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The reason I voted no is that during this past year when I have had discussions with conservatives online it has ended up becoming a nasty shouting match. I would prefer this to be a safe space with minded people.

To the point where a Capitalist Market's only goal is growth & stockholder wealth, with no regard for sustainability or environmental impacts, and then to have SCOTUS declare corporations are "people" who vote with money & political force, further cementing their death grip on our Earth that will inevitably result in a depleted, dead Planet - YES, CORPORATIONS ARE EVIL.

I can only speak for myself. If I was a celebrity, I would feel obligated to speak out. It would be a gift to be able to do the moral and ethical thing in such a potentially impactful way.

DEAR RED STATES… WE’RE LEAVING Dear Red States, We’ve decided we’re leaving. We intend to form our own country, and we’re taking the other Blue States with us. That includes Hawaii, Washington, Oregon, California, New Mexico, Colorado, Illinois, Minnesota, Virginia, most of the Northeast, and our favorite swing-flirts like Michigan and Pennsylvania when they behave. We’ll call ourselves The United States of Sanity. You can keep Mar-a-Lago. Here’s the split: • We get stem-cell research. You get stemware from Branson gift shops. • We get the Statue of Liberty. You get the world’s largest ball of twine. • We get Apple, Microsoft, Google, and you get MyPillow. • We get Hollywood. You get Duck Dynasty reruns. Resources: • We control most of the venture capital, the Ivy League, the West Coast tech corridor, the Great Lakes (about 84% of North America’s surface fresh water), and 95% of U.S. wine production. • You get coal, cattle, and almost all the tornadoes. • Pineapples? Hawaii. Lettuce? California. Cheese? Sorry, Wisconsin votes blue more often than not, so it’s coming with us. Taxes and money: • On average, blue states send more to Washington than they get back. Red states take in more federal dollars than they pay. So when we “split the check,” you’ll be picking up your own tab for the first time in decades. Good luck with that. Culture: • Blue states have lower divorce rates and higher life expectancy. Red states have more churches per square mile, but somehow not more stable marriages. • In recent polls, around 40% of Republicans still doubt evolution, and a stubborn minority think Saddam helped with 9/11. Y’all can keep those history books. • We get Broadway. You get Branson, which is kind of Broadway if it ran on casseroles and Precious Moments figurines. Weather: • Hurricanes? You’ll still get clobbered in Florida and Texas. • Mosquitoes? Honestly, they’re bipartisan — but they seem happier in your humidity. Peace out, —The Blue States 🥂💻🌊

I, for one, cannot help but wonder about the consequences of electric cars on the "national power grid." If all Americans were to buy electric cars and all electric car owners (of which I am not one) plugged in their vehicles to charge car batteries at the same time -- say, between 7:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m. . . . To quote H. Ross Perot out of context, "you're going to hear a giant sucking sound" . . . followed by The Big Blackout.

They are splitting hairs and arguing in bad faith about distinctions about whether a few years either way makes any difference at all, in the law and the facts of an illegal, immoral, and unfair power imbalance between a child and an adult in a sexual situation. Period... Also, the fact that a man, including Epstein, prefers sex with girls close enough to legal consent age, at least in how they appear to onlookers, still makes them a creepy scumbag and a pedo, a criminal, and an adult man who has no business having sex with them. Those men are merely trying to look more respectable than they are, and to minimize or reduce their vulnerability to being condemned by the public and their peers..

Yes, Megyn Kelly can do basic math. As far as common sense goes umm 0. Whether a child is five or 15 they are still considered a minor. When a person of any age does not consent to sex and it is then forced on them, that is rape. Rape of a minor makes you a pedophile. PERIOD.

i fear that the bad news is already baked into his stock price and the bar has already been lowered to dirt level. i mean, he bragged about grabbing women by the cat hairs, is already a felon and adjudicated rapist, blew up 20 boats carrying 79 people on spec, hoped for his VP to be hanged, and buried his ex-wife on his golf course for the tax break!

