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| Lorraine |
The woman who was accusing Trump of rape when she was 13 got multiple death threats dropped the charge. Trump however faces a class-action suit again "Trump University." I imagine that he will find a way out of that by settling. But he will face a continuing investigation into his fraudulent Trump Foundation. The Supreme Court will be stacked with super conservatives. Choice for women is likely to be under further pressure. Roe could be overturned, and we will go back to illegal abortions. Racists will feel free to display their racism. Look for more Dixie flags. Misogynists and men who freely grab women have been given license to do that--it's cool and funny, right? Xenophobia has been legitimized. Poor people are likely to lose whatever health care they have.
It's all hard to process this morning.
Would Bernie have done better against Trump? I think so. Or perhaps. The people wanted change---major change--and no matter how popular Obama was, his candidate--and mine--did not represent change, which the country was demanding. One white woman in Grand Rapids told a reporter that with Trump's win: "We can take back America." He asked her to explain what the meant. "We can drain the swamp" she said. Revolutionary words, for sure. Just like the era of the French Revolution.
It's a world-wide period of revolution and unrest. We are simply a part of it. A democracy gets the leaders the voters deserve.--lorraine
The then 13 year old alleged rape victim has dropped her suit. In addition to the Trump University and Trump Foundation cases, he has also refused to pay the polling firm hired for his campaign. He owes them three-quarters of a million dollars but says he won't pay because he was not 'satisfied' with their work. There have been many articles stating that tRump regularly refuses to pay for products and services.
ReplyDeleteI'm still in shock. It feels like the world just ended as I know it. My mother and I sat on the phone this a.m. and cried, we were stunned. He better keep his promises to those who voted for him, because he has rallied up quite an 'Angry' mob!
ReplyDeleteI am so disgusted. The thought of Donald Trump becoming president is horrifying.
ReplyDeleteMaybe we will elect Elizabeth Warren in 2020.
The Divided States of America will never vote for a woman president, so don't hold your breath. 53% of white women voted for Rump vs. 43% for Clinton.
DeleteBlack women came out en masse for HRC. It wouldn't have taken many more white women to have tipped the scales in her favor. http://www.theroot.com/articles/politics/2016/11/black-women-were-the-only-ones-who-tried-to-save-the-world-last-night/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=theroot
DeleteNo one can say whether or not Bernie would have done better against Trump. Personally, I never thought the country as a whole was anywhere near as far to the left as Bernie is. There were a lot of red flags that hinted at Hillary's eventual loss, though. The overwhelming and what I considered irrational hatred of her, as well as the long drawn out primary battle she had against Sanders.
ReplyDeleteWell, I did learn one thing. The country as whole sure does hate women. With a tRump administration, we in adoption reform can probably look forward to another baby scoop era.
@Robin,
DeleteI agree that the country hates women. We are a strange place. Even middle-eastern countries have had women leaders....and we keep hearing how oppressed they are. Europe and Asia have had women leaders.
But the US just cannot deal with a woman leader...or women's rights...or women's minds or brains.
All that matters is that we shut up and serve.............
@kitta,
DeleteFor as much lip service as we used to give about equality, it seems many Americans really only want women to participate in a small sphere of life. Many of these small-minded people probably thought, "Who the hell does Hillary Clinton think she is believing she could be president of the most powerful county on earth?" It reminds me of the Nazi slogan "Kinder, Kuche, Kirche" (Children, Kitchen, Church) that was used to denote women's role in society.
I'm afraid I don't disagree.
DeleteEven when a woman reaches a fairly high level, she is still denigrated, particularly if she is a minority.
DeleteRemember First Lady Michelle Obama's nutrition program for school kids? So many people were critical of that. They ridiculed the very idea and disrespected her for it.
Yet, I recall as a child in the 1960s, during the JFK administration, the schools and the nation jumped onto the physical fitness bandwagon that JFK was pushing. I think JFK may have had something to do with why "physical fitness" has stayed with some of us for a lifetime.
We now have an entire Republican government..not just the President, but House and Senate, also. They will control everything.
ReplyDeleteThey already do own everything.
DeleteI am just sick over the election. I also feared there was too much against Hillary, starting with her being a woman. Yes, it seems this country hates women, blacks, Hispanics. Racism and sexism is alive and well. I am already dealing with anxiety and depression and this did not help at all. Yesterday the memory of the Suffragettes and what they suffered to get us the vote, and the many tributes at Susan B. Anthony's grave were so touching, and now this disaster for our country. The world is falling apart.
ReplyDeleteLo, as an ex-Catholic you will appreciate this: last Sunday at the end of Mass the priest said "I hope you all vote, and do not forget that only one candidate is against abortion." I was so insulted and shocked I walked out even though I am in the choir.
This morning my husband and I cancelled all contributions to the parish and Catholic church. It was the least we could do.
Maryanne, I am so pleased to read your comment about what you did at Mass. Do you know what the long term effect will be?
DeleteChurches like that should not be politicking--and all which do should lose their no-tax status. The Catholic church is not the only one guilty of that.
There was a video circulating of a Catholic church in Poland where the priest began a long rant against abortion, and a great many women just got up and one after another walked out.
Wow, Maryanne, I am sorry for you. I know you have mentioned your church before and how meaningful it was to you, even though you were not always in agreement with its policies. But sometimes there is no turning back and we have to say "enough is enough".
DeleteAnd in a few months, as First Lady, Melania Trump can start her anti-bullying campaign. Let's hope she starts with her bombastic and obnoxious husband.
The abortion issue was sticky for many of the Catholics I work with. Most of them voted for Trump, I think. But that church's teaching on abortion goes along with an overarching belief in the sanctity of all human life. With a Trump presidency we could see thousands of refugee, immigrant, minority lives snuffed out because of his exclusionist policies. As a Mormon I am also against abortion, but I still could not support Trump as I looked at his agenda in total.
DeleteHillary called him a Demagogue, which he surely is. It is too bad the majority of Americans don't know what that word means.
Trump wasn't opposed to abortion until he started considering running for president. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/04/03/donald-trumps-ever-shifting-positions-on-abortion/. Trump also didn't show any compassion for the "least of these" -- the poor and the sick.
DeleteIf abortion becomes illegal, Donald Trump's daughters won't have any trouble getting one. Also, making abortion illegal doesn't reduce the number of abortions, it just makes the practice less safe. And it also leads to witch hunts in which women who have miscarriages are investigated for abortion.
DeleteI also worry about the number of lives that could be lost by the GOP attacks on the Clinton Global Initiative. (It's not actually called the Clinton Foundation). That Foundation does so much good around the world and has saved so many lives, especially among those with AIDS. Rudy Guiliani labeled it a racketeering operation and a fraudulent charity. Today he was claiming that Hillary may have embezzled hundreds of millions from it and falsely claimed that there was an FBI investigation. In reality, it has the highest rating a charity can get from professional charity watch groups. Mike Pence called for it to be shut down. The GOP doesn't care that the death toll will be in the millions if that happens. I pray that these dishonest attacks will not affect donation levels.
I did weep this morning finally, when a reporter outside the place where Hillary was going to give her concession speech said she ran into a black woman who was "sobbing."
