TH

Professionally amateur

[TH @thansen53]

👇

[Jürgen Nauditt 🇩🇪🇺🇦 @jurgen_nauditt]

"As of today, I no longer consider myself a Catholic."

With this statement, Sean Hannity yesterday definitively confirmed what many had long suspected: For the hardcore MAGA movement, Donald Trump is not just a politician, but a substitute religion.
Belief in the golden calf in the Oval Office trumps over 2,000 years of Christianity, the Pope, the Bible, and every form of institutional morality.

If the Holy Father dares to criticize Trump—be it on wars, Iran, or Christian charity—then one's own denomination is summarily discarded like an unsuitable T-shirt. Trump first, everything else second. Or not at all.

But you could also write:
Embarrassment first.
Lies first.
Betrayal first.
The list goes on.

This isn't a crisis of faith. This is the ultimate exposure of a political cult.
MAGA followers—or at least their most vocal representatives like Hannity—willingly abandon their faith to remain unconditionally loyal to the man considered by independent historians, ethics watchdogs, and a long list of court cases to be one of the most corrupt and scandal-ridden presidents in US history.

A man who likely raped children, whose administration was riddled with conflicts between private business and official duties, and who, even while in office, never ceased to test the boundaries of law and decency.
They sacrifice their religion, their intellectual integrity, and often enough, their own moral compass—and for what?
For a president whose record of competence, character, and governance is considered by many to be disastrous. They call it "loyalty." Critics call it blind worship.

The Church has survived scandals for centuries, but apparently not the test of whether it is allowed to criticize Trump.

Anyone who so readily abandons their faith simply to remain loyal to a single politician has never truly believed in anything higher than power and tribalism.

The MAGA movement is demonstrating once again that it is no longer a political movement. It is a substitute religion with its own cult leader, its own dogmas, and a willingness to sacrifice everything else—including one's own conscience.

Anyone still participating must ask themselves: What is left when even faith only counts as long as it benefits Trump?

[Brad Dickson @brad_dickson]

If you've tried to get through a TSA line in major city airport in the past week and you are still planning to vote for ANY incumbent in Congress then I'm sorry, but you may be a total idiot. KICK 'EM ALL OUT.

[TH @thansen53]

This all day!! Sweet 16!!!

[Nebraska Men's Basketball @HuskerMBB]

THE ******* MAYOR.

[TH @thansen53]

There it is folks. Oil. That’s why Sleepy Don declared war on Iran.

[Republicans against Trump @RpsAgainstTrump]

Senior White House official Jarrod Agen:

“What we want to do is to get such massive oil reserves in Iran out of the hands of terrorists… Ultimately, we’re not going to have to worry about these issues in the Strait of Hormuz, because we’re going to get all of the oil out of the hands of terrorists.”

[TH @thansen53]

So…. Why did we start a war with Iran on Israel’s behalf? Does Israel also have dirt on Trump? Is that why Israel (and Russia) tell Sleepy Don to jump and he says “how high?”

[TH @thansen53]

Just remember folks, when a politician screams “fake news” it actually means “you caught me, I did it, I don’t want to answer the question, I am lazy so I will just scream Fake News”.

Innocent people don’t get asked the questions.

[TH @thansen53]

The only difference between this administration and others is that this one does its dirty stuff out in the open. Others did it behind closed doors. All politicians are bought and paid for. They all do what their bankroll tells them to. Why are people surprised?

[Republicans against Trump @RpsAgainstTrump]

“Corporations and individuals who have donated large sums to MAGA Inc. have been granted audiences with Mr. Trump and his team.

Donors have used those meetings to lobby for their interests. The Trump administration has at times taken actions that have advanced donors’ businesses or personal causes”

[TH @thansen53]

I’m a little surprised at how many Americans are ok with a govt agency that is not law enforcement, is completely unregulated, has no consequences, is allowed to assault and k*ll Americans, all while wearing masks. Put that in a movie and they’re the villain 100% of the time

[TH @thansen53]

By your logic, I am allowed to take over my neighbors property if they can’t defend themselves? Just making sure so when the cops disagree I can have them call you so you can let them know your rules. Cool?

[Republicans against Trump @RpsAgainstTrump]

Stephen Miller says the US should take over Greenland because Denmark “cannot defend Greenland”

“Under every understanding of law that has existed about territorial control for 500 years, to control a territory you have to be able to defend a territory”

[TH @thansen53]

Using benefits for low income families as a pawn in the GOP-Dem piss fight is further proof that every single elected official deserves to be fired in 26 and 28. Take off our red or blue hats and vote them all out.

Every. Single. One.

Remind them that they work for us.

[TH @thansen53]

👇

[Rio Veradonir @RioVeradonir]

Why are an unprecedented number of top Republicans endorsing Kamala Harris? Because voting for Kamala Harris is more conservative than voting for Donald Trump. Some thoughts on why:

When I was growing up in a conservative, private Christian school, we expected leaders to set a good moral example. In other words, character mattered. When I was a college Republican, we emphasized the importance of personal responsibility (the cost of individual liberty). We didn’t blame “elites” or “the establishment” when we failed. One overlooked aspect of conservative thought (running through Smith, Menger, Mises, Hayek, Friedman, Sowell, and McCloskey) is the importance of bourgeois virtues. That is to say: middle class values built the middle class (and our free, prosperous economies in the west).

Donald Trump and his MAGA movement represent a total abandonment of all of these things. Trump has abysmal character. He encourages his working-class base to blame others instead of taking personal responsibility. And he fosters anti-social attitudes that encourage resentment of the middle class, rather than aspiration. All of this undermines the virtues essential to a functioning society.

