SATURDAY, MAY 9, 2026
Memphis, split three ways: With a population of roughly 630,000 at the time of the 2020 census, the city of Memphis wasn't large enough to form a congressional district all by itself.
That said, the city sat there, all by itself, in the far southwestern corner of Tennessee, bordered by the state of Arkansas to the west and the state of Mississippi to the south.
For the record, the city's population was 61% black and 24% white at the time of that census. It was also 10% Hispanic, 2.6% multiracial.
Under the less maniacal rules of the game which prevailed at the time, it made an obvious bit of sense to let the bulk of the city continue as the centerpiece of Tennessee's 9th congressional district. And that's what happened when district maps were redrawn in the wake of the 2020 census.
We'll let the leading authority on the topic tell the story of that congressional district as it existed at that point in time:
Tennessee's 9th congressional district
Tennessee's 9th congressional district is a congressional district in West Tennessee, covering most of Memphis and its inner suburbs. It has been represented by Democrat Steve Cohen since 2007.
The district was re-created as a result of the redistricting cycle after the 1980 census. The district is almost exclusively urban, due to its mostly cohabitant nature with Memphis.
[...]
It is the only majority minority congressional district in Tennessee. With a Cook Partisan Voting Index rating of D+23, it is the only Democratic district in Tennessee. Since 1875, the area has sent mostly Democrats to Congress with the exception of a brief period from 1967 to 1975 when it was represented by Republican Dan Kuykendall.
It didn't take any elaborate "racial gerrymandering" to create this congressional district as a "majority minority" district. The population as it existed within this corner of the state (and within Memphis itself) pointed that way, especially when joined to something possibly resembling a type of common sense.
That's the way it still was—then. But now we're engaged in a great civil war, and the Republican powers that be in Tennessee are splitting Memphis (and its inner suburbs) three ways for congressional districting purposes.
They're doing so as part of a new map which will attempt to take Tennessee from an 8-1 congressional split into a brave new era in which all nine of the state's members of Congress hail from the GOP.
The state will be able to do this because of the recent Supreme Court decision which basically says that "partisan gerrymandering" is constitutionally permissible, but "racial gerrymandering" isn't. A bit more on that below.
Meanwhile, also this:
The state of Virginia's newly reinvented Dem-friendly map has now been struck down by that state's Supreme Court. Gone are the dreams of a Virginia congressional delegation which would favor Dems by a margin of ten to one.
The Memphis district is dead and gone, following the earlier dismantling of Tennessee's Nashville district. Meanwhile, the two major parties are caught in an ugly redistricting war—a war which, it now seems, may make it hard for Democrats to win the House in November.
(Or not. Also, and just for the record, there's no such thing as "redistricting" when it comes to Senate races.)
We offer one lonely thought about the recent Supreme Court decision:
In the main, the Supreme Court isn't in the business of creating sound public policy. In the main, the Supreme Court is in the business of deciding whether various public policies are constitutionally permissible (and are consistent with established law).
In the main, it isn't the job of the Court to create good, sound policies governing the creation of congressional districts. In the main, that's the job of the United States Congress, the legislative body which created the original Voting Rights Act in 1965, and then amended it at several points along the way.
Now for the rest of the story:
The United States Congress was capable of functioning in 1965 (though not always perfectly). At the present time, as you may have noticed, the United States Congress isn't capable of functioning at all.
All in all, we no longer live in a functioning nation. We now live in "a war of the all against all," and we live in a race to the bottom.
Tennessee's 9th congressional district[...]The district has voted Democratic in every congressional race since 1974. After the 1980 census saw it become the 9th once again and was drawn as a black-majority district. This allowed the Democrats to consolidate their hold on the seat. With most of Memphis' wealthier and now heavily Republican eastern portion now in the 7th, the GOP largely lost interest in the 9th; only nominal Republican candidates have run there from 1982 onward.
The government is not the country. We may live with a non-functioning government, but we do not live in a nonfunctioning nation. Our people mostly are doing OK, despite all the bad things done by Congress, by the Deep State, by Trump, by Newsom, etc.
ReplyDeleteThe nonfunctioning government an argument for conservatism. It's not that Republican programs are better than Democratic programs. It's that smaller government means that fewer things get screwed up by government.
Get the government out of the contract enforcement business!
DeleteNice try. Except for one thing: your argument is not born out by the last 70 years of this country’s history. The US economy during that time frame has fared substantially better under Democratic administrations c/w Republicans’. Job growth, unemployment, GDP growth, stock market advances, and any parameter of this county’s economic health, since before Nixon, has favored Democratic administrations by wide margins. When all is said and done, the blunders of this administration and their effects on the middle class will once again fortify that observation. The Republican talent for subserving inequitably the rich and powerful, growing the military and starting expensive wars, robbing the middle class of buying power and advancing the national debt via spending and tax structure, all contribute to this disparity. You can look it up; it’s not even close. The disaster of Reaganomics most recently has played an outsized role in this Republican failure. Conservatism as evidenced by Republican policy over the last 70 or so years has been detrimental to the prosperity of this country.
DeleteDavid in Cal crying out for the de-funding of police, exposes yet another in a long line of instances where the Right accuses the Left of something the Right does.
DeleteAgree with your facts 12:33, but you leave out why Republicans suck so hard at everything. Note Somerby says nothing can pass in this dysfunctional Congress; but when Dems had the majority just a few years ago they passed a slew of truly beautiful bills helping mostly middle class, poor, and rurals. Republican Congresses' don't do shit but pass financial wrecking balls for the country by not taxing and not enforcing tax payments on the rich. Their only other true concern, like for David in Cal, is white supremacy. It's the only thing that gets Trump elected. It's the only thing that gets a Republican nominated to the USSC, It's the only thing driving creepy influencers like Christopher Rufo, who spends all day thinking of creepy slogans to justify white peoples hurting of brown peoples. Fucking weirdos trying to hang on to power thru inherent and cultivated hate of brown others. Fucking nasty ass jagoffs.
DeleteAgree certainly regarding this regime, but Bush 2 was very inclusive of blacks and other minority groups. A bit more complex, IMO.
DeleteBush 2 had 13% black appointees. Bill Clinton had 16% black appointees. Trump had 1 black appointee in 2016. Obama had 25% black appointees by his second term. Biden had 24%.
