🔸️NONE of the orange baby man's clown show would be happening if he was disqualified day one after forensic psychiatrist Dr Bandy X Lee's report of the FIVE DANGEROUS MENTAL PATHOLOGIES of Donald Trump.
🔸️The 1973 Goldwater Rule is obsolete. It said a public figure should be personally examined to diagnose. Today, social media continues to record thousands of hours of pathological behavior from the one foot tall orange baby man in diapers for all to see. No personal examination needed.
In the United States, Medical Doctors are not allowed to diagnose patients they have never seen, or comment on the illness of patients without their consent. It is unethical.
Lee lost her position at Yale University as a “voluntary” assistant clinical professor for this unethical behavior, i.e., giving professional opinions about someone who is not her patient and who has not granted permission to disclose her findings. She sued Yale in 2021, and lost her case and her dismissal was upheld in appellate court.
"Doctors are not allowed to diagnose patients they have never seen"
Professionals feel they have a "duty to warn" about possible mental pathology that may not be fully diagnosed, but based on observable behavior. This is critically important when considering people slated for positions of extremely high trust.
Duty to warn does not apply to someone who is not your patient. When it applies to your patient, the warning is always private, never public. Writing publically with a diagnosis of a person you have never seen is most definitely unethical. That is why I provided the link to the APA that states
"The “Goldwater Rule:”
On occasion psychiatrists are asked for an opinion about an individual who is in the light of public attention or who has disclosed information about himself/herself through public media. In such circumstances, a psychiatrist may share with the public his or her expertise about psychiatric issues in general. However, it is unethical for a psychiatrist to offer a professional opinion unless he or she has conducted an examination and has been granted proper authorization for such a statement.”
However much you (and maybe many others) agree with this analysis, it is not a legitimate basis for officially disqualifying anyone from office. If the information is put out there, which it has been, it is up to voters how much weight they give to it when voting. It is not legally disqualifying.
It is not just up to voters, it is up to AWOL Senate leadership to protect American voters from mentally unfit leadership and to prevent autocratic abuse. Stephen Xenakis did Fitness for Duty Evaluations his entire career.
"Stephen Xenakis-Fitness for Duty Exams: Preventing Autocratic Abuse"
"Inflation" was the excuse this time, just like "her emails" was the excuse in 2016. It was always about the "basked of deplorables" such as racism, sexism,"owning the libs," etc.
Hello all, can someone direct me to sources that analyzed the election and what we lost track of in terms of who voted and who didn't vote and communication and strategy successes and failures. I remember people saying it would take a few months, and I think it's important to look at the data before we spend much time on specific strategies for the present and also for elections. Respectfully, and thank you, TC
I am anxious to hear Simon's synopsis from the conference yesterday. Much of what he's written about here was discussed and his contribution to the panel was thought-provoking.
Leaving this here too (hopefully Simon is okay with it), this group is combing every battleground state especially the Dominion Voting machines ones, for 2 things: votes not being counted and votes being switched irregularites.
I'm not a con-theory guy, but if there ever was 2 Dicks with MOTIVE & power ambitions on the level of Bond Villians to steal the all important 2024 Election: 'Rump & Musk fit the bill 100%. We know for a fact CON-VICT Felon Rump was gonna go down with every Fed. Indictment regarding Classified Docs & Jan 6th Insurrection if he lost in November (even MAGA Aileen Cannon could not stop his out of office convictions for the Docs case she luckily got to serve her master ‘Rump).
*And isn't is ironic that the FAA Heads who were investigating Musk SpaceX were fired just 10 days before the D.C. Airline Tragedy (as well as several anti-labor lawsuits in Cali & Texas) before he started to campaign for 'Rump, bribe voters for 'Rump (it's illegal helloooo Pennsylvania Sect. Of State!!!). Plus the way 'Rump's campaign literally was a dumpster fire of daily WTF gross displays of racism, sexism, Idiocracy for 2 months post his epic beatdown debate from Kamala?!
Musk & 'Rump would do, and have done EVERYTHING they could to win in 2024, and they are currently doing everything they want to destroy our Govt., U.S. Treasury, Aviation Institurions & Pentagon (with NHS, CDC, FBI, CIA next) and our will to fight back just 11 days into their Dick-tatorship.
So I choose to be open minded about all reasons why we lost in November, because these guys are subhuman snakes full stop.
The INSANITY on a daily basis is really taking a toll. I find myself angry and confused as to why someone is not doing something to stop Trumps match to FACISM! It is clear that Project 2025 is being implemented. The parade of these misfits that he has nominated would be a joke if it wasn’t so extremely detrimental to the health, safety and security of our nation! I pay more than my share of taxes and I am not willing to pay for these people. I think we need a movement to withhold our Federal taxes!!!!
It might be more helpful to take the attitude that fascism HAS arrived. It is here.
I consider our nation currently to be under "occupation." Occupation by people who are domestic enemies of our constitution. I do not know when or how, but something is going to break.
Trump's alternative way to get money from you will be through tariffs on everything you buy that's sent from another country.
"Trump's alternative way to get money from you will be through tariffs on everything you buy that's sent from another country"
I'm buttoning down my spending and redirecting funds to 501c(3) organizations that provide services to the disadvantaged - my local food bank, crisis assistance, meals on wheels, etc. I know it is a drop in the bucket, but it helps to do something.
Trumped bragged that not paying his share of taxes makes him smart! If enough Americans banned together and refuse to pay for this nonsense perhaps we could stand up and be heard. There must be something to be done to stop this😨 Two year midterms are an eternity from now. In the meantime, we all need to be calling our senators and representatives on a weekly basis!🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
There’s such a fire hose of information coming at us, some critical to our survival, others meant to distract us. I’ve decided to immune myself from all mainstream media and concentrate on what we can do together to get through this.
I called Sen. Cantwell's office for the fourth time this week. I was very firm. I pointed out that she began her questioning by congratulating Kennedy on his nomination and then proceeded to question him in a very cordial manner. I pointed out that this wasn't good enough. She should have questioned him sharply. She should have shown some fire. Her cordial, business-as-usual tone is out of keeping with someone this dangerous--someone whose anti-vax views could result in the death of millions. I said that she had better not vote for his confirmation. It would be her worst mistake since she voted for the Iraq war. I said that if she voted for him she would find that Democrats would respond with ferocious anger.
