#charles w bush

[shannendoherty-fans]

1992 - Shannen Doherty by Charles William Bush, first published on April 1992.

My scans - Well, actually my sister's :) thank you @tina-aumont <3 These come from a Spanish vintage magazine.

[kitsunetsuki]

Ken Marcus & Charles W. Bush - "Linda Lovelace for President" (Playboy 1975)

[mikyapixie]

24 years ago today X-Men: Evolution premiered on Kids WB!!!

[babylon38ad2]

Sharon Yvonne Stone by Charles W. Bush

[oldshowbiz]

[gameofthrones2020]

American Foreign Policy Since 1945

The United States of America, with its founding in 1775 and winning the American Revolution or, more accurately, a British civil war which lasted until 1783 over the 19th 1781 with the surrender of General Lord Charles Cornwallis

The United States of America, with its founding in 1775 and winning the American Revolution or, more accurately, a British civil war which lasted until 1783 over the 19th 1781 with the surrender of General Lord Charles Cornwallis surrendered 7087 officers and 900 seamen hundred and 40 cannons 15 galleys a frigate and 30 transport vessels. During the day of the surrender, General Cornwallis…

[spinelessdemsandwhinyrepublicans]

"In my life, I have watched John Kennedy talk on television about missiles in Cuba. I saw Lyndon Johnson look Richard Russell squarely in the eye and and say, "And we shall overcome." I saw Richard Nixon resign and Gerald Ford tell the Congress that our long national nightmare was over. I saw Jimmy Carter talk about malaise and Ronald Reagan talk about a shining city on a hill. I saw George H.W. Bush deliver the eulogy for the Soviet bloc, and Bill Clinton comfort the survivors of Timothy McVeigh's madness in Oklahoma City. I saw George W. Bush struggle to make sense of it all on September 11, 2001, and I saw Barack Obama sing 'Amazing Grace' in the wounded sanctuary of Mother Emanuel Church in Charleston, South Carolina.

"These were the presidents of my lifetime. These were not perfect men. They were not perfect presidents, god knows. Not one of them was that. But they approached the job, and they took to the podium, with all the gravitas they could muster as appropriate to the job. They tried, at least, to reach for something in the presidency that was beyond their grasp as ordinary human beings. They were not all ennobled by the attempt, but they tried nonetheless.

"And comes now this hopeless, vicious buffoon, and the audience of equally hopeless and vicious buffoons who laughed and cheered when he made sport of a woman whose lasting memory of the trauma she suffered is the laughter of the perpetrators. Now he comes, a man swathed in scandal, with no interest beyond what he can put in his pocket and what he can put over on a universe of suckers, and he does something like this while occupying an office that we gave him, and while endowed with a public trust that he dishonors every day he wakes up in the White House.

"The scion of a multigenerational criminal enterprise, the parameters of which we are only now beginning to comprehend. A vessel for all the worst elements of the American condition. And a cheap, soulless bully besides. We never have had such a cheap counterfeit of a president* as currently occupies the office. We never have had a president* so completely deserving of scorn and yet so small in the office that it almost seems a waste of time and energy to summon up the requisite contempt.

"Watch how a republic dies in the empty eyes of an empty man who feels nothing but his own imaginary greatness, and who cannot find in himself the decency simply to shut up even when it is in his best interest to do so. Presidents don't have to be heroes to be good presidents. They just have to realize that their humanity is our common humanity, and that their political commonwealth is our political commonwealth, too.

Watch him behind the seal of the President of the United States. Isn't he a funny man? Isn't what happened to that lady hilarious? Watch the assembled morons cheer. This is the only story now."

- Charles Pierce

[titleknown]

I feel I should note that, I looked at the other works of the artist of the upsetting King Charles portrait, and I feel I must mention that his work's just kinda Like That in general:

And like, while he probably isn't speaking that much truth to power, given he's working for rich dipshits like most people in gallery art, given he also did a picture of George W Bush made of clippings of porn, I wonder how much the subtext people see in the Charles pic was intentional on his part...

[lerclan]

a month | charles leclerc

type: written + smau

pairing(s): childhood best friend!reader x charles leclerc

summary: charles confessed his feelings for you after you two hung out on a random day, but you werent really sure if you felt the same way or not; so he proposed a suggestion that you were willing to do.

warning(s): readers a nasty girl, suggestive

fc: random girlies off of pinterest!

---

"y/n, ive liked you for nearly a year now and you might be wondering why im confessing out of the blue, but i just wanted to let you know since its been suffocating me this whole time. the way i couldnt say anything too harsh when you were dating your bum ex because i was afraid you would hate me for the rest of your life, but enough of that. if you dont feel the same way...i hope that we still remain friends with the same banter we have now.." charles confesses as you look at him with emotions you couldnt quite express.

you guys were on the beach, the sunset in full view, the blanket on the sand with empty wine glasses and plates, the speaker playing a song you both did not add to the playlist, and hearing random people hold conversations as they pass by you.

