If you're a Democrat running for president in 2028 and you're not promising to raze Trump's various monuments in D.C. to himself on Day One, just get outta here.
Another option, at least for the "Arc d' Trump," would be to just turn a blind eye and let vandals have it. Instead of destroying Portland or setting Waymos on fire in L.A., come on down to our nation's capital and have a go at this momument. Just leave Washington, Lincoln, and Jefferson alone.
I know you're just fantasizing, but I can't imagine ordinary people tearing down a 20-story object half as tall as the Washington Monument. It would be like ants trying to dismantle a cinder block. Also, when you give any kind of social permission for vandalism on that scale, you are unleashing an impulse that I don't think we need to have unleashed.
The congress should vote to have it removed. Or as it being built, sometimes things just happen. No one can say why, but construction sites aren't always that sturdy.....or well guarded.
I lack the talent to pull it off, but that’s a pretty big canvas for someone to immortalize Trump’s double jerk off dance while leaving nothing to the imagination.
They need to be as big as our self-regard. Trump is our ego and our id. We are selfish and worship ourselves - Trump gets that. Giant statues of one White man, ballrooms only the very wealthy can visit, and reflecting pools built to no longer reflect: that's who we are. There's a reason the White House is now a pile of rubble.
Bigger, Mr. Trump. Make those monuments visible from space, and maybe someone in DC will finally figure out what those monuments commemorate.
OK! WOW! So now we can absolutely say, without any questions of a doubt, here is REALITY! A tyrannical minority of Americans are anti Black racists and believe the only legitimate government in America is a White government. It's the MAGA rot in the whole system. Align that with Trump's reflexive, anti Black, anti immigrant racism and we can fully understand why Trump is the Avatar of racial hatred and the cult hero of racist Love.
Trump and his insane, megalomanical Truth Social screeds are love songs to tyrannical minority.
So what do we do about these rabid bigots who so infect our civic life?
Combined with the mindless consumer depression Trump is reigning down on America will MAGA racism generate enough revulsion among the majority of Americans to crush the MAGA rot?
We need to see a whole lot of active push back between now and Nov.
There is a remote park in Budapest where all the communist monuments were placed. I like that as an idea for Washington, maybe on Hains Point, a place to put the crumbled remains of Trump's monuments to himself. Call it Autocrat Park, a reminder for future generations that it can happen here.
We have a 16' statue of Lenin in Seattle rescued from a scrap yard, not far from the troll under the Aurora bridge. I know we could find a place for the gold 22' Trump.
I've had my money on that outcome for about 8 years now, yet I keep getting discouraged from it. This outcome is still in play. Yeesh, this is going to be a tough year.
Great analysis, but when was this study conducted? Let’s not forget, republicans are less than 25% of the population. Trump can’t win without significant independent votes, and everything I’m reading is that independents are really starting to abhor him!
And if we have a major recession in November, he is toast. The question is whether we can displace these clowns given the uphill environment the courts have handed us.
Seriously, whats up with these people: they think that because they have donned a black robe in the service of our judicial system; that somehow they have suddenly been bestowed a wisdom that eludes the rest of us?
What the hell were these VA judges thinking—who weren’t republicans….:)
I think that we can, especially if gas, groceries and electricity get more expensive over the summer. People taking vacations are going to be pissed. And the best thing about this terrible situation is that conservative media can’t spin it, blame it on Biden, or lie convincingly about it.
They'll still try to spin it, blame Biden, etc. but I think they'll only convince the most racist hateful magat morons. The "independent", minority, casual trump voters aren't going to swallow that BS anymore.
"Transportation Department spokesperson Nathaniel Sizemore told NBC News that politicians criticizing soaring gas prices “should sit this one out. These are the same people who waged a war on fossil fuels, pushed gas to over $5 a gallon, and forced American families into expensive electric vehicles,” Sizemore wrote in an email. “Secretary Duffy has already taken action to make cars for affordable and support the President energy dominance agenda.”
Ooooookay? I really hope one of the Bulwarkers decides to seriously mock Sean Duffy's family road trip reality show.
This is a study of people who Voted for Trump in 2024. Sampling was done between April 16, 2025 and January 9 2026, so had only limited time to “get sick of Trump. ” Only 38% of these Trump voters said MAGA was very important to them. For specifics, see p 20.
To repeat, these are 2024 Trump voters. Doubtless, many of them are independents.
Thank you for posting this. What a collusion of bad ideas and cultural persuasion explains who his voters are. I sometimes feel othered by the current culture— very different stimuli though. After reading this, I will probe more deeply into my own responses. Do I assume too readily that my analysis is all based on logic and superior reason? Great food for thought.
Thanks for the chart. I read - really skimmed - through the info and have great respect for your ability to consume this information and still be able to share it.
Yeah, take a listen to the latest Focus Group podcast with Sarah and Tim. Those people, the die-hard 30%, are never going to change their minds about him.
Do not ask permission. Just raze them. Offer to work with the Republicans on a bipartisan bill to prevent future Presidents from vandalizing public structures if they want to complain about the injustice of it.
I generally agree with you. But I just had this thought: Don't raze the arch. Let it stand. But cover it in "You did this!" shame graffitti. I think if we put everything back the way it was, we might easily forget how we let it get this bad. We need a reminder of the horror. We need a physical reminder not to do it again. A triumphal arch turned into a monument to shame at the entrance to the cemetary of our honored war dead (who this President disrespected) is a fitting reminder I think.
In good liberal fashion, rather than out and out razing, I propose deconstructing these “monuments” and using the materials to construct something that benefits the new state of Washington D.C.
I worry about that. I fear even if the Democrats (especially the Democrats) say it would appear petty and vindictive to do that. I do NOT want future Americans to think this guy was anything but a stupid, self centered, dishonest, nepo baby.
Razing them isn’t even enough it has to be a show. Demolishing it into a fireworks show, or dropping it into the deepest part of the ocean. Or maybe do something philanthropic by donating some of them to North Korea let Kim Jong Un have it as a romantic keepsake.
Launching them into the sun on one of Elon’s unmanned spacecrafts would be fun too. Or maybe just keep it simple and put them all on Epstein Island. So many ways this can go right…
I'm OK with that, but I'd prefer if they were retooled and renamed in favor of something positive. Like make the arch a welcoming center for immigrants, the new Ellis Island. Or make the ballroom a tourist attraction, particularly the bunker (it will be like touring the lab in "The Andromeda Strain." And probably as terrifying).
Oh, and make Trump and the billionaires pony up completely -- or sue them if they don't.
Nah, they need to be destroyed. Period. Talk about giving permission for a future idiot to do likewise.
Consider charging for the fun of wielding an Implement of Demolition (manual, no powered equipment unless you’re on the professional demo work crew). Put the earnings toward something constructive.
