People have been predicting that Trump will crash and burn for decades. Somehow he always bounces back in a better position than ever. Maybe this time it will happen, or maybe it won't. I'd like to see it though.
It helps him that wealthy people think they will be better off with him in power, but if he crashes the economy which is likely, he will lose that support.
Wise words, Sweetie. But it doesn't hurt to consider the stronger lessons of history, which are quite clear on autocracy. Our job these days is to PREVENT the worst depravations, keep the public accurately informed, keep meticulous and copious records (for prosecutions that stick), and planplanplan for a far better future, while the regime collapses under its own garbage.
They’ve already moved on without so much as a pause. I mean, Elon Mush has his big rocket man contract. Keep the records, and the truth will have its day. But the prosecutions will have to come fast, before time runs out.
Possibly, this is analogous to the day when Churchill says, this is not the beginning of the end, but perhaps it is the end of the beginning.
It’s also important to keep in mind, we live in the age of Post-Modernism. What does that mean? In art…a rejection of notions of positive technology and forward thinking notions of progress…
In thought, it seems to be dominated by imitation, by the apparent inability of the mind to escape its own echo-chamber. It corresponds well with the Frankenstein monster AI. It is the age of sequels, the age of plots and characters that don’t even worry about being sincere or authentic. Postmodern thought rejects sincerity, authenticity, and all the other Romantic points of anguish. Simply banishes them.
One can look this stuff up. The point is, we have got to get beyond post-modernism, IMHO. Here I am, waiting for the younger generation to pipe up and say, “We want to find the Truth!” without a hint of irony.
Well-said! Here's to sincerity and authenticity...I think the younger generation is so battered by growing up through (now) two horrendous trump terms and the pathetic capitulation of our institutions that they don't see "Truth" anywhere in the established so-called order. So they don't know who they would be piping up to.
That fool is the one getting yippy. And that’s on top of him already being dippy. That’s a lethal combination for him and the Republican Party. No amount of sane washing can clean up this disaster. It’s the largest own goal by a President in recent history. Maybe ever.
It seems to me there's another side to this roller coaster of a tariff disaster. Would that some enterprising investigative reporter (if we still had any) or some Congressional politician looking for a way to rise should look into who shorted the market within the few days preceding "Liberation Day" and who closed out those short sales before yesterday's surprise reveal of a "pause" on the new (idiotic) tariffs. Insider trading is still a crime, but it's also a way for the rich to get richer. Inquiring minds would like to know.
Assuming that it was either (or both) insider trading or market manipulation, and assuming we elect a Democrat in 2028, one who agrees with the majority of Democrats that these guys need to be held accountable, the statute of limitations for any market shenanigans now runs out in April 2030. Certainly enough time for a non-Merrick Garland type AG to investigate and prosecute.
Thanks for sharing Sen. Schiff's note. He has been a strident critic of the Agent Orangeface for years going back to being the lead manager for impeachment 1. The face that Drumpf hates him gives him a lot of cred.
Rachel Maddow cited some reporting in "Wired" which outlined the likely hood of that scenario. Democrats must win back the House in order to get those investigations underway.
I hope I live to see justice and accountability for more crimes by this regime, than I can count. And it hasn't even been 100 days!
My thoughts exactly! I also checked and found that drumpf is STILL having most of the clothing, made under his trademark name, made outside the US, as in China and Mexico! Wow!! Great example of the pot calling the kettle black.
Looks like it, with US markets cratering again. Perhaps Trump picked that up from his crypto scammers, or, on second thought, maybe the crypto crowd learned it from him long ago.
I desperately hope you are right, and that this is the beginning of the end. for MAGA. HOWEVER, many people have cherished this hope so many times in the past 10 years, only to be let down bigly. "They" always find a scapegoat to deflect blame for whatever goes wrong. I fear it will take a lot more sustained pressure from mega-money to move Trump and the MAGA wall.
Exactly, Miriam. It certainly won't be from any sudden realization of morality issues, nor the least concern (beyond lip service) about the working and middles classes. Nor even issues of national reputation in the world. It's the money - the big money - that talks.
And pressure from consumers. If you have a 401k or whatever, call your broker every day and chew his/her ears off. Tell them to call Washington. If you own a stock or mutual fund, sell as much as you can, and watch the brokers panic. Turn their panic into leverage.
When prices go up at the store or wherever you shop, bawl them out. It may be hard to complain to an online vending machine, but they have a corporate headquarters. Write a letter a day and send it by snail mail. Tell them what’s bad for their business.
And do the postcard thing. Send out 20 a day if you can afford the postage and the cards. To whatever Boson/Moron takes your attention - they all vie for your attention, you know. They want it. So give it to them.
Even your favorite political heroes need to get a letter in the mail reminding them that you won’t give any more money to fundraisers, because you don’t send good money after bad. And stick to it. The fundraising gig is the biggest scam perpetrated on decent people in recent history.
It’s a gig because it has nothing to do with whatsoever is true, good, honest, or worthy. They pick your pocket and when the election’s over, they hit the road with a big chunk of it.
This is all a brainstorm by the way. I’ve done a few of these things, my wife has done others. To embrace it as a way of life would be hard. But there is power in numbers.
Hahahahaha! Yeah, I’ll bet Chuck Schumer will get right on that turning up the heat thing. It was fine when he had Pelosi to do the dirty work and he could stand to the side and slightly behind and nod but now that he’s being asked to do something brave he (and all the rest of us) are discovering that he is missing the courage gene.
