stevenkesslar

Do you think Trump understands the word PEDOPHILE? Or RAPE? Or INSURRECTION? The poor little pedophile buddy buddy. Oh how awful. President Pussy Grabber Pedophile Buddy is being attacked again! My heart bleeds for the worthless disgraceful piece of shit that is a shame on America. Oh the poor pedophile buddy buddy! Oh poor President Pedophile. Oh how my heart bleeds! I'm no lawyer. And trying to get in Trump's toxic raping lying brain in suicidal. But when I read that quote my assumption is that Trump is correct. This is a guy who is a disgusting worm who graduated from Roy Cohn U and has spent his life learning how to use the law to cover up for his crimes and rape and general disgusting existence. He probably had someone do the birthday card for him, is my guess. Maybe the signature is his or maybe not. Kudos to the WSJ to tell this worthless disgusting worm of a man that he can take all his bullshit and ingest it and choke on it. What a toxic horrible human being. Every fucking day the media should expose what a subhuman toxic lying worthless piece of shit Donald Trump is. Just like JD the ass kissing loser wants. It is probably cheaper for them to pay the moral worm money when he sicks his Roy Cohn lawyers on them, but refuse to apologize. America is getting the memo. Donald Trump is a disgusting piece of shit. He will forever be a stain on the USA. He is the absolute rock bottom worst of America.

Of course, when the WSJ did exactly that .............................. here we are. Shouldn't JD be ashamed of himself? What purpose does JD even serve? (Trick question. We all know the answer.)

This is a sad example: Talking ‘Trump accounts’ and mocking Democrats, Vance offers preview of how GOP will message the 'big, beautiful bill' Vance is correct, as far as it goes. He didn't talk about the tax breaks to billionaire donors. Or the special interest laws for special interest lobbies in red states, of course. They put enough populist stuff in the bill, like cash for working class babies and no tax on tips, that they can claim it is virtually the same as FDR's New Deal! Have to add that Vance is learning quickly from Trump when it comes to bald-faced lies. He railed against not wanting to pass on "this giant debt volume" to his grandkids. Except for the $3.4 trillion it adds to the deficit to help the needy rich, of course. Meanwhile, Democrats could not agree to tax the rich one fucking penny more to fund an expanded child tax credit that helped tens of millions of working class families and cut child poverty in half for one year. Harris had a great line about her Mom and the kitchen table. But she could not tell stories about how she drew blood from billionaires like Trump - or Kyrsten Sinema - to make sure all those kids were not thrown right back into poverty. I read she was advised not to rattle the chains of populism because some of the rich Democratic donors might get upset. Can't have that!

European envoy warns Trump administration actions are hurting efforts to help abducted Ukrainian children Since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, the Russian military has forcibly transported about 20,000 Ukrainian children into Russian territory. Are these woke assholes every going to get the memo? They are Europeans, who basically have been living off the good will of the USA for decades. So I guess not! These kids no doubt chose to move to Russia for their own good. Who would want to live in a shit hole like Ukraine that starts wars for no good reason? This is just as bad as all the whining even from Republicans about all those DEI kids in Africa who need pills for so-called "AIDS" or whatever! The able-bodied here in the US need to go out and work for their Medicaid and food. Why should we be giving pills and shit to DEI kids in Africa? America First! THIS IS OUR GOLDEN AGE!!!!!!!!!!!

We may disagree about this. One question I have had is whether we were headed to a world in which Putin and Trump were BFFs. I think the verdict is in. No, we are not. That may be what Trump wants, and where he thought the train was headed. But Putin doesn't see Trump that way. As you just said, Trump has always been his useful idiot. I think that is now clear. Poor Donald won't get the Nobel Peace Prize for his "Peace in 24 Hours" deal with Putin and Ukraine. So sad! That said, Trump does have a true BFF in Bibi, and a bunch of Middle East autocrats. And the genocide is on! Is there a Nobel Peace Prize for that?

