Chit-Chat: The Feels

[fastiller]

14 minutes ago, bluegirl147 said:

Because they are largely responsible for our decline.  All the tax breaks they have given corporations and the richest of the rich.  Making it favorable for companies to move their operations overseas. Allowing our safety net to be weakened.  Putting us into two wars.  Making our national debt astronomical.  

PREACH!

All those programs that allowed for a middle class were enacted by Democrats.  Each time they've been chipped away it's been Republicans.  People who decry the decline of their standard of living either aren't aware of this (willfully or not) or they are and don't care as long as those 'undeserving' don't get theirs too.

[Kemper]

Kristen Hillebrand has. been dead to me since she almost single-handedly destroyed Al Franken.

[Dimity]

20 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

How can Trump supporters look at their financial losses at this point and still defend the monster that is ruining our lives? I don't want to hear about Biden. My money was safe as long as he was in office. Where is it now? Trump is destroying the ability of regular Americans to live. 

Trump and the MAGA spent 4 years convincing Americans that the economy under Biden was a shambles.  This wasn't true.  It was never true.  But, if just for arguments sake it was, how in any way, shape or form is what is going on now an improvement?  And yet the cult will trudge up the hill to the poor house singing his praises every inch of the way.

Edited March 14 by Dimity

[lookeyloo]

8 minutes ago, Kemper said:

Kristen Hillebrand has. been dead to me since she almost single-handedly destroyed Al Franken.

OMG totally.  Was talking to brother today and we discussed who is asking for money and I said I wouldn't give one cent to Kirsten Gillibrand for just that reason.  And she used to say "as a young mother" when she should have said "mother of young children".

[bluegirl147]

16 minutes ago, Kemper said:

Kristen Hillebrand has. been dead to me since she almost single-handedly destroyed Al Franken.

I always thought her going after Franken was not only stupid but it ended up costing her any credibility that she might have had.  I don't know if she was trying to shore support among women so she could make a run for President in 2020 or what but it not only hurt the Dems overall but her.

[partofme]

21 minutes ago, Kemper said:

Kristen Hillebrand has. been dead to me since she almost single-handedly destroyed Al Franken.

I resented that she was appointed to the Senate, she used to be a member of the NRA and don’t believe she would ever have won if there had been a primary.  

[Lisa418722]

Immediately after the election, after I got over my shock and disappointment, I told a couple of people that I hoped I would sit back in four years and say, "I was wrong. He did do a good job."  Instead, even before the inauguration, I was thinking the country is going to be ###### up, and he is setting out to destroy the United States and make us the State of Russia. 

He's golfing on taxpayers dollars every weekend.  I think they should shut down the Washington White House for the next four years and move to Florida.  It might save money in the long run.  

He kept saying there were no wars while he was president and now he's threatening Canada, Greenland, the Panama Canal, and Gaza.  I know I'm missing some, but those are the big ones.  

The whole tariffs BS is infuriating me.  He does not care about the regular citizen.  Whether or not we can afford anything.   As long as he does what he can to hurt people and threaten other countries.   

[tres bien]

59 minutes ago, Kemper said:

Kristen Hillebrand has. been dead to me since she almost single-handedly destroyed Al Franken.

She probably should never show up in MN.  Al should not have resigned.  We should have been able to make our own decision 

To make her more intolerable she has now endorsed Andrew Cuomo for mayor of NYC

[Mollywolly555]

11 hours ago, Soapy Goddess said:

If as you say, he could use info against (business) competitors, then why is the average Dem in an uproar as to its use again them (personally)??

 

You answered your own question.

[partofme]

Apparently Nancy Pelosi who I usually disagree with, has issued a press release urging Senate Dems to vote against the Republican spending bill.  

[bluegirl147]

3 minutes ago, partofme said:

Apparently Nancy Pelosi who I usually disagree with, has issued a press release urging Senate Dems to vote against the Republican spending bill.  

There are going to be a lot of Dems primaried in 2026. And a lot of them are going to deserve it.

[peacheslatour]

3 minutes ago, bluegirl147 said:

There are going to be a lot of Dems primaried in 2026. And a lot of them are going to deserve it.

