All three branches of our Government are now corrupted

[randr]

Gerrymandered House, Nuclear Senate, a foreign occupied WH, and now a rigged SC.
The best Government money can buy.

[Pachamama]

1. It's official - our democracy is dead

[Left-over]

28. The plutocracy has been fully installed.

[FakeNoose]

47. Let's mark our calendars

April 7th, 2017 - The day democracy died

[Eyeball_Kid]

51. The Rule of Law??? No longer. Now it's the Rule of Money.

[OKIsItJustMe]

2. I disagree

I believe that money could buy a better government.

[unblock]

6. fair point.

[CrispyQ]

20. Thanks for the smile in a seriously depressing thread.

[OKIsItJustMe]

26. You're welcome!

To bring you back down, I was only mostly joking.

I believe that if an organized cabal got together, and put their own corrupt government in place, without interference, every seat filled with one of their faithful, it could function better than our current government.

The fact (for example) that tactics like “the nuclear option” must be employed tells us that this has not yet taken place.

[Botany]

3. And the minority rules over the majority

n/t

[davekriss]

4. Yup. Sad.

[workinclasszero]

5. Elections have consequences...IOW

We are fucked.

[liberalmuse]

8. True that.

And sadly, Americans as a whole deserve this. Being apathetic or willfully ignorant does indeed have consequences and everyone gets dragged down.

[workinclasszero]

13. That 40% that didn't bother to vote because, you know both party's are exactly the same...

Are going to live to regret that mistake for the rest of their lives.

And so will I dammit.

[OKIsItJustMe]

14. The sad thing is...

…a large number of that 40% will never acknowledge that they made a mistake… if they even recognize it.

[workinclasszero]

25. Benjamin Franklin: A Republic, if you can keep it.

We couldn't: The great American experiment: July 4, 1776 to November 8, 2016...RIP

Now we enter a GOP/Randian theocratic hellscape.

For the first time in my life, I'm glad I'm old so I don't have to live in the hell this country is going to be in the coming decades.

[OKIsItJustMe]

31. Don't write us off just yet

Our republic has survived some trials in our short life.

[secondwind]

58. YES, WE ARE STIL HERE.. WE ARE STILL STANDING... RESIST!!

[bdamomma]

76. WE are definitely in a rut

but we have work very hard to get it back, or the oligarchs will keep on stealing from us and we can not let them do that, or we will have a lot in common with the Russian people.

[a kennedy]

32. Exactly...so sad they WON'T recognize it or believe the bullshit

that it was all Obama's fault. ( )

[ck4829]

16. Believing that sham in November was an "election" also has consquences.

[dalton99a]

33. No shit.

[dchill]

73. Crooked elections have crooked consequences.

Supreme Court: Russian to Justice.

[liberalmuse]

7. Republicans have stolen everything.

That USSC seat belonged to our last true President. I truly hate them. They are evil.

[OKIsItJustMe]

21. The Supreme Court should not belong to any president

I am appalled by how the process was perverted, but, to be honest, if which president chooses justices makes a dramatic difference in the functioning of the court, something is already seriously wrong.

https://www.congress.gov/resources/display/content/The+Federalist+Papers#TheFederalistPapers-78

[font face=Serif][font size=3]…

If it be said that the legislative body are themselves the constitutional judges of their own powers, and that the construction they put upon them is conclusive upon the other departments, it may be answered, that this cannot be the natural presumption, where it is not to be collected from any particular provisions in the Constitution. It is not otherwise to be supposed, that the Constitution could intend to enable the representatives of the people to substitute their WILL to that of their constituents. It is far more rational to suppose, that the courts were designed to be an intermediate body between the people and the legislature, in order, among other things, to keep the latter within the limits assigned to their authority. The interpretation of the laws is the proper and peculiar province of the courts. A constitution is, in fact, and must be regarded by the judges, as a fundamental law. It therefore belongs to them to ascertain its meaning, as well as the meaning of any particular act proceeding from the legislative body. If there should happen to be an irreconcilable variance between the two, that which has the superior obligation and validity ought, of course, to be preferred; or, in other words, the Constitution ought to be preferred to the statute, the intention of the people to the intention of their agents.

