The amount of money Musk is pouring into the elections to support Republicans has me worried. No one should be allowed to buy our elections like that. And who knows what manner of chicanery may be employed with the vote count. I hope Dems have the spine this time around to challenge election results that are suspicious. Like they didn't do last time.
Wendy, Don't you know that Musk is absolutely immune in this world, no matter what he does? (And he's absolutely mad, which is another whole discussion, sigh.) If I remember correctly, despite his flapping $100 bills in voters' faces, he actually lost that judicial race in Wisconsin. I like to think it's because of the 100 postcards I sent there, thanks to bluewave.org (which is now sending press-and-stick voter rolls, rather than having to copy them all out in one's, um, increasingly-shakey handwriting).
Like, I just sent another 100 pre-printed, non-partisan cads to Pennsylvania. I don't like rejection (as in slammed doors or hang-ups), but I can't just sign petitions and leave messages for Congress and send pittances to support important fighters in society. It's a way to do SOMEthing, rather than wringing my hands at the latest news!
"What he and his Republican flunkies will leave behind, however, is not merely a hobbled economy but the wreckage of a party that once demanded markets, not governments, direct economic activity. Cronyism, corruption, and protectionism are about as far from market capitalism as one can get."
The hypocrisy is glaring. Their malevolent projection is the only consistent aspect of their "policies".
They accuse everyone else of doing exactly what they are, in fact, the only ones actually doing.
It's maddening, but at last the American people seem to be aware of what's going on behind the curtain.
But John Roberts has ruled that money is speech ('Aye, there's the rub). He with the most money gets to drown out all the other voices. Citizens United has been the catastrophe many of us thought it would be.
Hopefully that will be one of the first things to change, to get money out of politics. Right now the only ones who get elected are usually the best liars and best money concentrators.
You are implying that the 2024 vote is wrong, the same thing the Republicans have done. Trump was duly elected, unfortunately, just as Biden was in 2020. Have you ever been a poll worker?
Trump has stated two or three times that Musk fixed the vote, and Musk has actually confirmed that he did fix the vote. It is possible, however, that they are just referring to Musk's dumping huge amounts of money into election campaigns and doing sneaky things like putting up confusing websites and so on. Or even referring to the incredibly bizarre, coordinated and prolonged media attack on Biden that forced him out of the election. That was one of the weirdest things I have ever seen.
Even Musk couldn't physically change the vote. There are thousands of voting districts around the country, each one with its checks and balances. To infiltrate and alter many of those different systems is something not even the depraved, yet rich, Musk could accomplish. And it doesn't work to alter a small number, because the vote counts would not look right. To swing an election requires adding a few votes everywhere.
As the old saying goes in politics, no amount of money spent rebranding and repackaging will make any difference if you're selling dog food the dogs won't eat. Voters have watched the republicans in action [or is that inaction?] for two years, and what they know is that their cost of living continues to rise, they can't afford gas, groceries, healthcare, or home mortgages. Voters also know Musk is responsible for the mass layoffs of hundreds of thousands of federal workers. No amount of his money will make his dog food palatable.
I wouldn't even utter the words "spine" and "Democrat" in the same breath! They're little more than wimps. The Democrats never learned that you don't send Little Lord Fauntleroy out to do battle against Bluto.
tRump and his toadies 'govern' through chaos, corruption, cruelty, and incompetence. He will be the most expensive president in US history not only in terms of the direct rebuilding costs but of the future reluctance of competent people to work in government and the military. What tRump is doing is nothing less than treason and he needs to be bagged and shipped off to The Hague for an independent war crimes trial.
Surely, when the President of the United States to invites a foreign power to bomb the United States it's high treason, isn't it? Benedict Arnold's name has been anathematized for less.
This should result in the death of the GOP. But with the amount of money being thrown at it from a few very wealthy people, I'm not sure that the natural consequences will follow. Unfortunately continuous propaganda and mind-control works against a very large group of American voters. We need to overturn Citizen's United in legislation as soon as possible.
I really want to be optimistic. Really, truly. I worry that we are becoming overconfident. Getting out the vote is critical. I am worried about voter suppression. I don’t trust the polls - because we know from the past that they’re not a prediction. Remember that a 76% chance of X happening means there’s also a 24% chance that it won’t happen.
Vote. Make sure your friends and neighbours vote. And do everything you can to ensure there’s a safe transition of power. Remember January 6.
Agree. Because of their distrust of all things government, science, and media, I think Republican voters don't answer pollsters or lie. Thus, Democratic predictions are always too high.
