I see it every day in my rural community, and the dichotomy between the “haves” and “have-nots.” The ability of the average or lower-wage American to survive this ongoing economic onslaught is unlikely.
And yet…so many are sleepwalking, deliberately or not, as this deliberate dismantling of the American economic engine…the middle class…continues.
We see it in my rural, red area, too. Run-down houses (and more than just a few), with really old cars in the yard, but by gosh, those houses proudly sport felon flags and signs!
There's also a felon/hillbilly sign out by the interstate. It got splashed with brown paint (I hope it was paint) a couple of times, and was tipped over a few times. I don't endorse vandalism, but it showed some change in local sentiment. However, it has now been restored completely. It is directly across from a gas station where the price has risen to $4.499/gallon, so we'll see how long this iteration lasts.
In the meanwhile, the regime's frontmen are telling us all that things are wonderful and improving, all while our county food banks are struggling, unsuccessfully, to keep up with demand, as more people need them and fewer and fewer can support them.
Yep. Keep voting for the people who perpetually deny you basic human rights, and blame those evil, stupid Democrats. The art of projecting has been perfected by Republicans at every level, evidently.
Interesting because here in KY we see few, very few DJT signs. Rarely a bumper sticker. It’s been that way since before the last election. But they voted for him so we see an emboldened state legislature operating more & more in secret. Congressional candidates vied for his approval. (He picked the one that was ahead. The one that ran the ad about n one apologizing for being white or Christian.) Massie who the GOP & supporters of the WH are opposing with big infusions of $$ is about 9pts ahead. The primary is this month.
About half of young male voters supported DJT in 2024. It’s what made Turning Point USA a big deal. That love affair appears to be over. They may have been to young to remember the 1st term but they’ll remember this one.
I can hear your hesitation about some Dems in Congress not being aggressive enough to go through with the common sense of what Americans want, Steven. That’s why mid-terms are so important. We must flip seats from the bottom up and place people who value our lives and rights first. I think that is quietly (and loudly) happening.
I am appalled that only 66% hate this war! We still have so much work to do…
Well, Project Freedom, Trump's bid to have our Navy escort "neutral" ships out of the Strait of Hormuz, should put gasoline on the voters' fire. That "plan" is a recipe for disaster. Iran isn't going to let that happen and we will be back into a shooting war. Don't be surprised if Trump orders troops on the ground. We've got 50,000 soldiers/sailors in the region now, idling. What a shit show. My point is that this will so exacerbate the affordability crisis in America that those numbers in the 60% - 70% disapproval will move to the 80s%. One caveat is that people would be holding their nose to vote for Democrats. They'd do it, take that car for a spin, but if the Dems don't get their acts together and soon, they will have squandered one of the greatest political opportunities in our history. I firmly believe we will sweep the midterms, take both houses. But the prize is 2028. We have to earn the votes, with sweat, purpose and conviction. The policy proposals you cited are good, not great. Surely we can produce a Project 2029 with better heft and efficiency that Project 2025 has used to reconstruct government (with the help of SCOTUS.) Surely we can fashion an agenda that balances the needs of the people with our budget-minded (hello? The Debt) means to provide for them. Surely we can Make America Breathe Again.
Until we fix the inequities built into our Constitution, America will continue to be a country of the haves and have-nots. When our Courts are unjust, when the Executive Branch has complete immunity, and when Congress is controlled by those representing the fewest people, we cannot solve our problems nor continue to be a good and great nation. The lawmakers are too timid and too interested in staying in office to be competent in solving these problems.
It's hard to admit,I have put so much love and passion into believing in the Constitution. Have taken the oath many times in my career. But you are right. It is dated, was written for the landed white gentry and needs dusting off, maybe even a rewrite. That's a heavy, heavy lift. It will take someone who can inspire the multitudes, lead us to a new chapter in our history, make things right. Not to be maudlin but it seems we are coming to end of something, it's being wrecked and ruined by vengeful philistines, intent on destruction for petty reasons. There is a Japanese saying that I quote often and it seems to fit the moment: The barn's burned down; now I can see the moon.
