stevenkesslar

Why are you trying to ruin my day? 🤮

The Last Stand of the Corporate Democrats Their reign is coming to an end Robert Reich Aug 19, 2026 Buckle up for two very long and hopefully thoughtful essays. One from Robert Reich and one from me. I thought Reich's essay hit the nail on the head. He says a lot more about what is at the heart of the Democratic Party's problems today than most news articles. As Bill Clinton's Labor Secretary from 1993 to 1997, Robert Reich is in a position to be both a critic of what went wrong, and blamed for what went wrong, As Reich spells out, Democrat after Democrat after Democrat can be blamed for Democratic policies that hurt the working class. And in particular that destroyed factory cities and factory towns and factory life. Leading eventually to the rise of Donald Trump. Trump of course has done nothing to restore factory jobs, or factory cities. But Democrats deserve some of the blame, along with the W/Romney Republicans, for sucking the life and money out of that part of America. At a minimum, Democrats were complicit while corporate interests that donated heavily to many of them gutted lots of factory-based communities. Here's some facts about factory jobs in America. From Jan 1993 to Jan 1997, when Reich ruled, US factory jobs went up slightly, from 16.8 million to 17.3 million. By Jan. 2001 when Clinton left there were 17.1 million factory jobs. So there was a net increase in factory jobs under Clinton, and especially under Reich in the first four years. But it was far short of the almost 20 million US factory jobs when Jimmy Carter was President. In retrospect, the fact that we lost a few hundred thousand factory jobs in the late 90's as the stock market soared was a preview of what was about to come. As that chart I hyperlinked shows, the freefall of about 6 million factory jobs started with W and the 2001 recession and ended under Obama and the Great Recession. It's fair to say Clinton's free trade policies set the stage, as Reich argues. But it did not happen when Clinton was President. Joe Biden would later argue he was one of many Democrats pushing for "fair trade, not free trade". But, as he correctly notes, for most of the Bush Presidency they just didn't have the votes. Nor do Democrats have the votes now. The US was down to 12.1 million factory jobs in Jan 2021, when Biden took over. That number increased to 12.7 million factory jobs by Jan. 2025. After one and a half years of Trump, we've had a net loss of 60,000 US manufacturing jobs since Trump took power. Make America Great Again! The numbers matter because I think it tells us everything we need to know about "corporate Democrats." First, I think Reich is right that "corporate Democrat" policies aren't really on the side of the working class of America. Second, what Biden's Presidency suggests is that Democrats can at least be a check on corporate policies that are designed by and for corporate oligarchs. What is happening with data centers and AI is a great example of that today. If Sherrod Brown wins in Ohio, it will be because he is for labor unions and against unchecked AI data centers. Even the proponents of AI data centers admit they are better at creating corporate profits than long-term jobs. That's the most interesting two paragraphs in Reich's essay to me. Surveys suggest that Reich is correct, and America mostly understands this. The MAGA Minority will demonize guys with weird Muslim names as "communists." But there is no evidence in polls that the name calling is working. Quite the opposite. Republicans have no response to Democratic attacks on data centers. Other than to flip flop and now be against data centers themselves. Add ostensibly "corporate Democrats" like Joel Shapiro and Kathy Hochul to that list. The good news in this to me is that at least progressive Democrats can keep the corporate Democrats in check. I don't think AOC can win the Presidency. But if she takes on Schumer (if he runs in 2028) maybe she could win a US Senate seat in New York. That's amazing in itself. A democratic socialist Mayor of New York in a state with a democratic socialist Senator. And New York is arguably still the financial capital of the world, and of Wall Street. That pretty confirms what Reich is saying about the nature of the movement. It's the affordability, stupid! If California decides to tax billionaires this Fall, it will also be a strong sign of the times. And that to me is THE challenge of the Democratic Party today. And I'll focus on what Reich