I am in Chicago for the Democratic National Convention, and don’t think it’s possible for anyone who has written as much as I have about political conventions not to want to dive into some past history of them even as modern history is being made.
Governor Walz's speech sounded like something Knute Rockne would have said had he been a politician. So glad the Democratic Party is opening the tent to R.I.N.O.es like me. Check out this four minute vid., if you have conservative kin who dislike the former President.
EDIT: there is no link for 'R.l.N.O.'; the last dot followed by es (domain for Spain, I suspect) confused the computer. Yeah! Cheap victory, but it is mine! If one wishes to hear the whole speech, here it is.
The Republican Party, the party of Conservatism, is gone. I left it when Ronald Reagan began the war on the Middle Class, fired the Air Traffic Controllers, turned the mentally and emotionally ill out onto the streets and began the massive tax cuts for the wealthy and the large corporations, resulting in transforming the USA into today's oligarchy.
Thank you for summing this up. I was an Independent for years, and often split my ticket. I keep bringing up Reagan. There is a direct line from his policies to the massive problem we have today with homelessness. And the Republican Party of today is directly responsible for the division we have not only in this country but within our families. As I keep telling people, this is not your father’s Republican Party. Let’s just send them to the woodshed in November so that they finally can get their act together.
HCR makes it very , very clear, IMO, that the contest is between the oligarchs and the rest of us. It's been that way since the onset of the Industrial Revolution. The tension between capital and labor is omnipresent. The fix must invariably be political. Without labor, there would/could be no capital. Lincoln summed it up nicely: "Labor is prior to, and independent of, capital. Capital is only the fruit of labor, and could never have existed if labor had not first existed. Labor is the superior of capital, and deserves much the higher consideration. Capital has its rights, which are as worthy of protection as any other rights."
I neglected to reference HCR's book, "How the South Won the Civil War," which makes it clear that the war with the oligarchs is on-going. They (the oligarchs) are the "new South." They've virtually enslaved us in the 21st century with 806 American billionaires having the accumulated wealth equal to 1/2 of the American population. That's 806 vs. 163,000,000. Fewer than one thousand vs. one hundred and sixty-three million. Folks, we're an oligarchy, but we aren't the oligarchs.
I commented to a friend this week about how, when we were kids (the 50s & 60s) a designated very rich person was a millionaire, or maybe a 'multi-millionaire', but not a billionaire. I said I doubt most Americans can even CONCEIVE of how much wealth a billion dollars is. We think it's maybe like being a multi-millionaire in 1960 was. And we still think these are people who MAKE things we need and want. We haven't truly grasped that these are people who make their money off MONEY, and are aided by the lax tax laws and tax havens that have multipled like mushrooms after rain.
Richard, I'll mention the other thing you've neglected to mention, which is that Adam Smith agrees with you and Abraham Lincoln.
In his book, The Theory of Moral Sentiments (1759), Smith proposes using morality as the foundation for an economic system that he described in more detail in his next book, The Wealth of Nations (1776). I think of them as volumes 1 & 2 of the "capitalist manifesto."
Make sure that every fifth-grade student understands that the most important lesson is that we must all treat each other the way we would want to be treated if the shoe was on the other foot in every context. Reading, writing, and arithmetic are important, but less important. Result: every sixth grade student understands what Karl Marx and Bernie Sanders don't understand: it's NOT okay to be angry about capitalism. Instead, it's okay to be angry about the hypocrite oligarchs and their defenders who refer to themselves as capitalists without knowing the first thing about the subject.
Then along came Newt Gingrich. I remember noting how viscous he talked and wondering "what is this"? Now we know. He introduced the zero-sum game of anything goes in politics. He is the forerunner of the MAGA people today. He and Roger Stone of the Nixon era schooled the Republican Party leaders of today.
Barbara, I hope you'll appreciate this little story. We met Gingrich at Auberge Chez Francois in Great Falls, VA almost 30 years ago. My feisty (and best) friend noticed he and his sour-faced wife coming into the restaurant and raised her arm. "Mr. Speaker," she called out. He came right over (wife glared and went to their table) and we actually had a friendly conversation about our mutual love for France. Today, I would have confronted him and there would have been a scene lol! Back then I wasn't particularly political. How that has changed....
In Heathers " To Make Men Free", it was when Newt comes on the scene that I found it impossible to read further. What a perfect name for a very small man with minuscule ideas.
The ante in the discord between the oligarchs and the workers has been raised significantly.
Now with the manifesto Project 2025 the stakes are higher than ever.
Do we want to live in a Russian dystopian authoritarian like Country? Because that is where the Republican Party wants to take us. And this is not hyperbole.
As many know, the official DJT presidential campaign is on Elon Musk's platform under the name of "Trump War Room" taking Bannon's digital banner "War Room" while Stevie is in jail.
I will be reporting this development for possible individual criminal acts under DOJ guidelines.
In the longer speech, Governor Walz described Project2025 as a play-book, saying, in effect, that, as a coach, he knew that when a team had a play-book, it used it. Taking it public shows to me what bubbles we live in. It was not a smart idea to release that paly-book with so much fan-fare. With so much reinforcement inside the echo-chamber, the authors and promoters seemed to think it would be well received. WRONG.
If one wishes to hear the whole speech, here it is.
Was thinking about this before getting up this morning and how we've found ourselves in this situation. I believe a shift in values partially enabled hero worship of those accumulating extraordinary amounts of money; further, I believe it accelerated with Reagan.
Been that way since the Civil War—actually since the inception, but was rejected in the Civil war then reinstated with Jim Crow and Industrial, now tech and oil/gas, oligarchs.
The USA turned its back on The Great Society, i remember in Canada they called it a "taxpayers' revolt", some mimicking of the USA in Canada, putting Canada's recently developed Medicare in some jeopardy with two-tier service proposals, extra billing, and hospital med fees. Thankfully that got "somewhat resolved". As in the US, deregulation became a mantra, the only thing it did was enrich the already well to do. And yes, de-institutionalizing the mental institutions based on a Charter of Rights mantra only dumped people haphazardly into underfunded homecare scenes. Many just ended on the streets. This was the era that soup kitchens began, and they have only grown since then. Churchwork, but not to begrudge that unique reservoir of good works in modern society.
Jesus said, "the poor will always be with us". I like to say "the rich will always be with us". An additional truth is that they DON'T need a leg up. Whatever the era, the rich have already found a way to take advantage of the system. Thus, they don't need regulatory or governmental help to increase their wealth or leverage. It's those who struggle to negotiate the system and thrive within it that deserve our attention and assistance.
In fact, if my shrinking grey matter serves at all (sic), the President tied for number-2 in my memory had a program of mainstreaming unthreatening and competent mental hospital long-term patients into half-way houses to leade lives of enhanced dignity. When he lost re-election, President Reagan cut the funding for the half-way houses. Great response, as always, Frank! Many thanks.
My mother who had worked in the dining facilities at Mt Holyoke College and the Belchertown State School (where my sister had worked in the office staff), saw the gut wrenching results of clearing out facilities that did once provide the best care for clients that was possible. My mother described the earlier reforms in such care came about largely from what I believe were the Amish and Menonite Conscientious Objectors during WWII that were given alternative service in mental institutions (while others were "allowed" to become test cases in clinical trials). My mother described the problems seeming to come when the dedicated and effective Conscientious Objector types finally retired and were too often replaced by what she called hippie incompetent, uncaring, new employees that had radical dreams about setting the clients free.
Many of the client's families couldn't begin to care for them and, though a number of family members would visit regularly, many didn't seem to have any family members visit. Before the School got its terrible reputation, they had established good relations with the townspeople in Belchertown, and were able to bring well chaperoned groups into events in town throughout the year. To hear the older dedicated workers describe the clients behaviors, you would think that they were at most 7 years old. Occaionally friends visiting our home would ask about people like one client who would, if allowed, into the kitchen and just start stuffing as much bread into his mouth as possible. In that case the visitor asked how old he was (expecting 7years old), but shocked to learn he was 64.
I believe my mother described 400,000 people in mental institutions when my mother worked at the school, and around 250,000 were de-institutionalized, with half of them dying "in the streets" while another half largely ended up filling prisons as the numbers grew.
