It bothers me so much that after 70 years as a proud American, I am now celebrating when our president is defeated and humiliated publicly. He's the most vile person imaginable.
My son is soon to attend the Naval Academy. It’s been his goal for a very long time. People think we are politically aligned with the current administration, but that could not be farther from the truth.
While I worry for him, I know he is exactly who we need leading others and defending our Constitution in the years to come
I know how you feel --- sometimes I fear that flying the flag or wearing a flag pin signals to people around me (especially the most vulnerable) that I'm MAGA. But we can NOT let them appropriate this symbol of freedom and justice. We must take it back. Fly it proudly. 🤎
I fly a California flag bc despite its imperfections, Im damn proud of my state. The people down the street started flying both CA & USA flags which inspired me. Perhaps pushback on the hostile MAGA takeover of patriotism isn't as hard as I think.
My wife got us a California flag, but it's the one with the bear charging toward you, rather than the actual one that's the side angle of the bear. I think it's fantastic.
I share your ambivalence Maureen. I use that ambivalence to think long and deep, usually when walking, about what makes me so ambivalent, and what actions I can take. I am no great thinker, but I use this time to articulate what is wrong in this country and ways to turn things around. Sometimes I am up to four miles a day. That’s a lot of thinking!
Katherine same I walk 3-5 mi per day. Hard on my soul and heart sometimes but great for my physical health. But I honestly have to say after a walk I feel more balanced.
> "A true patriot has a capacity to feel both pride and shame in his country".
Take heart in these words by the author. I don't know who he is, but this may just be the healthiest expression of national pride I've ever heard. If I had the power I would make this our national motto. Seriously.
Imagine our children growing up thinking of their country in this way. Our national spirit would be inherently innoculated against both the thin-skinned, ossifying jingoism of the right and the judgemental, destructive self-hatred of the left.
Don't despair over this misleading sense of torn allegience you're experiencing right now. It's a healthy indication of your devotion to the spirit of our Constitution over the man who currently occupies the office. That is exactly what real patriotism demands of all of us in this moment.
This is a bigger deal than people think. Trump's "evangelical" followers are deeply offended by this post. Maybe this is the breaking point. Anti-Trumper Harry Sisson summarizes the bigger issue best:
"Trump is having a mental health episode right now. He’s been posting on social media all night. He posted at:
9:49pm (Ai Jesus photo)
9:50pm (Trump tower on moon)
10:10pm (dumb meme)
10:32pm (news clip)
10:53pm (news clip)
12:43am (announcing Hormuz blockade)
2:35am (article about Biden)
2:36am (article on naval blockade)
2:37am (article on Rep. Swalwell)
2:37am (posted the same article about Biden again)
2:38am (article on his ballroom)
4:10am (article on Iran)
He’s not sleeping, he’s pretending to be Jesus, and he’s posting all night. He’s not well."
He obviously lives on amphetamines. This posting, along with the report of Trump and his entourage attending a UFC event the other day just amplifies his mental illness.
From The Guardian: "The AI-generated image Trump shared was not the original. The picture first appeared in early February, posted to X by Nick Adams, a conservative commentator with a history of sharing AI-generated, biblically themed Trump content. In Adams’s version, a silhouette of a US soldier stands in the background. In Trump’s version, that soldier has been photoshopped into a demonic figure with horns looming behind the president as he performs his miracle."
That picture is one of the most sickening and blasphemous things that I've ever seen in my life. Fortunately, we had Bill around to deal it the perfect putdown.
It's exactly what I thought when I saw that image. Since the image is AI, it probably conjured Epstein as the dead person most linked to Trump and modeled the recipient of messiah-Trump's ministrations on Epstein.
From The Guardian: "The AI-generated image Trump shared was not the original. The picture first appeared in early February, posted to X by Nick Adams, a conservative commentator with a history of sharing AI-generated, biblically themed Trump content. In Adams’s version, a silhouette of a US soldier stands in the background. In Trump’s version, that soldier has been photoshopped into a demonic figure with horns looming behind the president as he performs his miracle."
JD Vance is having a rough week. Failed peace talks, Orban getting crushed after campaigning for him, and a recent poll showing he's the most unpopular vice president in the history of the country.
I'm gonna be a hundred percent fair to JD Vance. People keep saying "he has no shame" "it's so pathetic how he's humiliating himself". And those things might be true. But if he puts up with this moron for long enough, he might be president. I dunno, that sounds worth it to me. If I had to grovel in the dirt and accept any humiliation from - I dunno, Fetterman? Who's the worst guy in my party right now - but there was a good chance of me being president and getting electoral reform and single-player health care out of it, I'd do it. Wouldn't even feel that bad about it.
Of course, the chances of him getting what he wants out of any of this are *plummeting,* but, in principle,,,
You mean like everybody in the Democratic party who pretended that Joe Biden was not an incompetent early stage dementia patient in order to hold onto power did? Even Kamala could see that Joe was well past his sell-by date. So, we have an example of that on the Left in recent history.
But, there is no amount reality denial and humiliation I'd take from Trump to remain in power. It's why, for the first time in my 40 years of voting, I abstained in 2024. I'm done with being their bitch.
