Funny how they hold up the Bible and swear allegiance to the written word, then skip over, love your neighbor as yourself, etc. There is verse after verse that they don’t live by.
My favorites are those verses pertaining to Children. As we allow our children to be slaughtered in schools and some states refuse to help feed them, Johnson and most others have forgotten- "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." - Matthew 19:14
I have not attended church in years and plan to never attend again, but I have not forgotten the teachings of my youth. Apparently our elected officials have.
I saw on the news yesterday, that some states are joining the others that will no longer feed children lunch’s during the summer, knowing that the only lunch many of them get is during the school year, WTF??? There will be a special place for those people on the other side. To opt to not feed children lunch when they are hungry is beyond my comprehension.
The christo-fascists clearly don’t believe there is an “after life” as they are absolutely not afraid of the consequences of their actions in this life.
Johnson’s mantra of “Dead on Arrival” mandated by Trump should be thrown back at them at full speed and make sure that they are dead on arrival in November.
“Funny how they hold up the Bible and swear allegiance to the written word, then skip over, love your neighbor as yourself, etc. There is verse after verse that they don’t live by.”
With all due respect Susan, Johnson would beg to differ. He loves his neighbor’s, as long as they are white European Christian’s, who believe TFG is the true anointed one.
As for his immigrant neighbor’s from sh*t-hole countries; they’re Satan’s spawn. So they’re not really what a good Christian would consider neighborly.
The LGBTQ community. They might as well be immigrants from sh*t-hole countries. They’re certainly not good moral Christian’s; that’s for sure.
Those who support women’s reproductive rights? They are heretics committing sins against god, and are an affront to a good Christian’s way of life.
As for Jews? They’re all going to hell (including me), which is why they support Israel, but hate the Jews. Good riddance!
The Republican Party used to be about small government that wouldn’t interfere with people’s personal lives; yet when it comes to women and girls; they now want to see medical records and even outlaw contraceptives.
And remember it’s not rape, if the girl never heard the word “rape” before. And Incest by a brother, or other family member? It’s just boys just being boys.
Pedophelia? Well, Mary had Jesus at 15; so there’s that!
Johnson and his ilk believe all Americans should be free to live their lives as they see fit; as long as they adhere to the morality and teachings of Johnson’s own twisted and demented theology. In other words, we can all take solace in the fact that we can to do as you please, as long as one’s way of life, doesn’t insult Johnson’s own obtuse, moral code.
Agreed. But that’s the point; nothing these people say makes an iota of sense. They are hypocrites to the core.
Ive said this before: if Jesus were alive today and preaching the gospels on the street; these people wouldn’t know Jesus if he were staring them in the face. They’d probably have him crucified, again, for being a left-wing radical Jew.
Christianity has always been reinterpreted to fit the narrow viewpoints of a few. Whites are superior, so slavery is righteous. Rinse, lather, repeat…:)
The more I thought about her, the more I disagree with Cheney. Stefanik is no crackpot; she's calculating and conniving. The new and improved Republican Party doesn't want the old, moderate Stefanik. It wants MAGA, and she's obliging. She may not be a crackpot, but half the country sure is, Elise Stefanik's constituents included.
I'm so thankful for you Steve Schmidt. As a sexual assault survivor myself and political activist as well I've really been struggling this last week with all the news
coverage.
Thanks for breaking it down to the Basics and reminding me again of whats all at stake in November. So I'm getting myself busy asap!! #VoteBlue 💙💙💙💙💙
Hey Thanks so much Libby. I'm playing catch up on my emails and just now saw this. It's been a crazy past couple of weeks to say the least. 😆 I'm pretty OK as far as needing help. Both assaults happened long ago. First time I was 15 and was a date rape, 2nd time I was 26 and attacked at knifepoint by the son of a police officer. That's a huge part of why I'm so adamant against Trump and why I do the work that I do. I fight for every woman that's ever been hurt by a predator like DJT. So you can help me by fighting along side of me to stop him too. Thanks so very much for the kind words. We are all in this together to save America from itself. ❤️🇺🇸💙
And now it’s I who hasn’t read her mail. I am glad you have been able to do the work to recover from your assaults and move to advocacy, which is so important. That is what we have left after such horrible things happen to us. Even friends sometimes do not understand my ferocity around women’s autonomy. Yes, we are all in this together. Thank you for what you continue to do in the cause for girls and women.
