Chit-Chat: The Feels

[Soapy Goddess]

19 hours ago, tres bien said:

Name me one other sitting democrat member of congress that went groveling to Mara Logo

Not a member of Congress, but Morning Joe & his sidekick made a bee line to Mar-A-Lago. And I'll bet more Dems did too behind the scenes.

Edited March 14 by Soapy Goddess

[Soapy Goddess]

14 hours ago, Lugal said:

It can help determine demographic data and consumer trends, giving Musk an unfair advantage against competitors, not to mention using it to train Musk's inferior AI, or even just selling it to advertisers.

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)??

 

Edited March 14 by Soapy Goddess

[Soapy Goddess]

My thought for the day. And it's only my opinion judging from what I see, hear and read:

Dems have only one plan. That is to hope Trump fails. That's it! 

Their only path back to power is betting against America's success. No real vision and no actual leadership. They're just waiting & praying for our country to lose. Not very inspiring.

[Anela]

1 hour ago, Soapy Goddess said:

I could say the same thing about Biden. Day in and day out for FOUR years we were told that Biden was completely cognizant. And yet we all saw his decline. Even his press secretary continued to lie about his dementia. 

Now the Dems are posting stupid dances, singing off key, destroying property, storming Trump Tower, etc. etc. IMO, Dems are guilty as sin. For all the lies they told during the last 4 years. They are afraid what will be found out. Otherwise, there would be no need for their ridiculous antics.

See above reply to Anela.  Dems lied for 4 years. Which begs the question...who exactly was running the White House during those 4 years?

Is "mumbo jumbo" better?  Either way, she said absolutely NOTHING!  

Dems didn’t lie. 

12 minutes ago, Soapy Goddess said:

My thought for the day. And it's only my opinion judging from what I see, hear and read:

Dems have only one plan. That is to hope Trump fails. That's it! 

Their only path back to power is betting against America's success. No real vision and no actual leadership. They're just waiting & praying for our country to lose. Not very inspiring.

This is totally untrue. 

I haven’t seen all of your posts, but I thought I saw you calling Elon a private citizen. He’s supposed to be one, but he wasn’t elected, and he also didn’t go through the interviewing process, and proving himself worthy of the job, the way all other government workers apparently do. He has no business doing anything that he’s been doing, and neither do his DOGE employees. 

Edited March 14 by Anela

[Soapy Goddess]

7 minutes ago, Anela said:

Dems didn’t lie. 

Then who lied to ALL Americans about Biden descent into dementia? Even his press secretary used to say how she couldn't keep up with him. Really? My 5-year old grandson could run rings around Biden when she said that!

11 minutes ago, Anela said:

I saw you calling Elon a private citizen. He’s supposed to be one, but he wasn’t elected, and he also didn’t go through the interviewing process, and proving himself worthy of the job, the way all other government workers apparently do. He has no business doing anything that he’s been doing, and neither do his DOGE employees. 

Yes, I did. What does this have to do with MY opinion? What's your vision and/or opinion for how your party can regain power? Who's your clear leader?

[tres bien]

2 hours ago, Soapy Goddess said:

Not a member of Congress, but Morning Joe & his sidekick made a bee line to Mar-A-Lago. And I'll bet more Dems did too behind the scenes.

🤣🤣🤣

 

[anony.miss]

1 hour ago, Soapy Goddess said:

Who's your clear leader?

Whoever emerges as the Dem leader won't be a rapist, convicted felon and insurrectionist.

Which makes them nothing like the current leader of the Republican party.

Edited March 14 by anony.miss

[Affogato]

2 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)??

 

Because he can do both. Personal i formation is personal.  Also competence has not been the watchword. Petty personal revenge has been common. And Trump appears to have been cultivated as a Russian asset since the 70s. That sort of thing. 

I do want to point iut that he may not have been a russian asset earlier but that everyone in the world is aware that he is one now. 

[Affogato]

1 hour ago, Soapy Goddess said:

Then who lied to ALL Americans about Biden descent into dementia? Even his press secretary used to say how she couldn't keep up with him. Really? My 5-year old grandson could run rings around Biden when she said that!

