I waffle back and forth on whether he is following some perverted script, or just incredibly uninformed and incompetent. Maybe both, which is really scary.
Recall that his first Secretary of State called him a "fucking moron." He's ignorant, illiterate, incurious and inept, on top of being a criminal animated solely by greed and petty schemes of spite, vengeance and cruelty.
It amazes me his dumb followers think of him as some kind of economic genius, presumably because he had a TV program where he yelled and waved his hands back and forth a lot. Nothing could be further from reality. He's a carnival barker who doesn't know anything, can't do anything, has no skills or a personal philosophy of any kind -- just a loud, arrogant idiot unwilling and incapable of learning anything from life.
Sooner or later, this whole clusterfuck on steroids 'gonna fall down, go BOOM.' When it does, it will bring a lot of people down with it. I don't think that can be helped. But I hope, paraphrasing Churchill, that Wisconsin marks maybe not even the beginning of the end, but at least the end of the beginning.
Corbin, not being "ignorant, illiterate, incurious and inept" is useful for some organisms, but irrelevant for others. In Trump's case, his being a fucking moron is utterly beside the point, because that's not his secret sauce and hasn't hindered his evolutionary success, if you will. His mastery is power accumulation. That's what he's good at. It's why he succeeds. His supporters similarly don't care about intelligence, literacy, curiosity, and competency. So we can't afford to spend much time prosecuting that case against him. It won't get us closer to beating him.
You're not alone in that. It’s hard to tell where the line is between calculated chaos and genuine ignorance. If it's a script, it's dystopian. If it's incompetence, it's dangerous. And if it’s both? That’s the stuff of history books and nightmares.
Agreed--it's project 2025. However, focusing on what we do about it feels more productive than dissecting/diagnosing. We've known about the perverts for some time now. Maybe we need to replicate the "throw it out hard and fast and constant" techniques they use? Pop ups and surprises.
Yes, you beat me to it. It was all there in plain sight in the 922 pages of Project2025.
David Pepper wrote Trump's Project 2025: Up Close and Personal Podcast
based on the chapters with many pro-Democracy actors (Mark Hamill, Morgan Fairchild, Mark Ruffalo, etc.) narrating or playing roles. Much of what we are seeing now comes eerily close to what seems like insanity in David's podcasts. Nope, just Trump and MAGA.
well said. More than that, like a toddler, he can only see what's in front of him "in the moment," and has no interest in the future, nor the current consequences, regarding all his horrendous egregious actions. His megalomania is a symptom of his narcissistic personality disorder, and all the Congressional Trumpians (no longer Republicans) are drunk with both power and fear. I fear when our economy collapses (ugh!), which will reverberate worldwide, only then, with the uproar, will Congressional so-called Republicans make their move to finally DO SOMETHING: remove him and Vance from office. Do we really have to wait for that?
Wish I shared your optimism that when our economy collapses (if it does), Trumplicans in Congress will suddenly stop being afraid of DT and act like more “normal” politicians. Trump’s secret sauce is that people who do not have his personality disorder (characterized by a predatory level of no empathy) can sense that he would stop at nothing to direct his vengeance toward them. They know that he - like many malignant narcissists - is not bound by the traits that make us uniquely human, i.e, concern, decency, empathy. That knowledge/fear is not going to change just because the economy crashes. They are not going to find a backbone until the malevolent threat posed by a malignant narcissist - to whom they stupidly, timidly, ceded all their power - is gone.
I recall Kevin Roberts' comment on Steve Bannon's War Room. Roberts, President of the Heritage Foundation and chief author of Project 2025 said this - We are in a “second American Revolution” that will be bloodless if the left allows it to be. What exactly does he mean by "bloodless if the left allows it to be"?
If Republicans have any interest in a continuing USA they will impeach and remove Trump and Vance (and Johnson) this week. And traitor Musk should be arrested.
What Republicans? The former Republican Party has morphed into the trumplican party. How unfortunate for us all (as even those who voted for him will find out sooner or later)!
Richard they are the Republican party whether you like it or not. I acknowledge the party has seemingly sworn allegiance to Donnie boy. But they are legally the Republicans.
