Our CIA did that for years, in countries like Chile, Iran, the Congo and Guatemala. Now our anti-democracy movement is out in the open for all to see. Our elites thought JFK had too much of a "democracy sentiment" and so he was hated by big business and the CIA.
It's not hard to swallow for me based on the build up to what Biden was fighting against - putin taking over to regain the old and brutal russian empire (and more) and that includes Europe and any democracy in the bulldozers' paths. I saw Ukraine acting as a force to stop putinism from spreading. Ukraine holding its country would stop putin's mental illness (my phrase) from covering his thefts (of countries) and would likely stop china from taking Taiwan as putin puts finishing touches on stealing Ukraine.
I don't do hero worshipping. Never have. But yesterday, I know it was a setup as the Biden-orange moron bs "debate" was. Zelenskyy is my hero. He's at war, so he went in fatigues (political I guess and effective) and it's a better look on him than the other dolts trying to kill this country. Good luck out there.
The Optics matter. Ask any woman, or LGBTQ++ or even any 'hippie' (if there are any left.) Even Mao, bless his tortuous soul, wore 'fatigues.' Get with the program!
I fall into a few of those. The LGTBQ++ got an executive order from President Obama. A friend asked why I wasn't happy. I said it's an executive order and "we" married in 2019 quickly because of a personal issue now to likely be undone and we were highly aware of this for years.
I guess I understand. When Susan Wild was our rep., I wore her t-shirts and got asked for them so I became a conduit. I also had a trumpet stop me and try to hold a sane conversation (had the shirt on again). Okay, optics matter. Thanks, Roy.
lol! 1. Nope, can't image Twiddledumb and Twiddledumber ("Through the Looking Glass") being dressed the same way. 2. Maybe they were drooling that Zelenskyy looked so great, trim, handsome, in fatigues (why would he go to war for his own country - he didn't even say he couldn't go due to bone spurs). I thought he made them look like the asses they are. They tried to play him and my hero was gracious and didn't cave.
What you are getting at is some kind of separation of Blue and Red America, or secession. Red America will resist strongly because it is highly dependent on Blue America economically. There is data about how Blue states send more dollars to the federal government per person than Red states; as a result, Blue States are essentially supporting Red States for things like food stamps and Medicaid. So Red States will not easily allow Blue States to leave, because there goes their gravy train. But possibly it could be negotiated; Blue States somehow compensate the remaining Red States, kind of like alimony, for a period of time. There's more to figure out, like how the military gets divided. But like a bad marriage, things have gotten so bad and there's so much resentment, maybe it's the only way.
Yes, it is true that separation statements are easy to make and the devil is in the details. MAGA are an empty vessel for ideas other than fealty to oligarch over Lords and being free riders who can’t afford to loose their free lunch. The Blue States are great punching bags and easy to shake down for lunch money. It would be a divorce that would leave the Blue States counting their body parts and one that would require a well defended border for the new Canada. I am too old to expect to see it happen, but the cracks are there. I believe the old South has risen again.
The old South, the antebellum South, liked to bask in the thought scape of a Walter Scott novel. There was a landed gentility, but as you noted it was a gentility in the service of the rich.
Yes. That's it. It's a veneer and it was broken a few times when I went to college in VA/TN. People seemed nice but it was extremely superficial. I tolerated the south for a year and went north to finish school.
The Southification of the nation has been going on since Nixon used the "Southern strategy" to win elections in 1968 and 1972. A lot of people, by the way, voted for him because of his "secret plan to end the Vietnam War", not because they supported his other policies.
I think you might be dreaming, despite the accuracy of your observations. First of all, Canada might think twice about welcoming in parts of a country in as much turnmoil as ours is, and Canadians are not Americans, remember. They have their own culture, which although it is similar, is not identical to ours. How could they possibly assimilate all those desperate immigrants all at once. Ha ha.
I see the possibility of misunderstandings. We would bring our land and people together. Hence the need for well protected borders. Over time we could become one culture as long as neither side saw it as a hostile takeover.
We're looping here again - putin, I assume, is in the midst. I remember the bs succession suggestions within the last ten years. They were ultimately attributed to the putineer (marionette handler of all things evil).
