But if she thinks it will be hilarious when she is forced to learn Braille, she has a sense of humor that differs radically from my own.

I'm guessing that's not the case here. FOX News was created for the "Ah ain't much about no readin' " crowd.

No way a maga disgruntled adult is going to learn Braille. I doubt she’s ever given a single thought to kids with serious visual disabilities. It takes motivation, love for reading, and empathy for others to produce the inspiration it takes to learn Braille.

Through my nonprofit organization, for decades I’ve taught Braille to blind and low-vision kids, as well as to slow-learning sighted students. (Learning Braille exercises a child’s brain in a unique way that encourages sighted slow readers to understand printed words easier.)

Even teaching female inmates to write and publish kids’ books and transcribe them into Braille (which was a lot of fun), it was amazing to see their enthusiasm, talent, and pride with their finished works.

I have a huge library of classic literary fiction, as well as pre-school, Dr. Seuss, Alice in Wonderland, complete sets of Harry Potter series in Braille. And a dozen or so of the kids’ “Chatter Books” I write, illustrate, and transcribe into Braille.

The kids and inmates are awesome, and way smarter than this privileged RWer. Plus, it would take a ton of attitude change for her to ever get the hang of it.

🦋 wordstroken

That's impressive-thank you!

MAGAt/Repug says it, they also mean other people... which means YOU. You are indeed getting exactly what you voted for."

If they are suffering the full brunt of Trump's agenda, they have no one to blame but themselves. You know what they say about karma.

...these policies. And it's not like you could have known any of this would happen based on what was said on the campaign trail or what Republicans have been saying for the last couple of decades, right? It is truly a shame you were tricked into voting for all of this. I feel kind of...." And that's about as far as I can make it without bursting into laughter.

I'm not sure they even know I'm making fun of them.

In general, rubbing the current shit in their faces serves no useful purpose at all.

Voters who switched from D to R are capable of changing their minds again, but less likely to do so if we decide to alienate them in personal encounters.

Blacks and Hispanics don’t have white privilege.

Who is NOT diehard MAGA and may have voted for Biden in 2020 or Obama before that.

I'm talking about anyone who voted for Trump in 2024, but is capable of becoming part of the much needed Blue Wave in 2026 & 2028.

This includes black, hispanics, whites, independents ... anyone who can connect their current government-inflicted pain to the actions of the current administration.

Insulting them with clever retorts might provide some temporary satisfaction, but can't help our cause ... and can in fact hurt it.

I was referring to diehard trump supporters who voted for him in 16, 20 and 24.

From within their own communities which has more potential effectiveness.

As opposed to personal insults.

My only reason for posting in this thread is to keep our eyes on the prize -- a Blue Wave that washes away the evils of the orange fascist and his goons.

We need every potential ally in this existential challenge.

Fascists and oligarchs depend on a strategy of divide and conquer -- getting people who are essentially in the same boat hating each other while the rich a$$holes in the super yachts laugh all the way to the bank.

how to keep people with specific interests and needs FROM WAFFLING BETWEEN VOTING republican OR NOT VOTING AT ALL!!!

I don't understand why adults feel the need to be made enthusiastic over a candidate when it's not so much about the candidate but the agenda they represent. It's just so... so... so... childish.

A large segment of voters are not very well informed and/or approach voting like deciding which shows to watch on TV. Unless really attracted to something, they switch channels or just tune out.

Certainly not an adult approach of taking seriously the privilege and responsibility of a citizen engaged in representative government.

Of course, this observation does not apply to everyone who waffles between parties or not voting. One size does not fit all.

After the unprecedented Jan 6 assault on our nation's Capitol, I thought Trump’s political career was at an end. What decent or rational person would vote for him after that? Maybe I shouldn't have been surprised, because I thought GW Bush was finished after no WMD was found in Iraq and the occupation turned into a bloody fiasco.

Of one thing I'm certain: perception trumps reality in politics. During the Vietnam war GW's connections got him a cushy post with the Texas air national guard (which he didn't even finish), while John Kerry volunteered for two tours in the most dangerous assignment in the Navy and was highly decorated -- yet his service record ultimately was a negative in the campaign. He got "swift-boated" by the rightwing noise machine, which is very effective at shaping public perception.

The Biden administration engineered a great economic recovery from COVID. Inflation was a global phenomenon, but was improving in the US in 2024. The Economist magazine (by no means a liberal publication) called the US economy under Biden "the envy of the world" -- but the rightwing noise machine and Trump in particular constantly characterized it as an unmitigated disaster.

History has shown that a big lie repeated often enough -- especially echoed by major media like Fox News -- is perceived by many voters (not just diehard MAGAts) as the truth.

And yet, it still amazes me that so many otherwise normal adults can be fooled into thinking the Republican Party actually looks after the economic interests of folks struggling to get by, despite their long record of opposing policies that actually help people while providing the wealthy with massive tax breaks and financial legislation which has led to the ever widening chasm between the rich and everyone else.

Well, FAFO is really going to bite those easily fooled voters in the a$$ this time. Will they be able to connect the dots to Trump, and remember in future elections that the Republican Party does NOT serve their interests?

I'd like to think so, but recent history does not give me confidence. All we can do is try to help them open their eyes, without turning them away by venting our anger at them.

Like, really badly.

Now, suck on it!

Mostly it’s “They shouldn’t be on it anyway”. “Why should I pay for someone else’s health care”? “I pay for my own groceries. Why shouldn’t they”?

Sure, there’s some grumbling if their employer provided health insurance premiums go up, but they blame that on Obamacare

They love to see the suffering. Long lines at food banks are entertainment. The White House needed renovating. They’re fine so far.

I don’t usually engage, but if I do it’s along the lines of “I hope you don’t think your taxes are going down”.

A great interview with Sarah McBride just after she was sworn in -- particularly on things Democrats need to be mindful of

https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/tnyradiohour/articles/sarah-mcbride-on-the-fight-for-trans-rights

if they are upset about what is happening to others or just feeling sorry for themselves.

For once, let Democrats hold off being the Nice Ones. We've been doing it for years, and the fascists end up using it against us, every time. trump and his hordes have goose-stepped us into full-blown police state status---we can't afford to be polite, anymore. It's their fault, not ours.

but some are unreachable no matter how hard you try

But we don't need them "all" to turn the national tide.

Tolerating monsters like the couple in this photo should not happen.

Consider Mandami engaging with, and really listening to, trump voters.

Consider Deeyah Khan engaging with White Supremacists in her "My documentary about White Supremacy. White Right: Meeting the Enemy."

Deeyah is a courageous and compassionate woman. She wades into the lion's den and focuses on feelings, and how she, and the people she talks to, came to adopt the beliefs they have adopted-- and how those beliefs personally affect her.

Narrative of the whys and lived experience, instead of tossing opposing conclusions at each other, is how we can connect on a human level.

And frankly, whether it sparks reevaluation is not the point. She did not go into this with any expectations of convincing the people she spoke to. She went in with genuine curiosity. The paradox of going in to listen, and being real about where we are, with no expectations, is more powerful than arguing a "fact-based" or logical case.

Sarah McBride explained it very well.

Most Trump voters I know still love what he’s doing.

they are more middle class or above.

nt

...because we told them what they were voting for and warned that all this would happen.