ReplyDeleteThat did it for me.
My eyes now have that day-old feeling when the crying has not been over chopping onions, and the tears instead were full of stress hormones.
I met a friend for lunch at my usual joint and the owner came over and said horrific stuff about Trump and how surprised he was etc that I thought, My god, he must not have voted for him. (Though I know he is a lifelong Republican.)
But he did.
He just never imagined Trump would win.
One of the saddest things for me was when my 11 year old granddaughter broke out crying at my daughter's election-watching party when it became clear Hillary would not win.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I knew Hillary was disliked by many in spite of her smarts and experience, I am sickened by the fact that almost sixty million people would vote for a man who sexually assaults women, cheats and lies in business and life, is overtly racist, and has absolutely no qualifications for the job as president.
Hillary did win the popular vote, as did Al Gore in 2000. It was the electoral college that gave Rump the win.
DeleteYes, SHE did.
Deletestill depressed however...
I wish Hillary had not conceded so quickly. Democrats can be too conciliatory. That is not helpful in this election when the Repubs are anything but. The Donald had even said he wouldn't concede even if it had been clear that he lost. Perhaps HRC should have asked for a recount. And I hope going forward the Dems will question their propensity to always play by the rules while getting screwed by the Repubs.
Delete#NotMyPresident
i agree dems can be too conciliatory. i just saw a democratic Senator from Oregon tonite in an interview with Chris Hayes (msnbc) saying that he and his fellow dems plan to work with the new administration, and Bernie Sanders has said as much too, except of course on things that are bigoted, etc. Well usually those bills are combined. I really want them to be obstructionist while there are still a few Dems in the Federal government, otherwise i really believe that the next time around there will be even more Republicans elected.
Delete" I really want them to be obstructionist while there are still a few Dems in the Federal government..."
DeleteI agree, Kaisa. I think our new slogan should be "when they go low, we go lower". Give them a taste of their own medicine instead of always being the ones to back down and compromise. Obama must really regret choosing a Republican to head the FBI.
Donald is now asking for Obama and Clinton to speak to the protesters to try to quell the unrest. I sure as hell hope they don't, after his 5 year effort to delegitimize Obama's presidency with his birther conspiracy, and his "Crooked" Hillary tag and the rest of his attacks on her. He created this mess. They have no obligation to help get him out of it.
Robin, oh that is rich ! no pun intended.. Rump asks for help to quell protests - where demonstrators are expressing their first amendment right to free speech? and he did nothing to quell and in fact initiated his own crowds to express HIS dissatisfaction on the media during his rallies? Calling out Katie Tur by name so that the crowd focused on her personally? So much so that she had to be escorted out at the end by the secret service 5-6 times?
DeleteI do think it is silly and dangerous to protest on a highway ramp or highway lanes. but protesting in city streets and plazas seems reasonable. keep it peaceful, but a tad bit of disruption is par for the course. i could tolerate it well if Obama and Clinton discouraged dangerous or violent protesting, but if they did say anything about peaceful protesting - wow i just couldn't imagine but i will watch for it. maybe Obama and Clinton will make a deal with him - he likes deals, right? if he publicly repudiates the KKK and white supremists properly, then maybe they will address the public about violent and dangerous protests? otherwise, i think they should just keep repeating to him "I disavow, i disavow" (see WaPo's article on Rump's history of comments about David Duke)
in the meantime, i'm contacting as many Dems in Congress as i can to let them know i want them to OBSTRUCT!
I returned from India just in time to vote - and am still reeling from the turn of events yesterday. There is some comfort in coming to this forum and seeing that many of the FMF community are reacting as I did - the headache, the depression, the feeling of having cried for hours, the feeling when you are not yet quite awake in the morning and sense that something sad happened, then fully awaken to the realization that the votes are in and your worst fears are realized. More when I get out of zombie mode (jet-lag and frightening caricature of a President), but can so relate to all the comments. *Hugs* - not sure what else there is.
ReplyDeleteAs a frequent commenter here, I'm sure you ladies know I'm with you on adoption issues, but I voted for Trump and I will tell you why because I don't think it was a stupid choice.
ReplyDeleteFirst of all Hillary's saber rattling towards Russia. I think she was trying to distract attention from her failed policies as secretary of state in the Mideast that have left those countries in chaos and contributed to the migration problem of all those poor people trying to escape Syria's devastation. Threatening to attack Russia is dangerous. And what's that all about anyway? She's in bed with the Saudis and Qatar. It appears they want to build a pipeline through Syria and America is actually trying to unseat Assad by arming "rebels" who are actually ISIS to facilitate that. We should be cooperating with Russia to get rid of ISIS! She's been taking money from those Arab countries, which is treason I think. The whole thing is a mess, and there has been constant war for 15 years. I am sick of war and I don't believe any of the excuses to keep it going.
The other thing that puts me in Trump's camp is his economic policies. This country has a $20 trillion debt problem. This is very dangerous. If the bond bubble collapses nobody is going to care about women's rights. If that happens there will be a bank collapse the likes of which we have never seen, and all anybody is going to worry about is food and not losing their house or job. Trump understands this. I don't know whether he can fix this or not, but his idea of reducing the corporate tax rate is very positive, in my opinion. All the money overseas will come back home where we can use it to fix our own problems. Really, I think it is quite possible he can't fix it and then he will be blamed for what happens.
All this may seem boring compared to women's issues and his personal demeanor, but I think this is far more important than some crummy personal behavior which in the long run won't affect my life.
Barbara, women's rights are human rights, and the fact that you don't understand that is the real reason you voted for the Rump.
DeleteTrump's economic plan is to reduce taxes on the rich which will increase the debt. The myth that reducing the corporate tax rate will bring back money from overseas and spur economic growth is just that, a myth or as George Bush I put it, "voodoo economics." Both Reagan and Bush II tried this with disastrous results. Bush I tried to repair the damage Reagan caused by raising taxes which helped bring in the Clinton administration.
DeleteCorporations leave money in banks, whether overseas or at home, because they don't see a need to spend it because they don't see an increased demand for their services. The government can spur demand by creating jobs doing essential things such as repairing roads, assisting needy students to go to college, and so on.
Germany and other western European countries have high taxes and strong economies.
As for failed policies the Mideast, it was George II that invaded Iraq. Hillary and Obama have been mopping up. And obviously, Hillary does not want any wars. NBC reporter Richard Engle has written an excellent book which helps untangle the Mideast.
Barbara,
DeleteYou are the voice of privilege. And "crummy personal behavior" has never affected your life. Not so for other women. Perhaps you have never been grabbed by a customer or boss at your workplace and had no recourse and felt humiliated and alone? Or been raped and slut shamed. Are you one of those women, who when a woman is abused, say "what did you do to make him angry"?
Perhaps you'd like to go back to when women couldn't drive, get a credit card, buy a house without a man's signature, back to when a woman would get fired for getting pregnant, back before women could vote?
I can see that you do have sympathy for those "poor people trying to escape Syria's devastation"...as long as they don't come here, is that it?
And, you weren't concerned at all that the Donald has filed for bankruptcy multiple times, that he takes money from Russia (per his own son), that he refuses to show his tax returns, that he "jokingly' asked another country to interfere in our election, that he's facing multiple lawsuits, that he said he thought women who get an abortion should be punished, that he has been accused of raping a 13 year old child?
