The most relevant quote was penned about 100 years ago by H. L. Mencken:
The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by an endless series of hobgoblins, most of them imaginary
And really DUMB hobgoblins at that. Yet millions of little boys with vaginas actually AREN'T pouring across the Rio Grande to indoctrinate your kindergarteners in critical race theory, there are no Haitian restaurants in Springfield that serve cat or dog, windmills don't cause cancer, the Gulf of Mexico is still the Gulf of Mexico and Canada remains the True North, Strong and Free, Joe Biden really wasn't killed in 2020 and replaced with a robotic clone, Hannibal Lecter isn't a real person and Alcatraz is staying a tourist site (provided brain-dead Republicans don't actually dismantle the National Park System -- which remains a real possibility).
The price of eggs -- well, that's another story....
"The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by an endless series of hobgoblins, most of them imaginary"
Isn't that what The Contrarian does? Article after article of "Orange Man Bad" day in, day out. Be alarmed, the end of democracy is at hand, Trump is an authoritarian, etc. This column is no different. It's been non-stop persecution since 2015.
All the while Jen and company have deliberately ignored the "pro-democracy" presidency of a seriously mentally compromised Joe Biden. It is not up for debate that Joe was supported and shielded by a cabal of family members and close aides, Auto Pen at the ready. It was a Presidency-by-Committee. But The Contrarian will not publish any columns with any introspection, acknowledgement or apology. No commentary about how Democratic policies got them booted from the White House and loss of control of Congress.
So sure, continue in the bubble, confident that all our problems are directly and solely attributed to one Donald J. Trump. Or open your eyes and admit some views and policies of the Democratic Party and their media supporters are part of the problem. Jen and Norm certainly won't.
I live in MAGA town hard hit by Helene. The dollars never came. The people are homeless and even those with homeowners insurance were denied compensation because their policies didn’t include hurricane or flood insurance. Where once there was one breadline, there are now three with a huge donation center for clothes, tents, etc. Some businesses that were underwater survived with community help, others didn’t. Already a poverty stricken county before Helene, Trump promised them salvation—a promise he made to get their votes and grift a few more of their dollars. No SNAP, no Medicaid and they die like flys on tarpaper. And that is exactly the Presidential goal. Emergencies and Trump never seem to merge.
This is a travesty. That idiot Trump tried to criticize Biden's use of FEMA for election purposes when in fact FEMA was doing its job. Now the big fool denies disaster relief. He's trying to recreate the Great Depression. Funny how every time a Republican becomes president, the Democrat who replaces him has historic messes to clean up. When are voters going to realize that?
I might add, that after cleaning up the mess, competent Democrat stewardship is shown the door by a narrow GOP Electoral College win, as in 2000 and 2016. These rural state voters fall for the culture war BS and bring on the next round of bad governance. This time their self defeating decision was aided by a massive billionaire funded media blitz proclaiming our thriving economy to be terrible and our immigration system’s faults to be an invasion, to be cured by going fascist rather than by legislating a better system.
True. I like to call it "Fox Fog." So many people get their "news" from those fools. Other than Reagan, who started the ball rolling on SCOTUS corruption, income inequality, etc., Fox is the biggest reason we're in the mess we're in. It has somehow managed to convince millions of people to vote against their best interests. This is the election cycle where this nonsense comes home to roost. I think if the Republicans don't succeed in ruining Democracy—and they're doing a poor job so far—the party is finished. I'm basing this opinion on what I'm seeing in red district town halls, how badly the GOP reps are handling them, and the outrage of constituents. It's also nice that several smart Democrats are traveling to red districts and telling people like it is.
If you're talking about Sanders and AOC, they're the only ones I know who've visited a lot of red districts. And, even if people don't agree with their politics, they felt someone cared. This video, interviewing some Republicans who attended a Sanders "Fighting Oligarchy" tour, in Bakersfield, CA, a very red city, explains Sanders' appeal, and I found it inspirational. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLeolffpJ0g
There is a reason why the elephant is the gop mascot! The mistreated circus elephants left “mounds of road chips” in their trail for the trainers assistant to shovel up! Thus Dems are always left with mountains of road chips to haul away!
