occupydemocrats--2020-06-17--Desperation in McConnell’s Kentucky: video shows 9-hour long line for unemployment claims

Among the defining images of the Great Depression of the early 1930s are photos of extended queues of people waiting in bread lines to get a minimum of sustenance at a time when unemployment had skyrocketed , money was scarce , and the legislation establishing unemployment insurance had yet to be passed .
Today , almost 85 years after the first national unemployment insurance was signed into law by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt , new images are emerging from Frankfort , Kentucky that may be seen in future decades as emblematic of our current pandemic-induced economic crisis that was exacerbated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ administration .
This time it isn ’ t bread lines that people are standing in .
These Kentucky citizens are all waiting in inconceivably long lines to try to speak to an actual human being about their unemployment insurance claims .
The other difference between the 1930s and today is that modern technology allows people to create timelapse videos on their mobile phones to demonstrate the true extent of the number of people lining up and the desperation that they must feel if they are willing to brave such a crowded queue in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Add your name to tell states and police to reject Trump ’ s calls to use violence against peaceful protestors !
The Lexington Herald-Leader detailed the anguished journeys frustrated unemployment insurance applicants in Kentucky were forced to make to try to have their problems solved by a real human being rather than waiting endlessly on hold after attempting to reach anyone with sufficient authority in the state ’ s bureaucracy who might be able to assist them with their issues .
“ Adriene Whittaker , 25 , was one of the lucky ones @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that , ” the newspaper ’ s article begins .
“ She left her home in Bowling Green around 6 a.m. Wednesday and made it into a line that wrapped around the exterior of the Capitol Annex in Frankfort moments before Kentucky State Police troopers cut it off around 9 a.m. ” “ She was one of the hundreds of people who came from all over the commonwealth for the chance to speak to a human in hopes of reviving their stalled claims for unemployment benefits during the coronavirus pandemic .
The first @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Some brought books , others brought lawn chairs .
The line hugged the little shade that could be found in the parking lot .
People swapped their unemployment horror stories.
” “ Whittaker filed for unemployment on May 1 and her claim has been under investigation since then .
Like most people in the line , she ’ s never been able to reach one of the ‘ Tier 3′ employees , those few , coveted people who are supposedly able to resolve unemployment claims in minutes.
” “ ’ They told me @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ Whittaker said.
” These opening paragraphs are only one story among the several outlined in their coverage of the extraordinary demand for assistance with social services being experienced in Kentucky , but the stories of the plight of people seeking help from state unemployment departments that have been overwhelmed by the sheer volume of applicants during this unprecedented crisis will likely sound familiar to people in other states as well .
The problems that people were trying to resolve in Frankfort , Kentucky were all related in one way or another to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who left his job at Papa John ’ s Pizza because he felt that the chain ’ s employee precautions weren ’ t sufficient to protect his and his family ’ s health to the mother who could not return to work because of a lack of affordable child care for her two young children .
These people ’ s claims have all been held up while the state unemployment department examines their circumstances to make a ruling , but — with a huge backlog of cases to still to be determined and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ claims — the creditors and landlords of these jobless workers keep pounding on their doors , forcing them to travel many miles to the state capitol to try to expedite their expected payments by pleading their cases in person .
Many people waiting in line yesterday were disappointed when despite hours of waiting all they were able to do was add their names to a list to be called back by the unemployment department .
There was little faith among the frustrated people that they would actually be contacted anytime soon .
While @ @ @ @ @ @ @ any bureaucratic agency would be able to handle the flood of sudden applications without advance preparations , Kentucky ’ s problems with unemployment insurance , like that of many states with primarily Republican-led governments , are representative of GOP concerns about giving taxpayers back their own money when they have paid taxes into the unemployment insurance system .
Although Kentucky finally saw the light and ousted their arch-conservative Republican Governor Matt Bevin in favor of Democrat Andy Beshear last year , both its legislative bodies are still controlled by Republicans .
Kentucky ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also , for the time being , occupied by two of the most reactionary and obstructive members of the GOP , Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Senator Rand Paul .
The Republican obsession with shrinking government and cutting taxes for the wealthy has led to a complete breakdown of social services at a time when they are most needed .
Those people on the line outside of the Kentucky Unemployment Department should use their time waiting wisely and contemplate how they can vote out the people who created the circumstances that they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ social services infrastructure .
Also , people please wear a mask , even outdoors , in such crowded lines .
There ’ s a pandemic going on and that ’ s why you ’ re in that line to begin with .
Don ’ t make it worse by prolonging the COVID-19 virus crisis any longer than we already have to endure it .
Original reporting by Daniel Desrochers at The Lexington Herald-Leader We want to hear what YOU have to say .
Scroll down and let us know in our NEW comment @ @

Among the defining images of the Great Depression of the early 1930s are photos of extended queues of people waiting in bread lines to get a minimum of sustenance at a time when unemployment had skyrocketed, money was scarce, and the legislation establishing unemployment insurance had yet to be passed.
Today, almost 85 years after the first national unemployment insurance was signed into law by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, new images are emerging from Frankfort, Kentucky that may be seen in future decades as emblematic of our current pandemic-induced economic crisis that was exacerbated by the clueless incompetence of the Trump administration.
This time it isn’t bread lines that people are standing in. These Kentucky citizens are all waiting in inconceivably long lines to try to speak to an actual human being about their unemployment insurance claims.
The other difference between the 1930s and today is that modern technology allows people to create timelapse videos on their mobile phones to demonstrate the true extent of the number of people lining up and the desperation that they must feel if they are willing to brave such a crowded queue in the midst of a deadly pandemic.
Add your name to tell states and police to reject Trump’s calls to use violence against peaceful protestors! The Lexington Herald-Leader detailed the anguished journeys frustrated unemployment insurance applicants in Kentucky were forced to make to try to have their problems solved by a real human being rather than waiting endlessly on hold after attempting to reach anyone with sufficient authority in the state’s bureaucracy who might be able to assist them with their issues. “Adriene Whittaker, 25, was one of the lucky ones, if you want to call it that,” the newspaper’s article begins. “She left her home in Bowling Green around 6 a.m. Wednesday and made it into a line that wrapped around the exterior of the Capitol Annex in Frankfort moments before Kentucky State Police troopers cut it off around 9 a.m.” “She was one of the hundreds of people who came from all over the commonwealth for the chance to speak to a human in hopes of reviving their stalled claims for unemployment benefits during the coronavirus pandemic. The first person arrived around 5:20 a.m.” “Some brought books, others brought lawn chairs. The line hugged the little shade that could be found in the parking lot. People swapped their unemployment horror stories.” “Whittaker filed for unemployment on May 1 and her claim has been under investigation since then. Like most people in the line, she’s never been able to reach one of the ‘Tier 3′ employees, those few, coveted people who are supposedly able to resolve unemployment claims in minutes.” “’They told me it would be worth the drive,’ Whittaker said.” These opening paragraphs are only one story among the several outlined in their coverage of the extraordinary demand for assistance with social services being experienced in Kentucky, but the stories of the plight of people seeking help from state unemployment departments that have been overwhelmed by the sheer volume of applicants during this unprecedented crisis will likely sound familiar to people in other states as well.
The problems that people were trying to resolve in Frankfort, Kentucky were all related in one way or another to the COVID-19 pandemic — from the man who left his job at Papa John’s Pizza because he felt that the chain’s employee precautions weren’t sufficient to protect his and his family’s health to the mother who could not return to work because of a lack of affordable child care for her two young children.
These people’s claims have all been held up while the state unemployment department examines their circumstances to make a ruling, but — with a huge backlog of cases to still to be determined and no information on the status of their claims — the creditors and landlords of these jobless workers keep pounding on their doors, forcing them to travel many miles to the state capitol to try to expedite their expected payments by pleading their cases in person.
Many people waiting in line yesterday were disappointed when despite hours of waiting all they were able to do was add their names to a list to be called back by the unemployment department. There was little faith among the frustrated people that they would actually be contacted anytime soon.
“Call backs don’t mean anything to me right now, they don’t,” See said. “I don’t believe I’ll get a call back. Pissed is an understatement,” said one angry woman after adding her name to a five-page list.
While it would be naive to believe that any bureaucratic agency would be able to handle the flood of sudden applications without advance preparations, Kentucky’s problems with unemployment insurance, like that of many states with primarily Republican-led governments, are representative of GOP concerns about giving taxpayers back their own money when they have paid taxes into the unemployment insurance system.
Although Kentucky finally saw the light and ousted their arch-conservative Republican Governor Matt Bevin in favor of Democrat Andy Beshear last year, both its legislative bodies are still controlled by Republicans. Kentucky’s seats in the U.S. Senate are also, for the time being, occupied by two of the most reactionary and obstructive members of the GOP, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Senator Rand Paul.
The Republican obsession with shrinking government and cutting taxes for the wealthy has led to a complete breakdown of social services at a time when they are most needed.
Those people on the line outside of the Kentucky Unemployment Department should use their time waiting wisely and contemplate how they can vote out the people who created the circumstances that they now find themselves in with a dysfunctional social services infrastructure.
Also, people please wear a mask, even outdoors, in such crowded lines. There’s a pandemic going on and that’s why you’re in that line to begin with. Don’t make it worse by prolonging the COVID-19 virus crisis any longer than we already have to endure it.
Follow Vinnie Longobardo on Twitter.
Original reporting by Daniel Desrochers at The Lexington Herald-Leader
We want to hear what YOU have to say. Scroll down and let us know in our NEW comment section!
Vinnie Longobardo Managing Editor Vinnie Longobardo is the Managing Editor of Occupy Democrats. He's a 35-year veteran of the TV, mobile & internet industries, specializing in start-ups and the international media business. His passions are politics, music, and art. Latest Posts


occupydemocrats--2020-06-17--Trump’s rallies are returning, but the “MAGA magic” is dead

