Is there really a difference between any of these GQP wing-nuts?
McCarthy was a Trump, boot-licking sycophant, election denying , J6th flip-flopping man of little, to no conviction, who apparently couldn’t keep his bunch of petulant five-year old’s in line.
Johnson, is the a true believer. A religiously fanatical wing-nut, through and through, who is the perfect example of why abortion should be legal in the US.
Is there really any difference between any one of them? McCarthy wrote checks he couldn’t cash and was despised by everyone; democrats and republicans alike. You couldn’t trust him.
Johnson? Well I’ve actually never heard of him before, but from what I know today, he may be the saving grace for democrats in 24’.
More reasons suburban moms and pro-choice advocates need to get out the vote. Personally, as far as republican speakers go, it doesn’t matter.
Bottom line: the entire caucus is a shit show of the most ignorant and obtuse religious zealots ever assembled before Congress, and any one of them is bad news.
So pick your poison, because each offers only death; some quicker than others, but all a slow, painful death to democracy by a thousand cuts.
I know we’ve all said this before, but this election is a game changer. So vote and make sure every unregistered person you know, gets registered and does their civic duty.
Otherwise, this nation will truly get what it deserves; good and hard.....:)
Right on, brother. The only saving grace is if more and more people realize that electing these GOP fanatics will end abortion access, allow unlimited gun access, stop voting from counting, and will help to ban gays and other people whom Johnson and his ilk don't like. Vote Blue, not No Labels. This is the way.
The fact that Trump celebrated--and probably helped cause--Tom Emmer's failure to be elected Speaker is an ominous sign. In electing Mike Johnson immediately after Emmer's withdrawal, the election-deniers have cemented their position.
Tom Emmer was just a little closer to the center of the spectrum of the sleep walking zombie party. Look at his record. He is in a way being lionized for having actually acknowledged that he could count and see who won a presidential election that was the most regulated in history. He's a bad guy who really has no record indicating that he would co-operate in a bipartisan way to move legislation forward that would actually benefit Americans and the world around us. Thank the powers that be for a bicameral legislative branch of government and that none of this right wing insanity will get anything through into law, so far.
Hope Johnson decides the RepubliKKKan party should rid themselves of Santos. One less homosexual in the party, and a few more to go and they won't be the majority.
“That’s nice”, we have a person who is such a delusional Christo-fascist that he believes being homosexual is a choice. That kind of thinking belongs in the third century not in the 21st century. Vote blue.
Judy, you, and all of us, need to understand that we are the majority. I suggest, we take out our anger and frustration on our Senators and Representative. Demand that they reject domestic terrorism. Demand that they stand tall for the vast majority of Americans who simply want members of Congress to take their oath of office seriously. Maybe suggest they reread the Constitution and report back.
I agree! The more we bug the hell out of them, and the more of us that will bug them, the better! They must know where we stand on every issue! They need to know that we will not vote for them if they don't start working for the majority of the American citizens! Email Schumer, and McConnell too! I try to email the ones who are in the news a lot too. Some will accept emails from outside their districts/states, most will not, but it is worth a try!
I cannot understand why only 30% of citizens are controlling who to vote for, and what is legal or not!
I only wish that we could communicate to the Supreme Court as well! Boy, what a cushy job they have!
Since I live in Florida, my Senators and Representative will ignore my pleas for some sensible gun laws. Will do it anyway although only their staff will see them.
Mike Johnson is very dangerous and represents the very worst of the GOP. Election denier (the legal advisor for many of Trump’s cases that lost, but still...), anti-gay, anti-abortion, believes Covid was a hoax and that Jan 6 was a peaceful demonstration. He’s a smooth talker but as dangerous as a rattlesnake. 2024 MUST be a game-changer for the Democrats, or our country is toast.
Dems need a real communication strategy with teeth... and fangs. Call trump a murderer ..how many COVID deaths and ruined lives and families?? Call him a liar and criminal
The Senate can help block some of the House’s initiatives, Biden can veto at times- the main action will be performed by voters booting these nutcases OUT of office in 2024. THAT’S our best hope and action forward.