“Speaker of the US House of Representatives Mike Johnson is a political extremist and religious fanatic by word and deed. Like all theocrats, he is a hypocrite, and like all hypocrites, he is a cynic. He presides over a hive of unfitness, teeming with disordered personalities, crackpots, fascists, white supremacists, crooks and fundamentalists, bound together by a shared weirdness and lust for power.”
Wow Steve, please tell us how you really feel….:)
Hypocrisy and crackpots don’t even begin to describe the demonic pathology that has infected this once, great party.
A wise man once said, “a mind is a terrible thing to waste.” Yet here we are; half this country woke up one morning, and just completely lost their minds.
Although, it could be said that Trump is just the logical manifestation of a party that has been devolving into a fascist, theocratic, and lunatic cult for decades.
It started with Nixon’s Southern strategy. When John Dean said, “We have a cancer within—close to the presidency, that's growing. It's growing daily.” Dean wasn’t wrong, except since then, it moved way past the presidency itself.
It metastasized further when Reagan released the inmates from the insane asylum (religious zealots ams white nationalists), and invited them into the party. And by the time Dubya left office in complete humiliation, the transformation was complete. All was needed was the “anointed one,” to lead the crackpots and fascists to the promised land.
As for the perennial clown car of Mace, MTG, Johnson, Stefanik, Jordan and the rest; are you really shocked?
When their leader turns out to be the Don of a vast criminal enterprise; getting away with murder for decades; his power only growing stronger with each criminal complaint and indictment, it’s only a matter of time before his disciples learn from their master.
I know this quote was falsely attributed to Lincoln, but regardless of who said it, it still rings true:
"Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power."
Sadly, the entire GQP has shown us why they should never be even be in close proximity to the Oval Office, unless they’re on a Whitehouse tour….:)
And with respect to killing the immigration bill, let it be known that every overdose, every death from fentanyl brought in through the border will be on every Republican who voted to kill the bill. Trump most of all.
Fair to want to hold Rs accountable for killing the border bill before it even has a chance, but most of the fentanyl comes through legal ports, not the "border". And almost all of that by US citizens, not illegal immigrants. At the beginning of FY 2023, 96% of seizures were at legal ports of entry, 86% of convictions were of US citizens. I understand "seizures" and "convictions" do not represent all that comes into the US, just providing a little insight into some of the numbers.
And fentanyl deaths in the US increased 25% in Biden's first year, but 191% in TFG's 4 years. None of it good, but context matters.
Yea, but you're implying illegals and you know that's what you're implying, because you're referencing the legislation that they are killing. That legislation has NOTHING to do with legal ports of entry. Try better.
Yes, Mike, and we Democrats and Independents know that because we are not watching FOX or OAN, while Republicans believe you are lying through your teeth.
Good morning, Libby and agree. Being siloed in an echo chamber and bubble doesn't help anyone. Followed by SM algorithms that bombard folks with the same supporting type of info. But controlling media is a theme of authoritarians, dictators, and tyrants. Why do you think TFG's supporters say they only believe what he says. That's scary, dangerous, and unfortunate.
LOL, check the # of zeroes please. We don't have anywhere near a billion Americans. BTW, the official death toll from COVID in 2020 is about 350,831. But I get - and agree with - your overall point.
No one is counting those NOW dying of COVID once the official counting stopped. No one is counting those of us living with long COVID despite having every vaccination and masking and how debilitating it is. The numbers are inaccurate for having it and dying from it. The Boston Globe continues to report COVID hospitalizations and deaths. What other news outlet, legit or not, is doing so? Ah bec we don't know bec unless hospitalized and tested no one is reporting cases.
I understand your concerns, but there are plenty of sites reporting lab confirmed COVID hospitalizations and deaths, and media outlets such as the NY Times. The number of folks dealing with long COVID is certainly hard to pin down. Previously, like before the health emergency was lifted in (I believe) May 2023, they were often counting lab confirmed AND suspected cases. I'm not sure how else they can produce as accurate of a count as possible.
