Liberal Forum

...or, calling them out for who and what they are:

Hillary Clinton tried to warn us — and paid the price. Let's at least call Republicans what they are | Salon.com

excerpt:

During a speech in September 2016, Hillary Clinton — then the Democratic presidential nominee — warned the American people and the world of the dangers represented by Donald Trump and his followers. She described the "volatile political environment" of that moment. In many ways, Clinton was too kind. If anything, she underestimated how many Americans were in fact committed and enthusiastic human deplorables.

Today's Republican Party is in fact a right-wing extremist organization, and fascist in all but name. Its followers and voters embrace and act upon those values and beliefs. To claim that there is some other Republican Party, somehow separate and distinct from right-wing extremism — as too many commentators and political observers do — is to assert a difference that does not substantively exist.

The "F" word the Media dare not speak
Schiff: Republican Party “Is Now an Autocratic Cult Around Donald Trump”

 
 

TRUTH TO POWER AND POWER TO TRUTH:

Republicans flattened for calling for 'civility' from Dems when they’ve ignored it for decades - Raw Story

Obama: 'Democracy is at a greater risk today'

Yale history professor Timothy Snyder told Insider he fears American democracy may not survive another Trump campaign

To save America's democracy, Democrats need to start acting like Republicans | TheHill

"Don't look up." Its creators say it's a satire. To me, it was too real to be a satire.

 

One thing Democrats are good at doing is bringing knives to a GUNFIGHT.  James Carville is RIGHT: Here are excerpts from an article written by the usually EXCELLENT A.J.Pennyfarthing of the Daily Kos:

James Carville: 'Democrats whine too much,' fail to highlight Biden's accomplishments

"Think back to the roughly two-month interval between the 2020 election and Georgia’s Senate runoff elections. We were all relieved because the yawing garbage barge of spray-tan detritus and bad ideas was on its way back to the Florida swamps.

I don’t know about you, but in that moment, anyway, that was enough for me. Our ineluctable goose-step toward **** facism had been halted—temporarily, at least.

Fast-forward a year and change. Honestly, if you’d told me back then that we’d win both those seats;

• President Biden and the Democrats would pass a $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill
• and a $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill in the face of fierce MAGA opposition (after **** Don failed to get his own infrastructure initiative off the tarmac in the previous four years); 
• the unemployment rate would dip below 4%; 
• and the administration would quickly roll out vaccines to every American, thereby saving the lives of people like me who really wanted their lives saved,

I wouldn’t have just been happy. I would have been ecstatic."

(continued from above):

"On Sunday, Meet the Press’ Chuck Todd rolled out more disaster porn, strongly implying that Biden’s first year as president (again, it’s just his first year) was a cavalcade of humiliation involving nonstop wedgies and long nights spent cooling his heels in fusty high school gym lockers."

On the other hand … 

• the much-needed bipartisan infrastructure bill will boost the economy for years to come.
• The $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill has already helped bring the economy storming back. 
• Workers arguably have more leverage than they’ve had since Reagan, and 
• more than 6.4 million jobs have been created. 
• And, as longtime Democratic strategist James Carville noted... Biden and the Democrats took a big bite out of child poverty—temporarily, anyway—no thanks to the GOP. 

So what does Carville think we should do? Stop whining and tell people what we’ve done and plan to do in the future..."

 
 

THE TRUTH SHALL SET YOU FREE
.So we're told WE need to "Unify" the nation? | Daily Sound & Fury

EXCERPT:"But what does that actually mean? Does it mean we have to accept the ridiculous and racist idea that all the black people in Atlanta, Detroit, Philadelphia and Pheonix somehow can’t vote straight so they have to have their polling places and drop boxes all taken away?

 Because that is what’s happening, right now.
 
Just like the jars full of jelly beans and the poll taxes we now have “government ID” requirements which are not free and clearly disadvantage anyone who is too poor for the disposable funds. Student ID’s can’t be used, but a hunting or fishing license can.

I can’t unify with racist lies.

Black people didn’t steal the election from Trump by having their dead relatives vote. Mexicans are not sending rapists to America. You don’t have to “get at the back of the line” if you’re white  and you want the Covid vaccine or treatment. Dems are not drinking the blood of raped children to get their adrenochrome on the orders of the Rothchilds and their Jewish Space Lasers. Black Lives Matter are not “Terrorists.”  Antifa are not “Communists.”

