Is the downfall of trump about to begin? (#3591)

     What a heavy day yesterday it was for trump and certainly not in a good heavy way. The crumbling of his previously impenetrable wall is taking place and how fast his wall comes down is now the question, not if it will come down. He has been protected by a republican Congress to this point but soon the House will no longer be his ally. He still has the Senate with mcconnell blocking all efforts to delve into trump's activities but that will not be enough given that Mueller soon will have an investigative body, the House, to act upon his findings. That trump is toast is now becoming a foregone conclusion. It is just a matter of when and who comes down with him.
     If I have trump figured correctly he will take those who helped him in his traitorous acts down as a way to save his own skin. Like those who have been cooperating with Mueller, trump is no different when it comes to having to face the music, he will sing and give up the band. Two years ago I couldn't tell you whether we and many like me would survive a trump purge of American diversity and inclusion. I figured his hitler approach would come after those of us who railed against him and didn't pull any punches. Well somehow trump wasn't quite the monster I thought he would be but only because he was too ignorant to figure out how to silence us. I gave him too much credit for at east having some intelligence but it has been proven that he is truly just above being an imbecile.
     So as each day now unfolds and new information on the capture of previously hidden evidence surfaces we, and I mean a huge majority we, are just full of anticipation as to when the downfall will occur. Much like the example of HumptyDumpty, trump's great fall will shatter him and no one will be able to put him back together again. Which for the rest of America's and the world's future is the best outcome. The end of trump will do more for improving the lives of all of Americans and jump start the progressive enlightenment of our government toward a modern, equal, just, fair and efficient future.

The cesspool that is trump (#3590)

     We democrats are now officially emboldened to stand up to trump at every turn given the voting turnout in the last election. That is one of the silver linings to trump being the huge asshole and dangerous simpleton that he is. He poked a sleeping giant and now he will feel the wrath of that mistake. It does comfort me in some degree that our electorate has been roused from the sense of a safe harbor here in America to realize that trump can and would take that safe harbor away from us. His agenda for ruling is to remain in the presidency as long as he can make it happen despite the rule of law and constitutional demand.
     Well his days of fear mongering are over as we democrats and independents will be replacing his lackey house majority with an opposition to every thing he tries to further take from us. He is a carnival barking huckster and so are his offspring and close associates. They would stoop to any act of betrayal to keep their lucrative thievery intact. Yet that is not going to happen now that he will face a new house on January 3rd which will give him a degree of obstruction he has not yet understood is coming. Every little theft of our lives will now be fair game for the investigators in the house and there will be no more handouts to his donors and cohorts from other countries he so blatantly puts ahead of the American working middle poor class.
     We democrats are now in position to plunge the stench of trump's itinerary down into the swirling waste of our dismissal and in doing so will drain that cesspool of his and leave him wholly incapable of blackmailing our nation into the third world where he can better pick at our bones. He longs for his adulation but what he will receive instead is the back of our hand and then the bottom of our boot. His kind is never going to dispel our inherent belief that democracy is greater than his narcissistic fascism and authoritarianism. We will soon begin to strip from the wannabe emperor all the clothes that hide his intent and then his nature and character will prove to all the rest just how low and nasty his life really is.

Are there any decent republicans left in Congress? (#3589)

     This has always been a troubling realization for me. Mainly because despite what political party you are advocating for, you are still foremost an evolved human being. But it seems that being an evolved human being isn't worthy of it's comprehensiveness to republicans. What their theory about life seems to be is that there are only so many who are worthy of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness and the criteria is an unfair cruel and ruthless evaluation. The humanity of the human experience is relegated to inconsequential by the republican hierarchy. Which begs me to again address why has this happened to republicans and how can they justify their own humanity?
     I hear them talk about how they respect and honor all of life but it is their actions that betray their speech. So what is it worth to them to portray themselves as compassionate while doing the opposite of compassionate in real time acts? The axiom that best explains their narrative is the old saw about "do as I say not as I do". A privileged and advantaged outlook that distinguishes a separation of humanity into different paradigms. The idea of equality is only one that applies to them not to those they deem less than them. A separation of our species into categories by scale and scope of worthiness or not. Who gave repubpicans the right to play as a god when they were elected to govern at our request?
     The question that also bothers me is why is it that republicans can fail to serve our nation's interests based upon our constitution and still be allowed to govern? The simple answer is that we voters are not knowledgeable enough to understand the significance of self rule as the golden rule and instead have abdicated our thinking over to those who would tell us they know what to do. The traditional and familiar taking what is evolving and telling us that it isn't. We the American voter have failed our duty to be a rational and objective citizen worthy of our own conclusions based upon facts and logic. Instead we trust in those who would tell us that they know what is best for us and just let them take care of us as if we are not able to fend for ourselves. It seems to work as too many still just ignore knowledge, facts and logic and instead vote with their traditional belief that someone else knows better than they do.

We need Mueller to wait until after January 3rd. (#3588)

     We democrats have all been waiting for Robert Mueller to come down with his most important indictments for quite a long time now but if we and he are patient a little bit longer we will have a democratic House in play instead of the current republican one. And as all logical thinking people should know by now republicans are not objective about trump. In fact they go out of their way to skirt and even break the spirit of the law by protecting him at all costs. So when the democratic House gets sworn in on January 3rd. we will have a constitutional body that will consider facts and evidence with far more than an indifferent cursory glance.
     So if we and Mueller can be patient for 37 more days before his opening of the sealed indictments our whole nation will be better for it in exposing the collusion and conspiracy charges that are ready for view. I hope this is the case as to the timing by Mueller. I am not saying that he is a partisan but what I am saying is that all that work to make his cases would be better served by at least half a Congress that isn't indirectly or directly involved in the scheme he has been investigating. I know we are all anxious for the facts to come out and it is hard for us not to have seen already the evidence Mueller has but if we want justice as justice can be served at this time then waiting a bit longer is not only acceptable to me, but necessary to me anyway. That trump and his cronies in the Senate have tried to bullet proof themselves behind their stonewall strategy, they will have no such precision when it comes to a democratic House.
     Once Mueller has dropped his indictment bombs then we democrats in the House majority will have a clear path on which to proceed. Taking in the charges and the evidence behind them will dictate to us democrats which course to take in forcing the republicans implicated to face their destiny. Without such a force as the majority in the House we democrats and the rule of law stand a good chance of being frustrated. Another thing that should be crystal clear to everyone is that republicans are not going to follow rules of procedure when it comes to their high crimes and misdemeanors. So making sure they are out of the House majority before Mueller drops his indictments seems like a no brainer to me.

