Great post. Of all the horrors of trump 2, I am most shocked by the hypocrisy of the Republican Party. All the bellowing about Hillary’s emails, Hunter’s laptop, voter fraud, etc. was purely performative. Barely a peep about trump’s open criminality and his serial violations of the Constitution. The only unifying characteristics of the party are the enrichment of the wealthy at the expense of the rest of us, and clinging to power at any cost.
Referring to the multiple horrors of the president reflects the terror. Dont see amhow anyone is hopeful nationally even if democrats get congress which won't happy. The Republicans are power mongrel sadists.
November is going to be a conflagration. A culmination of pent up anger and fear, against the chaos, the injustice, the inhumanity that is the essence of the regime. Watch them carefully. They are rigging the elections. They are casting Democrats and by extension anyone who is or votes against them, as Communists. We are called left-wing terrorists. They are establishing the predicate for a military coup...if we let them. We have to put our differences aside and unite around one true thing: the regime/Republicans are a clear and present danger to our liberties, our fortunes, our lives. We must organize, not just complain. Make it a point to engage at least 10 people, get them to commit to voting, take them to the polls if necessary. Ask them to find 10 more, and so on. We can do this, but we can't do this alone. Bring sanity back to America. Vote!
Communism in Russia collapsed under Gorbachev. The country then went full tilt into privatization during which the oligarchs got fat and the people suffered; the economy tanked. Enter Putin, 2000. He went for a more hybrid system where the government “partnered” with businesses. The economy grew.
“But growth has slowed over the past decade and some fear that Putin’s state capitalism has evolved into something more akin to crony capitalism, whereby political connections and collusion determine business success…”
Sounds a lot like Drumpf & sheds a different kind of light on his comments re: communism.
— President Trump: "I'll Be the Greatest Communist in History."
Trump gives a speech during a Faith and Freedom Coalition conference. He discusses the recent Democratic primaries in New York and California where progressive Democrats ousted incumbents. The president jokes about how he could be the greatest communist in history because of how "easy it is to sell." He lists the policies he would implement like free rent in relation to the winning candidates' support on rent control or freezing. His tone shifts later, warning attendees, "They're people who want to destroy our country, they hate our country. They hate our people. The hate the Democratic Party, The Democratic Party is in big trouble.” —
“A society becomes totalitarian when its structure becomes flagrantly artificial. That is when its ruling class has lost its function but succeeds in clinging to power by force or fraud.” - George Orwell
This made me long for the ‘good old days’ of Trump’s horrible first term, where he was at least a little bit hemmed in by people with good sense and government experience and when, lest we forget, he awarded Dr. Fauci a Medal of Freedom for his work saving millions of lives during the pandemic. My heart hurt watching this despicable pile-on of Anthony Fauci, whom they tried to embarrass and browbeat and bring low. But the lesson for that day is that evil people can never elevate themselves when confronting a person of integrity in this fashion. They only reveal their own evil. They only reveal their own weakness They only reveal their own cruelty. And they certainly reveal themselves to be unAmerican. Such a gut-wrenching display of verbal violence should be forbidden because it wounds as surely as if they had a physical weapon. Such was my reaction. I never thought to see such a thing happen in the United States Congress.
Excellent essay on the mismanagement and horribly degrading episode of all the GOP’s Lives. It is the stuff soap operas are made of. It would be hilarious if it weren’t so degrading to Dr. Fauci and science. To allow an ophthalmologist to be the final word on actual viral sciences and epidemiology. Haha! The GOP is fantastic at destroying all things American and taking way everything, including dignity of someone with Dr. Fauci’s credentials ! He should be lauded and given awards instead of sitting for this farce and ridicule of the congressional fools. Just a reminder, we haven’t forgotten the Epstein Files. We haven’t forgotten the Iran excursion, holiday, 3 hour tour.
Rand Paul has demonstrated over and over again that despite having a medical degree from Duke in 1988, he never lets professional standards, science, truth or ethics stand in the way of political drama.
Thank you so very very much for writing about these 3 issues:
You are sadly correct we are experiencing a “Rotton Reality”.
