Every American needs to know what is happening in the US Congress because the actions of extreme radical members will make our children’s world profoundly more dangerous. It will increase the chances that young American men and women will die, fighting Russians. Should this happen, it will be remembered as the most unnecessary war that has ever been.
Trump ONLY cares about himself and his power to do whatever the hell he wants. His entire life has been dedicated to that. Himself and himself alone. He doesn't give a damn about anyone or anything but himself. The sooner we are rid of him the better. He is a cancer that grows worse every single day.
Thank you. Why isn’t there more discussion of Republicans’ relationships with Putin and his fellow autocrats? Where is the MSM? Still trying to figure out if Trump will testify somewhere? Abandoning Ukraine is unacceptable.
It’s happening in Canada too. Conservatives voting against giving aid to Ukraine, doing Putin’s bidding and it barely gets a mention in the news. We have some good investigative journalists and independent news organizations but not enough. I watched, All The Light We Cannot See, and Marie Laure says, all the people in the world have turned evil at once. I’m sure it felt that way. It feels that way now😢
I know that references to Hitler rapidly become tiresome but what is interesting is the similarity of process. Hitler made a couple of stabs at gaining positions of authority, even did a stint in prison. He seized absolute control of his party, with the public indifferent to his climb. He waited for the right moment, his NAZI party was ELECTED, he was named Chancellor, and things started to turn his way. The difference here is that Trump, already incontrol of his party, is speaking through his megaphone, make that MAGAphone, of all the terrible things he intends to do once elected. There will be some folks, presently napping, who will become momentarily alert and ask, "He said what...huh?", but he is allowed to continue. Hitler had some advantages, the left over humiliation of WW1, the decaying world economy and ultimately the promise of world domination. We don't have that war story and the Dow just blew through the top of its scale, and yet there seems to be the creeping, creepy inevitability of an autocratic administration, a certain resignation in the air. Why? Trump is already telling us what he will do. So, why aren't we listening? Why aren't we talking back? The only way Hitler was stopped was by having his country destroyed. So, when all was said and done his promise was to have his country destroyed, millions killed, decades of recovery. What's Donald's promise? Instead of Hitler's Obersalzburg, we have Mar-a-lago to be the center of the universe, where Trump will plan his revenge, his idictments and possibly, like Hitler, his already promised assassinations and yet he is still spewing. We could point to Hitler and Mussolini to show what dictators look like. The Germans had no one to point to. Hitler made an object of the Jews. Who will Trump objectify, Muslims, Hispanics, Blacks, but he is picking up points from Hispanics and Blacks? Which side of the Looking Glass are we on? Why is this man still standing? Why is he free? It would be nice if America had a bunch more birthdays. The threat of Trump and his merry band is clear like crystal so how is he to be stopped? That is the question of the day and we don't have much time to find the answer.
Excellent post, Bob. MAGAphone is amplified by social media algorithms and Russian cyber warfare. Putin may 'own' DJT and many in Congress. The waters are deep. Wake up America!
The challenge / problem is the fact that not enough people in our country are paying close attention; or, any attention at all. I lived through the "cold war". Was in USAF Tech School during the Cuban missile crisis. Saw video clips of the shooting at Kent State. Watched as Nixon disgraced our nation. (Yeah. I voted for him. 2x. Groan.) I watched as Reagan joined a chorus of Falwells, declaring AIDS was punishment for being gay. Reagan also voiced without shame his racism. Kenneth Starr spent $40 MILLION of taxpayer money going after Bill Clinton, because of a tryst with an aide. More recently, I witnessed children being placed in cages by Stephen Miller, Trump's righthand sadistic thug. Now, we watch as an ex-president scrambles to unravel our legal system through lies and delays.
Logically there is much, much more. No need to waste paper. If you are reading this, you get my drift. But I feel more ill at ease in this moment of history than I have in the past. We are facing the corrosive impact of The Federalist Society, the Heritage Foundation, Alliance Defending Freedom (laughing my ass off); Moms for Liberty (more laughing without much ass left). Then there is the Republican National Lawyers Association. While each of those organizations sounds innocent enough, they are anything but. They are the enemies domestic, striving to dismantle the U.S. Constitution that has steered this ship of state for nearly three centuries. They are nefarious; pernicious. Those groups are white supremacist heterosexist organizations at the epicenter of the willful destruction of our democratic republic. To suggest they are dangerous is an understatement. The "free world" has seen our country as a beacon of hope, promise and individual freedom. The groups enumerated here hate blacks, browns, reds, gays. And, oh! Jews. Muslims. The right-wing groups are dangerous, destructive, and toxic. 2024 is the ultimate test: Freedom or oppression. We must decide.
