Author Archives: pandora

About pandora

A stay-at-home mom with an obsession for National politics.

A Moment of Your Time

Since I went underground before Thanksgiving, I wasn’t even going to write this post, but three very close friends said I should.

Last November my Dad became extremely ill. His kidney’s failed and he was diagnosed with mid-stage Congestive Heart Failure. He began dialysis immediately and was in the hospital for over a month, followed by a long stay in a nursing home for rehabilitation. My mother’s life became filled with twice daily trips to the hospital (a forty minute drive each way) while I drove back and forth to the beach to help where I could.

Upon leaving the hospital last January, my Mom became his constant caregiver. He was down to 124 lbs and everything became a struggle. The writing was on the wall and I was at my rope’s end trying to keep everything together. I knew my Dad’s life was ending and I worried my Mom’s health was at risk given everything she was taking on. Basically, I was a mess.

He worked hard and improved a bit by this past summer. He hit 135 lbs and was able to walk and do other small tasks. But he slept a lot and frequently ended up in the emergency room followed by a hospital stay. This was the path we were on for the last year.

On Thanksgiving my Dad said to me, “I’m not going to make it.” I knew he spoke the truth. I was torn between being strong and dissolving into tears. I did both – at different times. I was strong for him. The tears came at night – when I was alone. My brain was racing, too. As typical for their generation, my Dad handled all the finances, so I worried about how my Mom would cope.

Then, another worry emerged, one that had taken root a while ago and I could no longer ignore…

Time was running out, but how it would run out became my concern. He was at the point where my Mom wouldn’t be able to care for him on her own. Decisions needed to be made. Do you know what nursing homes cost? I do. I traveled this path with my father-in-law so I am well aware of how expensive they are and how an extended stay would eat up my parent’s assets and could very well leave my mother destitute. The most difficult thing for me was to acknowledge that the best case scenario would be a quick, not prolonged, death.

That realization made me feel awful. Who thinks like that?

I started looking for apartments in Wilmington. I figured if I could move them close to me (to a place with wheelchair access) then I could help my Mom take care of my Dad full time. I could also (hopefully) put off a nursing home by adding my support and hiring a part time nurse to do the things my Mom and I couldn’t. I looked into several places and was going to go to the beach on Monday, December 5th to visit and give my Mom a break.

I didn’t go to the beach. I ended up at Christiana Hospital. My Dad died at 12:40am on December 6th. My Mom and I held his hand as he passed. It was one of the saddest and most beautiful experiences of my life.

On his prayer card, instead of a scripture verse, we printed the words to Sinatra’s My Way. Those words summed him up perfectly, and I’ve thought about the last two verses of that song a lot over the last several weeks.

My Dad died one month ago today.

His death has led me to reevaluate my life. And I’m making changes.

I’m sharing my story because it will give insight into where I was and where I’m at. I always take the long way to get to the point. Which is…

It is time for me to leave DL.

This past year with my Dad’s failing health and his death has made me think long and hard about myself, and the truth is, I don’t like myself on DL anymore. I am not blaming anyone. It’s just time for me to have a fresh start.

For the last 6 weeks I haven’t blogged at all. I’ve been thinking and lurking. It was good to take a step back, and I regret that my decision comes so soon after this weeks drama. I assure you, my timing is my own. I love blogging. I don’t want to stop, but I don’t think DL is the place for me right now.

Delaware Liberal has been (and will continue to be) a political force. This blog is full of wonderful contributors and commenters and some of my best memories and interesting conversations have taken place on DL. It’s just time for me to go.

In the name of transparency… I do plan on writing for Blue Delaware. This is not a slight against anyone. I had been thinking of moving on, starting my own thing, etc. for a while. There was a time when there were many Delaware blogs and we bounced off each other. Those days, to me, were the best. They had energy, humor, and, yes, flame wars. We fed creatively off each other, and it was a good thing. I hope we can find that again.

I am so thankful for the opportunity to write for an amazing blog and meet an amazing group of people. There are so many people I want to give a shout out to, but I worry I’ll forget someone so I’m not naming names! I will personally thank Jason330 and LiberalGeek for asking me to join DL. It’s been an amazing ride. You guys are the best! It’s just time for me to try something new, to make a new start.

