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Post by gailkate on Mar 6, 2019 11:18:07 GMT -5
I don't know where to put this. However, even though we're very cautious about discussing politics, I'm sure there will be topics we can't help bringing up as the next 18 months unfold. Here's an essay from GK not all of us may have seen. I'm pretty much with him.
I’m only going to say this once One by one, Democrats are stepping into the arena for the 2020 campaign, and their appeals for donations flutter into my inbox, and I do not envy the young staffers assigned to write importuning letters. To project noble ideals and crisis and chumminess in 250 words is a tough assignment, especially when you know that the first two sentences are all I’ll read.
Twelve hats are in, more on the way, some serious, most delusional. Hotel business in Iowa and New Hampshire will be steady all year and then on Super Tuesday, March 3, the truth will dawn. The stumblers and pretenders, the gasbags and long-shot gamblers, will quietly disappear, and two or three contenders will head into the spring and summer.
It is presumed they’ll be running against the weak incumbent but after the Cohen hearing, one doubts that. D.T. is accepted by everyone over the age of ten, even those who love him, as a dishonest sleazeball with ADD issues, and with Democrats conducting hearings from now till the election, he is going to be in the news more or less nonstop as a national embarrassment. Republicans at last week’s hearing could only heckle Cohen; none of them stood up for his boss and said what a great American he is. His best hope is that Bernie Sanders be the Democrats’ nominee: that’s a race D.T. can win in a walk. America doesn’t want an angry president; wacko is bad enough.
If Joe Biden enters the lists and emerges next March as the front-runner, D.T. will issue a brief statement that, having made the country great again and now wishing to spend quality time with his family, he will retire to Mar-a-Lago and work on his short game. Maybe Sean Hannity will accept the nomination in his place. America is not ready for a man who parts his hair that high on his head. Biden will win and restore normalcy.
The remarkable thing about the Cohen hearing was how unremarkable it was, the whole wretched epic of corruption and dishonesty and egomania. And the remarkable thing about D.T. is how little real damage the grifter has accomplished. We all imagined that the Presidency was a superhuman responsibility, the light burning late in the Oval Office, the great man bearing the world on his shoulders, and now it turns out that a clown with a hair fetish who doesn’t know schist from Shinola can occupy the chair and life goes on much as before. Electricity is flowing, there is milk and butter in the stores. If Justice Ginsburg resigns soon, we will have a Supreme Court straight out of 1857. But your Wi-Fi will still work.
There is a general awareness that we cannot continue trashing the planet as we’ve done, but the crisis grows slowly and AOC can’t promote it to emergency simply by saying so. We don’t want to ride the bus and turn off lawn sprinklers until God sends a prophet in a pillar of fire to scare us, not just a bunch of Ph.Ds. So the Green New Deal, though insightful, is not a winner.
The Mueller report will not usher D.T. out of office. He is a crook and a liar but we’ve known that for two years. Mueller will only add details. The Republican Party is not going to usher him out; he owns them.
What will win for Democrats is a candidate who is presidential. Even people who expect to vote for D.T. are embarrassed by him. Nobody imagines that he represents anything admirable about America. Obama was a good orator. W. was likable. Clinton loved politics. Bush was a war hero. Reagan was genuine. Carter was a man of faith. Ford was a true patriot. Nixon was a master of his craft. Ike was Ike. Each man had biographers who found things to admire. D.T. is as transparent as cellophane, one of the most unloved presidents in our history.
The American electorate wants this man to disappear into the back pages and the Democrats owe it to us to make that happen. This is no time for a great leap forward. It is time for him to go so that journalists can go back to writing nonfiction and Congress can get back into business. Let’s put a woman in charge in 2024. First, let’s have an old white guy with thin hair throw the rascal out.
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Post by BoatBabe on Mar 6, 2019 20:02:19 GMT -5
I read Garrison's article this morning and loved it. Thank you for posting this, gk!
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Post by doctork on Mar 6, 2019 20:34:47 GMT -5
I had to burst into laughter right out loud when I read that line about DJT "spending more quality time with his family."
