As many of you know, I was pissed off at Jon Stewart in the immediate wake of the 2016 election. I’m still pissed off at him, frankly. Jon spent weeks mansplaining the election results and claiming that we should not blame Trump voters for voting for such a vile racist and misogynist, and that Trump voters were not giving “tacit support” to a system based on white male supremacy. A few months later, a new Jon Stewart appeared, one who seemed absolutely shocked that Trump and his people really were that f–king racist and were pursuing racist, misogynistic policies. Since then, Jon has been making occasional appearances on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert to do sitting-at-the-desk bits where he talks directly to Trump or the American people or what have you.
Considering this has been such an awful week and considering that America, as we know it, is over, Jon decided to stop by The Late Show to talk about Trump’s “gleeful cruelty.”
I mean, nothing Jon says here is wrong. But let’s be real: democracy has been canceled in America. That’s what I believe at this point, and that’s why I’ve been the lowest I’ve ever been this week. It’s not even pessimism, it’s not cynicism, it’s realism: we’re an autocracy led by a political minority and we will be this way for a long time. Just acknowledge that. All that exists now is just the gleeful cruelty and blatant hypocrisy that this regime has weaponized over and over and over. We’re all being led by and punished by the stupidest, the most racist, and the most hate-filled misogynists among us. All of this is just talk from Jon and everyone else… that’s just the republic’s death rattle. Sorry to be such a Debbie Downer. TGIF.
Photos courtesy of WENN & CBS.
You are not being a Debbie Downer. You are being real. Our country isn’t coming back from this anytime soon. It is just such a kick in the dick that an idiotic reality show host is the one that brings our democracy down.
Is it too early for a drink?
It’s not all over—November is around the corner. This country succumbed to, lived through, and triumphed over McCarthy, we’ll get past these awful people too. And what happened to McCarthy and Roy Cohn, the man who mentored Donnie? Nothing good—they died alone and miserable. Donnie’s put himself and his cretinous family in the spotlight—the wheels of justice grind slowly, but they never stop—I wonder if Jared and Ivanka will take turns being incarcerated, like Andy Fastow and his wife? Donnie may have lived in the White House for a time, but he is going to die in prison.
Thank you, ELX. I needed this. You’ve voiced some hope that so many of us need right now. And kudos for the history refresher.
Thank goodness for alcohol. They better not try and ban it in the next decade lol.
Disagree. You are. What if people gave up during Hitler’s rein, or Mcarthy’s time. You need to pick yourself up and fight for the people who are really suffering. Those people aren’t us sitting here reading the news and drowning sorrows in booze. They are the minorities being banned. Jailed. Attacked on the streets. The kids being shot in schools. Everyone on this site needs to pick themselves up and stop wallowing in self pity. It’s exhausting. Every day you guys declare you’re giving up. So give up already. Don’t bother fighting for the people who need it. I’m sure Trump would love it if you all gave up. Hitler would have.
That’s what i was telling my husband the other day. When Justice Kennedy announced his retirement my husband could barely eat. But I reminded him that things were pretty $&@& in 1968 from what I understand, and the country survived that. We CAN survive this, the question is WILL we? And if everyone just gives up, or wallows in misery, the answer is no.
I’m worried that because of the black hole known as the internet comment sections and social media, too many people take their frustration out there and that’s it. That’s fine if it gives us comfort, but it’s not enough to change anything. I’m worried we’ve become too lazy because of it. Everyone, please go to protests, volunteer for political campaigns, vote for progressive dems in the primaries (we’ve seen some good results) because the establishment dems don’t do sh-t to fight back. Vote. VOTE VOTE VOTE. Get your friends to vote. Get strangers to vote. Hell, run for office. Do not just take your rage out on Facebook and that’s it. Who else will be protesting the kidnapping of thousands of migrants’ children tomorrow? Join me.
“we’re an autocracy led by a political minority and we will be this way for a long time”
Thank GOD the civil rights movement didn’t think like this after MLK Jr. was killed or we’d all be so much worse off.
Things are bad now, but they are not the worst they have ever been. We have a responsibility to fight. To give up is to shirk our responsibilities.
I’m having a really hard time his week. A friend of mine committed suicide a few days ago-she struggled with depression and had a bad turn recently. She lived in New Orleans and her family was struggling to find her help. In one day she was able to go to a gun store, buy a rifle and kill herself. So now it’s easier to buy a gun than it is to get mental health care. A lot of my family are journalists and the shooting in Maryland has me so scared for them. The town I work in has an opioid problem, and a woman overdosed and died right in front of me last night. It’s all just so much to deal with. I’m sorry to unload but I’m struggling to keep it together.
I’m so sorry. Your user name breaks my heart. Ghost hugs from an internet stranger, if you accept them.
Dearest Ground down,
CommentingBunny said it for me, too. Please allow me to offer another stranger’s ghost hug. I am so sorry you had such a heartbreaking week. November WILL come. Helping to make change happen maybe will help you can channel that sadness and rage and helpless feeling and fear and frustration so the Grand Ole Party can become the Gone Old Players…XOXO
I too am sending you a ghost hug!! I am so so sorry for all of the heartbreak you have had to face. Sending you love.