"charles..." he looks at you dearly and youve never noticed till now, but he had always looked at you like that and you felt dumb realizing it just now.

"yes..?" he stares into your eyes lovingly as he eagerly awaits to what your answer would be.

you stare back into his eyes that had the sunset illuminating in it, making his eyes the most beautiful thing right now; apart from his face that also had the sunsets ambiance painted perfectly on his elegant features.

"i..." you hesitate on what to say, "im not sure..."

"youre not sure? so is this your way of saying no...?" he asks, desperate eyes wanting a fast response before he embarrasses himself.

"no!" you quickly say as his shoulders ease up, "i meant it as in like...im not quite sure about my feelings for you."

"how about we date for a limited period of time?" he suggests as your left brow lifts up in confusion.

"why?" you ask, completely confuse.

"to see if you truly have feelings for me and its not out of pity." he smiles at you and you felt like your heart melted on the spot.

"how long would we date for?" you ask again.

"A month and if you dont have feelings for me by the end of the time limit, then we can go back to being friends or strangers..." he explains as you nod your head along, finally understanding it, "and if you want to end it early, you have the freedom to do so. what do you say?" he takes out his hand for a handshake.

"that sounds good, charles." you take your hand in his for a handshake.

you both feel a fresh breeze soothe in; making your hair cover your face, but before you could move it, charles had already pushed your hair out of your face and tucked it in behind your ears. lub-dub.

"sooo...do we start now or what?" you ask as he chuckles.

"we can start tomorrow if you want, mon cheri. this might a little too much for you in one night." he sweetly smiles at you before he gets up, "lets call it a night for now? we have to head to the circuit tomorrow." you nod your head and now it was your turn to stand up.

the two of you cleaned up your area before you headed out to his car ready to leave.

---

y_n

Liked by charles_leclerc, maxverstappen1, lei_ah and 121,173 others

y_n he jokingly told me to go sit in the back because leo was passenger princess (i dont think he was joking...😟)

tagged: charles_leclerc

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maxverstappen1 i dont think he was either...

y_n i know he was jealous when leo was cuddled up w me and sleeping

charles_leclerc i almost stopped the car and let you drive instead...😒

y_n JUST MAD HE LIKES ME BETTER ✋😝🤚

charles_leclerc yeah i am thats why im pushing you to the bushes.

maxverstappen1 HAHAHA I JUST SAW THAT 🤣🤣

user1 STOP NOT MAX WITNESSING Y/NS ATTEMPTED MURDER 😭😭😭

y_n I DIDNT EVEN GET DONE READING AND ALL OF A SUDDEN I BLINK IM IN THE BUSHES 😟😟😟

charles_leclerc I TOOK A VIDEO 🤣🤣🤣

y_n NO YOU DIDNT CHARLES 🫵 NO YOU DIDNT 🫵

charles_leclerc YES I DID 🙈

y_n 🤬🤬🤬🤬

user1 the chaos under maxs comment 😭😭

user2 IKR I ALMOST PEED MYSELF 💀

user2 Y/N STRAIGHT UP GOT VIOLATED WHILE MAX SAW THE WHOLE THING 😭😭😭

y_n THEY ARE SO MEAN

charles_leclerc so cute ❤️

y_n awhh thank you ☺️❤️

charles_leclerc i meant leo...but you too! 😊

y_n WTV DONT SPEAK TO ME 😒😒😒

landonorris yeah id act the same way too after that.

maxverstappen1 the audacity...

y_n YOU ACT LIKE YOU WOULDNT DO THE SAME IF I POSTED YOUR CATS

maxverstappen1 youre right, my bad. 😉

---

charles_leclerc posted on their story !

👁️ 987,172

y_n replied to charles_leclercs story

y_n IK YOU DID NOT.

charles_leclerc IT WAS TOO FUNNY TO NOT POST IM SORRY BABE

y_n DONT BABE ME RN I WAS MURDERED. 😟

y_n now im starting to doubt if you really like me or not 😡

charles_leclerc noooo :(

charles_leclerc dont ever doubt such a thing. i promise ill be sweeter ❤️😊

y_n uh huh 🙄

charles_leclerc youll see, mon cherie 🙈

maxverstappen1 replied to charles_leclercs story

maxverstappen1 still cannot believe you did that to your lover

charles_leclerc even tho i was the one that confessed, i still cant break out of my habit on teasing her 😔

maxverstappen1 thats true friendship right there

maxverstappen1 maybe youll break out of it one day

charles_leclerc perchance 😔😔

---

"here you go, my lady." charles says as he opens the car door for you.

after everything happened in the morning, you were jokingly salty about getting pushed into the bushes after charles confessed his love to you the day before, but charles felt bad after you said you had doubts about his love for you. to make it up, he promised to take you out to dinner.

