Interesting to note Joe Rogan came out for free speech and in defense of Kimmel. How does Rogans demographic base compare with Charlie Kirk’s? These were the youth votes that tipped the GOP scales. While not bringing Rogan into the fold, his nonpartisan embrace — and he’s flip flopped on candidates — of the first amendment carries needed weight for our democracy
I think Rogan’s base tends to be a bit broader and less political. It’s like infotainment for really dumb guys. Kirk on the other hand was more vicious, more into political violence, racism, and misogyny, and way more Christo-fascist.
I wondered even in his first term if he was having TIA episodes. He has frequent episodes of profound speech aphasia and slurring. I'm not an MD and even they would just be speculating. But when you try to say the word "origin" and it comes out "oranges", one has to wonder what is going on. This isn't even a new thing really.
Most of his speech hiccups that you are noticing, and have for some time now, are considered paraphasias, I believe.
And there's the fascinating confabulations he's experienced, very publicly, because he can't shut his mouth, where he mixes bits of reality with stuff he makes up. Like the thing about a conversation he had with his uncle, the physics professor, who taught Ted Kaczynski at Harvard.
Trouble was: Kaczynski went to Harvard, but Prof Trump taught engineering at MIT, and Prof Trump, as I recall, was dead by the time Kaczynski was identified as the Unabomber.
His uncle couldn't have taught Kaczynski.
However, Trump had a whole conversation with his uncle in his head that he discussed publicly, in which his uncle described Kaczynski as very smart but strange, and Trump went on to comment that there's a fine line between madness and smarts.
Thanks especially for posting the Kimmel, Newsom and DNC ad videos today. Having them all in one place is powerful and saved me the time of searching for them individually. Always feel better informed (and more positive) after reading Hopium Chronicles.
Simon, thanks for sharing those videos; they're a real shot of hopium! I'm looking forward to this evening's chat with subscribers.
I called Congressman Raskin and Senators Alsobrooks and Van Hollen to thank them for what they have been doing and to encourage them to not cave in the upcoming budget battles. I said Democrats will support our leaders as they show Trump that they won't back down. I'm writing postcards to Virginia voters today.
Crazy will probably work to turn some people. And boy howdy is the cray cray out there to see.
But if he looks weak, which I think he does, that might even turn the MAGA base. Failing to keep Kimmel off the air is a win for us, and he looks weak. He will look for something else, so some terrible shit is coming.
Still working at post carding, scheduling a food distribution event for Saturday with a Democratic state senator, and then a phone bank shift for CA 50.
I completely agree with this. Every time he takes a major hit, he manufactures a new crisis, or uses something that is happening (like the Iran situation or Kirk's murder) to distract the public. Some terrible shit is coming for sure, but each one of these crises has led to an erosion of his support. His voters are starting to peel off, and I suspect there will come a point when even MAGA folks will feel really uncomfortable. We need to be messaging on all fronts to exploit these cracks when they happen.
I really like the 'erosion' metaphor. We are like the sea, lapping at the base of the cliff, which is sloughing off and will collapse -- the sooner the better.
How much more do we have to see from the guy before the media begins to talk about his cognitive decline like they did with Joe Biden? We all found out Monday that ABC was bringing back Jimmy Kimmel. However, it took until Tuesday before he managed to have a hissy fit about it. A less damaged Trump would've been ranting until all hours as soon as they knew. His ability to speak coherently has plummeted, not that it was all that high to begin with. It's all word salad now.
He responds to the slightest bit of "not" praise like an angry 6 year old. "I'm gonna tell your daddy what you said and you'll be sorry." And he's putting his criming into writing and posting it on the internet. Didn't Roy Cohn teach him not to do that? He was happy in Trump 1.0 to eat, tear up and flush notes, but Trump 2.0 just tells his AG to prosecute his enemies, leaves himself wide open for a lawsuit from the makers of Tylenol and threatens to shakedown ABC again. "Nice little network you have here. Be a shame if something happened to it." The guy "in charge" in the WH has the processing power of a 4 year old. Do you, legacy media, think this might be something you could talk about?
I read some articles about the Tylenol press conference and thought they did a pretty good job framing what he said as against all evidence. Then I watched the press conference and--boy howdy. I know what a cliché it is to say, "If Biden did this," but, man, they were poring over his every syllable. And Trump is so addled and everyone's just pretending that it's not happening. (Never mind him giving medical advice based on vibes.)
