87 Comments

I like "Poking Around."

Now, on to my next project. I'm putting together a shopping list for my far-right white supremacist, racist dumpster relatives. For Christmas, each will receive a book. I'm going for such things as "Caste,"

"Laboratories of Autocracy," "Prequel," "Democracy Awakening," "War," etc. I need several more options if anyone has a recommendation. No more Harry and David junk this year for Christmas.

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"America Last: The Right's Century Long Romance With Foreign Dictators" by Jacob Heilbrunn

"The Longest Con: How Grifters, Swindlers, and Frauds Hijacked American Conservatism" by Joe Conason (foreword by George Conway just to rub it in)

"When The Clock Broke" by John Glanz

"Enough" by Cassidy Hutchinson

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You can be a bit sneaky & do In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson.

Fascism: A Warning by Madeleine Albright

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That's a good one.

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I'd vote for Timothy Snyder's On Freedom. I'm reading it for the third time.

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I read “On Freedom” twice the first time I read it to be sure that I was with him and not diverted by my wandering mind. I thought it was brilliantly written.

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also a really great gift, especially if you also give the earlier book on tyranny. it even has a checklist and we tick a lot of the boxes, alas.

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Barbara McQuaid's book "Attack from Within"

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John Ganz's "When the Clock Stopped" is superb. it's about the '92 election, but is very, very relevant. I see it's also on Tom's list. Ganz has a great Substack as well.

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What drives me to drinking about the MAGA’s is that there is no behavior so vile they can’t excuse it, assuming they don’t actively embrace it.

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They were obsessed about Hunter Biden's dick, but circled the wagons around sex trafficker, Matt Gaetz. The mental disconnect is profound.

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Ongoing, and never-ending…

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Even cannibalism may be on the menu with these people.

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Or accuse Dems of doing it,,,

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I believe they already did.

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I'm glad you said that. This amount of crazy stupidity could drive you to drinking. But then again, just like when I was raising teenagers, who wants to confront all that with a hangover to boot?

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I want to know how many abortions Gaetz, Hegseth, and Trump have paid for. I want a journalist to ask them the question and maybe get Kavanagh while he's at it.

Rahm Emanuel is toxic in every way. I'd take a chance on some of the very young in the party along with those Tom mentioned.

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I have been especially impressed by Ben Wikler and hope that he can be elected head of the DNC. He did such a superb job in Wisconsin.

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Judith, I have said that about Donny so many times.

They all should fess up!! Sad thing is it will not matter to the cult group. They will find a way to blame the women.....or Biden!!

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Wonder what is his agenda, doesn’t sound like he’s on Dem side, at all. Loved Howard Dean…

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Whose agenda?

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Rahm, why would he deliberately undermine Dems

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Rahm's an "establishment centrist."

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I guess that’s worse than it sounds…. He doesn’t seem to support Dem candidates. Wonder if he and Obama clashed. Sorry to show my ignorance

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7dEdited

Obama chose him as Chief of Staff - the first indication to me that we had elected a president who was going to clobber himself with naivete. Which he did.

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Whoever becomes DNC chair, I hope they will be supportive of candidates/legislators Ike our Florida Rep Anna Eskamani. She just won her fourth and final term in the Fl legislature without ever taking a single corporate donation.Party officials have told her NOT to say no to corp donations and instructed her not to use corp titles when discussing bills out of fear of losing donor 💲💲. She does not obey in advance ! She has mentioned “predatory” Dem consultants who get paid either way the vote goes.

Anna wins by wide margins and has an incredible, year-round ground game serving all her constituents,regardless of party.She is challenging corps/billionaires while advancing prosperity for working families and building humanity while the GOP isolates its base.It is very hard….but doable.We need so many more candidates like Anna, but support is critical.

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Kathy, ditto on Anna. She is the best!!

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Thanks for this. Anna Eskamani sounds wonderful. It's a damp, grey day in California and I needed a ray of sunshine.

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I'm betting that the leak of such juicy (pun intended) info about Hegseth, might have made Gaetz gulp. (also pun intended)

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No kidding...and that Ethics Committee report must be BA-AA-AA-AD to put off Gaetz. Wonder who MTG will pal around with now...oh wait: she and Mace will no doubt have a "trash-the-voiceless" fest now. Scum. (Greene and Mace, I mean)

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That ethics report has to be pretty damning for Gaetz to pull his name out of consideration! Republicans love accused rapists and elect them repeatedly but maybe when the evidence (which is leaking even now) is overwhelming and coupled with illegal drug use and payment for sex with minors, even they are repelled.

Now, on to discredit Hegseth!

I am under no illusion that removal of Gaetz will lead to a more qualified candidate. Trump is drawn to the allure of nominees who are telegenic, unqualified and willing to destroy their department. Rapiness is the cherry on top.