It took the Obama Administration 18 months to hammer out the JCPOA, which Trump promptly threw out because it had Obama’s name on it. It’s no surprise that Mr. Zero Charisma hasn’t got it done.
How can you expect 3 men with absolutely zero negotiation or diplomatic skills, with zero substantial preparation, with zero understanding of the background, or history, of their opponents to come away with any kind of success? I say they had ZERO chance from the get-go. This is what happens when a President substitutes loyalty for expertise and intelligence. Trump is killing our government with his idiocy.
When you purge government and organizations of all the "experts", you end up with incompetency. It's a mathematical formula. It's why all of Trump's businesses go belly-up. Nobody smarter than him can be kept around, and he's not very smart.
Actually, the work towards the creation of the JCPOA goes back even before Obama's administration. The international community engaged in intensive negotiations with Iran for roughly 12 years regarding its nuclear program, starting around 2003 and culminating in the JCPOA agreement on July 14, 2015. Only a malignant narcissist could believe that three unqualified cosplaying "negotiators" could do in two days what it took the the best minds in the world more than a decade to structure.
blatant lazy ass thief; he wanted the actual envelopes of cash delivered to him in the white house, that man needed a public booking, And a follow through, but nope let him slide
Agnew didn’t write that line—it was his speechwriter, William Safire. He also gave him the less memorable alliterative insult “pusillanimous pussyfooters.”
JD Vance is proving to be quite unready for prime time, isn't he? I predict he won't even be the nominee in 2028. I think Trump likes Rubio better, and will throw Vance under the bus. Without Trump telling the MAGAs to pick Vance, I think enough of them will go for Rubio that, combined with us establishment types and moderates, Rubio will be the nominee.
Have you ever seen those Swiss Guards at the Vatican? They are adorable in their Renaissance outfits. The Vatican also has quite a few real soldiers keeping an eye on the place.
The Swiss Guard are real soldiers. When they are not wearing colorful 16th century outfits, they are equipped with automatic rifles, Glock pistols, etc.
Absolutely right. They are the baddest of bad asses. Nobody messes with them. People forget that those uniforms were functional back in the Renaissance and those poleaxes? Those dudes would be more than willing to use them if the Swiss Guards on the roof with the sniper rifles were to miss somehow.
They're probably the most highly-trained, highly-qualified security force in the world. The most amazing thing is that you almost never see them at The Vatican. You only see the guys in the landsknecht uniforms.
Despite the ceremonial uniforms (which they obviously don't work in all the time), I assure you they are every bit "real soldiers" trained to an elite special operator tier. Fascinating history and very, very bad ass.
I'd love that everytime he opens his mouth, the most minor demon (he most certainly would thrive on personal attention from Lucifer) tells him" "shut up, loser."
From Heather CR's letter this morning: "The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)...took 20 months to hash out [under Obama, which T tore up].
"Yesterday Vice President J.D. Vance, Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, and Trump’s special envoy for the Middle East Steve Witkoff were in Islamabad, Pakistan, to negotiate with Iran... And yet these leaders of the U.S. delegation, who have no experience in diplomacy, announced after only 21 hours that they could not reach an agreement and were leaving."
Why is Kushner involved again? Has anyone asked the admin about this? He is not qualified, nor appointed to any position that would allow him into these meetings. And he has personal financial interests with partners in the region. It’s crazy.
Same for Witkoff. While the Marco Rubio is sidelined watching a cage match with the felon in Florida, and the State Department’s experts on Iran fired, you can see how much TACO Don cares about international affairs.
The NYT had a picture of Trump seated front row, reporting, "Mr. Trump’s eldest daughter, Ivanka, and younger daughter, Tiffany, kept close throughout the evening, as did Donald Trump Jr., the president’s eldest son, and his fiancée, Bettina Anderson."
Meanwhile, Trump had his sights on the Presidio, in San Francisco, where he fired all six of its board members, preparing of course to install yes-men who will allow him to install his poor-taste monstrosities instead of the very thoughtful and well considered uses of this former military site (and other features of the GGNRA).
Wonderful. Another peaen to this man’s unquenchable thirst for adoration. I thought the people of San Francisco voted down a change to the Presidio after the military turned it over to the city some years ago. Here we go with another law suit. Just another day in living with DonOld.
Good question. Tim's been going berserk on this very point, esp. that he was in the Situation Room. With this regime, there is ZERO respect for any law, precedent, custom, etc.
Sarcasm font: Why they are master negotiators doing master negotiating. They make deals for billions of dollars. The US is lucky to have them doing this work. Sarcasm font ends.
This administration has no idea what international relations is, no respect for any other country, and thinks that making ultimatums is negotiating because it show "strength". And maybe it works in the business world sometimes depending on what the goal is but it sure doesn't in international relations.
2 shady real estate billionaires playing The What's in it For Me game. Every single person in the orange monster's cabinet doesn't have to be an expert, they just have see if they can make some coin. And some don't even have to be officially in the WH.
I really hope that li'l marco big-shoes had a grand time at the wrassling match (instead of his job). He looked blitzed AF.
How is this possible? They've all negotiated real estate deals. Solving a war with decades (centuries?) of conflict should be child's play in comparison.
