On a night at the Democratic National Convention headlined by former President Bill Clinton and current vice presidential nominee Tim Walz, news broke that Robert F.
Dorothy, I remember McConnell's blather after the impeachment vote when he whined about how bad Trump was but somehow couldn't vote to impeach. Had he "commanded" it, the rest of the Republican caucus would have voted to impeach, but he just couldn't do the right thing which is pretty much the story of his life, but he just keeps getting re-elected! Cowardice is just part of his make-up and it has served him well. What a jerk!
He keeps getting re-elected for two reasons: name recognition, he’s been a senator in KY for decades. But the second reason is more important: the Democratic Party has never made campaigning against him a priority. We should have made sure he was smeared over and over for his cowardice. But no, he sailed into another term in 2020. Makes me wonder why I support the DNC and other national Dem money grubbing orgs; the DCCC? Matt Gaetz will be re-elected in FL. Where were they? Sigh.
I agree. I live in crimson red Indiana and can’t recall the last time any Democrat came here, opened an office to make themselves and their ideas available or went door to door. Indiana is automatically written off every election. Would it be difficult? Absolutely. Would it be a waste of time? Maybe not. Even if you only reach a few people at a time that would be worth it and over time will add up.
Another approach would be to staff an office and get involved in the community, solve problems, offer ideas, help out. Show by action what Democrats stand for.
Kasumii, it is frustrating that the DNC throws its support to certain incumbents (often the more conservative ones), even though they may have charges against them, even dismissing quality candidates who just don't pump out the DNC line as with Bush and Bowman. They push candidates in the "swing" states. I hate that title because it then ignores the other states as though their people are irrelevant. That should never be the case. Harris and Walz should be visiting Indiana, Texas, Tennessee, and the rest, even in their limited time because the people of the other states would be able to see the presentations online or on MSNBC and those other states need to see that they matter, because they do. That is why I will not directly support the DNC, but have chosen to support specific candidates and organizations.
Have you sent an invitation to your Dem. candidates to come? I hear the same thing from my home town in Montana; Democrat candidates don’t come. So I ask, have you invited them? Well, no.
So you ask if I invited Dem candidates and then not only assume the answer is no but say as much. I’m curious - are you gifted with telepathic abilities or do you use a crystal ball to make your assumptions?
By the way, yes I have asked them. No one ever responds because IN is automatically written off as not worth the time or effort.
Thank you, Kasumii, for your optimism and pragmatic assessment.
Any person, any American, can choose to act with integrity, including in advocating for constitutional rule of law change in governance and society.
We can contribute to productive change in America; as you put it, "Even if you only reach a few people at a time that would be worth it and over time will add up."
I agree with you. I live in a gerrymandered area in southern indiana that once was a Democratic area, no more. We have no representation. And yet, Obama carried the state in 2008. Could it happen again?
Isn’t it important to anyone to find out why republicans are so prevalent in the state? Answering that question may be the prelude to responding to their needs.
That's supposed to be the role of the DNC, DCCC, and DSCC. There should at least be an office in every capital city in each of 50 States. But for the past 20 something years, these organizations see their role as pulling in billions of dollars - for what reason? who knows.
Would you work your ass off to get a Democrat elected? It's always a "them" thing. "The Democrats" don't bother with Indiana because there's so much entrenched Republican knee jerk voting.
Once Kamala Harris is officially the head of the party, maybe the Dems will go back to a new, updated version of Howard Dean's "50-state strategy." The newly elected President Obama was too green to realize how important it was: building Democratic infrastructure in all 50 states (plus D.C. and the territories). Watching the roll-call vote at the convention, I saw all that Democratic energy from red and even deep red states. Time to build on it instead of writing it off.
I have been reading Jess Piper’s Substack for a while, and agree that Dems have to fight for every single seat if we want to have a chance of kicking the MAGA crowd to the curb, and keeping them there. But I can’t imagine not supporting them, and this election seems to be bringing it home that we need a Democratic voice in every election so that people know who we are and our values. So much more impactful if there is a human to human exchange of ideas.
I too am a Jess Piper fan, especially since I grew up in Missouri. She's working tirelessly to inform people about the importance of not leaving behind rural communities and challenging every seat. IIRC, at the Roll Call, Missouri said they have Democrats running for every race on the ballot. That's freaking amazing!
I do not live in a rural area, but I started to follow Jess and just love what she is doing. I worked with a Democrat who lived in Alabama, and always felt for her, not feeling represented where she lived. Jess is showing that can change, it takes time and passion.
there were things that didn’t add up. I can’t remember now what she was referring to, but the implication was that McConnell was cheating to
win. That’s not a surprise considering what he did
to steal a couple of Supreme Crt seats.
Speaking of the Supreme Crt, here’s some info I
found on the internet yesterday:
From the website irishcentral. com:
“Justices Amy Coney Barrett, John Roberts, Clarence Thomas, Brett Kavanaugh, and Samuel Alito either belong to or are close to members of Opus Dei, a secretive lay movement within the church, first created in Spain by Father Josemaría Escrivá in the 1920s. Former U.S. Attorney General William Barr is also a member of Opus Dei.
Opus Dei critic Matthew Fox, PhD is in no doubt about the power the secretive group now has on the Catholic justices. “The Supreme Court itself has become a cesspool of religious ideology ignoring the pluralism of American culture in favor of a far-right version of evangelical and Roman Catholic Christianity committed to anti-abortion fanaticism,” writes Fox.
“The outline philosophy of the justices as professed in Alito’s memorable dismissal of Roe v Wade last month closely mirrors the priorities of Opus Dei (in English, Work of God) the deeply conservative Catholic group they owe fealty to.”
“Opus Dei plays the long game. Many of the Catholic justices were members of the Federalist Society, a top group of conservative, mostly Catholic lawyers who wield enormous power.”
“The Federalist society’s chairman Leonard Leo, a board member of Opus Dei, was given carte blanche by Donald Trump to pick the three Supreme Court judges that Trump then appointed.”
From: Dailymeditationwithmatthewfox. org:
“Their agenda, if passed, would catapult America back 50 years. It was Thomas who let the cat out of the bag when he wrote in Roe his opinion that issues such as contraception and same-sex marriage would all be on the agenda in the future. What would once have seemed fanciful and ridiculous is now a looming reality.”
“Part of fascist ideology is that it is fitting that men have control over women’s bodies (my book documents this). Indeed, control is what fascism and Opus Dei are all about.”
“Mussolini defined fascism as the “marriage of corporations and government” and we are seeing that play out in the current SCOTUS where environmental rights take second place to corporate power; and voting rights get gutted in favor of dark money from very dark corporations (NRA and Koch brothers among them).”
(Rev. Matthew Fox, PhD, author, theologian, and activist priest, has been calling people of spirit and conscience into the Creation Spirituality lineage for over 50 years.)
Dianne, I am sad to have to agree with you. Democrats have stood by and let McConnell coast into office one election after another. Moreover, they were too willing to negotiate budget and debt ceiling obstructions by agreeing to raise political funding raising levels.
Moreover, I may be, and want to be, wrong but it has always seemed to me that the Dems were naively believing that the Republicans were playing by the same rules. Two exceptions were House Speaker Nancy Pelosi who fought hard to get legislation like the Affordable Care Act passed. Second, Howard Dean promoted the idea of a 50 state strategy for the Dems. We can thank the former Chicago mayor, Rahm Emmanuel, brushing the 50 State strategy aside, if I’m not mistaken.
The good news is we Dems have finally come to recognize the obstructionist party for what they are.
That and the fact that in 2022 they gave thousands of dollars of OUR donations to MAGA candidates on the stupid grounds the would be 'easy to defeat' in November.
Now that I looked it up I kinda remember this, giving to the weaker candidate to better the chances of the Dem. I’d have to think long and hard about whether this is justified
I can understand how you feel, but limited resources requires any party go where they can win and not take on entrenched power like McConnells . Kentucky isn't California. It's not even Wisconsin or even Kansas. West Virginia kept returning Joe Manchin, who did nothing for the people of his state, but the people he hurts are so beaten down they think down is up and OxyContin is the answer.
The Dems got Andy Beshear elected in KY, so they can actually spend some bucks to get rid of McConnell, well from my perspective sitting here in really red Central Florida where our governor is thinking project 2025 is perfect and has been working toward its ‘ideals’ for the last 6 years. Luckily he is term limited which is what we need for Congress: IMO, two 6 year terms for the Senate and six 2 year terms for the House. And definitely term limits for the Supremes!