I guess that my innate pessimism/cynicism is going to show through, but while Mike Johnson is not exactly who I expected to become the Speaker, someone like him is who I thought the Republicans would select. Even if all of the Republicans aren't fire-breathing, MAGA-loving clowns, those who aren't are in fear of those who are, and they clearly do not have the courage to stand up to the MAGA crowd. Johnson is just a more soft-spoken version of Jim Jordan and/or Matt Gaetz. Their beliefs are pretty much the same.
Why do things seem only to go from bad to worse, as the years of our discontent continue. McCarthy is a bad, weak man. Johnson is a bad, strong man. He will impose his and trump’s MAGA agenda with Evangelical fervor. Zealotry in its worst form, married to federal government power. The power to control Congress and the Almighty purse strings.
Republicans elected a toxic Speaker who is as oily as a grifter and much more dangerous. For me, he imperils our Democracy far more than Kevin McCarthy because he is more intelligent. Plus he has little experience in governance although lots in propaganda. Gonzo Gaetz is calling him Maga Mike on Fox, gleeful that a Christian nationalist, anti-choice, anti-gender equality Speaker has been elected by the bozo caucus. How this all plays out against the wars, housing crisis, blossoming medical care crisis and other societal ills which have ballooned since the millennium is unknown. Joe Biden is viewed as an shriveled, failed wizard who has been unable to cure all of society's ills, reestablish the economic equity destroyed by the Bush tax cuts together with the Iraq war, and average people air their grievances daily. We are unhappy, unhealthy country -- politically, socially, emotionally and practically. Individual thinking has given way to "likes" and "followers". You know that's true when the words of Taylor Swift can register more voters than those of the Vice President of the United States. So is Maga Mike just another insurrectionist raised up? Or is he a better face of MAGA to sell in the next election? My fear is that we will have gridlock next November 9. Or worse. But truth: the American Century ended in 2016. For those of us brought up to believe in America it is heartbreaking.
If only I could disagree with even one thing you wrote. I can’t. How one shallow, ignorant, unqualified, narcissistic creep could hypnotize so many Americans so quickly, and cause this much irreparable damage, I’ll never understand.
I watched Johnson’s acceptance speech. My thoughts, this guy will appeal to the religious (Christian) segment of our country. And he is preaching, a preacher. Disgust is sitting in the pit of my stomach. I know this type well, we all do and learned to run, run fast and far away from them. The destruction, while holding a Bible and smiling, will be massive. That light of hope I have been holding, flickered, dimmed more yesterday. I have often been accused of asking too many questions, for as long as I can remember. It came from curiosity and a desire to understand. Even if I did not agree, I have always felt compelled to ask questions. Now, I know I could ask every question I could think of and would never get a true answer or never understand the severing of their hearts, their contempt for the teachings of their “savior”.
Steve, I have thought a great deal about your earlier post asking on is it to late. My first reaction was we are not heading towards being late, towards destruction, but have arrived. Because that seemed extreme, I decided to hold, to read, to listen and to think. Yesterday, I came back to my original thoughts. It is not finished, but this country and its people are already changed. It will take years and years to undo this damage. Will the American people come to the point of enough? After the display yesterday, I realized not soon enough. Can Democrats fight this and prevail? I am just not sure. It would take a massive change of strategy, of thinking of being willing to lead in a curated way, that they seem not to do. And how do you fight against God, which we will be assaulted with daily. God is the new GOP running mate.
Hope I am wrong about all of this. As I type this, there is a squirrel about 10’ from me, just staring at me. I image he is thinking what the hell is her problem!
As a Christian, I know that these are not christians! They are abusing the name for power and greed! That is not what Jesus taught, that is not what a christian is or does.
As Jesus once said, there will be many false prophets, messiahs, using God's name for fame/power and profit. James Jones, and others; even Trump has said that he is the chosen one!
It is a shame/sinful that the majority of the GOP in both the House and the Senate have fallen for the orange messiah!
May the real God bless and protect the righteous citizens of the country! May God give us the strength, courage, and wisdom to fight for what is true!
You are right, Donna. I am thankful for a Grandmother who taught me by words and examples of what a true believer is. I often wonder what she would think. Just read that Johnson said it is not the guns but the condition of the human heart. We are in trouble.