Perhaps you don't rely on Social Security, because the Republicans will now, after years of talking about it, finally get around to privatizing it. They will defund Planned Parenthood and take down the ACA, those are priorities for them. There's a world of hurt coming up but as long as it doesn't affect you, amirite?
Crummy personal behavior doesn't matter? Wait till your daughter is raped or pussy grabbed by someone who got the idea that it was okay from the president of the country, Mr. Trump. Or maybe it's your son who will do it, and he will be caught and you will end up visiting him in jail.
ReplyDeletePersonal behavior sets a tone for the country. It will affect your life.
"Or maybe it's your son who will do it, and he will be caught and you will end up visiting him in jail."
DeleteBut under a Rump administration actions like that won't be a crime, so said son wouldn't go to jail anyway.
And Pence especially is very pro-adoption. The extreme Republican agenda is that no one should have sex unless they're married, and if an out-of-wedlock pregnancy does occur, the child should absolutely 100% be given up for adoption. Their agenda is often anti-birth control and they certainly wouldn't provide any social benefits to help an unmarried expectant mother.
I see the Rump/Pence ticket as an absolute boon for the adoption industry and another devastating baby scoop era for natural mothers and children.
At Robin "I see the Rump/Pence ticket as an absolute boon for the adoption industry"
ReplyDeleteAs an adopted person I find your logic offensive.
I am adopted not because John F Kennedy was president, but because my mother, a grown, 36 year old woman decided to have unprotected sex with a married man with 2 children while she herself was married with 5 children.
My "poor birth mommy" did not give a shit about me, her husband, her children, my father's wife, or his kids. She gave a shit about herself. It is pretty simple, don't make children you are not going to parent, and sure as hell don't blame who is in office if you do.
And I find your comment offensive as well. Public policies (i.e. access to contraceptives and the legality of abortion)as well as attitudes about women and their role in society do play a part in the number of children given up for adoption. After better access to birth control and less societal condemnation of sex outside of marriage, the number of children given up for adoption did decline from its peak in the 1950s and '60s .
DeleteI never said the political administration was the only reason for children to be given up. I'm sorry you had what sounds like a very self-centered natural mother. Despite what we read here at FMF, and my own mother's experience, I never believed that EVERY relinquishing mother desperately wanted her child.
You're right. Some natural mothers just don't want to parent. And I would love to see people not make children that they aren't going to parent. But the best way for that to happen is providing easy access to affordable birth control, abortion if the pregnant woman wants that option and more encouragement for tubal ligation and vasectomy.
I think of my three incredibly wonderful granddaughters with hopes and skills for successful careers, families, full participation in civic life -- what message is the Trump victory sending them?
DeleteYou've got to be tall and thin (like his wives and daughters), under 40, and accept being mauled. Your intelligence, hard work, and good character count for zilch.
"what message is the Trump victory sending them?"
DeleteIt's re-igniting that old saw that a woman is being 'bitchy' rather than tough and strong and must be having her period when she doesn't back down (comment to Megyn Kelly during primary debate)
It's telling them that all that matters is their looks. Who can forget "Look at that face. Who would vote for that?" (said to Carly Fiorina during a primary debate)
It's telling them that if they ever come forward about sexual assault they are liars and will be sued.
There was a picture on HuffPo of a white male at a Trump rally wearing a tee shirt that said "Hillary's a c**t, vote Trump". The man was at the rally with his wife and 3 children.
I don't see any good message that Donald is sending to women, and I'm flabbergasted that so many voted for him.
One of Jane's "incredibly wonder granddaughters with hopes and skills" is serving in the US Air Force as a Combat Systems Officer. I can hardly sleep at night knowing he will be her commander-in-chief.
DeleteI am wearing black on inauguration day. Who will join me?
I'm in!
DeleteTo the "Linda" (Tripp?) who wrote a list of investigations into supposed sins of the Clintons--those investigations were the work of the Republican party and exposed no wrongdoing. Among other issues, you mention Whitewater. The cost of the investigation was between $6.2 million and $37 million, depending on which investigation you count--and showed that the Clintons lost $80,000. We are not putting up spurious comments that are so patently false as the one you wrote. Just because one repeats a lie many times does not make it true.
ReplyDeleteAs for Ken Starr--after beating the Lewinsky affair to death, and scaring the shit out of a young woman who didn't deserve it--he recently resigned from Baylor University after a rape scandal there involving the football team.
Search Results
Ken Starr resigns as Baylor law professor, cuts ties with university ...
www.foxnews.com/.../ken-starr-resigns-as-baylor-law-professor-cuts-ties-with-university...
Aug 20, 2016 - AUSTIN, Texas – Former Baylor University President Ken Starr resigned his post as a law school professor Friday, severing his last tie with the faith-based campus still reeling from a sexual assault scandal involving its football team. Starr, an ex-prosecutor best known ...
And that's Starr's home team, Fox News.
Referencing Pamela above, this is from her link...
ReplyDeleteSupport for Clinton was just 2 percentage points less than the overwhelming 96 percent black female support President Barack Obama received in both 2008 and 2012. As for black men, they weren’t feeling the notion of a first female president: 13 percent voted for Trump. That mirrored a somewhat hidden chauvinism among brothers that circulated during a bruising Democratic primary battle between Clinton and favored Larry-David-stunt-double-turned-overnight-revolutionary Sen. Bernie Sanders.
It will take time for the exact numbers to be counted, but the New York Times projects Trump to lose the popular vote by about 1.2 percentage points.
ReplyDeleteElectoral College needs to go. More elections like this will happen. Trump is the 4th president not be win the popular vote. His election is not the will of the people, it is the outcome of an outdated system that "rigs" the election to give rural voters in sparsely populated states a bigger share of the pie than sheer numbers would give them, and lowers of impact of a single vote in big population areas.
Bush W. won the same way, so it looks like we are in for this to happen more frequently.
....In fact, only one president-elect has lost the popular vote by a wider margin than Trump. In 1876, Rutherford B. Hayes won a controversial election that took months to settle, even though he lost the popular vote to Samuel Tilden by 3 percentage points.
@Barbara That is why I also voted for Trump I didn't like his comments about women either, but being accused of being a kissing bandit is almost laughable As someone who was molested in the worst way when I was 9 by a respected member of society I find it insulting to compare what Trump did to abuse that can really mess up a person for life. My parents wouldn't let me be a hater and slowly(when I was ready) explained to me what had happened so I wouldn't hate all members of his "group" I am a little nervous about the Republicans controlling both houses but they don't have a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate-so at least there's some control there There's going to be some changes Let's hope they're good Some of the people on Fox are gloating too much This is not a repudiation of Obama He did an amazing job when he first took office of stabilizing the country during the financial crisis. As someone who was on Obamacare, I'm sure it helps a lot of people(especially the ones who can get Medicaid or good subsidies-I was on Medicaid when my son was born and it was real insurance back then) for me it was useless because no doctors took it where I live and the deductibles were absurd-the main hospital near me didn't even take it. However, I don't think they should repeal it-just fix it. Better yet maybe the Rebublicans will trade universal healthcare or some hybrid medicare/.private insurance for their precious tax cuts Here's hoping -but what do I know.