Gaetz and McConnell are running in very red areas. No amount of money is going to elect democrats in Gaetz’s district or NcConnell’s state. Maybe eventually, but not today.
At least if they tried to find candidates in Kentucky, Florida and similar States. I understand them not coming to California (except to collect money) We are so solidly blue and have so many registered Democrats they'd have to be idiots to lose here. But all the smaller States should have some time. That was the beauty of well past campaigns. The candidates would have a coach at the end of the train and would stand at the rail to give speeches to the crowds gathered there.
Mitch McConnell will go down in history as one of the true cowards in American politics. A spineless partisan hack with zero scruples. May he wither away slowly and painfully. And when he is finally gone, let's have the media speak of him truthfully - then let us think on him no more.
McConnell is not the only Senate problem. The Senate itself is an unfixable problem. Fifty-two senators (a majority) represent only 18% of the population of the US. The four most populous states make up 33% of the population, but have only eight senators. Two senators per state is fixed in the Constitution. A failure of the founders.
I hate to be a killjoy, but you won't see it in your lifetime.
Article V, in describing the amendment process, stipulates that “no State, without its Consent, shall be deprived of its equal Suffrage in the Senate.”
Another path, still requiring an amendment, would be to reduce the power of the Senate. Give it only super-majority veto power and put some boundaries around advise and consent.
Maybe the founders were doing what was right for their particular time? Their #1 priority was getting the Constitution ratified, to replace the unworkable Articles of Confederation. The smaller states were reluctant to sign on for fear of being bulldozed by the big, powerhouse states like Virginia, Massachusetts, and New York. Assigning two senators to every state regardless of size was a way to reassure them and gain their support. Btw, ending the filibuster would go a long way to fixing the Senate, and no constitutional amendment is required: just a majority vote. For anyone interested in how the Senate has evolved since the founding, I recommend Adam Jentleson's KILL SWITCH: The Rise of the Modern Senate and the Crippling of Democracy (W. W. Norton, 2021).
I've read that book and many others on the Senate. I support eliminating the filibuster, but with an R majority, we know it's dangerous. Look at SCOTUS. Each of trump's nominees were confirmed with less than 60 votes. As a result of the Great Compromise, the Senate is skewed to over represent the least populated states.
"By reference to the one person one vote standard, the Senate is the most malapportioned legislature in the world." (Lijphart 1984, 174) from Sizing Up the Senate, Lee and Oppenheimer.
I would only observe, also, that the federal system of governance at the federal level and the management of the relations of each state with others and with the federal government was and is a vital and on-going act of separation of equal powers, and that any and all of these powers also derive from and must constitute the shared interests of we the people in each context.
We the People have protections and responsibilities which we enumerate, mutually and actively affirm and innovate or reform.
What is less widely known and much less widely matter of conversational understanding is that the form and content of the Constitution represented a shared sense of minimal reciprocal responsibilities and protections for democratic citizenry and democratic governance and to protect and inform management of the many more numerous and vitally important differences of normative tradition and chosen behaviors present at the time.
Americans were diverse at that time; traditions among them were diverse. Saying this seems banal, but holding consciously to this is important for recognizing how conscious of convention (of the diverse and often conflicting or polarizing conventions) Americans at that time were.
As James Madison pointed to at the time [while he also publicly and privately wrung his hands over viable but incompatible interests and historical contextual opinions], and as Dr King Jr has discussed with Americans in his time more recently, there is a common sense human perception of mutuality of need and forward-looking interest.
The current congressional procedural norms and impediments to democratic governance can, I propose, be usefully evaluated when any of us accept the very limited but essential scope of areas of agreement we have at a given moment. These areas of agreement do, however few, have a personal and universal significance to each of us that, if offered inclusively and normatively formalized and as a practical matter of mutual accountability and security, enable us to come to reasoned willful social charters, e.g., the Constitution.
I’m going to give the Founders a break. They had no clue about what this country could truly become. Heck, when the Constitution was ratified, they had no idea how much territory our borders would encompass. The Louisiana Purchase was still in the future and Lewis and Clarke had yet to explore to the Pacific. Time and circumstances changed all that and there was a lot of politickin’, compromising and a war or so that helped.
Patt, I don't see it as a failure of the founders. I think the house, which goes by population as we know, has a lot of power also...nothing comes up for a vote unless the speaker,elected by the majority party, allows it. I think each state should have 2 senators so each state gets equal vote to veto or pass bills that will affect each state equally.
So it’s important to analyze this behavior. In his mind and others, as bad as Trump is, democrats are worse than Trump therefore you return to the lost fold. We also do this at least I do. I will sometimes consider wise pronouncements by a republican but knowing they represent a party of madness,I eventually return to the fold. In my case, I know that us democrats (although I consider myself more independent) can be confoundingly crazy more times than I am comfortable with. I’m not going there today. Now is the time to put aside our differences and win big. There will be a time to argue later. And I will say this, our side is so crazy that we will eventually sow the seeds to future defeat. Why? Because we are a bunch of crazy democrats, lol. That’s why. Now let’s win with super majorities.
I can't believe I'm agreeing with everything you just wrote, Bill. I would only add that getting Democrats to act in unison is like herding cats - They have to be hungry enough to put down their toys and and go eat what's in front of them. They respond well to catnip. In contrast, getting Republicans to act in unison is like herding hyenas - They'll hunt in packs when they sense vulnerable prey.
When I take out treats every evening to feed my herd of 7 cats, Babe the youngest doesn’t understand that my finger is t supposed to be bitten, too. His treat gets tossed on the floor. He has bloodied my index finger holding the treat one too many times.
Bill, I think your observations speak to a theme I heard running through many of the speeches at the convention. Specifically, we - each and every one of us - must a. Stop demonizing those who differ with us, and b. We must, as a nation and communities, create safe spaces for public conversation and dialogue. This is urgently important if we want to move beyond the ugly discourse of recent times. As per Joyce Vance’s Substack title, we desperately need “Civil Discourse.”
Mitch McConnell is a pitiful excuse for a leader. He is nothing more than a weak, mumbling, bumbling turncoat. I find him disgusting because he abruptly and conveniently forgot all his stern and derisive words about Trump and then turned on the American people to praise and support the dictator wannabe. Furthermore, Trump publicly insulted his wife (Elaine Cho), and he said NOTHING like it didn't happen. McConnell is a despicable man and doesn't deserve an ounce of America's support. He has got to go.
However, he's done what his handlers most wanted him to do: pack the Supreme Court. This "pitiful excuse for a leader" has had as big an influence on the direction of the country *for years to come* as anyone. His departure at this point isn't going to change anything.
Mitch McConnell's lust for staying in power has corrupted him from his head to his toes. Do you remember the laugh-line: Impeachment is not the place, let the Courts handle it? Referring to Trump's treasonous instigation of the riots? Ugh.
I don't think he's a coward. He's sold his soul for political power. So he does whatever it takes to hold onto that. He makes the calculation devoid of moral or ethical considerations.
Brilliant move to block Obama's nomination to the Supreme Court. Dishonest but brilliant.
When there was no political weight to his words he denounced Trump after voting not to impeach him.
He has made it clear he despises Trump. Hasn't kissed the ring. Announced he would support him once nominated by the party but didn't swoon over him. He assumed Trump would win so thats the only thing that matters.
He's far from a coward, he's just a political machine.
He is absolutely a “ calculating (he’s definitely not fearless….) traitor”. But that’s the equivalent of being a coward. Traitors are cowards because they knowingly deny the truth; they have no moral rectitude. He’s a despicable man, that’s for sure! 👍
He kissed the ring, and other parts, he just didn't do it on camera. Moscow Mitch didn't get to where he is now by acts of courage, he hides in the background sowing chaos in the guise of an elder statesman. He encourages all around him to become weaker to fortify his own positions. Mitch is a snake.
Absolutely, and he's got the job done. As I just noted elsewhere, he's accomplished what his handlers (the Federalist Society, the corporate fatcats, etc.) wanted him to do: pack the Supreme Court with far-right "conservatives". People who call him a failure are making a big mistake: evaluating him according to their own values. Their values are not his values.
Imho, McConnell has done more to destroy our democracy than any other person in the government. He is a back stabbing, power hungry, evil man. His only allegiance is to his own power and money.
