I watched a YouTube video of economist Joseph Stiglitz promoting his most recent book in Australia. In it, he said fellow economist Paul Krugman summed up the Republican view of life: "It extends from conception to birth." To me, that means that for Republicans, survival is not essential after birth. That short statement says so much.
I want to live a long life, but before I go, I want to know that my children and their families are not governed by mean, greedy people who lack empathy for the people they serve. I want them to take the necessities of survival for granted and enjoy life. I want them to be justly rewarded for their work and to have time to relax with their families without constant anxiety about what tomorrow may bring.
I married a republican more than 30 years ago & he has changed significantly listening to hate radio & living in a red enclave in a blue state. When we married he seemed to me to have the heart of a democrat. Now he says things that tend to be deliberately hateful. I have to wonder if the niceness was all an act & he's been seething internally for all these years. He has become a stranger. I feel like I'm living with a troll in my own house.
Sharon. I have lost my closest blood relative, my brother to the cult of Trump. We have all tried to pull him back from the brink. To no avail. At this point he has lost his job, his family, and his only friends are as brainwashed as he is. He did not used to be that way. It is a cult.
We aren't bad, thank god, if neither of us brings up politics. Once in a while he'll get transactional but if I don't rise to the bait it ruins the effect for him. But I can't always do that... It just isn't as comfortable being with him as it was before. He still seems sane, not obsessed just very angry.
Sharon, you are not the only woman who has lost her loved ones to the cult! Long after Trump is dead, the cult will live on. It is like living with the Jim Jones cult that has billionaires backing them? Except this cult is over 40 million people. If the nazis come knocking at your door, will he defend you or turn you over? If it is, turn you over, I suggest you move in with someone else you love. In another state.
This is my advice to American spouses who are playyng second fiddle to q. Wait until after the election and transfer of power, then just take a trip, so when he comes home, all you women are gone! Or you can hang around someone you can't talk politics or religion with and treats you like a dog, and hope he doesn't become more mentalqly ill.
If trump wins by hook or crook! Win or lose, keep an eye on his early dementia.
Oh, Sharon. I feel so badly for you. I recently read that with the advent of Fox News and the Rush Limbaugh media, there was a definite uptick in hate. Maybe it was Thom who wrote it; if not, maybe he can explain it for us.
I don't understand why seemingly normal people turn into hateful trolls, except that they allow themselves to be drawn into an online or broadcast 'community' of other scared, out of touch, haters.
Maybe they allow themselves to be brainwashed because they don't know how to resist. Maybe an intervention by you and your kids, family, and friends could turn him around
Look up on Youtube "Trump mocks reporter with disability". That disgusting behavior a decade ago says all you need to know about this worthless man. I wouldn't say that all Republicans are cruel though. Some I know are terrified of the world as they perceive it, and that can lead to feelings of helplessness and anger. Individually they are as decent as anyone else. But put them in a group where thinking is not encouraged, whip them up with hate against anyone who is different, and you have a lynch mob.
The MAGA group have other aspects of their hopes and dreams: chaos, greed, and corruption. Obvious examples are the Republicans in the House, on the Supreme Court, and many state legislatures.
The brilliant compassionate Senator Warren said last night: "Trust Donald Trump and JD Vance to look-out for your family? I wouldn't let those guys---I wouldn't trust those guys to move my couch!"
Republican obsession with your family ends at the bedroom door; it just doesn't make it beyond there to the kitchen. If you are lucky enough to have a home, that is.
Denial of the health care expansion is probably the most disgusting thing of all. Blocking every idea to cover Americans is cruel AND stupid. Half the care for twice the price? Stupid!
This Report is so true. How black does your heart have to be to look at Gus and what he said and then think it's OK to disrespect him and his family? These people aren't Republicans. More and more of the real ones are coming out to say they are voting for Harris/Walz. They want no part of Trump and his cult.
You're right Thom. I heard disability cases -- helped write the regulations for childhood disability. Also prosecuted and defended criminal cases. One of the hallmarks of antisocial behavior is childhood mistreatment of animals. Cat killers. Dog beaters.
But even most MAGATs (to a reasonable degree of probability) love their pets and Trump hates dogs and Vance hates cats. To that group, everything is visceral.
That cruelty will require an outlet after No ember. After the vote, if they lose, there may well be blood but their treasonous acts will be swiftly contained. If they win, there will be a lot more blood, far less easily contained as we March toward an American Reich. Because that is what the flatulent faux orange felon craves, just like the horrific little corporal who caused 60 million deaths in Europe craved 90 years ago. We cannot allow that to happen. They need to be smothered in a blanket of blue votes in November.
Wasn't it nice to see a convention where "JOY" is celebrated?
Love, compassion & joy!!! Since when are they something to be ridiculed & denigrated?
How pathetic & miserable do people have to be to besmirch a young man so overccome with emotion that he tearfully points to the stage & says: "That's my Dad!!!". Quite frankly that is one of the most endearing things that I have ever seen. And it reminded me of the time I was sitting in the stands watching my daughter playing water polo. She made a goal more than 1/2 length of the pool. I jumped up as everyone was cheering & said: " That's my kid!!!!".