The Oath Keepers, Proud Boys, Boogaloos, III Percenters are not **** “Patriots.”

Patriots don’t attack their own government based on a pack of lies."

MEANWHILE:

'Maybe they're the ones with dementia': Morning Joe busts Biden critics who forgot 'what a lunatic Trump was at press conferences'

'We don't want you here': Australians are mocking MAGA fans threatening to boycott their country - Raw Story
 
 

ON TRUTHS:

DNC Jaime Harrison Rips Fear Fascism Fraud of 'Trump Party'

that’s why I say that the GOP has transformed itself deep, it is no longer the party of Lincoln, this is the party of Trump which is a party of fear, a party of fraud, a party of fascism. We are the only thing that is standing in the way to protect our democracy.

HOW INDEED:

'Succession's' Brian Cox on Trump: How can US 'vote for such a f---ing a--hole?'

AND:

'I'd like to report an insurrection!' CNN's Acosta calls on DeSantis to send (his gestapo?) to Mar-a-Lago 

 

"TRUTH, WHOLE TRUTH, AND NOTHING BUT"
.
Extremist politicians aren't a "both sides" issue — it's strictly a GOP phenomenon | Salon.com
."It's only been a year since a Republican president attempted to overthrow democracy to install himself illegally as president, summoning a violent mob to the Capitol to help with the task. And even though Trump's entire party continues to support his coup and is engaging in what amounts to a national effort to make sure the next one succeeds, far too much of the mainstream media has reverted back to the comfy bothsiderism that treats the two parties as moral equivalents. And so Ocasio-Cortez and Cruz are treated as one and the same, even though the latter is a wholly destructive force who deliberately stokes chaos, radicalizes his followers, and works against democracy — while the former is trying to be a positive force standing against all of that grotesque behavior. "

MEANWHILE, WHY THEY FEAR THE VOTE:

Poll: Biden Defeats Both DeSantis and Trump in 2024

AND:

NEVER AGAIN: the Lincoln Project does it again. UPDATED with a response from Coyote

 
 

Why is the truth so hard to swallow?
Oh it just seems like it is better to divide the people for political power than it is to enlighten all the people
without sugar coating the truth.
It's a mantra of the super rich, hey we got it done, get off your butts and work.
And yet, tax cuts for the rich somehow never ever seemed to create the world we need.
We must declare war on Climate Change. The whole world needs to work together on this.
It ain't gonna be easy, tell this to all your friends who are wasting their days, but it holds one huge prize
We all can share - but only if we stop exploiting the poor.
Peace!
 

OlderGuy » 05 Feb 2022, 10:39 pm » wrote: ↑

05 Feb 2022, 10:39 pm

Why is the truth so hard to swallow?
Oh it just seems like it is better to divide the people for political power than it is to enlighten all the people
without sugar coating the truth.
It's a mantra of the super rich, hey we got it done, get off your butts and work.
And yet, tax cuts for the rich somehow never ever seemed to create the world we need.
We must declare war on Climate Change. The whole world needs to work together on this.
It ain't gonna be easy, tell this to all your friends who are wasting their days, but it holds one huge prize
We all can share - but only if we stop exploiting the poor.
Peace!

Thanks, O.G. for your commentary. Much appreciated. 

In recent news, SOUNDING THE ALARM:

MSNBC’s Malcolm Nance Sounds the Alarm: ‘There Will NEVER Be Another Free Or Fair Election’ if Republicans Win This Year

MSNBC national security analyst Malcolm Nance told SiriusXM host Dean Obeidallah that if Republicans win in November, “there will never be another free or fair election in the United States.”

On Friday’s edition of The Dean Obeidallah Show, the host talked with Nance about the Russia-Ukraine conflict. and Russian President Vladimir Putin’s wish to see America “topple” — with help from Republicans.