He may be a coward, but I wonder. I believe he is a coldly calculating meteorologist studying the political winds. He knows where the donor money is and what it wants. If there is a window of opportunity for him to gain or retain power, he will go for it after figuring the probabilities of the various possible outcomes down to three decimal places. He does not seem to care much about his reputation or legacy, nor for the country's future. He wants what he wants--power, influence, wealth. How he gets it--the means and ends thing--is not important. Having been in the Senate for...ever, does his name appear on any legislation other than to establish some post office, or perhaps to honor a constituent. The quality of individual we the people are content with sending to DC is pretty sad. Makes one pine for term limits.
Coward doesn’t quite capture it. I recall an elected leader saying, McConnell is soulless and ghoulish.” He, like Trump, has always been about gaining power in the Senate, stacking the courts with right wing lawyers, and obstructing any progressive legislation.
The thing that has amazed me from the time I first heard Trump interviewed, in the late 1970s is that he sounded like a con man. I could not see him well (my vision has never been good), but I could hear the insincerity in his voice. I mentioned it to family and my co-workers, but they thought Trump was just another rich guy and that is how they talk. It may be true for a lot of rich guys, but certainly not even a majority, at that time at least. I still don't understand what people "see and saw" in him and it must be visual because if one just listens, one can hear that there is nothing there that should draw anyone to him. I think people were/are enamored with the fake image of Trump on his reality TV show which was nothing like reality, and it was dishonest. Our media almost from the beginning of Trump's romp through New York real estate and beyond has been enthralled with Trump. Why? They can't have believed Trump had anything positive to offer anyone. The first time any media crossed him, they were called "fake news." That should have been a clue to them to back off their tongue-lolling infatuation with a rich child-man who bankrupted numerous times, because he could and didn't suffer one bit for it. If they reported anything negative, it was either shoved to a back page or dropped after the initial report. So, what I know is, the various media will not hold Trump-Vance accountable for anything they say or put out as policy if they put out anything. They will, however, analyze every comment and move Harris and Walz make. I know Harris and Walz will stand up to that kind of partisan badgering. What I can't be sure of is what the American people as a whole will think of what our various media are dishing out.
You probably already know that Mark Burnett, creator of The Apprentice, originally wanted to do a similar slick PR boosting show with one Vladimir Putin as the subject. That dude has A LOT to answer for.
James, I didn't know about Putin, but am certainly not surprised. That show, "The Apprentice" (which should have been called "Bad Boss"), the two episodes I saw seemed like a dictatorship and I hated every minute of it. Even I, not a reality TV afficionado could tell it was fake, but most people couldn't, or claimed they couldn't!
Bill, you are too kind to "reality TV". Talk about "oxymorons". I would rather watch paint dry. I watched the first couple of "Survivors". I squirmed with embarrassment for the participants.
As to the "Apprentice"...most people I knew who watched it were laughing AT Trump for being such an ahole.
Bill, you nailed it. It was indeed trashy. No better than The Housewives of (fill in the blank city). It was a glitzy show where contestants embarrassed, debased, and withstood humiliation all for the chance to be Trump's apprentice, a/k/a minion.
Ruth, I watched a few episodes of The Apprentice and saw how it plays into the false American Dream idea, which blames the victims. "If you don't succeed, it's your fault and nothing to do with the system" is the narrative we will swallow while we follow a con man.
Gloria, what I truly don't understand is how anyone could be caught up in that nonsense. No talent was involved, but I understand attractiveness, particularly for the women was essential. If one notes current Republican women in some level of power, I have been told they have the look that Trump likes. That is nature, not talent and people like Greene, Lake, and Boebert, and the rest of the crew prove it on a regular basis. I wonder if they think they have been chosen for their brilliance. Ugh!
Trump is a bully. His father and, from his father, his money, have insulated him for all his life from the responsibilities and hard work and compassion that animate most folks lives. He's a terrible person. Selfishness is his motor.
Let me tell you I agree. He came to CT and my hometown of Hartford in the late 1980s to build a casino. But our then governor who wanted city support and asked for a d received support from my friend and mayor Carrie Saxon Perry, was already making an exclusive deal with our native peoples. He failed and as he left Connecticut, his parting remark was “They don’t look like Indians to me.” A friend had met him and she remarked how intelligent he sounded to which I replied, “You gotta be kidding.” It’s in my introduction to “Donald’s Vanity Tantrums.”
Bill, wow! I think I remember that whole fiasco, although I don't think I knew about Trump's comment. How is it people have been led to believe Trump has anything to offer anyone but himself and his little cadre of sycophants? Even our media have been bamboozled, maybe deliberately into hanging on Trump's every word and deed. So, Trump has led the supposed family party, the "law and order" party, the patriotic party (none of which Republicans actually were), into a one-toddler-show with its head a serial cheat who ignored his wives and kids, a criminal with 34 counts and more indictments, an insurrectionist, and an insulter of service personnel and veterans. Yet, millions will vote for him and his party. I keep wondering what they expect to get for their effort. It won't be anything that will help them except if he wins, to claim they voted for him, yep, nothing.
The untidy truth in my humble opinion is that our side keeps pushing on some issues in the wrong direction. Issues that are unpopular to many. And you only need a few of these issues to get a simpleton to change course. Which is why I’m a centrist. Most of us just can’t understand this and what can I say. I’m frustrated by the tribe but there is no other tribe to join. So I’m here. Don’t get me started.
Ruth, IMO you are really lucky that you can't really see him. He is disgusting to look at. I never thought there might be an upside to vision impairment, but now I see that there is… I wish I could unsee him. The upside to my hearing impairment is that I mostly can't understand what he's saying. His speech basically comes in as gibberish for me. I really like that you have been able to hear who he is for so long. I wish there were more who were able to do that.
Hey Susan, you have missed very little in not hearing the jerk. He has two speech levels, one when talking with an interviewer that he thinks is softer and "reasonable" (it isn't, just softer, just as disjointed, and his rally voice which is just shouting a bunch of again, disjointed insults, whines, made-up stuff, and test balloons he uses to find out what his warped fans/cult members want him to say. It is pretty disgusting and I wish I could unhear that voice, but also that hatred, fake anger, fearmongering, and pathetic resentment. One can't escape that voice because all the media think they have to play for us all the stupid things he says, and they do, but neglect to mention that Trump is lying, making up things, and trying to incite trouble.
Con men succeed because people are willing to be conned. And before anyone looks down their snoot at these "gullible" people, think about how many times you've been suckered by an advertisement or a sales pitch.
Susanna, I am sorry if I left the impression that I dismiss the difficulty of the folks who have been conned by Trump and Kump. Those guys are experts, know all the tricks to go after the most vulnerable and manipulate them into believing the con artist is a friend, cares for them, and they need to do everything that artist says or there will be some kind of disaster. They separate those people from sources of truth (sticking them onto Fox and that ilk, the way an abuser separates his wife from friends and family. I don't know how to reach them with any kind of reality because they have been carefully shaped to distrust anyone not Trump or a Trump sycophant. I wish there were some kind of medication that could free those folks, but a lot of them seem perfectly happy right where they are, following their Donnie all over the country to just be in his "magnificent presence.
True, all true -- but I also think that we're all primed to some extent to "take things on faith," starting but definitely not ending with religion: I basically take electricity, the internal combustion engine, and the internet on faith because I only dimly understand how they work. Those who follow TFG have something in common not only with the mega-church preachers but with the Deadheads of yesteryear. Deadheads, however, are nowhere near as dangerous as the MAGAs -- or as the "good Germans" who turned out for the Nuremberg rallies.
Think of this particular subject as addiction on steroids; petroleum and its endless list of offspring, or smoking . . .anon. the evidence is hard to miss when you see what passes for marketing these days!
Susanna, however, there is a really big difference between taking the internet, electricity, and automobiles on faith (which you really aren't because you know enough that they actually function as they should, well or poorly for you as they are designed to. That is not the same as having faith in someone like Donald Trump who has proven nothing to anyone except he has a big mouth hates nearly everyone, and wants money and power more than anything else. That is not something one should have faith in because it produces nothing positive for the faithful soul who has to lie to themselves to keep the faith going.
I have an acknowledgement: about a month ago when the question was swirling about whether Joe should step aside, I was in the camp of "no." Joe is a fantastic statesman, done a great job in a difficult time. And, I said it outloud to a number of people "be quiet, just get behind Joe." But my heart busts with happiness as I observe the talent, passion, happiness and great intellect that Harris has brought to this campaign and will continue in her presidency. I was wrong, she is what the Dems needed in this race. Now we have it. Go Kamala.
Cindy, I'm another one like you. I always felt that Joe could do another 4 years. He has the stamina to do that. But when he did back out, and I started to see who Kamala is, I realized that she turned the race on its ear, and have been really glad to see that.
