@tonio5k.bsky.social
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To Trump, Words are a Signal to the Base
We all read a lot of words about how much Donald Trump lies, or how some assertion or other he makes is factually wrong. The formulation tends to be: “is he lying or stupid?”
While there is not any...
www.dailykos.com
Wrote this 7 years ago. Critical we understand the GOP and Trump don't use words to communicate facts, but that Trump’s posts and speech essentially are marching orders for followers. They don’t care about truth, not embarrassed by being wrong. It's a cult.
www.dailykos.com/stories/2018...
www.dailykos.com/stories/2018...
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This whole NYT account about the weaponization of DOJ is beyond disturbing. Kinda feels like the US government fell in January.
Gift link: www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
Gift link: www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
November 17, 2025 at 1:05 PM
This whole NYT account about the weaponization of DOJ is beyond disturbing. Kinda feels like the US government fell in January.
Gift link: www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
Gift link: www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
This! Just reporting something without context and immediately going on to something else is not real journalism.
NYT wants US to praise them for documenting Trump’s corruption despite fact they (1) normalize it, corruption not there in headline (2) don’t connect dots for US about how this hurts our foreign policy (3) don’t tie into $10+ billion ongoing corruption (4) they quickly move on, no sticky narrative
Saudi officials used President Trump’s state visit in May to pique his interest in a major real estate development, the latest example of Trump blending governance and family business, particularly in Persian Gulf countries. nyti.ms/4r7mboU
November 16, 2025 at 12:41 PM
This! Just reporting something without context and immediately going on to something else is not real journalism.
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This is a heist, plain and simple. Just nonstop grift and corruption from this crooked President and his administration.
They're doing nothing to make life more affordable for regular people, but they ARE working overtime to get rich using taxpayer dollars and resources.
They're doing nothing to make life more affordable for regular people, but they ARE working overtime to get rich using taxpayer dollars and resources.
Firm Tied to Kristi Noem Secretly Got Money From $220 Million DHS Ad Contracts
The company is run by the husband of Noem’s chief DHS spokesperson and has personal and business ties to Noem and her aides. DHS invoked the “emergency” at the border to skirt competitive bidding rule...
www.propublica.org
November 15, 2025 at 1:00 AM
This is a heist, plain and simple. Just nonstop grift and corruption from this crooked President and his administration.
They're doing nothing to make life more affordable for regular people, but they ARE working overtime to get rich using taxpayer dollars and resources.
They're doing nothing to make life more affordable for regular people, but they ARE working overtime to get rich using taxpayer dollars and resources.
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“Anyone who helps me try to steal an election gets a pardon” is perhaps the most corrupt thing to happen in American history.
That “conservatives” have simply accepted this as the price of admission is the greatest moral and intellectual humiliation.
That “conservatives” have simply accepted this as the price of admission is the greatest moral and intellectual humiliation.
NEW: Donald Trump has pardoned a long list of allies in his bid to subvert the 2020 election including:
-Rudy Giuliani
-John Eastman
-Mark Meadows
-Sidney Powell
-Ken Chesebro
-Christina Bobb
-Kelli Ward
-Jenna Ellis
www.politico.com/news/2025/11...
-Rudy Giuliani
-John Eastman
-Mark Meadows
-Sidney Powell
-Ken Chesebro
-Christina Bobb
-Kelli Ward
-Jenna Ellis
www.politico.com/news/2025/11...
November 10, 2025 at 5:16 PM
“Anyone who helps me try to steal an election gets a pardon” is perhaps the most corrupt thing to happen in American history.
That “conservatives” have simply accepted this as the price of admission is the greatest moral and intellectual humiliation.
That “conservatives” have simply accepted this as the price of admission is the greatest moral and intellectual humiliation.
Great thread. People whose world view is shaped by things other than facts can be persuaded to believe almost anything.
🧵Donald Trump is famous for being able to manipulate his supporters' opinions. But he comes from a long line of far-right oligarchs who mask radically pro-rich policies as "populist."
The only difference between today's billionaires & earlier ones is that Peter Thiel et al say the quiet part aloud.
The only difference between today's billionaires & earlier ones is that Peter Thiel et al say the quiet part aloud.
November 9, 2025 at 7:35 PM
Great thread. People whose world view is shaped by things other than facts can be persuaded to believe almost anything.
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Reductions in Force not required by shutdowns, have never happened in any previous shutdown, and a judge has ruled they are illegal.
The shutdown is an excuse, not a reason, for them to do what they wanted to do: destroy government.
The shutdown is an excuse, not a reason, for them to do what they wanted to do: destroy government.
Lee Zeldin announces on Fox that there will be "severe" layoffs at the EPA if the shutdown continues
November 9, 2025 at 3:28 PM
Reductions in Force not required by shutdowns, have never happened in any previous shutdown, and a judge has ruled they are illegal.