This is not exactly a news flash. But Trump does live in some alternative form of reality. There was a funny piece on The Daily Show this week by Jordan Klepper, who has spent years mining the MAGAverse for humor. It was about how Trump went into one of his weaves about his brilliant uncle who taught at MIT, and died decades ago. And how he and his uncle once had a talk about how his uncle taught the Unabomber. Did Trump’s uncle teach the Unabomber? No. Here’s what really happened Again, it is not news that Trump has a tortured relationship with facts and reality. But this helps explain how Zelenskyy was a dictator, until he wasn't. And Putin was kind of the victim, until he wasn't. Probably the key ingredient is that Trump is a genius, he thinks. Which is actually close to being a madman, he thinks. Which may be true, at least in his case. Then he makes up his own alternative reality of facts. But those alternative facts keep changing to whatever he wants them to be. I mean, it's not like Joe Biden was a genius in his prime as POTUS. Klepper put a photo up of both Trump and Biden and everybody laughed. But this is deeply fucked up. Then again, what's new? 🤪

Honestly, I don't get it. And while I know people I can get a read from about what drives MAGA, I really don't think I know anyone deep enough in the insane asylum to explain this to me. You're right that there are so called "leaders" or influencers who used this to gain power or make money. But the part I don't get is why do the people inside the insane asylum believe it, and dwell on it? And of course the easiest answer is, "Duh! Because they're insane." The other overwhelming feeling I have had for a long time is that most people who are Millennials or Zoomers are cynical. And that's not quite fair of me to say. Because the Millennials that worked their asses off for Mamdani are anything but cynics. But my point is that I think that may be one of the drivers here. Cynicism. The people in the insane asylum genuinely see Trump as the anti-hero and bad ass who will go in and own the libs and open the coffins and root out the vampires in the Deep State. So now he is the Deep State. Or at least Pam Bondi is. They are now the government that covers shit up and gaslights everyone. Except this group is probably less Zoomers than older Gen X types. Like I said, I know none of them personally. The phrase I keep thinking is those who live by the sword die by the sword. This is more like those who live by gaslighting die by gaslighting. There is good news in this. If MAGA eats Trump, he can't turn our barking dog into Trump Steaks. One less cruel thing will happen. But the sad part for me is Putin has to be in stitches over this. As in, THIS is democracy? What a fucked up mess!

Exactly. There are the midterms. I view Nancy Pelosi as one of the best politicians of my lifetime. I think she saw the handwriting on the wall, and worked mightily to prevent it. She got Joe Biden out of the way. Had she not, I think there would have been more losses in the House and Senate. We actually gained one House seat. Had we gained a few more, a lot of this could have been prevented. But it was not to be. If Democrats can take back the House, it stops some of the bad shit Trump can do. But as @lookin says, they will still do as much through the executive branch and Trump's handpicked SCOTUS as they can.

No shit! And I agree that I don't know they have it in them. I know I may sound like I am all AMLO, all the time. But implicit in what I am saying is that shit has to change in a really big way. Like AMLO literally created a new political party. Which now basically has a lock on power that the global elites worry is .............. wait for it .................... too authoritarian. But the Mexican working class sure love it. Part of my optimism, which my Dad and siblings share but not most of my nieces and nephews don't, is that leaders can actually make a difference. There was of course Obama and "hope and change." And now Mandani is a local version of the same thing. Trump is a version of the same thing for Republicans. Generally, they love him. Their problem is Republicans account for nowhere near 50 % of the vote. Nor do Democrats, for that matter. My larger point is that Republicans were kind of fucked until Trump came along. McCain lost. Romney lost. So it makes sense that they can't live without him, so they live with him. Did it really have to be this way? That's for historians to fight over. For now we just have to live through it. Assuming we can, and do. I think it is the same with Democrats. Some leader has to come along to change the party. Clinton did that, for both better and worse, in 1992. I'm not sure I would say the same with Obama. In 2000, the Democratic President was from Arkansas and the Senate Democratic Leader was from South Dakota. That could not happen today. The Democratic Congressional leaders are from places like New York and San Francisco. Obama rose to power in Chicago. That kind of sums up the problem, I think. Clinton's party still appealed to the working class. Including in states that we now think of as ruby red. Ruy Teixeira's big thing is the working class. He and John Judis, who know the area well because they forecast it a generation ago with The Emerging Democratic Majority, view the problem at core as being that Democrats lost touch with the working class. So the 30,000 foot level solution is to elevate leaders who will fight for the working class. It is working in Mexico. The thing that scares me the most is the rise of billionaires and autocrats. And that is where both parties are just as much to blame. Working class people got a few crumbs with "no tax for tips". But basically Trump's party is breaking the budget to give billionaires whatever the hell they want. When Democrats had power they could not agree to raise taxes on these people one penny, even though the idea is wildly popular, to fund things that help the working class. That is in part because lots of Democrats either are very rich, or they are afraid of pissing off their rich donors. Who they constantly suck at the tit of. And every attempt to make Democrats not dependent on sucking the tits of the rich has failed. So I get why all my nieces and nephews are cynical. Or, they are the rich ones who like Trump and his tax cuts. What is certain is that by empowering the autocrats and cutting their taxes and fucking the working class and poor on health care cuts and basic things like food, Republicans are NOT giving Americans the change they want. But whether Democrats will ever be able to do it is a very good question. A lot of young people feel that when the Democrats rejected Bernie, that was game over. The rich now control both parties. I don't blame them for feeling that way.

