Whatever. People couldn't bring themselves to vote for a black person - and a black woman. Now they're going to find out....even the MAGA's that they just don't matter. The press, you, me, kids in school, your neighbor - we just don't matter. What matters now, is money and power. We are fodder.
Apparently democracy was too much work. Too many syllables, like “authoritarian” which had focus group participants flummoxed because they didn’t know what it meant.
Call me ignorant because I don't engage with social media (except this substack, if it's considered social media). What are people hoping the Iranians are successful at? Having a nuke?
Call me crazy, or just someone with an active imagination but I've kind of wondered if, with Putin's alliance he formed w/ Iran, if there might be a deal worked out.
Trump gives Putin Ukraine in exchange for Putin convincing Iran's leader not to assassinate him. Then, in exchange for Iran abandoning their attempts to take his life, Trump negotiates a cease fire between Israel, Gaza, et al.
I mean, their whole Axis of Authoritarians doesn't really work if one of them keeps trying to kill the other one.
I cannot believe the number of posts on social media offering hope the Iranians are successful. When in American history has that ever happened? Never! 😞🤦♂️
They were the greatest generation to a point (FYI - my father served in WWII).
They gave us Reagan, trickle down economics, tax cuts to the wealthy, did not make social security and Medicare sustainable (they only fixed it until 2035 when they would be gone - not their problem) and started the downfall of the GOP.
I am of the boomer generation and witnessed first hand some of the hubris of the greatest generation and its fallout. My father also fought in WW II and were he living today, would never vote for a Black female. The greatest generation will be the one that helps America realize its own stated ideal of equal opportunity, liberty and justice for all citizens under the law.
How well I know. My squadron and I had to deploy to the ME directly after the botched attempt to rescue the embassy hostages. This was back in April 1980. Lost a C-130 and helo, as well as lives. During our presence there, back in D.C. the talking heads had a parlay, barely squeaking by to avoid war with Iran. But there was a lot of saber rattling back then. It was so close.
We are counting down to that. The little weasel said, “Your body; MY choice”. And Trump vowed to protect women “whether they like it or not”. Just like the mullahs.
Going forward, as I see the consistent disinformation spewing through social media, I feel like country first needs to focus on holding media accountable for the abuse of the first amendment! Freedom of speech is being abused every day and that is the root of the problem and I believe how Trump got elected. Fox News rewriting January 6 etc..
First thing you can do is not to patronage those media outlets anymore. They depend on readers and viewers to earn big advertising/commercials dollars!
I dumped my WaPo subscription, stopped watching CNN (except Jim Acosta), and switched to BBC News (web and TV), The Guardian, and phasing out X/Twitter and moved to BlueSky (massive jump in new users in the last week).
My husband and I have been watching MSNBC for a while now; before 2016 for sure. My favorite show is Nicole Wallace, but she's early-afternoon here on the west coast, so I get her podcast which arrives around 4:30 pm. We like Rachel; she's only on Mondays, and she can get caught up in the drama of a story sometimes. Lawrence is good, and Stephanie Ruhle has grown on me: her background is economics. The weekend show with Michael Steel, Simone, and Alicia Menendez is also good.
I’ve been watching MSNBC for quite awhile now and they seem to be interested in telling the truth as far as I can tell. But then I also read Reuters, the guardian is a favorite and the Atlantic seems straightforward. I don’t want to fall in a trap of just viewing what lines up with my opinions. I want to think through some of the other sources too. But will NOT watch/listen to fox. Their lies anger me.
Reuters is one of the top best for reporting the actual news. I tend to nitpick which ones I read from. Any misspellings, bad use of grammar and punctuation and I'm out. To be an exceptional journalist, you have to be exceptional.
I like The Beat with Ari Melber, The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell and sometimes Morning Joe. Maddow can be a bit in the weeds and anxiety provoking but she gives great historical background to stories she covers. I also watch PBS and BBC. Sundays- CBS Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan. Never watched any of these except PBS and CBS before trump in 2017. Also recently I started watching on CNN Abby Phillips and Katlin Collins sometimes
Thank you Kathe for all this information!! I'm going to start watching these!! I have been diehard CNN until I noticed some were making more allowances for trump. So sad!
I watch Nicole Wallace, and once a while Rachel Maddow or Lawrence O'Donnell. I prefer 100% unbiased news, without any ideological slant - which is almost impossible these days.
I like The Beat with Ari Melber, The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell and Morning Joe. Maddow can be a bit in the weeds and anxiety provoking but she gives great historical background to stories she covers. I also watch PBS and BBC. Sundays- CBS Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan. Never watched any of these except PBS and CBS before trump in 2017.
Maddow excellent. Acosta and Velshi very good. Wallace factual but the message is always: look at this appalling thing he did. Reid and Melber I don’t eatch,
Since everyone is chiming in I will also. I am a big MSNBC advocate. They basically got me through the COVID pandemic & the 2020 election.
I, I think a long with the rest of the viewers, discovered the gift that is Steve Kornacki. That man is a genius! If everyone had watched him in 2020, there's no way they would've thought the election was stolen (I say that, it may not have made a difference but who knows). He was able to analyze everything ahead of time & knew the voting history of every district & so on. I think I slept that week when he slept.
I will say this though, as an MSNBC watcher, when other people would express frustration with the media & the way they normalized & sugar coated Trump; I'm always thinking, "What media are you watching?". MSNBC does not gloss over Trump's actions.
However, they'll be critical of Biden & Harris too & they'll report normally on him when he acts normal. They're not the Left wing Fox station as I don't think Fox ever criticizes Trump.
I love Morning Joe in the mornings. However, I live here in Springfield, Missouri so Joe Scarborough's personality is familiar to me.
Then there are the daytime hosts that are pretty neutral. Then, at 3pm CST Deadline Whitehouse comes on with Nicole Wallace. I adore her, she's excellent. Then there's Ari Melber on The Beat at 5pm CST. He's an attorney so he's great with legal stuff & he'll do those difficult interviews.
After The Beat there's the Reid Out with Joy Reid at 6pm CST & she's good. She's passionate & her tone can be opinionated but I like her attitude. Then there's All In with Chris Hays at 7. I really like him. He has some really good segments & monologues. Except on Mondays it's Jen Psaki at 7. Then on Mondays it's Rachel Maddow at 8pm (my favorite because she always has a story that hasn't been told yet).
