He didn’t commute the life sentence of the innocent native Indian American activist Leonard Peltier. But he did make a false pronouncement of the ERA that cannot be sustained. As much as I would like to see the ERA be enshrined, it cannot be but Biden gave in to pressure. But he wouldn’t give in to repeated requests to free an innocent man from prison. This tells me everything I need to know about the man who allowed Clarance Thomas to become a Supreme Court justice.
Sad to make this realization but that appears to be the truth. ERA is a big deal. Leonard Peltier is a big deal! Biden has a few hours to fix it. Hope he does.
Biden is and always was just another machine Democrat - nothing uplifting there. He did appoint Merrick Garland, and didn't ever fire him. Enough said.
Thanks, Joyce, for continuing to speak truth to power and helping us make some sense out of the chaos. It helps me focus on the work that's mine to do.
I am still adrift in the realization that the citizens of this country would rather have a male felon and sexual molester as President instead of a female lawyer, state AG, and VP with a fully functioning brain.
Whenever I think about what you said, I try to remember that there are many people who don't tune in to the news, some who aren't on social media at all, and many who don't get a lot of the "rational" news shows in their part of the country, so all they hear about are far right fascist lies.
In addition, from what I read, many Americans do not receive any classes in civics in school anymore, which makes anti-democracy Republicans happy. The fewer people who understand basics like our three branches of government and the checks and balances they are supposed to supply, the easier it is for Trump to get away with anti-democratic and illegal behavior.
It would be interesting to find out how many voters know that Trump is actually a convicted felon or that he lost the 2020 election. Somehow this country has got to have at least one credible media source with no nonsense, believable newspeople (and no constant "Breaking News" banners) that everyone has easy access to read or watch.
C C, well-said. The challenge is that those folks who don't connect with anything or anyone could do a tiny bit of research and learn who Trump is - OK, they knew, but chose him anyway because their racism and misogyny trump everything else and Trump was the rich white guy running and they couldn't possibly vote for a highly-qualified, caring competent woman of faith. They just couldn't do it. They hid in comments about the economy or that Trump was such a great president the first time when they know he wasn't. It is all to cover for the fact that racism and misogyny along with a bunch of other things rule their lives and probably always will.
They pass the intense hatred they harbor for everyone who is not just like them, down to the next generations who love to believe they are superior to others because of things they had no control over (race and gender), just like wealth or lack of it for most people. We have a lot of work to do to call out and explain how actions and words are racist and misogynistic and get people to own what they really stand for, and for most of the Trump voters, it is about race and gender, and they have come to think god told them to believe that crap.
Ruth, racists and misogynists will never “own” who they really are. I doubt that years of therapy would change them, even if they didn’t reject therapy as “woke” propaganda. We just need to outvote them until they have given up or died.
Marge, I believe you are right about the deep-seated racists and misogynists. I have always been amazed just how many women are misogynists. I know at one time there were few opportunities for women except in very specific instances, like WWII when the Rosie the Riveters were going strong, but now women are in every single field, out-perform men in many areas, so hating other women seems just stupid. Maybe they are the ones that choose to be stay-at-homers and are jealous that others made different choices, as they themselves may have wanted to make. It is really messed up. Women, like men, should be able to make the choices that are right for them. I keep hearing that we need to listen more to the right-wing women, one on one, but who has time for that? Listening to them in my view is far too hard and lets massive amounts of hate, ignorance, and other negativity into our brains. Sometimes, it makes me resent them even more, and I don't want to do that, although I am angry about their choices to vote for disgusting white men and the women who will go along with whatever those white men say. Perhaps moving along the best we can until those people die off, may be the way we save our democracy. However, we do need to reach younger women before the racism, misogyny, homo/transphobia etc. are engrained too deeply in their souls.
Ruth, I believe there may be a lot of subconscious jealousy amongst misogynistic women. My mother is a good example. She denigrated all my achievements and my lifestyle. Yet at the end of her life she told my brother “I could have been so much more.” And fifteen years later, at the end of his life my father whispered “Your mother was a Republican.” Need I say more?
Marge, you brought tears to my eyes because it reminded me of my own mother. There was not a more competent woman/person in my life. She could do anything, so I/we were always trying to meet her approval and match her abilities. I was seriously visually-impaired all my life, only losing my vision completely about 10 years ago. I earned a BS degree in education, a Master's Degree in education too, then a Master of Divinity degree, worked in a lot of significant jobs. I thought my mom saw me as a failure. I learned much later that she was bragging to other people of my successes. She never told me. She, too was a Republican. I think the women drawn to Republican Partyism were those primed by men and some women to make sure they never rose above themselves. Despite my mother's extreme competence in everything she tried, she always thought of herself as a failure, particularly as a mother. I don't get it, but I have often felt the same. I could/should have done more. As long as we women set nearly impossible standards for ourselves and every other woman, we will keep voting for ignoramuses as long as they are white men or women beholden to white men. Women of color experience this too; look at the Republican men of color who try so hard to be just like their white counterparts, denigrating women and other folks. We need to break this cycle, even though it has been going on for millennia. I suspect your mom was jealous of you because that was what she was supposed to feel, what we are all supposed to feel toward others. My sister's mother-in-law was a Rosie the Riveter during WWII. No one in the family knew about it until we found the paperwork after her death. She never talked about it although she got awards for her skill and production. That is crazy, as though those amazing women didn't deserve recognition and were just pathetic fill-ins for the real workers, the manly men. We women need to get to our young girls and boys too to set them on the right path toward developing their skills, competences, and confidence to stand for what is right and stop denigrating their fellow human beings for not being whatever they had decided they should be. Thanks so much for your note. It means a lot on this sad day.
Yes, I believe 11 states do not require a civics class for graduation. Civics should be included in PreK-12 in age appropriate ways with a semester class in late high school during which students can be registered to vote. I live in one of those 11 states. The big districts do include some civics but smaller school districts often do not.