That isn't how they conduct polls these days. Since no one answers cold calls, what they do nowadays is assemble "panels" of people who supposedly represent the population and then they ask them questions. I believe most of these panels have been found to skew toward representing the white, well-off/middle-class middle-aged man more than such people exist in the population. You should always read the fine print of any poll and see how they conducted it. If they have no link or reference to methods, you can assume it is made up.
I struggle to find any evidence that conservatives ever supported any of these principles. Yes, they paid lip service, and the commercial media perpetuated the conservative myth (and still does). But the right has always applied these principles when they were convenient and discarded then when they weren’t. It’s always been nonsense.
Fishing is all about deception. First, you bait the hook. Then you tease the fish with real seeming movements. Once the fish tries to eat the bait, you set the hook and reel it in. This is a realistic analogy for what tRump has done. He is and always has been a con artist. He doesn't pay his debts, stiffs his contractors and sues anyone who resists. "Character matters" used to be a theme of Republican office seekers, but it was all an illusion.
Yes, Jennifer, who can forget the many chapters in The Communist Manifesto Marx and Engels devoted to describing how millions of little boys with vaginas just keep pouring across the Rio Grande desperate to invade girls locker rooms, take jobs away from hard-working Americans and force our grandchildren to listen to long, boring, graduate school lectures on critical race theory.... Who among us doesn't remember those chapters, I ask you?..... 🤪😜🤪
Shocking how the man that ran casinos and nearly every other company he owned into bankruptcy is driving the nation into the ground. The GOP has achieved nearly everything they wanted with this fool, and it is bankrupting the nation. The Republicans and reaping what they have sown and I cannot feel any sympathy for them and I am glad that they are learning the lesson of living in a world of lies and delusions. Unfortunately, we also have to deal with the fallout of those lies and delusions.
There hasn't been a recognizable conservative agenda since Eisenhower. The current agenda for Republicans is prattle, punishment, insult and grab power.
Exactly. Reagan killed off every last vestige of legit conservatism in the Republican party and set in motion the anti-science and culture wars to conceal the party's efforts to destroy the US and set up an oligarchy.
I'm not sure I would quire go that far. He certainly got the party on the road you describe, but the collapse has been a team effort, led by the American Oligarchs and the Congress that cow-cows to them.
Why is this POV not being repeated and reiterated on all platforms? It’s not new but, as usual, clearly stated and no longer the minority view. Nothing good has come from the Administration or the Republican Party for years. Is it even a shadow of its former self?
Or the understatement of the year: "Perhaps Republicans’ decision to hand their party and souls over to an unhinged, narcissistic ignoramus was ill-advised."
The way Republicans get around their disasters they caused is to redefine the meaning of words. They take us for fools thinking they can cover up their worst lies, screw-ups, and even crimes. In fact, there’s nothing conservative about what they do. As they manipulate us into thinking they are conservatives that’s another one they’re redefining. They’re the biggest hypocrites and liars in the history of politics in America.
Another way they get around it is to blame someone or something else, and they won't stop looking for the scapegoat: I mean, consider the lawsuit the Trumpers have brought against the newspapers for their coverage of the reflecting pool debacle. They couldn't frame Dave Hearn so they will try to frame the reporters.
This regime has been all about lawsuits (paid for by we, the people) because as long as something is in court, Trump can feel like a winner; after all, there's always another appeal and nothing has been decided and he can just continue doing whatever he wants. That's one -- and has always been one-- of his central MOs, ever since he was instructed in this approach by Roy Cohn..
I hope when the Department of Education is restored that they rework curriculums to include heavy doses of critical thinking, civics and preventive health. Like how to define socialism and how vaccines work.
The amount of money Musk is pouring into the elections to support Republicans has me worried. No one should be allowed to buy our elections like that. And who knows what manner of chicanery may be employed with the vote count. I hope Dems have the spine this time around to challenge election results that are suspicious. Like they didn't do last time.
Why hasn't Musk been prosecuted for bribing people to vote in the Wisconsin judge election? He clearly broke the law in that case.
Wendy, Don't you know that Musk is absolutely immune in this world, no matter what he does? (And he's absolutely mad, which is another whole discussion, sigh.) If I remember correctly, despite his flapping $100 bills in voters' faces, he actually lost that judicial race in Wisconsin. I like to think it's because of the 100 postcards I sent there, thanks to bluewave.org (which is now sending press-and-stick voter rolls, rather than having to copy them all out in one's, um, increasingly-shakey handwriting).
Like, I just sent another 100 pre-printed, non-partisan cads to Pennsylvania. I don't like rejection (as in slammed doors or hang-ups), but I can't just sign petitions and leave messages for Congress and send pittances to support important fighters in society. It's a way to do SOMEthing, rather than wringing my hands at the latest news!
