For those of us on Social Security and Medicare, we just got a significant raise due to an increase in the cost of living. Being one of the recipients, I believe this is more than justified based on contributions over the years. As the saying goes, these are entitlements which Republicans are regularly trying to take away from us. The new GOP House Speaker, Kevin McCarthy, said both were off the table. McCarthy is just sneaky enough, however, to take them off the table but sneak them in the drawer underneath.
In the SOTU speech, "President Joe Biden slammed Republicans for their efforts to "sunset" Social Security and Medicare." You cannot trust Republicans...case in point Sen. Rick Scott (R-Florida)...
"who has called for dramatic changes to the way in which those programs are funded. Instead of perpetual funding, Scott has called for Social Security and Medicare to 'sunset' in five years."
WATCH BIDEN: ‘We all apparently agree’ on saving Medicare and
Social Security, Biden teases at SOTU...
You have to wonder what kind of an individual would even consider taking away the lifeblood of seniors in programs like Social Security and Medicare when the current system of retirement is based in part on these entitlements. Here's what Vox says...
"Sen. Rick Scott wants every government program — even entitlements — to expire after 5 years unless Congress approves them again."
There must be something in the water in Florida to spawn two ignoramuses like the Gov. Ron (the despot) DeSantis and Scott. You know it must be pretty bad when Joe Biden feels the need to target a specific Senator and taut the idiocy of what he wants to do. Here's the scenario...
"Scott’s proposal would radically overhaul how the federal government
operates, forcing Congress to re-pass every federal law or else let them lapse — a move that, in Democrats’ telling, would endanger much of what the government does, including beloved federal programs like Medicare and Social Security."
Biden proposes, instead, "making the wealthy pay their fair share." Now that's an idea that has been floated for years now, but the millionaires and billionaires just keep racking up more and more $$$ and the rest of the country suffers. Even Moscow Mitch is disagreeing with Rick Scott, partly in retaliation for Scott's challenging McConnell's leadership, saying this was not a Republican idea. And, get this, Donald Trump promised not to cut Social Security and Medicare.
I urge you to read the Vox article which provides some history into both programs and more insight into the fight by Democrats to keep them.
When you get to my age, and the world outlook is as dismal as it is today, you begin to wonder about the future and worry about the younger generation. Don't get me wrong; this isn't a life-ending message, rather, simply, a reckoning of what's going on around us with hope of just how to deal with it. I expect to live several more years but wouldn't want to repeat an earlier life, based on today's challenges. Hey, it was a crazy eighty-nine years but mostly positive enough to look ahead.
Going forward, Russia is mercilessly pounding Ukraine, the coronavirus is unnecessarily pounding populations around the world, and Republicans are ruthlessly pounding democracy. It's coming from all directions, folks, with an agenda I bet no White House has ever had to deal with. Here's how bad it is: "Interpreter breaks down during Zelensky’s speech to European Union..."
BRUSSELS — "The English-language interpreter for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s speech to European lawmakers on Tuesday was so moved by the remarks that he momentarily lost his composure.
"During the virtual address, Zelensky described the recent shelling of Kharkiv, including a missile strike on the city’s Freedom Square. 'Can you imagine, two cruise missiles, dozens killed,' the interpreter said, his voice shaking. 'This is the price of freedom.'”
Vladimir Putin is on a mission to prove his strength and the strength of Russia, using Ukraine as his whipping post. He's bombed Kyiv and he is now focusing on the civilian population to exacerbate as many deaths as possible to bring down President Zelensky and his country. Putin's army met with opposition from Ukraine forces they didn't expect, deciding the private sector would be easier. So far, world powers are interpreting it as a war crime.
In the meantime, President Biden has unleashed a bevy of sanctions that has forced a precipitous fall of the Russian Ruble. Two of his countrymen who are billionaires, plus a wealthy group, are calling for Putin to negotiate, as is most of the rest of the world. What brought up the war crime issue was an accusation by Ukraine that the Soviets used vacuum bombs which are illegal in international warfare. Does that sound like someone is desperate?
Russia's invasion of Ukraine could affect Americans and US economy
The question now being shopped around; is this the beginning of World War III? Fiona Hill, Former Senior Director for Europe and Russia at the United States National Security Council, said Putin is capable of escalation into a potential world war. The big question is whether the U.S. and European sanctions are enough to bring Russia to the negotiating table. So far they haven't. And then there is the use of nuclear acceleration which would obviously be a disaster for the world.
"Russia faces the specter of a full-blown financial meltdown. Punishing sanctions leveled by the West have sent the ruble crashing to record lows, shuttered Moscow's stock market and made Russian assets toxic on the world stage.