"why thank you, sir." you got out and did a little curtsy to which he found cute and does a bow in return, "oh you are so adorable." you smile from ear to ear.

"i should be saying that to you, cutie." he says leading you to the restaurant where he reserved you both a nice spot he often sits at since it had a nice view.

you guys sat down and started conversing with one another and stopping every time a waiter came to you guys to ask questions, but after theyre done you would converse again about random things like: 'best hairstyle?' 'would you survive as a cook if gordon ramsay was your head chef?' and many more.

the time passed by too quick and you guys were already done with your food. you both made your way out of the restaurant and waited outside for charles car to arrive since it was parked somewhere else.

"that was really great, charles. i had fun." you smile shyly as he chuckles.

"sooo first date gone right?" he asks as you laugh.

"yeah, apart from this morning." you joked as he laughs.

"i guess im just so used to teasing you often. it was some sort of reflex, will work on it though..." he says putting out his hand as you laid your hand on his, "mon amour." he kissed your hand as you look away trying to hide your expression.

"i dont mind the teasing honestly, it would be unfair if i was the only one doing it and you arent doing it back to me." you say as you chuckle finally looking him in the eyes.

"youre right. plus i dont really know if i wouldve broken out of that habit." you both laugh out loud while hitting each other.

the car eventually arrives while you two were hugging and flipping each other off, having fun in general, and it was time for the both of you to drive off and depart. during the car ride there were two new things you noticed: one, charles let you have the aux and two, he held your hand the whole way to your home.

it was only the first day and your heart and mind already knew the answer.

---

f1wagnews

Liked by user1, user2, and 28,274 others

f1wagnews charles leclerc and y/n l/n spotted together being lovey and hugging each other! there are already rumors speculating that the two of them are already dating, but some just say its the childhood best friend bond that they both have.

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user1 guys theyd lowkey be cute tho...idk ive been cheering for y/n to be with charles ever since i knew abt them being close 😭

user2 FRRR LIKE THE GENUINE BOND THEY HAVE.

user3 how both of them go from hugging to charles flipping her off and y/n sticking out her tongue...I NEED THIS TYPE OF RELATIONSHIP 😭🙈

user4 idk guys im kinda with alexandra on this one. i only see a friendship dynamic between y/n and charles, but when hes with alex, i see puppy love 💕☺️

user3 i was team alex but i havent seen her around the paddocks lately after what she did to y/n. it was also rumored that shes dating a football player, so im not really sure that her and charles are friends anymore. charles blocked her im pretty sure.

user5 WHATTT??? I DID NOT KNOW THIS. WHAT HAPPENED BETWEEN HER AND Y/N???

user3 YEAHH I LEARNED ABOUT IT LAST WEEK 😭😭 so basically alex has been cold to y/n the whole time they interacted and would give her compliments that were clearly backhanded and ofc y/n had enough of it because she genuinely wanted to befriend alex but ig alex was jealous of y/ns friendship w charles and she straight up just started lashing out on y/n and charles walked in and defended y/n then everything just went crazy. i can tag you in the post i saw.

user5 omg that is crazyyyy. no wonder alex was reposting about girl best friend hate tiktoks 😭

user1 YEAHH I WAS WONDERING WHO IT WAS FOR BUT IG IK NOW 😭😭😭

user1 i mean y/n cant really help it since they quite literally grew up together, bathed together when they were kids, and were around each other 24/7 due to their mothers being close. ik this girl is sick of male drivers rn because thats what she mostly grew up with. thats why shes also close to max, somebody fr get this girl a girl best friend 😔😭

user2 REAL. like this girl was just happy she had somebody in the paddock to be friends with and is a girl that was friends with charles because y/n cannot socialize with the wags in the paddocks to save herself, but that whole thing went down. shes also talked about how she would set charles up on dates hoping he would find the love of his life and then she would take his love of his love and make her her girl. give my girl a chanceeee 😭

---

charles_leclerc

Liked by y_n, maxverstappen1, landonorris, and 1,281,173 others

charles_leclerc the pizza was somehow edible 😇

tagged: y_n

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maxverstappen1 that looks like a ball sack if you turn it upside down

charles_leclerc @/y_n I TOLD YOU.

y_n GOSH YOU GUYS ARE SUCH BOYS

maxverstappen1 i mean..we are...