My Uncle was very surprised to find one of his coworkers at an aerospace company had one child (of 4), that he and his wife had kept locked in a closet under the stairs for most of her 8 years (like some described in the Atlantic article).
Jim, I generally love Frontline, but stories like this that list individual horror stories about people with mental illness living independently do make me see red. The article mentioned that about 5% of 700+ people died and 5% moved into a higher level of care. That suggests 90% were living independently, which fits more closely with what I have seen over the past 40 years.
Yet the article focuses on a litany of the failures. Believe me when I say that one could provide a list of the similarly shocking failures in so-called adult care homes, which are poorly-regulated and have few standards of care, little staff and often no staff training or supervision.
The truth is that institutionalizing people creates vulnerable, exploited people. Supportive, scattered-site housing should be coupled with the funding, staffing, training and supervision that allows for individualized supports that titrate up and down based on the person’s needs.
There will be failures. Anyone who has worked in protective services could offer many examples of people living independently who harm themselves and/or others who are not all mentally ill, nor have the majority been “deinstitutionalized.”
I’m afraid that just as there has been a backlash against civil and women’s rights we may see a movement back to the “good old days” of mass institutionalization. Especially when such care is privatized and profitable.
The Republican party of Dwight Eisenhower no longer exists. Nixon had a very selfish mindset. Then along came Reagan, who seemed affable and was good at delivering speeches. His policies were terrible for ordinary Americans. My husband, who worked for an industrial manufacturer, was very worried about keeping his job during recessions and layoffs, caused by Republican policies. I recall that people in Reagan's administration wanted to declare catsup to be a vegetable in school lunches. That's just plain greed. Reagan was supported by that mean, nasty bigot, Jesse Helms, who was MAGA ahead of the curve. Adulterous Newt Gingrich schooled Republicans in using extremist combative language to describe Democratic people and policies. He was great at soundbites. The party moved more to the libertarian side. Best I can tell, libertarians don't want any rules at all to govern their behavior. The Republicans promote policies favoring those who already have a goodly portion of the nation's resources. They are motivated by greed and a lust for power. They could care less about the country.
That Eisenhower Party is what my parents adhered to, though they liked Presidents Kennedy, Johnson, and Carter. I have been like my mother more than my father: one foot on each side of the continental divide between liberalism and conservatism.
Trumps "speech"....or the jet stream of bullshit he spewed last night.......had to be the final nail in the coffin of the GOP. Thank the good Lord above for sites like this that are keeping truth, dignity and respect for humanity alive.
I wonder if Satan will even allow Donable Lector into hell even????
Reagan was the first of the frauds installed by corporate power as a tool to take over the country.
From him we got perhaps the last patriotic Republican HW, with his own problems. And screaming downhill to the moron W and the completion of the theft with the mentally ill drumpf.
Yes. Reaganomics, etc. never worked. Financial class gap widened creating disillusioned Americans that would vote in a want to be authoritarian like drumpf.
I have always thought the same of the Reagan administrations' policies. They were the wrong direction for a Democracy depending on participation of it's citizens.
Thank you, Richard! So well said. The party of Conservatism has morphed into the party of greed--a haven of sorts to self-serving people who care more about how much cash they have or can accumulate, who care only about someone's welfare if he's white, wealthy, and male. I remember very well the air traffic controller debacle and the homeless situation that evolved in Washington during the 1980's. I'll never forget meeting Mitch Snyder at his homeless shelter when I took my teenage daughters down to donate their winter coats. It makes me tear up just thinking about it. We've lost so much to so few....
Charity is really about the heart of the giver. Are you, as someone with more, willing to share with someone who has less? Charity, at best, is a band-aid on complex problems. Charity alone cannot carry the burden of addressing the need for a social safety net. The social safety net is evidence of how a society cares for its vulnerable citizens. Ayn Rand, the author whom Paul Ryan thought was brilliant on governmental funding issues, said, "Why should we look after the stupid people?" At the end of her life, she needed government benefits because her resources had dwindled. Ayn Rand was a selfish, mean spirited bitch.
My family is split on this issue of the role of private charity. I do not think private charity is enough, yet the impulse toward charity can and should inform policies. One thing of which I remain mindful is that these billionaires and others worth more than some level (e.g., $10 million) have much of the wealth tied up in options that can not be exercised in the short term. That reduces some of the capacity to pay for a welfare state.
Totally true. If one reads back during Bush years they too helped “privatize” our Medicare so now it is completely run by big deeply crooked Insurance. Insurance that means they get rich and insure that you won’t!
My 40-something daughter tells me her younger friends also place the blame for it all going horribly wrong on Ronnie Raygun! I told her her granddad would be tickled to hear it. I can still see him on Sunday mornings, yelling at Face the Nation or the like, over Reagan. :p)
Well said. With the exception of H.W. Bush, the Republican presidents starting with Reagan were nothing but shills for the monied oligarchs. They went so far with Trump, most Americans, especially the younger generations, are beginning to see through their lies and scare tactics.
Hear, hear, Richard! I remember that from all the way "up" in Canada East, I could never stomach his "evil empire" rhetoric, and him a vote getter genius, sweeping on his 2nd term.
You , me. Twins! And don’t forget Reagan’s pettiness in defunding Legal Aid. I had the pleasure and honor to work with some of these dedicated and hard working defenders of justice back in the 1970’s.
I first registered as a R because my father was standing over me. As I did, I thought I was not going to vote for many Rs. I never did in Indiana and only a few like Mark Hatfield here in Oregon. I have special loathing for Ray Gun exactly because of what Carol S. mentions. He also did in low income housing. My father lived long enough to listen to Rush, so I am thinking that at least in part, this is his R party. I have always wondered what he would think of death star.
He also dramatically cut support for education , social services, & job training programs, throwing millions of people out of work, including myself. Plus he cut work study benefits, which impacted my husband, who was a student during Reagan's tenure. I vowed during that time I would never vote for a Republican again.
Thank you for putting that fiasco in print. It needs to be there like a “Smokey the Bear”, billboard of the old days on highway adds.
So many are still sure Reagan was that sweet, jovial cowboy who was there for them… obviously just a puppet for the far “deep” right to steal and lie state.
I too was horrified at the monetizing of American values that occurred during the Regan years. I heartily endorse the following comments, which show that others were also noticing the leavening of the upper crust ...
Between them Kamala and Tim have created a slogan rich campaign, with meat behind the teeth, sales of t shirts, cups, posters, banners, signs , billboards, whatever and wherever. Do Dems go, RINOs of course most welcomed Ned. Who knows this might shift your general political universe a notch or more. Jesus was almost a radical "communist" after all, right?
Jesus was a radical communist for his time. It seems the true interpretation of Jesus teachings are radical and communist for our time, when they should be everyday norms.
How is "welcoming the stranger" ...."taking care of the widow"....."feeding the poor"......any part of being a communist??? Where in the teachings of Jesus does he praise "mass deportations"...."executing political enemies".....he never mentioned abortion once.
If anything, Jesus was a radical liberal of his day.
Susan, you are on the right track and there are no wrong answers here. Nobody on this site has any right to judge you at all. Empathy is so important........the far right has no concept of that. You are searching for the truth....keep going...you will find it.
Well in Acts the earliest disciples lived communally, and you know the fate of the married couple who "held back".... that didnt last. Paul never mentions anything like it. Then again, later on, monks arose living in isolation, and eventually orders practicing personal poverty, chastity and ... obedience!
Ned, I saw recently it referred to as “Kamalot”….nice ring to it! Tho I am a bit concerned that “we” are so thirsty/needy of a fair and caring administration that we hang too many hopes & expectations upon their shoulders. Those who share this vision of a brighter future must be ready and willing to man the oars and do our part help propel us forward….as Joyce Vance says “we’re all in this together”!
Barbara, very wise counsel. The locus of power lies in the Congress. Presidential candidates who generate excitement often disappoint people when they assume the office. One can only do so much and the expectations fly right on by, heedless of this basic constraint.
Thank you! I love that he builds on “weird” to say the cruelty and corruption of the MAGAs is “not just weird,” calling them out on their litany of ills. I also love that he talks about food, which connects people to each other and to their memories. Genius. I had to look up Runza!!!
In actuality I thought all three speeches -- at least the ones I saw -- by Mrs Walz, Governor Walz, and his former student were worth a listen.
