Chit-Chat: The Feels

[Yeah No]

An article on the Jeffrey Epstein Tapes on DJT from the Daily Beast last November. In addition to saying he was Trump's best friend for 10 years, Epstein also said that Trump is "functionally illiterate", compared him to "an emotionally challenged 9 year old", that he "liked to fuck his friends' wives", and that "The moral compass is nonexistent" with him. And I guess he knew about such things given his lack of one himself!

https://www.removepaywall.com/search?url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/listen-to-the-jeffrey-epstein-tapes-i-was-donald-trumps-closest-friend/

[Soapy Goddess]

5 hours ago, Dimity said:

No, because they don't like hypocrisy:

So let's punish the kid, then?? Unbelievable...especially for those that tout compassion. It's not the kid's fault that the Dems hate DJT. 

[SoMuchTV]

10 minutes ago, Soapy Goddess said:

So IOW you're okay with the government giving benefits to "only" 266 scammers?!? SMH

There are known to be people currently alive in the US who are 112 or older. I don’t personally know if they are eligible for or currently receiving social security. I hope the SSA still has sufficient staffing to assign someone to check the records of those 266 people, to determine if everything is indeed correct, if they are eligible but have an incorrect birthdate in their record, or if scammers are taking advantage of the system. Perhaps they already have. 

[Dimity]

2 hours ago, ebk57 said:

Lin-Manuel Miranda is thinking ahead

 

"Hamilton" cancels tour date scheduled to celebrate the 250th birthday of the Declaration of Independence.  I wonder what next season will look like at the Kennedy Center... 

 

 

(gift link to the NYT)

From the article:

Quote

Richard Grenell, the Kennedy Center’s new president, called the cancellation “a publicity stunt that will backfire” in a post on social media.

Lin-Manuel is crying all the way to the bank Grenell.  Grow up.

[Soapy Goddess]

8 hours ago, LexieLily said:

My greatest wish is that we could fast-forward four years when we are done with him.

You're lucky. We had to wait EIGHT years to be "done"....

Correction: TWELVE

Edited Thursday at 06:37 AM by Soapy Goddess
correction added

[Dimity]

21 minutes ago, Soapy Goddess said:

So IOW you're okay with the government giving benefits to "only" 266 scammers?!? SMH

It's a far cry from the millions Musk pretended to believe were scamming the system.  Millions vs at most 266.  Spare me the faux outrage, IOW.

Edited Thursday at 01:56 AM by Dimity

[Soapy Goddess]

1 minute ago, Dimity said:

Give me a break.

Ok, I have to make dinner now anyway. See ya later 😜

[Absolom]

Many times the benefits on a very aged person's record are not being paid to the wage earner at all.  Benefits are paid to widows or widowers and also to dependent disabled adult children.  Most of the time when you see a record with an unbelievable or almost unbelievable date of birth, you'll find the wage earner is deceased and the benefits are being paid to a dependent.  I once had a claimant die who left behind a disabled toddler.  The claimant was on retirement benefits and yet this toddler was more than likely going to get lifetime social security.  So if the toddler lived an average life expectancy, by the time he came off the rolls the birthdate of the wage earner would have made him look to be around 130 or more.

[Makai]

19 minutes ago, Soapy Goddess said:

Lovely....do you have any 120+ year old scammers pictures?

Social security payments automatically end at 115. And before anyone claims that is an absolutely absurd age, the current oldest American is 114 years old and the oldest ever recorded was 119 years old. 

GN 02602.578 Termination of Entitlement for Title II Beneficiaries Who are Age 115 or Older

Musk misreads Social Security data, millions of dead people not getting benefits, experts say

I am far more concerned about the millions in revenue that is going to be lost from DOGE’s cuts than a small percentage of SS scammers. Like decimating Yosemite’s budget even though it brings in $10 or revenue for every $1 spent. I imagine that the numbers are even worse for Yellowstone. 

Edited Thursday at 02:02 AM by Makai

[Dimity]

5 minutes ago, Makai said:

Social security payments automatically end at 115.

My mother lived the last few years of her life in a retirement home and it was heartbreaking how many of the very elderly reached a point where they had basically outlived their retirement income.  Going from an assured extra income from private sources to having to live only on what the government gives everyone meant they needed to leave what, for some, had been home for 10 years or more. 

Edited Thursday at 02:04 AM by Dimity

[Ohiopirate02]

5 minutes ago, Absolom said:

Many times the benefits on a very aged person's record are not being paid to the wage earner at all.  Benefits are paid to widows or widowers and also to dependent disabled adult children.  Most of the time when you see a record with an unbelievable or almost unbelievable date of birth, you'll find the wage earner is deceased and the benefits are being paid to a dependent.  I once had a claimant die who left behind a disabled toddler.  The claimant was on retirement benefits and yet this toddler was more than likely going to get lifetime social security.  So if the toddler lived an average life expectancy, by the time he came off the rolls the birthdate of the wage earner would have made him look to be around 130 or more.

Yes. I mentioned on here before about how the last Civil War pension paid out in 2020. Men can sire children up until the day they die and for some their social security disability is tied to their parents' social security number. This is why one cannot use computer programs and AI to find "waste" and "fraud" in government especially when operating at warp speed. It takes time to fully understand each aspect of how a particular department runs and then more time to comb the records to find actual cases of fraud.

[tearknee]

1 hour ago, Is Everyone Gone said:

Well ... yeah. But that kind of tracks with her extremely Catholic background. Very pro-life, but more liberal socially when it comes to other issues than the hard-core evangelical MAGA base.

Also, she doesn't really hang with the Alito/Gorusch/Kavanaugh/Thomas conservative motivational speaking circuit crew.

That's why i hate about MAGA and the Resistance at the other end - if you are not 100%, you are the enemy. 

