We haven’t done any political coverage in a few days, but that’s not because there nothing happening in the political world. I’ve just been going crazy with the mountain of bulls–t in and around the Reign of Baby Fists. The whole debacle with Trumpcare/RyancarePaul Ryan’s Adam’s apple thinks too.
But really, the story that has gotten VERY interesting this week is #TrumpRussia. The Trump-Russia thing makes Watergate look like a fight in the sandbox. You know it’s bad when Shep Smith at Fox News is losing his mind live on air:
"It's too much lying and too much Russia and too much smoke." – Shep Smith… ON FOX NEWS 🚨🔥
–> pic.twitter.com/MLprqjp34k #TrumpRussia
— justin kanew (@justin_kanew) March 9, 2017
Yeah. We’re going to need to buy some whiteboards and yarn to start following all of the threads of this. Here are some other stories around Trump and Russia:
A Russian bank’s connections to Trump’s organization. This is a crazy story and I’m not even going to try to explain it – go here to see.
The Senate Intelligence Committee. Do you trust a Republican-majority Senate committee to adequately investigate Donald Trump’s Russian connections? While I think the Democratic ranking members will have a lot to say and do, I have my doubts that the committee will do much, even given the wide investigative berth.
Trump keeps calling for investigations. Every time he says something like “somebody should investigate this,” I always think, “Be careful what you wish for, Baby Fists.” Trump really wants an investigation into President Obama. I say: give it to him. Let’s “investigate” Obama’s actions as president last year and we’ll likely discover that the White House, the FBI, the DOJ, the NSA and the CIA were all very concerned about Trump’s Russia connections. So we should investigate. That’s the point of this Politico story – Trump can’t think three steps ahead.
Photos courtesy of Getty.
Ugh, we’re in the upside down. When Fox is freaking out…ugh.
Bannon is the Demogorgon and we’re all Barb.
LMAO. And sob.
Why does this have to be so spot on?
I stole that line. THank you!!!
No Fox still has Trump’s balls in their mouth with Shep Smith being the exception.
Exactly
Do you think Shep will lose his job?
Awesome comment Kitten!
Every time I hear him say “investigate” I think well Donny you’re right let’s open an investigation and see how fast you shoot yourself in the foot. LOL
Same. I’m allllllll for it.
The GOP will come out looking the worst because they put party over country.
Also McConnell saying he’s proud he left a Supreme Court vacancy for a year…I want to throat punch him. Political maneuvering to put his party ahead. He should be ashamed
McConnell is all about party and nothing but party.
Warped, treasonous traitors, the lot of them.
I really don’t get how most Americans can’t seem to remember that the Republican party couldn’t efficiently govern a food truck, let alone a country. It’s always just one blazingly idiotic choice after another. I hope the younger generation remembers better than we have.
Turtle (sorry turtles) McConnell and Paul “I hate the poor” Ryan are some of the most evil SOBs to ever hold office and I am not naive when it comes to crooked politicians.
Mitch McConnell has his shipping magnate heiress wife installed as head of transportation as payment for his loyalty. She wants to toll roads across the USA and give breaks to maritime commerce. Go figure! #trumprussia
YES, the current crop of GOP idiots really are putting party before country. What an irony that the party of flag-waving, Commie-fearing super-patriots should now be intentionally looking past the recent attempts by Russia to take down our democracy in the most profound and elementary way: by getting inside our electoral process!
I heartily agree: investigate BUT with a special prosecutor. None of this “fox guarding the hen house” crap with Repubs doing it. Talk about loaded dice!
Shep Smith is a bottle of air freshener in a room full of turds.
Ha! That about sums it up…lol. I always thought Shep Smith stuck out like a sore thumb with those morons. He actually has impartiality and when he does speak his mind, does it on his own terms, not the monitors. Good for him. He should leave that station asap.
I remember when he was talking earlier about all the lies. He really seemed in agony. I think he was experiencing a worldview-shaking seismic shift. This makes him very effective because his feelings about it are so obviously genuine.
Shep and Jake Tapper are my new go-tos. 😍
So I guess now Fox will also stay in the waiting room with CNN, BBC, the Guardian etc while he does his press conferences?
Smith is canceled out by Hannity, Trump’s go-to news guy, even though he isn’t really a news guy.
Should have figured.
When Alan Colmes died, he took the only positive aspect of Hannity with him. Alan was bright and put Hannity in the shadows where he belongs. The whole station will implode along with Joffrey. My hope anyway.
And Bill O’Reilly, that POS.
It’s just Smith so far. All the other Fox “personalities” are still carrying water for Trump.