Democrats are terrifyingly inept and timid about yelling out in horror. Call Trump the murderer is is (COVID deaths.... how quickly we have forgotten them) and the killers of separation of church and state. They are obliterating everything the US was built upon and that we have shed lives for.... have we no memories?? Where are the communicators??
We are excellent at hand wringing and mail-biting and stringing together impressive adjectives. Where are the teeth and fangs? Where is the raised decibel level?
I dread what is coming in the next year... and if Dems lose, it will be our own fault...for being tepid and ineffective at motivating voters
I have to remind myself frequently that there are 2 forces in this world. One is GOOD and one is EVIL. The evil one knows the end is approaching and has to try extra hard to get as many followers as he can to spend time in HELL with him. He is very intelligent and cunning and EVIL.
It’s very hard to keep fighting these a-holes, when they keep finding a way to pretend defeat is victory. This feels so desperately 1938. It also feels bloody hopeless.
Nailed: why I woke with and can’t shake a sense of dread. I’d read enough after Johnson attained the speakership to be upset. It must’ve played in my subconscious overnight. Coffee, toast, kitty-care and love hadn’t brought me ‘round. Jay Kuo and you, Steve Schmidt, did. And that’s before I read another of the Speaker’s (and his spouse’s) hate of so many.
Yes, vote him and every MAGA adherent out. Work to ensure it. I’d prefer to feel less fear than I do now.
I was disgusted when Johnson said his wife couldn’t be there because “she’d been on her knees for several days and she was tired”. Their false piety makes me sick. Christo-fascism is their religion, hiding behind obsequious smiles.
Johnson proclaims that “your race, creed, and sex are who you are”. Creed? HE equates one’s CHOICE of “creed” with race and sex, neither of which is a choice? His contempt and lack of understanding of the complexities are obvious, but he’s certain he’s RIGHT. Protecting the rights of the “right” race, creed, and sex - as defined by him - will exclude anyone who doesn’t fit his definition. We’ll have no rights. Here we go.
Cynthia, when Johnson (prophetically from Louisiana?), talked about race, creed, and sex being who we are, I thought of a synthesis of a KKK, white man, religious, “the south is going to rise again” proposition. It has nothing to do with all citizens being equal or praying for what is good and honorable. A frightening olio version of nazi Germany is staring us in the face. Christianity still has a powerful pull on many, as stated above. On coercion and gullibility, In a fairly recent example, I am reminded of the Bush administration and their proxies marketing the notion to not support invasion of Iraq was evidence to all who was un-American, unpatriotic, un-Christian. The Republican version of shunning. They demanded our collusion and trust without truth. Quite a Trump-like power play. It was an argument we, The People, did not seem to have enough power to overcome and they boiled us right into losing a lot of blood and treasure, not to mention credibility. That is exactly what Republican’s are doing again, although it is more personal to me this time and, I believe, a longer dreamed of and prayed for war against The People. The Christian Right and Republicans have joined in this magic moment of world wide and national unrest. They are gathering strength. A Debby Downer today, I’m not sure I have the skill, power, or agency to make much difference. The one certain thing I know I do have is my vote, saved for Democrats. For now.
It makes me think of "The Dark Ages". That era was also dictated by religious fanatics, trying to hold on to power. Look what happened then-not very happy times, at all!
Thank you, Cynthia. The inclusion of creed jumped out at me, too. Even in the "born again" world, isn't human volition involved? I am Christian (Presbyterian - PCUSA, a "progressive" denomination). The Christ I know is all about loving invitation, not coercion. It seems to me, once you cast God as the Ultimate Authoritarian, you can arrogate to yourself all kinds of forrce in imposing His will (it always is a He) on others.
MAGAs who aren't powerful, aren't wealthy and depend on government for assistance, be it Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, food assistance, WIC, housing assistance - will all be surprised when their "dear leader" takes it all away. It will be too late to finally admit how wrong they are. Of course, they still might just blame it on someone else. I've never seen people who can completely deny reality like MAGA morons. That really amazes me. Foolish people.
