian nationalism vs democracy.
Liz said it all: "I ask you to stand in truth, to reject the depraved cruelty of Donald Trump." Today's Letter is Prof. H.C. Richardson at her very best.
I don't know either. How can any woman,LGTBQ, black and brown person, military veteran, Muslim and other minorities vote in good conscience for this man. I don't get it.
They've surrendered to the mass suffocation of standardized testing.
Not only has this put humanities out of reach for tens of millions, but in their place sets up the conceits for life as nothing more than group categories, linear units, and other of the lowest level logic that neuters all.
Phil, I realize that demonizing "schools" and standardized testing is your personal hobby horse to ride. But your bumper-sticker just won't cut it.
By all measures, Finland is the happiest country in the world. Likewise, their education system is considered one of the best. They do have one standardized test. The difference between Finland and the U.S. is HOW they use standardized testing. But standardized testing – or lack of it – isn't the "secret sauce."
What I find more significant is that privately-funded schools are virtually nonexistent, at about 2% of all schools. Importantly, those handful of private schools MUST teach to national standards and they are prohibited from taking profit. In Finland, education is not an exercise in capitalism or competitive sport ... unlike the U.S. where any Tom, Dick or Mary can start a for-profit school or a parochial school that spends more time teaching religion than subjects that enable graduates to think critically and compete in the global economy.
Sorry Phil, standard testing is the only way to ensure quality education across the country. That is why we need the Common Core. Should not a quality education be available to every student?
In some states, the schools have very little power to do otherwise. In Texas:
1) Teachers' unions have no bargaining power.
2) The state board of education makes the rules, with the state legislature sticking its nose in whenever possible.
Once again, it boils down to the voters. The people need to vote for legislators and SBOE members who support educating our youth for knowledgeable, discerning participation in our community life as adults. And locally, voters need to elect people who value public education to their local school boards. The school district in which I reside rarely has elections as no challengers step up, so the same people stay on the board for many election cycles. Perhaps the local school boards' hands are so tied by the state that serving is a thankless, powerless task. Often it seems that all they do is hire (and occasionally rehire) the superintendent.
Phil, I am glad you brought standardized testing up which turns people into zombies. Just yesterday the Oregon Education Department finally released how students were doing, this after much screaming by the media. And then every headline was about how the scores were stagnant as if they are the measure of anything other than teaching to the test. Portland School District actually did better, but that was lost in the shuffle. I have known many wonderful teachers who managed to teach their students and care for them despite interference from above. We have two friends in a district near Salem which is heavily Hispanic and Russian and they are great teachers. Don't get them started on standardized testing and bad administrators.
I wish the American Century would end so we can return to greatness through education with reasonable student teacher ratioes so we can active encourage citizens again as opposed to passive participants.
Sadly, they are deeply misinformed, and deeply fearful. Anyone steeped in Faux News truly believes the lies, and that the orange thing will save them from the terrible immigrants who will move into their homes and eat their pets. They really believe it! It's tragic.
I don't know why anyone married to a woman would want to vote for Trump. Maybe if all of the pro-choice women in the country (probably > 70% of the voting female population) would tell their male partners "no more sex if you vote for Trump, even if you get a vasectomy" it would break through the delusions of Trump being "a strong man and good for the economy" (among other delusions and lies).
Besides immigration, the reason for suporting Trump I hear most often is the "economy." By that people mean grocery and gas price are higher and continuing to rise. I wish theTV interviewers would ask those MAGA folks how Trump would bring down the grocery and gas prices -- he has practically no power to do so! They'd be gobsmacked.
Paul, i don't either as he is so misogynistic. But in fact, I don't know how any real patriot, compassionate Christian, or any decent person of either gender can vote for death star. He lacks any human virtue and is a festering cancer who destroys anything he touches. Then we have the acolytes like JD who further his agenda, not because they believe that he is best, but because they want power and wealth.
No offense to women everywhere, but what took you so long? Re: a couple of Abigail Adams quotes: "Do not put such unlimited power into the hands of the husbands. Remember all men would be tyrants if they could." "If particular care and attention is not paid to the ladies, we are determined to foment a rebellion, and will not hold ourselves bound by any laws in which we have no voice or representation."
Joking aside, Harris was great yesterday, and Cheney was compelling. But we have miles to go before we sleep.
What took us so long? Penises. Penises obstructing, controlling, demanding that they are superior to uteruses. And why am I using words that men often find offensive, because I am reducing them to the member they're so proud of? Because the Dobbs decision demonstrates that that is what a lot of men--perhaps most men all over the world--use to think with.
We all have a circle of concern that includes and excludes. Some people exclude other people from their circle of concern. Some men exclude women. Some rich people exclude poor people. Some people exclude people based on how they look or what they believe. For the record, my circle of concern excludes the idea that it's okay to exclude other people.
Uh maybe cause women do everything in this world...hold a full time job, shop, plan meals, cook, clean, do the laundry, bear children and then take care of them...the question is how many men are taking care of the women and children and are not just another big baby women have to take care of.
My husband has always helped around the house. When we were in graduate school and both carrying a full academic load, I told him to choose what he would do and he continues to do those things which includes the dishes and cleaning up the mess after I have cooked. He helps in the yard and helped me yesterday to pick figs. On Sunday he cooks the main on the Traeger (and the corn if we are having it). We do have cleaning help every two weeks and yard help because we are now in our 80s. Before that when we were still working, we went out to breakfast on Saturdays and then cleaned the house. We also do the grocery shopping together.
I'm glad you had a husband that "helped around the house" but even that language implies he was doing women's work rather that if we all eat we should all cook, if we all wear clothes we should all take care of those clothes, if we live in the house all should keep that house clean, if one helps create children they should also be equally involved their care...
That description of a long marriage warms my heart. "When we were still working, we went out to breakfast on Saturdays and then cleaned the house." And doing the grocery shopping together is no mean feat. A beautiful sunset.
Your "big baby" comment hits the nail on the head. I like the way John Lennon's "time to grow up" message to himself ended up in his "Nowhere Man" song. Translation: I'm saying I understand why women are skeptical about men, but I'm also saying it's important not to be cynical.
We were too busy raising children and facing hundreds of years of inequality. Early on, in Adams' time, we had to contend with massive structural inequality that made women into property without the vote or legal rights. That had to come first. Remember, many women's rights that we now take for granted only date to the 1970s and 80s, and even then they often suffered discrimination in practice. Plus Dobbs has shown us how the most basic right to control our own bodies can be stripped away.
Patriarchy is why. Patriarchal religion is why; the notion that men are closer to God and therefore better. The religious belief that men are more godlike because God is male and somehow women were made from Adam's rib and were to blame for the fall from Eden is why. The willingness to believe a story utterly at odds with how nature actually works -- that man is always born of women -- has subverted society and continues to do so. And by the way, when humanity had matriarchal religion, men were not treated much better. The issue is a religion that is not based in equality, but in ignorant hierarchy.
Let's face it, even god was born from woman, even the catholic church know Mary is the mother of god...Michael Angelo even gave god a belly botton in his famous Sistine Chapel painting.
Good observation - he'd obviously never seen a birth (one doesn't notice such details when one is being born). I'm sure he was smart enough to understand the implication.
Jennifer, you say it's the ego of some men, I say it's the lack of maturity of some people, and if asked to bet on whether a randomly chosen insufficiently mature adult is a man or a woman, we're both betting "man." What am I doing about it? Reciting the serenity prayer.
James R. Carey, spoken like someone to whom the patriarchy is like air. I'm betting you are fairly enlightened, but perhaps some additional research on the women's movement in the United States, the huge barriers it encountered might explain why it took so long. Racism clearly exists, but this country was more willing to elect a black man than an extraordinarily qualified white woman. Sexism is still alive and well, and not just among men. Agree we still have miles to go.
My attempt at self-deprecating humor might have been misinformed. Yes, the details matter, but any prejudice against any identifiable group of people has a single cause, which is the appearance that we're not all equal, and the cure involves admitting that the appearance is an illusion.
Thank you!! Please keep sharing it Barbara. There is a big fat thumb on the scales of justice. Vance “lost” the debate when he said: THE RULES WERE YOU GUYS WEREN’T GOING TO FACT CHECK. And that fact was buried by the media. So, activating women’s hearts is worth a try. . 💙💙💙💙💙💙
I agree, Gigi. That one statement by Vance did say it all. In other words, "You said we could lie!" Hoping that shows up in some ads, since the media isn't emphasizing it.
I certainly posted the meme made out of that line. It's made the social media circles,and MSNBC chat room after the debate. Most of what Vance said was a lie, especially when he tried to sound like a reasonable Democrat!
Yes. Yes. And I hope that women voters come out in massive numbers to vote for sanity and decency and competency and honesty. I hope they realize that the radical right and the so called religious right want to keep you all barefoot and pregnant and in the kitchen and quiet! The morality police , dress codes , a secondary status are in their plan. Birth control is in the crosshairs. Please rouse your sisters and daughters and friends to vote .
I have been donating to Galvanize Action and encourage others to donate to also https://www.galvanizeaction.org/ They have been successful in gaining the trust of the largest voting bloc, connecting with moderate white women in rural, small town, and suburban communities to build an America that works for everyone.
Birth control is in their crosshairs. I remember in 1960 (yes I’m old) , a Catholic friend of my sister expressed that no way would she support anyone who even mentioned trying to tell her what to do about birth control. Wonder what she thinks so many years later.
met with sympathetic laughter, and knowing humour from Liz, when she spoke thus. The participants certainly got the point. And, Abby, did you notice that male partisan vocal raucousness was definitely part of the event. And, aside, the sober, if not stern, appearance of Kamala's security service guards, mostly over 6 feet tall, moving adroitly behind Kamala and scanning every movement in that close crowd.
Behind every great man is a wise woman willing to share her advice for the common good.
Every great leader regardless of sex, gender or socio-economic class there needs to be a great listener that is willing to admit when they have made a mistake.
No offense taken. You are speaking the absolute dad gum truth. Women ARE going to be this country’s salvation, if we can be salvaged from the hubris, cruelty, duplicity and cowardice of so many these past years.
Liz Cheney was splendid. (I saw and heard). Splendid also in the way she acknowledged the applause - not a smile or a wave, just a pause of acknowledgement.
Thank goodness for Republicans like Liz Cheney, who had the courage to stand in opposition to Trump's Tyranny. Thank goodness for Jack Smith, Judge Chutkan, and Judge Merchan, who had the courage to persevere in their belief that Trump should be held accountable for his treasonous actions.
All those who dared to bring to light the Truth about Trump, knowing it would be dangerous, are true heros in my opinion.
All those MAGA Republican House and Senate members who bowed to Trump in order to save their jobs are truly despicable in my opinion.
Send a message to The Boss - Springsteen is the latest to come out for Harris/Walz - I'm sure he could make a song out of "What's so bad about feeling good"!
Ned, I, too, wish he’d be mentioned more often for being a stand-up, do-right guy….I appreciate all those who put country & democracy over party & power!🗽
i never before especially noticed until this campaign the speaker's gesture of putting hand to the upper chest before. It seems to be iconic. I gather it echoes the pledge of allegiance all school children learn by heart in their formative years. Just me folks?
Since I say that pledge frequently, Frank, you may have added a richness to it. Thank you. Yes, I love my cherished United States deeply; that does not mean I like her a whole lot right now.
Mixed bottle of jelly beans these days, more than usual. My sense is nationalism is relatively low key and pragmatic. Canada is not encumbered??? with that sense of pervasive American exceptionalism. But also, I'm likely less obviously patriotic than many of my fellow Canadians.
Yes, her acknowledgement was even "presidential" to match Harris.' These are true leaders who have gravitas and are able to show it in moments like this when it can convey a powerful non-verbal message. Cheney ha maintained that attitude and ability all along, especially at the Jan. 6 hearings. There's no doubt that she's damn serious. Only the deliberately deluded will not listen!
My dream race in 2016 -- as a Republican hoping against hope for an intervention by Party Elders -- was between Governor Kasich and Senator Sanders. The country was and still is facing major-league problems. These two candidates had a deep, abiding love for America and radically different, sincerely held and expressed, policy proposals.
My dream race for 2028 would be Mmes Harris and Cheney; perhaps similar to the (likely apocryphal) idea that President Kennedy supposedly consider for the 1964 race: that he and Senator Goldwater would face off and have a series of debates around the country to inform, educate, and solicit votes.
Country over party is a mantra I’ve come to believe is the cornerstone of the future of America. I love this country even more than I hate its political division.
