JaneAusten

I want people to remember this information is being leaked by our intelligence agencies. And it's honestly going to get worse when he becomes president. Maybe had Trump not questioned them none of it would have gotten to this point. I also want to understand his obsession with the Obama's.

Me either. But I think those that feel hopeless need to understand. It's likely at least partially due to the work of many who have gotten the word out encouraging people to contact their reps and senators. There are now a list of GOP senators and house members who are against repealing it without a replacement and I firmly believe that's due to pushback from constituents. I'm working with a committee on the ACA which has been going strong since late November because we knew it was the first thing the GOP planned to tackle. And that effort has been happening nationwide. Your own Senator should show you that they actually do pay attention to these issues when their core base pushes back. Calls and letters to your reps and senators make a difference.

And had the ACA been a GOP idea and passed under Bush the GOP would have fought tooth and nails to make it better. It's like Ted Kennedy said years later after Nixon proposed a NHC program and the dems pushed back because it wasn't everything. The dems should have worked to help get it in place and then work over the next several years to make it better. I do think the pushback is because so many people who want Obamacare gone thought it really would be replaced with something better because that's what the orange man told them. People need to start asking him WHERE his new plan is. He claimed he had one and now he's pointing to the GOP for their replacement(which they have none)

These fools never had a plan. Did you ever hear of one? Nada. They spent 6 years in congress voting 300 plus times to overturn the ACA and never once talked about another option.

Anyone wanting to oppose Sessions, you can call 1-888-723-5709 Except Bernie ignored those minorities and lost the primary by 4 million votes. Something the Bernie supporters who think he walks on water ignore and voters they don't believe matter either. Yes the democrats lost sight of those voters(Bill Clinton, who has more political moxie than Sanders and a lot of other politicians) wanted to go after them and his wife's campaign ignored him. Clearly a big mistake. I'm not saying forget them. I'm saying quit turning up your nose and taking minority voters and women for granted. White women also voted for trump. HOw about had just 3 percent of white women changed their votes, Clinton would have won also. But I don't see the media going crazy over that either. Maybe we should invest some time into targeting those supposed disenfranchised voters also. As a white woman it makes me ill knowing that had just a small percentage of those women voted for Hillary, she'd be president. My senator Durbin to Sessions - boom "There's not a spot of evidence in your public career to say" you'd follow the law on immigration issues. "Tell me I'm wrong."

Well I'm happy to hear that gerrymandering is the issue Obama is going to focus on post presidency. I think people might pay attention. And Perez allegedly is going to focus on the VRA. Glad someone is worried about those things. I guess that leaves Bernie and his book tour free to appeal to this white men.

You know what else is needed? The restoration of the VRA. It's interesting to me how everyone wants to talk about those poor white male voters but not one person of importance wants to mention the first major election since the VRA has been gutted. No talk about how millions of black and Latino voters across states got their names removed from voting rolls due to voter cross check just because their names sounded black or Latino. Or how those same states removed hundreds of polling places in minority areas. Anyone read the article about the Wisconsin AG and how she told someone they weren't putting a polling place close to Univ of Wisc in Green Bay because most students vote democratic? Oh many of these people were given provisional ballots in those states mentioned but guess what. Those ballots never get counted. I'm not suggesting those white voters get ignored and Hillarys campaign clearly made a tactical error, but this over emphasis on one demographic while ignoring the VRA gutting and its impact infuriates me. Again I wonder how white men would have felt if their names were randomly dropped from voting rolls and how would the press have covered that then? I think I know the answer to that. And not one word from that so called inspiration Bernie Sanders about any of this other than identity politics. Oh and don't forget he doesn't believe Sessions history on attacking black judges or discriminating against minorities is a disqualifier to being AG and who has no issue with gutting voting rights.