y_n i need girl friends 😔

charles_leclerc are you feeling sick of your boyfriendalready? 🙁

y_n after what you added on to your pizza after you turned it upside down...maybe charles 😔😔

user3 the little typing error is making me delusional but we all know what he meant 😭

user1 fr his space just completely stopped 😭😭

landonorris y/nnnnn lets hangout when???

y_n tomorrow!!!!

landonorris yayyy ❤️

y_n ❤️❤️❤️

user5 wait a minute...

user1 HOLD AWWWNNN.

user5 guys are lando and y/n dating? 😭

user1 my charles x y/n ship is slowly sinking as im reading the comment

y_n YEAH NO WONDER YOU WERE LAUGHING AT ME WHEN YOU WERE CHECKING MY BACK. GOT A WHOLE HAND ON MY BACK MATE

charles_leclerc HAHAHA 🤣🤣

---

"come on babe...are you really mad at me?" you ask him as he turns his head around, completely ignoring you.

its been 2 weeks since you guys started "dating" and so far no one really knows you guys are a thing, only rumors here and there which are quickly shut down by the fact that we are close childhood friends.

"charles, sweetie, its just an emoji." you say to him as he still gives you a cold shoulder.

whats happening now is that: charles posted on his instagram last night, looked at the comments, and saw what lando commented and what you replied with.

"if its just an emoji, why is it the symbol of love then?" he bitterly says, "also its not the emoji. its how the people reacted...theyre probably thinking you and lando are a thing."

"eugh, lando? babe...be for real and think that through. hes like my little brother..and plus it doesnt matter what other people think." you say walking up to him.

"well i care, y/n..." he frowns a little but turns around to look at you.

"awhhh is charlie jealous?" you ask him with a smile as he rolls his eyes.

"of course i a–" you cut him off with a kiss, to which he reciprocates.

"well dont be, mon tresor. im with you right now arent i?" he nods his head, "so spend time with me instead of giving me the silent treatment."

the both of you stare into each others eyes, deep in thought, not wanting to break contact or ruin the moment, but after a while; you straddle his lap so you could be closer to him. after you positioned yourself properly, you start to trace his features with your eyes. noticing the way his pupils dilate when he looks at you, his beautiful dimples that slowly appears as he smiles, and the way his lashes look so luscious and dreamy whenever he blinks. eventually, you leaned in for a kiss to which he quickly responds to and the night quickly turns into a blur right after that.

---

y_n

Liked by charles_leclerc, maxverstappen1, landonorris, and 351,183 others

y_n ive been a nasty girl xxx 🙈

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maxverstappen1 knew you were a freak

y_n learned from the best 😊

maxverstappen1 did you do the hawk tuah on it?

y_n MAX GET IUT OF HERHWHW WHO TAUGHT YOU THAT

danielricciardo it was not me.

maxverstappen1 it was you.

y_n DANNY WHEN I CATCH YOU I SWEAR

charles_leclerc whats a "hawk tuah" 🤨?

danielricciardo ill demonstrate it for you next race😏😏 ❤️ liked by author

y_n LMFAOOAHDJW

user6 SAINT LAURENT CONDOMS???? ARE YOU GETTING FREAKY WITH BILL GATES???

y_n IKR SHOULDA SEEN MY FACE. I DIDNT EVEN KNOW THEY WAS FREAKY RICH LIKE THAT...

landonorris YOUR LINGERIE ON THE LAMP??? TMI Y/N. TMI.

y_n somebody matched my freak im sorry

user1 HER VERSION OF A SOFT LAUNCH IM CRYINGGGG 😭😭😭

user2 WE LOST A BADDIE

user5 y/n this isnt you honey come home the kids miss you

charles_leclerc SOMEBODY MATCHED YOUR FREAK???

y_n matched it a little too well...ive been limping...

charles_leclerc no wonder i had to carry you.

user3 CHARLES LMFAOO 😭😭

user1 DIDNT EVEN KNOW THE REASON WHY HE WAS CARRYING HER 😭

user3 watch it be lando goodbyeee 😭

user6 BABE PLEASE THIS ISNT HOW YOU SOFT LAUNCH THIS IS ATTEMPTED MURDER 😔😔😔

---

the day came and it had been officially a month since you guys started the deal charles had offered, and to be fair during the month when you guys were together; you slowly forgot about the deal you had agreed to and just fully accepted your love for charles.

both of you are now at the very same spot where he had offered the deal to you and confessed his undying love for you. the place where it all began.

"y/n...." charles says mumbling into your neck.

"yes, charles?" you respond, brushing his hair with your fingers as the waves sang in melody.

"you know why i brought you here right?" he lifts up his head to face you completely.

"uhm...to have a...picnic date?" you answer, completely oblivious to the answer of the question he asked.