Currently, only 68 million people subscribe to cable TV That's down from 110 million subscriptions in 2010. Around 20,000 people cancel their cable subscriptions every day. 50% of adults over age 65 still have cable. That translates into fewer than 30% of adults under 65 have cable subscription.
We still have cable because Spectrum provides it for free AND they knock $10 a month off our internet bill. I tried to cancel our subscription, but money talks.
And look at the subscriptions to the major newspapers. Bezos has driven away tens of thousand subscribers of the WAPO, The NY Times loves to report on everything Trump and so on.
People are getting their news from Substack and Facebook and YouTube and TikTok. OR they aren't getting it at all.
Last I heard, a wide swath in the news desert in the middle of the country is getting their information from far right wing Sinclair News. And until President Biden's Internet connections are up and running, that's all they hear at home.
C C, which is why we need to get laws in place that limit the number of outlets any one corporation or individual can own, say 10 or so, and that no person can own an entire media platform as Musk, Zuckerberg, and a few others do. It immediately limits the exposure people have to the truth and Musk and Zuckerberg are not interested in the truth, only money and power.
Judy, I am still heart-broken over this insanity. I do understand it is predominantly racism and misogyny along with a healthy dose of homo/transphobia and xenophobia and a scoop of pseudo-christianity, but that makes it even more than disgusting, it's evil voting for evil. Sorry Trumpers and Trumpettes, if you had cared enough to think or do a tiny bit of research, you would have seen the truth - and you would have chosen love and joy and it would not have been evil voting for evil.
Judy, try to think of all the things the draft dodging liar organized when he was #45 to end free and fair voting— corrupt census changed districts, loyalist postmaster general slowed mails, red states took away mail in voting, shortened polling hours, f’d up the Supreme Court. Look at what repubs in North Carolina are doing right now. And how the media helped him this time. Of course there are plenty of cult members who would vote for him if he shot someone on Fifth Ave., but I believe there are many more people who think he is a total putz and that it was not a free and fair election.
Yes, there were more factors at play in his win—the voter suppression, the use of social media to use propaganda both from within and without the US, and some would have voted for DT no matter what. But misogyny and race were an active force and to risk our democracy for that is sad indeed. There’s lots of work ahead for sure.
I’m one of them. If the TechBros were hell-bent on electing him, do we honestly believe they don’t have the ability to make it happen? All it takes is enough voter suppression and focusing their technical fraud on enough counties in swing states. Even the hubris of making sure ALL the swing states swing the Right way. Which they did.
Marge, it does make one wonder just how they managed to get ALL the swing states to go their way and to have Baby Donnie so sure he had the election, days before the election even happened. Dems are so worried about "doing the right thing," we often miss the actual cheating and fraud that may be right under our noses. Because Baby Donnie whined so often that there was election fraud in both previous elections he was in, Dems just didn't feel they could challenge this one or they/we would look like the fraudsters. It is amazing just how "clever" cheats, liars, con artists can be. I am hoping one day that some bright soul figures out how it was done and by whom, then publishes it for everyone to see. It won't change anything, but it would be worth our attention.
This is the frightening part. I had a discussion last week with a Trump supporter and he has an entirely different view of the economy than I do, and I understand his concern. I thought I was seeing more improvement than he as a small business owner sees. His points were valid but thinking this fool will make things better defies reason.
I’m giving this three months to have his supporters start to realize they voted to eff themselves. 😢
My blog post tomorrow will consist of a black rectangle, 600 x 400 pixels, and nothing else. My wife and I are also going to log out of all of our social media accounts, and keep the TV turned off. Https://khit.org
Someone on some of the comments in one of the article articles (sorry I’ve been reading so much I can’t remember where I saw things) suggested turning the TV on to any channel that is not broadcasting the inauguration. That will screw up their ratings. I don’t know if that’s true but it’s worth a try!
I don't know Roberta, but it seems the Cartoon Channel would be one of those who would definitely be covering this highly unusual Circus of Buffoons traveling in the Clown Car Procession to inaugurate The Orange Bozo-in-Chief. I think I'm going with ESPN. /s/
My thought for 1/20/2025, Inauguration Day of Donald Trump:
"Before someone calls mental health or law enforcement authorities requesting a wellness check on me, an errant wish crosses my mind that all news broadcasting organizations not cover the inauguration of Trump but instead boycott the entire sick event with reruns of "I Love Lucy," "Gunsmoke" (all episodes) or similar programs for the duration of the ceremony."
Other than Rachel Maddow (once a week), Fareed Zacharia, and Christiane Amanpour, I will not be watching the news on TV for the next four years. I will gladly rely on Joyce's and Heather Cox Richardson's newsletters....
Rachel Maddow recently announced she will be broadcasting weekday nights in her old time slot (now Alex Wagner’s) for the first 100 days of this administration. Alex will be traveling the country doing special reporting.
He is not known for being truthful. Numerous times he has been found to be a plagiarist. It has been well documented. That was it for me. I have never followed him or believed him since then. These were verified claims.
I always liked his character. I can't believe it's been 15 years since the original series ended. Wish they'd kept going then instead of trying to re-start it a few years ago. Just not the same.
I agree. I even like the first episodes. The things that made that show so popular for so long carried over to SVU too. Hence, it's longevity? Oh. BTW, I found my marathon for all day today.
Hi Bobby, I plan to go to the nether regions of cable and watch baking competitions and house renovations. It’s peaceful there and small challenges are met constructively within an hour.
Isn’t it a shame that tomorrow should all be about “I have a dream” and instead it’s “We have a nightmare”. Horrible that MLK has to be sullied this way.
Bonnie, good choice. I do wish that there would be a "power outage" that just happened to cut all the networks from being able to cover the jerk in chief as he lies an oath again and whines about how put-upon his poor little rich self is.
