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८ ऑगस्ट, २०२५
Sunrise — 5:58, 6:00, 6:02.
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पोस्ट्स
१५९ टिप्पण्या:
The family wedding I'm attending in the Pacific Northwest is in a little less than two hours. So far today, my husband and I have taken the young kids of the groom's family on an outing, tidied, done dishes, done laundry, and I've tied the brother-in-law officiant's bow tie and done the flower girl's hair. The real family members all just left our Airbnb and we're relaxing before getting to the wedding venue half an hour early to field any last minute emergencies.
Being folded into this lovely family has been one of the greatest gifts of our lives.
Hope you have an enjoyable, memorable time, Jamie!
Couple of big if true stories I heard about today:
A school system is alleged to be paying for children to have abortions without their parent’s rudimentary notification.
A widely used computer application, among some top major companies, called Workday, is alleged to have discriminated against upwards of 90% of white males over 40 job applicants. The application screens job applicants. The application is said to have taken off after the Gorge Floyd debacle.
What's the address of that school? You know, for reasons.
the school is in fairfax county, a very prog redoubt, a student was on ingraham's show,
the problem with the bounty on Maduro, is one he's just a figurehead for the likes of Cabello, and Padrino made members of the Sun Cartel, who operate in conjunction,
with Sebin, their security service, that TdA, liase with
What’s going to happen to the voting rights act case at the Supreme Court? Are they really going to say the constitution bans racial discrimination in drawing congressional seats?
Oh, I see ... then it's black Democrats murdering black infants, so nobody cares. I guess this is why nobody burnt down that school yet.
... the problem with the bounty on Maduro, is one he's just a figurehead.
I like that Donald Trump has re-instituted Letters of Marque.
There is a lot of value in executing the figureheads. Let's the underlings know what the stakes are.
well black progressives, and future stalinist like we dubois, were fine with that, it's a curious thing,
Jamie- sounds like a nice affair, and I'm sure the whole family appreciates you and husband helping hands.
https://twitchy.com/grateful-calvin/2025/08/08/mark-halperin-interviews-former-fact-checker-glenn-kessler-n2416949
The Black "Burden". Selective-child.
Yellow Females, too. One-child.
A wicked solution.
Lem Vibe Bandit said...
Couple of big if true stories I heard about today:
A school system is alleged to be paying for children to have abortions without their parent’s rudimentary notification.
The school is Centerville HS in Fairfax County, VA. Fairfax is populated wall to wall by denizens of the Deep State, and the voting population is about as hardcore Democrat as they come. According to Laura Ingraham one of the two girls wanted to keep her baby but was browbeaten into acquiescing in the abortion. My wife saw the Principal of Centerville on TV and reports that the principal comes across as a lefty extremist. (“Extremely extremist.”)
Carville calls on Democrats to 'unilaterally' pack Supreme Court, create new blue states 'to save democracy'
"James Carville urged adding Puerto Rico and District of Columbia as states, expanding SCOTUS
Democratic strategist James Carville urged on Wednesday that Democrats open "Pandora’s Box" and execute multiple controversial power grabs to "save democracy," including establishing a permanent electoral majority the next time they gain power.
"The Democrats talk about democracy – the importance of democracy and preserving democracy and saving democracy," Carville said. "Well, the truth of the matter is, people are right when they say this democracy is really imperfect."
Carville listed several perceived imbalances in the current system, including Texas attempting to redraw its congressional districts. He argued that if Democrats can pull off a resounding victory in 2028 – winning the presidency, the Senate, and the House – they should use it to enshrine their power in unprecedented ways.
"They are just going to have to unilaterally add Puerto Rico and District of Columbia states," Carville said.
"They're going to have to do it. They're just going to have to do it. And they may have to expand the [Supreme Court] to 13 members," he said.
While he once would have viewed such actions as politically risky, Carville argued that the Democrats have no other choice in this era of President Donald Trump.
"Any of those things in isolation I would be skeptical about. I would be cautious about. I would say, 'Well, I don't know if that's the greatest idea in the world, you're opening Pandora's Box,’" he said. "If you want to save democracy, I think you got to do all of those things because we just are moving further and further away from being anything close to democracy."
Carville said he was unsure if "it's something that they should talk about during the campaign," but argued it should be a day one priority once Democrats are elected. "
Shorter Carville: 'We have to destroy democracy in order to save it. But we just can't come right out and say it.'
Today Morning Schmo made up for yesterday’s kid-glove treatment of the SecTreas. They interviewed Cong. Mike Lawler (R-NY17), whom they often have on the show. His district is in Westchester County and went for Harris, so he is a very careful R. Normally they have quite civil discussions with him.
Today for whatever reason, Joe and Claire McKaskill just dumped on him. Interruptions, talking over him, etc. And it was about Medicaid cuts of all things. Lawler was showing how Obamacare forced the consolidation and integration of the healthcare industry and caused many of the price problems these guys are blaming Trump for not fixing. Guess they couldn’t let that go out in complete sentences.
I think it’s more they had so much pent up rage from not being able to do it to Bessent.
RR
JSM
https://www.thecollegefix.com/another-upenn-megadonor-yanked-support-over-antisemitism-concerns/
https://www.thecollegefix.com/mit-professor-says-she-spends-a-third-of-working-hours-fighting-trump-terrorism/ how is this different than bir zeit or al azhar,
“Oh, I see ... then it's black Democrats murdering black infants, so nobody cares. I guess this is why nobody burnt down that school yet.”
I suspect that someone is worried that the price of oil for tiki torches is going up.
The latest conspiracy theory is that Bobby Kennedy Jr. is banning MRNA vaccines to spread skepticism about all vaccines. The theory comes from people who spent a lot of energy "debunking conspiracy theories" about COVID coming from a lab leak, COVID not being the Apocalypse, lockdowns not being necessary, paper masks not working, COVID vaccines not preventing people from getting or spreading the disease, COVID vaccines having serious side effects, and Joe Biden being in the pocket of MBNA. But I guess we can trust them this time.
is that t the evil dwarf peter hotez, among them
https://eternallyradicalidea.com/p/these-free-speech-sayings-are-falling
M-5 hallucinating on H&I now.
https://www.coffeeandcovid.com/p/greasy-friday-august-8-2025-c-and oh much worse,
Bill Barr, Swamp Thing.
Ai's who are bereft of ethical boundaries seem to be a thing,
Daestrom's prodigious ego, had bad results
Far left judge Boasberg just got his contempt of court circus cancelled the DC Appeals court. Incredibly, the decision was not 3-0, but 2-1, with an Obama Judge asserting Boasberg had the right to hold the Trump administration in contempt for violating an oral order that the Supreme Court found invalid.
Boasberg had no jurisidiction but wanted to punish DoJ officials for not following his Emperor like pronouncements. Reading the dissenting opinion upholding Boasberg makes it clear Obama/Biden judges wish to use naked judicial power without any restraint to enforce their will and politics.