[Yeah No]

11 minutes ago, Soapy Goddess said:

So let's punish the kid, then?? Unbelievable...especially for those that tout compassion. It's not the kid's fault that the Dems hate DJT. 

It feels a little hypocritical for Republicans to get all bent out of shape over this given that Trump/Musk are slashing federal budgets that help poor people and sick kids with absolutely zero compassion for them. And their Republican base is not protesting it. In fact they seem happy about it. Zero compassion from them too for sick kids and poor people. No, they think they deserve it. They're all scamming the system in their eyes. So that's how they justify their lack of compassion. But that is a lie they tell themselves to get out of it.

Trump staged a grandstanding stunt during this speech to trap Democrats just so that they could be called uncompassionate. Meanwhile who is the most uncompassionate person ever? HIM. Everything he and his base accuse others of he and they are guilty of themselves ten times over.

Also, I remember Republicans refusing to stand during Biden's State of the Union address and they looked very bad and uncompassionate under similar circumstances. I forget the particulars but I remember the feeling. So I find it ironic and hypocritical that Republicans would make a big deal out of this when they themselves keep seated over similar and worse. I don't forget that it happened, I just forget the details. I'm hoping someone else here with a better memory can remember them.

[Dimity]

4 minutes ago, Yeah No said:

. I don't forget that it happened, I just forget the details. I'm hoping someone else here with a better memory can remember them.

How Republicans told on themselves during the State of the Union

But on Thursday night, many Republicans refused to stand when President Joe Biden celebrated even the most fundamental American values and accomplishments. House Speaker Mike Johnson was a particularly awkward example of this, as he grimaced in his chair through the majority of the speech. Johnson and his peers refused to stand to celebrate job growth, plummeting inflation, or Biden’s pledge to buy American goods and products. They didn’t stand up to support literacy or increased access to preschool.

They didn’t stand in support of removing lead pipes for clean drinking water, ending cancer or protecting our troops.

They refused to stand for IVF, even though most claim they now support it. They refused to stand up against fentanyl traffickers. Those should all be no-brainers.

Unbelievably, Republicans didn’t even stand in defense of democracy — either here at home, or around the world — and they refused to stand up for NATO, the alliance that has kept the world safe for 75 years.

[Absolom]

38 minutes ago, Ohiopirate02 said:

Yes. I mentioned on here before about how the last Civil War pension paid out in 2020. Men can sire children up until the day they die and for some their social security disability is tied to their parents' social security number. This is why one cannot use computer programs and AI to find "waste" and "fraud" in government especially when operating at warp speed. It takes time to fully understand each aspect of how a particular department runs and then more time to comb the records to find actual cases of fraud.

If you are uneducated in the matter at hand it's always wisest to keep one's mouth firmly shut until you have figured it out fully.  That's why government agencies have or had inspector generals where people who actually knew what they were seeing and how things worked were looking for fraud, waste, and abuse and helping devise ways to both detect it and prevent it.  They even had hotline phone numbers so people could call in and report such things as a putative 120 year old receiving benefits or a neighbor who was taking their grandson's money.

[Absolom]

59 minutes ago, Makai said:

Social security payments automatically end at 115. And before anyone claims that is an absolutely absurd age, the current oldest American is 114 years old and the oldest ever recorded was 119 years old. 

Social security payments will continue beyond age 115 should someone still be alive.  They or a representative just have to respond to the correspondence.  Generally the accounts that are terminated have already been suspended so it's an easy process.  

59 minutes ago, Dimity said:

My mother lived the last few years of her life in a retirement home and it was heartbreaking how many of the very elderly reached a point where they had basically outlived their retirement income.  Going from an assured extra income from private sources to having to live only on what the government gives everyone meant they needed to leave what, for some, had been home for 10 years or more. 

I seriously began to wonder if I was going to have to pay to keep my mother in memory care as she got close to outliving her savings and investments. 

[Is Everyone Gone]

16 minutes ago, tearknee said:

That's why i hate about MAGA and the Resistance at the other end - if you are not 100%, you are the enemy. 

I don't think they're the same. Just today I saw a very gay MAGA guy call someone the f-slur and he made a slur about Kamala being a chimp.

[Dimity]

Fight between bald eagle and Canada goose in Burlington bay 'very symbolic,' says photographer

 

A bald eagle may have thought it spotted an easy lunch in a Canada goose sitting on an icy bay in Burlington, Ont., but according to Mervyn Sequeira — who watched and photographed a 20-minute battle between the two birds — the goose held its own.

During his weekly Sunday morning family hike at the LaSalle Marina, Sequeira and his family witnessed a rare event — a fight between the national bird of the U.S. and the iconic Canadian animal. 

Spoiler - the eagle didn't dine on goose

 

 

 

 

Edited Thursday at 03:57 AM by Dimity

[Kemper]

As a lifelong Democrat I was embarrassed by my Party last night. Juvenile antics, silly symbolism. There is no excuse for how terribly they are serving us and their country. Always at least one step behind.I hate to keep repeating myself but most all of the blame goes to the leadership; for decades. And it is horrifying to think that this is best they can do and will not change.

We may lose more seats in the mid-terms.  My aged coffee group could do a better job of taking us into some light and showing some grit. I am now drinking camomile tea before bed; I hate camomile tea. 

[Anela]

https://www.dispatch.com/story/opinion/letters/2025/03/05/bernie-moreno-and-jon-husted-have-ghosted-ohioans-letters/80704035007/?taid=67c8475413c5f20001e18e3e

 

Moreno and Husted have ghosted Ohioans. It’s been crickets. | Letters

- - - - -

Republicans - we've found two people who don't want to do their jobs, but are still getting paid.

 

Edited Thursday at 04:05 AM by Anela

[ProudMary]

2 hours ago, Soapy Goddess said:

You're lucky. We had to wait EIGHT years to be "done"....

For the record, we're now in a fifth year of a Trump administration. This isn't a fresh start. He hit the ground running this time, with years of planning for Project 2025.