From the thread above, my only point is not contesting the # of deaths, which is more than 1.1 million in the US since the beginning of the pandemic, but as much as I dislike everything about TFG, it's hard to actually blame him for every single death, even though he and his administration mismanaged it. And even though he undermined the vaccines after the fact, he did approve Operation Warp Speed, to at least help in the production of the vaccines.
I blame no 'one' - just the entire world that turned its back on what the WHO was saying. My work was impacted greatly by the virus. In and before 2020, I wrote for a publication in my industry (hospitality) and regularly attended the virtual press briefings by WHO to understand more as it was learned. The disregard for medical expertise - or at least skepticism if not disregard - I sorta understood at the start. Now, people, even those just getting COVID, are tired of masking. (I'm tired of wearing seatbelts and other rules too. Yet I follow them not because otherwise would be illegal but bec it's smart if I want to live.) So I digress - it's numbers, numbers called out so that people are aware, and not all places enforcing safety.
Case in point: Johns Hopkins' facilities in Maryland require masks of ALL personnel and patients and guests bec the MD Governor said to do so. In DC, where I use a Hopkins-affiliated facility said they don't follow the Hopkins/MD rules because DC's Mayor (who wants to ensure she's seen favorably by the House and Senate even tho' they don't care about DC) didn't say they should.
So if we stick with blame, I blame the same stupidity of people who vote for MAGA candidates. I mean, blaming feels good now and then. Thanks.
There were a million Americans killed from COVID. There is a huge problem with smuggling fentanyl through the southern border. I’m not understanding your argument.
You wrote 1,000,000,000. That's a billion, not a million. And not really an argument, just stating how many died in 2020. TFG completely bungled COVID. That said, as much as a dislike the POS, I don't think it's reasonable to blame 100% of the deaths on him. It's those kinds of distortions and associations the other side uses to make their arguments. We need to be better. That's all.
Were I to point to a factor that distresses me more than today’s newsletter, it would be that most incumbent Republican members of Congress, due in large part to gerrymandering, will be reelected in November and that the presidential election will be decided by a handful of voters from a handful of districts in a handful of battleground states. And please don’t get me started on the total population of the states respectively represented by Republicans and Democrats in the U.S. Senate.
I will believe Michael Johnson about man and dinosaur roaming the earth 6,000 years ago only when all those who believe the same become extinct, go the way of the dinosaurs.
“Look for someone in a red hat who loves Jesus” has to be your best phrase thus far in ‘24
But the point I take away is different from some who read you religiously (pun)
Since I am, one of none, of your readers that truly believe we can have a wave election such as ‘36, ‘56, or ‘84 the dems and their aligned PACs must put up every bright, sane, capable even if not politically savvy person available in every red state, district, county and town for every elected slot from council, assembly, house and senate!
The message is clear sanity, honesty, empathy, and integrity!
Carry that message and dems can gain 40-50 house seats, 6 senate and 400 electoral college votes and then and only then we see DC become a state, women’s health legislation, tax reform from bottom up and additional 3 seats on SCOTUS
WANT TO CHANGE AMERICA GET OFF YOUR ASSES AND GET TO WORK: CLOCK IS TICKING
Always keep in mind that not every red state is 90% red. Some are 60/40, and it doesn’t take much to flip 11%. Picking sane candidates and working like hell might flip a few. The MAGA nuts just keep leaning into crazy harder. At some point the people may say enough. Either that or America ends.
The putrid display of Mace and so many other so called legislators have turned our esteemed halls of leadership into a low rent carnival of clowns who should be ashamed to take a pay check from those of us who pay them. The same for those who are silent. Lately I’ve seen written compliments to wimp ass Collins and 49% Mitt Romney because they dropped minuscule positive remarks. They threw the press crumbs and the press gobbled it up. Romney has recently reiterated his disdain for those of us without his entitled white superior breeding. I will work like crazy to get out the vote but with such sad excuses for leaders and a press who highlights them it can feel like an uphill battle.