My heart weeps for them. What most don’t realize is how vulnerable they are and FOX News is their only station. Many evangelical churches -80 in my county have uneducated ministers who cannot read or write. This is the rural South. They really did place their Hope on Trump. Today I drove through Trumpville and the flags aren’t waving, 99% of the signs are gone. But the hate and fear—the horrid fear remains.
The Orange Monster is 100% transactional, greedy to the point that he looks at the whole country with his 'Mine, all mine' worldview. He actively hates anyone who doesn't kiss his ring and swear undying fealty to him. And, he is really, really stupid. It used to be common thought that no one president could ever bring down the Republic. That is no longer true.
Thank you for sharing this with us. Did Trump win your county in the 2024 presidential election? What are the Trump supporters who are living through this hardship saying now? I clearly remember Trump claiming Joe Biden was using the money intended to help you & your neighbors ravaged by Helene to "help illegal migrants." We might laugh at this clear LIE - but studies showed that many in the region believed it! I saw a recent video made in West Virginia where they too had suffered an unprecedented flood. The residents who were interviewed, almost all were Trump supporters - and were [expletive deleted] forgiving him! Simply "accepting" their misfortune and accepting that they would do "as we always do and get through this on our own." it was depressing to hear their fatalist attitudes. Asking (forget demanding) for help was clearly a sign of weakness and lack of moral character in this community. You could understand WHY "deaths due to despair" were disproportionately higher in this region.
Trump’s vacant promises were extended to get votes and he hit on already displaced, poor, vulnerable and malleable rural populations. He promised what he knew he would never give and grifted from the poor in the name of God. The grifting is something we could delicately point out when negotiating with MAGA and we are close to Negotiation Day IF we want to save any semblance of Democracy and build the America we envision. In Trumpville there are approximately 2 black families totaling four people, one Indian family of four, one Chinese family of three. Racism is not their issue. It’s jobs and censures requiring education and heavy dollars to do what they have done all of their lives like run a small dairy, carpentry, sewing, etc The government has eradicated everything they know how to do to earn a living. Agriculture was their main living-governmental restrictions and licensures stoped that. Industry was their main living-the government stopped that with NAFTA. Dairy farmers were abundant—government restrictions stopped that. Carpentry was a main living-government stopped that with high insurance fees like $60,000 in workmen’s comp and a license that cost a minimum of $1,500. Trump promised to turn this around so they could earn a living. You and I know he would never do this but malleable and vulnerable people hung onto it like a leech.
Maybe not. TN was a solid Blue State a few decades ago and with good activism stands a chance of changing from red to purple. Trumpville is aggravated about not use loss but lies. The main problem: FOX News Propaganda. Fix that and Blue will win over and over and over.
It would seem as if Trump's only goal is to blame Biden, but from everything I have read, his administration gave money quickly to Democratic and Republican states, that suffered natural disasters. I would be surprised to find out it didn't happen here. But, I'm sure there is more information about all of this online.
The dollars got caught up in bureaucracy amidst numerous FEMA filings and an understaffed FEMA and discouragement of FEMA workers after an anti- FEMA activist spread numerous lies. Then Trump came into office and decided he had the vote, that’s all that matters and he really doesn’t give a fig about anyone else let alone the poor victimized people who voted for him. I hope this offers you clarity and I didn’t cover the illegal DOGE’s refusal to pay out anything to anybody anywhere anytime anyhow except to Musk.
Thank you for your answer. I spent 30 minutes trying to understand what happened, but clearly was wrong, and I apologize. I didn't know where you live, so I couldn't look it up in local newspapers. Anyway, I'm very sorry for all you your town have experienced, and hope things get better.
MAGA aren’t the same, not as didactic pro Trump although some still are-the flags and signs are mostly down. This is an excellent time to cross the divide and reach out—assuming we can be both strong enough and gracious enough to do so without condemnation.