Nor does this conclusion by any means suppose a superiority of the judicial to the legislative power. It only supposes that the power of the people is superior to both; and that where the will of the legislature, declared in its statutes, stands in opposition to that of the people, declared in the Constitution, the judges ought to be governed by the latter rather than the former. They ought to regulate their decisions by the fundamental laws, rather than by those which are not fundamental.

…

If, then, the courts of justice are to be considered as the bulwarks of a limited Constitution against legislative encroachments, this consideration will afford a strong argument for the permanent tenure of judicial offices, since nothing will contribute so much as this to that independent spirit in the judges which must be essential to the faithful performance of so arduous a duty.

This independence of the judges is equally requisite to guard the Constitution and the rights of individuals from the effects of those ill humors, which the arts of designing men, or the influence of particular conjunctures, sometimes disseminate among the people themselves, and which, though they speedily give place to better information, and more deliberate reflection, have a tendency, in the meantime, to occasion dangerous innovations in the government, and serious oppressions of the minor party in the community. Though I trust the friends of the proposed Constitution will never concur with its enemies, [3] in questioning that fundamental principle of republican government, which admits the right of the people to alter or abolish the established Constitution, whenever they find it inconsistent with their happiness, yet it is not to be inferred from this principle, that the representatives of the people, whenever a momentary inclination happens to lay hold of a majority of their constituents, incompatible with the provisions in the existing Constitution, would, on that account, be justifiable in a violation of those provisions; or that the courts would be under a greater obligation to connive at infractions in this shape, than when they had proceeded wholly from the cabals of the representative body. Until the people have, by some solemn and authoritative act, annulled or changed the established form, it is binding upon themselves collectively, as well as individually; and no presumption, or even knowledge, of their sentiments, can warrant their representatives in a departure from it, prior to such an act. But it is easy to see, that it would require an uncommon portion of fortitude in the judges to do their duty as faithful guardians of the Constitution, where legislative invasions of it had been instigated by the major voice of the community.

…[/font][/font]

[A HERETIC I AM]

46. I had a feeling that was from the Federalist Papers...

I have them in book form but they are also on YouTube as audio books. I've been listening to them of late

Fascinating reading.

Oh, but how far we have strayed, from the times when we had great and well educated minds as leaders

[liberalmuse]

48. Great reading!

Thanks for that! And yes, sadly something is very wrong.

[GWC58]

35. How long before they try and shut off

all dissent, shut down sites? The only things they will allow is RW hate radio & web sites. They, whoever "they" are will almost certainly try.

[workinclasszero]

53. Its already happening and the UN has warned about it

Americans’ right to protest is in grave danger under Trump, United Nations warns
By Amanda Erickson April 2

The right to protest is fundamental to American democracy. The country was born, after all, out of decades of civil disobedience by people angry about taxation without representation. (In Washington, FWIW, we are still angry.)

But according to United Nations human rights investigators, this very basic principle is under attack. Over the past few months, on the heels of a fresh wave of organizing by liberals, at least 19 states have introduced measures that would criminalize peaceful protest. In places such as Minnesota, Michigan and Iowa, Republican lawmakers have proposed laws that would stiffen penalties for demonstrators who block traffic. In North Dakota, GOP leaders are pushing a bill that would allow motorists to run over and kill agitators, as long as the crash was accidental. In Indiana, conservatives want to instruct police to use “any means necessary” to remove activists from a roadway. Opponents worry this could lead to more brutal police response.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2017/04/02/americans-right-to-protest-is-in-grave-danger-under-trump-united-nations-warns/

[Baitball Blogger]

9. Post Apocalyptic American Government.

The only way they can remain dominant.

[ananda]

10. We knew this was going to happen on November 8th.

We have some very dark days, if not years, ahead of us.

My big issue is climate change. I keep thinking it's going
to be an extinction level process, sooner rather than later
now that 45 is in power and the world is so destabilized.

[Blue_true]

56. I am pretty optimistic about climate change.

Some good inventions are being worked at this very minute. Many people wring their hands when faced with obstacles, true agents of change aren't deterred.

[libtodeath]

11. Treason worked,they stole it all.

[BigOleDummy]

18. This

is far too true. I am truly worried for my granddaughters future.

[dalton99a]

34. +1

[FiveGoodMen]

49. And almost no one (in government) opposed it.

Lots of bad faith going around.