It sure feels like we are sleepwalking through a staggering geopolitical inversion, dangerously numb to the scale of the constant institutional collapse unfolding before us. We are now forced to digest a humiliating reality of Hungary, a nation that spent the last sixteen years suffocating under kleptocratic authoritarianism, suddenly emerging as a more rational, functioning democracy than the United States. What makes Péter Magyar’s electoral triumph over Viktor Orbán truly breathtaking is the shameful spectacle of America's own political leadership actively attempting to thwart it. The Vice President of the United States stood in Budapest to prop up a decaying autocrat mere days before the Hungarian electorate vehemently expelled him.
While the citizens of Hungary rightfully celebrate their democratic resurgence, Americans must recognize this moment for what it is, the definitive abdication of American global leadership. We are witnessing the ugly, unceremonious death of the American century. In a single week, as Budapest firmly reclaims the rule of law, Washington alienates core allies, provokes blind military conflict in the Middle East, and openly mourns the fall of an illiberal strongman it desperately campaigned to save. The United States is no longer the vanguard of the free world, our executive branch has devolved into a reactionary impediment, actively standing in the way of global democratic progress.
It's truly sickening, and I think most people are missing the full picture here.
Hungary dumped a corrupt authoritarian. Mexico is rolling out Universal Healthcare. The idiot-in-chief started a war full of war-criming with a drunken ex-weekend news host with bad tattoos, and the mentality of a 12 yr. old boy with emotional issues. Congress is on a paid vacation even when they are there, they're just calling it in. We've pissed off our Allies.
Pope Leo will not attack a crazy old man out of empathy, but if the crazy old man thinks he can best Pope Leo, he's truly crazy. Which he is, always has been and will be. Amen
My initial reaction to Bill's send up of Trump's AI post was pure laughter. Then I actually looked at the image and barely kept down breakfast.
What Hungarians accomplished by ousting Orban is an important lesson for Americans. It is entirely possible to love your country and be utterly ashamed of it's leadership. No Kings marches need to continue and become more frequent. Let's go for a supermajority!
Every Democrat, in their rhetoric, should ask themselves if they are helping or hurting the building of a coalition broad enough to win a filibuster proof majority in the Senate.
If you really want a closer American analog to Hungary you wouldn’t just be going for a filibuster-proof majority - you’d be looking at veto-override numbers in both houses, which are also what you need to amend the constitution.
Maybe, but I wonder. I think if there is any drumbeat felt by any particular elected official it will be coming from inside their own head, not from reading election results.
Almost every news outlet, almost every newspaper, hundreds of pundits. The conventional wisdom will be for Democrats to not overstep their mandate. That's follow every Democratic victory since I started paying attention in the 80s. I've also only seen Democratic cowardice since the 80s.
I don't doubt for a second that the elections need to be good for Democrats. I just hope they can be different after a victory.
I think you might be wrong because of one trend. The upcoming vote is getting set up not as a choice between two political parties, but as a moral choice between good and evil. The Dems, if they win big, will be swept into a new understanding of the will of the people. Trump doesn't understand this, but he senses the field of political combat is changing so he attacks the pope.
The last time the Vatican picked a truly outside the park candidate was John Paul II. He was a polish pope elected just as Solidarity was becoming a major pro democracy force in Poland. We all know what happened, Mr Gorbachev was forced to tear down that wall.
We now have an American Pope whose moral mission is to serve as the counterpoint to the American president and the Christian Nationalism rising in the Christian west. In this environment the choice is not between existing political parties, but between the moral direction of countries. Poland and Hungary have done their part and now our turn is coming.
It's not an accident that Swalwell's candidacy went down in flames, or that Texas's Tony Gonzalez suffered the same fate. The Dem party is getting cleaned of it's moral rot. Pope Leo would not have any credibility on the world stage if the Church hadn't been forced into cleaning up it's own moral rot.
The moral arch of the Universe bends towards justice but the strength and flex of the bend reflects our choices....always has, does now, and will in the future. Jesus ain't coming to save us again.
That's mostly because Democrats only got one legitimate mandate since the 1980's, in 2008, and even then, the mandate was a weak one.
Every other time they were elected it was a hold-your-nose lesser of two evils reaction to the voters turning on Republicans. Democratic Party policies have not been electorally popular since the 1970s. Even Obamacare, which is popular now, polled underwater for five years after it was passed.
No matter what, no matter how much I oppose Trump, I will never cheer for the Iranian regime, their revolutionary guards, or their military. The regime is the epitome of evil and no propaganda will change that. Never forget that even with the Trump insanity. I will support the Iranian people and their desire for freedom from the regime’s oppression and theocracy.
Ignore the Bombast bloviator. When you see or hear his miserable excuse for "words" follow Melania's advice "I don't care. Do you?" Praise the Hungarians. Believe the Pope's Message of Peace and caring for the less fortunate than us. Find a candidate you like and support them through Nov. Bring your friends. Save the America we love.
As a Hungarian American, very proud of Hungary. The lesson for Americans I think is:
(1) You need to put together large, durable, and pragmatic coalitions to defeat entrenched competitive authoritarian systems. This will be our challenge as well. The majority of the country was always left of Orban, but it was too long divided to defeat Orban.
(2) Magyar's last name is basically "Hungarian." So we need a candidate named "American," like "Johnny America," or something. Buttigieg ought to consider changing his name to Pete America-man.
