Happy to know that the Republican in the district next to my blue city is one of the few that does not. I don’t agree with him on much, but at least Thomas Massie is not afraid to say that pedophilia is an abomination.
Marjorie Taylor Greene thinks that pedophilia is an abomination. She used to say that all Democrats are pedophiles. Has anyone asked her if she has changed her mind about who the pedophiles are, since Trump cut her loose?
First ask them if they screamed and yelled when two CONSENTING ADULTS had sex in the Oval Office and demanded Impeachment, but now are perfectly okay with raping children.
Excuse me?
And add, too, if they're part of the group who keeps trying to force their personal beliefs about forcing people to have more children. Why? So the Donnie's and Epstein's and Maxwell's and other pedophiles will have more children to rape? (And, of course, in Donnie's case, more children he can steal healthcare and food from and then just watch them die!!!)
Will anything be made of Aliya Rahman, the disabled woman pulled from her car in January, being arrested, injured and detained by Mike johnson's goons during the State of the Union address? The only thing she said she did was to stand up silently, with no sign.
"I was not just removed and arrested. I was arrested so physically that two other attendees upstairs attempted to intervene in officers pulling on my shoulders after I told them I have a torn rotator cuff tendon and multiple cartilage tears in both of my shoulders. That is what happened in the audio you just played. That is why I cannot lift my arms normally. Two women in the gallery–and thank you to the woman in the white shirt with the red writing, who said, “I need you to take your hands off of her and just let her walk with her cane.” They did not do that. And only when their own sergeant intervened in a back stairwell of that building to say, “Stop! We need to get her medical care and a wheelchair,” did they stop tugging on me while again I was saying “disabled.”"
Trump claimed during Tuesday's State of the Union speech that last summer he destroyed Iran's nuclear capability. But on Wednesday his real estate developer/chief negotiator Witkoff claimed Iran is one week away from having a nuclear bomb. These people need to do a better job keeping their lies coherent.
Great post! Trump again showed his cruelty and corruption.
One small correction: “We have lifted 2.4 million Americans — a record — off of food stamps," Trump said. LIFTED! HE also “lifted” thousands of federal workers off of employment, “lifted” thousands of children off of life-saving vaccines, and “lifted” thousands of Americans into eternal rest through his pandemic policies.
People were not "lifted" off of SNAP. The defunding and realignment of the program DENIED the people the services that they needed that they previously had. They were effectively kicked out of the program.
Schumer is well past his "use-by" date. I'm reminded of the line from The Godfather when Michael Corleone tells Tom Hagen that he's no longer the "consigliare".
"Things could get rough, Tom, and you're not a wartime consigliare"
Chuck just doesn't have fight in him, and that's what the position calls for at this time. I really miss Harry Reid-- he knew how to throw a punch.
Schumer has said recently (in a fundraising appeal?) that he considers his primary duty as US Senator to be the defence of Israel. Probably not all of his constituents agree, though some of the rich ones no doubt do.
The only Italian I know is what I learned from watching mob movies, as well as growing up in a city with a large Italian population (from whom I learned the cuss words ;)
Thanks!! The one that really gets me is Jee-o-vahny for Giovanni, Loochy-ahno for Luciano, etc. Italian is a language that follows the rules - but there are lots of them, and if you don't know them you moider the language. And then there are the exceptions... FORmica rossa is a 1950's style red laminated kitchen table. ForMIca rossa is a red ant. I learnt that the hard way - they all fell about laughing.
God forbid I would ever say this second Trump term is a good thing. But it was a needed thing. Needed to show us how precarious our democracy is. Needed to finally teach Democrats how to fight back against Republican dirty trickery, and how to message to every day Americans. Needed to show Congress it must put formerly unwritten norms into law so no Trump wannabe will exploit them again. Needed to reform our immigration system. Needed to tamp down the billionaire class and to break up monopolies of companies trying to control entire industries. It was needed to prove to everyone, that no matter how rich and powerful you are, you engage in criminal behavoir, especially as far-reaching as the Epstein horrors, you are going to pay a price. Finally, I think it was needed to show the doubters who still believed in Reagan's small goverment mantra that government is necessary, for all sorts of things. Good government is a hand up, not a hand out. We'll repair the damage Trump has wrought. I hate to quote the bastard, but I'll lift some of his rambling rhetoric from J6. We're going to have fight like hell, or we're not going to have a country anymore. The Dems showed some spine on Tuesday night, and I'm here for it.
