#how does andrew tolerate going out with him in public

[oh-my-gufking-god]

friendly reminder that Neil josten canonically wears jorts

[dvrcos]

Aaron may not have an eidetic memory like Andrew does but he has a damn good one and he can remember anything he puts even the smallest amount of effort into remembering.

After everything that happened in Baltimore Aaron starts to note every small possibly important (and unimportant) medical fact about the foxes. And he’s not even totally conscious he’s doing it.

He consciously remembers Andrew and Nicky’s blood types. He knows Nicky’s allergic to penicillin and he knows Andrew doesn’t react well to doctors so it’s best for everyone if he can be administered some kind of sedative right away.

And then he thinks he should probably know this stuff for Kevin, and begrudgingly Neil, because they’re part of his strange little family that Andrew’s created. So he quickly and easily finds this information on them (because he’s a Minyard and he just knows how to find the things he needs to know). So he knows their blood types and he knows Kevin still feels residual pain in his left hand but doesn’t show it and try’s to ignore it. He knows Neil heals annoyingly quick from his all too common injuries but he also knows he aggravates those injuries easily by pushing himself too soon.

But it doesn’t stop there, there’s a small itch in the back of his head driving him to find out the important medical facts about the rest of the foxes. So he allows himself to remember their blood types and allergens and tells himself he needs to know incase of an emergency.

But he also notices that Matt has a high tolerance to pain medication whenever he’s being treated by Abby for an injury during practice or a game. And he notes the one type that works for him and keeps multiple bottles on him and in their room. (It’s also the only type that works for Kevin and works best for Neil so he stocks their room with it too)

And he notices that Allison is a slight germaphobe and applies hand sanitizer anytime she has to touch a public door handle or they go out to eat. So he opens as many doors for her as he can despite the confused look he gives her every time and he just glares right back at her. He keeps an extra mini bottle of hand sanitizer in his backpack for her as well and silently passes it to her when she’s forgotten hers.

He notices Dans chronic knee and lower back pain that Abby is constantly treating and how there’s always a rotating rainbow of colorful KT Tape on her. So he keeps an eye on Abby’s stock of tape and when a color is running low he casually mentions it to her to order more and then walks away.

He notices how Renee always picks at the scabs on her knuckles that result from her sparring with Andrew. He figures the wraps she has are getting old and silently leaves a new pair on the counter the next time he’s in the girls dorm, along with a box of bandaids and a tube of antiseptic ointment. He leaves a matching set of supplies in Andrew’s dorm as well just to be safe.

He doesn’t consciously realize that what he’s doing is protecting and taking care of the Foxes. But the others catch on and smile fondly at him because he’s letting himself care for them and become part of their family.

And the one time Dan mentions what he’s doing for them he looks at her like she’s crazy. He tells himself, and her, that that’s not what he’s doing, he’s just a future doctor and someone needs to take care of these injury prone idiot athletes and no one else besides him and Abby are going to do it right.

Aaron would definitely be so observant and acutely aware of the Foxes physical well beings despite him insisting he doesn’t care and hates them all. But he basically becomes Abby’s right hand man and teams second nurse because it’s good practice for his future and he knows them.

[ask-elland-n-will]

TW: mildly suggestive touch

Practically lying on the bench now with Montrose being dragged on top of him in their tickle play, Will registers Allegra only after hearing something being slammed on the table. It seems to have put an end to Andrew's brutal attack on Will's dignity so the prefect can finally stop gasping for air in between fits of laughter.

He peeks briefly above the table at Allegra not so subtly judging him, and sticks his tongue out at her, scrunching his nose adorably, still giggling rather uncontrollably to form any coherent statements in his defense. He knows that she is not fond of his choice this time around but he hopes that given time she'll at least learn to tolerate Montrose. At the very least Andrew hasn't pushed him away just yet so maybe there is hope for Will there. Now, if her concern is with their public tickling indecency… Will has to agree there, he doesn't want people around to feel uncomfortable either. Not his fault Andrew decided to stun William with that kiss and then proceeded to get his hands all over the prefect while the latter was distracted.

The little snake whines in protest as Andrew slightly untangles himself from Will. If he is trying to look at least somewhat respectable to reply to the dare Allegra so fiercely laid on the table, then Will is not sure that Andrew is succeeding. After all, they are still holding onto each other in a way. Or is he trying to irritate Allegra even further? Will frowns at that thought.

Allegra? Outdrinking Monty? After a few shots she has downed already? What is she playing at? Will is aware of how Allegra is when she's drinking and there is no way she actually plans on winning. The sly fox gives his hunter a wink in silent response to Andrew's look as if saying "You got this~" It is kind of sweet, really, Andrew being so sure he'd win. Nobody should underestimate Will's best snake!

At the very least from where he is lying on the bench, Allegra cannot see his winking act of betrayal. But who would Will be if he believed that his bestie offered to play a game she could not win? Something else is happening behind the scenes. Getting more wine from Sebastian can wait.

While Andrew and Allegra are exchanging pleasantries and shots, Will grabs Andrew's cloak, fully intending to use it to sit up. He does succeed, with some effort, Monty's cloak being twisted in a way from how hard Will was tugging at it. His head spinning a little, Will leans onto Andrew's shoulder once again, eyeing his friends lazily, a cheeky smile not leaving his lips.

And then he notices the sign: Allegra's taps! If William were in his fox form, his ears would've been up in an instant. Ever since the two were kids, going to all those gatherings that nobles are required to go to, Allegra and Will formed a life-long allegiance. What are the bored kids to do? Lurking around, trying to figure out how the adult world works: who says what to who, how do ladies and gentlemen interact, what they can get away with and what should be avoided lest their fun is to come to an end. Over the years they themselves joined the fancy noble games, following the etiquette while finding it absolutely ridiculous behind the closed doors. This is also when they came up with a series of secret signs to help each other navigate the situations they find themselves in without letting the people around them know of their plans. Tapping on the lips? Something interesting is about to happen. There is a gradation to it, too, consisting of four stages ranging from "pay attention" to "the level of this mission is so sick that we will be talking about it for years."

Three taps in this situation are rather obvious: Montrose, Allegra, the challenge? This will be so good that Will is not even allowed to warn Monty: he knows Allegra wouldn't do anything that would upset her little snake, so it might be for his benefit as well. Will giggles excitedly, his eyes on Montrose as the challenge continues.

"My dear Allegra, you know me, I am a grrrrreat babysitter! Read books about it, too!" He almost adds "And Monty would be an adorable baby to take care of" but stops himself in time. They have been getting along swimmingly, as Allegra has put it, and Will doesn't want to accidentally hurt Andrew's pride. There is still so much he doesn't know about the Ravenclaw. However, after tonight there is a chance that Will's words would be the least embarrassing thing to have happened.

At Andrew's comment about "the very best of friends" Will snickers into his shoulder and moves his hand to Monty's thigh, squeezing it a little in reassurance and leaving it there, rubbing soft circles with his thumb, trying to do all that in a way that Allegra does not notice. He is aware that he is pretty much embracing Andrew at this point but the man is just too comfortable to be snuggled up against. How many shots did he have, together with that double and a few more shots? This should be enough to have a good time already, right? It does depend on what it is they are drinking.

After Andrew leans into him in a fit of laughter, delighting Will just so, the snake's heart skipping a beat at the sudden contact and the prefect squeezing Monty's thigh involuntarily, the little fox gets curious himself. Is there a bit of gigglewater in that bottle? Is the bottle charmed to change the beverage from time to time? Is it a potion of sorts disguised as alcohol? Allegra is sitting there rather undisturbed and Will's eyebrows arch in surprise. She is alright but Andrew is being the most unusual sort of Andrew right now! They've had like what… One shot at least before this challenge, and then one more, a double, at least three more shots, and another… Will always keeps track of what he is drinking and in what amounts, his limit being at the very strict line: there is no way he can allow himself to be sick in the morning. But even if Andrew is much bigger than William, the wizard can't possibly drink as much as he did and not feel it the next day.

The next time Andrew pours himself a drink, Will intercepts the glass with his nimble seeker fingers before it makes it to Andrew's lips. The prefect leans up into Andrew's ear to whisper "Monty, darling, allow me to take this" loud enough for the Ravenclaw to hear over the obscenely unhinged music. The musicians really ramped up the pace, a lute and a fiddle overshadowing all the other instruments by a long shot. Will giggles at the pun in his head but has more pressing matters to attend to first.

"I think you need a break, maybe something to eat? I am sure as soon as you get up you'll feel the ramifications," he loudly addresses both of them.

The prefect takes the glass out of Andrew's hand making sure that his fingers linger on the other's, murmuring something unintelligible into his ear. He then leans closer to the table, eyeing the drink curiously.

"Allegra, I hope you don't mind if I give it a try as well," he suddenly says, giggling, and downs the content of the glass in one go.

Uh-oh, this is not at all how he imagined it would go. Will starts coughing uncontrollably, having a hard time breathing, holding onto his chest and folding over the table a little, his hand most likely squeezing Andrew's thigh almost painfully. Fighting for air, the Slytherin tries to give Allegra an incredulous look but the tears in his eyes are clouding his vision. He opens his mouth and closes it. Then does it again. The drink burned his mouth and his throat, and not in the pleasing way Firewhisky does it. How much alcohol is in this thing?!

"Merlin's balls, you two are NUTS!" he barely gets out, another cough interrupting him. "It feels like three shots in one, and you two had around seven of those, so that's like… 21 shots! No, no, nope, nopedy nope." He tries to get up but fails, falling backwards onto Monty instead. "As a prefect, I'm telling you that you've certainly had enough. Both of you won! Go get some water!"

@ask-wren-zhang @ask-andrew-montrosee @adallegra @ask-sebastian @theodoradevlin

A Badger, a Snake, and an Eagle Walk Into a Bar

Theo was in the business of chaos this weekend, rather more so than usual. After all, when she was in such colorful company ...how would that not be the case?

She finds @adallegra and @ask-wren-zhang waiting for her by the North Exit, deciding to not announce herself but tackle them both from behind.

"Evening, duckies. Shall we?"

She loops her arms in both of theirs, linking them all with a tug towards Hogsmeade. The night air is cool and clear, much unlike their intentions for the weekend. She knew they had all been entirely too cooped up in the castle recently, and her professional opinion was that letting a little steam out seemed to be the best remedy.

Walking into the fine establishment of the Three Broomsticks was always like walking into a warm hug that may end up setting you on your behind by the end of the night, but was a welcome sight all the same.

The fire was roaring, there was a band already playing in the corner, and it looked like Sirona was behind the bar for the time being. The night was off to a good start with the conversations of various witches and wizards already starting to pick up in a cheery buzz.

Theo looks to Allegra and Wren, with one simple declaration to start.

"First round's on me!"

[jemej3m]

Aaron takes the mental health course part of pre med (is that a thing?) and starts recognizing Andrew grounding himself, having an episode, etc

bruhhhhh 

bruuhhh

*

Aaron winced as his son sprinted for the door, yelling the whole way. The twins knew that their uncle was coming to visit and were absolutely ecstatic about it. A well-known fact amongst the old Foxes and their children was that Andrew was very, very good with kids. 

Well, Aaron conceded. Andrew wasn’t good with them. He just didn’t even have to try: they loved him right off the bat. And barring the slight furrow in his brows whenever one of Aaron’s twins or Kevin’s spawn whined ‘please!’, he didn’t seem to mind being around them, either. 

His son was jumping for the doorhandle excitedly, so Aaron put his hand atop of his head and stilled him before swinging the door open. 

Andrew was much the same. They were aging the same way, albeit the slight muscular composition difference. Andrew’s teeth were a little more yellow, though he’d given up smoking a few years ago, and Aaron had reading glasses tucked into the collar of his shirt. Other than that, they were just as similar as they always had been. 

“Hey,” Aaron said, but his son was already yelling and jumping and tugging on Andrew’s hand. Andrew’s lips nearly twitched into a smile. Nearly. 

Once his bags were deposited and shoes tucked into a corner, Katelyn handed him a mug of cocoa and they all sat on the couch as the kids regaled their uncle with stories of preschool and their neighbour’s new dog and how Dad had found them in the bathroom with craft scissors, which was why Aaron’s son had such a short haircut now. 

Katelyn got them settled for bed soon after: Andrew had arrived relatively late in the evening, just in time for ‘adult dinner���. 

“How was the flight?” Aaron asked, taking a dish of potatoes out of the oven. 

Andrew hummed into his glass of wine. “Miserable.” 

Aaron had known for quite a while Andrew’s deliberating fear of heights, ever since the Foxes had taken a reunion trip to Hawaii a few years ago. When his wife hustled back into the kitchen, Andrew nodded at her and she smiled back. Aaron felt something odd in his chest. Andrew had been very tolerant of Katelyn lately. He assumed it was the kids’ doing. 

They ate dinner quietly. Katelyn chattered about the kids, and their medical placements. Andrew asked about their specialties. 

Aaron stared at the plate. Katelyn nudged his shoulder. 

“Right.” He glanced up. “I’m not sure. What I want to choose, that is. It’s between surgery or psychiatry.” 

Andrew hummed. “Psychiatry.” 

Aaron shrugged. He’d done a lot of mental health work throughout his postgraduate degree. It just seemed to make sense that he’d go into that field. It takes one to know one, and all that. “What do you think?”

Andrew just arched an eyebrow. “Does it matter?”

“Well, yes,” Aaron said, tone a little frigid. Drake’s trial had been a public debacle, but it was Dr Richmond Proust that Aaron couldn’t get out of his head. It was during their fourth year when the news had come on about a psychiatrist at Easthaven being exposed for forceful sexual conduct with patients. Andrew hadn’t spoken to anyone but Neil for a week, and then disappeared for another two when Waterhouse asked him to stand witness to Proust’s trial. 

“Psychiatry is glorified drug dealing,” Andrew decided, stabbing a piece of broccoli with his fork. He paused, then shrugged. “Could probably do with a bit of Minyard fuckery, though.”

Aaron was finally able to read Andrew’s subtext though: that was the biggest compliment he’d ever get. Unable to bite down a smile, he said “I thought so, too.” 

His brother simply hummed. 

The rest of dinner passed quietly. Andrew had three of Katelyn’s triple fudge brownies and sent a photo of them to Kevin, just to piss him off. The evening slowed down with a nightcap in front of the news, Katelyn heading to bed early. She’d agreed to take the kids to their daycare in Aaron’s stead so that he could have breakfast with his brother alone.

Aaron was just about to turn in for the night when Andrew’s phone rang. Andrew squinted at the unknown number, mouth turned down: he could remember everyone’s phone numbers, and this was clearly one he didn’t recognise.  

He rose the phone to his ear. The slight frown disappeared and transformed into a blank stare, something far deadlier. Aaron hadn’t seen him wear it since college. 

“When,” Andrew snapped, gripping the phone so hard Aaron thought it would break. The voice continued. “And you only thought to call me now? I’m his next-of-kin.” Aaron froze. 

Eventually, Andrew hung up, holding the phone midair as his eyes glossed over. 

“Andrew?” 

“Neil got in a head-on collision,” he mumbled. 

“Dead?”

“Unstable.” 

“I’ll book you a flight.”

Andrew wasn’t moving. When Aaron saw a flush rise in his cheeks, he realised Andrew wasn’t breathing, either. Shit. Shit. His brother was having a fucking meltdown. Goddammit, next time Aaron saw Neil he was going to strangle him. 

He got off the couch and crouched down in front of Andrew, careful not to touch him. “Andrew.”

Andrew didn’t move. 

“Hey, Andrew.” Aaron stood up a little more so that they were eye level. “Andrew, you need to breathe. Okay? If you’re going to go make sure Neil’s okay, I need you to breathe.” 

Andrew finally looked at him. He was angry. Terrified. Aaron couldn’t really tell: his gaze was like looking into a void, pupils blown wide. 

Calming someone down was a lot simpler when Aaron didn’t know them. This was like walking a tightrope of barbed wire over an alligator-infested pit. 

“Can I have your phone? I’m going to book you a flight. Okay? Nod if you can hear me.”

Andrew nodded but didn’t relinquish the phone. Aaron grit his teeth. 

“Andrew. It’s going to be okay. He’s unstable, but he’ll make it. He’s always made it. He’s impossible to kill, right?” 

“I hate him,” Andrew mumbled. 

“I know. Can I use your phone?” 

Andrew dropped the phone into Aaron’s hand and dropped his head into his hands, utterly still. His breathing went all ragged and choppy. 