Yes, I did. What does this have to do with MY opinion? What's your vision and/or opinion for how your party can regain power? Who's your clear leader?

‘Trump’ is dismantling the government. Musk is doing it chaotically. Vought and project 25 are doing it systematically, putting control in the hands of a dictator. Control of money and information. There is a genuine reason to fear that there will not be an election in four years, as we have known them. What is happening is not we have won and we are fulfilling our vision. This is a takeover of the government, using an emotionally dis regulated, unhealthy, childish old man (who is for some reason  popular) as an initial wedge into the system . Trump doesn’t understand how to use usaid to create precedents to vet control of congresses pursestrings, nor does he care who it hurts. You know this. Does he seem smart? It also provides an opportunity for China to step in and provide aid, by the way  will they? The US is writing itself out of world politics  

 

[Anela]

9 minutes ago, Affogato said:

‘Trump’ is dismantling the government. Musk is doing it chaotically. Vought and project 25 are doing it systematically, putting control in the hands of a dictator. Control of money and information. There is a genuine reason to fear that there will not be an election in four years, as we have known them. What is happening is not we have won and we are fulfilling our vision. This is a takeover of the government, using an emotionally dis regulated, unhealthy, childish old man (who is for some reason  popular) as an initial wedge into the system . Trump doesn’t understand how to use usaid to create precedents to vet control of congresses pursestrings, nor does he care who it hurts. You know this. Does he seem smart? It also provides an opportunity for China to step in and provide aid, by the way  will they? The US is writing itself out of world politics  

 

Right.  I’m really tired of trump supporters not acknowledging this.  I have no idea who is going to lead the democrats, and it doesn’t really matter to me right now, because all of this is happening, and it shouldn’t be. I don’t need to be hearing that it’s fine, because trump won, so he can do whatever he wants, because he can’t.  

[Dimity]

Of course dems hope Trump fails @Soapy Goddess most of the world hopes he fails. What he is  doing right now is horrifying. The only thing more horrifying is that republicans aren't stopping him.

[tres bien]

11 hours ago, peacheslatour said:

You'd think so but Trump seems to be bent on throwing the Constitution on the flames along with every bit of historical data we possess.

The Arlington National Cemetery has scrubbed dozens of pages on gravesites and educational materials that include histories of prominent Black, Hispanic and female members buried in the cemetery as well as some Medal of Honor recipients to meet Trump/Hegseth orders 

[lookeyloo]

34 minutes ago, tres bien said:

The Arlington National Cemetery has scrubbed dozens of pages on gravesites and educational materials that include histories of prominent Black, Hispanic and female members buried in the cemetery as well as some Medal of Honor recipients to meet Trump/Hegseth orders 

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

[Affogato]

The District of Columbia is being gutted. Traditionally democratic, too. Losing jobs and money for public services. 

[fastiller]

16 minutes ago, lookeyloo said:

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

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.

[Annber03]

14 hours ago, Anela said:

I haven’t seen all of your posts, but I thought I saw you calling Elon a private citizen. He’s supposed to be one, but he wasn’t elected, and he also didn’t go through the interviewing process, and proving himself worthy of the job, the way all other government workers apparently do. He has no business doing anything that he’s been doing, and neither do his DOGE employees. 

This. Hes not supposed to be there at all. I don't get why this is so hard for some here to understand. Stop fucking defending his presence in our government, people. 

 

 

Edited March 14 by Annber03

[bluegirl147]

14 minutes ago, Annber03 said:

Hes not supposed to be there at all. I don't get why this is so hard for some some here to understand. Stop fucking defending his presence in our goverment, people. 

Now we all know if Obama or Biden had let anyone do what Musk is doing Republicans would have went ballistic.  But because it's Trump giving Musk free rein it's OK.  Once again it's hypocrisy to the nth degree.

