A thread for Democrats Only
POSTED BY: THGRRI
UPDATED: Sunday, September 6, 2026 15:36
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The Real State of the Union: Millions of Americans Are Just Disgusted
Yes, we’re angry about what Donald Trump is doing to our country. But even more than that, we’re heartsick over the countless ways in which he is destroying this nation.
By Michael Tomasky | February 23, 2026
https://newrepublic.com/article/206888/trump-state-union-failure-econo
my
This Tuesday night, America will bear witness to Donald Trump’s first State of the Union address of his second term. I know—the mere thought of it rots a little piece of our souls that we’re never getting back. At least you can skip it; I have to watch it.
When I was young, I used to love the pageantry of State of the Union addresses. Even when Ronald Reagan was president, the part of me that honored our democratic customs enjoyed tuning into the C-SPAN pre-game show, as it were, and watching the senators and House members file into the chamber, along with the Cabinet members and Supreme Court justices. The First Lady would take her seat in the gallery, alongside invited guests. I liked watching the president standing outside the rear door, and I loved hearing the Clerk of the House—in Reagan’s time, he was appointed by House Speaker Tip O’Neill, and thus spoke with a Boston accent as heavy as clam chowder—bellow: “Mistah Speakah, the President of the United States!”
Reagan would go on to spend the next hour and change promoting ideas and policies that I found largely repugnant. Even so, I appreciated the ceremony of the event. The State of the Union, like the opening day of a new session of Congress or the certification of electoral ballots, helped anchor our democracy—the address was as good a roadmap as any at to what we’d be debating over the course of the next year. In addition, even as I objected to Reagan’s views, I understood him to be committed, in his way, to the broad American experiment in representative government and to ensuring its continued existence.
We cannot say remotely the same of Donald Trump. He is largely and proudly ignorant of those traditions; to the extent that he grasps them, he has contempt for them. He is interested in unlimited power and in squeezing every corrupt dollar out of the presidency that he can cram into his pockets. And he’s in desperate need of the fulsome and brain-curdling sycophancy of those around him, a hallmark of both a weak, insecure man and a leader with an undeniably fascistic personality. The only thing keeping him from facing accountability from very real crimes is the supplication of his fellow GOPers in Congress, who have readily accepted being beaten down into cultlike submission.
These things and many more enrage millions of Americans. That rage is given expression every day, in streets protests all over the country, in social media posts, and in columns for those of us who are lucky enough to be paid to write them.
But there’s another emotional current that courses through the bloodstreams of the majority—and yes, it is a majority—that dislikes and disapproves of Trump. It isn’t discussed as much as rage, because it doesn’t get as many clicks and perhaps isn’t thought to change as many minds. But it’s still important that we note it and give it its due. It is sadness. Many millions of Americans are absolutely heartbroken at what Trump and his menagerie of moral misfits are doing to our country.
We cannot believe the things being done in our name, and we are sick over it. The shootings, violent and point-blank and wanton, of citizens. The rounding up of noncitizens who may have come here illegally (but also may not have, as we’ve seen in some cases; even a handful of citizens have been detained) but have been living law-abiding lives who now find themselves thrown into what are essentially concentration camps living in unbearable conditions. The idea that some Americans are well-advised to be carrying their papers, as if we’re living in a police state.
There are also the relentless assaults on public health. The completely unnecessary outbreak of measles, a disease that shouldn’t eve
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Quote:
Originally posted by Wishimay:
I don't know that I consider myself a democrat, but these days I am definitely anti-republican, I like science too much, I guess.
I wouldn't even bother with "Independant"
because there is no point to be a part of a perennially losing party that doesn't clearly stand for anything.
I think I am for sure a card carrying member of the "people of both parties piss me off".
I wish there were more options, I think it would be healthier for the country as well.
If there ever is a "Science and Education" party, let me know...
T
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Quote:
Originally posted by second:
The Real State of the Union: Millions of Americans Are Just Disgusted
Yes, we’re angry about what Donald Trump is doing to our country. But even more than that, we’re heartsick over the countless ways in which he is destroying this nation.
By Michael Tomasky | February 23, 2026
https://newrepublic.com/article/206888/trump-state-union-failure-econo
my
The Joss Whedon script for Serenity, where Wash lives, is Serenity-190pages.pdf at https://www.mediafire.com/two
There's talk the Democrats won't show up.