They degrade women. For the life of me, I do not "get" states such as Texas where misogyny is rampant. The men who RULE in these legislatures could give a damn about the human once born. It is only while in the womb where their militant judgmentalism comes into play. Republicans like to send our boys off to war. They simply want them to come back healthy. Otherwise, let them die. Dick Cheney during an interview with Barbara Walters on those KIA in Iraq: "Well, they volunteered."
Lisa, thank you. There is a phrase, "One will not realize what they had to lose until they have lost it." In the affairs of state, once gone never retrieved.
I couldn’t agree with you more Steve. I am an Army Ranger-Special Forces VN combat vet, I will walk around for the rest of my life with Russian iron in my leg and a broken back to boot, the one thing I am not confused about is the Russians, and the part they play in opposition to our interests. We have been rotating older armaments into Ukraine and replacing our own stores with more modern versions, just what about that is a bad idea. We promised the Ukrainians that if they gave up their nukes we would offer them protection, that is an ironclad commitment, it requires no further debate. If that is not the case then we need to rearm them. I know a lot of people will be horrified at the thought of that but just note exactly who putin is not picking a fight with. The Russian losses have been staggering with no end in sight, the day before the POS started this war all of those people were alive, many in contact with their families, now they are in graves or rotting in the fields and forests. The Russians understand the use of poison, I keep wondering why he’s still alive with so many dead, it makes no sense to me. Thank you for stating what I feel so deeply, if we are to be honorable and live among honorable men our commitments are clear. This is hard, but not near as hard as what the Ukrainians are facing on these cold winter days and nights.
First of all , why is Ukraine a part of NATO and Hungry is in? Why hasn’t Hungry been ousted since they are nothing more than a Soviet satellite? Was isn’t there more blowback to the Heritage Foundation/RNC conference in Hungry?
Trump can’t help himself, he is mentally ill with the incurable disease of malignant narcissism. The real problem we face is moral cowardice of the “normies”, the performative players in congress and pilot fish that cling to Trump hoping to destroy anything they disagree with.
The price is our legitimacy as a world power. In the vacuum we create will be filled by Russia, China, and soon their satellites (France, Italy, etal). A brave new world or a darker illiberal world? We have the choice right now, if we don’t make that choice now, we will never have it again in our lifetime
Steve, this is one of your best youtube videos EVER! I hope it goes viral and millions of people see this. There is such power and gravity here. History! A WARNING we'll need to hear over and over again in order for our Democracy to survive. Thank you for working 24/7 on this. Thank you, Lisa
The most unnerving aspect of our current jeopardy is that the obvious majority of voters has no concept of history. The stuff that happened waaay back in the 40s is a meaningless black & white film clip thats effectively as remote as the Roman Conquests, and has zero relevance to how much it costs to fill up the SUV. Hitler made the trains run on time didn’t he? And so, (the Trump voter believes) Donald will Make America Great Again by delivering cheap gas. Tragically, voters couldn’t care less about intangible lofty ideals. What they know concretely is the cost of living. And all that squishy patriotic stuff...meh. Even a whiff of lingering inflation come next November, and the election outcome is foretold.
Excellent comment here, Justin. It is the sad truth. Without proper education in civics, history, and critical thinking skills, we're doomed. We're easy targets for Putin and Orban.
I agree with you Steve, Trump is a fascist. He wants to be dictator for life to increase his wealth through corrupt means and stay out of jail. He will do for America what Putin has done for Russia. He will turn us into a bully nation who goes to war at the whim of his demented desire for self gratification or just because. Trump will turn our military into a Russian model of efficiency where troops are as expendable as cartridge shells and our Generals are only interested in their own survival.
The only way Putin will succeed in Ukraine is if his Republican allies in Congress hold up Military support for Ukraine and a Trump return to power. Otherwise, Putin is doomed to fail and will eventually be poisoned by his closest advisors and friends. I heard Putin has announced his candidacy again. However, that is a laugh because we know he will receive the most votes no matter the outcome of their unfair and not very free elections. Another thing we will have to look forward to in our future if Trump becomes president again. No more waiting on election night for the counting of votes because Trump will claim himself victorious with 99.99 percent of the vote. Trump will make South America great again and the future destination of generations of American citizens.
