Just a reminder that this blog was started by and for people who resist consensus reality.
We are not joiners. We’re not easily sucked in by slick political ads or rageaholic repeat offender sexual harassers. (Have you seen his rage video? It’s a classic) We don’t necessarily toe the party line. There’s a reason why we were Democrats in Exile for much of the Obama years and it had nothing to do with racism.
I’m comfortable having lots of readers, I’m comfortable blogging all by myself. It will not change my voice. I don’t do this to be loved or popular.
My focus for the next year is going to be the 2018 election and how we can win back at least one house in Congress. That is probably going to involve some swearing and harsh rhetoric.
You’re welcome.
Filed under: General |
The Confluence 
Brava
In my opinion, the two key aspects in winning many seats in 2018 (besides the obvious ones of increasing turnout in a midterm year and donating to candidates), are, 1) Democrats making sure that the public is told over and over what the Republicans in general (not just Trump) are trying to do to destroy the working class, take away health care, ravage the environment;, and, 2) realizing that Bernie Sanders is in this for himself, and that he is going to try to make this a showcase for himself, going around the country criticizing Hillary, offering his tunnel vision nostrums for what Democrats need to do, and making it look like any victories are due to him.
I think that Sanders has now devolved into a pernicious force, trying to turn the Democratic Party into his vision of it. Right now, when focus should be all on the incredible and horrifying infiltration of our country by Russian hackers and spies; and about Gorsuch being the person handpicked by the far Right to turn this country into a theocratic oligarchy, Sanders decided to introduce a “free college tuition plan,” which was almost exactly Hillary’s plan last summer, which he decried. His plan has no chance of passing either branch, but that is not what Sanders is about, he wants headlines. I know that many think that Democrats need to cultivate the Sanders people; and I certainly don’t want to siphon off votes. But Sanders comes with a big price. He already helped get Trump elected, even if he is sure it wasn’t intentional. He’ll do more damage in the long run, in my view. He is poison to voters of non-Caucasian ethnicities. And I am not convinced that his campaign did not get money from far Right and even Russian sources, which they knew about, and took. I’m sure they will again.
Bernie benefitted from Bernie bros and bots on various websites who were paid by the Russians. Yeah, all that butt hurt probably originated in Belarus or some such place.
I’m sure he was grateful if not directly involved.
Thank you. I am horrified by how many millennials I see who have believed “HRC is corrupt” and “primary was rigged”. Some of them are reasonable, and can be rational. But remember, those people don’t have the experiences of an older person (I was a young person once) and are easily susceptible to emotional and/or repetitive arguments (as we all were).
I sure hope that 2018 brings change. Remember GOP will try to get something passed now. Trump will try to increase his popularity now. I hope democrats and good people keep the eye on the price, resist GOP will all their might, and get one house of congress back. It’s really hard, but it must be done.
Quite a bit of Russian connection in Bernie Sander’s campaign — Tad Devine, his campaign manager was like Manafort and lied about a bunch of things when it came to Hillary and her campaign. Hey, everybody was lying about her, what is one more lie?
Spectacular! Here’s a time-saver: UpholdTheseRights.com/FlipCongress.html (list of vulnerable House seats, vulnerable Governors, link to 2017 special elections & all Senate seats up for re-election 2018, 2020, 2022). 🙂
Great job, putting it all together. V. good resource. {hmm.. why is it not a hot link? anyway people can cut and paste}
Here is the hot link 🙂 http://www.UpholdTheseRights.com/FlipCongress.html
Good news! Republican leaders in the latest Quinnipiac poll:
Trump approval – 35% (7 pts above Nixon during Watergate)
Ryan favorable – 28%
McConnell favorable – 14%
RD, Lady V, what should be our strategy for these people? Do we just ignore them? or confront them and how?
If all those people are brave in their conviction, they should start their own third party instead of poaching the Democrats. Parasites!
Oh, geez. I made a page called http://www.UpholdTheseRights.com/SexistElection.html and as gingerly as I could, detailed some of the effect of the Bernie Bros on the election… I agree they should start their own party, or use the party Bernie already belongs to, rather than trying to pretend they are Dems and tear us down. I see it like if a bunch of Peace & Freedom Party (or whatever) people decided to deride the Republicans for not paying attention to their issues and demands. “You are describing the priorities of another party, which you’re free to join or develop. However, this is what the Dem party platform stands for: x, y, z” might be one response. It would’ve been a great Dem party response just over a year ago, IMO, instead of the Dems going, “yeah… maybe we really ARE the Peace & Freedom Party! We NEED these agitators!” But probably there was nothing to be done about the election.
I remain convinced hacking happened. Margins were way too close, polling was way too off in just a couple of lil states.
Frankly, I don’t know what these interlopers want — I think they are a bunch of wet blankets and rabble-rousers but not smart regarding any plan for execution or implementation. Give them a job of administering or governing something, I will bet my last dollar they will fail. I think the Dems should discover new talent and stick to their common sense policy/wonky development a la Hillary. Go after issues the buffoon has raised and provide common sense solutions: 1) immigration — what is to be done realistically about illegal immigration and stop being reactive to the buffoon’s or Rs provocation and provide a robust solution; 2) H1B or other worker related issue — put some ground rules and restraints on how these contracting or other companies who bring foreign workers operate; 3) college is not for everyone — come up with vocational schools and address how student loan issue can be permanently resolved; on and on…
I honestly think it’s some serious unresolved issues with mom from childhood. And a desire to be able to idealize dad and have him come to the rescue.