The people in the Republican party must use so much make-up to hide the cracks in their faces from talking out of both sides of their mouths at the same time. They have to cake it on so thick that it adds pounds to their heads which causes lack of circulation to their brains. Furthermore, the chemicals needed to cover their faces are so toxic that the fumes further adds to the depletion of brain cells. The Dorian Gray portraits of these politicians are so ugly that no make-up in the world could hide the malice or cynicism they display on a daily basis.
I read a book by Brian Klaas, “Corruption “. Its main theme centers on the theory that corruption entities, like our government, attracts corrupt people. We, as a people, are to blame for electing these people. Speaker Johnson, Nancy Mace and so on are able to disguise themselves but we are lazy as with our election vetting. How else can you explain a Tuberville, Santos, or even a Bob Menendez. How do despicable characters like Ted Cruz, Josh Hawley, Louie Gomar get elected? Donald Trump does even hide his depravity. Yet these people are the people we elect.
These people have now dropped their “disguise” and yet there is no pushback.
The Republicans have made the border a battle cry and yet they won’t fix it when the opportunity presents itself.
They rather let the country be destroyed just so they can say “I told you the other team is bad “, without any concern for the people they represent suffering.
We vote for loyalty rather than competence, form over substance.
The point being that Congress, the Senate and now the presidency is performative rather than functional and it’s attracting performative players.
In the more than a decade Jim Jordan has been in Congress, he has yet to authorize any bill to help the country or even his state of Ohio. Why isn’t that a topic for discussion? We don’t hold these wolves in sheep accountable even when they remove their disguise.
As Shakespeare once said, Thou does protest too much”. Those that wrap themselves in a flag, say they are the most pious, say they are for freedom are the least in reality.
Our sensibilities are numb, our values crumbling, our civility gone, so we attract the same to represent us.
Donald Trump is no wolf in sheep clothing. His mental illness is on display everyday. Yet he was our president and could be again. That’s on us.
We can’t trust the government to save us by adding more clowns .
We attract the people who are not competent because we don’t demand them to be competent. Until we do the number of lemmings will continue to grow in Congress.
Point well made, and taken. It was a poor attempt to relate his bitter, almost sadistic behavior to his being confined to his chair. Not that “all” disabled people are Abbott-esque. It has always struck me that he harbors resentment and bitterness; it shows on his face. It could be totally unrelated to his physical situation. Unnecessary conjecture on my part.
Thanks Meryl. Maybe he's just bitter and resentful, with or without his disability. I mean, the unfortunate accident happened something like 40 years ago so if he's not in a better place with it by now, he never will be. I sure don't agree with his policies and am thankful I don't live in Texas.
If we were to believe AbButt, he got rid of all the Texas rapists. How’s that going for him? More importantly, how is that going for all the rapists’ victims!
Funny how they hold up the Bible and swear allegiance to the written word, then skip over, love your neighbor as yourself, etc. There is verse after verse that they don’t live by.
My favorites are those verses pertaining to Children. As we allow our children to be slaughtered in schools and some states refuse to help feed them, Johnson and most others have forgotten- "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." - Matthew 19:14
I have not attended church in years and plan to never attend again, but I have not forgotten the teachings of my youth. Apparently our elected officials have.
I saw on the news yesterday, that some states are joining the others that will no longer feed children lunch’s during the summer, knowing that the only lunch many of them get is during the school year, WTF??? There will be a special place for those people on the other side. To opt to not feed children lunch when they are hungry is beyond my comprehension.
Remarkable isn’t it. One Governor said she would not participate because of childhood obesity. It is cruelty.
The christo-fascists clearly don’t believe there is an “after life” as they are absolutely not afraid of the consequences of their actions in this life.
Johnson’s mantra of “Dead on Arrival” mandated by Trump should be thrown back at them at full speed and make sure that they are dead on arrival in November.
They have moved beyond negligence to sadism. I was going to say cruelty but no, it's worse than that.
Why isn't it called out more? Oh wait .. it's "those people" to the mind of those saying no food v,. them.
It’s what you get when you allow Children of the Corn to run congress.
🤣🤣 OUTLANDER!!
