Well call me stupid for even asking this-why the h-ell do republican voters continue to vote against their own interests! I am dizzy from shaking my head in disgust, and disbelief. They will be the first ones to scream when their benefits are taken away. I don’t understand!
Great piece. I know I will sound REALLY stupid asking, incredulously, why the Rethugs want to take everyone social security and medical insurance away? Why can’t people see that they are voting for these idiots to their own detriment! Holy s-hi-t! They are being abused by the very people they vote for. What the hell is the deal. They are all rich and will always have their ‘benefits’ but will deny their constituents their own. Sorry if I sound stupid, but I am dizzy from shaking my head in total disgust. Also, it is really painful to be the only ‘never trumper’ in my family.
It is hard to understand how so many of our fellow citizens have veered off the rails so badly. Seems that hate infused ranting, inhumanity and conspiratorial divisiveness have fueled a thought intoxication over riding our core principles of civility, values, and ethics.
You might check out Brandy X Lee on Substack. She is a forensic psychiatrist at Yale who has written extensively about Trump's psychopathology.
Agreed, Robert. It wasn't the major factor, but it triggered the rise in her negative ratings. Prior to the hearings, she was a popular politician. Of course, she hadn't officially started running for President at that time.
I would also suggest that Comey, Cambridge Analytica, and the Russians had the greatest impact on Clinton's defeat. I'm not sure how the latter two are measurable, but the ensuing divisions in our country were powerful symptoms of their impact. Just my perceptions.
Krugman said that so well. I am just really, really tired of these nasty people. All they have done is spout conspiracy theories and lies for years. I wish they would simply get out of the way and let serious people govern.
Robert Reich estimated there are 40 or so anti-seditionist, anit-Big Lie Republicans,. He'd also hope that Joyce of Ohio or Upton of Michigan would step up with a few moderates and bring the D's on board for a moderate Speaker of the House. Of course, it was not to be. Let's find those 40 and start lobbying them with those on this list in those districts to vote to keep the Government from default (raise the debt ceiling) and to pass a range of legislation that serves the country.
Who will be the next Cheney and Kinzinger?
Cheers, and blessings and appreciation to you Robert and your managing partner,
Krugman said that so well. I am just really, really tired of these nasty people. All they have done is spout conspiracy theories and lies for years. I wish they would simply get out of the way and let serious people govern.
I think the media spends ways too much time on Neoliberal/MAGA tactics and not enough on strategy. Wendy Brown and the "economization of America" would be a good place to start. First, we need to identify the strategies employed on us and then identify what WE have become. I SAID WE! Therein lies the problem. We fail to see ourselves in our adversaries. We are all products of the same AMERICAN culture. It is a culture that grew from capital, human capital. Capital, assets, liabilities, that is the culture we have become. That is how we think, all of us! For the last 40 years this culture, these habits, have been on steroids. Running a society, a country, a civilization, like a Hedge Fund has not worked. The same human capital that created this failure will discover a way out of this failure. It requires great pain, sometimes collapse, to defeat denial and blame. We are not exceptional.
It has always (well, almost) been known that scraping SS and Medicare is a third rail; beats me why Dems rarely mentioned it before the election. If they had, we would have the house. Now, it seems a tad late.
This is from Bret Stephens, today’s NYT, in his weekly conversation with Gail Collins. Sums our Kev up pretty well.
A few honorable exceptions aside, the G.O.P. is basically split between reptiles and invertebrates. McCarthy is the ultimate invertebrate. He went to Mar-a-Lago just a short while after Jan. 6 to kiss the ring of the guy who incited the mob that, by McCarthy’s own admission, wanted to kill him. He hated Liz Cheney because of her backbone. But he quailed before Marjorie Taylor Greene because she has a forked tongue. He gave away the powers and prerogatives of the office of speaker in order to gain the office, which is like a slug abandoning its shell and thinking it won’t be stepped on. A better man would have told the Freedom Caucus holdouts to shove it. Instead, as a friend of mine put it, McCarthy decided to become the squeaker of the House.
I am late to the game, Robert, but this piece calmed my nerves and my PTSD came down after witnessing the 3-day debacle that the Pro-Rape Party put us through. There are plenty of good people in the Dem Party and like peacocks, we need to show our feathers a bit more. Jeffries speech as opposed to Qevin’s was glorious. Nancy mentored him beautifully. People tend to forget that Nancy is still in the House for the next 2 years! We are extremely lucky to have her expertise to help guide the House reps. So, thank you for giving me a shot of reality and hope.
Well call me stupid for even asking this-why the h-ell do republican voters continue to vote against their own interests! I am dizzy from shaking my head in disgust, and disbelief. They will be the first ones to scream when their benefits are taken away. I don’t understand!
Comments welcome.