EDIT: Governor Walz is a great speaker. I wonder if President Lincoln Or William Jennings Bryan had that home-spun tone to their rhetoric. If one wishes to hear the whole speech, here it is.
Thanks, Ned. After watching it myself, I did send that on to someone who is not voting Trump, and feels kind of lost. He's warming to the Harris/Walz ticket.
You are welcome, Sandra. I voted for Secretary / Senator Clinton in 2016; voted for Vice President Biden in 2020; and, would have voted for President Biden again in 2024 because I was already comfortable with a President Harris should that contingency arise.
Me too, Ned! For 2024, tho Biden’s age became “a thing” (not so much in my mind), I saw Biden/Harris as a kind of Mobius loop….both sides becoming one, so was not worried. I became disgusted & disheartened by the MSM’s relentless drumbeat of “Biden’s old”. I must admit, however, when Biden passed the baton on to Harris, I felt a thrum and tingle of excitement & energy I hadn’t been aware I’d been lacking.
Yeah, I understand that, too, Barbara; Vice President Harris actually brings some joy to politics President Biden had impressed me as intending to serve for one term, so I was disappointed when he announced for re-election because he seemed so frail, not incapacitated. I am sure his ego is bruised and feelings are hurt; I hope President Biden can take solace from several of our better or more effective Presidents -- Presidents Polk, Taft, Ford, Carter, H.W. Bush, and, now, Biden -- serving four years or less.
Ned, IMHO, he hit it out of the ballpark with the 4 he has (still not done yet!!!). AND he did a solid in passing the torch to Kamala….one for the history books for sure…what a legacy….somewhere Beau is saying “way to go Dad!!!”.
Thanks for the link, Ned. Great speech. I like welcoming RINO’s but more than that we should listen to their views and take them into consideration. We Liberals and Progressives have our values, but not all the answers. Let’s have a dialogue and find out where we have common ground and can move forward. That was the essence of Tim’s speech.
I agree. I wonder if Senator Vance will duck a debate. Governor Walz will castrate him on national television as the phoney opportunist that he is: 1,000% ambition and .1% principle. One of my best buds from my Southern college grew up in a professional family in Appalachia. At my frat-house reunion this summer, he nailed Senator Vance. ¿His take? "Appalachia is not uniformly like this. Okay, J.D., so you grew up in a dysfunctional family. Keep it to yourself., **s-hole.
There is just something about Vance that is so dark and brings out people's innate survival gut reaction of hatred for the guy. He functions as the exposure of the dark, dark place of the MAGA Republican Party. I think these people are evil. And I never throw that around casually. We must, must defeat them.
I regret to say that I can not keep up with these stimulating comments. 😯 I am in transit. Many of y'all are speaking to one another and that is great. 😊 While I lived in N.Y.C. long enough to know how to take credit where it is not due, this time I will 'permit' that credit to flow through to its proper object: Governor Walz. 😉
Plenty of Republicans are standing by. Those in states where Vice President Harris will win decisively may vote Libertarian so that Party can get matching funds. Democratic voters in deep red or blue states may vote for Dr Jill Stein.
If you want to hear the wole speech, you can click on the link above the title of the clip titled, "Democratic Vice Presidential Nominee Tim Walz Campaigns in Omaha, Nebraska."
Angela, as am I. I remember the 1968 convention very well. My husband and I were visiting my grandmother, who mainly slept, but awoke long enough to make a racist comment. Also saw Vidal/Buckley on TV before it was taken off.
Having experienced both, I judge a Maine summer to be vastly superior to a Chicago summer. To leave Maine in August, to anywhere else on earth, is truly taking one for the team.
But on the other hand, my favorite time of year in Maine begins on Labor Day - when the tourists head south, the evenings are crispy and comfortable. The days are dry and breezy.
And then...it gets even better. Leaves begin to turn. The smell of a properly made wood fire...
Having lived in Michigan for 10 years, northern summers are wonderful. Northern falls, are beautifully glorious with the changing leaves and crisp weather. Now that I've moved back to my home state of NC to care for family, June-November is hurricane season. One always has to be mindful of the possibility of devastating storms. I am a disaster survivor. Hurricane season puts me on edge. By the way, Project 2025 plans to close NOAA, which brings us weather information, including storm warnings.
I keep thinking of my dear friends in NC this time of year. Fortunately, so far, they all seem to be ok. And: yet further proof that P 25 is bat s*** f****** crazy. <sigh>
Oh my! This photo is breathtaking. You’ve been away from your home so much this year and we all appreciate your sacrifice. Knowing the effort you are putting in to make us aware of the fragility of our democracy has encouraged so many to join in the fight to strengthen it. Thank you, thank you, thank you! 💙
Look for a copy of "And Somehow It Works" by Chet Huntley & David Brinkley. It is the story of the 1964 conventions. Fascinating reading. I remember the broadcasts. My favorite event was when John Chancellor was trying to interview a delegate at the Republican Convention in the Cow Palace. The Speaker ordered the floor cleared and Chancellor keeps on interviewing. Finally a deputy sheriff starts to arrest him. Chancellor pivots and starts interviewing the deputy. As he leaves the convention floor he signs off saying "This is John Chancellor somewhere in custody." Huntley and Brinkley were just cracking up. One of them said "Don't worry. We'll get him back."
Words that HCR is in Chicago made my morning. Who better to put the 1968 Dem Convention in historical context while reporting real-time history in different political universe. "Yes, we KAM!!"
To tell the truth, I've only really become interested in US politics since trump hit the escalator - even before that, I thought he was a horrible person.
Consequently, I seem to be permanently in "catch up " mode - So I appreciate Professor Richardson's mini pieces very much.
One of the things I am listening to at the moment on Audible is Al Franken's "Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them."
Disillusioned as I already was with Right Wing politicians and their support team, this book has depressed me even more - while making me laugh at the same time. And jump up and down with rage. Franken published in 2010 - long before the present political horror became seemingly set in stone. The long term chicanery, corruption and deception that Franken gives facts, figures and dates of makes you realise that Trump is merely the cap on a very large boil on the body politic in this country,
Franken was enraged in 2010. I cannot imagine how he must feel now.
Yes - and he resigned voluntarily and immediately after being accused of "sexual misconduct". Seven of the thirty six Democrats who initially called for his resignation now day that "they regret it" and that he should have had due process.
I suspect he realised that after his his outspoken opinions of the GOP, George W, Hannity, Fox etc and their lies , the accusations would be raw meat to much of the media, and he resigned for the good of the party.
I find him a very down to earth, good humored writer - interesting that he ALSO comes from Minnesota. . .
That book was terrific. I always thought Al Franken would do well with a comedy news show like Jon Stewart had with the Daily Show, and all the other shows that came after, like Last Week Tonight with John Oliver.
Welcome to my home town Professor Richardson. I am currently in Germany, but with everyone there in spirit. I hope this convention gives the ticket the expected boost even as momentum seems to be increasing. As policy is being discussed the press are going after it like vultures, as if this were all new economics, not the ones that have made our nation so successful with ad ons that I believe were planned all along. Next steps of helping the middle class to grow and actually be a force to stand against the oligarchs by reclaiming some of the wealth.
I hope Buddy Guy gets to play at the convention and represent Chicago's wonderful Blue's scene. BB King played at one of the GOP conventions because Lee Atwater was a Blues fan...his only redeeming feature.
Mike, if Buddy Guy does not play at the convention Buddy Guy's Legends, his music venue will be sure to have good music and is not too far from the Convention Hall at the United Center. https://buddyguy.com/
It is about 10 minutes by car, but longer by public. While I am in Germany, Democrats Abroad will have 21 delegates at the convention. I know 3 of them are from Germany. I am super excited for all. There are other good blues venues in the city as well. Here are some other Blues Venues in Chicago for those who are going to be there and like Blues. https://windycityblues.org/blues-clubs
I used to live next door to Kingston Mines right after I got my undergraduate degree. They used to let my roommate and me in for free because we were "neighbors, but growing up on the South Side in the University of Chicago Neighborhood, I would go with friends to South Side blues clubs, some of which are not there anymore. These were the kind of places the Stones would go to when they were in town, and a great time was had by all.