I, too, doubt he US would allow this: blue states are the money cows with the exception of Florida and Texas.
I’m unclear how a region or states actually secede, but if it happened I could imagine the West Coast becoming a province.
Then NY and any New England states that might want to be a part of Canada.
The Great Lakes become an issue….
It seems a nightmare, but that’s looking through the lens of today. In 2 decades who knows what the world will look like. I will say that I like the plans that Canada is making to limit ties with the US and bolster them with Europe. They are resource rich. I can imagine French and other EU citizens looking for jobs there, helping them grow their economy if they develop an immigration standard amongst partner nations as exist within the EU. There is a lot of potential in Canada.
Mexico is interesting as well. On one hand, the President seems to have Donald’s number and isn’t intimidated by his bluster. But if he pushes too hard, she’s clear that she’ll look elsewhere, which generally means China.
The US has so much to lose, and MAGA has absolutely no clue.
No one is talking about the possibility that the US (Trump) in its drive to set up economic tariff barriers is the running the risk of shifting other nations away from using the dollar as the supranational currency and using the Euro or other currency as the international currency in its stead. The US as a debtor nation benefits from controlling other countries through control of the value of it’s currency. This advantage can be lost and the US will suffer economically for it.
Does anyone remember that Sadam Hussein declared that Iraq's oil would no longer be denominated in US dollars? We attacked him a few months later and stopped that.
Many 'merican observers have been wondering for years about what's keeping the succession / divorce from happening, but that means taking Silicon Valley too. Mmmmmmmmm.
The problem is that the red states have cities that are definitely blue and are the economic engines of the states. Texas, for example, has Austin, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, and El Paso that vote blue. We blue areas don't want to be stuck in a country with the red states.
A fair question because many of us live in such a situation. That is one of the tough detail questions. It seems to me that much of the west coast, the top of north eastern US and part of the East Coast are blue, but realistically this is going to be hard to resolve and some of us may have to uproot or accept life in the Red. For now this is a thought experiment, but history teaches that the unthinkable may become the new reality.
What so many forget is that what is happening today has been Putins stated goal for well over 2 decades. Like China, he has the patience for the long game. The Us doesn’t have the memory, nor the patience for the long game. We say Donald is transactional - we need to look in the mirror.
This week has been surreal Ruth. I get MAGA’s hate of immigrants and their overwhelming desire for reigning in prices. I can’t help but wonder where the rubicon is (or if there is one) before MAGA people stop and wonder what they have ‘signed up for’? IS yielding to authoritarian rule and giving up America’s reputation as “leader of the free-world” (which Trump has given up that mantle) also part of the MAGA agenda? Will MAGA people ever join democrats in the streets in revolt against this Trump regime? I hope you’ll answer this at the next Q & A.
I'm no Ruth, but it does seem to me that Ruth is more of an expert on autocracy than she might or might not be on the forms of cult-like behavior we seem to spawn in this country. Not all Trump voters are MAGA, but I suspect the psychology of most MAGA voters is cultlike. Cult members are known to have drunk the Kool Aid rather than abandon their Dear Leaders, remember. I think the best we can hope for is paring off the Independents and Republicans on the margin. Which might be enough. But the clock is ticking and there's the rub. Do we have two years left? Open question.
Those that vote for far right candidates tend to have one or more of the Dark Tetrad traits of narcissism, sadism, sociopathy and Machiavellianism. tRump has all four of these, so people with some of these, see a kindred spirit in tRump. They will believe a lie from someone of authority in their tribe, over the truth from someone outside of their tribe. It's cult-like for sure.
Steve, from what I know of Musk's childhood, he was another little boy longing for attention from a narcissistically-centered, white supremacist father. There is something manic-y about him now that he's reached a pinnacle of power that's further inflated his grandiosity...he's running around with a chainsaw and gleefully "cutting everyone down to size," as he slashes budgets and cuts huge numbers of people out of their jobs in agency after agency. He probably saw his father doing things like that in different contexts. (that's a guess) Calling his son, "X" and saying that his son is his "support animal," seem to have hidden meanings. I wonder if little Elon felt Xed out, blotted out by his father. It's bizarre how he named both Twitter and his son, "X." What do you make of that?
