I live in hard red South Crackerlina. Sadly, what I hear most from magats and near-magats is support for trump's brutal immigration policies. Far too many people whom I try to understand truly believe the bullshit that he is all that's stopping us from being overrun by rampaging hordes of non-whites, and being made subservient to 'sharia law'. The stupidity is incredible.
And they pin their support to that, in tolerating his corruption and malfeasance.
Flat tax, top to bottom, for all earnings and incomes over 'X amount', from any source. No deductions or evasions.
I'm no math or econ whiz, but I think it must be possible to calculate a rate to produce plenty of revenue to cover federal expenditures. If we had a worthwhile Congress that actually represented us ALL, the flat rate would likely be remarkably low. My imaginary Congress would actually create worthwhile budgets.
Sorry. I fell over laughing at my insanity. Now, I can't get up.
Bernie Sanders used to say he wanted to tax the millionaires and billionaires...until he became a millionaire. Now he just wants to tax the billionaires.
Just how much more do you want to tax the billionaires?
Signe, you are correct but it’s pointless to engage with “Hal” who appears to be a chronic fault-finding troll whose continuous carping prevents any meaningful engagement.
Hubert, I'm not the one in an ideological bubble. I criticize Trump and the Republicans on a regular basis in this forum. How many times have you articulated any criticism of either Jen or the Democratic Party?
No. Bernie stopped criticizing millionaires once he became one. The wealthy are already being taxed, but all Bernie and the Dems can say is they don't pay their "fair share", which is a great buzz phrase but not very specific.
The working class pays 10-30 percent while dealing with current inflation rate of 3.80 percent. The wealthy pay 3 to 24 percent taxes and are benefitting from all of the restrictions lifted. The tax cuts to the wealthy have currently cost our country 10 trillion in revenue. Those are irrefutable facts, that Trump and his corrupt administration and the Republicans in Congress own. It is pretty obvious that things need to be adjusted to even the scale. Bernie supports these reforms. Meanwhile cuts are still happening to every program that helps the elderly, the needy, and the sick in this country.
Thanks for the reply. No doubt there needs to be some fixes. I would suggest we completely scrap the tax code and start over. We managed to fund the federal government without an income tax until a little over a hundred years ago, but then again the federal government was still relatively small.
But what doesn't get mentioned is that we have more of a spending problem than a taxing problem. Neither the Dems nor the Repubs are very serious about reducing spending.
The U.S. economy has performed much better under Democratic presidents than Republican presidents in the modern era. In almost every measure of the U.S. economy including total job growth, unemployment, economic growth, manufacturing job growth, manufacturing investment, small business creation, and contribution to the national debt, economic performance is stronger under Democrats. While there are many factors contributing to these trends, the throughline is clear that Democratic administrations consistently help the U.S. economy perform better than Republican administrations.
Republicans have prioritized tax cuts that benefit the wealthy and that fail to boost economic growth or pay for themselves, while Democrats have prioritized investing in the middle class, supporting small businesses, and improving economic resilience after downturns. Of the 11 recessions in the modern era, 10 have begun under Republican presidents.
Overall job growth has been greater under Democratic presidents
Job growth has been notably greater under Democratic presidents than Republican presidents since the early 1980s. Looking at the last seven presidents, job growth totaled over 50 million under Democratic presidents compared to only 17 million under Republican presidents. Most recently, job growth has totaled nearly 16.2 million under the Biden-Harris administration as the U.S. economy has recovered from the pandemic recession. Conversely, there were 2.7 million fewer Americans employed when President Trump left office than at the beginning of his term, making him the first president in the modern era to oversee net job losses.
Bernie changed his rhetoric from millionaires to billionaires when billionaires became a reality, which they weren’t in any real sense before that. Bernie has enough to afford a couple of homes and a comfortable life, but no one can say he’s super wealthy or corrupt. Using him as your talking point is illogical.
The old Republican Party of Lincoln & Reagan that you (& I) once were involved with no longer exists. That old Republican Party is dead & gone. That old Republican Party will never return. The very name "Republican Party" has become exceptionally toxic to tens of millions of American voters from all sorts of backgrounds & viewpoints. May the current MAGA Republican Party soon share the fate of the Whig Party.