Kamala also has a wonderful advisor in Joe Biden. I know he will make himself available to her in a crisis. His wisdom will still be a part of our government, and that is the best of both worlds.
I was one like you too, but could not imagine how Democrats could recover. Joe knew Kamala was the answer. Actually, I live in the East Bay where Kamala started and I have NEVER doubted her ability to go far. It was reported on MSNBC that Karl Rove tried to stop her winning the SF District Attorney job. Republicans were afraid of her way back then.
OLIVIA TROYE was one of the first 'Never Trumpers'. 💪Olivia has not only "'done something", she has take many actions to preserve our democracy in the United States of America despite a physical injury featured on '60 Minutes'.
So true, Bill!! The video that was shown made me weep! How can anyone who sees that video, who watched in realtime on January 6, who saw the fallout and misery vote for Dumpy? Neighbors of mine have the flag with the blue stripe that supports police. Yet, they are voting for Trump in the name of God. Well, that is not the God of Love. Dumpy is a true charlatan. These people that will vote for him have found their excuse for THEIR huge character, flaw that excuses them for their hatred, racism, homophobia, misogyny, and just general meanness. I’ve said it before, I have to believe that sanity will prevail.
I feel for you. The guy I mentioned lives close to a mile from my house. The only thing I pass every day is the republican signs one of my neighbors on the back side of my block has. She has me fantasizing about defacing/taking down her Greg Abbott signs.
The classic movie Citizen Kane directed, produced, and starred in by Orson Welles will one day in the future, have a remake only this time the main pseudo-fictional character will be Donald Trump. The movie scene will open with a very bloated relic of his former self; uneven orange-smeared makeup slobbed across his face in bed. His overgrown blond hair is found similar to the muss of Boris Johnson’s now showing gray roots from lack of up-to-date hair dye. He periodically wakes from a semi-conscious state at his future dilapidated Mar-a-Lago residence (for lack of having sufficient funds to upkeep the property due to previous constant litigation and losses.) He looks around demanding more Kentucky Fried Chicken wings as low paid personal rush in another bucket and his last word is not “Rosebud” as in the movie Citizen Kane but:
“Stormy.” And the ex 45th president of the United States expires. The camera fades to black then opens at Le Club in the early disco 1970s, a members-only Manhattan nightclub in the East 50s, where models, fashionistas and a variety of Eurotrash (including his wife) went to be seen.
“The government has just filed suit against our company,” said Trump, “saying we discriminated against Blacks. What do you think we should do?”
The Roy Cohn obedient ass-kisser to Senator Joe McCarthy hearings accusing entertainment personalities of being communists shoots back, “Tell them to go to hell and fight the thing in court and let them prove you discriminated against them.”
Roy Cohn has become Trump’s go-to lawyer and fixer.
Cohn admonishes the young Trump to 1. Never settle. Never surrender. 2. Counter-attack, counter-sue immediately. 3. No matter what happens, no matter how deep into the shit you get, claim victory and never admit defeat.
These lessons were found to be the essential attributes of his future self.
Bill, it sounds believable except for Kentucky Fried Chicken. KFC is going bankrupt, and on Tuesday, all the franchises in our area suddenly closed without notice.
The DNC has been amazing! So uplifting!! HOPE-reminds me of the Obama campaign! It cracks me up that there are “ undecided voters”! Come on!!! If you don’t know by now, let’s lift that rock that you are hiding under! I have lost family members over this whole thing. They support Dumpy! The only thing I can think of is, don’t let the door hit you on the way out!! Their true character, who they really are, has been revealed! See ya!
My family trump voters are just too entrenched with the cult misinformation to even discuss the issues . I've watched.his rise, and read just about every book written about him over many years. Unfortunately ...my relatives are not readers at all. Don't even think that would would make a particle difference to them. Breaks my heart to hear grandchildren, great grandchildren, all those so very dear to me, spout his words as gospel. Contrast all that to overwhelming joy in hearing the various speakers at the Democratic.Convention...the positively uplifting.message they bring to electing.Kamala.and.Tim to bring back goodness, sanity, and the promise of good people working together once again to raise our beloved.nation from the threat of catastrophic imperial domination and moneyed control by billionaires. Our country deserves better...and so do.those who come after us..VOTE BLUE !
Here’s a quote from Tim Walz’s speech at the Convention last night that gets right to this same point-“When Republicans use the word freedom, they mean that the government should be free to invade your doctor’s office. Corporations — free to pollute your air and water. And banks — free to take advantage of customers.”
Really good point, Patricia. Of course, if they put him in Rikers, I'm not sure he'd last long enough to be rescued. I imagine that most of the inmates there hate him.
One last thing… Robert Kennedy, Jr. he’s definitely part of the FREAK SHOW! We all know that he’s been offered something. And unethical and Vance – two words that go together. Not one of us believes a word that comes out of the Dumpy menagerie! Baby bears, anti vax, worms and whatever else this little man is tainted with, RKJ is lined up with the freaks!! Birds of a feather….
There is no greater coward on earth than Mitch McConnell.
Dorothy, I remember McConnell's blather after the impeachment vote when he whined about how bad Trump was but somehow couldn't vote to impeach. Had he "commanded" it, the rest of the Republican caucus would have voted to impeach, but he just couldn't do the right thing which is pretty much the story of his life, but he just keeps getting re-elected! Cowardice is just part of his make-up and it has served him well. What a jerk!
He keeps getting re-elected for two reasons: name recognition, he’s been a senator in KY for decades. But the second reason is more important: the Democratic Party has never made campaigning against him a priority. We should have made sure he was smeared over and over for his cowardice. But no, he sailed into another term in 2020. Makes me wonder why I support the DNC and other national Dem money grubbing orgs; the DCCC? Matt Gaetz will be re-elected in FL. Where were they? Sigh.
I agree. I live in crimson red Indiana and can’t recall the last time any Democrat came here, opened an office to make themselves and their ideas available or went door to door. Indiana is automatically written off every election. Would it be difficult? Absolutely. Would it be a waste of time? Maybe not. Even if you only reach a few people at a time that would be worth it and over time will add up.
Another approach would be to staff an office and get involved in the community, solve problems, offer ideas, help out. Show by action what Democrats stand for.
Kasumii, it is frustrating that the DNC throws its support to certain incumbents (often the more conservative ones), even though they may have charges against them, even dismissing quality candidates who just don't pump out the DNC line as with Bush and Bowman. They push candidates in the "swing" states. I hate that title because it then ignores the other states as though their people are irrelevant. That should never be the case. Harris and Walz should be visiting Indiana, Texas, Tennessee, and the rest, even in their limited time because the people of the other states would be able to see the presentations online or on MSNBC and those other states need to see that they matter, because they do. That is why I will not directly support the DNC, but have chosen to support specific candidates and organizations.
If the electoral college was eliminated, then every state would be a battleground state, and every citizen's vote would count!
Good point, this is about the electoral college.
That's a tough one but the interstate compact is close.
Me too, Ruth. I think we do more good that way.
Have you sent an invitation to your Dem. candidates to come? I hear the same thing from my home town in Montana; Democrat candidates don’t come. So I ask, have you invited them? Well, no.
So you ask if I invited Dem candidates and then not only assume the answer is no but say as much. I’m curious - are you gifted with telepathic abilities or do you use a crystal ball to make your assumptions?
By the way, yes I have asked them. No one ever responds because IN is automatically written off as not worth the time or effort.
Thank you, Kasumii, for your optimism and pragmatic assessment.
Any person, any American, can choose to act with integrity, including in advocating for constitutional rule of law change in governance and society.
We can contribute to productive change in America; as you put it, "Even if you only reach a few people at a time that would be worth it and over time will add up."
I agree with you. I live in a gerrymandered area in southern indiana that once was a Democratic area, no more. We have no representation. And yet, Obama carried the state in 2008. Could it happen again?
Isn’t it important to anyone to find out why republicans are so prevalent in the state? Answering that question may be the prelude to responding to their needs.
https://indems.org/our-party/resources/faqs/
That's supposed to be the role of the DNC, DCCC, and DSCC. There should at least be an office in every capital city in each of 50 States. But for the past 20 something years, these organizations see their role as pulling in billions of dollars - for what reason? who knows.
Wow. Making a call to the Harris campaign office might remind them where you are !!
Would you work your ass off to get a Democrat elected? It's always a "them" thing. "The Democrats" don't bother with Indiana because there's so much entrenched Republican knee jerk voting.