Tearing Trump's crap down is a no-brainer if it's all publicly funded. If the ballroom, arch, ets. end up being funded with taxpayer funds, then tearing them down with a wave of the hand becomes, and will be framed as, a waste of taxpayer money.
I get the anger. At the same time, I thought Democrats were supposed to be committed to the rule of law. Razing major structures "on Day One" doesn't sound like that to me.
I also suspect that our ability to maintain the support of the American electorate could at least partly depend on focusing on what is important to them rather than what may be widely viewed as partisan tit-for-tat.
Here it can be important to keep in mind that just because the Republicans lose an election doesn't mean that they will be powerless going forward. For example, even if the Democrats win the presidency, the House and the Senate in 2028, the next census could result in Republicans taking back the Senate.
Will razing Trump's monuments without any sort of due process help Democrats hold Senate seats in purple and red states? My guess: It will just add to partisan polarization. And unlike new policies such as meaningful healthcare reform or saving the Social Security program, the average voter won't get anything tangible.
Instead of razing Trump's monuments, perhaps we should instead view them as a symbol of the dark side of American politics that we must continue to be vigilant in fighting against.
The Democrats always act like that. We dont want to appear petty or vindictive or partisan. Republicans never worry about that. Whenever they can they ruin the best things that the Democrats have done. Look at the Affordable Care Act. They dont care that a millions cannot afford health now. And for what? Becauae Obama did it.
That would be fine if the other party were committed to free and fair elections and the good of the people. But they are not. We dont have to like them, we just have to let them know we are not going to put up with their BS anymore. They break the law and the rules to their detriment. They cannot be counted on.
He's ignoring laws and historical boards and even the courts. Most of what he is doing needs to be undone for that reason alone. If he followed all the rules, than I would agree, but he hasn't and won't. And by the logic of your last graph, should we have left up the monuments to the Confederates?
It would be a statement to the world that “this is not who we are”…a clear rebuke of the vanity and grift that allowed those structures to go up, against three quarters of the population (I believe I read only 28% of the public approve of the ballroom). In my opinion, we all need that
Carney has argued -- correctly, I think -- that Trumpism represents a rupture, not a transition. He and leaders of other liberal democracies know that the return of Trumpism is as close as the next election.
If Democrats raze Trump monuments "on Day One," I will bet that the foreign press will debate how long it will take before some future Trumpist president will play tit for tat. Remember, this is the party that decades later still couldn't get over having their Supreme Court nominee "borked."
Whether we in the pro-democracy movement like it or not, Trumpism has become part of who we are as a nation. Global trust in our leadership role has been permanently broken. We can't go back to the world order that the US has led since WWII.
That doesn't mean we should give up trying to undo the damage done by Trumpism, but we should be honest about what we are up against. Even if we win the presidency and Congress in 2028, we will have a limited amount of time and political capital to begin to turn things around. And at some point the Trumpists will take power again and try to undo our reforms.
The Trump monuments symbolize to me a country that very well could be deeply split for years into the future . . . and perhaps permanently.
I think that some variation might well happen, but so far, no one has appeared on the GOP horizon who has Trump’s “charisma.” All the more reason why Dems have to appeal to Independents. Hopefully, future candidates for office have figured this out.
I do wonder what the variation of MAGA will be-if and when it appears.
I've been around long enough to have seen a lot of predictions this far out from the next presidential race prove to be inaccurate . . . and that's in a more "normal" political climate. Thus, I'm hesitant to weigh in on whether someone has the "charisma" to become the next Trump.
Even if the Republicans don't rally around a new Trumpist leader, the MAGA movement could still be quite strong at the state level. And then there's the 2030 census, which could tilt the playing field further toward Republicans.
That suggests to me that even if they become a minority party, the MAGA Republicans could still have a real chance of -- at the very least -- creating a political stalemate.
Damn, that’s depressing, but also possible. You would think that just remembering how awful Trump’s second term is would lead future Independent voters to turn away. I do think that a lot depends upon how bad things get in the near future. Gerrymandered or not, the Republican Party has very little to brag about-or to campaign on. But maybe I am overly hopeful. Gah, what a miserable timeline this is.
And we have over 2 years to go. Imagine the damage he can do. And he is old and lives to do as march harm and self aggrandizement as he can until the end. He doesnt care Democrats think.
Agreed. The good side of things is that Trump himself will inevitably fade from the scene simply because of his age. What I think is more important is what happens next to the MAGA movement.
There are signs that it is fracturing, but that may only be temporary. If the Democrats take power in 2028 I would think that MAGA would to some degree put aside its internal differences to fight the infidel. And they would have the power of the right-wing media to fuel their rage.
No, we need to tear it down. I’ll add my own copypasta:
Nah, they need to be destroyed. Period. Talk about giving permission for a future idiot to do likewise.
Consider charging for the fun of wielding an Implement of Demolition (manual, no powered equipment unless you’re on the professional demo work crew). Put the earnings toward something constructive.
These structures are illegal built in violation of the law. Tearing them down is respect for the law. People have to stop being concerned about what Republicans think. They are racists and fascists.
I should have said the House in light of population shifts to what have recently been redder parts of the country. The Senate is already tilted toward smaller, more rural parts of the country that in recent years have trended heavily Republican. However, reapportionment could also impact the Democrats' prospects in presidential races due to shifts in the electoral college.
That would be great if we could pull it off. The big question is whether we gain sufficient political power to do so -- and that we prioritize our agenda carefully.
Even if Trump totally tanks Republican chances in 2028, the rise of 24/7 media seems to have sped up the political process considerably. That may result in the Democrats having less time to enact their reform agenda before political headwinds become too strong.
Bill's write-up definitely read like preaching to the choir. Him recalling the "I'm with her vs I'm with you" is funny because that's just literally another instance of Trump being all-impulse. It worked on those who would be dumb enough to fall for it.
But even Emporer Augustus (not just a wannabe King) bemoaned the loss of his legions after the Battle of the Teutoberger Forest in what is now northern Germany in 9 A.D: "Quintilius Varus, give me back my legions" is how it is reported now. And I suspect Vlad the Bad thinks the same about his desertions.
I have, but I’d suggest that her focus groups are a pale imitation of what I regularly run into when I post anything anti-Trump in the OpEd section of the Wall Street Journal.
Those people know Trump isn't for them. They just feel guilty saying out loud "I think we are better off with someone selfish and amoral in the White House."
I’d suggest, based on recent polls, that among whatever is left of ‘normie’ Republicans, opposition to Trump is increasing. That is not to say that they are leaning toward Democrats, although some certainly are, but that they increasingly realizing that Trump is not what they may have imagined. For no human beings is it easy to admit error, particularly when one has been dug.