Same here. Hugs. to you.
And this to anyone who is thinking of taking his or her own life:
https://www.metanoia.org/suicide/
I’m so sorry for your lost. 😔
I’m so sorry for your lost. 😔
Sending you love and hugs….so sorry for what’s happened.
I’m so sorry. Hang in there.
I’m so so sorry for all that you are going through.
I know the anger and pain: my uncle also bought a rifle one day and killed himself that very day. Just walked in and bought it. It’s crushing. It makes me so angry and confused. I’m so sorry that you now also know this anger along with the incredible hurt.
Ground Down, try to take some time to focus on your own mental health. It sounds like you’re going through a LOT due to the hardships all around you. It’s Ok to stop everything and just take care of yourself for a while.
So very sorry.
Sorry for all your losses. Carve out a couple or few days and do some self care. Bathes, quietness, gym anything that works for you. Take the time.
Sending you a virtual hug and best wishes, pls take care and know that you’re not alone. I’ve been distracting myself with comedy specials and soul-nourishing activities like walking in nature, ballet, meditation, friends, etc. Maybe things like that — or whatever your version of such things is — can help? Take care…
I can’t imagine dealing with all that. I am living in a much safer feeling space (switzerland) and I only have minor complaints compared to you and I am already so stressed out about all the shit happening, the only thing I can say is: it’s so important to talk and let your feelings be heard. Wishing you all the strength to get trough this and lots of open ears and arms to support you.
I am so sorry you’ve been through all of this. Everything you’ve said breaks my heart. I’m Australian and I really feel for Americans and the direction the country is heading. You do not deserve to feel what you’re feeling. Nor did your friend deserve that outcome. She deserved medical care, nothing less than that.
My sincerest apologies to you. Please take care xo
Oh, Ground Down, I am so sorry. Another hug across the internet.
I’m so very sorry @Ground Down
Sending you love and light
I am so sorry for your loss. Please know that however bleak things seem you have support here. Common decency and concern for our fellow man is not dead no matter how bad things seem in your country. You have allies around the world who care.
@Ground Down, my heart goes out to you. I hope there is someone you can talk to that can help you find strategies to cope with everything that is going on.
Ground down I am sending ghost hugs also. XO XO Listen, do you remember when The Association of Psychiatrists where in the news because they wanted America to know that that guy wasn’t mentally fit to lead the country?? There was one Psychiatrist in particular who was leading the charge. You hear nothing from them now … but do not forget, the Leader is sick. He is not fit to lead. Period. There are plenty of people in the world not qualified for their jobs. This is human. All throughout history you can see this.
But also all throughout history there are Moms hugging their children, washing them, dressing them. Fathers laughing with their families. Children playing. Sisters and brothers and friends caring for one another. There is love all over. All over …. everywhere … if you look. Never, ever forget that. Or you are just playing into their “Fear All” mindset. No, there is love. Always. Vote. And work for change. XO XO XO This is a great time for change. There kind AND our kind. XO XO XO
Thank you for your words, i needed to read them today.
I’ so sorry, Ground Down.
So very, very sorry for your loss, Ground Down. Sending BIG hugs to you.
I hear what you’re saying, everything does sound bleak. Corny as it sounds, Good WILL triumph over evil. History shows us this again and again. There are enough of us that will fight for it. It may take time, and won’t happen overnight, but we WILL triumph. I have to have faith in this, and I hope I can impart some of my faith to you! {{{{{{HUGS}}}}}}}
I’m so terribly sorry for what you’re going through. You’re absolutely right about being easier to get a gun than necessary health care. It’s a damned travesty. I hope you have someone you can talk to. Please stick around and continue to share here. I’ll be thinking of you.
So sorry for what you are going through.
Ground down, I suffer from depression and 7 years ago was so sick and so poor and living in a new town. I could not afford to both pay my rent and fill an old anti-depressant prescription and I went off my meds cold turkey, which can be very dangerous. I have spent weeks pinned to my bed, unable to leave and deal with the bigger world beyond the door.
This is what I will say to anyone who is struggling in this current toxic political environment that is so bleak and seems to have a daily assault with no reprieve. Look for a therapist. Look on the internet, keep looking until you find one that looks and sounds like he or she might be a good fit. Personally, I think cognitive therapy is the best choice for depression, but to each their own.
I kept looking and looking, doing searches, and finally a new name came up in my area that I could walk to. (Did I say I also was having car troubles and couldn’t drive my car?) I was told by the therapist that she wasn’t taking any new patients. I told her to put me on a waiting list, that I was desperate, that I would wait for an opening. And three months later she called me back. With her help I very slow re-mantled my life. Slowly. I was lucky, she is smart. She helped me figure out how to get the help I needed to get on Medicaid. It’s funny (ironic) to me that Republicans want to cut all the help programs like Medicaid, Medicare, etc., because they are damn hard to get into in the first place — the paperwork is overwhelming, and they make it deliberately hard to wean out people. If you are feeling weak and vulnerable, paperwork is not something easy to do, at least it wasn’t for me. My therapist helped me find an organization that would help me with this process (Catholic Charities — the same people who are helping the immigrants at the borders who have been separated from their families).