I recommend turning the TV on but have in on a cooking, home improvement or history channel - anything but the inauguration or the news covering it. That way the TV ratings will be down along with the audience size!
Netflix? I tweeted the following to Trump‘s “Border Czar”—@RealTomHoman So, how are the rehearsals for Tuesday’s Chicago ICE Netflix Limited Series raid goin’? Lotta LatinX actors outa work right now, nice of you to help. Ratings will be YOOOGE!
If you're watching Netflix watch The Three Triple Eight. It's a true depiction of the only WAC battalion sent to Europe in WWII. Reminds me of Hidden Figures
The WWII 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion was the first and only all-Black female unit to be deployed overseas during WWII. On February 3, 1945, they sailed for Britain. However they were not the only WAC battalion to be sent overseas. The first Women's Army Corps (WAC) group arrived in England in July 1943. They were assigned to support the Eighth Air Force. My mother was part of that group. In England she was assigned to work at the Army Air Force 8th Bomber Command headquarters outside London, plotting the position of bomber and fighter missions into Europe on a large table map while high-ranking officers watched from the balcony above.
I agree with your sentiments but I remember vividly four years ago when all the rumors I had pieced together from social media happened. I was glued to my TV set. If something goes down again I want to see it.
I’m worried that with Musk owning X, Zuckerberg owning Facebook, and Trump cozying up to TikTok, all of dominant social media will be operating as a megaphone for Trump and MAGA.
There are great platforms opening up here on Substack, and I see that Meidas Touch has been outperforming Fox on YouTube. That is wonderful, but will it be enough?
I’m not on any of those platforms. I hope people do like you, and will move to Blue Sky and other pro democracy places. We need to be able to push back quickly and effectively on all disinformation. The Contrarian, Joyce Vance, Meidas Touch, are striving to do just that. That’s why I’m here, and support all of them. The Lincoln Project as well.
Yes, tomorrow we start to chart the price of eggs and take note of every promise he made that will now be broken. We play that back over and over and over.
Mike Johnson will never ever do something that will make normal people feel pride in the Speaker of the House. He'll just keep Trump on speed dial. And a copy of Project 2025 on the front corner of his desk.
I think that many people who voted for Trump will gradually have objections to his actions. Once they start calling their representatives, there will be blowback.
I wonder about that, although I wish it would be true. The Kool-Aid drinkers have so much in vested in trump being right, I don't think they will ever be able to say he was wrong, or they were wrong for voting for him. trump will continue to tell lies and blame somebody or something else, and they will continue to believe them, and they won't be accessing news outlets that tell the truth. Somebody else will be to blame.
I've already read about people being pissed off because they spent a ton of money to get to DC, and stay in a hotel, and now can't watch the inauguration.
Not that that's a big thing, but last time around people got upset by the methods of separation at the border. I don't understand how they could have forgotten so quickly, but once the reality of peoples lives being torn apart ends up in the news (there are some outlets that will Show it) people will be upset again. It's too bad they're too stupid to have imagined what is going to happen.
I think you may well be right, depending on how Trump's latest stunt affects his voters. If their relatives start getting rounded up, if their medicaid is cut off, if tariffs raise the price of goods they want to buy or affect the job they have, I think many of them are not going to accept it without complaining bitterly. Just depends on what he actually does and how much it is publicized.
Maybe there will be no signs of things getting worse in most people's lives, but they certainly won't be getting better, and that's what he promised everyone.
"Well if anyone thinks Congress will lift a finger to stop even one of these orders, I have some Arizona beachfront property to sell you."
Please do not make the unforced error of speaking of Congress as a monolith. Do not swallow or amplify the specious rhetoric that Democrats and Republicans are the same. Because you would be factually and strategically mistaken.
I suggest going into the CSpan archives and searching for any members of the Progressive Caucus. And listening to the people
who go to work everyday and put their hearts, minds, and shoulders to the wheel for our democracy and all our people.
I don’t equate the two parties. But with the R’s in charge, the D’s are not in much of a position to do much, action wise. However the Dems still have people of principle who are fortunately superb communicators - among them the excellent people you have called out. I hope, and know, they will continue to speak truth to power. But the Kool-aid drinkers will not be on sites or stations that show them.
I had Lauren boo-boo Boebert for 4 years! thank god the wannabe smart gunslinger loud mouth sex kitten or Ted -podcaster, lazy US Senator from Texas high paid call girl…Now we’re stuck with Jeff Hurd a lawyer fro grand junction that stills not set his contact information up - of course he is another republican. They’ve been in power on the western slope for WAY too long! Not impressed me at all!
I really don't know. As a mental health therapist I pride myself on my diagnostic capabilities and keen prognosis of human behavior. But I am truly stumped...in fact, I feel quite inept....
I was diagnosed with an aggressive cancer about 6 years ago. Surgery, chemo and radiation were what allowed to me continue living and thrive! I'm fine now :) But, I have a similar sense of concern with this upcoming 4 years of Trump et al. However, just like the cancer treatment, a multi pronged approach will allow us to continue living and thrive! Find a group that helps you live and thrive. As you keep saying Joyce, "We're in the together!"
Blessings to you, Carol! I am a 2x BC survivor but clean and clear for 15 years, as of the 13th this month. Hooray for us, who never stop moving and fighting!
Joyce - tomorrow is a day to honor Dr Martin Luther King Jr, and have a dream!
My dream is that Rs like Mike Turner get to the point where they get together, go Independent, caucus with Ds taking the House and Senate away from Mump (Musk+tRump).
My dream is for his third impeachment to be soon and successful!
Thank you for committing to read his speech. I will watch for you and your #SistersInLaw analysis.
I believe we will know the direction of the USA by 1 May, the 100 days that Rachel Maddow has committed to cover five nights a week.