Nancy needs to retire though.

[kittykat]

2 hours ago, partofme said:

This is what Elizabeth Warren has to say about the Republican spending bill.  Every Democrat should be voting against it. 
 

The government is set to run out of money tonight at midnight. Once again, Republicans have brought us to the brink of a government shutdown.

Let’s talk about how we got here.

Over in Congress right now, we’re debating a procedural budget bill to keep the government funded.

The spending plan that Republicans put forward that we’re debating includes funding cuts for hospitals, schools, child care centers, and veterans.

But that’s not all. This bill will also essentially give Donald Trump a blank check too — one that removes the guardrails from Congress on how he should spend taxpayer funds.

So perhaps Trump and Musk want to shovel $75 million of ALS treatment funding over to anti-vaccine research instead. This Republican bill says that’s okay.

And say Trump and Musk decide to fire another 25,000 veterans or kick one million old people out of nursing homes. This Republican bill says that’s okay.

Republicans are refusing to sit at the negotiating table with Democrats to work on a spending plan in good faith.

They are saying they’ll vote to keep the government open only if we cut money for these critical programs and give Donald Trump more unchecked power.

So I'm voting NO on the Republican shutdown bill.

NO on handing Donald Trump and Elon Musk a blank check to spend your taxpayer money however they want.

NO on cutting funding that helps families put food on the table and crack down on wealthy tax cheats.

Make no mistake: Republicans are forging ahead with their plan to shut down the government.

They don’t care about the consequences it will have on you or your family.

That is why I am here in the Senate standing up and fighting back. I’m going to do everything in my power to keep our government up and running for American families — not just for Donald Trump, Elon Musk, and a handful of billionaires.

Thanks for being a part of this,

Elizabeth

 

Damn. Why couldn't we make Elizabeth Warren happen?  Progressive ideas, boomers liked her.  I always supported her over Kamala Harris and even Bernie Sanders.  I know she flamed out in primaries but she really should have been on stage more.

[partofme]

Just now, kittykat said:

Damn. Why couldn't we make Elizabeth Warren happen?  Progressive ideas, boomers liked her.  I always supported her over Kamala Harris and even Bernie Sanders.  I know she flamed out in primaries but she really should have been on stage more.

She was my choice too.   I’m so happy I got to meet her and have my pic taken with her.  

[peacheslatour]

5 minutes ago, partofme said:

She was my choice too.   I’m so happy I got to meet her and have my pic taken with her.  

Just think where we'd be if the idiots at the DNC had run Warren in 2016 instead of Hillary? I think she would have beaten Trump back then.

[tessaray]

I'm not a Schumer fan but honestly, I kinda felt sorry for him last night. He looked defeated. He had some good points about the various moves Trump/Musk could make with the government shut down. The one that resonated with me was the courts being shut down.

It's been awhile since the last shutdown so I don't remember exactly how the courts were affected but we need them operating at full force. And  he did point out once the government is shut down, how would it end?  If Trump likes the non-essential federal employees being furloughed, what would motivate the ruling Rs to come back to the bargaining table to reopen the government? They win either way. Schumer looked as sick as I feel. 

[partofme]

1 minute ago, tessaray said:

I'm not a Schumer fan but honestly, I kinda felt sorry for him last night. He looked defeated. He had some good points about the various moves Trump/Musk could make with the government shut down. The one that resonated with me was the courts being shut down.

It's been awhile since the last shutdown so I don't remember exactly how the courts were affected but we need them operating at full force. And  he did point out once the government is shut down, how would it end?  If Trump likes the non-essential federal employees being furloughed, what would motivate the ruling Rs to come back to the bargaining table to reopen the government? They win either way. Schumer looked as sick as I feel. 

A shutdown isn’t ideal, but if Schumer could at least keep his coalition together to threaten one, maybe the Republicans would make concessions.   It’s a long shot because I don’t trust Republicans to ever compromise but the bill as is is a disaster and gives all Congressional power away to Trump and Musk.  

[supposebly]

As a born German, I think people in Europe (and I'm projecting here, since I really can only speak for the Germans to some extent) don't usually expect the Canadians, so they hear a North American accent and default to American.