There are others in the Senate and House who can stir the waters. Schumer has been back-seated by the likes of Cory Booker and Chris VanHollen. In the House, we have voices like Jasmine Crockett and Jamie Raskin.
I have a conservative Republican friend, but not a Trumper or Maga, who actually heard Warren's comments and said “I agree with everything she said”. I almost fell off my chair when he said that.
You are so right, Beth. Chuck is certainly not Nancy by a LONG SHOT. The reasons that the MAGAts hated her was because she was so damned brilliant and the best Speaker of the House in history. She was not afraid to literally point her finger at Drumpf and call him out. Which one of the Dems in the Senate could fill her high heels? Chris Murphy is well-known for strongly speaking out at this perilous time. Cory Booker's recent record-breaking Senate performance historic. I, too, am a fan of Chris Van Hollen. Alas, in terms of taking back the Senate, the Dems have a new problem, though: 3 sitting Senators will not be running for re-election at a time when we need them to stay the course. I truly hope that Jen is right and that the tide will turn and drown Drumpf. Like Miriam states in these posts, we've seen this hopeful scenario how many times during the past 10 years? Time will tell.
I don’t know that I’d be counting the chickens just yet. In a perverse way, he’s a bit like Houdini. Every time we think he’s on the way to becoming toast, he somehow manages to escape. The Hollywood Access tape, Covid, electoral loss in 2020, 2 impeachments, 4 criminal indictments totaling almost 100 charges, assassination attempt, the list goes on. And yet here we are, stuck with his stupid lying face in ours, 24/7, with no relief in sight. Waiting for someone with the smarts to get creative with a drone. Maybe that would work.
I hate to admit it, but he is like Houdini. Or maybe a cat with nine lives. Every time you think this is it, he went too far, he manages to survive and torment us once more. But I have to hope for the best.
I agree how awful he is, but some of the fault is ours. Trump was much less powerful in his first presidency, and the January 6 Select Committee could have destroyed him. They did a masterful job of figuring everything out, and then wasted months with all the televised hearings, instead of writing their report and publishing it before the election.
They never wrote the September Interim report they had promised, They didn't agree they could find him guilty until the beginning of December, and didn't publish their only report until December 22, 2022, after Trump had won, and all the Republicans who were key players in the Insurrection and Cover-Up were going to be sworn into leadership positions.
I apologize for my rant, but I was furious at the time, and still am. And, Republicans were ready to impeach Trump on the night of January 6, along with Democrats, and Speaker Pelosi wouldn't do it.
I'm sure there are people who disagree with me, but I spent months researching all of this, reading books, and articles, and reading all of the transcripts.
Also, Democrats had a published copy of Project 2025 in April of 2023. Republicans and Trump were terrified it would derail his campaign. So, Trump lied, and said he knew nothing about it, and they fired Paul Dans who was overseeing it. But, that's what they're using to govern, and the entire White House is filled with people from The Heritage Foundation, whose CEO Kevin Roberts masterminded Project 2025, and feels they're engaged in a Holy War, to take the country back. He's a true zealot, but very organized, and well-funded. So is Leonard Leo from The Federalist Society.
I’m furious too, but we don’t see eye to eye on a few things. The January 6 House Committee did all it could, and the needle still didn’t move. Now, almost 3 months into the current nightmare, we know absolutely nothing is going to move the hardcore MAGAT. I blame 3 people for this whole mess, McConnell for not convicting him at his second impeachment, Garland for dragging his feet and appointing Jack Smith way too late in the game, and the worst one of the entire rotten bunch, John Roberts, for killing Smith’s January 6 case and annointing the scumbag a king who can do no wrong.
John, I wrote a lengthy response to you, which I sourced, and lost. I can’t write any more now, but we do agree about MAGAs, McConnell, Garland, and Roberts!
John, yes we disagree on some crucial issues, but we agree on some others. I have been well aware from the beginning that MAGAs are a cult, who would/will follow Trump to Hell, with no questions asked. In terms of McConnell, despite despising Trump personally, he implemented his agenda, voted for him in the last election, and spent his entire career destroying the Senate, and opposing campaign finance control and gun control bills, among others.
After listening to Garland’s speech, I knew he was the wrong person for the job. He was going to let bygones be bygones. He would not be “investigating wrongdoing, rooting out unethical behavior and getting to the bottom of the politicization of the department, which are central to restoring the Justice Department’s reputation.” By the time, he hired Smith, it was too late. Until his lack of leadership, he let our enemies, total freedom to continue destroying our democracy from the inside.
And, yes, John Roberts has destroyed the integrity of SCOTUS, and politicized it, and allowing dark money to flourish, and “whittling down voting rights.” And Leo Leonard from the Heritage Society was responsible for packing SCOTUS with six Catholic conservative justices.
Reportedly, yesterday Rep. W. Gregory Steube (R-Fla.) called Speaker Johnson a liar and said, “I rebuke you in the name of Jesus!" according to three sources.https://www.alternet.org/gop-johnson-budget/
I've been hoping that some Republicans would have a revelation that they were working for/with the devil.
