Thank you for your courage and clarity April! It is indeed a confusing time for many and so helpful to find other voices willing to engage thoughtfully. It is a great gift that you are willing to put yourself out there. You mentioned that not always are those intimidated/attacked by the left willing to walk away. I have cogitated on this a bit and I wonder if it is similar to those who put up with other kinds of abuse in the name of love or loyalty or just resignation. I also must confess I am still confused about exactly what Trump is currently trying to do with Medicaid. If someone will take pity on my ignorance and enlighten me in simplified terms as to the actual facts of the matter, I would be grateful.
The goal with Medicaid is to (1) get people off of the plan who are able bodied people, (2) get rid of the subsidy that was put in place to subsidize people during COVID which is no longer necessary, (3) stop giving subsidies for people who are not citizens, and (4) eliminate the fraud. In doing so, the people who truly need Medicaid will enjoy more and better benefits and, at the same time, save our country a TON of money. Medicaid became a horrendous grift after the ACA was put in place. It has added so much to our debt and is braking the backs of middle class working families who are paying into a system that hardly benefits them, many paying MORE for their “healthcare” plan than their mortgage. Incidentally, were you aware that the government took over student lending? It was done so that the government could slide money to the ACA which is, and never was, a sustainable program. It’s the reason tuitions have skyrocketed. Anytime government is involved in anything it turns into a giant boondoggle. The government doesn’t do ANYTHING right. So that’s it in a nutshell. Enjoy this glorious day. XOXO
...and It Has Been Said that the "ACA" (cannot say that with a straight face) was designed to fail and in doing so promote a groundswell for (chokes down more bile) "single payer."
I suspected that from the very beginning of the boondoggle that is Obamacare. The moment Obama announced that insurance companies (which I see as being at the very heart of the problem) would be front-and-center in Obamacare, I knew that it wasn't going to do what he claimed it would do.
To me it was simpler than that. Before that abomination I could (and did) buy a policy that was catastrophic only. Aka "hospitalization." Aka "actual insurance" -- as opposed to prepaid maintenance with politically-required add-ons.
Indeed! One of the biggest problems with 'health insurance' is that it has ceased to be *insurance*, as the term is commonly understood (protection against unforeseeable events). It's now a buyer's club for healthcare services.
That is the purpose. You can’t get people on your side if they know the truth. Every time I see the Ds yapping about how the Rs are going to eliminate Medicaid, I, like you, are so grateful I am no longer a D. That party is nothing but a bunch of lying sacks of shit on steroids. Rs lie but they can’t hold a candle to the Ds. They know if they lied like the Ds, the media would pound them relentlessly. The whole system is nauseating. Thank GOD for alternative media where you can at least learn enough about both sides to make up your own mind about where the truth lies. Keep on, keeping on, Dear April. You are delightful to read. I look forward to the day when you are a crabby old woman like me and you don’t hesitate to tell people they’re full of shit or that they have lost their f*cking marbles to brainwashing. 😘
Jonathan Gruber is the chief economist responsible for the ACA. He has stated explicitly—and it’s probably still available on youtube—that the language of the bill was intentionally tortured to be obscure. And that getting it passed was only made possible by “the stupidity of the average American.”
This is particularly important given that most of the population will be geriatric (thanks feminism), and there will be fewer younger people paying into the system. There won't even be enough immigrants to pay into the system, and it's dubious at best to give them free healthcare while the rest of us are scrambling to cover medical expenses.
And that's something I have noticed over the past few decades. I was born in the US, but I can -- and have -- been turned away for lack of health insurance in hospitals packed to the gils with immigrants. It truly does seem that they get special treatment. I've also shown up for open houses for the cheapest apartment in a decent neighborhood to see it go to someone who isn't even a citizen but who has some dubious sponsor.
You are spot on, Dog! Talk show host, Howie Carr, says he doesn’t want anything more . . . he just wants to be treated as well as non-citizens. A sad state of affairs we find ourselves in. That’s why we must stand up and speak out every chance we get. Be well, my friend!! XOXO
Thank you for the explaination. That is what I thought but there have been so many different interpretations I was unsure what was actually going on. I do have concerns that folks who are truly handicapped will have more troubles because I personally knew folks who had to fight for years to get Medicaid who were in fact quite handicapped. One lady I knew died of bone cancer after a five year battle trying to get SSI. She never did get approved. Definitely a lot wrong with that whole system.
SSI is very hard to get but Medicaid is not. I’ve been on it twice after being laid off. It’s great as a safety net but should not be a permanent way of life. Getting Medicaid in the past has just meant filling out the online forms or doing it on the phone or in person and then reporting your income at intervals. If you make too much you’re off Medicaid. Medicaid is better coverage than what I had when I worked at a liberal nonprofit- I could not afford healthcare there because my copays were so high. $90 to see my PCP and $900 if you had to go to an ER.
Thanks for the clarification April. The cases I have known about with Medicaid were linked with SSI so I didn't realize Medicaid could be received separately from that. Truly ignorant here obviously. And since I have not gone to a hospital or doctor in many years, I'm extra dumb in that department. Also since I am enrolled native, technically I am covered under Indian Health--except since I live far from my own tribe, I'm not really covered unless one of the local tribes takes pity on me since they don't always accept outside tribal members into their own programs. Depends on their fundings, policies etc for that particular year. Kinda out in limbo I guess, but then I have mostly lived my life that way, so nothing new!
Yes. My son did not qualify for SSI. But, he has Medicaid. He doesn't have the endurance/stamina, yet, for a full-time job. We're working towards that. Autism impacts everything. But, he has Medicaid for health care and has had no problems continuing. He was considered too capable for SSI and the payment is so low, as it's intended to be a type of welfare, he makes more working part time at the grocery store.
SSI has been a fraud magnet for years, despite the relatively demanding application process. Case in point, a man in his 40s: although he did have a car accident many years ago which required some physical therapy, he has been fully recovered for decades … but after the accident, he was given opioids for the pain, and he became a drug addict. So despite having a full physical recovery, he remained on SSI indefinitely by claiming “chronic pain“.
Another “doozy“ was a Lyft driver I had, who claimed to have “diagnosed“ autism and chronic neck pain, and who unashamedly told me her plans to get SSI and go live in Costa Rica with the money. I looked it up, and you cannot legally collect SSI if you’re living in another country (there are one or two exceptions, but Costa Rica is not one of them). Her intention was to scam all of us, probably by using a friend or relative’s US address as her address. I don’t know if her application was approved, but I sure hope not.
Probably have to change the people rather than the system. Restore families, teach integrity, responsibility, and work ethic. Get the socialism and anti-racism out of the schools.
My older brother was a worthless drug addict and scammed the system for years with SSI. His “medicine” was methadone. Why not go “up to Lexington 125” like Lou Reed in “Heroin” and leave the social safety net for those worthy? Disgusting, frankly.
These pink haired lesbians and skinny street punks are hardly terrifying. But it is amusing to see their hair burst into flame and heads explode when confronted with facts.
What is actually scary to a petite woman living alone is that a lot of these people are way bigger than I am and they are happy to do things like throw bricks through windows or slash tires. They endorse violence and I’m one of the people they think deserves it.
They only intimidate in packs and do sneaky stuff under cover of darkness. I'd advise you to buy a gun but I assume you live in NYC. Maybe one of the paintball guns that shoot bear spray pellets? I think they're legal. And get some martial arts training. There's a petite woman in one of my classes who is downright deadly.
Another benefit of watching the Megyn Kelly podcast on YouTube. She dedicated about 45 minutes to Byrna on an episode a few weeks ago and even had the CEO of the company on. Excellent.
My approach is Bruce’s. I am a trained fighter and well-versed in weapons. But Brian’s suggestion is more practical. Byrna handguns will stop someone without being lethal. You still should get some training, however.
Well, they do have such even handed and level headed leaders like AOC, Bernie, Pocahontas Warren, and Eric Smallballs to fall back on for reasoned explanations of their positions on the major issues of the day...
Thank you for sharing your journey. The subject of ”turning” is very interesting to me. It seems to me that you were always a logical and rational person who were immunized against very rrational ideas and could not get infected by the TDS virus. I find it a real challenge, especially when faced with great friends, colleagues and family who take any political subject off the table. I am looking forward to reading the other blogs you write for.
The left (democrats) is banking on their armies of liars to stop smart individuals such as you from defecting. Thank you for doing so and thank you for your post today.
My trajectory was somewhat different. Dad was an Independent, Mom a Republican, and when I came of age I registered as a Republican, then an Independent. For a while I voted for Democrats, but they seemed moderate to me; the ones whose views I found wacky or sappy I didn't vote for.
Last year I became a Republican again. No Democrat seems moderate anymore, and I will want a say in primaries.
In my large extended family, political fights were common, but no one lost sleep or stopped speaking over them.
Mom to Uncle B: "You'd vote for Mickey Mouse if he was a Democrat!"
Uncle B. to Mom: "Damn right I would! That's a fact! Boola boola!"
Note: All had major points of agreement: support for Israel, a tough military, law and order on our streets, the right to have an abortion, and a curtailing of welfare subsidies, among others. I'm not even sure what they disagreed about -- maybe only their political labels. That's okay with me.
Uncle B. re Weather Underground, Black Panthers, and other chaos-causing Marxist groups: "I'd line them up against a wall and shoot them. I would. That's a fact!"
“I’d line them up…. “. Oh yes, the old uncles in my family said the same thing. They were all WW2 vets, so they knew a thing or two about a thing or two.
When I was growing up, I also was happy to be part of a similar
“In my large extended family, political fights were common, but no one lost sleep or stopped speaking over them.” And then something changed - maybe TDS emerged?
Well, in my family's case, they all died. But I think they're still somewhere, elsewhere, watching regattas, sipping cocktails and arguing politics happily, without rancor.
I should say that the "right" to an abortion was, in the case of my great-aunt during the Great Depression, granted to her by economic necessity and her own strict conscience, in that she and her husband had all they could do to keep the four children they had fed and clothed. Perhaps that's the only right women need: the ability to terminate a pregnancy without punishment, as you say.
My thought, as well. How can anything be a "right" that which would be provided by another person? Like a "right" to healthcare ..... unless you can care for your health yourself, with no assistance from another .... I suppose it could be a "right". How can a thing which can only be obtained through the time and service of another be a "right"?
How could it be possible to have a "right" to an abortion?
I’m still a proud independent, beholden to no party. These days, most of my votes go to Republicans or independent candidates, but who knows what the future holds? God knows that there’s no shortage of raving lunatics in the extreme far right as well as the left (the horseshoe theory of politics).
I just said to my spouse yesterday that if most Democrats were like John Fetterman, I’d vote for them…but they’re very much NOT like him, and as a party, they seem to be crazier by the day.
I'll bet. The only correction to your excellent essay I'll add is that you stated "they're losing their minds". II would say that "they HAVE lost their minds".
Very much agree. Liked being an Independent for over 35 years. But as I said, hoping to have a voice in GOP primaries.
In the meantime, across the bridge from lovely Beaufort, South Carolina, on St. Helena Island, there's been another shooting in a restaurant. It boggles the mind.
Where I live, independents can choose which primary to vote in, and I like that flexibility. If the Dem front runner is a rabid wokester and (by some miracle) there’s a more moderate candidate, I can choose the Dem primary — and vice versa. But other states don’t accommodate independents in this way.
Good story about your uncle. I have one too. A close friend many years ago was a diehard democrat. I once told him that I'd bet he'd vote for Hitler if he declared he was a democrat. NO response. The election in 2000 broke our friendship (he LOVED Al Gore).
We used to call folks like your Uncle “yellow dog Democrats” in Texas because they’d vote for the party even if it ran a yellow dog. An unfortunate legacy of Reconstruction that the Reagan realignment fixed,
No, my uncle was a man who, caught up in the Depression, had believed in the New Deal -- I know many of you here do not -- and later disliked some various Democrats and the ACLU because of what they were doing to our cities. As you see by what he said about radicals (and those who supported them).
But he and Mom went at it anyway.
For what it's worth, I also appreciate aspects of the New Deal. The CCC and the WPA served a purpose. You know, for men who actually wanted work, any work.
I told a story that illustrated political arguments that never got in the way of loving family relationships. It would be better if we left it at that.
They did run a yellow dog with Harris, and true to the terminology, people voted for her even though her lack of capacity for the undertaking was obvious, not to mention the "fascism" of being unelected.
The cracks started to show when the Russian collusion story turned out to be a big lie. I felt like a fool having wasted hours following it in the NYT. The endless lawfare. If they can do it to Trump and his circle, they can do it to anyone, to you, to me. Democrats now know they can cheer assassins and revere influencers like Hassan Piker, dog torturer, and still count on their cult to “vote blue no matter who”. Democrats are enacting Trump’s “I could shoot someone on 5th Avenue “ joke. He was kidding. They aren’t. Democrats are toxic and fueled by hatred. Except Fetterman. April, I’ll be registering Republican too.