But yes, Canadians are, on average a lot more welcome than Americans. I'd say that started slowly around the war in Iraq. To be fair, most Germans know a lot more about the US than they do about Canada.

So, yes, don't treat our flag as camouflage. Not cool.

[athousandclowns]

23 hours ago, Lantern7 said:

An inanimate rod?

I’m having a tough day. You know what would make me feel good? If some offensive a-hole were to be taken to the top floor of a very tall building, get grabbed by the ankles, and dragged down each and every stair on the way to the ground floor, head rhythmically bouncing on the way down. Right now, I’m not particular as to whom I’d want to get that treatment. If the MAGA set would pick one of their own to be sacrificed, that wouldn’t be a bad thing.

I read your post the other day when I wasn’t signed and laughed so hard ,then at a later day signed specifically to find it and couldn’t find it or remember what forum  I was on.    Yippee. Now I can have that picture in my mind the next time I unwillingly get a glimpse of you know who. 

[mostlylurking]

No Dem should vote for this.  Let the government shut down.  Stop appeasing them.  Schumer saying people will lose their jobs and the American people will suffer.  Guess what Chuck?  That’s already happening.  Stay home.

[tessaray]

24 minutes ago, partofme said:

A shutdown isn’t ideal, but if Schumer could at least keep his coalition together to threaten one, maybe the Republicans would make concessions.   It’s a long shot because I don’t trust Republicans to ever compromise but the bill as is is a disaster and gives all Congressional power away to Trump and Musk.  

They've (Republicans) already given away their power, haven't they?

[mostlylurking]

In other news that makes me want to go to bed and not get up for another four years…. I guess children are now having Donald Trump themed birthday parties.  Yes, children wearing orange wigs and MaGa hats and god knows what else.  Just…yeah.  That’s a thing now.

[Spartan Girl]

9 minutes ago, mostlylurking said:

In other news that makes me want to go to bed and not get up for another four years…. I guess children are now having Donald Trump themed birthday parties.  Yes, children wearing orange wigs and MaGa hats and god knows what else.  Just…yeah.  That’s a thing now.

It’s. A. Cult.

[Dimity]

11 minutes ago, mostlylurking said:

In other news that makes me want to go to bed and not get up for another four years…. I guess children are now having Donald Trump themed birthday parties.  Yes, children wearing orange wigs and MaGa hats and god knows what else.  Just…yeah.  That’s a thing now.

Halloween of 2020 my then 6 yr old grandson wanted to go out as Donald Trump because, in his words, "he's mean and scary".

[bluegirl147]

1 hour ago, kittykat said:

Damn. Why couldn't we make Elizabeth Warren happen?  Progressive ideas, boomers liked her.  I always supported her over Kamala Harris and even Bernie Sanders.  I know she flamed out in primaries but she really should have been on stage more.

 

1 hour ago, partofme said:

She was my choice too.   I’m so happy I got to meet her and have my pic taken with her.  

 

1 hour ago, peacheslatour said:

Just think where we'd be if the idiots at the DNC had run Warren in 2016 instead of Hillary? I think she would have beaten Trump back then.

Let's make it a table for four and order some food.  I have loved Warren ever since seeing her on Bill Maher back in 2008 or 2009.  I'm convinced if she had been a man she would have been president by now. She had a plan for everything.  Why can't we ever have anything nice?

12 minutes ago, Spartan Girl said:

It’s. A. Cult.

How long before they make the Kool Aid and put on the Nikes'?

[ProudMary]

8 hours ago, lookeyloo said:

That is truly disgusting.  Is the next step to ban anyone but white men from enlisting?  Ugh, what a mess.

 

7 hours ago, fastiller said:

Oh no, they'll let anyone enlist.  (Especially if they're not the rich white sons of the ultra wealthy & just plain old regular wealthy.  Not gonna let them die for the country.)  What they won't allow is anyone not white & male being given accolades.

