Is 'Brokenism' The True Political Divide?
Posted By: Dreadnought, 2/18/2025 4:25:18 PM
In our weekly VIP Gold chat shows on Wednesdays (1:30 pm ET), my friend Cam Edwards often says, "Everything is stupid and it's only getting worse." Perhaps another way of saying this is that everything is broken, and everyone knows it -- but does nothing about it. At the Free Press, Oliver Wiseman picks up on that same sense of frustration in the electorate, and asks whether the political poles have changed. Forget Republicans and Democrats, progressives and conservatives, or even the class-warfare arguments, all of which nibble at the edges of this political moment. Wiseman recalls Tablet editor-in-chief writing about "brokenism," and posits that the real divide
people like this.
person likes this.
person likes this.
people like this.
Below, you will find ...
Most Recent Articles posted by "Dreadnought"
and
Most Active Articles (last 48 hours)
Most Recent Articles posted by
Dreadnought"
The Trump administration is reviewing $8.7 billion in multi-year grants and $255 million in contracts between Harvard and the federal government because of the vaunted ivy’s failure to address campus antisemitism.
The Departments of Education and Health and Human Services, and the General Services Administration are reviewing the contracts and grants for Harvard and its affiliates as part of the Trump administration’s interagency task force to combat antisemitism. The review will also determine whether Harvard is in compliance with federal civil rights laws barring discrimination.
“Harvard has served as a symbol of the American Dream for generations – the pinnacle aspiration for students all over the world
If you want peace, prepare for war. Germany appears to be embracing this ancient maxim with the country’s top general warning Monday that Berlin is ready to bring back conscription.
Carsten Breuer, the German Chief of Defence, told BBC’s Radio 4 an additional 100,000 soldiers would be needed to ensure the country’s ability to defend itself as a belligerent Russia continues to roil the continent.
Defence chiefs have been looking to increase the size of the armed forces since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but have fallen short of even an initial target of 20,000, as Europe looks ahead to further unrest.
In a move that can only be described as shocking, a French court has sentenced National Rally party leader Marine Le Pen to multiple years in prison. She has also been banned from running in the 2027 election, with no ability to suspend that part of the sentence during an appeal.
PARIS—A French court convicted Marine Le Pen of misusing European Union funds, banning her from the next presidential election in a ruling that shakes the country’s political landscape.
Judges handed down a sentence Monday that bars Le Pen from seeking public office for the next five years, upending France’s political order
A newly surfaced video from a Washtenaw County (Michigan) Democratic Party gathering has pulled back the curtain on the left’s latest efforts to obstruct President Donald Trump. The event, titled “Democratic Responses to Trump’s Attacks & Lessons Learned from 2024 MI House Races,” was a rallying cry for progressive activists and Democratic organizers looking for a strategy to fight Trump’s policies and influence.
The video captures Democratic Rep. Debbie Dingell and others openly discussing ways to counter Trump’s agenda. Their focus wasn’t limited to winning elections—they were plotting ways to undermine Trump at every opportunity. The discussion made it clear that they view Trump as an existential threat
President Donald Trump revealed that a tree planted by former President Andrew Jackson “many years ago” would be removed, noting that the tree is in “terrible condition.”
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said the magnolia tree, which came from Jackson’s home, The Hermitage, in Nashville, Tennessee, was also a “very dangerous safety hazard.” Trump added that the tree would “be replaced by another, very beautiful tree.”
“Working together with a fantastic and very talented Executive Residence Staff, along with the wonderful people at the National Park Service, we are making tremendous enhancements to the White House, thereby preserving and protecting History,”
The progressive movement has led the Democrat party into a political black hole. And just as happens in nature, it’s not clear that it can find its way out.
The contemporary progressive movement arguably began with the cultural revolution of the 1960s. The initial reforms inspired salutary policy initiatives, including the end of Jim Crow laws, the institution of Medicare, and the opening of career opportunities for women.
Unfortunately, the insatiable discontent with any existing social structure, which fuels the progressive left, has led to chaotic outcomes of initially worthy policies. For example:
The laudable Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s quickly evolved
Politics
Elon Musk gives out $1 million payments to Wisconsin voters after state supreme court refused legal challenge
Updated on: March 30, 2025 / 10:08 PM EDT / CBS/AP
A unanimous Wisconsin Supreme Court on Sunday refused to hear a last-minute attempt by the state's Democratic attorney general to stop billionaire Elon Musk from handing over $1 million checks to two voters, a ruling that came just minutes before the start of the rally.
Two lower courts had already rejected the legal challenge by Democrat Josh Kaul, who argues that Musk's offer violates
Critics speculate Tesla protests
are not a grassroots movement, but carefully
organized campaign 16 replies
are not a grassroots movement, but carefully
organized campaign 16 replies
Protests unfolded outside of Tesla showrooms across the country this weekend over Elon Musk's role helping lead President Donald Trump's Department of Government Efficiency, sparking questions to fly as to who is funding the purported "grassroots" demonstrations.
