:)

Nice post.

There is no truth somewhere in between the two "sides" because they are really just one side that works for the big money interests pretending to be two sides. There is no "in between" between the two "sides".

And here is Dipshit Don Harris once again making the claim that the "two sides" are alike (which is complete and utter bullshit, of course), but if the author or anyone else calls him on this routine shit of his, he will swear up and down that he doesn't do that and never has.

The truth is out there for anyone able to recognize the same lack of courage to stand up for their convictions that they seem to be able to recognize in others.

The truth is, you are still that same effing forum fool playing that tired old false equivalency ridiculous bullshit blather over and over and over ad nauseam as if permanently stuck on stupid, and we recognize that in you, Don, even if you're too stupid to see it in yourself. Dipshit. :)

ListenWhenYouHear,

Excellent Job! I must have overlooked this homework assignment. But I live in the mountains of Southern California in deep red CA-8 and I know that I can find some Trump voters with which to engage. It's going to be tough, as my passion for politics makes for, at times, an overwhelming desire to bitchslap and choke these deluded people.

But I know that that's highly counterproductive. We Progressives (nor those of any political persuation) cannot win by out hating but rather by out loving those whom we hope to reach. Wish me luck.

Speaking of luck, Michale I wish you the best of luck for your heart surgery! I don't agree with your political beliefs but you're an ASSET to this comment section.

Do you have advance notice about a Second Coming from Mr. Rogers? Will it take place at WQED? Portents? I'll be checking my tacos and potato chips for suspicious burn marks that look like sweaters or loafers.

CRS-12

If you get to either place, leave us a portent. A chip or taco will do.

But biggest of all is their blind spot, which must be the size of Texas, to everything Trump. What kind of person can overlook the criminal, boorish, oafish, narcissistic, authoritarian, moronish behavior that emanates from Trump? Not me.

So M, if you are about to undergo a Triple, you have my sincere sympathy. It's a tough procedure and recovery. I hope both go well - and the odds are on your side that they will.

If you are faking, may you rot in Hell. Metaphorically speaking....I don't believe in Hell or Heaven.

In response to the homework assignment you gave us for Thanksgiving, here is my essay:

I spoke with 5 registered voters, all over the age of 35: 4 identify as Republicans and 1 claims to be an independent. (It should be noted that the “Independent” is, by his own admission, the most conservative of the five and a loyal Trump supporter.). Of the 5, 3 are men and two are women. All admit that they voted for Trump in 2016.

When I asked them why they voted for Trump, I got five different versions of the same story: They had voted for Trump during the primaries as a way of giving the middle finger to the GOP establishment that clearly hated Trump and that they were sick of being lied to by — a “the enemy of my enemy is my friend” vote. For the general election, they voted for Trump again, in part because they did not think he had a chance at winning, but mainly they believed Hillary to be a crook.

I asked all five what crimes Hillary was guilty of, and after they all hemmed and hawed for a while tossing out allegations that she had been cleared from, they all just felt she was crooked. I asked them if they thought being told for 35 years that she was a crook by the GOP had anything to do with that belief, and 3 admitted it probably had. The other two said that they “could just tell that she’s crooked” and came to that conclusion on their own — at which point I had to bite my tongue or I would have never gotten through this.

One was thrilled with Trump’s performance while in office, two said he hasn’t been any worse than Hillary would have been, two were disappointed with his performance.

When asked how the Republican Party would do, post-Trump, none of them thought it would get any better. In fact, most of them seemed genuinely disappointed at how the GOP and caved in to Trump and had taken on his worst qualities with gusto! They had voted for Trump as a “F -you” to the GOP establishment — they never thought that Republicans would be so submissive to his every whim!

And this is where the most disturbing and frustrating aspect of this conversation suddenly made it’s appearance: just as they are all speaking on how disappointed they are at the spinelessness and the constant dishonesty from the Republicans they elect and you could see them realizing that those they elected are not in it for them... right when you can tell that they are getting angry for being treated so badly, like an automated response deeply programmed into their psyche for just such an occasion, one of them blurts out, “But ALL politicians lie!” to which the other four all nod their heads in agreement and instantly I can see their indignation at being treated so badly by the GOP is gone!

Holy Hardwired Republican Response, Batman! They acknowledge that the country is divided and is in trouble, but they excuse their own Party from doing what they believe would be the right thing to do with the “But they all do it!” defense...which they have come to accept as the answer for why they haven’t bothered to support someone who doesn’t lie to them.

And they were all surprised that I responded to their group-think response “All politicians are corrupt and lie” by laughing and saying it was utter bullshat! I told them it was the lazy-person’s response for not having the courage to stand up for their own convictions. It’s the safe response for people who do not really follow politics closely enough to feel like they can make an informed stance on a position.

I was prepared for their response to this, fortunately, and instantly made it clear that their response may be technically accurate — yes, we ALL do lie at some point in our lives — that does not mean that both sides are equally guilty! I told them how I used to make the same “everyone does it” argument and what it had taken for me to realize that I could no longer support the GOP. I know that the Democrats are not perfect, but they do not claim to be perfect either. I told them how I got sick of hearing conservatives saying how Democrats, and Obama especially, were “out to destroy the country!” Did anyone really think someone would go through everything a politician must do to get elected if their main goal was to destroy the government or the country?

It was sad to hear them basically admit that they had given up on the belief that they could do anything that mattered in changing how the system works. I encouraged them to try following politics a little more closely, but to make sure they are getting their info from both sides of the political spectrum. I figure that somewhere in between, they will figure out what the truth is most likely to be.

4 out of 5 said that they do not follow politics closely. 2 of them only get their news from FoxNews. (The other 3 said they get their news from CNN, FoxNews, Facebook, and from the local ABC affiliate — which happens to be owned by Sinclair)

None could see the GOP being able to exist in its current form after Trump is gone! Trump is the party, now, and once the party is gone, something else will have to take its place. While they were all hopeful that whatever the remains of the GOP morphs into will be less toxic and more honest, they were not confident that it could.

The one Trump supporter was shocked to hear just how many key political appointments had gone unfilled and how many agencies were left with no-one truly calling the shots. He even said that it’s not good to have temporary people who always look to what the president wants them to do to be in charge of regulating things that should never be made political! He was unaware that the FEC did not have enough members on its board to do its job or take action against those found to have violate election laws.

Conservatives may be pigheaded and seem to stay with the GOP more out of habit than from conscientious reasoning; they are still family. They are good, hard working people who would give you the shirt off their backs if you needed it — which makes their support of someone so narcissistic and cruel as Trump has been all the more confusing.

While the majority did not follow politics closely, it was obvious that where they did get their news from became even more important in shaping their views. It was at this point that the tryptophan from the turkey kicked into overdrive and the conversation ended!

Regardless, I have to give him kudos for at least going... Trump is not used to doing things for others — which makes me now believe that his staff made it clear that not going on this trip would mean he’d definitely be impeached!

I know Michale will respond how hateful I am to Trump and that I attack him even when I acknowledge something good that he has done, but what Michale will never say is, “Trump is not the type of person who would ever do that!”

Liz ain't serious. What she really wants is for the Dr to remove your stone heart and put in a tender liberal one.

And, when you're back, let's plan to cut out all of the nonsense.