T
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Quote:
Originally posted by THG:Quote:
Originally posted by second:
The Real State of the Union: Millions of Americans Are Just Disgusted
Yes, we’re angry about what Donald Trump is doing to our country. But even more than that, we’re heartsick over the countless ways in which he is destroying this nation.
By Michael Tomasky | February 23, 2026
https://newrepublic.com/article/206888/trump-state-union-failure-econo
my
The Joss Whedon script for Serenity, where Wash lives, is Serenity-190pages.pdf at https://www.mediafire.com/two
There's talk the Democrats won't show up.
T
Good. They don't deserve a seat at the table.
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Be Nice. Don't be a dick.
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It Can Now Be Plainly Said: Trump Is Planning a November Coup d’État
During the 2024 campaign, it was kind of hard to picture the specifics of how Trump might pull such a thing off. Alas, it’s getting less hypothetical by the week.
By Michael Tomasky | February 27, 2026/10:22 a.m. ET
https://newrepublic.com/post/207138/trump-coup-detat-midterm-elections
Back in 2024, Kamala Harris and the Democrats struggled to convince voters that a second Donald Trump term would constitute a serious threat to democracy. We can debate the effectiveness of her, and their, rhetoric. But on a certain level, it was a hard argument to make because it was hypothetical. Voters aren’t very interested in wrapping their heads around hypotheticals, or at least vague ones. And Harris’s hypotheticals were mostly vague, so if she or any Democrat tried to say, for example, that there was a very real threat that once in office, Trump might try to cancel elections, most people kind of tuned that out.
I was more than willing to believe that Trump might try to cancel elections or take over the media. But even I, when I sat down to think about exactly how, couldn’t quite pin down the specifics. No president had ever tried to do either of those things, so how exactly could Trump pull them off?
Well, we’re now beginning to see. Let’s start with elections. The Washington Post—and yes, there’s still good reporting going on there—reported Thursday that pro-Trump “activists” (a rather generous and perverse use of that word, I think) who say they’re working with the Trump administration “are circulating a 17-page draft executive order that claims China interfered in the 2020 election as a basis to declare a national emergency that would unlock extraordinary presidential power over voting.” The plan would mandate voter ID and ban mail-in balloting, and calls on Trump to issue an executive order announcing both measures.
The premise, it almost goes without saying, is a total lie. China did not interfere in the 2020 election. Trump and his people often said so, the implication being that China interfered on behalf of its old friend Joe Biden and his son Hunter, whose alleged business dealings in China left his father hopelessly compromised.
None of it was true. Hunter Biden did have some business interests in China, but nothing that reached his father. The U.S. intelligence services studied foreign influence in the 2020 election, and in March 2021, the government released an intelligence report concluding that China “considered but did not deploy influence efforts intended to change the outcome of the US Presidential election.”
In fact, the report found—and isn’t this a surprise?—the biggest foreign actor in 2020 was Russia, trying to help Trump: “The primary effort the IC [intelligence community] uncovered revolved around a narrative—that Russian actors began spreading as early as 2014—alleging corrupt ties between President Biden, his family, and other U.S. officials and Ukraine.”
But Trump administration officials—including Attorney General Bill Barr—pushed the China lie aggressively. So it’s very easy for Trump today to invoke China again and lie that the threat of even greater Chinese interference in 2026 demands that he take emergency measures.
With respect to those measures, he has no power whatsoever to impose them. As anti-Trump legal expert Norm Eisen put it on Morning Joe Friday: “Just as the Supreme Court struck his supposed emergency powers over tariffs, he has even less here.” That is true. But remember: Between tariff “Liberation Day” (April 2, 2025) and the day the Supremes finally ruled against Trump on tariffs (February 20, 2026), more than 10 months passed.
Trump has no power to “decree” that voters must present ID or to end mail-in balloting. But that doesn’t mean he can’t at least try both. Under the Insurrection Act or some other dusty statute, he can declare a state of emergency. Then he can decide that said state permits, nay requires, him to take extraordinary measures. On October 5, say, that might m
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Loser.
--------------------------------------------------
Be Nice. Don't be a dick.
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A high-stakes Texas primary exposed the Democratic Party’s fault lines
Democrats chose expanding the tent over doubling down on the base.