No it isn’t a solution. The UAE has been hit - including one of their oil centers and a couple of their ships. The UAE is threatening major retaliation. Oil is up and all the markets went down.
The US is not actually escorting. It is ‘advising’ and ‘coordinating’ while in the ‘vicinity’; explaining the paths for ships away from the Iranian side of the Strait toward Oman. Then trying to intervene in attacks on ships by shooting the Iranian speedboats & missiles.
Thanks Steven: Gas is BC Vancouver yesterday was $.2.35 a liter, There is 3.78 liters to a US gallon. so it hovers around $8.80 a gallon. On good thing is we don't need ID to eat in cafes. Its sad that a man like Todd Blanch can just spread the sewage and none of the hosts such as Kristen Welker don't question anything said. Just imagine going through a drive through at McDonald's and having to produce a passport for a Big Mac.
On the other hand, just as people know how much the cost of gasoline has increased because they lived and see the signs everyday - they also know that when they can/could afford eating out no one asked for ID. Out of touch and out of excuses.
This is like 2018 when DJT used a similar stupid analogy:
“You know, if you go out and you want to buy groceries, you need a picture on a card, you need ID. You go out, you want to buy anything, you need ID".
Woe be unto us if we let the lies this administration tells to overwhelm the facts as they stand. The hope of lower prices…the desperate hope…keeps Fox News in business. It’s yet another tale of telling people what they want to hear instead of the truth. How long will people allow themselves to be duped? I’m going to coin a new word for extreme gullibility…’dupid’. Don’t be dupid. Has a nice ring to it, eh?
Welker is not on Fox Network. Whether MSM or the bloggers, information is riddled with lies and magical thinking. Add racism and fear to the willfully uneducated and undereducated and America becomes a country mired in a stew of hatred and revenge.
Our present prez shows an example of how not to do anything. How not to comb your hair. How not to talk to people. How not to be a good friend. How not to make decisions. How not to lead. How not to lie. How not to.....
Great essay! Great writing. Very informative. I echo others: why do 30% support admin? Despite blatant lies and cruelty. And oh the irony and cowardice of media interviewers. Big salary. Horrid performance. Like lawyer saying, "so youu think my clients guilty do you? Ok. No further questions." Abd finally, technology can drastically reduce cost of social programs. And there is huge abundance fo basic resources. Not expanding them is of course part of the cruelty.
I just went through my California primary election pamphlet, picking my choices. My local paper, The Fresno Bee, had endorsements. I disagreed with many (e.g. katie porter over Xavier Becerra). I'll also be checking out Ballotpedia, the League of Women Voters, and campaign websites to get a better feel for some of the minor candidates. The votes for judges bother me the most. The Bee did not endorse anyone. I looked at who their donors are, and that helped me scratch a couple off my list.
regular gas was 6.79 at a local station here, NOT in CA. Luckily I have a lot of discount points at my supermarket's gas pumps. But some things are going up that are at least three degrees of separation from oil. Groceries I can see. But how does oil affect a Netflix or Apple subscription? Or your cell connection (not the phone, the access).
Not for one minute do I think Blanche has lost track of reality. The only track he cares about is the one driven by whatever DJT thinks or says. I remember when DJT made a similar statement about groceries. That’s what he’s channeling. I had to look it up to remember the wording — July 2018: Tampa, Florida, Trump said, "You know, if you go out and you want to buy groceries, you need a picture on a card, you need ID".
At one time Blanche was a respectable defense attorney working for major a law firm. Only in trumplandia can getting your client convicted for 34 felonies result in a big promotion.
Is it shortsighted of him to have lowered himself this far? After all, DJT will only be here a short time. Or does he see himself escaping unscathed with a wealthier future at Trump & Co and maybe a pardon coming his way?
I see it every day in my rural community, and the dichotomy between the “haves” and “have-nots.” The ability of the average or lower-wage American to survive this ongoing economic onslaught is unlikely.
And yet…so many are sleepwalking, deliberately or not, as this deliberate dismantling of the American economic engine…the middle class…continues.
“We have met the enemy and he is us.”
We see it in my rural, red area, too. Run-down houses (and more than just a few), with really old cars in the yard, but by gosh, those houses proudly sport felon flags and signs!