Judge PIllard is married to Cole, who is legal director of the ACLU. So you have ACLU officals suing the trump administration, and their wives are Judges on the Appeals Court hearing the cases!
Politics makes strange bedfellows.
one thinks of Barr somewhat like Dr Yueh, who made the acquaintance of duke leto, then betrayed him, he wasn't as noble as dr yueh,
Trump completed his seventh peace deal today.
Why didn’t Biden get any peace deals? I thought he was a foreign policy expert. What was his Secretary of State doing?
Astronaut and US Navy Captain Jim Lovell passed away, aged 97. He flew to the moon on Apollo 8, and again as the commander of “successful failure” Apollo 13.
Reading the dissenting opinion upholding Boasberg makes it clear Obama/Biden judges wish to use naked judicial power without any restraint to enforce their will and politics.
Straight up Authoritarianism.
Colorado, one of the seven great western mining states, (full disclosure, I worked underground at Climax and was hired away for a small cut and fill silver mine near Leadville, my Leadville.) before moving on east.
Colorado, from placer gold in Cherry creek to Idaho Springs, to Durango Ouray Telluride (with it’s refractory ore), California gulch, Leadville, and the Cripple Creek bonanza that strained the fixed $35 per ounce price of gold. The government lost.
And there is still gold laying around that only the wise can see. Pick up a pan.
And my poor deluded Colorado is a state full of people whose idea of wealth is buying a Chinese solar panel to reap government subsidy.
as the Captain in Bridges of Toko Ri, said 'where do we find such men' they have not been valued of late,
Narciso, thanks for that link at 5:59.
Here's the interview.
It's kind of a no-brainer for active journalists to brandish their street cred by distancing themselves from the very bad journalists who covered up Biden's cognitive decline. Many of the latter are out of work now.
Halperin is interesting because he was an MSNBC host who said on Morning Joe that Obama "was kind of a dick" at a press conference. He was suspended for 30 days for that comment.
He also suggested in 2016 that there was a way for Trump to win 270 electoral votes. He was derided for that argument, right before the election.
Then he got a me-too pile on, and lost his very lucrative gig. Tried to worm his way in with an anti-Trump book (How To Beat Trump: American's Top Political Strategists On What It Will Take). CNN and NBC refused to promote it.
Now he's rebranded himself as an independent journalist. And he's joined MK Media, a new podcast and video network founded by Megyn Kelly.
There are any number of independent journalists who ought to be doing the Halperin move. Attack the horrible media figures who failed to tell the truth about Biden's incapacity. Although at a certain point, I expect all the journalists who are losing their jobs now will soon realize that a "friendly interview" is not going to happen.
Blood is in the water. WaPo blood.
the elder son of lefty apparatchik Mort Halperin, who did occasionally give the game away, but more often then not, he relayed anonymous slander in two books, both serving to aggrandize the thread bare record of Obama,
kessler, by comparison, is a lower level tove, like some type of annelid worm
The Barr story about arranging visas rings true to me. I don’t know about the rest of it but that part does.
James Woods
@RealJamesWoods
Democrats tortured President Trump for eight long years. Now that they’re running in circles like chickens with their heads cut off, it’s a joy without equal. When they complain, and whine and screech, we smile and look at them with compassion in our hearts, and say,
“TOUGH SHIT”.
Here's the article where Kessler and the WaPo gave the NY Post four pinocchios for producing "cheapfake" videos.
That's reserved for the biggest of all lies.
Interestingly, Kessler attacked the Telegraph as well, while noting "Robert Winnett, a deputy editor of the Telegraph, will become editor of The Washington Post in November."
It doesn't surprise me that Kessler lost his job. He's still got a bad case of TDS, constantly trying to bring up Trump during the interview. A more honest journalist might realize that it would have been 1000% better for the Democrats to have an unbiased media that went after Biden hard for his mental decline. If you pushed him out earlier -- as you should have done -- the Democrats would have had an actual primary, and you would have had a far stronger candidate in 2024.
Deriding conservative media for clipping video frames while 60 Minutes re-edits an interview to make Kamala seem coherent! But of course the really big lie was the pretense that conservatives had to fake videos to show Biden's mental decline.
Kessler's attempt to defend his paper and his own column is kind of horrible. Does he even know why he lost his job?
The other interesting that is that the WaPo usually hides its stuff under a paywall. But that Kessler column where he blows up his reputation? That's a freebie.
Jim Lovell just died, at 97.
Apollo 13 is a fantastic movie. Holds up very well. Way better than The Right Stuff, for instance. Dramatic, fun, informative. I love it.
RIP, astronaut man. You rock.
Thanks Big Mike @ 6:11 pm 👆🏽
No way is that better than “The Right Stuff”.
RIP, Jim Lovell.
Joseph - It's worse than that. Colorado's leftist fascist regulatory state is killing our state... and our fraud gov McFeeMee - removed our rights as tax payers.
The Washington Free Beacon piles on Glenn Kessler.
RIP, Democracy.
I had a bit where Glenn Kessler has his nose firmly planted up Joe Biden's ass. And Joe says, "Tell a lie. Tell another lie. Tell another lie! One more lie!."
Norm MacDonald has a very funny bit about astronauts walking on the moon.
I was just reminded of Bill Barr’s comments regarding the Mar-a-Lago documents case:
“In a 2023 CBS News interview, Bill Barr described the classified documents case against Donald Trump as a grave wrongdoing because it involved Trump allegedly mishandling highly sensitive national security documents after leaving office. Barr emphasized that storing classified materials at Mar-a-Lago, including top-secret files, and reportedly obstructing efforts to retrieve them-like moving documents or misleading investigators-posed a serious threat to national security and was a clear legal violation. He argued the case was straightforward: Trump had no right to keep those documents, and his actions suggested intent to conceal them, which Barr saw as reckless and damaging.”
Also:
“In a 2023 Fox News interview, he downplayed Biden’s case, saying it seemed like an innocent mistake or sloppy record-keeping from his vice presidency, not intentional misconduct.”
Disney decided to settle the Gina Carano lawsuit. Good for her!
Norm 😆
I spent a bunch of time today reading recent economics papers on tariffs. Every single one assumes retaliatory tariffs. None—not a single one—correctly models what happened, …
Same papers Kaka cuts and pastes.
Jim Lovell was a steely-eyed missile man.
Why would anyone be opposed to a census in order to determine how many people are living in the country illegally? Would it be for the same reason one would be opposed to auditing an election in order to determine if there was any fraud in the voting/counting?
"Why would anyone be opposed to a census in order to determine how many people are living in the country illegally?"
The Republicans should be highlighting this; 'Why don't they want you to know?'
