Donald Trump and maga Republicans made America vulnerable to attacks on our national security- Be Afraid! Very Afraid!

Of all the responsibilities assigned to an American president, none is more important than keeping the country safe from its enemies. 

Echo opinion published in The Hill and Yahoo.com by William S. Becker

Yet, the U.S. has rarely, if ever, been as vulnerable as it is today under Donald Trump. He has become our greatest national security threat. (In other words, Donald Trump is a clear and present danger. Republicans must impeach him❗)

Let's assess how much damage Trump has done.

He launched a war of choice against Iran, a strategic and economic ally of Russia and China. The war quickly depleted America's supply of critical weapons. Experts say it will take at least three years to rebuild the arsenal. The Center for Strategic and International Studies says this has "created a window of vulnerability for a potential Western Pacific conflict."

Trump railed against NATO allies France, the United Kingdom, Italy and Germany for not supporting his (illegal❗) attacks on Iran, even though NATO is a defense alliance, not a war alliance. 

Iran retaliated by attacking U.S. military facilities in Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and Jordan. Trump's relationship with Saudi Arabia has been strained by the kingdom's refusal to let U.S. forces use its bases and airspace during the war.

Trump has frequently lashed out at and alienated NATO, which, at 77, is one of history's oldest security alliances. Lately, he has publicly insulted Italy's leader, told his staff during a news conference to cut off trade with Spain, and outraged Belgium by interfering with its World Cup match against the United States.  

He has threatened to take Greenland from Denmark, by force if necessary. That would obligate the alliance's other 31 members to defend Denmark against his aggression.

Trump has launched military operations against nearly a dozen countries during his two terms, including strikes against Syria, Somalia, Nigeria and Venezuela. He apparently is not inclined to stop; he has hinted that he'd like to control or annex Cuba, Colombia, Mexico, the Panama Canal, and even Canada.

Russia and China are watching closely. They undoubtedly notice that Trump has degraded the government's ability to anticipate and defend against attacks. 

Hundreds of America's top military, intelligence and security officials have either been fired or pushed out for political reasons, or because they considered the administration's orders unconscionable.

Since Trump's second term began, about 300 FBI agents who worked on national security have left the bureau. The loss has been characterized as a "purge" that has greatly depleted the FBI's capabilities.

Now, the administration has diverted 260 FBI analysts to focus on a "priority investigation" of the 2020, election. Their task is to find proof of Trump's six-year fantasy that he won against Joe Biden.

The Department of Homeland Security is preoccupied with White House adviser Stephen Miller's goal of deporting 1 million immigrants this year, which the Southern Poverty Law Center describes as "racist and draconian" rather than related to homeland security. Meanwhile, there has been a sharp drop in morale at the Pentagon, where Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth fired 15 senior officers while the U.S. is at war.

Trump, who prefers to follow his gut rather than facts, has hollowed out the government's vital intelligence agencies and replaced career experts with political loyalists. He recently named Bill Pulti, a housing developer, as acting director of National Intelligence.

Pulti immediately fired more than 50 intelligence experts and promised more, leading to speculation that he would declassify allegations that China has interfered with elections so that Trump could declare a national security emergency and manipulate the rules of the midterm election.  

Last November, Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), the vice chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, warned that the Trump administration had created a "deepening threat to our security" by purging a third of the nation's cybersecurity experts in other agencies besides the FBI, reassigning up to 45 percent of FBI agents to help round up immigrants, and forcing thousands of security experts out of government for political reasons.

In March, after U.S. airstrikes killed Iran's supreme leader, ABC News reported that the Trump administration intercepted an encrypted message that appeared to be "an operational trigger" from Iran to its "sleeper assets." Iran, Russia, China and North Korea are suspected of having secret operatives on U.S. soil.

Dr. Matthew Levitt, a counterterrorism expert at the Washington Institute, calls this a heightened security environment. "If there were ever a time where Iran (was) going to pull out the stops and try to do something, now would be it," he warns.

China and Russia undoubtedly see that Trump is preoccupied with building monuments to himself and showing signs of cognitive decline. Insofar as he seems concerned about enemies, they are his imagined "enemies within," his political opponents and people on the left.

Under the circumstances, the most important thing Congress can do to strengthen national security is to remove Trump from office as soon as possible.

William S. Becker is co-editor of and a contributor to "Democracy Unchained: How to Rebuild Government for the People"" and a contributor to "Democracy in a Hotter Time." He previously served as a senior official in the Wisconsin Department of Justice. He is currently executive director of the Presidential Climate Action Project.

Senator Susan Collins owns this horribly tragic ICE murder of Mr. Johan Sebastian Duran Guerrero

 Echo opinion letter published in Central Maine News

Memorial for Mr. Johan Sebastian Duran Guerrero in Biddeford killed by evil ICE on July 13, 2026.

Susan Collins voted to give ICE more power. Don’t forget it. | Letter

Sen. Collins’ support of a budget resolution funding ICE and Border Patrol to the tune of 💲70 billion is incomprehensible.

There’s been yet another fatal ICE shooting. This time, ICE’s paramilitary violence has stolen a life right here in Maine.

As our grief-stricken neighbors face the dread of an occupying force killing someone in our backyard, it’s imperative that Mainers shine a magnified beam of light on the fact that Republican Sen. Susan Collins voted to increase ICE’s funding earlier this year.

Biddeford Maine memorial

It's worth remembering how Senator Collins voted for this titanic after evil ICE activity surged in Maine earlier this year in the project "Catch of the Day". 

"Operation Catch of the Day" was a targeted, multiday immigration enforcement surge launched by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Maine. Initiated in January 2026, the operation primarily focused on arresting noncitizens.

It’s worth remembering that Collins voted for this titanic budget increase after ICE activity surged in Maine earlier this year during its vile Operation Catch of the Day. Thanks in large part to this newspaper, Central Maine News, there was detailed reporting on ICE’s abductions and the devastating local impact on Mainers trying to go about their everyday activities while under ICE’s boot.

Americans living in France are asked about Donald Trump

When it comes to politics, the French appear to exercise free speech rights with more consistency than many Americans are comfortable with. I recall one visit to Paris when the husband of our hotel concierge identified my husband as an American who is fluent in French.  He got himself off of his couch potato position seated in the hotel's small lounge to give my husband a long lecture in French about why it was so stupid for Americans to fight in Vietnam....he talked on and on for over 20 minutes, while my husband, who is a Vietnam war veteran, patiently and politely listened.

