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Er, I meant Truth social.
Truth Social - A Russian Tradition
Washington Post Political Columnist Dana Milbank recently explored the new Trumpie social media platform "Truth Social" to see what kinds of posts are appearing there. (See "I tried Trump's Truth Social So You Don't Have To" in today's Post.) And he found, surprise, surprise! - not much truth, ...
My greatest fear is Trumpists retaking the White House and/or the US government as a whole. And I haven't checked out Trump Social, which I hope is a colossal failure. That man needs to disappear, one way or another.
I wonder if I'll live long enough to see sanity return to Washington ...
Truth Social - A Russian Tradition
Washington Post Political Columnist Dana Milbank recently explored the new Trumpie social media platform "Truth Social" to see what kinds of posts are appearing there. (See "I tried Trump's Truth Social So You Don't Have To" in today's Post.) And he found, surprise, surprise! - not much truth, ...
Ah, here I am. Tried to comment on your last but failed to get in.
Glad to see you're still here and I agree with all you've said. It's a real conundrum for the US. The attack on Ukraine did not, I believe, begin as intended genocide. It was to be just a land grab. But the unexpectedly determined resistance of the Ukrainian people is resulting in that.
If Ukraine falls, I hope Putin will be satisfied, declare victory, and go home. I hope by then he will be too weak to go further and invade any NATO nations. But I'm not privy to the mind of a madman. I hate, HATE, that we aren't doing more to help Ukraine, but WWIII is definitely a possibility when a madman has nukes.
Second Thoughts on Ukraine
The phrase "second thoughts" usually implies changing an opinion or a decision. But my second thoughts on Ukraine, Russia, and the United States have only brought me to double down on opinions previously expressed, to wit: As regards the U.S.: Even conceding that U.S. and NATO hesitancy to get ...
Republicans will never convince me that a man guilty of sedition while in the White House has but to step through the door to escape all culpability.
Some Random Thoughts On The Impeachment Trial
The Prosecution: A great job. The presentation just blew us away. But the case was not a difficult one to make. The Defense: Constitutional scholars have debunked the silly notion that the President may not be judged guilty now that he has left office. It is equally silly to contend that Trump...
It infuriates me that the richest country in the world, that so easily doles out trillions of dollars in foreign aid, can suddenly get stingy with aid to Americans who are losing their businesses, jobs, and homes and are struggling to feed their children, all through no fault of their own.
Republicans Oppose [Strong] Recovery Spending - But Why?
It's really difficult for me to understand why elected Republicans seem so reticent to spend money on economic recovery. Specifically, that besides their general complaint that the Biden plan is too expensive, they want to cut the amount of the checks that would be issued from $1400 to $600. Ce...
Beat the virus, rescue businesses, get people back to work. Urgent as those issues are, the Republicans have already argued about how much money and where it should go.
Unity sounds great, but I don't think it means much to Republicans. Still, good ol' Joe can be disarming. He's not naive. He knows politics as well or better than most of those in DC.
The Art Of The Possible
What happens when politics, the "Art of the Possible," tries to survive in a world where nothing seems possible? There are a lot of teeth-gnashing reports in many quarters of our media, worrying that Biden's pledge to unite the Disunited States of America is naive and bound to fail. These worrie...
We'll be years cleaning up the messes Trump has created. Meanwhile he'll be out there somewhere, on the loose, creating new messes. Possibly even worse because he'll be an angry poor loser followed by angry far-right radicals. They'll probably appoint him "Generalissimo" and carry on as before.
Happy Unnew Year
We in the U.S. all tend to think of a new year - whether it's the calendar year, or the chronologically later beginning of a new President's term, as a fresh start. Out with the old problems, on to new challenges and projects. We think that, but it's never true. Not in our personal lives, nor in...
I share your concern. I'm 77, was moved up to the 1B group here in Colorado, and got my first vax Saturday. I'm very concerned about any plan to release those reserved second doses. The supply chain has been pretty erratic to date and I'm not at all confident about my second dose being available in four weeks. If Moderna said 2 shots, with 4 weeks between, the government shouldn't be taking chances with that schedule.
Ignoring Science?
Over the past weekend, in my county, there was an evident uptick in activity to deliver anti-covid vaccine to a broader section of the population. We're still not at the stage where everybody has access, but we've moved beyond the first tier of front-line health care workers (in Virginia, that's...