Read Project 2025, or Kevin Roberts latest book, or Patrick Deneen, or Peter Thiel. All American neofascists pulling the strings behind the scenes in the Oval Office today. And fascism means a well-oiled propaganda machine, so no, most MAGA voters don't want fascism at all, they were told that Trump will restore democracy after four years of fascist Democrats ruling DC... . Polls also show that only 10% of the American people have a favorable image of Putin, and most want the US to continue to support Ukraine. And yes, as MSNBC and others have shown this week, some MAGA voters are already turning against Trump. That's because he's firing them when they work for the government, he took away their VA benefits, he made the farmers who delivered food to USAID lose millions of dollars, and this is only the beginning...
You have to wonder what Trump thinks he’s getting, siding with the autocrats? He’s deluding himself if he thinks that they believe him an equal … he’s been played well and thoroughly (and also by MBS). The doddering conman conned.
Putin's term for people such as Trump is "a useful fool." Don't be surprised if Putin/Musk/Vance throw Trump under the bus, after he's no longer useful to keep his MAGA folks going along with the program to take over America.
Useful fool? More like the village idiot! Trump, who betrays everyone - the Kurds, for example, Latinos, women, his MAGA voters - will probably be surprised (and offended?) when the Big Boys betray him. A tool just takes up space after it’s been used.
As if anyone - Trump, Vance, Musk (Putin, Xi, Kim, MSB) care what it wants: The Base opened the door, Trump/Musk entered … then slammed the door behind them.
They say ... don't try and con a con-man. But I go with John Smith (below). Putin / Vance / Xi - that's the new Trinity - will throw Trump / Donnylon under the nearest bus without blinking. (And Putin is already 'soiled goods' - excuse the metaphor, I know where it
comes from!) There's plenty of other billionaires to choose from ...
Zelenskyy is fully a HERO. Five days ago he was willing to step down from his presidency if that would bring peace. The quote "The only thing necessary for the triumph of Evil is for Good Men to do Nothing." Herein lies how America has turned its vision to the dark side.
Is there any way to hold Trump accountable for being (with proof) a Russian asset and would he be liable for treason? He appears to be opening up the US for Putin to expand the Russian empire to include the US, along with Eastern Europe. If Tulsi Gabbard is Russia’s GF then Trump is their BF and the rest of Trump’s cabinet laying down for Putin and full blown autocracy/kleptocracy in the US. How can they be stopped? Or if we ever have elections that are free from Russian influence again - I am doubtful- is voting the only way to re-align the US back toward Democracy?
If martial law is declared to stop non violent protests then you may be right. Kent State might be reincarnated by seniors and a lot more age groups besides college kids -who have disappeared after Gaza protests during Biden’s presidency.
fantastic analysis, thank you so much, Ruth. incredibly useful in the swirling events and emotional blowback. so happy to have clear heads to help us understand what's really happening under all the noise, and by keeping calm yourself, help us catch our breath for a minute.
“If you have a smart president, they’re not enemies. You’ll make them do great,” Great in the eyes of Trump is not great in most other American's eyes. It is great in how much he, personally, can benefit from the relationship, not how much he can do for America. I think most of Maga world wouldn't understand that and just take it at face value. Thank you, Ruth.
This is utterly scary, - but very true. Trump has weakened our country in so many ways. I hate to say it, but I believe we’re witnessing the end of our democracy, “in real time”.
The part I don't get is *why*. How is it good for the US or even the Felon/Elon/JD thugs to have Russia and Putin as allies and to have them flood the US with disinfo and propaganda? Is it simply access to Russia's resources? If he thinks Putin will give him any of that, he's delusional. And both leaders are old and not long for this world. Please tell me what I'm missing in this crazy puzzle.
Well, he'll only get so far with that strategy---only with his base, and a few who voted for him---maybe---because by the time this stuff starts happening, many of his voters will be jobless, broke, and without health insurance and hopefully woken up to his lies.