There was a springy voice on the other end of the line. “Hello, this is the service desk for Terminal 1 domestic, how can I -?”

“I need a flight for Denver as soon as you can,” Aaron snapped. “It’s an emergency. When’s the next available one? I’m willing to pay whatever’s necessary.” 

“Oh,” the woman sputtered. “Um, there’s a red-eye leaving in an hour, but there’s only first-class left - ”

“That’s fine. Please book it for Andrew Minyard. I’ll be there in twenty minutes.” 

“Sir, I really can’t - wait, Andrew Minyard? Seriously?”

“Dead serious.” 

“Alright,” she allowed. “Okay. If you can make it to this desk in 25 minutes, I’ll have a seat for you, Mr Minyard.”

Aaron hung up. “Andrew, we need to go.” 

Andrew’s breathing sped up, fingers digging into his hair and pulling hard enough to rip it out. Aaron’s chest began to ache, watching as the sleeves of his shirt fell down to reveal the black armbands, still everpresent after all these years. 

“Hey,” he said, keeping his voice gentle. “Are you with me, Andrew?”

Andrew glanced up slightly, glaring at Aaron’s collarbone. 

“All you need to do is breathe. Neil is okay. He’s going to be okay. You’ll see him soon, alright?” 

Aaron tapped his hand gently on his knee, palm down for four counts, then holding his fist closed for eight counts, then palm up for four counts. Andrew slowly began to breathe in time with his hand, chest heaving as he inhaled through his teeth. 

It took a while, but Aaron watched him slowly come back to his senses. His hands slipped over his eyes once his breathing was steady, kneading at his temples. 

“I’ll drive you to the airport,” Aaron said. 

“Okay,” Andrew rasped. 

*

“Babe,” Katelyn whispered. “Your phone is going off.”  

Aaron blinked his eyes open, glaring at the ceiling. Why’d he been up so late? 

Oh. Right. 

He blindly reached out for his phone. 

Most of it was the Foxes going mad, but there in the midst of chaos, was Andrew’s number. 

he’s going to be ok. thank you.

Aaron sighed, oddly relieved. He didn’t like Neil Josten one bit, but it would’ve been a slight hiccup if he’d died. 

good, he said, texting blindly without his glasses. don’t mention it.

trust me, his brother texted back. I won’t.

*

nawww twinyards!

[kevindayscrown]

Why Kevin Day is the most in-depth character in the All For the Game series

An essay by a Kevin stan, so you know it's at least 70% biased

Hello, hello everyone, welcome to another session of me, brainwashing you about the amazingness of Kevin Day. In this short essay, I'll discuss how our number Queen asshole striker is, in fact, not just a whiney bitch, but one of the most key characters in the AFTG series. I'll also discuss how Nora pretty much did him dirty and how much I appreciate the fandom for doing him better.

I've decided that it will be much easier to take things chronologically, so I can delve deeper into what makes Kevin the character whose stans won't shut up about.

Unlike the rest of the characters in the series, Kevin started off in a somewhat stable family condition. He was brought up by his mother, Kayleigh, but still probably had to live with the title 'Son of Exy' from the moment he was born. We've all witnessed what being on the spotlight from a young age has done to child stars. Kevin, upon growing up, would start feeling the burden of a whole legacy created by his mother. Because Exy, despite being a bastard sport, has a large fanbase around the US, and possibly further - since it's mentioned that it's also an Olympic sport.

It wouldn't be a surprise that Kevin more than likely looked up to his mother and wanted to play Exy for her. Suddenly though, Keyleigh died in a car accident (if it was even a car accident; knowing the Moriyamas, it could had been done on purpose) and left Kevin in the care of Tetsuji Moriyama, the head of one of the yakuza's branches, and his now adoptive brother Riko.

Let's be honest, both of them were just kids. They only had each other, so it was really easy to get attached. Kevin has lost his mother at this point and Tetsuji is not exactly a proper father figure, so Kevin had to cling on Riko. Despite us seeing him in the main timeline being an asshole who snaps at everyone, his willingness to submit into the position of 'number 2' even if he's better than Riko, shows how much he depends emotionally on people. Riko and Kevin had to meet certain expectations, had fans from a very young age, and Neil even mentions that he literally witnessed Kevin grow up from media outlets and coverages. Kevin had to stick close to the only other person who's going through the same thing.

As a result, it was easy for Kevin to focus on what he's taught to believe; he should aim for the stars, he should be good, great, but never the best. Because Riko is the best. Kevin accepts that.

I hate how people call him a spineless coward just because someone mentions it once in the book. Kevin isn't like Neil. Neil was given a chance to escape. Kevin could never escape Evermore. Even if he did consider it his home, he was still abused on a daily basis. Riko mentions in Raven King, when he's about to torture Neil, that Neil is basically in the same position as Kevin once had been:

People forget that, Kevin probably had to live through what Neil did ever since Riko turned into his fucked up self. Which literally means years of physical and mental abuse, with no hope of escape but the bright future he had ahead of him. So what did Kevin do? He focused on playing.

Stop making Kevin all about being an Exy freak or an alcoholic. Kevin was so obsessed with Exy because it's the only thing he has ever known. He probably couldn't even drink before he escaped Evermore.

Imagine being torn between loving and clinging on the boy you once called brother because it's the only family you've known, and being hurt by him, again and again at a later age, having him shatter all you think you are good at. Riko didn't just break Kevin's hand. He almost took away from him all he thought he had left, and possibly the only way Kevin had of feeling close to his mother.

Kevin loses all he's ever known, and he blames himself for it at first because he thinks it's his fault that he even dared to show he could be better than Riko. He's in pieces and the only thing he does is to cling yet on another person. Aka Andrew. And somehow like this, we come back to the point about Kevin not only being far from an emotionless asshole, but actually being the most emotionally attached character in the series.

Entering the timeline of the books, Kevin appears as the epitome of a narcissistic asshole. It's fair for someone (as a reader) to not like him at first, when we don't know all that much about him. But as the story unravels, a clear distinction is made:

Kevin is not a narcissist. He's egocentric.

Kevin knows and truly believes he's the center of attention. Because, admittedly, he is. The books could had easily had Kevin as the protagonist. Like mentioned before, being raised on the spotlight, has had a tremendous impact on how he sees himself. He's obsessed with what image he's presenting to the public. I don't think he said 'being heterosexual is easier' without a reason. Kevin has led a life full of suppression. He can flash a 'press smile' for the cameras, he can snap and be cold at the Foxes, when in reality, he's suffering from severe PTSD, with panic attacks that he's handling in the worst way possible:

Alcohol. Why? Because the Foxes are all assholes and hypocrites. Don't get me wrong, I love them. But the fact that they just ignored Kevin everytime he had a panic attack and simply thrusted a bottle of vodka his way and called it a day? Inexcusable. Kevin needed a lot more than that.

Oh jeez, I wonder why he didn't tell Wymack he was his father all along.

If I see another person saying that Kevin was an ass for not telling Wymack straight up, I might slap a bitch. Do you think that Kevin would have been able to handle another rejection, another loss of a parental figure? All he did, was in self defense. Yes, it was selfish, but it was probably the only time in his life he could really make a choice on his own.

But you know what? Kevin overcame all this. Maybe and most probably not completely, he will never be able to wash away some stains, but he became more confident and emotionally independent. He detached himself both from Riko and from Andrew, and became the best striker in the history of Exy.

One of the reasons why I love Neil and Kevin - especially Kevin - is because their healing journeys are more fleshed out than Andrew's. But in this case, Kevin's was not really given the attention it deserved, it happened on the side lines and he had to do it alone. Neil had the foxes, had Wymack and Andrew. Kevin had no one, because the foxes, despite being assholes themselves, kept dismissing him and his problems. I really do believe that, in the first drafts when Kandreil was canon, Nora had potentially explored his character more. I wish we had gotten that instead of this sloppy attempt to squeeze in his ark along with Neil's.

I'll end this with some highlights that also showcase how badass Kevin is. He's a mess, but he does grow some spine when he finally becomes his own person:

Oof, if you actually read through this, thank you for tolerating my probably incoherent thoughts. I actually barely scratched the surface of my thoughts on Kevin's character but for now, this will do.

[play-exy-be-sexy]

Andreil and Camping

Andrew hates the outdoors and anything involved with it.

Camping? No.

Fishing? Boringgg.

Hiking? Bugs.

Barbecues? No.

Swimming? Not indoor? Nope.

Bonfires? A little more tolerable but still no.

What makes it even worse though is Neil lovessss the outdoors.

Especially camping.

But not like camper in a KOA or whatever.

Overnight backpacking into the mountains camping.

Andrew doesn’t come with him on these trips though. Usually he goes with the upper classmen or Nicky(who did a lot of backpacking with Erik in Germany)

Andreil does go camping though, because sometimes(rarely) Neil wins and they end up going to the lake on a random free weekend.

Usually they go to an actual camp ground and Andrew brings the huge three room tent he bought before the first time they went.

It takes like three hours to set up and usually Andrew just sits and watches Neil struggle.

But when its done it looks amazing and all the other campers always comment on how big and impressive it is.

The benefits of being pro athletes: big $400 tents.

Anyway they usually go just for the weekend.

Always somewhere kind of close to a lake because Neil LOVES the water.

Sometimes they just lounge by the lake all day and Andrew watches Neil swim and try to do fancy tricks off the dock.

On occasion though they will rent kayaks and just spend the day rowing around the lake.

They will kayak to the other side and maybe go on a little hike or have a picnic.

He will never admit it but Andrew really enjoys kayaking.

It’s right up his alley and he loves the way Neils eyes always end up looking at Andrews biceps when he’s rowing.

Sometimes they race across the lake.

Andrew wins obviously.

Neil always insists they do camping right so dinners are hot dogs and s’mores.

Andrew can eat like six s’mores without getting sick.

Neil hates marshmallows and just eats the graham crackers.

While their tent is very big they always end up snuggled into the same sleeping bag because why not.

Andrew bought one of the two people ones after the first trip.

Andrew gets cold very easily so they are always just buried in tons of blankets.

While their tent may be just a tad too big, they both love it because neither of them necessarily like small spaces and like having the option of spacing out if needed.

Plus it’s a great spot to make out.

And trust me there is a lot of that on their camping trips.

Like a lot.

The tents not see through thankfully.

The only thing Neil and Andrew hate about the public campgrounds is they are never really by themselves.

They constantly have people walking up to their area or at the beach.

And while Neil never hates talking to fans it’s hard to enjoy time with Andrew like he’s like to when everyone’s watching them.

It’s already awkward enough having to explain why Andrew Minyard and Neil Josten are together. Of all the foxes to be together they are the least likely.

After a few too many close calls, they decide to start renting whole areas of the campground.

Again the benefits of making seven digits a year.

Or they just going to a secluded area like five minutes away from the designated camp areas. So it’s logged and not completely wild.

Also sometimes if they have a game on the coast they will just stay an extra day and camp on the beach. Occasionally with the foxes but usually just them.

These are Andrews favorite trips because there aren’t as many people or bugs and they are usually semi close to a hotel if needed.

Plus he loves the ocean.

So while Andrew originally hates camping the more and more Neil forces him to go he finds things to enjoy. Like kayaking or s’mores or how Neil is so happy and in his element outdoors.

When they both retire from pros they buy an RV(a big one mind you. Andrew made sure of that)and for like a year they just travel the country staying at campgrounds and the beach.

It’s one of the first times Andrew is genuinely happy for more then a few minutes.

Also sometimes the other foxes come on their camping adventures but that’s for a whole different post.

[whitehotharlots]

Previewing the 2024 Democrat Primary

Within a couple weeks of his being sworn in, just about every person on earth will wish Joe Biden was no longer president. Sure, the few surviving John B. Anderson voters will be thrilled to see 4 years of crushing austerity and half-assed attempts at Keynesian stimulus. But most people will begin dreaming about a brighter future.

Good news! The 2024 Democratic primary field is going to contain dozens of options. Bad news! They are all going to be disgusting piles of shit. 

The “top tier”

While it’s too early to do any handicapping, these are the candidates the media will treat as having the most realistic chances of securing the nomination. 

Kamala Harris

Kamala did not win a single primary delegate in 2020. This is because she dropped out before the first primary, and that was because no one likes her. She has no base beyond a few thousand of twitter’s most violent psychos. Her disingenuousness approaches John Edwards levels: any halfway incredulous person can see immediately beyond her bullshit. She has no principles whatsoever, and while that may be par for the course for Democrats, she lacks even the basic politician’s ability to intuit anything that might, hypothetically, constitute a principle. 

Even better: she is an awful public speaker. She sounds like how a talking dog would speak if he were just caught stealing people food off the kitchen table. She communicates in weird grunts and faux sassy squeaks, which is how she imagines real black women sound like, but something about her is unable to sell the bit. She begins her sentences in halfhearted AAVE, stops and panics halfway through as she realizes that maybe this sounds fake and offensive, and then reminds herself oh wait, no, this is okay since I’m black. This doesn’t happen once or twice per speech. This is how every single sentence sounds. 

Kamala is like Nancy Pelosi in that no sketch show will ever impersonate her correctly, because anything that came close to authenticity would be considered far too cruel. This might benefit her in the primaries, as she exists in the minds of Democrats as someone and something she absolutely is not in reality. Nominating her would be like allowing your child’s imaginary friend to attempt to drive you to the store. 

Andrew Cuomo

Easily one of the 50 worst people alive, Cuomo has a solid chance because Democrats, same as Republicans, are unable to differentiate between electability and self-serving ruthlessness. Cuomo used the deadliest public health crisis in American history as a pretext for cutting Medicaid and firing 5,000 MTA workers, and his approval rating increased. New York Dems are little piggies who love eating shit. If we assume that the political media will continue their habit of refusing to discuss the legislative history of right wing Democrats, Cuomo might well cruise to the nomination and then lose to literally any human being the GOP nominates by an historic margin. 

Joe Biden

The party loves him because he is a right wing racist. “Progressives” tolerate him because black primary voters over 40 supported him, and their opinion is supposedly a magic window into god’s truth. Everyone else can tell he is manifestly senile. I don’t put it above the DNC to pick a candidate who is in horrible health, dying, or even dead--whatever the financial sector wants, they’ll get. But I would be shocked if his approval rating is above 39% by mid-2023, and by that point deep fake technology will be advanced enough they’ll put out a very lifelike video in which the Max Headroom version of Joe explains he’s proud of his accomplishments--that budget’s almost balanced already--but, man, I gotta abd--I gotta abdica--, uhh, I gotta, I, uhh, I gotta move down, man. 

Wild Cards

These candidates would have all have a chance if they ran, but they could all much more easily retire to Little Saint James off of kickbacks they’ve gotten from Citibank and I.G. Farben. 

Rahm Emanuel

Rahm is going to receive some hugely influential post in the Biden administration. Let’s say he becomes Secretary of Education. His signature achievement will be replacing all elementary school teachers with Amazon’s Alexa, which saved the taxpayers so much money we were able to quadruple the number of armed police officers we put into high schools. This will give him several thousand positive profiles on network news programs and the near-universal support of the Silicon Valley vampires who will own 99% of the country by the time Biden’s term ends. They will use their fancy mind control devices to convince geriatic primary voters that Rahm’s the one who will bring Decency back to the white house. His candidacy will be the paragon of wokeness, as expressing concern toward the fact that he covered up the police murder of a black guy will get you called a racist. 

Rahm has a bonus in that Jewish men are now Schrodeniger’s PoC. When they are decent human beings, they are basic, cis white men who are stealing attention from disabled trans candidates of color. When they love austerity and apartheid, they become the most vulnerable people of color on earth and criticizing them in any way is genocide. No one will be able to mention a single thing Rahm has ever done or said without opening themselves to accusations of antisemitism, and that gives him a strong edge against the rest of the field. The good news is that an Emmanuel candidacy would result in over 50% of black voters choosing the GOP candidate--which, I guess that’s not really good but it would certainly be funny. 

Gavin Newsom

Newsom is every bit as feckless as Cuomo, but he doesn’t put off the same “bad guy in an early Steven Segal movie” vibes. He will mention climate change 50 times per speech and no one will bother to mention how he keeps signing fracking contracts even though his state is now on fire 11 months of the year. If anything, this will be spun into an argument about how he’s actually the candidate best suited to handle all the water refugees gathering on the southern border. Look for his plan to curb emissions by 10% by the year 2150 to get high marks from Sierra Club nerds. He’s also a celebate librarian��s idea of what constitutes a handsome man, so he’ll have some support from the type of women who claim to hate all men. 

