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Deborah Potter's avatar

Self report: super-fun things that I am doing, and you can do them too!! Just check the websites for your candidates’ events and go have some fun... or host an event with your neighbors.

With the DNC funding, our elected officials are having open house parties at their new offices. You can go and talk with them one-on-one, enjoy something to eat and drink, and mingle with other Democrats. Last night I visited with Rep. Melanie Stansbury and Deb Haaland – candidate for Governor. I did an impromptu, recorded 20-sec. endorsement of Deb for social media saying that she is fierce and strong -- a winner as Chair of DPNM, our Congressional Rep., and Sec. of USDI. My pic is buried here, standing behind Deb and Melanie (next to Deb's left shoulder). https://debhaaland.com/2025/08/haaland-culminates-visits-to-all-33-new-mexico-counties-at-office-grand-opening-reaffirms-focus-on-affordability/ I mentoned to Rep. Stansbury that she’d be receiving the signed resolution from BernCo Commission in the mail from our County Clerk. I recently went to the office openings for my State Rep. and State Senator, ate yummy breakfast burritos and talked with them and others.

I’m also hosting a “Meet-and-Greet” (AKA House Party) next week for Katharine Clark, candidate for NM Secretary of State in the upcoming Democratic primary election. It will be at my home with several Democratic Party leaders as Co-hosts. These are informal, smaller gatherings than fund-raising events. The purpose is to get to know the candidates and discuss issues. All candidates are eager for you to do this for them. Here’s a DNC tool kit if you’d like some ideas. https://democrats.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2019/07/Rural-Precinct-Chair-Toolkit.pdf pg. 6

I must add that I talk some Hopium wherever I go. Our Vice Ward Chair says that when I talk about Hopium he is reminded of the ending of Meg Ryan’s scene with Billy Crystal in “When Harry Met Sally:” “I'll Have What She's Having.” That comment was so unexpected and it made me laugh. I hope it made you laugh too.

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Leslie's avatar

You are a force of nature!

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Pamela Frazier's avatar

I love Stansbury!! She rocks. Also, kickass collection of New Mexican earrings.

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kitkatmia's avatar

from wapo & talking points memo, our worst fear:

A new WaPo exclusive:

The Trump administration is evaluating plans that would establish a “Domestic Civil Disturbance Quick Reaction Force” composed of hundreds of National Guard troops tasked with rapidly deploying into American cities facing protests or other unrest, according to internal Pentagon documents reviewed by The Washington Post.

The plan calls for 600 troops to be on standby at all times so they can deploy in as little as one hour, the documents say. They would be split into two groups of 300 and stationed at military bases in Alabama and Arizona, with purview of regions east and west of the Mississippi River, respectively.

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Lisa Iannucci's avatar

We'll see. It depends on how strongly we continue to respond to this BS.

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Susan Dieterlen's avatar

Also the big Labor Day protests coming up! For those who need more notice to schedule something on a weekend. Or those who can't get enough of protesting against this shitshow.

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Cheryl Johnson's avatar

The May Day Strong Crew are organing the Labor Day protests. They have scheduled a national call for Thursday evening.

https://www.mobilize.us/mayday/event/822934/

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Susan Dieterlen's avatar

And will those National Guard troops obey those orders? People join expecting to defend Americans and save us during natural disasters, not this.

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Thomas's avatar

That is truly an excellent question. Unlawful orders to loyal Americans are where I thought things would really come apart.

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Kate O'Shea's avatar

May it be so!

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MrsCQ's avatar

Sadly, I think a majority of them would obey the orders.

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Ted N's avatar

I’m honestly surprised it’s taken this long for them to do this. Fully expected it

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Lauren's avatar

"He is in profound physical and cognitive decline. He is the oldest man to ever be elected to the Presidency and he was just diagnosed with a debilitating illness." Was he FORMALLY diagnosed? If so, the world might end.

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Deborah Potter's avatar

Yes. Chronic Venous Insufficiency was reported "In the president’s annual physical exam released in April, [by] Navy Capt. Sean Barbabella." Not sure available reports on the severity of it are accurate, since the truth is elusive these days. https://health.ucdavis.edu/news/headlines/president-trump-diagnosed-with-chronic-venous-insufficiency-what-it-means/2025/07

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Susan Dieterlen's avatar

I'm assuming this White House would not release any info about a condition they realize is truly bad. In fact, them admitting he has CVI makes me wonder what the more serious condition(s) he has is that made CVI look like no big deal.

