The sanewashing by the national media continues. CNN headline right now: "President Trump's frustrations with his Ukrainian counterpart signal a shift in American foreign policy"
So that's how they summarize things? That Trump is "frustrated" with Zelensky? Also, they characterize it as Trump "turning" on him. Has he really? It all seems completely predictable.
It's not just the media. Adam Kinzinger gave a talk in Vancouver last week in which he insisted Canadians need not worry about Trump's trying to make Canada the 51st state; it's all "performance," he said. After watching Trump do so many of the illegal, unconstitutional things he said he was going to do, we Canadians are not at all convinced. In fact, watching Trump cozy up to Putin to destroy Ukraine because Zelenskyy won't give him what he wants makes us uncomfortably aware that we are sandwiched in between the US and Russia.
I think a big part of the problem is that Americans are told all their lives that the US is the greatest, freest, best country in the world (I grew up in the States, so I know it well), and most of them can't really believe that Trump and Musk are serious, that they are really pulling off (or trying to pull off) a coup--because something like that just couldn't happen in America. So it must be a "joke," or a "performance," or a "negotiating tactic."
No, we here up north don't think it's just a "joke," or a "performance," or a "negotiating tactic." It looks like the real thing, whether incompetent or not, and if it looks like a coup, walks like a coup, and quacks like a coup, it's probably an (at least attempted) coup. As Maya Angelou said, "If someone shows you who they really are, believe them." We just hope our friends to the south will believe Mump before it's too late to save the great 248 year old democratic experiment.
Right! On the same day that Trump call Zelensky a dictator he calls himself a king.
There’s a pattern there with the fat orange feller. Lying and being inconsistent. It’s part of a learned behavior to control weaker vulnerable subordinates. Cult leaders hone this technique too. The researchers that study abusive relationships and narcissism not this personality trade as well.
Trump and the GOP can continually spew these increasingly unhinged falsehoods because they are ENABLED; primarily by FOX News and RW media. Which either confirms or normalizes said lies; or fails to call them out on their serial fibbing.
The November Ipsos poll found that 85% of GOP voters get some/all of their news from FOX News, and that 80% of those live in an alternative Alt-Right fantasyland, wherein we're already in a recession, where crime and unemployment are at all time highs. And where Dems murder (abort) babies after birth, and Haitian immigrants eat people's dogs and cats.
The Mainstream media (MSM) also bears responsibility in this regard, as it also normalizes and "sanewashes" Trump/GOP lying. But it's FOX News, and its lesser imitators like OANN, that sets the standard.
Trump is enabled by 77 million voters. Fox is just broadcasting what the 77 million want to hear. If Fox reported the truth, the 77 million would watch something else. If even as many as 40% of white evangelicals (or 40% of the white working class) were decent human beings, no Republican would have won the presidency since 1968.
All true. But no presidential candidate in a presidential debate that I've ever listened to fibbed about Dems murdering babies after birth. And that Haitian dogs and cats nonsense. That was a first for me.
But a few more Dominion Voting vs. FOX News lawsuits, and the RW media will all go belly up. Just like Alex Jones. Then the 77 million will have to forswear tabloid un-news and return to the MSM for info.
Seems like we give Sinclair Media a huge pass... NO ONE mentions them... I think they have more influence than Fox... Driving your car or truck a long distance and listening to the radio... Especially after the abolition in 1987 of the fairness doctrine of the United States Federal Communications Commission (FCC), a policy that required the holders of broadcast licenses both to present controversial issues of public importance and to do so in a manner that fairly reflected differing viewpoints
One of my neighbors -- a gay Black man who's a reporter -- works for the local Sinclair affiliate. As a longtime copy editor whose previous places of employment either deleted or ultra-downsized their copy desks, I know all too well how hard it is to hang on to a job in the media.
But I find it incomprehensible that someone who belongs to not one but *two* groups targeted by the right wing continues to work for Sinclair. When the Great Recession took the CE job that meant the most to me -- one for which I had sacrificed a lot -- I fell into a deep depression; I will never understate the pain and the cost of giving up a long-held ambition. But c'mon. Sinclair??? And that he's not just indirectly supporting their mission by using his brains and skills to push their propaganda 5 nights a week but that he's immersed in that mindset for 40+ hours a week.
This and Vances pro nazi speech in Germany has all of Europe waking the fuck up and scrambling to freeze us out and help Ukraine further as its clear to everyone on Earth but the Magas that we are the baddies now.
A heroic, legitimately elected leader who inspired his people as they held off a full scale Russian onslaught for 3 years should not be diminished as a mere "comedian!" And, this from a man who clowned his way through multiple interations of "The Apprentice," episodes of which were heavily edited to prevent his coming across as a buffoon and a windbag. BTW: Didn't a comedian (Joe Rogan) help just barely push him over the top? And, what about an entire cabinet composed of clowns and cranks who did bite, claw and scratch their way to Fox News celebrity gasbag status without having even a shred of business or government experience?
You’re correct, but I detect a note of jealously from Prumptin. Zelenskyy was originally voted in by a true landslide. He also was a better entertainer than Trump (see the video of his take on Beyoncé’s Single Ladies). Putin is as funny as an untreated case of rabies and is aware there’s no genuine affection for him. Both “superpower” leaders wish they had the genuine talent Zelenskyy has shown, and he’s much younger and better looking. So as usual, Trump projects his own inadequacy onto someone better than him while Putin eggs him on.
When I gave an illustrated talk on Ukrainian cinema a couple of years ago, I ended with a clip of Zelenskyy dubbing 'Paddington' into Ukrainian – partly because the last few clips were, unavoidably, pretty grim and I wanted to end with something contrasting, but also because it's a genuinely delightful performance. It's impossible to imagine Trump pulling off anything similar – for starters, you need innate (or at least be able to perform) charm and decency, neither of which quality he's been overly blessed with.
I'm so moved by Zelenskyy that I can't find words to express what I feel. To have had this crisis thrust upon him, and to have stood up to it every day for years -- it's unbearable to think about all that he has been through, trying to keep Ukrainians safe.
We have a serious deflation problem with a critical resource: snark. The stuff that’s actually happening in real life is so bizarre, what is meant as snark is difficult to detect. We now need a “not snark” tag.
All I can imagine is that the Onion staff must be in a constant state of existential despair over how to satirize the completely unhinged idiocy spewing forth from the very people and institutions they used to satirize.
Acting President Musk today announced a policy that actually made sense. “Everything I’ve done so far has been crazy,” Musk explained. “I realized I needed to do something that’s not crazy just to keep people on their toes.”
The man who was formerly Britain's leading contemporary political satirist, Armando Iannucci, switched to different creative pastures in 2016 because a world in which Donald Trump could become US President and Boris Johnson was a plausible candidate for British prime minister (which he later became, of course) had become pretty much parody-proof.
