I like Adam. I’m always interested when he’s the guest. He’s smart and perceptive. Bringing the cost of energy to the forefront is very important as we go into winter. Just another thing that’s unaffordable. Dems need to hammer these points.
Thank you. This morning's calls to my Senators and Rep were about Ukraine and Venezuela. This is scary stuff. It's encouraging to learn about another strong Dem being on this. Time for this nightmare to end.
Repeating my comment from yesterday -- Wow -- the video with Tad Stoermer is really great -- thanks for sharing -- one of the things I really loved about the video from Senators Kelly and Slotkin, and House Members Crow, Deluzio, Goodlander and Houlihan, that reminded service members that it was their duty to refuse to follow illegal orders -- was that it was taking the OFFENSE!!!!
Also how Stoermer focuses on how to protect the Democracy we have become (after the Civil War -- after MLK) -- I'm still watching
ON REPEAT AGAIN BECAUSE IT SEEMS THAT MANY AUTHORITARIAN WANNABES SEEM TO HAVE SIGNIFICANT ISSUES WITH POSSIBLE SEXUAL SCANDALS INVOLVING YOUNG WOMEN. THEY USUALLY CHOOSE TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM WITH EXTREME VIOLENCE. IT WAS HIS (I.E. A.H.’s) GUN AFTER ALL…
Since the days when his parents placed him at the New York Military Academy, Dolos has always been on the highly aggressive spectrum. For example, he did give his second-grade music teacher a black eye without much explanation, and he, before puberty, threw stones at an infant. Per Professor Dan McAdams, certain personality traits persist: https://www.npr.org/2025/11/20/nx-s1-5615190/trump-democrats-military-video-seditious. Curious, Dolos, being an “extreme patriot,” chose not to serve as a young man; the military could have been an excellent channel for his aggression.
THIS IS NOT THE TIME FOR STENOGRAPHERS IN PRESS ROOMS!!
Per Don Lemon, the former CNN Primetime host, many in the mainstream news media have been cowed by Dolos and now admit (privately) that they are no longer fit for purpose (timestamp - 41:01): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRpQUWbbL3c . He is now a successful, INDEPENDENT journalist. Lemon seems to be freer in his approach.
The LA Times and Washington Post should RELEASE their original endorsements of VP Harris from 2024. Their previous observations might prove highly insightful for the present moment. Agreed?
To better understand Dolos, the malignant narcissist, please watch an old “Twilight Zone” episode, “It’s a Good Life” (featuring an all-powerful and malevolent 6-year-old): https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDWeGYuzgn8ZaBMTPPuQUDYNI37uXR696 . Think about all authoritarians as incompletely formed children— let alone adults. I remembered this episode after a citation by Tom Nichols of The Atlantic. [edit - 9_8_25: missing paragraph]
Here are Professor Barbara Walter’s five suggestions for fighting authoritarianism:
As the amazing Extremism specialist, Dr. Julia Ebner, has shared, once people have any interest in anything about National Socialism (beyond the purely academic/historical research), bad things begin to happen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gUmeyEh-WxY&list=TLPQMDQwNTIwMjXguGg818G1fg . Previously, I’ve shared that some power players in the Republican/MAGA party have had a deep interest in CARL SCHMITT, the legal philosopher of National Socialism, and now seen as the apologist for the “Night of Long Knives”. To better understand Schmitt’s intellectual role in the EXTRAJUDICIAL activities of the Third Reich in their rise to power, please take a look at this document on the “Night of Long Knives”: https://sci-hub.st/10.1080/00168890.2012.675795 .
In the early 30s, when A.H. was about to be embroiled in a sex/murder scandal relative to the “suicide” of his 23-year-old niece (OK, half-niece) with his own gun, an enterprising journalist was about to drop a “bombshell” tell-all when his organization was attacked by “Brown Shirts” and his information was destroyed. The journalist was subsequently arrested and, in a matter of months, was later killed during the “Night of Long Knives” in 1934. So, Vanity Fair did an extensive piece on this lesser-known history of A.H. (it is a good and long read): https://www.vanityfair.com/news/1992/04/hitlers-doomed-angel .
