I often wonder when the change occurred. When did Republicans lose their spines, ethics, and moral bearings? When did maintaining even the most feeble grasp on power supersede any sense of obligation to their oaths to support and defend the Constitution? It this dangerous hour, I hear NOTHING from former President Bush, Nikki Haley, Bill Barr, Mitt Romney and Chris Christie. I realize that the supine members of congress are either on the take or willing to corrupt the election process to save their position and privilege, but what of these others?
The Republicans in Congress have always been unified behind their Republican Presidents. That is nothing new. What is different now is that this Trump motherfucker is crazy, that's what's wrong with him. And the spineless Republican Senators, with the exception of Massie, Rand and I'm not sure who else, are all on their knees drinking the Kool Aid, down to the last drop.
I think they must somehow believe THEY will not be going down with the ship. They are traitors ----- when there's still time for them to be patriots, but THEY MUST ACT NOW. We all need to FLOOD their offices (all of them, not just the DC one) with calls and email, especially if we are their direct constituents.
I believe the traumas during the LBJ and Nixon administrations affected both parties negatively. LBJ's and Nixon's failures in not recognizing the truths of the failure to maintain the separation of South Vietnam from re-unification with the North was one trauma. Then there was Nixon's personal grievances when he chose to create an enemies list which he later acknowledged to be a failure of character on his part in his interviews with Frost.
However, those issues in prior years pale in comparison to the manner in which Ronald Reagan chose to lead the country in the following years of his presidency. While he was successful in some respects regarding international relationships his policies for free trade (exporting jobs), his tax cuts for the rich increased wage disparities within the country. He significantly reduced federal support for low income people, and basically began the conservative shift in this country that resulted eventually with the cultural wars and the rise of the white nationalist movement we are now witnessing. Reagan's disregard for the support of low income people was criticized by former President Nixon. Historians generally acknowledge that his presidency was historically important, but also contained considerable controversy.
Ronald Reagan was a monster. He happily destroyed the mental health systems in California and then went merrily on his way to do the same thing to the country, robbing people of vital care, leaving them to fend for themselves on the streets. And all the time he wore that cowboy "aw, shucks" persona. Straight into the grave. What a deplorable human being and, as it turned out, the first of a slew of them.
To me, he was just an actor, acting the part of a president, with Nancy telling him what to say and do. Now we have a conman, conning the people to believe that he is a president, or even worse-a god! We never did recover from Reagan's "trickle down economics". We may never recover from Trump's con and corruption.
We need to start voting for candidates who have real ideas and solutions to the problems that we have in America. We need to quit voting for the same person over and over again. We need to vote for the best person for the job, not just for a Democrat or a GOP. We must make better choices!
Yes, and he was also demented during his second term. I met him at that time and he was barely speaking, barely knew where he was. Of course, that was all covered up.
We need voices of courage, from both parties! Obama is traveling with candidates. There are even people who Trump has targeted, who are still speaking out. They are out there, but they are few and far between. If they all worked as one against this evil, the message just might get through to the people. If Democrats and Republicans, who have been fired, or threatened, got together as a team to fight back against this bully, think of the power they would have! They would motivate people to get out and vote, or protest, or boycott.
When did the change occur? I'd say Dwight D. Eisenhower (1953–1961): I was age 5 sitting in a barber chair and my grandfather handed me an "I Like Ike" straw hat. I wore it with pride. Ike was a moderate. He created the Interstate Highway System, balanced the budget, and push hard for civil rights legislation. Since Ike, I wouldn't waste spit on any one of them!
There’s no saving this mess, so we take the documents, the declaration and the constitution, and we begin again. we abolish gerrymandering and institute non-partisan, geographically logical districts, we eliminate the electoral college, we separate the justice department from the executive branch, we upend the supreme court with 18-year term limits for active court service, expansion to 13 justices (one justice for every federal district) and a code of conduct overseen by congress. we build from there.
I agree. And a constitutional convention to legally codify all these changes. The only thing I would change would be 12 year terms for the SC instead of 18.
I agree! However, is this just an impossible dream/idea? Who in Congress, or the Supreme Court, will give up their power and money to tear it all down and start all over again? And that would be what it takes, to tear it all down and start all over again. Keeping what worked for everyone, and throw away/burn all the loopholes, and crap that didn't help all the people; and then, build from that. And, like Mike said, codify all the changes. Terms AND age limits in all branches of government! No one over 70!