Well I personally don't watch any awards shows, A bunch of celebrities patting themselves on the back meh, I watched her speech and it was good, And do I think her some champion of average Americans no, But do you have to live in rural Iowa or in coal miner country to speak about decency, If common decency is elite sign me up,

Yes my aging autistic brother will appreciate how the new POTUS would make fun of him and it now being a-ok. Seriously. I am so fricking sick of the Bernie supporters and these people who think that the white working class men are all that matters. Let the fricking democrats focus on them and just ignore women, latinos. blacks, muslims, and other minorities and see how many elections they win. Frankly as a female, former small business owner turned teacher, I can't find anything appealing about the GOP or what these white whiney Bernie supporters want the democratic party to be. Let them try and win elections without the elite women, blacks, latinos, and all the other minorities that make up the party. Bernie supporters think about this. If President Obama would have run against Trump he would have destroyed him hands down. Then where would the poor white working class male narrative be? I watched Bernie's town hall on CNN tonight and he was spewing that same stump speech. He erroneously stated who was behind all our trade deals, and could not answer a question coherently from a man asking about regulations on small businesses other than bringing in the billionaires and their 1%. Tell me Hillary or Obama could not have. He wouldn't even commit to voting against Jeff Sessions a lifelong racist who couldn't even get approved for a judgeship under Reagan due to his bigotry. That speech by Streep reminded me that the clearest voices against Trump have been women. That speech Hillary Clinton made that no one heard against the dangerous elements of Trump's base(KKK members) was outstanding. ANd don't forget Michelle Obama's speech about his discussions about women. But then we are all elitists. F-off(pardon my language) who think decency, kindness, compassion, and fairness in a leader don't matter.

So human decency is elitist? That was the context of what she was talking about. Good to know. I never realized I supported elitism until you defined it for me. How horrible of we democratic elitists to expect the President of the United States to show some decency and compassion.

It's actually working I read about this weeks ago.(not Dean) but going after advertisers is the best way to tackle this and it's worked through Sleeping Giants. I love the story about Kellogg and how the conservative boycott attempt has been turned around on them. I'm still angry as hell but I am also trying to be effective and help. I'm volunteering as a marshall for the protest in Chicago on the 21st but more importantly I'm doing volunteer work for the NAACP as well as volunteering for the group Action for a Better tomorrow(Pantsuit Nation chapter here in Illinois). We have 22,000 members right now . I'm on the committee helping to save the ACA and for anyone who wants info on what we're doing let me know. There are chapters is almost every state so I encourage especially those in red or purple states to get out there and involved.

What is interesting is how many commenters are blaming the mental health facility for this. Perhaps they are responsible, but does no one want to know why someone with a domestic violence background and is being treated for mental health issues is given his gun back? I can't say I can blame law enforcement if there is no law on the books prohibiting it but doesn't it beg the question, shouldn't there be?

Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump 6h Having a good relationship with Russia is a good thing, not a bad thing. Only "stupid" people, or fools, would think that it is bad! We..... Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump 6h have enough problems around the world without yet another one. When I am President, Russia will respect us far more than they do now and.... Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump 5h both countries will, perhaps, work together to solve some of the many great and pressing problems and issues of the WORLD!

I didn't mean to suggest China's motives were entirely altruistic but neither are the US's.. I think the fact that they have invested in things we now take for granted and have let suffer, things like education, an area this country used to be heads and tails ahead of everyone else, says it all. And rather than trying to discover why Asian's seem to be thriving in education while many western countries are faltering all goes back IMO to our own ignorance and arrogance and our need to point the finger and blame others without looking at ourselves and to where others outside of the US are making it work. I'm not diminishing the US but much of what DramatistDreamer says is accurate. I have to believe China is salivating watching our new leadership take us backwards, as they can now take the lead role in the world when it comes to clean energy along with now being positioned to dominate the Asian trade market, since the TPP is essentially dead. But if their newfound economic progress leads to more freedoms and less repression, then we are really in danger. Particularly when you have people here who believe turning the clock back and giving the oligarchs more and more is progress. But the biggest sign is this election. The whole "Make America Great Again" idea is more IMO about isolationism and a disinterest in all things outside of the US by Americans than anything, but the problem is that in todays world you can't be that. And the fact is American dominance around the world for decades seems to make everyone else more sensitive to us and other world issues than we are about the rest of the world. American's ignorance about the rest of the world considering who we are is astounding to me.

