I say YES. YOU say NO....Numero Tre! Enjoy!
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FactChecking Trump’s ‘Fact Check’ of the State of the Union© Provided by FactCheck.org
Former President Donald Trump promised to provide a live “play by play” via Truth Social to “correct, in rapid response, any and all inaccurate Statements” made by President Joe Biden during his State of the Union address. But we found many of Trump’s alleged corrections were … factually incorrect.
- Under Biden, Trump claimed, “Migrant Violence is leading to the Worst Crime Wave in History!” But homicides and violent crime in general have been trending down the last two years and is nowhere near historic levels.
- Trump alleged that Biden “wants to take away everyone’s gun.” Biden has called for a ban on so-called assault-style weapons and large-capacity magazines, but he proposed a voluntary buyback for those already legally owned, and he has never proposed banning or confiscating all guns.
- Trump said the bipartisan border security bill that failed in the Senate would have “let at least 5,000 Migrants in a day.” That’s not accurate.
- Trump claimed that he “got the NATO Nations to pay up,” and that before he got involved, “NATO was BROKE.” NATO was not “broke” and countries don’t owe money to anyone else if they spend less on defense than other member countries.
- Trump claimed that he “took away Nord Stream 2” — the Russian pipeline that would double the export of Russian natural gas to Germany — from Russia and Biden “gave it to them.” Neither of those statements is true.
- The former president said that “Biden’s All Electric Car Mandate is a disaster for our Country.” But there is no such mandate.
- He claimed that the Jan. 6 Capitol rioters “had no guns” on them. At least five people were charged with or sentenced for carrying a gun on Capital grounds.
- Trump claimed that “Republicans have no plan to cut Social Security,” but some Republicans have proposed raising the retirement age for some future beneficiaries. That would reduce scheduled benefits for those affected.
- Trump claimed, “We are stronger on IVF than the Democrats!” Most Republicans have said they support in vitro fertilization, or IVF, but some want to leave the issue to the states and have rejected consideration of a federal law to protect access to IVF.
For our article on Biden’s speech, see “FactChecking Biden’s State of the Union.”
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Looking for and enjoying beauty is another way to nourish the soul. The universe is in the habit of making beauty. There are flowers and songs, snowflakes and smiles, acts of great courage, laughter between friends, a job well done, the smell of fresh-baked bread. Beauty is everywhere, ready to nourish the soul. It must only be seen to begin helping us.
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The Congressional hearing with Tur is on tv. I listened for a bit but then left it. It is going to be the same old thing. The Democrats attempting reason and respect and the Reps. the total opposite. Listening to Matt Gaetz just got to me. For one thing (and he is no different) the Reps. are very adept at asking a question that they don't really allow you to answer. They will paint the situation to fit their narrative which is anything to be used to make Pres. Biden look old and in-competent and just as CRIMINAL as The Loon.
They have wasted the time, energy, money and very much my patience of the constituents that make up the U.S. and our government. I so hope some of the worst offenders end up ousted as soon as it can take place starting with this election.
I hate that The Loon will be having a lot more voice from now til' whatever happens to him. I still think in his condition he won't make it clear up to election. Just seems to me that he is having what sounds like a rather fast dive into his dementia. That being the case, I don't think the media can keep pretending that he is highly viable and is in condition to swamp Pres. Biden.
Mistakes like thinking posting bond gives him leeway to go into tirades again about Carroll, James, Chutkan and some of his other targets really speaks to me that he is very jumbled now.
I kept wondering actually how that meeting with Orban went and whether it was maybe difficult for Orban to even keep up with anyone so far into their demented state.
Although there is much to hate, there is going to be much to watch and we still have to work just as hard no matter if some last minute choice has to take over at election time.
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Did you ever notice that his idols are as despicable as him and have very little, it any, redemptive qualities? I think Hilary hit the nail on the head when she called his followers "despicables" and it probably cost her the election but she was right to as my mother would have said "a spade as a spade".
