Gerald, I am taking down this post which somehow praises Robert Kennedy. I am sorry but that kind of sentiment is not welcome here. I consider him to the single most dangerous man in America after Trump and Elon and folks have to grow the fuck up here.
I can't believe he was at 47% approval and 39% disapproval for +8. Where do they poll these people? Oh I know Diners. I am glad his approvals are dropping but still, geez.
YUP! daily calls and using the contact email thing also...we can flood with pressure. It is important since we can only contact the senators from our own states. However, we can contact Schumer and Thune as leaders of the Senate no matter where we live. I urge you to do that as well.
This is one of the reasons I am fighting so hard. I posted this on Bluesky earlier and I hope you all don’t mind me sharing:
I am so angry right now. My wife is an attorney and she represents unaccompanied children in their asylum claims. The kids are texting her tonight, terrified because ICE was in their school today. Children, who have been through all sorts of unspeakable hell just to get here, and now my government is terrorizing them. My religion teaches me that God forgives all of us, but I do wonder if there should be an exception for these people who are terrorizing children. All this so that my fellow white people can feel powerful over people who have no power.
What do I tell her? More importantly, what does she tell these children? How do we ever overcome our shame as a nation for allowing this? There is always evil in the world, and right now that evil is upon us.
I am in this for as long as necessary. I know this is a long fight. But, I won’t stand back and let this evil win out. I hope you all feel the same.
This is so heart-breaking. Thank you for sharing this on BlueSky and here.. possibly also as a letter to the editor, written exactly like this, and to your MOCs ? It is beautifully written. Thank your wife for the essential and probably emotionally difficult work that she does, especially now. This is what we all need to see and hear from first-hand accounts.
Thanks Simon. I will do that. Love you brother and your guidance. We will not stop. We will not quit. It is dark times, but damn it, light is what gets rid of the darkness. We are the light.
I had Migrant students & knew their incredibly hard working families for 40+ years….I am heartbroken 💔 seeing these people chained up & loaded onto TRANSPORT planes ✈️!! This is totally unacceptable—CALL YOUR LOCAL OFFICIALS & Congress! This MUST BE STOPPED—Project 2025 will be even worse! The Border Czar is a NAZI‼️
I’m all in to defeat Trump at every turn. I will continue to do so. But what about those who voted for him? Aren’t at least a few of them ready to throw the bum out? A less qualified bunch of cabinet appointees I have never seen. Dumb is dangerous.
Simon, please warn federal workers not to fall for Trump’s new “deferred resignation” scam. I smell a huge rat. It is NOT a buyout - where is the statutory authority, when OPM is only authorized for buyouts up to $25k? (https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/voluntary-separation-incentive-payments/) Where’s the money supposed to come from? Why the hurry to get a commitment by Feb 6 before courts have time to weigh in? Most concerningly, why does it say “resign”, not “retire”? Is this an attempt to cheat federal workers out of their retirement funds? BEWARE!
He seems to want to empty out government so that he can assume role of savior and at the same basically replace the vacancy with fewer loyal MAGA zealots. That looks to be the plan.
It might be tad worse. A government of inept workers only means no services or worse corrupt services by toadies workers. It's hard to believe, but we sure as heck marching in this direction. We better wake up.
Rachel Maddow had an excellent background piece tonight on the destruction/“deletion”-of-gov’t philosophy behind this move & its connection to Vance & MAGA.
Apparently an emergency message went out to workers telling them not to respond. I think the rank and file sniffed out a DOGE scam to get rid of them. Keeping my fingers crossed that they hang tough. And thanking them in advance.
Is Fetterman leaning towards Kennedy? OMG. I feel punched in the gut, if he is. Utter betrayal to his base. I am not a constituent but poured lots of dollars in support to him in 2022.
Reposting: Full text of Caroline Kennedy’s letter regarding her cousin RFK Jr as “Unfit for HHS Office”
January 28, 2025
Dear Senators Crapo, Wyden, Cassidy and Sanders:
Throughout the past year, people have asked for my thoughts about my cousin, Robert Kennedy, Jr. and his presidential campaign.
I did not comment, not only because I was serving in a government position as United States Ambassador to Australia, but because I have never wanted to speak publicly about my family members and their challenges. We are a close generation of 28 cousins who have been through a lot together. We know how hard it has been, and we are always there for each other.
But now that Bobby has been nominated by President Trump to be Secretary of Health and Human Services, a position that would put him in charge of the health of the American people, I feel an obligation to speak out.