Spot on!
To quote many on the right today “Jesus is woke” !
“Funny how they hold up the Bible and swear allegiance to the written word, then skip over, love your neighbor as yourself, etc. There is verse after verse that they don’t live by.”
With all due respect Susan, Johnson would beg to differ. He loves his neighbor’s, as long as they are white European Christian’s, who believe TFG is the true anointed one.
As for his immigrant neighbor’s from sh*t-hole countries; they’re Satan’s spawn. So they’re not really what a good Christian would consider neighborly.
The LGBTQ community. They might as well be immigrants from sh*t-hole countries. They’re certainly not good moral Christian’s; that’s for sure.
Those who support women’s reproductive rights? They are heretics committing sins against god, and are an affront to a good Christian’s way of life.
As for Jews? They’re all going to hell (including me), which is why they support Israel, but hate the Jews. Good riddance!
The Republican Party used to be about small government that wouldn’t interfere with people’s personal lives; yet when it comes to women and girls; they now want to see medical records and even outlaw contraceptives.
And remember it’s not rape, if the girl never heard the word “rape” before. And Incest by a brother, or other family member? It’s just boys just being boys.
Pedophelia? Well, Mary had Jesus at 15; so there’s that!
Johnson and his ilk believe all Americans should be free to live their lives as they see fit; as long as they adhere to the morality and teachings of Johnson’s own twisted and demented theology. In other words, we can all take solace in the fact that we can to do as you please, as long as one’s way of life, doesn’t insult Johnson’s own obtuse, moral code.
And the rest is history…:)
These last few hours coming to my mind is the story about Jesus furious and throwing the money changers out of the temple. It is a relative story.
Agreed. But that’s the point; nothing these people say makes an iota of sense. They are hypocrites to the core.
Ive said this before: if Jesus were alive today and preaching the gospels on the street; these people wouldn’t know Jesus if he were staring them in the face. They’d probably have him crucified, again, for being a left-wing radical Jew.
Christianity has always been reinterpreted to fit the narrow viewpoints of a few. Whites are superior, so slavery is righteous. Rinse, lather, repeat…:)
I wish Elise Stefanik were just a crackpot. Unfortunately, she's also a calculating, would-be despot.
That is the scary part.
Thankfully she can’t make her mind up as to what she believes in.
"Mind? I have no mind. I'm the village idiot."
😊😊😊
And appears to have her voters' support still and yet. Why? Who are they?
The more I thought about her, the more I disagree with Cheney. Stefanik is no crackpot; she's calculating and conniving. The new and improved Republican Party doesn't want the old, moderate Stefanik. It wants MAGA, and she's obliging. She may not be a crackpot, but half the country sure is, Elise Stefanik's constituents included.
I'm so thankful for you Steve Schmidt. As a sexual assault survivor myself and political activist as well I've really been struggling this last week with all the news
coverage.
Thanks for breaking it down to the Basics and reminding me again of whats all at stake in November. So I'm getting myself busy asap!! #VoteBlue 💙💙💙💙💙
I’m so sorry to read this, Lisa. I applaud your activism.
Steve
Thanks so much Steve. That means a lot. Your words help keep me going. Keep them coming. We're going to win this fight!!
Lisa, I’m so sorry for what happened to you. You did not deserve to be assaulted. What can I do to help?
Hey Thanks so much Libby. I'm playing catch up on my emails and just now saw this. It's been a crazy past couple of weeks to say the least. 😆 I'm pretty OK as far as needing help. Both assaults happened long ago. First time I was 15 and was a date rape, 2nd time I was 26 and attacked at knifepoint by the son of a police officer. That's a huge part of why I'm so adamant against Trump and why I do the work that I do. I fight for every woman that's ever been hurt by a predator like DJT. So you can help me by fighting along side of me to stop him too. Thanks so very much for the kind words. We are all in this together to save America from itself. ❤️🇺🇸💙
And now it’s I who hasn’t read her mail. I am glad you have been able to do the work to recover from your assaults and move to advocacy, which is so important. That is what we have left after such horrible things happen to us. Even friends sometimes do not understand my ferocity around women’s autonomy. Yes, we are all in this together. Thank you for what you continue to do in the cause for girls and women.