By Christian Paz | Mar 4, 2026, 5:07 AM CST
https://www.vox.com/politics/481483/james-talarico-stakes-texas-primar
y-latino-white-black-democratic-party
One thing was clear before James Talarico’s win over Rep. Jasmine Crockett in the Texas Senate Democratic primary Tuesday night. This contest wouldn’t be about policy or ideology; it would be a choice between two very different types of “fighters,” decided along racially polarized lines.
Talarico, a state representative and seminarian, offered grit paired with Christian compassion — a welcoming message to frustrated moderates and disappointed Republicans that pinned the blame for the country’s problems on The System.
That contrasted with Crockett’s fiery campaign of confrontation — of pinning the blame on Donald Trump and Republicans. Crockett believed in mobilizing the base; Talarico pitched expanding the tent.
A racially divided Democratic electorate made this decision. Talarico’s victory came with support from white voters, particularly college-educated white voters, and with a boost from Latinos in Texas, the nation’s newest swing voters. Crockett’s coalition, meanwhile, counted on huge margins among Black voters to offset her weaker white and Latino support.
This division leaves Talarico with a crucial task in the next eight months: building trust with Black voters, winning back more moderate Latino voters, and making inroads with conservative white voters, who still make up the lion’s share of the Texas electorate. It also reveals tensions for Democrats nationally as they head into primary season: both the push and pull between more college-educated white voters in their coalition and more working-class Black voters, with the additional wild card of Latino voters.
A race decided along racial lines
For most of the primary contest, style was the big difference between Talarico and Crockett’s campaigns. They both occupied similar spots on the ideological spectrum, didn’t differ much on substance, but campaigned very differently.
Early on, Crockett faced criticism for arguing that she didn’t believe she had to win over Trump supporters in order to win a general election. “(Texas) Democrats have tried to talk to every Republican they can to try and get them to come over here. It hasn’t worked,” she argued even on the last day of campaigning. “If we just get the base to turn out, we can win.”
Her campaign’s theory was to double down on Black voters, particularly through outreach at Black churches, and appeal to progressive or traditionally Democratic Latino voters.
Talarico, meanwhile, was criticized for not being able to hold strong support among Black Texans, and relying on white Democrats as his base. And in the closing weeks of the contest, racial identity became a bigger flash point.
Crockett accused Talarico of boosting ads that were “straight up racist,” and called out “dog whistles” from those questioning her electability. Meanwhile, allies like former Rep. Colin Allred, the 2024 Senate nominee, blasted Talarico for allegedly referring to him in private as a “mediocre Black man,” an accusation that Talarico strenuously denied.
Ahead of Tuesday night, the few public polls released showed anything from a tied race to a double-digit lead for either candidate. But aggregates of polls did confirm these racial trends. Talarico enjoyed double-digit support from white Democrats — a more than 20-point margin per the Democratic strategist Adam Carlson’s crosstab aggregator — and he seemed to gain with these voters as Election Day neared. Crockett, meanwhile, was sweeping the Black vote, holding a 72-point margin in the aggregate.
That left a big open question about how Latino voters would swing. Those polls showed Talarico with a modest 8-point advantage, but didn’t show a sharp break in favor of either candidate.
On Election Day, both candidates’ bases of support bore the polls out: Tala
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Quote:
Originally posted by second:
A high-stakes Texas primary exposed the Democratic Party’s fault lines
Democrats chose expanding the tent over doubling down on the base.
By Christian Paz | Mar 4, 2026, 5:07 AM CST
https://www.vox.com/politics/481483/james-talarico-stakes-texas-primar
y-latino-white-black-democratic-party
One thing was clear before James Talarico’s win over Rep. Jasmine Crockett in the Texas Senate Democratic primary Tuesday night. This contest wouldn’t be about policy or ideology; it would be a choice between two very different types of “fighters,” decided along racially polarized lines.
Talarico, a state representative and seminarian, offered grit paired with Christian compassion — a welcoming message to frustrated moderates and disappointed Republicans that pinned the blame for the country’s problems on The System.
That contrasted with Crockett’s fiery campaign of confrontation — of pinning the blame on Donald Trump and Republicans. Crockett believed in mobilizing the base; Talarico pitched expanding the tent.