It would seem Vladimir Putin has the world by the balls, not necessarily because of
strength but equally the question of whether he is mentally unbalanced. We had a similar confrontation with the then Soviet Union and Khrushchev re. the 1962 missile crisis in Cuba. The U.S. won because President John F. Kennedy held his ground. Will Biden be able to use the same strategy in Ukraine with his perpetual sanctions? I'm betting on the President's calm and confident approach.
That's right! The Republican Party has a distinctive stench that has been building for the last several years and threatens to develop into a full blown putrid, rancid, rotting cult of denial and incompetence. And they are determined to take democracy down with their ineptitude. CNN says that it is, "The biggest news story of 2021? Our imperiled democracy," with this comment...
"The headlines began in January with the first serious attempted coup in US history and have been running ever since, highlighted by the unceasing machinations by supporters of Donald Trump to either restore him to office or find some extra-legal way to eliminate the possibility he could ever lose if he ran again."
In this piece, Bill Carter, a media analyst for CNN, points out that, even with a raging coronavirus pandemic, "our imperiled democracy is the biggest story of the year." Considering the impact of Covid-19 with 64,789,362 U.S. cases and 868,128 deaths, this statement should scare the hell out of any American that cares about the future of their country. Carter comments further...
"I certainly don't believe I have seen any other news story in my own lifetime, which goes back to the 1950s, that has shaken the nation to its foundations as this one has."
“while the broken windows have been repaired and many of the rioters have been brought to justice, the truth is that our democracy is at a greater risk today than it was back then.”
Former Pres. Obama warned about democracy's loss a year ago...
In other words, we, as a nation, learned absolutely nothing from a gang of Trump Republican double-digit hoodlums attacking the U.S. Capitol, doing damage to the premises and making the first real charge on our democracy in years. There are those who support this kind of insurgency, those who don't, and then there are the apathetics. It seems the latter is a growing majority, the ones who stay at home for elections, then bitch and moan when they don't like the results.
Obama puts it all in perspective by chastising the GOP, going all the way down to state legislatures...
“Historically, Americans have been defenders of democracy and freedom around the world — especially when it’s under attack,” he continued. “But we can’t serve the role when leading figures in one of our two major political parties are actively undermining democracy at home. We can’t set an example when our leaders are willing to fabricate lies and cast doubt on the results of free and fair elections.”
"Seventy-two percent of business leaders say they are concerned that U.S. democracy is under threat, according to a Morning Consult poll of 400 company executives released on the one-year anniversary of the Capitol riot."
That is significant and a group that President Biden should tap into to support his voting rights legislation. Here's the scenario...
“This research clearly shows that the leaders in America’s business community view democracy and voting rights as an economic issue,” said Rhett Buttle, founder of Public Private Strategies. “Now, it is important that advocates, policymakers, and leaders in Congress and the administration engage the business community to advance solutions that will stabilize our democracy and protect access to the ballot for every voter.”
Joe Biden's voting rights legislation hangs with barely a thread and it would appear he does not have the votes to save it. When you think of it, the right to vote is so basic under our Constitution...the way in which individuals express their political preferences. Then ask yourself, why do Republicans want to deny the right to vote for a selected few? The answer, of course, is that they lose elections when these select individuals are allowed to vote. Keep this in mind when voting in November.
This country thought it had left fascism behind when it defeated Germany and Italy in the 2nd World War. It took a raving maniac to open the door to its re-entry into to the United States. Donald Trump is the benefactor to a dictatorial form of government his pathetic supporters are willing to tolerate. Trump lost to Joe Biden but has never admitted his loss. Since then, the President has had to muster forces to combat Trump's continuing attacks on democracy.
Biden has also had to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic, which, again, Donald Trump holds the responsibility for letting the virus get out of control, resulting in a major problem for the Biden administration. But one thing continues to mystify me in all that is transpiring: why the hell would Trump followers want to succumb to a dictator, especially one that is a lowlife like the ex-president. And why would the apathetics from the left who don't vote seem to endure this lunacy?
One of this country's major allies, Germany, seems to be headed to the radical right, according to AlterNet...
"Germany’s gift to the far right is the Desiderius Erasmus Foundation, the public-policy arm of the country’s most prominent extremist party, the Alternative für Deutschland (AfD). Erasmus, a Dutch humanist of the Renaissance best known for his ironic essay “In Praise of Folly,” would have been appalled at such a grotesque misappropriation of his name. The AfD, after all, has built its political base on a series of follies diametrically opposed to humanism, from its initial anti-immigration screeds to its current overtures to the anti-vaccination crowd."