Another glaring contrast in character is Jimmy Carter and trump. trump actually commanded Mike Johnson to order the flag which is at half mast to honor the passing of President Carter to be flown at full mast during his inauguration. Can anyone possibly go lower?
Sophia - I fear that there will be no shortage of “hold my beer” MAGABros competing for that Kavanaughish distinction. But tomorrow, I’m sticking with my dream!
I want to hop in that dream, Jason. I too, have been giving Turner a lot of thought and am hoping that he and Murkowski change their party affiliation.
Jason, I am no longer with X but will go to MSNBC’s website to look up that up. I absolutely have the utmost respect for Rev Barber. Thanks for letting me know.
Marlene - I’m not on X, just followed the DuckDuckGo link to the Website when I couldn’t find the clip at MSNBC or BlueSky or YouTube. Hopefully Dr Barber will soon abandon X, but this is worth watching to inspire your dream!
I won't be watching the inauguration but I'll be honoring MLK and my friends who are resting in Arlington who honored their oath and paid the ultimate price.
It’s symbolic of where we are as a nation that a serial grifter and liar, as well as a convicted felon, is taking possession (I use that word deliberately) of the Oval Office on the same day we honor a humanitarian who worked for a fairer and more just future. Trump will do no such thing. He will shamelessly use his authority to enrich himself, deceive his followers, and reward his loyalists with positions they are incapable of filling properly. He will lie about anything and everything on a daily basis. Thank you Joyce, for reminding us that there is work to do to resist and prepare for the next election.
I just permanently deleted my Facebook account and it felt good. Tomorrow I will work out at the gym, wearing mostly black. Then my neighbors and my husband and I will eat pizza and brownies and play games to help us get through the day. Thank you, Joyce, for reading his petty speech full of lies, as I will not. He is not my president and I will never acknowledge it either.
I'm going to be keeping my eyes open to see which nonprofits are working to stop the drumph's worst actions. To the extent that I am able, I will be donating to those groups. I suspect they will be the ACLU and some environmental groups.
I also will see where I am able to volunteer. If need be, I will chain myself to a tree. My kids are grown and on their own and I have only by myself to answer for. Bring it on MF's!
I need emotional support chicken pictures tomorrow
Yes!! and the dog. and the cat.
He didn’t commute the life sentence of the innocent native Indian American activist Leonard Peltier. But he did make a false pronouncement of the ERA that cannot be sustained. As much as I would like to see the ERA be enshrined, it cannot be but Biden gave in to pressure. But he wouldn’t give in to repeated requests to free an innocent man from prison. This tells me everything I need to know about the man who allowed Clarance Thomas to become a Supreme Court justice.
‘Nough said.
Sad to make this realization but that appears to be the truth. ERA is a big deal. Leonard Peltier is a big deal! Biden has a few hours to fix it. Hope he does.
I share your hope.
Don't hold your breath ... Uncle Joe has to have his nap.
Biden is and always was just another machine Democrat - nothing uplifting there. He did appoint Merrick Garland, and didn't ever fire him. Enough said.
I second the motion!
I concur with all of you!
Great comment!
Me too
Thanks, Joyce, for continuing to speak truth to power and helping us make some sense out of the chaos. It helps me focus on the work that's mine to do.
It was George H W Bush who took the oath of office 200 years after George Washington.
Past Present in a Fish Tale
A throng along the river of longing
hellbent on remaking public policy,
this time with a lot of hairspray.
Human nature, the legal system,
and plate-tectonics grittiness
keep getting in the way.
Someone long gone, he still is
and they still are, Grover Cleveland
stars in a non-comic, tragic, replay.
We desperately bank
on this version having a different plot,
we improvise during the decay.
I am still adrift in the realization that the citizens of this country would rather have a male felon and sexual molester as President instead of a female lawyer, state AG, and VP with a fully functioning brain.
Whenever I think about what you said, I try to remember that there are many people who don't tune in to the news, some who aren't on social media at all, and many who don't get a lot of the "rational" news shows in their part of the country, so all they hear about are far right fascist lies.
In addition, from what I read, many Americans do not receive any classes in civics in school anymore, which makes anti-democracy Republicans happy. The fewer people who understand basics like our three branches of government and the checks and balances they are supposed to supply, the easier it is for Trump to get away with anti-democratic and illegal behavior.
It would be interesting to find out how many voters know that Trump is actually a convicted felon or that he lost the 2020 election. Somehow this country has got to have at least one credible media source with no nonsense, believable newspeople (and no constant "Breaking News" banners) that everyone has easy access to read or watch.
We need a “Walter Cronkite”
C C, well-said. The challenge is that those folks who don't connect with anything or anyone could do a tiny bit of research and learn who Trump is - OK, they knew, but chose him anyway because their racism and misogyny trump everything else and Trump was the rich white guy running and they couldn't possibly vote for a highly-qualified, caring competent woman of faith. They just couldn't do it. They hid in comments about the economy or that Trump was such a great president the first time when they know he wasn't. It is all to cover for the fact that racism and misogyny along with a bunch of other things rule their lives and probably always will.
They pass the intense hatred they harbor for everyone who is not just like them, down to the next generations who love to believe they are superior to others because of things they had no control over (race and gender), just like wealth or lack of it for most people. We have a lot of work to do to call out and explain how actions and words are racist and misogynistic and get people to own what they really stand for, and for most of the Trump voters, it is about race and gender, and they have come to think god told them to believe that crap.
Ruth, racists and misogynists will never “own” who they really are. I doubt that years of therapy would change them, even if they didn’t reject therapy as “woke” propaganda. We just need to outvote them until they have given up or died.
