BobDylan

Last month I went to a local speed dating event, and had an interesting experience with it, particularly regarding politics. I chatted with 21 different women during the series of 4 min. rounds, and because having compatible political views is important to me in who I choose to date, as well as also having compatible values in other areas, including religion and lack of religion in them and me, I asked each woman to say where they feel they fit in the political spectrum, from conservative to liberal, etc. Surprisingly, at least to me, 7 of the 21, a full third of them, refused to answer this simple,, basic ?, saying either that they "weren't political", "don't discuss politics with anyone", to saying " I only discuss politics with those close to me,,,,, (adult children, closest friends, etc.). I respectfully honored their refusals and didn't try to argue with or criticize them for their stance, even tho I suspect that all of them were either closet Trumpers or conservatives, and felt defensive or embarrassed by how their side is acting these days or the backlash against them, etc. But I did immediately write each of them off, as far as compatibility or any further interest in getting to know more about them, since they had already failed one of my few dealbreakers on a woman's personality, character, values, etc.. I have also run into much of this same thing with the dating sites like Match, Bumble, etc., where the women don't openly say they refuse to discuss politics, but instead, they simply leave out any indication of their political views or political affiliation, also sometimes they use evasive or dishonest language to describe their political traits, such as saying they're apolitical, when they later inevitably turn out to be Trumpers or conservatives, once you connect with them and begin trading messages. Or they use vague, misleading labels like Independent, or Moderate, when they also later turn out to be conservative or a Trumper.

It is also about his eventual orders to have the troops shoot peaceful protestors with live ammo, and to shoot to kill...

I'm old, but I still have a brain., and have learned how the world really works, sadly enough. But I still never learned to be greedy or selfish, so I remain a proud socialist. If others choose differently, that's their right, but it doesn't mean I have to like them or agree with them.. I guess that's why I've seldom been friends with any Repubs, and would also never date one of them, almost never voted for any of them either..

Her, as well as Nancy Pelosi and other Dems in congress. Both parties these days are corrupt as hell, and cash in with insider trading, from their inside info they have about upcoming govt. policies, from the info that only congressional committee members have access to..

I think I've heard of this guy and this program before, good luck to him, he's going to need it with them. It really is no different than people leaving a cult and getting deprogrammed, or leaving evangelical religion for either no religion or something less extreme. In all those cases, it is a huge emotional crisis for them, and the complete loss of a former identity, as well as their whole tribal circle. Few people have the guts and strength to handle all that, so few people ever leave those kind of groups. More often, they only leave the group after being already rejected by their group or even banished from it. I personally want nothing to do with anyone in MAGA, and even after they leave MAGA, until, like any addict in a 12-step program, they have done the necessary self reflection, admission of their wrongs, made their amends, etc. and reclaimed themselves. Until then, they deserve no acceptance in society, as far as I'm concerned, and certainly none from me. And even then, they need to prove again that they can be trusted, before we should forgive them for their past sins..

Agreed, V3, I'm a socialist and for all that you said. The problem is, what to do with bullies and Nazis once they are already formed? Asking them nicely to behave differently accomplishes nothing, and is simply laughable. The only thing that works at that point is force and punishment, and making them too scared to continue doing what they've been doing, if not incapacitating them. So far, the Dems mostly seem to have been sticking to wringing their hands, asking nicely, and writing sternly worded letters. No wonder most people see them as a joke, and weaklings... Kicking the can down the road, has been the policy of both neoliberal major parties in America, leaving the working class behind, abandoning them and the poor, and no wonder the justified anger, resentment, and grievances of the working class were allowed to boil over, until they were easy prey for a con man like THE LYIN' KING. So here we are...

I think the captain is comparing MAGA to the hive mind of The Borg, a la Star Trek... An apt comparison..

The only way to stop a bully, or a Nazi, is to punch them in the face. Period.. So far, that's the diff between here and reddit.com, where I would get banned for saying that...

I agree with Connie and Tumbleweed, these are not normal times and I really don't see any cooperation and compromise as possible or coming with MAGA. You simply can't do that with fascists or a cult, not until they have been deprogrammed or their cult has died out. The Nazis were not going to back down, they could only be defeated militarily, same with the South during the Civil War, after which they never really gave up their racist cause...