One must wonder, with a new chancellor, Olaf Scholz, just taking office, who is a
member of the Social Democratic Party, plus working closely with Angela Merkel in the past, is he on board with all this? I mean the AfD will be funded to establish outposts of hate throughout the world. The authors' comment...
The far right hasn’t had this kind of opportunity for global expansion since fascism’s heyday in the 1930s."
And it is clear that the Republican Party is regularly doing its part to kill democracy, raising autocracy to new heights. But although Donald Trump persecuted Hispanics and totally shut down Muslims from entering the United States, five fascism experts said the ex-president did not qualify as a fascist...
"Every one of them stated that to be a fascist, one must support the revolutionary, usually violent overthrow of the entire government/Constitution, and reject democracy entirely."
Trump was...
"too individualist for the inherently collectivist philosophy of fascism, and not sufficiently committed to the belief that violence is good for its own sake, as a vital cleansing force."
In other words, he was more into himself that he would embrace a movement like fascism. Steve Bannon, though, is another thing. The Daily Beast reports...
"Bannon may be the poster child for far-right “populism” and “economic nationalism”—euphemistic slogans for neo-fascism and neo-Nazism—but The Brink (in theaters March 29) is no puff piece on the founder of Breitbart News, whose role in the Trump campaign, and subsequent stint as White House Chief Strategist, helped make him an extremist celebrity power broker."
Steve Bannon is definitely an authoritarian who many thought was Donald Trump's brain. It is interesting to note that, as late as October of this year, Bannon was quoted as saying, "You need to kill this [Biden] administration in its crib." But there is still hope and it comes from the state of Georgia, and the far-left of the Democratic Party, a faction I recently criticized. The fact is I have been a Progressive for years but recently tired of the "Squad's" antics.
If You’re Not Scared About American Fascism, You’re Not Paying Attention...
AlterNet starts with quoting the recent low black turnout in Virginia then turns to South Fulton, Georgia, the state’s eighth most populous city, where Khalid Kamau, a “prominent Democratic Socialist… got 59 percent of the vote.” Here's the scenario...
On December 2, the paper noted that two city council members with a combined “four-and-a-half decades of experience” on the panel “were ousted Tuesday by younger, more progressive challengers.” (One victor, 34-year-old Antonio Lewis, is among the activists featured in “The Georgia Way.”)
This may very well point the way to more Progressive candidates from the left, but it does not open the door to stone-walling tactics. And turning back to the original question, "Did Donald Trump Reintroduce Fascism to America?', probably not, but not because he didn't want to. This maniac would have done anything to stay in office, denies losing, and continues to run for president in 2024. Trump has held several rallies since the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection but Iowa was the worst.
Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley and Gov. Kim Reynolds, along with other state politicians joined Trump in October at a rally that CNN's Dean Obeidallah described as "the most alarming by far." Here is Obeidallah's take...
"Some of these very same people, who just nine months ago were slamming Trump for his role in the Capitol riots, were now only too happy to be seen supporting him. This is politics at its worst -- and at its most dangerous for our democracy."
The most hypocritical of the bunch is Sen. Grassley...
who on January 6 was escorted by his security detail to a secure location to protect him from the pro-Trump mob that had laid siege on the Capitol. Grassley, who voted to certify the 2020 election, made a veiled reference to Trump in his statement, noting that the lawsuits filed after the election had failed and that "politicians in Washington should not second guess the courts once they have ruled."
Iowa can do without Chuck Grassley. The U.S. Senate can do without Chuck Grassley. This country can do without Chuck Grassley, just like an abundance of other Republicans in Congress. If we don't stop the GOP's attack on democracy, the U.S. doors will swing open, eventually welcoming a government promulgated by nutcases like the freaked out five, Matt Gaetz, M.T. Greene, Lauren Boebert, Madison Cawthorne and Paul Gosar. Any one of these could lead us to fascism.
The science is clear from experts that tell us, yes, having the Covid-19 virus can establish a certain level of immunity, but one that needs the follow-up of vaccination to insure more solid protection. Here's the reasoning from the scientific community...
"how much immunity COVID-19 survivors have depends on how long ago they were infected, how sick they were, and if the virus variant they had is different from mutants circulating now. For example, a person who had a minor case one year ago is much different than a person who had a severe case over the summer when the delta variant was raging through the country. It’s also difficult to reliably test whether someone is protected from future infections."
Enter the demented DeSantis, Florida's governor who has to-date killed 61,081 of
his constituents by opposing coronavirus masks, vaccines and any other Covid protocol that the Biden administration calls for. Here's the quote...
