You are so good for my blood pressure, Robert, and my entire frame of mind! Yes, Biden is a decent person, which should be the first requirement for ANYONE serving in government! He is also COMPETENT. Enough said.
Navarette’s statements were a shock but very welcoming. It’s about time these journalists take a hard look and a reasonable stance. Fake 45 is our nightmare. Joe is our Marvel Hero.
She has already motivated young people to register to vote. She can get them to turn out as well. Taylor should be invited to a non-political event at the White House—like Olivia Rodrigo was with regard the Covid vaccine—or to a campaign event outside the White House. And since it appears that her bf Travis Kelce is like-minded, invite him, too!
Over coffee in senate chambers, over leadership lunches, do the dictatorial proclamations of their leader ever cause concern among Mitch McConnell, John Barrasso, and other senior members of the GOP? Have they not any fear for our republic?? Do they really think it's all just bluster?? Thank God for Liz Cheney. And I never thought I'd say that.
Dear Robert, what I am asking is not meant to be naive Tom Foolery. If Kash Patel and Donald Trump are positively identifying themselves as dictators-to-be in public statements with no need for interpretation or inference and who will apply retribution to his opposers including shutting down the media outlets that do not support him, is this not akin to screaming "FIRE" in a movie theater? Is it actually legal to claim the Constitution is an old rag that doesn't apply to him? Are we really waiting for him to have the whole of the government on his side so he can kill someone on Fifth Avenue and get away with it? Is our Democracy so confoundingly fair that we have to wait for the disaster to occur before taking action? Are these not illegal direct threats to our order? How distant from our government brain does the bullet have to be before the military take him down? Why do we keep on protecting his right to have a gun when its pointed directly at us?
I don’t know if it even matters to the GOP whether the next president is the former guy as long as it’s a Republican. The Heritage Foundation has published new editions in its Mandate for Leadership series coinciding with each presidential election since 1981.
The plan proposes slashing U.S. Justice Department (DOJ) funding, dismantling the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security, and eliminating the cabinet departments of education and commerce. The Washington Post reported Project 2025 includes immediately invoking the Insurrection Act of 1807 to deploy the military for domestic law enforcement and directing the Justice Department to pursue Trump adversaries.
I haven’t read the entire 920-oage manifesto; I was able to save a .pdf version from this link:
It is so clear the difference of a President embodying the values that America aspires to and one that both does not and will not with a political party following his cues. Yet they stand in front of American Flags as they spew like Confederates. So clear and thank you Robert.
Does someone out there take issue with his abbreviated Trump description as a malignant narcissist? I suppose those two words don't really capture the banality of Trump in all dimensions - but they're close. I think the prospect of a future Trump presidency strikes fear in the hearts of senior NATO leaders and joy in the hearts (?) of senior Kremlin leaders. International volatility will increase. Ukraine will be cut off. He'll replace Jay Powell with a true believer at the Fed who will promptly artificially lower the Fed's discount rate. Inflation will explode. The army will be posted to our Southern border. It's hard to write a scenario where, with Trump at the wheel, the US doesn't become an unstable, unpredictable ship sailing into the teeth of an international hurricane (or our own making). Thanks McConnell, Heritage Foundation, Federalist Society.
How does John Barrasso, the Republican Senator from Wyoming, the state with the smallest population in the country block gun safety reform? Follow the BLOOD MONEY and abuse of the FILIBUSTER behind Republicans blocking gun safety bills.
I'm glad Liz Cheney has been doing the right thing since January 6. But I can't forget that she voted for Trump twice and voted for the majority of his policies. In my view, she should be apologetic.
It is interesting to me that one doesn't hear many questions to Ms. Cheney on her third party bid. What would she hope to accomplish? Would voting for her take votes from Trump or Biden? Remember, she is Dick Cheney's daughter. "Trust, but verify". I believe it would benefit us all to voice alarm at the prospect of her candidacy.
Dear Robert, Please rest your voice and heal! We can all read the newsletter for a few days and it's painful to hear you struggle through the reading. Take care of yourself and your voice. XOX
When Trump answers that he’d be a dictator on day one he is in effect saying “I’ll be a dictator if I feel like it.” I contend that malignant narcissists always feel like being a dictator because they always want what they want, they want it now, and they always think they should have it. Other people don’t matter. Only Donald. It’s amazingly childish. But so, so much more dangerous because as President he would have so, so much more power. We Democrats have to turn out the vote and defeat this guy decisively. And in the meantime we must, as Robert says, call him what he is; an aspiring dictator. This is not a joke.