“Speaker of the US House of Representatives Mike Johnson is a political extremist and religious fanatic by word and deed. Like all theocrats, he is a hypocrite, and like all hypocrites, he is a cynic. He presides over a hive of unfitness, teeming with disordered personalities, crackpots, fascists, white supremacists, crooks and fundamentalists, bound together by a shared weirdness and lust for power.”
Wow Steve, please tell us how you really feel….:)
Hypocrisy and crackpots don’t even begin to describe the demonic pathology that has infected this once, great party.
A wise man once said, “a mind is a terrible thing to waste.” Yet here we are; half this country woke up one morning, and just completely lost their minds.
Although, it could be said that Trump is just the logical manifestation of a party that has been devolving into a fascist, theocratic, and lunatic cult for decades.
It started with Nixon’s Southern strategy. When John Dean said, “We have a cancer within—close to the presidency, that's growing. It's growing daily.” Dean wasn’t wrong, except since then, it moved way past the presidency itself.
It metastasized further when Reagan released the inmates from the insane asylum (religious zealots ams white nationalists), and invited them into the party. And by the time Dubya left office in complete humiliation, the transformation was complete. All was needed was the “anointed one,” to lead the crackpots and fascists to the promised land.
As for the perennial clown car of Mace, MTG, Johnson, Stefanik, Jordan and the rest; are you really shocked?
When their leader turns out to be the Don of a vast criminal enterprise; getting away with murder for decades; his power only growing stronger with each criminal complaint and indictment, it’s only a matter of time before his disciples learn from their master.
I know this quote was falsely attributed to Lincoln, but regardless of who said it, it still rings true:
"Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power."
Sadly, the entire GQP has shown us why they should never be even be in close proximity to the Oval Office, unless they’re on a Whitehouse tour….:)
Very well said Robert. Newt Gingrich and the Evangelicals were the icing on the crazy cake.
Thank you Robert. Thank you
And with respect to killing the immigration bill, let it be known that every overdose, every death from fentanyl brought in through the border will be on every Republican who voted to kill the bill. Trump most of all.
Fair to want to hold Rs accountable for killing the border bill before it even has a chance, but most of the fentanyl comes through legal ports, not the "border". And almost all of that by US citizens, not illegal immigrants. At the beginning of FY 2023, 96% of seizures were at legal ports of entry, 86% of convictions were of US citizens. I understand "seizures" and "convictions" do not represent all that comes into the US, just providing a little insight into some of the numbers.
And fentanyl deaths in the US increased 25% in Biden's first year, but 191% in TFG's 4 years. None of it good, but context matters.
Like I said “brought through the border,”
Yea, but you're implying illegals and you know that's what you're implying, because you're referencing the legislation that they are killing. That legislation has NOTHING to do with legal ports of entry. Try better.
Yes, Mike, and we Democrats and Independents know that because we are not watching FOX or OAN, while Republicans believe you are lying through your teeth.
Good morning, Libby and agree. Being siloed in an echo chamber and bubble doesn't help anyone. Followed by SM algorithms that bombard folks with the same supporting type of info. But controlling media is a theme of authoritarians, dictators, and tyrants. Why do you think TFG's supporters say they only believe what he says. That's scary, dangerous, and unfortunate.
Truth. But these cranks don’t really care about their fellow Americans. They care about Donald Trump.
You are just exactly right. He doesn’t care about anyone or anything but himself.
LOL, check the # of zeroes please. We don't have anywhere near a billion Americans. BTW, the official death toll from COVID in 2020 is about 350,831. But I get - and agree with - your overall point.
No one is counting those NOW dying of COVID once the official counting stopped. No one is counting those of us living with long COVID despite having every vaccination and masking and how debilitating it is. The numbers are inaccurate for having it and dying from it. The Boston Globe continues to report COVID hospitalizations and deaths. What other news outlet, legit or not, is doing so? Ah bec we don't know bec unless hospitalized and tested no one is reporting cases.