RFK Jr. and Tulsi Gabbard will have to sweat their confirmations over the weekend, based on what GOP senators said at hearings the past two days. Republicans with choice committee seats can blow up confirmations before they reach the Senate floor. Any GOP "no" vote means the nominee won't get the committee's recommendation.
No recommendation = no floor vote, or at least a very unlikely one, as Majority Leader John Thune said Wednesday.
Senate Finance, which votes on Kennedy for secretary of Health and Human Services:
– Bill Cassidy (R-La.) told RFK Jr.: "I've been struggling with your nomination" and "you may be hearing from me over the weekend." Cassidy questioned Kennedy about vaccines at Thursday's HELP Committee hearing and has a vote on the Finance Committee.
Senate Intel, which votes on Gabbard for director of national intelligence:
– Susan Collins (R-Maine) asked Gabbard if she'd seek a pardon or commutation for Edward Snowden. Gabbard said no to both. "I was happy with her responses to my questions," Collins told reporters Thursday night, per CNN.
– Todd Young (R-Ind.) told Gabbard, "It would befit you and be helpful for the way you're perceived by members of the Intelligence Committee" to say Snowden harmed national security. Gabbard repeatedly refused to call Snowden a traitor at the hearing.
– Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) offended Gabbard by saying he wanted to be sure Russia doesn't "get a pass in either your mind or your heart."
– John Cornyn (R-Texas) could not get a direct answer from Gabbard on whether warrants should be required for wiretaps under Section 702 of FISA. (He posted Thursday he's a yes on Gabbard).
The bottom line: Even senators who support Gabbard were taken aback by her Snowden answers.
"I think there are a lot of questions after," Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.) told reporters. "I thought that was going to be an easy softball question."
Agreed that absolutely NO Dems should be giving any of those a yes vote. Hoping the populations of all Republican states recognize the danger these people present.
Any Democrat who votes Yes on these nominations should be taken off their choice committee assignments and put on something like Rules or Governmental Organization. These are Standing Committees. Could Schumer just rearrange committee assignments? I have no idea.
The cancellation of scientific funding is personal for me. A dear friend from my grad program at Rutgers University participated in the CDC summer internship program Simon referenced, which led to a CDC postdoc and then to full-time employment. We're both infectious disease epidemiologists, trained in pandemic preparedness and response; with avian flu looming on the horizon, we need to be training more scientists, not fewer. Additionally, academic postdoc salaries are traditionally low - often well below the cost of living - so it's not surprising that the the folks quoted don't have much of a nest egg to sustain themselves in while their pay is in limbo.
Meanwhile, the Diminished One, when asked about visiting the site where 67 people, many of them children, just died, responded with, "you want me to go swimming?!". Yes, yes, we do - with the fishes.
I am grateful to the scientists and epidemiologists such as yourself that kept us informed during COVID. I found Dr. Osterholm during the pandemic and tuned in to his daily updates to learn what to do and what kind of mask to buy. We are headed back into the dark ages and we will be turning to you all again for as much information as you can get. I feel like we are back in the pandemic already, in terms of the chaos, cruelty, fear, economic threats, foreign threats, etc. Go swim with the fishes, indeed.
Thank you. During the pandemic I found Katelyn Jetelina and “Dear Pandemic” - now “those nerdy girls”. These very smart scientists were a life-saver to many when accurate information was being questioned and hard to come by.
They are both on Substack - I highly recommend if anyone is looking for reliable sources on flu, Covid, Rsv, avian flu etc in the coming months - any infectious diseases that epidemiologists are expert in.
My hope is that within 6 months, after there is no one else to blame for the chaos and misery he has caused, that congress will find their backbones and impeach him again, this time for real and for permanent. THis seems to be a president who feeds his ego on causing suffering. He has surrounded himself with the same types of people.
That is my hope, too. The GQP has swallowed and defended and supported so much shit from the Mad King that it's really hard to imagine what could finally be the straw that breaks their back. But Mad King is so unstable and horrible that it's clear he's capable of doing something so unspeakably terrible that even they can no longer ignore.
Could we start by calling the Covict-in-Chief what he is? A nave. He has never been a king. The problem is he is not the one "ruling." He has keepers who haven't digested one very important fact: Their days are numbered. Their power only exists as long as Don, the Nave does. In their own right, they are despised. They were not elected. Their money is only powerful if they are offering something people want. So far, what they are offering, the people are not interested in. As for the "primary" threat, really? These fools in the MAGA mess are running a better chance of being primaried if they continue to do Don the Knave's bidding.
Meh, my hope is they all die (either accident or healthwise, like Alzheimers hitting 'Rump faster than it took his evil father) from the actions they took to dismantle the complex daily tasks of a working govt.
Are you not aware that the Democrats have a chance --- a CHANCE -- to flip the House and take the gavel out of Johnson's hand, and transfer it over to Jeffries? In the next 60 to 90 days. I'll do a separate post about this.
If I recall correctly, Matt Gaetz won by 32 points last November. But, hey, Democrats just overperformed by 24 points in an election in Iowa. While Simon is right that each of the three upcoming Congressional special elections are steep uphill climbs, nothing is impossible. Moreover, the upside of the best-case scenario – WINNING BACK THE HOUSE – is HUGE!!
We need to organize, we need optimism, and enthusiasm, strong candidates, outright brazen loudspeakers to get up the steep hill! Trump is providing fuel every day, all day to drive success!
That will never happen, Stephanie. These folks couldn't impeach him when he tried to kill some of them and overthrow the government. They are even more submissive now.
I’m just wondering though, if it would make a difference this time if we, their constituents get so loud that they are more afraid of us than them… or if/when there is another 9/11 or worse..
Heartening news: I have managed to convince a friend living in deep red Indiana to make calls to her senators. She reports that it feels good (we know that)! She has a friend there forming a small group of callers. When calling my Democratic Senator Heinrich of NM this morning, I learned that he made a one hour floor speech yesterday. I have been calling his office about getting loud. He’s getting loud.
