peggysue2
peggysue2's JournalIf you're asking what was the point of the shutdown, The Philadelphia Inquirer has an answer
The answer from Philly's Editorial Board?
Democrats caved on shutdown as Trump's indifference to American suffering proved stronger.
White House aides and officials might be 'cackling with glee,' but the shutdown and subsequent vote to open the government hardly puts Trump and his lackeys in a good light. In fact, it's just the opposite.
Pussies and losers, they say with a giggle as millions of Americans wondered how they would feed their families absent SNAP benefits or as furloughed civil servants went unpaid and were threatened with not receiving back pay or losing their jobs outright, or as airlines canceled flights willy-nilly and airports became chaotic cattle pens. ACA subsidies never moved the needle because Trump and his Flying Monkey Brigade DO NOT CARE.
How do I and a growing number of Americans know this? The Inquirer's Editorial Board take us down Memory Lane:
While Americans suffered, Trump left the country for two weeks, demolished the East Wing of the White House to build a $300 million ballroom, renovated the Lincoln bathroom in marble, gave Argentina a $20 billion bailout, hosted a Great Gatsby-themed party for rich friends at Mar-a-Lago, indiscriminately blew up small boats, and bragged about mass government layoffs and cuts to so-called Democrat programs.
Trump’s indifference — to a country in distress, to those in need of help — was encapsulated last week as he stood with his back to a man who passed out in the Oval Office. As others rushed to render aid, the president stared ahead blankly, ignoring the emergency.
and,
The shutdown underscored clear policy differences between the two political parties. Trump and the Republicans do not care about everyday Americans, let alone the most vulnerable. Nor are they interested in compromise, solving problems, reducing costs, providing affordable healthcare, or even feeding the poor.
So yes, the shutdown did not end with the result we'd hoped for but it was not a complete failure. What did succeed tremendously was last week's elections when voters unequivocally expressed their displeasure with Agent Orange and his lying mouthpieces.
The fight goes on. The enemy is clear and it's not within our own ranks.
https://www.inquirer.com/opinion/editorials/shutdown-democrats-trump-workers-snap-healthcare-20251111.html
The East Wing Obscenity
When fired up, Rick Wilson can write with bravado and beauty. His most recent essay on Donald Trump's assault on America is laced with both. When I received this in my morning mail, I was struck all over again by the sickening visuals we saw yesterday, the wanton destruction by a small, greedy man who brazenly told the press he loved the sound of demolition because it sounded like money.
A few excerpts below but I would recommend reading the full text. It will make you angry but it will also inspire all of us to keep the pressure on, to recognize the full depths of Trump's depravity, his willful ignorance of what America, despite all her flaws, means to her citizens and the world beyond.
Opening paragraphs:
There’s a way the light falls in the White House on Autumn afternoons in Washington, thinning with the waning of the year, slanting, a dull gold the color of old parchment, that makes you feel you’ve slipped into a country where history isn’t past tense but a persistent whisper.
In the sad obscenity of the moment, one of the White House’s most beautiful spaces has been amputated, torn away from time and memory in an act of vulgar insult. The East Wing is lost now.
And,
Jacqueline Kennedy took the White House and made it an American cultural project without turning it into a museum. Her work wasn’t just about tables and fabrics; it was about the idea that the place mattered, that a nation with the existential threat of the bomb and a tide of trouble on the horizon also deserved elegance and art. Lady Bird Johnson gave us wildflowers and the conviction that beauty is public policy, too. Pat Nixon added to the collection with a practical eye, because good stewardship is rarely fashionable but always necessary. Rosalynn Carter welded compassion to competence.
Nancy Reagan wrapped it all in some theater, yes, but with a director’s sharp instinct for scene and consequence. Barbara Bush, in those kinder, gentler moments, welcomed those points of light to the East Wing. Hillary Clinton put a policy-nerd backbone into it; Laura Bush, a librarian’s quiet welcome to young readers. Michelle Obama threw the doors wide, cultivating White House gardens and kids’ health programs.
And,
The desecration is not a broken façade. It’s a broken covenant.
This is not about the wall being savaged by demolition machines.
It’s about what the East Wing is supposed to accomplish in the American psyche. The West Wing, prior to this fallen era, was where decisions were forged under terrible pressure, the grim and necessary mechanics of governance. The East Wing is where the republic breathes out, where we make meaning beyond politics, show mercy, and demonstrate that democracy can have manners.