I believe a HEALTHY two party system is an essential ingredient for the future I want to believe in. I’m pleased there are Republicans , like Liz Cheney and a growing number of other voices, willing to stand with the Democrats in continuing the great American experiment.
Thanks to HCR for so effectively weaving a tapestry of hope through her letters. They warm this elderly American’s heart!
I think the Country over Party mantra is a very appropriate theme to carry away from the Harris - Cheney determinations at Ripon. In the past week I read of determined Texas and national Billionaires and an uncomfortable number of business leaders who are funding every possible method to ensure Trump is elected or becomes President.
The original Republican Party founding at Ripon was in response to determined efforts of the slave holding wealth of the South to make Slavery of human beings the Law in the United States.
So the American crux in this election is whether the nation pivots to Government based on wealth and autocratic beliefs or we can reach into the same theme as did Abe Lincoln and decide for “We the People.”
We are as near to the cataclysm of absolute change or resolute democracy as we were in 1859 and voting must decide the outcome.
The March 20, 1854 (10 days before the Kansas Nebraska act, as feared), was passed) meeting at the Little White School House in Ripon is described as where according to:
"...Alan Bovay spoke to the idea that the new party should, and in all probability would, be assigned the name Republican, but he advised against naming it at that time..."
There were 82 listed as Democratic (down from 152 (D) at the end of the 33rd Congress), then an Opposition Caucus consisting of 51 American/(Know Nothing) designated by "A," and 100 Opposition designated by "O" in the coalition that became the majority. The first Republican listed in the House was from Vermont George T, Hodges who replaced the deceased James Meacham in a special election held September 2, 1856 and was seated on December 1, 1856.
The information (slightly different, apparently with a vacancy counted as an additional Democrat for a total of 83) also includes a bit on the 133 ballots needed to elect a Speaker and Bleeding Kansas as the Senate backed the proslavery state constitution while the House favored the antislavery constitution, according to https://history.house.gov/Congressional-Overview/Profiles/34th/
Seems sort of like recent fighting over who were real electors Electors during that period's warm up to the more consequential elections with the most consequential being 1860.
Ned or anyone, please post yesterday's Bruce Springsteen Instagram Campaign Ad that supports Kam-Tim & is respectful of the audience.
Bruce sitting a the Counter of any Anywhere-America diner is wearing a flannel shirt with a turned up collar blending-in with the dinner's decor. Bruce delivers his
messages looking directly at the camera, talking to his fans & talking to to all Americans about supporting Kam & the themes, "I write about".
"Former" you say, Ned? I know you're speaking authentically because of her previous position. However, I would argue that today, and at this time, and as much as I thought I would never say it, she is doing a damn good job representing the faith and honor of the political ideals of this nation. She has proven herself to be the American representative Emeritus for our nation. She should get the Medal of Freedom for her stance. The stupidity of Wyoming's republicans to ignore her stand during Trump's attempted coup only proves the hollow and shallow state of lemmings for Trump. I don't want to leave out Adam Kinzinger, as he also had the guts to do much the same. However, in the news, it's been Liz Cheney who has taken the battle to the hollow minded.
I have never been a Liz Cheney fan but I might change my mind. This was a truly heroic speech and I agree, she may end up in a Harris administration. If this helps Harris beat Trump, she would deserve it. Maybe she would even gain a streak of liberalism. That would be one for the books! Two terrific American women standing side by side in a coalition to sustain democracy. It would certainly make a great movie!
Jon After Dick Cheney’s dreadful role in pushing Bush into the disastrous Iraqi invasion, I never imagined that I would have a good word to say about the Cheney family.
Liz Cheney, who I’d seen as a 100% Republican Neanderthal, broke free of her family when, after January 6th, she boldly chose country over party. She did this by shouting the truth loudly.
She was duly punished by Trumpites, first losing her leadership role in the Republican House and then losing her congressional seat in Wyoming.
Even more remarkable, Dick Cheney, who I considered Dark Vader in the Bush W administration, belatedly comes out for country over party, with an endorsement of Kamala.
Georgia and I may even invite some RINOs to Thanksgiving dinner.
Well I will say I try hard NOT to demonize anyone, even the Cheneys. Did I ever agree with their political views? Hell no! But did I ever consider them "devils in human form"? No, I didn't even consider Reagan that. Not even NIXON (although some of his henchmen certainly felt that way at times like Haldeman). Trump had certainly shown us all an extreme that I doubt any of us even presumed existed at the highest levels of the opposition. So we probably saw things differently pre Jan6. I saw the Cheneys and Bushes et al as people who didn't see this correctly at all but I never saw them as demons. Today the demons have clearly taken over the GOP. It is "grand" no more. And that is a sad thing for our country.
Jon As I approach my 91st birthday I find that historically I am somewhat more gracious towards folks who I believe have worked badly.
Joseph McCarthy I will never forgive. He was desperate to be re-elected and was ready to trash our country and some noble individuals.
Nixon was highly skilled, but he was steaming with resentment and focused on enemies. Though I was on the Nixon White House Enemies List, I give Nixon credit for seeking to serve the United States in his way.
Reagan was an actor in an incredible role. He had some strengths and a number of weaknesses. He was an American patriot who believed that he was serving his country. He took a major popularity hit for sticking with Paul Volcker.
He also, with Gorby, were responsible for ending the Cold War with a whimper rather than a bang.
Dick Cheney, with his 10 visits to CIA, was determined, with Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, to ‘get’ Saddam Hussein. Their arrogance was extremely destructive. I’ll give him some credit for belatedly speaking out, in part because of Liz.
With Trump and his flunky Vance there is absolutely no forgiveness. They are ME ME ME chameleons with not a whit of concern regarding what is best for the United States. I believe in the Constitution. ‘Nuff said?
An interesting question for you and anyone else who is interested. I don't know if you are around in the 60s but when Kennedy dragged us through the Cuban Missile crisis which almost resulted in a nuclear war, did you feel you would never have anything good to say about Kennedy? Ditto when LBJ dragged us headlong into Vietnam? I spent my entire youth worried that I'd be drafted and end up dead on a battlefield somewhere in south east Asia. Yet I still have good things to say about both presidents even though I hated what they did then. That is also how I feel about Bush and Cheney. I don't like much of what they did but I do think they sincerely believed they were doing what was right for the country even if I think it was wrong.
Trump has completely changed the narrative. I do not think there is ANYTHING he has done which ever was for the good of the country. He is a self inflated egocentric narcissistic, something which I do NOT believe defines any other president in my lifetime. I've lived through bad presidents but nothing that even vaguely resembles Trump.
I appreciate Liz and her father for actively standing up for the continuation of democracy, it is powerful. And in that way I do think they believe and are acting upon ‘country over party’ values. But I also think that her policy values maintain , ultimately, party over country focus. Do we all remember how she voted with Trump’s values 90% of the time? Trump got a hold of the Republican party through their values which we might distill into the Reagan Trickle down system, the one HCR, Biden, Warren, AOC, Bernie and others are saying “yeah 50 years of that proves it doesnt work” but Liz would go back to that. I deeply appreciate her courage to stand with democracy but I am NOT interested in what have been her and her Republican party of old, policies.
Well you certainly don't have to agree with her or her policies, but politics is "the art of the possible" and if you want success you have to be ready to compromise even when you don't agree. Take that from a 73 year old communist (small "c") who also loves this county even when it is wrong.
Ten years ago, if someone post West Wing came up with the script US has been going through with Trumpism, most of us would likely be shaking our collective heads. Trust "Civil War" thriller remains at "step beyond"...
I submit that she acquired that liberal streak when she publicly declared that she was wrong on marriage equality. Having a LGBTQ family member will do that to you ... if you're a human with a heart.
I don't know much about Liz Cheney's positions, however, her strength of character and devotion to this country speaks volumes. My prayer is we get Kamala elected and those joining her from the Republican Party will be able to establish a new and better party far from the maddening MAGA party.
You might want to read up on her policy positions then, they arent friendly. That doesnt mean we cant applaud and appreciate her courage in this course of action, but dont be duped into thinking that her policies are anything close to what humane democrat positions are
Combine? Please look at Liz’s past policy support. Remember she voted with Trump 90% of the time. I’m glad for the moment she has a higher arc of vision for democracy but I absolutely doubt that she would ever be in the same
True but one thing I learned growing up in Arizona as a child of socialists is that in this country we do need to accept and even honor those who might disagree with us, especially when they are honorable. It is the way we reach compromises, something that definitely seems to be lost in this modern Trumpian universe. No one says you have to give up your beliefs but you do have to recognize that there are many who hold different beliefs and again if everyone is honorable you MAY be able to reach an acceptable middle ground.
hmmm.... despite the very friendly vibes... i'm wondering if she is not covertly involved in how "RINOs" might reconstitute the Republican Party. Kamala paid a pointed reference to getting that back once "we get past this" not quite how she said it perhaps, but very clear seeing Trumpism as a dangerous aberration in American political life. One that has latched onto an irreconcilable minority of evangelical zealots and elsewise, who have taken "tribal" to a whole new level.
Not surprising at all. Of course she wants to rebuild the Republican Party. HCR has long said we need to healthy parties to be a democracy, healthy being the operative word.
Liz Cheney grew up in the Republican Party of Ronald Reagan, the great espouser of “voodoo” economics, supply side economics, trickle down theory. Trickle down economics moved money up the ladder, where it has been hoarded, such that some people became wealthy beyond imagination. The Republican Party of Reagan, the Bushes, and the Cheneys is also the party of Karl Rove and Roger Stone. Karl Rove has spent years operating on the “Greed is good” idea, every man for himself. What on earth would look like a healthy Republican Party. The current Republican Party looks to make life hell on earth for so many people.
Exactly. People need to remember this and not get hoodwinked into thinking that Liz is all that friendly towards democrat values i.e. the greed you refer to
But so what? If i hate everyone who had different values than me (which I acknowledge to be extreme leftist) I would hate about 95% of the American population. It is one of the things I have said here repeatedly. It is dismaying to see how many people on this blog use hateful comments when talking about the opposition. Yes, Trump is very often (almost always in fact) hateful but that does NOT mean WE have to follow him into the swamp. I am fearful for it country that too many people see ANY divide as unapproachable. We used to be able to have civil discussion with our opponents. Now they have become "enemies" and I understand it but I fear for our future, assuming we even have one.
I hope she is. We need a functioning second party for the US to work properly. True conservative ideas contribute important restraint to the functioning of a healthy democracy.
Not surprising at all. Of course she wants to rebuild the Republican Party. HCR has long said we need two healthy parties to be a democracy, healthy being the operative word. Republicans aren’t the enemy, the Magas are. Liz Cheney has shown the backbone that the other “rinos” have not and paid dearly for it. I am a lifelong Democrat, but I don’t just follow blindly.
She does want those things, I'm sure, and if there is any justice in the world she will get them - or some version of them. We cannot survive long-term as a single party system.
But we do need several parties. I'm OK with the idea of Liz Cheney supporting Kamala Harris in order to clean house and get her own party back. My father was a Republican who served on school boards and always voted. Just before he died, he told me he'd voted for a Democrat in an election because she was the best candidate. Believe my father, if still alive, would be following Cheney and vote for Harris. My father wouldn't have been able to vote for a convicted felon, insurrectionist, and rapist.
I agree she wants to stay in politics....clearly ....she is up there reaching out to America. But I also feel she hates DT and the fascism he stands for....as I don't think she would have put her congressional seat on the line the way she did....if it wasn't her core belief.
It is alarming that lies and disinformation have such a powerful influece. Trump is another Putin and Kim of NK, a cruel oppressor of those who stand against him, but leave alone those who stay in poverty and live like slaves.
They’ll just call it fake news or propaganda (ask me how I know). Cults are cults for a reason. If Trump told them all to drink the grape Kool-Aid and meet him at that great Mar-A-Lago in the sky, I think there would be a lot of corpses to bury.
Evidence shows that many former Trump voters are flipping. Vote Vets, Republican Voters Against Trump and similar groups have thousands of testimonials from people who voted twice for Trump but support Kamala Harris.
Trump's lashing out at Cheney is all over Fox. They may believe Trump, but the message that there are Republicans rooting due Harris is getting through.
Amen that. Thank you heather and ms chaney both for a reminder that, amid the carnage, hate and folly of this world, there still shines a beautiful beacon of hope.