So I ask again, why on earth is he still sitting in that chair??? Can you imagine if this were Joe Biden instead of sleepy trump or Obama who wore the tan suit?
When are they going to carry the anti- Christ off and away? And these hypocrites standing up talking about being Christians while they do everything the opposite of Christ? Please tell me.
I saw a video clip of a minister (and I use the term lightly), comparing the sufferings (?) of Trump, with the sufferings of Jesus; while trump stands there, soaking it up! To me what the minister (?) said was blasphemous! It truly made me sick to my stomach! I can't even stand to see or hear trump! This whole thing is so horrible to me! Trump-we are the ones who are suffering-not you! And, I would never compare, or have someone else compare, my so called sufferings to that of Jesus! There are so many humans in the world who really are suffering! I could never compare myself to their sufferings either! We are living out the novel "1984"!
And he has and is causing much of the suffering from his actions. We have measles back and an outbreak of Ebola! Because of his ignorance and the incompetence of his cabinet millions of women and children have died. I hope he does soon! Everyday I pray he is dead when I wake up. He is a monster!
Couldn't have said it any better, Betty! Deep in my heart, I do believe that he is the anti-christ! Only the devil would have no feelings for anyone else's life but his own! The number of people that frump and his administration have killed are in the millions, and it will only get worse. I wish that those in Washington, who think like we do, would find the courage to rebel! We need leaders/heroes, like our founding fathers! They had the courage to rebel and resist a king! Their spirit should be in all of our blood! We cannot let frump, his family, and MAGA win!
The latest Truth Social posts are deeply disturbing. Every main stream news outlet should be showing this insanity, nonstop, to the American people. However, we know that is not going to happen because they are a bunch of cowards. It’s hard to understand how millions of people can see this day in and day out and not be outraged and terrified for this country.
We are outraged, and we don't have to listen to, or read frump's insane rants! I get enough pieces of his rants and nonsense, from other sources. I refuse to give frump the satisfaction, that I tuned into his False Social posts!
I do think that there are enough of us; we just need to unify, and fight back. We are getting there, but we're not there yet! Maybe the upcoming elections will get us mad enough to fight back. You know "tricky don", and his followers, will have something up their sleeve!
How do we prevent our tax dollars from "paying back" criminals, like those who participated in the January 6, insurrection? How do we prevent our tax dollars from paying into all the corruption! We need leaders!
I live in Arizona in the center of this storm. The Nov election is critical. We are on a cliff. Will our state become full-blown Maga and jump of the cliff or will we stay perched on the top? Only time will tell. Trump is not the only problem. His minions at the state level are strong.
I just got it! NAT Cs = NAZIS. I agree, but the followers have been duped into believing they are doing what Christ would want by slavishly putting faith in MAGA leadership, including Jesus Trump. Unbelievable. I guess they never read any of the New Testament Gospels; the moral messages are the antitheses of MAGA beliefs. I am a secular humanist and belong to no organized religion and don't pretend to have the answers to the ultimate questions about the origins of the universe and life and what happens after death (likely oblivion as our atoms are given up to become other forms of inorganic and organic life, I do believe the universe is alive and consciousness is elementary, perhaps more so, as matter and energy. And, I am closer to being a Christian than they are, as likely, so are you.
MSNOW had a video clip of the crowd at the rally. A lot of empty seats. When the video panned out, there were families with their picnics, but they too were spread out. I have gone to outdoor events, where the crowd was so great, there was no space between people! It made me sigh a sigh of relief to see it so sparsely attended!
Like the minister who compared the sufferings (?) of frump, to the real sufferings of Jesus! With frump standing over her, soaking it all in! Sickening!
Anthony: Given the outrageous performances some of the "religious white nationalist leaders" provide I do not believe they actually believe what they say. These are their performances to provide cover for actions taken on their behalf to grab power.
Early on in my life I attended a conservative church service where it seemed to me that people felt compelled to pray "out loud", in order for each to sound sufficiently devout to the others at the service. Obviously I cannot know what each person actually thought, but that was my impression as a 4th or 5th grader.
Jim, "Given the outrageous performances some of the 'religious white nationalist leaders' provide I do not believe they actually believe what they say."