"The party of Reagan" laid the foundation for everything we are seeing today. The lionizing of Reagan these days is just ...odd.
It's true that maybe by a few narrow standards, Reagan could seem reasonable compared to today's fascist cult called the GOP, but that is a very low bar.
The bear hug of the religious right via Jerry Falwell and his 'Moral Majority', the fundamental attacks on the social safety net and government in general from every direction, the embrace of openly racist stances via 'welfare queens' and the huge acceleration of the so-called War On Drugs, his no-holds barred push for massive deregulation and military spending that skyrocketed the national debt, the deep corruption of the Savings & Loan and Iran-Contra scandals...all formed a clear direct line to the Tea Party, then to Trump.
As I read in a Joyce Vance substack, history may not repeat itself, but it rhymes! There is a clear through-line, as you describe it, and the Ds should be able to make an easy case for winning future elections; and it will be up to us and people like Marc Elias and others to ensure we actually have elections!
oh plenty more..the full frontal attack on unions, the dramatic increase in income inequality, the attacks on abortion rights, his terrible SCOTUS appointees including Scalia....
Not me I am working class and I despised Reagan as he despised me and people like me. That being said at least he would have been against installing the 4th Reich as the fat orange thing has .
I wonder, would he have? Or did he just not have the opportunity?
The Iran Contra scandal alone was worthy of the Trump gang. The level of corruption in that saga is still underrated IMO. Reagan and all his crew should have been jailed. Instead, Bush Sr. became Pres, Reagan is near saint-like and Ollie North is a frequent FOX News guest.
In my view, based on growing up in Reagan's California as well as his USA, Reagan had none of Lincoln's virtues except, perhaps, folksiness. Goldwater-to-Trump has been the Republicans' straight as an arrow bobsled to hell. And we let them take us along.
Growing up in California when Reagan was governor taught me all I needed to know about him and his callus approach to the common good when governing. Trump is the logical conclusion of what I saw.
You should probably omit Reagan and return to Eisenhower. Reagan started the downfall with his 'trickle down economics' and other destructive programs.
I thought of mentioning Ike too...even Nixon in some ways was more liberal than Reagan, as weird as that sounds now (can we imagine the GOP creating the EPA today?)...but yeah maybe Ike was the last principled GOP pres.
Of course, Nixon was a boy scout compared to Trump, but I digress....
...and, of course, the GOP Rubin supported, the Cheney/ Tea Party GOP, was much worse than even Reagan's party.
Reagan jump started this mess. My children still remember watching me sitting on the floor in front of the television, with tears running down my face, saying, "The old fart won," and then...."THE OLD FAR WON AGAIN!" It's because of him we still have "welfare queen" stories, and he is the reason Republicans started hating Dr. Fauci.
He did do one good thing: He instituted "Obamaphones."
I hope so too, but our system needs (and at some level the people also want) 2 healthy, sane political parties. I hope that either MAGA is a passing thing (kinda like passing gas), or somehow a new party comes out of the ashes of the GQP. But starting a party is very difficult so I don't know how it will end
MAGA is hopefully a passing fad, but it isn't the real problem. Project 2025 wasn't Trump's agenda, it was the culmination of decades of planning by groups like the Federalist Society, the Heritage foundation, etc. Callais also wasn't about Trump, it was the finale to Roberts' career long obsession with eviscerating the VRA. The current Republican party may wrap itself in the MAGA label, but the rot has been spreading for decades. Our system works best with two parties, but there may not be anything salvageable from today's Republican party
I'm sorry, but I don't think MAGA is a passing fad. Trump has unleashed the fears and resentment of 25-33 percent of the electorate and given them huge power. They may lose national and some state elections, but they will continue to dominate local and state politics across all of the Southern states and the Midwest. The gerrymandering frenzy may also give them frequent control of the House; I think the Dems have a great shot at taking back the House in 2026, but I think 2028 will be the real test of MAGA's strength. The MAGA states already control more than 200 electoral votes, leaving the 7 swing states to decide the election. It doesn't take more than a few thousand MAGAs in each of those states to win, if the Dems don't turn out as they failed to do in 2024. I hope that like the Whigs and Know-Nothings, they do fad away, as you say, but I am truly concerned that the genie of hatred is out of the bottle for the foreseeable future.
