Barbara, Your selection did provide me with a few seconds of peace, but I'm about to describe the jumble in my head, so here my stomach goes to churn and churn again.
Heather's Letter reflected what I have been feeling about life in the USA - a jumble. Violence and dissension: life swerving this way and that. A slight lift up and a scary fall down. It is the definition of unsettling. Biden brings sanity and a Capitol policeman is murdered, while the Capitol is on an Easter break. Little Republican men and women call everyone they disagree with a 'Socialist'. Socialism: do these little people even know what it is? It seems as though almost everything most Republicans mouth lands in the gutter.
Socialism vs. Communism
'The main difference is that socialism is compatible with democracy and liberty, whereas Communism involves creating an 'equal society' through an authoritarian state, which denies basic liberties. Democratic socialism in the west involves participating in democracy to seek an incremental reduction in inequality.'(Tejvan Pettinger, Oxford, UK, www.economicshelp.org, 6 May 2020)
Fern, thanks for this. Some of the countries with the best standards of living and the highest measures of happiness are the Scandinavian countries. They’re both very democratic, and have capitalist economies tempered by strong, successful socialist reforms.
Thanks, Fern. My Republican inlaws are coming over for Easter dinner tomorrow afternoon. My wife's brother - a Trump voter - is always needling me about liberals and socialists, and I do my best not to retort lest I upset the family applecart and cause my wife undue distress. I have been wanting to explain socialism to him but always wind up thinking "What the hell, why try to convince a lost cause?" The explanation you provided from Pettinger is now on my mind, and I feel it's a perfect, concise interpretation of the differences between socialism and communism, which I feel my brother-in-law often believes is what Democrats are trying to establish. But, it's an Easter gathering. Maybe I'll put the explanation and the URL in an envelope with a smiling bunny sticker on the outside, and tell him not to open it until he gets home. It's a shame, he's basically a good guy but he is way to the right and won't change course. What do you think?
Dennis, great to hear from you. Your idea of putting the definition of socialism, which I appreciate for the same reason that you do, in writing inside an envelope with a smiling bunny stamp is a sensational idea - absolutely in the spirit of Easter. Wishing you and your family a happy gathering. Cheers!
OK, I'll do it. Happy Easter. This board is so much more fun than any other I've been part of, including the chat board of my beloved Penn State Nittany Lions. But we'll stay away from football talk. Promise.
I love your idea, too! I have an uncle who just hates Biden. He hated Hilary with such passion that his wife feared he would have a heart attack any time she came up. I don’t understand it at all. I know we all talk about that, that we cannot understand how Republicans can think the way they do. But in his case I am especially perplexed because he grew up so poor on the Iron Range. His dad, my Grandfather was a farmer, a logger and a miner, and was always a union man and proud member of the MN DFL (Democratic Farmer Labor Party). And my uncle, Mike is his name, is educated and so well read. He was in the army, and had some strong influences there. I don’t know where this hatred and distrust comes from, but I love him and I know he loves me and my ten siblings like we are his own children. My plan is to buy him the professor’s book, To Make Men Free: A History of the Republican Party. It will be a little trick, as he loves history and the Republican Party, but he might not know Heather Cox Richardson.
You're so smart; I'm the last person to talk to about football but Penn State, YES! Dennis, Happy Easter. I hope you'll provide a review, not about the food. You know what I'm getting at.
Thanks, Fern. I'll provide a report on Monday. I'm going with the smiling bunny. (Don't we have a smiling bunny emoji here?) '73 PSU grad Liberal Arts/History.
Don't worry. Switzerland for these good people would be a Communist state. And Teddy Roosevelt and Eisenhower would be Socialists. The playing field has in the past 30 years tilted so far to the right that boring centrist moderates like myself are falling off the edge.
Out of curiosity, what does HE think are the Republicans policies? What do they stand for? If it's smaller government, can he point to a country or time when that worked? If the snark gets too bad, ask about Gaetz. 😊
You know, he never talks about Republican polies, probably because they have none. As expected, he just cracks on Democrats and mocks their socialistic tendencies. I will report on the Easter bunny card exchange on Monday. And we're going to feed him a very good dinner. But not rabbit.
An aside, perhaps pertinant, but interesting: "maroon" was a word originating c. 17th century to refer to escaped slaves or their descendents, either in Caribbean or in remote areas of the south, such as parts of Florida, Appalachians, etc. Several attributions for how the word originated, but it had this meaning before it came to be used for the chestnut-like color. I heard it still being used that way, though not often, when I was very young. Mostly came across it reading. Just looked it up to verify my recollections. At least one of my ancestors was labeled a maroon. At one time I believe there was a little trouble for Disney for this and other racially tinged dialogue. FWIW.
Thanks, if it weren't for honoring my wife, I would have "degraded" him a while ago. His arguments and so hollow and Fox-like. Such a strange world we're in, eh?
Russian joke: what is difference between capitalism and communism? Ah comrade, capitalism is domination of one person by another, but communism, comrade, is exactly the opposite!
Very true. My Russian was pretty rudimentary but good enough at the time to get the jokes (some of the best jokes really rely simply on juxtaposition of words with similar meanings). Alas, I lost my Russian during an illness and now cannot even read and write it.
Thanks for sharing! The husband and I had a good laugh! Who would have ever thought the original 'Gate' would become part of the political/social vernacular in perpetuity! Well-played sir! Always like to hear what you have to say.
As a matter of interest, the Communists believe(d) in their interpretation of "democracy" - The greatest good for the greatest number of people. Very different from government by the people, for the people
This poem by Wendell Berry brought back memories of my morning drive to work from Pasadena to Claremont (against traffic) when I’d listen to Garrison Keillor’s Writer’s Almanac on NPR. Berry and Mary Oliver were often read by him in that sonorous, engaging voice. Yes, he had his personal problems, but he sure knew good writing. In these fraught times, poetry helps. See https://www.writersalmanac.org and enjoy browsing its archives.
Perfect, peaceful, and 'present moment' consciousness so very much needed right now. Thank you Barbara. HRC, with her LFAA, has anchored me again, just when I feel I am becoming untethered. Biden, his competent advisors and sane, honorable efforts at decency and respectful policy here and abroad, gives me hope that Oath Keepers (oxymoronic) and Roger Stone, pandemic/anti-vaxxers, rogue law enforcement and feckless frat-boys like Gaetz, governors like 'Dead'Santis and of course FG will face justice if we stay dedicated, united and strategic. 2 quotes from playwright W. Somerset Maugham;
"If a nation values anything more than freedom, it will lose its freedom; and the irony of it is, that if it is comfort or money that it values more, it will lose that too."
Once in referring to the country of Monoco, Maugham called it "A sunny place for shady people." Insert Geogia for Monoco...
Easter blessings for you and yours. Be safe, be well. Some can be together again!
A few hours ago I wrote to my TX state representative about being on the right side of history and defending democracy by voting against the voter suppression bills. My promise to him is that I will not vote for any candidates with a R by their name name at all levels up and down ballot. Next I wrote to consumer services at Coca-Cola to to thank them for supporting their consumers and democracy. Finally I wrote directly to Michael Dell, CEO of Dell, again in gratitude for his support of voting rights and asking that Dell not donate to anyone that doesn't support and doesn't vote for SB1 the For the People Act. I encourage everyone to write to the companies and your elected officials to put pressure on those sponsoring voter suppression bills across the country. We need to put together a list of the contact emails and phone numbers for these corporations. We the People, All of Us This Time!
Coke and Delta waited until the suppression deal was done in order to protect their corporate profits. Then they dusted off their faux mantle of corporate responsibility and paraded around to be seen.
Do you mean that you feel they should have made statements against the Georgia bill before it passed? I didn’t pay attention to the timeline I guess. They could still lose customers from the MAGA crowd with their stance now, don’t you think? I feel a little more loyalty to both companies and to MLB after their statements. I couldn’t help thinking about how the NFL leadership knelt to their naked emperor Trump and banned Colin Kaepernick from the game for kneeling for fallen Americans. MLB is on the right side of history. And even if Delta and Coke were late, they stepped over to the right side of history, too.
Thank you Jeanne for remembering Colin. He IS on the right side of history. I agreed and was derided by many, just as he was. He can hold his head high while on bended knee in my opinion. No justice, no peace. Know justice, know peace.
We live in northern California, primarily baseball fans, but watch football when baseball season is over. So we had a front-row seat for the entire Colin story, from the time he started with the Niners. It’s been amazing to watch. He went from just any other quarterback, nothing unusual about him, to national pariah (not in our eyes, but you know what I mean) and hero to progressives (that would be us), to being nearly completely vindicated. What an amazing story.
Yes. They made very weak, neutral comments about "secure," fair elections, but took no stand until after the law was passed. They began to get blowback and threats of boycotts, so finally made strong statements - too late once the bills had been approved and signed. I agree that in the long run, the pivot was more good than doing nothing. The MLB was a big hit - Georgia will lose a huge payday. We know that's what drives all of the right wing - cash.
These companies DO have time to "encourage" US Republican Senators to pass Senate Bill 1. Include that in our letters to them. THAT will stop these state attemots to kill democracy.
You're right, MaryPat. It is absolutely essential to codify laws forbidding voter suppression. If SB1 doesn't pass, we'll be fighting the desperate Republicans' attempts to rig elections from here on.
Admittedly, SB 202 was quite a rush job. Our legislature wanted to get it passed--through both houses--and get it to the governor before their session expired at the end of March. It didn't stay all that long in committees before it was debated on the floor in the legislature session, and then voted on fairly quickly. They KNEW what they were passing and they KNEW it would be contentious. It's being taken to court already so we'll see. We all know corporations want to "have their cake and eat it too" and are hesitant to anger any group that might boycott their products and services. Corporations based in GA are taking some time to assess which way the winds are blowing before acting. Coke has a big presence at the Braves' stadium, Truist Park, so they're obviously aware of consequences of taking a stance. Again, we'll see how things play out...
Has Atlanta-based Home Depot corp. made any statements? I looked on their website for news releases regarding support for voting rights, but didn't see anything. I couldn't find a way to write directly to their CEO so asked a question on their Home Depot & Government Twitter page.
Just read that Home Depot lamely supported the statements of the GA Chamber of Commerce, which first commended Kemp and the Assembly, and a couple of days later posted a link to an outline of the legislation by GA Public Broadcasting. Looks to me as though they are unwilling to come down either for or against.
Very true. However, they're not necessarily unscathed. Republicans in Georgia are threatening to rescind Delta's fuel tax exemption - a huge deal, especially in light of the hit the airlines have experienced during the pandemic. Also, Delta and Coke apparently helped to get the ball rolling in Texas and elsewhere before the other states' similar bills have passed. Now that they've taken a stand, it could well bolster SB1, which would nullify all of this proposed suppression. Of course they're hypocrites, and most of their management probably supports Republicans, but criticism from the Republicans' own supporters still smarts.
Wow, he'll be drummed out of the Republican club with crazy talk like that. Thanks for the link. They took no prisoners, and his face was pretty red, and had egg all over it. Whatever caused him to tale a harder line, he certainly did. Good that CBS took him to task. Of course, as I commented elsewhere, SB1 needs to pass to end these heinous attempts by so many Republican-controlled states to suppress the vote. I will say that Delta has treated their employees well in the past - large bonuses, etc. Maybe they have been listening to their rank and file employees after all. Yhanks again.
Big business will always support whatever or whomever lines their coffers. We can hope for morality rubbing off, but if the Repugnants are sent packing, there will have to be a major reset for them.
It still feels like an act to me. They threatened to rescind but actually didn't. Texas will hide the ball better next try. If Delta and Coke really cared they would've said something before the bill passed. Senate Democrats are no closer to paint S1. Filibuster is still in place. I'm not hopeful.
Well, it was only in the last two days that Delta called foul, so we don't know yet what will happen with the fuel tax - the threat to rescind it was only yesterday. I have no illusions about Delta and Coke, but their comments, claiming they'd been lied to about the content of the bill, did open the floodgates, so could produce results. From what I'm hearing, S1 can be passed using reconciliation, and the filibuster can be modified to pass other legislation. I don't see pie in the sky, but neither do I see only gloom and doom.
I heard on All Things Considered that Coke and Delta first supported the GA voting bill while it was still in the early stages. Only after Kemp signed it into law did they "come around." Better late than never.
Yes, Happy Dog! That's my point & question as well. Why didn't they lobby BEFORE the law was passed? Did they? I haven't heard evidence of that. At least in Texas it appears there is pressure BEFORE it passes. Jumping up and yelling "I don't like what you did!" isn't enough -- the law is passed. Now then, give lots of corp money to the ACLU so they can fight it in courts? Seems like an ounce of prevention might have been worth a pound of cure. These corporate late-comers, trying to save their bacon, are still on my sh%t list.
It is my understanding that the Georgia bill was trashed, and the new bill was written, passed the House, then rushed to the Senate in one day. It's also my understanding that corporations were briefed on the original bill. If I'm wrong, please correct me. Still, I have no illusions about Delta and Coke. Their original comments, when questioned, were mild and designed to assuage everyone's concerns, but when the heat was on, they claimed they'd been misinformed and now found it "unacceptable." As Bruce Sellers points out, they want to have their cake and eat it too, and are waiting to see which way the wind is blowing.