But this isn’t just about personality and rhetoric. Trumpism abandons traditional conservative policy, too. This is inevitable, because a politics of resentment will lead to different policies than one of personal responsibility, healthy communities, and civic cohesion. In the words of political scientists: American conservatism was neoliberal and neoconservative, which is a fancy way of saying it represented a return to faith in free-market capitalism and a desire to see that system spread and dominate the globe. As much as leftists hated that worldview, it saved the west from communism and fascism.

Trump’s protectionism and isolationism are more like the policies of socialist Bernie Sanders than like a pre-MAGA conservative. This is bad, because we need a robust counterbalance to the excesses of the left. Fortunately, the bipartisan establishment remains relatively more conservative. Hillary Clinton was to Trump’s right on trade and foreign policy. And so is Harris. Bluntly: the real divide today is not between Democrats and Republicans but between the establishment and populists.

But here’s the thing: it’s not just country-club Republicans with their economic and foreign policy priorities who should see Trump as an insurgent threat to conservatism. His working-class base should, too. For two big reasons: 1) Trump is selling the proletariat lies, just like the far-left does. In some cases, he’s selling the *same exact* lies, as with tariffs for example. Such policies won’t really help the working class. They are false hope. And 2) Trump’s rhetoric of resentment directly harms the working class by encouraging them to hate the middle class rather than aspire to be middle class. This gives them the opposite of the roadmap necessary for upward mobility.

Instead of embracing the values that make the middle class possible, Trump’s base shuns them. They dismiss them as “elite”, “globalist”, or even *ugh* “Jewish”. But they aren’t. They are just the normal, healthy ideas that doing well in school, hard work, careful planning, and wise investment are the path to prosperity - not hating corporations, blaming immigrants, or distrusting banks. It’s the idea that members of a community should treat one another with kindness and respect, even if we disagree about politics, religion, or other things - not demonize one another. And it’s the notion that people should follow the law, respect superiors, trust experts, believe in a free press, appreciate our independent judiciary, and reward congress for seeking compromise and consensus. Trump breaks the law, encourages his base to thumb their noses at superiors, spreads conspiracy theories, calls the press “the enemy of the people”, calls our justice system “corrupt”, and causes unreasonable congressional stalemates.

[TH @thansen53]

An adult in charge of the free world would be more concerned with opening up the US government and making sure federal employees are paid. But here we are…

[Danny Kemp @dannyctkemp]

Trump and Rubio at the Mar-a-Lago Halloween Party, on day 31 of the shutdown. Official theme is Gatsby and ‘a little party never killed nobody’, we’re told.

[TH @thansen53]

Here’s an idea to make sure a gov’t shutdown doesn’t happen in the future:

“While on shutdown all elected officials will be banned from saying stupid sh*t on tv.”

Both sides are good at it so I think that would get the negotiations going pretty quickly!

[TH @thansen53]

Then maybe these people should move to Russia or North Korea.

[Republicans against Trump @RpsAgainstTrump]

Trump: “They say ‘…Freedom. Freedom. He’s a dictator.’ A lot of people are saying maybe we'd like a dictator."

[TH @thansen53]

Funny. What ol’ Donny doesn’t know about credible journalists is that editors check that stories are factual and accurate, then lawyers vet the story to make sure that it is not malicious or slanderous prior to publication.

If DJT actually does this then discovery will be wild!

[Ron Filipkowski @RonFilipkowski]

Trump is suing Rupert Murdoch.

[TH @thansen53]

🤣🤣🤣

🤡

[Republicans against Trump @RpsAgainstTrump]

Trump on the Iranian missile attack on the U.S. base in Qatar:

“They were very nice. They gave us warning. They said, ‘We’re going to shoot them. Is 1 o’clock okay?’ I said, ‘It’s fine.’”

[Republicans against Trump @RpsAgainstTrump]

Multiple things can be true at once.

Undocumented immigrants who commit serious crimes should be deported. But we also need a real, humane path to citizenship for millions of decent, law-abiding people who work and pay taxes and are just trying to build a life here.

Peaceful protest and free speech must be protected always. But those who attack police or destroy property should be arrested and prosecuted.

And yes, Trump sending the National Guard into L.A. was wrong. It didn’t restore order, it escalated chaos. Which, let’s be honest, is exactly what he wanted.

We can hold more than one truth at once.

[TH @thansen53]

It’s one thing to be mentioned in the Epstein report, but if Trump is on the actual Epstein list then I dare all of the shameless, boot-licking, power hungry idiots to defend him. Do it. We all dare you to defend him if he’s on the list! You will show your ass if you do!!

[Republicans against Trump @RpsAgainstTrump]

#ReleaseTheEpsteinFiles 🍿

[TH @thansen53]

I’m just under the assumption that Putin is holding something big over Trumps head, and he reminded Donnie-boy about this when he won the election. “Don’t F with me or I will release what I have on you”.

Or trump is trying to secure a major real estate deal in Russia. 🤷‍♂️

[Republicans against Trump @RpsAgainstTrump]

Q: Do you support the Lindsey Graham–Blumenthal bill to impose sanctions on Russia?

Trump: “I don’t know. I’ll have to see it. I’ll take a look at it”

When it comes to holding Putin accountable, it’s always either “in two weeks” or “I’ll have to see it”

[TH @thansen53]

I think Big Beautiful Bill was the name of a WWF wrestler back in the 80’s. Does he need defending? What did he do??

[Channel 8 KLKN-TV @Channel8ABC]

Rep. Mike Flood defends ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’ at Seward town hall https://t.co/qV30LsQlcX