OMG. Trump is just mad that Iran thought to charge ships in order to go thru the Strait. If Iran gives Trump a cut of the toll money, I'm sure Trump will go home happy. With Trump every decision is about money.
Hungary is a small country with a turbulent history. The US is much bigger and has alwasy been more diverse and more prosperous. Yet, Hungary shows us how people can recover from falling into the pit of authoritarianism. They did it peacefully and decisively.
Orban also did not attempt to destroy the world. He just was corrupt on the national leverl. Trump wants to be Putin, not Orban. But the US is not Russia. Too may people in America have opinions and they want to have a voice in what goes on. Trump steps on the press and we get a thousand independent reporters. The Democratic Party falls asleep and a thousand grassroots organizations rally to find candidates and GOTV. Everyone here will be part of the Ameica's reclamation project.
The issue of "school choice" shows how thoroughly the GOP takes rural voters for granted. I live in a rural county of 10,000 in Nebraska. The schools in the county are all public. A few years ago, the Republican dominated legislature and the Republican governor pushed through a so-called "school choice" bill only to have it repealed by voter referendum. The voter opposition is not hard to trace when you count up the number of people in areas like mine where the bill is only a cost with no benefit. But the Democrats seem unable to make the issue work for them.
Democrats don't get the issue to work for them because of a constant drumbeat of propaganda saying "If you're against using public money for religious schools, you hate God and deserve Hell."
As a Catholic Id like to point out 900 converts took professions of faith this Easter in my diocese alone. Doesn’t seem like the Holy Father is bad for the brand as our thoughtful President indicated in his TS post. 🤷♂️
It bothers me so much that after 70 years as a proud American, I am now celebrating when our president is defeated and humiliated publicly. He's the most vile person imaginable.
I feel our decline and shame in my bones
According to H. David Baer, this feeling is what helped Hungry swing back from the edge.
and I'm not proud to fly my flag anymore :(
I spent two and half decades in uniform defending what that flag represents. I'll be damned if I ever let these oxygen thieves steal it from me.
Thank you for your service
Same here!
No. Keep it flying. If people such as yourself don’t then the only people who do are MAGAs, and they don’t deserve to fly the flag.
My son is soon to attend the Naval Academy. It’s been his goal for a very long time. People think we are politically aligned with the current administration, but that could not be farther from the truth.
While I worry for him, I know he is exactly who we need leading others and defending our Constitution in the years to come
I wish your son the best of good luck.
Keep flying it Katherine. It’s our flag too.
Absolutely! That flag represents all the good we tried to do in 250 years. No one should forget that.
You’re right about owning the flag. But the fact that I feel ambivalent about it, makes me sad. I’ve never felt that way before.
I know how you feel --- sometimes I fear that flying the flag or wearing a flag pin signals to people around me (especially the most vulnerable) that I'm MAGA. But we can NOT let them appropriate this symbol of freedom and justice. We must take it back. Fly it proudly. 🤎
I fly a California flag bc despite its imperfections, Im damn proud of my state. The people down the street started flying both CA & USA flags which inspired me. Perhaps pushback on the hostile MAGA takeover of patriotism isn't as hard as I think.
My wife got us a California flag, but it's the one with the bear charging toward you, rather than the actual one that's the side angle of the bear. I think it's fantastic.
It does make you MAGA where I live but you make a good point that we cannot let that interpretation stand.
I share your ambivalence Maureen. I use that ambivalence to think long and deep, usually when walking, about what makes me so ambivalent, and what actions I can take. I am no great thinker, but I use this time to articulate what is wrong in this country and ways to turn things around. Sometimes I am up to four miles a day. That’s a lot of thinking!
Katherine same I walk 3-5 mi per day. Hard on my soul and heart sometimes but great for my physical health. But I honestly have to say after a walk I feel more balanced.
I love that No Kings 1 happened on Flag Day!
Then you'll love the general strike on May Day! 👍
I stopped flying my flag after Trump was re-elected. Maybe later.
> "A true patriot has a capacity to feel both pride and shame in his country".
Take heart in these words by the author. I don't know who he is, but this may just be the healthiest expression of national pride I've ever heard. If I had the power I would make this our national motto. Seriously.
Imagine our children growing up thinking of their country in this way. Our national spirit would be inherently innoculated against both the thin-skinned, ossifying jingoism of the right and the judgemental, destructive self-hatred of the left.
Don't despair over this misleading sense of torn allegience you're experiencing right now. It's a healthy indication of your devotion to the spirit of our Constitution over the man who currently occupies the office. That is exactly what real patriotism demands of all of us in this moment.
I assure you, George Washington would be proud.
Regarding: "Is Trump Resurrecting Epstein?" Hah, Bill, I didn't know you could be so snarky! Thanks for that laugh.
Who comes up with these weird "Trump as Christ" images? Don't Christians think they're blasphemy?
How can it be blasphemy? Don't you remember? He declared himself that "I am the Chosen One". (Lest there be doubt: SARCASM ALERT!!)
That's right.
As a Jew, I can assure you Trump wasn't chosen for a reason.
At least not THAT reason....