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Where did the telegenic part come in with Gaetz? Well, truthfully, Trump doesn't need Gaetz in DoJ to wreck it...he's already inserted his personal lawyers, Todd Blanche and Emil Bove. Those two have been given the positions of Deputy Attorney and Acting Deputy Attorney General respectively. And I very much doubt that these lawyers are anything other than lawless scum.

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I also read that there are 4 Republican Senators who have told him they would vote against his confirmation. Guess he decided not to test that possibility.

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Outstanding Tom. Isaac Saul (Tangle) with attitude and a wider daily range. Given that Gaetz was re-elected to his seat in the House, does that mean the Ethics Committee will once again have jurisdiction over him after Jan. 3?

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An interesting question, since he only resigned from the current congress.

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Yahoo News (FWITW) is reporting that his resignation includes the incoming Congress and that he'd have to stand in a special election. If he decides to do that, it's a reasonable expectation that the Ethics Committee will come up somewhere along the line. He can't be all that popular in Florida either, and a safe Congressional seat is a prize that some up and coming politico won't be able to turn away from.

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He's going to run for Governor to replace Ron DeInsanity.

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Florida might like him as a pervert.

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My question also.

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A friend of mine who still gets the NYT says they're reporting that Gaetz has said he will not be part of the 119th Congress.

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He wants to run for FL Gov, and this gives him all the "See how they hate us?" ammo he needs.

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Maybe he will help Davin Nunes screw up Truth social, an oxymoron if there ever was one.

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Gaetz really, really doesn't want that Ethics report coming out. If he were to step back into the House, it would still hang over him. However, if he's thinking of running for governor in FL, then by all means that reports NEEDS to get leaked!

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7dEdited

It's the CNN report that the 17-year old testified to a second encounter with Matt and a woman over 18 in a threesome that did him in.

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And yet all those conservative "influencers" and online opinionators thin matt was "Wonderful"??? Yeah, right. if it had happened to a Dem they'd be all over it like sauce on spaghetti; wailing, wringing their hands and twisting their pearl chokers. Hypocrisy is a way of life for those two-faced lie generators and repeaters.

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Whatever he wants to do, that report needs to be public information. I wonder if the Ethics Committee is subject to FOIA action.

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I’ll say again. I do not believe TrumpMafiosos or spaced out weirdo Elon ever planned on Gaetz being AG. He will prob end up being in charge of alternative sexcapades for anyone in the Trump orbit. Watch now as Trump slides Aileen Cannon in there as a “legit” candidate for AG.

You know, they do not over or underestimate their MAGAt faithful.

Their mistake is and always will be how much they underestimate normal people who will not put up with their chit. And news flash…..we are a mandate brothers and sisters.

Salud fave TC and All!

🗽💜

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I like this idea!

I predict that if the Democrats are stupid enough to turn the party over to another corporate asshole that the base will shrink and people will be even more demoralized. They’ve got to see this right???

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Hope springs infernal. :-)

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Good news about Gaetz stepping aside. But there are still far too many horrible nominees.

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I'm for Ben Wikler actually. Yes. Send Rahm away. Arrogant j***! Also long past time for dems to speak up.

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Matt Gaetz, former Congressional Tool™, now becomes Tool for Trumpism™. As it happens, the Florida governor's seat is open in 2026 due to term limits. I'm sure Daddy Gaetz will grease the skids for his boy to run for that seat. Rubio's Senate seat is also open in 2026 for a special election; look for Ron DEESantis to appoint a toady as seat-warmer until he can run for it himself in 2026.

If you're wondering what the Florida Democratic Party is doing, don't ask. If MN's or WN's guys don't get the DNC slot, we need to swipe one of them to become FDP head. Nikki Fried will probably leave as head of FDP to run for one of the above-named seats; she's pretty much used her time at the FDP for self-promotion. Also, don't overlook NC's Democratic Party chair--while Kamala Harris didn't carry NC, their party won five statewide races, kept a Democrat on the state Supreme Court, and ate into the Republican legislative majorities, denying them a veto-proof majority--and the Governor-elect is a Democrat, so that will have teeth.

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Some ok news

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Re your opening comment about Gaetz, perhaps the report by someone above that Gaetz has said he'll not take the seat he was elected to on Jan. 3 is because Gaetz has his eye on a Florida position like Governor?

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and yes, this is an excellent new feature.

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I would suggest On Tyranny, the original version for some and the graphic version for young people and adults who need pictures! Re-reading this one now. Plus there is a YouTube version.

OR Braiding Sweetgrass ( the newest edition by Milkweed Press)...comes at our situation from another direction.

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I like your new format.

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Hey TC, I like this news round-up!! Great idea!

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