Eri

Happy IWD! I meant to comment on this earlier and it probably is too DEI but to hell with Trump! 😄 Shining a light on gender equality is the name of the game before the day ends: A 19-year-old mechanic in Nigeria who maintains the water supply A ground-breaking jazz guitarist from Sudan Deep-sea diving women in their 60s from South Korea A watermelon vendor in Indonesia who at 82 is her family's main bread winner A Slovak astrobiologist and analog astronaut who simulates space issues on Earth A Filipino sweet sweeper turned environmentalist A Balinese divorcee turned women's support advocate These are some examples of a neat photo exhibit "Iconic Women: From Everyday Life to Global Heroes," on display at the Muhammad Ali Center in Louisville, Kentucky. The portrait shots are amazing! https://www.npr.org/sections/goats-and-soda/2025/03/08/g-s1-51921/international-womens-day-photos-muhammad-ali-center

Republicans have a history of putting unqualified black or POC in power so when they screw up, people think it's because they're black or POC, not because they're Republicans - they do the same with women. Think of all the minority or women candidates they've put forth in the last 15-20 years. The most clownish of clowns.

I agree with this; I thought this country might finally be mature enough to handle a woman president...apparently not (but they can somehow accept the HIGHLY EMOTIONAL and VOLATILE actions of a manchild and his bulldog) - make it make sense! :( I really like Wes Moore - no major skeletons in the closet as far as I've seen. He's young but well educated He doesn't want to control my body He's a military veteran He's worked on Wall Street He's an author Has a healthy marriage Overall seems well rounded and liked by moderates Interested in progressive policies Very people-oriented and generally likable He just needs more time in office to get the experience to know the game. He's one of the stronger Democratic governors right now in battleground states next to Shapiro, Kelly and Beshear. He also assigned the Maryland National Guard to North Carolina after Hurricane Helene (which stood out to me) so he's willing to help his neighbors even if they hate him. Maxwell Frost said it best: "Democrats, number one, you have to make a decision. Are you gonna be the minority, or are you gonna be the opposition? You travel the world and you see that parties, when they're not in power in government, they're not called the minority party. They're called the opposition party, and they think that's what we need. We are sleepwalking as a country towards an authoritarian government and losing our democracy in a constitutional crisis. And authoritarians and neo fascists come to power throughout history when there is no real opposition. And so we have to be the opposition as Democrats in Congress." Why Dems can't agree on this as a coalition bloc, I don't know, but they need to find their footing on that question and soon. It's precisely why I'm tired of them throwing up their hands saying they no longer have the House or Senate. So what!? Even if they don't have legislative power anymore doesn't mean they don't have political power and they need to be using it to the fullest extent of their abilities. None of them should be working with Republicans on ANYTHING. Not while they're confirming unqualified candidates, killing jobs and funding to institutions they dislike, whitewashing history, and censuring politicians who dares to speak out against this madness. And certainly not with this impending spending bill/govt shutdown looming.

Haha! The White House has really struggled to explain what lane Musk is occupying because they continue to say, he's the "face"/ "head" of DOGE whilst he is working side by side with cabinet members who have only been in office for a couple of days/weeks. They convened the cabinet this week specifically to tell them very publicly that they, not Musk, are in charge of cuts at their agencies, and that Musk is only serving in an advisory role (on paper). In that same statement to the press, the president says "if they don't cut, then Elon will do the cutting." Kind of the opposite message. Who has the final say here when it comes to the federal workforce? TBD! Oh, and Musk still hasn't divested from any of his businesses that conduct billions of dollars in federal contracts. Convenient conflict of interest...

*raises hand* My local Congresswoman had a live phone town hall meeting this week - and based on the questions being asked, it mirrors a lot of what is said on here: people are worried about Medicaid being cut, about Social Security, funding for schools (privatization and separation of church & state), how they're going to reach out to young people, etc. She responded by emphasizing that Democrats are working on finding/creating their own information networks to do more outreach, and call our representatives and let our voices be heard, show up at their office buildings and let them know you won't be ignored, stuff like that. I certainly will be to complain about those two NY House members who censured Al Green because WTH!? The difference is Democrats can't connect to their base while Republicans are afraid of theirs - I think the dynamic on this needs to change. And the more Democratic leaning voters show up to town halls (Democratic and Republican) and just be generally disruptive, the more likely this actually gets reflected with Democratic politicians. Someone recently recommended an app to me (5 Calls) that connects you directly with your local/state representatives in Washington sourced from public government websites. It also provides you with live updates on the latest issues, bills and concerns going on with Congress, regardless of party. They even provide responses on how to articulate your concerns to these local offices; I believe every call is tallied but I've found it very helpful and informative - I encourage everyone else to do so.