1 hour ago, tres bien said:

The Arlington National Cemetery has scrubbed dozens of pages on gravesites and educational materials that include histories of prominent Black, Hispanic and female members buried in the cemetery as well as some Medal of Honor recipients to meet Trump/Hegseth orders 

Could you imagine being so insecure and hateful that you literally want to erase anyone that isn't like you.  

2 hours ago, Dimity said:

Of course dems hope Trump fails @Soapy Goddess most of the world hopes he fails. What he is  doing right now is horrifying. The only thing more horrifying is that republicans aren't stopping him.

Anyone who isn't hoping he fails is hoping all those "others" fail.  They aren't hoping this country as a whole does better. They just want themselves to do better.

2 hours ago, Anela said:

I don’t need to be hearing that it’s fine, because trump won, so he can do whatever he wants, because he can’t.  

If that is the way they think then they should be fine with the next Democratic president doing whatever he wants too right?

3 hours ago, Affogato said:

And Trump appears to have been cultivated as a Russian asset since the 70s. That sort of thing. 

I do want to point iut that he may not have been a russian asset earlier but that everyone in the world is aware that he is one now. 

And I really believe he had no idea. I still don't think he knows. He is such a narcissist all anyone has to do is flatter him and/or give him money and he is yours for the taking.  I don't even think Russia thought he could ever be president but mostly used him for money laundering.  But with the dumbing down of America in full swing he ran in 2016 and here we are.

2 hours ago, Affogato said:

It also provides an opportunity for China to step in and provide aid, by the way  will they? The US is writing itself out of world politics  

We are going to be Russia.  Out of favor with the rest of the world. I look for Putin to drop Trump at some point. I mean we are destroying ourselves so his job here is done.

 

[Kemper]

I have not watched any news this morning, so I have no idea what is transpiring now and overnight. Re Chuck Schumer. 

I have read some of the "reasoning" for this move. And 25 years ago it would make maybe make sense. If Dems do this, they will be blamed! Blamed! People will suffer and Dems will be Blamed! So? When, in these last years, have they not.

Chuck, Nancy, Hakeem and others have created this cowardly. get along to get along strategy. That almost always always results in failure. No wonder our Party is scorned. No one can piss off and alienate their base like the Dems in Congress.

[AgathaC]

Well, that answers a question I’ve had. Mr A and I are trying to figure out travel plans for this year and I was starting to feel nervous. Unfortunately, we’re from one of the reddest states around (with accents to match) and we’d be hard-pressed to explain that we are NOT cheering any of this on and the only reason we haven’t moved to a blue state is that we’re stuck until Mr A’s son graduates high school. (Which, given he flunked math this term due to laziness may end up taking longer than originally planned…)

[Affogato]

12 minutes ago, Kemper said:

I have not watched any news this morning, so I have no idea what is transpiring now and overnight. Re Chuck Schumer. 

I have read some of the "reasoning" for this move. And 25 years ago it would make maybe make sense. If Dems do this, they will be blamed! Blamed! People will suffer and Dems will be Blamed! So? When, in these last years, have they not.

Chuck, Nancy, Hakeem and others have created this cowardly. get along to get along strategy. That almost always always results in failure. No wonder our Party is scorned. No one can piss off and alienate their base like the Dems in Congress.

I think they should let the shut down happen and make a stand against what is happening. Going along, even with good intentions….is enabling. 

[PRgal]

10 hours ago, Yeah No said:

 

I'll tell you one reason why they are waiting it out. Because they have the money to spare. So they lose a few mil., to them that's chump change. They're filthy rich, it doesn't hurt them. It's not that they don't have the guts to call out the gov't. It doesn't affect them that much so why bother? I worked for C-suite executives. My husband is employed by a mega-millionaire (we think he's a secret billionaire). For them it's "don't worry, be happy". And when things turn around they have the money to risk on buying up whatever's hot. So Kemper, you're right that in the end they will still end up making money.

But their shareholders....I guess they don't care too much about us.  And I guess with the down market, they're hoping people will buy more while it's cheap.  Or hold on to what they have.  