Speaking of same, on another site we've been talking about Musk. And his hero...Hitler. "(According to the Tesla website, April 20 is “Elon Musk Day,” a moment in time for celebrating the underappreciated genius. [Also Hitler's birthday.} Elon once tweeted that he was “considering taking Tesla private at $420”; in 2021 he raised money for SpaceX by selling shares for $419.99, just one penny below $420; he acquired Twitter for $54.20 a share; has noted in a tweet, “I was born 69 days before 4/20”; and sometimes just randomly tweets 420.)
"This year, however, Hitler’s birthday is the date one of Donald Trump’s first executive orders requires Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to submit to him a report on whether or not he can suspend the Constitution and Bill of Rights by invoking the Insurrection Act of 1807."
Truing to make a doddering old fool look like a master negotiator will prove to be the undoing to today’s Republican Party. Business is spooked, constituents are angry, our allies don’t trust us(they shouldn’t) and the pall of failure and uncertainty has fallen over the country. The midterms are going to be epic. Americans are sick and tired of this nonsense, and we’ll prove it.
"Now is the time for Democrats to turn up the heat, highlight the extent of the self-induced economic crisis, and force Republicans to either abandon ship or go down with the Titanic presidency. Our economic survival, not to mention our democracy, might depend on it."
But, are they doing it? April 5 was a magnificent day, and Jeffries and Schiff say they are going to investigate whether there was insider trading, but I believe Republicans won't let them do it. And, waiting for them to act is a waste of time. I was hoping they would learn from the protests, and from Bernie Sanders and AOC, who just spoke to 36,000 people today in Los Angeles. As far as I can tell, they are still the only ones out there. Jane, we might have discussed this before about Sanders and AOC. I was writing under the name of SusanB, and changed it to SBwrites.
If his plan was to all along "sell high and buy low" along with his cronies he succeeded. As much as I respect Paul Krugman I really saw a new perspective from Daniel Pinchbeck "Paul Krugman is Wrong". A Coworker from pre-ACT 10 when I worked with the state developing scientific primary research equipment always said to me " You ALWAYS need to harvest otherwise why grow anything?" His point was that the markets are set to sell high. By time my 401K can react , it is too late. I feel as this is what the entire trade war has been about, buying low and selling high.
1. Zero sum game. If someone lost $3 trillion, somebody else won it. IMHO Trump has surrounded himself with people who know how to short the market.
2. A few right wing Republicans are opposing him. Grassley has a bill that would remove his power to adjust tarriffs. A right-wing group with financial ties to Leonard Leo and the Koch network, the New Civil Liberties Alliance sued, claiming that Trump’s decision to invoke the International Emergency Economic Powers Act did not give him the power to “usurp” Congress’s right to control tariffs or “upset the Constitution’s separation of powers.” https://newrepublic.com/post/193612/donald-trump-lawsuit-tariffs-far-right-group
3. He now is at odds with Musk, who is recommending a tariff free zone, the US and EU.
About Grassley Bill: https://www.grassley.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/trade_review_act.pdf was stuck in committee or so I thought and was not introduced to the Senate. Also even with 3 defections in the house it is sure to get vetoed. The only good thing about that is making them vote yea or nay.
Is he really at odds or is this more showmanship? Did Elon get all that he wants with DOGE and is now finding a new way out? He did this once before During the first Trump administration in 2017, Elon Musk served on two of President Trump's business advisory councils: the Strategic and Policy Forum and the Manufacturing Jobs Initiative (https://money.cnn.com/2017/06/01/news/elon-musk-resigns-trump-adviser/index.html).
Yes, I'm sure it was the plan. This just feels like Milliken / Boesky junk bond, insider trading scheme from the late 80s reworked. Money pimps from Wall Street playing the game with no guard rails in place. Such small thinking. A good re-read of "Den of Thieves" by James Stewart might be worthwhile. It's about winning, and Trump with the picture of he and his dad behind him in the oval office, just speaks volumes to these events.
I thought this moment might have arrived right after Wisconsin, which proved --- even to the morons and cowards in the Republican Party --- yes, the Titanic really did hit an iceberg. Yesterday's hurricane only confirmed it. Yesterday, the only drooling idiot calling the Manchurian Cantaloupe a stable genius was (no, not North Korean State TV), but Stephen Miller.
What must be going through their minds right now is:
--What kind of totally inept asshole could actually make the world start selling US Treasuries?
--How much of a fruitcake do you have be to declare war on the penguins of Heard Island?
--What kind of deranged psychopath would support Russia and North Korea against Ukraine?
--What vicious traitor would actually play golf on the weekend that 4 fallen US servicemen arrive home to Dover AFB? What president before this one would ever have done that?
Our job is to force them to think these questions, day-in, day-out, losing sleep, losing their minds, and hopefully their money, until the moment they lose their Congressional seats.
Trump is truly an incompetent moron. What he was really angry about is that his new insult for people who opposed the tariffs, Panican, was widely criticized. He believes he's "brilliant" at creating punishing insults. And, I would agree that it's his best skill, although although not an appropriate one for a president. I truly think Trump didn't realize the importance of the Wisconsin election. He was far more focused on the Florida House races, which they won--despite the progress Democrats made in the numbers.
New Yorkers have always known that PINO is a humongous fraud, a giant ignoramus, and now a felon. If the rest of the country had listened to us, we would have happier and more optimistic recent chapters in our American history: not only the first Black president but also the first Woman president instead of this s**t show.