I just read others here say that Coke & Delta SUPPORTED the bill initially because they didn't understand its intent???? WTH? "Gee, honey, I didn't realize this was a divorce decree when I signed it! I didn't MEAN to divorce you!" What?
Cathy was talking about Dell, not Delta. Not sure whether Dell said anything until after bill was signed into law. Coke and Delta for sure pressed harder against the bill later on. I, however, am a bit concerned about knee-jerk reactions. I am also concerned that corporations are in the decision-making mix as Delta seems to have been before the bill was signed. Is this commonplace?
To my knowledge, Dell hasn't taken a stand one way or the other on Georgia's law, but did join American and Southwest Airlines and other companies in condemning the proposed Texas law. In Georgia, both Delta and Coke claimed that they'd been misled about the proposed bill, and didn't realize how restrictive it was until after it was passed. Not sure I believe that one, but still better late than never.
I love everybody on this chain, Lynell and Nancy and MaryPat and Linda, but I must interject. Are y’all considering seriously turning the heads of these companies into heroes? They’re windsocks. I hope nobody is expressing real admiration. Corporate CEOs are not people to admire, as a rule. If you want to glow about Herb Kelleher founder of Southwest Airlines, okey dokey. And please nobody reply by trashing him, I’m sure he has his faults we all do. But he’s a real mensch and his corporate philosophy was revolutionary. The rest of these yahoos are just jumping on the bandwagon. They may be fine people, but they’re not cutting any new ground, and their job security depends on making everybody happy, that includes the public and their employees.
I plan to write a second letter to thank Coca Cola for their support for voting rights. They promptly responded to my first letter. Keep up the good work, Cathy.
From the CBS article on antifa which stands for anti-fascist:
"Antifa is not a highly organized movement, nor is it merely an idea. Antifa is a loose affiliation of local activists scattered across the United States and a few other countries.
The term "antifa" is short for anti-fascist; it's used both by its adherents and its foes.
In general, people who identify as antifa are known not for what they support, but what they oppose: Fascism, nationalism, far-right ideologies, white supremacy, authoritarianism, racism, homophobia and xenophobia. Some antifa activists also denounce capitalism and the government overall.
Mostly, people aligned with antifa are on the left of the political spectrum. Antifa is not, however, affiliated with President Joe Biden, the Democratic Party or its leaders. Mr. Biden has condemned antifa and called violence "unacceptable.""
Just saw a political cartoon that has Senator Cruz and a woman at the start of a foot race. Cruz's lane is clear; the woman's lane is full of obstacles and a ball and chain is around her leg. Cruz is saying, "What's the matter? It's the same distance." Men like Cruz who have had the over-privileged life of a white male are many times clueless about the discrimination so many people have to deal with. One can love white men and still be abhorred by the patriarchal attitudes of our culture where white males deny the same privileges they have to others. We need to get away from the hyperbole and extremes. A white woman not liking patriarchy having been discriminated against all her life by being treated as a second class citizen by our white male powered society doesn't mean she hates all white men. All Rottweilers are not mean. Bifurcating politics to the extreme is not healthy. The great majority of people are somewhere in the middle with all sorts of shades of gray and when we really respect each other we see the beautiful subtleties and colors of thought that are there. The opposite culture of thought that if one person gains I must be losing is the huge fallacy of ours or any time. That's the OR society of patriarchy. The reality is if we are a caring community rather than just a set of narcissists who take no responsibility for anyone but themselves we can increase the size of the pie where everyone gains. When the government's goal is the well-being and health of all our communities we all win. That's the AND society of egalitarianism. We the People, All of US This Time!
Been writing to the elected officials in Washington. Sadly the Kentucky Senators are MM and Rand Paul. I used to think it was a waste of time. But I've changed my mind on that point and write them anyway....My representative is the only Democrat from Kentucky. He's a reasonable guy.
David, If we're so hopeless why do you keep coming back? Do you feel better off personally after 4 years of DT at the helm? What promises do you think he kept?
DT is a megalomaniac. Big guy, own worsted enemy. That said the “ right side of history “ is on the side is state rights and the Republic. The left has abandoned this side completely.
How do you balance states rights vs. say an inalienable right in a democracy called the right to vote? Shouldn't free and fair elections be the right of every citizen in every state? These voter suppression laws are about taking away the right of all citizens to choose who represents them. That is not a democratic republic.
Republicans are telling us a couple of things, by their actions. One is that they know they’re a minority party, if everyone votes. There aren’t enough bigoted, evangelical white guys without college degrees to win free and fair elections in most places. That they respond to that problem by suppressing the minority and youth vote, rather than changing their platform, tells us the second thing. Which is that they are hostage to their deplorables. Republicans fear that if they modify their platform to support popular positions (like citizenship for Dreamers, or sensible support for immigration, or gun control, or support for minority and gay rights, or addressing climate change, or expanding healthcare) they’ll lose their deplorable base. If this GOP dilemma was just a theatrical production on Fox News, we could make some popcorn, put up our feet and watch. But Republicans are determined to drag the country down with them, rather than change. That is neither funny, or amusing.
Before I read this whole thread and discover someone else has the same thought, here's a comment. Can't you just appreciate the irony of it all? From HCR's letter: "He (Boehner)says that the rise of the internet meant that by 2010, Republican lawmakers were taking their orders from internet media websites and the Fox News Channel, their only aim to keep viewers engaged and cash flowing." Yeppers. Now the MLB pulls its 'show/entertainment' out of Atlanta along with all the 'cashflow attendant. Looks to me like the Republicans just got the snot kicked out of them by the Democrats playing the same game. Whoa doggies, it's going to be an interesting year. Does Costco sell popcorn by the barrel?
And what country has a $100 million+ a year influence campaign in support of Republicans, promoting division, racism, conspiracy theories? Take control of social media first, reinforce the looniest with synthetic popularity of bot “like” and trolls, fool the people online first, then radicalize them, fool an entire party’s leadership into pandering to the newly radicalized. This is the Information Age, and we are losing the “cyber war”.
Sounds like we need a countereoffensive. People are only susceptible to being 'radicalized' when they don't have any moral and spiritual anchors. IMHO of course.
Demagoguery is a powerful trap. No one has 100% immunity. A genuine community like we have here with HCR is a vital preventative. De-radicalization, that’s a tough one, when their leadership has succumbed to the same.
I agree. I think something akin to the Communications Act of 1934 is going to happen soon. If there were ever a problem for AI and deep learning to be turned loose on, this is it. I can see a doctoral dissertation out of somewhere like Carnegie-Mellon this one.
So far, very interesting. He says, among other things, that he was blindsided by just how much the Class of 2010 despised Obama. From his description, it was even worse than we Dems assumed.
He also talks about having known Roger Ailes since the George H.W. Bush years and how he became a total nut job conspiracy theory believer, when he wasn't before. I found that very interesting, having read, "The Loudest Voice in the Room". In that bio, Ailes came across to me as a total jerk, but not a crazy man. Boehner claims he became one. Anyway, sounds like an interesting read.
Revenue streams over everything, even policy, even morality, even the law or constitution. $ from anyone from anywhere is their unspoken platform. This is not leadership.
Your last three sentences perfectly capture how I feel, like, every single day. Shaking my head at the increasingly preposterous lies and labels, grimacing to remember that a lot of people believe them, and trembling to realize that this Orwellian Newspeak could be our future.
Every Republican legislator or governor who caters to this "deplorable" base was democratically elected by their constituents, and they will continue to be. If Gaetz ran tomorrow (the G.O.P. won't let him) , he would be re-elected. Too many Americans are not really for "equality." Is that kind of selfishness our "human nature"? How to address this challenge without reducing democracy in our country is the problem. Jefferson believed education and man's basic good intentions would solve it. It hasn't. Neither did the Civil War.
Governors are an interesting sub-species. There’s a handful of Republican governors here in New England. The deplorables do not like them one bit, because they adhere to science and logic. If the Republican party was more like Phil Scott or Charlie Baker, they’d have wider appeal with Independents and even some Democrats. That said, there’s a bigger bunch of deplorable Republican governors, across the south, midwest and southwest, and ranging up through the plains states. Georgia’s governor may be primaried. He is trying so hard right now to be deplorable, but he didn’t support the big lie, so he hasn’t been deplorable enough. Desantis and Noem are the gold standard for conspiracy-mongering, ignorant, Trumpian trolls. As are the majority of voters in those states.
This one is a doozy. A Republican no less. Crazy. Vaccine allocated by.... race 😳
Governor Phil Scott
@GovPhilScott
If you or anyone in your household identifies as Black, Indigenous, or a person of color (BIPOC), including anyone with Abenaki or other First Nations heritage, all household members who are 16 years or older can sign up to get a vaccine!
David, you do not know anything about this. Your statement is pure ignorance.
The NAACP (I'm a member) bankrolled this with approval of state, set up the special clinics for BIPOC, and arranged for the state system to make the appointments. Volunteers of various ethnic groups, including Euro-Americans are staffing the events. We decided to do this because POC are the hardest to reach, and there is a trust issue at work because of past mistreatment of Abenaki and other POC (you've heard of eugenics, I presume? Vermont has a lot of making up to do, and we see this as a small part of it.)
Right now, our Indigenous people in Vermont have the lowest vaccination rate of any demographic in the state. It was decided that allowing them to bring a non-POC member of the household to be vaccinated at the same time would give them an incentive to get vaccinated. At this point, Vermont will be accepting 16 and up in about two weeks anyway, across the board (always assuming the supplies get here, which so far looks good).
Your racist assumptions are way off base. It would be nice to see an apology, to NAACP, to Vermont's POC, and to Gov. Scott. Do you think that is something you can manage?
BTW, Gov. Scott is widely admired in Vermont for his management of the pandemic response. He is an honorable man who has done an excellent job. We have the lowest death rate in the country, and consistently are in the top 10 or so on other measures.
"But Republicans are determined to drag the country down with them, rather than change."
That's the dilemma. But, I have observed the Republican party for more than a decade, and I think its members are incapable of change. Their brains aren't smart enough, they are doing other things like having sexual, alcohol and drug parties as well as doing criminal activities it seems, and working together seems a lost skill for this party. Right now I think they get daily emails that dictate the vitriol topic of the day. And, that's it.
As a former youthful Republican, I think the ones that could change moved out of the party. In my case, back when the Moral Majority (remember them?) took over the party. Up until the last year, I've voted a split ticket. Can't do that any more because the smart R's are choosing not to run or have left the party.
Same here, for the most part, Betsy. In Vermont there are still some honorable Republicans who are trustworthy, but I know that many of them are conflicted. And the party itself it splintering here as elsewhere. I wonder if those honorable people will be able to even run as Republicans and win under these circumstances. The problem if they leave the party, under our system that leaves "Republican" primary slots open for anyone to take them up. That has happened before, creating a real mess. So now they enter "filler" candidates to keep those slots open.
The Progressives are a legitimate third party in VT because they get a large enough % of votes to get on the ballot through the primary. The Progressives, to simplify things, often endorse Dems, many of which have progressive leanings anyway. Progs also try to fill in open slots, because in the past weird groups have highjacked those, entering as Progressives thought they are anything but. And sometimes our "fillers" win, especially in recent elections. We have Progs on a lot of town boards and in the state legislature, growing with each election cycle.
Hi Annie! I live in NH and the fact that Free Staters are hiding under the Republican umbrella and a few have gotten elected is appalling-from what I've read, they are even more regressive than the current R's. So far, the multitude of Republican new bills haven't gone as far as GA-thank heavens. It was so disheartening to lose so badly in the Nov. elections that the NH gov't is now a Quadrafecta-Gov., both Houses and the Executive Council are all R's!
I was also a split ticket voter. I loved to research candidates and vote the for ones that I felt were the best for the position. It will be many years, of which I may not have due to aging, till I ever vote for a Republican. And, they did it to themselves. There was no and is not any fraud or cheating in the election process that has changed my voting patterns. It is the loss of Republican values, intelligence, and the lack of representing their constituents that made me change.
Your comment was a good show, JR. Popcorn comes later. In the meantime, I'll try to remember your comment next time I'm about to have a Republican explosion!
JR, I love your sentiments here. So eloquently said. However There are a few bigoted, evangelical white guys with hefty salaries and college degrees to bring the total of 45 supporters to greater than 74 million. Uggh!
It seems to me that Republican claims that more voter participation in elections will “disadvantage Republicans” at the polls is a tacit acknowledgement that they are very unpopular with a significant number of voters. Shouldn’t it be self-evident that they should therefore promote government policies that would appeal to a significant number of voters? Isn’t that the foundational principle of democracy we were taught in oh, the third or fourth grade?
Ignoring that basic principle, the Republican Party claims a legal right to suppress the vote in order to avoid their acknowledged electoral disfavor.
Wouldn’t this cognitive dissonance be obvious to any judge presented with a legal challenge to voter suppression legislation?