Marge, I believe you are right about the deep-seated racists and misogynists. I have always been amazed just how many women are misogynists. I know at one time there were few opportunities for women except in very specific instances, like WWII when the Rosie the Riveters were going strong, but now women are in every single field, out-perform men in many areas, so hating other women seems just stupid. Maybe they are the ones that choose to be stay-at-homers and are jealous that others made different choices, as they themselves may have wanted to make. It is really messed up. Women, like men, should be able to make the choices that are right for them. I keep hearing that we need to listen more to the right-wing women, one on one, but who has time for that? Listening to them in my view is far too hard and lets massive amounts of hate, ignorance, and other negativity into our brains. Sometimes, it makes me resent them even more, and I don't want to do that, although I am angry about their choices to vote for disgusting white men and the women who will go along with whatever those white men say. Perhaps moving along the best we can until those people die off, may be the way we save our democracy. However, we do need to reach younger women before the racism, misogyny, homo/transphobia etc. are engrained too deeply in their souls.
Ruth, I believe there may be a lot of subconscious jealousy amongst misogynistic women. My mother is a good example. She denigrated all my achievements and my lifestyle. Yet at the end of her life she told my brother “I could have been so much more.” And fifteen years later, at the end of his life my father whispered “Your mother was a Republican.” Need I say more?
Marge, you brought tears to my eyes because it reminded me of my own mother. There was not a more competent woman/person in my life. She could do anything, so I/we were always trying to meet her approval and match her abilities. I was seriously visually-impaired all my life, only losing my vision completely about 10 years ago. I earned a BS degree in education, a Master's Degree in education too, then a Master of Divinity degree, worked in a lot of significant jobs. I thought my mom saw me as a failure. I learned much later that she was bragging to other people of my successes. She never told me. She, too was a Republican. I think the women drawn to Republican Partyism were those primed by men and some women to make sure they never rose above themselves. Despite my mother's extreme competence in everything she tried, she always thought of herself as a failure, particularly as a mother. I don't get it, but I have often felt the same. I could/should have done more. As long as we women set nearly impossible standards for ourselves and every other woman, we will keep voting for ignoramuses as long as they are white men or women beholden to white men. Women of color experience this too; look at the Republican men of color who try so hard to be just like their white counterparts, denigrating women and other folks. We need to break this cycle, even though it has been going on for millennia. I suspect your mom was jealous of you because that was what she was supposed to feel, what we are all supposed to feel toward others. My sister's mother-in-law was a Rosie the Riveter during WWII. No one in the family knew about it until we found the paperwork after her death. She never talked about it although she got awards for her skill and production. That is crazy, as though those amazing women didn't deserve recognition and were just pathetic fill-ins for the real workers, the manly men. We women need to get to our young girls and boys too to set them on the right path toward developing their skills, competences, and confidence to stand for what is right and stop denigrating their fellow human beings for not being whatever they had decided they should be. Thanks so much for your note. It means a lot on this sad day.
Well said. 💯 I'm not sure this country can be healed in its present form. Maybe that's the work Joyce speaks of.
Yes, I believe 11 states do not require a civics class for graduation. Civics should be included in PreK-12 in age appropriate ways with a semester class in late high school during which students can be registered to vote. I live in one of those 11 states. The big districts do include some civics but smaller school districts often do not.
Currently, only 68 million people subscribe to cable TV That's down from 110 million subscriptions in 2010. Around 20,000 people cancel their cable subscriptions every day. 50% of adults over age 65 still have cable. That translates into fewer than 30% of adults under 65 have cable subscription.
We still have cable because Spectrum provides it for free AND they knock $10 a month off our internet bill. I tried to cancel our subscription, but money talks.
And look at the subscriptions to the major newspapers. Bezos has driven away tens of thousand subscribers of the WAPO, The NY Times loves to report on everything Trump and so on.
People are getting their news from Substack and Facebook and YouTube and TikTok. OR they aren't getting it at all.
Or, they are getting it from Faux news.
Last I heard, a wide swath in the news desert in the middle of the country is getting their information from far right wing Sinclair News. And until President Biden's Internet connections are up and running, that's all they hear at home.
It’s virtually all they can get, now that the oligarchs have monopolized the media.
C C, which is why we need to get laws in place that limit the number of outlets any one corporation or individual can own, say 10 or so, and that no person can own an entire media platform as Musk, Zuckerberg, and a few others do. It immediately limits the exposure people have to the truth and Musk and Zuckerberg are not interested in the truth, only money and power.
The new "Contrarian" is doing its best!
Judy, I am still heart-broken over this insanity. I do understand it is predominantly racism and misogyny along with a healthy dose of homo/transphobia and xenophobia and a scoop of pseudo-christianity, but that makes it even more than disgusting, it's evil voting for evil. Sorry Trumpers and Trumpettes, if you had cared enough to think or do a tiny bit of research, you would have seen the truth - and you would have chosen love and joy and it would not have been evil voting for evil.
But their priest/stockbroker told them they had to vote for trump.
Hate Trunps logic.
Judy, try to think of all the things the draft dodging liar organized when he was #45 to end free and fair voting— corrupt census changed districts, loyalist postmaster general slowed mails, red states took away mail in voting, shortened polling hours, f’d up the Supreme Court. Look at what repubs in North Carolina are doing right now. And how the media helped him this time. Of course there are plenty of cult members who would vote for him if he shot someone on Fifth Ave., but I believe there are many more people who think he is a total putz and that it was not a free and fair election.
Yes, there were more factors at play in his win—the voter suppression, the use of social media to use propaganda both from within and without the US, and some would have voted for DT no matter what. But misogyny and race were an active force and to risk our democracy for that is sad indeed. There’s lots of work ahead for sure.
I’m one of them. If the TechBros were hell-bent on electing him, do we honestly believe they don’t have the ability to make it happen? All it takes is enough voter suppression and focusing their technical fraud on enough counties in swing states. Even the hubris of making sure ALL the swing states swing the Right way. Which they did.