Oy. This already feels like 5 years since Donald took over. I’m wearing my Uncle’s dog tags from WW2. He fought to end fascism and dictators along with the rest of the Greatest Generation. I have to believe their service and sacrifice was not In vain. We will prevail because we are a Democracy with a richer history than Donald can possibly imagine. We are used to fighting and will never give up. It doesn’t take an army to defeat Donald. It takes a nation of democracy loving Americans with resolve and determination. We will defeat this scourge and be better for it in the end. I refuse to believe otherwise.
Couldn't be clearer . . . I think it's called treason. Bring the charges now. There must be plenty of smoking guns. We just need to keep digging to find them. The circumstantial evidence is overwhelming.
Democrats should adopt a PLAN to stop Trump, the Republican party, Republicans in Congress, and Musk with his DOGE who are engaged in an ongoing insurrection that violates federal law (18 U.S. Code § 2383). The law defines a felony crime as “whoever assists or engages in any rebellion or insurrection against the authority of the United States or the laws thereof”. The insurrection aims to take America back to before 1776 with a KING (Trump as KING) and run the country as the old South which provided all the wealth to rich white men as property holders who exploited inhuman cruel slavery and treated white women as slaves.
The PLAN begins with enacting and enforcing a new state law modeled after the federal law (18 U.S. Code § 2383) in 7 states where Democrats control the state government. California could be the first state to enact and enforce the law within 90 days which would remove the 9 Republican representatives from California in the Congressional House. The House would then have a Democratic majority of 2024 to 2009 with Jefferies as Speaker of the House to control the budget and make sure Ukraine and Medicaid are fully funded and there will be no tax cuts for the rich. Maryland, New Jersey and Colorado could follow to collectively remove another 8 Republican representatives in the House and then also remove 4 conservative justices from the Supreme Court changing the Court to 3 liberals and 2 conservatives to block any more conservative Court actions favorable to Trump, Republicans, and oligarchs.
The Constitution in Article I, Section 6, Clause 1 allows members of Congress to be arrested, indicted, and convicted for the felony crime of insurrection that violates state law enforced with imprisonment up to ten years with mandatory permanent removal and prevention from holding office.
The Constitution does not establish judicial immunity for any judge including federal judges or Supreme Court Justices. Therefore, Supreme Court Justices can be arrested, indicted, and convicted for the felony crime of insurrection and enforced with imprisonment up to ten years and mandatory permanent removal and prevention from holding office.
Any elected official who participated in Jan 6th should be subject to treason and removal. The fake electors should be tried for treason as well but there is little to no action on that front. The fake electors was simply a premeditated attempt to steal the election; a coup attempt.
One would think that the 14th Amendment could be used to remove current office holders whom had participated in the insurrection on Jan 6th.
if they do but its probably been or will be summarily trashed
“America’s cause now is to defeat democracy around the world” is hard to swallow.
Our CIA did that for years, in countries like Chile, Iran, the Congo and Guatemala. Now our anti-democracy movement is out in the open for all to see. Our elites thought JFK had too much of a "democracy sentiment" and so he was hated by big business and the CIA.
The Mafiosa as well....
It's not hard to swallow for me based on the build up to what Biden was fighting against - putin taking over to regain the old and brutal russian empire (and more) and that includes Europe and any democracy in the bulldozers' paths. I saw Ukraine acting as a force to stop putinism from spreading. Ukraine holding its country would stop putin's mental illness (my phrase) from covering his thefts (of countries) and would likely stop china from taking Taiwan as putin puts finishing touches on stealing Ukraine.
I don't do hero worshipping. Never have. But yesterday, I know it was a setup as the Biden-orange moron bs "debate" was. Zelenskyy is my hero. He's at war, so he went in fatigues (political I guess and effective) and it's a better look on him than the other dolts trying to kill this country. Good luck out there.
The Optics matter. Ask any woman, or LGBTQ++ or even any 'hippie' (if there are any left.) Even Mao, bless his tortuous soul, wore 'fatigues.' Get with the program!
I fall into a few of those. The LGTBQ++ got an executive order from President Obama. A friend asked why I wasn't happy. I said it's an executive order and "we" married in 2019 quickly because of a personal issue now to likely be undone and we were highly aware of this for years.