The Trump campaign is finally emerging from its bunker , but even its favorite weapon will not be enough this time .
President Trump will resume his rallies this weekend after begrudgingly bowing to public health experts for months over COVID-19 concerns .
His supporters believe shutting down his festive stadium events has contributed to his dramatic decline in the polls , and they hope that their resumption will help him rebound from what ’ s been perhaps the most miserable 6-month stretch any president has ever endured .
Some Democrats even seem concerned that the rallies may portend a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ point in the race , leaving him plenty of runway to recover in time for the election .
These hopes and fears are testaments to both how up-side-down politics has become , and how much of Trump ’ s support – like his successes in business and in life , such as they are – is based on perception , perspective , and the perpetuation of lies , and not on any hard data or raw numbers of supporters .
Trump and his followers love referring to themselves as the ‘ Silent Majority @ @ @ @ @ @ @ then to rally mostly White voters who had had enough of hippies , Blacks and women making a fuss over Civil Rights , Women ’ s Liberation and the Vietnam War .
Sound familiar ?
Add your name to tell states and police to reject Trump ’ s calls to use violence against peaceful protestors !
Today ’ s Trump supporters , however , are neither silent nor anywhere near a majority .
They are in fact a very loud and very obnoxious minority that ’ s desperately self-aware of its dwindling demographic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ media go out of their way to say things like , “ The media is against President Trump but he speaks for the forgotten voter , ” or “ the Washington elites hate President Trump but the American people trust him.
” These statements and others like them are patently untrue .
Three million more Americans voted for Hillary Clinton than Trump , of course , and Trump ’ s done nothing to grow his coalition .
Yet there they are , broadcasting these lies to anyone who will listen , hoping to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ counter to the illusion that they ’ ve painstakingly constructed .
Maybe they believe repeating them enough times can will their alternative reality into existence .
That ’ s why these rallies are so important to him , and to them .
Packing into large buildings not only gives them a much-needed platform to vent their shared grievances at the changing world around them .
It allows the President to breathe life into a corpse of lies about his ‘ movement , ’ thereby reinforcing their false sense of strength and legitimacy .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ of a non-existent majority to justify the government ’ s pursuit of the most destructive and regressive of the far-right ’ s long-sought political and cultural objectives .
But the truth is , Trump ’ s MAGA supporter base is mathematically insufficient to win national elections on its own – and they know it .
They really only represent about a 30 % slice of America , and they have not expanded their ranks over the last four decades , let alone the last 4 years .
They have grown louder , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ propaganda are today sharper and more potent than 2016 .
But those ride-or-die , MAGA hat-wearing , rally-attending Trump voters still only account for little more than half of the Republican Party .
The core of his base is a combination of the remnants of the Tea Party movement , the culture warrior xenophobes emboldened by Trump ’ s more draconian rhetoric , and the right-wing talking media heads in the “ own the Libs ” business who stand to profit from books , ratings , and viral posts peddled inside their media @ @ @ @ @ @ @ majority by any measure , but it is something to work with .
To translate it into a win in 2016 , the Trump campaign needed help from three groups of people , particularly in the critical “ Blue Wall ” states of Michigan , Pennsylvania , and Wisconsin .
First , they needed the other half of the Republican party – the ‘ Good Germans ’ of the GOP – to put party loyalty first and set aside their judgments of Trump ’ s massive deficiencies of character and competence .
They @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and independents from both parties to see the Clintons as the corrupt ‘ establishment ’ insiders and Trump , with all his flaws , as the populist outsider .
They also needed them to equate Hillary ’ s policy failures over 25 years in public service , both real and imagined , with Trump ’ s many flaws and failures as a man .
They did .
And lastly , and perhaps most importantly , they needed the Obama coalition to crack .
In particular , they needed a handful of disenchanted working-class @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who are sincere in their frustration with the Democratic Party ’ s coastal leanings and its failure to deliver on the promise of the Obama era – to stay home or even give Trump a shot .
They did .
All of this may seem like hindsight , and for many of us , it is .
For the Trump campaign , however , they saw this clear as day from the beginning .
This was their strategy going in .
They knew then , like they know now , that their supporters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
They therefore specifically targeted these three groups of voters with a sustained disinformation campaign designed to sow confusion and division , confirm preexisting opinions of Hillary Clinton – particularly among those disaffected Democrats – and convinced enough of us to either give the new guy with crazy ideas and a shady business record a chance – or to just stay home .
And it worked .
Trump ’ s margins of victory in Michigan , Pennsylvania , and Wisconsin were 11,000 ( .2 % ) , 44,000 ( .7 % ) and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Without those states , Trump loses .
It wasn ’ t luck .
It wasn ’ t Russia and Wikileaks , though they amplified the damage .
It wasn ’ t voter suppression , though that ’ s always an issue .
It wasn ’ t the eccentricities of the electoral college ( Obama won twice , after all ) though the electoral college does probably need to be overhauled .
It wasn ’ t the infamous Comey Letter , though that did provide cover for those who didn ’ t really @ @ @ @ @ @ @ And it certainly wasn ’ t a ‘ sleeping giant ’ – another term Trump ’ s supporters love – awakening to reclaim its government from the Liberal establishment .
The giant is really a midget , and it hasn ’ t enjoyed a peaceful night ’ s sleep in decades .
No – It was us who knew better .
We succumbed to infighting .
We didn ’ t show up at the polls , particularly in the battleground states .
Moderates and independents from both parties , who deep in their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ anyway in sufficient numbers or didn ’ t vote at all , which in our systems amounts to the same thing .
And the conscientious Republicans , even those who openly objected to Trump ’ s most egregious paucities , put party over country .
There are many reasons why 2016 unfolded this way , and it took all of those reasons merging like a series of tornadoes all touching down simultaneously for it to lead to Trump ’ s historic upset .
I don ’ t want to relitigate those reasons here @ @ @ @ @ @ @ those reasons were avoidable and fall on the Party , the candidate and her campaign .
But it ’ s also worth pointing out that many of those reasons were specific to the dynamics of 2016 , dynamics that are not present this time around despite the Trump campaign ’ s efforts to make them so .
Then , Trump successfully framed his candidacy as the face of a larger populist insurgency , and they framed the choice as one between the unknowns of a Trump presidency and the knowns of a Clinton @ @ @ @ @ @ @ voters that there was little to risk were they to roll the dice on him .
“ What have you got to lose ?
” he famously asked Black voters 2016 .
He was actually speaking to everyone .
Now , however , the answer to that question does not come out in his favor .
The idea of a Trump presidency is no longer a hypothetical for voters to contemplate .
He has a record now ; an abysmal one with few tangible accomplishments for even his hardcore supporters to point to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ chance on him .
When they factor his criminally incompetent response to the COVID-19 pandemic , the troubling exhibition of the authoritarian instincts many have long suspected he harbored in response to the George Floyd murder-inspired Black Lives Matter protests , and his unceasing degradation of the honor and the integrity of the office of the presidency — something Republicans and moderates especially take seriously – it ’ s hard to imagine anyone outside his base making the same mistake twice .
There ’ s still a long way to go , however @ @ @ @ @ @ @ things to change .
Joe Biden has his own flaws that Trump will no doubt exploit , and the narrative of the election has shifted sharply following Floyd ’ s death .
It ’ s possible Team Biden misses the mark with its response and loses the faith of those who are now looking to him for strength and leadership during these very troubling times .
Expect Trump to exploit any rift in the Party over this as well .
And , yes , Trump ’ s rallies will resume to project that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and his supporters desperately need .
But it ’ s all theater , a gloriously absurd illusion , complete with sets , props , costume designs , and scripted monologue with pithy , easy to digest attacks on well-defined villains both real and imagined .
They even have critics lined up to publish their pre-fabricated 5-Star reviews after each show .
It ’ s impressive in its own way .
The way Wrestlemania is impressive , I suppose , with all its choreography and pyrotechnics and overdramatized storylines .
But just like professional @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ‘ real ’ because the people in the seats choose to believe it ’ s real .
The rest of us know better – and there are far more us than them .
Let us know what YOU think .
Scroll down and share your thoughts in our NEW comment section !