[BSdetect]

12. Its beyond time to end this crap.

[lark]

15. Unless drumpf is removed.

We are on the verge of the constitution being abrogated and Trumpland installed.

[DemoTex]

17. No. It is the WORST government money can buy.

That was the plan all along. And it ony gets worse from here.

Good night, and good luck.

[CrispyQ]

19. I had a glimmer of hope during the House hearings, but it's gone now.

The coup is complete. Even if they take Trump down, which I think is unlikely, the GOP controls the rest of the government & have shown us that they will lie, cheat & steal to keep that power. The dems played by the rules, even as the GOP showed them their true colors. The dems continued to bring a knife to a gunfight. The dems didn't just drop the ball, they lost the game. It will be decades before the dems have any control, if ever. The GOP has their boot on our neck, but at least we can comfort ourselves that when they go low, we go high.

[LenaBaby61]

52. I had a glimmer of hope during the House hearings, but it's gone now.

"The coup is complete. Even if they take Trump down, which I think is unlikely, the GOP controls the rest of the government & have shown us that they will lie, cheat & steal to keep that power. The dems played by the rules, even as the GOP showed them their true colors. The dems continued to bring a knife to a gunfight. The dems didn't just drop the ball, they lost the game. It will be decades before the dems have any control, if ever. The GOP has their boot on our neck, but at least we can comfort ourselves that when they go low, we go high."

I know how you feel CrispyQ

Firstly, I can't disagree with ANYTHING you've said, and don't let thuglicans fool around and voter-disenfranchise enough to get those 2-3 state houses they need which would then allow the Koch Brothers to go monkeying around with the Constitution

The Dems and those damn knives

Secondly, NO recess appointment to the supreme court for Merrick Garland by Pres. Obama. Hillary did win, but what had happened was

When going high, gets you chop-blocked and crippled by a 300 lb line man

Thirdly, FBI Director James Comey attempted to go public as early as the summer of 2016 with information on Russia’s campaign to influence the U.S. presidential election, but Obama administration officials blocked him from doing so, two sources with knowledge of the matter tell Newsweek &

Comey: "We've found some new emails that might be pertinent to Hillary Clinton while investigating Anthony Weiner." Released 11 days before the 2016 election.

2013: President Obama appoints James Comey to head FBI even though a Republican, because he believes Comey is a man of integrity

The C.I.A. Had Evidence of Russian Effort to Help Trump Earlier Than Believed


------------------
------------------


Going high got Democrats chop-blocked and crippled by a 300 lb rethuglican line man

[Tatiana]

71. Yeah, that really makes me want to curl in a ball and cry.

But, alas, we have to do something. They want us to give up. They want us to feel helpless.

I still believe there's some fight left. But, as you and the previous poster have indicated, Dems brought knives to a gunfight. And Dems like Michael Bennet won't let go of their useless weapons ("Two wrongs don't make a right...&quot . Civility isn't going to save us, nor is going high when a plurality of citizens of this country have been trained by Faux Noise to dwell in the gutter.

We have to speak to them in a language they understand. We need to upgrade our party with members who will consistently do whatever is necessary to combat the right-wing. I like what I am hearing from Tom Perez and Adam Schiff so far. I think they will have an important role to play in the Resistance and our future.

[democratisphere]

22. Heh! Is there a political oncologist in the house?

We have a country that is infested, from head to toe, with a malignant cancer that requires radical surgery before the democracy dies. Can anyone help?

[Initech]

23. I think now our only option is going to be war.

That's the only way we'll remove these motherfuckers from power.

[mr_lebowski]

61. That would def. require a meeting of the minds with the freepers and militia-types ...

We'd have to find common ground.

Those people are the only ones with ANY CHANCE of making even a dent via actual 'taking up of arms'. You don't wanna KNOW what kinda heavy shit those people have in their basements and storage units ...

[FailureToCommunicate]

24. No words. Just no words. Hug your children, and be thinking what to say when

they inevitably ask "How could this have happened?"

[Cryptoad]

27. The track record of STates where,,,

the GOP controls all three branches is any indication of what is to come , Get ready,,,,,Hard Times Ahead for the Nation!

[workinclasszero]

29. Hard times for this world in general

The country with the most lethal military on the planet just went full nazi.