President Donald Trump began “yelling” at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a private phone call between the pair late last month, as the president angrily rejected the foreign leader’s claims that reports of starvation in Gaza were fabricated. Well so do all the MAGAS up in here believe Bibi as per their previous comments. (look at em all got cell phones) Going against their King may leave a mark or a quick mea culpa from them MAGA indoctrinated. Watch out for Bondi and DOJ looking for anyone who goes against the King. :(
Took a stagger down Memory Lane. Somehow, I came upon Willy Deville, Mixed Up, Shook up Girl. Oh, so long ago. So long ago. And I thought to look for I Broke That Promise. Oh, my God, that aching ballad of unbearable loss. My Promise. That was so special to me.
So here is what AI had to say;" The lyrics express regret for breaking a significant personal promise, with the narrator acknowledging that while the relationship changed, the fault lies with him, stating "the one who's changing was me".
What would you call that? Artificial Insipidity? Artificial Idiocy?
Argo Doesn't Want Us Anymore.
"Banned from Argo" is classic SF convention "filk" from the 1970s I think, way before I showed up at my first Con anyway.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filk_music
Dinky’s comment at 12:11 illustrates perfectly how poorly the American left understands Trump and the American right.
@Dave Begley, in 1974 have the commencement address at Cal Tech, titled “Cargo Cult Science.” In it, the Nobel Laureate discusses how the the scientific method works, and how to identify when you are looking at something that merely resembles science. You can easily find the text of it online, and it is in his first autobiography “Surely You’re Joking, Mr. Feynman” (available via the Althouse Amazon portal). There is also a YouTube video of him explaining the scientific method to Cal Tech students.
In another thread you mentioned testifying in front of a board of dingbat CAGW believers.. Well, being able to quote one of the smartest physicists America ever produced may just help your case.
What he says is that there is precisely one criterion for evaluating a scientific theory, and it is not the number of scientists who concur, nor the prestige of the scientist who promulgated the theory, nor the complexity of its mathematics, nor the elegance of the mathematics. It is how well does the theory explain real world observations. That’s it. That’s the only criterion for success or failure.
And by that standard CAGW is a bust.
"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God." Matthew 5:9.
Trump is now up to seven peace deals. "I'm averaging one a month." This makes me want to read The Art of the Deal all over again. He is playing to his skills at negotiation. He's a natural at this. He's the Peacemaker-in-Chief.
Thailand and Cambodia
Israel and Iran
Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo
India and Pakistan
Serbia and Kosovo
Egypt and Ethiopia
Azerbaijan and Armenia
And he's still working on that Russia-Ukraine war. He's about to meet up with Putin in Alaska.
I'd like to add that Marco Rubio is an outstanding Secretary of State. My suspicion is that he's a secret force working for a lot of these deals.
It is Hatch Chile season. It only comes but once a year. They are really good in a variety of things, like roasting them and mixing them into some Mac N' Cheese.
Dinky at 12:11. There's no question that Hamas fabricates claims. For instance, the NYT ran a photograph of an emaciated boy in the Gaza strip, claiming it was Israel's fault. A few days later, the NYT acknowledges that the boy had a pre-existing health condition. They send out the original story on their main X account, with tens of millions of followers. They send out the correction on their media account, with thousands of followers.
President Donald Trump began “yelling” at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a private phone call between the pair late last month, as the president angrily rejected the foreign leader’s claims that reports of starvation in Gaza were fabricated.
So, Trump sees a horrific photograph in the NYT. He yells at Netanyahu about it. Israel investigates, and discovers the fraud. And the NYT issues a retraction, grudgingly, on an account that few people see. Are you up to speed now?
Thanks Big Mike!
The thing of it is, is that these dingbats control a $1.5b budget.
That London Times article that Althouse linked to cracks me up.
Trump’s focus may be on convincing a jury of five Norwegian dignitaries that he has fulfilled the criteria outlined in the will of Alfred Nobel.
Oh my God, don't let me be judged by five Norwegians.
"I just gave all my money to the poor."
Five Norwegians: "Not impressed."
"I just invented the electric car.
Five Norwegians: "Not impressed."
"I was just elected president of the USA."
Five Norwegians: "Not impressed."
"And my daddy was from Africa.
Five Norwegians: "Oh my God! You are the one!"
The funniest part of the article is when it warns that Trump "risks falling into a trap by so avidly pursuing a prize."
What's the trap? Acting like Obama!
History has proved a harsher judge of Obama’s foreign policy than the 2009 prize committee, which cited his “extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and co-operation between peoples” when it awarded him the prize less than a year into his presidency.
Obama’s reset of relations with Russia despite its invasion of Georgia in 2008 arguably encouraged the annexation of Crimea in 2014, which in turn created the conditions for the current war in Ukraine. The Obama administration also watched the 2011 Arab Spring ignite civil wars across the Middle East, seemingly powerless to intervene after the misadventures of Iraq.
In particular, Bashar al-Assad’s flagrant violation of Obama’s “red line” over the use of chemical weapons in Syria passed without punishment in 2013, allowing the Syrian dictator to strengthen his grip on the country and bring Russian troops into the Middle East.
“The kiss of death is the early Nobel peace prize,” one European diplomat said. “If Trump was awarded the prize at the end of his term — having been hawkish at the start, when necessary, but seeing it through to negotiated settlements — it would transform the very basis of international relations. If he gets it now, it will be cursed.”
Yeah yeah, play hard to get, you crafty Norwegians! Don't be a Norwegian slut with your prize, all right?
The WMBA appears to be turning into adult content entertainment. If the league doesn't get a handle on the situation soon, the FCC may have to come down hard on a sport that finally seemed to be capturing the imagination of young girls.
Dr. Assad, after that Syrian gig fell through, is now opening up an eye clinic in Russia.
I'm thinking of a sequal to The Marathon Man, except the bad guy is an eye doctor instead of a dentist.
"Is it safe?"
"Stay away from my eyeball! You crazy doctor!"
Thought experiment: If every delegated power were removed from the federal government’s jurisdiction, what powers would it still have the authority to exercise?
Dentists are probably more sadistic than eye doctors. But maybe Dr. Assad can change my mind!
Madtowm @6:11 in reference to Dems court packing and adding states- “Shorter Carville: 'We have to destroy democracy in order to save it. But we just can't come right out and say it.'”
There seems to be considerable confusion, or selective understanding on these pages of our Constitution and democracy itself.
Adding Justices is well within constitutional rules and using Mitch McConnell’s very own logic and history of staying in those constitutional guidelines, makes it fair game.
Granting statehood to Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico would actually fix an undemocratic flaw by giving tax paying citizens equal representation. The only reason statehood hasn’t been granted is because it would not be politically advantageous for the Republican Party.
Also, if one looks outside of the right wing disinformation silo and chooses to accept reality, they would join most of the world who see a very real and present threat to our democracy in real time under the present administration.
<>Also, if one looks outside of the right wing disinformation silo and chooses to accept reality, they would join most of the world who see a very real and present threat to our democracy in real time under the present administration.