Musk's big move was realising you could sell an electric sports car, and make EVs cool, but in doing so abandoned the drivetrain (and, more recently, charging) businesses - probably a long term oops for short term win (Eberhard and Tarpenning were forced out). His "success" was making the world value the firm as if it's the only car manufacturer in existence 🙄 Look at what happened to Ramaswamy. Musk managed to push him out of being co-creator of DOGE before the election (seemingly in part by yelling "look, he's brown and so foreign!" a lot) lol No honor among thieves.

That and supposedly he's doing it out of respect for the Mexican president who has been working with the US on immigration. Okay then 🙄

I'm right there with you - this is so infuriating. Of course, the NY Dems (Suozzi and Gillen) are from Long Island 🙄 I'm not pleased with Jeffries handling of anything right now either but I'm not surprised. At least others have noticed it too over the last month or so which shares my own sentiments lolAre they seriously going to wait until *all* our rights are compromised? "They'll never cut Social Security" is becoming the new "they'll never overturn Roe v Wade."

Jan 6th rioters, Neo Nazi groups, Ku Klux Klan members, white "Christian" nationalists, Neo Confederates just to name a few who emphatically care. And they all admire Trump (a Republican) fanatically - do you see the connection? I'm happy that you've been able to remain shielded from all this exposure for most of your lifetime though. A lot of us aren't as lucky in that regard.

How do you know he doesn't have #15 already? 😉 They seem to be coming out the woodwork these days (no metaphor intended) lol! "Family values" indeed -GAG-

Because he *is* weak and easy to control like the other grifters in office 😉 He screams of "peaked in high school" energy by the way he's skirted through his pathetic career. Still, he was preferred over DeSantis any day of the week as Rubio helped him win more votes in typically Democratic-leaning FL counties during the last midterms.

I certainly DO remember that contemptible waste of skin (Ryan). I also remember how he conveniently helped pass the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act bill in 2017 and then subsequently stepped down as Speaker after it passed. Nearly $1.5 trillion to the federal deficit over a decade. I also remember his viral tone-deaf tweet where he was cheering a $1.50 increase to a Pennsylvania school secretary's weekly pay after passing said tax cuts. They were out of touch then and remain so now. I don't know when we will learn from history -sigh-

They really don't care- my friends have been sharing more town hall dramas: "Senator Marshall (R-KS) RUNS AWAY, fleeing his own town hall after being asked about DOGE firing Veterans." https://bsky.app/profile/muellershewrote.bsky.social/post/3ljdjznddic2m "GOP Rep. Keith Self (who just won his district near Dallas with 62% of the vote) utters “the DOGE program” to his packed town hall" https://bsky.app/profile/bgrueskin.bsky.social/post/3ljdxmj4xr226 The actions speak for themselves lol

And petty, don't forget petty! "State Department Terminates U.S. support of Ukraine Energy Grid Restoration" https://www.kyivpost.com/post/48056 Russia definitely has something on him lol. The real test is going to be if he can continue to control with fear over the Republican party. When will the Republicans who "disagree" with Trump decide they've had enough and start fighting him from Congress to curtail his efforts?

Yikes, I think the whole thing yesterday was planned. They were provoking Zelensky into making him look bad so they can brand the confrontation as "disrespect" for US support, shaping public sentiment to withdraw from the war and Ukraine altogether. Trump seems less interested in global hegemony and more in controlling the Americas, viewing that as vital for security, questioning NATO's relevance, etc. Like Russia, I think this administration favors a world of spheres of influence. Trump's mention of speaking to Putin two days prior, undisclosed to the press, indicates their frequent communication. Trump may trade European influence for a focus on countering China and Russia, evident in his ambitions for annexing Canada and Greenland. A united Europe poses a threat to both the US and Russia. Consequently, both have long invested in fracturing the EU, which is more apparent in the recent supporting of far-right, Eurosceptic parties to undermine the union. A divided Europe, with weaker nations like England and France away from Germany, will have less bargaining power and more inclination to follow US influence. Can you attest @CheshireCat?