ReplyDelete@Anon,
DeleteGrabbing a woman's crotch without her consent is being a "kissing bandit"? Wow, I don't see it that way. There have already been reports since the election of women being smacked on the behind and grabbed with men laughing that the President-elect does it.
And I assume you are anti-abortion even in cases of rape or incest. Mike Pence is one of the hardest line politicians against abortion in the entire country.
Donald has stated emphatically that Obamacare will be repealed within his first 100 days in office. Although he has never said what he will replace it with. I'm assuming nothing. It's certainly not going to be 'fixed' as you suggest. What you wrote you wanted is more like what Hillary proposed.
Obamacare is basically a hodgepodge system designed to placate the insurance industry. There were not enough constraints on it and that's why the premiums, deductibles, etc., have gotten out of control. I agree it has not worked well in the long run, but I do wonder what the 19 million people covered by it will do now. I guess just have no insurance, pay that ridiculous penalty for being insured and then clog emergency room since that's the only place the uninsured can be treated. Although the laws mandating ER treatment may be changed too.
Btw, I have a Master's degree and have worked in the health care finance field for 25 years. You wrote "but what do I know". I'd say I know more than most people on the subject.
Anonymous, do you doubt that Trump grabbed women by their genitals and initiated unwanted physical contact, including kissing?
DeleteIt is true there is a difference between molestation and rape, and sexual harassment, and that is why there are different words to describe them. and yet all of those acts are wrong, they are all criminal; they are all forms of sexual violence, and they are all sexual assault.
my sister in law was a victim of sexual violence perpetrated by her husband, and because they were married her own very loving, lovable, church-going, good parents had trouble recognizing its impact and importance, although they support her in whatever she pursues. they live in a town of like-minded people and so it continued to happen until my sister in law recognized that she did not want her maturing daughters to be aware of her being treated that way by their father. to this day she does not fully recognize the actions for what they are, and neither do her parents. her parents preached to her to not be a hater, too, and she feels it is wrong to do so, and that it is wrong to guard herself against similar individuals that she might date in the future.
without calling out what was wrong with her husband and what is right with other men, she misses a learning opportunity in my mind. nothing is black and white. all men are not bad. after all, i married her brother and i think he is a great guy, as is their father. but the naivete of her parents and those she surrounds herself with does nothing to protect her from the next perpetrator - and so she is currently dating another man with whom she is having many problems, as forgiving as a person as she is, and in fact for many years after her divorce from her previous husband, she did many things for him as if they were still married (which is neither right or wrong but demonstrates her generosity towards someone who assaulted her repeatedly without remorse or admission of wrongdoing.)
so when i read your comment that your parents explained to you what happened in a way that wouldn't let you become a hater of all members of a group, i'm wary. it seems to imply that it is wrong to call out or be angry at those who do sexual assault. it is not wrong to call out sexual assault for what it is in whatever form it is. it is not crying victim, it is not suggesting that one trauma is less or more than another. it is simply calling it out.
it is not wrong to be angry at those who do sexual assault. it is not wrong to be angry at those who joke about it. it is not wrong to call it out for what it is. as for hate, it is not wrong to hate violence.
i'm very sorry that you were a victim of molestation as a child. nothing i can say can explain that away and i have no desire to explain it away. as a matter of fact, i really hate that anyone, any person, any child, has had to go through sexual violence and it makes me very, very angry.
@Lo,
ReplyDeleteI agree. When you look at the US election map, especially west of the Mississippi, those "big box states" are mostly all red. But that sea of red is mostly empty farm land, desert, BLM land. There are relatively few people living on it.
We live in a rural area. We fly over the US at night, a lot. The "red states" in the rural areas are mostly dark...a massive area of dark. It still is rangeland.
Archie Bunker to Meathead in 1976:
ReplyDelete"You're going to get Ree-gan in 1980."
Steve to his GOP friends in 2016:
"You're going to get Warren in 2020."
@Robin Are U angry? People in my own family won't talk to me They just scream "He's crazy and hang up the phone." I've been feeling like Job recently(as in the Bible-not Steve although we could use some jobs too. But recently I found out that my only grandchild (from my found son) has a chronic life-threatening disease and the mention of a possible cure using stem cells-way in the future-did come up So I can see both sides of this one What is going on now is horrifying -women are being pressured into having late-term abortions so that they can grab the CD133stem cells I wouldn't have believed it if it didn't almost happen to me A doctor tried to talk me into an abortion when I was 5 months pregnant for no reason except I was young,poor and flakey. Also, they wanted to know if anyone in the family had ever had this disease-My son's birthfather is dead and I didn't know his family very well So there's the question of adopted people knowing their medical background,too Goodbye,I'm going to cry again
ReplyDeleteYes, I am angry. I would think that's pretty clear from the volume and tone of my comments.
DeleteI don't claim to know much about anything in particular but my sister is a health care actuary and she is very good(she is a progressive)She used to be a pension actuary until companies started getting rid of pensions and almost no one except civil service workers have them anymore- another blow to the middle class and working people.
DeleteI'm back. I think the media should take responsibility for their part in provoking the divisiveness If they were so concerned,for example, with people imitating bad language why don't they just let it go and not dredge up the past and replay it ad nauseum Why look for the worst in everyone only on the side you disagree with This was in part a media backlash I am not a Hillary hater I like her and consider her the birthmother of health care reform The few people I know who voted for Trump did it mainly because they were so sick of the media trying to destroy people they don't agree with They even attacked Melania. The media are the biggest bullies around and people can't take it any more. If they cared about this country they would stop Since it's gone this far maybe Trump should say something to apologize if anyone misunderstood and to calm people's fears Someone said Trump supporters don't take him literally but take him seriously and everyone else takes him literally but not seriously
ReplyDeleteSomeone suggested that he apologize or soften his tone to the people he offended.
DeleteBut, he disagreed...saying, that he "won the election."
A seasoned politician might have had a better idea of just how divisive those insults and threats were going to be. His pre-election ""comments" cannot simply be swept away.
Trump's lack of experience in governing may have appealed to his supporters, but... overall, lack of experience in governing can be a serious flaw/deficit.
He doesn't know how to represent nor lead the country. Experience in "business" is not the same as "governance" ...especially when taking on a severely divided nation.
no kidding, kitta, he has the time to tweet "Not fair!" about protestors in the streets but no time to renounce the KKK
DeleteFrom all the news stories, Donald is a great businessman just like Bernie Madoff was a great investor.
DeleteThe Emperor's new clothes.
@Robin
Delete"a great businessman"????? ..and this is why it was and still is so important that his financial and tax records be revealed.
@Kitta,
DeletePerhaps you misread my comment. I agree with you completely.
Bernie Madoff had the reputation of being a great investor when in reality he was operating a gigantic con. His business was a Ponzi scheme and his investors, many of them quite famous, lost huge amounts of money. He was sent to prison.
And I agree, Donald needs to release his tax and financial records as all the other candidates have done.