As you note, it is the unitary executive theory. Not the unitary government theory. That said, my Sister In Cock is right that it is a de facto unitary government now. For the most part, the legislative branch and SCOTUS are willing to go along with whatever Trump wants. The caveat is that right now the House and Senate are Republican run. Check back with me in 2027. So the biggest check right now is constant articles about some judge somewhere who actually puts some limit on Trump. At least until SCOTUS says, "Oh, no. Do whatever you want." And it's worse than you think. John Mearsheimer is one example of a smart person saying on foreign policy Trump can do anything he wants. He is systematically destroying alliances that took a century or more to build. On Ukraine at least he is surrounded by Republicans who mostly despise Putin and want to sanction him. So that part of the GOP is still breathing. Then there is the GENOCIDE JEW!!!!!!!! show. The United States and Israel are increasingly associated with genocide. As in, "Want food? Okay. But let me kill you instead." It's happening every day. Mearsheimer argued Trump can pretty much do anything he wants. Bombs away, if Bibi and Trump agree. Which they seem to. And, yes, I know. That's Israeli Jews, not American Jews. Then we get into the Israel Lobby in the US, which Mearsheimer wrote a book about and is all too happy to talk about. So right now there is only one proudly Jewish nation in the world, and it is having a genocide spree. And the US is paying for much of it. Oh, and did I mention Trump has his finger on the nuclear button? The solace in this is that the reaction is clearly growing, just like it did in 2017 and 2018. Can Trump cancel the midterms? Hope not. The polls show even Republicans say they don't want Trump to be King. Mostly they feel democracy is alive and well, though. Trump won fair and square, and they like what he's doing. Although even with that there are more and more Republicans saying they DO NOT like tariffs, or his cruel immigration policy. My conservative Romney-ite nephew who basically supports Trump's policies is a really good read for me on this. A month or so ago I said I'm not even sure if people care about democracy anymore. I don't believe that, but I was curious what he would say. "I think they care about democracy. They just want change." he replied. I agree with him. That is what Trump acolytes said loud and clear, and correctly, in that Frontline video. So the question on the table now is, "is this the change you wanted?" The verdict is out. I will say this about the unitary executive theory and executive orders. Bipartisanship and "meeting in the middle", which I know is what my conservative nephew and I deeply agree on and favor, has been dying for a long time. Obama increasingly used executive orders because it was the only way he could get shit done. As that video shows, Trump took out a lot of Biden's executive orders on Day One. So Trump is taking out all the guard rails, for sure. But he is symptom, not cause. What happens is that every election since 2016 people vote for change. Then they don't like it. And then they vote for change again. My money is on them doing it again in 2026 and 2028. But I do miss the 80's and 90's which were a great time for meeting in the middle and getting big shit done. Win the Cold War, perhaps? Budget surplus, anyone? 😀 Ain't gonna happen with this hot mess. So it's on Democrats, next time they get a shot, to see if they can deliver the kind of change people actually want. At least something like 51 % of them in at least enough states to get a majority of US Senators.