does NOT spell out, that makes the challenge almost impossible to solve. What Reich says without saying is that "an economy favoring the wealthy" has also favored college-educated workers, so far. He does state "workers without college degrees suffer declining real wages." No tax on tips, anyone? It's a measure of how weak Democrats have been that Trump, a corrupt billionaire, can throw white working class voters a few crumbs and a few culture war wins and keep their loyalty. At least until now. If anyone needs proof that "an economy favoring the wealthy" has been mostly good for college-educated workers, check out these charts of real inflation-adjusted income increases for residents of "socialist" California and "the free state" of Florida. From a post-Great Recession low of about $60,000 in 2014, median incomes after inflation have risen about 25 % in Florida, to about $75,000. Ron DeSantis can and does claim that's because Florida is like our stupid Murder Dog @Barknaway: good and loyal and true to Trump's free market policies. Bark, dog, bark! Call it a victory for Trumpian capitalism. Meanwhile, in socialist California, real inflation-adjusted incomes bottomed earlier, in 2011. Since then, they rose from $70,000 to $100,000, closer to a 50 % increase. It's not clear that life is actually better in the "free state" of Florida. Personally, I don't care for the humidity. 😉 What is behind those numbers is that times have never been better for college-educated young tech workers in California. Or just college-educated workers in California, period. If you are a homeless drug addict or a low income Black single Mom who waits tables or a struggling actor in California, life sucks maybe. It is definitely unaffordable. But a college degree still means something. List of U.S. states and territories by educational attainment That is a remarkable list. Of the 25 states with the fewest college educated workers, only one - New Mexico - is reliably Democratic. The two states most likely to buck the trend are New Mexico and Nevada, in both cases because they have among the highest percentage of Hispanic workers. ICE raids, anyone? But even Nevada is in play as the Hispanic working class flitters around with Trumpism and MAGA. Meanwhile, the 10 states with the most college-educated workers are all reliably blue. You have to get to #13, Utah, before you get a reliably red state. And that is because they are Mormon and religious conservatives. And therein lies the challenge: why would blue states with the most college-educated workers change something that arguably has been working pretty well for them? That's the question facing "corporate" Democrats today. And the challenge facing democratic socialists. I'm enough of a capitalist to believe that a corporate America without corporations would not be an America I'd look forward to living in. What makes the challenge harder is that college-educated workers bring all kinds of liberal values, which I share, without having actually delivered much on actual economic policy for the working class. Reich mentions some important exceptions: Obamacare, and the Earned Income Tax Credit. And in Trump's case I'd add No Tax On Tips. My constant rant about how Harris might have won in 2024 if she presented herself as the working class warrior who would slice Trump's balls off to defend money in the pockets of working class Hispanic Moms in the form of expanded child tax credits fits right in here. That said, a tax credit for kids is not the same as a factory job. I have no clue what the answer is. Other than that progressive Democrats are going to have to figure it out, if they really want power. And they are definitely going to have to moderate on the liberal social values I embrace and share, but the White working class (or, just the working class in general) simply doesn't. That problem is easy to solve. Either they moderate now, or they lose. The one interesting new factor in the political mix is the growing perception that corporate oligarchs like Elon Musk are now ready, willing, and able to throw white collar college-educated workers under the bus, too. I'm pretty sure that's a big part of why AI data centers are now a toxic idea. Shows us just how loyal to America and workers the oligarchs like Musk are! I don't think we will get rid of "corporate" Democrats, or corporations. I would be happy if we can castrate Elon Musk, politically if not economically. Tax the son of a bitch a lot more. Let him pay to make the US working class great again.