I live in East Tennessee and our Republican Governor refused to declare a state of emergency before the storm. He didn’t do so until last Friday night, after the storm had already wreaked havoc up here in Appalachia. So FEMA is just now arriving and taking over the largely volunteer and wholly inadequate recovery efforts that have been hobbled together over the past week. When asked by a local reporter why he didn’t declare the emergency before the storm like our neighboring states, he replied “You don’t declare a state of emergency when there is no emergency yet.” He literally said that. Presumably he and his administration didn’t know about the impending disaster because they embrace Project 2025 which would eliminate NOAA and its storm-predicting functions because they are too focused on climate change. (You can’t make this stuff up smh). The Biden Administration, to its credit, said earlier this week that it had prepared to help those of us who hadn’t asked anyway, in anticipation of when that inevitable call for help would come. People up here in Appalachian Tennessee are suffering greatly, but I can guarantee that those who need help the most—the majority of them anyway—are the same ones who two weeks ago wanted to eliminate the federal government because Fox News and OAN and NewsMax told them to. And they will no doubt blame the Biden administration for the slow response, and the state and local governments will not contradict them.
I don't get why the two are, apparently, mutually exclusive? Why can't you pray and fast while accepting help graciously from your neighbors? That's all that federal agencies and tax money is, after all - neighborly assistance in need.
I agree that volunteers have really held everything together here in TN and throughout the affected states. No argument there. They’ve saved lives and donated food and supplies and taken in neighbors and hauled water and so many other things. But they can’t rebuild the roads and everyone’s homes, and shouldn’t be expected to. It’s the job of the government to plan for those things and provide the resources and carry them through.
Indeed you CAN pray and fast, and I did. But before and during the storm I prayed while I took steps to prepare, which is what my prayers led me to do. Also, my prayers revealed to me the need for gratitude for our government.
I was wondering the same thing Lynn when I first read it.
Yesterday, I was on about, the lack of logic in the MAGA and white Christian Nationalist world. This is a great example of a logic flaw as you point out.
I can come to no other conclusion after years of reading everything I can in order to understand the underpinnings of this mess we are in....they are all nothing but an organized crime syndicate wearing the costume of religion for cover.
Pretty stupid! Guess prayer didn’t work for Mother Nature. We go back to the saying that god helps those who help themselves. Hmmmm….yeah that works so well.
Both a bit above in a separate comment from you, and here, on your idiot MAGA governor.
Love especially your link to all the MAGA idiots and now their fawning for the even greater stupidity and malice their Project 2025 aims at the U.S. It recalls Heather's in her para 2 today, on America's enslavers who "rejected the self-evident truth in the Declaration of Independence that all men were created equal. Instead, they intended to rule over the nation’s majority, whose labor produced the capital that southern leaders believed only elites should control."
You've got it exactly true, Abby, as to the equal madness and arrogance of today's MAGA followers of their fat orange convicted criminal. And you nab it perhaps best in your parenthetical remark as to how "You can't make this stuff up."
You, Abby, Heather, Liz, Kamala -- so many fine, decent American women in the midst of so many mad males forming today's version of those former elite enslavers.
It will help people understand the magnitude of the damage Trump and MAGA Republicans want to do to our country. It is a resource that will enable responsible citizens across the political spectrum to educate themselves and ground their discussions with other voters in what the document actually says.
Double sigh. First, Abby, my condolences and hopes that you and your family (if any) are well. Disaster really sucks (I've been thru a few earthquakes here in California). I do hope at least a few people in Tennessee are paying attention.
They're part of a cult of personality and will die for their leader. We have to write them off until they can be convinced that leader unworthy. Perhaps, when he's finally behind bars.
Or simply die off and wait and see if a younger generation will come to their senses. The old white guys who thought they were kings are the super racist race are dying out.
I remember thinking in the 70’s that same thing about civil rights. “When these old racists die-off, we will have put systemic racism behind us.”It came roaring back. We must be vigilant and elect Kamala Harris, and continue to fight injustice wherever it raises its ugly self.
Death is sometimes the 'only way' for change to move forward. I remember in my reading of the history of science, eg the 19th century, this was almost an adage as prominent scientists refused to part ways with their espoused theories. 'til death do us part'...
Good point Frank. Unfortunately, the Catholic Church has never "died", although several harpoons have damaged it over the years. Translating the Bible into German and English exposed the heresy of many of the priests, bishops, cardinals and even the pope. And Martin Luther and others pointed out the hypocrisy of the church. By allowing his fellow ministers and himself to marry and have children he opened the door for women to move into positions of prominence. It has indeed been a very slow process, and the Catholic Church still stands in the way of women everywhere.
Catholic charities have done many great things to help the poor, but the actions of hundreds of priests have gone unpunished. The church's idea of punishment is to move them to another parish.
The Catholic Hospital that refused treatment of a woman that was hemorrhaging is being sued. May they pay dearly.
It is dangerous to try, convict and sentence any organization in totality. I work at a Catholic institution. I was raised as a Catholic and have been around Catholics my whole life. I am a Buddhist today not in a reaction to Catholicism but as a matter of preference.
As in any organization there exists a whole spectrum of sinners to saints. As thinking people and participants of the "big tent" Democratic Party we risk becoming like those we judge so harshly if we begin to close ranks in self- righteous judgement of others.
I was raised Catholic and still consider myself one. I worked for a bishop who was corrupt and self-serving, along with many dedicated priests. Nevertheless, after seeing the institutional church and my treatment as a professional woman by the bishop and his “leadership,” I’ve walked away.
Right. I’m in California and work in healthcare. We have a big problem here of large Catholic hospitals buying up hospitals and doing shitty things like what St Joe’s/Providence did in Humboldt county, making a woman drive to a community hospital 20 minutes away while she was hemorrhaging. The Guardian article said a nurse gave the woman a bucket of towels in case something happened. This should be illegal. What it means to me is that Catholic healthcare must be tightly
Monitored and also community hospitals must be robustly supported to expand
Fortunately, it's not always like that. For instance, Dignity Health in San Francisco, which was a large Catholic hospital institution, was recently purchased by UCSF which is a state-run University medical school. So Dignity Health, which continues to be staffed by nuns is now providing services in the same way that UCSF has provided them at its other hospitals. So things can move forward, but it takes time.
In TN, that generation is led by Justin Jones, Justin J Pearson, Aftyn Behn, Gloria Johnson, et al. (Dems, btw). There are several more running this year and Blue TN is helping them financially. In a state that is 80% rural and districts can be miles and miles long, they have lots of acres to cover.
I think some of this is a matter of perspective, with fanatic being used by one party to describe what the other party considers its heroic virtues or principles by which it stands or falls. Terrorism is a similarly laden word, where one calls terrorist what the other calls freedom fighters. I dont think for a moment that a typical pro life evangelical is less sincere than a pro choice supporter of abortion rights , regardless of the perceived merits of the case. Tough business, but this is where irreconcilable differences have driven a lot of American politics.
I keep it way more simple that your comment. Any intensity of negativity towards a person or group is a signal to me to get my act together. It informs me that I need to take a step back and calm down.
Abby, I’m sorry that you’re stuck with a governor that likes hurting his constituents with dress rehearsals for dealing with disasters without federal help to make a point. Reagan started that with his assertion that the nine worst words are “I’m from the government and I’m here to help”. I was raised with the maxim “God helps those who help themselves” and “I can walk and chew gum at the same time”. Hopefully, eventually, the people who are exposed to relatively unbiased news (HCR, AP, Reuters, PBS) will prevail.
Jeremy Faison deceitfully commented “it was about time” when Biden approved aid. The TN leg worries constantly about “strings” attached to federal help (e.g., education) tho they cannot, when asked, tell anyone what those “strings” are. Lee is obsessed with one thing: vouchers.
A group of us this year started Blue TN (www.bluetennessee.org) to help fund dem opposition in previously unopposed red districts. We have a number of Dems running for the first time in Nov, with our assistance. Join us!
It will help people understand the magnitude of the damage Trump and MAGA Republicans want to do to our country. It is a resource that will enable responsible citizens across the political spectrum to educate themselves and ground their discussions with other voters in what the document actually says.
"People ... in Appalachian Tennessee are suffering greatly, but ... those who need help the most ... two weeks ago wanted to eliminate the federal government because Fox News and OAN and NewsMax told them to. ...[T]hey will no doubt blame the Biden administration for the slow response[.]...[T]he state and local governments will not contradict them.
Tennessee Appall-achians: "We not only want a fascist dictatorship. We want a fascist kakistocracy! And who could be a better leader of a kakistocracy than the kakistocrat without peer, Donald J. Trump! We not only love what he says. We are wild about what he can't do! Which is everything. Except for running his mouth!"
Time to read, or re-read Michael Lewis' "The Fifth Risk."
A guide through the accomplishments of the Trump administration. For those who forget the history of 2017-2021. So long ago, eh?
Abby, I hope you are safe and doing as well as possible considering your circumstances. Do you think the people of TN would replace your Governor after this? I was curious how people took the Governor's speech to fast and pray before the storm hit? Did you all know he'd even said that?
''Cheney said. “I ask all of you here and everyone listening across this great country to join us. I ask you to meet this moment. I ask you to stand in truth, to reject the depraved cruelty of Donald Trump. And I ask you instead to help us elect Kamala Harris for president.''
Be cautious about Melania's announcement about her view of abortion. It can easily be seen as an effort to soften the public perception of Donald Trump's position on the topic. I remember Melania's public announcement -- on the back of her coat: "I really don't care, do u?"
That's exactly what I think it is - a way to get people to think, 'well, his wife is for it, so I'll bet she can talk to him'. Bull. She is as transactional as he is - and that coat said it all.
Of course someone whose career consisted of "nude modeling" (really?) would favor liberal access to abortion; there's nothing altruistic about this position, it's sheer self-interestedness, so as not to jeopardize that career. And no, she really doesn't care - but oh yes, we assuredly do care.
C'mon Leonard, stay away from the tabloid aisle. She's TT..., totally tabloid. Next thing we'll see is her face on Time magazine. Not on Sports Illustrated, I would only hope.
I am a tournament bridge player. Serious and long-term bridge partnerships are in many ways like a marriage. There is an old saying in the tournament world: "Most partners deserve each other."
Ferrrr crissakes Berry, leave her out of it. She can't even speak good english in an interview about her book. Just another 'nude model', there's a ton of them out there.
Exactly this, the Project 2025 book where JD Vance did the foreword gets held until after the election, but Melania's book gets released right before without issue.
I remembered Laura Bush's comment. I did not remember when she made her remarks, so I looked it up. January 19, 2001 -- the day before GW Bush's inaugural. That timing could affect her husband's governance and is quite different from a few weeks before an election.
I don’t believe a word out of Melania’s mouth. She is probably being paid by the felon so he can shore up his lies about his flip-flopping in reproductive rights. It is all B.S.
The "depraved cruelty of Donald Trump" nails it. This is the moment to shine a big light on this political vampire and his lusts....and be done with him.
Bravo to both Vice President Kamala Harris and also The Honorable Liz Cheney for standing together as Americans. Thank you Dr Heather Cox Richardson for so eloquently recording our History. 🇺🇸
Thank you Professor! As we close in on these final weeks before the election and the orange menace becomes even more crazy than he was before, I really needed this uplifting letter this morning! Also, I have never been a fan of any of the Cheney's but Liz is coming up bigly and I thank her too. We are NOT going back!!!!!
Question: Didn't the whole Seal team incident only come up these last few days because Vance/Maga was going around saying there'd been no war/conflicts on Trump's watch? Shoot yourself in the foot much? AND, Helene and Trump's false claims about Biden's lack of response brought up his own failures to do the presidential right things on his watch. Lying and arrogance can come back and bite you in the ass. Gee whiz, who knew? (dup from FB)
Pax, never forget that Trump’s lies about those who refuse to kiss his ring are usually projections of what he’s done, tried to do or would like to do.
Wow, excellent newsletter. I have two comments, opposing in sentiment.
First, in horror that our wounded military were treated so poorly by our government after their sacrifices on behalf of our country, but relief that in the end the soldiers were awarded the Purple Hearts.
"The soldiers told Herridge and Kaplan that they were pressured to downplay their injuries to avoid undercutting Trump’s attempt to keep the casualty numbers in that incident low. With the story back in the news, Kaplan posted that after the report, the Army awarded the soldiers the Purple Hearts they deserved."
Second, with joy that Liz Cheney spoke up to advocate for Harris/Walz to run our country:
"In this election, putting patriotism ahead of partisanship is not an aspiration. It is our duty,” Cheney said. “I ask all of you here and everyone listening across this great country to join us. I ask you to meet this moment. I ask you to stand in truth, to reject the depraved cruelty of Donald Trump."
“And I ask you instead to help us elect Kamala Harris for president. I know…that…a president Harris will be able to unite this nation. I know that she will be a president who will defend the rule of law, and I know that she will be a president who can inspire all of our children—and if I might say so, especially our little girls—to do great things. So help us right the ship of our democracy so that history will say of us, when our time of testing came, we did our duty and we prevailed because we loved our country more.”