Hey Joan -
I understand your concerns, but there are plenty of sites reporting lab confirmed COVID hospitalizations and deaths, and media outlets such as the NY Times. The number of folks dealing with long COVID is certainly hard to pin down. Previously, like before the health emergency was lifted in (I believe) May 2023, they were often counting lab confirmed AND suspected cases. I'm not sure how else they can produce as accurate of a count as possible.
From the thread above, my only point is not contesting the # of deaths, which is more than 1.1 million in the US since the beginning of the pandemic, but as much as I dislike everything about TFG, it's hard to actually blame him for every single death, even though he and his administration mismanaged it. And even though he undermined the vaccines after the fact, he did approve Operation Warp Speed, to at least help in the production of the vaccines.
Thanks, Mike.
I blame no 'one' - just the entire world that turned its back on what the WHO was saying. My work was impacted greatly by the virus. In and before 2020, I wrote for a publication in my industry (hospitality) and regularly attended the virtual press briefings by WHO to understand more as it was learned. The disregard for medical expertise - or at least skepticism if not disregard - I sorta understood at the start. Now, people, even those just getting COVID, are tired of masking. (I'm tired of wearing seatbelts and other rules too. Yet I follow them not because otherwise would be illegal but bec it's smart if I want to live.) So I digress - it's numbers, numbers called out so that people are aware, and not all places enforcing safety.
Case in point: Johns Hopkins' facilities in Maryland require masks of ALL personnel and patients and guests bec the MD Governor said to do so. In DC, where I use a Hopkins-affiliated facility said they don't follow the Hopkins/MD rules because DC's Mayor (who wants to ensure she's seen favorably by the House and Senate even tho' they don't care about DC) didn't say they should.
So if we stick with blame, I blame the same stupidity of people who vote for MAGA candidates. I mean, blaming feels good now and then. Thanks.
There were a million Americans killed from COVID. There is a huge problem with smuggling fentanyl through the southern border. I’m not understanding your argument.
You wrote 1,000,000,000. That's a billion, not a million. And not really an argument, just stating how many died in 2020. TFG completely bungled COVID. That said, as much as a dislike the POS, I don't think it's reasonable to blame 100% of the deaths on him. It's those kinds of distortions and associations the other side uses to make their arguments. We need to be better. That's all.
👍👍💯
Were I to point to a factor that distresses me more than today’s newsletter, it would be that most incumbent Republican members of Congress, due in large part to gerrymandering, will be reelected in November and that the presidential election will be decided by a handful of voters from a handful of districts in a handful of battleground states. And please don’t get me started on the total population of the states respectively represented by Republicans and Democrats in the U.S. Senate.
I will believe Michael Johnson about man and dinosaur roaming the earth 6,000 years ago only when all those who believe the same become extinct, go the way of the dinosaurs.
“Look for someone in a red hat who loves Jesus” has to be your best phrase thus far in ‘24
But the point I take away is different from some who read you religiously (pun)
Since I am, one of none, of your readers that truly believe we can have a wave election such as ‘36, ‘56, or ‘84 the dems and their aligned PACs must put up every bright, sane, capable even if not politically savvy person available in every red state, district, county and town for every elected slot from council, assembly, house and senate!
The message is clear sanity, honesty, empathy, and integrity!
Carry that message and dems can gain 40-50 house seats, 6 senate and 400 electoral college votes and then and only then we see DC become a state, women’s health legislation, tax reform from bottom up and additional 3 seats on SCOTUS
WANT TO CHANGE AMERICA GET OFF YOUR ASSES AND GET TO WORK: CLOCK IS TICKING
Always keep in mind that not every red state is 90% red. Some are 60/40, and it doesn’t take much to flip 11%. Picking sane candidates and working like hell might flip a few. The MAGA nuts just keep leaning into crazy harder. At some point the people may say enough. Either that or America ends.
Note to Nancy Mace: A is for Asshat.
And ambition
🤣🤣😂😂
The putrid display of Mace and so many other so called legislators have turned our esteemed halls of leadership into a low rent carnival of clowns who should be ashamed to take a pay check from those of us who pay them. The same for those who are silent. Lately I’ve seen written compliments to wimp ass Collins and 49% Mitt Romney because they dropped minuscule positive remarks. They threw the press crumbs and the press gobbled it up. Romney has recently reiterated his disdain for those of us without his entitled white superior breeding. I will work like crazy to get out the vote but with such sad excuses for leaders and a press who highlights them it can feel like an uphill battle.