Linda thanks for the info. My favorite part of the Stones live at the Beacon DVD is them playing "Champagne & Reefer" with Buddy. They go back to their Blue's roots, with Mick blowing some excellent harp. After the song Keith gives Buddy his guitar. Here it is : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLuYnBnRcno
I love "Freedom" but are is MAGA going to soak up all the Country and Western alone? I'd hate to think that there is a big cultural divide here. Got a feeling about that... here's a Reddit quote i just found... "Why are so many country singers liberal if country music fans are overwhelmingly conservative?
It seems kind of weird. But like Garth Brooks is pretty liberal and played at Biden's inauguration, Faith Hill is a really vocal Democrat, Kacey Musgraves was pretty vocally anti-Trump, the formerly known as the Dixie Chicks...apparently even Luke Combs hardly ever talks about politics but hinted he's liberal when he does. So why such a disconnect?"
I have also dedicated Beethoven's 9th to the campaign for the Joy element. I know he was not an American so he would be out. Still, there are a lot of great songs. I really liked that they had Aretha and Stevie Wonder playing at Rallies too, because they are so uplifting. I like all kinds of music, so a variety of music will represent this team well too. However, a theme is a theme, and Beyoncé can elevate the economies of countries when she comes to do a concert, I believe Swift can as well. We are still waiting to see if Swift gives her endorsement, her fans are organizing Swifties for Harris. It might be too hard for both Swift and her boyfriend if she does. Bey and Swift are the big draws for Gen Z women, a group that if brought out in great numbers would help a lot.
Frank, we are having Germans who also have US citizenship, but who have never lived in the US show up to learn how to vote, because we show them how to vote from abroad. I am in a progressive city, so that is part of why we got a lot of encouragement doing tabling yesterday to recruit Americans to vote, or give information to Germans who know Americans in our city or living in Germany to help them to know how to vote from abroad.
Thank You Linda. We need to make sure we register people to vote here in the States, take people to the polls.
Check your voter registration folks. Take a screen shot of the registration. Take it to the polls with you. Nebraska! Fill out the registrar form for updating your signature for mail in ballots!
Governor Walz's speech sounded like somethin Knute Rockne would have said had he been a politician. So glad the Democratic Party is opening the tent to R.I.N.O.es like me. Check out this four minute vid., if you have conservative kin who dislike the former President.
NOTE: no link with R.I.N.O.; the computer confused ".es" at the end with a Spanish (I guess) site. HA! Cheap win but mine nevertheless! If one wishes to hear the whole speech, here it is.
Yes, I liked it, too. I clipped this segment because I found it the most relevant to moderate-righties like me and I also found it to be exceedingly clever. Homespun yet disdainful of what passes for conservatism today.
A great clip for those who tend to be more conservative by temperament (e.g., me); Governor Walz, like Vice President Harris, is a breath of fresh air. 🙂 Why? Each can laugh at him-or-herself. ❤️
My mother cried three or times that I remember. One time was the day after the 1968 election. Good for Minnesota. I used to call on companies in the Twin Cities. Marvellous place.
Best of good fortune during your days at the convention. I'm not sure what national conventions actually achieve, other than celebrating the presidential ticket and re-broadcasting broad political themes, but pomp and circumstance seems to be important to human enterprises, so let the celebration begin. And, for Italian food, you won't go wrong with Gino and Georgetti's.
While in Chicago, if you need a break, check out a brand new public art installation, The Wabash Lights, the first 50 feet of LED interactive lighting affixed to the L tracks along Wabash Avenue between Madison and Monroe. The lights were turned on just this week. (Jack C. Newell, the artist behind it, happens to be my son-in-law.)
Wow! What a stunning photo! Looking forward to hearing your observations of the convention.
Governor Walz's speech sounded like something Knute Rockne would have said had he been a politician. So glad the Democratic Party is opening the tent to R.I.N.O.es like me. Check out this four minute vid., if you have conservative kin who dislike the former President.
https://www.c-span.org/video/?c5128585/user-clip-governor-walzs-plea-traditional-republicans
EDIT: there is no link for 'R.l.N.O.'; the last dot followed by es (domain for Spain, I suspect) confused the computer. Yeah! Cheap victory, but it is mine! If one wishes to hear the whole speech, here it is.
https://www.c-span.org/video/?537741-1/democratic-vice-presidential-nominee-tim-walz-campaigns-omaha-nebraska
The Republican Party, the party of Conservatism, is gone. I left it when Ronald Reagan began the war on the Middle Class, fired the Air Traffic Controllers, turned the mentally and emotionally ill out onto the streets and began the massive tax cuts for the wealthy and the large corporations, resulting in transforming the USA into today's oligarchy.
Thank you for summing this up. I was an Independent for years, and often split my ticket. I keep bringing up Reagan. There is a direct line from his policies to the massive problem we have today with homelessness. And the Republican Party of today is directly responsible for the division we have not only in this country but within our families. As I keep telling people, this is not your father’s Republican Party. Let’s just send them to the woodshed in November so that they finally can get their act together.
HCR makes it very , very clear, IMO, that the contest is between the oligarchs and the rest of us. It's been that way since the onset of the Industrial Revolution. The tension between capital and labor is omnipresent. The fix must invariably be political. Without labor, there would/could be no capital. Lincoln summed it up nicely: "Labor is prior to, and independent of, capital. Capital is only the fruit of labor, and could never have existed if labor had not first existed. Labor is the superior of capital, and deserves much the higher consideration. Capital has its rights, which are as worthy of protection as any other rights."
I neglected to reference HCR's book, "How the South Won the Civil War," which makes it clear that the war with the oligarchs is on-going. They (the oligarchs) are the "new South." They've virtually enslaved us in the 21st century with 806 American billionaires having the accumulated wealth equal to 1/2 of the American population. That's 806 vs. 163,000,000. Fewer than one thousand vs. one hundred and sixty-three million. Folks, we're an oligarchy, but we aren't the oligarchs.
I commented to a friend this week about how, when we were kids (the 50s & 60s) a designated very rich person was a millionaire, or maybe a 'multi-millionaire', but not a billionaire. I said I doubt most Americans can even CONCEIVE of how much wealth a billion dollars is. We think it's maybe like being a multi-millionaire in 1960 was. And we still think these are people who MAKE things we need and want. We haven't truly grasped that these are people who make their money off MONEY, and are aided by the lax tax laws and tax havens that have multipled like mushrooms after rain.
Richard, I'll mention the other thing you've neglected to mention, which is that Adam Smith agrees with you and Abraham Lincoln.
In his book, The Theory of Moral Sentiments (1759), Smith proposes using morality as the foundation for an economic system that he described in more detail in his next book, The Wealth of Nations (1776). I think of them as volumes 1 & 2 of the "capitalist manifesto."
Make sure that every fifth-grade student understands that the most important lesson is that we must all treat each other the way we would want to be treated if the shoe was on the other foot in every context. Reading, writing, and arithmetic are important, but less important. Result: every sixth grade student understands what Karl Marx and Bernie Sanders don't understand: it's NOT okay to be angry about capitalism. Instead, it's okay to be angry about the hypocrite oligarchs and their defenders who refer to themselves as capitalists without knowing the first thing about the subject.
more like, I think, 806 vs. 330 million, unless you're counting registered voters or perhaps the active workforce.
That one should be required reading not in history but social studies.
It is much more powerful when you illustrate the actual numbers of humans as opposed to a percentage. Thanks Richard.
Thank you for jogging my memory to read this book, just ordered it!
Oops, didn’t see this before replying to your previous, here amended, comment.
Then along came Newt Gingrich. I remember noting how viscous he talked and wondering "what is this"? Now we know. He introduced the zero-sum game of anything goes in politics. He is the forerunner of the MAGA people today. He and Roger Stone of the Nixon era schooled the Republican Party leaders of today.
Don't forget Grover Norquist, of No New Taxes fame.
Yes, I agree 100%. Gingrich's influence on American politics is ugly, harmful and counterproductive.
Oh, Barbara! Thanks for bringing up that toad. Yes, he set the tone that has brought us to Jim Jordan and Donald Trump.
Barbara, I hope you'll appreciate this little story. We met Gingrich at Auberge Chez Francois in Great Falls, VA almost 30 years ago. My feisty (and best) friend noticed he and his sour-faced wife coming into the restaurant and raised her arm. "Mr. Speaker," she called out. He came right over (wife glared and went to their table) and we actually had a friendly conversation about our mutual love for France. Today, I would have confronted him and there would have been a scene lol! Back then I wasn't particularly political. How that has changed....
