Our increasing acceptance of allowing corporations to fund elections, has been the poison of democracy and our federal agencies. All elections should be publicly funded; without exception. We are suffocating from the effects of rapacious capitalism, and the monsters are literally killing us for profit.
Thank you for this. I’m getting concerned, based on Trumps cabinet picks so far, that he is also not working for the people but again for the neocons and the swamp. Scrolling on X I notice I am not alone in this growing unease. Perhaps you can write an article that explains where Kennedy will fit in and what his role will be?
The Swamp will drown Kennedy if we the people think our vote was all that was needed and we can suck on our lollipops now while somebody else does all the work. RFK needs support, and a lot of it--he needs to continue his campaign, not for election but for people, ordinary citizens to help.
Fortunately, the People do seem to be getting that. Our continued enthusiasm for RFK and MAHA will make its success a priority for the Trump administration.
For those of us who grew up in the 60s and 70s to me it seems that we conflate JFK’s ethos with the Democratic Party.
JFK was a true outlier and independent, championing the working class, not beholden to the military industrial complex (now big pharma, agriculture, media, etc. complex). JFK and RFK were far too much of a threat and were extinguished for it.
I, for one, had clung to belief that the Democratic Party represented this brief idealistic moment in politics. But if nothing else, RFK, Jr’s valiant run has opened my eyes to the extraordinary depravity of the current culture to which we all contribute.
The swamp monster uniparty is still very much alive, eating us from within.
I don’t know what the future holds-none of us do-but I do believe if we are able to look inside at our own individual hatreds (our personal swamp monsters), we’ll see them reflected in our culture, our politics and our relationships.
It is my contention that when each person is courageous enough to examine and clean up their own crap (needing to be right, defending, attacking, projecting and repressing their darkest fears) we will begin to see real change and start healing the divide. This is going to take extraordinary courage. I have no doubt that we are capable but are we yet willing?
This statement in my mind has merit but must not be confused with the blame the victim syndrome we have been under for years, brought to us by the many institutions that have used the blame, shame, guilt tripping as a means of stigmatizing creativity. This sourced by dogma from organized religions, and carried forth by the public school systems that are now getting our children under their influence younger and younger while the family no longer has time to be together in a cohesive manner for our young to see an example of.
Well said. I don't think we are willing, for example, all the people that are refusing to listen to their LOVED ones. The family and friends that are being pushed away and disowned because of a difference of opinion. I don't remember a time before 2016 that the world was so divided that it tore families apart like this. Some are just so closed off to change.
and its completely one-sided too, isn't it? no DJT supporters are calling for others to cut off relations with Dem-supporting loved ones, are they? not that I've heard.
I lost a 45+ yr friendship over this, just because I was QUESTIONING the DNC leadership, questioning the narrative on J-6, questioning the lawfare attacks on DJT (even though I am not a fan of DJT).
people are not so much 'closed off to change' but closed off to objective reality. by swallowing the fear porn, critical thinking is not possible. if none of that is possible, then of course change and growth are not either. its all so sad and ultimately unnecessary. :(
Well said, I agree. Being in a blue state I'm surrounded by really unhappy, fearful people. I feel bad they feel so scared and hopeless and don't understand what happened. My heart is open to them and I'm going to remain steadfast in my belief that healing for this country will come. . .it's going to take time, but it's coming.
"The Democrats used to represent the working folk."
Wrong.
Neither party ever did represent the productive classes except rhetorically. In other words any such representation is pure baloney and it's designed to sucker people into believing it's true while in reality the whole fraud is designed to protect the moneyed monkeys aka the so-called "elite." As always.
Don't believe it? Here're a few quotes to chew on.:
“[Teddy]Roosevelt then said : "Pettigrew, you know the two old parties are just alike. They are both controlled by the same influences…”
- R. F. Pettigrew, “Imperial Washington,” The story of American Public life from 1870 to 1920 (1922), p 234
Pettigrew was a United States Senator from South Dakota
Blind and deaf, yet she understood the scam. Note the date. and her use of the word, "class.".:
“Are not the dominant parties managed by the ruling classes, that is, the propertied classes, solely for the profit and privilege of the few?