Ah, but the cracks only occur amongst the Reasonable. As so ably exemplified by Ms April (and by you!). There remains a concerning number of those who are clearly NOT reasonable.
Wasn't only the rag of Walter Duranty. The once estimable WSJ employed a team of TDS infected fools, led by Becky Ballhaus, that dished up this nonsense, as well. And, now, under the comically clueless, Brit Twit, Emma Tucker, the transformation of that once great publication to utter, useless trash is complete.
Thinking of canceling the WSJ. It’s expensive and as you say, it has greatly changed for the worse . Husband reads the NYT. Sigh. I’m working on him but it’s like water dripping on rock.
Good for you! Interesting to hear what drove you away from Dems. May there be millions who follow your path! Wish we could cancel NYT. My husband would never, likewise The New Yorker. Occasionally I look at NYT and comments sections to see if they are any less crazy. Nope.
Still, yesterday the NYT published this comment from me, in regard to 2-3 child families having a hard time coping in New York City:
"Well, for 60 years we have been housing and subsidizing families of 5-10 people headed by never-married mothers and however many babies they brought into the world. Our public school system has bent over backwards to try to educate these children of undereducated women; the bulk of our school budget goes into remedial classes. Every decade or so we worry about building new housing for a new generation of people who never outgrew dependency.
"A mistake. We have not produced a Great Society, have we."
It's worth the dollar a week if some balance can be achieved.
I got permanently banned from commenting. So I wrote to their management and said either restore me or refund my money. Haven’t heard back, of course, but I did send another message. I haven’t looked at that rag since they banned me. And I’ve been paying for it for over thirty years!
I unsubscribed to the NYT a couple of years ago. I still get emails to entice me back with discounts. If I could talk to a human being, I would tell them, "Leave me alone. I wouldn't subscribe if it were for free!" When I did cancel I had to jump through endless online hoops to achieve my goal. The last question they posed, "Would I like to speak to a care advocate?" At that point, I handed my phone to my husband. I asked him to please finish the process for me. I was getting too aggravated. He has a lot more patience than I do, especially when dealing with anything online.
Same here. In order to wrest my soul from the Times lying clutches I had to appeal to customer service, who got an earful on how low the Times has gone.
Perhaps that's why they haven't bothered trying to lure me back, ha ha.
Some publications seem to be looking for balance, even the WAPO and LA Times. CBS is likely doing so as well. But WSJ appears to be going further and deeper left all the time. Very disappointing.
Megyn Kelly interviewed the current owner of the LA Times. It was interesting. He had refused to endorse Kamala. Apparently most of his editorial staff walked out over that and they lost subscribers as well. He didn't seem worried and he is broadening the LA Times platform significantly. He even talked about creating a Substack like section where readers could form a comment community.
I'm going to take a different track here. As a very young man, I registered as a Democrat, mostly because my family voted Democrat. My mother once told me to vote for a millionaire over a Republican because they knew how to run things. Well, true, to a point. But my real change was when Jerry Brown won the governor's mansion in California...the FIRST time. His actions and words repulsed me as a 20-something young man, so I changed to the Republican Party. That change was not challenged for many years, until Trump.
His first run at president disturbed me so much that I refused to vote for ANYONE at the top of the ticket. I despised his persona and his intemperate language. And I still DO! But I could no longer call myself a Republican if Trump was the measuring stick for political orthodoxy. As a result, I re-registered as "Decline to State", or independent, but not for the Independent Party. In essence, I had no home. This action removed me from voting in primaries, but then California changed its rules to the top two candidates in an open primary. The result of this was no Republicans on the ticket...PERIOD!
After Trump's first term, I was really stuck for a candidate. I agreed with some of his actions, but was still repulsed by his personality and undisciplined language. I was beginning to feel that he was destroying the Republican Party that I was familiar with. But during the succeeding election, I was faced with a real dilemma. Either vote for Trump, or vote for a man I have watched for many years, and considered a phony, a man with no center.
I couldn't tolerate Biden, so I voted Trump. My dislike for Biden was instantly validated when he won, as he spent his first day in office signing executive orders countermanding anything that Trump had done. Biden's whole term was also a validation of everything that I had feared, so when 2024 arrived, I gladly voted for Trump over Harris, with whom I was completely familiar after watching her whore herself with California "king maker", Willie Brown. If ever there was an example of the Peter Principle of people being elevated above their abilities, it was Harris!
Even though Trump won, I was still not happy. He started out so well, closing the border, but then he migrated to the tariff fiasco, and then went on the attack against those who had pissed him off in the meantime. Now, his insistence that the National Guard be deployed to Blue cities, other than D.C., has really put me off! I understand his move to expand the presidential power by challenging the limitations in court, but I am still put off by what he has done to the Republican Party itself. It is not the same and, as such, I can never claim to be a Republican. Am I alone in this, or are there others who feel the same way?
"Now, his insistence that the National Guard be deployed to Blue cities, other than D.C., has really put me off!"
I agree in principle; but I have long advocated for the National Guard on New York City streets if for no other reason than to stand around and stop cars with no license plates or phony paper license plates, and tow them. We don't have enough cops for that.
Charge people $3,000 to get their cars back! Boola boola!
Not at all. Nor have I. It would take a long time for me to count up all the times my family and I experienced everything from car break-ins, thefts, muggings, hit and runs, and near rapes.
No, Bruce, you're off base here. I was fifteen when I had my first run-in with a [black, as it happened] gang of teenagers.
Agreed on so many levels. I’m not happy with Trump but Harris was just not someone I could support. I wrote an article about how I’d like to see a conservative gentleman or lady at the top of the ticket, someone who would represent us well. I’m starting to get involved in the Republican Party here and I’d like to try to make a difference by supporting candidates I can be proud of.
Mitt. Romney was a conservative gentleman. He was a better candidate than Obama and more accurate in his judgment. BUT the media demonized him and Harry Reid lied saying he hadn’t paid his taxes. Later when asked about his admitted lie he responded, “Well it worked, didn’t it.” In my journey from uninterested in politics to anti Democrats, the first thing I noticed was the media was so in love with Obama that they never noticed when some of what he did wasn’t wonderful. I was shocked that he got the Peace prize before doing anything.
Trump is a jerk, but the media can’t touch him. He appears to me to be just plain good. He doesn’t want people to suffer and be killed.
Trump is a very powerful jerk indeed, which is why imo he can push against the aholes so effectively. However I would not call him necessarily 'good', I would call him canny with a truly unassailable ego. Which may be why he is the only one who can get the dirty jobs done. But just like setting a tiger to guard the village from the bad guys, one must take care that the tiger doesn't then destroy the entire village itself. Not out of malice mind you, but simply because that is the nature of the tiger.
Oh please. Look, Trump is Trump. Bombastic and sarcastic. A NY real estate guy through and through. But the tariffs are not a "fiasco." That's just more DNC lies. Free trade is more than just reciprocal tariff rates; it also involves market protection, dumping and cheating - all of which Trump's trade policies address. "Attacking those who pissed him off? More BS. How about enforcing the law against those who perverted it for partisan purposes? Comey lied. Brennan lied and spied. Garland perverted and inverted justice. the list goes on. No one is above the law? Enforcing it is justice, not retribution. As far as the National Guard goes, when state and local officials impose an insurrection on federal immigration law and countenance attacks on ICE which is doing its freaking job, they need to be crushed, not coddled. Yes you are alone in your delusions. Stop watching the lying legacy media.
Bruce, I usually like what you say, but you are totally discounting my own thoughts. I don't "watch the lying legacy media", but I DO sample BOTH sides of the pro and anti-Trump info providers.
And as for Trump going after those who went after him? It will come to naught! You know that to be true, yourself! No one is going to jail, so what is the point? Calling them out? To satisfy whom, exactly? The true Trump believers? To what end?
As for the National Guard issue, I am all for letting the Blue states wallow in their dysfunction. Let them burn, in other words. If the residents of those cities and states LIKE the level of crime in their neighborhoods, then FINE! If they are so blind as not to recognize that their "leaders" have led them down this path, then let Darwin take over.
As for Trump himself, if he were able to run again, I probably would vote for him over any of the ass-wipes that the Dems push on us.
So the Dem officials can lie to Congress, spy on Senators, and use the FBI to intimidate Americans, such as Pete Navarro and Roger Stone, along with conservative Catholics???? For shame.
And when Federal agents are attacked with impunity for enforcing federal law, harsh measures are called for. Remember Fort Sumpter? Come on.
That’s whataboutism, Bruce, I’m with Robert on this one. We’re just talking about Trump, not every lowlife Democrat politician. Markets and businesses hate uncertainty, and Trump’s back and forth on tariffs is hurting small U.S. businesses that can’t quickly shift production and procurement the way large multinationals can. There is a point about how other countries take advantage of us (NATO quickly comes to mind) but Navarro’s flawed advice coupled with Trump’s erratic execution does no one any favors.
SS, what specific Navarro flawed advice are you referring to? And I hope you are not in agreement with his treatment. I agree Trump is not perfect at all, and I did NOT vote for him in 2016, but he is SO FAR ahead of ANY Democrat (the whole damn party for that matter) that there is no other option whatsoever.
He has long believed in a sort of Fortress America, where everything should be made here, and minimal imports regardless of the laws of comparative advantage. Argentina tried that for decades with abysmal results. Fair trade is good foe everyone.
I agree Bruce. The hateful impact of mainstream media is still strong. I see it every day in my family, who bring me stories they were told that are just totally not true. And it only takes a minute of research to show they are untrue. But my folks are young and worried about jobs, etc. We are undergoing a huge amount of change, and I get their anxiety, but, they have to stop watching and believing the MSMedia--or at least to check out what they are hearing/reading.
People who break the law should be held accountable. This is not debatable. The predicate for the Russia, Russia, Russia hoax was a lie and everyone associated with that lie, as well as the follow on trauma that derailed a duly elected POTUS from governing for 3 years should be exposed and punished. That was the most disgusting and reprehensible thing perpetrated on our government from within in 249 years. We should start with Barak Obama.
Most of my incapacitated constituents rail against Trump's "words" and "character," without taking into consideration the snake in the grass that is Obama, the word salad idiot that is Harris, and the slurring parrot "white supremacy is our nation's greatest threat" Biden, who didn't even know what he was saying.
With Trump, you know what you're getting. And I have never found his words or character any more off-putting than the rictus-grinning narcissists that head the Democrat party. That's where this garment rending loses me completely.
People falling for some edict that presidents need to speak a certain way, not be blunt or even...wait for it... authentic....which Trump is.
Recently a friend was still blathering on FB about the "Mexicans are rapists" line. Recently on TFP, Nocera posited that Trump said to inject bleach. We must not succumb to these idiotic straw men. He does say things that are easily thrown around out of context, but...he's the real thing.
Harris was a Deep State dark-skinned white guilt puppet. Obama the same. It was all a ruse. Obama spoke well, but the effect on the country has been so disastrous, who gives a rat's ass that he could give a great speech, if we're so divided, and obsessed in the wrong ways about race?
What you said has been similar to my most repeated comeback to those hating Trump.
"At least with Trump you know what you are getting and can fight back directly if you want to. Whereas Biden/Obama/Harris are lying snakes in the grass who talk nice and make you feel all virtuous about yourself and thus enable you to pretend not to see the truly evil underbelly of the snake itself.' ( and that is a real insult to snakes who are amazing creatures!)
After I got past my dislike of Trump on my own red pilling journey, I started watching some of his rallies and was surprised to find that he was just talking common sense. And he was FUNNY. He's a master at trolling, which, after having been ruled over by the Hall Monitor Class for decades, has been a breath of fresh air. To see Democrats taking the bait on his 2028 hats and pretending he's going to run again is HILARIOUS. And whoever is running his social media like the White House TwiX account is doing a great job. And the sombrero memes!!! Lolol. He's the funniest president we've ever had. He might be brash and uncouth at times but it's what is needed and it feels so good to see the dirty corrupt lying Democrats implode.
Agreed. He is funny. I find it hard to listen to him talk , but when reading transcripts I laugh until I can’t breathe. His trolling works every time and the leftists never figure it out. Walter Kirn likened it to Trump throwing them a chew toy. They’ll just keep biting on it, every time.
That's the thing about Trump. I disliked him for DECADES. But his coarse style now appears to be the only effective response to the "rictus-grinning narcissists."