We will not come out of this unscathed but we will come out of it (#3587)

     When I think of this current time with the inhumane trump as our appointed president I have been mentally adding up the costs we have endured because of him without even the solace of a benefit. I am not one of those who would trade a cost for a benefit when the paradigm is our dignity, respect and honorableness. To put simply I do not trade my principles of democracy and equality for a handful of traitorous silver pieces. Yet we are currently experiencing this phenomenon with the republican party and their soulless leader.
     The rest of the world is astonished that we allow such a creature to be our figurehead and they wonder what kind of soul the rest of us have to allow him to continue. All I can hope from the world is for them to look at our form of government where the right to be wrong is protected even when that wrong is awful. This is a lesson for the ages to the civilized world where even a horrible outcome such as trump being installed as the president can happen and must be given the deference of election trust. Yet we know there was election meddling and conspiracy but even those mounting charges must be proven and adjudicated.
     We Americans will learn from this debacle to our election processes and make adjustments to stop further infiltration of these nefarious sorts. We will have to survive our previous complacency and accept the damage done in the meantime. What this catastrophic era has given us is an awakening of our voters to always stay engaged. Yet that is not how we would have learned this mighty lesson. The end is near for the time when trump is no longer a danger to every American life given his disdain for everything not himself. These last midterms gave us back a semblance of who we really are and the next election will demonstrably announce our will to put back the soul in our next leaders convictions.

When telling the truth of things is more important than being silent (#3586)

     I cannot tell you how many family and friends I have lost from my life because of my need to tell the truth of things that are uncomfortable or that upset the way those people like to think regardless of facts or principle. I often feel like I had no other choice than to be real when the illusion of falsehood is their preferred state of being. There is a sense of loss and I actually feel that loss. Had they been more open to facts and truths I would not feel like this and instead would have a greater relationship than what I currently have. Yet I cannot go back from my choice because I made the right one and no amount of longing for the alternative at times is going to change that.
     A sense of loss is the best way I know how to describe how I feel. Yet it is tempered with the conclusion that reality is greater than illusion. Cold comfort however. Yet even that cold comfort is real and I live in the real world where making life better for all is greater than just making life better for myself. I know who I am and what makes me human. I won't lose that for some silver coins or the adulation of power or "friendship". I know the trade off I made and it was not easy. I am no scholar nor wise man of any known degree yet I can see the world without blinders on. I am not captured by the lure of fantasy nor belief that counter my intuitive nature to apply logic and common sense to all that I see and ponder.
     I know I have alienated many who used to enjoy my company. Yet it wasn't me to stay the same when there is knowledge to be learned. I have moved on from who I was when I was younger because like reality shows us in every way through time and nature, change is ongoing and inevitable. Our recorded shared human history on this planet is all the proof I need of change being a constant. What doesn't change is my soul and it's compassion and curiosity for all that is or will ever be. Yet I do miss the days from my past that weren't all bad nor void of reality with those I thought had the same compassion and curiosity that I had found. But that isn't so and because of that the time to move on to other people and things is always the answer when the principles of honor, fairness, equality and justice are devoid from the souls I thought were champions of the same.

Always rebutting the republican desire for nationalism (#3585)

     What does nationalism do for the republican party? It gives it a foundation for it's all white desire for America. One thing republicans seem to embrace more than patriotism to our American constitution is the idea that white supremacy is a higher priority than the concept of the melting pot. The republican party will tolerate "others" in their society as long as they know their place within it. A second class state that rarely advances into the echelon of white rule. If that isn't clear to most by now then the propaganda to hide it is still effective. What is even more perverse is that white nationalism only truly extends to the male gender with republicans. Again, some women are allowed to be part of leadership but only at the direction of republican men.
     I am not saying anything controversial here just blatantly plain and obvious. It is now okay for the racists and misogynists to express their views now that their president is one of them. Not all in the republican party are nationalists but where there are nationalists you may only find them in the republican party. As evidenced by the many moderate members denouncing their party and either leaving the republican party to join democrats or becoming independents. The infestation of racism and misogyny in the republican party is becoming too much for what is left of decent patriotic former republicans. That there is little to no new attraction to become a republican is still invisible to the republican party the rest of us are celebrating the swelling of our ranks in defiance of the new nationalist republican party.
     That we now know that there is a political party in our American politics that prefers nationalism to democratic patriotism, it is up to the rest of us to rebut them at every turn. When they turn their propaganda or outright hatred of our democratic principles back at us we must stand up to them and call them out for it. Not only that, amplify who they are and what their message is trying to destroy. Equal opportunity, justice and fairness is a right for all of us to pursue our happiness. There is no one privileged race or gender of people. We are all equal in that the foundation of our society protects and respects our right to be an equal member of society. This is what we fight to preserve and what the republican party would take from us.

Capitalism on it's own will always be exploitive (#3584)

     Forcing workers into positions of physical danger and unhealthy practices has always been the keen edge of capitalism. To make a greater profit you are required to cut every corner and stunt every possible slowing down of the process of manufacture and service. I have seen this many times in my life where the push to complete or succeed outweighs the peril of doing it. It is why we try to regulate and install health and safety standards that put workers on an even footing with the maximum profit dreamed of by the owners of industry. Statistics relied upon by large corporations often give more favorable outcomes to ventures that would trade off a few injuries or deaths against the success of any given enterprise. Life measured against profit.
    Capitalism at it's core has only been one part of the component to transform our society's into modern efficient and progressive forms of democracy. Social values and moral/ethical considerations are just as important in the determining of a society's success. In other words, money isn't everything it is only part of everything. To offset raw capitalism we need to understand that it is mostly a winner take all sum game. Nothing about that instills the principles of democracy, fairness nor equal opportunity. Society needs to be motivated as to a common purpose but not at the expense of alienating most all of society.
     The exploitative nature of unfettered capitalism is known yet there is a political faction in America known as the republican party who have subscribed to the anti-democratic platform of survival of the fittest. Instead of imagining a society where all can equally participate they choose instead to elevate the privileged and advantaged regardless of their honesty nor their nefarious ulterior motivated intent. It has caused a dis ease among out populations that incites unrest and anger. As a solution to unfettered capitalism we admix elements of socialism, reform of economic practices, and front the necessity of climate change innovations and alternative forms of rethinking our relationships between workers and owners. Always remember, all of us humans are in this life together so making sure we each have a respectful place in life should always outweigh the greed of the bottom line.

