Wish I had your optimism - look at the women on the right. MJT, Nikki Haley, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Lauren Boebert, Susan Collins. Where is the savior? Because we need sane and competent Republican women to rescue that party. The problem is "sane" and "competent" and anathema to the current GOP. The Dems have plenty of competent and sane women, but I don't know which of them can unify the country and/or win both a primary and a national election. She must be out there somewhere, but I don't know who she is.
This was great and depressing at the same time. I’m an idealist and am often wrong, but I do think that if enough people want something to happen, it WILL happen. How many people did it take to get us flying? To get us to the moon? Fewer than you might think. It just takes work and time and cooperation. We all have day jobs and it should not be our responsibility to set our country back on a solid track; but the people we elect aren’t doing it. So, it’s up to us. Again. Like it was during the revolution. I’m not at all advocating civil war, I am advocating people running for local offices; working call banks; helping each other; taking the time and energy to learn what is going on, and then speaking up.
I know. I’m tired, too. It’s all very confusing. But I think this American experiment is worth the energy.
My thoughts exactly. I wish I could be one of those people who are surprised by our current turn of events, but I've been watching this country circle the drain since 9/11. It's been a horrifying and exhausting 23 years, and with no end in sight and no savings to my name, all I can do is imagine moving to another country, knowing full well that it isn't going to happen. I fucking hate this place. We all deserve so much better than this.
This is a direct result of our having elected people who favor the very rich over the rest of us, or have been bribed or hornswoggled into voting that way. There’s a lot to be done.
I agree that we'll go through some stuff regardless of who wins. I'd rather have Biden and his potential Supreme Court picks than Trump locking in a maga supreme court for 40 years. It's insane to think that if Trump wins, republican-appointed justices could dominate the Supreme Court for 100 years once you include the current 40 straight years. I feel like that needs to get through to some folks who don't like Biden.
Here's the problem, SCOTUS could very easily throw the election to Trump like they did with Shrub Jr. That's why it really pissed me off that Biden didn't fight harder to get voting rights passed and came out against expanding SCOTUS. Note, the progressive Build Back Better bill never got passed but the infrastructure bill did, but they were both supposed to pass together. Biden stabbed the progressives in the back by signing one without the other. He said he wouldn't do that😒 He's also friends with Manchin and McConnell.
I understand the frustration, but was Bernie Sanders really going to get anything done? He was somehow going to persuade Manchin and Sinema to go along with him? Frankly, it's shocking that Biden was able to get them to go along with as much as he was able to. I think Biden has gotten quite a bit done considering he had a narrow house majority and a 50-50 Senate. He appointed a fairly liberal SC justice, appointed more minority judges than all other presidents combined, passed the largest climate bill in history, is one of the strongest labor presidents since FDR, and has one of the most progressive FTC Chair's. His universal pre-k and student loan debt cancellation plans were cancelled by the Senate and Supreme Court.
Spare me. He opened up Alaska to UNNECESSARY oil drilling. He stabbed the progressives in the back by signing the infrastructure bill without the Build Back Better bill. He's friends with Manchin. He broke the railroad workers strike. He went around Congress twice to send bombs to Israel. Couldn't do it for Ukraine. He's building Trump's stupid wall. He's partly responsible for the student loan debt crisis. He signed on a bill to disallow it to be discharged via bankruptcy. He's against abolishing the filibuster. He's against universal healthcare. He's against expanding SCOTUS. He's always been a neoliberal. He's a career politician. His immigration policy tracks with Trump's. The progressives have called him out on it.
Okay, so your stance is, if I don't get everything I want then he's a failure? I mean the choice is Trump and a maga supreme court for 40 years or Biden who does some progressive things and some things that aren't the most progressive. That seems like an obvious choice. I guess I'm just not sure what Sanders was going to get that Biden didn't get. You seem to be hyper focused on the things that he does that you don't like and ignore all the things he did that were fairly progressive. Half the stuff Biden proposed was blocked by a filibuster or the Supreme Court - a Court that is hard right, in part, because people didn't show up to vote for Clinton in 2016 because she wasn't progressive enough. I would venture to say that if you ever find yourself in a position where the president is doing everything you want then you might be in a cult.