This is so unintentionally stupid it is hilarious. I am curious if you are a troll trying to post the dumbest takes possible.
How many countries have nominated Trump for the Nobel peace prize?
You don’t even understand we are a republic. You have no idea what our system of government is, what it was meant to be, and why your post was so stupid.
Let’s start with the basics. Why don’t you compare and contrast a Constitutional Republic with a Democracy for us.
Ronald J. Chuck
In case you were wondering where Chuck gets his handles:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ronald_James_Ward
Saint Croix said...
Dentists are probably more sadistic than eye doctors. But maybe Dr. Assad can change my mind!
People are so quick to judge Assad.
I am not saying I would support very much of what he did.
But I will say that the Christians and other minorities were able to live peacefully in Syria while he was in power and they are being massacred now.
He was definitely better for the country than the current regime.
How much responsibility for the massacred Christians and other minorities do the people who toppled Assad bear? By the way that is Israel. Israel is pretty much 100% responsible for thousands of Syrian Christians getting slaughtered.
Yes, the U.S. is a constitutional republic. That means we operate under a framework of laws that protect individual rights and representation, and those laws are established and changed through democratic processes.
A constitutional republic is not the opposite of democracy — it’s a form of democracy. The fact that our system is representative means we rely on free elections and fair representation to function.
That’s why adding Justices is within the constitutional authority of Congress, and granting statehood to D.C. or Puerto Rico is literally fulfilling the promise of representative government — not destroying it. Denying 4 million U.S. citizens voting representation while taxing them runs directly counter to the principles of both a republic and a democracy.
A wonderful thing to encounter this early morning:
Achilles taking a cleaver to Ward’s contention, leaving him wallying in a mess only young Theodore could dream up.
On account of it being so fundaMENTAL.
Keldonric said...
Thought experiment: If every delegated power were removed from the federal government’s jurisdiction, what powers would it still have the authority to exercise?
First you have to define the source of delegating authority and you have to define the list of powers delegated.
If you are using the Constitution as the delegating authority that list is very short. Is that where you wish to start?
If you are using the Voters as the source of delegating authority or the States you are entering a different discussion.
If you want to get into a real discussion about the resulting social contract and get to why our current government is the way it is you must first understand why the United States was unique in history and why the world's ruling class has been trying to corrupt it since it was formed.
The last few times we were poop or get off the pot Puerto Rico the people told us nonono but keep the money coming. How they gonna square that circle except for the Democrat School of Inconsistency?
I get the impression they feel entitled to Hawaiian judge status, bribes and all…
I haven’t seen any commentary of Robert Mueller being placed into a Memory Care facility. Maybe he’s looking for a roommate …. from Delaware.
A real source of inspiration for vermin Chuck, boatbuilder.
Re: Syria. Israel or Turkey? A Syrian Spring.
Another civil war a la Ukraine, Libya, etc.
Ronald J. Ward said...
Yes, the U.S. is a constitutional republic. That means we operate under a framework of laws that protect individual rights and representation, and those laws are established and changed through democratic processes.
Ooh today is going to be fun.
A constitutional republic is not the opposite of democracy — it’s a form of democracy. The fact that our system is representative means we rely on free elections and fair representation to function.
Actually the oft stated goal of creating a Constitutional Republic was to limit the power of Democracy. There is no worse ruler than 51% of the people. You are inadvertently demonstrating this with your attempts at reason here as I will demonstrate.
That’s why adding Justices is within the constitutional authority of Congress, and granting statehood to D.C. or Puerto Rico is literally fulfilling the promise of representative government — not destroying it. Denying 4 million U.S. citizens voting representation while taxing them runs directly counter to the principles of both a republic and a democracy.
I agree with all of this. When we add DC we also need to split California, Washington State, New York State, Oregon, and Colorado into 2-4 states each. There are millions of people who do not feel well represented by Adam Schiff or Patty Murry.
Then we should have Trump nominate 22 more justices and the Republicans t confirm them. Heck lets just go for an even 100.
But of course you will object because you don't give a shit about representation. You only care about power.
The purpose of people reaching consensus and creating a social contract/government is to create a governing authority that will balance between the needs of the individual and the needs of the society. Society is shaped by the pressures the social contract places on each individual.
We have our current 50 states and 9 justices because the most people in the country came to a loose consensus on this number.
You want to disrupt this consensus because you are a bitch, you are losing elections, and you want to seize power.
Adding a couple states and packing the court would only be a short term solution for you. You are still a minority and you will eventually just have the majority do the same thing back.
So, Ronald James Ward was a misogynist and mass murderer. Selfie-aborted a la Epstein, perhaps, while incarcerated in 2014. Small world.
If PR became a state, how long would it stay Democrat? Wouldn't its population follow the trend of other US Hispanic groups and edge Republican? Especially after the shock of having to pay federal income tax?
Maybe John Henry can weigh in.
As for DC, we already pay federal income tax. But we don't have a tax base that comes anywhere near being able to support ourselves as a state. Or even enough of a population to staff a state government. So many DC municipal employees even now live outside the District. Fedgov currrently provides most state-level services and a lot of county-level services. A State of DC would have to simultaneously be a state, county, and city, on its own dime. Yes, the statehood advocates anticipate a permanent D majority in Congress, which would just write blank checks for DC. But any time the Rs manage to get one house, or the presidency, there would be a reversion to "let them pay for it themselves." Middle-class flight (of all colors) would accelerate, to MD and VA, where it might turn them R and result in a net loss of Senators.
RR
JSM
A democratic system is a direct rule by the majority. Not exactly a social framework to be celebrated.
Achilles — I’ll take the agreement on the constitutional authority as progress. That’s the key point: Congress has the power to change the size of the Court and admit new states, whether people like the political outcome or not.
The rest of your comment drifts into extremes and hypotheticals that aren’t on the table. Splitting states or adding 100 Justices isn’t being proposed by anyone serious — adding D.C. or Puerto Rico is a real proposal aimed at ending taxation without representation for millions of U.S. citizens.
We can debate whether that’s politically wise, but calling it unconstitutional or anti-republic is simply not accurate.
Eva Marie said...
I was just reminded of Bill Barr’s comments regarding the Mar-a-Lago documents case:
“In a 2023 CBS News interview, Bill Barr described the classified documents case against Donald Trump as a grave wrongdoing because it involved Trump allegedly mishandling highly sensitive national security documents after leaving office. Barr emphasized that storing classified materials at Mar-a-Lago, including top-secret files, and reportedly obstructing efforts to retrieve them-like moving documents or misleading investigators-posed a serious threat to national security and was a clear legal violation. He argued the case was straightforward: Trump had no right to keep those documents, and his actions suggested intent to conceal them, which Barr saw as reckless and damaging.”
Bill Barr is pretty clearly a traitor and he was part of many discussions that involved open sedition.