This echo report was published in The Connexion newsletter by 

Sujena Soumyanath

Americans in France on being asked 'are you for Trump❓'

Democrats and Republicans tell of conversations ranging from rewarding to challenging.

Ruth Miller’s backpack is worth a thousand words.

This Brittany resident, 71, carries on her back a bag with a picture of US Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s face. Next to Ocasio-Cortez, in white letters, reads “a woman’s place is in the resistance.”

Miller, who moved to France from the US in 2015, has had the backpack for about two years and decorated it herself. Since then, she says more than half the time she goes out with it, someone comments on the bag’s display of American politics.

Miller is far from the only American in France to find themselves repeatedly unpacking US politics. Americans from both sides of the political spectrum say moving to France has sparked frequent, sometimes unexpected discussions about their home country.

The conversations come at a time when more Americans are moving to France. At the same time, according to an early 2026 poll, French respondents said they increasingly view the US under Trump as an enemy country. As a result, for some Americans in the Hexagon, sharing their nationality with a French person quickly sparks a discussion about everything from the electoral college and gerrymandering to New York mayor Zohran Mamdani. Or, their interlocutor may skip the chatter entirely, and ask, ‘you’re not for Trump, are you?’

At the heart of these interactions lies a key cultural difference. A 2025 Alliance Francaise article notes that while Americans prefer more casual small talk, the French enter quickly into deep, bold topics.

Members of the US Republican party in France find the French not only question their political affiliations, they sometimes challenge them, said Republicans Overseas France media director Paul Reen. The organization has about 200 members.

“Unfortunately, many French people think Trump is racist and fascist and sexist, so they just get angry and walk away,” Reen told The Connexion.

Despite this, there’s a growing number of French people willing to have an open dialogue and migrating to the right, he said.

Reen noted French people bring up a wide range of global-facing US policy issues, like tariffs, Ukraine, Palestine and, more recently, the Iran War. Most share similar opinions - from condemning the Iran War to supporting Palestine.

“The minority will stay and listen,” Reen said. “The majority just get angry.”

Leila Meresman, spokesperson for Democrats Abroad France, said American politics remain a fixture of French fascination: “I don't think a day goes by when I talk to French people [...] where somebody will not ask me once they figure out that I'm American, ‘what the heck is going on with Trump and the US administration❓’”

Democrats Abroad France does not publish membership numbers per country, spokesperson Amy Porter said.

Meresman noted that French people are “extremely well informed” and it's always a pleasure for her to talk about politics. However, that was not the case for one American who contacted The Connexion last June.

“I am fed up with having to be responsible for and explain my native country’s decisions to people in France,” the reader wrote.

A master’s student in Paris from the US, Micah Polsky said some people immediately ask them if they support Trump.

“That’s not how you start a conversation,” they said.

Still, Polsky told The Connexion that they enjoy discussing politics and explaining how the US government works. They have even developed some “canned responses” to explain concepts like the voting system that come up often.

Addressing the Trump question is particularly tricky for members of the Republican party.

“'Oh you’re American, you don’t like Trump I hope’ - that's how a Frenchman will start the conversation,” Reen said. “So you’re immediately on your backfoot.”

It is an experience Republicans coming from the States don’t expect at first, Reen said. He suggested joining groups like Republicans Overseas France and having some facts ready to share in a discussion.

From there usually sparks one of the many conversations she has had with French people over the years about the US. Sometimes it’s someone expressing support for Ocasio-Cortez. Other times, it’s a person asking her about the presidential election. She’s even discussed politics with her doctor and veterinarian here in France.

“I’m always happy to talk about it,” said Miller, who is active with Democrats Abroad Brittany. “I feel like it’s part of my responsibility.”

“Try to stay friendly and don't get confrontational,” he said. “Maybe you can change some hearts and minds.”

While in France political discussions spark frequently, in a 2024, survey by the American Psychology Association, 72％ of US adults polled said they hoped to avoid discussing politics with their family over the holidays. That was shortly after the divisive election that sealed Trump’s second term.

Christopher Davis, a Franco-American teacher in Lille, has integrated that election’s results into his teaching. He often explains the American political situation to his post graduate-level students and said they are curious about everything from immigration, to understanding the Republican voter base.

In the wake of Trump's re-election and his tariffs on Europe, some Americans worried about their safety when visiting France. A tourist interviewed by BBC last year said he covered the US flag logo on his hat before stepping out in Paris.

Most Americans The Connexion spoke to said they haven’t encountered any politics-related hostility.

“People have the ability to differentiate a citizen from the government,” Davis said. He added that making an effort to speak French and respecting the local culture greatly improves Americans’ perception in France.

As a word of advice for those less willing to discuss politics: “you’re allowed to say, this isn’t really my area of expertise,” Polsky said.

According to a recent analysis cited last year by BBC, the US expat community in France is overwhelmingly pessimistic about their home country’s future. But for Davis, like many others, the chance to talk about the US situation is more of an opportunity than a burden.

“I'm sad for my country, in a sense, where I don't recognize the direction we're taking,” he said. “That's why I feel that it's important to explain it, rather than to just let it by.”

Canadian news media are a source for truth! Reporting on the Canadian-U.S. evaporated trade deal in the Toronto Star

The United Kingdom‘s PM Keir Starmer was first to strike a trade deal with Donald Trump, writes Daniel Tisch, only to discover it wasn’t worth the paper it was written on. 

Maine Writer-  In my opinion everything Donald Trump signs is written in "invisible ink".  His "deals" are always evaporating.

Canadian PM Mark Carney should pay attention.

Don't feed the crocodiles! An echo article published in The Toronto Star, by Daniel Tisch, president and CEO of the Ontario Chamber of Commerce.

Just over a year ago, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer was quite chuffed- a little too sure of himself.  But, guess what❓ His delight was short lived.

After Donald Trump announced punishing tariffs on goods from America’s major trading partners, Starmer became the first to strike a deal with Trump. In exchange for substantial new access to the U.K. market for American agricultural exports, Trump agreed to lower tariffs on British goods to 10 per cent, down from 25 per cent.

At the time, some Canadian commentators praised Starmer’s decisiveness in protecting the U.K. economy. 

In contrast, Canada’s approach — a blend of retaliation and protracted negotiation — had achieved nothing but pain for our most targeted industries.