You know, as I read this article Johnson wrote, all I see is the future 'breaking news' story that he was caught doing "lewd acts" with some guy in a men's bathroom. Remember Senator Craig from Idaho?
We can only wish the men’s room photos will resurface... where are the memes about his faux-pious wife spending days on her knees. The possibilities of that one are amusing
It seems trite at this point to be disgusted by the antics of what was the Republic Party. There is no bottom to how low they will go. We finally checked out and moved to South America... like Israel and the surrounding areas just fucked another generation whose earliest memories will be the slaughter and response -- the United States will not be able to scrub the Trump stain for a generation or more.
“We” can’t vote out House members in safely MAGA seats any longer. This is part of GOP long-game. The red states have consolidated too much white conservative power, & many of those seats will be MAGA until it dies. This is the consequence of Democrats not showing up to vote in every election, taking for granted the progress made over past 50 years. Louisiana MAGA governor just won with 38% of voters even bothering to show up.
From Pew: “Overall, 70% of U.S. adult citizens who were eligible to participate in all three elections between 2018 and 2022 voted in at least one of them, with about half that share (37%) voting in all three”. So, like Louisiana’s dismal turnout, on average, not even 40% of eligible voters bother to show up to vote every election.
Is there really a difference between any of these GQP wing-nuts?
McCarthy was a Trump, boot-licking sycophant, election denying , J6th flip-flopping man of little, to no conviction, who apparently couldn’t keep his bunch of petulant five-year old’s in line.
Johnson, is the a true believer. A religiously fanatical wing-nut, through and through, who is the perfect example of why abortion should be legal in the US.
Is there really any difference between any one of them? McCarthy wrote checks he couldn’t cash and was despised by everyone; democrats and republicans alike. You couldn’t trust him.
Johnson? Well I’ve actually never heard of him before, but from what I know today, he may be the saving grace for democrats in 24’.
More reasons suburban moms and pro-choice advocates need to get out the vote. Personally, as far as republican speakers go, it doesn’t matter.
Bottom line: the entire caucus is a shit show of the most ignorant and obtuse religious zealots ever assembled before Congress, and any one of them is bad news.
So pick your poison, because each offers only death; some quicker than others, but all a slow, painful death to democracy by a thousand cuts.
I know we’ve all said this before, but this election is a game changer. So vote and make sure every unregistered person you know, gets registered and does their civic duty.
Otherwise, this nation will truly get what it deserves; good and hard.....:)
Right on, brother. The only saving grace is if more and more people realize that electing these GOP fanatics will end abortion access, allow unlimited gun access, stop voting from counting, and will help to ban gays and other people whom Johnson and his ilk don't like. Vote Blue, not No Labels. This is the way.
The fact that Trump celebrated--and probably helped cause--Tom Emmer's failure to be elected Speaker is an ominous sign. In electing Mike Johnson immediately after Emmer's withdrawal, the election-deniers have cemented their position.
https://www.politico.com/news/2023/10/24/i-killed-him-how-trump-torpedoed-tom-emmers-speaker-bid-00123329
And hopefully the voters will take notice and understand this takeover doesn’t end well for democracy....:)
Tom Emmer was just a little closer to the center of the spectrum of the sleep walking zombie party. Look at his record. He is in a way being lionized for having actually acknowledged that he could count and see who won a presidential election that was the most regulated in history. He's a bad guy who really has no record indicating that he would co-operate in a bipartisan way to move legislation forward that would actually benefit Americans and the world around us. Thank the powers that be for a bicameral legislative branch of government and that none of this right wing insanity will get anything through into law, so far.
Wow Robert, you sure know how to hit the nail on the head. Well done and I loved your response.
Hope Johnson decides the RepubliKKKan party should rid themselves of Santos. One less homosexual in the party, and a few more to go and they won't be the majority.
Please publish this more widely. It is perfect. Thank you
“That’s nice”, we have a person who is such a delusional Christo-fascist that he believes being homosexual is a choice. That kind of thinking belongs in the third century not in the 21st century. Vote blue.
With his line of thinking I would imagine he would like to have sex with men but his religion keeps him from doing so. It’s just a choice he makes.
He seems to be the type that prefers sheep.