In Heathers " To Make Men Free", it was when Newt comes on the scene that I found it impossible to read further. What a perfect name for a very small man with minuscule ideas.
You got it Barbara.
The ante in the discord between the oligarchs and the workers has been raised significantly.
Now with the manifesto Project 2025 the stakes are higher than ever.
Do we want to live in a Russian dystopian authoritarian like Country? Because that is where the Republican Party wants to take us. And this is not hyperbole.
As many know, the official DJT presidential campaign is on Elon Musk's platform under the name of "Trump War Room" taking Bannon's digital banner "War Room" while Stevie is in jail.
I will be reporting this development for possible individual criminal acts under DOJ guidelines.
In the longer speech, Governor Walz described Project2025 as a play-book, saying, in effect, that, as a coach, he knew that when a team had a play-book, it used it. Taking it public shows to me what bubbles we live in. It was not a smart idea to release that paly-book with so much fan-fare. With so much reinforcement inside the echo-chamber, the authors and promoters seemed to think it would be well received. WRONG.
If one wishes to hear the whole speech, here it is.
https://www.c-span.org/video/?537741-1/democratic-vice-presidential-nominee-tim-walz-campaigns-omaha-nebraska
Yes! Do you think that the UAW endorsement of Harris/Walz is significant?
Was thinking about this before getting up this morning and how we've found ourselves in this situation. I believe a shift in values partially enabled hero worship of those accumulating extraordinary amounts of money; further, I believe it accelerated with Reagan.
In the case of the former President, more like zero-worship.
Been that way since the beginning of time or, at least, since land was divvied up among nobles.
Been that way since the Civil War—actually since the inception, but was rejected in the Civil war then reinstated with Jim Crow and Industrial, now tech and oil/gas, oligarchs.
And railroad oligarchs.
that, more than anything else i've read, is a test for who gets to call themselves "the party of Lincoln". and it sure as Shinola ain't the GQP.
Thanks, Richard, for that great post.
The USA turned its back on The Great Society, i remember in Canada they called it a "taxpayers' revolt", some mimicking of the USA in Canada, putting Canada's recently developed Medicare in some jeopardy with two-tier service proposals, extra billing, and hospital med fees. Thankfully that got "somewhat resolved". As in the US, deregulation became a mantra, the only thing it did was enrich the already well to do. And yes, de-institutionalizing the mental institutions based on a Charter of Rights mantra only dumped people haphazardly into underfunded homecare scenes. Many just ended on the streets. This was the era that soup kitchens began, and they have only grown since then. Churchwork, but not to begrudge that unique reservoir of good works in modern society.
Jesus said, "the poor will always be with us". I like to say "the rich will always be with us". An additional truth is that they DON'T need a leg up. Whatever the era, the rich have already found a way to take advantage of the system. Thus, they don't need regulatory or governmental help to increase their wealth or leverage. It's those who struggle to negotiate the system and thrive within it that deserve our attention and assistance.
In fact, if my shrinking grey matter serves at all (sic), the President tied for number-2 in my memory had a program of mainstreaming unthreatening and competent mental hospital long-term patients into half-way houses to leade lives of enhanced dignity. When he lost re-election, President Reagan cut the funding for the half-way houses. Great response, as always, Frank! Many thanks.
I was looking for the study that showed 1/3rd of all mentally ill "allowed" to live independently in their own subsidized apartment died with in a year. I believe it was in NYC, though I couldn't find that quotes in the Frontline story at https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/article/mentally-ill-new-york-living-independently-housing/
My mother who had worked in the dining facilities at Mt Holyoke College and the Belchertown State School (where my sister had worked in the office staff), saw the gut wrenching results of clearing out facilities that did once provide the best care for clients that was possible. My mother described the earlier reforms in such care came about largely from what I believe were the Amish and Menonite Conscientious Objectors during WWII that were given alternative service in mental institutions (while others were "allowed" to become test cases in clinical trials). My mother described the problems seeming to come when the dedicated and effective Conscientious Objector types finally retired and were too often replaced by what she called hippie incompetent, uncaring, new employees that had radical dreams about setting the clients free.
Many of the client's families couldn't begin to care for them and, though a number of family members would visit regularly, many didn't seem to have any family members visit. Before the School got its terrible reputation, they had established good relations with the townspeople in Belchertown, and were able to bring well chaperoned groups into events in town throughout the year. To hear the older dedicated workers describe the clients behaviors, you would think that they were at most 7 years old. Occaionally friends visiting our home would ask about people like one client who would, if allowed, into the kitchen and just start stuffing as much bread into his mouth as possible. In that case the visitor asked how old he was (expecting 7years old), but shocked to learn he was 64.
I believe my mother described 400,000 people in mental institutions when my mother worked at the school, and around 250,000 were de-institutionalized, with half of them dying "in the streets" while another half largely ended up filling prisons as the numbers grew.
A more authoritative source is at https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2021/05/truth-about-deinstitutionalization/618986/
My Uncle was very surprised to find one of his coworkers at an aerospace company had one child (of 4), that he and his wife had kept locked in a closet under the stairs for most of her 8 years (like some described in the Atlantic article).
Jim, I generally love Frontline, but stories like this that list individual horror stories about people with mental illness living independently do make me see red. The article mentioned that about 5% of 700+ people died and 5% moved into a higher level of care. That suggests 90% were living independently, which fits more closely with what I have seen over the past 40 years.
Yet the article focuses on a litany of the failures. Believe me when I say that one could provide a list of the similarly shocking failures in so-called adult care homes, which are poorly-regulated and have few standards of care, little staff and often no staff training or supervision.
The truth is that institutionalizing people creates vulnerable, exploited people. Supportive, scattered-site housing should be coupled with the funding, staffing, training and supervision that allows for individualized supports that titrate up and down based on the person’s needs.
There will be failures. Anyone who has worked in protective services could offer many examples of people living independently who harm themselves and/or others who are not all mentally ill, nor have the majority been “deinstitutionalized.”
I’m afraid that just as there has been a backlash against civil and women’s rights we may see a movement back to the “good old days” of mass institutionalization. Especially when such care is privatized and profitable.
Thank you, Frank. Shattering, to say the least.
Very well said and an interesting observation on the Canadian issue.
The Republican party of Dwight Eisenhower no longer exists. Nixon had a very selfish mindset. Then along came Reagan, who seemed affable and was good at delivering speeches. His policies were terrible for ordinary Americans. My husband, who worked for an industrial manufacturer, was very worried about keeping his job during recessions and layoffs, caused by Republican policies. I recall that people in Reagan's administration wanted to declare catsup to be a vegetable in school lunches. That's just plain greed. Reagan was supported by that mean, nasty bigot, Jesse Helms, who was MAGA ahead of the curve. Adulterous Newt Gingrich schooled Republicans in using extremist combative language to describe Democratic people and policies. He was great at soundbites. The party moved more to the libertarian side. Best I can tell, libertarians don't want any rules at all to govern their behavior. The Republicans promote policies favoring those who already have a goodly portion of the nation's resources. They are motivated by greed and a lust for power. They could care less about the country.
That Eisenhower Party is what my parents adhered to, though they liked Presidents Kennedy, Johnson, and Carter. I have been like my mother more than my father: one foot on each side of the continental divide between liberalism and conservatism.
Trumps "speech"....or the jet stream of bullshit he spewed last night.......had to be the final nail in the coffin of the GOP. Thank the good Lord above for sites like this that are keeping truth, dignity and respect for humanity alive.
I wonder if Satan will even allow Donable Lector into hell even????
Reagan wanted govt to do less—for ordinary people, at least.
The line goes back further, to Goldwater, Nixon and the Southern Strategy that co-opted racism and made it respectable again.
Yes, thank you. An independent who sees truth.
Reagan was the first of the frauds installed by corporate power as a tool to take over the country.
From him we got perhaps the last patriotic Republican HW, with his own problems. And screaming downhill to the moron W and the completion of the theft with the mentally ill drumpf.
And much or most of Project2025 is Reaganism 2.0 with the typically snide asides from kulturkampfers.