The rest of the week Alex Wagner fills that spot & she's great. Then at 9pm it's Lawrence O'Donnell & I absolutely love his monologues. I will agree that I've noticed occasionally he might get a small fact or 2 wrong. Makes you wonder if they need to add or switch out a writer/editor..
Then at 10pm it was Brian Williams but he retired shortly after Biden took office. They moved Stephanie Ruhal into his spot. She used to be on at 11 each day. I was so happy when they moved her up, she's so genuine. I cry every time she cries, which (like me) it doesn't take too much to make her cry. She's an empath, it's obvious.
Apparently Stephanie's parents are Right wing Fox News watchers & I just can't imagine that. She said something about the TV her parents watch at night. Someone on her table said, I would hope they're watching you. She laughed & went into talking about how they watch Fox.
Can you imagine? She's so successful & does her job so well & she's truly passionate about her stance in her reporting. I remember thinking, "If this woman can't convince her own parents of the truth? The rest of us don't stand a chance any time soon". Of convincing MAGA of the truth I mean.
Then someone mentioned the Atlantic & I love that journal. Now, it is a journal but it's still informative. I also look up a lot of the sources referenced on MSNBC. Anything they're showing or referencing can be found fairly easily.
Then, of course, there's the Bulwark. They're excellent. PBS is a great source also.
I watch Rachel's show, Nicole Wallace, and love Jenn Ptaki. Is that her last name? O'Donnell tends to stretch the truth a wee bit. The man cannot abide the Nutjob.
Thanks! Here in Italy we can’t get BBC live, we tried. Besides France 24, we also watch Sky news. We do get CNN international, but only watch that for disaster (hurricanes etc) type news. We will check out The German & Japan channels.
Could not agree more with that. ‘Citizens United’ enabled P.T. Barnum’s quote, “ one born every minute”, to be demonstrably proven in our political milieu. With shameless lying being normalized, weaponized and worshiped as truth within the Republican Party, it was only a matter of time before the circus came to town.
Sadly, I suspect our justices feel quite self-righteous in their originalist minds. I am not a forensic, post-mortem mind-reader but I also suspect that if the original drafters of our constitution were to see where we are now, most would say, “what the fuck were you thinking?”
I strongly concur. I lay a lot of the blame on them. They just can't seem to stay away from the Nutjob. I truly believe they played a huge role as influencers; namely, MAGA. I have a favorite author who is retired 0-5/Delta Force. In his short bio, he admits to watching Fox. Finding that out, I cringed, hoping against hope that he's intelligent enough to parse out what's propaganda and what's actually news. I will continue to read his books, however, because of how well they're written. He's right up there with Thor, Ludlum, Carr, Clancy, etc. What I DO appreciate about his writing is that he NEVER includes his political or religious beliefs. The media done gone off the rails since 9/11. It's gotten so one has to be able to put their critical thinking skill to the test, figuring out what's true from false, and not just on the surface. I always try to cross-reference what I read. Nope, the media has not been our friend.
This going to be a rough ride. That said, one thing about Trump’s appointments and the patronage system is that the “best people” are not in these positions. The majority of Americans voted for Trump because he lied about what he would do for the economy and they believed him. The majority voted for the price of eggs, not for Trump’s retribution fever dreams. Every single policy idea voiced by Trumpists since the election will hammer the economy. If folks thought that eggs were expensive, wait until all the poultry workers are either hiding or gone, and see what they’re paying. Democrats, Independents, and non-Trumpist Republicans need to start preparation for the midterms. Right now. We had a good message in November but it is hard to compete with a liar who will say literally anything to get a vote. Now he needs to actually produce,which he can’t, and won’t. Let’s get busy.
Completely agree with you. I am not sure of how many “non Trump Republicans “ and Independents actually wound up voting for him. Clearly enough and that is how he won. I would like to see a collective push to the center. If there is going to be a realistic way to take back congress from MAGA in midterms, there needs to be a serious reflection on what went wrong.
I do believe we see more buyer’s remorse. I know many people who voted for Trump that did not believe Project 2025 was real. Many Trumpers feel that a Trump administration will be a guarantee of their rights and freedom. At the risk of sounding condescending, not sure they realize oligarchies and autocracies don’t really do that.
Many trump voters that I know of, and their minds were made up, were not aware of his plans and the dangers he poses. They don’t pay attention to politics and/or their tv playing in the background is Fox/faux news. They are mad at me still, and I really don’t care at this point about that, in that I tried to inform them politely about the dangers. Before the election. But here we are. 🤦🏼♀️
Yep. My husband is well educated but chooses to get his news from right wing media. He would always mock me in 2016 when I used terms such as Alt Right, MAGA and Far Right yet his family would refer to anyone that did not support Trump as radical leftists. I am absolutely an Independent with a shift to the left and I recognize there is a political spectrum. When I presented fact based evidence regarding political issues to my husband, he responded that it was merely “ news porn.” It’s sad because my daughter has to do a project on deforestation and I have numerous articles from the Sierra Club and Nature Conservatory that pretty much suggest that the climate is going to take a hit under Trump and Zeldin.
Not only the climate, but the regulations that help maintain safe water and air, wildlife, on and on. Humans are losing and many have lost connection to the earth that sustains us - Koyaanisqatsi - the Hopi world for "life out of balance." Watch the 1982 film, its amazing!
Not me. As a friend of mine said after a frightening event years ago, " I was so scared that you couldn't pull a needle out of my ass with a tractor!" 😱😱😱😜
I think a good portion of them voted for him because of his immigration plan. They think undocumented are coming here, without following the proper procedures and gt free healthcare, free prepaid debit cards, free food and clothes and free education. They feel they work hard and don't want to see them taking advantage of them. That is what they think-including the Hispanics who came here legally or have citizenship now.
I agree with that assessment however it begs the question why a certain bipartisan bill did not get past. Granted, it should have been given more attention sooner rather than later but it still doesn’t explain how that bill did not pass.