That's what people do when they are proud of someone & they want to share that pride!!
So "stuff it" up your's republicans! You wouldn't know a kind deed if it ran into you!
This psychosis of cruelty is rooted in fantasy and illusion. All humans yearn to be a part of something larger than themself. The true source of that larger context is God. However, if you have reduced God, and God's Grace, to superstition, innuendo, and superficial dogmatic concepts, the larger thing that you want to be a part of is actually quite small. When challenged with a more progressive and sensitive awareness of this larger context, the smallness you have nurtured becomes reactive. They actually feel as though their very essence is being questioned. Consequently, they strike out at the intruders and the "other". When this collective belief system becomes a collective psychosis and suddenly is subject to valid questions and facts, the practitioners of this psychosis become dangerous. The telltale signs of this psychosis is a lack of empathy and a broken moral compass. In this time of change and transition, I don't think we can avoid any of this. The Darkness will simply become the petulant child as it makes it way to the exit.
Tom - “a picture is worth a thousand words”. Just so with the picture you chose. Trump and his minions want to bring darkness, cruelty and civil war. Harris and Walz are offering another path that offers the path of using tax dollars to enhance the lives of everyone, supports a strong defense and will keep the United States as a force to be reckoned with in the support of free people.
As a retired educator, my wish for today is simple. Dear Mr. Walz, address your son's disability with the American public, and quote the heartless comments made by the ignorant, bottom feeders on the Right. You will not only help your campaign, but you will also do a great service for the disabled community.
I watched a YouTube video of economist Joseph Stiglitz promoting his most recent book in Australia. In it, he said fellow economist Paul Krugman summed up the Republican view of life: "It extends from conception to birth." To me, that means that for Republicans, survival is not essential after birth. That short statement says so much.
I want to live a long life, but before I go, I want to know that my children and their families are not governed by mean, greedy people who lack empathy for the people they serve. I want them to take the necessities of survival for granted and enjoy life. I want them to be justly rewarded for their work and to have time to relax with their families without constant anxiety about what tomorrow may bring.
“ I have come to bury Caesar ,
( at the ballot box) not to praise him.
The evil that men do lives after them ;
the good is oft interred with their
bones . “
Trump and his followers will have
some very lonely bones .
What Republicans hate most about democracy is having to share power (and their precious money) with people they consider beneath them.
It seems that everything that's wrong in America today can be traced back to greedy Republicans.
The Love of Money, don'cha know ...
David… BINGO!!
I married a republican more than 30 years ago & he has changed significantly listening to hate radio & living in a red enclave in a blue state. When we married he seemed to me to have the heart of a democrat. Now he says things that tend to be deliberately hateful. I have to wonder if the niceness was all an act & he's been seething internally for all these years. He has become a stranger. I feel like I'm living with a troll in my own house.
Sharon. I have lost my closest blood relative, my brother to the cult of Trump. We have all tried to pull him back from the brink. To no avail. At this point he has lost his job, his family, and his only friends are as brainwashed as he is. He did not used to be that way. It is a cult.
We aren't bad, thank god, if neither of us brings up politics. Once in a while he'll get transactional but if I don't rise to the bait it ruins the effect for him. But I can't always do that... It just isn't as comfortable being with him as it was before. He still seems sane, not obsessed just very angry.
Sharon, you are not the only woman who has lost her loved ones to the cult! Long after Trump is dead, the cult will live on. It is like living with the Jim Jones cult that has billionaires backing them? Except this cult is over 40 million people. If the nazis come knocking at your door, will he defend you or turn you over? If it is, turn you over, I suggest you move in with someone else you love. In another state.
This is my advice to American spouses who are playyng second fiddle to q. Wait until after the election and transfer of power, then just take a trip, so when he comes home, all you women are gone! Or you can hang around someone you can't talk politics or religion with and treats you like a dog, and hope he doesn't become more mentalqly ill.
If trump wins by hook or crook! Win or lose, keep an eye on his early dementia.
Oh, Sharon. I feel so badly for you. I recently read that with the advent of Fox News and the Rush Limbaugh media, there was a definite uptick in hate. Maybe it was Thom who wrote it; if not, maybe he can explain it for us.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lysistrata
I don't understand why seemingly normal people turn into hateful trolls, except that they allow themselves to be drawn into an online or broadcast 'community' of other scared, out of touch, haters.
Maybe they allow themselves to be brainwashed because they don't know how to resist. Maybe an intervention by you and your kids, family, and friends could turn him around
Do you have children? If so how are they affected?
Time to get some help yesterday!
You need to get out of that TOXIC MESS!!