The shutdown is an excuse, not a reason, for them to do what they wanted to do: destroy government.
The shutdown is an excuse, not a reason, for them to do what they wanted to do: destroy government.
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Maybe Corporate Media could have, should have, spent less time reporting what voters thought Trump was going to do “lower prices” “help working families” and more time reporting on how voters were wrong, that his policies would *RAISE PRICES* *CRUSH WORKING FAMILIES*, would have been useful for US.
November 7, 2025 at 1:15 PM
Maybe Corporate Media could have, should have, spent less time reporting what voters thought Trump was going to do “lower prices” “help working families” and more time reporting on how voters were wrong, that his policies would *RAISE PRICES* *CRUSH WORKING FAMILIES*, would have been useful for US.
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The top three things Jesus was on about were feeding the hungry, healing the sick, and welcoming the stranger. Rich men have convinced so-called Christians to starve the hungry, gut health care, and deport the stranger to enrich themselves. It’s astoundingly anti-Christ.
October 31, 2025 at 5:02 AM
The top three things Jesus was on about were feeding the hungry, healing the sick, and welcoming the stranger. Rich men have convinced so-called Christians to starve the hungry, gut health care, and deport the stranger to enrich themselves. It’s astoundingly anti-Christ.
Yes, i keep saying this. The only policy is to funnel taxpayer dollars to themselves, Democrats should all say this all day every day.
SNAP gets in the way of the main agenda item for Team Trump, which is redistributing American wealth from the middle class into the pockets of the wealthiest 0.1%
Brooke Rollins calls food stamps "an extremely corrupt program"
October 31, 2025 at 2:40 PM
Yes, i keep saying this. The only policy is to funnel taxpayer dollars to themselves, Democrats should all say this all day every day.
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The commandments of Christianity are literally to welcome the stranger, feed the hungry, and heal the sick.
The commandments of Christian nationalism are exactly the opposite.
Christian nationalism is a heresy that is antithetical to Christianity.
The commandments of Christian nationalism are exactly the opposite.
Christian nationalism is a heresy that is antithetical to Christianity.
October 30, 2025 at 3:04 PM
The commandments of Christianity are literally to welcome the stranger, feed the hungry, and heal the sick.
The commandments of Christian nationalism are exactly the opposite.
Christian nationalism is a heresy that is antithetical to Christianity.
The commandments of Christian nationalism are exactly the opposite.
Christian nationalism is a heresy that is antithetical to Christianity.
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The United States is no longer negotiating with Canada because the America's Republican President does not understand his predecessor's view of tariffs.
Forget the clip that worries the President. Reagan was consistent, and here's a different speech where he made his case.
Forget the clip that worries the President. Reagan was consistent, and here's a different speech where he made his case.
October 24, 2025 at 4:04 PM
The United States is no longer negotiating with Canada because the America's Republican President does not understand his predecessor's view of tariffs.
Forget the clip that worries the President. Reagan was consistent, and here's a different speech where he made his case.
Forget the clip that worries the President. Reagan was consistent, and here's a different speech where he made his case.
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Nothing is real to MAGA, that's what you need to understand. Everything can be true or false at any time, or even the same time, depending on what they need to believe in order to feel catharsis. They have created vast, insular social environments for the purpose of endless emotional indulgence.
October 20, 2025 at 9:59 PM
Nothing is real to MAGA, that's what you need to understand. Everything can be true or false at any time, or even the same time, depending on what they need to believe in order to feel catharsis. They have created vast, insular social environments for the purpose of endless emotional indulgence.
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The Trump shit video is basically this, but I will reiterate that if a Dem is critical of conservative voters it’s a generational scandal and when Republican pols literally post themselves shitting on their opposition virtually the entire elite politics and media class treats it as fine and normal
October 19, 2025 at 9:28 AM
The Trump shit video is basically this, but I will reiterate that if a Dem is critical of conservative voters it’s a generational scandal and when Republican pols literally post themselves shitting on their opposition virtually the entire elite politics and media class treats it as fine and normal
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This is the most important politics story in a long time. Twitter has radicalized the young GOP into overt Nazism and white supremacy and the news has spent years pretending not to see.
It’s a gleefully racist and antisemitic party now. Stop pretending otherwise www.politico.com/news/2025/10...
It’s a gleefully racist and antisemitic party now. Stop pretending otherwise www.politico.com/news/2025/10...
October 14, 2025 at 6:05 PM
This is the most important politics story in a long time. Twitter has radicalized the young GOP into overt Nazism and white supremacy and the news has spent years pretending not to see.
It’s a gleefully racist and antisemitic party now. Stop pretending otherwise www.politico.com/news/2025/10...