Fuck you, Sis. I won't be able to get that image out of my mind all day. 😉 We now return you to your regularly scheduled not disgusting political leader looking hot. I'll instead spend the day thinking about what it would mean to have Jon Ossoff in a position of immense public trust inside me. 🙄

Of course, Republicans like to talk about how Trump saved her life as a bone cancer victim thanks to his Right To Try Act. Donald Trump would never lie. Would he? Now come on, Sis. At least we know Natalie's brush with death created deep empathy and kindness within her. Just like Republicans have for everyone on Obamacare and Medicaid. And she is DEFINITELY not racist. Poor Tim Scott.

Is it the shoes, Sis? Or the fact that he always seems to have Trump's sloppy wet poop running out of his mouth? I was watching a video interview of investment guy (and conservative) Ken Fisher yesterday, and he said Bessent says nothing worth hearing. He's a sock puppet.

And I guess I should apologize to Trump. I keep saying he is a piece of shit. But the poor old piece of shit can't even keep his shit hard.

Progressive Aisha Wahab wins Eric Swalwell’s former House seat The Genocide Jew keeps wasting AIPAC money, blackening the name of Israel among Democrats, and getting progressives elected. Thanks, Genocide Jew. Piece of shit! And AIPAC is now symbolic for "Genocide Money." They spend their Genocide Money to intervene in US primaries to back a genocide agenda most Democrats oppose. And did I mention the Genocide Jew talked Moron POTUS Trump into launching a Genocide War, that is destroying the power and credibility of the US and Israel? Pieces of shit! I have no particular reason to dislike or throw out guys like Dan Goldman. But Goldman became a symbol for Genocide Money and Genocide Policy. I hope Democrats and AIPAC eventually figure out they are just turning off Democrats like me who have been supportive of Israel, but not the Genocide Jew or his Genocide Policy, for my whole life. I decided to check which candidates that I send money to are taking Genocide Money. Jon Ossoff takes about $1 million in Genocide Money. Raphael Warnock also takes about $1 million in Genocide Money. That's disappointing. None of the other Senate challengers I'm sending money to take Genocide Money. That's Talarico in Texas, El-Sayed in Michigan, Jackson in Maine, Turek in Iowa, Peltola in Alaska, and Brown in Ohio. I'm not sending money to Cooper in North Carolina, mostly because I think he has the election in the bag. But he doesn't take Genocide Money, either. I considered cancelling my monthly donation to Ossoff and sending an email to his office saying I don't support Democrats who take Genocide Money. But I decided now is not a time for liberal purity tests. Almost every conceivable Democratic Presidential nominee for 2028, including Ossoff, takes Genocide Money. Most of the poll leaders - Harris and Buttigieg, to name 2 of the top 3 - take Genocide Money. AOC does not. Newsom, Shapiro, and the other Guvs high on the polling favorites list don't file federal reports. I figured this is a fight for 2028. And I'm the one arguing for moderation and against purity tests. But the more progressives that win that are free of Genocide Money, the more pressure it puts on other Democrats to disavow Genocide Money and Genocide Policy. Even if Israel kicks the Genocide Jew to Hell, where I think he deserves to burn shackled to Arafat for eternity, they will still have a Prime Minister that opposes a two-state solution. Which most Democrats and most American Jews are for. But almost anything is better than the Genocide Jew. Or our Genocide POTUS.

I agree with your sentiment, but not your diagnosis about redlining Black families. I think the pessimistic view of Donalds is actually much worse. The problem is not that Donalds would redline Black families to keep them out of the neighborhood. The problem is he might be the kind of guy who'd give them all subprime mortgages, and blow up the whole fucking neighborhood with foreclosures. As long as he could get rich and move ahead doing so. Which means he's just like lots of rich White people who climbed political or financial ladders doing the same thing. Chris Dodd, former Democratic Chair of the Senate Banking Committee, was the same kind of guy, in my opinion. He got special deals from subprime lenders while he ignored what they were doing. Donalds strikes me as that kind of guy. His background is financial services and credit. The demon view of Donalds is he would would love to be the head of Trump Mortgage. Which would make billions making bad loans that once again, like subprime, drove the global economy off the cliff. And destroyed millions of American home owners. Trump is that kind of grifter. And as my Sister In Cock said, Donalds is an opportunist. Would he go as far as Trump would? Too soon to know. To state that more positively, the thing I like about Donalds is he likes being a "politically incorrect Black man" who thinks if you study hard and work hard you can live the American Dream. Including the nice home in Naples. The fact that he does have a nice home in Naples and he is the Republican nominee for Governor suggests he's not wrong about good old fashioned bootstrap capitalism. In the same way as Obama, he is a symbol of the fact the the US is, at a minimum, not as racist as it used to be. What Donalds comes closer to, in my view, is the idea that a nation divided by class, not race, is perfectly okay. Because guys like him and Trump deserve to be on top. Obamacare is the best example of that. He has no good idea that he's stated about how you replace that for working class families, Black or White, who are not as successful as him. It's kind of the same with the Iran War. He was against the Ukraine War, like Trump was, but for Trump's Iran War. His logic: "We blow up all your stuff. And then we go home." Like with Trump, it seems like he likes a world run for the rich and powerful, who will just blow shit up when they need to. Including Iran, and health care subsidies. To really slaughter the word "redlining," who Donalds would redline is Gay men, and Muslims. He is the kind of guy who would say Gay men don't deserve the institution of marriage. The Council on American-Islamic Relations went after Donald and other Freedom Caucus members saying if they had their way they would "effectively ban the practice of the world's second largest religion in the United States." Again, I agree with your sentiment. His values are ones I would call extreme, and intolerant. He's not the kind of guy that sounds like he'd want a Gay family or Muslim family living next door. I'll be interested to see how Jolly goes after him. And how well it works.