Overseeing the FDA, the NIH, the CDC, and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services — agencies that are charged with protecting the most vulnerable among us — is an enormous responsibility, and one that Bobby is unqualified to fill. He lacks any relevant government, financial, management, or medical experience. His views on vaccines are dangerous and willfully misinformed. These facts alone should be disqualifying. But he has personal qualities related to this position which, for me, post even greater concern.
I have known Bobby my whole life; we grew up together. It’s no surprise that he keeps birds of prey as pets because he himself is a predator. He has always been charismatic — able to attract others through the strength of his personality, willingness to take risks and break the rules. I watched his younger brothers and cousins follow him down the path of drug addiction.
His basement, his garage, and his dorm room were the centers of the action where drugs were available, and he enjoyed showing off how he put baby chickens and mice in the blender to feed his hawks. It was often a perverse scene of despair and violence.
Of course, people can grow and change. Through his own strength — and the many second chances he was given by people who felt sorry for the boy who had lost his father — Bobby was able to pull himself out of illness and disease. I admire the discipline that took and the continuing commitment it requires.
But siblings and cousins who Bobby encouraged down the path of substance abused suffered addiction, illness, and death while Bobby has gone to to misrepresent, lie, and cheat his way through life.
Today, while he may encourage a younger generation to attend AA meetings, Bobby is addicted to attention and power. Bobby preys on the desperation of parents and sick children — vaccinating his own children while building a following by hypocritically discouraging other parents from vaccinating theirs.
Even before he fills this job, his constant denigration of our health care system and the conspiratorial half-truths he has told about vaccines, including in connection with Samoa’s deadly 2019 measles outbreak, have cost lives.
And now we know that Bobby’s crusade against vaccination has benefited him in other ways, too. His ethics report makes clear that he will keep his financial stake in a lawsuit against an HPV vaccine. In other words, he is willing to enrich himself by denying access to a vaccine that can prevent almost all forms of cervical cancer and which has been safely administered to millions of boys and girls.
During my time in Australia working on the QUAD Cancer Moonshot, I learned that cervical cancer is among the top three forms of cancer among women in a majority of countries.
Tragically every year, more than 200,000 children lose their mothers, orphaned due to a lack of vaccines and screening. These are the real-world consequences of Bobby’s irresponsible beliefs.
We are a close family and none of this is easy to say. It also wasn’t easy to remain silent last year when Bobby expropriated my father’s image and distorted President Kennedy’s legacy to advance his own failed presidential campaign — and then groveled to Donald Trump for a job.
Bobby continues to grandstand off my father’s assassination, and that of his own father. It is incomprehensible that someone who is willing to exploit their own painful family tragedies for publicity would be in charge of American life-and-death situations.
Unlike Bobby, I try not to speak for my father — but I am certain that he and my Uncle Bobby, who gave their lives in public service, and my Uncle Teddy, who devoted his Senate career to improving health care, would be disgusted.
The American health care system, for all its flaws, is the envy of the world. Its doctors and nurses, researchers, scientists, and caregivers are the most dedicated people I know. Every day, they give their lives to heal and save others. They deserve a knowledgable leader who is committed to evidence and excellence.
They deserve a Secretary committed to advancing cutting-edge medicine to save lives, not rejecting the advances we have already made. They deserve a stable, moral, and ethical person at the helm of this crucial agency. They deserve better than Bobby Kennedy — and so do the rest of us. I urge the Senate to reject this nomination.
Saw Caroline Kennedy read this on MSNBC tonight, Lawrence O'Donnell I think. So moving, and you could tell how hard it was for her to share her family's pain. She's a strong hero!!
We are doing whatever we can here. Our Governor, JB Pritzker, and our Attorney General, Kwame Raoul, are part of a multi-state lawsuit filed against the impoundments. Letitia James, the AG of NY, is leading the lawsuit. Anyone on Blue Sky or X needs to call out their people in Congress and the Senate no matter if they are Dem or Republican. I do not have time for Blue Sky and certainly am not on X. Gretchen Whitmer was quoted as saying: “We have to find common ground “. I read this on Shannon Watts Substack. This is so lame. Call her out! I call my Senators and Congresswoman (Durbin, Duckworth, and Schakowsky) some young staffer hopefully writes down my message. I have no idea if they even read the message. Thank you for sending this second message to us tonight.
I have shared this post with others who may be able to reach contacts in PA. I have exhausted mine.