Olear is brilliant. Brilliant investigative journalism. He doesn’t really think of himself as a journalist, rather as a writer, but he’s better than most of them. I rave about him all the time, here, on his Substack pages, and directly by private email which isn’t really private because he posted it last year in one of his articles.
I am no way as politically savvy as many of the contributors to the newsletter, but I do wish someone could explain (Heather? Or maybe there is no explanation!) what precisely Republicans stand for today - seriously...I get the “gotta keep me in office” stance. Could it be that the Democratic Party is, to generalize, “people-focused” and the Republican Party is “almighty dollar focused”? Money matters, as we know and see. Without it we are “toast”. But surely there has to be a balance? When the Constitution was signed the US population was around 4 million. It is now way over 330 million. Different times, different needs. But humanity is the same - family, friends, work, home, a good life, “happiness”. What is “Right” or “Left” about it? I apologize if I am ranting or seem naive, but sometimes.....I feel hopeless. Joe Biden offers us a positive vision for the country, might not please everyone, but the heart of it is it is a vision for “all” the people. Mitch McConnell seems to live in a world of negativity in which only 33,000 matter. All he can say is “No”. Is he blind and deaf and so lacking in ”intelligence”and “heart”. It would be great to hear practical proposals rather than dismissive catch phrases and slurs. Better stop now and drink my coffee 😳!
The Republican Party stands for nothing but the acquisition and keeping of power. At their last convention, they proposed no platform other than supporting Trump. Without the Electoral College and gerrymandered congressional districts, they would barely exist.
We already know how the Republican supreme court feels about voter suppression. SCOTUS thinks Republican voter suppression and gerrymandering is fine and dandy. SCOTUS voted a few years back to dismantle the Voter Rights Act. And similarly, they threw out cases challenging gerrymandering. Our Supreme Court is majority Republican, as partisan as can be.
Maybe the GQP realize that at this time they have very few elected members in their party that are even likeable people for themselves let alone as policy makers so they are cornered into trying to win by cheating.
We are watching disintegration of the GOP. Stan green birds book RIP GOP comes to mind. Have a seat on the couch, pull out the popcorn, enjoy the show.
It's really too bad that more Republicans don't take the example of Washington state's Secretary of State. She runs fair and honest elections in which Democrats take the lion's share of the votes, and she gets re-elected over and over because, even though she runs as a Republican, she has the trust of the voters of this quite blue state.
You know what's going to annul the Georgia voter suppression initiative? When the University of Georgia's football program can't recruit the athletes it needs to field a first-class team. Says a great deal about many things, but it's the absolute truth. Watch and see.
Such a flurry of news at the end of a week dominated by Derek Chauvin's trial and the horror scenes that led to George Floyd's tragic murder. Thank you, Prof. HCR, for putting in these extra hours of writing to bring us up to par with all these events! You deserve a medal for your considerate determination to give the daily socio-political outcomes your very best historical overview. You never disappoint! More than that, you highlight the most significant issues that we, as historical witnesses, should not neglect.
I would like the narrative to be reshaped a bit so we can truly and proudly own it. Instead of calling it “cancel culture and woke political activists” call it "consequence culture and woke Americans." I am proud that this is what is happening in our country!
I'm thinking back to one of Jon Stewart's appearances on the Fox network, probably around 2004-5. I think he appeared more than once. He tells the hosts, "You're hurting America." Truer words were never spoken.
Sharon wasn’t one of the hosts a young Tucker? Even young tuck seemed to want Stewart’s approval before being told by Stewart “Stop you are hurting America.”
I miss Jon Stewart’s Daily Show. He retired at the start of the Last Guy’s administration. I wish he’d come back to share his insight and wit. Any chances of that?
He still turns up on the Colbert show every now & then. Plus his ventures into Congress regarding the first responders from 9-11. But yes, I also wish we could see more of him, and yes, I believe he was past disgusted with the current media!
I'm quite happy with Trevor Noah's Daily Show. He brings an outsider's point of view that is quite refreshing. In addition, he has added regulars and writers who reveal aspects of life in America for Black folx that I would otherwise not know.
Dear R, Happy to send leek seeds if that would brighten your bee-kind day. Planting seeds madly here in Rhode Island and glad to have fellow HCR appreciator supporting our pollinator pals. :)
Hi Cary: We care for a space of about one city block in the middle of town ... We are a bee-friendly spot and have loads of species. One afternoon, I saw five species on one plant. And thanks for the idea to plant onions - I love their flowers.
Keep the faith R. I survived 2 months of vaccination bingo appointment slots booking up in, yes, 1 to 3 minutes. They will become available, now the new worry (here at least) is the 74 million trumpeteers who are antivaxers.
Hang in there R Dooley! I was thinking this morning that, in a "normal" year (my Spring Break week just ended) I would be returning from a blissful week in the archives in London, which I always punctuated with trips to Kew and walks through Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens. Missing my home from home.
I called Governor Kemp’s office and spoke with the same young woman that I normally reach. My comment this time mainly was about Brian saying that “we will not be bullied”. His idol is a bully and his bill is full of Bull! Sad that out city has to be hurt financially by these hate mongers with no policies of their on. I love and am proud of my state. We only have left to remove these cancers of division from our capitol. We will then begin and continue to lead the south in growth and opportunity for ALL.
This may be the saddest commentary yet on the dismal state of the Republican Party:
“... the rise of the internet meant that by 2010, Republican lawmakers were taking their orders from internet media websites and the Fox News Channel, their only aim to keep viewers engaged and cash flowing.”
It helps explains why the GOP has totally abandoned their own conservative principles. It’s the means by which corrupt media savvy twerps like Matt Graetz and deranged conspiracy nuts like Marjorie Taylor Green have become the party’s leading lights.
And why we see Republicans engaged in heavy handed attacks on their own corporate supporters.
I read another Boehner quote from his book about his exchange with Michelle Bachman when she insisted he put her on some committee. When he refused she told him she would head to Fox/Sean Hannity and tell them how much of a power monger he is. He knew what power the news station had even then.
Boehner tried to "explain how to actually get things done" to new members, but a "lot of that went straight through the ears of most of them, especially the ones who didn't have brains that got in the way."
[end quote]
Boehner is referring to new Republican politicians from the 2010 midterms.
This short but sweet review of a Salon article about Boner’s, uh Boehner’s new book is highly entertaining and highly recommended. I’m not quoting it all here, don’t want to deprive anyone of this fun.
Morning Roland! I admit that I won't give Boner my dime but I am happy to read about his book as long as I don't have to underwrite him. He was an appalling example of obstruction, with the added spice of racism and sexism. If he doesn't like the current crop of Ghastlies it is his fault.
Boehner was the bane of our existence when Obama was POTUS. I've no interest now in hearing what he has to say and certainly not in supporting him financially by buying his book. But thanks for the link, Roland!
Normally I prefer to read a book, but for this one I think I’ll go the listening route to hear the “unscripted asides that the former speaker let fly, including one aimed directly at Cruz, whom he previously described as ‘Lucifer in the flesh.’”
John B seems to have written one more self-serving book, complaining that his efforts to obstruct any action by President Obama were undermined by the rowdy new kids who had a different approach.
No love here for John Boehner that’s for sure. Just another racist sexist genderist fueled by money over morals, self-service over public service, the difference being that he is in the faction that includes Larry Hogan, Mitt Romney, and the pro democracy side breaking away from the looney GQP side. It’s his take on the Q faction of the party that is interesting to watch. Take your seat on the couch, pull out your popcorn, enjoy the disintegration of this pack of losers called a Party. 🍿
I understand Roland. You’re right but it’s all relative and by comparison to the newer version he appears to be something gentler but I won’t read his book.
Yes I agree. I have warmed up to him from that review. Suddenly I am feeling more warmly towards Romney, Hogan, Sasse, other Republican figurtes and even Boehner than I would ever have felt in the past. Go figure.
In the Hebrew Bible, Noah is described as "righteous in his generation." That is mostly taken to mean the people around him were so bad, that he looked righteous by comparison to them - even though he was nothing compared to men like Abraham. It has taken the craven crazies of GQP to make Romney - who famously described 47% of the population as "takers" for wanting a decent share of the value they produced - stand out as relatively decent and courageous.
Has anyone ever told you, Joan, that you're the smartest person in the room? Here the competition for that title is fierce, but I love what you wrote, it's brilliant.
Hi Liz ❤️ you too. I don’t know if I want to read his book, I’m waffling, but I sure like that article and his quotes. Therapy. Keep looking around today’s massive discussion, I’m in here a few places.
Good morning, Heather. Much news in your letter. 19 phone calls between Oath Keepers speaks volumes about the instigation and management of the Capitol insurrection. Thank you for the news summaries.
I intuitively thought that the MLB decision was "courageous" as I had an image of the baseball fan that might put the game largely in the Republicans' lap.....so I did a bit of research on google. Surprised I was with the result too.... so I thought I'd offer up a few little nuggets:
........The game's audience is in decline these last twelve years at home but growing abroad ( Japan, Mexico)
........The games revenues are increasing and far outwiegh the other sports at over $10B in 2019
and so it is advancing uniquely by increasing prices and broadcasting rights.
........In 2018 over 23% of the population are said to have attended at least one game against only 12% for any other stick and/or ball game
.........The gender split of spectators was male dominated 70-30 in 2013 but has, according to certain studies, moved in the direction of balance since
.........Political surveys (2013) suggest that Democrats were the largest spectator group at 38% followed by Republicans at 32% and Independents at 30% with Dems supporting particular teams going up to 42% but never less than 35%.....always ahead of the Republicans
.......Average fan base for MLB teams is 2,5M people and up to 73% of the audience is local (ST Louis Cardinals are highest) explaining the absolute necessity of a large urban base
.......Ethnic make-up of the teams is now 57% white, 32% Hispanic and 8% black showing a massive improvement over the last decades of hispanic participatiion
.......Ethnic make-up of audiences is 60% white, 16% Black and 20% Hispanic
.......Age composition of the audience gives 50% over 55yrs, 26% from 35-54yrs and only 17% between 17 and 34yrs and the average was 57 years old
........Average income is also interesting as 33% of spectators made in 2013 over $100K, 32% earned between $40-75K and only 9% under $20K
.......Top sponsors (in $$$$ order) of the sport are the Banking, Insurance, Beer and Airline sectors
Not quite what I expected....so it is not a "Trumpian" natural, but a Dem/Ind game with a declining, aging audience of middle class white and hispanic urban audience. So the move by the MLB out of Atlanta was a natural extension of their values and in no way in contradiction with the major part of their fans beliefs. The only problem that they are now going to find is in choosing a a "non-voter suppression" replacement without it seeming to overtly favour a Democratic State and their local team.
Thanks Stuart, for the stats. Baseball is more of an urban game, in many ways, and the team support trends toward more urban and suburban milieus I suspect. It would be interesting also to look at the relationship between baseball and Little League, which broke the gender barrier something like 20 years ago. I lived for many years near Williamsport, PA, where the Little League World Series (and LL Headquarters) occurs. The most exciting youths playing Little League in the USA are often young women, whose skill on the diamond will not ever come to fruition in MLB but they have revitalized interest in baseball at the youth level. In addition, aside from the occasional dugout-led fight on the field, baseball is not a violent game, which is one reason why I, personally, like it. I do not enjoy watching grown men--padded or not--beating each other up for millions of dollars. Baseball is a game of skill and strategy. I can get behind that!
Major league baseball in the U.S. is still a huge deal, even if stats indicate that the audience is in decline. Sports' audiences across the board are in decline in the U.S., in my opinion due to the declining participation in organized sports among American youth, who are spending far too much much time indoors. This has been happening over the past 20 years. Lack of participation among youth trickles down to their interest as adults. This trend notwithstanding, MLB should state in emphatic terms the real reason why it is moving the all-star game and draft away from Atlanta. In other words, dispute the lame accusations the Republican Party in Georgia is espousing. Their counters are nothing but BS, and MLB needs to tamp that down so the nation knows exactly why the game and draft are being moved. Georgia's Republican Party, and Michigan and Pennsylvania and others, are showing themselves to be nothing but bigots. That attitude needs to be trampled.
Dennis Scholl: Are you familiar with the various Collegiate Baseball Leagues all across the country? They provide the potential future MLB players. They are members of Colleges/Universities' baseball teams who choose to spend their summers playing for the different Leagues. The host towns love the games and local folks provide a free room for them to stay in while the season is on (June-August). It's a chance to watch fun baseball for a very low price (in my local team, the admit fee is $5.00!)
Thanks for sharing these interesting nuggets. I wouldn’t have thought to dig deeper, but I’m glad you did! And you’re right about the problem of choosing a new location - will be interesting to see how that works out.
Remember that baseball is the oldest continuously played sport of the major sports. So it has seniority, longevity. Long before it was monopolized by capitalists, baseball was being played as the people’s sport in towns all over the eastern part of the country, dating well back into the 1800s. Football also has working class roots, hence Green Bay Packers, named for meat packers in a town that would never have a national profile if it weren’t for that football team that somehow survived into the capitalist age. The owners of the Green Bay Packers are regular people. Cheeseheads. No capitalist takeover happened. The Packers are the people’s team, still, just like football’s roots, just like the roots of baseball.
