I just listened to Rick's LP Q&A and I'd like to question one of his central assumptions he loves to repeat, that America is a center-right country. Is it, Rick? If America was truly a center-right country, then how did Trump have such an easy time hijacking the GOP? I contend, rather, that America is a center-left country with a deep reactionary strain that has been with us forever.
Ike was a reluctant New Dealer. Nixon was practically a Communist (LOL). Mainstream Republicans two generations ago would seem like liberal Democrats today. The postwar right was always restive about this, which spawned harbingers like Tailgunner Joe and the Birchers. Look to your foundational texts, Rick, the National Review of the early 60s when the GOP was on the proverbial balls of its ass. WF Buckley, Jr. might have been the urbane, civil libertarian face of the emerging conservative movement, cheekily sailing his yacht into international waters so he could smoke pot legally, but Russell Kirk and Brent Bozell were drooling over Catholic Integralism and military authoritarians. Much of their standing athwart History yelling Stop! sounds like Project 2025. This is the deep reactionary strain in our nation's DNA that the conservative movement had to spruce up and civilize to avoid election catastrophes like Barry Goldwater.
And they found the perfect messenger in Ronald Reagan, and thus the myth of America as a center-right country was born. But Reagan's deeply corrupt administration only kept the lid on what was seething underneath thanks to the cold war. After the Wall fell, talk radio and Newt Gingrich began to let the demons out. The Clinton-era Republicans weren't winning the argument on the merits, nor did they lack a partner willing to compromise with them, so they shifted to pure opposition mode. Tax cuts for the rich and a deregulation frenzy were never popular with voters. So the GOP shifted attempts to appeal to the center to their base.
If America was truly a center-right country, the GOP wouldn't need pure demagogy to get elected.
Before anything sure meaningfull will get done The folks who voted maga will have to suffer untill the shit between their ears is flushed out because of the pain of reality. Then and only then will there be a force of we the people taking the trash out. If we dont let them suffer and suffer with them any action made to in prison the maga hucksters could and would most likely wind up in a civil war type scenario. So as we suffer keep a good ey on those who arent.
Eventually, maga folks will awaken to what you eloquently have stated!! Then what will they do?
SS is something we all put funds into, it belongs to us. Would it not be a bit healthier, monetarily, if the congress would not "borrow" from it?? I have heard they have borrowed from that "pot of gold". Set me straight on that one.
My personal opinion on neatness. Need to smarten up the beard. Lose the sideburns or muttonchops as they were called, keep the front part, upper lip and chin, well groomed.
Well as they say, money is fungible. The idea is that the current taxpayers pay for the social security of those currently on it. So it can't help being a slush fund of sorts.
I still am stunned .Rome is burning, and the Trumpets and Herr Donald are obessed with where I might take a leak. Get this: These ingorant assoles actually believe that grammar schools witl provide mandatory sex change surgery. Are you kidding me????I take blood thinners and can not even find dentist to pull bad tooth WTF Blue Cross offers surgery with no anesthesia? Where do I sign up?
Should I start taste testing cat food now, or wait until my Social Security is gone?
Medieval serfdom IS the model for Trumpian society. Learn a trade! Those petards aren’t going to hoist themselves. (We just took the grandkids to the Tournament of Kings in Las Vegas. Smelled like horse piss. Good times 👑⚔️🏰.)
Reagan hit my 401k first, then W. hit again, so I moved everything. Now I’m a senior and elon is coming for my SS. I’m so tired of republicans raiding the coffers, burning it down and the Dems taking the blame.
And let’s do away with the Dept. of Education, cuz we need to keep the populace STUPID!
You've hit another nail on the head. In truth, I've been torn between standing and fighting vs sitting back and let it play out.
I'm going with the latter at the moment for a few reasons, or maybe a hybrid response. Letting the ridiculousness play out will cause the pain and buyer's remorse from the entirety of the Maga world. While the core of that world may not care, there's a good 50%+ of the larger Trump voter world that will take notice. When the tariffs hit, healthcare and education get sliced, they'll realized just how bad the con is.
We know that self-deportations are going to start soon. Many of those will be those who have been here the longest and are contributing to both our economy and taxes, since leaving before being deported allows them a chance at coming back. So, on top of many of the parts and pieces of your construction project, large or small, being impacted by tariffs, the cost of labor and the delays in getting the work done will go through the roof. And don't expect that roof to be repaired very quickly!
Will we feel the same pain? Of course, but that is likely a price worth paying for the short-term. Take one for the team, so to speak.
Why not apply the pressure and derail as much as we can? There's really nothing in it for us beyond being a noble cause. It's better to come in and clean up the mess rather than preventing it since the people won't buy into the reality that something bad got stopped. Remember that many of those are the same people that thought getting rid of Obamacare was a great idea but we have to leave the ACA in place.