The unfortunate reality is that Republican politeness has been as effective as a limp noodle. By the turn of the 21st century, Democrats had gained enough power in enough institutions that they could do anything they wanted. They could (and did) simply ignore polite efforts to rein them in. They've gotten away with being bullies for a long time. They won't stop (and can't BE stopped) without a very strong response.
The strong response -- yes -- it's an intriguing dynamic to me, as explored in my Bligh essay. I also experience this as a teacher/human being. People push their emotional manipulations, or just plain bullying. I put my hands up and say no, I'm the authority here, and then they complain about my "tone," which is really just me standing up for my goddamned self and the standards of the institution. Then I get in trouble for 'belittling' or 'making (them) uncomfortable.' Note this is the D Party BS through and through.
Trump has been around the damned block. People take advantage of NICE. That's the law of human nature.
It's a reality of human nature that people tend to push against boundaries (indeed, many animals share the same trait, so it's very, very deep in our genes). If boundaries are maintained, there's less pushing, because it isn't successful. If boundaries are allowed to be knocked down out of some misguided notion of 'being nice,' the pressure to keeping pushing just grows and grows.
This is one reason that kids are so out-of-control now. Parents yield frequently on boundaries. They don't mean 'no,' even when they dare to say it. It is consistent with nature that the kids are going to push and push and push, looking for that boundary that doesn't yield, and rarely finding it.
Hillary. I can't believe I ever supported her--especially after these recent years. BTW, the esteemed mystery writer Louise Penny allowed Hillary to co-write a book with her that was released in 2021, STATE OF TERROR, about a Secretary of State trying to stop a terror attack. I read it. And it was so NOT good--just how Clinton would like to be "seen." I couldn't believe Penny got involved with tarnishing her own reputation with this purile crap.
It took my estimation of Penny way down. I still read her Three Pines books but reluctantly and I wouldn’t touch the Hilary book with a ten foot pole. I wonder how it actually did in readership.
Not even close to feeling the same way. Yes he’s bombastic and his vocabulary is juvenile. I really can’t stand to listen to him so I don’t.
BUT, he is the best president we have ever had. His first term he kept his promises yet had to fight against enemies both inside and outside. “Losing” 2020 was the best thing that ever happened because he’s going hell bent for leather now.
The border is not only closed, it’s hermetically sealed. 2 million illegals are gone and that’s in 9 months and more and more leave every day.
Tariffs are re-orienting the global trade. The alphabets won’t tell you much but a lot of manufacturing is coming home. The US is not the worlds bitch anymore.
He’s created peace in now eight flash point areas of the world. That ain’t nothing.
Sending the national guard is necessary as the idiot dem governors and mayors are not using the police to protect and serve but to run away.
He’s named Antifa a terrorist organization and while the hormonized ants are still revolting at home, the incitors are fleeing to foreign shores.
Ordinary people in Chicago and Memphis and DC are cheering the reduction in crime Trump's bringing.
The RIFs are finally starting and the federal government is shrinking.
And the best part is, democrats are losing their minds. It’s glorious.
Thanks for sharing your journey Robert. I think it is important to realize that what Trump did in 2024 was to change the GOP as it has existed for a long time. He created a big umbrella that included the change he and many wanted to see happen. In that umbrella are people who saw the corruption and danger in the medical industry, the chemical industry, farming, food, the military industrial comples, the NGO role, the "news," etc, etc. What he created is a new party--and it is unclear as yet if these folks can pull us out of the muck. Like you, I didn't like Trump's persona--but I have also come to realize that much of what I thought I knew was the demonized charicature that MSMedia created. When I started researching the whole context of Trump, I still saw a brash, outspoken, man, but a man with a big heart as well. And he's not dumb, as I thought. He's pretty smart, actually. Trump had been smeared beyond recognition in terms of being a real person. I came to, slowly, realizing that I had been totally played about this man--and I had spent every night on MSNBC/Rachel Maddow listening to Russia, Russia. I also think we DID have a uni-party. I think the old GOP was maybe not as corrupt as the deep state Democrats, but surely they knew what was going on. I am still gobsmacked by the amount of government corruption--that went right over the edge under Biden. What had been created in my Cultural Studies terms was a "system of cultural power." And it was headed toward a total meltdown of this democracy--starting with the loss of free speech, the surveillance of its citizens to control them, the medical mandates, the debanking and loss of jobs of those who were calling "foul," and on and on. I'll take Trump over that situation any day of the week. Where we were going is unthinkable...
Yes. But MSMedia is fear mongering about where we are going so you have to check if what they are saying is accurate. Mostly I am finding that it isn’t.
It bears repeating that Trump is different in so many ways. He’s a businessman, not a politician, and not feeding off the government trough. He’s also NOT a lawyer. Over the last 30 years, only one Democrat candidate for Prez or VP was not a lawyer (the inestimable dufus Tim Walz).
I appreciate you bringing these thoughts out in the open Robert as I suspect many do have them. I was an RFK girl and still am. I am glad Trump won over Harris for sure, but while I am happy he has directly taken action on many important things, there will continue to be significant fallout that in the end I am not sure will be in the best interests of our country as a whole. Perhaps we are in such a mess there is no way to make movement forward without making bigger messes in the process. I really don't know. At this point I think large numbers of folks have serious cognitive issues/brain damage etc. Not sure how we fix that.
You cannot fix the mental weaknesses of others, nor should you let them impact you.
Be grounded in what you believe in, stand tall and fight for those beliefs.
I had brunch yesterday with a friend of 40 years who imports clothing from China. He ruminated over Trump’s 100% tariff on China. I sat quietly because there were three other long time friends at the table who are also liberal democrats. I also did not know the reason behind Trump’s action.
A day later here is where I am.
My friend who imports has been at this for many years and was very successful at it. In recent years he has stated that he is still working for the fun. He didn’t need the money. I’m a very conservative business person and in my professional life have seen many businesses fail, for all sorts of uncontrollable, unknowable and unseeable reasons. I retired early because I was concerned about putting what I had earned for my retirement at risk by continuing to work (mistakes in my business can be very costly).
I often wondered why he didn’t sell the business, it didn’t make sense to me. I also wondered why during Trump 1.0 he experienced the tariffs and sat back and did nothing for four years assuming that Trump would not win a second term. When Trump was elected, he still did nothing. Now he is suffering from the tariffs.
I also read Coffee & COVID yesterday and learned that Trump imposed the 100% tariff on China because it was stopping the export of rare earth materials used to manufacture magnets, which are needed to manufacture weapons for Ukraine. China is the sole exporter of these materials (a discussion for another day).
Wrapping all this up. Full of HUBRIS is how I see my friend. He brought this all upon himself and now he is blaming someone else. Especially by putting his own small business ahead of the need to manufacture weapons for Ukraine who is being destroyed by Russia. I have no sympathy and see no need to throw this in my friend’s face because that wouldn’t accomplish anything. I’ll just sit and smile.
Thanks for sharing that powerful observation. There are indeed multiple facets to all of this and I certainly don't pretend to understand even a fraction of them.
Thank you for reading my story. What I have concluded since I wrote my comment earlier is that the business was my friends’ identity and it was just too emotional for him to deal in any rational manner until it was forced upon him. A lesson for us all, and in fact, one that we learn in business school very early on: never be emotional about this stuff. It’s like someone that holds onto a stock because they love the company all the while it is falling like a rock.
Robert, my opinion is that in politics as in life, you have to pick a few things that are really important to you and set the rest aside. My calculation for voting for Trump was three simple asks: (1) close the border, check; (2) destroy Iranian nuclear facilities, check; and (3) stop the Russia - Ukraine war, open. Two out of three in 10 months, I’m thrilled. So while all this other stuff is just noise, for me there is some good and some bad. What I am 1000% certain of is that had Harris won, we would be in a heap of shit.
So if Trump’s demeanor is in your top three list, then stick by your position. Let that be your measuring stick and don’t let others sway you.
Brian. One of my primary reasons to vote for Trump was the free speech issue. Without it there can not be a democracy of any sort. Look at the UK now. Scary.
Excellent post, Robert. You nailed the untalented Kamala. Trump’s tariff policies are being bungled and could only go so far in any case. He’s being poorly advised in this area. His sending the National Guard to liberal bastions is risky on many levels. But he is highlighting something important: we shouldn’t just accept the rates of violent crime in our cities, and he is calling attention to this. BTW, 19 of the 20 most dangerous U.S. cities are led by Democrats. The one exception, Baton Rouge, has a relatively new mayor after 20+ years of Democrat rule.
You should really do more research on the tariffs and the reasons behind them .... it's not just tariff's ... is market, it's trade balance, it's patents ... etc.
And I agree with a lot of that, but you don’t flip flop repeatedly with major trading partners without creating trade uncertainty. You shut your pie hole and do it behind closed doors like Trump did with the Gaza deal. You don’t call Canada the 51st state. That’s had a big impact where we live. Completely unnecessarily. I had a 40 year career in finance and have followed Peter Navarro for over 20 years. I think he’s a nut.
Well I totally agree with you re: Canada. I still don't know what the hell that was all about, but it sure was dumb. And it blew up in Trumps face, at least from my perspective.
Whilst by no means entirely enamored of the late Mr Limbaugh, one of his pithier observations is that what one finds in the center is generally road kill. The Struggle has clearly become more strident, but it's been brewing for a long time.
More important: Have you any idea how breathtakingly Normal your journey sounds to the casual observer?
YES! And there are huge numbers of them, and not just in the Heartland. And even there, they are getting ever more at the mercy (a trait not actually in evidence) of the denizens of the Manheaps.
I was on a charity work project in Central America, sharing the bed of a pickup truck. Suddenly the topic of Rush Limbaugh came up. I offered that I had heard one of his broadcasts and that he didn’t say anything particularly controversial. They pretty much didn’t talk to me after that.
I happened upon Rush Limbaugh during my weekly trips to Portland in 1990. The main thing that struck me about him was that he was saying TRUE things that no one else dared to say. That won me into his audience.
But I stopped listen to him after he got addicted to Oxycontin (after his back surgery). Of course, that addiction wouldn't be known about for a few more years, but his approach changed noticeable as a result of it. He no longer seemed to have any self-control, and he started saying some really stupid and outrageous and UNTRUE things. I was no longer interested in his take.
Hello April and welcome to the Big Tent of sanity. And, yes, the Republican Party is not perfect; but it is not bat spit crazy like the Donkeys. Funny how I can't relate to your conversion, as I have been a conservative all my life; voting Republican with a few, regretted, exceptions. I remember as a young boy, fighting with school teachers who insisted I quote only the NY Times, which I considered a foolish rag, unfit to even compete with the Herald Tribune. Or later the WSJ, now ruined, too. Riding my bike with Goldwater stickers on it. I remember refusing in 1980 to answer the long form census, being hectored and warned by the government and telling them "F off, Reagan will be elected and you'll be out of work." And then the unrestrained joy of the 1986 Centennial Celebration of the Statue of Liberty, when the fleet was in and President and Mrs. Reagan visited us for the party in Lower Manhattan. My two mistakes? Voting for the peanut farmer because Nixon was too weird for me and voting for Jug-Ears because Palin one heartbeat away was too much to bear. Both choices were bad ones. Carter was awful, Obama worse. Lesson learned? Democrats will lie, cheat and steal to get elected. They follow the diktat "By any means necessary." Just like their muses, Sartre and Malcolm X. Or Lenin. Obama was the biggest con artist of all. America, swept up in a frenzy of racial reconciliation, installed as president an one-term senator of little accomplishment with some very sketchy affiliations with racist preachers and Weather Underground radical terrorists. A fraud who now lives in several mansions, including a seaside joint on the Vineyard. And it is said that crime doesn't pay. The entire DNC is nothing but a leftist crime syndicate of money laundering and voter fraud. Thank you for awakening.
I think the media did a great job demonizing and making vicious fun of Palin, with the cahoots of the nasty Maverick campaign staff who must have been jealous she was more charismatic and willing to take it to the dems. She ran an energy state for heck’s sake! How could she be worse than the no experience in anything Obama and the foreign policy “star” Joey combined?
Thanks for sharing your journey with us, April. You sound like a smart, caring, brave woman. God bless and best wishes to you as you continue on your way.
Thanks for the great insight April! My husband and I both lofelong conservatives have definitely noticed how our liberal friends have become harder for us to talk to. We have always had mixed company. We read anything from anyone because who knows maybe they have a great point. I have like to debate and look at the other side of an argument just to better mine or understand. I too have found my liberal friends don't want to be engaged in the same way. I told my friend who was devastated that Trump won that well you guys picked a lousy candidate. Get a better one and maybe you'll win next time. I felt that although her posts about how she wanted Trump voters to suffer hurt me, I had to console her. I do say I'm getting rather fed up with having to handhold my liberal friends who can't take criticism of their party or candidates while they feel free to lambast what I believe. It's quite tiresome to keep hearing how they hate everything a conservative does just because they are conservative. Like an action or an idea based on your values! Sorry this week with people not celebrating that a peace deal was reached or that 8 Ukrainian children are back with their families just sickens me. It seems so foreign to me. Two years ago , Hilary Clinton said something I wholeheartedly agreed with. Sorry can't remember what but I think it was about Russia. After I heard her comment, I laughed a bit and said out loud to no one something to the effect of I never thought I'd agree with Hilary on something. Again April thanks for your article.