Totally. Protesting too much and fearful of inner preferences
I am just sad today…sick and tired of what has happened to the America I thought existed.
We do exist. And they’re going to find that out on Election Day.
Judy I feel the same. Incredibly sad.
Judy, you, and all of us, need to understand that we are the majority. I suggest, we take out our anger and frustration on our Senators and Representative. Demand that they reject domestic terrorism. Demand that they stand tall for the vast majority of Americans who simply want members of Congress to take their oath of office seriously. Maybe suggest they reread the Constitution and report back.
I agree! The more we bug the hell out of them, and the more of us that will bug them, the better! They must know where we stand on every issue! They need to know that we will not vote for them if they don't start working for the majority of the American citizens! Email Schumer, and McConnell too! I try to email the ones who are in the news a lot too. Some will accept emails from outside their districts/states, most will not, but it is worth a try!
I cannot understand why only 30% of citizens are controlling who to vote for, and what is legal or not!
I only wish that we could communicate to the Supreme Court as well! Boy, what a cushy job they have!
Since I live in Florida, my Senators and Representative will ignore my pleas for some sensible gun laws. Will do it anyway although only their staff will see them.
Now you know: it never did..read "Democracy in Chains", MacClean, 2017
Mike Johnson is very dangerous and represents the very worst of the GOP. Election denier (the legal advisor for many of Trump’s cases that lost, but still...), anti-gay, anti-abortion, believes Covid was a hoax and that Jan 6 was a peaceful demonstration. He’s a smooth talker but as dangerous as a rattlesnake. 2024 MUST be a game-changer for the Democrats, or our country is toast.
Ofdonald, Speaker of the House.
.
Got it! What do you think Democrats in Congress and President Biden should do about this threat to the country?
Dems need a real communication strategy with teeth... and fangs. Call trump a murderer ..how many COVID deaths and ruined lives and families?? Call him a liar and criminal
Hire the Lincoln Project and go after the bastards all barrels blazing.
Thank you. We are all congratulating each other here. But what do we DO??!!!?
The Senate can help block some of the House’s initiatives, Biden can veto at times- the main action will be performed by voters booting these nutcases OUT of office in 2024. THAT’S our best hope and action forward.
I guess that my innate pessimism/cynicism is going to show through, but while Mike Johnson is not exactly who I expected to become the Speaker, someone like him is who I thought the Republicans would select. Even if all of the Republicans aren't fire-breathing, MAGA-loving clowns, those who aren't are in fear of those who are, and they clearly do not have the courage to stand up to the MAGA crowd. Johnson is just a more soft-spoken version of Jim Jordan and/or Matt Gaetz. Their beliefs are pretty much the same.
Why do things seem only to go from bad to worse, as the years of our discontent continue. McCarthy is a bad, weak man. Johnson is a bad, strong man. He will impose his and trump’s MAGA agenda with Evangelical fervor. Zealotry in its worst form, married to federal government power. The power to control Congress and the Almighty purse strings.
You might want to consider why these people entered politics to begin with, especially those who are Republican.
Start by the money these cretins will make and the perqs they will have for life.
Not a big stretch to me to see how low-life losers are willing to sell their souls by pledging allegiance to a charlatan like tRump.
Republicans elected a toxic Speaker who is as oily as a grifter and much more dangerous. For me, he imperils our Democracy far more than Kevin McCarthy because he is more intelligent. Plus he has little experience in governance although lots in propaganda. Gonzo Gaetz is calling him Maga Mike on Fox, gleeful that a Christian nationalist, anti-choice, anti-gender equality Speaker has been elected by the bozo caucus. How this all plays out against the wars, housing crisis, blossoming medical care crisis and other societal ills which have ballooned since the millennium is unknown. Joe Biden is viewed as an shriveled, failed wizard who has been unable to cure all of society's ills, reestablish the economic equity destroyed by the Bush tax cuts together with the Iraq war, and average people air their grievances daily. We are unhappy, unhealthy country -- politically, socially, emotionally and practically. Individual thinking has given way to "likes" and "followers". You know that's true when the words of Taylor Swift can register more voters than those of the Vice President of the United States. So is Maga Mike just another insurrectionist raised up? Or is he a better face of MAGA to sell in the next election? My fear is that we will have gridlock next November 9. Or worse. But truth: the American Century ended in 2016. For those of us brought up to believe in America it is heartbreaking.