With all the gerrymandering, 2024 election results under scrutiny, and Gavin Newson telling us Republicans are rigging the midterm elections, how confident do feel our elections will be fair and accurate going forward. Gavin Newson has been catching some heat from some democrats who feel there is already a clear lack of trust in our voting system right now, and it's one of the most serious issues facing our democracy. I feel Gavin Newson is doing the right thing. While prop 50 is gaining some controversy, in Gavin's words " we have to fight fire with fire". While the Lyin King is destroying our country, we have to make sure we do everything possible to save our democracy. We are out of time and have to win the midterms. We need to applaud the efforts of Gavin Newson going full out on the president and his administration.

There’s no place like Rome. There’s no place like Rome. Start packing.

. . . or all get to be eaten. Should I wind up on the menu, per favore, serve me with some fava beans and a nice Chianti.

The implication is that we're going to win unless the Rs can figure out a better way to cheat. They're working on it. Our side needs to be ever-vigilant and "think outside the box." The Rs are diabolical and clever and have no boundaries. Nothing is off the table. Nothing is too-farfetched for them. Nothing is sacred. They respect nothing. Our people need to brainstorm and consider the most far out possibilities, because that's what they will be doing. ARE doing. Trust no one. Check and re-check everything and everyone.

I think it is especially important for comedians to speak out. They are the ones who call out nonsense, piffle, lies, hypocrisy and utter bull💩. We depend on them to remind us of reality.

With fame comes responsibility.

I'd say frequently, but not always.

Yep. Pretty much sums it up. I’ve been saying this kind of thing for 4 decades. Funny, I was so brainwashed that I didn’t think we had a choice. “That’s the way corporations work.” Kind of like the “boys will be boys” bull💩 excuse for them being aggressive and/mean.

That's pragmatic and offers space to get things done. If there are right wing trolls here (or any kind of troll) on the forum, it's the job of moderation to weed them out for 'disturbance of the peace.' Isn't a huge part of our agenda opening minds and appealing to the good side of people? I know for me at least, rage never got me anywhere and the real work begins when I can belly breathe again.

I agree with most of the content at MSNBC but if you watch or try to watch an evening’s worth, you’ll get the same story rehashed three or four times on three or four different programs. There must be more voices, more untold stories and more points of view than those we see on MSNBC every evening.

I believe it's ok for celebrities to voice their opinions, just as it is ok for anyone to do so. But people must keep in mind that they are just individuals voicing an opinion.

Give me a Democratic Socialist before an autocratic oligarchy any day of the week! Good going, Zohran Mamdani! More please!

interesting and complicated, Toledo. I suppose voting rights was a way to put an end to the violence. But now, between Musk, the King and all the king's men, they're doing all they can to take away the voting rights of others.

Republicans also like to say guns don’t kill people; people kill people and blame mass shootings on mental health issues. Yet they don’t support funding for mental health services. Their arguments never make sense to me.

Last night was very encouraging. That being said, the timing was perfect. The Lyin' King and his lying administration decided to purposely withhold Snap money even though it was court ordered. At the same time throwing himself of all things, a Gatsby party while also posting endless pictures of his completely marble new bathroom. In answer to question one, is it possible they could rig it? I don't put ANYTHING passed this administration. I'm not worried about the physical intimidation such as poll intimidation. I am deeply concerned about polling machine manipulation. If there is anyway to fix the election which they are blatantly already doing, we have a year to figure out how to stop him. Hopefully, a blue tsunami will help stop tampering. We are beginning to see and especially after last night some Republicans are realizing there chances of being reelected are going to be very slim and maybe that will override THE LYIN' KING intimidation so they can do what they already know is the right thing to do.. The Election of Zohran Mamdani should be the biggest voice of change. He ran a great campaign and truly won over young voters. The Lyin' King is already trying to get him deported. Mamdani seems ready to take on the President. He needs to not poke the bear. The President is already threating to withhold funding to NY. Hopefully, Mamdani will pick a very knowledgeable administration to back him. He already has the endorsement of the governor and they will have to work closely together to handle the President. I think the Democrat's will embrace change because they realize they have no choice. The old way of thinking and running campaigns, put us in this position. Hopefully, they will join forces and support each other in positive change going forward. They must!!!