A year later, Canada still has no deal with Trump. Indeed, the U.S. refusal to extend the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) to 2042, has left the deal in place but in the purgatory of annual renewals, creating prolonged uncertainty when business craves just the opposite.

With hindsight, however, Starmer’s gambit (calculated risk) looks even worse.

Peace with Trump didn’t last.  Regardless of the deal, typical of Trump, he still wields his tariff threats whenever the U.K. displeases him, which is often, such as when it opposed the U.S. annexation of Greenland and military action in Iran, and imposed a digital services tax on American tech giants. But "HELL-O❓" - what about the U.S.-U.K. trade deal❓ It “can always be changed,” Trump declared.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Starmer — now on his way out of office — would have done well to heed Winston Churchill’s warning that appeasing an aggressor is like feeding a crocodile, hoping it will eat you last.  (In other words, Donald Trump lies about everything❗)😟😞🤥

For Canadian leaders and trade negotiators, there are other lessons:

Understand the speed limit: With Trump, the fastest deal is likely the worst deal. If anything, high inflation, weak job numbers and his growing unpopularity ahead of November’s midterm elections may weaken his hand further. This may create an opportunity for a deal to mitigate Trump’s sectoral tariffs. Until then, governments will need to continue short-term supports for our affected industries.

Use pencils, not sharpies: Negotiators sometimes refer to Trump’s preferred trade agreements as “sharpie deals”: they’re short documents, signed for the cameras, lacking detail, enforcement provisions or dispute resolution mechanisms — which means they’re easily revoked, changed or ignored. “Pencil deals,” in contrast, are like CUSMA (Canada United States Mexico Agreement) : finely crafted, and far more enforceable and resistant to unilateral change. When negotiating with a partner whose word cannot be trusted, that is what Canada needs.

Make no unilateral concessions:

Last year, Prime Minister Mark Carney rescinded Canada’s digital services tax as a goodwill gesture — and got nothing in return. Now, the U.S. ambassador is pressing Canadian provinces to put U.S. liquor back on store shelves — another unilateral concession. When concessions are one-way, Canada’s answer must be ‘no way.’

Open multiple fronts:  Recently, we have heard a rising chorus of U.S. business and bipartisan political leaders in favor of CUSMA. In past trade negotiations, Canadians have enlisted powerful allies by leveraging their abundant relationships across America. Progress will not come from Canadians persuading Americans; it will come from Americans persuading Americans. 

Negotiate from a position of strength:  With slow productivity growth and an overreliance on one market, Canada was woefully unprepared for this trade war. In the last 18 months, provincial and federal leaders have worked to lower business costs, improve our investment climate, reduce barriers to trade within Canada, and build infrastructure to stimulate the economy and diversify our global trading relationships. The early results are encouraging: outbound trade with other markets is growing, as is inbound investment.

The unavoidable reality is that even as Canada becomes a stronger, more diversified trading nation, we will always need the U.S.

It’s equally true, however, that the U.S. needs Canada: for the energy that fuels their cars and heats their homes; the fertilizer that grows their crops; the lumber to build their houses; and the metals and minerals essential to their defense.

Canadians are also Americans’ biggest customers, with some eight million U.S. jobs relying directly or indirectly on trade and investment with Canada.

That means Canada can neither give in nor give up.

As Trump grows weaker — and likely more volatile — our negotiators must be both patient and persistent. 

Moreover, with evidence about how Trump routinely breaks his own agreements, our businesses must continue to invest in productivity and diversify their trade and supply chains.

We must remember that the Canada-U.S. relationship will long outlast Trump.

Most Americans want stable, secure trade with Canada. That makes this a relationship worth preserving.

Donald Trump more crazy middle of the night screeds to violate American First Amendment Rights

 Heather Cox Richardson Letter from an American July 11, 2026

Department of Justice has subpoenaed reporters from the New York Times over a story the newspaper published. 

Julian E. Barnes, Eric Lipton, Tyler Pager, and Eric Schmitt reported that the Secret Service had security concerns about the Trump emolument violation new Air Force One Boeing 747-8 given to the U.S. by Qatar. So, when tensions escalated with Iran while Trump was in Türkiye for the NATO summit, they asked the president to use one of the other, older, Air Force One planes for his return journey.

Trump and White House officials pushed back strongly against the idea that the new plane had any security problems after pouring what appears to have been hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars into renovating the plane. But, according to Adam Gramegna of Military . com, U.S. officials told CBS News that the speed with which the plane was rushed into service meant that it does not have the same protections as the older planes.

According to Devlin Barrett, Glenn Thrush, and Maggie Haberman of the New York Times, the story that his prized plane was not as good as the older ones enraged Trump, and the White House called in FBI director Kash Patel to find the two anonymous sources who leaked it. Patel spent about 8 hours on Friday running an investigation from the White House, rather than FBI headquarters, before the reporters received the subpoenas.


U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Jay Clayton, whom Trump has nominated to be the next director of national intelligence, issued the subpoenas. The reporters are ordered to testify before a federal grand jury in Manhattan on Wednesday “in regard to an alleged violation of federal criminal law.” The Department of Justice said the subpoenas are related to “the crime of leaking national security information.”

The Justice Department emphasized that “reporters are not the targets. Those leaking classified information are.” But issuing subpoenas to U.S. journalists, who are protected from government interference by the First Amendment, is a huge red flag. As former Time magazine editor Rick Stengel noted: “The reporting that the Times journalists have been subpoenaed for is exactly the kind of journalism the First Amendment is designed to protect: matters involving national security and taxpayer dollars. Reporting that embarrasses a president is protected speech.”

David McCraw, senior vice president and deputy general counsel for the Times, said: “The appearance of Federal law enforcement agents on the doorstep of news reporters should shock the conscience of any American who believes in the Constitution and the press freedom it protects. Our journalists report the facts and advance the American public’s right to know how their government is operating and their taxpayer dollars are being used. This brazen act should be seen as nothing more than an attempt to prevent the public from knowing what is happening in their country by intimidating journalists from doing their jobs.”

By 11:18 PM on Friday, Trump’s fury had turned back to Iran. He posted on social media that if Iran tried to assassinate him, “Locked and Loaded” missiles would begin to rain down on the country “to completely decimate and destroy all areas of Iran—PRAISE BE TO ALLAH!”  (Maine Writer: Obviously this bullshit 💩💩is an insult to Allah and all Christians should be disgusted by this inappropriate language.)