"Who is funding and organizing all these paid protests?" Musk posted to X early Sunday morning, accompanied by a video clip of podcast host Joe Rogan discussing left-wing protests in recent days.
A "Tesla Takedown" movement formed in recent days, with more than 200 protests planned on Saturday in the U.S., and another few hundred planned protests in Canada and Europe as part of the "global day of action."
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said he was “very angry” and “* off” when Russian President Vladimir Putin criticized the credibility of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s leadership, adding that the comments were “not going in the right location.”
Agence France-Presse reported that Putin on Friday called for a transitional government to be put in place in Ukraine, which could effectively push out Zelenskyy.
“If Russia and I are unable to make a deal on stopping the bloodshed in Ukraine, and if I think it was Russia’s fault — which it might not be — but if I think it was Russia’s fault,
WASHINGTON - U.S. President Donald Trump threatened Iran on Sunday with bombing and secondary tariffs if Tehran did not come to an agreement with Washington over its nuclear program.
In Trump's first remarks since Iran rejected direct negotiations with Washington last week, he told NBC News that U.S. and Iranian officials were talking, but did not elaborate. "If they don't make a deal, there will be bombing," Trump said in a telephone interview. "It will be bombing the likes of which they have never seen before."
"There's a chance that if they don't
Can We Stop this ‘Third Term’ Nonsense?
If Trump Wants to Be Great, He Needs to
Walk Away. 19 replies
If Trump Wants to Be Great, He Needs to
Walk Away. 19 replies
It’s not entirely clear if he was real or fictional. Most historians believe he was probably real, but it’s tricky to verify: The legend of Lucius Cincinnatus was (enthusiastically) retold in Titus “Livy” Livius’ book, the “History of Rome,” which was written a few decades before Christ. Unquestionably, Livius’ book included real, verifiable, historic events, but it also included the mythology of the Trojan War and tales of magical twins suckled by a she-wolf.
But the legend of Lucius Cincinnatus still endures. He’s even the namesake of an American city in southwest Ohio. And his story continues to influence kings, queens, emperors, and (yes) even U.S. presidents.
The New York Times editorial board just discovered what conservatives have been saying for years: the Democratic Party is completely out of touch with everyday Americans.
It’s a stunning rebuke from a paper that typically carries the water for Dems. The Times finally admitted the obvious: Democrats' obsession with identity politics and their "scolding, censorious posture" have driven voters straight into Republicans' arms.
“In the aftermath of this comprehensive defeat, many party leaders have decided that they do not need to make significant changes to their policies or their message,” the editorial board writes. “They have instead settled on a convenient explanation for their plight.”
Most Active Articles (last 48 hours)
A group of Columbia University grads tore up their diplomas on campus over the weekend to protest the school’s cooperation with the Trump administration, and the feds’ detention of former student and anti-Israel demonstration leader Mahmoud Khalil.
The rally, which took place during the Ivy League university’s annual Alumni Day celebration Saturday, included students as well as a few dozen graduates of Columbia’s School of International and Public Affairs — with the crowd chanting, “Free Palestine!”
(Photo) “It’s not easy to do this, with none of us doing this lightly. There’s no joy in this,” said Amali Tower, a 2009 SIPA graduate
Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) is facing renewed backlash after a resurfaced video shows her making a racist attack about Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) and his family during a June interview on The Breakfast Club podcast with Charlamagne tha God.
Crockett egregiously accused Donalds of being “whitewashed” because he is married to a White woman. “I feel like they give him his talking points, and he’s like, yes, massa, I got it,” she said.
The two also attacked Donalds and lied about his past comments on black families, accusing him of saying “life was better under Jim Crow.” However, Donalds never said this.
The dynamic is obvious to any intellectually honest observer, which is to say U.S. and Western media disqualify themselves and continue pushing preferred EU narratives.
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky has rejected the latest U.S. proposal for a minerals deal that would create a partnership to repay the United States for ongoing financial support. According to Zelenskyy, the deal to share in oil, gas and mineral revenue would amount to debt that would disqualify them from EU membership due to unstable financials.
State Dept Notifies Congress USAID is
Formally Being Dissolved, all Employees
Will Be Fired 21 replies
Formally Being Dissolved, all Employees
Will Be Fired 21 replies
Losing USAID likely means the CIA will hit back hard on the subject of Ukraine as retaliation. USAID was the front group for CIA interventionist operations globally. The omnipotent silo will not accept this decision by Secretary Marco Rubio. The State Department has formally informed congress of their intent to dissolve USAID terminating the employment of every associate within the agency. [per this release]
Watch the geopolitical events/actions closely in the next few weeks. This is a very big hit against the Intelligence Community network, and likely one of the reasons for CIA manager Jo
The lavish Atlanta home where Sen. Raphael Warnock (D., Ga.) resides brims with luxury details: Marketed as a "one of one custom home that effortlessly merges history & luxury," the five-bedroom home, built in 2022, went on the market for over a million dollars later that year and sold quickly—not to Warnock, but to Ebenezer Baptist Church, where he still serves as part-time senior pastor when he's not representing the state of Georgia in Congress.