They use us millions to help them into power. They tell us like so many children that our safety lies in voting for them. They toss us crumbs of concession to make us believe that they are working in our interest. “
“Well, these … men, whether they were Democrats or Republicans, were willing to do anything to help each other. They were all in the same boat, regardless of party, and so they made rules and did things to help each other get elected…”
Rankin, running as a Republican Progressive, was the first woman voted to congress and was the only congressperson to vote against US entry into WW1. She was also the only one to vote against the war against Japan after the attack on Pearl Harbor.
I'm middle class and I know for a fact, I could not continue to take care of myself financially if the Democratic regime continued. I saw the middle class begin to get squeezed out starting with Obama. I worry far less about that under a Trump administration.
RFK Jr. knew when he suspended his campaign that he had no chance of winning and made an educated decision to align with Trump, knowing he and Trump already did not agree on everything. RFK Jr. has input but he's not making the utimate decisions. We have to accept that although we certainly should continue to let our preferences be known.
From what I'm seeing unfold as far as appointments go, Trump is tackling censorship, committed to ending our involvement in foreign wars, and is providing support for MAHA. Reading about his appointees so far, do I like them? I don't know them well enough to know. But they look to me like they'll get some things done that I agree with.
Looks like Steve Miller will be deputy chief of staff, and RFK Jr. said that Steve Miller assured him (backstage at MSG) that his policies team is completely onboard with MAHA. How that plays out won't be entirely RFK Jr.'s choice of players, but I think he's going to have the resources at his disposal to get the job done. I want to back him in this endeavor as much as I can.
I can promise you that rolling back environmental regulations on the fossil fuel, mining, chemical, food & agricultural industries will not "Make America Healthy Again."
The regulations can remain unchanged, mostly. The problem is the regulators, who are mostly executives formerly employed in the industries you listed. Plus Big Pharma, of course, which has regulations galore but works around them all with gobs of $$$$$.
Yes. And it remains to be seen whether the industries' control over the enforcement of existing regulations will change under Republican control. Historically that has not been the case.
RFK won this election for Trump. The support for Bobby is often underestimated, especially in the rigged polls. One need only see the surge of support when Kennedy took the stage at a Trump rally. He set the rafters shaking. The applause was astounding. If only a fraction of the RFK supporters listened to him and voted Trump, it was the deciding factor, especially in the swing states. It’s not over. The real wins, or loses are ahead of us. Let’s keep beating those drums for MAGA!
So far, Trump is giving away the store to neocons, China hawks, and Israel hawks, totally bypassing the MAHA coalition whose votes may have put him over the top.
As many people below have noted, we shouldn't be surprised.
Let's just hope this new administration gets two blights off the the landscape—the Ukraine war and transing kids. Meanwhile, maybe Bobby and Tulsi will become the nucleus of a new party.
Why are we still whining about the election while we have an entire area of the United States in the south just weeks out from having been devastated by the biggest storm ever, most likely manipulated so the biggest land grab by the government ever can now get under way to displace people as their land is taken so the earth can be mined by big businesses?
I add a thought that occurred to me yesterday. I have not heard one word of concern since the election, from any of the T/V/K team, for the people and devastation NC has experienced just weeks ago, which is even more concerning. If you have heard something I missed please post in reply.
What's the over/under on how long Mr. Kennedy will be able to stomach being part of Trump's Fourth Reich savagery?
Before you place your bet, have Mr. Kennedy look again at photos of his father gently touching rag-clad American children standing before their crumbling hovels. Have him listen to his father ask them when they had last eaten, and to their weak replies.
Have him look at his father's expression of unspeakable grief.
Despite all of his convoluted rationales to the contrary, Robert Francis Kennedy, Jr., instead of joining the resistence to systemic evil, has chosen to become its collaborator.
He has chosen the marquee over the Marquis. The con over conscience. Grift over grace.