You can look a little furthe back than the 1800 for the origins, Roland. It was probably brought over by your average working English Colonists who played folk games in their villages. Most attributions go back to the girls playing "rounders" (soft ball with a short, One-handed bat) and the boys playing cricket! The village cricket match for the men in England was source of pride when the beat local competitors and social revenge when they would beat the local "gentleman'" team.
When the all-white sport was opened up, Jackie Robinson of Georgia and California in the National League and Larry Doby in the American League, the Negro Leagues players brought a tremendous number of black fans with them. Willie Mays, Satchel Paige, etc. etc. That early surge has been dwindling ever since. The “cool“ sport in the African American community is now basketball. Part of it is financial, because baseball equipment, like gloves for every player, is pricier than just one basketball per game. The San Francisco Giants have tried to change that dynamic in Northern California with the Junior Giants program, which donates gloves and equipment to youth in the greater San Francisco Metro area. Also financially supports coaches I believe. But nationally baseball is in serious decline in the African-American community. Conversely, it has been on the rise in the Latin community in large part because baseball is huge all over the Caribbean and northern part of South America.
NASCAR is super heavily Trump. Football I imagine strongly favors Trump. So does golf, the rich Trumpsters and Republicans. Baseball leans the other way. I was watching when, at the start of the pandemic-shortened 2020 baseball season, Gabe Kapler manager of the San Francisco Giants was the first manager in baseball to kneel. That act probably was under the radar nationally, but let me tell you it was a huge thing in baseball. So was the changes in football, which have had an even greater effect in society because of footballs dominance in red state land. The combination of George Floyd and the racial reckoning in 2020, and Trump, have had a massive effect on American sports. The old social order people, Republicans and Trump stirrers and reactionaries stuck in the past, are reeling. The thing that hurt Trump the most after January 6, according to Mary Trump and I agree, was loss of the PGA tournament at his golf course.
Research like Stuart did on baseball would be useful in regard to other big money sports, such as football, baseball, golf, and soccer.
Good point regarding trump’s loss of a PGA tournament. The Masters starts this Monday in Georgia. Maybe it’s time to lobby (that’s Us) to move the sacred Masters out of a voter suppression state—that is, if Stacey Abrams would deem this action to not be taking away jobs from the common people.
“ Bernice King, chief executive of the Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change, tweeted: “Please stop the #BoycottGeorgia talk. That would hurt middle class workers and people grappling with poverty. And it would increase the harm of both racism and classism.”
She later clarified that she was not opposed to boycotts in general, which have often been effective tools in the fight for civil rights. “I encourage us to consider how a hashtag about boycotting a state may distract from strategic boycotts with maximum results for justice,” she wrote.
Atlanta-based film critic Matt Goldberg, an editor with movie website Collider, suggested a better tactic would be to donate to organizations that advocate for voting rights.”
School/University NFL is also losing out to soccer also thru excess cost of equipment and high travel expenses. Sport however has always been a road out of poverty for the poor whether in developing countries or very much nearer home. The rise of player salaries induced by colossal media payments, accessory sales, corporate sponsorship and advertising are driving seat prices to levels where actually going to the game is becoming a rich man's spectator sport while the rest of us have to be content with the couch in front of a screen! The social divisions amongs those that actually get there are widening with the VIP boxes, hospitality suites and seat price variability according to distance and sight line. I seem to remember going once to a soccer match in Newcastle on Tyne where the stadium was full of father and son combinations and you got there early to get a good spot to stand on the Terrace. No violence anywhere even when the major brewery carefully overturned a truck each saturday without breaking the Brown Ale bottles in order to offer a little something to the cherished supporters. At the time there were still fond memories of "wor" (our in local parlance (geordie)) Jacky Milburn...a long now forgotten Northern English and national football (soccer) star.
Thank you, HCR, for putting the current voting rights crisis into context. As a Georgia resident, I and fellow Democrats are witnessing something out of a Kafka story in which voting rights are being suppressed right before our eyes and lies are pushed as truths. We're helpless against the Republican controlled statehouse. No matter how loudly we scream, this law will not be overturned under the current administration. Republican reasoning is clearly Another Big Lie.
The actions of Georgia legislators and those around the country to suppress the black and brown vote points to one truth: Republican are fueled by pure and ugly desperation, which usually spells its demise. They offer no new policy recommendations and their game plan is to obstruct, obstruct and obstruct. They scrambling to keep their party, and their waning power, afloat.
The main question in my opinion is can we trust American voters to see through Republican rhetoric and see it for what it is--another attack on our Democracy. Voters were duped in 2020 by wild conspiracy theories and misinformation and I don't see any indication that they will take the blinders off in the next election cycle. Democrats may be "woke," but many Republicans--good, hard-working Americans--remain in a sleep-state, unable to think for themselves.
I'm right there with you, living in the same nightmare at a lower latitude. There are days I feel helpless but refuel to fight the battle again and again. We are endeavoring to emulate Stacey Abrams. Lucky for you to have her! It will be a steep hill to climb to oust our mini-Trump governor but oust him we must!
So I have an idea. Remember Michael Bloomberg and all his money which was supposed to go to support the Democratic presidential nominee? (Well, I remember he SAID he would anyway.). Why doesn't he use some of his $$ to fund a big old publicity campaign about these election laws and the fact that the election wasn't stolen? We need our voices out there loudly and Bloomberg has the dough to do that.
I think the attempts at voter suppression are becoming more and more clear, and voters are paying closer attention. The Republicans are definitely desperate. Did you see Jovita Moore's interview of Kemp last night on WSB? She is always careful to wear her poker face, but in her polite manner, she skewered him, and he looked as though he was sitting on a smouldering trash heap. He kept saying that the bill provided more early voting, refused to admit that drop boxes had been severely cut, but the main thrust of his lies was that in areas where the election boards had done a poor job and caused voters to wait for hours in the heat to cast their votes, the bill was providing a remedy by having state officials step in and fix the election boards' problems. Unfortunately, Jovita ran out of time and couldn't challenge that very dangerous territory, but anyone who understands the election board issue immediately saw the red flag. She did point out that the last election was declared totally valid and problem free, so asked why they felt the need to do anything and make it more difficult to vote. He countered that the bill made voting easier and more "secure," and his fallback, of course, was "socialists" and Biden's and Stacey Abrams' lies.
My heart goes out to you. Our situation in FL is similar. The only Democratic who represents me in Pinellas County is Charlie Crist, mister go along to get along. It’s a mighty small raft in a raging Republican sea.
I am afraid of the next election for governor. Christ is threatening to run again (please, God no), Nikki Fried is exploring a run (not sure if she would have the support here) and David Jolly is considering a run as an independent. All this points to a fractured offense. While I like Jolly, I am not sure if splitting the Democratic and Independent vote is a good idea as it will give an advantage to the Republicans who are united.
David Jolly is the best of the lot and recently left the Republican Party to become an Independent. He’s intelligent and thoughtful but very conservative. Another Jeb Bush I imagine and we know where that led. Can we really not do better than this?
I just received my copies of "The Death of Reconstruction" and "How the South Won the Civil War" and I cannot wait to read them.
You kept your eye on the ball and hit your first home run of the season after spraying base hits with the news of the day: "But the lasting story today is the one that will hang over everything until it is resolved: the attempt of Republican legislators in 43 states to suppress voting with what are now 361 voter suppression bills across the country." So it is.
When despair for the world grows in me
and I wake in the night at the least sound
in fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be,
I go and lie down where the wood drake
rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.
I come into the peace of wild things
who do not tax their lives with forethought
of grief. I come into the presence of still water.
And I feel above me the day-blind stars
waiting with their light. For a time
I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.
(The Peace of Wild Things by Wendell Berry)
Barbara, Your selection did provide me with a few seconds of peace, but I'm about to describe the jumble in my head, so here my stomach goes to churn and churn again.
Heather's Letter reflected what I have been feeling about life in the USA - a jumble. Violence and dissension: life swerving this way and that. A slight lift up and a scary fall down. It is the definition of unsettling. Biden brings sanity and a Capitol policeman is murdered, while the Capitol is on an Easter break. Little Republican men and women call everyone they disagree with a 'Socialist'. Socialism: do these little people even know what it is? It seems as though almost everything most Republicans mouth lands in the gutter.
Socialism vs. Communism
'The main difference is that socialism is compatible with democracy and liberty, whereas Communism involves creating an 'equal society' through an authoritarian state, which denies basic liberties. Democratic socialism in the west involves participating in democracy to seek an incremental reduction in inequality.'(Tejvan Pettinger, Oxford, UK, www.economicshelp.org, 6 May 2020)
Take that, Representative Matt Gaetz (R-FL).
Fern, thanks for this. Some of the countries with the best standards of living and the highest measures of happiness are the Scandinavian countries. They’re both very democratic, and have capitalist economies tempered by strong, successful socialist reforms.
With multiple political parties!
I applauded you as well, JR.
Thanks, Fern. My Republican inlaws are coming over for Easter dinner tomorrow afternoon. My wife's brother - a Trump voter - is always needling me about liberals and socialists, and I do my best not to retort lest I upset the family applecart and cause my wife undue distress. I have been wanting to explain socialism to him but always wind up thinking "What the hell, why try to convince a lost cause?" The explanation you provided from Pettinger is now on my mind, and I feel it's a perfect, concise interpretation of the differences between socialism and communism, which I feel my brother-in-law often believes is what Democrats are trying to establish. But, it's an Easter gathering. Maybe I'll put the explanation and the URL in an envelope with a smiling bunny sticker on the outside, and tell him not to open it until he gets home. It's a shame, he's basically a good guy but he is way to the right and won't change course. What do you think?
Dennis, great to hear from you. Your idea of putting the definition of socialism, which I appreciate for the same reason that you do, in writing inside an envelope with a smiling bunny stamp is a sensational idea - absolutely in the spirit of Easter. Wishing you and your family a happy gathering. Cheers!
OK, I'll do it. Happy Easter. This board is so much more fun than any other I've been part of, including the chat board of my beloved Penn State Nittany Lions. But we'll stay away from football talk. Promise.
I love your idea, too! I have an uncle who just hates Biden. He hated Hilary with such passion that his wife feared he would have a heart attack any time she came up. I don’t understand it at all. I know we all talk about that, that we cannot understand how Republicans can think the way they do. But in his case I am especially perplexed because he grew up so poor on the Iron Range. His dad, my Grandfather was a farmer, a logger and a miner, and was always a union man and proud member of the MN DFL (Democratic Farmer Labor Party). And my uncle, Mike is his name, is educated and so well read. He was in the army, and had some strong influences there. I don’t know where this hatred and distrust comes from, but I love him and I know he loves me and my ten siblings like we are his own children. My plan is to buy him the professor’s book, To Make Men Free: A History of the Republican Party. It will be a little trick, as he loves history and the Republican Party, but he might not know Heather Cox Richardson.
Little known fact: Even nice Minnesotans can be sneaky! I'm a MN lifer, and I know this to be true! : >}
You're so smart; I'm the last person to talk to about football but Penn State, YES! Dennis, Happy Easter. I hope you'll provide a review, not about the food. You know what I'm getting at.
Thanks, Fern. I'll provide a report on Monday. I'm going with the smiling bunny. (Don't we have a smiling bunny emoji here?) '73 PSU grad Liberal Arts/History.
Thank you. ;-}
Don't worry. Switzerland for these good people would be a Communist state. And Teddy Roosevelt and Eisenhower would be Socialists. The playing field has in the past 30 years tilted so far to the right that boring centrist moderates like myself are falling off the edge.
No falling off the edge until we get the safety net in place.
Like Harold Lloyd in Safety Last...
Out of curiosity, what does HE think are the Republicans policies? What do they stand for? If it's smaller government, can he point to a country or time when that worked? If the snark gets too bad, ask about Gaetz. 😊
You know, he never talks about Republican polies, probably because they have none. As expected, he just cracks on Democrats and mocks their socialistic tendencies. I will report on the Easter bunny card exchange on Monday. And we're going to feed him a very good dinner. But not rabbit.
Double down on the smiling bunny sticker! It can't hurt! Be safe, be well.
In the spirit of Bugs Bunny, I could say "Poor little maroon" but leave out the second "o"
An aside, perhaps pertinant, but interesting: "maroon" was a word originating c. 17th century to refer to escaped slaves or their descendents, either in Caribbean or in remote areas of the south, such as parts of Florida, Appalachians, etc. Several attributions for how the word originated, but it had this meaning before it came to be used for the chestnut-like color. I heard it still being used that way, though not often, when I was very young. Mostly came across it reading. Just looked it up to verify my recollections. At least one of my ancestors was labeled a maroon. At one time I believe there was a little trouble for Disney for this and other racially tinged dialogue. FWIW.
Good one Dennis!
Good luck at Easter dinner. Check out “the Cult of Tru*p” by Hassan
will do
Good luck!
Thanks, if it weren't for honoring my wife, I would have "degraded" him a while ago. His arguments and so hollow and Fox-like. Such a strange world we're in, eh?