It's always interesting to hear about how people migrated away from the Morally Superior Democrat Party. My trajectory began around 2012 or so, although I still voted for Hillary for reasons that even I can't understand, since the "deplorables" really turned me off, as did her saying, when running against Obama, that she wouldn't speak to certain world leaders who don't share her values, which for all intents and purposes is exactly what the job of president entails -- not to mention a bellwether of this trend on behalf of Democrat voters to not speak to people who aren't in what has become a cult.
Anyway, it was the emerging race stuff and increasing demonization of Republicans and conservatives in the Democrat mailings soliciting donations that turned me off. I remember holding one in my hands that said: STOP THE EVIL REPUBLICANS or something to that effect, and thinking, Wait a minute. Whoa. Whoa. Whoa. Something is rotten in Denmark.
But of course I also didn't know why I was voting D in the first place. It was how my friends voted.
In any case, the race hysteria turned me off completely. I have always been realistic about race, and resistant to "liberal" denial about crime demographics. It has always angered me, this gas lighting and protecting black criminality. It ought to be obvious to everyone that this helps no one, least of which the black people they purportedly protect.
April writes:
I have voted Democrat all my life. I supported soft-on-crime candidates because I didn’t want to see people go to prison and lose their chance at a better life. But now I see the ruin that we have to live with as a result of these policies. The white liberals in the suburbs do not live with the consequences of their votes. I do.
"I supported soft-on-crime candidates because I didn't want to see people go to prison...." -- I don't mean to be unkind -- so many decent people fall for this -- but what effect would anyone expect with a soft on crime policy -- BUT MORE CRIME?
I literally lost my mind during the race hysteria of 2020 and the Defund the Police juggernaut. It should have been obvious to anyone what the EFFECT of that CAUSE would be.
Black men need to get their shit together and stop committing crime. Full stop. I do not owe them my sympathy in any way, shape, or form. In Bed-Stuy where I live, there are groups of able-bodied black men hanging on street corners. What are they doing there? Why aren't they working? Sorry, there are no excuses for this.
I have been so broke at times, I had to decide whether to buy the rice or the spinach. It didn't occur to me to beat up an old lady, STOMP ON HER HEAD, and steal her purse.
If black men want a better life, they need to act like decent people, for god's sake. And if they can't control themselves, then they need to be locked up.
My stoned-all-day retired trust-funder tennis-playing Florida resident TDS second cousin responded to a video of black girls beating up an 11 year old and kicking her dog as follows:
WHY DO YOU LIVE AROUND PEOPLE LIKE THAT? WHY WOULD ANYONE?
Note that it's the people who live around the assholes who are the problem? AND NOT THE ASSHOLES.
I experienced this with these types in other ways -- detectives came to my door to investigate the killing of a black infant in gang crossfire. I posted what the (not white) detectives said about the new constraints on cops (this was in June 2020), how they had to stand back and watch perps spray a busy street with bullets because they were not allowed to grab him in a certain way. I quoted the black grandmother of the dead infant saying she did not want the police defunded.
And this foaming at the mouth "liberal" co-worker sent me a private message vilifying me for quoting the police -- I was a bad person for repeating their concerns -- YET HE COULD CARE LESS THAT SOMEONE'S BABY HAD BEEN KILLED IN GANG CROSSFIRE.
The alphabets propagandize the dem talking points that everyone is against ICE and the police and crime is not bad, why in fact it’s falling! Yet how many times do they actually go into the neighborhoods and talk to the people who actually live there? Maybe once in a blue moon to never.
And it’s not falling at all. The DOJ recently posted that violent urban crime in the U.S. was up 61% from 2019-2024. The fact that it’s lower than an even higher peak in 2022 is scant comfort to its mostly minority victims. Interestingly, rural crime over the same period was essentially flat.
The statistics they point to are a result of police departments in Blue areas no longer reporting their crime statistics. That's how they hide it.
Then there's the fact that those same cities also simply avoiding arresting criminals. Or avoiding charging them. Or let them plead down to minor offenses. Of course it's going to look like there's less crime!
I guess I started to really change when I started listening to Rush Limbaugh during the early Hilary scandals. You know, her wizardly investment prowess and firing the WH employees and becoming the failed health care maven. He really opened my eyes to the propaganda we got from the alphabets and he reported on way more stories than they did. I totally disagreed with him on that Elian Gonzalez fiasco but that too passed.
He more than anyone changed thr thought processes in this country and he is sorely missed, at least by me.
I decided during the Clintons and with idiots like Algore and just a gigolo John Francois Kerry who fought in Vietnam and got medals, that I would never vote democrat again at any level, and I haven’t. If I couldn’t vote not democrat, I simply didn’t vote in that race. And nothing they have done since has changed my mind.
Ironic for me to see this thoughtful post just while I’m experiencing and fighting the unlawful detainment of my son’s fiancé. I would have reposted this for my less rabid Democratic friends. The measures being taken to mass deport immigrants now are shockingly lawless. I have been a voting Republican for decades! Our Constitution is essential and it is truly being twisted and ignored for those who came here LEGALLY! ICE does not care. I thought we were the rule followers. Republicans need to speak out against the horrible behavior of our administration.
Thank you for sharing you personal experience. I am troubled and it is hard to know what to believe in the media about all of this. I assumed there would be at least some collateral damage to the innocent from these widespread and aggressive actions. Maybe in the long run the benefits will outweigh the personal suffering of those caught up wrongly in this net. I am so sorry your family is living the fallout.
She came here legally. Has a work authorization thru 2030. Is pending Asylum. ICE seems to troll areas where many native Spanish speaking people live and work. She was leaving her apartment with her roommate to go to work. They did not have a warrant for her arrest, because ICE/DHS is not following the law. They make one up once they get her to the detention center. She explained her immigrant status at Broadview and the ICE agent said "you shouldn't be here, let me make a call and you'll be released." His supervisor, a woman, instantly said-"No, send her to Texas." They set up a court date in Texas- 10 days later the Texas judge said, that was done incorrectly, she was transferred to Kentucky- Texas is wrong jurisdiction for Chicago. New court date weeks later It goes on and on. Meanwhile here in Chicago, people accused of violent crimes get let out without bond the same day the police charge them.
This seems crazy. Was she given an opportunity to show her legal residency? Was she allowed a phone call? Did you hire a lawyer? It seems crazy that this wasn't resolved immediately. It also sounds like the woman supervisor made an unwarranted and bad call.
As for Chicago crime, it's like so many big American cities - out of control. Of the 20 cities with the highest crime rates, 19 have Democrat mayors. They don't care about the mostly minority day to day victims of most crimes, they care about control and power. Still, there's no excuse for what happened to your son's fiancee.
We immediately hired a lawyer. He was not helping guide us at all. Just saying what do you want me to file and it will cost $x,xxx, which my son paid. then no advice on what to do next unless you sign another contract $x,xxx for another filing but no real plan. So we hired our second lawyer, clearly upfront about the costs and the plan. Now we have in addition a third lawyer because she was moved to Kentucky and different filings required a lawyer able to practice in Kentucky. We will support her, we love her, my son does not want to live life without her but I cannot believe she is still being held now 25 days and counting. I don't know how much more she can take. It is heartbreaking and so insane to me that they would do this to an innocent 21year old. She is terrified, absolutely terrified now. being sent back to V she is at real risk of torture.
She is still in a jail in Kentucky. She is in a cell, capacity is 15. They are on thin mattresses on the floor, shoulder to shoulder like sardines. They have never been taken outside in the over three weeks she has been kept there. They stay in the cell, with a bathroom, to eat and sleep-no room to exercise, walk around. On the jail website it said they could have 2 paperback books (specified the ones that were not allowed) and a bible. We shipped from home. Property manager said detainees are not allowed books (not what is said on the website.) They can request a book from their jail library and it will take 2-3 weeks for her to get one. I believe they are intentionally psychologically torturing the detainees to get them to give up and self deport. I cannot tell you how disillusioned I am with this inhumane, un-American treatment of a truly good, honest person who naively came here (completely legally at every step), followed OUR laws, working and going to school (with her own funds-no freebies) believing that America is a safe and good place. I believe it is evil. And most people seem able to overlook it.
They did not allow her to go back in her apartment to get her documents. They are not interested in whether or not you are here legally, just getting their quota in.
April, you have accurately described a liberal becoming sick with Democrat party, because it has lurched so far to the left. You say you have joined the Republican Party and I understand the reasons articulated in your essay. They make perfect sense. But in the end, you are still a liberal. Convince me otherwise.
On the other hand, there are liberals who are staying with the Democrat party because: (1) they hate Trump, (2) don’t care to pay attention, (3) are hoping the fever will break soon because the party of FDR must live on, or (4) have actually drifted left and have become a progressive.
Thank you for your courage and clarity April! It is indeed a confusing time for many and so helpful to find other voices willing to engage thoughtfully. It is a great gift that you are willing to put yourself out there. You mentioned that not always are those intimidated/attacked by the left willing to walk away. I have cogitated on this a bit and I wonder if it is similar to those who put up with other kinds of abuse in the name of love or loyalty or just resignation. I also must confess I am still confused about exactly what Trump is currently trying to do with Medicaid. If someone will take pity on my ignorance and enlighten me in simplified terms as to the actual facts of the matter, I would be grateful.
Dear Rainbow,
The goal with Medicaid is to (1) get people off of the plan who are able bodied people, (2) get rid of the subsidy that was put in place to subsidize people during COVID which is no longer necessary, (3) stop giving subsidies for people who are not citizens, and (4) eliminate the fraud. In doing so, the people who truly need Medicaid will enjoy more and better benefits and, at the same time, save our country a TON of money. Medicaid became a horrendous grift after the ACA was put in place. It has added so much to our debt and is braking the backs of middle class working families who are paying into a system that hardly benefits them, many paying MORE for their “healthcare” plan than their mortgage. Incidentally, were you aware that the government took over student lending? It was done so that the government could slide money to the ACA which is, and never was, a sustainable program. It’s the reason tuitions have skyrocketed. Anytime government is involved in anything it turns into a giant boondoggle. The government doesn’t do ANYTHING right. So that’s it in a nutshell. Enjoy this glorious day. XOXO
And, true to form, Democrats are lying about the entire effort to reform Medicaid. If their mouths are moving, they're dissembling.
...and It Has Been Said that the "ACA" (cannot say that with a straight face) was designed to fail and in doing so promote a groundswell for (chokes down more bile) "single payer."
I suspected that from the very beginning of the boondoggle that is Obamacare. The moment Obama announced that insurance companies (which I see as being at the very heart of the problem) would be front-and-center in Obamacare, I knew that it wasn't going to do what he claimed it would do.
To me it was simpler than that. Before that abomination I could (and did) buy a policy that was catastrophic only. Aka "hospitalization." Aka "actual insurance" -- as opposed to prepaid maintenance with politically-required add-ons.
Indeed! One of the biggest problems with 'health insurance' is that it has ceased to be *insurance*, as the term is commonly understood (protection against unforeseeable events). It's now a buyer's club for healthcare services.
Been beating that drum for years. No one listens. Well, one exception....
I see so many people totally confused about what is happening.
That is the purpose. You can’t get people on your side if they know the truth. Every time I see the Ds yapping about how the Rs are going to eliminate Medicaid, I, like you, are so grateful I am no longer a D. That party is nothing but a bunch of lying sacks of shit on steroids. Rs lie but they can’t hold a candle to the Ds. They know if they lied like the Ds, the media would pound them relentlessly. The whole system is nauseating. Thank GOD for alternative media where you can at least learn enough about both sides to make up your own mind about where the truth lies. Keep on, keeping on, Dear April. You are delightful to read. I look forward to the day when you are a crabby old woman like me and you don’t hesitate to tell people they’re full of shit or that they have lost their f*cking marbles to brainwashing. 😘
Jonathan Gruber is the chief economist responsible for the ACA. He has stated explicitly—and it’s probably still available on youtube—that the language of the bill was intentionally tortured to be obscure. And that getting it passed was only made possible by “the stupidity of the average American.”
This is particularly important given that most of the population will be geriatric (thanks feminism), and there will be fewer younger people paying into the system. There won't even be enough immigrants to pay into the system, and it's dubious at best to give them free healthcare while the rest of us are scrambling to cover medical expenses.