I wish everyone the best of luck, and promise to keep reading and commenting on DL. It truly is addictive!

Guest Post: Occasional Words from the Resistance …from the desk of R.E. Vanella.

In reply to anonymous; is it fascist fait accompli?

Move me on to any black square.  Use me any time you want. Just remember that the goal is for us to capture all we want.    –Yes, I’ve Seen All Good People

Steve Bannon to king’s knight 2…. check.

On Woody Guthrie’s guitar there was a note taped that read, “This Machine Kills Fascists.”  Now, I’m nobody to disparage Woody Guthrie, but throughout history when fascists really needed killing the Martin 000-18 was insufficient.

John R Bolton to queen’s rook 4…. check.

Now that we’ve arranged the pieces just so how many moves will it take the Grand Master marketer and media manipulator to sort it out?

Wraith of Julius Streicher to queen’s bishop 3…. check.

See New Way to Curb Nazis.

BERLIN, April 25 (AP) . – Among the German Centrists there is a growing feeling that an attempt should be made to bring the Nazis into the government before their strength has increased any further.  They argue that once the Nazis participate in government they will become more moderate, and at the same time their political ascendancy will be curbed because, in the nature of things, they will find it impossible to keep the numerous promises made in the course of the recent election campaigns.

If Herr Hitler becomes the dominant factor in a coalition ruling Prussia, it will mark the high point of the Fascist movement he has developed from a joke to the greatest political power in the Reich.

—The New York Times, 26 April 1932

If this seems at all hysterical or premature, please think about it harder.  And disabuse yourself of conventional wisdom.

Till next time.

Guest Post: Occasional Words from the Resistance – The first in a series of remarks from the desk of R.E. Vanella

Unhappy the land where heroes are needed.  –Bertolt Brecht, Life of Galileo

I am in here.  Like many of you I had a painful week.  I think dramatic vacillation between severe emotions has the same effect as ascending too quickly from great depths in the sea.  If I accelerate from rage directly to despondency in, say, less than two seconds I experience significant waves of nausea.

I’ve concluded that the seriousness of this moment requires us to navigate through the storms of the body and the psyche and get on the same page.  There’s been mention of coming together.  So to that end and if you’ll permit me, I’d like to make a few remarks.

What I am going to do, and what I strongly urge you all to do, is whatever it takes to prepare yourself for the fight ahead.  We’ve read polls, and spread memes, and spewed talking points, and told the jokes, and made predictions, and dismissed other people predictions, and also the videos.  It seems a little surreal that there was a game in this space around Republican primary season.  Has anyone else had this thought? Please know I mean no disrespect, but I’m in no mood to play now.

Under normal circumstances the microanalysis and commentary and think pieces on Salon would continue for weeks.  I’m certain it all will.  Why did we lose Macomb County?  What was wrong with the polling?  What were the strategy mistakes?  We worked so diligently to convince ourselves that common decency and common sense would prevail and that the “enthusiasm gap” wasn’t relevant.  Is the Rust Belt really racist?  (Yes, mostly it is.)  How can we speak to working class whites?  Has PC been repudiated?  I beg you to appreciate that this is not a normal circumstance.  Please be very suspicious of anything called a “playbook” or a “postmortem analysis.”

Let’s be done with this.  Today I implore you to get your head in the game.  I truly am not an alarmist type.  I am actually the type that ridicules alarmists.  This is a very dangerous situation.  It’s perfectly clear that this isn’t fascism yet.  I’m not hysterical, just something about that ’yet.’  At any time before have we moved the pieces into place just so?  The way I see it, friends, is we just pushed all our chips in from a bad position and the hand looks weak.  And busting our bank on democracy is the ultimate beat.

I’m suggesting we get over wonky exercises.  I’ve concluded that we’re past waiting and seeing and hoping for the best.  I’m suggesting that, in response to them going low, we bring up the heavy artillery pieces.  We can win hard arguments.  The facts are on our side.  Clear thinking is on our side.  Compassion is on our side. Get fucking mean god damn-it.  Get mean about compassion!