I was a Republican for many years. I finally gave up with the Tea Party and changed to independent. At this point. this is not the Republican Party from years ago, and it may never recover. We do need something new and some serious leadership.
Yes I agree. So the current Republican party needs to lose, significantly. Which suggests that for now us independent folk need to get behind the democratic party until we've quelled current Republican party, then build new coalition's
It is no surprise to me that tRump is a royal f*kup. He did the same scam in Atlantic City here in NJ. Some New Jerseyans have a seemingly short memory. Adam has described him perfectly.
We have to be brutally honest with the Republicans in office right now, they work for us, not him. An election put them in office, an election will take them out. Proud to have Cory Booker and Andy Kim as my senators. Also, Mikie Sherrill as my representative. There are plenty of Republicans in this state, some in my extended family. There is a great deal of wealthy families here who, I’m certain, are Republicans in the true sense of the former Republican Party, for less regulation and smaller government. I wish them well. I prefer to be a left leaning Independent, I have voted both ways in the past. Right now I am true blue!💙
Good point, but the word "Republican" is nothing more than a label, just as "trumplican" is also nothing more than a label. The only people I know of that can still be considered Republicans are Adam and Liz Cheney (I'm sure there are many others, but I don't know who they are). I use the two labels to distinguish between sane, reasonable conservatives and dishonest, greedy and hateful people who are only interested in their own wealth and power.
The people in Congress, as well as many people in the general population who claim to be Republican are actually, as proven by their behavior, spinelessness and voting record, are trumplicans.
People like Adam and Liz Cheney who speak out and stand up against trump, maga and in defense of democracy are the only remaining people who I would consider to remain as Republicans (so long as that is what they are considering themselves to be).
Our Constitutional Federal Republic will remain at risk and bogged down in the current quagmire until the voting population can understand the difference and vote for Democrats or (true) Republicans, and NOT trumplicans and maga or their ilk.
I personally think that they will have trouble living among us Americans and need to make arrangements for themselves and their families in North Korea or Russia.
Right on target. The thread running through Trump’s entire life, from his business dealings to his presidency, is betrayal. He thrives in chaos, not because he’s a strategic genius, but because broken trust gives him leverage. That’s terrifying in business, catastrophic in governance, and destabilizing on the world stage.
What’s particularly dangerous now is that he’s scaling that behavior up. He is playing games not just with contractors, but with entire nations. The erosion of trust isn’t just theoretical; we’re already seeing allies back away, institutions fray, and global stability slip. Trump didn’t invent American decline, but he’s accelerating it by making the U.S. synonymous with unreliability.
And once trust is gone, you're not just starting from zero. You're digging out of a hole. The damage isn’t only diplomatic or economic. It’s generational.
So well put Michael. Your most ominous statement “ The damage isn’t only diplomatic or economic. It’s generational.” I’m betting not just one generation either to claw back from the damage.
Having profited by bankrupting companies and generally stiffing others, he may simply have decided he can get even more by stiffing and bankrupting countries,
Well said, Adam. I value your take on the situation in which we find ourselves.
I do wonder if there is a way for all of our resistance forces against 47 and MAGA to coalesce so we can have a united front against tyranny soon. We may never gain back what we have lost, due to this corrupt (on steroids) regime, but we need a real combined movement to take on the oligarchs.
And all of the oligarchs. As Cory Booker put (I’m paraphrasing) it this is not about right or left but what is moral and correct for the type of society we want to live in—hopefully one that includes most Americans, particularly those who are struggling, not just the top 1%.
Adam, I can only imagine that you, as a veteran and former House member, must feel even more keenly than I do the betrayal and disgust and anxiety in the face of DT’s reneging on his Oath of Office. I can only see conspiracy theories that would account for his deliberate trashing of our economy and soft power and alliances. Split the spoils of Ukraine and Greenland with Putin? As if Putin were to be trusted! I just don’t get it, unless he sees some payoffs for himself and the heady intoxication of more power as being worth betraying all of humanity.