Getting through December without republicans doing more damage (#3583)

     The republican party is coming apart at the seams but in their death throes we see that they still have a blood lust to kill off anything that helps women, students, people of color, the aged and the rest of us in the working middle poor class. We are mostly democrats so the outgoing republicans are sharpening their attacks and grabbing any of us who are near to them as they swirl down the drain of irrelevance. The propaganda and dirty tricks are never ending with them as they try to poison our great democratic wave that has hit this midterm and is poised to hit again in 2020. The idea that they would learn from their metaphorical butt kicking is never going to materialize.
     The reason republicans won't learn is that they think they know it all already. What they believe is that we who are embracing science, logic and common sense are the ones who are wrong and no amount of objectivity will ever change their completely subjective thinking. It is why so many years ago I moved on from them and focus my time on those who can be reasoned with. By isolating them I have effectively given them nothing from me to turn into the opposite of what it is. They are not smart enough to create an alternate reality that is successful in fooling intelligent people. They may keep their dwindling base occupied with simple confusions but even they are not immune to harsh reality over time contradicting their desired beliefs.
     So as the clock runs out on the current republican majority in the House they will try to pass anything that may become law before January 3rd. when democrats reclaim the people's House. Like the last 2 years have shown us, all we can do is protest, march and occupy whenever and wherever the opportunity arises. The courts were thought to be associating with republicans, especially given trump's rhetoric but even they are not an endless whipping board for the republican whip. As justice Roberts announced yesterday, he sees the courts as being independent so now trump and republicans have alienated another plank of their takeover of our government. Maybe we will get through the next 40 odd days without too much more devastation but let's not depend on hope shan't we?

A good hard rain coming in a few hours (#3582)

     We had some rain, about a millionth of an inch about two months ago but nothing since late April here in the Sacramento valley. Well that hot dry streak ends today. In a few hours, about 3 to be more precise we will be getting about 3 inches of rain over the next 3 days. Most important is that part of our state will get rain and help to stifle flames wherever they still burn. There may be some flooding because traditional watersheds have been compromised but all in all we will take that trade off. I for one will be outside soaking up some sky water as a thank you to what is left for nature to provide given the greedy man made climate change denial of the past several decades. Those all fall on republicans who chose to ignore science and go with their greedy ass wallets!
     So let it fall and happy the ground will be to get some moisture other than our current Autumn dew. I have nothing but dirt patches in my yard since we are on water restriction schedules here. Yet when I do water it is for my trees, bushes and plants that have survived the years of drought. A rain shower may not seem like a big deal to many others who live in other wetter states but we here in California, as has been highlighted during our devastating murderous fire season, are over joyed at even the slimmest glimpse of a rain cloud. Every region in our nation has some weather related downside and for now ours here in California is not enough rain.
     When I was a child and young adult having been born and raised here in Sacramento, the rainfall per year was around 20 inches and we occasionally even got snow. But now we are lucky if we get half that and it has been hard on our water resource management to keep a close to fair schedule for who gets water when. It is probably why so many of us here in California know about the science and the common sense perception on the ground here that climate change is real and can be proven to be exacerbated by human activity. When president Obama tackled climate change it was with facts and science as the gidelines for reinventing our national economy and social understanding of why the dirty energy companies had to go. Not like with the pretender trump and his republican bootlickers who can only see dollar signs in their dirty energy outlook conveyed on the backs and to the death of our American dreams.

Lost my cat yesterday afternoon found her this morning (#3581)

     Like most things in life a gut punch eventually heals. Yet mine healed earlier than I could have reasonably hoped for given the circumstances. My girl kitty/cat Betsy went missing yesterday after noon and after searching all her little hidey spots I could not find her nor did she eat any of her food. I know my little kitty by now and her food would not have gone untouched had she been around. So off into the evening and late night I went with a terrible feeling of loss even though it had only been about 10 hours since I had seen her. Yet I couldn't sleep so I got up around midnight and searched some more but still no luck.
     I finally feel asleep at about 3:30 and awoke around 5 and still she had not returned. So I went outside again in the backyard and began to search with the flashlight and by lowly calling out "meow". Well to my amazement I heard a return meow however it was faint. So I shut down my mind and closed my eyes and meowed again and this time I heard it more clearly. Although I didn't know specifically where it came from I did have the general direction. So I closed on the neighbor's yard with all the big German Sheppards and meowed again. This time I heard it more clearly and it was from above in the tangle of a couple of Oak trees in the neighbor's yard and in the Arcade creek preserve area that borders both of our backyards.
     So I got my 20 foot ladder and set out into the creek area to scale what I thought was the tree she was in. Well it turned out she was in the neighbor's tree and before I could get through our shared man gate in our shared fence, I heard some rustling in the branches above and then a thunk as she dropped about 10 feet to the top of my neighbor's metal shed. She was alright and began to look to get out of that yard back to mine and her brother cat Artie. All of this happened at about 6 in the morning so my neighbor's dogs were still inside but I sure could here them barking. Well we got out of their yard and back into our house where Betsy voraciously devoured her morning breakfast. A chaotic and stressful hour first thing this morning but all in all a very happy ending to it. :)

An awakening in America (#3580)