Kathleen Pirquet: You know, you could be right. I thought also that perhaps God is just infinitely patient and is giving him more time than the rest of humanity needs to grow the xxxx up.
Has Blackmail and Extortion Replaced the Art of the Deal?
Certainly, on the international stage, it appears that Trump has moved on from pretending to be an expert negotiator via his ghost-written "The Art of the Deal" to being a downright thug who threatens to crush any country that doesn't bend to his will.
During his 4 years in the political wilderness, Trump galvanized a critical mass of cult believers in each state, whom he learned to use to blackmail any primary candidate who didn't support him. The implicit message was and still is: "If you don't fall in behind me, I will campaign against you, and my supporters will vote for your adversary" .
Trump’s increasing use of blackmail was most recently exhibited yesterday in Maine. Trump had threatened to withhold the federal funding, authorized by Congress, for children's school lunches in Maine unless Maine prohibited transgender athletes from participating on female teams. When the Governor pushed back on his demands, Trump promptly pulled the children's lunch funds. Maine is now contesting this in court. If children’s school lunches aren’t off-limits for his blackmail tactics, nothing will be off the table for Trump to exploit.
The art of extortion has trumped the art of the deal.
We've also seen how Trump blackmailed two of America's largest law firms into supporting his policies and staying clear of clients who don't. Rather than push back and make the legal profession proud of them, Paul Weiss and Skadden Arps opted for the money, and also the shame. They are now being denounced throughout the legal profession for handing an easy win/win to Trump and for their greed and cowardice.
In January, we remember how Trump threatened to withhold federal disaster aid for wildfire-ravaged Los Angeles unless California leaders changed the state’s approach on its management of water.
We have also seen how Trump has used a wide variety of threats to withhold funds authorized by Congress for a wide variety of educational purposes, such as funding for universities for medical, scientific and other research unless the institutions agree to abolish courses of studies inconsistent with Trump's far-right political ideologies.
But an even greater danger looms ahead unless our courts stand in Trump's way. Thus far, with some exceptions, the use of blackmail and threats has been largely levied against institutions and people who are engaged in activities which the Trump administration wants to eliminate, such as diversity related courses and programs.
Perhaps even more serious may be blackmail attempts to induce institutions and individuals to take affirmative actions in support of right-wing doctrines and ideologies, such as demanding among colleges and universities, upon the threat of the withdrawal of federal funding, that they teach courses which extol white nationalism, the teachings of designated religious orders, etc. Having forced Paul Weiss and Skadden Arps to agree to provide millions of dollars worth of pro bono legal representation for MAGA related causes, it's not too much of a leap to expect that similar blackmail tactics will be used to force other institutions and individuals to engage in positive steps to further the causes of Trump's white male Christian ideologies.
While Trump's abuses and blatant exploitations of the powers of his office are slowly working their way through our judicial system, there is great anxiety and apprehension as to whether the majority of the Justices on our highest Court will act as fair and impartial jurists or whether they will serve as Trump's enablers and co-conspirators.
Optimism is not running rampant through the halls of justice.
I hope this is the beginning of the end of the Trump era!
So say we all.
People have been predicting that Trump will crash and burn for decades. Somehow he always bounces back in a better position than ever. Maybe this time it will happen, or maybe it won't. I'd like to see it though.
It helps him that wealthy people think they will be better off with him in power, but if he crashes the economy which is likely, he will lose that support.
So much for the notion that wealthy people are smarter than the rest of us.
Definitely not smarter. Certainly and obviously more influential.
I think he has lost their support and they will find a way to get rid of him...
Counteth not thy chickens before they hatcheth.
Wise words, Sweetie. But it doesn't hurt to consider the stronger lessons of history, which are quite clear on autocracy. Our job these days is to PREVENT the worst depravations, keep the public accurately informed, keep meticulous and copious records (for prosecutions that stick), and planplanplan for a far better future, while the regime collapses under its own garbage.
They’ve already moved on without so much as a pause. I mean, Elon Mush has his big rocket man contract. Keep the records, and the truth will have its day. But the prosecutions will have to come fast, before time runs out.
Possibly, this is analogous to the day when Churchill says, this is not the beginning of the end, but perhaps it is the end of the beginning.
It’s also important to keep in mind, we live in the age of Post-Modernism. What does that mean? In art…a rejection of notions of positive technology and forward thinking notions of progress…
In thought, it seems to be dominated by imitation, by the apparent inability of the mind to escape its own echo-chamber. It corresponds well with the Frankenstein monster AI. It is the age of sequels, the age of plots and characters that don’t even worry about being sincere or authentic. Postmodern thought rejects sincerity, authenticity, and all the other Romantic points of anguish. Simply banishes them.
One can look this stuff up. The point is, we have got to get beyond post-modernism, IMHO. Here I am, waiting for the younger generation to pipe up and say, “We want to find the Truth!” without a hint of irony.
Well-said! Here's to sincerity and authenticity...I think the younger generation is so battered by growing up through (now) two horrendous trump terms and the pathetic capitulation of our institutions that they don't see "Truth" anywhere in the established so-called order. So they don't know who they would be piping up to.
Hopefully by the end of the month...
That fool is the one getting yippy. And that’s on top of him already being dippy. That’s a lethal combination for him and the Republican Party. No amount of sane washing can clean up this disaster. It’s the largest own goal by a President in recent history. Maybe ever.