He doesn't and never has cared about other people and certainly not us "commoners." He just wants to wield his power as often as he can for as long as he can. What an insufferable little creature he is.
Merry Christmas anyway!
Baby Huey In The White House
I wonder if many people these days recall the character in the "funnies," as we used to call them, named "Baby Huey." Read all about him here on Wikipedia (make a donation to support them while you're there); but he looked like this: and, though I hadn't thought about him in years, the name an...
I have to wonder if a national edict would work. Certainly our patchwork of local regulations is not. Denver businesses are suffering, partly because immediately to the north is a county that enforces very few Covid restrictions. As with states, being able to move freely from a restrictive state to a wide-open state and back again is doing a lot to undermine control efforts. I don't know what the answer is, but I'm not leaving my home to find out!
Pandemics And Politics
Is the coronavirus pandemic really just a health issue? It's natural, I suppose, to think of it that way, because previous dangerous contagions -- the influenza of 1918 (I wasn't around for that one), polio, smallpox, AIDS, ebola, and the more recent bugs of different varieties for which we now ...
Pence and all the other Republicans in DC are gutless wonders thinking only of their own political futures. Otherwise that impeachment/conviction effort would have succeeded and would have been started much sooner. But maybe I give them too much credit in thinking that without Trump they'd be rational, normal people working for the good of the country.
A Bazaar Of The Bizarre
I've been busy this week and may have missed some news items, but it's clear that Trump's desperate measures to deny reality have only become more and more bizarre. Why should we - citizens of the United States, of any political stripe, put up with this charade? Trump loyalists have suggested t...
Around here very few people fly the flag. And I think you're right, it's become too politicized. I've also seen more than one report of flags being stolen or defaced, which would tend to discourage flag flying.
Do you remember after 9/11 how everyone was flying a flag? I didn't have one and all the suppliers were sold out. My sister sent me our dad's old flag and I was thrilled to have it and fly it then. Now it's kept safely in its box. I don't want to risk anything happening to it.
Flagging Veterans Day Observances
Today is Veterans Day in the U.S. I'm a veteran, and I put my U.S. flag out this morning, as I do for other key national holidays, e.g. Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Flag Day of course, and others. Election Day too, although I confess I forgot to put it out this time. That's a h...
You nailed it with "unless they seek to spread dissent, sow doubt where none exists, and incite violence." However, such pettiness and fealty to a lame-duck leader strikes me as counterproductive for those wanting future careers.
Is Insanity Contagious?
As noted here before, the fellow waiting in the wings to try out the job of ex-President greeted the election outcome with outrageous and incendiary falsehoods. Since that time a few days ago, I've heard people who know Trump well, including family members, staffers, and commentators, claim that...
Just one more reason be rid of him.
Voter Suppression - An Apotheosis
President Trump, early this morning, decided to ignore all the tiny steps his minions had taken, and planned to take, to suppress votes against him, by the simple step of effectively declaring himself the winner. Claiming falsely to have won several states in which results remain unclear, and s...
I fear Russia, China, and Iran will have much to celebrate in the days following our election.
Reestablishing Comity
It seems commonplace now (and true) to suggest that we are a divided nation because we all live in, and retreat to, our own social bubbles, seeking out opinions that conform with our own, and demonizing those that don't. We are unable to speak the "others," however we define them, let alone acce...
Bush v. Gore was a travesty that should never be repeated. If a state can't get its ballot count done properly, let them redo the election. But it's theirs to handle, not the Supreme Court. For that matter, how does some federal agency get to tell a state which ballots they can and cannot count -- such as mail-in ballots that are counted several days after Election Day?
Barrett (or is it Coney Barrett?) should indeed recuse herself. But let's just hope nothing about this election ends up in the Supreme Court's lap. I suspect we'll have more than enough chaos without that.
Can SCOTUS Avoid Sullying Itself In November?
Amy Coney Barrett has been confirmed as our newest Supreme Court Justice. No surprise there! Personally I harbor some expectation that she will deal Trump some surprises. Let us hope. Meanwhile... The Washington Post ran an editorial yesterday morning suggesting that the vote be delayed until a...
For the first time since I can remember, I voted a straight Dem ticket. I want to cut them off at the knees.