I’m reading Trust by Pete Buttigieg (published 2020), where he writes about systematic and purposeful abuse of trust (Fox News and others) has led to the breakdown in American society. And now, five years after his book was published, it rings even truer today and in its own way, more frightening because he was talking about what Trump 1.0 did and now we see it fully charged in 2.0
We are becoming more tribal and untrusting every day, but it can be turned around. The question is, can it be turned around before it’s too late, as Adam has so clearly played out in this piece??
I think when they completely destroy the economy and MAGAs are starving, out of work and have no handouts. They will finally figure out who is destroying them and their families.
As frustrating as it can be dealing with trumpers, play nice, please. As was said earlier, welcoming them back without "I told you so" will heal our country better and faster. And we need healing. Thank you.
I know a few who will double down when proved wrong. On the other hand, I need to believe some/many can and will come around and together we can right the ship and move it forward.
Of course it can be turned around. This country has seen--well, not worse, but a fair amount of rubbish in the past.
While you're reading, maybe look up the St Crispin's Day speech from Shakespeare's Henry V (or watch the Kenneth Braunaugh film, which was excellent). One of the best political speeches ever written, even though he wasn't a politician.
Joan, I looked up the text and watched a clip (sorry, not sure which movie). It’s an inspirational piece. I assume we are the underdogs and our names will live in infamy for fighting the good fight against the tyranny of oligarchs. Trying hard to invoke Shakespeare and a little humor!
The (fictional) speech was delivered by King Henry V (real king) before the Battle of Agincourt (real battle) where the English were outnumbered. The English won. Let that be a lesson to us all! The film is callled Henry V, came out in about 1989. We will prevail.
In today's world Adam, you are my voice of reason and clarity. You help me make sense of what is going on with the insanity of the country and help me try to explain it to others. Tomorrow I will be taking part in the CountryFirst phone calls and on Saturday I will be peacefully protesting in a Hands Off Rally. Thank you for being objective but also offering a glimmer of hope.
Yes, 45/47 is betraying the American people, by allowing Musksputin to purchase the levers of power to tear down our government; there are elected sycophants that are allowing it to happen. The political appointees have come to the conclusion that the Crueler that action the better. Betraying our allies for a despot Leader of Russia is on the menu. When this is all said and done the American people will be left holding the bag financially and morally for the actions of the sick Demented minds of this so called administration.
I would love to see a point-by-point video (Lincoln Project?) of each of Trump's campaign promises at his rallies contrasted with those same points now.
It strains credulity how numb Republicans (no offense - I don't count you among them) are to the will of the people, and how they just don't care whether we know it! It seems like power, control, and money are the only things they care about.
And it's really so sad to see the relations with our allies we've spent decades building destroyed at the behest of one deranged narcissist with no appreciation for what can be achieved with cooperation over competition.
I agree with you Adam. As a former NYer Trump was well known for his ruthless underhanded manipulative business methods. I always want to ask those supporting him if they would want a friend like Him 😳 would you want him speaking to your child?😩 how do you explain his actions to your child?🤔
If his supporters are willing to give the devil their souls it might be getting too late to learn the lesson. My hope is that there are still enough people who can band together to keep our democracy going 🙏🏽 thanks to you and the others trying to lead the way. 🙏🏽
I agree with your comments as I’ve seen him this way for years. But now comes the big question, where to now? Maybe Cory Booker’s stand, the Wisconsin Supreme Court justice, Bernie and AOC, etc. are the beginning of a return to sanity? Adam, I call again on you to continue to lead the charge. You have a charisma, an attitude of absolute defiance, that the “new” party will need. Keep pushing back and leading us forward.
Impossible to ascertain how much kool-aid factors into his supporters/followers/fellow-megabucks-greedmonsters acquiescence -- vs. how much boils down to following out of primary fear of retribution by a powerfully unhinged, unaccountable narcissist who's not operating with a full deck.
For many of us, myself included, who thought, "Wow... our government may be a little bloated, but it's definitely aged and needs some modernizing", this destruction without thought or care of who is harmed or what is cut is painful to watch. Most businesses don't operate like this – for all of the yahoos that say "Government should be run like a business." Inevitably those countries that do this serve to fill the pockets of a family, a person or a group of persons having nothing to do with the good of all peoples of a nation. Monarchies, kleptocracies, dictatorships and authoritarian countries all have one thing in common: the government flows through and to these people or groups for their benefit first.