There's also a felon/hillbilly sign out by the interstate. It got splashed with brown paint (I hope it was paint) a couple of times, and was tipped over a few times. I don't endorse vandalism, but it showed some change in local sentiment. However, it has now been restored completely. It is directly across from a gas station where the price has risen to $4.499/gallon, so we'll see how long this iteration lasts.
In the meanwhile, the regime's frontmen are telling us all that things are wonderful and improving, all while our county food banks are struggling, unsuccessfully, to keep up with demand, as more people need them and fewer and fewer can support them.
Yep. Keep voting for the people who perpetually deny you basic human rights, and blame those evil, stupid Democrats. The art of projecting has been perfected by Republicans at every level, evidently.
Interesting because here in KY we see few, very few DJT signs. Rarely a bumper sticker. It’s been that way since before the last election. But they voted for him so we see an emboldened state legislature operating more & more in secret. Congressional candidates vied for his approval. (He picked the one that was ahead. The one that ran the ad about n one apologizing for being white or Christian.) Massie who the GOP & supporters of the WH are opposing with big infusions of $$ is about 9pts ahead. The primary is this month.
About half of young male voters supported DJT in 2024. It’s what made Turning Point USA a big deal. That love affair appears to be over. They may have been to young to remember the 1st term but they’ll remember this one.
What id s felon flag?
I prefer not to use the name of person infecting the White House at present.
I can hear your hesitation about some Dems in Congress not being aggressive enough to go through with the common sense of what Americans want, Steven. That’s why mid-terms are so important. We must flip seats from the bottom up and place people who value our lives and rights first. I think that is quietly (and loudly) happening.
I am appalled that only 66% hate this war! We still have so much work to do…
Well, Project Freedom, Trump's bid to have our Navy escort "neutral" ships out of the Strait of Hormuz, should put gasoline on the voters' fire. That "plan" is a recipe for disaster. Iran isn't going to let that happen and we will be back into a shooting war. Don't be surprised if Trump orders troops on the ground. We've got 50,000 soldiers/sailors in the region now, idling. What a shit show. My point is that this will so exacerbate the affordability crisis in America that those numbers in the 60% - 70% disapproval will move to the 80s%. One caveat is that people would be holding their nose to vote for Democrats. They'd do it, take that car for a spin, but if the Dems don't get their acts together and soon, they will have squandered one of the greatest political opportunities in our history. I firmly believe we will sweep the midterms, take both houses. But the prize is 2028. We have to earn the votes, with sweat, purpose and conviction. The policy proposals you cited are good, not great. Surely we can produce a Project 2029 with better heft and efficiency that Project 2025 has used to reconstruct government (with the help of SCOTUS.) Surely we can fashion an agenda that balances the needs of the people with our budget-minded (hello? The Debt) means to provide for them. Surely we can Make America Breathe Again.
Until we fix the inequities built into our Constitution, America will continue to be a country of the haves and have-nots. When our Courts are unjust, when the Executive Branch has complete immunity, and when Congress is controlled by those representing the fewest people, we cannot solve our problems nor continue to be a good and great nation. The lawmakers are too timid and too interested in staying in office to be competent in solving these problems.
It's hard to admit,I have put so much love and passion into believing in the Constitution. Have taken the oath many times in my career. But you are right. It is dated, was written for the landed white gentry and needs dusting off, maybe even a rewrite. That's a heavy, heavy lift. It will take someone who can inspire the multitudes, lead us to a new chapter in our history, make things right. Not to be maudlin but it seems we are coming to end of something, it's being wrecked and ruined by vengeful philistines, intent on destruction for petty reasons. There is a Japanese saying that I quote often and it seems to fit the moment: The barn's burned down; now I can see the moon.
No it isn’t a solution. The UAE has been hit - including one of their oil centers and a couple of their ships. The UAE is threatening major retaliation. Oil is up and all the markets went down.
The US is not actually escorting. It is ‘advising’ and ‘coordinating’ while in the ‘vicinity’; explaining the paths for ships away from the Iranian side of the Strait toward Oman. Then trying to intervene in attacks on ships by shooting the Iranian speedboats & missiles.