Restacking with that last sentence, because it bears repeating: "So help us right the ship of our democracy so that history will say of us, when our time of testing came, we did our duty and we prevailed because we loved our country more.”
Except. Everything he did in his presidency until January 6 was A-OK with her. Find and watch the clip of her accusing democrats of supporting abortion in the ninth month and killing babies and you might revert to your former opinion of her. Yes, she’s meeting this moment with dignity. But the rest? No thank you.
Harris and Cheney are the near future version of the Big Umbrella Democrats. I don’t think “party politics” will ever be the same. So excited to be on the journey with y’all!
I don’t think the Dem umbrella is big enough to accommodate a forced-carry-to-term advocate and enthusiastic trickle-downer. If the Republican Party collapses, she might lead a new party, but she can’t be a Democrat without changing her mind on some fundamental social and economic issues.
“Kamala spent all of her FEMA money—billions of dollars—on housing for illegal migrants,” former President Donald Trump told a rally crowd in Saginaw, Michigan. (Daily Beast)
Totally demented about immigrants, Lady Emsworth, for his fear/hatred/sensationalism.
He knew he couldn't have the bi-partisan border bill that was in the offing, as he knew his racist base would get riled up more than anything about "vermin, people of color, rapists (like himself), stealers of good, white jobs, and murderers and mental patients" all "flooding, crawling, swarming" over the southern border.
What a crock, but useful for the mass uneducated to respond to the hysteria.
And then, too, such a contrast to the great, positive, humane, calming words of Heather, Liz, and Kamala more or less all together today.
But then again - do the MAGA hordes WANT to be calmed? Anger, outrage and victim- claiming can be a drug. A lot of them seem to LIKE being able to scream about their fantasy "wrongs."
Sadly, yes Lady Emsworth, "Anger, outrage and victim-claiming can be a drug."
Let's underline these fine words of yours for the many teachers and former teachers here on Heather's site.
They could do so much to let even our mass uneducated see that in calm perusal of good books (and other arts), "calm" could allow them to see scripts, narratives, and humanity more compelling than the sewer vulgarity Trump and his acolytes have stooped to keep stirring up.
Teachers don't have any choice in the matter, however -- not in today's U.S., where the billionaire-profiting standardized testers have freely ransacked American schools to keep priorities in the group-think category-spotting that informs those humanly neutering tests above all.
Adrenaline is a powerful drug, even when it is manufactured by the adrenal glands when kicked up by the amygdala who sups on the "anger, outrage, and victim-claiming."
You often see comments from MAGAs that "Oh, liberals think they are SO much cleverer and better than us!" I think what REALLy annoys them is not that they think we feel superior (which I don't) but that they sense we actually pity them. I do really feel sorry for these people - what a horrible, sad world they live in. And I'm not surprised that reports show they die younger - the stress all that rage must cause would shorten any life.
The really sad part is that they mostly miss the irony that Donald Trump and his sycophants are the real ones responsible for many of the failures in their lives due to their absorption of much of the wealth in our country with no intent to share it in any way. Some of these people are so desperate and yet they look to Trump to "save" them. The only person Trump cars about is himself but they don't even see that. Pity is indeed the feeling, a truly sad feeling.
I pity them individually, but sometimes all you can do is shake your head, turn away, and let them wallow. I suppose they have the freedom and the right to be miserable.
Yes. Fox found out that they could not stop lying on their broadcasts without losing a significant fraction of their viewers. So, they decided to go full speed ahead with lies to protect their assets.
Not only the uneducated, sadly. They are easy to manipulate, but there are plenty with multiple degrees under that flag of sham called MAGA. Just look at our so called Supreme Court.
I appreciate your keeping us grounded in actual observations of behavior, Ally, so I put a thumb-up on your comment. Hard to like its message but easy to appreciate its value as a datapoint.
Thank you, Dr. Richardson, for providing that remarkably pertinent, indeed prescient 1859 quote from Abraham Lincoln. Who'd a thunk, over 150 years since his death, his words would be relevant to our present circumstances?
We were in DC a couple years ago between Christmas and New Year’s- a particularly quiet time for the Mall. At the Lincoln Memorial it was very chilly and…..not a peep. The reverence shown by all packed in to the Hall was inspiring - it brought tears to the eyes of many of us, myself included. There seemed no blue or red….just respectful people of every distinction you can imagine.
In the "depraved cruelty of Donald Trump" Liz Cheney totally hits the mark. This is the moment to drive the stake of facts in the heart of the monster, throw open the curtains, let the light of truth in and be done with his lust for power. As the brave young Cassidy Hutchinson said in her book...enough.
"... the argument of Trump’s lawyers before the Supreme Court that Trump could not prod a SEAL team to assassinate a rival because service members would adhere to the rules of their institutions."...is absurd. The military, like many organizations, follows the standards set at the top. Its why Trump's words and his actions pardoning members of the military convicted of war crimes is so dangerous.
Love this letter and love the hope amd unity arising across this troubled land Thank you Heather for shining the light of truth and facts so well spoken 🇺🇸🥁🙏💙❤️
Here is Liz Cheney's speech. Former Rep. Cheney's enthusiasm shone this afternoon. ⚖️
https://www.c-span.org/video/?c5135354/user-clip-a-ripon-good-time-liz-cheney
Vice President Harris was gracious. This dynamic duo proved to be a class act today. 🥳
No offense to men everywhere, but thank goodness the women are here at last to fix everything.
And what a contrast, Abby.
I love the combined voices of Kamala, Liz, and Heather. They get it exactly, humanly, totally correct.
And what a contrast to the depraved, lying, scheming-for-oneself-only orange felon Trump and his shameless acolyte fellow liar.
Wow, just wow, those words from Kamala and Liz almost knocked me off my chair. That is precisely what needs to be said. My five-year old granddaughter, whose grandmother is a medical doctor, her aunt a lawyer, her mother an MBA, will grow up knowing that some day she, too, could be president of the United States. My heart is bursting with pride for Kamala and Liz. They are true leaders.
Richard, this is a lovely sentiment regarding the women in your life.
Hear, here!
Agreed 111%. Women in leadership will, hopefully, end these interminably bloody conflicts. Northern Ireland is an example.
https://nedmcdletters.blogspot.com/2023/10/letter-180-post-107-in-israel-and-time.html
But, what to do when religion gets into the mixture? The reason for our First Amendment to our Constitution were the interminable religious wars in Europe, and now in the Mid-East. These wars could go on for centuries, or even eons if one side hasn't completely extinguished the other. The fact is, we’re involved in a religious conflict here right now- white Christian nationalism vs democracy.
https://youtu.be/FciQeRGYFlw?si=NYFwNr1Fmb6RB8PP
Keb Mo singing PUT A WOMAN IN CHARGE.
Cruelty, Hate, Anger, Resentment, Revenge and Misinformation.
CHARRM - the six pillars of the Trump campaign. As Roy Cohn advocated, "attack, attack, attack" and "deny, deny, deny".
All of this works with his low information base.
Gary, you've hit the proverbial nail on the head. It is what his base lives on: Cruelty, Hate, Anger, Resentment, Revenge, and Misinformation.
Well said.
Liz said it all: "I ask you to stand in truth, to reject the depraved cruelty of Donald Trump." Today's Letter is Prof. H.C. Richardson at her very best.
You missed one: "Fight! fight! fight!"
Not so charming, though
I honestly don't know how women can vote for Trump.
I don't know either. How can any woman,LGTBQ, black and brown person, military veteran, Muslim and other minorities vote in good conscience for this man. I don't get it.
Look to U.S. schools, Victoria.
They've surrendered to the mass suffocation of standardized testing.
Not only has this put humanities out of reach for tens of millions, but in their place sets up the conceits for life as nothing more than group categories, linear units, and other of the lowest level logic that neuters all.
It's a living death, for which we all pay.
Phil, I realize that demonizing "schools" and standardized testing is your personal hobby horse to ride. But your bumper-sticker just won't cut it.
By all measures, Finland is the happiest country in the world. Likewise, their education system is considered one of the best. They do have one standardized test. The difference between Finland and the U.S. is HOW they use standardized testing. But standardized testing – or lack of it – isn't the "secret sauce."
What I find more significant is that privately-funded schools are virtually nonexistent, at about 2% of all schools. Importantly, those handful of private schools MUST teach to national standards and they are prohibited from taking profit. In Finland, education is not an exercise in capitalism or competitive sport ... unlike the U.S. where any Tom, Dick or Mary can start a for-profit school or a parochial school that spends more time teaching religion than subjects that enable graduates to think critically and compete in the global economy.
I can agree with you in part, but everything can’t be blamed on the schools.
Sorry Phil, standard testing is the only way to ensure quality education across the country. That is why we need the Common Core. Should not a quality education be available to every student?
In some states, the schools have very little power to do otherwise. In Texas:
1) Teachers' unions have no bargaining power.
2) The state board of education makes the rules, with the state legislature sticking its nose in whenever possible.
Once again, it boils down to the voters. The people need to vote for legislators and SBOE members who support educating our youth for knowledgeable, discerning participation in our community life as adults. And locally, voters need to elect people who value public education to their local school boards. The school district in which I reside rarely has elections as no challengers step up, so the same people stay on the board for many election cycles. Perhaps the local school boards' hands are so tied by the state that serving is a thankless, powerless task. Often it seems that all they do is hire (and occasionally rehire) the superintendent.
Phil, I am glad you brought standardized testing up which turns people into zombies. Just yesterday the Oregon Education Department finally released how students were doing, this after much screaming by the media. And then every headline was about how the scores were stagnant as if they are the measure of anything other than teaching to the test. Portland School District actually did better, but that was lost in the shuffle. I have known many wonderful teachers who managed to teach their students and care for them despite interference from above. We have two friends in a district near Salem which is heavily Hispanic and Russian and they are great teachers. Don't get them started on standardized testing and bad administrators.
I wish the American Century would end so we can return to greatness through education with reasonable student teacher ratioes so we can active encourage citizens again as opposed to passive participants.
A tiny piece are ‘one issue voters.’ I believe their lenses are extraordinarily narrow.
Sadly, they are deeply misinformed, and deeply fearful. Anyone steeped in Faux News truly believes the lies, and that the orange thing will save them from the terrible immigrants who will move into their homes and eat their pets. They really believe it! It's tragic.
For me, a prayer for their pain and a humble effort to hear that pain are in order. The bellicose anger is rain-cloud cover for something else.
I don't know why anyone married to a woman would want to vote for Trump. Maybe if all of the pro-choice women in the country (probably > 70% of the voting female population) would tell their male partners "no more sex if you vote for Trump, even if you get a vasectomy" it would break through the delusions of Trump being "a strong man and good for the economy" (among other delusions and lies).
Besides immigration, the reason for suporting Trump I hear most often is the "economy." By that people mean grocery and gas price are higher and continuing to rise. I wish theTV interviewers would ask those MAGA folks how Trump would bring down the grocery and gas prices -- he has practically no power to do so! They'd be gobsmacked.
Good point. Would be nice to see "Liar, liar . . . Vance on fire" de-rail his ambitions.
Paul, i don't either as he is so misogynistic. But in fact, I don't know how any real patriot, compassionate Christian, or any decent person of either gender can vote for death star. He lacks any human virtue and is a festering cancer who destroys anything he touches. Then we have the acolytes like JD who further his agenda, not because they believe that he is best, but because they want power and wealth.
His crass coarseness and ignorance were, to me, what made it impossible that he should have won a presidential election. Ever.
Amen, brother!
Stockholm syndrome
No offense to women everywhere, but what took you so long? Re: a couple of Abigail Adams quotes: "Do not put such unlimited power into the hands of the husbands. Remember all men would be tyrants if they could." "If particular care and attention is not paid to the ladies, we are determined to foment a rebellion, and will not hold ourselves bound by any laws in which we have no voice or representation."
Joking aside, Harris was great yesterday, and Cheney was compelling. But we have miles to go before we sleep.
What took us so long? Penises. Penises obstructing, controlling, demanding that they are superior to uteruses. And why am I using words that men often find offensive, because I am reducing them to the member they're so proud of? Because the Dobbs decision demonstrates that that is what a lot of men--perhaps most men all over the world--use to think with.
We all have a circle of concern that includes and excludes. Some people exclude other people from their circle of concern. Some men exclude women. Some rich people exclude poor people. Some people exclude people based on how they look or what they believe. For the record, my circle of concern excludes the idea that it's okay to exclude other people.
