Chit-Chat: The Feels

[StatisticalOutlier]

1 hour ago, Bliss said:

Late to the party... maybe this has  been discussed already?... I just read that the orange guy wants to "annexe" (his spelling, not mine) Alaska and make it the 53rd state. He posted this on X.

Source?  I don't know how to search social media, but I'm using google verbatim using the search terms

     trump annexe alaska

and can't find anything.

https://www.google.com/search?q=trump+annexe+alaska&sca_esv=e3fab5ebe5152309&biw=1653&bih=808&tbs=li%3A1&ei=bkDWZ9K9E4DekPIP3569sQg&ved=0ahUKEwjSrI3Fz42MAxUAL0QIHV9PL4Y4FBDh1QMIEA&uact=5&oq=trump+annexe+alaska&gs_lp=Egxnd3Mtd2l6LXNlcnAiE3RydW1wIGFubmV4ZSBhbGFza2FIgkdQ4AdYiiJwA3gAkAEAmAG_B6AB3CeqAQc4LjYuNi00uAEDyAEA-AEBmAICoAKzAcICDBAAGIAEGMcDGAoYDZgDAIgGAZIHAzEuMaAHjyE&sclient=gws-wiz-serp

[Bliss]

2 minutes ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

Source?  I don't know how to search social media, but I'm using google verbatim using the search terms

     trump annexe alaska

and can't find anything.

https://www.google.com/search?q=trump+annexe+alaska&sca_esv=e3fab5ebe5152309&biw=1653&bih=808&tbs=li%3A1&ei=bkDWZ9K9E4DekPIP3569sQg&ved=0ahUKEwjSrI3Fz42MAxUAL0QIHV9PL4Y4FBDh1QMIEA&uact=5&oq=trump+annexe+alaska&gs_lp=Egxnd3Mtd2l6LXNlcnAiE3RydW1wIGFubmV4ZSBhbGFza2FIgkdQ4AdYiiJwA3gAkAEAmAG_B6AB3CeqAQc4LjYuNi00uAEDyAEA-AEBmAICoAKzAcICDBAAGIAEGMcDGAoYDZgDAIgGAZIHAzEuMaAHjyE&sclient=gws-wiz-serp

I wrote in a previous post the exact words that were captured in the screenshot. I think it was from 1 day ago. Chances are, it's been deleted by now. I mean, come on, we all know he's daft... and that he lies... and that he's a cheater and a bully... I just never knew he was so uneducated.

It made me laugh out loud, which is such a gift (since so much of what I read lately makes me want to throw up).

[Yeah No]

14 hours ago, Bookworm 1979 said:

I've put the Trump supporters on ignore. They're so brainwashed you can't reason with them, and it's better for my mental health.

I'm not putting anyone on ignore but I sat this one out. Besides, others took up the cause and said most of what I would have said anyway.

On 3/14/2025 at 10:14 AM, 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.

I'm going on a Mediterranean cruise in the Fall. Fortunately on cruises most people don't want to talk about politics but we will be taking a lot of time in ports around locals so this is something I've thought about. The last time I was in Europe was 20 years ago and I remember feeling like I didn't even look like an American because I don't dress like a typical one. I naturally dress more European or even more Canadian than American. But have I changed since that time? I don't know. I'm older now and age and body and comfort issues have made me change some of my clothing choices and who knows what I look like now to anyone?

Maybe my best defense is my face. My mother was of Sicilian descent and I resemble her a lot so when I'm in Italy and Greece I know people will look at me and think of my heritage rather than whether or not I'm American. I even get that when I go to Italian and Greek restaurants here in the States. Waiters will tell me I look very Italian and even Greek. My mother's family was from the East coast of Sicily which was settled by the Greeks. So that makes sense. I'm going with that, lol.

When I was in Mexico last month a man trying to sell perfume on the street told me as I walked by that I had to be either Italian or Jewish. As I passed him I turned my head and said, "Actually I'm both", which is true. My Dad was half Jewish. His other half was all Yankee. Mayflower descendant, the whole nine yards.

[athousandclowns]

On 3/14/2025 at 2:52 PM, peacheslatour said:

Fucking Fetterman. I so regret donating to his campaign.

Me too! 

[StatisticalOutlier]

18 minutes ago, Bliss said:

I wrote in a previous post the exact words that were captured in the screenshot.

But you also said Trump had posted it on X.  I found the KGB_News tweet you have a screenshot of, and the avatar on Trump's alleged tweet is the one used on his Truth Social account, not X.  So if it was posted anywhere, it was on Truth Social, not X.

https://x.com/GBNews23653867/status/1900644435307737363

I just find it hard to believe that there's only one place on the entire internet where a post, especially a post like this, can be seen. 

And I just noticed that this is KGB_News's description of itself on X:

Quote

Freeview 12345, SKY HD 906, Virgin Media 666, YouView 234, Freesat HD 215, YouTube, mobile, online & DAB+radio - news & mass debate for all the UK (PARODY)

https://x.com/GBNews23653867

But interestingly, that post is dated March 14, 2025, but if you go to their X "main" page, the most recent post shown is on January 24, 2025.  And there are other posts you can see by clicking on google search results that are newer than January 24 but don't show up on the "main" page. 