Larry Summers

I mean, why not? Larry, like most members of the Obama administration, has politics that are eerily similar to those of Jordan Peterson. In normal circumstances, this makes a person a dangerous fascist who should not be platformed. But if that person has a D next to their name this makes them a realistic pragmatist who has what it takes to bring suburban bankers into our tent. If current trends in Woke Phrenology continue apace, Larry’s belief that women are inherently bad at STEM will be liberal orthodoxy by 2023, and his dedication to the Laffer Curve could see him rake in massive donations. Seriously, I’m not kidding: cultural liberalism is now fully dedicated to identity essentialism and balanced budgets. Larry is their ideal candidate. If he were black and/or a woman, I’d put him in the very top tier. 

Jay Inslee

Unlike Newsom, Inslee’s attempt to crown himself the King of Global Warming won’t be immediately derailed, since his state is only on fire because of protestors. This, however, poses a different problem. He’s going to be a good test case for the Democrat’s uneasy peace with the ever increasing share of the electorate who become catatonic upon hearing a pronoun. On the one hand, you need to take their votes for granted. On the other hand, they’re not like black people or regular gays: most voters actively, consciously despise wokies, and associating yourself with them will ruin a campaign even in deep blue areas. There’s still gonna be riots in a year. Biden’s gonna announce the sale of all our nation’s potable water to the good folks at Nestle and some trans freak named Sasha-Malia DeBalzac is going to use that as an opportunity to sell their new pamphlet about how it’s fascist to not burn down small businesses. No matter what Inslee does in response, it’ll end his career. 

AOC

I’m not one of those “AOC is a secret conservative” weirdos, but I am aware enough of basic reality to know she has zero chance of coming close to the nomination. The right and the center both regard her as a literal demon. The party is already blaming her for the fact that a handful of faceless Reagan acolytes failed to flip their suburban districts even though they ran on sensible pragmatic proposals like euthanizing the homeless. The recriminations will only get more unhinged when the Dems eat shit in the 2022 midterms. She will be a Russian, she will be white male, she will be a communist, she will be a homophobe: any insult or conspiracy theory you can name, MSNBC will spend hours discussing. Her house seat challenger will receive a record amount of support from the DNC in 2024 and it’ll be all she can do to remain in congress.

Larry Hogan

Don’t be dissuaded by the fact that he’s a Republican. Larry is the DNC’s ideal candidate: a physically repulsive conservative who owes his entire career to appealing to the most spiteful desires of suburban white people. He’s an open racist in a material sense--if you’re old-school enough to think racism is a matter of beliefs and actions, rather than the presence of cultural signifiers--but his is the beloved “never Trump” style of racism that Dems covet. He’s also a Proven Leader who thinks the role of government should be to finance the construction of investment property and give police the resources they need to run successful drug trafficking operations. Few people embody the Democrat worldview more than Larry. 

The Losers Bracket

These people will have at least a small chance due solely to the fact that the Democrats love losing. They have lost in the past, and in the Democrat Mind that makes them especially qualified.

Joe Kennedy

The man looks like a mushroom-human hybrid from a JRPG. Trump proved that physical hideousness need not doom a presidential bid, but a candidate still needs some kind of charm or oratorical abilities or, god forbid, a decent platform. Joe aggressively lacks all of these things. A vanity campaign would be a good way to raise money and perhaps secure an MSNBC gig, so Joe might still run. 

Mayor Pete 

I am 100% convinced that Pete’s 2020 run was a CIA plot meant to prevent working class Americans from ever having a chance of living decent lives. I am also 100% aware that Democrats are dumb enough to enthusiastically support a CIA plot meant to prevent working class Americans from ever having a chance of living decent lives. If we have some sort of military or terror disaster between now and 2023 the Dems are sure to want a TROOP, and wait wait wait you’re telling me this one is a gay troop? Holy hell there’s no way that could lose!

Stacy Abrams

Never underestimate the power of white guilt. She lost the gubernatorial race to Gomer Pyle’s grandson, and her spiritual guidance of the Dems saw the party lose black voters in Georgia in 2020. Nonetheless, she is regarded as a magic font of fierceness within the DNC. She might stand a chance if she can establish herself as the most conservative non-white candidate in the field, but there’s going to be stiff competition for that honor.

Elizabeth Warren

Liz is probably angry that the party so shamelessly sold her out even after she was a good little girl and sabatoged Bernie’s campaign for them--yet another example of high ranking US government officials reneging on their promises to the Native American community. Smdh. The fact that this woman hasn’t been bankrupted a dozen times over by various Wallet Inspectors genuinely astounds me. So Liz is probably going to run again, and her campaign will be even sadder the second time around. 

It might surprise you to hear this if you don’t work at a college or NGO, but Liz diehards actually do exist. She’ll get even less support this time because there will be no viable leftist in the field for her to spoil, but she’ll still hang in long enough to make sure the very worst possible candidate beats out the second worst possible candidate. Maybe she’ll fabricate a rape accusation against Sherrod Brown. Maybe she’ll spend her entire allotted debate time doing a land acknowledgment. With Liz, anything is possible--so long as it ends in failure. 

Amy Klobuchar 

Amy was the most bloodthirsty of the 2020 also rans. She will double down on the unpopular failures of the Biden administration, explaining that if you weren’t such a selfish idiot you’d love the higher social security retirement age and oh my god are so such a moron you think you shouldn’t go bankrupt to get a COVID vaccine? There’s a non-unsubstantial segment of the Democratic base that’s self-hating enough to find this appealing, but it won’t be enough to make her viable. 

Martha Coakley

She lost Ted Kennedy’s senate seat to a retarded man who was pretending to be even more retarded than he actually was. Then she lost a gubernatorial race to a guy who openly promised Massachusetts voters that he would punish them for electing him. Her record of failure is unparalleled, making her perhaps the ideal Democrat standard bearer for the twenty twenties. 

[mermaidsirennikita]

I didn’t know about Diana’s bulimia and suicide attempts until watching the doc on Netflix yesterday and I really can’t imagine how William and Harry even tolerate any of the Windsors.

Tbh, I don’t get the sense that Harry DOES anymore lol.  And now I’m going to indulge myself and do a whole rundown lol.

Here’s what I know about Harry’s relationship to the Windsors, based on various bits of gossip picked up over many years of royal-watching (as a disclaimer): Harry was once extremely close to his brother William to a codependent degree.  This was probably the kind of “glue” that kept him close to the rest of the family as he grew up and dealt with various mental health struggles and what was clearly, from his military service years onwards, a burgeoning desire to “break free”.  This closeness extended to Kate, who William has obviously been with for many years, close to two decades counting their dating era.  These three were kind of packaged as a trio until Harry got married, and he was never REALLY an independent royal spokesperson for anything beyond military causes.

Fast forward to Meghan entering the picture.  Harry gets serious about Meghan very quickly, William expresses concern that Harry moved that quickly because William is one of THOSE older siblings who assumes that everyone has to do everything the same way.  Harry is super hurt by this as he and William have previously had each other’s backs over basically everything, including the infamous Harry Takes Las Vegas scandal, and a wedge is driven between them.  Rumor has it that this wedge actually deepens because.... William cheats on Kate.  Which Harry apparently was already pissed about because he really did love Kate as a sister + fears of history repeats with a future Prince of Wales, but THEN as the media already starts attacking Meghan, the Cambridge camp ALLEGEDLY begins planting fake stories about Meghan and exaggerating true-ish stories (like... Harry throwing a fit about wanting Meghan to get what she wants for their wedding turns into Meghan pitching a fit about a tiara, for example) in order to distract from the TRUE scandal, which is William cheating on Kate with a mutual friend.  Meghan is pregnant and very emotionally stressed already right now due to the media issues and her father’s side of the family being garbage.  So Harry understandably ices William out for this, and they’ve never been the same since.

Regarding his father, Harry and William have apparently always run hot and cold towards Charles?  Like they’ll be super close at times (Harry obviously was super grateful to Charles for walking Meghan down the aisle, which was a nice gesture but APPARENTLY HOLLOW BIG SHOCK CHARLES) and then other times it’s hard for the younger princes to be convinced to do anything with the Prince of Wales.  I imagine this wouldn’t be as much of an issue if Charles wasn’t married to Camilla, tbh.  The big family photo that was taken with William and Harry and their wives and William’s kids and Charles and Camilla was apparently really hard to coordinate because both Harry and William didn’t really wanna show up lol.  I’ve heard little concrete about Charles’s feelings re: Harry breaking free, but he has apparently tried to be Mr. Big Man by forcing the brothers to talk, by coordinating conversations between Harry and the Queen about all of this, etc.  Charles wanted to par down the senior royal circle anyway when he became king--hence Andrew’s family getting quietly put in the shadows.  (Charles knew the Andrew issue was going to be A Bigger Deal In The Future before anyone else in the family, apparently.). But I don’t know that Harry’s exit was.... how he wanted that go down.  He also apparently clashes with William a lot because both of them want to swing their dicks around be the One True Heir.  Charles is never going to step down, he’s dying to be in charge, but William knows that he’s much more popular than Charles and will be following him up anyway.  Kind of a similar dynamic to the queen and Charles, but flipped in that the son has much more popularity than the parent.

The Queen has always favored Harry, and... though she’s pissed about how the exit was handled, I’ve always read shit that this hasn’t...?  Really?  Changed?  The Queen loves a rake, is the thing.  Andrew was her favorite child and probably still is, Harry was and probably still is deep down her favorite grandchild.  She adores a military man who gets into a bit of trouble and is rascally.  So I don’t think that the personal relationship with them is actually as bad as Harry’s relationship with Charles is--which, bad luck for him, because Charles is running the show on a practical level more than the queen is right now. 

William is a pod person.  This is an exaggeration lol BUT.  Diana always said that William was an emotional individual and the rumor has always been that he’s very much a “burn me once and you’re dead to me” type.  Which is ironically what Diana was.  William hates the press; William hates the idea of Harry and Meghan coming off as more glam and charismatic than himself and Kate, even though that’s naturally going to be a perception to some when William and Kate don’t do as much press and Kate is a naturally shy person compared to the more outgoing and new age Meghan; and William has been heavily conditioned to be the heir and has evidently bought into all of that bullshit hook, line, and sinker.

And tbh, that’s not surprising.  The heir is always the most “programmed” one.  It might have been different had Diana lived and been able to continue keeping William a bit more normalized?  He’s certainly not as fucking weird as Charles was at his age, to be fair.  But I think that Harry had the freedom to do like, years of therapy and have his big come to Jesus moment about how much of this is just BULLSHIT in a way that William was probably a bit more prohibited from doing?  It’s clear that William buys into this idea of a contract between himself and the public, where he and his act a certain way and in exchange he gets this bullshit title and he “earns” his riches and privilege by acting the prince.  Whereas Harry seems to have taken a very “Diana post-divorce” approach.  He clearly still values his privilege, but less so the titles and notoriety except in the sense that he can use them to accomplish his humanitarian work AND maintain that privilege.  Like, Harry’s always going to be Prince Harry even if he isn’t formally Prince Harry, so I don’t begrudge him for capitalizing on that and making some $$$ off of what he was born into.  Because he’s making money that way, and through Netflix deals, through the natural familial wealth that Charles CAN revoke whenever he wishes but apparently hasn’t, the money that Harry was left by Diana, etc., he is not obligated to have the same blind familial loyalty that William has.  Which I’m sure has a lot to do with his break from the family. If you stay in, you’re basically making a deal with them and the public so that you can keep doing the smile and wave act to keep the lights on.

(And I will note, as someone who will forthrightly admit to preferring the Sussexes to the Cambridges--for years, Kate was referred to as Duchess Do-Little by the press, and William got some of that flack too.  They do what they’ve got to do to keep those lights on and only since they started that little war with the Sussexes have I noticed a more concentrated attempt to win over the people.  Because they basically got public love through popping out babies.  Meghan notably did a fuckton more engagements before she started to recede from public life than Kate did in the same amount of time.)

I really do recommend the You’re Wrong About podcast again for their 5-part Diana series; the episode about her theoretical plans for life after her divorce (which sadly only lasted about a year) draws a strong contrast to what Harry and Meghan have been doing, and sheds a bit of light on what I think his feelings towards the family probably are.

[diazpoems]

Me watching Riverdale, Episode 3:

SHUT UP ALICE

Also I’m late but can you shut the fuck up sheriff whatever-the-fuck

YES FINALLY COME FORWARD WITH IT ARCHIE PLEASE, THANK YOU SO MUCH

never fucking mind.

Really. Vegas. What the fuck. She deserves prison.

Oh Veronica’s date is cute

Ooh I like Jug’s sweater

Betty’s “I hope you’ll come write for the gold and blue :D” is cute

Betty and Jughead’s friendship 🥺

Y’all that is a public space-

SHUT UP TEACHER LADY. YOU DESERVE TO BE EXPOSED

Don’t protect her Archie

Oh god I hate mean girls, like get a life please I’m begging

VICTORIA SAYS NO TO SLUT SHAMING

ummmmm Victoria not that he doesn’t deserve it but you aren’t really holding up your nice girl persona thing

Betty covering her eyes lmao

FUCK YOU CHUCK

is that his name??

Jughead’s very pretty. Like dark hair and light skin and grey-blue eyes is a very attractive combination

I think I stan Josie

“I’m grounded” what she’s thinking: the hell you are, which you aren’t

I sorta like V’s mom, idk, I need to get more of a feel for her. She’s pretty engaging with her daughter

Oh hey the Sierra Burgess actress

SHUT THE FUCK UP CHERYL THIS SHIT IS TRAUMATIZING

Boys will be boys is the oldest fucking excuse in the book and I will not tolerate it.

YES VERONICA RAISE UP YOUR SISTERS

Forget everything else, the biggest indication that Jughead is not straight whether aroace or if that’s confined to the comics gay or bi or whatever is that this bitch cannot sit right

Hmm the discussion with Josie and The Pussycats is nice. It’s not letting Archie off the hook. “No, you don’t get it.” And him conceding that she’s right

Oh uh she’s got long legs

I’m sorry Cheryl but you can’t let your brother off the hook for this hun

Come on Cheryl please

Yes I am unironically falling for Cheryl Blossom, yes I recognize that I have issues

DAMN HER VOICE

awww Archie looks super happy when he’s writing with them :)

Fuck Betty’s mom all my homies hate Betty’s mom

Her mom seriously gives me gaslighting, emotionally abusive vibes.

Let him do it Archie’s dad

Love Archie calling out his dad’s weird masculinity bullshit that allows football to be prioritized

Oh uhhhh

I’m gay

Why wouldn’t I be surprised if Betty’s mom sent hate mail to the mayor

OOOOH DAMN SHE FUCKED HER UP

oh she’s brushing her hair behind her ears 🥺 how fucking quaint

Hiding in secluded spots while people watching—A very gay sport, Archie and Jug.

I hate to agree with the teacher but he does have talent. Stop it, Mr. Andrews. Let your kid live. It is not your job to ensure a life career for him. It’s hard to imagine him failing, but stop. Just stop

I hate alpha bitch moms who aren’t direct. If you’re going to be a bitch, be direct, otherwise you’re just a spineless coward. I’d respect you more if you were upfront with your fuckery.

Oh damn oh damn Betty’s kinda really sorta making me gay

Like the heel while she pushes him down and like um I hope this doesn’t awaken anything in me

Betty dial it back, I know it’s horrible, I do, but stop before you do something you regret

Oh hey, Archie’s dad is coming around

NOOOOOO SHUT UP DO NOT LIKE MS GRUNDY

bye bye chuck

That’s it Cheryl. You’re on the right track

No, no, Archie, no. Please please please.

Ohhh he saw her car. It’s all coming together.

[reading-writing-revolution]

August 20, 2020

Heather Cox Richardson

Sheesh. What a day.

It began last night, while I was writing last night’s letter, when shortly after midnight we learned that Alexei Navalny, outspoken critic of Vladimir Putin’s government, has apparently been poisoned. He collapsed in pain on an airplane after drinking tea at Russia’s Tomsk airport. The plane made an emergency landing, meeting medics who raced Navalny to the hospital, where he is gravely ill. The poisoning is a chilling reminder of Putin’s tactics just days after the Senate Intelligence Committee’s report on Russian interference in the 2016 election established that the Trump campaign invited his influence into our affairs.