DeleteRepublicans are very good at punching down on strawman targets. They create narratives based on hatred of minority groups, like Reagan's welfare mother driving a cadillac. The intended consequence is that those who do not join in their condemnation of such targets are assumed to lack morality. The Lyndon Johnson quote exemplifies this: "If you can convince the lowest white man he's better than the best black man, he won't notice that your picking his pockets." This is the essence of Republican party strategy, and explains why blacks are barely represented in their ranks in Congress , but it goes beyond race into sexuality and religion as well. Without these targets, red state voters would have to look into the mirror and recognize that they are prime beneficiaries of the so- called welfare state.
DeleteAh, the perpetual Republican argument: Government doesn’t work, and we’ll prove it when we’re put in charge.
ReplyDelete"That's the way it still was—then. But now we're engaged in a great civil war, "
ReplyDeleteIt glamorizes racism to call this a "great" civil war or any kind of war. There is no declared civil war in our country.
Use of language like "civil war" encourages the right wing belief that Democrats are a party of political violence. Somerby needs to think about his metaphors. This is just tawdry racism at work in the South, where it has historically flourished.
Republicans are incapable of governing. The end.
ReplyDeleteGo take a flying fuck, dickhead, you fascist freak.
I agree with you @2:14. Also, Democrats are incapable of governing. Therefore, we should strive to to have less governing wherever government is not necessary.
DeleteBy all measures, Democrats are far better at governing than Republicans. The solution is not to throw out all governing, because there is no evidence that having no (or less) government benefits anyone.
DeleteWho knew that David is actually an anarchist?
DeleteAnyone who promoted Trump was in effect promoting anarchy. It was obvious 10 years ago.
DeleteActually, @3:55, there is plenty of evidence that having less government can work better for the people than more government. Just compare jurisdictions. Hong Kong (before the handover) vs Shanghai. Oakland vs. Dallas. Etc.
Delete??
DeleteWho needs border enforcement?
DeleteLess government = no new ballroom, amirite David?
DeleteHow does shutting down billions in clean energy investments with taxpayer money equate to smaller Government David?
DeleteLess Government = $210 Billion for ICE BITCHES. What a sucker David is.
DeleteDavid in Cal's "Defund the police!" t-shirt has led to lots of questions already addressed by his t-shirt.
DeleteToday, Democrats are the party of woke and DEI. Woke started as a racial reference:
ReplyDelete""Woke" originated in African American Vernacular English (AAVE), with the phrase "stay woke" famously coined by blues singer Huddie Ledbetter (known as Lead Belly) in his 1938 song "Scottsboro Boys" to warn about racial injustice. It later evolved from meaning awareness of systemic racism to a broader, often contentious, term for political progressivism."
DEI is explicitly racial, referring to diversity, equity and inclusion of minorities and women. The Republican antipathy to Democrats hinges around woke and DEI, as well as supporting for labor, repair of environment and combatting climate change, anti-corporatism and addressing income inequality, support for access to education and multiculturalism (whether based on immigration or indigenous people or religious diversity). These are Democratic values expressed in the Democratic Party's platform and its legislative priorities.
The USA cannot thrive with a government that does not govern on behalf of all of the its people. A racist Republican party is thus not willing to elect politicians who support the needs of everyone who lives here. Trump has been trying to weed out those he dislikes, but that is the plan Hitler enacted and it doesn't work, even with greater logitistical competence than Trump's appointees possess. The attempt to define some citizens as undesirable and throw them out will result in a war, not against Republicans but against the same fascism, racism and intolerance exemplified by Nazi Germany.
We are not engaged in such a war now, but if it comes to that, we have already demonstrated that we, as a people, will resist with our lives. Case Allen asked Republicans whether they would do the same. We saw their cowardice. Trump immediately upped the ante on his mega-bunker. Stephen Miller hid behind his pregnant wife. Trump fell flat on his face.
There will be a landslide in November regardless of Republican attempts to steal elections via gerrymandering. That's because the people do not respect Republicans and are coming to their senses. Somerby's attempt to revive Southern pride in the confederacy by evoking the racists' Great War is both transparent and a failure because Democrats don't need violence to win. We just need to show the voters who these Republicans really are -- and they are doing a good job of that all by themselves.
Trump vomit
DeleteRepublicans are the party of DEI. Drunk, entitled and Incompetent.
DeleteRepublicans are the party of the White Supremacist - and the never ending battle to punch down on lower castes.
DeleteBob misunderstanding the role of the Supreme Court, is very on brand.
ReplyDelete"Now it's being further split, in search of Republican dominance in the ongoing all against all."
ReplyDeleteSomerby is confused. It isn't "all against all" but the majority of the American people who are good and decent, against the racists, fascist, billionaires, greedy grifters and corrupt politicians, and haters on the right. Anyone who has a shred of common sense is voting against Republicans in November. The people have had enough. Republicans have allowed rotten apples to destroy their party. They will not keep them in office and Democrats will win up and down the ballot everywhere. Gerrymandering is not only an example of their rotten behavior, but it will be ineffective because they are not gerrymandering against their own fed up Republicans but only against Democrats. The good decent Republicans will clean up their own mess or their party will destroy itself in greed, sexual misbehavior and neglect of their constituents.
Trump is only worried about his own fate, but the rest of the Republicans who have counted on riding his coattails are going to have a rude awakening because they let this go too far and people will not tolerate any more of his antics.
The US is suffering under inequality that rivals the Robber Baron Age, so it’s hardly surprising that our current president, who is facilitating this inequality, is the least popular president in modern times.
ReplyDeleteAre we supposed to be surprised by Republicans being racist?
ReplyDeletesay something not said a billion times.
DeleteOr ever by our corporate-owned media.
DeleteSomerby has never had any faith in people as a group. He says we are too stupid to preserve democracy. In November we will see if he is right or not. In the meantime, Somerby obviously is thinking in violent terms himself. The rest of us on the left are not, because we are better than he thinks we are.
ReplyDeleteIt has been too little discussed here that Somerby is a misanthrope:
"Misanthropy is characterized by a deep-seated dislike of human behavior or nature, often leading to social withdrawal or cynicism."
He has frequently explicitly stated that human nature is too depraved to defend our nation. It is easy to conclude that, looking at Trump and his supporters (although Somerby points mainly to Gutfeld), but our human nature created our country based on solid principles and a system for ensuring human freedom and respect for others. This contradicts Somerby's cynicism, displayed again when he calls this fight over how racist our electoral system will be a "Great War" (as if any war is "great"). We do not have any wars between our parties because we have a system for resolving our differences without violence. It will survive this threat from a madman in office and we will not be reinstating racism and intolerance.