The Trump campaign is finally emerging from its bunker, but even its favorite weapon will not be enough this time.
President Trump will resume his rallies this weekend after begrudgingly bowing to public health experts for months over COVID-19 concerns. His supporters believe shutting down his festive stadium events has contributed to his dramatic decline in the polls, and they hope that their resumption will help him rebound from what’s been perhaps the most miserable 6-month stretch any president has ever endured. Some Democrats even seem concerned that the rallies may portend a reversal of his misfortunes at a critical point in the race, leaving him plenty of runway to recover in time for the election.
These hopes and fears are testaments to both how up-side-down politics has become, and how much of Trump’s support – like his successes in business and in life, such as they are – is based on perception, perspective, and the perpetuation of lies, and not on any hard data or raw numbers of supporters.
Trump and his followers love referring to themselves as the ‘Silent Majority,’ a Nixon era term coined then to rally mostly White voters who had had enough of hippies, Blacks and women making a fuss over Civil Rights, Women’s Liberation and the Vietnam War. Sound familiar?
Add your name to tell states and police to reject Trump’s calls to use violence against peaceful protestors!
Today’s Trump supporters, however, are neither silent nor anywhere near a majority. They are in fact a very loud and very obnoxious minority that’s desperately self-aware of its dwindling demographic clout. Their talking heads in the media go out of their way to say things like, “The media is against President Trump but he speaks for the forgotten voter,” or “the Washington elites hate President Trump but the American people trust him.”
These statements and others like them are patently untrue. Three million more Americans voted for Hillary Clinton than Trump, of course, and Trump’s done nothing to grow his coalition. Yet there they are, broadcasting these lies to anyone who will listen, hoping to drown out the truth because it runs counter to the illusion that they’ve painstakingly constructed. Maybe they believe repeating them enough times can will their alternative reality into existence.
That’s why these rallies are so important to him, and to them. Packing into large buildings not only gives them a much-needed platform to vent their shared grievances at the changing world around them. It allows the President to breathe life into a corpse of lies about his ‘movement,’ thereby reinforcing their false sense of strength and legitimacy. They are designed to project the mirage of a non-existent majority to justify the government’s pursuit of the most destructive and regressive of the far-right’s long-sought political and cultural objectives.
But the truth is, Trump’s MAGA supporter base is mathematically insufficient to win national elections on its own – and they know it. They really only represent about a 30% slice of America, and they have not expanded their ranks over the last four decades, let alone the last 4 years. They have grown louder, and their instruments of amplifying and projecting their propaganda are today sharper and more potent than 2016. But those ride-or-die, MAGA hat-wearing, rally-attending Trump voters still only account for little more than half of the Republican Party.
The core of his base is a combination of the remnants of the Tea Party movement, the culture warrior xenophobes emboldened by Trump’s more draconian rhetoric, and the right-wing talking media heads in the “own the Libs” business who stand to profit from books, ratings, and viral posts peddled inside their media bubble.
This coalition is not a majority by any measure, but it is something to work with. To translate it into a win in 2016, the Trump campaign needed help from three groups of people, particularly in the critical “Blue Wall” states of Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.
First, they needed the other half of the Republican party – the ‘Good Germans’ of the GOP – to put party loyalty first and set aside their judgments of Trump’s massive deficiencies of character and competence. They did.
Next, they needed moderates and independents from both parties to see the Clintons as the corrupt ‘establishment’ insiders and Trump, with all his flaws, as the populist outsider. They also needed them to equate Hillary’s policy failures over 25 years in public service, both real and imagined, with Trump’s many flaws and failures as a man. They did.
And lastly, and perhaps most importantly, they needed the Obama coalition to crack. In particular, they needed a handful of disenchanted working-class voters in those Blue-Wall states – voters who are sincere in their frustration with the Democratic Party’s coastal leanings and its failure to deliver on the promise of the Obama era – to stay home or even give Trump a shot. They did.
All of this may seem like hindsight, and for many of us, it is. For the Trump campaign, however, they saw this clear as day from the beginning. This was their strategy going in. They knew then, like they know now, that their supporters alone were not going to be enough. They therefore specifically targeted these three groups of voters with a sustained disinformation campaign designed to sow confusion and division, confirm preexisting opinions of Hillary Clinton – particularly among those disaffected Democrats – and convinced enough of us to either give the new guy with crazy ideas and a shady business record a chance – or to just stay home.
And it worked. Trump’s margins of victory in Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin were 11,000 (.2%), 44,000 (.7%) and 23,000 (.7%), respectively. Without those states, Trump loses.
It wasn’t luck. It wasn’t Russia and Wikileaks, though they amplified the damage. It wasn’t voter suppression, though that’s always an issue. It wasn’t the eccentricities of the electoral college (Obama won twice, after all) though the electoral college does probably need to be overhauled. It wasn’t the infamous Comey Letter, though that did provide cover for those who didn’t really want to vote for Hillary anyway. And it certainly wasn’t a ‘sleeping giant’ – another term Trump’s supporters love – awakening to reclaim its government from the Liberal establishment. The giant is really a midget, and it hasn’t enjoyed a peaceful night’s sleep in decades.
No – It was us who knew better. We succumbed to infighting. We didn’t show up at the polls, particularly in the battleground states. Moderates and independents from both parties, who deep in their hearts knew better, voted for him anyway in sufficient numbers or didn’t vote at all, which in our systems amounts to the same thing. And the conscientious Republicans, even those who openly objected to Trump’s most egregious paucities, put party over country.
There are many reasons why 2016 unfolded this way, and it took all of those reasons merging like a series of tornadoes all touching down simultaneously for it to lead to Trump’s historic upset. I don’t want to relitigate those reasons here, except to concede that some of those reasons were avoidable and fall on the Party, the candidate and her campaign.
But it’s also worth pointing out that many of those reasons were specific to the dynamics of 2016, dynamics that are not present this time around despite the Trump campaign’s efforts to make them so. Then, Trump successfully framed his candidacy as the face of a larger populist insurgency, and they framed the choice as one between the unknowns of a Trump presidency and the knowns of a Clinton presidency. He then convinced otherwise skeptical voters that there was little to risk were they to roll the dice on him. “What have you got to lose?” he famously asked Black voters 2016. He was actually speaking to everyone.
Now, however, the answer to that question does not come out in his favor. The idea of a Trump presidency is no longer a hypothetical for voters to contemplate. He has a record now; an abysmal one with few tangible accomplishments for even his hardcore supporters to point to, let alone those who took a chance on him. When they factor his criminally incompetent response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the troubling exhibition of the authoritarian instincts many have long suspected he harbored in response to the George Floyd murder-inspired Black Lives Matter protests, and his unceasing degradation of the honor and the integrity of the office of the presidency — something Republicans and moderates especially take seriously – it’s hard to imagine anyone outside his base making the same mistake twice.
There’s still a long way to go, however, and a lot of time for things to change. Joe Biden has his own flaws that Trump will no doubt exploit, and the narrative of the election has shifted sharply following Floyd’s death. It’s possible Team Biden misses the mark with its response and loses the faith of those who are now looking to him for strength and leadership during these very troubling times. Expect Trump to exploit any rift in the Party over this as well.
And, yes, Trump’s rallies will resume to project that false sense of strength and legitimacy he and his supporters desperately need. But it’s all theater, a gloriously absurd illusion, complete with sets, props, costume designs, and scripted monologue with pithy, easy to digest attacks on well-defined villains both real and imagined. They even have critics lined up to publish their pre-fabricated 5-Star reviews after each show.
It’s impressive in its own way. The way Wrestlemania is impressive, I suppose, with all its choreography and pyrotechnics and overdramatized storylines. But just like professional wrestling, the MAGA reality is only ‘real’ because the people in the seats choose to believe it’s real. The rest of us know better – and there are far more us than them.
Let us know what YOU think. Scroll down and share your thoughts in our NEW comment section!
Peter Mellado Peter Mellado is a writer, producer, and a branding and messaging specialist with over 15 years experience. He studied history at San Jose State University, and resides in Los Angeles. Latest Posts


occupydemocrats--2020-06-17--GOP Rep. who refused to use masks on House floor just revealed he’s COVID19 infected

A Republican U.S. Representative has tested positive for COVID-19 only days after attending to his official duties in the House without a mask , and his Democratic colleagues are incensed .
One Democratic Representative is ready to request a major rules change to prevent unmasked legislators from the House floor in response to the incident .
CNN ’ s Manu Raju is reporting that both Rep. Tom Rice ( R-SC ) and his family tested positive for the deadly pandemic contagion .
The last day that the House of Representatives voted in person was just over two weeks ago .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ strongly recommending all members wear masks , most members of the Republican caucus vocally refused , citing non-scientific mumbo jumbo as their excuse .
The South Carolina Republican from Myrtle Beach blithely celebrated his family ’ s apparently successful bout with the infection in a Facebook post where he framed his health problem in racial terms and didn ’ t express any concern about possibly infecting his colleagues , only complaining that he “ CAN ’ T TASTE BACON.
” “ The country is facing the worst public health crisis in our generation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) told Occupy Democrats .
“ That ’ s why I ’ m asking leadership to put in place rules that prohibit those not wearing masks from entering the House floor under the guidance of top public health experts .
“ People should follow the CDC ’ s guidelines and wear masks when they ’ re in close proximity to others .
Toxic masculinity is going to kill us , whether it ’ s coming from the White House or the People ’ s House , ” says elected DNC member Christine Pelosi @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s one thing to have a mask slip off and another to eschew wearing a mask altogether .
It ’ s highly appropriate that the House of Representatives and all places of business ask people to observe public health protocols .
It is little different than a person who works at a restaurant having to wash their hands before starting work , or a doctor or nurse washing their hands to prevent spreading infection .
It ’ s about basic , common courtesy.
” CNN ’ s Raju revealed that he had asked @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wearing a mask on May 28th during the House ’ s last vote , and he claimed to be taking all precautions besides wearing a mask .
But Rep. Mucarsel-Powell said that when she was in the Capitol last week for meetings of the House Judiciary Committee , not only were Republican members not wearing masks , they were talking to her and others from “ 1 foot away.
” This isn ’ t the first instance of Republican legislators endangering the lives of their colleagues with irresponsible coronavirus hygiene in the workplace @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Rep. Andrew Lewis ( R ) knew that he had tested positive and told his caucus ’ leadership , but none of them informed their Democratic colleagues and the infected legislator continued to show up at the Capitol in Harrisburg without wearing a mask .
GOP lawmakers even contact traced Rep. Lewis but didn ’ t tell anyone about his illness .
Democratic state Rep. Brian Sims was outraged and made a viral video that turned the incident into a national story .
Pennsylvania ’ s Republican Speaker of the House Mike Turzai @ @ @ @ @ @ @ both his post atop the statehouse and from the chamber entirely .
Sadly , if House Republicans continue to claim that they won ’ t wear masks because of “ herd immunity ” or because “ looking at faces matters ” more than preventing infectious diseases , then they ’ ll continue to aid and abet the spread of a pandemic illness .
Arizona is experiencing the nation ’ s most rapid increase in COVID-19 infections , but its Republican Governor just said he won ’ t require mask use because people will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ living with the virus.
” “ Our analyses support the immediate and universal adoption of facemasks by the public , ” said lead author Dr. Richard Stutt who published a recent Cambridge University peer-reviewed study which found that if as little as half of all Americans wear masks , it will drastically slow the spread of the lethal coronavirus .
“ If widespread facemask use by the public is combined with physical distancing and some lockdown , it may offer an acceptable way of managing the pandemic and reopening economic activity long before @ @ @ @ @ @ @ researchers say they ’ re calling for information campaigns across wealthy and developing nations alike that appeal to our altruistic side : ‘ my facemask protects you , your facemask protects me ’ .
None of the GOP ’ s party-wide resistance to taking proper health precautions against the highly contagious novel coronavirus should come as a surprise considering that the CDC had to leak its re-opening plans to force President Trump to release them .
He ’ s even wished that we could stop virus testing altogether so that “ we ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @

A Republican U.S. Representative has tested positive for COVID-19 only days after attending to his official duties in the House without a mask, and his Democratic colleagues are incensed. One Democratic Representative is ready to request a major rules change to prevent unmasked legislators from the House floor in response to the incident.
CNN’s Manu Raju is reporting that both Rep. Tom Rice (R-SC) and his family tested positive for the deadly pandemic contagion. The last day that the House of Representatives voted in person was just over two weeks ago.
Despite the chamber’s medical staff strongly recommending all members wear masks, most members of the Republican caucus vocally refused, citing non-scientific mumbo jumbo as their excuse. The South Carolina Republican from Myrtle Beach blithely celebrated his family’s apparently successful bout with the infection in a Facebook post where he framed his health problem in racial terms and didn’t express any concern about possibly infecting his colleagues, only complaining that he “CAN’T TASTE BACON.”
“The country is facing the worst public health crisis in our generation,” Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell (D-FL) told Occupy Democrats. “That’s why I’m asking leadership to put in place rules that prohibit those not wearing masks from entering the House floor under the guidance of top public health experts.
“The complete disregard for the safety of other members is negligent irresponsible and quite simply ignorant,” says the freshman Representative Mucarsel-Powell, who flipped a GOP seat in Miami in the last election. “He put not only other members at risk but also their children and families.”
“People should follow the CDC’s guidelines and wear masks when they’re in close proximity to others. Toxic masculinity is going to kill us, whether it’s coming from the White House or the People’s House,” says elected DNC member Christine Pelosi about the incident. “It’s one thing to have a mask slip off and another to eschew wearing a mask altogether. It’s highly appropriate that the House of Representatives and all places of business ask people to observe public health protocols. It is little different than a person who works at a restaurant having to wash their hands before starting work, or a doctor or nurse washing their hands to prevent spreading infection. It’s about basic, common courtesy.”
CNN’s Raju revealed that he had asked Rep. Rice why he wasn’t wearing a mask on May 28th during the House’s last vote, and he claimed to be taking all precautions besides wearing a mask.
But Rep. Mucarsel-Powell said that when she was in the Capitol last week for meetings of the House Judiciary Committee, not only were Republican members not wearing masks, they were talking to her and others from “1 foot away.”
GOP Rep. Tom Rice, who announced today he and his family were diagnosed with covid-19 last week, wasn't wearing a mask on House floor when chamber was in session on May 28. I asked him why not, and he told me then: “I'm socially distancing. I'm staying six feet away from folks.” — Manu Raju (@mkraju) June 15, 2020
This isn’t the first instance of Republican legislators endangering the lives of their colleagues with irresponsible coronavirus hygiene in the workplace.
Three weeks ago, Pennsylvania State Rep. Andrew Lewis (R) knew that he had tested positive and told his caucus’ leadership, but none of them informed their Democratic colleagues and the infected legislator continued to show up at the Capitol in Harrisburg without wearing a mask.
GOP lawmakers even contact traced Rep. Lewis but didn’t tell anyone about his illness. Democratic state Rep. Brian Sims was outraged and made a viral video that turned the incident into a national story. Pennsylvania’s Republican Speaker of the House Mike Turzai retired in shame earlier this week from both his post atop the statehouse and from the chamber entirely.
Sadly, if House Republicans continue to claim that they won’t wear masks because of “herd immunity” or because “looking at faces matters” more than preventing infectious diseases, then they’ll continue to aid and abet the spread of a pandemic illness.
Arizona is experiencing the nation’s most rapid increase in COVID-19 infections, but its Republican Governor just said he won’t require mask use because people will just have to “get used to living with the virus.”
“Our analyses support the immediate and universal adoption of facemasks by the public,” said lead author Dr. Richard Stutt who published a recent Cambridge University peer-reviewed study which found that if as little as half of all Americans wear masks, it will drastically slow the spread of the lethal coronavirus. “If widespread facemask use by the public is combined with physical distancing and some lockdown, it may offer an acceptable way of managing the pandemic and reopening economic activity long before there is a working vaccine.” The researchers say they’re calling for information campaigns across wealthy and developing nations alike that appeal to our altruistic side: ‘my facemask protects you, your facemask protects me’.
None of the GOP’s party-wide resistance to taking proper health precautions against the highly contagious novel coronavirus should come as a surprise considering that the CDC had to leak its re-opening plans to force President Trump to release them. He’s even wished that we could stop virus testing altogether so that “we’d have very few cases.”


occupydemocrats--2020-06-17--Video shows cop breaking down in her car because her McDonalds order was late, thought it was being

Video shows cop breaking down in her car because her McDonalds order was late, thought it was being poisoned

On Wednesday morning , social media was beset by yet another viral cop video — but for once , it doesn ’ t show some appalling display of violence against unarmed Black protesters .
Instead , it offers a deeply disturbing glimpse into the dangerous phenomenon of American police siege mentality , once again told through the police force and their perpetual quest for delicious snackies .
Officer “ Stacey , ” who apparently has been a cop for fifteen years , filmed herself having a breakdown in her car because she went to McDonald ’ s and the staff @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
In her deeply paranoid mind , this translated itself to “ the McDonald ’ s staff are poisoning my food ” and complained that she didn ’ t feel safe ordering fast food because she was a cop .
“ I don ’ t know what ’ s going on with people nowadays , but please just give us a break !
I don ’ t know much more of this I can take !
I ’ ve been in this for 15 years and I ’ ve never felt such anxiety @ @ @ @ @ @ @ !
So just have a heart , and if you see an officer , just tell them thank you !
” sobs the officer .
It ’ s not too difficult to unpack what ’ s going on here .
She mentions that she uses the mobile app because she doesn ’ t want “ people to pay for her , ” indicating that she ’ s used to getting special treatment because she ’ s a cop and is now feeling insecure and outraged because she isn ’ t getting that anymore @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and police to reject Trump ’ s calls to use violence against peaceful protestors !
She finishes her video by telling people to “ thank a cop , ” which reinforces the idea that she ’ s upset because people are no longer feeling the urge to lick her boots after two straight weeks of horrendous , unforgivable police violence against peaceful protesters .
This incident comes just one day after New York City police unions baselessly accused a Shake Shack of poisoning their milkshakes , the latest in what is now a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which paranoid cops convince themselves that fast-food workers are out to get them Super Troopers-style simply because they are the instruments of state-sanctioned violence .
The police later determined that there had been no foul play and that the milkshake-slugging cops had upset tum tums because someone had failed to rinse some of the cleaner out of the mixing machine .
But the absence of any facts didn ’ t stop New York ’ s insane police unions and the right-wing propaganda machine from declaring that their officers couldn ’ t even take @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” and running wild with the story .
This fake news likely contributed to Officer Stacey ’ s anxiety and paints an illuminating picture into how the rabid police unions instill this culture of “ siege mentality ” into their officers , a paranoid fantasy that the entire world is out to get them , that nobody appreciates all the work they do , and that everybody around them is guilty .
Perhaps it stems from the guilt that at least some of them must surely feel at being part of a militarized @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of an economic and racial caste system and murders innocent , unarmed people on a regular basis .
But it is absolutely outrageous for police officers to be behaving this way over a goddamn Egg McMuffin when Black Americans literally must live their lives in fear of the police , knowing that any kind of interaction with the police can lead to their immediate execution , as Atlanta police demonstrated this weekend when they shot Rayshard Brooks in the back after he de-escalated the situation and spoke with them for forty minutes .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ to kill .
If this woman is really having meltdowns in her car because her breakfast was late and is tormented by delusions of antifa terrorists putting arsenic in her munchies , she can not be trusted to use her firearm responsibly .
This siege mentality is the kind of mindset that directly results in officers pulling up and killing a twelve-year-old playing with a toy gun in a park within two seconds of arriving on the scene .
But many don ’ t see any problem with that ; the police unions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the President of the United States actively cultivate and encourage this kind of thinking in police officers , perfectly content to see the police continue in their mission of brutally repressing public protest and terrorizing America ’ s minority communities .
This video is yet more evidence that we are not going to be able to “ reform ” our way out of America ’ s police violence epidemic .
We want to know what YOU have to say .
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On Wednesday morning, social media was beset by yet another viral cop video — but for once, it doesn’t show some appalling display of violence against unarmed Black protesters. Instead, it offers a deeply disturbing glimpse into the dangerous phenomenon of American police siege mentality, once again told through the police force and their perpetual quest for delicious snackies.
Officer “Stacey,” who apparently has been a cop for fifteen years, filmed herself having a breakdown in her car because she went to McDonald’s and the staff was late in preparing her Egg McMuffin. In her deeply paranoid mind, this translated itself to “the McDonald’s staff are poisoning my food” and complained that she didn’t feel safe ordering fast food because she was a cop.
“I don’t know what’s going on with people nowadays, but please just give us a break! I don’t know much more of this I can take! I’ve been in this for 15 years and I’ve never felt such anxiety about waiting for McDonald’s food! So just have a heart, and if you see an officer, just tell them thank you!” sobs the officer.
I think we've figured out what's been wrong with the cops in this country. According to Stacey, they haven't been hearing, "Thank you," enough. Officer Karen breaks down over the anxiety of ordering a McMuffin. The disconnect with what's happening on the streets is astounding. pic.twitter.com/Snp0wztBq1 — Johnny Akzam (@JohnnyAkzam) June 17, 2020
It’s not too difficult to unpack what’s going on here. She mentions that she uses the mobile app because she doesn’t want “people to pay for her,” indicating that she’s used to getting special treatment because she’s a cop and is now feeling insecure and outraged because she isn’t getting that anymore.
Add your name to tell states and police to reject Trump’s calls to use violence against peaceful protestors!
She finishes her video by telling people to “thank a cop,” which reinforces the idea that she’s upset because people are no longer feeling the urge to lick her boots after two straight weeks of horrendous, unforgivable police violence against peaceful protesters.
This incident comes just one day after New York City police unions baselessly accused a Shake Shack of poisoning their milkshakes, the latest in what is now a running series of “incidents” in which paranoid cops convince themselves that fast-food workers are out to get them Super Troopers-style simply because they are the instruments of state-sanctioned violence.
The police later determined that there had been no foul play and that the milkshake-slugging cops had upset tum tums because someone had failed to rinse some of the cleaner out of the mixing machine. But the absence of any facts didn’t stop New York’s insane police unions and the right-wing propaganda machine from declaring that their officers couldn’t even take a meal without coming “under attack” and running wild with the story.
This fake news likely contributed to Officer Stacey’s anxiety and paints an illuminating picture into how the rabid police unions instill this culture of “siege mentality” into their officers, a paranoid fantasy that the entire world is out to get them, that nobody appreciates all the work they do, and that everybody around them is guilty.
Perhaps it stems from the guilt that at least some of them must surely feel at being part of a militarized goon squad that violently maintains the boundaries of an economic and racial caste system and murders innocent, unarmed people on a regular basis.
But it is absolutely outrageous for police officers to be behaving this way over a goddamn Egg McMuffin when Black Americans literally must live their lives in fear of the police, knowing that any kind of interaction with the police can lead to their immediate execution, as Atlanta police demonstrated this weekend when they shot Rayshard Brooks in the back after he de-escalated the situation and spoke with them for forty minutes.
Police officers carry guns and are trained to kill. If this woman is really having meltdowns in her car because her breakfast was late and is tormented by delusions of antifa terrorists putting arsenic in her munchies, she cannot be trusted to use her firearm responsibly.
This siege mentality is the kind of mindset that directly results in officers pulling up and killing a twelve-year-old playing with a toy gun in a park within two seconds of arriving on the scene. But many don’t see any problem with that; the police unions and the right-wing propaganda networks and even the President of the United States actively cultivate and encourage this kind of thinking in police officers, perfectly content to see the police continue in their mission of brutally repressing public protest and terrorizing America’s minority communities.
This video is yet more evidence that we are not going to be able to “reform” our way out of America’s police violence epidemic.
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Colin Taylor Opinion columnist and former editor-in-chief of Occupy Democrats. He graduated from Bennington College with a Bachelor's degree in history and political science. He now focuses on advancing the cause of social justice and equality in America. Latest Posts