Uh maybe cause women do everything in this world...hold a full time job, shop, plan meals, cook, clean, do the laundry, bear children and then take care of them...the question is how many men are taking care of the women and children and are not just another big baby women have to take care of.
Ha, my husband was not one of those, but I sure know some.
My husband has always helped around the house. When we were in graduate school and both carrying a full academic load, I told him to choose what he would do and he continues to do those things which includes the dishes and cleaning up the mess after I have cooked. He helps in the yard and helped me yesterday to pick figs. On Sunday he cooks the main on the Traeger (and the corn if we are having it). We do have cleaning help every two weeks and yard help because we are now in our 80s. Before that when we were still working, we went out to breakfast on Saturdays and then cleaned the house. We also do the grocery shopping together.
I'm glad you had a husband that "helped around the house" but even that language implies he was doing women's work rather that if we all eat we should all cook, if we all wear clothes we should all take care of those clothes, if we live in the house all should keep that house clean, if one helps create children they should also be equally involved their care...
That description of a long marriage warms my heart. "When we were still working, we went out to breakfast on Saturdays and then cleaned the house." And doing the grocery shopping together is no mean feat. A beautiful sunset.
Your "big baby" comment hits the nail on the head. I like the way John Lennon's "time to grow up" message to himself ended up in his "Nowhere Man" song. Translation: I'm saying I understand why women are skeptical about men, but I'm also saying it's important not to be cynical.
Well I got cynical about men when I was about 12 and nothing has changed my mind since...I do have a few nice men friends however.
Maybe time for "Lysistrata's Revenge."
We were too busy raising children and facing hundreds of years of inequality. Early on, in Adams' time, we had to contend with massive structural inequality that made women into property without the vote or legal rights. That had to come first. Remember, many women's rights that we now take for granted only date to the 1970s and 80s, and even then they often suffered discrimination in practice. Plus Dobbs has shown us how the most basic right to control our own bodies can be stripped away.
Patriarchy is why. Patriarchal religion is why; the notion that men are closer to God and therefore better. The religious belief that men are more godlike because God is male and somehow women were made from Adam's rib and were to blame for the fall from Eden is why. The willingness to believe a story utterly at odds with how nature actually works -- that man is always born of women -- has subverted society and continues to do so. And by the way, when humanity had matriarchal religion, men were not treated much better. The issue is a religion that is not based in equality, but in ignorant hierarchy.
The issue is in ignorant hierarchy. No one is free until we are all equal.
Bravo! Have you read Marilyn French?
No I haven't read Marilyn French. But Eve by Cat Bohannan was extremely enlightening.
Let's face it, even god was born from woman, even the catholic church know Mary is the mother of god...Michael Angelo even gave god a belly botton in his famous Sistine Chapel painting.
Good observation - he'd obviously never seen a birth (one doesn't notice such details when one is being born). I'm sure he was smart enough to understand the implication.
Bias against women is age old - the ego of some men simply cannot handle the strength of who we are and always have been
Jennifer, you say it's the ego of some men, I say it's the lack of maturity of some people, and if asked to bet on whether a randomly chosen insufficiently mature adult is a man or a woman, we're both betting "man." What am I doing about it? Reciting the serenity prayer.
Seriously? What took women so long? We can just NEVER do enough, can we? What has been taking MEN so long, James?
James R. Carey, spoken like someone to whom the patriarchy is like air. I'm betting you are fairly enlightened, but perhaps some additional research on the women's movement in the United States, the huge barriers it encountered might explain why it took so long. Racism clearly exists, but this country was more willing to elect a black man than an extraordinarily qualified white woman. Sexism is still alive and well, and not just among men. Agree we still have miles to go.
My attempt at self-deprecating humor might have been misinformed. Yes, the details matter, but any prejudice against any identifiable group of people has a single cause, which is the appearance that we're not all equal, and the cure involves admitting that the appearance is an illusion.
GMB, I agree on why it has taken so long and how we are not nearly there.
Wow, well stated Mr. Carey. Nice historical footnote.
Abby,I have shared this YouTube vid here before: Keb’ Mo’ singing “Put A Woman In Charge”; great song, vid well done. Spot on & about time, yeah? https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=FciQeRGYFlw
Thank you!! Please keep sharing it Barbara. There is a big fat thumb on the scales of justice. Vance “lost” the debate when he said: THE RULES WERE YOU GUYS WEREN’T GOING TO FACT CHECK. And that fact was buried by the media. So, activating women’s hearts is worth a try. . 💙💙💙💙💙💙
I agree, Gigi. That one statement by Vance did say it all. In other words, "You said we could lie!" Hoping that shows up in some ads, since the media isn't emphasizing it.
Carol, JD said earlier, before the debate, that the ends justify the means including blatant lies. He is totally without any moral core.
Everything I've read, led with it.
I certainly posted the meme made out of that line. It's made the social media circles,and MSNBC chat room after the debate. Most of what Vance said was a lie, especially when he tried to sound like a reasonable Democrat!
It wasn't buried by the media I read or hear. On the contrary, it was such a giveaway that it was about the first thing mentioned.
Thanks for reposting the link Barbara. I’ve not noted it before.
Hear, here! Beautiful song. Shorter than Aristophanes. 😉
I just posted it again, above.
Yes. Yes. And I hope that women voters come out in massive numbers to vote for sanity and decency and competency and honesty. I hope they realize that the radical right and the so called religious right want to keep you all barefoot and pregnant and in the kitchen and quiet! The morality police , dress codes , a secondary status are in their plan. Birth control is in the crosshairs. Please rouse your sisters and daughters and friends to vote .
I have been donating to Galvanize Action and encourage others to donate to also https://www.galvanizeaction.org/ They have been successful in gaining the trust of the largest voting bloc, connecting with moderate white women in rural, small town, and suburban communities to build an America that works for everyone.
Thanks for this
Birth control is in their crosshairs. I remember in 1960 (yes I’m old) , a Catholic friend of my sister expressed that no way would she support anyone who even mentioned trying to tell her what to do about birth control. Wonder what she thinks so many years later.
No offense taken here. I’ve been telling my many women friends that I am counting on the women to save America.
That’s a burden we shouldn’t need to place on you but you are essential to preserving a healthy Democracy. Thanks in advance for your votes.
met with sympathetic laughter, and knowing humour from Liz, when she spoke thus. The participants certainly got the point. And, Abby, did you notice that male partisan vocal raucousness was definitely part of the event. And, aside, the sober, if not stern, appearance of Kamala's security service guards, mostly over 6 feet tall, moving adroitly behind Kamala and scanning every movement in that close crowd.
Behind every great man is a wise woman willing to share her advice for the common good.
Every great leader regardless of sex, gender or socio-economic class there needs to be a great listener that is willing to admit when they have made a mistake.
Very wise there, Gary; thank you 'muchly'.
None taken..
¡Hear, here!✌🏽🙏🖖
Amen!
Take a moment or two to listen to Keb Mo, "Put a Woman in Charge": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FciQeRGYFlw. It will make you happy.
I say we post it on Trump's social media!
Not just women but a mixed race woman leading us! Truly women of color are saving this democracy!
No offense taken. You are speaking the absolute dad gum truth. Women ARE going to be this country’s salvation, if we can be salvaged from the hubris, cruelty, duplicity and cowardice of so many these past years.
Hopefully, women in charge will mean fewer wars.
Thanks, Rick. Well said!
No offense taken. I’m with you; an old white man.
No offense taken. About time.
No offense taken. Bout damn time.
Liz Cheney was splendid. (I saw and heard). Splendid also in the way she acknowledged the applause - not a smile or a wave, just a pause of acknowledgement.
Thank goodness for Republicans like Liz Cheney, who had the courage to stand in opposition to Trump's Tyranny. Thank goodness for Jack Smith, Judge Chutkan, and Judge Merchan, who had the courage to persevere in their belief that Trump should be held accountable for his treasonous actions.
All those who dared to bring to light the Truth about Trump, knowing it would be dangerous, are true heros in my opinion.
All those MAGA Republican House and Senate members who bowed to Trump in order to save their jobs are truly despicable in my opinion.
Well some guys -- even white conservatives -- can pitch in, too. 😉
https://www.c-span.org/video/?c5021441/user-clip-brav-rep-kinzinger
Haven't forgotten him.
Thank you. Ma'am. The courage that Reps Cheney and Kinzinger have shown really inspires me; should inspire everyone.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=co52H-7Org0
I would love Vice President Harris to use that old film title from fifty-six years ago: "What's so bad about feeling good?"
Send a message to The Boss - Springsteen is the latest to come out for Harris/Walz - I'm sure he could make a song out of "What's so bad about feeling good"!
Ned, I, too, wish he’d be mentioned more often for being a stand-up, do-right guy….I appreciate all those who put country & democracy over party & power!🗽
i never before especially noticed until this campaign the speaker's gesture of putting hand to the upper chest before. It seems to be iconic. I gather it echoes the pledge of allegiance all school children learn by heart in their formative years. Just me folks?
It's body language we use when we speak truth.
I noticed that as well, and loved it. Gave me a warm feeling. 💕
It is also a way of acknowledging a compliment, or saying "thank you", or "I'm touched by your words."
That was roughly how i have been taking it, and often affirmation.
Since I say that pledge frequently, Frank, you may have added a richness to it. Thank you. Yes, I love my cherished United States deeply; that does not mean I like her a whole lot right now.
Mixed bottle of jelly beans these days, more than usual. My sense is nationalism is relatively low key and pragmatic. Canada is not encumbered??? with that sense of pervasive American exceptionalism. But also, I'm likely less obviously patriotic than many of my fellow Canadians.
Well as my mother said over half a century ago, "Canada is a civilized version of the United States." 🤝
My mother was brilliant; I am not saying that because I grew up an R.C. 🥳
She was also a saint; okay I am saying that because l did grow up Catholic. 😉
Yes, her acknowledgement was even "presidential" to match Harris.' These are true leaders who have gravitas and are able to show it in moments like this when it can convey a powerful non-verbal message. Cheney ha maintained that attitude and ability all along, especially at the Jan. 6 hearings. There's no doubt that she's damn serious. Only the deliberately deluded will not listen!
My dream race in 2016 -- as a Republican hoping against hope for an intervention by Party Elders -- was between Governor Kasich and Senator Sanders. The country was and still is facing major-league problems. These two candidates had a deep, abiding love for America and radically different, sincerely held and expressed, policy proposals.
My dream race for 2028 would be Mmes Harris and Cheney; perhaps similar to the (likely apocryphal) idea that President Kennedy supposedly consider for the 1964 race: that he and Senator Goldwater would face off and have a series of debates around the country to inform, educate, and solicit votes.
Country over party is a mantra I’ve come to believe is the cornerstone of the future of America. I love this country even more than I hate its political division.
I believe a HEALTHY two party system is an essential ingredient for the future I want to believe in. I’m pleased there are Republicans , like Liz Cheney and a growing number of other voices, willing to stand with the Democrats in continuing the great American experiment.
Thanks to HCR for so effectively weaving a tapestry of hope through her letters. They warm this elderly American’s heart!
Ned, thanks for posting the link.
I think the Country over Party mantra is a very appropriate theme to carry away from the Harris - Cheney determinations at Ripon. In the past week I read of determined Texas and national Billionaires and an uncomfortable number of business leaders who are funding every possible method to ensure Trump is elected or becomes President.
The original Republican Party founding at Ripon was in response to determined efforts of the slave holding wealth of the South to make Slavery of human beings the Law in the United States.
So the American crux in this election is whether the nation pivots to Government based on wealth and autocratic beliefs or we can reach into the same theme as did Abe Lincoln and decide for “We the People.”
We are as near to the cataclysm of absolute change or resolute democracy as we were in 1859 and voting must decide the outcome.
The March 20, 1854 (10 days before the Kansas Nebraska act, as feared), was passed) meeting at the Little White School House in Ripon is described as where according to:
https://riponhistory.org/birthplace-of-the-republican-party-read-more/
"...Alan Bovay spoke to the idea that the new party should, and in all probability would, be assigned the name Republican, but he advised against naming it at that time..."
I found it interesting that none of the House members elected in the Fall of 1854 took sets as Republicans according to how I interpret https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/34th_United_States_Congress
There were 82 listed as Democratic (down from 152 (D) at the end of the 33rd Congress), then an Opposition Caucus consisting of 51 American/(Know Nothing) designated by "A," and 100 Opposition designated by "O" in the coalition that became the majority. The first Republican listed in the House was from Vermont George T, Hodges who replaced the deceased James Meacham in a special election held September 2, 1856 and was seated on December 1, 1856.