Mike, with the greatest respect I'm going to have to caution you here. This sounds a little bit like a polite, well-bred suburbanite version of accelerationism. Accelerationism, first articulated by VI Lenin, is the idea of "enhancing the contradictions" to make a system which is going to collapse inevitably collapse sooner. But no situation anywhere in human history has been made better by intentionally making it worse first. Most accelerationists today are right-wing anarchists like the Boogaloo Bois, itching for a race war.
I'm not calling you an accelerationist, Mike, let alone insinuating that you're a racist. You're an entirely well-meaning person who at this moment wants to sit back and grab the popcorn. It's a totally understandable impulse and there will be Schadenfreude to be had.
But I have to admit bristling a bit at you wanting some of us to "take one for the team." Mike, I'm not only a hardcore liberal Democrat, I'm a poor, living in HUD subsidized senior housing and entirely dependent on Social Security. Now I cherish this community I've been posting in for about a year now. Because despite my lousy work history, I'm a pretty extensively educated and cultured guy and I am as one with all of you in spirit.
But let's be honest. Most of you here aren't doing badly. You have 401ks and market investments and will do fine despite prices being gang raped by tariffs. I will not.
So please ... reflect a little more deeply before you get glib on who should bear the brunt here.
Thanks, Mike. Please know that I did not in any way intend that as an attack on your motives. I know where you're coming from, I'm just scared shitless as someone wholly dependent on the government for my entire existence.
Bob, I enjoy reading your opinions and I take no offense to your response.
I'll preface mine by providing some background. Now, I did get a chuckle out of being given the title of a polite, well-bred suburbanite! I don't think anyone that knows me would agree much with that, except the suburbanite part, which is a personal choice not based on class; I love having a dog and a yard :) I spent most of my very near 70 years as a socially liberal Republican. I suppose today that puts me as a left-moderate Democrat. My core belief is that for the country to do well, all people need to be doing well. I'll leave the well-bred and polite for another conversation, as that depends on how we define those terms.
I do have to admit that I agree with you about being overly glib in my take one for the team wording. I was unsettled with that wording. I chose to include tariffs and immigration policy as those are two items where the President has broad authority. Sure, Congress has some overriding power, but too many of the 273 are riding in the clown cars of the circus train to have any faith in them right now. Back to that in a minute, but basically there is inevitability to those things happening. Not grabbing a bag of popcorn since I'm pragmatic and have a 'fixer' mentality.
And you're correct that I'm not advocating pouring gas on the fire or fanning the flames but being prepared to put the inevitable fire out. Unfortunately, failure may be the only way to accomplish change and that has been proven out time and again. Too many people suffer from a lack of vision to recognize that change is needed unless it smacks them in the head. And we all pay a price for that.
Using the Bill Clinton "I feel your pain" may sound insincere, but I truly do. When I venture into the store with my wife, we've had many conversations about how people are able to get by. And I'm well aware that our cutting back pales to what many people face, including a very good friend whose life sounds like yours.
To get back to the congressional 273, this is where my pragmatism diverges from the hard liberal thinking. I feel the party needs a strategy that is a down and dirty go for the win. I looked around at so many races that were just horrible mismatches with the Dems running candidates that couldn't win even if their opponents were convicted of stealing from the constituents. The path to success in 2026 isn't trying to run an "AOC" in a ruby red district, even as a sacrificial lamb. Get candidates ready now who have a chance of winning if the maga screw up and commit them for the three-year run to be viable in 2028. Electing Mod-Con Democrats may not be appealing but it sure as hell is better than the alternatives. I also think that in about six months, the self-preservation instincts will start to kick in for most of the Republicans and they'll start tapping the brakes on the stupid as they realize that the threat of being primaried is becoming less than losing the general election. We can hope and maybe that's where we grab the bag of popcorn watching the Keystone Cops.
Hey Mike, sorry for taking a day or so to get back to you and thank you for your extremely thoughtful reply. It's safe to say we're in broad agreement on a lot of this and I'll start by apologizing for even bringing accelerationism into it. You're not wishing to pour gasoline on a fire. I just allowed freaking out at my own situation to take control and that's on me. I don't want to throw a pity party for myself when so many people are doing and will do much worse than I am / will. I've got a wonderful, supportive family who will help me if it comes to that.
I agree with you about Congress. This is much more about seizing Executive control and the GOP Congress since at least Gingrich has been more about shutting things down than doing anything constructive. What terrifies me is that MAGA isn't a political movement that responds to typical political levers, case in point the pandemic. Trump was all about jumpstarting a vaccine and taking credit for it and then Biden was president and the vaccine became politicized. Pockets of MAGA who resisted both the vax and social distancing started to see their friends, families and co-workers dying at a demonstrably higher rate than in blue areas which got vaxxed and abided by the guidelines. And these people _didn't care_ that they were losing their own to covid. That became part of the conspiracy; the vaccines were killing people.