That is a bit too harsh and over-grouping. Some are racist, some misogynists, some stuck on the party vote, some ignorant and uninformed. And yes, some are total idiots.
I have been preaching that mantra everywhere, especially to my red state senators and congressman. They (occasionally) write back trying to gaslight me with their BS, but I write again, politely reminding them I'm not some rube afflicted with "Fox Fog," and I see right through their lies. You can't defend the indefensible, but my "representatives" try it at every turn. I'm also donating as much as I can to races around the country that I view as flippable. If Shawn Harris can take Green's old Georgia seat next month, the House will be tied! I've sent him some coin and encouraged my friends and followers on social media to do the same.
I don't know if this is the silver lining or polishing a turd. If we emerge on the other side in a few years, the world will be different. The US will no longer be a leader and getting any trust back will take a long time. Even if the Republicans are a minority and Democrats control two of three branches (not getting the Supreme Court in my lifetime, anyways), pushing through massive reform will be difficult and the SC might overturn it. They will need to get rid of the filibuster. Rebuilding destroyed institutions will take years if not decades. Meanwhile over a million have died from losing USAID and we can't bring them back.
You are absolutely correct. While many of us were trying to get the attention of the Democratic Party leaders, they merely sat back and gave speeches to the choir to a non-existent audience for video usage! Unfortunately, most of those democrats remain in power. But, as you aptly point out, there comes a time when those who participated in complicity through non-action catch up to us, and there are no longer alternatives left but to fight back! Now we need the final nail; get rid of all of those past "heroes" of the party, remove them from anything but talk shows of their own, and move forward with young, aggressive people who are ready to work as hard as republicans and attack in a way that recognizes this is a civil war!
You, too, are dead on. Republicans have been pulling dirty tricks since Nixon and managing to stay in power because of them. Creeps like Lee Atwater and Roger Stone invented stuff like "swift boating," that was used to crush Sen. Kerry's presidential bid. Even Michelle Obama's "they go low and we go high," mantra of a few years back showed that class and decorum aren't going to cut it against a band of cuthroats, thieves and liars. We need to take power back by slipping on the metaphorical brass knuckles, and then keep it by showing the America people Democrats are the party that care about them.
The Epstein files will continue to be an issue throughout the year. We always act like we have heard everything but information will continue to come out. As Trump continues to support his administration and puppet Justice department, he will continue to dig deeper and deeper. Keep up the good work telling it like it is, Jennifer!
A speech that wouldn't pass muster in a kindergarden . Just a rambling whiny rant of nothing. Two hours of watching the republicans jump up and down like they had springs in their asses. The sycophant brigade of leaches attached to the rotting flesh of the mentally incapacitated despot.
And if the U.S. Men's hockey team didn't feel used, they should have. They weren't really honored and recognized so much as used for a prop and distraction in a bad theater show.
Stupid may not be the appropriate term. I saw uncomfortable, confused, forced smiles on their faces. A few looked happy to be there - but not all of them.
The New York Times did not report on The State of the Swamp or The People’s State of the Union. Why not? So disappointing and frustrating! It just goes to show you that legacy news cannot be relied on to give a fair, unbiased account of the state of affairs, especially in regard to the pro-democracy, anti-authoritarian movement.
I hate to say it, but if you have the Presidency you have the microphone and attention no matter what. That's the news. In the Biden years the Republican response got little coverage. I don't see this as bias, just the way it is.
The MSM I think is in a difficult spot. They are supposed to be objective. Unbiased truth is what they are selling. But then one side is tearing down freedom of the press and demonizing them. So there's incentive to give more coverage to the pro-democracy opposition but then they look biased, maybe that's fair to you. I give them a little bit of the benefit of the doubt.
But there's always Popper's paradox of tolerance to consider: "A tolerant society must be intolerant of intolerance to survive."
It’s really difficult to swallow the false perception of Mike Johnson that the Republicans need the rest of the four years to “clean up this mess.” Trump multiplied any “messes” there were and the Republicans enabled it. Johnson thinks more time is needed, yet how many weeks, months did he allow his House members to be OUT OF SESSION just to stop votes, stop focus on issues important to the electorate? And this was all to protect the Criminal Chief and to cover up any of his culpability in the Epstein violations. Disgusting and spineless. Dereliction of duty.
