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The Coke Brothers's avatar

The diminishing and third worlding of America is moving really fast and really well for Russia, China and the domestic enemies led by the heritage foundation.

I cannot imagine any (ANY) government around this wretched planet that wouldn't have fired Kegseth after signalgate. Trump doubled down, and is doubling down again (quadrupling down?).

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Daniel Solomon's avatar

This article misrepresents Bacon's position. IMHO this is a window of opportunity...have to pressure those Republicans.

Don Bacon, R NE, is the first Republican member of Congress to ask for Hegseth's removal from office.Bacon is the chair of a House Armed Services subcommittee and one of just a handful of House Republicans in districts that Kamala Harris carried last year. He first made his comments to Politico. https://www.axios.com/2025/04/21/don-bacon-pete-hegseth-signal

Hopefully, this is the start of the Feathers of Hope scenario. https://jerryweiss.substack.com/

Where do the others on the committees actually stand? Ask them whether they accept Trump's position on Ukraine. 26 senate Republicans voted to fund it. Many of them are calling Trum a liar.

Meanwhile there is pushback on tariffs, on Musk and his Muskovites, by Congressional Republicans.

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Richard S's avatar

Not to be overlooked:

Don Bacon is a retired Brigadier General.

'During his 29 years in the United States Air Force, he commanded wings at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, and Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska before retiring in 2014.

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M. Apodaca's avatar

It’s like all the vapid figureheads* in charge of our government. The next nominee could be WORSE. Like if you impeach Trump, you get Vance! And VP Johnson. OMGoodness.

*Rupar

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The Coke Brothers's avatar

You could impeach all three in sequence

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Daniel Solomon's avatar

Or at once.

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M. Apodaca's avatar

Oh, a roll! All right!

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Rachel the Insomniac's avatar

Rep. Bacon also talked to Jake Tapper of CNN recently.

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nks's avatar

The entire country’s citizens should go on strike- make this fake clueless regime see what we and America first really means!

No more lies, no more stoopid economic policies and gutting real science and real public health policies. OUT WITH THE CLOWNS 🤡 !

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samani's avatar

If all of you who are obviously very smart and much more take a look, there is a general strike in the works. Simply go to generalstrikeus.com.

(I apologize if you need to type it in, but I’ve not figured out how to copy and paste on this iPhone yet)

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Steve 218's avatar

Is quadrupling down related in any way to a 'double-dog dare'?*

*Credited to A Christmas Story, the movie.

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The Coke Brothers's avatar

More like double dogshit

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Steve 218's avatar

That works too.

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Anne-Louise Luccarini's avatar

Does that mean he's digging himself into a deep hole?

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The Coke Brothers's avatar

Admitting that you are wrong and taking steps to fix the mistake are a sign of character and intelligence. We know where Satan stands with those...

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Daniel Solomon's avatar

We are in a minority -- it only tkes a few Republicans to end this BS. They are responsive to their donors. Complain to them.

How to find them. https://www.opensecrets.org/donor-lookup?gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAAB1mwfr-CV4mmQlAQKJIxuY0bB5yd&gclid=CjwKCAjwn6LABhBSEiwAsNJrjveE6gDXDQFbXEeIZeAVZMGQRf9-ijvEbmavHKbYS1wSlIAwyNukJhoChz0QAvD_BwE

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Lynette Robinson's avatar

Thank you for your amazing energy and insights. I don't know how you are able to eat and sleep while attending to so much chaos and then sharing it so eloquently with us every day (and evening). The Contrarian is one positive result of all that has occurred in the past few months.

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It's Come To This's avatar

Are any of us sleeping well these days? 😥

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Louise's avatar

Speaking only for myself, the answer to your question is, "No."

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It's Come To This's avatar

They knew he was unfit and unqualified when they voted for him.

They knew he was just a fake reality TV star who didn't know anything about anything.

They knew he was a cruel, contemptuous jerk when they clapped for him.

They knew he was guilty of blackmail and obstruction of justice even as they exonerated him.

They knew he was going to be the worst person in history ever to sit in the Oval Office --- but they sent him back there again.