“Living in a society” Matthew Cooke you are right. People are so afraid of words such as socialism and communism and have no idea what they really mean. Unfortunately, we are so far from “living in a society” I can’t imagine we will be able to redeem some essence of peace and caring for each other. The saddest part is we all want the same things. A place to live, food to sustain us, an education, a living wage and people we care about. The amount of wealth and greed is so completely out of control. To have people going hungry so the rich can keep raking it in, is inhumane. How much money is enough? Is it the thrill of a race to be the richest person in America no matter how many people you have to destroy. Maybe I’m naive but none of these billionaires seem happy or content. They will never know the true feeling of peace or appreciation for any place or person. For the sake of our children and grandchildren this President and administration have to be stopped and punished. Only then we can start to rebuild and be living in a decent society.

overview of socialism versus the "dark triad"

I applaud the celebrities that speak out and donate to causes they believe in. These are not normal times. When you have billionaires buying elections, we need all the help we can get. As for JK Rowling, I never was a Harry Potter fan but my daughter was. She was extremely disappointed in Rowling as a person but respects her writing.

Jennifer Lawrence says, Billie Eilish is going the other way. Telling billionaire's off to their face and donating millions. which way would you go if you were a celebrity? for example, J.K. Rowling airs anti-trans positions. Will you, should you boycott the Harry Potter universe?

Who could possibly feel that the AI video of The President flying a jet dressed as a King flying over a protest dumping poop is an appropriate response to a peaceful protest of 7 million people? Imagine if Obama or Biden did something like this. The Republicans freaked out when Obama wore a beige suit. Do I agree with Trumps freedom to be able to post such a disgusting and churlish piece of 💩? Yep I sure do. Should this man-baby be our president? Absolutely not. The Speaker of the house, Mike Johnson needs to go too. Such a religious man with no morals whatsoever. He is the ventriloquist dummy, sitting on Trumps lap. All Americans should be appalled.

Sure, the Lyin' King (or Prez-a-King, whichever you prefer) is prejudice against every category of human being that is not a white male. Actually, ANY human being that doesn't like and/or support him. But his bias won't stop him from hanging with Kanye or turning against the DC police if it's useful. His policies and relationships are purely transactional. If most Hispanics voted for him, he'd open the borders. If crime benefits him (as did the Jan 6 insurrection) he'd rationalize it and pardon the thugs. If peace can get him a Prize, he's for it, otherwise he'd risk a global war by dropping bombs on Iran and support the massacre of Palestinians to appease the interests of powerful political allies. He pretends to be an anti-abortion Christian for the same reason. In reality, he's not even a Republican. He's a Narcissistic Sociopath out for himself. "Follow the money" is the traditional advice for figuring out the moves of politicians around the Monopoly board. The Top Hat, Battleship and Racing Car own Park Place. They routinely PASS GO and collect $200 (million or billion) from The Banker. The Boot & Wheelbarrow (working men), Iron & Thimble (working women), and Dog (natural world), are stuck on the 2 purple spaces. Today, "follow the money" still applies. But, also, the dice are fixed and the guy rolling them is most interested in accumulating GET OUT OF JAIL FREE cards!

I am suspicious of MTG’s motives. At first I felt she feared for her life with all the death threats but now thinking she resigned for selfish motives (money) after reading AOC’s comments.

