“If we are to have another contest in the near future of our national existence, I predict that the dividing line will not be Mason and Dixon, but between patriotism and intelligence on the one side, and superstition, ambition and ignorance on the other.” - Ulysses S. Grant
As usual, Steven, you hit the nail on the head. I have been and am bewildered by the Republicans’ apparent inability to connect the dots between Trump and Putin. Trump is aiding and abetting someone who has been attempting to destroy everything that really makes America great by reaching into the minds of ordinary Americans and extracting common sense, replacing it with conspiracies and hatred toward their fellow citizens. This is Putin’s job. Trump has mimicked it, sometimes word for word, in service of Putin, so…I dunno…where do we go from here? The midterms are coming, and, if we are successful in voting to restore democracy and decency (not necessarily in that order), will that vote count? If not, then where do we go from there? And if the vote doesn’t count because Trump and his administration say it doesn’t…and we end up in the grip of a terrible authoritarian and constitutional crisis, then where do we go from there? Per usual, I have more questions than answers. I recently read an interesting comment from a substack that said, “float, don’t flail”. I think I’ll remember that in the days to come. Maybe I should remember it now.
Steven, I debate many of the findings in your column. You have not focused on the reason Trump prefers Putin to Zelensky, and why he is worshiping Putin as if the Russian despot was a cross between Dolly Parton (who has always denounced him) and Barak Obama (whom he doesn’t mention by name, but attempts to steal that perfect President’s achievements and tailor them for his bloated body. )
Trump will never accept blame for rising fuel prices. In his misplaced mind, he points to Ukraine, Zelensky, you, me, and my dog Doris. (Dog food is expensive.)
You ask if Republicans accept Trump’s con. I believe that a growing number of Republicans finally recognize that if they hang onto Trump’s coattails, they will go down with him. Not only losing their elections, but go deeper down to hell.
Thank you for writing about Felon47’s clear allegiance to Vladimir Putin, Steven. He totally seems to forget that the war with Ukraine is the result of Putin’s aggressive attack on this democratic country. I thought it was interesting to read that Zelensky’s recent destruction of Russian data centers in has reduced the source of Russian bot disinformation to almost zero. Apparently, THAT strategic maneuver three weeks before America’s Midterm Election, is what has raised the ire of the occupant of the White House and his rediscovered election interference protege, Elon Musk. This information was reported in the “This Will Hold” Substack, and I am interested in finding out if this theory has political weight.
Schmoozing the enemy has always been a sideline for our lunatic president. Evidently, that’s perfectly fine with the sycophantic GOP and the cooperative mainstream media. Selling us out is not part of the oath of office, and those who pretended to support the constitution but instead, rubber-stamped the whims, war-mongering, and corruption of the entire Trump family will hopefully face their punishment on November 3.
Thanks, Steven: One would have thought that just seeing all the Russian despots in the White House back in 2017 would turn the nation into a firestorm of dislike for the despotic wannabe ruler of the Universe. Later, he got Zelenskyy in the Oval Office and browbeat him along with his left nipple, JD Vance telling him he didn't have the cards. Well, Mr. Trump, Zelenskyy is holding the whole deck, and now you are out there in the Russian bear's local, trying to cut fuel costs with 45 minutes of diesel. It is not going to work; the American citizens are on to you, you desperate, despotic child molester. Oh, by the way, did you, Donald, write Darlene Graham's speech? I thought I was listening to your vomitus. Stay on the stump, Mr. Trump; you are an asset to the Democrats. I noticed your crowds at the rallies could fill a phone booth.
Thank you so much for this comment. It evokes for me what so many trauma survivors express and it invites me, as a trauma survivor, to ask a cultural question about traumas we’ve survived. Our understanding of history is our revolution and the assaults of 9/11. Are we mature enough as a country to admit our trauma and to step into the journey of healing? My observation of the current administration is that we are not. Why not? Dig deeper, my friends, and see this moment through the lens of a trauma survivor. It has to admit at some level that we were injured. What’s next? Blame or healing?