Great piece. I know I will sound REALLY stupid asking, incredulously, why the Rethugs want to take everyone social security and medical insurance away? Why can’t people see that they are voting for these idiots to their own detriment! Holy s-hi-t! They are being abused by the very people they vote for. What the hell is the deal. They are all rich and will always have their ‘benefits’ but will deny their constituents their own. Sorry if I sound stupid, but I am dizzy from shaking my head in total disgust. Also, it is really painful to be the only ‘never trumper’ in my family.
It is hard to understand how so many of our fellow citizens have veered off the rails so badly. Seems that hate infused ranting, inhumanity and conspiratorial divisiveness have fueled a thought intoxication over riding our core principles of civility, values, and ethics.
You might check out Brandy X Lee on Substack. She is a forensic psychiatrist at Yale who has written extensively about Trump's psychopathology.
I wonder that, too☹️
Agreed, Robert. It wasn't the major factor, but it triggered the rise in her negative ratings. Prior to the hearings, she was a popular politician. Of course, she hadn't officially started running for President at that time.
I would also suggest that Comey, Cambridge Analytica, and the Russians had the greatest impact on Clinton's defeat. I'm not sure how the latter two are measurable, but the ensuing divisions in our country were powerful symptoms of their impact. Just my perceptions.
Krugman said that so well. I am just really, really tired of these nasty people. All they have done is spout conspiracy theories and lies for years. I wish they would simply get out of the way and let serious people govern.
Hi Robert and All,
Robert Reich estimated there are 40 or so anti-seditionist, anit-Big Lie Republicans,. He'd also hope that Joyce of Ohio or Upton of Michigan would step up with a few moderates and bring the D's on board for a moderate Speaker of the House. Of course, it was not to be. Let's find those 40 and start lobbying them with those on this list in those districts to vote to keep the Government from default (raise the debt ceiling) and to pass a range of legislation that serves the country.
Who will be the next Cheney and Kinzinger?
Cheers, and blessings and appreciation to you Robert and your managing partner,
John Steiner
steinerking33@gmail.com
Krugman said that so well. I am just really, really tired of these nasty people. All they have done is spout conspiracy theories and lies for years. I wish they would simply get out of the way and let serious people govern.
If you are enjoying his lecture series be sure to read The Road to Unfreedom
The Road to Unfreedom: Russia, Europe, America https://a.co/d/eqCXTel
Thanks, as always, for the informative and somewhat calming newsletter. And I appreciate CC’s viewpoints.
CC and you, Robert, eloquently hit the nail on the head with today's edition!
I think the media spends ways too much time on Neoliberal/MAGA tactics and not enough on strategy. Wendy Brown and the "economization of America" would be a good place to start. First, we need to identify the strategies employed on us and then identify what WE have become. I SAID WE! Therein lies the problem. We fail to see ourselves in our adversaries. We are all products of the same AMERICAN culture. It is a culture that grew from capital, human capital. Capital, assets, liabilities, that is the culture we have become. That is how we think, all of us! For the last 40 years this culture, these habits, have been on steroids. Running a society, a country, a civilization, like a Hedge Fund has not worked. The same human capital that created this failure will discover a way out of this failure. It requires great pain, sometimes collapse, to defeat denial and blame. We are not exceptional.
It has always (well, almost) been known that scraping SS and Medicare is a third rail; beats me why Dems rarely mentioned it before the election. If they had, we would have the house. Now, it seems a tad late.
I wouldn't call Kevin McCarthy's win a painful victory. Better would be to call it a pyrrhic victory...
This is from Bret Stephens, today’s NYT, in his weekly conversation with Gail Collins. Sums our Kev up pretty well.
A few honorable exceptions aside, the G.O.P. is basically split between reptiles and invertebrates. McCarthy is the ultimate invertebrate. He went to Mar-a-Lago just a short while after Jan. 6 to kiss the ring of the guy who incited the mob that, by McCarthy’s own admission, wanted to kill him. He hated Liz Cheney because of her backbone. But he quailed before Marjorie Taylor Greene because she has a forked tongue. He gave away the powers and prerogatives of the office of speaker in order to gain the office, which is like a slug abandoning its shell and thinking it won’t be stepped on. A better man would have told the Freedom Caucus holdouts to shove it. Instead, as a friend of mine put it, McCarthy decided to become the squeaker of the House.
I am late to the game, Robert, but this piece calmed my nerves and my PTSD came down after witnessing the 3-day debacle that the Pro-Rape Party put us through. There are plenty of good people in the Dem Party and like peacocks, we need to show our feathers a bit more. Jeffries speech as opposed to Qevin’s was glorious. Nancy mentored him beautifully. People tend to forget that Nancy is still in the House for the next 2 years! We are extremely lucky to have her expertise to help guide the House reps. So, thank you for giving me a shot of reality and hope.