He sounds like a parrot for talking points. Like my dad. How much real understanding? It’s pigeonholes and stereotypes with no real understanding.
Russian joke: what is difference between capitalism and communism? Ah comrade, capitalism is domination of one person by another, but communism, comrade, is exactly the opposite!
Never heard a 'funny' Russian joke before! The day is looking up.
Ah comrade, russian jokes tend to be very dark humor.
Very true. My Russian was pretty rudimentary but good enough at the time to get the jokes (some of the best jokes really rely simply on juxtaposition of words with similar meanings). Alas, I lost my Russian during an illness and now cannot even read and write it.
Da!
I borrowed the Pettinger quote to put on my fb feed this morning. I get so tired of intentional ignorance.
It’s not just intentional ignorance. It’s aggressive, belligerent ignorance.
That's a handy definition. I think the congressman is more concerned with his "WaterGaetz" scandal at the moment!
'WaterGaetz' , great! We're in the swim, Syd.
Soooo clever!!!
I thought so too, but not mine! I read it somewhere else this morning, I think Politico.
Thanks for sharing! The husband and I had a good laugh! Who would have ever thought the original 'Gate' would become part of the political/social vernacular in perpetuity! Well-played sir! Always like to hear what you have to say.
"Democratic socialism in the west involves participating in democracy to seek an incremental reduction in inequality."
That is so well defined and such an admirable pursuit.
As a matter of interest, the Communists believe(d) in their interpretation of "democracy" - The greatest good for the greatest number of people. Very different from government by the people, for the people
...and the reality!
The issue, of course, is who determines that "greatest good"!
The People do.
This poem by Wendell Berry brought back memories of my morning drive to work from Pasadena to Claremont (against traffic) when I’d listen to Garrison Keillor’s Writer’s Almanac on NPR. Berry and Mary Oliver were often read by him in that sonorous, engaging voice. Yes, he had his personal problems, but he sure knew good writing. In these fraught times, poetry helps. See https://www.writersalmanac.org and enjoy browsing its archives.
He does, indeed, have personal problems. Writer's Almanac originated from my home town! Not to be a spoiler, but that's not Lake Wobegon. :>}
This is beautiful, and brings peace to my soul. Thank you!
#NationalPoetryMonth
Perfect, peaceful, and 'present moment' consciousness so very much needed right now. Thank you Barbara. HRC, with her LFAA, has anchored me again, just when I feel I am becoming untethered. Biden, his competent advisors and sane, honorable efforts at decency and respectful policy here and abroad, gives me hope that Oath Keepers (oxymoronic) and Roger Stone, pandemic/anti-vaxxers, rogue law enforcement and feckless frat-boys like Gaetz, governors like 'Dead'Santis and of course FG will face justice if we stay dedicated, united and strategic. 2 quotes from playwright W. Somerset Maugham;
"If a nation values anything more than freedom, it will lose its freedom; and the irony of it is, that if it is comfort or money that it values more, it will lose that too."
Once in referring to the country of Monoco, Maugham called it "A sunny place for shady people." Insert Geogia for Monoco...
Easter blessings for you and yours. Be safe, be well. Some can be together again!
Hallelujah!
Georgia..., duh!
God Bless Wendell Berry and his connection to the heartbeat of nature. I find such comfort in my large garden of vegetables and flowers interwoven.
Thank you, Barbara.
Thank you - that was lovely and soothing
Me too
A few hours ago I wrote to my TX state representative about being on the right side of history and defending democracy by voting against the voter suppression bills. My promise to him is that I will not vote for any candidates with a R by their name name at all levels up and down ballot. Next I wrote to consumer services at Coca-Cola to to thank them for supporting their consumers and democracy. Finally I wrote directly to Michael Dell, CEO of Dell, again in gratitude for his support of voting rights and asking that Dell not donate to anyone that doesn't support and doesn't vote for SB1 the For the People Act. I encourage everyone to write to the companies and your elected officials to put pressure on those sponsoring voter suppression bills across the country. We need to put together a list of the contact emails and phone numbers for these corporations. We the People, All of Us This Time!
Coke and Delta waited until the suppression deal was done in order to protect their corporate profits. Then they dusted off their faux mantle of corporate responsibility and paraded around to be seen.
Profits first.
Do you mean that you feel they should have made statements against the Georgia bill before it passed? I didn’t pay attention to the timeline I guess. They could still lose customers from the MAGA crowd with their stance now, don’t you think? I feel a little more loyalty to both companies and to MLB after their statements. I couldn’t help thinking about how the NFL leadership knelt to their naked emperor Trump and banned Colin Kaepernick from the game for kneeling for fallen Americans. MLB is on the right side of history. And even if Delta and Coke were late, they stepped over to the right side of history, too.
Thanks for invoking Colin into this narrative, Jeanne. From the beginning I felt he was on the right side of history.
Thank you Jeanne for remembering Colin. He IS on the right side of history. I agreed and was derided by many, just as he was. He can hold his head high while on bended knee in my opinion. No justice, no peace. Know justice, know peace.
Great comment, br...
Thank you for that Lynell. Your kind words are like a band-aid.... I really got beat up for that opinion. Ouch!
We live in northern California, primarily baseball fans, but watch football when baseball season is over. So we had a front-row seat for the entire Colin story, from the time he started with the Niners. It’s been amazing to watch. He went from just any other quarterback, nothing unusual about him, to national pariah (not in our eyes, but you know what I mean) and hero to progressives (that would be us), to being nearly completely vindicated. What an amazing story.
We have heard of many proposed bills designed to suppress the vote in 43+ states. We can't wait until they are passed before we do something. Here is a website where you can search by topic (eg. elections) and state so that you can see what is in progress in your state. Contact your state legislators before they pass these bills: https://www.ncsl.org/research/telecommunications-and-information-technology/ncsl-50-state-searchable-bill-tracking-databases.aspx
47 states now. How’s that even possible?
Annette, thank you for the link.
Yes. They made very weak, neutral comments about "secure," fair elections, but took no stand until after the law was passed. They began to get blowback and threats of boycotts, so finally made strong statements - too late once the bills had been approved and signed. I agree that in the long run, the pivot was more good than doing nothing. The MLB was a big hit - Georgia will lose a huge payday. We know that's what drives all of the right wing - cash.
These companies DO have time to "encourage" US Republican Senators to pass Senate Bill 1. Include that in our letters to them. THAT will stop these state attemots to kill democracy.
Much as I'd love to see Republicans rise to pass SB1, I'm not optimistic. Hopefully, the filibuster can be neutralized for this.
You're right, MaryPat. It is absolutely essential to codify laws forbidding voter suppression. If SB1 doesn't pass, we'll be fighting the desperate Republicans' attempts to rig elections from here on.
Good point, MaryPat. Remind them it's not too late to get vigorously get behind The For the People Act.
Admittedly, SB 202 was quite a rush job. Our legislature wanted to get it passed--through both houses--and get it to the governor before their session expired at the end of March. It didn't stay all that long in committees before it was debated on the floor in the legislature session, and then voted on fairly quickly. They KNEW what they were passing and they KNEW it would be contentious. It's being taken to court already so we'll see. We all know corporations want to "have their cake and eat it too" and are hesitant to anger any group that might boycott their products and services. Corporations based in GA are taking some time to assess which way the winds are blowing before acting. Coke has a big presence at the Braves' stadium, Truist Park, so they're obviously aware of consequences of taking a stance. Again, we'll see how things play out...
Has Atlanta-based Home Depot corp. made any statements? I looked on their website for news releases regarding support for voting rights, but didn't see anything. I couldn't find a way to write directly to their CEO so asked a question on their Home Depot & Government Twitter page.
Just read that Home Depot lamely supported the statements of the GA Chamber of Commerce, which first commended Kemp and the Assembly, and a couple of days later posted a link to an outline of the legislation by GA Public Broadcasting. Looks to me as though they are unwilling to come down either for or against.
Home Depot was a major former guy supporter. Millions to repugnants every year. I have been boycotting them for years.
Corptocracy and oligarchy go hand n hand.
They sure did.
Very true. However, they're not necessarily unscathed. Republicans in Georgia are threatening to rescind Delta's fuel tax exemption - a huge deal, especially in light of the hit the airlines have experienced during the pandemic. Also, Delta and Coke apparently helped to get the ball rolling in Texas and elsewhere before the other states' similar bills have passed. Now that they've taken a stand, it could well bolster SB1, which would nullify all of this proposed suppression. Of course they're hypocrites, and most of their management probably supports Republicans, but criticism from the Republicans' own supporters still smarts.
Bastian (Delta) was interviewed on CBS This Morning. He was asked to comment on Republicans vote to strip tax breaks in retaliation. Bastian replied, "...this is something that's about more than money..." https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=interview+with+bastian+on+cbs+this+morning&docid=13832466142432&mid=33C4B674621208BB273A33C4B674621208BB273A&view=detail&FORM=VIRE
Wow, he'll be drummed out of the Republican club with crazy talk like that. Thanks for the link. They took no prisoners, and his face was pretty red, and had egg all over it. Whatever caused him to tale a harder line, he certainly did. Good that CBS took him to task. Of course, as I commented elsewhere, SB1 needs to pass to end these heinous attempts by so many Republican-controlled states to suppress the vote. I will say that Delta has treated their employees well in the past - large bonuses, etc. Maybe they have been listening to their rank and file employees after all. Yhanks again.
ARRGH! Thanks again, not "Yhanks."
I think we are all good at "reading between the lines," wink-wink!
"Supporting Republicans" is a fluid term these days. Not your mother's party anymore. Maybe this corporate push to stop Rs' voter suppression laws will speed the spilt of the party. They can reclaim Lincoln who believed in capitalism. Maybe some of his morality will rub off on them. https://www.forbes.com/sites/kylesmith/2013/06/19/abraham-lincoln-was-the-anti-obama-a-profit-loving-capitalist-tool/
Big business will always support whatever or whomever lines their coffers. We can hope for morality rubbing off, but if the Repugnants are sent packing, there will have to be a major reset for them.
It still feels like an act to me. They threatened to rescind but actually didn't. Texas will hide the ball better next try. If Delta and Coke really cared they would've said something before the bill passed. Senate Democrats are no closer to paint S1. Filibuster is still in place. I'm not hopeful.
Well, it was only in the last two days that Delta called foul, so we don't know yet what will happen with the fuel tax - the threat to rescind it was only yesterday. I have no illusions about Delta and Coke, but their comments, claiming they'd been lied to about the content of the bill, did open the floodgates, so could produce results. From what I'm hearing, S1 can be passed using reconciliation, and the filibuster can be modified to pass other legislation. I don't see pie in the sky, but neither do I see only gloom and doom.
I heard on All Things Considered that Coke and Delta first supported the GA voting bill while it was still in the early stages. Only after Kemp signed it into law did they "come around." Better late than never.
Let’s be clear: only after their employees and the public put pressure on their management did they come around.
Yes, Happy Dog! That's my point & question as well. Why didn't they lobby BEFORE the law was passed? Did they? I haven't heard evidence of that. At least in Texas it appears there is pressure BEFORE it passes. Jumping up and yelling "I don't like what you did!" isn't enough -- the law is passed. Now then, give lots of corp money to the ACLU so they can fight it in courts? Seems like an ounce of prevention might have been worth a pound of cure. These corporate late-comers, trying to save their bacon, are still on my sh%t list.
It is my understanding that the Georgia bill was trashed, and the new bill was written, passed the House, then rushed to the Senate in one day. It's also my understanding that corporations were briefed on the original bill. If I'm wrong, please correct me. Still, I have no illusions about Delta and Coke. Their original comments, when questioned, were mild and designed to assuage everyone's concerns, but when the heat was on, they claimed they'd been misinformed and now found it "unacceptable." As Bruce Sellers points out, they want to have their cake and eat it too, and are waiting to see which way the wind is blowing.
I just read others here say that Coke & Delta SUPPORTED the bill initially because they didn't understand its intent???? WTH? "Gee, honey, I didn't realize this was a divorce decree when I signed it! I didn't MEAN to divorce you!" What?
Oh, I live in Georgia, and I hear you. Still, it's better than digging their heels in.
Cathy was talking about Dell, not Delta. Not sure whether Dell said anything until after bill was signed into law. Coke and Delta for sure pressed harder against the bill later on. I, however, am a bit concerned about knee-jerk reactions. I am also concerned that corporations are in the decision-making mix as Delta seems to have been before the bill was signed. Is this commonplace?
Dell is in TX--they haven't passed their voter suppression bill yet (although they will, I am sure).
Thanks, Linda. My bad!
To my knowledge, Dell hasn't taken a stand one way or the other on Georgia's law, but did join American and Southwest Airlines and other companies in condemning the proposed Texas law. In Georgia, both Delta and Coke claimed that they'd been misled about the proposed bill, and didn't realize how restrictive it was until after it was passed. Not sure I believe that one, but still better late than never.
If Delta & Coke didn't realize how restrictive the proposed Georgia bill was they need to fire their entire legal department.
And hire a better PR department.
Yup.