The information (slightly different, apparently with a vacancy counted as an additional Democrat for a total of 83) also includes a bit on the 133 ballots needed to elect a Speaker and Bleeding Kansas as the Senate backed the proslavery state constitution while the House favored the antislavery constitution, according to https://history.house.gov/Congressional-Overview/Profiles/34th/
Seems sort of like recent fighting over who were real electors Electors during that period's warm up to the more consequential elections with the most consequential being 1860.
Beautifully stated, Gary. I have only one response: DITTO with a capital u.s.a.
Ned or anyone, please post yesterday's Bruce Springsteen Instagram Campaign Ad that supports Kam-Tim & is respectful of the audience.
Bruce sitting a the Counter of any Anywhere-America diner is wearing a flannel shirt with a turned up collar blending-in with the dinner's decor. Bruce delivers his
messages looking directly at the camera, talking to his fans & talking to to all Americans about supporting Kam & the themes, "I write about".
'Can't start a fire without a spark'.
https://www.instagram.com/p/DArLPGnIJD3/
Thank you, Ally! Love the 'diner' back-drop. ✌🏽
"Former" you say, Ned? I know you're speaking authentically because of her previous position. However, I would argue that today, and at this time, and as much as I thought I would never say it, she is doing a damn good job representing the faith and honor of the political ideals of this nation. She has proven herself to be the American representative Emeritus for our nation. She should get the Medal of Freedom for her stance. The stupidity of Wyoming's republicans to ignore her stand during Trump's attempted coup only proves the hollow and shallow state of lemmings for Trump. I don't want to leave out Adam Kinzinger, as he also had the guts to do much the same. However, in the news, it's been Liz Cheney who has taken the battle to the hollow minded.
And yet the shrinking MAGAs bow to a shrinking demigod. Perhaps Cheney will have a position in the Harris administration.
I have never been a Liz Cheney fan but I might change my mind. This was a truly heroic speech and I agree, she may end up in a Harris administration. If this helps Harris beat Trump, she would deserve it. Maybe she would even gain a streak of liberalism. That would be one for the books! Two terrific American women standing side by side in a coalition to sustain democracy. It would certainly make a great movie!
Jon After Dick Cheney’s dreadful role in pushing Bush into the disastrous Iraqi invasion, I never imagined that I would have a good word to say about the Cheney family.
Liz Cheney, who I’d seen as a 100% Republican Neanderthal, broke free of her family when, after January 6th, she boldly chose country over party. She did this by shouting the truth loudly.
She was duly punished by Trumpites, first losing her leadership role in the Republican House and then losing her congressional seat in Wyoming.
Even more remarkable, Dick Cheney, who I considered Dark Vader in the Bush W administration, belatedly comes out for country over party, with an endorsement of Kamala.
Georgia and I may even invite some RINOs to Thanksgiving dinner.
My sentiments exactly. Lord, I couldn’t abide any of them, what a shock.
Well I will say I try hard NOT to demonize anyone, even the Cheneys. Did I ever agree with their political views? Hell no! But did I ever consider them "devils in human form"? No, I didn't even consider Reagan that. Not even NIXON (although some of his henchmen certainly felt that way at times like Haldeman). Trump had certainly shown us all an extreme that I doubt any of us even presumed existed at the highest levels of the opposition. So we probably saw things differently pre Jan6. I saw the Cheneys and Bushes et al as people who didn't see this correctly at all but I never saw them as demons. Today the demons have clearly taken over the GOP. It is "grand" no more. And that is a sad thing for our country.
Jon As I approach my 91st birthday I find that historically I am somewhat more gracious towards folks who I believe have worked badly.
Joseph McCarthy I will never forgive. He was desperate to be re-elected and was ready to trash our country and some noble individuals.
Nixon was highly skilled, but he was steaming with resentment and focused on enemies. Though I was on the Nixon White House Enemies List, I give Nixon credit for seeking to serve the United States in his way.
Reagan was an actor in an incredible role. He had some strengths and a number of weaknesses. He was an American patriot who believed that he was serving his country. He took a major popularity hit for sticking with Paul Volcker.
He also, with Gorby, were responsible for ending the Cold War with a whimper rather than a bang.
Dick Cheney, with his 10 visits to CIA, was determined, with Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, to ‘get’ Saddam Hussein. Their arrogance was extremely destructive. I’ll give him some credit for belatedly speaking out, in part because of Liz.
With Trump and his flunky Vance there is absolutely no forgiveness. They are ME ME ME chameleons with not a whit of concern regarding what is best for the United States. I believe in the Constitution. ‘Nuff said?
An interesting question for you and anyone else who is interested. I don't know if you are around in the 60s but when Kennedy dragged us through the Cuban Missile crisis which almost resulted in a nuclear war, did you feel you would never have anything good to say about Kennedy? Ditto when LBJ dragged us headlong into Vietnam? I spent my entire youth worried that I'd be drafted and end up dead on a battlefield somewhere in south east Asia. Yet I still have good things to say about both presidents even though I hated what they did then. That is also how I feel about Bush and Cheney. I don't like much of what they did but I do think they sincerely believed they were doing what was right for the country even if I think it was wrong.
Trump has completely changed the narrative. I do not think there is ANYTHING he has done which ever was for the good of the country. He is a self inflated egocentric narcissistic, something which I do NOT believe defines any other president in my lifetime. I've lived through bad presidents but nothing that even vaguely resembles Trump.
Inspiring, isn’t it?! What it should always look like….teaming up to work for common goals for benefit of all “the people”.
We all might survive this yet... stay tuned!
🤞
I appreciate Liz and her father for actively standing up for the continuation of democracy, it is powerful. And in that way I do think they believe and are acting upon ‘country over party’ values. But I also think that her policy values maintain , ultimately, party over country focus. Do we all remember how she voted with Trump’s values 90% of the time? Trump got a hold of the Republican party through their values which we might distill into the Reagan Trickle down system, the one HCR, Biden, Warren, AOC, Bernie and others are saying “yeah 50 years of that proves it doesnt work” but Liz would go back to that. I deeply appreciate her courage to stand with democracy but I am NOT interested in what have been her and her Republican party of old, policies.
Well you certainly don't have to agree with her or her policies, but politics is "the art of the possible" and if you want success you have to be ready to compromise even when you don't agree. Take that from a 73 year old communist (small "c") who also loves this county even when it is wrong.
I am a fan but I don’t have to agree with her policy positions to respect her.
Coming from the center, I think some of my positions might not be that far off. And my mantra is to move to the center and all that it entails.
I think we already knew that about you
I must take that as a compliment.
Ten years ago, if someone post West Wing came up with the script US has been going through with Trumpism, most of us would likely be shaking our collective heads. Trust "Civil War" thriller remains at "step beyond"...
I submit that she acquired that liberal streak when she publicly declared that she was wrong on marriage equality. Having a LGBTQ family member will do that to you ... if you're a human with a heart.
I don't know much about Liz Cheney's positions, however, her strength of character and devotion to this country speaks volumes. My prayer is we get Kamala elected and those joining her from the Republican Party will be able to establish a new and better party far from the maddening MAGA party.
You might want to read up on her policy positions then, they arent friendly. That doesnt mean we cant applaud and appreciate her courage in this course of action, but dont be duped into thinking that her policies are anything close to what humane democrat positions are
I had thought the exact same thing. We must reach across the aisle and combine both parties and especially women.
A shout out to Pete B. for helping in the process of the strike. Love him and his intelligence and warmth. What a man he is!!
Combine? Please look at Liz’s past policy support. Remember she voted with Trump 90% of the time. I’m glad for the moment she has a higher arc of vision for democracy but I absolutely doubt that she would ever be in the same
Political camp as Kamala
True but one thing I learned growing up in Arizona as a child of socialists is that in this country we do need to accept and even honor those who might disagree with us, especially when they are honorable. It is the way we reach compromises, something that definitely seems to be lost in this modern Trumpian universe. No one says you have to give up your beliefs but you do have to recognize that there are many who hold different beliefs and again if everyone is honorable you MAY be able to reach an acceptable middle ground.
hmmm.... despite the very friendly vibes... i'm wondering if she is not covertly involved in how "RINOs" might reconstitute the Republican Party. Kamala paid a pointed reference to getting that back once "we get past this" not quite how she said it perhaps, but very clear seeing Trumpism as a dangerous aberration in American political life. One that has latched onto an irreconcilable minority of evangelical zealots and elsewise, who have taken "tribal" to a whole new level.
Not surprising at all. Of course she wants to rebuild the Republican Party. HCR has long said we need to healthy parties to be a democracy, healthy being the operative word.
Liz Cheney grew up in the Republican Party of Ronald Reagan, the great espouser of “voodoo” economics, supply side economics, trickle down theory. Trickle down economics moved money up the ladder, where it has been hoarded, such that some people became wealthy beyond imagination. The Republican Party of Reagan, the Bushes, and the Cheneys is also the party of Karl Rove and Roger Stone. Karl Rove has spent years operating on the “Greed is good” idea, every man for himself. What on earth would look like a healthy Republican Party. The current Republican Party looks to make life hell on earth for so many people.
A sliver of conscience in that crowd, rare as hens teeth
Exactly. People need to remember this and not get hoodwinked into thinking that Liz is all that friendly towards democrat values i.e. the greed you refer to
But so what? If i hate everyone who had different values than me (which I acknowledge to be extreme leftist) I would hate about 95% of the American population. It is one of the things I have said here repeatedly. It is dismaying to see how many people on this blog use hateful comments when talking about the opposition. Yes, Trump is very often (almost always in fact) hateful but that does NOT mean WE have to follow him into the swamp. I am fearful for it country that too many people see ANY divide as unapproachable. We used to be able to have civil discussion with our opponents. Now they have become "enemies" and I understand it but I fear for our future, assuming we even have one.
Exactly.
I hope she is. We need a functioning second party for the US to work properly. True conservative ideas contribute important restraint to the functioning of a healthy democracy.
What Abby said. 100%!
"who have taken 'tribal' to a whole new level"
Thank you! This is it exactly!
Sorry ... I appreciate what she is doing but the lady wants her job and her party back and she won't get them until Trump et al disappear!
Not surprising at all. Of course she wants to rebuild the Republican Party. HCR has long said we need two healthy parties to be a democracy, healthy being the operative word. Republicans aren’t the enemy, the Magas are. Liz Cheney has shown the backbone that the other “rinos” have not and paid dearly for it. I am a lifelong Democrat, but I don’t just follow blindly.
She does want those things, I'm sure, and if there is any justice in the world she will get them - or some version of them. We cannot survive long-term as a single party system.
But we do need several parties. I'm OK with the idea of Liz Cheney supporting Kamala Harris in order to clean house and get her own party back. My father was a Republican who served on school boards and always voted. Just before he died, he told me he'd voted for a Democrat in an election because she was the best candidate. Believe my father, if still alive, would be following Cheney and vote for Harris. My father wouldn't have been able to vote for a convicted felon, insurrectionist, and rapist.
I agree she wants to stay in politics....clearly ....she is up there reaching out to America. But I also feel she hates DT and the fascism he stands for....as I don't think she would have put her congressional seat on the line the way she did....if it wasn't her core belief.
I do believe that, when he was in power, a good number of her votes backed him!!
Sorry ... When SHE was .....
Yes , you have a great point however, we can worry about that later. Her goal is to have unity in this country and to help Harris win this election.
I approve "shrinking demigod". Withering, decaying, deliquescing . . . down to dust.
It's funny , I was thinking the same thing.
It is alarming that lies and disinformation have such a powerful influece. Trump is another Putin and Kim of NK, a cruel oppressor of those who stand against him, but leave alone those who stay in poverty and live like slaves.
None of this has been reported by Fox, other right wing media, so it has no effect on MAGA.
That is, unless we send Heather's Substack to MAGA websites on social media.....
They’ll just call it fake news or propaganda (ask me how I know). Cults are cults for a reason. If Trump told them all to drink the grape Kool-Aid and meet him at that great Mar-A-Lago in the sky, I think there would be a lot of corpses to bury.
Evidence shows that many former Trump voters are flipping. Vote Vets, Republican Voters Against Trump and similar groups have thousands of testimonials from people who voted twice for Trump but support Kamala Harris.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8NRD3KDgYmk
Daniel, I'm glad they're out there. My retired cop cohort is doubling down on fpotus.
I know how you know... sadly.
Trump's lashing out at Cheney is all over Fox. They may believe Trump, but the message that there are Republicans rooting due Harris is getting through.
Ef MAGA. Traitors.
Exactly
My thoughts exactly. I’m proud of Heather and all democracy defenders.
Amen that. Thank you heather and ms chaney both for a reminder that, amid the carnage, hate and folly of this world, there still shines a beautiful beacon of hope.