This is a bigger deal than people think. Trump's "evangelical" followers are deeply offended by this post. Maybe this is the breaking point. Anti-Trumper Harry Sisson summarizes the bigger issue best:
"Trump is having a mental health episode right now. He’s been posting on social media all night. He posted at:
9:49pm (Ai Jesus photo)
9:50pm (Trump tower on moon)
10:10pm (dumb meme)
10:32pm (news clip)
10:53pm (news clip)
12:43am (announcing Hormuz blockade)
2:35am (article about Biden)
2:36am (article on naval blockade)
2:37am (article on Rep. Swalwell)
2:37am (posted the same article about Biden again)
2:38am (article on his ballroom)
4:10am (article on Iran)
He’s not sleeping, he’s pretending to be Jesus, and he’s posting all night. He’s not well."
He obviously lives on amphetamines. This posting, along with the report of Trump and his entourage attending a UFC event the other day just amplifies his mental illness.
Absolutely unbelievable.
I wish you were right....It is all TOO believable.
As my sister said, classic sundowner activity. She has spent her career working in nursing homes.
QMAGAnon Man thinks Trump *is* the Second Coming.
Not a chance the Felon would ever agree he was "Second" to anyone or anything.
Yup. Call Comings, 1 - n, are Trump.
This Catholic does!
MTG certainly called it that
Well, we know it's not Stephen Miller. He's doing his level best to rid the country of people named Jesus.
From The Guardian: "The AI-generated image Trump shared was not the original. The picture first appeared in early February, posted to X by Nick Adams, a conservative commentator with a history of sharing AI-generated, biblically themed Trump content. In Adams’s version, a silhouette of a US soldier stands in the background. In Trump’s version, that soldier has been photoshopped into a demonic figure with horns looming behind the president as he performs his miracle."
Let's speculate on who the horned figure is!
That is the image that Trump sees himself as. And the sycophants follow suit.
As long as their route is over a very high cliff, no problem.
The iconoclasts would be ashamed, which is a sentence I didn't think I'd get to say a year or two ago.
I think Queen Melania beat him to it!
Well done!
That picture is one of the most sickening and blasphemous things that I've ever seen in my life. Fortunately, we had Bill around to deal it the perfect putdown.
Will Republicans like Mike Johnson denounce this? Or will it be, "I haven't seen the post, no comment," as usual?
The very same Johnson who has no problem praying in the chamber will claim, "Congress should do nothing to prevent this Free Exercise of religion."
It's exactly what I thought when I saw that image. Since the image is AI, it probably conjured Epstein as the dead person most linked to Trump and modeled the recipient of messiah-Trump's ministrations on Epstein.
And now the AI Epstein can testify!
From The Guardian: "The AI-generated image Trump shared was not the original. The picture first appeared in early February, posted to X by Nick Adams, a conservative commentator with a history of sharing AI-generated, biblically themed Trump content. In Adams’s version, a silhouette of a US soldier stands in the background. In Trump’s version, that soldier has been photoshopped into a demonic figure with horns looming behind the president as he performs his miracle."
Let's speculate on who the horned figure is!
It's either him or Anthony Bourdain... the angle on that A.I. slop isn't great. 🤔
Indeed. That was a banger.
JD Vance is having a rough week. Failed peace talks, Orban getting crushed after campaigning for him, and a recent poll showing he's the most unpopular vice president in the history of the country.
Yah but that photo of him grinning with the slimy Orban will be a meme forever!
It's because none of these people experience shame. Literally. They are oblivious to anything that would mortify a normal person.
Shamelessness is their super power
I'm gonna be a hundred percent fair to JD Vance. People keep saying "he has no shame" "it's so pathetic how he's humiliating himself". And those things might be true. But if he puts up with this moron for long enough, he might be president. I dunno, that sounds worth it to me. If I had to grovel in the dirt and accept any humiliation from - I dunno, Fetterman? Who's the worst guy in my party right now - but there was a good chance of me being president and getting electoral reform and single-player health care out of it, I'd do it. Wouldn't even feel that bad about it.
Of course, the chances of him getting what he wants out of any of this are *plummeting,* but, in principle,,,
True. But at some point, being on Trump's side will be a liability.
You mean like everybody in the Democratic party who pretended that Joe Biden was not an incompetent early stage dementia patient in order to hold onto power did? Even Kamala could see that Joe was well past his sell-by date. So, we have an example of that on the Left in recent history.
But, there is no amount reality denial and humiliation I'd take from Trump to remain in power. It's why, for the first time in my 40 years of voting, I abstained in 2024. I'm done with being their bitch.
Well, the photo of him in Greenland in the giant parka is pretty good too.
A large parka hides his girth along with his oversized suits.
But can it hide his recessed side profile?
The only question is which one is slimyer?
It took the Obama Administration 18 months to hammer out the JCPOA, which Trump promptly threw out because it had Obama’s name on it. It’s no surprise that Mr. Zero Charisma hasn’t got it done.
How can you expect 3 men with absolutely zero negotiation or diplomatic skills, with zero substantial preparation, with zero understanding of the background, or history, of their opponents to come away with any kind of success? I say they had ZERO chance from the get-go. This is what happens when a President substitutes loyalty for expertise and intelligence. Trump is killing our government with his idiocy.