But in the end, as a life-long Independent and a teacher of American history for over 40 years, I know that our ossified binary political party system is largely to blame for the mess we are in. In some very different ways, both Democrats and Republicans have failed to remember that they are, or at least ought to be, Americans first; that if we fail to understand what that really means, that we are both the inheritors of and the participants in the most extraordinary, the most crucial, the riskiest, and the most complex ongoing experiment in human society and government ever attempted, we risk ending the experiment in ignominy.
Not to us, but it's a weirdly under-exploited line of attack.
There ought to be something Democrats can use in the general election this year because each and every Republican candidate is making a show of how loyal they are to Trump, and the opportunity there is to say "He's for Trump, I'm for you".
I had thought that about his shirt too! So rumpled, especially around his belly. I think that was the reason for those ridiculous drapes over the statue—I think he’s pissed bc they gave him somewhat of a paunch
Since when was the Commandment against graven images limited to calves? I’m hardly an expert, but here’s what the noted theologian AI says: “Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image" (Exodus 20:4) is the second of the Ten Commandments, forbidding the creation and worship of physical idols (statues, carvings, or representations of gods) to ensure worship is directed only to the invisible, infinite God, rather than to man-made objects. Trump’s tacky statue, along with the tacky coins, tacky gold leaf decorations, proposed Arch de Trump….all fall into creation and worship of physical idols.
You didn’t use the word blasphemy as some have. To which one wit (maybe Gary Kasperov or Rick Wilson?) pointed out: if you’re worshipping your actual god then it’s not blasphemy 🤷♂️
Strangely, the people who suffer the most from Trump's policy decisions also seem the most likely to put him on a pedestal. But then, it was the Israelites, themselves, who donated their personal gold belongings to make the calf, so I suppose Trump voters are just as responsible for creating their own false idol. They didn't donate their personal gold, just gave up their Constitutional rights and were willing to deny themselves programs that actually helped them - like SNAP and health insurance.
Over the weekend, on a TV interview, Trump said, "the NFL can afford to make a little less money." Has anyone ever heard him say that about Bezos, Musk, Zuckerberg? Has anyone ever heard him say, "Peter Thiel can afford to make a little less money?" "My family can afford to make a little less money for the sake of the country." Someone needs to take that statement, and run with it. It should be in the news all week.
I've had this same thought when Republicans say Americans need to tighten their belts. Why can't the wealthiest people in the history of the world just pay some more in taxes so the average American doesn't have to struggle even more? Why can't the oil companies do with a little less profit?
When the news came out recently that BP (I think it was) had record quarterly profits, I wondered how in the hell they made MORE profits when the price of oil and gas has been so much higher since the war started. Shouldn't they have made the same at best, if not a little less than usual?
Exactly. If they made record profits, it is because they are taking advantage of world events to cover the fact that they are gouging consumers with prices that are higher than ever.
It is my understanding that the cost for production remains the same, while the price paid to the company goes up. The oil companies that are producing and selling are sitting fat and happy.
Trump's antipathy towards the NFL should come as zero surprise. He has nursed a longstanding grudge against the NFL since the 1980's, when he made bids to buy various NFL teams (Colts, Patriots, Bills) but they were all rejected. Trump was the loudest voice calling for national boycotts of the NFL when some players made kneeling protests during the national anthem. But Bezos, Musk, Zuckerberg, Thiel, have all kneeled before him, so he won't call for them to make less money as long as they continue to do so.
His remark came as no surprise - his history with the NFL is well known. It just made me seethe. The hypocrisy, the graft, the corruption, the "wink" of his statement - and it's allowed to stand unchallenged - some days it's just all too much.
It’s been just all too much every day since he first entered politics. And it’s like he has magic powers that back his every move while shielding him from any accountability that would have long buried anyone else.
Sumi - you could not be more correct. I wish we were neighbors so that we could console ourselves on a bi-weekly (twice a week, not twice a month!) basis with a nice cup of lavender tea.
"Trump’s For Himself, Not For You" "His narcissism is out of control." If you didn't know this in 2015, you shouldn't have been allowed to vote; if you don't know this now you should in a cult-deprogramming program.
"I remember thinking, Yikes. ‘I’m with her’ vs. ‘I’m with you.’ That could work."
History has a way of reminding us of bad ideas and their outcomes. In 2010, in Wisconsin, there were uncomfortably many yard signs and banners reading "I Stand With Scott Walker." I remember at the time wondering why anyone would put up a sign that essentially admitted that they were prostituting themselves for a candidate and a movement rather than demanding that the candidates represent them first and foremost.
To me it was a distinction with a pretty big difference. It also was a tacit admission that those voters were not going to hold Walker accountable for anything as long as he upheld their agenda and made life hell for any Democrats who stood in his way. And in a sea change election, they got their way, with the Governor, the state House, and the state Senate all flipping from Democrat to Republican at the same time. As the awareness of their good fortune sank in, they cheered with glee as Walker and the new red legislative majority foisted Act 10 upon us, demonizing public sector workers, seizing chunks of the compensation package, and stripping them of their bargaining rights, slashed higher ed budgets, and then threw money at private sector business interests at pretty much the exact rate of the Act 10 savings to the taxpayers, and of course continuously further demonized liberals in general and the Democrats as evildoers whose mess they were going to clean up and thus set things right, in their image. It took eight years to get rid of Walker, and we're still trying to undo much of the damage that they did in the name of the own extreme agenda and hyperpartisanship.
Sound familiar? Thus endeth for now the cautionary tale of what happens when voters surrender their objectivity and put self interest unreservedly ahead of the greater good, and assume that standing by a candidate is more important than the candidate standing by us all. This is in no way, shape, or form a defense of DJT and his agenda and his behavior over time. It does, though, tell us what happens when a candidate can wed the idea of serving the community to inflaming their opposition to the opposition -- a paradoxical toxic mix that, as we have seen, can end only badly for those not in the majority and on the winning team. Sometimes the messenger is very flawed. Worse still is when the masses are even more flawed. Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you: Mr. and Mrs. MAGA. Feel free to skip the toast to their success and future happiness.
The evangelical Trump mantra: "Jesus is my savior. Trump is my president." has an barrier problem that evangelicals w their statement of dichotomy above deny.
Granted Trump has taken actions to aid evangelicals, but how can he w his rapsheet and his uncharitable & unethical behaviors not vitiate their religious beliefs & their sense of the sacred? The raging cognitive dissonance.
The Trump arch at the entrance of the Arlington Nat'l Cemetery is one of many mind (heart & soul also) contaminations. The cemetery is a sacred place, yet that's juxtaposed W Trump and his fake, draft dodging bonespurs & statements abt the fallen as "suckers anc losers." How are MAGA, brain neuron synapses not exploding? Deep, corrupting dissonant denial, I suppose.
"Vitiate"? I had to look that one up. Very Charlie-esque of you!
Your post adds even more depth to Trump's successful PR campaign/charade with his evangelicals. His entire life has been one of focusing on PR to cover his bad antics...rather than ever having consideration of changing behavior. God forbid having to do that!