I don't disagree with your friend at all. There's a difference between a Black woman saying a Black man should not embrace these conservative values and ideology, because it hurts Black people, and a White man - aka moi - saying the same. This is the debate Florida, and the Black community in Florida, needs to have. This much is true. There are a lot of young Black college-educated men who have the wrong values and ideology, by your friend's standard. And I think the reason is obvious. Republicans, especially in the South, used to go out of their way to make it obvious they were against Black people. Now, in the South, they elect Black people to be Senators and Governors. What does it mean when a Black Republican says Obamacare, which helps lots of working class Black and Hispanic and White people afford health care, should be taken away? That's a values debate Florida will now have. It complicates it that the Democratic running against Donalds was a Republican who voted to repeal Obamacare. I think if there really is a strong blue wave, Jolly and Graham could win. A few polls months ago did show them with a narrow lead against Donalds. More likely, this could be both an echo of the past, and a clue to what may lie down the road. Based on his agenda, like attacking Obamacare more, I don't see how a Gov. Donalds makes Florida more affordable again. So it could be the next Guv race in Florida, in 2030, is when centrist Democrats like the Grahams take back power. I give Donalds credit for this much. He is, as you state, an opportunist. I don't think Trump "seized and embraced" Donalds. I think Donalds seized and embraced Trump. To be blunt, Sis - and please don't be offended - Donalds is a better cock sucker than even you. 🫢 He is expert at verbally sucking Trump's cock. That is why he gradually won Trump's favor. If I were a Black woman, I would feel qualified to say this is wrong. And it hurts our community. Again, a lot of young Black men with college degrees who are increasingly conservative would disagree. At the simplest level, lots of young Black voters say the same old same old Democratic Party just ain't working for them. Some, like Nixon, are going the Democratic Socialist route. Others, like Donalds, are going the Republican route. It's a good debate to have. It's not news that the Democratic Party of Clinton and Carville, or even the Democratic Party of Obama and Biden, has big problems.

True! I have mixed feelings about this. Byron Donalds has to be truly loved by lots of Republicans. Because he embraces, defends, and rationalizes their values as his own. BYRON DONALDS On the Issues On a personal level, this is The Blind Side. With a politician instead of a football player. Every Republican I knew at the time loved The Blind Side. Because the point, while maybe understated in the film, is that if you embrace conservative and Christian values you can have a family and a home and a gun. And all will be well. The Tea Party, not Sandra Bulllock, was Donalds' path to conversion. So on a personal level, if this guy were my neighbor, I'd say, "Great. If you are a conservative Black man and that lifestyle and those values work for you, go for it!" And he definitely is going for it in a way that is historic. As has been noted, there are some inconsistencies there. The affordability and (property and health) insurance crises happened under a Republican Governor. And for 6 of the last 10 years Trump was POTUS, while Republicans religiously attacked Obamacare. So Donalds has to dance around demonizing Joe Biden. Who was both a communist who wrecked America (by expanding Obamacare, in part), and a corpse. The rubber really hits the road with Obamacare. He sees it as an effort to force people to live on government insurance. He opposes keeping Obamacare subsidies, let alone expanding them. Same old "repeal and replace" bullshit in my mind. Jolly should portray him as an ideological zealot who wants to make health insurance even less affordable. Donalds has a big health care problem. About 4 million Florida residents, or 20 %, rely on Obamacare and Obamacare subsidies. More than any other state. That number is down 10 % in 2026 thanks to Republican attacks on ACA subsidies. So Donalds and his party are going in the opposite directiion of Make Florida Affordable Again. Jolly could win based on that alone. If he can get past his own flip flops, since in Tea Party Times he was a Republican who voted to repeal Obamacare. Tim Scott and Byron Donalds do share a belief in Main Street capitalism, including Black Main Street capitalism, as the answer to lots of problems. Kudos to them. But I think there is a big difference between Scott and Donalds, from what I know. Scott did build what could be called DEI policies and programs that MAGA, almost by definition, can't embrace. Again, if race doesn't matter and racism is a DEI lie, why would we want something called a "Minority Business Development Agency"? It's practically Satanic! Where Donalds does seem to think things are Satanic is when it comes to stuff like Islam, and homosexuality. Sort of the same idea. But in this case it's a bit more like saying the Democrats were evil to put down the ladder in the first place. To use the language Wikipedia quotes from Donalds himself, the idea of Pete and Chasten having kids is just not "part of the natural order that keeps society progressing." There were and are lots of Black Christians (and Hispanic and White Christians) that did and probably do still believe that. My Mom and Dad were among them, until I came out. This is gonna be interesting. I genuinely like the fact that America is now Big Tent Enough that you can have a smart and savvy Black man win a Republican primary to govern Florida, based on conservative values. But I hope centrists Jolly and Graham attack those values as extreme. And not what makes America, or Florida, great. I don't think 50 %+ 1 of people in Florida call themselves conservatives, like Donalds does. And my intellectually genius Sister In Cock (who is also much younger and prettier than me) is probably right that some number of Republicans may vote for the White Guy who used to be a Republican. Or just not vote for the Guy With The Black Face, even if Trump endorsed him. That probably is part of the reason "Amir Hassan" lost to "Tom Smith" in Michigan. Happily, "Byron Donalds" does not sound Muslim or Black. But in a close race old school racism - which no longer exists, apparently - could be why some Republicans don't vote for Donalds. We'll see. As my Sister In Cock says more succinctly than me, Florida is a tough nut to crack. And she knows all about servicing the nuts of political leaders. 🙄