I would say the Republican Party of Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt and Dwight Eisenhower. I have a hard time including Reagan in that group. I will allow that Reagan was a superior choice to that offered by today's Republicans.
Actually the old GOP predates Reagan. Starting with old Ronnie, EVERY GOP administration has increased the size of govt and increased national debt with their idiot tax cuts and trickle down economics. Ironically, 10 of the last 11 recessions have occurred during GOP administrations. They have not been fiscally responsible for the last 50 years! They just talk a good game and are masters of the con game.
It seems to me that even the term "conservative" is dead and gone. It was, after all, what the republican party used to claim. Now it is the MAGA party of extremists who couldn't give a damn about what actually made this country great. (Yes, even when it made mistakes, as we all do.)
There are probably some actual "conservatives" left in the population, but certainly not in elected office.
I would also immediately add raising the minimum wage, if Democrats want to consider moving any of the 140 million poor and low-wealth people in the country to the voting booth. The party cannot continue to ignore these folks. They're getting crushed.
I consider myself an independent who has voted for Republicans in the past when they fielded the better candidate. Not any more. Republicans have demonstrated that they are unwilling or unable to stand up against Trump's growing tyranny and massive corruption.
When I read about the massive theft of our tax dollars to pay off the insurgents, some of them violent criminals, I have to ask myself why I should even bother to pay my taxes. I do not want my hard-earned dollars funneled into the pockets of criminals and the Trump family. If I refuse to pay my taxes, I would not have to worry about an audit, would I? After all, the laws apply to all of us equally, right? Or am I just fooling myself?
James Talerico must be thrilled that his likely opponent in November will be the scandal-plagued Paxton, not the incumbent Coryn, thanks to Trump, who consistently backs candidates that the overall electorate should loathe.
One overlooked area of resistance is the impact of the Jim Crow gerrymandering of the South on college athletics. Particularly football where schools like Alabama and Ole Miss have reigned supreme with excellent black, southern recruits. These players have options and now may see that aligning with a major college in a “free” state is a way for them, and perhaps their families, to escape overt racism.
Entertainment venues of all types may even decide to boycott Jim Crow states. That is major money. Tourists within the U.S., and/or internationally, also have many options to travel and spend at places that respect and honor all citizens.
Southern MAGA white supremacy may support billionaire corruption, but they sure do not consider the consequences to their reputation and the livelihood of their communities!
So many great points from Jen and commenters. I am so tired of waking up every day and wanting to throttle the people who will not oppose Trump. We the people are owed an enormous restitution from these grifters who are getting away with billions in their pockets and literally and figuratively bankrupting the American people. There is no reason why any American should live in poverty at any age as far as our domestic agenda goes climbing back the stolen wealth and taxing the wealthy to reduce the wealth and equity in our country. Must be up there among the first priorities, I would love to see Pete Buttigieg take on such a project in the next Cabinet.
In other words, no matter how incompetent, corrupt or unpopular a politician is, that's not enough. The voters need a credible alternative. To me that means the Democrats have to find candidates who are electable, whatever that means. At least in the Senate they've come up with some pretty good choices (Brown in OH, Cooper in NC, Tallarico in TX, etc).
Now we have to see who ends up as the nominee in 2028. I used to decry the fact that people start running for President the day after the old presidential election, because 4 years of speculation and the brain-dead horse race coverage by the media is annoying. But I've come to believe that the ultra-marathon that the race has become actually helps to find the best candidate-- anyone who can survive the blows of the campaign will have a good chance of winning (and any skeletons would likely already be known.
The corruption that has been allowed by the MAGA party is astounding. Why can’t these people see it for what it’s worth? The MAGA’s that lost their races in the primaries should start voting their conscience if they still have one. The arch, the ballroom and the slush fund should come to an end. Now. It’s a perfect time to impeach if the MAGA’s have a spine.
