Saturday, April 26, 2025

Who's going to be the adult to sign Donald Chump's report card?

Dan Balz, Scott Clement, and Emily Guskin (WASHINGTON POST) note, "As he nears the end of his first 100 days in office, President Donald Trump is facing growing opposition to his ambitious and controversial agenda, with his approval rating in decline, majority opposition to major initiatives, and perceptions that his administration is seeking to avoid complying with federal court orders, according to a Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll."  Yes, we're almost at the end of the 100 days.  America's pulse is still beating but let's not pretend we aren't all bruised and bloodied as a result of the Convicted Felon's return to the White House. 


Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.) said that President Trump’s recent executive actions “should chill us to the bone” and claimed that his “authoritarian impulses” are a danger to American democracy. 

“I think it’s clear. We have never seen a president try to wield the federal government to crush his critics and political adversaries. That’s something new in American history, and it is, in my view, un-American. And it’s something that should chill us to the bone, no matter our politics, no matter our policy preferences,” Ossoff said in an interview with The Associated Press (AP) that was published Saturday. 


Ossoff is dead on correct.  Take comfort in the fact that  Tuesday will be the end of the 100 days and then we'll 'only' have to suffer through 1360 more days. 


Fortunately, there are only 556 more days until the 2026 mid-terms.  After that election, Chump will be in the lame duck position.


With a little luck, a lot of hope, prayer and activism, America might yet survive him.


Should we be so fortunate, we need to remember that many weren't.    As he attacks this program and that program for medical funding, for medical research, a lot of people will die that shouldn't have.  As he tries to deregulate safety standards, people will die from that as well.  And don't forget all the people -- including many Americans -- that he's deporting.  



As part of Donald Trump's immigration crackdown, three U.S. citizen children were deported with their mothers by the New Orleans Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on Friday morning. One of the children was undergoing cancer treatment and one of the mothers is pregnant.

Both families had lived in the country for years and had ties to their communities, according to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Louisiana, which warns that the circumstances of their sudden deportations raises grave due process concerns. The civil rights organization says that the first family was detained on Tuesday and the second family on Thursday, and that one of the mothers was given less than one minute on the phone before the call was abruptly dropped, after her spouse attempted to provide a phone number to legal counsel.


He's destroying our country.


And disgracing us on the world stage.  Today was Pope Francis' funeral.  The dress code for men?  Black suits.  Leave it to the trashy rich-for-TV Donald Chump to violate the dress code by wearing a blue suit.  Leave it to trashy Chump to not only wear the wrong color but to wear one of his Sears Roebuck suits that looked like it was wadded up at the bottom of back pack before he put it on.  Apparently, the only thing Musk and DOGE cut in the White House was access to irons.


There he was in the wrong color suit, the suit all wrinkled and not fitted, in need of a bra and foundation garments to try to pull all that jiggly fat in, face smeared with orange foundation and that awful, awful hair that either needs to a real cut or else a pink barrette to hold that long lock back off his forehead.  


He's a joke. 


 Katie-Ann Gupwell (IRISH STAR) reports:

World leaders have gathered in Rome for the funeral of Pope Francis, but some people have spotted an issue with President Donald Trump, but it's not his terribly bruised hands this time. Mourners said he made a "disrespectful blunder" during the service.

Many prominent figures attended the Vatican's St Peter's Square on Saturday morning alongside Trump, who was branded "disgusting" for his behavior at the service, including Prince William, Joe Biden, Britain's Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron.

[. . .]

As he approached the coffin, with his wife Melania by his side, people spotted what they thought looked like a major blunder. Attendees were able to approach the late Pope's coffin for a moment of prayer and reflection.

One person wrote on X: "Trump and Melania - the only two stepping over the rug where Pope Francis coffin sits when paying respect, jeeeezzz!"

Another added: "OK, so I'm not the only person who noticed Trump and Melania stepping on the rug. I'm sure they were given instructions to stay off the rug. But, nooooo!"

Other attendees, such as Prince William and Prime Minister Keir Starmer were seen remaining a distance away from the rug. According to The Art Newspaper, attendees should not step on the carpet beneath the coffin.

This is because the carpet symbolizes holy ground, and marks a sanctified space. It is used to separate the pontiff from other people, and the tradition is said to also be shown in paintings of the period where carpets are used to symbolize a sacred space. 




President Donald Trump's approval rating has dipped below 40 percent, according to a new survey by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.

