No pretense with trump & maga any more. His election & vile rhetoric are an invitation to cruelty, ignorance, & bigotry. More people into the streets (peacefully) is the appropriate response. De-escalation would be ICE not using military tactics when arresting construction workers & pregnant women.

First they deny. Then they justify. And then they brag.

In addition to pushing back, we have to document their cruelty and crimes and when times change, hold their leaders and followers accountable.

It's no accident trump is happy to arrest people looking for work & pregnant women instead of just drug lords & human traffickers because his goal is maximum fear and cruelty. That's how simple-minded despots rule. Massive PEACEFUL protests and civil disobedience are the ways to stop his tanks.

What's the right federal spending $? No correct answer. Spending as % of GDP has generally been similar for 40yrs. I'm Ok with concept of cutting $. But vengeance, retribution, cruelty, or whims of an ignorant ogre are not sound financial mgt or the way to run a govt. Alt budget from Dems please.

Uh...and there is the whole problem of these tarrifs, if paid, are a massive tax hike that slam the economy and raise the cost of living. Tarrifs cannot be described as commercial revenue--they are taxes on us. That must be loudly corrected every time it is mentioned.

Republicans have long supported a strong executive (otherwise known as a king) as long as "he" was a Republican, along with a weak legislative branch, a non-existent judiciary, and a subservient public. They have achieved that. We need a pro-democracy anti-corruption movement to fight back.

When does constant targeted abuse of power--something that would have led to impeachment any other time--start to scare Republicans?
Is their assumption that they can corrupt the system enough to stay in power forever & avoid punishment?
If that's the America they want, we're headed for civil war.

You want to cut federal spending & don't care about the impact, just say that. Thune clearly doesn't understand how the private sector works, how many jobs don't include healthcare, who is on Medicaid, or that he sounds like a dipshit. Not a glimmer of hope of a rational person in the maga GOP.

Democrats should make an amendment eliminating presidential pardons part of their anti corruption platform. In the meantime, we should publish the ongoing list of pardons Trump sells, I mean grants. Keep their name in the public domain like the FBI most wanted. A running tab of his corruption.

With Trump you can tell there isn't anything going on in his head when he utters incoherent words and distorts his face. With RFK Jr, you can see him struggle to make sense of the chaos in his brain. But with Patel, the batshit crazy cartoons are just pouring out of his loony toony eyes.

It is not caving for GOP-maga senators because they support the power grab. Caving makes it sound like they at least pretend to support the rule of law. Have't seen that. They are all in on subverting democracy. And no way is Charlie Schumer the man to stop them.

Trump was clear about what he wanted. You voted for him with eyes open & a smile on your face. His racism, ignorance, & cruelty were obvious & predictable. The bigger question is how you & your fellow travelers make amends. Still waiting for Republicans to stand up for democracy & the rule of law.

Musk has crossed over the Net Human Value line where the damage he has done to society is worse than whatever achievements he claims.

People are asking, how many more punches and how much more ketamine can Musk's head take before it explodes? Lots of people are asking. Beautiful people. Many people. Smart people.

Quite amazing that RFK jr will possibly be the last Kennedy to have an impact on America, and it will be to reverse any trace of any good that came from his uncle's and father. His ignorance, incompetence, and unearned arrogance will cost lives.

Palestinian lives are so devalued now that this story of killing and starving civilians is just repeated every day like a weather report. The US could stop it today if we had any moral character left but that is not something trump ever had.

At this point, why not a blanket pardon to anyone who has committed a crime that Trump has also committed or aspires to commit? Dems should make a constitutional amendment eliminating Presidential pardons part of their anti corruption platform.