We have formed an Indivisible group in Bloomington, IN called Monroe County, IN Indivisible. We are growing each week. If you would like to find out more about what we are doing and would like to join, please email us at indivisiblemc24@gmail.com.
Wonderful!! There are definitely liberals and other sane anti-MAGA people in Indiana, just like in all the red states. Although as a Purdue grad, I am officially obligated to say nothing good about Bloomington 😂
Great interaction between Senator Booker and Stacey Abrams yesterday. Booker remarked that taking strength from their ancestors will help him through the next 4 years, that they had faced slavery, failed Reconstruction, Plessy, lynchings, Jim Crow, and the murders and atrocities of the early 1960s, and still here he and Stacey are. I took great strength from that and think we can look to our Black American neighbors and friends for help in getting through this. My German ancestors may not have been subject to hate and discrimination when they immigrated, but I can find strength and illumination in my neighbors' experiences. We need community to survive these deliberate horrors.
I work at a university and a cancer researcher at my institution said NIH panels in the midst of discussion were stopped and told to leave. No thought, no plans - just stop the whole dang thing. The harmful impact of all of these impulsive decisions will last for a very long time
My outrage level soared this morning when I read this WP story: “Senior U.S. official to exit after rift with Musk allies over payment system”
“The highest-ranking career official at the Treasury Department is departing after a clash with allies of billionaire Elon Musk over access to sensitive payment systems, according to three people with knowledge of the matter.”
In addition to this, OPM employees report that Musk/DOGE have essentially done a hostile takeover of that agency. Trump is replacing his imaginary "deep state" with a REAL deep state with the goal of destroying government programs, processes, trust and workforces. MAGA complains about "unelected bureaucrats"--Musk is neither elected nor a bureaucrat--he's just a deranged, unqualified, conflicted accomplice of the Criminal-in-Chief who is being allowed to run roughshod through federal agencies and undermine their officials and processes.
So I called House Government Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (202-225-3115) and, to my surprise, got through to a staff person on the committee’s majority (GOP) side. The phone bank offers an option to speak either to majority or minority staff. The Vice Chair is my Dem Congressman, Gerry Connolly, who is an outspoken critic of this administration, so I wanted to give Comer an earful. The staff person said she “took notes and will pass them along.”
Please call Comer’s office (202-225-3115) and ask him to show some spine against this Mad King! I’ll give Comer credit for accepting comments from non-constituents (unlike many Congresspeople), so maybe this is a good channel for our “get loud” efforts!
Leon, you beat me to it. The fact that Musk wanted access to these payment systems is absolutely insane! It should raise alarm in anybody with more than two functioning brain cells.
I dialed them but got a voicemail instead. Whom do I ask to speak to when I call again? The majority or minority party? I live here in Texas and I want to make my voice heard.
Could I leave a voicemail or should I speak to them directly? I'll have to wait until Monday.
The GOP brown-nosers are the problem, so I think we should call them (in this case the majority staff) in addition to or instead of our Dem representatives who we know are already fighting this horror show.
I called during business hours so maybe they're more likely to pick up the phone then. I don't know about voicemail vs. speaking directly but a vm is better than nothing.
Unfortunately, I no longer have a Democratic representative--he was gerrymandered out of my district here in Texas--so I will have to call Comer's staff again on Monday. You can bet I'll speak up!
Thank you. I live in blue Northern Virginia, so my reps are not the problem. I'm going to call and email GOP reps more often, whether or not they want to hear from non-constituents.
I cited the gist of the WP story, then said what I wrote above in the paragraph beginning "In addition to this ..." I finished by asking Comer to show some spine and stand up to this insane would-be dictator. I was not as restrained as I have been in other calls, but I'm done being polite to these people. To her credit, the woman on the phone answered calmly.
Keep calling your elected representatives and keep up the pressure. I am noticing (at least here in NY) that Sen. Schumer and Congressional minority leader Jeffries have been a bit more aggressive towards Trump this week versus the previous two.
I believe our calls are having an impact. I also believe democratic mega donors have started to exert some pressure towards Democratic leadership behind the scenes, telling them to step it up, which helps too!
Everything you’re saying here needs to be said LOUDLY and publicly.
I cannot understand what the thinking of those in charge are.
I’ve commented previously and will say again- you’re preaching to the choir and it isn’t reaching the congregation.
Us working class people are TIRED and we are angry at the failed leadership at national and state levels by those who claim to be fighting for democracy.
We are called to action while they’re sitting by hoping for some sound bites- that ARE NOT REACHING THE MASSES.
The continuing failure to leverage the media coverage will be the nail in the coffin.
I’ve read comments and talk on the outskirts of the idea of some type of shadow cabinet. Regardless of whether this would work or be viable- it is these out of the box ideas that need to gain traction. We cannot keep doing the same things and expect different results. Being ANTI Trump and ANTI fascist is NOT working and the media is tilting so far to the right that we are on the verge of some even bigger shifts if those fighting for democracy and freedom cannot get their act together.
2.5 months of planning for what we have all been told would be a constitutional crisis- and that’s exactly what has happened- and there is no game plan that was put in place? Discussions about how to change the media landscape and attack this hasn’t been hammered out? I mean this has been ongoing for years and years and yet people who want to continue old ways refuse to step aside to make room for those wanting action.
We are smarter. We are more thoughtful. We have the better ideas and ways to implement them. And we have failed to address BIG issues- such as government size and fraud and immigration- and allowed the right wing to monopolize these topics with simple, inhumane, and disastrous ideas. We’ve allowed the right wing media marketing and PR to grow and become loud and it’s killing people and hurting people and then the left wing asks those same people to act while we see senators and congressional leaders backing down and blurring lines. We’ve failed to harness the inequities and unfairness that every low wage, working, and middle class people face on the daily and allows that anger to be manipulated.
The democrats are failing and I’m not seeing many answers and action by the national party to do anything different.
Force the media to cover your policy ideas and decisions. Democrats need a party that is unified behind ideas and a clear and concise way to actually put POPULIST policies in place and you need a national audience to do that. You need all the news covering you. Not sound bites on msnbc or even abc/nbc. Shake things up. Everytime he has a press conference full of lies- call your own to dispute it. And lay out in SPECIFICS what you want to do and how that will bring down prices, make housing more affordable, create jobs at home, improve our infrastructure, INCREASE safety, and address big government and immigration. And do it with only facts and truth and no lies or spin.