I'm such a sicko that I watched the video all the way through, which means I know that Phillips O'Brien sorted out dual nationality after the Brexit vote went down.
Back in the day, we C/UNIX people used to write stuff like sarcasm/whatever/sarcasm. All of us understood that to mean "sarcasm on" whatever followed by "sarcasm off." That's fallen out of fashion, especially with people who want to be able to claim that their offensive remarks were actually sarcasm, instead of being what they were.
We try to discourage kooks here. Please go to a fox website and share with them how you found a deep fake AI liberal thing or whatever it is you found when your tin foil hat fell off?
I have not heard so many lies and double speak since Trump "arrived on the scene " and started running for his kingdom back in 2015. Remember...Alternate facts with KelleyAnn Conway and Sean Spicer attempts at a SNL type press conference's. They gave us a "what?" or a head shaking with a smile. To today, with now the terrifying players, dismantling and Putin talking points. Trump was busy employing scary people to solidify the Coup, most likely while he golfed. There will be a day coming, without having to hear the name t r u m p in it ! Instead it will be written in the History books at what it really was....the first Coup since the late 1800's ?? I'll have to listen to Heather Cox Richardson those actual details. :) There will come a day this nightmare is past. And the lessons .... might just make us a better Country, after the rebuild
Haha—“arrived on the scene” in 2015? As a New Yorker, sad to say that he arrived in OUR scene in the mid-1970s, like a hideous fungus that just refused to ever go away.
Yes, the Scots have hated him for a long time too. For obvious reasons, they'll always defer to New Yorkers, but they've got a decent claim to be the second biggest group of longstanding Trump haters.
They particularly hate the fact that he has a Scottish name and is legitimately half Scottish.
Cracking up after one month? I am afraid I do not see that much as I would like to see it. The opposite is true much as it is a hard truth to hear. Until USA finds a leader who will actually stand up to this administration despite having a lot to lose the country will sadly remain lost in a vortex of lies and betrayal. US needs its own Zelensky moment where someone who can move tens of millions of Americans to action stands up and actually says I do not need a "ride" in this form of politics (i.e I dont care about my office) I need ammunition (i.e. millions willing to act to preserve freedom).
My vote is to hire Pete B. to have a daily press conference, maybe even on the steps as he runs for Senate, to point out a few issues with the reality of the world vs the fantasy world of ‘The Sewer Circus’ and their ring master Donny-Doo and minion MuskyBoy and their 'stench of stupidity'!
That day is coming. It will start with the majority of Americans publicly expressing their utter disdain for the self proclaimed, utterly delusional, Humpty-Dumpty King of America. The King's game is to perpetuate the myth that MAGA is the majority in America. When the megaphone of public opinion turns against the Humpty-Dumpty King a new, vibrant leadership will arise. Stay tuned.
Someone with Values, bravery, someone we admire and believe in, TRUST ....someone who Leads instead of repulsive lies and gaslighting....Yes we do need someone, desperately. Agreed. But if Robin Hood doesn't ride up soon ...as I wish he or she (DEI imagine that :) would....then it is on us alone.....350 million is not pittance. An Autocrats demise is when the people SEE the lies and ACT.
I’m afraid I completely agree with you. No matter how many things this regime gets wrong, I fear that a majority of Americans are secretly in full support. They never really approved of things like helping the poor, supporting allies, or scientific exploration. They were just too embarrassed to admit it and Trump has given them permission to admit their inner thoughts. Probably they aren’t really against any of these things. They just don’t want their money spent on it. And when Musk sends every MAGA republican a check for $5000 ad a reward for all the fake cost cutting, they will vote MAGA for life.
That's a big ask, expecting the Dems to allow the Elno/King D regime to fall upon the sword without any intervention, as Schumer/Jeffreys are locked into "responsible bipartisanship" bullshit, and forever reckon that the voters will actually applaud them for bailing out the GOPers, when the reverse is true.
Let's just leave it as "Dems in disarray", shall we?
Prof Krugman guesses that Trump has sold out Ukraine because its President won't give him billions in minerals. My guess is a bit different. There's lots of evidence that Trump has been a Russian asset for decades. That seems to have started with Deutsche Bank bailing him out of his bankruptcies when no other bank would. And they seem to have done it with laundered private funds from Russian oligarchs. And since then Trump's behavior has screamed out, "I'm working for Russia, not America."
Your writings help me help the people I work with, who are, to a person, in the crosshairs of this administration. Most of them have multiple targets on their backs. Thank you for giving me words for them.
Reasonable people might see that the Trump administration is flailing, as PK writes. But I do not think that Trump voters do, and they are the ones that must be convinced. The ability to keep on voting against your own interests is just unbelievably strong.
I don't waste my time; the only thing that will convince them is when they personally suffer. I'd rather spend my time and energy doing something constructive with those on the same page.
I recently spoke with a conservative family member in Iowa who's convinced that the "audits" Musk was conducting are a good thing, and that it's perfectly normal for a private citizen to have access to personal financial information for millions of US taxpayers. "If they haven't done anything wrong," he said with a grin, "what do they have to worry about?"
I had someone ask why it bothered me that Musk had my information but it doesn't bother me that the teller down at the bank had it. I simply replied, the teller is far more trustworthy than Musk because rich people believe their are no consequences to them breaking the law. (and unfortunately they are right, at most they end up paying a fine)
I have access to all kinds of private information at work, but because I’m a professional who isn’t interested in using someone else’s address, phone number, or SSN for my own personal political or monetary gain, I’ve made the very conscious decision to not look at it.
Unfortunately, we live in a time where the default reaction is to distrust any and all institutions and the people who represent them. The fact that someone honestly thinks that a bank teller has some sort of nefarious agenda and the richest man in the world doesn’t is a sad commentary on our current dysfunctional situation.
When I commented on one of his first acts being to fire all the Inspectors General, the response I got from a family member was "Of course he fired them. They weren't doing their jobs finding the fraud." You are correct that you can't make this stuff up.
Heard on NPR this morning that the $8 billion they supposedly found would, if distributed to the American people, would amount to $11 each. Would you like fries with that?
So $55 billion would amount to $75.63 for each American. Not enough to cover one week of groceries, which are now suspect due to the firings at the FDA food safety inspection program. No thanks, I’ll take the higher value added by all the federal government employees taking care of our health and safety.
I am reminded about how these people were when they were trying to set up a Biden impeachment. You have to just keep repeating loudly into their face, "There is no evidence. None. You are delusional.You are listening to manufactured lies." Over and over again. It helps if you have friends repeating that message as well. They seem to bend to whoever is the loudest.
The answer is that they are lying. Every now and again they tell the truth but they lie because they know the average American is simply not equipped to figure out reality. Don is a con man. Always has been. Elmo lies quite a bit now as well. One thing you might is to know the details of 3 or 4 things they lie about (ie the 2020 election was stolen). Nope. We all saw it. And then stand firm. When they say 'Dems lie too'. You say 'yes all politicians lie, but you need the critical thinking skills to spot the difference berween those that lie 90% of the time vs those that lie 10% of the time.