occupydemocrats--2020-06-18--Trump appears to get caught tweeting and ignoring governors during important meeting

There are a lot of traits you ’ d want in a President of the United States , traits that permit you to entrust him or her with the nuclear button and control of the most powerful military in the history of the world without having to worry about their ability to handle such great responsibility .
An attention span so short a hamster on methamphetamines could put it to shame is decidedly not one of those traits and yet here we are , with Donald Trump as our president .
Trump ’ s unwillingness to read , his complete @ @ @ @ @ @ @ meandering rhetorical style , and his inability to focus on anything other than himself for extended periods of time make him uniquely unfit to be a president .
A man who spends the lion ’ s share of his day tweeting out petty insults and complaints like a teenager should not be the final decision maker on policies that affect not just the fate of the United States , but the entire world .
Sometimes , we ’ re given a particularly sharp reminder of his fact .
Add your name to tell @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s calls to use violence against peaceful protestors !
Today , Trump met with Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt and Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts today to discuss plans to reopen small businesses hit by the COVID-19 shutdown .
It ’ s the kind of topic that this president gives a lot of lip service to caring deeply about .
His is such a deeply failed presidency with so few accomplishments that rather than touting past successes he ’ s been reduced to promising quixotic future successes , an imagined economic resurgence being chief among @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one might expect even someone as scatterbrained as Trump to pay attention during today ’ s roundtable .
Instead , a video has emerged that appears to show him completely ignoring the people in the room , head tilted down towards his phone as he pens one of his inane tweets .
The clip is striking in that we know he tweets every day , we see what he writes , but we rarely if ever see him in the act of actually doing it .
Check out the embarrassing moment below and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out in November .
We want to hear what YOU have to say .
Scroll down and let us know in our NEW comment section !

There are a lot of traits you’d want in a President of the United States, traits that permit you to entrust him or her with the nuclear button and control of the most powerful military in the history of the world without having to worry about their ability to handle such great responsibility. An attention span so short a hamster on methamphetamines could put it to shame is decidedly not one of those traits and yet here we are, with Donald Trump as our president.
Trump’s unwillingness to read, his complete disregard for nuance and fact, his meandering rhetorical style, and his inability to focus on anything other than himself for extended periods of time make him uniquely unfit to be a president. A man who spends the lion’s share of his day tweeting out petty insults and complaints like a teenager should not be the final decision maker on policies that affect not just the fate of the United States, but the entire world. Sometimes, we’re given a particularly sharp reminder of his fact.
Add your name to tell states and police to reject Trump’s calls to use violence against peaceful protestors!
Today, Trump met with Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt and Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts today to discuss plans to reopen small businesses hit by the COVID-19 shutdown. It’s the kind of topic that this president gives a lot of lip service to caring deeply about. His is such a deeply failed presidency with so few accomplishments that rather than touting past successes he’s been reduced to promising quixotic future successes, an imagined economic resurgence being chief among them.
With that in mind, one might expect even someone as scatterbrained as Trump to pay attention during today’s roundtable. Instead, a video has emerged that appears to show him completely ignoring the people in the room, head tilted down towards his phone as he pens one of his inane tweets. The clip is striking in that we know he tweets every day, we see what he writes, but we rarely if ever see him in the act of actually doing it.
Check out the embarrassing moment below and be sure to help vote this buffoon out in November.
Unusual to see President on his phone during a formal event, but here he is, on his device, as guests are speaking. Exactly two mins later…… a tweet was posted to @realDonaldTrump account at 3:56PM. https://t.co/uPT6hkdbcd pic.twitter.com/9EvyySqBmM — Paula Reid (@PaulaReidCBS) June 18, 2020
There he is pic.twitter.com/zKNJnT781E — The Recount (@therecount) June 18, 2020
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occupydemocrats--2020-06-18--Trump wastes huge chunk of his WSJ interview on insecure tangent about his ramp walking troubles

Serious questions about President Trump ’ s health—or lack thereof—arose last weekend when footage emerged of him struggling to walk down a ramp after a West Point event .
The cameras caught him walking haltingly down the gentle incline , his body posture weird and hesitant as if terrified he might pitch forward or lose his balance at any moment .
At the same event , he also struggled to raise a glass to his mouth to drink and ended up doing a bizarre motion in which he used one hand to push the other higher .
Bluntly point , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ longer in control of his facilities .
The negative commentary around the video was so widespread that Trump ended up tweeting out a ridiculous explanation , claiming that the ramp was “ very long & steep , had no handrail and , most importantly , was very slippery.
” As The New York Times pointed out , his description did not match reality as it was not a rainy day and there were no indications that the ramp was slippery .
As one might expect , Trump ’ s absurd lies about the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ramp and the story spread even further .
The Lincoln Project , an anti-Trump PAC run by Republicans and former Republicans , used the West Point incident to cut a truly devastating attack ad pointing out the president ’ s apparent health problems .
Unsurprisingly , the entire saga has burrowed deep into the fetid brain of our infamously egotistical president .
He sent his surrogates out on ill-fated sorties to quash the story and the attention devoted by his team to the issue only fanned the flames .
“ The lady doth @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as the Bard wrote .
Add your name to tell states and police to reject Trump ’ s calls to use violence against peaceful protestors !
In a new interview with The Wall Street Journal , Trump himself brought the ramp up again , proving he hasn ’ t yet been able to shake the embarrassment .
WSJ ’ s Rebecca Ballhaus points out that he wasted roughly 300 words talking about the ramp .
His excuses ran the gamut .
He claimed the ramp was “ long and steep and slippery.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wasn ’ t steep or slippery .
He blamed his “ leather bottom shoes ” and offered to show them to the interviewer as proof .
Trump even went so far as to compare the ramp to an “ ice skating rink ” before insisting that he definitely doesn ’ t have Parkinson ’ s disease despite any speculation to that effect .
The excerpt has to be read to be believed .
One can not go through these comments without coming away with the distinct impression that Trump is desperately trying to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ want to hear what YOU have to say .
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Serious questions about President Trump’s health—or lack thereof—arose last weekend when footage emerged of him struggling to walk down a ramp after a West Point event. The cameras caught him walking haltingly down the gentle incline, his body posture weird and hesitant as if terrified he might pitch forward or lose his balance at any moment.
At the same event, he also struggled to raise a glass to his mouth to drink and ended up doing a bizarre motion in which he used one hand to push the other higher. Bluntly point, he looked like an old man no longer in control of his facilities.
Donald Trump walking down a ramp at West Point pic.twitter.com/eLnU6VXra8 — Review & Resist (@ReviewResist) June 13, 2020
The negative commentary around the video was so widespread that Trump ended up tweeting out a ridiculous explanation, claiming that the ramp was “very long & steep, had no handrail and, most importantly, was very slippery.” As The New York Times pointed out, his description did not match reality as it was not a rainy day and there were no indications that the ramp was slippery.
The ramp that I descended after my West Point Commencement speech was very long & steep, had no handrail and, most importantly, was very slippery. The last thing I was going to do is “fall” for the Fake News to have fun with. Final ten feet I ran down to level ground. Momentum! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 14, 2020
As one might expect, Trump’s absurd lies about the ramp only drew more attention to the ramp and the story spread even further. The Lincoln Project, an anti-Trump PAC run by Republicans and former Republicans, used the West Point incident to cut a truly devastating attack ad pointing out the president’s apparent health problems.
Why did Trump have a secretive, midnight run to Walter Reed Medical Center? It’s time we talk about it. #TrumpIsNotWell pic.twitter.com/c8g97n61s5 — The Lincoln Project (@ProjectLincoln) June 16, 2020
Unsurprisingly, the entire saga has burrowed deep into the fetid brain of our infamously egotistical president. He sent his surrogates out on ill-fated sorties to quash the story and the attention devoted by his team to the issue only fanned the flames.
“The lady doth protest too much, methinks,” as the Bard wrote.
Add your name to tell states and police to reject Trump’s calls to use violence against peaceful protestors!
In a new interview with The Wall Street Journal, Trump himself brought the ramp up again, proving he hasn’t yet been able to shake the embarrassment. WSJ’s Rebecca Ballhaus points out that he wasted roughly 300 words talking about the ramp.
His excuses ran the gamut. He claimed the ramp was “long and steep and slippery.” It was long, but it certainly wasn’t steep or slippery. He blamed his “leather bottom shoes” and offered to show them to the interviewer as proof. Trump even went so far as to compare the ramp to an “ice skating rink” before insisting that he definitely doesn’t have Parkinson’s disease despite any speculation to that effect.
The excerpt has to be read to be believed. One cannot go through these comments without coming away with the distinct impression that Trump is desperately trying to cover up his deteriorating shape.
In his @WSJ interview, Trump spends nearly 300 words—unprompted—defending his walk down the ramp at West Point. "If you would have seen this ramp, it was like an ice skating rink.”https://t.co/MjrDJXyZdL pic.twitter.com/VRZobAkB2m — Rebecca Ballhaus (@rebeccaballhaus) June 18, 2020
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occupydemocrats--2020-06-18--Twitter explodes after Matt Gaetz reveals he has a secret Cuban son to get back at a black Democrat