This was published about two weeks before DJT took office. The entire piece is worth a read. The beginning is mainly about the rise in the percentage of women enlisting increasing faster that the percentage of men enlisting, despite the fact that the military still puts more money into recruiting men. There's a rather problematic issue there, though, in that many men interested in enlisting are not meeting the educational or intellectual requirements. (See quoted sections below.) But sure, let's dismantle the Department of Education. 🙄

Surge of Female Enlistments Helped Drive Army Success in Reaching 2024 Recruiting Goal

https://www.military.com/daily-news/2025/01/09/surge-of-female-enlistments-helped-drive-army-success-reaching-2024-recruiting-goal.html

Meanwhile, the Army's biggest recruiting challenge isn't just convincing men to sign up -- it's finding eligible ones. Academic standards have become a major barrier for recruits, with a significant portion failing to meet the minimum requirements for enlistment.

The Army requires a high school diploma, and many roles demand strong scores on the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery, or ASVAB, a standardized test that assesses math, science and language skills and with which applicants often struggle. That trend coincides with falling test scores that schools have been seeing for decades but which were worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic.

In 2022, the Army started the Future Soldier Preparatory Course, a pre-basic training camp that takes otherwise ineligible applicants and gets them up to snuff for service -- either to meet academic or body fat standards. The lion's share are recruits who came up short on the entrance test, and roughly 70% are men, according to internal Army data.

Studies have shown a troubling trend in U.S. education: Boys are falling behind girls in nearly every academic category, including reading and writing. That achievement gap starts in elementary school and often widens over time. By high school, boys are less likely to graduate on time compared to their female peers, and the differences are even more pronounced among male minorities.

As more women enlist into the Army and the percentage of eligible male candidates shrinks, women are increasingly rising through the ranks and taking on senior leadership roles.

[Ancaster]

11 hours ago, Ohiopirate02 said:

I'm going to Europe in the fall and am now trying to figure out what to wear to signal to the Europeans that I am not one of those Americans while still staying true to my style. I am not someone who wants to be a walking billboard for anything other than my chosen sports teams on appropriate days. Maybe I should have gotten that Harris-Walz camo cap back in the fall.

https://www.amazon.com/anti-trump-pins/s?k=anti+trump+pins

Here you go - lots of anti-Trump pins/buttons/badges.  If you're anti-Bezos/Amazon, I'm sure there are lots available at other sites, this was just easy to Google.  (There are loads more if you follow the link.)

 

Edited March 15 by Ancaster

[ProudMary]

1 hour ago, kittykat said:

Damn. Why couldn't we make Elizabeth Warren happen?  Progressive ideas, boomers liked her.  I always supported her over Kamala Harris and even Bernie Sanders.  I know she flamed out in primaries but she really should have been on stage more.

She was my candidate, too. 😢

I think it's incorrect to say that she flamed out in the 2020 primaries. She was gaining nicely until Jim Clyburn basically decided that to hand South Carolina's delegates to Joe Biden. 

FWIW, and against what nearly everyone else here has said in the past, I completely believe that Bernie Sanders would have beaten DJT in the 2016 election, but the DNC decided it was "Hillary's turn." 😡

[peacheslatour]

6 minutes ago, ProudMary said:

She was my candidate, too. 😢

I think it's incorrect to say that she flamed out in the 2020 primaries. She was gaining nicely until Jim Clyburn basically decided that to hand South Carolina's delegates to Joe Biden. 

FWIW, and against what nearly everyone else here has said in the past, I completely believe that Bernie Sanders would have beaten DJT in the 2016 election, but the DNC decided it was "Hillary's turn." 😡

Oh, I think Bernie would have won too. Sanders/Warren would have been a hell of a ticket.

[tearknee]

I will never support pacifism. It is not a legitimate belief because as at its core it means leaving people to rot and suffer. The advocation that "we" should "show solidarity to whatever underground resistance movement exists" deliberately elides that in the vast majority of cases the regime has the monopoly of force and protests are easily crushed.

Jeannette Rankin was no hero.

(The only truly innocent Germans and Japanese in German and Japanese cities were the babies, children and the elderly -- for in a modern industrial war, anyone else is far less likely to be innocent).

[Caoimhe]

1 hour ago, mostlylurking said:

No Dem should vote for this.  Let the government shut down.  Stop appeasing them.  Schumer saying people will lose their jobs and the American people will suffer.  Guess what Chuck?  That’s already happening.  Stay home.