They also haven't paid attention to the role that we played in the world's safety and stability, and that of what our allies do. The grievances they feel against allies are similar to those they feel towards the opposition party and all of the "other" being labeled and vilified: shallow, ignorant and wrong. All of this misinformation is intended for one reason: destabilize unity in this country and allow for rather evil people to corrupt our government - flawed as it can be at times - in order to syphon everything through them, including money and power.
Even our rights are being stripped. Some may hot see this, they see the rights of others being stripped. But when it happens to one person or group, it will come for you eventually.
As Adam writes here, trust is being destroyed. Even if we could sweep this all away: Elon could be given the boot, Republican members of Congress could find their spines and our Government returned to a semblance of normal, we'd still have lost trust nationally and abroad.
The one thing Adam isn't mentioning in this is the trust we'll lack in our fellow citizens. Meeting in the middle may not happen for generations, either. And most sad of all, the man who created this unholy quagmire could care less about the carnage he created and left at our feet.
I'm going to go all Pollyanna here...this will teach us what we're made of. I believe Adam is made of perseverance and courage. And you, my fellow Americans?
I waffle back and forth on whether he is following some perverted script, or just incredibly uninformed and incompetent. Maybe both, which is really scary.
Recall that his first Secretary of State called him a "fucking moron." He's ignorant, illiterate, incurious and inept, on top of being a criminal animated solely by greed and petty schemes of spite, vengeance and cruelty.
It amazes me his dumb followers think of him as some kind of economic genius, presumably because he had a TV program where he yelled and waved his hands back and forth a lot. Nothing could be further from reality. He's a carnival barker who doesn't know anything, can't do anything, has no skills or a personal philosophy of any kind -- just a loud, arrogant idiot unwilling and incapable of learning anything from life.
Sooner or later, this whole clusterfuck on steroids 'gonna fall down, go BOOM.' When it does, it will bring a lot of people down with it. I don't think that can be helped. But I hope, paraphrasing Churchill, that Wisconsin marks maybe not even the beginning of the end, but at least the end of the beginning.
Corbin, not being "ignorant, illiterate, incurious and inept" is useful for some organisms, but irrelevant for others. In Trump's case, his being a fucking moron is utterly beside the point, because that's not his secret sauce and hasn't hindered his evolutionary success, if you will. His mastery is power accumulation. That's what he's good at. It's why he succeeds. His supporters similarly don't care about intelligence, literacy, curiosity, and competency. So we can't afford to spend much time prosecuting that case against him. It won't get us closer to beating him.
Of course you’re right, but it is maddening that he can’t go 5 minutes without mentioning everyone’s IQ… something smart people never do.
Unfortunately, the ones that will be hurt most when it comes down are the ones that can least afford it. There will be no safety nets left for them.
And it's going to take many years to rebuild, and become stable - beyond my lifetime.
But now TRump can call his present Secretary of State the same thing and Marco has proved that he is over and over again.
You're not alone in that. It’s hard to tell where the line is between calculated chaos and genuine ignorance. If it's a script, it's dystopian. If it's incompetence, it's dangerous. And if it’s both? That’s the stuff of history books and nightmares.
The Germans and Hitler wrote the same book that is being used now in the 1930's.
The perverted script is project 2025.
Agreed--it's project 2025. However, focusing on what we do about it feels more productive than dissecting/diagnosing. We've known about the perverts for some time now. Maybe we need to replicate the "throw it out hard and fast and constant" techniques they use? Pop ups and surprises.
My strategy is to support CREW, Democracy Forward and others, who can defeat it in court.
Thanks Steve! I’ll check those out adap
Yes, you beat me to it. It was all there in plain sight in the 922 pages of Project2025.