But what does show up on that main page is their photo of Hitler driving a Cybertruck.  Sounds like a reliable source to me.

 

1 hour ago, Bliss said:

I just never knew he was so uneducated.

But which is worse--being uneducated, or being educated and automatically believing everything we see or hear, and worse, passing it on without any scrutiny? 

[Yeah No]

13 hours ago, Dimity said:

This is exactly where I am.  I retired during the pandemic (mainly because the contracts stopped) but my husband worked in a hospital throughout - and if one more person diminishes and belittles the pandemic here I may start screaming and no guarantees I will stop!  But anyway things seemed to settle down and retirement was fun as I had more 'me' time and could see the grandkids again. 

Wow, anyone that had to work in a hospital during the pandemic has my respect and sympathy. That had to be a very difficult time. I was petrified of getting Covid since my Dad died of it and I'm a natural germaphobe from way back so I can't even imagine that.

I basically retired at age 58 in 2016. Not formally, but I stopped working because of being wrongfully terminated while on workers' compensation. Then I was supported by workers' comp. for a few years because of my lawsuit and I was still recovering from my serious arm break and a gallbladder operation for some of that time, so I didn't start looking for a job until 2018. That didn't go so well thanks to age discrimination and being shunned because of the way I left my job - and don't anyone tell me it wasn't that because I had never had that much difficulty finding a job. My husband finally hired me to work for him in his very small limo. business in 2019. I helped him with his paperwork and billing.

That was going pretty well when suddenly BOOM, the pandemic happened and no one was traveling so we were suddenly out of work. Then my father died of Covid and I didn't start looking for a job again until 2021. By that time I was over 60 and things had already changed a lot because of the pandemic. I eventually gave up looking for work completely in 2023. My husband was lucky enough that one of his rich clients gave him a job driving his family. The salary is very good so we are OK on his salary alone. Thank God or I don't know what we would have done.

I only just applied to start receiving my Social Security in early February of this year. It's already been over a month and I haven't heard anything yet. I can see it's gone on to step 2 but it's past due by now by about a week. My husband said he'd already heard by this time when he applied a couple of years ago. I am hoping things aren't being delayed because of Trump/Musk but that's where my mind is going. 

Anyway, retiring when it isn't your choice is not ideal. I have a friend that also retired because of the pandemic and we both went through the same feelings of not really having much direction and feeling isolated from friends because of the fear of Covid. We feel like we've been bouncing back and forth from all the blows since then and not very much in control of things. I was just starting to feel like things were settling down and enjoying myself more when Trump became president again and now it's once again a roller coaster ride. I'm soooo tired of it. As my grandmother used to joke, "Stop the world, I want to get off", lol.

[Lantern7]

I also hit Bernie's website. Asked if him and AOC would come to my district. It's a longshot, but why not?

There's going to be a Healthcare and Housing Town Hall on Wednesday night. Our Congresswoman was invited, but she probably won't show. I'm thinking of going, but I don't know if I have the energy. Also, I'd have to record seven hours of stuff if I went out.

ETA: I can't see AOC running for the Senate. New York State is a lot more than New York City.

I just looked it up . . . seven of New York's 26 districts are red (including, sadly, my own). I still can't see AOC trying to make the leap. Even if she got party support, the Trumpanistas can find someone to run against her and give that person more money than could ever be deserved.

Edited March 16 by Lantern7

[anony.miss]

1 hour ago, SoMuchTV said:

As much as recent history has taught me to believe the worst about that guy, I can’t find anything to corroborate that.

Me, neither (I'm not sure Trump can count as high as 53 : )

More revisionist history: Musk reposted a tweet blaming the mass murders committed by Hitler, Mao and Stalin on...public sector workers:

https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/musk-hitler-mao-stalin-post/

Edited March 16 by anony.miss

[Yeah No]

9 hours ago, isalicat said:

I am not a financial advisor, but I am surprised your financial advisor is still encouraging you to stay in the stock market at your stage of life. When you are relying on what you have saved/invested (and don't plan on earning substantially more) that is the time to get out of anything that is subject to risk - I am approaching 69 and took all my investments out of the stock market and into high earning (and insured!) CDs some years ago because I no longer anticipate being able to add a lot, if anything, to my "nest egg" and want to make sure it is there when I need it. (I would suggest that assuming your financial advisor is making money off your stock trades, they have a vested interest in you staying in the market...but that is for you to look into and consider.) If you get out of the volatility arena, you will sleep better, eh?

He and a lot of investment houses think certain less risky stocks are still OK for people in my age bracket because we may live another couple of decades or more and can benefit from earning more. Admittedly stocks are a small piece of my investment pie compared to the other parts of it. Bonds are the biggest chunk. I spoke with my financial advisor yesterday. He says he will tell me when it's time to get out of stocks altogether. I am not withdrawing from the account yet. 