The survey also found that about four in 10 Americans say Trump has been a "terrible" president during his second term, with about one in 10 describing his performance as "poor," and two in 10 saying he has been "average." Only three in 10 Americans rated Trump's performance as "great" or "good."


Connor McCrory (IRISH STAR) reports, "The U.S. economy is showing signs of major strain as a result of President Donald Trump’s tariffs, according to Fox Business senior correspondent Charlie Gasparino." FAFO. Tony Owusu (THE STREET) notes,  "Despite Trump making it no secret that tariffs are a key part of his administration's economic policy, many in the business community endorsed him over his opponent, Kamala Harris, in last November's presidential election. "  And he's destroyed the economy.  His tariff notions were never based in sound economic theory; however, what was worse was the constant stop-start and lack of message discipline. In "Dirty Day," U2 sang, "Throw a rock in the air, you'll hit someone guilty."  These days, throw a rock in the air and you're bound to hit an American business struggling to stay afloat due to Chump's actions.  Adam Lynch informs, "The New York Times reports American businesses like Ramper Innovations, a manufacturer of airplane equipment, are paralyzed under President Donald Trump’s self-inflicted economic disruptions."  His erratic nature has impacted the markets.  Americans stand a very real chance of encountering empty shelves in stores shortly after his 100 first day period ends.  After tearing everything up, he's negotiated nothing.  And trade treaties don't appear on the window panes overnight like frost.  Instead of delivering on trade treaties, Chump elected to lie repeatedly this week that he was in negotiations with the leader of China.  Pablo R. Suanzes (EL MUNDO) reports:


The president claims Xi called him, and Beijing demands that he "stop creating confusion" with "baseless rumors".

Donald Trump likes to boast and exaggerate. Every day he claims to have broken all kinds of historical records, surpassed unprecedented marks, achieved feats more than successes. This not only involves inflating macroeconomic figures or saying things that are obviously false, such as having already reached 200 trade agreements in recent days, but also putting leaders of other countries in a more than uncomfortable position, torn between correcting inaccuracies or blatant lies, unleashing the wrath of the White House, or avoiding problems by ignoring or dodging questions. 


I wonder if even MAGA can get all their required nutrients in a breakfast, lunch and dinner diet of lies?

 

Adam Gabbatt (GUARDIAN) explains:

Americans, including some Republicans, are losing faith in Donald Trump across a range of key issues, according to polling released this week. One survey found a majority describing the president’s second stint in the White House so far as “scary”.

Along with poor ratings on the economy and Trump’s immigration policy, a survey released on Saturday found that only 24% of Americans believe Trump has focussed on the right priorities as president.

That poll comes as Trump’s popularity is historically low for a leader this early in a term. More than half of voters disapprove of Trump’s performance as president, and majorities oppose his tariff policies and slashing of the federal workforce.


He's wrecked the economy, he's attacking citizens and non-citizens and then there's 'works well others' section of the report card.  He doesn't work well with others and, when he selects playmates, he chooses so poorly.  

If I were Tulsi Gabbard or Robert Kennedy Junior or, honestly, any of the inept members of his Cabinet, I would wake up each day thrilled that Chump hadn't yet fired Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth because he takes the heat off the rest of them with his never ending screw ups.  Simon Druker (UPI) reminds, "Last month, Hegseth made headlines after accidentally leaking confidential military plans related to a then-pending military strike by accidentally including The Atlantic editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg in a Signal group chat." And then we all learned of another nonsecure group chat -- this one also on Signal but on his personal phone -- not his government issued phone -- where he shared details of impending strikes with his wife, his brother, his attorney and, who knows,  possibly his butcher.  Tom Bowman and Quil Lawrence (NPR) reported Friday:


Normally the names of senior staff at the Pentagon don't make the news, but the precarious position of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth means that every move is drawing scrutiny. NPR reported this week that the White House is looking for possible replacements with Hegseth under fire for putting sensitive military attack plans into at least two insecure group chats.

In-fighting over alleged leaks from the secretary's office have now resulted in five senior advisers resigning or being fired. On Friday the Pentagon announced four new senior advisers had been promoted; they include Col. Ricky Buria, a former junior military assistant; Justin Fulcher, a member of the DOGE team embedded at the Pentagon, and Patrick Weaver, formerly a Department of Defense "special assistant."