I agree with your assessment of the worst of the MAGA people. For some time I have said that they are beyond rehabilitation to productive, valued citizens. They simply must be marginalized.
If Dems lose in the midterms it will be because they have spent the last two years blaming Trump instead of “the Republicans”. All the idiocy has been pinned repeatedly on one man, so the cult members can go on voting for their wacko Congressional incumbents without acknowledging their role in this farce. Shame on all the news people (including the Contrarian) for letting this happen).
The strategy is to align the local Trump toadies running for election or reelection with the massive corruption, indecency, and tone deaf policies and behavior of the Trump administration. Along with offering alternative sound governing practices, Democrats and Independents running for elected office just have to illuminate the many incompetent (tariffs, endless wars, etc) Trump acts Republicans support, along with the ridiculous vanity projects (ballroom, reflective pool, golden statues, etc). Make Republicans justify how they are the party of fiscal conservatism and small government amid this bloated cash give away of our tax dollars. Make them justify what they allowed to happen to our economy by supporting Trump’s continued lunacy.
That is not quite enough. A clear statement of a platform of programs that aren't 'pie in the sky' eliteism are a requirement. These are needed to aid and reassure voters that they have not been forgotten, and will again be served by their government; that their taxes will not be squandered on preemtive wars and vanity projects.
Add a seventh-TAX THE BILLIONAIRES.
And an eighth.
RELEASE ALL OF THE EPSTEIN FILES.
That might add a significant number of non-MAGAs to the wave.
Add a ninth: end mass detention and deportation and close the "camps."
I live in hard red South Crackerlina. Sadly, what I hear most from magats and near-magats is support for trump's brutal immigration policies. Far too many people whom I try to understand truly believe the bullshit that he is all that's stopping us from being overrun by rampaging hordes of non-whites, and being made subservient to 'sharia law'. The stupidity is incredible.
And they pin their support to that, in tolerating his corruption and malfeasance.
Depressing.
This is number 1 to me. I’m a 6th generation American Jew and America is hewing too close to
You're singing my song .
Flat tax, top to bottom, for all earnings and incomes over 'X amount', from any source. No deductions or evasions.
I'm no math or econ whiz, but I think it must be possible to calculate a rate to produce plenty of revenue to cover federal expenditures. If we had a worthwhile Congress that actually represented us ALL, the flat rate would likely be remarkably low. My imaginary Congress would actually create worthwhile budgets.
Sorry. I fell over laughing at my insanity. Now, I can't get up.
I would be okay with that if ALL loopholes were firmly closed .
So of course you are right this is never going to happen despite conservatives bleating about a flat tax for many decades .
I would be okay with that if ALL loopholes were firmly closed .
So of course you are right this is never going to happen despite conservatives bleating about a flat tax for many decades .
DEMs should save money from spending on primaries. Focus on winning the general election. Stop infighting for now.
saw this on threads: "villionaires"--it is the perfect description of most of them.
Bernie Sanders used to say he wanted to tax the millionaires and billionaires...until he became a millionaire. Now he just wants to tax the billionaires.
Just how much more do you want to tax the billionaires?
You may be arguing a question of semantics. I think Bernie believes in taxing the wealthy.
Signe, you are correct but it’s pointless to engage with “Hal” who appears to be a chronic fault-finding troll whose continuous carping prevents any meaningful engagement.
Hubert, I'm not the one in an ideological bubble. I criticize Trump and the Republicans on a regular basis in this forum. How many times have you articulated any criticism of either Jen or the Democratic Party?
"You may be arguing a question of semantics."
No. Bernie stopped criticizing millionaires once he became one. The wealthy are already being taxed, but all Bernie and the Dems can say is they don't pay their "fair share", which is a great buzz phrase but not very specific.
The working class pays 10-30 percent while dealing with current inflation rate of 3.80 percent. The wealthy pay 3 to 24 percent taxes and are benefitting from all of the restrictions lifted. The tax cuts to the wealthy have currently cost our country 10 trillion in revenue. Those are irrefutable facts, that Trump and his corrupt administration and the Republicans in Congress own. It is pretty obvious that things need to be adjusted to even the scale. Bernie supports these reforms. Meanwhile cuts are still happening to every program that helps the elderly, the needy, and the sick in this country.
