In my line of work, I have the opportunity to talk with young women about the state of affairs in our country where the rights of our citizens, women in our case in particular, are being taken away.
That is where I explain that democracy is a participation way of life...we as citizens are required to nurture it, or it will fail to thrive, or even exist at all. I cite brutally explicit examples of the alternative.
I have and will continue to take every opportunity to open a discussion where "getting involved" is mandatory for everyone in America.
Thank you for your efforts to get young people informed, involved and voting. We need them to realize that their voices are needed to preserve our rights and democracy.
They all know the chances are slim to none. Indeed the millions they are raking in, keep them in the game. What we may see in third party efforts, or mayhem, could catapult Walker, but nobody else comes close.
Pence will be uncovered as a person of knowledge that Jan. 6 was happening prior to it’s happening. Christie will uncover that in debate. I almost admire Christie’s sudden attraction to the truth, it’s like he woke up remembering he is a prosecutor. Almost, though.
Haley is in LaLa land and DeSantis will melt in his own hate. And should.
With the exception of Walker, they are clowns who have fallen off the Trump clown car, with residual make up and clown noses they cant get off.
At least we’re watching the wheels coming off the clown car by way of the DOJ, spilling MAGA like an the oil spill it is. Now to clean it up.
I read yesterday that DeSantis approved of force-feeding as a form of punishment during his time at Guantanamo Bay. He's a Sadist in white wellies. Just what this country needs...eye roll.
Not to mention the fact that he has Eva DeSantis pushing that same brownshirt agenda. I'd like to go to South Florida and stroll through Target...I'll be carrying a banned book while sipping a Bud Light.
He has since lost weight, thinking if he looks trimmer, maybe people will forget about his screamy voice and his weird head-bobbing and his toxic “ideas” and “policy”. He’s all bad.
Well, that certainly worked for me: now that he's lost some weight, I've totally forgotten that, next to Trump and Greg Abbott (and add as many as you like), he might be the worst person on Earth.
I have found apathy setting in even within my own family that is well-informed, educated, and normally engaged. They iterate that nothing ever changes and their vote doesn’t really matter. They will still vote, but they don’t have confidence that it affects the outcome.
I have the same problem with some of my relatives, and it’s especially unfortunate now when the threat of an authoritarian regime is literally palpable. Almost all the toxic elements are in the mix.
Do you know why apathy has set in? Were this in your family previously engaged? How? What changed? It’s about all those who aren’t active - why and how do we change it?
Love what you’re doing. Don’t you think Pence Haley etc are doing it for the grift?, they’re on TV ergo speech’s, paid appearances, books etc?, they stay in the game cause it’s personally profitable. I believe they even know they have no chance
Politics. From the womb to the tomb. Whether I like them or not it. That makes my blood run red, white and blue. At the end of the day I do it for me and I do it for you. I do it for the future of civil society. It is our only legacy and I am responsible towards it outcome.
Tim Scott is a convictionless, characterless Zero. Oh wait, he has one conviction. As a religious zealot bachelor, he is adamant that women should not control their bodies. Health be damned, every conceived fetus must either be born or kill its mother in the process. And once born, he doesn’t have a nickel to help you in this life. Cuz, hey look at him, he “made it”, didn’t he? Pull that ladder up, Timmy. 🤢
I really like what Christie is doing now. But where has he been since 2016? Anyone who did not speak up against Trump during the worst is complicit and should not be rewarded by winning the Presidential.
Rarely has a public collapse of a social class ever been so justified, so enjoyable, and so necessary. It is a supreme irony that many of them will end up in the very prison cells they called for to hold their chosen enemies.
I have some questions about what's happening right now. Where is Mitt Romney in this steaming pile of putrid cow manure? His silence has been noted. Also, how is Lyndsey feeling about his "If we nominate Trump, we will get destroyed and we will deserve it" comment? Is that crystal ball projection coming back to haunt him as his head hits the pillow at night? Does Jack Smith have the right bodyguards? Once the GOP sounds their death rattle, will there be a sample sale of all the FJB/We love Trump flags? What happens to the MAGA folks when their dreams of a Trump presidency finally implode?
