JaneAusten

People in the LGBTQ community have every reason to be in fear and it may not look like this now because most of the hateful states out there are banning everything out there or trying to. And I get seeing this story and wondering what's next. But DeSantis is flaming out. It's just another story of the next big "GOP" thing being a total dud. He's still going after Disney and he lost. Well it was never really a win/lose situation but what idiot would go after the biggest tourist attaction in the country and the business that transformed your state(one could argue if it was for the good but that's a different discussion). I think about the LGBTQ attacks and wonder what percentage of the population is this. People may not know this but in Germany in the 1930's, the jewish population was 550,000 out of 70 million people. that's less than .50%. It's easy to attack a community of a small percentage but when you go after all the marginalized groups, you put a target on your back. We are dealing with a whipping frankly this country has needed for years and YES lots of people are and will continue to get hurt, but young people and women and African Americans, and Jewish Americans, and lots of good white men, the list goes on together are a super majority. We have a big problem with community and selfishness in this country that has led to a lot of what we're dealing with, but when I see the protests of young people in Tennessee, in Kansas City, it's encouraging especially when you see the diversity of people marching. It's a beautiful thing to see. Yeah it may look like a little thing, but it's not. DeSantis is a horrible human being yes but he's also a terrible retail politician, lacks any charisma, and he really has no ability to fight back. The media crowning him has been yet another failure in a long list of media failures.( Never forget the red wave narrative garbage in 2022). Paul Ryan, Little Marco, Kevin McCarthy, Scott Walker were all the NEXT BIG THING and they all flamed out. McCarthy is a national embarrassment. DeSantis's Achilles Heel as a politician is his inability to let things go. Bill Clinton of all people could teach a lesson in that.

Honestly, how many people are still around that are in tune with the old Kennedy draw and mystique? I have seen zero evidence RFK Jr has any of that.

Thank you for saying this. I often think so many men still don't understand how that has fundamentally changed things. That and the fair maps referendum in Michigan is what flipped that state. I wasn't worried about Wisconsin. Protasiewicz is going to win handily. It was the same reaction for people I know volunteering there that I ran into for the 2022 election when calling GOP and Independent women in swing states, door knocking on suburban GOP and Independent voters in Wisconsin- many of them referred to Kelly as a total *sshole and of course they were voting for Janet.

Thanks for posting Vee. I saw this in a thread on twitter the other day. And here is reason 100894384 why I am not worried about DeSantis. People say he's smart. I don't doubt that but when you get power hungry and think you have the upper hand like here, you make mistakes. Disney has been very quiet for months after everything as old Ronny has continued his hate brigade against the vulnerable. They played him. They are also hosting that conference in Orlando in support of the LGBTQ Community involving all sorts of stakeholders including Amazon, Facebook, the US Military and a long list of other known organizations participating. I think their former CEO made mistakes perhaps Iger with his history is much more in tune and savvy in dealing with.

The media cannot help themselves. 2 democrats and 2 GOPer's ran in the Wisconsin Supreme Court first round election. One of the democrats who was heavily favored and is well liked and well respected across the state, Janet Protasiewicz, got 46% of the vote where the Trump ally, got half less than that. You'd think he won the election by this stupid framing in the article. This is the one chance democrats have to turn things around in Wisconsin. Kelly who came in second in votes, lost his re-election to the court in 2020 to a liberal justice. Protasiewicz has a good chance of winning here. The liberal candidates got 54% of the vote. Trump ally advances in Wisconsin state Supreme Court race (nbcnews.com)

I think we should stop blaming the women. No matter what people feel about Kate or Meghan, it's not about them. It's about TRF and their dysfunction. And when we allow the British press to get away with it we enable them. People forget Kate got her share of attacks before Meghan appeared. I think Harry has been a convenient foil for the British press and TRF for a long time. But the dysfunction has been there for years heck centuries. It's a shame Diana's death did not shake them out of it, but here we are.