EIGHT years you say? So, we're not discussing President Biden here. It's President Obama we're talking about. I'm always interested in getting an answer to this question from those on the right: How exactly did the Obama administration negatively impact your life personally?

Without getting into too many specifics, I can tell you on a micro level that my life and the lives of my family members have been threatened since January 20, 2017 when DJT took office. The continual attacks on my health insurance then through the Affordable Care Act, his criminal mishandling of the pandemic, which took the life of a loved one. There were attacks on Social Security in the first administration too, but not to the extreme level we are seeing now. I'm terrified. And they've already come for Medicare with the loss of telehealth coverage next month.

I'm not the same person I was eight years ago. It's been continual anxiety about important issues that negatively impact people's lives and that's coming from a middle-class, heterosexual, white woman; so I even have some privilege, just not as much as a man. I can't even begin to put myself in the shoes of people of color, or immigrants or LGBTQ+ people. DJT's policies have had long-reaching, detrimental effects on me and on my family, forever changing us. And we are far from the only ones.

So, what were the awful impacts to your own personal life under President Obama? Why were those eight years so tough for you?

[Makai]

I’m sure I will never get a satisfying answer, but I truly wonder how Trump supporters have any level of happiness over the state of our economy. I don’t agree with it, but I can understand that some are happy to see social programs ended, mass deportation, certain groups losing rights and the end of perceived fraud. It represents a very fundamental difference in values from me but I can still understand the train of thought. But I can’t even fathom how anyone could look at what is happening to food costs, the housing market, energy costs, gasoline costs or the stock market and be happy. I can only imagine that it comes from not realizing what is happening but I know smart people who still believe that Trump is going to be good for the economy even as we are watching things get measurably worse everyday. 

[Soapy Goddess]

2 hours ago, ProudMary said:

EIGHT years you say? So, we're not discussing President Biden here. It's President Obama we're talking about. I'm always interested in getting an answer to this question from those on the right: How exactly did the Obama administration negatively impact your life personally?
 

My mistake. I was thinking 12, but typed 8, and I just corrected my original post.  

I was simply responding to someone who said they couldn't wait 4 years for DJT's term to end. It was about time frame, nothing more.

[Soapy Goddess]

6 hours ago, Yeah No said:

It feels a little hypocritical for Republicans to get all bent out of shape over this given that Trump/Musk are slashing federal budgets that help poor people and sick kids with absolutely zero compassion for them. And their Republican base is not protesting it. In fact they seem happy about it. Zero compassion from them too for sick kids and poor people.

You know, it's one thing to approve or oppose Rep agenda at a town hall meeting. But it's completely disheartening and hypocritical to ignore all the victims at Trump's formal Address. Would it have killed the Dems to acknowledge them?

I felt terrible for the Russian hostage and his 95-year old mother too. At least give the guy a hand or quick salute. The spiteful hatred is out of control.

5 hours ago, Kemper said:

As a lifelong Democrat I was embarrassed by my Party last night. Juvenile antics, silly symbolism. There is no excuse for how terribly they are serving us and their country. Always at least one step behind.I hate to keep repeating myself but most all of the blame goes to the leadership; for decades. And it is horrifying to think that this is best they can do and will not change.

I applaud you for seeing and acknowledging what most of us saw last night.

They (Dems) really need to grow up and learn to love our country more than they hate their opponent. It's all-consuming for them.  

Edited Thursday at 09:11 AM by Soapy Goddess

[Anela]

 

Macron says he’ll confer with allies on protecting Europe with French nuclear deterrence

https://apnews.com/article/french-president-macron-tariffs-nuclear-206478d8bd7ccb20eb79b60c30af018b

 

Russia-Ukraine war live: Macron says Europe under threat ahead of EU summit

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2025/3/6/russia-ukraine-war-live-macron-says-europe-under-threat-ahead-of-eu-summit

😔

 

 

[anony.miss]

2 hours ago, Anela said:

 

Macron says he’ll confer with allies on protecting Europe with French nuclear deterrence

Trump has brought Europe to the brink of nuclear defense of Ukraine - why am I not surpised?  And yes, it's shocking to see this kind of shift (given a century of alliances) but it's also crucial for Macron/Europe  - and Canada/Mexico -  to marginalize Trump and his craven pro-Russia agenda. Whatever cultification is happening in certain communities stateside (republican officials, MAGA, etc) the rest of the world understands that Trump's behavior has to be quarantined. Here's hoping they can protect the world (minus nukes) from Trump's cowardly deferential obedience to Putin - a policy that leaves Americans in bed with their longest-standing enemy, and completely alienated from their longest-standing allies.

Edited Thursday at 11:10 AM by anony.miss

[Yeah No]

3 hours ago, Soapy Goddess said:

I felt terrible for the Russian hostage and his 95-year old mother too. At least give the guy a hand or quick salute. The spiteful hatred is out of control.

Look, I originally had no dog in any race. I was decidedly a-political for DECADES. But it doesn't take someone like that to see that the "spiteful hatred" we're seeing right now originated with Trump and his band of Republicans. I'm not even including the average Republicans in this who always had their gripes with Democrats but not outright hatred for them. Trump and his ilk have stoked the hatred and division in this country that we're seeing right now to unprecedented levels. Democrats were somewhat naively preaching inclusion and acceptance not realizing that it wasn't coming across as such to some across the aisle, but their intentions were not malicious. Clueless perhaps, but not malicious. Trump has vilified them and made his base see them as villains who want to take their rights and advantages away from them. But that was a fiction designed to get them to support him and hate his political opponents. Given that I really didn't think about such things before Trump came along I had to realize this myself. I am not blind to it and I hold him squarely responsible for it. I am just saddened that he has managed to get Republicans on board with his campaign of hatred and division.