     We see the dirty tricks that republicans are making successful now. We don't have to guess how they get what they want outside the will of the American electorate, we see their election malpractice as a strategy. So it isn't surprising that many more of us are angry at them for not holding our trust with honor. As was evident in this last election the tide has turned against republican politics even in states that were heavily republican just 2 years ago. The next big test will be the election in Misissippi. I know that the institutional bias will likely play there since repuiblicans have controlled Mississippi politics for many decades now but again the awakening has come along and those voters who were frustrated there into thinking their votes were inconsequential are now angry and ready to vote no matter hell or high water.
     I do not predict a democratic win in that senate race but I expect it to be surprising and if surprising enough the disgraced republican candidate may find the same result as the disgraced candidate in Alabama experienced last year. It is because we are not in the dark as to who these people running for office are nor are we in the dark as to their ulterior motives and agendas. There is still a lot of blind loyalty to the republican party but that is consistently dwindling even as I write this post. So with less enthusiam for republicans and more enthusiasm for democrats the odds increase for an upset in Mississippi. It may be too early in that deep southern state but I know that a better life is more appealing than one where we are marginalized and taken advantage of.
     We will see but overall the indicators are that the tide is growing for democratic politics because it is one of the people at large and not just the wealthy. It seems crazy that there is even a debate how people of an ordinary stripe would vote but again institutional prejudices and biases with a boatload of misleading propaganda has kept our soeciety from discovering their united strength. When we the people finally decide that we are the masters of what our society should prioritize it will be the end of the republican party as we know it. The awakening is real and it is happening but it must not stop to admire or look back. The awakening must keep pushing forward until we get all of us on the same page as to what honorable vision we Americans are willing to exemplify.

Forcing trump, and the courts are our only hope (#3579)

     There is no reasoning nor trying to expose a sympathetic side from trump. He has his agenda and it isn't about him sharing our nation with us. He wants it all for himself and no amount of debate nor pulling at what should be his heart strings will work. He has been compromised in such a way that the only avenue left for us to travel with him is through force. Putting pressure on him in a continuous way is the last ditch effort we have. Not that I expect he will cave to pressure but it is what galvanizes us to coalesce as a united party in preparation for the next general election. The courts remain as the only check to this president at least until our new majority in the House is sworn in.
     As to the courts we have seen an unexpected non partisan approach in many decisions. This surprises me in that the republican fever has been seen to have no boundaries. Yet the full weight of a conservative supreme court has yet to deal us the reality we all expect it will do eventually. The decisions it is going to make concerning the values our society desires have not yet been adjudicated in a demonstrative way. But again, force by the majority of our nation against the unraveling of equality, justice and fairness is our last bastion until we can remake our high court into a much more objective one. As the incompetent trump goes about his disdain for humanity that is not himself we the people have to find it within us to not let him get anything from what is left of us.
     That we have as a nation survived the first two years of trump is remarkable in my estimation. I had figured we all would be living in a chaotic ruthless existence if at all by now. I know that sounds extreme but it doesn't take much from a cruel appointed head of state, bolstered by a lackey in power congress and courts to undermine all that is welcoming and egalitarian. The republican party cannot discipline itself to be accountable nor honorable so it is up to the rest of us to make them not do what they want when they want. Our pressure back at the ego maniac in the form of trump is all we have left until the House, the courts and the sheer force of our American electorate can rebut him to be less a dictator and inhumane soul.
     

Enjoying a saturday with a busy schedule of doing nothing (#3578)

     It has been awhile since I have done just about nothing for a whole day. Well I did go to the store this morning to get a few items but that really wasn't doing something that taxed my senses. I plan to watch some football and some British crime shows today while keeping an eye out for any new results on the last remaining uncalled congressional races. I figured we would get stumped in Georgia and Florida on the recounts given both states have a fix to them that is not easily overcome. But the many of us are becoming aware of the dirty politics republicans and their last ditch efforts to hold onto power and will come to an end in the next few election cycles.
     But for now we have to live with the results of too may sympathetic democratic voters not voting and letting this terrible time come about. But as we saw in last weeks election, a new invigoration to vote has hit our electorate and the results of that are encouraging. So time to take a moment of a day and do whatever I feel like until the next crisis comes my way. Managing crisis' is a non stop adventure in the life and times of our era but some days we just need to tune things out cook a big breakfast for everyone so that we remember what life should be like. I have a new somewhat cheap skillet but it works great and makes for making big breakfasts much more quickly and easier.
     Now that all that is done, except the hourly vigil to check new votes coming in, I can now sit back and turn on the television and watch something enjoyable. The air is still really bad around here from the lack of rain and the inconvenient wind blowing it at us from the fires but that little problem is nothing compared to the loss of life and home too many others are experiencing. The dolt trump is in the state today to ostensibly look at our fire destruction and presumably give us advice on how to manage his and our responsibilities. Oh well, another day in the era of trump and the rotten republican agenda. Have a good day all and rejuvenate as needed.

I feel like we are in the eye of the storm (#3577)

     The calm I feel right now in our national politics has got me on edge. The lame duck period between now and when the new congress is sworn in is often a time when the party that has been relieved of power of tries to push through a last minute harm to the incoming party and its constituents. There doesn't seem to be an appetite for going after our health care for now and that is good but what about our social security? Also what about the funding for the disastrous idea of building a wall on our southern border? There are many areas in which the outgoing republican majority in the House can still cause our nation much harm with the help of trump and his boot licking Senate.
     This highlights once again the consequences of not voting. Because we will have to deal with whatever this outgoing Congress does to us and we are to blame for it. Now many of us fought against this 2016 Congress with all we had but in the end the non voters or the voters who could not distinguish between what was good for our nation and what wasn't changed the course for the rest of us. Since we are the ones who are being persecuted by this nefarious administration and its levers of governmental power we are also to blame for not doing enough to motivate and educate our disinterested electorate. But that is behind us now as we learned well our lesson about staying informed and determined to work hard to get our points across and our voters engaged.
     So whatever comes out of this last gasp by the defeated republicans, we will have a new era soon enough to mitigate what we can over the next 2 years until we can retake the White House and Senate. We have a mission to accept and it didn't end on November 6th. Hardly, it actually began on November 6th as a springboard to our next success on November 3rd, 2020. The same momentum we established to stand up to the trumps and his boot lickers will be needed in furthering our mission's continuation toward 2020. As an FYI it doesn't end there either and the next midterm in 2022 will require us to kick the last of the accomplice republicans out of office and then and only then can we stop to measure and adjust our manifest destiny to reorder our society to a vision that reflects the will of the people and not the will of criminal politicians and their secretive foreign and domestic power mongering wealthy donors.