He has betrayed the country and he risked national security.  Not once.  And Chump deserves to be impeached for not removing Hegseth from office.  John Stoehr notes:


Last weekend, in an opinion piece for Politico, a former Pentagon spokesman warned that “there are very likely more shoes to drop in short order, with even bigger bombshell stories coming this week.”

And lo, a voice came:

Wall Street Journal: “Polygraph Threats, Leaks and Infighting: The Chaos Inside Hegseth’s Pentagon”;

・Associated Press: “Hegseth had an unsecured internet line set up in his office to connect to Signal”;

Times: “Hegseth’s Personal Phone Use Created Vulnerabilities”;

・National Public Radio: “Former Pentagon official on Hegseth turmoil: ‘It looks like they actually broke the law’”;

・CBS: “Hegseth orders makeup studio installed at Pentagon.”

Unfortunately, we are where we were at the beginning of the week. Hegseth isn’t going anywhere. Yes, he is “embattled,” as we say in the news, but every story about him says that Donald Trump has his back.


Tom Vanden Brook and Michael Loria (USA TODAY) remind, "Hegseth has denied releasing sensitive information. But several current and former military officials have told USA TODAY that the information Hegseth disclosed, the timing of attacks, is among the most closely guarded national security information."  And former National Secuirty Advisor (2013 to 2017) Susan Rice explained to Brian Tyler Cohen, "Military operation details are by definition classified.  Deliberations about whether to conduct a military strike on an adversary are inherently classified.  So here they are engaging recklessly in classified discussions over unsecure commercial applications."  


Instead of owning his mistake, Hegseth blames others which is par for the course in the Chump administration.  Héctor Ríos Morales' report for THE LATIN TIMES captures this attitude in its headline, "DHS Says It's Not To Be Legally Accountable For Court-Barred Deportations Because They Were Carried Out By DoD."  When he was president, Harry S. Truman said, "The buck stops here."  Chump not only chooses bitcoin over dollars, he also chooses dishonesty over accountability which is why his report card for his first 100 days is a solid F.


The following sites updated:




 

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FYI, that's one of my favorite Carole King songs to play on the piano.  There's the songs on TAPESTRY, "Only Love Is Real" and "Time Gone By" that if I'm playing the piano for more than an hour, one of those songs will pop up.

Here's her studio version from the TOUCH THE SKY album.







At some point, maybe it will get the praise it deserves.  I rank it third of Carole's best studio albums.  TAPESTERY obviously comes first.  I'd place SPEEDING TIME at second and then TOUCH THE SKY.

"Eagle," "You Still Want Her," etc -- there are so many great songs and it's song cycle that works as an album.


I'm sorry I really love this album so you're going to have to get one more video in this post.  Here's "You Still Want Her."






In 2012, Carole re-released 1979's TOUCH THE SKY and 1978's WELCOME HOME -- on streaming for the first time and on CD for the real first time.  Kat reviewed them both:

  • Carole King's Touch the Sky
  • Carole King's Welcome Home


  • "For the real first time"?  WELCOME HOME and TOUCH THE SKY are two different albums.  A CD release for years put them together on one single CD with SIMPLE THINGS as well -- three different albums -- titled TIME GONE BY.  That 1994 release did not include all the tracks from the three albums -- thirty tracks were reduced to ten.

    My top ten list of Carole's studio albums?  In this order.

    10) PEARLS 
    9) FANTASY 
    8) RHYMES & REASONS 
    7) REALLY ROSIE 
    6) COLOUR OF YOUR DREAMS 
    5) CITY STREETS
    4) WRITER 
    3) TOUCH THE SKY
    2) SPEEDING TIME
    1) TAPESTRY

    Carole's also released six live albums.  The best is THE CARNEGIE HALL CONCERT: JUNE 18, 1971.  
     


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    The Nation, pseudo-left back UAW president Fain’s embrace of Trump tariffs

     

    Tom Hall's "The Nation, pseudo-left back UAW president Fain’s embrace of Trump tariffs" went up at WSWS last night:


    In recent weeks, pseudo-left and “progressive” outlets have circled the wagons around United Auto Workers president Shawn Fain. They are defending him from growing working class outrage over his embrace of Trump’s tariffs and “America First” policies.

    This is part of a broader support by the union bureaucracy for tariffs. Broad sections of the apparatus, including both the ILWU and ILA dockworker unions and the Teamsters, have lined up in support of trade war.