I understand each person will need to work through grave disappointment, sadness.  But I have to say, there’s more on the line now.  Not just concepts, public policy, even war.  It will happen here.  We’ve ignored it about as long as possible, far too long.

I’ll close with a note on methods.  You may have noticed the proliferation of personalized media pumped without interruption into everyone’s face is cancer, and also not helpful.  It exists.  It’s simply not an advantageous battlefield.  There’s too much shit to shovel to find a peanut.  Then you’ve just got that peanut.  Conserve your energy.  Hashtags won’t help us now anyway.

When Gil Scott Heron wrote “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised” he didn’t mean it wouldn’t be broadcast on TV.  He meant it would not happen with you watching it from your sofa.  The resistance will require you to turn up clear-headed and courageous.  We’ll speak again soon.

Here’s What’s Headed Our Way – No Surprises

It hasn’t even been a week.

1. Bye-bye Medicare

Paul Ryan has been pushing to phase out Medicare and replace it with private insurance for several years. But now it’s real with unified Republican government. He just said he will try to rush it through early next year while repealing Obamacare.

2. Repealing the ACA

Donald Trump campaign manager Kellyanne Conway said on Sunday that Trump has considered calling a special session of Congress on the day of his inauguration to repeal and replace Obamacare.

“He also has talked about convening a special session on January 20 after he is sworn in as President of the United States to do this very thing, to repeal and replace Obamacare,” she said on “Fox News Sunday.” “It would be a pretty remarkable move.”

It’s not that simple, especially given the fact that he’s said he’d keep the part of the ACA that prevents insurance companies from denying coverage to people with pre-existing conditions. I’m thinking he’ll probably drop that promise.

3.  Steve Bannon

This alt-right, Jew and Muslim Hating, white nationalist, misogynist will be sharing the Chief of Staff position.

This pick cements the tone that Trump ran his campaign on. He might as well as picked David Duke. Yep, no surprises here.

4. Deportations

“What we are going to do is get the people that are criminal and have criminal records, gang members, drug dealers, where a lot of these people, probably two million – it could be even three million – we are getting them out of the country or we are going to incarcerate,” Mr Trump told 60 Minutes.

Guess it’s going to be a “papers please” existence. I’m also going to bet that Trump supporters will be calling in every brown person they see. Oh, and he’s still building that wall – but is open to a fence in some areas.

5. Abortion

Donald Trump said the “pro-life” judges he appoints to the Supreme Court may well overturn the landmark decision legalizing abortion.

“Abortion, if it were ever overturned, it would go back to the states,” he told CBS News’ Lesley Stahl in an interview on “60 Minutes.”

“Yeah, but then some women won’t be able to get an abortion,” Stahl replied.

“Yeah, well, they’ll perhaps have to go—they’ll have to go to another state,” he said.

Just go to another state!

6. Lock Her Up!

But Trump wouldn’t rule out appointing a special prosecutor to investigate Clinton over the use of a private email server during her tenure as secretary of state. “They’re good people. I don’t want to hurt them. And I will give you a very, very good and definitive answer the next time we do ’60 Minutes’ together,” he said.

Yeah, that’s still on the table.

7. ISIS

Who knows, it’s a secret.

8. The attacks against black/brown people, LGBT, women and non-christians

He’s hasn’t heard of it. Really. Ok, now that Mr. Twitter knows…

CBS’s Stahl asked Trump if he had a message for the perpetrators.

“I would say don’t do it, that’s terrible, because I’m going to bring this country together,” he replied.

Pressed for a stronger condemnation and an acknowledgment that many Americans feel afraid and at risk in the wake of the election, Trump said, “I am so saddened to hear that. And I say, ‘Stop it.’ If it—if it helps. I will say this, and I will say right to the cameras: ‘Stop it.’”

If it – if it helps? He’s not sure? Talk about half-assed. Meanwhile, I keep hearing Trump supporters and R politicians calling on President Obama to clean up Trump’s racist, sexist, bigoted, homophobic mess. Seriously?

9. Jobs

Something about him being good at construction. That’s it.