President Trump ’ s most vocal Congressional lapdog raised eyebrows around social media this afternoon when he mysteriously announced that he has a 19-year-old Cuban man living with him who he treats as his “ son.
” Rep. Matt Gaetz ( R-FL ) , who is unmarried , posted a bizarrely cropped photograph of himself with a man apparently named Nestor Galban to his Twitter account , claiming that this was his “ son ” and that therefore he does know what it is to raise a “ non-white kid.
” The “ non-white kid ” thing is a reference @ @ @ @ @ @ @ during a House Judiciary Committee hearing on police reform yesterday after Rep. Cedric Richmond ( D-LA ) spoke about the unique danger that police officers pose to black Americans and their children .
Gaetz responded with a tirade “ Are you suggesting that you ’ re certain none of us have nonwhite children ?
Because you reflect on your Black son , and you said none of us could understand.
” Richmond responded by saying that “ I ’ m not about to get sidetracked about the color of our children .
We @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the streets that are getting killed , and if one of them happens to be your kid , I ’ m concerned about him too…And clearly , I ’ m more concerned about him than you are .
So let ’ s be clear about that.
” Add your name to tell states and police to reject Trump ’ s calls to use violence against peaceful protestors !
Instead of listening to Richmond and hearing what he has to say about the unique experience that Black Americans face , Gaetz interrupts in a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you have more concern for my family than I do ?
Who in the hell do you think you are ?
” The next day , the thirty-four-year-old Gaetz announces he lives alone with a nineteen-year-old Cuban man who he has never mentioned in public before , seemingly just so he could “ own the libs ” — which caused no small amount of tongue-wagging and mockery on social media .
We want to know what YOU have to say !
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President Trump’s most vocal Congressional lapdog raised eyebrows around social media this afternoon when he mysteriously announced that he has a 19-year-old Cuban man living with him who he treats as his “son.”
Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), who is unmarried, posted a bizarrely cropped photograph of himself with a man apparently named Nestor Galban to his Twitter account, claiming that this was his “son” and that therefore he does know what it is to raise a “non-white kid.”
Nestor turned 19 a few days ago & will be off to University. He arrived here at 12. As you can imagine, I was triggered when (to make an absurd debate point) a fellow congressman diminished the contributions of Republicans because we don’t raise non-white kids. Well, I have. — Matt Gaetz (@mattgaetz) June 18, 2020
The “non-white kid” thing is a reference to an outrageous outburst that Gaetz gave during a House Judiciary Committee hearing on police reform yesterday after Rep. Cedric Richmond (D-LA) spoke about the unique danger that police officers pose to black Americans and their children. Gaetz responded with a tirade “Are you suggesting that you’re certain none of us have nonwhite children? Because you reflect on your Black son, and you said none of us could understand.”
Richmond responded by saying that “I’m not about to get sidetracked about the color of our children. We’re talking about Black people in the streets that are getting killed, and if one of them happens to be your kid, I’m concerned about him too…And clearly, I’m more concerned about him than you are. So let’s be clear about that.”
Add your name to tell states and police to reject Trump’s calls to use violence against peaceful protestors!
Instead of listening to Richmond and hearing what he has to say about the unique experience that Black Americans face, Gaetz interrupts in a fury: “You’re claiming you have more concern for my family than I do? Who in the hell do you think you are?”
The next day, the thirty-four-year-old Gaetz announces he lives alone with a nineteen-year-old Cuban man who he has never mentioned in public before, seemingly just so he could “own the libs” — which caused no small amount of tongue-wagging and mockery on social media.
So when Matt Gaetz went to the World Series with trump, they both left sons they keep forgetting about at home. — Adam Parkhomenko (@AdamParkhomenko) June 18, 2020
Just so I'm clear: Matt Gaetz is claiming he has an adopted son he's been keeping a secret for 7 years but trotted out to score points against Democrats who have the audacity to be concerned about police violence against black men? Did I get that right? — Kaili Joy Gray (@KailiJoy) June 18, 2020
https://twitter.com/yashar/status/1273688515075702784?s=20
Guys, Matt Gaetz only adopted a pubescent child and secretly housed them 1,000 miles from his workplace. Stop making it sound weird. — The Hoarse Whisperer (@HoarseWisperer) June 18, 2020
https://twitter.com/SickSadTrump/status/1273693810753585152?s=20
https://twitter.com/Realmommabear/status/1273674738490134528?s=20
Matt Gaetz adopting his son like pic.twitter.com/Z1xKhzQAox — Zach Heltzel (@zachheltzel) June 18, 2020
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occupydemocrats--2020-06-18--Trump goes into full panic mode as Supreme Court takes hammer to his re-election argument

Today , in a decision that is sure to infuriate bigots and white supremacists across the country , the Supreme Court ruled that the Trump administration can not at this point in time unilaterally terminate the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals ( DACA ) program .
DACA allows some 700,000 so-called Dreamers—people who were brought into the United States as children as undocumented immigrants who then grew up in America—to remain in this country they ’ ve always called home .
To anyone not pulsing with xenophobia , they are every bit as American as those who immigrated here legally @ @ @ @ @ @ @ re just as red , white , and blue as the rest of us .
The court decided that Trump ’ s surrogates failed to sufficiently justify and defend their decision to end DACA .
The government can try to make their case again with the chance that a proper explanation for why they want to end the popular program could find them success the second time around , but it ’ s unclear at this point whether Trump will try .
“ We do not decide whether DACA or its rescission are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the agency complied with the procedural requirement that it provide a reasoned explanation for its action , ” wrote Chief Justice Roberts .
Add your name to tell states and police to reject Trump ’ s calls to use violence against peaceful protestors !
While Trump took the pro-LGBTQ ruling from the Supreme Court earlier this week in stride and said he could “ live with it ” today ’ s DACA decision has him hitting a very different note .
The president took to Twitter to slam the Supreme Court ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Our laughably dramatic leader decried the rulings as “ shotgun blasts ” to Republicans conservatives .
He added that he and his ilk “ need more Justices ” or they could lose the “ 2nd Amendment & everything else ” before urging his followers to reelect him .
The tweet could not be any more transparent .
Many Republicans , especially social conservatives , didn ’ t particularly like Trump in 2016 but they held their noses and voted for him in the hopes of getting Supreme Court appointees that would push their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it ’ s become clear in the wake of Justice Gorsuch ’ s support of LGBTQ rights this week that Trump ’ s choices can ’ t be trusted to always push a reactionary agenda , the president fears the conservative calculus might not fall in his favor this time .
If voting for Trump doesn ’ t get them the Supreme Court rulings they want , what ’ s the point in putting up with such a monstrous man ?
Trump followed the first tweet up with one of his most pathetic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a whiny middle schooler worried about his popularity he asked his followers if they “ get the impression that the Supreme Court doesn ’ t like me.
” In addition to being just an intensely weird thing for the commander-in-chief to ask , it also fundamentally misrepresents the point of the Supreme Court .
Justices aren ’ t appointed to carry out the president ’ s wishes .
Ostensibly , they ’ re chosen for their ability to interpret the law fairly and neutrally .
In practice , that ’ s rarely the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the facade is a tacit admission that Republicans see the Supreme Court as the best way to foist their unpopular , regressive worldview onto the rest of us .
Apparently , Trump ’ s embarrassing little outburst wasn ’ t done there .
This DACA decision has clearly burrowed deeply beneath his skin and he sees it as a possible death knell for his reelection prospects .
He tweeted that conservatives need “ NEW JUSTICES of the Supreme Court ” and then engaged in some boilerplate fearmongering about Democrats taking away rights .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ from whining to claiming without explanation that the new ruling gives the president “ far more power than EVER anticipated.
” It ’ s unclear what he was talking about so the simplest explanation is that he was simply trying to make himself appear strong after his defeat in court .
“ Nevertheless , I will only act in the best interests of the United States of America , ” he claimed .
Of course , anyone who has been paying attention the last four years knows that Donald Trump only ever acts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his cronies .
Trump then said he will try again to repeal DACA , tossing red meat to his racist voters in the process .
Trump rounded out his tweetstorm with a promise to release a list of Supreme Court Justices he will appoint if he wins a second term .
He said the list will only include conservative legal minds and insisted this will be “ more important than ever before ” and once again urged his supporters to show up for him at the ballot box in November .
Clearly , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
He ’ s doing his best to convince conservatives that they made the right choice with him in 2016 and that his judicial defeats this week are not an indication that he will fail to deliver victories in the future .
If this is the best argument he can make for a second term , this man is in deep trouble .
We want to hear what YOU have to say .
Scroll down and let us know in our NEW comment section !