We're all going to be conspiracy theorists by the end of this...

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Lisa Iannucci's avatar

Yes, he was diagnosed with the circulatory condition causing swelling in his ankles.

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Mary R. Frank's avatar

CVI is not generally considered debilitating. Lots of us have it to some degree or other. (By the way, compressions stocking s*ck and cut off circulation elsewhere on the legs. I've tried half a dozen brands and still haven't found one that helps without causing deep indentations on my legs.) We don't really know how severe his case is. Much as I dislike DJT, I think calling it debilitating in his case is a stretch.

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Deborah Potter's avatar

CVI is a progressive disease that can be associated with an increased risk of mortality and cardiovascular events. https://academic.oup.com/eurheartj/article/42/40/4157/6350776 concludes that "[CVI] is associated with the presence of cardiovascular risk factors and disease. Individuals with CVI experience an elevated risk of death, which is independent of age and sex, and present cardiovascular risk factors and comorbidities."

The truth is elusive these days. Given his age, weight, lifetime consumption of junk food, lack of exercise, CVI and past questionable reports from physicians (bone spurs and weight), there could be additional cardiovascular illness underway. Reduced bloodflow to the brain is a cause of vascular dementia, an illness that my mother had at the end of her life. https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/vascular-dementia/vascular-dementia-causes-symptoms-and-treatments

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Fisher's avatar

being trump's age is associated with an increased risk of mortality, from all causes. that said, those ankles looked like more than cvi; a condition i've had since my early 50s, and so do many people. if you take your socks off at night and have indentations, you likely have it. for most people it's not really a big deal. what i saw in trump's photos, if they were not altered, looked more like chf swelling, which i have seen...

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Cheryl Johnson's avatar

My late father had congestive heart failure.

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Ted N's avatar

Thanks for the response. I was going to ask about the severity…

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Lauren's avatar

I was thinking the post meant he was formally dx’d with Dementia.

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Lisa Iannucci's avatar

Well given the other things that are wrong with him in his case it is, I think it’s fair to say.

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Hical's avatar

Oakland CA is up next on his dance card. Take note: he is obviously targeting cities with large black populations.

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wendy moluf's avatar

And black mayors.

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Laurie's avatar

And female mayors.

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Thomas's avatar

Today, The New Republic put it this way: "Trump Is Taking Over D.C. Police Because He’s a Racist Thug ... Trump doesn’t care about “crime.” He cares about the right white people being in charge." -- Melissa Gira Grant

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Runfastandwin's avatar

45%!?! wtaf? Who are these idiots?

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Jerry Krautman's avatar

I wrote to Senators Padilla and Schiff as well as Representative Kamlager-Dove based on:

"I stand for Ukraine, for Europe and freedom

I stand for rolling back Trump’s dangerous and destructive tariffs

I stand for preventing the creation of an unaccountable domestic political police force

I stand for science, for higher education, for freedom of speech and thought and for public health"

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Leslie's avatar

This is great!

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Laurie's avatar

When will that syphilis do its job?

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OutofhellTx's avatar

Been eating the brain for very long time, but then extensive rot to feed on.

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David Glaser's avatar

It’s time to also really ramp up the ridicule of Donald. We need “South Park” level ridicule everywhere all the time to keep hitting Donald in his poor, pathetic, pea-sized ego. I’m not sure how to accomplish that but it’s my view that ridicule at this moment would play a vital part in his demise along with all of the other weapons we’re using. If there’s one thing a dictator hates, it’s being laughed at and we should be laughing hard and pointing our fingers directly at him in broad daylight.

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PeachBlossom's avatar

His ego is ANYTHING but pea-sized!

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Faith Wilson's avatar

One thing about it, he provides a wealth of potential material on an hourly basis

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KathyintheWallowas's avatar

Thanks for all you do.

Do you know if there is any collection of comparison data being done outside the US?

One bit of self reporting by His Royal Goombah was "we can't afford to pay back the trillions we got from tariffs and deals". Our whole economy is what, $4 trillion?

There has to be a way to collect and VERIFY the info that comes out. The career agency folks are doing their best but they and their work are being destroyed/wiped from federal web pages. (Example: Fed web pages for USFS send you to 404 land if you look for 100 Principal Laws governing the Forest Service publication.

Info is out there: Federal web pages are not the universe. But there's got to be a way to collect useful comparators along with the downright silly crap (tariffing unihabited places like Heard Island - well, the penguins beg to differe but you get it.