 

 

 

It’s On – I’m Sure Trump Voters (And Anyone Who Didn’t Vote Or Voted 3rd Party) Will Be Happy

Via the Washington Post:

House Speaker Paul D. Ryan said Thursday that Medicare has “serious problems” that would need to be addressed when Congress moves to repeal and replace President Obama’s health-care reform law — a signal that he is willing to immediately enter the treacherous politics of entitlement reform and perhaps break with President-elect Donald Trump.

“When Obamacare became Obamacare, Obamacare rewrote Medicare, rewrote Medicaid, so if you’re going to repeal and replace Obamacare, you have to address those issues as well,” he said in a Fox News Channel interview. “What people don’t realize is that Medicare is going broke, that Medicare is going to have price controls. Because of Obamacare, Medicaid is in fiscal straits. So you have to deal with those issues if you’re going to repeal and replace Obamacare. Medicare has got some serious problems because of Obamacare. Those things are part of our plan to replace Obamacare.”

Oooh… basically private insurance for retirees! Which, if you had a functioning brain cell, you knew was always the Republican plan. If you voted for Trump, or voted 3rd party, or didn’t vote then you voted for this. No complaining. This was the agenda. Shame our media never discussed it, but, you know… EMAILS and Hillary is untrustworthy!

And as much as I’d like to lay the blame for all of this at the GOP’s feet, I can’t. On this very blog, for months – and even days – before the election we (WE!) were still discussing this nonsense. Hell, liberals/progressives were discussing the DNC and how rigged it is. We Gored (get it?) ourselves because *sigh* we weren’t inspired. Holy crap, aren’t we supposed to be grown ups? Obviously not.

Meanwhile, those manufacturing jobs aren’t coming back (Sorry, Rust-Belt White America, they aren’t – unless Trump and co. turn us into a 3rd world country – which is possible), millions of people will lose their health insurance (But the ACA wasn’t 100% perfect, and we loved, loved, loved pointing that out – Obama didn’t try hard enough!!!! Get ready for all the heartfelt stories about people losing their Obamacare – they’ll bring a tear to your eye.), taxes for the rich will be slashed while the middle class’ taxes will go up (Did anyone actually read Trump’s plan? No? Okay, then.), and entitlements are on the table to be cut. But hey, white people’s feelings were hurt. Honestly, maybe we just got the government we deserve.

 

White Privilege And It’s Built-In “Lone Wolf” Excuse

scott-michael-greene

I’m exhausted. This election season, along with other events, has beaten me down. It’s endless, and next Tuesday will not put an end to it. And now we have another lone wolf.

Here’s how the NYT described the “ambush shooter” who killed two police officers:

Investigators quickly identified a suspect in the slayings, who then surrendered — a local man described as a troubled loner who was familiar to the police in his suburban town, Urbandale. He had a string of arrests and confrontations with officers and others, but nothing in his record approached the scale of violence that erupted here.

Sgt. Paul Parizek, a spokesman for the Des Moines Police Department, “We may never actually know what motivated this act.”

A troubled loner. Oh well then, let’s move along. He couldn’t possibly be part of a culture. Why? Because white men are viewed as individuals. I’m so tired of this. There is a problem here, and why we keep ignoring – and excusing – it escapes me.

And the idea that “we may never actually know what motivated this act” strikes me as ridiculous. How about this:

1. Just hours before the two officers were killed, a court had ordered the man, Scott M. Greene, 46, to move out of his mother’s house, after she accused him of emotional and physical abuse. A few weeks ago, the Urbandale police had escorted him out of a football game being played by his daughter’s high school, after he waved a Confederate flag in front of black students, leading to restrictions on his ability to set foot on school property.

2. In April 2014, the Urbandale police charged Mr. Greene with interference with official acts, after he resisted officers’ efforts to pat him down for weapons. He was “known to go armed,” the police report stated, and was “noncompliant, hostile, combative and made furtive movements towards his pockets.” He fought with officers, who used a Taser to subdue and arrest him.

Hmm… “Made furtive movements toward his pockets” and lived to tell the tale. Amazing how that works, no?

3. Just two days later, he was arrested again and charged with harassment, accused of approaching a man in an Urbandale parking lot, shining a flashlight at him, threatening to kill him and using a racial slur.