As that PBS documentary @lookin posted argued, we have been here before. Nixon dug his own grave. The coverup is worse than the crime. You and I keep talking about two different audiences. The MAGA folks are basically a lost cause to me. Including my own niece, who I love. The only question is how many of them will actually go vote to defend their hero. This will not help Republicans in the midterms. Which is why Mike Johnson is speaking up. He knows if these people lose faith in the cause he will be Minority leader. Or MAGA will toss him, even. I'm most interested in swing voters. And your point is right. They never should have voted for Trump. But I would rather they vote for my team in 2026 and 2028. My premise is that most Americans care about the rule of law. I think that is true. That PBS documentary spelled it out, in the words of some of Trump's own most ardent media supporters. They considered him dead meat in 2021 and 2022. The lawfare narrative was able to fill the void in part because Garland did pretty much nothing. And Fanny had an affair. I don't think the fact that Trump is a felon helped him. At least not on balance. I do think it was the prices, stupid, in a close race. Had Trump gone to trial and been convicted by a jury, I think it would have hurt him. In a 49.8 % race, probably enough to tip the race. We'll never know.

DO NOT LET TRUMP TURN YOU INTO TRUMP STEAKS. YEAH YOU'RE A DUMB DOG BUT I LIKE DOGS. DO NOT LET TRUMP TURN YOU INTO TRUMP STEAKS. HE WILL DROP YOU IN A HEARTBEAT. POOR THING! HERE IS A TREAT NOW BE GOOD BUT BE CAREFUL.

There was a nice Politico article today gaming out what might really be going on here. I think the simplest explanation is that Trump and Kash Patel and Co. started a fire they knew was fueled by bullshit to gain power. And they are now learning that bullshit is more combustible and durable than they thought. What a shocker! But I'm beginning to wonder whether the even darker scenario is true: the piece of shit rapist felon is all over whatever they got. And so Trump has to cover it up to avoid an even bigger scandal. As you note, authoritarian leaders are always more than willing to throw their authoritarian followers under the bus to preserve their own authoritarians asses. Has anybody seen Mike Johnson's decapitated head on a stick, hung outside the US Capitol? Or maybe Mike Pence hanging from a noose? Point is, I said using satire above that Johnson should be deported. If this were Hitler, or even a wannabe like Putin, that would be way too nice. Johnson would be dead outside the Reichstag in a pool of blood. The fact that we are seeing Republican leaders break with Trump in real time probably does tell us something about the limits of his power. There is no evidence that they are willing to go down with the ship. But we'll see. I do think my Sister In Cock is correct. Trump is deranged, and only getting worse. We should not underestimate how bad he can get. And how much shit he may try to break. That documentary you referenced looks great @lookin. I only watched about 15 minutes to get the jist of it, and will watch the rest later. But it just confirms one thing I know, and several posters here have discussed. There is a bad guy in this picture who fucked up badly and every Democrat in America should despise as the worthless incompetent piece of shit that he is. His name is not Donald Trump. It is Merrick Garland. Garland had four fucking years to prosecute Trump. That poll is from 2023. For four years there were endless polls that said the same thing. It's not that the rule of law failed. It is that it wasn't really tried. In the end, I think a lot of voters basically said, "You ain't got shit. You are all talk. Don't keep preaching about democracy and the rule of law. You clutched." That said, my own opinion is that Trump, an idiot and felon, is now doing a reverse Biden. Biden and Democrats overplayed the democracy card. In the end a lot of people voted for Trump because of prices, not noble ideas. And his promises on prices. So maybe Trump thinks as long as he is breaking shit, his authoritarian followers will be happy. And as you know, @lookin, many of them will be happy. But we are seeing his coalition fall apart in real time. Some of it is whackos who are more interested in conspiracy theories, anyway. But the price of electricity is up 9 % so far this year, homes are unaffordable. And health care and food will soon be for lots of Trump voters. Sorry. But that shit just ain't gonna fly. Biden was no AMLO. But neither is Trump. It worked for AMLO because he actually knew that working class people are not stupid, and they know when they are better or worse off. Trump didn't get that memo. Like in 2018 and 2020, I think he will reap the consequences of his greed, narcissism, and stupidity. Trump may think he can be King. He actually could be that dangerous, as my Sister In Cock says. So we'll see. But mostly what I see is a very fragile coalition that could not get 50 % of the vote in even one election slowly dying by sinking into its own bullshit.