I agree with Diane. Take time to listen to voters that are clearly not part of the extreme MAGA crowd and you will hear that it was all the scare tactics about immigration, inflation and trans rights that predominantly pushed voters to Trump. Hispanics just want immigrants to go through legally like they did. So I want to ask them, why are you not helping to educate that population to do that?! And it was beyond obvious that Trump killed the bipartisan immigration bill. Why didn't Harris push that every chance she got to the Hispanic community. Also I think we need to be very specific that it was inflation that made people so unhappy. Moving forward Republicans need to be held accountable for everything they do!
did they stay home? is there any data that shows percentage of Democrats who voted compared to previous elections and compared to the population at the time?
I almost believe there was interference from outside sources. You know who they are. Election Day was WAY TOO CLEAN. It was like slipping a note under your desk to your friend and no one noticing in class. But since it's just a very strong feeling, I'm not going to propagandize this. No way. I go ONLY with the truth.
Also many Democrats stayed home, either overly confident that others would bring Harris the finish line, or butt-hurt over Gaza and not paying attention to how terrible Trump will be on that issue.
This is because they lack the proverbial ability of critical thinking. They take the path of least resistance - what the the Orange Nutjob gives them. They only look at the surface, rather than delve deeper for more information. It's too much trouble. Zombies are more intelligent than they are. I am so surprised there are so many of us who are waiting in the wings for the Orange Nutjob to drop the hammer. You know it will happen. He hates being told what to do.
Well,said. Lying by politicians to get votes is as old as dirt. Trump did that plus tapped into the angst of white, christian nationalists, and whoever the hell else voted for him, to spread his gospel. There is no such thing as shame within the self-righteous MAGA cult. Any shame felt by the other voters who elected him will never be seen. Lying about your intentions and behavior is de rigueur among Trump apologists.
Cathkynn - exactly. Let him wreck the economy to teach people. What should we focus on and what can be done for 1) midterms and 2) ti avoid no return tipping point in climate, global defense, and fact based news to inform citizens? I sense the loss of later was a big factor, and if not tackled, will again be. E.g. more goo said democracy was a too issue in voting exit polls then dem’s!!!
of course there will be midterms! we are still a democracy with a Constitution. And there are millions who aren't just going to sit by and let them take a bulldozer to America
Suzie Wiles told donors that he will have only 2 years to accomplish everything, so she's planning on mid-terms. How long before Trump gets fed up with her and gives her the boot?
There aren't going tobe any midterms. The Dominionists have near- absolute power now, and they believe they are ordained by God to establishHis Kingdom. They won't ever cede power now.
The question now is, “What are we going to do about it?” Biden is still the president. I’ve said it before. Abraham Lincoln did not allow his Supreme Court to take over when they opposed his policy on slavery. What is happening to this country? Can’t Biden do anything? Is Trump so connected that no one can touch him? I must say, the only thing that made me feel good was Jon Stewart reminding us how the Democrats lost badly to Reagan and how the Dems did recover and come back. However, I think much more harm is coming our way. Trump is already picking cabinet members who had allegations during his administration, but, of course, were never prosecuted. I can’t imagine what is going to happen. It’s truly heart breaking. At this point I’m ashamed to be an American.
With all due respect, I refuse to believe that. As I see it, to allow our democracy be done away with will mean we've turned our back to those who made the ultimate sacrifice during the wars we've engaged in since the late 1700s. I refuse to ever do that. Besides, I swore an oath to protect both the U.S. Constitution and this country from enemies, both foreign and domestic. To this very day, I continue to uphold that oath.
I don't believe that. There was a time when blacks and women didn't have the right to vote. and when they did the rules to register to vote for black people were very different than for others- counting jelly beans in a jar- we got past that- we will get past this too- The Iron Curtain came down -May be rough for some years but everything changes- it's the way of the world.
Elections may still be held. Even Russia holds sham elections to give the appearance of democratically elected politicians. There are more ways to vote in our obscenely capitalist society than casting a ballot.
Once a democracy is lost, it almost never returns. That’s a different scenario from achieving democracy in the first place. And we did this to ourselves; that’s another distinction. We fell for Putin’s orchestrated division of the populace. Mission accomplished. A good dose of American Ignorance aided and abetted.
I’m curious why Biden isn’t using his newly given rights by SCOTUS to rule on things without fear of impeachment. He’s a lame duck now. He needs to get er done.
I've been hearing about that. He may very well do that. Although, the Orange Nutjob has already screamed out that he absolutely better not do that, that it's illegal or some-such. Funny how he did that very thing back in late 2020. Unbelievable!
To those that voted for Trump, "Rude Awakening" comes to mind... Be careful what you ask/vote for.
The mass deportation issue still astounds me. Most people agree on the deportation of illegal immigrants who have committed crimes. But Homan stated that those who have no criminal record will be deported as well. And families won't be separated this time -- the entire family can be shipped out together.
there will be lawyers challenging that. with regard to mass deportations-that will include government contracts to prison companies to build camps, in communities, to house all these people, feed and clothe them, educate their children and take care of their health. Then they have to find the countries that are willing to take them- logistics will be a nightmare and they can be here in the camps for years until it all gets sorted out at taxpayers expense. y couldn't trump instead spend the money hiring hundreds of immigration judges to speed up the process of those seeking asylum, which are the majority of those here undocumented, so they can be deported quickly instead of staying here for years as they do now waiting for their court date?
The war on education outlined by Project 2025 is reminiscent of the knowledge purge instituted by authoritarians of the past, like human stains Pol Pot and Mao. Keeping the populace ignorant is vital to oppression. That this is being openly advocated in America is beyond troubling.
I have whiplash on that aspect, having benefited from the education bonanza that Sputnik created in the 1960s. We realized then that an educated population is a national security feature. But not so much an authoritarian feature, so out it goes.
This is why the Catholic Church was against people learning to read the Bible before Gutenberg invented the printing press. Martin Luther ushered in the Reformation believing literate people could decipher the scriptures for themselves, thereby not easily lead “astray” as powerful church leaders were wonton to do. Same principle here.
You are so spot on. The destruction of the public education system started in the early 90's with the complete authorization of charter schools and home schooling as legal alternatives.
Sadly this isn’t new and anyone who believes it isn’t happening was previously living under a rock. We need a strong opposition with the voice of reason.