The DeKalb County home came equipped with a plethora of luxury accommodations, including a 100-bottle wine fridge, a Bluetooth-enabled stainless steel cooking range, custom crown molding, and a walk-in closet affixed to a "stunning" European bathroom
Can We Stop this ‘Third Term’ Nonsense?
If Trump Wants to Be Great, He Needs to
Walk Away. 19 replies
If Trump Wants to Be Great, He Needs to
Walk Away. 19 replies
It’s not entirely clear if he was real or fictional. Most historians believe he was probably real, but it’s tricky to verify: The legend of Lucius Cincinnatus was (enthusiastically) retold in Titus “Livy” Livius’ book, the “History of Rome,” which was written a few decades before Christ. Unquestionably, Livius’ book included real, verifiable, historic events, but it also included the mythology of the Trojan War and tales of magical twins suckled by a she-wolf.
But the legend of Lucius Cincinnatus still endures. He’s even the namesake of an American city in southwest Ohio. And his story continues to influence kings, queens, emperors, and (yes) even U.S. presidents.
Paris Rages as Trump Embassy Reportedly
Says U.S. Gov’t Won’t Work With DEI-Promoting
French Firms 19 replies
Says U.S. Gov’t Won’t Work With DEI-Promoting
French Firms 19 replies
France has accused the Trump administration of interfering in the decisions of private French companies after the U.S. embassy said the American federal government would no longer work with businesses with so-called diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies.
In addition to taking on DEI at home, the Trump White House is apparently intent on taking on the woke agenda abroad as well.
According to a report in the French newspaper of record, Le Figaro, the U.S. embassy in Paris informed several companies in France that it would be ending business relationships with firms that engage in discrimination.
French far-right figurehead Marine Le Pen has been banned from running for political office for five years after being found guilty of embezzling European Union funds, in a politically explosive ruling that has shattered her hopes of winning the presidency in 2027.
A Paris court also handed Le Pen, who was the frontrunner for the next election, a four-year prison sentence with two years suspended, to be served under house arrest, and a €100,000 ($108,000) fine.
Numerous leftists have been caught keying Tesla cars and Cybertrucks amid nonstop media attacks against Elon Musk.
However, some of the attacks against Tesla owners have become violent.
A 61-year-old woman driving a Tesla was boxed in by a male driver and beaten by him while she was sitting in her car.
The violent attack took place in Flagstaff, Arizona, last week.
The victim, who wished to remain anonymous and was referred to as “Susan,” told AZ Family that she was appalled when a motorist chased her, boxed her in and began beating her through an open car window.
The New York Times editorial board just discovered what conservatives have been saying for years: the Democratic Party is completely out of touch with everyday Americans.
It’s a stunning rebuke from a paper that typically carries the water for Dems. The Times finally admitted the obvious: Democrats' obsession with identity politics and their "scolding, censorious posture" have driven voters straight into Republicans' arms.
“In the aftermath of this comprehensive defeat, many party leaders have decided that they do not need to make significant changes to their policies or their message,” the editorial board writes. “They have instead settled on a convenient explanation for their plight.”
A woman who went viral for having a public meltdown on the New York City subway over a fellow passenger’s “Make America Great Again” hat and falling flat on her face while chasing the Trump supporter has been identified as 55-year-old Alberta Testanero, an “extremely liberal” luxury-brand specialist.
Testanero went viral after a video surfaced on social media of her berating a supporter of President Donald Trump, calling him racist multiple times, before wiping out on the subway platform as she chased the MAGA hat-clad man, trying to snatch his red cap.
Democratic Sen. Coons: 'Your Average Middle
American' Is Too Stupid to Find Greenland
on a Map 17 replies
American' Is Too Stupid to Find Greenland
on a Map 17 replies
While speaking to CNN's Dana Bash on Monday morning, Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE), provided Republicans with the perfect opportunity when it comes to the issue of getting involved with Greenland. (snip) In remarks that the Rapid Response 47 X account aptly noted amounted to Democrats "SHOWING THEIR TRUE COLORS," Coons offered that "your average Middle American" couldn't even find Greenland on a map, implying that they were too stupid.
"Look, your average Trump voters laughs at us and says 'he's owning the libs,' and your average Middle American says 'why are you wasting your time on Greenland? I can't even find it on a map!'"
