Grouchy Smurf
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grouchysmurf.bsky.social
Grouchy Smurf
@grouchysmurf.bsky.social
Dog lover. Upset by political malfeasance. Orange is my least favorite color. Did I mention I’m a dog lover? And yes, I’m grouchy.
Heart - Stairway to Heaven, Led Zeppelin - Kennedy Center Honors
YouTube video by Local Global
www.youtube.com
August 14, 2025 at 12:05 PM
@maddow.msnbc.com Great turnout in rural Kingston NY!
June 15, 2025 at 2:17 PM
June 15, 2025 at 10:38 AM
Reposted by Grouchy Smurf
Once again, this won’t end well…Americans are on to them.

They’re firing the staff who help seniors get their hard-earned benefits from a lifetime of work and answer the phones and fix problems.

Why DOGE is struggling to find fraud in Social Security
www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...
Why DOGE is struggling to find fraud in Social Security
Claims of massive fraud by Elon Musk and President Trump are at odds with reams of audits and reports on the agency’s spending.
www.washingtonpost.com
March 24, 2025 at 1:35 PM
"Why Doge is struggling to find fraud in Social Security." It's behind a paywall and I can't do a gift read but the headline should tell you all you need to know. How absurd is it that they're "struggling" to find fraud??
www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...
Why DOGE is struggling to find fraud in Social Security
Claims of massive fraud by Elon Musk and President Trump are at odds with reams of audits and reports on the agency’s spending.
www.washingtonpost.com
March 24, 2025 at 1:53 PM
@fetterman.senate.gov

“I’m never going to be a part of any vote that shuts the government down.”

What a disgrace you are. I thought you were going to be a good guy, but everything I see and hear tells me you're anything but. You should probably put an "R" next to your name. Go to hell Fetterman.
March 7, 2025 at 2:02 PM
The incredibly vile Mike Johnson claims that the people who went to the GOP town halls were paid protesters. He learns well from his master. This man gets scummier every day.

www.thedailybeast.com/johnson-trie...
Johnson Tries to Shrug Off Anti-DOGE Town Halls as the Work of ‘Paid Protesters’
“You can’t argue they were all paid protesters,” CNN’s Kaitlan Collins immediately shot back at the House Speaker.
www.thedailybeast.com
February 27, 2025 at 12:46 PM
Why aren't the Dems doing this? I am not at all impressed with Hakeem Jeffries. And don't get me started about Schumer. A useless man. Get the ball rolling Dems!!
thehill.com/opinion/camp...
thehill.com
February 14, 2025 at 3:07 PM
This is a must see. Musk's son lets the cat out of the bag:

www.reddit.com/r/musked/com...
From the musked community on Reddit: Elon Musk's son tells Tucker Carlson that Trump will win and the people "will never know"
Explore this post and more from the musked community
www.reddit.com
February 13, 2025 at 1:54 PM
@swlady.bsky.social Welcome aboard!
February 9, 2025 at 2:29 AM
Reposted by Grouchy Smurf
DOGE has no authority to access Americans’ private information or to block critical payments.
 
Elon Musk may be the world's richest man, but he is not above the law.