Voters will FAAFO - JVL on the Bulwark said we should try stopping things that are illegal or against democracy to the extent we can, and probably not much else. I agree with prioritizing the most important things for sure.
I agree with JVL. We need to let Trump be Trump and f**k things up on his own because he will. I am betting that by the mid-terms he'll have screwed people over so bad that his approval numbers will be near 25%.
In a real world, he should have a 10% approval. Unfortunately for us in the year of the lord 2024, the right-winged media infrastructure can tell the sky is green and enough people believe it.
Or he'll pass away from all the stress he's facing because all the other Type As will be running this circus, too. He hates that. He wants to be in charge but not do the work. But it has to be HIS ideas, nearly all of them unconstitutional. John Kelly had to advise him numerous times about that. Makes me wonder if he'll be working on getting rid of the Constitution, or at least parts of it.
I can almost get down with the outlawing of pornography (and here come the porn defenders in 3...2..1..) from the standpoint of there's a generation or two of young men who've had access to hardcore porn in their pockets and it's causing problems that young women bear the brunt of. I don't think that's why they're doing it though. I'd find it darkly funny in a tit-for-tits kinda way after Dobbs.
I'm not a porn defender in any way, but the only thing I say is if you want freedom of speech you have to take the bad with the good, I'd rather put up with porn (with adults "actors") and have the freedom to have forms such as this where we can exchange view point freely.
I didn't really say it right what I'm trying to say is where and who decides what is acceptable. What one person thinks is free speech and to someone else it repulsive
It's can be a slipper slopeI don't ever want to have someone like a Maga person deciding what considered ok free speech
My son is a independent film maker who actually won a award for short documentary ( nothing to do with porn) about a person who came to America and had made a successful impact on his community
Mega won't like thus documentary because it's about a immigrant from SE Asia. I would hate to see a story like that some how stop because of someone like trump
Hopefully that makes sense I was in no way condoning the porn industry.
Totally agree not condoning porn but agree that free speech has to be totally unfettered. Otherwise who is it that makes the decision on what is acceptable and what isn’t acceptable? Who gets to be the ultimate judge?
Totally unfettered? No! The Orange Nutjob has so abused freedom of speech with his vitriol of violence. The majority of the time he campaigned he spent time talking about revenge and what he would do against those who oppose him. He continues to draw the line. And it's done by design, to spur his followers to pick up their weapons and go out in the streets and start threatening ordinary Americans. Or anyone with skin color other than white. He's taking it to new heights. Just how far will he actually go.
Adam, it seems ironic to hit "like" when the article was excellent but the material is scary!
The trump voters I talk to don't believe these things will happen. So we need to stay on top of these transitions as they happen to warn the trumpites before they are cemented in! I know you and Country First are on top of it with a solution!! Maybe teaming with Republicans for H-W group, Amy McGrath's SOS project, etc. I'm with you!!🇺🇸
I'm going out again this evening for my once-a-week get-together with friends at a local bar. I expect to be asked what I thought about the election. After careful consideration over the past few days my response will be "The majority of Americans got what they wanted." I will not discuss it any further with them because, in their minds, I am wrong and they are right. What they experience over the next 4 years will do more to change their minds than a million words coming from me at this time. Perhaps we can once again discuss politics once the fever breaks.
I think that will be a great response to their question, but with a little bit of snark to it. And just shrug it off. To expound further is a waste of breath with them. It has to affect them on a personal level, to feel the pain of high prices that continue to rise for food and gas.
Whatever. People couldn't bring themselves to vote for a black person - and a black woman. Now they're going to find out....even the MAGA's that they just don't matter. The press, you, me, kids in school, your neighbor - we just don't matter. What matters now, is money and power. We are fodder.
But where will the oligarchs find money once the citizens have nothing to spend? They can only sell each other so many yachts.
Ask Russia & China; Trump’s heroes.
They have been controlled for decades. Americans have been free, and will stay free.
Oh, you sweet summer child. We are losing our freedom one bite at a time.
Let’s pray so.
Well, that whole democracy thing was fun while it lasted, wasn't it?
I'm just glad I was able to participate in it and (mostly) enjoyed it for the last 72 years. The next 4 years will be telling. I hope we can save it.
That's just scary for my kids & grandkids!!!
Yes, I understand your concern for them. As for myself, I have no kids or grandkids so I apologize if my post seems self-centered.
Yep, my kids and grandkids are the generations that will suffer longest if Trump gets what he wants the next 4 years.
Apparently democracy was too much work. Too many syllables, like “authoritarian” which had focus group participants flummoxed because they didn’t know what it meant.
Maybe the Iranians will be successful. Hope springs eternal!
Call me ignorant because I don't engage with social media (except this substack, if it's considered social media). What are people hoping the Iranians are successful at? Having a nuke?
They have vowed to off Trump. I don't like the Iranians at all, but I'm with them on this one!
Call me crazy, or just someone with an active imagination but I've kind of wondered if, with Putin's alliance he formed w/ Iran, if there might be a deal worked out.
Trump gives Putin Ukraine in exchange for Putin convincing Iran's leader not to assassinate him. Then, in exchange for Iran abandoning their attempts to take his life, Trump negotiates a cease fire between Israel, Gaza, et al.
I mean, their whole Axis of Authoritarians doesn't really work if one of them keeps trying to kill the other one.
Thanks, I forgot about that.
I wondered the same thing. Surprised they don’t like him.
He had Soleimani killed, remember?
Yes, I remember now.
I cannot believe the number of posts on social media offering hope the Iranians are successful. When in American history has that ever happened? Never! 😞🤦♂️
and our noble parents fought and died for this and literally saved the world? My heart bleeds!
My Gramps was in WWII. He has to be spinning in his grave. This whole episode I've been thinking of Gramps. They were the Greatest Generation.
They were the greatest generation to a point (FYI - my father served in WWII).
They gave us Reagan, trickle down economics, tax cuts to the wealthy, did not make social security and Medicare sustainable (they only fixed it until 2035 when they would be gone - not their problem) and started the downfall of the GOP.
I am of the boomer generation and witnessed first hand some of the hubris of the greatest generation and its fallout. My father also fought in WW II and were he living today, would never vote for a Black female. The greatest generation will be the one that helps America realize its own stated ideal of equal opportunity, liberty and justice for all citizens under the law.