Once Trump is again out of office, I expect that we will investigate and change our campaign rules to prevent Russia and other foreign influences, including bots on social media, from manipulating who becomes president. That's because we are not the defectives Somerby sees when he examines human nature.
If only Lincoln had let the south go....................
ReplyDeleteIf Trump would attack Venezuela (or Canada or Mexico) what makes you think he wouldn't try to take back the North as a separate country?
DeleteManifest destiny was applied to the West and allowed the original colonies to expand into 50 states. Why wouldn't the concept of manifest destiny be applied by the South to the North, resulting in more wars and ongoing tensions? We have been extraordinarily lucky to have good neighbors like Mexico and Canada, allowing us to develop in a peaceful context. That wouldn't have been true had the South been allowed to form a separate country. Prosperity depends on stability.
The South attacked first. Lincoln didn't start the war. It broke out before he was sworn in. How was Lincoln supposed to "let the South go..." when the South attacked Ft. Sumter and prosecuted the war itself. They believed they would win. Later, with Lincoln's assassination, the Reconstruction efforts were let go and the result was a lasting persecution of black people to the present. There might have been less persisting racism if Reconstruction had happened as originally envisioned.
Deletehttps://kevinmlevin.substack.com/p/should-lincoln-have-let-the-south
DeleteTrump says something stupid and everyone repeats it without any thought.
Lincoln should have turned the South into the nation's parking lot.
DeletePortraying the left as South-haters is just promoting more hate in an effort to deepen the divide between red and blue, when today's struggle is the people against oligarchs and billionaires looting our nation. The problem today is income inequality, not geography or skin color.
DeleteLincoln was a compassionate man not inclined to pave over people's yards.
All those Southern states are working overtime to reduce the political representation of poor people, not black people.
DeleteNow, pull 12:12's other finger.
Why is Somerby a misanthrope? Perhaps because he doesn't like himself much. Perhaps he is not at peace over his draft dodging after all, or his fraud in the classroom. Perhaps making cynical jokes at the expense of his audiences didn't feel like much of an accomplishment, so he has to pull the rest of humanity down to his own estimation of himself. Or maybe there are other sins we don't know about that weigh on his conscience. Whatever it is, I find it hard to look at what people have accomplished without feeling both pride and hope about our future.
ReplyDeleteIf Somerby is a glass-half-empty kind of guy, perhaps he needs to clean up his act and choose different reading, hang out with a different crowd, so that he can form a more balanced picture of humanity.
If someone like Somerby can convince voters to stay home because there is no hope of changing the status quo, no way to combat Republican perfidy, because people are no damned good and all is hopeless, then he has earned whatever he is being paid as a right wing influencer. He only needs to suppress a few votes to make his efforts worth whatever he is being paid.
DeleteIs that the stupidest comment you could come up with?
DeleteFrom the Washington Post:
Delete"Republican influencers are actively paid through a "pay-to-play" ecosystem run by consulting firms, featuring structures where creators receive compensation per click, flat fees, or monthly retainer bonuses for promoting specific political messages or legislation. While common in both parties, this, along with the use of "hype houses" like the Conservative Hype House, has been heavily utilized by conservatives to amplify pro-Trump content."
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/well-known-right-wing-influencers-duped-to-work-for-covert-russian-operation-u-s-prosecutors-say
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/elon-musks-ex-describes-exact-171127294.html
There is obviously something wrong with Somerby. Normal people are not misanthropes.
Deletewhy are you here?
DeletePerhaps watching all that Fox propaganda warped Somerby's brain.
DeleteOnly if he started watching it after the 2000 elections.
DeleteWhile Somerby rails at so-called Blue Media, here is Borowitz with a similar message about stories the media is not covering. He focuses not on Fox propaganda, but on the resistance efforts of ordinary citizens confronting ICE:
ReplyDelete"Last December, this comment from a subscriber named Patricia got my attention:
“Exciting day for old ladies, I was arrested in front of the ICE building in Portland Oregon. The charge was obstructing access to a federal facility. Great optics a 75 year old white woman, 5’2”, 120 lbs., being dragged off by armed DHS officers. I was handcuffed and held for almost an hour. Being a nasty woman, instead of cringing and crying, I made fun of them and bragged about my history as a serial murderer and how being arrested and handcuffed ticked off another bucket list item for me. We have it all on video, can’t wait to show it to the judge.”
If this is the first you’re hearing of this incident, there’s a good reason: the corporate media refused to cover it.
So I decided to share Patricia’s story.
I posted Patricia’s comment on Facebook and it immediately went viral, reaching over half a million people in a matter of hours. Patricia’s defiance of Trump’s lackeys drew overwhelming praise from Facebook commenters.
I contacted Patricia and she generously offered to answer a few questions—and shared this video of her arrest:
[video]
As you can see, it’s ludicrous to accuse this tiny woman of obstructing the entrance to ICE. If I were a potential ICE recruit eager to pursue a rewarding career as a masked goon, I think I could have maneuvered around her. If not, I’m probably not ICE material.
“This happened Friday about 11 am,” Patricia told me. “It was my own private protest. Every week or so, I walk back and forth in front of the building.”
Does she have a message for the three DHS hooligans who manhandled her?
“Show respect, for the rule of law and for others,” she said. “You are contributing to a culture of hate and violence in our country. I am just grateful I wasn’t thrown to the ground or suffered more than a bit of tenderness in my shoulders and neck. The thugs weren’t happy that I refused to cower or be intimidated.”
Finally, I asked her a question that many posed on Facebook: why has there been no media coverage of this incident? “I tried to contact a couple of the tv stations, but no one was interested,” she said.
Last week, I again heard from Patricia, who gave me this update on her court appearance:
“I went to federal court this morning to contest my citation for blocking access to the ICE facility in Portland Oregon. The video I showed the federal attorneys was the proverbial a picture is worth a thousand words. Video ended. Citation dismissed. Thank you to all who encouraged me.”
Congratulations, Patricia! And thanks to all of you who shared her story and cheered her on."
Fuck the Nazi mother fuckers. Good for her.
DeleteSomerby says we don't live in a functioning nation.