Yippy AND whiny isn't a picture of strength, though it's well in keeping for a challenged coward going down in flames.
"...Own Goal..." -- I LOVE THIS!!!💖
Unfortunately, I don’t think Trump is smart enough to get yippy
It seems to me there's another side to this roller coaster of a tariff disaster. Would that some enterprising investigative reporter (if we still had any) or some Congressional politician looking for a way to rise should look into who shorted the market within the few days preceding "Liberation Day" and who closed out those short sales before yesterday's surprise reveal of a "pause" on the new (idiotic) tariffs. Insider trading is still a crime, but it's also a way for the rich to get richer. Inquiring minds would like to know.
I saw this today From Sen Schiff:
“ Trump is creating giant market fluctuations with his on-again, off-again tariffs.
These constant gyrations in policy provide dangerous opportunities for insider trading.
Who in the administration knew about Trump's latest tariff flip flop ahead of time? Did anyone buy or sell stocks, and profit at the public’s expense?
I'm writing to the White House — the public has a right to know.”
Assuming that it was either (or both) insider trading or market manipulation, and assuming we elect a Democrat in 2028, one who agrees with the majority of Democrats that these guys need to be held accountable, the statute of limitations for any market shenanigans now runs out in April 2030. Certainly enough time for a non-Merrick Garland type AG to investigate and prosecute.
Thanks for sharing Sen. Schiff's note. He has been a strident critic of the Agent Orangeface for years going back to being the lead manager for impeachment 1. The face that Drumpf hates him gives him a lot of cred.
Rachel Maddow cited some reporting in "Wired" which outlined the likely hood of that scenario. Democrats must win back the House in order to get those investigations underway.
I hope I live to see justice and accountability for more crimes by this regime, than I can count. And it hasn't even been 100 days!
My thoughts exactly! I also checked and found that drumpf is STILL having most of the clothing, made under his trademark name, made outside the US, as in China and Mexico! Wow!! Great example of the pot calling the kettle black.
Jimmy Kimmel pulled out this selection of China-made Trump tchotchkes again a couple of nights ago. Here they are from his show in Oct. ‘24:
https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1CZewdBrmG/?mibextid=wwXIfr
Kinda shows just how stupid he is that he's having his own products tarifffed by himself AND China. Wow!
Agreed, but very difficult to prove since Trump tipped every reader of his account on X.
Pump and dump...
Looks like it, with US markets cratering again. Perhaps Trump picked that up from his crypto scammers, or, on second thought, maybe the crypto crowd learned it from him long ago.
Pump and dump goes back as far as the robber barons and Credit Mobilier.
Interesting
I desperately hope you are right, and that this is the beginning of the end. for MAGA. HOWEVER, many people have cherished this hope so many times in the past 10 years, only to be let down bigly. "They" always find a scapegoat to deflect blame for whatever goes wrong. I fear it will take a lot more sustained pressure from mega-money to move Trump and the MAGA wall.
Exactly, Miriam. It certainly won't be from any sudden realization of morality issues, nor the least concern (beyond lip service) about the working and middles classes. Nor even issues of national reputation in the world. It's the money - the big money - that talks.
And pressure from consumers. If you have a 401k or whatever, call your broker every day and chew his/her ears off. Tell them to call Washington. If you own a stock or mutual fund, sell as much as you can, and watch the brokers panic. Turn their panic into leverage.
When prices go up at the store or wherever you shop, bawl them out. It may be hard to complain to an online vending machine, but they have a corporate headquarters. Write a letter a day and send it by snail mail. Tell them what’s bad for their business.
And do the postcard thing. Send out 20 a day if you can afford the postage and the cards. To whatever Boson/Moron takes your attention - they all vie for your attention, you know. They want it. So give it to them.
Even your favorite political heroes need to get a letter in the mail reminding them that you won’t give any more money to fundraisers, because you don’t send good money after bad. And stick to it. The fundraising gig is the biggest scam perpetrated on decent people in recent history.
It’s a gig because it has nothing to do with whatsoever is true, good, honest, or worthy. They pick your pocket and when the election’s over, they hit the road with a big chunk of it.
This is all a brainstorm by the way. I’ve done a few of these things, my wife has done others. To embrace it as a way of life would be hard. But there is power in numbers.
If J6 wasn't the end, neither is this.
Sadly.
It's time for the pile-on.
Hahahahaha! Yeah, I’ll bet Chuck Schumer will get right on that turning up the heat thing. It was fine when he had Pelosi to do the dirty work and he could stand to the side and slightly behind and nod but now that he’s being asked to do something brave he (and all the rest of us) are discovering that he is missing the courage gene.
There are others in the Senate and House who can stir the waters. Schumer has been back-seated by the likes of Cory Booker and Chris VanHollen. In the House, we have voices like Jasmine Crockett and Jamie Raskin.
We also have Elizabeth Warren who is quite active and speaking out both in the Senate and out in the world.
I have a conservative Republican friend, but not a Trumper or Maga, who actually heard Warren's comments and said “I agree with everything she said”. I almost fell off my chair when he said that.
Trump and MAGAts are NOT conservative. Not even close. They managed to skulk along under that banner for a while, but true colors leak.
Sorry, I neglected to mention them! We do have active voices speaking out for us. Speaking out is positive and contagious.
We also have Chris Murphy in the Senate.