Oh come off it, Drago.... IF you had the REAL goods on this man (& he IS a Go(O)D man!), you would not be saying what you said. Don't use RFK, Jr. to wrap around your own attitude toward Trump (as you so colorfully--in black!-- expressed in the first statement made). Bobby IS his father's child and those values and teachings of compassion and wisdom instilled in him are not only STILL present (among many other solid virtues), he has consistently displayed them in action throughout his life and career so far. And, will certainly live out his destiny as courageous awakener and defender of We the People (most especially, the marginalized you again, so emotively portray). As another wise one once said, 'the poor will always be with us'; it is how we respond to them that defines ones character, mind & heart. Bobby embraces them there, as well as meets & helps them in their lives; he will never stop doing so!
Thank you for the comment. I hear you. This piece is reflective of the election choices. Many in the Republican old guard are also responsible. It will be interesting to see how the Senate leadership shakes out.
Your piece was good and full of the truth as far as the analysis went.
I believe we're in deeper doo than we think since the flaws of the system were baked into the cake at conception.
I wish someone had "the" answer; I sure do not.
“The Constitution looked fairly good on paper, but it was not a popular document; people were suspicious of it, and suspicious of the enabling legislation that was being erected upon it. There was some ground for this. The Constitution had been laid down under unacceptable auspices; its history had been that of a coup d'état.
“It had been drafted, in the first place, by men representing special economic interests. Four-fifths of them were public creditors, one-third were land speculators, and one-fifth represented interests in shipping, manufacturing, and merchandising. Most of them were lawyers. Not one of them represented the interest of production — Vilescit origine tali. (the dice were loaded from the start)
-Albert Jay Nock, Liberty vs. the Constitution: The Early Struggle
As a matter of fact, it was never a "people's Constitution", as has been so frequently claimed at Presidential elections, and on other similar occasions. They, the people, were never very much interested, either in the project itself or in the ratification of a form of national government. They did not particularly want anything of the sort and they did not like what came out of Philadelphia, but this distaste was not strong enough to overcome their natural lethargy, so only about five percent of the white male population voted as to whether the Constitution should be accepted or rejected. As it was, it only got by by the skin of its teeth and by some very clever management on the part of its proponents. The whole thing, in conception, formulation, and realization, was
the work of a small group of enthusiastic young men of property and position, with wiser heads on their shoulders than their years would argue as rationally possible, though they were not wise enough to foresee the unimaginable — but inevitable.
-Ralph Adams Cram, Nemesis of Democracy - PDF - , The American Review, December 1936, pp. 129-141
The Dems are now the party of the rich and are dependent on the rich and corporations for their campaign funds. It will not be easy for them to change.
How did Trump win..It is real simple ...The sleeping giant was awakened once again..The first time was on December 7th 1941..We were being attacked again. What is really sad is that it was not from the other side of both oceans but in our back yard. "We the people " have won a battle but the war is just beginning..In the end I know we will win..God bless the USA
Thank you for this. I'm increasingly concerned that trumps advisors are guiding him down a path that's not MAGA in his cabinet selections. Rubio is not a good candidate for SOS. he has voted w Dems or not voted at all. Please look into his record and share the info. Cassie DeSantis is waiting to be appointed Senator if that happens..she is not a good replacement
Those who have been saying We are in an information War with slick hustlers trying to take any equity while telling us it is for our own good may be the closest to telling the truth in this whole mess.
Our increasing acceptance of allowing corporations to fund elections, has been the poison of democracy and our federal agencies. All elections should be publicly funded; without exception. We are suffocating from the effects of rapacious capitalism, and the monsters are literally killing us for profit.
"...and the monsters are literally killing us for profit."
Exquisitely well stated.
Thank you for this. I’m getting concerned, based on Trumps cabinet picks so far, that he is also not working for the people but again for the neocons and the swamp. Scrolling on X I notice I am not alone in this growing unease. Perhaps you can write an article that explains where Kennedy will fit in and what his role will be?
