Hate to do it again, another dire prediction but here goes:

[Eliot Rosewater]

Since we are never going to hear an acknowledgment from certain folks who in 2016 created an environment that made it very difficult for people that don’t normally vote to want to vote for Hillary, I guess it’s time to talk about where we actually really are right now.

The suspension of Jimmy Kimmel, one of the loudest and most accurate and effective critics of the piece of shit is a VERY BAD turn of events.

PREDICTION: State to state movement will become restricted soon and the military will be occupying all blue sections of the country as well.

We now have a state media operation and expect Lawrence and Rachel to be gone soon and if you want correct true information you’ll have to go to undercover websites and message boards, hopefully this one will remain open.

Every fucking drop of this was avoidable back in 2016 and I don’t mean from the right.

[marble falls]

1. So we should embrace our new overlords because we can't stop them.??? RESIST!

[Silent Type]

2. I think I'm right on this, but FCC doesn't have the same power over CNN, MSNBC, podcasters, etc. So communications

aren't as likely to be shutdown. I'm sure trump admin will apply pressure and make threats, but they don't have the "We can do this the hard way" leverage.

As to 2016, if you cut through Comey, trump lies, emails, etc., we still would have won if Democrats didn't sabotage Clinton. They friggin gave us trump.

[gab13by13]

9. I haven't checked lately

but the shareholders for CNN and MSNBC are the same people - BlackRock, Vanguard.

Look for CNN to be taken over by a Magat oligarch who is pals with Leon Musk.

freespeechtv.org is still freely speaking out against the dictatorship.

[Silent Type]

11. Do you see shareholders putting pressure on CNN, MSNBC, etc., right now? Think they'll survive.

[Trueblue Texan]

30. That site must have been hacked...

When I go there I get a warning that Apple has locked the site due to a virus warning

[InstantGratification]

50. Is this the place?

When I go to your link, like Trueblue Texan, I get an error.

https://freespeech.org/

[AloeVera]

52. I can get in. I'm in Canada.

Not good...

[róisín_dubh]

62. I have no issues either

I’m not in the US either

[RPM]

59. And who are the owners of those firms' funds?

You'd be shocked at how widely invested the Ontario Teachers' Pension Fund is spread. Gotta play this game in corporate / PE governance too. Can't cede that front.

[questionseverything]

14. Why would you rather blame democrats instead of double checking the counting?

Republicans own and operate the vote counting machines companies, why wouldn’t we hand count the results?

[Silent Type]

16. Jeeeezus. Because we lost and certain so-called Democrats contributed to us losing in 2016.

[Chemical Bill]

66. We didn't lose...

and saying "we lost" is rather like telling Republicans to keep cheating, it's ok with me. I can never say that.

Why do you think the Republicans fought tooth and nail to stop recounts in 2016? Maybe for the same reason they did in 2000? You do remember what the hand recount conducted by the media in 2000 showed as a result, right?

BTW, have you read The Conyers Report? Republicans have doubled down on the things described by Congressman Conyers.

[SocialDemocrat61]

15. Stop blaming democrats

It was Jill Stein and the green party that sabotaged Clinton in 16 and then Harris last year with their purity politics and both sides are the same crap.

[Silent Type]

17. In my opinion it was Democrats who attacked Obama and Clinton on trade. One of those Senate Dems flat out lied that

Obama/Clinton were not going to allow Congress or people to review trade agreements and they were perpetuating a scam on Amercia. Either that Senator lied or was badly misinformed.

It lead to all kind of fights here, it led to Jackpine Radicals, it led to other Dems criticizing Clinton.

IMO we beat ourselves in 2024 against the worst, most easily beatable, candidate in history.

[SocialDemocrat61]

25. Which Senate Democrat lied?

Please be specific. And is there data to support that is cost Clinton votes. Because, it's not here among the top issues for voters in 16:


Plus let's not forget the culpability of the corporate media who treated the email thing like the worst security breach since the Rosenbergs.

[kerouac2]

28. Seriously can't find one thing...

...that is on that list that the repubs are even decent at. Maybe if hugging guns was at the top or something, but our situation is so fubar when you see people vote for the worst possible people for things that are supposed to matter to them as a voter. Sheesh.