I do not trust the US Senate to do anything. I firmly believe Mitch McConnell is as much a Putin puppet as Trump is. And the Republican Senators who have voiced the most opposition to Trump. McCain and Graham, ALWAYS cave to party demands.
That said, I am very proud of the all Democrat delegation from Massachusetts and how they are standing up and fighting for us.
Me too! So happy to live in a blue state. ♥
And they’re pretty much all standing and fighting. I wanted to reach out and hug Joe Kennedy the other night when he forced them to admit mental health coverage would be dropped and his comments at Ryan about mercy and malice were so heartfelt and so good. Although, I must confess to having wanted to hug him in the past any way; he does have a good handshake and he is a very kind and sweet man.
Even Lynch, whom I have issues with, is fighting hard for Planned Parenthood and for the federal hiring freeze to be lifted for veterans and peace corps & Americorps workers.
And Katherine and Seth and Nikki and Cap and McGovern and Liz Warren and even Markey has found a voice.
And then there’s our AG Maura! Lock Trump and Maura in a room and one of them won’t be coming out.
I, unfortunately, live in a red state, but am proud of the fact that people are calling out the Repubs that won’t hold town meetings and for the women’s march had more than anticipated! Our one Dem Senator is also fighting for us. Unfortunately, also, we have a governor who has NO political experience (Rep) and has already signed the Right to Work bill in spite of all the opposition to it.
Kennedy was fantastic. So powerful to see him giving a voice to a marginalized group that will be greatly and thoughtlessly impacted by this bill.
We’re planning on going to AG Healy’s town hall in Malden next Thurs.
Seth Moulton!! I really think he’s a very valuable up-and-comer in the Dem party. Def. on his way to becoming a prominent leader and strong progressive voice.
@Swak, you have my sympathy. “Right to work” is anything but.
@Kitten, take the T to that Town Hall. Parking in Malden is crazy and the church where she’s holding it is one block away from the T station. (If you see a Dunkin Donuts when you walk out the door, you’re on the wrong side. Go back through the station and walk out the other door: tiny parking lot, fire station, group of stores, Church where Town Hall is.)
Thanks for the tip, LP. I’m thinking we’ll just take a Lyft from his place because he lives in residential Medford and not very close to train.
I miss being in Massachusetts! The best place in the world! Living in Florida makes me miss it more every day
I don’t trust them either. And despite the Dems willingness to fight, I have no faith they’ll be able to find a way to achieve any justice. I cannot believe how effed up our democracy has become. Truly this is mirroring the fall of the Roman Empire.
Mark Warner has been waiting for years to make a name for himself in the Senate. This investigation is his chance and he intends to make the most of it.
” I firmly believe Mitch McConnell is as much a Putin puppet as Trump is.”
YES to this!
Donald Trump is done. I really don’t think he will last the full four years.
I don’t think Trump will last a full four months.
I hope you’re right, Kaiser!
I think you’re right, Kaiser. Although I think it is likely he’ll just quit out of frustration at not being worshiped as he thinks he should be instead of Ryan and McConnell actually allowing anything be done to remove him.
I agree. Lasting until year end is a stretch at this point.
I can see him quitting, if the emoluments (which to me is the elephant in the room) or overseas financial entanglements become too well known by voters for the GOP to ignore.
I think you are right, Kaiser. The question is how much damage will be done before he is gone?
I’m with Kaiser!
Amen to that, Kaiser! From your mouth to the Universe’s ears! 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻
Just out on MSNBC 45 will be holding a rally in Nashville next week. It’s on his campaign website. Because, of course, rallies are his drug of choice and he’s jonesing.
Russia is still messing in our government. The Wikileaks CIA disclosures are another distraction. 45 has effectively sidelined the State Department by firing the most experienced people. We’re talking people with 20-40 years under their belts. It’s as if we’re burning the library of Alexandria again.
Mnuchin has asked congress to raise the debt ceiling because we will be unable to meet our obligations by August or September. Soon he will have to choose what gets paid. Social Security, tax returns among them.
Each EO 45 flourishes increases spending. In order to fund this stupid wall cuts will be made to Coast Guard, TSA, police programs that train departments in any number of things. Because decreasing existing security in our ports, coastal regions, airports and local communities to erect 2000 miles of an inefficient, unnecessary structure will make our country more secure.
Meanwhile the governor of Maryland has declared a state of emergency due to the heroin and opiate abuse occurring there. The TrumpDon’tCare bill he’s attempting to force through congress will address that growing issue by cutting or eliminating funding that addresses those issues.
At this point I don’t understand what the republicans think they will get. By the time 2018 arrives the policies they are pushing will be in effect and people will be angry no matter the party affiliation. ANYONE who supports policies that harm us will be in danger of losing their seat. We’ve passed the party line crap it’s really about working TOGETHER. It’s about COMPROMISE. Opposition is the enemy. 45 has the potential to bankrupt our country as he has done with his own company numerous times. The history is there for everyone to see.