Rogan is a sad case. I'll say two things that are completely contradictory. I'm a pragmatist. There has been this debate about whether the left needs its own Joe Rogan. I like what Charlemagne The God, who is also a pragmatist, said. "No, we need to go talk to Joe Rogan." Rogan obviously has a broad audience, although I am not part of it. He did back Sanders in 2020. It was a mistake for Harris NOT to make him and White guys like him a priority. White guys like him cost Harris the election. So we should talk to Joe Rogan. That said, and here's the flip flop, I have no idea what Rogan believes in or stands for, if anything. The fact that he could flip from Sanders to Trump says it all. And he of course is not alone. There are millions like him. And this Epstein thing is the kind of thing he seems to feed on. I have never watched his full podcast, for the same reason I'm not a Tik Tok fan. So I am not the best one to judge. But I have watched lots of snippets. He was an Elon fan boy earlier this year. And he had a hard on for how Elon was trying to open the coffins at all these government agencies so we could finally see all the vampires inside. Meanwhile, back in reality, Elon was cutting AIDS funding in Africa. So this is exactly the kind of thing I would expect Rogan would lose faith over. Personally, I would rather believe in the America of Allan Lichtman. His whole keys theory is built on the premise that voters are mostly smart. And they make reasonable judgments based on issues like war and peace and the economy, stupid. I still believe that. Lichtman has been mostly right. In 2024 I think his big mistake is he misjudged the impact of inflation on the economy, stupid. They threw the bums out all over the world. Mexico was a huge exception to the global trend, because AMLO specifically governed FOR the working class. This is from 2020, when Sanders got pushback because Rogan praised him and Sanders touted that: So if Rogan likes the working class it seems like he should be pushing someone like AMLO. Which Bernie kind of is, but too old and too lefty for America. Rogan seems to have no idea what he stands for or what he believes in. What it all boils down to to me is that we need someone like AMLO who can win. And that ain't easy. Sanders came close. But it seemed clear his democratic socialism was a bridge too far. It's not clear yet that Mandani will be able to get elected in a blue city like NYC. The best we can probably hope for is someone more palatable than Sanders emerges in 2028 so that Rogan and guys like him can say, "Yeah, that guys real. That guy stands for something. That's a guy I like." That may sound sexist or racist or homophobic or whatever. But I am with Charlemagne on this, who was a Harris fanboy. In part because she talked to him. Do we want to win, or not?

House Speaker Johnson joins growing number of Republicans pressing Trump administration for more transparency on Epstein case And now the Louisiana pedophile has revealed himself as the Judas that he is. I knew it all along. I looked at that sweet innocent face and thought this is an evil man with something to hide. Pedophile! Judas! Johnson is obviously trying to distract attention from his own pedophilia and evil by parading around as some kind of Christian do gooder. President Trump is trying to restore SAFETY and THE SPIRIT OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST to public life. And now this betrayal? This disloyal worm does not belong in GOD FEARING Louisiana. Not even a shit hole like California. Deport him to a real shit hole like Brussels of El Salvador!

A Political Influencer Could Seriously Win a Seat in Congress The next trend on TikTok: heading to Capitol Hill. Can a dog be elected to Congress? I am thinking this might be a solution to our "barking dog" problem. My Sister In Cock is completely correct that these hard core MAGA people are insane and dangerous. They should be taken as seriously as ............ well .................... raping a child. As the current Epstein MAGA-rhea spell shows. The only point I would add is that the action is always in the reaction, to quote Alinsky. People look at the MAGA-rhea on Epstein and go, Ugh. Americans are now more solidly united around immigration being a GOOD thing than ever. Precisely because Trump is shitting all over the Statue of Liberty. He is shitting all over our trading partners and allies. And survey says this month inflation rose thanks to that. Another broken promise from the cruel rapist liar felon piece of shit. And even Republicans don't like that. So much shit. So many lies. I had another nightmare last night that Donald Trump killed our barking dog - shot him right in the head - to turn him into Trump Steaks to feed hungry Trump voters in red states once the SNAP cuts come down. Would Donald Trump actually do that? He is TACO Don, after all. But why take the risk? I would miss our own special barks either way. But at least if the dog is in Congress, he is probably protected from being turned into Trump Steaks. And we at least get to hear his barking. Perhaps we need to start a campaign.