I intend to sue to stop this injustice.
February 6, 2025 at 9:31 PM
@maddow.msnbc.com Rachel you are one of the few bright spots in my day right now. Your segment on Tyson Gay really made me laugh out loud. I still chuckle when I think about it. I need your show to keep me grounded. I will be so sad when your 100 days are up, but so relieved you're here for now! ❤️
February 6, 2025 at 2:42 PM
Reposted by Grouchy Smurf
Today's @ezrakleinbot.bsky.social column is well worth reading. "Trump is acting like a king because he is too weak to govern like a president." @nytimes.com www.nytimes.com/2025/02/02/o...
Opinion | Don’t Believe Him (Gift Article)
Look closely at the first two weeks of Donald Trump’s second term and you’ll see something very different than what he wants you to see.
www.nytimes.com
February 2, 2025 at 12:46 PM
Reposted by Grouchy Smurf
White House, Emmer call for Jeffries to apologize
White House, Emmer call for Jeffries to apologize
The White House on Friday called for House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) to apologize for remarks pledging to push back against the Trump administration's agenda.  Jeffries at a press briefing stressed "the need to look out for everyday New Yorkers and everyday Americans who are under assault by an extreme MAGA Republican agenda that is trying to cut taxes for billionaire donors and wealthy corporations, and then stick New Yorkers and working-class Americans ... with the bill." "We are gonna fight it legislatively. We are gonna fight it in the courts. And we're gonna fight it in the streets," Jeffries said. A release from the White House Office of Communications on Friday then blasted Jeffries for what it characterized as “a sick call for violence.” “Will Minority Leader Jeffries apologize for this disgusting threat? Or will he double down on the same calls for violence that have plagued the country for years?” the statement read.  House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) also said on X that Jeffries “should promptly apologize for his use of inflammatory and extreme rhetoric.” “President Trump and the Republicans are focused on uniting the country; Jeffries needs to stop trying to divide it,” Emmer said. But Jeffries’s office in a statement obtained by NewsNation flatly denied the inferences about his remarks. “The notion that Leader Jeffries supports violence is laughable. Republicans are the party that pardons violent felons who assault police officers. Democrats are the party of John Lewis and the right to petition the government peacefully,” the statement read. Jeffries during his press conference denounced the now-rescinded federal funding freeze and also knocked Trump for suggesting that federal diversity initiatives contributed to this week's deadly crash between a military helicopter and an American Airlines plane near Reagan National Airport. The Hill and NewsNation are both owned by Nexstar Media Group.
thehill.com
January 31, 2025 at 7:20 PM
Reposted by Grouchy Smurf
Response to Wednesday's airplane crash:

This is what we should do, from Brian Beutler at Off Message
open.substack.com/pub/brianbeu...
January 31, 2025 at 4:05 PM
Reposted by Grouchy Smurf
thehill.com/opinion/5117...

A piece of my in The Hill about the Dems and messaging. "Democrats live in a media museum."
thehill.com
January 31, 2025 at 7:44 PM
Reposted by Grouchy Smurf

My take on Trump 2.0 at its outset. Plenty in here for everyone to dislike. www.nytimes.com/2025/01/20/o...
Opinion | Can Trump Be a Great President?
Pushing power to the limit does not guarantee presidential success.
www.nytimes.com
January 20, 2025 at 12:32 PM
Reposted by Grouchy Smurf
A pre-Trump read Steve Hanson and I wrote for today's New York Times. "Trump aims not to streamline modern state bureaucracies, but rather to replace them with a much older form of rule based on personal loyalty to the ruler."

www.nytimes.com/2024/12/31/o...
Opinion | Trump’s Assault on the Systems That Keep Americans Safe Is Dangerous
Eviscerating modern state institutions almost always clears a path for a different political order, built on loyalties and connections to the ruler.
www.nytimes.com
December 31, 2024 at 2:10 PM
I saw this coming from a mile away. Of course Trump will refuse to have any media present who will challenge him on anything. You can forget having ANY fair coverage of his administration. Not to mention MSM is terrified of retribution.

thehill.com/homenews/med...
White House press corps recoils at Trump’s threat to shake up briefing room
Signals from President-elect Trump’s team that a shake-up of the White House Press Briefing Room could be coming are roiling journalists preparing to cover his second term.   People close to …
thehill.com
December 4, 2024 at 2:41 PM
Even as a cynical pessimist, I try to look for hope and optimism. Nice article on Politico (Trump will over play his hand) is keeping my hope alive, albeit just slightly.

www.politico.com/news/magazin...
Trump Will Overplay His Hand. Here’s How to Be Ready.
I lived through the rise of authoritarianism in Turkey. Here’s what I learned.
www.politico.com
December 3, 2024 at 2:01 PM
Now THIS is a headline. In the Huffington Post today 12/1/24:
December 1, 2024 at 2:23 PM
Hard to find something to smile about these days but hopefully this will bring one to your face. Coffee Milano Cafe in Middleborough, MA offers free coffee to people who come in dancing.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOyG...
Coffee shop goes viral for offering free coffee to customers who dance into cafe
YouTube video by MassLive
www.youtube.com
November 28, 2024 at 12:17 AM
Finally, an article that gives me hope and just a sprinkling of optimism. Thank you to Matt K. Lewis.

thehill.com/opinion/camp...
Trump thinks he won a mandate to change America. History says otherwise.
Newly elected presidents tend to overestimate the mandate they’ve been given, assuming they’ve won a sweeping endorsement for their entire agenda.
thehill.com
November 20, 2024 at 1:50 PM