Rand Paul a self-certified Ophthalmologist -
Is not recognized by the American Board of Medical Specialists,
- so we are stuck with him abusively attacking Dr Fauci in part because Dr Fauci corrected Trumps Covid lies. Rand’s Twitter page is populated with countless abusive false attacks- countless, when Trump’s lies & acts repeatedly caused the harm.
I saw the Hearing and was shocked and stunningly frozen - staring at the unbelievable scene -of the vociferously maliciousness with which especially Rand attempted to continually verbally wound Dr Fauci - whose life has been devoted to trying to save lives. Others were abusive as well. Yes, “a sad spectacle,”
It was cruelty and abuse.
It was… cruelty … and abuse
And it was physically nauseating.
…
As you say about the 3 issues:
Excerpt
“Each is a vivid reminder of the work ahead to defeat a party and a regime that rewrite history to distract from the real villains, brazenly flaunt their corruption and exploit their immoral resources to keep holding onto power.”
Thank You Steven .. Each story on it's own is horrifying . The one that upset me the most is the Senate hearing with Dr. Fauci. To say there behavior was appalling is putting it mildly. Paul is insane . The rest are filthy dirty people. I really don't know how they live with themselves and I don't know how there states keep electing them. I was worried about Dr. Fauci. He's 85 y.o.. He had to sit there take that abuse. It was beyond brutal. I wish he could go on tv or do an interview so that we could know he is alright. Of course they have put him in danger again with the maga nuts. Thanks again .... lost in america
Rand Paul is many things. Insane is not one of them. He knows exactly what he’s doing. He knows the theories around the Wuhan lab and “gain of function” are not understood by voters but are frightening. The GOP is in deep trouble. They are turning to political enemy drama to rile the base as November draws closer. RP wants more power in the Senate.
He has no legal training and whoever gave him legal advice did not prepare him for Fauci taking the 5th Amendment. We know bc he later said because he said he was surprised in an interview. He also said the pardon covered 10 specific yrs. He never mentioned the real reason for the hearing. It wasn’t fact-finding. It was a perjury trap outside the pardon window.
Normally a person who is pardoned must testify about the subject of the pardon if subpoenaed by a Court or Congress - they cannot be tried for what the pardon covers. Perjury especially outside any time limits of a pardon is not covered. In his opening remarks Dr. Fauci used RP’s previous statements re: wanting to put him in prison to explain why he was going to take the 5th Amendment.
Very recently Jim Jordan, through his committee, referred Jack Smith to DOJ for supposedly lying to Congress. (Same game without a pardon being involved.) We can expect more disgusting surprises.
People we need to vote. We need to make our plans, now. Know your area and have a few systems in place to get to the polls or get in your vote. Help those around you decide their plans to vote!
Musk's millions couldn't change the votes of Wisconsinites in their Supreme Court election. Despite Musk's efforts this time, those who oppose Trump's authoritarian rule must turn out to vote this time, too.
I will work my a@@ off to get as many Dems into office as possible. And I know there are millions like me. But here's a nagging question. Why does all the talk center around the super-rich ReThuglican oligarchs giving millions and nothing when it comes to any super-rich Dem oligarchs doing the same? We seem like pathetic paupers in this story with all the begging texts & emails I've been getting and all the posts from Dem candidates. It's embarrassing really. For the people not paying close attention (yet) what they see is a hyper-funded red party and an impoverished blue party.
And the worst of the Democrats beg for money for SIX years after elected and yet approved the majority of Trump's Cabinet. The Democrats who voted NO have never asked me for money!
"Rotten to the core" for sure. Using myself as an example, how many others join me with the internal fury that comes almost daily with all things Trump? And fury can be productive if permitted to be used for progressive political change. But the self-doubt, and doubt for our country's future, is almost too much for a life of positivity. There can come a time when the constant fury from within can become very unhealthy.
