Someone's going to have to take one for the team and report back. Any volunteers?

1. Trump didn't suggest that the investigation into his finances/business was a "red line". He was asked that question by a reporter, and sort of said yes, in his meandering, noncommittal way. I loathe defending him (and actually I'm not), but let's stop pretending he drew this big bad red line all by himself and said "none shall pass!!".

2. More importantly, IT DOES NOT MATTER. Trump doesn't get to decide what Mueller investigates. So it is a non-issue.

The media manufactured this "red line". Let's call the media on their bullshit next time they bring it up. There's plenty of actual heinous fuckery going on all around this evil administration. Let's try and focus on that, shall we?

https://www.wsj.com/articles/jerry-browns-legacy-a-6-1-billion-budget-surplus-in-california-1515624022?mod=trending_now_4

Yes, Jerry's old. He's 79 to tRump's 71 years old. Any opinions as to who's more mentally fit? Hell, most of the SCOTUS was around when people were still using morse code to communicate, yet no one seems to be clutching any pearls about that.

Yes, Jerry's from CA. And he's doing an excellent job turning around the world's 6th largest economy (AGAIN), thanks very much.
He's also got more experience than any governor in CA history.

He has no scandals. I know it seems like at least a decade since we've had a president with high ethics, but I did the math...it's barely been over a year. Wouldn't it be nice to have integrity again?

So yes, he's old and white. But let's be honest, for at least one more cycle, that's an important demographic, like it or not (and I do NOT). If Jerry ran for POTUS and picked a truly competent VP who's NOT from CA (maybe someone from Texas, like lovely, smart and brave Wendy Davis, or one of those nice Castro brothers perhaps?), no one could really even bitch about the "old" part. A little something for pretty much everybody.

I know many of us have our personal nominee dream team/wish list, but this ticket ticks a lot of boxes, and is still do-able. I just don't want we Dems to blow it again with someone too boring, vanilla, or so left-wing that it'll cause people to forget what evil traitorous fucks the R's have been.

as a result of their "gun fever"?

I've had to cut ties with dozens of people.
Some of them were mere acquaintances, so no big loss.

Last night I said goodbye and good luck to a close friend of 20 years. He'd marched with me against the Iraq war. A highly intelligent man, who seems to have traveled a path from libertarianism to full on gun nuttery. I should also mention that along with the ramped up gun advocacy, I observed increasing signs of racism, fascism and religious intolerance. It breaks my heart, this is not the person I once knew.

I am not silent when I disengage these folks. I tell them exactly why I can no longer be their friend. I think its important to stand up to them so they know there are consequences to their stubborn insistence that more guns are the only possible answer. Usually they are angry and spiteful, and oddly, seem to feel misunderstood.

Is it just me, or does anyone else feel like this is a national madness that is spreading? How did it infect these seemingly reasonable people? Will it infect me or my family?

And one other thing. Its been insinuated here that I've insulated myself from people with differing opinions. That's completely untrue, and I apologize for not being clearer in my original post. I was, and am still pretty heartbroken, as well as concerned, sorry I wasn't more articulate. Respectful, thoughtful discussion of these difficult subjects is the only way to resolve them.

___Paulie "three million reasons to collude" Manafort

___Don "I was just there for the orphans" Trump Junior

___Roger "what does a guy have to do to get banned from Twitter?" Stone

___Michael "I lie so much, some of them are still caught in my teeth" Flynn

___Jeff "I make cookies in a hollowed-out tree" Sessions

___Carter "I'm so stupid, it's actually a crime" Page

___Jared "Of course I'm qualified to broker peace in the Middle East" Kushner

___Donald "most presidential ever/no I'm not, YOU'RE fat" Trump

___Hillary Clinton, because I am such a RW'er I can't see the truth even when my ass is bleeding from truth-bites.

Every time there's a slow news day this re-hashing/qualification of fitness to be on DU starts up.

As long as I don't have to hear anyone whining/defending/bashing what they did or didn't do right in '16, all are welcome as far as I'm concerned AS LONG AS YOU SWEAR TO F-ING GOD YOU'RE VOTING DEM IN THE FUTURE. (Otherwise, feel free to sod off.)

Stop talking about the past. Yes, our current political situation sucks, but finger pointing not only doesn't help, but it is quite Trumpian IMO. Use that pent-up energy to start doing something positive. Here are some suggestions:

-Harass the crap out of your congresspeople.
-Sign petitions (or start one of your own!).
-Attend a protest/counterprotest, depending on what the topic is. (And if you do, be safe and don't be a dick.)
-Support print media financially.
-Don't re-hash fights about Hillary, Bernie etc. It's over. Get behind fresh, talented, un-tainted faces who can get elected in the future (may I suggest Newsom/Klobuchar/Gillibrand/Harris etc.?)
-Help people register to vote if they are Democrats. Pretend to help Repugnicans register, only drop them off in a bad neighborhood instead.
-get your state reps to accept vote-by-mail with a paper trail.
-Refuse to speak to anyone who supports Republicans until they realize they're promoting racism, sexism and screwing the poor.

Remember, almost everyone on this forum already agrees with you on 99% of things. Where else can you get that?

Oh, and can we get working on a coherent Democratic message? We need your help!!

Source: USA Today

Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov warned Washington on Friday against trying to meddle in next month's Russian regional elections.

"I do not know what plans the U.S. embassy has, ​​but there were many episodes when American diplomats were seen in illegal activities," Lavrov said, the state-owned TASS news agency reported. "The relevant services should take appropriate measures." 

"I think it's in the American tradition, maybe they do not even consider it an intervention, because they can all do it and it's in their blood," Lavrov said.

Read more: http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/russia-warns-us-not-to-meddle-in-its-elections/ar-AApSROE?li=BBmkt5R&ocid=spartanntp

---

This would be hilarious if it were not so sick. Talk about projecting one's own guilt.

We haven't had new emoticons in over a decade people! Where are the howling apefaces, golden toilet tweets, treason weasels etc?

Can we at least retire some of the ones that never get used (I'm looking at you, , and )?


And BTW, perhaps I'm just being picky here, but the ROFL guy is either WAY overused, or people here are REALLY easily amused.

"Meddling" is what your nosy neighbor does.
"Meddling" is your mother-in-law giving unwanted parenting advice.

Don't be fooled, there's a reason R's are using the word "Meddling". It sounds so benign as to be not even important.

Stop falling for it please!!!

from now on:

They say "Election meddling"
You say "You mean CYBER WAR".

Source: USA Today

“We do this not out of any sense of pleasure or partisanship, but because President Trump has left us with no other option,”

Read more: http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/nearly-200-lawmakers-to-sue-trump-citing-business-conflicts/ar-BBCElJF?li=AA5a8k&ocid=spartanntp

---

Is it wrong to take a little bit of pleasure in this?