David Pepper wrote Trump's Project 2025: Up Close and Personal Podcast
based on the chapters with many pro-Democracy actors (Mark Hamill, Morgan Fairchild, Mark Ruffalo, etc.) narrating or playing roles. Much of what we are seeing now comes eerily close to what seems like insanity in David's podcasts. Nope, just Trump and MAGA.
well said. More than that, like a toddler, he can only see what's in front of him "in the moment," and has no interest in the future, nor the current consequences, regarding all his horrendous egregious actions. His megalomania is a symptom of his narcissistic personality disorder, and all the Congressional Trumpians (no longer Republicans) are drunk with both power and fear. I fear when our economy collapses (ugh!), which will reverberate worldwide, only then, with the uproar, will Congressional so-called Republicans make their move to finally DO SOMETHING: remove him and Vance from office. Do we really have to wait for that?
Wish I shared your optimism that when our economy collapses (if it does), Trumplicans in Congress will suddenly stop being afraid of DT and act like more “normal” politicians. Trump’s secret sauce is that people who do not have his personality disorder (characterized by a predatory level of no empathy) can sense that he would stop at nothing to direct his vengeance toward them. They know that he - like many malignant narcissists - is not bound by the traits that make us uniquely human, i.e, concern, decency, empathy. That knowledge/fear is not going to change just because the economy crashes. They are not going to find a backbone until the malevolent threat posed by a malignant narcissist - to whom they stupidly, timidly, ceded all their power - is gone.
I recall Kevin Roberts' comment on Steve Bannon's War Room. Roberts, President of the Heritage Foundation and chief author of Project 2025 said this - We are in a “second American Revolution” that will be bloodless if the left allows it to be. What exactly does he mean by "bloodless if the left allows it to be"?
Maybe what he means is: If the left just rolls over and lets us do what we want, then we won't have to shoot them.
The betrayal of NATO partners alone should earn him a prison sentence.
If Republicans have any interest in a continuing USA they will impeach and remove Trump and Vance (and Johnson) this week. And traitor Musk should be arrested.
What Republicans? The former Republican Party has morphed into the trumplican party. How unfortunate for us all (as even those who voted for him will find out sooner or later)!
Richard they are the Republican party whether you like it or not. I acknowledge the party has seemingly sworn allegiance to Donnie boy. But they are legally the Republicans.
I was a Republican for many years. I finally gave up with the Tea Party and changed to independent. At this point. this is not the Republican Party from years ago, and it may never recover. We do need something new and some serious leadership.
Yes I agree. So the current Republican party needs to lose, significantly. Which suggests that for now us independent folk need to get behind the democratic party until we've quelled current Republican party, then build new coalition's
It is no surprise to me that tRump is a royal f*kup. He did the same scam in Atlantic City here in NJ. Some New Jerseyans have a seemingly short memory. Adam has described him perfectly.
We have to be brutally honest with the Republicans in office right now, they work for us, not him. An election put them in office, an election will take them out. Proud to have Cory Booker and Andy Kim as my senators. Also, Mikie Sherrill as my representative. There are plenty of Republicans in this state, some in my extended family. There is a great deal of wealthy families here who, I’m certain, are Republicans in the true sense of the former Republican Party, for less regulation and smaller government. I wish them well. I prefer to be a left leaning Independent, I have voted both ways in the past. Right now I am true blue!💙
Good point, but the word "Republican" is nothing more than a label, just as "trumplican" is also nothing more than a label. The only people I know of that can still be considered Republicans are Adam and Liz Cheney (I'm sure there are many others, but I don't know who they are). I use the two labels to distinguish between sane, reasonable conservatives and dishonest, greedy and hateful people who are only interested in their own wealth and power.
The people in Congress, as well as many people in the general population who claim to be Republican are actually, as proven by their behavior, spinelessness and voting record, are trumplicans.
People like Adam and Liz Cheney who speak out and stand up against trump, maga and in defense of democracy are the only remaining people who I would consider to remain as Republicans (so long as that is what they are considering themselves to be).
Our Constitutional Federal Republic will remain at risk and bogged down in the current quagmire until the voting population can understand the difference and vote for Democrats or (true) Republicans, and NOT trumplicans and maga or their ilk.
I personally think that they will have trouble living among us Americans and need to make arrangements for themselves and their families in North Korea or Russia.
100% agree.