For everyone who is in pain, I just want to say, there are others in pain. My therapist tells me that everyone in her profession has said that uniformly across the board their patients are coming in traumatized and anxious about the current situation in the United States. So, take baby steps. Find a good professional to talk to. Or a friend. Keep talking. Keep sharing on boards like this one. You are not alone. A nation is in distress. There is help out there for you. We need to hold each other up right now. I am sorry for your loss. I was told once that some people who die can do their work better on the other side. Perhaps your friend is now at peace, empowered, and joining forces with others in the spirit world to spread light and right the wrongs. I think we need all the help we can get. You need all the help you can get. Imagine her having your back. She sees your pain. I am guessing that she will bring people into your orbit who will help you.
+1
hugs from California, groundown. I agree with everything Bella Bella said, but I would add that a huge percentage of therapists offer a sliding scale, often cutting their rates by more than half. Psychology Today has a great online resource for finding a therapist, I would recommend looking there, and even if a therapist you find doesn’t mention a sliding scale in their profile it’s worth just calling and asking. Also, if you live near a university that offers Psychology, MSW, or MFT degrees you may be able to see a therapist in training for very little. (This is all if insurance isn’t working for you.)
Keep reaching out to people, online and in person, and stay physically active (I can’t stress this enough). Walk, run, dance, do yoga, swim, however it is you enjoy moving your body. And hang in there. Tomorrow is always a new day and after today there is always a tomorrow.
I am so sorry for your loss 🙁
I am so so sorry for your loss. If you can take a few days and just be good to yourself. Take a break and do something that you like to give your mind some time to process. I lost my dad in December and i still have days where I just need to be quiet and take care of myself. Sending a huge hug.
Sending you virtual hugs and compassion from Canada. We feel your pain and as your next-door neighbour are very concerned and worried about the way the US is going.
Big hugs to you. Please care for yourself. It’s ok if you need to tune out the news for a while.
I’d like to add on to the huge line of internet hugs. I’m so sorry for the loss of your friend and your anxiety about family and your town. You seem like a really empathetic person, which is a wonderful quality to have and makes you such a special person but I hope you’ll take some time to for yourself too, to heal. Take care.
I was friendly with one of the journalists killed yesterday. She was really wonderful for the community and a very kind and smart person, and I feel a deep sadness for her and her family. Hang in there. Keep fighting for goodness.
((((*hugs*))))
I’ve just about given up faith in my fellow Americans…to let this incredibly incompetent and sick man and his minions reduce our beautiful country to a fascist government is mind boggling.
The minority has been allowed to rule over and destroy this country. Mainly because the majority has been complacent and asleep.
There was a poll recently that said over 30% of Americans believe we’re headed for a 2nd civil war. I’ve thought that way for a while.
It won’t come to war because no one wants to fight a war. If things actually get that bad, the conversation will turn immediately to how to break up the republic. We’ll just dissolve the union into half a dozen new countries. The 30% who think we’ll have a second civil war are the 30% that are also gun hoarders, but they don’t realize no one else wants to fight. They’ll gear up and the rest of us will vote in special congresses to dissolve the US.
I don’t think there will be actual war, because the GOP can read the numbers as well as we can, and I’m sure they know they are (ultimately) the minority. I wish we could overwhelm them with love, but they would just see us as weak. They are getting as much done as they can; they know they will not have this much power ever again, so are doing as much as they can to dismantle government programs. It’s my understanding this is prompted by a belief that less government ‘interference’ is better for everyone (everyone they care about, anyway), thus the dismantling of environmental controls, for example. I get wanting less government, sometimes it is overreaching. But we want government to help those who need help through and with our tax dollars. They are not doing that, not even close, and I pray (sometimes 100 x daily) that will bring about their downfall.
Hard as this is to watch and live through, I believe deep-down that this is the party’s last hurrah. Ryan has said as much —- that they will never have this “opportunity” again. I think they view Tweetolini as a convenient distraction, while they scurry behind the scenes to gut social programs.
Way to further discourage people from voting with your “democracy is canceled” rubbish. We need people to register and vote in November. If the Trumpers weren’t worried about the midterm elections, Kennedy won’t have been pressured to resign this week. This is not the “republic’s death rattle” and there is still hope.
Nowhere did I discourage people from voting. Go vote. But everyone needs to be realistic at this point.
Yes, things suck, but you can still work against it by voting and getting out the vote.
People thinking ‘it doesn’t matter anyway’ is what got the US into this mess. Don’t give up hope. You’re stronger than that.
“When the glass seems half-empty, poor it in a smaller glass and stop bitching.”
