Not forced, but compelled by a sense of decency and caring about the needs of our families, friends, and even people we don't even know. Caring about the welfare of the country and the planet and its future and the future of generations to come.

It's one thing to have "opposing views," quite another to champion the election and inauguration of a leader that has never ever served one second in any public office. Never been tested to oversee all that we rely on to make or lives livable. To cede full control to a person that is so transparently flawed to be that leader, without any reasonable method of controlling the outcome.

And were supposed to silently sit by and not challenge the wisdom of those "opposing views"?

But on the impulse of their own bigotry and the consul of hate-wing media, those with "opposing views" have decided to throw all caution to the wind and impose their pipe-dream idol, their white-sheet knight in shinning armor, on to the nation and world at large. No doubt he will come in and wave his magic wand and solve all the problems of the nation. Like Santa Claus, he will shower us with gifts. Like the tooth-fairy, he will place money under our pillows so that we never want from being poor. "It will be great" "It will be wonderful" "It will be huge" "You're gonna love it." Promises. Promises. Promises. But not one detail or any proof of how it will or can be done other than the same old tried and failed methods of Republican economics and diplomacy.

Faith brothers and sisters. Faith. Don't make waves and don't ask questions and don't even dare criticize the veracity and compentence of the fearless leader. Have faith. That is all you will need.

@Ou812 #46:

Whoa! Thanks for that (I think), but ... way too much information! This is not about you personally -- who cares. It is about the direction our country is heading.

As far as you and your posts are concerned, one can only surmise where you are coming from by what you write, which reveals your supposed inner thinking processes -- the shallow right-wing talking points, the snide labels, and the subtle insults that you constantly spew forth on this blog for others to suffer.

Hah! It was all fake! You have confirmed what I had suspected all along. Do you hear that everyone? Ou812 is faking it! By your own words, you have directly admitted that you are nothing but an insincere troll -- a fraud!

Notwithstanding your transparent attempt at backtracking, it is quite clear that you have absorbed and taken to heart many right-wing talking points. Where you actually get your misinformation to regurgitate so profusely, or how much of it you actually believe, is really none of my concern, nor do I care.

Nevertheless, your drivel is obviously not conjured up out of a vacuum. In spite of your disingenuous denials, you must listen, watch, and/or read enough of the right-wing lies to appear somewhat sincere as a troll. Please don't insult everyone's intelligence.

Like I said, ignorance is bliss. But, to the larger point: You live in a so-called democracy of, by, and for the people; yet, you don't care enough about it -- again, in your own words -- to participate in politics even at a minimal level, letting whichever politician do whatever to whomever, ah, because "It doesn't affect me, me, me." You take no meaningful positions but enjoy making fun of the people who do. How incredibly shallow is that?!

For someone so proud of being "a quite successful person" ("Hooray for me, me, me!") -- and, my God, a former teacher of malleable minds no less -- you seem to have failed rather spectacularly on this blog site.

Crawl back under your bridge, troll, and quit wasting everybody's time.

Bottom line: If conservatives want to run out into a thunderstorm with a lightning rod stuck up there ass…that's their business. But why do they insist on dragging the rest of us with them?

@Ou812:

I'll respect that you addressed post #41 primarily to Stopgap, but since you threw my moniker into the last paragraph (Your bad!), I will address your false characterization that all we "have is name calling." This won't be pithy, so feel free to skip through and gloss over, as usual.

First: You seem a little touchy for someone who continuously name-calls, insults, and denigrates "lefties" in the bulk of your posts. Need we check the record? As I've explained to you before, ad nauseam, I'm totally okay with that. This is a war of ideas, "cons" have made ''lefties" their blood enemies, and wars of any sort are not always kind. So, here's a few quotes for you: "How does it feel when the shoe is on the other foot?" "You can dish it out, but you can't take it." "Blah, blah, blah -- grow up!"

Second: As far as the evidence, it is ample and has been provided throughout many of these threads, and it is also in abundant supply on Thom's radio and TV programs, in addition to the many other outlets that truth tellers utilize to be heard. You obviously don't dig into much of it or any of it, because you don't really seem to give a shit and apparently don't like to be drawn out of your narrow-minded comfort zone, instead relying only on the programmed lies that flood right-wing media, drowning out all other countervailing voices.