If only I could disagree with even one thing you wrote. I can’t. How one shallow, ignorant, unqualified, narcissistic creep could hypnotize so many Americans so quickly, and cause this much irreparable damage, I’ll never understand.
Your post is heartbreakingly accurate. I think now I’ll stop reading. My despair increases tho grateful am I to this community and Steve Schmidt.
I watched Johnson’s acceptance speech. My thoughts, this guy will appeal to the religious (Christian) segment of our country. And he is preaching, a preacher. Disgust is sitting in the pit of my stomach. I know this type well, we all do and learned to run, run fast and far away from them. The destruction, while holding a Bible and smiling, will be massive. That light of hope I have been holding, flickered, dimmed more yesterday. I have often been accused of asking too many questions, for as long as I can remember. It came from curiosity and a desire to understand. Even if I did not agree, I have always felt compelled to ask questions. Now, I know I could ask every question I could think of and would never get a true answer or never understand the severing of their hearts, their contempt for the teachings of their “savior”.
Steve, I have thought a great deal about your earlier post asking on is it to late. My first reaction was we are not heading towards being late, towards destruction, but have arrived. Because that seemed extreme, I decided to hold, to read, to listen and to think. Yesterday, I came back to my original thoughts. It is not finished, but this country and its people are already changed. It will take years and years to undo this damage. Will the American people come to the point of enough? After the display yesterday, I realized not soon enough. Can Democrats fight this and prevail? I am just not sure. It would take a massive change of strategy, of thinking of being willing to lead in a curated way, that they seem not to do. And how do you fight against God, which we will be assaulted with daily. God is the new GOP running mate.
Hope I am wrong about all of this. As I type this, there is a squirrel about 10’ from me, just staring at me. I image he is thinking what the hell is her problem!
Thank you Steve for your words.
As a Christian, I know that these are not christians! They are abusing the name for power and greed! That is not what Jesus taught, that is not what a christian is or does.
As Jesus once said, there will be many false prophets, messiahs, using God's name for fame/power and profit. James Jones, and others; even Trump has said that he is the chosen one!
It is a shame/sinful that the majority of the GOP in both the House and the Senate have fallen for the orange messiah!
May the real God bless and protect the righteous citizens of the country! May God give us the strength, courage, and wisdom to fight for what is true!
You are right, Donna. I am thankful for a Grandmother who taught me by words and examples of what a true believer is. I often wonder what she would think. Just read that Johnson said it is not the guns but the condition of the human heart. We are in trouble.
Democrats are terrifyingly inept and timid about yelling out in horror. Call Trump the murderer is is (COVID deaths.... how quickly we have forgotten them) and the killers of separation of church and state. They are obliterating everything the US was built upon and that we have shed lives for.... have we no memories?? Where are the communicators??
We are excellent at hand wringing and mail-biting and stringing together impressive adjectives. Where are the teeth and fangs? Where is the raised decibel level?
I dread what is coming in the next year... and if Dems lose, it will be our own fault...for being tepid and ineffective at motivating voters
I have to remind myself frequently that there are 2 forces in this world. One is GOOD and one is EVIL. The evil one knows the end is approaching and has to try extra hard to get as many followers as he can to spend time in HELL with him. He is very intelligent and cunning and EVIL.
It’s very hard to keep fighting these a-holes, when they keep finding a way to pretend defeat is victory. This feels so desperately 1938. It also feels bloody hopeless.
Ditto. I feel sick and afraid.
🩷
Nailed: why I woke with and can’t shake a sense of dread. I’d read enough after Johnson attained the speakership to be upset. It must’ve played in my subconscious overnight. Coffee, toast, kitty-care and love hadn’t brought me ‘round. Jay Kuo and you, Steve Schmidt, did. And that’s before I read another of the Speaker’s (and his spouse’s) hate of so many.
Yes, vote him and every MAGA adherent out. Work to ensure it. I’d prefer to feel less fear than I do now.