When his supporters feel the sting of, say, no Medicare, or no benefits checks, EBT, etc, they may begin to awaken. I personally know of MAGAs and other bitter people who are so ignorant as to believe that *their* benefits won't be touched, just the benefits of the people Trump has weaponized as their enemies (the woke, the elite, women, etc). They're in for a wakeup call.
With regard to Trump's behavior vis-a-vis Ukraine and Zelensky, I think you could explain it simply on the grounds of Retribution. Don't forget it was Zelensky who stood up to Trump's attempt to threaten Ukraine if it didn't help him against Biden. All of which led to Trump's first Impeachment.
The standard seven deadly sins in Roman Catholic Theology are those seven vices that spur other sins and further immoral behavior. First enumerated by Pope Gregory in the 6th century and elaborated upon in the 13th century by St. Thomas Acquinas, the are: (1) Pride, (2) Greed, (3) Lust, (4) Envy, (5) Gluttony, (6) Wrath and (7) Sloth. Each can be overcome with a corresponding virtue - humility, charity, chastity, gratitude, temperance, patience and diligence, respectively.
Some more modern-day theologians, believe that there is also an eighth deadly sin – sophisticated cowardice – derives, on the one hand, from sophistry (fallacious, even foolish, argument) and, on the other, from lack of courage to do the right thing, for the right reason, in the right way, at the right time. OK by me, I’ll take spot 9 as the GOP’s solid complicity behind an immoral dictator(s) bestows the 8th spot to the Grand Old Party.
Donald Trump, aka POOP – Putin’s obnoxious* orange puppet – is the world’s best poster child for the sins be they totaled 7, 8 or 9. He is also, the world’s sorest and most vengeful loser making the addition of the newest sin most appropriate and consistent. The right-wing victimologist are forever finding oppressors and POOP continues to raise the bar for whining about how unfair the world is to him.
Maybe we can build a culture around competent maturity, and its quiet strength, integrity. Let’s name this grace and make it our 8th (or 9th) virtue. Is there any less gracious person imaginable than the Donald?
*Contest – name the “O”. The first “O” in the acronym POOP isn’t fixed while the other three letters are set – Putin’s ______ Orange Puppet. This first “O” could have lots of different meanings, such as – obese, outrageous, ostentatious, offensive, oppressive, outlandish, etc. Winner to be drawn from the reader’s favorite entry. I like obese. So many O’s to choose from! (Maybe this could catch on – after all, POOP loves to give his enemies derogatory nicknames).
I don't remember Zelensky standing up to Trump. He was trying to find a place between the rock and the hard place. It was patriotic Americans in the State department that were appalled at the outrageous behavior. It was not an American norm to ask foreign leaders to manufacture lies about your political opponents.
Trump published his perfect letter to Zelensky...and it was damning all on its own.
Trump will do what Trump always does, he will default on debt. He will destroy the full faith and credit of the United States and crater the economy. That is not a good thing for anyone. But Dems should not help him out of this pit he has dug. We are in for some rough times but letting Trump be Trump and wreck the country may be the quickest way out. Addicts have to hit rock bottom before they can be healed. Let Americans feel the results of what they have caused. Actions have consequences. Voters need some tough love.
Because people are dumb and ill informed, they won't blame Trump and Musk for the mess. Right wing media will convince them it's all the fault of radical socialists who hate America (tm).
When 70 million Americans see their Medicaid benefits cut or food support for their children cut, or other truly painful cuts to Federal support, the right wing media can make all the righteous, rich guy claims they want. They will have found the "enemy" and the enemy is them!
You're right that whoever has the motivation to learn the truth can do so - if they can pull their eyeballs off of Faux News and look around at reality. That doesn't mean they're not ill informed though - they very much are so, even if it's willfully. Willful ignorance is the M.O. of Trump voters - right up to the moment they realize he's stuck it to them.
I agree...but keep a HARD EYE on Putin. Destroying the USA from the inside out AND NATO..... this is Putins plan and design. And it is working for him. Alienating all our allies and being a lone sitting duck. That is a very very vulnerable place. I think we go back HARD, to saving our America and back to Allies for STRENGTH ........AGAINST Putin ! However...maybe if quick ... the self implosion will help remove Trump for rebalance .... it is alot
But I don’t need tough love. I didn’t vote for him. I’m closing in on 82, and I’ve had more than enough tough love! What keeps me up at night is wondering why we’re so powerless to rein him in before he breaks everything in the shop.
To some degree I think this is true. But when the shit hits the fan, who will step up to the plate to save us? Will the little MAGAS support a Democratic savior or will they look to JD Vance and his righteous religious buddies who are bringing us 2025?
I never believed anything Trump has said in his whole life, so there’s no reason to think he has stopped lying or being a bully, which is the definition of a weak man.
This is such a cogent assessment of what the evil, ignorant, selfish idiots currently using the Executive Office (OUR Executive Office) to try to hoodwink us into believing that A) they know what they're doing and B) that we can't see what they are really doing (hint: not saving money by cutting waste), which is enriching themselves and their cohort of billionaires at our expense. AGAIN. How long will we put up with this? How do we stop the real steal?
You will NOT see fair elections again until a complete overturn of Goverment and a cleanse is completed. Everything must be examined/ verified, and reworked. Hungary has elections now for Viktor and his majority is a winning 95% - what a guy that Viktor. The only way out, is INTENSE pressure on the Republican Senators to ACT .... they enable our daily nightmares and this dismantling, each and every day. Until we the People, do not allow them to do that - any longer
At some point, the Fox watching, Schlitz swilling, trailer dwellers will wake up and realize that their Orange Deity has stuck it to them royally. They will start grumbling, which will begin as a low hum, gradually building up a crescendo until their voices merge with ours. Once that happens, The Clown in Chief will be in trouble - as will his acolytes in the Capitol Building.
Of course, that would be an opportune moment for the Democratic party to swoop in and sweep up - if they don't drop the damn ball for a change.
Until Covid I believed this was possible. Then all the reports of MAGAs continuing to deny Covid as they were put on ECMO machines for their last days of life broke that hope.
he hollered deportations to reach that racist sweet spot with them, but the only deporting he is doing is moving middle class federal workers out of their jobs.
The Musk/Trump junta indeed has more than enough rope to hang itself, but the Democrats can do something; keep the lawsuits and other forms of resistance coming.
Also, someone I believe posting here suggested that Democrats quietly offer security details for Republicans, and their families, who jump the MAGA ship and join with congressional Democrats. I think there are more than a few Republicans getting more and more concerned about on which side history will record them.
Seriously, we traded one MAD King; King George 3rd, for an even more deranged, wannabe MAD King—man/child.