Today, in a decision that is sure to infuriate bigots and white supremacists across the country, the Supreme Court ruled that the Trump administration cannot at this point in time unilaterally terminate the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.
DACA allows some 700,000 so-called Dreamers—people who were brought into the United States as children as undocumented immigrants who then grew up in America—to remain in this country they’ve always called home. To anyone not pulsing with xenophobia, they are every bit as American as those who immigrated here legally or were born natively. They’re just as red, white, and blue as the rest of us.
The court decided that Trump’s surrogates failed to sufficiently justify and defend their decision to end DACA. The government can try to make their case again with the chance that a proper explanation for why they want to end the popular program could find them success the second time around, but it’s unclear at this point whether Trump will try.
“We do not decide whether DACA or its rescission are sound policies. We address only whether the agency complied with the procedural requirement that it provide a reasoned explanation for its action,” wrote Chief Justice Roberts.
Add your name to tell states and police to reject Trump’s calls to use violence against peaceful protestors!
While Trump took the pro-LGBTQ ruling from the Supreme Court earlier this week in stride and said he could “live with it” today’s DACA decision has him hitting a very different note. The president took to Twitter to slam the Supreme Court’s “horribly & politically charged decisions.”
Our laughably dramatic leader decried the rulings as “shotgun blasts” to Republicans conservatives. He added that he and his ilk “need more Justices” or they could lose the “2nd Amendment & everything else” before urging his followers to reelect him.
The tweet could not be any more transparent. Many Republicans, especially social conservatives, didn’t particularly like Trump in 2016 but they held their noses and voted for him in the hopes of getting Supreme Court appointees that would push their agenda from the bench. Now that it’s become clear in the wake of Justice Gorsuch’s support of LGBTQ rights this week that Trump’s choices can’t be trusted to always push a reactionary agenda, the president fears the conservative calculus might not fall in his favor this time. If voting for Trump doesn’t get them the Supreme Court rulings they want, what’s the point in putting up with such a monstrous man?
These horrible & politically charged decisions coming out of the Supreme Court are shotgun blasts into the face of people that are proud to call themselves Republicans or Conservatives. We need more Justices or we will lose our 2nd. Amendment & everything else. Vote Trump 2020! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 18, 2020
Trump followed the first tweet up with one of his most pathetic to date. Sounding almost exactly like a whiny middle schooler worried about his popularity he asked his followers if they “get the impression that the Supreme Court doesn’t like me.”
In addition to being just an intensely weird thing for the commander-in-chief to ask, it also fundamentally misrepresents the point of the Supreme Court. Justices aren’t appointed to carry out the president’s wishes. Ostensibly, they’re chosen for their ability to interpret the law fairly and neutrally. In practice, that’s rarely the case but Trump’s dropping of the facade is a tacit admission that Republicans see the Supreme Court as the best way to foist their unpopular, regressive worldview onto the rest of us.
Do you get the impression that the Supreme Court doesn’t like me? — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 18, 2020
Apparently, Trump’s embarrassing little outburst wasn’t done there. This DACA decision has clearly burrowed deeply beneath his skin and he sees it as a possible death knell for his reelection prospects. He tweeted that conservatives need “NEW JUSTICES of the Supreme Court” and then engaged in some boilerplate fearmongering about Democrats taking away rights.
…Religious Liberty, among many other things, are OVER and GONE! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 18, 2020
The president then made a strange pivot from whining to claiming without explanation that the new ruling gives the president “far more power than EVER anticipated.” It’s unclear what he was talking about so the simplest explanation is that he was simply trying to make himself appear strong after his defeat in court.
“Nevertheless, I will only act in the best interests of the United States of America,” he claimed. Of course, anyone who has been paying attention the last four years knows that Donald Trump only ever acts in the best interests of himself and his cronies.
The DACA decision, while a highly political one, and seemingly not based on the law, gives the President of the United States far more power than EVER anticipated. Nevertheless, I will only act in the best interests of the United States of America! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 18, 2020
Trump then said he will try again to repeal DACA, tossing red meat to his racist voters in the process.
As President of the United States, I am asking for a legal solution on DACA, not a political one, consistent with the rule of law. The Supreme Court is not willing to give us one, so now we have to start this process all over again. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 18, 2020
Trump rounded out his tweetstorm with a promise to release a list of Supreme Court Justices he will appoint if he wins a second term. He said the list will only include conservative legal minds and insisted this will be “more important than ever before” and once again urged his supporters to show up for him at the ballot box in November.
Clearly, Trump is deeply worried about the election. He’s doing his best to convince conservatives that they made the right choice with him in 2016 and that his judicial defeats this week are not an indication that he will fail to deliver victories in the future. If this is the best argument he can make for a second term, this man is in deep trouble.
…Based on decisions being rendered now, this list is more important than ever before (Second Amendment, Right to Life, Religous Liberty, etc.) – VOTE 2020! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 18, 2020
Follow Rob Haffey on Twitter.
We want to hear what YOU have to say. Scroll down and let us know in our NEW comment section!
Rob Haffey Latest Posts


occupydemocrats--2020-06-18--Trump whines that the Supreme Court might not “like him” in tantrum over DACA defeat

Today , in a decision that is sure to infuriate bigots and white supremacists across the country , the Supreme Court ruled that the Trump administration can not at this point in time unilaterally terminate the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals ( DACA ) program .
DACA allows some 700,000 so-called Dreamers—people who were brought into the United States as children as undocumented immigrants who then grew up in America—to remain in this country they ’ ve always called home .
To anyone not pulsing with xenophobia , they are every bit as American as those who immigrated here legally @ @ @ @ @ @ @ re just as red , white , and blue as the rest of us .
The court decided that Trump ’ s surrogates failed to sufficiently justify and defend their decision to end DACA .
The government can try to make their case again with the chance that a proper explanation for why they want to end the popular program could find them success the second time around , but it ’ s unclear at this point whether Trump will try .
“ We do not decide whether DACA or its rescission are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the agency complied with the procedural requirement that it provide a reasoned explanation for its action , ” wrote Chief Justice Roberts .
Add your name to tell states and police to reject Trump ’ s calls to use violence against peaceful protestors !
While Trump took the pro-LGBTQ ruling from the Supreme Court earlier this week in stride and said he could “ live with it ” today ’ s DACA decision has him hitting a very different note .
The president took to Twitter to slam the Supreme Court ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Our laughably dramatic leader decried the rulings as “ shotgun blasts ” to Republicans conservatives .
He added that he and his ilk “ need more Justices ” or they could lose the “ 2nd Amendment & everything else ” before urging his followers to reelect him .
The tweet could not be any more transparent .
Many Republicans , especially social conservatives , didn ’ t particularly like Trump in 2016 but they held their noses and voted for him in the hopes of getting Supreme Court appointees that would push their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it ’ s become clear in the wake of Justice Gorsuch ’ s support of LGBTQ rights this week that Trump ’ s choices can ’ t be trusted to always push a reactionary agenda , the president fears the conservative calculus might not fall in his favor this time .
If voting for Trump doesn ’ t get them the Supreme Court rulings they want , what ’ s the point in putting up with such a monstrous man ?
Trump followed the first tweet up with one of his most pathetic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a whiny middle schooler worried about his popularity he asked his followers if they “ get the impression that the Supreme Court doesn ’ t like me.
” In addition to being just an intensely weird thing for the commander-in-chief to ask , it also fundamentally misrepresents the point of the Supreme Court .
Justices aren ’ t appointed to carry out the president ’ s wishes .
Ostensibly , they ’ re chosen for their ability to interpret the law fairly and neutrally .
In practice , that ’ s rarely the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the facade is a tacit admission that Republicans see the Supreme Court as the best way to foist their unpopular , regressive worldview onto the rest of us .
We want to hear what YOU have to say .
Scroll down and let us know in our NEW comment section !

Today, in a decision that is sure to infuriate bigots and white supremacists across the country, the Supreme Court ruled that the Trump administration cannot at this point in time unilaterally terminate the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.
DACA allows some 700,000 so-called Dreamers—people who were brought into the United States as children as undocumented immigrants who then grew up in America—to remain in this country they’ve always called home. To anyone not pulsing with xenophobia, they are every bit as American as those who immigrated here legally or were born natively. They’re just as red, white, and blue as the rest of us.
The court decided that Trump’s surrogates failed to sufficiently justify and defend their decision to end DACA. The government can try to make their case again with the chance that a proper explanation for why they want to end the popular program could find them success the second time around, but it’s unclear at this point whether Trump will try.
“We do not decide whether DACA or its rescission are sound policies. We address only whether the agency complied with the procedural requirement that it provide a reasoned explanation for its action,” wrote Chief Justice Roberts.
Add your name to tell states and police to reject Trump’s calls to use violence against peaceful protestors!
While Trump took the pro-LGBTQ ruling from the Supreme Court earlier this week in stride and said he could “live with it” today’s DACA decision has him hitting a very different note. The president took to Twitter to slam the Supreme Court’s “horribly & politically charged decisions.”
Our laughably dramatic leader decried the rulings as “shotgun blasts” to Republicans conservatives. He added that he and his ilk “need more Justices” or they could lose the “2nd Amendment & everything else” before urging his followers to reelect him.
The tweet could not be any more transparent. Many Republicans, especially social conservatives, didn’t particularly like Trump in 2016 but they held their noses and voted for him in the hopes of getting Supreme Court appointees that would push their agenda from the bench. Now that it’s become clear in the wake of Justice Gorsuch’s support of LGBTQ rights this week that Trump’s choices can’t be trusted to always push a reactionary agenda, the president fears the conservative calculus might not fall in his favor this time. If voting for Trump doesn’t get them the Supreme Court rulings they want, what’s the point in putting up with such a monstrous man?
These horrible & politically charged decisions coming out of the Supreme Court are shotgun blasts into the face of people that are proud to call themselves Republicans or Conservatives. We need more Justices or we will lose our 2nd. Amendment & everything else. Vote Trump 2020! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 18, 2020
Trump followed the first tweet up with one of his most pathetic to date. Sounding almost exactly like a whiny middle schooler worried about his popularity he asked his followers if they “get the impression that the Supreme Court doesn’t like me.”
In addition to being just an intensely weird thing for the commander-in-chief to ask, it also fundamentally misrepresents the point of the Supreme Court. Justices aren’t appointed to carry out the president’s wishes. Ostensibly, they’re chosen for their ability to interpret the law fairly and neutrally. In practice, that’s rarely the case but Trump’s dropping of the facade is a tacit admission that Republicans see the Supreme Court as the best way to foist their unpopular, regressive worldview onto the rest of us.
Do you get the impression that the Supreme Court doesn’t like me? — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 18, 2020
Follow Rob Haffey on Twitter.
We want to hear what YOU have to say. Scroll down and let us know in our NEW comment section!
Rob Haffey Latest Posts