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Well Betrayal, birds of a feather and all that. The Loon wouldn't know how to admire anyone who is normal, kind and good. He has always given such meaning to that little phrase: me, myself and I. I think the lady he married is so much like him.
Well, we can all be happy there is a normal to have and we can revel in that. No one gave me a choice, but this is just what I would have picked. I know everyone here feels the same way.
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I came across a great Huff Post article about women who use the “fundie baby voice”, the tone Katie Britt used in her rebuttal speech. Will put the link below. For years, the antiDuggar forums I follow have criticized the baby voice of mom Michelle Duggar and I’m glad the strange practice is being called out.
On a side note, my sister-in-law (dh’s oldest sister) is one to use the high pitched childlike voice. It’s ingrained into her personality. She’s in her 70s, is pleasant enough, but an evangelical Christian that mentions God or Jesus in practically every other sentence. She’s been married over 50 years, her and her husbad look great, are successful, as are their grown children and grandchildren around whom their world revolves. But for all that, she is so baby-like I find it hard to take. Yes, that whole family voted for Trump altho my SIL doesn’t talk too much about politics; she’s into Jesus. She always speaks as if she’s 100% right and as if everyone around her thinks the same way as she does. She has no interest in a discussing a different perspective or opinion. Totally lives in a self-created bubble.
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Great but disturbing article on more than one plane. Tuberville's characterization of this woman is even more disturbing because he sees her not as a fellow Senator but as a housewife which effectively strips her of any power in a what is a power position and world. Would he like it if he was described as a coach (which he was) rather than as a Senator? I am sure he hangs on to his new title with both of his ineffective hands. Both in my book are losers and we as a nation, deserve better representation than wantabes.
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Ick, so disturbing…….although some people just really do have unusual voices. You would swear that one of my cousins is a smoker because of her raspy 'smokers voice'. She has never smoked & has sounded like that since she was a little tiny girl.
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Sure, there are all kinds of distinctive voices. The following paragraphs from the article make a good point, though, about how a baby-like voice can intentionally be used to manipulate or cover up darker matters:
While that infantilizing voice might captivate audiences in a Hollywood context, it’s associated with a more sinister agenda in political and religious circles.“That baby voice is a means to an end, a highly manipulative voice,” (Tia) Levings (who fled fundamentalism) said. “It’s meant to keep women subservient, soft and contained. It’s the sugar that helps the medicine go down when they use a woman to deliver a patriarchal message with that voice, to say things that men seemingly cannot say. But it’s dishonest.”
She highlighted the contrast between a politician saying she espouses family values in a sweet voice and then taking actions that suggest otherwise, like voting for policies that harm real families.
“What they produce is a lot of abuse and subjugation,” Levings added. “And it always stings more when a woman is used as a tool of the patriarchy to promote it. They’re the Aunt Lydias and Serena Joys (cruel characters from A Handmaid’s Tale) of the program ― brought in and given power when it suits men, but they will be discarded when it’s no longer useful to those men.”
The fundie baby voice often masks a deep darkness. Behind Michelle Duggar’s soft, childlike voice was the secret of her son Josh’s child sexual abuse. Kelly Johnson’s sweet tones in public appearances attempt to cover up the anti-LGBTQ+ hate in her business dealings.
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Thank goodness that has never caught on where I live! I know quite a few people who go to churches that are very, very conservative; and none of them talk like they are 6 years old!
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One more excerpt from the article, words attributed to Democratic activist Jess Parker. (She has a website with some interesting stories; here’s a link if you’re interested: )
“I grew up around many kind women who spoke like that, and they were good people who genuinely cared about and wanted to help others,” she said. “That’s just how they learned to talk in their communities. But when I hear that voice from people in power, that’s when I have a visceral reaction. That’s when I pay attention to what they’re doing.”