One other footnote. Two new polls are out showing El Sayed in the lead. One by 3 points, one by 7. A recent Fox poll, which had been the only one after the primary, had him down by 4. No reason to put much faith in any of these polls. But, still, it is a relief. It suggests there was no sudden swing away from El-Sayed after all the ranting and raving about how he will make it harder for Democrats to win. If anything, these two polls suggest the opposite: his message about how it's the economy, stupid, maybe was getting through. That said, there are a whole lots of polls now that suggest Democrats need BTE: big tent energy. We have four states with a moderate and a progressive Democrat running statewide. And in every state the candidate who can be labeled as the more moderate one is doing better. In Michigan Benson has an 8 point lead, says RCP in their poll average, compared to 0.7 % for El-Sayed. In Minnesota Klobuchar has a 12 point lead, compared to a 5 point lead for Flanagan. In Georgia Ossoff has a 7 point lead, compared to 2 points for Lance Bottoms. In Florida Jolly is down by 5 points, compared to 10 points down for Nixon. I'm not sure it's quite correct to say Lance Bottoms is the progressive. But Ossoff definitely has worked hard to present himself as bipartisan when it comes to legislating and constituent services. And electing a Black Governor is a progressive thing in Georgia. Or anywhere. This gives Democrats a big clue about 2028. We have to be a big tent party. As a liberal, it breaks my heart that having a moderate at the top of the ticket may make sense politically. But these numbers suggest it does make sense politically.

Creepy! Creepier! Trump Team Is Pissed at Aide Secretly Enabling Crazed Nighttime Rants

Show some respect. Someone has to change the diapers.