[Ohiopirate02]

24 minutes ago, AgathaC said:

Well, that answers a question I’ve had. Mr A and I are trying to figure out travel plans for this year and I was starting to feel nervous. Unfortunately, we’re from one of the reddest states around (with accents to match) and we’d be hard-pressed to explain that we are NOT cheering any of this on and the only reason we haven’t moved to a blue state is that we’re stuck until Mr A’s son graduates high school. (Which, given he flunked math this term due to laziness may end up taking longer than originally planned…)

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.

[Eri]

28 minutes ago, Kemper said:

I have not watched any news this morning, so I have no idea what is transpiring now and overnight. Re Chuck Schumer. 

I have read some of the "reasoning" for this move. And 25 years ago it would make maybe make sense. If Dems do this, they will be blamed! Blamed! People will suffer and Dems will be Blamed! So? When, in these last years, have they not.

Chuck, Nancy, Hakeem and others have created this cowardly. get along to get along strategy. That almost always always results in failure. No wonder our Party is scorned. No one can piss off and alienate their base like the Dems in Congress.

I'm right there with you - I've been flooding calls from Schumer and Gillibrand's DC and local offices all morning. House Dems seem to have a better grip on the realities of our situation but their counterparts in the Senate haven't yet seemed to have received the memo. Senate Republicans are playing chicken by teeing up today's vote but they still need support from 7 Dems for it to pass. There should be solid NOs from all members of the opposition but Schumer implies that they're willing to pass a bill temporarily (which would only fund the government until September). 

Here's a most recent tally on Senate votes for the CR bill

Republicans could agree to stop making illegal cuts at the Department of Veterans Affairs or Social Security or the Department of Education to name a few. If they want keep the government open, let them do it on their own and make them OWN it when they fail to govern. But if they want Democrats' help, then they should represent all constituents instead of pushing forward a bill that allows Trump and Musk to continue to basically fire veterans, steal their salaries, and then take that money to give it out to billionaires in tax cuts among other federal departments that they want to exploit.

[bluegirl147]

9 minutes ago, Affogato said:

I think Trump envisions a world with hugely successful white rich men, some saloons (I mean resorts) with young pretty whores (I mean hostesses), and most of us don’t matter. 

A 21st century Gilded Age.

[Dimity]

I'm the original flip flop girl on the issue of the govt shutdown.  I definitely can see both sides and can understand (I think) what is motivating them.  That said if I had a vote I would never vote for that budget as it stands now.  If the Rs what the Dems to fall in line they need to give them something. 

*******************************************************

‘Ruined this place’: chorus of boos against JD Vance at Washington concert

Aside from the pleasure I take in VP Eyeliner being booed I am somewhat appalled at the choice of music for the evening.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Thursday evening’s concert programme – Shostakovich’s second violin concerto, with Leonidas Kavakos the soloist, followed by Stravinsky’s Petrushka – got off to a slightly shaky start before settling into its stride.

Audience members nervously joked during the intermission about the apposite all-Russian programme, given Vance’s brutal dressing-down of the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, during an Oval Office blowup in February that played directly into the hands of the Russian ruler, Vladimir Putin.

Edited March 14 by Dimity

[PRgal]

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).   

 

[bluegirl147]

12 minutes ago, Dimity said:

I'm the original flip flop girl on the issue of the govt shutdown.  I definitely can see both sides and can understand (I think) what is motivating them.  That said if I had a vote I would never vote for that budget as it stands now.  If the Rs what the Dems to fall in line they need to give them something. 

*******************************************************

‘Ruined this place’: chorus of boos against JD Vance at Washington concert

Aside from the pleasure I take in VP Eyeliner being booed I am somewhat appalled at the choice of music for the evening.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Thursday evening’s concert programme – Shostakovich’s second violin concerto, with Leonidas Kavakos the soloist, followed by Stravinsky’s Petrushka – got off to a slightly shaky start before settling into its stride.

Audience members nervously joked during the intermission about the apposite all-Russian programme, given Vance’s brutal dressing-down of the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, during an Oval Office blowup in February that played directly into the hands of the Russian ruler, Vladimir Putin.

Of course it's Russians.  