And that's something I have noticed over the past few decades. I was born in the US, but I can -- and have -- been turned away for lack of health insurance in hospitals packed to the gils with immigrants. It truly does seem that they get special treatment. I've also shown up for open houses for the cheapest apartment in a decent neighborhood to see it go to someone who isn't even a citizen but who has some dubious sponsor.
You are spot on, Dog! Talk show host, Howie Carr, says he doesn’t want anything more . . . he just wants to be treated as well as non-citizens. A sad state of affairs we find ourselves in. That’s why we must stand up and speak out every chance we get. Be well, my friend!! XOXO
The dubious sponsor is probably a government funded NGO. You are being pitted against your own government.
Thank you for the explaination. That is what I thought but there have been so many different interpretations I was unsure what was actually going on. I do have concerns that folks who are truly handicapped will have more troubles because I personally knew folks who had to fight for years to get Medicaid who were in fact quite handicapped. One lady I knew died of bone cancer after a five year battle trying to get SSI. She never did get approved. Definitely a lot wrong with that whole system.
SSI is very hard to get but Medicaid is not. I’ve been on it twice after being laid off. It’s great as a safety net but should not be a permanent way of life. Getting Medicaid in the past has just meant filling out the online forms or doing it on the phone or in person and then reporting your income at intervals. If you make too much you’re off Medicaid. Medicaid is better coverage than what I had when I worked at a liberal nonprofit- I could not afford healthcare there because my copays were so high. $90 to see my PCP and $900 if you had to go to an ER.
Thanks for the clarification April. The cases I have known about with Medicaid were linked with SSI so I didn't realize Medicaid could be received separately from that. Truly ignorant here obviously. And since I have not gone to a hospital or doctor in many years, I'm extra dumb in that department. Also since I am enrolled native, technically I am covered under Indian Health--except since I live far from my own tribe, I'm not really covered unless one of the local tribes takes pity on me since they don't always accept outside tribal members into their own programs. Depends on their fundings, policies etc for that particular year. Kinda out in limbo I guess, but then I have mostly lived my life that way, so nothing new!
Yes. My son did not qualify for SSI. But, he has Medicaid. He doesn't have the endurance/stamina, yet, for a full-time job. We're working towards that. Autism impacts everything. But, he has Medicaid for health care and has had no problems continuing. He was considered too capable for SSI and the payment is so low, as it's intended to be a type of welfare, he makes more working part time at the grocery store.
Glad your son can make some money at a part time job!
SSI has been a fraud magnet for years, despite the relatively demanding application process. Case in point, a man in his 40s: although he did have a car accident many years ago which required some physical therapy, he has been fully recovered for decades … but after the accident, he was given opioids for the pain, and he became a drug addict. So despite having a full physical recovery, he remained on SSI indefinitely by claiming “chronic pain“.
Another “doozy“ was a Lyft driver I had, who claimed to have “diagnosed“ autism and chronic neck pain, and who unashamedly told me her plans to get SSI and go live in Costa Rica with the money. I looked it up, and you cannot legally collect SSI if you’re living in another country (there are one or two exceptions, but Costa Rica is not one of them). Her intention was to scam all of us, probably by using a friend or relative’s US address as her address. I don’t know if her application was approved, but I sure hope not.
That is too bad. I wonder how the heck we create a system where the truly needy get help, but the scammers cannot make inroads.
Probably have to change the people rather than the system. Restore families, teach integrity, responsibility, and work ethic. Get the socialism and anti-racism out of the schools.
I hope you left her a bad review.
My older brother was a worthless drug addict and scammed the system for years with SSI. His “medicine” was methadone. Why not go “up to Lexington 125” like Lou Reed in “Heroin” and leave the social safety net for those worthy? Disgusting, frankly.
A simple listing of the changes to Medicaid.
Makes sense, I agree.
Thank you.
Great essay. I look forward to the time when we no longer feel like we need to keep a low profile in order to be safe.
Amen to that.
These pink haired lesbians and skinny street punks are hardly terrifying. But it is amusing to see their hair burst into flame and heads explode when confronted with facts.
What is actually scary to a petite woman living alone is that a lot of these people are way bigger than I am and they are happy to do things like throw bricks through windows or slash tires. They endorse violence and I’m one of the people they think deserves it.
They only intimidate in packs and do sneaky stuff under cover of darkness. I'd advise you to buy a gun but I assume you live in NYC. Maybe one of the paintball guns that shoot bear spray pellets? I think they're legal. And get some martial arts training. There's a petite woman in one of my classes who is downright deadly.
Byrna, see attached.
Legal in all 50 states.
https://byrna.com/
Attaboy!
Good start.
Yup !
Another benefit of watching the Megyn Kelly podcast on YouTube. She dedicated about 45 minutes to Byrna on an episode a few weeks ago and even had the CEO of the company on. Excellent.
Verrrrry interesting. I’ve never heard of this before, but it sounds like a great alternative to an actual gun.
Yes, I agree.
I’m going to purchase one very soon.
My approach is Bruce’s. I am a trained fighter and well-versed in weapons. But Brian’s suggestion is more practical. Byrna handguns will stop someone without being lethal. You still should get some training, however.
Ditto
Well, they do have such even handed and level headed leaders like AOC, Bernie, Pocahontas Warren, and Eric Smallballs to fall back on for reasoned explanations of their positions on the major issues of the day...
Thank you for sharing your journey. The subject of ”turning” is very interesting to me. It seems to me that you were always a logical and rational person who were immunized against very rrational ideas and could not get infected by the TDS virus. I find it a real challenge, especially when faced with great friends, colleagues and family who take any political subject off the table. I am looking forward to reading the other blogs you write for.
Thank you !
The left (democrats) is banking on their armies of liars to stop smart individuals such as you from defecting. Thank you for doing so and thank you for your post today.
Thank you for this, April.
My trajectory was somewhat different. Dad was an Independent, Mom a Republican, and when I came of age I registered as a Republican, then an Independent. For a while I voted for Democrats, but they seemed moderate to me; the ones whose views I found wacky or sappy I didn't vote for.
Last year I became a Republican again. No Democrat seems moderate anymore, and I will want a say in primaries.
In my large extended family, political fights were common, but no one lost sleep or stopped speaking over them.
Mom to Uncle B: "You'd vote for Mickey Mouse if he was a Democrat!"
Uncle B. to Mom: "Damn right I would! That's a fact! Boola boola!"
Note: All had major points of agreement: support for Israel, a tough military, law and order on our streets, the right to have an abortion, and a curtailing of welfare subsidies, among others. I'm not even sure what they disagreed about -- maybe only their political labels. That's okay with me.
Uncle B. re Weather Underground, Black Panthers, and other chaos-causing Marxist groups: "I'd line them up against a wall and shoot them. I would. That's a fact!"
I miss those days.
“I’d line them up…. “. Oh yes, the old uncles in my family said the same thing. They were all WW2 vets, so they knew a thing or two about a thing or two.
When I was growing up, I also was happy to be part of a similar
“In my large extended family, political fights were common, but no one lost sleep or stopped speaking over them.” And then something changed - maybe TDS emerged?
Well, in my family's case, they all died. But I think they're still somewhere, elsewhere, watching regattas, sipping cocktails and arguing politics happily, without rancor.
The leveler. Don't recall which Famous Economist said, "In the long run, we are all dead." True, but not useful.
Jello Biafra “Hell, we all die in the end”
They all did die.
Are the ones who died still voting Democrat?
Yes, of course.
They get a mail in ballot every four years.
And a summons for jury duty.
Sounds like a nice, civilized, slightly boozy, Philadelphia Story kind of fam.
Who granted the "right" to an abortion? From whence did this power derive? And why?
Sorry, JBell. That's the way they felt and I will not argue it with you.
I do not wish to argue with you about it, I was wondering if the wording was accurate.
Would it have actually been the "ability to access" abortion instead of a "right".
Words matter.
That sounds good too, JBell.
I should say that the "right" to an abortion was, in the case of my great-aunt during the Great Depression, granted to her by economic necessity and her own strict conscience, in that she and her husband had all they could do to keep the four children they had fed and clothed. Perhaps that's the only right women need: the ability to terminate a pregnancy without punishment, as you say.
I always thought that a Right was God-given (okay, whatever that means) in the Founding Documents.
My thought, as well. How can anything be a "right" that which would be provided by another person? Like a "right" to healthcare ..... unless you can care for your health yourself, with no assistance from another .... I suppose it could be a "right". How can a thing which can only be obtained through the time and service of another be a "right"?
How could it be possible to have a "right" to an abortion?
Feminism granted such right.
I’m still a proud independent, beholden to no party. These days, most of my votes go to Republicans or independent candidates, but who knows what the future holds? God knows that there’s no shortage of raving lunatics in the extreme far right as well as the left (the horseshoe theory of politics).
I just said to my spouse yesterday that if most Democrats were like John Fetterman, I’d vote for them…but they’re very much NOT like him, and as a party, they seem to be crazier by the day.
Indeed. No shortage of raving lunatics! If there ever were a shortage... I know where quite a few can be found!
I'll bet. The only correction to your excellent essay I'll add is that you stated "they're losing their minds". II would say that "they HAVE lost their minds".
Very much agree. Liked being an Independent for over 35 years. But as I said, hoping to have a voice in GOP primaries.
In the meantime, across the bridge from lovely Beaufort, South Carolina, on St. Helena Island, there's been another shooting in a restaurant. It boggles the mind.
Where I live, independents can choose which primary to vote in, and I like that flexibility. If the Dem front runner is a rabid wokester and (by some miracle) there’s a more moderate candidate, I can choose the Dem primary — and vice versa. But other states don’t accommodate independents in this way.
New York State does not.
I’ve said before, I had to eat my words about Fetterman. He’s got integrity and courage.
No one would have expected it! Perhaps his stroke changed his brain in useful ways?
Good story about your uncle. I have one too. A close friend many years ago was a diehard democrat. I once told him that I'd bet he'd vote for Hitler if he declared he was a democrat. NO response. The election in 2000 broke our friendship (he LOVED Al Gore).
We used to call folks like your Uncle “yellow dog Democrats” in Texas because they’d vote for the party even if it ran a yellow dog. An unfortunate legacy of Reconstruction that the Reagan realignment fixed,
No, my uncle was a man who, caught up in the Depression, had believed in the New Deal -- I know many of you here do not -- and later disliked some various Democrats and the ACLU because of what they were doing to our cities. As you see by what he said about radicals (and those who supported them).
But he and Mom went at it anyway.
For what it's worth, I also appreciate aspects of the New Deal. The CCC and the WPA served a purpose. You know, for men who actually wanted work, any work.
I told a story that illustrated political arguments that never got in the way of loving family relationships. It would be better if we left it at that.
They did run a yellow dog with Harris, and true to the terminology, people voted for her even though her lack of capacity for the undertaking was obvious, not to mention the "fascism" of being unelected.
The cracks started to show when the Russian collusion story turned out to be a big lie. I felt like a fool having wasted hours following it in the NYT. The endless lawfare. If they can do it to Trump and his circle, they can do it to anyone, to you, to me. Democrats now know they can cheer assassins and revere influencers like Hassan Piker, dog torturer, and still count on their cult to “vote blue no matter who”. Democrats are enacting Trump’s “I could shoot someone on 5th Avenue “ joke. He was kidding. They aren’t. Democrats are toxic and fueled by hatred. Except Fetterman. April, I’ll be registering Republican too.
Ah, but the cracks only occur amongst the Reasonable. As so ably exemplified by Ms April (and by you!). There remains a concerning number of those who are clearly NOT reasonable.
Wasn't only the rag of Walter Duranty. The once estimable WSJ employed a team of TDS infected fools, led by Becky Ballhaus, that dished up this nonsense, as well. And, now, under the comically clueless, Brit Twit, Emma Tucker, the transformation of that once great publication to utter, useless trash is complete.
If there's really a woman named Becky Ballhaus, I feel sorry for her.
And I'd kinda like to meet her, infections and all
https://www.wsj.com/news/author/rebecca-ballhaus
Ok that one’s going in my notebook 📓 lol Maybe Joy Ballhaus
Thinking of canceling the WSJ. It’s expensive and as you say, it has greatly changed for the worse . Husband reads the NYT. Sigh. I’m working on him but it’s like water dripping on rock.
If you call the subscription dept and threaten to cancel, they'll reduce the price to something like $4 per month.
I did that last week, but not sure I will get $1 in value from it weekly.
It might worth it if you get the crossword puzzles.
Thanks for the tip!
I cancelled my NYT a while back.
Good for you! Interesting to hear what drove you away from Dems. May there be millions who follow your path! Wish we could cancel NYT. My husband would never, likewise The New Yorker. Occasionally I look at NYT and comments sections to see if they are any less crazy. Nope.