When you purge government and organizations of all the "experts", you end up with incompetency. It's a mathematical formula. It's why all of Trump's businesses go belly-up. Nobody smarter than him can be kept around, and he's not very smart.
Actually, the work towards the creation of the JCPOA goes back even before Obama's administration. The international community engaged in intensive negotiations with Iran for roughly 12 years regarding its nuclear program, starting around 2003 and culminating in the JCPOA agreement on July 14, 2015. Only a malignant narcissist could believe that three unqualified cosplaying "negotiators" could do in two days what it took the the best minds in the world more than a decade to structure.
Joy, oh sweet joy! JD, the opportunistic climber is engendering the pushback he richly deserves.
His couch isn't happy, either. He's been away so long!
His couch probably breathed a sigh or relief.
A settee of relief? 😀
At least he should be proud of himself for beating out Spiro Agnew!!!
For all of his very real faults, "nattering nabobs of negativism" was a pretty good turn of phrase. 😀
Agnew did seem good at alliteration; didn’t he also coin “pointy-headed intellectuals”, encouraging Conservative admiration for ignorance?
blatant lazy ass thief; he wanted the actual envelopes of cash delivered to him in the white house, that man needed a public booking, And a follow through, but nope let him slide
Yes it was!
Didn't Pat Buchanan write it ?
I believe it was William Safire.
Checked it, you’re right.
Agnew didn’t write that line—it was his speechwriter, William Safire. He also gave him the less memorable alliterative insult “pusillanimous pussyfooters.”
Excellent!
Regarding Orban getting shellacked in the election, I guess we can finally say "Thank You!" to JD now.
Nice to have some great news!
Next up: Failure in 2028.
Brought it on himself.
JD Vance is proving to be quite unready for prime time, isn't he? I predict he won't even be the nominee in 2028. I think Trump likes Rubio better, and will throw Vance under the bus. Without Trump telling the MAGAs to pick Vance, I think enough of them will go for Rubio that, combined with us establishment types and moderates, Rubio will be the nominee.
The Pope is weak on crime. Wow, I can't even...
Really. Come to think of it, so was Jesus, being that he deigned to be crucified in the company of common criminals...
Tell that to the Swiss Guard! I for one would love to see the Vatican City crime statistics to know what the Orange one means by *soft*.
Have you ever seen those Swiss Guards at the Vatican? They are adorable in their Renaissance outfits. The Vatican also has quite a few real soldiers keeping an eye on the place.
The Swiss Guard are real soldiers. When they are not wearing colorful 16th century outfits, they are equipped with automatic rifles, Glock pistols, etc.
Absolutely right. They are the baddest of bad asses. Nobody messes with them. People forget that those uniforms were functional back in the Renaissance and those poleaxes? Those dudes would be more than willing to use them if the Swiss Guards on the roof with the sniper rifles were to miss somehow.
They're probably the most highly-trained, highly-qualified security force in the world. The most amazing thing is that you almost never see them at The Vatican. You only see the guys in the landsknecht uniforms.
I think they are the same guys, different assignments.
That's right. And they alternate, as I understand it. Being part of the Swiss Guard is a tremendous honor.
Plus, they are augmented by a like number of the Vatican Gendarmerie, a police force with SWAT, etc.
I have seen them, and adorable is the right term. The criteria to be selected too is much more stringent than Trump’s wanna be ICE army.
Despite the ceremonial uniforms (which they obviously don't work in all the time), I assure you they are every bit "real soldiers" trained to an elite special operator tier. Fascinating history and very, very bad ass.
I love that the Vatican has a DMV too.
They're the same guys. Started as literal mercenaries.
You know...forgiving them for their sins.. .
Those poleaxes? They know how to use them and are sooooo ready to do so.
I don't doubt for a second that if things went sideways, they'd eagerly show that the poleaxe is a serious weapon.
Let's picture Trump wandering around Hell, shall we? Of all the things that might happen, we must put this one in the "likely" column.
"Man, this Pope is weak on crime, right, everyone? It's barely even sulfuric here."
There should be a Cook "Religious" Report for political figures. Solidly Heaven, Leans Heaven, Toss Up, Leans Hell, Solidly Hell.
Good one....!
I'd love that everytime he opens his mouth, the most minor demon (he most certainly would thrive on personal attention from Lucifer) tells him" "shut up, loser."
They'll give him a cell right next to the Popes he admires, the Borgias.
From Heather CR's letter this morning: "The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)...took 20 months to hash out [under Obama, which T tore up].
"Yesterday Vice President J.D. Vance, Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, and Trump’s special envoy for the Middle East Steve Witkoff were in Islamabad, Pakistan, to negotiate with Iran... And yet these leaders of the U.S. delegation, who have no experience in diplomacy, announced after only 21 hours that they could not reach an agreement and were leaving."
Good point.
Why is Kushner involved again? Has anyone asked the admin about this? He is not qualified, nor appointed to any position that would allow him into these meetings. And he has personal financial interests with partners in the region. It’s crazy.
Same for Witkoff. While the Marco Rubio is sidelined watching a cage match with the felon in Florida, and the State Department’s experts on Iran fired, you can see how much TACO Don cares about international affairs.