So there goes China. Now that we have Mr. let's go back to the 50's, they are now taking the lead on the one source that could create millions of jobs for those working class Americans. Clean Energy. China is investing 361 billion dollars into Clean Energy development which is expected to generate 13 million jobs for the Chinese. Way to go Trump as we revert back to coal and oil. I said it. China is the next world leader and super power and the US goes down the tubes. They are already the best educated. They are now the worlds leading innovator, taking over from the US. They have the intellectual capital, innovators, and yes military power. We waste so much time worrying about the Russians when they basically make nothing, are not innovative, and are going no where IMO. http://www.forbes.com/sites/edfenergyexchange/2017/01/06/china-is-going-all-in-on-clean-energy-as-the-u-s-waffles-how-is-that-making-america-great-again/#7ab097ce663e

Same here. And of course Glenn Greenwald has been lambasting democrats for weeks now over the Russian interference saying we have seen no evidence and it's just a convenient scape goat. I swear the guy has his head up Russia and Assange's ass. And I think a lot of people turned on WikiLeaks long before this. Assange hiding in that embassy fleeing a rape charge didn't exactly flatter him add that to those leaks which included personal information on those millions of women in Turkey plus those leaks including personal information on Saudi citizens who have been raped, are gay, etc. basically setting up death sentences to all those people without batting an eye. He's scum

It's funny. In an interview last year Trump said Assange should be executed now they are best friends. Seriously I want to know what the hell Putin has on Trump. Maybe a sex tape with children or something drug related or maybe something showing a clear indication of his mental instability. @Dragonflies Just an FYI. Keith Ellison I guess is taking on the ACA fight in the House and is asking for people with stories on how it has helped them and what they would do without it. I take it you are receiving the drugs you are on thru the ACA Medicaid expansion. He has a twitter account @keithellison so you might want to tweet him or perhaps call his office in DC and explain you situation/share your story. Anything can help.

I have mixed feelings on this. I do feel that the min wage should be increased proportionally due to inflation. I think right now that is about $12.50 an hour. But I still don't buy that anyone can make a living at 12.50/hour. But was that really what it was intended for? I believe the last set of stats I read from the Labor Dept indicated that over half of people making min wage are under 25 and part time, indicating that perhaps many of them are students and others who don't see minimum wage jobs like those in the food industry as life sustaining jobs, but jobs to help earn supplemental income. Call your state reps, congress people, and senators. And get others to do the same if you can.

So Ryan claims they are still going to repeal it and will come out with a new plan later this year. That translates to we have none.

I have to laugh. President tweety fingers is now telling the GOP to get that Obamacare replacement ready for him to sign. Lol they have none. And didn't tweety fingers say HE ALONE had a solution to Obamacare?

But ur acting like Obamacare is not workable. Why don't u hold the people who have no/ issue leaving Americans without any insurance accountable. My nephew was one. No insurance and had an accident years back that ran his medical bills to over 80 thousand dollars so. And what did he do? File bankruptcy so people like u and I paid for it regardless with higher premiums. Years ago Nixon proposed a National Health Carre programs and it wasn't everything democrats wanted so it went no where. Ted Kennedy said years later it was a mistake and that democrats should have approved it. They then could have worked on improving it after. So why don't u hold the GOP in Washington to those standards? Don't u realize people in this country need good healthcare and I agree shouldn't have to go broke by getting sick. Make Obamacare better so it's affordable and workable to more Americans. Guess what that requires work which people don't seem to care that GOPers do nothing but gut anything vs coming up with solutions.

Then improve it. I am so sick and tired of listening to people bitch about it like the prior situation was working. So when Obamacare goes away, we have people again with pre-existing conditions not able to get insurance, caps going back into play, and there will be no savings because the premiums will be as high if not higher. And those shitty insurance plans you claim are terrible with the high deductibles are a hell of a lot better than those insurance plans people had that they couldn't keep before Obamacare came into play. You know why premiums go up? Because we all end up paying for those who still seek medical care and have no insurance and then end up forfeiting on their hospital and doctor bills. Yeah we pay for that. I am all for single payer. But we can't get the GOPers to move an inch on that.