It really should be a slam dunk for democrats this fall. We have all been witness to his lies and tyranny on the streets of blue cities and his intentional methods of stealing the 2026 election with his sycophant governors going along with him to gerrymander every district in mostly red states. His intent on pushing SAVE act legislation is designed to stop minorities and women from voting. Democrats must put forward a great strategy to defeat these Republicans who are complicit and own this mess.
What to do about all the money that is already allocated to ICE? WE can withhold new money but there is still gobs in the pot and they’re still terrorizing.
Need to ask EVERY Congressional Republican whether they support pedophelia!
"decomposing president".
Brilliant, Ms. Rubin. And graphically accurate!
They not only need to ask, they need to insist on a yes-or-no answer. Too often the questions are asked, but the non-answer never gets pushback.
Happy to know that the Republican in the district next to my blue city is one of the few that does not. I don’t agree with him on much, but at least Thomas Massie is not afraid to say that pedophilia is an abomination.
Marjorie Taylor Greene thinks that pedophilia is an abomination. She used to say that all Democrats are pedophiles. Has anyone asked her if she has changed her mind about who the pedophiles are, since Trump cut her loose?
First ask them if they screamed and yelled when two CONSENTING ADULTS had sex in the Oval Office and demanded Impeachment, but now are perfectly okay with raping children.
Excuse me?
And add, too, if they're part of the group who keeps trying to force their personal beliefs about forcing people to have more children. Why? So the Donnie's and Epstein's and Maxwell's and other pedophiles will have more children to rape? (And, of course, in Donnie's case, more children he can steal healthcare and food from and then just watch them die!!!)
Excuse me?
Will anything be made of Aliya Rahman, the disabled woman pulled from her car in January, being arrested, injured and detained by Mike johnson's goons during the State of the Union address? The only thing she said she did was to stand up silently, with no sign.
"I was not just removed and arrested. I was arrested so physically that two other attendees upstairs attempted to intervene in officers pulling on my shoulders after I told them I have a torn rotator cuff tendon and multiple cartilage tears in both of my shoulders. That is what happened in the audio you just played. That is why I cannot lift my arms normally. Two women in the gallery–and thank you to the woman in the white shirt with the red writing, who said, “I need you to take your hands off of her and just let her walk with her cane.” They did not do that. And only when their own sergeant intervened in a back stairwell of that building to say, “Stop! We need to get her medical care and a wheelchair,” did they stop tugging on me while again I was saying “disabled.”"
https://www.democracynow.org/2026/2/25/aliya_rahman_sotu
I'm so sorry you went through that! It is atrocious behavior!!
Not me....Aliya Rahman. I was quoting her.
Trump claimed during Tuesday's State of the Union speech that last summer he destroyed Iran's nuclear capability. But on Wednesday his real estate developer/chief negotiator Witkoff claimed Iran is one week away from having a nuclear bomb. These people need to do a better job keeping their lies coherent.
Better yet, just quit lying and tell the truth. It's easier to keep track of.
Maybe Schumer should be asking that question?
You mean that guy who's the nominal head of Democratic Senators? He seems to be off in slumberland most of the time.
Asleep at the wheel.
They don't know how.
Great post! Trump again showed his cruelty and corruption.
One small correction: “We have lifted 2.4 million Americans — a record — off of food stamps," Trump said. LIFTED! HE also “lifted” thousands of federal workers off of employment, “lifted” thousands of children off of life-saving vaccines, and “lifted” thousands of Americans into eternal rest through his pandemic policies.
Isn't "lifted" also a synonym for stealing?
Yes it is, just like 'falsehood' and 'misspoke' are euphamisms for lying.
Among the many current media euphemisms for lying, my favorite is still "lacking in candor".
Good one, as is "displaying a sparkling level of mendacity."
Well spotted, Liverpool! So he sometimes tells the truth without meaning to.
The bit about simultaneously making housing affordable and keeping values high bespeaks a broken mind.
And he said people were "lifted" off SNAP. I guess kicking someone in the pants could be considered a "lift".
I think we would all benefit from him being “lifted” from his current situation, as well.
All together: one, two, three, LIFT!
Heave ho‼️
He's also "lifted" hundreds of thousands of people, many of them children, in Africa and elsewhere into early graves by terminating USAID.
People were not "lifted" off of SNAP. The defunding and realignment of the program DENIED the people the services that they needed that they previously had. They were effectively kicked out of the program.
"lifted"? More like "pushed!"
Heather Cox Richardson said that the word 'lift' did a lot of work in that sentence...
bespeaks a 6X bankrupt mind
Maybe round up to 8x b/c he’s bankrupting the US with his extortion schemes.