ReplyDeleteOur nation functions because of the individual efforts of our 342 million people. They maintain access to our individual needs for food and drink. They make our communities safe, run smoothly and pleasant to spend time in with local governments, services and security. They are our friends and relatives, our local officials, teachers, caregivers, hospitals, artists, construction workers, all the people who join together to build our society. We depend on and are deeply grateful to all of them.
What doesn't run smoothly is Trump and his cabinet. He tried mightily to destroy our government, but it too is still functioning. In November, our elections will function and we will eject Trump and his moron crew.
What is not functioning? Trump has major health issues. He may have less than a year to live. He is surrounded by incompetents. Because of that, the part of our government that ensures a transition when the president cannot function is itself not functioning, because our dysfunctonal president surrounded himself with incompetents. But that is not "our nation" as Somerby claims.
Trump found out, when he became president, that it is not a position of power but a ceremonial job supervising the many hands who do the actual work of governing. Every time Trump turns around, he encounters a court that tells him he cannot do whatever he pleases. Yes, he has broken laws, but we have a system for dealing with that -- it just takes more time than we would like. Meanwhile, the actual work of our nation continues unabated and an imbecile like Trump, even with help from Putin, cannot stop us from functioning. That is why we are annoyed and damaged by what Trump keeps trying to do, but we are still functioning and living our lives. It is only a matter of time before those greedy assholes at the top are removed. Because our nation is functioning no matter what Somerby claims.
Here is an example of why the gerrymandering is going to be offset by a reawakening of voters. Digby describes a situation in Whittier where public outrage has inspired people who don't usually vote to come out and vote because they dislike what has been happening in our nation:
Delete"Whittier schedules its municipal elections in April, separate from big-ticket items like the races for governor or Congress, and this typically makes turnout crater. Studies have shown that lower engagement in off-cycle elections favors older and white voters, and many Whittier residents think that this is why the GOP has coasted to victory in local elections here. “Off-cycle elections are a form of voter suppression,” says James Becerra, an urban planner who ran for mayor this spring.
But this year ended up different. As Whittier prepared for a new round of mid-April contests for voters to choose their mayor and two city council seats, masked agents remained an ominous presence, bringing residents’ frustration to a boil. “It has galvanized our community in a way I have not before seen,” said Angie Medina, who leads the Whittier Latino Coalition.
Her organization worked with other civic groups within the Organize Whittier coalition to keep people engaged. They hosted community meetings and trained people to run for office themselves or join city boards or commissions, and Medina was heartened to see hundreds of people attend a candidate forum in January, telling Bolts, “It was like we were slapped awake.”
They also threw their support behind Becerra in the mayor’s race and behind candidates Aida Macedo and Vicky Santana for the two council seats. The contests were officially nonpartisan but Becerra, Macedo, and Santana were all endorsed by the county Democratic Party.
On April 14, turnout soared to double that of recent city contests. Boosted by the unusually high engagement, this slate of challengers swept all three contests in a landslide and flipped Whittier’s five-member city council to a liberal majority. "
That’s nice. I would love to introduce Digby to the confederacy
DeleteDemocrats are going to sweep the midterms, everywhere. That's because the Republicans are the party that has enabled Trump and people now see Trump for what he is, and they don't like what they see.
DeleteLets gerrymander the misanthropes into one district so that they don't infect everyone else with their doom and gloom. If Trump were a little bit smarter, he would put them all in those lovely camps he is building. They wouldn't know the difference between those dark places and their current surroundings, so it doesn't matter what amenities they have.
ReplyDeleteBill Maher agreed with Fetterman that opposition to Trump's ballroom was just a litmus test for hatred of Trump. They also referred to the attempt to storm the WHCD as "the killing" when no one was killed and Case Allen didn't even breach the security checkpoint.
ReplyDeleteThey refer to the alternative to the ballroom as holding a state dinner in a tent, but there was a state ballroom before Trump tore down the East Wing. The tend is only needed now because of the demolition. But with the President's travel to different venues, there is no perfectly secure venue anyway. Trump goes to Mar a Lago nearly every weekend and conducts high security operations from a portion of a ballroom there walled off by blankets, much less secure than the Hilton.
But this is not about a ballroom. It is about either a boondoggle to extract bribes from wealthy and corporations or a bomb-shelter level bunker with hospital to resist armed assault on the White House, or both. Neither is needed. Yet Fetterman and Maher agreed that it was important and derided those who oppose that ballroom as haters.
Why are these two supposed Democrats advancing Republican (Trumpian) plans that make no sense, cost too much taxpayer money, and are inappropriate to our democratic idea of how a President lives and functions?
Answer" they're both pro-zionists.
DeleteIf Trump invades Canada, as planned, then Washington DC will be close enough to fear an armed attack. That makes a giant bomb shelter a good idea, not a boondoggle. We just don't know all of Trump's plans yet.
DeleteThe plan was to get the President out of his fucking home, send to a remote bunker, or on a refueling AF1; not stay in that one place he lives you fucking morans.
DeleteSo no one needs that ballroom.
Deletegibberish
ReplyDeleteHere is an explanation of how Trump stole the 2024 election, and what we can do to fix our system, from Thom Hartmann:
ReplyDeletehttps://hartmannreport.com/p/was-the-2024-election-stolen-not-38a
DiC, did you worship yet at Trump’s golden idol of himself at one of his fucking golf courses? Can you imagine a more self involved narcissist that your orange hero?
ReplyDelete
DeleteMy God, that is real. I thought it was a joke.
King Orange Chickenshit:
Delete1) You shall have no other gods before me.
2) You shall not make idols.
Tell me again it’s not a cult
Tell me again, they are not dolts.
Deletecomprare una pistola al mercato nero.
ReplyDeletecomprare una pistola
waffe kaufen
comprar armas
glock 17
glock 19
Somerby is no longer bothering to weed this spam out of his blog comments. If he cannot tend his own blog, he should stop writing it. It isn't like he is saying anything anyone needs to hear.
Delete"All in all, we no longer live in a functioning nation. We now live in "a war of the all against all," and we live in a race to the bottom."
ReplyDeleteSomerby's evidence for this is that Memphis is no longer a single district.
No, it's been an ongoing theme of his.
DeleteAs stated, without evidence.
DeleteStep 1 -- destroy the government by firing those who know things
ReplyDeleteStep 2 -- complain that the government isn't functional
This plan was specified in Project 2025 and has been carried out by Doge and Musk.