Because of the hantavirus outbreak...SNL showed a clip of Trump talking about Covid early-on and promising it was "all under control". He handled Covid like a PR problem and that's why our response was so pathetic and late. PR can only hide the truth for so long...especially with 100 year pandemics.
This morning at my doctor's. I successfully drew a clock face reading one thirty and successfully remembered the words "banana, sunrise, chair" for a few minutes. Where's *my* statue?
Personally, I love it. However, much it pains me and it shouldn't make a damn bit of difference, Dems need to move on from slashed pronouns. There seems to be just enough snowflake swing voters and independents we need who it triggers.
Some of the electorate. But if MAGA is going to use it as a weapon, wouldn't it be best to dull that edge by making it a joke. It should have been the response when MAGA used the "Kamala is for they/them..." BS. Absorb, parry, counter.
It was 12 years ago McConnell stole two Supreme Court seats and established the precedent that you can only nominate and seat a Justice if you have control of the White House and the Senate. Democrats have been weak and squeamish about confronting what is pure Total Political Warfare for immediate gain or power. The Republicans have been on this maximalist gerrymandering crusade since their big win in a Census year in 2010. Schumerism isn't going to be able to deal with what is required now. Neither is a victim mentality. We need to fight an uphill battle bigly, now.
Here’s an idea for a campaign commercial: list all the projects for Trump’s glorification, alongside all the cuts that have been made for programs for regular Americans: the Trump arch paid for by cutting SNAP, the White House “renovations” paid for by cutting higher education, and the billion dollar ballroom paid for by cutting help for healthcare premiums. “Donald Trump is only for one thing-himself. The Democrats are here for you.” Perhaps it could be personalized for every market: Platner is Maine, Talerico in Texas, etc. “Trump is for himself: I’m here for you.” Finish with a shot of Trump’s golden statue and him giving a thumbs up.
"Much of the commentary has understandably focused on the claim of the pastor, Mark Burns, who presided over the ceremony and explained afterwards, “Let me be clear: This is not a golden calf.”"
I agree with the Pastor. It's a Golden Ass, not a Golden Calf.
Quoting Home of the Brave's Ronn Easton: "Arlington is a place for solemn, serious reflection, where we memorialize American heroes. [Trump's 250-foot high triumphal arch] is a desecration of that." I think that is part of the purpose - Trump will (virtually) look down on the military's fallen. Why does he have such contempt for them? Is it because they get thanked for their service? Sadly, many voted for him despite his history with the military.
Oh, and Trump is the biggest freeloader in America. He doesn't know what food, housing, transportation, or health care costs Americans. And he doesn't care what food, housing, transportation or health care costs Americans.
I'd have more sympathy about the arch blocking Arlington if members of the military didn't vote in big numbers for Trump. Guess they need a bit of stove touching, too.
I've lost relationships with some shipmates over Trump. I just can't for the life of me understand why they still support him. Some of it is their choice of news intake and some of it is an unwillingness to ever consider they might not be right about some things.
It's almost as though that Fox News has been so effective that they literally cannot consider taking another position because that would be tacitly surrendering to the enemy.
Yeah, I feel bad that we no longer have an FBI, too. But I voted against the dismantling of the FBI while the FBI voted for it, so how bad exactly am I supposed to feel?
The ads don't have to say a thing. Just cut photos of rising gas prices and missles detonating with photos of the Golden Cankles and ballroom and arch mockup. No words necessary.
If you're a Democrat running for president in 2028 and you're not promising to raze Trump's various monuments in D.C. to himself on Day One, just get outta here.
Another option, at least for the "Arc d' Trump," would be to just turn a blind eye and let vandals have it. Instead of destroying Portland or setting Waymos on fire in L.A., come on down to our nation's capital and have a go at this momument. Just leave Washington, Lincoln, and Jefferson alone.
I know you're just fantasizing, but I can't imagine ordinary people tearing down a 20-story object half as tall as the Washington Monument. It would be like ants trying to dismantle a cinder block. Also, when you give any kind of social permission for vandalism on that scale, you are unleashing an impulse that I don't think we need to have unleashed.
Sarah's next book could be "How to Eat a Monument: One Vandal at a Time".
The congress should vote to have it removed. Or as it being built, sometimes things just happen. No one can say why, but construction sites aren't always that sturdy.....or well guarded.
Unless Congress voted to have it built, it would be an illegal structure. Just send in the bulldozers and when the complaints start, ignore them.
Sounds good to me.
Great idea, the best one, and thank you for easing my mind.
I lack the talent to pull it off, but that’s a pretty big canvas for someone to immortalize Trump’s double jerk off dance while leaving nothing to the imagination.
This was my opinion on the confederate monuments. Allow people paint or disfigure the statues so that the confederate worshippers want them torn down.
Give it the Berlin Wall treatment.
And take Fetterman with you.
Please
Build them Bigger. Trump is thinking too small.
They need to be as big as our self-regard. Trump is our ego and our id. We are selfish and worship ourselves - Trump gets that. Giant statues of one White man, ballrooms only the very wealthy can visit, and reflecting pools built to no longer reflect: that's who we are. There's a reason the White House is now a pile of rubble.
Bigger, Mr. Trump. Make those monuments visible from space, and maybe someone in DC will finally figure out what those monuments commemorate.
My name is Ozymandias, king of kings; look on my works, ye mighty, and despair.
It is no less than we deserve for allowing this.
It's like he's a king and his wish is everyone's command. How strange for a country that was founded on rejecting kings.
It’s almost like the American people are F&^King stoopid!!!
Almost?
Just like it’s almost too late.
OK! WOW! So now we can absolutely say, without any questions of a doubt, here is REALITY! A tyrannical minority of Americans are anti Black racists and believe the only legitimate government in America is a White government. It's the MAGA rot in the whole system. Align that with Trump's reflexive, anti Black, anti immigrant racism and we can fully understand why Trump is the Avatar of racial hatred and the cult hero of racist Love.
Trump and his insane, megalomanical Truth Social screeds are love songs to tyrannical minority.
So what do we do about these rabid bigots who so infect our civic life?
Combined with the mindless consumer depression Trump is reigning down on America will MAGA racism generate enough revulsion among the majority of Americans to crush the MAGA rot?
We need to see a whole lot of active push back between now and Nov.
Don't raze, blow them up!
There is a remote park in Budapest where all the communist monuments were placed. I like that as an idea for Washington, maybe on Hains Point, a place to put the crumbled remains of Trump's monuments to himself. Call it Autocrat Park, a reminder for future generations that it can happen here.
Just dump at Mar-a-Lago.
We have a 16' statue of Lenin in Seattle rescued from a scrap yard, not far from the troll under the Aurora bridge. I know we could find a place for the gold 22' Trump.