This is from Yahoo Finance but it's much like what I've read elsewhere too:

Quote

The truth is that retirement savers can’t afford to be rash. Building wealth is a long-term process.

“In times of stock market volatility, I tell my clients that it's crucial to remember that such fluctuations are a natural part of investing,” Ryan Haiss, a certified financial planner at Flynn Zito Capital Management in Garden City, N.Y., told Yahoo Finance.

If you're tempted to do something major, tap the brakes.

It’s pretty tough to find the best time to sell and buy stocks. If you get out when markets dip, you might very well miss out on the upside when they get rolling again.

The bigger issue is not what goes down this week, but what happened over the last year. The reality is that stocks do have market risk, but even those of you close to retirement or retired should stay invested in stocks to some degree in order to benefit from the upside over time.

If you’re 65, you could have two decades or more of living ahead of you and you’ll want that potential boost.

“Stay calm is my mantra,” Justin Smith, a certified financial planner with Savant Wealth Management in Phoenix, Ariz., told Yahoo Finance. Smith tells his clients “to focus on what we can control, such as their retirement plan and cash holdings, and acknowledge that much of this is out of our control.”

So far I'm trying to heed the advice to stay calm and not do anything too rash at this point. Of course that's subject to change depending on what the loose cannon in office does in the near future. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that he is going to refrain from scaring investors and causing a recession.

[Mollywolly555]

A metaphor is a figure of speech that directly compares one thing to another for rhetorical effect. (From Masterclass com).

Example: "All the world's a stage and all the men and women merely players. "

Trump said he wd end the war in Ukraine on Day 1 of his administration. 

No comparison there by any stretch of the imagination.  So.......?????

[Yeah No]

2 hours ago, SoMuchTV said:

As much as recent history has taught me to believe the worst about that guy, I can’t find anything to corroborate that. Not really sure whether I hope or don’t hope to be proven wrong. 

I've searched on several terms and even the whole quote and have come up with nothing.

[Soapy Goddess]

15 hours ago, Affogato said:

Art of the deal? Ugh. Trump sucks as a business man and got a big knee up at the beginning. He is a bully. He bullies people into deals.  

I'd rather have a "bully" defending our country than a wuss who never made reciprocal demands on other countries who took advantage of the USA's good nature and willingness to help. Not against helping, only about endless contributions.

15 hours ago, Dimity said:

lives of children everywhere except MAGA land.  Much appreciated that they no sooner got through the pandemic and now have to deal with a trade war and sabre rattling from the madman in the White House.

This what I don't understand. Seriously, why are young children having to "deal with" anything in politics?!?  I don't ever remember worrying about Nixon and Watergate (and other political scandals). If your kids are being exposed to trauma, then as a parent, you need to take control of their devices. Or at the very least (if you prefer) explain that there's no need for them to lose sleep over something they have no control over.

[Yeah No]

35 minutes ago, Mollywolly555 said:

A metaphor is a figure of speech that directly compares one thing to another for rhetorical effect. (From Masterclass com).

I almost replied to that post about "day 1". I don't think Trump even knows what a metaphor is much less how to use one. I don't even think he'd understand the definition above.

Also, and this is interesting, but my mother was born on June 14th, otherwise known back in the day as Flag Day and unfortunately otherwise known as Trump's birthday. If anyone knew how to strike a deal it was her. She grew up in a time and place where you haggled with merchants to get the best deal. She would go into a car dealership and just as the salesman thought he had the sale in his back pocket she would say the price was too high and get up and walk out if they weren't willing to lower it. Usually they would follow her to the door begging and pleading for her to come back. As a kid I was mortified. Whose mom acted that way, especially back in the 1960s? But my mother had nerves of steel and held out for the best price. I have to hand it to her, because it WORKED. But looking back on it and knowing how she felt about Trump even back in the day, I am sure she would say he has no clue how to make deals. His idea of a deal is really more like "Winning by Intimidation". In fact that's what the title of his book should have been, not "The Art of the Deal". What he does is no "art". And it's definitely not what you do with entire countries whose people stand to lose from your actions. Again, what works in business doesn't necessarily transfer over to global politics.

[Soapy Goddess]

9 hours ago, jessiebell said:

Where is Trump this weekend - at Mar-a-lago of course.  Talk about waste, fraud and abuse!!!!!!!!

You mean like Biden's nap times? Total waste because he wasn't even running the country. At least Trump is doing something. And like every other person with a job, he's allowed to have a weekend to himself. So unless you work 24/7, if I were you, I wouldn't use that as an argument.

9 hours ago, Affogato said:

Simply, Trump supporters and Trump only have access to disinformation, through the outlets that say things that support Trump.  They don’t even read mainstream US outlets. Or history. 

Please, I get enough disinformation from Whoopi, Joy and Sunny every day 🙄

[Anela]

23 minutes ago, Soapy Goddess said:

That's your prerogative...and you will remain stagnant in your own grief. I believe the purpose of this thread was to better understand the opposing side. This is how humans learn about one another. Otherwise, we become Stepford robots.

No one is stealing "your" country. Stop torturing yourself.

