Stop bashing Hillary - and Bernie, and Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, Elizabeth Warren, and...

Can we agree, at least for now? Especially in light of ongoing developments in the vitally important Mueller investigation, and that investigation's very real threat to the Trump Presidency (which in turn, of course, is a threat to us all...).

If we're going to disagree with each other, can we at the very least focus on actual issues, on differences over actual policies or even core philosophical differences rather than shitting on one another over well-known political personalities and/or their supporters and real or perceived character flaws?

Whether one accuses supporters of Clinton and the Democratic Party "Establishment" (that term has outlived its usefulness, IMHO) of being "neoliberal corporate hacks" or whether someone else accuses Sanders supporters and those very sympathetic to his concerns and his message as borderline (if not outright) "rat-fucking Russian trolls", it doesn't help. It's not constructive to continued debate and dialogue - let alone, anything resembling unity or solidarity. None of it.

I'll try to hold myself accountable on this score as well. Anyone else care to join me? We can do better, DU. We're better than this, right? Right??

Former Trump aide: "He's fucked."

Nah, Mercers the asshole below him. Adelson is the Thing.

Mercer (him and his daughter) were initially Ted Cruz’s big backers, but they switched to Trump whem it became clear that Trump was going to be the nominee. And while they are indeed, among the biggest funders of far-right politics these days (and not just in the US FTR), Adelson is basically top dog as an INIVIDUAL donor when it comes to financing major Republican candidates (particularly in the ultra-expensive presidential campaigns). So Adelson ended up donating more to Trump’s campaign by Nov.2016 then any other individual.

(Note that there isn’t one right-wing billionaire named Koch, but two - and that that their donations are certainly much more spread out at all levels of government, and that they network should bstanrially with many others of similar wealth and worldviews. They’re absolutely dogmatic in their hatred for taxes, government, regulations on business, labor unions, etc., but they’re also savvy and patient enough to play the long game in terms of tilting public policy and the entire political system toward their preferences - as we have unfortunately experienced in recent years...).

Pictured below: a random sample of Americans who support Trumps tax plan.

So...

New theory: Trump ran for President to pay off his, erm, "debts" - hence, him wanting his tax cut.

Then, after Trump pays off the Rus...er, his creditors using the money he gets from his big beautiful tax cut, he'll finally actually be what he's always wanted to be.


A billionaire.

- Just my theory.

United States of America vs. Paul Manafort Jr. and Richard W. Gates III: The Indictment (document).

One thing (among many) that really angers me about the Republican Party...

...is that they've significantly lowered my expectations and standards for the Democratic Party.

Anyone else here feel the same way?

Sexual assault is about power inequities/asymmetries between individuals/groups, not sex or gender.

Fundamentally, that is. And it is certainly not about sexual attraction - not any healthy or mutual (by definition!) kind of attraction or behavior, at the very least.

Let me explain: Powerful women (to the extent that there are powerful women; compared to the number of powerful men, there's no comparison) are from my POV, usually a lot more careful about doing anything that might be construed as sexual assault or harassment (at least toward men and boys - quite the contrast to wealthy and powerful men, who have been individually and collectively getting away with all kinds of sexual harassment and assault for centuries, of course ). Reason being: women have to be extra-careful compared to men if/when they manage to attain positions of power, influence, and authority.

However, I must note that there absolutely are women in positions of power and authority who abuse said authority to get their way with others sexually. I'm thinking specifically here of the schoolteachers who rape (by the statutory definition, at least) male students. The problem there, though, is that the flip-side of the toxic "boys will be boys" shit is this idea that men cannot possibly NOT consent to having sex with women, because they (we - I'm a man myself, full disclosure) are apparently biologically wired to be uncontrollable horn-dogs who'll happily fuck any woman they encounter. That ideology is extremely damaging to both men and women, period.

And of course, plenty of men and boys experience sexual assault from other men - look at prisons or the Catholic Church, for fuck's sake! (talk about power and authority! ) Or indeed, a lot of pedophiles, or rape within LGBTQ circles (men, women, and transgender people alike - the last of those three being especially vulnerable to rape and other forms of sexual assault, from what I understand).

All of this is to say: Sexual assault is about power and power inequities more than it is about any healthy form of sexual attraction (by definition, since I'm assuming that we all can agree that grabbing someone by the pussy, ass, breasts, cock, etc. without that person's consent is not part of a healthy, romantic, and loving sexual relationship...). The fact that men collectively and more often than not, individually have more power physically, politically, and culturally than women is the REAL reason for why what we call "rape culture" is so closely related to predatory male sexual dominance over women and girls (and to an underappreciated and even more under-reported extent, toward other men and boys).

For I refuse to believe that men are more "naturally" inclined to sexual assault than women, and IMHO, this would certainly not be the case in a much more egalitarian society - one in which every aspect of social, cultural, economic, and political egalitarianism is real or at the very least, seriously strived for.

Feel free to share this or pass this along, fellow DU'ers.

Powerful women don't seem to do it nearly as much because they know they can't get away with it.

Unlike powerful men - who have collectively been getting away with all kinds of sexual harassment and assault for centuries, of course.

However, I should also state that there absolutely are women in positions of authority who abuse said authority to get their way sexually. I'm thinking specifically of those schoolteachers who rape (statutory definition) male students. The problem there, though, is that the flip-side of "boys will be boys" is this idea that men cannot possibly NOT consent to having sex with women, because they (we - I'm a man myself, full disclosure) are biologically wired to horn-dogs who'll happily fuck any woman they encounter. That ideology is damaging to men and women alike.

And of course, plenty of men and boys experience sexual assault from other men - look at prisons or the Catholic Church (talk about power and authority! ) Or indeed, a lot of pedophiles, or rape within LGBTQ circles (men, women, and transgender alike - the last of those three being especially vulnerable to rape and other forms of sexual assault, from what I understand).


All of this is to say: Sexual assault is about power and power inequities more than it is about any healthy form of sexual attraction (by definition, since I'm assuming that we all can agree that grabbing someone by the pussy, ass, breasts, cock, etc. without that person's consent is not part of a healthy, romantic, and loving sexual relationship...). The fact that men collectively and more often than not, individually have more power physically, politically, and culturally than women is the REAL reason for why what we call "rape culture" is so closely related to predatory male sexual dominance over women and girls (and to an underappreciated and even more under-reported extent, toward other men and boys).

For I refuse to believe that men are more "naturally" inclined to sexual assault than women, and this would certainly not be the case in a much more egalitarian society - one in which every aspect of social, cultural, economic, and political egalitarianism is real or at the very least, seriously strived for.