Then, today, federal prosecutors in New York acting for a grand jury indicted Steve Bannon, Brian Kolfage, and two others for fraud and money laundering in connection with an online crowdfunding campaign that raised more than $25 million to build a wall on the U.S. southern border with Mexico. The men told donors to “We the People Build the Wall” that “100% of the funds raised… will be used in the execution of our mission and purpose,” and that “we’re a volunteer organization.” In fact, they allegedly pocketed hundreds of thousands of dollars, routing the money through a shell company and false invoices.

The indictment quotes text messages between the men indicating they were quite deliberately running a scam. The messages highlight how the Republican system of fundraising from small donors, pioneered by direct-mail guru Richard Viguerie in the 1960s to fund Movement Conservatives rejected by traditional Republicans, now is used to funnel money from unsuspecting marks into the pockets of people who stoke rightwing outrage.

Bannon’s arrest means that two of Trump’s 2016 campaign chairs—Paul Manafort and Bannon-- have now been indicted and arrested on charges of fraud. The third, Corey Lewandowski, was also arrested on a misdemeanor battery charge against a reporter, but while video proved the reporter’s account was accurate, the charge was dropped. The campaign’s deputy chairman, Rick Gates, an associate of Manafort, was also charged with financial crimes and conspiracy, and was sentenced to 45 days in jail after agreeing to cooperate with investigators.

Trump immediately tried to distance himself from Bannon, saying he hadn’t “been dealing with him for a very long period of time.” Bannon was the chief executive of Trump’s 2016 campaign, replacing Manafort, and upon entering the White House, Trump named Bannon to a newly created position as “chief strategist” on a level with the chief of staff. So influential in the early administration was Bannon that Trump gave him a full seat on the “principals committee” of the National Security Council, while pushing the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Director of National Intelligence down to occasional attendees. Bannon left the White House after the Charlottesville Unite the Right rally highlighted the dangers of having an open white nationalist in the White House. Then-White House chief of staff John Kelly asked Bannon to leave. But at least for a while, Trump continued to call Bannon when Kelly was not around.

White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany issued a statement saying Trump “has not been involved with Steve Bannon since the campaign and the early part of the Administration, and he does not know the people involved with this project.” In fact, supporters of the project include Donald Trump, Jr., his girlfriend Kimberly Guilfoyle, and anti-immigrant activist Kris Kobach. Last year, Kobach said Trump had given the effort his blessing, and there is a testimonial from Trump Jr. on their website. Trump Org spokeswoman Amanda Miller said Trump Jr. had given one speech at one of their events, and they used his words as a testimonial without his permission.

Bannon pleaded not guilty and was released on a $5 million bail bond secured with $1.75 million in cash. “This entire fiasco is to stop people who want to build the wall,” he told reporters as he left the federal courthouse.

The arrests set off a tweet storm from the president. Trump also called into the show of Fox News channel personality Sean Hannity tonight, claiming again that mail-in voting will create a fraudulent election and emphasizing—in unfortunate words about sending law enforcement to polling places—that he plans to deploy all the means he can to challenge the 2020 vote.

Today a federal judge rejected the argument of Trump’s lawyers that the subpoena of Manhattan district attorney Cyrus Vance, Jr. for eight years of Trump’s tax returns is “wildly overbroad.” Judge Victor Marrero upheld the subpoena. Trump’s lawyers immediately indicated they would appeal the decision.

Meanwhile, Trump has asked the Supreme Court to overturn a ruling last year by a federal appeals court that he may not block his critics on Twitter. The lower court said that since Trump uses the account for official announcements, he violates the First Amendment whenever he blocks someone and silences them. Today his lawyers argued that his account is his personal property and that he does not have to tolerate opposing views on it. Blocking critics would enable Trump to control what his followers see on his account, preventing visible pushback to his tweets. In effect, he could dominate the discourse in a public space.

Trump certainly has critics.

Deborah L Hughes, the director of the Susan B. Anthony museum, today rejected Trump’s pardon for Ms. Anthony, saying the pardon validated a legal process Anthony called an outrage.

Then, shortly before the Democratic National Convention kicked off tonight, more than 70 senior national security officials from the Republican Party released a letter announcing that they are supporting Biden in 2020. Their letter lists ten reasons Trump has “failed our country.” Donald Trump, they write, “is dangerously unfit to serve another term.”

Tonight was the night that former Vice President Joe Biden gave his acceptance speech in response to the Democratic Party’s nomination of him as their presidential candidate.

Tonight was Biden’s, as military families and former service people testified to his support for them, 13-year-old Brayden Harrington explained how Biden helped him deal with his own stutter (huge props for this young man taking on this assignment and executing it so well), Biden’s former rivals for the nomination talked of Biden’s kindness and decency, and, above all, Biden’s family emphasized again and again that for Biden, family and faith is everything. The picture was of a fundamentally decent and moral man, a striking contrast to his Republican rival.

The Democratic National Committee has pulled off an astonishing accomplishment with this, the nation’s first virtual political convention. It was tightly choreographed, inclusive, passionate, and fun, drawing in viewers with its variety and quick pace. It demonstrated professionalism, talent, and skill even without taking into account its content.

But the content was key. Rather than weakening the event, the lack of audience created an intimacy between speakers and viewers that lent a shining new authenticity to the voices the convention highlighted.

Biden is always a better speaker than people who know him for his gaffes expect, and tonight he hit it out of the park. On FNC, Chris Wallace noted that the Trump campaign’s attempt to convince voters Biden is mentally impaired backfired badly as he delivered “an enormously effective speech.”

Rather than simply outline his plan for his presidency, Biden also gave an impassioned plea for the nation, tying his love for it to his own life and values. He treated voters not as tools to be manipulated, but as people who can be trusted to choose their own future.

“America is at an inflection point,” he said. “A time of real peril, but of extraordinary possibilities. We can choose the path of becoming angrier, less hopeful, and more divided. A path of shadow and suspicion. Or we can choose a different path, and together, take this chance to heal, to be reborn, to unite. A path of hope and light. This is a life-changing election that will determine America’s future for a very long time. Character is on the ballot. Compassion is on the ballot. Decency, science, democracy. They are all on the ballot. Who we are as a nation. What we stand for. And most importantly, who we want to be. That’s all on the ballot. And the choice could not be clearer.”

—-

Notes:

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/20/us/politics/republican-national-security-biden.html

Letter: https://www.defendingdemocracytogether.org/national-security/

https://susanb.org/news-and-updates/

Bannon: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/29/us/stephen-bannon-donald-trump-national-security-council.html

McConnell: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2020/08/20/rnc-mitch-mcconnell-not-speaking-gop-convention/3403498001/

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/during-a-summer-of-crisis-trump-chafes-against-criticism-and-new-controls/2017/08/31/8fb32d72-8d97-11e7-91d5-ab4e4bb76a3a_story.html

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/08/20/each-trumps-2016-campaign-managers-has-now-faced-criminal-charges/

indictment: https://www.cnn.com/2020/08/20/politics/bannon-indictment/index.html

https://www.cnn.com/2020/08/20/politics/bannon-build-the-wall-indictment/index.html

Trump on Hannity:

Andrew Lawrence @ndrew_lawrence

Trump says that on election day he's going to send law enforcement to polling locations 

August 21st 2020

4,139 Retweets5,311 Likes

Vance: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/20/nyregion/donald-trump-taxes-cyrus-vance.html

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2020-election/read-full-speech-joe-biden-s-remarks-2020-democratic-national-n1237620

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-supreme-court-ok-block-critics-twitter/

tweets: https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/biden-prepared-accept-democratic-nomination-president-furious-trump/story

© 2020 Heather Cox Richardson

548 Market Street PMB 72296, San Francisco, CA 94104

[screensirenfic]

Gasoline Chapter 4

The movie theatre was pretty vacant for a Saturday night, though maybe that had more to do with the fact it was Valentines weekend and most people had decided to spend it sucking face at Lovers Lake, kickstarting this years batch of pregnancy scares amongst the teenage population.  

Steve hadn’t actually asked me to be his Valentine. A stupid thing; really. I didn’t even believe in the damn holiday; just another fucking excuse to make people waste money on bad chocolates and overpriced flower arrangements. But still; he’d taken me to the movies, and I guess that was something.

The film of the weekend was The Breakfast Club; a teenage drama/comedy about five kids in detention, and already I could see similarities in the rural population of Hawkins High.

Claire was pretty, and kind of a bitch; coming across as a weird blend of Tina and Nancy that was honestly quite jarring to watch.

Andrew was Steve; a noble, dumb pretty boy of a jock, who probably was the least of a jerk off in the club, though that honestly wasn’t saying much.

Jonathan landed somewhere between Alison and Brian; combining the dark traits of social outcast with the dorky awkwardness of an all out nerd.

And Bender was...

Billy.

The more I thought about it; the closer it was.

A walking fucking stereotype of teen bad boy, down to the denim jacket.

Obnoxious, attractive, aggressive; all the traits were being ticked off the list as I began to wonder if they’d based this guy’s entire character on Hawkins resident bad boy.

Then it got to the part about cigar burns, and my popcorn did flips in my stomach.

I thought back to the bruises on Billy’s face; the change in attitude, the hunched posture-

“Hey Lo; you okay?” Steve leaned across the seat to mutter in my ear; my mind suddenly conscious that he’d been watching me instead of the movie for the past ten minutes.

“Yeah; just got lost there for a moment...” I replied, slurping loudly on my drink to try and avoid a conversation.

“Cause we can get out of here, if you want...” He offered, shifting in his seat already, ready to leave on my word.

“No; no, it’s fine. Let’s just try and enjoy the movie.” I refused, stealing another handful of Steve’s popcorn and turning my gaze back to the screen.

Steve kept staring at me for a moment, clearly not satisfied with what might’ve been going on in my head, before eventually giving up and continuing to watch the movie.

“Being bad feels pretty good; huh?”

We finished watching the movie and Steve drove me home in his BMW, humming along with Queen albums all the while.

It felt pretty normal, if not for Steve reaching across the gear stick to hold my hand in between shifts.

It was nice; really. The warm, familiar comfort of his fingers threaded through my own; thumb tracing patterns across my knuckles like this actually meant something to him.

And what was I saying?! Of course I meant something to Steve. He was my best friend, and my boyfriend, and; shit, what the hell had I got myself into?!

I cared about Steve, and I loved him pretty much more than nearly everyone I know, but was I in love with him?

I glanced across at him in the driving seat, tapping along with the beat on his steering wheel, a pretty dumb smile on his face.

I loved Steve; so why did I have to keep convincing myself of it?

When Steve finally dropped me off, I had to push a sense of foreboding down in my stomach; the reality that perhaps we were at another milestone in our relationship starting to dawn upon me.

Steve turned off the engine; the voice of Freddie Mercury cutting out, so we were left with the near silent ambiance of the woods.

“Thanks for the movie, Steve. I had fun.” I attempted to say my farewells, undoing my seatbelt to make my exit.

“Me too...” He replied; that slight crinkle in between his brows, a tell he had something on his mind.

“Come on; let me walk you to your door.” He urged, and normally I’d tell him to get fucked; not needing any of his chivalry, but tonight I decided I’d let him.

The night air outside was chilly; the last breath of winter’s snow still in the air as Steve walked me up the porch steps, me pulling my leather jacket tighter around my shoulders.

We reached the door, and I pulled my keys out of my pocket, already knowing what came next.

My dad wasn’t home, probably wouldn’t be all night, and El was over at the Byers for D’n’D night or something.

I had the cabin completely to myself.

“You know; I really meant what I said. About enjoying tonight...” Steve began; his doe eyes avoiding me for once to flit around uncertainly.

“I feel like you just genuinely get me; you know?” He continued; eyes finally daring to settle on my face as I unlocked my door.

“I know the feeling...” I concurred, though I couldn’t quite find it in myself to meet his eyes.

The door clicked open; the ridiculous amount of locks no longer a problem since dad had become more lax on the house rules, as I gently pushed it open the first inch.

I could feel Steve’s eyes on me; an unspoken question hanging in the air.

“Do you wanna come in?” I asked; ripping off the bandaid before we both died of old age.

“Yeah... Sure...” Steve nodded, looking half surprised at the offer, but following me inside regardless.

I felt self-conscious about the mess of the place, automatically going to shove the laundry basket out of sight in the bathroom, hyper aware of my pink panties sticking out of the side.

“Weird to think I’ve known you for over five years, and yet I’ve never been inside your house...” Steve commented, taking the time to look around the place like he was planning to buy it. Probably could too, knowing his family’s bank accounts.

“Probably because my dad would deck you before you even got through the door.” I joked lightheartedly, returning to Steve’s side.

It was true that my dad didn’t initially approve of Steve; thought he was a weak-armed momma’s boy who was only good at soaking up his daddy’s trust fund.

But with time and tolerance; he’d begun to like Steve, or at least appreciate the fact that he cared about me.

“Your dad coming home?” He asked, starting down a slippery slope towards a subject we’d both been avoiding for the past two months.

“Not tonight.” I confirmed, pulling off my jacket, because it had suddenly become too warm in here.

“Good.” Steve said, but before I had the chance to ask what he meant, he leaned in and kissed me hard on the mouth.

I was shocked, to be honest, not really expecting him just to lay one on me out of the blue like that.

Steve rarely kissed me as it is; some sort of residual hesitance stopping him from being openly affectionate in public. A kiss on the head, or the cheek was routine; little barely noticeable demonstrations of affection that could be passed off as displays of a close friendship. But full on making out; never.

It didn’t really feel romantic; the whole thing seeming so rushed, it was almost forced, but I tried to reciprocate regardless.

I lifted my hand to the back of Steve’s neck, tangling my fingers through thick hair as I tried my best to kiss him back.

Steve grabbed me by my hips, backing me up until I collided with the kitchen counter, fingertips squeezing gently at the skin just above the waistband of my shorts.

I slipped my tongue out of my mouth, letting it pry along the seam of his own until he allowed me entry, kissing me back in a series of short, passionate kisses that should’ve left me breathless.

Instead it was awkward and stiff, like we were doing what we thought we should do, rather than what we felt like doing.

Still, Steve gave it his all; letting his hands trail up underneath my top, gently feeling their way across my ribs in what I guessed was meant to be a caress.

He parted from my lips, moving on to leave a trail of kisses across my jaw and down the start of my neck; teeth nipping as he attempted to give me a hickey.

“Stop, Steve...” I protested; the soft sucking sensation really doing nothing for me, but making the surface of my skin slightly wet.

“Steve; this isn’t working...” I complained; though he couldn’t really know how much I meant those words.

Steve did as I asked, pulling away almost instantaneously, before peering up at me with soft eyes.

“Too much?” He asked; a slight hesitance in his voice as he basically enquired about his performance.

“A little...” I admitted, not quite having it in me to crush his confidence completely.

He sighed softly, leaning his head down to rest it in the crook of my neck, as I reached up to run my fingers through his hair.

Steve was trying; he really was, but I just—

This wasn’t what I’d ever expected from the guy I called my best friend, and I guess I was still adjusting, even if it had been two months.

“Do you wanna just watch TV or something?” He asked, pulling his head away from me as he finally resigned that nothing was gonna happen tonight.

I shook my head, leaning back on the counter as he stepped back to give me some space.

“I’m not really feeling it tonight.” I confessed; though I was beginning to wonder if I would feel like “it” any night.

Steve just nodded, already trying to hide the look of disappointment on his face.

“You’re right. I should just- go home...” He conceded, before stepping in close to give me a quick goodbye kiss.

He leaned down to peck me on the lips, then hesitated, changing course for my cheek instead.

It was quick and soft this time; no lingering touches or restrained passion, and then it was over.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, maybe.” He said uncertainly, giving me a nod before heading for the door.

I didn’t even say anything; concerned and embarrassed that I was the one that had done this, created this awkwardness between us.

Maybe if I had just let him continue...

But it was too late for second thoughts; Steve already shutting the door behind him, and ending all prospects of a Do over.

I sighed, heading straight to my room, because trust me to over complicate things.

I couldn’t even have a honest-to-god actual relationship without me somehow screwing that up!

Instead I just threw myself down face first on my bed, screaming frustratedly into my pillow, because I couldn’t even go one night without sabotaging myself.

I was an idiot; a total and complete idiot.

Steve was a nice guy; my closest friend, a true diamond amongst a sea of trash, so why didn’t I feel attracted to him?