Piper urged those who are interested in the fundie baby voice phenomenon to educate themselves on the Christian nationalist movement in U.S. politics and the Project 2025 agenda. Directing ire toward those in power is more useful than tearing down everyday women for the way they were trained to speak.
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I was surprised that this fundie baby voice was actually a “thing”! I had always been a bit weirded out by Michelle Duggar’s half whispered, breathless childlike voice but learning that women are purposely cultivating that voice? Ick, just no,no, no…
In Yiddish (a language not a religion though it was almost exclusively spoken by Ashkenazi Jews) , we have yenta voices for your loud neighborhood gossips and balabusta voices for bossy take charge women. These stereotype voices/behaviors are looked upon with a touch of humor and tolerance but it’s not something to cultivate.
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Scarlett's version was so good it was almost as confusingly real as Tina Fey's version of Sarah Palin. The real thing was excruciating. I am a wife, I am a mom, I have school aged children, my kitchen is tidy, we sit at the table and talk —- . Did she also say and I can still work as a Senator?
Living in Canada makes me excruciatingly aware of what an impact a re-election of Trump would mean - to Canada and the rest of the world. To make things worse it is likely Trudeau will be defeated and we will get an anti-vaxxer, anti-masker, anti-health mandate and Freedom Convoy trucker supporter as PM. Alberta is Canada's Texas and Pierre Poilievre is an Albertan through and through. Could it get any worse. Yeah - it could.
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This is a good editorial by Tony Bender from my local paper, the title is 'The Republican Party is Circling the Drain":
Donald J. Shawshank’s primary victories last week weren’t surprising considering the ongoing shortage of lithium. However, Nikki Haley winning more than 30% of the votes in several states sent an ominous signal about Trump’s chances in November. You in danger, girl.
It’s possible that scads of MAGAs simply forgot what day Super Tuesday was —or maybe it’s an indicator of Trump fatigue and the deepening divide between “traditional” Republicans and the Insane Clown Rooskies.
Then Joe Biden delivered a lively State of the Union speech on Thursday, March 7, that completely upset the narrative that he’s a drooling, Depends-wearing, incoherent stumblebum. Afterward, 64% of viewers reacted positively. He was glib, feisty, and, unlike Trump, able to remember his wife’s name.
The largest viewership was on Fox, an audience that’s been gaslit for years about a feeble-minded President Gump. Imagine their surprise. Meanwhile, propagandists and political sycophants have been covering for Trump, who’s speaking fluent gibberish these days. Concealing his mental decline until November will be tricky, especially if he gets what he wants — a debate. I. Can’t. Wait.
Americans may be inattentive, but they’re not stupid. As the comparison between the candidates becomes more stark, Trump’s support will wither. Biden won in 2020 by 7 million votes. A percentage of Haley’s supporters will peel off. Moderates will support Biden because they support democracy over autocracy or they’ll boycott the election altogether. Should any court cases go to trial before November, the evidence against Trump will peel off even more.
The elephant in the room though, is Roe v. Wade — the attack on women’s rights. When you subjugate half the population, you’ll lose votes. Votes Trump can’t afford to lose.
Even if he overcomes that, it won’t matter if in the meantime the Supreme Court decides that presidents have immunity from things like insurrection. Dark Brandon may simply continue his presidency and do
heinous woke things like mandate vegan gayness. Hey, your rules, dude.It won’t be half as weird as things have gotten in Trumpworld. Sen. Katie Britt, aka Asthmatic Handmaid Karen, delivered such a doomy-gloomy response to Biden’s speech that Norman Vincent Peale, Tony Robbins and Zig Ziglar made a suicide pact.
Her bizarre appearance was preceded last week by Doug Burgum’s own flaccid interview
on CNN. (my note: Burgum is the current Governor of North Dakota. He isn't running for re-election & has gone full Trump, sucking up for a potential Cabinet position.) Looking like a man who’s being waterboarded between media appearances, he couldn’t answer a basic question: Would he have certified the 2020 election results? He’s had months to come up with an answer. Apparently, he’s reinventing decisiveness. Or perhaps the “smartest guy in the room” is beginning to realize he’s jumped aboard a sinking ship. He appeared dizzy. It makes sense. The Republican Party is circling the drain.Tony Bender writes an exclusive weekly column for Forum News Service.