He is running our country exactly as he runs his company.
Sadly, I don’t think that the GOP will let that happen. Too much chaos and negative publicity. They have an agenda (tax cuts! Deregulation!) and want that enacted and do not want the distraction that an impeachment would bring. Our biggest chance is in 2018 to get everyone out to VOTE and try to take back the house. Also, desperately need dem governors back in blue/purple states to stop the gerrymandering. Trump may be around for awhile. What a disaster for this country.
“They have an agenda (tax cuts! Deregulation!) and want that enacted and do not want the distraction that an impeachment would bring”
I agree. I don’t think the GOP will let him leave office before they enact a lot of their burning policy wishes.
@Cran, I called today to request that our Nashville Rep Jim Cooper boycott this visit. I will be protesting for sure. His visit also puts our first ever woman (Dem) mayor in a spot. She had to put out an official welcome, which I’m sure had her spitting nails.
My latest tin foil hat conspiracy is that Manafort and Kislyak are running a huge money laundering scheme through the Trump Organization. That would explain why there is no evidence of collusion on the campaign. They were committing a different crime. Trump’s erratic behavior suggests he knows the Feds are close to busting him.
It seems really plausible but I keep going back to why would Trump run for public office and risk exposing all this? Do they all really think they can get away with it?
@Esmom:
The only explanation I have for that is that he never thought that he would win. We all know he wanted Hillary to win.
@Megan – I just saw your comment and I totally agree. It’s about the money laundering.
@ Esmom-I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s just sheer arrogance. Many criminals believe that they’re smarter than everyone else and can get away with anything.
I agree that Trump never wanted to win — as someone said just after the election, he just didn’t want to lose. That is arrogance. But still. He is in deep s^it. And I would be loving it more if so much wasn’t at stake.
I think money laundering is very likely and that part might be panicking Trump. He was fined for money laundering before, but this might be on a much larger scale.
My guess is that Putin & Co. initially cultivated Trump years ago for propaganda purposes, he’s so ignorant and easy to manipulate and has such a big ego that he assumes it’s all his idea. Since Trump has always had easy access to the media, that was a simple way to get pro-Putin stuff out there and get a shift in public opinion to counteract such things as inconvenient sanctions. But at some point, I suspect Putin began to think Trump would have a chance of winning with a little help, and switched into higher gear since a President against sanctions would be even better. Putin has been using the same tactics in Western Europe and Ukraine, and almost got his guy elected in Ukraine last year by more direct meddling with the vote itself. If Putin didn’t succeed in affecting our election, he might have thought that he at least would be throwing some rocks in the path of his nemesis, Hillary Clinton, to make governing more difficult for her.
@Esmom – I believe (and have since he went to NYC back in the summer last year and called 9/11 – 7/11) that he never wanted to actually win. He wanted to come very close & lose and then he would have the popularity & the content to launch his own TV channel/network. Once he got the Republican nomination his ego was too big to quit so he just got more and more inflammatory with his statements hoping it would turn people off and it backfired.
I give him until June. I urge anyone who has the access to watch the brilliant Rachel Maddow – she has been tirelessly chasing down confirmation on all the Trump rumors. She is building a meticulous and solid case for Trump having laundered money for Putin et al via his shady real estate deals around the world. And I fully believe Congress has knowledge that Cheeto Mussolini is going down, hence the major race to push through every dirty, greedy bit of their legislative agenda.
We watch her every night. I am consistently impressed by her ability to show all the nefarious connections, especially to Russia. She must have incredible researchers backing her up.
She is amazing! Has been since this sh7t show started. I love how she is now not reporting on what he says but what he does and it’s working brilliantly.
May I also add: If you do not have cable, you can listen to her program as a podcast. I have been listening every day.
@Giddy
She gave a shout-out last night to all her incredibly talented and tenacious researchers. It was nice to see them get some love. Such a great show! Did you see her interview the the State Department’s former Ambassador Fried about the gutting of the State Department?
“she is now not reporting on what he says but what he does”
Good point! It is so important to focus on the meat and potatoes of what makes him troubling. His actions deserve more attention from the media.
Graham was talking about the bullshit “Obama wire tapped me” tantrum that Trump threw on twitter and he said “the American people deserve answers”.
What?! We deserve answers to Trump’s paranoid, unsubstantiated, histrionic claim? But let’s just ignore the ongoing and very obvious connection this campaign and administration has to Russia.