“We recognize, unlike what you see going on with the federal proposed mandates and other states, we’re actually doing a science-based approach. For example, we recognize people that have natural immunity,”
His "science-based approach" apparently evolves from the twisted mind of DeSantis along with the moron he appointed State Surgeon General, Dr. Joseph A. Ladapo, who entirely supports the governor's policies. You would think Floridians would have the brains to simply look at the numbers: 3,726,720 coronavirus cases that represent 173,515 per 1000 population. The U.S. average is 146,761. What is even worse is the new Florida law this lunatic passed...
"The new Florida law forces private businesses to let workers opt out of COVID-19 mandates if they can prove immunity through a prior infection, as well as exemptions based on medical reasons, religious beliefs, regular testing or an agreement to wear protective gear."
By the way, it is Ladapo that "will have authority to define exemption standards." So far, Joe Biden has chosen not to interfere in Florida politics, although with the constant flow of DeSantis' deranged criticisms, he has certainly had the openings. The sunshine state twit back in July fundraised off t-shirts, "Don't Fauci my Florida." Now, 2 golf balls with the inscription, "Florida's Governor has a Pair." Now this is the kind of thing one would expect from a high school sophomore.
Just as it was with another maniac, Donald Trump, it is the supporters that are just as much at fault as the clown on parade. If you can look at those numbers, above, and not agree that he should be removed from office, well, you deserve what you get. After a number of protests from individuals and lawmakers over vaccine mandates, no one has come up with credible scientific facts that refute the fact there is anything better than a jab in the arm as the surest Covid-19 prevention.
There is the stupidity of coronavirus disbelievers, and there is the stupidity of politics and politicians. It is hard to say which is the stupidest, but a recent event clearly throws it in the court of the politicians. Democrats, no less, and now you are thinking I am a traitor. Not so, because I am talking about the progressive "Squad," who do come off as traitors for voting against Pres. Biden's $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill. The move was unconscionable but predictable.
The progressives wanted more, they always do, and there never seems any room for negotiations. I used to be a progressive and left due entirely to the latter. They also wanted it attached to another similar bill but acted in a way that could have tanked Joe Biden's agenda. It didn't, thanks to 13 Republicans, which, hopefully could signal a softening of the right to this administration. Considering the number of lunatics in the Republican Party, the Dems have to use any strategy available.
The other bill the Squad wanted included in the vote was the Build Back Better
"House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California unfastened the bipartisan bill from the Build Back Better Act, which led to the former bill's successful package, with several key moderates signing on to an agreement paving the way for their backing of the reconciliation bill once its fiscal impact has been released."
I said it in my blog post above on whether progressives are necessary, it would appear at times progressives are going for broke because they sense the upcoming two elections won't be so favorable for Democrats. That's another story we will talk about later.
Six House Democrats known as The "Squad" almost doomed Pres. Joe Biden's $1.2 Trillion Infrastructure bill. They are progressives and, although there is a lot of merit in what progressives stand for, their desires in this case do not justify going against the Democratic Party to condemn its agenda. If it hadn't been for thirteen Republicans voting for the bill, it might not have passed. Here's the current Squad...
Infrastructure Bill, be passed simultaneously. It wasn't up for passage so the gang of defectors balked at giving Joe Biden the big win he needed, but got anyway, no thanks to the faithless six. I was a progressive, supported and voted for Bernie Sanders, and I am very disappointed at his opposition to this bill. There are three years left in Biden's administration, with the hope of some miracles in 2022.
But maybe the Squad, and Bernie Sanders, consider 2022 a lost cause, possibly even 2024, and they are going for broke with the hopes of getting as much done as possible. That makes little sense as well since Biden could have gotten nothing had it not been for the Republican crossovers and everyone, including progressives, lose. We mustn't totally discourage this faction, however, since their fight is for the forgotten group that Democrats used to stand for.
The 13 Republicans who supported Biden's Infrastructure Bill, of course, had to take flak from especially the Terrible Trifecta, consisting of Lauren Boebert, Matt Gaetz and Margorie Taylor Greene. These are the original three Republican airheads that have proven just how far off course the right has gone. And this kind of stupidity in the American Congress is why the left must solidify its support and move forward in order to save our country from anti-democracy.
So, do we really need progressives? Perhaps the word "progressive" has overpowered this group and others like them, resulting in action almost like another political party. What the Dems need is for this bloc to merge with moderates and conservative Democrats, but, at the same time, when they push their agenda, there is a need for solidarity. Those conservative Dem could take this advice as well.