I agree with your general point. And you are right, there is never much daylight between us. I'm not sure if Trump's leaders are more accepting of losing benefits. I understand your point about these kind of followers as a personality type. Maybe they are more willing. But I know Trump's lowest approval ratings in his first term coincided with his effort to kill Obamacare. And there was no shortage of Trump supporters in 2016 saying Trump would never try to take my Obamacare away, except if he has an even better deal. The polls suggested those people were pissed. The midterms did not go well for Trump in 2018. And the polls say the same now about the cruel Medicaid cuts. The difference may be between between "Trump voters" and "MAGA voters". My Sister In Cock makes an excellent point: these swing voters who voted for Trump are why he is President. That said, I'd rather they vote for Democrats next time. Even if they are "authoritarian followers." My guess is that the voters who would most likely be passive if their Medicaid or Obamacare were cut would be the MAGA diehards. Not swing voters who supported Trump based on promises about lowering prices. And my guess is that those authoritarian followers are heavily concentrated in the core of the MAGA base. As you said, it is Trump's specialty.

I have one word for this post: BRILLIANT! Well, and an abbreviation: ROTFL 😝

There is a slew of articles out there debating whether looming cuts to Medicaid or increasing hunger among working class Trump voters or a 9 % spike in electric bills since January will actually help Democrats in the midterms. Lots of Republicans say their voters won't notice or believe a word Democrats say. If there is a particularly bad sign for Trump in the midterms, it is this, I think: Trump faces a MAGA rebellion over Epstein outcry Huh? What the fuck? Over 10 million people will be thrown off Medicaid. Food banks can not possibly make up for the spike in hunger that is going to put stress on working class budgets. The deficit will skyrocket. Even liberal perma-scold Ruy Teixeira is excited that Democrats are for once embracing something like an "all of the above" energy strategy, and plan to blame Trump for a 9 % spike in electric bills this year. Since he is killing off everything Biden did to support solar and wind - which is popular with voters, just like natural gas and oil. All this is going on, and MAGA is having a crisis over Epstein? Hate to say it. But I almost feel sorry for Trump. Isn't he the MAGA master? Isn't he supposed to be able to control these people? Can't he give them a treat or something? I am laughing my ass off. I agree with my Sister In Cock that Trump is insane and dangerous. But this makes him and Pam Bondi look more like the wardens in a fucking lunatic asylum. My point about the midterms is this. I think we know for a fact that when Obama was King, Democrats did better when he was on the ballot - 2008, 2012 - than when he was not in 2010 and 2014. Same is true with Trump. 2018 and 2022 did not go well for Republicans. So that is baked into the cake, anyway. But now we have working class Trump voters who will be hearing true things about hospitals closing and Medicaid cuts and spikes in their food and energy bills. And meanwhile MAGA is going nuts about Epstein. A lot of these whack jobs are not going to vote. They didn't in 2018 and 2022. This likely presages that they are off in some alternative brain rot universe called Tik Tok. They won't believe a thing Democrats say, or vote for them. But they won't bother to support their local Republicans either. They'll post some wild shit on Tik Tok. The delicious irony for me is that at some point if you want to be POTUS you actually do have to be The Establishment. Which is what a lot of MAGA diehards rebel against. So Trump is now The Establishment. Makes sense to me. 9 out of 10 lawyers surveyed, Republican or Democrat, would probably say that is the right thing to do. But not in MAGA Brain Rot Land. They want an inquisition of Bill Clinton! But not their felon rapist Master who apparently can't control their barking. What the fuck? This is how Republicans survive 2026? Good luck guys! I'm tempted to say those who live by the sword die by the sword. It's more like those who get elected by brain rot will fail thanks to brain rot, just like in 2020. There are a lot of working class people and poor people who did vote for Trump in 2024 precisely because they didn't like the price of food or gas or electricity or a home. Those are the people Democrats have to win back. Not these fucking lunatics.