Oh, I don't buy any of that, but they're feeling some unexpected heat. Bromides are no longer working for them. Good.
Why. It makes common sense?
Do bromides cure your stomach problems David? Or do they allow you to consume the same diet that made you sick in the first place?
I love everybody on this chain, Lynell and Nancy and MaryPat and Linda, but I must interject. Are y’all considering seriously turning the heads of these companies into heroes? They’re windsocks. I hope nobody is expressing real admiration. Corporate CEOs are not people to admire, as a rule. If you want to glow about Herb Kelleher founder of Southwest Airlines, okey dokey. And please nobody reply by trashing him, I’m sure he has his faults we all do. But he’s a real mensch and his corporate philosophy was revolutionary. The rest of these yahoos are just jumping on the bandwagon. They may be fine people, but they’re not cutting any new ground, and their job security depends on making everybody happy, that includes the public and their employees.
Roland, you should know better. We're wise girls.
OK, I stand corrected.
Not me, Roland! Just trying to parse out who said what when.
Not a Delta fan as they have left my husband stranded in GA a time or two!
Got it!
And Pam and Liz and Marcy and Spooky and . . .
I plan to write a second letter to thank Coca Cola for their support for voting rights. They promptly responded to my first letter. Keep up the good work, Cathy.
Do you have a good email address?
jquincey@coca-cola.com He is CEO.
Thanks, Gina.
YES
From the CBS article on antifa which stands for anti-fascist:
"Antifa is not a highly organized movement, nor is it merely an idea. Antifa is a loose affiliation of local activists scattered across the United States and a few other countries.
The term "antifa" is short for anti-fascist; it's used both by its adherents and its foes.
In general, people who identify as antifa are known not for what they support, but what they oppose: Fascism, nationalism, far-right ideologies, white supremacy, authoritarianism, racism, homophobia and xenophobia. Some antifa activists also denounce capitalism and the government overall.
Mostly, people aligned with antifa are on the left of the political spectrum. Antifa is not, however, affiliated with President Joe Biden, the Democratic Party or its leaders. Mr. Biden has condemned antifa and called violence "unacceptable.""
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/what-is-antifa/
Just saw a political cartoon that has Senator Cruz and a woman at the start of a foot race. Cruz's lane is clear; the woman's lane is full of obstacles and a ball and chain is around her leg. Cruz is saying, "What's the matter? It's the same distance." Men like Cruz who have had the over-privileged life of a white male are many times clueless about the discrimination so many people have to deal with. One can love white men and still be abhorred by the patriarchal attitudes of our culture where white males deny the same privileges they have to others. We need to get away from the hyperbole and extremes. A white woman not liking patriarchy having been discriminated against all her life by being treated as a second class citizen by our white male powered society doesn't mean she hates all white men. All Rottweilers are not mean. Bifurcating politics to the extreme is not healthy. The great majority of people are somewhere in the middle with all sorts of shades of gray and when we really respect each other we see the beautiful subtleties and colors of thought that are there. The opposite culture of thought that if one person gains I must be losing is the huge fallacy of ours or any time. That's the OR society of patriarchy. The reality is if we are a caring community rather than just a set of narcissists who take no responsibility for anyone but themselves we can increase the size of the pie where everyone gains. When the government's goal is the well-being and health of all our communities we all win. That's the AND society of egalitarianism. We the People, All of US This Time!
Been writing to the elected officials in Washington. Sadly the Kentucky Senators are MM and Rand Paul. I used to think it was a waste of time. But I've changed my mind on that point and write them anyway....My representative is the only Democrat from Kentucky. He's a reasonable guy.
Company donations to Texas supporters of voter suppression bills. Dissent comes from knowing. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Ex0G_C4XIAIRwGl?format=png&name=900x900
You have bought in hook line and sinker.
Yep. I don't fall for scare tactics.
Of course you don’t.
David, If we're so hopeless why do you keep coming back? Do you feel better off personally after 4 years of DT at the helm? What promises do you think he kept?
DT is a megalomaniac. Big guy, own worsted enemy. That said the “ right side of history “ is on the side is state rights and the Republic. The left has abandoned this side completely.
How do you balance states rights vs. say an inalienable right in a democracy called the right to vote? Shouldn't free and fair elections be the right of every citizen in every state? These voter suppression laws are about taking away the right of all citizens to choose who represents them. That is not a democratic republic.
Republicans are telling us a couple of things, by their actions. One is that they know they’re a minority party, if everyone votes. There aren’t enough bigoted, evangelical white guys without college degrees to win free and fair elections in most places. That they respond to that problem by suppressing the minority and youth vote, rather than changing their platform, tells us the second thing. Which is that they are hostage to their deplorables. Republicans fear that if they modify their platform to support popular positions (like citizenship for Dreamers, or sensible support for immigration, or gun control, or support for minority and gay rights, or addressing climate change, or expanding healthcare) they’ll lose their deplorable base. If this GOP dilemma was just a theatrical production on Fox News, we could make some popcorn, put up our feet and watch. But Republicans are determined to drag the country down with them, rather than change. That is neither funny, or amusing.
Before I read this whole thread and discover someone else has the same thought, here's a comment. Can't you just appreciate the irony of it all? From HCR's letter: "He (Boehner)says that the rise of the internet meant that by 2010, Republican lawmakers were taking their orders from internet media websites and the Fox News Channel, their only aim to keep viewers engaged and cash flowing." Yeppers. Now the MLB pulls its 'show/entertainment' out of Atlanta along with all the 'cashflow attendant. Looks to me like the Republicans just got the snot kicked out of them by the Democrats playing the same game. Whoa doggies, it's going to be an interesting year. Does Costco sell popcorn by the barrel?
And what country has a $100 million+ a year influence campaign in support of Republicans, promoting division, racism, conspiracy theories? Take control of social media first, reinforce the looniest with synthetic popularity of bot “like” and trolls, fool the people online first, then radicalize them, fool an entire party’s leadership into pandering to the newly radicalized. This is the Information Age, and we are losing the “cyber war”.
Sounds like we need a countereoffensive. People are only susceptible to being 'radicalized' when they don't have any moral and spiritual anchors. IMHO of course.
Demagoguery is a powerful trap. No one has 100% immunity. A genuine community like we have here with HCR is a vital preventative. De-radicalization, that’s a tough one, when their leadership has succumbed to the same.
We need a wall inside the internet, guard rails to protect the minds of the vulnerable.
I agree. I think something akin to the Communications Act of 1934 is going to happen soon. If there were ever a problem for AI and deep learning to be turned loose on, this is it. I can see a doctoral dissertation out of somewhere like Carnegie-Mellon this one.
Thought this was interesting. Before the fairness doctrine, the Mayflower doctrine. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mayflower_doctrine
Charlie, I was just reading some of Boehner's book excerpted at Politico. Link https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2021/04/02/john-boehner-book-memoir-excerpt-478506
So far, very interesting. He says, among other things, that he was blindsided by just how much the Class of 2010 despised Obama. From his description, it was even worse than we Dems assumed.
He also talks about having known Roger Ailes since the George H.W. Bush years and how he became a total nut job conspiracy theory believer, when he wasn't before. I found that very interesting, having read, "The Loudest Voice in the Room". In that bio, Ailes came across to me as a total jerk, but not a crazy man. Boehner claims he became one. Anyway, sounds like an interesting read.
Ailes drank too much of his own kool aid.
Revenue streams over everything, even policy, even morality, even the law or constitution. $ from anyone from anywhere is their unspoken platform. This is not leadership.
No it’s money honey and always follow it
Charlie YAY
Charlie I’ll take a barrel full now.
Your last three sentences perfectly capture how I feel, like, every single day. Shaking my head at the increasingly preposterous lies and labels, grimacing to remember that a lot of people believe them, and trembling to realize that this Orwellian Newspeak could be our future.
Does it (GQP) remind you of a toddler in the loudest end of tantrum phase, just before they give up and withdraw in whimpers?
At this point, I pray this is so.
If only.
GOP. Greedy old pedophiles
Our present. And it is growing.
Every Republican legislator or governor who caters to this "deplorable" base was democratically elected by their constituents, and they will continue to be. If Gaetz ran tomorrow (the G.O.P. won't let him) , he would be re-elected. Too many Americans are not really for "equality." Is that kind of selfishness our "human nature"? How to address this challenge without reducing democracy in our country is the problem. Jefferson believed education and man's basic good intentions would solve it. It hasn't. Neither did the Civil War.
Governors are an interesting sub-species. There’s a handful of Republican governors here in New England. The deplorables do not like them one bit, because they adhere to science and logic. If the Republican party was more like Phil Scott or Charlie Baker, they’d have wider appeal with Independents and even some Democrats. That said, there’s a bigger bunch of deplorable Republican governors, across the south, midwest and southwest, and ranging up through the plains states. Georgia’s governor may be primaried. He is trying so hard right now to be deplorable, but he didn’t support the big lie, so he hasn’t been deplorable enough. Desantis and Noem are the gold standard for conspiracy-mongering, ignorant, Trumpian trolls. As are the majority of voters in those states.
This one is a doozy. A Republican no less. Crazy. Vaccine allocated by.... race 😳
Governor Phil Scott
@GovPhilScott
If you or anyone in your household identifies as Black, Indigenous, or a person of color (BIPOC), including anyone with Abenaki or other First Nations heritage, all household members who are 16 years or older can sign up to get a vaccine!
David, you do not know anything about this. Your statement is pure ignorance.
The NAACP (I'm a member) bankrolled this with approval of state, set up the special clinics for BIPOC, and arranged for the state system to make the appointments. Volunteers of various ethnic groups, including Euro-Americans are staffing the events. We decided to do this because POC are the hardest to reach, and there is a trust issue at work because of past mistreatment of Abenaki and other POC (you've heard of eugenics, I presume? Vermont has a lot of making up to do, and we see this as a small part of it.)
Right now, our Indigenous people in Vermont have the lowest vaccination rate of any demographic in the state. It was decided that allowing them to bring a non-POC member of the household to be vaccinated at the same time would give them an incentive to get vaccinated. At this point, Vermont will be accepting 16 and up in about two weeks anyway, across the board (always assuming the supplies get here, which so far looks good).
Your racist assumptions are way off base. It would be nice to see an apology, to NAACP, to Vermont's POC, and to Gov. Scott. Do you think that is something you can manage?
BTW, Gov. Scott is widely admired in Vermont for his management of the pandemic response. He is an honorable man who has done an excellent job. We have the lowest death rate in the country, and consistently are in the top 10 or so on other measures.
"But Republicans are determined to drag the country down with them, rather than change."
That's the dilemma. But, I have observed the Republican party for more than a decade, and I think its members are incapable of change. Their brains aren't smart enough, they are doing other things like having sexual, alcohol and drug parties as well as doing criminal activities it seems, and working together seems a lost skill for this party. Right now I think they get daily emails that dictate the vitriol topic of the day. And, that's it.
As a former youthful Republican, I think the ones that could change moved out of the party. In my case, back when the Moral Majority (remember them?) took over the party. Up until the last year, I've voted a split ticket. Can't do that any more because the smart R's are choosing not to run or have left the party.
Same here, for the most part, Betsy. In Vermont there are still some honorable Republicans who are trustworthy, but I know that many of them are conflicted. And the party itself it splintering here as elsewhere. I wonder if those honorable people will be able to even run as Republicans and win under these circumstances. The problem if they leave the party, under our system that leaves "Republican" primary slots open for anyone to take them up. That has happened before, creating a real mess. So now they enter "filler" candidates to keep those slots open.
The Progressives are a legitimate third party in VT because they get a large enough % of votes to get on the ballot through the primary. The Progressives, to simplify things, often endorse Dems, many of which have progressive leanings anyway. Progs also try to fill in open slots, because in the past weird groups have highjacked those, entering as Progressives thought they are anything but. And sometimes our "fillers" win, especially in recent elections. We have Progs on a lot of town boards and in the state legislature, growing with each election cycle.
Hi Annie! I live in NH and the fact that Free Staters are hiding under the Republican umbrella and a few have gotten elected is appalling-from what I've read, they are even more regressive than the current R's. So far, the multitude of Republican new bills haven't gone as far as GA-thank heavens. It was so disheartening to lose so badly in the Nov. elections that the NH gov't is now a Quadrafecta-Gov., both Houses and the Executive Council are all R's!
I was also a split ticket voter. I loved to research candidates and vote the for ones that I felt were the best for the position. It will be many years, of which I may not have due to aging, till I ever vote for a Republican. And, they did it to themselves. There was no and is not any fraud or cheating in the election process that has changed my voting patterns. It is the loss of Republican values, intelligence, and the lack of representing their constituents that made me change.
They're only in it for the money, drugs, sex and alcohol but no Rock N'Roll!
Your comment was a good show, JR. Popcorn comes later. In the meantime, I'll try to remember your comment next time I'm about to have a Republican explosion!
JR, I love your sentiments here. So eloquently said. However There are a few bigoted, evangelical white guys with hefty salaries and college degrees to bring the total of 45 supporters to greater than 74 million. Uggh!
