Lebanese-American war survivor | Political Independent | Adviser to presidential campaigns | Chart-topping producer/keyboardist | Married to
@LeelaDaou
PEACE THREAD ππ½
On my personal site, I've posted some of my solo piano meditations, gentle pieces meant to give you a moment of healing. Each one is paired with a contemplative photo by my wife
@leeladaou
.
I'll post a few here, starting with "Hope."
DON'T LOOK AWAY.
The cop groped her and when she tried to break away, she was beaten while standing still.
THIS IS AN ATTEMPT TO CRUSH DISSENT LIKE A DICTATORSHIP
THE RAGING HYPOCRISY OF MODERN REPUBLICANISM:
"Pro-life" but shrug at mass shootings.
"Anti-elites" but give tax cuts to the 1%.
"Rule of law" but support child molesters.
"Support troops" but attack Gold Star moms.
"Christian values" but strip healthcare from the poor and sick.
CONSIDER THIS:
It would take only TWO Republican senators to bring this Trump train to a screeching halt.
Just TWO patriots to prevent this unmitigated disaster.
And not ONE has the courage or integrity to switch over and vote with Democrats.
What does that tell you?
To anyone who said it can't happen here:
CONCENTRATION CAMPS
MILITARY PARADES
STATE PROPAGANDA NETWORK
WOMEN'S HEALTH CRIMINALIZED
RULE OF LAW SUSPENDED
COURTS STACKED WITH EXTREMISTS
NEPOTISM ON THE INTERNATIONAL STAGE
MEDIA ATTACKED AS "ENEMIES OF THE PEOPLE"
1. The victim was homeless.
2. The cop was known to be violent.
3. Cop got only community service.
4. Victim filed a federal lawsuit.
5. Victim was shot and killed before his deposition.
OBAMAS ON ARETHA: "Graced with a glimpse of the divine."
CLINTONS ON ARETHA: "One of America's greatest national treasures."
TRUMP ON ARETHA: "She worked for me."
#ArethaFranklin
Hello.
I'd rather fight for universal health care than tax cuts for the 1%.
I'd rather protect asylum seekers than abuse them.
I'd rather deal with climate change than deny it.
I'd rather defend America from Russia's cyberattack than smear the FBI.
That's why I'm a Democrat.
So the right is pushing
#AOCresign
to counter
#IVANKAresign
.
Thing is,
@AOC
has more moral courage in her pinky toe than the entire Trump family combined.
The solution is staring us in the face:
SHUT DOWN THE COUNTRY FOR A MONTH.
GIVE PEOPLE A CHECK AND FORGIVE THEIR DEBTS/RENT/MORTGAGE/TAXES.
THEN START RESTRUCTURING THE SYSTEM TO EMPOWER WORKING PEOPLE NOT THE MEGA-RICH.
#COVID19
#Coronavirus
Imagine being a political party whose burning mission is to take health care away from sick peoole because a black president gave it to them.
#ACA
#Obamacare
I don't care who you are.
I don't care if you're a billionaire or not.
I don't care if you're a Republican or a Democrat.
If you were part of
#JeffreyEpstein
's child trafficking, you should be prosecuted to the maximum extent of the law.
#JeffreyEpsteinArrest
How is nothing about the protests around the country trending right now?
Every major city is having huge
#BlackLivesMatter
marches.
This is Nashville ππ»
WHY I'M MOVING LEFT
After 20 years in politics, both as an anti-Bush/Cheney activist and as a Dem strategist, I see that the centrist, bipartisan, incrementalist, GOP-lite approach is a disaster. We've tried it and lost ground, now it's time for unapologetic progressivism.
REMINDER:
There is no Trump without McConnell.
No Trump without Ryan.
No Trump without Sessions.
No Trump without Pence.
No Trump without Miller.
No Trump without Kelly.
No Trump without SH Sanders.
No Trump without Gorsuch.
No Trump without ALL his GOP enablers and supporters.
Donald Trump is ONE MAN. The GOP is an entire party.
They stole a SCOTUS seat for him.