I lifted my head off my pillow, wondering where in my life I’d become so fucked up that the idea of a nice guy was a turn off, when I spotted something tucked in the top corner of my bed.

Billy’s teddy bear.

Eleven must’ve seen it in my backpack and put it in my room thinking it was important.

I picked it up, turning over onto my back so I could look at its stupid blank eyed expression.

Maybe there was a reason I didn’t feel that way about Steve anymore...

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

* * * *

It’s very strange to think of Joe Biden as a world-historical figure. For decades, he seemed to me to be a bit of an irritating blowhard who rarely took the chance to edit himself. He was a classic slap-on-the-back backroom pol, with an everyman-on-the-train vibe, who loved the ornaments of public office, and that was basically it.

Washington will always need people like Biden, and he played the part well, but he was hardly a star. He rarely inspired, he made cringe-inducing gaffe after gaffe, his vanity required him to cover up his baldness with what, for a while, looked like a painful rice-paddy of plugs, he plagiarized a speech so obviously and crudely he almost begged to be caught, and despite his rep for retail politics, was terrible at campaigning for president. In 2008, he quit after Iowa, with one percent of the vote.

His big moment came when Barack Obama picked him as his veep. And the choice of Biden was specifically designed, it seems to me, to ruffle no more feathers, and to assuage white working-class discomfort with a young, inexperienced black guy with a funny, foreign-sounding name. Even at the time, it felt to me that Biden’s acceptance speech was fine but not exactly great — but what worked nonetheless was his persona: “It’s hard not to feel affection for this scrappy old guy — especially if you’re a Catholic,” I wrote. “This was a very culturally Catholic speech, especially at the beginning, and Biden will speak to people who might be leery of this young African-American. It was also focused on middle class economic anxiety and spoke about it in intimate ways that voters will immediately understand.”

Twelve years later, this guy is even older and less scrappy but still has the same core appeal: that old Irish dude who can go on a bit but has a heart of gold and hasn’t completely disappeared into the left-liberal elite. The drastically curtailed Covid campaign was a godsend in retrospect because it removed countless opportunities for him to get in his own way, while very successfully projecting and burnishing this image. Yes he could get a bit Abraham-Simpson-y at times, but I confess I began to find that a little comforting after a while, in the era of Trump. The combination of decency, vulnerability and humanness became even more potent up against an indecent, inhuman con-man. It became the stutterer versus the monster.

And Biden’s core appeal, as he has occasionally insisted, is that he ran against the Democratic left, and won because of moderate and older black voters with their heads screwed on right. He was the least online candidate. For race-leftists like Jamelle Bouie, he was part of the problem: “For decades Biden gave liberal cover to white backlash.” For gender-warriors like Rebecca Traister, he was “a comforter of patriarchal impulses toward controlling women’s bodies.” Ben Smith a year and a half ago went for it: “His campaign is stumbling toward launch with all the hallmarks of a Jeb!-level catastrophe — a path that leads straight down … Joe Biden isn’t going to emerge from the 2020 campaign as the nominee. You already knew that.” The sheer smug of it! And the joy of seeing old Joe get the last laugh.

It’s worth recalling the obloquy the woke dumped on Biden in the early stages of the race because this will surely be a battle line if he wins the presidency, and we will have to fight for him and against them if we are not going to sink into deeper tribal warfare. He is one of the last vestiges of the near-extinct rapport between white working-class voters and the Democrats, and if he wins next week, it will be because he has wrested older white voters from the Republican grip, and won white women in a landslide (unlike Clinton), even as his support among blacks and Latinos may come in slightly behind Hillary’s.

Biden ran a campaign, in stark contrast to Clinton’s, focused not on rallying the base around identity grievances, but on persuading the other side with argument and engagement. If you believe in liberal democracy — in persuasion, dialogue, and civility — and want to resist tribalism, Biden may be our unexpected but real last chance. And in this campaign, he has walked the walk.

His core message, which has been remarkably consistent, is not a divisive or partisan one. It is neither angry nor bitter. Despite mockery and scorn from some understandably embittered partisans, he has a hand still held out if Republicans want to cooperate. In this speech at Warm Springs, where Biden invoked the legacy of FDR, you can feel the Obama vibe, so alien to the woke: “Red states, blue states, Republicans, Democrats, Conservatives, and Liberals. I believe from the bottom of my heart, we can do it. People ask me, why are you so confident Joe? Because we are the United States of America.”

And while he has promised a deep re-structuring and redistribution in the wake of Covid, climate change, and destabilizing inequality, he has done so in pragmatic, rather than ideological, terms. Against the surreal extremism and divisiveness of Trump, he has offered moderation and an appeal to unity. Look at the careful balance he has struck on the protests against police misconduct this summer: “Some of it is just senseless burning and looting and violence that can’t be tolerated and won’t, but much of it is a cry for justice from a community that’s long had a knee of injustice on their neck.” We need both these impulses, if we are to extract real reform from distorting rage, and make it stick.

He is not perfect, of course. I suspect he is naive on some questions. He realizes, does he not, that when he uses the term “equity” rather than “equality”, with respect to race, he is using code for the crudest racial discrimination. He surely knows that critical race theory is not about being sensitive to the pain of others, but about seeing the U.S. as no less a white supremacy now than under slavery, and liberal constitutionalism as a mere mask for oppression of non-whites. He knows that the Equality Act eviscerates the religious freedom he has previously championed, does he not, and folds the category of sex into one of gender, jeopardizing at the margins both gay and women’s rights? And it should be troubling, it seems to me, that, when confronted with the fact that his son, Hunter, is corrupt in the classic, legal, and swampy way, Biden refuses to see anything wrong with it at all.

But these are quibbles in the grand scheme of things. And it is striking, as David Brooks noted this morning, how deftly Biden has walked through a field of culture war landmines and not see one go off. That has taken discipline — and Biden has shown that he can exercise it. Maybe he learned it from Obama.

His closing message has been about healing — from the wounds of Covid, economic crisis, and resilient racism. And if there is one thing Biden really knows in his heart and soul it is healing. Recovering from the loss of a wife, a daughter and a son requires a profound sense of how to take the hits that life can bring, how to stay strong while accepting vulnerability, and how to move slowly forward.

This is how he put it last week, as he related to the isolating, desolating casualties of Covid19: “Alone in a hospital room, alone in a nursing home, no family, no friends, no loved ones beside them in those final moments, and it haunts so many of the surviving families, families who were never given a chance to say goodbye. I, and many of you know, what loss feels like when you lose someone you love, you feel that deep black hole opening up on your chest and you feel like you’re being swallowed into it.”

I have felt that way for four years now. What I grieve is an idea of America that is decent, generous, big-hearted, and pragmatic, where the identity of a citizen, unqualified, unhyphenated, is the only identity you need. I miss a public discourse where a president takes responsibility even for things beyond his full control, where the fault-lines of history are not mined for ammunition but for greater understanding, where, in Biden’s words, we can once again see the dignity in each other. I am not a fool, and know how hard this will be. But in this old man, with his muscle memory of what we have lost, and his ability to move and change in new ways, we have an unexpected gift.

“I’ve long said the story of America is a story of ordinary people doing extraordinary things,” Joe Biden said last week. Well, ordinary old Joe, it’s your turn now. Do the extraordinary.

ANDREW SULLIVAN

THE WEEKLY DISH

[cincinnatusvirtue]

Presidential Profile: Calvin Coolidge (1872-1933) 30th US President.

Pre-Presidency (1872-1923):

-Calvin Coolidge was born John Calvin Coolidge Jr.  on July 4th, 1872.  Making him the only President to date born on the 4th of July.

-Coolidge was born in Plymouth Notch, Vermont to John Sr. and Virginia Coolidge (Moor).  He had one younger sister Abigail Grace.  His father was a farmer, general store owner and holder of several public offices and civil service positions, including justice of the peace, tax collector and member of the Vermont State House of Representatives and Vermont State Senate.  His mother was the daughter of a Plymouth Notch farmer.

-Coolidge went by his middle name his entire life to differentiate him from his father.

-His ancestry was primarily of English descent going far back to Colonial era New England and the English Puritans who settled there.  His great great grandfather, also named John Coolidge was a veteran and officer in Patriot Army during the American Revolution

-Many of Coolidge’s ancestors served as civil servants and politicians throughout Vermont’s history including his paternal grandfather.

- His mother died of tuberculosis in 1885 when Coolidge was age 13.  His sister died of appendicitis 5 years later when Coolidge was 18.  His father would remarry in 1891 and live until the year 1926 dying at age 80, still living in the same homestead the rest of his life.

-Coolidge attended Amherst College in Massachusetts.  He graduated cum laude, was a member of the debate team and was greatly influenced by a philosophy teacher named Charles Edward Garman who would mentor Coolidge and help shape his later political philosophy.  Summed up by Coolidge as follows:

“There is a standard of righteousness that might does not make right, that the end does not justify the means, and that expediency as a working principle is bound to fail. The only hope of perfecting human relationships is in accordance with the law of service under which men are not so solicitous about what they shall get as they are about what they shall give. Yet people are entitled to the rewards of their industry. What they earn is theirs, no matter how small or how great. But the possession of property carries the obligation to use it in a larger service.”

-Coolidge then moved to Northampton, Massachusetts to become a lawyer.  He avoided law school and as was common in the 19th century, apprenticed at a law firm and “read” the law.  He was admitted to the state bar in 1897, the following year he opened his own small law firm.  He focused on commercial law and often sought to settle out of court.  He quickly developed a reputation in the area as a hard working, attentive and honest attorney.  He represented banks and many other local businesses.

-In 1903, he met his future wife, Grace Anna Goodhue who worked as a teacher for the deaf.  They married two years later in 1905 despite his mother in law’s initial dislike of him.  They would go on to have two sons John (1906-2000) and Calvin Jr. (1908-1924).  Years later Coolidge summed up his relationship with his wife as follows:

“"For almost a quarter of a century she has borne with my infirmities and I have rejoiced in her graces".

-Coolidge was a member of the Republican Party which dominated New England and most Northern states in the US at the time.  He began to run for local offices in Northampton.  Serving on City Council, and as City Solicitor before he returned to his law practice.  He also ran for school board but lost, this would be the only political defeat in his career.

-Later he served in the Massachusetts State House of Representatives before returning to Northampton and becoming Mayor. As mayor some signature accomplishments included giving teachers a raise, lowering the city’s government debt and even lowering local taxes.  These final two achievements would become pattern obsessions of Coolidge all throughout his career.

-He later became a State Senator in Massachusetts, returning to Boston once more.  This time he became noteworthy for his support of women’s suffrage and perhaps most notably for his 1914 speech to the state senate, called Have Faith in Massachusetts.  He argued another cornerstone of his conservative philosophy:

“Don't expect to build up the weak by pulling down the strong. Don't hurry to legislate. Give the administration a chance to catch up with legislation.”

-Coolidge was elected to Lieutenant Governor along with new elected Governor Samuel McCall in 1915.  At the time the Governorship was elected for one year terms.  He and McCall were reelected in 1916 and 1917.  In 1918 McCall declined a fourth term and this allowed Coolidge to run and win the Governorship of Massachusetts in 1918.

-1919 was a turning point in Coolidge’ career.  In Boston, many members of the police force were planning on forming a union due to working conditions and low pay.  Many of the members of the police force were former war veterans who had recently returned from World War I.  In response to the plan to form a union, Police Commissioner Edwin Curtis refused and said no union could be tolerated for the police force.  In August, the American Federation of Labor (AFL) gave a charter to the Boston Police Union.  Curtis gave an ultimatum, the leaders of the union would be suspended from their positions unless they agreed to dissolve the union by a deadline of September 4th.  The Mayor of Boston convinced Curtis to extend that deadline to allow negotiations to continue.  The police union leaders were then suspended on September 8th.  The next day, 3/4ths of Boston policemen went on strike in solidarity with the union leaders suspension.  There was break outs of violence, looting and lawlessness throughout the city due to the lack of a sufficient police force.  The Boston Mayor, Andrew Peters was worried firefighters would strike next out of sympathy.  Coolidge himself was sympathetic, to Commissioner Curtis’s position.  Curtis was dismissed by Peters who felt it necessary due to what he saw as Curtis mishandling the situation with heavy handedness.  Coolidge as Governor then called up units of the Massachusetts National Guard to serve as a temporary police force.  The military largely secured the city and ended the lawlessness.  Coolidge also restored Curtis to the position of Police Commissioner and took personal control over the National Guard as police force.  Curtis then announced all striking police officers were fired and that new ones were to be hired, a position which Coolidge accepted as necessary.  Coolidge received a telegraph from AFL leader, Samuel Gompers who advised that it was Curtis’s fault for the strike and the lawlessness because he would not accept the worker’s rights and grievances.  Coolidge famously responded publicly to Gompers:

"Your assertion that the Commissioner was wrong cannot justify the wrong of leaving the city unguarded. That furnished the opportunity; the criminal element furnished the action. There is no right to strike against the public safety by anyone, anywhere, any time." 

-The striking police force was indeed replaced by 1,500 newer officers who in the end did receive somewhat better pay and working conditions.  The period of the strike lead to the deaths of 9 people in the city due to lawlessness.  The National Guard also killed 8 rioters as well.  The strike was a setback for the labor movement across the country.  The failure of the strike resulted in AFL avoided involvement with police unions for nearly two decades.

-Coolidge became an overnight hero of the American public who was largely unsupportive of the strike.  In part, because America’s political climate involved the Red Scare of 1919 at the time, with the backdrop of World War I and the rise of communism in Russia, many Americans worried that labor unions  and leftist radicals were potentially communist agents who sought to overthrow the American republic and establish something along the lines of the emerging USSR.  Coolidge was praised as a hero of conservatism for his decisive executive action in calling up the National Guard to restore order, his support for Curtis and the establishment of a new police force and for his unwavering belief that while the police might have legitimate grievances, their job and oath as public servants required a sense of duty to the public safety beyond their pay.

-Coolidge as a result became a national household name, he was reelected in 1919 and was later mentioned as a contender for Vice President of the United States on the Republican ticket in 1920.  He was nominated at the party convention that year and paired with running mate for the President, Warren G. Harding a US Senator from Ohio.  They were opposed by the Democratic Party nominees , for President James Cox, Governor of Ohio and for Vice President, the future US President, then Assistant Secretary to the Navy Franklin Delano Roosevelt.  Harding and Coolidge ran on a “return to normalcy” campaign.  Which in its ethos sought to restore America’s political climate in the wake of World War I, the Progressive era, labor strikes and general atmosphere of political radicalism to a more moderate and conservative tone.  One that supported capitalism and deregulated economics.  Harding and Coolidge won in a landslide election capturing 60 percent of the popular vote, carrying 37 states total and capturing 404 electoral college votes to Cox and Roosevelt’s 127.

-Harding and Coolidge were inaugurated as President and Vice President respectively on March 4, 1921.  They succeeded Woodrow Wilson and his administration, Wilson for his part had suffered a serious stroke in 1919 that left him in ill health and had prevented his goal of running for a third term as President.  Harding’s election was a repudiation of Wilson’s international leanings with a greater focus on domestic issues away from the foreign policy of WWI.  

-As Vice President, Coolidge was as many Vice Presidents prior to him not a holder of many official duties aside from presiding over the US Senate.  Unlike his predecessors though, he was invited to Cabinet meetings, becoming the first Vice President to ever receive this invite from their President.  Most of his time was spent giving speeches around the country and attending parties in Washington DC.  It was during this time, the Coolidge’s legacy as a quiet and stern man was born.  He was nicknamed “Silent Cal” for his economics with words and his known disdain of formal dinner parties.  When asked why he showed up if hated them so much he replied matter of fact “Got to eat somewhere.”  His wife Grace, proved to be much more social and outgoing, balancing out Coolidge’s more taciturn personality.  The most famous story from this time was possibly pure invention but may have summed up Coolidge’s reputation best of all.  At a dinner party, a female guest sitting next to Coolidge supposedly informed him that they made a bet that they could get him to say more than three words supposedly Coolidge said once again matter of fact “You lose.”  Coolidge for his part was always shy from his childhood on.  He also considered that politicians should speak very little in general and that the words they use carry great political weight, he was a firm believer in the principle of choose your words wisely.