4. Mr. Greene was arrested on an assault charge in 2001, but the charges were dropped.

Hey, Des Moines Police Department, I found your motive. But when we look at their statement following the incident it seems they were quite comfortable with putting forth a motive:

However, in a statement about the shooting Wednesday, Des Moines police spokesman Sgt. Paul Parizek said that people with “not-so-positive views of law enforcement” were to blame for “clear and present danger to police officers.”

“We’re very well aware of the society that we’re living in right now and the time.”

Whoever could he have been referring to?

Can you imagine if this white, trouble guy turned out to be black, brown or Muslim? Immediately it would be linked to BLM or terrorism. It would be a “group” activity and all black/brown people and Muslims would be held accountable. Go read the NYT article. They bend over backwards to explain this guys actions.

Josh Marshall sums it up: “But, man, quite often the contrast is simply too jarring and large not to state the obvious. Blacks and Muslim killers are part of political movements and socio-political forces. White guys are “troubled.”

This guy is an extreme example, but he isn’t alone. This election season has been brimming with rhetoric that, if said by anyone other than white men, would be cause for drastic measures. And let’s consider all this talk of violence from Trump supporters and militias. Who exactly are they going to end up fighting? The police, right? Seriously, think all this talk through. The only way this “uprising” happens is if these guys end up fighting law enforcement – Unless someone can put forth a different scenario where armed protesters “take their country back” without a showdown with police?

I have more examples.

  • Eric Trump told a Denver radio station that David Duke “deserves a bullet.”
  • “Anyone that commits treason should be shot,” Al Baldasaro, an adviser to the Trump campaign for veterans issues, told The Daily Beast. “I believe Hillary Clinton committed treason. She put people in danger. When people take confidential material off a server, you’re sharing information with the enemy. That’s treason.”
  • West Virginia lawmaker Michael Folk said earlier this week that Hillary Clinton should be “hung on the mall in Washington, DC” for treason. And on the campaign trail, reports show that Trump supporters have repeatedly called for her death.
  • Bennett wrote, “2 words … firing squad,” in a Tuesday night post that included a link to a conservative blog criticizing Clinton for the 2012 deaths of American officials in Benghazi. In a text message to The Oklahoman, Bennett said his comments were intended to be sarcastic, but he also said he believed Clinton had committed treason, a crime punishable by death. “She has committed nothing less than treason by leaving fellow Americans to die in Benghazi,” Bennett said. “If anyone else had done that they would be charged with treason and thrown under the jail at a minimum, and a firing squad likely.”
  • Still in July, a County Commissioner for Licking, Ohio Duane Flowers also called for the hanging of Clinton for treason.
  • More recently, North Carolina senator Richard Burr mused on Saturday that nothing makes him happier than aiming his firearm at a target printed with Clinton’s face.
  • Donald Trump: “By the way, if she gets to pick her judges, nothing you can do folks. Although, the Second Amendment people maybe there is. I don’t know.”
  • Donald Trump calling out Katy Tur (who he calls “Little Katy”) again and then letting his mob shout at her. The last time he called her out she had to be escorted to her car by the Secret Service.
  • David Duke: ““It was just admitted by Clinton that our government’s been supporting Saudi Arabia which she admits was supporting ISIS. The lady should be getting the electric chair, being charged with treason.”

There’s more. So much more. Can you imagine what would happen if anyone other than white men said these things? Seriously, try and imagine that. What would the reaction of the press, and others, be if any of these words were said by Keith Ellison, Van Jones or Shaun King. Does anyone think the reaction would be the same?

I’m not sure how much violence there will be on Tuesday and the days following the election. I just know there will be violent incidents. I also know who will be responsible and what their motives are. Perhaps the Des Moines police should hire me.

Wondering What White Privilege Looks Like?

Via TPM:

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) -The leaders of an armed group that took over a national wildlife refuge in rural Oregon have been found not guilty of conspiracy and possession of firearms at a federal facility.

A jury on Thursday exonerated brothers Ammon and Ryan Bundy and five others of conspiring to impede federal workers from their jobs at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge.