I'd seriously love to know why this is so pleasing to you? You seem to be a-ok with a foreign power trying to influence our politics. And the fact this was retracted doesn't change anything. Per CBS News: " U.S. government officials have been notified of new cases of attempted or potentially successful cyber intrusions, CBS News has learned. Officials would not go into specifics or reveal the number of new cases. But the revelation raises concerns that Russian cyberattacks have been more extensive than originally thought. Since the U.S released a report on election-related cyberattacks on Thursday, a government official said more cases have come to light, CBS News’ Justice and Homeland Security correspondent Jeff Pegues reports. Watch: U.S. releases report detailing hacking allegations against Russia The intelligence information made public last week revealed some of the tools and infrastructure allegedly used by Russian hacking units. Those signatures were flagged over the weekend after officials connected with Vermont’s electric grid confirmed that malware code used in “Operation Grizzly Steppe” was found on a Burlington Electric Department laptop. A team of Department of Homeland Security analysts are working to determine if Russian hackers successfully breached Vermont’s system. But so far, investigators have not been able to determine the intent behind the Vermont incident, and there are no indications the power grid is compromised. “While our analysis continues, we currently have no information that indicates that the power grid was penetrated in this cyber incident,” said Todd Breasseale, Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs. Monday’s revelation about new cases of attempted or potentially successful cyber intrusions came just days after the Obama administration announced a series of actions in response to what the White House called “the Russian government’s aggressive harassment of U.S. officials and cyber operations aimed at the U.S. election.” In addition to sanctions announced on Thursday, 35 Russian diplomats have been expelled from the United States. While President Obama and most congressional Republicans have denounced Russia for its alleged election interference, President-elect Donald Trump has been reluctant to do so, even after FBI Director James Comey and Director of National Intelligence James Clapper backed the CIA’s judgment that Russia interfered. The CIA said in December it has high confidence that Russians tried to influence the election and that they favored Mr. Trump." It's odd to me that American's seem to be just fine with Russia trying to impede our government. Seriously do you ever even ask yourself why kind of honey trap Putin has set for Trump and other members of our government.

Optimistic I realize is too strong a word. Encouraged may be better. Trump is and will be a disaster but there are people standing up for the first time in their lives. As I said, many have been complacent for years(at least the last 40) who are finally awake. Now if the democrats sit on their asses, bicker, stay complacent and don't leverage this they can blame themselves. I'm trying to feel a bit more positive seeing the enthusiasm and knowing that our current POTUS has already said he's not abandoning us.

I can see why people are pessimistic. God knows I was and still am to some extent but I do think there are so many things people take for granted in this country which has led to voter apathy. There is no other country in the world that has the smooth transition of power and such stabilization. It may not seem that way to some, but a lot of people really believe nothing changes or has changed no matter who is in power, as change happens in many cases that slowly or seamlessly in the US. I say that outside of minorities who feel every bit of change positive or negative. It's why our overall election turnouts, yes even at the presidential election, stink. Wasn't turnout 63% in 2008 for Obama and people felt that was impressive. I find it disgraceful that it's not at least 75%. Brexit voting was considered average turnout and that was 79% in the UK. It tells you how complacent people are. Unless your way of life is really compromised or you are forever persecuted in obvious and not so obvious ways, many don't care. It's why black women have had and still have the highest voter turnout of any demographic. I frankly believe when things start really touching the people who normally don't get touched(including the rust belt white working class) in terms of social safety net programs being gone, terrorist attacks, no jobs, a trade war leading to significant consumer price increases, things will change. Instability will cause people to show up IMO. And that's everyone except well to do white males IMO. The democrats need to get their crap together no question but WE need to voice our concerns and hold them accountable and do our parts to make sure people are aware and involved. As Obama has said, democracy is not a spectator sport. I have a ton of concerns but the activist meetings I have been to with a couple organizations the past 6 weeks has encouraged me. People are fired up now those in charge need to leverage that sense of activism. That's my biggest concern is that the democrats continue bickering. Well at least in Illinois we aren't and many are primed and ready to get rid of our 2 year useless GOP governor who even our last GOP governor called a disaster.