I'm with you, always follow the money, as they say, when you're looking for people's motives and agenda in politics. Very few congress critters are in DC to actually serve the public and do some good, the rest are there merely for the power, the privilege, and most of all, the money... BTW, I love your username, as I too am very happily retired, wish I'd been able to even sooner..

The part about her congressional pension doesn't surprise me one bit.

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..

I disagree. I was glad when she said it out loud, tho in retrospect, it now looks like she said it in order to pressure for the release of the files, who knows? Either way, I was hoping she would go ahead and do it on the House floor, but now it seems likely that she will not do it before she leaves, and even if she did try it, Johnson would find some way to block her from doing it. Which is what I expected would happen, after she announced that she was going to do it, that Johnson would never allow it. So it may have just been an empty threat to pressure for the files release.. We'll probably never find out the real story behind her decision..

I was really surprised to hear this news, since I figured she was angling for a presidential run later on, with her recent stands against THE LYIN' KING. Now I don't know what she's thinking. So I'm curious what the other members think.. I'm assuming she thought she would lose the primary, against a THE LYIN' KING backed challenger.. I was really hoping she would read the whole client list from the Epstein survivors, on the floor of the US House, as she said she would do, before she leaves congress. But now I really doubt she will do it before she leaves. Which is a pity, because that is the one forum where it would be immune from any lawsuits for defamation, since congress is exempted from that during floor speeches..

They all need to and should, but I have zero confidence that it will ever happen, simply because they have too much money and power these days, esp. with the US govt., so they can always find ways to block and avoid any real accountability or punishment. And in their social circles, even being publicly shamed, such as full disclosure of the files, would still not make them pariahs, at least in their social circles. Only poverty would make one a pariah in those circles, sick as that sounds..

I sure as hell hope you're right about this. Even if more rats start leaving the sinking ship, I still will never trust them, support them or vote for them. They have already proven how cowardly, selfish, and immoral they are, just by having supported him so long..

Responsibility not only comes with fame, but also with wealth, or at least it used to....

Hope you're right about her seeing THE LYIN' KING as a sinking ship. Time will tell. I do think more Repubs in congress will start seeing THE LYIN' KING and loyalty to him as a liability towards them getting re-elected...

Personally, I was waiting and hoping for Zelensky to charge across the room and clock him when he and Vance were doing their ambush of him during his first WH visit, but he showed amazing restraint, only because he cared more about helping his country, than about giving THE LYIN' KING the beating he's needed and deserved his whole 🍆>🐱ing life! I would have cheered if Zelensky had done it, because he's the only person who could get away with it without being gunned down by the Secret Service..

Just watched the Stewart episode. Priceless slam on the Repub hypocrisy..

Me thinks MTG may be planning to run for prez next time, and so she's trying to position herself for a post THE LYIN' KING era, but I also used to think Liz Cheney was planning to do something similar, a few years ago. I was wrong then, and may well be wrong now, about MTG..

I agree, that's what THE LYIN' KING wants, and the main reason he ran this time was to stay out of prison. But if he becomes too much of a liability to the Repubs, I'm hoping they make him an offer he can't refuse, as far as resignation or the 25th Amendment removal... I also think that THE LYIN' KING's dementia, which the corporate media has been minimizing and ignoring for a long time, is finally becoming so obvious and increasingly worse, that it may also be beginning to finally turn off some people about him...

I figured this was coming, once THE LYIN' KING couldn't stop the vote for releasing the files, he would find some technicality or ploy to keep them hidden, even after a vote in favor of releasing them. And this way, he can delay the release indefinitely, while the so-called investigation is ongoing... He needs to be forced to resign, or the 25th amendment used on him by Vance, etc.., because his party will never vote to impeach him... I'm sure if either of those happen, Vance will make a deal to pardon him, same as Ford did for Nixon...

Well said, capitalism is anything but a fair and victimless system. In fact, it has millions of victims, who usually end up blaming themselves, rather than the system, for their suffering..

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..