[Silent Type]

29. Since you like charts, Howsabout this one-- 45% of Dems either don't know how the feel or think trade deal is bad 2016.

A few percent of those not voting, voting for trump, voting for Stein, etc., easily swung the election that had other problems as well.


And here's just a taste of a Democrat stabbing Obama/Clinton--

https://www.politico.com/story/2015/05/obama-aides-elizabeth-warren-trade-117703

A full-fledged Democratic trade war has broken out. "I love Elizabeth. We're allies on a whole host of issues, but she's wrong on this," President Obama said Tuesday night in an interview on MSNBC's Hardball with Chris Matthews, referring to liberal Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren.

Warren and the progressive left, scarred by trade deals past like the North American Free Trade Agreement, or NAFTA, have launched a vocal fight against granting the president so-called "fast-track" authority to negotiate a 12-country Pacific trade deal.

"Are you ready to fight?" Warren said at a rally April 15 with labor leaders and Vermont liberal Sen. Bernie Sanders standing beside her. "No more secret deals. No more special deals for multi-national corporations. Are you ready to fight? Are you ready to fight any more deals that say we're going to help the rich get richer and leave everyone else behind? Are you ready to fight that?"

https://www.npr.org/sections/itsallpolitics/2015/04/22/401521322/obama-says-elizabeth-warren-is-wrong-on-trade

Then, she continued the criticism right up to 2016 election.

[SocialDemocrat61]

41. That's not what the chart says

It say 45% of registered voters not Democrats. And it also says that most of Clinton supporters think that free trade is a good thing. Plus the articles you linked to are from 15, not 16, over a year before the election and Warren says nothing to criticize Clinton at all.

[Trueblue Texan]

31. Do you think attacking Democrats will help us win future elections? nt

[Silent Type]

37. Quite, honestly, yes in midterm primaries. We need some new representation.

[markodochartaigh]

51. "Do

you think attacking Democrats will help us win future elections?"

Seriously, this. I worked for Bernie phone banking and canvassing. Then when the candidate was Hillary I also phone banked and canvassed. Actually since it was the general election and Trump was the other candidate I did even more phone banking and canvassing. I saw very few of the mainstream, Hillary people who make up 95% of the local party canvassing or phone banking. Before Hillary was chosen I heard quite a number of Democratic voters say that they wouldn't vote if the candidate was Bernie. After the election I heard many of the same people complaining that Bernie cost Hillary the election.
Even now I still hear it. Without mentioning names I wonder if the refusal of certain people to let this false concept die is because they want to sabotage the Democratic party by continuing division.
I'm holding my tongue here so I will sign off for the day.

[Gimpyknee]

39. Harris lost in 2024 because she was a woman, and a black one at that.

There are far more deplorables in our nation than Hillary ever imagined. There’s no way they would ever vote for a woman and certainly not a black one.

[Silent Type]

42. Definitely was big reason. Plus, running against trump as evil was great, if only we had offered something besides that

In my swing state, but typically red, she never had a chance after trump starting running videos of her support sex change operations in jail and her saying when asked if she'd change anything Biden did. Her response was run repitively saying, "Can't think of a thing I'd change." And, then, an immigrant murdered a nursing student, and it turned to chit.

She even offered to remove taxes on overtime and some Social Security, a few days after trump beat her to it.

VP Harris ran a great campaign considering, but I agree with you, there are more deplorables than I ever imagined.

[SamuelTheThird]

19. You have MAGA aligned oligarchs take over these companies

That's how it was done in Hungary. The FCC didn't threaten CBS, the desire for a merger made them act.

[LudwigPastorius]

26. "FCC doesn't have the same power over CNN MSNBC..."

The cable stations will simply be bought by Trump-sympathetic billionaires.

The Ellisons (who bought Paramount and CBS) are now coming for the parent company of CNN.

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/18/opinion/larry-ellison-paramount-cbs-tiktok.html

[W_HAMILTON]

63. There you go again, diminishing the threat that this fascist administration poses.

[yourout]

3. Hilary would have been a good president but she was a lousy candidate

Or at least her campaign managers were.
What they didnt do in Wisconsin should have been enough to forever banish them from ever running another campaign.