Another six months of this and there will be no need: his own base will let loose on him like the Iraqis did to Saddam Hussein: Poetic Justice!…:)
I've had my money on that outcome for about 8 years now, yet I keep getting discouraged from it. This outcome is still in play. Yeesh, this is going to be a tough year.
Robert, read this. It's a very good analysis of those who voted for Trump in 2024. Very few of the 2024 voters will be carrying pitchforks.
https://beyondmaga.us/the-four-types-of-trump-voters/
Great analysis, but when was this study conducted? Let’s not forget, republicans are less than 25% of the population. Trump can’t win without significant independent votes, and everything I’m reading is that independents are really starting to abhor him!
And if we have a major recession in November, he is toast. The question is whether we can displace these clowns given the uphill environment the courts have handed us.
Seriously, whats up with these people: they think that because they have donned a black robe in the service of our judicial system; that somehow they have suddenly been bestowed a wisdom that eludes the rest of us?
What the hell were these VA judges thinking—who weren’t republicans….:)
I think that we can, especially if gas, groceries and electricity get more expensive over the summer. People taking vacations are going to be pissed. And the best thing about this terrible situation is that conservative media can’t spin it, blame it on Biden, or lie convincingly about it.
They'll still try to spin it, blame Biden, etc. but I think they'll only convince the most racist hateful magat morons. The "independent", minority, casual trump voters aren't going to swallow that BS anymore.
Well said, and it’s going to be havoc on third quarter GDP—summer travel and tourism is crucial to a strong economic recovery.
These guys have burnt the house down—if they win then we have no hope!…:)
Gosh, sorry to be Debbie Downer today, but see: https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/transportation-secretary-sean-duffy-defends-203129285.html
"Transportation Department spokesperson Nathaniel Sizemore told NBC News that politicians criticizing soaring gas prices “should sit this one out. These are the same people who waged a war on fossil fuels, pushed gas to over $5 a gallon, and forced American families into expensive electric vehicles,” Sizemore wrote in an email. “Secretary Duffy has already taken action to make cars for affordable and support the President energy dominance agenda.”
Ooooookay? I really hope one of the Bulwarkers decides to seriously mock Sean Duffy's family road trip reality show.
This is a study of people who Voted for Trump in 2024. Sampling was done between April 16, 2025 and January 9 2026, so had only limited time to “get sick of Trump. ” Only 38% of these Trump voters said MAGA was very important to them. For specifics, see p 20.
To repeat, these are 2024 Trump voters. Doubtless, many of them are independents.
https://beyondmaga.us/media/ot0no1ro/beyondmaga_desktop_011926.pdf
Thank you for posting this. What a collusion of bad ideas and cultural persuasion explains who his voters are. I sometimes feel othered by the current culture— very different stimuli though. After reading this, I will probe more deeply into my own responses. Do I assume too readily that my analysis is all based on logic and superior reason? Great food for thought.
Thanks for the chart. I read - really skimmed - through the info and have great respect for your ability to consume this information and still be able to share it.
His base is too stupid to turn on him.
Fair enough, but his base isn’t monolith. He needs independents..:)
Yeah, take a listen to the latest Focus Group podcast with Sarah and Tim. Those people, the die-hard 30%, are never going to change their minds about him.
Definitely not arguing about the base: he’s Jesus incarnate. My point, the base isn’t enough by a long shot.
Or provide a large number of hammers and invite the public in to show its regard for chump.
The Repubs will say, “Look those Dems are, nothing but vandals.”
My response to the Republicans, is: “tough S ***t”.
Sell tickets for the privilege. Money goes to charity.
Very Cool!!!
Do not ask permission. Just raze them. Offer to work with the Republicans on a bipartisan bill to prevent future Presidents from vandalizing public structures if they want to complain about the injustice of it.
I generally agree with you. But I just had this thought: Don't raze the arch. Let it stand. But cover it in "You did this!" shame graffitti. I think if we put everything back the way it was, we might easily forget how we let it get this bad. We need a reminder of the horror. We need a physical reminder not to do it again. A triumphal arch turned into a monument to shame at the entrance to the cemetary of our honored war dead (who this President disrespected) is a fitting reminder I think.
Be more specific. Say GOP did this.
In good liberal fashion, rather than out and out razing, I propose deconstructing these “monuments” and using the materials to construct something that benefits the new state of Washington D.C.
I worry about that. I fear even if the Democrats (especially the Democrats) say it would appear petty and vindictive to do that. I do NOT want future Americans to think this guy was anything but a stupid, self centered, dishonest, nepo baby.
No real Democrat will say that. No more Mr. Nice guy.
Razing them isn’t even enough it has to be a show. Demolishing it into a fireworks show, or dropping it into the deepest part of the ocean. Or maybe do something philanthropic by donating some of them to North Korea let Kim Jong Un have it as a romantic keepsake.
Launching them into the sun on one of Elon’s unmanned spacecrafts would be fun too. Or maybe just keep it simple and put them all on Epstein Island. So many ways this can go right…
I'm OK with that, but I'd prefer if they were retooled and renamed in favor of something positive. Like make the arch a welcoming center for immigrants, the new Ellis Island. Or make the ballroom a tourist attraction, particularly the bunker (it will be like touring the lab in "The Andromeda Strain." And probably as terrifying).
Oh, and make Trump and the billionaires pony up completely -- or sue them if they don't.
Nah, they need to be destroyed. Period. Talk about giving permission for a future idiot to do likewise.
Consider charging for the fun of wielding an Implement of Demolition (manual, no powered equipment unless you’re on the professional demo work crew). Put the earnings toward something constructive.
That executive order on day 1 to strip all signs of Donald Trump from this country is going to hit like crack
Tearing Trump's crap down is a no-brainer if it's all publicly funded. If the ballroom, arch, ets. end up being funded with taxpayer funds, then tearing them down with a wave of the hand becomes, and will be framed as, a waste of taxpayer money.
So what. An unnecessary war in Iran is a waste of taxpayer money.
I get the anger. At the same time, I thought Democrats were supposed to be committed to the rule of law. Razing major structures "on Day One" doesn't sound like that to me.
I also suspect that our ability to maintain the support of the American electorate could at least partly depend on focusing on what is important to them rather than what may be widely viewed as partisan tit-for-tat.
Here it can be important to keep in mind that just because the Republicans lose an election doesn't mean that they will be powerless going forward. For example, even if the Democrats win the presidency, the House and the Senate in 2028, the next census could result in Republicans taking back the Senate.
Will razing Trump's monuments without any sort of due process help Democrats hold Senate seats in purple and red states? My guess: It will just add to partisan polarization. And unlike new policies such as meaningful healthcare reform or saving the Social Security program, the average voter won't get anything tangible.
Instead of razing Trump's monuments, perhaps we should instead view them as a symbol of the dark side of American politics that we must continue to be vigilant in fighting against.