The Swamp will drown Kennedy if we the people think our vote was all that was needed and we can suck on our lollipops now while somebody else does all the work. RFK needs support, and a lot of it--he needs to continue his campaign, not for election but for people, ordinary citizens to help.
Fortunately, the People do seem to be getting that. Our continued enthusiasm for RFK and MAHA will make its success a priority for the Trump administration.
If he stiffs Kennedy, we will know the score.
Yup.
For those of us who grew up in the 60s and 70s to me it seems that we conflate JFK’s ethos with the Democratic Party.
JFK was a true outlier and independent, championing the working class, not beholden to the military industrial complex (now big pharma, agriculture, media, etc. complex). JFK and RFK were far too much of a threat and were extinguished for it.
I, for one, had clung to belief that the Democratic Party represented this brief idealistic moment in politics. But if nothing else, RFK, Jr’s valiant run has opened my eyes to the extraordinary depravity of the current culture to which we all contribute.
The swamp monster uniparty is still very much alive, eating us from within.
I don’t know what the future holds-none of us do-but I do believe if we are able to look inside at our own individual hatreds (our personal swamp monsters), we’ll see them reflected in our culture, our politics and our relationships.
It is my contention that when each person is courageous enough to examine and clean up their own crap (needing to be right, defending, attacking, projecting and repressing their darkest fears) we will begin to see real change and start healing the divide. This is going to take extraordinary courage. I have no doubt that we are capable but are we yet willing?
This statement in my mind has merit but must not be confused with the blame the victim syndrome we have been under for years, brought to us by the many institutions that have used the blame, shame, guilt tripping as a means of stigmatizing creativity. This sourced by dogma from organized religions, and carried forth by the public school systems that are now getting our children under their influence younger and younger while the family no longer has time to be together in a cohesive manner for our young to see an example of.
Well said. I don't think we are willing, for example, all the people that are refusing to listen to their LOVED ones. The family and friends that are being pushed away and disowned because of a difference of opinion. I don't remember a time before 2016 that the world was so divided that it tore families apart like this. Some are just so closed off to change.
and its completely one-sided too, isn't it? no DJT supporters are calling for others to cut off relations with Dem-supporting loved ones, are they? not that I've heard.
I lost a 45+ yr friendship over this, just because I was QUESTIONING the DNC leadership, questioning the narrative on J-6, questioning the lawfare attacks on DJT (even though I am not a fan of DJT).
people are not so much 'closed off to change' but closed off to objective reality. by swallowing the fear porn, critical thinking is not possible. if none of that is possible, then of course change and growth are not either. its all so sad and ultimately unnecessary. :(
Well said, I agree. Being in a blue state I'm surrounded by really unhappy, fearful people. I feel bad they feel so scared and hopeless and don't understand what happened. My heart is open to them and I'm going to remain steadfast in my belief that healing for this country will come. . .it's going to take time, but it's coming.
"The Democrats used to represent the working folk."
Wrong.
Neither party ever did represent the productive classes except rhetorically. In other words any such representation is pure baloney and it's designed to sucker people into believing it's true while in reality the whole fraud is designed to protect the moneyed monkeys aka the so-called "elite." As always.
Don't believe it? Here're a few quotes to chew on.:
“[Teddy]Roosevelt then said : "Pettigrew, you know the two old parties are just alike. They are both controlled by the same influences…”
- R. F. Pettigrew, “Imperial Washington,” The story of American Public life from 1870 to 1920 (1922), p 234
Pettigrew was a United States Senator from South Dakota
https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt/search?q1=amiable;id=yale.39002002948025;view=1up;seq=7;start=1;sz=10;page=search;orient=0
Blind and deaf, yet she understood the scam. Note the date. and her use of the word, "class.".:
“Are not the dominant parties managed by the ruling classes, that is, the propertied classes, solely for the profit and privilege of the few?
They use us millions to help them into power. They tell us like so many children that our safety lies in voting for them. They toss us crumbs of concession to make us believe that they are working in our interest. “
-Helen Keller,OUT OF THE DARK, LETTER TO AN ENGLISH WOMAN- SUFFRAGIST* Copyright, 1907 http://archive.org/stream/outdarkessaysle01kellgoog/outdarkessaysle01kellgoog_djvu.txt
"We elect expensive masters to do our work for us, and then blame them because they work for themselves and for their class.
