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How can the Democrats get their message out when media outlets ignore them? TV commercials all year not just during election season. Each representative should create a weekly 60 second commercial that will play during the week on local TV during prime-time. Call it Washington Catch-up. They should use this 60 seconds to let their constituents know what they accomplished and what the Republicans attempted to take away from the 99% or give to the 1%. Make it positive and personal to their constituents. They should also have monthly, well publicized town halls with all their constituents. Getting the word to the voters should not just occur during elections.
How can the Democrats get their message out when media outlets ignore them? TV commercials all year not just during election season. Each representative should create a weekly 60 second commercial that will play during the week on local TV during prime-time. Call it Washington Catch-up. They should use this 60 seconds to let their constituents know what they accomplished and what the Republicans attempted to take away from the 99% or give to the 1%. Make it positive and personal to their constituents. They should also have monthly, well publicized town halls with all their constituents. Getting the word to the voters should not just occur during elections.
Thom, i disagree - the billionaires have always been there - the difference is your own industry.
And they have a more centrally coordinated talk radio now, like rove did. They're going to be able to instigate and interpret anything they want because the left ignores the right's best weapon.
Thank goodness for Shumer mentioning rw radio, and there is a way to fix it. At republliconradio.org is a list of 88 universities that have no excuse for pissing on their mission statements and broadcasting sports on rw radio stations without complaint. Almost any trump protest could happen at those unis with the objective being to complain about their schools supporting Trump radio.
Free speech? What if a station went all KKK?
The schools have no excuse for supporting Trump, global warming denial, and attacks on public education, to say the least. It wouldn't matter what the schools did ultimately, as soon as the state GOP noticed they'd freak out and media would notice and advertisers will flee.
The monopoly couldnt survive if thier loudest stations had to go to other programming. More stations would open up to liberals.
Without RW radio Trump can't do shit and Dems could get House and Senate.
When DJT was campaigning, he was free to say whatever he wanted. It was pointed out that he spoke to whatever audience he was courting at the moment resulting in what seemed to be a barrage of contradictory statements. He did, however, make some promises that, since the election win, he seems to be back-pedaling on, so who knows how safe Medicare and Social Security are? If Ryan is successful, though, in privatizing these two very popular social safety nets, I think it will be a very long time before the Republicans ever see a dominance in at least two of the branches of government ever again. Thus far, what I'm seeing of Trump is running in the same track as Obama. That is, lots of campaign promises together with lots of contradictory statements (called "patter") designed to keep people in the dark as to the real intentions. (Obama played this game for several years before We, the People caught on.) Then what follows is a complete lack of transparency, followed by very unpopular legislation, Executive Orders, and policies. Obama may have gotten away with this because We weren't aware of the hidden agenda, but now, we've seen this all before. If Trump continues on down this road, he will get called out on it. Then he will have two choices, either do what he said he will do and keep his promises to the American people, or get tough and ram through things that are really upsetting to all but the billionaires (The Billie Club) who are the little men behind the green velvet curtain. I, for one, certainly hope that Trump will, at the very least, keep the economy from tanking, or using such an event to declare Martial Law in a final phase of the American take over leading to the global take over of the so-called New World Order. I hope Trump is enough of a real maverick to buck these (totally sick) powers and do some real good for this country. Heaven knows we've earned it.
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WORDS which RHYME with “LIES” {a rhyme}
My, such Lies
the Right supplies!!
Were Americans wise,
we would excise
these fibbing guys, -
- or at least we’d chastise
those whom they energize.
========================
Define save. If Medicare is privatized, it can still be labeled as "saved." And, Mr Ryan will consequently be well equipped to retire if it comes to that... "Golden Parachute."
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re the Electoral College: - My old era’s poli-sci about it {eg, in general-ed textbooks and in jr/sr courses}: = The Founding Fathers’ initial notion was to modulate prez-selection so’s to correct against stupid-masses’ votings. Then the EC thing got “democratized” such that in my academics-days it was working well-enough {eg, in terms of reflecting the general-nation’s tastes}. BUT things’re so different now, that current poli-sci-tists might be changing-their-minds about it. … Wikipedia’s useful page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electoral_College_(United_States)
Kend -- As Thom points out austerity always fails. I think what he should have said is that austerity always slows down an economy.
Do you know of any instances in which austerity has helped an economy, even just using the faulty GDP as the measure?
Once again, I really like the way you respond to so many blogs.
One thing is for sure, Paul Ryan will be out of his government job quicker than Chris Christie can down a Kit Kat if he screws up the medicare/social security program with vouchers and privatization.
In fact when asked would you rather see your benefits cut or the payroll cap raised, 8 out of 10 people believe the payroll tax should be paid on all income! Teabaggers polled at 7 out of 10 in favor of lifting the cap....it's too bad these Teabaggers are so distracted and confused by Fox News that they don't realize Bernie wants to raise the cap and many other things the vast majority supports in polls.