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Good article, Ruth. I sure sure hope the Donald is in danger. I cannot allow myself to feel like our whole country is out of danger until Biden is officially reelected. I do hope the contrast between the two candidates becomes more stark. I hope that women voters turn out in full force to send a message that they will not allow their rights to be taken away.
Living in Ohio and having a Republican owned local tv station means every Republican running for anything around here from councilman to state representative emblazons every campaign commercial with the words “Trump supporter”. It’s nauseating. These men—it’s almost all men—exhibit so much toxic masculinity in their ads. And it’s like their big claim to fame is that they support Trump. Like it’s the main reason to vote for them. He’s their ticket to winning an election. Bleh!
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Btw, I’m a little late on the Dark Brandon thing. I just heard of it a day or two ago. I guess it came about during the Super Bowl, some conspiracy that the game would be rigged, yadda yadda yadda then Taylor and Travis would tell everyone to vote for President Biden. And there’s a picture of President Biden with lasers coming out of his eyes. Except what started as a Republican conspiracy became a meme President Biden embraced! Which I love. But I just heard about it, lol.
Also, I’ve begun to always refer to Joe Biden as President Biden. It may be semantics, but I want to show others that I respect the man holding the highest office in the country.
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In North Dakota, there are two candidates trying to get the Republican nomination for governor. When watching TV, I am continually muting their commercials as they try to 'out-Trump' each other. One is a woman, so here it's not toxic masculinity, it's toxic Trumpisim.
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I’m a big user of the “mute button”, too, Ruth!
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I'm afraid I'll burn out the remote control with all the muting I'll be doing from now until November!!😶
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elderberry, I'm glad you are reading here. Hopefully, it will give you a little peace and comfort and hope. I do think many nations may be holding their breath for our next up-coming election. I have never as yet lost my hope that as the Titanic went so will go Trump.
I've never been able to believe in a second chance for him, but I have had hopes diminish now and then when I'm in a less that optimum state. I try not to let it happen, but sometimes things pile up on you and it takes a bit to work out of it.
Divine and Ruth. I enjoyed your links. I have to read more. I wasn't entirely sure of "fundie" voice either, but I did so hate listening to Britt w/o realizing she was into killing your resistance with a soft, gentle but insistent voice. Woman to woman and since I am not in the least evangelical and or subservient, it made me feel like she thought I might be a little less educated and needed her to speak clearly, with a condescending smile so I'd know how much she wanted to HELP me. My outlook: you wasted your time with me totally. I'm just not into it at all. After reading the articles I see why Ms. Britt garnered and high amount of derision for her actions. She sure hit the wrong note for everyone I know.
Divine, I think early on a few on the right started referring to Pres. Biden as Brandon. So, I guess the first time I saw reference to Dark Brandon I was prepared.
Hats off for referencing our wonderful Joe as Pres. Biden to show respect. I could never (just the thought nearly makes me sputter and choke) call Trump by the word. I detested him since my first attempt to watch "The Apprentice". I don't know how it happened, but I could feel the evil oozing out of that man for the whole ten minutes we tried to watch the show. We never turned it on again and I have never watched the Loon anywhere at any time w/o feeling that ugly feeling coming from him.
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Divine: "Good article, Ruth. I sure sure hope the Donald is in danger. I cannot allow myself to feel like our whole country is out of danger until Biden is officially reelected. I do hope the contrast between the two candidates becomes more stark. I hope that women voters turn out in full force to send a message that they will not allow their rights to be taken away."
I hope that the anger and disgust pools over into the Houses as well. If the Dems can land the Presidency and majorities in Congress again, I hope they won't squander their chances to kill the filibuster and pass some solid changes.
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