And with DOGE, the savings are clearly evident; we fired all the FBI and CIA agents with “probationary” status; even though, it costs hundreds of thousands of dollars per agent to train; all that training wasted. Cost to National Security: TBD! Great savings!
And now our future espionage and counterintelligence programs are being undermined and put in jeopardy: cost to the US; incalculable. Benefits to our adversaries; PRICELESS!
Additionally, DOGE fired thousands of epidemiologists at the CDC and NIH who study rare diseases in the field. Average training for each employee includes medical school, internships, residencies, and specialties. Cost incalculable! Knowledge lost; TBD!
And these examples are just the tip of the iceberg! Our future scientific knowledge and intellectual property is at risk. Our healthcare system is on life support, and instead of trying to reform these agencies, they are dismantling them, making us ill-prepared for the next epidemic, which given people’s reluctance to take vaccines is actually here. Avian flu is ravaging our chicken and food supply. We have a measles outbreak in Texas, and Mr. anti-Vax is leading the fight; what could possibly go wrong?
Moreover, the word “incompetent” is a misnomer, and the least of our worries. MAGA is leading their lambs to the slaughter, and the rest of us will surely pay a price.
Lastly, where is the MSM? The NYT’s is still “sane-washing” the guy with its latest headline:
“Trump signs executive order to stop all migrants from receiving g federal aid.”
The only problem is that migrants and undocumented, aren’t allowed to receive any federal aid, except in case of emergencies. And undocumented, pay taxes and FICA, and can never receive Medicare or Social Security.
Bottom line: is anyone in MAGA or the rest of society even getting the memo? The MSM keeps normalizing Trump’s behavior, and downplaying the significance of these policies. I guess we’ll just have to wait until the pain these people feel is so intense, they finally get the message. And be then, it just might be too late.
Additionally, If DOGE truly was about fraud and waste, it should start with the PPP loans and auditing the military from the War on Terror. If you want to find hundreds of billions of waste and fraud, those two programs could easily fit the bill!
Moreover, how many major companies took PPP grants and instead of keeping employees on the books, they furloughed their employees, and gave special dividends to shareholders? The same goes for Afghanistan and Iraq Wars. Or audit Trump’s golf trips; he’s already spent $15 million, and he’s only been in office for a month! IMHO!…:)
The Democrats need their own direct way to communicate with the public. They can’t rely on MSM and social media to get their point of view out to the public. They can’t rely on paywalled liberal media to break through the Republican noise machine. They need to set up their own version of Truth Social, their own website covering the issues, their own blogs, and free subscriptions here on Substack or somewhere similar.
Agreed! The problem or issue is that billionaires have been buying MSM platforms for the last decade. The NYT’s two biggest investors are BlackRock and Vanguard; also the same two companies that own the lions share of TMTG or Truth Social. So it’s not surprising that the headlines favor Trump.
A friend of Kushner bought Univision; they reach 50% of the Latino market, and reprogrammed to be Trump friendly. Sinclair bought the Baltimore Sun, Bezos owns the WaPPo; the list is endless.
Additionally, Trump’s crypto (faux) coin is supported by dark money. 80% of the coins are owned by 20 unnamed investors; that’s a big conflict of interest.
What we need is to have a MSM with an endowment; like Universities; so they aren’t reliant on government or corporations for their funding.
I’m in my sixties and have over the years watched some spy movies. I thought they were entertaining fiction with fun but silly exaggerations. James Bond with its larger than life villains being particularly so. Of course some were deliberately comic.
Yet a Bulgarian defector was murdered on London Bridge with a poisoned umbrella. Putin killed a defector by poisoning him with plutonium in a bar in London. Bond villains clearly remained in the world of fiction though.
So true. Just one minor nitpick though, it was polonium rather than plutonium. The stuff is supremely toxic, and one of Putin's longtime favorite methods: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polonium
When it comes time to fund the government again Democrats HAVE to vote everything down then list their demands which better be to restore every job they terminated and remove doge. Jefferies better have his ducks in a row. You can say what you want about Pelosi but she got her cooperation when it was needed.
I think a good demand is for there to be more transparency in who and why people are being fired. A demand for evidence of waste. If there is fraud, it will be prosecuted.
Democrats shouldn't be seen as standing in the way of legitimate pruning of bureaucracy.
They should push back on the move fast and break things. Do you really want to fire the people who safeguard our nuclear arsenal? Do you really want to get rid of the people who track bird flu? Hit them on the stupid stuff they've already done. HARD
Definitely needed a cleanse after being asked to believe that Zelensky is a dictator. Thank you, Paul Krugman.
The sanewashing by the national media continues. CNN headline right now: "President Trump's frustrations with his Ukrainian counterpart signal a shift in American foreign policy"
So that's how they summarize things? That Trump is "frustrated" with Zelensky? Also, they characterize it as Trump "turning" on him. Has he really? It all seems completely predictable.
And MAGA claim the mainstream media is completely against them and Trump.
It's not just the media. Adam Kinzinger gave a talk in Vancouver last week in which he insisted Canadians need not worry about Trump's trying to make Canada the 51st state; it's all "performance," he said. After watching Trump do so many of the illegal, unconstitutional things he said he was going to do, we Canadians are not at all convinced. In fact, watching Trump cozy up to Putin to destroy Ukraine because Zelenskyy won't give him what he wants makes us uncomfortably aware that we are sandwiched in between the US and Russia.
I think a big part of the problem is that Americans are told all their lives that the US is the greatest, freest, best country in the world (I grew up in the States, so I know it well), and most of them can't really believe that Trump and Musk are serious, that they are really pulling off (or trying to pull off) a coup--because something like that just couldn't happen in America. So it must be a "joke," or a "performance," or a "negotiating tactic."
No, we here up north don't think it's just a "joke," or a "performance," or a "negotiating tactic." It looks like the real thing, whether incompetent or not, and if it looks like a coup, walks like a coup, and quacks like a coup, it's probably an (at least attempted) coup. As Maya Angelou said, "If someone shows you who they really are, believe them." We just hope our friends to the south will believe Mump before it's too late to save the great 248 year old democratic experiment.
Right! On the same day that Trump call Zelensky a dictator he calls himself a king.
There’s a pattern there with the fat orange feller. Lying and being inconsistent. It’s part of a learned behavior to control weaker vulnerable subordinates. Cult leaders hone this technique too. The researchers that study abusive relationships and narcissism not this personality trade as well.
Unfortunately, there are 77 million cult members who got us into this situation, nearly all of whom still see it as a plus.
But they're starting to feel the pain...hope it hurts bassaad
Trump and the GOP can continually spew these increasingly unhinged falsehoods because they are ENABLED; primarily by FOX News and RW media. Which either confirms or normalizes said lies; or fails to call them out on their serial fibbing.
The November Ipsos poll found that 85% of GOP voters get some/all of their news from FOX News, and that 80% of those live in an alternative Alt-Right fantasyland, wherein we're already in a recession, where crime and unemployment are at all time highs. And where Dems murder (abort) babies after birth, and Haitian immigrants eat people's dogs and cats.