They didn't manage to destroy everything and 90% of the governmental is still going about its business as it did under Biden, but the part of the plan that involves complaining about the government's lack of function is going forward.
Somerby is repeating his assigned talking points about our nonfunctioning government, as directed.
AI says this talking point benefits Republicans as follows:
"Republicans often benefit from highlighting government dysfunction by aligning with their core ideology of limited government, advancing policy goals, and securing electoral advantages. This strategy, sometimes described as utilizing public dissatisfaction to build a movement, aims to persuade voters that private sector solutions and state-level authority are superior to federal intervention"
We see David in Cal advancing the same theme, claiming that small government or less government is better, comparing Hong Kong to Shanghai, but that comparison is nonsensical. I think most voters are close enough to the Doge travesty to blame the Republicans for whatever decrease in government efficiency they are seeing now. Meanwhile, Trump's desecration of public monuments and spaces in Washington DC, his siccing of ICE on citizens, and his failures to make the economy work for citizens should all show voters that voting for Republicans has created a disaster, not improved our lives.
From Washington Monthly via AI:
Delete"Key ways Republicans benefit from this narrative include:
Validating the "Limited Government" Ideology: By pointing to inefficiency, waste, or gridlock, Republicans reinforce the argument that the federal government is inherently inefficient and should not be involved in regulating markets or providing services.
Advancing Privatization and Deregulation: Complaining about government failures supports efforts to privatize services and dismantle regulations that the party views as costly to businesses.
Advancing Anti-Regulatory Agendas: Republicans use the narrative of dysfunction to push for deregulation, such as using the Congressional Review Act to overturn environmental protections or oversight measures.
Fueling Electoral Success: A narrative of a "broken" government can increase public frustration, which is often directed at the party in power (usually Democrats), thereby aiding Republican electoral efforts.
Redirecting Power to States: By showing federal incompetence, Republicans justify pushing authority back to state governments, where they often have more control."
Why would Somerby, a self-proclaimed liberal, work so hard to promote the Republican talking points like this? He isn't even subtle about it.
DeleteThanks for your thoughtful comment, @11:05. I agree that the government worked less well as a result of DOGE. But, working well is only half of "efficiency." Cost is the other half. I think the government now is more efficient in terms of cost vs. benefit. Many valuable USAID programs were moved to the State Dept and retained. The US still gives health-related money to a great many programs abroad, but with less waste.
DeleteWill you still think so when the Hanta virus pandemic hits us unprepared because the CDC's experts were fired? What about when the big earthquake hits the CA areas where you live. You'll find out that Trump has cut costs by refusing to serve blue states' needs. I hope you are taking personal responsibility and have saved enough to rebuild your house after it falls down and gets red-tagged.
DeleteYes, 1:04 I have taken responsibility for my house in case of earthquake. I have the option of insurance or saving money. There’s no reason why you should pay for my loss if an earthquake occurs.
DeletePeople flourished in communities because their neighbors helped each other through situations that could not be addressed by one person or one family alone. In rural communities that included harvest season. When crops needed to be brought in quickly due to weather and to avoid spoilage, everyone pitched in to help, including women, children and all of the others in that community. If someone was helped, they turned around and helped others as needed. That is how people survived both every day circumstances but also disasters such as drought, storms and locust swarms, fought fires and survived disease. This was the tradition upon which our nation was founded and it has flourished in modern times as immigrant families work together to ensure success (those Mormons and Jews whose success you tout worked together as extended families with aid from their larger community or relatives in the old country.
DeleteEconomists study and teach about the principle of the commons. Our government services and disaster preparedness emerged out of that principle. The selfishness upon which Republicans now base policies of greed and self-interest do not work for a community as a whole, much less a nation. Educated people know that. Ayn Rand did not and neither do the idiots who support Trump, especially now that Trump is destroying things MAGA cared about.
What good was self-reliance to the people who died in the Paradise fire a couple of years ago? Greater government regulation of electrical utilities with above ground wires would have prevented the fire. How does an entire community, like those in Pacific Palisades and South Pasadena rebuild all at once? How did Homestead rebuild following the Hurricane there, or New Orleans under Bush? They still had FEMA but Trump has done away with that now.
The reason you help pay for someone else's loss is that you may need help yourself down the road and you want someone to be there for you. It is lovely that you can rebuild your home after an earthquake, but who will rebuild the community?
True, in theory, @2:32. But, the actual reality was different. Government did a terrible job. There was plenty of regulation of electrical utilities, but the regulations were ineffective. Rather than promote rebuilding, government has greatly hampered rebuilding. Government actually hampered forest management techniques that would have helped.
DeleteI agree with you about how we pay for each other's loss, but there is a mechanism for that -- insurance. My premium right now is paying for other Californians losses. Insurance is better than relying on government. For one thing, it's voluntary. Also, it's more more certain. If my house is destroyed, I know insurance will pay to replace it. But, I don't know whether or not the government will pay to replace it. That depends on various political factors, including whether my destruction is part of a widespread destruction. I think government should only help in cases where private solutions are not available.
You would think you shouldn’t have to explain this to someone who made a career in insurance business
DeleteThe govt has bailed out insurance after disasters that would have bankrupted the ins companies. In CA the state provides earthquake insurance because the ins companies won’t do it. It may come to that for fire ins too. You are wrong about forest mgmt. Fire fighters form teams to help other states during fire season, and even other countries, as those others helped in the CA fires. People are inter-dependent not independent. Govt coordinates shared effort.
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DeleteI recall the government bailing out the giant AIG when they went bankrupt due to bad investment decisions.
Delete"The main providers of earthquake insurance in California include the California Earthquake Authority (CEA) and companies like GeoVera and Amica. You can obtain earthquake insurance policies through these providers, often as an addition to your existing homeowners or renters insurance." The CEA is a private, non-profit organization.
Flood insurance illustrates why government does things badly. HUD set up a flood insurance program that was well designed. It discouraged building in flood-prone areas by making the insurance rates there very high, which was appropriate for the risk. However, over the years, residents in flood-prone areas lobbied to get lower premium rates. As a result, the flood program now encourages building in flood-prone areas by providing flood insurance below cost.