I guess I understand. When Susan Wild was our rep., I wore her t-shirts and got asked for them so I became a conduit. I also had a trumpet stop me and try to hold a sane conversation (had the shirt on again). Okay, optics matter. Thanks, Roy.
Maybe Trump and Vance were just jealous at how good Zelensky looked in them, trim and in shape. Can you imagine Trump or Vance dressed the same?
lol! 1. Nope, can't image Twiddledumb and Twiddledumber ("Through the Looking Glass") being dressed the same way. 2. Maybe they were drooling that Zelenskyy looked so great, trim, handsome, in fatigues (why would he go to war for his own country - he didn't even say he couldn't go due to bone spurs). I thought he made them look like the asses they are. They tried to play him and my hero was gracious and didn't cave.
Is there still time for Blue America to become a province of Canada? The Red States won’t miss us.
What you are getting at is some kind of separation of Blue and Red America, or secession. Red America will resist strongly because it is highly dependent on Blue America economically. There is data about how Blue states send more dollars to the federal government per person than Red states; as a result, Blue States are essentially supporting Red States for things like food stamps and Medicaid. So Red States will not easily allow Blue States to leave, because there goes their gravy train. But possibly it could be negotiated; Blue States somehow compensate the remaining Red States, kind of like alimony, for a period of time. There's more to figure out, like how the military gets divided. But like a bad marriage, things have gotten so bad and there's so much resentment, maybe it's the only way.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2023/07/07/states-federal-benefits/
Yes, it is true that separation statements are easy to make and the devil is in the details. MAGA are an empty vessel for ideas other than fealty to oligarch over Lords and being free riders who can’t afford to loose their free lunch. The Blue States are great punching bags and easy to shake down for lunch money. It would be a divorce that would leave the Blue States counting their body parts and one that would require a well defended border for the new Canada. I am too old to expect to see it happen, but the cracks are there. I believe the old South has risen again.
Except the Old South had a veneer of gentility over the brutality. The New OLD South is full of degenerates without a speck of nobility of soul.
The old South, the antebellum South, liked to bask in the thought scape of a Walter Scott novel. There was a landed gentility, but as you noted it was a gentility in the service of the rich.
Yes. That's it. It's a veneer and it was broken a few times when I went to college in VA/TN. People seemed nice but it was extremely superficial. I tolerated the south for a year and went north to finish school.
James, Denmark's offered to buy California and I vote yes! 🤣
Being of Danish heritage, I could go for that!
I’ve lived in Carmel Valley, CA and it would be a pleasure to live there again under new management.
The Southification of the nation has been going on since Nixon used the "Southern strategy" to win elections in 1968 and 1972. A lot of people, by the way, voted for him because of his "secret plan to end the Vietnam War", not because they supported his other policies.
The manipulative lies of many politicians convince those who want to believe. :(
I think you might be dreaming, despite the accuracy of your observations. First of all, Canada might think twice about welcoming in parts of a country in as much turnmoil as ours is, and Canadians are not Americans, remember. They have their own culture, which although it is similar, is not identical to ours. How could they possibly assimilate all those desperate immigrants all at once. Ha ha.
I see the possibility of misunderstandings. We would bring our land and people together. Hence the need for well protected borders. Over time we could become one culture as long as neither side saw it as a hostile takeover.
We're looping here again - putin, I assume, is in the midst. I remember the bs succession suggestions within the last ten years. They were ultimately attributed to the putineer (marionette handler of all things evil).
I, too, doubt he US would allow this: blue states are the money cows with the exception of Florida and Texas.
I’m unclear how a region or states actually secede, but if it happened I could imagine the West Coast becoming a province.
Then NY and any New England states that might want to be a part of Canada.
The Great Lakes become an issue….
It seems a nightmare, but that’s looking through the lens of today. In 2 decades who knows what the world will look like. I will say that I like the plans that Canada is making to limit ties with the US and bolster them with Europe. They are resource rich. I can imagine French and other EU citizens looking for jobs there, helping them grow their economy if they develop an immigration standard amongst partner nations as exist within the EU. There is a lot of potential in Canada.