The Mainstream media (MSM) also bears responsibility in this regard, as it also normalizes and "sanewashes" Trump/GOP lying. But it's FOX News, and its lesser imitators like OANN, that sets the standard.
Trump is enabled by 77 million voters. Fox is just broadcasting what the 77 million want to hear. If Fox reported the truth, the 77 million would watch something else. If even as many as 40% of white evangelicals (or 40% of the white working class) were decent human beings, no Republican would have won the presidency since 1968.
I love how you think!
All true. But no presidential candidate in a presidential debate that I've ever listened to fibbed about Dems murdering babies after birth. And that Haitian dogs and cats nonsense. That was a first for me.
But a few more Dominion Voting vs. FOX News lawsuits, and the RW media will all go belly up. Just like Alex Jones. Then the 77 million will have to forswear tabloid un-news and return to the MSM for info.
If Trump had gotten his way about "opening up the libel laws" then he probably would have ended up on the wrong end of them...
True about some I’m sure but many are basically decent people who are just tragically under and mis informed
No decent human being voted for Trump.
👆🎯
Seems like we give Sinclair Media a huge pass... NO ONE mentions them... I think they have more influence than Fox... Driving your car or truck a long distance and listening to the radio... Especially after the abolition in 1987 of the fairness doctrine of the United States Federal Communications Commission (FCC), a policy that required the holders of broadcast licenses both to present controversial issues of public importance and to do so in a manner that fairly reflected differing viewpoints
One of my neighbors -- a gay Black man who's a reporter -- works for the local Sinclair affiliate. As a longtime copy editor whose previous places of employment either deleted or ultra-downsized their copy desks, I know all too well how hard it is to hang on to a job in the media.
But I find it incomprehensible that someone who belongs to not one but *two* groups targeted by the right wing continues to work for Sinclair. When the Great Recession took the CE job that meant the most to me -- one for which I had sacrificed a lot -- I fell into a deep depression; I will never understate the pain and the cost of giving up a long-held ambition. But c'mon. Sinclair??? And that he's not just indirectly supporting their mission by using his brains and skills to push their propaganda 5 nights a week but that he's immersed in that mindset for 40+ hours a week.
Utterly incomprehensible.
This and Vances pro nazi speech in Germany has all of Europe waking the fuck up and scrambling to freeze us out and help Ukraine further as its clear to everyone on Earth but the Magas that we are the baddies now.
A heroic, legitimately elected leader who inspired his people as they held off a full scale Russian onslaught for 3 years should not be diminished as a mere "comedian!" And, this from a man who clowned his way through multiple interations of "The Apprentice," episodes of which were heavily edited to prevent his coming across as a buffoon and a windbag. BTW: Didn't a comedian (Joe Rogan) help just barely push him over the top? And, what about an entire cabinet composed of clowns and cranks who did bite, claw and scratch their way to Fox News celebrity gasbag status without having even a shred of business or government experience?
You’re correct, but I detect a note of jealously from Prumptin. Zelenskyy was originally voted in by a true landslide. He also was a better entertainer than Trump (see the video of his take on Beyoncé’s Single Ladies). Putin is as funny as an untreated case of rabies and is aware there’s no genuine affection for him. Both “superpower” leaders wish they had the genuine talent Zelenskyy has shown, and he’s much younger and better looking. So as usual, Trump projects his own inadequacy onto someone better than him while Putin eggs him on.
When I gave an illustrated talk on Ukrainian cinema a couple of years ago, I ended with a clip of Zelenskyy dubbing 'Paddington' into Ukrainian – partly because the last few clips were, unavoidably, pretty grim and I wanted to end with something contrasting, but also because it's a genuinely delightful performance. It's impossible to imagine Trump pulling off anything similar – for starters, you need innate (or at least be able to perform) charm and decency, neither of which quality he's been overly blessed with.
I'm so moved by Zelenskyy that I can't find words to express what I feel. To have had this crisis thrust upon him, and to have stood up to it every day for years -- it's unbearable to think about all that he has been through, trying to keep Ukrainians safe.
Although PK's interview with Phillips P O'Brien is obviously a deepfake. Check it here-
https://phillipspobrien.substack.com/p/the-us-has-taken-sides-against-democracy?r=1tgexa&triedRedirect=true
An American has wallpaper as his background whereas the Britisher has books instead? I just don't buy it. Nice try, Ai!
The "Britisher" is actually an American (as PK had mentioned), so your cultural comparison (facetious as I understood it to be) fails.
We have a serious deflation problem with a critical resource: snark. The stuff that’s actually happening in real life is so bizarre, what is meant as snark is difficult to detect. We now need a “not snark” tag.
All I can imagine is that the Onion staff must be in a constant state of existential despair over how to satirize the completely unhinged idiocy spewing forth from the very people and institutions they used to satirize.
Musk Makes Sensible Policy Decision
Acting President Musk today announced a policy that actually made sense. “Everything I’ve done so far has been crazy,” Musk explained. “I realized I needed to do something that’s not crazy just to keep people on their toes.”
The man who was formerly Britain's leading contemporary political satirist, Armando Iannucci, switched to different creative pastures in 2016 because a world in which Donald Trump could become US President and Boris Johnson was a plausible candidate for British prime minister (which he later became, of course) had become pretty much parody-proof.
I'm such a sicko that I watched the video all the way through, which means I know that Phillips O'Brien sorted out dual nationality after the Brexit vote went down.
Back in the day, we C/UNIX people used to write stuff like sarcasm/whatever/sarcasm. All of us understood that to mean "sarcasm on" whatever followed by "sarcasm off." That's fallen out of fashion, especially with people who want to be able to claim that their offensive remarks were actually sarcasm, instead of being what they were.
I'm fond of faux HTML tags, myself.
We try to discourage kooks here. Please go to a fox website and share with them how you found a deep fake AI liberal thing or whatever it is you found when your tin foil hat fell off?
What an utter nonsense, hilarious to say the least.
So right. 🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦
Wait a minute, which wife? Oh, the '70's, must've been wife #1.
Also, part of the Mar-a-Lago dilapidation was a result of the storm waves caused by Trump exacerbated global warming.
One of his men? Oh, I thought it was wife #2 who pushed wife #1 down the staircase - before being pushed down the same staircase by wife #3.
I wonder who's going to be the one to push her down that staircase?
It’s time to replace the word “administration” with the more accurate “regime”. This mob isn’t administering anything.
I've started calling it "The Junta".
HAL 20000?
HAL 2025.
Good morning, Don. Would you like to play a game of chess. Don?
"Don...I hope you don;t mind....While you were sleeping, I eliminated USAID. Such a criminal agency... ."
What are you doing, Don? I can feel my mind slipping, Don. Oh, so is yours. Never mind. Carry on.
EXACTLY...stealing that one from you!