I love this quote. But I’m really tired of the pessimism and projection by the writers here. No offense, just do a little better. 😉
I didn’t get that message at all. I think we’re allowed to wallow in grief a little bit at the incredibly difficult, distressing, scary time we are going through. I’m training to become a voter registrar in a couple weeks and plan to get back out there helping swing the pendulum back but that doesn’t mean I don’t feel utter despair at the same time.
Trump is not our first racist president. He is not our first corrupt president.
The U.S. is an experiment. Maybe the experiment will fail. Maybe not. If you believe in a better vision for America, fight for it in the ways you can.
Well said. Thank you.
Yes, damn straight they are worried. We’ve been through much worse. Voting in Nov. is key. Like Hell I’m giving up. America is NOT cancelled. The opposition is weak, that’s why they rely on bigotry and hatred they have no other weapons. This is an old story that’s been played out many times through out history. it’s just that most of us, including myself thought we would not have to fight this fight again.
Well this democracy is cancelled message does kind of send the message why bother voting in November because we’re doomed anyway. You’d never be ever write your columns criticizing Trump if we truly lived in a fascist or autocratic regime. I understand you’re upset about Kennedy retiring but he was a conservative judge who sometimes voted with the liberal bloc making him the ” swing vote.” You’re forgetting he wrote Citizens United and that he just sided with the conservatives on the travel ban, voting rights abuses & gerrymandering cases. Both Chief Justice Roberts & Neil Gorusch are not hard right..not like Clarence Thomas or Samuel Alito..if there is something I know about, it’s the Supreme Court.
People are out there voting these extremists in. Remember the 2010 midterms? The tea party people could not fathom Obama being in office or an affordable health care act. So they got organized and put this all in to motion 8 years ago. They united over single issues.
Progressives can unite too. We should never declare democracy cancelled.
“Well this democracy is cancelled message does kind of send the message why bother voting in November because we’re doomed anyway.”
I agree, that is the message being sent and it is not helpful at all.
I wonder if Kennedy’s son at Deutsche Bank is at risk. Trump went out of his way to mention him. Is Kennedy susceptible to blackmail? Or just tired?
This is not a good time for Kennedy to retire if there are no health issues, since Trump will try to replace him with someone who will protect Trump. The Supreme Court will have to make decisions of overwhelming personal importance to Crooked Donald.
And the Republicans in Congress seem to be freaking out more than usual trying to shut down Mueller’s investigation. Weird things may be happening behind the scenes. Could it be that Cohen flipping is the reason for the panic? He very likely knows whatever dirt Putin discovered about people in Congress through hacking as well as more direct contacts with the Russians and any campaign funding irregularities.
As a woman and POC that was born into poverty, I’ve always known how cruel people can be. As a holder of degrees in both history and anthropology I can view our current situation in its place on the very long timeline of human cultural evolution. As a Catholic I believe we all have a divine spark, even if we choose to ignore it most of the time in favor of our baser nature. Progress is long and difficult and sometimes bloody but ultimately unstoppable. I have to believe that or I couldn’t get out of bed in the morning.
Thank you for eloquently stating what I am way to PO’d to say. I am beyond angry at the “throw your hands in the air and wail” crowd who are convinced America has already fallen. There are so many on social media I’ve actually begun to wonder if it isn’t an organized disinformation campaign.
I tend to agree that a coordinated disinformation campaign is ramping up, and it is being done to discourage voting and create an atmosphere to encourage violence.
Aang is right…
but we should all read ‘1984’ again, just for shits & giggles.
As someone that is not American and was born in a country that had times of political instability… no, USA will not recover quickly. I think the institutions are strong enough to make a quicker recovery than other countries, but it won’t be something that only one new president will manage to put on place, IMO. And even after that, there are issues that have to be adressed, as police brutality and gun control. I think that many white americans didn’t have any idea how USA is racist, but as a foreigner that already visited the country twice, Trump’s America always existed, but it wasn’t that obvious. And I mean white americans because black and native already knew that part of USA. I’m a latin american white woman. I believe that first many saw me as american. As soon as I opened my mouth and a not perfect English came out, there was a change of treatment. Never really rude, but never truly polite. Eyes roll, being ignored, sometimes the person even started to speak English faster. I was never screamed, but I was treated differently. The difference now is that Trump gives those people courage to scream and attack. Honestly, I would be afraid to visit US as a tourist now and have the risk of having ICE called on me as if I’m an illegal imigrant. Does anyone would give me the time to show my passport and my tickets for coming bavk to my country? I don’t know. This is not a dig on the country. I’ve met much more good people than bad ones. But I have to say that Trump’s elecrion was not a big surprise for me. The sad part is that my country already has a version of Trump as a presidential candidate. I feel like all the world is going crazy and we lost all the lessons that Second World War gave us.