    In backing tariffs, the union bureaucracy is supporting a fascistic administration which is using tariffs to prepare supply chains for world war, especially against China. They are promoting a policy which recalls the darkest period of the 20th century under the Nazis, where trade war preceded the outbreak of World War II in September 1939.

    This has rightly evoked disgust by workers and the millions who have taken to the streets against Trump. In damage-control mode, Jacobin, the de-facto house organ of the Democratic Socialists of America, has opened up its pages to Fain for him to justify collaboration with the would-be dictator.

    The Nation, whose president is former Jacobin editor Bhaskar Sunkara, published a statement last week titled: “Shawn Fain for President!” The editors at the “progressive” magazine, which Leon Trotsky once described as a “reptile breed” for their lies in support of the Moscow Trials under Stalin, are now employing lies in defense of the union apparatus’ support for fascism.

    Author Jeet Heer claims that “centrist Democrats hate the union leader because he puts the working class first.” He goes on: “Fain’s harshest critics have come from the ranks of pundits from publications such as Vox and allied think tanks…”

    This is totally false. Opposition to Fain is not centered in the Democratic Party, but from workers, young people, and all those opposed to the growing threat of fascism in the US. Workers know that trade war will bring layoffs and plant closures and want unity with their co-workers in other countries.


    Use link to read full article.  If Will Lehman puts out any statement on it, we'll note his statement.  We followed his 2022 campaign here while the bulk of the left refused to even acknowledge Will (Will was the Socialist candidate for UAW president).  


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    The Snapshot

    Friday, April 25, 2025.  Hegseth needs to go and so does David Hogg. 




    Retired Lieutenant General Ben Hodges, former commander of the U.S. Army Europe, told Newsweek that President Donald Trump's behavior is "dangerous" amid reports that Pete Hegseth, Trump's secretary of defense, shared war plans in group chats.
    [. . .]
    When asked if Hegseth should be fired by Trump or asked to resign amid the reports he shared attack plans in a second Signal chat with his wife, brother and personal lawyer, Hodges told Newsweek via email, "I think the first principle of leadership is a willingness to accept responsibility."

    He added, "I see zero evidence that the President, Mr Hegseth, or frankly anyone in this Administration is actually willing to accept responsibility for any mistakes. This is dangerous because if one doesn't acknowledge a mistake, then there is little likelihood that the necessary corrections will be made to prevent it from happening again."

    According to the Times, the second Signal chat included "detailed information" about upcoming strikes in Yemen on March 15.

    Concluding, Hodges said: "It is also a terrible example for the Officers and NCO's [non-commissioned officers] and civilians in the Department of Defense as well as the Cadets and Midshipmen who are studying to become Officers. It is ridiculous to claim that classified information was not being passed on these Signal Chat group communications. Just because there was no big red folder saying 'war plans' does not mean there was no classified information...and this excuse only serves to highlight the incompetence, immaturity, and lack of seriousness for one of the most serious positions in the US Government."


    He is exactly right.  Others also are sounding alarms. Ellen Mitchell (THE HILL) reports:

    Three former service members-turned Democratic House lawmakers are demanding answers from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth about recent staffing upheavals at the Pentagon.

    In a letter sent to Hegseth on Tuesday and led by former Navy intelligence officer Rep. Maggie Goodlander (D-N.H.), the group expressed “deep concern regarding the turmoil taking place at the Department of Defense under your leadership.”
    Hegseth in the past week has ousted his deputy chief of staff, a senior adviser, and the chief of staff to the deputy Defense secretary, with his chief of staff reassigned to a new position within the department and a top spokesperson choosing to leave.

    “Certainly it is the prerogative of every Secretary of Defense to choose his or her own staff, but the scale of these firings is simply staggering,” the letter reads, as first reported by Semafor.

    What’s more concerning, they write, is that the staffing shake-up follows “wider unacceptable and dangerous behavior” at the department, including the revelation last month that Hegseth shared sensitive attack plans on the U.S. military operation in Yemen against Houthi militants in a Signal group chat that mistakenly included the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic.

    It also was reported Sunday by The New York Times that Hegseth shared the same details about the Yemen airstrikes in a separate Signal text chain that included his wife, brother and personal lawyer. 