Marge, it does make one wonder just how they managed to get ALL the swing states to go their way and to have Baby Donnie so sure he had the election, days before the election even happened. Dems are so worried about "doing the right thing," we often miss the actual cheating and fraud that may be right under our noses. Because Baby Donnie whined so often that there was election fraud in both previous elections he was in, Dems just didn't feel they could challenge this one or they/we would look like the fraudsters. It is amazing just how "clever" cheats, liars, con artists can be. I am hoping one day that some bright soul figures out how it was done and by whom, then publishes it for everyone to see. It won't change anything, but it would be worth our attention.
This is the frightening part. I had a discussion last week with a Trump supporter and he has an entirely different view of the economy than I do, and I understand his concern. I thought I was seeing more improvement than he as a small business owner sees. His points were valid but thinking this fool will make things better defies reason.
I’m giving this three months to have his supporters start to realize they voted to eff themselves. 😢
I have been in that very state since Election Day.
My blog post tomorrow will consist of a black rectangle, 600 x 400 pixels, and nothing else. My wife and I are also going to log out of all of our social media accounts, and keep the TV turned off. Https://khit.org
Someone on some of the comments in one of the article articles (sorry I’ve been reading so much I can’t remember where I saw things) suggested turning the TV on to any channel that is not broadcasting the inauguration. That will screw up their ratings. I don’t know if that’s true but it’s worth a try!
My stepdaughter, who is in TV marketing agrees: tune to any channel not showing the news. We are tuning to the Cartoon Channel.
TCM (Turner Classic Movies) will be showing films starring Black actors and actresses and/or ones that address aspects of racism.
Yes, also Comedy Central.
For those who have ESPN, the 2025 Australian Open is on tomorrow.
Food Channel and any Channel carrying coverage of MLK celebration
I don't know Roberta, but it seems the Cartoon Channel would be one of those who would definitely be covering this highly unusual Circus of Buffoons traveling in the Clown Car Procession to inaugurate The Orange Bozo-in-Chief. I think I'm going with ESPN. /s/
That is our plan!
As I've said elsewhere, I'm going to watch Don't Look Up.
I thought only the viewing habits of specifically-selected sample households were tracked? Roberta, is that just old school?
Also wearing all black and have my bumper sticker ready to put on my car at 9am PST-fascist, misogynist,bigot, liar, pig, crook, not my president
Convicted Felon most important.
My thought for 1/20/2025, Inauguration Day of Donald Trump:
"Before someone calls mental health or law enforcement authorities requesting a wellness check on me, an errant wish crosses my mind that all news broadcasting organizations not cover the inauguration of Trump but instead boycott the entire sick event with reruns of "I Love Lucy," "Gunsmoke" (all episodes) or similar programs for the duration of the ceremony."
how about duration of his presidency.... ?
By all means ...
Yes yes and yes. Include My Tree Sons and Gilligan’s Island.
Other than Rachel Maddow (once a week), Fareed Zacharia, and Christiane Amanpour, I will not be watching the news on TV for the next four years. I will gladly rely on Joyce's and Heather Cox Richardson's newsletters....
Rachel Maddow recently announced she will be broadcasting weekday nights in her old time slot (now Alex Wagner’s) for the first 100 days of this administration. Alex will be traveling the country doing special reporting.
I found that fascinating. And tempting. But not tomorrow.
Tomorrow is cooking shows I think.
Fareed Zachariah wrote a terrible op ed in either WaPo or NYT, I forget, but it really disappointed me in him.
I have been shocked at the softness Fareed exhibits towards Trump and his cabal. Disgusting cave. I'm done with Zakaria;
So disappointed to hear....
He is not known for being truthful. Numerous times he has been found to be a plagiarist. It has been well documented. That was it for me. I have never followed him or believed him since then. These were verified claims.
If I can find a Law and Order marathon, my TV will be tuned to it. Law and order is and definitely will be needed.
Sidebar: I freaked out a little this past week when I discovered "Jack McCoy" is 84 this year and will turn 85 in November.
He had a very successful run on that show and much to be proud of! Knowing his age reminds me of mine.
I always liked his character. I can't believe it's been 15 years since the original series ended. Wish they'd kept going then instead of trying to re-start it a few years ago. Just not the same.
I agree. I even like the first episodes. The things that made that show so popular for so long carried over to SVU too. Hence, it's longevity? Oh. BTW, I found my marathon for all day today.
That was probably me! At least, I have posted that in several places.
I'll have JTV on beginning at midnight tonight through midnight tomorrow. The least political and most boring cable channel I know.
Bulwark comments also talking about this. Ill turn it on and mute it. When not watching Great Baking Show reruns.
I truly do not know how we survive this coup. It feels like the last chapter of On the Beach.
Hi Bobby, I plan to go to the nether regions of cable and watch baking competitions and house renovations. It’s peaceful there and small challenges are met constructively within an hour.
Good ideas. I’m wearing all black and listening to ML King.
Isn’t it a shame that tomorrow should all be about “I have a dream” and instead it’s “We have a nightmare”. Horrible that MLK has to be sullied this way.
Thanks Mike. That could be a line in a song. Hum…
This.
Bonnie, good choice. I do wish that there would be a "power outage" that just happened to cut all the networks from being able to cover the jerk in chief as he lies an oath again and whines about how put-upon his poor little rich self is.
I recommend turning the TV on but have in on a cooking, home improvement or history channel - anything but the inauguration or the news covering it. That way the TV ratings will be down along with the audience size!
Netflix? I tweeted the following to Trump‘s “Border Czar”—@RealTomHoman So, how are the rehearsals for Tuesday’s Chicago ICE Netflix Limited Series raid goin’? Lotta LatinX actors outa work right now, nice of you to help. Ratings will be YOOOGE!