I’m am NOT one for conspiracy or paranoia about government. But even I am scratching my head and wanting an explanation for all the Russia smoke we are seeing.
Lindsey Graham HATES Trump. He’s just calling his bluff. And really-we should be for it. We either all see that there is nothing there or the FBI had enough evidence of illegal activity (hello Russia) to ask for a wire tap. Any scenario of “getting answers” is bad for Trump.
I agree. I strongly dislike Graham’s agenda and his p*ssy attitude (he should be doing more to lead the Republican party away from the Cheeto, much like McCain), but deep down I really think he hates Trump and is messing with him – he knows whatever comes out will make Trump look worse than Obama.
He hates Trump but so far, he has voted party every single time it mattered.
Whaaat?! A Russian bank is connected to Trump? Crazy 😉
And, in other news, POS Massive Turd Lying Liar jeff sessions wants to investigate President Obama’s DOJ.
http://www.salon.com/2017/03/09/jeff-sessions-may-order-independent-investigation-of-barack-obamas-department-of-justice/
The hate is strong for all things Obama. Again, distraction and deflection to try and turn things away from the corrupt Trump administration.
My god they are just so PATHETIC. Remember all of this next year. We really need to clean house in the mid-terms.
It feels like a group of super-villains took over our country. It’s both surreal and terrifying.
I remember saying on Jan 20th (in DC at the time) that I was suddenly living in Gotham. The suicide squad showed up & are doing their business.
Yes to mid-terms & we need to keep that momentum & focus. Mid-terms we kill this.
@SusanneToo Eric Holder is working with California on, I believe, immigration issues so I wouldn’t be surprised if Sessions uses an investigation in an attempt to cut that collaboration off at the knees. I don’t believe it will succeed because 45’s administration is too poorly run. Sessions was unable to handle his own recusal without 45 sticking his nose in and muddling things up. No way he’d be able to resist staying out of any investigation involving Obama. His brain elevator remains stuck in the bottom.
On a slight tangent, why cancel the ACA? So men don’t have to pay for prenatal care. Meanwhile, I love paying for prostate exams and limp dick meds.
http://twitter.com/pattonoswalt/status/840081978439286784
Yeah, I saw that. Unfeckingbelievable.
Everybody spends nine months in somebody’s womb, so you would think men would be glad to pay for prenatal care…
You also forgot to add to the list. Trump has ordered US troops back into Afghanistan, when Pres. Obama just pulled them out. Pres. Obama promised no more boots on the ground there. US Embassy in Afghanistan has stopped taking visa applications from refugees who helped US troops during the war, the numbers are estimated about 10,000. Also there is a scathing article in the New Yorker about Ivanka Trump and a shady hotel deal that went bad in Tehran, Iran. Hawaii is suing US government on its new immigration ban.
also New York, Washington and Mass are joining to fight the ban.
The shady hotel deal is in Azerbaijan, but Trump’s partners may have ties to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard which would violate the FCPA laws. It’s a long read but well worth it. This should have been a big story this week, but now that we live in bizarro land it barely made a ripple.
http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/03/13/donald-trumps-worst-deal
Rachel Maddow covered it, but the drips are becoming constant now. I give her credit for staying on the multiple shady ties that others are doggedly uncovering.
Maddow has been killing it the last few weeks. Her show is must-watch TV every night.
That part needs more attention- people that helped us during our conflicts in the Middle East are now being denied asylum. There are many people that became refugees because of helping us (working for the US will put a target on your back) and NOW we won’t let them in. Just a – “whoops, different Pres, sorry you trusted us, your visa is gone, have fun in your homeland now that you helped the US”. This is just more recruitment for ISIS & blood on our hands of the people who helped us. I just want to scream in my pillow for the rest of my life.
I read that Afghani translators who aid us over there are no longer allowed to apply for visas over here. Guess how many more soldiers are going to die?
Donald Trump thought he can do what he wants when he is president, that he can run this country like he runs one of his businesses.
Yes. That’s why his supporters elected him. He was such a “successful” businessman and they were tired of career politicians. And the incompetent, sycophants in Congress are letting him try to run the country like a business. It can’t be done and he’s taking us all down with him.
His supporters forgot that this “successful” business man has gone bankrupt many times and he’s always being sued because he’s a con man.
On that note, why our country does not have financial background vetting as part of the prerequisites to running for highest office is beyond me. Filing for bankruptcy multiple times and refusing to show tax records should be disqualifying.
It should be law that the people who run for president show their tax returns.
Every member of Congress has the right to go to the IRS and review any tax return they want. Certain Congressional committees can also request tax returns. What are they waiting for?
I believe The House actually voted on requiring Frump to release his tax returns. The amendment got voted down along party lines.