I agree. People like Joel Osteen and Pastor Paula are grifters interested only in the acquisition of wealth and power; they use their gullible followers who, if they had an ounce of self-respect would be aware of this. It is all so sad; people in search of meaning giving reason and common sense up for belief in people using them and laughing at them.
I find it hard to believe that even a majority of their followers believe the statements of these scammers. I believe the vast majority support the objective, even to snicker at the extent of someone like Pastor Paula speaking in tongues in front of an audience with a young man walking back and forth behind her in cadence. It is a sick joke; they are likely all in on it.
My sister, her husband, and one of their sons are "evangelical" Christians. I have often felt that they want desperately to really believe in the preposterous fairy-tales they overtly accept as true but there exists haunting doubts that they refuse to verbalize or likely, even think about. But I can't get into their minds so I can't know if they truly believe Trump is god's annointed one or in Armageddon and the rapture. OTH, it is painfully obvious that the leaders of this movement are nothing but expert carnival barkers selling their customers snake oil.
Hypocritical yahoos waving their arms in the air and exhorting the nation to believe in their Jesus while their demigod Trump breaks every biblical commandment and makes a mockery of the gospel. November cannot come soon enough.
In the long run of your excellent pieces, this ranks right up there with one of your best. Thank you — again — for everything you do. Ozymandias Trump has to be held accountable.
The Republic won’t survive through denial, but through enough of us summoning the courage……. Is every (party leader, cabinet, official, senator, donor, media executive) Republican? Isn’t any one of them savvy enough to be one who might join us? If these few can continue to overwhelm our millions (No Kings, Individisible), how can we eventually WIN?
I often wonder when the change occurred. When did Republicans lose their spines, ethics, and moral bearings? When did maintaining even the most feeble grasp on power supersede any sense of obligation to their oaths to support and defend the Constitution? It this dangerous hour, I hear NOTHING from former President Bush, Nikki Haley, Bill Barr, Mitt Romney and Chris Christie. I realize that the supine members of congress are either on the take or willing to corrupt the election process to save their position and privilege, but what of these others?
The Republicans in Congress have always been unified behind their Republican Presidents. That is nothing new. What is different now is that this Trump motherfucker is crazy, that's what's wrong with him. And the spineless Republican Senators, with the exception of Massie, Rand and I'm not sure who else, are all on their knees drinking the Kool Aid, down to the last drop.
I think they must somehow believe THEY will not be going down with the ship. They are traitors ----- when there's still time for them to be patriots, but THEY MUST ACT NOW. We all need to FLOOD their offices (all of them, not just the DC one) with calls and email, especially if we are their direct constituents.
I believe the traumas during the LBJ and Nixon administrations affected both parties negatively. LBJ's and Nixon's failures in not recognizing the truths of the failure to maintain the separation of South Vietnam from re-unification with the North was one trauma. Then there was Nixon's personal grievances when he chose to create an enemies list which he later acknowledged to be a failure of character on his part in his interviews with Frost.
However, those issues in prior years pale in comparison to the manner in which Ronald Reagan chose to lead the country in the following years of his presidency. While he was successful in some respects regarding international relationships his policies for free trade (exporting jobs), his tax cuts for the rich increased wage disparities within the country. He significantly reduced federal support for low income people, and basically began the conservative shift in this country that resulted eventually with the cultural wars and the rise of the white nationalist movement we are now witnessing. Reagan's disregard for the support of low income people was criticized by former President Nixon. Historians generally acknowledge that his presidency was historically important, but also contained considerable controversy.
Ronald Reagan was a monster. He happily destroyed the mental health systems in California and then went merrily on his way to do the same thing to the country, robbing people of vital care, leaving them to fend for themselves on the streets. And all the time he wore that cowboy "aw, shucks" persona. Straight into the grave. What a deplorable human being and, as it turned out, the first of a slew of them.
You are spot on, Elizabeth George!
To me, he was just an actor, acting the part of a president, with Nancy telling him what to say and do. Now we have a conman, conning the people to believe that he is a president, or even worse-a god! We never did recover from Reagan's "trickle down economics". We may never recover from Trump's con and corruption.
We need to start voting for candidates who have real ideas and solutions to the problems that we have in America. We need to quit voting for the same person over and over again. We need to vote for the best person for the job, not just for a Democrat or a GOP. We must make better choices!
Yes, and he was also demented during his second term. I met him at that time and he was barely speaking, barely knew where he was. Of course, that was all covered up.