Or maybe Harry was truthful to begin with, as you all blame Meghan for the separation of the boys, is that the conflict was there long before she showed up. I am reading his book. Yeah some silly stuff in it but it is clear he suffered and was reacting for years, as was his brother due to the death of their mother. What is also clear is that Charles is messed up also. All from dysfunction in that family. A family that still shields a pedophile but can't stand behind a child(well 2 children) who was acting out for years because he never properly dealt with his mother's death is nothing to admire. But hey I am sure it's still all "gangsta" Meghan Markle's fault. But maybe it's good people are seeing yet another institution in chaos. Diana was right about all of it. Nothing makes me happier than seeing one commonwealth country after another turning against the UK, although I am conflicted because I have a lot of respect for the late Queen and she made a lot of her lifes work fostering their role in the commonwealth.

The pro authoritarians in the GOP love this. That's probably about 30% of their members. Heck I'll say 50% because I think so many of the so called moderates are independents. That's what I heard from calling GOP suburbanites before the 2022 election. And the other half are stupid yes and are being used by the puppet masters like Bannon. They need to go to the trash bin like the Whigs did. Finally decide to form a new party. And at some point after McConnell is gone the senate will turn into this also. If you are a moderate(are there any really) GOPer now, reach across to Jeffries and decide on a compromise candidate. Maybe someone from the outside who can get the majority of GOP votes and some democratic votes. A real moderate. There aren't any elected at this point. Including the few in NY State.

But that is why you need a truth and reconciliation commission. It's funny how the leadership had no issue handing literally how many billions in pounds to those who owned slaves and their ancestors for how many hundred plus years but asking the family to share in paying those their ancestors exploited to accrue the wealth they have is a bridge too far. How long do some folks out there want to continue handing the wealthy even more of our hard earned money while ignoring those persecuted by the same people. I guess it makes more sense to allow TRF to use that same wealth to pay off Prince Andrews victims of his pedophilia.

I suppose you can make a case that it's TRF that bring in a ton of tourist $$$ to the UK. Do they deserve the handouts they continue to get from the taxpayers for this. No but maybe some see it as just compensation. Forget how many centuries their colonialism raped and pillaged billions of dollars to add to their wealth I guess. I wish we would stop this nonsense about cancel culture. It doesn't exist except to people who never want to be held accountable for THEIR own actions. They want to run all over attacking PoC, Gay people, Jews, women without having anyone say a word to them or god forbid challenge the garbage they spew. The only cancel culture I see are people banning books and transgender folks because of their own hatred, ignorance and intolerance.

Diana's interview was not faked. Lord I wish people would actually read about what the scandal was regarding her interview. Regardless of how she was misled to participate in the interview, no one has indicated what she shared were lies. Are there still people out there who believe Charles and TRF are some beacan of goodness. Good lord Charles sent his own son and daughter in law on a tour of how many of the former colonies intentionally knowing they would be humiliated. That's some doting father there. I don't think Kate is stupid, but William must be pretty dim not to have seen that coming. Charles worked for the last 20 years at least trying to push his mother out as head of TRF. Fortunately, he underestimated her and how beloved SHE was.

She was talking about the Brits not facing their own history of slavery and that they(the UK taxpayer) has been funding slave owners and their descendants for years up to 2015. Without giving ONE POUND to the actual enslaved people. The UK needs a Truth and Reconciliation commission just as much as the US does. It will happen about as soon as it happens in the US, which means likely never. I doubt Harry and Meghan leaving these details out bothered many people especially those in the UK who think when it comes to racism, the Brits are far ahead of the US. I can't shake my head long enough at this foolishness. Unless you're suggesting they left that part out of their special because it was on the backs of the enslaved, those that the Royal Family accrued all their wealth from.

I actually don’t think she’s that smart. John McCain with his pedigree somehow got the reputation of bring a mavericks(he wasn’t), but even with that he never left the GOP, He certainly had a lot more credibility than she does and I think his constituents respected him. And all these folks saying most independents are dems are FOS. Sienna has no ideology except bring a sellout

No question. It's still disappointing but Warnock won, bottom line. 4 elections in 2 years. He's a fighter and winner, along with the people who believed in him, worked hard for him, and voted for him. And I am confident DeSantis will flame out. I remember all the great GOP hopes handed tons of cash and propped by the media, Paul Ryan, Marco Rubio, Scott Walker. DeSantis cannot do retail politics which will sink him in Iowa and NH, that is if he even makes it to that point. He likely won't. And I hope we're not crying for Ronna ROMNEY McDaniel. She's a loser and there is no example of cowardice more than the woman who dropped the use of the name Romney to placate an insecure sociopath. Of course, what was her claim to fame. Like Megan McCain, it was her uncle that got her the job not her qualifications.