I'm sorry you are being pulled down with the band on the Titanic. I hope your fellow citizens will actually think the next time they're at the ballot box, or even vote at all.
It’s much easier to govern the uneducated and to dictate what and how to teach. Plain and simple. That is why the President in Name Only (PINO) is waging war on Universities and scientific research. Now, that is an Emergency, too.
I have been wondering if the push to reduce funding for health research and medicare is meant to wean out the weakest and poorest and to enrich private health and insurance companies by producing more clients.
For Private health care the more patients, the more profit. For Public healthcare, the fewer the number of patients the more the savings.,
heath research helps everyone even bilionis. this is the stupid part of their plan. you can cut everything to give yourself more money but money has no curative power...no matter how much of it you eat !
Every elected Democrat in North Carolina, should be shouting loudly about Trump’s abdication of duty here, every Democrat running in the midterms should repeatedly call out the abject failure of the administration to care for the needs of citizens in a REAL emergency. Make them own this nightmare.
It’s going to require more than Democrats to stand up. It’s going to require that invertebrate, castrated Republicans grow spines and a pair, and maybe even
a brain, and realize that the maga agenda is not working to their benefit.
Republican Congressmen/women and Senators, you are sniveling cowards. You would rather see your constituents suffer than speak out against Dear Leader. By remaining silent you encourage and are in agreement with Trump's lawbreaking and unconstitutional executive orders; in other words you have violated your oaths of office. Please resign, because you are unable or unwilling to do your job.
Hopefully they will get voted OUT as the catastrophic effects of their abject loyalty to the fascist TACO felon become more and more apparent to the uneducated MAGA cult.
In the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Helene here in NC, Trump lied about FEMA being deliberately slow to respond because most of the folks in western NC voted republican. Now that he's in office, though, Trump doesn't give a damn about those folks and has cut FEMA funding. Surprising? It shouldn't be. People affected by Helene only mattered to Trump until they cast their votes. He never gave a damn what happened to them. Not then, not afterwards.
My working theory since he was inaugurated is that he's going out of his way to troll the very people who voted for him. Narcissists NEVER respect people they can manipulate, and Trump doesn't need those people anymore. They've served their purpose. Likewise, Trump has no respect for knee-bending MOCs or senators, so he steals their constitutional authority and dares them to say a word about it.
'Emergency' in Trump's book is any fig leaf that allows him to usurp power he doesn't otherwise have. Nobody should be surprised that he doesn't care whether his 'emergencies' are real.
This BBB is going to "decrease the surplus population. " Johnson proudly announces that only those who get health care fraudulently will lose. NOT TRUE. The Republican Party is a cruel, racist, mercenary hoarde.
Thank you for keeping fresh eyes on our made-in-America monster president. The clarity, accuracy and truth of your voice continues to ring strong. I personally am feeling weary, but will hang in. June 14th is on my calendar! So true—Trump as president is our emergency.
There is only one remedy for an unsatisfactory and criminal president - impeach, convict, remove. With this Congress, I am not going to stand on one foot or hold my breath...
Jennifer Rubin and the Contrarian are some of the best sources of opinion (=factual) pieces around - clear, concise, compelling. Rubin and Heather Cox Richardson clearly prove false what I had a college professor say nearly 60 years ago: "Women can't write."
I think you give Trump way too much credit. We cannot be told on the one hand, Trump is too dull witted to be truly effective, and next be told that Trump is the mastermind behind all this chaos.
Perhaps it would serve your audience (me for example) better if you focused on the danger posed by those who surround Trump, those who tell President-In-Name-Only what to say. Trump makes a great spokesperson/villain, but we can see he is too clueless to be the actual threat. Those who influence him will still be around after Trump is gone. We need to defang them and start highlighting others who will be an honest representative of all America, despite our many differences. Why wait until next November?
You are absolutely right. Not enough is being said about the insidious attacks on our institutions by Stephen Miller and the Project 2025 crowd. They are the ones developing the punitive ideas. TACO focuses on photo ops and grift.