ALSO:

Former host Gretchen Carlson slams Fox News: 'I think it's a complete disservice to our country'

Let's Hear No More "My friends across the aisle" from Democrats
 

TRUTH TO POWER AND POWER TO TRUTH:

At last the Republican Party comes clean: It stands for terrorism and Trump, against democracy | Salon.com

Lies Are the Building Blocks of Trumpian Authoritarianism - The Bulwark

Analysis: The Republican Party is enabling Donald Trump's politics of violence - CNNPolitics

AND:

They Won't Change. Stop Asking Me To Be Nice.

MORE TRUTHS:

Retired conservative federal judge says 'we ARE in a political war to the death' and 'American democracy hangs in the balance'

"A retired conservative federal judge who helped former Vice President Mike Pence rebuff attacks on the 2020 election is warning that the United States is locked "in a political war to the death" and that "American democracy hangs in the balance."

Republican positions are abhorrent and radical. Democrats must go on the attack

"The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee issued a stark warning to its members in a recent memo obtained by Politico: Republicans' so-called culture war attacks are proving "alarmingly potent" on everything from critical race theory to defunding the police, and Democrats must confront the attacks directly.

Using a combination of polling and focus groups, the DCCC found that simply ignoring GOP offensives was a mistake, and the memo encouraged Democrats to offer quick and strong rebuttals."

ALSO:

Trump supporters shove 'America First' aside to sow 'chaos and lawlessness': columnist - Raw Story

"I’m sure the American autoworkers sidelined because of Canadian protests don’t find Paul’s comments to be amusing," she continued summing up the GOP lawmaker's comments by writing, "Filled with resentment and fanning white grievance, Republicans no longer bother to feign concern for American workers."
 

THE WHOLE TRUTH AND NOTHING BUT
.Dear Democrats: Start treating Republicans like the violent extremists they are

The Republican National Committee’s resolution that dubbed the January 6 attack “legitimate political discourse” only confirmed that the GOP are liars and violent extremists, and Democrats need to act accordingly.

Hillary Clinton Shows Fail-Safe Way To Know Donald Trump, Fox News Are Lying “Trump & Fox are desperately spinning up a fake scandal to distract from his real ones,” wrote the former secretary of state.
 “So it’s a day that ends in Y,” she added. “The more his misdeeds are exposed, the more they lie.”

Hillary Clinton Hammers the Trump-Fluffing, Democracy-Hating, Radicalized Republican Party | News Corpse

AND:

George W. Bush sent cash to GOP impeachment voters facing challengers

THE TRUTH IS ENOUGH
.PARTY OF TREASON: from Really American

Republicans Dine In Moscow: Party Of Treason - YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOqE6DP6Y2c

We need more ads like this (this is how you do it)

Really American

Trump critics pile on after GOP lawmaker calls him 'the most soft coddled person I’ve met' - Raw Story

R.E.M. singer Michael Stipe to 'clown' Trump: 'Go f*** yourself' | Music | Entertainment | Express.co.uk

AND:

Katie Porter explained Biden’s economic success better than any other Democrat
 
 
 

Trump and the MAGA GOP continue to prove that for them, THERE IS NO ROCK BOTTOM. No low, TOO low. And the sooner we realize that, the better:

Trump and his allies issue disturbing calls for violence – and the media doesn't care - Raw Story 

Donald Trump, Steve Bannon, Tucker Carlson, Michael Flynn and the other leaders of the American neofascist movement are very generous, in their own sinister fashion. They make their escalating threats of right-wing violence, insurrection and other forms of mayhem in public. There is little skulduggery or subterfuge involved.

Why are they so bold? Because they have suffered no serious long-term negative consequences for their behavior. And for the most part, the Republican fascists and the larger white right are winning in their war against American democracy. Momentum is on their side. Why should they conceal their intentions?

When disaster follows — be it some version of Jan. 6 (which is almost inevitable) or other acts of right-wing terror — the American people and their leaders will not be able to claim ignorance. They have repeatedly been warned and have chosen to ignore those warnings.

Donald Trump, Michael Flynn call for violence — they're not kidding, but the media doesn't care | Salon.com
 

Another author, naively surprised by the CULT OF THE MAGA RIGHT:

Propaganda and the Age of Unreason (How the Republican Base Was Led into Darkness)

EXCERPT:

"Our founders – in the Age of Reason – might have assumed (or was it only hoped?) that the citizens of their democracy would readily understand that Trump’s claim of a Stolen Election was false, since every bit of the mountainous evidence showed that to be a Big Lie.