And I don’t man to imply that all of those millions are white men. Although it sounds that way.
It seems to me that Republican claims that more voter participation in elections will “disadvantage Republicans” at the polls is a tacit acknowledgement that they are very unpopular with a significant number of voters. Shouldn’t it be self-evident that they should therefore promote government policies that would appeal to a significant number of voters? Isn’t that the foundational principle of democracy we were taught in oh, the third or fourth grade?
Ignoring that basic principle, the Republican Party claims a legal right to suppress the vote in order to avoid their acknowledged electoral disfavor.
Wouldn’t this cognitive dissonance be obvious to any judge presented with a legal challenge to voter suppression legislation?
Yes. Unless of course, lady justice has removed her blindfold and tossed her scale.
Lady or lord justice tied to dark money.
Roland can you cite the article by O’lear again? I think 🤔 that was you posting about the 5 part series on Kavanaugh.
https://gregolear.substack.com/p/who-owns-kavanaugh-1-the-justice
The name of his newsletter is Prevail.
Greg Olear also has a great new podcast: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vcHJldmFpbA/episode/NjkyOWFmZWEtOTM1Mi0xMWViLTkzMDMtMjNkYzg5ZWFhYzQ1
Thanks Marcy
Thanks Marcy--I have been trying to remember Olear's name: just subscribed.
Olear is brilliant. Brilliant investigative journalism. He doesn’t really think of himself as a journalist, rather as a writer, but he’s better than most of them. I rave about him all the time, here, on his Substack pages, and directly by private email which isn’t really private because he posted it last year in one of his articles.
Thank you forv this link. I think. Grrrrrrrrf
Thanks Marcy.
Ellie Kona: In regards to the O'Lear piece about Kavanaugh below, which includes Sen Sheldon Whitehouse's questions of Amy C. Barrett, here's a piece that he wrote about the Federalist Society and it's ties to dark money: https://medium.com/senator-sheldon-whitehouse/the-third-federalist-society-f8a3ff2e19fd
Echo the list
I am no way as politically savvy as many of the contributors to the newsletter, but I do wish someone could explain (Heather? Or maybe there is no explanation!) what precisely Republicans stand for today - seriously...I get the “gotta keep me in office” stance. Could it be that the Democratic Party is, to generalize, “people-focused” and the Republican Party is “almighty dollar focused”? Money matters, as we know and see. Without it we are “toast”. But surely there has to be a balance? When the Constitution was signed the US population was around 4 million. It is now way over 330 million. Different times, different needs. But humanity is the same - family, friends, work, home, a good life, “happiness”. What is “Right” or “Left” about it? I apologize if I am ranting or seem naive, but sometimes.....I feel hopeless. Joe Biden offers us a positive vision for the country, might not please everyone, but the heart of it is it is a vision for “all” the people. Mitch McConnell seems to live in a world of negativity in which only 33,000 matter. All he can say is “No”. Is he blind and deaf and so lacking in ”intelligence”and “heart”. It would be great to hear practical proposals rather than dismissive catch phrases and slurs. Better stop now and drink my coffee 😳!
The Republican Party stands for nothing but the acquisition and keeping of power. At their last convention, they proposed no platform other than supporting Trump. Without the Electoral College and gerrymandered congressional districts, they would barely exist.
What a bunch of Schiff. HR 1. Forever in control anti constitutional bill ;)
Perhaps if you would address some of the particulars of HR 1, a constructive dialog might get started.
Mary, you are 100% savvy. Plenty of people who think of themselves as brilliant or a genius don't see it as clearly as you do. Brava!
Mary, well said!
We already know how the Republican supreme court feels about voter suppression. SCOTUS thinks Republican voter suppression and gerrymandering is fine and dandy. SCOTUS voted a few years back to dismantle the Voter Rights Act. And similarly, they threw out cases challenging gerrymandering. Our Supreme Court is majority Republican, as partisan as can be.
Maybe the GQP realize that at this time they have very few elected members in their party that are even likeable people for themselves let alone as policy makers so they are cornered into trying to win by cheating.
We are watching disintegration of the GOP. Stan green birds book RIP GOP comes to mind. Have a seat on the couch, pull out the popcorn, enjoy the show.
Stan Greenberg’s book
I will forever think of Stan Greenberg as Stan green bird. Thanks, Roland, and Happy Easter.
You're cute, Mary, I'll give you that!
Unless the Ones appointed from the Federalist Society’s list get to show their true colors.
Yes but then it goes to the Appeal Court etc.....no legal basis for this defence.
It's really too bad that more Republicans don't take the example of Washington state's Secretary of State. She runs fair and honest elections in which Democrats take the lion's share of the votes, and she gets re-elected over and over because, even though she runs as a Republican, she has the trust of the voters of this quite blue state.
I sure hope so.
You know what's going to annul the Georgia voter suppression initiative? When the University of Georgia's football program can't recruit the athletes it needs to field a first-class team. Says a great deal about many things, but it's the absolute truth. Watch and see.
And I hope that that’s exactly what happens.
Good point. No one sacrifices SEC football!
Whatever it takes.
YES! May I copy & post? Clear Hope!
Such a flurry of news at the end of a week dominated by Derek Chauvin's trial and the horror scenes that led to George Floyd's tragic murder. Thank you, Prof. HCR, for putting in these extra hours of writing to bring us up to par with all these events! You deserve a medal for your considerate determination to give the daily socio-political outcomes your very best historical overview. You never disappoint! More than that, you highlight the most significant issues that we, as historical witnesses, should not neglect.
Yes Prof HCR though you probably don’t care for medals as such —you deserve at least one!
Dare I say, Rowshan, Dr. R's worst -- which she does not have -- is many others' very best historical overview!
YES
YES!!
I would like the narrative to be reshaped a bit so we can truly and proudly own it. Instead of calling it “cancel culture and woke political activists” call it "consequence culture and woke Americans." I am proud that this is what is happening in our country!
"Consequence culture." Perfect. I will repeat and share. Often.
Luv that!
I'm thinking back to one of Jon Stewart's appearances on the Fox network, probably around 2004-5. I think he appeared more than once. He tells the hosts, "You're hurting America." Truer words were never spoken.
Sharon wasn’t one of the hosts a young Tucker? Even young tuck seemed to want Stewart’s approval before being told by Stewart “Stop you are hurting America.”
He should run for office.
I miss Jon Stewart’s Daily Show. He retired at the start of the Last Guy’s administration. I wish he’d come back to share his insight and wit. Any chances of that?
I think he retired because he was throughly disgusted with our news trajectory. The news was not funny anymore, it was deadly serious.
He still turns up on the Colbert show every now & then. Plus his ventures into Congress regarding the first responders from 9-11. But yes, I also wish we could see more of him, and yes, I believe he was past disgusted with the current media!
I'm quite happy with Trevor Noah's Daily Show. He brings an outsider's point of view that is quite refreshing. In addition, he has added regulars and writers who reveal aspects of life in America for Black folx that I would otherwise not know.
LOVE JON STEWART
Thank you, Professor Richardson.
So much afoot, too much to follow.
A bit weary, worry and uncertainty here on the other side of the pond.
Numbers rising and a slow, slow hiccupping rollout of the precious medicines.
This morning a vaccine lottery for my age cohort, that in one minute – one minute – was over-subscribed. And so, we wait.
Off to water the garden now, to spread seeds for bee-friendly flowers.
And wait – a better wait – for them to rise.
Dear R, Happy to send leek seeds if that would brighten your bee-kind day. Planting seeds madly here in Rhode Island and glad to have fellow HCR appreciator supporting our pollinator pals. :)
Hi Cary: We care for a space of about one city block in the middle of town ... We are a bee-friendly spot and have loads of species. One afternoon, I saw five species on one plant. And thanks for the idea to plant onions - I love their flowers.
I didn’t realize you were across the pond. I hope you get your vaccine soon!
Your post is a poem! It’s at once anxious and hopeful, succinct and capacious.
Keep the faith R. I survived 2 months of vaccination bingo appointment slots booking up in, yes, 1 to 3 minutes. They will become available, now the new worry (here at least) is the 74 million trumpeteers who are antivaxers.
Hang in there R Dooley! I was thinking this morning that, in a "normal" year (my Spring Break week just ended) I would be returning from a blissful week in the archives in London, which I always punctuated with trips to Kew and walks through Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens. Missing my home from home.
thank you
You wrote a lovely poem! Thanks for sharing it with us this morning.
I called Governor Kemp’s office and spoke with the same young woman that I normally reach. My comment this time mainly was about Brian saying that “we will not be bullied”. His idol is a bully and his bill is full of Bull! Sad that out city has to be hurt financially by these hate mongers with no policies of their on. I love and am proud of my state. We only have left to remove these cancers of division from our capitol. We will then begin and continue to lead the south in growth and opportunity for ALL.
This may be the saddest commentary yet on the dismal state of the Republican Party:
“... the rise of the internet meant that by 2010, Republican lawmakers were taking their orders from internet media websites and the Fox News Channel, their only aim to keep viewers engaged and cash flowing.”
It helps explains why the GOP has totally abandoned their own conservative principles. It’s the means by which corrupt media savvy twerps like Matt Graetz and deranged conspiracy nuts like Marjorie Taylor Green have become the party’s leading lights.
And why we see Republicans engaged in heavy handed attacks on their own corporate supporters.
It’s hard to imagine where this will all lead.
I read another Boehner quote from his book about his exchange with Michelle Bachman when she insisted he put her on some committee. When he refused she told him she would head to Fox/Sean Hannity and tell them how much of a power monger he is. He knew what power the news station had even then.
No Randy, not at all hard to imagine where this is going. Same fate as the Whig party.
Quote of the week goes to John Boehner.
[begin quote from review]
Boehner tried to "explain how to actually get things done" to new members, but a "lot of that went straight through the ears of most of them, especially the ones who didn't have brains that got in the way."
[end quote]
Boehner is referring to new Republican politicians from the 2010 midterms.
This short but sweet review of a Salon article about Boner’s, uh Boehner’s new book is highly entertaining and highly recommended. I’m not quoting it all here, don’t want to deprive anyone of this fun.
https://www.rawstory.com/john-boehner-fox-news/
Morning Roland! I admit that I won't give Boner my dime but I am happy to read about his book as long as I don't have to underwrite him. He was an appalling example of obstruction, with the added spice of racism and sexism. If he doesn't like the current crop of Ghastlies it is his fault.
Boehner was the bane of our existence when Obama was POTUS. I've no interest now in hearing what he has to say and certainly not in supporting him financially by buying his book. But thanks for the link, Roland!
I can’t say I’m recommending his book, but I’m getting therapeutic value out of this article that’s for sure.
Normally I prefer to read a book, but for this one I think I’ll go the listening route to hear the “unscripted asides that the former speaker let fly, including one aimed directly at Cruz, whom he previously described as ‘Lucifer in the flesh.’”
Wow. Thanks for the link, Roland. We just read the Boehner Politico story aloud for extra emphasis. Excellent use of profanity, Boehner!
John B seems to have written one more self-serving book, complaining that his efforts to obstruct any action by President Obama were undermined by the rowdy new kids who had a different approach.
I know Joan I hated him then but now in comparison he’s gotten interesting—wtf
wtf!
No love here for John Boehner that’s for sure. Just another racist sexist genderist fueled by money over morals, self-service over public service, the difference being that he is in the faction that includes Larry Hogan, Mitt Romney, and the pro democracy side breaking away from the looney GQP side. It’s his take on the Q faction of the party that is interesting to watch. Take your seat on the couch, pull out your popcorn, enjoy the disintegration of this pack of losers called a Party. 🍿
I understand Roland. You’re right but it’s all relative and by comparison to the newer version he appears to be something gentler but I won’t read his book.
Yes I agree. I have warmed up to him from that review. Suddenly I am feeling more warmly towards Romney, Hogan, Sasse, other Republican figurtes and even Boehner than I would ever have felt in the past. Go figure.
In the Hebrew Bible, Noah is described as "righteous in his generation." That is mostly taken to mean the people around him were so bad, that he looked righteous by comparison to them - even though he was nothing compared to men like Abraham. It has taken the craven crazies of GQP to make Romney - who famously described 47% of the population as "takers" for wanting a decent share of the value they produced - stand out as relatively decent and courageous.
Roland,
I hear you and I think it’s about relativity. Former guy was so awful that he makes these predecessors look like gentlemen.
Has anyone ever told you, Joan, that you're the smartest person in the room? Here the competition for that title is fierce, but I love what you wrote, it's brilliant.
Mostly no, Roland. You are sweet to say it. By the way, my interest in being an early reader of your sci-fi book still stands. How is it going?
Hi Roland—yes I want to read his book. I missed you.
Hi Liz ❤️ you too. I don’t know if I want to read his book, I’m waffling, but I sure like that article and his quotes. Therapy. Keep looking around today’s massive discussion, I’m in here a few places.
Hi Roland yes it’s all about therapy in these trying times. Whatever works to soothe our nerves ❤️
Exactly. I have even felt warmly towards Bush. Now that's a true miracle.