I agree completely!
How well I know. My squadron and I had to deploy to the ME directly after the botched attempt to rescue the embassy hostages. This was back in April 1980. Lost a C-130 and helo, as well as lives. During our presence there, back in D.C. the talking heads had a parlay, barely squeaking by to avoid war with Iran. But there was a lot of saber rattling back then. It was so close.
Fought and died for the Iranians? I must have missed that part of history.
I think this thread went off the rails.
I am not rooting for the Iranian Mullah regime at all!
Me neither, Jens. But in the case of Trump, I'll make exceptions.
They don't want a woman's voice to be heard in public. Doesn't sound very happy.
We are counting down to that. The little weasel said, “Your body; MY choice”. And Trump vowed to protect women “whether they like it or not”. Just like the mullahs.
Don't you just love it when a Nutjob and Mini-Me are out of synch? SMH
Sic transit gloria Americana
Going forward, as I see the consistent disinformation spewing through social media, I feel like country first needs to focus on holding media accountable for the abuse of the first amendment! Freedom of speech is being abused every day and that is the root of the problem and I believe how Trump got elected. Fox News rewriting January 6 etc..
First thing you can do is not to patronage those media outlets anymore. They depend on readers and viewers to earn big advertising/commercials dollars!
I dumped my WaPo subscription, stopped watching CNN (except Jim Acosta), and switched to BBC News (web and TV), The Guardian, and phasing out X/Twitter and moved to BlueSky (massive jump in new users in the last week).
I dumped my WaPo subscription too, but the opposition to that action makes sense; it only hurts the journalists, not Bezos.
It's almost always about the head of the snake. Remove it and go from there. With his riches, no amount of boycotting will affect him.
What do. you think of MSNBC?
My husband and I have been watching MSNBC for a while now; before 2016 for sure. My favorite show is Nicole Wallace, but she's early-afternoon here on the west coast, so I get her podcast which arrives around 4:30 pm. We like Rachel; she's only on Mondays, and she can get caught up in the drama of a story sometimes. Lawrence is good, and Stephanie Ruhle has grown on me: her background is economics. The weekend show with Michael Steel, Simone, and Alicia Menendez is also good.
I’ve been watching MSNBC for quite awhile now and they seem to be interested in telling the truth as far as I can tell. But then I also read Reuters, the guardian is a favorite and the Atlantic seems straightforward. I don’t want to fall in a trap of just viewing what lines up with my opinions. I want to think through some of the other sources too. But will NOT watch/listen to fox. Their lies anger me.
Reuters is one of the top best for reporting the actual news. I tend to nitpick which ones I read from. Any misspellings, bad use of grammar and punctuation and I'm out. To be an exceptional journalist, you have to be exceptional.
I like The Beat with Ari Melber, The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell and sometimes Morning Joe. Maddow can be a bit in the weeds and anxiety provoking but she gives great historical background to stories she covers. I also watch PBS and BBC. Sundays- CBS Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan. Never watched any of these except PBS and CBS before trump in 2017. Also recently I started watching on CNN Abby Phillips and Katlin Collins sometimes
Thank you Kathe for all this information!! I'm going to start watching these!! I have been diehard CNN until I noticed some were making more allowances for trump. So sad!
Because a conservative billionaire is on their board and influencing leadership.
In Rachel's episode last night she really got caught up in it. That's what almost caused me to lose it. I feel her frustration.
I watch Nicole Wallace, and once a while Rachel Maddow or Lawrence O'Donnell. I prefer 100% unbiased news, without any ideological slant - which is almost impossible these days.
I like The Beat with Ari Melber, The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell and Morning Joe. Maddow can be a bit in the weeds and anxiety provoking but she gives great historical background to stories she covers. I also watch PBS and BBC. Sundays- CBS Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan. Never watched any of these except PBS and CBS before trump in 2017.
Maddow excellent. Acosta and Velshi very good. Wallace factual but the message is always: look at this appalling thing he did. Reid and Melber I don’t eatch,
On CNN, Zacharia on Sunday am is excellent
love Ari Melber. like O'Donnell too. Recently started watching on CNN Abby Phillips and Katlin Collins sometimes
Since everyone is chiming in I will also. I am a big MSNBC advocate. They basically got me through the COVID pandemic & the 2020 election.
I, I think a long with the rest of the viewers, discovered the gift that is Steve Kornacki. That man is a genius! If everyone had watched him in 2020, there's no way they would've thought the election was stolen (I say that, it may not have made a difference but who knows). He was able to analyze everything ahead of time & knew the voting history of every district & so on. I think I slept that week when he slept.
I will say this though, as an MSNBC watcher, when other people would express frustration with the media & the way they normalized & sugar coated Trump; I'm always thinking, "What media are you watching?". MSNBC does not gloss over Trump's actions.
However, they'll be critical of Biden & Harris too & they'll report normally on him when he acts normal. They're not the Left wing Fox station as I don't think Fox ever criticizes Trump.
I love Morning Joe in the mornings. However, I live here in Springfield, Missouri so Joe Scarborough's personality is familiar to me.
Then there are the daytime hosts that are pretty neutral. Then, at 3pm CST Deadline Whitehouse comes on with Nicole Wallace. I adore her, she's excellent. Then there's Ari Melber on The Beat at 5pm CST. He's an attorney so he's great with legal stuff & he'll do those difficult interviews.
After The Beat there's the Reid Out with Joy Reid at 6pm CST & she's good. She's passionate & her tone can be opinionated but I like her attitude. Then there's All In with Chris Hays at 7. I really like him. He has some really good segments & monologues. Except on Mondays it's Jen Psaki at 7. Then on Mondays it's Rachel Maddow at 8pm (my favorite because she always has a story that hasn't been told yet).
The rest of the week Alex Wagner fills that spot & she's great. Then at 9pm it's Lawrence O'Donnell & I absolutely love his monologues. I will agree that I've noticed occasionally he might get a small fact or 2 wrong. Makes you wonder if they need to add or switch out a writer/editor..
Then at 10pm it was Brian Williams but he retired shortly after Biden took office. They moved Stephanie Ruhal into his spot. She used to be on at 11 each day. I was so happy when they moved her up, she's so genuine. I cry every time she cries, which (like me) it doesn't take too much to make her cry. She's an empath, it's obvious.