Are the tariffs on European liquor so we will buy Russian vodka?  I'm only half joking.

[PRgal]

1 hour 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.

It used to be that pretending you're Canadian worked, but any Canadian there will question your knowledge (which kind of sucks for many immigrants who didn't grow up immersed in the culture or school system).

[Dimity]

2 minutes ago, bluegirl147 said:

Of course it's Russians.  

Are the tariffs on European liquor so we will buy Russian vodka?  I'm only half joking.

Canadian liquor stores (I believe in all provinces but not positive about that) pulled all Russian liquor off the shelves in 2022.  AFAIK they've never been put back.  Vodka from the Ukraine is selling well though 🙂.

[Yeah No]

8 hours ago, Soapy Goddess said:

Reps trust DJT because he's doing exactly as he said he would do during his campaign...starting with what Reps considered to be the most important. It's pretty simple. No mystery there.

He has NOT done "exactly what he said he would do" during his campaign! In fact he's done just the opposite and abandoned his promises altogether!

Examples include that he promised to "fix" the economy, specifically to lower egg prices on "day one" and address grocery prices. 

Newsflash: Both grocery and egg prices have continued to go up and Trump has backpedaled on this promise, claiming that "it's more complicated than it looked".  Well DUH anyone without their head up their ass could have seen that and I'm sure he knew it too. But he used that promise to get millions of people to vote for him. This is how an unethical person screws you over. And you and millions of Republicans believe it! I just don't get it!

His tariff scheme is also backfiring and despite his "guns a blazin'" start he's had to backpedal and scale them back, changing his mind and introducing exceptions to them that have created market uncertainty and stock market prices tumbling. And now he's backpedaled on that and said that we'll just have to accept some hardship along the way to "manufacturing jobs coming back to this country". What a load of BS! You can't slap punitive tariffs on the world without it coming back to bite you in the rear. The world isn't going to belly up for him that easy. This is something any sane person and politician would know better than to do. He thought everyone would just bow and scrape to him. They're only fighting back and putting the US in economic danger.

He's put us and our livelihoods at risk. He keeps trying to sell that the tariffs are going to "bring manufacturing jobs back" but it's clear that he has no clue how it's not as easy or as possible as it sounds, nor even desirable under the present world climate. His level of knowledge about these things and the approach he's taking is like a 3rd grader thought it up, and that's an insult to 3rd graders! I know next to nothing about this stuff but at least I know that it's a complicated situation and there is no "magic button" to press to make things change. I don't even know if I believe that he believes it's possible, but it sounded good to his base so he sold it to them not even caring about the rest. The tariffs are grandstanding and acting like he's going to intimidate the world. It may have worked with his brother but it's not going to work with the world. He's got another thing coming if he thinks that. And we're seeing the consequences of that now.

I could go on. Birthright citizenship is not something he can just change without government approving it. And forget it, that won't happen. Most of what he promised he should have known was not possible to deliver. Much of it was unfeasible, unconstitutional and even illegal. Oh but it sounded good to his base so it got him elected and that's all that mattered to him. And if it got government tied up in knots and in a tizzy fighting it, so much the better as he worked off his grudges with them and took the attention off the real evil stuff he does behind the scenes. The only reason he wanted to get reelected was to avoid prosecution and jail. That's all that matters to him now. You and your life and success do not matter to him AT ALL. Republicans just refuse to face this. They still think he's fighting for them. He only knows how to fight for HIMSELF.

[Dimity]

2 minutes ago, PRgal said:

It used to be that pretending you're Canadian worked, but any Canadian there will question your knowledge (which kind of sucks for many immigrants who didn't grow up immersed in the culture or school system).

Any immigrant who does the Citizenship test is probably a leg up on the average Canadian.

[shapeshifter]

1 hour ago, Ohiopirate02 said:

Maybe I should have gotten that Harris-Walz camo cap back in the fall.