Once Kamala Harris is officially the head of the party, maybe the Dems will go back to a new, updated version of Howard Dean's "50-state strategy." The newly elected President Obama was too green to realize how important it was: building Democratic infrastructure in all 50 states (plus D.C. and the territories). Watching the roll-call vote at the convention, I saw all that Democratic energy from red and even deep red states. Time to build on it instead of writing it off.
I have been reading Jess Piper’s Substack for a while, and agree that Dems have to fight for every single seat if we want to have a chance of kicking the MAGA crowd to the curb, and keeping them there. But I can’t imagine not supporting them, and this election seems to be bringing it home that we need a Democratic voice in every election so that people know who we are and our values. So much more impactful if there is a human to human exchange of ideas.
I too am a Jess Piper fan, especially since I grew up in Missouri. She's working tirelessly to inform people about the importance of not leaving behind rural communities and challenging every seat. IIRC, at the Roll Call, Missouri said they have Democrats running for every race on the ballot. That's freaking amazing!
I do not live in a rural area, but I started to follow Jess and just love what she is doing. I worked with a Democrat who lived in Alabama, and always felt for her, not feeling represented where she lived. Jess is showing that can change, it takes time and passion.
Amy McGrath ran against McConnell, and tried to take him out. She's very good, but was too nice in her campaigning.
I sent Amy money, but she needed the Dem machine behind her
Good point. I agree.
That’s true Susan, but I also remember her saying
there were things that didn’t add up. I can’t remember now what she was referring to, but the implication was that McConnell was cheating to
win. That’s not a surprise considering what he did
to steal a couple of Supreme Crt seats.
Speaking of the Supreme Crt, here’s some info I
found on the internet yesterday:
From the website irishcentral. com:
“Justices Amy Coney Barrett, John Roberts, Clarence Thomas, Brett Kavanaugh, and Samuel Alito either belong to or are close to members of Opus Dei, a secretive lay movement within the church, first created in Spain by Father Josemaría Escrivá in the 1920s. Former U.S. Attorney General William Barr is also a member of Opus Dei.
Opus Dei critic Matthew Fox, PhD is in no doubt about the power the secretive group now has on the Catholic justices. “The Supreme Court itself has become a cesspool of religious ideology ignoring the pluralism of American culture in favor of a far-right version of evangelical and Roman Catholic Christianity committed to anti-abortion fanaticism,” writes Fox.
“The outline philosophy of the justices as professed in Alito’s memorable dismissal of Roe v Wade last month closely mirrors the priorities of Opus Dei (in English, Work of God) the deeply conservative Catholic group they owe fealty to.”
“Opus Dei plays the long game. Many of the Catholic justices were members of the Federalist Society, a top group of conservative, mostly Catholic lawyers who wield enormous power.”
“The Federalist society’s chairman Leonard Leo, a board member of Opus Dei, was given carte blanche by Donald Trump to pick the three Supreme Court judges that Trump then appointed.”
From: Dailymeditationwithmatthewfox. org:
“Their agenda, if passed, would catapult America back 50 years. It was Thomas who let the cat out of the bag when he wrote in Roe his opinion that issues such as contraception and same-sex marriage would all be on the agenda in the future. What would once have seemed fanciful and ridiculous is now a looming reality.”
“Part of fascist ideology is that it is fitting that men have control over women’s bodies (my book documents this). Indeed, control is what fascism and Opus Dei are all about.”
“Mussolini defined fascism as the “marriage of corporations and government” and we are seeing that play out in the current SCOTUS where environmental rights take second place to corporate power; and voting rights get gutted in favor of dark money from very dark corporations (NRA and Koch brothers among them).”
(Rev. Matthew Fox, PhD, author, theologian, and activist priest, has been calling people of spirit and conscience into the Creation Spirituality lineage for over 50 years.)
Absolutely horrifying, Susan. Yikes!
Absolutely fascinating, Susan. Thank you very much.
Dianne, I am sad to have to agree with you. Democrats have stood by and let McConnell coast into office one election after another. Moreover, they were too willing to negotiate budget and debt ceiling obstructions by agreeing to raise political funding raising levels.
Moreover, I may be, and want to be, wrong but it has always seemed to me that the Dems were naively believing that the Republicans were playing by the same rules. Two exceptions were House Speaker Nancy Pelosi who fought hard to get legislation like the Affordable Care Act passed. Second, Howard Dean promoted the idea of a 50 state strategy for the Dems. We can thank the former Chicago mayor, Rahm Emmanuel, brushing the 50 State strategy aside, if I’m not mistaken.
The good news is we Dems have finally come to recognize the obstructionist party for what they are.
Debbie Mucarsel-Powell is running against rick scott in Florida. I sure hope the Dem machine is working hard to get her elected!!!
https://www.politico.com/news/2024/08/20/florida-senate-race-debbie-mucarsel-powell-rick-scott-00175195
A very good question, Dianne.
That and the fact that in 2022 they gave thousands of dollars of OUR donations to MAGA candidates on the stupid grounds the would be 'easy to defeat' in November.
Now that I looked it up I kinda remember this, giving to the weaker candidate to better the chances of the Dem. I’d have to think long and hard about whether this is justified
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/09/12/democrats-interfere-republican-primaries/
The Dems gave donations to MAGAs?
Yes, The DNC.
I can understand how you feel, but limited resources requires any party go where they can win and not take on entrenched power like McConnells . Kentucky isn't California. It's not even Wisconsin or even Kansas. West Virginia kept returning Joe Manchin, who did nothing for the people of his state, but the people he hurts are so beaten down they think down is up and OxyContin is the answer.
The Dems got Andy Beshear elected in KY, so they can actually spend some bucks to get rid of McConnell, well from my perspective sitting here in really red Central Florida where our governor is thinking project 2025 is perfect and has been working toward its ‘ideals’ for the last 6 years. Luckily he is term limited which is what we need for Congress: IMO, two 6 year terms for the Senate and six 2 year terms for the House. And definitely term limits for the Supremes!
Dianne,
Gaetz and McConnell are running in very red areas. No amount of money is going to elect democrats in Gaetz’s district or NcConnell’s state. Maybe eventually, but not today.
But if the Democratic Senate and Congressional Campaign Committees make them their focus I bet they will!
At least if they tried to find candidates in Kentucky, Florida and similar States. I understand them not coming to California (except to collect money) We are so solidly blue and have so many registered Democrats they'd have to be idiots to lose here. But all the smaller States should have some time. That was the beauty of well past campaigns. The candidates would have a coach at the end of the train and would stand at the rail to give speeches to the crowds gathered there.
That’s true Ken, but I think McConnell’s ability to
do evil things to the middle class is just about
over due to his health issues.
As for Gaetz, I think it’s just a matter of time until
his shady lifestyle catches up to him. Right now we’ve got our hands full.
I hope you’re right. But they’ll still be re-elected in November.
Probably.
Mitch McConnell will go down in history as one of the true cowards in American politics. A spineless partisan hack with zero scruples. May he wither away slowly and painfully. And when he is finally gone, let's have the media speak of him truthfully - then let us think on him no more.
Just think: in his devotion to his fairy tale religion, he will be a god of his own planet for all the “good” he did on this one.
McConnell is not the only Senate problem. The Senate itself is an unfixable problem. Fifty-two senators (a majority) represent only 18% of the population of the US. The four most populous states make up 33% of the population, but have only eight senators. Two senators per state is fixed in the Constitution. A failure of the founders.
They knew they couldn’t think of everything, that’s why they made amendments. Let’s work on that after Harris and Walz are inaugurated !
I hate to be a killjoy, but you won't see it in your lifetime.
Article V, in describing the amendment process, stipulates that “no State, without its Consent, shall be deprived of its equal Suffrage in the Senate.”
Maybe a more workable path would be to give senate representation to DC and Puerto Rico...?
Another path, still requiring an amendment, would be to reduce the power of the Senate. Give it only super-majority veto power and put some boundaries around advise and consent.
Maybe the founders were doing what was right for their particular time? Their #1 priority was getting the Constitution ratified, to replace the unworkable Articles of Confederation. The smaller states were reluctant to sign on for fear of being bulldozed by the big, powerhouse states like Virginia, Massachusetts, and New York. Assigning two senators to every state regardless of size was a way to reassure them and gain their support. Btw, ending the filibuster would go a long way to fixing the Senate, and no constitutional amendment is required: just a majority vote. For anyone interested in how the Senate has evolved since the founding, I recommend Adam Jentleson's KILL SWITCH: The Rise of the Modern Senate and the Crippling of Democracy (W. W. Norton, 2021).
