Remarkable! And refreshing! "USA Today" of all publications. EXCELLENT!!!!

"The Shutdown Party"! Well, let's see - what does THAT reinforce, as far as messaging? All the things WE want to see, that's what! Mainly - that this can, should, and MUST be blamed on the actual source of all this grief: the GOP. It's THEY who are pushing us over the cliff. It's THEY who are intransigent, compared to a President who has reached out again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again, compromising, offering concessions, trying to meet them more than half-way, and these bastards rebuff him at every turn. Every time he's extended his hand, since he GOT THERE five years ago, they've spit into it. EVERY time! And some of 'em even shat in it, too. At EVERY turn. And they're trying to pull this bullshit about how THEY have tried to compromise? Man, they've got to be on drugs!!!

I'm VERY glad to see this! With publications like "USA Today" labeling the GOP as baldly honestly as it deserves, that meme - that framing - that MESSAGING - will sink in and take root. THAT'S WHAT WE WANT!!!!!

I also am extremely pleased to hear so much repetition and recurrence of the themes of "hostage-taking" and "extortion" that are in the narrative now. That's how this is being described, and the talking heads, in turn, are also using these terms, and THEY are becoming part of the messaging as well.

This is a GREAT thing!!! Helps make our case. And it has the added benefit of being TRUE!!!!

Not much to say that could improve on this.

Totally, Totally, Totally! What you said, sheshe2.

No pity for them here, I'll tell you that! What took 'em so long to get mad... Yeah. We know. We get it. You guys couldn't be more transparent.

Certainly makes sense to me!

They've been trying to rewrite everything since the rise of reagan. He was the Bizarro "Second Coming" they'd been dreaming about - a salesman who could sell their feudalistic shit all packaged up nice and harmless and folksy-like. Easy to swallow. Until after you did and slowly came to realize that you were feeling rather ill.

Welcome to DU, Old Navy!

Glad you're here! There's a LOT of correcting the record that needs to be done - everywhere you look!!! Just never stops! Good to have the extra help!

As the mother of two - who USED to be two-year-olds, we had thing strategy called "The Position."

It was recommended to us by a parent/family counselor friend. Only effective when they're that little, though.

Kid throwing a temper tantrum in the middle of the cereal aisle at the grocery store? Here's what you do:

First, leave the store, or wherever it is. Go outside. Even just to the sidewalk or entry way or out back or someplace like that.

Then:
Sit down on the floor (or ground), cross-legged, with the kid in your lap. Up against a wall or door so your back is well-braced.

Envelope the kid, physically.
Maneuver your legs so that your feet are gently resting on top of their little legs. Again, GENTLY.
Wrap your arms around the trunk and upper body of the kid. Again, GENTLY.
Hold them CLOSE, BUT NOT TIGHT. Again, you simply want to ENVELOPE the kid. CONTAIN him/her. Prevent them from flailing their little arms and legs. But nothing too constricting!!!! They should be able to breathe freely, and yeah - even scream and yell and bellow and whine. Allow enough wiggle-room, but NOT TOO MUCH. Again, NOTHING tight or constricting or suffocating in any way. CONTAIN them.
As you hold them close, with your back supported by the wall behind you, crane your neck around so you're literally cheek-to-cheek with the child and pull him/her in really close to you, so you can start whispering little things directly into their nearest ear. WHISPER!!! ('Cause that little ear is really close, literally at your lips!) Even if they're yelling and screaming and you're sure they're drowning your voice out. Little affirmations like "Mellow." Or "calm down." Or "relax." Or "it's okay. It's okay." Repeated and repeated and repeated again and again. I used to just murmur, softly, "mellow. Mehlllllllowww. Mehllllllllllowwwwwwwwww." over and over and over.

And you do that til you outlast 'em. As long as it takes. Sometimes it'll take awhile. Be prepared for it to take more than just a minute or two. I had to sit there on the sidewalk in front of this Mommie and Me gym where I'd just extracted my son from some kiddie party in there - for at least 20 minutes before he finally gave up and calmed down, after he'd worked himself up into a real shit-fit inside.

As long as it takes, and you can gauge it by the kid's behavior. You can let up, as the child begins to tire or maybe even starts giving up. But you don't release them so they can toddle away until they have STOPPED the unwanted behavior. If they crank back up after initial surrender, tighten your containment a little. But mind you, never THAT tight.

It works on several levels, not just non-punitive but firm and loving, nurturing, literally embracing and protecting. Peaceable. Superior force applied so gently that they don't feel a thing except that they lose freedom to thrash and flail and maybe hurt themselves and often, injure you, too.

I often find myself thinking that somebody ought to put some of these teabaggers into "The Position" for awhile. But doing it now is long past too late. They should have had this done when they were two or three years old. THAT'S when it might have made a little difference.

I found one:

Stealing this!

Welcome to DU, dawnie51!

So good to have you among us! WE fight, here on DU. WE fight. We're a relatively small fraction of the overall demographic pie, but we are all in this, pushing in the same direction. Unfortunately, you're correct about how the bad guys view government workers. They can't, don't, and won't make the connection that YOU folks are WORKING. That's not just dreaded government jobs - that's many people's EMPLOYMENT. Which enables them to go patronize local businesses, hell - even the Walmarts of the world, enables them to feed their kids and not go on the dreaded "dole," enables them to do the sanctified "personal responsibility" schtick these assholes blather about, over and over and over again. Those are people's JOBS. What difference does it make where they work? They're WORKING!!!!!!!! WORKING!!!!! I mean, isn't that what everybody wants? Everybody WORKING??? Don't even the bad guys at least SAY they want that, too?

So all that wonderful cutting-back-the-government crap is actually cutting off a lot of people's JOBS. You and your colleagues in government service were drawing paychecks that you used in your community to pay for stuff, and keep grocery stores and restaurants and hardware stores and gizmo stores and other businesses afloat, and pay taxes that fund things that most of us agree are good to have and desirable and convenient and even essential to the preservation of life on this planet as well as in our neighborhoods. And they're basically against that, with their myopic "vision" and their short-sighted worldview and their selfish, penny-wise/pound-foolish absurdist, unrealistic, ill-conceived, and willfully-ignorant opinions.

And somehow THAT is what's leading all this.

Welcome to DU, maced666!

So happy you're here! This is a great point you make. They WANT voters scared. They WANT to scare us all because we're far more malleable when we're scared. More of US - on THIS end of the political spectrum - need to get active and get out there and make OUR views heard. Rabble-rouse on OUR side. That seems to be what gets all the attention.

Welcome to DU, seveneyes!

Great to have you here! It just sucks, doesn't it? WHY do the racists and religious fanatics get so much positive reinforcement, when they're in the minority? I keep hearing - "we're responding to the AMERICAN PEOPLE..." as the ongoing mantra that blesses every one of their actions. WHAT American People? WHICH ONES? They sure never asked me! Let me see the tests, the polls, the questions. Let me see who they're asking and where they're asking those people and how they're asking. Let me see them ask ME those questions so MY view gets reflected, too? Even though I know full well they won't pay any attention even when I give them my view. Even so, I don't hesitate to call the offices of the bad guys as well as my (thankfully!!!!!) all-Democratic Senators and my Congressman. I'm grateful I'm represented by good guys. Thank Heaven!