Unfortunately, I don't think the MAGA crowd is going to go away quietly. Unless Trump is in prison, with no access to media of any kind, he will continue his constant flow of lies to keep his followers riled up. If he doesn't win, he's willing to burn the place to the ground.
You're right. The MAGA crowd has long existed before Tiny Hands came down that escalator in 2016. He was just the guy who flipped the lights on in the kitchen...suddenly those dormant cockroaches emerged from behind the cabinets. MAGA will exist even when he fades into obscurity. Another integrity-challenged GOP member will be there to pick up his putrid baton.
Everyone keeps saying Trump has unleashed the beast in the MAGA movement and there’s no stopping it no matter if he is still involved or not. I disagree. Yes, Trump took the pandora out if the box. The hate, toxicity, fear…whatever “that” was that drove millions to worship at the alter of The Donald. But it’s not going to be so easy to keep the insanity in the forefront without him. Look no further than DeSantis, as an example. Trump has that magic combination of being an insanely wealthy (supposedly) used car salesman that could simply say out loud what they were all thinking and feeling. The wealthy part was key, because Americans worship the almighty dollar, above all else. I mean if he’s so rich he must know how to fix/do/break anything to “fix” the country, right? Without a new dear leader, when TFG is in prison, the movement has no face. It’s certainly not going to be McCarthy, Comer, MTG or Jordan. And McConnell thinks they’re all nuts anyway. So it will be very hard to keep MAGATs motivated without Trump.
There is an excellent podcast series on The Bulwark podcast network called The Corruption of Lindsay Graham. There are several episodes dropped now and new ones on Mondays. It’s alarming. Because the paroxysms that LG has undergone to excuse and rationalize and finally defend the putrid behavior of Donald Trump is illustrative of the entire GOP.
Eugene Robinson, on Morning Joe this morning "what was the precondition in American society, what was the sickness that Donald Trump was able to exploit, he couldn't have started all this from scratch, there was something there that was waiting to be triggered by a completely unscrupulous political figure like Donald Trump and he did, he continues to do it, he continues to have these adherents and you just wonder what was the rot at the heart of American society that allowed this to happen." Finally the question concerning the truth of the matter has been asked on national media. I hope that the answer will be forthcoming, so the American people will finally learn the truth behind our national political sickness. The rot at the heart of American society brought forth the rot named Donald Trump and now more rot named Ron DeSantis.
Steve is of course right. You have to get involved. Maybe you can do one weekend day trying to get new voters registered by being at the local mall. Maybe you can ask your local democratic committee what they need and supply what you can. It really is that simple and will go a long way. And you will feel better having been part of the effort. Do it. You'll see.
A large set of Republican primary candidates only increases the likelihood of Trump securing the nomination as all he needs is a plurality. As Mitt Romney says in his WSJ opinion piece (https://www.wsj.com/articles/donors-dont-fund-a-trump-plurality-drop-out-primaries-gop-trump-ccf632b9), the field needs to narrow. If only Christie, Scott and Trump remain, we at least have a hope of a non-Trump nominee. That will happen only if the donor money for these other candidates dries up. No one will do it for the greater good.
I don't subscribe to WSJ, so I am unable to read the article. Do they allow you to "gift" articles? I subscribe to NYT & Washington Post, and both allow me 10 gifted articles each month.