I've read that book and many others on the Senate. I support eliminating the filibuster, but with an R majority, we know it's dangerous. Look at SCOTUS. Each of trump's nominees were confirmed with less than 60 votes. As a result of the Great Compromise, the Senate is skewed to over represent the least populated states.
"By reference to the one person one vote standard, the Senate is the most malapportioned legislature in the world." (Lijphart 1984, 174) from Sizing Up the Senate, Lee and Oppenheimer.
Thank you, Ms Sturgis, for these observations.
I would only observe, also, that the federal system of governance at the federal level and the management of the relations of each state with others and with the federal government was and is a vital and on-going act of separation of equal powers, and that any and all of these powers also derive from and must constitute the shared interests of we the people in each context.
We the People have protections and responsibilities which we enumerate, mutually and actively affirm and innovate or reform.
What is less widely known and much less widely matter of conversational understanding is that the form and content of the Constitution represented a shared sense of minimal reciprocal responsibilities and protections for democratic citizenry and democratic governance and to protect and inform management of the many more numerous and vitally important differences of normative tradition and chosen behaviors present at the time.
Americans were diverse at that time; traditions among them were diverse. Saying this seems banal, but holding consciously to this is important for recognizing how conscious of convention (of the diverse and often conflicting or polarizing conventions) Americans at that time were.
As James Madison pointed to at the time [while he also publicly and privately wrung his hands over viable but incompatible interests and historical contextual opinions], and as Dr King Jr has discussed with Americans in his time more recently, there is a common sense human perception of mutuality of need and forward-looking interest.
The current congressional procedural norms and impediments to democratic governance can, I propose, be usefully evaluated when any of us accept the very limited but essential scope of areas of agreement we have at a given moment. These areas of agreement do, however few, have a personal and universal significance to each of us that, if offered inclusively and normatively formalized and as a practical matter of mutual accountability and security, enable us to come to reasoned willful social charters, e.g., the Constitution.
I’m going to give the Founders a break. They had no clue about what this country could truly become. Heck, when the Constitution was ratified, they had no idea how much territory our borders would encompass. The Louisiana Purchase was still in the future and Lewis and Clarke had yet to explore to the Pacific. Time and circumstances changed all that and there was a lot of politickin’, compromising and a war or so that helped.
You're right. The founders could have no way of knowing more people would want to live in California than North Dakota.
It's truly so disturbing. I live in NY and for every dollar we put in, we get .10c back. So we have less say than states who get more out.
Patt, I don't see it as a failure of the founders. I think the house, which goes by population as we know, has a lot of power also...nothing comes up for a vote unless the speaker,elected by the majority party, allows it. I think each state should have 2 senators so each state gets equal vote to veto or pass bills that will affect each state equally.
And the experiment continues,,,into the story of “we the people” as we all grow and learn.
The status quo is not really working. The senate represents states, not people.
https://www.vox.com/2018/10/13/17971340/the-senate-represents-states-not-people-constitution-kavanaugh-supreme-court
So it’s important to analyze this behavior. In his mind and others, as bad as Trump is, democrats are worse than Trump therefore you return to the lost fold. We also do this at least I do. I will sometimes consider wise pronouncements by a republican but knowing they represent a party of madness,I eventually return to the fold. In my case, I know that us democrats (although I consider myself more independent) can be confoundingly crazy more times than I am comfortable with. I’m not going there today. Now is the time to put aside our differences and win big. There will be a time to argue later. And I will say this, our side is so crazy that we will eventually sow the seeds to future defeat. Why? Because we are a bunch of crazy democrats, lol. That’s why. Now let’s win with super majorities.
Harris/Walz 2024
I can't believe I'm agreeing with everything you just wrote, Bill. I would only add that getting Democrats to act in unison is like herding cats - They have to be hungry enough to put down their toys and and go eat what's in front of them. They respond well to catnip. In contrast, getting Republicans to act in unison is like herding hyenas - They'll hunt in packs when they sense vulnerable prey.
Fortunately cats make better pets.
(Replace the GOP mascot with a heyna.)
Have you been watching the convention? They look pretty unified to me.
They got the catnip they craved: Lotus for POTUS and a sincere football coach to run interference.
When I take out treats every evening to feed my herd of 7 cats, Babe the youngest doesn’t understand that my finger is t supposed to be bitten, too. His treat gets tossed on the floor. He has bloodied my index finger holding the treat one too many times.
Babe must be a progressive, biting the hand that feeds him.
I trying to figure why I wrote this. I was working on another piece in my head. Cheeses. Nothing like complicating things.
Bill, I think your observations speak to a theme I heard running through many of the speeches at the convention. Specifically, we - each and every one of us - must a. Stop demonizing those who differ with us, and b. We must, as a nation and communities, create safe spaces for public conversation and dialogue. This is urgently important if we want to move beyond the ugly discourse of recent times. As per Joyce Vance’s Substack title, we desperately need “Civil Discourse.”
Remember ?
: BAD CODE!
Mitch McConnell is a pitiful excuse for a leader. He is nothing more than a weak, mumbling, bumbling turncoat. I find him disgusting because he abruptly and conveniently forgot all his stern and derisive words about Trump and then turned on the American people to praise and support the dictator wannabe. Furthermore, Trump publicly insulted his wife (Elaine Cho), and he said NOTHING like it didn't happen. McConnell is a despicable man and doesn't deserve an ounce of America's support. He has got to go.
However, he's done what his handlers most wanted him to do: pack the Supreme Court. This "pitiful excuse for a leader" has had as big an influence on the direction of the country *for years to come* as anyone. His departure at this point isn't going to change anything.
Mitch McConnell's lust for staying in power has corrupted him from his head to his toes. Do you remember the laugh-line: Impeachment is not the place, let the Courts handle it? Referring to Trump's treasonous instigation of the riots? Ugh.
I don't think he's a coward. He's sold his soul for political power. So he does whatever it takes to hold onto that. He makes the calculation devoid of moral or ethical considerations.
Brilliant move to block Obama's nomination to the Supreme Court. Dishonest but brilliant.
When there was no political weight to his words he denounced Trump after voting not to impeach him.
He has made it clear he despises Trump. Hasn't kissed the ring. Announced he would support him once nominated by the party but didn't swoon over him. He assumed Trump would win so thats the only thing that matters.
He's far from a coward, he's just a political machine.
I completely agree w/Susan. mitch is a calculating fearless traitor.
He is absolutely a “ calculating (he’s definitely not fearless….) traitor”. But that’s the equivalent of being a coward. Traitors are cowards because they knowingly deny the truth; they have no moral rectitude. He’s a despicable man, that’s for sure! 👍
He kissed the ring, and other parts, he just didn't do it on camera. Moscow Mitch didn't get to where he is now by acts of courage, he hides in the background sowing chaos in the guise of an elder statesman. He encourages all around him to become weaker to fortify his own positions. Mitch is a snake.
Absolutely, and he's got the job done. As I just noted elsewhere, he's accomplished what his handlers (the Federalist Society, the corporate fatcats, etc.) wanted him to do: pack the Supreme Court with far-right "conservatives". People who call him a failure are making a big mistake: evaluating him according to their own values. Their values are not his values.
Wow. That settles the hills and valleys. He’s gone straight through it all on his ego horse. Impressive.
Except for tRUMP.....
McConnell
Is not only a coward !
He is the puppet master for the polluters special interests ,
gun lobby accomplice for the AR15 slaughter of young schoolchildren,teachers and innocent civilians!
And the sellout kiss ass accomplice of the Trumph insurrection!
Two face , forked tongue bastard first condemned the Trumph insurrection then endorsed Trumph.
Beyond despicable!
The classic forked tonge two faced meelly mouth burro ‼️
Imho, McConnell has done more to destroy our democracy than any other person in the government. He is a back stabbing, power hungry, evil man. His only allegiance is to his own power and money.
McConnell must have a direct line to Heritage and 2025. That would be the icing on the Orange cake....the crowning diaper for his pathetic life.
Oh there are so many more in both Houses of Congress so it’s really hard to pick “the greater coward”!
He may be a coward, but I wonder. I believe he is a coldly calculating meteorologist studying the political winds. He knows where the donor money is and what it wants. If there is a window of opportunity for him to gain or retain power, he will go for it after figuring the probabilities of the various possible outcomes down to three decimal places. He does not seem to care much about his reputation or legacy, nor for the country's future. He wants what he wants--power, influence, wealth. How he gets it--the means and ends thing--is not important. Having been in the Senate for...ever, does his name appear on any legislation other than to establish some post office, or perhaps to honor a constituent. The quality of individual we the people are content with sending to DC is pretty sad. Makes one pine for term limits.