Excellent point
1
We need voices of courage, from both parties! Obama is traveling with candidates. There are even people who Trump has targeted, who are still speaking out. They are out there, but they are few and far between. If they all worked as one against this evil, the message just might get through to the people. If Democrats and Republicans, who have been fired, or threatened, got together as a team to fight back against this bully, think of the power they would have! They would motivate people to get out and vote, or protest, or boycott.
When did the change occur? I'd say Dwight D. Eisenhower (1953–1961): I was age 5 sitting in a barber chair and my grandfather handed me an "I Like Ike" straw hat. I wore it with pride. Ike was a moderate. He created the Interstate Highway System, balanced the budget, and push hard for civil rights legislation. Since Ike, I wouldn't waste spit on any one of them!
In my darkest and most depressed moments I fear that it’s already too late to save our country…
There’s no saving this mess, so we take the documents, the declaration and the constitution, and we begin again. we abolish gerrymandering and institute non-partisan, geographically logical districts, we eliminate the electoral college, we separate the justice department from the executive branch, we upend the supreme court with 18-year term limits for active court service, expansion to 13 justices (one justice for every federal district) and a code of conduct overseen by congress. we build from there.
I agree. And a constitutional convention to legally codify all these changes. The only thing I would change would be 12 year terms for the SC instead of 18.
I agree! However, is this just an impossible dream/idea? Who in Congress, or the Supreme Court, will give up their power and money to tear it all down and start all over again? And that would be what it takes, to tear it all down and start all over again. Keeping what worked for everyone, and throw away/burn all the loopholes, and crap that didn't help all the people; and then, build from that. And, like Mike said, codify all the changes. Terms AND age limits in all branches of government! No one over 70!
All is lost if WE the People give in! That is not in our blood after all these years and victories! Stand up and be heard! Our future is at stake!
Me too, William!
So I ask again, why on earth is he still sitting in that chair??? Can you imagine if this were Joe Biden instead of sleepy trump or Obama who wore the tan suit?
When are they going to carry the anti- Christ off and away? And these hypocrites standing up talking about being Christians while they do everything the opposite of Christ? Please tell me.
I saw a video clip of a minister (and I use the term lightly), comparing the sufferings (?) of Trump, with the sufferings of Jesus; while trump stands there, soaking it up! To me what the minister (?) said was blasphemous! It truly made me sick to my stomach! I can't even stand to see or hear trump! This whole thing is so horrible to me! Trump-we are the ones who are suffering-not you! And, I would never compare, or have someone else compare, my so called sufferings to that of Jesus! There are so many humans in the world who really are suffering! I could never compare myself to their sufferings either! We are living out the novel "1984"!
And he has and is causing much of the suffering from his actions. We have measles back and an outbreak of Ebola! Because of his ignorance and the incompetence of his cabinet millions of women and children have died. I hope he does soon! Everyday I pray he is dead when I wake up. He is a monster!
The Anti Christ for sure!
Couldn't have said it any better, Betty! Deep in my heart, I do believe that he is the anti-christ! Only the devil would have no feelings for anyone else's life but his own! The number of people that frump and his administration have killed are in the millions, and it will only get worse. I wish that those in Washington, who think like we do, would find the courage to rebel! We need leaders/heroes, like our founding fathers! They had the courage to rebel and resist a king! Their spirit should be in all of our blood! We cannot let frump, his family, and MAGA win!
The latest Truth Social posts are deeply disturbing. Every main stream news outlet should be showing this insanity, nonstop, to the American people. However, we know that is not going to happen because they are a bunch of cowards. It’s hard to understand how millions of people can see this day in and day out and not be outraged and terrified for this country.
We are. Are there enough of us?
We are outraged, and we don't have to listen to, or read frump's insane rants! I get enough pieces of his rants and nonsense, from other sources. I refuse to give frump the satisfaction, that I tuned into his False Social posts!
I do think that there are enough of us; we just need to unify, and fight back. We are getting there, but we're not there yet! Maybe the upcoming elections will get us mad enough to fight back. You know "tricky don", and his followers, will have something up their sleeve!
How do we prevent our tax dollars from "paying back" criminals, like those who participated in the January 6, insurrection? How do we prevent our tax dollars from paying into all the corruption! We need leaders!