Right on target. The thread running through Trump’s entire life, from his business dealings to his presidency, is betrayal. He thrives in chaos, not because he’s a strategic genius, but because broken trust gives him leverage. That’s terrifying in business, catastrophic in governance, and destabilizing on the world stage.
What’s particularly dangerous now is that he’s scaling that behavior up. He is playing games not just with contractors, but with entire nations. The erosion of trust isn’t just theoretical; we’re already seeing allies back away, institutions fray, and global stability slip. Trump didn’t invent American decline, but he’s accelerating it by making the U.S. synonymous with unreliability.
And once trust is gone, you're not just starting from zero. You're digging out of a hole. The damage isn’t only diplomatic or economic. It’s generational.
Putin smiles!
So well put Michael. Your most ominous statement “ The damage isn’t only diplomatic or economic. It’s generational.” I’m betting not just one generation either to claw back from the damage.
Having profited by bankrupting companies and generally stiffing others, he may simply have decided he can get even more by stiffing and bankrupting countries,
Well said, Adam. I value your take on the situation in which we find ourselves.
I do wonder if there is a way for all of our resistance forces against 47 and MAGA to coalesce so we can have a united front against tyranny soon. We may never gain back what we have lost, due to this corrupt (on steroids) regime, but we need a real combined movement to take on the oligarchs.
Pam-I too hope we find a way to coalesce, and not just against 47 and MAGA, but also Musk.
And all of the oligarchs. As Cory Booker put (I’m paraphrasing) it this is not about right or left but what is moral and correct for the type of society we want to live in—hopefully one that includes most Americans, particularly those who are struggling, not just the top 1%.
Adam, I can only imagine that you, as a veteran and former House member, must feel even more keenly than I do the betrayal and disgust and anxiety in the face of DT’s reneging on his Oath of Office. I can only see conspiracy theories that would account for his deliberate trashing of our economy and soft power and alliances. Split the spoils of Ukraine and Greenland with Putin? As if Putin were to be trusted! I just don’t get it, unless he sees some payoffs for himself and the heady intoxication of more power as being worth betraying all of humanity.
Bingo.
The bottom line: Nothing good will be done by this misAdministration. If something good does come out of it, it will be by accident, not intent.
I fear you are spot on.
I’m reading Trust by Pete Buttigieg (published 2020), where he writes about systematic and purposeful abuse of trust (Fox News and others) has led to the breakdown in American society. And now, five years after his book was published, it rings even truer today and in its own way, more frightening because he was talking about what Trump 1.0 did and now we see it fully charged in 2.0
We are becoming more tribal and untrusting every day, but it can be turned around. The question is, can it be turned around before it’s too late, as Adam has so clearly played out in this piece??
I think when they completely destroy the economy and MAGAs are starving, out of work and have no handouts. They will finally figure out who is destroying them and their families.
Steve ,
I think at that point t-Rump’s new slogan will be :
“ I had to destroy America in order to make it great again “
As frustrating as it can be dealing with trumpers, play nice, please. As was said earlier, welcoming them back without "I told you so" will heal our country better and faster. And we need healing. Thank you.
TRump will unite this country again. We will all have one common enemy.
I think you’re right, they were lied to but it’s also willful ignorance in most cases and true believers as well.
I know a few who will double down when proved wrong. On the other hand, I need to believe some/many can and will come around and together we can right the ship and move it forward.
I’m thinking they will still try to , somehow, blame the “libs”, the “deep state”, the tooth fairy. Anyone but themselves. Incapable of introspection.
Of course it can be turned around. This country has seen--well, not worse, but a fair amount of rubbish in the past.
While you're reading, maybe look up the St Crispin's Day speech from Shakespeare's Henry V (or watch the Kenneth Braunaugh film, which was excellent). One of the best political speeches ever written, even though he wasn't a politician.
Joan, I looked up the text and watched a clip (sorry, not sure which movie). It’s an inspirational piece. I assume we are the underdogs and our names will live in infamy for fighting the good fight against the tyranny of oligarchs. Trying hard to invoke Shakespeare and a little humor!