Some of the defendants also were charged with possession of firearms at a federal facility and were acquitted on that count as well.

Here’s two comments from the post:

1. “So African-American patriots aggrieved about the criminal justice system are presumably now free to head over to Oregon and occupy a federal courthouse for several weeks while armed to the teeth with AR-47s and that will be legal too, right?

There’s one law for armed white people seizing our federal land, and another law for unarmed black people walking down their street. It makes me sick.”

2.”Imagine how the Native Americans at Standing Rock feel. If they loaded up on weapons and occupied a government building how lone would they last?”

I’m speechless.

The Walking Dead Tonight!

Yeah, you either love it or hate it. I love it – a show I started watching three years ago when I was looking for something to do with my 19 year old son in the dead of winter. Anyway… I’m hooked.

Season 7 starts tonight. It airs at the same time as Westworld (HBO’s new series), which we are also watching, but given we find out tonight who Negan killed we’ll be watching TWD when it airs – because the internet spoils everything!

So who met up with Lucille? I’m thinking Abraham. I’m going with him because 1) He was hopeful – kiss of death in TWD – for his relationship with Sasha. 2) He’s not Glenn or Daryl – two huge fan favorites. Which shouldn’t matter, but I fear it does.

Rick’s safe. So is Carl (mainly because I’m not sure Rick could mentally survive that, so Carl lives). That leaves: Daryl, Michonne, Glenn, Abraham, Sasha, Eugene, Aaron, Rosita and Maggie. I’m removing the women since killing a women doesn’t seem in line with Negan’s character. Not saying he won’t kill women, just that he’s making a point with this move. He’s showing strength, so killing a woman or a teenage boy wouldn’t convey that. I’d put Eugene in that category, as well, but killing him would be emotional, so if not Abraham… then Eugene? Aaron? I love his character, but I honestly forgot he was with our group, and I think Negan kills one of Rick’s group.

Thoughts? Are you watching tonight?

Anyone watching Westworld? I’m trying to figure out where that show is heading, but with it starring Anthony Hopkins and Ed Harris I’m not sure I care. Both are amazing actors!

#WhyWomenDontReport

Exhibit A:

A day after Jessica Leeds accused Donald Trump of sexual assault in a story reported by the New York Times, Fox Business anchor Lou Dobbs used his large audience on Twitter — roughly 797K followers — to advertise the woman’s New York address and telephone number.

 Exhibit B:

“Take a look. You take a look. Look at her. Look at her words. You tell me what you think. I don’t think so. I don’t think so.” – Donald Trump

Exhibit C:

#WhyWomenDontReport   (Amazing Twitter thread)

 

Donald Trump and Lou Dobbs are the prime examples of why women don’t report.

 

 

Trump Warns: Don’t Make Me Hit You

Josh Marshall (TPM) refers to Donald Trump as an abuser. The description is accurate.

In The Abuser’s House: By any pre-2016 standard we know, the entirety of angry, blustering manner would be fatal for a presidential candidate. But we’ve been living with this guy for a year and a half. We all have a little bit of the trauma of living in the home of an abuser now. We’re accustomed to it. To a degree it starts to feel normal.”

Isn’t it frightening how acclimated we’ve all become to Trump’s behavior? How normal it feels? How we’ve stopped focusing on Trump’s everyday awful words and actions; how he’s raised our bar as to what’s outrageous. This is how abuse works. Outsiders are shocked by what the abused tolerates and excuses on a daily basis. The abused no longer sees the day-to-day abuse – they’ve normalized that. What they worry about is unleashing the monster, unaware that the monster has no leash.

Facing The Abuser’s Rage: At the moment, the institutional GOP and its key leaders are exceptionally weak and vulnerable, even helpless. The best example: even as he continues to attack them, threaten a cataclysmic election outcome, they cannot even withdraw their endorsements. One senator who dropped him the day after the ‘grab’ tape leaked took him back today. Like an abuser who takes out his personal failures and frustrations and rages on his wife and his children, Paul Ryan and the GOP are now alone in the house with Donald Trump. He is angry and the prospect of defeat will no doubt make him angrier. In Trump’s world of displacement, abuse and vengeance turning against the GOP is the most logical thing in the world. [emphasis mine]

Paul Ryan states he will no longer defend Trump… but he won’t be filing for divorce. Meanwhile, Trump piles on:

“The shackles are some of the establishment people that are weak and ineffective people within the Republican party, senators and others, and Paul Ryan, led to a certain extent by Paul Ryan, being nasty to the nominee,” Trump replied.