It was voted on and those stellar republicans voted it down. 😡
Completely agree. WikiLeaks just pledged to publicise Orange Caligula’s returns, if anyone can leak them to them…. (I’ve got my major problems with wikileaks and the hideous Assange, but if they can get these out to the public, I’m all for it).
I wouldn’t be too hopeful about the tax returns being that informative. The real details are probably buried in corporate returns and disguised. Although there must be some reason why Trump won’t release them. Hillary released three decades of them.
I recall, a few years ago, that he actually denied ever having gone bankrupt! Isn’t that a matter of public record? But he said he had never gone bankrupt.
He is so used to lying and getting away with it, why should he stop now? He is a lying liar who lies.
Trump never filed for personal bankruptcy. His companies have gone bankrupt. Semantically speaking, he is correct. And he sucks at business.
I can’t freaking wait until all this blows up right in Donald’s face.
About time they speak the truth. Trump is a liar.
Total and complete coincidence!!!! Liberal conspiracy!!! Take off your tin foil hate, Kaiser!!!!
‘Look at our wonderful healthcare bill (but not too closely)! It will be beautiful! Look at this chart Fox made. Lots of jobs last month, all due to ME!’
I would like to see the net gain/loss of jobs over the month because that is a more tellling number.
Don’t even get me started on the shitshow that is Trumpcare.
It is like Obamacare except a whole lot less of it. This healthcare bill takes the the money that the government gave to poor and middle class people and gives a SIX BILLION dollar tax cut to the rich, which includes a FIVE HUNDRED MILLION dollar tax cut to insurance executives yet keeps all of the EXISTING PROBLEMS WITH THE ACA. This bill literally fixes NOTHING, it’s just a way for this administration to once again pad the wallets of the rich elite. Please please tell me again how Trump is a “man of the people”. I dare you.
All because Paul Ryan and other Republithugs are convinced that poor people don’t want healthcare and that if we subsidize their health costs, then we discourage them from working.
This guy. F*CK THIS GUY: http://www.carbonated.tv/news/republican-congressman-roger-marshall-poor-people-health-care-jesus
@Kitten, Ryan’s Turd puts us in a place far worse than we were before the ACA. He’s going after not just the Medicaid expansion but Medicaid itself and Medicare too. There was so much more in the ACA than just the individual mandates too. There were funding mechanisms to train providers in primary care and to encourage them to go into the primary care field because we have a shortage, in some areas an extreme shortage, of primary care docs and pediatricians because those areas have always been underfunded. There were mechanisms to fund hospitals. All that will be gone. And when Ryan smirks and says: “no mandates,” he means no benefit mandates, insurers will get to define “hospital services” or “physician services” themselves, which means they can carve out whole areas of illnesses and treatments.
@LightPurple-Ugh.
I’ve had private insurance for the past 11 years so this is all a bit confusing to me but from what I understand, Obamacare provided subsidies based on both region and economic bracket. So if you were at or below the poverty level and living in an area like Alaska where there was not a lot of plan competition, thus healthcare was more costly (vs a well-populated area like NY) then the ACA would pay more for a more costly plan.
From what’s been explained to me, that’s gone now.
@Kitten. Yup! Also, those tax credits Ryan is so proud of that will save everything? People in employment based group insurance can’t get those credits, even if the employer only offers the group plan without actually paying any of the premiums for the workers, which is very common (Hello, Hobby Lobby). And those employers offering the group plans are the ones who choose the plans they offer so without coverage mandates, the employer can choose a cheap plan that covers essentially nothing and the employee is stuck with no help.
MA has lots and lots and lots of mandated benefits so we’re in much better shape than people elsewhere.
Trevor Noah on the Daily Show had a clip of some older fellow very matter-of-factly listing the winners and losers for the Republican plan. I think the winners included the young and the rich. The losers were:
The poor
The elderly
The sick
Wow. A healthcare plan where the losers are “the sick”….
The US has had steady job growth for the last 77 months. All thanks to President Obama not baby fists.
Every time I see Trump mess up bigly, I want to laugh at his naive sucker supporters who still pretend to approve with everything he’s done so far. After a second, I remember all the f*ck ups he’s made effect me and millions of innocent people too, and I get upset. My dad believes everything Fox News says. Maybe now he’ll believe what I’ve been telling him all along. That him and my mom trusting and voting for Trump was the stupidest, most irresponsible thing they’ve ever done and I have a right to be pissed and ashamed of them
And here’s a prime example, 55 year old FIRST TIME voter and gives her vote to trump. Be sure and read the comments.
http://twitter.com/angryblacklady/status/839893323271725056
I agree with the comment that it is hard not to be angry. Those that voted for him were willing participants in the destruction of our country. I am angry as all hell.
