The Right Rev. Mariann Budde, the Episcopal bishop of Washington, D.C., reflected Tuesday on the current American political climate and the need for "true unity."
"It goes without saying that, in a democracy, not everyone's particular hopes and dreams can be realized in a given legislative session or a presidential term, not even in a generation," Budde said during remarks at an interfaith prayer service at Washington National Cathedral with the president, Vice President JD Vance and their spouses in attendance. "But for some, the loss of their hopes and dreams will be far more than political defeat, but, instead, a loss of equality and dignity and their livelihoods."
Given this, she asked, if "true unity among us" was possible and why we as a nation should care about achieving it.
"I hope we care because the culture of contempt that has become normalized in this country threatens to destroy us," Budde said. Pointing to what sociologists call the "outrage industrial complex," which she says is fueled by a divided America. "Contempt fuels political campaigns and social media and many profit from that. But it's a worrisome— it's a dangerous way to lead a country."
She said that, with God's help, unity is possible. While it won't be perfect, "for we are imperfect people and an imperfect union," it will be "sufficient enough to keep us all believing in and working to realize the ideals of the United States of America," Budde said.
America…it’s like watching the Fall of Rome. There is no other democracy, from Norway to New Zealand, which would elect as its leader a rapist, felon, liar, ignoramus, misogynist, vindictive bully and charlatan.
I’ve got goosebumps.
You must watch this, it’s a must share.
Former Hostage Mia Scheme to the UN:
“No one at the UN lifted a finger to free my friends"
"It's been over a year since the terrible massacre we went through and no one at the UN lifted a finger to free my friends, elderly men, young men and a mother with two babies.
I stand here to shout the cry of the 101 hostages who are still in the pits of hell for 397 days."
#BringThemHome 🎗️
Trae Crowder explains BRILLIANTLY to Trump supporters why they shouldn't be spiking the football for voting against their own self-interests.
If you only watch ONE video today, make it this one.
@tommysantos14 I totally agree with your analysis except for one point. If Biden had not foolishly insisted on a second term, we would have had a proper primary within the Democratic Party to select the appropriate candidate to counter Trump.
So when Trump fires all non-partisan career professionals in government, replaces them with radical loyalists within every nook and cranny of the US government, and adds radical judges everywhere.
And every one of you that voted for him finally wake up from your fucked up fantasy just like the folks that woke up after 4 years of the last shit show, only to realize it’s much much worse, and much more permanent, this time.
When the cancer you caused has infected every bit of the American system and it can’t be unwound for a lifetime.
What then?
Do you beg this country for forgiveness for choosing fascism because you were conned into believing your eggs are too expensive because of Joe Biden?
You just put Steve Bannon in charge of American policy.
You just put Michael Flynn in charge of our military.
You just put Alex Jones in charge of media and propaganda.
You just put Stephen Miller in charge of immigration policy.
You just put batshit crazy RFK Jr. in charge of health policy.
You just killed free public education and privatized schools, which you will have to pay for.
You just sealed the deal on a national abortion ban, because you’re demented if you think it’s not coming.
You just radicalized the Supreme Court for a generation.
You just made women less safe and less free.
You just made this country an oligarchy with the billionaires quite literally in charge now.
You just put in office the one person that believes a president is a king, with the fucking Supreme Court ruling to prove it in his back pocket!
You just ushered in Fascism.
Because your cereal costs more.
Congratulations.
A priest plea to the Repubiklans, it's deep and super true.
Listen to entirely
Mark Meadows Rudy John Kelly Hallie Jackson #VoteBlueDownBallot Liz Cheney Greata Jon Stewart Newsweek Social Security Voted
BREAKING: The former chief marketer for NBC apologizes to the American people for giving us Donald Trump by helping to sell “The Apprentice” myth to the American people.
This is humiliating for MAGA…
“I want to apologize to America. I helped create a monster,” writes John D. Miller in a piece entitled “We Created a Monster: Trump Was a TV Fantasy Invented for 'The Apprentice'” for U.S. News & World Report.
“For nearly 25 years, I led marketing at NBC and NBCUniversal,” Miller explains. “I led the team that marketed ‘The Apprentice,’ the reality show that made Donald Trump a household name outside of New York City, where he was better known for overextending his empire and appearing in celebrity gossip columns.”
He goes on to state that his team “created the narrative that Trump was a super-successful businessman who lived like royalty” which was a “substantial exaggeration” that “created a false narrative by making him seem more successful than he was.”
Miller points out that Trump had to declare bankruptcy four times before the show premiered and at least twice over the course of its 14 seasons.
“The imposing board room where he famously fired contestants was a set, because his real boardroom was too old and shabby for TV,” writers Miller.
In a section that is certain to bruise Trump’s ego, Miller states that he was the “perfect choice” for the show because “more successful CEOs were too busy to get involved in reality TV and didn’t want to hire random game show winners onto their executive teams.”
Meanwhile, Trump “had no such concerns” and “plenty of time for filming.”
“I never imagined that the picture we painted of Trump as a successful businessman would help catapult him to the White House,” writes Miller, likening all of their advertising around the show to “fake news” because it was so “highly exaggerated.”
“I discovered in my interactions with him over the years that he is manipulative, yet extraordinarily easy to manipulate,” he goes on. “He has an unfillable compliment hole. No amount is too much. Flatter him and he is compliant. World leaders, including apparently Russian strongman Vladimir Putin and North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un, have discovered that too.”
Miller calls Trump “remarkably thin-skinned” and describes his adversarial relationship with the show. The future president would claim that the show was number one in the ratings, even when the numbers refuted that claim.
Not surprisingly, Trump was full of bad suggestions for the show. He wanted to make “a team of Black players compete against white players.” Miller tried to convince him against it by appealing to Trump’s greed and telling him that it would alienate sponsors.
“While we were successful in marketing ‘The Apprentice,’ we also did irreparable harm by creating the false image of Trump as a successful leader. I deeply regret that,” writers Miller. “And I regret that it has taken me so long to go public.”
“Now America is facing a critical choice. Should this elderly, would-be emperor with no clothes, who is well known for stretching and abandoning the truth, be president again?” he asks.
“I spent 50 years successfully promoting television magic, making mountains out of molehills every day,” he continues. “But I say now to my fellow Americans, without any promotional exaggeration: If you believe that Trump will be better for you or better for the country, that is an illusion, much like ‘The Apprentice’ was.”
“Even if you are a born-and-bred Republican, as I was, I strongly urge you to vote for Kamala Harris. The country will be better off and so will you,” concludes Miller.
Please retweet and ❤️ to thank Miller for speaking the truth and owning his mistake — and join the growing exodus to Tribel, a new pro-democracy social network that is exploding in popularity. Please follow us on Tribel to get all of our breaking news alerts sent straight to your phone or computer by clicking the following link: https://t.co/HnJzSKj4Hp
Retour sur le parcours nauséabond et les plus récents exploits d’Aymeric Caron, le petit télégraphiste du Hamas, qui en relaie l’argumentaire et la propagande, et qui pousse le zèle jusqu’à en gonfler les chiffres. A voir et diffuser largement. 🙏
In three months, three billionaires donated $220 million to Donald Trump.
Democracy is not billionaires buying elections. That’s Oligarchy.
We must overturn the disastrous Citizens United Supreme Court decision and move to public funding of elections.
https://t.co/AbZpZkvzJY