If want to address me, have the ovaries to do so. Your veiled description is more than obvious 🙄 

And BTW, we've all disappeared from time-to-time. No one here is special.

Where is this majority you speak of?  No such animal on PTer.

Having our feelings belittled, and accusations thrown around about the people a lot of us supported, and that we know aren't true, do nothing to help with healing. Dealing with what Trump and Musk are doing to our country - they ARE destroying it, and our relationships with countries and their citizens, all over the world - are also doing nothing to heal our grief. It's something we cannot get past, because we are dealing with it every single day. 

I don't know what forum they were speaking of, but I've been on more than one in the past, and I agree with them. The only thing that's worse, is the supporters who know when the conspiracy theories aren't true, they know when they are lying about anything involving the Democrats, and they choose to not only "believe" it all, but spread it as gospel. All for political reasons. 

Nobody is missing out when avoiding involving themselves in constant disagreements. I used to believe that communication was key, if only we could find a way to find some common ground, and then get in some real conversations that went beyond the crazy. For the most part, that never happened, and it just became a really depressing bad habit, that made me feel crazy, and horrible about myself, when dealing with the constant digs, outright insults, and pile-ons. 

 

[Soapy Goddess]

1 hour ago, Mollywolly555 said:

Trump said he wd end the war in Ukraine on Day 1 of his administration.

"day one" was used as a figure of speech. They ALL use it to show priority.

[Soapy Goddess]

13 minutes ago, Anela said:

Having our feelings belittled, and accusations thrown around about the people a lot of us supported, and that we know aren't true, do nothing to help with healing. 

I have had my share of feelings being belittled simply because I'm not a Dem...especially in the beginning. Couldn't get a word in edgewise without being attacked. So I understand your frustrations, which is more than I received from the majority. Only a handful were civil...and you were one of them. Thank you.

19 minutes ago, Anela said:

I don't know what forum they were speaking of, but I've been on more than one in the past, and I agree with them. The only thing that's worse, is the supporters who know when the conspiracy theories aren't true, they know when they are lying about anything involving the Democrats, and they choose to not only "believe" it all, but spread it as gospel. All for political reasons.

Luckily, we have this thread. I don't think I'd want to be anywhere near the worst of it. IOW, for me it's more about civil discourse, and not necessarily about proving a point. I only strive to give my POV, not to spread gossip. I understand not everyone is interested, but that's for the reader to decide.

23 minutes ago, Anela said:

Nobody is missing out when avoiding involving themselves in constant disagreements. I used to believe that communication was key, if only we could find a way to find some common ground, and then get in some real conversations that went beyond the crazy. For the most part, that never happened, and it just became a really depressing bad habit, that made me feel crazy, and horrible about myself, when dealing with the constant digs, outright insults, and pile-ons. 

Seriously, I get it. It's no fun being the target of vitriol. I have a pretty thick skin, so I feel for those who take the constant digs and insults to heart. I've pretty much gotten used to the pile-ons. It happens when you're in the minority. It's unfortunate, but many prefer to wallow in angst rather than trying to understand the opposition's POV. Let's face it, we'll never agree. But isn't it nice that we live in a country that values free speech?!?

[Yeah No]

Again, speaking of Trump and his total lack of knowledge about how to make deals, I worked for a VP of a Fortune 100 company that was a master deal maker. I learned from him that the real art behind deal making was making everyone feel like they came away from the deal with a "win". That's not what Trump does. Trump thinks he can bully and intimidate people and entire countries into getting what he wants out of them. That's not deal making, that's the mob. And that's why he's not respected by them. And if he thinks he's scaring them into caving into him, he's delusional. Even if they did they have other ways of getting back at him, by making alliances with each other and giving him (and hence us) the screws when they've had enough of his crap.

Trump's followers think he's a brilliant genius and that his tactics are going to pan out in our favor. No, they're not. He's that delusional and unsophisticated in his approach. There's no magic in it, it's just his overconfident bravado, which doesn't work in international relations. The only reason he's ever succeeded is by screwing and scaring people. He may be able to get away with that with some weak business people but not with the heads of many of these countries that are like "go ahead, make my day". He doesn't have the power and leverage he thinks he has with them.

The old saying that you "catch more flies with honey than with vinegar" is something that's lost on Trump. He thinks he can get away with forcing countries to bend to his will and get nothing in return for it. He thinks they're all taking advantage of us. Even if that were true that's not how you get people to make deals with you. So much for his supposed "genius" about deal making!

[Soapy Goddess]

7 minutes ago, Yeah No said:

Again, speaking of Trump and his total lack of knowledge about how to make deals, I worked for a VP of a Fortune 100 company that was a master deal maker. I learned from him that the real art behind deal making was making everyone feel like they came away from the deal with a "win". That's not what Trump does. Trump thinks he can bully and intimidate people and entire countries into getting what he wants out of them. That's not deal making, that's the mob. And that's why he's not respected by them. And if he thinks he's scaring them into caving into him, he's delusional. Even if they did they have other ways of getting back at him, by making alliances with each other and giving him (and hence us) the screws when they've had enough of his crap.

