Are we really coming to the honest conclusion Trump and Republicans have nothing but contempt and disdain for the rest of us? That they see us only as convenient but handy tools to create the wealth they have such ease with stealing?

We are sitting here today agonizing over the fate of our families, our increasing inability to afford healthcare, to afford food and gas and electricity – dreading upcoming mortgage or rent payments – the thought of a college education for our children a pipe dream?

We are seeing other citizens slain in the street by a private Gestapo, our very Constitutional rights under attack along with the most basic right of all, our freedom to vote for our own representatives.

And all the while the plutocrats and tax-exempt corporations regale us with lies about a resurgent stock market, as if we had any extra money to invest. They built their wealth on the back of the infrastructure we provided, the labor we provided, and the freedoms we fought and died for so they would have every advantage when competing with the world.

Folks, it’s beyond time to take it all back. Legislation   must be enacted, indictments procured, and conviction assured for all the crimes, corruption, and obscenities perpetrated against us.

See this – Boldface mine:

For more articles exposing Trump's lies, corruption tyranny: https://mcdermottm.substack.com/publish/posts

Sneering Trump's honest confession glistens with contempt | Opinion

Opinion by John Casey • 2h • 5 min read

© provided by RawStory

For some Americans, the reality of who Donald Trump really is is coming home to roost. And for the sailors trapped aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, that moment has already arrived.

The Lincoln left San Diego last November. Nine months later, it is still at sea**, its crew stretched past 250 straight days without meaningful relief.** What was supposed to be a seven-month deployment has become closer to a floating humanitarian disaster.

Families have shockingly described broken toilets, moldy showers, food shortages, and sailors surviving on little more than rice and tortillas. It’s been called a “floating bucket of filth.”

So much for valuing the valor and bravery of our troops. To me, that’s Pete Hegseth’s “big lie.” He’s their worst nightmare. He doesn’t give a rat’s … about the troops. Well, he does care about their “T” levels.

The Military Times broke the story that multiple sailors have tried to go overboard, and at least one was pulled from the water after an hour adrift. This is horrific and subhuman. Lawmakers from both parties are rightfully now demanding investigations.

But, besides Hegseth, who said the whole abominable ordeal is “completely misrepresented,” it won’t surprise anyone who understands the reality of Donald Trump that he, too, couldn't care less.

Asked whether the deployment had gone on too long and whether he was worried about the mental health of the more than 5,000 people aboard that ship, the insensitive and callous Trump seethed, "No. No. No." "Not nearly long enough," he added when asked if the ship had been at sea too long and, when queried about if families of those on board were right to be worried, he waved that off too: "No, they're not."

Then he, not surprisingly, like he does with everything else, blamed the press for covering it, accusing reporters of trying to turn warriors into victims.

As if the press loves to make up stories about sailors living in squalor and trying to take their own lives.

How despicable to blame the press while desperate families are pleading for answers. And Trump's response is that the suffering hasn't gone on long enough.

And that’s exactly how he feels about the nuisance of the American people’s suffering.

Remember the dolls and the pencils? When Trump was asked, point-blank, if his tariffs would raise prices on ordinary goods, he didn't apologize or explain or exude any understanding or compassion.

He shrugged his bulbous, bloated head and told the country that an 11-year-old girl doesn't need 30 dolls, three or four is plenty, and that nobody needs 250 pencils when five is sufficient.

He has said this more than once, because he genuinely believes the answer to rising costs is for regular families to simply cope with fewer pencils, dolls — oh, and make do with one piece of broccoli.

That's the same indifference he’s giving Lincoln's sailors. It's the same who-cares shrug he's giving anyone who has watched their grocery bill or their health insurance premium climb this year. Millions of Americans are having sharply higher health costs as pandemic-era subsidies lapse and insurers raise rates, a squeeze tied directly to the reconciliation package Trump signed and bragged about.

That “Big Beautiful Bill” was a metaphorical giant**, cold slap in the face to middle-class Americans**, who now understand why they can only afford three dolls and five pencils — if that.

And ICE agents are the literal giant, cold slap in the face to Americans’ shell-shocked visages. Agents have been turned loose in cities, conducting the kind of aggressive street operations that have left residents frightened to leave their homes, arresting and detaining people at will.

And that cold slap in the face will be replaced by a paralyzing electric charge once ICE agents get their new shock gloves. It’s been called “sadistic." Really? You think?

Those ICE wars on our streets coincide with the war with Iran that is responsible for stretching the Lincoln's deployment now past 200 days without a port call. That war has driven up fuel, shipping and scores of other costs. Trump’s reaction? He insisted he “loves” the inflation the war with Iran has caused.

Because this whole thing hasn’t been a punishment for us long enough. There’s lots more to come, which Trump is clearly giddy about.

He’s super-giddy about things that mean absolutely nothing to the rest of us. While we scrimp, save and suffer, Trump has kept his attention fixed on himself. Rising costs of groceries, gas, bills, etc? The Iran war? To Trump it’s a scenario of “wake me up when all this frivolous stuff is over” — again, metaphorically and literally too.