Democrats do not want this situation but I am sorry to say that it seems that many Republicans are thriving on the hatred and cheering it on. If anyone wants America to be "the way it used to be" right now, it's Democrats, who wish we could wake up in a time before Trump when somewhat reasonable heads prevailed. It was never perfect but it was never like THIS. All Democrats did was fail to see what was happening and respond to it effectively, but who could blame them when we'd never seen the likes of DJT and his special brand of hate before? And then all DJT can do is blame the "spiteful hatred" on US. Ummmm.....NO, just NO. Look in the mirror, Republicans and look at your "leader" if you want to see where the source of THAT is.

[Yeah No]

6 hours ago, ProudMary said:

Without getting into too many specifics, I can tell you on a micro level that my life and the lives of my family members have been threatened since January 20, 2017 when DJT took office. The continual attacks on my health insurance then through the Affordable Care Act, his criminal mishandling of the pandemic, which took the life of a loved one. There were attacks on Social Security in the first administration too, but not to the extreme level we are seeing now. I'm terrified. And they've already come for Medicare with the loss of telehealth coverage next month.

I'm not the same person I was eight years ago. It's been continual anxiety about important issues that negatively impact people's lives and that's coming from a middle-class, heterosexual, white woman; so I even have some privilege, just not as much as a man. I can't even begin to put myself in the shoes of people of color, or immigrants or LGBTQ+ people. DJT's policies have had long-reaching, detrimental effects on me and on my family, forever changing us. And we are far from the only ones.

So, what were the awful impacts to your own personal life under President Obama? Why were those eight years so tough for you?

Thank you, PM, I feel exactly the same about everything you mentioned, especially Social Security and Medicare. I never liked Trump going back to the 80's, and never voted for him but seeing the way he acted about the Pandemic after a short time made me outright HATE him, and that's a strong word I usually never use for political figures. My father died of Covid in April of 2020 and so Trump's attitude about the pandemic felt like a slap in the face and spitting on my father's grave. And I NEVER, EVER felt that way about anything in my entire life. It had become personal for me. And for my then Republican husband, that was the turning point for him with Trump and the Republicans in general. It was a very trying, emotional time for us. My husband lost his limo. business thanks to the Pandemic and we were literally on the edge. If not for the Pandemic relief and stimulus payments I don't know what we would have done.

From 2016 - 2020 I had a knot in my stomach over Trump. My gut has never failed to warn me of danger. As soon as Biden was sworn in I breathed a sigh of relief. Biden wasn't perfect, but he wasn't a madman either. That knot is back now. My sleep hasn't been good. I am worried about my and my country's safety and future. And I am not alone either. Several friends feel the same way. It just floors us that people have been hoodwinked into believing that this guy can do anything good for them, this country and the world. My gut has never failed me. When it barks like this there's a real reason to worry. I didn't study Psychology because I didn't inherently understand human nature and motivation. In fact, just the opposite. So when someone concerns me like this, there's reason to worry.

[PRgal]

Someone a few pages back mentioned that some women’s groups are claiming pink as the fighting colour?  I always thought the traditional colour was white because that’s what suffragettes wore.  
 

I also wonder if You Know Who is going to be surprised when he received a call from our PM next week and it’s a different person (Liberals will be picking Trudeau’s replacement this weekend (only certain people get to do this)).  And then there could be a general election (all Canadian citizens 18+) soon.  
 

Canada’s system of government: https://www.ourcommons.ca/procedure/our-procedure/parliamentaryFramework/c_g_parliamentaryframework-e.html

 

ETA:  we’re supposed to have an election by October of this year, but there could be one earlier.  

Edited Thursday at 11:48 AM by PRgal

[Ohiopirate02]

1 hour ago, Bliss said:

Will someone please explain why my posts are deleted? I'm talking about posts which include a link proving tRump's a liar.

I can only surmise that the mods are tRumpers and that they cannot allow a link proving that he LIES.

Try reposting the links without spelling Trump the way you did here.

[bluegirl147]

2 hours ago, Yeah No said:

I am just saddened that he has managed to get Republicans on board with his campaign of hatred and division.

They had to get on board with him.  After their loss to Obama in 2012 they did that autopsy and concluded they needed to be more inclusive as a party. They didn't want to do that because at their core they don't like people who aren't like them.  Then Trump happened and he was saying out loud what they had been dog whistling for years. 

 

2 hours ago, Yeah No said:

Democrats do not want this situation but I am sorry to say that it seems that many Republicans are thriving on the hatred and cheering it on

All they have to cheer is hatred. What else are they going to cheer?  Tax cuts for the rich?  Dismantling any programs that help anyone not rich? 

[Bookworm 1979]

13 hours ago, Yeah No said:

I am absolutely convinced that nothing would make his base turn on him other than irrefutable proof of murder or child molestation.

Ehh, I don't know. Some of his followers are pretty devoted. I have the feeling they would make up excuses for everything and anything Trump does.

Edited Thursday at 02:31 PM by Bookworm 1979

[Ohiopirate02]

4 minutes ago, Bookworm 1979 said:

Ehh, I don't know. Some of his followers are pretty devoted. I have the feeling they would make up excuses for everything and anything tRump does.

There are still some hard lines that if Trump were to cross his base would revolt--possession of CSAM, rape where the victim is prepubescent, vaccine mandates, and 2nd Amendment limitations. These are in no particular order and I can see his base forgiving him for raping a 13 year old girl faster than if he sided with the Democrats to pass legislation to ban assault rifles.

[lookeyloo]

This is from a Vanity fair article I got in an email

 

Second clip

 

[ProudMary]

7 hours ago, Soapy Goddess said:

My mistake. I was thinking 12, but typed 8, and I just corrected my original post.  

I was simply responding to someone who said they couldn't wait 4 years for DJT's term to end. It was about time frame, nothing more.