I really don't think there is any right or wrong on this. It's a matter of temperament, values, tolerance. I keep saying one of my best friends is tormented by this. He has a lovely sister I have met several times who is full on MAGA. And she is tormented, too. She wants to love and be close to her Gay brother, and embrace Trump. It's a slippery slope. I think everyone does have to make their own decisions about what they can do, and what works right for them. I spent a few years as a volunteer leading outreach teams going door to door in swing districts of the Bay Area trying to persuade people to support same sex marriage. As I have said repeatedly, I look back at that as the most satisfying campaign of my life. The idea at the time was that we'd win this at the ballot box. Some of THE GAYS think it was a legal victory, that ultimately went to SCOTUS. That is true. But members of SCOTUS have literally said that they followed the polls and the public. Had we not spent decades changing hearts and minds, the legal answer could have and probably would have been NO. And I do think someone like Clarence Thomas would roll it back, if he could. But he can't. And part of the reason why is even Trump and my MAGA niece would not want to go there. I don't think. But maybe I am wrong. One way or the other, my bias is that it is better to talk with them than not. But that is completely based on pragmatism. That talking with them is more likely to work than not. It did on same sex marriage. For me, at least, that is a fact. Not a theory. One of my friends and people I respect the most is a Straight woman who was one of a handful of people who cracked the code and figured out based on a lot of polling and focus groups how to persuade people in the center, especially religious people like my niece, to support same sex marriage. She then literally was paid to go to Ireland and design a campaign to win same sex marriage at the ballot, which she did. It was a huge fucking victory in one of the most Catholic countries in the world. And it all came down to talking to and persuading these soft people in the middle. And that all came down to opening hearts more than minds. To paraphrase Julia Roberts, "I'm just a boy in love with a boy. I just want to be able to fall in love and get married like you do." Hell, even Tik Tok is good for something. So, again, I am a pragmatist. Bottom line: it worked. We won. Wash, rinse, repeat.

You got two replies. So I am taking two, as well. It's funny. You literally just described an email exchange I had with my MAGA niece yesterday. And what you said is literally true. Hee hair is always perfect. And she does genuinely love her Gay uncle. But she is hands down the most MAGA relative I have. The other ones are basically people who would rather have Romney, but will accept Trump. She would rather have Trump. She thinks these people like Romney are useless RINOs. Yet, at the same time, she wants to feel like she's a moderate who can accept that whole GAY THING. So part of her MO is that she'll suggest we go to a Gay bar or do something Gay so she can check the box and say she's not one of those haters. Whatever her motivation, which is at core that she loves her uncle, it is all fine with me. I would rather have her try than just be a hater. So she sent me an email yesterday saying I should check out this series called Fellow Travelers. I debated how to respond. But I decided I will go there. So I informed her that I watched the whole series in 2023. It was outstanding, but also relentlessly depressing. And it is interesting that you mention THAT series. Because it is all about how THE GAYS were persecuted and crushed in the 1950's. And many Gay men feel the exact same thing is happening under Trump. including close friends of mine, who are tormented by the fact that their siblings love their Gay brother, but support Trump. She knows I don't have that issue with my family, because she is one of THEM. I'm sure she had no clue that she was exposing a certain type of ignorance, like Trump does when he praises the Black leader of an English speaking country for speaking English well. I'm sure my response annoyed her. I could have left it at saying it is just more fun to watch Jonathan Bailey dance and be pretty in Wicked than it is to watch him be persecuted and die of AIDS in Fellow Travelers. I gave her a small piece of information that she does not want to know, probably. And will almost certainly ignore. @lookin mentioned a friend who keeps trying to convince these true and loyal MAGA folks that they are wrong. She is an example of that in my life. And why @lookin is right. It make no sense to try to change their mind. Our dumb cruel loyal dog is a much more extreme example. As least my niece and I are smart enough to mostly avoid the topic. But she does want to be LOVED by the GAYS. So go figure. Again, I take this as an indicator of just how incredible the victory our community won is. We changed hearts and minds all over the world. So while the persecution is real, as you keep saying, it could be a hell of a lot worse.

Doesn't everyone? I mean, even under Trump with MAGA folk, it is STILL the fashionable thing to do. We do have a minor disagreement about Scott Bessent. I don't disagree with your analysis that he can be viewed as a traitor. As can RFK Jr. and Tulsi Gabbard. In my mind, the latter two are simply whack jobs with no real principles. RFK in particular is short on facts and long on conspiracies. I would not call Bessent a whack job. I think Trump likes having him around because he makes things, including Trump, at least look dignified. And for Trump it is like an acting job, anyway. Not leadership. So having the Gay guy with glasses around gives Trump honor, and dignity. I can't get in Trump's head. That is a toxic place to be. But I think that is probably how Trump views it. Certainly, Bessent makes someone like Rudy Ghouliani look tacky by comparison. I mean, the hair! And I realize I have no fashion sense compared to you, Sis. So cut me some slack on saying Bessent is at least somewhat fashionable. At least to someone like Trump, who likes glitter and gold. So, in a sense, Trump still wants to be loved by THE GAYS, even as he attacks us. Go figure. Just another reason why he is dangerous.