Trump's followers think he's a brilliant genius and that his tactics are going to pan out in our favor. No, they're not. He's that delusional and unsophisticated in his approach. There's no magic in it, it's just his overconfident bravado, which doesn't work in international relations. The only reason he's ever succeeded is by screwing and scaring people. He may be able to get away with that with some weak business people but not with the heads of many of these countries that are like "go ahead, make my day". He doesn't have the power and leverage he thinks he has with them.

I agree to a certain extend, but isn't Zelenskyy coming back to the table? Or was that more misinformation?

Also, what about his relationship with Putin? IMO, it "takes one to know one" and for what it's worth, I think there's a mutual respect (and caution) with both. I don't believe he had any such relationship with other presidents. Since I've seen a few memes above, I'm going to take a chance and post this regarding this subject:

Edited March 16 by Soapy Goddess

[Mollywolly555]

5 hours ago, Soapy Goddess said:

"day one" was used as a figure of speech. They ALL use it to show priority.

No, they "all" don't. For reference, see any speech by any former Dem President. Any examples to support your position? No? Nope. Never.

He meant it and his followers believed it. 

Others knew he could not do it,  hence their support for different candidates.

[Affogato]

5 hours ago, Soapy Goddess said:

"day one" was used as a figure of speech. They ALL use it to show priority.

Well the actual point is that the Ukraine is at war with Russia because Russia  started a war  taking over Ukrainian territory. Trump’s plans to end the war involved giving Russia the territory, which should noy have been an issue because Ukrainia apparently was wrong to defend itself in the first place. 
 

so, also, if the US decides to make Canada a state, Canada should just permit it, I imagine. It is the diplomacy of bullies. 
 

his plan to end war is not acceptable. See ‘take Gaza, make the people refugees that other countries (not the US) will deal with and make the country a resort for rich people. 

9 hours ago, SoMuchTV said:

This isn’t real, right? I can’t find anything to support it. There’s enough unbelievable stuff going around that’s actually true, we don’t need to muddy the waters. (If it is real, I’m sure someone can post something to confirm.)

I can’t find it either. Although I suppose Musk has someone attached to Trumps account to eliminate really really really dumb posts. 

Edited March 16 by Affogato

[Dimity]

He did follow through on one of his promises - dictator from day one.

[Affogato]

5 hours ago, Soapy Goddess said:

I agree to a certain extend, but isn't Zelenskyy coming back to the table? Or was that more misinformation?

Also, what about his relationship with Putin? IMO, it "takes one to know one" and for what it's worth, I think there's a mutual respect (and caution) with both. I don't believe he had any such relationship with other presidents. Since I've seen a few memes above, I'm going to take a chance and post this regarding this subject:

Yes, Putin is a bully, has a huge history of rights crimes, and in general seems to be someone Trump wants to emulate and be friends with and it isn’t admirable. Putin is also quite capable of manipulating poor Donnie to get what he wants. Putin is delighted to get what Putin wants and he doesn’t have to give 47 anything real. 
 

Zelenskyy has to make the best of a bad situation. It doesn’t mean that 47 was right. 

[Mollywolly555]

6 hours ago, Soapy Goddess said:

I'd rather have a "bully" defending our country than a wuss who never made reciprocal demands on other countries who took advantage of the USA's good nature and willingness to help. Not against helping, only about endless contributions.

This what I don't understand. Seriously, why are young children having to "deal with" anything in politics?!?  I don't ever remember worrying about Nixon and Watergate (and other political scandals). If your kids are being exposed to trauma, then as a parent, you need to take control of their devices. Or at the very least (if you prefer) explain that there's no need for them to lose sleep over something they have no control over.

It's called "soft diplomacy" to support other countries/human beings  and supporting democratic (small d) ideals, NOT an IOU. 

Children see and hear about things from other children and overhear other adults, not just devices. 

I grew up during the Red Scare and the  Vietnam war in tornado alley. Nightmares are not controllable at the snap of a meaningless slogan. 

Seriously, even adults are losing sleep, and we do have control  over things as we vote and speak out and march for constitutional rights. 

[Affogato]

6 hours ago, Soapy Goddess said:

You mean like Biden's nap times? Total waste because he wasn't even running the country. At least Trump is doing something. And like every other person with a job, he's allowed to have a weekend to himself. So unless you work 24/7, if I were you, I wouldn't use that as an argument.

Please, I get enough disinformation from Whoopi, Joy and Sunny every day 🙄

I don’t. I bately know what show you are talking about. However they are not a news source, as far as I know. 

[Mollywolly555]

7 minutes ago, Affogato said:

Yes, Putin is a bully, has a huge history of rights crimes, and in general seems to be someone Trump wants to emulate and be friends with and it isn’t admirable. Putin is also quite capable of manipulating poor Donnie to get what he wants. Putin is delighted to get what Putin wants and he doesn’t have to give 47 anything real. 
 

Zelenskyy has to make the best of a bad situation. It doesn’t mean that 47 was right. 

Agree.

Also, there is NO mutual respect between Putin and Trump.