Mexico is interesting as well. On one hand, the President seems to have Donald’s number and isn’t intimidated by his bluster. But if he pushes too hard, she’s clear that she’ll look elsewhere, which generally means China.
The US has so much to lose, and MAGA has absolutely no clue.
No one is talking about the possibility that the US (Trump) in its drive to set up economic tariff barriers is the running the risk of shifting other nations away from using the dollar as the supranational currency and using the Euro or other currency as the international currency in its stead. The US as a debtor nation benefits from controlling other countries through control of the value of it’s currency. This advantage can be lost and the US will suffer economically for it.
Does anyone remember that Sadam Hussein declared that Iraq's oil would no longer be denominated in US dollars? We attacked him a few months later and stopped that.
The Great Lakes are the ultimate prize, given our likely climate future.
Many 'merican observers have been wondering for years about what's keeping the succession / divorce from happening, but that means taking Silicon Valley too. Mmmmmmmmm.
But GOP Trump said they are only prez etc for the red states. So why should the blue states pay taxes?
The problem is that the red states have cities that are definitely blue and are the economic engines of the states. Texas, for example, has Austin, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, and El Paso that vote blue. We blue areas don't want to be stuck in a country with the red states.
In that scenario, what happens to us blues who happen to live in a red state? Could our portion of our state join Canada?
A fair question because many of us live in such a situation. That is one of the tough detail questions. It seems to me that much of the west coast, the top of north eastern US and part of the East Coast are blue, but realistically this is going to be hard to resolve and some of us may have to uproot or accept life in the Red. For now this is a thought experiment, but history teaches that the unthinkable may become the new reality.
Atlantica and Pacifica, two new provinces
Ruth and Hillary knew what was up with Putin years before most of us got it. Do you remember this from the presidential race in 2015?
https://youtu.be/UaVWRetR4jg
Putin and tRump are sociopathic birds of a feather.
And now we know who owned the car that hit us.
What so many forget is that what is happening today has been Putins stated goal for well over 2 decades. Like China, he has the patience for the long game. The Us doesn’t have the memory, nor the patience for the long game. We say Donald is transactional - we need to look in the mirror.
This week has been surreal Ruth. I get MAGA’s hate of immigrants and their overwhelming desire for reigning in prices. I can’t help but wonder where the rubicon is (or if there is one) before MAGA people stop and wonder what they have ‘signed up for’? IS yielding to authoritarian rule and giving up America’s reputation as “leader of the free-world” (which Trump has given up that mantle) also part of the MAGA agenda? Will MAGA people ever join democrats in the streets in revolt against this Trump regime? I hope you’ll answer this at the next Q & A.
I'm no Ruth, but it does seem to me that Ruth is more of an expert on autocracy than she might or might not be on the forms of cult-like behavior we seem to spawn in this country. Not all Trump voters are MAGA, but I suspect the psychology of most MAGA voters is cultlike. Cult members are known to have drunk the Kool Aid rather than abandon their Dear Leaders, remember. I think the best we can hope for is paring off the Independents and Republicans on the margin. Which might be enough. But the clock is ticking and there's the rub. Do we have two years left? Open question.
Those that vote for far right candidates tend to have one or more of the Dark Tetrad traits of narcissism, sadism, sociopathy and Machiavellianism. tRump has all four of these, so people with some of these, see a kindred spirit in tRump. They will believe a lie from someone of authority in their tribe, over the truth from someone outside of their tribe. It's cult-like for sure.
Unfortunately, Muskrat has these traits as well.
I haven't heard enough from him yet to decide but the trend is not good. Sadism and narcissism are pretty clear in Musk though.
Steve, from what I know of Musk's childhood, he was another little boy longing for attention from a narcissistically-centered, white supremacist father. There is something manic-y about him now that he's reached a pinnacle of power that's further inflated his grandiosity...he's running around with a chainsaw and gleefully "cutting everyone down to size," as he slashes budgets and cuts huge numbers of people out of their jobs in agency after agency. He probably saw his father doing things like that in different contexts. (that's a guess) Calling his son, "X" and saying that his son is his "support animal," seem to have hidden meanings. I wonder if little Elon felt Xed out, blotted out by his father. It's bizarre how he named both Twitter and his son, "X." What do you make of that?