Thanks for the reply. No doubt there needs to be some fixes. I would suggest we completely scrap the tax code and start over. We managed to fund the federal government without an income tax until a little over a hundred years ago, but then again the federal government was still relatively small.
But what doesn't get mentioned is that we have more of a spending problem than a taxing problem. Neither the Dems nor the Repubs are very serious about reducing spending.
The U.S. economy has performed much better under Democratic presidents than Republican presidents in the modern era. In almost every measure of the U.S. economy including total job growth, unemployment, economic growth, manufacturing job growth, manufacturing investment, small business creation, and contribution to the national debt, economic performance is stronger under Democrats. While there are many factors contributing to these trends, the throughline is clear that Democratic administrations consistently help the U.S. economy perform better than Republican administrations.
Republicans have prioritized tax cuts that benefit the wealthy and that fail to boost economic growth or pay for themselves, while Democrats have prioritized investing in the middle class, supporting small businesses, and improving economic resilience after downturns. Of the 11 recessions in the modern era, 10 have begun under Republican presidents.
Overall job growth has been greater under Democratic presidents
Job growth has been notably greater under Democratic presidents than Republican presidents since the early 1980s. Looking at the last seven presidents, job growth totaled over 50 million under Democratic presidents compared to only 17 million under Republican presidents. Most recently, job growth has totaled nearly 16.2 million under the Biden-Harris administration as the U.S. economy has recovered from the pandemic recession. Conversely, there were 2.7 million fewer Americans employed when President Trump left office than at the beginning of his term, making him the first president in the modern era to oversee net job losses.
JEC FINDINGS
Bernie changed his rhetoric from millionaires to billionaires when billionaires became a reality, which they weren’t in any real sense before that. Bernie has enough to afford a couple of homes and a comfortable life, but no one can say he’s super wealthy or corrupt. Using him as your talking point is illogical.
https://www.facebook.com/senatorsanders/videos/bernie-confronts-alan-greenspan/10154337336522908/
https://www.cnbc.com/2020/02/13/bernie-sanders-says-millionaires-less-in-2020-democratic-primary.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nK8nLppB2tY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ox9IT0AKaTo
The old Republican Party of Lincoln & Reagan that you (& I) once were involved with no longer exists. That old Republican Party is dead & gone. That old Republican Party will never return. The very name "Republican Party" has become exceptionally toxic to tens of millions of American voters from all sorts of backgrounds & viewpoints. May the current MAGA Republican Party soon share the fate of the Whig Party.
"The party of Reagan" laid the foundation for everything we are seeing today. The lionizing of Reagan these days is just ...odd.
It's true that maybe by a few narrow standards, Reagan could seem reasonable compared to today's fascist cult called the GOP, but that is a very low bar.
The bear hug of the religious right via Jerry Falwell and his 'Moral Majority', the fundamental attacks on the social safety net and government in general from every direction, the embrace of openly racist stances via 'welfare queens' and the huge acceleration of the so-called War On Drugs, his no-holds barred push for massive deregulation and military spending that skyrocketed the national debt, the deep corruption of the Savings & Loan and Iran-Contra scandals...all formed a clear direct line to the Tea Party, then to Trump.
As I read in a Joyce Vance substack, history may not repeat itself, but it rhymes! There is a clear through-line, as you describe it, and the Ds should be able to make an easy case for winning future elections; and it will be up to us and people like Marc Elias and others to ensure we actually have elections!
I'd say in this case, history isn't rhyming, or repeating, it's one long horror story that gets worse and worse to..what ending?
It probably isn't likely to happen here, but the French Revolution was the ending there.
something major has to give...and not just in the GOP but in the Democratic Party led by guys like Schumer and Jeffries
or it won't and we will just become a full bore authoritarian one party state
I'd like to see someone like Chris VanHollen take Schumer's place.
Reagan claimed that the government was the problem. Since then every GOP politician has worked hard to prove him right.
oh plenty more..the full frontal attack on unions, the dramatic increase in income inequality, the attacks on abortion rights, his terrible SCOTUS appointees including Scalia....