You’re not reaching the masses. And if you don’t care about reaching those who voted for Trump- you’re still not reaching the 90 million who didn’t. And you won’t if you continue with the same ways of doing things.
There’s a breaking point coming and I hope the case is that I’m just not privy to what is to come and not that there is nothing or more of the same in the future because then the battle will be nearly impossible.
Yup! If the resistance to 'Rump Musk Unfit Four isn't coming from the Dem Leadership WE NEED NEW LEADERSHIP! We see them everyday, AOC, Jasmine, Swalwell...FIGHT FOR US DEM PARTY! 4 YEARS OF PLAYING NICE VS. MAGA AND CORDIAL VS. 'RUMP IS WHAT ENABLED THAT DISGUSTING UNFIT SOCIOPATH!!
These are the new leaders and there are plenty more. Is the national party of democrats really ready to rebuke corporate dominance?
When will us working people and middle class people actually have a voice anywhere? Schumer, Pelosi- and any and all who are refusing these calls to action need to go.
I don’t want emails with Pelosi or Schumer. I want NEW and inventive strategies.
I want to fight but our fight becomes trivial when the ones with power- who call us to act- refuse our calls to action and back down. I’d rather go down fighting for justice, fairness, and the truth than back down to lies, fear, and injustices because out if fear of losing power. It is time for new leadership and new ideas. It is actually long past those things. And if the party has no solution for how to change the media outreach and landscape then we will fail.
I am just outright flabbergasted at the lack of preparation for what we are seeing right now. Regardless of whether you thought you were going to win- the day you lost should’ve sent these people into overdrive for how to dominate the media conversation and attack the rise of fascism and outright lies right from the beginning.
Even when Trump wasn’t in office he was running things. And yet we have done little to navigate that.
100% agree, since Nov election loss I have been wanting a copy of what the MAGA & GoP does along with their Right Wing all-media control: organized "Comi-con" like conventions that beat MAGA events like CPAC both in scale & media attention, but for the Big Tent Party of Dems, Indies, Never Trumper Republicans. It can absolutely be done with or without celeb support, look how fast the FireAid for SoCal Wildfires happened (I live in L.A.)...
Then include this with a renewed "Howard Dean 50 State Plan" to get back every single 'Rump voter that IS GOING TO BE HURT in some form: healthcare, pocketbook, education, National Security (that's a big one Americans helloooo!). He already started with his same old sociopathic blame game BS, and making jokes to NATIONAL TV COVERAGE over dead Americans from the D.C. tragedy - loop what that disgusting Con-Felon Insurrectionist said everyday Resistance Media!
They won't care. First, like Trump tells them to, they'll blame DEI, wokeness, immigrants, the Jews, God punishing us because women us birth control -- the excuse doesn't matter. And, second, because they'll happily vote against their own interests to "own the libs."
That may change if they have to bring grandma or some other relative in assisted living to THEIR house as a result of all of this chaos and incompetence.
I did see on FB a brief factoid: a WHITE man flew the airplane, a WHITE man flew the helicopter, a WHITE man destroyed the FAA.What does D.E.I. have to do with this?
I suggest everyone post this fact. It's a tragedy everyone has heard about and it gives the simple facts. I would have shared it, but it was on a timer on a person's post and was being flipped with other things. Never saw that before. Nevertheless, it would be simple enough to write out.
I said something similarly last night to an African-American friend who is furious over TFG's outrageous comments:
People who support this blantantly rascists theory need to answer this-- if DEI is to blame, then how do you explain multiple horrific aircraft crashes in prior years when the ONLY people allowed to pilot the aircraft and control the air traffic were straight, white men?
Gallup already deemed Trump’s disapproval rating the highest of any President taking office (by far). He even beat his last term, which is bad for the brand. Only 50 yr olds are pleased, it’s a stubborn group. Their disappointment is in its way. Tariffs anyone?
🔸️NONE of the orange baby man's clown show would be happening if he was disqualified day one after forensic psychiatrist Dr Bandy X Lee's report of the FIVE DANGEROUS MENTAL PATHOLOGIES of Donald Trump.
🔸️The 1973 Goldwater Rule is obsolete. It said a public figure should be personally examined to diagnose. Today, social media continues to record thousands of hours of pathological behavior from the one foot tall orange baby man in diapers for all to see. No personal examination needed.
"World Mental Health Coalition"
https://youtube.com/@dangerouscasenow2523?si=OzNy4LkMVxd8JzHZ
In the United States, Medical Doctors are not allowed to diagnose patients they have never seen, or comment on the illness of patients without their consent. It is unethical.
Here is an explanation from the American Psychiatric Association. https://www.psychiatry.org/news-room/apa-blogs/the-goldwater-rule
Lee lost her position at Yale University as a “voluntary” assistant clinical professor for this unethical behavior, i.e., giving professional opinions about someone who is not her patient and who has not granted permission to disclose her findings. She sued Yale in 2021, and lost her case and her dismissal was upheld in appellate court.
Thank you for reposting this.
"Doctors are not allowed to diagnose patients they have never seen"
Professionals feel they have a "duty to warn" about possible mental pathology that may not be fully diagnosed, but based on observable behavior. This is critically important when considering people slated for positions of extremely high trust.
The duty to warn is anything but "unethical."
Duty to warn does not apply to someone who is not your patient. When it applies to your patient, the warning is always private, never public. Writing publically with a diagnosis of a person you have never seen is most definitely unethical. That is why I provided the link to the APA that states
"The “Goldwater Rule:”
On occasion psychiatrists are asked for an opinion about an individual who is in the light of public attention or who has disclosed information about himself/herself through public media. In such circumstances, a psychiatrist may share with the public his or her expertise about psychiatric issues in general. However, it is unethical for a psychiatrist to offer a professional opinion unless he or she has conducted an examination and has been granted proper authorization for such a statement.”
So we just follow the old white guys at the APA, who perpetuate their own importance. Sorry, this is one of the things that make docs elitists.
Are you a Forensic Psychiatrist?
