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The last Progressive Radio in Wisconsin is no more: 92.1 The Mic is now 92.1 The Best. I started listening to Thom Hartmann, Ed Schultz, Stephanie Miller, Randy Rhodes and Bill Press 15years ago when, I believe, it was still Air America. I was driving to work at 4:00am in the morning when I found Thom Hartmann. I listened to Bernie Sanders every Friday. This was where I, at the age of 48, first started learning about politics and what Progressive politics meant. I was raised a Goldwater Republican and was ignorant of politics for most of my adult life. If The Mic, in the heartland of Progressive Wisconsin, can be bought out, then everyone better realize how, now, even mainstream radio is dead. I thought that our main problem as Progressives was to learn how to communicate with the likes of rural Wisconsin. The take over of our country is almost complete except for within our hearts. I must believe that there is a spirit alive within us transcending the physical boundaries of our lives, connecting us to each other and that the good within all of us will somehow prevail.
But a good economy doesn't happen when all of the wealth is filtered to the top! 180 tax incentives for the top .1 of 1% of the population found by Simpson/Bowels. Alan Simpson said people would be amazed at what they are able to deduct. And what happened after this was brought to the attention of Congress early in the Obama's 1st. administration, nothing because of that fateful pact made at the secret meeting with Frank Luntz in the Caucus Room. If the Republicans modified the tax code and the economy got better, Obama would get credit. And so here we are again . . . should the dems do the same thing, or let the Republicans have free reign. I say, let them have free rein and finally hang themselves. Let the people find out what Supply Side Economics REALLY does! Then and only then can the Republicans tuck in their tails and run and the Dems can come in and clean up their mess once again.
You say "And, when that happens, what are they going to do about it?" I say, they will do nothing. Just like they did in this election cycle forgetting that the Republicans obstructed anything and everything Obama could possibly do to help them. For eight years they obstructed. And what did the Republican base do? They voted the Republicans back in. These are people who vote against their own best interests as far as I can tell.
Every time Democratic legislation that favored the 99% got killed by the Teapublican controlled House and Senate the last two years Obama should have called a press conference and used his bully pulpit it to inform the citzens about this obstruction...every time...but he didn't.
But guess who will manipulate the press 24/7 with lies about Democrats blocking so called "good for the people" Teapublican legislation, making it sound like the Democrats aren't doing their job, and thus screwing Merica????...and guess who will believe all of these broadcasts by Fox News , ABC, CBS, and NBC????
These networks are the reason the same angry people continually vote for those who are making them angry???
I wonder how long ot will take Wall Street to figure out the country is heading for endless violence and an exteme economic upheaval?...not to mention full blown war with Iran, the war that will finally bankrupt us for good.
How can anybody possibly predict what Trump will do when he lied 91% of the time. I think that he will be molded by Ryan and McConnell, but that is a guess.
THAGOODSPORT: everyone is afraid to talk about the election fraud because it will lead to complete chaos if the general public hears the truth that Clinton really won by an electoral landslide...not to mention popular vote. But complete chaos is what we are headed for anyway.
So much for the Giuliani and Comey scandal...not a word anymore. ISIS, Russia, and the wiki jerk all thank them.
How many laws does Trump have to break before some one gets the balls to prosecute this guy? Then there is the election fraud in all the swing states yet again and we get the Democrats saying we lost its our fault! Doesn't anyone have some self respect out there?
Recently on the Rachel Maddow show on MSNBC Rachel pointed out that Russian diplomats claimed that they were in touch with Trump and his organization all through the election campaign. Seems to be a major security risk if it's true? Does anyone know if the FBI is investigating Trump on this issue?
Buy soda from Mexico it doesn't have high fructose corn syrup.
Drain the swamp! We can argue about who's a fascist later.
Well said. Yes, many of us aren't surprised, but we are increasingly disgusted. The writing, in bold capital letters, has been on the wall for sometime. It's still mystifying how such a large segment of Americans bought as gospel what Trump peddled from his sideshow tent. So you all wanted an outsider? You picked the wrong guy. As Thom says, Bernie Sanders was our answer. As Trump signs up increasingly creepy ultra insider conservatives to his transition team, can you read the writing now? There's a reason Trump and so many indifferent conversative operatives continue to treat the American masses like imbeciles. The people let them. As Thom in effect asks, are you feeling buyer's remorse yet?