    Yesterday's snapshot included this:

    Susan Rice was on Lawrence O'Donnell's MSNBC show last night.  (Note, I'm beyond sick this morning.  I don't see the video at MSNBC, I was sick last night.  If it wasn't Lawrence, I'll note it tomorrow but as I'm remembering it, it was Lawrence's show.  ADDED: It wasn't Lawrence, it was Brian Tyler Cohen's YOUTUBE program, we'll note it in tomorrow's snapshot.])  Details of an impending military strike are top secret.  There's no debating this.  And Hegseth's sharing this on two unsecure chats. This outrageous.  She was the National Security Advisor from 2013 to 2017.  She knows what she's talking about.  She laid it out very cleary.  He broke the rules.


    Here's the Brian Tyler Cohen video.




    That whole interview is important but I'd especially emphasize this remark from Susan, "Military operation details are by definition classified.  Deliberations about whether to conduct a military strike on an adversary are inherently classified.  So here they are engaging recklessly in classified discussions over unsecure commercial applications."  But, again, that is an important discussion -- the entire sixteen minutes.  Susan has the facts. 

     
    VOTE VETS offered their discussion this week on Hegseth and why he needs to go.



    And more details emerge demonstrating just how unfit Hegseth is and just how much he refuses to follow even basic security protocls.  Daniel Hampton (RAW STORY) notes:


    Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had the Signal messaging app installed on his desktop computer in the Pentagon to circumvent poor cell service in the building, according to a new report in The Washington Post, which cited three people familiar with the matter.

    The Post report said Hegseth "effectively 'cloned' the Signal app on his personal cellphone" following talks between Hegseth and his advisers on "how they could circumvent the lack of cellphone service in much of the Pentagon and more quickly coordinate with the White House and other top Trump officials using the encrypted app."
    By installing Signal onto his desktop, Hegseth created a "workaround" to use the app in a classified area — where his cellphone and other personal devices are banned — to easily communicate with other government officials or his family, according to the report.
    To boot, Hegseth had the app installed on a second computer in his office and expressed interest in installing a program that would allow him to send out text messages from the Pentagon, according to the report.

    Security protocols are put in place for a reason.  Did Hegseth -- who had no experience at all -- not have to go through some form of training about communication protocols?


    We know MAGA is a deeply stupid group -- who else would back non-educator and lonely and deeply troubled Linda McMahon for Secretary of Education -- but they don't even believe in the most basic of human resource training? 



    These protocols are in place for a reason.

    The Secretary of Defense has not only risked national security by refusing to follow them; he has also failed to set the tone.  As he lies and makes excuses in public for what went down, he is representing the DoD and he is saying to every employee there, 'Ignore the security protocols and do what you want because I don't believe that they matter.'

    What does matter to Hegesth?  Trying to make his mug pretty, putting on make up.   Again, Daniel Hampton (RAW STORY):


    A Massachusetts lawmaker slammed President Donald Trump's secretary of Defense on Wednesday afternoon as unserious following revelations he turned a room in the Pentagon into a makeup studio for TV spots.

    Pete Hegseth ordered a makeup studio to be installed in the building, converting a green room next to the press briefing room into a space equipped for TV appearances. The Pentagon downplayed the report, calling it routine, though it comes amid broad slashes to government agencies.

    Rep. Jake Auchincloss (D-MA) joined Jake Tapper on CNN's "The Lead" to tear into Hegseth.
    "I think they understand that when an individual comes into that office, talks about returning the Pentagon to the warfighters, then spends three months installing a makeup studio inside the Pentagon so he can do Fox News hits is not an individual who is serious about improving morale or readiness within the Department of Defense," said Auchincloss.


    The story stood out for me, not just because of the degree to which it defies Hegseth’s rhetoric about a “warrior ethos,” but also because of what we’re learning about his role on Donald Trump’s team. Indeed, the president chose a television personality to lead the Pentagon, so it stands to reason that he’d want a new makeup studio.

    By all appearances, his job isn’t to serve an administrative role, overseeing one of the planet’s largest and most complex bureaucracies; his job is to effectively play the role of defense secretary on TV, saying words like “tough” and “strength” of Fox News as Trump nods along while watching.

    Hegseth is less of a cabinet secretary and more of a camera-ready performer. He’s able to keep his job — at least for now — not through competent governance, but rather by responding to the CBS News report by publishing a tweet that read in part, “We should have installed tampon machines in every men’s bathroom at DoD instead — the leftist ‘news’ media would have loved that.”

    It’s the sort of juvenile online trolling that makes Hegseth look ridiculous to everyone except those ingrained in far-right politics.

