Juliajms

I'm hoping this time his goose is cooked, but we'll see. I love Rami Malek, but sadly I don't believe his statement that he didn't know. This was another open secret that even the public has know about for years.

I'm excited that we are at the beginning of primary season because it feels like hope. On the flip side, I'm worried that something will go wrong. Things don't look good for Trump 2020 right now, but I won't be counting him out until he is on the curb. Voter suppression, Russian influence and splits in our coalition will probably be in full force once again. I also hope that everyone who is running has the good sense to put their egos aside if there is a skeleton in their past. We don't need an October surprise and anyone thinking they are immune because Trump was is mistaken, imo.

I need to know more about her positions, but I think she's my candidate. We need someone tough and I think she has that quality. I haven't seen what you are talking about, but I'll look it up now. Found it. CC should know better. https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/chris-cuomo-kamala-harris-birther-conspiracy_us_5c4755b8e4b027c3bbc6057e

I'm betting he will, but I'm glad he didn't try to jump into the 2020 mix.

Yeah, I'm the last person to criticize people for moving to the left, I certainly have on immigration and some other issues too. More power to her I say. Whatever else Trump has done he has made certain lines clearer than they ever were.

I agree it's disheartening. I just don't understand how people can stand to be lied to right to their faces. It's all he does, but they swallow it up. The hardest part for me is that not all of these people are idiots. I'll never understand it.

Count me among them, except for the fact that I can't think of a better system. I certainly don't think much of any system that can elect and protect someone like Trump. Maybe it's as simple as getting rid of the electoral college. I don't know, but I'm not feeling optimistic these days.

Obama was held to a higher standard that is for sure. He was also treated differently, but I also don't think most white men would be allowed to get away with the things that Trump is getting away with. Nixon was taken down for less and most Americans seemed to agree that was the right thing to do. Trump was not that far off base when he said he could shoot someone and his base would stick with him. Just the way he decimated the entire Republican field (mostly other white men) in the primaries was pretty alarming. People chose Trump because he was a sexist, racist, authoritarian want to be. That the most disturbing part to me.

What a POS. We have some real winners in Congress right now. I suppose like the population at large they were always awful they are just being open about it now. Thanks for the old news broadcast @DRW50

I don't mean to sound so bleak. Sometimes human civilization does take a great leap forward and that could still happen. One thing that comforts me is to remember that we aren't really outside the natural world even though our self awareness makes it seem so. Are we really any different than a herd of deer that overpopulates and dies off as result? I would argue we aren't. Not in any way that matters, we're just self aware enough to know we are doing it, but not in control enough to stop it. As one of my physics teachers used to say, the planet itself will be just fine. Some people think that's an obnoxious viewpoint, but I see it like there have been other mass extinctions and yet life flourishes. There is hope for life itself on this planet even if it isn't human or particularly intelligent. A quarter of a billion years from now there might be an amazing amount of biodiversity on Earth. Another bright point is that I'm guessing you and I won't be around to see things get really bad even if we don't change course. I feel bad for my potential grandchildren though. If we don't turn this ship around things are going to get real mid-century, not to deny that we can see the beginning of change now. Anyway, who knows? There could be technological advancements that slow down climate change/pollution. I really do believe that's possible, given how fast tech has advanced just in the last 100 years.

Yeah, we are in deep $hit when it comes to the environment and climate change. I remember people being afraid if what was happening to the frog population 25 years ago. Little has changed for the better. Of course, the disaster has already started, but I feel bad for children who are born 2o years from now. Maybe we can hope the next generation will do better and can slow down the damage, but I suspect it's too late.

Plus some people don't care if they are hurt as long as they think other people are being hurt more. Then there are the people who just want to burn it all down. There are more of those than I ever could have imagined three years ago

I can't completely figure out why they won't start legal proceedings to have him removed from office given some of the things that are coming out about his connections to Russia. Maybe they are afraid of his base? Anything else he can do for Republicans (abortion, deregulation, SCOTUS) Mike Pence can too and probably more successfully. This thread lays out the Pence situation. I like to believe that we've smartened up a bit since 2016 and that he couldn't win, but fool me once and all that.

Me too and even more astonishing how many members of congress are just going along. Ted Cruz for example: https://www.cnn.com/2019/01/13/politics/ted-cruz-russia/index.html

This is a terrible story. "Food stamps will likely go unfunded this month; workers will fail to make mortgage payments. Trump might not be able to find the cash to pay the agents who keep his family safe, but he has the cash to send longtime law-abiding residents to their likely doom. His priorities are perfectly clear".

Me too. His initial scenes with Dan were great. Some of the funniest of the series, imo.

So sick.

I love how Steve Kind tries to make praising white supremacy and white nationalism akin to appreciating western civilization. Some people just swallow up that kind of sloppy logic without a second thought.

^ So many of these predators are getting a second chance. It's disgusting, but not unexpected.

He just does not give a damn who he hurts. Yes. I wish I had more compassion, but I don't.

Winning.

We are incredibly lucky that the first time an authoritarian came for our country he turned out to be extraordinarily incompetent. I only hope that the next time we aren't caught asleep at the switch because we won't get this lucky again. That's not to say that he hasn't caused incredible damage to many people and our country at large, but it could have been much, much worse. Of course, it isn't over yet, but at least the end is (hopefully) in sight.