Putin is using Trump, clear and simple. 

[Affogato]

6 hours ago, Soapy Goddess said:

I'd rather have a "bully" defending our country than a wuss who never made reciprocal demands on other countries who took advantage of the USA's good nature and willingness to help. Not against helping, only about endless contributions.

This what I don't understand. Seriously, why are young children having to "deal with" anything in politics?!?  I don't ever remember worrying about Nixon and Watergate (and other political scandals). If your kids are being exposed to trauma, then as a parent, you need to take control of their devices. Or at the very least (if you prefer) explain that there's no need for them to lose sleep over something they have no control over.

Children need to learn to stand up to bullies. What better way? 

[Dimity]

I had heard that the MAGA live in their own little bubble but wasn't sure I believed it. Now I do. The disconnect from the real world is scary.

[Kemper]

Why are young children having to deal with anything politics? Why? Because unlike when some of us were children ... there was no social media, no 24/7 news stations - some with propaganda flowing; a President and his cabal upending the moral values of our government, not to mention financial disaster and seeming hysteria every day. The parents are stressed and worked up. Everyone (no matter your politics) is on edge. How on earth can children avoid it? I only wish I could live in an alternate reality. 

[Yeah No]

6 hours ago, Soapy Goddess said:

I agree to a certain extend, but isn't Zelenskyy coming back to the table? Or was that more misinformation?

If Zelensky is intimidated by anyone it's Putin, not Trump. Putin is holding the cards here because he has Donnie in his back pocket. See below for more.

6 hours ago, Soapy Goddess said:

Also, what about his relationship with Putin? IMO, it "takes one to know one" and for what it's worth, I think there's a mutual respect (and caution) with both. I don't believe he had any such relationship with other presidents.

There is no "mutual respect" between them any more than there's honor among thieves. Trump is kissing Putin's ass because clearly Putin has something on him. Even if he doesn't Donnie is afraid of Putin for good reason and Putin is using that to his advantage. What you're seeing his fear, deference and ass kissing, not "respect". Putin is the Don and Donnie is kissing his ring. Trump doesn't know the meaning of the word "respect". Every so-called show of "respect" from him is either ass kissing or a sham to make himself look better than he is.

Don't believe me? That's too bad because you know those tests where they show you photos of people's facial expressions and body language and ask you to describe how they're feeling? Well, I ace those. Again, I didn't take a graduate degree in Psychology because I don't understand people. But believe what you want.

[Dimity]

8 minutes ago, Yeah No said:

What you're seeing his fear, deference and ass kissing, not "respect".

And this fear and deference were what Trump thought he'd get with his threats of tariffs and annexation.  He seems genuinely surprised that countries are pushing back and have shown they are not going to roll over and give him what he wants just because he's flexing his flabby muscles and trash talking them.

With regard to a comment made earlier about  someone who "would rather have a "bully" defending our country"  - I have to shake my head. 

First and most obviously no - being offensive and belligerent is not "defending" your country.  

And second, you mean the man who lied about having bone spurs so he wouldn't have to actually defend your country, the man who denigrates those who do serve in the military, the man who is in the process of taking away as much as he can from your veterans - you think that man is defending your country?  

Good lord, he is starting unnecessary trade wars by attacking former - note the word former, allies and he is on track to drag your country into actual wars before much more time has passed.  All while he sits in Florida lining his pocket.

[Mollywolly555]

Are we "piling on" or just showing the truth and facts of these sorry situations that are accelerating due to Trump and Elon's  greed and ego and incompetence? 

Numerous other news sources, including international media, are revealing the reality of current events, without bias or pressure to go along with any American political party.

Doesn't the preponderance of factual information have any effect?

If not,  then wouldn't it truly be a cult, where one is told NOT to believe what you see and hear, but only what we spin/ tell you? 

[Yeah No]

2 minutes ago, Dimity said:

And this fear and deference were what Trump thought he'd get with his threats of tariffs and annexation.  He seems genuinely surprised that countries are pushing back and have shown they are not going to roll over and give him what he wants just because he's flexing his flabby muscles and trash talking them.

With regard to a comment made earlier about  someone who "would rather have a "bully" defending our country"  - I have to shake my head. 

First and most obviously no - being offensive and belligerent is not "defending" your country.  

And second, you mean the man who lied about having bone spurs so he wouldn't have to actually defend your country, the man who denigrates those who do serve in the military, the man who is in the process of taking away as much as he can from your veterans - you think that man is defending your country?  

Good lord, he is starting unnecessary trade wars by attacking former - note the word former, allies and he is on track to drag your country into actual wars before much more time has passed.  All while he sits in Florida lining his pocket.

Did you just hear me yelling "EXACTLY" to your entire post? Because I yelled it so loud I'd be surprised if you didn't hear me up in Canada, LOL.

