The Washington punditry thinks the second GOP debate on CNN tonight is mostly about Trump, what antics he’ll pull, and who will emerge as a major challenger to him. But they’re wrong. It’s about the Republicans having a second bite at a big prime-time national audience — thereby leading the American public to think the biggest issues facing the nation are the size of government, the deficit and debt, taxes and spending, gay marriage, abortion rights and Planned Parenthood, undocumented immigration, and Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
But the biggest issues facing America are inequality, stagnant wages, the buying-off of our democracy by big corporations and Wall Street, structural discrimination against blacks and Latinos, the growing number of American children in poverty, and the size of our military budget.
Yet these issues aren’t on the tops of many American’s minds because the Republican race – including Trump – is getting so much free publicity. Democrats haven’t had a national TV debate, and Trump is an entertaining huckster. — Robert Reich
PrairiePopulistsAndProgressives.net 
I’ve said this before – our country is in this mindset of Middle School.
If you just close your eyes and simply listen to what is being said by these Republicans – it is scary to think that our country has been dumbed down to the point where we are today.
I believe Reagan started this dumbing down of Americans – and I think it was a deliberate strategy to allow tthese corporations to take over everything.
And then to cement the dumbing down – reality t.v. came into existence. Just look at our choices in television and media. There are very few networks that are not corporate-owned (maybe Public Television is the only one that is not corporate owned?).
Each side has their own paid-for mouthpieces. But given the two choices – I’ll take the Democrats because they don’t wear their robes of self-righteousness and preach down to me.
I don’t know what it will take to wake up this country.
Maybe it’s too late?
Bullying Experts: Trump Is an Eighth-Grade Girl
Don’t let the comb-over fool you. Donald Trump’s rhetorical style is straight out of middle school.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/09/16/bullying-experts-trump-is-an-eighth-grade-girl.html
http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20953213,00.html
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I did not watch the debate but I did see news coverage showing Rand Paul saying something that I actually agree with – Republicans acting like we’re in junior high.
And what did the main target of Rand Paul’s criticism – Donald Trump – do in response to this assessment – showed us exactly that some of us ARE still in junior high!
How any Republican can continue to support any of these buffoons on that stage is beyond me…
When Republicans keep yammering about how America was founded on God’s laws – I have to ask one question: Which God would that be?
The Founding Fathers used the word Creator a lot – instead of the word God.
So – again – which Creator would that be?
God is a term that could be viewed in many different ways – depending on the person’s viewpoint.
I know some self-professing Christians that worship Money – which is their real God – IMHO.
So – anything in this world can become a person’s God – can’t it?
Since when does the word God mean ONLY the Christian God?
And while we’re on that topic – which Christian denomination is God the head of – Baptist, Methodist, Catholic, Mennonite, and a bunch of others.
As we’ve discussed before – I’ve known Baptist churches that cannot get along because one believes they are more holy than the other one.
Maybe the problem is organized religion?
Religion is a man-made set of rules. Faith is Spiritual. NEVER confuse the two.
I sure like this..
I hope you do not mind often I share the picture on my Facebook page. For the most part they are spot on. Secondly it is such a great jab at some of my more conservative kin! As you might guess for some odd reason I can not keep my mouth shut?
Good to see you R.D. – how’s things going?
Jim Wright of Stonekettle Station says:
Melinda M. Snodgrass in a comment about the Republican debate last night (and Jeb Bush’s idiotic “Margaret Thatcher” suggestion), asked, “these clowns couldn’t think of a single worthy American woman?”
Apparently not.
My comment on Melinda’s post went something like this:
Three of them said Rosa Parks, Rubio, Cruz, and Trump – and Trump only AFTER he suggested his wife.
They said Rosa Parks because she was the only famous woman they knew and they – Cruz in particular, only knew her because they’ve been comparing her to Kim Davis. For them to suggest Rosa Parks, particularly Cruz, was damned near an insult.
Kasich suggested Mother Teresa, because he likes the idea of a Catholic religious figure. But Mother Teresa is also not an American and never did any work in the US. and after her death it turned out she’d lost her faith long, long ago. She also didn’t speak English worth a damn, something you’d think would be a deal breaker with these people.
Carson suggested his mother. You’d think maybe a famous woman from the medical field, Clara Barton maybe – but that suggestion came from Walker of all people. Here’s a guy who was a doctor, an African American, a republican who loves babies, right? You’d think maybe he’d reflexively spit out Dr. Ginny Apgar or Dr. Rebecca Crumpler. But nope, hi mom!
And the only woman on the stage had NO suggestions. Nothing from Business even. Just … nothing.
Republicans. Couldn’t even come with an actual list, ten names of famous or important American women.
Off the top of my head: Sojourner Truth, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Prudence Wright, Susan B. Anthony, Harriet Tubman, Betsy Ross, Martha Washington, Helen Keller, Francis Perkins, Mary Todd Lincoln, Grace Hopper, Ayn Rand (After all, these are Republicans for fuck’s sake), Eleanor Roosevelt, Lady Bird Johnson, Nancy Reagan (She’s not dead, but again, Republicans, right?).
I mean, goddamn, these people want to be President right? And they don’t give enough of a shit about 52% of the population or the history of the United States to be able to come up with a couple of names?
Maybe these Republicans need to ask Mitt Romney for his binders full of women. Remember that one?
The sly cousin of overt sexism, benevolent sexism is expressed in what are considered positive ways. We see it in everyday paternalism that renders women financially, psychologically, emotionally, politically and even legally in many places, less than full adults and turns men who would be their peers and partners into their functional fathers.
This is exactly the same as the old paternalism that slavemasters expressed. “But we’re TAKING CARE of them. They can’t take care of themselves. If we freed them, they couldn’t survive without us!” That intelligent women support this party astounds me.
http://www.rolereboot.org/culture-and-politics/details/2015-09-we-love-women-on-the-gops-endless-display-of-benevolent-sexism/#.VfshQk4nCsg.twitter
There’s intelligence – and then there is being smart. IMHO – too many Republican women may be intelligent but they’re not using their brain to it’s full ability.