The attack on education (that's been going on for decades)....
yeah..to put it bluntly, f$$# Reagan.
Yup!
Not me I am working class and I despised Reagan as he despised me and people like me. That being said at least he would have been against installing the 4th Reich as the fat orange thing has .
I wonder, would he have? Or did he just not have the opportunity?
The Iran Contra scandal alone was worthy of the Trump gang. The level of corruption in that saga is still underrated IMO. Reagan and all his crew should have been jailed. Instead, Bush Sr. became Pres, Reagan is near saint-like and Ollie North is a frequent FOX News guest.
I often facesciosly refer to him as saint Ronald . 🙄
I often facesciosly refer to him as saint Ronald . 🙄
I despised him too, and his greasy smile. He was like the proverbial car salesman (apologies to car salesmen)
A curious coincidence is that he used to fall asleep at meetings also. Supposedly Nancy was running the show, guided by soothsayers.
As they said on 30 Rock, he mind was 'resting' by the end of his term...
In my view, based on growing up in Reagan's California as well as his USA, Reagan had none of Lincoln's virtues except, perhaps, folksiness. Goldwater-to-Trump has been the Republicans' straight as an arrow bobsled to hell. And we let them take us along.
Growing up in California when Reagan was governor taught me all I needed to know about him and his callus approach to the common good when governing. Trump is the logical conclusion of what I saw.
Growing up in Manhattan gave me all I needed to know about trump and I could not believe he was elected president in 2016. But here we are today.
...unfortunately yes :(
reagan was an actor...and he played a good president. he was not good in the real life role.
Except for wall street and rich cronies.
Let us remember that Reagan, somewhat like Trump, was an actor and loved playing his role.
After Teddy we've had a slug of republicans ride that straight arrow, Taft, Harding, Coolidge, Hoover, Nixon.
You should probably omit Reagan and return to Eisenhower. Reagan started the downfall with his 'trickle down economics' and other destructive programs.
I thought of mentioning Ike too...even Nixon in some ways was more liberal than Reagan, as weird as that sounds now (can we imagine the GOP creating the EPA today?)...but yeah maybe Ike was the last principled GOP pres.
Of course, Nixon was a boy scout compared to Trump, but I digress....
...and, of course, the GOP Rubin supported, the Cheney/ Tea Party GOP, was much worse than even Reagan's party.
"I Like Ike" makes a good 2026 political slogan - for Democrats.
Reagan jump started this mess. My children still remember watching me sitting on the floor in front of the television, with tears running down my face, saying, "The old fart won," and then...."THE OLD FAR WON AGAIN!" It's because of him we still have "welfare queen" stories, and he is the reason Republicans started hating Dr. Fauci.
He did do one good thing: He instituted "Obamaphones."
he did another good thing, he gave endless fodder for many great punk rock songs.
We’ve got a bigger problem now was my favorite.
See what I posted earlier below!
https://youtu.be/VmJYpAycF0c?si=60YLDz3Da-n7FuEK&t=68
I hope so too, but our system needs (and at some level the people also want) 2 healthy, sane political parties. I hope that either MAGA is a passing thing (kinda like passing gas), or somehow a new party comes out of the ashes of the GQP. But starting a party is very difficult so I don't know how it will end
MAGA is hopefully a passing fad, but it isn't the real problem. Project 2025 wasn't Trump's agenda, it was the culmination of decades of planning by groups like the Federalist Society, the Heritage foundation, etc. Callais also wasn't about Trump, it was the finale to Roberts' career long obsession with eviscerating the VRA. The current Republican party may wrap itself in the MAGA label, but the rot has been spreading for decades. Our system works best with two parties, but there may not be anything salvageable from today's Republican party
I'm sorry, but I don't think MAGA is a passing fad. Trump has unleashed the fears and resentment of 25-33 percent of the electorate and given them huge power. They may lose national and some state elections, but they will continue to dominate local and state politics across all of the Southern states and the Midwest. The gerrymandering frenzy may also give them frequent control of the House; I think the Dems have a great shot at taking back the House in 2026, but I think 2028 will be the real test of MAGA's strength. The MAGA states already control more than 200 electoral votes, leaving the 7 swing states to decide the election. It doesn't take more than a few thousand MAGAs in each of those states to win, if the Dems don't turn out as they failed to do in 2024. I hope that like the Whigs and Know-Nothings, they do fad away, as you say, but I am truly concerned that the genie of hatred is out of the bottle for the foreseeable future.