“If we are to have another contest in the near future of our national existence, I predict that the dividing line will not be Mason and Dixon, but between patriotism and intelligence on the one side, and superstition, ambition and ignorance on the other.” - Ulysses S. Grant
As usual, Steven, you hit the nail on the head. I have been and am bewildered by the Republicans’ apparent inability to connect the dots between Trump and Putin. Trump is aiding and abetting someone who has been attempting to destroy everything that really makes America great by reaching into the minds of ordinary Americans and extracting common sense, replacing it with conspiracies and hatred toward their fellow citizens. This is Putin’s job. Trump has mimicked it, sometimes word for word, in service of Putin, so…I dunno…where do we go from here? The midterms are coming, and, if we are successful in voting to restore democracy and decency (not necessarily in that order), will that vote count? If not, then where do we go from there? And if the vote doesn’t count because Trump and his administration say it doesn’t…and we end up in the grip of a terrible authoritarian and constitutional crisis, then where do we go from there? Per usual, I have more questions than answers. I recently read an interesting comment from a substack that said, “float, don’t flail”. I think I’ll remember that in the days to come. Maybe I should remember it now.
Steven, I debate many of the findings in your column. You have not focused on the reason Trump prefers Putin to Zelensky, and why he is worshiping Putin as if the Russian despot was a cross between Dolly Parton (who has always denounced him) and Barak Obama (whom he doesn’t mention by name, but attempts to steal that perfect President’s achievements and tailor them for his bloated body. )
Trump will never accept blame for rising fuel prices. In his misplaced mind, he points to Ukraine, Zelensky, you, me, and my dog Doris. (Dog food is expensive.)
You ask if Republicans accept Trump’s con. I believe that a growing number of Republicans finally recognize that if they hang onto Trump’s coattails, they will go down with him. Not only losing their elections, but go deeper down to hell.
Thank you for writing about Felon47’s clear allegiance to Vladimir Putin, Steven. He totally seems to forget that the war with Ukraine is the result of Putin’s aggressive attack on this democratic country. I thought it was interesting to read that Zelensky’s recent destruction of Russian data centers in has reduced the source of Russian bot disinformation to almost zero. Apparently, THAT strategic maneuver three weeks before America’s Midterm Election, is what has raised the ire of the occupant of the White House and his rediscovered election interference protege, Elon Musk. This information was reported in the “This Will Hold” Substack, and I am interested in finding out if this theory has political weight.
Schmoozing the enemy has always been a sideline for our lunatic president. Evidently, that’s perfectly fine with the sycophantic GOP and the cooperative mainstream media. Selling us out is not part of the oath of office, and those who pretended to support the constitution but instead, rubber-stamped the whims, war-mongering, and corruption of the entire Trump family will hopefully face their punishment on November 3.
Thanks, Steven: One would have thought that just seeing all the Russian despots in the White House back in 2017 would turn the nation into a firestorm of dislike for the despotic wannabe ruler of the Universe. Later, he got Zelenskyy in the Oval Office and browbeat him along with his left nipple, JD Vance telling him he didn't have the cards. Well, Mr. Trump, Zelenskyy is holding the whole deck, and now you are out there in the Russian bear's local, trying to cut fuel costs with 45 minutes of diesel. It is not going to work; the American citizens are on to you, you desperate, despotic child molester. Oh, by the way, did you, Donald, write Darlene Graham's speech? I thought I was listening to your vomitus. Stay on the stump, Mr. Trump; you are an asset to the Democrats. I noticed your crowds at the rallies could fill a phone booth.
Thank you so much for this comment. It evokes for me what so many trauma survivors express and it invites me, as a trauma survivor, to ask a cultural question about traumas we’ve survived. Our understanding of history is our revolution and the assaults of 9/11. Are we mature enough as a country to admit our trauma and to step into the journey of healing? My observation of the current administration is that we are not. Why not? Dig deeper, my friends, and see this moment through the lens of a trauma survivor. It has to admit at some level that we were injured. What’s next? Blame or healing?