And reasoning citizens would have concluded further that therefore it was Donald Trump who was trying to steal the election, that his “Stop the Steal” was as much the opposite of the truth as Putin’s “liberating” Ukraine from a fascist regime.

But tens of millions of Americans – disabled from the reasoning powers our founders had hoped the citizenry would employ – believe that Big Lie and lend their support to the overthrow of the constitutional order our founders gave us.

I don’t know if our founders envisioned such a possibility, but I confess that I did not."

He must not have been keeping up with current events.  Here's a more realistic VIEW:

"The View" rejects co-host's call for bipartisanship: "Can't build consensus with insurrectionists" | Salon.com

AND FROM THE DEPT. OF DEAF EARS:

Conservative Columnist Warns GOP Of 'Demented Fringe' Pushing Trump 2024 | HuffPost Latest News
 
 

Here's why MAGA world loves lies that are too big and stupid to be believed - Raw Story - Celebrating 18 Years of Independent Journalism
.


"Out of the many lessons that Trump taught the GOP, this might be the most important: Lies don't need to be plausible in order to be powerful.

In MAGA land, the more ridiculous the lie, the better. For Republicans, the days of garden variety political dishonesty, like spin and cherrypicking, are over. Big, bold lies that are so over-the-top that no one can truly believe them are the order of the day. To Trump-era Republicans, truth — like liberty and democracy — is just one more American value to squash under the boot of authoritarianism."

ALSO:

Forget January 6. Republicans Have Another Plan to Subvert Democracy | Washington Monthly

By leveraging their Senate power and the Supreme Court, the GOP can rule the nation as a predominantly rural, older, whiter party.

AND:

It is Time for the Democratic Party to Reclaim its Rightful Position as the Party of Patriots
 

Republicans have ... sided with Putin, the former Soviet spy now fascist/kleptocrat dictator, against peace, freedom, Western Europe, and , yes, American ideals and interests.  

And it is time for the Democrats to drive the knife deep.  

It’s time to turn the tables on “patriotism.”  Anyone who is cheering for Putin and against Western Europe is also opposing American ideals and interests.  They aren’t patriots.  And its time to call a horse a horse.  Over and over and over again. It’s time to reclaim the mantle of the party of patriots.
 

To go to show how ANY attempt at a civil discussion with bigots, supremacists, fascists et al is a fruitless endeavor, I was just asked in the NHB forum "why do I fight against America?" To which I responded with examples of why I fight FOR America, by listing a number of, I think, NOT too lofty hopes, dreams, and ideas for a kinder, nobler, more inclusive, America -  wishes that one would THINK were both reasonable and desirable to ANYONE who truly cared about this country... one would THINK.

Instead, two people WENT OFF on me with all kinds of name calling, threats, insults and the like. PROOF POSITIVE of the kind of venomous right winged hate the REST of America HAS to DEAL WITH.

THEY AND THE IDEOLOGIES THEY EMBRACE ARE NOTHING LESS THAN AN EXISTENTIAL THREAT TO DEMOCRACY.

“The View” sounds the alarm on Trump: “Wake up, America, because our national nightmare is not over" | Salon.com

Video of Democratic Senator Blasting Josh Hawley Garners 3.2 Million Views

Senator urges Democrats to ‘scream from the rooftops’ against Republicans | Democrats | The Guardian
 
 

TRUTH TO POWER AND POWER TO TRUTH
.I'm going to call it "treason".


 
ALSO:

Yes, Republicans really are moving us towards full-blown fascism

.the eyes of truth are always watching you
 

TRUTH TO POWER - POWER TO TRUTH

Under Siege: The Plot to Destroy Democracy

Sorry, New York Times: Republicans aren't "concerned" about democracy — they want to destroy it | Salon.com


AND:

Al Franken explains why MAGA Republicans are as dangerously 'Orwellian' as the Kremlin - Alternet.org

Praise and relief: Responses come in after Sen. Mallory McMorrow's powerhouse speech goes viral

Democrats need to fight like Mallory McMorrow — and win the culture wars: Former GOP strategist - Raw Story