@Robin,
Deletesorry.. I agree with you.I was being sarcastic about Trump's business acumen ...but I guess my sarcasm didn't read that way!
yes, I am familiar with Bernie Madoff...who "made off with a whole lot of other people's money"
I do hope there will be investigations into Trump's finances, especially the the connections he has with foreign nations.
If a Republican like John Kasich or Jeb Bush had been elected I would have been disappointed because my positions are more in sync with the Democratic Party. But I think what many of us realize is that Donald’s election is something different altogether, and we rightly sense the danger. I hope we have enough safeguards in place to prevent something like the Brownshirts, which developed in 1920s Germany, from happening here. But I’m not entirely confident that we do.
ReplyDeleteI also see women’s role decreasing significantly in this new administration. I found it ridiculous that before Donald announced his VP pick media commentators were speculating about people like South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley. Donald had already made it quite clear that no woman would be considered. I haven’t seen any mention of any potential cabinet picks who are female, either, except maybe his daughter, Ivanka. And we know how likely that is.
But let's not forget the power of our wallets. Boycott anything with the Trump name. I've read that Ivanka Trump's clothing line has already taken a significant hit due to the election. hehe
I love Megan’s idea of wearing black on inauguration day. I plan to pass that on to everyone I know who voted for HRC. There’s another idea floating around to wear black armbands to signify the death of democracy. Let’s hope we don’t need them.
P.S. I read that Rump hates being called "Donald" so that’s what I’ve decided to call him.
#NotMyPresident
I didn't expect anybody here to agree with me, but I am glad to see at least one person did see where I'm coming from. Thank you. To Anonymous #1, the idea that my point of view is the "voice of privilege" is some kind of brainwashing on your part. You don't know anything about where I came from. It is certainly not privilege. I left an abusive adoptive family when I was 18, and lost my child to adoption when I was 21. My early life was one of pain, loneliness and struggle. I am very thankful for what I have now, but it is certainly not privilege. Just because I voted for Trump doesn't mean I support adoption. Nothing could be further from my position in this. I feel I was deceived and victimized by the adoption industry with long term repercussions both for myself and my daughter and I would like to see the whole thing outlawed if done for profit. I don't condone Trump's sexual talk, or Bill Clinton's behavior either. I also think what Ken Starr and Linda Tripp did was really horrible and I feel sorry for Monica and all the suffering she went through. All of this stuff makes me sick to my stomach.
ReplyDeleteWhat I was trying to say, is whether we have more war and killing is more important than that. It is people dying, sending young sons of some mother to lose their lives for nothing. I think Hillary was a terrible secretary of state and she was outright threatening Russia and I thought she would just continue the policies as they were. It is true that the wars started in the Bush presidency and I thought at the time as I do now that the war with Iraq was started on false pretenses and should not have happened. But Trump extended an olive branch to Russia and she just continued accusing them of stuff and I didn't want more war.
Also, Jane, with all respect, I believe you are wrong about the money held overseas. The corporate income tax is around 34% to 36% which is the highest in the world. Most countries have 28% or less. So companies that do business overseas keep their money over there, spend it over there so they don't have to pay the corporate tax by bringing it home. Tax relief will aid those companies in repatriating the money. It will also aid the small business owner. I believe it is something like 70% of the companies in the US are small businesses. They pay over a third of their income in taxes. I think tax relief will help businesses like that as well. Don't ask me how Trump is going to manage to get that through Congress.
Anyway, it was the stated policies of Trump that I voted for. I didn't think Hillary had much of a platform actually. I didn't like the personal behavior of either candidate, but they will try to implement their policies to the extent that they can. If they can keep us out of war and help the economy maybe we can get them to pay attention to adoption reform. Who knows, I sure don't have all the answers.
Hillary left office with a 65 percent job approval rating. She has not served one more day on the job since then. The only thing that has changed is that she was unable to stand up to the McCarthyism that was unleashed on her.
DeleteHillary had a great platform, especially if you want to protect young mothers from the adoption industry. She had a comprehensive day care plan that would have ensured that no one paid more than 10 percent of their income for day care. That was a big deal that would have made such a difference for so many people.
She also has been a long time champion of universal pre-k education.
Let me lay it out for you, Barbara. We lost our babies because we lacked power. The overwhelming number of single women today keep their babies because the status of women has risen. Women no longer have to achieve their social and economic status primarily by the kind of man they can attract. They have educational and job opportunities that we did not have a few decades ago.
DeleteDonald Trump and his male followers would strip women of their power, reduce them to men's playthings. Note how they referred to Hillary in the crudest language.
"Make American Great Again" is code for bringing back all the power to white men. Return to the 50's when women who dared get pregnant without the permission of a man through marriage were forced to endure the pregnancy (abortion and in some states even birth control was illegal), hide in maternity homes, and give up their babies.
Hillary was a beacon, an inspiration for young girls that you and others voted to destroy.
It's sad that you were so mislead by Trump's claims about what Hillary would do or not do to Russian and corporate taxes that you didn't figure out what was really going on. You were tricked just like the women who opposed the ERA were tricked.
As for warmongering, Trump is the most bellicose presidential candidate ever.
I suggest you read about the supposed glorious past, when America was "great", "The Feminine Mystique", "The Girls Who Went Away." In fact, just catch a few episodes of "Madmen."
Renowned filmmaker and liberal/progressive Michael Moore has been trashing Hillary up one side and down the other for decades. He FINALLY, 25 years after the fact, gave Hill credit for trying to implement universal health care in the United States. Mrs. Clinton was attacked mercilessly for her efforts, for spending too much money with little to show for it, etc., but the truth is, she was simply way ahead of her time. And the real reason she was so viciously attacked is because she was a First Lady stepping out of the acceptable role for that position (be beautiful, dress well, take on non-controversial causes, and generally be powerless).
DeleteMoore did give her credit, as we should too, for developing the CHIPS program that provides over 8 million low-income children with access to health care. I personally know a couple who both got laid off their jobs at the same time and the CHIPS program was a lifesaver for them. I shudder to think what would have happened to their young son if he’d had no access to well-baby and pediatric care.
To say that Hillary has no platform and that Donald has a concise agenda is one of the silliest things I’ve heard this election season. HRC is a policy wonk. Donald changes his positions every 15 minutes, it seems. I think one of the frightening things (among many) about a Donald Administration is that no one is quite sure what he plans to do.
Hillary Clinton must be the strongest person in the world to put up with everything she’s gone through. And that trait would have boded well for a presidency.
I love the protesters and am heartened by them that our country may not be as doomed as I thought it was, after all.
@Barbara: tRump says "I would bomb the shit out of them, (ISIS)", wants MORE nuclear weapons in the world, and has high praise for Putin (militaristic dictator) -- but *Clinton* is the candidate to fear? Please.
DeletePeople are already experiencing overt racist/xenophobic comments and actions -- all of which have been justified and "normalized" by the tone and tenor of tRump and his supporters.
One of my friends, who is a naturalized citizen, was accosted yesterday at a grocery store and told to "go back where [she] came from". She has bi-racial children and is absolutely terrified of what could happen to them under a tRump administration.
The anger and hatred are real, and so is the fear of those who face being targeted.