Tsultrim - I think your analysis is deeply insightful. Having grown up around these people - working whites at the top of the lower class or just barely into the middle class - I can add this more colloquial take. These are people who made do with their position in society, always with the knowledge that they were not part of the professional or upper class, and many of them did quite well. Many are skilled tradesmen, many used to have good union jobs, some own small business, and many participate in the cash only underground economy in addition to their hourly jobs.
One thing most of them believe is that, in the framework of their world, they can do what they want. Out here in the sticks, doing what they want means shooting their guns for hours at at time, open burning their trash, driving gigantic tricked out pickup trucks and generally treating the environment like crap. They chafe at any restrictions imposed on them. My neighbor down the road was towing junk cars to his place, dismantling them and selling them for parts. Some of us had to go to the county government and get him to stop because he did not have and could not get a permit for this. His attitude was 'how can they tell me what to do on my property?' Now they are seeing through the fog something that scares them to the bone - that the neoliberal economy basically views them as no different than the uneducated nonwhite people at the bottom of the heap. The one thing that comforted them was the knowledge that there were people who by dint of their ethnicity were lower on the economic rung. Now they see themselves slipping into the abyss.
It does no good to call these people racist because that is not the whole story. Yes some are openly racist but most are resentful and this resentment was exploited by Mr. Trump, who has goaded them into an ongoing temper tantrum. Many of them could have been reached by a true populist like Bernie Sanders, but that ship has sailed. If they could have been reached they could have been reasoned with. They are not all bad people. They saw a choice between a candidate who will shake things up and a candidate who they viewed as part of the elite that doesn't give a damn about them.
There is big difference between Obama, Clinton and Sanders VS Trump. What Trump says he is going to do can be achieved. Free masters degrees, free healthcare, and world peace aren't. They will never happen the left pounds 12 to 20 years of propaganda into students to believe it can happen. The best path to a good life is a great economy. Then we can afford all of the above for our children
I don't know what motivated the Italians to follow Mussolini, but I think the Trump followers are emotionally disenfranchised. They may also be financially disenfranchised, but I don't think that's the real underlying impetus. I think that right-wing radio and news and social media have whipped up a kind of false insecurity that plays particularly upon men who already feel one-down by lack of education or poor upbringing. It also plays upon women, but more upon the men. I see this as a crisis of individual confidence preyed upon by the far right. As LBJ said, convince the lowest white male he is better than the best black man and he won't notice you're picking his pockets (paraphrasing). I believe the white male who is not involved in Wall Street, the tech industry or other grand, high-earning occupations, is existentially angry and doesn't know why. So, he blames it on anything put into his mind by outside forces. I believe, unless the left can get in and re-educate the populace, these people are lost to us. I believe they will resort to violence first, listening last. I see no hope except efforts like Marshall Rosenburg's Non-Violent Communication on a large scale, or a vast change in demographics rendering this group small enough to be inconsequential. I'm not hopeful.
Many smart presidents have been rendered "do nothing presidents" because they do not know how to handle congress.
IMO Trump is practical and knows his only hope of reaching some of his objectives is to make deals with the Repubs.
So, what better people to pick?
ct
ErinRose (#41) Holy cow -- you're comparing Trump to Christ and calling the Clintons killers?!
I'm sure in real life you're a very nice person; but seriously, you need to find your way out of the swamp. That just sounds crazy as hell! And I'm not trying to be a troll. I'm sincerely concerned for our democracy when such delusions become so commonplace. That's one of the main reasons this clown was "elected."
Myself, from now on, I absolutely refuse to accept the results of any presidential election unless they can win the popular vote. Period! I don't care about the history of the Electoral College, the stupid tradition, the legal malarkey, or any other phoney justification; it's a completely ridiculous, undemocratic throwback to the horse and buggy era and only works in favor of mostly Republicans, a minority party clearly out of step with most of the electorate. One person; one vote; 51% wins! Otherwise, we can't brag about being a shining example to other democracies around the world.