They voted for him.
They voted WITH him.
They coddled him.
They defended him.
They lied for him.
They obeyed him.
They put party over country for him.
BLAME THEM for this mess.
Slowly:
THE
SITTING
U.S.
PRESIDENT
WAS
ELECTED
WITH
THE
HELP
OF
A
FOREIGN
ADVERSARY.
And Republican "patriots" don't care. In fact, they welcomed it.
#TrumpRussia
#Mueller
WHY?
I need to understand something about
@AOC
.
Why is one of the rising stars of the Democratic Party, a young woman of color who strikes fear in the GOP's heart, under more sustained attack by Democrats than Republicans??
Why are establishment Dems determined to silence her?
I feel better being on the side that welcomes refugees, trusts women, gives sick people health care, kneels to protest injustice, opposes kidnapping babies, and doesn't coddle dictators. How about you?
This is the United States of America for Godβs sake.
Everyone should be able to turn on the faucet and drink clean water.
My Administration is investing $15 billion to replace lead pipes across the country.
This is the most gaslighting
#SOTU
I've ever seen.
The party that surrendered to Putin chants USA, USA!
The party that kidnaps babies claims to defend life.
The party that coddles neo-Nazis talks about the Holocaust.
The party that attacks the FBI claims to be patriotic.
HONESTY: I don't see the Democratic Party rising to the level of intensity and resistance required by these times. The GOP sees that and is running roughshod over American norms and values. STEP IT UP DEMS. You were elected to protect the Constitution.
Not gonna lie, the fascist crackdown on college students is scaring the f*ck out of me. I mean, if our kids are getting arrested and expelled for protesting genocide, America has NO future.
OK, let's recap:
Donald Trump is president.
Kim Kardashian is heading to the White House to discuss policy.
A Russian journalist dead yesterday turns up at a presser today.
North Korea won't give up nukes but will open a burger chain as consolation.
The day isn't half over.
THEY DID IT!
βοΈNO eviction moratorium
βοΈNO minimum wage hike
βοΈNO filibuster reform
βοΈNO court expansion
βοΈNO medicare for all
βοΈNO green new deal
βοΈNO closing child cages
βοΈNO end to oil drilling
βοΈNO student debt help
βοΈNO pandemic plan
βοΈNO consequences for Trump officials
I'm going to repeat this: EVERYTHING we're seeing today that the mainstream media is belatedly waking up to, was predicted and warned about by women, both activists and independent journalists. They have never received proper credit. In fact, men are taking the credit from them.
How many times can I say this:
IT
DOESN'T
MATTER
IF
THE
SENATE
WON'T
CONVICT.
#Impeachment
in the House is a permanent mark on Trump's horrendous presidency.
#ImpeachTrumpNow
DEAR GOP:
When you steal a SCOTUS seat,
side with a hostile power's cyberattack,
ban refugee kids,
advocate child molesters for the senate,
strip health care from sick kids...
to give tax cuts to billionaires,
and smear child massacre survivors,
YOU HAVE NO MORAL COMPASS
DEAR MEDIA: If you want to do real journalism, refocus your attention away from Trump and onto the GOP leadership. THEY are responsible for the mess we're in. And they're getting a free pass, which encourages them to keep enabling him.
GUT CHECK:
The sitting U.S. president appears to be a Kremlin agent.
The Republican Party leadership is aiding and abetting him.
The right-wing media is covering for them.
Flag-waving Republican voters are perfectly fine with treason.
#LindseyGraham
#RandPaul
#MitchMcConnell
QUESTION, AMERICA:
Why do we have trillions of $$ for endless wars and tax breaks for billionaires ... but our working people can't afford medical bills, education, and housing?
Dear GOP:
Never, NEVER, use the word patriots to describe yourselves.
Not after your surrender to Russia's brazen cyberattack, your COMPLICITY, your assault on the FBI and on our intel community.
Hide your heads in shame.
#Helsinki2018
#TreasonSummit
#HelsinkiSummit
LAST I CHECKED...