Yes. Reaganomics, etc. never worked. Financial class gap widened creating disillusioned Americans that would vote in a want to be authoritarian like drumpf.
Also, so well said Carol (I just replied to Richard's post above yours).
I have always thought the same of the Reagan administrations' policies. They were the wrong direction for a Democracy depending on participation of it's citizens.
Thank you, Richard! So well said. The party of Conservatism has morphed into the party of greed--a haven of sorts to self-serving people who care more about how much cash they have or can accumulate, who care only about someone's welfare if he's white, wealthy, and male. I remember very well the air traffic controller debacle and the homeless situation that evolved in Washington during the 1980's. I'll never forget meeting Mitch Snyder at his homeless shelter when I took my teenage daughters down to donate their winter coats. It makes me tear up just thinking about it. We've lost so much to so few....
Charity is really about the heart of the giver. Are you, as someone with more, willing to share with someone who has less? Charity, at best, is a band-aid on complex problems. Charity alone cannot carry the burden of addressing the need for a social safety net. The social safety net is evidence of how a society cares for its vulnerable citizens. Ayn Rand, the author whom Paul Ryan thought was brilliant on governmental funding issues, said, "Why should we look after the stupid people?" At the end of her life, she needed government benefits because her resources had dwindled. Ayn Rand was a selfish, mean spirited bitch.
My family is split on this issue of the role of private charity. I do not think private charity is enough, yet the impulse toward charity can and should inform policies. One thing of which I remain mindful is that these billionaires and others worth more than some level (e.g., $10 million) have much of the wealth tied up in options that can not be exercised in the short term. That reduces some of the capacity to pay for a welfare state.
Yes Linda,
Totally true. If one reads back during Bush years they too helped “privatize” our Medicare so now it is completely run by big deeply crooked Insurance. Insurance that means they get rich and insure that you won’t!
My 40-something daughter tells me her younger friends also place the blame for it all going horribly wrong on Ronnie Raygun! I told her her granddad would be tickled to hear it. I can still see him on Sunday mornings, yelling at Face the Nation or the like, over Reagan. :p)
Well said. With the exception of H.W. Bush, the Republican presidents starting with Reagan were nothing but shills for the monied oligarchs. They went so far with Trump, most Americans, especially the younger generations, are beginning to see through their lies and scare tactics.
Gina, you’d better hope so!!!!
Hear, hear, Richard! I remember that from all the way "up" in Canada East, I could never stomach his "evil empire" rhetoric, and him a vote getter genius, sweeping on his 2nd term.
So grateful for this beautiful summary--this really was the turning point, and those two cruel moves were a foreshadowing of what was to come.
I loath the word "conservatism" unless it refers to the planet we live on.
Well, l intend to read John Burke.
You , me. Twins! And don’t forget Reagan’s pettiness in defunding Legal Aid. I had the pleasure and honor to work with some of these dedicated and hard working defenders of justice back in the 1970’s.
I first registered as a R because my father was standing over me. As I did, I thought I was not going to vote for many Rs. I never did in Indiana and only a few like Mark Hatfield here in Oregon. I have special loathing for Ray Gun exactly because of what Carol S. mentions. He also did in low income housing. My father lived long enough to listen to Rush, so I am thinking that at least in part, this is his R party. I have always wondered what he would think of death star.
Exactly how I remember it.
He also dramatically cut support for education , social services, & job training programs, throwing millions of people out of work, including myself. Plus he cut work study benefits, which impacted my husband, who was a student during Reagan's tenure. I vowed during that time I would never vote for a Republican again.
Dear Richard,
Thank you for putting that fiasco in print. It needs to be there like a “Smokey the Bear”, billboard of the old days on highway adds.
So many are still sure Reagan was that sweet, jovial cowboy who was there for them… obviously just a puppet for the far “deep” right to steal and lie state.
Amen! Well-stated brother. I to left the party because of Reagan's destruction years. Now a diehard Democrat.
I too was horrified at the monetizing of American values that occurred during the Regan years. I heartily endorse the following comments, which show that others were also noticing the leavening of the upper crust ...
Between them Kamala and Tim have created a slogan rich campaign, with meat behind the teeth, sales of t shirts, cups, posters, banners, signs , billboards, whatever and wherever. Do Dems go, RINOs of course most welcomed Ned. Who knows this might shift your general political universe a notch or more. Jesus was almost a radical "communist" after all, right?
Jesus was a radical communist for his time. It seems the true interpretation of Jesus teachings are radical and communist for our time, when they should be everyday norms.
How is "welcoming the stranger" ...."taking care of the widow"....."feeding the poor"......any part of being a communist??? Where in the teachings of Jesus does he praise "mass deportations"...."executing political enemies".....he never mentioned abortion once.
If anything, Jesus was a radical liberal of his day.
I guess communist applies to Jesus only in he believed in sharing whatever he had. Maybe my idea of communist is incorrect .
Susan, you are on the right track and there are no wrong answers here. Nobody on this site has any right to judge you at all. Empathy is so important........the far right has no concept of that. You are searching for the truth....keep going...you will find it.
Well in Acts the earliest disciples lived communally, and you know the fate of the married couple who "held back".... that didnt last. Paul never mentions anything like it. Then again, later on, monks arose living in isolation, and eventually orders practicing personal poverty, chastity and ... obedience!
I remember thinking, at my well-to-do college, ¿what would happen if J.C. went to a frat party?
¿Bring back Camelot with Kamala?
Ned, I saw recently it referred to as “Kamalot”….nice ring to it! Tho I am a bit concerned that “we” are so thirsty/needy of a fair and caring administration that we hang too many hopes & expectations upon their shoulders. Those who share this vision of a brighter future must be ready and willing to man the oars and do our part help propel us forward….as Joyce Vance says “we’re all in this together”!
Barbara, very wise counsel. The locus of power lies in the Congress. Presidential candidates who generate excitement often disappoint people when they assume the office. One can only do so much and the expectations fly right on by, heedless of this basic constraint.
Here’s a wonderful sermon speaking to this point about what Jesus taught versus the poison of Christian Nationalism: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Blph_2RSBno
The full speech is even better:
https://youtu.be/tZU1_r2e5N4?si=jDa_P4ib6CMCWgfq
Thank you. Tim is good, very good.
Thank you! I love that he builds on “weird” to say the cruelty and corruption of the MAGAs is “not just weird,” calling them out on their litany of ills. I also love that he talks about food, which connects people to each other and to their memories. Genius. I had to look up Runza!!!
In actuality I thought all three speeches -- at least the ones I saw -- by Mrs Walz, Governor Walz, and his former student were worth a listen.
EDIT: Governor Walz is a great speaker. I wonder if President Lincoln Or William Jennings Bryan had that home-spun tone to their rhetoric. If one wishes to hear the whole speech, here it is.
https://www.c-span.org/video/?537741-1/democratic-vice-presidential-nominee-tim-walz-campaigns-omaha-nebraska
If one wishes to hear the whole speech, here it is.
https://www.c-span.org/video/?537741-1/democratic-vice-presidential-nominee-tim-walz-campaigns-omaha-nebraska
Thanks, Ned. After watching it myself, I did send that on to someone who is not voting Trump, and feels kind of lost. He's warming to the Harris/Walz ticket.
That gives me hope...when a Trump leaning person begins to have doubts about Trump's messaging begins to hear the true meaning of freedom.
You are welcome, Sandra. I voted for Secretary / Senator Clinton in 2016; voted for Vice President Biden in 2020; and, would have voted for President Biden again in 2024 because I was already comfortable with a President Harris should that contingency arise.
Me too, Ned! For 2024, tho Biden’s age became “a thing” (not so much in my mind), I saw Biden/Harris as a kind of Mobius loop….both sides becoming one, so was not worried. I became disgusted & disheartened by the MSM’s relentless drumbeat of “Biden’s old”. I must admit, however, when Biden passed the baton on to Harris, I felt a thrum and tingle of excitement & energy I hadn’t been aware I’d been lacking.
Yeah, I understand that, too, Barbara; Vice President Harris actually brings some joy to politics President Biden had impressed me as intending to serve for one term, so I was disappointed when he announced for re-election because he seemed so frail, not incapacitated. I am sure his ego is bruised and feelings are hurt; I hope President Biden can take solace from several of our better or more effective Presidents -- Presidents Polk, Taft, Ford, Carter, H.W. Bush, and, now, Biden -- serving four years or less.