Your words about democracy requiring citizen involvement ring so true Steve. I would add that it must be constructive civic involvement grounded in civic literacy about the proper role of We the People in a democracy. We’ve lost much of that in America. I attribute it to two factors. One is the customer service movement in government encouraging public employees and the citizens they serve to think of Americans first as “customers “ rather than citizens whose first responsibility is positive civic involvement. The second is Americans’ one dimensional view of the concept of freedom. Americans tend to view “freedom” only through the lens of escaping or limiting government control of and involvement in their lives. It is “freedom from” that Americans think about first when they think of freedom. We don’t realize freedom has a second equally important component- “freedom to”. This means we have “freedom to” make a living, freedom to think, freedom to be educated, freedom to be safe, freedom to be healthy through proper health care, etc. Because we only think in terms of the individualistic “freedom from”, it is very difficult for us to come together collectively and deal with big issues to benefit the common good like health care, gun violence, and education. And, our inability to address issues impacting the common good weakens a bedrock company of democracy. Apathy is anathema to democracy.
In my line of work, I have the opportunity to talk with young women about the state of affairs in our country where the rights of our citizens, women in our case in particular, are being taken away.
That is where I explain that democracy is a participation way of life...we as citizens are required to nurture it, or it will fail to thrive, or even exist at all. I cite brutally explicit examples of the alternative.
I have and will continue to take every opportunity to open a discussion where "getting involved" is mandatory for everyone in America.
Thank you for your efforts to get young people informed, involved and voting. We need them to realize that their voices are needed to preserve our rights and democracy.
Celeste K … awesome response!
They all know the chances are slim to none. Indeed the millions they are raking in, keep them in the game. What we may see in third party efforts, or mayhem, could catapult Walker, but nobody else comes close.
Pence will be uncovered as a person of knowledge that Jan. 6 was happening prior to it’s happening. Christie will uncover that in debate. I almost admire Christie’s sudden attraction to the truth, it’s like he woke up remembering he is a prosecutor. Almost, though.
Haley is in LaLa land and DeSantis will melt in his own hate. And should.
With the exception of Walker, they are clowns who have fallen off the Trump clown car, with residual make up and clown noses they cant get off.
At least we’re watching the wheels coming off the clown car by way of the DOJ, spilling MAGA like an the oil spill it is. Now to clean it up.
I read yesterday that DeSantis approved of force-feeding as a form of punishment during his time at Guantanamo Bay. He's a Sadist in white wellies. Just what this country needs...eye roll.
Ironically DeSantis’ “force feeding” is exactly his policy stance. He will force his authoritarian bs down anybody’s throat.
Not to mention the fact that he has Eva DeSantis pushing that same brownshirt agenda. I'd like to go to South Florida and stroll through Target...I'll be carrying a banned book while sipping a Bud Light.
And buying Barbie dolls.
Good….
Not if we stop him.
"...sadist in white wellies." Best, most succinct label for him!!
Boot Boy.
From that picture in his white wellies: it looks like no one had to force-feed HIM for the last 10 or 20 years!
In fairness, I have no issue with his body. It's his soul that I find so vexing.
"Soul"?! You detected a SOUL?!
He has since lost weight, thinking if he looks trimmer, maybe people will forget about his screamy voice and his weird head-bobbing and his toxic “ideas” and “policy”. He’s all bad.
Well, that certainly worked for me: now that he's lost some weight, I've totally forgotten that, next to Trump and Greg Abbott (and add as many as you like), he might be the worst person on Earth.
Wow I’m with you
DeSantis is Scary
FL is dystopian and
He is worse than Trump! Marsha
UGH.
Who is Walker? Do you mean Scott? Sorry, just a bit confused.
Obviously, total conflation: Tim Scott; Scott Walker; Tim Walker.
Me too! Maybe Herschel Walker? Or mistaken identity-Walker instead of Scott?. 🤷♂️
Your final paragraph nailed it- apathy is the true pervasive and destructive virus, and within genuine freedom comes de facto responsibility.
Let us all rise up.
Mia Marietta you inspire me…
We must not be apathetic…
Genuine Freedom comes with each of us Responsibly Voting✅
Let us all rise up.hugs Marsha
I have found apathy setting in even within my own family that is well-informed, educated, and normally engaged. They iterate that nothing ever changes and their vote doesn’t really matter. They will still vote, but they don’t have confidence that it affects the outcome.