But, back to things we can control. Will call my reps to say how important it is to show strength right now, and not fund a government trying to persecute its political enemies. While I want them to keep broadening their focus, I do wonder if "All we wanted was ACA funding and a commitment not to change things" was (perhaps accidentally) a good strategy for this particular fight. But it's essential they keep broadening their focus (and I remain very frustrated with broader silence about ICE.) It's really heartening to see these ads.
Maybe. But maybe the era of cowardly complicity is coming to an end. Over and over, I hear people say that the only thing that works is pushback. And it's true.
I suspect a lot of traditional media won't do it because they are owned by billionaires who only care about tax breaks for themselves, though.
Thanks for consolidating all this good stuff in one place. I cried with joy watching Jimmy Kimmel’s return. This was an historic moment for the First Amendment.
I loved that he recognized that this wasn't about him, because it would be easy for the Rs to frame this as Ds caring about a late night comedian just because he picked on poor Trumpikens.
By making it clear that it is about free speech and pushback against authoritarianism, he was able to stand gracefully in the middle of an historic moment and invite the country to join him.
I like the reminder that Trump is weak, not strong. But his destruction is serious. So when I see "A big blubbery baby man, anything, anything but a strongman," it makes me feel less serious. The reality is he is sick. And, as Val Butler Demmings said in his post, he is broken, angry, destructive, and dark. Not at all what America is as a nation - and a brand.
Chris, ridicule and making him weak, unserious, a fool is a critical part of what has to happen. There is not one path here but many different approaches we have to take to degrade and weaken him. This site NEVER downplays the damage he is doing to the country and I am bit shocked that it even comes up here.
In addition, the ridicule is perhaps more likely to break through with disengaged voters. We need to make sure all voters see his comments on Tylenol (or his felating that microphone last year)
Every day of Biden's administration, we saw headlines demeaning him, even when the article was about his achievements. And the endless criticism added up. It hurt Biden and his ability to reach the public.
No reason we can't do the same thing, and repeat how addled and pathetic and scared he is. Gov. Newsom was on Colbert talking about mocking Trump, because doing that works.
We should use every tone possible: serious, funny, angry, mocking, dispassionate, compassionate, aggressive, and more.
And calling Trump a big blubbery baby man in this post will not hurt our side. It doesn't discourage anyone from voting for Ds or encourage them to vote for Rs.
"Dead people on Medicaid rolls" is truly something his addled brain scrambled together out of 3 other conspiracy theories. But hilarious because dead people literally can NOT get health care - they are already dead!
Perhaps our Democratic National Committee can adopt Tom Petty's 1989 song "I Won't Back Down". There are many good messages imbedded in the lyrics and became an anthem for resilience and standing firm against adversity. Just wondering.......
He is deranged. He is a mad man with his ginger on the nukes. He is a clear and present danger. Can you imagine being a UN interpreter? They probably needed Tylenol with codeine to get rid of their migraines 😕
LOL have you seen the Tylenol memes? 1) "I took Tylenol PM so I only have autism at night." and 2) [Googles "T Pain + full name"] - result: Tylenol Painrelief. LOLOLOLOL
I am feeling vindicated and very optimistic this morning. We are coming out swinging and I love it! That new DNC ad is great and I've already shared it in my groups!
Wearing my paperclip in support of Epstein survivors per E. Jean Carroll - no one's asked about it yet, they must think it's just some weirdo librarian thing lol.
Making the calls to Booker & Kim to push Schumer to hold firm, and finalizing No Kings II plans - we should publish our event today or tomorrow. Let's go!
And our NJ Moms Peace Walk is also finalized, it will be next month in Trenton.
Looking forward to tonight's call and tomorrow's call w Ezra & Leah of Indivisible-they pushed the economic response to Disney et al hard on national media, and should be very energized.
Keep going, folks - we are changing the narrative!
Here’s one for you. I feel we Democrats are like Hogwarts school sending Harry Potter his admission letter to the school. Of course, Harry’s stubborn, ignorant aunt and uncle won’t accept them at all costs and keep trying to hide and/or destroy them so Harry doesn’t know he’s been accepted to be educated as a wizard.