Today he turned his anger toward those questioning his mental acuity, particularly New York Times journalist Maggie Haberman, who commented on MS NOW about his reference in Türkiye to the “Islamic State of Japan.” At 12:23 PM he lashed out at “Maggot Hagerman” and then, to refute her claims, wrote that he “just finished a perfect physical at Walter Reed, I do it every six months, and I requested another Cognitive Test, the only President to do so, three times, and I aced them all—Got every question right. Few people in Washington, D.C., could do so, including Maggot and her flunky associate, Jonathan Swan. I would be willing to bet they couldn’t get 50% of the questions right.”

The White House said Trump was referring to a physical he underwent in May.

Then, at 3:16, the president’s account posted a screed of almost 450 words complaining angrily that “I win the Election IN A LANDSLIDE against the entire Dumocrat Party,…against almost 100% negative press and Fake News,…especially Maggot Hagerman, one of the most unattractive people in the News “Business,” and her lightweight assistant, Jonathan Swan…. All I do is WIN, often against all odds,” yet no one compliments him on his great successes.

Here he may have had in mind Thursday’s news story from Catherine Rampell of The Bulwark about his claim on social media on Monday that Walmart would be “dropping the price of ground beef by almost 15 percent” “at my Administration’s request.” Rampell reported that a Walmart spokesperson told her a different story: the price cuts were part of usual summer rollbacks, which had begun the week before Trump took credit for them. Rampell noted that Trump “looks for opportunities to slap his name on politically useful things that companies were already planning to do—seasonal sales, major investments, hiring, et very much cetera.”

White House spokesperson Kush Desai clarified on social media that the president’s “announcement was that the sale is extending all summer long,” adding, “The media’s obsessive need to try to undermine any good news when it affects President Trump is pathological.”

A rant about the news media took up most of Trump’s long post, as he insisted that those reporting his bad poll numbers and policy failures “have no credibility…. If the Election was held again today, I would win by even more—Actually, much more!” he posted. “The Dumocrats don’t have what it takes, their Policies are wrong, and they are, generally, stupid people. They are going COMMUNIST because they are a desperately ‘sinking ship,’ and there’s not a thing they can do about it.

“Instead of writing inaccurate, false articles, for over 10 years now, shouldn’t it be time that they say, ‘We give up, we can’t beat him, there seems nothing we can do.’ Isn’t it time they say, ‘TRUMP IS THE BEST POLITICAL ATHLETE OF ALL TIME! CONGRATULATIONS, MR. PRESIDENT. YOU HAVE BEATEN US FOR 10 YEARS, AND WE ARE NOT GOING TO WASTE OUR TIME FIGHTING YOU ANY LONGER. WE CAN’T WIN. DO A GREAT JOB, SIR, RUNNING OUR COUNTRY. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!’”

Journalist Aaron Rupar used a common meme often used to respond to unreasonably long posts. “I ain’t reading all that,” he commented. “I’m happy for u tho. Or sorry that happened.” Conservative lawyer George Conway wrote: “A severely mentally ill man has control of the launch codes for America’s nuclear arsenal, but it doesn’t seem that many people care.”

Almost 450 words evidently weren’t enough. At 4:54 he reiterated the themes of the long post in a shorter one, then a minute later, accused “the Dumocrats” of being communists. A minute after that, he claimed: “The Radical Left Lunatics, often referred to as Dumocrats, have lost control of their Party.”

Apparently, media criticism still stung. At 5:27, Trump took on reports of the high cost of his damaging renovations in Washington, D.C. Posting photos of what he said was “the horrible front of the White House,” he continued: “The Radical Left Dumocrats criticize me for spending so much time bringing our White House back to the Glory of 100 years ago—Actually, it will be far better than that, and they will not shame us for bringing our Great and Brilliant Monuments to the past and the future back to levels never seen before. This is what we are doing all over Washington, D.C., and, in different ways, with our Country, itself!”

But his confidence that American voters will support Republicans in the 2026 elections is shaky enough that he continues to call for the Senate to rig them. At 6:07 he reposted what purported to be a poll from right-wing loyalist Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) claiming that 97.2% of supporters want the Senate to take up the voter suppression SAVE America Act when it goes back into session next week, while only 2.8% want the Senate to take up “Anything else.”

Meanwhile, on Friday a Pentagon official told Rebecca Turco of WJLA 7News in Washington, D.C., that National Guard troops will stay activated in Washington through Inauguration Day 2029 “until law and order are fully restored in our Nation’s Capital.”

“So,” Bill Kristol of The Bulwark commented. “[M]ilitary troops under the direct control of Trump and Hegseth will be on the streets of our nation’s capital for the rest of Trump’s term. The rationale—they’re here to help with a crime emergency—is laughable. But of course the real reason is ominous.”
Notes:

https://www.military.com/justice-department-subpoenas-reporters-air-force-one-security

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/08/us/politics/trump-air-force-one-security.html

https://www.npr.org/2026/07/11/g-s1-133160/justice-department-subpoenas-new-york-times-reporters-over-air-force-one-reporting

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/27/us/politics/air-force-one-trump-cost.html

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/11/us/politics/white-house-patel-investigation-times.html

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/11/business/media/new-york-times-trump-subpoenas.html

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-walmart-beef-white-house-b3012769.html

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-says-he-just-finished-physical-walter-reed-2026-07-11/

https://cbs4local.com/news/nation-world/national-guard-washington-dc-pentagon-donald-trump-dc-safe-and-beautiful-mission-metropolitan-police-department-mpd-anti-crime-freedom-250-crime-federal-law-enforcement-emergency-executive-order-7news-district-of-columbia

James Talarico has potential to create a fresh outlook about how democracy can work for the common good

James Talarico for Senate: Texas deserve better than Ken Paxton's moral rot | Endorsement

The choice is obvious.👀  Both Republicans and Democrats should prefer a servant leader over a self-serving crook.

By The Editorial Board,  Opinions from the Houston Chronicle Editorial Board

The political contest is set. The storyline, straight out of Hollywood. It’s as if, as Donald Trump likes to say, the candidates came from central casting.

An avowed ill mannered lout (Paxton) versus a man who doesn’t just resemble a Sunday school teacher, but who practices politics like the seminarian he is.  