Are the people of America finally taking charge? (#3576)

     It would seem that there is evidence of that. With nearly 50% of eligible voters voting in this midterm as one indicator since the last midterm the percentage was around 39%. The ousting of politicians who condescend while ignoring the will of the people has increased dramatically this election with still more races undecided that could add to the total of the cleaning of our House of Representatives. The nearly 400 new democratic office holders throughout the United States is another clue. Given this mounting evidence I would say that America has awakened from its slumber and is now growing in the engagement of the politics of our nation.
     For many it is a first time experience and as such is setting the framework of a lifetime of activism. There are so many problems in our society that other democratic societies have solved it is not surprising that many have had enough and want to do something positive for our lagging nation. As a catalyst we have the women's movement to claim their equal and rightful place in society with men. Then there are the teenage and young adult Americans who have had it with the republican love fest for weapons of mass destruction since their generation is bearing the casualties of it. We have our immigrant populations and people of different color who have had enough of racism and wealth inequality. Then we have our seniors who are constantly threatened with the taking or our retirement and necessary medical insurance programs.
     It is no wonder that the republican party is getting its backside kicked everywhere for their nefarious part in sabotaging our nations people for their own gain. I do not expect a diminishing of this momentum as the inertia of justice and fairness is awakening enthusiasm with most all our citizenry. A new manifest destiny for America is emerging and it is a thoughtful one. In which the principles of democracy and the logic of common sense and happiness are merging into a comprehensive vision for democrats that smothers the petty and pretentious republican party. We are only just beginning the purging of our politics of the decay of republicanism and the next step in that purging will occur on November 3rd 2020.

The prevailing democratic winds (#3575)

     The midterms were just a guage in the wind as to what direction the wind was blowing. Well we now know for sure that the wind is continuing to blow positively toward liberal/progressive policies. The saving of our democracy has begun and it is now a reality, not a hoped for outcome. We democrats control the House and with that we have the power to legislate and investigate while holding onto the purse strings of our nations wealth. There will be no more republicans shoving the theft of our society down out throats. We are now a force in government that is more than ready to put a check on the cruel and grifting republican agenda.
     As results continue to come in and give democrats more victories the blue wave that was hoped for has come to reality. Whether a wave or a wind the resistance to republican policies is evident and not only that the welcoming of democratic policies is being thrust forward to our great delight. The receding of the republican illusion of the illogical and indecipherable is apparent yet there is much work left to be done. Which is why our momentum from here on out must maintain it's inertia. There can be no let up in the dismantling of republican lies and other propaganda. The pressure must remain as we push forward with our democratic vision of a better far more egalitarian world.
     The 2020 election is now set in our sights and as we begin to put our candidates into place that will challenge the very legitimacy of trumps and his cabal of acolyte republicans, our determination and resolve must not wane. I know I took a deep breath after this midterm but there is no more time to waste when it comes to our ultimate prize, the end of the trump appointed presidency. With that end and the defeat of many more republicans in congress and state houses we the renewed democratic party will have ended the worst shame our nation has produced since the malignant idea of defending slavery and the civil war that crushed that despicable idea. Take a breath and then let us all put our shoulder to the wheel of justice and let the wind or wave help push us back to being a beacon to the world for democracy.

Defending my principles is like fighting a war, never surrender! (#3574)

     In some areas of ethics and morality I will never surrender to compromise. It is my life to live as me and who I am is more important to me than what others think. It is the way of this honorable man. Those who need validation from others will never know the brilliance of being true to oneself regardless of peer pressure or preserving an appearance for some family ritual clique. I have learned that those who would be me in some way through influence that is neither wanted nor asked for have an agenda outside anything to do with me being acceptable in some way. They want their power to be who they are while making me a subservient of it. No longer do I engage in the unnatural mind games of twisting logic into a preferred outcome.
     I have felt for some time now that like minded souls attract in ways that are natural and optimistic. I don't need the bonds of familial relationships to entwine my life at the sacrifice of my principles. They are archaic and irrelevant when contrasted with logic and just as importantly, knowledgeable common sense. My life is freer from the chaos and whirligig of drama which always seems to follow those who do not put their principles before their thoughts and actions. I have found a calming peace in my life by not being what others want me to be. I understand that my life has a time limit and anything I don't do that is who I am is time and space I will never get back.
     That is why I see defending my principles as a war. There are always those out there that want me to not be me and I won't stand, sit nor lay down for it. Once one has seen the light of day on what life should be like for each individual there is no going back to a darkness that doesn't allow for change or possibility. My bedrock is now as stable as it should be and the attacks from those who would change me are diminishing as time goes by. I have defended against the mighty first assaults and now it is only skirmishes that appear on my horizons. I have won the war that many have yet to even battle and that is why I write this. Never surrender being who you are no matter what any other person may think or say. We all have to make our stand and if it is in the light of honorable principle then you will find your position well worthy of triumph.

Stopping republicans from voter suppression (#3573)

     No matter what happens to the vote count and many tossup elections that haven't been called yet, we democrats have got to make sure that voter suppression is exposed and stopped. I know that republicans are not going to stop in their voter suppression attempts but we have to combat every step they take toward making their tactics successful. I am not sure how we can accomplish it but I know that wherever it is proposed or happening we have to combat it. The best way is to elect democrats to office in the coming elections but for now we have to take these nefarious attempts to the courts and fight like hell to unmask the intent of these voter suppression activities.
     I know that the republicans control the ideology on the Supreme Court but there may be some on the court who are not ready to throw out democracy just to preserve a seat that was unconstitutionally attained. It is a bit of a stretch to think that any of the right wing justices would actually side with fairness and justice when their party has at is core the winning at all costs philosophy. Yet every now and then a decency in some does emerge. I don't expect that but it may come to pass. That leaves us with the 2020 general election. It is going to be tough to win in that election because what majorities republicans have left gives them plenty of opportunities to suppress more votes going forward.
     There is no easy path to making sure every citizen who is eligible to vote will get that right granted when republicans are hell bent on denying voting rights. But every hard path that is out there must be traveled by us democrats if we expect to gain enough public offices to make real change to more open and inclusive voting opportunities. Let us make no mistake going forward. The republican strategy of maintaining power in any way possible will not stop until we can defeat them at the voting booth. The courts may help some but we cannot rely on them as the republican party has been stacking the federal courts as quickly as they can. If we democrats have to play by difficult  rules republicans impose on us then so be it in order to vote then we must do that as well for now until we can end their stranglehold on our democracy's neck.