I was disgusted when Johnson said his wife couldn’t be there because “she’d been on her knees for several days and she was tired”. Their false piety makes me sick. Christo-fascism is their religion, hiding behind obsequious smiles.
Johnson proclaims that “your race, creed, and sex are who you are”. Creed? HE equates one’s CHOICE of “creed” with race and sex, neither of which is a choice? His contempt and lack of understanding of the complexities are obvious, but he’s certain he’s RIGHT. Protecting the rights of the “right” race, creed, and sex - as defined by him - will exclude anyone who doesn’t fit his definition. We’ll have no rights. Here we go.
The Communist view of religion was the one thing they got right.
Cynthia, when Johnson (prophetically from Louisiana?), talked about race, creed, and sex being who we are, I thought of a synthesis of a KKK, white man, religious, “the south is going to rise again” proposition. It has nothing to do with all citizens being equal or praying for what is good and honorable. A frightening olio version of nazi Germany is staring us in the face. Christianity still has a powerful pull on many, as stated above. On coercion and gullibility, In a fairly recent example, I am reminded of the Bush administration and their proxies marketing the notion to not support invasion of Iraq was evidence to all who was un-American, unpatriotic, un-Christian. The Republican version of shunning. They demanded our collusion and trust without truth. Quite a Trump-like power play. It was an argument we, The People, did not seem to have enough power to overcome and they boiled us right into losing a lot of blood and treasure, not to mention credibility. That is exactly what Republican’s are doing again, although it is more personal to me this time and, I believe, a longer dreamed of and prayed for war against The People. The Christian Right and Republicans have joined in this magic moment of world wide and national unrest. They are gathering strength. A Debby Downer today, I’m not sure I have the skill, power, or agency to make much difference. The one certain thing I know I do have is my vote, saved for Democrats. For now.
It makes me think of "The Dark Ages". That era was also dictated by religious fanatics, trying to hold on to power. Look what happened then-not very happy times, at all!
Thank you, Cynthia. The inclusion of creed jumped out at me, too. Even in the "born again" world, isn't human volition involved? I am Christian (Presbyterian - PCUSA, a "progressive" denomination). The Christ I know is all about loving invitation, not coercion. It seems to me, once you cast God as the Ultimate Authoritarian, you can arrogate to yourself all kinds of forrce in imposing His will (it always is a He) on others.
MAGAs who aren't powerful, aren't wealthy and depend on government for assistance, be it Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, food assistance, WIC, housing assistance - will all be surprised when their "dear leader" takes it all away. It will be too late to finally admit how wrong they are. Of course, they still might just blame it on someone else. I've never seen people who can completely deny reality like MAGA morons. That really amazes me. Foolish people.
You know, as I read this article Johnson wrote, all I see is the future 'breaking news' story that he was caught doing "lewd acts" with some guy in a men's bathroom. Remember Senator Craig from Idaho?
We can only wish the men’s room photos will resurface... where are the memes about his faux-pious wife spending days on her knees. The possibilities of that one are amusing
Strong, well written, and cogent commentary. So accurate and true-- I want to vomit.
It seems trite at this point to be disgusted by the antics of what was the Republic Party. There is no bottom to how low they will go. We finally checked out and moved to South America... like Israel and the surrounding areas just fucked another generation whose earliest memories will be the slaughter and response -- the United States will not be able to scrub the Trump stain for a generation or more.
Exactly right..as always. Just vote.
Such a sad day! We have to vote these people out ! Hopefully they can be prevented from causing too much damage in the coming year!
“We” can’t vote out House members in safely MAGA seats any longer. This is part of GOP long-game. The red states have consolidated too much white conservative power, & many of those seats will be MAGA until it dies. This is the consequence of Democrats not showing up to vote in every election, taking for granted the progress made over past 50 years. Louisiana MAGA governor just won with 38% of voters even bothering to show up.
From Pew: “Overall, 70% of U.S. adult citizens who were eligible to participate in all three elections between 2018 and 2022 voted in at least one of them, with about half that share (37%) voting in all three”. So, like Louisiana’s dismal turnout, on average, not even 40% of eligible voters bother to show up to vote every election.