Not too late: 
https://www.etsy.com/listing/1763254974/harris-walz-embroidered-camo-hat

But it was my sister talking. 
I have a rule to not call her because if I do, she's not in the mood to talk.
So I let her call me.
But she called when I was trying to connect with a Zoom appointment, and I only answered thinking she was my appointment person trying to connect via an alternate method (turned out it was tied to local internet outages requiring both parties to reboot etc etc). 
So I said I couldn't talk and she said "I'll be here all day."
So I violated my Don't Call Sister rule.

Conclusion:
I do not think all Europeans (or Canadians) hate all Americans.
She was just being hurtful towards me.
And I'm still upset. 

But I do still wish I could rewind to when my boorish, male-chauvinist-pig neighbor cornered me alone late last summer and asked:
"Are you better off now than you were 4 years ago?"
and that I had just answered:
"Yes. I am. My mother died and left me money I was not expecting."
Maybe that would've shut him up? 
Instead I replied: 
"I don't vote for rapists."
And he turned away muttering:
"He's not a rapist. That's a lie."

But now that I've typed this all out, I realize I probably replied that way as a reflex because I felt mildly threatened that he was going to come on to me. 

IDK. 
Would he have not voted based upon anything I could say or do?
 

[Dimity]

7 minutes ago, Yeah No said:

You and your life and success do not matter to him AT ALL.

Which is both sad and funny at the same time.  How many Trump voting government employees have come forward wailing that they never thought Trump's actions   would actually affect them?   

And it's going to get worse. 

People may never acknowledge this, even as they lose their investments, their medicare and their social security but the bottom line is Trump doesn't care.  He never cared.  And he never will care.  It's as basic as that.  He is not the Messiah, he is Judas. 

Edited March 14 by Dimity

[bluegirl147]

7 minutes ago, Yeah No said:

He keeps trying to sell that the tariffs are going to "bring manufacturing jobs back" but it's clear that he has no clue how it's not as easy or as possible as it sounds, nor even desirable under the present world climate.

First of all factories don't just get built at the drop of a hat.  They aren't like pop up restaurants.  And with all these tariffs construction costs are going to go up. So building a factory just got even more expensive.  And let's not forget why manufacturing moved overseas in the first place. Cheaper labor.  Even with the tariffs American companies aren't going to want to come back here where labor costs would still be more expensive than their costs now.

10 minutes ago, Yeah No said:

The only reason he wanted to get reelected was to avoid prosecution and jail. That's all that matters to him now. You and your life and success do not matter to him AT ALL. Republicans just refuse to face this. They still think he's fighting for them. He only knows how to fight for HIMSELF.

Those leopards are always going to have room for more faces.

[Yeah No]

8 hours ago, Soapy Goddess said:

As long as what he has done wasn't illegal...we can't fault him for that. If you feel bankruptcies are unethical, then you might also have a problem with many Americans that have also used the system to their benefit. 

This is not about other Americans, it's about the president of the United States, who I think should be held to a higher standard than just anyone. And at one time so did Republicans, at least more than now. But how low the Republicans have sunk to make exceptions when it suits them for Trump. If a Democrat did any of this they'd be calling for their heads on a platter. They couldn't even get Biden on anything illegal so they targeted his SON. How pathetic. Meanwhile Trump has how many felony convictions and that's somehow OK? Unbelievable.

[shapeshifter]

4 hours ago, PRgal said:

It used to be that pretending you're Canadian worked, but any Canadian there will question your knowledge (which kind of sucks for many immigrants who didn't grow up immersed in the culture or school system).

Thank you. I was trying to remember when this was "okay." Was it around the time of the US invasions in the Iraq? Or…?
A NYT column to The Ethicist recently had this letter from someone who still remembered when it was okay:

Quote

A Bonus Question
We’re visiting Paris for spring break, but we’re embarrassed by America’s far-right politics. My wife plans to wear a maple-leaf lapel pin to pass for a Canadian, and wants me and the kids to wear one too. I worry that it would compromise our integrity and insult Parisians who discover the truth. But the deception could make our trip more pleasant. What do you think? — Name Withheld

From the Ethicist:
Put those pins down, s’il vous plaît. Otherwise you’d be starting every interaction with a lie, while treating Canada’s flag — which means something to many Canadians — as a prop for your own convenience. Besides, Parisians deal with visitors from everywhere, and surely understand that citizens aren’t always aligned with their governments. The far-right politician Marine Le Pen has a strong base of support in France, for one thing, and Canada’s next prime minister is expected to be someone very conservative. Spare yourself having to pretend you know the words to “O Canada.” Ethical patriotism means being able to experience both pride and shame when it comes to your nation’s actions, not hiding behind a maple leaf.