-In August 1923, Coolidge and his family went to visit his father back at his childhood home in Plymouth Notch, Vermont.  Meanwhile, President Harding was on a speaking tour out on the west coast.  On August 2nd, Harding died unexpectedly from congestive heart failure in San Francisco, having experienced worsening symptoms in the days preceding his death.  Coolidge had to be informed of Harding death and his own subsequent accession to the Presidency.  Coolidge’ s father’s farm had no phone or electricity.  They were informed by messenger in the middle of the night.  Coolidge got dressed, prayed and then was sworn in as 30th President of the United States in the family parlor by kerosene light around 3am by his own father who was a notary public and justice of the peace.  He then went back to bed.

-Coolidge returned to Washington DC by train the next day.  He immediately had a second swearing in of the Presidential oath by having a federal judge from the Supreme Court District of Washington DC administer the oath to him.  The goal of the second swearing in was to prevent any doubt about whether the first was invalid because his father was a state level official and not a federal one.

Presidency (1923-1929)

-Coolidge at first kept Harding’s entire Cabinet in their roles, a believer in the retention of all Cabinet members until one was elected in their own right.  He sought to carry out Harding’s domestically oriented goals if by putting his own spin on them.  At the time, Harding was a very popular President but his Cabinet has earned a scandalized reputation due to involvement in the Teapot Dome Scandal which involved bribery.  Coolidge was called to fire some in the Cabinet on the need to punish those presumed guilty.  Coolidge ever the believer in law and order, refused to the do so and expected each man would be tried by evidence first and if found guilty would be removed or if not would be acquitted in his eyes.  Coolidge earned praise for his belief in the Constitutional right to be tried when accused of a crime.  Those Cabinet members who were uncooperative with the congressional investigations however would be removed since Coolidge saw these investigations as effectively the trial period for each accused Cabinet member.

-Coolidge in 1923 became the first sitting President to give a speech broadcast on radio.  Despite his reputation as “Silent Cal” and being a man of few words, Coolidge became the first President to utilize the modern inventions of radio, and movie cameras to communicate with the American public.  He also gave more personal press conferences than any US President in history.  Coolidge became well liked by the media for the access he granted them and in turn he was well aware of the potential communicative power the new mediums of radio and motion pictures had for the Presidency and in pushing his agenda.

- Coolidge did sign the Immigration Act of 1924 that placed restrictions on immigration from parts of Southern and Eastern Europe.  His added a signing statement expressing his reluctance and displeasure to sign the bill because of what he saw as its implicit racism towards Asian, namely Japanese immigration. Coolidge was personally friendly with immigrants and believed immigration was important and vital, however he believed America should be able to regulate immigration and should place some controls on the amount of immigrants coming into the country.  Coolidge thought immigration proceeded best when slowed down which allowed time for the country to absorb regulated waves of immigration and allow them to assimilate.  The slowing down and conservative approach to all things in government was in line with Coolidge’s nature.

-Coolidge also signed the Indian Citizenship Act in 1924, this granted US citizenship to all Native Americans living on reservations henceforth.  It remains in effect to this day.

-On racial issues in general, Coolidge was praised in most quarters for his opposition to racism across the board.  He was described as being devoid of all racial prejudice.  He saw immigration to the US as important, spoke of the importance of immigration and assimilation to US cultural values.  He also spoke to immigrants and American citizens alike to drop their racial prejudice and hatreds.  He also asked the Congress to pass anti-lynching laws at the federal level.  In his first State of the Union address, he spoke favorably of African-Americans, stated their rights were as important as any others and should be publicly and privately defended.  He also thanked African-Americans in several speeches over the years for their contributions to America and advances in education while acknowledging they continued to face discrimination.  Coolidge personally disliked the Ku Klux Klan and is not known to have appointed any Klansmen to a federal position.

-In foreign policy Coolidge was somewhat removed in comparison to his domestic agenda.  The 1920′s was a time of isolationism in American politics.  He did oversee the initial enforcement of the Washington Naval Treaty which sought to deescalate a naval arms race with other nations, namely Japan.  He was largely a non-interventionist in outlook.  He did not oppose the League of Nations but did not actively seek to enact American membership in it either.  Coolidge also helped normalize relations with Mexico which had soured with the Revolution there in previous years which also saw border conflicts with the US, his new Ambassador was successful in helping smooth over relations.  He also pushed the Dawes Plan which lent economic support to Germany in the form of partial reparation relief post World War I.  This move actually briefly boosted Germany’s post war economy which had suffered for years and slightly helped smooth relations with Germany in a way that neither France nor Britain sought to do.  Coolidge refused to recognize the USSR officially as a nation.  He also continued the prior administration's policy of US troops occupying Nicaragua due to the political instability there, though he would withdraw and reinstall them there after the return of instability.  Hoping to curb the perception of America being imperialist in Latin America, Coolidge made his only international Presidential visit to Havana, Cuba to attend the Sixth International Conference of American States in 1928.  Coolidge stated these nations should be treated as equals to the US in terms of foreign relations.  He became the last sitting US President to visit Cuba until President Barack Obama did in 2016.

-Coolidge’s main focus was the United States economy.  He sought to achieve his signature goals of budget and tax reduction.  Coolidge was personally very frugal and economical.  He reduced the size of White House domestic staff and never owned a home in Northampton Massachusetts, preferring to rent and live modestly on a modest income.  During his tenure as President, each summer he and First Lady Grace Coolidge would send their sons to work to earn their own pay and learn the value of labor.  Coolidge’s most essential Cabinet member was a holdover from the Harding days, US Secretary of the Treasury, Andrew Mellon.  Mellon and Coolidge both shared a belief that government should not intervene in the economy and that deregulation of business was ideal to stimulate the American economy.  In a precursor to the supply-side economics or Reaganomics of the 1980′s, called “scientific taxation” Coolidge and Mellon proposed and passed the Revenue Acts of 1924, ‘26 and ‘28.  All of these reduced income tax totally by 24%.  By 1927 only the top 2% of income earners in America paid federal income taxes.  The other component of Mellon and Coolidge’s plan was reduction of the overall size of government.  In very much a libertarian mode of thinking, Coolidge deregulated business and his appointees to regulatory committees often were nominal and not very active. Coolidge would be meet weekly with advisors on how to save on federal spending prior to each Cabinet meeting.  These advisors kept Coolidge informed on all department budgets and allowed him to better comprehend the needs of each department without giving preferential treatment to one department’  s budget over the other, this allowed for a consistency in his treatment of Cabinet members.  Throughout Coolidge’s tenure, federal spending remained essentially flat.  This in turn retired a fourth of the federal government's debt in total by the end of his tenure.

-Coolidge’s tenure was part of the Roaring 20′s, businesses were booming and the business deregulation mentality he presented and epitomized yielded real results for the length of his tenure as the economy steadily grew and improved.  Coolidge growing up in economical circumstances was philosophically inclined to believe in a more laissez-faire form of capitalism.  He strongly believed as a matter of morality government had little to no place in interfering with business and controlling how people spent their money.  Economic freedom for citizens and businesses were for Coolidge the best expression of political freedom.  He believed in private property and the notion that people should be able to spend their hard earned dollars as they saw fit rather than through government.  In turn this would propel the economy and by most measures for his tenure this seemed to be the case.  Additionally, his keeping of federal spending flat along with retiring debt and tax cuts actually saw new levels of government revenues as well, two thirds coming from the highest income earners.  He summed up the ethos of the times with the following:

“It is probable that a press which maintains an intimate touch with the business currents of the nation is likely to be more reliable than it would be if it were a stranger to these influences. After all, the chief business of the American people is business. They are profoundly concerned with buying, selling, investing and prospering in the world.”

-As Governor of Massachusetts, Coolidge actually supported a number of measures from the Progressive era, seemingly at odds with his federal deregulation as President.  As governor he passed or supported laws opposing child labor, in favor of wages and hours controls, economics controls and improved safety regulations.  His opposition to regulation as President not only stemmed from his overall economic moral philosophy but his belief in federalism.  Regulation in the 1920′s was largely seen as a state and local matter for laws and not a federal one and it was largely perceived by Coolidge to be a matter of principle not to regulate from the federal level as it was essentially unconstitutional in his eyes beyond Congress’s ability to regulate interstate trade.

-Coolidge was criticized by some for not supporting strong enough measures for Farm Subsidies.  He again opposed bills on this for moral reasons, believing government should be in the business of providing subsidies to businesses, Coolidge believed in an almost total hands off approach.  Almost no breaks or handouts whatsoever and no overzealous regulation, everything was to be moderated in the wake of the Progressive era.  He also faced criticism for his handing of the Great Mississippi River Flood of 1927, federal disaster relief was limited under Coolidge and he did not visit the disaster areas not for a lack of caring but a genuine belief that it would appear as political grandstanding and wouldn’t practically provide much help.  Coolidge was consistent in keeping a low profile and as always choosing his words and appearances as he saw it wisely.  In 1928, Congress and Coolidge signed a compromise bill to provide relief funding to those affected by the disaster, Coolidge signed it privately not wishing to appear publicly advocating a position he saw as interference in the lives of the American citizen.  Again, believing Americans to be most resilient on their own, providing citizens great freedom also in Coolidge’s mind meant bearing great personal responsibility.

-Coolidge finished out the last year and half of Harding’s term in late 1923 and all of 1924 into 1925.  He ran for his own election in 1924, was personally very popular with everyday Americans after his handling of the economy and his restoring confidence in the moral integrity of the White House after the Teapot Dome Scandal had hurt Harding’s once popular reputation.  

-1924 however saw a turning point in Coolidge’s personal life.  That summer his sons were home from school at the White House, while playing tennis one day his younger son, Calvin Jr. developed a blister and became gravely ill very fast.  Coolidge and his wife Grace did what they could to console the child who feared for his life.  Nonetheless, Calvin Jr. died days later, the result of septicemia.  Coolidge apparently in an effort to calm his son in his final days, reportedly got on his own hands and knees to find a small rabbit in the White House garden and present it to his son as a gift since Calvin Jr. and the whole Coolidge family had a love of animals.  Coolidge remarked that he tried what he could reassure his son but he that he had failed.  For the rest of his life, Coolidge sank into a deep depression, many people around him reported a personality change of distractedness, anger and sadness.  His interest in the Presidency is seen to have died with him.  Coolidge was elected in a very subdued campaign that November out of respectful mourning for the Coolidges.  Coolidge won 55% of the popular vote and 382 electoral college votes. carrying 35 states.

-As mentioned the Coolidge family loved animals and to this day had the largest overall collection of animals any Presidential family had in US history.  They had among other animals a variety of cats, dogs, birds, raccoons, briefly a black bear, a pygmy hippo and two lions cubs gifted from South Africa, Coolidge named the cubs Tax Reduction and Budget Bureau after his favorite political focus.

-In 1928, Coolidge decided not to run for second full term on his own.  He felt his time in Washington was accomplished enough and he looked to finally retire after 30 years of political involvement.  Also, he was still dealing with the depression of his son’s death, mentioning repeatedly that he held himself responsible for his son’s demise.  He blamed his political ambitions as leading to the circumstances which caused his son to get a blister and fatal infection at the White House.  in almost religious overtones, Coolidge saw it as a form of divine punishment for a life of politics.  His announcement not to seek another term was even a secret from his wife.  His Secretary of Commerce, Herbert Hoover was elected in 1928, inaugurated on March 4, 1929.

Post-Presidency/Legacy (1929-1933):

-Several months after Coolidge’s departure the Great Stock Market Crash of 1929 took place the Great Depression of the next decade or so began.  Coolidge has received some blame for the Great Depression due to his laissez faire economics and lack of regulation.  To this day the causes of the Great Depression are controversial and debated, Coolidge also has supporters who state he couldn’t have known it would have happened nor was he in a position of power to regulate the economy since the federal government had little to do with the stock market which was seen as a state matter in those days.  His supporters also place blame on Herbert Hoover’s regulartory measures in the months leading up to the crash.  Either way Coolidge’s role in this tarnished his reputation for many years among historians who tend to rank him in the lower half of US Presidents overall. Though modern libertarians, and fiscal conservatives and capitalist supporters tend to praise Coolidge’s time in office.

-Coolidge moved back to Northampton and ended up earning money providing syndicated newspaper columns and publishing an autobiography.  He also served as a trustee on various boards and earned monies from these various streams of revenue.  Coolidge also donated earnings to his wife Grace’s favorite charity, the school for the deaf which she taught when they first married.  It was his way of paying her back for giving up her own career to raise a family and support his political career.  In 1932, he supported Herbert Hoover for reelection out of party loyalty rather than personal admiration for Hoover, whom he saw as often providing him bad advice during his own Presidency.  Hoover was defeated by FDR nonetheless and the era of New Deal had begun.

-Coolidge died aged 60 in January 1933 from coronary thrombosis.

-Coolidge was honored with posthumous appearances on postage stamps, additionally he was the only President to appear on US coinage in their lifetime during their Presidency.  Appearing on the 150th anniversary edition of Declaration of Independence, half-dollar coin with George Washington’s likeness.

-Ronald Reagan cited Coolidge as an influence and during the Reagan era a reassessment of Coolidge as a person and politician was very popular.  Overall, Coolidge still is ranked as average to below average in general but his esteem is largely influenced by the political ideology of those reviewing him.

[goodlucktai]

get what you give

all for the game pairing: gen word count: 1823 title borrowed from you get what you give by new radicals read on ao3

x

Nicky checks his phone on a stolen five minute break halfway through his shift to find a forbidding voicemail and an alarming number of missed calls from the middle school office.

Heart in his throat, he punches redial. The secretary who picks up answers with a mellow sort of cheer that is the opposite of the urgency Nicky needs from her right now.

“Hi, Nicky Hemmick,” he says, right over the tail end of her practiced greeting. “I missed a call about my cousins-- Andrew and Aaron Minyard. Are they okay? What happened?”

Probably the right response is something other than automatic, knee-jerk panic, but this is all Nicky’s got. His break time comes and goes while the secretary has him on hold, and when the line reconnects, Nicky is greeted by the much more efficient vice principal.

“Your cousins are perfectly fine,” Mrs. McCaffrey says, sounding annoyed in that slick way professionals can get away with over the phone. “It’s a disciplinary issue that we need you here for, Mr. Hemmick, as soon as you’re able.”

His shift at Sweetie’s is another two hours, but one look at his face and the phone clenched in his hand has the other two servers trading knowing looks and assuring him they’d handle the rest of lunch without him.

“I have kids, too,” Lisa says. “I know how much a little extra help can mean, and you cover for me all the time. Now, scoot.”

“Bring those boys in for ice cream later,” Brian adds. “Something tells me the four of you will need it.”

Thanking a god he only believes in half the time, Nicky all but runs out the door. His car decides to be cooperative today, starting with a putter on his second twist of the starter, and with that he’s tearing across town like a bat out of hell.

The vice principal said they weren’t hurt, but what happened? Why was she so tight-lipped over the phone? He bends the speed limit, then breaks it, and pulls into the parking lot barely twelve minutes after hanging up the phone.

Nicky tries not to burst into the office, but he’s pretty sure that’s exactly what he does. He’s still got his waist apron on, his jacket thrown haphazardly on over his uniform, and he all but trips over the front desk in his haste to ask, “I’m here, I’m— Nicky. Where are—“

Before the bemused secretary can speak, a quiet voice says his name, and Nicky turns to find Neil on the bench seat just inside the office door, wearing a black jacket that isn’t his and sporting a colorful bruise on the left side of his face.

Nicky is crouched in front of him before he makes any conscious decision to move, cupping the little boy’s chin in one careful hand.

It took almost a year to get here, but Neil doesn’t flinch when his hand moves. He leans into the touch, eyes electric blue and stricken. He says, “It was my fault, not Andrew’s. No one will listen to me. Will you tell them?”

The vice principal is stepping out from behind the counter to meet him, but Nicky doesn’t get up right away. He faces her, so Neil doesn’t catch so much as the corner of his scowl, and says, “You told me they weren’t hurt.”

“Your boys are fine, Mr. Hemmick. Neil is—“

“I’m his emergency contact,” Nicky bites out. “You call me.”

“Let’s have this discussion in my office, please,” the woman says stiffly.

Well, now he has some idea what this is about.

Nicky gives Neil his keys to hold onto, waiting until some of the anxiety melts out of the boy’s tense shoulders. Neil traces the teeth of the house key with the tip of his finger and gives a little nod, and Nicky turns to follow the vice principal into her office. He only makes it a step inside the door.