MAGA Mike Johnson fills the role of his ignorant uncle by constantly shutting down the House or sending members home. Something, anything except allowing a vote to release the Epstein files. Our Hagrid is coming. I’m not sure when or how, but our Hagrid is coming. This is going to be interesting.
Yesterday I bought a container of instant espresso for the food bank donation bin while I was doing my weekly co-op shopping. It didn’t look like the prices on their instant coffee had gone way up yet, but then I’m terrible at tracking price changes.
I went to my favorite local cafe for lunch (and paid cash like always- they lose less on credit card fees that way), and they were unaware that coffee prices are spiking. My favorite coffee shop over in Eugene just announced that they have to cut hours in half and lay off staff due to the coffee tariffs. I’m going to keep voting with my dollar to keep local businesses thriving. Really worried how many won’t make it the longer the tariffs continue.
I know the Keurig coffee I buy (most of the time) has gone up in price. I would say by 15-20%. It is a bit hard to put a number on it, because one thing is there are fewer 2 for 1 deals on it where I shop.
But I know a pack of 10 Starbucks Keurig (which I never buy at full price because it was always too expensive) used to be ~$12, now is over $14.
Other brands more likely to have sales have them less often now.
Thanks. That agrees with my rough estimate from the Keurig coffee delivery devices. It's not so easy to measure these things often, when there are sales, changing package sizes, etc.
Interesting to note Joe Rogan came out for free speech and in defense of Kimmel. How does Rogans demographic base compare with Charlie Kirk’s? These were the youth votes that tipped the GOP scales. While not bringing Rogan into the fold, his nonpartisan embrace — and he’s flip flopped on candidates — of the first amendment carries needed weight for our democracy
I think Rogan’s base tends to be a bit broader and less political. It’s like infotainment for really dumb guys. Kirk on the other hand was more vicious, more into political violence, racism, and misogyny, and way more Christo-fascist.
I really wish we lived in a world where a portmanteau of Christ and fascist weren’t a thing, but here we are….
He’s had a stroke. Did they think we wouldn’t notice?
well they think we're stupid, so yeah. [shrug emoji]
I wondered even in his first term if he was having TIA episodes. He has frequent episodes of profound speech aphasia and slurring. I'm not an MD and even they would just be speculating. But when you try to say the word "origin" and it comes out "oranges", one has to wonder what is going on. This isn't even a new thing really.
And let us never forget the immortal "covfefe"
Most of his speech hiccups that you are noticing, and have for some time now, are considered paraphasias, I believe.
And there's the fascinating confabulations he's experienced, very publicly, because he can't shut his mouth, where he mixes bits of reality with stuff he makes up. Like the thing about a conversation he had with his uncle, the physics professor, who taught Ted Kaczynski at Harvard.
Trouble was: Kaczynski went to Harvard, but Prof Trump taught engineering at MIT, and Prof Trump, as I recall, was dead by the time Kaczynski was identified as the Unabomber.
His uncle couldn't have taught Kaczynski.
However, Trump had a whole conversation with his uncle in his head that he discussed publicly, in which his uncle described Kaczynski as very smart but strange, and Trump went on to comment that there's a fine line between madness and smarts.
You can find videos. It's extremely bizarre.
I think the number of people who know is probably really small, even his kids wouldn’t know. Only the most loyal would know to keep it a secret.
Thanks especially for posting the Kimmel, Newsom and DNC ad videos today. Having them all in one place is powerful and saved me the time of searching for them individually. Always feel better informed (and more positive) after reading Hopium Chronicles.
Likewise - Hopium is now my main news source!
Simon, thanks for sharing those videos; they're a real shot of hopium! I'm looking forward to this evening's chat with subscribers.
I called Congressman Raskin and Senators Alsobrooks and Van Hollen to thank them for what they have been doing and to encourage them to not cave in the upcoming budget battles. I said Democrats will support our leaders as they show Trump that they won't back down. I'm writing postcards to Virginia voters today.
Just sat down with friends and got 100 postcards ready for Virginia!
Crazy will probably work to turn some people. And boy howdy is the cray cray out there to see.
But if he looks weak, which I think he does, that might even turn the MAGA base. Failing to keep Kimmel off the air is a win for us, and he looks weak. He will look for something else, so some terrible shit is coming.
Still working at post carding, scheduling a food distribution event for Saturday with a Democratic state senator, and then a phone bank shift for CA 50.