Since all them ignored everything they knew about Donald Trump ---- for a little bag of silver coins, or because they were too terrified of being doxed or threatened by his insane, vicious, dumb followers --- they had no illusions left to spare about the Christo-nationalists, drunken fuck-ups, phonies, fakes, louts and scumbags he chose for his Cabinet.

And here we are.

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Bob Egbert's avatar

Well said.

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Phyllis Logan's avatar

Unfathomable ignorance, serial liar, sexual predator, convicted fraud artist. Putin stooge - I'm still trying to forgive those Americans who took a long look at all this and said, yes please.

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Ellie Alive In 25's avatar

It was for the silver coins (Republicans are devoted to Party, Power, Pitilessness, and Pelf) and also because they care nothing about Country or Constitution. He was their weapon against the latter, and it appears to be working.

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Jim Reddick's avatar

What a great opportunity for any entity looking to attack the United States. Our hub for national defense is in disarray. Our national security has been thoroughly compromised. We have an enfeebled commander-in-chief deliberately disabling the parts of the government the citizens depend on for day-to-day functions. The watchdog agencies who should be looking for warning signs are distracted with nonsensical reorganizations. Thank you so much dear leader for creating this situation out of what used to be stable. We will owe any attack(s) directly to your leadership.

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Ann Rock's avatar

Substack needs alternate ways to agree with a comment. I certainly don’t like what you said however, you are 100% correct.

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Robot Bender's avatar

That's what I've been thinking since January 20.

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Charlie in VA's avatar

My Senators, Warner and Kaine have called for Hegseth's resignation or removal. Fortunately, they are not members of the stained forever by Trump party.

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Mrs. Dawn M Blackburn's avatar

Wonder if we could encourage them to go do townhalls in states where R senators up for re-election in 2026? They are capable of making good trouble!

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Betsy L's avatar

I invite Sens. Kaine and Warner to come do a town hall against Thom Tillis, one of my senators, who's up for re-election. Can't even spell his first name correctly.

Tillis is the limp noodle who promised Hegseth's sister-in-law that she could come forward with her testimony on how he abused his second wife (he's now on wife #3) without reprisal. She did, to zero effect, and Tillis voted to confirm Hegseth anyway.

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Charlie in VA's avatar

Charity begins at home. Folks in red states need to figure out how to solve their own problems. After all they created the problems.

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Daniel Solomon's avatar

Nah. Some of us live in majority Dem districts represented by MAGATs. They are extremely vulnerable.

We need every hand on deck. Read Feathers of Hope. https://jerryweiss.substack.com/

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Maria K.'s avatar

Good on them. Mine are idiot Budd and coward Tillis. Ugh. ..

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Daniel Solomon's avatar

Tillis may help on this issue.... get more cooperation with honey.....

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Maria K.'s avatar

I don't know. I've written to them both dozens of times. Made a point to be courteous and to the point to the best of my ability. Budd sends boilerplate answers - like, when I wrote about keeping their filthy hands off Medicare, his reply was "Medicare is inefficient, Elon is trying to fix it, if someone puts in front of me a revamped program, I shall be happy to look at it". Tillis is worse - he pretends like he is doing something, but there are no results. For example, he swore up and down he would get the money to help in restoration of Western NC.... and then we promptly lost the FEMA funding.

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Daniel Solomon's avatar

Have to be persistent.

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Maria K.'s avatar

Excuse me? Did you miss the part where I have written to them dozens of times? Kindly don't teach me how to be politically active - I grew up Soviet, my parents were dissidents, I kind of have a pretty good idea. Maybe don't assume people want your advice when they are just sharing information.

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Bob Egbert's avatar

I agree from Roanoke.

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Joanne J Henry's avatar

So right on! Not one of those Rs can ever again say they support our troops or let the mention of our military escape their lips. They are so done for. We see right thru you, each and every one, and shame is the only badge you carry.

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Robin’s Nest's avatar

It would be very helpful to get a deluge of reporting on the threats that they all keep receiving. There was an inkling of this when Joni Ernst was wavering and stories about an affair started surfacing. I really think a deluge of information on why they are scared and beholden would be helpful in changing the dynamic in the public eye.

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Ann Rock's avatar

Look to Paul Pelosi if you want to know why they’re scared. And Trump just let 100’s of his lunatics out of the asylum….