Arizona Sen. Kyrsten [the enema] Sinema continues to string along with West Virginia's coal king and Chas. Koch's pocket change, Joe Manchin, to block Pres. Biden’s Build Back Better agenda. Sinema's crusade to try and establish herself as the destroyer of everything Democrat is succeeding as she continues to alienate her base in Arizona. But a liberal polling group, Data For Progress, this month published the following report...
The survey of likely voters for her 2024 Democratic Senate primary showed just 25 percent approval for Sinema's performance in office, as opposed to 85 percent for Arizona's other Democratic senator, Mark Kelly, and President Biden himself. Tellingly, she trailed all four of her hypothetical primary opponents by 29 points or more.
In addition to drinking wine, her other pastime is running, and politically speaking, at this particular time she is headed in the wrong direction. The mock Senator has missed appointments and important meetings for congressional legislation and just recently held her own fundraising get together with industry groups opposed to Biden’s agenda. She might as well have given the President the finger. Sinema loves big pharma, possibly blocking Biden's drug pricing legislation...
Politico and The Daily Poster report that Sinema raised over $1.1 million between July and September, with 90% of the campaign donations coming from outside Arizona. At least $100,000 of those contributions came from individuals or entities linked to the pharmaceutical and financial services industries.
Judy Woodruff at PBS talks to Manchin and Sinema...
Even the Koch gang has recently stepped in to rave about her opposition to taxing the rich, which Chas. Koch definitely is. She's also against increasing taxes on large corporations which is holding up her party's budget reconciliation package. It's hard to find anything Sinema is for on the left side of the aisle, which is prompting calls for the Senate's latest egoist to step across to the other side of the aisle. Might as well considering her voting record.
It has been said that Kyrsten Sinema is attempting to mimick John McCain in his position of maverick Senator. This new kid on the block should realize she comes nowhere close to McCain in any political way I can ascertain. I voted for her, simply because she is a Democrat, or, at least I thought so. Her politics were questionable but we thought she would grow into the job. She didnt! Now it is definitely time to dump this liability as soon as possible.
Borrowing from Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address, the headline should be an awakener for this country that has repercussions for all political beliefs. The primary take-away is that in Lincoln's statement, there is an emphasis on the "people" and their place in the running of the government. What Honest Abe didn't speculate on are the kind of people today on the fringes, attempting to destroy the democracy our 16th President fought so hard to preserve.
It is the founder of the "big lie" who is the abhorrent challenger to Lincoln's words, Donald Trump, 45th in a line of leaders of the United States, who turned out to be anything but a leader, but I have never been able to bring myself to call him...that. Trump's authoritarian reign is over but the singular oligarch continues to rule with thousands of mentally depraved followers. Here is an example of a couple who should know better from election law guru Richard L. Hasen...
two supposedly “responsible” Republicans, Sens. Lindsey O. Graham of South Carolina and Mike Lee of Utah, had reviewed the disgraced former president’s fraud claims in January and confirmed they were total bunk. Despite this, the senators have refused to separate their party from the instigator of the Jan. 6 insurrection and voted against a bipartisan commission to review the violent day.
Pres. elect Joe Biden's "Soul of the Nation" address from Gettysburg...
It's the election, stupid, and the year 2020 will be forever remembered as the one where American began to take its plunge from democracy. In a Washingon Post opinion coumn, Eugene Robinson said...
T.S. Eliot wrote that the world ends "not with a bang but a whimper,” but I fear our great nation is careening toward a third manner of demise: descent into lip-blubbering, self-destructive idiocy.
Robinson goes on to chide a pathetic gang of blockheads mimicking politicians that fashion themselves “the world’s greatest deliberative body,” which is, in effect, the world's greatest collection of, yes, idiots. Take Moscow Mitch McConnell,known to all as the drim reaper since he is against all...democracy. We needn't go any further to identify a source of the root source in this country's problems but there is
also now the lunatic group of Republicans...
Marjorie Taylor Greene, Matt Gaetz, Lauren Boebert, WI Sen. Ron Johnson, TX Gov. Greg Abbott, Fla. Gov. Ron DeSantis, S.D. Gov. Kristi Noem...and the list goes on.
Jennifer Rubin of the Washington Post labeled this group the "evil lunacy" conjecturing its home is the GOP and not a good place to be. Chas. M. Blow in the New York Times gives America one last chance to save democracy. Preserve the basic right that has made this nation great, the right to vote. Pass the Freedom to Vote Act...
The bill would set national standards for early voting, expand voting by mail, allow the use of more forms of voter identification, make Election Day a federal holiday and institute measures to counter voter suppression tactics. It would also automate voter registration, force states to give voters the option to register on Election Day and offer safeguards against voter purges. Finally, it would overhaul portions of the campaign finance system, prohibit partisan gerrymandering and prevent the politicized removal of election officials, among other changes.