Unfortunately I am not convinced that the American electorate wants him to disappear. I read an article last night about how most Americans think Trump has committed crimes, but it hasn't affected his approval ratings at all. They may not like him as a person or care if he is a crook, but they still like him as President. I don't get it.
I donated to Jay Inslee's "exploratory" committee, and I like that "Mayor Pete" guy from South Bend.
BUT - way too early to tell.
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Post by BoatBabe on Mar 7, 2019 10:06:30 GMT -5
WAY too early to tell for me, too, except for the "No Agent Orange" part.
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2020
Mar 7, 2019 16:48:21 GMT -5
joew likes this
Post by doctork on Mar 7, 2019 16:48:21 GMT -5
It's just that "Mayor Pete" with the impossible-to-pronounce Maltese last name has such nerve! I like it - a 37 yo mayor of a small city thinks he can win a US presidential election. But really it's not that different from Donald Trump's or Barack Obama's "qualifications." At least Mayor Pete is sane, not demented, and understands a bit about how to govern.
I am solidly with the "anyone except Trump" contingent and sincerely hope the Democrats do not nominate someone so far to the left that the independents feel compelled to vote for "anyone but the libtard."
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Post by liriodendron on Mar 7, 2019 18:25:32 GMT -5
I finally broke down the other day and ordered a book about Donald Trump for the Children's Department. I couldn't not order one, though I'd have preferred to spend that money on another title. As a librarian I am supposed to put aside my personal feelings and strive to have a balanced collection for our patrons (or, as many librarians like to note, a good collection will have something to offend everyone). You can't just skip one of the presidents, though I did manage to wait more than two years to buy this book. I am so hoping that I will be able to buy a book about another president in 2020.
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2020
Mar 7, 2019 19:50:34 GMT -5
Post by doctork on Mar 7, 2019 19:50:34 GMT -5
Perhaps there has been no demand for a patron (or their parents) to learn more about Donald Trump?!!
If he were a movie he would be rated at least R, not suitable for children.
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Mar 8, 2019 6:54:55 GMT -5
Post by liriodendron on Mar 8, 2019 6:54:55 GMT -5
Definitely no demand, or we would have purchased one much earlier. As long as a requested item meets our collection development policy and is within our budget, we will order it.
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Post by BoatBabe on Mar 8, 2019 10:01:32 GMT -5
I finally broke down the other day and ordered a book about Donald Trump for the Children's Department. Out of curiosity, who wrote this children's book? At this stage, I can't image what could be written about 45 that would be appropriate for children to read . . .
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Post by gailkate on Mar 8, 2019 12:17:56 GMT -5
This is why we must be careful about talking politics, even among friends. But really it's not that different from Donald Trump's or Barack Obama's "qualifications." To compare Trump and Obama or to imply that Obama's qualifications deserve quote marks is to raise my ire. He was green, but he had a brain and diligence that far surpassed, say, Dubya.
I like Mayor Pete, too. I heard an interview on NPR and he's dynamite - very sharp, articulate and deserving of a national career. I imagine the problems of south Bend aren't exactly tame as a rust-belt, racially fractious town, but it sure isn't preparation for the presidency. I imagine he's doing a Beto in terms of getting out his message and raising his visibility for the future. The difference with Beto is that he damn near won and has way more popularity than he probably expected.
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Post by joew on Mar 8, 2019 19:06:56 GMT -5
I think GK goes too far in his generalization about "the electorate" not wanting Trump. Unfortunately, a large percentage do.
Today a friend forwarded an e-mail with a clip from Bob Hope. A doctor is telling Bob about zombies. He describes them as dead people brought back to life by a voodoo priest and completely under his control. They walk around "with dead eyes, following orders, not knowing what they are doing, not caring." Bob replies, "You mean like Democrats?" I was tempted to write back that Hope's line should be updated to, "You mean like Trumpians?" but I didn't want to risk the friendship.
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Post by doctork on Mar 8, 2019 19:27:28 GMT -5
I don't think DT is in any way qualified to be president, and in fact has numerous automatic "disqualifications" in my opinion.