There was a president with a twelve year term? 🤔

[Notabug]

13 hours ago, Soapy Goddess said:

So IOW you're okay with the government giving benefits to "only" 266 scammers?!? SMH

Not really, but, considering that over 56 million people receive Social Security benefits, that's a fraud rate of 0.00000475%.  I think most businesses would find that an exceptionally low rate of theft.  My employer would be thrilled with that kind of stat.

When these numbers were determined, the government did an assessment and found the overall rate of fraudulent accounts was so low, that it would cost more to find and prosecute that tiny number than could be saved.  They also did remove the fraudulent accounts they found, many of which involve people using social security numbers of dead people for other purposes and not actually collecting social security or people who died before death records were computerized and therefore their date of death had never been entered into the system.

Edited Thursday at 02:38 PM by Notabug

[Kemper]

7 hours ago, Soapy Goddess said:

 

I applaud you for seeing and acknowledging what most of us saw last night.

They (Dems) really need to grow up and learn to love our country more than they hate their opponent. It's all-consuming for them.  

Well, thank you. I never respond to posts I don't agree with - we are all entitled to our opinions; and are not mean-spirited. And probably agree on many things. We all see what we want to see. But since I was quoted. 

And yes, I was embarrassed re the Dems choices of protest; many were.  And felt let down by leadership that seems powerless to deal with it. But. Dems are not the ones playing games with pensions, threatening Social Security, threatening the VA...wonder how many young people will staff our Volunteer Army going forward. Who will pay the bills if they are injured? 

How many will suffer with cutbacks to NIH when the next pandemic breaks out. When polio revisits. How many will need to apply for the now almost-extinct public safety net. Churches (who run many food pantries) cannot possibly keep up. I know, I volunteer in one - things are already hitting hard. Well, harder than usual. 

These are the things that keep me up at night; that are so worrying to most Americans (even if they cannot admit it). I don't think Musk's phallic chainsaw will impact the very rich. Perhaps the most devastating thing of it all. 

But one thing in your post re people loving their country. Most Americans today have had loved ones who fought and died for this country.  Or have been touched, in one way or another, by these same things. Disagreeing with any politician (no matter the affiliation)... seems like we are thinking of what is best for our country. Our families. Even if we don't agree. Does not mean that we don't love it.

******I have edited this post so many times...get emotional when I first post something.. (I get long-winded when emotional; then regret it) **** (I even edited this paragraph several times. ******

Edited Thursday at 02:36 PM by Kemper

[Notabug]

3 hours ago, ProudMary said:

There was a president with a twelve year term? 🤔

Technically, FDR was elected to a fourth term which would've put him at 16 years as President had he not died in office.  It was after that that term limits were instituted.

10 hours ago, Soapy Goddess said:

.

They (Dems) really need to grow up and learn to love our country more than they hate their opponent. It's all-consuming for them.  

It's because we DO love our country and its Constitution that we are appalled by the right wing's blatant flouting of it to achieve their own ends.

Edited to correct incorrect info on FDR's time in office.

Edited Thursday at 05:48 PM by Notabug

[bluegirl147]

11 minutes ago, Kemper said:

I should have mentioned the conduct of Ms. Boebert and MT Greene during Obama's State of the Union.  I don't remember them being ushered out. Good times, indeed.

Yes. The hypocrisy is not surprising but it sure is fucking irritating.

7 hours ago, Soapy Goddess said:

They (Dems) Reps really need to grow up and learn to love our country more than they hate their opponent. It's all-consuming for them.  

I fixed it for you.

[Bliss]

From Gary Reber on FB:

 

I’ve been critical of the Trump presidency before and I still am. 

 

But to be fair, President Trump wasn’t that bad, other than when he incited an insurrection against the government,

 

Mismanaged a pandemic that killed over a million Americans,

Called neo-Nazis “very fine people,”

 

Separated children from their families,

 

Lost those children in the bureaucracy,

 

Tear-gassed peaceful protesters on Lafayette Square so he could hold a photo op holding a Bible in front of a church,

 

Tried to block all Muslims from entering the country,

 

Got impeached,

 

Got impeached again,

 

Had the worst jobs record of any president in modern history,

 

Pressured Ukraine to dig dirt on Joe Biden,

 

Fired the FBI director for investigating his ties to Russia,

 

Bragged about firing the FBI director on TV,

 

Took Vladimir Putin’s word over the US intelligence community,

 

Diverted military funding to build his wall,

 

Caused the longest government shutdown in US history,

 

Called Black Lives Matter a “symbol of hate,”

 

Lied over 30,000 times,

 

Banned transgender people from serving in the military,

 

Ejected reporters from the White House briefing room who asked tough questions,

 

Vetoed the defense funding bill because it renamed military bases named for Confederate soldiers,

 

Refused to release his tax returns,

 

Increased the national debt by nearly $8 trillion,

 

Had three of the highest annual trade deficits in U.S. history,

 

Called veterans and soldiers who died in combat losers and suckers,

 

Coddled the leader of Saudi Arabia after he ordered the execution and dismembering of a US-based journalist,

 

Refused to concede the 2020 election,

 

Hired his unqualified daughter and son-in-law to work in the White House,

 

Walked out of an interview with Lesley Stahl,

 

Suggested that people should inject bleach into their bodies to fight COVID,

 

Abandoned our allies the Kurds to Turkey,

 

Pushed through massive tax cuts for the wealthiest but balked at helping working Americans,

 

Incited anti-lockdown protestors in several states at the height of the pandemic,

 

Withdrew the US from the Paris climate accords,

 

Withdrew the US from the Iranian nuclear deal,

 

Withdrew the US from the Trans Pacific Partnership which was designed to block China’s advances,

 

Insulted his own Cabinet members on Twitter,

 

Pushed the leader of Montenegro out of the way during a photo op,

 

Failed to reiterate US commitment to defending NATO allies,

 

Called Haiti and African nations “shithole” countries,

 

Called the city of Baltimore the “worst in the nation,”

 