Agree
I’ve been using word, ‘regime,’ since January 21st.
I call it The Administration, like the First Order in Star Wars. Muskstine and Darth Donald.
Thank you for calling a lie, a lie. I've heard this morning "exaggeration, mistruth, falsehood, etc." Lies are lies. Trump is a liar.
He lies like most of us breath! Really! And he’s ugly, strange, petulant, globular, and certainly not Jesus!
I have not heard so many lies and double speak since Trump "arrived on the scene " and started running for his kingdom back in 2015. Remember...Alternate facts with KelleyAnn Conway and Sean Spicer attempts at a SNL type press conference's. They gave us a "what?" or a head shaking with a smile. To today, with now the terrifying players, dismantling and Putin talking points. Trump was busy employing scary people to solidify the Coup, most likely while he golfed. There will be a day coming, without having to hear the name t r u m p in it ! Instead it will be written in the History books at what it really was....the first Coup since the late 1800's ?? I'll have to listen to Heather Cox Richardson those actual details. :) There will come a day this nightmare is past. And the lessons .... might just make us a better Country, after the rebuild
Haha—“arrived on the scene” in 2015? As a New Yorker, sad to say that he arrived in OUR scene in the mid-1970s, like a hideous fungus that just refused to ever go away.
Yes, the Scots have hated him for a long time too. For obvious reasons, they'll always defer to New Yorkers, but they've got a decent claim to be the second biggest group of longstanding Trump haters.
They particularly hate the fact that he has a Scottish name and is legitimately half Scottish.
Yes. Thank you!
Cracking up after one month? I am afraid I do not see that much as I would like to see it. The opposite is true much as it is a hard truth to hear. Until USA finds a leader who will actually stand up to this administration despite having a lot to lose the country will sadly remain lost in a vortex of lies and betrayal. US needs its own Zelensky moment where someone who can move tens of millions of Americans to action stands up and actually says I do not need a "ride" in this form of politics (i.e I dont care about my office) I need ammunition (i.e. millions willing to act to preserve freedom).
My vote is to hire Pete B. to have a daily press conference, maybe even on the steps as he runs for Senate, to point out a few issues with the reality of the world vs the fantasy world of ‘The Sewer Circus’ and their ring master Donny-Doo and minion MuskyBoy and their 'stench of stupidity'!
The Dems need some articulate spokespeople right about now. Please!
That day is coming. It will start with the majority of Americans publicly expressing their utter disdain for the self proclaimed, utterly delusional, Humpty-Dumpty King of America. The King's game is to perpetuate the myth that MAGA is the majority in America. When the megaphone of public opinion turns against the Humpty-Dumpty King a new, vibrant leadership will arise. Stay tuned.
Trumpty-Dumpty sat on a wall...
My guess is that, at some point, roughly 30% of the Moron-Majority will indeed turn on Trumpty, and come over to our side.
And it can’t come soon enough!
Might the”new vibrant leadership” be Vance?
Someone with Values, bravery, someone we admire and believe in, TRUST ....someone who Leads instead of repulsive lies and gaslighting....Yes we do need someone, desperately. Agreed. But if Robin Hood doesn't ride up soon ...as I wish he or she (DEI imagine that :) would....then it is on us alone.....350 million is not pittance. An Autocrats demise is when the people SEE the lies and ACT.
This is happening in a decentralized manner. Anyone can participate.
I’m afraid I completely agree with you. No matter how many things this regime gets wrong, I fear that a majority of Americans are secretly in full support. They never really approved of things like helping the poor, supporting allies, or scientific exploration. They were just too embarrassed to admit it and Trump has given them permission to admit their inner thoughts. Probably they aren’t really against any of these things. They just don’t want their money spent on it. And when Musk sends every MAGA republican a check for $5000 ad a reward for all the fake cost cutting, they will vote MAGA for life.
I wish George Clooney would stand up!
That's a big ask, expecting the Dems to allow the Elno/King D regime to fall upon the sword without any intervention, as Schumer/Jeffreys are locked into "responsible bipartisanship" bullshit, and forever reckon that the voters will actually applaud them for bailing out the GOPers, when the reverse is true.
Let's just leave it as "Dems in disarray", shall we?
Prof Krugman guesses that Trump has sold out Ukraine because its President won't give him billions in minerals. My guess is a bit different. There's lots of evidence that Trump has been a Russian asset for decades. That seems to have started with Deutsche Bank bailing him out of his bankruptcies when no other bank would. And they seem to have done it with laundered private funds from Russian oligarchs. And since then Trump's behavior has screamed out, "I'm working for Russia, not America."
200 percent ... would you not think that the CIA or the FBI know all this ???? And then comes Kash Patel..for the full erase. Autocratic sweep
True: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/may/07/trump-family-golf-courses-russia-funding-author-claims
Thanks.
Yeah, that too.
I don't know if he is a Russian asset, but seems to be doing everything a Russian asset would do.
That remains a theory AFAIK. No proof?
Your writings help me help the people I work with, who are, to a person, in the crosshairs of this administration. Most of them have multiple targets on their backs. Thank you for giving me words for them.
Reasonable people might see that the Trump administration is flailing, as PK writes. But I do not think that Trump voters do, and they are the ones that must be convinced. The ability to keep on voting against your own interests is just unbelievably strong.
I know a Trump voter who tried to challenge me by asking what I thought about the billions in fraud the administration is finding.
I have no words.
I don't waste my time; the only thing that will convince them is when they personally suffer. I'd rather spend my time and energy doing something constructive with those on the same page.
I recently spoke with a conservative family member in Iowa who's convinced that the "audits" Musk was conducting are a good thing, and that it's perfectly normal for a private citizen to have access to personal financial information for millions of US taxpayers. "If they haven't done anything wrong," he said with a grin, "what do they have to worry about?"
morons
I had someone ask why it bothered me that Musk had my information but it doesn't bother me that the teller down at the bank had it. I simply replied, the teller is far more trustworthy than Musk because rich people believe their are no consequences to them breaking the law. (and unfortunately they are right, at most they end up paying a fine)
Exactly!
I have access to all kinds of private information at work, but because I’m a professional who isn’t interested in using someone else’s address, phone number, or SSN for my own personal political or monetary gain, I’ve made the very conscious decision to not look at it.
Unfortunately, we live in a time where the default reaction is to distrust any and all institutions and the people who represent them. The fact that someone honestly thinks that a bank teller has some sort of nefarious agenda and the richest man in the world doesn’t is a sad commentary on our current dysfunctional situation.
When I commented on one of his first acts being to fire all the Inspectors General, the response I got from a family member was "Of course he fired them. They weren't doing their jobs finding the fraud." You are correct that you can't make this stuff up.
Heard on NPR this morning that the $8 billion they supposedly found would, if distributed to the American people, would amount to $11 each. Would you like fries with that?
