You believe I am “turning all this energy to ire and venom”? I have just been stating the obvious. That most Dems and Repubs in the National Gov receive moneys from the Corporate machine, because our Reps don’t listen / read anything but “yes — I’m for this” or “no — I’m against that” narrow bandwidth, unless I’m a donate millions of dollars.

BTW I prefer the term “the common good” as opposed to “socialism”.

All Senators and House members have to court big money to stay solvent and this a democracy does not make.

My sister is a Trumpeter. I have tested many positions with her and we end in shouting matches. The only approach that has worked with her regarding a conversation — which is not an equal conversation — is I ask her questions about a topic — like homelessness for example to get to the crux of what she believes is the problem. When I have presented facts where wages have not increased for most manual laborers since the 1970s adjusted for inflation she deflects into other unrelated topics, or she “has to get off the phone”. This mirrors our fathers behavior.

I do believe that Trumpeters want many of the same things we all want but are confused, desire the “strong individualist white man” as a leader, believe in the myth of the American Dream is available to everyone, want things to be simple when they are complex and so on — and differ vastly on how to support the common good.