"what did we have a deal on a month ago?" he chuckles at your response, giving a hint.

"oh...OH!" you say with a shocked expression.

"since you know now...whats your answer going to be, y/n?" he asks completely fearful about your answer.

"you should know by now, charles." you say to him as a brow lifts up from his face.

"no, no i do not know. what is the answer?" he asks again now scared seeing your face hold no expression.

"look at the ocean, leclerc." you say as he obediently does what he was asked.

"what is the matter with the oce—" you cut him off with a kiss as he turned around to ask you a question. it shocked him a bit, but kisses you back; gently.

you guys kissed for a while until you pulled back gasping for air as his lips follow yours in suit to which you put a finger on, pushing his head back.

"let me catch my breath, mon tresor..." you exhale quietly after your sentence.

during the time you were catching your breath, charles was fixated by you. the way your hair fell perfectly in front of your face, your swollen lips, how your chest heaved up and down softly...yet erotically, and just how you looked in general with the moon shining down on you. giving you the most ethereal look that photographers wish to take a picture of.

you look up finally and you make eye contact.

"so whats your answer..." charles quietly asks as you chuckle.

"that wasnt enough of an answer?" he shakes his head as you giggle, "yes, charles. my answer is yes...it has been my answer since day one; i wasnt quite sure...but im quite definitely sure now." you smile at him as you give him a peck.

out of nowhere charles stands up and runs to the water, yelling and splashing in joy. you stand up quickly taking off in a sprint to go join in with your, now, boyfriend.

the beautiful melody the waves sang suddenly sounded more beautiful with the collaboration of splashes and pure laughter harmonizing with the waves by you and your lover, charles.

---

charles_leclerc

Liked by y_n, maxverstappen1, landonorris, danielricciardo, and 1,982,173 others

charles_leclerc a month? @/y_n

tagged: y_n

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y_n

Liked by charles_leclerc, landonorris, danielricciardo, maxverstappen1, and 729,713 others

y_n yes, a month. ❤️ @/charles_leclerc

tagged: charles_leclerc

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authors note(s): WOOP WOOP FIRST LECLERC SMAU HOW WE FEELINGGF

thank you sm for the crazy support!!!! im still trying to figure out how tumblr works...but i think im slowly getting the hang of it..maybe...

[shannendoherty-fans]

1992 - Shannen Doherty by Charles William Bush, first published on April 1992.

[black-fist-order]

"In my life, I have watched John Kennedy talk on television about missiles in Cuba. I saw Lyndon Johnson look Richard Russell squarely in the eye and and say, "And we shall overcome." I saw Richard Nixon resign and Gerald Ford tell the Congress that our long national nightmare was over. I saw Jimmy Carter talk about malaise and Ronald Reagan talk about a shining city on a hill. I saw George H.W. Bush deliver the eulogy for the Soviet bloc, and Bill Clinton comfort the survivors of Timothy McVeigh's madness in Oklahoma City. I saw George W. Bush struggle to make sense of it all on September 11, 2001, and I saw Barack Obama sing 'Amazing Grace' in the wounded sanctuary of Mother Emanuel Church in Charleston, South Carolina.

"These were the presidents of my lifetime. These were not perfect men. They were not perfect presidents, god knows. Not one of them was that. But they approached the job, and they took to the podium, with all the gravitas they could muster as appropriate to the job. They tried, at least, to reach for something in the presidency that was beyond their grasp as ordinary human beings. They were not all ennobled by the attempt, but they tried nonetheless.

"And comes now this hopeless, vicious buffoon, and the audience of equally hopeless and vicious buffoons who laughed and cheered when he made sport of a woman whose lasting memory of the trauma she suffered is the laughter of the perpetrators. Now he comes, a man swathed in scandal, with no interest beyond what he can put in his pocket and what he can put over on a universe of suckers, and he does something like this while occupying an office that we gave him, and while endowed with a public trust that he dishonors every day he wakes up in the White House.

"The scion of a multigenerational criminal enterprise, the parameters of which we are only now beginning to comprehend. A vessel for all the worst elements of the American condition. And a cheap, soulless bully besides. We never have had such a cheap counterfeit of a president* as currently occupies the office. We never have had a president* so completely deserving of scorn and yet so small in the office that it almost seems a waste of time and energy to summon up the requisite contempt.

"Watch how a republic dies in the empty eyes of an empty man who feels nothing but his own imaginary greatness, and who cannot find in himself the decency simply to shut up even when it is in his best interest to do so. Presidents don't have to be heroes to be good presidents. They just have to realize that their humanity is our common humanity, and that their political commonwealth is our political commonwealth, too.

Watch him behind the seal of the President of the United States. Isn't he a funny man? Isn't what happened to that lady hilarious? Watch the assembled morons cheer. This is the only story now."