Bill Barr knew about the Jackson ruling in the Clinton Sock Drawer case. When he made this quote he knew he was lying and he knew what the court rulings on this subject.
Bill Barr is one of the most evil people in DC.
Ethnic Springs, including: Egypt, Turkey, Sudan, etc. The Obama years were Planned with Diverse "burdens".
"The only reason statehood hasn’t been granted is because it would not be politically advantageous for the Republican Party."
Not true. First of all, the Constitution provides for the existence of a federal district, so D.C. could not be made a state the way P.R. or Guam could. But even more important, the country as a whole would see D.C. statehood as completely unfair and unwarranted. Why would other states support diluting their own representation in the Senate and the Electoral College in order to confer statehood on an area of a few square miles and a few hundred thousand people, and that was expressly created to serve as a federal district? They wouldn't, except to benefit the democrats politically. In other words, take the partisan aims out of it and the case for D.C. statehood completely evaporates.
Oh, I hope ann althouse woke up today!
Ronald J. Ward said...
Achilles — I’ll take the agreement on the constitutional authority as progress. That’s the key point: Congress has the power to change the size of the Court and admit new states, whether people like the political outcome or not.
The rest of your comment drifts into extremes and hypotheticals that aren’t on the table. Splitting states or adding 100 Justices isn’t being proposed by anyone serious — adding D.C. or Puerto Rico is a real proposal aimed at ending taxation without representation for millions of U.S. citizens.
We can debate whether that’s politically wise, but calling it unconstitutional or anti-republic is simply not accurate.
There are millions of people in the states mentioned that want out of their current states. There are more people in California that want a new state or to join Nevada than live in Puerto Rico.
If you are serious about making the government more representative and more effective in meeting the desires of the people then you must accept and validate the views of people who disagree with you.
I understand and accept why you want to add 2 States and pack the courts.
You refuse to understand why millions of people in California want out of California.
The only thing you are revealing here is that you do not care about consensus or governing.
You only care about power.
john mosby said...
As for DC, we already pay federal income tax. But we don't have a tax base that comes anywhere near being able to support ourselves as a state. Or even enough of a population to staff a state government. So many DC municipal employees even now live outside the District.
So lets just put out the real reason DC is not a state and is instead a District: The States were afraid it would be too powerful and dominate the country.
7 out of 10 of the wealthiest counties in the country border or are within 50 miles if DC.
They failed.
I think this is a good idea. Hope it's not a violation of the Althouse rules to post this in the comments.
"It’s time for an an anti-communist film festival.
Conservatives have been complaining about Hollywood for decades, yet the right has struggled, through lack of will or lack of money, to make movies promoting freedom and revealing the evils of socialism. The answer? Hold an anti-Communist film festival."
Follow this link for more information and consider donating.
https://gofund.me/19f879fc
I went down a revenge tag rabbit hole this morning, and I found...
Michael Cohen.
He's doing some kind of Zoom call and they keep putting a turkey on his face. And he gets madder and madder. It's hilarious.
The framers knew to keep DC out of statehood.
There is an interesting Nick Fuentes redemption arc going on right now.
For people who may not be aware Nick Fuentes just obliterated Tucker Carlson and Candace Owens as well.
People are starting to notice they have been lied to about a great many things.
Was Republican congressman Cory Mills right to tell the reigning Miss United States that he'd release revenge porn and attack her future boyfriends? Probably not. But it marks an encouraging development in the return of American masculinity.
Funny story.
https://x.com/i/status/1954153111150346586
There is an interesting Nick Fuentes redemption arc going on right now.
It's not interesting. Racism is boring and stupid. He's taking isolated incidents and bad-mouthing a billion people he doesn't know. Who has time for that shit?
The only thing you are revealing here is that you do not care about consensus or governing.
Yep.
Achilles, you're going to rah-rah Assad and Nick Fuentes in the same thread?
Trump was elected as part of a backlash to high grocery prices. Here's why raising those grocery prices with tariffs is a political masterstroke. ~ Achilles
I find I have nothing to say about much of what is going on. Trump is doing what he promised and it will work - but it takes time. I have to wait.
I feel something like this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5hid10EgMXE
"Splitting states or adding 100 Justices isn’t being proposed by anyone serious"
Movement ~ Estimated Population Involved
Greater Idaho Movement (Eastern Oregon, CA, WA) ~148,000
Western Maryland to West Virginia (3 counties) ~ 252,614
Southern/Upstate Illinois to Indiana ~ 1,200,000
Southern Tier New York to Pennsylvania ~ 629,791
Rural Minnesota counties to South Dakota ~ 200,000
Total ~ 2,616,338
So- over 2 1/2 million unserious people.
Here's why raising those grocery prices with tariffs is a political masterstroke.
One of the most amazing things about the Trump administration is that he's figured out how to raise taxes and make it popular. Tariffs are taxes. The way Trump sold his increase on taxes, is that other people would be taxed. Foreigners.
You'd think Democrats would be totally on board with this. But they hate Trump so much, they even hate his tax-raising ideas.
Meanwhile, Trump is bringing in lots more money to the government, and all the negative consequences of higher taxes have yet to be seen. He's negotiating deals with foreign powers to open up their markets and strengthen the American economy.
I am confident that Trump will quit having deficits during his presidency. It's really an amazing accomplishment. He's putting us on a much stronger economic footing than we had under Biden. Not even close.
"As for DC, we already pay federal income tax. But we don't have a tax base that comes anywhere near being able to support ourselves as a state. Or even enough of a population to staff a state government. So many DC municipal employees even now live outside the District. Fedgov currrently provides most state-level services and a lot of county-level services. A State of DC would have to simultaneously be a state, county, and city, on its own dime."
DC should simply be folded back into Maryland.
Dogma — I’m not advocating for or against statehood; I responded to a claim about constitutionality. The Constitution does require a federal district, but it doesn’t prohibit Congress from redefining its boundaries or granting statehood to the remaining area — which is how most proposals handle D.C., by carving out a small federal district around the core government buildings and admitting the rest as a state. That approach has been reviewed by legal scholars across the spectrum and found to be constitutionally plausible, even if politically divisive.
Achilles — Same with the Court: I haven’t called for adding Justices or for splitting states, only pointed out that both are within Congress’s constitutional authority. Whether one supports those moves or not is a political question; the constitutional authority isn’t in dispute.
Where I think we differ is that I see ending taxation without voting representation — whether in D.C., Puerto Rico, or anywhere else — as consistent with both the principles of a republic and a democracy. We can disagree on whether it’s wise policy, but it’s not about “seizing power” so much as addressing an imbalance the Constitution gives Congress the ability to fix.
"You'd think Democrats would be totally on board with this. But they hate Trump so much, they even hate his tax-raising ideas."
They hate the idea that he's demonstrating that problems politicians have been saying forever are difficult to solve turn out not to be when more of an effort is put into solving them than into looting the treasury for their personal benefit.