It’s a gleefully racist and antisemitic party now. Stop pretending otherwise www.politico.com/news/2025/10...
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All these "Happy Heavenly Birthday, Charlie Kirk" Christians really haven't read their own Bible.
He'd have hated Jesus...
johnpavlovitz.substack.com/p/the-shamef...
He'd have hated Jesus...
johnpavlovitz.substack.com/p/the-shamef...
The Shameful Christian Idolatry and Fraudulent Martyrdom of Charlie Kirk
As news of his shooting broke, the Jesus-washing of Charlie Kirk’s life by Conservative Christians began almost immediately.
johnpavlovitz.substack.com
October 14, 2025 at 3:16 PM
All these "Happy Heavenly Birthday, Charlie Kirk" Christians really haven't read their own Bible.
He'd have hated Jesus...
johnpavlovitz.substack.com/p/the-shamef...
He'd have hated Jesus...
johnpavlovitz.substack.com/p/the-shamef...
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There is no leader of Antifa.
There is no girlfriend of the leader of Antifa.
They are creating imaginary people so they can justify going after real people.
There is no girlfriend of the leader of Antifa.
They are creating imaginary people so they can justify going after real people.
October 11, 2025 at 2:11 PM
There is no leader of Antifa.
There is no girlfriend of the leader of Antifa.
They are creating imaginary people so they can justify going after real people.
There is no girlfriend of the leader of Antifa.
They are creating imaginary people so they can justify going after real people.
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Hillary Clinton referred to SOME Trump supporters as”deplorable,” and the political media had a meltdown. Trump refers to all Democrats as anti-American radical communists and “the enemy within,” and it’s no big deal. His reckless and dangerous demonization has been fully normalized.
October 1, 2025 at 12:10 AM
Hillary Clinton referred to SOME Trump supporters as”deplorable,” and the political media had a meltdown. Trump refers to all Democrats as anti-American radical communists and “the enemy within,” and it’s no big deal. His reckless and dangerous demonization has been fully normalized.
Kills me how little people who attend "Bible-believing" churches, even for decades, know about the Bible. The message John cites here about the poor, oppressed and sick also was the first public message Jesus gave, which emphasizes its importance to the gospel writers.
In this short clip, John uses the actual Bible to explain why the Christianity of Republicans is unrecognizable to Jesus.
youtube.com/shorts/r8UHl...
youtube.com/shorts/r8UHl...
How MAGA turned Christianity into a joke and where Democrats went wrong.
YouTube video by Salon
youtube.com
September 26, 2025 at 11:37 AM
Kills me how little people who attend "Bible-believing" churches, even for decades, know about the Bible. The message John cites here about the poor, oppressed and sick also was the first public message Jesus gave, which emphasizes its importance to the gospel writers.
Exactly right, why complaining about hypocrisy is counterproductive.
September 21, 2025 at 3:05 PM
Exactly right, why complaining about hypocrisy is counterproductive.
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The unconstitutional expansion of detention is the quintessential GOP combination: racism and corruption on behalf of corporate interests (here, private detention companies).
September 21, 2025 at 11:27 AM
The unconstitutional expansion of detention is the quintessential GOP combination: racism and corruption on behalf of corporate interests (here, private detention companies).
Amen. The media and Democrats have to come to grips with the decades-long bad faith of every Republican or freedom will be destroyed.
Just a reminder: they were never actually against cancel culture. They were against the cancellation of people they agree with or like. They’ve always been enthusiastically in favor cancelling people they don’t like. If you took them at their word you’re a useful idiot.
Rand Paul: "People say, 'Oh, people have a right to say things.' Well, actually they don't necessarily have a right to say things. Many people have in their contract what we call a morals clause ... I think it is time for this to be a crackdown on people."
September 16, 2025 at 3:01 PM
Amen. The media and Democrats have to come to grips with the decades-long bad faith of every Republican or freedom will be destroyed.
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Truly bizarre to see people attacked, shamed, and disciplined for saying things about Charlie Kirk that are 1000x less offensive than what Charlie Kirk said about people
September 11, 2025 at 8:24 AM
Truly bizarre to see people attacked, shamed, and disciplined for saying things about Charlie Kirk that are 1000x less offensive than what Charlie Kirk said about people
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Charlie Kirk spent his life‘s work and all of his energy and time targeting out-groups while arguing for a world in which gun massacres would be easy to enact, plentiful, and inevitable, and he became famous and wealthy doing it, and we’re now not supposed to mention that because it’s not polite.
September 10, 2025 at 11:41 PM
Charlie Kirk spent his life‘s work and all of his energy and time targeting out-groups while arguing for a world in which gun massacres would be easy to enact, plentiful, and inevitable, and he became famous and wealthy doing it, and we’re now not supposed to mention that because it’s not polite.