If I were a conspiracy theorist, I would be promoting Trump as a simple tool for his enablers, as in; "We will give you the wealth you want as long as you continue to use your "Get Out of Jail Free" card to promote our collective agendas." I could have fun writing that kind of fiction/non-fiction.
I've been practically begging for The Contrarian to do more useful reporting than just continually bashing trump. The enablers, from those in the White House to those in the Cabinet, to those who glorify & participated in January 6th, are all complicit.
"Papers of Record." It's been a while since you announced your liberation, and I appreciate your and Norm's strong voices each time I read The Contrarian.
The most relevant quote was penned about 100 years ago by H. L. Mencken:
The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by an endless series of hobgoblins, most of them imaginary
And really DUMB hobgoblins at that. Yet millions of little boys with vaginas actually AREN'T pouring across the Rio Grande to indoctrinate your kindergarteners in critical race theory, there are no Haitian restaurants in Springfield that serve cat or dog, windmills don't cause cancer, the Gulf of Mexico is still the Gulf of Mexico and Canada remains the True North, Strong and Free, Joe Biden really wasn't killed in 2020 and replaced with a robotic clone, Hannibal Lecter isn't a real person and Alcatraz is staying a tourist site (provided brain-dead Republicans don't actually dismantle the National Park System -- which remains a real possibility).
The price of eggs -- well, that's another story....
Welp, he can say he's fulfilling his campaign promises, they were more like noxious threats.
The current hobgoblins are doing anything but leading us to safety. We need some new ones with better material.
Especially "the hobgoblins of LITTLE minds."
"The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by an endless series of hobgoblins, most of them imaginary"
Isn't that what The Contrarian does? Article after article of "Orange Man Bad" day in, day out. Be alarmed, the end of democracy is at hand, Trump is an authoritarian, etc. This column is no different. It's been non-stop persecution since 2015.
All the while Jen and company have deliberately ignored the "pro-democracy" presidency of a seriously mentally compromised Joe Biden. It is not up for debate that Joe was supported and shielded by a cabal of family members and close aides, Auto Pen at the ready. It was a Presidency-by-Committee. But The Contrarian will not publish any columns with any introspection, acknowledgement or apology. No commentary about how Democratic policies got them booted from the White House and loss of control of Congress.
So sure, continue in the bubble, confident that all our problems are directly and solely attributed to one Donald J. Trump. Or open your eyes and admit some views and policies of the Democratic Party and their media supporters are part of the problem. Jen and Norm certainly won't.
What nonsense! Please troll elsewhere.
"What nonsense! Please troll elsewhere."
Exactly the response I'd expect from someone deep inside the bubble...carry on...
Mother Russia thanks you, comrade Hal! Keep shoveling.
Just like Lisa, a response with absolutely no substance...carry on...
I live in MAGA town hard hit by Helene. The dollars never came. The people are homeless and even those with homeowners insurance were denied compensation because their policies didn’t include hurricane or flood insurance. Where once there was one breadline, there are now three with a huge donation center for clothes, tents, etc. Some businesses that were underwater survived with community help, others didn’t. Already a poverty stricken county before Helene, Trump promised them salvation—a promise he made to get their votes and grift a few more of their dollars. No SNAP, no Medicaid and they die like flys on tarpaper. And that is exactly the Presidential goal. Emergencies and Trump never seem to merge.
This is a travesty. That idiot Trump tried to criticize Biden's use of FEMA for election purposes when in fact FEMA was doing its job. Now the big fool denies disaster relief. He's trying to recreate the Great Depression. Funny how every time a Republican becomes president, the Democrat who replaces him has historic messes to clean up. When are voters going to realize that?
I might add, that after cleaning up the mess, competent Democrat stewardship is shown the door by a narrow GOP Electoral College win, as in 2000 and 2016. These rural state voters fall for the culture war BS and bring on the next round of bad governance. This time their self defeating decision was aided by a massive billionaire funded media blitz proclaiming our thriving economy to be terrible and our immigration system’s faults to be an invasion, to be cured by going fascist rather than by legislating a better system.