Writing, voting, engaging with friends and family - its not enough people. Call your Reps and Senators and be explicit about what you want them to do to stop this insane clown from becoming the most dangerous autocratic this planet has ever seen. They have staff manning the phones and pass these notes to their bosses everyday. If they don't appear to be engaging you, make sure they know who you are. Look at what real American heroes like Steve and Liz Cheney are doing - they are putting their party aside and picking up the American flag, picking up the lantern and telling us "One - by Land". So we too must do more for our children and grandchildren , may God bless them. This dementor must, must be stopped.
MT, just a sidebar. Steve is a member of the Democratic Party, Liz is still a Republican. Both have been brave. I agree, contacting your legislators is a good idea.
Putin and his KGB have an exact method how they conquer the misinformation front. First they do anything to overpower the enemy front runner. Then they move in from many angles. They usually look for a crack and they push every force subtle and not too subtle thru the cracks. As you can see as Trump’s MAGA demonstrated every society, political or none political, will always have a crack somewhere to exploit. Whether Burma, Ukraine or MAGA republics it does not matter. They have a play book. Last night they attacked and took down a pro Ukraine YouTube channel in American language called Warthog Defense with overwhelming complaints against it coming from Russia. Today there were many seemingly legit new discovery imitating channels popped up. They unusually look pretty friendly unless you dive deeper and then you realize that they are either fake or they are the front for Russian war propaganda. But they look totally legit like from the west and blend in completely. Since channels like Warthog were suppressed the search now is dominated by the channels curated by KGB. During the night they did heavy duty bombing and Putin boasted that Ukraine which he tried to obliterate like Syria will lose because they are not able to produce anything. So if you want to know what Trump will do to America if he comes back, look no further. Today’s Russia is your future.
Well said, May. Cyber warfare is the easiest way for Putin/Russia to 'win' and should not be underestimated. Social media algorithms make this a dire and immediate threat. Thanks.
I think Me. Schmidt's place in life is to comfirm what the educated people already knew.. He does it with the usual grace and eloquence we have come to expect from him. He is like the good friend we have for years that backs up all that we have been thinking and saying to others
Since Trump's popularity has increased among Republicans with each of his absences from the primary debates we might infer that if he faces Biden in the general election he may refuse to debate Biden too. Furthermore – as far as the Republican Party is concerned – we might expect their 2024 platform to look exactly like their 2020 platform: a blank sheet of paper.
Trump ONLY cares about himself and his power to do whatever the hell he wants. His entire life has been dedicated to that. Himself and himself alone. He doesn't give a damn about anyone or anything but himself. The sooner we are rid of him the better. He is a cancer that grows worse every single day.
Thank you. Why isn’t there more discussion of Republicans’ relationships with Putin and his fellow autocrats? Where is the MSM? Still trying to figure out if Trump will testify somewhere? Abandoning Ukraine is unacceptable.
It’s happening in Canada too. Conservatives voting against giving aid to Ukraine, doing Putin’s bidding and it barely gets a mention in the news. We have some good investigative journalists and independent news organizations but not enough. I watched, All The Light We Cannot See, and Marie Laure says, all the people in the world have turned evil at once. I’m sure it felt that way. It feels that way now😢
I know that references to Hitler rapidly become tiresome but what is interesting is the similarity of process. Hitler made a couple of stabs at gaining positions of authority, even did a stint in prison. He seized absolute control of his party, with the public indifferent to his climb. He waited for the right moment, his NAZI party was ELECTED, he was named Chancellor, and things started to turn his way. The difference here is that Trump, already incontrol of his party, is speaking through his megaphone, make that MAGAphone, of all the terrible things he intends to do once elected. There will be some folks, presently napping, who will become momentarily alert and ask, "He said what...huh?", but he is allowed to continue. Hitler had some advantages, the left over humiliation of WW1, the decaying world economy and ultimately the promise of world domination. We don't have that war story and the Dow just blew through the top of its scale, and yet there seems to be the creeping, creepy inevitability of an autocratic administration, a certain resignation in the air. Why? Trump is already telling us what he will do. So, why aren't we listening? Why aren't we talking back? The only way Hitler was stopped was by having his country destroyed. So, when all was said and done his promise was to have his country destroyed, millions killed, decades of recovery. What's Donald's promise? Instead of Hitler's Obersalzburg, we have Mar-a-lago to be the center of the universe, where Trump will plan his revenge, his idictments and possibly, like Hitler, his already promised assassinations and yet he is still spewing. We could point to Hitler and Mussolini to show what dictators look like. The Germans had no one to point to. Hitler made an object of the Jews. Who will Trump objectify, Muslims, Hispanics, Blacks, but he is picking up points from Hispanics and Blacks? Which side of the Looking Glass are we on? Why is this man still standing? Why is he free? It would be nice if America had a bunch more birthdays. The threat of Trump and his merry band is clear like crystal so how is he to be stopped? That is the question of the day and we don't have much time to find the answer.