Coward doesn’t quite capture it. I recall an elected leader saying, McConnell is soulless and ghoulish.” He, like Trump, has always been about gaining power in the Senate, stacking the courts with right wing lawyers, and obstructing any progressive legislation.
Donald Trump.
More Bad Code!
McConnell is not honorable, his only interest is power!
ABSOLUTE TRUTH!! He screwed-up America more than any other person than TRUMP!!
Coward and craven cynic. Notice how the older he gets, the more he becomes the slimy, spineless jellyfish he has always been professionally?
He's not a coward, he's just evil.
What a disgusting human. All his miserable grifting life.
The thing that has amazed me from the time I first heard Trump interviewed, in the late 1970s is that he sounded like a con man. I could not see him well (my vision has never been good), but I could hear the insincerity in his voice. I mentioned it to family and my co-workers, but they thought Trump was just another rich guy and that is how they talk. It may be true for a lot of rich guys, but certainly not even a majority, at that time at least. I still don't understand what people "see and saw" in him and it must be visual because if one just listens, one can hear that there is nothing there that should draw anyone to him. I think people were/are enamored with the fake image of Trump on his reality TV show which was nothing like reality, and it was dishonest. Our media almost from the beginning of Trump's romp through New York real estate and beyond has been enthralled with Trump. Why? They can't have believed Trump had anything positive to offer anyone. The first time any media crossed him, they were called "fake news." That should have been a clue to them to back off their tongue-lolling infatuation with a rich child-man who bankrupted numerous times, because he could and didn't suffer one bit for it. If they reported anything negative, it was either shoved to a back page or dropped after the initial report. So, what I know is, the various media will not hold Trump-Vance accountable for anything they say or put out as policy if they put out anything. They will, however, analyze every comment and move Harris and Walz make. I know Harris and Walz will stand up to that kind of partisan badgering. What I can't be sure of is what the American people as a whole will think of what our various media are dishing out.
You probably already know that Mark Burnett, creator of The Apprentice, originally wanted to do a similar slick PR boosting show with one Vladimir Putin as the subject. That dude has A LOT to answer for.
James, I didn't know about Putin, but am certainly not surprised. That show, "The Apprentice" (which should have been called "Bad Boss"), the two episodes I saw seemed like a dictatorship and I hated every minute of it. Even I, not a reality TV afficionado could tell it was fake, but most people couldn't, or claimed they couldn't!
I never once saw reality TV in my life and considered it stupid and trashy and such a waste of precious time.
Bill, you are too kind to "reality TV". Talk about "oxymorons". I would rather watch paint dry. I watched the first couple of "Survivors". I squirmed with embarrassment for the participants.
As to the "Apprentice"...most people I knew who watched it were laughing AT Trump for being such an ahole.
Are you kidding. Watching paint dry while on LSD is a trip.
Doing anything while on LSD is a trip. I could never watch reality tv while tripping, I needed to be outside in the woods.
Bill, you nailed it. It was indeed trashy. No better than The Housewives of (fill in the blank city). It was a glitzy show where contestants embarrassed, debased, and withstood humiliation all for the chance to be Trump's apprentice, a/k/a minion.
I would rather watch Ozzie and Harriet but they were before my time.
Ruth, I watched a few episodes of The Apprentice and saw how it plays into the false American Dream idea, which blames the victims. "If you don't succeed, it's your fault and nothing to do with the system" is the narrative we will swallow while we follow a con man.
Gloria, what I truly don't understand is how anyone could be caught up in that nonsense. No talent was involved, but I understand attractiveness, particularly for the women was essential. If one notes current Republican women in some level of power, I have been told they have the look that Trump likes. That is nature, not talent and people like Greene, Lake, and Boebert, and the rest of the crew prove it on a regular basis. I wonder if they think they have been chosen for their brilliance. Ugh!
That’s exactly what they think.
Even More BAD CODE!
Good morning Ruth, perhaps this is the right time to resurrect the Lill Donny Baby balloon for parading. Think maybe appropriate in the current venue.
Isn't it amazing how many people watched that trash? They loved the cruelty of it.
And that's exactly the market for the MAGgot Party.
Trump is a bully. His father and, from his father, his money, have insulated him for all his life from the responsibilities and hard work and compassion that animate most folks lives. He's a terrible person. Selfishness is his motor.
Law and Order.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUTH_lOp834
Good post. Thank you!
This an excellent link
Let me tell you I agree. He came to CT and my hometown of Hartford in the late 1980s to build a casino. But our then governor who wanted city support and asked for a d received support from my friend and mayor Carrie Saxon Perry, was already making an exclusive deal with our native peoples. He failed and as he left Connecticut, his parting remark was “They don’t look like Indians to me.” A friend had met him and she remarked how intelligent he sounded to which I replied, “You gotta be kidding.” It’s in my introduction to “Donald’s Vanity Tantrums.”
Bill, wow! I think I remember that whole fiasco, although I don't think I knew about Trump's comment. How is it people have been led to believe Trump has anything to offer anyone but himself and his little cadre of sycophants? Even our media have been bamboozled, maybe deliberately into hanging on Trump's every word and deed. So, Trump has led the supposed family party, the "law and order" party, the patriotic party (none of which Republicans actually were), into a one-toddler-show with its head a serial cheat who ignored his wives and kids, a criminal with 34 counts and more indictments, an insurrectionist, and an insulter of service personnel and veterans. Yet, millions will vote for him and his party. I keep wondering what they expect to get for their effort. It won't be anything that will help them except if he wins, to claim they voted for him, yep, nothing.
The untidy truth in my humble opinion is that our side keeps pushing on some issues in the wrong direction. Issues that are unpopular to many. And you only need a few of these issues to get a simpleton to change course. Which is why I’m a centrist. Most of us just can’t understand this and what can I say. I’m frustrated by the tribe but there is no other tribe to join. So I’m here. Don’t get me started.
Trump, that boring, tedious empty suit-- he makes me grateful that my parents didn't get a television set until we kids had all left home.
Ruth Sheets, thank you for expressing how I feel.
Ruth, IMO you are really lucky that you can't really see him. He is disgusting to look at. I never thought there might be an upside to vision impairment, but now I see that there is… I wish I could unsee him. The upside to my hearing impairment is that I mostly can't understand what he's saying. His speech basically comes in as gibberish for me. I really like that you have been able to hear who he is for so long. I wish there were more who were able to do that.
Hey Susan, you have missed very little in not hearing the jerk. He has two speech levels, one when talking with an interviewer that he thinks is softer and "reasonable" (it isn't, just softer, just as disjointed, and his rally voice which is just shouting a bunch of again, disjointed insults, whines, made-up stuff, and test balloons he uses to find out what his warped fans/cult members want him to say. It is pretty disgusting and I wish I could unhear that voice, but also that hatred, fake anger, fearmongering, and pathetic resentment. One can't escape that voice because all the media think they have to play for us all the stupid things he says, and they do, but neglect to mention that Trump is lying, making up things, and trying to incite trouble.
Very well said, Ruth.
Con men succeed because people are willing to be conned. And before anyone looks down their snoot at these "gullible" people, think about how many times you've been suckered by an advertisement or a sales pitch.
Susanna, I am sorry if I left the impression that I dismiss the difficulty of the folks who have been conned by Trump and Kump. Those guys are experts, know all the tricks to go after the most vulnerable and manipulate them into believing the con artist is a friend, cares for them, and they need to do everything that artist says or there will be some kind of disaster. They separate those people from sources of truth (sticking them onto Fox and that ilk, the way an abuser separates his wife from friends and family. I don't know how to reach them with any kind of reality because they have been carefully shaped to distrust anyone not Trump or a Trump sycophant. I wish there were some kind of medication that could free those folks, but a lot of them seem perfectly happy right where they are, following their Donnie all over the country to just be in his "magnificent presence.
True, all true -- but I also think that we're all primed to some extent to "take things on faith," starting but definitely not ending with religion: I basically take electricity, the internal combustion engine, and the internet on faith because I only dimly understand how they work. Those who follow TFG have something in common not only with the mega-church preachers but with the Deadheads of yesteryear. Deadheads, however, are nowhere near as dangerous as the MAGAs -- or as the "good Germans" who turned out for the Nuremberg rallies.