If you're watching Netflix watch The Three Triple Eight. It's a true depiction of the only WAC battalion sent to Europe in WWII. Reminds me of Hidden Figures
The WWII 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion was the first and only all-Black female unit to be deployed overseas during WWII. On February 3, 1945, they sailed for Britain. However they were not the only WAC battalion to be sent overseas. The first Women's Army Corps (WAC) group arrived in England in July 1943. They were assigned to support the Eighth Air Force. My mother was part of that group. In England she was assigned to work at the Army Air Force 8th Bomber Command headquarters outside London, plotting the position of bomber and fighter missions into Europe on a large table map while high-ranking officers watched from the balcony above.
It was very very well-done. In the credits they included more history on what happened to some of the main characters afterward.
Yes! I totally agree about TV ratings!
Ditto. I’ll not engage in any way with this farce.
And I will be on duty at our local food pantry in the afternoon, after a morning of reading and writing in my journal.
Sounds like a great day!
I plan on frequently posting MLK quotes. Oh, and Biblical verses about horrid rulers.
Turn the TV on, just don't watch the inauguration. I'm planning on Food Network.
That is a very wise choice.
I agree with your sentiments but I remember vividly four years ago when all the rumors I had pieced together from social media happened. I was glued to my TV set. If something goes down again I want to see it.
And that flag better be at half staff!!??
Easy to do. We don’t have a TV.
I’m worried that with Musk owning X, Zuckerberg owning Facebook, and Trump cozying up to TikTok, all of dominant social media will be operating as a megaphone for Trump and MAGA.
There are great platforms opening up here on Substack, and I see that Meidas Touch has been outperforming Fox on YouTube. That is wonderful, but will it be enough?
I am migrating full-on to Blue Sky.
I’m not on any of those platforms. I hope people do like you, and will move to Blue Sky and other pro democracy places. We need to be able to push back quickly and effectively on all disinformation. The Contrarian, Joyce Vance, Meidas Touch, are striving to do just that. That’s why I’m here, and support all of them. The Lincoln Project as well.
Right there with you.
I have gone black on all Meta platforms till 1/26 as part of a group protest. You can find me on BlueSky.
BlueSky and Substack are the sane places to be right now. All else is corrupted and nonsense.
There will be more to come. People are really hungry for the facts! Not the gossip and lies!
I hope so! It’s heartening to see how many people subscribed to The Contrarian on its first day.
Contrarian is well worth it!!
Yes, tomorrow we start to chart the price of eggs and take note of every promise he made that will now be broken. We play that back over and over and over.
Also charting price of gas.
As bird flu reared its ugly head again in GA and more flocks were killed off.
Do NOT like this.
"Congress and the courts will have the ability to block some of the executive orders..."
Well if anyone thinks Congress will lift a finger to stop even one of these orders, I have some Arizona beachfront property to sell you.
Mike Johnson will never ever do something that will make normal people feel pride in the Speaker of the House. He'll just keep Trump on speed dial. And a copy of Project 2025 on the front corner of his desk.
And his Bible on the other corner.
Which, I've come to see, is just for show
Wow. I didn't notice that. How low can he go...
and if Johnson did discover a backbone, plenty of his cohorts would smack him down.
And ya know he's an evangelical pedophilias creepy pervert. Just ick!!!!!
Seventh Mountain Dominionist
I think that many people who voted for Trump will gradually have objections to his actions. Once they start calling their representatives, there will be blowback.
Hi DW,I actually think not. Like Stalin’s citizens, he was supported to the end.
It is their club,fraternity, whatever. No matter the suffering, it will be the fault of “the Libs” because there are no more facts.
bingo.
I wonder about that, although I wish it would be true. The Kool-Aid drinkers have so much in vested in trump being right, I don't think they will ever be able to say he was wrong, or they were wrong for voting for him. trump will continue to tell lies and blame somebody or something else, and they will continue to believe them, and they won't be accessing news outlets that tell the truth. Somebody else will be to blame.
I've already read about people being pissed off because they spent a ton of money to get to DC, and stay in a hotel, and now can't watch the inauguration.
Not that that's a big thing, but last time around people got upset by the methods of separation at the border. I don't understand how they could have forgotten so quickly, but once the reality of peoples lives being torn apart ends up in the news (there are some outlets that will Show it) people will be upset again. It's too bad they're too stupid to have imagined what is going to happen.
I think you may well be right, depending on how Trump's latest stunt affects his voters. If their relatives start getting rounded up, if their medicaid is cut off, if tariffs raise the price of goods they want to buy or affect the job they have, I think many of them are not going to accept it without complaining bitterly. Just depends on what he actually does and how much it is publicized.
Maybe there will be no signs of things getting worse in most people's lives, but they certainly won't be getting better, and that's what he promised everyone.
And how much of his failings are blamed on Democrats on Faux
"Well if anyone thinks Congress will lift a finger to stop even one of these orders, I have some Arizona beachfront property to sell you."
Please do not make the unforced error of speaking of Congress as a monolith. Do not swallow or amplify the specious rhetoric that Democrats and Republicans are the same. Because you would be factually and strategically mistaken.
I suggest going into the CSpan archives and searching for any members of the Progressive Caucus. And listening to the people
who go to work everyday and put their hearts, minds, and shoulders to the wheel for our democracy and all our people.
https://www.c-span.org/
https://www.c-span.org/quick-guide/
https://progressives.house.gov/home
For Instance
https://www.c-span.org/search/basic/?query=Jamie+Raskin
https://www.c-span.org/search/basic/?query=Sheldon+Whitehouse
https://www.c-span.org/search/basic/?query=Tammy+Duckworth
https://www.c-span.org/search/basic/?query=Pramila+jayapal
https://www.c-span.org/search/basic/?query=Hank+Johnson
https://www.c-span.org/search/basic/?query=Ron+Weydan
https://www.c-span.org/search/basic/?query=Ro+khanna
https://www.c-span.org/search/basic/?query=Jasmine+Crickett
https://www.c-span.org/search/basic/?query=James+McGovern
I don’t equate the two parties. But with the R’s in charge, the D’s are not in much of a position to do much, action wise. However the Dems still have people of principle who are fortunately superb communicators - among them the excellent people you have called out. I hope, and know, they will continue to speak truth to power. But the Kool-aid drinkers will not be on sites or stations that show them.