Third: Laws have been broken, "big league," and then massively covered up. What f---ing rock have you been hiding under?! Certain despicable behavior dealing with taxes and campaign laws used to be -- once upon a time -- very illegal but are now legal, disastrously, thanks to rapacious Republican lawmakers and corporate-slanted Supreme Court Justices -- all designed to weaken the power of the People and strengthen the power of wealthy elites and their cash-cow corporations. The People absolutely need to revisit those laws and change them, or we're done as a democracy.

My God, Ou812, even in this thread, Thom provided you with a link to an important Princeton study that would open your eyes to many of the key points we've been trying to make repeatedly. What good would it do to retype it all here, if you're going to ignore everything anyway?

Fourth: If you want hard evidence of monumental Republican election fraud over the last several decades, I'll challenge you (yet again) to study what Greg Palast has uncovered, going all the way back to 2000. He has produced a large body of work, but a very well done (and rather entertaining) introduction is, "The Best Democracy Money Can Buy." (Note, he is a well educated, long-experienced, and highly qualified former FBI investigator, who was a primary on the Exxon Valdez oil spill, and who doesn't cut any slack for Democrats either.)

By no means, however, is he the only serious source investigating election fraud. Brad Friedman, John F. Kennedy Jr., Mike Papantonio, and many other capable journalists, writers, and lawyers have built a mountain of evidence that the Justice Departments -- under both Republicans and Democrats alike -- were and are afraid to touch for varied and obvious reasons. But the facts are, nonetheless, slowly, painfully coming out.

I also highly recommend "Dark Money" by Jane Mayer, who exposes the power behind the throne. Likewise, she is just one of the many truth tellers out there who is contributing to an accurate historical record, but her work is especially exceptional.

Finally: I'm sorry if that record sounds "liberal" and "lefty" to a "con's" ear and not worthy of consideration. So, just turn on your hate/lie radio programs, login to your favorite right-wing/lie websites, watch Fox/lie so-called "news," and enjoy blissful ignorance. You'll conveniently avoid anger and disillusionment and be much happier in La La Land. It's easier that way -- sad, but easier.

Therein, lies the primary problem of modern America and our lost democracy -- a political system corrupted by Big Money, a hollow mockery of the People's nation our Founders died for and entrusted succeeding generations to safeguard.

Thomas Jefferson went to the grave worried that the fourth leg of government -- a free and unfettered press -- would be undermined by lies. He earnestly maintained in his speeches and writings that if the People did not have steady and comprehensive access to the simple, factual truth of things, they couldn't make the right decisions, and, therefore, democracy and the Republic could not possibly survive. His greatest worry is now coming to pass.

(Dianereynolds):
"... pointing out the absolute hypocrisy of so many here ... it has become entertaining listening to the same old excuses and declaring you will do what you preached against Republicans doing for the last eight years."

"How would you expect me to respond?"

"Obama never figured out how to deal with the opposition. That is the mark of a leader."

Well, if you can do better, maybe you can set the pace and show us the way. You don't exactly come across as a follower. So far, I don't see anything other than more of the same under another name.

I'm amazed at how individual people are targeted with blame for dynamics that are generated through complex webs of interaction between many different people over time ... not to mention, I'm not convinced anyone really knows what anyone else is facing - especially those who are called to govern.

I do feel it might be nigh unto impossible to work in these industries without being caught up in conflicts between your own feelings/beliefs and those required to keep the job ... or starting out advocating for one issue, only to find the tables turning so you wind up opposing what you really support, and supporting what you oppose.

I say, be true to what is true for you, and carry on.

We all have a part to play in this process, or we would not be here.

I can see how Trump would want to be known as the best president America ever had ... to be heroic, in the most exceptional sense of the word ... I'm not sure how that would play out, or how it would work for the people of America ... or the world at large ... give it a chance ...?

..., uhm, ... do I have a choice ...?