Some actually are less crazy.
But not when it comes to "Palestine": None of my comments get in. It's all "genocide," all the time.
Still, yesterday the NYT published this comment from me, in regard to 2-3 child families having a hard time coping in New York City:
"Well, for 60 years we have been housing and subsidizing families of 5-10 people headed by never-married mothers and however many babies they brought into the world. Our public school system has bent over backwards to try to educate these children of undereducated women; the bulk of our school budget goes into remedial classes. Every decade or so we worry about building new housing for a new generation of people who never outgrew dependency.
"A mistake. We have not produced a Great Society, have we."
It's worth the dollar a week if some balance can be achieved.
Congratulations !
I got permanently banned from commenting. So I wrote to their management and said either restore me or refund my money. Haven’t heard back, of course, but I did send another message. I haven’t looked at that rag since they banned me. And I’ve been paying for it for over thirty years!
I unsubscribed to the NYT a couple of years ago. I still get emails to entice me back with discounts. If I could talk to a human being, I would tell them, "Leave me alone. I wouldn't subscribe if it were for free!" When I did cancel I had to jump through endless online hoops to achieve my goal. The last question they posed, "Would I like to speak to a care advocate?" At that point, I handed my phone to my husband. I asked him to please finish the process for me. I was getting too aggravated. He has a lot more patience than I do, especially when dealing with anything online.
Same here. In order to wrest my soul from the Times lying clutches I had to appeal to customer service, who got an earful on how low the Times has gone.
Perhaps that's why they haven't bothered trying to lure me back, ha ha.
Water dripping on a rock. A new classic
Some publications seem to be looking for balance, even the WAPO and LA Times. CBS is likely doing so as well. But WSJ appears to be going further and deeper left all the time. Very disappointing.
Megyn Kelly interviewed the current owner of the LA Times. It was interesting. He had refused to endorse Kamala. Apparently most of his editorial staff walked out over that and they lost subscribers as well. He didn't seem worried and he is broadening the LA Times platform significantly. He even talked about creating a Substack like section where readers could form a comment community.
I agree, Bruce. It’s sad to see what has become of the wsj.
Better late to the party than never.
The Russia, Russia, Russia hoax is worse than Watergate.
James Comey was indicted on a process crime for his participation in this scam.
More to come I hope.
Thank you so much for the comments!
I'm going to take a different track here. As a very young man, I registered as a Democrat, mostly because my family voted Democrat. My mother once told me to vote for a millionaire over a Republican because they knew how to run things. Well, true, to a point. But my real change was when Jerry Brown won the governor's mansion in California...the FIRST time. His actions and words repulsed me as a 20-something young man, so I changed to the Republican Party. That change was not challenged for many years, until Trump.
His first run at president disturbed me so much that I refused to vote for ANYONE at the top of the ticket. I despised his persona and his intemperate language. And I still DO! But I could no longer call myself a Republican if Trump was the measuring stick for political orthodoxy. As a result, I re-registered as "Decline to State", or independent, but not for the Independent Party. In essence, I had no home. This action removed me from voting in primaries, but then California changed its rules to the top two candidates in an open primary. The result of this was no Republicans on the ticket...PERIOD!
After Trump's first term, I was really stuck for a candidate. I agreed with some of his actions, but was still repulsed by his personality and undisciplined language. I was beginning to feel that he was destroying the Republican Party that I was familiar with. But during the succeeding election, I was faced with a real dilemma. Either vote for Trump, or vote for a man I have watched for many years, and considered a phony, a man with no center.
I couldn't tolerate Biden, so I voted Trump. My dislike for Biden was instantly validated when he won, as he spent his first day in office signing executive orders countermanding anything that Trump had done. Biden's whole term was also a validation of everything that I had feared, so when 2024 arrived, I gladly voted for Trump over Harris, with whom I was completely familiar after watching her whore herself with California "king maker", Willie Brown. If ever there was an example of the Peter Principle of people being elevated above their abilities, it was Harris!
Even though Trump won, I was still not happy. He started out so well, closing the border, but then he migrated to the tariff fiasco, and then went on the attack against those who had pissed him off in the meantime. Now, his insistence that the National Guard be deployed to Blue cities, other than D.C., has really put me off! I understand his move to expand the presidential power by challenging the limitations in court, but I am still put off by what he has done to the Republican Party itself. It is not the same and, as such, I can never claim to be a Republican. Am I alone in this, or are there others who feel the same way?
"Now, his insistence that the National Guard be deployed to Blue cities, other than D.C., has really put me off!"
I agree in principle; but I have long advocated for the National Guard on New York City streets if for no other reason than to stand around and stop cars with no license plates or phony paper license plates, and tow them. We don't have enough cops for that.
Charge people $3,000 to get their cars back! Boola boola!
And. . . I like what you wrote here.
Democrats have proven they stand with criminals. Is that so hard to miss?
Not at all. Nor have I. It would take a long time for me to count up all the times my family and I experienced everything from car break-ins, thefts, muggings, hit and runs, and near rapes.
No, Bruce, you're off base here. I was fifteen when I had my first run-in with a [black, as it happened] gang of teenagers.
Agreed on so many levels. I’m not happy with Trump but Harris was just not someone I could support. I wrote an article about how I’d like to see a conservative gentleman or lady at the top of the ticket, someone who would represent us well. I’m starting to get involved in the Republican Party here and I’d like to try to make a difference by supporting candidates I can be proud of.
Mitt. Romney was a conservative gentleman. He was a better candidate than Obama and more accurate in his judgment. BUT the media demonized him and Harry Reid lied saying he hadn’t paid his taxes. Later when asked about his admitted lie he responded, “Well it worked, didn’t it.” In my journey from uninterested in politics to anti Democrats, the first thing I noticed was the media was so in love with Obama that they never noticed when some of what he did wasn’t wonderful. I was shocked that he got the Peace prize before doing anything.
Trump is a jerk, but the media can’t touch him. He appears to me to be just plain good. He doesn’t want people to suffer and be killed.
Trump is a very powerful jerk indeed, which is why imo he can push against the aholes so effectively. However I would not call him necessarily 'good', I would call him canny with a truly unassailable ego. Which may be why he is the only one who can get the dirty jobs done. But just like setting a tiger to guard the village from the bad guys, one must take care that the tiger doesn't then destroy the entire village itself. Not out of malice mind you, but simply because that is the nature of the tiger.
I think you have put your finger on the only thing that really concerns me about Trump.
Mind you, I have disliked the man for DECADES, which is why I could not bring myself to vote for him in 2016.
But the biggest problem is his ego. I fear that his ego might motivate some really bad choice--the tiger destroying the village.
Oh please. Look, Trump is Trump. Bombastic and sarcastic. A NY real estate guy through and through. But the tariffs are not a "fiasco." That's just more DNC lies. Free trade is more than just reciprocal tariff rates; it also involves market protection, dumping and cheating - all of which Trump's trade policies address. "Attacking those who pissed him off? More BS. How about enforcing the law against those who perverted it for partisan purposes? Comey lied. Brennan lied and spied. Garland perverted and inverted justice. the list goes on. No one is above the law? Enforcing it is justice, not retribution. As far as the National Guard goes, when state and local officials impose an insurrection on federal immigration law and countenance attacks on ICE which is doing its freaking job, they need to be crushed, not coddled. Yes you are alone in your delusions. Stop watching the lying legacy media.
Bruce, I usually like what you say, but you are totally discounting my own thoughts. I don't "watch the lying legacy media", but I DO sample BOTH sides of the pro and anti-Trump info providers.
And as for Trump going after those who went after him? It will come to naught! You know that to be true, yourself! No one is going to jail, so what is the point? Calling them out? To satisfy whom, exactly? The true Trump believers? To what end?
As for the National Guard issue, I am all for letting the Blue states wallow in their dysfunction. Let them burn, in other words. If the residents of those cities and states LIKE the level of crime in their neighborhoods, then FINE! If they are so blind as not to recognize that their "leaders" have led them down this path, then let Darwin take over.
As for Trump himself, if he were able to run again, I probably would vote for him over any of the ass-wipes that the Dems push on us.
So the Dem officials can lie to Congress, spy on Senators, and use the FBI to intimidate Americans, such as Pete Navarro and Roger Stone, along with conservative Catholics???? For shame.
And when Federal agents are attacked with impunity for enforcing federal law, harsh measures are called for. Remember Fort Sumpter? Come on.
But your last sentence gives me comfort.
That’s whataboutism, Bruce, I’m with Robert on this one. We’re just talking about Trump, not every lowlife Democrat politician. Markets and businesses hate uncertainty, and Trump’s back and forth on tariffs is hurting small U.S. businesses that can’t quickly shift production and procurement the way large multinationals can. There is a point about how other countries take advantage of us (NATO quickly comes to mind) but Navarro’s flawed advice coupled with Trump’s erratic execution does no one any favors.
SS, what specific Navarro flawed advice are you referring to? And I hope you are not in agreement with his treatment. I agree Trump is not perfect at all, and I did NOT vote for him in 2016, but he is SO FAR ahead of ANY Democrat (the whole damn party for that matter) that there is no other option whatsoever.
He has long believed in a sort of Fortress America, where everything should be made here, and minimal imports regardless of the laws of comparative advantage. Argentina tried that for decades with abysmal results. Fair trade is good foe everyone.
💯
I agree Bruce. The hateful impact of mainstream media is still strong. I see it every day in my family, who bring me stories they were told that are just totally not true. And it only takes a minute of research to show they are untrue. But my folks are young and worried about jobs, etc. We are undergoing a huge amount of change, and I get their anxiety, but, they have to stop watching and believing the MSMedia--or at least to check out what they are hearing/reading.
"No one is above the law." Letitia James comes to mind.
People who break the law should be held accountable. This is not debatable. The predicate for the Russia, Russia, Russia hoax was a lie and everyone associated with that lie, as well as the follow on trauma that derailed a duly elected POTUS from governing for 3 years should be exposed and punished. That was the most disgusting and reprehensible thing perpetrated on our government from within in 249 years. We should start with Barak Obama.
Agreed. With a communist Mother and Father, Wright and Ayers, it's amazing that Obama was elected in the first place. But we all know why.
🎯🎯🎯
I agree with you about the tariffs and economic policy . I came late today and just wanted you to know you have support here.
Most of my incapacitated constituents rail against Trump's "words" and "character," without taking into consideration the snake in the grass that is Obama, the word salad idiot that is Harris, and the slurring parrot "white supremacy is our nation's greatest threat" Biden, who didn't even know what he was saying.
With Trump, you know what you're getting. And I have never found his words or character any more off-putting than the rictus-grinning narcissists that head the Democrat party. That's where this garment rending loses me completely.
People falling for some edict that presidents need to speak a certain way, not be blunt or even...wait for it... authentic....which Trump is.
Recently a friend was still blathering on FB about the "Mexicans are rapists" line. Recently on TFP, Nocera posited that Trump said to inject bleach. We must not succumb to these idiotic straw men. He does say things that are easily thrown around out of context, but...he's the real thing.
Harris was a Deep State dark-skinned white guilt puppet. Obama the same. It was all a ruse. Obama spoke well, but the effect on the country has been so disastrous, who gives a rat's ass that he could give a great speech, if we're so divided, and obsessed in the wrong ways about race?
".....the rictus-grinning narcissists that head the Democrat party."
Brilliant. A tip of my hat to you!
What you said has been similar to my most repeated comeback to those hating Trump.
"At least with Trump you know what you are getting and can fight back directly if you want to. Whereas Biden/Obama/Harris are lying snakes in the grass who talk nice and make you feel all virtuous about yourself and thus enable you to pretend not to see the truly evil underbelly of the snake itself.' ( and that is a real insult to snakes who are amazing creatures!)
After I got past my dislike of Trump on my own red pilling journey, I started watching some of his rallies and was surprised to find that he was just talking common sense. And he was FUNNY. He's a master at trolling, which, after having been ruled over by the Hall Monitor Class for decades, has been a breath of fresh air. To see Democrats taking the bait on his 2028 hats and pretending he's going to run again is HILARIOUS. And whoever is running his social media like the White House TwiX account is doing a great job. And the sombrero memes!!! Lolol. He's the funniest president we've ever had. He might be brash and uncouth at times but it's what is needed and it feels so good to see the dirty corrupt lying Democrats implode.
Agreed. He is funny. I find it hard to listen to him talk , but when reading transcripts I laugh until I can’t breathe. His trolling works every time and the leftists never figure it out. Walter Kirn likened it to Trump throwing them a chew toy. They’ll just keep biting on it, every time.