If it is indeed built, the arch cannot be allowed to stand. It desecrates Arlington and that is reason enough to remove it.
It will also be a major obstruction into Washington National airport.
The Democrats always act like that. We dont want to appear petty or vindictive or partisan. Republicans never worry about that. Whenever they can they ruin the best things that the Democrats have done. Look at the Affordable Care Act. They dont care that a millions cannot afford health now. And for what? Becauae Obama did it.
So are you advocating a "race to the bottom" strategy? If so, what then distinguishes us from them?
That would be fine if the other party were committed to free and fair elections and the good of the people. But they are not. We dont have to like them, we just have to let them know we are not going to put up with their BS anymore. They break the law and the rules to their detriment. They cannot be counted on.
We're done being Charlie Brown to their Lucy.
My sense is that we can be much more aggressive politically while still having an unwavering commitment to the rule of law.
I would love that
He's ignoring laws and historical boards and even the courts. Most of what he is doing needs to be undone for that reason alone. If he followed all the rules, than I would agree, but he hasn't and won't. And by the logic of your last graph, should we have left up the monuments to the Confederates?
It would be a statement to the world that “this is not who we are”…a clear rebuke of the vanity and grift that allowed those structures to go up, against three quarters of the population (I believe I read only 28% of the public approve of the ballroom). In my opinion, we all need that
Carney has argued -- correctly, I think -- that Trumpism represents a rupture, not a transition. He and leaders of other liberal democracies know that the return of Trumpism is as close as the next election.
If Democrats raze Trump monuments "on Day One," I will bet that the foreign press will debate how long it will take before some future Trumpist president will play tit for tat. Remember, this is the party that decades later still couldn't get over having their Supreme Court nominee "borked."
Whether we in the pro-democracy movement like it or not, Trumpism has become part of who we are as a nation. Global trust in our leadership role has been permanently broken. We can't go back to the world order that the US has led since WWII.
That doesn't mean we should give up trying to undo the damage done by Trumpism, but we should be honest about what we are up against. Even if we win the presidency and Congress in 2028, we will have a limited amount of time and political capital to begin to turn things around. And at some point the Trumpists will take power again and try to undo our reforms.
The Trump monuments symbolize to me a country that very well could be deeply split for years into the future . . . and perhaps permanently.
I think that some variation might well happen, but so far, no one has appeared on the GOP horizon who has Trump’s “charisma.” All the more reason why Dems have to appeal to Independents. Hopefully, future candidates for office have figured this out.
I do wonder what the variation of MAGA will be-if and when it appears.
I've been around long enough to have seen a lot of predictions this far out from the next presidential race prove to be inaccurate . . . and that's in a more "normal" political climate. Thus, I'm hesitant to weigh in on whether someone has the "charisma" to become the next Trump.
Even if the Republicans don't rally around a new Trumpist leader, the MAGA movement could still be quite strong at the state level. And then there's the 2030 census, which could tilt the playing field further toward Republicans.
That suggests to me that even if they become a minority party, the MAGA Republicans could still have a real chance of -- at the very least -- creating a political stalemate.
Damn, that’s depressing, but also possible. You would think that just remembering how awful Trump’s second term is would lead future Independent voters to turn away. I do think that a lot depends upon how bad things get in the near future. Gerrymandered or not, the Republican Party has very little to brag about-or to campaign on. But maybe I am overly hopeful. Gah, what a miserable timeline this is.
Actually, most of the population growth in those Southern states will be minorities. Makes gerrymandering difficult.
And we have over 2 years to go. Imagine the damage he can do. And he is old and lives to do as march harm and self aggrandizement as he can until the end. He doesnt care Democrats think.
Agreed. The good side of things is that Trump himself will inevitably fade from the scene simply because of his age. What I think is more important is what happens next to the MAGA movement.
There are signs that it is fracturing, but that may only be temporary. If the Democrats take power in 2028 I would think that MAGA would to some degree put aside its internal differences to fight the infidel. And they would have the power of the right-wing media to fuel their rage.
IF and thats a big "if" the ballroom actually gets built it should be re-purposed Maybe a new library or a health club for Government employees.
No, we need to tear it down. I’ll add my own copypasta:
Nah, they need to be destroyed. Period. Talk about giving permission for a future idiot to do likewise.
Consider charging for the fun of wielding an Implement of Demolition (manual, no powered equipment unless you’re on the professional demo work crew). Put the earnings toward something constructive.
These structures are illegal built in violation of the law. Tearing them down is respect for the law. People have to stop being concerned about what Republicans think. They are racists and fascists.
Not sure how the next census would affect the Senate. That's specified in the Constitution (or what's left of it).
I should have said the House in light of population shifts to what have recently been redder parts of the country. The Senate is already tilted toward smaller, more rural parts of the country that in recent years have trended heavily Republican. However, reapportionment could also impact the Democrats' prospects in presidential races due to shifts in the electoral college.
Along with trump's ego monuments, the Electoral College is something that should be demolished with extreme prejudice!
That would be great if we could pull it off. The big question is whether we gain sufficient political power to do so -- and that we prioritize our agenda carefully.
Even if Trump totally tanks Republican chances in 2028, the rise of 24/7 media seems to have sped up the political process considerably. That may result in the Democrats having less time to enact their reform agenda before political headwinds become too strong.
“Trump’s for himself, not for you”
This is news?
Bill's write-up definitely read like preaching to the choir. Him recalling the "I'm with her vs I'm with you" is funny because that's just literally another instance of Trump being all-impulse. It worked on those who would be dumb enough to fall for it.
Unfortunately, there are legions of them.
But even Emporer Augustus (not just a wannabe King) bemoaned the loss of his legions after the Battle of the Teutoberger Forest in what is now northern Germany in 9 A.D: "Quintilius Varus, give me back my legions" is how it is reported now. And I suspect Vlad the Bad thinks the same about his desertions.
Very true.
Yet election year needs an over arching message that places him at the root of congress inaction - or action only for T …Maybe
“ Republicans are ONLY for him.
We’re only for you”
Which, as our president might say, ‘fortunately or unfortunately’ represents half of the electorate…
When was his narcissism ever "IN control"?
It is to a lot of people. Listen to Sarah's Focus Group - if you can take it.
I grit my teeth and listen to people justifying their own
A. Ignorance
B. Racism and insecurity
C. Lack of accountability
D. All of the above
I have, but I’d suggest that her focus groups are a pale imitation of what I regularly run into when I post anything anti-Trump in the OpEd section of the Wall Street Journal.
No kidding. But the anti-Trumpers are appearing even there.
More and more so. It is encouraging.
Those people know Trump isn't for them. They just feel guilty saying out loud "I think we are better off with someone selfish and amoral in the White House."
It is to Republicans.
Not to all of them.
