In The Memetimes

Without much warning we all crossed over into a 2020 version of the Twilight Zone.  Michele Happe has some great tips to share in dealing with being forced into solitary confinement.  It can be done but you have to be willing to accept some changes.  We talk about taking care of some basics and offer a few specifics.  You can find Michele's contact information on her website and find her new podcasts on Anchor.fm here. For a whole slew of helpful articles on living in a pandemic check this out.

Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me, fool me 3 times and I must be crazy.  Despite the surprising turn of events for Joe Biden, it finally gets us to where we should have been in 2016 and have the conversation that's been sorely missing.  It's time to dispel with all the fear mongering about democratic socialism and its "capitalism with a conscience" and the false promises from the "capitalism of billionaires" who have convinced folks only they know the answers just because they are rich, and take pride in throwing their money via philanthropy to fix problems they created (and often make more money in the process). Just keep repeating: Biden backed by 61 billionaires.  

83.  You should never have to prove your privacy is a fundamental right.  You should also never take it for granted you are safe everywhere on the internet or your trusted apps have your best interests at heart.   Learn about a fast, free and easy way to get started and also start you on the path to even more ways to safely navigate the internet. The information source for this podcast is Three Reasons Why the "Nothing to Hide" Argument is Flawed.   In The Memetimes is a production of BlueRootsRadio, you can send your comments and questions to bluerootsradio@protonmail.com

This is the third and final episode in a series discussing the reality of Russian propaganda and what can be done to neutralize its false messages.  This episode draws heavily from a recently published article by the Rand Corporation: The Firehose of Falsehood. You'll learn why this might work but also what can be done to stop it. If you like the podcast, please share it with friends and be sure to give it a rating and review on iTunes. Thanks for listening, Chris

This is the second in a series discussing the reality of Russian propaganda and what can be done to neutralize its false messages.  This episode draws heavily from a recently published article by the Rand Corporation: The Firehose of Falsehood. You'll learn why this might work but also what can be done to stop it. If you like the podcast, please share it with friends and be sure to give it a rating and review on iTunes. Thanks for listening, Chris

This is the first in a series discussing the reality of Russian propaganda and what can be done to neutralize its false messages.  This episode draws heavily from a recently published article by the Rand Corporation: The Firehose of Falsehood. You'll learn why this might work but also what can be done to stop it. If you like the podcast, please share it with friends and be sure to give it a rating and review on iTunes. Thanks for listening, Chris

This episode discusses the myths, pitfalls and positives of impeachment, how the Mueller report failed and succeeded and the prize that should be in everyone's eye. Feel free to comment on this podcast at the BlueRootsRadio blog.

No one thought at this point in the 2016 election Trump had a chance. I'm thinking that lack of seriousness may be being repeated by the top contenders trying to outflank each other to the left.  Sure I want all that stuff but VOTING IS A PRACTICAL matter.  Republicans vote with their heads, not their hearts. What will win in 2020 is the right mix of doable healthcare and economic reform that will bring Obama/Trump voters back into the fold and pull more disgruntled Republicans who find Trump's ways as repulsive as we do but just won't admit it in public. This is a touchy issue sure to rattle diehard Progressives and that's exactly my intention.  If you want to discuss this online go to BlueRootsRadio where you'll find a blog post with the title of this episode.  Would love to hear your thoughts. Thanks for listening

As promised Michele Happe dropped by to talk about Nevada's great turn of election events and share her thoughts on the national elections.  I didn't hear it discussed in all the cable news I watched, radio I listened to and print media I read on line, but a major factor in the Nevada results is a result of a mass migration of Californians seeking affordable housing.  We talked about this earlier this year on IMT episodes 59-63 but I didn't expect these kinds of results soon. Meanwhile our hearts go out to all Californians suffering the worst disaster imaginable.

The further we get away from the election, the better it looks for the Democrats.  We're finally starting to find ways to deal with the constant cluster fuck that is the Trump presidency.  While people argue politely as to whether the Democrats had a blue wave or failed, they are just wasting their time as there is no way to measure what makes a wave blue.  What is obvious is Republicans took a beating in an off year election getting thumped in many places were considered untouchable just a short time ago.  Sound interesting?  Listen to the podcast, I'm not going to type it all out! ;-)

Feels like we're living in a mixing blender with all that's going on.  Between a national election and having to deal with an out of control nationalistic nattering nabob for a president, it's a freaking chore just to get through the day. Well, it's looking good for the home team if you live Realville, but over in Crazytown it's looking pretty shaky.  All joking aside we're in for a historical day (and days after) once the votes have been counted and found to be free of someone Putin their hand in cookie dough. I'm confident the nation will be steering itself back on track and can't wait to see the outcomes come Tuesday night. Courage people, stay strong.