Perhaps if more people take a stand on a personal level, someday it might get through the fog of brainwash and legislative process. Yeah right!
...And someday the rivers will run red with wine instead of blood. But not for at least four more years. That's for damn sure!
If Trump wants an infrastructure bill here are things Democrats must insist on:
---U.S. manufactured materials used in the construction
---union labor used in all infrastructure projects
---sustainable construction plans and practices
Wow! So far president elect Trump has announced TWO names. Take a breath.
We have embarked upon a dystopian and corrupt future for the United States. This reversal of tide from Obama's hope and change that was happening, but was consistently sabatogued by the people now taking office, will shift the benefits of our economy to the bathist/republican party members, and rape our economy, the poor, the environment and the middle to upper middle classes, not to mention the world.
Where are the high power corporate executives in the Trump Cabinet? The best and brighest, Warren Buffet, Carl Ichan, instead we are getting the usual Republican "hacks" who promoted Trump, but no one with substance and change, as promised.
SBK
Thank you Thom for all you do. You were a voice of reason last week and helped me gain some perspecctive on last weeks events. I have resolved to focus on those issues I am passionate about including affordable health care, the environment and global warming, women's rights, voting rights and legislation, civil rights, equal opportunity, ending Citizens United.
I have added a new passion to end the electoral college. On you program this past week, you discussed an organization that is working towards this end. Will you please post that group?
I have been a loyal following for years and a recent subscriber to you pod-cast.
Thank you again.
Marilyn Adair
showing HC & Dem Senators up to 4% ahead vs. about a 1% or less vote win for Rs (per Friday’s Thom Hartmann Show) plus the purge of 1-7 Million minority voters (per Greg Palast) from those states voter rolls = fraud & theft. We must move quickly, before the Electors for the Electoral College vote next month. If as these matters indicate, the election was stolen, then both HRC & a blue Democratic Senate and bluer House should be the real winners of last Tuesday’s election!
And it calls the legitimacy of the elections into real question, with a need to correct it. Please do all you can to spread this word. Too many irreversible tipping points are ahead; on behalf of our country and planet, thank you so much PM
On Meet the Press this AM, why didn't Keith Ellison or Cory Booker mention that theTeapublican Party is the party of free trade and thus the export of jobs.....not the Democrats? Why didn't they mention voter suppression via over 800 polling places closed in areas that vote democratic? Why didn't they mention interstate cross check, exit polls....god dammit...Trump did not win the fnnn election! Until Dems learn how to fight back and communicate truth to power we'll all continue to be at the mercy of dweebs like Ryan and Turtleman!
The Reds bought into the lies of the Teabag party ...the party that only cares about 100 billionaires...so now the rest of us have to suffer because the Dems can't get control of the message of truth.
I think there is enough opposition to the Trump presidency from all sides to make him a flashpoint for discontent. We will have to see what he does in fact since he has talked from both sides of the table in his stump speeches such that no one is exactly sure what his policies are, and since becoming the president-elect, he has begun walking back from some of his campaign promises. But I will say this: I think this country has been so polarized and so radicalized that I believe DJT will be assassinated within the first six months after his inauguration, especially if he proceeds to a Clinton incarceration. The Clintons belong to a Beltway Insider elite club that has staffed the judiciary and the government with crony pals. If DJT doesn't fall in line with their corruption, then they will kill him just as easily as they killed JFK. Jesus was a sacrificial lamb for our sins as was JFK, RFK, MLK, M-X, and now comes DJT who has said that he wants to do good things for We, the People. But there exists too many people who oppose this who have been in the government for decades. These people are not just going to give up their power and walk away because some temporarily elected president says so. Murder is just part of their landscape of "doing business" and "the ends justifies the means." I believe DJT will die for our sins which will launch a total civil war. Hopefully, after the dust settles, we will have our democratic constitutional republic back again. But no matter what, the next several years promise to be bumpy ones full of chaos, lies, disinformation, and the unexpected.