Excellent post, Bob. MAGAphone is amplified by social media algorithms and Russian cyber warfare. Putin may 'own' DJT and many in Congress. The waters are deep. Wake up America!
Bob Fleck. I agree with everything you said. America please wake up! Media wake up!
Yes, the media and messaging are huge problems!
Don’t forget women, they hate women too! But 100% agree. We are in a heap of trouble, if we don’t wake up!
The challenge / problem is the fact that not enough people in our country are paying close attention; or, any attention at all. I lived through the "cold war". Was in USAF Tech School during the Cuban missile crisis. Saw video clips of the shooting at Kent State. Watched as Nixon disgraced our nation. (Yeah. I voted for him. 2x. Groan.) I watched as Reagan joined a chorus of Falwells, declaring AIDS was punishment for being gay. Reagan also voiced without shame his racism. Kenneth Starr spent $40 MILLION of taxpayer money going after Bill Clinton, because of a tryst with an aide. More recently, I witnessed children being placed in cages by Stephen Miller, Trump's righthand sadistic thug. Now, we watch as an ex-president scrambles to unravel our legal system through lies and delays.
Logically there is much, much more. No need to waste paper. If you are reading this, you get my drift. But I feel more ill at ease in this moment of history than I have in the past. We are facing the corrosive impact of The Federalist Society, the Heritage Foundation, Alliance Defending Freedom (laughing my ass off); Moms for Liberty (more laughing without much ass left). Then there is the Republican National Lawyers Association. While each of those organizations sounds innocent enough, they are anything but. They are the enemies domestic, striving to dismantle the U.S. Constitution that has steered this ship of state for nearly three centuries. They are nefarious; pernicious. Those groups are white supremacist heterosexist organizations at the epicenter of the willful destruction of our democratic republic. To suggest they are dangerous is an understatement. The "free world" has seen our country as a beacon of hope, promise and individual freedom. The groups enumerated here hate blacks, browns, reds, gays. And, oh! Jews. Muslims. The right-wing groups are dangerous, destructive, and toxic. 2024 is the ultimate test: Freedom or oppression. We must decide.
Women. They hate women also.
They degrade women. For the life of me, I do not "get" states such as Texas where misogyny is rampant. The men who RULE in these legislatures could give a damn about the human once born. It is only while in the womb where their militant judgmentalism comes into play. Republicans like to send our boys off to war. They simply want them to come back healthy. Otherwise, let them die. Dick Cheney during an interview with Barbara Walters on those KIA in Iraq: "Well, they volunteered."
Vince, this is On Point! Thank you.
Lisa, thank you. There is a phrase, "One will not realize what they had to lose until they have lost it." In the affairs of state, once gone never retrieved.
I couldn’t agree with you more Steve. I am an Army Ranger-Special Forces VN combat vet, I will walk around for the rest of my life with Russian iron in my leg and a broken back to boot, the one thing I am not confused about is the Russians, and the part they play in opposition to our interests. We have been rotating older armaments into Ukraine and replacing our own stores with more modern versions, just what about that is a bad idea. We promised the Ukrainians that if they gave up their nukes we would offer them protection, that is an ironclad commitment, it requires no further debate. If that is not the case then we need to rearm them. I know a lot of people will be horrified at the thought of that but just note exactly who putin is not picking a fight with. The Russian losses have been staggering with no end in sight, the day before the POS started this war all of those people were alive, many in contact with their families, now they are in graves or rotting in the fields and forests. The Russians understand the use of poison, I keep wondering why he’s still alive with so many dead, it makes no sense to me. Thank you for stating what I feel so deeply, if we are to be honorable and live among honorable men our commitments are clear. This is hard, but not near as hard as what the Ukrainians are facing on these cold winter days and nights.
Dick, I appreciate the experience, clarity, and resolve you bring to this life or death situation.
First of all , why is Ukraine a part of NATO and Hungry is in? Why hasn’t Hungry been ousted since they are nothing more than a Soviet satellite? Was isn’t there more blowback to the Heritage Foundation/RNC conference in Hungry?
Trump can’t help himself, he is mentally ill with the incurable disease of malignant narcissism. The real problem we face is moral cowardice of the “normies”, the performative players in congress and pilot fish that cling to Trump hoping to destroy anything they disagree with.