The magaklan is merely the rise of the confederacy.
I would say the Republican Party of Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt and Dwight Eisenhower. I have a hard time including Reagan in that group. I will allow that Reagan was a superior choice to that offered by today's Republicans.
Actually the old GOP predates Reagan. Starting with old Ronnie, EVERY GOP administration has increased the size of govt and increased national debt with their idiot tax cuts and trickle down economics. Ironically, 10 of the last 11 recessions have occurred during GOP administrations. They have not been fiscally responsible for the last 50 years! They just talk a good game and are masters of the con game.
It seems to me that even the term "conservative" is dead and gone. It was, after all, what the republican party used to claim. Now it is the MAGA party of extremists who couldn't give a damn about what actually made this country great. (Yes, even when it made mistakes, as we all do.)
There are probably some actual "conservatives" left in the population, but certainly not in elected office.
There are many conservatives, they are called 'centrist Democrats'.
They're mostly reactionaries and revanchists now.
You lost me at Reagan
That "old Republican party of... Reagan" was the start of all of this.
For the fairness agenda:
- Voting rights and banning gerrymandering
- reverse Citizens United
- reform the Supreme Court (term limits, expansion, ethics requirements with teeth)
Or just impeach the Scotus Six( you know who you are!)
I would also immediately add raising the minimum wage, if Democrats want to consider moving any of the 140 million poor and low-wealth people in the country to the voting booth. The party cannot continue to ignore these folks. They're getting crushed.
I remember 2016 when the campaigning orange thing said he would increase the minimum wage to 10 dollars an hour . Uh huh , promises kept indeed . 🙄 🌊
And for anyone having federal taxes withheld, start upping your number of dependents on your return.
Reduce your withholding. Stop letting the government hold your money in their “savings account,” interest free.
I consider myself an independent who has voted for Republicans in the past when they fielded the better candidate. Not any more. Republicans have demonstrated that they are unwilling or unable to stand up against Trump's growing tyranny and massive corruption.
Yes Cinda if you haven't broken with Trump by now it's plain your motives are suspect.
When I read about the massive theft of our tax dollars to pay off the insurgents, some of them violent criminals, I have to ask myself why I should even bother to pay my taxes. I do not want my hard-earned dollars funneled into the pockets of criminals and the Trump family. If I refuse to pay my taxes, I would not have to worry about an audit, would I? After all, the laws apply to all of us equally, right? Or am I just fooling myself?
Yes, fooling yourself. Yours was likely a sarcastic remark because we know that laws in this regime to not apply equally to all, sadly!
We have seen this play out in reality. Trump is still free from imprisonment.
James Talerico must be thrilled that his likely opponent in November will be the scandal-plagued Paxton, not the incumbent Coryn, thanks to Trump, who consistently backs candidates that the overall electorate should loathe.
So is it possible that Texans won't prefer the immoral, scandal-plagued Paxton? I wouldn't bet on it.
It's possible because senate seats are statewide, so they can't be gerrymandered.
Yeah, I am not convinced this will work out al that well.
And let’s not forget GAS PRICES and the IRAN WAR.
In Pittsburgh yesterday, I saw gasoline selling for $4.959 or $5.959 and diesel was $6.499.
4 67 near me in SE Pennsylvania near Maryland and Delaware.
$5.25 here in Oregon yesterday.
OOOF ! 😖
Nearing levels here in CA!
I want gas to go to at least $7....it will take at least that to get MAGA brains to say hey wait a minute, I thought he said he was gonna....
You may get your wish .
$5.69 to $5.99 for regular, at Costco in the Bay Area. Where are people getting gas for $4 a gallon?
At Donnyland I believe .