- Charles Pierce

[lovesthe1980s]

Sharon Stone

(C) photo by Charles W. Bush.

[mariacallous]

With Republicans controlling the White House and both the House and the Senate, Democrats are feeling despondent about 2025. They understand that, since the 1970s, periods of united government have been extraordinarily important in moving public policy forward in new directions. Presidents who have a keen understanding of the dynamics of partisan power have deployed control of both branches of government to attempt big legislative agendas—which President Joe Biden succeeded in pushing in 2021 and 2022—before those windows of opportunity close.

But in these moments, the minority party is not powerless. Under effective leaders, the party that is out of power has found ways to block some of the most threatening initiatives and force presidents to retreat from signature legislation. Doing so has not been easy, requiring leadership that can prevent the minority from splintering as pressure intensifies to cut some sort of deal. Democrats’ own party history in the 21st century offers important models for the year ahead.

After President George W. Bush won reelection in 2004 against Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry—a dispiriting time for Democrats that left many in the party making jokes about moving to another country—he vowed to spend the “political capital” he had earned on reforming Social Security by privatizing it. With reports emerging about problems with Social Security’s long-term solvency, Bush was prepared to defy the conventional wisdom put forward 50 years earlier by fellow Republican President Dwight Eisenhower who said, “Should any political party attempt to abolish Social Security, unemployment insurance, and eliminate labor laws and farm programs, you would not hear of that party again in our political history.” President Ronald Reagan had backed away from his effort to tamper with the so-called third rail of American politics in 1981 and 1982; Bush was the first Republican since then to seriously take on the program. Given that his own approval ratings were only at about 52 percent—despite his reelection—this was a high-risk maneuver.

The president’s privatization plans had deep roots in the idea that had been circulated by Republican think tanks such as Cato based on overseas experiments with social insurance (particularly in Chile under the military dictator Augusto Pinochet). “As we fix Social Security, we also have the responsibility to make the system a better deal for younger workers,” Bush said in his 2005 State of the Union address, “and the best way to reach that goal is through voluntary personal retirement accounts.” Although the details were fuzzy, the private accounts would allow individuals to divert a percentage of their payroll tax into a personal fund and to make their own decisions—while accepting the risk—about how to invest the funds. The plan would take money away from the collective pool of payroll funds used to pay for retirees and individualize the risk to retirees rather than guaranteeing standardized benefit levels. The president undertook a “60 stops in 60 days” to sell the plan.

Republican Sen. Charles Grassley, chair of the Finance Committee, warned the administration that, in the Senate, “nothing gets done that’s not bipartisan.” In the House, the Republican majority was 232 to 201 (with one independent); in the Senate, 55 to 44 (with one independent).

Most Democrats perceived the proposal as a dangerous threat to one of the most consequential social safety net programs, from Franklin Roosevelt’s presidency. Since its establishment during the New Deal, Social Security provides retirement benefits to the elderly paid for by tax contributions from working Americans. The taxes and benefits were universal so that every citizen would become invested in the program in a similar manner. Privatization undermined this foundational structure.

After waiting for the president to put forward a legislative proposal that she knew would be unpopular with large portions of the public, Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) made it clear that Democrats would not support this initiative. Pelosi understood that party unity would be essential to blocking the Republicans, who had narrow majorities. “House Democrats are focused and united on making sure people know the facts about the Republicans’ proposal and its impact on Americans,” said Pelosi spokeswoman Jennifer Crider. If Democrats stood firm, any breaks within the GOP would undermine the president. Pelosi leaned on any member who felt pressure to cut a deal with the Republicans for fear that Bush had a mandate after his reelection. In the Senate, Minority Leader Harry Reid did the same. Avoiding the perennial pressure in Washington to embrace bipartisanship, House and Senate Democrats remained true to their party. According to Congressional Quarterly Almanac, House Democrats were more united than at any other time in the previous half century; Senate Democrats had only been as much in unison in 1999 and 2001.

As Democrats continued to spread the message that Bush and the GOP were threatening a popular federal program that working Americans depended on, getting specific about benefits that would be lost, some Republicans started to see clearly that the electorate was not with their party. Moreover, the handful of moderate Democrats such as Max Baucus of Montana, who had toyed with the idea of a compromise, saw how deeply unpopular the proposal was among voters. According to an ABC News/Washington Post poll that May, 58% of Americans reported that the more they heard about the plan, the less they liked it. As was often the case, the public might have hated government, but it loved Social Security.