    Let's note some BLUESKY reactions.

    Fire Hegseth

    [image or embed]

    — Trump Resistance Movement (@trm.bsky.social) April 23, 2025 at 11:00 AM

    Unpopular Pete Hegseth Forced To Drink Lunch Alone

    [image or embed]

    — The Onion (@theonion.com) April 22, 2025 at 11:00 AM

    Fire Pete Hegseth Now. abcnews.go.com/Politics/heg...

    [image or embed]

    — Chuck Schumer (@schumer.senate.gov) April 24, 2025 at 7:09 PM

    Pete Hegseth in shambles. www.politico.com/news/2025/04...

    [image or embed]

    — Alejandra Caraballo (@esqueer.net) April 24, 2025 at 2:01 PM

    “Because I’m worth it.” 🤡 @cbsnews.com www.cbsnews.com/news/hegseth...

    [image or embed]

    — Carl Quintanilla (@carlquintanilla.bsky.social) April 23, 2025 at 2:02 PM

    Hegseth had booze on his mind at 8:30 this morning

    [image or embed]

    — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) April 22, 2025 at 9:04 AM

    think we're in the leak bleed out phase www.cbsnews.com/news/hegseth...

    [image or embed]

    — Josh Marshall (@joshtpm.bsky.social) April 23, 2025 at 1:58 PM

    It’s time for accountability. When we get back to Congress next week, articles of impeachment need to be filed against Pete Hegseth.

    [image or embed]

    — Eric Swalwell (@ericswalwell.bsky.social) April 24, 2025 at 9:48 PM

    That last one is US House Rep Eric Swalwell.  And he's right about filing charges of impeachment against Hegseth but it's also true of Chump.  Chump is allowing our national security to be threatened by his appointee who has repeatedly been exposed as a security risk.  What does it take as this point for Chump to remove him?  Learning that his wife is his Russian controller?  What more does he have to do?


    One more video on Hegseth.



    That's James Carville.  Last night when I was putting in the videos that would go up overnight, I saw this and almost put it up but thought of all the e-mails Martha and Shirley would be reading today.

    The videos that go up here?  They're important topics (Hegseth so Carville above) or a friend asked for them to go up.  I can post James -- and have -- without signing off on him.  I know him and have for years.  I think there's line from WILL & GRACE's reboot ("Sweatshop Annie & the Annoying Baby Shower"-- season 9, episode 13) that applies here, Ellen tells Grace (and others at a baby shower), ""You know, Rob's always like, 'We don't see Will and Grace enough.[  And I'm always like, 'We see them the right amount'."

    I've called James out for many things over the years and it's not hard to if you pay attention.  Any campaign?  After he crows he was right.  And some used to find his moment where he was right.  But they ignored that he offered many other opinions.  Go look at his commentary on Kamala's campaign and see just how all over the map he was -- any outcome would have allowed him to claim he was right because he offered all these differing opinions.

    James can also be actually right.  He can also reach some people, that others can't.  

    David Hogg needs to step down from the DNC.  

    His little cat fight with James was sad.

    It's no longer sad, David's actions.

    They are harmful to the Democratic Party.

    I'm seeing the same crowd of bad actors who trashed Kamala and helped put Chump in office backing Hogg on BLUESKY.  

    BLUESKY is not the world.

    TWITTER was not the world.

    Hogg wants to primary a long list of Democrats in office and we're hearing 801 reasons why.  Supposedly it's not about age.  But according to David's website it is and according to many of his supporters on BLUESKY it is.

    And these idiots on BLUESKY -- as usual -- don't know a damn thing.

    I'm actually for a retirement age for members of Congress and that's nothing new.  I've written of it here for two decades and we've covered it at THIRD for two decades.  At THIRD, we started hitting on it hard with Robert Byrd, who was over 90 years ole and removed as Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee.  We've noted that the deaths of some members in office result in anew campaigns ahead of the normal election cycle and that if they're dying from age that cost should be probably be billed to their estate.  We've focused on the Senate the most because that's a six year term.  The House is a two year term.  If voters want to send someone at death's door into Congress, that's their vote and their gamble.  

    Six years is a lot more to gamble on.  We supported Dianne Feinstein's Democratic challenger because we knew she was too old and would likely die in office, which she did.

    This is not a new issue for us. 

    But it seems like a new one for his BLUESKY fans who really don't know what they're talking about.