There's still a Dem primary.
There are still two candidates.
One is raising millions for
#pandemic
victims.
The other disappeared during one of the most critical weeks of our lifetime.
Until the primary is over we have the right to make our case.
#NotMeUs
Hey, remember when we warned you it would be REALLY bad, but a bunch of you stayed home or voted third party?
Remember when we implored you not to echo the vilest smears against her but you did anyway?
Well, it's REALLY bad. And getting worse.
Was your hate for her worth it?
Can someone please explain why people fearmongering about (extremely rare) late-term abortions are perfectly fine to rip babies from asylum-seeking mothers and lock them in frigid holding cells?
OK. Time to confess my secret motives:
I want kids to go to school without gun violence.
I want people to live a life of dignity and purpose.
I want everybody to have healthcare.
I want children to have clean air and water.
I want an end to racism and bigotry.
I want peace.
The GOP under Trump has run roughshod over our norms and values. They've kidnapped babies from breastfeeding mothers. They've stolen health care from the sick to enrich oligarchs. They pollute our air and water.
But we're supposed to believe
@IlhanMN
and
@AOC
are the problem?
CONFESSION: I'm Too Far Leftβ’
I'm
#TooFarLeft
because I want kids to be safe in school.
I'm
#TooFarLeft
because I want people to live in dignity.
I'm
#TooFarLeft
because I seek justice and equality.
I'm
#TooFarLeft
because I think healthcare and housing are human rights.
GET READY: Over the coming days, a procession of concern-trolling pundits will warn Dems not to be "divisive," not to exert too much power. The BIGGEST mistake Dems can make is to listen to those Beltway pundits.
Dems should pursue justice and defend the Constitution VIGOROUSLY.
I have NO sympathy for any of the people around Trump who were supposed to be the grownups in the administration and did nothing as he trampled the rule of law, resigned or got fired, and are now trying to rehabilitate their image.
No sympathy.
None.
Do you have any?
SLOWLY:
REPUBLICAN
LAWMAKERS
HAVE
=> ZERO <=
MORAL
STANDING
WHILE
THEIR
PARTY
CODDLES
WHITE
SUPREMACISTS
KIDNAPS
MIGRANT
BABIES
SHRUGS
AT
SCHOOL
MASSACRES
EQUIVOCATES
ON
NEO-NAZIS
AND
STEALS
HEALTH
CARE
FROM
SICK
PEOPLE
TO
ENRICH
BILLIONAIRES.
Unbelievable.
A
#pandemic
hits and nearly every one of
#Bernie
's policies is going to be enacted in the short term.
Doesn't that say everything about whose ideas are best for America?
#NotMeUs
One of the funniest lines of the
#secondcivilwarletters
hashtag, from
@fballjones
:
"I suggest we build a wall out of Hillary's emails since they can't get over them."
FOR THE MILLIONTH TIME:
I continue to defend
@HillaryClinton
not because I think she is beyond criticism, but because I reject the daily vicious, unjust vilification of an admired and accomplished public servant.
When they stop attacking, I'll stop defending.
#ThankYouHillary
My mother is Jewish. My grandparents were Jewish. My great-grandparents were Jewish. They never told me it was ok to massacre children in the name of their faith.
@peterdaou
The only REAL difference is that we're Jews and racists like you don't like when Jews get to live. It's cool though. We don't need your support. We'll defeat Hamas without you and the world will be a better place. Thank us later.
No, it's not a war.
I grew up in a war.
I saw war up close.
I survived war.
War is nothing like Israel's intentional and ongoing slaughter of tens of thousands of children.
How long have we been hearing that they're "closing in" on Trump?
I don't buy it.
He has committed obvious impeachable offenses and no one has "closed in."
He and his GOP cronies have done enough damage for a generation and no one has "closed in."
Voting is the only remedy.
The President of the United States just called the media the "enemy of the people."
NOT NORMAL. NOT OK. UNPRECEDENTED. UNCONSCIONABLE.
You can take issue with editorial choices. But to use this language violates the essence of our Constitution.