DeleteThe CEA is publically managed by a governing board headed by the Governor of the State (Gavin Newsom). It is intended to provide affordable insurance to all who apply. GeoVera and Amica are add-ons to existing policies with high deductibles, not available to all. Amica partners with the CEA or GeoVera. Homeowners policies exclude earthquake coverage. Home loans do not require earthquake insurance either. If the state were not have a major disaster due to a major earthquake along the San Andreas fault (considered overdue by seismologists), those without coverage would be required to pay mortgages on a potentially uninhabitable home. That would be a huge blow to residents as well as the State of California itself.
Deletetypo: were not should be "were to"
DeleteState Farm recently said it was not going to provide fire insurance in CA.
DeleteSo David, why did Bush and Congressional Republicans bail the fuckers out if you lying sacks of shit are so worried about big government spending and its encouraging bad behavior.?
DeleteNo. I still have State Farm insurance on my home. State Farm did cut back in CA
DeleteYou’re evil, David. So is the GOP, and Trump.
DeleteWe have the 2nd Amendment.
DeleteNo need for police or courthouses.
Somerby no longer lives in a functioning brain.
ReplyDeleteEverything is a grift with Trump and the rubes being conned are his own supporters. Tiedrich talks about the Trump phone, a photoshopped image of a fake phone that no one is every going to see, despite giving Trump a $100 deposit on a purchase. As Tiedrich describes (and anyone can confirm) the website now says:
ReplyDelete"A preorder deposit provides only a conditional opportunity if Trump Mobile later elects, in its sole discretion, to offer the Device for sale. A deposit is not a purchase, does not constitute acceptance of an order, does not create a contract for sale, does not transfer ownership or title interest, does not allocate or reserve specific inventory, and does not guarantee that a Device will be produced or made available for purchase." Tiedrich continues:
translation: we’re going to mug you, you’re never going to get your money back, and there’s not one fucking thing you can do about it.
is that even legal? oh right, we live in a country where consumer protection laws have been made to go fuckity-bye. congratulations, MAGA. you voted for thieves who robbed you blind — and then made it impossible for you to get any restitution."
Voters will put Democrats back in office and their first task will be to undo all of the grifting, remove the fake-gold trim and make our government functioning again. Whether you agree or disagree with Democratic Party platform planks, we don't cheat our own people and we don't tolerate the kind of graft, corruption and collusion with foreign enemies exhibited by Trump and the Republicans. Democrats were in the process of prosecuting Trump for his crimes, but the newly elected Republicans made those prosecutions go away.
Somerby says this is a war of all against all. He is wrong. This is a war of good decent people against crooks and conmen and traitors entrenched in our sacred national places, desecrating whatever they touch.
Because: fuck you, what are you going to do about it
DeleteI find myself wondering what part of our nation Somerby finds nonfunctional.
DeleteIt can't be gerrymandering because Somerby was just here some months ago to complain about Maryland being gerrymandered in favor of Dems.
I've never seen so many neurotic, nonsensical blog post comments in my life. Are you people on crack?
ReplyDeleteOdd that crack, an obsolete substance from black inner cities in the 1980s, is the first recreational drug that pops into your mind. Are you working on a Russian troll farm? Hard to see you as any judge of what is neurotic or nonsensical.
DeleteWait, I agree that Somerby is neurotic and nonsensical. Maybe this guy has a point.
DeleteWell, you certainly have memorized the playbook.
DeleteHope you're having a good time.
Crack doesn't cause nonsensical fantasies. You need a psychedelic for that.
DeleteWhatever happened to that rational discourse Somerby was talking about last week? I thought we all agreed that name-calling those you disagree with doesn't fit Somerby's or Habermas's definitions.
Somerby thought Habermas was non-functional too.
DeleteMothers' Day is about women's suffrage and full participation in society. Heather Cox Richardson describes its origins:
ReplyDelete"If you google the history of Mother’s Day, the internet will tell you that Mother’s Day began in 1908 when Anna Jarvis decided to honor her mother. But “Mothers’ Day”—with the apostrophe not in the singular spot, but in the plural—actually started in the 1870s, when the sheer enormity of the death caused by the Civil War and the Franco-Prussian War convinced writer and reformer Julia Ward Howe that women must take control of politics from the men who had permitted such carnage. Mothers’ Day was not designed to encourage people to be nice to their mothers. It was part of women’s effort to gain power to change society...
Howe organized international peace conferences, and American states developed their own Mothers’ Day festivals. But Howe quickly realized that there was much to be done before women could come together on a global scale. She turned her attention to women’s clubs “to constitute a working and united womanhood.”
As Howe worked to unite women, she came to realize that a woman did not have to center her life around a man, but rather should be “a free agent, fully sharing with man every human right and every human responsibility.” “This discovery was like the addition of a new continent to the map of the world,” she later recalled, “or of a new testament to the old ordinances.” She threw herself into the struggle for women’s suffrage, understanding that in order to create a more just and peaceful society, women must take up their rightful place as equal participants in American politics.
While we celebrate the modern version of Mother’s Day on May 9, in this momentous year of 2026, it’s worth remembering the original Mothers’ Day and Julia Ward Howe’s conviction that women must have the same rights as men, and that they must make their voices heard."
https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/may-9-2026
Trump has been defunding our disease fighting capabilities, which is disturbing given the recent hanta virus outbreak:
ReplyDelete"THE ABILITY TO ASSESS this hantavirus outbreak so quickly is testimony to the sophisticated international infrastructure now in place for disease surveillance and response. And that infrastructure didn’t appear out of thin air. It was constructed over time, with much of the essential money, leadership, and expertise coming from the United States.
The worry now—for Marrazzo and so many of her counterparts here and abroad—is that the infrastructure is losing American support, thanks to Trump.
Consider the testing that pinpointed the hantavirus strain this month. It took place in South Africa, which has cutting-edge research facilities full of world-class virologists. And a big reason for that is years of investment from the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, the wildly successful 2003 George W. Bush initiative to fight HIV.
PEPFAR was among the programs that Trump hit with a stop-work order shortly after taking office, temporarily freezing funds and disrupting activities with little notice. And although the administration subsequently restored some funding, it continues to restrict the program in multiple ways—including a dramatic reduction in aid to South Africa, which Trump has (along with former adviser and South Africa native Elon Musk) alleged is undertaking a campaign of “genocide” against white farmers.