Blaming the voters🙄 Seriously... The Democrats had 50 fucking years to codify Roe, didn't happen. They didn't do shit when McConnell pulled his SCOTUS stunts. Yes, Biden should have demanded the filibuster be done away with to pass voting rights and to codify Roe. He didn't. The Dems still aren't calling for investigations into Alito and Thomas. Why not🤔 Why are we settling for Durbin's weak response? We ELECTED them to WORK FOR US. We absolutely should hold them accountable when they don't. Not to mention that Bill Clinton is responsible for the housing market crash because he did away with Glass - Stegall. Obama didn't punish Shrub Jr., Dick Cheney, or any of the corrupt Wall Street bankers. Oh, I forgot to mention the support from the DNC for Cueller. Pelosi loved him. Oh, she's guilty of insider trading.
Jasmine - I don't wholly disagree with your critiques of Biden or Dems. You're right that Biden could have pushed harder for some policies. I'm just not sure that Manchin or Sinema would have gone along with it. That's all. I think he has done quite a bit considering the fact that he had to get things through a 50-50 Senate. My stance is that I can have Biden who has a good track record of appointing judges and justices and generally does some good progressive things while also failing to take harder stances (I agree with you on that) or Trump and maga republicans and maga judges. I don't want Trump to come in and replace Thomas and Alito with younger right wing judges who will be in place for 50 years, loosen gun laws, tear up all climate change action, attempt to ban abortion nationwide and punish women, side with Putin, etc., etc. I hope people will show up for Biden even though he isn't doing everything people want. If Dems can keep the Senate with Biden then there will be no Manchin or Sinema to block a filibuster and some of the things Biden proposed that were blocked by those two could get done.
I understand your pessimism and cynicism, but may I suggest reading Heather Cox Richardson’s Letters from an American? https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/She is a BU history professor and modern day muckraker. She has noted that FDRs infrastructure and social policies helped bring the fascists of the country around once they saw their individual lives improving. Times are very disheartening and it’s important not to give up. We’re all in this together.
I've just started reading The Fourth Turning Is Here: What the Seasons of History Tell Us about How and When This Crisis Will End by Neil Howe and it is giving me hope that America will get through this without completely destroying itself and perhaps even bring on America’s next golden age.
No matter who wins the election, the fascists aren't going anywhere. The DOJ has been ignoring the crimes being committed by Abbott, Paxton, and DeSantis. There are still over 100 insurrectionists working in Congress and SCOTUS is corrupt.
It's incredible that Abbot and Desantis aren't up on human trafficking charges. And that Abbot isn't up on straight up murder charges for his fucking Saw traps in the Rio Grande.
Funny how the DOJ ignores the crimes and DJT is still walking free while attempting to instigate violence. The powers that be that set the course of this country, want it this way. We are in late stage capitalism where the resources needed to sustain the system are becoming scarce.
Yep. They're suing Ticketmaster and Live Nation but not the ring leaders of the attempted coup. Over 100 insurrectionists are still working in Congress. That they did. Pretty much. Which means we're well and truly fucked😕
"Too many people choose the dark if the alternative means allowing other people to warm themselves. " That's it. That is the reason I can't sleep at night.
I cry at the thought of an authoritarian regime here in our country. The foolish, ignorant and stupid MAGA morons will not be happy with their dear leader when he doesn't need them anymore. I'm scared for my kids, one of whom is just starting his career, (later in life child) and my grandkids. I'm scared for everyone, really. Its hard to believe how many people want to live under a dictator. Of course, those who want this are either MAGA morons or are just cruel, heartless individuals whose greed has blackened their hearts, if they had one in the first place. I truly don't understand. Idiots.
Fun factoid - I saw Johnny Carson live in 1978, and he did the Carnac bit !
We are so unprepared for what’s about to happen to this country.
I have a strong feeling (hope) that women will save us. We’ve come too far to take this bullshit!
Yes! Roevember is coming!
Wish I had your optimism - look at the women on the right. MJT, Nikki Haley, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Lauren Boebert, Susan Collins. Where is the savior? Because we need sane and competent Republican women to rescue that party. The problem is "sane" and "competent" and anathema to the current GOP. The Dems have plenty of competent and sane women, but I don't know which of them can unify the country and/or win both a primary and a national election. She must be out there somewhere, but I don't know who she is.
Jasmine Crockett!!
I think she meant women VOTERS. Women will GOTV and the fascists will be crushed and humiliated.
Welp, white women voters voted for Trump in both 2016 and 2020 so we can write them off.
One word. ROEVEMBER. It’s going to be big.