I am not disputing BHO's brain, character, common sense, sophistication, diligence or work ethic - he has them all in abundance. I was referring to the general notions that "Senators rarely get elected President" and "Senators don't make good presidents because they have never managed anything larger than their own office." Obama was a first-term senator at the federal level, after some years at the state level. I think he learned very well in his time as a community organizer which was probably a big management bonus in the Oval Office - much more than those who sneer at "community organizers" realize.
But when he first declared his candidacy, I thought he was very unlikely to succeed against Hillary, as did many others. He didn't seem to have the "usual qualifications" - governor or long prominent history in state/local politics, big military background, family dynasty, etc. And did I mention White? I used to be in Springfield or Chicago at least 3 or 4 times a year for work and I had never heard of him before he declared, even though I testified twice before the Illinois State Senate during Obama's term there. Hillary had been first lady (state and the White House), Senator from NY, and then Secretary of State, was married to Bill, and had played nicely in the Democratic sandbox for decades. She seemed an obvious shoo-in, and in comparison many thought Obama was less qualified or perhaps even unqualified. They were wrong.
And No ONE - not even DJT himself - ever thought he could win, he was so clearly unqualified.
So my point is not to make a negative remark about Obama's qualifications, but to note that Mayor Pete is much more qualified than Trump ever could be, even though "the electorate" might be prone to think "he's too young, and only a mayor."
It's easy to interpret things wrong with internet boards - we don't have the visual cues or voice cues available in other communication so it goes into our own frame of meaning/interpretation with those important cues missing.
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Post by doctork on Mar 8, 2019 19:39:30 GMT -5
I think GK goes too far in his generalization about "the electorate" not wanting Trump. Unfortunately, a large percentage do. Today a friend forwarded an e-mail with a clip from Bob Hope. A doctor is telling Bob about zombies. He describes them as dead people brought back to life by a voodoo priest and completely under his control. They walk around "with dead eyes, following orders, not knowing what they are doing, not caring." Bob replies, "You mean like Democrats?" I was tempted to write back that Hope's line should be updated to, "You mean like Trumpians?" but I didn't want to risk the friendship. Hah! The problem is that within that large percentage who like Trump are quite a few who are clearly not "the better angels of our nature," but there are also those who are our friends and seem otherwise sensible, so you just have to wonder what has got into them. I caught a clip last night on PBS news comparing Richard Nixon to Trump. The interviewee said that there was a large gap between the public face of Nixon - he acted presidential - and his private creepy and criminal nature. With Trump, there is no gap, and that "authenticity" appeals to many. Again, I don't get it. It's part of the hyper-partisan environment I guess. Democrats or Republicans are either 100% good or 100% bad, depending on which side of the line you are on. No shades of gray, no room in the middle.
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Post by liriodendron on Mar 8, 2019 21:39:34 GMT -5
I finally broke down the other day and ordered a book about Donald Trump for the Children's Department. Out of curiosity, who wrote this children's book? At this stage, I can't image what could be written about 45 that would be appropriate for children to read . . . There is a surprising number of books out there, none of them great. I chose the Jill Sherman one, in paperback, not library binding, since it hit the upper end of the age range for which I purchase materials and if any kids would be looking for a book about him it would be that age group. It's called Donald Trump: Outspoken Personality and President. It stops with his election and doesn't get into his presidency. I figure this way that we at least have something about him and I haven't spent a ton of money. Here are some reviews for it and links to a New York Times article and a School Library Journal article on the topic. From Booklist This early entry into what will no doubt be a long line of Trump biographies shows the complications inherent in writing for young people about the forty-fifth president. Sherman begins with Trump's ride down the escalator at Trump Tower in June 2015. It then moves back in time, introducing Trump's grandfather and father, both successful businessmen, Donald's family life, and his school days, including his move to a military school after his temper got him into trouble. Most of the book centers on Trump's business