There's more on Joe Biden's fight to defend our democracy in a later blog.
This is a question that must be asked since it appears to be the goal of Republicans to thwart anything that comes from the Democratic Party, with no consideration as to how that will affect the good of the country. They appear to be anti-anythng good for the United States. Back in May, SenateMinority Leader Moscow Mitch McConnell said that he is...
"100 percent" focused "on stopping" President Joe Biden's administration.
Since Joe Biden is President of the U.S., this statement would indicate to most that Moscow Mitch is more interested in destroying Joe Biden and his administration than he is in helping this country solve its problems. This attitude by the former Senate head compares with another Democratic decree, namely former President Barack Obama, when McConnell said his number one priority was preventing Obama from getting a second term. He didn't, and miserably. Fully unamerican.
that has no equal in U.S. history when it comes to the near-destruction of the American democracy. The then White House maniac did everything in his power to bring down all the good this country has built and stands for today in favor of an authoritarian state. He almost succeeded but fed up U.S. citizens in 2020 voted to block his evil plans.
But on the absurd side, there are a number of Republican wingnuts out there like Matt Gaetz, Marjorie Taylor Greene and Lauren Boebert, to name only a few. Their radical-plus- ignorant views illustrate the low mentality that conservatives have lowered themselves to in order to make their points. Points which go nowhere but are a constant barrier in bringing this country back to normal. A major example is the Covid-19 pandemic. The three above are firmly unamerican.
Republicans, led by T-rump's initial assessment of the coronavirus as a "hoax" has matured over the past four-plus years into a major blockade by the right. It is safe to say that anti-vxxers/maskers have been responsible for extending the spread of the virius in America, responsible for a great number of the 739,000 deaths from the disease. And the misinformation specialists, found primarily on social media, can take credit for this contravening movement.
Two of the major proponents against masking and vaccinations are Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. They are the killing machines of the U.S. having combined been responsible for a mjority of 126,000 Covid-19 deaths. This is unconscionable but finally teachers in Florida are rebelling by walking out and Texas businesses like Southwest and American Airlines are ignoring laws against vaccine mandates. Abbott/DeSantis solidly unamerican. Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt, published the 2018 book "How Democracies Die." According to Salon, it is a warning, "of the dangerous signs they saw in Donald Trump's presidency that followed the authoritarian playbook." Here's an update from one of the authors, Levitsky...
"Five years ago I would have laughed you out of the room if you suggested our democracy could die." But today, he added, we see the Republican Party apparently focused on breaking our democracy. In a nutshell, Levitsky believes the threat to our democracy is more acute today than when Trump was in the White House, since the GOP is desperate to retain its fading power in the face of hostile demographic change.
Watch Rachel Maddow: Republicans Are Running Against Democracy Not Democrats...
CNN's Anderson Cooper calls the state of our losing our democracy, "terrifying." This reaction came, "Tuesday after two Harvard scholars explained how the Republican Party has radicalized itself against democracy." Again, political scientists Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt...
"It is pretty dark," said Levitsky. "When we wrote How Democracies Die four years ago, we were worried about the Republican Party because they allowed Donald Trump to be elected. They sort of dropped the ball and failed to protect our democracy from an authoritarian demagogue. But we did not expect that the entire Republican Party would evolve into an anti-democratic force, and that's where they are today."
Now, here is a new question: Are Republicans collectivively committing an act of treason? But that's another story.
The Republican death cult has smoothly extended its reach from a general attitude of callousness for the American people to actually proposing and legislating their deaths in the case of the Covid-19 pandemic. Moscow Mitch McConnell led this movement when during Barack Obama's administration, saying he could care less about America. All he wanted was to deny Obama a second administration. He didn't. But McConnell has gone on to continually attempt thwarting the Democratic agenda.
Then only recently Moscow Mitch did the same with President Joe Biden, followed by Kevin McCarthy's invitation to insurrectionists to join the Republican Party. As L. Davis Bond said in the Galveston County Daily News...
"These two men care nothing about America. They only care about getting elected, so they can take care of the rich and be rich and powerful themselves."
And there you have the basic purpose of the Republican Party, the above and to stay in power so they can stonewall or undo anything in the Democrats' a
genda. The GOP has no mission of its own, only to block the left at every turn. And this goal has become more obvious as Republican governors like Florida's Ron DeSantis and Texas' Greg Abbott have become killing machines to circumvent every move Joe Biden makes in his objective to control the deadly coronavirus.