[mcar]

7. Oh for god's sake

[Eliot Rosewater]

47. Frustrating isn't it to read right wing talking points on this board

[mcar]

49. Zombie lies never die

[Skittles]

58. it happens quite frequently

always makes me sick

[Skittles]

57. they will never EVER admit it

nope - NEVER

[Trueblue Texan]

33. The plot against Hillary was 30 years in the making. nt

[ImNotGod]

34. HRC's candidacy was fine but Obama should have rooted out the russian agents, starting with the FBI

and raise all kinds of hell about the russians helping tRump but he didn't want to interfere with the election.

[GusBob]

4. Military Occupation, here's how its gonna happen

Between the failing economy (all of it), lack of health care and restriction of opportunities for minorities in education and etc....
all the anti-woke anti DEI war they are waging

Given all that, poverty will increase. When that happens, crime will go up

And boom! boots on the ground and on our necks

[H2O Man]

5. Be here now.

[multigraincracker]

36. Yep the future is always tomorrow

The past is always yesterday

My usual prediction, get ready for a big surprise.

I can’t control how the deck is shuffled, only how I play my hand.

Pretty nice day here.

[H2O Man]

40. "The future's uncertain,

and the end is always near." -- Jim Morrison

Just my opinion, but the killing of Kirk created a spark that didn't light the fuse. Close call, for sure, with yelps of "civil war!" But th powder keg, as Malcolm X taught, remains inert until that tiny fuse catches fire.

[Justice matters.]

6. Never thought the (former) good USA would become a Fascist

military junta. It could not happen there but it's happening, and fast.

[SamuelTheThird]

23. well...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Business_Plot

[Justice matters.]

54. They planned to overthrow the President. Today...

the felonious pedophile and crooked lying president (uh, dictator) is already in charge and he calls the shots.

[LyfeTimeDem]

8. AGREED!

I tried to warn about this even back in 2016

We cannot tolerate ANY dissention in the ranks. Lead, Follow or get the fuck out of the way. This not the time for Festivus of Airing of Democratic Grievances

The SuperPower of the Right is that they take to the Internet like a mob. They do not wait for politicians to lead them....they do not allow their rank and file to criticize them....they decide the issues that they want to pay attention to....

The Right take to the Internet like a crazed horde and spread it far and wide. Repeating the same meassages over and over. Forcing their political leaders to respond to them

They do not limit their posts to "just their friends" and they repeat, repeat repeat everywhere. They do not fear that we will reply to their posts. When we do ...they attack them en masses. They do not just stand by and allow 2 people to just joust it out....they jump in and crowd them out....they gang up.

The point is.....the people we need to get off their asses to vote. Don't vote based on issues. They are people who try like hell to avoid Politics because it makes them uncomfortable. They don't like to be forced to choose a side ...

So what motivates them.....is the need to be on the side that wins. So they vote "perception". They vote on who looks like they are winning. When the MAGAHorde is attacking everywhere .....and we aren't strongly fighting back....they perceive that as "losing" because thats all they have. They don't even know what the issues are much less which side is which issue.

THEY are the target to win....MAGA are not going to be convinced....and neither will certain voters who are on our side. We cannot allow that on-side quibbling....BECAUSE it makes us all look like losers....and that drives that target demographic that finds politics "icky" away. If you have bones to pick with Democrats....now is the worst time to air them.....that time is over for now. ..for our own sakes. It's shit or get off the pot time.

[gab13by13]

10. Whatever

IMO there were enough anomalies in the last election that lead me to believe that Kamala won the election.

Will the 2026 election even be fair?

[Silent Type]

12. Yeah, lets go full steam in mid-terms running on a "we was robbed" platform. That'll work.

[LyfeTimeDem]

13. I agree...

But I also know what the #1 reason given for voting Biden in 2020 and not Harris in 2024 was though I won't mention it, because rules. But suffice it to say that with everything that happened since, that reason was one of many many reasons to vote *for* Harris not against her.