It is an uphill battle but one we cannot afford to lose!
Maybe Johnson wears diapers? We know His Heinous does.
His HeinAss.
The people in the Republican party must use so much make-up to hide the cracks in their faces from talking out of both sides of their mouths at the same time. They have to cake it on so thick that it adds pounds to their heads which causes lack of circulation to their brains. Furthermore, the chemicals needed to cover their faces are so toxic that the fumes further adds to the depletion of brain cells. The Dorian Gray portraits of these politicians are so ugly that no make-up in the world could hide the malice or cynicism they display on a daily basis.
Yes, it is all 'made-up'; I final get what is going on -thanks for getting to the bottom of this:-)
The theatrics is all performance for their chance at debut on the Mar a Lago Survival show.
😂😂 Right On!
Great essay to start the week. Thanks for another thought provoking piece. You carry a heavy load.
I read a book by Brian Klaas, “Corruption “. Its main theme centers on the theory that corruption entities, like our government, attracts corrupt people. We, as a people, are to blame for electing these people. Speaker Johnson, Nancy Mace and so on are able to disguise themselves but we are lazy as with our election vetting. How else can you explain a Tuberville, Santos, or even a Bob Menendez. How do despicable characters like Ted Cruz, Josh Hawley, Louie Gomar get elected? Donald Trump does even hide his depravity. Yet these people are the people we elect.
These people have now dropped their “disguise” and yet there is no pushback.
The Republicans have made the border a battle cry and yet they won’t fix it when the opportunity presents itself.
They rather let the country be destroyed just so they can say “I told you the other team is bad “, without any concern for the people they represent suffering.
We vote for loyalty rather than competence, form over substance.
The point being that Congress, the Senate and now the presidency is performative rather than functional and it’s attracting performative players.
In the more than a decade Jim Jordan has been in Congress, he has yet to authorize any bill to help the country or even his state of Ohio. Why isn’t that a topic for discussion? We don’t hold these wolves in sheep accountable even when they remove their disguise.
As Shakespeare once said, Thou does protest too much”. Those that wrap themselves in a flag, say they are the most pious, say they are for freedom are the least in reality.
Our sensibilities are numb, our values crumbling, our civility gone, so we attract the same to represent us.
Donald Trump is no wolf in sheep clothing. His mental illness is on display everyday. Yet he was our president and could be again. That’s on us.
We can’t trust the government to save us by adding more clowns .
We attract the people who are not competent because we don’t demand them to be competent. Until we do the number of lemmings will continue to grow in Congress.
M
How come no one is holding the rapists accountable for their behavior. Who is going to take care of all these children and their mothers.
Don’t you remember, Abbott said he would get rid of all the rapists.
Right. That will happen when the Lord heals him and he is no longer cemented to his wheelchair
You know, you can make your point without ridiculing his physical disability. It's not a good look and adds absolutely nothing to this.
Point well made, and taken. It was a poor attempt to relate his bitter, almost sadistic behavior to his being confined to his chair. Not that “all” disabled people are Abbott-esque. It has always struck me that he harbors resentment and bitterness; it shows on his face. It could be totally unrelated to his physical situation. Unnecessary conjecture on my part.
Thanks Meryl. Maybe he's just bitter and resentful, with or without his disability. I mean, the unfortunate accident happened something like 40 years ago so if he's not in a better place with it by now, he never will be. I sure don't agree with his policies and am thankful I don't live in Texas.
Bitterness without limits
If we were to believe AbButt, he got rid of all the Texas rapists. How’s that going for him? More importantly, how is that going for all the rapists’ victims!
Reminds me of opponents of anti lynching legislation back in the early 1900’s when they said something like we’re just going to get rid of the trees.
Keep preaching Steve, the voters need to hear it!! You're becoming my morning read before I start my day. You and black coffee!!
I won’t survive the political season without this.