That's the thing about Trump. I disliked him for DECADES. But his coarse style now appears to be the only effective response to the "rictus-grinning narcissists."
The unfortunate reality is that Republican politeness has been as effective as a limp noodle. By the turn of the 21st century, Democrats had gained enough power in enough institutions that they could do anything they wanted. They could (and did) simply ignore polite efforts to rein them in. They've gotten away with being bullies for a long time. They won't stop (and can't BE stopped) without a very strong response.
The strong response -- yes -- it's an intriguing dynamic to me, as explored in my Bligh essay. I also experience this as a teacher/human being. People push their emotional manipulations, or just plain bullying. I put my hands up and say no, I'm the authority here, and then they complain about my "tone," which is really just me standing up for my goddamned self and the standards of the institution. Then I get in trouble for 'belittling' or 'making (them) uncomfortable.' Note this is the D Party BS through and through.
Trump has been around the damned block. People take advantage of NICE. That's the law of human nature.
I really liked your Bligh essay!
It's a reality of human nature that people tend to push against boundaries (indeed, many animals share the same trait, so it's very, very deep in our genes). If boundaries are maintained, there's less pushing, because it isn't successful. If boundaries are allowed to be knocked down out of some misguided notion of 'being nice,' the pressure to keeping pushing just grows and grows.
This is one reason that kids are so out-of-control now. Parents yield frequently on boundaries. They don't mean 'no,' even when they dare to say it. It is consistent with nature that the kids are going to push and push and push, looking for that boundary that doesn't yield, and rarely finding it.
I voted for Hillary, instead of Trump, for the reasons you sited.
He’s so bombastic, and can’t keep his foot out of his mouth.
Now, I don’t care. I’m for everything he’s doing. The angrier he makes the left, the happier I am about it.
What good would Hillary have done for America?
The size of government and the amount of gov. workers would have grown, as would our national debt.
Putin would be running roughshod over Eastern Europe.
Iran would have a nuclear weapon pointed first at Israel and next at you.
She probably would have opened the borders as the D base has been shrinking.
Again, what good would she have done besides not being Kamala Harris?
Hillary. I can't believe I ever supported her--especially after these recent years. BTW, the esteemed mystery writer Louise Penny allowed Hillary to co-write a book with her that was released in 2021, STATE OF TERROR, about a Secretary of State trying to stop a terror attack. I read it. And it was so NOT good--just how Clinton would like to be "seen." I couldn't believe Penny got involved with tarnishing her own reputation with this purile crap.
It took my estimation of Penny way down. I still read her Three Pines books but reluctantly and I wouldn’t touch the Hilary book with a ten foot pole. I wonder how it actually did in readership.
Good question.
Grok says big commercial success.
LOL
Hillary had the unfortunate distinction of being both an untalented politician and an extremely callous, corrupt person. We dodged a bullet with her.
Not even close to feeling the same way. Yes he’s bombastic and his vocabulary is juvenile. I really can’t stand to listen to him so I don’t.
BUT, he is the best president we have ever had. His first term he kept his promises yet had to fight against enemies both inside and outside. “Losing” 2020 was the best thing that ever happened because he’s going hell bent for leather now.
The border is not only closed, it’s hermetically sealed. 2 million illegals are gone and that’s in 9 months and more and more leave every day.
Tariffs are re-orienting the global trade. The alphabets won’t tell you much but a lot of manufacturing is coming home. The US is not the worlds bitch anymore.
He’s created peace in now eight flash point areas of the world. That ain’t nothing.
Sending the national guard is necessary as the idiot dem governors and mayors are not using the police to protect and serve but to run away.
He’s named Antifa a terrorist organization and while the hormonized ants are still revolting at home, the incitors are fleeing to foreign shores.
Ordinary people in Chicago and Memphis and DC are cheering the reduction in crime Trump's bringing.
The RIFs are finally starting and the federal government is shrinking.
And the best part is, democrats are losing their minds. It’s glorious.
I could go on and on but I’ll stop.
Now I'm battling the morons who insist that ANTIFA means "anti-fascist" therefore they are the nice guys.
Glenn Beck did a brilliant breakdown of Antifa roots and funding.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_gduiqO1eM
"And the best part is, democrats are losing their minds. It’s glorious." I couldn't agree more!
Thanks for sharing your journey Robert. I think it is important to realize that what Trump did in 2024 was to change the GOP as it has existed for a long time. He created a big umbrella that included the change he and many wanted to see happen. In that umbrella are people who saw the corruption and danger in the medical industry, the chemical industry, farming, food, the military industrial comples, the NGO role, the "news," etc, etc. What he created is a new party--and it is unclear as yet if these folks can pull us out of the muck. Like you, I didn't like Trump's persona--but I have also come to realize that much of what I thought I knew was the demonized charicature that MSMedia created. When I started researching the whole context of Trump, I still saw a brash, outspoken, man, but a man with a big heart as well. And he's not dumb, as I thought. He's pretty smart, actually. Trump had been smeared beyond recognition in terms of being a real person. I came to, slowly, realizing that I had been totally played about this man--and I had spent every night on MSNBC/Rachel Maddow listening to Russia, Russia. I also think we DID have a uni-party. I think the old GOP was maybe not as corrupt as the deep state Democrats, but surely they knew what was going on. I am still gobsmacked by the amount of government corruption--that went right over the edge under Biden. What had been created in my Cultural Studies terms was a "system of cultural power." And it was headed toward a total meltdown of this democracy--starting with the loss of free speech, the surveillance of its citizens to control them, the medical mandates, the debanking and loss of jobs of those who were calling "foul," and on and on. I'll take Trump over that situation any day of the week. Where we were going is unthinkable...
And where we are GOING is unknowable! And THAT is what concerns me.
Yes. But MSMedia is fear mongering about where we are going so you have to check if what they are saying is accurate. Mostly I am finding that it isn’t.
It bears repeating that Trump is different in so many ways. He’s a businessman, not a politician, and not feeding off the government trough. He’s also NOT a lawyer. Over the last 30 years, only one Democrat candidate for Prez or VP was not a lawyer (the inestimable dufus Tim Walz).
So agree. Interesting about the lawyers running. Thanks.
I appreciate you bringing these thoughts out in the open Robert as I suspect many do have them. I was an RFK girl and still am. I am glad Trump won over Harris for sure, but while I am happy he has directly taken action on many important things, there will continue to be significant fallout that in the end I am not sure will be in the best interests of our country as a whole. Perhaps we are in such a mess there is no way to make movement forward without making bigger messes in the process. I really don't know. At this point I think large numbers of folks have serious cognitive issues/brain damage etc. Not sure how we fix that.
You cannot fix the mental weaknesses of others, nor should you let them impact you.
Be grounded in what you believe in, stand tall and fight for those beliefs.
I had brunch yesterday with a friend of 40 years who imports clothing from China. He ruminated over Trump’s 100% tariff on China. I sat quietly because there were three other long time friends at the table who are also liberal democrats. I also did not know the reason behind Trump’s action.
A day later here is where I am.
My friend who imports has been at this for many years and was very successful at it. In recent years he has stated that he is still working for the fun. He didn’t need the money. I’m a very conservative business person and in my professional life have seen many businesses fail, for all sorts of uncontrollable, unknowable and unseeable reasons. I retired early because I was concerned about putting what I had earned for my retirement at risk by continuing to work (mistakes in my business can be very costly).
I often wondered why he didn’t sell the business, it didn’t make sense to me. I also wondered why during Trump 1.0 he experienced the tariffs and sat back and did nothing for four years assuming that Trump would not win a second term. When Trump was elected, he still did nothing. Now he is suffering from the tariffs.
I also read Coffee & COVID yesterday and learned that Trump imposed the 100% tariff on China because it was stopping the export of rare earth materials used to manufacture magnets, which are needed to manufacture weapons for Ukraine. China is the sole exporter of these materials (a discussion for another day).
Wrapping all this up. Full of HUBRIS is how I see my friend. He brought this all upon himself and now he is blaming someone else. Especially by putting his own small business ahead of the need to manufacture weapons for Ukraine who is being destroyed by Russia. I have no sympathy and see no need to throw this in my friend’s face because that wouldn’t accomplish anything. I’ll just sit and smile.
Thanks for sharing that powerful observation. There are indeed multiple facets to all of this and I certainly don't pretend to understand even a fraction of them.
Thank you for reading my story. What I have concluded since I wrote my comment earlier is that the business was my friends’ identity and it was just too emotional for him to deal in any rational manner until it was forced upon him. A lesson for us all, and in fact, one that we learn in business school very early on: never be emotional about this stuff. It’s like someone that holds onto a stock because they love the company all the while it is falling like a rock.
Yes so many things one can cling to unwisely.
Agree about wondering about brain damage. It is all scary…
Robert, my opinion is that in politics as in life, you have to pick a few things that are really important to you and set the rest aside. My calculation for voting for Trump was three simple asks: (1) close the border, check; (2) destroy Iranian nuclear facilities, check; and (3) stop the Russia - Ukraine war, open. Two out of three in 10 months, I’m thrilled. So while all this other stuff is just noise, for me there is some good and some bad. What I am 1000% certain of is that had Harris won, we would be in a heap of shit.
So if Trump’s demeanor is in your top three list, then stick by your position. Let that be your measuring stick and don’t let others sway you.
Brian. One of my primary reasons to vote for Trump was the free speech issue. Without it there can not be a democracy of any sort. Look at the UK now. Scary.
A very important issue.
I agree.
The Twitter files exposed all of this and then some.
Excellent post, Robert. You nailed the untalented Kamala. Trump’s tariff policies are being bungled and could only go so far in any case. He’s being poorly advised in this area. His sending the National Guard to liberal bastions is risky on many levels. But he is highlighting something important: we shouldn’t just accept the rates of violent crime in our cities, and he is calling attention to this. BTW, 19 of the 20 most dangerous U.S. cities are led by Democrats. The one exception, Baton Rouge, has a relatively new mayor after 20+ years of Democrat rule.
You should really do more research on the tariffs and the reasons behind them .... it's not just tariff's ... is market, it's trade balance, it's patents ... etc.
And I agree with a lot of that, but you don’t flip flop repeatedly with major trading partners without creating trade uncertainty. You shut your pie hole and do it behind closed doors like Trump did with the Gaza deal. You don’t call Canada the 51st state. That’s had a big impact where we live. Completely unnecessarily. I had a 40 year career in finance and have followed Peter Navarro for over 20 years. I think he’s a nut.
Well I totally agree with you re: Canada. I still don't know what the hell that was all about, but it sure was dumb. And it blew up in Trumps face, at least from my perspective.
Two thoughts:
Whilst by no means entirely enamored of the late Mr Limbaugh, one of his pithier observations is that what one finds in the center is generally road kill. The Struggle has clearly become more strident, but it's been brewing for a long time.
More important: Have you any idea how breathtakingly Normal your journey sounds to the casual observer?
". . . what one finds in the center is generally road kill."
Uh-oh.
I try to remind myself that the normal people of the world do not scream at strangers on the street like people do in my neighborhood.
YES! And there are huge numbers of them, and not just in the Heartland. And even there, they are getting ever more at the mercy (a trait not actually in evidence) of the denizens of the Manheaps.
So you DO live in NYC!
I never followed Limbaugh because I was a crazy democrat. But his comment that the center is generally roadkill is great and so true.
I was on a charity work project in Central America, sharing the bed of a pickup truck. Suddenly the topic of Rush Limbaugh came up. I offered that I had heard one of his broadcasts and that he didn’t say anything particularly controversial. They pretty much didn’t talk to me after that.
I happened upon Rush Limbaugh during my weekly trips to Portland in 1990. The main thing that struck me about him was that he was saying TRUE things that no one else dared to say. That won me into his audience.
But I stopped listen to him after he got addicted to Oxycontin (after his back surgery). Of course, that addiction wouldn't be known about for a few more years, but his approach changed noticeable as a result of it. He no longer seemed to have any self-control, and he started saying some really stupid and outrageous and UNTRUE things. I was no longer interested in his take.