The price is our legitimacy as a world power. In the vacuum we create will be filled by Russia, China, and soon their satellites (France, Italy, etal). A brave new world or a darker illiberal world? We have the choice right now, if we don’t make that choice now, we will never have it again in our lifetime
Steve, this is one of your best youtube videos EVER! I hope it goes viral and millions of people see this. There is such power and gravity here. History! A WARNING we'll need to hear over and over again in order for our Democracy to survive. Thank you for working 24/7 on this. Thank you, Lisa
Thank you, Lisa!
The most unnerving aspect of our current jeopardy is that the obvious majority of voters has no concept of history. The stuff that happened waaay back in the 40s is a meaningless black & white film clip thats effectively as remote as the Roman Conquests, and has zero relevance to how much it costs to fill up the SUV. Hitler made the trains run on time didn’t he? And so, (the Trump voter believes) Donald will Make America Great Again by delivering cheap gas. Tragically, voters couldn’t care less about intangible lofty ideals. What they know concretely is the cost of living. And all that squishy patriotic stuff...meh. Even a whiff of lingering inflation come next November, and the election outcome is foretold.
Excellent comment here, Justin. It is the sad truth. Without proper education in civics, history, and critical thinking skills, we're doomed. We're easy targets for Putin and Orban.
I agree with you Steve, Trump is a fascist. He wants to be dictator for life to increase his wealth through corrupt means and stay out of jail. He will do for America what Putin has done for Russia. He will turn us into a bully nation who goes to war at the whim of his demented desire for self gratification or just because. Trump will turn our military into a Russian model of efficiency where troops are as expendable as cartridge shells and our Generals are only interested in their own survival.
The only way Putin will succeed in Ukraine is if his Republican allies in Congress hold up Military support for Ukraine and a Trump return to power. Otherwise, Putin is doomed to fail and will eventually be poisoned by his closest advisors and friends. I heard Putin has announced his candidacy again. However, that is a laugh because we know he will receive the most votes no matter the outcome of their unfair and not very free elections. Another thing we will have to look forward to in our future if Trump becomes president again. No more waiting on election night for the counting of votes because Trump will claim himself victorious with 99.99 percent of the vote. Trump will make South America great again and the future destination of generations of American citizens.
Writing, voting, engaging with friends and family - its not enough people. Call your Reps and Senators and be explicit about what you want them to do to stop this insane clown from becoming the most dangerous autocratic this planet has ever seen. They have staff manning the phones and pass these notes to their bosses everyday. If they don't appear to be engaging you, make sure they know who you are. Look at what real American heroes like Steve and Liz Cheney are doing - they are putting their party aside and picking up the American flag, picking up the lantern and telling us "One - by Land". So we too must do more for our children and grandchildren , may God bless them. This dementor must, must be stopped.
MT, just a sidebar. Steve is a member of the Democratic Party, Liz is still a Republican. Both have been brave. I agree, contacting your legislators is a good idea.
Putin and his KGB have an exact method how they conquer the misinformation front. First they do anything to overpower the enemy front runner. Then they move in from many angles. They usually look for a crack and they push every force subtle and not too subtle thru the cracks. As you can see as Trump’s MAGA demonstrated every society, political or none political, will always have a crack somewhere to exploit. Whether Burma, Ukraine or MAGA republics it does not matter. They have a play book. Last night they attacked and took down a pro Ukraine YouTube channel in American language called Warthog Defense with overwhelming complaints against it coming from Russia. Today there were many seemingly legit new discovery imitating channels popped up. They unusually look pretty friendly unless you dive deeper and then you realize that they are either fake or they are the front for Russian war propaganda. But they look totally legit like from the west and blend in completely. Since channels like Warthog were suppressed the search now is dominated by the channels curated by KGB. During the night they did heavy duty bombing and Putin boasted that Ukraine which he tried to obliterate like Syria will lose because they are not able to produce anything. So if you want to know what Trump will do to America if he comes back, look no further. Today’s Russia is your future.
Well said, May. Cyber warfare is the easiest way for Putin/Russia to 'win' and should not be underestimated. Social media algorithms make this a dire and immediate threat. Thanks.
I think Me. Schmidt's place in life is to comfirm what the educated people already knew.. He does it with the usual grace and eloquence we have come to expect from him. He is like the good friend we have for years that backs up all that we have been thinking and saying to others
IMO, Steve is a powerful and gifted educator, speaker, writer, thinker, and caring human being.
I meant why isn't Ukraine part of NATO…
Since Trump's popularity has increased among Republicans with each of his absences from the primary debates we might infer that if he faces Biden in the general election he may refuse to debate Biden too. Furthermore – as far as the Republican Party is concerned – we might expect their 2024 platform to look exactly like their 2020 platform: a blank sheet of paper.