Good luck. My parents are Trump-kins and are still militant supporters. Their only response to recent disclosures about Trump is “at least it isn’t Hillary!”
Yes-this is what I always hear. “But Hillary!” Ugh!
They tell me to give him a chance, and at least he isn’t always spending our money on vacation like Obama. WHAT?!!! We live in Florida and it’s on the news everyweek that he’s visiting AGAIN. Ridiculous. Can’t believe they won’t admit they made a mistake
@Beth – It’s Friday, how soon does he leave for Florida? He takes this job as a 9 – 5 job, 5 days a week (and not a full 9 – 5 on Fridays). Running a country doesn’t stop on weekends!
The absolute best is Maxine Waters claiming, with no evidence, that the sexual escapades in the Steele dossier are true!
And why not?
Diaper Bigly claimed without evidence that Obama “tapped wires” at Trump Tower. If he can say that then Maxine can say that, Emperor Zero!
Go California! Go Maxine! And especially Go Adam Schiff!!!
Maxine Waters is everything and has been giving me so much life the last couple of months!!
Does she have no evidence, or has she, as an elected official (albeit not one that seems to be on any security or intel committees) seen evidence that the public has not been privy to?
There was a woman on TV who voted for Trump and now regrets it because she has cancer and Trumpcare doesn’t help her at all.
And many small business ag owners who depend on immigrants, both legal and illegal, to pick their produce, are at a loss trump is actually doing what he said he would. They are going to lose money bigly.
To all the people who said: I don’t take trump seriously, please go away. Now.
there was one that voted for him and now her transgender kid who is 11 is left depressed.. she didn’t think he will “do what he did”.. yeah..right…she thought her ass was safe because white conservative in a niche of privileges she wanted to keep.Maybe she was as disillusioned as C. Jenner
I need to force myself to go through a Trump cleanse. I feel like I’m addicted to knowing what is happening every second with this administration, like a FOMO issue.
I just wish we could go back to November 9th and have a do-over.
@kitten – 8th?
It’s awful when people can’t afford to get the care they need. Nobody can say they weren’t warned that this would happen. It shocks me that so many didn’t see this message coming
I have the hardest time feeling sorry for these people. How do you depend on the government for your healthcare and then vote for trump? I mean, I know the answer: racism. It’s damn racism.
I had to take a break for awhile and not read or look at the news. It was starting to affect me too much. I’m better now but I’m sure the anxiety and disheartenment will return. I don’t know how we’ll all make it through this.
I did the same a few weekends ago. I completely disengaged from any news and by Sunday night I was a different person. I felt so carefree. By Monday morning though after looking through the news I had missed I was back to the angry and anxious person I’ve been since Nov 9th.
I don’t know how we will either. I am not giving up though. I have two kids and my students to think of. At some point we have to start fixing it for the kids.
Can I vent about how the destruction of public schools is under way? The voucher system is starting to take hold. Even if trump were out of office tomorrow, the damage of his decisions will take decades to umravel. We would still be left with a horrible cabinet, decreased standing in the world, and several gutted departments. Increase in corporate power against unions.
Not to mention a completely divided nation with many having no trust in democracy or (for trump supporters) no trust in the media anymore, and finally, a republican majority supreme court which doesn’t believe in a woman’s right to covered birth control from her employer sponsored insurance plan.
The voucher system is really just “discount coupons for rich people.” Look at Pence’s Indiana voucher program. Within a few years the number of low income people using vouchers dropped. The majority of vouchers are issued to families who were never in the pubic school system and were already paying for private school. Now they get a voucher (“discount!”) and pay less with the tax payers picking up the difference. Most of the vouchers are issued for religious schools. If you want your kid to learn science only from the bible and believe the world in 6,000 years old- fine, but don’t use my tax dollars to pay for it.
That’s what this entire administration is about: sacrificing the safety, health, well-being, economic comfort, quality of life, and basic happiness of the American public to line the pockets of the 1% and big corporations.
It’s appalling and inhumane and they must be stopped.
Yeah, bleu_moon, that about sums it up. It’s exactly why the tea party morons in my town want vouchers. They are obsessed with the fact they “double pay” for their kids’ private schooling by paying tuition for their own and taxes for everyone else in public school. No concept that an educated populace benefits us all. Bunch of selfish effing demons.
@Esmom, today is SO different. My parents paid for private school for 4 children and never once complained about paying double.
swak, mine, too, for two kids. They were poor immigrants who scraped up money for our tuition, paid taxes and never once complained. I think like most normal people, taxes are the cost of, you know, being in a SOCIETY.
I have no children but I’ve always gladly paid taxes to benefit education. “Suck it up, buttercup.”