Ned, IMHO, he hit it out of the ballpark with the 4 he has (still not done yet!!!). AND he did a solid in passing the torch to Kamala….one for the history books for sure…what a legacy….somewhere Beau is saying “way to go Dad!!!”.
Born and raised in Kansas and as atheist and progressive as they come, I loved what he had to say.
Yes the Republican Party used to be respectable.
It's been taken over by a fascist movement at the behest of corporate power in the form of a mentally ill reality tv fraud.
And yes, freedom is having the government stay the hell out of personal decisions.
And I'll be damned if I'll pay for the religious indoctrination of innocent children. You want to do that, it's on you.
This Minnesotan is proud to contribute Governor Tim Walz to the fight! He’s the real deal. Thanks for the clip. That’s our Gov! ❤️
Thanks for the link, Ned. Great speech. I like welcoming RINO’s but more than that we should listen to their views and take them into consideration. We Liberals and Progressives have our values, but not all the answers. Let’s have a dialogue and find out where we have common ground and can move forward. That was the essence of Tim’s speech.
Vice President Harris impresses me as being pretty open-minded. We shall see.
He's brilliant.
I agree. I wonder if Senator Vance will duck a debate. Governor Walz will castrate him on national television as the phoney opportunist that he is: 1,000% ambition and .1% principle. One of my best buds from my Southern college grew up in a professional family in Appalachia. At my frat-house reunion this summer, he nailed Senator Vance. ¿His take? "Appalachia is not uniformly like this. Okay, J.D., so you grew up in a dysfunctional family. Keep it to yourself., **s-hole.
There is just something about Vance that is so dark and brings out people's innate survival gut reaction of hatred for the guy. He functions as the exposure of the dark, dark place of the MAGA Republican Party. I think these people are evil. And I never throw that around casually. We must, must defeat them.
I regret to say that I can not keep up with these stimulating comments. 😯 I am in transit. Many of y'all are speaking to one another and that is great. 😊 While I lived in N.Y.C. long enough to know how to take credit where it is not due, this time I will 'permit' that credit to flow through to its proper object: Governor Walz. 😉
Thanks! I hope all your friends will vote this year and help turn this around! Dems cannot do it without Republican and Independents joining in.
Plenty of Republicans are standing by. Those in states where Vice President Harris will win decisively may vote Libertarian so that Party can get matching funds. Democratic voters in deep red or blue states may vote for Dr Jill Stein.
Mr McDoodle, thank you for the link of “Vice President “ Walz’s speech. Man what an inspiring and unifying speech.
If you want to hear the wole speech, you can click on the link above the title of the clip titled, "Democratic Vice Presidential Nominee Tim Walz Campaigns in Omaha, Nebraska."
Love Richard's Comment this am in response to listening to Tom Walz's talk on CSPAN reported in last night's LFAA and this short clip (offered by Commentor Ned) of Walz's talk. https://www.c-span.org/video/?c5128585/user-clip-governor-walzs-plea-traditional-republicans
If one wishes to hear the whole speech, here it is.
https://www.c-span.org/video/?537741-1/democratic-vice-presidential-nominee-tim-walz-campaigns-omaha-nebraska
Thank you for sharing this.
If one wishes to hear the whole speech, here it is.
https://www.c-span.org/video/?537741-1/democratic-vice-presidential-nominee-tim-walz-campaigns-omaha-nebraska
Thank you, Ned. I just posted on FB.
If one wishes to hear the whole speech, here it is.
https://www.c-span.org/video/?537741-1/democratic-vice-presidential-nominee-tim-walz-campaigns-omaha-nebraska
Very inspirational C-SPAN video, with a lot of enthusiasm, from a rousing speech. Thanks for sharing.
If one wishes to hear the whole speech, here it is.
https://www.c-span.org/video/?537741-1/democratic-vice-presidential-nominee-tim-walz-campaigns-omaha-nebraska
This is soooo good I printed it out and it is now in my office. It's perfect.
Ditto!
Agree on both points
Angela, as am I. I remember the 1968 convention very well. My husband and I were visiting my grandmother, who mainly slept, but awoke long enough to make a racist comment. Also saw Vidal/Buckley on TV before it was taken off.
Having experienced both, I judge a Maine summer to be vastly superior to a Chicago summer. To leave Maine in August, to anywhere else on earth, is truly taking one for the team.
Well said Ralph.
But on the other hand, my favorite time of year in Maine begins on Labor Day - when the tourists head south, the evenings are crispy and comfortable. The days are dry and breezy.
And then...it gets even better. Leaves begin to turn. The smell of a properly made wood fire...
Summer is nice. Fall is rejuvenation.
Having lived in Michigan for 10 years, northern summers are wonderful. Northern falls, are beautifully glorious with the changing leaves and crisp weather. Now that I've moved back to my home state of NC to care for family, June-November is hurricane season. One always has to be mindful of the possibility of devastating storms. I am a disaster survivor. Hurricane season puts me on edge. By the way, Project 2025 plans to close NOAA, which brings us weather information, including storm warnings.
Don't you just wonder why? What would be the motivation behind closing NOAA? Project 2025 is incomprehensible.
Jenn, that is quite the shift, and it is only getting worse.
My Dad was a meteorologist for the Weather Bureau, then NOAA; he would be apoplectic at the threat to close forecasting in the US.
I keep thinking of my dear friends in NC this time of year. Fortunately, so far, they all seem to be ok. And: yet further proof that P 25 is bat s*** f****** crazy. <sigh>
Shhhhhhhhh.
Well said!
Absolutely beautiful photo! Thank you Heather. And look forward to this next week and your historical spelunking!
Same here!!
Oh my! This photo is breathtaking. You’ve been away from your home so much this year and we all appreciate your sacrifice. Knowing the effort you are putting in to make us aware of the fragility of our democracy has encouraged so many to join in the fight to strengthen it. Thank you, thank you, thank you! 💙
Look for a copy of "And Somehow It Works" by Chet Huntley & David Brinkley. It is the story of the 1964 conventions. Fascinating reading. I remember the broadcasts. My favorite event was when John Chancellor was trying to interview a delegate at the Republican Convention in the Cow Palace. The Speaker ordered the floor cleared and Chancellor keeps on interviewing. Finally a deputy sheriff starts to arrest him. Chancellor pivots and starts interviewing the deputy. As he leaves the convention floor he signs off saying "This is John Chancellor somewhere in custody." Huntley and Brinkley were just cracking up. One of them said "Don't worry. We'll get him back."
As a native Chicagoan, I always liked Mike Royko's "Boss" for explaining the city's politics,
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boss_(book)
as well as Milton Rakove's, "Don't Make No Waves, Don't Back No Losers" for explaining the politics as well.
https://iupress.org/9780253202024/dont-make-no-waves-dont-back-no-losers/
Old books to be sure, but they give a good political taste of the history of the city through the mid 1970s.
Words that HCR is in Chicago made my morning. Who better to put the 1968 Dem Convention in historical context while reporting real-time history in different political universe. "Yes, we KAM!!"
When I was growing up in Chicago, Mike Royko was my hero!
I remember that, too, and I was 15 years old!
lol. 1964. Gulf of Tonkin resolution on the side.
That's a great story.
To tell the truth, I've only really become interested in US politics since trump hit the escalator - even before that, I thought he was a horrible person.
Consequently, I seem to be permanently in "catch up " mode - So I appreciate Professor Richardson's mini pieces very much.
One of the things I am listening to at the moment on Audible is Al Franken's "Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them."
Disillusioned as I already was with Right Wing politicians and their support team, this book has depressed me even more - while making me laugh at the same time. And jump up and down with rage. Franken published in 2010 - long before the present political horror became seemingly set in stone. The long term chicanery, corruption and deception that Franken gives facts, figures and dates of makes you realise that Trump is merely the cap on a very large boil on the body politic in this country,
Franken was enraged in 2010. I cannot imagine how he must feel now.
Franken was a senator from Minnesota. Great wit. His books are wonderful.
Yes - and he resigned voluntarily and immediately after being accused of "sexual misconduct". Seven of the thirty six Democrats who initially called for his resignation now day that "they regret it" and that he should have had due process.