True. I like to call it "Fox Fog." So many people get their "news" from those fools. Other than Reagan, who started the ball rolling on SCOTUS corruption, income inequality, etc., Fox is the biggest reason we're in the mess we're in. It has somehow managed to convince millions of people to vote against their best interests. This is the election cycle where this nonsense comes home to roost. I think if the Republicans don't succeed in ruining Democracy—and they're doing a poor job so far—the party is finished. I'm basing this opinion on what I'm seeing in red district town halls, how badly the GOP reps are handling them, and the outrage of constituents. It's also nice that several smart Democrats are traveling to red districts and telling people like it is.
If you're talking about Sanders and AOC, they're the only ones I know who've visited a lot of red districts. And, even if people don't agree with their politics, they felt someone cared. This video, interviewing some Republicans who attended a Sanders "Fighting Oligarchy" tour, in Bakersfield, CA, a very red city, explains Sanders' appeal, and I found it inspirational. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLeolffpJ0g
There is a reason why the elephant is the gop mascot! The mistreated circus elephants left “mounds of road chips” in their trail for the trainers assistant to shovel up! Thus Dems are always left with mountains of road chips to haul away!
I am sorry for your community's hardship. It must be so frustrating when people who are hurting g vote for a man who never intended to help them.
The power of a disgusting “charismatic” is in full-on display in MAGA country.
My heart weeps for them. What most don’t realize is how vulnerable they are and FOX News is their only station. Many evangelical churches -80 in my county have uneducated ministers who cannot read or write. This is the rural South. They really did place their Hope on Trump. Today I drove through Trumpville and the flags aren’t waving, 99% of the signs are gone. But the hate and fear—the horrid fear remains.
On all sides now- sad
The Orange Monster is 100% transactional, greedy to the point that he looks at the whole country with his 'Mine, all mine' worldview. He actively hates anyone who doesn't kiss his ring and swear undying fealty to him. And, he is really, really stupid. It used to be common thought that no one president could ever bring down the Republic. That is no longer true.
with the help of really, really stupid americans
Unfortunately, not all stupid. Some really evil ones also-Miller, for example.
quite correct ! One can be stupid and evill.....
Thank you for sharing this with us. Did Trump win your county in the 2024 presidential election? What are the Trump supporters who are living through this hardship saying now? I clearly remember Trump claiming Joe Biden was using the money intended to help you & your neighbors ravaged by Helene to "help illegal migrants." We might laugh at this clear LIE - but studies showed that many in the region believed it! I saw a recent video made in West Virginia where they too had suffered an unprecedented flood. The residents who were interviewed, almost all were Trump supporters - and were [expletive deleted] forgiving him! Simply "accepting" their misfortune and accepting that they would do "as we always do and get through this on our own." it was depressing to hear their fatalist attitudes. Asking (forget demanding) for help was clearly a sign of weakness and lack of moral character in this community. You could understand WHY "deaths due to despair" were disproportionately higher in this region.
Trump’s vacant promises were extended to get votes and he hit on already displaced, poor, vulnerable and malleable rural populations. He promised what he knew he would never give and grifted from the poor in the name of God. The grifting is something we could delicately point out when negotiating with MAGA and we are close to Negotiation Day IF we want to save any semblance of Democracy and build the America we envision. In Trumpville there are approximately 2 black families totaling four people, one Indian family of four, one Chinese family of three. Racism is not their issue. It’s jobs and censures requiring education and heavy dollars to do what they have done all of their lives like run a small dairy, carpentry, sewing, etc The government has eradicated everything they know how to do to earn a living. Agriculture was their main living-governmental restrictions and licensures stoped that. Industry was their main living-the government stopped that with NAFTA. Dairy farmers were abundant—government restrictions stopped that. Carpentry was a main living-government stopped that with high insurance fees like $60,000 in workmen’s comp and a license that cost a minimum of $1,500. Trump promised to turn this around so they could earn a living. You and I know he would never do this but malleable and vulnerable people hung onto it like a leech.
"It's god's will" most likely.