Ask Ken Paxton’s own supporters about his selfish moral infidelities and indictments. Ask about that stolen $1,000 pen. Or how he fired his employees after they reported him to the FBI for corruption, prompting a whistleblower lawsuit that stuck taxpayers with a $6.6 million bill. Oh, and ask about that impeachment that, though it did not end in conviction, was led by members of his own party.

Paxton voters know their guy reeks of moral rot. That he somehow earned millions while in public office. That his office delivered sweetheart deals in cases of child sexual abuse. 

Paxton's supporters know all that because his runoff opponent, Senator John Cornyn, just spent tens of millions of dollars making sure that they know.

Paxton won anyway. As one man at a Paxton rally told a reporter, “We’ve got bigger fish to fry.”

The fish to be fried aren’t just Democrats but anyone who shows the slightest disloyalty to Donald Trump. Or even a hint of bipartisan pragmatism.

This one’s an easy call. The Houston Chronicle editorial board rejects Paxton’s self-serving depravity and his loyalty to Washington politics at the expense of everyday Texans. And we enthusiastically endorse his Democratic opponent, James Talarico.

Talarico, 37, is a former middle school teacher from Central Texas. In 2018, he flipped a Republican state House seat. While serving in the House, he studied for a master’s degree in divinity from a Presbyterian seminary. He looks like a grown-up Opie from the Andy Griffith Show. If his vibe were any more retro — any more earnest, any more squeaky-clean — he’d be in black-and-white, filmed at Desilu Studios.

Mr. Talarico is exactly what our state and our country need right now.

Optimism for a purple future: By tossing aside Cornyn, Trump and Republican primary voters have given Democrats a path out of the wilderness. Locked out of statewide office for over 30 years, they are eager to blockwalk the toss-up suburbs and open their pocketbooks. Talarico has already set an all-time record for fundraising for the first quarter of any U.S. Senate campaign ever — and that was before he faced such a slimy opponent, and before it seemed that Texas could possibly elect a Democrat to the Senate.

Now, some Democrats believe with Talarico at the top of the midterm ticket, they have begun an inexorable march to take back the state, to turn Texas blue. We hope that’s not the future of Texas. In our view, no party should have a lock on power. General elections should be an opportunity to hold our leaders accountable.

Surprisingly, Talarico agrees. Texas, he told us recently, “would look great in purple, because that's when you keep all politicians on their toes, right❓”

Forcing Republicans to compete — really compete — with Democrats, he said, would “force people to focus again on that 50-yard line of common-sense policies.”

In his appearances, his biggest applause line is still one he used when launching his campaign: “The biggest divide in our politics isn’t left versus right, it's top versus bottom.”

Those at the top, he says, too often abuse their power. That’s why he aims to ban congressional stock trading. To stop billionaires’ PAC money from having an outsized effect on our elections. 

And to end gerrymandering that lets politicians pick their voters rather than the other way around.

The Democrat freely criticizes his own party for the “utter chaos” along the border “because the Biden administration, despite some good accomplishments, failed us when it came to border security.”

On education, he calls for an ambitious agenda, citing President George W. Bush’s No Child Left Behind Act. That effort, he says, had obvious drawbacks but Democrats made a mistake when “we really stopped shooting for the moon.” His solution isn’t simply to throw more money at teachers. “We have a crisis of discipline issues in our schools,” he said, and addressing it requires better classroom management training. Spoken from a guy who himself faced a room full of unruly kids. No surprise then that he co-authored the bipartisan bill banning mobile phones in Texas public schools.

There was a time when Republicans and Democrats were united behind the push to improve our schools. Now both parties have retreated to their own comfortable positions of supporting teachers’ unions or pushing for vouchers. Talarico embodies a return to national ambition.

On energy, Talarico is an all-of-the-above guy. “I believe in protecting oil and gas jobs here in Texas, in addition to investing in renewables, keeping our edge in wind and solar and geothermal.”

And at a time when the Wall Street Journal editorial board has called out Paxton for “anti-business” lawsuits designed more to get headlines than protect consumers, Talarico is helping Democrats take back the middle ground. He wants to take on billionaires while also calling for pro-growth, free market policies. Overall he talks like a pro-business Democrat — one who wants to see economic growth and good-paying jobs.

“When Texas businesses succeed, Texas workers succeed.”

The anti-Paxton:  These days we hear a lot of claims that the system is rigged against us, and we hear them from both parties. 

Talarico said it to us and Paxton, we figure, is just as likely to claim that the fix is in. Paxton, 63, has been the Texas attorney general since 2015, and we have credited him for a few big victories, including his 💲1.4 billion settlement with Meta over alleged violations of privacy laws. Too often, however, the private lawyers hired by Paxton get rich while consumers end up with nothing.

And here’s the thing: We’ve got plenty of evidence that Paxton himself has been rigging the system. As Texas attorney general, Paxton used his office to help Nate Paul, an Austin developer and campaign donor, hide business shenanigans and fend off foreclosures. Paul returned the favor by remodeling Paxton’s house and employing a woman who Paxton, a married man, visited in late-night trysts. (His lawyers disputed the remodeling part.)

Paul eventually pleaded guilty to a felony. But somehow Paxton not only avoided removal following impeachment but emerged at the top of Texas’ Republican ticket, claiming to fight for ordinary folks. But what, besides MAGA and Trump, is Paxton fighting for❓

It’s hard to tell. While Talarico’s campaign talks about Texas, Team Paxton talks about Talarico.

Donald Trump is testing out nicknames to brand Talarico as un-Texan: “Tala-freak-o” the “weird vegan” who talks about “six genders.” These epithets twist real quotes from the Democrat’s past to maximum effect. Last week, Republicans ridiculed Talarico’s potato and egg taco order as proof of his low-testosterone, anti-meat agenda.

Mr/ Talarico’s response❓ “Our campaign basically runs on barbecue these days,” he told us. “But if these beef prices keep going up, we’re probably all going to be vegans at some point.”


That’s a good line. And it gets to a serious issue in Texas: Added costs of Trump’s tariffs, and labor shortages made worse by deportations, have BBQ joints shutting their doors. 

Talarico is running a campaign for any Texan who bristles at $40-per-pound brisket. Meanwhile Paxton’s the guy who regularly takes globe-trotting junkets with a taxpayer-funded security detail.

What Paxton’s party says: While Talarico runs to build a coalition beyond Democrats, Paxton struggles to get support even from his fellow Republicans. They’re openly sick of him.