With the recent revelations around Dolos and Epstein, it seems that authoritarians have difficulty managing sexual scandals within societal norms. Although MAGA might have problems with history, even recent history (i.e. revisiting January 6, 2021)— it is important to remember the truth (or the best approximation). For more on Epstein and Dolos, the Daily Beast has an excellent new podcast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jC6OvXtVYso&list=PLC3I8Rb5dhRAGpR3tKxCq5TMX2WInOksz .
CARTHAGO DELENDA EST (via nonviolence).
P.S.: Do the following now! FIRST, TEACH CIVICS. Second, register voters. THIRD, TEACH CIVICS. Rinse. Repeat.
I agree that TACO proves over and over that he lied, as ALWAYS, during his campaign and couldn't care less.
BUT, on this latest horror, the MOST important thing is for everyone to STOP just repeating the word TACO used that is absolutely false. START with, "There is absolutely NO sedition here. The world has known since the Nuremberg Trials after WWII that 'following illegal orders is ILLEGAL.'" TACO is old enough to remember Nuremberg, though he was probably too focused on money to pay attention to what that ruling meant, and he's certainly too focused on himself and trying DESPERATELY to look strong--though everything he does shows how weak and empty he is--to know anything about how much more our military members honor their oaths of office in this country than any of the GOP electeds and cabinet members do these days.
It should be a law that anyone who's allegedly the "Commander in Chief of the Army and the Navy ..." should HAVE to learn about the military and what THEIR duties to the country are. Having grown up in two generations of military, I can tell you--as so many other decent citizens can--that TACO is totally ignorant of our military and just assumes they exist for his playtime.
Further, since there is absolutely NO sedition here, then TACO is openly "inciting violence and murder" with his words, and we all need to keep telling him and our elected officials so. Bondi, too, since she's proved many times already that she committed perjury when she swore under oath her oath of office and during her nomination hearing that she was going to, "Run the DOJ according to the rule of law." All she's done since is prove she's CLUELESS what that even means!
But really, please stop just repeating the disgusting words--and lies--coming from TACO's disgusting mouth and state ONLY how entirely wrong he is, proving he's weak and desperate.
He and his also disgusting pal, JD, have also been tossing around another word completely falsely. Our constitution has only ONE definition for "treason" or "traitor" and, believe me, it has nothing at all to do with, "Well, I just don't like that person. He/she bugs me, poor me." WRONG. In fact, the actual, and only, definition points directly at TACO! "Aiding and abetting an enemy." Our country as a whole still sees Russia as an enemy, and, gee, who is it who keeps aiding and abetting Putin?
Thank you Susan, for your passion! The person who is in the "role" of our president is mentally ill. He goes between rage, self pity, and charm (this is the severe narcissistic personality disorder). He is ALSO in significant cognitive decline and the two of these psychological states cause him to do and say things that are unhinged.... (to use a clinical term). He illness causes him to be impulsive, vengeful, cruel, unclear in any kind of logic, and always shooting from an "emotional hip". It is very very dangerous. And of course sad. But in this case, it's up to the American people to stop him!
Behind the Montana "maga" Curtain: Completed 28th week of calling M-F the local offices of 2 Republican senators, 2 Republican representatives, and Republican governor. We will never stop fighting the fascists.
Just curious if Trump has ever bothered to document the Drugs issue regarding Venezuela & how it is IMPACTING the USA right now? He keeps repeating his usual lies. He wants to use his big toy (the military) -- unfortunately -- it's real life American soldiers & innocent Venezuelan's who will be killed. He knows he can murder fishermen in boats in South America -- with impunity -- he's been flexing his muscles. I don't hear Americans rising up about the Drugs issue -- but maybe I missed it. (I'm aware of opoids, etc).
Why is Trump focusing on Drugs as important enough issue to start a war?
I'm surprised to find that I'm disappointed. I have so appreciated all she's doing to fracture MAGA and give courage to other Republicans (regardless of her motives). I hope someone else takes up the mantle!
Why didn't it surprise me that Trump kissed Mamdani's arse?
Because he sees a winner, vigorous and youthful, and knows he's flailing and that it soon will no longer be his fiefdom, and he'd better find some coattails he can hang onto or else he risks drifting into obscurity.
I just lOVED watching that show in the Oval Office.
Hadn’t heard Rep. Smith speak before and this was great. Really great.
It does look to me at this point that we are going to scrape through this huge mistake and come out stronger, but…
We need to prevent it from happening again. Trump needs to not be the fascist orange clown that opened the door for the next authoritarian that might be more effective.