-Helen Keller,OUT OF THE DARK,LETTER TO AN ENGLISH WOMAN SUFFRAGIST* Copyright, 1907
http://archive.org/stream/outdarkessaysle01kellgoog/outdarkessaysle01kellgoog_djvu.txt
“Well, these … men, whether they were Democrats or Republicans, were willing to do anything to help each other. They were all in the same boat, regardless of party, and so they made rules and did things to help each other get elected…”
-Jeanette Rankin, interview, 1972 (Published 1974) http://texts.cdlib.org/view?docId=kt758005dx
Rankin, running as a Republican Progressive, was the first woman voted to congress and was the only congressperson to vote against US entry into WW1. She was also the only one to vote against the war against Japan after the attack on Pearl Harbor.
I'm middle class and I know for a fact, I could not continue to take care of myself financially if the Democratic regime continued. I saw the middle class begin to get squeezed out starting with Obama. I worry far less about that under a Trump administration.
RFK Jr. knew when he suspended his campaign that he had no chance of winning and made an educated decision to align with Trump, knowing he and Trump already did not agree on everything. RFK Jr. has input but he's not making the utimate decisions. We have to accept that although we certainly should continue to let our preferences be known.
From what I'm seeing unfold as far as appointments go, Trump is tackling censorship, committed to ending our involvement in foreign wars, and is providing support for MAHA. Reading about his appointees so far, do I like them? I don't know them well enough to know. But they look to me like they'll get some things done that I agree with.
Looks like Steve Miller will be deputy chief of staff, and RFK Jr. said that Steve Miller assured him (backstage at MSG) that his policies team is completely onboard with MAHA. How that plays out won't be entirely RFK Jr.'s choice of players, but I think he's going to have the resources at his disposal to get the job done. I want to back him in this endeavor as much as I can.
I can promise you that rolling back environmental regulations on the fossil fuel, mining, chemical, food & agricultural industries will not "Make America Healthy Again."
The regulations can remain unchanged, mostly. The problem is the regulators, who are mostly executives formerly employed in the industries you listed. Plus Big Pharma, of course, which has regulations galore but works around them all with gobs of $$$$$.
Yes. And it remains to be seen whether the industries' control over the enforcement of existing regulations will change under Republican control. Historically that has not been the case.
RFK won this election for Trump. The support for Bobby is often underestimated, especially in the rigged polls. One need only see the surge of support when Kennedy took the stage at a Trump rally. He set the rafters shaking. The applause was astounding. If only a fraction of the RFK supporters listened to him and voted Trump, it was the deciding factor, especially in the swing states. It’s not over. The real wins, or loses are ahead of us. Let’s keep beating those drums for MAGA!
100%
So far, Trump is giving away the store to neocons, China hawks, and Israel hawks, totally bypassing the MAHA coalition whose votes may have put him over the top.
As many people below have noted, we shouldn't be surprised.
Let's just hope this new administration gets two blights off the the landscape—the Ukraine war and transing kids. Meanwhile, maybe Bobby and Tulsi will become the nucleus of a new party.
Why are we still whining about the election while we have an entire area of the United States in the south just weeks out from having been devastated by the biggest storm ever, most likely manipulated so the biggest land grab by the government ever can now get under way to displace people as their land is taken so the earth can be mined by big businesses?
I add a thought that occurred to me yesterday. I have not heard one word of concern since the election, from any of the T/V/K team, for the people and devastation NC has experienced just weeks ago, which is even more concerning. If you have heard something I missed please post in reply.
What's the over/under on how long Mr. Kennedy will be able to stomach being part of Trump's Fourth Reich savagery?
Before you place your bet, have Mr. Kennedy look again at photos of his father gently touching rag-clad American children standing before their crumbling hovels. Have him listen to his father ask them when they had last eaten, and to their weak replies.