Fair enough. (White) Republicans love to rail again DEI in general. And any Black Democrat as too stupid to be anything other than a DEI candidate, in the eyes of some of them. Including Harris. No racism there whatsoever! So it's fair to attack Donalds as the DEI exception to the We Really Do Like White Power rule. I think the concession the majority of Republicans have made to Obama and racism is that, in their eyes, skin color no longer matters. Which I think is largely true, as this race suggests. But they don't want to hear about DEI or racism or intersectionality. Because - again - race no longer matters. And to the degree that we can say we voted for this Black Senator or that Black Governor because they were the best candidate, they have a point. Like I said, I think this is mostly good for America. I feel sorry for Tim Scott. Unlike Donalds, his rise had nothing to do with Trump. In fact, he ran against Trump in 2024 and got nowhere. He is, albeit secretly, a DEI guy who feels the government should help Blacks and other minorities and women build Main Street capitalism. If he were POTUS and Elizabeth Warren chaired the Banking Committee, they could make deals. But as far as I can tell, Trump shit on and tore apart everything Tim Scott stood for. So it's not a case of small cock energy so much as Tim Scott is simply politically castrated. And speaking of politically castrated worthless pieces of shit ........................... What's interesting about last night is Trump LOST most of the candidate races he endorsed. Two House seats in Florida, and one Guv race in Wyoming. And since Trump is a scumbag and rapist, he of course just had to endorse the Republican scumbag Cory Mills. Kudos to Republicans for doing what Democrats did in Maine. Empty the trash. They don't even want to follow the lead of their small cock losing lying piece of shit POTUS anymore. All of this is more handwriting on the wall that the raping lying So Small A Cock It Has No Energy POTUS who is a genocidal piece of shit has overstayed his corrupt welcome with more and more Americans. Did I mention the monstrous piece of shit got us into a monumentally losing Trump Forever War in Iran because he is a stupid egomaniac? Piece of shit! Piece of shit! Piece of shit! Loser SDE piece of shit who made America lose again. What was even more interesting is that the Democrats went in two different directions at once. The DSA did not get the Guv candidate they wanted in Wisconsin. But they did get her in a Florida Senate race. Which likely means its an even bigger loss for Democrats. Meanwhile, the one hope Democrats do have - in Florida - is merging with the left wing of the Republican Party and putting forth former Republicans like Jolly and Crist. I like David Jolly. He speaks to a bygone era of bipartisan politics I miss. In Florida and Texas that could be the path for Democrats to win. By building the moderate brand of the Democratic Party in red states while others like AOC and Bernie and El-Sayed try to build a more progressive version of the party elsewhere. There is nothing new about the idea that the Southern part of the Democratic Party is always more conservative. And I have to raise a toast to Bob Graham, former Senator and Guv of Florida who I adored from a distance. His daughter Gwen is now Jolly's running mate. In retrospect, it was a big mistake that she narrowly lost the Democratic primary in 2018 to Andrew Gillum. It was exciting at the time. And he would have been Florida's first Black progressive Guv. But it turned out he was a mess. And it set the stage for DeSantis and Republicans to rise. Had Gwen Graham won the primary in 2018 it might have been different. Or, maybe, Jolly and her are just an echo of the bipartisan past. We'll know in November.

Donalds' win is historic. If he wins the general he will be the first Black Republican Governor. There's an endless list of things I don't like about the Trump version of the Republican Party. But the fact that they will elect Black Governors and Senators in red states is not on the list. I take it as a victory of Democrats, in part. The Republicans looked at us and figured out they can't be the (exclusively) White Party. As much as I am a partisan whore, I think it's good for America and good for minorities that both parties are now at least trying to compete for their votes. And electing them to Congress and now a Governor's seat. That said, I think the Republicans have a very hard lesson coming in 2026. Anger about inflation opened a door for Republicans to Hispanics and Blacks and Asians in 2024. And a lot of nasty shit Team Trump has done since then seems to be slamming it closed again. We'll see.

Wall Street is actually quite capable of figuring out how to drive the global economy over the cliff all by themselves. The big question is whether the bubble finally pops before or after 2028.

Actually, I suspect Trump's human binkie has to tolerate our Dumb Murder Pup. Harp wants Trump all to herself. And when the dog yaps it can get to be annoying. I heard the day Trump signed the order shit canning USAID and dooming millions of HIV kids to death that @Barknaway yapped for three hours in excitement. Hard to believe. But Trump's binkie is even more loyal to Trump than our puppy. And she keeps her mouth shut. The Stupid Murder Dog better watch his step. Harp is no dummy. She may put him down.

True. And why was I not surprised? 😉

He's amazing. He takes all Trump's bullshit about how Democrats are extreme and shoves it right down the throat of all the eligible Republican nitwits, lunatics, and haters. Trump is at something like 40 % approval and 56 % disapproval if Georgia. I'm hoping the tide is strong enough that Lance Bottoms wins, too.

How to know you are Gay, before you knew you were Gay: I remember when I was a kid, like maybe 12 or so, my brother-in-law caught me soaking my hands in Palmolive. Madge said so, after all! "What the fuck are you doing?" he asked me. I had no fucking clue. But my Sister In Cock was worse. I can't tell you how many times Mom caught her trying on her high heel shoes. And Dad got really pissed when my Sister In Cock tried on his condoms. 🙄

I prefer to think of you as a woman of high principles. Just like me. One can hope some of it would rub off on Trump and Melania. But, alas. It's a lost cause.