I think everyone has seen enough! Donald Trump and ethics….huh!
That is just someone's opinion. I have cited the professional behavior stipulated by the APA.
However much you (and maybe many others) agree with this analysis, it is not a legitimate basis for officially disqualifying anyone from office. If the information is put out there, which it has been, it is up to voters how much weight they give to it when voting. It is not legally disqualifying.
It is not just up to voters, it is up to AWOL Senate leadership to protect American voters from mentally unfit leadership and to prevent autocratic abuse. Stephen Xenakis did Fitness for Duty Evaluations his entire career.
"Stephen Xenakis-Fitness for Duty Exams: Preventing Autocratic Abuse"
https://youtu.be/vdtChF07ryU?si=XJzMjvTsSfKn5UTn
The cruelty is the point. It was never about the price of eggs.
"Inflation" was the excuse this time, just like "her emails" was the excuse in 2016. It was always about the "basked of deplorables" such as racism, sexism,"owning the libs," etc.
Trump supporters will gladly pay whatever if they feel they’re bringing more pain to democrats, liberals.
I agree. There's a very good book on this subject called Dying of Whiteness.
No, they won't "gladly pay", they will line up for the public assistance that they wish to deny "others" who don't look like them.
Hello all, can someone direct me to sources that analyzed the election and what we lost track of in terms of who voted and who didn't vote and communication and strategy successes and failures. I remember people saying it would take a few months, and I think it's important to look at the data before we spend much time on specific strategies for the present and also for elections. Respectfully, and thank you, TC
I am anxious to hear Simon's synopsis from the conference yesterday. Much of what he's written about here was discussed and his contribution to the panel was thought-provoking.
Here is an analysis by Unidos regarding the Latino vote https://unidosus.org/hispanicvote/polling-issues/ and another one for the general population.
https://www.filesforprogress.org/datasets/2024/12/dfp_post_election_2024_report.pdf
Here's a good article with some good links: https://michaelsalzillo17.substack.com/p/another-progressive-bench-edition
https://electiontruthalliance.org/2024-us-election-analysis
Leaving this here too (hopefully Simon is okay with it), this group is combing every battleground state especially the Dominion Voting machines ones, for 2 things: votes not being counted and votes being switched irregularites.
I'm not a con-theory guy, but if there ever was 2 Dicks with MOTIVE & power ambitions on the level of Bond Villians to steal the all important 2024 Election: 'Rump & Musk fit the bill 100%. We know for a fact CON-VICT Felon Rump was gonna go down with every Fed. Indictment regarding Classified Docs & Jan 6th Insurrection if he lost in November (even MAGA Aileen Cannon could not stop his out of office convictions for the Docs case she luckily got to serve her master ‘Rump).
*And isn't is ironic that the FAA Heads who were investigating Musk SpaceX were fired just 10 days before the D.C. Airline Tragedy (as well as several anti-labor lawsuits in Cali & Texas) before he started to campaign for 'Rump, bribe voters for 'Rump (it's illegal helloooo Pennsylvania Sect. Of State!!!). Plus the way 'Rump's campaign literally was a dumpster fire of daily WTF gross displays of racism, sexism, Idiocracy for 2 months post his epic beatdown debate from Kamala?!
Musk & 'Rump would do, and have done EVERYTHING they could to win in 2024, and they are currently doing everything they want to destroy our Govt., U.S. Treasury, Aviation Institurions & Pentagon (with NHS, CDC, FBI, CIA next) and our will to fight back just 11 days into their Dick-tatorship.
So I choose to be open minded about all reasons why we lost in November, because these guys are subhuman snakes full stop.
The INSANITY on a daily basis is really taking a toll. I find myself angry and confused as to why someone is not doing something to stop Trumps match to FACISM! It is clear that Project 2025 is being implemented. The parade of these misfits that he has nominated would be a joke if it wasn’t so extremely detrimental to the health, safety and security of our nation! I pay more than my share of taxes and I am not willing to pay for these people. I think we need a movement to withhold our Federal taxes!!!!
It might be more helpful to take the attitude that fascism HAS arrived. It is here.
I consider our nation currently to be under "occupation." Occupation by people who are domestic enemies of our constitution. I do not know when or how, but something is going to break.
Trump's alternative way to get money from you will be through tariffs on everything you buy that's sent from another country.
x100
“I don’t know when or how ,but something is going to break.”
Absolutely.
"Trump's alternative way to get money from you will be through tariffs on everything you buy that's sent from another country"
I'm buttoning down my spending and redirecting funds to 501c(3) organizations that provide services to the disadvantaged - my local food bank, crisis assistance, meals on wheels, etc. I know it is a drop in the bucket, but it helps to do something.
Trumped bragged that not paying his share of taxes makes him smart! If enough Americans banned together and refuse to pay for this nonsense perhaps we could stand up and be heard. There must be something to be done to stop this😨 Two year midterms are an eternity from now. In the meantime, we all need to be calling our senators and representatives on a weekly basis!🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
Daily basis.
I think many folks didn't want to believe that they would implement Project2025. Everything they are doing now is in there.
That's called naiveté or blatant stupidity, take your pick.
Totally agree, but we’re in the soup. And we naively think there’s a way out. I don’t see it.
I think many folks have no idea what Project2025 is. What we might call "the Illiterati" are having an outsized impact on American elections.
The ones I told about it didn't take it seriously enough and that includes people who voted D.
Thank you for trying!
There’s such a fire hose of information coming at us, some critical to our survival, others meant to distract us. I’ve decided to immune myself from all mainstream media and concentrate on what we can do together to get through this.
I totally sympathize. Bannon said: "Flood the zone with shit."
I've picked some targets to concentrate on, and will continue to report here.
This is exactly what they said they would do and they’re doing it fast before anyone can stop them. Why is everyone so surprised?
I called Sen. Cantwell's office for the fourth time this week. I was very firm. I pointed out that she began her questioning by congratulating Kennedy on his nomination and then proceeded to question him in a very cordial manner. I pointed out that this wasn't good enough. She should have questioned him sharply. She should have shown some fire. Her cordial, business-as-usual tone is out of keeping with someone this dangerous--someone whose anti-vax views could result in the death of millions. I said that she had better not vote for his confirmation. It would be her worst mistake since she voted for the Iraq war. I said that if she voted for him she would find that Democrats would respond with ferocious anger.