Here’s Derrick Wilson, chairman of the Texas Young Republican Federation, on social media: “He doesn’t fight for our priorities. He fights for his own ambition and desires. We’ll be fortunate so long as those things continue to overlap. But he is not a man of good moral fiber, he’s not a trustworthy man, and he’s not a man that would put the cause above himself.”

Here’s what Thom Tillis, senator of North Carolina, said on CNN, "To call Paxton 'ethically challenged' is to call Jeffrey Dahmer suffering from an eating disorder."

Here’s Jeff Leach, a state representative from Paxton’s own home base of Collin County, on the attorney general’s bungled prosecution of admitted child abuser Adam Hoffman: “A real and dangerous predator — a present threat to Texas children — will be as free as you and me.”

Leach even said he might summon Paxton before the House Committee on Judiciary and Civil Jurisprudence to ask how Hoffman received “this kind of royal treatment” from the attorney general’s office.

Paxton’s dismal ethics are only surpassed by his rank incompetence. His office has a track record of fumbling on sex-trafficking cases. And while other Republicans join the bipartisan movement to tackle unaffordable health care, Paxton works to fire "woke doctors."

Last week Americans saw a flash of the genius that animates our constitution when Republicans in the Senate deep-sixed the president’s most outrageous requests. Should Paxton win, you can kiss that kind of independence goodbye.

So if you are the sort of person who truly cares about Trump getting taxpayer money for his ballroom and $1.8 billion to pay people who attacked the Capitol on Jan. 6, go ahead and vote for the president’s errand boy.

But if your standard is fidelity to the MAGA movement itself, and not to Trump, we suspect that if elected, Paxton will disappoint you. Look at his track record of self-enrichment and paramours. Don’t be surprised if today’s Paxton voters find themselves yearning for a political divorce in the near future — perhaps on biblical grounds.

Clean-cut, fresh-faced Talarico has a better shot at delivering for everyday people. Talarico aspires to “servant leadership,” a phrase Christians and others of faith know well.

“I may look like a choir boy,” he told us, “but I have no problem fighting when I need to, especially fighting for my constituents.”

Preach, brother, preach❗ We Texans need someone in the Senate who’ll stand up for us, who’ll fight corruption, and who’ll bring us together to get our country back on track. We need James Talarico.

The Editorial Board
Opinions from the Houston Chronicle Editorial Board
The Editorial Board is made up of opinion journalists with wide-ranging expertise.

A personal message from Mr. Graham Platner and my response to his thank you letter

Thank you Mr. Graham Platner and to your beautiful wife Amy, for the enthusiasm you brought to our Democratic party. We must continue this momentum.

Your victory in the Maine June primary was impressive, driven magnificently by a huge ground swell of social media support.  I have never seen anything like it in Maine.  I hope you will both continue to bring enthusiasm to our important work ahead to defeat Senator Susan Collins.   

To Juliana,  I believed – and still believe – in the people of Maine and the vision we have been fighting for. I believe in all of you.

For the first time, in a very long time, our campaign gave people hope. Hope that there is a light at the end of this very dark tunnel. You did that. Thank you.

To those of you who believed in me, I want to make clear: You’re the reason I believed.

I always said this race was not about me. It never was. It was about us.

On June 9th, 150,000 Mainers didn’t just reject a broken politics; they voted for something. And they made their voices louder than ever before in the history of our great state. We won, and we did so spectacularly.

I feel a deep sense of gratitude and also a deep obligation to all of you. To ensure that the voices of 150,000 people who voted for me, and our 15,000 volunteers, are heard. The past few days have been tough, but the weight I have felt was not about me. It was out of a responsibility to you.

Almost exactly a year ago, Amy and I sat down and looked each other in the eyes and decided that entering this race was a sacrifice we had to make if we really believed in what we thought we believed in. And this week, Amy and I sat down and looked at each other again, and we decided that exiting this race is the sacrifice we must make again to best steward the movement we have been honored to help build.

Today, I notified the Secretary of State to remove my name from the ballot. My name might have been on the ballot, but that ballot line belongs to the people of Maine.

Our sole goal from the beginning was defeating Susan Collins and building a working class movement in the state of Maine. We have already brought half of that to fruition together. I am confident the remainder will be accomplished on November 3rd.

All we were asking for is health care. For an end to genocide. An end to corruption. To get money out of our politics. For real democracy. And I remain hopeful and optimistic that we will see that future one day.

I am proud of what we did and how we did it. We organized. We fundraised with grassroots money, not corporate PACs or AIPAC. We built far more than just a political campaign. Even as the entire system pushed back against us.

This is not the end for our movement. Continue to build relationships with your neighbors and have real conversations. Go join a union or organize your workplace. Join a local community organization. Volunteer at a food bank. Just do not give up.

I love you. I love all of you. I love this state. I love what we have built. This has been the honor of my lifetime.

Thank you – from the bottom of my heart – for everything. Your time, your energy, your money, your voice. You made this possible.

Solidarity forever,

Graham Platner

Donald Trump is a loser in the Iran war's "on again and off again" quasi peace talks. JD Vance is acting like a passenger on the Titanic

A very unpopular war, fought very badly: 

Florida Sun Sentinel Editorial

Donald Trump cheat and lies about everything.  Trump has no idea what he is doing in the Iran war that he created. So he invents stuff on a daily basis with a "ground-hog day" demented style deeply-flawed mentality. Obviously, JD Vance is unqualified to handle the negotiations.

With the Iran bombing paused yet again (on-again and off-again) and negotiations beginning for the umpteenth time, Donald Trump’s war has finally accomplished something considered unthinkable.

It has united red and blue America because everyone can find something in the Iran treaty proposal to detest.
America did not declare war on Iran. Trump did❗ Americans never had a chance to debate putting American blood and treasure at risk. Trump made sure of it.

Congress was kept in the dark. Trump wanted it that way. Now, Trump owns the war that claimed the lives of 13 American service members and many scores of Iranian schoolgirls.

He owns the still-unfolding economic havoc it created. He owns its unpopularity. A June AP-NORC poll showed 65% of Americans were displeased with his handling of the war, with only a majority of Republicans that are politically forced into being supportive.

A one-sided capitulation

He also owns the justifiably reviled terms of a treaty that might — or might not — end it.