I don't expect much from Florida but Arizona is looking good for democrats (#3572)

     The only reason I don't have any high expectation for Florida is because the republicans have an inside track for controlling the outcome. As to Arizona, the counting continues and the majority of votes are coming in for the democrat. There are too many instituitonal forces at at work in Florida to foster any real hope of a fair count toward the outcome. Much like in 2000 when a conservative supreme court cleared the way for a republican victory I see nothing here that would stop another finagling of these outcomes. There is hope for sure that the democrats will be given a fair shot at winning but only up until republicans fear they may lose and then the manipulation will set in.
     It is sad that I have come to expect this from the republican party but they have shown me no other side of them when the contests are close. They have to win at all costs instead accepting the true will of the people they are supposed to represent. It seems that in Arizona however, the republican party is less inclined to meddle in this election. Their have been prominent republicans who have come out against any attempt to stop the vote counting. Which should also be the case in Florida but what we are getting there is a united front from republicans claiming that democrats are cheating when in reality all democrats are doing is telling everyone that all votes should be counted. But that isn't what republicans want as we have seen in their continuing efforts to diesnfranchise historical democratic voters.
     I did not bring the Georgia controversy into this post because it is still evolving into its next phase. However, the Arizona and Florida races are being counted or recounted in real time right now. Much will be revealed over the next few days how the senate and governorship of Florida will turn out and in the coming week we should be done counting in Arizona, Wednesday is that time frame. But as I have learned about Florida, the expectation must remain low to keep from being overly upset by the new round of trickery republicans are planning to keep their power there through whatever non democratic means they can imagine. It is sickening and in some way I hope a karmic event happens to upset the devious plans republicans always, and I mean always resort to.

The mental breakdown of trump is coming (#3571)

     It is going to happen but the timing is the only thing in question. I expect it to happen a bit after the new congress is sworn in but it could happen before. He is such an egomaniac combined with being a childish bully that his tolreance level is lower than most people alive today. He will break in his mind and it won't be a pretty sight. Those who have been around him up until now have given us plenty of signs that trump is unstable and chaotic in his behavior. There will not be many good things on the horizon for trump so he will not get the adoring attention his narcissism craves. He will further crawl into his shell and when he does venture out it will be with bombast and pretention.
    The last of the people he knew coming into this election he surrounded himself with are leaving and he will have to trust new faces he doesn't know. Like I said, he will not be a happy camper nor a carefree soul. It would not even surprise me if he agrees to step down from the presidency because it isn't going to be fun for him anymore. He won't get his policies past the new democratic house without a boatload of compromises and watering down of his hateful agenda. I cannot see him kowtowing to democrats after he has lambasted us for 2 years. Contention would be a dream for him if that was all he faced in the future. But it isn't a dream, instead it will be a nightmare for him as the new House will tear apart his personal and professional life with a vigor that is only sated by exposing every rotten to the core act he has ever permitted or engaged in.
     If trump was smart, yet I know in my head and heart that he isn't, he would resign as quickly as possible. Yet what he is is cunning and devious so don't expect him to do anything that may tarnish or deny him of his bellicosity nor ability to profit off the backs of others. He will not go quietly into that good night as Dylan Thomas composed. Instead trump will lash out and deny with a ferocity any and all logic and common sense that dictates he take his leave from the center ring. Because like any really effective carnival barker he needs a stage to perform from and anything less than that would also dirvie him mad.

The political patients are not dead yet in Arizona, Florida and Georgia (#3570)

     It seems that we have some life left yet on capturing 2 senate seats and and 2 governships that were thought to be lost on election night. With mail in ballots bringing all these races within a mandatory recount paradigm, the other oddities as well as uneven voting inconsistencies on ballots and illlegitimately purged voters has brought new life to the idea that we democrats may not have lost these particular 4 seats. There are more out there that are being looked at like the senate race in Texas but for now these 4 are front and center in the now. No doubt in my mind that the Texas senate contest will find its way to our national attention in the following days. What brings this all about is the sheer volume of votes cast in this election.
     With nearly as many voters voting this time compared to the presidential election of 2016 the counting has been overwhelming for an election process that is not as efficient as it could be. Regardless though, votes were cast and need to be counted before any certification of our national election can become finalized. So for republicans now to be crying about the few extra days it is taking to count votes is reflective of their disdain for democratic processes. Naturally if it were to their benefit they would be heralding the protection of their right to have all votes counted but when it is against them they are screaming that democracy is being unfair to them.
     How anyone could vote for the republican party to begin with knowing their efforts to thwart democracy is disturbing. But to now actually defend the republican postion not to count all the votes is akin to being traitorous. Every citizen who cast a vote is obligated to have their vote counted. That is the duty of every sworn public official who took an oath to defend our constitution. Yet republicans do not see themselves as the defenders of our constitution, instead they see themselves as power mongers beholden only to their wealthy donors. It is past time to beat back the idea that public officials are greater than our constitution and make sure that no vote is left uncounted.