Our two senators voted with the MAGAs. It feels like there’s no point in my voting any more because even our Democrats wouldn’t stand up to Trump, I can just imagine the triumphant posts he’s making on his platform. While one senator is standing down when her term ends they are both a huge disgrace and I will never vote for the other if she decides to run again.

[Eri]

The vote hasn’t closed yet but at least 10 Democrats have voted yes to invoke cloture on the GOP CR to advance it, meaning that Senate Republicans will just need a simple majority to pass the legislation. This means, barring any changed votes and assuming Senate Republicans do have the simple majority votes to pass the CR, there will be no shutdown.

The Dems are, from earlier count:

• Chuck Schumer (NY)
• John Fetterman (PA)
• Catherine Cortez Masto (NV)
• Dick Durbin (IL) 
• Angus King (ME)
• Brian Schatz (HI)
• Maggie Hassan (NH)
• Gary Peters (MI)
• Kirsten Gillibrand (NY)
• Jeanne Shaheen (NH)

Whether people lose their jobs now or in the next 6 months, the result is still the same. The message they send is still clear - they have no plan and they need to go. Time and time again, when the GOP wants to shut the govt down (and it has happened), they force the hand of Democrats to compromise their values and integrity. Somehow, it never seems to affect them in the way we expect. Their reputation survives every time. The idea that Republicans are in charge right now and then would blame the minority party for a shutdown is just laughable but that's the state of politics these days..

Update: It's closed now - by a vote of 62-38, the Senate invoked cloture on H.R. 1968, the Continuing Appropriations Act.

Edited March 14 by Eri

[peacheslatour]

Fucking Fetterman. I so regret donating to his campaign.

[peacheslatour]

AOC is going on the road with Bernie! I just got an email -

Democrats can't show up just for election season.

That’s why I’m hitting the road alongside Senator Bernie Sanders next week. We'll make several stops, including vulnerable, GOP-held swing districts.

While Republicans try to gut Medicaid, Medicare, and Social Security to pay for tax cuts for billionaires, people across the country are standing up against these attacks on the working class.

They deserve representation that is willing to stand with them.

[partofme]

2 hours ago, mostlylurking said:

In other news that makes me want to go to bed and not get up for another four years…. I guess children are now having Donald Trump themed birthday parties.  Yes, children wearing orange wigs and MaGa hats and god knows what else.  Just…yeah.  That’s a thing now.

Those parents should lose custody. 

[EtheltoTillie]

On 3/13/2025 at 10:42 AM, Yeah No said:

Yeah I wonder about that myself but I usually land on it being a little bit of both nature/nurture. In his case I can see where both come into play. It's interesting to listen to his niece and nephew (Mary and Fred III) who were born to the lesser successful alcoholic brother in the family, Fred Trump, Jr. It is said that Fred Jr. succumbed to Donald's incessant jabs which ate away at his self confidence. He left the real estate business and became a pilot but that didn't stop Donald from putting him down and supposedly that helped drive him to alcoholism. So this shows that even being born to successful parents doesn't guarantee what kind of character a child has. Donald is basically what I would call a "bad seed" and was born that way.

I was also thinking bad seed from everything I’ve heard. NPD plus sociopath. Tormenting his brother. Probably abetted by father, who split the two. Didn’t he get thrown out of various schools?  Probably injured small animals. 

[ProudMary]

29 minutes ago, Eri said:

The Dems are, from earlier count:

• Chuck Schumer (NY)
• John Fetterman (PA)
• Catherine Cortez Masto (NV)
• Dick Durbin (IL) 
• Angus King (ME)
• Brian Schatz (HI)
• Maggie Hassan (NH)
• Gary Peters (MI)
• Kirsten Gillibrand (NY)
• Jeanne Shaheen (NH)

The only Senator on that list that surprises me is Brian Schatz who's often up for a battle. I certainly won't put any faith in him moving forward. The others are predictable. 

[DanaMB]

This is why Democrats keep losing. And why I refuse to register as one.

Spineless cowards. 