I think Rand Paul is jealous of Dr. Fauci. Rather than leave NIH years ago to work in Big Pharma and make big bucks, Fauci chose to continue his work as a dedicated public health researcher and in the process, became highly praised and respected. He did not sell out. This is anathema to Paul, he a lowly Kentucky eye doctor turned Senator, one even his own neighbor couldn’t stand. Rand has never commanded attention because of his medical expertise or praise for his research and leadership. Like so many in MAGA, creating stupid sound bites and pushing cockamamie conspiracy theories is the only way he can get attention. Unfortunately, a true hero like Anthony Fauci has to endure the shameless and shameful grandstanding of members of Congress who are dredging up distractions in an attempt to get Americans to forget the disastrous Republican leadership. Trying to discredit Dr. Fauci is not going to make life more affordable or healthier for Americans. But it does make these Senators look petty, foolish, mean and just plain ridiculous.
This isn’t jealousy. RP’s path hews very closely to that of his father Ron Paul, as do most of his beliefs. You may view a doctor in Kentucky as “lowly” but one of the few things he commands respect for as a person, not politics, was founding a regional Lion’s Eye Clinic & the many free eye surgeries he continues to perform in KY and other countries. His charitable work stretches back more than 30 years. Not something widely publicized even here in KY.
You and I are not the target audience for the political dramas being perpetrated by the House & Senate committees. This is a GOP with fading support trying to gin up the base. Everything else is collateral damage which has never concerned them. Comer has been failing for yrs (including when he tried a dirty trick to win a primary & the end result was a Dem won took the Governor’s Office. Congress was a consolation prize).
On the 23rd Jordan, chair of the House Judiciary Committee, accused Jack Smith of lying to his committee in December & requested DOJ investigate him for lying to Congress. This hearing was supposed to lead to the same result with Dr. Fauci only it didn’t work. From the opening statement when Dr. Fauci said he would take the 5th because the real purpose was to put him in prison - and quoted RP - the committee was frustrated. They may follow through on the threat of contempt or not. Either way we may see more of this.
Great post. Of all the horrors of trump 2, I am most shocked by the hypocrisy of the Republican Party. All the bellowing about Hillary’s emails, Hunter’s laptop, voter fraud, etc. was purely performative. Barely a peep about trump’s open criminality and his serial violations of the Constitution. The only unifying characteristics of the party are the enrichment of the wealthy at the expense of the rest of us, and clinging to power at any cost.
Referring to the multiple horrors of the president reflects the terror. Dont see amhow anyone is hopeful nationally even if democrats get congress which won't happy. The Republicans are power mongrel sadists.
November is going to be a conflagration. A culmination of pent up anger and fear, against the chaos, the injustice, the inhumanity that is the essence of the regime. Watch them carefully. They are rigging the elections. They are casting Democrats and by extension anyone who is or votes against them, as Communists. We are called left-wing terrorists. They are establishing the predicate for a military coup...if we let them. We have to put our differences aside and unite around one true thing: the regime/Republicans are a clear and present danger to our liberties, our fortunes, our lives. We must organize, not just complain. Make it a point to engage at least 10 people, get them to commit to voting, take them to the polls if necessary. Ask them to find 10 more, and so on. We can do this, but we can't do this alone. Bring sanity back to America. Vote!
Yes Robyn, time for us to get into some “good trouble” to quote John Lewis!
Does anyone remember that Putin is a real live communist fawned all over by Trump?
Communism in Russia collapsed under Gorbachev. The country then went full tilt into privatization during which the oligarchs got fat and the people suffered; the economy tanked. Enter Putin, 2000. He went for a more hybrid system where the government “partnered” with businesses. The economy grew.
“But growth has slowed over the past decade and some fear that Putin’s state capitalism has evolved into something more akin to crony capitalism, whereby political connections and collusion determine business success…”
Sounds a lot like Drumpf & sheds a different kind of light on his comments re: communism.
https://www.economicsobservatory.com/where-did-russias-post-communism-economic-reforms-go-wrong
C-SPAN (June 26, 2026)
— President Trump: "I'll Be the Greatest Communist in History."
Trump gives a speech during a Faith and Freedom Coalition conference. He discusses the recent Democratic primaries in New York and California where progressive Democrats ousted incumbents. The president jokes about how he could be the greatest communist in history because of how "easy it is to sell." He lists the policies he would implement like free rent in relation to the winning candidates' support on rent control or freezing. His tone shifts later, warning attendees, "They're people who want to destroy our country, they hate our country. They hate our people. The hate the Democratic Party, The Democratic Party is in big trouble.” —
https://www.c-span.org/clip/campaign-2026/president-trump-ill-be-the-greatest-communist-in-history/5201942
Conflagration. The coubtrys burning down. Literally and figuratively. And economically.