For all the nailbiters. Sabato is 100% correct here and it means Christopher Bouzy will be right yet again.

Delete Thanks @Vee Still far too close for a clown like Walker.

I volunteered for her election in 2018. She came to a meeting i was at to speak outside of her district to try and gain more volunteers and raise money. 75% of us volunteered and yes really volunteered. We organized weekly phone banks for her and some of us canvassed. I will never forget the Sunday before election day I was canvassing with a newbie in the pouring rain in Plano, a far west Chicago suburb. We went to one house that had a confederate flag in front of it. Could have skipped it. The woman we spoke to there had already voted - for Underwood. She said she didn't give a damn what her husband said about it. Her words. Underwood is a fantastic rep. I think while the GOP keeps targeting her, the people in the district know it and know how hard she works. She works her district - its geographically large. She does townhalls in her district in key areas every year.

For anyone interested in helping the Warnock campaign in these final days, Swing Left has a phone bank setup you can participate in. Sign up here Win the Georgia runoff | Swing Left Also you can goto Senator Warnocks website and select volunteer. There are options to phonebank here also. Reverend Warnock for U.S. Senate (warnockforgeorgia.com) I did phone banking before the midterms to a specific demographics in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Michigan - Independent and GOP Suburban Women organized by NARAL. This was specifically related to Roe. These were the women I was speaking to that told me the polling was a load of hogwash. Many of the others phone banking for NARAL experienced the same thing. I will tell anyone here it does make a difference. NARAL's strategy for their phone banking was deep canvassing. 15-30 minute conversations. I will say to anyone here. If you have a chance to work or volunteer in a state where they are working to put a referendum regarding abortion rights on the ballot, PLEASE DO IT. This gets people to the polls, especially women.

He's not going to be Speaker and if he is he will be a monumental failure. Justin Amash who is still on twitter who I grudgingly have a little respect for says McCarthy is worthless and not capable of being speaker. Already one moderate GOPer came out to say he'd work with dems on selecting a speaker. I'd have to look through the list to see who else might be picked off.

I was just coming here to post this. Democrats ran the gamut on leadership in swing states. We lost Nevada and of course Georgia, but at least Nevada has a democratic Sec of State not that nutcase. And Georgia has Jon Ossoff and will re-elect Warnock. Hmm who would that be? I am trying to think of who else in the house would be open to this. I am sure there are more. The moderates know they will get punished if the crazy and that includes Jim Jordan are in charge.

This is her third time losing. I don't know Christy Smith but honestly did the DCCC recruit her to run again? And if anything maybe Maloney losing was a little bit of karma. I was not at all on board with them spending money on election deniers. And he kind of did Mondaire Jones wrong. I am bummed about the house but initially I didn't expect it. Those in districts that wanted normal and voted for these people will get what they didn't want. Dysfunction. Unfortunately their bad decision impacts all of us.

@vee do you think Pelosi will stay on as leader? Either way things turn out I think they need her

Cool. Warnock's re-election got much easier. People who thought they had to come out to get control of the senate and really didn't like Walker can now stay home. I hope that cowardly turtle starts packing up his office tomorrow.

Hey @dragonflies @marcelinewhat happened with Ryan in Ohio? I honestly never thought he had a chance but the media was giving him a lot of attention. Not sure that actually helps really nor does going on Fox seem to help. Did he ignore certain constituencies that could have helped him and try to win over some that never would have swung? Or was it a money and staffing issue.

I don't know if I posted an article by Moore, but I did say I agreed with him to some extent. He has not always been right - remember he predicted Romney would win I believe. And frankly I think he's a *ackass. But I think he had his thumb on things this election. He was right about Roe which was the main thing for me because it matched what I was hearing from REAL PEOPLE, not mostly male pundits telling everyone and skewed polling indicating it didn't matter as much. The exit polls showed it did. And I wish I could find the clip someone posted on twitter yesterday which was Joe Scarborough on his show asking Claire McCaskill what happened with Roe - meaning how did it elevate right before the election. She said it didn't just elevate them and it was mostly male pundits(a jab at Joe) telling everyone it no longer mattered.