“Woah, hey,” he says, when two nine-year-olds throw their full weight against his legs. He kneels, and their tight grips go from his waist to his shoulders. “Hey, c’mon. It’s okay.”

They lift their heads. They don’t look shaken. Andrew’s mouth is pressed into a thin line, and Aaron’s hazel eyes are blazing. They’re mad , pint-sized tempers blown, and that settles something in the pit of Nicky’s chest, cold fear receding into the back of his mind for another day. He can deal with this.

“It was Roman’s stupid fault,” Aaron snaps. “Andrew shouldn’t be in trouble!”

“Language,” Mrs. McCaffrey says, and Nicky doesn’t give in to the childish urge to glare at her. The boys do it for him a second later, anyway.

“How about you tell me what happened,” Nicky says. “Does this have anything to do with Neil’s bruise?”

“Roman’s a dumb fifth grader. He doesn’t like Neil ‘cause Neil beat his time on fitness day. He ran a mile in like six minutes, a minute and something faster than Roman,” Aaron says. His tone is a conflicted mix of aggravation and pride, pulled in two different directions by this bully and his best friend. “Today at recess Roman and his friends pushed Neil behind the bleachers but me and Andrew saw him.”

“You should have gone to a teacher immediately,” McCaffrey scolds them. “We don’t tolerate bullying of any magnitude. I know we went over the policy together at length when Andrew enrolled. If you boys had gone to a teacher, Roman would have been disciplined for his actions and the two of you wouldn’t be in trouble in the first place.”

“But Neil would have been beat up worse than he already was,” Aaron shoots back. “He shouldn’t’ve got beat up any.”

His hands are clenched in Nicky’s shirt. Andrew is a golden shadow at his side, a mirror image of frustration.

If they were as big as all their caring, Nicky thinks, they’d probably be ten feet tall.

“What happened when you two got there?” Nicky presses. He looks at Andrew this time, not liking how nonverbal the older twin has been so far. “Drew?”

He doesn’t answer for a long minute. His hands are shoved deep into his pockets. Nicky doesn’t push, and neither does the vice principal. Finally, giving each word up as though they cost him something, he says, “They were trying to pull off Neil’s shirt. They make fun of him for wearing long sleeves in PE sometimes.”

Dread creeps into Nicky’s chest and sets up camp there.

Neil guards his scars like his life is on the line, with a violent desperation better suited a drowning man than an eight-year-old boy. Nicky has seen them a few times, but never for very long, and only because Neil trusts him enough to part with his hoodie every now and then, for just as long as it takes Nicky to run a load of laundry.

Nicky is sick to his stomach at the mental image of Neil cornered by older boys, struggling to keep his ruined skin covered.

“He kept saying no and they wouldn’t stop,” Andrew goes on. “I made them stop.”

Nicky bites the inside of his cheek, but it doesn’t stop his heart from breaking. He pulls his boys in closer, squeezing them tight, and says, “Yeah, you did. I’m so proud of you.”

“Mr. Hemmick, ” the vice principal says, scandalized. “We do not reward this behavior.”

“Can you guys wait for me outside?” Nicky says, and they look up at him with trust in their eyes. Nicky would pretty much set himself on fire to safeguard that trust. “Neil could use the company. I just need to sort some stuff out here, and then we’ll head home for the day, okay?”

Aaron nods, and Andrew leads the way to the door. Only when it’s closed behind them does Nicky look at the vice principal. The fear and worry and anger gives way, and it’s all he can do not to shout.

It’s public school. What can he really expect from public school?

“Mr. Hemmick-- “

“I’m one more “Mr. Hemmick” away from causing a scene. I mean, a full-on scene. You knew when we came to you at the beginning that there were conditions. You promised them a safe environment. You promised you had staff with the right kind of training, to give them proper attention. You, personally, yourself, sat down in a meeting with their therapist so none of this would come as a surprise. We discussed this for so long. We talked about how traumatized kids might act out, and you signed off on everything with perfect confidence and all the right, pretty things to say to make me think they’d be okay here, and this-- this isn’t even the first issue we’ve had this year. And it’s barely November. What the hell is wrong with you?”

The woman sits behind her desk, looking slightly paler than she was when she greeted him. She shuffles papers for a moment, to give her hands something to do, Nicky guesses, and then waves him toward a chair.

“I apologize,” she says, and she sounds tired. “Please sit. Let’s discuss this from the beginning.”

By the time he joins the boys in the waiting room, someone had the good sense to get them something to drink. They’re all sitting in a huddle, clutching little paper cups, and look up in unison when Nicky comes over.

“Sorry, Nicky,” Neil says immediately, even though it makes Andrew pinch his arm.

“Are we still in trouble?” Aaron asks indignantly while his best friend and brother scuffle to one side.

“‘Course not, what do you take me for?” Nicky ruffles his blond mop. “Extra meetings with the counselor during the week, but we were talking about that anyway, right?” At their round of nods, he gestures toward the door. “C’mon, Neil. I signed you out, too.”

“Did they call my mom?”

“No, kiddo, they didn’t. It’s alright.”

Nicky shepherds them toward the car. Neil says, “Thanks for your jacket, Andrew. Do you want it back?” and Andrew says, “No, idiot,” and Aaron says, “At least we got out of English. I hate English.” Nicky rolls his eyes at their rabble and makes sure seatbelts are buckled and doors are shut before he turns them onto the road home.

He has the morning off tomorrow, and a call from Erik to look forward to tonight. Neil will probably sleep over, so Nicky will order in, make dinner a little special, to take the last stressful edge off the events of this afternoon. With any luck, the worst is behind them for now.

Nicky recognizes Aaron’s favorite song when it comes on the radio, a few seconds before Aaron does. He turns it up loud, smiling at the delighted little hoot from the backseat, and lets the kids all scream along for the rest of the ride home.

[crosbytoews]

hockey rpf fic rec

this is an assortment of all the hockey rpf i have bookmarked. it is organized by pairing. if any of this is not your thing that’s valid but i don’t wanna hear it 

these fics are posted on ao3 and most of them are locked so you will need an ao3 account to access them!

obviously i like everything on here but i bolded the urls of my absolute faves

JAMIE BENN/TYLER SEGUIN

Look at the wonderful mess that we made by sherlockelly

A name-on-wrist soulmate AU where being outed by a same-sex name is still newsworthy if you're in professional sports and is a very real concern for some NHL players. Despite the shifting attitudes, no one in the sport has ever come out publicly.

Tyler has always felt relieved that 'Jamie' could be a male or female name, it makes hiding his sexuality a lot easier. Jamie's not been so lucky.

Door to Door by Ferritin4

"Hey," Jamie says, pounding on the door. "Hey, open up!"

The dogs shut up.

"Hi, shit, sorry," says the stupidly fucking gorgeous man who opens the door in a tank top and boxers. "Shit, were the dogs loud? They get really excited when I come home."

"It’s three in the morning," Jamie says. On cue, a dog pokes its head around the corner to the entryway and bounces over to the — to this guy. It’s followed by another, browner dog, and Jamie has a moment of surrealist sleep-deprived horror where he imagines an infinite string of dogs forever bounding gleefully towards —

"I work two jobs. I’m Tyler," Tyler says, extending his hand. "Do you want to come in?"

Well, he’s not doing anything illegal, Jamie thinks, shaking it, because no criminal in the history of crime has ever willingly invited a cop into their house, and there is no one in the city of Dallas who hasn’t pegged Jamie as a cop within six seconds of meeting him.

Stating the Obvious by StormDancer

In which Tyler transfers to Dallas, makes some friends, and has emotions, none of which he's prepared to deal with.

Sidney Crosby/Evgeni Malkin

King and Lionheart by thehoyden

Sidney’s wedding day doesn’t go quite as he’d planned. When he’d bothered to imagine it at all, he’d thought of a nice June wedding in Nova Scotia, outdoors with the sun streaming down. He hadn’t imagined this hurried affair on the tarmac on a rainy and unseasonably cool day in early September, a month after his twenty-fifth birthday.

And Never Been Kissed by thehoyden

Sid didn’t introduce himself in the hallway, and he certainly doesn’t assume that people know who he is. So it would only be polite to thank Malkin again, this time more personally.

He could write him a letter. An email? No, a letter.

There Was an Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe by Shoshanah-ben-hohim

Amidst rising political tensions between Russia and NATO countries, the KHL and NHL failed to renew their labor agreement this summer. Due to the failed agreement and intense political pressure at home, the Russian NHL players do not return to the NHL.

By March, Geno has played almost a season in Russia, and accepts this is his new reality, no matter how much he misses Sid – until he finds the first child. This sets him and everyone he involves down a dangerous path of international intrigue.

Auston Matthews/Mitch Marner

as long as it's about me by Anonymous 

It takes about the length of their first practice for Toronto media to decide that him and Mitch are best friends. And, like, Auston’s been warned about the press in the city a million times, so he gets it. They want a story. He’d be fine with it, honestly, except for the small issue that Mitch Marner is the most annoying person on the entire planet.

I Never Thought He Wouldn't by MycroftexMachina

Mitch loves people. And usually people love him back. Usually.

we've got each other (and that's a lot) by LottieAnna

“I’m gonna be a groomsman,” Mitch says, then flops dramatically into the chair across from Auston, grabs Auston’s glass of whiskey, and takes a long sip. It burns as it goes down, and he makes a face. “Again.”

JONATHAN TOEWS/PATRICK KANE

don't taze me, bro by staraflur

He doesn’t think Zeus is supposed to have a sword, but their Zeus does. So now Jonny does, because of course he’s in charge. He looks, Patrick is drunk enough to acknowledge, far better than anyone has a right to in a grody old Halloween costume that’s probably soaked up the butt sweat of dozens, if not hundreds, of Theta-presidents past. Jonny wears it, Patrick gets the sword. Win-win.

AKA that time there was a frat AU (of course).

Same Time, Same Place by brutti_ma_buoni

It should be a one-off, an awkward airport first meeting that goes nowhere. But this one goes somewhere. Back to Jonny's, for a start.

It shouldn't go any further, a one-nighter with no strings, and plenty of reasons for Patrick not to go back there. But Patrick won't let it go.

It should be a disaster, a mismatch, a scandal, a shoddy secret regret. But... maybe not?

bring it if you really want it by staraflur

It starts like this:

Well, okay, Patrick has no idea how it actually starts. But as pertains to him (in other words, the important part), it goes a little something like so:

America, being a nation composed in large part of a melting pot of immigrants who may or may not have taken over land already owned by others using less-than-savory means, doesn’t have much of a magical national identity. Much less a magical continental identity. There’s no grand heritage going back thousands of years. Magical families home-schooled all their kids until, like, the 1800’s, and tough for the muggle-born, apparently. Hopefully you got noticed by someone who knew what to do with you before you got burned at the stake. Since you probably can’t control your powers, sport.

Call Me Royal Blue by cupstealer 

He’s always gotten his kicks giving Jonny shit, but never like this. He feels like the first person to combine ice cream and soda—A) in that he has combined two amazing things to make a more amazing thing, and B) in that Jonny is not having it.

Patrick and Jonny haven't been close friends in six years. Nothing a little friendly competition can't fix.

Random Pairings 

Jeff Skinner/Eric Staal

If Heaven’s Hypothetical by impertinence and shoemaster 

Jeff runs away from Toronto and finds himself homeless in Raleigh, where he accidentally starts serving eggs to Eric Staal.

Andrew Ladd/Ryan Kesler

Nothing Worth Knowing by beatperfume and shoemaster

Ryan Kesler hates Andrew Ladd on sight. College AU.

Erik Johnson/Gabriel Landeskog 

A Month of Sundays by Kelfin

Unlike some guys, who freak out when things get even a little bit gay, Erik is fine with this stuff. Erik's not even fazed when Gabe's attempts at flirting with him start to get semi-public, a fact that, by his own judgment, makes him at least five to seven times more tolerant than your average forward-thinking American.

Sidney Crosby/Claude Giroux 

The Battle of Pennsylvania by Robinjay

When they play at Worlds together, Claude Giroux firmly expects a fight to break out. At the very least, he expects derogatory remarks and barely contained fury. Instead of doing any of those things, Sidney Crosby just stares and Claude Giroux loses his damn mind.

In Hours Uncounted by remiges

Claude's grandparents take him to get his first name when he's ten—younger than most people start, but older than his grandparents when they'd had theirs done. His grandmother's skin is threaded red and gold with names, and Claude wants that, wants that sort of history for his own.

Sidney Crosby/Tyler Seguin

All New Kinds of Weather by concinnity and Pennyplainknits

Sidney Crosby, Tyler realizes, has just asked him about hooking up. Sidney fucking Crosby. Tyler blinks at Sid and takes a long drink of water. He has possibly never been as grateful for his slutty reputation as he is in this moment. Because, out of a whole room at least 30% of which would happily give Sid what he’d just, hesitantly, asked for, Sid chose him.

Also there are pancakes.

Alex Galchenyuk/Brendan Gallagher 

ain't never had a love like mine by bluejayys

Anna installs Grindr on his phone while he drives them back to his place, snickering as she fills out his profile.

“In your About Me section I said that you enjoy hockey, can speak three languages, and have been commended by fans for your excellent stick handling,” she says gleefully. Alex wonders when this became his life.

Brent Seabrook/Duncan Keith

Summerboys by stlkrchck

Brent Seabrook has no interest in working at Camp Quaquanantuck the summer before university. Unfortunately, his mom's signed him up, and he has to go. But between a cabin full of campers obsessed with Lady Gaga, a prank war with two other cabins, and his co-counselor Duncan Keith, Brent might just find himself enjoying the summer after all.

Tyson Barrie/Gabriel Landeskog 

Left-Handed Kisses by oflights

The one where Tyson's fooling around with Gabe, already way out of his league, and then finds out he's apparently fooling around with a prince. And he might be a little bit in love with him. It's pretty brutal.

[patriotsnet]

Who's Right Democrats Or Republicans

New Post has been published on https://www.patriotsnet.com/whos-right-democrats-or-republicans/

Who's Right Democrats Or Republicans

Views Of The Democratic And Republican Parties

Just under half of Americans have a favorable view of the Democratic Party, while a slightly larger share have an unfavorable view.

The GOP is viewed more negatively 38% say they have a positive view of the Republican Party, while 60% rate it unfavorably. These views are modestly changed since last summer, with the share of Americans rating the GOP unfavorably slightly higher than it was in August and the share of Americans with a negative view of the Democratic Party down slightly .

About three-quarters of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents view the GOP favorably, while 81% of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents view the Democratic Party positively.

Nearly all Republicans who say they strongly identify with the Republican Party express a favorable opinion of the GOP. Among Republicans who say they not so strongly identify with the party, 77% say have a favorable view, while 56% of independents who lean toward the Republican Party say the same.

Democrats who very strongly identify with the Democratic Party nearly universally view their party favorably, as do 87% of Democrats who describe themselves as not-so-strong Democrats. About six-in-ten Democratic leaners have a favorable opinion of the Democratic Party.

Within both partisan groups, views of the opposing party are overwhelmingly unfavorable across-the-board, with more than eight-in-ten strong partisans, not so strong partisans and leaners alike saying this.

Why Are An Elephant And A Donkey The Party Symbols

The Democratic party is often associated with the colour blue and the donkey mascot.

That dates back to Democratic candidate Andrew Jackson’s 1828 presidential campaign, when opponents called him a “jackass” for his stubbornness.

Instead of taking the nickname as an insult, Jackson embraced it and used the donkey image on his election posters.

It was then quickly adopted by newspapers and political cartoonists.

The Republican’s elephant symbol came along years later.

Many believe it came about, in part, due to a widely used expression during the Civil War led by Republican president Abraham Lincoln.

Soldiers entering battle were said to be “seeing the elephant” a phrase that means learning a hard lesson, often with a profound cost.

The symbol was then popularised by political cartoonist Thomas Nast; an early rendition featured in the 1879 edition of Harper’s Weekly.

Both symbols are still largely used for political campaigns.

Democrats Tend To Have A Lot More Anger And Negativity In Their Rhetoric According To Them If You Support President Trump Well Then You Are A Racist And A Nazi

They generally seem to be out to get someone making things more personal.  Why are they so afraid to use the facts to reinforce what they want to do? Its agenda first then find or make up facts to support the rhetoric.

If they cant beat you at the polling booth, they try and beat you in court and thats just a great example of something thats not a pleasant experience. And not quite working in the long run. They keep getting overturned.