We can breathe now (#3569)

     At least we can take a beath of fresh air after holding our breath for what seems like 2 years. We democrats are now the majority party, yes, say it with me, the majority party in the House of Representatives. This is a wonderful accomplishment albeit not unexpected given the hatred republicans have embraced as their vision for our future. But having succeeded in getting the majority we democrats must now begin to use it wisely. One more thing on the election and our winning the House. I had expected that republicans would pull every dirty trick available to keep from losing the House but they were not competent enough to withstand our blue wave against them at the voting booth.
     Now republicans did succeed in thwarting our chances in the senate with a few underhanded and unethical ploys but we are now into a recount with some of their victories so only time will tell if we come out victorious in those races that are being challenged. We cannot get to a majority in the Senate but we didn't lose much in the process. But with the victory in the House we now have the congressional ability to revisit chages agianst the trump administration and now the repubpican leaders who collaborated with the trumps to stifle any objective investigation. The time is coming very soon when new majority democratic committees are going to go after the collusion and obstruction investigations into republican practices and coverups.
     We can breathe now a bit more freely in that we are not under the dominant rule of cruel and brutish republican manipulation. We the American working middle poor class did enough Tuesday and in early voting to put a stop to the ruinous polices coming out of this White House and followed through by the boot licking republicans in Congress. So many of those boot lickers in Congress and in states were ousted Tuesday evening with more to follow as the counting of votes in tight races continues. This was an important election for the sake of democrats clawing back 100's of state public offices just before the next census comes into play in 2020. That relevance is directly related to who gets represented and how it gets done.

The day after... (#3568)

     There were several outcomes that bothered me deep in my soul from last nights elections but there were also many good things that happened to assuage the potential gut punch once again from the American voting electorate. Overall I am disappointed in how the south eastern portion of our nation conitnues to live in an illusion. I cannot grasp the mindset they have in keeping the republican aprty in control of their lives when a better life exists for them simply by recognizing it. I cannot make people think for themselves as I have tried in many different ways and at many different times. It doesn't work and the worst part about it is that their intransigence in acqquiring knowledge outside their preconceived notions is obstructing the progress of the American dream for all of its citizens.
    Be that as it may however, the good that happened was outstanding. Many long time republican politicians have been thrown out of office and although repubicans held the Senate and then some, they lost many governorships and most importantly they lost the House. With that House loss they no longer have complete control of all the branches of government. The House is special in that it controls the purse strings of our nation so no spending can occur without democratic approval. As well the House can begin to legislate again in ways that will be far more bipartisan because that is what we democrats are all about. We want all to be part of the legislation proposed unlike when republicans just bypassed democrats in formulating their national policies.
     But on the social/political front a large contingent of women were elected to Congress as well as diverse individuals outside the dysfunctional paradigm of older wealthy white men. On a personal note here I have found that women are better leaders of our society because they are the ones who care more about life matters than men. It seems that men are noticeably more selfish and greedy than women are and therefore men should not be the majority of those who should be leading our national progress. The statehouses also did a makeover favoring the democratic party. It is at this grassroots level that the growth of our party will flourish and the still dead weight at the top of our national government will continue to feel the increasingly white hot heat of change on their backsides.

The day of the Democrat (#3567)

     The day has finally arrived and we are ready for it. Enough of the trumps and their boot licking servants in the republican party. Enough with the followers of trump who would rather hail nazi's than be patriots of democracy. Enough of the wealthy who care not a whit about the planet we live on or the souls who are ruined by their greedy actions. Enough! Today we democrats will serve notice through our votes that trumps and republicans are the illness and we are the cure. There will be nothing like the resolute determination that started about 2 years ago with the installation of a person for president and republican party that has no care for all of it's citizens. We democrats will vote in droves and shock the prognosticators who cannot measure nor understand the depth of our unsettledness.
     By the end of this evening most of Americans and the free world will heave a sigh of relief that sanity and goodness have returned to the shores of America. We had to do it ourselves as we are the ones who control whether we vote or not. At least for this moment because if the republican party were given more time in elected office they would surely deprive more of us than they have already of our franchise to vote. This really is a "no duh" moment in that it should be obvious and easy to understand why democrats need to be put in charge but as we all know sometimes the obvious and  easy become chaotic and unfathomable.
     But that won't happen here as since the first women's march back when trump was appointed to the presidency we democrats, independents and like minded republican voters have not lost our focus on the bigger picture. Try as the trumps and republicans did to change our narrative they only succeeded in making it more clear. Their ending begins today and will follow through into 2020. Much like when Pearl Harbor in Hawaii was attacked in an unprovoked way, the slumbering America electorate has been poked and we are awake, ready and growling for the only rememdy at hand, our vote!

1 day and a wake up (#3566)

     We are on the eve day of finally voting to end the trump majority in the House and Senate. I am optimistic that it will be so because the methodology used by pollsters is formulated on normal midterm, low voter turnout. Well as we are seeing there is no normal low voter midterm turnout this time. Even with their methodology underestimating our chances as democrats we are still right there with a shot at winning both chambers of Congress. So my best guess is that we will overperform where pollsters give us little hope. Which is fine by me because If I have gauged the mood of our nation correctly from trumps installment to now the mood I have felt is one of a steely eyed determination and outright disgust for all things republican.
     I have had several of my friends tell me that we need the republicans to survive as a party so that our democratic party has a counterbalance to it's vision. Well I say that we already have the green party for that because we democrats are far more moderate in many things already and what we need is a push from the left, not the right. So the death of the republican party is natural because they have nothing to offer our nation except the lowest form of humanity. We are all above that and therefore will be better off without a republican party around to drag us down. The sooner we put the republican party out of it's misery the better off all Americans will be.
     So beginning in 1 day and a wake up we can begin the dismantling of the republican party and rebuild our democratic one to a level not seen since the second world war. It is time to reclaim the progress of the New Deal under Franklin Roosevelt and the Great Society under Lyndon Johnson. We need to build on their foundations and establish a formidable defense against any and all republican type politicians who only have eyes to destroy democratic progress and return us to a prejudicial survival of the fittest mode. In less than 48 hours we will know the outcome of the last 2 years of angst that republicans have inflicted on us. Except this time it will be us judging them with a fierce rebuke and a mighty stroke to crack and eventually break the republican party for good.