I don’t have magic solutions or anything but maybe invest in education? As in, yes, handouts, defined as taxpayer money being used to benefit taxpayers instead of only their rulers?
One of the things that astonished me starting way back in 2015 when Trump was going on about a Muslim registry was that people did not recognize the warning signs. The warning signs: a demagogue promising easy answers to complex socio-economic problems, scapegoating of immigrants or other marginalized minority groups, dehumanizing rhetoric.
I took an entire class on the Holocaust in college/grad school (can’t remember which, they bled together) and did deep-dives into the Guatemalan genocide as well as some Argentina Dirty War, Pinochet’s Chile, the Bush Wars particularly Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo Bay, some on Rwanda and Darfur…the warning signs have been screaming and obvious in this country for well over a decade not just with Trump but also Tucker Carlson etc.
Obviously everyone can’t do graduate education in history and social science but we could easily spend a HANDOUT, YES A HANDOUT on educating high school seniors on how to recognize the warning signs and what to do when you see them. I got that crash course early and never forgot it.
I like Adam. I’m always interested when he’s the guest. He’s smart and perceptive. Bringing the cost of energy to the forefront is very important as we go into winter. Just another thing that’s unaffordable. Dems need to hammer these points.
Thank you. This morning's calls to my Senators and Rep were about Ukraine and Venezuela. This is scary stuff. It's encouraging to learn about another strong Dem being on this. Time for this nightmare to end.
Repeating my comment from yesterday -- Wow -- the video with Tad Stoermer is really great -- thanks for sharing -- one of the things I really loved about the video from Senators Kelly and Slotkin, and House Members Crow, Deluzio, Goodlander and Houlihan, that reminded service members that it was their duty to refuse to follow illegal orders -- was that it was taking the OFFENSE!!!!
Also how Stoermer focuses on how to protect the Democracy we have become (after the Civil War -- after MLK) -- I'm still watching
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AkUyBe8DxO8
ON REPEAT AGAIN BECAUSE IT SEEMS THAT MANY AUTHORITARIAN WANNABES SEEM TO HAVE SIGNIFICANT ISSUES WITH POSSIBLE SEXUAL SCANDALS INVOLVING YOUNG WOMEN. THEY USUALLY CHOOSE TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM WITH EXTREME VIOLENCE. IT WAS HIS (I.E. A.H.’s) GUN AFTER ALL…
Since the days when his parents placed him at the New York Military Academy, Dolos has always been on the highly aggressive spectrum. For example, he did give his second-grade music teacher a black eye without much explanation, and he, before puberty, threw stones at an infant. Per Professor Dan McAdams, certain personality traits persist: https://www.npr.org/2025/11/20/nx-s1-5615190/trump-democrats-military-video-seditious. Curious, Dolos, being an “extreme patriot,” chose not to serve as a young man; the military could have been an excellent channel for his aggression.
THIS IS NOT THE TIME FOR STENOGRAPHERS IN PRESS ROOMS!!
Per Don Lemon, the former CNN Primetime host, many in the mainstream news media have been cowed by Dolos and now admit (privately) that they are no longer fit for purpose (timestamp - 41:01): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRpQUWbbL3c . He is now a successful, INDEPENDENT journalist. Lemon seems to be freer in his approach.
The LA Times and Washington Post should RELEASE their original endorsements of VP Harris from 2024. Their previous observations might prove highly insightful for the present moment. Agreed?
Would you believe that Dolos actually lied about not sending the birthday card to Epstein: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Jc6HqLSYNQ ? I guess that water is wet.
To better understand Dolos, the malignant narcissist, please watch an old “Twilight Zone” episode, “It’s a Good Life” (featuring an all-powerful and malevolent 6-year-old): https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDWeGYuzgn8ZaBMTPPuQUDYNI37uXR696 . Think about all authoritarians as incompletely formed children— let alone adults. I remembered this episode after a citation by Tom Nichols of The Atlantic. [edit - 9_8_25: missing paragraph]
Here are Professor Barbara Walter’s five suggestions for fighting authoritarianism:
https://barbarafwalter.substack.com/p/the-hidden-battle-that-decides-whether .
https://barbarafwalter.substack.com/p/authoritarian-power-is-mostly-performance .
https://barbarafwalter.substack.com/p/how-dictators-lose-control-of-the .
https://barbarafwalter.substack.com/p/4-storms-and-streets-break-regimes .
https://barbarafwalter.substack.com/p/5-how-to-break-a-tyrant .