The NYT had a picture of Trump seated front row, reporting, "Mr. Trump’s eldest daughter, Ivanka, and younger daughter, Tiffany, kept close throughout the evening, as did Donald Trump Jr., the president’s eldest son, and his fiancée, Bettina Anderson."
Meanwhile, Trump had his sights on the Presidio, in San Francisco, where he fired all six of its board members, preparing of course to install yes-men who will allow him to install his poor-taste monstrosities instead of the very thoughtful and well considered uses of this former military site (and other features of the GGNRA).
We could go on, and on....
Wonderful. Another peaen to this man’s unquenchable thirst for adoration. I thought the people of San Francisco voted down a change to the Presidio after the military turned it over to the city some years ago. Here we go with another law suit. Just another day in living with DonOld.
Good question. Tim's been going berserk on this very point, esp. that he was in the Situation Room. With this regime, there is ZERO respect for any law, precedent, custom, etc.
Sarcasm font: Why they are master negotiators doing master negotiating. They make deals for billions of dollars. The US is lucky to have them doing this work. Sarcasm font ends.
This administration has no idea what international relations is, no respect for any other country, and thinks that making ultimatums is negotiating because it show "strength". And maybe it works in the business world sometimes depending on what the goal is but it sure doesn't in international relations.
Is the sarcasm font the Calibri which Little Marco ordered removed as the standard used by the State Department?
You must also be thinking of the chest beating and boasting which Trump witnesses from his UFC front-row, behind the chain link, seats.
2 shady real estate billionaires playing The What's in it For Me game. Every single person in the orange monster's cabinet doesn't have to be an expert, they just have see if they can make some coin. And some don't even have to be officially in the WH.
I really hope that li'l marco big-shoes had a grand time at the wrassling match (instead of his job). He looked blitzed AF.
So that Russia and Israel are represented in the talks.
It is remarkable how much Trump and all his pals love Russia.
Trump doesn’t trust professional diplomats, only people close to him.
Sending Kushner to the Middle East keeps him out of Ivanka’s space for a while.
The Three Stooges
Idiotic diplomacy is idiotic war by other idiotic means.
How is this possible? They've all negotiated real estate deals. Solving a war with decades (centuries?) of conflict should be child's play in comparison.
/s
I’d read 18 months. If so, my mistake.
It sure feels like we are sleepwalking through a staggering geopolitical inversion, dangerously numb to the scale of the constant institutional collapse unfolding before us. We are now forced to digest a humiliating reality of Hungary, a nation that spent the last sixteen years suffocating under kleptocratic authoritarianism, suddenly emerging as a more rational, functioning democracy than the United States. What makes Péter Magyar’s electoral triumph over Viktor Orbán truly breathtaking is the shameful spectacle of America's own political leadership actively attempting to thwart it. The Vice President of the United States stood in Budapest to prop up a decaying autocrat mere days before the Hungarian electorate vehemently expelled him.
While the citizens of Hungary rightfully celebrate their democratic resurgence, Americans must recognize this moment for what it is, the definitive abdication of American global leadership. We are witnessing the ugly, unceremonious death of the American century. In a single week, as Budapest firmly reclaims the rule of law, Washington alienates core allies, provokes blind military conflict in the Middle East, and openly mourns the fall of an illiberal strongman it desperately campaigned to save. The United States is no longer the vanguard of the free world, our executive branch has devolved into a reactionary impediment, actively standing in the way of global democratic progress.
It's truly sickening, and I think most people are missing the full picture here.
Hungary dumped a corrupt authoritarian. Mexico is rolling out Universal Healthcare. The idiot-in-chief started a war full of war-criming with a drunken ex-weekend news host with bad tattoos, and the mentality of a 12 yr. old boy with emotional issues. Congress is on a paid vacation even when they are there, they're just calling it in. We've pissed off our Allies.
We are the shithole country.
MAGAnuts, in the main, certainly seem to be.
Pope Leo will not attack a crazy old man out of empathy, but if the crazy old man thinks he can best Pope Leo, he's truly crazy. Which he is, always has been and will be. Amen
My initial reaction to Bill's send up of Trump's AI post was pure laughter. Then I actually looked at the image and barely kept down breakfast.
What Hungarians accomplished by ousting Orban is an important lesson for Americans. It is entirely possible to love your country and be utterly ashamed of it's leadership. No Kings marches need to continue and become more frequent. Let's go for a supermajority!
"supermajority"
Every Democrat, in their rhetoric, should ask themselves if they are helping or hurting the building of a coalition broad enough to win a filibuster proof majority in the Senate.
If you really want a closer American analog to Hungary you wouldn’t just be going for a filibuster-proof majority - you’d be looking at veto-override numbers in both houses, which are also what you need to amend the constitution.
The problem is, if Democrats get a supermajority will they have the courage to quickly USE it? The drumbeat for bipartisanship will be deafening.
Maybe, but I wonder. I think if there is any drumbeat felt by any particular elected official it will be coming from inside their own head, not from reading election results.
Almost every news outlet, almost every newspaper, hundreds of pundits. The conventional wisdom will be for Democrats to not overstep their mandate. That's follow every Democratic victory since I started paying attention in the 80s. I've also only seen Democratic cowardice since the 80s.
I don't doubt for a second that the elections need to be good for Democrats. I just hope they can be different after a victory.