Reflective of a population wide exhaustion....
I have the same problem with some of my relatives, and it’s especially unfortunate now when the threat of an authoritarian regime is literally palpable. Almost all the toxic elements are in the mix.
Do you know why apathy has set in? Were this in your family previously engaged? How? What changed? It’s about all those who aren’t active - why and how do we change it?
YES!
Love what you’re doing. Don’t you think Pence Haley etc are doing it for the grift?, they’re on TV ergo speech’s, paid appearances, books etc?, they stay in the game cause it’s personally profitable. I believe they even know they have no chance
Maybe….
Politics. From the womb to the tomb. Whether I like them or not it. That makes my blood run red, white and blue. At the end of the day I do it for me and I do it for you. I do it for the future of civil society. It is our only legacy and I am responsible towards it outcome.
I'm with you!
Who can beat Trump? The DOJ.
What will I do? Vote.
Isn’t Tim Scott still bending the knee to Trump?
Tim Scott is a convictionless, characterless Zero. Oh wait, he has one conviction. As a religious zealot bachelor, he is adamant that women should not control their bodies. Health be damned, every conceived fetus must either be born or kill its mother in the process. And once born, he doesn’t have a nickel to help you in this life. Cuz, hey look at him, he “made it”, didn’t he? Pull that ladder up, Timmy. 🤢
Well said. I totally agree. I find Scott to be simultaneously smarmy and self-righteous.
Laura feel exactly as you expressed about Scott!!
You said it so eloquently
BRAVA hugs, Marsha
I really like what Christie is doing now. But where has he been since 2016? Anyone who did not speak up against Trump during the worst is complicit and should not be rewarded by winning the Presidential.
Christie has flipped on Trump like a pancake at a country diner, but I love the way he continually calls out Tiny Hands.
We can thank Graydon Carter for that….
Rarely has a public collapse of a social class ever been so justified, so enjoyable, and so necessary. It is a supreme irony that many of them will end up in the very prison cells they called for to hold their chosen enemies.
🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻
I have some questions about what's happening right now. Where is Mitt Romney in this steaming pile of putrid cow manure? His silence has been noted. Also, how is Lyndsey feeling about his "If we nominate Trump, we will get destroyed and we will deserve it" comment? Is that crystal ball projection coming back to haunt him as his head hits the pillow at night? Does Jack Smith have the right bodyguards? Once the GOP sounds their death rattle, will there be a sample sale of all the FJB/We love Trump flags? What happens to the MAGA folks when their dreams of a Trump presidency finally implode?
Unfortunately, I don't think the MAGA crowd is going to go away quietly. Unless Trump is in prison, with no access to media of any kind, he will continue his constant flow of lies to keep his followers riled up. If he doesn't win, he's willing to burn the place to the ground.
You're right. The MAGA crowd has long existed before Tiny Hands came down that escalator in 2016. He was just the guy who flipped the lights on in the kitchen...suddenly those dormant cockroaches emerged from behind the cabinets. MAGA will exist even when he fades into obscurity. Another integrity-challenged GOP member will be there to pick up his putrid baton.
Agree. The genie is now completely out of the bottle….
Everyone keeps saying Trump has unleashed the beast in the MAGA movement and there’s no stopping it no matter if he is still involved or not. I disagree. Yes, Trump took the pandora out if the box. The hate, toxicity, fear…whatever “that” was that drove millions to worship at the alter of The Donald. But it’s not going to be so easy to keep the insanity in the forefront without him. Look no further than DeSantis, as an example. Trump has that magic combination of being an insanely wealthy (supposedly) used car salesman that could simply say out loud what they were all thinking and feeling. The wealthy part was key, because Americans worship the almighty dollar, above all else. I mean if he’s so rich he must know how to fix/do/break anything to “fix” the country, right? Without a new dear leader, when TFG is in prison, the movement has no face. It’s certainly not going to be McCarthy, Comer, MTG or Jordan. And McConnell thinks they’re all nuts anyway. So it will be very hard to keep MAGATs motivated without Trump.