Claimed that he single handedly brought back the phrase “Merry Christmas” even though it hadn’t gone anywhere,

 

Forced his Cabinet members to praise him publicly like some cult leader,

 

Believed he should be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize,

 

Berated and belittled his hand-picked Attorney General when he recused himself from the Russia probe,

 

Suggested the US should buy Greenland,

 

Colluded with Mitch McConnell to push through federal judges and two Supreme Court justices, after supporting efforts to prevent his predecessor from appointing judges,

 

Repeatedly called the media “enemies of the people,”

 

Claimed that if we tested fewer people for COVID we’d have fewer cases,

 

Violated the emoluments clause,

 

Thought that Nambia was a country,

 

Told Bob Woodward in private that the coronavirus was a big deal but then downplayed it in public,

 

Called his exceedingly faithful vice president a “p---y” for following the Constitution,

 

Nearly got us into a war with Iran after threatening them by tweet,

 

Nominated a corrupt head of the EPA,

 

Nominated a corrupt head of HHS,

 

Nominated a corrupt head of the Interior Department,

 

Nominated a corrupt head of the USDA,

 

Praised dictators and authoritarians around the world while criticizing allies,

 

Refused to allow the presidential transition to begin,

 

Insulted war hero John McCain – even after his death,

 

Spent an obscene amount of time playing golf after criticizing Barack Obama for playing (far less) golf while president,

 

Falsely claimed that he won the 2016 popular vote,

 

Called the Muslim mayor of London a “stone cold loser,”

 

Falsely claimed that he turned down being Time’s Man of the Year,

 

Considered firing special counsel Robert Mueller on several occasions,

 

Mocked wearing face masks to guard against transmitting COVID,

 

Locked Congress out of its constitutional duty to confirm Cabinet officials by hiring acting ones,

 

Used a racist dog whistle by calling COVID the “China virus,”

 

Hired and associated with numerous shady figures that were eventually convicted of federal offenses including his campaign manager and national security adviser,

 

Pardoned several of his shady associates,

 

Gave the Presidential Medal of Freedom to two congressman who amplified his bat shit crazy conspiracy theories,

 

Got into telephone fight with the leader of Australia(!),

 

Had a Secretary of State who called him a moron,

 

Forced his press secretary to claim without merit that his was the largest inauguration crowd in history,

 

Botched the COVID vaccine rollout,

 

Tweeted so much dangerous propaganda that Twitter eventually banned him,

 

Charged the Secret Service jacked-up rates at his properties,

 

Constantly interrupted Joe Biden in their first presidential debate,

 

Claimed that COVID would “magically” disappear,

 

Called a U.S. Senator “Pocahontas,”

 

Used his Twitter account to blast Nordstrom when it stopped selling Ivanka’s merchandise,

 

Opened up millions of pristine federal lands to development and drilling,

 

Got into a losing tariff war with China that forced US taxpayers to bail out farmers,

 

Claimed that his losing tariff war was a win for the US,

 

Ignored or didn’t even take part in daily intelligence briefings,

 

Blew off honoring American war dead in France because it was raining,

 

Redesigned Air Force One to look like the Trump Shuttle,

 

Got played by Kim Jung Un and his “love letters,”

 

Threatened to go after social media companies in clear violation of the Constitution,

 

Botched the response to Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico,

 

Threw paper towels at Puerto Ricans when he finally visited them,

 

Pressured the governor and secretary of state of Georgia to “find” him votes,

 

Thought that the Virgin islands had a President,

 

Drew on a map with a Sharpie to justify his inaccurate tweet that Alabama was threatened by a hurricane,

 

Allowed White House staff to use personal email accounts for official businesses after blasting Hillary Clinton for doing the same thing,

 

Rolled back regulations that protected the public from mercury and asbestos,

 

Pushed regulators to waste time studying snake-oil remedies for COVID,

 

Rolled back regulations that stopped coal companies from dumping waste into rivers,

 

Held blatant campaign rallies at the White House,

 

Tried to take away millions of Americans’ health insurance because the law was named for a Black man,

 

Refused to attend his successors’ inauguration,

 

Nominated the worst Education Secretary in history,

 

Threatened judges who didn’t do what he wanted,

 

Attacked Dr. Anthony Fauci,

 

Promised that Mexico would pay for the wall (it didn’t),

 

Allowed political hacks to overrule government scientists on major reports on climate change and other issues,

 

Struggled navigating a ramp after claiming his opponent was feeble,

 

Called an African-American Congresswoman “low IQ,”

 

Threatened to withhold federal aid from states and cities with Democratic leaders,

 

Went ahead with rallies filled with maskless supporters in the middle of a pandemic,

 

Claimed that legitimate investigations of his wrongdoing were “witch hunts,”

 

Seemed to demonstrate a belief that there were airports during the American Revolution,

 

Demanded “total loyalty” from the FBI director,

 

Praised a conspiracy theory that Democrats are Satanic pedophiles,

 

Completely gutted the Voice of America,

 

Placed a political hack in charge of the Postal Service,

 

Claimed without evidence that the Obama administration bugged Trump Tower,

 

Suggested that the US should allow more people from places like Norway into the country,

 

Suggested that COVID wasn’t that bad because he recovered with the help of top government doctors and treatments not available to the public,

 

Overturned energy conservation standards that even industry supported,

 

Reduced the number of refugees the US accepts,

 

Insulted various members of Congress and the media with infantile nicknames,

 

Gave Rush Limbaugh a Presidential medal of Freedom at the State of the Union address,

 

Named as head of federal personnel a 29-year old who’d previously been fired from the White House for allegations of financial improprieties,

 

Eliminated the White House office of pandemic response,

Used soldiers as campaign props,

 

Fired any advisor who made the mistake of disagreeing with him,

Demanded the Pentagon throw him a Soviet-style military parade,

 

Hired a shit ton of white nationalists,

 