#impeachtrump
#notmypresident
The left-wing protesters, rioters, looters and protest lovers are exactly why Trump one. The majority of americans are sick and tired of this. Trump won the popular vote in 25 states and Hillary won in 15 with most coming from Ca.
ReplyDeleteRump supporters are sick and tired of what exactly?
DeleteThey looked pretty vigorous at Rump rallies.
So you’d rather have a country where signs like “KKK supports Trump” are seen at rallies, where Muslim women have their hijabs grabbed right off their heads, where muslim students are told “I can’t wait for you to be sent back to where you came from”, where African American students are sent pictures of lynchings, where graffiti on a sports arena is a huge swatiska with the words “Make America White Again”, where women hear jokes and are actually grabbed because… “hey the president does it”, where women will be paid less for equal work, where lower income women will not have access to needed health care and birth control, where everyone who is not white and Christian will live in fear, and with even white Christian women being second-class citizens.
DeleteHeck, I’ll take the protesters any day. I’m proud that there are people in this country willing to stand up for what’s right.
Anon, everyone has the right to vote for the candidate they think is best, and I don't have a problem with that. The only thing I wish you wouldn't say is "protest lovers." In the US people have the right to protest, it is free speech, and without it, nothing would change and dictatorship would take over. Remember, all the following:
Delete- Trade unions - started out as protests! And it was a very long hard struggle. The big bosses (industrialists) would hire people to beat up anyone trying to organize a union,and threaten anyone against joining. The purpose of the unions was to fight against low wages, long hours, dangerous working conditions with no safety protection, and working and then not being paid, being stiffed by the company and the boss.
- Women's right to vote - started out as a protest! Without it, we women, who would have the right to just have a baby every year, whether we want to or not, and would have the right to just clean up the kitchen, as that's all we are good for since we're so dumb, would not be able to vote!
- Age of 18 being able to vote - this is a direct results of the many protests against the Vietnam war. Thanks to the draft, every single family had a son, nephew or other relative who was being shipped overseas to fight and die. My cousin, brother and husband were among this group. Yet these soldiers, although old enough to fight the war (18 years old), were not old enough to vote (voting age was 21 then). My husband, who served, spoke to me about this, shortly before the election, when we were talking about the many people who now had some excuse or other not to vote.
As for Black Lives Matter, they have a right to protest and I don't understand why people are so scared of that.
I do think the protestors now are spinning their wheels, as what's done is done. I feel sorry them. I do think Trump is unfit for office though, and I have confidence that he will trip himself up very soon. Woebetide all of us. Perhaps he'll get impeached before he gets us into WW III.
Your last sentence does not make sense to me, as you left out 10 states, we have 50 states plus a couple of US protectorates, and "most coming from Ca" just doesn't make any sense.
The popular vote is the popular vote is the popular vote.
DeleteIt doesn't matter what state it comes from. One person, one vote. And Hillary is ahead by nearly 2 million votes, with another 7 million still to be counted mostly from CA, WA and NY. Without the antiquated electoral college, Hillary Rodman Clinton would be the 45th president of the United States of America. The people have spoken.
I <3 the protesters.
"Protest lovers?" Right away that is a putdown, no matter what they are protesting--voting rights, marriage rights, abortion rights. Yeah, it's also "PC" to not use the N-word, but writing it like that diminishes the intent.
DeleteAt everyone I am one of the anonymouses(not the one who accused someone of being privileged) Maybe if some of the billionaires would all chip in a few hundred billion dollars(which some of them won't even miss-collectively) for a jobs program that would do a lot to get rid of people's resentment against them because we all know that you can't get any money from people who don't have it That's one of the reasons,I think, people are willing to give Trump a chance He spent millions of his own money-it's like maybe he wants to give something back and not just take as most of the politicians do I don't want to see something like a French or Russian revolution happen here But I can see that a lot of you know a lot about history and women's issues and I don't so I'm not going to compete with you I was always verbally challenged so I majored in math and science I know I'm not stupid but sometimes I give that impression
ReplyDeleteAnonymous, don't worry, you have every right to express your opinion and to vote as you feel is best.
DeleteYes, Trump spent money on his own campaign. But his Trump Foundation is coming up to trial for fraud on a massive basis, and Attys General in several states have barred his foundation from seeking money in the meantime. Actually, the heads of Apple, Microsoft and Warren Buffet have donated millions to help people. Trump has been a fraud and a charlatan on that score.
I think you should feel free to discuss, I don't know much about women's issues either, but all of us have been through the same experience (on this forum, losing a child) and we all have points of view and opinions.
We are very afraid here, very multi-racial extended family, Asian, African-American, European, and my husband being Jewish is very aware that Hitler was seen as just a joke when he started. He is seriously looking into moving to Ireland where I have relatives. I am just terrified of the whole thing, I think I am suffering from post-election PTSD (maybe many of us are) but it has made my anxiety and depression much worse. I can't watch or read anything about Trump without panic. All my kids have been wonderful and are the tiny bit of hope in this dark time, but I fear for them and my grandkids.
ReplyDeleteAs to the church thing, thanks for the kind words Robin and Lo. I have not confronted that priest yet, too upset but will write him a letter when I can be more coherent and less hopeless.
We all may have good reason to fear. In 1963, I visited my father's cousin and his family in Germany. They told me they just did not know what/who Hitler really was until it was too late.
DeleteI do think that our institutions--courts, Congress, state governments, and the strong belief in American values by many can protect us from a Hitler-type takeover. I hope I am not wrong.
Amen, Jane. Hope you are not wrong either. Hitler did start this way. Here is a poem I just wrote:
DeleteElection Year
I have brought in the ancient plants
I was going to let them die
Of frost, this evil blighted fall
They are old, they are not bright
They do not thrive, just cling to life
Under artificial light
In the cellar winter long.
My husband said, “ just bring them in.
Just do it, no matter how you feel.”
Will there be a spring? Gods of love and innocence
Betrayed by Gods of hate, hope in ruins, shredded
By greed and lies, dark forces gathered
In every murky stagnant pool of prejudice and dead dreams
Dark side of the soul
Demons in my head, Demons rule the land
What was illusion, fear, all too real, all too clear.
Not a nightmare but a monstrous script that does not end
Where is my country, where is my home?
Yet still I rise, every morning to bleak visions , black fearsome thoughts
I will my arms and legs to move, my mouth to speak and eat
Yet I brought in the tired old plants
To last another year. That is, at least, a start.
Mary Anne Cohen
Year of despair 2016 Nov.
Ps. God Bless my Michael who is taking to heart "don't mourn, organize" and scheduling a meeting about the adverse impact of the election on his envirnomental work, and strategies to go forward.
A beautiful, sad poem, maryanne.
DeleteWOW, Maryanne...that is beautiful and sad, as Jane said. I don't know if you are a professional writer...perhaps you are. I too had thoughts of Hitler. Also of the Antichrist(!)
DeleteMaryanne, I finally had the opportunity to read your poem in a quiet moment. It is beautiful. Good work!
DeleteTO ALL THE ANONYMOUSES:
ReplyDeletePLEASE PICK A NAME, ANY NAME, AND CHOOSE THE NAME/URL SELECTION. You do not need a URL and then it looks like you have something to say, rather than just being no one with no name. We do like people who actually have the courage to use their own names, but that is not necessary here, due to the type of blog this is, and birth mothers and adpotees often need a place to say what they can't outloud.