Good morning, Heather. Much news in your letter. 19 phone calls between Oath Keepers speaks volumes about the instigation and management of the Capitol insurrection. Thank you for the news summaries.
May the record of the 19 calls hang around the necks of these seditionistas. And may Roger Stone sink like one.
His name always emerges from the greasy filth.
I intuitively thought that the MLB decision was "courageous" as I had an image of the baseball fan that might put the game largely in the Republicans' lap.....so I did a bit of research on google. Surprised I was with the result too.... so I thought I'd offer up a few little nuggets:
........The game's audience is in decline these last twelve years at home but growing abroad ( Japan, Mexico)
........The games revenues are increasing and far outwiegh the other sports at over $10B in 2019
and so it is advancing uniquely by increasing prices and broadcasting rights.
........In 2018 over 23% of the population are said to have attended at least one game against only 12% for any other stick and/or ball game
.........The gender split of spectators was male dominated 70-30 in 2013 but has, according to certain studies, moved in the direction of balance since
.........Political surveys (2013) suggest that Democrats were the largest spectator group at 38% followed by Republicans at 32% and Independents at 30% with Dems supporting particular teams going up to 42% but never less than 35%.....always ahead of the Republicans
.......Average fan base for MLB teams is 2,5M people and up to 73% of the audience is local (ST Louis Cardinals are highest) explaining the absolute necessity of a large urban base
.......Ethnic make-up of the teams is now 57% white, 32% Hispanic and 8% black showing a massive improvement over the last decades of hispanic participatiion
.......Ethnic make-up of audiences is 60% white, 16% Black and 20% Hispanic
.......Age composition of the audience gives 50% over 55yrs, 26% from 35-54yrs and only 17% between 17 and 34yrs and the average was 57 years old
........Average income is also interesting as 33% of spectators made in 2013 over $100K, 32% earned between $40-75K and only 9% under $20K
.......Top sponsors (in $$$$ order) of the sport are the Banking, Insurance, Beer and Airline sectors
Not quite what I expected....so it is not a "Trumpian" natural, but a Dem/Ind game with a declining, aging audience of middle class white and hispanic urban audience. So the move by the MLB out of Atlanta was a natural extension of their values and in no way in contradiction with the major part of their fans beliefs. The only problem that they are now going to find is in choosing a a "non-voter suppression" replacement without it seeming to overtly favour a Democratic State and their local team.
Thanks Stuart, for the stats. Baseball is more of an urban game, in many ways, and the team support trends toward more urban and suburban milieus I suspect. It would be interesting also to look at the relationship between baseball and Little League, which broke the gender barrier something like 20 years ago. I lived for many years near Williamsport, PA, where the Little League World Series (and LL Headquarters) occurs. The most exciting youths playing Little League in the USA are often young women, whose skill on the diamond will not ever come to fruition in MLB but they have revitalized interest in baseball at the youth level. In addition, aside from the occasional dugout-led fight on the field, baseball is not a violent game, which is one reason why I, personally, like it. I do not enjoy watching grown men--padded or not--beating each other up for millions of dollars. Baseball is a game of skill and strategy. I can get behind that!
Major league baseball in the U.S. is still a huge deal, even if stats indicate that the audience is in decline. Sports' audiences across the board are in decline in the U.S., in my opinion due to the declining participation in organized sports among American youth, who are spending far too much much time indoors. This has been happening over the past 20 years. Lack of participation among youth trickles down to their interest as adults. This trend notwithstanding, MLB should state in emphatic terms the real reason why it is moving the all-star game and draft away from Atlanta. In other words, dispute the lame accusations the Republican Party in Georgia is espousing. Their counters are nothing but BS, and MLB needs to tamp that down so the nation knows exactly why the game and draft are being moved. Georgia's Republican Party, and Michigan and Pennsylvania and others, are showing themselves to be nothing but bigots. That attitude needs to be trampled.
Dennis Scholl: Are you familiar with the various Collegiate Baseball Leagues all across the country? They provide the potential future MLB players. They are members of Colleges/Universities' baseball teams who choose to spend their summers playing for the different Leagues. The host towns love the games and local folks provide a free room for them to stay in while the season is on (June-August). It's a chance to watch fun baseball for a very low price (in my local team, the admit fee is $5.00!)
No, I wasn't aware.
Too bad old RFK Stadium closed in 2017. Having it there would be quite “in your face” to the Rs.
Unfortunately, it might only reinforce their campaign to blame Abrams.
Perhaps, but I think they will do that regardless. They really seem to hate that a Black woman has so much influence.
Of course the R's hate a Black SMART woman-isn't that in their playbook rules?
Fenway Park, Boston? ❤️ ⚾️
Yes it’s quite a place.
Thanks for sharing these interesting nuggets. I wouldn’t have thought to dig deeper, but I’m glad you did! And you’re right about the problem of choosing a new location - will be interesting to see how that works out.
Remember that baseball is the oldest continuously played sport of the major sports. So it has seniority, longevity. Long before it was monopolized by capitalists, baseball was being played as the people’s sport in towns all over the eastern part of the country, dating well back into the 1800s. Football also has working class roots, hence Green Bay Packers, named for meat packers in a town that would never have a national profile if it weren’t for that football team that somehow survived into the capitalist age. The owners of the Green Bay Packers are regular people. Cheeseheads. No capitalist takeover happened. The Packers are the people’s team, still, just like football’s roots, just like the roots of baseball.
My father who died over 20 years ago was a Brooklyn Dodger fan but only on the radio. Fond memories though of lazy Sundays hearing the baseball
You can look a little furthe back than the 1800 for the origins, Roland. It was probably brought over by your average working English Colonists who played folk games in their villages. Most attributions go back to the girls playing "rounders" (soft ball with a short, One-handed bat) and the boys playing cricket! The village cricket match for the men in England was source of pride when the beat local competitors and social revenge when they would beat the local "gentleman'" team.
Hmm, very interesting. What I can add:
When the all-white sport was opened up, Jackie Robinson of Georgia and California in the National League and Larry Doby in the American League, the Negro Leagues players brought a tremendous number of black fans with them. Willie Mays, Satchel Paige, etc. etc. That early surge has been dwindling ever since. The “cool“ sport in the African American community is now basketball. Part of it is financial, because baseball equipment, like gloves for every player, is pricier than just one basketball per game. The San Francisco Giants have tried to change that dynamic in Northern California with the Junior Giants program, which donates gloves and equipment to youth in the greater San Francisco Metro area. Also financially supports coaches I believe. But nationally baseball is in serious decline in the African-American community. Conversely, it has been on the rise in the Latin community in large part because baseball is huge all over the Caribbean and northern part of South America.
NASCAR is super heavily Trump. Football I imagine strongly favors Trump. So does golf, the rich Trumpsters and Republicans. Baseball leans the other way. I was watching when, at the start of the pandemic-shortened 2020 baseball season, Gabe Kapler manager of the San Francisco Giants was the first manager in baseball to kneel. That act probably was under the radar nationally, but let me tell you it was a huge thing in baseball. So was the changes in football, which have had an even greater effect in society because of footballs dominance in red state land. The combination of George Floyd and the racial reckoning in 2020, and Trump, have had a massive effect on American sports. The old social order people, Republicans and Trump stirrers and reactionaries stuck in the past, are reeling. The thing that hurt Trump the most after January 6, according to Mary Trump and I agree, was loss of the PGA tournament at his golf course.
Research like Stuart did on baseball would be useful in regard to other big money sports, such as football, baseball, golf, and soccer.
Good point regarding trump’s loss of a PGA tournament. The Masters starts this Monday in Georgia. Maybe it’s time to lobby (that’s Us) to move the sacred Masters out of a voter suppression state—that is, if Stacey Abrams would deem this action to not be taking away jobs from the common people.
“ Bernice King, chief executive of the Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change, tweeted: “Please stop the #BoycottGeorgia talk. That would hurt middle class workers and people grappling with poverty. And it would increase the harm of both racism and classism.”
She later clarified that she was not opposed to boycotts in general, which have often been effective tools in the fight for civil rights. “I encourage us to consider how a hashtag about boycotting a state may distract from strategic boycotts with maximum results for justice,” she wrote.
Atlanta-based film critic Matt Goldberg, an editor with movie website Collider, suggested a better tactic would be to donate to organizations that advocate for voting rights.”
https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2021-03-30/hollywood-studios-georgia-boycott-what-to-know
School/University NFL is also losing out to soccer also thru excess cost of equipment and high travel expenses. Sport however has always been a road out of poverty for the poor whether in developing countries or very much nearer home. The rise of player salaries induced by colossal media payments, accessory sales, corporate sponsorship and advertising are driving seat prices to levels where actually going to the game is becoming a rich man's spectator sport while the rest of us have to be content with the couch in front of a screen! The social divisions amongs those that actually get there are widening with the VIP boxes, hospitality suites and seat price variability according to distance and sight line. I seem to remember going once to a soccer match in Newcastle on Tyne where the stadium was full of father and son combinations and you got there early to get a good spot to stand on the Terrace. No violence anywhere even when the major brewery carefully overturned a truck each saturday without breaking the Brown Ale bottles in order to offer a little something to the cherished supporters. At the time there were still fond memories of "wor" (our in local parlance (geordie)) Jacky Milburn...a long now forgotten Northern English and national football (soccer) star.
Thank you, HCR, for putting the current voting rights crisis into context. As a Georgia resident, I and fellow Democrats are witnessing something out of a Kafka story in which voting rights are being suppressed right before our eyes and lies are pushed as truths. We're helpless against the Republican controlled statehouse. No matter how loudly we scream, this law will not be overturned under the current administration. Republican reasoning is clearly Another Big Lie.
The actions of Georgia legislators and those around the country to suppress the black and brown vote points to one truth: Republican are fueled by pure and ugly desperation, which usually spells its demise. They offer no new policy recommendations and their game plan is to obstruct, obstruct and obstruct. They scrambling to keep their party, and their waning power, afloat.
The main question in my opinion is can we trust American voters to see through Republican rhetoric and see it for what it is--another attack on our Democracy. Voters were duped in 2020 by wild conspiracy theories and misinformation and I don't see any indication that they will take the blinders off in the next election cycle. Democrats may be "woke," but many Republicans--good, hard-working Americans--remain in a sleep-state, unable to think for themselves.
An animal is most dangerous when cornered and fearing its doom.
For sure and they are a uniquely ferocious animal.
I'm right there with you, living in the same nightmare at a lower latitude. There are days I feel helpless but refuel to fight the battle again and again. We are endeavoring to emulate Stacey Abrams. Lucky for you to have her! It will be a steep hill to climb to oust our mini-Trump governor but oust him we must!
So I have an idea. Remember Michael Bloomberg and all his money which was supposed to go to support the Democratic presidential nominee? (Well, I remember he SAID he would anyway.). Why doesn't he use some of his $$ to fund a big old publicity campaign about these election laws and the fact that the election wasn't stolen? We need our voices out there loudly and Bloomberg has the dough to do that.
Progressives do not have a counterpart to Republicans’ ALEC. A progressive “bill mill” would be another good use for Bloomberg money.
I think the attempts at voter suppression are becoming more and more clear, and voters are paying closer attention. The Republicans are definitely desperate. Did you see Jovita Moore's interview of Kemp last night on WSB? She is always careful to wear her poker face, but in her polite manner, she skewered him, and he looked as though he was sitting on a smouldering trash heap. He kept saying that the bill provided more early voting, refused to admit that drop boxes had been severely cut, but the main thrust of his lies was that in areas where the election boards had done a poor job and caused voters to wait for hours in the heat to cast their votes, the bill was providing a remedy by having state officials step in and fix the election boards' problems. Unfortunately, Jovita ran out of time and couldn't challenge that very dangerous territory, but anyone who understands the election board issue immediately saw the red flag. She did point out that the last election was declared totally valid and problem free, so asked why they felt the need to do anything and make it more difficult to vote. He countered that the bill made voting easier and more "secure," and his fallback, of course, was "socialists" and Biden's and Stacey Abrams' lies.
My heart goes out to you. Our situation in FL is similar. The only Democratic who represents me in Pinellas County is Charlie Crist, mister go along to get along. It’s a mighty small raft in a raging Republican sea.
I am afraid of the next election for governor. Christ is threatening to run again (please, God no), Nikki Fried is exploring a run (not sure if she would have the support here) and David Jolly is considering a run as an independent. All this points to a fractured offense. While I like Jolly, I am not sure if splitting the Democratic and Independent vote is a good idea as it will give an advantage to the Republicans who are united.
David Jolly is the best of the lot and recently left the Republican Party to become an Independent. He’s intelligent and thoughtful but very conservative. Another Jeb Bush I imagine and we know where that led. Can we really not do better than this?
Really, question, what suppresses votes in the legislation?
I just received my copies of "The Death of Reconstruction" and "How the South Won the Civil War" and I cannot wait to read them.
You kept your eye on the ball and hit your first home run of the season after spraying base hits with the news of the day: "But the lasting story today is the one that will hang over everything until it is resolved: the attempt of Republican legislators in 43 states to suppress voting with what are now 361 voter suppression bills across the country." So it is.