I agree, resigning because of someone you oppose, might be better for your own life and welfare, but it does nothing to stop the 🧻hole you oppose. If anything, it gives them a win, and makes them look and feel stronger... To me, the congress critters who start finally opposing THE LYIN' KING before they resign, are not profiles in courage, rather they are cowards. I have more respect for a Liz Cheney, who stand and fight, all the way to being defeated at the polls, compared to those who virtue signal thru resigning, rather than staying on and fighting, down to the last election they face..

just because someone is nutty, it doesn't mean that we can't trust the emotions they're presenting. We know she's never liked Democrats. She's been saying she doesn't like some of the things going on in her Party, especially the Epstein coverup. And she expressed how she felt about the prez attacking her and the threats she received. So, resigning makes sense. She may have had bigger aspirations, but i don't think she has them now. She'll probably miss the spotlight. If the king goes down in disgrace -- she might take the opportunity to resurface as someone who got it right. But if he goes down because of political pressure his voters will see her as someone to blame. it probably would have been better for the left if she stayed as a cog in the works even before he took office, the trend has been to resign if you oppose him. that's not helpful.

Agreed. Like I said, we will have a woman president eventually, assuming we keep having any sort of free and fair elections, which is still an if, in my mind. But even then, the first woman president will be a right wing, hawkish Republican candidate, simply because that will be the necessary pedigree to get most men, and even women, to feel safe and comfortable enough about voting for her. Because otherwise, both men and women voters are still too biased in thinking any Dem woman candidate is not tough or strong enough to handle the job.

He was the “right” black man only because he was a “safe” black man (not radical, not militant, not aggressive, not forceful — unlike the current occupant of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue) for a segment of the electorate. For me, Barack Obama was not the right black man. America needed — and still needs — a “person of color” who didn’t — and doesn’t — play it safe. Perhaps that man is Zohran Mamdani.

Yes, macphysto, I've encountered many admitted non voters over the years, and their answers always boil down to saying voting doesn't really matter, because it either doesn't change anything or that the major parties are too much the same, for it to make any difference. I still vote, even if every general election vote for statewide or federal elections always turns out to be a vote for the lesser evil, or even a vote that won't matter, since I live in a red state, where voting blue is itself a wasted vote most of the time in statewide or fed elections. But I always vote in the primaries, because that is where my vote usually matters the most and where I can actually vote for my hopes, and for someone I actually support, rather than just a lesser evil..

case in point, Megyn Kelly just lowered the bar to suggest, it's not like the young girls he was interested in were under 10, and "there's a big difference between a 15 year old and a 5 year old."

. . . to his eternal damnation, as far as I am concerned. Exactly! America does not have to exactly and slavishly copy the single-payer/universal healthcare models in other countries. Customization and optimization should be the strategy! Adopt what would work in America. Jettison what would not work.

I totally agree! Gavin is keeping the this little blue dot’s Hope alive. I wish more would!

i like your out-of-the box thinking but it gets even more complicated. What if some southern states choose to go back to slavery? only men voting. No gay rights. One religion? Texas only sells oil to red states but pollutes the skies of a dozen states with their unregulated pollution, etc..

lions and tigers and bears, oh my! i just watched Jon Stewart and he was way ahead of my curve. he suggests Schumer set up the cave-in with Senators who weren't up for re-election https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFI6MwlLJ08 conspiracy theorists, or any garden-variety citizen who knows who owns politicians, could take it one step further. perhaps the cave-in wasn't because, as one Senate caver said, "the stand-off wasn't working." It was precisely because, as the election proved, the stand-off WAS working!

The Dems winning a lot of the local races in PA, in areas that went red last election, says the pushback is real against the current administration. The Dems derailing the hold the line on the shutdown doesn't do anything for the momentum they might have had going. I have heard that if they can actually hold a vote on the extensions on the subsidies next month, the Republicans will vote against the extensions and will appear to be wholly responsible for the increases and rightly so. Frustrating

Calendared. Shop local!