There is data out there to be had. It's even here if we can find the chains that feed the announcements. (The fired BLS person who gave "treasonous statistics, grasp my pearls" did NOT make up those numbers, she got it from 40 chains of information at least.

Is anyone already tracking state economic reports? It would be raw and he'd yell at it, but it would be actionable (and useful). Thanks

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BeeLee's avatar

Called both my Democratic (Colorado) and Republican (TX) representatives. Spoke to actual staff in several. Cornyn’s person actual seemed surprisingly sympathetic. I asked the TX ones to work on winning honestly quit the redistricting outrage. Asked everyone to stop Trump’s plans for the ballroom on the white house and to take back their tariff authority!

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Cathy Murphree's avatar

I’m in red TX Congressional district 24 with an R state rep but a pretty purple city government…actually majority Dem, I think. My action yesterday was to write my city council in advance of what may lie ahead. Texas LWV has an easy to use action alert where you put in your address and easily pull up all your reps and city council members. I will share my letter—feel free to use anything.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1jrdn_hDoT_T73-BWmjanUN0cwVsLK2kInLlCizV7nIY/edit?usp=drivesdk

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Susan Dieterlen's avatar

Excellent letter!

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Cathy Murphree's avatar

Oh! And as I continue to travel through some rural areas, I continue to leave these DIY postcards (received cartoonist’s permission) in public areas. https://drive.google.com/file/d/19oVMZl5CBnAgP_ubXY2QqWfi9T5803l5/view?usp=drivesdk

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Lisa Iannucci's avatar

Hi all -

The Atlantic has a newsletter titled "T*p's Return," and today's edition had several excellent analyses of our current situation, including (gift links):

-Peter Wehner and Robert P. Beschel Jr. explaining that people do NOT see him as getting things done to help them in their lives: https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2025/08/trump-incompetence/683779/?gift=woWIUxw7PQkPWVjhh-qn3jq1cGc0BzXB-PwOrwDuq9o&utm_source=copy-link&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=share

-Quinta Jurecic saying he's not strong but weak: https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2025/08/trump-dc-national-guard/683835/?gift=woWIUxw7PQkPWVjhh-qn3rmlyX5Tk4MkE95qOK8swHQ&utm_source=copy-link&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=share

This is what is going in my calls for the week:

-US should arrest Putin when he arrives in Alaska

-Democratic senators and House members should send two delegations out on Friday August 14 in response to the Alaska fiasco -one to Alaska to protest and one to Ukraine to meet with Pres. Zelenskyy.

-Dems should speak out AND pass a resolution condemning the Alaska fiasco (I refuse to call it anything else)

-Dems should speak out AND pass a resolution vs. the hostile takeover of DC

Working on postcards this week, the deadline will be here in just over a month!

Keep going!

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Susan Dieterlen's avatar

That 2 delegations idea is <fire emoji>! Might borrow that for calling my reps!

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Lisa Iannucci's avatar

Thanks! I cannot claim credit - others have already posted this idea. I just synthesized it.

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wendy moluf's avatar

Excellent! Thank you.

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Mary Roberts's avatar

Not a comment but a question: who is this amazing woman??? "Voldemort Poontang" is an inspired moniker. I

https://www.facebook.com/reel/690438770703009?fs=e&fs=e

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Michael G Baer's avatar

Thank you, whoever she is, she rocks.

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wendy moluf's avatar

Wow! Thanks for the link.

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Kate O'Shea's avatar

OMG, she is hilariously brutal following the breadcrumbs! A excellent break and very heartening to see someone so young and astute. I hope she has a big, young following she inspires.

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Madam Geoffrin's avatar

Why isn’t the MSM beating the drum on Herr Trump’s cognitive decline? If Biden said he was meeting Putin in Russia, when it’s Alaska, there would have been relentless coverage with stupid click bait headlines. Something like this:

Biden Misstates Country in Which He Will Meet Putin. (Could this affect Democrats in the Midterms?).

It’s absolutely criminal what this white, Christian, heterosexual male convicted felon narcissistic lying grifter is allowed to get away with. Shameful.

On a Hopium note, I keep churning out postcards to voters for NJ.

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Ann M.'s avatar

Corporate media.

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Charles Flynn's avatar

Let's start raising money for Sherrod Brown! Without Trump on the ballot, he has a fighting chance!

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Anne Bear's avatar

Did he announce?

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