It’s the wing that says, “We remember you,” to the bereaved and “We see you,” to the overlooked. It was, in a functional theology of civic life, the chapel. We do not need our leaders to be saints, but we are right to insist they treat the people’s house with respect.
https://therickwilson.substack.com
In Philadelphia, the 'terrorists' invoked anything but terror
I attended the Philadelphia march on Saturday. It was the most polite march I've ever attended.
In Philly!
Plenty of cops on the sidelines as spectators, spotted one on a roof with binoculars near Independence Mall at the very end. Basically, the police had nothing to do but watch.
We had all the inflatables, signs, drums and chants with few (as in one) guy shouting Trump slogans. This was as my son and I walked back to City Hall. The guy was standing in front of Loews Hotel with a speaker and camera tying desperately to get a reaction. He was surrounded by cops standing guard at the entrance of the hotel.
Pathetic, actually.
The body count estimate in Philly was anywhere between 15-25,000. Decent showing, not as large as the June event, but there were dozens of satellite gatherings in the suburbs--Springfield, Media, West Chester, Ardmore and elsewhere.
I chose to attend the Center City event because I figured the numbers would be larger. In Wilmington, DE, the crowd was estimated at 1000+. Here, too, there were a number of other marches throughout the state Newark, Dover, Easton, Bethany Beach, etc.
It was a good day with strong vibes.
We were all Antifa! United, Peaceful.
Cry louder, Donnie. Your name came up many times, just not in a good way. 
Throwing my body into the mix
My son and I will be leaving in about 45 minutes to catch a train to Philly's No Kings March. If anyone asks why I'm there?
My attendance is for my family, for everyone's family who says NO to the lawless, criminal enterprise squatting in Washington, DC.
Last march I attended was the Women's March in DC. Breathtaking and inspiring.
I'm hoping my body will be one of thousands in the street with our signs and yellow shirts, unified and joyous.
I'll report back tomorrow. Stay safe everyone. 
The Double Speak of Howard Lutnick
How many times have we've seen Howard Lutnick (estimated worth $3.3 B) serving as Agent Orange's wing-man? Particularly when it comes to the genius of tariffs and the economic wizardry of King Donald?
More times than I'd like to recall.
He's frequently standing at Trump's shoulder squawking about the 'amazing' amount of wealth Trump's policies are generating, how the tariffs will make 'everyone' so-o-o rich. When he's not accompanying Trump, he's flapping his mouth on cable news with the same annoying voice, the chipmunk laughter and cheesy schtick.
Lo and Behold, I come upon this headline at Wired:
Trump’s Commerce Secretary Loves Tariffs. His Former Investment Bank Is Taking Bets Against Them
Turns out, Lutnick's sons are running an ancillary business at Cantor Fitzgerald betting that the tariffs will be deemed unconstitutional while the old man is beating the drum about how brilliant those tariffs are. This from the article:
In a letter seen by WIRED, a representative from Cantor said the firm was willing to trade tariff refund rights for 20 to 30 percent of what companies have paid in duties. “So for a company that paid $10 million, they could expect to receive $2-$3 million in a trade,” the representative wrote. “We have the capacity to trade up to several hundred million of these presently and can likely upsize that in the future to meet potential demand.”
Sounds like a goldmine for Cantor Fitzgerald handing out 20-30% of the anticipated refund and keeping a good portion if not all of the remainder.
It appears the 'everyone getting rich' statement is highly selective.
The rich will get richer.
The rest of us? Not so much. But we already knew that.
The level of hypocrisy, however, is off the frigging charts. I may gag the next time I hear Lutnick do that chipmunk giggle.
https://www.wired.com/story/cantor-fitzgerald-trump-tariff-refunds/
Color Me Confused About the Dems Unveiled Plan to Proceed Forward
This is in response to Babylonsister's Op on the Dem's newly released plan to go forward. Originally, I wrote it as a response to the thread but then it got too long as I became increasingly angry.
Have these same Democratic consultants checked the headlines about Senator Sander's cross-country rallies? Have they taken stock of the excitement the man inspired wherever he went. And before anyone mistakes me for a Bernie fan-girl, let me inform you:
I am not.
I've never voted for Bernie Sanders, never screamed his name in public places, but . . .
This 83-year old man crossed the country with a message of economic equality and unity and purpose. He excoriated Trump and his Flying Monkey Brigade who are hell-bent on the destroying the country, then turning the tattered remains over to Putin. The Fighting the Oligarchy Tour was a huge success, attracting overflow crowds because people are having their lives ripped apart and are desperate for answers and leadership.