Folks:
As the amazing Extremism specialist, Dr. Julia Ebner, has shared, once people have any interest in anything about National Socialism (beyond the purely academic/historical research), bad things begin to happen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gUmeyEh-WxY&list=TLPQMDQwNTIwMjXguGg818G1fg . Previously, I’ve shared that some power players in the Republican/MAGA party have had a deep interest in CARL SCHMITT, the legal philosopher of National Socialism, and now seen as the apologist for the “Night of Long Knives”. To better understand Schmitt’s intellectual role in the EXTRAJUDICIAL activities of the Third Reich in their rise to power, please take a look at this document on the “Night of Long Knives”: https://sci-hub.st/10.1080/00168890.2012.675795 .
Supposedly, Sieg Heel used some of Schmitt’s texts in a course at Stanford that he taught. It seems that some public intellectuals, i.e. HCR, much brighter than myself, have also noticed the influence of Schmitt in this current moment for the American Right: https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/september-8-2025 . This validation of a National Socialist philosopher can often receive a tangential but still referential notice by some “mainline” Conservative organizations: https://www.heritage.org/conservatism/commentary/whats-old-new-the-right-against-god-and-man .
In the early 30s, when A.H. was about to be embroiled in a sex/murder scandal relative to the “suicide” of his 23-year-old niece (OK, half-niece) with his own gun, an enterprising journalist was about to drop a “bombshell” tell-all when his organization was attacked by “Brown Shirts” and his information was destroyed. The journalist was subsequently arrested and, in a matter of months, was later killed during the “Night of Long Knives” in 1934. So, Vanity Fair did an extensive piece on this lesser-known history of A.H. (it is a good and long read): https://www.vanityfair.com/news/1992/04/hitlers-doomed-angel .
With the recent revelations around Dolos and Epstein, it seems that authoritarians have difficulty managing sexual scandals within societal norms. Although MAGA might have problems with history, even recent history (i.e. revisiting January 6, 2021)— it is important to remember the truth (or the best approximation). For more on Epstein and Dolos, the Daily Beast has an excellent new podcast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jC6OvXtVYso&list=PLC3I8Rb5dhRAGpR3tKxCq5TMX2WInOksz .
CARTHAGO DELENDA EST (via nonviolence).
P.S.: Do the following now! FIRST, TEACH CIVICS. Second, register voters. THIRD, TEACH CIVICS. Rinse. Repeat.
I agree that TACO proves over and over that he lied, as ALWAYS, during his campaign and couldn't care less.
BUT, on this latest horror, the MOST important thing is for everyone to STOP just repeating the word TACO used that is absolutely false. START with, "There is absolutely NO sedition here. The world has known since the Nuremberg Trials after WWII that 'following illegal orders is ILLEGAL.'" TACO is old enough to remember Nuremberg, though he was probably too focused on money to pay attention to what that ruling meant, and he's certainly too focused on himself and trying DESPERATELY to look strong--though everything he does shows how weak and empty he is--to know anything about how much more our military members honor their oaths of office in this country than any of the GOP electeds and cabinet members do these days.
It should be a law that anyone who's allegedly the "Commander in Chief of the Army and the Navy ..." should HAVE to learn about the military and what THEIR duties to the country are. Having grown up in two generations of military, I can tell you--as so many other decent citizens can--that TACO is totally ignorant of our military and just assumes they exist for his playtime.
Further, since there is absolutely NO sedition here, then TACO is openly "inciting violence and murder" with his words, and we all need to keep telling him and our elected officials so. Bondi, too, since she's proved many times already that she committed perjury when she swore under oath her oath of office and during her nomination hearing that she was going to, "Run the DOJ according to the rule of law." All she's done since is prove she's CLUELESS what that even means!
But really, please stop just repeating the disgusting words--and lies--coming from TACO's disgusting mouth and state ONLY how entirely wrong he is, proving he's weak and desperate.
He and his also disgusting pal, JD, have also been tossing around another word completely falsely. Our constitution has only ONE definition for "treason" or "traitor" and, believe me, it has nothing at all to do with, "Well, I just don't like that person. He/she bugs me, poor me." WRONG. In fact, the actual, and only, definition points directly at TACO! "Aiding and abetting an enemy." Our country as a whole still sees Russia as an enemy, and, gee, who is it who keeps aiding and abetting Putin?