They'll still vote for Republicans, of course...... Right?
Maybe not. TN was a solid Blue State a few decades ago and with good activism stands a chance of changing from red to purple. Trumpville is aggravated about not use loss but lies. The main problem: FOX News Propaganda. Fix that and Blue will win over and over and over.
Karen, I don't understand why the money never came. In just a cursory look online, there was an October 4, 2024 release, in which the Biden-Harris administration provided $45 million to Hurricane Helen survivors. https://www.fema.gov/press-release/20250602/biden-harris-administration-provides-more-45-million-hurricane-helene.
On October, 16, they approved nearly $2 billion dollars. https://bidenwhitehouse.archives.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2024/10/16/fact-sheet-biden-harris-administration-approves-nearly-2-billion-for-hurricane-response-and-recovery-efforts/
Trump started providing misinformation about how Biden handled the Hurricane, but since I live across the country, I have no personal knowledge, and in an Oct 7th NPR article, they said FEMA wasn't running out of money as others had suggested. https://www.npr.org/2024/10/07/nx-s1-5144159/fema-funding-migrants-disaster-relief-fund
On MAY 28, 2025, the Trump administration denied North Carolina's request for the agency to match 100% of the state funds for Helene cleanup, which the Biden Administration had approved. https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/fema-denies-north-carolina-request-100-cost-sharing/story?id=122270931
It would seem as if Trump's only goal is to blame Biden, but from everything I have read, his administration gave money quickly to Democratic and Republican states, that suffered natural disasters. I would be surprised to find out it didn't happen here. But, I'm sure there is more information about all of this online.
The dollars got caught up in bureaucracy amidst numerous FEMA filings and an understaffed FEMA and discouragement of FEMA workers after an anti- FEMA activist spread numerous lies. Then Trump came into office and decided he had the vote, that’s all that matters and he really doesn’t give a fig about anyone else let alone the poor victimized people who voted for him. I hope this offers you clarity and I didn’t cover the illegal DOGE’s refusal to pay out anything to anybody anywhere anytime anyhow except to Musk.
Thank you for your answer. I spent 30 minutes trying to understand what happened, but clearly was wrong, and I apologize. I didn't know where you live, so I couldn't look it up in local newspapers. Anyway, I'm very sorry for all you your town have experienced, and hope things get better.
Multiple red states are waiting for FEMA in vain. FAFO. How's that "owning the libs" working out for you?
MAGA aren’t the same, not as didactic pro Trump although some still are-the flags and signs are mostly down. This is an excellent time to cross the divide and reach out—assuming we can be both strong enough and gracious enough to do so without condemnation.
I'm sorry you are being pulled down with the band on the Titanic. I hope your fellow citizens will actually think the next time they're at the ballot box, or even vote at all.
Watching NC Rep Tim Moore repeat MAGA Mike Trump talking point lies about Medicaid. Needs an attitude adustment. Picket. Sit in.
You are right on the money, Jen. Language is one of the first casualties of autocracy.
It’s much easier to govern the uneducated and to dictate what and how to teach. Plain and simple. That is why the President in Name Only (PINO) is waging war on Universities and scientific research. Now, that is an Emergency, too.
I have been wondering if the push to reduce funding for health research and medicare is meant to wean out the weakest and poorest and to enrich private health and insurance companies by producing more clients.
For Private health care the more patients, the more profit. For Public healthcare, the fewer the number of patients the more the savings.,
heath research helps everyone even bilionis. this is the stupid part of their plan. you can cut everything to give yourself more money but money has no curative power...no matter how much of it you eat !
A real one!☝️
Every elected Democrat in North Carolina, should be shouting loudly about Trump’s abdication of duty here, every Democrat running in the midterms should repeatedly call out the abject failure of the administration to care for the needs of citizens in a REAL emergency. Make them own this nightmare.
It’s going to require more than Democrats to stand up. It’s going to require that invertebrate, castrated Republicans grow spines and a pair, and maybe even
a brain, and realize that the maga agenda is not working to their benefit.
yes, but will the nots give up their trump dream ?