2 days until we can breathe again (#3565)

     I saw that Jane Fonda made the comment that it is hard to breathe in trump's America. Well that is about to end for her and 100's of millions of the rest of us. We won't have hundreds of millions voting but the result of the votes of us who do will help them as well. Even those who vote for trump's candidates and agenda will find that their lives will get better regardless if they immediately recognize or admit it, or not. A calm peacefulness is about to descend on us in the next few days and it will be exhilarating for me and surely everyone else who has had to fight like our lives are on the line for this moment to come about. In 2 days we will begin to see the horizon again with a new and fresh outlook.
     As for trump and his cabal of crooks and liars it will be a different perspective than the one they have enjoyed over the last few years. I mentioned the other day that I expect to see an election not unlike the one Canada enjoyed in 2015 when liberals swept to power everywhere on Canadian soil. We will see something like that when the first returns begin to come in from the East coast. An onslaught of democratic voters are turning out and not to be underestimated are the disgusted republican voters who are voting democrat and the vast majority of independent voters who are aligning themselves with the democratic party. This is because of what trumps and his boot licking republicans in Congress have brutishly done to us and our democracy.

     We may have our full share of disturbed individuals in our nation who are hell bent on destroying goodness and fairness but they are vastly outnumbered by real patriots of democracy. This time the election of our democratic candidates is priority number one like no other midterm election in at least 50 years. Because the threat to our democracy is real and our electorate is awake, aware and prepared to vote. In 2 days the culmination of 654 days under trump so far have led us to this moment. An anticipated record turnout for democratic candidates culminating in a victory so badly needed for democracy after the debacle of 2016. In 2 days our hearts will be singing a new tune and they won't have any of the melancholy strains of the past 2 years within.

3 more days... (#3564)

     In about 72 hours and counting we will begin the final day of voting. If what has happened leading up to November 6th continues it will be the largest turnout in over 50 years for a midterm election. It won't be because trump has a lot of supporters, in fact, it will be because he is opposed by so many. His intentional ill treatment of the working middle poor class is but one area he has alienated himself from approval. His disdain and punishing policies aimed at women and immigrants is another area he has turned a somewhat disorganized grouping into a powerful force against him. The only good that has come from trump is his unintentional ability to galvanize so many in such a short time to rebuke him.
     So with the fact that voter registrations were up this cycle and young voters are being heard in amazing numbers is exceptional given our recent past. That women and hispanics are voting democratic with historic percentages is also something new to our generation of voters. What trump has essentially done is create such a negative force to himself and his republican lackeys that the democratic progressive and moderate policies that had previously fallen on deaf ears are getting revitalized in ways that are astounding. Not only is health care the number one issue among all voters but saving our social security is right there with it.
     The right wing hatred in America is not playing so well with the majority of Americans yet that is the peg that republicans have hung their hats on. Playing on nationalism like with the nazi's is not something we admire nor accept. In fact many more of us are still outraged that republicans would have sided with a philosophy that just killed 10's of millions of freedom loving souls during World War II. That republicans are in collusion with Russia and other dictatorships around the world doesn't reflect the American spirit of democracy nor fairness and justice. The republican party is headed for defeat at the polls come 3 days and nothing they do from here on out will ever change that.

4 days until we know (#3563)

     The countdown from when trump was installed is finally winding down. I have voted as have 10's of millions of other voters who either agree with trump that he is the man for our times or whom agree that trump is a disgrace and the reflection of what the worst of humanity can be. Likely those two narratives will play out against each other and the verdict will be in on the evening of November 6th. Given the wholesale attacks on the women of our nation, immigrants and the majority of the working middle poor class, I am reasonably confident that it is the latter that will carry the day. From the first day of his appointment to the presidency, protests and marches not only here in America but around the world have exemplified that trump and his acolytes are not what we are as a nation.
     Certainly there are those who resemble trump and the cruel and brutish outlook of the republican party but they are not the majority of Americans. Whether through hook or crook, republicans were able to attain a dominant political power these last two years and with that power have exposed the world to their agenda of survival of the fittest with caveats of advantages and privileges for the wealthy. It is not in dispute that the working middle poor class has borne the brunt of the policies that republicans have administered these last two years and in 4 days we the people will decide if we have had enough. I have no doubt, despite my confidence being shattered in 2016, that the one time unexpected ascendency of trump is but an aberration, not a trend.
     We, the many, were caught out unawares to the duplicity of the republican party and it's ulterior motives hidden behind treasonous moves. But that will not happen again and if anything our judgement this coming election will reflect that. The die has been cast by the republican party and snake eyes is it's outcome. They tried to bully us and make us beholden to them but they failed miserably at understanding that we Americans are not servile, we are proud and courageous. The effectual focus of our pride and courage will be the voting booth and this time there will be no doubt as to whom will succeed and whom will fail. 4+ days until the counting and in 96 hours the last day for voting will commence. Happy we are the working middle poor class that our time has come again and we will not fail it.

5 days to go! (#3562)

     October has come and gone without a republican surprise calculated to throw the election away from the American people. But what republicans aren't getting through with some strategically timed event they are trying to make up for by lying about most everything that doesn't make them look like the monsters they are and instead claiming the monsters are really democrats. I know this strategy won't work because it is only red meat for their own voters. Their voters will vote for them no matter what so it is really much ado about nothing. Most all the rest of us vast majority of Americans against republicans can see through it because we have actually been punished by them. Telling us that others are responsible for our torture is ridiculous when we all saw republicans torturing us.
     The republican party is also spending enormous amounts of wealthy people's money to try to offset as many of the losses they know they will have in congressional and state house races. It will work to some degree because there are too many of us who do not fact check ads on television or radio like we should. But still, the vast majority of us do and not only that it is easier to spot false advertisements because again, we are living through the truth of our pain caused by republicans right now. Always a good rule of thumb many of us employ is to find out who paid for the advertising? Also, when it comes to propositions, measures and initiatives, we check to see which political party is proposing it. Life is real simple and far more correct when we stand by our political party and subscribe to their messaging and not the special interests and wealthy donor class.
     Politics is really not that hard to figure out once you understand the nature of our democracy. Our form of government is conceived on the premise that equality, fairness and justice are not to be diminished in any form that violates the integrity of any of them. Which political party comes closest to that ideal? We, and that means all of us, are not perfect but those of us who strive to be perfect are the best choice to lead our nation into the present and future. There is only one major party left in the American political system that is representing all of Americans and it is the Democratic party. So in the next 5 days don't forget who is trying like hell to destroy our democratic ideals and who is trying to secure democracy for all and vote for every democrat on your ballot and any and all reasonable propositions, measures and initiatives from the democratic party as well.