This ☝️☝️☝️
Right. My Cong. is Troy Nehls, a Trump boot licker.
Mine is Chuck Edwards - Western NC - and per him, Trump can do no wrong.
Don't "like" it but that is the only option here. My son lives in Raleigh and follows state politics, as the good liberal he was raised to be.
I had Lauren boo-boo Boebert for 4 years! thank god the wannabe smart gunslinger loud mouth sex kitten or Ted -podcaster, lazy US Senator from Texas high paid call girl…Now we’re stuck with Jeff Hurd a lawyer fro grand junction that stills not set his contact information up - of course he is another republican. They’ve been in power on the western slope for WAY too long! Not impressed me at all!
NOT MY PRESIDENT! I wouldn't walk across the street to piss on him if he was on fire.
However one day, I will either piss or shit on his grave and that’s a promise regardless of any law breaking.
John, he wasn’t my president in 2016 and he’s not now! Happy to be on the same street with you.
Can you imagine if this bag of sh*t will lie in state in our Capitol he helped desecrate???
And how does he get to take the oath of office in the place he desecrated on January 6 four years ago??? 💩🎃🤡🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮
I really don't know. As a mental health therapist I pride myself on my diagnostic capabilities and keen prognosis of human behavior. But I am truly stumped...in fact, I feel quite inept....
I worry about you all all the people who have continued to write the truth! Please stay safe. Sending hugs.
I was diagnosed with an aggressive cancer about 6 years ago. Surgery, chemo and radiation were what allowed to me continue living and thrive! I'm fine now :) But, I have a similar sense of concern with this upcoming 4 years of Trump et al. However, just like the cancer treatment, a multi pronged approach will allow us to continue living and thrive! Find a group that helps you live and thrive. As you keep saying Joyce, "We're in the together!"
Blessings to you, Carol! I am a 2x BC survivor but clean and clear for 15 years, as of the 13th this month. Hooray for us, who never stop moving and fighting!
Wow, Marlene❣️That’s amazing! Thanks for sharing 🥰 Hugs 💞
Thanks to so many of you for a positive response 💗 I appreciate it!
Joyce - tomorrow is a day to honor Dr Martin Luther King Jr, and have a dream!
My dream is that Rs like Mike Turner get to the point where they get together, go Independent, caucus with Ds taking the House and Senate away from Mump (Musk+tRump).
My dream is for his third impeachment to be soon and successful!
Thank you for committing to read his speech. I will watch for you and your #SistersInLaw analysis.
I believe we will know the direction of the USA by 1 May, the 100 days that Rachel Maddow has committed to cover five nights a week.
But tomorrow? I have a dream!
Another glaring contrast in character is Jimmy Carter and trump. trump actually commanded Mike Johnson to order the flag which is at half mast to honor the passing of President Carter to be flown at full mast during his inauguration. Can anyone possibly go lower?
Sophia - I fear that there will be no shortage of “hold my beer” MAGABros competing for that Kavanaughish distinction. But tomorrow, I’m sticking with my dream!
May ALL your dreams come true....
Its not HIS flag... it belongs to all of us.
SPS - small penis syndrome
“Staff,” not “mast.” “Mast”is for flags flown at sea, and “staff” is for flags flown on land.
I want to hop in that dream, Jason. I too, have been giving Turner a lot of thought and am hoping that he and Murkowski change their party affiliation.
Marlene - tomorrow, I will dream and my dream may well be expanded by what Rev Dr William Barber II said on Saturday’s Velshi: https://x.com/RevDrBarber/status/1880946815107043575
Jason, I am no longer with X but will go to MSNBC’s website to look up that up. I absolutely have the utmost respect for Rev Barber. Thanks for letting me know.
Marlene - I’m not on X, just followed the DuckDuckGo link to the Website when I couldn’t find the clip at MSNBC or BlueSky or YouTube. Hopefully Dr Barber will soon abandon X, but this is worth watching to inspire your dream!
In January 20, I will visit a memorial for Martin Luther King. Then I’ll return to my home studio to get some work done. That is all.
The dreaded day has come. We must keep the faith and persevere. Our time will come.
I won't be watching the inauguration but I'll be honoring MLK and my friends who are resting in Arlington who honored their oath and paid the ultimate price.
It’s symbolic of where we are as a nation that a serial grifter and liar, as well as a convicted felon, is taking possession (I use that word deliberately) of the Oval Office on the same day we honor a humanitarian who worked for a fairer and more just future. Trump will do no such thing. He will shamelessly use his authority to enrich himself, deceive his followers, and reward his loyalists with positions they are incapable of filling properly. He will lie about anything and everything on a daily basis. Thank you Joyce, for reminding us that there is work to do to resist and prepare for the next election.
Schizophrenic nation?
I just permanently deleted my Facebook account and it felt good. Tomorrow I will work out at the gym, wearing mostly black. Then my neighbors and my husband and I will eat pizza and brownies and play games to help us get through the day. Thank you, Joyce, for reading his petty speech full of lies, as I will not. He is not my president and I will never acknowledge it either.
I'm going to be keeping my eyes open to see which nonprofits are working to stop the drumph's worst actions. To the extent that I am able, I will be donating to those groups. I suspect they will be the ACLU and some environmental groups.
I also will see where I am able to volunteer. If need be, I will chain myself to a tree. My kids are grown and on their own and I have only by myself to answer for. Bring it on MF's!