Read Project 2025, or Kevin Roberts latest book, or Patrick Deneen, or Peter Thiel. All American neofascists pulling the strings behind the scenes in the Oval Office today. And fascism means a well-oiled propaganda machine, so no, most MAGA voters don't want fascism at all, they were told that Trump will restore democracy after four years of fascist Democrats ruling DC... . Polls also show that only 10% of the American people have a favorable image of Putin, and most want the US to continue to support Ukraine. And yes, as MSNBC and others have shown this week, some MAGA voters are already turning against Trump. That's because he's firing them when they work for the government, he took away their VA benefits, he made the farmers who delivered food to USAID lose millions of dollars, and this is only the beginning...
I think once it hits them in everyday ways, like prices, services, stuff like that.
You have to wonder what Trump thinks he’s getting, siding with the autocrats? He’s deluding himself if he thinks that they believe him an equal … he’s been played well and thoroughly (and also by MBS). The doddering conman conned.
Putin's term for people such as Trump is "a useful fool." Don't be surprised if Putin/Musk/Vance throw Trump under the bus, after he's no longer useful to keep his MAGA folks going along with the program to take over America.
Useful fool? More like the village idiot! Trump, who betrays everyone - the Kurds, for example, Latinos, women, his MAGA voters - will probably be surprised (and offended?) when the Big Boys betray him. A tool just takes up space after it’s been used.
The base wants Truuuump- they will not accept any others until Trump resigns or leaves voluntarily.
As if anyone - Trump, Vance, Musk (Putin, Xi, Kim, MSB) care what it wants: The Base opened the door, Trump/Musk entered … then slammed the door behind them.
He wants to be TOP DICK.
Top limp dick, more likely.
They say ... don't try and con a con-man. But I go with John Smith (below). Putin / Vance / Xi - that's the new Trinity - will throw Trump / Donnylon under the nearest bus without blinking. (And Putin is already 'soiled goods' - excuse the metaphor, I know where it
comes from!) There's plenty of other billionaires to choose from ...
Under the bus in Russian means out the third floor window.
Zelenskyy is fully a HERO. Five days ago he was willing to step down from his presidency if that would bring peace. The quote "The only thing necessary for the triumph of Evil is for Good Men to do Nothing." Herein lies how America has turned its vision to the dark side.
Rise up People - We are NOT Sheeple!
I started to feel better today, after reading about Mussolini’s last hours.
Is there any way to hold Trump accountable for being (with proof) a Russian asset and would he be liable for treason? He appears to be opening up the US for Putin to expand the Russian empire to include the US, along with Eastern Europe. If Tulsi Gabbard is Russia’s GF then Trump is their BF and the rest of Trump’s cabinet laying down for Putin and full blown autocracy/kleptocracy in the US. How can they be stopped? Or if we ever have elections that are free from Russian influence again - I am doubtful- is voting the only way to re-align the US back toward Democracy?
No, but the alternative will be bloody.
If martial law is declared to stop non violent protests then you may be right. Kent State might be reincarnated by seniors and a lot more age groups besides college kids -who have disappeared after Gaza protests during Biden’s presidency.
Democracy Forward is trying to stop this fascist movement through the courts.... with some success.
I wish the courts God Speed. The courts didn’t stop Hitler. Trump is moving faster than the 53 days it took Hitler to destroy democracy.
fantastic analysis, thank you so much, Ruth. incredibly useful in the swirling events and emotional blowback. so happy to have clear heads to help us understand what's really happening under all the noise, and by keeping calm yourself, help us catch our breath for a minute.
“If you have a smart president, they’re not enemies. You’ll make them do great,” Great in the eyes of Trump is not great in most other American's eyes. It is great in how much he, personally, can benefit from the relationship, not how much he can do for America. I think most of Maga world wouldn't understand that and just take it at face value. Thank you, Ruth.
An illustrated guide to how Trump is weakening American systems to make it easier for Putin to influence American public opinion and elections.