Most
I’d suggest, based on recent polls, that among whatever is left of ‘normie’ Republicans, opposition to Trump is increasing. That is not to say that they are leaning toward Democrats, although some certainly are, but that they increasingly realizing that Trump is not what they may have imagined. For no human beings is it easy to admit error, particularly when one has been dug.
But in the end, as a life-long Independent and a teacher of American history for over 40 years, I know that our ossified binary political party system is largely to blame for the mess we are in. In some very different ways, both Democrats and Republicans have failed to remember that they are, or at least ought to be, Americans first; that if we fail to understand what that really means, that we are both the inheritors of and the participants in the most extraordinary, the most crucial, the riskiest, and the most complex ongoing experiment in human society and government ever attempted, we risk ending the experiment in ignominy.
For the stupidest 30% of the country, yes
It's not shocking anymore. The response is, "Tell me something I don't know."
It's an observation that comes from the, " Clearly Obvious," file.
Not to us, but it's a weirdly under-exploited line of attack.
There ought to be something Democrats can use in the general election this year because each and every Republican candidate is making a show of how loyal they are to Trump, and the opportunity there is to say "He's for Trump, I'm for you".
If you have to say it is not a golden calf.... https://terrymckenna.substack.com/p/if-you-have-to-say-it-is-not-a-golden?r=1t8ls&utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=web
Why are Golden Donald's pants so rumpled? Not a good look!
Rumpelthinskin
Imagine how the flesh being covered looks. No, wait, that is too grim for Spring.
I was wondering the same thing. He doesn’t have the best suits but his pants do hang straight.
Oversized clothes do that. (suit, pants, tie)
Trump's no Shirley Eaton, that's for sure!
I had thought that about his shirt too! So rumpled, especially around his belly. I think that was the reason for those ridiculous drapes over the statue—I think he’s pissed bc they gave him somewhat of a paunch
He should be angry about his colossus wearing an oversize sash from a beauty pageant. One of those things should have been emblazoned, "MISS FLORIDA."
art imitates life
Good explanation.😉👍
T only hires the best people, including artists!
You get what you pay for! LOL!
NOT.
He looks rather stiff and wrinkled.
Dave - only briefly per Stephanie Clifford
Touche'
Since when was the Commandment against graven images limited to calves? I’m hardly an expert, but here’s what the noted theologian AI says: “Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image" (Exodus 20:4) is the second of the Ten Commandments, forbidding the creation and worship of physical idols (statues, carvings, or representations of gods) to ensure worship is directed only to the invisible, infinite God, rather than to man-made objects. Trump’s tacky statue, along with the tacky coins, tacky gold leaf decorations, proposed Arch de Trump….all fall into creation and worship of physical idols.
Another example why evangelicals are just hypocrites. Talk about their bible, want to use the Torah, and don’t understand either.
You have to be a hypocrite to be a so called “evangelical “. They claim to take the bible literally, then ignore all the inconvenient things.
You didn’t use the word blasphemy as some have. To which one wit (maybe Gary Kasperov or Rick Wilson?) pointed out: if you’re worshipping your actual god then it’s not blasphemy 🤷♂️
Good analysis, Kim, but too intellectual for the average MAGAt.
Those are not just any calves.
Strangely, the people who suffer the most from Trump's policy decisions also seem the most likely to put him on a pedestal. But then, it was the Israelites, themselves, who donated their personal gold belongings to make the calf, so I suppose Trump voters are just as responsible for creating their own false idol. They didn't donate their personal gold, just gave up their Constitutional rights and were willing to deny themselves programs that actually helped them - like SNAP and health insurance.
Fantastic.
Over the weekend, on a TV interview, Trump said, "the NFL can afford to make a little less money." Has anyone ever heard him say that about Bezos, Musk, Zuckerberg? Has anyone ever heard him say, "Peter Thiel can afford to make a little less money?" "My family can afford to make a little less money for the sake of the country." Someone needs to take that statement, and run with it. It should be in the news all week.
I've had this same thought when Republicans say Americans need to tighten their belts. Why can't the wealthiest people in the history of the world just pay some more in taxes so the average American doesn't have to struggle even more? Why can't the oil companies do with a little less profit?
When the news came out recently that BP (I think it was) had record quarterly profits, I wondered how in the hell they made MORE profits when the price of oil and gas has been so much higher since the war started. Shouldn't they have made the same at best, if not a little less than usual?
Exactly. If they made record profits, it is because they are taking advantage of world events to cover the fact that they are gouging consumers with prices that are higher than ever.
It is my understanding that the cost for production remains the same, while the price paid to the company goes up. The oil companies that are producing and selling are sitting fat and happy.
Absolutely!
Trump's antipathy towards the NFL should come as zero surprise. He has nursed a longstanding grudge against the NFL since the 1980's, when he made bids to buy various NFL teams (Colts, Patriots, Bills) but they were all rejected. Trump was the loudest voice calling for national boycotts of the NFL when some players made kneeling protests during the national anthem. But Bezos, Musk, Zuckerberg, Thiel, have all kneeled before him, so he won't call for them to make less money as long as they continue to do so.
His remark came as no surprise - his history with the NFL is well known. It just made me seethe. The hypocrisy, the graft, the corruption, the "wink" of his statement - and it's allowed to stand unchallenged - some days it's just all too much.
It’s been just all too much every day since he first entered politics. And it’s like he has magic powers that back his every move while shielding him from any accountability that would have long buried anyone else.
Sumi - you could not be more correct. I wish we were neighbors so that we could console ourselves on a bi-weekly (twice a week, not twice a month!) basis with a nice cup of lavender tea.
THE FELON HELPS
THE RICH
AND VACUUMS UP
OUR GOLD
TO LINE HIS
FAMILY’S POCKETS
OUR DREAMS ARE
BOUGHT AND SOLD
Centered, THE FELON in red. This will be the sign I carry this week in front of the US Consulate in Frankfurt, Germany.
Way to go! Cheers!🥂
Thanks, 🥂🍾
I hope you celebrate with a nice, cold Ebbelwoi.
What, you want to limit me to one? 😉Prost
My bad. Also soviel wie Sie wollen.
"Trump’s For Himself, Not For You" "His narcissism is out of control." If you didn't know this in 2015, you shouldn't have been allowed to vote; if you don't know this now you should in a cult-deprogramming program.
Absolutely!
"I remember thinking, Yikes. ‘I’m with her’ vs. ‘I’m with you.’ That could work."
History has a way of reminding us of bad ideas and their outcomes. In 2010, in Wisconsin, there were uncomfortably many yard signs and banners reading "I Stand With Scott Walker." I remember at the time wondering why anyone would put up a sign that essentially admitted that they were prostituting themselves for a candidate and a movement rather than demanding that the candidates represent them first and foremost.