I used to think women were better too, before Trump.
Here’s a remedy to the pessimism. Please read Jessica cravens Substack Chop Wood Carry Water https://open.substack.com/pub/chopwoodcarrywaterdailyactions/p/extra-extra-526?r=ezt0e&utm_medium=ios
You probably know, that’s a Zen phrase.
Not pessimism. Reality.
This was great and depressing at the same time. I’m an idealist and am often wrong, but I do think that if enough people want something to happen, it WILL happen. How many people did it take to get us flying? To get us to the moon? Fewer than you might think. It just takes work and time and cooperation. We all have day jobs and it should not be our responsibility to set our country back on a solid track; but the people we elect aren’t doing it. So, it’s up to us. Again. Like it was during the revolution. I’m not at all advocating civil war, I am advocating people running for local offices; working call banks; helping each other; taking the time and energy to learn what is going on, and then speaking up.
I know. I’m tired, too. It’s all very confusing. But I think this American experiment is worth the energy.
My thoughts exactly. I wish I could be one of those people who are surprised by our current turn of events, but I've been watching this country circle the drain since 9/11. It's been a horrifying and exhausting 23 years, and with no end in sight and no savings to my name, all I can do is imagine moving to another country, knowing full well that it isn't going to happen. I fucking hate this place. We all deserve so much better than this.
Same here. That it has my friend, that it has. Right there with you. Me too🫂 Yes we absolutely do!
Yup, all of this. And a perfect conclusion to boot. thank you.
Thanks for this post - I can’t say I enjoyed it, but your point of view gives me more to think about. Per The New Yorker, more than 50% of Americans are living paycheck to paycheck. ( https://www.newyorker.com/news/us-journal/not-your-childhood-library )
This is a direct result of our having elected people who favor the very rich over the rest of us, or have been bribed or hornswoggled into voting that way. There’s a lot to be done.
I agree that we'll go through some stuff regardless of who wins. I'd rather have Biden and his potential Supreme Court picks than Trump locking in a maga supreme court for 40 years. It's insane to think that if Trump wins, republican-appointed justices could dominate the Supreme Court for 100 years once you include the current 40 straight years. I feel like that needs to get through to some folks who don't like Biden.
Here's the problem, SCOTUS could very easily throw the election to Trump like they did with Shrub Jr. That's why it really pissed me off that Biden didn't fight harder to get voting rights passed and came out against expanding SCOTUS. Note, the progressive Build Back Better bill never got passed but the infrastructure bill did, but they were both supposed to pass together. Biden stabbed the progressives in the back by signing one without the other. He said he wouldn't do that😒 He's also friends with Manchin and McConnell.
I understand the frustration, but was Bernie Sanders really going to get anything done? He was somehow going to persuade Manchin and Sinema to go along with him? Frankly, it's shocking that Biden was able to get them to go along with as much as he was able to. I think Biden has gotten quite a bit done considering he had a narrow house majority and a 50-50 Senate. He appointed a fairly liberal SC justice, appointed more minority judges than all other presidents combined, passed the largest climate bill in history, is one of the strongest labor presidents since FDR, and has one of the most progressive FTC Chair's. His universal pre-k and student loan debt cancellation plans were cancelled by the Senate and Supreme Court.
Spare me. He opened up Alaska to UNNECESSARY oil drilling. He stabbed the progressives in the back by signing the infrastructure bill without the Build Back Better bill. He's friends with Manchin. He broke the railroad workers strike. He went around Congress twice to send bombs to Israel. Couldn't do it for Ukraine. He's building Trump's stupid wall. He's partly responsible for the student loan debt crisis. He signed on a bill to disallow it to be discharged via bankruptcy. He's against abolishing the filibuster. He's against universal healthcare. He's against expanding SCOTUS. He's always been a neoliberal. He's a career politician. His immigration policy tracks with Trump's. The progressives have called him out on it.
https://www.politico.com/news/2024/02/05/biden-bipartisan-immigration-deal-00139558
Okay, so your stance is, if I don't get everything I want then he's a failure? I mean the choice is Trump and a maga supreme court for 40 years or Biden who does some progressive things and some things that aren't the most progressive. That seems like an obvious choice. I guess I'm just not sure what Sanders was going to get that Biden didn't get. You seem to be hyper focused on the things that he does that you don't like and ignore all the things he did that were fairly progressive. Half the stuff Biden proposed was blocked by a filibuster or the Supreme Court - a Court that is hard right, in part, because people didn't show up to vote for Clinton in 2016 because she wasn't progressive enough. I would venture to say that if you ever find yourself in a position where the president is doing everything you want then you might be in a cult.