So, using the voucher logic, as Esmon correctly explains it, shouldn’t I be getting tax credits for not having a kid instead of paying taxes toward the schools? I actually have no problems with my taxes being used on education, just trying to follow the GOP logic through to its conclusion.
Don’t even get me started on vouchers. Taught public schools for 30 years. Went to private schools my first 12 years and a state university. It is a discount coupon for the rich. I tried to discuss with someone who (of course is a privileged white male) is for vouchers how vouchers really do not help the poor as the vouchers will barely cover tuition. As I proposed to this person, who is going to pay the part of the tuition that isn’t paid for by vouchers, who is going to buy the books or in some cases pay the book fee, who is going to buy the uniforms and who is going to get these children to the school of their choice. Got no answer to these questions. Same person wants to get rid of the free lunch program and the Dept of Ed. Found out the other day that one of the private all girl schools in town require a certain I-pad (on top of some books) and I know of other private high schools that require certain laptops. I just can’t with some people.
I’m with you. The proponent’s disingenuous claims that “school choice” is for everyone really makes my blood boil.
Why are they so focused on Obama and the past? Should they not be concentrating on getting a proper health care in place (instead of what they are proposing)? So much wrong with this administration. It’s one thing to make good on your promises, it’s a whole other thing to do so in a sloppy manner and push things through without thinking about them or knowing what effects the legislation will have on the people, environment and other countries.
It’s just a distraction – oh and Donald has always been jealous of Barack because he knows he’s so much better than him.
Let’s see, BHO is intelligent, charismatic, has a loving family, and is physically beautiful. What could trumpkins possibly be jealous of?
@SusanneToo – and don’t forget, 44 is far, far more well-regarded and popular than 45 could ever hope to be – you KNOW that has to bite at 45.
I’m really sorry for Americans right now, your electoral system let you down badly.
Hit the nail on the head. I was always convinced that one of the reasons Putin hated BHO was that BHO was so much taller; Putin, who cultivates this ridiculous macho image, always looked so pissed off to be looking up the ? eight inches taller Obama.
These toads have a real obsession with both Obama and HRC. Even when they have all the power they still deflect to democrats and blame them for everything. Maybe its because they hate feeling inferior to a successful black man and strong woman, :-/ if its one thing Ill give Obama he didnt spend time complaining about what a dump GWB left – he got right to work to fix things instead of placing blame and using excuses.
@roguePOTUSstaff tweeted a few days ago that early in Obama’s first term, Donnie tried to buy influence and got rebuffed; he’s been on the mentally ill warpath since.
There’s so much smoke that people are choking on it and don’t know which way to turn. I worry he is three steps ahead and, as one of his talking heads loves to say, we are playing checkers while he is playing chess. It’s worrying about the buildup of military and incremental dismantling of structures around government. “Soft diplomacy” seems to be on the way out. It feels like a coup by Trump and Bannon. But he is turning this around to say there is a coup against him. Really, Russia won and there doesn’t seem to be an adult anywhere who can clearly see through the smoke.
Did you guys saw how Mika Brezinski lost her shit on MSNBC? that was ace.. telling like it is.
Reading all of these comments is helping to calm me down this morning. There ARE sane people in this alternate reality we are living in. Thanks for being you, Celebitchy Nation.
Anyone else here think that the WikiLeaks CIA dump was orchestrated to move the story along from Russia/Emperor Zero?
I wonder if Roger Stone told Assange to release it…
Close Trump ally Nigel Farage was seen leaving the Ecuadorian Embassy (where JA resides) yesterday.
He wasn’t taking questions about Assange from the press.
Sketchy AF.
There’s so much to this Russia-Wiki-Repub connection that while listening to Rachel Maddow last night, I couldn’t help but think, ‘Oh, what a tangled web they weave’. She lays it out more clearly here: https://www.rawstory.com/2017/03/is-the-operation-that-russia-started-during-the-campaign-over-maddow-sounds-the-alarm-on-trump-russia-ties/
Yes … I believe the timing is extremely suspicious. On another matter, Flynn turns out to have worked as a foreign agent for Turkey. Check out how the Turkish government operates in addition to how the Russian government operates. There are differences but neither are “democracies” we in the west expect, although could be were America is headed with so-called president Trump at the helm.
Can you believe this?? So either they did a terrible job of vetting, or they were fine with someone who is considered a foreign agent as our National Security Advisor?! I mean-wtf. And this just gets lost in the crap of EVERYTHING else that Trump has churned up.
Seems far-fetched but it also occurred to me that Wiki Leaks’ latest dump might be a signal to Trump to let him know how spying on him might have happened during the investigations Trump was caught up in due to his ties and attitude towards Russia. I wonder if Trump and Wiki Leaks are hiding their communications out in the open.