I have done a series of posts documenting just how Abbott and DeSantis have attempted to literally destroy their states by blocking any precautions set up by the CDC, especially banning mask mandates and undermining vaccinations. All this when Texas has3,322,528 cases, 54,385 deaths; Florida 2,875,150 cases, 40,528 deaths. Combined, there are over 6 million cases between the two, and Texas is number one in new cases and new deaths. Here are some of my posts...
After the above, there should be no doubt that the Republican Party places
absolutely no value on the lives of American human beings. They can try and explain it away with any number of excuses, but it still comes down to their greed for power. But what is even more frightening is that a certain portion of American's agree with this lunacy, thus, why these political lunatics do what they do. The ringleaders are Ron DeSantis and Greg Abbott but there are more.
President Biden has come on strong against those GOP governors that rally against masks and the vaccine telling them to act to save their constituents or "Get out of the way." If they don't, they may have no choice in 2022 and 2024.
Here are three of my recent blogs on the Covid-19 pandemic:
Barack Obama did a great job in the White House, considering he had the entire Republican Congress against him led by the scourge of the Senate, Moscow Mitch McConnell. Among his major accomplishments: The Affordable Care Act; doubled Pell grants; signed the Paris climate accords; negotiated a decent nuclear deal with Iran. On the other hand, Democrats have regularly maintained...
"right-wing policies with a friendlier face were the only way Democrats could win or maintain power, and prevent another Reagan-like figure from seizing control of the country."
"Over the past few weeks, the Republican Party has proven itself hostile to freedom and democracy; its merciful incompetence the only thing saving whatever remains of our republic from the fascist insurrection of a con man. The absurdity of the cast members — from Rudy Giuliani and Sidney Powell to their incoherent Michigan "witness" and of course Donald Trump himself — have made the entire fiasco seem more like a satirical film than political reality."
Now that's what we should have been fighting during the Donald Trump nightmare, not creating animosity among ourselves, denying a large faction of liberals an equal input, which could have well won bigger numbers last November. With Progressives branded as Socialists, and many Americans afraid of this political philosophy, the leftist movement has not had its chance. But it will, and it very well could be during Joe Biden's administration.
"Too many congressional Democrats are making a potentially fatal political miscalculation about the reason the party lost several seats in this year’s elections. And those incorrect interpretations of why Democrats lost at least 12 seats could lead to grievous missteps that will imperil their majority in 2022."
According to Data for Progress, although the overall positive attitude toward Socialism is less than half that of negative approval, those neutral are almost equal to the negative. There are several more interesting data in this article that seem to illustrate that the U.S. public is warming up to Socialism. And I want to emphasize that this is Democratic Socialism that supports change through legislation, not Socialist change through revolution which advocates violence.
Some defeated centrists claim that their association with Progressives, or any of their causes like Black Lives Matter, "damaged their contests this year." Not so says The Nation...
"The truth behind the unexpected losses, however, is exactly the opposite of what those members believe."
And the real reason is that...
"It was their failure to inspire progressive and Democratic voters to the same extent that Donald Trump galvanized his supporters to turn out in extraordinarily large numbers to defend him and his race-baiting presidency."
Progressives will not give up and the sooner Democrats learn this, the better off the Party will be.
Presidential candidate, Joe Biden, says ‘George Floyd’s life mattered.’
George Floyd
Tomorrow you will see the post, "Is racism still a dirty word, or...just accepted today?," and since the killing of George Floyd, the 46-year-old black man who died in the custody of the Minneapolis Police Department earlier this week has raised condemnation around the country, I decided to do this piece now due to the urgency. Joe Biden's statement that it was a “horrific killing” is perhaps the most important. Biden looks like Trump's contender in November.
Aside from the fact that this could help Biden's support of the black community, it is in keeping with a Democratic platform that has for years backed people of color. And that's the way it should be since the left must maintain its position as the party of the people. We've lost our way recently, but Bernie Sanders gave us a wake-up call and it continues to reverberate within the Democratic candidates, even Joe Biden.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey on George Floyd killing...
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said, "four Minneapolis police officers involved in the death of George Floyd have been terminated." I just watched the video in this article, above, (scroll down below Floyd's picture) and it is beyond a doubt the worst case of police brutality I have ever seen. Frey describes it "Blatantly wrong and malicious." It is terrifying to watch this cop hold Floyd down with a knee on his neck, preventing him from breathing for five minutes, until he was no longer responsive.
We know this is not typical of the average cop, and brings up the continuing question of how do you deal with this kind of situation without castigating all police officers. But equally disturbing, I thought, was the cop just standing, facing the crowd, looking like a complete idiot, yet not doing a thing to stop the other cop while obviously hearing Floyd's desperate pleas for help. Frey calls for the prosecution of killing cop; watch this video!