MAGA is a personality cult. It's not true populism because it doesn't fancy itself speaking for the voiceless, it speaks for the social media superempowered. The hardest of hardcore MAGA were the J6ers who had the wherewithal to travel to DC and stay in hotels; their demographic common denominators were 1) being middle and upper middle class and 2) living in areas that had begun to see nonwhite groups moving into them. And they yearn to burn it all down for everyone else. Because they can. Because they have a cushion.
For MAGA, it's far more about hurting their perceived enemies than it is about helping themselves. The people this has to shock out of complacency are the voters who didn't show up last November.
Just watching t keeping the French waiting for his meeting with Macron. What an embarasment to have our country represented by this selfish, thoughtless, nincanpoop!
This is so frickin good! America will soon learn a lot at Trump University II. And they will be about as happy as the people who got conned into Trump University I.
I’m so tired of fighting and fixing and fighting and fixing again. We maybe spineless doormats but in abusive relationships the victim is just too tired to fight back.
Trump fanboys are about to be as disappointed as Harris fangirls just for different reasons.
After the election the Democratic Party (my party) must rethink many of its policies as it ponders its future.
To be entrusted with power again Democrats must start listening to the concerns of the working class for a change. As a lifelong moderate Democrat I share their disdain for many of the insane positions advocated by my party. We are no longer the patriotic, sensible party of FDR and JFK.
Democrat politicians defy biology by believing that men can actually become women and belong in women’s sports, rest rooms, locker rooms and prisons and that children should be mutilated in pursuit of the impossible.
They believe borders should be open to millions of illegals which undermines workers’ wages and the affordability of housing when we can’t house our own citizens.
They discriminate against whites, Asians and men in a futile effort to counter past discrimination against others and undermine our economy by abandoning merit selection of students and employees.
Democratic mayors allow homelessness to destroy our beautiful cities because they won't say no to destructive behavior. No, you can’t camp in our city. No, you can’t shit in our streets. No, you can’t shoot up and leave your used needles everywhere. Many of our prosecutors will not take action against shoplifting unless a $1000 of goods are stolen leading to gangs destroying retail stores. They release criminals without bail to commit more crimes.
The average voter knows this is happening and outright reject our party. Enough.
Bob: So what is your strategy to protect the homeless and allow normie families to live their lives in relative comfort in our cities? Spell it out. Thanks.
So allowing someone living in the streets to die of gangrene is doing no harm. Spell out some specific measures that mayors should take to address the issue. Thanks.
The cops take someone who is dying of gangrene in the streets to the ER. You can think of counterexamples all day long but it doesn't vitiate the principle.
Bob: As to Thomas Paine my 😎. As to the homeless my pamphlet:
The major issue in homelessness is not the lack of housing. It's the refusal of society to say no. No, you can't camp in this city. No, you can't shit in the streets. No, you can't panhandle aggressively. No, you can't shoot up publicly and leave your used needles lying around. The fact that we are not going to allow you to destroy our city by doing these things is not our problem. It's your problem. You can solve your problem by not doing drugs, getting help for your mental problems, getting a job, and sharing rent with others so inclined until you can afford a place of your own, probably in a lower cost community. This is not going to happen because the people we have elected allow the homeless to wallow in their victimhood rather than accept personal responsibility for their self destructiveness.
What specific steps should be taken by cities to deal with the problem? Cities should use all existing shelters and further provide simple shelter space with surplus military tents with mess and recreational tents, a medical tent and restroom and shower facilities (the way I lived in the army) on leased or purchased unused commercial or industrial sites on the outskirts of the city. As many who want to and are able to work should be hired to help feed others and to maintain the facilities. Individuals could use surplus military squad tents or their own for sleeping. When those facilities were available they should send in crews to clean up existing encampments, without arresting anyone who did not physically resist.
They should require custodial care for those who are so mentally or drug addicted that they cannot care for themselves. We did a huge disservice to the mentally ill when we closed rather than reform our state mental hospitals. We need them back. This approach actually would cost far less and be far more effective than the current housing first attempts to fix the problem. Most of our homeless lack the capacity to live unassisted in modern society but that is not an excuse to destroy our beautiful cities for the rest of us.
Furthermore on Thomas Paine. Thomas Paine died in severe disrepute, scourged as an atheist and supporter of the Reign of Terror in France, scourged by the Federalist government for being a radical and sower of discontent. His funeral was attended by only a handful of people, including two black freedmen who loved him. Thomas Paine praised the Iroquois for living in harmony with nature. He was a man centuries ahead of his time. He was also widely considered insane at the time of his death.
Thomas Paine would _never_ endorse your agenda of dehumanization, which you run on trans people, immigrants, nonwhite strivers and the homeless.
You _do_ realize that Thomas Paine was a radical egalitarian who would find your ideas on how to "civilize" the homeless abhorrent, right? ;) Thomas Paine was OG woke ;)
This is just adamantine simpleminded "personal responsibility" boilerplate which understands naught of the complexities of mental illness. The deinstitutionalization movement, started by JFK in memory of his tragic sister who was lobotomized, was a mixed bag that did some good along with the bad. But honestly, these suggestions remind me of nothing so much as those "boot camps" for troubled and rebellious teens which promise to teach them "personal responsibility" and somehow always wind up as horrific abuse scandals.