The Democratic Party is in need of more voters.  Conventional wisdom is to attract voters voters who voted for Republicans or 3rd party or voters who didn't vote at all.  By far the best option is to chase after voters who haven't voted before or in a long time. They are the largest population out there to tap.   To get them to vote and vote Democratic will require the party to offer them a reason in the form of a vision of what the party stands for.  How do you do that in a party that is so diverse economically, racially and culturally?  It's hard but far from impossible provided we can shed the conventional wisdom that has put us in the mess we now don't enjoy. This podcast is a the review of Chapter 4 of "The Wilderness" on Crooked media which you are strongly urged to subscribe to and listen to carefully.  I barely scratched the surface.  

For Democrats 2016 was a year we felt certain right up until the most winnable open election ever was lost.  Some Clinton and Sanders supporters still aren't over it.  That has to stop.  The needless negativity on the left has to stop.  The sense that we can't rise above the crazy Trump shit has to stop.  It's time to realize the final election map of 2016 was really blue if it's a map at the country (not precinct, or county) because Clinton won the popular vote.  She just didn't win a handful of votes in 3 key states. It's time to start acting like winners again. This podcast is a the review of Chapter 3 of "The Wilderness" on Crooked media which you are strongly urged to subscribe to and listen to carefully.  I barely scratched the surface.  

So we've laid out the entire history of the Democratic Party and now are going to look quickly at the 8 years of President Barack Obama as told by a very far left of center Democrat.   As with everything, we all have 20/20 hindsight but in researching for this podcast I came to several realizations having learned more about the obstacles Obama faced and the depth of his convictions. I hope you pick up something new as well. To say "shit's fucked up" is about the only way to describe the current political climate in America.  Democracy is in decline, truth is seemingly obsolete and it's very easy to cave into despair, but don't.  That's exactly what the fascist fucks want us to do.   The major indicators are trending in our favor if we keep the fire burning and expand our boundaries to include everyone who is under the big tent that is the Democratic Party. This podcast completes the review of Chapter 2 of "The Wilderness" on Crooked mediawhich you are strongly urged to subscribe to and listen to carefully.

We pickup where Part 1 of this series left off, 1960.  A tumultuous time on many fronts.  The U.S. was neck deep in a space/arms  race with Russia, Vietnam was suddenly mushrooming, the war on poverty was declared  and the American Civil Rights movement was coming to a head. The situation looked hopeful following the election of a charismatic President, John Kennedy, but the future of 1960 turned out to be disappointing, if not depressing, for Democrats for the coming decade and beyond. Where did the Democrats go wrong? Did they learn from their mistakes and victories?  This podcast completes the review of Chapter 1 of "The Wilderness" on Crooked media which you are strongly urged to subscribe to and listen to carefully.   Thanks for listening

This is a series Cliff-noting Crooked Media's  excellent pod-documentary "The Wilderness" that assesses the state of the Democratic Party starting with a frank discussion of its past, warts and all.  What this IMT series lacks are all the top notch experts and just regular voters who were interviewed in the course of The Wilderness' 15 chapters. This podcast covers from the 1820's to 1960.  The next pod will pickup  from where we left off and end with today.  This will cover Chapter 1 of The Wilderness. The aim here is to provide the highlights of The Wilderness series and hopefully lead to some serious discussion IMT podcasts with present and future members of the podcast team.   If you'd like to participate you can use one of the contact links below.  The only requirement is that you have listened, at least, to the IMT podcast but preferably also The Wilderness chapter(s) it covered. Hope you enjoy this and learn something in the process. Thanks for listening. Contact Choices By email IMT Facebook Group Page

Hats off this week to Jane, Kevin, Michele, Mary and Linda for sharing their tips for dealing with the endless stream of bullshit oozing from the White House. These days even the professional pundits, podcasters, and writers are finding it nearly impossible to cope, but all that is changing. It's clear now that all of the distractions coming out of the White House are meant to confuse and divide all Americans, not just between parties but also within. When folks get burned out they tend to get mean and make bad situations even worse. That's why this podcast is focusing how to replace burnout with constructive hopefulness aimed at specific actions that will appeal to a majority of voters, period.  Not just Democratic voters but all voters because we are all Americans with the same basic wants and needs. First step is to admit the problem exists and to decide to do something about it.  Second step is to wean, filter, titrate yourself from all the distracting news and focus on things that really matter. This podcast is going to be focusing on the common ground in the coming weeks and we hope you'll come along for the ride.  Find your hope and lose your fear. -Chris Just a couple extras... Much if the division we see today is fed to Americans by Russian trolls, this is not conspiracy talk, this is fact.  Senator Sheldon Whitehouse had an excellent interview recently on the topic of dark money.  It's a must see.   Thanks for listening    