How Trump Sold Out America To Putin: Follow The 20 Step Playbook
https://thedemlabs.org/2025/03/01/how-trump-sold-out-america-to-putin-follow-the-20-step-playbook/
This is utterly scary, - but very true. Trump has weakened our country in so many ways. I hate to say it, but I believe we’re witnessing the end of our democracy, “in real time”.
Most of what happened was because voters were too easily fooled by demagogic propaganda.
Traitor, Russian agent, arrest him!
The part I don't get is *why*. How is it good for the US or even the Felon/Elon/JD thugs to have Russia and Putin as allies and to have them flood the US with disinfo and propaganda? Is it simply access to Russia's resources? If he thinks Putin will give him any of that, he's delusional. And both leaders are old and not long for this world. Please tell me what I'm missing in this crazy puzzle.
Well, he'll only get so far with that strategy---only with his base, and a few who voted for him---maybe---because by the time this stuff starts happening, many of his voters will be jobless, broke, and without health insurance and hopefully woken up to his lies.
Indeed! Sociopaths like tRump see the virtues of democracy as a sickness, while the vices of fascism are seen as a boon.
Oy. This already feels like 5 years since Donald took over. I’m wearing my Uncle’s dog tags from WW2. He fought to end fascism and dictators along with the rest of the Greatest Generation. I have to believe their service and sacrifice was not In vain. We will prevail because we are a Democracy with a richer history than Donald can possibly imagine. We are used to fighting and will never give up. It doesn’t take an army to defeat Donald. It takes a nation of democracy loving Americans with resolve and determination. We will defeat this scourge and be better for it in the end. I refuse to believe otherwise.
Oy vay! Thank you for your optimistic conclusion. I will try to emulate it.
Believe me, it seems like it’s been five years.
Couldn't be clearer . . . I think it's called treason. Bring the charges now. There must be plenty of smoking guns. We just need to keep digging to find them. The circumstantial evidence is overwhelming.
Whose gonna bring charges? Weak pathetic Chuck Schumer??
Thank you, Ruth! You’re very consistent with your support!
Democrats should adopt a PLAN to stop Trump, the Republican party, Republicans in Congress, and Musk with his DOGE who are engaged in an ongoing insurrection that violates federal law (18 U.S. Code § 2383). The law defines a felony crime as “whoever assists or engages in any rebellion or insurrection against the authority of the United States or the laws thereof”. The insurrection aims to take America back to before 1776 with a KING (Trump as KING) and run the country as the old South which provided all the wealth to rich white men as property holders who exploited inhuman cruel slavery and treated white women as slaves.
The PLAN begins with enacting and enforcing a new state law modeled after the federal law (18 U.S. Code § 2383) in 7 states where Democrats control the state government. California could be the first state to enact and enforce the law within 90 days which would remove the 9 Republican representatives from California in the Congressional House. The House would then have a Democratic majority of 2024 to 2009 with Jefferies as Speaker of the House to control the budget and make sure Ukraine and Medicaid are fully funded and there will be no tax cuts for the rich. Maryland, New Jersey and Colorado could follow to collectively remove another 8 Republican representatives in the House and then also remove 4 conservative justices from the Supreme Court changing the Court to 3 liberals and 2 conservatives to block any more conservative Court actions favorable to Trump, Republicans, and oligarchs.
The Constitution in Article I, Section 6, Clause 1 allows members of Congress to be arrested, indicted, and convicted for the felony crime of insurrection that violates state law enforced with imprisonment up to ten years with mandatory permanent removal and prevention from holding office.
The Constitution does not establish judicial immunity for any judge including federal judges or Supreme Court Justices. Therefore, Supreme Court Justices can be arrested, indicted, and convicted for the felony crime of insurrection and enforced with imprisonment up to ten years and mandatory permanent removal and prevention from holding office.
Any elected official who participated in Jan 6th should be subject to treason and removal. The fake electors should be tried for treason as well but there is little to no action on that front. The fake electors was simply a premeditated attempt to steal the election; a coup attempt.
One would think that the 14th Amendment could be used to remove current office holders whom had participated in the insurrection on Jan 6th.
Agree but the insurrection continued after Jan 6th through the 2024 election and continues now.
True. It's ongoing.
I think you’ve got it…let’s get this going!!!