When asked if Republicans were holding Trump back, the Republican nominee responded, “Not a question of holding back, no, but they’re not giving support.” He then said he may be better off without their support.

O’Reilly noted that in the same tweet, Trump said that without the “shackles,” he could now campaign his own way. He asked Trump how he could be more outspoken.

“I don’t think I’m that outspoken to be honest with you Bill,” Trump replied.

And then, yet again, he goes after John McCain as a way to excuse his behavior:

O’Reilly noted that McCain dropped his endorsement because of the 2005 tape.

“Oh give me a break! He’s never heard salty language before?!” Trump said in respsonse. “You know John McCain who has probably the dirtiest mouth in all of the Senate has never heard — You know he talked about ‘lewd’, ‘It’s lewd language.’ He’s never heard that before?”

Truthfully, I’m having trouble working up sympathy for the Republican Party. They built this. It goes back decades, but the Tea Party was always about blowing everything up – and the GOP embraced that plan.  Trump isn’t an aberration. He’s the natural conclusion. Dr. Frankenstein, meet your monster.

Watching Sunday night’s debate, I kept seeing Trump standing there in a wife-beater tee, clutching a can of beer as he stalked Hillary Clinton around the stage. It was disconcerting, and I grew increasingly nervous watching him. It felt familiar. I know this person. I recognize this behavior.

Trump is an abuser. He checks off every box. As Emily Crockett, Vox, writes: “Trump has spent his entire campaign gaslighting America by denying that he ever said or did things that we have clear video or text evidence that he did, in fact, say or do.” You know, as in trying to tell us that Hillary started the birther movement.

(Gaslighting is classic abusive behavior. It’s a form of psychological abuse in which a victim is manipulated into doubting his or her own memory, perception, and sanity. [Wiki definition])

She cites Trump’s interview with Megyn Kelly (go read the whole thing!).

Then Kelly pressed Trump further on bullying. She asked him how American parents are supposed to “raise their kids to not bully, to not name-call, to not tease, not taunt … when the frontrunner for the Republican nomination does all of those things?”

Trump’s response chilled me to the bone: “You know, I’ve been saying during this whole campaign that I’m a counterpuncher, you understand that. I’m responding. … I mean, I respond pretty strongly. But in just about all cases, I’ve been responding to what they did to me. So it’s not a one-way street.”

“I’ve been responding to what they did to me,” Trump said when asked about his bullying tactics.

Trump was gaslighting — scrupulously denying responsibility, and even denying objective reality, enough to make you question your own grip on reality: I never said that. I never did that. It’s your fault. I’m the victim here.

You. Made. Me. Hit. You.

 

 

 

 

If You Thought Trump Couldn’t Be More Disgusting – You’d Be Wrong

Even more distressing than his words below is his sense of entitlement to women’s bodies without their consent.

Trump mentions an attempt to seduce a woman who was not named in the conversation, saying that he “moved on her” and failed.

He goes on to describe his seduction technique, which apparently involved furniture shopping and did not succeed.

“I moved on her like a bitch, but I couldn’t get there. And she was married,” Trump tells Bush. “Then all of a sudden I see her, she’s now got the big phony tits and everything. She’s totally changed her look.”

When the conversation turns to the looks of Arianne Zucker, the “Days of Our Lives” actress waiting for them on the set, Trump said, “You know I’m automatically attracted to beautiful — I just start kissing them. It’s like a magnet. Just kiss. I don’t even wait.”

“And when you’re a star they let you do it. You can do anything,” he later adds. “Grab them by the pussy. You can do anything.”

And Josh Marshall reminds us:

This is a good moment to remember: long before the 2016 election cycle got under way one woman, his estranged wife, had accused Trump under oath of raping her and another had accused him, again under oath, of sexual assault and attempted rape.

Sounds about right.