[SamuelTheThird]

18. Maybe

They are fascists and want a fascist regime. No doubt. Is there enough military for a nation this large? It seems logistically difficult. Then again, with the cooperation of big biz and rapid advance of drones, ai and other tech, who knows. It maybe seems likelier that in the attempt to implement all this our economy completely collapses. Anyway, rosy scenarios are hard to conjure at this time.

[haele]

21. From a military perspective...

Hogsbreath is trying to turn the US military, reserves, and national into a mercenary army and navy, with "someone else" providing all the admin, medical, equipment, specs, specialized training, mission, and most importantly - the sustainment and logistics.
What has always made the US Military successful, whether or not the war is "won", is that every combat soldier is supported by at least ten critical non-combatant military person who 1. Understands the Mission, the situation and risks the soldier is facing and 2. Provides the supplies and support that soldier needs to do their job and not be distracted by personal and personnel problems.
Hogsbreath is, for the most part, a mediocre REMF who had enough tactical training to be a knowledgeable driller or trainer for "the tip of the Spear" activities, but very little actual leadership experience - and shows absolutely no understanding of strategy or repercussions of actions.
He relates to the pointy end of the spear the "kill-oligy" of War as it were - and nothing else.
He doesn't understand his precious "Warrior" can't do much actual fighting, and certainly no defending with only a spear tip...
On edit - a lot of military members are going to be let go or see a lessoning of training, responsibilities or chances for advancement because they're "just" a paramedic, or a supply clerk or tech and not a manly he-man fighting man. He's certainly been talking about getting rid of women or not as strong minority men in billets he considers strictly male positions.
I joined the Navy back when that sort of attitude between genders and perceived strength requirements were changing - because it was recognized that the Military in general was much, much smaller and not as flexible as it needed to be for fighting and projecting US strength abroad.

[SamuelTheThird]

22. Yeah, I was thinking about that

Maybe they are envisioning combined ICE, FBI (purged), police, and deputized MAGATs as their general enforcers.

All this seems unwieldy, but if they stage a terror attack or something...

edited:

Just saw this

WASHINGTON — Pentagon leaders are considering a new recruiting campaign that would encourage young people to honor the legacy of assassinated conservative activist Charlie Kirk by joining the military, according to two officials familiar with the planning.

The idea would be to frame the recruiting campaign as a national call to service, the officials said. Possible slogans that Pentagon leaders have discussed include “Charlie has awakened a generation of warriors,” according to the officials.

[IbogaProject]

20. Citizen's United has harmed both partys

in 2016 one candidate was funded mostly by grass roots donations, Obama came up that way, but by 2016 the big money had gotten into picking their choice. Our other candidate was more funded by large donors and had better press coverage but was consistently polling lower in a head to head against the Gop frontrunner. Personally I was going to vote D either way but some others were pulled off, likely via attack ads and a stealth Russian social media campaign. Our losing candidate wasn't holding enough rallies and barely campaigned in either Mi, or Wi. I personally blame citizen's united and all the wealthy scum who were able to shape the campaign narrative by donations and through their increasing control of the national media.

[ancianita]

24. It's harmed the American people thereby, allowing what Bernie calls the oligarchs' class war against the working class.

https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/great-american-class-war

from Bill Moyers' speech at the Brennan Center’s 2013 Legacy Awards,

The Great American Class War

The historian Plutarch warned us long ago of what happens when there is no brake on the power of great wealth to subvert the electorate. He wrote: “The abuse of buying and selling votes crept in and money began to play an important part in determining elections. Later on, this process of corruption spread to the law courts and to the army, and finally, when the sword became enslaved by the power of gold, the Republican was subjected to the rule of emperors.”

We don’t have emperors yet, but we do have the Roberts Court that consistently privileges the donor class.

No emperors yet, but we do have a Senate in which, as a study by the political scientist Larry Bartels reveals, “Senators appear to be considerably more responsive to the opinions of affluent constituents than to those of middle-class constituents, while the opinions of constituents in the bottom third of the income distribution have no apparent statistical effect on their Senators’ roll call votes.”

No emperors yet, but we have a House of Representatives controlled by the far right of the political spectrum that is now nourished by streams of “dark money” unleashed by the gift bestowed on the rich by Citizens United.