Thank you Susan, for your passion! The person who is in the "role" of our president is mentally ill. He goes between rage, self pity, and charm (this is the severe narcissistic personality disorder). He is ALSO in significant cognitive decline and the two of these psychological states cause him to do and say things that are unhinged.... (to use a clinical term). He illness causes him to be impulsive, vengeful, cruel, unclear in any kind of logic, and always shooting from an "emotional hip". It is very very dangerous. And of course sad. But in this case, it's up to the American people to stop him!
Great straight talk. He's so clear. We gotta call reps every day and yell about Ukraine and Venezuela! YIKERS.
Thanks Simon.
Behind the Montana "maga" Curtain: Completed 28th week of calling M-F the local offices of 2 Republican senators, 2 Republican representatives, and Republican governor. We will never stop fighting the fascists.
Your steadfast commitment is so good. Thank you for doing this.
I can only say..Ba-t-rd.
Just curious if Trump has ever bothered to document the Drugs issue regarding Venezuela & how it is IMPACTING the USA right now? He keeps repeating his usual lies. He wants to use his big toy (the military) -- unfortunately -- it's real life American soldiers & innocent Venezuelan's who will be killed. He knows he can murder fishermen in boats in South America -- with impunity -- he's been flexing his muscles. I don't hear Americans rising up about the Drugs issue -- but maybe I missed it. (I'm aware of opoids, etc).
Why is Trump focusing on Drugs as important enough issue to start a war?
MTG resigning from Congress on Jan. 5? This is momentous. Is she thinking about a Senate run after all? Or maybe there is a longer-term plan?
Weird shit keeps happening.
Just heard this!! Wow...we are surely living in interesting times.
Just got outta a jazz set and saw this and had to read it 2x to ensure I was reading it correctly.
I'm surprised to find that I'm disappointed. I have so appreciated all she's doing to fracture MAGA and give courage to other Republicans (regardless of her motives). I hope someone else takes up the mantle!
It is self serving what she is doing. Nothing new. It might be the death threats pushing her out. It still sends another signal.
Why didn't it surprise me that Trump kissed Mamdani's arse?
Because he sees a winner, vigorous and youthful, and knows he's flailing and that it soon will no longer be his fiefdom, and he'd better find some coattails he can hang onto or else he risks drifting into obscurity.
I just lOVED watching that show in the Oval Office.
I thought it was funny how trump essentially threw Stefanic under the bus after he totally overturned her portrayal of Mamdani as a Muslim terrorist
Oh, God, Yes! That was super!
Added to MTG leaving Congress, and my weekend is off to a great start (albeit MTG will probably run for Senate or Gov).
Hadn’t heard Rep. Smith speak before and this was great. Really great.
It does look to me at this point that we are going to scrape through this huge mistake and come out stronger, but…
We need to prevent it from happening again. Trump needs to not be the fascist orange clown that opened the door for the next authoritarian that might be more effective.
I don’t have magic solutions or anything but maybe invest in education? As in, yes, handouts, defined as taxpayer money being used to benefit taxpayers instead of only their rulers?
One of the things that astonished me starting way back in 2015 when Trump was going on about a Muslim registry was that people did not recognize the warning signs. The warning signs: a demagogue promising easy answers to complex socio-economic problems, scapegoating of immigrants or other marginalized minority groups, dehumanizing rhetoric.
I took an entire class on the Holocaust in college/grad school (can’t remember which, they bled together) and did deep-dives into the Guatemalan genocide as well as some Argentina Dirty War, Pinochet’s Chile, the Bush Wars particularly Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo Bay, some on Rwanda and Darfur…the warning signs have been screaming and obvious in this country for well over a decade not just with Trump but also Tucker Carlson etc.
Obviously everyone can’t do graduate education in history and social science but we could easily spend a HANDOUT, YES A HANDOUT on educating high school seniors on how to recognize the warning signs and what to do when you see them. I got that crash course early and never forgot it.
The
That “The” at the end is a typo that my glitchy device won’t let me edit. I had completed my nerd rant.
The only thing Ukraine HAS TO DO IS WIN!!!
His policies suck and he’s a fascist. Or. He’s a fascist and his policies suck. You choose……