Has anyone else become more cynical/realistic in the last year?

[Laura PourMeADrink]

Now, when some new GOP scandal/travesty comes out, my mind immediately bypasses

"This is the one! This is the act that's going to get them"

-and goes to-

"Is there an actual crime with hard evidence that a prosecutor will indict on?"

If the answer is likely no, then mental self-preservation kicks in to take it with a grain of salt, knowing also that the story will die within 24 hrs.

[msfiddlestix]

1. Self Deleting, cuz I totally mis read your post... my bad.

And I totally feel the same.

[gab13by13]

6. That's not what she is saying at all,

she is saying it gets, I will use the word, depressing, when people are never held accountable.

[msfiddlestix]

7. Gee, I totally misread that. I feel as you just described.

editing to say, I just re-read the post, and I had certainly misread it.

my bad. thank you...

[Jerry2144]

2. I am starting to feel the same way

And the media won't report on their crimes because they don't want to seem biased. They'll sit on a Republiklan crime story until they can both sider it.

Here's an example of how it feels like the media portrays this stuff.:
"Emails and text show that Ginny Thomas was deeply involved in the attempted coup attempt on January 6. And more evidence has been exposed that shows Gym and Matt are involved in Pedophilia. But we just learned today that the Democratic Dog Catcher in Springfield got a speeding ticket for traveling 1 mph over the posted speed limit. This proves that all Democrats are corrupt and should not be in office. "

[Laura PourMeADrink]

37. On that line, I will NEVER get why we didn't have a full force PR ready

and waiting when the House Committee concluded that Trump lied, hid, minimized covid and purposely withheld PPE early on.

I have a personal interest in this, and I remember that day vividly when it came out. I am still astounded that the story virtually died that afternoon. And we didn't hype it. It was like a slap in the face to those of us who lost someone.

[doc03]

3. Same here every few days more damning evidence comes out but I

have come to the conclusion it just doesn't matter anymore. Both sides are dug in nothing
concerning Trump or Jan 6th will matter this fall. Like Bragg that was no surprise.

[Bettie]

4. Mental self-preservation is the right phrase

I'll believe it when I see it with regard to rich white dudes seeing consequences for their actions.

Hope is costly when it is smashed over and over.

[msfiddlestix]

30. Amen to that, Sister.

Hope is costly when it is smashed over and over

[Claustrum]

5. I don't know why the standard for democrats and republicans are so different.

If there is any rumors of wrongdoing for democrats, they are guilty and then some more. If you are a republican, you are not guilty until you are going to jail, and for some, even going to jail or getting pardon means they are not guilty.

Maybe it's because our base still have moral and standard when we choose our representative. And frankly, that's part of why I am a democrat. But the difference between how a democrat and a republican is treated is beyond crazy.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

21. That is so true. We are holding on to the past when truth mattered

Will it matter again?

I do think that they are very good at personal promotion in PR though. But it all points back to truth. And even though we know we can probably get away with the same thing, saying something isn't true, we still hold on to values.

[mopinko]

8. i'm beginning to think there's little hope for the species.

[CrispyQ]

9. "No matter how cynical you get, it is impossible to keep up." Lily Tomlin

I don't know why so many DUer's have faith that Trump will be held accountable. We've been letting repubs get away with shit since Reagan & we wonder why the same bad actors keep popping up.

[msfiddlestix]

12. I actually think it's a just loud but small crowd that has faith he will be held accountable

sort of curious how silent they are regarding Manhattan office.

[hamsterjill]

22. Yes, where are they?

With their cheerleading that Trump is going to be arrested any minute?

Pretty much crickets right now after lambasting those of us who have been saying that nothing would happen from the beginning.

[msfiddlestix]

27. I only wish they were right!

I wanted desperately to be wrong.

[hamsterjill]

32. As did I.

I still hope to be at some point, but that hope is fading.

[msfiddlestix]

15. forgot to mention, i relate to the Tomlin quote.

[CrispyQ]

29. Me too! It resonated the first time I heard it! -nt

[Hoyt]

10. Learned my lesson waking up 2 or 3 times every night to see if Fitzgerald arrested bush.

As far as I'm concerned, the ultimate court -- voters -- convicted trump. I'm happy with that and watching him whine and moan.

I'm tired of seeing us stuck on retribution -- deserved as it is -- while there are other things we need to concentrate on.

Holding trump accountable -- which I don't think is even possible -- won't change a damn thing for the better. So far, we have lost momentum in the Select Committee's investigation, turned on a duly elected Democratic DA, bashed Garland, etc.