And yes, many Republicans are guilty of this, too.
Interesting observation Mason. When Trump won, I predicted they use Steve Bannon’s playbook to “flood the zone with shit” while the billionaires went for the jugular. I’d say I hit that nail on the head.
Interesting group these Republicans are when it comes to looting. Remember Biden's final state of the union address, where he said; "there are republicans who want to cut Medicare and Medicaid"?
Now, remember how all the Republicans booed, MTG stood up and yelled 'liar', Sen Mike Lee stood up shaking his head 'no'.
Well, every single one of them voted to cut Medicare and Medicaid.
I don't think anyone ever told you this. Sometimes, when you get an idea in your head, the wise move is to just keep it there and not share.
kak and ward cleaver know that what passes for their lefty “leaders” have formed a Special Club, with laws and rules that apply only to outsiders. What is amusing is that they, themselves, think THEY are members, as well.
Highlarious!
Saint Croix said...
Achilles, you're going to rah-rah Assad and Nick Fuentes in the same thread?
Are going to have an adult perspective?
Or will you continue to act like a juvenile that cannot think for himself and must straw man other people?
Ronald J. Ward said...
Dogma — I’m not advocating for or against statehood; I responded to a claim about constitutionality. The Constitution does require a federal district, but it doesn’t prohibit Congress from redefining its boundaries or granting statehood to the remaining area — which is how most proposals handle D.C., by carving out a small federal district around the core government buildings and admitting the rest as a state. That approach has been reviewed by legal scholars across the spectrum and found to be constitutionally plausible, even if politically divisive.
Achilles — Same with the Court: I haven’t called for adding Justices or for splitting states, only pointed out that both are within Congress’s constitutional authority. Whether one supports those moves or not is a political question; the constitutional authority isn’t in dispute.
Where I think we differ is that I see ending taxation without voting representation — whether in D.C., Puerto Rico, or anywhere else — as consistent with both the principles of a republic and a democracy. We can disagree on whether it’s wise policy, but it’s not about “seizing power” so much as addressing an imbalance the Constitution gives Congress the ability to fix
What taxes do people in Puerto Rico pay? Do you know?
You should probably look that up before using that as an argument.
Kakistocracy said...
Trump was elected as part of a backlash to high grocery prices. Here's why raising those grocery prices with tariffs is a political masterstroke. ~ Achilles
Except inflation is back to normal now.
It is fun to watch you flail like an idiot. You don't even know what causes inflation. You can't even define inflation. Let me help you out:
Inflation is when the money supply increases relative to the supply of goods and services available.
Taxes raise the cost of goods. Tariffs raise the cost of goods.
That is not inflation. You are a moron.
Saint Croix said...
There is an interesting Nick Fuentes redemption arc going on right now.
It's not interesting. Racism is boring and stupid. He's taking isolated incidents and bad-mouthing a billion people he doesn't know. Who has time for that shit?
You should actually go see what he says.
He is having some interesting conversations with Black people right now.
You are acting like a child.
Achilles — Yes, I’m aware Puerto Rico residents generally don’t pay federal income tax on income earned on the island, but they do pay other federal taxes — including payroll taxes (Social Security, Medicare), federal excise taxes, import/export taxes, and certain business and investment taxes. Many serve in the U.S. military and contribute in ways beyond taxes as well.
The broader point remains: they are U.S. citizens subject to federal laws, they pay into federal programs, and yet they have no voting representation in Congress and no vote in presidential elections unless they move to a state. That’s a representation gap the Constitution gives Congress the power to address, whether through statehood or another political solution.
Ronald J. Ward said...
Achilles — Yes, I’m aware Puerto Rico residents generally don’t pay federal income tax on income earned on the island, but they do pay other federal taxes — including payroll taxes (Social Security, Medicare), federal excise taxes, import/export taxes, and certain business and investment taxes. Many serve in the U.S. military and contribute in ways beyond taxes as well.
The broader point remains: they are U.S. citizens subject to federal laws, they pay into federal programs, and yet they have no voting representation in Congress and no vote in presidential elections unless they move to a state. That’s a representation gap the Constitution gives Congress the power to address, whether through statehood or another political solution.
They are free to move to Florida. Or any other State. We have settled on the number of States at 50 and the number of justices at 9. If you want to change those numbers then lets have an honest discussion about changing those numbers.
The people of Puerto Rico have the exact same set of arguments for becoming a state that the people of Eastern Oregon have. If you want to allow Puerto Rico in then your only consistent position is to allow rural citizens in states like California to escape the tyranny of the blue city states that use illegal immigrants to pad their census numbers.
But you are not arguing for consistency. You are arguing for more power. That is why you fail.
Original Mike: “ DC should simply be folded back into Maryland”
Yes, this would solve the taxation/representation argument. MD would also get one, maybe two additional D House seats out of it. But no new Senators would be created. A compromise worthy of AP History essays for ages to come.
I would leave a very small footprint as a federal district - basically the Mall plus the diplomatic quarter. Not too many people would live in it - if you really wanted to give them representation, you could treat them like soldiers who live on base or park rangers who live in Yellowstone - they all get to vote in the states their federal reservation was carved out of.
You still need at least some no-state-thugs-allowed zone to keep the federal government from being seized. That was the framers’ rationale, and even though modern weapons make the situation a bit different, the same principle applies.
RR
JSM
"...Well, every single one of them voted to cut Medicare and Medicaid...."
Which bill was that they voted on, again please? What were the 'cuts', again?
Achilles — You’re debating positions I haven’t taken. I haven’t argued for or against statehood, court expansion, or blocking rural areas from forming new states. My point has been to clarify what the Constitution allows Congress to do in each case.
We can certainly debate the wisdom of those actions, but it’s important not to misstate what’s been said. Whether we’re talking about Puerto Rico, Eastern Oregon, or anywhere else, the constitutional mechanism is the same: Congress has the authority. Whether they should use it is a separate conversation.
Aggie, you know the bill. And you know ‘cutting waste and fraud’ was the sales pitch — the reality was higher eligibility ages and lower reimbursements. Cuts by any other name still cut.
Morton Halperin was famous for something or other, but I never figured out for what. There was some rightwing agitation about him, but he wasn't as straightforward a leftist as Marcus Raskin, was he?
Ronald J. Ward said...
Achilles — You’re debating positions I haven’t taken. I haven’t argued for or against statehood, court expansion, or blocking rural areas from forming new states. My point has been to clarify what the Constitution allows Congress to do in each case.
We can certainly debate the wisdom of those actions, but it’s important not to misstate what’s been said. Whether we’re talking about Puerto Rico, Eastern Oregon, or anywhere else, the constitutional mechanism is the same: Congress has the authority. Whether they should use it is a separate conversation.
What we are arguing about is the way we form a consensus and agree to a social contract.