I live in Arizona in the center of this storm. The Nov election is critical. We are on a cliff. Will our state become full-blown Maga and jump of the cliff or will we stay perched on the top? Only time will tell. Trump is not the only problem. His minions at the state level are strong.
There should be more coverage of the Supreme Court's role in the US trend toward religiosity. See Thomas's recent tirade.
The naivete, stupidity, self-righteousness, ignorance, and audacity of Christian nationalists never fails to leave me flabbergasted and outraged.
Not Christian nationalists. NAT Cs.
I just got it! NAT Cs = NAZIS. I agree, but the followers have been duped into believing they are doing what Christ would want by slavishly putting faith in MAGA leadership, including Jesus Trump. Unbelievable. I guess they never read any of the New Testament Gospels; the moral messages are the antitheses of MAGA beliefs. I am a secular humanist and belong to no organized religion and don't pretend to have the answers to the ultimate questions about the origins of the universe and life and what happens after death (likely oblivion as our atoms are given up to become other forms of inorganic and organic life, I do believe the universe is alive and consciousness is elementary, perhaps more so, as matter and energy. And, I am closer to being a Christian than they are, as likely, so are you.
And there are scores of NAT C 'ministers' all over the country twisting the words of the bible to support their hate.
MSNOW had a video clip of the crowd at the rally. A lot of empty seats. When the video panned out, there were families with their picnics, but they too were spread out. I have gone to outdoor events, where the crowd was so great, there was no space between people! It made me sigh a sigh of relief to see it so sparsely attended!
Looked like a sparse few along the sides, at what I presume were vendors' tents.
Like the minister who compared the sufferings (?) of frump, to the real sufferings of Jesus! With frump standing over her, soaking it all in! Sickening!
Secular humanists, ferociously independent, unite.
Thank you, Anthony, I didn't get the NAT Cs, until your comment back to Big Daddy! I am a little slow!
Anthony: Given the outrageous performances some of the "religious white nationalist leaders" provide I do not believe they actually believe what they say. These are their performances to provide cover for actions taken on their behalf to grab power.
Early on in my life I attended a conservative church service where it seemed to me that people felt compelled to pray "out loud", in order for each to sound sufficiently devout to the others at the service. Obviously I cannot know what each person actually thought, but that was my impression as a 4th or 5th grader.
Jim, "Given the outrageous performances some of the 'religious white nationalist leaders' provide I do not believe they actually believe what they say."
I agree. People like Joel Osteen and Pastor Paula are grifters interested only in the acquisition of wealth and power; they use their gullible followers who, if they had an ounce of self-respect would be aware of this. It is all so sad; people in search of meaning giving reason and common sense up for belief in people using them and laughing at them.
I find it hard to believe that even a majority of their followers believe the statements of these scammers. I believe the vast majority support the objective, even to snicker at the extent of someone like Pastor Paula speaking in tongues in front of an audience with a young man walking back and forth behind her in cadence. It is a sick joke; they are likely all in on it.
My sister, her husband, and one of their sons are "evangelical" Christians. I have often felt that they want desperately to really believe in the preposterous fairy-tales they overtly accept as true but there exists haunting doubts that they refuse to verbalize or likely, even think about. But I can't get into their minds so I can't know if they truly believe Trump is god's annointed one or in Armageddon and the rapture. OTH, it is painfully obvious that the leaders of this movement are nothing but expert carnival barkers selling their customers snake oil.
They are self righteous people who think they are above God. Never taught any humility.
Perhaps uneducated and red necks?
We can't have a demented piece of sewage as president. Piece of sewage is bad enough.
Even sewage has some value/uses—not even sewage is Republican.
Hypocritical yahoos waving their arms in the air and exhorting the nation to believe in their Jesus while their demigod Trump breaks every biblical commandment and makes a mockery of the gospel. November cannot come soon enough.
People are self-righteous because righteousness is what they lack.
Looks like mass mental illness
Thank you Steve and SAM, thank you.
Sick bastards
In the long run of your excellent pieces, this ranks right up there with one of your best. Thank you — again — for everything you do. Ozymandias Trump has to be held accountable.
The Republic won’t survive through denial, but through enough of us summoning the courage……. Is every (party leader, cabinet, official, senator, donor, media executive) Republican? Isn’t any one of them savvy enough to be one who might join us? If these few can continue to overwhelm our millions (No Kings, Individisible), how can we eventually WIN?