Thanks Steven: Gas is BC Vancouver yesterday was $.2.35 a liter, There is 3.78 liters to a US gallon. so it hovers around $8.80 a gallon. On good thing is we don't need ID to eat in cafes. Its sad that a man like Todd Blanch can just spread the sewage and none of the hosts such as Kristen Welker don't question anything said. Just imagine going through a drive through at McDonald's and having to produce a passport for a Big Mac.
Seriously.
On the other hand, just as people know how much the cost of gasoline has increased because they lived and see the signs everyday - they also know that when they can/could afford eating out no one asked for ID. Out of touch and out of excuses.
This is like 2018 when DJT used a similar stupid analogy:
“You know, if you go out and you want to buy groceries, you need a picture on a card, you need ID. You go out, you want to buy anything, you need ID".
Meet The Press died with Tim Russert..... it is just an acronym now... pathetic
All this disapproval but we can't RECALL and Congress won'r Impeach and convict
Woe be unto us if we let the lies this administration tells to overwhelm the facts as they stand. The hope of lower prices…the desperate hope…keeps Fox News in business. It’s yet another tale of telling people what they want to hear instead of the truth. How long will people allow themselves to be duped? I’m going to coin a new word for extreme gullibility…’dupid’. Don’t be dupid. Has a nice ring to it, eh?
Welker is not on Fox Network. Whether MSM or the bloggers, information is riddled with lies and magical thinking. Add racism and fear to the willfully uneducated and undereducated and America becomes a country mired in a stew of hatred and revenge.
Truth!
Our present prez shows an example of how not to do anything. How not to comb your hair. How not to talk to people. How not to be a good friend. How not to make decisions. How not to lead. How not to lie. How not to.....
Valuable information with encouraging statistics on polling against the miserable mistakes and derisive decisions of this regime, in your essay.
And the approach by Progressives to start proposing solutions - somewhat satisfying. (Thank you for the link.)
Any ray of sunshine is helpful. And your proof of the fact that the eye-opening awareness tide is growing, is just that.
It’s all up to us to vote in astounding numbers, and now every day, to keep applying pressure for change.
💙🇺🇸💙
Exactly.
Maybe, just maybe, “making a fool out of me” trumps “making life worse for the people I don’t like.”
Great essay! Great writing. Very informative. I echo others: why do 30% support admin? Despite blatant lies and cruelty. And oh the irony and cowardice of media interviewers. Big salary. Horrid performance. Like lawyer saying, "so youu think my clients guilty do you? Ok. No further questions." Abd finally, technology can drastically reduce cost of social programs. And there is huge abundance fo basic resources. Not expanding them is of course part of the cruelty.
Thanks. And yes, amazing there's still that support.
I just went through my California primary election pamphlet, picking my choices. My local paper, The Fresno Bee, had endorsements. I disagreed with many (e.g. katie porter over Xavier Becerra). I'll also be checking out Ballotpedia, the League of Women Voters, and campaign websites to get a better feel for some of the minor candidates. The votes for judges bother me the most. The Bee did not endorse anyone. I looked at who their donors are, and that helped me scratch a couple off my list.
Thank you, Mr. Beschloss. We cannot only guess why djt and maga have deserted their base.
regular gas was 6.79 at a local station here, NOT in CA. Luckily I have a lot of discount points at my supermarket's gas pumps. But some things are going up that are at least three degrees of separation from oil. Groceries I can see. But how does oil affect a Netflix or Apple subscription? Or your cell connection (not the phone, the access).
Not for one minute do I think Blanche has lost track of reality. The only track he cares about is the one driven by whatever DJT thinks or says. I remember when DJT made a similar statement about groceries. That’s what he’s channeling. I had to look it up to remember the wording — July 2018: Tampa, Florida, Trump said, "You know, if you go out and you want to buy groceries, you need a picture on a card, you need ID".
At one time Blanche was a respectable defense attorney working for major a law firm. Only in trumplandia can getting your client convicted for 34 felonies result in a big promotion.
Is it shortsighted of him to have lowered himself this far? After all, DJT will only be here a short time. Or does he see himself escaping unscathed with a wealthier future at Trump & Co and maybe a pardon coming his way?