Anyone who reads the outline of those terms knows that despite Washington’s lipstick-on-a-pig posturing, if America can exit this war at all, it will do so as the biggest loser.

Iran will be gifted a $300 billion reconstruction fund paid for by the U.S. and unspecified partners.

It can start selling its oil again at market rates, a massive win after being squeezed for years by U.S. sanctions. Other tankers can now freely transit the Strait of Hormuz, just as they could before the war, with no tolls.

But that’s only for 60 days. Once unthinkable, Iran now knows how to make money by blocking access to the crucial waterway, and despite the treaty talks, is already making plans to do so.

No limits on missiles

There are no restrictions on Iran building new missiles, either❓

It would not be fair to say no to Iran on that, Trump explained. Besides, he said, the Iranian leadership he once derided as “deranged scumbags” and “animals” were now “nice to deal with.”

Perhaps that is why he believes Iran will commit to not building a nuclear weapon, although it had already pledged not to do so in President Obama’s 2015 Iran nuclear deal.

Ever the narcissistic showman, Trump famously ripped it in two, paving the way for increased enriched uranium stockpiling, which, he once said, was the reason for this war.

As for helping the Iranian protesters that Trump once declared America would rescue? Well guess what❓

That’s not even on the table.

Living under the constant threat of Iranian-supported terrorism, Israelis have more reason to attack Iran than America, and more experience in recognizing a treacherous deal. And 92% of Israelis believe Iran has won.

True to form, the Trump administration responded to Tel Aviv criticism with a threat.

Israelis, said Vice President JD Vance, should not attack “the only powerful ally (they have) anywhere left in the entire world.”

But Trump’s war showed the world that America is not the all-powerful friend of any Mideast country.

We could not protect Iran’s neighbors and our allies from bombardment by Iran. Cheap drones rendered our battleships ineffective at keeping the Strait of Hormuz open, despite daily chest-thumping about how many bombs we were dropping.

We have fought a bad war badly, not because of our skilled and brave troops, but because of the men who led them.

That’s why Vance is not actually in Switzerland negotiating a treaty to end Trump’s war.

He’s negotiating how much money America will have to pay to make it all go away before the midterms.

The Sun Sentinel Editorial Board

Donald Trump is in political quicksand with his failed Iran war and the Strait of Hormuz status is uncertain

Trump Acknowledges His Iran War Isn’t Really Over (Ya'think❓)

Obviously, the Iran cease-fire is dead. Long live the cease-fire.

Echo report published in New York Magazine Intelligencer by Chas Danner.

(So, has Iran surrendered yet ❓)

So, guess what❓The U.S. and Iran are striking each other again, and there is at least some concern that the tit-for-tat status quo may turn back into a full-blown hot war despite both sides signing the much heralded but actually crappy memorandum of understanding less than a month ago, at Versailles, where the World War One armistice was signed and Germany surrendered.  

On Tuesday, Iran tried to reassert its dominion over the not-totally-reopened Strait of Hormuz by striking some commercial ships near Oman — whose territorial waters are being used for a U.S.-backed route which avoids dealing with Iran. The U.S. responded with air strikes on targets in Iran and by reimposing sanctions on Iranian oil exports. Iran responded to that with air strikes targeting, it said, U.S. bases in Gulf nations. 

Now the price of oil is back on the rise while everyone waits to see if this remains a measured back-and-forth or suddenly spirals out of control. In a rare admission of reality, as it pertains to this conflict, Donald Trump on Wednesday said the cease-fire was over and that ongoing negotiations were a “waste of time.”

“To me, I think it’s over,” he told reporters at the NATO Summit (when he was not sleeping) in Ankara, Turkey, on Wednesday. “I don’t want to deal with them,”🙄 😬he said, referring to Iran’s regime, whom he called “scum” and “sick,” “violent” people.

😖😓
As far as I’m concerned, it’s over. I’ll speak to our negotiators. They want to negotiate. They’re good people, Steve Woodkoff, Jared Kushner, but they have to come back to me. As far as I’m concerned, it’s just a waste of time dealing with them. They’re liars.

And he also suggested reinstating the U.S. naval blockade and warned of another wave of air strikes soon:

We hit them very hard last night. Very, very hard. Probably hit them hard again tonight. I’ll give them a little warning, we’re going to hit them hard again tonight.

And Trump again threatened to blow up Iran’s bridges and energy and water infrastructure, and again suggested the U.S. might take over Kharg Island, Iran’s critical oil-export hub. Iran still has almost no missiles left, he insisted. 

Plus, Trump claimed the U.S. has already killed two sets of Iranian leaders while emphasizing how they have never been able to kill him.

We took out their first set of leaders, we took out their second set of leaders. They want to take out the U.S. leader, me. I’m on every list. I saw things this morning. I’m on every single one of their lists. And so far I guess I’ve been a little bit lucky, but that maybe doesn’t last very long. Because that’s the way it goes. We have great people. But these are evil, sick people, and we have to rid — they’re cancer, they’re cancer, and you know what you do❓You got to cut out cancer early. And that’s the way I feel.

We’ll probably find out soon enough whether or not this escalation of violence will lead back to full-blown war. Trump stressed how much harder and tougher U.S. strikes were compared to Iran’s, while U.S. officials noted that they were punishment strikes, not proportional ones. If that is the new mentality on both sides, a return to full-blown war may be inevitable.

Trump disagrees. He said Wednesday that he didn’t think the war was going to start again. “I think it’s going to go very quickly,” he explained, suggesting the violence was in fact still a tit-for-tat, with the U.S. no longer just responding in kind.

But in order to move forward, as INSS analyst Danny Citrinowicz points out, the U.S. must reckon with the fact that Iran clearly has no intention of giving up its control over the Strait of Hormuz:

We keep coming back to the same fundamental question: What does the U.S. administration actually want❓ If Washington’s priority is reaching a durable agreement with Iran, it will have to accept that there is no realistic return to the status quo that existed in the Strait of Hormuz before February 28. From Tehran’s perspective, the rules of the game have changed, and it is unlikely to reverse course simply because of additional pressure.

If, however, the administration’s priority is restoring the previous maritime status quo, then it should also recognize that the chances of a U.S.-Iran agreement decline significantly, while the risk of renewed escalation increases. The administration cannot pursue both objectives simultaneously. It must decide which one matters more.