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Pam Birkenfeld's avatar

I agree but if they are so scared, they should resign.

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Elvi's avatar

Look at Murkowski. Worried about HER safety. The country's security, it seems, is less of a concern. At least she was honest enough to admit it.

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Robin’s Nest's avatar

Yes. Being primaried. being physically attacked. Maybe having your money stolen through DOGE or declared dead in the Treasury payment system. Or a grenade in your dining room.

Instead of just accepting this as a given, the American people should hear about these threats and fears in intimate detail evey day. Maybe it will take lawsuits like Blake Lively, but I think that the constant drumbeat so no one can miss it of the moral depravity of the party would help. These people are not going to get less scared. And the business community needs to understand they won’t be safe either.

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Robin’s Nest's avatar

For me, and I know this is controversial or considered stupid , but the objective is to have a group of people leave the GOP caucus, with their constituents understanding why. We cannot get out of this bind without Democratic control of the Congress. And getting out of the bind is the goal right now. There are others that do not seem scared but just totally confused. From what I can tell Grassley has zero reason not to switch sides and protect his constituents’ interests. But somehow, in his nineties he is being handled in a way that he doesn’t even realize the power he has anymore.

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Mrs. Dawn M Blackburn's avatar

Amen! Let's pursue this for all of them!

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Jim Gifford's avatar

We'll never get good leadership from Pete Hegseth, or from Donald Trump. Sadly, we'll never get good leadership from Republicans in today's Senate, either.

I am old enough to remember when Republican Senators stood up to an unethical, conniving, criminal conspirator president and made him resign.

Today's Senators somehow fear Trump too much to stand up to him.

So Hegseth remains in a position of power he is unfit to wield. Trump will fire Hegseth when Trump thinks Hegseth is making Trump look bad. That's all Trump cares about. Until then, all Hegseth needs to do to keep his job is bark at the press and be loudly loyal to Trump.

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Cynthia Martin's avatar

The whole situation is truly obscene. What a buffoon, endorsed by buffoons! We must be a laughingstock in the eyes of the rest of the world. Senate Republicans should be worried about their own turf on so many levels … not just reelection worries ….

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Michelle Jordan's avatar

If I had done only a tenth of what Hegseth has done I would’ve already been out of a job. He is the most disgusting cretin ever nominated to this role. He’s a damn showboat instead of having any gray matter between his ears. Maybe we all should just pressure our senators to get rid of him. Demand he step down or else.

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Susan Iwanisziw's avatar

Hegseth is bad but Trump who picked him is worse, yet these officials are still defending Trump and his policies. Seems to me a case of trickle-down stupidity.

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bitchybitchybitchy's avatar

Trickle down cowardice

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Badgerblue's avatar

Trickle-down stupidity is the perfect picture of this awful reality.

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SBwrites's avatar

It's always a case of stupidity with him, isn't it? With few exceptions, Trump always has hired people who don't have the qualifications for their jobs. That way they are loyal to him forever. But, at least before, there were civil servants in government who knew how things worked, and could keep the government on track. And, there were Inspectors General who could investigate problems. But, on January 24, 2025, Trump fired 17 of them. He also fired anyone who was looking into Musk's companies.

I'm providing the link below.

In terms of the Inspectors General, an article in Lawfare, suggested Trump had the power to fire them, even if there's no reason.. But, in terms of Musk, I wouldn't think so. I also wonder whether there is any Democratic Group, like The Heritage Foundation for conservatives, that has been studying Project 2025 to determine its legality.

I realize the founders of this country never expected there would be a president like Trump. But, once his first term was over, and the Biden administration was aware of what he had done, and it was clear that Merrick Garland was going to nothing about any of this, until it was too late, and The Heritage Foundation had released Project 2025 in April 2023, I wonder why Congressional Democrats didn't act. It doesn't matter what happened then, but it does matter what is happening now.

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Chuck David's avatar

The Republican senators need to remember that that they took an oath to defend the Constitution and the people they represent. By not taking action regarding Mr. Hegseth, those senators violate their oath and jeopardies their constituents and the rest of the country's security.