I would love to see positive outcomes. I doubt that looks the same to different interest groups ... if you challenge his policies, and Trump perceives you as opposing him, how will he deal with the obstacle?

Nuke it?

Here's the good news:

Nukes generate more toxic waste. They, along with fossil fuels, will be yesterday's news in the coming era of enlightenment. We are about to find out what kind of government in this country - if any - will prevail.

... maybe conflict and resistance generate stress and tension that compel movement in the political sphere ... a deeply ingrained part of the process ... keeps the wheels turning ... clearly, some people are moved to reach beyond conflict to seek consensus ... others, not.

Word is, it all comes out in the wash.

OK Ou812, Nobody said that opposing recounts was illegal. Nobody said that not releasing tax returns was illegal. Nor would anybody say that opposing the gathering of evidence in any crime is illegal. However, if you haven't committed any crimes or done anything illegal. What do you have to hide? Probably something illegal. At least that's what law enforcement officers would tell you.

Brandon Hall, a Republican, was indicted on several counts of Election Fraud. Republicans are also the most likely to commit Voter Fraud. Just google it.

Sticks and stones may never hurt you , but facts obviously will. So will Donald Trump. Just give him time. Just ask those that attended Trump University. They too thought that Donald Trump would be the answer to all their dreams.

But as the old saying goes: "It's your funeral." I'm just can't understand why you are so smug and gleeful about driving off the cliff. Maybe it's the guilt from abetting the last Republican president that was responsible for the murder of 1000s of American Troops and maiming of tens of thousands of other American Troops, al least according to Vince Bugliosi, the man that prosecuted Manson. Or maybe it's the guilt of abetting Bush, the president that served while hundreds of thousands were evicted from their homes during the last Republican administration mortgage crisis and the 800,000 a month that were losing there jobs and the tens of thousands of factories that relocated out of the country during the last Republican administration.

I guess if I were bearing that cross, I would probably double down on my ideology, hoping that history would somehow prove the facts wrong. Or maybe I would go out and hire a snake oil salesman to over see the fate of my children and grand children.

@#38:

Friendly advice: If you feel the need to respond to what somebody writes, work on your reading comprehension skills to better absorb the essential points, so that you don't wander off into irrelevancy.

To your deflecting points:

The "if's" are what change history; otherwise, there never would have been an American Revolution against British tyranny. The unfair and immoral laws that were implemented and then manipulated by self-serving power/greed mongers need to be changed to allow fair and transparent elections, if we still want to be considered a respected democratic republic and not some third-world hybrid plutocracy.

It is not so much simple "anger" at Trump as it is total disgust and moral outrage at all that he represents, which are legitimate, viable emotions that can spur corrective action.

So, are you now a Bernie supporter? If not, then your words are disingenuous and hypocritical. He, and the points he still makes, rather loudly, are not "destroyed," and remain true as ever.

Deepspace:

I find it amazing that us "knuckle draggers" are always able to beat you ever so smart, lefties. And all we have to do to win is follow the law.

All the if's you have in your essay reminds me of the old saying, "If your aunt had balls, she'd be your uncle". Cheers!! Only 18 more days left.:).....

BTW, I cannot understand all the anger at Trump. It was Hillary and Democrats who destroyed Bernie, not Trump. He just took advantage of Democratic ineptitude.......

Knuckle Draggers Rule :))

Again, conservatives creating their own definitions to words, I think you had better look up the definition of the word "Hypocrisy."

And if those justices are consistent with Trump's morals, we can look forward to Pussy Grabbing as soon being legal as well as peeping in on naked teenage girls.

Yes, it will truly be Christmas in hell. And to all a good blight!

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Good morning Tom @#27

You are preaching to the choir. I think the excuse thing has reach it's century mark so now it is just down to calling Trump and family derogatory names. I guess that's all that is left for classy leftie/socialists to do. The election is over. I do find it funny they only concentrate on the presidential election. The real ass kicking was everywhere else. That should really give them something to bitch about. Anyway, they have eight years to regather for Chelsea's coronation.

Save the dress Monica.