No more mincing of words with her.
Isn't she a Democrat? WHY all this niceness to an HHS nominee who is completely unqualified to head this department?
Here's the video of Sen. Cantwell questioning Kennedy:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EPG_WKmKg84
She needs to do better. And she needs to know that voting for him would be a catastrophic mistake.
I implore anyone reading this in Washington state to call her. I've been getting through to her Seattle office.
I already contacted her.
good work
Here are five key Republican senators to call...
https://www.axios.com/2025/01/31/senate-republicans-trump-gabbard-rfk
RFK Jr. and Tulsi Gabbard will have to sweat their confirmations over the weekend, based on what GOP senators said at hearings the past two days. Republicans with choice committee seats can blow up confirmations before they reach the Senate floor. Any GOP "no" vote means the nominee won't get the committee's recommendation.
No recommendation = no floor vote, or at least a very unlikely one, as Majority Leader John Thune said Wednesday.
Senate Finance, which votes on Kennedy for secretary of Health and Human Services:
– Bill Cassidy (R-La.) told RFK Jr.: "I've been struggling with your nomination" and "you may be hearing from me over the weekend." Cassidy questioned Kennedy about vaccines at Thursday's HELP Committee hearing and has a vote on the Finance Committee.
Senate Intel, which votes on Gabbard for director of national intelligence:
– Susan Collins (R-Maine) asked Gabbard if she'd seek a pardon or commutation for Edward Snowden. Gabbard said no to both. "I was happy with her responses to my questions," Collins told reporters Thursday night, per CNN.
– Todd Young (R-Ind.) told Gabbard, "It would befit you and be helpful for the way you're perceived by members of the Intelligence Committee" to say Snowden harmed national security. Gabbard repeatedly refused to call Snowden a traitor at the hearing.
– Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) offended Gabbard by saying he wanted to be sure Russia doesn't "get a pass in either your mind or your heart."
– John Cornyn (R-Texas) could not get a direct answer from Gabbard on whether warrants should be required for wiretaps under Section 702 of FISA. (He posted Thursday he's a yes on Gabbard).
The bottom line: Even senators who support Gabbard were taken aback by her Snowden answers.
"I think there are a lot of questions after," Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.) told reporters. "I thought that was going to be an easy softball question."
She will be confirmed.
Sadly, we are getting an answer to that essential question of the day: "How many Republican senators have a spine?" And the answer is dismaying.
It’s gutting. And the Democrats aren’t much better. Anemic. At high cost to us all.
Agreed that absolutely NO Dems should be giving any of those a yes vote. Hoping the populations of all Republican states recognize the danger these people present.
Any Democrat who votes Yes on these nominations should be taken off their choice committee assignments and put on something like Rules or Governmental Organization. These are Standing Committees. Could Schumer just rearrange committee assignments? I have no idea.
The cancellation of scientific funding is personal for me. A dear friend from my grad program at Rutgers University participated in the CDC summer internship program Simon referenced, which led to a CDC postdoc and then to full-time employment. We're both infectious disease epidemiologists, trained in pandemic preparedness and response; with avian flu looming on the horizon, we need to be training more scientists, not fewer. Additionally, academic postdoc salaries are traditionally low - often well below the cost of living - so it's not surprising that the the folks quoted don't have much of a nest egg to sustain themselves in while their pay is in limbo.
Meanwhile, the Diminished One, when asked about visiting the site where 67 people, many of them children, just died, responded with, "you want me to go swimming?!". Yes, yes, we do - with the fishes.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.huffpost.com/entry/trump-site-aviation-crash-you-want-me-to-go-swimming_n_679bf21fe4b0e1faebeef7e9/amp
I am grateful to the scientists and epidemiologists such as yourself that kept us informed during COVID. I found Dr. Osterholm during the pandemic and tuned in to his daily updates to learn what to do and what kind of mask to buy. We are headed back into the dark ages and we will be turning to you all again for as much information as you can get. I feel like we are back in the pandemic already, in terms of the chaos, cruelty, fear, economic threats, foreign threats, etc. Go swim with the fishes, indeed.
I also followed Dr. Osterholm, as did my family MD.
Me too!
Thank you. During the pandemic I found Katelyn Jetelina and “Dear Pandemic” - now “those nerdy girls”. These very smart scientists were a life-saver to many when accurate information was being questioned and hard to come by.
They are both on Substack - I highly recommend if anyone is looking for reliable sources on flu, Covid, Rsv, avian flu etc in the coming months - any infectious diseases that epidemiologists are expert in.
My hope is that within 6 months, after there is no one else to blame for the chaos and misery he has caused, that congress will find their backbones and impeach him again, this time for real and for permanent. THis seems to be a president who feeds his ego on causing suffering. He has surrounded himself with the same types of people.
That is my hope, too. The GQP has swallowed and defended and supported so much shit from the Mad King that it's really hard to imagine what could finally be the straw that breaks their back. But Mad King is so unstable and horrible that it's clear he's capable of doing something so unspeakably terrible that even they can no longer ignore.
Could we start by calling the Covict-in-Chief what he is? A nave. He has never been a king. The problem is he is not the one "ruling." He has keepers who haven't digested one very important fact: Their days are numbered. Their power only exists as long as Don, the Nave does. In their own right, they are despised. They were not elected. Their money is only powerful if they are offering something people want. So far, what they are offering, the people are not interested in. As for the "primary" threat, really? These fools in the MAGA mess are running a better chance of being primaried if they continue to do Don the Knave's bidding.
Meh, my hope is they all die (either accident or healthwise, like Alzheimers hitting 'Rump faster than it took his evil father) from the actions they took to dismantle the complex daily tasks of a working govt.
Are you not aware that the Democrats have a chance --- a CHANCE -- to flip the House and take the gavel out of Johnson's hand, and transfer it over to Jeffries? In the next 60 to 90 days. I'll do a separate post about this.
Please be specific about this "chance." Do you think Gaetz's district is going to elect a democrat, for example? Really?
Please be specific. What do you really know about that district? Do you live there?