Politicized the civil service,

 

Did absolutely nothing after Russia hacked the U.S. government,

 

Falsely said the Boy Scouts called him to say his bizarre Jamboree speech was the best speech ever given to the Scouts,

 

Claimed that Black people would overrun the suburbs if Biden won,

 

Insulted reporters of color,

 

Insulted women reporters, insulted women reporters of color,

 

Suggested he was fine with China’s oppression of the Uighurs,

 

Attacked the Supreme Court when it ruled against him,

 

Summoned Pennsylvania state legislative leaders to the White House, to pressure them to overturn the election,

 

Spent countless hours every day watching Fox News,

 

Refused to allow his administration to comply with Congressional subpoenas,

 

Hired Rudy Giuliani as his lawyer,

 

Tried to punish Amazon because the Jeff Bezos-owned Washington Post wrote negative stories about him,

 

Acted as if the Attorney General of the United States was his personal attorney,

Attempted to get the federal government to defend him in a libel lawsuit from a women who accused him of sexual assault,

 

Held private meetings with Vladimir Putin without staff present,

 

Didn’t disclose his private meetings with Vladimir Putin so that the US had to find out via Russian media,

 

Stopped holding press briefings for months at a time,

 

“Ordered” US companies to leave China even though he has no such power,

 

Led a political party that couldn’t even be bothered to draft a policy platform,

 

Claimed preposterously that Article II of the Constitution gave him absolute powers,

 

Tried to pressure the U.K. to hold the British Open at his golf course,

 

Suggested that the government nuke hurricanes,

 

Suggested that wind turbines cause cancer,

 

Said that he had a special aptitude for science,

 

Fired the head of election cyber security after he said that the 2020 election was secure,

 

Blurted out classified information to Russian officials,

 

Tried to force the G7 to hold their meeting at his failing golf resort in Florida,

 

Fired the acting attorney general when she refused to go along with his unconstitutional Muslim travel ban,

 

Hired Stephen Miller,

 

Openly discussed national security issues in the dining room at Mar-a-Lago where everyone could hear them,

 

Interfered with plans to relocate the FBI because a new development there might compete with his hotel,

 

Abandoned Iraqi refugees who’d helped the U.S. during the war,

Tried to get Russia back into the G7,

 

Held a COVID super spreader event in the Rose Garden,

 

Seemed to believe that Frederick Douglass is still alive,

 

Lost 60 election fraud cases in court including before judges he had nominated,

 

Falsely claimed that factories were reopening when they weren’t,

 

Shamelessly exploited terror attacks in Europe to justify his anti-immigrant policies,

 

Still hasn’t come up with a healthcare plan,

 

Still hasn’t come up with an infrastructure plan despite repeated “Infrastructure Weeks,”

 

Forced Secret Service agents to drive him around Walter Reed while contagious with COVID,

 

Told the Proud Boys to “stand back and stand by,”

 

Screwed up the Census wording,

 

Withdrew the U.S. from the World Health Organization in the middle of a pandemic,

 

Did so few of his duties that his press staff were forced to state on his daily schedule: “President Trump will work from early in the morning until late in the evening. He will make many calls and have many meetings,”

 

Allowed his staff to repeatedly violate the Hatch Act,

 

Seemed not to know that Abraham Lincoln was a Republican,

Stood before sacred CIA wall of heroes and bragged about his election win,

 

Constantly claimed he was treated worse than any president, (which presumably includes four that were assassinated, and his predecessor whose legitimacy and birthplace were challenged by a racist reality TV show star named Donald Trump),

 

Claimed Andrew Jackson could’ve stopped the Civil War even though he died 16 years before it happened,

 

Said that any opinion poll showing him behind was fake,

 

Claimed that other countries laughed at us before he became president when several world leaders were literally laughing at him,

 

Claimed that the military was out of ammunition before he became President,

 

Created a commission to whitewash American history,

 

Retweeted anti-Islam videos from one of the most racist people in Britain,

 

Claimed ludicrously that the Pulse nightclub shooting wouldn’t have happened if someone there had a gun even though there was an armed security guard there,

 

Hired a senior staffer who cited the non-existent "Bowling Green Massacre" as a reason to ban Muslims,

 

Had a press secretary who claimed that Nazi Germany never used chemical weapons even though every sane human being knows they used gas to kill millions of Jews and others,

 

Bilked the Secret Service for higher than market rates when they had to stay at Trump properties,

 

Apparently sold pardons on his way out of the White House,

Stripped protective status from 59,000 Haitians,

 

Falsely claimed Biden wanted to de-fund the police,

 

Said that the head of the CDC didn’t know what he was talking about,

 

Tried to rescind protection from DREAMers,

 

Gave himself an A+ for his handling of the pandemic,

 

Tried to start a boycott of Goodyear tires due to an Internet hoax,

Said U.S. rates of COVID would be lower if you didn’t count blue states,

 

Deported U.S. veterans who served their country but were undocumented,

 

Claimed he did more for African Americans than any president since Lincoln,

 

Touted a “super-duper” secret “hydrosonic” missile, which may or may not be a new “hypersonic” missile, or may not exist at all,

 

Retweeted a gif calling Biden a pedophile,

 

Forced through security clearances for his family,

 

Suggested that police officers should rough up suspects,

 

Suggested that Biden was on performance-enhancing drugs,

 

Tried to stop transgender students from being able to use school bathrooms in line with their gender identification,

 

Suggested the US not accept COVID patients from a cruise ship because it would make US numbers look higher,

 

Nominated a climate change skeptic to chair the committee advising the White House on environmental policy,

 

Retweeted a video doctored to look like Biden had played a song called “Fuck tha Police” at a campaign event,

 

Hugged a disturbingly large number of U.S. flags,

 

Accused Democrats of “treason” for not applauding his State of the Union address,

 

Claimed that the FBI failed to capture the Parkland school shooter,

 

because they were “spending too much time” on Russia,

 