“A society becomes totalitarian when its structure becomes flagrantly artificial. That is when its ruling class has lost its function but succeeds in clinging to power by force or fraud.” - George Orwell
Good one, Al.
This made me long for the ‘good old days’ of Trump’s horrible first term, where he was at least a little bit hemmed in by people with good sense and government experience and when, lest we forget, he awarded Dr. Fauci a Medal of Freedom for his work saving millions of lives during the pandemic. My heart hurt watching this despicable pile-on of Anthony Fauci, whom they tried to embarrass and browbeat and bring low. But the lesson for that day is that evil people can never elevate themselves when confronting a person of integrity in this fashion. They only reveal their own evil. They only reveal their own weakness They only reveal their own cruelty. And they certainly reveal themselves to be unAmerican. Such a gut-wrenching display of verbal violence should be forbidden because it wounds as surely as if they had a physical weapon. Such was my reaction. I never thought to see such a thing happen in the United States Congress.
“Beam me up, Scotty.”
Excellent essay on the mismanagement and horribly degrading episode of all the GOP’s Lives. It is the stuff soap operas are made of. It would be hilarious if it weren’t so degrading to Dr. Fauci and science. To allow an ophthalmologist to be the final word on actual viral sciences and epidemiology. Haha! The GOP is fantastic at destroying all things American and taking way everything, including dignity of someone with Dr. Fauci’s credentials ! He should be lauded and given awards instead of sitting for this farce and ridicule of the congressional fools. Just a reminder, we haven’t forgotten the Epstein Files. We haven’t forgotten the Iran excursion, holiday, 3 hour tour.
Rand Paul has demonstrated over and over again that despite having a medical degree from Duke in 1988, he never lets professional standards, science, truth or ethics stand in the way of political drama.
94 days
Steven,
Thank you so very very much for writing about these 3 issues:
You are sadly correct we are experiencing a “Rotton Reality”.
Rand Paul a self-certified Ophthalmologist -
Is not recognized by the American Board of Medical Specialists,
- so we are stuck with him abusively attacking Dr Fauci in part because Dr Fauci corrected Trumps Covid lies. Rand’s Twitter page is populated with countless abusive false attacks- countless, when Trump’s lies & acts repeatedly caused the harm.
I saw the Hearing and was shocked and stunningly frozen - staring at the unbelievable scene -of the vociferously maliciousness with which especially Rand attempted to continually verbally wound Dr Fauci - whose life has been devoted to trying to save lives. Others were abusive as well. Yes, “a sad spectacle,”
It was cruelty and abuse.
It was… cruelty … and abuse
And it was physically nauseating.
…
As you say about the 3 issues:
Excerpt
“Each is a vivid reminder of the work ahead to defeat a party and a regime that rewrite history to distract from the real villains, brazenly flaunt their corruption and exploit their immoral resources to keep holding onto power.”
94 DAYS VOTE THEM ALL OUT
Just a question, when do we get to deport Musk back to South Africa?
Thank You Steven .. Each story on it's own is horrifying . The one that upset me the most is the Senate hearing with Dr. Fauci. To say there behavior was appalling is putting it mildly. Paul is insane . The rest are filthy dirty people. I really don't know how they live with themselves and I don't know how there states keep electing them. I was worried about Dr. Fauci. He's 85 y.o.. He had to sit there take that abuse. It was beyond brutal. I wish he could go on tv or do an interview so that we could know he is alright. Of course they have put him in danger again with the maga nuts. Thanks again .... lost in america
Rand Paul is many things. Insane is not one of them. He knows exactly what he’s doing. He knows the theories around the Wuhan lab and “gain of function” are not understood by voters but are frightening. The GOP is in deep trouble. They are turning to political enemy drama to rile the base as November draws closer. RP wants more power in the Senate.
He has no legal training and whoever gave him legal advice did not prepare him for Fauci taking the 5th Amendment. We know bc he later said because he said he was surprised in an interview. He also said the pardon covered 10 specific yrs. He never mentioned the real reason for the hearing. It wasn’t fact-finding. It was a perjury trap outside the pardon window.