But, it appears we'll be looking for convictable evidence on trump for decades while GOPers take over national offices. And I doubt we are going to find the map trump drew with a Sharpie showing where the various state militias and rubes could enter the Capitol.

[msfiddlestix]

14. i don't feel that's fair.

the bit about wanting to hold him accountable, if it isn't meaningful with sustaining impact then what's the point in fighting for justice and accountability at all?

[Hoyt]

18. If it would change anything, I'd agree, assuming it's even possible. But it won't change anything.

[msfiddlestix]

23. I hate to agree with this point. Sadly, I do agree.

I think that's part that is so deeply painful.

painful perhaps, because I grew up with a basic fundamental belief (even if flawed) in the principles of our democracy and at least a measure of judicial accountability of the elite class in positions of power.

Though it's never ever been real in our country's entire history from the very beginning, I feel at the "mechanisms in our institutions still work do some degree worthy of respect.

But nope, and that is hard and deeply painful to accept.

[Hoyt]

24. +1. We are going to have to beat these MFers at the polls.

[msfiddlestix]

31. Yeppers

kick their mf'ing asses to boot.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

33. What if we were to just concentrate on PR instead.

I'd like to see. We don't have to sacrifice your values to orchestrate better PR. Common message, repeated constantly, ads, surrogates on every network. Leaning toward questioning appearances of acts rather than all out accusations.

[CrispyQ]

35. Our side doesn't do marketing, Laura.

Drives me fucking crazy!

The right has more successfully branded our side than we have. Tax & spend democrats. Socialists. Baby killers. They've spent decades funding think tanks to craft their message & buying up radio/TV stations to broadcast it. We may be too late to fight such a huge media machine of misinformation. We dropped the ball big time when we let them dominate the narrative. Can it make a difference, now? IDK, but I don't think we're even gonna try.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

39. So true. And to complicate matters if we want to

Try and remediate is the current state of information overload and that there is no universal source of truth that everyone abides by.

[Nay]

40. Sad but true. Thousands of Democrats, lowly ones and highly-placed ones, want

to see the Dem admin hire an Al Franken to run our media machine, and fund the necessary institutions to start broadcasting to all. 30 years we've tried to get them to do this. I have no idea why it hasn't been done.

[CrispyQ]

26. Trump is what happens when you don't hold the Regans & Bushs accountable.

If he skates, expect to see dismal democratic turnout at the polls.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

34. Also not holding trump accountable very early on

Hell his staff started polishing up resumes when he fired Comey. Always liken it to a child who steals money out of his mom's purse every day and the mom doesn't punish him for a whole year. Trump's approvals were at their lowest at the end of 2017 when Steve Cohen D-TN and others introduced articles of impeachment on 11-15-2017.

[Hoyt]

36. No, trump is what happens when Democrats get ticked off because their guy didn't win primaries.

trump would have been beaten in 2016 if Democrats hadn't protested by not voting, voting for trump, voting 3rd Party, etc. And there were some Democratic office holders who were bashing Obama and Clinton right up to Nov 2016.

[GoodRaisin]

11. Definitely more cynical for me. nt

[hamsterjill]

13. I stay angry!!!

I want the Democrats to fight! Even more so since we’ve been witness to the fortitude and resolve of the Ukrainian people.

We are losing our Democracy and I want to fight to keep it!!!

[XanaDUer2]

17. I'm dishearted

I doubt there's some behind-the-scenes plan for justice. Just my non-expert opinion

[malthaussen]

16. No, that would be just about impossible.

But if other people are getting tired of the hourly "bombshells" that are no more important than a wet firecracker, I understand. I think you're on the right track: the only word that matters is "indictment," although it is not as good as "convicted." To say nothing of "sentenced."

Other than that, the media is wasting your time.

-- Mal

[PufPuf23]

19. Too often the Democrats appear to be the Washington Generals playing the GOP Globetrotters.

Have lost faith and trust over time of stuff even making sense, that acting in bad faith is what works in the USA system and for humanity in general.

Perceive the body politic experiences cascading insults that are in lock step with the planetary breakdown from human overpopulation caused by overuse of fossil energy.

Not optimistic.

[DLevine]

20. I remain as cynical as I was last year.

I don't see Trump or any of his cohorts being brought to justice. I really hope I'm wrong.

[Sneederbunk]

25. Yes, thanks to Garland and Bragg.

[Midnight Writer]

28. My cynicism goes to my fellow citizens. I have lost faith in so many of them.

[Crunchy Frog]

38. I think that happened to me in the previous year.