I completely agree with this. Every time he takes a major hit, he manufactures a new crisis, or uses something that is happening (like the Iran situation or Kirk's murder) to distract the public. Some terrible shit is coming for sure, but each one of these crises has led to an erosion of his support. His voters are starting to peel off, and I suspect there will come a point when even MAGA folks will feel really uncomfortable. We need to be messaging on all fronts to exploit these cracks when they happen.
I really like the 'erosion' metaphor. We are like the sea, lapping at the base of the cliff, which is sloughing off and will collapse -- the sooner the better.
How much more do we have to see from the guy before the media begins to talk about his cognitive decline like they did with Joe Biden? We all found out Monday that ABC was bringing back Jimmy Kimmel. However, it took until Tuesday before he managed to have a hissy fit about it. A less damaged Trump would've been ranting until all hours as soon as they knew. His ability to speak coherently has plummeted, not that it was all that high to begin with. It's all word salad now.
He responds to the slightest bit of "not" praise like an angry 6 year old. "I'm gonna tell your daddy what you said and you'll be sorry." And he's putting his criming into writing and posting it on the internet. Didn't Roy Cohn teach him not to do that? He was happy in Trump 1.0 to eat, tear up and flush notes, but Trump 2.0 just tells his AG to prosecute his enemies, leaves himself wide open for a lawsuit from the makers of Tylenol and threatens to shakedown ABC again. "Nice little network you have here. Be a shame if something happened to it." The guy "in charge" in the WH has the processing power of a 4 year old. Do you, legacy media, think this might be something you could talk about?
I read some articles about the Tylenol press conference and thought they did a pretty good job framing what he said as against all evidence. Then I watched the press conference and--boy howdy. I know what a cliché it is to say, "If Biden did this," but, man, they were poring over his every syllable. And Trump is so addled and everyone's just pretending that it's not happening. (Never mind him giving medical advice based on vibes.)
But, back to things we can control. Will call my reps to say how important it is to show strength right now, and not fund a government trying to persecute its political enemies. While I want them to keep broadening their focus, I do wonder if "All we wanted was ACA funding and a commitment not to change things" was (perhaps accidentally) a good strategy for this particular fight. But it's essential they keep broadening their focus (and I remain very frustrated with broader silence about ICE.) It's really heartening to see these ads.
And Kimmel sure met the moment.
Kimmel looked flummoxed by being the center of all this attention, and recognized that it was less about him than the First Amendment.
But he absolutely rose to the occasion, and it was inspiring to see.
The Tylenol press conference was COVID-bleach-injecting insanity deja vu all over again.
The media won’t do it because they know the entire federal government will come after them
Maybe. But maybe the era of cowardly complicity is coming to an end. Over and over, I hear people say that the only thing that works is pushback. And it's true.
I suspect a lot of traditional media won't do it because they are owned by billionaires who only care about tax breaks for themselves, though.
Apparently Billionaires Cave. #moneytalks
Calls are in to WI members of congress regarding our 4 part agenda and ramping up of Trumps crazy, unacceptable behavior and rhetoric.
Thanks for consolidating all this good stuff in one place. I cried with joy watching Jimmy Kimmel’s return. This was an historic moment for the First Amendment.
It sure was!
I loved that he recognized that this wasn't about him, because it would be easy for the Rs to frame this as Ds caring about a late night comedian just because he picked on poor Trumpikens.
By making it clear that it is about free speech and pushback against authoritarianism, he was able to stand gracefully in the middle of an historic moment and invite the country to join him.
Jenny, you are so right! Well said.
I like the reminder that Trump is weak, not strong. But his destruction is serious. So when I see "A big blubbery baby man, anything, anything but a strongman," it makes me feel less serious. The reality is he is sick. And, as Val Butler Demmings said in his post, he is broken, angry, destructive, and dark. Not at all what America is as a nation - and a brand.
Chris, ridicule and making him weak, unserious, a fool is a critical part of what has to happen. There is not one path here but many different approaches we have to take to degrade and weaken him. This site NEVER downplays the damage he is doing to the country and I am bit shocked that it even comes up here.
In addition, the ridicule is perhaps more likely to break through with disengaged voters. We need to make sure all voters see his comments on Tylenol (or his felating that microphone last year)
Every day of Biden's administration, we saw headlines demeaning him, even when the article was about his achievements. And the endless criticism added up. It hurt Biden and his ability to reach the public.