The (fictional) speech was delivered by King Henry V (real king) before the Battle of Agincourt (real battle) where the English were outnumbered. The English won. Let that be a lesson to us all! The film is callled Henry V, came out in about 1989. We will prevail.
In today's world Adam, you are my voice of reason and clarity. You help me make sense of what is going on with the insanity of the country and help me try to explain it to others. Tomorrow I will be taking part in the CountryFirst phone calls and on Saturday I will be peacefully protesting in a Hands Off Rally. Thank you for being objective but also offering a glimmer of hope.
Yes, 45/47 is betraying the American people, by allowing Musksputin to purchase the levers of power to tear down our government; there are elected sycophants that are allowing it to happen. The political appointees have come to the conclusion that the Crueler that action the better. Betraying our allies for a despot Leader of Russia is on the menu. When this is all said and done the American people will be left holding the bag financially and morally for the actions of the sick Demented minds of this so called administration.
Thanks for that great commentary, Adam!
I would love to see a point-by-point video (Lincoln Project?) of each of Trump's campaign promises at his rallies contrasted with those same points now.
It strains credulity how numb Republicans (no offense - I don't count you among them) are to the will of the people, and how they just don't care whether we know it! It seems like power, control, and money are the only things they care about.
And it's really so sad to see the relations with our allies we've spent decades building destroyed at the behest of one deranged narcissist with no appreciation for what can be achieved with cooperation over competition.
I agree with you Adam. As a former NYer Trump was well known for his ruthless underhanded manipulative business methods. I always want to ask those supporting him if they would want a friend like Him 😳 would you want him speaking to your child?😩 how do you explain his actions to your child?🤔
If his supporters are willing to give the devil their souls it might be getting too late to learn the lesson. My hope is that there are still enough people who can band together to keep our democracy going 🙏🏽 thanks to you and the others trying to lead the way. 🙏🏽
I agree with your comments as I’ve seen him this way for years. But now comes the big question, where to now? Maybe Cory Booker’s stand, the Wisconsin Supreme Court justice, Bernie and AOC, etc. are the beginning of a return to sanity? Adam, I call again on you to continue to lead the charge. You have a charisma, an attitude of absolute defiance, that the “new” party will need. Keep pushing back and leading us forward.
Impossible to ascertain how much kool-aid factors into his supporters/followers/fellow-megabucks-greedmonsters acquiescence -- vs. how much boils down to following out of primary fear of retribution by a powerfully unhinged, unaccountable narcissist who's not operating with a full deck.
For many of us, myself included, who thought, "Wow... our government may be a little bloated, but it's definitely aged and needs some modernizing", this destruction without thought or care of who is harmed or what is cut is painful to watch. Most businesses don't operate like this – for all of the yahoos that say "Government should be run like a business." Inevitably those countries that do this serve to fill the pockets of a family, a person or a group of persons having nothing to do with the good of all peoples of a nation. Monarchies, kleptocracies, dictatorships and authoritarian countries all have one thing in common: the government flows through and to these people or groups for their benefit first.
They also haven't paid attention to the role that we played in the world's safety and stability, and that of what our allies do. The grievances they feel against allies are similar to those they feel towards the opposition party and all of the "other" being labeled and vilified: shallow, ignorant and wrong. All of this misinformation is intended for one reason: destabilize unity in this country and allow for rather evil people to corrupt our government - flawed as it can be at times - in order to syphon everything through them, including money and power.
Even our rights are being stripped. Some may hot see this, they see the rights of others being stripped. But when it happens to one person or group, it will come for you eventually.
As Adam writes here, trust is being destroyed. Even if we could sweep this all away: Elon could be given the boot, Republican members of Congress could find their spines and our Government returned to a semblance of normal, we'd still have lost trust nationally and abroad.
The one thing Adam isn't mentioning in this is the trust we'll lack in our fellow citizens. Meeting in the middle may not happen for generations, either. And most sad of all, the man who created this unholy quagmire could care less about the carnage he created and left at our feet.
I'm going to go all Pollyanna here...this will teach us what we're made of. I believe Adam is made of perseverance and courage. And you, my fellow Americans?
Carol, I believe in Pollyanna!!
Great! What are you made of?