    And none of whom wants to note that Sainted Bernie Sanders should have retired long ago.

    As long as he breathes, he is their excuse and their hero.  When he stops breathing, that'll probably still be the case.  But for those not working on the Bernie farm, the reality is that he speechifies and accomplishes nothing.  He's someone to be amused by, yes, but the Democrats have repeatedly said no to him on a national run. 

    But the Davids attacking Schumer and other Democrats on BLUESKY don't say a word about Bernie.

    We're getting to a place similar to the summer of 2024.

    We knew Chump would destroy this country.  And smoe of us worked our asses off to campaign for Kamala Harris.  Others worked to defeat her -- others on the left -- DSA and its fake ass 'Uncommitted' 'movement.'


    Maybe it's time for you to sit your ass down and shut your damn mouth if you weren't campaigning for Kamala?

    Maybe you've enough damn damage for one century?

    This country matters to a lot of us, democracy matters to a lot of us.

    We've got to win at least one house of Congress in the mid-terms (November 2026).. I want both.  I think both are achievable.

    David Hogg is not heping with that.

    He's risking that and you have to wonder with the state of the nation right now, with so many lives at risk, White boy can't get his s**t together and wants to risk everything.

    He's a blond girl, we get that right?

    David's done nothing with his life to garner any attention.  But he's a blond girl.

    Many other students were at the same school that got shot up.  Many of them were students of color.


    In the '00s, when a child went missing, people began to notice the media coverage or the lack of.  If the missing child was a blond girl, it was wall-to-wall Matt Lauer clucking non-stop.  A child of color?  Crickets. 

    And that same racism has benefitted David Hogg.  

    But he doesn't want to cop to it.

    He's accomplished nothing with his life.  

    I thought he'd get involved in the DNC, learn a lot, come back in a year or so with some solid ideas.  Instead, his only idea is the one he's been pimping for years -- kick out the old guys in Congress!!!!

    That would apparently make him feel better about himself.  And considering that he looks like Lena Dunham, I can understand his struggle to find some way to feel good about himself.

    But, White man, you're putting a lot of lives at risk with your bulls**t.

    And Uncommitted and David need to sit this out.

    First off, if you've got 20 million to spend on races, you should be using that money for the general election.

    Second, you are creating division as we speak within the party -- that's why you need to resign immediately from your DNC office.  That is not what DNC officials are supposed to do.

    Third, you're distracting from the very real dangers of Donald Chump.

    You want to do your pet cause, go do it in a better election cycle, White boy.

    You haven't suffered under Chump.

    You're not at risk of deportation, you're not a senior on a fixed income, you're not a Black person or an LGBTQ+ person at risk of being erased and having your rights taken away.

    You're not a woman at risk of losing reproductive freedom.

    No one is less impacted by Chump's destruction of this country than you are.

    Stop gambling with our lives and our rights.

    He wants heated, contested primaries with candidates he's going to fund who will rip into the incumbent.

    He's stupid and ignorant.

    And history does apply here.

    We've seen this Tom Hayden style bulls**t before.  

    Would Jimmy Carter have been a one-term candidate if John Anderson hadn't run?  Gore in 2000.  We've seen this over and over and we're aware of history.

    David has no idea and he's putting us all at risk.


    US House Rep Jay Smith is running for re-election and David's Joe Blond is running against him.  To win, Joe Blond destroys him with one charge after another.  Smith wins the primary but is left weakened.  And then the GOP candidate for Congress in that district goes up against a weakened Smith -- probably using many of the attacks that Blond used on Smith (like how the Willie Horton attack on Michael Dukakis actually started in the Dem primary long before Poppy Bush got ahold of it)..  That's how we can lose.

    We need to be united.  If this isn't a one-of-a-kind moment in our history, then sure, let's all be David Hogg -- I'll get the knives so we can chop off our noses.

    And if this isn't a one-of-a-kind moment in our history, let me know.  I'm doing everything I can online and off to fight back against Chump to the point that I am waking up to run to the bathroom and throw up.  I've got better things to do with my time if this isn't a serious moment in our country's history.

    David Hogg needs to immediately step away from the DNC.  If he wants to pursue his idiotic plan on primaries, he can do so, but not as DNC official.  And, no, he can't step 'away' from his group and remain in the DNC.  He has to resign.


    ADDED: 

    The Black Commentator Issue #1038 is now Online
     
    April 24, 2025



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