Two days after the Kennedy announcement seems more like 2 years.  Hours before the podcast recording we learned of a very troubling connection between the Trump business and the son of Justice Anthony Kennedy.  In the same span of time we've seen an explosion of liberal ideas for fighting the huge fight we face in having a lopsided conservative Supreme Court. One short strategy is to immediately start fighting like hell and refusing to accept the new norm established by McConnell. These will keep Democrats charged up and attract like minded independents and self-exiled Republicans. Next Democrats have to fight like hell to win every race they can from public defender to member of Congress with particular attention on state Attorneys General and Governors because that'w where the GOP has done the worst damage.   We also have to start thinking long term with bold ideas like getting Puerto Rico statehood. Mary, Irmay and Kevin are the podsters this week on IMT. Times have changed and we have to change the way we think, but then we're liberals, we actually like thinking.

The pod was gobsmacked today with news we all had accepted would be coming someday, but just not today.  The SCOTUS is fixing to be turned into a conservative copying machine and it seemed to be a good time to get some first impressions and then see what's going on in 48 hours when we do the regular weekly podcast. Please get the kids out of earshot before you start listening. ;-)

This week Kevin Kraft, Mary Alden-Allard and Michele Happe talk about the first real failure of a Trump policy and if it can be a lesson for future battles against the Liar-in-Chief.  Mary outlines the bias spectrum of today's media from left to right and Michele is thinking about the  best Democratic candidate for President in 2020.    If you'd like to be on the podcast you can connect with the pod on Facebook. Everyone is welcome.

All across the nation Democrats long for a Democratic Chief Executive supported by a super majority Democratic Congress.  In other words, they want what California already has.  15 years ago California was where the nation is today and they were able to turn it around.  It can't happen all at once but it can happen everywhere, at least enough to regain control in Washington.   We face extraordinary challenges but that has never stopped Americans before.  When the hope for a better future is stronger than the fear losing our democracy, we will start moving forward again and this time for a very long time.  America runs on hope, America dies by fear.  Don't be afraid.

Maybe you've heard the phrase,"As goes Ohio, so goes the nation", there's also a similar one for Maine but those refer only to elections.  America has seen some very interesting copycatting of California over the past 50 years and that's the topic of this podcast.  It's not just the nation copying liberal California, no. First we have to look at all the copying of formerly conservative California to understand why there is potential for a promising transformation (or reformation) of the conservative rule that was tried and failed in California and is currently failing in the national government.

It's often my belief that you need to start any argument for your side by listing your weaknesses.  That's what the first 2 parts of this series were about.  Now it's time to look at the promise of liberalism as the best means of solving the problems of a 21st century divided America barreling straight towards a downward spiraling authoritarian future. (Cue the ominous drama sound effect)

Before the Democratic Blue Wave can wash away trumpism in America, there must be a national consensus of the definition of liberalism.  Worse than the now ancient divide between Clinton and Sanders hangers-on is the real problem of wealthy liberals who don't want to mingle with the under 6 figure members of the party.  Liberals at the top of economic ladder say they are for a $15 minimum wage, they just don't want those people living on their block.  That's the problem with the liberal model in California.  If California is truly a place of creative thinking, they'll solve this problem.  Until they do, the future remains questionable. Note: The tapping noise you hear sometimes in these podcasts is not in your device or computer.  It's my dog protesting that I don't give her a speaking part in the podcast.  I'd apologize for her, but she's not in the least bit sorry for the intrusion. ;-) Next time in Part 3, we look at the promise of liberalism.

In this pivotal year liberals are enjoying an uneven resurgence marked by a divided Democratic Party trying to find its way out of the desert. California is often cited as a shining beacon of liberal hope but have we really examined the Golden State success to see if it can spread eastward?  It's by no means a sure deal but it's by no means a lost cause.  Educating ourselves now can lead to correcting the deficiencies in California that make it look good on paper but still not provide a viable template for the rest of America. This podcast is the first of a series, so stay tuned.

Obama broke the mold of the elder statesman or party darling when he became the candidate for President in 2008.  Trump took the same process down the low road to run over the GOP in 2016.  We now live in the age of the Disruptor Candidate.  The first was pro-democracy, the second was a closet authoritarian.  Which road will the third disruptor candidate take?

