Thoughts from Yvonne Surette

 We have an ingrained myth in America that people persist in believing. During the 2016 presidential campaign, a friend told me that one of her coworkers hated Donald Trump with a fiery red hate but was going to vote for him anyway. Why? “Because,” he said, “I care about my IRA.” This man, presumably, went through the recession in 2008 during the George Bush presidency, where IRAs were demolished and house values plunged. But even having a damaging Republican recession didn’t dislodge the myth from that man’s mind that our economy does better under Republicans. This is something he, and way too many other Americans, believe. And yet, by every single indicator — gross domestic product, employment, incomes, productivity, even stock prices — America’s economy booms when Democrats are in the White House. This has been true for nearly a century now, and it’s certainly true for the Biden White House. Republicans have been calling President Joe Biden’s policies “Bidenomics,” which they th...

Oh, the wheel of right-wing hypocrisy goes round and round and never stops. Mike Pence (famously know for having no spine) who spent all the years of the  Trump presidency slavishly adoring him, has entered the presidential race. After four years of his  lèche-cul NOW he chooses to speak out against him ?  This is  not sincere.  Pence has never been sincere in his life.  It’s all an act.  Everything he  does has been in service to his political career, including now, denouncing the  Trump lawlessness. Chris Christie, famously the most-hated, lowest-rated governor in the history of  New Jersey, is also running for president.  He gave a blockbuster speech to  announce his entry into the race.  He laid into Trump with power and wit, and  accuracy, calling him a grifter.  Which he is. Imagine if Christie has said this in, oh, 2016, rather than spending all of Trump’s  years in the White House sucking up to ...

 As a committed Democrat, I have to say I love Republican investigations into Democratic “wrongdoing” or “criminal activity.” It’s so satisfying. Why? Because no matter how much they spend or how many years they toil, they never find anything criminal. Why? Because out of the two parties, there is only one full of criminal activity, and hey, it isn’t the Democrats. Let’s look at the following: Remember the Clintons? When the GOP spent over $82 million of taxpayer money on four investigations into their investments, the result brought no charges — no criminal wrongdoing. Republicans, when Hillary Clinton was Secretary of State, held investigations into the attack on Benghazi, Libya, in 2012. They held her responsible for the deaths of Americans. After 62 hours of testimony from 255 witnesses, including that of the Secretary, 13 reports, and over 2500 pages of a conclusive report? No charges were brought. Congressional committees had an unlimited budget, spending $8,000 daily on the ...

 You know the commercial for home insurance where Mayhem (in the guise of actor Dean Winter) comes to call, wrecking garages, cars, and houses. Have no fear, the insurance company says, “We’ve got you covered.” I’ve been wondering: What insurance coverage do Americans have to protect ourselves against the mayhem and chaos caused by the MAGA Republican Party?  We have a lot. We have the ballot box, for one thing. Democrats have proven their ability to defeat the MAGA Mayhem threatening democracy. Earlier this month, there was an election to fill a seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court, and the Democrat won by a wide margin. Previously, because of Republican gerrymandering, Wisconsin Democrats have been unable to control their General Assembly, but voters elected a Democrat who will help cease that anti-democratic practice in their Supreme Court. She is also a supporter of women’s reproductive rights. The political orientation of the Wisconsin Supreme Court has been in Republican ...

 When I started writing this column for The News Virginian, my first column was about insurrection — what it is, how it works, and why it’s a federal crime. This was just after the attack on Congress on Jan. 6, 2021. I never dreamed that I would still be writing about that same treasonous insurrection two years later, but I am. The Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Congress began months earlier, with former President Donald Trump constantly telling the public that if he were to lose the upcoming election, it meant the election “was rigged.” Egged on by Fox News, this became his rallying cry for months, hoodwinking many people. The culmination came on Jan. 6, after a speech by Trump telling his supporters to fight, claiming he’d be with them at the Capitol. His supporters went; he did not. His supporters killed six and wounded 114 police officers. I’m writing about it again because many Republicans persist in stating President Joe Biden is not the “real” president, and they keep push...

In writing a column reflecting Democratic and Progressive values, I find no shortage of topics: Republicans keep coming up with more and more crazy initiatives and policies; they are currently trying to take away rights to vote, the right to reproductive freedom, the rights of teachers to select curriculum, the rights of librarians to select books. They still support treasonous insurrectionists and the lie that Trump won the 2020 election. There’s so much, and it’s all a toxic mix of delusion and anti-democracy. As my last column warned: Get ready for Republican shenanigans instead of governing now that they have the House majority (barely).  After running for election on issues such as inflation, rising gas prices, and immigration reform (issues that Americans are concerned about), what has the new-Republican majority been up to?  Instead of tackling the real problems Americans face, the new House Oversight Committee, using a broad-based panel called The Weaponization of Gove...

For Democrats, the year has begun on a high as we watch the continuing implosion of the Republican Party. The chaos within their ranks sharply contrasts the calm, successful governing of the Democrats and the Biden Administration. The expected “Red Tsunami” that was supposed to engulf the nation with substantial Republican gains in the midterm election was a pink fizzle: Republicans hold a razor-thin edge in the House, and they lost the Senate. And they’re bickering amongst themselves. Mainstream media loves to present Democrats in disarray, but it’s the Republican party. Last week we all watched Republican Rep. Kevin McCarthy trying desperately to become Speaker of the House vote after vote. After more than four days and 15 ballots, he finally barely got his speakership but has no control or strength in his party. We all watched last week as the Republican Party was held hostage by 20 far-right extremists and 14 members of the obstructionist Freedom Caucus, their stated goal to disman...