“It is the work that was done setting up infrastructure through PEPFAR to do genetic sequencing of HIV that is now paying off, in being able to do genetic screens, sequencing of viruses like this [hantavirus],” Carlos del Rio, another internationally recognized scientist who is a professor of medicine and public health at Emory University, told reporters during a briefing last week. “I worry that, as we disinvest in global health, we’re losing our capacity—our global capacity—to deal with diseases.”
And this isn’t happening just in South Africa. The Trump administration has been dialing back on global health assistance to all countries—sometimes by refusing to spend appropriated money, sometimes by making assistance conditional on countries agreeing to U.S. demands, like ceding mineral rights."
https://www.thebulwark.com/p/hantavirus-outbreak-trump-biothreat-readiness
Joyce Vance from Civil Discourse describes the situation in Alabama:
ReplyDelete"Here’s what the whole gerrymandering debate is about: Who gets to have and exercise power.
The Speaker of the Alabama House delivered a timely reminder, as the state legislature moved at lightning speed to pass “new” voting maps (they’re really, more or less, the old ones that the Supreme Court said were illegal a couple of years back). In a press conference, the Speaker, Nathaniel Ledbetter, called on the courts to “overturn the 14th Amendment.” Press play below to listen to his exact words. There is no ambiguity. He’s talking about the 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution.
Unfortunately, no one followed up to ask Ledbetter which part he objected to. There are five sections in the 14th Amendment. Donald Trump already objects to the guarantee of birthright citizenship: “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.” But the Supreme Court seems likely to hand him a loss in that regard; his executive order is currently on hold while it considers the case.
So maybe it’s the start of the next sentence? “No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States.” Or maybe it’s the following clause: “nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law.” Maybe it’s the provision that prohibits states from denying “any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.” Probably it’s all three. What’s clear is that he wants the courts to say Alabama can use maps that were drawn with the intent to prevent Black people’s votes from counting. In any event, the Supreme Court doesn’t overrule constitutional provisions; its job is to interpret them.
Ledbetter is wrong, no matter how you look at it. He’s wrong about the law and how it works, which is odd for such a highranking law maker. He was elected to the Alabama House in November of 2014, which means he’s been around for long enough to have acquired some experience doing the job and understanding how government works. So making a statement like this amounts to little more than pandering, and the only people to whom a statement like this appeals are (yes, I’m going to say it out loud) racists."
Somerby is unhappy when racists are called racist out loud. But when the intent is to return to districting plans that deny black people participation in elections, that is not only racist but needs to be called out so that all voters know what is happening and why.
But please don’t call the GOP a racist organization.
Delete"What’s clear is that he wants the courts to say Alabama can use maps that were drawn with the intent to prevent Black people’s votes from counting."
DeleteHow does she (or anyone) know that the maps weren't drawn with the intent to prevent Democrats' votes from counting?
Hector, did you read where the Republican said “overturn the 14th Amendment.” Do you know what the 14th Amendment is and why it was passed? How much more convincing do you need?
DeleteYou're asking me a question I didn't comment on. My question concerned the quotation I provided.
DeleteWhat’s clear is that these black majority districts were drawn to rectify historical wrongs. They were supposed to allow black voters to choose the candidates they want. The VRA didn’t have the stipulation that those candidates’ party affiliation should dictate anything about those districts. But because at the moment black candidates are mostly (but not all!) Democrats, that should have no bearing on whether they ought to be able to choose candidates based on the VRA. The republicans are specifically wiping out black majority districts with the pretense that they vote democratic, which is supposedly now allowed by the Supreme Court. Just because the racism is disguised doesn’t mean it isn’t a racist intent.
DeleteYou beg the question. You assert without evidence that racism is the motive for the redistricting without allowing it could just as easily be partisanship.
DeleteNo, it cannot "just as easily" be partisanship. Independent of gerrymandering the State has worked to suppress voting by black and non-white minority voters across the state:
Deletehttps://alabamareflector.com/2025/03/18/study-racial-voter-turnout-gap-in-alabama-in-2024-was-highest-in-two-decades/
Hector, isn’t that why the 1982 Amendments to the VRA were passed and signed by President Reagan?
DeleteRacists quite often make their racism hard to prove. The poll tax in the South was mandatory for all voters. (Did you know that Hector?) but it’s intent was racist.
DeleteAlso, people who are not racists sometimes support racist policies. E.g., illegal immigration has a disproportionately bad impact on black Americans. It has a negative impact on schooling, social programs, jobs and salaries. Most of the people who support illegal immigration haven't noticed this.
DeleteYou’re full of it, DiC.
Delete"the State has worked to suppress voting by black and non-white minority voters across the state"
DeleteOkay. And these non-white minority voters have a higher % of Democrats than white voters. So again, you can't separate racism from partisanship.
"Racists quite often make their racism hard to prove."
DeleteI agree. That's why you're not able to prove it.
And Hector, that is why they passed the 1982 VRA Amendments signed by president Reagan.
DeleteIt's partisanship when the police shoot unarmed black men, too.
DeleteThe police know black men sometimes vote for Democrats.
And according to Grand Wizard John Roberts, partisanship is a virtue to be celebrated and protected by transparently racist policies
Delete‘“Racists quite often make their racism hard to prove."
DeleteI agree. That's why you're not able to prove it.”’
Congratulations to racists everywhere. As long as you say you’re wiping out back districts, which were created to correct centuries of racism, for partisan purposes, you’re in the clear and the racist act of wiping out black majority districts can be labeled non-racist, just as they made sure that all voters had to pay a poll tax, not just black voters. The racist intent, to prevent black voters from voting, was disguised. That didn’t make it not racist.
Also, think about the white voters who felt disenfranchised in Louisiana. The sc found in their favor. Can black voters file a similar lawsuit now? Oops. Catch-22.
Republicans don't care whether they are called racist or not, as long as black people are prevented from voting.
DeleteThom Hartmann explains how right wing influencers are paid via dark money and foreign meddling and affected both the 2016 and 2024 elections to put Trump in office.
ReplyDeletehttps://hartmannreport.com/p/how-rightwing-billionaires-created-d8a?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
What happened to those five busted taking RT money to proselytize for Putin and Trump in 2026? Expect Putin/Trump Regime dropped the charges.
Delete7:19: to answer your question- the same thing that happened to the investigation into who in the NYC FBI field office leaked to Giuliani and Joe DiGenova : it was forgotten to death.
DeleteWhy is the Democratic party historically unpopular?