You and I often post about what I think are basically two different groups of voters. Even though there's always some overlapping. You often focus on what I'll call True MAGA Folk. And you often refer to them as MAGA. In that Buddy Carter ad he branded himself "MAGA Warrior" and basically did say, "I'll go after the sick fuck homos. The boy pussies who carry purses and shit." Even in a Republican primary in Georgia the "let's hunt us some homos" guy got only 1 in 4 primary votes. I know I'm outnumbered as a liberal. And as a Gay man, of course. So my first instinct, like in looking at a poll, is always to look at where the Independents are. You're making the same point I am about empathy, which you call "more tolerant." I agree. But being empathetic and more tolerant doesn't mean they are on the right side of the issue. But it does mean empathy and tolerance could be the way to persuade them to move toward what we view as the right side of the issue. I do think "Gays in the military" and "same sex marriage" and "trans women in female sports" all have that in common. We're up against bigoted assholes like Buddy Carter, who pride themselves on their bigoted views. Empathy and tolerance are weapons to fight that. It was interesting when I read that Gallup poll on Gays in the military from 1993 I hyperlinked above. The answer to the riddle was hiding in plain sight, all along. In the whole population, support for Gays in the military was 50 % opposed/43 % in favor in 1993. But for voters who knew someone Gay, it was completely different: 63 % in favor, 31 % opposed. That's not exactly rocket science. But it speaks to empathy. People who know someone Gay or trans are far more likely to be for these things. Because they see us as people, not freaks. It's the same with Islam. There's been studies that showed the people who feel most threatened by Islam are the ones who live very far away from a mosque. I actually think Pete could be the nominee in 2028, for a few reasons. The most important one is youth. After 12 years of Old Geezer Presidents, and with more Millennials and Zoomers voting than ever before, the idea of some President who doesn't look like he belongs in a coffin could be a very powerful thing. I also think the math will be the same as in 2016 and 2020. In the end, the moderates will decide who the Democrats nominate. Not the liberals like me. If Central Casting is looking for someone younger and more toward the center, Buttigieg, Ossoff and Shapiro would be at the top of my list. And all three register now in the polls - in that order.

So here is another rant, since you love them. I'll just post the article and let it do the ranting - or research - for me. How Marriage Equality Supporters Beat The ”Princess” Ad Marriage equality–related campaigns won in four states this month. The victories, in part, came after a yearlong, behind-the-scenes national research effort. Note that is from 2012. And I've posted it several times before. But it's the best article I've ever read on how queers won the battle of the year decade century millenium. My own view is that on trans sports we are actually closer to the 1990s and Bill Clinton. Bill Clinton tried to do something to help LGBTQ people that helped him win in 1992. It blew up in his face, and led many Gay men to view him as a traitor. But it was all about math. About 50 % of Americans opposed Gays in the military. Let alone same sex marriage. It took two decades, and a ton of analysis and organizing, to win. And the "analysis" actually supports what you are saying. "Analysis" like saying "Gays deserve fairness" or "Gays want basic rights" was necessary, but not sufficient. What worked better, particularly for moderates, was heart over head. Feelings. We're just guys who fall in love with guys and want to be able to be committed to them. For life. Because we love them. That's what worked.

Proof of concept. Buddy Carter even believes there's only two genders. It's a really stupid ad. Happily, Buddy Carter got nowhere with it. Couldn't even win him a Republican primary. He came in third place. Loser! So, for the type of MAGA diehards you are talking about, SIs, we agree. They're redneck assholes. Trump turds. Stupid bigoted dumb fucks. With those jerks, I just have my fairy godmother show up, wave her wand, and repeat three times, "Turn to shit! Turn to shit! Turn to shit!" They ain't worth the time of intelligent women with lots of cocks to suck, like you and me. Now, speaking of cocks. And not to be too analytical. But I know you excel at math, Sis. Especially when it comes to counting to 12 or so inches. So here is a simple math problem. 80 % of voters either support a ban on trans women and girls participating in female sports (about 66 %), or feel uncomfortable with such participation (14 % or so). Meanwhile, Trump has never won 50 % of the vote running for POTUS. What percentage of the total American electorate did not vote for Trump, does not identify with MAGA, but still either supports a trans ban, or feels uncomfortable with trans women and girls in female sports. 1. 0 % 2. 100 % 3. 30 % If everyone who opposed Democrats on this issue was a fervent Trump/MAGA piece of shit, I'd agree with you. Hillary did not help herself in 2016 by calling these people "irredeemable" in public. But here on the internet, we Sisters can be honest. Empathy only gets us so far. Problem is there are a lot of people who are not Trump voters who are against us on this issue. Analyze that and get back to me.