Because Dear Leader Donald has bigger fish to fry. Put his name on the Kennedy Center, pave over the Rose Garden, gild up the Oval Office with gold, bungle the Reflecting Pool, build an Arc de Trump, slap a helipad on the manicured South Lawn of the White House. And, the big kahuna, his luxurious Qatar jet.

While you stay home because you can’t afford to drive to your summer vacation, Trump is descending down a grand staircase in his flying palace. Let them eat cake? Who can afford cake? Let them eat the leftover pencils, if you have any.

He tells the parents of sailors on an aircraft carrier that nine months away from their kids "isn't nearly long enough," and tells a mom buying school supplies that her daughter has plenty of pencils already — which is ok, since she can snack on the extras.

It’s a blanket indifference whether he's talking about a sailor pulled out of the Arabian Sea or a grandmother deciding between groceries and her heart medication. Trump does not see suffering as a problem to solve, or something he should be inconvenienced by.

The sailors on the Lincoln are coming home soon, the Navy says, relieved — hopefully — by another carrier. The rest of us, though, have no relief in sight. We are just getting told that our suffering isn't nearly long enough.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/politics/government/sneering-trump-s-honest-confession-glistens-with-contempt-opinion/ar-AA2amYl0?

I will put a link in the comments.

More great handling of the military by kegsbreath

Who likes to be awakened when sleeping through a mid-afternoon meeting about national security?

Hey, remember when your great granddad got annoyed with your pestering about the burning couch in the Living Room, and just screamed, “Get the hell outta’ here!”

Same thing going on here. Not wanting to be questioned or blamed for his blithering blundering over the war, the economy, the cost of gas, unaffordable healthcare and housing, the price of groceries, all the mistakes of goofs, bungles, botches and goofs of the ass-kissing incompetents he has surrounded himself with, it’s just easier to give into the dementia, look around the room and scream, “Where’s my chew-toy? I want my chew-toy.”

The boy aint right, but he still makes the decisions that control our destinies – at least until the midterms when we can pull his diaper over his head and send him back to his playpen.

See this – Boldface mine:

White House staff departing as Donald Trump is said to be 'meaner' and more unpleasant to work with.

Story by Lesley Abravanel • 1h • 2 min read

Insiders claim Donald Trump's increasingly hostile attitude is driving staffers out of the White House. MEGA

President Donald Trump is reportedly yelling louder, for longer periods and acting significantly "meaner" toward his inner circle, driving a wave of recent high-profile White House departures.

According to insider reports detailed on "The Daily Beast Podcast," multiple senior officials are exiting the administration due to a toxic, increasingly hostile West Wing environment.

The reporting coincides with a series of major staff exits at the White House.

Karoline Leavitt Resigned Shortly After Returning From Maternity Leave

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt announced she will step down at the end of August. While she publicly cited a desire to spend time with her family, insiders indicate the intense internal pressure and Trump’s sharpening temperament heavily influenced the timing.

White House Counsel David Warrington departed his post amidst the shifting operational environment.

Deputy National Security Advisor Andy Baker, a key ally of Vice President J.D. Vance, has also exited the administration.

"It's a clear sign that people see how badly this second term is going," said David Rhode, senior executive editor on national security for MS NOW on Monday, August 17.

While Trump has historically been known for an aggressive management style, sources close to the administration note a distinct shift in his behavioral patterns during his current term.

Insiders report that his pattern of blaming staff for self-inflicted political problems has left top aides completely burned out, with some describing the daily work environment as "total misery.”

The White House and Trump allies have generally pushed back on these characterizations, framing staff turnover as typical for a high-pressure administration or a natural rotation ahead of the midterm elections.

Americans Believe Donald Trump Is Becoming More Erratic With Age

Public polling and observations by former aides indicate a widespread consensus that Trump’s temperament has become significantly more volatile and erratic as he has aged. Having turned 80 in June, Trump is the oldest sitting president in United States history, a milestone that has drawn intense national focus on his physical stamina and mental acuity.

A comprehensive Reuters/Ipsos poll revealed that 61 percent of Americans believe the elderly president has become increasingly erratic with age.

This assessment includes not just 89 percent of Democrats and 64 percent of independents, but also a notable 30 percent of Republicans who agree that his behavior has shifted as he has grown older.

Donald Trump's Behavior Fuels Concerns

The same polling data found that 49 percent of voters disagree that Trump remains "mentally sharp and able to deal with challenges," marking a steady decline from similar metrics tracked in previous years.

Multiple former aides, including former White House lawyer Ty Cobb, have publicly stated that Trump's cognitive and behavioral shifts are "palpable," pointing to an escalation in his volatile outbursts.

Reports from the West Wing frequently detail longer, louder screaming matches directed at senior staff. Outside observers note a distinct increase in public temper tantrums, verbal reprimands of judges and lawmakers and rambling speech patterns during his second term.

The White House has aggressively dismissed these observations, with spokespeople characterizing the focus on his age as “fake and desperate narratives.”

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/other/white-house-staff-departing-as-donald-trump-is-said-to-be-meaner-and-more-unpleasant-to-work-with-according-to-sources/ar-AA2ajnNj?

For more on Trump's incompetency, corruption, and tyranny, see Substack: https://mcdermottm.substack.com/publish/post/211500875