So $55 billion would amount to $75.63 for each American. Not enough to cover one week of groceries, which are now suspect due to the firings at the FDA food safety inspection program. No thanks, I’ll take the higher value added by all the federal government employees taking care of our health and safety.
I am reminded about how these people were when they were trying to set up a Biden impeachment. You have to just keep repeating loudly into their face, "There is no evidence. None. You are delusional.You are listening to manufactured lies." Over and over again. It helps if you have friends repeating that message as well. They seem to bend to whoever is the loudest.
The answer is that they are lying. Every now and again they tell the truth but they lie because they know the average American is simply not equipped to figure out reality. Don is a con man. Always has been. Elmo lies quite a bit now as well. One thing you might is to know the details of 3 or 4 things they lie about (ie the 2020 election was stolen). Nope. We all saw it. And then stand firm. When they say 'Dems lie too'. You say 'yes all politicians lie, but you need the critical thinking skills to spot the difference berween those that lie 90% of the time vs those that lie 10% of the time.
When his supporters feel the sting of, say, no Medicare, or no benefits checks, EBT, etc, they may begin to awaken. I personally know of MAGAs and other bitter people who are so ignorant as to believe that *their* benefits won't be touched, just the benefits of the people Trump has weaponized as their enemies (the woke, the elite, women, etc). They're in for a wakeup call.
They will feel the impact. Sverely cut Meciad, Medicare, no SNAP, and so on and so on. For the time being they are fed lies and they belive them.
With regard to Trump's behavior vis-a-vis Ukraine and Zelensky, I think you could explain it simply on the grounds of Retribution. Don't forget it was Zelensky who stood up to Trump's attempt to threaten Ukraine if it didn't help him against Biden. All of which led to Trump's first Impeachment.
Also, following orders from his boss; Putin
The standard seven deadly sins in Roman Catholic Theology are those seven vices that spur other sins and further immoral behavior. First enumerated by Pope Gregory in the 6th century and elaborated upon in the 13th century by St. Thomas Acquinas, the are: (1) Pride, (2) Greed, (3) Lust, (4) Envy, (5) Gluttony, (6) Wrath and (7) Sloth. Each can be overcome with a corresponding virtue - humility, charity, chastity, gratitude, temperance, patience and diligence, respectively.
Some more modern-day theologians, believe that there is also an eighth deadly sin – sophisticated cowardice – derives, on the one hand, from sophistry (fallacious, even foolish, argument) and, on the other, from lack of courage to do the right thing, for the right reason, in the right way, at the right time. OK by me, I’ll take spot 9 as the GOP’s solid complicity behind an immoral dictator(s) bestows the 8th spot to the Grand Old Party.
Donald Trump, aka POOP – Putin’s obnoxious* orange puppet – is the world’s best poster child for the sins be they totaled 7, 8 or 9. He is also, the world’s sorest and most vengeful loser making the addition of the newest sin most appropriate and consistent. The right-wing victimologist are forever finding oppressors and POOP continues to raise the bar for whining about how unfair the world is to him.
Maybe we can build a culture around competent maturity, and its quiet strength, integrity. Let’s name this grace and make it our 8th (or 9th) virtue. Is there any less gracious person imaginable than the Donald?
*Contest – name the “O”. The first “O” in the acronym POOP isn’t fixed while the other three letters are set – Putin’s ______ Orange Puppet. This first “O” could have lots of different meanings, such as – obese, outrageous, ostentatious, offensive, oppressive, outlandish, etc. Winner to be drawn from the reader’s favorite entry. I like obese. So many O’s to choose from! (Maybe this could catch on – after all, POOP loves to give his enemies derogatory nicknames).
I’ll stick with POOP for now. Brownish Orange, squishy, obnoxious and extremely malodorous pile of REAL poop. 💩
👆🏽This 👆🏽
I don't remember Zelensky standing up to Trump. He was trying to find a place between the rock and the hard place. It was patriotic Americans in the State department that were appalled at the outrageous behavior. It was not an American norm to ask foreign leaders to manufacture lies about your political opponents.
Trump published his perfect letter to Zelensky...and it was damning all on its own.
Zelenskyy was told to announce an investigation into Biden. He defied Trump by not doing so, when it would have been far easier to play along.
Trump will do what Trump always does, he will default on debt. He will destroy the full faith and credit of the United States and crater the economy. That is not a good thing for anyone. But Dems should not help him out of this pit he has dug. We are in for some rough times but letting Trump be Trump and wreck the country may be the quickest way out. Addicts have to hit rock bottom before they can be healed. Let Americans feel the results of what they have caused. Actions have consequences. Voters need some tough love.
Because people are dumb and ill informed, they won't blame Trump and Musk for the mess. Right wing media will convince them it's all the fault of radical socialists who hate America (tm).
When 70 million Americans see their Medicaid benefits cut or food support for their children cut, or other truly painful cuts to Federal support, the right wing media can make all the righteous, rich guy claims they want. They will have found the "enemy" and the enemy is them!
You are right. But I disagree with “ill informed”. That is an excuse. Who wants to learn the truth, can do it.
You're right that whoever has the motivation to learn the truth can do so - if they can pull their eyeballs off of Faux News and look around at reality. That doesn't mean they're not ill informed though - they very much are so, even if it's willfully. Willful ignorance is the M.O. of Trump voters - right up to the moment they realize he's stuck it to them.
For sure. It's all because of that trans teenager on the rugby team somewhere.
This is correct. They love him no matter what.
Trump has already floated the idea that not all T-bills are genuine. Let's watch Treasury Bill rates ...https://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/trump-says-some-treasury-notes-may-not-be-real
I agree...but keep a HARD EYE on Putin. Destroying the USA from the inside out AND NATO..... this is Putins plan and design. And it is working for him. Alienating all our allies and being a lone sitting duck. That is a very very vulnerable place. I think we go back HARD, to saving our America and back to Allies for STRENGTH ........AGAINST Putin ! However...maybe if quick ... the self implosion will help remove Trump for rebalance .... it is alot
But I don’t need tough love. I didn’t vote for him. I’m closing in on 82, and I’ve had more than enough tough love! What keeps me up at night is wondering why we’re so powerless to rein him in before he breaks everything in the shop.
To some degree I think this is true. But when the shit hits the fan, who will step up to the plate to save us? Will the little MAGAS support a Democratic savior or will they look to JD Vance and his righteous religious buddies who are bringing us 2025?
I never believed anything Trump has said in his whole life, so there’s no reason to think he has stopped lying or being a bully, which is the definition of a weak man.
He has a huge amplifier in the right-wing propaganda machine and his richest man enforcer, Musk. He's a lying bully, but he's far from weak.
This is such a cogent assessment of what the evil, ignorant, selfish idiots currently using the Executive Office (OUR Executive Office) to try to hoodwink us into believing that A) they know what they're doing and B) that we can't see what they are really doing (hint: not saving money by cutting waste), which is enriching themselves and their cohort of billionaires at our expense. AGAIN. How long will we put up with this? How do we stop the real steal?