In the Senate, the filibuster required Republicans to come up with 60 rather than 50 votes. Social Security is not considered within the normal federal budget so using the reconciliation process—which prevents filibusters—was not feasible. As long as Democrats were all on the same page, Bush would not be able to pass the bill. While many Democrats did not like the filibuster and saw the process as a tool of obstruction, as long as it was on the books, they would lean on the rule as a wall against GOP success.

By the summer, Republicans were starting to splinter, and by season’s end, Bush was forced to admit that his program was dead on arrival.

Twelve years later, Democrats faced another moment of truth when President Donald Trump, along with the Republican Congress, wanted to repeal—and replace, though never defined with what—the Affordable Care Act. The ACA (aka Obamacare) had constituted a bold expansion of federal health care policy. The program had survived political and legal attacks, including in the Supreme Court, and had slowly become an entrenched component of health care in states red and blue. Trump sensed that going after Barack Obama’s signature legislation would constitute a huge legacy-making victory for his administration. “We have to get to business,” Trump told the New York Times. “Obamacare has been a catastrophic event.”

Though deflated and still stunned by Trump’s victory, congressional Democrats mobilized. Republican majorities were slim. In the House, Republicans enjoyed 240 seats to the Democrats’ 194; in the Senate, the breakdown was 52 to 46 (with two independents, both of whom caucused with the Democrats).

Like Bush and Social Security, they sensed that the new president was overplaying his hand by attempting to dismantle a program that had become increasingly popular since its passage in 2010. Once again, Democrats made the decision to stick together. Rather than succumb to the seduction of Washington bipartisanship, Pelosi and Reid kept their members on the same page, echoing a resounding no. After the House Republicans passed the package without Democratic support, Pelosi warned her GOP colleagues: “You have every provision of this bill tattooed on your forehead. You will glow in the dark on this one.”

Democrats continued to warn voters of the implications of Trump’s proposal by speaking of specific benefits that would be taken away should Trump succeed. Americans under 26 would no longer be covered by their parent’s health insurance. Companies would be able to discriminate, as they had done in the past, against persons with preexisting conditions. States that were enjoying increased Medicaid funding would see those dollars cut. Healthy people would no longer be required to purchase insurance, which would raise overall cots, and government subsidies for insurance would be gutted.

Since Democrats remained united, they forced a showdown in the Senate. Unlike in the case of Bush’s Social Security legislation, Senator Majority Leader Mitch McConnell was able to put the ACA repeal proposal into the reconciliation process. This meant that it was filibuster-proof, and lowered the votes that Republicans needed to 51 rather than 60—increasing the vulnerability of the ACA. Yet Democrats succeeded. Since no Democrats would vote for the legislation, the small breaks that emerged among Republicans who were looking at the poll numbers hurt Trump’s cause. The most famous moment was when the late Sen. John McCain walked up to the podium in July 2017 and gave the bill a dramatic thumbs down, giving Trump one of his most devastating defeats.

On July 18, a defeated Trump complained about his colleagues. “For seven years,” the president said, “I’ve been hearing ‘repeal and replace’ from Congress, and I’ve been hearing it loud and strong. And then when we finally get a chance to repeal and replace, they don’t take advantage of it. So that’s disappointing.”

In the coming year, Democrats will inevitably suffer some major defeats, since Republicans do have the votes to succeed.

But Democrats are not helpless. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer can create effective roadblocks for Trump in his second term, as long as they can keep their members in line and use the procedural and financial tools available to party leaders to prevent defections. In the case of both Social Security and the ACA, the party remained united, with leaders offering a clear and compelling message. The party also used the legitimate legislative process in responsible ways to prevent passage. Democrats can do so again with judicious decisions about timing and priorities.

The Republicans have power in the House and Senate, but barely. Their majorities are even narrower than those the GOP enjoyed in 2005 or 2017: In the Senate, Republicans have 52 seats Democrats have 45, and there are two independents. In the House, it’s even closer: The GOP has 219 seats and Democrats have 215. With numbers like these, any break within the Republican Party has the potential to quickly bring down a Trump proposal—as it did with the nomination of former Rep. Matt Gaetz for attorney general. Since the filibuster remains on the books, to the consternation of many Democrats who still see the rule as a big problem, Republicans will need 60 votes on any measure that remains outside the reconciliation process.

Democrats need to embrace the power of responsible partisanship rather than run away from it. Strong parties, operating within the boundaries of legitimate processes and political tactics, have been an enormously effective tool in blocking aggressive presidents making bold moves. Without engaging in the kind of destructive hyper-partisanship that has characterized Republican politics, leaders like Pelosi have demonstrated repeatedly how effective a team that remains united can be even in the most trying of times.