Honestly the Reuters poll is a bit disappointing. Sure, Trump appears to be underwater but by only 1 point? That’s not enough for an effective opposition. I am sickened that more than 1/3 of Americans think the J6 pardons are fine. What’s wrong with these people!!!????
From https://www.senate.gov/senators/senators-contact.htm "All questions and comments regarding public policy issues, legislation, or requests for personal assistance should be directed to the senators from your state. Please be aware that as a matter of professional courtesy, many senators will acknowledge, but not respond to, a message from another senator's constituent."
To all those Americans who want to downsize government. Don’t you remember VP Al Gore’s reinventing government?
-Putting customers (the American taxpayers) first
- Cutting red tape
- Empowering employees to get results
- Cutting government back to basics
He streamlined government and made it much more efficient, less costly. Bush came in and undid it. Especially the department that was taking care of emergencies, which was sorely needed when Katrina hit. Bush by the way, also dismantled the Osama bin Laden office, that was watching bin Laden’s moment by moment actions. Then we had you know what….
All this to say once again , Democrats govern smartly and Rs come in, dismantle, give big oil tax breaks and blame Democrats. We have to reveal this to the American prop,e.
Gerald, I am taking down this post which somehow praises Robert Kennedy. I am sorry but that kind of sentiment is not welcome here. I consider him to the single most dangerous man in America after Trump and Elon and folks have to grow the fuck up here.
thank you
as a pediatrician, i agree with you wholeheartedly, and shaking with worry today
Thanks for getting this piece out today. It is helpful - today was rough. Let’s hope those poll numbers drop further.
I can't believe he was at 47% approval and 39% disapproval for +8. Where do they poll these people? Oh I know Diners. I am glad his approvals are dropping but still, geez.
YUP! daily calls and using the contact email thing also...we can flood with pressure. It is important since we can only contact the senators from our own states. However, we can contact Schumer and Thune as leaders of the Senate no matter where we live. I urge you to do that as well.
This is one of the reasons I am fighting so hard. I posted this on Bluesky earlier and I hope you all don’t mind me sharing:
I am so angry right now. My wife is an attorney and she represents unaccompanied children in their asylum claims. The kids are texting her tonight, terrified because ICE was in their school today. Children, who have been through all sorts of unspeakable hell just to get here, and now my government is terrorizing them. My religion teaches me that God forgives all of us, but I do wonder if there should be an exception for these people who are terrorizing children. All this so that my fellow white people can feel powerful over people who have no power.
What do I tell her? More importantly, what does she tell these children? How do we ever overcome our shame as a nation for allowing this? There is always evil in the world, and right now that evil is upon us.
I am in this for as long as necessary. I know this is a long fight. But, I won’t stand back and let this evil win out. I hope you all feel the same.
😢😢😢
With you.
This is so heart-breaking. Thank you for sharing this on BlueSky and here.. possibly also as a letter to the editor, written exactly like this, and to your MOCs ? It is beautifully written. Thank your wife for the essential and probably emotionally difficult work that she does, especially now. This is what we all need to see and hear from first-hand accounts.
That’s a great idea. I will do that today.
Pamsy- I took your advice and the newspaper ran my letter to the editor. Thank you for the suggestion!
https://www.startribune.com/readers-write-u-of-m-and-essentia-partnership-immigration-presidential-pardons/601214435
Love you brother. Thank your wife for the incredible work she does. These are dark times.
Thanks Simon. I will do that. Love you brother and your guidance. We will not stop. We will not quit. It is dark times, but damn it, light is what gets rid of the darkness. We are the light.
I had Migrant students & knew their incredibly hard working families for 40+ years….I am heartbroken 💔 seeing these people chained up & loaded onto TRANSPORT planes ✈️!! This is totally unacceptable—CALL YOUR LOCAL OFFICIALS & Congress! This MUST BE STOPPED—Project 2025 will be even worse! The Border Czar is a NAZI‼️
Thank you, Susan. We will keep fighting.
And, apparently even Sesame street is considered "dangerous" --
I’m all in to defeat Trump at every turn. I will continue to do so. But what about those who voted for him? Aren’t at least a few of them ready to throw the bum out? A less qualified bunch of cabinet appointees I have never seen. Dumb is dangerous.
Dumb is dangerous but you know what is even more dangerous? Racist Dumb.