Blaming the voters🙄 Seriously... The Democrats had 50 fucking years to codify Roe, didn't happen. They didn't do shit when McConnell pulled his SCOTUS stunts. Yes, Biden should have demanded the filibuster be done away with to pass voting rights and to codify Roe. He didn't. The Dems still aren't calling for investigations into Alito and Thomas. Why not🤔 Why are we settling for Durbin's weak response? We ELECTED them to WORK FOR US. We absolutely should hold them accountable when they don't. Not to mention that Bill Clinton is responsible for the housing market crash because he did away with Glass - Stegall. Obama didn't punish Shrub Jr., Dick Cheney, or any of the corrupt Wall Street bankers. Oh, I forgot to mention the support from the DNC for Cueller. Pelosi loved him. Oh, she's guilty of insider trading.
Jasmine - I don't wholly disagree with your critiques of Biden or Dems. You're right that Biden could have pushed harder for some policies. I'm just not sure that Manchin or Sinema would have gone along with it. That's all. I think he has done quite a bit considering the fact that he had to get things through a 50-50 Senate. My stance is that I can have Biden who has a good track record of appointing judges and justices and generally does some good progressive things while also failing to take harder stances (I agree with you on that) or Trump and maga republicans and maga judges. I don't want Trump to come in and replace Thomas and Alito with younger right wing judges who will be in place for 50 years, loosen gun laws, tear up all climate change action, attempt to ban abortion nationwide and punish women, side with Putin, etc., etc. I hope people will show up for Biden even though he isn't doing everything people want. If Dems can keep the Senate with Biden then there will be no Manchin or Sinema to block a filibuster and some of the things Biden proposed that were blocked by those two could get done.
You sound hot
Shrub Jr.! Lol!!!
😁🤣
I understand your pessimism and cynicism, but may I suggest reading Heather Cox Richardson’s Letters from an American? https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/She is a BU history professor and modern day muckraker. She has noted that FDRs infrastructure and social policies helped bring the fascists of the country around once they saw their individual lives improving. Times are very disheartening and it’s important not to give up. We’re all in this together.
I've just started reading The Fourth Turning Is Here: What the Seasons of History Tell Us about How and When This Crisis Will End by Neil Howe and it is giving me hope that America will get through this without completely destroying itself and perhaps even bring on America’s next golden age.
I don’t know that book but I share your optimism about a new progressive era coming.
You’re right. We can’t give up. But we are truly fucked.
Greg, it's like deja vu all over again.
Ask any Roman who lived in 476.
I know, I know. Can't we all just get along?
No matter who wins the election, the fascists aren't going anywhere. The DOJ has been ignoring the crimes being committed by Abbott, Paxton, and DeSantis. There are still over 100 insurrectionists working in Congress and SCOTUS is corrupt.
It's incredible that Abbot and Desantis aren't up on human trafficking charges. And that Abbot isn't up on straight up murder charges for his fucking Saw traps in the Rio Grande.
Exactly!
Funny how the DOJ ignores the crimes and DJT is still walking free while attempting to instigate violence. The powers that be that set the course of this country, want it this way. We are in late stage capitalism where the resources needed to sustain the system are becoming scarce.
Yep. They're suing Ticketmaster and Live Nation but not the ring leaders of the attempted coup. Over 100 insurrectionists are still working in Congress. That they did. Pretty much. Which means we're well and truly fucked😕
You forgot Dan Patrick.
There are so many miscreants here it's tough to keep on top of them all😕
It’s like whack a mole. Especially in Texas.
Exactly.
"Too many people choose the dark if the alternative means allowing other people to warm themselves. " That's it. That is the reason I can't sleep at night.
I cry at the thought of an authoritarian regime here in our country. The foolish, ignorant and stupid MAGA morons will not be happy with their dear leader when he doesn't need them anymore. I'm scared for my kids, one of whom is just starting his career, (later in life child) and my grandkids. I'm scared for everyone, really. Its hard to believe how many people want to live under a dictator. Of course, those who want this are either MAGA morons or are just cruel, heartless individuals whose greed has blackened their hearts, if they had one in the first place. I truly don't understand. Idiots.