There will be consequences for the world as well, not just here.

Just saying.

[susanna]

74. This is what keeps me up at night.

I've seen the dissolution of the U.S. coming for years; I wish I could say I am truly surprised. I would actually posit that anyone reading DU since 2000 had to have seen this coming; the writing has been on the wall for a very long time. I've been politically active; I've marched; I've contacted representatives, and long before now. It feels that it has all been for naught. I will keep on, though. What else is there?

I also agree with you regarding the rest of the world. We are a terribly powerful nation that has finally been revealed to have no internal checks on that power, and no moral compass about using that power to our advantage. This is an awful thing to contemplate.

on edit: I did not like a sentence

[workinclasszero]

77. I wonder how long it will take for the rest of the world to ally against us and Russia?

If the democrats can wrest back some control of the government in 2018 we may be able to slow things down but the 1% are so entrenched in power now...I just don't know.

The EU better keep a close eye on Trump's Amerika and Putin's Russia because they are in the crosshairs it seems to me.

[susanna]

80. I think the EU knows...

But then, I thought most people could see through the shell game the 1% has been playing all these years in order to make record profits, destroy the middle class and walk away unscathed.

I find the older I get the less I trust people's discernment (including my own).

[hamsterjill]

30. It's infuriating, but mostly, it's just sad.

It's sad to me that people that I know - have known for decades!!! - just didn't see it, and many still DON'T see it.

To me, it's as clear as the nose on my face.

Trump never tried to hide who and what he is. He put his ugliness out there for all to see, and yet, some chose not to see. Or rather, not to admit what they saw.

It's 2017 and half of the freaking population is still afraid of a strong woman, and of anyone else whose skin is a different color than their own. If you'd have told me 20 years ago that we'd still be this bass-awkwards in 2017, I'd have laughed in your face.

But yet, here we are.

[GWC58]

38. And will continue to gleefully

vote Repuke! That's sad!!

[VOX]

36. All courtesy of Citizens United.

And there's no undoing CU in the foreseeable future, given that the current makeup of large government branches is all in right-wing hands, as of this morning.

[GWC58]

40. Thanks to Ralph Nader!

[workinclasszero]

54. Nader, Sarandon and Stein

Did one hell of a job for the 1%er's I must admit.

[VOX]

84. That's the enraging truth. Their net effect is to fluff up the pillows of the 1%...

They steam blithely on, while we, the average folk, have to bear the brunt and clean up the wreckage.

No more.

[bronxiteforever]

37. in the words of Paul Simon, "you can't be forever blessed"

And I don't know a soul who's not been battered
I don't have a friend who feels at ease
I don't know a dream that's not been shattered
or driven to its knees
But it's all right, it's all right
We've lived so well so long
Still, when I think of the road
we're traveling on
I wonder what went wrong
I can't help it, I wonder what went wrong
American Tune,1973

[Kablooie]

39. They've remade the government in their own image. A corrupt, insular, anti-democratic, autocracy.

Hooray for the USA.

[world wide wally]

41. I blame America for this mess

I don't even know if I like America anymore.

Thanks, deplorables

[HughBeaumont]

44. I haven't for a while.

It's like America's in an abusive relationship with people who continually enact massive damage to their rights, finances and futures. And they just will NOT quit them. They WON'T and I just DON'T get it.

[mr_lebowski]

63. CIA Mind Control my friend ... sounds cliche, but this is 'professional work' done by Masters

Masters of Propaganda, that is.

Along with a significant % of the population not having really evolved past a 'reptilian' way of thinking.

The one that says 'I/Me/Mine' is what is important, and all that I do not perceive as the aforementioned ... is a feared and evil enemy and/or competitor, and therefore should be brought down and/or destroyed, post-haste'.

The 'dedicated' reptile-types are not a large enough % of the population to win elections in most cases, but there's a LARGE % of people that fall somewhere in between both extremes (those being KKK/Skinheads through to Kumbaya-Gaia types) ... but a HUGE amount of work in the propaganda field took place in the 50's-70's thanks to the Cold War, and then, the 'discovered to be effective' tactics were deployed on the US population in service of the 1% starting w/Ray-gun ...