[tres bien]

As unhappy as I am that the senate democrats didn’t vote to shutdown the government Chuck Schumer wrote an op ed in the NYT defending his decision 

He obviously knows more about how the government works than me so I have to take him at his word 

He said that under a government shutdown Trump and Musk would be able to destroy vital government services at a faster rate than they can now and would give the Trump administration authority to decide what agencies, programs and personnel are nonessential furloughing staff members with no guarantee they’d ever be rehired 

And republicans could decide what would be open and what wouldn’t. Federal employees would not be paid and who knows if they would recoup their wages when the government reopened 

I think Trump would have been happy to have a shutdown to blame the dems and distract from the chaos he’s created in the government and with the stock market plunging and consumer confidence falling 

This is only a six month fix. The democrats hopefully will fight back and not just sit on the sidelines till then and in September be ready with a strategy 

Edited March 16 by tres bien

[JustHereForFood]

On the topic of Biden's supposed mental decline - maybe he should have taken that cognitive test that Trump bragged about for such a long time. He could probably have remembered 5 words. Trump doesn't sound like he's in a better shape mentally and he's petty and vindictive on top of that, which is a dangerous combination.

[Makai]

2 hours ago, Dimity said:

I had heard that the MAGA live in their own little bubble but wasn't sure I believed it. Now I do. The disconnect from the real world is scary.

It really is. It would be fascinating on an academic level is it wasn’t so disturbing. I’m guessing that experts are alternating between frantically taking notes while planning papers and huddled in a corner somewhere in terror. 

2 hours ago, Kemper said:

Why are young children having to deal with anything politics? Why? Because unlike when some of us were children ... there was no social media, no 24/7 news stations - some with propaganda flowing; a President and his cabal upending the moral values of our government, not to mention financial disaster and seeming hysteria every day. The parents are stressed and worked up. Everyone (no matter your politics) is on edge. How on earth can children avoid it? I only wish I could live in an alternate reality. 

All of that is very true. I can’t really understand anyone asking why young children are having to deal with politics when young children are literally a battleground in all of this. What they are taught, how they are taught, what they should eat, if they should have guaranteed access to food and medical care, and so many more daily issues are battlegrounds right now. 

 

3 hours ago, Affogato said:

Zelenskyy has to make the best of a bad situation. It doesn’t mean that 47 was right. 

This. Zelenskyy is doing what he needs to do to literally keep his country on the map. All Trump did was succeed in further tarnishing America’s image with the rest of the world. 

[JustHereForFood]

2 hours ago, Yeah No said:

There is no "mutual respect" between them any more than there's honor among thieves. Trump is kissing Putin's ass because clearly Putin has something on him. Even if he doesn't Donnie is afraid of Putin for good reason and Putin is using that to his advantage. What you're seeing his fear, deference and ass kissing, not "respect". Putin is the Don and Donnie is kissing his ring. Trump doesn't know the meaning of the word "respect". Every so-called show of "respect" from him is either ass kissing or a sham to make himself look better than he is.

Apparently he has a kinky sex tape of him. How bad can it be that he thinks his followers would not spin it into something positive? We have already established that they would forgive anything, probably even murder.

[tres bien]

3 minutes ago, JustHereForFood said:

On the topic of Biden's supposed mental decline - maybe he should have taken that cognitive test that Trump bragged about for such a long time. He could probably have remembered 5 words. Trump doesn't sound like he's in a better shape mentally and he's petty and vindictive on top of that, which is a dangerous combination.

And physically. The MAGAs love portraying him as everyone from Jesus to Superman 

[bluegirl147]

18 minutes ago, JustHereForFood said:

On the topic of Biden's supposed mental decline - maybe he should have taken that cognitive test that Trump bragged about for such a long time. He could probably have remembered 5 words. Trump doesn't sound like he's in a better shape mentally and he's petty and vindictive on top of that, which is a dangerous combination.

Some people when they develop dementia  get combative.  Trump is aggressively antagonistic on a good day so if you add in a mental decline that could be the Trump we are seeing now. Also might be why he is letting Musk take the lead on a lot of stuff.  Well that and whatever Musk is holding over Trump's head.

[Makai]

14 minutes ago, JustHereForFood said:

On the topic of Biden's supposed mental decline - maybe he should have taken that cognitive test that Trump bragged about for such a long time. He could probably have remembered 5 words. Trump doesn't sound like he's in a better shape mentally and he's petty and vindictive on top of that, which is a dangerous combination.

Yep. The hypocrisy is one of the two reasons I have given up having conversations with Trump supporters. Biden messes up words and it is a gigantic red flag and Democrats are horrible people for saying he was competent to be president but Trump can’t get through a week without saying the wrong word. Trump couldn’t get through that car commercial without saying Tesler and Issac Neutron. 

[peacheslatour]

10 minutes ago, Makai said:

Yep. The hypocrisy is one of the two reasons I have given up having conversations with Trump supporters. Biden messes up words and it is a gigantic red flag and Democrats are horrible people for saying he was competent to be president but Trump can’t get through a week without saying the wrong word. Trump couldn’t get through that car commercial without saying Tesler and Issac Neutron. 

Trump's word salads are infamous. He can't string ten words together without mispronouncing, butchering or plain making up half of them. Some say it's late stage  tertiary syphilis. After all, he did say SDI's were his personal Viet Nam. 