Good Point !
Schumer is well past his "use-by" date. I'm reminded of the line from The Godfather when Michael Corleone tells Tom Hagen that he's no longer the "consigliare".
"Things could get rough, Tom, and you're not a wartime consigliare"
Chuck just doesn't have fight in him, and that's what the position calls for at this time. I really miss Harry Reid-- he knew how to throw a punch.
Senator Chris Van Hollen would do a far better job than Schumer.
Ivan, such an appropriate parallel to draw. It DOES remind me, too, of that scene in The Godfather!!
It also comes from a lack of passion. I read one time, “Show me a person without passion and I will show you a person with no talent.”
He is useless.
Schumer has said recently (in a fundraising appeal?) that he considers his primary duty as US Senator to be the defence of Israel. Probably not all of his constituents agree, though some of the rich ones no doubt do.
Consigliere.
Oops, sorry about that! ;)
I just happen to be an Italian-speaking spelling nazi... :)
The only Italian I know is what I learned from watching mob movies, as well as growing up in a city with a large Italian population (from whom I learned the cuss words ;)
Funny how fast one learns the cuss words!
Yeah. Most of the ones I know are in Yiddish
:)) The only kind of naziism worth having!
Me too. And I cringe when I hear people pronounce "grazie" with a silent "e". But I know they mean well. For the record, it's pronounced "gra-tsi-ay".
Thanks!! The one that really gets me is Jee-o-vahny for Giovanni, Loochy-ahno for Luciano, etc. Italian is a language that follows the rules - but there are lots of them, and if you don't know them you moider the language. And then there are the exceptions... FORmica rossa is a 1950's style red laminated kitchen table. ForMIca rossa is a red ant. I learnt that the hard way - they all fell about laughing.
God forbid I would ever say this second Trump term is a good thing. But it was a needed thing. Needed to show us how precarious our democracy is. Needed to finally teach Democrats how to fight back against Republican dirty trickery, and how to message to every day Americans. Needed to show Congress it must put formerly unwritten norms into law so no Trump wannabe will exploit them again. Needed to reform our immigration system. Needed to tamp down the billionaire class and to break up monopolies of companies trying to control entire industries. It was needed to prove to everyone, that no matter how rich and powerful you are, you engage in criminal behavoir, especially as far-reaching as the Epstein horrors, you are going to pay a price. Finally, I think it was needed to show the doubters who still believed in Reagan's small goverment mantra that government is necessary, for all sorts of things. Good government is a hand up, not a hand out. We'll repair the damage Trump has wrought. I hate to quote the bastard, but I'll lift some of his rambling rhetoric from J6. We're going to have fight like hell, or we're not going to have a country anymore. The Dems showed some spine on Tuesday night, and I'm here for it.
trump has turned US into a shithole nation
He has plenty of help from a compliant MAGA congress.
elected by millions of idiot voters !
That is a bit too harsh and over-grouping. Some are racist, some misogynists, some stuck on the party vote, some ignorant and uninformed. And yes, some are total idiots.
you are right, most are all of those things you list...and idiots as well is what I should have said
it's not too harsh...you don't have to be all of those things to have voted for trump, but you do have to be one of them.
let's not forget rich
From your mind and keyboard to those who need to hear of the changes needed to provide us with a more secure nation - and to make them.
I have been preaching that mantra everywhere, especially to my red state senators and congressman. They (occasionally) write back trying to gaslight me with their BS, but I write again, politely reminding them I'm not some rube afflicted with "Fox Fog," and I see right through their lies. You can't defend the indefensible, but my "representatives" try it at every turn. I'm also donating as much as I can to races around the country that I view as flippable. If Shawn Harris can take Green's old Georgia seat next month, the House will be tied! I've sent him some coin and encouraged my friends and followers on social media to do the same.
Thank you and keep it up. We need more people like you to turn the tide.
I will definitely keep it up. The good guys will prevail. I know it.
I don't know if this is the silver lining or polishing a turd. If we emerge on the other side in a few years, the world will be different. The US will no longer be a leader and getting any trust back will take a long time. Even if the Republicans are a minority and Democrats control two of three branches (not getting the Supreme Court in my lifetime, anyways), pushing through massive reform will be difficult and the SC might overturn it. They will need to get rid of the filibuster. Rebuilding destroyed institutions will take years if not decades. Meanwhile over a million have died from losing USAID and we can't bring them back.
true but we got rid of george the third and we can do it again
Keep our pedals on the gas always with this Criminal Enterprise camouflaged as the US govt.