Watch this video of Kate McKinnon singing Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah." It will make you cry. http://www.vogue.com/13502526/hillary-clinton-sings-hallelujah-on-snl/
ReplyDeleteJane, thanks for sharing the link to Kate McKinnon's rendition of "Hallelujah," it was very touching. Maryanne, I can relate to your feelings of PTSD. I think I am still jet-lagged, which exacerbates the whole feeling. I also am scared - about the new Supreme Court jurisprudence that undoubtedly will take shape and hurtle women backwards in time, about how life will shape up for my African-American adoptee son, and a host of other things.
ReplyDeleteDonald Trump is a truth-twisting, conspiracy mongering, misogynistic authoritarian demagogue who is at core a thin-skinned power grubbing charismatic narcissist. If he really means the things he has said/promised, he is dangerous. If he doesn't mean the things he has said/promised he is dangerous. Several of his choice of appointees indicate that far from "draining the swamp" he is polluting it even further. He is opening up a route to the the highest office in the land to the alt-right.
ReplyDeleteNone of this is "truthful hyperbole". It is the truth.
Since when did respect for Human Rights become left wing? Why is respect and tolerance suddenly 'fringe behavior'? Why is it 'loony' to campaign and protest against bigotry, divisiveness, prejudice and discrimination? These are core human values, not left wing values, not 'political hyperbole.'
ReplyDeleteLorraine wrote:"There were those who were not willing to tell pollsters how they were leaning because he was embarrassing them with his misogynist, racist, and xenophobic comments..."
DeleteI don't think Trump's supporters were embarrassed at all. Obviously, they agreed with his comments. I think that in the PC culture that existed prior to Trump's winning the election, they were uncomfortable expressing those opinions.
What I hate is how Republican female politicians, television anchors, political pundits, etc., are always trashing feminism. Do they truly not realize that it was the feminist movement of the 1960s and '70s that changed the mindset of the country, and the laws, that enabled these women to attain the positions they have today? They didn't do it on their own. When I was growing up in the '70s, Ella Grasso of Connecticut was the 1st woman governor elected on her own, and as far as I know, the ONLY woman governor. Margaret Chase Smith served as the lone female in both the House and the Senate for many years. And Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has recounted how she could only get a job as a secretary after she'd graduated law school. But thanks to some of the current crop of backstabbing females in the political arena, women will probably be going backwards again. I resent that they (metaphorically) bite the hand that feeds them.
Robin--They are not embarrassed now because he won the antiquated electoral college, which ought to be dumped, as it no longer represents the will of the people.
DeleteBut they did not want to answer polls saying they agreed with Trump and were planning to vote for him. His outrageous oratory was embarrassing even to the people who did vote for him; they just didn't believe it or wanted to look past it, as if it did not matter.
Rachel Maddow did a great bit on racism in elections from 1950 on in North Carolina, the state of Jesse Helms, who ran several overtly racist campaigns for others until he ran himself.
Twork years later my state also elected a female governor in 1977, Dixy Lee Ray. In the 80s Kentucky, Vermont, and Nebraska also did. Vermont had the first Jewish governor also with Kunin. And this is interesting, in Nebraska 1986 general election for governor, female Republican Kay Orr defeated female Democrat Helen Boosalis, making Nebraska the first state that had 2 women from 2 major parties competing head to head. Christine Todd Whitman beat the incumbent governor for her job in 1994. Sorry, police Sci and history nut. And it is possible to be a conservative without worshipping at the altar of Trump or wanting women chained to the stove barefoot and pregnant. Almost half the eligible population did NOT vote in the election. Those are the real backstabbers in this last election.
ReplyDeleteI still believe that women in the 1970s and later who attained positions that were formerly closed to them by law or tradition owe a debt of gratitude to the feminist movement, even if they don't agree with the movement's stand on every issue. There is room for different opinions.
DeleteBut it is people like Betty Friedan who wrote The Feminist Mystique and who started the National Organization for Women (NOW)--whose purpose was to bring women into all areas of mainstream society in equal participation with men--who did change the nation's consciousness about the role of women.
I'm again reminded of how much things have changed for women, and how powerless women used to be, after hearing interviews with the women who accused Bill Cosby of sexual assault explaining why they waited so long to come forward.
I'm a big women's history buff myself.
There are reports coming out about voter suppression, but I agree, too many people did not take this civic responsibility seriously enough.
Still believe? Robin, of course it was the feminist movement that propelled major change regarding women. When I started out in journalism there were almost no women doing news on television. No one was supposed to take them seriously. One woman, Liz Trotta at NBC, was the only hard news reporter for NBC. on the national news. Women working outside of those dreadful "women's departments" on newspapers were extremely rare. I had an interview once in the Sixties for NBC but I knew going in I would not get the job. I didn't look right--my enormous nose (bobbed later)--would have kept me off any broadcast, even today.
DeleteAs I watched the news for a short while this morning--and it's full of women on Saturdays, and the weatherwomen--I couldn't help think that they all probably wear pants in real life all the time but on the tube tight dresses (with lower necklines than ever before) are de rigueur.. Of course the ones who sit down behind a desk are probably wearing pants.
I posted a comment on Facebook about the times that I was accosted by men, including a few bosses, over the years and got a slew of other people commenting about the same experience. One time a dentist I'd seen several times decided to give me a big smack on the lips after he put in a crown. I knew his wife! for christ's sake. I never went back, found a new dentist--a woman! All I can hope is that the kind of sexual grabbing and less than violent rapes that men have gotten away with in the past is ultimately lessened. Does Trump's victory give misogynist men license to do it more freely? Probably. But there will always be...a few good men.
I've been trying to come up with the perfect moniker for #notmypresident-elect DT when he (gag) takes office in January, and have run the gamut from tRump to Rump to Donald. But then I found the perfect name in a comment left at HuffPo..."P Grabber-in-chief". So P Grabber-in-chief, it is.
Delete"Those are the real backstabbers in this last election."
DeleteThe Bernie or Bust millennials who couldn't bing themselves to "hold their noses" and vote for Clinton, despite Bernie warning them of the dire consequences if they didn't, are backstabbers. But they're the ones who will have to live with the consequences of a far right Supreme Court much longer than we BSE adoptees will.
When I practiced law in the early 70's, several divorce clients came to me because their previous attorney, a man, made passes at them. Several clients told me of other male attorneys who wanted to know all their sex life, totally not legally relevant, just voyeurism.
DeleteDon't forget those who laid the foundations, like the Suffragettes - and even before the Suffragette Movement there were passionate advocates for the emancipation of women, including some men such as John Stuart Mill.
DeleteYes. When I hear the mean sexist things about Hillary and the nasty comments directed to women since the election, I think how it is nothing compared to the barbs the Suffragettes had to bear.
DeleteBernie is a bit of a backstabber too. He wanted his cake and to eat it too. And now that Hillary didn't win, he thinks it is okay to once again cause further divides within the party - kick em when they're down, i guess. I read that his wife ruled out his running in 2020, so he is causing waves without a real plan. Shame.