The young gun is done trying to screw the working middle class into paying for his lavish lifestyle.  Apparently he's run of of hypocrisy and is unable or unwilling to cover his tracks for the impending trillion dollar deficits thanks to his lifelong achievement to wreck the tax code.  John Boehner is love with his bong. Trump's Code Red meltdown is creating a bipartisan group of Senators moving to protect the Russia investigation.  Mueller's moves on Cohen are reopening a old can of worms. Now Mueller resets sites on Manafort asking for a bunch of blank subpoenas and Hockey Puck Scott Pruitt dares to replace the EPA seal with his name on EPA memorabilia.  You can't make this shit up. Courage!

Soooooo, Paul Ryan is bailing on the job he never wanted but should we be surprised?  It was all about giving himself a tax cut all along now wasn't it? Surrrrre, it's all about spending more time with his kids. I'll bet you his tax cut windfall he'll be gone more than ever after he leaves office in November. On the good news front the New York Working Families party has scored a big win of sorts in the NY State Legislature.  In 2012 the WFT help give the Democrats a 33 seat majority but a group of Trump Democrats banded together to form an "independent" group who helped elect a Republican majority leader in the NY Senate. Now they  have seen the error of their ways and are wanting to come back into the fold.   This comes at a time when the WFP leadership is changing, not from any other reason than the current Director who has held the job since the party started in 1998 feels it's time to go.   Check out the article at the link and learn more about the WFP if you are not already in the loop. Thanks for listening, let me know your thoughts at IMT@protonmail.com  

Sure, impeachment sounds good but you have to consider that it's historically hard as hell to pull off.  While it is always an option, Democrats have to triage impeachment way down the list of 2018 election strategies.  Republicans at all levels are already using it as a fear driver to get reluctant former Trump supporters to the polls in November.  So using it as an incentive to get Democrats to the polls will almost certainly backfire. IMT has a new email address: IMT@protonmail.com and you can blog your little hearts out on all IMT podcasts at http://bluerootsradio.com where you can also subscribe to get email notifications for future podcasts. Thanks, Chris

To say Pruitt blew it is now an understatement. He's getting so much attention from all his scandals that he is sucking the air out of Trump's ego bubble.  He's gonna hafta go, soon. I've somewhat reconciled my break from Facebook but the reality of the decision has opened a new vision on how to use it with minimal damage to privacy. Go to BlueRootsRadio and subscribe for email updates of this podcast

On the whole, Congress is a nursery school full of millionaires trying to stay that way.  There are very few members who act honorably all the time.  There are very few members who put there constituents first.  There are very few members will to act in a spirit of compromise to actually solve problems and think long term.  This podcast is a totally ripped from an excellent article in Politico by Michael Kruse: How Veterans are Powering the Democrats 2018 Hopes. If Democrats want to see the miracle of taking back the House in November they need to drop their petty differences and purity tests and need to learn what these veterans stand for. Democrats have to accept we can do better than Obama, we have to do better. If you'd like to discuss this topic further in a longer podcast, send an email to imtpodcast@protonmail.com

First thing: Oklahoma and Kentucky teachers are walking out today over pay and pensions and deplorable classroom conditions.  Second thing: In the last 10 years following a near total collapse of the American economy, Wall St and Washington have learned nothing and seem to be doubling down for another, bigger disaster.  Third thing: The Parkland Florida high school survivors are not accepting blatant disrespect from conservative politicians and media and are a major force in setting the tone for the 2018 election.

When is a presidential pardon obstruction of justice?  We may soon find out.  The real name of Trump's tax bill is the "Cut, Cut, Cut Medicare Tax Bill".  What is the real reason for ousting Shulkin as VA Secretary? Trump's relationship with Putin is as surreal as his relationship with his daughter. To receive IMT podcasts automatically, you can subscribe on iTunes or go to BlueRootsRadio.com where you can subscribe for notification by email by typing in your email address.  It's fast and you can unsubscribe at any time. Thanks for listening

I started out with 3 things but it would have taken longer than I like, I prefer to keep these podcasts short, like a news story.  My dilemma with Facebook finally came to an end this week.  This article "Be a pioneer - delete Facebook" comes from The Guardian and explains my reasons and more.  The other topic deals with the future of the March for Our Lives movement.  Former associate justice John Paul Stephens, a Republican, wrote a thoughtful opinion this week that inspired me. The podcast is no longer supported on Facebook, so please consider subscribing at iTunes (the best imho) or Stitcher or you can go to BlueRootsRadio and find a subscription box on the lower right side of the homepage that will send you a detailed email whenever a new podcast is posted. Thanks for listening

The March For Our Lives rally was a huge success in  D.C. and around the country Saturday.  If anything the intensity is growing. Stormy Daniels gives a credible interview on 60 Minutes leaving Trump speechless and Trump can't find any lawyers seeking fame and fortune.