career. His marriages and children, including their roles in his campaign, are also discussed. But the election season gets short shrift, less than five pages, including photographs (which, throughout, are plentiful and interesting). There's no mention in the book about Mexicans, Muslims (immigration is mentioned), scandals (except for Clinton's e-mail server), hacking, or even Twitter. Knowing a president's past is important, and this is an honest account, but it will be interesting to see how far future publications are willing to go when covering this unconventional president. From School Library Journal Gr 4–7—Born into a family of successful businessmen, Donald Trump built an international business empire, became a reality TV star, and was elected president of the United States. Sherman, who has written on subjects ranging from the Hindenburg disaster to the American identity, takes on the challenging task of summarizing Trump's life for middle grade students. In a sanitized sketch of his lucrative business career, Sherman includes few negative episodes and also describes his marriages, divorces, and children and his rise to celebrity through hosting the TV show The Apprentice. Concluding with Trump's presidential campaign, Sherman writes that he believes "immigrants can bring problems to the United States." There is no mention of incidents of violence during rallies or his call for a ban on Muslims and for jailing his opponent. Sherman glosses over the name-calling and fabrications that characterized Trump's campaign, saying, "He thought it was important to state his views honestly." VERDICT The straightforward format, clean design, and helpful back matter are characteristic of the series, but this title, which ends with Trump's election, was outdated by the time of its publication.—Kathleen Isaacs, Children's Literature Specialist, Pasadena, MD www.nytimes.com/2017/04/05/us/politics/donald-trump-childrens-books.htmlwww.slj.com/?detailStory=how-are-childrens-publishers-talking-about-president-trump-opinion
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2020
Mar 8, 2019 22:25:55 GMT -5
Post by BoatBabe on Mar 8, 2019 22:25:55 GMT -5
I have this fantasy:
If you think of the current political parties as the face of a clock, then -
The Democrats are at 9.
The Republicans are at 3.
The extreme Democrats go to 6.
The extreme Republicans go to 6.
The not-extreme Democrats go to 12.
The not-extreme Republicans go to 12.
And we would have two new parties; historically speaking, this has happened before. (not called Democrat {why isn't that called Democratic? Because of the possible confusion with The Democracy?!? What is up with that, in an English Major sort-of-way?} or Republican {which has never been confused with The Republic}) at 12 and 6.
We could vote here on new party names. It might get us out of these doldrums.
Everyone stuck at 8-2, or 7-1, or 10-4, or 11-5, will be where they have always been: Independent Thinkers. Find some place to be, and/or make your own party.
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2020
Mar 8, 2019 22:48:53 GMT -5
Post by BoatBabe on Mar 8, 2019 22:48:53 GMT -5
Oh My Gosh, Lirio, you are a Saint among Librarians, I swear. Or at the very least, a Chief Librarian among Librarians.
How about a Moral Person with a Job?
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Post by Jane on Mar 11, 2019 20:10:24 GMT -5
I'm a Biden fan, but I think he's too old. I like Bernie's ideas, but he's too far left for most people. I like Harris, but can a woman win? I like Warren--also old and a woman. At this point, I don't even care as long as there is a D after his/her name. I hear that Kasich might run against dump. I could even go for that despite my many disagreements with his positions. I'm just afraid if we don't get rid of dump soon, we are doomed.
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Post by gailkate on Mar 11, 2019 20:20:37 GMT -5
English major sort-of-expert signing in! It IS the Democratic Party, because that's an adjective. Democrat is a noun, but Republicans started calling it the Democrat Party because it sounds more like rats and less like democracy. Marketing, it's all in the marketing. Republican is either a noun or an adjective (I think there's a name for that but can't remember it) so Democrats can't mess with it.
I could live with the clock divisions easily, but I don't think we could keep those names straight. We could make a list of all the party names in England and other European countries and just pick some. I'd like the necessity of forming coalitions as in most parliamentary countries, but they usually end up having two strong parties anyway. I think.
Yay, Lirio!
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Post by gailkate on Mar 11, 2019 20:34:29 GMT -5
Crossed with you, Jane. I agree about the age thing, because we're old and they're even older. It isn't that we're ageist, but we do know how the body slows down and is more prone to getting grabbed by the short hairs.