Is he an American citizen?
"What he and his Republican flunkies will leave behind, however, is not merely a hobbled economy but the wreckage of a party that once demanded markets, not governments, direct economic activity. Cronyism, corruption, and protectionism are about as far from market capitalism as one can get."
The hypocrisy is glaring. Their malevolent projection is the only consistent aspect of their "policies".
They accuse everyone else of doing exactly what they are, in fact, the only ones actually doing.
It's maddening, but at last the American people seem to be aware of what's going on behind the curtain.
But John Roberts has ruled that money is speech ('Aye, there's the rub). He with the most money gets to drown out all the other voices. Citizens United has been the catastrophe many of us thought it would be.
My fear has always been that Citizens United is the fatal blow to our Republic.
Hopefully that will be one of the first things to change, to get money out of politics. Right now the only ones who get elected are usually the best liars and best money concentrators.
You are implying that the 2024 vote is wrong, the same thing the Republicans have done. Trump was duly elected, unfortunately, just as Biden was in 2020. Have you ever been a poll worker?
Trump has stated two or three times that Musk fixed the vote, and Musk has actually confirmed that he did fix the vote. It is possible, however, that they are just referring to Musk's dumping huge amounts of money into election campaigns and doing sneaky things like putting up confusing websites and so on. Or even referring to the incredibly bizarre, coordinated and prolonged media attack on Biden that forced him out of the election. That was one of the weirdest things I have ever seen.
I couldn't believe it was happening. Anger and despair.
Even Musk couldn't physically change the vote. There are thousands of voting districts around the country, each one with its checks and balances. To infiltrate and alter many of those different systems is something not even the depraved, yet rich, Musk could accomplish. And it doesn't work to alter a small number, because the vote counts would not look right. To swing an election requires adding a few votes everywhere.
Maybe not. It took the NYT until last week to mention Musk's former paramour, Ashley St. Clair, who says Musk bragged about it.
I don't think that the effects of the radical right-wing efforts at voter suppression have been analyzed.
As the old saying goes in politics, no amount of money spent rebranding and repackaging will make any difference if you're selling dog food the dogs won't eat. Voters have watched the republicans in action [or is that inaction?] for two years, and what they know is that their cost of living continues to rise, they can't afford gas, groceries, healthcare, or home mortgages. Voters also know Musk is responsible for the mass layoffs of hundreds of thousands of federal workers. No amount of his money will make his dog food palatable.
I wouldn't even utter the words "spine" and "Democrat" in the same breath! They're little more than wimps. The Democrats never learned that you don't send Little Lord Fauntleroy out to do battle against Bluto.
Pick on Republicans. We are a big tent party.
We are, but being a big tent party shouldn't imply that we're a party of wimps who are afraid to fight back when the other side cheats.
In a general election, you are either for or against us.
You repeat psy ops bullshit. All politics is (and are) local. We rely on our candidates. At the national level we don't have a single personna.
In Congress, chess and ju jitsu moves are often oblivious to the media. What the candidates say in a primary is not relevant in a general election.
What a candidate in say, NY says, even in a general election, may be poison in flyover country.
tRump and his toadies 'govern' through chaos, corruption, cruelty, and incompetence. He will be the most expensive president in US history not only in terms of the direct rebuilding costs but of the future reluctance of competent people to work in government and the military. What tRump is doing is nothing less than treason and he needs to be bagged and shipped off to The Hague for an independent war crimes trial.
Surely, when the President of the United States to invites a foreign power to bomb the United States it's high treason, isn't it? Benedict Arnold's name has been anathematized for less.
Govern?
That’s why I put the word in scare quotes.
This should result in the death of the GOP. But with the amount of money being thrown at it from a few very wealthy people, I'm not sure that the natural consequences will follow. Unfortunately continuous propaganda and mind-control works against a very large group of American voters. We need to overturn Citizen's United in legislation as soon as possible.
Also abolish Fox Fake News.
The "GOP" or "Republican Party" has been dead for at least 10 years. Let's all call them "MAGATs" from now on to clarify the discussion.
I really want to be optimistic. Really, truly. I worry that we are becoming overconfident. Getting out the vote is critical. I am worried about voter suppression. I don’t trust the polls - because we know from the past that they’re not a prediction. Remember that a 76% chance of X happening means there’s also a 24% chance that it won’t happen.
Vote. Make sure your friends and neighbours vote. And do everything you can to ensure there’s a safe transition of power. Remember January 6.