Which in turn enabled the propagandists to swell the numbers of folks who think this way up to around 50%. Making election wins on the Nat'l scale ... possible.

But degrading science-based Public Education through lack of funding sure as shit didn't help. Now they start the brainwashing at the Charter Schools ...

[barbtries]

42. do not despair.

it'll get worse before it gets better. but the people are where the power lies, and they are like a sleeping giant. i don't know if i'll live long enough, but i have to believe that the people will prevail.

incidentally republicans are vile. utterly craven, vile bastards. fuck them all.

[Skittles]

67. DO people learn?

how long ago was it that repukes STOLE the presidency, allowed the biggest terrorist attack in American history, started senseless wars, crashed the economy, drowned a city - IT WASN'T THAT LONG AGO

[barbtries]

68. don't get me started.

if the bush administration had been prosecuted for their crimes we would not be here today. but i cannot truck in despair. i just have to do whatever i can to resist.

[kacekwl]

72. Exactly , I'm not going to let some low life

want to be TV star,business man,billionaire,leader,human, ruin my country my life . Resist indeed.

[Skittles]

79. I absolutely agree

failure to hold Bush Inc accountable helped to pave the way for Trump Inc

[Calculating]

43. Copied from my thread

From here on out the Repugnants are just gonna cheat their way through everything and do whatever they want because they know nobody has the backbone to stop them. They cheat Obama out of his rightful SCOTUS appointment, change the rules to appoint Trump's appointee, gerrymander everything, ignore the blatant Russia involvement and fake news that tarnished the recent election, and will NEVER vote to repeal the Electoral College because it was put in place to benefit the elites and suppress the majority.

Congratulations big corporations! You won. You have finally succeeded at eating the heart and soul out of the the USA, and you have destroyed any remaining integrity this nation had. I hope the profits are worth it ;/

-We have an illegitimate leader who lost the popular vote by a large margin and is sitting on mid 30's approval ratings after only a few months in office. He doesn't seem to care so long as he can keep golfing and enriching his family.
-We have a government full of Russian puppets, religious fundies, and science deniers.
-We have a new SCOTUS member who thought a truck driver should freeze to death rather than abandon his broken down truck.
-Expect more gerrymandering and vote suppression from the Repugnants in the future. They need to ensure their continued power somehow.
-We have roughly 30-40% of our population in a state of such stupidity and ignorance that they believe fake news garbage about pedophile pizza rings, and will vote for any moron who says catch phrases like MAGA!
-We have one of the worst healthcare systems in the world where we pay 2.5X what most other developed countries do, and have rampant price gouging by big pharma and the healthcare industry in general.
-I could keep going and write a few pages on why this country sucks now, but what's the point?

[SCVDem]

45. It was long before things got this bad,

when we heard the fascist right talking about "second amendment remedies".

These assholes should be thankful we are NOT like them!!

[IronLionZion]

50. And DU's response to this will be to punish Democrats

better to defeat as many red state moderates as possible to maintain purity. Whittle us down to a party of 1. Time for a purge! Make Democrats Liberal Again!

[GWC58]

55. Actually Republicans want the opposition to

be a party of zero. They don't want just majority rule, they want One Party rule. No opposition, period!! They are out to destroy the Democratic Party. I truly believe that. Now, what are we going to do about it? If I have to go down it'll be swinging!

[LiberalLovinLug]

59. Because running Republican lites against real Republicans has worked out so well

Read the OP again. And I'd add to that as well, most Governorships, and local boards across the country have been lost. (who then perpetrate more gerrymandering).


The chicken littles in the party have to grow a pair. Sanders proved that all we have to do is actually tell people they have a better choice and they respond. There's a reason why his numbers were better than both Hillary and Trump. People have liberal positions when you actually pin them down. Most want single payer, most want a higher minimum wage, most want equal pay, most think Wall Street and the 1% are catered to more than they should be, and on and on. But Democrats still want to say one thing in New York, and the opposite thing in Kansas.

Yes lets just do the same thing over and over because that's going so well. So instead of enlightening folks that they have options..options that every other western democracy enjoys, we should just continue to run our Republican lites whose message is "My fellow Democrats ideas are undoable and just won't work in this State, vote for me and I'll vote along with Republicans because at least they have a clear vision (dismantle and defund government)"

Yes lets just do the same thing over and over because that's been going so well.

