The thing that Trump knew that I and many others had been sleeping on was how all the folks who had risen to the absolute pinnacle of business in the modern U.S. were monomaniacally and amorally focus on making as much money as possible. Those who figured they could make even more money by cozying-up to Trump did so during the campaign, or maybe right after he was elected. As for those that didn't, Trumps knows all he has to do is make the slightest hind a head fake towards doing something that would cut into the size of their chip stack, and they will fall in line and do whatever he asks.
Among the judiciary (SCOTUS notwithstanding), and among us normal folks out here, resisting to Trump is hold up pretty well. Among business leaders, not so much, and I fear the reason for that is they really don't particularly care what happens to the country, just that they themselves keep accumulating wealth.
Am I the only one who got it wrong? I assumed this was going to be about Tommy Tuberville. Hard to pick who the worst is out of so many horrible choices.
Sure, this is a nice sentiment on Cruz's part, but he doesn't get any claps from me. He is co-sponsoring and promoting the passage of the Stop FUNDERS Act in the Senate. This is a dangerous piece of legislation that dovetails nicely with Trump's dictatorship playbook, as it will make it much easier to charge with racketeering, any political group whose protest gets even slightly out of hand. Extremely dangerous and could send our country down a very dark path indeed...we MUST fight this legislation that no one, not even the Bulwark, is talking about.
Every thing he said was the correct response to Government censorship until he got to:
"And it Might feel good right now to threaten Jimmy Kimmel, but when it is used to silence every conservative in America, etc." Had he left that sentence out of his maw, I would be forced to bring myself to acknowledge his good intention. But he goes to " both side-ism" right away. No Democrat administration ever acted this way and never would. Barack Obama should be the poster boy for enduring vile speech. Trump ranted for years about him being Kenyan, muslim, etc. That fat turd Limbaugh belittled Obama every day for 8 years (Barack the Magic Negro, etc.) I repeat, Ted Cruz is a POS.
Tim, Stellar commentary and analysis with Alicia. You were right to say what are they afraid of. Trump is the whimpest bully imaginable. All the media outlets and media print outlets, especially the NY Times should file a class action suit against the government for violations to free speech and conspiracy to extort, plus a dozen other allegations good lawyers would come up with. Additionally, to get the attention a suit of this magnitude commands and to get Trump's attention let's make it for, let's say, one trillion dollars!
I appreciate that Ted Cruz came out in favor of free speech. Both Democrats and MAGAs have, at times, advocated for limiting free speech on occasions when it suits their needs. But the quality and tone of free speech needs to be considered. Insulting, degrading, demeaning speech is not helpful and usually results in the same type of response from the opposition. Importantly this disrespectful speech inadvertently encourages acting out by extremists. We all need to acknowledge that extreme, hateful speech encourages violence and other hurtful actions from politicians and citizens alike. We need more respectful dialogue, not catchy soundbites that the press and social media love to repeat.
I'd argue Mike Lee is actually the worst Senator you know - because he would never say anything remotely sane or agreeable whereas apparently Cruz just did.
Pretty much every GOP MAGA Senator has taken a turn - either passively or actively - competing for most heinous waste of taxpayer money in the Senate chamber for much of the last decade. One way or another, each of them has caved to sycophancy at critical junctures when a vote against MAGA might have checked this authoritarian grab for power. Hypocrisy is their modus operandi.
They have known what’s right and wrong the entire time. They just had no balls and cowered to Trump to retain their power. So many Republicans were horrified by Trump 10 years ago and called him such things as a Nazi (JD Vance).
Now all of a sudden they blow everyone away with their “rational thinking”. We shouldn’t fall for it.
Tim - Thanks for the silver lining. Free speech was in the first amendment for a reason. I still find it egregious that they took offense with Kimmel’s words, especially since these are the people who thought the hammer attack on Paul Pelosi was a running joke. I do hope this breaks through with the Fox Nation.
I wonder what his followers think of the golden statue? Could this cause cracks too?
I still think that only economic pain will bring down DJT and MAGA.
But we in the USA have a national mythology, drawn from high school history classes, movies about the Pilgrim fathers' dinner with the Indians, John Wayne westerns, stories about how we fought WWII to save democracy, and pictures of the Statue of Liberty ( less so from the inscription on the base), and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.
It's a myth that informs us of who we are or want to think we are. It includes massive amounts of both heroism and hypocrisy. At the Alamo, "we" fought for freedom! (and slavery). The Revolution was fought for the right to representation (and the right to steal more land from the Indians), etc.
But once we skim off the nasty stuff, according to that mythology, we are a "City upon a hill." We stand for good stuff.
Not only is Trump ****ing people in the wallet, he's hacking away at the national mythology. And that may prove to be bad politics. Maybe he's losing the ability to read the room.
On the other hand, he still has 42% (?) approval. And that depresses the hell out of me.
It's good it was Cruz who said this. It's good that it's Massie who is pressing for answers about who has been involved in sex trafficking. We need that and so much more skepticism from that whole crop of Rs. Let this (pls pls pls) be the beginning of a wave of independent thought for them.
Ted Cruz- who knew? I’m sure it’s for completely honorable, non- strategic reasons
The thing that Trump knew that I and many others had been sleeping on was how all the folks who had risen to the absolute pinnacle of business in the modern U.S. were monomaniacally and amorally focus on making as much money as possible. Those who figured they could make even more money by cozying-up to Trump did so during the campaign, or maybe right after he was elected. As for those that didn't, Trumps knows all he has to do is make the slightest hind a head fake towards doing something that would cut into the size of their chip stack, and they will fall in line and do whatever he asks.