Except that's exactly what you'd be doing to address the homeless problem, since providing services is civic policy. And that's the problem; the people behind the purse strings are going to want to make this as inhumane and punitive as possible, to punish the homeless for their lack of "personal responsibility." This is why discussions of homeless policy can quickly descend a slippery slope and become reminiscent of Hitler and the "useless eaters."
I, too, think there ought to be homeless reform. But it ought to be very carefully thought out and not just a reflex reaction to urban aesthetics.
Dave, with great respect you wrote something exactly like this two or three weeks ago. In fact, I think it's an identical repost. That doesn't do you well in the good faith department.
As I told you the first time, this is a nonsense analysis based on lies and exaggerations. One might almost say it looks like a calculated move to stir up dissention and ill will.
Sex is biological. Gender roles are a pure social construction. Gender identity has a neurological component. You are the one here who is defying biology. Nobody campaigned on allowing males at birth to compete in women's sports or allowing sex reassignment surgery for minors. And sex reassignment surgery doesn't happen in prison; the ruling (under Trump) was to allow transgender prisoners their hormone meds.
_Nobody_ "believes in" open borders. Please point out the groups of American citizens willing to pick crops at sub-minimum wages without health or employment insurance. Then point to all the American white people losing their minds over grocery prices.
Attacking DEI means cherishing the entitlement to be mediocre based on race and gender.
Homelessness is a problem in cities with Republican mayors as well. "Just saying no" to homelessness is as inane a non-solution as "just saying no" to drug abuse.
Shoplifting has no consequences below $1k is a lie propagated by right-wing influencers. You can't point to a single city anywhere in America where this is an actual policy.
You're not talking about "our" party. You're talking about a malicious misrepresentation of _my_ party by wingnut operatives and influencers.
Bob: With great respect, if you have seen this before just consider it my pamphlet.
Thomas Paine printed a hundred thousand copies of his pamphlet Common Sense so many people could be aware of his wisdom.
Consider my repeated posts just my way of spreading my wisdom. It would be unpatriotic to believe otherwise. 😎
You are wrong on every issue you mentioned and all are issues that cost Democrats votes. Children cannot consent to being mutilated and the Supreme Court will soon allow states to ban that obscene practice. Under outgoing states attorney Kim Foxx, Cook County, Illinois had a $1000 de facto minimum requirement for prosecuting shoplifting. DEI is the exact opposite of merit selection and you know it. It is dying because it is a racist practice. Even the west coast cities are slowly beginning to impose needed curbs on the mentally ill/drug addicted homeless.
Okay, Dave, this is a respectful, good-faith reply and I appreciate it. But likening what amounts to garden variety comment section boilerplate to Thomas Paine may indicate a somewhat inflated view of your own importance. Just sayin' ;)
You understand exactly nothing about sex reassignment surgery, which only happens after literally years of therapy, both cognitive and hormone replacement. Someone who has chosen that hardly considers it "mutilation," they consider it honoring who they are. As I said, gender identity has a neurological component, meaning it is hardwired. Nobody just wakes up one day and decides to physically alter their genitals. And nobody has sex reassignment surgery against their will. Your view is profoundly misinformed.
That said, as much as I support trans rights, I can't think of a good argument against prohibiting it for minors. A decision that profound and life altering ought to be made not only by someone who is legally of age, but who has been completely through puberty as well. You are demagoguing a red herring.
By identifying Kim Foxx's policy as "de facto," you make my argument, because it is not de jure -- a matter of law. Prosecutors are allowed to exercise discretion.
You also understand nothing about DEI, the bane of mediocre, entitled white guys everywhere. DEI doesn't preclude merit, it enhances and recognizes it. What major business firm, in competition with other firms, is going to intentionally hire less qualified people? I love the gaslighting in calling it "racist," as if mediocre entitled white people are a figment of someone's imagination ;). Indeed the only argument sustainable against DEI is the racialist ideology which stipulates that the white race is inherently superior and thus deserving of the best jobs.
Everybody's concerned about homelessness; the question is what to do about it. Just saying no to it is not any reasonable person's idea of an answer. I suppose yours would be to build more prisons to "concentrate" them away from society.
I just listened to Rick's LP Q&A and I'd like to question one of his central assumptions he loves to repeat, that America is a center-right country. Is it, Rick? If America was truly a center-right country, then how did Trump have such an easy time hijacking the GOP? I contend, rather, that America is a center-left country with a deep reactionary strain that has been with us forever.