I think I'd like Biden and a good strong VP who could be relied upon in case of problems. Dump is as old as we are, but so far only his mind has gone and people seem willing to ignore that. Blacks don't like Kamala's record as AG, and I'm afraid Warren's best chance was in 2016. I wish she had just said, "Listen, we do have an Indian in our ancestry and we were proud of it, told stories about it proudly. It turns out that person was sometime in the past 120-300 years, depending upon how you define a generation. What's so different from tracing your roots like the DAR?" Now she's being ridiculed and it's going to haunt her.
I'm just hoping the steady revelations about dump will finally sink into the brains of the duped. They have deliberately looked past evidence so damning that I can't think they will ever willingly say they were wrong. But if they're uncomfortable enough, they may just get sick of him.
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2020
Mar 11, 2019 22:37:52 GMT -5
Gracie likes this
Post by BoatBabe on Mar 11, 2019 22:37:52 GMT -5
Biden and Beto. That's who My Dahhlink want to see . . .
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Post by doctork on Mar 12, 2019 11:26:20 GMT -5
That sounds like a good combination to me.
But I would also like it if one of the younger, lesser-known names emerges and comes to the foreground, as Obama did in 2007 - 2008. I suspet our nation is not ready for a black woman president yet, and Bernie and Warren seem too old. Somehow, though Biden is old, he doesn't seen as "too old," and putting him with a young, strong guy could work well.
Trump is old too. I bet he spends half that "Executive Time" sleeping and half watching Fox News to get his directions for the day.
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Post by gailkate on Mar 13, 2019 22:43:59 GMT -5
I was thinking about a Biden/Klobuchar ticket because she's strong and did a slam-bang job in the Kavanaugh hearings, demonstrating what a sharp mind she has. But then a number of former staffers began letting out stories of what a bwitch she is to work for. I don't know if any of you followed that, but it hurt her. Women said she was being vilified because people hate strong women. I rather thought that, too, and figured I didn't care if she was a sweetie-pie, but then it came out that she has the 3rd highest staff turnover rate in the Senate. Uh, that's not good. Not only does the president need to be a decent human being but what good is a White House thai can't work smoothly and effectively? We have a version of that now. She would certainly pick more capable people than Trump has and she wouldn't be the kind of egotist he is, but I don't think a tense environment is good for any kind of work.
But would a 2-male ticket enrage the millennials? I'd go with Biden/Beto, but I'm not sure Biden would - Beto is too charismatic. It's a puzzle, and I hope I can enjoy the winnowing process without getting an ulcer.
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2020
Mar 14, 2019 16:58:11 GMT -5
Post by doctork on Mar 14, 2019 16:58:11 GMT -5
A man would probably not be publicly criticized for having too much staff turnover in his Congressional office. Who were #1 and #2? Who have been numbers 1 - 10 for the past 10 years?
I remain unconvinced that this is a certain negative for her. I wish I had more information on the statistics behind the ranking but I hope she doesn't spend all her time "explaining" and apologizing or get overly defensive about it. She'll end up like Warren and her claim to be Native American.
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Mar 14, 2019 22:36:14 GMT -5
Post by gailkate on Mar 14, 2019 22:36:14 GMT -5
I see your point, K, especially as I agreed with it. But now I think being 3rd is serious. Out of 100? Surely all her staff didn't suddenly get pregnant or have to care for an ailing parent. What difference does it make what the other names are? Maybe Lirio can figure out how to look them up, but I don't see why that should change our assessment of Amy. This was posted by Bill Maher on FB. It shows the amount of money donated by pharma and insurance to House members who did not vote for the Medicare for All bill. Of course, there are reasons (gutless, to me) for objecting that we can't do what most other countries do vastly better than we. But the dollar amounts are interesting. Some people have taken more than I'd expect, like my very own rep, but she's taken that amount over 14 years. Someone else I supported has taken that amount in just the year before she was elected in 2018. Food for thought. gritpost.com/pharma-insurance-43m-house-democrats/?fbclid=IwAR3ce7y0PCTimkGKWQbSbWqa-avrNANIoEiuiqbzUhXUyk86tsExXxTTlh8
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Mar 15, 2019 1:05:59 GMT -5
Post by doctork on Mar 15, 2019 1:05:59 GMT -5
No I don't think everyone got pregnant at once, but I'd like to know more about what is behind the ranking, and why they are nailing her publicly without mentioning the first two; I don't care what the names of #1 and #2 are. I guarantee there's politics and sexism behind that. I also suspect staff tolerate more misbehavior from male members of Congress (aside from sexual harassment) and are very quick to complain about the females. Men still hold the reins of power because they are "strong," but for powerful women the "dragonlady" accusations come right out.