Crime And Capital Punishment

Republicans generally believe in harsher penalties when someone has committed a crime, including for selling illegal drugs. They also generally favor capital punishment and back a system with many layers to ensure the proper punishment has been meted out. Democrats are more progressive in their views, believing that crimes do not involve violence, such as selling drugs, should have lighter penalties and rehabilitation. They are also against capital punishment in any form.

Conservative Endorsements Of Democratic Candidates

During the 2004 election, several high-profile conservative writers endorsed the Presidential campaign of John Kerry, arguing that the Bush administration was pursuing policies which were anything but conservative. Among the most notable of these endorsements came from Andrew Sullivan and Paul Craig Roberts, while a series of editorials in Pat Buchanan‘s The American Conservative magazine made a conservative case for several candidates, with Scott McConnell formally endorsing Kerry, and Justin Raimondo giving the nod to Ralph Nader.

In South Carolina in , the Democratic candidate for United States Senator was Bob Conley, a traditional Catholic, and a former activist for the presidential candidacy of Ron Paul. Conley failed in his bid to defeat Lindsey Graham, receiving 42.4 percent of the vote.

In his campaign for reelection, Walter Minnick, U.S. Representative for Idaho’s 1st congressional district, was endorsed by Tea Party Express, an extremely rare occurrence for a Democrat. Minnick was the only Democrat to receive a 100% rating from the Club for Growth, an organization that typically supports conservative Republicans. Minnick lost to Raúl Labrador, a conservative Republican, in the general election.

Think Republicans Are Disconnected From Reality It’s Even Worse Among Liberals

Arlie Hochschild

A new survey found Democrats live with less political diversity despite being more tolerant of it with startling results

In a surprising new national survey, members of each major American political party were what they imagined to be the beliefs held by members of the other. The survey asked Democrats: How many Republicans believe that racism is still a problem in America today? Democrats guessed 50%. Its actually 79%. The survey asked Republicans how many Democrats believe most police are bad people. Republicans estimated half; its really 15%.

The survey, published by the thinktank More in Common as part of its Hidden Tribes of America project, was based on a sample of more than 2,000 people. One of the studys findings: the wilder a persons guess as to what the other party is thinking, the more likely they are to also personally disparage members of the opposite party as mean, selfish or bad. Not only do the two parties diverge on a great many issues, they also disagree on what they disagree on.

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This effect, the report says, is so strong that without a high school diploma are three times more accurate than those with a postgraduate degree. And the more politically engaged a person is, the greater the distortion.

Should the US participate in the Paris climate accord and reduce greenhouse gas emissions regardless of what other countries do? A majority of voters in both parties said yes.

Yes Dictators Sometimes Cloak Themselves In Socialism But Tyranny Here And Elsewhere Is Always Right

Joseph Stalin, Adolf Hitler, Kim Jong-Un and Donald Trump

The meaning today of the Big Lie almost always refers to the false claim by Donald Trump and his right-wing cronies that the 2020 presidential election was somehow stolen by the left and Joe Biden, with the help of foreign agents.

Not only is this claim false, it is absurdly false.

This is hardly the first Big Lie from the right. Not even close. The right has been promulgating Big Lies for decades.

In fact, lying is the only way the right wing can win elections. After all, its policies are profoundly unpopular with ordinary people because the right-wing favors the 1% rich over the 99% working and middle classes.

How in the world could 1% of the population ever win elections over the 99%? Simple. The 1% bamboozles the 99%. To win elections, the right must conceal its true intentions from the voters and instead engage in manipulative tactics, like lying and fearmongering.

The lies are not just little lies.They are whoppers. They are the complete opposite of the truth. They are 180 degrees from the truth. They are the polar opposite of the truth, like from the North Pole all the way to the South Pole. Hence the term Big Lie.

Yet, shockingly, many of these egregious lies actually work. They take hold. They create a false impression in the mind of the public.

Once again, this is the exact opposite of the truth. Dictatorships and fascism are right-wing, not left-wing.

Shockingly, this nonsense actually works.

Who’s Right Democrats Or Republicans

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Neither, that is shy you discuss and debate and come to an agreement. It is time that the people make them sit back in their seats in the house and Senate, give the a bucket to go to the bathroom and PBJ’s for breakfast lunch and DinnerWhen the come to an agreement, then they can go home for a good night sleep and we will pick another issue and lock them in their chambers the next day and have them work that one out.Bet it would not take long for these idiots on both sides of the aisle to get the picture

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They are both wrong, but I think the Democrat senate is more wrong because they are trying to force an agreement using police stationed at national parks and monuments to make life hell for everyone. Also earlier last week the senate rejected a bill from house Republicans that would have delayed the shutdown for awhile./Edit:give the a bucket to go to the bathroom and PBJ’s for breakfast lunch and DinnerNo no no, PBJs are too tasty. Give them bread and butter.

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Liars are the worst kind of thieves-Only trust Hell No Kitty

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What Does Left Mean

In politics, left refers to people and groups that have views. That generally means they support reforms, especially those seeking greater social and economic equality.

The farleft is often used for what is considered more extreme, views, such as and . Collectively, people and groups, as well as the positions they hold, are referred to as theLeft or the left wing.

Trump Supporters The Exception

Despite political rhetoric that places them at opposite ends of the spectrum, Republican and Democratic voters appear to be similarly compassionate.

Democrats view compassion as a political value while Republicans will integrate compassion into their politics when their leaders make it part of an explicit message.

There is a caveat to this: I asked these survey questions about personal feelings of compassion in a 2016 online survey that also asked about choice of president.

The survey was conducted a few days after Republican presidential primary candidates Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas and Gov. John Kasich of Ohio had dropped out of the race, making Donald Trump the only viable Republican candidate for the nomination.

In their responses to the survey, a large percentage of Republican voters said they would rather vote for someone other than Trump, even though he was the unofficial nominee at that point.

The Republican voters who didnt support Trump were similar to Democrats on the survey with respect to their answers about compassion. Their average scores on the compassion items were the same. This is in line with the other survey data showing that liberals and conservatives, and Republicans and Democrats, are largely similar in these personality measures of compassion.

But Trump supporters answers were not in line with these findings.

The research indicates that appeals to compassion if made by trusted leaders should work for voters of both parties.

Republicans And Democrats After The Civil War

Its true that many of the first Ku Klux Klan members were Democrats. Its also true that the early Democratic Party opposed civil rights. But theres more to it.

The Civil War-era GOP wasnt that into civil rights. They were more interested in punishing the South for seceding, and monopolizing the new black vote.

In any event, by the 1890s, Republicans had begun to distance themselves from civil rights.

Taking The Perspective Of Others Proved To Be Really Hard

The divide in the United States is wide, and one indication of that is how difficult our question proved for many thoughtful citizens. A 77-year-old Republican woman from Pennsylvania was typical of the voters who struggled with this question, telling us, This is really hard for me to even try to think like a devilcrat!, I am sorry but I in all honesty cannot answer this question. I cannot even wrap my mind around any reason they would be good for this country.

Similarly, a 53-year-old Republican from Virginia said, I honestly cannot even pretend to be a Democrat and try to come up with anything positive at all, but, I guess they would vote Democrat because they are illegal immigrants and they are promised many benefits to voting for that party. Also, just to follow what others are doing. And third would be just because they hate Trump so much. The picture she paints of the typical Democratic voter being an immigrant, who goes along with their party or simply hates Trump will seem like a strange caricature to most Democratic voters. But her answer seems to lack the animus of many.  

Democrats struggled just as much as Republicans. A 33-year-old woman from California told said, i really am going to have a hard time doing this but then offered that Republicans are morally right as in values, going to protect us from terrorest and immigrants, going to create jobs.

The Democratic Party General Policy And Political Values

The Democratic Party generally represents left-leaning, liberal and progressive ideological values, thus advocating for a strong government to regulate business and support for the citizens of the United States. Thus, one of the key values emphasized by Democrats is social responsibility. Overall, Democrats believe that a prominent and powerful government can ensure welfare and equality for all. Much like the Republican Party, political opinions within the Democratic Party stretch across a wide spectrum, as both parties are, to a large degree, decentralized. However, from a general point of view, Democrats tend to support heavy taxation of high-income households. In comparison to Denmark, where taxes are generally high, the Democratic taxation policy may not seem excessive, but on a U.S. taxation scale these tax percentages are in the heavy end.

  Left Wing And Right Wing Politics

Politics is said to be split in half and you either have left or right political views. Left-wing politics is typically associated with progressive ideas and equality. Democrats are viewed as left-wingers. Right-wing politics values tradition, equity, and survival of the fittest. Republicans are viewed as right-wingers. 

Left-Wing

Left-wing beliefs are liberal in that they believe society is best served with an expanded role of the government. Examples of an expanded role for the government include entitlement programs such as social security and Medicare, Medicaid, universal healthcare, food stamps, free public education, unemployment benefits, strong environmental laws, and other regulations on industries.

Right Wing

Right-wingers believe that the best outcome for society is achieved when individual rights and civil liberties are paramount and the role and especially the power of the government is minimized. Right-wing ideology would favor market-based solutions to the issues that these government programs aim to tackle. For example, encouraging a freer marketplace for healthcare, driven by consumer choice to drive down costs. Or privately held retirement accounts like 401 plans instead of government-guaranteed Social Security.

Democrats V Republicans On Jim Crow

Segregation and Jim Crow lasted for 100 years after the end of the Civil War.

During this time, African Americans were largely disenfranchised. There was no African-American voting bloc. Neither party pursued civil rights policies it wasnt worth their while.

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Democrats dominated Southern politics throughout the Jim Crow Era. Its fair to say that Democratic governors and legislatures are responsible for creating and upholding white supremacist policies.

Southern Democrats were truly awful.

Where Do Trump And Biden Stand On Key Issues

Reuters: Brian Snyder/AP: Julio Cortez

The key issues grappling the country can be broken down into five main categories: coronavirus, health care, foreign policy, immigration and criminal justice.

This year, a big focus of the election has been the coronavirus pandemic, which could be a deciding factor in how people vote, as the country’s contentious healthcare system struggles to cope.

The average healthcare costs for COVID-19 treatment is up to $US30,000 , an Americas Health Insurance Plans 2020 study has found.

Todays Republicans Really Hate Democrats And Democracy

1) Trumps supporters have embraced anti-democratic ideas

This chart shows results from a two-part survey, conducted in late 2020 and early 2021, of hardcore Trump supporters. The political scientists behind the survey, Rachel Blum and Christian Parker, identified so-called MAGA voters by their activity on pro-Trump Facebook pages. Their subjects are engaged and committed Republican partisans, disproportionately likely to influence conflicts within the party like primary elections.

These voters, according to Blum and Parker, are hostile to bedrock democratic principles.

Is God A Democrat Or A Republican

The Democratic Party and the Republican Party of the United States are political parties.  God is so much bigger than any political party.  He is bigger than the United States of America or any other country.  He is bigger than the world we live in.

Psalm 8:3 says God created the stars with His fingers.  Considering that our local star, the sun, is 70 times the size of the Earth, that would make God very big.  Human issues are very small to Him but we will be judged by what we do.

We as believers need to keep our political party in check and be praying for the leadership of our nations.  In the United States, historically parties or groups of organized political interests came later.  The majority of the early settlers were true Christians fleeing persecution and the government trying to control them through a political church.  The Democrats have been considered the party of the people or working class and the Republicans the party of business professionals for decades.  In actuality, that is not true.

Abraham Lincoln was the US President who fought to hold the United States together when division arose about whether African slaves were people or just property of their owners.  It was the Republican party that won the right of the slaves to have true freedom not the Democrats.

Vice Presidents Of The United States

John C. Breckinridge, 14th Vice President of the United States , United States Senator from Kentucky , Member, United States House of Representatives from Kentucky’s 8th District , Member, Kentucky House of Representatives from Fayette County . He was presidential nominee of the southern Democratic Party in 1860.

John C. Calhoun, 7th Vice President of the United States , United States Senator from South Carolina , 16th United States Secretary of State , 10th Secretary of War , Member, United States House of Representatives from South Carolina’s 6th District . He was a supporter of slavery, state sovereignty and a proponent of the theory of nullification.

John Nance Garner, 32nd Vice President of the United States , Member, United States House of Representatives from 15th District of Texas , 39th Speaker of the House of Representatives , House Minority Leader , Leader, House Democratic Caucus , Member, Texas House of Representatives from Texas 91st District , County Judge, Uvalde County Texas . He supported the poll tax. Although he served as vice president under Franklin D. Roosevelt, he turned against Roosevelt during his second term, taking a more conservative stance on several issues.

Thomas A. Hendricks, 21st Vice President of the United States , 16th Governor of Indiana , United States Senator from , and member of the United States House of Representatives from Indiana’s 6th congressional district and Indiana’s 5th congressional district .

What Is Happening To The Republicans

In becoming the party of Trump, the G.O.P. confronts the kind of existential crisis that has destroyed American parties in the past.

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But, for all the anxiety among Republican leaders, Goldwater prevailed, securing the nomination at the Partys convention, in San Francisco. In his speech to the delegates, he made no pretense of his ideological intent. Extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice, he said. Moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue. Goldwaters crusade failed in November of 1964, when the incumbent, Lyndon Johnson, who had become President a year earlier, after Kennedys assassination, won in a landslide: four hundred and eighty-six to fifty-two votes in the Electoral College. Nevertheless, Goldwaters ascent was a harbinger of the future shape of the Republican Party. He represented an emerging nexus between white conservatives in the West and in the South, where five states voted for him over Johnson.

agitates the community with ill-founded jealousies and false alarms, kindles the animosity of one part against another, foments occasionally riot and insurrection. It opens the door to foreign influence and corruption, which find a facilitated access to the government itself through the channels of party passions.

History Of The Republican Party

The Republican Party came into existence just prior to the Civil War due to their long-time stance in favor of abolition of slavery. They were a small third-party who nominated John C. Freemont for President in 1856. In 1860 they became an established political party when their nominee Abraham Lincoln was elected as President of the United States. Lincolns Presidency throughout the war, including his policies to end slavery for good helped solidify the Republican Party as a major force in American politics. The elephant was chosen as their symbol in 1874 based on a cartoon in Harpers Weekly that depicted the new party as an elephant.

Democratic Candidate Joe Biden

Reuters: Carlos Barria

The Democrats are the liberal political party and their candidate is Joe Biden, who has run for president twice before.

A former senator for Delaware who served six terms, Biden is best known as Barack Obama’s vice-president.

He held that role for eight years, and it has helped make him a major contender for many Democrat supporters.

Earlier this year, Biden chose California Senator Kamala Harris as his vice-presidential running mate.

The 77-year-old has built his campaign on the Obama legacy, and tackling the country’s staggering health care issues.

He is known for his down-to-earth personality and his ability to connect with working-class voters. He would be the oldest first-term president in history if elected.

According to 2017 Pew Research Centre data, a vast majority of the African American population supports the Democratic party, with 88 per cent voting for Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential elections.

The Philosophy Behind Republican Economic Policy

Republicans advocate supply-side economics that primarily benefits businesses and investors. This theory states that tax cuts on businesses allow them to hire more workers, in turn increasing demand and growth. In theory, the increased revenue from a stronger economy offsets the initial revenue loss over time.

Republicans advocate the right to pursue prosperity without government interference. They argue this is achieved by self-discipline, enterprise, saving, and investing.

Republicans business-friendly approach leads most people to believe that they are better for the economy. A closer look reveals that Democrats are, in many respects, actually better.

A Record Number Of Americans Say Democrats And Republicans Are Doing Such A Poor Job That A Third Party Is Needed Polling Shows

Dissatisfaction with two-party politics is at an all-time high, new Gallup polling shows, with 62 percent of Americans saying Democrats and Republicans are doing such a poor job of representing their constituents that a third party is needed.

But the zero-sum, winner-take-all dynamics of U.S. elections make it nearly impossible for third parties to gain electoral traction, despite survey data that shows fully half of Americans do not identify with any party and label themselves independents. This was underscored this past weekend at the Conservative Political Action Conference, when former president Donald Trump ruled out creating a third political party to promote his brand of nationalist conservatism.

To hear those calling for change including many scholars and some lawmakers the inherent problem with our current system is that it shoehorns the into just two parties. Warnings that the nation has backslid toward autocracy driven in large part by the Republican Partys shift away from democratic norms bring added urgency, they say, and reversing that Trump-era trend will require something radical: breaking up the Democratic and Republican parties.