occupydemocrats--2020-06-18--Trump team runs re-election ads using the Nazi concentration camp icon for political prisoners

The Trump team and its assorted hangers-on have long relished trolling the libs by dabbling in white supremacist rhetoric and symbology only to cry foul when called out on it .
But this time they ’ ve crossed the line and there are no excuses .
The Trump team used the official Facebook pages of Donald Trump , Mike Pence , and the “ Trump Team ” to run 88 ads asking users to sign a petition demanding that “ antifa ” be declared a terrorist group alongside an inverted red triangle .
Historians and Jewish groups quickly pointed out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Nazis to identify political enemies such as communists and Freemasons in the concentration camps .
The choice to run eighty-eight ads is clearly deliberate ; white supremacists use the number 88 as a numerical code to represent “ Heil Hitler , ” often in conjunction with “ 14 , ” which represents the white supremacist slogan “ the Fourteen Words.
” Nazi expert Jacob S. Eder told The Washington Post that the Trump team ’ s ads are “ a highly problematic use of a symbol that the Nazis used to identify their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hard to imagine it ’ s done on purpose , because I ’ m not sure if the vast majority of Americans know or understand the sign , but it ’ s very , very careless to say the least.
” When pressed for comment , the Trump team claimed that it was an “ antifa ” symbol and shared a graphic that they almost certainly made themselves that “ proves ” it .
While most Americans aren ’ t going to get the reference , it is a clear dog whistle to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ supporters .
While Donald Trump himself certainly does not know what this symbol means and is likely not even aware that the ads are being run at all , it ’ s clear that his campaign is staffed with white supremacists who aren ’ t afraid to openly signal to their fellow racist scumbags .
It is deeply disturbing to see the President ’ s re-election campaign use concentration camp imagery to smear the millions of protesters who have been marching for racial equality and justice for those murdered by the police .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ they think the Trump administration should deal with peaceful protesters — with concentration camps — and a dark hint at what might await our nation should Trump win re-election .
These appalling Nazi dog whistles must motivate us to fight even harder to make sure Trump and his Nazi lapdogs are driven from power once and for all .
Let us know what YOU think .
Scroll down and share your thoughts in our NEW comment section !

The Trump team and its assorted hangers-on have long relished trolling the libs by dabbling in white supremacist rhetoric and symbology only to cry foul when called out on it. But this time they’ve crossed the line and there are no excuses.
The Trump team used the official Facebook pages of Donald Trump, Mike Pence, and the “Trump Team” to run 88 ads asking users to sign a petition demanding that “antifa” be declared a terrorist group alongside an inverted red triangle. Despite allowing Trump to use its platform to lie, defame, and endanger the public in the past, this crossed a line for Facebook, which removed all the ads, saying they were “violating our policy against organized hate.”
Historians and Jewish groups quickly pointed out that this symbol was used by the Nazis to identify political enemies such as communists and Freemasons in the concentration camps.
The President of the United States is campaigning for reelection using a Nazi concentration camp symbol. Nazis used the red triangle to mark political prisoners and people who rescued Jews. Trump & the RNC are using it to smear millions of protestors. Their masks are off. pic.twitter.com/UzmzDaRBup — Bend the Arc: Jewish Action (@jewishaction) June 18, 2020
The choice to run eighty-eight ads is clearly deliberate; white supremacists use the number 88 as a numerical code to represent “Heil Hitler,” often in conjunction with “14,” which represents the white supremacist slogan “the Fourteen Words.”
Nazi expert Jacob S. Eder told The Washington Post that the Trump team’s ads are “a highly problematic use of a symbol that the Nazis used to identify their political enemies. … It’s hard to imagine it’s done on purpose, because I’m not sure if the vast majority of Americans know or understand the sign, but it’s very, very careless to say the least.”
When pressed for comment, the Trump team claimed that it was an “antifa” symbol and shared a graphic that they almost certainly made themselves that “proves” it.
https://twitter.com/TrumpWarRoom/status/1273644644874805253?s=20
While most Americans aren’t going to get the reference, it is a clear dog whistle to Trump’s white supremacist and neo-Nazi supporters. While Donald Trump himself certainly does not know what this symbol means and is likely not even aware that the ads are being run at all, it’s clear that his campaign is staffed with white supremacists who aren’t afraid to openly signal to their fellow racist scumbags.
It is deeply disturbing to see the President’s re-election campaign use concentration camp imagery to smear the millions of protesters who have been marching for racial equality and justice for those murdered by the police. It is an open declaration of how they think the Trump administration should deal with peaceful protesters — with concentration camps — and a dark hint at what might await our nation should Trump win re-election.
These appalling Nazi dog whistles must motivate us to fight even harder to make sure Trump and his Nazi lapdogs are driven from power once and for all.
Let us know what YOU think. Scroll down and share your thoughts in our NEW comment section!
Colin Taylor Opinion columnist and former editor-in-chief of Occupy Democrats. He graduated from Bennington College with a Bachelor's degree in history and political science. He now focuses on advancing the cause of social justice and equality in America. Latest Posts


occupydemocrats--2020-06-18--Trump furiously trashes John Bolton in response to damning allegations in his book

On Thursday morning , President Trump took to Twitter in order to trash his former National Security Advisor , Iraq War criminal John Bolton in response to the release of his book and the extraordinary allegations contained within it .
Ever the self-serving ghoul , Bolton refused to testify in the impeachment hearing in order to save his juiciest anecdotes for his book — a huge disservice to his country , seeing as his book claims that behind closed doors , Trump explicitly connected the withholding of funds from Ukraine in order to bully them into producing dirt on Joe @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the election .
As if that wasn ’ t enough , Bolton alleges that Trump tried to get President Xi of China to help him win re-election by buying more U.S. agricultural products and signaled his support of China the network of concentration camps China has built to contain its Uighur Muslim population .
Trump also reportedly told Bolton that an invasion of Venezuela would be “ cool , ” a sentiment which the bloodthirsty Bolton certainly agrees with .
Add your name to tell states and police to reject Trump ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ !
Predictably , Trump claimed that Bolton ’ s book is getting terrible reviews and was a “ compilation of lies ” intended to make him “ look bad.
” While all of this certainly sounds like things Trump would say and do , we must remember that John Bolton lied to the entire world in order to help the United States illegally launch a war that would plunge the entire Middle East into chaos and lead to the deaths of over a million people — which is why Trump hired him in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ finish , Bolton ’ s behavior has been just as disgraceful as Trump ’ s .
Do not buy his book .

On Thursday morning, President Trump took to Twitter in order to trash his former National Security Advisor, Iraq War criminal John Bolton in response to the release of his book and the extraordinary allegations contained within it.
Ever the self-serving ghoul, Bolton refused to testify in the impeachment hearing in order to save his juiciest anecdotes for his book — a huge disservice to his country, seeing as his book claims that behind closed doors, Trump explicitly connected the withholding of funds from Ukraine in order to bully them into producing dirt on Joe Biden and his son to use in the election.
As if that wasn’t enough, Bolton alleges that Trump tried to get President Xi of China to help him win re-election by buying more U.S. agricultural products and signaled his support of China the network of concentration camps China has built to contain its Uighur Muslim population. Trump also reportedly told Bolton that an invasion of Venezuela would be “cool,” a sentiment which the bloodthirsty Bolton certainly agrees with.
Add your name to tell states and police to reject Trump’s calls to use violence against peaceful protestors!
Predictably, Trump claimed that Bolton’s book is getting terrible reviews and was a “compilation of lies” intended to make him “look bad.”
Bolton’s book, which is getting terrible reviews, is a compilation of lies and made up stories, all intended to make me look bad. Many of the ridiculous statements he attributes to me were never made, pure fiction. Just trying to get even for firing him like the sick puppy he is! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 18, 2020
….He didn’t want Bolton anywhere near him. Bolton’s dumbest of all statements set us back very badly with North Korea, even now. I asked him, “what the hell were you thinking?” He had no answer and just apologized. That was early on, I should have fired him right then & there! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 18, 2020
While all of this certainly sounds like things Trump would say and do, we must remember that John Bolton lied to the entire world in order to help the United States illegally launch a war that would plunge the entire Middle East into chaos and lead to the deaths of over a million people — which is why Trump hired him in the first place.
From start to finish, Bolton’s behavior has been just as disgraceful as Trump’s.
Do not buy his book.
Colin Taylor Opinion columnist and former editor-in-chief of Occupy Democrats. He graduated from Bennington College with a Bachelor's degree in history and political science. He now focuses on advancing the cause of social justice and equality in America. Latest Posts