I think you might be wrong because of one trend. The upcoming vote is getting set up not as a choice between two political parties, but as a moral choice between good and evil. The Dems, if they win big, will be swept into a new understanding of the will of the people. Trump doesn't understand this, but he senses the field of political combat is changing so he attacks the pope.
The last time the Vatican picked a truly outside the park candidate was John Paul II. He was a polish pope elected just as Solidarity was becoming a major pro democracy force in Poland. We all know what happened, Mr Gorbachev was forced to tear down that wall.
We now have an American Pope whose moral mission is to serve as the counterpoint to the American president and the Christian Nationalism rising in the Christian west. In this environment the choice is not between existing political parties, but between the moral direction of countries. Poland and Hungary have done their part and now our turn is coming.
It's not an accident that Swalwell's candidacy went down in flames, or that Texas's Tony Gonzalez suffered the same fate. The Dem party is getting cleaned of it's moral rot. Pope Leo would not have any credibility on the world stage if the Church hadn't been forced into cleaning up it's own moral rot.
The moral arch of the Universe bends towards justice but the strength and flex of the bend reflects our choices....always has, does now, and will in the future. Jesus ain't coming to save us again.
Amen Brother!
That's mostly because Democrats only got one legitimate mandate since the 1980's, in 2008, and even then, the mandate was a weak one.
Every other time they were elected it was a hold-your-nose lesser of two evils reaction to the voters turning on Republicans. Democratic Party policies have not been electorally popular since the 1970s. Even Obamacare, which is popular now, polled underwater for five years after it was passed.
May Day Strong No Kings
May 1. National strike.
Pope Leo will be around after Trump exits stage right in 2029. The entire world is just going to wait him out.
How dumb do you have to be to make your fellow Americans cheer the scrappy Iranian underdogs and their memes?
That's what is so amazing! Trump is making the vicious Iranian theocracy look sympathetic and reasonable.
No matter what, no matter how much I oppose Trump, I will never cheer for the Iranian regime, their revolutionary guards, or their military. The regime is the epitome of evil and no propaganda will change that. Never forget that even with the Trump insanity. I will support the Iranian people and their desire for freedom from the regime’s oppression and theocracy.
Yeah but the Lego memes are still funny.
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
It seems weird to me that people with this very straightforward position - "more than one guy can be bad" feel hard to find lately.
Totally agree. It is a vicious theocracy. And yet they are seeming more reasonable than Trump
Ignore the Bombast bloviator. When you see or hear his miserable excuse for "words" follow Melania's advice "I don't care. Do you?" Praise the Hungarians. Believe the Pope's Message of Peace and caring for the less fortunate than us. Find a candidate you like and support them through Nov. Bring your friends. Save the America we love.
Check your voter registration status, early and often.
I'm not at all a religious person, but that picture of T in CS turns my stomach and makes my skin crawl.
This will make you feel better:
https://www.facebook.com/reel/788896114020988
As a Hungarian American, very proud of Hungary. The lesson for Americans I think is:
(1) You need to put together large, durable, and pragmatic coalitions to defeat entrenched competitive authoritarian systems. This will be our challenge as well. The majority of the country was always left of Orban, but it was too long divided to defeat Orban.
(2) Magyar's last name is basically "Hungarian." So we need a candidate named "American," like "Johnny America," or something. Buttigieg ought to consider changing his name to Pete America-man.
We need the guy from the Sandman comic whose first name was literally President.
OMG. Trump is just mad that Iran thought to charge ships in order to go thru the Strait. If Iran gives Trump a cut of the toll money, I'm sure Trump will go home happy. With Trump every decision is about money.
True, but what incentive does Iran have to split what they already have pocketed?
If you give him a little he'll want it all.
Hungary is a small country with a turbulent history. The US is much bigger and has alwasy been more diverse and more prosperous. Yet, Hungary shows us how people can recover from falling into the pit of authoritarianism. They did it peacefully and decisively.
Orban also did not attempt to destroy the world. He just was corrupt on the national leverl. Trump wants to be Putin, not Orban. But the US is not Russia. Too may people in America have opinions and they want to have a voice in what goes on. Trump steps on the press and we get a thousand independent reporters. The Democratic Party falls asleep and a thousand grassroots organizations rally to find candidates and GOTV. Everyone here will be part of the Ameica's reclamation project.
"Is Trump Resurrecting Epstein?" Melania did that.
The issue of "school choice" shows how thoroughly the GOP takes rural voters for granted. I live in a rural county of 10,000 in Nebraska. The schools in the county are all public. A few years ago, the Republican dominated legislature and the Republican governor pushed through a so-called "school choice" bill only to have it repealed by voter referendum. The voter opposition is not hard to trace when you count up the number of people in areas like mine where the bill is only a cost with no benefit. But the Democrats seem unable to make the issue work for them.
Democrats don't get the issue to work for them because of a constant drumbeat of propaganda saying "If you're against using public money for religious schools, you hate God and deserve Hell."
Don't forget the evergreen bogey man of teachers' unions!
As a Catholic Id like to point out 900 converts took professions of faith this Easter in my diocese alone. Doesn’t seem like the Holy Father is bad for the brand as our thoughtful President indicated in his TS post. 🤷♂️