No reason we can't do the same thing, and repeat how addled and pathetic and scared he is. Gov. Newsom was on Colbert talking about mocking Trump, because doing that works.
We should use every tone possible: serious, funny, angry, mocking, dispassionate, compassionate, aggressive, and more.
And calling Trump a big blubbery baby man in this post will not hurt our side. It doesn't discourage anyone from voting for Ds or encourage them to vote for Rs.
I am enjoying watching two smart women who should have been President: Hillary and Kamala.
It’s so refreshing but also sad.
"Dead people on Medicaid rolls" is truly something his addled brain scrambled together out of 3 other conspiracy theories. But hilarious because dead people literally can NOT get health care - they are already dead!
Maybe there are suspicious Tylenol orders coming from an address that’s actually a cemetery. 🤪 👻 ☠️
Once again, I have simply got to learn to make memes, because that comment is pure gold, Pamela!
Perhaps our Democratic National Committee can adopt Tom Petty's 1989 song "I Won't Back Down". There are many good messages imbedded in the lyrics and became an anthem for resilience and standing firm against adversity. Just wondering.......
He is deranged. He is a mad man with his ginger on the nukes. He is a clear and present danger. Can you imagine being a UN interpreter? They probably needed Tylenol with codeine to get rid of their migraines 😕
LOL have you seen the Tylenol memes? 1) "I took Tylenol PM so I only have autism at night." and 2) [Googles "T Pain + full name"] - result: Tylenol Painrelief. LOLOLOLOL
I am feeling vindicated and very optimistic this morning. We are coming out swinging and I love it! That new DNC ad is great and I've already shared it in my groups!
Wearing my paperclip in support of Epstein survivors per E. Jean Carroll - no one's asked about it yet, they must think it's just some weirdo librarian thing lol.
Making the calls to Booker & Kim to push Schumer to hold firm, and finalizing No Kings II plans - we should publish our event today or tomorrow. Let's go!
And our NJ Moms Peace Walk is also finalized, it will be next month in Trenton.
Looking forward to tonight's call and tomorrow's call w Ezra & Leah of Indivisible-they pushed the economic response to Disney et al hard on national media, and should be very energized.
Keep going, folks - we are changing the narrative!
First I heard of the paperclip thing, but I'm all in! We've been needing something like this.
And if someone mistakes me for a weirdo librarian, so much the better!
I posted about it yesterday -- people came to my home wearing paperclips this past weekend. https://www.hopiumchronicles.com/p/kimmel-returns-dems-are-starting/comment/159150956
Here’s one for you. I feel we Democrats are like Hogwarts school sending Harry Potter his admission letter to the school. Of course, Harry’s stubborn, ignorant aunt and uncle won’t accept them at all costs and keep trying to hide and/or destroy them so Harry doesn’t know he’s been accepted to be educated as a wizard.
MAGA Mike Johnson fills the role of his ignorant uncle by constantly shutting down the House or sending members home. Something, anything except allowing a vote to release the Epstein files. Our Hagrid is coming. I’m not sure when or how, but our Hagrid is coming. This is going to be interesting.
Yesterday I bought a container of instant espresso for the food bank donation bin while I was doing my weekly co-op shopping. It didn’t look like the prices on their instant coffee had gone way up yet, but then I’m terrible at tracking price changes.
I went to my favorite local cafe for lunch (and paid cash like always- they lose less on credit card fees that way), and they were unaware that coffee prices are spiking. My favorite coffee shop over in Eugene just announced that they have to cut hours in half and lay off staff due to the coffee tariffs. I’m going to keep voting with my dollar to keep local businesses thriving. Really worried how many won’t make it the longer the tariffs continue.
Sad to hear.
I know the Keurig coffee I buy (most of the time) has gone up in price. I would say by 15-20%. It is a bit hard to put a number on it, because one thing is there are fewer 2 for 1 deals on it where I shop.
But I know a pack of 10 Starbucks Keurig (which I never buy at full price because it was always too expensive) used to be ~$12, now is over $14.
Other brands more likely to have sales have them less often now.
Sen. Murray spoke to this in a recent post:
https://bsky.app/profile/murray.senate.gov/post/3lzh42aqbb224
Thanks. That agrees with my rough estimate from the Keurig coffee delivery devices. It's not so easy to measure these things often, when there are sales, changing package sizes, etc.