Simon, please warn federal workers not to fall for Trump’s new “deferred resignation” scam. I smell a huge rat. It is NOT a buyout - where is the statutory authority, when OPM is only authorized for buyouts up to $25k? (https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/voluntary-separation-incentive-payments/) Where’s the money supposed to come from? Why the hurry to get a commitment by Feb 6 before courts have time to weigh in? Most concerningly, why does it say “resign”, not “retire”? Is this an attempt to cheat federal workers out of their retirement funds? BEWARE!
He seems to want to empty out government so that he can assume role of savior and at the same basically replace the vacancy with fewer loyal MAGA zealots. That looks to be the plan.
Privatizing the government. Simple.
It might be tad worse. A government of inept workers only means no services or worse corrupt services by toadies workers. It's hard to believe, but we sure as heck marching in this direction. We better wake up.
Rachel Maddow had an excellent background piece tonight on the destruction/“deletion”-of-gov’t philosophy behind this move & its connection to Vance & MAGA.
Rachel Maddow does excellent research and reporting. I stopped watching both Rachel and msnbc, but have returned to watching Rachel,
(also Chris Jansen). Rachel digs in deep, and exposes the corruption with refreshing clarity.
Her historical research is also remarkable.
Apparently an emergency message went out to workers telling them not to respond. I think the rank and file sniffed out a DOGE scam to get rid of them. Keeping my fingers crossed that they hang tough. And thanking them in advance.
Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) warned last night: the buyout offer is bogus and Dump will stiff you.
Is Fetterman leaning towards Kennedy? OMG. I feel punched in the gut, if he is. Utter betrayal to his base. I am not a constituent but poured lots of dollars in support to him in 2022.
Let’s make sure Fetterman is one term if he votes Yes. He is such a disappointment. Call him out on social media. I don’t have time for social media.
I will call his office and say "I'm not a constituent, but I have standing in this since we gave a lot of money to his campaign to become a Senator."
Reposting: Full text of Caroline Kennedy’s letter regarding her cousin RFK Jr as “Unfit for HHS Office”
January 28, 2025
Dear Senators Crapo, Wyden, Cassidy and Sanders:
Throughout the past year, people have asked for my thoughts about my cousin, Robert Kennedy, Jr. and his presidential campaign.
I did not comment, not only because I was serving in a government position as United States Ambassador to Australia, but because I have never wanted to speak publicly about my family members and their challenges. We are a close generation of 28 cousins who have been through a lot together. We know how hard it has been, and we are always there for each other.
But now that Bobby has been nominated by President Trump to be Secretary of Health and Human Services, a position that would put him in charge of the health of the American people, I feel an obligation to speak out.
Overseeing the FDA, the NIH, the CDC, and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services — agencies that are charged with protecting the most vulnerable among us — is an enormous responsibility, and one that Bobby is unqualified to fill. He lacks any relevant government, financial, management, or medical experience. His views on vaccines are dangerous and willfully misinformed. These facts alone should be disqualifying. But he has personal qualities related to this position which, for me, post even greater concern.
I have known Bobby my whole life; we grew up together. It’s no surprise that he keeps birds of prey as pets because he himself is a predator. He has always been charismatic — able to attract others through the strength of his personality, willingness to take risks and break the rules. I watched his younger brothers and cousins follow him down the path of drug addiction.
His basement, his garage, and his dorm room were the centers of the action where drugs were available, and he enjoyed showing off how he put baby chickens and mice in the blender to feed his hawks. It was often a perverse scene of despair and violence.
Of course, people can grow and change. Through his own strength — and the many second chances he was given by people who felt sorry for the boy who had lost his father — Bobby was able to pull himself out of illness and disease. I admire the discipline that took and the continuing commitment it requires.
But siblings and cousins who Bobby encouraged down the path of substance abused suffered addiction, illness, and death while Bobby has gone to to misrepresent, lie, and cheat his way through life.
Today, while he may encourage a younger generation to attend AA meetings, Bobby is addicted to attention and power. Bobby preys on the desperation of parents and sick children — vaccinating his own children while building a following by hypocritically discouraging other parents from vaccinating theirs.
Even before he fills this job, his constant denigration of our health care system and the conspiratorial half-truths he has told about vaccines, including in connection with Samoa’s deadly 2019 measles outbreak, have cost lives.
And now we know that Bobby’s crusade against vaccination has benefited him in other ways, too. His ethics report makes clear that he will keep his financial stake in a lawsuit against an HPV vaccine. In other words, he is willing to enrich himself by denying access to a vaccine that can prevent almost all forms of cervical cancer and which has been safely administered to millions of boys and girls.