I suspect he realised that after his his outspoken opinions of the GOP, George W, Hannity, Fox etc and their lies , the accusations would be raw meat to much of the media, and he resigned for the good of the party.
I find him a very down to earth, good humored writer - interesting that he ALSO comes from Minnesota. . .
That book was terrific. I always thought Al Franken would do well with a comedy news show like Jon Stewart had with the Daily Show, and all the other shows that came after, like Last Week Tonight with John Oliver.
Welcome to my home town Professor Richardson. I am currently in Germany, but with everyone there in spirit. I hope this convention gives the ticket the expected boost even as momentum seems to be increasing. As policy is being discussed the press are going after it like vultures, as if this were all new economics, not the ones that have made our nation so successful with ad ons that I believe were planned all along. Next steps of helping the middle class to grow and actually be a force to stand against the oligarchs by reclaiming some of the wealth.
I hope Buddy Guy gets to play at the convention and represent Chicago's wonderful Blue's scene. BB King played at one of the GOP conventions because Lee Atwater was a Blues fan...his only redeeming feature.
Mike, if Buddy Guy does not play at the convention Buddy Guy's Legends, his music venue will be sure to have good music and is not too far from the Convention Hall at the United Center. https://buddyguy.com/
It is about 10 minutes by car, but longer by public. While I am in Germany, Democrats Abroad will have 21 delegates at the convention. I know 3 of them are from Germany. I am super excited for all. There are other good blues venues in the city as well. Here are some other Blues Venues in Chicago for those who are going to be there and like Blues. https://windycityblues.org/blues-clubs
I used to live next door to Kingston Mines right after I got my undergraduate degree. They used to let my roommate and me in for free because we were "neighbors, but growing up on the South Side in the University of Chicago Neighborhood, I would go with friends to South Side blues clubs, some of which are not there anymore. These were the kind of places the Stones would go to when they were in town, and a great time was had by all.
Linda thanks for the info. My favorite part of the Stones live at the Beacon DVD is them playing "Champagne & Reefer" with Buddy. They go back to their Blue's roots, with Mick blowing some excellent harp. After the song Keith gives Buddy his guitar. Here it is : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLuYnBnRcno
I love "Freedom" but are is MAGA going to soak up all the Country and Western alone? I'd hate to think that there is a big cultural divide here. Got a feeling about that... here's a Reddit quote i just found... "Why are so many country singers liberal if country music fans are overwhelmingly conservative?
It seems kind of weird. But like Garth Brooks is pretty liberal and played at Biden's inauguration, Faith Hill is a really vocal Democrat, Kacey Musgraves was pretty vocally anti-Trump, the formerly known as the Dixie Chicks...apparently even Luke Combs hardly ever talks about politics but hinted he's liberal when he does. So why such a disconnect?"
Here's this... https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/friendly-interest/201809/why-republicans-listen-country-music-and-democrats-don-t
I have also dedicated Beethoven's 9th to the campaign for the Joy element. I know he was not an American so he would be out. Still, there are a lot of great songs. I really liked that they had Aretha and Stevie Wonder playing at Rallies too, because they are so uplifting. I like all kinds of music, so a variety of music will represent this team well too. However, a theme is a theme, and Beyoncé can elevate the economies of countries when she comes to do a concert, I believe Swift can as well. We are still waiting to see if Swift gives her endorsement, her fans are organizing Swifties for Harris. It might be too hard for both Swift and her boyfriend if she does. Bey and Swift are the big draws for Gen Z women, a group that if brought out in great numbers would help a lot.
I love any music I can dance to..🩰💃 I’m also a boomer Swiftie and believe she announced her endorsement of Biden/Harris about a month before….🤞
Jon Batiste-FREEDOM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3YHVC1DcHmo
❤️🤍💙
Kathy, this says Swift's endorsement is likely. https://www.newsweek.com/taylor-swift-kamala-harris-endorsement-likely-1939647
Thanks for the Batiste video link.
Interesting read, thanks.
Love to hear how Germans are taking all this in, Linda.
Frank, we are having Germans who also have US citizenship, but who have never lived in the US show up to learn how to vote, because we show them how to vote from abroad. I am in a progressive city, so that is part of why we got a lot of encouragement doing tabling yesterday to recruit Americans to vote, or give information to Germans who know Americans in our city or living in Germany to help them to know how to vote from abroad.
Thank You Linda. We need to make sure we register people to vote here in the States, take people to the polls.
Check your voter registration folks. Take a screen shot of the registration. Take it to the polls with you. Nebraska! Fill out the registrar form for updating your signature for mail in ballots!
Looking forward to all your convention coverage!!!
Yes indeed. I love the way you weave current events into the broader tapestry of history, enriching our understanding of both.
Governor Walz's speech sounded like somethin Knute Rockne would have said had he been a politician. So glad the Democratic Party is opening the tent to R.I.N.O.es like me. Check out this four minute vid., if you have conservative kin who dislike the former President.
https://www.c-span.org/video/?c5128585/user-clip-governor-walzs-plea-traditional-republicans
NOTE: no link with R.I.N.O.; the computer confused ".es" at the end with a Spanish (I guess) site. HA! Cheap win but mine nevertheless! If one wishes to hear the whole speech, here it is.
https://www.c-span.org/video/?537741-1/democratic-vice-presidential-nominee-tim-walz-campaigns-omaha-nebraska
The full speech is even better:
https://youtu.be/tZU1_r2e5N4?si=jDa_P4ib6CMCWgfq
Yes, I liked it, too. I clipped this segment because I found it the most relevant to moderate-righties like me and I also found it to be exceedingly clever. Homespun yet disdainful of what passes for conservatism today.
I appreciate that you posted that. It’s what led me to the full speech. Thanks!
"Won't you please come to Chicago for the help that we can bring?
We can change the world.."
- CSNY
“We can cha-a-a-ange the wo-orld. Rearra-e-ange the wo-orld! It’s dying, to get better.” ❤️🎶❤️
Enjoy the convention, professor, and I know it's not your beautiful Maine, but I hope you enjoy your stay in Chicago.
A great clip for those who tend to be more conservative by temperament (e.g., me); Governor Walz, like Vice President Harris, is a breath of fresh air. 🙂 Why? Each can laugh at him-or-herself. ❤️
https://www.c-span.org/video/?c5128585/user-clip-governor-walzs-plea-traditional-republicans
The only thing that upset me about the white guy taco remark was that I WAS SO0ooo COMPLETELY BUSTED in going for the bland. 😉
https://youtu.be/D90StE2vdaI
MINNESOTA:
1st, the first to protect women's rights.
2nd, providing nutrition for the poor to avoid stunting.
3rd, building next-gen infrastructure.
To me, that sounds like a perfect three-step 'Walz' on par with Schubert.
If one wishes to hear the whole speech, here it is.
https://www.c-span.org/video/?537741-1/democratic-vice-presidential-nominee-tim-walz-campaigns-omaha-nebraska
We were pretty early in allowing gay marriage. It has always mystified me how much Minnesota differs politically from the surrounding states.
My mother cried three or times that I remember. One time was the day after the 1968 election. Good for Minnesota. I used to call on companies in the Twin Cities. Marvellous place.
Best of good fortune during your days at the convention. I'm not sure what national conventions actually achieve, other than celebrating the presidential ticket and re-broadcasting broad political themes, but pomp and circumstance seems to be important to human enterprises, so let the celebration begin. And, for Italian food, you won't go wrong with Gino and Georgetti's.
Myself, i plan to enjoy the spectacle. Not every minute mind you. Plans to get the kayak out on the local lakes and calm rivers much as i can.
Gorgeous glorious sunrise. Looking forward to your coverage of the convention and its historic implications.
While in Chicago, if you need a break, check out a brand new public art installation, The Wabash Lights, the first 50 feet of LED interactive lighting affixed to the L tracks along Wabash Avenue between Madison and Monroe. The lights were turned on just this week. (Jack C. Newell, the artist behind it, happens to be my son-in-law.)
Heather, thank you so much for always bringing the light to us with your daily letters, books and other media messages.
This photo is a stunning image of a new dawn and bright future ahead for those of us with a grateful heart and optimistic spirit.
Stunning! Thank you for gifting all of us with such a beautiful moment!🙏💙