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Leigh Horne's avatar

DId you forget that Dave McCormick is a West Point graduate? Hey, fellow Pennsylvanians, did YOU forget that? The man appears to be a tool, not a patriot or military man with a conscience.

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SBwrites's avatar

I live across the country, so I had to look up McCormick. I didn't recognize his name until I read that he was the one who beat Casey. But, one could tell by his background in the Bush administration, the investments he made when he ran Bridgewater, and his wealth that he would follow Trump to Hell.

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bitchybitchybitchy's avatar

So McCormick graduated from West Point. So what?

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Leigh Horne's avatar

So nothing in terms of who he is. My comment wasn't aimed at him or his mother (God help her if she's still living)--it was aimed at the voters in Pennsylvania who might, for cultural reasons, revere him for this fact. As I recall from the time I counseled one woman who had been sent to West Point early on and found it such a toxic environment that she dropped out, West Point appointments are often facilitated by senators and other dignitaries of a given state, including ours. And thereby take on a certain aura, which in McCormick's case, so far, seems inconsistent with his do-nothing record. I exchange letters with his office on a weekly basis, and their canned replies to my queries about his inactions are a study in mealy-mouthism. From reading all sorts of comments on this and other substacks I think I know something of your heart, bitchy bitchy, so Peace. And thanks for the opportunity to clarify my intent.

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Betsy L's avatar

To clarify your comments about West Point graduates:

1) As incoming cadets, they take an oath not "lie, cheat, or steal, nor tolerate those who do." Allegiance to that oath isn't supposed to end when they graduate, or even when they leave the military - it's intended to be inculcated into their lives and value systems. Obviously, that doesn't always happen.

B) Appointments to service academies are not "often facilitated by senators and other dignataries of a given state." In order to be accepted to a service academy (West Point, Annapolis, or the Air Force Academy, and, I believe, the Coast Guard Academy), an applicant goes through a long, rigorous process of testing and interviews. One of the last steps is to be interviewed by the senator from their state. Each senator is given a specific number of appointments they are allowed to make. It's not as if this is somehow a corrupt process where mayors, governors, congressional representatives, and senators are bribed to send political nepo babies to West Point. It's a set, prescribed process, and most senators take it seriously. If a given graduate turns out to be an a-hole or a idiot, that's because even in the military there are a certain percentage of a-holes and idiots. As a veteran and the wife of a grad, I've known a few. I like to think, though, that the percentage is lower than the general population, though I'm biased.

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Leigh Horne's avatar

You aren't so much clarifying as adding information to what was included in my post, including the facilitation by senators, which does in indeed come at the end of a long qualification process. (Sometimes I leave things out in the interest of brevity, but it seems that here that led at least one reader to think I was implying that the process was corrupt, which I wasn't sorry. Jumping to conclusions or reading inferences into a written communique goes with the territory, and we should all take a breath before we go off the deep end. Or the shallow end, wry smile emoji. My assumption here is that the admissions process to our military colleges is sincerely meant to screen out those without honor, and my experiences has been that a good percentage of academy grads are honorable people who take their vows seriously. Which is one of many reasons I get upset when they, like Mr. McCormick, don't. Especially when the reasons they don't include making bags full of money via the type of vulture capitalism which includes shipping jobs overseas, depriving those people living in your state of the ability to earn a living here.

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bitchybitchybitchy's avatar

Thanks for your follow up. As you note, appointments to the service academies are often facilitated by senators.

I know there are people who genuinely feel that military service or matriculation at a service academy is an asset, but I wish people would look beyond that.

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Leigh Horne's avatar

Yeah. Seems like it's time and past time we did that.

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Mrs. Dawn M Blackburn's avatar

I think we need to collectively work to oust those Senators up for re-election! 2026 is fast approaching and it looks ever more like we are being driven by our idiot drunk uncle into a recession or do I whisper a depression? Voters are not going to be happy and I bet our veterans are furious! I did not serve and I am furious! My Navy cross awarded in WWII uncle is rolling in his grave! Unfortunately, I am grateful his is no longer with us to witness what is happening!

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Ann Rock's avatar

I’m certainly in a depression…

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Dave's avatar

And don't forget JD's support....

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Robin’s Nest's avatar

It would be very helpful to get a deluge of reporting on the threat

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