Shepard Smith is the only one I can stand on Fox News.
He’s going to need a security detail on him 24/7 if he doesn’t already have one. The deplorables went ballistic the last time he criticized Trump.
Hope he doesn’t lose his job over this!
I’m sure there will be plenty of networks willing to hire Shep if he does lose his job, Jazz.
It reminds me of that mom moment when you try to empty-threat your kid, like “Do that one more time and we won’t go to Disneyland!” And your kid goes ahead and does it, and then you’re like, “f***”. Be careful what you wish for indeed, Easy D. He says that because he doesn’t think they will really investigate, but I wish they’d be that kid and call his damn bluff.
Shep is not representative of Fox News, he has always being critical of Trump.He has always been moderate, he is pro marriage equality.
Yeah I am surprised they keep him around at Fox. He is also openly gay I believe as of last year – which might explain some of his more moderate and empathetic views.
I wonder why they still have him at Fox News too. He belongs at MSNBC like Greta. Fox will not renew his contract when time comes.
@Lolo, yeah, I commented on twitter last night that I hope MSNBC has an opening waiting for Shep.
I beg this website not to let us forget Russiagate. The orange one and his demons want us to forget about it by distracting us with new fabricated conspiracies. Don’t let Trump off the hook.
Totally agree.
He is the Emperor of Projection.
Just thought I’d drop by and share this.
http://secondnexus.com/politics-and-economics/justin-trudeau-ftw-surprise-move-sticks-it-to-trumps-global-gag-order/?utm_content=inf_10_1164_2&tse_id=INF_cf1f263005a411e79b1a07d5f3e08d7d
Thanks for sharing the story.
Yep, talk about a contrast, inside and outside.
Can we talk a minute about how Trump wants to pay for his wall by gutting the Coast Guard. THE COAST GUARD!
And the National Endowment for the Arts. And the National Endowment for the Humanities. Who needs art? Or humanity?
And the TSA.
Yep https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/09/us/politics/trump-budget-coast-guard.html?_r=0
Yes, all those things. But it just strikes me as totally off the wall and ridiculous that he claims this Wall of his will keep us safe and secure and that to pay for it, he is going to gut something that actually does keep us safe and secure and this whole thing about “protecting the border”, well, we have more than one border and it is the Coast Guard that is the guardian of most of those border miles. So, can’t get through Trump’s wall? Get to the ocean and find a boat!
Lightpurple, him and his people forget that not illegal immigrants walk here from Mexico. They also fly and come by boats. Even with a wall, people will get here. Not only would a wall cost billions to build , the maintenance will cost a fortune every year.
I know, I saw that and was like WTF? I mean, national security is what the Coast Guard does. I guess he doesn’t realize that the Coast Guard intercepted drugs and undocumented immigrants. He is so stupid.
Not just the Coast Guard – also airport and railroad security. All to pay for his idiotic “wall”. Don’t people see the irony of that? And we actually have a negative flow of Mexicans into the US (more go back to Mexico every year than come here from Mexico).
Plus he wants to cut the HUD budget (sorry, Ben).
He’s got to get his drugs somehow, light purple! Weakened Coast Guard is more drugs.
Weakened Coast Guard + criminalizing marijuana (= strengthening drug czars) + no coverage for drug addiction treatment under TrumpCare = A HUGE F*CKING DRUG EPIDEMIC.
But you know, MAGA! *waves American flag frantically*
I live in Nashville and Trump is holding a rally next Wednesday, right across the street from my building. I work in state government, so my political opinions are held very privately. However, I am staging my own personal protest next Wednesday by working from home, not leaving the house, and not spending a penny just in case it somehow benefits the Orange One. It’s not much, but it’s the most I can do privately.
And he’s going to FL this weekend, yet again.
Of course he is! He needs another multimillion dollar vacation. Wrecking the country and fooling his supporters is hard work! He must be exhausted. Ugh
The presidency is a 9-5 M-f job didn’t you know? Golfing on the weekends are acceptable now.
It’s too much of his nasty orange face. He looks like Leona Hemsley mated with an angry teletubby. You should see how I go after this duck on my fb. I love that I now know who I can consider an idiot
Shep Smith is a stand out on Fox. I would also point out that Chris Wallace has been doing a great job cutting through the spin on Fox News Sunday too.
Don’t call it trumpcare!!!!!!!!! The last thing we need is to feed that baby fisted cheeto’s ego by naming legislation after him!!
How about trumpTHEHELLWITHTHEPOORcare … which would be more honest.
That works! (Shame 45’s last name is in it, though!)