During my time in Australia working on the QUAD Cancer Moonshot, I learned that cervical cancer is among the top three forms of cancer among women in a majority of countries.
Tragically every year, more than 200,000 children lose their mothers, orphaned due to a lack of vaccines and screening. These are the real-world consequences of Bobby’s irresponsible beliefs.
We are a close family and none of this is easy to say. It also wasn’t easy to remain silent last year when Bobby expropriated my father’s image and distorted President Kennedy’s legacy to advance his own failed presidential campaign — and then groveled to Donald Trump for a job.
Bobby continues to grandstand off my father’s assassination, and that of his own father. It is incomprehensible that someone who is willing to exploit their own painful family tragedies for publicity would be in charge of American life-and-death situations.
Unlike Bobby, I try not to speak for my father — but I am certain that he and my Uncle Bobby, who gave their lives in public service, and my Uncle Teddy, who devoted his Senate career to improving health care, would be disgusted.
The American health care system, for all its flaws, is the envy of the world. Its doctors and nurses, researchers, scientists, and caregivers are the most dedicated people I know. Every day, they give their lives to heal and save others. They deserve a knowledgable leader who is committed to evidence and excellence.
They deserve a Secretary committed to advancing cutting-edge medicine to save lives, not rejecting the advances we have already made. They deserve a stable, moral, and ethical person at the helm of this crucial agency. They deserve better than Bobby Kennedy — and so do the rest of us. I urge the Senate to reject this nomination.
Sincerely,
Caroline Kennedy
Thank You Karen for posting this.
Simon posted Carolyn's actual letter in this importletter.
The visuals here…whoever votes for him. Omg. Visceral. One word that I will forever remember… and I can't type it but it starts with a b. Jesus.
Saw Caroline Kennedy read this on MSNBC tonight, Lawrence O'Donnell I think. So moving, and you could tell how hard it was for her to share her family's pain. She's a strong hero!!
YAAAASS! STOP trump!
We are doing whatever we can here. Our Governor, JB Pritzker, and our Attorney General, Kwame Raoul, are part of a multi-state lawsuit filed against the impoundments. Letitia James, the AG of NY, is leading the lawsuit. Anyone on Blue Sky or X needs to call out their people in Congress and the Senate no matter if they are Dem or Republican. I do not have time for Blue Sky and certainly am not on X. Gretchen Whitmer was quoted as saying: “We have to find common ground “. I read this on Shannon Watts Substack. This is so lame. Call her out! I call my Senators and Congresswoman (Durbin, Duckworth, and Schakowsky) some young staffer hopefully writes down my message. I have no idea if they even read the message. Thank you for sending this second message to us tonight.
I’m so sick of the “let’s find common ground” folks, and I will remember them.
We're winning, friends! Keep it up!
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/dc-federal-judge-temporarily-blocks-trump-plan-pause-federal-aid-spend-rcna189706
I have shared this post with others who may be able to reach contacts in PA. I have exhausted mine.
Honestly the Reuters poll is a bit disappointing. Sure, Trump appears to be underwater but by only 1 point? That’s not enough for an effective opposition. I am sickened that more than 1/3 of Americans think the J6 pardons are fine. What’s wrong with these people!!!????
Civiqs has him at 45% approval, which I still think is high.
Do Senators pay any attention to calls from those out of state?
My understanding is no, they don't.
From https://www.senate.gov/senators/senators-contact.htm "All questions and comments regarding public policy issues, legislation, or requests for personal assistance should be directed to the senators from your state. Please be aware that as a matter of professional courtesy, many senators will acknowledge, but not respond to, a message from another senator's constituent."
So, can't hurt?
Good question. I would calla few out of NY if they did. Frankly I don’t tink they do. So get loud on their social media.
To all those Americans who want to downsize government. Don’t you remember VP Al Gore’s reinventing government?
-Putting customers (the American taxpayers) first
- Cutting red tape
- Empowering employees to get results
- Cutting government back to basics
He streamlined government and made it much more efficient, less costly. Bush came in and undid it. Especially the department that was taking care of emergencies, which was sorely needed when Katrina hit. Bush by the way, also dismantled the Osama bin Laden office, that was watching bin Laden’s moment by moment actions. Then we had you know what….
All this to say once again , Democrats govern smartly and Rs come in, dismantle, give big oil tax breaks and blame Democrats. We have to reveal this to the American prop,e.
I absolutely ay. Well said.