Apparently Stephanie's parents are Right wing Fox News watchers & I just can't imagine that. She said something about the TV her parents watch at night. Someone on her table said, I would hope they're watching you. She laughed & went into talking about how they watch Fox.
Can you imagine? She's so successful & does her job so well & she's truly passionate about her stance in her reporting. I remember thinking, "If this woman can't convince her own parents of the truth? The rest of us don't stand a chance any time soon". Of convincing MAGA of the truth I mean.
Then someone mentioned the Atlantic & I love that journal. Now, it is a journal but it's still informative. I also look up a lot of the sources referenced on MSNBC. Anything they're showing or referencing can be found fairly easily.
Then, of course, there's the Bulwark. They're excellent. PBS is a great source also.
I watch Rachel's show, Nicole Wallace, and love Jenn Ptaki. Is that her last name? O'Donnell tends to stretch the truth a wee bit. The man cannot abide the Nutjob.
Heather Cox Richardson is brilliant. She is a historian and dives deep, but has no political agenda other than a dogged search for truth.
Thank you everyone!! Good information!
BBC America
France 24 in English is really great for world news but in the USA you would have to use a vpn.
No, you don't need a VPN (at least not in the USA).
Here is a list of free news channels from around the Globe (all in English)
- United Kingdom: BBC News - https://www.bbc.com/watch-live-news
SkyNews (owned by Comcast - not affiliated with Murdoch anymore) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJUvTVdTMyY
- Germany: DW-TV (Public broadcaster) - https://www.dw.com/en/live-tv/channel-english
- France: France 24 (Public broadcaster)- https://www.france24.com/en/live
- Japan: NHK (Public broadcaster) - https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/live/
I would add https://www.cbcnews.ca
The Canadian network reports US news, objectively, leaning a bit left. Good insights from a neighbor affected big time.
Thanks! Here in Italy we can’t get BBC live, we tried. Besides France 24, we also watch Sky news. We do get CNN international, but only watch that for disaster (hurricanes etc) type news. We will check out The German & Japan channels.
Yup. I tested it. It's geo blocked in Italy (I tested it by selecting Rome via my Nord VPN acct)
But it's not blocked in the US.
Wow I had no idea.
Could not agree more with that. ‘Citizens United’ enabled P.T. Barnum’s quote, “ one born every minute”, to be demonstrably proven in our political milieu. With shameless lying being normalized, weaponized and worshiped as truth within the Republican Party, it was only a matter of time before the circus came to town.
Makes one wonder how well our Justices sleep at night, eh?
Sadly, I suspect our justices feel quite self-righteous in their originalist minds. I am not a forensic, post-mortem mind-reader but I also suspect that if the original drafters of our constitution were to see where we are now, most would say, “what the fuck were you thinking?”
I strongly concur. I lay a lot of the blame on them. They just can't seem to stay away from the Nutjob. I truly believe they played a huge role as influencers; namely, MAGA. I have a favorite author who is retired 0-5/Delta Force. In his short bio, he admits to watching Fox. Finding that out, I cringed, hoping against hope that he's intelligent enough to parse out what's propaganda and what's actually news. I will continue to read his books, however, because of how well they're written. He's right up there with Thor, Ludlum, Carr, Clancy, etc. What I DO appreciate about his writing is that he NEVER includes his political or religious beliefs. The media done gone off the rails since 9/11. It's gotten so one has to be able to put their critical thinking skill to the test, figuring out what's true from false, and not just on the surface. I always try to cross-reference what I read. Nope, the media has not been our friend.
ABSOLUTELY is the reason, Trump in Power Again.
This going to be a rough ride. That said, one thing about Trump’s appointments and the patronage system is that the “best people” are not in these positions. The majority of Americans voted for Trump because he lied about what he would do for the economy and they believed him. The majority voted for the price of eggs, not for Trump’s retribution fever dreams. Every single policy idea voiced by Trumpists since the election will hammer the economy. If folks thought that eggs were expensive, wait until all the poultry workers are either hiding or gone, and see what they’re paying. Democrats, Independents, and non-Trumpist Republicans need to start preparation for the midterms. Right now. We had a good message in November but it is hard to compete with a liar who will say literally anything to get a vote. Now he needs to actually produce,which he can’t, and won’t. Let’s get busy.
Completely agree with you. I am not sure of how many “non Trump Republicans “ and Independents actually wound up voting for him. Clearly enough and that is how he won. I would like to see a collective push to the center. If there is going to be a realistic way to take back congress from MAGA in midterms, there needs to be a serious reflection on what went wrong.
I do believe we see more buyer’s remorse. I know many people who voted for Trump that did not believe Project 2025 was real. Many Trumpers feel that a Trump administration will be a guarantee of their rights and freedom. At the risk of sounding condescending, not sure they realize oligarchies and autocracies don’t really do that.
Many trump voters that I know of, and their minds were made up, were not aware of his plans and the dangers he poses. They don’t pay attention to politics and/or their tv playing in the background is Fox/faux news. They are mad at me still, and I really don’t care at this point about that, in that I tried to inform them politely about the dangers. Before the election. But here we are. 🤦🏼♀️
Yep. My husband is well educated but chooses to get his news from right wing media. He would always mock me in 2016 when I used terms such as Alt Right, MAGA and Far Right yet his family would refer to anyone that did not support Trump as radical leftists. I am absolutely an Independent with a shift to the left and I recognize there is a political spectrum. When I presented fact based evidence regarding political issues to my husband, he responded that it was merely “ news porn.” It’s sad because my daughter has to do a project on deforestation and I have numerous articles from the Sierra Club and Nature Conservatory that pretty much suggest that the climate is going to take a hit under Trump and Zeldin.
Not only the climate, but the regulations that help maintain safe water and air, wildlife, on and on. Humans are losing and many have lost connection to the earth that sustains us - Koyaanisqatsi - the Hopi world for "life out of balance." Watch the 1982 film, its amazing!
Will do!!
yes the conservation groups are outraged
My anxiety has gone off the charts I can’t understand people’s misunderstanding what they voted for. Like they voted for the last emotion.