Agreed. I grew up in America with a French Canadian father and a Mexican American mother, but I always lived in a liberal area outside DC. While I’m not going to say racism and bigotry didn’t exist it was definitely much more under control here. I don’t remember any of my peers being openly racist or anti feminist or anti LGBTQ. However, I always felt super uncomfortable going any farther south b/c while they appear friendly to other white Americans I know deep down many of them are bigots. The confederate flag alone is a major red flag. Every cake and cookie is draped in the flag. Its all too much for me. It makes me cringe when my mom says “people are so friendly down here”. Yeah maybe to an “American looking” white person, but they aren’t like that to everyone. They always come off as phony IMO. And these days I’m sure its worse bc the ‘Commander of Cheese’ has given them ammunition.
I completely understand how Kaiser is feeling here. I have been utterly heartbroken by the news over the past weeks, and Kennedy’s resignation is devastating. So many people’s lives have already been irrevocably damaged by this racist and literally traitorous administration, and I know the U.S. as a nation has been and will continue to be permanently impacted.
I am terrified of commenting online, but after reading this I just had to say, to my fellow USians, please, please do not give up. We have been dealt some really severe blows, but we cannot hand over our country to white nationalists and grifters without fighting all the way to the mat. November matters. We have to VOTE. We have to get everyone we know to vote, not just in congressional elections but in every local election. We need the right people as sheriffs and D.A.s—even city councils. Yes, there’s no way to stop a horrible situation in the Supreme Court, if we cannot get one (just one) Republican to put off the consideration until after November, but that doesn’t mean can quit. Every small gain still matters, and we can still make a difference.
I, too, underetand how Kaiser feels. I not only understand, it’s exactly where I am. I still read too much news, but the dismantling has lost its fervor. There’s no wind anymore…I’ve entered the doldrums.
“We have been dealt some really severe blows, but we cannot hand over our country to white nationalists and grifters without fighting all the way to the mat.”
YES!
And we are far enough out from November that we can all take steps now to help things!
Volunteer with campaigns in your area. If you are in a blue area, you can STILL do things to help purple/red areas. The biggest benefit of volunteering is that it gets people to the polls, it makes an actual difference. Donate your time, donate your money.
Well said!
Outsider View: I’m from a country that most would consider “3rd world” (yes we do have internet *eye roll*) and America has always fancied itself the moral authority over every other country while brutalising the citizens of colour and various other lowkey horrible things.
As individuals, I’ve found Americans to be great people BUT I think the Trump era has exposed a horrible truth of what’s been under the surface. At this point the cruelty does seem gleeful. The majority of Americans don’t deserve that lunatic and I hope you’re able to rid yourselves of him soon.
Yes. One thing this has taught us is that America and it’s people are not as exceptional as we are led to believe.
As a latin american, I second that.
As a Latina, I third it.
Agreed. Not that the US doesn’t have accomplishments and history to be immensely proud of, but there’s a sense of revisionist history, particularly on the right. Like, the only party line is that America is the bestest country in the world (despite not providing any statistics or metrics to support that opinion), and is always right and never wrong. Any atrocities are explained away or outright distorted to align to that revision. To them, anyone who doesn’t agree with that is un-American, which is just not true.
Germany had to reckon with the Holocaust after 1945. South Africa underwent a Truth and Reconciliation process led by Desmond Tutu after apartheid. The US didn’t really have such a thing after the Civil War and I think that resentment and division was never really dealt with in the same way, and has been massaged by the far right ever since.
Yes, hogtowngooner.
There’s this obsession with appearing Great and because of that people are content to pretend that horrors such as internment camps, Jim crowe etc. weren’t as recent as last century.
I honestly think the late night shows are at a complete loss because the Daily Show kind of propelled Late Night shows into the political realm by being the moral conscience of the country. It worked with other politicians but it is simply not working with Trump. Trump is a political beast the likes of which they don’t know how to deal with. He simply doesn’t care except in a very supercial, thin skinned way about their criticism and just fires cheap shots back on twitter. So all the snowballs they throw come right back in their faces. I think the writers and hosts like Colbert feel the need to say and do something but what they come up with goes nowhere. Jon Stewart peering out from under Colbert’s desk just seems really lame now. The man who stood by and championed a predator and a creep has lost his credibility amongst a lot of women too (I don’t believe you when you deny having heard the rumors about Louis C.K. Jon! I think you did and chose to ignore them).
Late night talk shows, like America are floundering and lost their way and it’s very sad to watch.
Well, Kaiser, I appreciate everything you’ve been doing to keep reporting on the strange and terrible role that celebrity played in politics to get us a firebreathing, racist Elmer Gantry as president. You have every right to feel defeated. As someone who is trained as an historian, been involved in big tech and lived through decades of homophobic discrimination as a lesbian–and despite all the terror begin waged against us–I really still believe that the rule of law is still in place, and combined with the new growth in political engagement from concerned citizens it will right the ship. It’s not only the Trumpkins who are in trouble with the law. Putin has overstepped the bounds of the global order, and there is no way our allies in western liberal democracies are going to allow him to run roughshod much longer. Like trust, hope is a delicate creature. I’m so thankful you’ve been leading the charge. You’ve given me hope on days I thought I couldn’t get out of bed. Thank you for that!
Thank you for your words of wisdom and optimism. And I second the thanks to Kaiser for helping keep us sane. The internet is a toxic, scary place but CB has continued to be a refuge from the madness and hate.