The comments were pretty definitive that it was not okay, for example:

Quote

Faux Canadians: not only is it deceitful to pretend to be something you are not, many Parisians will easily see through your deceit and equate you with the politics you apparently despise. They can spot an American a kilometer off. Don’t ask me how, but I have experienced it. And being honest opens you to conversations that may help change some people’s opinions about Americans.

And this one, that echos my sister's sentiments towards me:

Quote

Thank you for your response to LW 2. Canadians feel fury, frustration, and betrayal at the unlooked-for aggression, economic warfare, and threats of force against our country, made by the American government since the inauguration in January. For ANY American to treat our citizenship as a costume beggars belief in this difficult time. We are well aware that you have used our flag often in the past to attempt to camouflage yourselves. Just stop. Our countries are no longer friends.

I felt like my sister was telling me that because "Our countries are no longer friends," I am the enemy.

 

Edited March 14 by shapeshifter

[PRgal]

11 minutes ago, Dimity said:

Any immigrant who does the Citizenship test is probably a leg up on the average Canadian.

But pop culture wise?  Not necessarily.  For example, my parents only know who Polkaroo is because, well, they watched Polka Dot Door with me when I was little.  I really doubt child-free immigrant boomers would.  Or my mom's cousin and his family, because they came to Canada in 1990 when the kids were 11 and 15 respectively.  I doubt they'd know who Bonhomme is either.  Carnaval was a big part of my (very Anglphone, very Ontario) elementary education, but I think that was because the French teachers at my school did a really good job, especially for a school without an immersion program.  They actually RENTED a Bonhomme costume and someone on staff wore it.   We had to guess who it was.  High schools don't really do anything about Carnaval and my 11 year old cousin came for the last two months of Grade 6 (at a JK-6 school).  

[Yeah No]

7 hours ago, Soapy Goddess said:

Then who lied to ALL Americans about Biden descent into dementia? Even his press secretary used to say how she couldn't keep up with him. Really? My 5-year old grandson could run rings around Biden when she said that!

Oh like the way Republicans close to him were honest about Reagan's dementia and covered it up? And BTW there is zero evidence that Biden has dementia and the memory issues are not considered evidence of that. Psychologists have widely come out to say that he was showing signs of normal memory issues associated with aging, but not dementia or Alzheimer's. 

And anyway, even if Biden DID have Dementia he would still be a better president than we have now for a LOT of reasons. How sad is THAT? Whatever's going on with Trump is ten times worse than THAT!!

10 minutes ago, bluegirl147 said:

First of all factories don't just get built at the drop of a hat.  They aren't like pop up restaurants.  And with all these tariffs construction costs are going to go up. So building a factory just got even more expensive.  And let's not forget why manufacturing moved overseas in the first place. Cheaper labor.  Even with the tariffs American companies aren't going to want to come back here where labor costs would still be more expensive than their costs now.

Thank you, this was the kind of example I had in the back of my mind when I wrote my post. The situation is FAR more complicated than for punitive tariffs to solve.

[Dimity]

I find it funny that the claim is made that Parisians will see through an American who claims to be Canadian.  Unless they are acting like the stereotypical "ugly American" I have my doubts on that. 

I lived in the UK for over 10 years and in that time, traveling throughout the UK and into Europe I very rarely had anyone assume I was Canadian.  If it came up (and it did) I had to tell them I was Canadian.  

When corrected it was amazing how many people apologized and assured me they love Canada, US not so much.  Which I am betting, given the current political situation, will happen even more often now!

