This is the enormous downside of a profit-based media system. We need a national, federally funded news system that relies on facts as opposed to profits to effect any meaningful change. There's too much propaganda in our current system.

to false frames that are accepted as given fact, and the general framing of political discussions by the media.

More and more each day, they move away from actual discussion of policy to just make it about the sport.

So, the shutdown, where Rs callously held CHIP hostage, with democrats fighting to help them and DACA, trying to help people, gets white washed into the sport aspect - GOP WON, Dems look bad!

Yes, Dems are generally feckless, but we are fighting so many factors around us ...

They would never cross the NRA or their bigot base because they fear them. They are impotent against strong adversaries. They tried for years to get Hillary, but she bests them every time, even as they try to gang tackle her.

They didn't beat her this time either. What they did was leverage weak-minded people with bigotry and misogyny, that's all.

This is not something to envy or admire or lament. Their messaging is not better than ours. It's insidious, cynical and technical. The GOP is rife with fast-talkers. Don't get discouraged.

that all they have left are the assholes and bullies who delight in other people getting away with carnage.

Look at who Trump praises and emulates, petty dictators and tyrants who violate human rights on a daily basis.

get inviolved in your local democratic party and get democrats elected at every level of govt...state and local. Thats how republicans did it with a minority of the vote as we have been too lazy to be involve and even vote

I have never, EVER seen this many clear black-and-white laws being violated in broad daylight while the perps face no repercussion whatsoever...

Unless the money can be taken out of politics Republicans will remain free to do anything they want.

Their time is likely limited by the coming election. I think the ultimately, Republicans/Conservatives understand that they are actually a minority with out sized influence because their base is small but highly motivated; and because they cheat during elections.

Their agenda at least since the Reagan era, has been to dismantle the federal government, which on a good day, limits their ability to abuse their power against the more vulnerable among us, to allow the wealthiest people to effectively make the rules, and to maintain a system of White Supremacy. That can not be legislated in this day and age like it was in the South and undoubtedly, in many parts of the country in the 18th and 19th centuries, even part of the 20th. To achieve those ends, they have to destroy all of the programs that were created to "equal the playing field" which is why they are in such a hurry to take down government programs.

I think that they know that demographics and the inevitable march of progress are against them so they are trying to entrench themselves as much as possible before their power starts to wane.

there's a loyal base that's surprisingly stubborn, but democrats are getting energized, republicans are getting de-motivated, and in fact republicans are finally leaving their party entirely.

republicans know this, and in fact figure that they're going to lose control of at least one house of congress after november.

if they were functional, they'd quickly try to turn it around to remain competitive.
instead, they've given up on winning in 2018 and are focusing on inflicting maximum damage while they still have full power.


politically, republicans are hoping first to avoid getting primaried and then to keep the damage in november to a minimum. to get past primary season, they have to continue to be unreasonable right-wing jerks no matter how damaging that may be in the general election.

for various reasons, they're too dysfunctional to do anything else.


so it's not that they're not getting hurt -- they are -- they just don't know how to stop.

and it's hard to think of "good news" for republicans coming out between now and then.

i mean, the economy's already doing well, the stock market's already hitting new highs, unemployment's already very low, etc.

meanwhile, mueller's sure to have some bad news for republicans, some of it in the few months right before the election.

almost all the possible news this year will make it even worse for republicans.

and now we can add "indecent" to the list

W/Cheney pushed the frontier on cruelty, now Trump/Pence are pushing the frontier on indecency

and by the time Trump is out of office, even if by some miracle it's next year, our country will never again get the benefit of the doubt from the rest of the democratic world

One thing I noticed is that if you are a know public figure and maybe even just a regular private person, it you come out aggressively an openly against Trump or the GOP you are immediately threaten with even death or are harassed and intimidated from numerous sources.

it's been a long time coming, a lot of rwnj's gearing up and buying guns by the dozen for their "war against the godless government" or whatever. but who is the godless government? it's the "deep state" that opposes Trump and it's the liberal elite who support the deep state and ultimately its us. well, the "deep state" is hard to find if you're not Alex Jones, the liberal elites are difficult to physically attack, but their left-leaning neighbors make easy targets.

it's coming. it's in the air. we've reached a serious turning point on our way to rock bottom where there just isn't room in the country for both sets of ideologies. the situation is very unstable and will be resolved, one way or another.

when a large subset of the population values cruelty and indecency, mass murder isn't far behind.

We do need to take this crap seriously.

Seems like he'd be right up their alley.

Then they go vote for people to be thrown out of their home.

It is aimed at get out the vote by riling up the base. And it is working. It appears that a Blue Tsunami is rolling in.

in America until we elect enough democrats to stop them.

It's as simple as that. How many democrats sat at home last election thinking Hillary had it in the bag so screw it, I don't want to go stand in line for a half hour?

Or bought the swill from Putin operatives(imo) on the 'left' like Stein, Sarandon, TYT, not to mention the MSM that Hillary would be worse than Shitler?

Anyone buying that HS today?

Or the "my guy didn't win so **ck America" folks?

I bet there are lots of people now that the republicans are tearing their families apart that wished to God they would have voted last year for every democrat on the ballot but........

And now we all pay the price. We cannot stop Trump and his damned party at all. They have all the power, every bit of it.

So what are a some of these people doing now? Why attacking DEMOCRATS of course! Not the pig REPUBLICANS they themselves allowed into power but the only party that can in the future stop the bastards.

It makes me sick. All the division and attacks last year from/on the left and now its starting up again just when we all see a great blue wave midterm on the horizon.

Does anyone stop and think why these seeds of division are popping up now?