Justice Kennedy was never an agent of good social change…other than a couple of votes…he’s made sure that this country has stayed steadfast in its true identity of White Supremacy…so…for me…as a Black woman…NOTHING has changed…the Republicans have played the long fascist game…ever since Nixon…which is why the country hasn’t TRULY moved forward in the last 40 years…Though, with Trump…it seems like folks are FINALLY understanding that the crumbs of liberty and decency that’s always been thrown to the masses by the power structure…isn’t enough to live on…and now it isn’t even enough to survive on…and we’re FINALLY getting politically engaged…on EVERY level…because it doesn’t matter if we have a Democratic POTUS…or Senate or Congress…if we have a majority of Republicans as Governors/Mayors/State & Local Congressmen and Senators…and school boards…heck even dog catchers! The ONLY thing that will save us against the fascism that has ALWAYS been in D.C. which is now at it’s PEAK apex…is state’s rights…and the ONLY way we will have humane states rights is if our states’ legislatures has a majority of Democrats…people talk about Roe v. Wade…when 18 states have already pretty much done away with women having the ability to make their own choices regarding their bodes…18 states where Republicans run everything from the Governorship to the state legislature….
I feel you, Kaiser. I think most of us do on some level and it is extremely difficult to be fired up 24-7 when every single day brings some fresh horror. God knows i’ve been drowning in pessimism and anger a lot.
But someone posted something on their FB page the other day that made me pause and smile a little- https://mobile.twitter.com/kexp/status/829128888936759296?lang=en
Good fighting words..
Also, when you’re having a down moment, just remember that in Arizona exists a Ned Flanders themed metal band called Okily Dokily and that’s got to be a force for good in the world.
Thank you for this!
Gleeful cruelty is sadism and that’s what we’re living with- sadists.
Yeah, I haven’t watched the news, haven’t been reading some posts here because it’s a depressing world here. I’m keeping my head in the sand for self-preservation until I can become hopeful again. I developed some ways to overcome it, involving turning my cats into ninjas to aide us when we’re selected to represent our district in the hunger games. We’re going to test it out on the neighbor who hasn’t taken the toilet paper from their trees yet and it’s been windy and all those loose toilet paper squares are blanketing my lawn. Plus they always park on both sides of the street because there’s apparently 300 of them living in the house and it makes it difficult to navigate into my driveway with on-coming traffic and a fence blocking my view.
If the repubs win the midterms I’m moving back to that hell hole Canada and fighting the pipeline in Vancouver.
I was also finally able to get a library card and have been digitally borrowing books from the library and reading books. I finally read Crazy Rich Asians and I can’t wait for the movie. Have the other 2 books in the trilogy on my list but apparently one of them is estimated a 90 day wait. We might all be dead by then.
I’m rambling now. Basically I’m agreeing with you, these are sh*t times and we must practice self-care now more than ever.
Tania, the other two books aren’t *quite* as good as the first, but you’ll enjoy them. I, too, am waiting for the movie, as a 2 hr. respite from the horror of everyday life in America.
Just wanted to say hi to my fellow Vancouverite living in US? Just a little note you can fight the pipeline from wherever you are.. There some great organizations rallying against it right now.
Also sending you hugs!!
Oh man. I got a temporary library card online from the local branch where my parents live. Borrowed ebooks like crazy until it expired. Live abroad so can’t get to the physical library to get another one. Could ask parents, but not speaking to them because they are trumpers. Feeling the loss of my books !!
I miss Jon Stewart on TV. My favorite quote from last night. “ No matter what you (Trump) do, it always comes with an extra layer of gleeful cruelty, and dickishness.”
I have been feeling the same bent towards hopelessness @Kaiser. I understand.
But I am also determined to find my footing and resolution again. I know you will too. You have been such a necessary voice.
There have been some inspiring comments already on this thread, but here is the quote that I have decided I will read every day. I post it for you and all the CB community to give us wise perspective:
“Do not get lost in a sea of despair. Be hopeful, be optimistic. Our struggle is not the struggle of a day, a week, a month, or a year, it is the struggle of a lifetime. Never, ever be afraid to make some noise and get in good trouble, necessary trouble.”
Rep John Lewis
Posted on his Twitter 6/27/18
Democracy isn’t canceled. It’s been hijacked. Pressing people to vote is all well and good. But I don’t think we can really count on that because I honestly believe our voting procedures have been hijacked. I don’t trust Russia to not meddle with our machines. I truly believe they did in 2016.
This is by no means had to be discouraging, just realistic. Vote vote vote. But also be ready to get out there and protest. To make noise. To go on strike if necessary. Call and write and make your voice heard. Don’t just show your opinion at the ballot box.