Think of this particular subject as addiction on steroids; petroleum and its endless list of offspring, or smoking . . .anon. the evidence is hard to miss when you see what passes for marketing these days!
Susanna, however, there is a really big difference between taking the internet, electricity, and automobiles on faith (which you really aren't because you know enough that they actually function as they should, well or poorly for you as they are designed to. That is not the same as having faith in someone like Donald Trump who has proven nothing to anyone except he has a big mouth hates nearly everyone, and wants money and power more than anything else. That is not something one should have faith in because it produces nothing positive for the faithful soul who has to lie to themselves to keep the faith going.
Very well said, Ruth. I do enjoy listening to the discussions here.
I have an acknowledgement: about a month ago when the question was swirling about whether Joe should step aside, I was in the camp of "no." Joe is a fantastic statesman, done a great job in a difficult time. And, I said it outloud to a number of people "be quiet, just get behind Joe." But my heart busts with happiness as I observe the talent, passion, happiness and great intellect that Harris has brought to this campaign and will continue in her presidency. I was wrong, she is what the Dems needed in this race. Now we have it. Go Kamala.
Cindy, I'm another one like you. I always felt that Joe could do another 4 years. He has the stamina to do that. But when he did back out, and I started to see who Kamala is, I realized that she turned the race on its ear, and have been really glad to see that.
Kamala also has a wonderful advisor in Joe Biden. I know he will make himself available to her in a crisis. His wisdom will still be a part of our government, and that is the best of both worlds.
I was one like you too, but could not imagine how Democrats could recover. Joe knew Kamala was the answer. Actually, I live in the East Bay where Kamala started and I have NEVER doubted her ability to go far. It was reported on MSNBC that Karl Rove tried to stop her winning the SF District Attorney job. Republicans were afraid of her way back then.
OLIVIA TROYE was one of the first 'Never Trumpers'. 💪Olivia has not only "'done something", she has take many actions to preserve our democracy in the United States of America despite a physical injury featured on '60 Minutes'.
The Capital policeman who was beaten expressed a heart-felt devotion to defending his adopted land and its capital.
So true, Bill!! The video that was shown made me weep! How can anyone who sees that video, who watched in realtime on January 6, who saw the fallout and misery vote for Dumpy? Neighbors of mine have the flag with the blue stripe that supports police. Yet, they are voting for Trump in the name of God. Well, that is not the God of Love. Dumpy is a true charlatan. These people that will vote for him have found their excuse for THEIR huge character, flaw that excuses them for their hatred, racism, homophobia, misogyny, and just general meanness. I’ve said it before, I have to believe that sanity will prevail.
Sharon, you would love (NOT) the flag I always see on my way to the grocery store: GOD GUNS AND TRUMP. It is so cheap, it is printed only on one side.
I have to drive through a gauntlet of dump flags to get anywhere in my small rural town. It’s disgusting.
I feel for you. The guy I mentioned lives close to a mile from my house. The only thing I pass every day is the republican signs one of my neighbors on the back side of my block has. She has me fantasizing about defacing/taking down her Greg Abbott signs.
"Dump trump" and "Lock him up!"
If we get out the millions of unregistered folk who trend Democratic, and those that failed to vote in 2020, we win.
https://www.fieldteam6.org/
Need help phone banking today. https://www.mobilize.us/ft6/?q=phone%20banks&tag_ids=20038
Uh
The Citizen Kane Movie of Tomorrow: Citizen Trump
February 17, 2024
The classic movie Citizen Kane directed, produced, and starred in by Orson Welles will one day in the future, have a remake only this time the main pseudo-fictional character will be Donald Trump. The movie scene will open with a very bloated relic of his former self; uneven orange-smeared makeup slobbed across his face in bed. His overgrown blond hair is found similar to the muss of Boris Johnson’s now showing gray roots from lack of up-to-date hair dye. He periodically wakes from a semi-conscious state at his future dilapidated Mar-a-Lago residence (for lack of having sufficient funds to upkeep the property due to previous constant litigation and losses.) He looks around demanding more Kentucky Fried Chicken wings as low paid personal rush in another bucket and his last word is not “Rosebud” as in the movie Citizen Kane but:
“Stormy.” And the ex 45th president of the United States expires. The camera fades to black then opens at Le Club in the early disco 1970s, a members-only Manhattan nightclub in the East 50s, where models, fashionistas and a variety of Eurotrash (including his wife) went to be seen.
“The government has just filed suit against our company,” said Trump, “saying we discriminated against Blacks. What do you think we should do?”
The Roy Cohn obedient ass-kisser to Senator Joe McCarthy hearings accusing entertainment personalities of being communists shoots back, “Tell them to go to hell and fight the thing in court and let them prove you discriminated against them.”
Roy Cohn has become Trump’s go-to lawyer and fixer.
Cohn admonishes the young Trump to 1. Never settle. Never surrender. 2. Counter-attack, counter-sue immediately. 3. No matter what happens, no matter how deep into the shit you get, claim victory and never admit defeat.
These lessons were found to be the essential attributes of his future self.
And so it was.
(From "Donald's Vanity Tantrums")
Bill, great scenario for a "Citizen Trump" movie, but I must admit I wouldn't ever have the stomach to watch it.
He ha it’s only one of 60 satires and spoofs and raging commentaries in my collection.
Priceless !
Bill, it sounds believable except for Kentucky Fried Chicken. KFC is going bankrupt, and on Tuesday, all the franchises in our area suddenly closed without notice.
I haven’t eaten KFC in decades. Maybe I should for old times sake one more time. I eat low carb.
And remember the ankle monitor that he periodically tries to apply lotion inside of.
Eurotrash? What is this? I don’t want guess.
Oh, you could guess.
Ok. Women earning money through prostitution ?
The DNC has been amazing! So uplifting!! HOPE-reminds me of the Obama campaign! It cracks me up that there are “ undecided voters”! Come on!!! If you don’t know by now, let’s lift that rock that you are hiding under! I have lost family members over this whole thing. They support Dumpy! The only thing I can think of is, don’t let the door hit you on the way out!! Their true character, who they really are, has been revealed! See ya!
GO KAMALA! GO TIM!!! 💙💙💙 💙🇺🇸
My family trump voters are just too entrenched with the cult misinformation to even discuss the issues . I've watched.his rise, and read just about every book written about him over many years. Unfortunately ...my relatives are not readers at all. Don't even think that would would make a particle difference to them. Breaks my heart to hear grandchildren, great grandchildren, all those so very dear to me, spout his words as gospel. Contrast all that to overwhelming joy in hearing the various speakers at the Democratic.Convention...the positively uplifting.message they bring to electing.Kamala.and.Tim to bring back goodness, sanity, and the promise of good people working together once again to raise our beloved.nation from the threat of catastrophic imperial domination and moneyed control by billionaires. Our country deserves better...and so do.those who come after us..VOTE BLUE !
Why are your family members voting for Trump? Do they say?
Here’s a quote from Tim Walz’s speech at the Convention last night that gets right to this same point-“When Republicans use the word freedom, they mean that the government should be free to invade your doctor’s office. Corporations — free to pollute your air and water. And banks — free to take advantage of customers.”
Harris needs to be inaugurated and Trump incarcerated. Not necessarily in that order.
I agree Al, but I think trump should have house arrest at mara lardo so as not to give his minions material for having to "rescue" him from prison !
Really good point, Patricia. Of course, if they put him in Rikers, I'm not sure he'd last long enough to be rescued. I imagine that most of the inmates there hate him.
better at one of his poor;u constructed "luxury" condos!
The Democratic Convention is inspiring, uplifting, and urges all of us to GET INVOLVED! The emphasis is on country NOT party! Refreshing!
The collection of newspaper headlines should be on the sides of city busses every day until November 5th.
And evening news casts include the video montage
John McCain would have been drummed out of this Republican Party just like Liz Cheney was.
Adam Kingzinger is set to speak in Primetime at the DNC tonight!
One last thing… Robert Kennedy, Jr. he’s definitely part of the FREAK SHOW! We all know that he’s been offered something. And unethical and Vance – two words that go together. Not one of us believes a word that comes out of the Dumpy menagerie! Baby bears, anti vax, worms and whatever else this little man is tainted with, RKJ is lined up with the freaks!! Birds of a feather….
YES! DUMP TRUMP!!!!! 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
The assault of Americans by Donald Trump - MAGA - Project 2025 has the potential of ensuring Democratic trifectas for a generation or two.
"Project 2029? I DON'T THINK SO."
It should...