Ryan is holding the don't mess with social security gun to his own head....let's see if he's delusional enough to pull the trigger.
What ever happened to all the noise about Benghazi and Clinton's emails????? Oh that's right, it was just all propaganda to prevent her from getting elected....How much did it cost taxpayers again, FBI time included???? Obama just considers this messy democracy...no, it's not remotely democracy....it's third world crap!
More good news for Donald Trump. Chuck Shumer is Senate Minority leader. Two practical, ambitious New Yorkers. I believe both will work together to accomplish many things. It's going to be another Ronald Regan--Tip O"Neil relationship.
I feel like our only hope is that the electoral college makes the right decision & undo this mess. I know that's not likely to happen.
The really disgusting thing about this whole mess is the cabinet/staff, etc that Trump seems to be putting together. Is he trying to take this country back to the heyday of the KKK? Who's next? David Duke?
Trump is, and has always been the conman around town. He will enrich, and be one of the richest men on the earth, by time he is out of office.
He scams everyone, he belongs in a cell with Bernie Madoff. He will probably pardon him, when he leaves......lol
He will hurt and Maine, and kill, more Americans on our soil, than Bush, or Ben Ladin.
How do I get a suggestion to Thom?? I've tried several alternatives and all seems to be doubtful.
My suggestion:
If we are going to successfully fight this administration, we absolutely must build the organization of millions and millions of ordinary citizens that Bernie is talking about. Bernie has started Our Revolution and it needs to grow until it is a known entity in the minds of people across the nation. This will not happen by itself. And without it we will be powerless. We need to awaken this sleeping giant. So I propose that Thom dedicate occasional shows to a discussion of how to organize, what is needed, and where to do it. Over weeks and months of this the discussion should advance in every way as should the organizing. We need concrete ideas and direction. I'm suggesting that the show be an actual contributor to/instrument of, developing the organization. Feedback? Is this worth considering?
I worked on the i-735 initiative in Washington State which calls for a Constitutional amendment to clarify that Constitutional rights only belong to human beings, not corporations. Thousands of members of Our Revolution donated in October which provided us with enough funds to run newspaper and radio ads all over the state. I-735 passed with 63% of the vote and I want to thank Our Revolution for their support. We could not have reached rural Washington State without your help.
Dershowitz, Bannon and Trump are wrong and dangerous. If Bannon (like Trump) one who uses anti-semitism to build his power base and feed his rascist public (similar to Hitler), then presumably no one who manipulates rascist and anti-semitic hatred is a rascist or anti-semite, not even Hitler. We are now justifying promoters of anti-semitism and racism, as not being rascists, because they only use rascism to promote their power and feed their base. Surreal, and a bad dark turn toward into fascism, and the demise of democracy.
God help us all. This doesn't look good from here. I'm just an average Joe and can't use the big words so much but here is what I see. I watched Western Civilization on PBS with Eugene Webber of UCLA back when PBS was PBS and as I recall, the press and the ideas it propagates control the minds of the populous. I learned this in world history 101! What I believe is about to happen to us will NOT be the biggest power grab ever but just another government overthrow in the history of western civilization. It's a classic set up and in every instance the resistance was too little too late because they could not believe it was happening. An uninformed and misinformed public is easy to manipulate because they have no real understanding. It is not ignorance, people must have good information to make good decisions. Regan's deregulation of the airways trashed the Fairness Doctrine and any obligation the media had to inform for the public good and then Clinton signed The Telecomunications Act of 1996 allowing media outlets to be hoarded up under a single corporation. As I understand it we went from thousands of independently owned media outlets to our present situation of basically 95% or more of our news outlets being owned by 5 or 6 mega corporations. And this includes TV, newspaper, magazines, radio, Internet, etc...
Now I have recently watched a program on Free Speech TV "Shadows of Democracy" that explains that, by legal definition, corporations must put profit for shareholders above all else (public health, lives, environment, government, morals, just basic human decencies for Christ's sake!) and maximize externalities so that government, people other countries, individuals, anybody else is responsible for their waste, debt, cost, clean up, damages, the list goes on and on. (In what way does this resemble the definition of a person?) Now who the hell cooked up this recipe for sabotage where by law, those who now own and control our media not only have no obligation to inform us for the public good but a legal obligation to manipulate us into electing a government that cuts their taxes, lifts regulations, allows them to buy our politicians and infect our last hope for sanity, our Supreme Court, with this rot? In addition, on November 7, while I was flipping through channels on DTV in the 360 to 400 range, on every single (and there are several) religious channel the pastor was talking about the election and how to be guided (abortion) to vote on November 8. The message was very clear. (The channels run 24/7 and these people meet at least once a week and my local Democratic Party meets just once a month, how's that for another screw?)