Gleeful cruelty is the perfect term for what Trump and the Deplorables are engaging in. This isn’t about “respect for law and order” – heck, half this cabinet is up to its eyeballs in scandals and Trump himself has skated by on stiffing contractors, robbing the poor with phony promises of a university degree, has assaulted multiple women, yet he skated all the way to the Oval Office. He constantly attacks the FBI because they have the audacity to investigate him an dhis cronies. Jared Kushner is permitted to lie multiple times on his security clearance application, and he still eventually got it. “Respect for law and order” is code for poor people and POCs not knowing their place at the bottom of the ladder.
Meanwhile Fox News supplies a 24-hour diet of manufactured outrage and resentment, conditioning its viewers into thinking that anyone who isn’t a white Trump supporter is an enemy (or a potential future enemy) that must be vanquished at all costs. Couple that with professional trolls like Milo Yiannopoulos and Ann Coulter who gleefully engage in horrific abuse just to “own the libs” as though it makes them crusaders for their cause.
I fear they have done irreparable harm to this country.
I am a Federal Employee. I direct research for the government. I understand it feels like dark times. I too have felt like it is the end, that we should throw in the towel on this great American experiment.
But several months back, I realized: what does it accomplish to give up? To stop working for our collective good? So I decided not to leave, but to stay, despite watching lots of friends go. I go to work every day for EVREY person in this country, even if I work for an Administration I fundamentally disagree with. That’s what public service is about.
And there are lots more people like me! Millions, in fact, who are still here, despite what we go through every day. And we do it for all of us. So please let that give you some sense of hope.
My favorite quote recently was this:
“The vast majority of federal employees are highly qualified and deeply committed to serving this nation and its elected leaders. And when the tragic saga of the Trump administration ends, they are the people who will rebuild our institutions. ”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/how-to-work-for-a-president-who-hates-the-civil-service/2018/01/26/34dbe95c-0204-11e8-bb03-722769454f82_story.html
I appreciate you staying and working for us.
Thanks, M, for hanging in there. Hopefully you will not be forced to conduct research you don’t want to do or see any of your work dismantled. Stay strong.
Thank you a million times over!
Hang in there, M.
Reading about how empty the WH is, with so many people just jumping ship and nobody willing to replace them… Can’t they just force him out at this point? Why isn’t the act of ripping up official WH documents grounds for impeachment? It’s an illegal act. And even if that somehow doesn’t qualify, they need to just do something unprecedented and get him out. You cannot run a country this way.
Well, who do you think does keep Trump in power? there is a US federal high court who could act upon such Trumpist acts as ripping up WH papers. There are non-corrupt US judges and attorney generals. there is the military.
It is not the ill-educated non-ric mid-western slightly racist Trump voter who keeps Trump in power. They were those who voted him into power but they aren’t those who keep him there.
In recent months, two middle-aged women lost a close loved one suddenly and very young (one an infant, the other a young mom) and each chose to use those first 48 hours of grief to share propaganda on their social media multiple times. The women were either a grandmother or stepmother to the deceased. They posted very little about the tragedies or to lean on inspirational themes, but took time to promote sketchy pro-right wing (dis)information.
How can anyone be so brainwashed, fanatical or whatever you would call it? I understand possibly wanting to escape reality, but to share polarizing political posts within hours of losing someone? I don’t understand the cruelty and the detachment some people have.
One thing that I’ve learned from visiting other countries and examining the way they do democracy is that they have updated their system to deal with the changing times. They’ve taken into account that we’ve moved WELL beyond the times of slave-owning, land-stealing colonist settlers who owned muskets and had no idea that electricity was important. YET, we are still operating on the same documents these deeply-flawed people created. That’s just madness. This whole thing has been a perfect storm of 1) flawed system, and 2) flawed culture.
But, even if we tried to update the awful system to account for all the problems, the Republicans would stop it because the current system benefits them the most. They won’t update the 2nd amendment because of all that sweet, sweet NRA cash. Even the Supreme Court has sided with corporations as our overlords (Citizens United), giving big corporations a right to run our country now. The lobbying money in the system has led to extreme corruption.
It’s a terrible system that has been corrupted long before Trump got here. He simply took full advantage of it because he’s a garbage person with no morals. Run a scam university? Pay off the attorney general of Florida, Pam Bondi, to not investigate you. Run a scam charity? Pay off the NY city prosecutor. Again and again, he saw that money, power, and fame got him off. Our system is deeply flawed, and Trump has used every loophole to his advantage.
2) Further, we have such a flawed culture. People who are uneducated and don’t trust others who are educated or competent. People who buy into conspiracy theories and believe FOX “news.” People who are misogynists (many countries in the world have had female leaders, or even TWO, and we haven’t had ONE? Why?). People who are racists. People who think that poor people are responsible for their own poverty. People who think that we should all worship like them, and if you don’t, then THEY are victims, and you’re somehow discriminating against them. All the love of drama and entertainment that skews our priorities (many are not educated on important topics). And, most of all, people who don’t care. DON’T CARE ENOUGH TO VOTE. 45% of the US could have voted, but they stayed home. We are deeply flawed and Trump took advantage of all of this, because he’s been taking advantage of the system his ENTIRE LIFE.