Here's the scenario from a local Minneapolis television station...
"Multiple sources confirm for KARE 11 that the officer with his knee on Floyd is Derek Chauvin. Early Wednesday afternoon the City of Minneapolis released the names of all four officers fired in the wake of Floyd's death."
They are:
Officer Derek Chauvin
Officer J Alexander Kueng
Officer Thomas Lane
Officer Tou Thao
Protesting turns volatile over Geo. Floyd killing...
The Floyd. family from Houston "is calling for action after viewing a video that appears to show George Floyd begging for help." And the video I watched proves that he was begging for help until he could no longer breathe and was unresponsive. It seemed obvious to me that Officer Chauvin repeatedly pressed down on Floyd's neck in the five minutes he was on top of him. All of this while the black man was handcuffed and not resisting.
More from Channel 11...
In the video of the fatal encounter, bystanders can be heard asking the officer to remove his knee and telling him that Floyd can't breathe. One person says that Floyd's nose is bleeding.
"I can’t thank them enough," [Shareeduh] Tate (a cousin) said. "We always see these kinds of things that take place and we wonder what would we do if we were placed in that position, and I can only be grateful that there were people there who were advocating for him, even more so grateful for the person who was there with the camera to capture it."
There's more...
The Floyd family's attorney, Ben Crump, told TMX.news he believes the officer shown in the video with his knee on Floyd's neck should be charged with murder, and that the other officers should be charged as accomplices to a murder.
"They were supposed to protect and serve citizens like George," Crump said. "We in black America, we are done dying at the hands of the people who are supposed to protect and serve us."
Termination of the officers isn't enough, the general consensus is for criminal prosecution. Amen!
The Bern has left the race, but not the building...
Bernie's big decision
These are headlines I hoped I would never write. But it happened and this great warrior has lost too much of his support to continue. He is solidly behind Joe Biden, but said he would...
"continue to gather delegates — a move that would give him leverage to influence the Democratic platform and continue carrying his message."
We cannot afford to lose Bernie's mission, nor can we let the Progressive movement forget his primary presence. Oh, Bernie Sanders will always be there, as long as he is able to breathe and stand before a loving audience. But now is the time to stand behind likely Democratic candidate, Joe Biden, to beat Donald Trump, no matter what has to be done. Bernie sent emails to his tribe heaping thanks on all those who helped, saying...
"Together, we have transformed American consciousness as to what kind of country we can become, and have taken this country a major step forward in the never-ending struggle for economic justice, social justice, racial justice and environmental justice."
Bernie Sanders with balls
Bernie helped to turn Democratic Socialism into an understandable term to the point today that 25% of the American people embrace some form of socialism. Clearly an underdog in Wisconsin, he still recommended a stay-at-home policy due to the COVID-19 problem. Here is what he said in defiance of a clueless governor supported by a very partisan Supreme Court...
"Let's be clear: holding this election amid the coronavirus outbreak is dangerous, disregards the guidance of public health experts, and may very well prove deadly," Sanders said in a statement released Monday night.
How do I say it, I think there is a great amount of disappointment among his loyal followers, and those who have fallen by the wayside, some of it due to the interferences he has run into along the way. As an example, the tampering with the 2016 primary by then NC chair, since disgraced, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, in favor of Hillary Clinton. Many think the Vermont Senator would have beaten Donald Trump.
It was apparently the loss of an abundance of young voters that made the difference. The question is now is whether these young people now change their support to Joe Biden or, disillusioned, stay home and not vote. Somehow, we cannot allow that, and with the Bern's exit, Biden must concentrate on bringing this group back into the fold. It will require moving further to the lef,t but Joe Biden must do what is necessary to beat Donald Trump.
And here's the kicker, since Bernie Sanders is officially out of the race, this leaves prior president, Barack Obama, open to campaign for his former vice president. Here's the scenario from This week...
"Obama has refused to endorse a primary candidate since the 2020 Democratic race's jam-packed beginnings, though reports did suggest he was quietly backing Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.). Other reports suggested he wasn't thrilled about Biden getting in the race, and told Biden's campaign staff to make sure he didn't 'embarrass himself.'"
That is certainly no blessing for Joe Biden, but Barack Obama knows more than anyone just how important it is to beat Donald Trump, so I believe he will come in swinging soon. In the meantime, I plan to practice the Progressive philosophy in what I do or say, and keep the Democratic Socialist concept out there for all who want to learn. The one thing necessary today is beating the coronavirus and hopefully, Dr. Anthony Fauci will remain in control.
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