I think that was a fair question. Look forward to your post that elaborates on this.
If I recall correctly, Matt Gaetz won by 32 points last November. But, hey, Democrats just overperformed by 24 points in an election in Iowa. While Simon is right that each of the three upcoming Congressional special elections are steep uphill climbs, nothing is impossible. Moreover, the upside of the best-case scenario – WINNING BACK THE HOUSE – is HUGE!!
We need to organize, we need optimism, and enthusiasm, strong candidates, outright brazen loudspeakers to get up the steep hill! Trump is providing fuel every day, all day to drive success!
Please explain thank you
That will never happen, Stephanie. These folks couldn't impeach him when he tried to kill some of them and overthrow the government. They are even more submissive now.
I’m just wondering though, if it would make a difference this time if we, their constituents get so loud that they are more afraid of us than them… or if/when there is another 9/11 or worse..
Heartening news: I have managed to convince a friend living in deep red Indiana to make calls to her senators. She reports that it feels good (we know that)! She has a friend there forming a small group of callers. When calling my Democratic Senator Heinrich of NM this morning, I learned that he made a one hour floor speech yesterday. I have been calling his office about getting loud. He’s getting loud.
Indiana is my home state, which I left permanently decades ago. This has just brought tears to my eyes. Thank you!!!!
Bloomington is a blue diamond there. The university there has over 50K students. I have to believe there is hope.
Hope with a plan of course :)
We have formed an Indivisible group in Bloomington, IN called Monroe County, IN Indivisible. We are growing each week. If you would like to find out more about what we are doing and would like to join, please email us at indivisiblemc24@gmail.com.
Wonderful!! There are definitely liberals and other sane anti-MAGA people in Indiana, just like in all the red states. Although as a Purdue grad, I am officially obligated to say nothing good about Bloomington 😂
Great interaction between Senator Booker and Stacey Abrams yesterday. Booker remarked that taking strength from their ancestors will help him through the next 4 years, that they had faced slavery, failed Reconstruction, Plessy, lynchings, Jim Crow, and the murders and atrocities of the early 1960s, and still here he and Stacey are. I took great strength from that and think we can look to our Black American neighbors and friends for help in getting through this. My German ancestors may not have been subject to hate and discrimination when they immigrated, but I can find strength and illumination in my neighbors' experiences. We need community to survive these deliberate horrors.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L6sc__HKBwM&t=520s
Cory Booker knew to empty his office’s voicemail box. It’s been full for more than 3 days.
I work at a university and a cancer researcher at my institution said NIH panels in the midst of discussion were stopped and told to leave. No thought, no plans - just stop the whole dang thing. The harmful impact of all of these impulsive decisions will last for a very long time
My outrage level soared this morning when I read this WP story: “Senior U.S. official to exit after rift with Musk allies over payment system”
“The highest-ranking career official at the Treasury Department is departing after a clash with allies of billionaire Elon Musk over access to sensitive payment systems, according to three people with knowledge of the matter.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2025/01/31/elon-musk-treasury-department-payment-systems/
In addition to this, OPM employees report that Musk/DOGE have essentially done a hostile takeover of that agency. Trump is replacing his imaginary "deep state" with a REAL deep state with the goal of destroying government programs, processes, trust and workforces. MAGA complains about "unelected bureaucrats"--Musk is neither elected nor a bureaucrat--he's just a deranged, unqualified, conflicted accomplice of the Criminal-in-Chief who is being allowed to run roughshod through federal agencies and undermine their officials and processes.
So I called House Government Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (202-225-3115) and, to my surprise, got through to a staff person on the committee’s majority (GOP) side. The phone bank offers an option to speak either to majority or minority staff. The Vice Chair is my Dem Congressman, Gerry Connolly, who is an outspoken critic of this administration, so I wanted to give Comer an earful. The staff person said she “took notes and will pass them along.”
Please call Comer’s office (202-225-3115) and ask him to show some spine against this Mad King! I’ll give Comer credit for accepting comments from non-constituents (unlike many Congresspeople), so maybe this is a good channel for our “get loud” efforts!
P.S. While the Post, NYT, CNN, etc. have their faults, they still have the staff, sources and experience to continue uncovering stories like this.,
Leon, you beat me to it. The fact that Musk wanted access to these payment systems is absolutely insane! It should raise alarm in anybody with more than two functioning brain cells.
I think we all need to Get Loud. I just posted this this on Blue Sky
I dialed them but got a voicemail instead. Whom do I ask to speak to when I call again? The majority or minority party? I live here in Texas and I want to make my voice heard.
Could I leave a voicemail or should I speak to them directly? I'll have to wait until Monday.
The GOP brown-nosers are the problem, so I think we should call them (in this case the majority staff) in addition to or instead of our Dem representatives who we know are already fighting this horror show.
I called during business hours so maybe they're more likely to pick up the phone then. I don't know about voicemail vs. speaking directly but a vm is better than nothing.
Unfortunately, I no longer have a Democratic representative--he was gerrymandered out of my district here in Texas--so I will have to call Comer's staff again on Monday. You can bet I'll speak up!
Thank you. I live in blue Northern Virginia, so my reps are not the problem. I'm going to call and email GOP reps more often, whether or not they want to hear from non-constituents.
What are some of the points you make when you call Comer? This is new to me, so any tips would be helpful. Thx!
I cited the gist of the WP story, then said what I wrote above in the paragraph beginning "In addition to this ..." I finished by asking Comer to show some spine and stand up to this insane would-be dictator. I was not as restrained as I have been in other calls, but I'm done being polite to these people. To her credit, the woman on the phone answered calmly.
Keep calling your elected representatives and keep up the pressure. I am noticing (at least here in NY) that Sen. Schumer and Congressional minority leader Jeffries have been a bit more aggressive towards Trump this week versus the previous two.
I believe our calls are having an impact. I also believe democratic mega donors have started to exert some pressure towards Democratic leadership behind the scenes, telling them to step it up, which helps too!
Everything you’re saying here needs to be said LOUDLY and publicly.
I cannot understand what the thinking of those in charge are.
I’ve commented previously and will say again- you’re preaching to the choir and it isn’t reaching the congregation.