A racially divided Democratic electorate made this decision. Talarico’s victory came with support from white voters, particularly college-educated white voters, and with a boost from Latinos in Texas, the nation’s newest swing voters. Crockett’s coalition, meanwhile, counted on huge margins among Black voters to offset her weaker white and Latino support.
This division leaves Talarico with a crucial task in the next eight months: building trust with Black voters, winning back more moderate Latino voters, and making inroads with conservative white voters, who still make up the lion’s share of the Texas electorate. It also reveals tensions for Democrats nationally as they head into primary season: both the push and pull between more college-educated white voters in their coalition and more working-class Black voters, with the additional wild card of Latino voters.
A race decided along racial lines
For most of the primary contest, style was the big difference between Talarico and Crockett’s campaigns. They both occupied similar spots on the ideological spectrum, didn’t differ much on substance, but campaigned very differently.
Early on, Crockett faced criticism for arguing that she didn’t believe she had to win over Trump supporters in order to win a general election. “(Texas) Democrats have tried to talk to every Republican they can to try and get them to come over here. It hasn’t worked,” she argued even on the last day of campaigning. “If we just get the base to turn out, we can win.”
Her campaign’s theory was to double down on Black voters, particularly through outreach at Black churches, and appeal to progressive or traditionally Democratic Latino voters.
Talarico, meanwhile, was criticized for not being able to hold strong support among Black Texans, and relying on white Democrats as his base. And in the closing weeks of the contest, racial identity became a bigger flash point.
Crockett accused Talarico of boosting ads that were “straight up racist,” and called out “dog whistles” from those questioning her electability. Meanwhile, allies like former Rep. Colin Allred, the 2024 Senate nominee, blasted Talarico for allegedly referring to him in private as a “mediocre Black man,” an accusation that Talarico strenuously denied.
Ahead of Tuesday night, the few public polls released showed anything from a tied race to a double-digit lead for either candidate. But aggregates of polls did confirm these racial trends. Talarico enjoyed double-digit support from white Democrats — a more than 20-point margin per the Democratic strategist Adam Carlson’s crosstab aggregator — and he seemed to gain with these voters as Election Day neared. Crockett, meanwhile, was sweeping the Black vote, holding a 72-point margin in the aggregate.
That left a big open question about how Latino voters would swing. Those polls showed Talarico with a modest 8-point advantage, but didn’t show a sharp break in favor of either candidate.
On Election Day, both candidates’ bNOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
Quote:6ix, show what you wrote to your Dad so that he'll have early warning about what will happen to you if Trump has a reversal in fortune at the next election.
Originally posted by 6ixStringJack:
Nobody needs to take any paper that still capitalizes Black and uses lower-case for white seriously in 2026 and beyond. Vox is another guilty of this.
They'll capitalize White for the White House, but it's lower-case whenever referring to white people.
Racists.
Get fucked, losers.
Your racist, ghetto-trash, hood-rat, DEI-Hire loser lost.
Just like I told you she would.
--------------------------------------------------
Be Evil. Be a dick.
The Joss Whedon script for Serenity, where Wash lives, is Serenity-190pages.pdf at https://www.mediafire.com/two
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Quote:
Originally posted by second:Quote:6ix, show what you wrote to your Dad so that he'll have early warning about what will happen to you if Trump has a reversal in fortune at the next election.
Originally posted by 6ixStringJack:
Nobody needs to take any paper that still capitalizes Black and uses lower-case for white seriously in 2026 and beyond. Vox is another guilty of this.
They'll capitalize White for the White House, but it's lower-case whenever referring to white people.
Racists.
Get fucked, losers.
Your racist, ghetto-trash, hood-rat, DEI-Hire loser lost.
Just like I told you she would.
--------------------------------------------------
Be Evil. Be a dick.
Oh. Another personal attack using things that weren't written for your stalker ass because you have no legitimate argument against anything I say and you're having another temper-tantrum today because I'm right about everything and you are always, always, always wrong.
And a "reversal of fortune", huh? Is that Second admitting that despite posting dozens upon dozens of Anti-American TDS trash every day that Trump's fortunes are actually good and that you're getting fucking creamed, just like I've been telling you that you have been?
Say it ain't so.
Go cry to your dead whore of a mother, faggot.
--------------------------------------------------
Be Nice. Don't be a dick.
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