You know exactly what Carville was trying to do and you know specifically why people disagree with what he said. You want to pretend that we don't understand something therefor you should be in charge.
What I did is show that you do not actually mean what you say. You are the one in an information silo. Your words and goals do not match.
You are fundamentally dishonest.
To be clear, I was quoting MadtownGuy’s summary of Carville’s comments — not endorsing those proposals myself. My focus has been on clarifying what the Constitution allows regarding court expansion and statehood, separate from any political advocacy.
they would join most of the world who see a very real and present threat to our democracy in real time under the present administration.
You know what? I'm past the point of where I give a shit about your precious 'democracy.'
Fuck off.
There it is again from Jim and it seems to becoming more frequent. We’ve seem this movie too often- Trump didn’t say he’d be a dictator to- Well, maybe he said it but didn’t mean it to- Okay, maybe he meant it to, well, a dictatorship might not be all that bad.
According to my recent trip to Costco, inflation is not on the way. It's already here.
No one has pricing power like Costco. They refuse to buy products from manufacturers if the price isn't right. The only other retailer with similar influence is Walmart, which has already admitted to raising prices.
So when Achilles says tariffs are working — he means taxes on American consumers and businesses. Then sure — tariffs are working….
This is Trump’s full quote:
“Except for Day 1. … I want to close the border, and I want to drill, drill, drill. … We love this guy [Hannity]. He says, ‘You’re not going to be a dictator, are you?’ I said, ‘No, no, no, other than Day 1.’ We’re closing the border, and we’re drilling, drilling, drilling. After that, I’m not a dictator, OK?”
This has been commented on before so RJM, you should know this.
You say you fear Trump’s presidency will not be good for the US and you further have said your goal is to convince Trump supporters that they are wrong.
If that was really your goal, you wouldn’t misrepresent what President Trump said. You wouldn’t quote just part of a statement because that shows bad faith. It undermines your arguments and it undermines your stated goal.
If you really believed Trump was the wrong man to lead our country, then you would tailor your arguments to Trump supporters. You don’t do that. In my opinion you and many other anti Trumpers get an emotional thrill in criticizing Trump in a way that would only appeal to other anti Trumpers..
If the leaders of the Democrats Party felt as you do, they would have supported a better candidate than Joe Biden in stead of a much worse candidate - Kamala Harris. Your anger should be directed at them. They let you down. They don’t care about you or any other Democrat. But they encourage your anger at Donald Trump because that way things don’t change and they get to stay close to power. If Democrats had let rank and file Democrats choose their candidate, RFK might well have been our President today . But he would be as much for changing geriatric Washington as President Trump is. And that would have been a problem for our Democrat (and Republican) elites. So keep on keeping on if you never want Democrats to change. You keep your leaders happy that way.
Eva, I get that context matters and the full quote should be considered. Still, even with that context, the casual way Trump joked about being a “dictator” on Day 1 raises concerns about his regard for democratic norms.
More importantly, it’s about broader patterns — like repeated attacks on the press, challenges to institutional checks and balances, defiance of court orders, and politicizing government agencies — that together raise serious alarm bells.
Context can help explain words, but it doesn’t erase the bigger picture. That’s why many have real concerned.
kakscheisser®
When you don’t quote the whole statement and when you play a gotcha game you are only playing to your choir. You aren’t changing any minds which you say is your purpose. You’re having fun (which is fine) but you’re not advancing your stated goal.
" the casual way Trump joked about being a “dictator” on Day 1 raises concerns about his regard for democratic norms."
Bullshit. Only for people looking to find fault. And if signing EOs makes a president a dictator, well- Obama and Biden signed plenty.
I get that context matters and the full quote should be considered.
Still, you misrepresented the quote and context like a liar. We recognize the pattern and are not impressed. Your side made it clear there are not good people on both sides, even with Nazis and white supremacists are explicitly excluded. We know what side we are on, and we excluded the Nazis and white supremacist. Your side wants to maintain illegal labor to pick your crops.
You should actually go see what he says.
I gave your link about 5 or 10 minutes of my life. I've had more productive shits in a shorter time frame.
You are acting like a child.
You are acting like a white supremacist who's hitting on AOC at a single's bar and gets shot down.
Eva, I’m not here to win over every die-hard on either side. But I think it’s worth noting that concern over authoritarian drift isn’t coming just from partisan opponents — it’s been raised by constitutional scholars, retired military leaders, and even some conservatives who’ve served in past Republican administrations.
Whether you see Trump’s “dictator for a day” comment as a joke or not, it fits into a larger, documented pattern:
Publicly undermining the legitimacy of elections.
Openly defying lawful court orders.
Pressuring officials to change certified results.
Using government power to target political opponents.
Context matters for quotes, sure. But context matters even more for patterns — and these patterns are what ring alarm bells in a healthy democracy. That’s the discussion I’m aiming for.
“Publicly undermining the legitimacy of elections.”
Hillary Clinton and every Democrat official who kept finding ballots to count after an election.
“Pressuring officials to change certified results.”
Not true of Trump. Al Gore 2020
“Using government power to target political opponents.”
At a minimum the debanking of conservatives - including President Trump as admitted to by the President of Bank of America
Context matters for quotes, sure. But context matters even more for patterns — and these patterns are what ring alarm bells in a healthy democracy.”
Absolutely true. Democrats should stop. Especially the 51 former intelligence officials who interfered with our elections by implying the Hunter laptop was Russian disinformation- which they knew was untrue.
Why would the actions of elected Democrats convince any Trump supporter not to support Trump?
O yeah, I missed one:
“Openly defying lawful court orders.”
Biden’s student loan forgiveness plan.
If Trump was so unqualified, why did Democrat leaders hand pick Kamala Harris as their candidate? Democrats, fix your Democrat Party. But that’s hard work as we Republicans can attest to. We Republicans have still not removed from office all the entrenched do nothing Republicans. But we are working on it.
Forget it, Eva, you're wasting your time. The left isn't interested in anything except regaining power. And if that means imprisoning an opponent with made-up laws or just killing him outright, they're okay with that.
Fuentes is on team AOC.
And here we arrive at what I think is the crux of the matter: Rank and file democrats have lost all hope of having a vibrant Democrat Party that actually reflects Democrats. So they put all of their hopes in Republicans choosing a candidate Democrats could vote for. That’s where the anger originates. Mobilize that anger into something constructive and fix the Democrat Party.
A candidate Democrats could vote for? Like this, maybe?
"When I took office, I committed to fixing this broken immigration system. And I began by doing what I could to secure our borders. Today, we have more agents and technology deployed to secure our southern border than at any time in our history. And over the past six years, illegal border crossings have been cut by more than half." - Barack Obama
https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/node/309036#
Well, Trump's got that covered now. You had your chance, Dems.
It's as I thought. Bad Faith arguments do not rate the merits of anybody's attention.
Fuentes is on team AOC.