Ike was a reluctant New Dealer. Nixon was practically a Communist (LOL). Mainstream Republicans two generations ago would seem like liberal Democrats today. The postwar right was always restive about this, which spawned harbingers like Tailgunner Joe and the Birchers. Look to your foundational texts, Rick, the National Review of the early 60s when the GOP was on the proverbial balls of its ass. WF Buckley, Jr. might have been the urbane, civil libertarian face of the emerging conservative movement, cheekily sailing his yacht into international waters so he could smoke pot legally, but Russell Kirk and Brent Bozell were drooling over Catholic Integralism and military authoritarians. Much of their standing athwart History yelling Stop! sounds like Project 2025. This is the deep reactionary strain in our nation's DNA that the conservative movement had to spruce up and civilize to avoid election catastrophes like Barry Goldwater.
And they found the perfect messenger in Ronald Reagan, and thus the myth of America as a center-right country was born. But Reagan's deeply corrupt administration only kept the lid on what was seething underneath thanks to the cold war. After the Wall fell, talk radio and Newt Gingrich began to let the demons out. The Clinton-era Republicans weren't winning the argument on the merits, nor did they lack a partner willing to compromise with them, so they shifted to pure opposition mode. Tax cuts for the rich and a deregulation frenzy were never popular with voters. So the GOP shifted attempts to appeal to the center to their base.
If America was truly a center-right country, the GOP wouldn't need pure demagogy to get elected.
Before anything sure meaningfull will get done The folks who voted maga will have to suffer untill the shit between their ears is flushed out because of the pain of reality. Then and only then will there be a force of we the people taking the trash out. If we dont let them suffer and suffer with them any action made to in prison the maga hucksters could and would most likely wind up in a civil war type scenario. So as we suffer keep a good ey on those who arent.
Want to the, be disappointed I want them to hate him . I want the tariffs chaos and mass deportation so these knuckleheads learn the hard way
Eventually, maga folks will awaken to what you eloquently have stated!! Then what will they do?
SS is something we all put funds into, it belongs to us. Would it not be a bit healthier, monetarily, if the congress would not "borrow" from it?? I have heard they have borrowed from that "pot of gold". Set me straight on that one.
My personal opinion on neatness. Need to smarten up the beard. Lose the sideburns or muttonchops as they were called, keep the front part, upper lip and chin, well groomed.
Keep up the great comments!! Thank you
Well as they say, money is fungible. The idea is that the current taxpayers pay for the social security of those currently on it. So it can't help being a slush fund of sorts.
I still am stunned .Rome is burning, and the Trumpets and Herr Donald are obessed with where I might take a leak. Get this: These ingorant assoles actually believe that grammar schools witl provide mandatory sex change surgery. Are you kidding me????I take blood thinners and can not even find dentist to pull bad tooth WTF Blue Cross offers surgery with no anesthesia? Where do I sign up?
"Abominal Hernia" sounds like a death metal band specializing in body horror ;)
You either meant abdominal hernia or abominable hernia. Abominable Hernia would make an even better name for a death metal band ;)
Wasn't that great! I learned so much watching that. Thanks Sharon.
Should I start taste testing cat food now, or wait until my Social Security is gone?
Medieval serfdom IS the model for Trumpian society. Learn a trade! Those petards aren’t going to hoist themselves. (We just took the grandkids to the Tournament of Kings in Las Vegas. Smelled like horse piss. Good times 👑⚔️🏰.)
Reagan hit my 401k first, then W. hit again, so I moved everything. Now I’m a senior and elon is coming for my SS. I’m so tired of republicans raiding the coffers, burning it down and the Dems taking the blame.
And let’s do away with the Dept. of Education, cuz we need to keep the populace STUPID!
I doubt the elevated and gloating will care about consequences. And they will blame the Democrats anyway.
I suggest Biden pardon all federal employees, journalists, media organizations and activists for any made up prosecutions the hacked DOJ will try.
You've hit another nail on the head. In truth, I've been torn between standing and fighting vs sitting back and let it play out.
I'm going with the latter at the moment for a few reasons, or maybe a hybrid response. Letting the ridiculousness play out will cause the pain and buyer's remorse from the entirety of the Maga world. While the core of that world may not care, there's a good 50%+ of the larger Trump voter world that will take notice. When the tariffs hit, healthcare and education get sliced, they'll realized just how bad the con is.
We know that self-deportations are going to start soon. Many of those will be those who have been here the longest and are contributing to both our economy and taxes, since leaving before being deported allows them a chance at coming back. So, on top of many of the parts and pieces of your construction project, large or small, being impacted by tariffs, the cost of labor and the delays in getting the work done will go through the roof. And don't expect that roof to be repaired very quickly!
Will we feel the same pain? Of course, but that is likely a price worth paying for the short-term. Take one for the team, so to speak.
Why not apply the pressure and derail as much as we can? There's really nothing in it for us beyond being a noble cause. It's better to come in and clean up the mess rather than preventing it since the people won't buy into the reality that something bad got stopped. Remember that many of those are the same people that thought getting rid of Obamacare was a great idea but we have to leave the ACA in place.