AOC, who I once thought was a flash in the pan, has proven her mettle and repeatedly speaks to the necessity of knowing the law and fighting back. Tom Homan hates the woman because she's educating immigrants regarding their rights. She's said under no certain terms that the Democratic Party's responsibility is to block and delay every single move by Republicans, Elon Mush and Trump because . .. their aim is the destruction of the government of the United States.
She's not ready to play nice and simply roll over for traitors.
Jasmine Crockett is in the face of MAGA every damn day electrifying her constituents and a broad swath of Americans with her feisty resistance.
There are more on the List of Fighters. I am not damning the Democratic Party, en masse. But these frigging consultants and know-everything pundits are leading us to national ruin.
What Trump and Elon Musk are doing is wildly unpopular but they're so arrogant they think they can get away with cutting the lifelines of a majority of Americans without any significant blowback. According to these pundits and consultants that's exactly what we should all be doing: close our eyes, let the disaster roll over us and hope it will all go away. And, oh yes, dump the Left.
Nonsense.
Tomorrow night will be a huge test for our Democratic representatives. If at the SOTU, our representatives act as if this is Business as Usual?
They'll be kissing our country and future away, not to mention their own jobs. Decorum and middle-of-the-road approaches are weak sauce against an existential threat. We're fighting for our lives here. For the love of God, act like it!!
Joe Biden frequently talked about the approaching 'inflection point'.
This is it. Right now, in the moment, we either hang together regardless of where we are on the political compass. Or we will definitely all hang separately.
Mailed My Postcards!
I dropped off my 200 postcards at my local PO to join the MASSIVE wave of voter reminders--Postcards to Swing States. This last push will send out 40.3 million postcard messages to join the gargantuan effort across the country, a literal flood in advance of the Blue Wave headed in our direction.
In addition, tomorrow is the first day of Early Voting in Delaware. My husband and I plan to be at our polling station to send two more Democratic votes into the mix. And though I've been irked by my kids' lack of urgency, I finally got through to our youngest. He mailed in his PA ballot! So, that makes three from our family (so far).
Happy Days!!
We're going to win this thing.
John Fetterman's twitter comments earlier are on point and a product of personal experience
His tweet has already appeared on the board, so I won't repeat it. Or give X a click.
Big John's debate with Oz was disastrous in terms of 'debate optics' while Oz scorched himself with his abortion answer.
As for Trump last night? He was his normal lying, bombastic self, conman extraordinaire. He never answered the questions, merely lied his face off.
In Fetterman's case, the polls had him losing and the frenzied criticisms were similar to those against President Biden right now: Is he fit and/or competent enough for the job? For Joe Biden it's all about his age, affect and verbal stumbles. For John Fetterman, of course, it was all about his stroke on the campaign trail, a stroke that could have taken his life and did, indeed, leave him with profound auditory and speech deficits. Despite his doctors' assurances, no one knew for sure if those disabilities would, in fact, improve.
And yet . . .
Fetterman and his team kept going and won. Because he was a far better choice than Dr. Oz and the stakes for a Senate majority were too damn high.
No one stopped working their hearts out for Big John even with the bad debate performance and/or the medical unknowables. Some insisted that he drop out tout suite and be replaced.
Sound familiar?
President Biden had a bad debate night. Agent Orange had a disastrous 4-year Administration with far worse to come if he and his lackeys were ever given the keys to the White House again. He proved what a train wreck and asshole he is last night with every lie, distortion and smarmy comment.
Think Project 2025, then shudder at the prospect of our government torn apart by madmen, the rule of law extinguished and our democratic institutions shattered beyond repair. Think Roberts Court, then recall the damage done, the total wreckage ahead if MAGA wins, if a convicted, vengeful felon is given power.
Make no mistake: the Barbarians are at the gate.
For me, the choice is clear, always has been. The current challenge to convince the undecideds and fence straddlers may be more difficult in the moment. But the task is not insurmountable.
The contrast between Dems and the MAGA movement is stark as is the comparison between President Biden and Agent Orange. We all need to stress this to our friends, family and community at large. Because . . .
The stakes are too damn high.
I'm reminded of something Hillary Clinton said about falling down:
It's not about the fall, she said, because we all fall down. It's about what we do afterwards. It's all about getting back up.
I'd add this, too: President Biden has spent 4 years working tirelessly for the American public, to repair the damage that Trump and his MAGA crew wrought with utter glee and stupidity. Now it's our turn to work, not simply for Joe Biden, but for our kids and grand babies, everyone we care about.