[Lantern7]

41 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

AOC is going on the road with Bernie! I just got an email -

Democrats can't show up just for election season.

That’s why I’m hitting the road alongside Senator Bernie Sanders next week. We'll make several stops, including vulnerable, GOP-held swing districts.

While Republicans try to gut Medicaid, Medicare, and Social Security to pay for tax cuts for billionaires, people across the country are standing up against these attacks on the working class.

They deserve representation that is willing to stand with them.

Are they taking requests? I'd like them to show up at my district.

Oh, and both of my senators are acquiescing. Wonderful.

[partofme]

21 minutes ago, DanaMB said:

This is why Democrats keep losing. And why I refuse to register as one.

Spineless cowards. 

As frustrated as I get with Democrats I would never not be registered because I want to be able to vote in primaries.   And I support closed primaries because I don’t want Republicans choosing the Democratic candidate. 

[ProudMary]

35 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

Fucking Fetterman. I so regret donating to his campaign.

I don't think you should beat yourself up for donating to his campaign in the general election when his opponent was Dr. Oz  and it was essential to move that seat into the Democratic column.

The problem was Democrats choosing him in the primary. Fetterman had already shown his bigoted colors for years prior. He was an awful candidate to begin with. Conor Lamb would have been acceptable, but Malcolm Kenyatta would have been my choice if I lived in PA. He's amazing. At least he's a newly-elected Deputy Chair of the DNC now. The Deputy Chairs are all great choices. I wish I could say the same for the Chair, but Ken Martin is as rank and file as they come. The Democrats got that one wrong, too. 😔

[isalicat]

7 hours ago, PRgal said:

I was seeing this coming YEARS ago, long before the current government.

Trump is launching America’s version of the Cultural Revolution

 

This was my comment on the article:

 

25 years ago, I was a history major focusing on East Asian and Chinese history (you know, it's all about "discovering your heritage" when you're in your late teens/early 20s, right??) I saw this coming A LONG TIME AGO. BEFORE Trump's second term. Whether implementing STRICT DEI (only certain views need apply, in my experience. Diversity education was much needed, but the way it was done was HUGELY FLAWED in most cases) or dismantling right now. And everything else that came along with it. Learning about the Cultural Revolution, discussing it with my family (I have extended family who were directly affected, including great-aunts/uncles and cousins on both sides. Parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles were safely in Hong Kong (and later, Canada), thank goodness), etc was mind-numbing considering HOW it affected them. Note that I only have a bachelor's degree on this subject. My master's is in something entirely different.

Note that when I mean "cousins," I mean "cousin-aunts" and "cousin-uncles" from the Chinese naming/title perspective.  Hong Kong was safe because it was under British rule at the time and, according to my dad, yes, there were a good number of refugees.  At the time, anyone who came from mainland were automatically given residency status as soon as they were on the British territory (I believe that eventually changed.  Too many people/too much to handle).   

 

There are absolutely no real parallels between the Trump administration's cancelling federal grants to *privately owned U.S. universities* and Mao's Cultural Revolution. This is entirely Fareed Zakaria's fever dream of a clickbait WaPo editorial column and has no basis in actual historical reality. Anyone who has actually studied the Cultural Revolution and was paying attention to what is actually the goals of the current U.S. government would not be drawing any conclusions along those lines. And I have a Master's degree in history and have spent considerable amount of time on just this subject (from a history of religion point of view, as that was my specialty).

[isalicat]

5 hours ago, peacheslatour said:

How can Trump supporters look at their financial losses at this point and still defend the monster that is ruining our lives? I don't want to hear about Biden. My money was safe as long as he was in office. Where is it now? Trump is destroying the ability of regular Americans to live. 

How did your investments (I assume in the stock market) do in early 2021 (when Biden was president)? Did you blame Biden then when the stock market cratered due to the incredibly unwarranted Covid shut down?

Every financial advisor of merit that ever lived says that putting money in the stock market is a long term plan - you have to be willing to ride the ups and downs of the market and this market will surely turn up as surely as it turned down. People are panicking for emotional and political reasons, not actual economic reasons, if it is about their investment portfolio.