Hello April and welcome to the Big Tent of sanity. And, yes, the Republican Party is not perfect; but it is not bat spit crazy like the Donkeys. Funny how I can't relate to your conversion, as I have been a conservative all my life; voting Republican with a few, regretted, exceptions. I remember as a young boy, fighting with school teachers who insisted I quote only the NY Times, which I considered a foolish rag, unfit to even compete with the Herald Tribune. Or later the WSJ, now ruined, too. Riding my bike with Goldwater stickers on it. I remember refusing in 1980 to answer the long form census, being hectored and warned by the government and telling them "F off, Reagan will be elected and you'll be out of work." And then the unrestrained joy of the 1986 Centennial Celebration of the Statue of Liberty, when the fleet was in and President and Mrs. Reagan visited us for the party in Lower Manhattan. My two mistakes? Voting for the peanut farmer because Nixon was too weird for me and voting for Jug-Ears because Palin one heartbeat away was too much to bear. Both choices were bad ones. Carter was awful, Obama worse. Lesson learned? Democrats will lie, cheat and steal to get elected. They follow the diktat "By any means necessary." Just like their muses, Sartre and Malcolm X. Or Lenin. Obama was the biggest con artist of all. America, swept up in a frenzy of racial reconciliation, installed as president an one-term senator of little accomplishment with some very sketchy affiliations with racist preachers and Weather Underground radical terrorists. A fraud who now lives in several mansions, including a seaside joint on the Vineyard. And it is said that crime doesn't pay. The entire DNC is nothing but a leftist crime syndicate of money laundering and voter fraud. Thank you for awakening.
I think the media did a great job demonizing and making vicious fun of Palin, with the cahoots of the nasty Maverick campaign staff who must have been jealous she was more charismatic and willing to take it to the dems. She ran an energy state for heck’s sake! How could she be worse than the no experience in anything Obama and the foreign policy “star” Joey combined?
Still, she quit as governor. Spoke volumes to me.
Do you remember why she quit?
They were destroying her and her family with lawfare which as a non billionaire she couldn’t pay for.
Never knew much about Palin, but a wise friend from Kodiak Island told me Palin was very good on the ground in Alaska with several important issues.
Friends I trust in Alaska loved Palin. So I never believed all the crap about her. According to them she did some good things for the state.
Let's not forget the fawing over Michelle Obama. Barack Hussein Obama II has her to deal with. I almost feel sorry for the man.
She seems to be one angry, entitled woman.
I wish I could disagree with anything you said here Bruce, but I can’t.
Thanks for sharing your journey with us, April. You sound like a smart, caring, brave woman. God bless and best wishes to you as you continue on your way.
Thank you ❤️
Thanks for the great insight April! My husband and I both lofelong conservatives have definitely noticed how our liberal friends have become harder for us to talk to. We have always had mixed company. We read anything from anyone because who knows maybe they have a great point. I have like to debate and look at the other side of an argument just to better mine or understand. I too have found my liberal friends don't want to be engaged in the same way. I told my friend who was devastated that Trump won that well you guys picked a lousy candidate. Get a better one and maybe you'll win next time. I felt that although her posts about how she wanted Trump voters to suffer hurt me, I had to console her. I do say I'm getting rather fed up with having to handhold my liberal friends who can't take criticism of their party or candidates while they feel free to lambast what I believe. It's quite tiresome to keep hearing how they hate everything a conservative does just because they are conservative. Like an action or an idea based on your values! Sorry this week with people not celebrating that a peace deal was reached or that 8 Ukrainian children are back with their families just sickens me. It seems so foreign to me. Two years ago , Hilary Clinton said something I wholeheartedly agreed with. Sorry can't remember what but I think it was about Russia. After I heard her comment, I laughed a bit and said out loud to no one something to the effect of I never thought I'd agree with Hilary on something. Again April thanks for your article.
It's always interesting to hear about how people migrated away from the Morally Superior Democrat Party. My trajectory began around 2012 or so, although I still voted for Hillary for reasons that even I can't understand, since the "deplorables" really turned me off, as did her saying, when running against Obama, that she wouldn't speak to certain world leaders who don't share her values, which for all intents and purposes is exactly what the job of president entails -- not to mention a bellwether of this trend on behalf of Democrat voters to not speak to people who aren't in what has become a cult.
Anyway, it was the emerging race stuff and increasing demonization of Republicans and conservatives in the Democrat mailings soliciting donations that turned me off. I remember holding one in my hands that said: STOP THE EVIL REPUBLICANS or something to that effect, and thinking, Wait a minute. Whoa. Whoa. Whoa. Something is rotten in Denmark.
But of course I also didn't know why I was voting D in the first place. It was how my friends voted.
In any case, the race hysteria turned me off completely. I have always been realistic about race, and resistant to "liberal" denial about crime demographics. It has always angered me, this gas lighting and protecting black criminality. It ought to be obvious to everyone that this helps no one, least of which the black people they purportedly protect.
April writes:
I have voted Democrat all my life. I supported soft-on-crime candidates because I didn’t want to see people go to prison and lose their chance at a better life. But now I see the ruin that we have to live with as a result of these policies. The white liberals in the suburbs do not live with the consequences of their votes. I do.
"I supported soft-on-crime candidates because I didn't want to see people go to prison...." -- I don't mean to be unkind -- so many decent people fall for this -- but what effect would anyone expect with a soft on crime policy -- BUT MORE CRIME?
I literally lost my mind during the race hysteria of 2020 and the Defund the Police juggernaut. It should have been obvious to anyone what the EFFECT of that CAUSE would be.
Black men need to get their shit together and stop committing crime. Full stop. I do not owe them my sympathy in any way, shape, or form. In Bed-Stuy where I live, there are groups of able-bodied black men hanging on street corners. What are they doing there? Why aren't they working? Sorry, there are no excuses for this.
I have been so broke at times, I had to decide whether to buy the rice or the spinach. It didn't occur to me to beat up an old lady, STOMP ON HER HEAD, and steal her purse.
If black men want a better life, they need to act like decent people, for god's sake. And if they can't control themselves, then they need to be locked up.
My stoned-all-day retired trust-funder tennis-playing Florida resident TDS second cousin responded to a video of black girls beating up an 11 year old and kicking her dog as follows:
WHY DO YOU LIVE AROUND PEOPLE LIKE THAT? WHY WOULD ANYONE?
Note that it's the people who live around the assholes who are the problem? AND NOT THE ASSHOLES.
I experienced this with these types in other ways -- detectives came to my door to investigate the killing of a black infant in gang crossfire. I posted what the (not white) detectives said about the new constraints on cops (this was in June 2020), how they had to stand back and watch perps spray a busy street with bullets because they were not allowed to grab him in a certain way. I quoted the black grandmother of the dead infant saying she did not want the police defunded.
And this foaming at the mouth "liberal" co-worker sent me a private message vilifying me for quoting the police -- I was a bad person for repeating their concerns -- YET HE COULD CARE LESS THAT SOMEONE'S BABY HAD BEEN KILLED IN GANG CROSSFIRE.
The alphabets propagandize the dem talking points that everyone is against ICE and the police and crime is not bad, why in fact it’s falling! Yet how many times do they actually go into the neighborhoods and talk to the people who actually live there? Maybe once in a blue moon to never.
And it’s not falling at all. The DOJ recently posted that violent urban crime in the U.S. was up 61% from 2019-2024. The fact that it’s lower than an even higher peak in 2022 is scant comfort to its mostly minority victims. Interestingly, rural crime over the same period was essentially flat.
The statistics they point to are a result of police departments in Blue areas no longer reporting their crime statistics. That's how they hide it.
Then there's the fact that those same cities also simply avoiding arresting criminals. Or avoiding charging them. Or let them plead down to minor offenses. Of course it's going to look like there's less crime!
Well, welcome.
I guess I started to really change when I started listening to Rush Limbaugh during the early Hilary scandals. You know, her wizardly investment prowess and firing the WH employees and becoming the failed health care maven. He really opened my eyes to the propaganda we got from the alphabets and he reported on way more stories than they did. I totally disagreed with him on that Elian Gonzalez fiasco but that too passed.
He more than anyone changed thr thought processes in this country and he is sorely missed, at least by me.
I decided during the Clintons and with idiots like Algore and just a gigolo John Francois Kerry who fought in Vietnam and got medals, that I would never vote democrat again at any level, and I haven’t. If I couldn’t vote not democrat, I simply didn’t vote in that race. And nothing they have done since has changed my mind.
Democrats delenda est.
Started out a Republican because of both my parents. In Catholic school, we were absolutely taught that abortion was wrong/murder.
First Dem vote was for Kerry, when I was living in FL. I was in my feminist stage, ok with abortion, and disgusted by the Bush years.
I kept on that path until 2020. Covid lockdowns were my red pill moment, followed closely by the Floyd summer of love riots.
I too found TFP, which helped my journey, and also Officer Tatum (conservative black former police officer who is now an influencer).
Now I’m 100% Team Trump, hopeful for Team Vance, and, for the first time a week ago felt comfortable voicing out loud to a vendor that I like Trump.
Ironic for me to see this thoughtful post just while I’m experiencing and fighting the unlawful detainment of my son’s fiancé. I would have reposted this for my less rabid Democratic friends. The measures being taken to mass deport immigrants now are shockingly lawless. I have been a voting Republican for decades! Our Constitution is essential and it is truly being twisted and ignored for those who came here LEGALLY! ICE does not care. I thought we were the rule followers. Republicans need to speak out against the horrible behavior of our administration.
Thank you for sharing you personal experience. I am troubled and it is hard to know what to believe in the media about all of this. I assumed there would be at least some collateral damage to the innocent from these widespread and aggressive actions. Maybe in the long run the benefits will outweigh the personal suffering of those caught up wrongly in this net. I am so sorry your family is living the fallout.
Tell us more. Is your son’s fiancée here illegally? What happened? Why was she targeted and what is preventing her release?
She came here legally. Has a work authorization thru 2030. Is pending Asylum. ICE seems to troll areas where many native Spanish speaking people live and work. She was leaving her apartment with her roommate to go to work. They did not have a warrant for her arrest, because ICE/DHS is not following the law. They make one up once they get her to the detention center. She explained her immigrant status at Broadview and the ICE agent said "you shouldn't be here, let me make a call and you'll be released." His supervisor, a woman, instantly said-"No, send her to Texas." They set up a court date in Texas- 10 days later the Texas judge said, that was done incorrectly, she was transferred to Kentucky- Texas is wrong jurisdiction for Chicago. New court date weeks later It goes on and on. Meanwhile here in Chicago, people accused of violent crimes get let out without bond the same day the police charge them.
This seems crazy. Was she given an opportunity to show her legal residency? Was she allowed a phone call? Did you hire a lawyer? It seems crazy that this wasn't resolved immediately. It also sounds like the woman supervisor made an unwarranted and bad call.
As for Chicago crime, it's like so many big American cities - out of control. Of the 20 cities with the highest crime rates, 19 have Democrat mayors. They don't care about the mostly minority day to day victims of most crimes, they care about control and power. Still, there's no excuse for what happened to your son's fiancee.
We immediately hired a lawyer. He was not helping guide us at all. Just saying what do you want me to file and it will cost $x,xxx, which my son paid. then no advice on what to do next unless you sign another contract $x,xxx for another filing but no real plan. So we hired our second lawyer, clearly upfront about the costs and the plan. Now we have in addition a third lawyer because she was moved to Kentucky and different filings required a lawyer able to practice in Kentucky. We will support her, we love her, my son does not want to live life without her but I cannot believe she is still being held now 25 days and counting. I don't know how much more she can take. It is heartbreaking and so insane to me that they would do this to an innocent 21year old. She is terrified, absolutely terrified now. being sent back to V she is at real risk of torture.
What happened with your son's fiancé?
She is still in a jail in Kentucky. She is in a cell, capacity is 15. They are on thin mattresses on the floor, shoulder to shoulder like sardines. They have never been taken outside in the over three weeks she has been kept there. They stay in the cell, with a bathroom, to eat and sleep-no room to exercise, walk around. On the jail website it said they could have 2 paperback books (specified the ones that were not allowed) and a bible. We shipped from home. Property manager said detainees are not allowed books (not what is said on the website.) They can request a book from their jail library and it will take 2-3 weeks for her to get one. I believe they are intentionally psychologically torturing the detainees to get them to give up and self deport. I cannot tell you how disillusioned I am with this inhumane, un-American treatment of a truly good, honest person who naively came here (completely legally at every step), followed OUR laws, working and going to school (with her own funds-no freebies) believing that America is a safe and good place. I believe it is evil. And most people seem able to overlook it.
How did they not allow her to show her documents to get released?
They did not allow her to go back in her apartment to get her documents. They are not interested in whether or not you are here legally, just getting their quota in.
April, you have accurately described a liberal becoming sick with Democrat party, because it has lurched so far to the left. You say you have joined the Republican Party and I understand the reasons articulated in your essay. They make perfect sense. But in the end, you are still a liberal. Convince me otherwise.
On the other hand, there are liberals who are staying with the Democrat party because: (1) they hate Trump, (2) don’t care to pay attention, (3) are hoping the fever will break soon because the party of FDR must live on, or (4) have actually drifted left and have become a progressive.
Or, Brian, they stay as they are worried about their current jobs.
Yes #5.
FDR opposed much of what today’s Democrats support.
Yup, try telling that to someone that is emotionally challenged and brainwashed by the Borg.