Mike, with the greatest respect I'm going to have to caution you here. This sounds a little bit like a polite, well-bred suburbanite version of accelerationism. Accelerationism, first articulated by VI Lenin, is the idea of "enhancing the contradictions" to make a system which is going to collapse inevitably collapse sooner. But no situation anywhere in human history has been made better by intentionally making it worse first. Most accelerationists today are right-wing anarchists like the Boogaloo Bois, itching for a race war.
I'm not calling you an accelerationist, Mike, let alone insinuating that you're a racist. You're an entirely well-meaning person who at this moment wants to sit back and grab the popcorn. It's a totally understandable impulse and there will be Schadenfreude to be had.
But I have to admit bristling a bit at you wanting some of us to "take one for the team." Mike, I'm not only a hardcore liberal Democrat, I'm a poor, living in HUD subsidized senior housing and entirely dependent on Social Security. Now I cherish this community I've been posting in for about a year now. Because despite my lousy work history, I'm a pretty extensively educated and cultured guy and I am as one with all of you in spirit.
But let's be honest. Most of you here aren't doing badly. You have 401ks and market investments and will do fine despite prices being gang raped by tariffs. I will not.
So please ... reflect a little more deeply before you get glib on who should bear the brunt here.
Bob, I'm reflecting more deeply prior to responding to you.
Thanks, Mike. Please know that I did not in any way intend that as an attack on your motives. I know where you're coming from, I'm just scared shitless as someone wholly dependent on the government for my entire existence.
Bob, I enjoy reading your opinions and I take no offense to your response.
I'll preface mine by providing some background. Now, I did get a chuckle out of being given the title of a polite, well-bred suburbanite! I don't think anyone that knows me would agree much with that, except the suburbanite part, which is a personal choice not based on class; I love having a dog and a yard :) I spent most of my very near 70 years as a socially liberal Republican. I suppose today that puts me as a left-moderate Democrat. My core belief is that for the country to do well, all people need to be doing well. I'll leave the well-bred and polite for another conversation, as that depends on how we define those terms.
I do have to admit that I agree with you about being overly glib in my take one for the team wording. I was unsettled with that wording. I chose to include tariffs and immigration policy as those are two items where the President has broad authority. Sure, Congress has some overriding power, but too many of the 273 are riding in the clown cars of the circus train to have any faith in them right now. Back to that in a minute, but basically there is inevitability to those things happening. Not grabbing a bag of popcorn since I'm pragmatic and have a 'fixer' mentality.
And you're correct that I'm not advocating pouring gas on the fire or fanning the flames but being prepared to put the inevitable fire out. Unfortunately, failure may be the only way to accomplish change and that has been proven out time and again. Too many people suffer from a lack of vision to recognize that change is needed unless it smacks them in the head. And we all pay a price for that.
Using the Bill Clinton "I feel your pain" may sound insincere, but I truly do. When I venture into the store with my wife, we've had many conversations about how people are able to get by. And I'm well aware that our cutting back pales to what many people face, including a very good friend whose life sounds like yours.
To get back to the congressional 273, this is where my pragmatism diverges from the hard liberal thinking. I feel the party needs a strategy that is a down and dirty go for the win. I looked around at so many races that were just horrible mismatches with the Dems running candidates that couldn't win even if their opponents were convicted of stealing from the constituents. The path to success in 2026 isn't trying to run an "AOC" in a ruby red district, even as a sacrificial lamb. Get candidates ready now who have a chance of winning if the maga screw up and commit them for the three-year run to be viable in 2028. Electing Mod-Con Democrats may not be appealing but it sure as hell is better than the alternatives. I also think that in about six months, the self-preservation instincts will start to kick in for most of the Republicans and they'll start tapping the brakes on the stupid as they realize that the threat of being primaried is becoming less than losing the general election. We can hope and maybe that's where we grab the bag of popcorn watching the Keystone Cops.
Hey Mike, sorry for taking a day or so to get back to you and thank you for your extremely thoughtful reply. It's safe to say we're in broad agreement on a lot of this and I'll start by apologizing for even bringing accelerationism into it. You're not wishing to pour gasoline on a fire. I just allowed freaking out at my own situation to take control and that's on me. I don't want to throw a pity party for myself when so many people are doing and will do much worse than I am / will. I've got a wonderful, supportive family who will help me if it comes to that.
I agree with you about Congress. This is much more about seizing Executive control and the GOP Congress since at least Gingrich has been more about shutting things down than doing anything constructive. What terrifies me is that MAGA isn't a political movement that responds to typical political levers, case in point the pandemic. Trump was all about jumpstarting a vaccine and taking credit for it and then Biden was president and the vaccine became politicized. Pockets of MAGA who resisted both the vax and social distancing started to see their friends, families and co-workers dying at a demonstrably higher rate than in blue areas which got vaxxed and abided by the guidelines. And these people _didn't care_ that they were losing their own to covid. That became part of the conspiracy; the vaccines were killing people.