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/live/stock-market-today-dow-sp-500-soar-nasdaq-rebounds-in-best-day-since-november-to-cap-volatile-week-200045291.html

 

[bluegirl147]

10 minutes ago, isalicat said:

How did your investments (I assume in the stock market) do in early 2021 (when Biden was president)? Did you blame Biden then when the stock market cratered due to the incredibly unwarranted Covid shut down?

Every financial advisor of merit that ever lived says that putting money in the stock market is a long term plan - you have to be willing to ride the ups and downs of the market and this market will surely turn up as surely as it turned down. People are panicking for emotional and political reasons, not actual economic reasons, if it is about their investment portfolio.

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/live/stock-market-today-dow-sp-500-soar-nasdaq-rebounds-in-best-day-since-november-to-cap-volatile-week-200045291.html

 

In 2021 we were in the midst of a pandemic.  That is not what is happening now.

[Eri]

4 hours ago, tessaray said:

I'm not a Schumer fan but honestly, I kinda felt sorry for him last night. He looked defeated. He had some good points about the various moves Trump/Musk could make with the government shut down. The one that resonated with me was the courts being shut down.

It's been awhile since the last shutdown so I don't remember exactly how the courts were affected but we need them operating at full force. And  he did point out once the government is shut down, how would it end?  If Trump likes the non-essential federal employees being furloughed, what would motivate the ruling Rs to come back to the bargaining table to reopen the government? They win either way. Schumer looked as sick as I feel.

I understand your reasoning. To @Affogato's point, Washington D.C. does not have statehood so its residents have little representation, despite paying taxes, and are subject to the whims of the federal government where Congress interferes with their local laws, local funding and operations. If any place should become the 51st state, it should be them. 

One example is congressional Republicans pressuring the the city to rename and remove the Black Lives Matter mural created after George Floyd's death, or risk cuts to the city's transportation funding.

Part of the CR bill includes a cancelling of the city's $21 billion budget.  My understanding is Trump's administration is essentially saying "Look at this city, it's inefficient, we should just cut all its funding and transform it into a federal agency that we can control instead." DC residents, understandably, do not want this. Especially at a time when Musk is commandeering control over the federal workforce and little is being done to enforce current laws and court orders to stop all this illegal hijacking.

So I do understand these are tough decisions to make, but it's poor form for any Senate Dems to support a clearly partisan CR bill that ALL House Dems rejected. It's rare for this to happen. Now they want to feign ignorance because they didn't read all the fine print when the House Reps all left for recess this week? I can't buy it.

These next set of town hall meetings (if they hold any) will be interesting.

Edited March 14 by Eri

[PRgal]

I am ashamed that I forgot about Kim Campbell.  I mentioned on social media that I thought Chrystia Freeland had lost her chance at any possible leadership of the Liberal Party and that Melanie Joly is waiting in the wings and heir apparent.  And that she could very well be our first woman PM.  Well, technically, she could very well be the first to become PM in a general election.  One could only hope. 🙂

[partofme]

21 minutes ago, isalicat said:

Did you blame Biden then when the stock market cratered due to the incredibly unwarranted Covid shut down?

Didn’t the shutdown, which was very necessary as there was no vaccine yet, happen in March 2020 and under Trump?  I don’t think most places were still closed in 2021 though it would have been okay with me if they had been. 

[Bastet]

7 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

And being honest opens you to conversations that may help change some people’s opinions about Americans.

I was in quite a few western European countries in the months immediately preceding the 2008 election, and had numerous conversations about WTactualF America was thinking, having re-elected Bush, and did I think Obama could win the White House back for Democrats.  So I heard a lot of "Wow, you're not like most Americans".  I assured them there were plenty of us while acknowledging, yes, there are a metric shit ton of bigoted morons with little connection to reality walking our streets - and going to the polls on Election Day.  But those were great conversations.

[Lantern7]

I just wrote to Sen. Gillienbrand. It was not a positive message.

[tres bien]

To the senate democrats that crossed the aisle if you’re up for reelection in 2026 fuck around and find out

My senators voted no. Thank you and Governor Walz is doing town halls in Trump country. Started out in Des Moines Iowa today for his 13 city townhalls