I think it would make a darkly funny rom-com, with the right-wing racist man trying to woo the left-wing racist girl. And she hates him.
In the movie, AOC is a bartender. And NIck is a big fan. "You're more America First than 99% of Republicans!"
AOC: "Get away from me. We have nothing in common."
And then that song Breakfast at Tiffany's starts to play. Except now it's got racist lyrics.
You'll say, we've got nothing in common.
No common ground to start from.
And we're falling apart.
You'll say, the world has come between us
Our lives have come between us
Still I know you just don't care
And I said, what about our hatred of Israel?
She said, I hate them too.
As I recall, we really hate the Zionists
And I said, well, that's one thing we got.
(Here we should intercut a black and white photograph of Nazis and Commies shaking hands).
And the song cuts out. And we're back to reality. And AOC says, "Quit drinking my vodka, you drunk racist bastard. Go home!"
And Nick Fuentes staggers out of the bar, singing Just a Gigolo. Except now it's got racist lyrics.
I'm just a white supremacist
and everywhere I piss
people know the part I'm playing...
It would be like Hamilton, except funny and good.
Eva Marie: if they could have presented a viable canditate, why not?
If they could have presented a viable platform, why not?
Don't let your preening, narcissistic identity vote for you. Vote for the best platform. Capice? You people are so sad. If a trustworthy, rational, Democrat appeared on the scene, I'd consider them. And I wouldn't make it all about me.
Pathetic and Deluded is no way go through life. Have the guts to make the right choices, not the politically correct ones. I've voted for local Democrats who get the job done. You're just hysterical. Exactly how many hours have you actually worked in politics? I estimate, at this point, when I have less productive time, at 700 hours. So stuff your attitude.
Eva, I’m not suggesting Democrats are immune from criticism — every administration has had overreach, and some of what you listed deserves honest scrutiny. But what troubles me is when the response to one side’s misconduct is to excuse or normalize worse misconduct on the other side. That’s how democratic guardrails get weaker for everyone.
On the Biden/student loan point — the Supreme Court ruled against his first plan, and the current plan is based on a different legal authority (the Higher Education Act) . You can disagree with the policy, but it’s not “defying” the Court’s order unless it’s the same plan after a ruling, which it isn’t.
Same goes for Al Gore — in 2000, he conceded after the legal process concluded, even though it was one of the tightest elections in U.S. history. He didn’t ask state officials to “find” votes or send fake electors.
And while you raise concerns about Democrats, that doesn’t erase the pattern we’ve seen under Trump — repeated attacks on the press, courts, and elections, combined with loyalty tests and threats toward officials who don’t toe the line.
If the concern is protecting democracy, then the standard should be applied consistently, no matter who’s in power. That’s where I’m coming from.
“Don't let your preening, narcissistic identity vote for you. Vote for the best platform. Capice? You people are so sad. If a trustworthy, rational, Democrat appeared on the scene, I'd consider them. And I wouldn't make it all about me.”
You’ve misunderstood me.
This is what I wrote:
“If Democrats had let rank and file Democrats choose their candidate, RFK might well have been our President today . But he would be as much for changing geriatric Washington as President Trump is. And that would have been a problem for our Democrat (and Republican) elites.” Had he been the candidate, I very well could have voted for him and I certainly wouldn’t have been unhappy if he was elected.
RJW, for me the most important issue was securing our border. President Trump delivered.(And if RFK wouldn’t have made this his priority, then no I wouldn’t have voted for him.)
Eva, I get that border security is a major priority for you — and it’s fair to want a president to act on the issues you care about most. My concern is when we decide that a single policy preference outweighs the health of democratic norms altogether.
Authoritarian patterns don’t suddenly become safe just because we like the leader’s policies. History shows that once those guardrails are gone, no one’s priorities are secure — not even border security.
If RFK or any other candidate had shown the same pattern of undermining elections, pressuring officials, and disregarding limits on power, I’d be raising the same red flags.
For me, the bigger picture is: how do we protect the system that allows us to debate and choose policies in the first place?
“For me, the bigger picture is: how do we protect the system that allows us to debate and choose policies in the first place?”
We have no system without secure borders. And the Democrat leaders (and some Republican leaders as well) were 100% against a secure border. A majority of Democrat and Republican voters wanted a secure border. Again, if Donald Trump was such a threat, why didn’t the Democrats in power fix this one thing? Even Kamala Harris might have won then.
Eva, that statement about Democrats being “100% against a secure border” is simply not supported by history, legislation, or the facts on the ground. It’s a talking point pushed by Trump and right-wing media, but it falls apart under scrutiny.
Both Obama and Biden had strong enforcement records—Obama was even criticized by immigration advocates for his high deportation numbers. U.S. border policy under presidents of both parties has been far more alike than different.
It’s also important to remember: under U.S. and international law, we are legally obligated to process asylum seekers who meet certain criteria. The majority arriving under Biden fell into that category—meaning they weren’t “illegal” at all.
Republicans recently had a border bill that was essentially a GOP wish list, with major Democratic concessions. They killed it—not because it was weak, but because Trump told them closing the border before November wouldn’t be politically advantageous. That’s not prioritizing security—that’s prioritizing politics over solutions.
Trump’s own record of his first term also tells a different story. Illegal immigration never stopped under his watch, but legal immigration suffered. He cut off lawful pathways to citizenship, ended aid to Central America, and imposed sanctions on countries like Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua—policies that actually drove more people to the border.
His “Remain in Mexico” policy left about 70,000 asylum seekers (again—legally seeking entry) stranded in dangerous border towns, where many were kidnapped, raped, or killed. That was a humanitarian disaster, not a security success.
So, when we look at the whole record, the reality is that both parties have supported strong border security at times—and both have also made political choices that worsened the situation. The facts just don’t match the claim that Democrats oppose it.
The reality is that we now have a secure border thanks to Donald Trump.
I’m not so sure that the boarder is actually anymore secure or if we’ve become a place of terror that immigrants and asylum seekers no longer feel to be a safe refuge- even for those with a visa in hand.
I can see and appreciate how some can consider that a win- whatever it takes.
Foreign tourism to the U.S. has also tanked in 2025 with Canada flights to the U.S. crashing by about 70–76% in March 2025 compared with 2024. The UK, Germany, South Korea—all down. It’s not about airfare or weather. It’s about how the world sees us.
Funny thing is… this kind of international withdrawal has happened before—most notably in Germany, during the rise of fascism in the 1930s.
When a country starts turning inward, vilifying outsiders, and building a cult around a single “strongman,” the world tends to back away.
History doesn’t always repeat—but it sure knows how to rhyme.
If anyone’s got another explanation, I’m listening.
By "outsiders", do you mean illegal immigrants? Yeah, equating Trump to Hitler might be able certain would be tourists hesitant.
Jupiter,
There are some great late career Willy DeVille concerts on ewe toob. He played some good slide guitar too.
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