Normally a person who is pardoned must testify about the subject of the pardon if subpoenaed by a Court or Congress - they cannot be tried for what the pardon covers. Perjury especially outside any time limits of a pardon is not covered. In his opening remarks Dr. Fauci used RP’s previous statements re: wanting to put him in prison to explain why he was going to take the 5th Amendment.
Very recently Jim Jordan, through his committee, referred Jack Smith to DOJ for supposedly lying to Congress. (Same game without a pardon being involved.) We can expect more disgusting surprises.
Thanks Ann ! Interesting ..
People we need to vote. We need to make our plans, now. Know your area and have a few systems in place to get to the polls or get in your vote. Help those around you decide their plans to vote!
Musk's millions couldn't change the votes of Wisconsinites in their Supreme Court election. Despite Musk's efforts this time, those who oppose Trump's authoritarian rule must turn out to vote this time, too.
Rand Paul’s unhinged behavior toward Dr. Fauci does make me wonder less about why Paul’s neighbor physically assaulted him a couple years back.
I will work my a@@ off to get as many Dems into office as possible. And I know there are millions like me. But here's a nagging question. Why does all the talk center around the super-rich ReThuglican oligarchs giving millions and nothing when it comes to any super-rich Dem oligarchs doing the same? We seem like pathetic paupers in this story with all the begging texts & emails I've been getting and all the posts from Dem candidates. It's embarrassing really. For the people not paying close attention (yet) what they see is a hyper-funded red party and an impoverished blue party.
And the worst of the Democrats beg for money for SIX years after elected and yet approved the majority of Trump's Cabinet. The Democrats who voted NO have never asked me for money!
Mush can throw all the money he wants at the lies Republicans tell. Americans will not fall for them.
"Rotten to the core" for sure. Using myself as an example, how many others join me with the internal fury that comes almost daily with all things Trump? And fury can be productive if permitted to be used for progressive political change. But the self-doubt, and doubt for our country's future, is almost too much for a life of positivity. There can come a time when the constant fury from within can become very unhealthy.
McCarthyism in new clothing.
I think Rand Paul is jealous of Dr. Fauci. Rather than leave NIH years ago to work in Big Pharma and make big bucks, Fauci chose to continue his work as a dedicated public health researcher and in the process, became highly praised and respected. He did not sell out. This is anathema to Paul, he a lowly Kentucky eye doctor turned Senator, one even his own neighbor couldn’t stand. Rand has never commanded attention because of his medical expertise or praise for his research and leadership. Like so many in MAGA, creating stupid sound bites and pushing cockamamie conspiracy theories is the only way he can get attention. Unfortunately, a true hero like Anthony Fauci has to endure the shameless and shameful grandstanding of members of Congress who are dredging up distractions in an attempt to get Americans to forget the disastrous Republican leadership. Trying to discredit Dr. Fauci is not going to make life more affordable or healthier for Americans. But it does make these Senators look petty, foolish, mean and just plain ridiculous.
This isn’t jealousy. RP’s path hews very closely to that of his father Ron Paul, as do most of his beliefs. You may view a doctor in Kentucky as “lowly” but one of the few things he commands respect for as a person, not politics, was founding a regional Lion’s Eye Clinic & the many free eye surgeries he continues to perform in KY and other countries. His charitable work stretches back more than 30 years. Not something widely publicized even here in KY.
You and I are not the target audience for the political dramas being perpetrated by the House & Senate committees. This is a GOP with fading support trying to gin up the base. Everything else is collateral damage which has never concerned them. Comer has been failing for yrs (including when he tried a dirty trick to win a primary & the end result was a Dem won took the Governor’s Office. Congress was a consolation prize).
On the 23rd Jordan, chair of the House Judiciary Committee, accused Jack Smith of lying to his committee in December & requested DOJ investigate him for lying to Congress. This hearing was supposed to lead to the same result with Dr. Fauci only it didn’t work. From the opening statement when Dr. Fauci said he would take the 5th because the real purpose was to put him in prison - and quoted RP - the committee was frustrated. They may follow through on the threat of contempt or not. Either way we may see more of this.