I live in East Tennessee and our Republican Governor refused to declare a state of emergency before the storm. He didn’t do so until last Friday night, after the storm had already wreaked havoc up here in Appalachia. So FEMA is just now arriving and taking over the largely volunteer and wholly inadequate recovery efforts that have been hobbled together over the past week. When asked by a local reporter why he didn’t declare the emergency before the storm like our neighboring states, he replied “You don’t declare a state of emergency when there is no emergency yet.” He literally said that. Presumably he and his administration didn’t know about the impending disaster because they embrace Project 2025 which would eliminate NOAA and its storm-predicting functions because they are too focused on climate change. (You can’t make this stuff up smh). The Biden Administration, to its credit, said earlier this week that it had prepared to help those of us who hadn’t asked anyway, in anticipation of when that inevitable call for help would come. People up here in Appalachian Tennessee are suffering greatly, but I can guarantee that those who need help the most—the majority of them anyway—are the same ones who two weeks ago wanted to eliminate the federal government because Fox News and OAN and NewsMax told them to. And they will no doubt blame the Biden administration for the slow response, and the state and local governments will not contradict them.
Before calling in the emergency, he declared the day of the storm tobe "a voluntary day of prayer and fasting".
I don't get why the two are, apparently, mutually exclusive? Why can't you pray and fast while accepting help graciously from your neighbors? That's all that federal agencies and tax money is, after all - neighborly assistance in need.
Because they actually believe that praying can stop bad things from happening. Stupid is as stupid does.
Like offering prayers over children blown apart by their AR’s
That’s exactly what was going through my mind when I typed this.
They’re afraid the aid might come with “strings,” such as, you know, using it to help everyone, including democrats!
I agree that volunteers have really held everything together here in TN and throughout the affected states. No argument there. They’ve saved lives and donated food and supplies and taken in neighbors and hauled water and so many other things. But they can’t rebuild the roads and everyone’s homes, and shouldn’t be expected to. It’s the job of the government to plan for those things and provide the resources and carry them through.
If you do both, you promote faith and common sense. I think that guy was only aiming for partisanship in a pious mask.
Indeed you CAN pray and fast, and I did. But before and during the storm I prayed while I took steps to prepare, which is what my prayers led me to do. Also, my prayers revealed to me the need for gratitude for our government.
I was wondering the same thing Lynn when I first read it.
Yesterday, I was on about, the lack of logic in the MAGA and white Christian Nationalist world. This is a great example of a logic flaw as you point out.
Seems clear to me....politics above helping those in need in their state.
Where are all the Catholics in this picture?
I can come to no other conclusion after years of reading everything I can in order to understand the underpinnings of this mess we are in....they are all nothing but an organized crime syndicate wearing the costume of religion for cover.
And then the GOP blamed Biden for not getting relief to a red state.
Projection! They’re dirty, so everyone must be
He can't go in until he is asked. Dammed if you do, dammed if you don't.
Pretty stupid! Guess prayer didn’t work for Mother Nature. We go back to the saying that god helps those who help themselves. Hmmmm….yeah that works so well.
Love your writing today, Abby.
Both a bit above in a separate comment from you, and here, on your idiot MAGA governor.
Love especially your link to all the MAGA idiots and now their fawning for the even greater stupidity and malice their Project 2025 aims at the U.S. It recalls Heather's in her para 2 today, on America's enslavers who "rejected the self-evident truth in the Declaration of Independence that all men were created equal. Instead, they intended to rule over the nation’s majority, whose labor produced the capital that southern leaders believed only elites should control."
You've got it exactly true, Abby, as to the equal madness and arrogance of today's MAGA followers of their fat orange convicted criminal. And you nab it perhaps best in your parenthetical remark as to how "You can't make this stuff up."
You, Abby, Heather, Liz, Kamala -- so many fine, decent American women in the midst of so many mad males forming today's version of those former elite enslavers.
I gotta say Phil, I really LOVE all your comments tonight! Great work!
Thank you, Jon.
I've put together a collection of concept maps on Project 2025 (with page #s!) to help people understand the magnitude of damage MAGA wants to do.
https://fidlnfree.com/rwb.html
It will help people understand the magnitude of the damage Trump and MAGA Republicans want to do to our country. It is a resource that will enable responsible citizens across the political spectrum to educate themselves and ground their discussions with other voters in what the document actually says.
Please share the web link with everyone in your network and ask them to share with everyone in their network. Here's my post: https://substack.com/home/post/p-149586096?r=11kr2&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web. Thanks!
Double sigh. First, Abby, my condolences and hopes that you and your family (if any) are well. Disaster really sucks (I've been thru a few earthquakes here in California). I do hope at least a few people in Tennessee are paying attention.
They're part of a cult of personality and will die for their leader. We have to write them off until they can be convinced that leader unworthy. Perhaps, when he's finally behind bars.
Or simply die off and wait and see if a younger generation will come to their senses. The old white guys who thought they were kings are the super racist race are dying out.
I remember thinking in the 70’s that same thing about civil rights. “When these old racists die-off, we will have put systemic racism behind us.”It came roaring back. We must be vigilant and elect Kamala Harris, and continue to fight injustice wherever it raises its ugly self.
Death is sometimes the 'only way' for change to move forward. I remember in my reading of the history of science, eg the 19th century, this was almost an adage as prominent scientists refused to part ways with their espoused theories. 'til death do us part'...
Good point Frank. Unfortunately, the Catholic Church has never "died", although several harpoons have damaged it over the years. Translating the Bible into German and English exposed the heresy of many of the priests, bishops, cardinals and even the pope. And Martin Luther and others pointed out the hypocrisy of the church. By allowing his fellow ministers and himself to marry and have children he opened the door for women to move into positions of prominence. It has indeed been a very slow process, and the Catholic Church still stands in the way of women everywhere.
Catholic charities have done many great things to help the poor, but the actions of hundreds of priests have gone unpunished. The church's idea of punishment is to move them to another parish.
The Catholic Hospital that refused treatment of a woman that was hemorrhaging is being sued. May they pay dearly.
It is dangerous to try, convict and sentence any organization in totality. I work at a Catholic institution. I was raised as a Catholic and have been around Catholics my whole life. I am a Buddhist today not in a reaction to Catholicism but as a matter of preference.
As in any organization there exists a whole spectrum of sinners to saints. As thinking people and participants of the "big tent" Democratic Party we risk becoming like those we judge so harshly if we begin to close ranks in self- righteous judgement of others.
I was raised Catholic and still consider myself one. I worked for a bishop who was corrupt and self-serving, along with many dedicated priests. Nevertheless, after seeing the institutional church and my treatment as a professional woman by the bishop and his “leadership,” I’ve walked away.
Well said
Right. I’m in California and work in healthcare. We have a big problem here of large Catholic hospitals buying up hospitals and doing shitty things like what St Joe’s/Providence did in Humboldt county, making a woman drive to a community hospital 20 minutes away while she was hemorrhaging. The Guardian article said a nurse gave the woman a bucket of towels in case something happened. This should be illegal. What it means to me is that Catholic healthcare must be tightly
Monitored and also community hospitals must be robustly supported to expand
Fortunately, it's not always like that. For instance, Dignity Health in San Francisco, which was a large Catholic hospital institution, was recently purchased by UCSF which is a state-run University medical school. So Dignity Health, which continues to be staffed by nuns is now providing services in the same way that UCSF has provided them at its other hospitals. So things can move forward, but it takes time.
Interesting. I did not know that. So much for the inquiring minds theory.
In TN, that generation is led by Justin Jones, Justin J Pearson, Aftyn Behn, Gloria Johnson, et al. (Dems, btw). There are several more running this year and Blue TN is helping them financially. In a state that is 80% rural and districts can be miles and miles long, they have lots of acres to cover.
Abby, the cognitive dissonance is astounding! 🤦🏻♀️
Both fanatics and people of principle resolutely "stand by their guns" or something to that effect
And it is extremely important that we do not become fanatics in our equal intensity but opposite views.
I think some of this is a matter of perspective, with fanatic being used by one party to describe what the other party considers its heroic virtues or principles by which it stands or falls. Terrorism is a similarly laden word, where one calls terrorist what the other calls freedom fighters. I dont think for a moment that a typical pro life evangelical is less sincere than a pro choice supporter of abortion rights , regardless of the perceived merits of the case. Tough business, but this is where irreconcilable differences have driven a lot of American politics.
I keep it way more simple that your comment. Any intensity of negativity towards a person or group is a signal to me to get my act together. It informs me that I need to take a step back and calm down.
Abby, I’m sorry that you’re stuck with a governor that likes hurting his constituents with dress rehearsals for dealing with disasters without federal help to make a point. Reagan started that with his assertion that the nine worst words are “I’m from the government and I’m here to help”. I was raised with the maxim “God helps those who help themselves” and “I can walk and chew gum at the same time”. Hopefully, eventually, the people who are exposed to relatively unbiased news (HCR, AP, Reuters, PBS) will prevail.
https://www.reaganlibrary.gov/archives/speech/presidents-news-conference-23
Jeremy Faison deceitfully commented “it was about time” when Biden approved aid. The TN leg worries constantly about “strings” attached to federal help (e.g., education) tho they cannot, when asked, tell anyone what those “strings” are. Lee is obsessed with one thing: vouchers.
A group of us this year started Blue TN (www.bluetennessee.org) to help fund dem opposition in previously unopposed red districts. We have a number of Dems running for the first time in Nov, with our assistance. Join us!
Thanks for that detail, Abby! Lee was enjoined by the other affected governors, in fact, the opposite.
Wishing you a speedy recovery.
Thank you
Sad but true……I hope that yall get some relief. I’ve lived thru hurricanes and damage here in SW Fla and its sucks
I've put together a collection of concept maps on Project 2025 (with page #s!) to help people understand the magnitude of damage MAGA wants to do.
https://fidlnfree.com/rwb.html
It will help people understand the magnitude of the damage Trump and MAGA Republicans want to do to our country. It is a resource that will enable responsible citizens across the political spectrum to educate themselves and ground their discussions with other voters in what the document actually says.
Please share the web link with everyone in your network and ask them to share with everyone in their network. Here's my post: https://substack.com/home/post/p-149586096?r=11kr2&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web. Thanks!
"People ... in Appalachian Tennessee are suffering greatly, but ... those who need help the most ... two weeks ago wanted to eliminate the federal government because Fox News and OAN and NewsMax told them to. ...[T]hey will no doubt blame the Biden administration for the slow response[.]...[T]he state and local governments will not contradict them.
Tennessee Appall-achians: "We not only want a fascist dictatorship. We want a fascist kakistocracy! And who could be a better leader of a kakistocracy than the kakistocrat without peer, Donald J. Trump! We not only love what he says. We are wild about what he can't do! Which is everything. Except for running his mouth!"
Time to read, or re-read Michael Lewis' "The Fifth Risk."
A guide through the accomplishments of the Trump administration. For those who forget the history of 2017-2021. So long ago, eh?
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1p0uHYsFaffPHNSUIek3yK5n6kUYJmHPx/view?usp=sharing
Abby, I hope you are safe and doing as well as possible considering your circumstances. Do you think the people of TN would replace your Governor after this? I was curious how people took the Governor's speech to fast and pray before the storm hit? Did you all know he'd even said that?
Somehow I'm sure most voters in TN will still vote to re-elect the Governor Bill Lee who is a partisan hack and still blame Democrats though.
Crazy
Propaganda works
- Pulled Quote -
''Cheney said. “I ask all of you here and everyone listening across this great country to join us. I ask you to meet this moment. I ask you to stand in truth, to reject the depraved cruelty of Donald Trump. And I ask you instead to help us elect Kamala Harris for president.''
Vote
How about "Melania Trump, in rare break with husband, voices support for abortion rights!"
How about: "Why Rudy Giuliani's daughter says she's voting for Kamala Harris." https://www.cnn.com/2024/10/02/politics/video/caroline-giuliani-kamala-harris-endorsement-sot-ebof-digvid
Be cautious about Melania's announcement about her view of abortion. It can easily be seen as an effort to soften the public perception of Donald Trump's position on the topic. I remember Melania's public announcement -- on the back of her coat: "I really don't care, do u?"
That's exactly what I think it is - a way to get people to think, 'well, his wife is for it, so I'll bet she can talk to him'. Bull. She is as transactional as he is - and that coat said it all.
She didn't have much luck with her anti-bullying "Be best" campaign. It was lost on him.
Lost on me too.
Transactional..! Now THAT is a good one Laurie. As in cheap,. Does it for me.