Are you ready for President Hatch? At least he has consistently remained anti-Trump.
If collusion is proven the election results should be overturned & Clinton should become President. The cheating PARTY. Should not retain power.
That, my friend, is the very definition of a constitutional crisis. As far as I know, there is no provision for a do-over or awarding the popular vote winner with the prize.
It ain’t going to happen. They’ll take Trump out replace him with Pence. Take Pence out, replace him with Ryan. Take Ryan out, replace him with McConnell. There will be four years of GOP lead executive branch regardless of what is discovered.
Put ALL of your energy on winning back the Senate or the House in 2018. It’s more realistic even if it’s devilishly hard.
If something were to happen to either Pence or Trump, Congress would select a new VP the way they did when Agnew resigned. Think for a moment who a GOP-controlled Congress would select.
BTW – After Ryan comes Orrin Hatch (Senate President Pro Tempore), then Rex Tillerson, Steve Mnuchin, and Mad Dog Mattis.
Be careful what you wish for.
I think the democrats need to do what the republicans did under Obama, which is refuse to vote on things and filibuster and give em hell on everything. They should be saying “there is to be no Supreme Court vote until we know whether or not this president colluded with Russia”
Would somebody explain to me why a non-Democrat was permitted to run in the Democrat Primary? Is this the area that should be examined? Which DNC members allowed this? We know The DNC was totally corrupted in 2008. I say it was the same in 2016. Obama and his cronies had the most power. Donna Brazille was corrupt in 2008 and in 2016. She was known to have given Hillary advanced questions on the debate. We know Hillary never needed questions given to her. I suspect Donna of leaking the fact that she leaked questions to Hillary. There were more than Russians screwing with this election. I feel certain Obama did not want Hillary elected. They knew there were corrupt influences in election and did nothing. Maybe he was also a corrupt influence. Mr third term of GWBush in my eyes. If Russian’s were involved in 2016 election, what is to say they weren’t involved in 2008?
I have been saying the same thing re Obama. His attitude while campaigning for her was like “well I know Hillary isn’t as likeable as me but you should vote for her like you voted for me” I also think he hung her out to dry with the whole sitting on the Russian interference thing. It was like “Hillary needs to win this on her own, I can’t help her & the country out and risk looking partisan”
Also like someone else mentioned in a previous thread, the election outcome makes him look like a much better president than he was.
Dear Both-Siders:
Driftglass OWNS you lot.
We are now at war with Syria??! Just listened to Hillary’s comments at Women in the World today about Syria. We knew something big would happen to distract the US from the Trump-Russia investigation, and when Nunes & Bannon went, we knew something was about to happen. Now we basically have a new SCOTUS, and I am very worried about what they will do.
Last night, I had a dream. I don’t have dreams like this, typically. In it, I was teaching, the end of the class came, and 3 students with virtual reality headsets on stood up and started to sing as a film started playing on the screen–red, white, blue, flags, very Nazi-ish. All the other students stood up and started to sing. One student walked out; I followed him and asked him what was going on, how did they all know about the singing? He wouldn’t speak to me. A small group of cheerful protesters (!) walked by with signs about Nixon. I realized they were there to make it look like dissent was ok, and that it was time to get out of the country. I awoke in a cold sweat and have been unsettled all day.
Wrenching to be listening to Hillary’s speech at WITW and then to hear this. I get the chemical attack is an atrocity. But 50 Tomahawk missiles and no consult with Congress? http://www.UpholdTheseRights.com/ForeignPolicy.html
This is done with Russia’s permission, of course. Assad is Putin’s puppet too and it is ludicrous to think Trump somehow grows a pair and a conscience overnight and start bombing Assad. Trying to fool stupid American public again.
Seymour Hersch does not believe at all that Assad used the Sarin gas. Whole thing sounds very suspicious. A certain element in us govt wanted military intervention in Syria. These US allied rebel groups sound like a worse choice than Assad. I have read that the rebels are the ones to have used the gas to make Assad look bad. Makes sense to me. Just why in world would Assad have used gas. Makes no sense. Rebels…makes sense to me. And I must also ask, does bing killed by a cruise missile better than with gas? Just wondering. Dead is dead. Killed is killed. Gas, bullets, missiles, beheadings…..what is the real difference?
Yep, Pooty-Poot knows his stooge Cheetolini needs a distraction, so he agreed to let Cheetolini bomb Assad–maybe Pooty-Poot even suggested it; if he had to choose, the USA would be a more valuable client than Syria, and the USA is only Putin’s client as long as Trump remains in the Oval Office. So keeping Cheetolini in office is Job 1 for Pooty-Poot.
Yup one big distraction. Buckle your seat belts bc it’s gonna be a wild ride and no one wants to put a stop to it.
Yes, so they could remove assets. Trump’s supporters/bots/trolls already saying, ‘how could he bomb a country Russia supports if he colluded with Russia?’ Duh.
Yeah, they will try to milk this alright. For the middle of the road idiots, he took a decisive action against that Assad mfer especially after what he did to those children. For his supporters, it is ‘see, he went against Russia’. Media will take the first approach and praise him.
Thread: Hillary at WITW…Why can’t media people, other people be this smart and biting and hot those republican mfers where it hurts?
TO: Trump Chumps
FROM: The Deep State
RE: Oh, you thought Orange Julius Caesar would be a dove?
This meganekko is you. 😈
Note: “Meganekko” is a Japanese word meaning “girl who wears glasses”.
I hate Hillary’s new hair and those bangs, ugh… {yeah, I am feeling shallow but I want her to look good}