Us working class people are TIRED and we are angry at the failed leadership at national and state levels by those who claim to be fighting for democracy.
We are called to action while they’re sitting by hoping for some sound bites- that ARE NOT REACHING THE MASSES.
The continuing failure to leverage the media coverage will be the nail in the coffin.
I’ve read comments and talk on the outskirts of the idea of some type of shadow cabinet. Regardless of whether this would work or be viable- it is these out of the box ideas that need to gain traction. We cannot keep doing the same things and expect different results. Being ANTI Trump and ANTI fascist is NOT working and the media is tilting so far to the right that we are on the verge of some even bigger shifts if those fighting for democracy and freedom cannot get their act together.
2.5 months of planning for what we have all been told would be a constitutional crisis- and that’s exactly what has happened- and there is no game plan that was put in place? Discussions about how to change the media landscape and attack this hasn’t been hammered out? I mean this has been ongoing for years and years and yet people who want to continue old ways refuse to step aside to make room for those wanting action.
We are smarter. We are more thoughtful. We have the better ideas and ways to implement them. And we have failed to address BIG issues- such as government size and fraud and immigration- and allowed the right wing to monopolize these topics with simple, inhumane, and disastrous ideas. We’ve allowed the right wing media marketing and PR to grow and become loud and it’s killing people and hurting people and then the left wing asks those same people to act while we see senators and congressional leaders backing down and blurring lines. We’ve failed to harness the inequities and unfairness that every low wage, working, and middle class people face on the daily and allows that anger to be manipulated.
The democrats are failing and I’m not seeing many answers and action by the national party to do anything different.
Force the media to cover your policy ideas and decisions. Democrats need a party that is unified behind ideas and a clear and concise way to actually put POPULIST policies in place and you need a national audience to do that. You need all the news covering you. Not sound bites on msnbc or even abc/nbc. Shake things up. Everytime he has a press conference full of lies- call your own to dispute it. And lay out in SPECIFICS what you want to do and how that will bring down prices, make housing more affordable, create jobs at home, improve our infrastructure, INCREASE safety, and address big government and immigration. And do it with only facts and truth and no lies or spin.
You’re not reaching the masses. And if you don’t care about reaching those who voted for Trump- you’re still not reaching the 90 million who didn’t. And you won’t if you continue with the same ways of doing things.
There’s a breaking point coming and I hope the case is that I’m just not privy to what is to come and not that there is nothing or more of the same in the future because then the battle will be nearly impossible.
Yup! If the resistance to 'Rump Musk Unfit Four isn't coming from the Dem Leadership WE NEED NEW LEADERSHIP! We see them everyday, AOC, Jasmine, Swalwell...FIGHT FOR US DEM PARTY! 4 YEARS OF PLAYING NICE VS. MAGA AND CORDIAL VS. 'RUMP IS WHAT ENABLED THAT DISGUSTING UNFIT SOCIOPATH!!
These are the new leaders and there are plenty more. Is the national party of democrats really ready to rebuke corporate dominance?
When will us working people and middle class people actually have a voice anywhere? Schumer, Pelosi- and any and all who are refusing these calls to action need to go.
I don’t want emails with Pelosi or Schumer. I want NEW and inventive strategies.
I want to fight but our fight becomes trivial when the ones with power- who call us to act- refuse our calls to action and back down. I’d rather go down fighting for justice, fairness, and the truth than back down to lies, fear, and injustices because out if fear of losing power. It is time for new leadership and new ideas. It is actually long past those things. And if the party has no solution for how to change the media outreach and landscape then we will fail.
I am just outright flabbergasted at the lack of preparation for what we are seeing right now. Regardless of whether you thought you were going to win- the day you lost should’ve sent these people into overdrive for how to dominate the media conversation and attack the rise of fascism and outright lies right from the beginning.
Even when Trump wasn’t in office he was running things. And yet we have done little to navigate that.
100% agree, since Nov election loss I have been wanting a copy of what the MAGA & GoP does along with their Right Wing all-media control: organized "Comi-con" like conventions that beat MAGA events like CPAC both in scale & media attention, but for the Big Tent Party of Dems, Indies, Never Trumper Republicans. It can absolutely be done with or without celeb support, look how fast the FireAid for SoCal Wildfires happened (I live in L.A.)...
Then include this with a renewed "Howard Dean 50 State Plan" to get back every single 'Rump voter that IS GOING TO BE HURT in some form: healthcare, pocketbook, education, National Security (that's a big one Americans helloooo!). He already started with his same old sociopathic blame game BS, and making jokes to NATIONAL TV COVERAGE over dead Americans from the D.C. tragedy - loop what that disgusting Con-Felon Insurrectionist said everyday Resistance Media!
Hope those who voted for fascism are hurting now too.
They won't care. First, like Trump tells them to, they'll blame DEI, wokeness, immigrants, the Jews, God punishing us because women us birth control -- the excuse doesn't matter. And, second, because they'll happily vote against their own interests to "own the libs."
That may change if they have to bring grandma or some other relative in assisted living to THEIR house as a result of all of this chaos and incompetence.
I did see on FB a brief factoid: a WHITE man flew the airplane, a WHITE man flew the helicopter, a WHITE man destroyed the FAA.What does D.E.I. have to do with this?
I suggest everyone post this fact. It's a tragedy everyone has heard about and it gives the simple facts. I would have shared it, but it was on a timer on a person's post and was being flipped with other things. Never saw that before. Nevertheless, it would be simple enough to write out.
I said something similarly last night to an African-American friend who is furious over TFG's outrageous comments:
People who support this blantantly rascists theory need to answer this-- if DEI is to blame, then how do you explain multiple horrific aircraft crashes in prior years when the ONLY people allowed to pilot the aircraft and control the air traffic were straight, white men?
Gallup already deemed Trump’s disapproval rating the highest of any President taking office (by far). He even beat his last term, which is bad for the brand. Only 50 yr olds are pleased, it’s a stubborn group. Their disappointment is in its way. Tariffs anyone?
Well, us older folks are definitely pissed.
And it shows in the polls!
"Tariffs anyone?"
Excuse me... Would you like a bit more salt on that wound?
That statement is sarcasm Thomas.