Have him look at his father's expression of unspeakable grief.
Despite all of his convoluted rationales to the contrary, Robert Francis Kennedy, Jr., instead of joining the resistence to systemic evil, has chosen to become its collaborator.
He has chosen the marquee over the Marquis. The con over conscience. Grift over grace.
Mr. Kennedy, you have broken our hearts.
Oh come off it, Drago.... IF you had the REAL goods on this man (& he IS a Go(O)D man!), you would not be saying what you said. Don't use RFK, Jr. to wrap around your own attitude toward Trump (as you so colorfully--in black!-- expressed in the first statement made). Bobby IS his father's child and those values and teachings of compassion and wisdom instilled in him are not only STILL present (among many other solid virtues), he has consistently displayed them in action throughout his life and career so far. And, will certainly live out his destiny as courageous awakener and defender of We the People (most especially, the marginalized you again, so emotively portray). As another wise one once said, 'the poor will always be with us'; it is how we respond to them that defines ones character, mind & heart. Bobby embraces them there, as well as meets & helps them in their lives; he will never stop doing so!
Well said
Louis it’s more than them, I’ve mentioned this to a couple of my liberal friends and they were offended.
Thank you for the comment. I hear you. This piece is reflective of the election choices. Many in the Republican old guard are also responsible. It will be interesting to see how the Senate leadership shakes out.
Your piece was good and full of the truth as far as the analysis went.
I believe we're in deeper doo than we think since the flaws of the system were baked into the cake at conception.
I wish someone had "the" answer; I sure do not.
“The Constitution looked fairly good on paper, but it was not a popular document; people were suspicious of it, and suspicious of the enabling legislation that was being erected upon it. There was some ground for this. The Constitution had been laid down under unacceptable auspices; its history had been that of a coup d'état.
“It had been drafted, in the first place, by men representing special economic interests. Four-fifths of them were public creditors, one-third were land speculators, and one-fifth represented interests in shipping, manufacturing, and merchandising. Most of them were lawyers. Not one of them represented the interest of production — Vilescit origine tali. (the dice were loaded from the start)
-Albert Jay Nock, Liberty vs. the Constitution: The Early Struggle
https://mises.org/library/liberty-vs-constitution-early-struggle
As a matter of fact, it was never a "people's Constitution", as has been so frequently claimed at Presidential elections, and on other similar occasions. They, the people, were never very much interested, either in the project itself or in the ratification of a form of national government. They did not particularly want anything of the sort and they did not like what came out of Philadelphia, but this distaste was not strong enough to overcome their natural lethargy, so only about five percent of the white male population voted as to whether the Constitution should be accepted or rejected. As it was, it only got by by the skin of its teeth and by some very clever management on the part of its proponents. The whole thing, in conception, formulation, and realization, was
the work of a small group of enthusiastic young men of property and position, with wiser heads on their shoulders than their years would argue as rationally possible, though they were not wise enough to foresee the unimaginable — but inevitable.
-Ralph Adams Cram, Nemesis of Democracy - PDF - , The American Review, December 1936, pp. 129-141
www.unz.org/Pub/AmericanRev-1936dec-00129
The Dems are now the party of the rich and are dependent on the rich and corporations for their campaign funds. It will not be easy for them to change.
How did Trump win..It is real simple ...The sleeping giant was awakened once again..The first time was on December 7th 1941..We were being attacked again. What is really sad is that it was not from the other side of both oceans but in our back yard. "We the people " have won a battle but the war is just beginning..In the end I know we will win..God bless the USA
Thank you for this. I'm increasingly concerned that trumps advisors are guiding him down a path that's not MAGA in his cabinet selections. Rubio is not a good candidate for SOS. he has voted w Dems or not voted at all. Please look into his record and share the info. Cassie DeSantis is waiting to be appointed Senator if that happens..she is not a good replacement
#word
Those who have been saying We are in an information War with slick hustlers trying to take any equity while telling us it is for our own good may be the closest to telling the truth in this whole mess.