We're fighting for the future. Which requires ignoring the noise (our own included) and getting the hell back up.
In the ear or behind-the-ear, that is the question
Hearing appliances are varied and personal, I've realized, but I thought I'd relate my own experience with the plethora of OTC choices.
Three years ago, I purchased the Eargo5 hearing aids. I was amazed at the difference these tiny devices made in my hearing clarity, seriously questioning my reluctance to address what had clearly become a hearing disability.
I'll notch that up to vanity.
However, like all good things there was an end point. After 3 years of constant use, my tiny Eargos died (the original warranty was 3 years though I think the company has backtracked to a 2-year contract.)
Faced with choosing a new set of hearing aids (because I can't live without them now), I was left with the question in my header: do I go for another Eargo set or try a behind-the-ear device?
The Eargos are near invisible and the new series now water-proof. The water-proofing feature was a plus since I'd forgotten to remove my devices several times in the shower. Somehow they survived the mishaps. What the standard Eargo does not offer is bluetooth capability; they're just too small. You can buy a Eargo set with bluetooth but the appliances are quite visible, a plug-like design which I personally found unacceptable.
We're back to vanity again.
So, I'm now on my second set of appliances and went with a behind-the-ear design, the Jabra Enhance series. The behind-the-ear piece is quite small, the size of an almond and the overall effect is near invisibility. More importantly, the hearing quality is very good. I had to switch out the buds to find the right size. Surprisingly, I found the large, closed buds to work best (for me). I say surprising bc I'd always used a medium, opened bud on the Eargos.
Different devices, different experience.
What I really love about the Jabra is the bluetooth connectivity. I walk and work around the house listening to podcasts and music. I can now pipe all that through my hearing aids. Plus my telephone calls automatically go to my hearing appliances. I get a beep as an alert on the calls, and then I'm hooked in. TV reception requires a separate streaming device. I haven't tried that (the extra streaming device is approx $300). Might consider it later but overall I don't need it now.
At the moment I'm quite happy with the selection. I wear my appliances for about 12 hours a day; they're getting a workout. There's a 3-year warranty on the devices, and as with the Eargos, a phone app that makes on-the-spot environmental changes (for instance, restaurant noise and filter accommodations).
Anyway, I wanted to pass the info/experience along for anyone else who may be confused by all the products out there.
Broken Brain Syndrome
I've seen this before.
Though I don't think Donald Trump's latest rally mishap was a McConnell-like freeze, Trump is definitely having increasing dementia problems. As one of the doctors from the Duty to Warn Coalition has noted, Donald Trump's brain is broken. His mental capacity is a mere shadow of what it was in 2016 and his cognitive functions are seriously impaired.
My father went through this as did my sister. You can have plateaus during the early stages of the disease where function evens out and a patient has moments of clarity. But as the disease progresses (and it always progresses), those moments become infrequent, and then disappear altogether.
Trump is very close to the abyss.
Stress worsens the symptoms and I truly believe that's what we're witnessing. Falling asleep in the courtroom is a good example of advanced dementia-related behavior. My father would sleep a lot during the day, and then be on the prowl throughout the night.
Sound familiar?
All the language glitches and slurs, the language of violence and paranoia? It's all part of it as the brain damage worsens. Even his body movement--that forward tilt, the leg dragging could be attributed to his neurological decline.
I recall watching my father as he went through this process comparing him to a diver. In the early stages, he would dive beneath the water and resurface, sputtering, making excuses, citing reasons for a poor or unexpected dive. As time went on, his inability to resurface entirely or even make reasonable excuses/explanations became painfully clear. Weirdly enough, my youngest son was having his own struggles after a traumatic brain injury. He started deeply submerged beneath the water, then slowly--in fits and starts--resurfaced, sometimes briefly, then permanently (but with what the medical community refers to as 'deficits').
I watched the whole process in reverse.
Agent Orange is at the point where normal families would seek care and medical advice.
None of this is normal. Not the man, the family, not his frenzied supporters (who are willfully blind to the evidence) and certainly not his enablers, those eager to use Trump as their vehicle to raw power.
Trump's brain is broken. We see it every day and will continue to see it in evermore harrowing dimensions because this is who the GOP is pushing to occupy the Oval Office.
Donald Trump has thus far outrun accountability. But he cannot, will not outrun this disease process.
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Name: PegGender: Female
Hometown: New Jersey
Home country: USA
Current location: Wilmington, DE
Member since: Sat Feb 6, 2016, 07:31 PM
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