MAGA is a personality cult. It's not true populism because it doesn't fancy itself speaking for the voiceless, it speaks for the social media superempowered. The hardest of hardcore MAGA were the J6ers who had the wherewithal to travel to DC and stay in hotels; their demographic common denominators were 1) being middle and upper middle class and 2) living in areas that had begun to see nonwhite groups moving into them. And they yearn to burn it all down for everyone else. Because they can. Because they have a cushion.
For MAGA, it's far more about hurting their perceived enemies than it is about helping themselves. The people this has to shock out of complacency are the voters who didn't show up last November.
Just watching t keeping the French waiting for his meeting with Macron. What an embarasment to have our country represented by this selfish, thoughtless, nincanpoop!
Maybe not. Melanoma is very eager to see Macron once again. She squirted a little the last time they met.
Melania doesn't squirt. She exudes icicles like a Sno Cone machine.
This is so frickin good! America will soon learn a lot at Trump University II. And they will be about as happy as the people who got conned into Trump University I.
I’m so tired of fighting and fixing and fighting and fixing again. We maybe spineless doormats but in abusive relationships the victim is just too tired to fight back.
That's what every oppressive dictatorship depends on.
Very much so. As I said in my reply, I'm thinking more of fixing vs fighting. It can be a pretty solid strategic move.
Trump fanboys are about to be as disappointed as Harris fangirls just for different reasons.
After the election the Democratic Party (my party) must rethink many of its policies as it ponders its future.
To be entrusted with power again Democrats must start listening to the concerns of the working class for a change. As a lifelong moderate Democrat I share their disdain for many of the insane positions advocated by my party. We are no longer the patriotic, sensible party of FDR and JFK.
Democrat politicians defy biology by believing that men can actually become women and belong in women’s sports, rest rooms, locker rooms and prisons and that children should be mutilated in pursuit of the impossible.
They believe borders should be open to millions of illegals which undermines workers’ wages and the affordability of housing when we can’t house our own citizens.
They discriminate against whites, Asians and men in a futile effort to counter past discrimination against others and undermine our economy by abandoning merit selection of students and employees.
Democratic mayors allow homelessness to destroy our beautiful cities because they won't say no to destructive behavior. No, you can’t camp in our city. No, you can’t shit in our streets. No, you can’t shoot up and leave your used needles everywhere. Many of our prosecutors will not take action against shoplifting unless a $1000 of goods are stolen leading to gangs destroying retail stores. They release criminals without bail to commit more crimes.
The average voter knows this is happening and outright reject our party. Enough.
Bob: So what is your strategy to protect the homeless and allow normie families to live their lives in relative comfort in our cities? Spell it out. Thanks.
First, do no harm.
So allowing someone living in the streets to die of gangrene is doing no harm. Spell out some specific measures that mayors should take to address the issue. Thanks.
The cops take someone who is dying of gangrene in the streets to the ER. You can think of counterexamples all day long but it doesn't vitiate the principle.
Bob: As to Thomas Paine my 😎. As to the homeless my pamphlet:
The major issue in homelessness is not the lack of housing. It's the refusal of society to say no. No, you can't camp in this city. No, you can't shit in the streets. No, you can't panhandle aggressively. No, you can't shoot up publicly and leave your used needles lying around. The fact that we are not going to allow you to destroy our city by doing these things is not our problem. It's your problem. You can solve your problem by not doing drugs, getting help for your mental problems, getting a job, and sharing rent with others so inclined until you can afford a place of your own, probably in a lower cost community. This is not going to happen because the people we have elected allow the homeless to wallow in their victimhood rather than accept personal responsibility for their self destructiveness.
What specific steps should be taken by cities to deal with the problem? Cities should use all existing shelters and further provide simple shelter space with surplus military tents with mess and recreational tents, a medical tent and restroom and shower facilities (the way I lived in the army) on leased or purchased unused commercial or industrial sites on the outskirts of the city. As many who want to and are able to work should be hired to help feed others and to maintain the facilities. Individuals could use surplus military squad tents or their own for sleeping. When those facilities were available they should send in crews to clean up existing encampments, without arresting anyone who did not physically resist.
They should require custodial care for those who are so mentally or drug addicted that they cannot care for themselves. We did a huge disservice to the mentally ill when we closed rather than reform our state mental hospitals. We need them back. This approach actually would cost far less and be far more effective than the current housing first attempts to fix the problem. Most of our homeless lack the capacity to live unassisted in modern society but that is not an excuse to destroy our beautiful cities for the rest of us.
Furthermore on Thomas Paine. Thomas Paine died in severe disrepute, scourged as an atheist and supporter of the Reign of Terror in France, scourged by the Federalist government for being a radical and sower of discontent. His funeral was attended by only a handful of people, including two black freedmen who loved him. Thomas Paine praised the Iroquois for living in harmony with nature. He was a man centuries ahead of his time. He was also widely considered insane at the time of his death.