I think all gas is at least $4 something. Ca always higher
One overlooked area of resistance is the impact of the Jim Crow gerrymandering of the South on college athletics. Particularly football where schools like Alabama and Ole Miss have reigned supreme with excellent black, southern recruits. These players have options and now may see that aligning with a major college in a “free” state is a way for them, and perhaps their families, to escape overt racism.
Entertainment venues of all types may even decide to boycott Jim Crow states. That is major money. Tourists within the U.S., and/or internationally, also have many options to travel and spend at places that respect and honor all citizens.
Southern MAGA white supremacy may support billionaire corruption, but they sure do not consider the consequences to their reputation and the livelihood of their communities!
Nicely done!
will future historians credit ole miss and crimson tide football worship with saving America ??
Republicans ARE the problem
idiot americans are the problem
We’re sort of saying the same thing
60 percent of Americans read at a 6th grade level OR LESS ........
The real problem is that they are no longer Republicans!
So many great points from Jen and commenters. I am so tired of waking up every day and wanting to throttle the people who will not oppose Trump. We the people are owed an enormous restitution from these grifters who are getting away with billions in their pockets and literally and figuratively bankrupting the American people. There is no reason why any American should live in poverty at any age as far as our domestic agenda goes climbing back the stolen wealth and taxing the wealthy to reduce the wealth and equity in our country. Must be up there among the first priorities, I would love to see Pete Buttigieg take on such a project in the next Cabinet.
One of the oldest sayings in politics is:
YOU CAN'T DEFEAT SOMEBODY WITH NOBODY.
In other words, no matter how incompetent, corrupt or unpopular a politician is, that's not enough. The voters need a credible alternative. To me that means the Democrats have to find candidates who are electable, whatever that means. At least in the Senate they've come up with some pretty good choices (Brown in OH, Cooper in NC, Tallarico in TX, etc).
Now we have to see who ends up as the nominee in 2028. I used to decry the fact that people start running for President the day after the old presidential election, because 4 years of speculation and the brain-dead horse race coverage by the media is annoying. But I've come to believe that the ultra-marathon that the race has become actually helps to find the best candidate-- anyone who can survive the blows of the campaign will have a good chance of winning (and any skeletons would likely already be known.
And this time no coups; no skipping of Iowa and New Hampshire. The smoke may have been gone but the room was still there in 2020.
JK Rowling said it best at least a decade ago, describing him as a "tiny, tiny, tiny, tiny, little man."
However, like a bedbug, midge or chigger, he has inflicted much misery and discomfort.
The corruption that has been allowed by the MAGA party is astounding. Why can’t these people see it for what it’s worth? The MAGA’s that lost their races in the primaries should start voting their conscience if they still have one. The arch, the ballroom and the slush fund should come to an end. Now. It’s a perfect time to impeach if the MAGA’s have a spine.
they are blinded by and motivated by racism
Racism and misogony.
I agree with your assessment of the worst of the MAGA people. For some time I have said that they are beyond rehabilitation to productive, valued citizens. They simply must be marginalized.
If Dems lose in the midterms it will be because they have spent the last two years blaming Trump instead of “the Republicans”. All the idiocy has been pinned repeatedly on one man, so the cult members can go on voting for their wacko Congressional incumbents without acknowledging their role in this farce. Shame on all the news people (including the Contrarian) for letting this happen).
The strategy is to align the local Trump toadies running for election or reelection with the massive corruption, indecency, and tone deaf policies and behavior of the Trump administration. Along with offering alternative sound governing practices, Democrats and Independents running for elected office just have to illuminate the many incompetent (tariffs, endless wars, etc) Trump acts Republicans support, along with the ridiculous vanity projects (ballroom, reflective pool, golden statues, etc). Make Republicans justify how they are the party of fiscal conservatism and small government amid this bloated cash give away of our tax dollars. Make them justify what they allowed to happen to our economy by supporting Trump’s continued lunacy.
That is not quite enough. A clear statement of a platform of programs that aren't 'pie in the sky' eliteism are a requirement. These are needed to aid and reassure voters that they have not been forgotten, and will again be served by their government; that their taxes will not be squandered on preemtive wars and vanity projects.
well now how about we put the blame on american voters