[Dimity]

13 minutes ago, bluegirl147 said:

Even with the tariffs American companies aren't going to want to come back here where labor costs would still be more expensive than their costs now.

 The days of blue collar jobs that will buy a family a house on one income are long gone and they sure won't be coming back with Trump, Musk and his billionaire cabal at the helm.  If anything the already low minimum wage will go even lower.  Talk about grinding the faces of the poor into the dust.

[bluegirl147]

3 minutes ago, Dimity said:

 The days of blue collar jobs that will buy a family a house on one income are long gone and they sure won't be coming back with Trump, Musk and his billionaire cabal at the helm.  If anything the already low minimum wage will go even lower.  Talk about grinding the faces of the poor into the dust.

Their ultimate goal IMO is everything that can be automated or switched to AI they will do.  And for those jobs that can't be it will be a race to the bottom. Forget  hiring the most qualified applicant, they will hire the one willing to work for the least amount of money. 

[Dimity]

41 minutes ago, Yeah No said:

What a load of BS! You can't slap punitive tariffs on the world without it coming back to bite you in the rear.

 

[Yeah No]

12 minutes ago, Dimity said:

 The days of blue collar jobs that will buy a family a house on one income are long gone and they sure won't be coming back with Trump, Musk and his billionaire cabal at the helm.  If anything the already low minimum wage will go even lower.  Talk about grinding the faces of the poor into the dust.

Remember when I said that Trump was one of those people that went through two '50s and went straight to the '70s? I think he got stuck there. Does he really think that's possible today or is he just feeding into the deep wishes of his base for his own gain? It could be both, I don't know.

[Lugal]

8 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)??

I can't speak to the mind of every average Dem, but like Affogato said, he can do both.  Anyone who appears on his radar, he has has enough personal info to use against them.  And if combined with AI scraping the internet for public information, it could find a lot of very personal details about nearly anyone.

8 hours ago, Soapy Goddess said:

Their only path back to power is betting against America's success. No real vision and no actual leadership. They're just waiting & praying for our country to lose. Not very inspiring.

You're not wrong.  The Dems have lacked vision for years and have done basically whatever their donors have told them to.  But so have the Republicans.  Both parties still act like it's still 1992 and neither can acknowledge America's decline.  Trump does seem to have some realists in his admin that will make that acknowledgement, but only to blame scapegoats and retrench their own power base.  America is a rich country, but the solutions required would not be profitable to the donor class, so they don't happen.

Oh and the Dems will return to power because the Repubs will eventually overstep and this a two party system. We just trade out one for the other no matter how awful either of them are.

[Mollywolly555]

Trump says he wd end the war in Ukraine on Day 1 of his new presidency. ?????

Trump said when he became president, he wd lower prices.?????

Biden can no longer be a scapegoat, if Trump would stand by all he promised to do in his first weeks as president. Blaming Obama is even more laughable 

What????

Crickets. 

Just as I expected. 

[PRgal]

40 minutes ago, Dimity said:

 The days of blue collar jobs that will buy a family a house on one income are long gone and they sure won't be coming back with Trump, Musk and his billionaire cabal at the helm.  If anything the already low minimum wage will go even lower.  Talk about grinding the faces of the poor into the dust.

Neither would a teacher.  Heck, I'm pretty sure some of my tech, lawyer and finance friends had help with their downpayment.  

[partofme]

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

 

[Dimity]

11 minutes ago, Lugal said:

Oh and the Dems will return to power because the Repubs will eventually overstep and this a two party system. We just trade out one for the other no matter how awful either of them are.

The Dems may not be perfect but saying "no matter now awful either of them are" is like putting death by firing squad on the same level as dying peacefully in bed of old age.  I'm sure others can come up with better analogies but my point is no, not even close.

I do agree that the Dems will return to power.  And exhibit yet another crucial difference - they won't spend their time in power on a revenge tour.

[bluegirl147]

4 minutes ago, Lugal said:

Both parties still act like it's still 1992 and neither can acknowledge America's decline.

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.  

[peacheslatour]

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.