Among the judiciary (SCOTUS notwithstanding), and among us normal folks out here, resisting to Trump is hold up pretty well. Among business leaders, not so much, and I fear the reason for that is they really don't particularly care what happens to the country, just that they themselves keep accumulating wealth.
Rafael let out his inner Canadian ....there's a couple drops of maple syrup down there somewhere
I suppose even in this rogue's galley of Republican Senators, a blind squirrel finds a nut once in a while.
Am I the only one who got it wrong? I assumed this was going to be about Tommy Tuberville. Hard to pick who the worst is out of so many horrible choices.
Sure, this is a nice sentiment on Cruz's part, but he doesn't get any claps from me. He is co-sponsoring and promoting the passage of the Stop FUNDERS Act in the Senate. This is a dangerous piece of legislation that dovetails nicely with Trump's dictatorship playbook, as it will make it much easier to charge with racketeering, any political group whose protest gets even slightly out of hand. Extremely dangerous and could send our country down a very dark path indeed...we MUST fight this legislation that no one, not even the Bulwark, is talking about.
Broken clock theory for the win
First off, Ted Cruz is a POS.
Every thing he said was the correct response to Government censorship until he got to:
"And it Might feel good right now to threaten Jimmy Kimmel, but when it is used to silence every conservative in America, etc." Had he left that sentence out of his maw, I would be forced to bring myself to acknowledge his good intention. But he goes to " both side-ism" right away. No Democrat administration ever acted this way and never would. Barack Obama should be the poster boy for enduring vile speech. Trump ranted for years about him being Kenyan, muslim, etc. That fat turd Limbaugh belittled Obama every day for 8 years (Barack the Magic Negro, etc.) I repeat, Ted Cruz is a POS.
McCain called him a wacko bird....to his face as soon as he showed up in 2013
Tim, Stellar commentary and analysis with Alicia. You were right to say what are they afraid of. Trump is the whimpest bully imaginable. All the media outlets and media print outlets, especially the NY Times should file a class action suit against the government for violations to free speech and conspiracy to extort, plus a dozen other allegations good lawyers would come up with. Additionally, to get the attention a suit of this magnitude commands and to get Trump's attention let's make it for, let's say, one trillion dollars!
I appreciate that Ted Cruz came out in favor of free speech. Both Democrats and MAGAs have, at times, advocated for limiting free speech on occasions when it suits their needs. But the quality and tone of free speech needs to be considered. Insulting, degrading, demeaning speech is not helpful and usually results in the same type of response from the opposition. Importantly this disrespectful speech inadvertently encourages acting out by extremists. We all need to acknowledge that extreme, hateful speech encourages violence and other hurtful actions from politicians and citizens alike. We need more respectful dialogue, not catchy soundbites that the press and social media love to repeat.
I'd argue Mike Lee is actually the worst Senator you know - because he would never say anything remotely sane or agreeable whereas apparently Cruz just did.
Worst?
Pretty much every GOP MAGA Senator has taken a turn - either passively or actively - competing for most heinous waste of taxpayer money in the Senate chamber for much of the last decade. One way or another, each of them has caved to sycophancy at critical junctures when a vote against MAGA might have checked this authoritarian grab for power. Hypocrisy is their modus operandi.
Unexpected Ted Cruz agreement. And there was Tucker Carlson, too. Strange times we live in.
Cruz and Carlson are fake.
They have known what’s right and wrong the entire time. They just had no balls and cowered to Trump to retain their power. So many Republicans were horrified by Trump 10 years ago and called him such things as a Nazi (JD Vance).
Now all of a sudden they blow everyone away with their “rational thinking”. We shouldn’t fall for it.
Ted Cruz shocked me! WOWZA
Tim - Thanks for the silver lining. Free speech was in the first amendment for a reason. I still find it egregious that they took offense with Kimmel’s words, especially since these are the people who thought the hammer attack on Paul Pelosi was a running joke. I do hope this breaks through with the Fox Nation.
I wonder what his followers think of the golden statue? Could this cause cracks too?
https://apple.news/ATEvm5Z-SRfm5ClCCVBhPlA
I still think that only economic pain will bring down DJT and MAGA.
But we in the USA have a national mythology, drawn from high school history classes, movies about the Pilgrim fathers' dinner with the Indians, John Wayne westerns, stories about how we fought WWII to save democracy, and pictures of the Statue of Liberty ( less so from the inscription on the base), and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.
It's a myth that informs us of who we are or want to think we are. It includes massive amounts of both heroism and hypocrisy. At the Alamo, "we" fought for freedom! (and slavery). The Revolution was fought for the right to representation (and the right to steal more land from the Indians), etc.
But once we skim off the nasty stuff, according to that mythology, we are a "City upon a hill." We stand for good stuff.
Not only is Trump ****ing people in the wallet, he's hacking away at the national mythology. And that may prove to be bad politics. Maybe he's losing the ability to read the room.
On the other hand, he still has 42% (?) approval. And that depresses the hell out of me.
It's good it was Cruz who said this. It's good that it's Massie who is pressing for answers about who has been involved in sex trafficking. We need that and so much more skepticism from that whole crop of Rs. Let this (pls pls pls) be the beginning of a wave of independent thought for them.