Great question. Simple answer and long answer. Simple answer: Empathy. Long answer: I think there are three culture war issues that are toxic to Democrats. 1) Trans/forcing boys to be girls, 2) Defund the police, 3) Open the borders and let rapists in. Those are arguably Trump's three greatest hits for years now. They got him in the White House. Twice, by my count. "High prices" no longer works for him like in 2024, since his dumb ass failures are the cause of high prices. So they are pivoting to "communism." Happily, I don't think voters will somehow be convinced that Trump's high prices are okay, since Democratic communism is worse. 🤔 You asked about trans, of course. I think that issue more than any is crying for a "Sister Souljah" moment. And girls' sports is the ideal place to focus it. Republicans obviously love the issue because it is an 80/20 issue. Pew says 2 in 3 Americans favor a legal ban on trans participation in girls' sports, and about 80 % of Americans feel uncomfortable with it. By one count last year there were 745 anti-trans bills in state legislatures. It is a wildly popular and effective way for sporting Republicans to pummel Democrats to a bloody pulp. For sports betting, this is awesome. Because on this issue Democrats will lose pretty much every fucking time. Some Democrat running for President should take a pretty hard line position that some of this stuff went too far. And the ideal person to do that is Pete Buttigieg. Since it would burnish his "reasonable moderate" credentials. Someone like Pete can do it with a tone of empathy. Of course we want to help these kids. Of course they deserve our empathy. Newsom has been working this issue of trans in sports. He was Mayor Same Sex Marriage, so he also has empathy credentials to talk about this. And there is a "fairness" difference he has focused on. Giving marriage to Gay men essentially said we don't want to take anything away from marriage, or Straight couples. We actually want to add to it. An equivalent would be having trans sports teams. Which we do, of course. But that doesn't really solve the issue of whether a lone trans woman or girl can compete or join a team. The nice thing about Trump 2.0 is we now know that if we want 100 % of an issue, we will actually get 0 %. At least once the reaction grows strong enough to elect someone like Trump. You want open borders? Great. We'll deport your nephew, who has a child and works at a construction company. That's what Hispanics in Texas are learning. You want no restrictions on trans women in sports? Great. We'll have 1000 fucking bills and talk EVERY FUCKING DAY about how these trans people are a MENACE to your daughter. How is that better for trans people and immigrants? Jon Ossoff created a "how to" guidebook on this, as far as it goes. He voted against a federal ban on trans women and girls participating in female sports. He says his support for the LGBTQ community is "ironclad." So he framed it as keep the federal government out of these decisions. If this was supposed to give Republicans a way to make Ossoff look extreme, it's not working. But it begs the question of who should decide, and what limits are okay. My own impression is that "local control" and "eligibility standards" are a moderate path that neither bans something completely, nor condones something 100 %. Something like this from SF.gov, which sounds Ossoff-like: Same thing with the border. The happy news is that perceived Biden "open borders" led to Trump "ICE bullets in American bodies," which horrified middle America. Democrats now have an opening for a reasonable compromise once we take power again. My personal experience, anecdotally, is this inflames moderate Moms in particular. I had a fascinating dinner with the wife of one of my nephews, with her two teen daughters present. She knows I am a "Gay activist" type. So she basically interrogated me. And it was clear that all this stuff about doing stuff to teens without parental knowledge or consent makes her feel Democrats are nuts. It fits right in of course that she is a quasi-anti-vaxxer who likes RFK, Jr. And probably there is no way for a Democrat to win her vote. But she lives in a Southern state, and she could probably go for somebody like Andy Beshear. All that said, we have a close relationship. And she and her Mom,, who is even more conservative, are very comfortable with me being Gay. That said, while we were at dinner, she said, "I would have a real problem if one of my daughters turned out to be Gay." Happily, one of her daughters is marrying a guy next month. Can't wait for the wedding. Empathy and tolerance were the cards the LGBTQ movement played expertly to win legal same sex marriage. I think a majority of Americans, including many conservatives, are open to empathy on this issue. They are not open to what seem like crazy and radical ideas to them. Some smart and empathetic politician at the national level, like Pete Buttigieg or Jon Ossoff, is going to need to figure this out. The polling and my personal experience, of which I cited just one example, align with the idea that a lot of moderate Moms see this as textbook evidence of how Democrats are way too far out there. Great question. We should be asking questions like this a lot. Rant over.