DeleteKaisa wrote:"Bernie is a bit of a backstabber too"
DeleteI agree.
I think there were a lot of well-known liberal/progressives who were backstabbers, and I blame them in part for Hillary's defeat. People like Michael Moore(earlier comment left on 11/12/16 at 9:00 am), actress Susan Sarandon, and even writers like Barbara Ehrenreich.
Bernie Sanders didn't seem to do a lot, imo, to help get HRC elected. He said he would not be a third party spoiler, and he kept that promise, but the convention was in July and he didn't start to stump for her until after Labor Day. Most of his efforts seemed rather lukewarm to me. His huge rallies, hordes of youthful supporters, and being the leader of a 'revolution' went to his head (which I guess it would for anyone). In November 2020, he will be 79 years old. A bit too long in the tooth, I'd say, to be president.
Other backstabbers, imo, were those purists who had to vote their conscience and went with a third party candidate, who they knew didn't have a snowball's chance in hell of winning. It just seemed more honest to me if they'd voted for the P*Grabber-elect since they knew that's who their vote really went for. But they, like all of us, had to do what they felt best.
Karen--Hey, thanks for the history lesson of women. I looked Dixy up and discovered your state is Washington. What I noted was that the women in government were in the West (the small state of Vermont was the exception) and not in the bit East Coast states until 1994 with Christy Todd Whitman. When I wrote Still Unequal: The Shameful Truth about Women and Justice in America, I learned that it was Midwestern and Western law schools that opened up to women way ahead of the more prestigious, established law schools in the East where the institutions have a longer history of "men only." Breaking down those barriers becomes harder because the sexism has been inborn in the elites and thus it stays...and stays...for a longer time than elsewhere. Old fogies have to die before change comes, and sadly I feel that way about getting the behemoth state of NY to unseal its birth certificates to adoptees.
ReplyDeleteWikipedia for women's history buffs:
ReplyDeleteDixy Lee Ray (September 3, 1914 – January 2, 1994) was a scientist who served as the 17th Governor of the U.S. state of Washington. Variously described as idiosyncratic, and "ridiculously smart," she was the state's first female governor and was known for her leadership of the state during the devastating 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens, for her strident support of atomic energy, and for her personal eccentricities.
A graduate of Mills College and Stanford University, where she earned a doctorate in biology, Ray became an associate professor at the University of Washington in 1957. She was chief scientist aboard the schooner SS Te Vega during the International Indian Ocean Expedition. Under her guidance, the nearly bankrupt Pacific Science Center was transformed from a traditional, exhibit-oriented museum to an interactive learning center, and returned to solvency.
In 1973 Ray was appointed chairman of the United States Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) by President Richard M. Nixon. Under her leadership, research and development was separated from safety programs, and Milton Shaw, the head of the powerful reactor development division, was removed. She was appointed Assistant Secretary of State for Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs by President Gerald Ford in 1975, but resigned six months later, complaining about lack of input into department decision making.
To the surprise of many, Ray ran for election as Governor of Washington as a Democrat in 1976. She won the election despite her blunt, sometimes confrontational, style. As governor, she approved allowing supertankers to dock in Puget Sound, championed support for unrestrained growth and development, and continued to express enthusiasm for atomic energy. On April 3, 1980 she declared a state of emergency as a result of the volcanic eruption of Mount St. Helens. She retired after losing her bid for re-election in 1980.
The ACLU has received donations of $7.2 million since the election. I appreciate the sentiments but that sure is a whole lot of money that can also be used in the fight against adoptee rights. The ACLU seems to think everyone else has rights, except those who were adopted and had no say in losing their original birth certificates.
ReplyDeletei'll admit to joining the Northern Cali ACLU recently, and signing up my husband and a few friends. I'm hoping to be more than just a member in name only and i want to volunteer my time - i don't know what that will consist of at the moment. But by joining i've upped their representation of adoptees, and i plan to make myself heard.
DeleteI've also started writing members of the US congress and our own state assembly, but i don't have a lot of faith to tell you the truth. I'm contemplating writing Ivanka. She claimed that she worked on plans for women and children with her father. I think she should be held accountable to that, publicly, and by the media. So perhaps I should be writing the media. I wonder how much they really pay attention to Twitter and the like. Ugh I hate Twitter but it seems the only way to write some of these people anymore.
Ivanka's speech at the RNC was all lies. tRump never said he supported any of the workplace policies or equality for women that Ivanka spoke about.
DeleteIvanka and her husband, Jared Kushner, are in such serious denial that they need a professional intervention immediately. Jared is from a prominent NY Jewish family and has family members who were killed in the Holocaust. Ivanka converted to Judaism and they are raising their 3 children in the faith. Yet they are willing to be a part of her father's administration which is giving powerful positions to known anti-Semites.
It is clear that tRump is not genuinely disavowing neo-Nazis or the KKK. And while we're at it, let's not allow them to obscure who they really are by changing their name to the 'alt-right'. They are fascist white-supremacists.
Hello NNG - i agree with most of what you say. I am probably wasting my time writing to Ivanka. But I have to try. Her story isn't complete yet. For myself, my beliefs, i can't give up on someone whose story isn't complete yet, and so writing to her is as much for me (or more) than for her. It is not easy for me but it is what i think is best for me personally.
DeleteAnd I agree with what you say about Rump and his disavowals. He needs to condemn, and denounce, rather than disavow. But his head isn't right, and i don't think he is capable, even if he were to see the light, his head is too far gone. And I'm not relieved in the least that Steve Bannon has said he is not a white nationalist, but instead a nationalist, or an economic nationalist. He is indeed a fascist white-supremacist. I'm not Jewish and i don't understand the Jewish point of view, but all the Jewish friends i have in this country voted for Trump, and i can only guess that they must think that Steve Bannon's idea of Zionism is a good thing? But to me, it's just a way of saying that the Jews should ultimately go to their own country (Israel) after they have helped finance white people "take back" America (and by take back i mean that facetiously, these are not at all views i agree with, but instead are my opinions of what Steve Bannon aka Rasputin to the Trump family, is thinking and ultimately promoting.)
Isn't it about time for another one of tRump's infamous bankruptcies? Maybe he'll wait till January and bring the whole country done with him. And isn't it time for him to trade Melania in for a younger model? Maybe someone closer to Ivanka's age, or better yet, Tiffany's age. She is getting dangerously close to 50.
DeleteI couldn't agree more, Robin! I read that all organizations who oppose Trump's policies are getting a lot of donations--that's always the way. If Hillary had been the winner of the electoral college, the NRA would profit bit time. It wouldn't matter what she actually did; they raise money by scaring gun owners into believing they will lose their guns.
ReplyDeletePlanned Parenthood has been getting a large number of donations in Mike Pence's name. hehe
DeleteI didn't want to be a 'feminist'. I didn't care whether I would be accepted or allowed in a 'man's' job, or with equal pay or anything else in that regard.
ReplyDeleteWhat I wanted? To be a mother. To stay home, like my mother did and love her children. I wanted to be there with them and for them, to guide, to teach, and protect them. I just wanted to be a woman, wife and mother.
The world had other ideas.