[bluegirl147]

56 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

Trump's word salads are infamous. He can't string ten words together without mispronouncing, butchering or plain making up half of them. Some say it's late stage  tertiary syphilis. After all, he did say SDI's were his personal Viet Nam. 

You know that would track.  He was either too stupid or too vain to get treated. I doubt he ever practiced safe sex.

[praeceptrix]

I am currently listening to a fascinating audiobook: They Thought They Were Free. it is an extremely timely and distressing read.

Edited for clarification: the subtitle of the book is "the Germans, 1933-1945". The author recounts interviews and discussions with 10 members of the Nazi Party. The parallels to the present, to the justifications put forth by the magats are upsetting, to say the least. 

Edited March 16 by praeceptrix
Clarification

[Dimity]

In The Views thread the discussion turned to Rosie O'Donnell and Ellen De Generes and their moves overseas.  @Haleth commented:

Quote

I would think that trump hasn’t thought of Rosie for years, not until she went public with her move, but we know he has a looong memory. I can’t blame her for leaving this shit show. (I mean the country, not the View. 🤣)

I don't know whether Trump has spent too much time thinking about Rosie but I thought it was typically Trump that he brought her up in his usual snotty, nasty way to the Irish PM the other day.  I mean how totally presidential of him to do this.  He's such a petty, vindictive little man.

[anony.miss]

14 hours ago, Soapy Goddess said:

"day one" was used as a figure of speech.

That's incorrect - Trump gave a 24 hour timeline of ending the war, on his first day in office:

"Trump had claimed he would end the Russia-Ukraine war "within 24 hours" of taking office."

https://www.newsweek.com/trump-day-one-promises-executive-orders-2019715

"At a CNN town hall in May 2023, Trump said: “They’re dying, Russians and Ukrainians. I want them to stop dying. And I’ll have that done — I’ll have that done in 24 hours.”

https://apnews.com/article/trump-russia-ukraine-war-un-election-a78ecb843af452b8dda1d52d137ca893

Fox news:

"Former President Donald Trump explained his plan to secure peace in Ukraine within 24 hours of taking back the White House on Sunday..."

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-describes-how-he-could-solve-russia-ukraine-conflict-24-hours

Many voters who saw Ukraine as  a deciding issue in the election are now feeling foolish and conned by Trump because (unlike many of his campaign promises) Trump was not at all vague, or using a "figure of speech": He explicitly promised his followers,  over and over, that he'd end the war in Ukraine within the first 24 hours of taking office.

Edited March 16 by anony.miss

[LexieLily]

 

1 hour ago, peacheslatour said:

From ABC News. Good thing Trump and Elmo cut all those funds and jobs at FEMA and NOAA.  We can throw those 36 deaths on the pile along with the hundreds of thousands Covid deaths.

Millions of Americans across the country are on alert for a severe weather outbreak as violent, long-track tornadoes with damaging winds of up to 80 mph and large hail are expected across the Midwest and South with the cross-country storm moving east.

The same storm system delivered raging winds to the Plains states earlier, leading to wildfires and severe dust storms that left more than a dozen people dead in Kansas, Texas and Oklahoma.

Overall, at least 36 deaths have been recorded from the cross-country storm system.

I wish there was just one day where Trump doesn't speak and doesn't commit multiple crimes. 

Edited March 16 by LexieLily

[PRgal]

2 hours ago, peacheslatour said:

Trump's word salads are infamous. He can't string ten words together without mispronouncing, butchering or plain making up half of them. Some say it's late stage  tertiary syphilis. After all, he did say SDI's were his personal Viet Nam. 

At his age, there's probably some dementia going on in there too.  And they say that Biden was bordering.....

[Dimity]

10 minutes ago, PRgal said:

At his age, there's probably some dementia going on in there too.  And they say that Biden was bordering.....

Whether either man actually has or is bordering on dementia is up for debate of course, but the reality is that past 65 the chances of developing dementia increase with each passing year.

The prevalence of dementia more than doubles every 5 years for Canadians age 65 and older, from less than 1% for those age 65 to 69 to about 25% for those 85 and older.

I would assume these stats hold true for the US as well.  In any event while most seniors do not develop dementia, 25% is not an insignificant percentage.  Perhaps rather than focus on Biden or even Trump what people should be doing is taking a long, hard look at whether anyone should hold high public office after reaching a certain age milestone. 

Edited March 16 by Dimity

[tres bien]

Now that the senate democrats have CR funding behind them they need to unite and get a new leader. Schumer explained why he thought the democrats were between a rock and a hard place and I agree. Being the party to shut down the government wouldn’t have done them any favors 

Trump is not going to listen to democrats, republicans or judges he’s going to continue to run roughshod over them and do what he wants legalities be damned

But if the democrats have Schumer as leader they’re going to be screwed trying to go forward 

A minority of democrats proved they can take over and force someone out of power (Al Franken even Joe Biden) surely they can unite and take him down as their leader 

[LexieLily]

Who would be the leader, then? AOC? Chris Murphy? They seem to be two of the few talking/standing up to Trump.