H.R. McMaster leaves a gaping hole in the National Security Team to be filled by a gaping asshole, Trump's lead criminal attorney dumps him, the GOP House Intelligence Committee lays down a sacrifice for their demi-god, Trump tanks the market with this tariff trade war, the Senate passes the omnibus spending package, Zuckerberg is called to Washington and Scott Walker gets smacked in the kisser by a Wisconsin judge over special elections.  The weekend couldn't come fast enough.

Odds are a government shutdown can be avoided but who knows what chaos will come from the White House at the last minute to blow it all up? Speaking of which, the Austin bombing ordeal is hopefully over. New questions arise if former Deputy Director Andrew McCabe's firing over lack of candor was not fueled by his investigation of the same on the man who fired him, Jared Kushner has been found in the pocket of the Saudi Crown Prince and Facebook is all zucked-up. New feature, you can read this podcast and comment on it at BlueRootsRadio Thanks for listening

You can comment on this podcast at the Libsyn webpage and at Bluerootsradio. What a day yesterday, the Senate finally takes measures to protect our elections while Trump praises Putin for making a sham of democracy. Some Senators and Trump's advisors are pissed. Meanwhile the Facebook data breach continues to widen as the Cambridge Analytica CEO is caught in an undercover reporting interview where he brags about helping trump by using undercover tactics.  Back at the Facebook campus crickets from Zuckerberg. Lastly the best things come in 3's as two more trump sexual victims make headway in court. Ooh la la. America is the new France! Thanks for listening.  Please think about giving a like and review in iTunes.

Three things are covered in this episode: 1) The consequences of Trump's snap decisions and the hastily cobbled together GOP tax cuts 2) Democrats finally learning you can't win if you don't show up and 3)  Democrats are doomed if they can't heal their internal wounds.   You can respond to this podcast on the IMT Facebook page, on the IMT  blog (http://InTheMemetimes.libsyn.com) or email chris@bluerootsradio.com.

Michele speaks with Jackie Eberstein RN about the Low Carb High Fat way of eating also called Ketogenic.   They focus on this way of eating for the post menopausal  woman.  Jackie shares her own experience as well as a wealth of scientific information about hormones, body image, and nutrition.  She presents excellent information for the newbie to keto as well as for the experienced fat adapted woman (and man).  Check out Heal Clinics at http://healclinics.com .

A perfect storm is brewing composed of the rising awareness of sexual misconduct, the massive upset in Alabama and the Democrats acting tough for a change. Short of Trump committing an impeachable offensive, the Republicans will not entertain impeachment.  How could they after overlooking the Hollywood Access tapes? There is a sure way forward....

Roy Moore, Steve Bannon and Donald Trump discovered on December 12th that Trumpism is dead.  When any Senate candidate with (R) after their name can't win a special election, with so much on the line in a solid red state,  it's clear the end-times are upon them.  The civil war already underway between establishment and Trump Republicans will most like be a bloodbath before the end of 2017.  Oh happy days!

2016 was the year where politics as we knew it died.  Two presidential candidates  either won the nomination or came close with little help from their party or faced outright sabotage.  The parties don't work for the people anymore and with the fractured bases of both major parties, it's looking downright unlikely they can recover with the current leaderships.

Rather than do no harm and push Congress to if not fix immigration, codify the DACA kids in legislation, Trump acted.  But rather than be humane, he chose to be heinous.  There's no walking this one back. (05:11)

I watch, listen and read news for hours everyday, but if I hadn't wandered onto a friend's FB page who knows how long before I found this out? Democrats have a great idea you should know about. (4:35)

This week Trump reversed a long held policy position by reversing on Afghanistan. What else could he reverse on? 04:15

Everything Trump does he does in pairs. Monday night we saw his rational reading of a speech void of details but full of old cliches. Tuesday night he'll wipe it all away with a free-for-all in Phoenix.  Length: 4:00.

Trump claimed there were fine people on both sides in Charlottesville. Only a fraction of Congress has called him out for the comment but America's CEO's foreclosed on his moral bankruptcy.  How do we effectively take him down?

Internet service provider DreamHost has been served a near unlimited search warrant to provide all personal data from a left-wing website in a fishing expedition challenging your 4th Amendment against unreasonable searches.

As Trump drops further in the polls so does his behavior and the number of people willing to support or work with him.  Meanwhile, Bannon confesses to a liberal magazine.

Tuesday Trump came out swinging at the press armed with a fresh batch alternative facts trying to normalize Neo-Nazis, White Supremacists and the KKK.   Was it the opening verse to his swan song?