Look up on Youtube "Trump mocks reporter with disability". That disgusting behavior a decade ago says all you need to know about this worthless man. I wouldn't say that all Republicans are cruel though. Some I know are terrified of the world as they perceive it, and that can lead to feelings of helplessness and anger. Individually they are as decent as anyone else. But put them in a group where thinking is not encouraged, whip them up with hate against anyone who is different, and you have a lynch mob.
The MAGA group have other aspects of their hopes and dreams: chaos, greed, and corruption. Obvious examples are the Republicans in the House, on the Supreme Court, and many state legislatures.
Herr Doktor Jung would say: hate trumps love in the MAGA collective subconscious.
The brilliant compassionate Senator Warren said last night: "Trust Donald Trump and JD Vance to look-out for your family? I wouldn't let those guys---I wouldn't trust those guys to move my couch!"
Republican obsession with your family ends at the bedroom door; it just doesn't make it beyond there to the kitchen. If you are lucky enough to have a home, that is.
Denial of the health care expansion is probably the most disgusting thing of all. Blocking every idea to cover Americans is cruel AND stupid. Half the care for twice the price? Stupid!
This Report is so true. How black does your heart have to be to look at Gus and what he said and then think it's OK to disrespect him and his family? These people aren't Republicans. More and more of the real ones are coming out to say they are voting for Harris/Walz. They want no part of Trump and his cult.
Great "couch" reference, Senator W!
Who knew? Elizabeth is another wonderful presidential candidate that got away.
I hope the lesson in all of this is that people need to get out there and try at an earlier age. Senator Warren was 71 when she ran.
I will make one correction to the title of Thom's article. Cruelty isn't the Republicans' final weapon; it is their favorite weapon.
You're right Thom. I heard disability cases -- helped write the regulations for childhood disability. Also prosecuted and defended criminal cases. One of the hallmarks of antisocial behavior is childhood mistreatment of animals. Cat killers. Dog beaters.
But even most MAGATs (to a reasonable degree of probability) love their pets and Trump hates dogs and Vance hates cats. To that group, everything is visceral.
"Trump hates dogs" works. https://rvat.org/
That cruelty will require an outlet after No ember. After the vote, if they lose, there may well be blood but their treasonous acts will be swiftly contained. If they win, there will be a lot more blood, far less easily contained as we March toward an American Reich. Because that is what the flatulent faux orange felon craves, just like the horrific little corporal who caused 60 million deaths in Europe craved 90 years ago. We cannot allow that to happen. They need to be smothered in a blanket of blue votes in November.
I shudder to even THINK of what the cruelty is gonna look like after they lose this November.
THESE are the Good Old Days, folks.
Don't worry, we Got Garland covering our backs! /SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS
Wasn't it nice to see a convention where "JOY" is celebrated?
Love, compassion & joy!!! Since when are they something to be ridiculed & denigrated?
How pathetic & miserable do people have to be to besmirch a young man so overccome with emotion that he tearfully points to the stage & says: "That's my Dad!!!". Quite frankly that is one of the most endearing things that I have ever seen. And it reminded me of the time I was sitting in the stands watching my daughter playing water polo. She made a goal more than 1/2 length of the pool. I jumped up as everyone was cheering & said: " That's my kid!!!!".
That's what people do when they are proud of someone & they want to share that pride!!
So "stuff it" up your's republicans! You wouldn't know a kind deed if it ran into you!
This psychosis of cruelty is rooted in fantasy and illusion. All humans yearn to be a part of something larger than themself. The true source of that larger context is God. However, if you have reduced God, and God's Grace, to superstition, innuendo, and superficial dogmatic concepts, the larger thing that you want to be a part of is actually quite small. When challenged with a more progressive and sensitive awareness of this larger context, the smallness you have nurtured becomes reactive. They actually feel as though their very essence is being questioned. Consequently, they strike out at the intruders and the "other". When this collective belief system becomes a collective psychosis and suddenly is subject to valid questions and facts, the practitioners of this psychosis become dangerous. The telltale signs of this psychosis is a lack of empathy and a broken moral compass. In this time of change and transition, I don't think we can avoid any of this. The Darkness will simply become the petulant child as it makes it way to the exit.
Exactly! And doesn’t it feel goooood?!!!
The People, United, will never be defeated!
Right On!
Tom - “a picture is worth a thousand words”. Just so with the picture you chose. Trump and his minions want to bring darkness, cruelty and civil war. Harris and Walz are offering another path that offers the path of using tax dollars to enhance the lives of everyone, supports a strong defense and will keep the United States as a force to be reckoned with in the support of free people.
There's also religious component to their behavior, and linked to the notion of "original sin".
These Republicans believe they are executing God's will in punishing sinners, and in making people endure suffering before they are deemed worthy.
I believe one of their great joys comes from watching the "unworthy" be "punished".
As a retired educator, my wish for today is simple. Dear Mr. Walz, address your son's disability with the American public, and quote the heartless comments made by the ignorant, bottom feeders on the Right. You will not only help your campaign, but you will also do a great service for the disabled community.
These guys would heckle at the Special Olympics. Too bad they themselves are morally and ethically handicapped.