Where is the cowardly GOP?
DIFFICULT THREAD --
#BIDEN
SHOULD WITHDRAW
1. I respect the will of the voters.
2. But new information has emerged supporting
#TaraReade
's account of being sexually assaulted by
#JoeBiden
.
3. Credible rape accusations are disqualifying or we have NO moral standards.
I started my day seeing an American president take to social media to call a former White House aide, a black woman, a "lowlife" and a "dog."
FOR THE MILLIONTH TIME: THIS IS NOT NORMAL.
FOR THE MILLIONTH TIME: THE GOP OWNS THIS.
#Omarosa
This is suddenly getting very curious.
Republicans are now conceding that Florida's elections systems were infiltrated in 2016.
For years, the standard deflection point was that Russians didn't tamper with votes, they just "did a bunch of Facebook ads."
What's going on here?
FYI:
Trump is not "rattled, losing it, nervous, worried, flailing, desperate, shaken, freaking out."
He is a brazen, unapologetic, power-hungry autocrat with the entire GOP in his pocket, a danger to our democracy.
Time to stop mollifying America with comforting narratives.
Sarah Huckabee Sanders says her pro-life views are βnon-negotiable,β adding, βOne of the things that makes Americans unique is that we value life. We think each life has intrinsic value and worth, whether you are a baby in the womb or an elderly woman.β
If seeing the attorney general of the United States serve as a publicist for a corrupt president doesn't terrify you, you're not paying attention.
Our democracy is on its death bed.
#Barr
#MuellerReport
BREAKING: The Republican President of the United States has announced his intention to repeal the Fourteenth Amendment through executive order, eliminating birthright citizenship.
American democracy is under attack by the GOP.
Woman reports sexual assault.
Woman gets slimed and vilified.
Woman gets called a liar and opportunist.
Woman gets death threats and is forced to leave her home.
GOP MEN: Why did she wait to come forward?
#ChristineBlaseyFord
#BrettKavanaugh
BOO TRUMP
Don't underestimate the importance of Trump being loudly booed in public.
At the very least, it tells the world (and history) that America isn't all rightwing extremists.
#TrumpBooed
#TrumpBooedAgain
QUESTION - What kind of people:
Gut environmental regulations that protect food, air, and water.
Kidnap babies and cage them.
Coddle murderous dictators while smearing law enforcement professionals.
Steal money from sick people to give to billionaires.
WHAT KIND OF PEOPLE?
A CONFESSION:
I'm tired of Republicans.
Tired of their lies.
Tired of their hypocrisy.
Tired of their bigotry.
Tired of their hate.
Tired of their greed.
Tired of their rage.
Tired of their moralizing.
Tired of having to fight them to make progress...
But I won't stop.
I was a fierce
#Bernie
critic.
I argued he wasn't a Dem.
I said he was hurting the party.
I fought with his supporters.
I said he couldn't win.
I WAS WRONG.
I CHANGED MY MIND.
YOU CAN TOO.
There's a place for you in
#NotMeUs
There are Russian trolls posing as Trump supporters.
There are Russian trolls posing as Bernie supporters.
There are Russian trolls posing as Hillary supporters.
There are Russian trolls posing as Russian trolls.
And they're all working to sow dissent among Dems/progressives.
The entire national debate is conducted on the right's terms and with their frames.
Are Dems all socialists?
Are Dems anti-Semitic?
Do Dems favor infanticide?
Instead of:
Are Repubs authoritarians?
Why do Repubs kidnap migrant babies?
Why do Repubs shrug at gun massacres?
RUNNING AMERICA:
Donald Trump
Sean Hannity
John Bolton
Stephen Miller
Mike Pence
Mitch McConnell
Rush Limbaugh
among other right-wing extremists...
God help us all.
MY POSTING GUIDELINES:
I don't tweet to please you.
I don't tweet to get followers.
I don't tweet to get paid.
I don't tweet to be liked.
I tweet because I can't keep silent in the face of the injustices I see everywhere around me.
Like me, hate me, that's all there is to it.