You are absolutely correct. While many of us were trying to get the attention of the Democratic Party leaders, they merely sat back and gave speeches to the choir to a non-existent audience for video usage! Unfortunately, most of those democrats remain in power. But, as you aptly point out, there comes a time when those who participated in complicity through non-action catch up to us, and there are no longer alternatives left but to fight back! Now we need the final nail; get rid of all of those past "heroes" of the party, remove them from anything but talk shows of their own, and move forward with young, aggressive people who are ready to work as hard as republicans and attack in a way that recognizes this is a civil war!
You, too, are dead on. Republicans have been pulling dirty tricks since Nixon and managing to stay in power because of them. Creeps like Lee Atwater and Roger Stone invented stuff like "swift boating," that was used to crush Sen. Kerry's presidential bid. Even Michelle Obama's "they go low and we go high," mantra of a few years back showed that class and decorum aren't going to cut it against a band of cuthroats, thieves and liars. We need to take power back by slipping on the metaphorical brass knuckles, and then keep it by showing the America people Democrats are the party that care about them.
Thank you, Jennifer, for your relentless pursuit of the truth and justice with a side of optimism! Andi in DC
The Epstein files will continue to be an issue throughout the year. We always act like we have heard everything but information will continue to come out. As Trump continues to support his administration and puppet Justice department, he will continue to dig deeper and deeper. Keep up the good work telling it like it is, Jennifer!
I would gladly hand the dumpster a shovel, so he can did deeper.
A speech that wouldn't pass muster in a kindergarden . Just a rambling whiny rant of nothing. Two hours of watching the republicans jump up and down like they had springs in their asses. The sycophant brigade of leaches attached to the rotting flesh of the mentally incapacitated despot.
And if the U.S. Men's hockey team didn't feel used, they should have. They weren't really honored and recognized so much as used for a prop and distraction in a bad theater show.
Thanks Steve 218: Spot on
Well-described! They did look stupid. They must all have had stiff thigh muscles next day.
Stupid may not be the appropriate term. I saw uncomfortable, confused, forced smiles on their faces. A few looked happy to be there - but not all of them.
The New York Times did not report on The State of the Swamp or The People’s State of the Union. Why not? So disappointing and frustrating! It just goes to show you that legacy news cannot be relied on to give a fair, unbiased account of the state of affairs, especially in regard to the pro-democracy, anti-authoritarian movement.
To them and other media outlets, the drivel emanating from Trump is the only "news" they feel the need to report. 🤦♀️
I hate to say it, but if you have the Presidency you have the microphone and attention no matter what. That's the news. In the Biden years the Republican response got little coverage. I don't see this as bias, just the way it is.
The MSM I think is in a difficult spot. They are supposed to be objective. Unbiased truth is what they are selling. But then one side is tearing down freedom of the press and demonizing them. So there's incentive to give more coverage to the pro-democracy opposition but then they look biased, maybe that's fair to you. I give them a little bit of the benefit of the doubt.
But there's always Popper's paradox of tolerance to consider: "A tolerant society must be intolerant of intolerance to survive."
The State of the Swamp did a great deal to elevate the state of my mood, my hope, and my enthusiasm!
It’s really difficult to swallow the false perception of Mike Johnson that the Republicans need the rest of the four years to “clean up this mess.” Trump multiplied any “messes” there were and the Republicans enabled it. Johnson thinks more time is needed, yet how many weeks, months did he allow his House members to be OUT OF SESSION just to stop votes, stop focus on issues important to the electorate? And this was all to protect the Criminal Chief and to cover up any of his culpability in the Epstein violations. Disgusting and spineless. Dereliction of duty.
a great read and very informative. thank you and keep writing
It really should be a slam dunk for democrats this fall. We have all been witness to his lies and tyranny on the streets of blue cities and his intentional methods of stealing the 2026 election with his sycophant governors going along with him to gerrymander every district in mostly red states. His intent on pushing SAVE act legislation is designed to stop minorities and women from voting. Democrats must put forward a great strategy to defeat these Republicans who are complicit and own this mess.
Greg Sargent and Simon Rosenberg discuss this very issue on today’s Daily Blast. Informative and worthwhile podcast!
Thank you
Well said, Michelle!
What to do about all the money that is already allocated to ICE? WE can withhold new money but there is still gobs in the pot and they’re still terrorizing.