[IronLionZion]

60. Why did Russ Feingold and Katie McGinty lose winnable Senate races?

we should have two more liberal Dem Senators from Wisconsin and Pennsylvania as some sort of check against Trump and GOP BS. Why didn't these liberals win?

We even had a fighting chance with Jason Kander in Missouri.

Dean's 50 state strategy got us both houses in 2006 and the white house in 2008. Those Dem majorities in Congress got us 2 liberal female supreme court justices and a whole bunch of liberal laws and reforms before the tea party revolution. Having more Dems means long time liberals get promoted to committee leaderships and direct the legislative agenda. Liberals will still decide which bills come to a vote, and whip the votes as necessary. Red State moderates still toe the line on most of the issues that matter most to us.

When's the last time the ideological purist strategy worked for us?

[LiberalLovinLug]

62. Its a different era

And Democrats should be aware. That was then. The public wants a shake up of anything smelling of "establishment". The time is right for a real alternative. All they have to do is present it properly. With confidence and clarity.

We need to at last clearly define where we stand, across the board, and stop the hand wringing. That is what people respect, in the long run.

[IronLionZion]

64. I hope so

One would think there are lots of idealistic liberal Democrats ready to run for office everywhere with the right messaging and confidence.

[LiberalLovinLug]

66. I really think its the only way forward.

Much like Hillary and Bernie came together at the convention, with Hillary adding some of Bernie's platform to her own. Her upping her minimum wage goals, and college affordability, is not what lost her the election. People were ok with that.

Cheers

[Achilleaze]

57. total republican illegitimacy

disgraceful

[smirkymonkey]

65. How depressing.

I'm finding it difficult to hold out hope for the future.

[Dustlawyer]

69. They have been corrupted for a long time!

Big Donors have been buying House, Senate, and the occupant of the WH for a long time. They may not vote on everything with a corrupt eye, but most important votes are bought.

If you want the seat you have to play ball, that has been our system for a very long time. Many are in denial about this and think their Party or their candidate could not be bought, bull shit!

We need Publicly Funded Elections and to bust up the media and banking oligopolies. It will take a Constitutional Amendment to get this done so we need to take advantage of the backlash coming for Republicans.

[lancelyons]

70. Go Vote.. Drag some other people there with you next time.

This is changed by Voting. Vote the Crooked GOP out of office.

[MarcA]

75. Maybe California et al can at least set up a de facto secession

if not the actual thing. Or networking for a virtual state.

[3catwoman3]

78. The worst government...

...money can buy.

Trump voters bought the proverbial "pig in a poke."

[tomp]

81. this is not new.

it's just more blatant. money and white male privilege have ruled this country virtually since its inception, but especially over the last century and more, with the rise of u.s. imperialism. the charade is now exposed fully.

[dlk]

82. When Scalia Stopped the Vote Count in Bush v. Gore, Our Democracy Was Over

For all intents and purposes, our democracy ended back in 2000, when the monied, partisan, Republican interests co-opted the Supreme Court (Scalia) to stop the vote count in the presidential election. Republicans have now stolen two presidential elections in the past 16 years by suppressing and/or not counting votes.

Without the vote, we are not a democracy. Instead, we have been on a path to oligarchy, with influential billionaires calling the shots, and running the country. The rapid redistribution of trillions of dollars of wealth--upward--has only rapidly increased since the Bush v.Gore decision. The theft of a Supreme Court seat is only the latest iteration of this scheme. It was not just symbolic for Republicans to fill Scalia's seat with another judge of his ilk.

Republicans, with their unhealthy fixation of Americans' genitals, and where we go to the bathroom, and how we conduct our reproductive lives, have successfully rewritten the narrative and created an enormous distraction from their underlying purposes of eroding our democracy for the benefit of the billionaires.

What if we had a mainstream media that called them out and did its part to protect our democracy from these internal invaders? Instead, they behave like cats chasing a laser pointer, to distract from the fact that far too often they've been co-opted. Money buys results.

With the continued Republican assault on voting rights, whether through voter suppression or faulty voting machines, our democracy is being dismantled, piece by piece, by Republicans in the pockets of billionaires.

[randr]

83. We can now consider the coffin nailed shut