Trump has spent the past decade making wildly outrageous statements that his supporters dismiss as "Oh, that's just how he is. He doesn't really mean it!" while secretly taking delight in the way these comments seem to make much of the left and the left-leaning media apoplectic.
At the same time, the Right Wng Media Machine has done a stellar job of tying the ill-considered rantings of every far-left adjunct professor to the Democratic Party, rarely, if ever, making the disctinction between "people we assume are Democrats" and "actual elected Democrats."
That's the bad news.
The good news is that once he is back in the spotlight, people will remember how tired they are of The Trump Show, realize how much older and crazier he sounds in the reboot, and ulitmately decide it's not worth the entertainment value.
Thank you for the entire newslette,r, including the link to Charlie Sykes' The Case Against Despair, which I read and really liked. ( I feel, by the way, that you work hard to make that case in your newsletter every day and I am grateful.) I recently struggled with a period of despair myself with regard to the climate emergency. I even submitted a gloomy comment to this newsletter during that period, which I now sincerely regret. And my friends were not exactly avoiding me but were definitely not wanting to listen to me on that subject. I am thankfully in a better place now and want to provide a link to an excellent article which was in the New York Times on November 24th. It is called A Different Approach to Climate Action and features marine biologist and climate activist Ayana Elizabeth Johnson. Her message, while recognizing the reality, also gives reasons for hope. Here is the link: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/24/briefing/climate-action.html?unlocked_article_code=1.BE0.j-1d.91JnUzxmqVsP&smid=nytcore-android-share (If the link does not open, I believe you can find it by searching for it by the title.) Her message is definitely in line with making a case against despair.
You are so good for my blood pressure, Robert, and my entire frame of mind! Yes, Biden is a decent person, which should be the first requirement for ANYONE serving in government! He is also COMPETENT. Enough said.
Navarette’s statements were a shock but very welcoming. It’s about time these journalists take a hard look and a reasonable stance. Fake 45 is our nightmare. Joe is our Marvel Hero.
Taylor Swift is a force to be reckoned with! Certainly she will forgive Biden for seemingly confusing her with both Britney and Beyoncé (see https://www.newsweek.com/joe-biden-taylor-swift-gaffe-britney-spears-1845331)
She has already motivated young people to register to vote. She can get them to turn out as well. Taylor should be invited to a non-political event at the White House—like Olivia Rodrigo was with regard the Covid vaccine—or to a campaign event outside the White House. And since it appears that her bf Travis Kelce is like-minded, invite him, too!
Over coffee in senate chambers, over leadership lunches, do the dictatorial proclamations of their leader ever cause concern among Mitch McConnell, John Barrasso, and other senior members of the GOP? Have they not any fear for our republic?? Do they really think it's all just bluster?? Thank God for Liz Cheney. And I never thought I'd say that.
Dear Robert, what I am asking is not meant to be naive Tom Foolery. If Kash Patel and Donald Trump are positively identifying themselves as dictators-to-be in public statements with no need for interpretation or inference and who will apply retribution to his opposers including shutting down the media outlets that do not support him, is this not akin to screaming "FIRE" in a movie theater? Is it actually legal to claim the Constitution is an old rag that doesn't apply to him? Are we really waiting for him to have the whole of the government on his side so he can kill someone on Fifth Avenue and get away with it? Is our Democracy so confoundingly fair that we have to wait for the disaster to occur before taking action? Are these not illegal direct threats to our order? How distant from our government brain does the bullet have to be before the military take him down? Why do we keep on protecting his right to have a gun when its pointed directly at us?
I don’t know if it even matters to the GOP whether the next president is the former guy as long as it’s a Republican. The Heritage Foundation has published new editions in its Mandate for Leadership series coinciding with each presidential election since 1981.
The plan proposes slashing U.S. Justice Department (DOJ) funding, dismantling the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security, and eliminating the cabinet departments of education and commerce. The Washington Post reported Project 2025 includes immediately invoking the Insurrection Act of 1807 to deploy the military for domestic law enforcement and directing the Justice Department to pursue Trump adversaries.