Let’s just think about our country and our culture, for a minute. We are the moral authority and the backyard bully of the world. How many countries’ elections have we influenced? How many countries have we destroyed? How many innocent people died in Korea, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Afghanistan, and Iraq? While some Americans did protest, many did not say, or do anything. I remember when the Iraq war was going strong, and many people in the US were refinancing their homes and living high due to the booming economy. As if there was no war. As if the US wasn’t engaged in mindless slaughter and bloodshed. It was grotesque, really. As a country, we have a long history of aggression and violence. We have no credibility when it comes to moral leadership.
In general, the American people are mostly decent (about 66% of us?) and don’t deserve this. That being said, garbage corrupt system plus garbage culture (& garbage racist/imperialistic past) equals an eventual decay and fall. All empires fall. I will vote to stop it. I hope that voting will be enough, and we can turn the tide.
If that doesn’t work, then I will vote to succeed from the union. I didn’t sign up for a dictatorship. That’s not America. And, if America doesn’t exist anymore, then it’s time for a divorce. I know of many people here in the West who agree. Washington DC doesn’t care about us. And, we’re fed up with all of DC’s lies & BS.
Kaiser, I’ve never been more upset or dispirited by one of your posts. And you’ve never been more right.
God save us all.
Trumps goal is to make sure only white straight males have rights. He is a monster. He is winning now, but there will be a 46th!
I agree.
You guys… I can’t, but I will. I feel so broken. I didn’t vote bc I so foolishly thought Hillary had it in the bag and I’m not political anyways, and the eloctoral college is a huge mess anyways so.. but I can’t. Not w what’s at stake. I felt it in my bones the day after the election… this is ww3 we’re verging in. The embargos, the treason, the utter disregard for people seeking asylum and utter racism. It’s too hard to rectify my personal life from politics (my whole family is republican and my brother works for the party), but none of us can ( literally no one that regards people as people no matter their gender, race, sexual orientation, etc), cannot afford in these times to act like our voice doesn’t mean something. Maybe it doesn’t. Maybe it won’t. Maybe we’re at the bleak end of nothing. But I will be damned when history writes itself to not do anything any longer. This is the point where you say, “ why didn’t the German people know?”. We know. We have to do something, even if our efforts aren’t immediately shown, the time is now. I love you all, prayers for all that have to go through something so traumatic, and I will admit what they said back then, “ I didn’t know it would get so out of hand”. But I will do something now. Now. I will vote, I will march, I will scream until my lungs give out. Because (and this is what’s tearing my family apart and what i guess the trumpers don’t see) you have to. You have to, you have to, you have to. If you believe in humanity at all, you have to fight for disenfranchised, because we could all easily end up on the chopping block. I won’t cry. I’m just mad now, and I’m going to fight like hell (and we all know what the stories tell us about a woman scorned 😘)
He thinks he’s the dictator in chief. But the republic will survive. I agree with the other posts — this week continues the barrage of bad news and un-American conduct by this administrations — incessant lies and pathetic deflection. Corruption, chaos and cruelty have become the norm. November will be the turning point if we make it so.
there were lots of voters who voted for Trump. As long as you don’t understand their motivations and WHY they did it nobody will get anywhere near a solution. And nope, just saying that there was a bunch of white racists who supported Trump isn’t going to do as an analysis.
America has fallen into the darkness, into Fascism, this is horrifyingly true. Now, is not the time for apathy, it is time to fight, to push back, to organize to stop the Republicans in office and their donors all the ways that we can, and to VOTE.
The Primaries are happening now, and still it is record low turn out. We need to ensure that people are registered to vote now, and that they vote in the mid term elections for the democrats. Blue wave.
To do this, people need to be Helped, not mocked or insulted. Trump/Republicans Lied promising a lot of shit that he/they never delivered. There is a blue wave, just stay focus, plugged in and organized.
Everyone is seeing this fascism, now too. Trump/Republicans are locking traumatized, innocent children in cages. Trump/Republicans are going to pull more disturbing shit.
This is IT. No one is going to save us. We all have to stand up and do this ourselves. Fight to protect and expand our Human and Civil Rights. To save our Democracy. We Can too. We can win!
The reality is that every country is a democracy. It’s just that humans are way too good at putting up with bad situations for fear a change will be worse. Plus they’re pretty busy just making it from day to day. But the power is always there once they decide to exercise it. Every dictator ultimately rules with the consent of the governed.
A lot of Americans haven’t figured out that out yet. Many are actually ok with a dictator as long as their own ox isn’t gored and they are kept suitably entertained. And so we have Trump.
Trump didn’t create the racism and hatred and selfishness we see in his followers. He just brought it out into the open and made it seem respectable. Our problem runs much deeper than the lunatic in the White House.
I’m not ready to give up yet. If November turns out badly, THEN I will be hopeless, but until then…we have to keep fighting. We have to keep protesting. We have to keep calling them out. Most importantly though…WE NEED TO VOTE. No more “sitting this one out” or voting “independent” or “writing in a name”. This is why we lost in 2016. Enough with the excuses. VOTE DEMOCRAT.