[presidentconfessions]

"I have a theory that spaniels are inherently conservative-coded dogs. I mean, “Cavalier King Charles”? That’s a fucking tory. But beyond that, this applies to American politics as well. Ronald Reagan? Had a cavalier. George H. W. Bush? Had an English springer. His son? Also had an English springer. Bill Buckley? Cavaliers. Richard Nixon? Cocker spaniel. That being said, it is important to note that both JFK and Harry Truman also had a cocker spaniel, but that’s because unlike springers and cavaliers, they’re deeply bipartisan (possibly liberal-leaning), but still inherently political— the Aaron Sorkin of dogs.

Final note: this is, admittedly, a generalization; my friend had a cavalier who was almost certainly a fellow traveler, if not an outright comrade, and I had a cavalier mix who was incapable of thought, political or otherwise <3"

[leclsrc]

for ur 3k i just want to see an omitted scene from its never over pleaseeeee <3333

i need more childhood friends to lovers w charles 🥺🥺 angsty fluffy childhood friends for the 3k please 😩😋

say it all – cl16

You bid farewell to a myriad of memories, rolled into the most memorable summer of your teenage life. (was originally part of this, can stand alone just fine)

auds here... features snoopy and childhood friend!charles again :)

You run the stretch of sand to the dock from the villa, a downhill sprint that requires stamina and laughter and constantly ends with you crashing into Charles, legs wrapping around his waist as you both flop with a thud onto the sand. It happens again now, his hands wrapped around your waist, your dress tickling the top of your thighs as you fall and laugh.

You get up on your elbows, watching him sweep sand out of his eyes. “Did you close the villa window?” Both your parents are still at dinner, so you’re both in charge of making sure nobody gets burgled or whatever.

“Yeah.” He pauses, smiling up at you, his eyes light and so green. “But it doesn’t close all the way.”

You hum in agreement. “The wind always gets in.”

Your tolerance is so bad you’re loopy from one drink, and it’d been cut with juice, even. Your hair’s littered with fine sand when you get up, hauling Charles with you as you make the slow walk to the dock for the last time. Ever since he told you he’d be in Spain for karting next year, you’d anticipated the grief over your summers in Villefranche, knowing that in time, they’d grow more and more intermittent, happening less and less—

Before you know it, you’re weeping with it. You’ll miss it. You’ll miss all of it. All of him. All of Charles. There’s always been a window for you two, something there, something unnamed. But next summer it won’t be there, and that’s what you grieve.

“We can always come back,” he says, nudging your foot with his, both half-submerged in the cold dusk water. You laugh, wiping tears away messily, leaning on his shoulder. It’s grown more sturdy with how often he’s driving, no longer lanky and “noodle-y”, as you’d joked once. It’s safe, secure. But then again, you think—it’s always been.

“I know we can,” you sniffle, staring at the blue below. Of course you can. One day you’ll be old enough to drive yourselves up to the villa, old enough to be trusted with the keys (never you), or the parking (never Charles), old enough to join the clubs with IDs that aren’t doctored. By then you might find the dress you’re wearing tacky, and Charles might be a Red Bull driver already. 

But the summers before and the summers to follow won’t be this summer. They will never be this summer. The summer of sandy toes and being old enough to have an aperol with a smidge of alcohol, the summer of beach-crunched hair, hot sun and cool evenings where you’re satiated by pasta.

The same summer you found drunk Charles is sleepy Charles, an epiphany that arrived when you saw his tanned skin against the white of your duvet, eyes fluttered closed. He wouldn’t budge if you or Hervé tried pulling him off, but he moved enough to let you sleep beside him.

The summer you tried getting him to stop calling you Snoopy, because it was too childish for you, but he’d say goodnight Snoopy before bed every night without fail. The summer you dove off a cliff a few hours away and watched as Charles chickened out from below. The summer of your first cigarette, ashes flicked into the bushes by the villa at two-thirty in the morning. The summer that started with your first heartbreak. The summer that ends with another.

Gingerly, you lace your hand in his. It’s normal, but in your head it means something else. You play out the fantasy that he’s yours, if just for a minute. This will always be the summer you spent being seventeen and feeling old enough to be loving your best friend, but young enough that you wouldn’t tell a soul.

“Any plans for the fall?” You ask, shutting the window.

“I’ll drop you off at uni,” he says. It doesn’t close all the way.

[read-write-thrive]

I don’t have any fandom/non fandom friends to ask opinions so here’s a poll for the masses:

I drew a companion piece to this butch!fem!edwin payne w/ my design of femme!fem!charles rowland but I have a few variations and can’t decide which to post - fair warning she’s not fully dressed in any of these pieces (I honestly just wanted an excuse to research period accurate lingerie with these) which factors into the options below. also: she’s working on her hair in all of them and is only in a bra and pants for the non-hose/socks variations, just in case anyone has strong opinions on what order she should be getting ready in lmao