You are so right, Beth. Chuck is certainly not Nancy by a LONG SHOT. The reasons that the MAGAts hated her was because she was so damned brilliant and the best Speaker of the House in history. She was not afraid to literally point her finger at Drumpf and call him out. Which one of the Dems in the Senate could fill her high heels? Chris Murphy is well-known for strongly speaking out at this perilous time. Cory Booker's recent record-breaking Senate performance historic. I, too, am a fan of Chris Van Hollen. Alas, in terms of taking back the Senate, the Dems have a new problem, though: 3 sitting Senators will not be running for re-election at a time when we need them to stay the course. I truly hope that Jen is right and that the tide will turn and drown Drumpf. Like Miriam states in these posts, we've seen this hopeful scenario how many times during the past 10 years? Time will tell.
Chuck Snoozer
I don’t know that I’d be counting the chickens just yet. In a perverse way, he’s a bit like Houdini. Every time we think he’s on the way to becoming toast, he somehow manages to escape. The Hollywood Access tape, Covid, electoral loss in 2020, 2 impeachments, 4 criminal indictments totaling almost 100 charges, assassination attempt, the list goes on. And yet here we are, stuck with his stupid lying face in ours, 24/7, with no relief in sight. Waiting for someone with the smarts to get creative with a drone. Maybe that would work.
But remember what finally happened to Houdini!
That gives me hope.
I hate to admit it, but he is like Houdini. Or maybe a cat with nine lives. Every time you think this is it, he went too far, he manages to survive and torment us once more. But I have to hope for the best.
Even cats run out of chances.
"He's slimier than two eels screwing in a bucket of snot." I wish I could take credit for this, but I cleaned up one word.
Yup
I agree how awful he is, but some of the fault is ours. Trump was much less powerful in his first presidency, and the January 6 Select Committee could have destroyed him. They did a masterful job of figuring everything out, and then wasted months with all the televised hearings, instead of writing their report and publishing it before the election.
They never wrote the September Interim report they had promised, They didn't agree they could find him guilty until the beginning of December, and didn't publish their only report until December 22, 2022, after Trump had won, and all the Republicans who were key players in the Insurrection and Cover-Up were going to be sworn into leadership positions.
I apologize for my rant, but I was furious at the time, and still am. And, Republicans were ready to impeach Trump on the night of January 6, along with Democrats, and Speaker Pelosi wouldn't do it.
https://www.politico.com/news/2022/10/14/pelosi-trump-impeachment-ukraine-00061649
I'm sure there are people who disagree with me, but I spent months researching all of this, reading books, and articles, and reading all of the transcripts.
Also, Democrats had a published copy of Project 2025 in April of 2023. Republicans and Trump were terrified it would derail his campaign. So, Trump lied, and said he knew nothing about it, and they fired Paul Dans who was overseeing it. But, that's what they're using to govern, and the entire White House is filled with people from The Heritage Foundation, whose CEO Kevin Roberts masterminded Project 2025, and feels they're engaged in a Holy War, to take the country back. He's a true zealot, but very organized, and well-funded. So is Leonard Leo from The Federalist Society.
I’m furious too, but we don’t see eye to eye on a few things. The January 6 House Committee did all it could, and the needle still didn’t move. Now, almost 3 months into the current nightmare, we know absolutely nothing is going to move the hardcore MAGAT. I blame 3 people for this whole mess, McConnell for not convicting him at his second impeachment, Garland for dragging his feet and appointing Jack Smith way too late in the game, and the worst one of the entire rotten bunch, John Roberts, for killing Smith’s January 6 case and annointing the scumbag a king who can do no wrong.
John, I wrote a lengthy response to you, which I sourced, and lost. I can’t write any more now, but we do agree about MAGAs, McConnell, Garland, and Roberts!
John, yes we disagree on some crucial issues, but we agree on some others. I have been well aware from the beginning that MAGAs are a cult, who would/will follow Trump to Hell, with no questions asked. In terms of McConnell, despite despising Trump personally, he implemented his agenda, voted for him in the last election, and spent his entire career destroying the Senate, and opposing campaign finance control and gun control bills, among others.
https://democracy21.org/news/op-eds/the-man-who-ruined-the-senate-meet-mitch-mcconnell-wertheimer-op-ed
After listening to Garland’s speech, I knew he was the wrong person for the job. He was going to let bygones be bygones. He would not be “investigating wrongdoing, rooting out unethical behavior and getting to the bottom of the politicization of the department, which are central to restoring the Justice Department’s reputation.” By the time, he hired Smith, it was too late. Until his lack of leadership, he let our enemies, total freedom to continue destroying our democracy from the inside.
https://www.usnews.com/opinion/articles/2024-11-18/forget-matt-gaetz-merrick-garland-is-americas-worst-attorney-general
And, yes, John Roberts has destroyed the integrity of SCOTUS, and politicized it, and allowing dark money to flourish, and “whittling down voting rights.” And Leo Leonard from the Heritage Society was responsible for packing SCOTUS with six Catholic conservative justices.
https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/analysis-opinion/why-you-should-care-about-dark-money-politics
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/jun/10/john-roberts-us-supreme-court-voting-rights-decision
https://www.theguardian.com/law/2024/apr/12/billionaire-leonard-leo-rejects-senate-subpoena-supreme-court-gifts
starting to take a peek under the emperor's diapers (clothes)
Jennifer, A Musk epiphany?