For me, the most influential left-leaning shows are not on television (I balk at folks who get their news from TV comedy shows). They are on the radio; that is the medium where I get most news. Besides National Public Radio (which ain't what it used to be and probably will be less so because of reprehensible GOP funding cuts), "Pacifica Radio" provides the radical Leftist-Progressive-Socialist perspective that educates and appeals to me. Of course, Democracy Now! is a Pacifica Radio staple. Perfectly complementing Amy Goodman and her DN colleagues is (national treasure) Ralph Nader whose Radio Hour is highly informative and inspirational. I also listen to CounterSpin, the radio show produced by the national media watch group Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR), and several locally produced radio talk shows. To be added to my playlist: The Final Straw and The Project Censored Show.

i don't like playing his name game, but if the diaper fits... Diaper Don Dozy Don

This is a great post. From your lips to god’s ears!

I miss George Carlin. That speech could have been spoken today. I know it has always been this way but we have reached new heights of greed and power. They don’t even bother to hide it anymore. It’s a huge FU to the American people. I wish George Carlin was alive. His material could basically write itself as he reminds us I told you so.

I stopped watching Real Time with Bill Maher years ago only because I cancelled my HBO subscription -- and his show was the only reason that I subscribed to HBO. If he has become more conservative in his politics, that is, I think, a shame. Reportedly, comedian Dennis Miller (who was never on my radar) underwent a similar transformation. The maxim "If you are young and not liberal, then you have no heart; but if you are old and not conservative, then you have no brain" is one possible explanation. But I have always regarded that adage as specious. It certainly does not apply in my case . . . . . . nor in the case of this guy:

I propose that we need to examine the underlying causes as to how we find ourselves in this situation and in doing so, it's fairly clear that it's a culmination of a multitude of factors that date back to the establishment of this country. The authors of the Constitution obviously could not foresee the tremendous growth to the west coast and beyond as well as the technological advances that make the Second-Amendment obsolete along with the developments in transportation, medical science, industry, and communication among others. The growth in the number of states skews the power to the smaller ones in both the Senate and Electoral College. The separation of powers requires both self-discipline and independence from the other branches in order to fulfill the mission of a democratic republic. Fast forward to today and those walls of separation are largely broken when you have a Congress and a Supreme Court that capitulates to the whims of an authoritarian bordering on a full-blown dictator. THE LYIN' KING v. The United States may be the worst Supreme Court ruling in my lifetime, if not in the last 150 years because it exonerates any president for actions they take while in office, legal or not. With some 40% of the voters, a majority on the Court, and a gerrymandered majority in both houses firmly behind this unintended atrocity, I submit that a planned and civil separation may be the only viable solution. It's one of the only points I may find myself agreeing with Marjorie Taylor Greene on. Ignoring climate change and gun violence while censoring books and muzzling teachers in schools, and failing to act on income inequality and lack of healthcare while we fund a military to the tune of nearly $1 trillion, among others, is not rational nor viable. THE LYIN' KING's election is a manifestation of all of our prior and current shortcomings and a new nation, either fully independent or quasi independent of the current United States, likely needs to be formulated.

Out of wack is an understatement. Americans are not only starving for change, they are literally starving. I am shocked at the numbers of people needing food assistance. It is a pathetic situation when people have to work so hard and still can't afford decent housing, food and health insurance. Something has to seriously change and soon. This whole corrupt administration has to go. We need serious reform. Pick the best countries economy and rate of peoples quality of life and copy that model since we can't seem to come up with our own.

Good article and very true for many people. The majority of people’s lives are in a constant state of movement, noise, and conversation. Work, family, household, pets, extended family, close friends and occasional friends are all a an energy drain, mentally and physically. I always thought once I retire I will have so much more time and energy to give to all the people in my life. To my surprise, I felt exactly opposite. This is my time! I need the people I am very close to in my life but I have become extremely selective on who those are. I consider myself an empath. I strongly internalize the feelings of those I care for, when they hurt so do I. I do enjoy going out but it’s much less often than it used to be. I love music and movies so I prefer my outings are concerts and movies. Usually after going out I need extra time to recover. Is it getting older and losing energy ? To a degree yes, but I feel as we get older being able to spend time alone is a necessity. I enjoy it now and it is my usual preference. Go out or stay home. 75% of the time I’ll stay home.