The current memorandum of understanding, much like previous interim arrangements elsewhere, was negotiated quickly in order to preserve diplomacy. (I.O.W. it was a U.S. surrender signed for the purpose of opening the Strait of Hormuz, but it has flopped❗)

In fact, the core disputes, including Lebanon and the Strait of Hormuz, remain unresolved. Those are not peripheral issues; they are central to both sides’ strategic calculations.

Trump also once again called the war “a tremendous military success” on Wednesday, so there are clearly still limits to his recognition of reality.

International outrage on the record about corrupt Donald Trump and his incompetent administration

 Fara Kaufman  @justfara

BREAKING: (Published on X/ - formerly Twitter) French Senator Claude Malhuret TORCHES Donald and his alcoholic, drug-addicted administration on the floor of the Luxembourg Palace: "Every time the Epstein affair resurfaces, bombs explode somewhere in the world and cause a distraction!" This might be the greatest MAGA takedown of all time. Nobody was spared... "A year ago, here in France, I compared Trump's presidency to Nero's Court. I was wrong. It's the miracle court. 

An anti-vaxxer, former heroin addict as Minister of Health," he said, referring to RFK Jr. Malhuret's comparison to the mad Emperor Nero is fitting. It's said that he fiddled while Rome burned. In Trump's case, he's building a ballroom while the entire world goes up in flames. "A climate-skeptic Minister of Economy. 

An alcoholic (a.k.a.Hegseth) and TV host, Minister of the Armed Forces," Malhuret continued, referring to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. "An old Qatar agent, Minister of Justice. A groupie of Putin, Minister of National Security," Malhuret went on, referring to Attorney General Pam Bondi and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard. Bondi previously worked for the Ballard Partners firm which raked in $115,000 a month by lobbying on behalf of Qatar. 

"A Turkish proverb says 'When a clown settles in a palace, he does not become king, it is the palace that becomes a circus'," said Malhuret. "His fine team has decided to create a competitor to the UN. Since the creation of the Board of Peace, Trump has triggered more military strikes than Biden during his entire term." 

"Every time the Epstein affair resurfaces, bombs explode somewhere in the world and cause a distraction," he continued. "Bomb more to win more." This is how the world now sees the American president: as a pedophile desperately exploiting his role as commander-in-chief to obscure the fact that he preyed on children with his long-time pal Jeffrey Epstein. "There isn't a single country where Trump did not take advantage of the situation to enrich himself without ever forgetting his family. 

A Boeing plane offered by Qatar," he said, referring to the 💲400 million jet that Qatar "gifted" to Trump. "Investment in all Gulf projects or elsewhere. Stock market manipulation that only a few insiders benefit from." "Any one of these conflicts of interest would have caused an immediate procedure of impeachment here," Malhuret. "But we are not here. We are in MAGA's America where public business is conducted in favor of private interests." 

Rarely have we heard such an exhaustive yet succinct distillation of the Trump administration's rampant criminality and incompetence. By focusing on individual Cabinet members and what makes them uniquely unfit for office and then expanding the aperture to the broader patterns of corruption and malignancy, Malhuret delivered a master class in political messaging. 

Every mainstream outlet in the U.S. should be running this speech to show Americans what the world thinks of our leaders. 

Since they won't, please make sure to like and share to spread this far and wide❗

Graham Platner's accusers never gave interviews under oath with risk of perjury but the Maine Democrat was subjected to well funded opposition research

All The Women They Didn't Believe (In all honesty, women who testified under oath about Justice Kavanaugh and Justice Thomas were also not believed.)

A Graham Platner Fiasco Post-mortem

Maine's Democratic Party is responsible for this political mess but the Republicans set the stage with well funded oppositional research.

“The vetting firm, which was paid 💲6,250, according to federal disclosures, followed up days later with additional limited vetting. They didn’t do a candidate interview or questionnaire.

On June 10, Platner won the Maine Democratic primary with more than 70 percent of the vote.  (Maine Writer- A massive grass roots social media campaign pushed Mr. Platner to an overwhelming margin of victory in the Maine Democratic primary, even though the vetted candidate Governor Janel Mills kept her name on the ballot even after stepping down from the primary. His margin of victory was astonishing to Republicans.  Opposition research leaped in and took over all the campaign messaging.  Instead of the focus being on the terrible Senator Susan Colllins voting record, the story because an AI generated negative campaign against Mr. Platner. The amount of dark money poured into destroying Mr. Platner will never be known.)

Charlie Sykes Jul 8.

Stop me if you’ve heard this before, but the war in Iran seems to be back on, at least for the moment. 

Taking a break from berating and alienating our NATO allies, and fantasizing about Greenland, Donald Trump suggested that the peace “deal” is “over” as the two countries unleashed a new wave of strikes on Tuesday. "They're scum. They're ​sick people. They're led by sick people," Trump said of the mullahs he was praising just days ago.

(IOW Trump is batshit 💩crazy)

 "As far as I'm concerned, it's just a waste of time dealing with them." Oil prices surged and we’re just learning that the Pentagon is running out of money.

Lessons from Maine's Graham Platner Fiasco

As we wait for Graham Platner to drop out of the Maine Senate race (TBD whether it be timely, gracious, or bitter)¹ it seems worthwhile to take a moment to sift through the wreckage. You undoubtedly know the arc of the narrative so far: Frustrated with the sclerotic “establishment” and their desire for a beer-track, working class “fighter,” Democrats embraced Platner’s image before they got to know the man himself. (Maine Writer:  Democrats in Maine are so anxious to remove Senator Susan Collins, we were willing to back her polar opposite to defeat her.  Platner had a clear path to achieve this goal but the Maine Democratic Party did not provide for a thorough vetting.) 

That deafening roar you hear now is the collective mea culpas of the punditocracy and political class fiercely back-pedaling from their rationalizations and defenses of the candidate who now faces credible allegations of sexual abuse and rape.

So, an autopsy of this clusterfuq seems in order, don’t you think?

How did Democrats find themselves embracing such a flawed candidate❓ Why were so many red flags missed or ignored❓ And how did a party that often declared we should “believe the women,” decide to ignore so many of them❓

How did this go so terribly wrong? Let us count the ways.

The “consultants” who recruited Platner without vetting him. (See: “The ‘Mad Scientist’ Behind Graham Platner’s Scandal-Plagued Rise” - WSJ / And for your daily dose of cringe: “The Strategist Behind Platner’s Rise Explains His Vetting Process.”