I haven’t read the entire 920-oage manifesto; I was able to save a .pdf version from this link:
https://thf_media.s3.amazonaws.com/project2025/2025_MandateForLeadership_FULL.pdf
It is so clear the difference of a President embodying the values that America aspires to and one that both does not and will not with a political party following his cues. Yet they stand in front of American Flags as they spew like Confederates. So clear and thank you Robert.
Does someone out there take issue with his abbreviated Trump description as a malignant narcissist? I suppose those two words don't really capture the banality of Trump in all dimensions - but they're close. I think the prospect of a future Trump presidency strikes fear in the hearts of senior NATO leaders and joy in the hearts (?) of senior Kremlin leaders. International volatility will increase. Ukraine will be cut off. He'll replace Jay Powell with a true believer at the Fed who will promptly artificially lower the Fed's discount rate. Inflation will explode. The army will be posted to our Southern border. It's hard to write a scenario where, with Trump at the wheel, the US doesn't become an unstable, unpredictable ship sailing into the teeth of an international hurricane (or our own making). Thanks McConnell, Heritage Foundation, Federalist Society.
How does John Barrasso, the Republican Senator from Wyoming, the state with the smallest population in the country block gun safety reform? Follow the BLOOD MONEY and abuse of the FILIBUSTER behind Republicans blocking gun safety bills.
https://thedemlabs.org/2023/12/06/senate-republicans-block-assault-weapons-ban-gun-lobby-donations-filibuster/
I'm glad Liz Cheney has been doing the right thing since January 6. But I can't forget that she voted for Trump twice and voted for the majority of his policies. In my view, she should be apologetic.
How's this for our cap:
The Alternative Will Be A Dictator.
I'm thinking Navy Blue cap with Red and White Lettering.
It is interesting to me that one doesn't hear many questions to Ms. Cheney on her third party bid. What would she hope to accomplish? Would voting for her take votes from Trump or Biden? Remember, she is Dick Cheney's daughter. "Trust, but verify". I believe it would benefit us all to voice alarm at the prospect of her candidacy.
Dear Robert, Please rest your voice and heal! We can all read the newsletter for a few days and it's painful to hear you struggle through the reading. Take care of yourself and your voice. XOX
When Trump answers that he’d be a dictator on day one he is in effect saying “I’ll be a dictator if I feel like it.” I contend that malignant narcissists always feel like being a dictator because they always want what they want, they want it now, and they always think they should have it. Other people don’t matter. Only Donald. It’s amazingly childish. But so, so much more dangerous because as President he would have so, so much more power. We Democrats have to turn out the vote and defeat this guy decisively. And in the meantime we must, as Robert says, call him what he is; an aspiring dictator. This is not a joke.
Trump has spent the past decade making wildly outrageous statements that his supporters dismiss as "Oh, that's just how he is. He doesn't really mean it!" while secretly taking delight in the way these comments seem to make much of the left and the left-leaning media apoplectic.
At the same time, the Right Wng Media Machine has done a stellar job of tying the ill-considered rantings of every far-left adjunct professor to the Democratic Party, rarely, if ever, making the disctinction between "people we assume are Democrats" and "actual elected Democrats."
That's the bad news.
The good news is that once he is back in the spotlight, people will remember how tired they are of The Trump Show, realize how much older and crazier he sounds in the reboot, and ulitmately decide it's not worth the entertainment value.
Thank you for the entire newslette,r, including the link to Charlie Sykes' The Case Against Despair, which I read and really liked. ( I feel, by the way, that you work hard to make that case in your newsletter every day and I am grateful.) I recently struggled with a period of despair myself with regard to the climate emergency. I even submitted a gloomy comment to this newsletter during that period, which I now sincerely regret. And my friends were not exactly avoiding me but were definitely not wanting to listen to me on that subject. I am thankfully in a better place now and want to provide a link to an excellent article which was in the New York Times on November 24th. It is called A Different Approach to Climate Action and features marine biologist and climate activist Ayana Elizabeth Johnson. Her message, while recognizing the reality, also gives reasons for hope. Here is the link: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/24/briefing/climate-action.html?unlocked_article_code=1.BE0.j-1d.91JnUzxmqVsP&smid=nytcore-android-share (If the link does not open, I believe you can find it by searching for it by the title.) Her message is definitely in line with making a case against despair.