There is an excellent podcast series on The Bulwark podcast network called The Corruption of Lindsay Graham. There are several episodes dropped now and new ones on Mondays. It’s alarming. Because the paroxysms that LG has undergone to excuse and rationalize and finally defend the putrid behavior of Donald Trump is illustrative of the entire GOP.
Eugene Robinson, on Morning Joe this morning "what was the precondition in American society, what was the sickness that Donald Trump was able to exploit, he couldn't have started all this from scratch, there was something there that was waiting to be triggered by a completely unscrupulous political figure like Donald Trump and he did, he continues to do it, he continues to have these adherents and you just wonder what was the rot at the heart of American society that allowed this to happen." Finally the question concerning the truth of the matter has been asked on national media. I hope that the answer will be forthcoming, so the American people will finally learn the truth behind our national political sickness. The rot at the heart of American society brought forth the rot named Donald Trump and now more rot named Ron DeSantis.
Kudos wow great response Ty
✅🌹Marsha
And a good writer!
Bravo Steve... run for president.
Why would he want to?!?
SB Lewis agree …Steve is inspiring honest and trustworthy! Marsha
Steve is of course right. You have to get involved. Maybe you can do one weekend day trying to get new voters registered by being at the local mall. Maybe you can ask your local democratic committee what they need and supply what you can. It really is that simple and will go a long way. And you will feel better having been part of the effort. Do it. You'll see.
A large set of Republican primary candidates only increases the likelihood of Trump securing the nomination as all he needs is a plurality. As Mitt Romney says in his WSJ opinion piece (https://www.wsj.com/articles/donors-dont-fund-a-trump-plurality-drop-out-primaries-gop-trump-ccf632b9), the field needs to narrow. If only Christie, Scott and Trump remain, we at least have a hope of a non-Trump nominee. That will happen only if the donor money for these other candidates dries up. No one will do it for the greater good.
I don't subscribe to WSJ, so I am unable to read the article. Do they allow you to "gift" articles? I subscribe to NYT & Washington Post, and both allow me 10 gifted articles each month.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/donors-dont-fund-a-trump-plurality-drop-out-primaries-gop-trump-ccf632b9?st=i8e8jzsrmrsk4u5&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink
Thank you! I enjoyed reading the article.
Your words about democracy requiring citizen involvement ring so true Steve. I would add that it must be constructive civic involvement grounded in civic literacy about the proper role of We the People in a democracy. We’ve lost much of that in America. I attribute it to two factors. One is the customer service movement in government encouraging public employees and the citizens they serve to think of Americans first as “customers “ rather than citizens whose first responsibility is positive civic involvement. The second is Americans’ one dimensional view of the concept of freedom. Americans tend to view “freedom” only through the lens of escaping or limiting government control of and involvement in their lives. It is “freedom from” that Americans think about first when they think of freedom. We don’t realize freedom has a second equally important component- “freedom to”. This means we have “freedom to” make a living, freedom to think, freedom to be educated, freedom to be safe, freedom to be healthy through proper health care, etc. Because we only think in terms of the individualistic “freedom from”, it is very difficult for us to come together collectively and deal with big issues to benefit the common good like health care, gun violence, and education. And, our inability to address issues impacting the common good weakens a bedrock company of democracy. Apathy is anathema to democracy.
www.tomthedemocratist.com
Dearest Steve please give your thoughtful mother a hug from Me I’m eighty yrs old
And I gratefully hug her for nurturing you
You are saving our country and you give me strength and hope to get people to Vote.. never had a daughter but adore
Your daughters ideas Kudos✅treasure
My goodness how you Blessare cherished by me… my life with Hope and your wife, children and mom I treasure for loving you!
Beautiful! 🌹xo