Reportedly, yesterday Rep. W. Gregory Steube (R-Fla.) called Speaker Johnson a liar and said, “I rebuke you in the name of Jesus!" according to three sources.https://www.alternet.org/gop-johnson-budget/
I've been hoping that some Republicans would have a revelation that they were working for/with the devil.
Speaking of same, on another site we've been talking about Musk. And his hero...Hitler. "(According to the Tesla website, April 20 is “Elon Musk Day,” a moment in time for celebrating the underappreciated genius. [Also Hitler's birthday.} Elon once tweeted that he was “considering taking Tesla private at $420”; in 2021 he raised money for SpaceX by selling shares for $419.99, just one penny below $420; he acquired Twitter for $54.20 a share; has noted in a tweet, “I was born 69 days before 4/20”; and sometimes just randomly tweets 420.)
"This year, however, Hitler’s birthday is the date one of Donald Trump’s first executive orders requires Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to submit to him a report on whether or not he can suspend the Constitution and Bill of Rights by invoking the Insurrection Act of 1807."
See Thom Hartmann, "Trump’s "Hitler’s Birthday" Gift: The Death of American Democracy."https://hartmannreport.com/p/trumps-hitlers-birthday-gift-the-ffc
not that I indulge but 4/20 is also weed day.
But the real meaning of 4/20 is actually "National Pineapple Upside-down Cake Day". (true)
Perfect for upside down world
It's also Easter this year, so we can celebrate Jesus and the spawn of Satan on the same day.
Love the weed day hommage.
I love pineapple upside-down cake.
Weed and feed!
What's not to like?
Truing to make a doddering old fool look like a master negotiator will prove to be the undoing to today’s Republican Party. Business is spooked, constituents are angry, our allies don’t trust us(they shouldn’t) and the pall of failure and uncertainty has fallen over the country. The midterms are going to be epic. Americans are sick and tired of this nonsense, and we’ll prove it.
From your fingers to the overmind of the Universe.
We are slow to rile, but will strike like lightning once fully charged.
"Now is the time for Democrats to turn up the heat, highlight the extent of the self-induced economic crisis, and force Republicans to either abandon ship or go down with the Titanic presidency. Our economic survival, not to mention our democracy, might depend on it."
Perfect.
But, are they doing it? April 5 was a magnificent day, and Jeffries and Schiff say they are going to investigate whether there was insider trading, but I believe Republicans won't let them do it. And, waiting for them to act is a waste of time. I was hoping they would learn from the protests, and from Bernie Sanders and AOC, who just spoke to 36,000 people today in Los Angeles. As far as I can tell, they are still the only ones out there. Jane, we might have discussed this before about Sanders and AOC. I was writing under the name of SusanB, and changed it to SBwrites.
If his plan was to all along "sell high and buy low" along with his cronies he succeeded. As much as I respect Paul Krugman I really saw a new perspective from Daniel Pinchbeck "Paul Krugman is Wrong". A Coworker from pre-ACT 10 when I worked with the state developing scientific primary research equipment always said to me " You ALWAYS need to harvest otherwise why grow anything?" His point was that the markets are set to sell high. By time my 401K can react , it is too late. I feel as this is what the entire trade war has been about, buying low and selling high.
This may be deja vu all over again. https://alternativefundinsight.com/how-next-us-treasury-secretary-once-broke-the-bank-of-england/
1. Zero sum game. If someone lost $3 trillion, somebody else won it. IMHO Trump has surrounded himself with people who know how to short the market.
2. A few right wing Republicans are opposing him. Grassley has a bill that would remove his power to adjust tarriffs. A right-wing group with financial ties to Leonard Leo and the Koch network, the New Civil Liberties Alliance sued, claiming that Trump’s decision to invoke the International Emergency Economic Powers Act did not give him the power to “usurp” Congress’s right to control tariffs or “upset the Constitution’s separation of powers.” https://newrepublic.com/post/193612/donald-trump-lawsuit-tariffs-far-right-group
3. He now is at odds with Musk, who is recommending a tariff free zone, the US and EU.
4. We can take advantage. Read Feathers of Hope. https://jerryweiss.substack.com/
Only takes 3 Republican House members to kick it off
About Grassley Bill: https://www.grassley.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/trade_review_act.pdf was stuck in committee or so I thought and was not introduced to the Senate. Also even with 3 defections in the house it is sure to get vetoed. The only good thing about that is making them vote yea or nay.
Is he really at odds or is this more showmanship? Did Elon get all that he wants with DOGE and is now finding a new way out? He did this once before During the first Trump administration in 2017, Elon Musk served on two of President Trump's business advisory councils: the Strategic and Policy Forum and the Manufacturing Jobs Initiative (https://money.cnn.com/2017/06/01/news/elon-musk-resigns-trump-adviser/index.html).
Musk's involvement was marked by his advocacy for climate change action and infrastructure spending. However, he resigned from these advisory councils in June 2017 after President Trump announced that the U.S. would withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement (https://money.cnn.com/2017/06/01/news/elon-musk-resigns-trump-adviser/index.html). Musk publicly stated his disagreement with the decision and emphasized the importance of addressing climate change (https://money.cnn.com/2017/06/01/news/elon-musk-resigns-trump-adviser/index.html).