ReplyDeleteBy registered members, the Democratic Party is the largest party in the U.S. and the third largest in the world. All totaled, 16 Democrats have served as president of the United States.
DeleteAs of May 2026, there have been 19 Republican presidents in United States history. The party was founded in 1854, and Abraham Lincoln was the first Republican to win the presidency in 1861. Donald Trump is the most recent, having served as the 45th and 47th president.
If we don't count the two Republican presidents who became president by cheating (Trump twice), the number of Democratic and Republican presidents are about equal. Also there have been one unaffiliated, two Democratic-Republicans, four Whigs, one Federalist, two National Union party members.
But why are they historically unpopular right now? They are more unpopular than Trump. Why?
DeleteHard to call Trump popular when he lost the popular vote in 2016 (46 to Clinton's 48%) and didn't win a majority in 2024, just a plurality (more than Harris but less than 50%).
DeleteThe only group the party has gained popularity with is rich whites.
DeleteMaybe their current historic unpopularity is because they have become a party of rich whites.
What does the Democratic Party really stand for these days?
Trump is also historically unpopular. No one's calling him popular.
DeleteThe Democratic Party is even more unpopular than Trump though. Why?
Democrats aren't unpopular. Trump cheated with the help of Russia and several billionaires.
DeleteWhen you say "historically" you are talking about over time. You don't get to backtrack and say "right now" just because your assumption about Republican popularity is incorrect.
Stop wasting people's time here, troll.
DeleteGallup puts Democratic Party favorability at 37%. Quinnipiac shows congressional Democrats with only 18% approval and 73% disapproval.
DeleteWhy does the Democratic party have such historically low numbers?
That's the question.
Also, how did the Democratic party become the party of rich whites? And is that really a good thing?
DeleteNope, still a dope.
DeleteHas the Democratic party taken responsibility for and corrected actions that caused them to lose in 2024?
DeleteIs the reason for the Democratic party's unpopularity because the people in the demographics that are leaving the party (all demographics except for rich whites) are not getting the same representation and legislative follow-through that the people that are in the one demographic that isn't leaving the party is?
DeleteAnybody?
Nobody has anything to say?
You don't have any idea why the Democratic party has become so unpopular?
DeleteAll you can offer is nonsensical non-responses?
Popularity politically is like that joke about the two guys being chased by a bear. In almost every recent special election the guy that the bear has caught up with has been a Republican. This included an election in the home territory of Trump's Mar a Lago. The recent loss by Republicans in the Miami mayoral race to a white female Democrat was historic. The complete lack of empathy shown by Trump and his Republican minions for the middle class suffering from what they have done to that group economically has been catastrophic to Republican candidates of late and will be come November. It's the economy, stupid.Trump is breaking records in unpopularity and the party that has placed all its eggs in that basket-case of dementia is flailing because their contempt for the citizens of this country that are not the 1% they are beholding to has been exposed. So sad, but go ahead and try to convince yourself that the bear isn't breathing down your neck.
DeleteThank God the Democratic Party is so unpopular. Can you imagine how much money Republicans would waste gerry-mandering state elections to reduce their political representation, if they were?
DeleteRepublicans would probably waste more money on that then feeding, clothing, and educating their populations.
Can anybody please explain why Fox News doesn't report that the Democratic Party is THE party of white people?
DeleteBueller? Bueller?
Anyone?
8:04,
DeleteI can't be 100% positive, but most likely it's because Fox News' audience is overwhelmingly made-up of bigots who wouldn't take too kindly to Fox reporting that the party which believes black people should have political representation is the party they are voting for more and more.
So the answer is no. No one can explain why the Democratic party has become so unpopular. You have evaded the question and tried to turn it back on to Republicans by changing the subject and offered the typical race fading brain dead non-responses.
DeleteNo one has anything to say about why the Democratic party has lost the working class, why they are seen as culturally out of touch and why they are as unpopular as they have ever been.
I didn't think anybody would be able to explain why the Democratic party has become so unpopular. The truth is, no one here cares.
DeleteFirst of all, 8:23, The favorability ratings of Democrats, Republicans, and Trump are about even right now. Both Democratic and Republican parties have found their favorability ratings dropping over the past 30 years.
DeleteBut having said that, some reasons for the drop in Democratic favorability are:
Relentless anti-Democraric messaging from all media sources, including mainstream media, is one factor. Another is that as the Republican Party has become more extreme, the Democrats have to appeal to a wide range of opinion, from leftist to centrist and even right of center. It’s hard to craft a unifying message. This tends to cause the Democratic Party to seem “centrist”, which some label “neoliberal”, and many leftists dislike that. There’s a lot of internal division amongst Democrats because they are often policy focused, rather than messaging focused. Another reason is Democrats are often irritated with their own party, and wish that democratic politicians would fight more vigorously for their beliefs. Often, democratic candidates want to remain civil and do a bipartisan outreach, rather than go on the attack like republicans do, even though negative campaigns often work for republicans.
The Democratic Party needs to quit shying away from the use of guillotines, if they ever want to be popular again.
DeleteCan anyone explain why I'm called a "libtard" for posting on Right-wing political blogs that the Republican Party is the party of black people?
DeleteStrawman question. Democrats are winning elections. How then can they be considered unpopular?
Delete600,000 MAGAts have put deposits on a Trump smartphone originally slated to be manufactured in the US, with that claim later erased from the website. At 100 dollars per deposit that equates to $60 million. The fine print on the bill of sale includes that the phone may never be produced. It was due out last November. The Trump agency marketing the phones has nothing to say to inquiring reporters about them at this point. The Trump boys explained that their motivation for producing a new phone came from their being unimpressed with the capabilities of those currently on the market. If they presented their online ad to Shark Tank, Kevin O’Leary would like the markup.
ReplyDeleteI correct myself; there are 600,000 deposits for the phone. For all we know 3/4 of them may have come from a single entity.
DeleteThe countries who paid for those deposits did it for the bribery factor, not for the phone itself.
DeleteIt's like Trump's sneakers and the other over-priced pieces of crap foreign nations "purchase" from Trump.
I was reminded of this grift by a MAGA youtuber who got on about how he had put down $400 of deposits and hasn’t seen a single one of the 4 Trump phones he was expecting. The idea that the Trump boys could come up with an improvement over the iPhone made in the USA at competitive pricing apparently made perfect sense. Thank god they’re not involved in anything impacting our national defense, like drone manufacturing. Say what???
Delete