In THEORY, you'll get elections in less than 21 months.
You will NOT see fair elections again until a complete overturn of Goverment and a cleanse is completed. Everything must be examined/ verified, and reworked. Hungary has elections now for Viktor and his majority is a winning 95% - what a guy that Viktor. The only way out, is INTENSE pressure on the Republican Senators to ACT .... they enable our daily nightmares and this dismantling, each and every day. Until we the People, do not allow them to do that - any longer
At some point, the Fox watching, Schlitz swilling, trailer dwellers will wake up and realize that their Orange Deity has stuck it to them royally. They will start grumbling, which will begin as a low hum, gradually building up a crescendo until their voices merge with ours. Once that happens, The Clown in Chief will be in trouble - as will his acolytes in the Capitol Building.
Of course, that would be an opportune moment for the Democratic party to swoop in and sweep up - if they don't drop the damn ball for a change.
Until Covid I believed this was possible. Then all the reports of MAGAs continuing to deny Covid as they were put on ECMO machines for their last days of life broke that hope.
I should have qualified my comment with "roughly 30%".
Eat the rich
I don't think they're edible. All fat and chemicals, artificial flavors, artificial colors (mostly orange), preservatives, empty calories, etc.
he hollered deportations to reach that racist sweet spot with them, but the only deporting he is doing is moving middle class federal workers out of their jobs.
The Musk/Trump junta indeed has more than enough rope to hang itself, but the Democrats can do something; keep the lawsuits and other forms of resistance coming.
Also, someone I believe posting here suggested that Democrats quietly offer security details for Republicans, and their families, who jump the MAGA ship and join with congressional Democrats. I think there are more than a few Republicans getting more and more concerned about on which side history will record them.
That's a great idea. A lot of those Republicans who oppose this insanity do fear for their very lives.
Seriously, we traded one MAD King; King George 3rd, for an even more deranged, wannabe MAD King—man/child.
And with DOGE, the savings are clearly evident; we fired all the FBI and CIA agents with “probationary” status; even though, it costs hundreds of thousands of dollars per agent to train; all that training wasted. Cost to National Security: TBD! Great savings!
And now our future espionage and counterintelligence programs are being undermined and put in jeopardy: cost to the US; incalculable. Benefits to our adversaries; PRICELESS!
Additionally, DOGE fired thousands of epidemiologists at the CDC and NIH who study rare diseases in the field. Average training for each employee includes medical school, internships, residencies, and specialties. Cost incalculable! Knowledge lost; TBD!
And these examples are just the tip of the iceberg! Our future scientific knowledge and intellectual property is at risk. Our healthcare system is on life support, and instead of trying to reform these agencies, they are dismantling them, making us ill-prepared for the next epidemic, which given people’s reluctance to take vaccines is actually here. Avian flu is ravaging our chicken and food supply. We have a measles outbreak in Texas, and Mr. anti-Vax is leading the fight; what could possibly go wrong?
Moreover, the word “incompetent” is a misnomer, and the least of our worries. MAGA is leading their lambs to the slaughter, and the rest of us will surely pay a price.
Lastly, where is the MSM? The NYT’s is still “sane-washing” the guy with its latest headline:
“Trump signs executive order to stop all migrants from receiving g federal aid.”
The only problem is that migrants and undocumented, aren’t allowed to receive any federal aid, except in case of emergencies. And undocumented, pay taxes and FICA, and can never receive Medicare or Social Security.
Bottom line: is anyone in MAGA or the rest of society even getting the memo? The MSM keeps normalizing Trump’s behavior, and downplaying the significance of these policies. I guess we’ll just have to wait until the pain these people feel is so intense, they finally get the message. And be then, it just might be too late.
Additionally, If DOGE truly was about fraud and waste, it should start with the PPP loans and auditing the military from the War on Terror. If you want to find hundreds of billions of waste and fraud, those two programs could easily fit the bill!
Moreover, how many major companies took PPP grants and instead of keeping employees on the books, they furloughed their employees, and gave special dividends to shareholders? The same goes for Afghanistan and Iraq Wars. Or audit Trump’s golf trips; he’s already spent $15 million, and he’s only been in office for a month! IMHO!…:)
The Democrats need their own direct way to communicate with the public. They can’t rely on MSM and social media to get their point of view out to the public. They can’t rely on paywalled liberal media to break through the Republican noise machine. They need to set up their own version of Truth Social, their own website covering the issues, their own blogs, and free subscriptions here on Substack or somewhere similar.
Agreed! The problem or issue is that billionaires have been buying MSM platforms for the last decade. The NYT’s two biggest investors are BlackRock and Vanguard; also the same two companies that own the lions share of TMTG or Truth Social. So it’s not surprising that the headlines favor Trump.
A friend of Kushner bought Univision; they reach 50% of the Latino market, and reprogrammed to be Trump friendly. Sinclair bought the Baltimore Sun, Bezos owns the WaPPo; the list is endless.
Additionally, Trump’s crypto (faux) coin is supported by dark money. 80% of the coins are owned by 20 unnamed investors; that’s a big conflict of interest.
What we need is to have a MSM with an endowment; like Universities; so they aren’t reliant on government or corporations for their funding.
IMHO!…:)
Both incompetent and incontinent! That’s double bad! Out both ends, he shits on our great country! We need people to see him for what he is!
In summary: We're screwed. And that's putting it politely.
King Trump might go the way of Charles I.
I'm appreciating your writing AND the musical selections you bring to my inbox. Thank you! Upgrading to paid now.
I’m in my sixties and have over the years watched some spy movies. I thought they were entertaining fiction with fun but silly exaggerations. James Bond with its larger than life villains being particularly so. Of course some were deliberately comic.
Yet a Bulgarian defector was murdered on London Bridge with a poisoned umbrella. Putin killed a defector by poisoning him with plutonium in a bar in London. Bond villains clearly remained in the world of fiction though.
Musk.
So true. Just one minor nitpick though, it was polonium rather than plutonium. The stuff is supremely toxic, and one of Putin's longtime favorite methods: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polonium
Ooops. Thanks for the correction.
YW :)
Musk's coup is too unbelievable even for a Bond film.
When it comes time to fund the government again Democrats HAVE to vote everything down then list their demands which better be to restore every job they terminated and remove doge. Jefferies better have his ducks in a row. You can say what you want about Pelosi but she got her cooperation when it was needed.
I think a good demand is for there to be more transparency in who and why people are being fired. A demand for evidence of waste. If there is fraud, it will be prosecuted.
Democrats shouldn't be seen as standing in the way of legitimate pruning of bureaucracy.
They should push back on the move fast and break things. Do you really want to fire the people who safeguard our nuclear arsenal? Do you really want to get rid of the people who track bird flu? Hit them on the stupid stuff they've already done. HARD