Remember Trump's GOP Enablers
A return to moderation in politics requires a signal defeat for Trump at the polls. But it also means that Trump enablers in the Senate and House - and that means every one of them, such stellar examples as Graham and McConnell of course, but also including Murkowski and Romney - must suffer wid...
Having voted earlier this week, I couldn't summon enough interest to watch either town hall. I did find it curious, however, that the competing town halls aired simultaneously in the Eastern and Central time zones, but in the Mountain and Pacific zones the network tape-delayed Trump's until after Biden's had aired.
Town Hall Meetings - Some Quick Impressions
Morning Fog had the chance to see parts of each of the two "town hall" meetings last night - one with Trump on NBC, moderated by Savannah Guthrie; one with Biden on ABC, moderated by George Stephanopoulos. It appeared that Trump must have taken his meds for the occasion. He seemed more relaxed, ...
She certainly should recuse herself if it comes to that. After all, she will have been confirmed DURING an election, since voting has already started. And no election should end up in court. You count the votes; you recount them as often as necessary; you even have another election if necessary. But you don't let 8 or 9 justices decide something that millions are supposed to decide. 2000 was a travesty. It should never be repeated.
Down the Slippery Slope To A Less Supreme Court
I can't muster much enthusiasm for arguing about the nomination and near-certain confirmation of Amy Coney Barrett for the vacant seat on the U.S. Supreme Court. The candidate herself does not appear to be exceptionally distinguished, and he experience is brief, but her background, like that of ...
Trump was smart enough to realize a virtual debate would put him at a disadvantage because the moderator could cut him off at will. And he counts on being able to talk over his opponent. Biden, on the other hand, is wise enough to realize Trump may still be contagious and that it would be foolish to get anywhere near him. In lieu of debates, Trump wants to have another rally -- where he can possibly infect dozens of supporters. Like you, I'm thinking we've seen the last of the debates. But I expect more rallies for the spreader-in-chief.
Political Debates on Television
The first televised debate between Trump and Biden arose suddenly on my horizon. Once I realized it was coming, the first thing that popped into my head was that I needed to watch it. The second thing was, "I hope they've set up sensible procedures to keep Trump from using the scorched earth tac...
If Biden and Harris look like progressives, it's only because Republicans have gone so far to the right. I think of them as fairly moderate, middle-of-the-road types. In any case, they'll be busy trying to undo the damage Trump has done. What I fear most is a violent reaction from Trump's supporters if he loses. Possibly even something resembling a civil war.
Breaking The National Political Logjam [Part 1 of Umpteen, Maybe?]
Trump's support has remained steady almost no matter what he does. So if he were reelected, we can't look to the Party of Trump (PoT)* to do us much good in breaking down the tribal barriers that now pervade our national political life. In fact it seems likely that we could count on a further de...
The horror for me has always been that so many people voted for Trump in 2016 and, worse, still support him.
When Common Sense Fails
In my youth (that is, up until about four years ago), I thought that elections in this country were largely decided by the basic common-sense and decency of American voters. From farmers to fine artists or physiotherapists, from geezers to first-time-voters, and regardless of race, creed, sexua...
Hey, long time no see. Welcome back. There's plenty to talk about these days... if you can stand to contemplate it all.
Trump's Coronavirus
President Trump has announced that he and the missus have tested positive for coronavirus. In our supercharged political atmosphere, we may expect a lot of "I-told-you-so's" - and those would be much deserved. Beyond that lie dark speculations about whether it's a hoax and how Trump intends t...
I'm beginning to doubt there are any sensible, thinking persons left in Washington. And I'm not too sure about the rest of the country, either.
Sensible, Thinking Persons
"... every sensible, fair-minded person was surely thinking ... [that] the hearings that brought both Kavanaugh and Ford to tears were driven by a partisan quest for power without regard for the human collateral damage." That's a quote from a recent column by Kathleen Parker on the Kavanaugh he...
The police trusted the dad not to give the guns back to the son. Unbelievable. And Congress is unwilling to protect Mueller. I keep thinking things can't get much worse. And yet ....
The Reinking Republican In The U.S. Senate
The Reinking who is the catalyst for this post is of course Travis Reinking, the fellow who was recently arrested for "allegedly" killing four innocent victims in yet another needless shooting in a Tennessee Waffle House. But this is more about Travis Reinking's father Jeffrey [I assume his last...
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