To me it was a distinction with a pretty big difference. It also was a tacit admission that those voters were not going to hold Walker accountable for anything as long as he upheld their agenda and made life hell for any Democrats who stood in his way. And in a sea change election, they got their way, with the Governor, the state House, and the state Senate all flipping from Democrat to Republican at the same time. As the awareness of their good fortune sank in, they cheered with glee as Walker and the new red legislative majority foisted Act 10 upon us, demonizing public sector workers, seizing chunks of the compensation package, and stripping them of their bargaining rights, slashed higher ed budgets, and then threw money at private sector business interests at pretty much the exact rate of the Act 10 savings to the taxpayers, and of course continuously further demonized liberals in general and the Democrats as evildoers whose mess they were going to clean up and thus set things right, in their image. It took eight years to get rid of Walker, and we're still trying to undo much of the damage that they did in the name of the own extreme agenda and hyperpartisanship.
Sound familiar? Thus endeth for now the cautionary tale of what happens when voters surrender their objectivity and put self interest unreservedly ahead of the greater good, and assume that standing by a candidate is more important than the candidate standing by us all. This is in no way, shape, or form a defense of DJT and his agenda and his behavior over time. It does, though, tell us what happens when a candidate can wed the idea of serving the community to inflaming their opposition to the opposition -- a paradoxical toxic mix that, as we have seen, can end only badly for those not in the majority and on the winning team. Sometimes the messenger is very flawed. Worse still is when the masses are even more flawed. Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you: Mr. and Mrs. MAGA. Feel free to skip the toast to their success and future happiness.
The evangelical Trump mantra: "Jesus is my savior. Trump is my president." has an barrier problem that evangelicals w their statement of dichotomy above deny.
Granted Trump has taken actions to aid evangelicals, but how can he w his rapsheet and his uncharitable & unethical behaviors not vitiate their religious beliefs & their sense of the sacred? The raging cognitive dissonance.
The Trump arch at the entrance of the Arlington Nat'l Cemetery is one of many mind (heart & soul also) contaminations. The cemetery is a sacred place, yet that's juxtaposed W Trump and his fake, draft dodging bonespurs & statements abt the fallen as "suckers anc losers." How are MAGA, brain neuron synapses not exploding? Deep, corrupting dissonant denial, I suppose.
"Vitiate"? I had to look that one up. Very Charlie-esque of you!
Your post adds even more depth to Trump's successful PR campaign/charade with his evangelicals. His entire life has been one of focusing on PR to cover his bad antics...rather than ever having consideration of changing behavior. God forbid having to do that!
Because of the hantavirus outbreak...SNL showed a clip of Trump talking about Covid early-on and promising it was "all under control". He handled Covid like a PR problem and that's why our response was so pathetic and late. PR can only hide the truth for so long...especially with 100 year pandemics.
This idea that the good Lord works in strange ways, using strange instruments, is about as subversive as it gets.
You said it better than I could!
It's been rattling around in my mind for a time how the evangelicals support Trump.
Golden Riffraff
This morning at my doctor's. I successfully drew a clock face reading one thirty and successfully remembered the words "banana, sunrise, chair" for a few minutes. Where's *my* statue?
Substack needs to implement rewards for comments like yours.
Here's a tagline for the Dems. "Trump is for He/Him not You/Yours"
Personally, I love it. However, much it pains me and it shouldn't make a damn bit of difference, Dems need to move on from slashed pronouns. There seems to be just enough snowflake swing voters and independents we need who it triggers.
What about: "Republican politicians work for Trump. Democrats work for you."
YAHTZEE!
Good one, but no. Pronouns are a sore subject among the electorate.
Some of the electorate. But if MAGA is going to use it as a weapon, wouldn't it be best to dull that edge by making it a joke. It should have been the response when MAGA used the "Kamala is for they/them..." BS. Absorb, parry, counter.
I get it, but my idea is to avoid any area that has worked for them in the past.
It was 12 years ago McConnell stole two Supreme Court seats and established the precedent that you can only nominate and seat a Justice if you have control of the White House and the Senate. Democrats have been weak and squeamish about confronting what is pure Total Political Warfare for immediate gain or power. The Republicans have been on this maximalist gerrymandering crusade since their big win in a Census year in 2010. Schumerism isn't going to be able to deal with what is required now. Neither is a victim mentality. We need to fight an uphill battle bigly, now.
Schumer is trying to play by a rulebook that no longer exists. The Dems need their younger generation to take the wheel.
Here’s an idea for a campaign commercial: list all the projects for Trump’s glorification, alongside all the cuts that have been made for programs for regular Americans: the Trump arch paid for by cutting SNAP, the White House “renovations” paid for by cutting higher education, and the billion dollar ballroom paid for by cutting help for healthcare premiums. “Donald Trump is only for one thing-himself. The Democrats are here for you.” Perhaps it could be personalized for every market: Platner is Maine, Talerico in Texas, etc. “Trump is for himself: I’m here for you.” Finish with a shot of Trump’s golden statue and him giving a thumbs up.
"Much of the commentary has understandably focused on the claim of the pastor, Mark Burns, who presided over the ceremony and explained afterwards, “Let me be clear: This is not a golden calf.”"
I agree with the Pastor. It's a Golden Ass, not a Golden Calf.
That connects nicely back to Midas.
Quoting Home of the Brave's Ronn Easton: "Arlington is a place for solemn, serious reflection, where we memorialize American heroes. [Trump's 250-foot high triumphal arch] is a desecration of that." I think that is part of the purpose - Trump will (virtually) look down on the military's fallen. Why does he have such contempt for them? Is it because they get thanked for their service? Sadly, many voted for him despite his history with the military.
Oh, and Trump is the biggest freeloader in America. He doesn't know what food, housing, transportation, or health care costs Americans. And he doesn't care what food, housing, transportation or health care costs Americans.
I'd have more sympathy about the arch blocking Arlington if members of the military didn't vote in big numbers for Trump. Guess they need a bit of stove touching, too.
https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2024/09/30/military-veterans-remain-a-republican-group-backing-trump-over-harris-by-wide-margin/
I've lost relationships with some shipmates over Trump. I just can't for the life of me understand why they still support him. Some of it is their choice of news intake and some of it is an unwillingness to ever consider they might not be right about some things.
It's almost as though that Fox News has been so effective that they literally cannot consider taking another position because that would be tacitly surrendering to the enemy.
FOX news and the like never ever show the bad to their viewers.
Given Ts disrespect for the military, how could veterans ever support him?
Yeah, I feel bad that we no longer have an FBI, too. But I voted against the dismantling of the FBI while the FBI voted for it, so how bad exactly am I supposed to feel?
In 2016, enlisted persons voted for Trump, while the officer corps favored Clinton. I wonder if that holds among veterans.
The ads don't have to say a thing. Just cut photos of rising gas prices and missles detonating with photos of the Golden Cankles and ballroom and arch mockup. No words necessary.