Republican Congressmen/women and Senators, you are sniveling cowards. You would rather see your constituents suffer than speak out against Dear Leader. By remaining silent you encourage and are in agreement with Trump's lawbreaking and unconstitutional executive orders; in other words you have violated your oaths of office. Please resign, because you are unable or unwilling to do your job.
Hopefully they will get voted OUT as the catastrophic effects of their abject loyalty to the fascist TACO felon become more and more apparent to the uneducated MAGA cult.
I hope there will be actual elections. 👹
In the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Helene here in NC, Trump lied about FEMA being deliberately slow to respond because most of the folks in western NC voted republican. Now that he's in office, though, Trump doesn't give a damn about those folks and has cut FEMA funding. Surprising? It shouldn't be. People affected by Helene only mattered to Trump until they cast their votes. He never gave a damn what happened to them. Not then, not afterwards.
My working theory since he was inaugurated is that he's going out of his way to troll the very people who voted for him. Narcissists NEVER respect people they can manipulate, and Trump doesn't need those people anymore. They've served their purpose. Likewise, Trump has no respect for knee-bending MOCs or senators, so he steals their constitutional authority and dares them to say a word about it.
'Emergency' in Trump's book is any fig leaf that allows him to usurp power he doesn't otherwise have. Nobody should be surprised that he doesn't care whether his 'emergencies' are real.
💜 from another North Carolinian.
Well, hey!
Hey from Cary!!
Hey from High Point!
This BBB is going to "decrease the surplus population. " Johnson proudly announces that only those who get health care fraudulently will lose. NOT TRUE. The Republican Party is a cruel, racist, mercenary hoarde.
Thank you for keeping fresh eyes on our made-in-America monster president. The clarity, accuracy and truth of your voice continues to ring strong. I personally am feeling weary, but will hang in. June 14th is on my calendar! So true—Trump as president is our emergency.
The Republican Party died several years ago. Now to bury them once and for all.
He likes fake problems because they distract from the real ones and since they don't actually exist he can just declare them solved.
Valuable and concise. Thank you.
Trump's presidency is the real emergency. We have to get him out!!!! Who can fire him???
There is only one remedy for an unsatisfactory and criminal president - impeach, convict, remove. With this Congress, I am not going to stand on one foot or hold my breath...
You said it. Hope for a change of majorities at the midterm elections. Impeachment proceedings may have more of a chance then.
Jennifer Rubin and the Contrarian are some of the best sources of opinion (=factual) pieces around - clear, concise, compelling. Rubin and Heather Cox Richardson clearly prove false what I had a college professor say nearly 60 years ago: "Women can't write."
I think you give Trump way too much credit. We cannot be told on the one hand, Trump is too dull witted to be truly effective, and next be told that Trump is the mastermind behind all this chaos.
Perhaps it would serve your audience (me for example) better if you focused on the danger posed by those who surround Trump, those who tell President-In-Name-Only what to say. Trump makes a great spokesperson/villain, but we can see he is too clueless to be the actual threat. Those who influence him will still be around after Trump is gone. We need to defang them and start highlighting others who will be an honest representative of all America, despite our many differences. Why wait until next November?
You are absolutely right. Not enough is being said about the insidious attacks on our institutions by Stephen Miller and the Project 2025 crowd. They are the ones developing the punitive ideas. TACO focuses on photo ops and grift.
If I were a conspiracy theorist, I would be promoting Trump as a simple tool for his enablers, as in; "We will give you the wealth you want as long as you continue to use your "Get Out of Jail Free" card to promote our collective agendas." I could have fun writing that kind of fiction/non-fiction.
I've been practically begging for The Contrarian to do more useful reporting than just continually bashing trump. The enablers, from those in the White House to those in the Cabinet, to those who glorify & participated in January 6th, are all complicit.
I am glad you are no longer muted by subservient
"Papers of Record." It's been a while since you announced your liberation, and I appreciate your and Norm's strong voices each time I read The Contrarian.
Thank you.