Yes, I'm sure it was the plan. This just feels like Milliken / Boesky junk bond, insider trading scheme from the late 80s reworked. Money pimps from Wall Street playing the game with no guard rails in place. Such small thinking. A good re-read of "Den of Thieves" by James Stewart might be worthwhile. It's about winning, and Trump with the picture of he and his dad behind him in the oval office, just speaks volumes to these events.
I thought this moment might have arrived right after Wisconsin, which proved --- even to the morons and cowards in the Republican Party --- yes, the Titanic really did hit an iceberg. Yesterday's hurricane only confirmed it. Yesterday, the only drooling idiot calling the Manchurian Cantaloupe a stable genius was (no, not North Korean State TV), but Stephen Miller.
What must be going through their minds right now is:
--What kind of totally inept asshole could actually make the world start selling US Treasuries?
--How much of a fruitcake do you have be to declare war on the penguins of Heard Island?
--What kind of deranged psychopath would support Russia and North Korea against Ukraine?
--What vicious traitor would actually play golf on the weekend that 4 fallen US servicemen arrive home to Dover AFB? What president before this one would ever have done that?
Our job is to force them to think these questions, day-in, day-out, losing sleep, losing their minds, and hopefully their money, until the moment they lose their Congressional seats.
Telling it like it is, Corbin. And we all should pass it on to the Republicans in the Senate and House. RELENTLESSLY!
Trump is truly an incompetent moron. What he was really angry about is that his new insult for people who opposed the tariffs, Panican, was widely criticized. He believes he's "brilliant" at creating punishing insults. And, I would agree that it's his best skill, although although not an appropriate one for a president. I truly think Trump didn't realize the importance of the Wisconsin election. He was far more focused on the Florida House races, which they won--despite the progress Democrats made in the numbers.
New Yorkers have always known that PINO is a humongous fraud, a giant ignoramus, and now a felon. If the rest of the country had listened to us, we would have happier and more optimistic recent chapters in our American history: not only the first Black president but also the first Woman president instead of this s**t show.
" . . . and declares that, for instance, God ordained that he survive an assassination attempt." Said by Trump to the sound of a swirling toilet.
God doesn't want him. The Devil just gets off on the earthly suffering for a while before finally collecting the trash.
Kathleen Pirquet: You know, you could be right. I thought also that perhaps God is just infinitely patient and is giving him more time than the rest of humanity needs to grow the xxxx up.
Has Blackmail and Extortion Replaced the Art of the Deal?
Certainly, on the international stage, it appears that Trump has moved on from pretending to be an expert negotiator via his ghost-written "The Art of the Deal" to being a downright thug who threatens to crush any country that doesn't bend to his will.
During his 4 years in the political wilderness, Trump galvanized a critical mass of cult believers in each state, whom he learned to use to blackmail any primary candidate who didn't support him. The implicit message was and still is: "If you don't fall in behind me, I will campaign against you, and my supporters will vote for your adversary" .
Trump’s increasing use of blackmail was most recently exhibited yesterday in Maine. Trump had threatened to withhold the federal funding, authorized by Congress, for children's school lunches in Maine unless Maine prohibited transgender athletes from participating on female teams. When the Governor pushed back on his demands, Trump promptly pulled the children's lunch funds. Maine is now contesting this in court. If children’s school lunches aren’t off-limits for his blackmail tactics, nothing will be off the table for Trump to exploit.
The art of extortion has trumped the art of the deal.
We've also seen how Trump blackmailed two of America's largest law firms into supporting his policies and staying clear of clients who don't. Rather than push back and make the legal profession proud of them, Paul Weiss and Skadden Arps opted for the money, and also the shame. They are now being denounced throughout the legal profession for handing an easy win/win to Trump and for their greed and cowardice.
In January, we remember how Trump threatened to withhold federal disaster aid for wildfire-ravaged Los Angeles unless California leaders changed the state’s approach on its management of water.
We have also seen how Trump has used a wide variety of threats to withhold funds authorized by Congress for a wide variety of educational purposes, such as funding for universities for medical, scientific and other research unless the institutions agree to abolish courses of studies inconsistent with Trump's far-right political ideologies.
But an even greater danger looms ahead unless our courts stand in Trump's way. Thus far, with some exceptions, the use of blackmail and threats has been largely levied against institutions and people who are engaged in activities which the Trump administration wants to eliminate, such as diversity related courses and programs.
Perhaps even more serious may be blackmail attempts to induce institutions and individuals to take affirmative actions in support of right-wing doctrines and ideologies, such as demanding among colleges and universities, upon the threat of the withdrawal of federal funding, that they teach courses which extol white nationalism, the teachings of designated religious orders, etc. Having forced Paul Weiss and Skadden Arps to agree to provide millions of dollars worth of pro bono legal representation for MAGA related causes, it's not too much of a leap to expect that similar blackmail tactics will be used to force other institutions and individuals to engage in positive steps to further the causes of Trump's white male Christian ideologies.
While Trump's abuses and blatant exploitations of the powers of his office are slowly working their way through our judicial system, there is great anxiety and apprehension as to whether the majority of the Justices on our highest Court will act as fair and impartial jurists or whether they will serve as Trump's enablers and co-conspirators.
Optimism is not running rampant through the halls of justice.
Donald Trump was ALWAYS and REMAINS a full-on, downright thug.
Lipstick on a pig...
PINO.