Agree. Because of their distrust of all things government, science, and media, I think Republican voters don't answer pollsters or lie. Thus, Democratic predictions are always too high.
That isn't how they conduct polls these days. Since no one answers cold calls, what they do nowadays is assemble "panels" of people who supposedly represent the population and then they ask them questions. I believe most of these panels have been found to skew toward representing the white, well-off/middle-class middle-aged man more than such people exist in the population. You should always read the fine print of any poll and see how they conducted it. If they have no link or reference to methods, you can assume it is made up.
Things the GOP no longer supports or stands for under the demented felon Trump:
-- Fiscal responsibility
-- Personal accountability
-- Law and Order / The Rule of Law
-- Free markets
-- The Constitution and Bill of Rights.
State's rights, too. They threw that one out right after Trump decided to start attacking states with ICE and by withholding FEMA.
Yeah, spot on! I was trying to come up with a comprehensive list but knew I'd missed some points. Thanks!
I struggle to find any evidence that conservatives ever supported any of these principles. Yes, they paid lip service, and the commercial media perpetuated the conservative myth (and still does). But the right has always applied these principles when they were convenient and discarded then when they weren’t. It’s always been nonsense.
Fishing is all about deception. First, you bait the hook. Then you tease the fish with real seeming movements. Once the fish tries to eat the bait, you set the hook and reel it in. This is a realistic analogy for what tRump has done. He is and always has been a con artist. He doesn't pay his debts, stiffs his contractors and sues anyone who resists. "Character matters" used to be a theme of Republican office seekers, but it was all an illusion.
Yes, Jennifer, who can forget the many chapters in The Communist Manifesto Marx and Engels devoted to describing how millions of little boys with vaginas just keep pouring across the Rio Grande desperate to invade girls locker rooms, take jobs away from hard-working Americans and force our grandchildren to listen to long, boring, graduate school lectures on critical race theory.... Who among us doesn't remember those chapters, I ask you?..... 🤪😜🤪
Made me laugh. Thanks, ICTT.
"Perhaps Republicans’ decision to hand their party and souls over to an unhinged, narcissistic ignoramus was ill-advised."
Love this.
Shocking how the man that ran casinos and nearly every other company he owned into bankruptcy is driving the nation into the ground. The GOP has achieved nearly everything they wanted with this fool, and it is bankrupting the nation. The Republicans and reaping what they have sown and I cannot feel any sympathy for them and I am glad that they are learning the lesson of living in a world of lies and delusions. Unfortunately, we also have to deal with the fallout of those lies and delusions.
You are right. I hope it turns out your way.
There hasn't been a recognizable conservative agenda since Eisenhower. The current agenda for Republicans is prattle, punishment, insult and grab power.
Exactly. Reagan killed off every last vestige of legit conservatism in the Republican party and set in motion the anti-science and culture wars to conceal the party's efforts to destroy the US and set up an oligarchy.
I'm not sure I would quire go that far. He certainly got the party on the road you describe, but the collapse has been a team effort, led by the American Oligarchs and the Congress that cow-cows to them.
Why is this POV not being repeated and reiterated on all platforms? It’s not new but, as usual, clearly stated and no longer the minority view. Nothing good has come from the Administration or the Republican Party for years. Is it even a shadow of its former self?
Jennifer's last sentence is fine summary.
Or the understatement of the year: "Perhaps Republicans’ decision to hand their party and souls over to an unhinged, narcissistic ignoramus was ill-advised."
The way Republicans get around their disasters they caused is to redefine the meaning of words. They take us for fools thinking they can cover up their worst lies, screw-ups, and even crimes. In fact, there’s nothing conservative about what they do. As they manipulate us into thinking they are conservatives that’s another one they’re redefining. They’re the biggest hypocrites and liars in the history of politics in America.
Another way they get around it is to blame someone or something else, and they won't stop looking for the scapegoat: I mean, consider the lawsuit the Trumpers have brought against the newspapers for their coverage of the reflecting pool debacle. They couldn't frame Dave Hearn so they will try to frame the reporters.
This regime has been all about lawsuits (paid for by we, the people) because as long as something is in court, Trump can feel like a winner; after all, there's always another appeal and nothing has been decided and he can just continue doing whatever he wants. That's one -- and has always been one-- of his central MOs, ever since he was instructed in this approach by Roy Cohn..
In 2016, before tRump 1, I predicted that donald tRump would be the death of the Republican Party. I still think I'm right.
I hope when the Department of Education is restored that they rework curriculums to include heavy doses of critical thinking, civics and preventive health. Like how to define socialism and how vaccines work.