Of course someone whose career consisted of "nude modeling" (really?) would favor liberal access to abortion; there's nothing altruistic about this position, it's sheer self-interestedness, so as not to jeopardize that career. And no, she really doesn't care - but oh yes, we assuredly do care.
A good move on DonOLD's part would be to have the immigrant Melania deported along with Barron, Jr., Eric and Ivanka. Dang serial immigrators.
C'mon Leonard, stay away from the tabloid aisle. She's TT..., totally tabloid. Next thing we'll see is her face on Time magazine. Not on Sports Illustrated, I would only hope.
Again well said. Be careful of Melania and her $50,000 dollar jackets.
I’m waiting for “Melania Trump in rare break with husband, voices support for Harris”, then joining Cheney on the tour bus.
That will require a check with a whole lot of zeroes...
Her likely pre-nuptials forbid her to speak least she lose cash promised in exchange for her silence.
If he loses, I will NOT be surprised to see a divorce proceeding started the day after the election.
Laura Loomer is waiting in the wings oh my god. But a good pairing.
I am a tournament bridge player. Serious and long-term bridge partnerships are in many ways like a marriage. There is an old saying in the tournament world: "Most partners deserve each other."
I'm not sure she's waiting in the wings. /S
Jon.. WGAS!
When pigs fly Berry. When pigs fly.
Ferrrr crissakes Berry, leave her out of it. She can't even speak good english in an interview about her book. Just another 'nude model', there's a ton of them out there.
lol, not quite, unless accompanied by a divorce announcement!
That would be a fantastic October surprise, plus it would help her sell her book.
That would be quite an October surprise
Not to be cynical but, Melania is trying to sell her book.
Do you remember Laura Bush saying the same thing when W. was President?
I'm guessing not many people do. Besides, how do you believe someone who "said", "I don't care, do you?"
IMHO was planned. She's making the rounds -- for a fee. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFhxYeNLNpg
Material girl in a material world. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AM-b8P1yj9w
Exactly this, the Project 2025 book where JD Vance did the foreword gets held until after the election, but Melania's book gets released right before without issue.
I love Tammy Wynette. Thanks for sharing.
PS. Will you please send that link to my wife? /S
I remembered Laura Bush's comment. I did not remember when she made her remarks, so I looked it up. January 19, 2001 -- the day before GW Bush's inaugural. That timing could affect her husband's governance and is quite different from a few weeks before an election.
Laura was a Bush through and through.
No one believes Melania. Its a marketing/election strategy.
I don’t believe a word out of Melania’s mouth. She is probably being paid by the felon so he can shore up his lies about his flip-flopping in reproductive rights. It is all B.S.
The "depraved cruelty of Donald Trump" nails it. This is the moment to shine a big light on this political vampire and his lusts....and be done with him.
I wish Mitch Romney would have the balls Liz Cheney has.
me too - and George and Laura Bush. I wonder why Mitt Romney is so silent.
It’s been reported he’s afraid for the physical safety of his family if he comes out for Harris.
Romney is a spineless clod. Bush is an airhead. Don’t coung on either of them for anything.
I saw a comment the other day where the editorialist was thinking how make or break Mormons might be in Utah and somewhere else. hmmm
I swear, it brought tears to my eyes. Hard to believe!
Let's all cheer the sentencing of Tina Peters - another MAGA Enemy Of America. Nine years. That has a nice sound to it.
Hopefully she'll remain behind bars for at least nine years.
Lock 'em up!
The judge's pre-sentencing statement was epic! He spoke for 20 minutes and left her with no doubts as to why she was going to jail.
https://youtu.be/uXqkOM5Vbbw
Wow. Heard the Judge and thank you for the link. We need more Judges like this one.
Thanks for the link on Tina Peters" court hearing.
I doubt it. She'll probably do half that time...around 4 yrs
Can't wait to see how her hair looks after a month! I hope she goes to general pop in a real prison. That mouth of hers is something!
Bravo to both Vice President Kamala Harris and also The Honorable Liz Cheney for standing together as Americans. Thank you Dr Heather Cox Richardson for so eloquently recording our History. 🇺🇸
Thank you Professor! As we close in on these final weeks before the election and the orange menace becomes even more crazy than he was before, I really needed this uplifting letter this morning! Also, I have never been a fan of any of the Cheney's but Liz is coming up bigly and I thank her too. We are NOT going back!!!!!
Question: Didn't the whole Seal team incident only come up these last few days because Vance/Maga was going around saying there'd been no war/conflicts on Trump's watch? Shoot yourself in the foot much? AND, Helene and Trump's false claims about Biden's lack of response brought up his own failures to do the presidential right things on his watch. Lying and arrogance can come back and bite you in the ass. Gee whiz, who knew? (dup from FB)
Pax, never forget that Trump’s lies about those who refuse to kiss his ring are usually projections of what he’s done, tried to do or would like to do.
Yeah, but only 100% of the time!
Usually takes a while though…
Wow, excellent newsletter. I have two comments, opposing in sentiment.
First, in horror that our wounded military were treated so poorly by our government after their sacrifices on behalf of our country, but relief that in the end the soldiers were awarded the Purple Hearts.
"The soldiers told Herridge and Kaplan that they were pressured to downplay their injuries to avoid undercutting Trump’s attempt to keep the casualty numbers in that incident low. With the story back in the news, Kaplan posted that after the report, the Army awarded the soldiers the Purple Hearts they deserved."
Second, with joy that Liz Cheney spoke up to advocate for Harris/Walz to run our country:
"In this election, putting patriotism ahead of partisanship is not an aspiration. It is our duty,” Cheney said. “I ask all of you here and everyone listening across this great country to join us. I ask you to meet this moment. I ask you to stand in truth, to reject the depraved cruelty of Donald Trump."
“And I ask you instead to help us elect Kamala Harris for president. I know…that…a president Harris will be able to unite this nation. I know that she will be a president who will defend the rule of law, and I know that she will be a president who can inspire all of our children—and if I might say so, especially our little girls—to do great things. So help us right the ship of our democracy so that history will say of us, when our time of testing came, we did our duty and we prevailed because we loved our country more.”
Restacking with that last sentence, because it bears repeating: "So help us right the ship of our democracy so that history will say of us, when our time of testing came, we did our duty and we prevailed because we loved our country more.”
Again, the tears flowed reading that last sentence. It makes me want to take back anything negative I've said about Liz Cheney. Wow.
Except. Everything he did in his presidency until January 6 was A-OK with her. Find and watch the clip of her accusing democrats of supporting abortion in the ninth month and killing babies and you might revert to your former opinion of her. Yes, she’s meeting this moment with dignity. But the rest? No thank you.
If Fox reports the Purple Heart incident, soldiers will hear it. Might make a difference. Probably unlikely to get any play on Fox, though.
Harris and Cheney are the near future version of the Big Umbrella Democrats. I don’t think “party politics” will ever be the same. So excited to be on the journey with y’all!
I don’t think the Dem umbrella is big enough to accommodate a forced-carry-to-term advocate and enthusiastic trickle-downer. If the Republican Party collapses, she might lead a new party, but she can’t be a Democrat without changing her mind on some fundamental social and economic issues.
“Kamala spent all of her FEMA money—billions of dollars—on housing for illegal migrants,” former President Donald Trump told a rally crowd in Saginaw, Michigan. (Daily Beast)
Sems any old lie will do, right now.
Totally demented about immigrants, Lady Emsworth, for his fear/hatred/sensationalism.
He knew he couldn't have the bi-partisan border bill that was in the offing, as he knew his racist base would get riled up more than anything about "vermin, people of color, rapists (like himself), stealers of good, white jobs, and murderers and mental patients" all "flooding, crawling, swarming" over the southern border.
What a crock, but useful for the mass uneducated to respond to the hysteria.
And then, too, such a contrast to the great, positive, humane, calming words of Heather, Liz, and Kamala more or less all together today.
But then again - do the MAGA hordes WANT to be calmed? Anger, outrage and victim- claiming can be a drug. A lot of them seem to LIKE being able to scream about their fantasy "wrongs."
Sadly, yes Lady Emsworth, "Anger, outrage and victim-claiming can be a drug."
Let's underline these fine words of yours for the many teachers and former teachers here on Heather's site.
They could do so much to let even our mass uneducated see that in calm perusal of good books (and other arts), "calm" could allow them to see scripts, narratives, and humanity more compelling than the sewer vulgarity Trump and his acolytes have stooped to keep stirring up.
Teachers don't have any choice in the matter, however -- not in today's U.S., where the billionaire-profiting standardized testers have freely ransacked American schools to keep priorities in the group-think category-spotting that informs those humanly neutering tests above all.
Adrenaline is a powerful drug, even when it is manufactured by the adrenal glands when kicked up by the amygdala who sups on the "anger, outrage, and victim-claiming."
Yeah, LE, and they’re totally strung out…..and slavering for more.
You often see comments from MAGAs that "Oh, liberals think they are SO much cleverer and better than us!" I think what REALLy annoys them is not that they think we feel superior (which I don't) but that they sense we actually pity them. I do really feel sorry for these people - what a horrible, sad world they live in. And I'm not surprised that reports show they die younger - the stress all that rage must cause would shorten any life.
The really sad part is that they mostly miss the irony that Donald Trump and his sycophants are the real ones responsible for many of the failures in their lives due to their absorption of much of the wealth in our country with no intent to share it in any way. Some of these people are so desperate and yet they look to Trump to "save" them. The only person Trump cars about is himself but they don't even see that. Pity is indeed the feeling, a truly sad feeling.
I pity them individually, but sometimes all you can do is shake your head, turn away, and let them wallow. I suppose they have the freedom and the right to be miserable.
It is sad when I see young people who have bought into the republican lies
Yes. Fox found out that they could not stop lying on their broadcasts without losing a significant fraction of their viewers. So, they decided to go full speed ahead with lies to protect their assets.
That’s true. I know guys addicted to Drama.
Exactly
Not only the uneducated, sadly. They are easy to manipulate, but there are plenty with multiple degrees under that flag of sham called MAGA. Just look at our so called Supreme Court.
Yes. The root cause is the same: desire to protect systemic white advantages. But educated people don’t even have the “excuse” of willful ignorance
That particular one could even make a MAGAt laugh.
Sadly, it does not. That is making the rounds in my MAGAt cohort of retired cops.
I appreciate your keeping us grounded in actual observations of behavior, Ally, so I put a thumb-up on your comment. Hard to like its message but easy to appreciate its value as a datapoint.
Every word is a lie.
In my lifetime I don't think I've ever seen so many Republicans come out and endorse someone from the Democratic party.
That alone should tell people that voting for Harris is the right thing to do.
Don't see the reverse happening.
Vote.
🤞
Thank you, Dr. Richardson, for providing that remarkably pertinent, indeed prescient 1859 quote from Abraham Lincoln. Who'd a thunk, over 150 years since his death, his words would be relevant to our present circumstances?
Lincoln! A name which deserves reverence.
We were in DC a couple years ago between Christmas and New Year’s- a particularly quiet time for the Mall. At the Lincoln Memorial it was very chilly and…..not a peep. The reverence shown by all packed in to the Hall was inspiring - it brought tears to the eyes of many of us, myself included. There seemed no blue or red….just respectful people of every distinction you can imagine.
A moment in my life I will never forget.
Reverence- what a thing…….
Now in Colorado….I’m so glad to put Tina Peters AWAY. Her disgraceful actions make me want to spit on her shoe were she to walk past me.
We have many great members of our local govt but our SOS showed amazing backbone and didn’t take any of Peters’ shit. Thank you Jena Griswold.💙💙💙
I live a 10 minute walk from The Lincoln Memorial. It's often like that, except when Trump desecrated the Monument by holding a lying rally there.
This is the essence. Thank you.
Wow, simply Wow Professor -- a stunning 'Letter' that speaks eloquently about the choices now before the American people.
Please take especial care of yourself -- we so need you to stay strong and at the ready.
In the "depraved cruelty of Donald Trump" Liz Cheney totally hits the mark. This is the moment to drive the stake of facts in the heart of the monster, throw open the curtains, let the light of truth in and be done with his lust for power. As the brave young Cassidy Hutchinson said in her book...enough.
Two outstanding speeches given by two spectacular women. May they both go down in history as sheroes of our country.
Morning, Lynell! I agree; those speeches were outstanding, both in content and delivery.
See you tomorrow, Ally!
"... the argument of Trump’s lawyers before the Supreme Court that Trump could not prod a SEAL team to assassinate a rival because service members would adhere to the rules of their institutions."...is absurd. The military, like many organizations, follows the standards set at the top. Its why Trump's words and his actions pardoning members of the military convicted of war crimes is so dangerous.