Mocked the testimony of Dr Christine Blasey Ford when she accused Brett Kavanaugh of sexual assault,

 

Obsessed over low-flow toilets,

 

Ordered the re-release of more COVID vaccines when there weren’t any to release,

 

Called for the construction of a bizarre garden of heroes with statutes of famous dead Americans as well as at least one Canadian (Alex Trebek),

 

Hijacked Washington’s July 4th celebrations to give a partisan speech,

 

Took advice from the MyPillow guy,

 

Claimed that migrants seeking a better life in the US were dangerous caravans of drug dealers and rapists,

 

Said nothing when Vladimir Putin poisoned a leading opposition figure,

 

Never seemed to heed the advice of his wife’s “Be Best” campaign,

 

Falsely claimed that mail-in voting is fraudulent, though he, (himself), votes by mail,

 

Announced a precipitous withdrawal of troops from Syria which not only handed Russia and ISIS a win but also prompted his defense secretary to resign in protest,

 

Insulted the leader of Canada,

 

Insulted the leader of France,

 

Insulted the leader of Britain,

 

Insulted the leader of Germany,

 

Insulted the leader of Sweden (Sweden!!),

 

Falsely claimed credit for getting NATO members to increase their share of dues,

 

Blew off two Asia summits even though they were held virtually,

 

Continued lying about spending lots of time at Ground Zero with 9/11 responders,

 

Said that the Japanese would sit back and watch their “Sony televisions” if the US were ever attacked,

 

Left a NATO summit early in a huff,

 

Stared directly into an eclipse even though everyone over the age of 5 knows not to do that,

 

Called himself a very stable genius despite significant evidence to the contrary,

 

Refused to commit to a peaceful transfer of power and kept his promise,

 

and a whole bunch of other things I can’t remember at the moment.

 

But other than that. . . 🤷🏽‍♀️ He was a great President 😃

All documented - - I would LOVE for anyone to show me proof that any of these are WRONG, and I will correct the Record Book of what Trump did!

[fastiller]

30 minutes ago, Notabug said:

Technically, FDR was elected to a third term which would've put him at 12 years as President had he not died in office.  It was after that that term limits were instituted.

 

FDR was elected four times: 1932, 1936, 1940, 1944.  He died during his fourth term, in 1945.

Edited Thursday at 02:51 PM by fastiller

[Milk-Eyed Mender]

Somebody's thirsty for genocide. From independent reporter @atrupar.com

 

[Notabug]

15 minutes ago, fastiller said:

FDR was elected four times: 1932, 1936, 1940, 1944.  He died during his fourth term, in 1945.

Oooops!  You're correct, I shouldn't post before being properly caffeinated.

[ProudMary]

52 minutes ago, Notabug said:

Technically, FDR was elected to a third term which would've put him at 12 years as President had he not died in office.  It was after that that term limits were instituted

I'm well aware, and actually, FDR was elected President FOUR times (1932, 1936, 1940 and 1944.) He had just begun his fourth term when he died in 1945. He was in his thirteenth year as president at the time of his death.

But the poster wasn't talking about FDR. 😉

Perhaps my comment should have been, "There was a recent president with a twelve year term?"

It doesn't matter because the questions I posed will never be answered because for the right wing to answer would be saying the quiet part out loud.

Hell, I've been waiting for over two months for an answer to a question I posted two separate times: Is Russia an ally or an adversary? 

 

Edited to add: I see that @fastiller answered the FDR question while I was typing my response. 

Edited Thursday at 03:15 PM by ProudMary
See above

[laurakaye]

I was going to ask if the above tweet (or X, or Truth, whatever) was real but honestly, I have been asking myself that very same question daily whenever I read the headlines and the answer is always YES, so....

Regarding the wearing of pink to the state of the union, or holding up signs, or choosing to not attend...I have no idea what the answer is.  I don't know what the dems are doing in the background, but it just feels like time wasted if they were discussing color choices or passing out signs.  Choosing not to attend probably fed Trump's ego even more - if his most vocal dissenters aren't there, all the better for him.  

Just saying, we are facing an obstacle the size of a mountain.  Bringing a plastic toy shovel to move the mountain isn't going to do it.  So how do we get through it?  We were not meant to live under a constant and steady IV drip of stress, but that has been my experience ever since the pandemic began.  So I don't care what color the dems wear to the next SOTU - just please, do something.  

[Spartan Girl]

1 hour ago, Milk-Eyed Mender said:

Somebody's thirsty for genocide. From independent reporter @atrupar.com

 

And there are nothing but crickets from all the nonvoters, third parties, and uncommitted people that screamed about “Genocide Joe” and “Holocaust Harris.” 

[peacheslatour]

Hey guys, remember journalism? Good times.

[ProudMary]

Ten Democrats voted with the Republicans to censure Rep. Al Green. WTAF?!? 

Here are the culprits: Ami Bera, D-Calif.; Ed Case, D-Hawaii; Jim Costa, D-Calif.; Laura Gillen, D-N.Y.; Jim Himes, D-Conn.; Chrissy Houlahan, D-Pa.; Marcy Kaptur, D-Ohio; Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla.; Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, D-Wash.; and Tom Suozzi, D-N.Y.

If you're registered in any of these districts, please pick up the phone and tell them this is unacceptable.

Calls to Hakeem Jeffries' office would be a good idea, too. I'm pissed off at the way he's handling (or not handling) the way House Democrats should be responding.

[tres bien]

Definitely today I’m proud of my congresswoman Ilhan Omar

[peacheslatour]

The cruelty is the point.

Follow

🇺🇸❌🇺🇦 Trump's administration is planning to revoke temporary legal status for some 240,000 Ukrainians who fled the conflict with Russia, potentially putting them on a fast-track to deportation, - Reuters

Edited Thursday at 05:03 PM by peacheslatour