Thomas Paine would _never_ endorse your agenda of dehumanization, which you run on trans people, immigrants, nonwhite strivers and the homeless.
You _do_ realize that Thomas Paine was a radical egalitarian who would find your ideas on how to "civilize" the homeless abhorrent, right? ;) Thomas Paine was OG woke ;)
This is just adamantine simpleminded "personal responsibility" boilerplate which understands naught of the complexities of mental illness. The deinstitutionalization movement, started by JFK in memory of his tragic sister who was lobotomized, was a mixed bag that did some good along with the bad. But honestly, these suggestions remind me of nothing so much as those "boot camps" for troubled and rebellious teens which promise to teach them "personal responsibility" and somehow always wind up as horrific abuse scandals.
Except that's exactly what you'd be doing to address the homeless problem, since providing services is civic policy. And that's the problem; the people behind the purse strings are going to want to make this as inhumane and punitive as possible, to punish the homeless for their lack of "personal responsibility." This is why discussions of homeless policy can quickly descend a slippery slope and become reminiscent of Hitler and the "useless eaters."
I, too, think there ought to be homeless reform. But it ought to be very carefully thought out and not just a reflex reaction to urban aesthetics.
Dave, with great respect you wrote something exactly like this two or three weeks ago. In fact, I think it's an identical repost. That doesn't do you well in the good faith department.
As I told you the first time, this is a nonsense analysis based on lies and exaggerations. One might almost say it looks like a calculated move to stir up dissention and ill will.
Sex is biological. Gender roles are a pure social construction. Gender identity has a neurological component. You are the one here who is defying biology. Nobody campaigned on allowing males at birth to compete in women's sports or allowing sex reassignment surgery for minors. And sex reassignment surgery doesn't happen in prison; the ruling (under Trump) was to allow transgender prisoners their hormone meds.
_Nobody_ "believes in" open borders. Please point out the groups of American citizens willing to pick crops at sub-minimum wages without health or employment insurance. Then point to all the American white people losing their minds over grocery prices.
Attacking DEI means cherishing the entitlement to be mediocre based on race and gender.
Homelessness is a problem in cities with Republican mayors as well. "Just saying no" to homelessness is as inane a non-solution as "just saying no" to drug abuse.
Shoplifting has no consequences below $1k is a lie propagated by right-wing influencers. You can't point to a single city anywhere in America where this is an actual policy.
You're not talking about "our" party. You're talking about a malicious misrepresentation of _my_ party by wingnut operatives and influencers.
Have a good day, "Dave."
Bob: With great respect, if you have seen this before just consider it my pamphlet.
Thomas Paine printed a hundred thousand copies of his pamphlet Common Sense so many people could be aware of his wisdom.
Consider my repeated posts just my way of spreading my wisdom. It would be unpatriotic to believe otherwise. 😎
You are wrong on every issue you mentioned and all are issues that cost Democrats votes. Children cannot consent to being mutilated and the Supreme Court will soon allow states to ban that obscene practice. Under outgoing states attorney Kim Foxx, Cook County, Illinois had a $1000 de facto minimum requirement for prosecuting shoplifting. DEI is the exact opposite of merit selection and you know it. It is dying because it is a racist practice. Even the west coast cities are slowly beginning to impose needed curbs on the mentally ill/drug addicted homeless.
You are defending the indefensible.
Okay, Dave, this is a respectful, good-faith reply and I appreciate it. But likening what amounts to garden variety comment section boilerplate to Thomas Paine may indicate a somewhat inflated view of your own importance. Just sayin' ;)
You understand exactly nothing about sex reassignment surgery, which only happens after literally years of therapy, both cognitive and hormone replacement. Someone who has chosen that hardly considers it "mutilation," they consider it honoring who they are. As I said, gender identity has a neurological component, meaning it is hardwired. Nobody just wakes up one day and decides to physically alter their genitals. And nobody has sex reassignment surgery against their will. Your view is profoundly misinformed.
That said, as much as I support trans rights, I can't think of a good argument against prohibiting it for minors. A decision that profound and life altering ought to be made not only by someone who is legally of age, but who has been completely through puberty as well. You are demagoguing a red herring.
By identifying Kim Foxx's policy as "de facto," you make my argument, because it is not de jure -- a matter of law. Prosecutors are allowed to exercise discretion.
You also understand nothing about DEI, the bane of mediocre, entitled white guys everywhere. DEI doesn't preclude merit, it enhances and recognizes it. What major business firm, in competition with other firms, is going to intentionally hire less qualified people? I love the gaslighting in calling it "racist," as if mediocre entitled white people are a figment of someone's imagination ;). Indeed the only argument sustainable against DEI is the racialist ideology which stipulates that the white race is inherently superior and thus deserving of the best jobs.
Everybody's concerned about homelessness; the question is what to do about it. Just saying no to it is not any reasonable person's idea of an answer. I suppose yours would be to build more prisons to "concentrate" them away from society.
I'm out of breath too Rick. Loved this. Thank you so much.