[GreenWave]

27. They want us to be all sad.,depressed and defeated, but I, for one, will not!

Folks do your most creative work and thinking. It pisses them off.

[MorbidButterflyTat]

56. Who benefits

from a sad, depressed, and defeated Democratic party? Hm.

[CentralMass]

32. No one candidate or their supporters have moral superiority or the high ground in these elections.

With rehasing details neither camp was above hard ball tactic during the campaign. According to yougov polling that year the number of voters who voted for Hillary in the Primary and then voted for McCain in the general rather than Sanders did so in a much larger margin then Sanders primary voters who voted for Trump when Sanders lost in 2020.

[RandiFan1290]

65. The PUMA movement was massive on DU. nt

[bronxiteforever]

35. So because we lost in 2016 we were predestined to lose in 2024?

Seems like you are cherry picking times. We were in power in 2021-2024. We are in this position today because of the election of 2024.

Maybe at some point people are responsible for their votes. The majority of voters in 2024 elected Trump.
There was no predestination to that. The American public chose him and not us. That is how we got the second Trump term. We survived 2016. 2024 is whole different story.

[wiggs]

38. We past the beginning a long time ago...now we get to see the consequences and it is very bad. We are in

uncharted territory but the destination is coming into view. Not clear there are off-ramps.

[red dog 1]

43. Since you mentioned the 2016 election,

We must not forget one very important fact.

Up to one month prior to the November 8, 2016, presidential election, Cadet Bone Spurs was running neck & neck with HRC in the polls.

Then, on October 7, the "Access Hollywood" tapes came out, and HRC immediately gained a few points in the polls.

By the middle of October, she was 8 or 9 points ahead in most of the polls.

That all changed on October 28, when FBI Director James Comey sent a letter to Congress informing them that "new HRC emails had been found."

Almost immediately, HRC's lead over Shitler vanished and the polls again showed a very tight race.

Democrats weren't responsible for Hillary's 2016 loss.....that A$$HOLE Comey was!

[Eliot Rosewater]

48. Agree with all of that but the scenario I described

Easily accounted for the small number of votes that allow the electoral college to take it for the piece of shit, including all of the Stein votes many were supporters of Hillarys primary opponent.

[czarjak]

53. "Any means necessary"

They've always meant it.

[wiggs]

44. Desperation time! I call on thoughtful republicans and giants of commerce to STAND against

the wind (thanks B) and in a united fashion do what it takes to lay out the case against TSF/fascism/cruelty/lawlessness. An hour long special. A weekly update on socials and networks.

I want to see Cuban, Cheney, Bushes, Cook, Buffet, Kinzinger, Massie, Mary Trump, etc all together on a stage or panel warning Americans about what is coming. Isolated dem objections, posts, and interviews on MSNBC are not enough. We need much, much more. I'll even take foreign pundits and officials. Former cabinet members such as Bolton, Milley, McMaster, Kelly...goprs who have worked with him and became horrified.

This is an all hands on deck moment and they need to do much better.

I support Schiff and Swalwell and others who speak out...100%...but they won't be the ones to change our trajectory. Celebrities and dem officials don't reach the people that need to wake up.

[KPN]

45. Somehow I don't think the squeaky wheel dynamic

works in this particular case.

[Kaleva]

46. Rule of thumb is 20 soldiers for every thousand civilians

Would need an army of 5.5 million

[MorbidButterflyTat]

55. Jimmy Kimmel is a comedian

Not seeing him as an "effective critic."

[Eliot Rosewater]

60. I will add Jimmy Kimmel brilliantly and daily and effectively

Destroyed the piece of shit in the White House and exposed him for what he is.

And was an extremely “effective critic“

[BWdem4life]

61. Hate to do it? It's all you seem to do. nt

[betsuni]

64. With Trump itching for war, the Obama-drones-drones-WWIII/Hillary "Queen of the Warmongers"-warhawk idiots

can fuck off. Fuck you.

[Cosmocat]

67. It goes back long before 2016

This country has been indulging right wing lunacy my whole life.

Saw where this was headed in the 90s.

The battle was mostly lost by 2016, DT just high jacked it.