Anyway, do I really care about staff complaints if the Senator is doing a good job? Maybe not, because life is tough inside the Beltway. If you want a friend, get a dog. Better yet, get two dogs because before your term is over, one of them will probably turn on you.
gk, sorry about your disillusionment but all politicians beg for money from wealthy corporations as well as individuals, because their foremost concern is Getting Re-elected and that takes money. Most smart donors donate to both parties to hedge their bets.
NB: Have you ever read that book "How To Lie With Statistics"? Despite that news report, it is quite possible that Klobuchar is actually the most beloved member of Congress. If Lirio can find us the raw data, I'm pretty good with stats and surveys...
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Post by Gracie on Mar 25, 2019 11:23:54 GMT -5
It's just that "Mayor Pete" with the impossible-to-pronounce Maltese last name has such nerve! I like it - a 37 yo mayor of a small city thinks he can win a US presidential election. But really it's not that different from Donald Trump's or Barack Obama's "qualifications." At least Mayor Pete is sane, not demented, and understands a bit about how to govern. I am solidly with the "anyone except Trump" contingent and sincerely hope the Democrats do not nominate someone so far to the left that the independents feel compelled to vote for "anyone but the libtard." Mayor Pete (his last name is pronounced Buddha-Judge) is local here, just one county away, and he has a huge and enthusiastic following here. What's best is that the did long before he showed any inclination for this race. I think he has got a good shot--I read yesterday that the last time anyone had such a strong showing and reaction on "Morning Joe" was....wait for it....Barack Obama. I also like Beto and I have always liked Biden. No one is perfect, of course, but I am feeling much more hopeful about our chances now.
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2020
Mar 25, 2019 18:36:59 GMT -5
Post by Jane on Mar 25, 2019 18:36:59 GMT -5
With the "release" of the Mueller report, I am feeling very depressed. I don't think we will ever know what it actually says.
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2020
Mar 26, 2019 9:00:45 GMT -5
Post by BoatBabe on Mar 26, 2019 9:00:45 GMT -5
With the "release" of the Mueller report, I am feeling very depressed. I don't think we will ever know what it actually says. Take heart, Jane, I think we will. All we have to do is live long enough . . .
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2020
Mar 26, 2019 11:32:05 GMT -5
Post by Jane on Mar 26, 2019 11:32:05 GMT -5
The truth may come out too late for the country to recover.
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Post by gailkate on Mar 26, 2019 19:47:26 GMT -5
I'm further down than I've been since Trump won. It isn't that there will be no further indictments but that the whole thing has been orchestrated by an appointee who got his job by claiming near godlike powers for the president. The guys who actually wrote the constitution had rather strong views on the separation of powers, having just fought off a monarch. I'm sick about all this and have to pull back. I'll be gone before we turn this ship around. Watergate was so inspiring, such a comfort to see people of both parties think and reason and come to moral conclusions. Now we see sycophants stumbling over their dung-covered boots to demand apologies and fawn at the master's feet. And he's decided to build his wall anyway. And he's rolling back much of the Clean Water Act. And on and on. Can we stop the slide into dictatorship?
But I'm chipper, too, make no mistake about it. The oddest little robin appeared on the fence right near our kitchen window this morning. I was eating breakfast and it sat there long enough to give me a good look. Unfortunately, not long enough for me to get out the Audubon book. Is there a sort of dappled robin? If not, what was that?
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