I have an old friend he is 84 in fragile health tell me he is glad he is 84 cuz he won’t live to see the worst of it. 🤔
He voted For Harris dang
I understand, Rose. It is astonishing that ppl voted for him! 😩😥
It’s too late. The only collective push will be up our asses by authoritarianism.
Not me. As a friend of mine said after a frightening event years ago, " I was so scared that you couldn't pull a needle out of my ass with a tractor!" 😱😱😱😜
I think a good portion of them voted for him because of his immigration plan. They think undocumented are coming here, without following the proper procedures and gt free healthcare, free prepaid debit cards, free food and clothes and free education. They feel they work hard and don't want to see them taking advantage of them. That is what they think-including the Hispanics who came here legally or have citizenship now.
I agree with that assessment however it begs the question why a certain bipartisan bill did not get past. Granted, it should have been given more attention sooner rather than later but it still doesn’t explain how that bill did not pass.
it didn't get to a vote because trump wanted to campaign on the issue- and it worked.
Yep
I agree with Diane. Take time to listen to voters that are clearly not part of the extreme MAGA crowd and you will hear that it was all the scare tactics about immigration, inflation and trans rights that predominantly pushed voters to Trump. Hispanics just want immigrants to go through legally like they did. So I want to ask them, why are you not helping to educate that population to do that?! And it was beyond obvious that Trump killed the bipartisan immigration bill. Why didn't Harris push that every chance she got to the Hispanic community. Also I think we need to be very specific that it was inflation that made people so unhappy. Moving forward Republicans need to be held accountable for everything they do!
did they stay home? is there any data that shows percentage of Democrats who voted compared to previous elections and compared to the population at the time?
I almost believe there was interference from outside sources. You know who they are. Election Day was WAY TOO CLEAN. It was like slipping a note under your desk to your friend and no one noticing in class. But since it's just a very strong feeling, I'm not going to propagandize this. No way. I go ONLY with the truth.
Also many Democrats stayed home, either overly confident that others would bring Harris the finish line, or butt-hurt over Gaza and not paying attention to how terrible Trump will be on that issue.
This is because they lack the proverbial ability of critical thinking. They take the path of least resistance - what the the Orange Nutjob gives them. They only look at the surface, rather than delve deeper for more information. It's too much trouble. Zombies are more intelligent than they are. I am so surprised there are so many of us who are waiting in the wings for the Orange Nutjob to drop the hammer. You know it will happen. He hates being told what to do.
Well,said. Lying by politicians to get votes is as old as dirt. Trump did that plus tapped into the angst of white, christian nationalists, and whoever the hell else voted for him, to spread his gospel. There is no such thing as shame within the self-righteous MAGA cult. Any shame felt by the other voters who elected him will never be seen. Lying about your intentions and behavior is de rigueur among Trump apologists.
Cathkynn - exactly. Let him wreck the economy to teach people. What should we focus on and what can be done for 1) midterms and 2) ti avoid no return tipping point in climate, global defense, and fact based news to inform citizens? I sense the loss of later was a big factor, and if not tackled, will again be. E.g. more goo said democracy was a too issue in voting exit polls then dem’s!!!
Midterms? You really think there will be midterms? Nope. No way.
of course there will be midterms! we are still a democracy with a Constitution. And there are millions who aren't just going to sit by and let them take a bulldozer to America
Not as of November 5. Our Supreme Court is captured. The only way our democracy is saved (or reinstated) is if the MAGAs get disillusioned.
Suzie Wiles told donors that he will have only 2 years to accomplish everything, so she's planning on mid-terms. How long before Trump gets fed up with her and gives her the boot?
I was wondering how long she will last too.
There aren't going tobe any midterms. The Dominionists have near- absolute power now, and they believe they are ordained by God to establishHis Kingdom. They won't ever cede power now.
His plan ALWAYS was to implement project 2025 or project 47 whatever name it is going by. The lies just keep on coming!
The question now is, “What are we going to do about it?” Biden is still the president. I’ve said it before. Abraham Lincoln did not allow his Supreme Court to take over when they opposed his policy on slavery. What is happening to this country? Can’t Biden do anything? Is Trump so connected that no one can touch him? I must say, the only thing that made me feel good was Jon Stewart reminding us how the Democrats lost badly to Reagan and how the Dems did recover and come back. However, I think much more harm is coming our way. Trump is already picking cabinet members who had allegations during his administration, but, of course, were never prosecuted. I can’t imagine what is going to happen. It’s truly heart breaking. At this point I’m ashamed to be an American.
There will be no more elections. It’s astonishing to me that people assume elections will continue as before.
With all due respect, I refuse to believe that. As I see it, to allow our democracy be done away with will mean we've turned our back to those who made the ultimate sacrifice during the wars we've engaged in since the late 1700s. I refuse to ever do that. Besides, I swore an oath to protect both the U.S. Constitution and this country from enemies, both foreign and domestic. To this very day, I continue to uphold that oath.
I don't believe that. There was a time when blacks and women didn't have the right to vote. and when they did the rules to register to vote for black people were very different than for others- counting jelly beans in a jar- we got past that- we will get past this too- The Iron Curtain came down -May be rough for some years but everything changes- it's the way of the world.
Elections may still be held. Even Russia holds sham elections to give the appearance of democratically elected politicians. There are more ways to vote in our obscenely capitalist society than casting a ballot.
Once a democracy is lost, it almost never returns. That’s a different scenario from achieving democracy in the first place. And we did this to ourselves; that’s another distinction. We fell for Putin’s orchestrated division of the populace. Mission accomplished. A good dose of American Ignorance aided and abetted.
I’m curious why Biden isn’t using his newly given rights by SCOTUS to rule on things without fear of impeachment. He’s a lame duck now. He needs to get er done.
I've been hearing about that. He may very well do that. Although, the Orange Nutjob has already screamed out that he absolutely better not do that, that it's illegal or some-such. Funny how he did that very thing back in late 2020. Unbelievable!
To those that voted for Trump, "Rude Awakening" comes to mind... Be careful what you ask/vote for.
The mass deportation issue still astounds me. Most people agree on the deportation of illegal immigrants who have committed crimes. But Homan stated that those who have no criminal record will be deported as well. And families won't be separated this time -- the entire family can be shipped out together.