So how I see it... I would never have believed what is going on at standing rock if I hadn't seen with my own eyes what Amy Goodman, Thom, and Free Speech TV as a whole has reported on. It is shocking, criminal and appalling. I fully expect the even worse militant oppression of any and all public protest anywhere and by whomever, as soon as Obama leaves office. I expect all social media to be immediately ended or rendered useless in the name of Home Land Security. I expect people like Thom and Amy to be spied on and vilified again, in the name of Home Land Security. I expect the ability of people to vote to be further hindered and more blatant voter suppression and election fraud. He will have the full force of the CIA, FBI, Home Land Security, National Guard, Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, and the omnipresent and well armed alt-right to intimidate and, if need be, crush any resistance as well as a legal system to back him up and a media to ignore, excuse and normalize it.
They have laid out their platform and they have everything in place to do it.
And I would fully expect nothing different from the next three in line behind him.
If the current administration cannot stop this with all the power they presently now still hold and willingly hand this country, our families, our security, over then God help us all.
Tom,
You were disucssing why Chris Christie was being demoted and you and your guest got it wrong. Christie prosecuted Trump's son-in-law's father. Publically embarassed him and sent him to jail. This was retalitation on the part of his son in law. That's why anyone associated with Christie is being dumped.
Morning news. At least fewer lobbiests are in the "Cockpit of Power"
"Pence removing lobbyists from Trump transition team"
"Lobbyists are being purged from official roles in President-elect Donald Trump's transition team, sources told Fox News late Tuesday. The move to get rid of lobbyists in key roles was one of the first decisions made by Vice President-elect Mike Pence in his role overseeing the construction of a Trump administration."
Anyone here believe Hillary Clinton would have taken this move?
https://www.yahoo.com/news/m/9e8ecb22-5b9e-3d21-bdb7-a22d712ee3d1/ss_pen...
I wonder what kind of degrees these Corinthian 15 got. Gender Studies, Medieval French Poetry, or some useless philosophy degree ? Noone twisted their arm to take out those loans. 2V0-621 Practice Test what they were getting into ? Pay back your loans instead of expecting someone else to. Stop acting like cry-baby Socialists and grow up. 70-412 Practice Test
We may have found our way into a precarious position in which we can't save ourselves from within. We may be like a cancer patient who is being told to treat and cure himself, or worse, has no other option available. We may need a physician, or team of physicians, outside of ourselves to impose a regimen of chemo therapy and whatever else in order for us to have any hope of recovery. Even if we knew what to do, we wouldn't have the intelligence or discipline to do it ourselves. We've just demonstrated that.
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THE OUTCAST {me}
{a 2-versed limerick}
The folks I know in mid-MO
go mostly with the Fox News flow
that Trump is okay
in a Christian way
and the Alt-Right is in the know.
… and SO:
I can’t express what I think
{that of disaster we’re on the brink}.
My social life
would suffer much strife; -
- ‘round here I’d have to slink.
… oh, WOE.
==========================
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ON-the-JOB TRAINING for TRUMP
{… a rhyme …}
Our fears Obama attempts to assuage
by saying that The Donald tends “pragmatic”; -
- not to press on in ideological rage,
but through LEARNING to become less dogmatic,
less ugly-ly rancorous,
less divisively cantankerous,
with a brain less dangerously dense.
{... Obama’s assessment we’ll hold in suspense,
since Trump seems unlikely with his ways to dispense.}
===========================================
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On-the-job Training for Trump
{… a rhyme …}
Our fears Obama attempts to assuage
by saying that The Donald tends “pragmatic”; -
- not to press on in ideological rage,
but through LEARNING to become less dogmatic,
less ugly-ly rancorous,
less divisively cantankerous,
with a brain less dangerously dense.
{... Obama’s assessment we’ll hold in suspense,
since Trump seems unlikely with his ways to dispense.}
===========================================
This whole thing may be a clear statement by Donald Trump that he is the Divider in Chief, further revealing his true self that his lust and desire for revenge and his personality disorders are more on a par with the fictional character Lex Luthor. At this juncture many of us are frightened that this will turn quickly to a dystopian, autocratic and fascist future and nation.
The Russians (Aleppo and the Putin involvement in his campaign), Turks (Michael Flynn is a Turkish agent) and Chinese are testing him and he has gone "dark", no speech, no comment on Bannon and the need to heal our divided nation. We are showing weakness to the world, and they will act on it. This is not a reality show, but the real cold cruel world, and Putin got to him even before he was sworn in. The entire balance of power is now ready to crumble, as Trump screws up his first task in office.
Can the Electoral College see this and act? Can Trump relinquish his electoral votes? Can the Senate hold on to the Filabuster Rule and if not we will be losing our democracy, as the Republicans put in place more voter disenfranchisment via SCOTUS appointments and legislation, to solidify their control, and Trump will make a mess of everything else.
I am fearful that we will shortly, before inaguration, pass beyond the point of no return for my lifetime.
God Bless the United States.