I think we should deport all Hispanics who voted for Trump.
there will be lawyers challenging that. with regard to mass deportations-that will include government contracts to prison companies to build camps, in communities, to house all these people, feed and clothe them, educate their children and take care of their health. Then they have to find the countries that are willing to take them- logistics will be a nightmare and they can be here in the camps for years until it all gets sorted out at taxpayers expense. y couldn't trump instead spend the money hiring hundreds of immigration judges to speed up the process of those seeking asylum, which are the majority of those here undocumented, so they can be deported quickly instead of staying here for years as they do now waiting for their court date?
The war on education outlined by Project 2025 is reminiscent of the knowledge purge instituted by authoritarians of the past, like human stains Pol Pot and Mao. Keeping the populace ignorant is vital to oppression. That this is being openly advocated in America is beyond troubling.
I have whiplash on that aspect, having benefited from the education bonanza that Sputnik created in the 1960s. We realized then that an educated population is a national security feature. But not so much an authoritarian feature, so out it goes.
This is why the Catholic Church was against people learning to read the Bible before Gutenberg invented the printing press. Martin Luther ushered in the Reformation believing literate people could decipher the scriptures for themselves, thereby not easily lead “astray” as powerful church leaders were wonton to do. Same principle here.
You are so spot on. The destruction of the public education system started in the early 90's with the complete authorization of charter schools and home schooling as legal alternatives.
Sadly this isn’t new and anyone who believes it isn’t happening was previously living under a rock. We need a strong opposition with the voice of reason.
68 days til the shit show begins.
And the economy tanks in 3-6 months after that. I’ve already started shifting investments to cash. Gold might be next.
Start buying products you want pre-tariff and stock up on groceries that are not perishable before prices go up. Don’t forget the TP.
More likely the Wild West of bitcoin where they’ll relieve you of what you have left.
Voters will FAAFO - JVL on the Bulwark said we should try stopping things that are illegal or against democracy to the extent we can, and probably not much else. I agree with prioritizing the most important things for sure.
Idk what FAAFO is. I tried to figure it out.
FAAFO = f**K around and find out
I agree with JVL. We need to let Trump be Trump and f**k things up on his own because he will. I am betting that by the mid-terms he'll have screwed people over so bad that his approval numbers will be near 25%.
In a real world, he should have a 10% approval. Unfortunately for us in the year of the lord 2024, the right-winged media infrastructure can tell the sky is green and enough people believe it.
Right wing media uses our freedom of speech to kill off our freedom.
Or he'll pass away from all the stress he's facing because all the other Type As will be running this circus, too. He hates that. He wants to be in charge but not do the work. But it has to be HIS ideas, nearly all of them unconstitutional. John Kelly had to advise him numerous times about that. Makes me wonder if he'll be working on getting rid of the Constitution, or at least parts of it.
I didn’t know for the longest time either. But it really captures the current time.
I finally just went and looked it up! lol.
It's usually spelled just FAFO.
"Where are the clowns? Send in the clowns...."
....THERE OUGHT TO BE CLOWNS!
But as Charlie is fond of saying, a clown with a flamethrower still has a flamethrower.
And where are the clowns----Don't worry , they're HERE!
I came here for 2 reasons. To spill the tea and save democracy. I'm all out of tea.
Ha, w're going to get more tea!
I can almost get down with the outlawing of pornography (and here come the porn defenders in 3...2..1..) from the standpoint of there's a generation or two of young men who've had access to hardcore porn in their pockets and it's causing problems that young women bear the brunt of. I don't think that's why they're doing it though. I'd find it darkly funny in a tit-for-tits kinda way after Dobbs.
The rest is just, ugh.
I'm not a porn defender in any way, but the only thing I say is if you want freedom of speech you have to take the bad with the good, I'd rather put up with porn (with adults "actors") and have the freedom to have forms such as this where we can exchange view point freely.
I'm not sure why the filmed abuse of women is considered "free speech" and I think that was a lousy decision.
I will agree with you on this forum.
I didn't really say it right what I'm trying to say is where and who decides what is acceptable. What one person thinks is free speech and to someone else it repulsive
It's can be a slipper slopeI don't ever want to have someone like a Maga person deciding what considered ok free speech
My son is a independent film maker who actually won a award for short documentary ( nothing to do with porn) about a person who came to America and had made a successful impact on his community
Mega won't like thus documentary because it's about a immigrant from SE Asia. I would hate to see a story like that some how stop because of someone like trump
Hopefully that makes sense I was in no way condoning the porn industry.
Totally agree not condoning porn but agree that free speech has to be totally unfettered. Otherwise who is it that makes the decision on what is acceptable and what isn’t acceptable? Who gets to be the ultimate judge?
Totally unfettered? No! The Orange Nutjob has so abused freedom of speech with his vitriol of violence. The majority of the time he campaigned he spent time talking about revenge and what he would do against those who oppose him. He continues to draw the line. And it's done by design, to spur his followers to pick up their weapons and go out in the streets and start threatening ordinary Americans. Or anyone with skin color other than white. He's taking it to new heights. Just how far will he actually go.
I kind of agree, except those young men who are currently addicted to porn might seek the real world alternative, “whether they like it or not”.
I think a lot of them already are.
Adam, it seems ironic to hit "like" when the article was excellent but the material is scary!
The trump voters I talk to don't believe these things will happen. So we need to stay on top of these transitions as they happen to warn the trumpites before they are cemented in! I know you and Country First are on top of it with a solution!! Maybe teaming with Republicans for H-W group, Amy McGrath's SOS project, etc. I'm with you!!🇺🇸
That’s why I didn’t click “like”. There needs to be an “agree”.
I'm going out again this evening for my once-a-week get-together with friends at a local bar. I expect to be asked what I thought about the election. After careful consideration over the past few days my response will be "The majority of Americans got what they wanted." I will not discuss it any further with them because, in their minds, I am wrong and they are right. What they experience over the next 4 years will do more to change their minds than a million words coming from me at this time. Perhaps we can once again discuss politics once the fever breaks.
Well said, you cant fix stupid, only the experience of the trump disaster will!
I think that will be a great response to their question, but with a little bit of snark to it. And just shrug it off. To expound further is a waste of breath with them. It has to affect them on a personal level, to feel the pain of high prices that continue to rise for food and gas.